What's a sick, broke crafter to do?

PROLOGUE: I have been battling pneumonia since the start of April. I never had it before, and I must say it has kicked my ass.  One of the main things I have learned about myself is that I do not know what "rest" means.  I know what "sleep" means, but when you are done with "sleep," this illness is one where you do not pop up and do whatever.  I have not been to work.  Sometimes, my cough and headache are so egregious that I do not do much at all.  So, what I am about to show below is "What JoLynn Does When She Can Only Lie Down."  It's also, "What JoLynn Does When She Does Not Have a Boatload of Money." 

Enter Silhouette Studio and my laptop. Over the course of a few weeks, I have watched lots of videos, some showcasing these dies:

Simon Says Stamp Dahlia Frame

Simon Says Stamp Lotus Frame

Simon Says Stamp Corner Dahlia Frame

Those of you that know me know that I do not have an abundance or flowers on hand. I do like a flower from time to time. But if I bought these dies at $17 a pop, I would be giving someone a $17 card.  It is then that I say, "JoLynn, can you make something similar?"  Since I was tied down to a couch or a bed, the answer became, "Yup." As you click on the Simon Says Stamp links, there are samples of what people have made with these dies.  I love the simplicity!

Let's start with my version of the lotus die cut frame.

I wanted to try to replicate the frame SSS used, as I like the idea of doing more than stitching in a frame.  The flowers and stems are a bit skinny, delicate if you will, so I may edit them to be thicker.  

It took me a while to find a free dahlia .png that was what I was looking for.  There are so many versions!  I loved the look of the SSS corner dahlia and how the leaves "creeped" up the sides. I am pretty pleased with this one.

The tulip was actually the first one I tried.  I created a stitched frame, and the tulip .png was pretty easy to find.  It's simple and lovely.

These frames are a great design concept.  Mine are not, nor will they ever be, as intricate as SSS. However, there's times in every crafter's life when she must say, "Can I make it? Does it make sense to buy it?"

See, what had happened was...

I was minding my own business, admiring some cards, when I happened upon this current trend (or pendulum swing) of shadows on die cut sentiments.

Cathy Zielske's dies

Concord & 9th Stamps and Coordinating Dies

Honey Bee Stamps Dies

This reminded me of when I started considering buying sentiment stamps.  "I can write that myself," I said.  "Why would I buy a stamp?"  I soon realized that sometimes a stamp is quicker, cleaner, and more convenient.  But not cost-efficient.  One stamp makes maybe three cards unless you are in mass-production mode.  But we (yes, "we") get caught up in the cuteness factor, watch a Jennifer McGuire video, and suddenly need "all the things."

Lately, I have decided that this cycle is ridiculous.  Case in point: Concord & 9th has a turnabout stamp concept that is ingenious.  However, there are things that they have decided are important must-haves that they did not conceptualize before production.  Now, they are trying to sell things that make using the stamp set easier.  The stamp set, mind you, that cost $24 to the average crafter.  Now buy these two other things as add-ons?  Nah.  Or the wreath builder from the wonderful Gina K.  While I purchased the original wreath builder, I have since cut several different sizes of it on my own with my Silhouette Cameo.  It's two squares, people.  For real.

Back to the shadows: When I saw some of my favorites using shadows with their sentiments, and when I was ever so close to buying some of them, an epiphany hit: Hey, JoLynn.  You can make these.  And the tinkering began.  Please forgive these photos.  In my excitement, I literally did not wait for the glue (which dries clear) to dry.

First, I wanted to get a serif font look going on like my girl, Cathy Z.  Two things: kerning and cut blade.  I did have to go in to Photoshop to get the letters as close as I wanted.  The Silhouette software had its limits.  Second, I used a pre-cut that was in the Silhouette Studio software.  The white paper did not have as smooth of a cut as I would have preferred.  And, let's just say I need practice gluing a sentiment to a shadow.  It's a little wonky, but a good prototype.

Then came this beauty.  I was like, "Hmmm, let's use some script fonts."  A couple of tutorials later, and voila! Script font, with shadow, and a smooth cut after some tinkering with blade depth.

So, it may be completely real: I might never buy a word die again.

Apparently, I like rotations

Today's card is brought to you by the Concord & 9th Retro Petals Turnabout Stamp Set.  I was inspired by this card, which uses the stencils for this set (which are on their way from SSS).  I was also inspired by the recent offset shadow word dies I have been seeing.  This is my first shot at designing one with my Silhouette.  I plan to play a LOT more with this idea.  

Interested in the Turnabout stamps?  There are some things you must set up, but once you do, it creates a great background.  I am not a fan of all of the designs, but I like this one a lot.  Again, I will get braver as time moves on.

Other crafting pursuits

I have been busy with crafting, but unable to post some things because of the element of surprise.  I have been helping with a friend's baby shower.

First, the invitations:

I used some Bazzill shiny textured paper, my Silhouette, and some bling.  The colors and butterfly are representative of what is in the baby's nursery.  On the back is the wording for the invitation.

Then, some bunting:

I love making bunting, and the Silhouette makes it so easy.  I used the same textured cardstock as I used on the invitations.  Then I used light yellow lettering in Hello Dot font, some bling on the dots, and some yellow baker's twine.

Also, a sign (painting of canvas done by another crafty friend):

The wording was not our own, but the design was morphed to fit our needs.

Lastly, my own card to the mama-to-be:

Some SU! washi, some Martha Stewart butterflies (the punch is going to be returned,,,cute butterflies, ridiculous effort needed to punch), hand stitching with twine, and the baby's initials.  On, you guessed it, the textured cardstock from the invitations.

This all transpired over about three week's time.  There was much craftiness going on!

Grad-itude

Finally, this weekend saw the making of the graduation thank-you cards!  I had in my mind what I wanted to do, but mass production is so different from making one or two cards.  So I stayed really simple.

On white cardstock, I used the "thank you" sentiment from SU! Wishes Your Way.  The nice thing I learned is that when using the MISTI with this stamp set, I get a much more consistent image.  If I use acrylic blocks, I tend to have "wiggle issues."  Then, I used this Silhouette file made available for free from Cathy Zielske to make the cap.  That was no small adventure.  I think I need to change my blade, because it did a cruddy job of cutting the tassel.  You cannot see this, but I also added some Wink of Stella pen to the tassel.  

And that's it!  Now, they are in the boy's hands for the heartfelt sentiment part of the process.  We have a goal of getting them in the mail this week.

Rocking the Wedding Card

My nephew's getting married this Sunday.  Wait, I didn't say that with enough panic: MY NEPHEW'S GETTING MARRIED THIS SUNDAY.  I recall spending all of the month of June in, hmmm, I think 1983 with my sister-in-law waiting and waiting and waiting for Clint to make his entrance into the world.  When I finally went home (they lived a bit away from my hometown at the time), he decided it was time to arrive.  Some quick medical issues and surgery later, a scary time for all, we had the newest Paul grandchild, named after his father's favorite actor.

Clint is now, obviously, grown, and is a member of the band Men and Whales (Clint's on the far right...dude with the cat on his shirt).  So, when their Save the Date card came and it had an LP on it, I knew this wedding card needed to share that rock and roll theme.  

I found this file through Silhouette's site.  With some strategizing, what I call the "Mix Tape Card" was born.

The alphabet I used was Mini Monograms from Paper Smooches.  The letters lined up beautifully on an acrylic block (I used Martha's "Small Footed" blocks).  

I decided to be a bit grungy with the inside, which is good because the black ink and I kind of hated each other tonight.  I kept thinking I had a stamp with "You Rock!", but could only find the "Dude, You Rock!" and "Girly, You Rock!" from this favorite set.  Then, out of nowhere, a set I won years ago sat there with a "You Rock!" sentiment just staring at me saying, "You really have too many stamps."

I just love this card.  I love that he will remember and appreciate cassette tapes.  I hope he understands the love that went in to the card.  He's a great young man, and I am so happy to see him happy.

Happy World Cardmaking Day!

Hello to my dusty ol' blog.  Yes, school started again for this Teacher Mama.  Slowly and infrequently to the craft room I go.  So, here are a couple of cards I have made in the past few weeks.

First, a birthday card for a Lego-lovin' nine year old.

Inspired by these Pinterest cards

Papertrey Ink Stamp

Fiskars hole punch

Next a card for a buddy who had beautiful baby girl #3.  (Overcast day = not great photo)

Inspired by this Splitcoast stamper's shower idea

Silhouette file for the bow (love!)

Fancy Pants patterned paper

Spellbinders oval scallop

Love using the SU! chalk marker to decorate the envelope.

Envelope by Hero Arts

Happy World Cardmaking Day, my crafting friends!

First Communion Banner

It's been 8 years since the First Communion Banner of 2005.  Yes, I recall it well.  I made the banner, and I placed our family name on it, rather than Ignatius' first name.  I had a sheep with cotton balls for wool.  It was clean, simple, and awesome.  It also scared Ignatius, and we had to hide it.  Neither Scott nor I know where we hid it, which is a bummer, because my sheep ROCKED.

Flash forward...I now have a kick ass craft room and oh, so many delightful tools, including the newly purchased Silhouette Cameo. (pause for love sigh)  So, I, of course, spent forever making the OCD version of Max's banner.  All that is missing from these photos is the dowel rod and hanging ribbon.  I am pretty excited.

Had to hit up Michaels for the chalice cardstock.  I was fresh out of gold!  The host is mulberry paper mounted on a cardstock circle and popped up with a pop dot.

I downloaded the chalice and the stained glass template from the Silhouette store.  I painstakingly (no hyperbole!) glued tissue paper into the areas needed.  Then, the thing I love about the Silhouette, I used my own font on my computer, Snap ITC, for his name.

Pretty exciting stuff, and one thing off of my "to do" list for today.  

Project Life, Edition 2, Begins

Oh happy day! Look at what came my way today!

Quite hard to contain my excitement.  Of course, I broke in the Cameo.  What a beautiful machine.  Truly.  I only experimented, nothing major.  But I tell ya.  Instant love.

I spent most of my evening working on my cover page for Project Life.  You may recall that a few years back, I participated in the original launch of PL.  If you thought I was excited then, you have NO idea how excited I am now.  Back in 2010, Becky Higgins started with one album kit (now called the Cherry Edition) and an idea: make archiving life easier and more accessible to everyone, especially working moms.  The kit came with page protectors, journaling cards, title cards, a date stamp, and an album.  The cards were printed on one side, unless they were the folded journaling cards.  I loved the album, and I cranked out a ton of pages.

Now, Becky's idea has, well, exploded like Mt. St. Helens.  She has many, many styles to chose from, the introduction of mini albums, page protectors for vertical AND horizontal orientation, and everything is pieced out.  She has partnered with American Crafts, and not has a line of pens (which I purchased and have already fallen in love with) as well as the partnership with AC Digitals, which carries her many designs for PL in digital format.  The album set I purchased is called the Blush set.  I also purchased the AC Digitals Midnight album graphics.  I love the chevron nature of the Blush album, and most of the colors and graphics are up this girl's alley.  However, some of the cards just are not.  So what follows is a hybrid version of PL, and I am super excited to share.

Part of this layout's concept was borrowed from this wonderful cover page I pinned on Pinterest.  I loved how she used individual pics of her family members in the 3 x 4 spaces (which, if you are doing this, size your cards to 2.9 x 4...that's what actually fits in the sleeves).  I found a file with a rounded .png frame and recolored it to white (I will figure out how to create these on my own, but for now, HELLO Internet!).  I used Petunia Bounce font to write the names on each pic.  This will probably be the font I use throughout, as I love it so.  I treated the photos using Rad Lab.  I pledge my Photoshop neophyte love to this filter arrangement.  Do check it out if you are not so sure how to treat your photos to make them print beautifully. And yes, there's an app: Pic.Tap.Go.  I used the full fledged Rad Lab as I took my pics with what I lovingly call "Bertha," my Nikon D60.  My pic was snapped by my 16 year old!  Yeah, Ig!

The "bits & pieces*" card came with the Blush cards and is recommended for the first page (it's printed on the back of the card). I hemmed and hawed about this one, but I really like it as part of the finished page.  The card beside it is from the Midnight Edition.  I typed in "Three Hundred Sixty-Five, Two Thousand Thirteen, Two Thousand Fourteen."  Yup, I am going to try to do a photo a day.  We shall see how ambitious that might be.

On the bottom of the page, I used some cardstock from the Midnight Edition.  I cropped it to 4 x 6 in 300 dpi and found the parts with sayings that really fit best.  Then I printed on white cardstock.  The last card was part of the Blush Edition and is recommended for the first page.  I added some Amy Tangerine Thickers (recent purchase!) with our family name.  At first, I left it blank, but I felt the name was important.

Whew.  Can you say "overthought?"  From this point on, I am hoping it's not going to take me this long.  The title page is always my tough area.  I tried to get some yellow in, but it just did not blend.  Love the gray and blue.  It works well for me. :)