5.26.2007

Joann.com Sale!

Need I say more?! Stop on by (www.joann.com) to get 50% off one regular-priced item! Unfortunately, there are a few brands that aren't included.. but hey, it's worth taking a peek! I bought a Marvy Uchida Mega Scalloped Oval with a discount... it will be great layering with the Giga Scalloped Oval.

Now I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the handy dandy Crop-a-Dile. I have several containers of eyelets sitting around. It would be nice to put them to good use! I love the fact that you can punch holes AND set eyelets or snaps with one tool. I'm sure I am not the only one who stays up until wee hours at night. Who wants to wake up to the sound of hammering or spring-loaded eyelet pounding?

5.25.2007

Crafty with Clearsnap

When I read posts on forums or blogs, I'm surprised that many people seem to prefer dye-based ink over pigment ink. The main advantage of dye-based ink is that it dries instantly. However, when it comes to rich color and blending possibilities, Pigment (a.k.a. Craft) ink works best in my experience. Dye inks are absorbed by the type of cardstock people often use. Sometimes, there is a "bleeding" effect that makes stamped images "fuzzy." As long as I apply an even coat with pigment ink, the image looks neatly stamped. One tip to evenly coat a stamp is to gently tap it on a pigment/craft pad. Keep in mind that the "spongelike" pigment pads do not require as much pressure to ink a stamp as the tougher dye pads. Ink from pigment pads adhere readily as well as transfer easily. If I feel like blending colors or having a "rock and roll" type of effect, I simply daub other colors on a stamp with Clearsnap cat's eye pads or Stampin' Up! craft ink spots. I start with lighter colors (ie. yellow) and work my way to darker colors (ie. red). It's a great way to achieve a multicolored image without using markers or colored pencils to manually add colors. Best of all, pigment ink is easier to clean off than dye ink! You can just use water and give the stamp a good scrub.

"So what does this have to do with Clearsnap?" you may ask. Ever since I was a gradeschooler, I used Colorbox inkpads and Color Cubes when I stamped. I once saved as much money as I could and bought one or two color families worth of pigment ink pads. For a little kid, it was crazy! If you take a look at the wide variety of colors that Clearsnap offers, it would be difficult to list ones they lack. There is more variety than ever with hybrid "chalk" inks, mica, metalextra... and inkpad options varying from Cat's eyes and Queues to Paintboxes and Petalpoint pads. Besides ink, the company carries its own line of interesting stamps. Which came first? ...the Rollagraph or the Stampin' Around? But stampers have gotta hand it to Sterling and Shelli Gardner for acquiring the company in 2006. (Check out http://www.stampinup.com/au/ena/3860_3863.asp) What more could stampers want than to be able to coordinate their inks with paper and accessories in Stampin' Up!?

5.23.2007

Asymmetrical Layouts

Synonyms to the term "asymmetric" are: shapeless, oblique, cockeyed, unequal, uneven, unbalanced... but I prefer the general term: different. There are too many things people have to balance in life--checkbooks, eating habits, work and play--but it's nice to squeeze in as much fun as we can. When I design cards, I try to keep in mind how the type, imagery and supporting elements interact with each other, as well as how they create a visually pleasing composition. I love seeing designs in books or websites that have wonderful layouts. They break the monotony of all else.





Today, I have an A2 card (One quarter of an 8.5" x 11") and a trio of 3" x 3" mini cards (which fit perfectly in Stampin' Up! mini square envelopes). All were created with the Polka Dots & Paisley set. Some of the backgrounds were made with the coordinating Polka Dots & Petals set. I cut out different elements from the Petals & Paisleys designer series paper: the tiny paisleys and the stems of some flowers. To add a leaf to the flower on the A2 card, I used my stampin' write marker to color in one of the petals of the "outlined flower" stamp. I tried two ways of creating scalloped edges: first, I used sticky strip along the edge of one card and adhered a row of 1/2" punched circles... then, for one of the 3" x 3" cards, I carefully punched a row of slits. This is one of my favorite punches of all time. It was the first one I purchased from SU! because I knew there were many possibilities. In time, I grew to like many of the others as well.

5.21.2007

Swap Samples



This is from my very first swap. For those who haven't swapped before, each participant turns in a set number of cards (or card fronts) in the same design. The swap coordinator receives the cards/fronts and makes sure each participant gets one of each unique design. Then the packages are mailed back to each of the participants.

After I sent my package, I was anxious to see what everyone else made. It was so much fun receiving them in the mail. The best part is that, even though people may use the same stamp set, they make totally different cards.

The seashell is from one of my favorite Stampin' Up! sets in the 2006-07 catalog... "Beautiful Beach." I wanted to use a combination of sage shadow and bravo burgundy. The vintage brads and "distressed" look of the spring showers paper from SU! added to the look.. "Happy Birthday" is from the hostess set, Warmest Regards and the swirls are from Finest Flourishes. I think Finest Flourishes has been taken for granted. I haven't seen many cards, scrapbook pages or items utilizing the set. The images add an elegant, aged texture.



This is a more recent card for another swap. I actually wanted to do more layering or add more "umph" but time flew and before I knew it, I had to mail them! I had to make about 36 in all, so it was a bit time consuming. I used the "Simply Said" set, apricot appeal, bashful blue, certainly celery, cranberry crisp and whisper white cardstock, apricot appeal, bashful blue and chocolate chip classic ink, whisper white craft ink on the heart shape, and the spring bouquet punch.