April's Review	Andrea's Review	Catherine's Review	Chris' Review	Karen's Review

Review by April

Would you follow someone if they asked you to join them on an artistic journey? Would you sign up for Art lessons that might encourage you to think outside the box, or play with unknown mediums, or techniques? If the answer is yes, then the new 2008 Winter Gallery edition of Somerset Studio is exactly what you are looking for! Stampington & Company has an assortment of creative publications that are sure to enlighten and inspire your inner artist. There is an array of publication topics exploring scrapbook layouts, home decor, altered items, jewelry, digital creations, artful blogs, art dolls, and even wearable art. There are a ton of creative techniques for you to discover in each of these special issues, and in my opinion, they provide pure eye candy.

For this review, I received a beautiful, 192 page copy of the Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2008 publication. The cover is made of a heavy weight material, yet is extremely smooth and soft to the touch. You can find over 400 different samples of artwork in this one publication. It's filled with beautiful project photographs, how to articles, sample instructions, a letter from the editor, and artwork from well known designers, as well as talented Somerset readers! You will find a mixture of Spotlighting mini articles, a special book section, and in depth full length articles about the designer and their specific creations. A variety of mediums, pictures, and embellishments were used on the projects in this book, and all of them are like mini masterpieces.

I loved the fact that several of the unique art pieces in the publication were different forms of home decor. The wall hangings in particular caught my eye and I immediately knew which direction I wanted to take. I had actually just ordered some new scrapbook supplies and while I was pulling them out of the box, I found a 12" x 12" piece of cardboard packaging. I ripped off half of the top sheet of the cardboard and this left the cool corrugated bottom. I painted most of it with a metallic paint, then coated the rest of it with a pink coppery shimmer mist. I adhered a pretty piece of patterned paper at an angle to the cardboard, then punched holes in it and attached ribbon to hang it with. I decided to place my picture on a sheet of watercolor paper and then doodled all around the picture with watercolor pencils. I went back over the doodles with a slightly wet paintbrush, and then added a stamped title, a few pieces cut out from a hallmark card, and some rhinestones to finish it off.

Title: Remember to Dream
Materials Used:
(Project inspired by Somerset Studio Gallery - Winter 2008 Edition)
Patterned Paper (Autumn Leaves)
Cardboard (MemoryVilla Shipping Packaging)
Watercolor Paper (Strathmore)
Watercolor Pencils (Staedtler)
Paint (Jacquard Lumiere)
Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)
Ink Pad (Ranger)
Stamp (Heidi Swapp)
Pen (Sakura)
Brad (Karen Foster)
Flowers (Prima)
Other (Hallmark Card, & Sequins)
Ribbon (Tie One On Ribbon Club)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

All of the beautiful canvas pieces in the Somerset Studio Gallery really inspired me! I love working on canvas and the idea of being free to create art totally excited me. For my first canvas project, I decorated a 12" x 24" canvas. I used masks, an ink pad, and a blending tool to color the entire canvas. I painted my patterned paper with watercolors, cut out the wings, outlined them with charcoal, and adhered them behind my picture. I coated everything with Mod Podge which ended up giving the whole thing a sort of watercolor effect. After the canvas dried, I decorated it with glitter glue, dimensional paint, glitter pens, and rhinestones. I also dyed the grungeboard letters in my title, and used alcohol ink on the transparent butterfly.

Title: Butterfly Angel
Materials Used:
(Project inspired by Somerset Studio Gallery - Winter 2008 Edition)
Patterned Paper (Jenni Bowlin)
Canvas (Canvas Concepts)
Ink Pads (Ranger Distress Ink)
Masks (Heidi Swapp)
Glitter Glue (Ranger: Stickles)
Dimensional Pearls (Ranger)
Alcohol Ink (Ranger)
Charcoal (Eberhard Faber)
Metal Flower (Around The Block)
Transparency & Die Cut Tag (My Minds Eye)
Grungeboard (Tim Holtz)
Rhinestone Stars (personal stash)
Brad (Karen Foster)
Watercolor Paint (Kids Connection)
Pen (Sakura)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Mod Podge, K&Company)

My third project was a wall hanging made of 4 small canvases. I painted each canvas with a beautiful metallic paint. On two of the canvases I dropped sequins into the wet paint, and on another I added some shimmer mist for a cool sparkly effect. I punched holes in the canvases and used a unique ribbon to bind them together. I used die cuts, quotes, wood, rub-ons, ornaments, charms, and more to decorate each of the canvases. For me it was really cool to just add different embellishments and combine mediums...without really having an agenda. I felt like the essence of the book was about just playing and creating art by taking a journey through your imagination!

Title: Creative Wishes wall Hanging
Materials Used:
(Project inspired by Somerset Studio Gallery - Winter 2008 Edition)
Canvases (Fredrix)
Paint (Jacquard Lumiere, Ranger)
Dimensional Pearls (Ranger)
Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)
Color Wash (7gypsies)
Clips (EK Success)
Butterflies (Pier One)
Die Cuts (Daisy D's, My Minds Eye, 7gypsies)
Rub-ons (Daisy D's, & Autumn Leaves)
Fabric Tag (Scrapworks)
Bottle Cap, & Sheer Letter (Maya Road)
Wood letters (Unique Pages)
Flowers (Prima)
Clips (EK Success)
Ribbon (Tie One On Ribbon Club)
Other (Charm, & Sequins)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner,K&Company)

Inspiration can be found in many places if you just look for it. What I love about this Somerset Studio Gallery publication, is that all you have to do is just open it up and you have over 400 different papercrafting and mixed-media projects to drool over and inspire you. Each time I browse through the book I find something new...I see a new technique I hadn't thought of before...I see a ton of interesting page embellishments I had never thought of using. I really enjoyed seeing all the different directions the designers took when creating their pieces. My favorite thing about this book, was that it combined scrapbook layouts, cards, and home decor projects with a variety of art mediums and techniques. It's a fantastic reference for those ready to break out of their boxes, or those just wanting to create art with their memories!

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Review by Andrea

Somerset Studio magazine published by Stampington & Company is a feast for the eyes in every sense of the way. Any type of artist, from paper crafter to painter, would find inspiration in the projects found in every issue. Subtitled "The Art of Paper and Mixed Media", Somerset Studio has hit the nail on the head! Cards, books, pages and anything altered is the norm for the artists captured in the glossy pages.

The publication we are reviewing this time is the Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2008 book. Comprised of both mini and in-depth articles, a special book section and several spotlight segments, the 192 pages sure pack enough eye candy to keep you busy creating for a L O N G time! Nothing short of spectacular on each project's photography, each page is vibrant, crisp, clean and detailed. Practically every project contains instructions or explains special techniques that were used to create the piece, along with supply lists. This is one of those books that even though you've looked at it a dozen times already, you'll go back and see something that you totally missed before!

One of the best features of this Gallery edition, is that there are projects ranging in experience level from beginner to advanced. There is nothing more valuable than being able to "grow" in your crafting, lifting tips and techniques as you are ready to try them. A project pictured in the book that may not be very interesting to you now may develop into a "must-know" or "must-try" later down the road. This type of book is one of my favorites and is staying in my library permanently!

Tammy Gilley's "Paris Muse Inspiration Deck" on pages 62-64 struck a cord with me as I was thumbing through the pages of the book, mostly because I had just joined a challenge to alter a playing card a week featuring one word each week. Perfect! Since my Inspiration Deck had a little different spin, I used various materials and techniques to create each card instead of staying with one theme as Tammy did. The texture and color of the samples were right up my alley, so there were many ideas carried into my project.

Looking at my project below, the middle "resolve" card was inspired by the middle card on page 64, the "winter" card by the left bottom corner's card on page 63 and last but not least, the "blue" card takes after the right middle card on page 63. I found Tammy's cards inspirational to me on many levels - layered elements, embellishment placement and the collaging of different mediums on a single piece. I can't wait to keep making these cards as the weeks go on! Thanks Tammy for the boatload of ideas over 3 pages!

Title: Inspiration Cards
Materials Used:
Paper (Mary Mata and Scenic Route)
Collage Images (Mary Mata)
Chipboard (Scenic Route)
Microscope Slide (Science Stuff, Inc.)
Label (Around the Block)
Die Cut Fabric Leaf (Princess Mirah)
Ink (Clearsnap)
Stamps (Stampin' Up!, Ma Vinci and Green Grass Stamps)
Rhinestones (RhinestoneNY)
Stickles (Ranger)
Inspiration for all cards (Stampington: Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2008)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

A beautiful poinsettia card caught my eye on page 36 by Lottie Carske and I knew I needed to try something similar. It looks like she watercolored the flower petals then trimmed around a portion of each petal to lift from the flat paper for dimension. Then she doodled the word "merry" around each lifted petal as a perfect design element adding to the originality of the project. I just loved it! One of the Beloved Collection papers came to mind with the large, bold blossoms as a main part of the design on the paper. The result is below as a box topper. Some glitz and added dimension was added by using Stickles.

Title: Love Box
Materials Used:
Box (Crafts n'Stuff)
Paper and Cardstock Stickers (Tinkering Ink, Beloved Collection)
Paint and Stickles (Ranger)
Velour Letters (American Crafts)
Inspiration (Stampington: Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2008)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

The cover of this edition boasts over 400 new papercrafting and mixed media projects - I believe them! Practically every type of media is covered here allowing the reader to jump in wherever they are comfortable. The stimulation is there, whether you try the whole project as is or just a part of it, you make the decision. Open your mind to the possibilities and remember that you can create in the privacy of your own home with no one watching!

One of the best parts of the Gallery Winter edition also, no outside ads! There are a couple pages at the back of the book informing the reader of other Stampington Special Editions, but the rest of the book is pure projects, instructions and fantastic photography of those projects. Well worth the $14.99 retail price!

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Review by Catherine

I am a sucker for books and magazines which give inspiration, and Somerset Studios magazines are some of my favorites. Even though I am not usually a collage artist, I am always able to find beautiful inspiration and fun techniques to try in my own art. Filled with wonderful projects and inspirational photos, the Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2008 magazine fits right in with the rest of the wonderful books and magazines from Stampington & Company.

The Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2008 magazine is 192 pages filled with exciting and imaginative projects. Each project in the book is photographed wonderfully, and includes a tools and materials list, along with instructions for creating it. Simply browsing through the book without reading any of the articles is enough to make one’s head spin, but the articles are well written and inspirational as well. Each time I have picked up this magazine for the past month, I found another item that fascinated me, another project I wanted to recreate, or another project popped into my head inspired by something in the magazine.

It’s always wonderful to find something that will jumpstart one’s creativity. Even if one didn’t want to copy a project directly from one of the Somerset Studios magazines, there is plenty of techniques which will spark anyone’s imagination. I decided to try a few of the collage techniques that I noticed throughout the book to create a scrapbook layout. A painted background, a variety of stamps, and a cutout photo, and I was able to create a layout that I love.

Title: joi de vivre
Materials Used:
Cardstock (Prism Papers)
Patterned Paper (Scenic Route; Vintage Dictionary Page)
Inspiration (Stampington: Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2008)
Paint (Making Memories)
Stamps (Making Memories; Autumn Leaves; Stampers Anonymous)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Inspired by the “Magical Vintage Box Top Vignettes” on pages 164 and 165 of the magazine, I began creating a Fairy to use for a project. I printed a vintage photo I found on the internet, and added wings, a crown, and glitter. I liked my little fairy so much, that I decided to capture her in a jar where I could keep her safe. I have never created anything like this in the past, and I absolutely love the final project.

Title:Captured Fairy Jar
Materials Used:
Vintage Photo (from Internet)
Inspiration (Stampington: Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2008)
Flowers (Prima)
Stamps (Crafty Secrets – Clear Art Stamps)
Rhinestone Border (Prima)
Adhesive (Diamond Glaze; Glue Dots)

A little while ago, I found a paper mache cone in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby. After reading through the Somerset Studio Gallery magazine, I was inspired to embellish it to create a Valentine’s Day cone.

Title: Valentine’s Cone
Materials Used:
Paper Mache Cone (Hobby Lobby)
Inspiration (Stampington: Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2008)
Die Cutting Machine (Spellbinders – Wizard)
Die (Spellbinders Nestabilities)
Patterned Paper (BasicGrey)
Stickers (Scenic Route)
Rub-ons (FancyPants Designs)
Glue Stickers & Flocking Kit (Around the Block)
Flower (Heidi Swapp)
Other (Various Ribbons and Trims)
Adhesive (Diamond Glaze; Glue Dots)

I absolutely have loved using the Somerset Studios Gallery Winter 2008 magazine for inspiration this past month. The gorgeous projects, and awesome techniques have been a great way to jumpstart my creativity. This magazine is perfect for the paper crafter, collage artist, stamper, and scrapbooker alike. I plan on getting a subscription to Somerset Studios in the very near future, and I hope you’ll join me. You definitely will not be disappointed!

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Review by Chris

Stampington & Company’s Somerset Studio Gallery is a semi-annual publication that features artistic creations from a wide array of extremely talented papercraft, stamping and assemblage artists. The Winter 2008, issue presents 192 pages full of fine examples of the quality of art that Stampington & Co. seeks out. It contains over 400 papercrafting and mixed-media projects featured in full color illustrations. Many have step-by-step instructions so that the reader can recreate the project or technique.

This issue contains approximately one dozen in-depth articles with accompanying illustrations and detailed step-by-step instructions. Among the projects featured are an altered book, altered cardboard houses, an envelope book with box, and projects incorporating fabric and items from nature. Each article includes its own small gallery of related projects with brief instructions written by the individual artists. In addition to the in-depth articles, there are approximately two dozen mini-articles also featuring full color illustrations of the projects with materials lists and instructions. For the altered book aficionado, there is an entire chapter with fourteen unique and delightful altered books, again with full color illustrations and brief instructions from the artist.

I really enjoy leafing through books of altered and assemblage art. I love the texture and color variety that can be found in these projects and the often unusual use of materials. Each artist takes me on a fanciful journey through their imagination as I inspect every detail of a project. I don’t consider myself to be very talented at collage or assemblage. I can’t seem to get the combinations right to satisfy me, but I do enjoy admiring the work of others. However as I browsed through this book, I discovered techniques that I wanted to try and combinations of materials and textures that really appealed to me. The more I looked, the more I wanted to just create for the sake of creating and not for any particular purpose. But I’m too practical to throw all caution to the wind, so my projects did end up with a specific purpose.

For my first project, I was inspired by an altered tin created by Kristin Hubick. She used a common mint-type tin and altered it to hold trinkets of nature. I have had a heart-shaped mint tin in my stash for a couple of years now, a post-Valentine’s Day find at a dollar store. I sanded the top and painted the edge with Jacquard’s Pinata Colors alcohol inks. Using Mod Podge, I decoupaged several layers of various paper items to the top. Once it had dried, I added an angel charm from my stash. I’ll make a heart shaped card for the inside and I’ll have a nice Valentine’s Day gift for my husband.

Title:Love tin
Materials Used:
Inspired by projects shown in Stampington & Company’s Somerset Studio Gallery, Winter 2008
Patterned paper (Sarah Lugg)
Alcohol ink (Jacquard, Pinata colors)
Alpha letter stickers (Making Memories)
Adhesive (Mod Podge, Glue Dots)

Next up was a collaged card for a weekly challenge I am following. The word of the week was “resolve.” I found great inspiration through-out the book, but was particularly drawn to the cards shown on a page entitled “Strange Affection.” To create my card, I layered three different papers to the background and stamped my word on a mini rolodex card. Several items from my stash and typed phrases completed this card which illustrates a few of my resolutions for 2008.

Title:Resolve
Materials Used:
Inspired by projects shown in Stampington & Company’s Somerset Studio Gallery, Winter 2008
Patterned paper (Bo Bunny, SandyLion, Autumn Leaves, Design Originals)
Staples (EK Success, Fascinator)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Tape Runner)

I just loved the Slide Mount Mini Book created by Jessica J. Hallowell and knew right away that I wanted to create one like it. Finally, something new and creative to do with those slide mounts I’ve had in my stash forever!! The instructions for the book had a minor error in dimension, but otherwise were clear and easy to follow. I used a few slide mounts for my tags, but also raided my stash and found some round tags and other items that also worked well. I created the booklet using papers from the Japan Journey collection by Dove of the East. The theme for the booklet corresponds to my word for the year – Sparkle. Each tag represents one letter from my word and is enhanced with related words and embellishments.

Title:Sparkle mini book
Materials Used:
Inspired by projects shown in Stampington & Company’s Somerset Studio Gallery, Winter 2008
Patterned paper (Dove of the East, Japan Journey, Kabuki, Night Bloom)
Rhinestones (K&Co., MAMBI, RhinestoneNY)
Flowers (Prima)
Stickles (Ranger)
Vellum tag (Making Memories)
Chipboard letters (BasicGrey; Heidi Swapp)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Tape Runner)

I found this book so inspiring to browse through. In addition to the three projects I created for this review, I have book-marked several other projects or techniques that I am looking forward to exploring. It is books just like this one that I turn to for creative inspiration when I am feeling blocked or in need of a breath of fresh air for creating. Thankfully, Stampington & Company continues to provide inspirational work such as this Somerset Studio Gallery to fan the flames of creative inspiration. If you have not seen their creative publications, I definitely recommend that you check them out!

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Review by Karen

Artists often need to recharge their creative battery. In the times that I need to boost my inspiration, I turn to idea books. I find that I am more creative when the idea books that I am thumbing through are not in the scrapbook kind. Altered art idea books are some of my favorites. In this review I’ll be looking at the Somerset Studio’s Gallery Winter 2008 issue. This issue boasts over 400 paper crafting and mixed media projects.

Since this is a regular issue from Somerset Studio’s there are some regular features as well as featured section. In this issue there is a large section dedicated to books as well as a spotlight on mini articles. There is also a section called “expressions”, which is in every issue. One thing that should be noted, each of the ideas is divided into a small section that includes the tools and supplies needed as well directions for recreating the projects shown.

When I get a new idea book, I always look at it with a book of post it notes and a pencil. By the time, I’ve finished looking at the book I’m full of desire to create, but I am usually short on time. The post it notes allows me to jot down ideas and notes on projects that I want to create. Reading through the Winter 2008 issue was like finding a gold mine, I had tons of projects in mind.

The first project that I started on was based on a selection of birdhouses in the spotlight section (page 44 and 45). The birdhouses on these pages are houses decorated with bird images and items, like pictures of bird eggs. My birdhouse has a love theme with a pair of love birds on the top. I love the “shut up and kiss me” sticker by Scenic Route and how it gives my birdhouse a personality.

Title: Love Birds Birdhouse
Materials Used:
Patterned Paper (Daisy D’s)
Stickers Loveland (Scenic Route)
Paper frills (Doodlebug Designs)
Foam Hearts (American Crafts)
Paint (Heidi Swapp)
Felt Hearts (Making Memories)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

My second project was based on a feeling that I had when I had finished reading the issue. I noticed that several of the projects seem to hold “treasures”. Some were treasures from trips, while others were treasured knowledge that the artist had learned. I decided to create a small box that Anna Claire could add her version of treasures too. I thought it would be fun to document how these treasures change over the years.

Title: Little Treasures box
Materials Used:
Cardstock Intense Pink (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper green dot (Scenic Route); all other (Prima Marketing)
Felt Flowers (Creative Café, Creative Imaginations)
Buttons (Making Memories)
Chipboard letters (Doodlebug Designs)
Letter stickers (American Crafts)
Heart circle (Scenic Route)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I mentioned that my issue is packed full of sticky notes. Some of the items that really inspired me were the canvases. While I haven’t jumped off and created a canvas yet, there was one on page 11 that is called “Nature Walk”. I loved the way that the artist created a tree using a wrapped wire. I LOVE this idea and can see it used on scrapbook pages. I also loved the small selection of bottles that had been decorated with “labels” and jewels. I love the idea of creating labels with small images or jewels for my scrapbook bottles.

I really could go on and on about the ideas that I found in the pages of the Somerset Studio’s Gallery Winter 2008 issue. While I didn’t count to see if there really where 400 ideas in this issue, I know that all 192 pages are packed full inspiration. The price tag for this idea packed issue is $14.99, and well worth every penny!

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