New Inspiration is So Exciting!

I went to the Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo this weekend. The first day I decided to pace myself and just look before buying. I took a beginners class for Copic markers. I did learn some things I did not know about that made a lot of sense and now I know how to use them to get the blending effect that looks so awesome. The class went through the lunch hour so I was so hungry but wanted to take something home and come back tomorrow. So, I bought a few stamps. LOL.  Okay, maybe not just a few but I tried. I got this floral stamp set with all kinds of realistic flower stamps and a word set with all kinds of scripture and good encouraging sayings. Because I bought enough stamps, I got to pick a grab bag of stamps for free. Well, when I got home and unloaded them. I was so pleasantly surprised by them all. I got two wild cat stamps, one with a tiger and another with a mountain lion. Because my daughter is so into wild cats, I was thrilled with these, especially so after taking the Copic marker class. I never would have purchased this kind of stamp before because I have avoided the whole coloring kind of stamps. I like to keep thing simple and easy but I pulled out my set of Copic markers I had bought a few months ago and new I had most of the colors I needed to do the tiger stamp and the mountion lion stamp. Oh My Gosh! I am so in love with Copic Markers! They came out fantastic!  I will have to post the photo of it later but just know that it is so much easier than you think! I can't wait to show you when you come to a future Project Playground.

Never Under Estimate the Power of a Scrap!

Yesterday, on my lunch break at work, I took a look around the Spellbinders website to check into this new Presto Punch machine and looked in their gallery for ideas.  Well, I ended up getting a bad virus from the site onto my work computer and it is looking like they will have to re-build my computer. Great!? But the good news is I did get inspired to try the concept of using multiple spellbinders dies to create a card. So, this morning I looked at the dies that I currently have and saw a few scrap card stock pieces on the table and decided to use those and go from there.  I am very pleased with the results.  But as many of you may have already figured out I am not one to let scraps go to waste.  I looked at what was left over and ended up making three more cards of various designs utilizing what I had left. So the thought came to me that you really can Never Under Estimate the Power of a Scrap.  You may end up making your best card ever from scraps leftover from the last card you made! I have tried to organize my scraps but that is still a work in progress. I do have a left over envelope box I use for card sized scraps and another little basket for smaller scraps that could be used to create an photo corner or other embellishment piece. I also started a box of 1/2 paper strips because I like utilizing strips of paper in my designs for both cards and scrapbooks.  I have two over-flowing boxes full of larger scrap pieces that I need to get to and do something more with before they take over my whole studio. I have Major Mom coming to my house on Monday evening to do an evaluation. I heard them speak this week at my networking group and realized that maybe it was time to get some help before the clutter takes over everything. So, dig out some scraps today and see what you can come up with! You might be pleasantly surprised.

Drooling over the new stamp sets!

The new catty's arrived and I was tearing open the box to get to them. I am in love with so many of the new stamp sets. Now I will have to figure out which I really want to get like NOW! I am a word person and love having a large variety of word or saying stamps and am happy to see there are a lot of new sayings for me to add to my collection. I haven't much chance to play with the Copic markers that I got a couple of months ago but the Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo is in town this weekend so I signed up for a Copic marker class so I can finally get a better idea of how to use these puppies! I really like that you can get them individually now! I ended up taking a day off work yesterday because I wasn't feeling that great and my daughter ended up with sunburn from her camp field trip the day before to a water park. Thankfully they had them wearing their camp shirts otherwise it would have been so much worse. My new Paper Creations magazine came in so I got some inspiration, felt a little better with Ibprofin and got down in my studio where it was much cooler and got to crafting.  I am so delighted with the outcome.  I made two cards based on designs in the new magazine and then I used the left over paper to and the same design concept to create two scrapbook pages. The cards will be available to make at the upcoming Project Playground on the 31st and the replays on August 19th and 21st. I wish I could craft all day everyday!!!

FEELING OUT OF THE LOOP BUT THE ANTICIPATION IS BUILDING

I have been getting emails from other angels on what the new catalog is like, what's in it, etc. I feel so bummed that I couldn't make it to seminar again this year. I really have to start putting aside a little cash each month so I can get out to Nebraska next year. It kind of sucks having to sit it out and wait for news and wait for your order of cataloges to arrive. I got my order in today so I am hoping by this time next week I will be drooling over the new catalog and all the new stamp sets. There is apparently a white pen that everyone is raving about as well. I will be super happy to be able to get a white pen that actually works! I wonder if our dry climate here has anything to do with it but I have to get a pen and use it within a few days and after that it just doesn't work well. So here is hoping... I had some free time tonight with both kids up at Uncle's home for the night so I finished putting together a fun card using scraps from my over-flowing scrap boxes and the outside frame of a die cut.  I tried a couple different dies and ended up really liking how the ice cream cone came out and thought that makes a great image for a summer card. I love the challenge of using my scraps in my scrap box. I picked out about 10 patterned paper scraps and cut them into 1/2" strips and put in the new strip scrap box.  This is really fun way to use those outside frames of the die cuts you cut out. Now, I have to come up with something to use all the die cut ice cream cones I have. I am sure I can figure something out. I will let you know what I come up with.

End of year school stuff has kept things busy...

but I have managed to get in some crafting time.  I did a page on Mother's Day and it came out gorgeous and I did a couple pages about my son's 8th grade continuation ceremony that just happened this week. Trying to get to those photos and memories before they fade away.  I have been utilizing any left over paper from card design projects and creating a scrapbook page using some of the same design concepts or techniques I used in the cards which is cool and makes putting the scrapbook page together pretty easy since I already have a design/concept to go with. I just got a book on success with your craft business. I wanted to see what else I could be doing.  I have to get my stuff up on my Zibbet store. I have a few items but I have to get some business cards made up and start marketing my site more. Always a work in progress...

Back to Creating...

It was nice having a few days away from home in sunny warm CA with my mom and sister but I was blooming with some ideas.  Of course, my card magazine came in the mail, new paper is sitting around waiting for me to do something with it and it was a warm day today so being down in the studio was a nice place to be on a warm day. I started off with a sketch from a card magazine and just kept going and going.  I made two cards for the replay Project Playground coming up next weekend and a few more cards with the scraps and put together a beautiful scrapbook page.  I like to take all my left-overs and see what else I can come up with so I don't have to put too much into the already over-flowing scrap box. I am looking forward to The Angel Company order coming in any day now for more inspiration.  New stamps!!! Yeah! I can't resist a sale and you shouldn't either.  There's lots of stamps being discontinued and some of them have been favorites of mine for the last couple years.  Gotta go crawl into bed now and get some sleep.  Tomorrow will be a wonderful day! Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the world!

Got it!

Turned out to be a simple unplugged cable issue. Duh! My photography skills still need some work but this photo will do.