Parchment Craft… just beautiful!
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Well I have recently discovered this ancient craft and I am hooked. I am
just beginning this journey and I am hoping to share (as time permits). The
one th...
Save scraps! I save just about all my scraps, even the smallest ones! I put all my scraps in a big box and once in a while I will go thru it and sort it. I put each color in a seperate storage drawer and I put all the prints in another box. When creating a sample card I turn to my scrap drawers for solids. When using a punch I check my drawer for a scrap instead of pulling out a full sheet of paper and I would say about 65% of the time I have a color that works with the design! I later go through the pattern paper and the smaller pieces I punch flowers and other elements out of the scraps. I use the small to medium clam shell cases to store my elements I punch. When I need a quick card I turn to those containers to save a step creating the card.
One of my favorite areas in any local store is the paint department! Sometime we can find ourselves having problems coming up with new color combinations. Your local paint department can help you out! Most paint companies offer leaflets on color combinations and they are free! Take a minute and look at them, usually they have one base color and two to three contrasting colors. Their color combination are also based on the lastest trends! Try using some of their color combos when working on your papercrafting.
When out shopping, stop by the paint samples and choose a few. Paint samples can be used to make great elements and can be stamped on!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Here is my first completed project. I had so much fun doig this card. The technique I used was fun and it gave the card a wonderful artist look. I liked the main image so up that I put a magnetic backing on it...so who ever I send the card to they can remove it and use it as a refrigerator magnetic!! As a gift to my loyal bloggers I will draw a name from all those that comment on this post and you will be placed in a drawing....and this card will be sent to the winner! Drawing will be held on April 15 at 6:00 PM!
Wow, I woke up today and just had the urge to play with ink and gesso! I am having a wonderful time...my hands are colorful covered in ink, my desk is a mess and I have tiny pieces of embossing powder all over my keyboard... I love feeling creative ....I plan on spending most of the day in the studio playing... I love to play in the studio..I feel like a kid!! May have to wear gloves when I go outside. Hey that will work the weather here in Chicago is cold and damp... Will post the finished item later today!
Update: How much fun am I having....I called work and took tomorrow off!! More time in the studio!!
I will be teaching a stamping technique on masking with a newly formed Yahoo Group today! A dear friend of mine has just started a Yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scrapbookNook) and has asked me to join and teach some classes via the Internet. I will be teaching different stamping and paper techniques with the group at least once a month....maybe more if I have the time! If you are interested in today's class it will be at 7PM tonight. This class will be done using mostly TAC stamps...I will be teaching two different masking techniques and a 3-D technique! Please feel free to join the group for the class, it you join the group let Maddie know that you are a friend of mine!
Organizing my stamps has always been a dilemma for me. Recently, I decided to solve that problem! So, I started a huge project. Over the years I have stored my stamps in CD cases. Due to the lack of time most of my sets did not have a index card in the cover of the CD case. So while my son was in the hospital last summer, I spent my time with him stamping images onto cardstock to index each CD. My fingers hurt from stamping...I stamped so many index pages!! (I have over 600 CD cases of stamps!) I even got help from my son's girlfriend who colored some of the index pages for me while she spent time with Jonathan.
My next step was separate each set by subtitles. I scanned each index page into my computer and I placed a number on each index page (those are the hand written numbers you see on each picture). The next thing I did was to make a label for the side of the CD case with the subtitle and the number from the index page. Then I scanned the index card for each CD into my computer. Then using a photo program I created a slide show for each subtitle much like the one you see above. The example above is a very small sample of my TAC Christmas stamp collection.
On the desktop of my computer, I have a folder of all my different subtitles (birthdays, valentines, Easter-Spring, Halloween, etc..). This system allows anyone working in my studio to retrieve a specific stamp quickly. To find the stamp you want, view the slideshow and once you have located the stamp, take the number from the index card and go to the CD shelves and retrieve the corresponding CD case.
This project is getting close to being completed. I will save time by not aimlessly looking thru all my CD cases to find that one stamp I need and it will also help to keep my studio more organized!!
Please feel free to share your ideas on how to store your stamps and index them. It is always wonderful to get a new idea from others!
I just wanted to take a minute to let everyone know that I am still around! Hopefully within the next few weeks I will get my blog up and going again. I am looking forward to spending some time in my studio!! Hope to share some creative projects with you!
Greeting from the windy city! I am papercrafter that loves to get my fingers into ink, paint, gesso and most other mediums. I love to spend time in my studio and hope to share some of my creative ideas with you. This blog will feature my work and creative ideas to inspire you. I also teach cardmaking, scrapbooking, altered art and unique techniques in my studio. If you live in the area and are interested in attending a class please contact me for information.
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