April's Review	Chris' Review	Tammy's Review	Stephanie's Review	Donna's Review

Review by April

I recently received the perfect "romantic" inspiration just in time for Valentine's this year. Stampinton & Company's 2009 issue of Somerset in love arrived at my doorstep for review and totally swept me away! I adore reviewing Stampington & Company's publications because they always make me feel so inspired and creative and I have yet to read any book by Stampington that I have not been extremely impressed with.

For this review I received Stampinton & Company's Somerset in love Winter 2009 publication. This issue consists of over 140 pages and is filled with enchanting romantic mixed-media projects that are simply stunning. The cover of this book provides a smooth and fun to touch exterior. Just looking at the front cover gives you an idea of the beauty and passionate art awaiting inside. Inside this issue you will find the following: letters from the editor and director, a table of contents detailing out each section of the book, a "Love Note" from the hostess, and a section called "Meet the Artists" where you can read their bio's. Essentially there are two different groups of women who each present their own unique take on creating a vintage valentine book. There are a total of 11 different artists, broken up into six per group. Group one created their own versions of a pink book, and group two created their own versions of red book. The designers in each group picked their theme, designed the cover of their altered book and then completed a couple of pages before they sent it on to the next artist. After exchanging the book with each of the six artists in the group, they each ended up with gorgeous books created with love. Each chapter covers how the designer created their book, the reason or meaning behind their creation, complete instructions and tips for each project, fun facts about the artist's sentimentality, and how each of the other 5 artists completed pages within their book. All of the pictures are in full color and are absolutely striking. This book retails for $14.99 and is worth every penny!

Even though the projects in this book revolved specifically around creating altered books, each page provided artistic techniques that could be used on a variety of other projects. I was inspired to create a love themed layout for my first project. I normally go for the less is more look when making layouts, but I really loved the way several of the altered book pages contained all sorts of fun and funky embellishments, found objects, and a variety of color shades all on one page. On this page I created a heart pillow by cutting out a heart from a sticky back sheet of canvas, painting it, and then stuffing it with cotton. To decorate the page, I used a variety of patterned and textured papers, along with felt shapes, rub ons, foiled decorations, glitter glue, and more.

Title: Sweet Baby Love
Products used:
Inspiration for Project (Stampington & Company: Somerset in Love 2009) Sticky Back Canvas (Ranger: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Line)
Felt Shapes (Fancy Pants)
Foil Designs & Foil (Creative Imaginations)
Glitter Glue (Ranger: Stickles)
Transparency (Hambly Screen Prints)
Patterned Paper (Creative Imaginations, & Imagination Project)
Mirror (Heidi Swapp)
Rhinestones (Heidi Swapp, & Paper Studio)
Felt Rub On (Heidi Swapp)
Paint (Jaquard: Lumiere)
Pens (Staedtler)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I have always admired altered print books, but have never tried my hand at them. One of my favorite page examples from the Somerset in love book was Amanda Elton's compartment page found on page 20 in this issue. I've seen this technique before but didn't realize how easy it was until after I read Amanda's instructions. I used a pencil and ruler to draw the rectangle I wanted to cut out and then cut along the lines using a craft knife. I also followed Amanda's advice and glued several of the pages together to add stability, and then painted the bottom of the compartment with a watered down gesso. I also coated the top of the frame with gesso and then put together a mixture of little tag letters, tied them with floss and placed them in the box. I painted an arrow die cut with a watered down acrylic mixture, placed it around the opening as a sort of frame, and then drew out the rest of the frame with a gel pen. Several of the pages shown in the Somerset book were colored with paints, dyes, and washes. I tried this on the opposite page and loved the results. I had added instant color, but because I watered down the paint I could still see the words. I hand sewed lace trim to the page, and then added a chipboard heart that I had painted and kissed with a stamp. I had a lot of fun playing with the addition of embellishments and I can't wait to work on more pages!

Title: April's Book Of Love
Products used:
Inspiration for Project (Stampington & Company: Somerset in Love 2009) Gesso (Ranger: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Line)
Gel Medium (Ranger: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Line)
Acrylic Paints (Ranger: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Line, & Jaquard Lumiere)
Lace & Felt (Fancy Pants)
Chipboard (Maya Road)
Stamp (Fancy Pants)
Sticker (Heidi Swapp)
Decorative Pins (Fancy Pants)
Foil Designs & Foil (Creative Imaginations)
Die Cut Arrow (Scenic Route)
Metal Clip (7gypsies)
Rhinestone Brad (Karen Foster)
Patterned Paper (Prima)
Tags (Daisy D's)
Pens (Staedtler)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Swatches of fabric were often used on the beautiful altered pages in this publication and I loved the soft elegant feel they added to all the creations. To me, a lot of the pages looked like they could be taken straight out of the books and hung on the wall. Since I'm a big fan of home decor projects, I decided to combine the love theme, unique embellishments, and fabric like canvas all into one. I cut out two hearts from a canvas sheet and stamped them using rubber and acrylic stamps dipped in gel medium. After the gel medium dried, I painted over the images and swiped a paper towel directly over the images to help them stand out a little more. I used a combination of foiled images, felt shapes, and a pin to dress up the heart, and then I adhered the two hearts together and filled it with cotton balls so it looked like a stuffed heart pillow.

Title: Stuffed With Love
Products used:
Inspiration for Project (Stampington & Company: Somerset in Love 2009) Sticky Back Canvas (Ranger: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Line)
Gel Medium (Ranger: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Line)
Acrylic Paints (Ranger: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Line)
Felt Shapes (Fancy Pants, & Prima)
Foil Designs & Foil (Creative Imaginations)
Stamps (Fancy Pants, & Odd Bird Planet)
Decorative Pin (Fancy Pants)
Ribbon (Personal Stash)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Every altered book cover and page was like a little mini masterpiece. I have looked through the book several times now and each time I go back I find something new. There are so many techniques I was inspired to try because of this book and I really thought it was just wonderful. Unlike other idea books that seem to lose their luster after new styles and fads present themselves, I know I will continue to refer to this issue for year's to come. I would recommend this to all crafters no matter what time of year or season...it's not just about loved themed projects, it's about producing memorable projects created and inspired by love!

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Review by Chris

Stampington’s new “Somerset In Love” issue is a fantastic tribute to love and romance. This 141-page issue is based on eleven altered books centered on the theme Vintage Valentine. The artists created pages in each others’ books following the theme of love and romance. Many used vintage images or older photographs as the basis of their pages. All of the altered pages contain multiple layers of collage and altered art. The entire issue is a treasure trove of altered art techniques and ideas. Every artists’ pages are shown in full-color, detailed photographs, including close-ups, and every one of them is drool-worthy! I was truly inspired as I browsed through the pages of this fantastic publication.

The eleven artists were divided into two groups and produced two different sets of altered books; one artist (the initial organizer of the project) participated in both sets of books. The Somerset In Love issue is divided into two chapters, then subdivided into sections for each altered book. Each book’s section includes some background information provided by the book’s original creator. Every artist’s pages in each book are displayed and discussed. As is customary in Somerset publications, each artist included instructions so that the reader may easily recreate a page or special technique.

I was inspired not only by the romantic theme and vintage feel of the projects, but also by the idea of exchanging or swapping projects. I worked with these inspirations and created ATC’s to trade along with a cute mailbox in which to keep my cards. I love creating projects using the materials in my stash, many of which are not paper based. These ATC’s, all completely different, were fun to create with bits and pieces of things I’ve collected over the years.

Love ATC’s and mailbox
Products used: Inspired by projects featured in Stampington’s Somerset In Love publication
Patterned papers (Cloud 9)
Bird cage stamp (BasicGrey, Avairy)
Rub-ons (Basic Grey, Cloud 9)
Flowers (Miss Elizabeth)
Border punch (Fiskars)
Mailbox (Target Dollar Spot)
Adhesive (Ad Tech Permanent Bond Tape Runner)
Miscellaneous from stash and dollar store

In the spirit of creating cards to swap and because I was visiting my friend Andrea, she also created some ATC’s inspired by this fabulous publication. Her ATC’s are based around stamps of vintage images of couples.

Stampington can always be relied upon to publish inspiring idea books and Somerset In Love is no exception. This publication will not only inspire you with love and romance themed ideas, but also contains a wide range of techniques and page examples with detailed instructions.

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Review by Tammy

The new Somerset In Love publication from Stampington is a unique collection of altered books created by eleven talented artists. Originally intended to be featured in the Somerset Holidays and Celebrations issue, it was soon realized by the publishers that magnitude of this project would require an issue all of its own. Marilyn Healey invited ten of her favorite artists to join her in a Vintage Valentine altered book swap. Similar to a “round robin”, each participant created a page that reflected the theme of the individual book and then sent it on to the next person on the list, eventually receiving her own completed book at the end of the swap. What you find in the 120+ pages of this publication is the results of this swap.

As I read through the publication, it was hard not to get swept away admiring all of the eye candy that was put into the artwork on the pages. Each piece seemed to be so special and contained so many ideas that it was hard to grasp it all the first time through. I had never made an altered book before and viewing all of these wonderful pages of love and romance, well, at first I found myself a little intimidated.

Working with the Vintage Valentine theme I chose to use a church hymnal and a Bible scripture, 1 Corinthians 13, as the base for my project. Although I do not sew, I loved the look of fabric that Tammy Gilley used in her book. I began by covering my hymnal with fabric and adding a couple of coordinating patterns to the center of my book. I then painted a metal frame to match my color scheme and also added just a touch of pink to the vellum quote. The frame was attached to the center of my book and I placed a heart doily and the quote behind the frame. To complete my cover, I added some ribbon across the bottom and a flower to the center of my frame.

Title: Lover Never Fails, cover
Products used: Gel Medium (Claudine Hellmuth)
Acrylic Paint (Claudine Hellmuth and Golden)
Twilight Embossing Powder (PK Glitz)
Ribbon (Walmart and Dove of the East)
Flowers (Michaels)
Spray Adhesive (Elmers)
Ribbon and Fabric (Walmart and Dove of the East)

Using some patterned paper that conveyed my theme, I began working on the first pages of my book. I really liked the look of niches that are found in altered books so once I had glued several of the pages together, I cut out a heart shape. I then hand stitched a heart doily to a fabric heart and placed it in the niche along with a flower, glitter heart, and a quote banner.

Title: Love Never Fails, pgs 1 & 2
Products used: Patterned Paper (Flair)
Gel Medium (Claudine Hellmuth)
Acrylic Paint (Claudine Hellmuth and Golden)
Ink (Colorbox)
Twilight Embossing Powder (PK Glitz)
Sticky Paper (PK Glitz)
Ribbon and Fabric (Walmart)
Flowers (Michaels)
Spray Adhesive (Elmers)
Button (Misc)

I found these heart magnets that my boys made for me when they were in a Mother’s Day Out program back in 1996. I thought this book would be the perfect place to showcase these little works of art. I used a combination of fabric, paper, paint, and a few embellishments to create these two pages.

Title: Love Never Fails, pgs 2 & 3
Products used: Patterned Paper (Flair)
Gel Medium (Claudine Hellmuth)
Acrylic Paint (Claudine Hellmuth and Golden)
Ink (Colorbox)
Twilight Embossing Powder (PK Glitz)
Sticky Paper (PK Glitz)
Rub on (7 Gypsies)
Ribbon and Fabric (Walmart)
Flowers (Michaels)
Spray Adhesive (Elmers)
Buttons (Misc)

One of the things that I wanted to pay close attention to was the song titles found on the pages that I would be working on. I thought “Love, Wonderful Love” was a fitting title for this page. The page is fairly simple in that I added a sheet of office paper for the background then used some paint and fabric to keep with the theme of my book. I added just a few embellishments like the heart doily and glitter heart to tie in with the rest of the book.

Title: Love Never Fails, pg 4
Products used: Gel Medium (Claudine Hellmuth)
Acrylic Paint (Claudine Hellmuth and Golden)
Ink (Colorbox)
Twilight Embossing Powder (PK Glitz)
Sticky Paper (PK Glitz)
Ribbon and Fabric (Walmart)
Spray Adhesive (Elmers)
Button (Misc)

I found this picture of my grandparents that was taken sometime in the 1930’s. It was at one of those places where they have a silly picture painted and you stick your head through the hole. It was a perfect addition to this project and just begged to be a part of this book so I created a rectangle niche to hold the picture. I used some patterned paper and paint for the background and added a rub on and some glitter letters.

Title: Love Never Fails, pg 5
Products used: Patterned Paper (Flair and Anna Griffin)
Gel Medium (Claudine Hellmuth)
Acrylic Paint (Claudine Hellmuth and Golden)
Ink (Colorbox)
Twilight Embossing Powder (PK Glitz)
Sticky Paper (PK Glitz)
Rub on (7 Gypsies)
Ribbon (Walmart and Dove of the East)
Flowers (Michaels)
Spray Adhesive (Elmers)
Chipboard Letters (Misc)

I was amazed at how quickly all of these pages came together and how fun each one was to complete. The instructions and tips found throughout the book were easy to understand and follow along. Each page of the altered books were so clear that the tiniest of details showed through and if they didn’t, then the publisher also showed you a close up of some of the details.

Even if altered books are not your thing, this publication is a valuable resource to creating mixed media projects with a vintage romantic theme. This can include scrapbook pages, home décor items, and altered items of any kind. You are going to fall in love with the Somerset In Love issue from Stampington.

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Review by Stephanie

There is only one word I can use to explain my reaction to Somerset Studio’s new publication “In Love” and that is WOW!!!!! I am totally in awe of all the wonderful projects that are included in this particular issue - absolutely breathtaking! This publication has approximately 120 pages of high gloss artwork complete with instructions and design tips. Broken into 12 chapters, each chapter focuses on a book created by the 12 different artists who worked with either a pink or red Valentine’s theme. The cover begs you to open the publication because it teases you with samples of the included artwork.

Marilyn Healey, one of the included artists, started with an idea to create an assortment of Valentine themed books from various artists. Originally planned to be included as part of a Somerset publication, this collaborative effort yielded 12 different works of art which had to be showcased in their own publication. Each artist shows that no matter what type of book you use (board book, composition book, altered book, etc.) you can create stunning pieces of art. It was amazing to see how each artist contributed to their group’s books. Some photos were included, but poems, phrases, cupids, lace and ribbons were prominent. The sky is the limit when you let your creativity fly with no pre-set boundaries.

After perusing this publication many, many times, I decided to work with a 6x6 chipboard album. Following along with the Valentine’s theme, I began my project with thoughts of love and romance. Love/romance is something that can at once be irrational, beautiful, sad, empty, lovely and lonely as well as full of good and bad memories. My project evolved as I was creating it and I ended up with a book I am very excited about. The title of my book was the last thing that came to mind and I believe pulls it all together.

Title: Moments
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Blush Red Dark, Vibrant Pink, Rose Light)
Pattern Paper (Flair, Sincerely Yours Collection; Basic Grey Bittersweet Collection, Stampington, Paper Studio)
Stickers (Flair, Sincerely Yours Collection; Basic Grey Bittersweet Collection)
Embossing Folders (Provo Craft, Cuttlebug)
Brads (Basic Grey, Making Memories)
Ink (Memories, Staz on, Colorbox)
Die cuts (Sizzix, Spellbinders, Quickutz)
Flowers (Prima)
Lace (Fancy Pants)
Bling, chipboard (Heidi Swapp)
Punches (Stampin’ Up, Martha Stewart, Marvy Uchida)
Stickles (Ranger)
Stamp (Stampendous)
Binding (Zutter)
Ribbon (Maya Road, Offray)
Acrylic (Creative Imaginatiaons)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

The pages of my album consist of a compilation of photos from romantic movies I love. Spanning the length of the 20th century, these movies show romance/love at it’s finest. Coupling the photos with cardstock and pattern papers in shades of pink, and adding lace, ribbons, rhinestones and embossing helped me stay focused on the love/romance theme. As I worked with my book and the photos, prominent movie quotes that made the movies so memorable came to mind and I included them, as they are indeed as much a part of the movie as the movie itself. And if you think about those movies you love, what are the most memorable parts? Specific scenes and movie lines just stay with you no matter how old the movie is; hence the reason for my title. While we may not remember everything, we certainly do remember moments.

I am truly thrilled to have had the opportunity to review yet another Somerset publication. As I worked on my album, I had thought about doing a book about my son, or about my parents, or even about my husband and myself. But I wanted to play. I wanted to keep this book light and fun with absolutely no specific agenda. Thanks Somerset for allowing me to get lost in another wonderful publication.

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Review by Donna

Stampington & Company, the publishers of Somerset Studio, Somerset Memories, The Stampers’ Sampler and a number of other idea books, has done it again with their new publication celebrating the spirit of love with their new idea book, in love, released in January of this year.

Somerset In Love is a beautiful 144 page, 8-1/2” x 11”, glossy paged, twelve chapter idea book which, on its cover, displays two pieces of gorgeous vintage, love-themed artwork – altered books, both of them – and boasts that within its covers, are “more than 120 gorgeous pages”. They are correct - upon my first thumb through, I was simply amazed at the absolutely stunning works of art inside. This one time, special issue is, without doubt, just that – special.

Packaged in a clear plastic sleeve, this is an idea book that brings you along on the journey of eleven amazing, mixed-media artists including Marilyn Healey, Amanda Elton, Tammy Gilley, Kimberly Kwan, Helle Greer, Laura Bray, Lilia Meredith, Lee Weber, Heather Simpson Bluhm, Teresa McFaden, and Kristen Robinson, who together, embarked on a vintage valentine journal swap, a circle journal so to speak, with each artist creating pages for the others’ books, the result of which was the twelve books that became the artwork throughout this publication. The book consists of twelve chapters, one each for each artists completed book as well as heartwarming letters from the director, the editor, and the hostess of the project.

There are enough projects within these pages to keep you inspired every month of the year - February is just one of them. Each and every project captures, in some manner, the essence of love, whether that be romantic, passionate or flirty. As mentioned above, each of the twelve chapters is dedicated to one of the artists’ books and showcases each and every page they received for that book from the other artists. Each chapter is packed with some of the very best inspirational ideas I've seen in one publication, including ideas for items to use as a book base, ideas for page tabs, music sheets, tags, fabrics, crepe paper, wallpaper, paints and more. I found all of the instructions, tips and techniques to be an added bonus. They are written clearly and concisely, and actually, are, of themselves, a treasure trove of inspiration. These too, are great for use on projects year round. Also, within each chapter, each artist, on a more personal note, more than just sharing their beautiful works of art, share some of their individual, favorite romantic quotes, songs and movies.

I was so excited by all of the beautiful altered book projects and wonderful technique ideas inside this book that I had no idea where to start – or what to start with. I so loved the array of fabrics, ideas for paints, trims, buttons and more that these artists used creating their books. I knew though, that I wanted to keep with the spirit of the publication and create something about love, perhaps vintage, and, I knew that I adored all of the different tags in the book, some which were used as sign in pages, and some which became part of the book pages themselves. So, I decided then, to start with a couple of vintage valentine tags.

I began with a couple of vintage valentine images that I downloaded from the internet and then printed out on canvas. After stitching around the edges for reinforcement, I cut the images from the canvas. I backed one with chipboard and one with a transparency, and then adhered each to a shipping tag. I embellished each of the tags with various pieces of lace, buttons, metal buckles, clips and staples. When I completed my tags, I applied a thick layer of Omni Gel over the canvas images. Once they were dry, I tied ribbons at the top of the tags.

Title: Love Key Chain
Products used: Inspiration for Project (Somerset in love)
Shipping tags (local scrapbook store)
Transparency, Splendid, Glowing Heart(Fancy Pants)
Sticky Back Canvas (Claudene Hellmuth Studio for Ranger)
Patterned Paper, Valentine’s Day (Heidi Grace),
Vintage Valentines (Internet)
Ribbon (Fancy Pants)
Lace (Melissa Frances)
Buttons (Blumenthal Lansing)
Cotton Trims (Melissa Frances)
Wide Ribbon (Stampin’ Up)
Small Tag (Creative Imaginations, Creative Cafe)
Brads (Ranger)
Other Metals (Making Memories)
Black Ink, Stazon (Tsunineko)
Rubber Stamp (Studio G)
Mini Envelope (Sticko)
OmniGel (Houston Art)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)
Fabri-Tac (Beacon Adhesives)

For my second project, I created a love key chain book. I began by first applying a thin layer of Gesso to each of the pages. I then adhered patterned papers, ,transparency pieces, tulle, stickers, stamps and more to each page. I was inspired by Kristen’s use of colored pencils on page 90, so on my “love” and heart pages, I did some coloring with those. This was something I'd never thought of doing.

Title: project 2
Products used: Inspiration for Project (Somerset in love)
Keychain (Maya Road)
Patterned Paper, Splendid (Fancy Pants)
Transparency, Splendid, Glowing Heart (Fancy Pants)
Flowers (Prima)
Bling (Heidi Swapp)
Gesso (Golden)
Clock Face (7 Gypsies)
Stickers (7 Gypsies)
Wood letters (7 Gypsies)
Buttons (Making Memories )
Raffle Ticket (Creative Imaginations, Creative Cafe)
Plastics (Li’l Davis) Stickers (7 Gypsies)
Ribbon (Fancy Pants)
Fabric Brad (Kay & Company)
Black Ink, Stazon (Tsunineko)
Rubber Stamps (Studio G)
Colored Pencils (Roseart)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Generally not one that pokes through many idea books, this was the very first Stampington publication that I’d ever had the pleasure of looking through and now, I can’t wait to pick up a few more! I was completely inspired by this book – these are probably some of the first “love” projects I’ve ever created. But, its almost impossible to read through this book and not feel compelled to create something romantic!

If you’re a lover of all things vintage, this book is for you. If you’re a lover of all things altered books or of all things love, this book is for you. And if you’re a lover of Stampington idea books, this one’s for you, too! Thanks for the pleasure, Stampington!

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