Alcohol Inks

I do love my alcohol inks. Sure I don't use them enough, and even less feature them here, but I do love them. But as much as I do, Omar loves them even more. Last Sunday, we had loads of chores to do but by the evening we finished them and I decided to do some crafting together. So, I took two glass bottles and each decorated one with alcohol inks.

This is Omar's. Trust me, mine wasn't as good. Unfortunately, Omar did a much better job than me. He even gave me tips on how to achieve a better result! My crafting pride was on the floor.

Next project: his helmut. Or so he keeps saying.

Mini Albums and Comments

This a 6" x 6" mini album that I made for Stitches using some papers from Origins, Basic Grey.

As Omar looooooves green so as soon as I had the idea of making a Origins mini album I decided making one with my favorite photos of him.

I only wrote a few lines because it was my intention to write quite a lot of stuff that I did not want to display for anyone to see.

This is the back of the book much less decorated, but still has got plenty of decorative elements. The journaling spots are from the Origins Writers Block set, as well as Pieces and Take Note, the very large one featured bellow.

I know this blog has got readers, quite a few actually according to the only measuring method I trust Google Analytics. Yet, I get very few comments. Maybe is my fault because I am not inviting enough, but please, leave comments!!!

All Year Round Punch Tutorial

Just a quick one today showing how the images fit in the circle punches.

1 3/8" circle punch by EkSuccess.

1 1/2" circle punch by EkSuccess. Woodware does make the same sized punch which looks like the one below but obviously straight edge.

1 1/2" scalloped circle punch by Woodware. Although Marvy has manufactured the scallop 1 1/2" one in America, in the UK was almost impossible to get it until now. (Note to retailers: do stock it, is a brilliant size, perfect for the InCircles as well as for so many different stamps.)

All Year Round Tutorial

The reason I went into designing clear stamps was because I was tired of never finding wording stamps that featured a whole set of messages that were all small and without any restrictions of style.

All Year Round features the following images:

As any clear stamps are to be used with an acrylic block - simply peel the stamp away from the plastic backing sheet and mount onto an acrylic block. After use, replace the stamps on to the plastic sheet for storage purposes and clean with soap and water. When they come to you the clear stamps come between two clear sheets of acetate plus an extra one that has the printed images of the stamps, so the first thing I did is to transfer all the stamps into the printed acetate, it is easier to find the right message and also check if one is missing.

So now that tutorial:

First, stamp the circle message onto the white card. I used Spanish Moss Versafine ink.

Select the event and ink it up.

Stamp it inside the previous stamped image using a darker ink or just the same. This is the beauty of the clear stamps and of this set. You can customize your sentiment with different messages and different colours.

If you are using pigment inks which work better with clear stamps, let them dry for a few seconds before punching out.

Punch out using a 1 3/8" punch. Highly recomend EKSuccess punches.

The finished stamped image.

And finally incorporated into a card.

At the minute there is a wait list only option at QVC, and these sets wont arrive to the shops till the end of March. So, if you got it now, you are lucky!

Stitches Report

I realize, a week later, that I have post very little about Stitches, the Trade show. Truth be told, I was so exhausted and so many things happened in the last week that I did not have the energy to do so. So here it goes my brief recap.

This was the fifth edition of the Craft trade Show that I was demonstrating at the Kars booth.

Saturday morning, left my house, drove to the NEC. Traffic was bad, took about half an hour longer than expected. Got there and parked quite close to the hall (Yipee!, last year was an absolute nightmare). As soon as I got there I got to hang out with Vanessa and Cindy, lovely and talented fellow demonstrators who have been working for Kars for a while now. I use here the term hang out loosely. We were working very hard in order to display our samples, which had taken hours and hours and more hours to complete.

By the time we got to the hotel, we were beyond tired so we -we as in Cindy, Vanessa and I- decided to do room service in my room. Apart from the fact that they both got baked Camembert and left the room stinking of cheese, it was a great low key relaxing dinner. There are a couple of photos of that dinner but I better do not publish them otherwise my life may be in danger.

Sunday, we were up early -for my standards really, really early- and we were ready to demonstrate at 9 am. A bit early if you ask me! You can see Cindy Rapson demonstrating a perfect ironing technique, just kidding. I know she was showing the Slice and how it works with fabric and other interesting stuff that I missed because I was on the other side of the booth.

Above there is a blank photo. I know, not very descriptive, but Vanessa Noonan forbid me to publish any of her, she demonstrated the Pink Cricut and the new releases. Also missing there is a photo of the lovely Suzie Candlin, who joined the Kars team of demonstrators for this Stitches, Suzie demonstrated jewelry.

Sunday night we went for dinner with the whole team. It was fun, a bit loud and I went to sleep a bit late. So next morning I was pretty tired, but Mondays are always my favourite day of Stitches, we are still very busy but not as frantic as Sundays and not as quiet as Tuesdays. Also we are in full demonstrating swing.

This year also marked the first time that I had some of my stamps designed exhibited. Yes, I design stamps, haven't you heard? Jokes aside, it felt pretty good to pass by and see the boards with my designs up there (top board extreme left, second board extreme right).

Very talented friends from all over the country were there, some of which I only see them at Stiches, and also some big names from the crafting world from America, Tim Holtz, Shari Carroll and the wonderful amazing and entertaining Suze Weinberg.

Of course, no Stitches would be what it is all about without masses of eye candy. Craft Eye Candy that is, because of the other kind there is very little. (Mind you, we had some in our stand.)

After the show closed on Monday I had to drive home as the next day I was on air on QVC for Craft Day. Because I also offered a lift to someone and I showed him a bit around London, I got home really late. The next morning, Tuesday, is a whole different story.

Hello

I will let you on a top tip of demonstrators and designers. When we are sent some stash in order to produce samples for any occasion we often get a pack of chipboard alphabet stickers and little else to put a message. As you know, stickers are one use only, so once you use them that is it, and many times this chipboard stickers are originally designed for layouts, ie they are larger than you would expect from a cardmaking point of view.

So, I use a lot of HI and Hello in my cards for samples. They are easy enough to use, and no matter how large the letters are, they always fit even in the smallest card. (This is one of the main reasons why I designed my stamps, so I can use them in this type of occasion, however it is not always allowed.)

By the way, the card featured above is made out of the Origins Cardmaking Kit by Basic Grey, that comes with the chipboard stickers.

Design Comfort

So if yesterday I talked about the comfort zone designing cards todays post is related to scrapbooking. I am the same designer wether I am cardmaking or scrapbooking, the same techniques, the same designs I like for one I like for the other. So it when it comes to design a page when I have absolutely no creativity, which incidentally happens pretty often, I opt for the horizontal line.

That is not to say that I just repeat ad infinitum the sketch. Every time I try to incorporate something different, but the lesson for me is that I rather have three pages that have a similar design foundation, than just one. Time and creative efficiency.

The Comfort zone

When I struggle to come up with a striking design for a card, I always go back to my comfort zone arranging the elements of the card or layout. And that design is a horizontal line across the card with a decorative element and/or the greeting on top.

A few years back I decided that it was ok to go back and repeat it as long as I introduce something new every time, or if I really struggle for whatever the reasons, time usually. So, I tell myself now, it is not laziness on my behalf is time efficiency.

Max & Whiskers Card

Still feeling exhausted after Craft Day and Stitches, but I thought I would share this card using Basic Grey latest release, Max & Whiskers.

Sugar Rush

As much as i love everything that Basic Grey comes up, I have to say that at first Sugar Rush did not inspire me. However, it is a double sided collection, which means that you get two patterns in each sheet of paper and usually there is alway a side that I like. And I am a polka dots lover, so this combination of pink dots on red paper and red on pink dotty paper really appeals to me.

Here, in the close up, you can see the rosettes or flowers that I made using my trusted Cuttlebug and Nellie Snellen nesting dies. They are as good quality as the Nestabilities but with a much lower price tag, granted that you get less number of dies in each set.

The centre of the flowers are made with paper and a plain epoxy sticker or a thickj layer of glossy accents over it. The main flowers are made out of CoreDinations cardstock.

All the materials are available from The Craft Barn.