Print shop finds!!

Making friends with your local printer can be a big advantage to your card making and paper crafting!  Printers often take on  specialty jobs which include printing on high end papers; wedding invitations, announcements, programs and such.  They end up having reams of high-quality paper which are going to do nothing but take up premium shelf space in the shop!  I have a printer friend down the road from me and I am able to purchase for pennies on the dollar all kinds of fun and expensive papers! One such treasure was an accident, I was looking for a white 100 # card stock, Mark sold me about 500 sheets for 10.00.  I got the paper home and went to make a card and discovered my new cardstock was in  fact  100# sticker paper on one side and smooth on the other!!

 This paper is just the best, one side peels of and I use that to make homemade glue dots, the adhesive side is so strong I can it adheise paper or fabric to the card stock!! You can imagine how much fun this is!

Oriental Stamp Arts group is doing a “Napkin” swap, using a decorative paper napkin as the a surface on the card face. Using this form of "facing" can add a wonderful and unusual amount of color and design very simply! My Sticker paper made this very easy to do.  but you can due this with a tape runner or any form of dry adhesive.

Starting with a printed paper napkin!  These feels so stiff and scratchy I can't imaging using them as a napkin! Usually these have two layers, for this project you will only want the pretty printed top layer.

 

I cut my paper to the A6 size, I like a larger card so A6 and A7 are pretty standard for me.

 Paper is cut and scored  and napkins are peeled, I'm ready to attach the napkin on the sticky surface after I peel of the protective layer.

 

The sticky side has been placed on top of the wrong side of the napkin, this is the easiest way to make sure everything is nice and straight.  The excess is trimmed off with scissors and the card is folded .

Nice and smooth! ready for finishing!

Here is one of  the finished cards!  The focal image is a Art Neko stamp with Memento ink and Spectrum marker coloring.  I covered the  stamped surface with a layer of Modge Podge to give it a more painterly look.  Note to self, " Do Not Use modge podge with alcohol markers" they bleed!!  The swap is a 4-4 pluse an assortment of napkins, Fun Fun!!

 

Tomorrow is a big day, the Heirloom rubber stamp show will be in town!  It is a huge event for the entire weekend, I'm planning on taking lots of pictures to share!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend!

Ginny M

 

A Simple Time Saver

I have a little time saving tip: Develop a system that works for you!
 Because I make lots and lot of cards, I like to keep everything as efficient as possible.  Even if I only made a few a week, I still like to keep things as smooth as possible.  Having a system frees me to be more creative. 

Part of my system of keeping the creative juices flowing is to have ready at hand, as much as possible, the components of card making. One thing  I do  is keep a small basket of card stock cut and ready for stamping :

 

In this simple little basket I have about a hundred pieces of card stock that I like to stamp on.  I have lots of bases cut, scored and folded, in all kind of papers with color and texture  ready to go.  Of course you aren't going to have a great deal of success stamping on a "laid" finish cardstock, but it will make a beautiful and interesting base! I have ready to use about five different smooth finish papers to stamp images on . This means I can cut in about  fifteen minutes enough stamping card stock for a hundred cards. 

 

If I am cutting a  8.5 x11 or  12x12, I am cutting only  into quarters.. I will adjust the size according to the card when I am making it. 

 

It is small and neat and fits at my desk perfectly! Now I can stamp away, without having to cut paper while I am stamping and coloring.

 

 

 

 

Working on a set of these gals for thinking of you notes.

 

A card I made today for a OSA challenge:

 

I hope you all are having a nice weekend and get some crafty time in!
Ginny M

 

A great and inexpensive craft find!

I was in Rite Aide on Friday picking my Asthma inhaler and on the way to the pharmacy counter  I notice a sunbeam coming through a window and land on a shelf fill with bottles of the most beautiful colors!! The bottles turned out to be the most fabulous nail polish I have ever seen and at 12.50 a bottle it should have been!  I know I am cheap, but the last bottle of nail polish I bought I was 18 and it was 3.50 and it was top of the line from Charles Revson!  I went to the isle where the nail polishes were found and sure enough I found the house brand copy cat colors for .99!!!  I could just pictures dragon fly and butter fly wings, Ruby slippers, doing Faux cloisonné, all kinds of great stuff!

These came in tons of colors!!

 

here they are on paper:

 

These have a very neat affect when they are on paper, they are very glittery, but not like glitter, you only see the sparkle when the item it's on is moved!  Makes the affect even cooler!

This moth is colored and then coated with the gold sparkle, you really can't even see it in the picture, but in reality  it has a ton of sparkle!!  It  also give the image a lovely glossy coat!
I would highly recommend finding these polishes and trying them!

I made this swing card for a OSA swap using it:

 

It is two sided

 

 

Open:

 

 

The note would go on the left side of the hexagon and swing back unseen until you "open" the card.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and give a moment to give thanks for the freedom we have in this country, remembering it was dearly paid for.  As a military wife and mother I am reminded daily of the costs. I am twice thankful, for that freedom and for the ones I love to enjoy it with me!

 

 

 

Project finish

Along time ago, starting in 1995 in Windows 311 ( I was rockin) I learned how to use a word processor and drawing software.  In 1996 I started making and what I call WORD Art projects, cards books, all kinds of things.  Now in 2013 and 5 computers later I have hundreds of digitized scriptures and books along with purchased images and free down loads PLUS my wonderful stash of Rubber stamps in scripture and sentiments.  The big project was getting them all organized, which I did this week.  I now have a physical and digital  catalog of all my scripture in rubber and Digi.  I have a electronic catalog of my all my work done in office word.  Both of these are backed up in three places.  This is almost 20 years of work, I don't want to take a chance of loosing it! This started as a pretty big mess with the physical catalog:

 

I printed all my jpg scriptures after I created a digital catalog.  Then I inked up all my 'Our Daily Bread Designs' stamps and cataloged them, Next all my other rubber scripture stamps, into the catalog.

 

I store all these stamps in this box it looks small but it isn't: there are hundreds in here.  This photo shows how I store the stamps and their indexes.  Not fancy but it works great!

 

 

Assembling - I need to watch a few more tutorial on the Zutter binder... 

 

 

Most of the holes were on the floor!

 

I won't win a book arts award with this, But I am so happy to have this done with room to grow!!

Here is the finished Catalog:

 

 

Simple and effective tool!!  If I don't know what I have how can I use it??

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Ginny M

WOYWW#207

It is the Blog Hop around the world of craft masters work desks'!  Go here to pick up on the fun: http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/.  On My work desk, playing with my Alcohol Markers today.

Here is the mess! I made a card for one of my students, Kathleen.  During one of the discussions in class I had encouraged some of my artsy kids to draw for me, I needed stamps of people that are not Caucasian.  My kids are of a very mixed ethnicity and trying to find images that would spark their imagination and self realization is difficult!!  Maybe there are  stamps are out there that are not just cute little kids, but I can't find  them!  In Two weeks there is a big rubber stamp show coming to Springfield MA and I hope to find Stampland stamps there, they have some very beautiful images.  If anyone else has a source Please tell me!!

This was also my first attempt at skin tones, both dark and light!  My husband saw a few of the "tries" and his comment matched mine, they were a little scary!

From this stamp I am trying to create Jamaican  and Latina images.

Trying to get the skin tones right was trying, and like I said this was my first attempt.

I am pleased with the out come. Kathleen is such a sweet heart, wether or not I colored it right won't matter, but for this 14 year old, I wanted the card to be beautiful!

 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Ginny M

Pages and a few trials

I guess one of the byproducts of having a happy busing life is at the same time feeling you are a little behind with things.  I'm a little behind with correspondence, card making for sale and  card making for correspondence. But that is okay because I have also  discovered that the new chapters that are opening in my life I am also not being so hard on myself, I am taking time to smell the Roses.  I have found that this is so wonderful and relaxing I have even more ideas flooding into my mind!!  I am about to tackle my list to do for the day, but before I do that I wanted share some of the days fun!  This Morning I made my  Journal entry:

 

I've been thinking and teaching about John 14:21-24, I teach teenagers and during class this week I asked them what were the commandments Jesus was talking about. Their first guess was the ten commandments, I told them that was very small part of it, we took a much bigger look at what the word love means and What Jesus was talking about.  I love teaching teenagers!

 

I have begun to play with my spectrum markers and I really like them!  This is totally new to me; marker coloring.

 

Next thing done today:

 

I made a couple dozen of these cards, on the back it says" I am the Truth the Light and the Way  Jn 6:14" they are my scripture calling cards, I leave them everywhere I go.  I use all kinds of stamps for these little cards, with one I used a flat image magenta stamp, some wonderful , blacker than black ranger ink called 213.  I picked this ink up 22 - 4oz bottles for 7.99!! It is an older product but it is WONDERFUL for flat stamps and the stamps text stamps I love to use.

 

I tried distress markers, loved the colors but to slow to use.

 

I ended up using distress reinkers, these worked great, I was able to do about 50 in half an hour.  What I learned about this was you only need the tiniest bit of reinker, one drop each of 3 colors was too much!!  This was a first attempt for me, next time I will know!

 

Back to the ink deal: this ink is not suitable for alcohol markers which is why I didn't use it in the cards.  Solvents are not healthy for alcohol markers!!!!!  But this is great for dyew based markers including the TH distress markers, water colors, pencils and chalk and best of all  BLACK  BLACK for my text stamps.

 

Last year I tried using india ink and that ended up being a fail - a result of the  evaporation causing the resin in the ink making  pad crusty.

 

 

These pictures are not showing the true blackness of this ink.  But it is the blackest of any product I have yet to use and it cleans up well from the stamps ( not from your hands though)

It is a solvent ink of some sort, I was not able to get much info about it. But it is super on all of the papers I have tried and superb on glossy!!

Steve and I had to run to the base for a short time and after I was treated to a great lunch at a local restaurant and then we went to Stamp and Scrap Nest in Simsbury CT and I picked up these lovely stamps!

 

I can't wait to use them!!  I am hoping to make cards to night and tomorrow morning for my card shop and the local shop I sell to as well as for some special people !!

 

 

Now don't forget to stop and smell the roses God has planted in your life, that is what they are there for!!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Ginny M

Saturday

I haven't posted in a week and a half, I've been busy, shifting through three states, taking care of my family, the everyday stuff and some really great things!  My daughter graduated from college today, with her BA in "ed" and "psych".  I was so proud of her, and  I actually got to find her out of 500+ grads, I was only about 200 feet from her (straight up in the civic center) during the long, long ceremony and we texted back and forth, boy was that fun.  She'd look at me and wave a tiny wave, just like she did in her elementary school plays, recitals and games. It was a sweet moment, here she is:

 

She's the first to graduate from college, Our oldest son will walk in June at Univ of Wash and youngest son will be saying goodbye to high school  and hello to Urshan Seminary School in St. Louis.

What a year this has been for my family!  Very soon it will be empty nest time.

 

While our kids will all be on their own in a few short months, we find the Lord making big changes to our lives, it looks like  Steve and I will be working much more in the Ministry. We are so excited about these changes. 

 

Just as exciting are the personal changes I am finding in myself daily, I feel like I am a different person than I was six months ago!  The stress and worry are gone, no more bouts of anxiety.  While  the external causes of much of that has worked itself through, as no season is forever, The big difference I find is a new level of Joy and Strength and Re-commitment in my walk with the Lord. I think this has happened because I followed the direction of an answer to prayer.  I asked the Lord for relief and he simply told me to get up early, as early as it takes and start my day with Him.  That the strength of the day came in the morning.  So I'm getting up early and spending that time with Him and I truly feel rejuvenated , physically, mentally, emotionally, physically and creatively, all that blessing because I made a small time change priority in my day!

 

I also started something that I have wanted to do for years, as small and humble as it is, the idea has intimidated me and kept me from doing it!  I've wanted to start a prayer journal.

 

 

I made the book using my Zutter punch, and I think If I end up making more of these I am going to look for a different tool, I am lousy at this!! Scripture stamp, chipboard, fussy cut papers and a lot of Mod Podge.  Inside I summed the Journal up:

And you can't read it from this photo!  So I will tell you, I am "Connecting the hand and the voice in praise to Jesus our Savior."   I want to log the thoughts, the designs and the WORD which I feel the Lord inspires me with!

The second page has my one of my first serious graphic attempts, 1996, windows 3.11 ( I skipped 95 and waited till 98 was out) .  I have one copy left.  This was a prize winner, and the prize was paper from Neenah.  But this particular work was what ignited my love for my Computer, I could do beautiful calligraphy.  I practiced and practiced by hand, but I just do not have the hand to put my vision in ink on paper. I learned to use my computer and boy did I use it!!

I hope to put lots more into this journal and I am so happy to have started this. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend!
Ginny M

WOYWW# 205

This may be my shortest ever post, I've just been too busy this week with everything else other than stampy!! Today is the day for the weekly world wide Blog of of crafters desks and I think I'm going to spend time hopping and not stamping!!  Go here to start: http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/
On My desk: A batch of cards I made for a friends who needed thank you's.  I used G45 papers (love them) made a huge mess all over my craft room - easy to do!  But since I usually start out with everything in place it is easy to put it all back together.  I think that is realy important in order to not over purchase supplies and stash, If I can't keep it organized I can't use it properly.

every work surface in my room looked like this, since I had no plan in mind for these cards, I just grabbed and glued as I went along for each card.

All of these cards had textural elements on them, Glaze and brush stroke, unfortunately you can't see them in the photos.  They are all  5x7 size on 100# base weight papers along with the G45.
Thanks for stopping by, I'm about to walk the dog and then go on the Hop!!
Have a great day!
Ginny M

WOYWW# 204

Thanks for Stopping by, it is the world wide blog hop of What is On Your Workdesk Weds! This is week # 204!
Go here for more global work desks peeks!! http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

Last week I had a mystery and ALMO was the closest to solving it with the answer of Spectrum marker Storage!  Almo if you send me you r contact info I have a nice little present for you!!

As you remember I had a flood  three weeks  ago, Since I lost some crafty supplies in that flood I was able to make a claim along with that and some other  "loss" dollars ,  a really good sale at AC Moore, free shipping at Amazon and an awesome husband, I was able to purchase the complete set of Spectrum Noir Markers, all 168 of them. And a storage system!

This is also on the heal of another post of me blah, blah blahing about not having them and the expense of them.  I did thankfully say that if I had the opportunity (aka mula, mula) I wouldn't  mind getting a set.  Well thanks to the flood I did have the  $$, and I did get them and all I can say is it was love at first color.  And since you just can't have this giant set of pens rolling around the desk top  and they really need to be in some kind of order, Steve went on the web to find a storage system to house this in.  There is a nice one made for about 100.00 which houses each pen separately, but Steve didn't like the idea of that kind of money being spent on plastic.  So he found these great "cubbies" from Studio 3 Solutions.  Two cubbies will hold all the pens, I ordered four.

Great safe packaging,  the order shipped and I received within 5 days.

 

 

These cubbies are beautifully made out of wood and the self has a slight slant down to keeps things in place.  They look and feel like very quality items!

 

 

It took me about an hour to order the pens and put them in,

 

 

I emptied my other desk top containers and put those things in the other two cubbies

 

 

I have lots more room now on my desk and an efficient storage for my coloring tools

 

 

Now I have to learn how to use them!!  I've been watching tutorials in between  a trip to NY, A spaghetti supper, a day in the park with our NY cousin, getting all that laundry done with the new washing machine ( old one was trashed from the flood) and a great day yesterday                               in CT with my Mom.

One thing So far that I know that I love, is the pastels and they way the alcohol markers blend, this really does give me the beautiful soft colors of the pastels and                                                      flexibility of the water colors and pencils.

 I wish I had a brilliant example of my budding illustrator's art, but I don't, I've been too busy to use my new toys!!  That would be today, I need to crank out a lot of cards for a big order! So stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

Ginny M