I'm Back!!

Thanks to the magic of Blogger "Scheduling" I'll bet you didn't even know that I was gone!  Hubby and I just spent 10 wonderful days on board the Emerald Princess.

I'm relaxed and well rested and will have some new posts for you soon.

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#10

#10---BABY WIPES

I use baby wipes almost everytime I create.  I'll use them to clean my stamps, wipe the craft mat off and clean my hands before touching "the good paper".  I buy the cheapest brand--either at Save A Lot or WalMart.  I've heard some people save their inked up wipes and make things from them.  I'll have to try that some time!

HONORABLE MENTION OR SUPPLY #10 1/2

ALUMINUM DUCT TAPE

I LOVE this stuff and over the past few months have been using a lot of it.  Run it through embossing folders, cut on your Cricut, color with alcohol inks, make a rosette from it....so many great ways to create with this product!  One roll will last you for years!

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#9

#9---TONIC SCISSORS

I have countless pairs of scissors so when I heard all the hype about the Tonic ones, I was skeptical that I needed to invest in another pair.  Well, they are everthing they were touted as!  I use them to cut the shanks off of buttons.   I can cut Grunge Board and metal with ease.  The cushioned handles are very comfy and I love that nothing will stick to the blades (great when I cut aluminum duct tape).

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#8

#8---MARTHA STEWART SCORING BOARD

I'm not a good folder so this board saves the day when I make cards.  It also gives you instructions on making envelopes (which I admit I haven't done yet).  But the thing I use this most for is making rosettes.  It is super easy to lay your strip on the board and make even creases.  Just fold and finish and you have a perfect rosette!

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#7

#7 STICKLES HOLDER

My Dad made this for me a while back and when I saw him last month, he gave me another one!  (He didn't go to Florida this year so he needed some projects...lol)  Of course I've since bought many more Stickles and Liquid Pearls to fill them both up.  I love these holders because the Stickles are ready to go...no waiting.  And the handle makes it easy to carry them to your work area.  I also like putting my almost-empty glue bottles in the holes. 

If you don't have a woodworker of your own, check eBay for similiar handmade holders.

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#6

#6 ROLLING PAPER CART

I spotted this almost two years ago on a visit to Sam's Club.  It was very inexpensive...under $30 and is so sturdy, I have plastic drawers (full of clear stamps) stacked up on top of it.  I labeled (by color) each of the ten drawers to hold my 12 x 12 papers.  Currently I have solids and patterns mixed up but after searching for a picture of this online, I discovered that Sam's still carries it!  I'm going to order another one so I can be even more organized.  I like that I can pull out a drawer and put it on my work table to look through.  The drawers are very roomy...I have quite a bit of paper and they are no where near being filled.

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#5

#5---AQUA-FLO WATER BRUSH PENS

I mention "water pens" frequently when I create projects using watercolor pencils, Distress Inks and Twinkling H2Os.  Even though I have literally hundreds of paint brushes (I have been a Decorative Painter for over 25 years), I love the simplicity of using these when coloring digital stamps or adding shading to altered art projects.   I've had them for a long time, in fact I bought them many years ago at a painting convention to go with the watercolor pencils I bought.  Hadn't seen them in stores up until recently, where I've spotted them at Hobby Lobby.  Tim Holtz just came out with his own line of water pens and I'm interested to see what the difference is from my old Aqua-Flo standbys.

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#4

#4---FISKARS STAMP PRESS

I learned about this awesome tool during Jennifer McGuire's online card class.

I use a lot of cling stamps and this press allows me to line them up and stamp them right where I want them.  Also perfect for using alphabet stamps or multiple sentiments.  If you are doing "production line" stamping, this makes it super quick and easy.  Especially useful when stamping on slick surfaces, such as glossy paper.

Be sure to store this so that the sponge corners are not compressed.

Blog Hop!

Happy Spring!!  I hope everyone is ready to Hop!

Even though I am unable to participate, I hope you will take some time and check out all the inspirational DIMENSIONAL cards the gals at Card A Day Blog have prepared for you!  Here's the line up...just start at the top and enjoy!

Tina Campbell    http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Cindy F    http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com/

Diane    http://dianasdesignsonline.blogspot.com/

Shelley  http://gardenscraftsnmore.blogspot.com/

Michelle Hessler    http://www.paperthreadsblog.com/

Shirley Ross    http://momnmescrap.blogspot.com

Laury    http://justlaury.paperthreads.com/

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#3

Were you surprised that the two most important items in my studio are electronic?  I was!  But those are the two things I use the most...almost for every creative project.  The next item on my list seems pretty simple in comparison, but let me tell you, it's essential!

#3---CRAFT MAT

This is something I bought on a whim...and I loved it even before I got heavily into Tim Holtz's style, which uses it in almost every project.  It was perfect for making my domino ornaments as Glossy Accents do not stick to it.  I use it as a palette for "painting" with Distress Inks.  I simply press the ink pad onto the mat and paint.  I use it for all inking,  painting and glueing.  Inks, paint & Stickles clean up with a baby wipe.  If there is Glossy Accents or other glue dried on it, I take an old credit card and scrape it off easily.  Only one thing to remember...don't cut on it!  Yes, I have a few slits in the mat from not following that advice.  But the mat still works even though it's not real pretty.

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#2

#2--LAPTOP

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm counting down in my "Top 10".  And since SCAL was tops in my list, it's only logical that next up is my laptop computer.  I have a Sony Viao that I got a couple of years ago.  I use it constantly in creating...working with SCAL, creating SVGs, Photoshopping and uploading all the pictures for the blog, saving and organizing tons of vintage images, and of course Blogging!  It gets a real work out! 

On a related note, I also have a wireless HP printer that I use for crafting.  It's right in my studio and I can make copies, scan, print and fax.  Very handy!  I mentioned above that I use Photoshop (also vital in my creating) but I know just the basics...someday if I ever get extra time, I'd love to learn more.  I also subscribe to Carbonite to protect all the files I've collected and created.  I have an older Sony digital camera that I keep in the studio and use exclusively for blogging as its memory card hardly holds anything.

Blog Hop Tomorrow!

Mark your calendar! 

Tomorrow is the first day of spring and the only day to check out

all the DIMENSIONAL cards the gals at Card A Day Blog have prepared for you!

Check back here tomorrow for the links.

TOP 10 SUPPLIES---#1

I'm doing my "Top 10" list a little differently as I am starting with what I consider to be the best/most used item in my studio.  And that would have to be Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) software that I use with my Cricut electronic cutter.  I can design virtually anything with this program and have used it in all aspects of my art:  scrapbooks, cards, altered art, Tim Holtz's "Tags", gifts and decor.  I've cut paper, cardstock, acetate, vinyl, grunge paper, grunge board, chipboard and aluminum duct tape.  The SCAL program uses SVG (scalable vector graphic) files which tell the cutter what to cut.  You can position each item on the virtual mat, which saves time and paper. 
SCAL no longer is being sold to work with Cricut, so if you don't already have it, and want it for Cricut, you are out of luck.

#1---SURE CUTS A LOT

But the GOOD news is you can use the latet version, SCAL3, with lots of other electronic cutters.  This version works with Craftwell eCraft™, Black Cat Cougar/Lynx™, BossKut Gazelle™, Pazzles Inspiration™, Silhouette SD and Cameo™, USCutter™, Craft ROBO/Graphtec™ machines including Wishblade™.
It won't be too long and I will be replacing my Cricut Expression.  The machine I'm most interested in is the Sizzix eClips™.  This cutter uses a version called "eCal",  Either version sells for under $55...a real value considering you never have to buy a cartridge and you can get tons of files free or at a very low cost.  In fact, I sell lots of inexpensive SVG files and sets in my store over at CUT & CREATE.  Freebies available over there as well.  If you're interested in learning more about SCAL or eCal, click over to CRAFT EDGE .

Fabulous Finds

The last weekend of February I went on a "Creative Weekend" with my Mom, Sisters and BFF.  The idea is to hit all the scrapbook, craft and creative places in the area we visit..to shop and see what's new.  And boy did we shop!  Below I'm sharing some of my cool finds with you.  (Just a note:  I'm not affiliated in any way to any of the stores or products mentioned below nor did I receive any free product.  Just my unbiased opinions on the cool things I found)

THIN WOOD SHAPES

I found these great wood diecuts in two places.  The first was the package of Pink Paislee-Nantucket pieces I found at The Scrapbook Tree in Shelby Township, Michigan  (http://www.scrapbooktreeandstampgarden.com/).  I bought them because I thought the ocean themed pieces (sea horse, turtle, etc) would be perfect in a cruise scrapbook layout.  Later, when we stopped at Michael's, I found the frame, bird and bird cage!  Sale priced at 33 cents, I think they would be awesome on a canvas or used in altered art.  There were many other frames and pieces to choose from, but I limited myself.

STARFORM OUTLINE STICKERS

I have other outline stickers that are shaped (the dragonfly that I used in this CARD) but I guess I had never paid attention to what you can do with the corner outlines and fancy borders.  I got these at Paper Hollow in Troy, Michigan (http://www.thepaperhollow.com/).  The store had a HUGE selection of all kinds of these stickers but most importantly she had lots of samples on display so we could determine that we HAD TO HAVE these particular border stickers!  I hope to use them soon so I can show you just how great they look on a project--definitely a touch of elegance.  I got the silver stickers so I could color them with alcohol inks.

LITTLE BOTTLES

I've been seeing lots of great things made with the little corked bottles so when I came across a whole box of 12 for less than a quarter each, I had to snatch them up.  This was only one of the treasures we unearthed at Munro Craft Supply in Berkley, Michigan (http://www.munrocrafts.com/).  This store's website does not do it justice and we almosted passed on going there due to that.  If you are a beader, you MUST visit them.  I've never seen so many beads and they had so many charms that  I got a headache looking at them all!  Can you say stimulation overload?  I did get the wing charms below, though.  Lots of other unusual supplies as well, such as mica pieces, antique buttons, boxes and trays and much more. 

WING CHARMS

VINTAJ HOLE PUNCH PLIERS

I ran across these at a great little store in Troy Michigan called My Craft Room (http://www.mycraftroom.com/).  I have a large stand alone drill press that I use for drilling wood (that I have to roll out when ever I want to use it), so I  had thought of buying a small hand press to use on charms.  But I saw these and thought I'd give them a try.  They work great!  I was able to punch through Tim Holtz Idea-Ology pieces with no problem.

BEAD LANDING "FOUND OBJECTS"

Have you seen this line yet at Michael's?  I live over an hour away from a M's and don't get there often, so I was pleasantly surprised to see these cute charms that go so nicely with Tim Holtz products.  There was a whole display of goodies but once again I restrained myself and just got the little hands.

POLY SHRINK  ARTIST'S GRADE SHRINK PLASTIC

Found this sampler pack at My Craft Room.  I'd been using white "Shrinky Dink" brand so I'm excited to see what difference "Artist's Grade" makes.  Besides white, the pack has sheets of clear, translucent and black.

GOLD KILT PINS

I was JUST looking for the gold kilt pins, remember?  Found them at the first stop, My Craft Room.  I really like the fact that these have more loops for hanging charms.

K & COMPANY TIM COFFEY "VOYAGE"

This paper stack is absolutely beautiful!  Perfect for my cruise scrapbook.  I split the papers with my sister who will be using hers for a Hawaiian trip scrapbook.  I nabbed the paper stack and die cuts at Archiver's and then grabbed the mat pad, dimensional stickers, vellum frames and tags from Joann's. 

 

Of course I bought other papers and supplies on my trip.  I came home with lots of new Stickles and Liquid Pearls (gotta fill up that other Stickles holder my Dad made me).  We also visited a couple of really cool places that offered some unique items:

Rust Belt Market

Ferndale

http://www.rustbeltmarket.com/

(Thanks Rhea for this suggestion)

Leon & Lulu

Clawson

http://www.leonandlulu.com/

 

New Easter SVG Sets

Two new sets are now in the store.

CROSS SET

EASTER HEADINGS



"Walk In The Rain" Coaster

Another Design Team submission for The Cheerful Stamp Pad.  This piece is a coaster that has been made into a little hanging.  There is some dimension to this, that I'll explain and try to show below.

The base is a Paper Trey Ink 4" x 4" coaster.  I used Distress Inks (Black Soot and Chipped Sapphire all over the background and lightly misted with water to blend.  Then I inked the edges with Black Soot.  Next I took Picket Fence Distress Stain and lightened the area where the man would be.  

The Tim Holtz umbrella man image is stamped with black Archival Ink.  Using Chipped Sapphire, I shaded around his feet using the water pen.  The verse was printed on white cardstock, cut apart and lightly inked with Chipped Sapphire.  I attached them to the coaster with Glossy Accents.

The next step is difficult to show in the picture.  I cut a piece of clear acetate to fit the coaster and  laid it on the scoring board.  I added skipped "rain" lines vertically across the acetate on the reverse side using a stylus.  Then I turned the acetate over and attached it to the coaster using jump rings.  Silver Liquid Pearls "rain drops" were added here and there along the score lines. 

Tip on making "rain drops":  Turn your piece upside down.  Squeeze out a small ball of LP and then pull it towards you to make the little tail.

I tipped the piece to try and get a good photo of how the "rain" looks.  You can see some of the "rain" lines" coming off of the "drops".  In real life it has a very cool shiny, rainy look.  Sorry I'm not a better photographer!  Finally I added a ball chain to the back of the coaster with Glossy Accents.

I'm entering this piece into the folowing Challenges:
Simon Says--Anything Goes
Smudgy Antics--Alter Something
Paper-Crafting Journey--Anything Goes

Congratulations Card

Today I'm once again the featured Designer over at Card A Day Blog and the theme this week is "Congratulations".  The card I'm featuring is another great way to use up your scraps.  For this card I used the bright scrap on the left and simply ripped along the right edge and glued it to the coordinating base piece.  I had some braided cord that went with the scrap and ran three of them vertically from top to bottom.  I matched the chipboard sentiment and it's mat to the scrap and attached with foam dots.  Quick, easy and very colorful...just the card to send for a cheery "Congratulations!"

NEW SVGs in Store: St. Patrick's Day Set

Last year the leprechaun and pot of gold files were offered for one day only in a Blog Hop I was part of.  I've put them into this new set and for this weekend only, the entire St. Pat's Day Set of four individual files is on sale for only $1. 

You can get it HERE.

Finished! Tim Holtz's "12 Tags of Christmas" Tag #12

It took almost three months but I can finally display this button proudly!

Yes, I actually FINISHED all 12 of the 2011 Christmas Tags and I learned something wonderful on each and every one.  Now I can move on to the "12 Tags of 2012" that Tim started last month.  It will be a little easier to catch up as there is just one tag a month, instead of a tag a day!

Here's a look at the final tag:

I had mentioned that my sister gave me some of Tim's tissue paper.  It was the one with the wording, not the music notes so I did the base of the card backwards:  I stamped on the music and used the word tissue paper over it! 

To make the paper flower, I also improvised.  I do not have a Tiny Attacher so instead I used the craft pick to poke a hole in the center of the tissue paper stack and inserted a brad to hold the folds.  I also snipped into the "v"s to make the flower have longer, more wispy petals.

I got out my aluminum duct tape (love that stuff!) and stuck it on cardstock.  The lettering cut beautifully on the Cricut!  Will definitely be using this technique again.  I also used my new Vintaj punch to put the hole in the snowflake. 

The foil trim was cut on the Cricut, again using aluminum duct tape attached to cardstock.  I used regular punches to get the clean holes.

Here they are in all their splendor!  I have this string running across my studio window and had clipped each tag up as I went along.  I think I will put them on a wreath for this Christmas.  Until then, I'm going to admire and enjoy them!  lol

Fairy Card

It's the second week of the "Land of Fantasy" Challenge over at The Cheerful Stamp Pad and for my DT submission, I used the "Lilly the Fairy of Enchantment" digi.  I decided that she should be very shimmery and sparkley so I used the LuminArte Twinkling H2Os to color her dress and headpiece.  I used Distress Inks to color her hair, body and the moon.  To get the extra shimmery wings, I painted them with Adirondack Metallics Pearl Paint.  Once everything was dry, I went over the dress and headpiece details with Stickles and Liquid Pearls.  On the wings, I swiped a nice coat of Frosted Lace Stickles.  The picture below doesn't do justice to just how sparkley the image is.

To make the card, I sprayed the designer paper base with multiple coats of pearlized water.  I fussy cut the image out and attached with a glue stick.  I added a shimmery gray organza ribbon to the bottom of the card and centered on that was the sentiment that I accented with more DI and Stickles.

This card is entered into the following Challenges:

Crafty Boots--Glitter

Paper Creations Ink--Spring is in the Air

That Craft Place--Anything Goes

All Sorts--Spread Your Wings

Just Some Lines--Girly Girl

Sparkles Forum--#29 Things With Wings

Up-cycled Embossing Folder Box

Wanted to share my embossing folder storage box. 

I created it to match the Altered Ink Box I did last year.  I used an old metal card file box that I'd had in my stash for a while.  In fact I had primed it gray intending to paint it as a recipe box.  Here's what it looked like before I started:

The first thing I did was adhere the paper (Tim Holtz's Lost & Found Paper Stash) with matte medium to the sides and lid.  I used Tim's tissue tape on the bottom's inside rim and the inner side of the top.  I used Vintage Photo DI on the tape, inside the lid and the box edges to get a grungy look.

The feet are wooden candle cups that I colored using Vintage Photo Distress Stain.  I attached them with Glossy Accents and I tell you...they are stuck on there!  I used one of Tim's Ornate Plates, again attached with GA.  I printed the label on cardstock that I distressed with VP.

The handle is a glass TH Curio Knob, attached with...you guessed it... Glossy Accents!!

The box holds my current collection of 32 folders with room for even more.

This box is entered into the following Challenges:
Sugar Creek Hollow--Trash To Treasure
Crafty Ann's--#60 Anything But A Card
Frosted Designs--Numbers
Scrapalicious USA--Anything Goes
Anything Goes--#61 Altered Projects
Simon Says Stamp & Show--Your Idea-ology

Baby Card & Free Baby Heading SVG

I'm today's Designer over at Card A Day Blog and this week's theme is "Baby". 

My card is very easy to make and if you have an electronic cutter and can use SVGs, I have the main element for you FREE!  Here's how I made the card:

1.  I used a scrap piece of pink dotted scrapbook paper (5.5" x 4.25") for the card base. 

2.  I also used other scraps to cut the frame and heading from brown, white, grey and pink cardstock.  The circle element was cut from a matching scrapbook paper scrap.

3.  I stamped the baby pin (SU stamp) design on the white cardstock in light pink ink and added the stitching with a light pink marker.

4.  I shaded the heading with Distress Inks and waterpen.  The white details were done with a gel pen.

5.  I took a little white tag and stamped "For" in brown ink and tied it to the pin with white sparkley thread.

6.  I attached all the pieces with a glue stick and then the complete element was attached to the card base with foam dots.

7.  I rounded the corners with a punch. 

You can get the FREE file HERE.
Note:  The layered frame (that I used on the card) is also included in the file. 
For some reason I couldn't get it to show up in PhotoShop, but it's there!
I hope you'll also take a peek at the new "Baby Set"
--it goes perfectly with the heading freebie!

You can see the set details HERE .

This card is entered into the following Challenges:
365 Cards--Day 1 New Beginnings
Divas By Design--#24 Spots and /or Stripes
Simon Says Stamp--Anything Goes
Perfect Sentiments--Anything Goes with a Die Cut
Scrappy Frogs--Die Cuts

February Blog Candy Winner!

Are you a follower?  If you are, you were entered into the monthly Blog Candy Giveaway.

The February winner of the Tim Holtz Tissue Tape Dispenser is:

Tracey ~ GardenOfGrace

Tracey, please email me with your address before March 9th to claim your prize:

creative@avci.net

Now for the March Blog Candy

Hampton Arts Mini Flip Flops Clear Stamps

"Whoo Says"

Contains 14 stamps in all....so cute!!