Perpetual Calendar Brilliance!!

I am not making perpetual calendars this year, but if I were (and if I ever do in the future!) THIS is sheer brilliance from the good old people at Purple Onion Designs.

Check out the website for more specific instructions on how to use the set, but it can be used year after year after year (until 2025!!). Seriously. Sheer brilliance. And.... true to Purple Onion fashion, the whole set is only $26! Pretty cool, huh?

Stamped Cookie Tutorial...

I made stamped Jack-O-Lantern cookies for our Halloween party last night and they turned out really cute, so I figured I'd share how it was done. I used the large face pieces from my Spooky Sweets stamp set from PaperTrey Ink.


This was the first time I'd used something other than ink on acrylic stamps, so I wasn't sure how it would work. But it turned out great and I can see all sorts of possibilities for this technique in the future, for birthday parties and baby showers and all sorts of fun events. It's faster than using buttercream frosting to decorate cookies, too, which is a plus. And it's easier on the hands! Here's what I did...

First, make your favorite sugar cookies. Then frost them using a glaze that will dry to a hard shiny finish. The recipe I used is made from powdered sugar, milk, and corn syrup. I pipe a border around the edge of the cookie and then fill it in. Let it set to harden overnight and then stamp the next day. Here are the details on stamping once you have a glazed cookie...

Once you are finished stamping, clean the stamps off with warm soapy water and make sure to get all the corn syrup out of the grooves in the stamp. Dry them off and they're ready to put away for another project!

See what I got in the mail today?!

Yes, goodies from Paper Trey Ink! I know, I know, I'm not buying more craft stuff until I use what I have, but I have plans for these!! I have plans for my halloween party and plans for a baby shower, and I NEEEEED these stamps to complete my plans!! Really, I do. =D

I'm so excited to play with the new stamps! I'm hoping to have time to do that.... oh, maybe this weekend? I hope so!

Purple Onion Anniversary Sale!!

Purple Onion is one of my favorite stamp companies, and they're having a SALE! They have awesome prices to begin with, so getting it 25% off just makes it that much better! Seriously... go check it out.

Building up the stash...

I got a little time to play last week, so I started building up my card stash. I wasn't in the mood for a full-blown crafting session, so I stamped this scalloped circle with 'thank you' (I think it's from an Inkadinkado clear set) and sat in front of the TV while I colored. I love my Copic markers, and this was a chance to play with them again. Nothing too fancy, but it was a relaxing way to spend the evening. I used premade cards from a DCWV set I got a while back, and I used the same wide ribbon on each of the cards. They're all different colors, but they worked well enough that I could use the same ribbon and use up some of my stash! It's nice to add to the card stack now that I used all my Thank You cards for Protocol and will need more soon! Here's a closer look at the four color schemes:

Brayer Techniques...

Just for Tam, I'm going to try to work up a little tutorial on brayering. I can't promise anything too fancy, but I will try to come up with something. In the meantime, I'll send you to some of my favorite cards (and how to make them) by the blogger who got ME to start using my brayer: the one and only Michelle Zindorf. She is the brayer queen! Here are some of my favorites:

Still winter
At the end of the day
Sunset wheat
My heart is with you

So now that you have a little know-how, ON WITH THE BRAYERING! =D

MIM Card Challenge...

This week your challenge is to make a card using a... BRAYER! Most stampers have them, and most of them just sit on our shelves. So pull it down, dust it off, ink it up, and have fun! Here are some to get your creative juices flowing...

I got to play in my craft room!

Yesterday afternoon I got to go down and play in my craft room, just play, just for me! It was a much needed break from doing things for other people or not doing anything at all.

I've been inspired lately by this blog and her incredible brayer use. I've had a brayer for a long time, but I didn't use it very much. So one of my goals in playing was to try out some of the techniques I've been seeing on her blog.





In addition to the brayering, I wanted to use my new 7 Gypsies ATC punch. I don't do ATCs, but I thought the punch was too cool to pass up, and I had a 15% off coupon at Keepsakes.


I also used my alcohol inks yesterday. I've had them for months, but I'd never used them. So I gave it a whirl. I need to work on new techniques and figure out all the cool things I can do with them, but it was fun. I like them. I used them to dye the notebook paper in the card above, and I used them on this card, too. I used my HS butterfly masks and then applied alcohol inks over the masks. I outlined them with my Krylon pen, then applied the masks to acetate and cut out the wings. After the wings were cut out, I colored them with the alcohol inks (same colors as the card front) and bent them, then adhered them to the masked butterflies on the card. The picture really doesn't do it justice. This is my favorite card from yesterday.


So I'm excited. I got to play! It's not scrapbooking, but it is something, and I did learn some new techniques. And I got to play with some of my newest Inkadinkado sets! I love this circle and butterfly that I got a while back. This weekend I got these cool words (which I love because they remind me of a Technique Tuesday set I can't get at our LSS any more and managed to miss while they were in stock!), this beautiful sentiment set by Brenda Walton, and these great birds. I also got a Cloud 9 quote set this weekend. It's what I used on most of the cards above, except for the birthday one. I just think these are the most beautiful quotes and great for both card making and scrapbooking. I'm seeing lots of use in the future with these...

So there you have it. THAT'S what I was up to yesterday. I'll post more of my classes in the next few days, so stay tuned. I know I've been absent lately, but I'm back now. =D

My Sunshine

Here's another hybrid layout about my sweet Ellie-pie! I love this picture of her. For some reason the look in her eyes gets me every time. *sigh* Must be a mom thing.

For this one I added the frame and empty journaling block (both freebie downloads) to the photo before printing. Then I went back and added the journaling in my own handwriting. The journaling is just the words to the song You Are My Sunshine. I love that it worked out just perfectly for the words I LOVE YOU to go in the big box!


The papers came from my Sweet Pea Scraps December kit (can you tell I'm a couple months behind in my playing??). The patterned paper, stamps, and jewels are Iron Orchid Designs. And this layout is for challenges on both the SPS and IOD blogs, too!



The butterflies and flowers were stamped on the patterned paper, then cut out and adhered to the layout. The jewels were cut apart, too, and the circles were stretched out to make swirls around the butterflies. There's a lot of stamping on this page, and I have to say that I am LOVING my new Build-A-Frame stamp set. I got it because I liked the corners and the butterfly, but I like how seamlessly you can make a whole frame, too! Love it...

Fun Stuff!!

I got my new Sweet Pea Scraps kit today and I'm so excited to play with it! I love all the papers and embellishments - beautiful creams and reds and blacks, and some light blue thrown in, too! My favorite, though? GRUNGEBOARD!! I've seen this stuff online everywhere, but this is the first I've actually handled it. OH WOW. It feels like suede! And it's flexible! Here I thought it was just bumpy chipboard, but it is so NOT!

And let me just say how much I love that Kristin and Julie take care of me! =D Kristin said she made sure I got grungeboard with hearts and wings instead of skulls and crossbones since she knows I have a little girl. How sweet is that!! THANKS KRISTIN! I would have been happy with whatever since I just love their kits no matter what, but it is great to know how well they treat their customers!

My other fun thing from today is that I got my Cornish Heritage Farms "Beautiful" set in the mail! This is the one I won not too long ago from CPS. Yippeee! And it is just that.... BEAUTIFUL! I am going to have so much fun with this set. And get this... they are based in Chinook, MT! I didn't know they were a MT company!! That's awesome! Also, their unmounted stamps come backed with smart cushion. This smart cushion stuff is the coolest ever! It's not sticky to the touch, but it clings perfectly to an acrylic block. So all I had to do was trim the images and they're ready to use! I don't have to wait until I can tack them! WOOOHOO!

I probably won't have time to play today, as I need to clean up the last few handwash-only dishes from the shower, clean up from the Super Bowl party, and set up for the Mary Kay party I'm having here tonight. It's been party central here lately! But once I've got all that done, I will definitely be playing! (Though, I admit, my craft room is a complete mess and I should probably clean that up again before I do more playing - but I probably won't. I'll probably just play anyway.)

Well, I'm off to get dishes washed and laundry folded, but I'll be back tomorrow with a new challenge and the winner of the 5th week challenge!

And the day just keeps getting better!

I won! I won! I won!

And I didn't even know it until Julie commented about it on my blog. Thanks, Julie! That's what happens when my internet is down for hours upon hours in the afternoon. That and a whole lot of crafting, which I will show you later. Right now it is time for bed. But before I go, wanna see what I won??

I won this beautiful flourish set from Cornish Heritage Farms! Isn't it gorgeous! Thanks CPS! I can't wait until I get to play with it! I guess this means I will need to get back to finishing up my stamp organization and storage system!

TODAY...

Let's talk about today, shall we? First off, we started the day by driving to Billings to celebrate my father-in-law's and brother-in-law's birthday. I realized on the way out there that it is also Eliana's 18 month day. We got a late start, and the road conditions required that we drive slower than normal, so we got to Billings late. Before we met up with the family for lunch, though, we stopped by the new Hobby Lobby.

Hobby Lobby... aren't those just beautiful words?? We've had one in TX forever and every time I've been back since we moved away I have to go to HL and shop. It's just so much better than Michael's! *sigh* I've longed for the day when we, too, will have a HL. Bozeman doesn't have one yet, but Billings finally does - that alone warrants the 2+ hour drive over there! Anyway- that's amazingly wonderful thing #1 about today.

While at HL, Leif got some mats cut so we can hang pictures in our basement. I was over in the seasonal and scrapbooking sections snatching up new colors of flocking powder and Cuttlebug dies. I also learned that the Billing HL carries QK dies. Sweet! Didn't get any, though.

While Leif was over in the framing section he gave me a call and said that.... he was standing there looking at a display of Copic Markers! Now, I have been drooling over these silly markers since I started reading Debbie Olson's blog. That woman is amazing!! And dangerous to read.... she has sold me on more things (like Copic Markers and PaperTrey Ink sets) than anyone else! But I digress.... so I ran (almost literally!) over to the framing section and ooohed and aaaahed over the markers. Now, Copics are not cheap. They're like $6 per marker. But HL was having a sale and I got them for $4.50 each! Jackpot!! I will go back at some point and get more once I know exactly what colors, etc, I need for better blending, but I got 8 to start with. A couple blues, a couple pinks, a brown, a gray, a light yellow, and a peachy/pinky one. The blues and pinks blend well, and the gray compliments the others nicely. But I will be back - you can almost bet on it. That is, if I don't decide to join Gina K's copic marker club first.

So... Copic Markers in hand and a huge smile on my face, I made my way back to the scrapbooking section. I picked up a few cool American Crafts papers (that I can't get at my LSS and were on sale 12x12 for 5/$1!!) and headed over to the foam and acrylic stamps section. And there, to my delight, I saw this:


It's a way cool Autumn Leaves stamp set (by Katie Pertiet) that I once saw online and liked. I don't like to pay shipping, though (I'm a cheapskate like that!), so I didn't get it. I haven't seen it anywhere since until today! You know that went right into my cart... $15 gone so easily, LOL! But I'm looking forward to using it and coloring it in with my Copics!

We left HL and ate lunch with the family at Texas Roadhouse. It was fun. It's always disappointing, though, when I stop counting calories for a day so I can just enjoy a meal out for a special occasion. I split a meal with Leif - we shared a Caesar salad, steak, chicken, and I got a baked potato. Here's the disappointing part - I gave myself no calorie restrictions and ate the glorious food ... until I realized that my stomach has shrunk and I can't eat nearly as much before I'm full now! It's a good problem when you're trying to lose weight. But it's sort of disappointing when your potato fills you up and a lonely piece of delicious chicken is still staring you down. *sigh*

Oh - I forgot to mention that I came *thisclose* to meeting a fellow blogger, too! Julie Koerber was attending a demonstration with my mother-in-law just a couple blocks away from us! I would have loved to pop in and meet her, but the framing at HL took much longer than we expected so it didn't happen. Maybe another time. In the meantime, she'll have to settle for a little cyberspace "HI JULIE!!!" and a little visit from those of you who head on over to see her work!

Whew! So with full bellies and goodies in hand, we headed back to Bozeman. The roads were clear, the views beautifully flocked, and we made good time. We pulled up to the house and what did I see on the porch??

MY NEW CRICUT EXPRESSION!!!!

It arrived! I wasn't expecting it until Wednesday, and am oh-so-excited!! That baby went right down to the basement (amidst the mess!) and went to work right away, LOL! There are lots of tricks I'm still learning, but it's easy to use and fun to play with. I've made a bunch of little bags and a couple scrapbook pages so far... and I'm sure a TON more playing to come!!! Even if the whole HL/Copic/Stamps excitement hadn't happened, this would have made my day! As it is... today is that much better!


And so I share with you this layout I made of Ellie today. The pictures were taken exactly a year ago, on the day she turned 6 months old. The corners were cut with the Cricut, the title and journaling block stamped with the Frolic set, colored with my Copics (except for the yellow - I actually pulled out my brayer for that!! I don't think I've used my brayer in a couple years...). This layout is the culmination of an amazing day all in one! Lots of fun and it's one more layout done.

Well, it's been a good day, so I'm going to go back to my playing. Happy scrapping!!!

CD Label Tutorial

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I burned a DVD of photos and videos to give my grandparents for Christmas. One of my favorite things about it, though, was that I figured out an easy way to make labels for CDs and DVDs! I know you can buy the ones you run through your printer, but I want to be able to tailor them to a specific project. So here's how I did it...

1. Choose a piece of patterned paper (not the cardstock weight). Using your circle cutter, cut a 4.5 inch diameter circle. Then cut a 1.75 inch circle from the very center so you have a ring. (One of the things I like about my Curvy Cutter is that I can adjust the cutter without moving my paper or the track - it makes cutting rings super easy!)


2. Stamp your design on the patterned paper. I have been using a lot of this Autumn Leaves flourish - it fits perfectly three times around! Add any hand doodling or labeling at this point. **Make sure you don't use any dimensional products (such as embossing or heavy paint) in your stamping or writing. They will throw the balance off the CD/DVD and can potentially ruin your disc and/or machine!**


3. Run your finished design through a Xyron so that it is sticky on one side. If you choose an alternate adhesive for your label, make sure that it provides thin, even coverage so the disc is not thrown off balance and the label doesn't get stuck in the player.


4. Peel off the backing and adhere the label to your disc. Congratulations!! You're done! How easy was that??


As mentioned before, DVDs/CDs fit perfectly in the back of a paper bag album. If you don't know how to make them, or don't want to take the time, you can always get one (or have a custom one made) at Wickland PaperCrafts. (yes, that was a shameless plug)


They make great gifts (last minute Christmas gifts, anyone??) and are easy to mail. Especially since I found these cool bubble mailers at Walmart that are the PERFECT size:

From the Archives...

A few random cards from the archives... I made these back when we lived in Iowa (so approx. 5 or so years ago) and have long since given them away, but for some reason these three I still like. I wouldn't make them today if I had the choice - I'm pretty sure I would choose something in a completely different style - but there's a sort of nostalgia about them. They're from my pre-patterned paper days. So here you go... a peek into my past.

Unmounting Stampin' Up! Stamps...

The unmounting project is coming along nicely, though it did interfere a little with my concentration on Thanksgiving prep earlier today!! As has been suggested by several people, I followed this method of unmounting my Stampin' Up! stamps. For most of my wood mounted stamps, the red rubber peels right off the foam mount with no problem. Stampin' Up! stamps are stuck on there pretty well, though. I suppose it's a sign of quality, but when you're unmounting them it's a sign of impending frustration. I don't know yet how I feel about keeping the foam mount attached to the red rubber, but I don't suppose it will be much of a problem, and I'm doing it for now. I'm down to the last few that need to be unmounted, and then I can work on getting them all stickified with Tack It, sorted, filed, and put away!

As an added note, when I ran out of Tack It I went to Joanns to get more. Wouldn't you know, they didn't have it. So I got the Zig 2-Way glue instead, as I've heard it can be used for the same thing. While I appreciate it's application better (chisel tip pen style applicator), it just doesn't have the same "oomph" when it comes to the temporary hold. So I'll put that glue in my bag to take to crops and whatnot, but I think I'm an official Aileene's dedicatee.

Tutorial: Unmounting Stamps

I love the beautiful designs of my wood mounted stamps. And I love the cute seasonal designs in the Michael's $1 stamp bin. But I DO NOT like the wooden blocks. They get in the way, are bulky to store, and make it difficult for me to stamp precise images. I have quite a few unmounted sets (mostly from Purple Onion Designs) and lots of acrylic sets, and I love how compactly they store and how easy they are to transport. I've kept them in a binder and it has been great. BUT I still have 400+ wood mounted stamps that take up an entire 6 foot bookshelf in my craft room. And you know, I love those stamps. But I don't reach for them nearly as often, so they sit and collect dust. And I forget they are there, hiding in plain view. So I am making a change. A big change. I am unmounting all of my wooden stamps and creating one storage solution for ALL of my rubber and acrylic stamps. It's gonna be good....

So while I'm in the midst of this ginormous project, I though I would give you guys a little tutorial on how to do the same, in case you want to be like me. =D I'm just now realizing how long this project is going to take me, so if you've only just begun to stamp then now is the time you should begin! I have 17 years of accumulated stamping paraphernalia that I need to deal with. But I'm doing it and it will be great. So here goes.... This is how it's done:

Step 1:

Separate the rubber image from the wood and foam portion of the stamp. Some stamps will separate cleanly. Others will leave a little foam on the rubber. Still others (as seems to be the case with the Stampin' Up! stamps I am working on) will leave the rubber sticky. Try to get as much of the foam and adhesive off the back of the stamp as possible, but don't kill yourself over it. The main goal is to get the back of the stamp as flat as possible so you get a clean image when you stamp. Be sure to trim the extra rubber off as closely to the image as possible so that you can see exactly where the image is when you stamp.

Wood blocks and foam mounts
(This is the pile I am going to get rid of. This is what I have been wasting my precious storage space on!! Ah... the freedom...)

Rubber Images
(This is what I am keeping. Seriously - I can't believe how many images are here taking up such a little bit of space!)

Step 2:

Apply a thin, even coat of Aleene's Tack It Over & Over (or other pressure sensitive temporary adhesive) to the back of each unmounted stamp. This is the same process you would use if you were preparing purchased unmounted stamps for use with an acrylic block. The adhesive doesn't have to cover every bit of the stamp, but it should be applied with even pressure so that you don't end up with one end higher than the other, or a center that won't stamp evenly.

(Tack It can be purchased at Joanns or Michaels, or anywhere else that Aleene's products are sold.)

Tack It applied
(Stamps here are set out to dry and you can see that the adhesive has already started to set on the first couple of stamps. Tack It sets clear.)

Step 3:

Let the Tack It dry/set over night. When it is ready to use, it will be clear. If you try to use the stamps before the Tack It has set, you will end up with a gross, sticky mess and will probably ruin your acrylic block and have to start the Tack It process over again for that stamp. Trust me. It's not fun.

Dried / Set Tack It
(You can see that the Tack It is clear now, instead of white. It dries kind of shiny and should stick to your finger if you push your finger onto it. If it doesn't, you may not have applied enough. Try it on the block to see if it sticks.)

Step 4:

Apply the stamp to an acrylic block and stamp away! Because the block is clear you should be able to see exactly where you're stamping. It makes for straight letters/words and easier placement.

Stamp mounted on acrylic block

Have fun!! I'll post another little tutorial on how to store these babies once I get the second phase of the project under way. First, though, I've got to get some more Tack It... I seem to have used all of mine up!

Whew!

Isn't this the most glorious stamp set ever??? (umm... I just realized it's sort of a clear image and doesn't show up very well on my blog, so click the picture and you'll get to see it clearer...) It's from PaperTrey Ink and soon it will be MINE! They released it last month and I fell in love with it thanks to Thinking Inking and this card:


Debbie Olson does the most beautiful work I have seen and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this set. I checked out PaperTrey Ink that night, but didn't have my credit card on me, so I decided to wait until the morning to order it. Imagine the sad, sinking feeling in my heart when I logged on first thing in the morning, credit card in hand, and the set was SOLD OUT! It has been a month now and I have been checking every couple days to see if it was available. Well, as they promised, it became available again yesterday. And you can bet your sweet bippy I bought that thing at like 11:00 last night!! It's on it's way to my house soon and I am SO excited. Pretty sure this beautiful set will come in handy when I do next year's Christmas cards.

(By the way, I just checked and the set is still available if you want to get one of your own. Click on the stamp set picture and it will take you to the right page.)

Okay... back to doing useful things and not drooling over my soon-to-be new stamp set. I need to clean up the house and get my little girl cleaned up. Cottage cheese all over. Fun. Well, have a good day and do something creative!!