Last minute gift ideas

We have lots of great, last minute gift ideas for Mother’s Day AND Graduation presents at The Rustic Corner:

For those hard-working, underappreciated mothers

* Tokyomilk Gift Set featuring scent-sational perfumes, lotions & soaps

* Skeem Silk-Screened Candles in a variety of eye-catching colors and scents

* Primitives by Kathy Box Signs featuring inspirational & witty sayings

* Crossroads Candle Sleeves & Bases ~ can switch them out for all the seasons

* Beautiful watches including the new wrap bracelet watches, rhinestone BLING watches, jelly watches including Hawkeye & Cyclone designs!

* Bright & colorful Park Designs and Split Pea dishcloths, towels & napkins

* Gorgeous earring & necklace sets ~ Rings too!

* Iowa-made wines and wine accessories

* Wind and Willow Dip Mixes

For those new,  ready-to-hit-the-world grads

* Cookbooks! From the most basic to the experienced chef

* Journals to record all those “firsts”

* Notecards ~ in case they want to write home

* Charles City memorabilia to remember where they came from <3

* Candy for those sugar fixes during late-night studying

And, the gift that ALWAYS fits EVERYONE’S style….a Rustic Corner Gift Card in any denomination!

Want new products? We got ‘em!

We thought we’d do a virtual photo album featuring all the new products at The Rustic Corner!

Remember, EVERYTHING looks better in person so be sure to pop in the store SOON and check them out!

New prints & candle sleeves

Primitives by Kathy Box Signs

New Watch Styles including these popular wrap bracelets! (Left in pic)

New Wine-themed merchandise by Split PeaSplit Pea Hand Towels in new, bright & colorful fabric!Beautiful new pictures throughout the store!Change, jewelry or key Glass TraysPerpetual CalendarBlossom Bucket AngelsNew Displays!Springtime Floral PicturesBaseball Pic perfect for a boy’s room!Brand new Americana itemsGorgeous Sunflower picturesBlossom Bucket framed sentiments

Scents for the Senses!!!

The Rustic Corner is now carrying a new line of FABULOUS and unique candles from Skeem Design that are pleasing to all the senses (well, except taste…don’t eat them, please) We are selling specially selected designs from the Pure Pillars collection, the Half Pint collection, the Glass Pillars collection and the matching (!) Matchboxes. Each candle is BEAUTIFULLY presented either in a reusable glass jar or wrapped in simply but elegantly decorated kraft paper.

For the Pure Pillar collection, Skeem silk-screens varied and unusual designs directly onto the soy-blend wax in eye-catching colors. Each candle will burn approximately 120 hours and are 6″ high x 3″ wide. Now that the basics are out of the way….let’s talk about the scents and colors! We are currently carrying Blood Orange (butterscotch color featuring a large bee design), Dune Sage ( blue with birds), Flower Market (lavender with floral design), Grapefruit Zest (reddish orange with a Geisha Girl), Tea Leaf (tan with Paris flourishes) and White Tea & Thyme (Sage Green with Botanical design). GORG! Take a look! (bottom shelf)

The Half-Pint collection (top shelf in picture)  features adorable 7.5 ounce mini-candles inside silk-screened glass jars, topped with a printed metal lid with images inspired by vintage fabrics and wallpaper patterns. After burning for up to 50 hours, the empty jars can be re-purposed for a variety of uses! These fab cuties come in equally-amazing colors and scents including Grapefruit Zest, Peach Velvet (YUM!), Lilac Dandelion, the VERY masculine (yes, guys like candles too!) Midnight Orchid, Sweet Pea & Vanilla, Vintage Peony, Sweet Balsam, Black Currant, and Blood Orange.

The Glass Pillar Collection (bottom shelf  in pic below) comes in, as it states, glass jars…Pillar Size! The SCENT-Sational fragrances currently available are Lilac Dandelion, Fig & Black Pepper, Anise & Clove, Night Jasmine, Green Tomato Vine, Sweet Balsam, Single Malt, Tea Leaf, Blood Orange, Grapefruit Zest, Dune Sage, Guava Persimmon (REALLY unusual), Vintage Peony, and Sea Spray! Whew!

And finally…you can buy matching (there it is again!) Matchboxes! They feature a complementary design on each side and look GREAT when mixed and matched with any of the candles. Each box is cello-wrapped and contains sixty, 4-inch matches with bright, color-coordinated tips (top shelf in photo).

Pair a Half-Pint with coordinating Matchbox and you have a beautiful gift set!

Prices range from $4.95 to $24.95. Ok, I just can’t do them justice in this post…you MUST come into see, smell & touch them! (Please no tasting…and they don’t make sounds either…sorry) 

ARE YOU READY FOR CHICKFEST?!!!

Bring your camera to The Rustic Corner on Saturday, April 7, and snap your pic inside this CHICK!

She Art with Christy Tomlinson

I love the way that Christy Tomlinson creates. It’s quick. It’s bright. And even I can’t mess it up. Better yet, she finger paints which I think is the mark of a true artist. Watch the video and keep in mind that all the She Art product that she is using is available right here at The RC on Main. If you need help with your project, grab a chair in the workroom and we would love to get covered in paint with you! Now go make something pretty!

So Many Inks, So Little Time…part 2

Maybe you are not a stamper. Maybe you love ink in its liquid form. Here are a few inks that are available here at The RC on Main that you might want to give a try.

India ink sits on top of your paper or porous surface also. When it is dry, it is waterproof but while it is wet, it can be manipulated like watercolor. The ink comes in many forms. Faber Castell makes a Pitt marker that is filled with India ink and comes in many different colors. It is also available in a bottle or well and can be used with a calligraphy stylus. You can also find India ink journal pens.

Acrylic inks are also used with a calligraphy stylus or brush. They are waterproof when they are dry and can be used like a watercolor when wet. These inks will bleed and are more translucent (see-through) than opaque.

Alcohol inks are used on non-porous surfaces such as plastic, acrylic, glass and metal. The ink comes in pens, such as Copic markers, and bottle forms like Ranger Adirondack Inks. Because alcohol inks work on non-porous surfaces, you can use them to color rhinestones to match whatever project you are working on. So buy up those clear gem bargains and color them with your alcohol inks! You can also cover larger surfaces by dripping or dabbing inks on with a felt applicator. You can use foam but will waste a lot of ink on the foam pad. Felt is much thinner and allows the ink to sit at the bottom of the pad for super easy application. Use this ink to color old jewelry and give it new life. I would recommend a sealer over the top to keep the new color from wearing off on to your skin. Alcohol inks can be messy but are a fun addition to your arsenal of crafting supplies.

Whatever surface you wish to work on, there is an ink for you. Feel free to stop in or send an email with any questions or troubleshooting problems you may have. Until then, add a little color to your day and go make something pretty!

The Rockin Chicks of the Rustic Corner

We may not be ready for American Idol, but we definitely win for the most Rockin’ Chickfest ad for Chickfest 2012!  Click below to hear the ad running on 93.5 The Mix and 98.7 KISS Country!

Hope it at least makes you want to come out to the stores on Saturday, April 7th for Chickfest in Chucktown!

Thanks to Tad Barry at KCHA for helping write the ad and for standing in the room while we scratched this out!

So Many Inks, So Little Time…part 1

Inks are confusing. What is the difference between a dye ink, pigment ink and a solvent ink?

A pigment ink sits on top of your paper or porous surface allowing you time to add embossing powder and to stamp on darker surfaces. However, not all pigment inks can stamp on to black or super dark surfaces. For these times, you will want a specialized opaque pigment ink such as Brilliance by Momento.

Some pigment inks work well with alcohol-based markers like Copics, but not all. You need to test your inks with the markers you want to use. To do this, stamp an image, then color right next to but not over the stamped image. Wait to see if the stamp ink moves or travels when it comes into contact with the alcohol marker. Momento pigment inks are one of the inks that Copic recommends using with their markers.

A dye ink soaks immediately into the porous surface that you are stamping on and dries quickly. Dye inks do not show up well on darker surfaces but allows you to work quicker without smudging. Can you emboss with dye ink? Yes. Is it difficult to get the embossing powder onto the image before the ink dries? Yes! I recommend sticking to pigment ink for embossing purposes. This will ensure you get a good embossed image without the trials and headache associated with trying to emboss with dye inks.

Not all dye inks are the same. There always has to be an exception to every rule, right? Distress Ink from Ranger is the exception. Distress Ink is formulated to dry much slower than traditional dye ink allowing more manipulation time. Because they dry slower, you can emboss with them. You can also blend colors together easily with an applicator. Something else to keep in mind is Distress Ink reacts with water. Therefore, it is not a good choice to use them with your watercolors unless you want colors to bleed and make a distressed impression. They are rather fun to play with and you can get many different looks with just one color. You can also use them with a water brush and paint with them for a watercolor effect. Also, Distress Inks are Copic safe.

Stop in The RC on Main and try some inky goodness!

Ranger Distress Ink

Tim Holtz and Distress Ink

The staff at The RC on Main cannot get enough of Distress Inks. Just ask Michelle! It’s a fun versatile ink that can be used in may applications on many porous surfaces. Check out the video above and then stop in The RC on Main to try your hand at these wonderful inks!

Fine Art Supplies – We’ve got them!

Gesso – We’ve got that.

Absorbent Ground – We’ve got that.

Gelatos – We’ve got that.

India Ink – We’ve got that.

Fluid Acrylics (by Golden: the good stuff!) – We’ve got that.

Paint Brushes – You guessed it! We’ve go that too!

Stop in The RC on Main and get all these supplies and a heckuva lot more!