Glimpse Inside New September Issues (+ a Giveaway!)

Rise to the head of the class with this new set of September issues that will soon be on your required reading list!  From digital alterations to glittery snowfall effects, the techniques featured in this round of magazines garner top marks from our staff. If these preview spreads have you scribbling down ideas in every margin of your spiral notebook, take advantage of our FREE SHIPPING discount that we are offering exclusively to our blog readers.

Use Promo Code: BLOG0912*

Somerset Apprentice is your ultimate resource for detailed instructions for creating mixed-media projects like the pros. Tag along with featured artists Anna Dabrowska, Monica Sabolla Gruppo, Kristen Robinson, Bethany Kartchner, and many others, as they give you a glimpse inside of their crafty minds. Filled with innovative tips and advice from what media is best to use on different surfaces, to use to how to approach challenging artistic obstacles, the pages of this issue will answer all of your burning artistic questions. Once you master the basics, you will be embellishing and enhancing your own projects in no time!

Discover the art of primitive dolls with furry creatures and wooly Santas that will make you smile from ear to ear. Artist Diana Card shares the story behind her lovely farm paintings that are comprised of rolling hills in blue and green hues. Peek inside the fantastical world of Dixie Redmond’s storybook dolls, and hang out with Alice in Wonderland, Dorothy, Miss Muffet, the White Rabbit, and more of your favorite childhood characters. Go on a pumpkin ride with jolly Pete, build a family of Victorian Whimsies, and deck your tree with primitive snowmen ornaments topped off with a pinstripe nightcap.  This issue of Prims is bursting with handcrafted projects that will be lovely additions to your home and warm your heart.

The cover of this spectacular issue of Somerset Studio is a tell-tale sign that the artwork featured inside is going to be just as hauntingly beautiful. Our readers rose to the challenge when asked to submit artwork that pays homage to Edgar Allan Poe. You will find their altered books and canvases embellished with raven stamps and ghostly typewriter text. Complete with bonus free artist papers and clip art for you to tear out and use in your next mixed-media project, this magazine is your one-stop source to help get the paint off your brush and onto the page. View subscription options (with free gifts!) here.

We’re bringing you the hottest heat embossing and die-cutting techniques in the autumn issue of Take Ten. Packed with over 295 stamped ideas for all crafting levels, this publication is a fantastic guide for artists looking to improve their stamping skills and learn new techniques along the way. Use handwritten script to add unique flair to your projects, or layer washi tape and labels to create a set of retro airmail notecards. Try your hand at monoprinting, and stamp quick and easy gift bags to use as favors for your next girls’ night out party. Each magazine comes with a complimentary artist paper to get you started on the right crafting path.

The magic of digital editing comes to life in the autumn issue of Somerset Digital Studio. Turn a photograph into a painting with flowing filters, create moods with different textures, and alter backgrounds with illustrated step-by-step tutorials. Embrace the eccentric aspects of creating art with Stephanie Voss’s article, “Wackiness & Wisdom in Digital Art,” and see how Laura Ciranna incorporates images of realistic elements to create fantastical scenes.  Take your digital designs to the next level and incorporate textures, words, and images to turn your photographs into masterpieces to share with friends and family.

Get ready for the oncoming wave of beautiful assemblages in this issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry. Have a knack for wire beading? Create beautiful works of charm bracelets, complete with gems and pearls. Discover the untapped potential of pewter, the original metal clay, in a variety of necklaces. Learn a new technique called broom-casting from Lisa Weber, and check out an expansive set of tribal shield ear wear by Janet Loomis. Don’t miss Staci Florer’s beautiful hinged earrings that will have your admirers “all ears.”

Warm up your home this autumn with freshly baked blueberry muffins, fluffy croissants, and artisan breads, all packed into this serving of Where Women Cook. Craft a four-layer cake with pastel-colored frosting and try your hand at the sweet pumpkin dip. Glimpse inside the bustling kitchens of Tasi Rigsby, a professional ballet dancer-turned-restaurant owner and Charlotte Neuville, the woman behind trend forecasting for major brands in the fashion world, who is now taking on the culinary world. Food styling and presentation is just as important as the food itself, and the full-color photographs of these recipes will leave you tempted to try them all.

It’s here, it’s here! Glittery snowfall on miniature rooftops and handmade ornaments on a tall pine tree mean only one thing: Somerset Holidays & Celebrations is out with a new batch of amazing projects to make for the winter holidays and year-round celebrations. Discover an alternative use for cookie cutters when you turn them into gismos and gadgets that glitter and shine with every twist and turn. Painted canvas trees, spooky art quilts, whimsical spring folk art, and coffee filter garlands await you as well. Indulge in the handmade romance that comes with the season of love with delicate projects made from delicately torn muslin. Join artists Ruth Rae, Jennifer Swift, Danita, and many others as they give you a reason to celebrate the joy of creativity throughout the year.

Want to win one of these issues? Click on any spread, check out the table of contents, and let us know which feature you’re looking forward to reading! One person will be selected at random to receive their choice of magazine. Winner will be chosen and announced September 18th. Update: The winner is Bridgette Jessen! We will be in contact with you in regards to the details of your prize.

*Free shipping offer applies to U.S. purchases of the following September 2012 issues only: Somerset Studio, Take Ten, Belle Armoire Jewelry, Holidays & Celebrations, Somerset Digital Studio, Somerset Apprentice, Where Women Cook, and Prims. Discount code does not apply to items purchased from The Shoppe at Somerset and expires 9/30/12. Contest is open to U.S. residents and ends 9/18/12 at 11:59pm.