Prairie Paper & Ink

At It Again...

Yes I couldn't resist fiddling w/ the setting and changing things AGAIN!!! It *really* irked me that there were blank bars on either side of the page and I've been fiddling w/ the setting for DAYS now trying to get it to look right and not mess up everything I already had in place!!

Yes I could have just left it all alone but where's the fun in that I ask??? LOL

Not to mention I had to upgrade my account b/c I've been going WAY over on my alloted bandwidth (don't ask - I'm not even sure what it is exactly - all I know is I was using more than my share LOL!) so now I'm paying more $$ to keep this up! It's worth it tho.

Anywho I HAD to keep it a pink color and I will *hopefully* be able to get a custom banner made (instead of this plain ugly one) that is all me - but that's gonna be awhile so we'll wait on that one.

Anywho if you don't see anything new try hitting the refresh button on your browser.

AND if you have any comments about this (or anything else on here for that matter) leave it on this post - I DO read EVERY single comment I get and I *really really really* appreciate the feedback!!

I will *try* not to keep changing it all the time (and once I *hopefully* get my own banner then it will stay as is) but anyone who knows me knows I THRIVE on change. I am always re-arranging my stamp area, I move the furniture around in my house and am always on the lookout for something MORE organized, MORE streamlined, just MORE better LOL!!

You know this prolly all came about b/c since last night I started re-organizing my stamp space again! *snicker* I CAN'T HELP IT! It's FUN!! (and yes I am weird but I don't care!)

Clear Stamp Storage Cases

I have a lot of SU's stamp cases sitting around. I prolly have around 30 sitting in the closet right now!! I keep them all tho b/c I find them SO handy.

When I get new sets that are in cases that are *way* too big for it and the stamps are sliding around - I grab a smaller case and switch them. I've also started putting 2 sets together in a larger case (such as Sweet Spot which is retired and Seeing Spots since they go together oh so well LOL!) which saves me room on my shelves (a MUST!!).

I also use the cases to store other items:

I use the Extra Large (5-3/16 x 7-5/16 x 1-1/8) Cases to store my Stampin' Spots® and my Stampin' Write® Markers.

2 color families fit in each case and it is SO much easier now to grab what I need. I never had the big marker case and I wish I did but I like this way better than the  little cases the families of markers come in - they were a pain to pull out and open and store - now that I have them in these I actually USE them!!

I store the marker cases on their side between a "wall" of my desk and my wall mounted ink pads - they fit perfectly there (and I have my color coach and In Color combo chart there too).

I store the spots upside down to the right of the markers under my WW Crayons and Ink Pads.

I have a bunch of cases that have the dividers in them (the alpha's come in these cases) and those are SO handy to store my re-inkers and sponge daubers:

Each case holds a whole family of re-inkers - SO convenient!!

I just started storing my sponge daubers in these cases and I really like it. I also started labeling them so I no longer have to search for a certain color (and don't wash them anymore either!) and it's so so so much nicer this way! I found I wasn't using the daubers as much b/c it was a pain to find one that either was clean or that was a similar color. I just use these little white labels I picked up at the Dollarama and write the name on them and put clear tape over that - works like a charm.

The re-inkers I keep in a drawer beside my desk:

They're upright and on a slight angle b/c the cases are too tall for the drawer to shut.

I'm really glad SU put the cases in the catty - they used to only be available to demos on a supply order. I have only needed to order them like once tho - I took all my BG's out of their cases and that gave me about 30 extra and w/ all the shuffling around I do w/ them I have a few of almost every size - now I just need to order some small ones b/c those are the ones I always end up looking for and needing and I never have any on hand!! :o)

Busy Buy Busy!!

Things have been just a tad crazy around here the past few weeks.

First I had everything to do for Regionals, then I had my first Stamp Camp this past Sunday and the next one this coming up Sunday! (I will post pictures of all the things we did next week).

The Stamp Camp was a big success but MAN what a lot of work!! I spent DAYS altogether designing the projects, figuring out costs, writing out the info, ordering the supplies, then all the cutting and sorting and organizing! Whew!! It was a LOT of fun and once this one is done I'll be looking forward to the next one - but I can totally understand why some demo's only do one or two a YEAR!!

Like I said in a previous post I haven't had much time to stamp but hopefully once I get my time better organized that will change! I didn't do ANY of the SCS challenges last week and I so miss that! I hope to do at least the color challenge and layout challenge this week to brush up!! LOL

I have to say a HUGE to all of you who've been coming here nearly every day and leaving comments and e-mailing me! It all really helps brighten my day and is definitely the BEST way to get out of a slump!! I still find it hard to believe that I've had over 50,000 hits to my little site!! And I saw that I'm #26 out of over 100 stamp-related sites on StampingTop50 - that is so cool! And it's all thanks to you guys!

And on a total non-stamping related note - the weather for the past little while has been AWFUL. It rained for like 3 days straight and now the temp is just a teeny bit above zero!! I was so looking forward to enjoying the fall weather (my favorite season) and right now it feels like we went from summer to pre-winter! I gotta say whoever came up w/ the "You know you're from Saskatchewan when the seasons are Winter, Still-Winter, Almost-Winter, and Construction" was totally right!! LOL

Still keeping my fingers crossed that we get some warmer weather and that I'll get to see the leaves change - otherwise they're gonna freeze while they're still GREEN!

So that's that - now I have a few spare minutes so I'm gonna STAMP!!!

Late Night Creativity

I got up *really* late last night b/c I couldn't sleep and I just *had* to stamp!! I only made one card and when I was done I was too tired to take pics and post it (which was good b/c I NEEDED to get some sleep!). So here's my 3 am creation:

I stamped the images using Black Stazon onto watercolor paper and watercolored them w/ re-inkers and an AquaPainter.

I sponged the edges and used the speckle stamp from Itty Bitty BG's along the edges of the CS.

I totally screwed up the sentiment (it WAS 3 am so I wasn't surprised when I did) so I re-stamped it on Bashful Blue, punched it out w/ the Word Window Punch and used VersaMark and Iridescent Ice EP to make it glittery.

You can't see it but I used my VersaMarker and the II EP and added touches of glitter to all the "fur" on her clothes and to the gifts.

How I make my photo corners is here.

I used a piece of the new Holiday Thyme Designer Series Paper and my new Cranberry Crisp Ribbon (I LOVE this ribbon!!!). I added some vintage brads and faux stitching on the bottom of the card and that's it!

SETS: Sassy & Seasonal, Itty Bitty BG's. CS: Watercolor Paper, Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme, Holiday Thyme DS Paper. INK: Black Stazon, Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme, Blush Blossom, VersaMark, VersaMarker. ACCESSORIES: Cranberry Crisp Ribbon, Vintage Brads, Sponge, Word Window Punch, Iridescent Ice EP.

I LOVE This Paper Cutter!!

So I *just* got SU's new Tabletop Paper Cutter - and now I wish I had bought it ASAP when the new catty came out!! This thing is awesome!! (Note - you can click on all these pics and they will pop up in a separate window so you can get a closer look).

<---This is what it looks like all put together. When it arrives the attached measurement arm (on the far left) and the handle grip are attached underneath:

They come out really easy and are a snap to put in place. I really like that - makes it super easy to pull them off, put them underneath and then it's totally portable!!

My *biggest* concern was the blade itself. I knew that this thing didn't have a safety to hold the handle down when not in use and I wasn't sure that I could have a guillotine cutter like this in my house w/ young kids and no cut off fingers!! I've used guillotine cutters before and those blades are LETHAL!!

Well once I decided to get this and try it out I saw that I have NOTHING to worry about - as you can see the blade is completely FLAT and I'm pressing my thumb against it w/ no problem. This cutter has 2 flat metal blades like this - one on the arm and one on the cutter. It cuts AWESOME (I can do up to 3 sheets of SU's colored CS - any more and they will go ragged) and the blade will never have to be "sharpened" as it cuts metal on metal so it sharpens itself!!

I've taught Veronica (she's 3 1/2) to keep out of my "stamp room" (really just the side of the room where I keep my stuff - she has her own desk and stamps and whatnot on the other side of the room) and not to touch my "tools" so I'm not too worried about her. But it's *really* good to know that even if she DID fiddle w/ it the chances of her even getting really hurt are extremely slim. Josie (9 1/2 months) is a different story. I just keep an eye on them when we're downstairs so I don't have any worries.

This cutter is really lightweight tho so it wouldn't be a hassle putting it high up out of reach if you DID have concerns. Tho really it's nearly impossible to even get your fingers under the blade:

It has a clear plastic attachment (that so far I don't think you can even get it off) that you slide the paper UNDER and hold down (a must as it keeps the paper in place and ensures a super-straight cut) that I can't get my fingers under far enough to even get under the blade.

So there you have it. If you've been debating this cutter you HAVE to get it and try it out. I have a CARL RT-200 and that thing is going in my sale pile - this cutter is WAY easier to use and makes much better cuts.

Oh ya I have to note also that the grid lines go up to 5.5" exact (making it super easy to cut the CS in half for cards) and then the arm measures up to 12.5". There's also the little black ruler near the top which makes it easier to measure up smaller pieces.

I had to do a TON of cutting the past couple of days for an upcoming stamp camp and I used the cutter for almost all of it - works wonderful. You can literally *shave* off slivers of CS w/ it it cuts that well!!

I hope all these pics and info help - I am so visual and NEED to see things like this - I like to see all the views and hear what everyone has to say before I invest $$ like that.

Nothing like being an enabler!! 

~~**~~ETA~~**~~

There was more I wanted to say about the cutter but I forgot to! LOL

Anyway #1 - you NEED to be standing up to use it - that way you're putting proper pressure on the plastic holder and the cuts are straight and the CS doesn't move at all. (And yes I tried it sitting down and no I didn't like it - it felt really awkward and I had a hard time getting a good cut).

#2 - This thing cuts the Whisper White and Very Vanilla like buttah baby!! No more feathering!! WooHoo!!!

#3 - Yup I'm keeping my other Fiskars cutter (the slider one in the catty) - I use it for scoring and for cutting and matting my smaller pieces when I'm too lazy to get up and use this cutter.

#4 - I've cut up to 5 sheets of the Double sided Designer Series paper no problem and 6 sheets of the Singe sided (all SU's).

Mondo Flower!!

 

I actually made this a couple of weeks ago - but was having trouble getting a decent pic of it! I saw a similar card to this at my LSS and *had* to make one.

The flowers are from Heidi Swapp and the largest size is HUGE - I'm talkin' bigger than the palm of my hand!! They would completely cover a normal (4.25 x 5.5) sized card so I made this one 5 x 7".

The brad turned out great. I bought some Bazzil Polka Dot Brads that are ginormous (they're like the size of a quarter) and embossed it w/ several layers of Whisper White EP. While the last layer was still melted I poured DD Glitter over it - it turned out so cool!!

I added a couple pieces of Chatterbox paper and May Arts RicRac and stamped the sentiment (from Warmest Regards) w/ Old Olive Classic.

I used the small corner rounder on all the corners and sponged the edges w/ Old Olive.

Crayons on Vellum and Creating Scalloped Edges Tutorial

 

SETS: Both Way Blossoms, Take Three, Itty Bitty Backgrounds. CS: Whisper White, Vellum CS, Tempting Turquoise, Lavender Lace, Certainly Celery. INK: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Lavender Lace, Certainly Celery. ACCESSORIES: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, BB Brads, Ticket Corner Punch, Sponge Daubers, Cutter Kit.

I got together w/ my upline earlier and did a bit of stamping w/ her so I can say I'm back in the groove lol!!

Anywho after she left I made this card and took pics of the different steps to create it.

At regionals we were shown how to stamp images in Black on Vellum CS then to color *on the back* of the images w/ Watercolor Wonder Crayons - I've done this w/ markers but never thought of using my WWC's!

So after stamping the images I flipped over the Vellum (make sure the ink is dry first - and it *is* best to use Vellum CS instead of Vellum paper b/c the paper tears too easily) and scribbled on the first crayon color (here Certainly Celery).

You don't need to be precise w/ the application - in fact it looks better if you go outside the lines.

Then I scribbled on my second and third colors (Tempting Turquoise and Lavender Lace). 

And that's it! I flipped it over and matted it on Whisper White CS.

Now to get the Scalloped Edges you need the Ticket Corner Punch:

Flip it over and VERY carefully take the corner guard off of it. (If you take one side off at a time instead of stretching it to take off the whole thing at once you should be good just be careful - those things break really easily!)

Now line the punch up along the CS (this works easiest if you hold the punch upside down so you can see where you are punching) and punch away!

A simple scallop edge.

Cool eh?

FYI - you can click on most of these pics and a larger one will pop up so you can get a closer look. HTH!

Something Special

I have been in a real funk for the past week. I haven't stamped anything ('cept those holiday swaps and I was rushed so I don't count those!!) since last week sometime and I've just felt blah. I really don't know what it is but I have had no desire to stamp or do *anything* creative. Well I know some of it is the "let down" feeling after being so pumped up for Regionals and then having it all end!! But as for the rest of it I dunno??

But then this showed up in the mail:

 

I pulled it out and was just awed. Isn't it gorgeous?? And then I read the note inside and didn't know what to say. And *then* I saw who it was from and was *really* speechless!! This came from Leslie (leslierich on SCS - you know - of Dirty Dozen fame?? Her cards are FAB-U-LOUS) and what she wrote meant SO much to me and came at the best possible time!! Funny thing is she wrote the note on a separate piece of paper leaving the card blank - umm like I'm going to USE it?? I'm keeping it for sure!!

HUGE Thank You to you Leslie!!!

You know I kinda feel like I need to go stamp something!! How cool is that?

Holiday Swap Card

I made 20 of these the night before Regionals so I would have them for our group swap. I still have a few left and will turn them into full cards for me to send to family.

This was an idea that came to me in the middle of the night and I got up and wrote it down before I forgot! I was *very* pleased that the card turned out just like I wanted it to!

The sentiment was embossed w/ Whisper White EP and I ran the Whisper White Craft pad along the edges of the Bashful Blue CS and also embossed it w /WW EP.

The snowflakes were stamped w/ Bashful Blue (full strength and stamped off) and Close to Cocoa (same) and Whisper White. I matted the Bashful Blue on Close to Cocoa then matted that on Naturals White (I ran a sponge w/ Bashful Blue Ink along the edges of the Naturals CS).

I used Taupe Grosgrain and Light Blue Gingham which really completed the look.

SETS: Snowflakes. INK: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa. CS: Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Naturals White. ACCESSORIES: Whisper White EP, Taupe Grosgrain, Light Blue Gingham.

I enjoy mass producing cards for swaps. I know I do some pretty detailed cards but I like it that way. I come up w/ a design then I break it down into steps (measure the pieces of CS, the ribbon, etc etc) and do one step at a time. They're time consuming (this one I did in an evening but t still took a few hours - my elephant one took a couple of weeks I think to finish - I have no method to speed up paper piercing -I did all of it w/ the piercer and the template one hole at a time!) but for me it's therapeutic. I haven't done a swap in almost a year so I enjoyed the time I spent on them - if I did them more often I would prolly get sick of the whole process and stick to *much* simpler cards! lol

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

ETA - I can't believe I forgot to mention this: After I finished this card I showed it to Tim to see what he thought. Normally he says "Umm Hmm. Nice." (you know typical guy comments - they don't really have an opinion one way or another - yet we can't resist showing them and asking them *every* time! Men...) Anyway I show him and he said "Wow that's beautiful. I really love the cards you make now." Needless to say I was shocked - and then I was like "What do you mean - NOW?" LOL I couldn't resist. At least I know my stamping has improved (A LOT - my first creations were quite painful!) and that he actually LIKES what I'm making! His comment really made my day!!

Regional Swap Card

This was the swap card I made for the Saskatoon SU Regionals. I was pretty proud of it when I was done! I made 50 of them and sent one in to the SU contest just for fun.

I kissed the elephant to the Paisley BG and popped up the ear (solid) on a dimensional and added a googlie eye.

The card base (Kraft) was stamped w/ Paisley and Bashful Blue Classic (I was planning on using Craft Ink but it was making the already overly-long process too much work).

I am really sad that the majority of the swaps that I received were not demo quality (some were not cut and layered straight and had only one layer and were quite sloppy - and I got several w/ non-SU supplies used (even tho we are told when we register for the regional not to use any non-SU materials) - so I can't show the majority of them to my customers) but don't regret putting the extra time into mine.

Hopefully those that received them will enjoy them! I learned my lesson tho - next time I either will go simpler or I will start a WOW swap group before the event and stick w/ that (my up-upline did this and she got some *wonderful* swaps!! I wish I had joined in that one!!). Oh well live and learn!! :o)

I will try to post the card I made for my group's Holiday Card Swap tomorrow.

SETS: Wild About You, Paisley, Happy Everything. CS: Kraft, Bashful Blue, Vintage Violet, Choc. Chip, Whisper White. INK: Bashful Blue, Vintage Violet, Choc. Chip. ACCESSORIES: Hemp, Eggplant Grosgrain, Dimensional, Googlie Eye, Edge Distressor (Cutter Kit), Paper Piercer and Piercing Template.

It's Late...

and I *need* to get to bed. I have to be up at 5 am to get ready and leave for Regionals. YAY!! Can't wait.

Anywho tho here's a card I did the other day:

The stamp is from Inky Antics. I stamped it using Timber Brown Stazon on Watercolor Paper then watercolored w/ WCW Crayons. I cut it out and matted it on Old Olive CS.

The patterned paper is from Chatterbox. The strip on the side is the reverse side of the stripe - I punched the side and cut it - I saw a few cards doing that to make it look like notebook paper - thought it was a cool idea! I sponged a bit of Creamy Caramel ink on the punched paper and adhered.

Houndstooth was stamped on the Card Base (Brocade Blue) and I sponged the edges.

Brads are SU and the ribbon I picked up at Michaels.

Anywho tho I gotta run and get some sleep!!

Fiddling...

 I'm going through all my posts (not a quick and easy task I tell ya) and editing them so that they are of a larger font size. I never realized how tiny the font was one here!! When I type up the posts they are *much* bigger!! So anywho that's something that's changing right now. (And if you're still seeing the tiny font hit the refresh button on your tool bar - that should fix it for ya!!)

ALSO - I've been fiddling w/ different widgets so that ppl can subscribe to my little blog. I *did* just have one but it was complicated and I really didn't like it so I deleted it (SORRY to those [very few - seriously it was less than 10!] that had already managed to figure it out and subscribed - this one will (hopefully) be much better!!).

I now have the little e-mail subscription that should be just dandy - I saw it on Keri's blog and then Taylor got it too and since I wanna be a cool kid too I *had* to get it LOL!! I'm gonna try it out myself right away and see if it works.

**FYI - there's still a little link near the bottom that says "Subscribe to this blog's feed" and it's NOT supposed to be there. I removed it from the configuration and it's still showing up (time for me to talk to TypePad me thinks) - hopefully it will just disappear on it's own b/c it DOESN'T work - or at least I can't get it to work (which isn't saying much ).**

If you guys have any suggestions or questions don't hesitate to leave a comment on this post (I read ALL the comments I get - that's something I *love* about this blog - it lists all the new comments for me in one spot so I can read them all at once). You can also e-mail me (link is right under my pic) and I will try to get back to you ASAP!!

Anywho I need to get back to editing all those posts (my anal-OCD-edness won't let me just leave it and use a bigger font from now on - all the posts need to be uniform!!!)

JUMP

SETS: Island Blossoms, Letterpress Alpha. CS: Whisper White, Pixie Pink, Night of Navy. INK: Whisper White, Pixie Pink, Night of Navy all Craft. ACCESSORIES: Buttons, White Embroidery Thread, Small Corner Rounder.

Here's another one of my early pages - this was when I started to figure out what a layout was lol! When I was done it really struck me how much better a page looks when the photos are laid out properly as opposed to being just slapped on a page!

I used the little flower from Island Blossoms (level 3 hostess set now retired) in Whisper White and Pixie Pink Craft Ink. JUMP was stamped in Night of Navy using Letterpress Alpha.

Journalling (I used a font from one of the SU font Cd's - sorry I can't remember which one!):

When we first started putting Veronica in the Jolly Jumper (at about 3 or 4 months old) she wouldn't do much except swing around. As she got older she would really get into it and would jump for an hour or more. She just loved jumping in it and would go nuts - these pics are priceless with her evil little grin - she was having so much fun!             Summer 2003

These pics still make me LOL - Veronica was a little monkey at that age - there were times we thought the Jolly Jumper would fall over she would jump so high! The faces she made were priceless...

In Color® Combo Chart

Now *this* is cool. Stampin' Up!® has made a color chart w/ combos using the new In Colors®!! (It's 4 pages of combos BTW :o) )

Download CAN_color_combos.pdf

I printed it off on Whisper White SU CS - it looks so pretty - I am so gonna have to try out some of these combos!!

~~NOTE - If you don't have color ink in your printer you can still print out the charts and then use your 3/4" Circle punch to punch out the CS and glue them over the circles. It will obviously be more work but I would do that if I didn't have color ink - these charts and combos are going to be such a nice resource to have!!~~

ENJOY!!

Watercolor Stems

SETS: Sassy Stems, Paisley, Canvas. CS: Watercolor Paper, Basic Black, Old Olive, Vintage Violet, Naturals White, Cranberry Crisp. INK: Black Stazon, Cranberry Crisp, Old Olive, Vintage Violet, Buckaroo Blue. ACCESSORIES: White and Burgundy Grosgrain, Sponge Daubers, Color Spritzer, Safety Pin, Charm, Dimensionals.

I did this for this week's Color Challenge on SCS. I am *really* liking these colors together!!

I stamped the image (from SU's Sassy Stems) using Black Stazon on Watercolor Paper. I used SU's Charcoal Watercolor Wonder Crayon to add a bit of shading then used re-inkers and my AquaPainter to color the image. I then used the Color Spritzer to add a spray of color here and there. It was mounted on the card using dimensionals.

I stamped Paisley (I just can't seem to put that BG down - I LOVE it!!) on the bottom third of the Vintage Violet CS and sponged the edges. The Card Base was stamped in Canvas and also sponged.

The little charm was a gift (among others) from my best stamping friend Lauren (I *finally* was able to stop hoarding them!! LOL and I've had them for how long? I have little flower and butterfly charms like this along w/ some rhinestones and other "bling" and they are just so pretty that I find it hard to use them!). I put the charm on a tiny safety pin and tied it on w/ the ribbon (I dyed white grosgrain w/ Old Olive re-inker to match). Thank you again Lauren!!