The runaway train known as time

Keeps slipping through my fingers.

It's frustrating because I truly intend to blog about the stuff I'm making, cute stories from work, etc., and then when I should be writing, all I want to do is sleep, stare like a zombie at the television or read.

Maybe I need a new take on this blog - not just crafts, but food.  I like food, especially trying the new recipes I find through Pinterest.  Opinions on this are definitely welcome.

I'm getting started making cards (and maybe some other items) to hopefully sell at various craft shows in the area. Which means I'm making what feel like batches of cards: 4 of these, 3 of those, etc.  I've also been inspired by some of the cards I've found through Pinterest.

My recent Pinterest inspired cards are:  (Wow, I thought I had more of these)

The idea for them came from this post by Jessica Witty.  I loved the idea and ran with it.  I loved it so much I'm planning on making more.

The next 2 cards are just fun cards.  The daffodil card is inspired by a card I saw of Maile Belles and the other card is using the Papertrey Blog Hop color combo for the month of May.

A very good friend of mine had his birthday at the end of May and I made him this card.  I had it photographed, it looked good, I was going to post it and the anniversary card for my brother and sister-in-law up before his birthday, sharing it with the world (and actually make it a month between posts.)  Then I remembered - he follows this blog.  I couldn't say, "Here's this card for my friend Josh and isn't it fab?  He's getting it in the mail for his birthday!"

So here's the birthday card for my friend Josh and he's already gotten it for his birthday.

Stamps: Up Up and Away.  Paper: Blueberry Sky, Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain, white.  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain.  Dies: Hot Air Balloon and Clouds. Accessories: Cream felt, Copic markers, button, Sharpie pen, corner rounding punch, dimensionals.

I think that's all for now.  Here's to hoping that I actually think ahead enough for my next post and have the photos ready to roll.  Yes, it happened again and interrupted my writing.

Peace, Love and Popsicles (what? It's Summer!)

I'm really glad I don't get paid for writing this blog...

for I would have been fired LONG ago.  And it's not that I don't want to share my creations and ideas with everyone, it's just that I get distracted.  I think I'm developing a form of ADD, which is really odd considering I can sit and read a book for hours (and read the same book over and over and over again.)

Anywho...  time to play catch-up, especially with promised pictures.

***Please enjoy this delightful music while we wait.  Actually no.  I seriously dislike blogs that have music on them, especially when they hide their music widget at the bottom of the page.***

30 minutes later, I'm done with my photo editing and ready to move on. Why do I always forget about my photos until I'm in the middle of writing a post and realize that I haven't downloaded them off my camera and I still have to run them through Photoshop?  I really can't be the only person who does this!

As promised (forever ago) the pictures of my new Copic Storage.  It's a double deep Art Bin, 2 pieces of fluorescent lighting cover (cut from one cover), screws, nuts, washers and spacers. 

The theme for this latest round of cards was balloons.  Little balloons and big hot air balloons - along with a chevron stamp set were my purchases from Papertrey in March.  I had a lot of fun playing with my new stamps.  I actually have these sets out again right now and have been making more cards using them.  Hopefully I'll get pictures of them and upload them soon (I'm hoping before the weekend's here.)

  Stamps: Heart-2-Heart #2, Background Basics: Chevron Stripes, Up, Up & Away, Up, Up & Away Sentiments.  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, PTI Harvest Gold, Simply Chartreuse, Scarlet Jewel, Aqua Mist, Spring Rain, Melon Berry, Hawaiian Shores, New Leaf, Blueberry Sky, Orange Zest, Enchanted Evening.  Paper: White, Harvest Gold, New Leaf, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Orange Zest, Spring Rain.  Accessories: EK Success Punches, PTI dies: Hot air Balloons and Heart-2-Heart #2, Copic Markers, dimensionals, Sharpie Pen, Stickles.

That's all the stamping for now, but I also wanted to share a fun story about today.

The botanical gardens in town has a butterfly exhibit that runs through March and April and I was lucky enough to have today off, so I went to see the butterflies.  The butterflies get to fly amok in the large rain forest area and there are at least a dozen different varieties.  I became very popular with one particular butterfly - who landed on my hand twice.  Another visitor was kind enough to take this picture of me with the butterfly on my hand.

Hope the rest of the week is full of good things for everyone,

*gasp* It's clean!

By this, I mean the Dungeon.  6 months after I jumped in and rearranged it, there is enough space on both tables for me to use them both!  Not sure how long it'll last, but it's clean!

I have a friend and coworker who is also crafty - and we set up a craft "play date" for yesterday.  (Can you tell I work with kids?)  

It was a Pinterest inspired craft day.  We both did melty crayon pictures - mine in a simple rainbow drip, hers was inspired by the colors in sunflowers.  Apparently my hair dryer isn't powerful enough to make this happen or I'm too impatient - probably option #2 - but I wound up using my embossing gun to melt the crayons.  She also made a sunglass holder with a chunky picture frame, tiny eyebolts, and wire.  My second project is kinda secret - due to the fact that I'm not sure if my mother ever sees this blog and the project is meant as a present for her.

I had a lot of fun crafting yesterday and definitely need to get some pictures up: the long-promised picture of my new Copic storage, the clean tables and my crayon artwork.

I'm itching to get inky again, so hopefully more cards are going to be in the works, especially after my new Papertrey stuff arrives.

Have a good week,

New Cards and Things I've Learned

Wow, time's flying by again.  I never mean to have so much time between posts, but somehow it seems to just happen.

Since finding that Embossed Layered Resist technique video I've been scanning all the stores for stamps that are reversed images.  I found one with snowflakes by TPC that I'll break out and go crazy with for Christmas. I had a 40% off coupon for JoAnn's today and I found another set by TPC that's reversed flowers, flourishes and butterflies - and had to get it.  This is my card:

Things I learned in making it:
1) I forgot to stamp the writing in the background before embossing.  I think doing that brings a lot to the total image and there's a whole lotta white on that card.
2) I need clear embossing powder that has a good coverage and made for fine details. It also needs to be clear, not clear with specks of black in it (like my current clear embossing powder.  Friendly hint: the SU! Embossing trays get static-y and you'll wind up with speckled embossing powders)
3) I also need to try this with another embossing ink because the problem might just be in the Versamark.
4) Be careful with the application of Spiced Marmalade Distress ink.  I'm not covered in orange ink, but I wiped out my carefully sponged pink flowers with my wild swirls.  There are 4 colors of ink on that image, not that you can tell.

Oh, I need to profess my love for www.icopic.com  Their website's easy to navigate (after you add something to your cart and click "keep shopping" it takes you back where you were,) their prices and shipping are reasonable, and it's FAST.  I ordered on a Sunday and it was in my hands by Wednesday of the same week.  I picked up some Copics and a The Greeting Farm stamp set.

Here's a card I made with one of the images:

Things I've learned from this card:
1) I need to create a list of Copic hair color combos and skin color combos because it's hard to keep looking stuff up on my phone.
2) I need to buy almost all of the Oliver and Amelia sets that The Greeting Farm has because they're so dang cute.
3) Memento Tuxedo Black ink is the best ink I've used for Copics.  I love Palette Noir, but it has a tendency to bleed while I color.

Goal for tomorrow: laundry (it's trying to take over my room,) making cards with the colored Oliver and Amelia images, and stamping Nugget wraps for a St Paddy's Day treat for my coworkers.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend,

 

The aftermath of a 4 day weekend

Isn't always pretty.  It was better this time around.  I feel like I accomplished something.

I got an card order for a coworker finished.  She was thrilled to have them, which makes me happy.

Note to self (because you don't really need to know what's on my To-do list): Order more A2+ clear envelopes.

I also bought the latest issue of Paper Crafts this weekend and found a really neat card on the last page: clear base card with multi-color polka dots on it.  LOVED it and had to CASE it. Twice.

 

Paper: Clear, white, Pure Poppy, Orange Zest, Harvest Gold, New Leaf, Elegant Evening, Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores, Hibiscus Burst, Aqua Mist, Sweet Blush. Stamps: MFT: Essential Sayings Ink: Palette Noir.  Accessories: Nestabilities Classic Circles, dimensionals, Diamond Glaze.

The next card is the TLC Challenge on SCS for Monday - Acrylic Distress background.  I've learned a few things with this: 1) use a bigger die to cut out the piece, 2) the music embossing folder by Tim Holtz is too intricate to do this properly.  Other than these 2 things, I think I'd do this technique on a card again.

Paper: white (colored piece is PTI select white).  Ink: Distress Tea Dye, Memento Tuxedo Black. Stamps: Stamping Bella - Musicabella, MFT - Essential Sayings.  Accessories: ribbon, Copics, Tim Holtz embossing folder, Nestabilities, Adirondack acrylic paint.

That's all there is, really.

 Hope my scrapping thing on Saturday goes well and I get a bunch of pages done.

The end of a long weekend

And I'm sad.  I never seem to get everything I want to do done during these times off.

It could just be that I lack some motivation - maybe.

I was on a stamping roll this weekend.  I ordered from Papertrey last weekend and the box arrived not long after I got home from work on Thursday.  A box of new stamps and inks to play with all weekend?  YAY!!!

All the cards I made this weekend have something from my new stash in them - new ink or stamp pad.

I also made a new home for my Copics and I don't have a picture of it.  It's one of those double deep Art Bins with removable sections, a lighting cover, 4 carriage bolts, 12 nuts, 16 washers and 8 nylon separators.  *And a partridge in a pear tree!!!!*  All in all, it cost me about $40 to make an easily transportable (and non-spillable) home for my Copics.

Anywho, onto the cards.

Thursday

Friday - no stamping.  I shopped and then created the Copic home.  (pictures later)

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

And I'm back to work for a busy week tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll get time to stamp.

Long Day and got the urge to stamp

I had an early day today.  By early, I was parking in the parking lot at 6:10am.  I thoroughly dislike early shifts, but the plus is I get out of work early too.

So today, after I got out of work and my chiropractor appointment, I was researching - yeah, RESEARCHING - on Pinterest and came across a video tutorial for an Embossed Layered Resist technique by Hero Arts.  I liked how the card looked, the technique looked easy, so off I toddled into the Dungeon to play.

TA-DA!

Not bad for a first attempt.  I can nit-pick this card to death, but I love the softness of the color combo and my choice of ink colors to pop the image.

It's a Papertrey Ink day: all stamps and cardstock are from there.  The background is Background Basics - Text Style 1 and it's stamped in Palette Charcoal on Vintage Cream.  The reverse leaf image and sentiment "friend" are from Text Boxed.  The leaf image is stamped in Versamark and clear embossed while the word is stamped in PTI Ocean Tides.  The reversed image is colored in with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Inks and the edges of the image panel are "dirtied" up with them as well.

The image panel is layered on Ocean Tides cardstock, tied with Ocean Tides Swiss Dot Satin Ribbon and then layered on a Fine Linen card base.

Supplies: Stamps: PTI - Background Basics Text Style and Text Boxed.  Paper: Ocean Tides, Vintage Cream and Fine Linen.  Ink: Palette Charcoal, Ocean Tides, Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Inks.  Accessories: clear embossing powder, ribbon, dimensionals.

That's all for right now.  Here's hoping tomorrow flies by - I have a long weekend coming up!