Here's Your Chance to Get a Set of Color Burst...Before Anyone Else...

You might not have heard of an amazing new product that was released at the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show earlier this month in Anaheim California...it's called 

Color Burst, and it will let you watercolor like you've never water colored before!  

The stuff is amazing!

Here's the deal, it's a highly concentrated watercolor product that will let you create really unique, beautiful water color looks! 

You can make prints with stencils, 

You can use stencils in new ways, 

 

You can create wax resist pieces, washes, splatter effects, you can even paint with it...it's the perfect product to let you learn and explore water color, even if you've never picked up a brush, the basic technique is as easy as...

"spritz and sprinkle," it's that easy!

Watch this video to see how to create with Color Burst...

even a tiny sprinkle and spritz let you create amazingly vibrant backgrounds for cards, tags, even mixed media projects...

Would you like to get a set of Color Burst for yourself...way before they're even available at retail shops?  

 

It's easy, leave a comment below and let me know what you'd like to create with Color Burst, then click on this link and go to my new Facebook Page and share it with your friends and ask them to like

Ken Oliver Crafts
 too.

A winner will be chosen at random from the comments below...and the contest will stay open for 24 hours, a winner will be announced tomorrow morning...

I think you're gonna love everything you can create with Color Burst...it makes you feel like an artist!
Let your friends know! 

Art at the Edge, Spring 2015 With Ken Oliver Crafts and For Keeps Sake Events

You may be in the doldrums of winter now, but it's time to start planning for spring and I could not be happier to let you know a little more about Art at the Edge in Spring of 2015.

There's no doubt that spring is one of the loveliest times of year in our little corner of southwest Indiana, in fact, it was last April that I decided to move back to Indiana after many years away...I'd visited with my family for spring break...and I was hooked.   

Spring in Newburgh brings saucer magnolias, tulips, daffodils, and dogwoods...southern Indiana is one of the lushest garden spots in the Midwest.

And Art at the Edge will be held April 24th-26th, right in the heart of Newburgh and, like last time, our local shops and merchants will offer some special deals for anyone who comes to Art at the Edge...you'll find antique shops, upscale clothing boutiques, gift shops, great restaurants and most of all a beautiful view of the Ohio River.

 

And I could not be more excited to teach workshops in Newburgh, with one of my new paper collections, Hometown, it's a collection of craft papers inspired by our historic little village.  It's going to be fun to see the places and sites that are the inspiration for Hometown.   

This time, we're offering 4 incredible classes featuring products from Graphic 45, Um Wow Studios, Ken Oliver Crafts and lots more...I like to create classes that pack lots of retail value and lots of value in the techniques you'll learn...this is going to be one heck of a creative weekend.

Here's what your weekend at Art at the Edge includes a lunch and dinner at Newburgh's famous Edgewater Grill with it's amazing river views, classes, Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, a Sunday morning workshop, a tour and some time with me in my studio, an onsite store with great prices and lots of brand spankin new products, a historic walking tour of historic Newburgh and lots of time to explore your creative side.  

For Art at the Edge Spring 2015 I've teamed up with For Keep Sakes Events to help me manage some of the administrative aspects of holding an art event of this size.  I've worked with For Keeps Sake for years...when it was a retail store in St. Louis and now as an event organizer...For Keeps Sake owners Nancy Wethington and Timmie Taylor have been in the craft industry for years and I am really happy that we're planning this event together.  

  

There's a certain kind of "joy of living" around Newburgh and I can't wait to share it with you...whether it's a stroll by the river, pausing for a moment to enjoy our river views or shopping in our shops and boutiques...you will love spending time with us in Newburgh. 

 

And one of the things that we're known for is our amazing sunsets...there's something about the way the river meanders past our town as it flows westward that makes a sunset here spectacular...most evenings the sky is ablaze with color.

Signing up for Art at the Edge is easy, simple follow the link to the For Keeps Sake catalog of events complete the "sign up" sheet and send your deposit to Nancy or Timmie to reserve your spot...it's that easy and I guarantee you'll love the time you spend with us down on the river in Newburgh...I hope to see you here. 

5 Completely Awesome Color Burst Techniques with Ken Oliver

Hey everybody, last week I brought a really fun watercolor product to the market at the Craft and Hobby Association Show in Anaheim California...this product is so different that anything I've ever used to water color before...I really have to share some awesome techniques using Color Burst. 

 You can stencil...

 

You can mono-print (like gelli-plate)

 

You can custom dye ribbon to match your projects...

 

You can create custom flowers, tinted to match your projects, and with the leftover pigment that's on your work surface create really cool water color backgrounds on tags or cardstock!  

 

I am telling you...Color Burst is awesome stuff, and when you start using it your going to say to yourself...the spray is passe!  

I made a quick technique video, to show you how to do every single one of the techniques I just showed you in this blog post...I apologize for the video quality, I am still learning and some of the examples might be a little bit outside the range of view, I hope you'll excuse my video making and just look at how awesome Color Burst is! 

 

Color Burst will ship in late February and is available wholesale through Product Performers...ask your local retailer to order it now, because once you get your hands on it, you won't want to stop! 

Hometown Tags with Color Burst Backgrounds...I'll be Crafting with Deanna Allbrittin on the 6 O'Clock News Tonight!

I'm just back from the National Craft and Hobby Association Show, also known as CHA and I've just had my first TV interview with the local news...CHA was really a big deal for me this year as I launched about 60 new items as a new product line called Ken Oliver Crafts. One of the product lines is called Hometown and is inspired by Newburgh, Indiana, the town where I live.  The collection includes 12x12 craft papers, 2 sets of clear stamps, 6x6 craft papers and an ephemera, or collage sheet.  A reporter from town heard what I'd been up to and she paid me a visit today...we sat down and made some crafts together...and talked about Hometown.  We made a simple tag project using some of the new products I launched at CHA. 

 

 We started with a quick demonstration of a new watercolor product I brought to market, it's called Color Burst.  It's REALLY fun to use, you can create beautiful watercolor backgrounds in 2 easy steps.  There are lots of techniques you can use too like wax resist, stenciling and masking...for this project we did a simple "spritz and sprinkle" technique.  The results are stunning.  Here's a video from Craft Test Dummies if you'd like to see how much fun Color Burst is to use.
  

So we created a simple watercolor background with Color Burst.

Then we assembled our supplies, Hometown Stamps, a couple tags dipped in Color Burst, our water color wash, and some card stock. 

Here's a cool little tip, when you use Color Burst, you can dip tags, scrap paper, even white paper flowers in the wet pigment on your water color paper to transfer some of the pigment to other things.  

I've even used the residual water on my work surface to create some stunning backgrounds.  These tags turned out really cool. 

Here are a couple flowers I tinted with Color Burst, right off my water color paper.  

They look great.  

 We stamped Hometown images on the water color paper...

Then assembled our tags with tape roller adhesive.  I really like how the stamped Hometown images look a little grainy on the pebbled surface of the water color paper.

The tags turned out great, really kind of artsy, they'd make great artist trading cards too.  I had a blast...it's not every day you make it to the 6 o'clock news with a craft project. 

You can bet, I'll be setting the DVR today...It's going to be really fun to share the Hometown collection with the local folks in the Tri-State area!  

For my local friends, I'll be on Channel 14 tonight at 6:00 pm with Deanna Allbrittin...she said there will be a link on the 14 News website too...I'll make sure to share that on Facebook.  

Thanks for stopping by today...Ken Oliver Crafts products are distributed worldwide by Product Performers and can be purchased at local retailers around the world...if your shop doesn't carry them yet...ask, they can order for you.

Craft & Hobby Association Show Product Preview! Color Burst!

I am leaving for the National Craft and Hobby Association Show today and I have been waiting for months to share this product preview for the show!  

Do you like COLOR? 

I'm bringing a new product to the market called Color Burst...and you are going to love it!  It's a watercolor product that will let you create AMAZING backgrounds for card, tags, mixed media projects, scrapbook layouts and for original works of art! 

If you have ever wanted to achieve those beautiful watercolor looks, but were afraid to try, or thought it was too hard...this is gonna be the product for you.  It's as simple as "Sprinkle and Spritz." It's that easy.  AND, there are tons of techniques that you can use to get lots of different results...you can use embossing powders, modeling paste, stencils, batik, wax resist, mastic...you will have so many creative options with Color Burst...this is going to blow your mind.  (and it's FUN). 

You may have tried mists and sprays in the past...only to be frustrated and disappointed as the nozzles get clogged or the pump sprayer stops pumping...this will solve all those problems and let you create with abandon!  I am telling you, the spray is passe!  

Here's a little sneak peek of what you can do...but there's so much more!  You can even use Color Burst for traditional watercolor techniques like washes...the colors can be intense or subtle...it's really one of the most versatile art products I've ever worked with and I think you are going to love it too!

I'll be demonstrating this new product throughout the tradeshow in booth #1984!  If you are coming to the show, make sure to come see this stuff in action!  And, if you do the make n take with me...I'll have a prize for you...I blogged about that yesterday! 

I hope to see you at the show, and if you're not going to be at the show...keep an eye on my blog or facebook page as I am sure we're going to post some videos of Color Burst in action...you gotta see this to believe it!

CHA Previews and Product Give-a-Way at the Show

If you're going to the National Craft and Hobby Association Show in Anaheim this weekend...here is something you are gonna want to know. 

When you come to my booth, Ken Oliver Crafts #1984 and do the make n take project I'm doing at the show, there's a give-a-way prize for you. 

We're giving away, a complete set of 6x6 papers to everyone who does the project with me...this isn't just one assortment or collection...the give-a-way pack includes 6x6 papers from Hometown, Studio, Watercolor and Pitter Patterns...it's a huge prize pack. 

It's available only to show attendees who visit booth #1984 and complete the demo project with me...while supplies last.  We've planned for a lot...but you should make sure to come on over because you are going to love these papers!  And I've got another little surprise up my sleeve with the make n take project too! 

And, if you're not going, tell your friends who will be there!  And if you're not going to the show...keep an eye out here on my blog, we'll do something online too! 

The papers are available exclusively through Product Performers.

This is going to be a really fun show! 

It's Almost Time for the National Craft and Hobby Association Show...

Thank you for stopping by today...I've been sharing new releases all week and wanted to share this with you too.  The National Craft and Hobby Show in Anaheim CA starts this weekend, and for the first time, I'm launching new product into the craft market under the brand name Ken Oliver Crafts. 

This beautiful mixed media canvas created by Heidi Blankenship of Embellished Dreams features a new line of craft papers, Watercolor. 

The Watercolor papers are craft papers that are printed with floral inspired watercolor designs.  In card making, scrapbooking and mixed media art, watercolor looks are very popular.  This paper assortment lets you achieve a "watercolor" look if you love the look, but don't have the painting skills or time to achieve it. 

If you look closely at Heidi's canvas you'll notice a lot of depth and texture.  She used stencils, applied modeling paste and sprays to create texture.  One of the things you will love about this paper is that it's sturdy enough to stand up to a variety of mixed media techniques.  The texture in this piece seems almost like antique damask fabric, it's really nice. 

Earlier this week, I previewed the Watercolor papers with gorgeous projects from Nancy Wethington from Art-from-the-Heart.  It's really quite exciting to see how each artist uses the papers differently to create beautiful projects. 

Now, I leave tomorrow for the show and I've still got lots to do.  The Watercolor papers will be at retail locations toward the end of January so be on the lookout.  I know you are going to want all 6 designs in this assortment...the heavyweight craft papers come in 12x12 size, 6x6 size, and there's even an Ephemera pack, or collage sheet of smaller images that you'll love to use for embellishments and collage. 

If you're a retailer and would like to carry this line, Product Performers is the exclusive worldwide distributor for Ken Oliver Crafts. 

Thank you again for spending some time here today to see what I've been up to on the way to CHA...check back again later this week as I have a few more little tricks up my sleeve. 

Ken

Mixed Media Journal with Ken Oliver Crafts New Release Papers

This entire week, I am previewing new products that will be launched later this week at the National Craft and Hobby Show in Anaheim California. I am really excited about the new products I'm bringing to the market this year under the brand name Ken Oliver Crafts.

Today's sneak peak is from style contributor Nancy Wethington of Art-From-the-Heart.  It's a mixed media journal using 2 new paper lines, Hometown and Studio.  Both have been previewed earlier this week, but she combined them together in one really amazing project.

Just look at the detail in this amazing journal!  The pages are interactive with pockets and tags...I've always loved Nancy's handmade books, she is an amazing artist.

Her book is just full of wonderful details.

And, I love the way Nancy combined both the Studio Collection and the Hometown Collection into one fabulous piece of art. 

And here's another cool thing about the Studio Collection and the Hometown Collections...here's the real sneak peek! 

 

There are Ephemera packs or collage sheets to match!  These little images are great for cards, tags, for collage work, and even jewelry!  AND...

There are clear stamps with the same wonderful images...I can't wait to get to the show to show these new collections during the show.  I am so excited about these product lines and I can't wait until they're available for everyone to try!  

Now...make sure to check back tomorrow...there are some more previews that you'll want to see for sure! 

This is a 3 in 1 Preview of New Products From Ken Oliver Crafts

With the National Craft and Hobby Association show in less than a week, I'm keeping really busy finishing up samples for my booth and getting ready for the show.  But, I wanted to take a little time to let you in on a pre-show preview of some of the new products that I'll launch at the show...and this is a 3 in 1 preview! 

First up, is a new assortment of craft papers called Studio.  Inspired by objects around my workroom, the Studio collection is a "must have" if you like antiques and old rusty things.  I'm an avid collector of old things, I love having them in my workspace. Inspired by old clocks, rusty skeleton keys, and vintage patterns, Studio is perfect for collage, mixed media art, scrapbook layouts or handmade cards...if you like old rusty things, this new collection will inspire you.   

Today, style contributor Debbie Seyer created a beautiful handmade card with the Studio collection.   She combines traditional card making elements like die cut paper and satin ribbon along with paper from the Studio collection to  create a handmade card with a decidedly vintage feel. With the Studio papers, a lot of the work has been done for you...the assortment features patterns of crumpled paper, old linen, and soft neutral color palettes, you'll be able to create amazingly beautiful "mixed media" looking backgrounds and layers in an instant.  Another thing you'll love about the Studio collection...it will be your "go to" paper for masculine cards or projects. It's a versatile paper collection that will let you create in new ways.  

Second up today is a gorgeous home decor project that Debbie created with the Watercolor collection. I shared a preview of the Watercolor collection in yesterday's post.
 

Debbie's project that she shared on her blog today, A Peek Into My Stamp Room,
is really unique in that she uses a found object and diecut Watercolor paper to create a stunning home decor piece. Typically, die cuts are made of solid cardstock.  By die cutting the Watercolor pattern, she creates a background layer with subtle variations in color.  It's a really nice technique. 

Debbie created a really nice video where she explains, step by step how she created this piece...

And make sure to watch the video all the way through...she gives a great tutorial on using Stick It, and she shows how to use another new ink pad that I'll launch at CHA too!  Wait til you see this new ink pad.  It's really cool!

Thank you for stopping by today.  I am really excited to share some of these new products and I can't wait until the show next week.  It's going to be fun!