Ink Pads 101: Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask!

Happy Friday  Today we are going to talk about ink…well I’m gonna talk about ink (for about 15 minutes LOL) and you can listen if you like. I had a couple people request a video demonstrating the various brands of ink-pads and what they are good for and at least once a week someone emails me or leaves a comment asking about ink so today I am going to give you the scoop on ink-pads! You don’t need to take notes during the video because I prepared an Ink Pad Cheat Sheet that you can download at the end of this post:) Just step away from the pencil ma’am. Here’s the video:

I realized that I did not talk about chalk or distress inks (doh!) and you might be feverishly trying to make notes while the video was going (no small task with how fast I talk) so I decided to save you the trouble and create a cross reference cheat sheet that you can print containing all the inks I talked about and the two I forgot. there is also a bit of room in the chart for you to jot down your notes and findings.  I have also included tips and recipes for homemade ink and ink refreshers. You can download that below:

lindsays_ink_pad_cheat_sheet

So, did I do good? Do you feel like you know a thing or two about all of the ink pad choices out there? As always if you have any questions just leave a comment (or if you just want to say howdy-do!) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: You’ve Got Style!

*** Hellow WOYWWers, you can enter my stamp set give away here!****

Happy What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday folks! I got to play with the brand new stamp set Style Girl from Pink Persimmon and I made this card and envie:

Unfortunately I ended up covering over the background I decopagued with a sewing pattern and spray misted but luckily I snapped a pic of my desk while the card was in process, I hated to cover up all of that inky goodness but it is a BACKGROUND and it is supposed to be in the background right?

I stamped the chic lady on a panel that I tore straight out of a DCVW mat stack (they are such a  time save because they are 6.5″x4.5″, perfect to layer on a 5″x7″ card!) I stamped the lady again on a yellow print paper (MME) and cut it out and glued it over the  main panel. I added color with markers from my Tria Fashion color collection from Letraset, the colors were chic without me having to worry about it which is good because I have a tendency to be a bit gaudy with my color choices

Well, that is all for today, I am sending this card to my mother, she is an avid sewer so she will enjoy it (plus I think it is a law that you have to adore any card your kid makes you LOL!) Til next time happy WOYWW and Happy crafting!

DIY Craft Desk & WOYWW

Howdy folks! It’s funny how after a few days away from home you can look at your surroundings with a fresh eye. When I went down to craft yesterday my desk was so uninspiring. My binders of unmounted stamps were hard to pull out and I didn’t feel that I had room to work, also I had left my craft area in a bit of chaos so that didn’t help either…so…I spent $5 at the lumber yard and transformed my workdesk from this:

 

To this:

 

Here is a video to show you how I revamped my workdesk. Now, don’t go expecting a “Bob Villa” quality project here, we are talking saw horses, cinder blocks, an old door and boards but I am thrilled with the results, have a look:

 

See, how easy, anyone can do it! I wonder if I can get a guest spot on This Old House? Nah, you probably have to at least break out a hammer I will say that I did measure everything and sketch out a design before I underwent this re-do. It probably saved me an hour of moving stuff around because I had a good estimation of what would fit. So my tip is make sure to measure to stuff you want to contain on your desk shelves!  Here are so more after shots:

 

…and now for something completely different…

Now, I realize that my studio will never be featured in House Beautiful but it is a WORKING studio and I need to be able to make a mess, hose it down and make another one. It works for me! So head out to the lumber yard, pick up a few cinder blocks and let’s get this party started!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Pssst…wanna see more crazy tables? Head on over to the Stamping Ground for What’s on your Workdesk Wednesday or as I affectionately call it  ‘my craft hoarding support group’ you will get an eyeful of creativity and it is so much fun!

Video Tutorial: Pop-Up Slider Card!

Howdy folks! This weeks challenge at Oriental Stamp Art was to make a pop-up slider card. Since I have never tried this type of card before I decided to give it a go:

 

FYI the card on the left shows the card with the tag pulled out, the one on the right has the tag pushed in…It will make sense when you watch the video. The blue ink I used is Stampin Up! Brilliant Blue.

It was really fun and super quick to make (like 15 minutes!) and these beautiful Asian stamps from About Art Accents were just perfect. Remember you save 10% on all About Art Accents and Art Neko Stamps with my coupon code: Lindsay10% Ain’t it good to have connections Here is a real-time video on how to make this card, see I told you it was quick!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Pretty & Vintage: Card & Boorkmarks

I like to listen to audio books. I listen when I fold laundry, drive, cook and craft. I really feel like I can savor a good book this way since I tend to skim over the slow bits of a book when I “read” or I fall asleep mid page. I’d much rather be multitasking:) I also have the bad habit of bailing of a book halfway though and returning it to the library or a friend with my bookmark still inside (I have left bookmarks all over town!) so it is nice to use up my scraps and make a few every now and then to replenish my stash. Oh, back to the audio book, I was listing to the book “The Help” when I made these:

 

I honestly could not tell you how any sewing theme stamps I own, I started collecting them about 6 years ago, I have been able to pick up quite a few sets lately because of the growing popularity of vintage sewing stuff. So my collection keeps on growing! The thing I love about vintage is that it will never go out of style. Collect away girls! BTW the stamps I used were from a Cling Mount (real rubber) set by TPC at Joanns, it was $6.99 but I used a coupon and got it for $3.50 BUT I think all of their stamps are 40% off this week!

 

 I finished “The Help: this weekend so I’ll have to find another audiobook to listen to, any suggestions? I think I am the  mood for a thriller now! Who knows what I will make listing to it   Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Another batch of quick Christmas cards…

…I’m noticing a trend here…quick cards! Honestly I often spend more than 10 minutes on a project but I do love a quick craft now and then especially when making batch cards. Here is one that is easy to mass produce, the stamps are from Papertrey ink (Year of Flowers and Garden Variety) but you can use any frame and flower set you have:

This was so simple to make. First cut ATC sized panels of cream cardstock. You can get the most from a sheet of 8.5″x11″ cardstock by cutting 2-2.5″x11″ strips and you are left with 1-3.5″x11″ strip, then cut the strips us so you have 10 2.5″x3.5″ standard ATC sized cards (there will be a teeny bit leftover). Stamp the seed packet on each card in brown and once on a post it note. Cut the middle of the seed packet image out of the post it note and use it as a mask to stamp the poinsettia from the year of flowers set in red and green. Easy peasy! This is a great card to use up scrap holiday papers simply by glueing them to a standard card base and adhering the faux seed packet on top and it is quite pretty!

That’s it for tonight, I stayed up WAY to late scrapping with the girls last night (I spent from 7:30pm-12:30am working on a 2 page layout that I did not finish because I was too busy flapping my gums LOL!) and I had to be up bright an early to get my kids ready for school pictures and get my own tired but to a dentist appointment at 8am…yawn…so thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

I’m Rockin! {Rock-A-Blocks that is…}

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret…not every image I stamp is perfect. Yes, it’s true…alas I ruin sheets of lovely cardstock trying to stamp a nice crisp image, especially with some of my larger unmounted stamps. So, when I heard about the Rock-A-Block stamp mounts from Crafters Companion I wanted to give them a try. I asked around on various stamping groups I am a member of to see if anyone had tried them and what they though and got mixed reviews and one lady said “If you buy them please do a tutorial because I have them and I don’t know what to do with them” So I did some reasearch online and found both sets of the Rock a Blocks on sale for $8.99 each set {Score! It was at Joann.com BTW not sure if it is still on sale though, if not they have the 40% off stamping sales every month or so} and free shipping so I decided to give them a whirl.

My first attempts were miserable. They worked no better than my regular acrylic blocks, then I decided to do something I don’t normally do…

I read the instructions

Here is what I made with my Rock A Blocks. I stamped everything in this set with the rocking stamp mounts. The large doily stamp and lace border I have had for months and I loved the design but never got a decent impression. I ruined sheets of paper trying to stamp it with my traditional acrylic block but with the Rock a Block it was perfect! This is one of the cheaper stamps that doesn’t like to hold ink and I used a dye based pad for this and it still worked well. I made this card for my niece’s birthday today and the purse (from the Bag Bonanza SVG set) is just large enough to hold a gift card

 

I usually stamp on a foam pad but that is not recommended with Rock A Blocks, but I think my stamp table is not perfectly smooth so I used a few sheets of scrap paper under my cardstock as a mild cushion. As you can see in the video these blocks are very easy to use once you get the hang of it:

 

Here are the blocks I bought: the set of 4 smaller blocks and the set of 2 larger blocks:

Note: I have the Claudine Helmuth set of Rock A Blocks,they are aqua, the original ones are purple. Sizes are approximate.

Here is what the block looks like from the side, the rails on the edge act as a guide for the stamp.

Drawbacks:

• The largest stamp size you can use is 4.5″x7″ and I have a couple of finicky unmounted stamps larger than that.
• You have to be careful not to get ink on the side rails or you will have tracks on your paper. You can wipe the rails with a tissue before stamping if you think you have gotten ink on the rails.
• Since you are “rocking” the stamp and not stamping straight down placement can be tricky and these mounts cannot be used with a stamp positioner like a stampamajig.

Bottom Line: If you have trouble getting a good impression with your larger detailed stamps try them, keep in mind the largest stamp you can use on these is 4.5″x7″ but if you have no trouble with your stamps and acrylic blocks currently you can skip them. Personally I know I will save a lot of cardstock using these!

I hope this was helpful to crafters that already have the Rock A Blocks and those considering buying them. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

The Softer Side of Stamping…

 Boy, after weeks of rain we are being spoiled by wonderful warm sunny weather. That means more time outside and less time in my dungeon of a basement craftroom. Still, I need my daily crafting fix so I took a few minutes…7 to be exact and made this card and video so you can see how easy it is to squeeze a few minutes of stamping time in daily during the busy summer months.

Stamps: Large Butterfly, swirls (Tattered Angels), Text background (Stampfrancisco), Frame, sentiment, small butterfly (Papertrey ink)

 This card only uses a few supplies, a half a sheet of cardstock, chalk pastels (AKA decorators chalk) and a couple of colors of ink, some stamps and a clear embossing ink pad or glycerin. See how easy it is to use clear ink and chalk to make the above card:

 

This card qualifies for the following challenges:  Cheerful Stamp Pad , DDH Challenges, Cards For Men, Incy Wincy Designs, KB Cute Monday , Make it Monday, Stamp with Fun, Stamps & Fun = Creativity, The Outlawz , Dream Valley Challenges, Allsorts, 2 Sisters, Inspire Me Fridays, and Flutterby Wednesdays

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Make this “Sweet” tag!

Happy Monday folks! I took the kids to a birthday party yesterday. I have been friends with the little boy’s mom for many years and she always saves the cards and tags I make to use as embellishments in her scrapbooks so I always make sure to make some thing special for their cards, in this case a sweet tag:

Stamps, Ink and treat cup: Stampin Up!, Cardstock: Bazzil, GP, tab sticker: DCWV, Ribbon: Target

I love this stamp set for making quick kids birthday cards (what kid wouldn’t love real gum or candy in his card?) and usually you need to destroy the card to get to the goods but since I know his mom will save the tag I made a drop slot in the back so he can get the gum and mom can still have a cute scrapbook page embellishment. Here’s how:

You need 3 tags the same size, I cut three 3"x5 1/2" rectangles then cut off the top corners to make my tag. cut a 2" circle from the top tag and a 1" circle from the middle and back tag (be sure the 1" circles are lined up and in the center of the tag as shown.

Also you need a scrap of cardstock that is about 2″ square and some sort of pull tab, I used a happy Birthday tab sticker but a rectangle of paper folded in half would work just as well. Stamp gum balls around the cut hole on the middle tag and all over the slider piece then stack them up line this: Top tag with the big hole, under that the stamped middle tag with the 1″ hole, the slider behind that and the un-stamped back tag. If all goes well it should look like this:

Here is what it looks like when all 4 tags and slider are lined up. you may need to trim the slider panel if it sticks out at the top.

REmove the top 2 tags. With the slider in place run double-sided adhesive above, below and to the left of the slider (Trim the slider if needed), this makes the trace for the slider to move on.

Now place the middle tag on the back tag and they will be adhered together.  Remove the line on the treat cup and place it inside (from the back) of the top tag and carefully line both up on the middle tag, once the cup touches the tag it will be stuck for good so line it up carefully! then remove the top tag, ad adhesive to the back and adhere it to the tag stack. It will look like this:

You finished the hard part!

Now flip it over and see:

Viola! Now decorate the front and you are done!

I prefer making a tag with this set because when I make a card it wants to fall over due to the weight of the gum balls. I put the finished tag in a clear plastic envelop and tape it to the gift so it is a decoration too. I hope you give this a try, it is really fun and the kids get a kick out of it, and if your lucky the moms will too!

This tag qualifies for the following challenges: Clearly I stamp (birthday), Donna’s Den (happy birthday), Robyn’s Fetish (open),  One Stop Craft Challenge (for the boys), SirStampsaLot (punch it-my only TAG entry, I punched the gumballs on the tag front, first photo)

Thanks for stopping by, thil next time happy crafting!

Fun colors: Jade & Peach

This week at Oriental Stamp Art the theme challenge was “Jade”, in  China the stone Jade is more valuable than gold or diamonds. As for me I just love the color and what better way to make it POP but by adding its compliment (opposite on the color wheel) coraly peach:

Stamps: About Art Accents, Washi Papers (digital): Nicecrane Designs, Pattern paper for envelopes: K&co

I used the Flowered Handled Teapot and the Papercut Carnation stamp from About Art Accents on this set. The washi papers are from the Washi Texture Collage sheet set 1 from Nicecrane Designs. I simply printed the collage sheet and cut up the papers, easy peasy!

I used the scraps from my handmade envelope to accent my card, waste not, want not!

I stamped the teapot  with clear ink then heat-embossed it with sea foam green sparkle embossing powder, then I used emerald green watercolor paint over that. I wiped it with a soft cloth to get the paint off of the embossing.

Tip: make envelopes with pattern paper but use the pattern paper on the inside, the envie will look lined and you can easily write and stamp on the outside. Also you can make a fancy envelope just by using a corner punch on the top flap! Clever, no?

I did a little stamping on the envelope. I love the paper cut carnation stamp, I used my Tombow and Whispers watercolor markers to color directly on the rubber, then I breathed {huffed} on the stamp to re-moisten the ink and stamped it on my envelope, it is a nice touch I think I made the envelope with my Scor-pal, if you ant to see how I have a video here.

This packet is 3"x3.5", perfect for a couple bags of tea!

I used the tea bag template from the TeaRiffic Digital stamp Set at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff to make this tea bag pocket. I stamped the carnation, punched it and layered it on green cs and trimmed with mini scallop scissors. I adhered only the bottom half of the circle so the flap could tuck behind it to close.

Here is a look at the tea packet open. The template comes in a printable and SVG version.

This set qualifies for the following challenges: OSA (Sketch and theme), Creatalicious (Asian), Lucy’s Cards (1 digital element), Pile it On (out of the box), Quixotic (Emboss it), Sisterhood of Scrap (embossing) and  Spoonful of sugar (celebration).

That’s all for today:) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!