Pinterest Organizing

I organized my pinterest boards today during my lunch break- it was a very therapeutic time! I love pinterest, but the boards quickly turn into a chaotic ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mess without regular maintenance.

I try to keep boards for specific projects as temporary- when the project is done, I go through and save any pins that I actually used, and I toss the rest and delete the board. General inspiration boards are culled annually- if I can’t remember why I loved it, I pitch it. (I try to journal about the pins if I have time- that helps me remember why I saved the idea in the first place.)

I'm constantly looking for new ways to organize and categorize my thoughts, as well. I'm finding the COLOR WHEEL THEN CALENDAR YEAR/A-Z method that I use in my craft organization works well for my digital ideas as well. 

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Project Life 2014 - Title Page

Somehow I managed to miss the whole Project Life phenomenon- probably because the product launch coincided with my move to Spokane and thus my shelving of photos and scrapbooks for several years.  The task of going through bittersweet memories is never motivating, and the longer I left the photos buried in the closet, the more daunting the task seemed. So- they languished, my life went undocumented, and I crafted idly, limiting myself to cards, scarves, and special requests.

A few weekends back, I was wandering through the craft Vatican feeling sorry for myself. I was lonely and discouraged. I felt lost.  I stared listlessly at every paper, punch, and pen in the palace before picking up a box of Project Life journal cards. I felt a little spark of interest- I do love mustaches, after all. I flipped through a starter box, and then a few page kits, and finally an entire Becky Higgins idea book. Sitting there on the floor next to the alphastickers, I found myself wondering if, maybe, it was time to dust off the photos and process the memories. I used a Shutterfly free-prints coupon and bought a slew of page protectors and the mustaschey starter kit...and managed to catch myself up to Washington.  That's right- I scrapped five years in just two weekends. I scrapped everything (memories, photos, ephemera), everyone (friends, family, ex-boyfriends) and everything (funerals, parties, broken homes, and new beginnings.)

It. Was. Wonderful.

I cried buckets. I laughed until I frightened my cats. I bugged mom to help me remember dates. I called siblings to share memories. I let go. I did not sing Let it Go. I did heal, though, and remembered better things than I remembered when I put the photos away.  That was such a gift- a reminder that for as hard as those years were, they were also amazing and I am thankful they happened.

I also downloaded a free trial of Adobe Photoshop and discovered how easy hybrid pocket scrapping is. I'm pretty sure I'm hooked.  It is so easy to snap out the pages, then separate them into prints, place the orders, and voila! All done. I always loved the look of writing on top of photographs to help tell the story- and I love how professional the journaling looks on the pages, and the consistency (not to mention- no more typos!) I was just playing with the software, and put together the page on the left in 10 minutes. I've never made a page so pretty and so quickly.

 I'm staring my 2014 book now, complete with my own paper kit. just to see if I can do it. I decided to base the theme on Radiant Orchid, which is the pantone color of the year. I don't think I've ever detoured back to a store for lipstick before, but I did this time. The color embodies everything feminine and luxurious and gorgeous- it is both feminine and strong- and I love the complimentary colors too, of course. I suppose it looks a little like the evil stepsisters from Cinderella...but that could work well for the book theme too, right? Right?! Anyway. Let's stick with the radiance theme- all about light, and beauty, and warmth.

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Top Ten Scrapbook Tools

I ran some searches recently on 'Must Have Tools' for papercrafting.  I thought reading the opinions of other crafters would be insightful- who knows? Maybe I'm missing out on something amazing!  Unfortunately, the quality of the blogs returned were...disappointing.  There were tons of  must-have or favorite-thing lists, but each list suffered the same flaw.  The lists were of general categories, rather than specific products. Adhesive is a must-have item for papercrafting? Really? This is my surprised face. Everyone uses adhesive...but adhesive is personal stuff!  There are more opinions about the best papercraft adhesives than about climate control, so why don't these must-have lists tell me what brand of adhesive is the best?  Don't even get me started on people who just list 'cardstock' either.

Well. Cast no stones, she who has not also tried to blog on the topic!  Here are items I always have on-hand for crafting, and would recommend to anyone, whether a beginner or advanced practitioner, to add to their collection.

* Fiskars 12" Portable Rotary Paper Trimmer.  This tool has been my go-to slicing machine for more than ten years.  My model is older than the one pictured, but all the good bits are still in place. I don't have space for a full 12x12 base (though I lust for one) so I went with this trimmer as the best compromise of all my desires. Rotary cutting is my go-to for strait, crisp lines through almost any medium. I cut paper, metal, fabric, chipboard, canvas, and plastic with this baby, and then it folds up neatly into my drawer for storage. The blades and cutting mat are replaceable, easy to find, and reasonably priced. I can switch out the blade to different edges, and even though I rarely use the feature, I'm glad to know I have the option. The platform is sturdy enough not to wobble around, and best of all...the 4 1/4" mark is on the platform when the base is completely closed, which means I don't have to open it up for basic cardmaking! Win, win, win.

* Cutter Bee Scissors.  There are a lot of good, beefy scissors out there (and the Tonic Micro brand was a close runner up for this slot) but again and again, I go back to my Cutter Bees. The handle is super comfy to work with, and the blades handle precision cutting or general trimming smoothly on all of my mixed media surfaces. Sharp enough to trim button backs, fabrics, canvas, aluminum cans, chipboard, etc.  These are not a stick-free surface (like the Tonics) but they clean up easily with some rubbing alcohol, and they're more comfortable to hold.  They also have a protective case, which makes them easier to transport.  I have one pair for sewing and one pair for crafting.  My set is about eight years old and is still sharp, with clean, nick-free blades.

* Ranger Inkssentials Reusable Nonstick Craft Sheet.  Maybe there are other brands that are just as good, but I haven't found one yet.  Measuring a beastly 14"x18", this craft mat lives over my magnetic cutting surface (see #5) for almost all of my projects.  Whether working with the marvelous distress techniques of Tim Holtz, painting with water colors, or just using messy liquid glues, this is my go-to cover for multimedia crafting.  Double sided and heat resistant, I appreciate not having to change work surfaces frequently during the finishing process for my crafts.  The mat is durable (I just replaced mine after five years of hard use), cleans easily in the sink with soap and water, and rolls up for easy, space-efficient storage.  The craft sheet is not a cutting surface though, and you'll need to replace your mat if you cut or punch on it.

* Tombo Mono Adhesive - Permanent.  Yard-for-yard the most cost effective adhesive on the market, Tombo Mono Perm is my favorite papercraft sticker-on-er.  The Tombo runner works on paper and lightweight multimedia elements.  The runner is precise and easy to use, and I rarely have waste created by poor application.  The runners are refillable, and usually last me about a year of hard use before they're too junky.  I could clean the dispenser, but they're so inexpensive, it is easier to just replace them periodically.  I order my Tombo in bulk direct from the manufacturer, and I love it for cardcrafting. The dispenser travels well, because there's a nifty little flap to protect the runner on to tip.  This is not the adhesive for thick and heavy elements, but it is perfect for 90% of my needs.

* Making Memories Magnetic Cutting Mat.  Now a discontinued product, MM was the first to execute this go-to concept.  My mat measures 24x24 with a perfect square grid marked in 1/8" increments across the entire worksurface. It comes with a ruler and a set of magnets to hold things in place.  I use this as the base of my worksurface, and cover it with the Craft Sheet when not cutting. (Those nifty magnets help hold the craft sheet in place, as well as whatever else I'm working on!)  The mat puts up with a lot of abuse- punching, drilling, cutting, scoring, piercing, sanding, hammering, distressing- you name it.  I've linked to the We R Memory Keepers version, which looks pretty good for an alternative.

* Martha Stewart Crafts Score Board.  I love nice, crisp, straight lines for folding. I love perfect triangles. I love gift boxes. This product enables all of these things.  The worksurface is large enough to score an entire 12x12 sheet of paper or cardstock, and the included angler makes crafting boxes a breeze. It comes with a bone folder and has a handy reference sheet for calculating sizes for folding when creating custom boxes and envelopes.  The surface is sturdy, the grooves are well cut and easily marked.  I did mark the bottom of my common grooves with a marker, as I do find the board to be a bit too large to work on cards with, and I have a Making Memories bone folder that I use to actually burnish along the folds with, as the included scoring tool is too sharp to burnish with.  I'd use a coupon to buy this puppy on sale, too- as long as you buy it.

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Test Post for Facebook

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ODB Stamp: Chickadee

As a music minister, Biblical references to "sing a new song" or "make a joyful noise!" have always been particular poignant to me.  When I found this stamp set from Our Daily Bread, the purchase was a no-brainer. Unfortunately, I was stumped for a card idea...until now!

I used a pretty fun masking technique on this card, and used a lot of layers to create the depth of the card.  It is actually pop-dotted above the image pretty significantly (at least 1/4") so the in-person effect is very dramatic. There's the tiniest bit of sparkle on the berries, achieved using Distress Stickles in Rock Candy.  I colored the image using Tim Holtz distress markers...my first real attempt to do an entire image using the 'watercolor' technique he demoed at Winter CHA. 

Supplies:

• Cardstock in black, tan, red
• Watercolor paper
• Card base: kraft
• Nested dies from Sizzix
• Chickadee die set 
• Archival ink in black
• Distress Markers + water brush 
• Distress stickles in Rock Candy
• Distress ink in Tattered Rose + ink blender
• PopDots + regular adhesive
• Music background stamp  - Hero Arts 
• Patience + time

Instructions:

1. Stamp the chickadee image on watercolor paper, allow to dry.
2. Paint using distress marker watercolor technique, allow to dry, then apply stickles to berries and set aside.
3. Create standard card base out of Kraft
4. Trim black cardstock to 4"x5.25" and adhere to front of card base
5. Trim tan cardstock to 3.75"x5"
6. Trim red cardstock to 3.5"x4.75"

Now the tricky part:

1. Select four nested dies in graduated sizes.  The smallest size will create the window to view the image through, so select this one first and build up. For convenience I will call them S1, S2, S3, and S4, with S1 being the smallest die selected. 
2. Die cut using S2 in the center of the tan cardstock.
3. Adhere the red cardstock to the center of the tan cardstock. Turn the cardstock over. You should now have a tan frame filled entirely with red.  Carefully place S1 inside the frame created by the tan, to cut through ONLY RED cardstock and diecut. You should now have a beautiful matted piece of red and tan. 
4. Take a scrap piece of black cardstock (NOT the piece on the card base) and cut out the S3 shape from the center. 
5. Carefully layer S4 around the edges of S3 to create a frame and cut out. 
6. Align the newly created black frame around the tan-and-red frame and hold in place using a finger. Now, take the inside piece of black cut out of S3 and lay it inside the black frame, covering up all of the red and part of the tan. Without moving the inside piece, gently set the black frame aside. You have now created a mask. (note: I used a piece of dull tape on the back of the layers to hold this together.)
7. Carefully stamp the music background over the showing tan area and black mask to create background image, and distress the edges using the ink blender.
8. Remove the mask and carefully replace the black frame.  The exterior of the tan should now be stamped and the interior should be plain, framed in black. When happy with placement, adhere black frame.

Okay, back to regular stuff!

1. Take the chickadee image and trim to 3.5"x4.75" and adhere on top of the black cardstock ON THE CARD BASE.
2. Apply 'high' pop dots to the tan/red/black frame layer. Align over the card base so the stamped image shows through the window and adhere.
3. Remember all those extra punched out pieces? Layer, adhere, stamp with sentiment, and adhere to interior of card. 

Whew, done!

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Happy Anniversary, J&D!

Several summers ago, I watched my best friend marry a really amazing man.  It has been a privilage to watch them grow as individuals and as a team, and inspiring as well- we can all only hope to be so lucky!

I saw this wedding card on Pinterest, and loved the simple elegance of the design.  I thought I'd try it for J&D, and here's the result:

I'm hugely pleased with the design, and I will probably make a few more variations of the layout for future use or sale. 

Supplies:
Cardstock in black and white
Embossing folders and machine
White ribbon
Stickers
Embellishments and bling
Heart punches - or - equivalent
Scissors
Black marker
Popdots

(Simple!) Instructions:

1. Cut the card base to 4.25" by 11", fold at 5.5". (Note: I used a different white base for the card because I wanted the linen texture for the inside of the card, but you could totally cut the card base out of the white cardstock and use the rest for the card if you're trying to be thrifty!)
2. Trim black cardstock to 4"x5.25", adhere
3. Trim white cardstock to 3.75" x 5", run through texture machine, tie ribbon around it, adhere
4. Punch large heart out of black and white cardstock (1 each)
5. Punch medium heart out of black and white cardstock (1 each)
6. Trim a deep triangle from medium black heart and adhere to large white heart, add bow tie and buttons using markers. Pop dot on card. (Note: for lots of dimension, I used 'short' popdots on this part...)
7. Run medium white heart through texture machine (use a different embossing folder), adhere to large black heart, pop dot over previous heart. (Note 2: ...and 'high' popdots on this part!) Add necklace made of bling.
8. Punch large black oval and medium white oval, layer and adhere. Add sentiment sticker and popdot under ribbon.
9. Add additional bling.

One more note: If you're mailing cards with pins, make sure to tuck the sharps behind other parts of the card or use a padded envelope!

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Fourth of July!

This year, I went all-out on my Fourth of July cards. 
I made a bunch using an old cupcake stampset, half of which I colored using watercolor markers and half of which I colored using Tim Holtz distress markers. Way fun!  I'll have more up on my marker review soon.

Then, y'know, I decided to do some custom carding, so I made a coordinated 'set' of four based on kraft paper, each with a 'window' theme. I think my favorite is the bottlecaps, but I'm also particularly proud of the faux kraft pop-up one. Anyway...to all of you who couldn't get a card for real, I hope you enjoy these!

Click here to view these pictures larger

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