Happy Day

A graduation card for my first baby boy.  I cannot believe he is graduating from college.  As a parent, I want the sense of accomplishment to overwhelm the feeling of my heart being compressed in my chest.

Gina K products helped a lot with this card.  The graduation hats are Lawn Fawn, as is the sentiment inside the card.  The foiling is from Gina K as well as the double stitched circle die.  The card stock and the unstitched circle die are from Stampin' Up.

I must ponder what words of wisdom should go inside.  

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.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Simon Says Stamp

Stampin' Up

Lawn Fawn

Gina K

For the husband ;)

Stamp Platform Drama

If you have been actively buying stamp accessories in the last two years or so, you know that a revolution for perfection has taken place.  We now have the technology to stamp images well with very little error.

Stamp presses were definitely a rage I fed into in the 2000s.  Thank you, Fiskars and Martha Stewart.

   

Then the MISTI came out.  Just a gal trying to make large stamping jobs a little easier.  I am grateful, My Sweet Petunia, for your forward thinking.

The creator of the MISTI has a couple of US patents on it.  The design is a smart one.  And, of course, people tried to jump on board.  Some made COMPLETE knock offs that looked so similar, you would feel you needed to buy it off a truck somewhere.  However, Tonic and Tim Holtz came out with this bad boy.

I was using my MISTI, and having some minor inconveniences with it.  I have had it for a while, one of the plastic hinges was cracked, and I think the use of too thick bar magnets was taking its toll on the design. Still, I paid over $60 for it.  I was not about to buy another one.  The largest one is available for a mere $100.  Do you know how many stamp sets I can get for $100?  Not happening.

I read about the designer of MISTI suing Tonic and Tim Holtz.  I of course became intrigued.  Law suit = something to be sued over.  So, I ordered one.

There are approximately a gazillion videos that compare these two products.  I am going to lay it out for ya right here:

Tonic redesigned the stamp platform.  They took it and made a superior product. It wasn't a carbon copy.  It was SO much better.  I make less mistakes, have to restamp a WHOLE lot less, and I can use all sorts of sizes of paper.  It's made of better materials. And, it was less than $40.  The travel size is available as well which is even less.

Tonic amicably settled with My Sweet Petunia, and agreed to pull the product from the North American market.  They wanted to show support for small business.

This whole thing has me a bit bewildered.  Quite frankly, I am a little sour about it.  I see redesigns of products to make them better as technological growth.  I feel that Tim and Tonic did not steal the design...they remade it out of better products and made something that worked better.  I know it took them a year to finally settle.  I imagine there were all sorts of conversations. But I have a bad taste in my mouth right now toward the MISTI and its manufacturer.  Give her some of the profits for having the patent?  Sure!!  Take competition off the market?  Hmmm.  Not sure.  Now, My Sweet Petunia is suing Stampin' Up because of its Stamparatus, which I think is also markedly different from the MISTI.

I will state here and now that My Sweet Petunia was wise in getting a patent for its product design. But I hate to see innovation squashed because of it.

More Mandala Cards

Kim and I got together so she could finally break in her Gina K Wreath Builder templates.  She did great!  Here's my slightly remixed version of a Pinterest-inspired card.

Truth be told, I took it one stamp too far and the center was wonky, so I ended up cutting it out and putting a heat-embossed sentiment beneath it.  The inspiration card used a dark pink, which I neither had nor wanted to use, so Kim chose SU! Wisteria Wonder, which was delightful.  I started with a little Lawn Fawn Hippo ink, but moved to Wisteria Wonder as well.  We also used Gina K's Amalgam Black.  The sentiment it by the talented Dawn McVey for Papertrey Ink.  The mandala was made with Mandala Maker stamps from Gina K.  I believe the base is Wisteria Wonder...or it's close enough that it looks good.

The inside sentiment uses Lawn Fawn Hippo ink and a Papertrey sentiment.  Kim and I both decided that sympathy cards are some that are always low in our stash, so that is what we decided upon.

Not a huge fan of this card, but I'll show it anyway.  I was going for this color combo.  I feel like it was a near miss. I am not sure I am loving Gina K's black embossing powder, but it could have been user-end error.  The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.

My MISTI and my SU! inks and my wreath builder were not getting along, so this card took forever.  I needed to start the images a little closer to the center, which you live and learn with the wreath builder.  I used SU! Pear Pizzaz at first, then changed to an Ali Edwards ink because I think my ink pad needed a refresher.  I just could not get a solid image, and with the repetition required, that adds a lot more time to the project, not to mention that if your paper moves in the slightest and you have to reink, you're done.  

Wintry Day

Today was pretty cold, and Max and I had off of school.  Despite a trip to Springfield with Scott, I pretty much hibernated, which is my happiest thing to do.  I love sleep.

Max worked on finishing up a latch hook project that he started a few years back and for which he had just renewed his crafting fervor.

I worked on a card for his brother's birthday, using my SU! Starburst Sayings set (retired).

I CASEd this card, using materials I had on hand.  I tell you what, inking that big old stamp was no easy task.  My Not Quite Navy from Stampin' Up! just was not "inky" enough.  I finally used some Ali Edwards ink to get a nice, thick coat.  I was worries that the sentiment would not be as sharp, but it actually stamped nicely.  I went back over some light spots with a paintbrush.  I used the same ink on the smaller sentiment, and silver ink on the lower left image.  I had the foiled bar ready to go from a previous foiling session.

Let's talk about my love-hate Thickers relationship.  The adhesive tho.  The longer you have them in your stash, the longer the adhesive either rips your chipboard letters or completely stops working on your vinyl letters.  It's an easy, but annoying, thing to fix.

My kid is turning 22.  I can't even believe it. 

Hello Baby

Babies, babies, everywhere!  I needed a shower card for a baby boy shower.  So, I busted out my new favorite tool yet again.  The Gina K Wreath Builder.

Stampin' Up! stash, yet again, comes through.  Brocade Blue (or Bordering Blue...I get the two mixed up) and Crushed Curry inks and cardstock made a nice combination for this card.  I used Gina K's Mandala Maker and Ali Edwards' Baby 4 x 6 Stamp Set to create this 4.5 x 4.5 card.

Apocalypse Now - Plato Uses Pink

I hope all is well with your soul because between the lunar eclipse and this card, the end is nigh. One word: Pink.

More specifically: Stampin' Up! Cameo Coral, a color I tried to sell at the Crafters' Garage Sale because it still had the sticker on it.  These inks are FABULOUS with the Gina K Wreath Builder.  

I have some confessions, though.  I created my own 4.5 x 4.5 template for this one using my Silhouette and a transparency.  Gina K's currently only goes up to 4 x 4.  Also, I got more than a little inspiration from this crafter, Melanie Muenchinger:

Some light shading with a pink Prisma (I want to say Rose Pink) and Gamsol, and...voila!  Done.  Pfft.  I made a million mistakes at first trying it on my own, so I followed her pattern almost exactly.  That is a good way to get started with the Mandala Maker set.  It gets you comfortable with the different designs the stamps can form.

Wreath Builder Madness

I have been making some cards with Gina K's Wreath Builder.  I have enjoyed them very much.  The first two cards were inspired by the third. 

This one is all Gina K.  I used some Distress Ink for the circles.

I actually used circles from an old Papertrey set for this one.  The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.  I used Stampin' Up Real Red for the circles.  The inner heart was colored with a Prisma and Gamsol.  This card is for a shoebox swap.

The blog post for this card can be found here.

Cards for the Stash

I have officially been a full-on paper crafter for about 11 years.  "Full-on" meaning buying the goods and occasionally using them, making scrapbook pages and cards, and stamping with all the tools. When my mom visited last year, I encouraged her to go through a bunch of my card stash and take what she liked/needed. She has recently mentioned the need for sympathy, thinking of you, and kids cards, so I assured her I could hook her up.  As I went through my stash, I decided it was time for a purge.  I was never going to use some of these cards.  The design was meh, the ink was fading, or I just did not like it.  It was a bit freeing, but almost like throwing money in the trash.

Segue to this card.  I just got the Gina K Wreath Builder Bundle, and I decided to take it for a spin.  The result:

As a kid, I loved me some Spirograph, and I even have one in my classroom.  So this little stencil makes me quite happy.  The sentiment is from SSS inked with Hero Arts ink.  Pretty sure the red cardstock (it's either Real Red or Ruby Red) is SU! as well as the blue base (I have a LOT of Bordering Blue).  The white?  Part of a card I cut off so I could reuse it.  The other inks: The blue and orange/yellow are Distress Oxides, and the red is from Ali Edwards.  

Oh and...my Tim Holtz glass mat.  Holy guacamole.  I love this thing so much.  It actually helps my pens write better (I learned that accidentally). I strongly recommend it.

All for now.  Snow makes my crafting genes go nuts, so there may be more.

December Daily 2018

Sit back, pour a cup of your favorite beverage, and peruse December with me.

I decided to give a new size of album a try: 3 x 8.  It was a fun challenge.  I also purchased some of Ali's digital goodies, but ended up mostly using hard copies of materials.

On the flipside is my intention page, which Ali stresses as important with each project--the why behind what we are doing.  I also used one of her gold foiled tags and chipboard stickers.  It made for an easy, nice-looking entry to the album.

On the flipside, I used another of Ali's oval chipboard stickers, and I added paper from Brandi Kincaid's "Made Merry" designs for Feed Your Craft.  Day 1 is about a little music box tree that I have had for ages. The gold-foiled numbers came from one of Ali's DD kits a few years back. The tab was one of her chipboard stickers from this year.

I decided to show one of my favorite things: peeking in my window and seeing the tree through the wreath.  Yep, I looked creepy taking the photo, but I had to try to get the shot, which at night is no easy task. Stickers are from Ali's collection this year.

I also subscribe to Ali's Stories By The Month, so the "December stories" card came in handy from that month's kit.  The sticker on the tab is from Brandi Kincaid.  Day 3 shows some fluctuations in our temperature this season.

I had to highlight my Yorkie puppy on Day 4.  This December was so fun with her.  She is the sweetest.  Day 5 was simply my son's Christmas list in a page protector.  Simple is good.

On the flipside of the list, I used some pattern paper from a previous DD kit.  I alternated my ink depending on the shade of the stripe I was writing on.  Day 6 starts with a program from a ladies' evening at our church.

The photo shows our table decorations, created by one of the ladies at our table.  

Day 7 discusses the insanity of taking doctoral level classes, especially at the holidays.

On Day 8, my friend, Kim, and I, went to  local scrapbook store for a class with Gina K.  Good times!

Gina demonstrated her foiling products, so, of course, I added some foiling with my journaling.

Day 9 uses a card from a previous Story Kit (I think it was the "me" kit).  I thought some stats abut me right now would be cool.  It does not show up well, but the card underneath the 9 is letterpressed from this year's Jasmine Jones DD kit. (I loved this kit, by the way)

The hexagon layered card came as part of the "Joy" Story Kit...perfect timing!  I added some stars to give it some sparkle. For Day 10, I wrote a little journaling about the struggle of one of my buddies.  I also had to show off the stamped gold-foiling I did for her son's Christmas gift.  The journaling is under the flap.  The sentiment card (another Ali creation from my stash) is pretty perfect for the situation.

For Day 11, I cut and painted a chipboard divider.  I discuss the process of "tree foofing."

For Day 12, I used a digital element: a tag.  On the back, I added a photo of our team's award-winning costuming.  Day 13 is another snuggly shot of my puppy.  The "Stay Cozy." card was from the December Stories By the Month.

Day 14 uses scraps of wrapping paper.  I was excited to find this paper in the Target Dollar Spot.  It was cute, and came with baker's twine and a tag that matched.  I ended up picking up several varieties.  I used a few of Brandi Kincaid's elements to tie it all together.

I highlighted brunch time I shared with some of my ladies on the 15th.  It was my first time to a local restaurant and it was delicious.  For Day 16, I focused on the finding of my Nikon D60.  Three years...I had given up hope.  I made a tab out of one of Ali's 3 x 4 cards.

Day 17 focuses on the humor of the season.  I cut up some cards from the Jasmine Jones kit that worked, and then printed the comic on the lower right.

On Day 18, a friend texted me a "Mission Impossible" from school.  I met her.  We Facetimed a buddy.  We fixed the problem.  This photo remains our only evidence that the incident occurred (which is why I am keeping it covered).  It still makes me laugh. Let's just say there are some things in schools that you want to try to fix yourself before asking for help.  I love the Brandi Kincaid card I used for the flap. The tab is a chipboard sticker of Ali's.

There's that "Joy" Story Kit, coming in again!  I really love it.

On the back of the card, I used Ali's "Counting Joys" card to list some things that make me happy.  On Day 20, I used one of the transparencies from the DD kit as I discussed Max's ornament.

For the past two years, Max has forgotten to wear red or green the day before break.  It was VERY important to him that he remember this year.  He wrote himself a note and everything!  On Day 22, I decided to take some time to discuss why I did not do Christmas cards this year.  I cut a 6 x 8 sheet of Brandi Kincaid's set and use the other half for the back.

I had to document the full moon.  It was gorgeous, and particularly delightful because I was not teaching.  Kids on full moon days are wacky!  I really like how the gold-foiled number looks on top of the gold-foiled tag.  The tag and chipboard stickers are from Ali.  On Day 24, I captured Max's letter to Santa as well as a picture of church.  I used an element from the "Joy" Story Kit, yet again, for the journaling.

On Christmas, my husband took a ton of photos. I limited myself to 12, mainly because my album was jam-packed by that point.  I started with the transparency that I foiled.  Then, I followed Ali's idea from Project Play 2 to create a tree shape.

I added the sparkly circles to mimic the idea of decorations and bring a bit of unity to the tree.  I also used small sparkly stickers to emanate from the star.

On the back of the strips for the tree, I created a legend for the pictures that followed.  They were folded and I used a stamped tab (from Ali's stamps) as a way to open them.  

I ended this year's book with this tag of Ali's  I added the Stampin' Up! ribbon with a small staple.

On the flipside, I used this paper from Brandi Kincaid, then I printed scripture on vellum and attached it with washi.  This scripture is read on Christmas day at dawn, and I thought it was the perfect way to focus all of this crazy season.  If Mary were human now, I am pretty sure she would be a scrapbooker.  Just sayin'.

On the back cover, I used these large puffy stickers of Ali's to add a year to the creation.

The album was definitely full.

I borrowed this idea from a fellow DD-er in the Facebook group.  I put the stickers on a piece of transparency.  I ended up using a tiny strip of red line tape to keep it in place.

I have absolutely NO reason to buy more stuff for next year's book.  I have much left over that I should be able to use just fine.  We shall see if I stick to that.