After Hours Stamper

Basic cutting tools that make your crafting easier, 2012 Winter CHA links and more!

2012-01-28T12:53:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone (or afternoon/evening), hope you are enjoying your day. We have had very unseasonable weather for January, last week I had the windows open almost every day, not much rain, and the temperatures have been very mild. Now, last year we had endless rain and not to complain, but it would be nice to not go from fall straight to spring : ) Having said that I will no doubt be sorry if we get rained upon in February : )

I do get around to making cards, here are a few from this week:

Butterfly is colored with Luminarte - Twinkling H2O's

and then added Aleene's Paper Glaze

to the image.

This card was made using Copic markers after watching a video (cannot find the link right now, will post when I do find it), stamped with Versa Mark, embossed with clear embossing powder and then colored over the set embossing powder with Copics. Took a blender pen and moved the color off of the embossing powder and around on the paper and finally sprayed with a glimmer mist to add some bling. I did not do all the steps in the video, and this card did not take much time, unlike the card in the video. Thought the technique was quick, easy and loved the water color "look" to the image.

Close up of the card, very easy!

Used two punches, one for the hearts and one for the flowers, paper is actually paint chips! I love that you get all of the various tones of a color on a paint chip, makes matching colors oh so easy (yes I have a stash of paint chips.)

Stamped a music sheet stamp on water color paper, embossed with white pearl embossing powder, then put Distress Inks

on my craft sheet, then sprayed ink with a glimmer mist, put a piece of water color paper on the ink, and finally punched out the butterflies (Martha Stewart Punch, Classic Butterfly). Added some Viva Decor Pearl to the butterflies.

This one was fun to make, I really like the color combination (and need to remember that so I use it more!) In hindsight I think a black ribbon might have been better, may make the card again to see how that looks : ) The punch is the Martha Stewart Scallop 3 Dot Punch Around the Page Punch, really nice punch with lots of uses.

I am becoming more and more a fan of Clean and Simple (CAS) cards, love the look and also how easy they are to put together. Having said that, creating a CAS can sometimes be much harder than putting lots of layers and embellishments together : )

Still have not finished the video of my craft area, have done a number of videos but have not liked any of them, so will try again this week and will post when finished (will be just the video, no links to anything else). Funny how such a small thing can take so much time! My little area is quite small but I am so used to it that moving into an entire room no longer appeals to me : )

Given that my area is so small the tools I have a limited to those that are useful and also can (for the most part) serve multiple purposes. How many of us have tools that just sit because they are either too hard to use or just require too much work to use? Today we will explore some really great basic cutting tools that will make your crafting easier, as well as far less frustrating. Before that though, the 2012 Winter CHA starts tomorrow (our son's bday too), and there are tons more new products coming our way, here is a short list of sneak peaks for the week:

NEW Distress Ink Markers: LOVE these (but not the price, $3.50 each), am hoping that they will end up on sale somewhere so I can try them out.

Pink Paislee Paper: Great new paper! And no, I am not ordering ANY paper until my "stash" is used, have wayyyyyy too much paper right now : )

New Ice Stickle and Liquid Pearl colors: Great new additions to the collection, can't wait to try some of these!

Next week I will post updates and live blogging as I can find them, will also be updating on Facebook daily.

Finally, the TOOLS! So many tools to choose from, and how to pick what is best for your particular crafting needs? There are some very basic tools that I think every crafter should have, tools that end up being used all the time and are easy to use (complicated tools do NOT rank highly in my book).

So here is a short list (with links for purchasing: please note that I am in the Amazon referral program, if you click on the links below and make a purchase I receive compensation. Given that I am currently unemployed I am hoping to supplement our household income through this program. If you are an Amazon Prime member you receive free shipping on most items, and I have tried to find good prices on the items linked.) and explanations of why I think these are must have tools to make your crafting easier:

Ek Success 5 Inch Tweezer Bee: I use these ALL the time, for so many things, and love the design of these particular tweezers. These are non stick, use reverse grip (they stay closed until you open them up rather then you having to hold them closed) and have a very fine (and sharp) tip. These tweezers also come with a small looped chain so you can hang them up near your craft area which makes storage easy, and finding them easy as well. While these tweezers are not "cutting" tools, I had to include these as they are a basic must have for crafting.

PERFECT LAYERS - Perfect Paper Crafting: I just bought these and wonder why I did not buy them sooner. My layers are so much more even now, and this tool is very easy to use. Nothing bothers me more than working on a card image only to try to layer some paper and end up with uneven and messy looking layers. Critical to using the Perfect Layers are two other must have tools, see below.

Martha Stewart Craft Knife: I have had many craft knives over the years, this is by far the easiest and best one to use. The protective cover fits nicely on the knife when you are cutting, and goes back on the tip easily after you are finished. I find myself using this knife a great deal more then I used to use my old knives. Don't forget that when using a craft knife you want to make sure you keep a sharp blade, keep replacement blades on hand. (There is a GREAT deal right now on Crafty Steals for all a great collection of Martha Stewart tools, but the "steal" is only good for January 28th).

12x12-Inch Self Healing Mat: Again, a must have for cutting with your craft knife and using the perfect layer tool. I also use the mat to make sure cuts I do on my paper trimmer are square. Along with this self healing mat consider getting a glass cutting surface as well (for using circle cutters and other types of cutting devices).

Scissors: I have too many scissors, especially when just two of them are used all the time. Don't scrimp on your scissors! The two that I use all the time are the Cutter Bee Precision-Cut Scissors and Tonic Studios Tim Holtz Non Stick Micro Serrated Snips. The Cutter Bee scissors are a must have for cutting out your stamped images, and the Tim Holtz scissors are fantastic for everything else! Ribbon cuts like a dream with either of these, and the Tim Holtz scissors are also very good at cutting through thicker items.

Paper Trimmer: You can get many different types of trimmers, rotary blade, straight blade, or a guillotine type of trimmer. There is a great discussion on types of trimmers on SplitCoastStampers, many people recommending the Genesis Trimmer.....however be prepared for sticker shock, while it may be the best on the market, the price tag is just too much for my little budget.

I have many different trimmers, the best (in my opinion) in my collection is the Making Memories Rotary Trimmer, however it is bulky and I don't find that I use it as much as my other trimmers, and other people have noted problems with the trimmer as well. One option for those of us with limited space is to get the Tonic Studios Guillotine Paper Trimmer 12-Inch-by-6-Inch, which I am seriously considering at the moment. Nothing is more frustrating than to have uneven cuts, and why frustrate yourself if you can get a tool that will make your crafting easier?

Note that this is my list, and I would love to read what tools you have that you can't do without. This list is the result of my own personal experiences with purchases (some good, some bad).

I hope you have a wonderful week! Until next time, happy crafting : )

Tons of Freebies, 2012 Winter CHA links and more!

2012-01-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

Another week has almost flown by, where does the time go? I have been busy making cards but no video this week, will work on the video's for next week. From my last post someone asked that I do a video on matching patterned paper to your image and ways to make a great card, will work on that video first, then move on to the tour of my craft area and other tutorial type videos.

You might have noticed a new button to the left of this post, at the top of the page, "Follow me on Pinterest." Yes, I have really fallen for Pinterest! Love how easy it is to find just amazing things and also share what you find, have been pinning away over there like crazy. (Pinterest is an online bulletin board of sorts, you scour the web for images of things you like then pin to your boards, you can have numerous boards on many topics, like cooking, card making and so on. People see your "pins" and like them and share, you see their pins and can like and repin as well.)

What a week! My girlfriend and I are working on a cool project that will launch the AfterHoursStamper store, stay tuned, I think you will like our first original offering! It is going to take a while for us to get everything we need together, but two things 1,) it will be something that experienced and novice crafters can use and 2.) we are working on keeping the price very affordable. We are in the development stage, but hope to get everything together within the next month of so.

Oh, and I won a prize! Every week Factory Direct Craft has a contest on their facebook page, and last week I was one of the winners, am impatiently awaiting my box of goodies : ) When I get the box will take a picture for you. Factory Direct Craft has some great prices on ribbon (yesterday I was in a fabric store and couldn't believe how much the small rolls of grosgrain ribbon cost). Their site has all sorts of things for general crafting and their pricing is very good.

In my web-surfing I happened to find that Jennifer McGuire (who is simply amazing) has an online class for Clean and Simple cards! Yes, I signed up ($25 for the class which started at the beginning of January, the fee entitles you to a lifetime access to the class), the class runs for two weeks and is filled with all sorts of inspiration. Am LOVING the clean and simple ideas for card making, beautiful cards with little effort, small amount of supplies and huge wow factor! Here are three cards that I have made for the class, we are on day 9 so I have some catching up to do : ) (each day there are at least three examples of techniques and videos, as well as downloads).

Using water color paper: Stamped image and saying in versamark, then added clear embossing powder, heat set. Added distress ink to a foam blending tool, then sprayed some glimmer mist on my craft sheet and dipped the foam with ink into the glimmer mist. Placed the blending tool on the card and as I was applying the ink I turned the handle to get softer edges. I did the blue, then the green and the middle color last. Sprayed the entire piece with water to get more blending of colors.

Same technique as above, this time the image is placed on top using black ink and clear embossing powder. This time I did not turn the blending tool, wanted crisper lines for pattern, sprayed the image with water after to get a more blended look. This was an easy card to make and the results are very nice!

This card was designed after viewing one of the classes which discussed having one focal point, the butterfly was stamped on water color paper, colored with H20's and then I sealed the image with glossy accents.

You can still sign up for the class, and in my opinion it is worth every penny of the $25 : )

Now, onto the link list for this week, and do I have a TON for you! My "January" bookmark folder is getting so long that I will need to start a "January 2" soon!

FREE Strathmore Online Art Classes: Yes, signed up for this as well, all three of these classes and can't wait to dive right in. Card making/scrapbooking, paper crafting...all of these things are based in the fundamentals of art, expanding your art knowledge base helps you to become a better paper crafter.

Free Scrapbook printables: A few nice printouts you can use on your scrapbook pages.

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Free digital paper: Really nice paper, and make sure you check out how you can print in 6x6 size as well

Free scrapbook sketches: Loved these, very nice and easy to use!

And more FREEBIES! Page layouts, papers and embellishments.

FREE Digital Stamps: GREAT site with tons of free digital stamps, she adds to her blog all the time so keep checking back. Wonderful resource!

How to use Heat and Stick powder: I love heat and stick powder, but you have to be really careful about not overheating the powder when you heat, thought the following was a good video to show you how to use the powder:

And a few CHA links:

Technique Tuesday: New stamps! Can't wait to see this collection.

Fiskars interchangeable border punch: YEAH! For those of us who have limited storage this is a GREAT idea, the punch has removable cartridges for borders which makes storing them oh so nice!

Donna Salazar: Loved her mixed media items! Birdcage in Chipboard is soooooo cool! Watch her video to see everything she has coming out.

Tim Holtz Stamps: Just LOVE these retro stamps, so cool for cards and scrapbook pages!

PHEW! That is all for today, hope you like the links, next week I have a tip for you, stumbled across it by accident, and it "saved" one of my projects.

And I LOVE when you leave comments! Please let me know what you think of the links this week and if there are other topics/types of links you would like me to post.

Have a great week, happy crafting : )

2012 Winter CHA Sneak Peeks plus other fun links

2012-01-14T09:12:00.000-08:00

Hellllloooooo crafters : ) Hope your crafting week has been going well with lots of time to create. Since I am now unemployed I find that my crafting time has expanded into hours of playing and creating, something that soothes my soul and gives me peace (except when there are problems lol, you know what I mean).

Am working on a list of videos to make in the future, would love if you could let me know what you would like to see. Distress ink water coloring? The Melted Crayon Technique? Simple cards? Matching paper to your stamped image? Quick and easy cards? What ever you would like to see, just let me know and I will try to create a video.

Deco Lady with cork background

So far I am thinking of doing videos on the techniques that already have written directions, which can be found here on Scribd. And I am working on a "tour" of the AfterHoursStamper craft area, as well as a really cool gift idea (with a DIY embellishment tutorial) for your craftng buddies (new crafters or experienced crafters). In the future I will be writing directions for all of the videos I do, and will work on written directions for the most recent video, "Make your own designer paper with a wine cork."

As someone who loves to craft I also love to help others learn how to do anything related to paper crafting, especially as so many things can be frustrating when you are not sure how to do them properly.

What I have discovered is that practice is key to learning any type of technique, and also getting rid of any thought that your first attempt has to be perfect, rather the worse you do the more room for improvement : ) And sometimes you discover a way to change a technique to fit your style and your way of crafting, which is also fun and a bit exciting as well : )

There is no technique out there that can't be changed, or done differently if that is how YOU want to create, and don't be afraid to change techniques, even if your idea or effort doesn't turn out like you thought, well, the next time it might be even better!

Let's get on with some links, shall we? Today will have some links to the upcoming 2012 Winter CHA, lots and lots of new paper, stamps and other goodies to drool over. And of course there are a few other odds and ends as well. So....grab a cup of coffee, tea, wine, or water, sit back and start craft surfing : )

Blitsy: If you need some distress stains run over to Blitsy and stock up! Great price, $2.99, (as of this post many of the colors have sold out so hurry over to get what is left) and there are also albums and other things on sale there. Remember that every Monday, Wednesday and Friday new items are posted at Blitsy, and the more popular items sell out quickly. I check all the time and love when they have something I need (want lol).

Kirstens Blog Tutorials: Love these projects, and don't forget to visit her entire blog, link here, to view some amazing coloring with colored pencils. Some of her posts are not in English, but most are.

Becca's Distress Ink Blenders Storage: Love this idea, and absolutely LOVE Becca's blog (she has the most amazing work, as well as lots and lots of tutorials). And her blog leads us to.....CHA Sneak Peeks!

Spellbinders CHA Sneak Peek: WOW, wow, WOW! You are going to LOVE these new die cuts! Am really going to have to save up to buy at least one of the new sets. The link is to day one of the release, click here for day two (which has the most amazing die cuts).

Tim Holtz 2012 CHA Sneek Peeks: LOVE the new dies, papers.....just so much to see and drool over! Don't forget to click on day two to see more new products.

CHA Sneak Peek from Studio 490 Art: Lots of cool things here, especially like the retro stamps and embellisments.

Petaloo Sneak Peek: Love the soft colors of these embellishments, just in time for spring!

Lifestyle Craft Sneak Peek (used to be QuicKutz): Love these dies, and just in time for Valentines Day! Make sure to check out all of the projects on the blog as well, beautiful projects there.

Prima Sneak Peeks: The paper and embellishments are just breathtaking....link is to one of the release days, make sure you check them all out and be ready to part with some $$$ : )

Ok, that is all for now, will have more CHA links in the next post, hopefully the video of my craft area, and of course other links (I have literally hundreds of cool links saved that are just waiting to be posted : )

As always I want you to know how much I appreciate your emails, comments and support, without you there would be no AfterHoursStamper : )

Enjoy your day, and don't forget to find some time to craft.

Finally, after three years, another AfterHoursStamper Video!

2012-01-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, hope your week is going well : ) Our weather has been great, a very mild and dry January, which is ok except I am going to need to start watering our garden soon if it doesn't rain. The mountains in California are also dry and without much snow, which is pretty unusual for this time of year (last year we had endless rain and tons of snow in the mountains).

Enough of the weather talk, onto the subject of this post which is a new AfterHoursStamper video! Yes, finally, after three years I have put together another video. The camera I was using three years ago was just not working right and this Christmas my wonderful husband gave me a new video camera, it is very basic but does the job pretty well.

Anyhow, I will be uploading a few more videos in the near future, one on my craft area, one on a really cool gift idea for crafters, the melted crayon technique and how to water color with Twinkling H20's. And if there are other videos you would like to see, let me know.

Today's video is on how you can make your own designer/background paper using an every day object, a wine cork! If you are like me you have a ton of background paper, but you stamp an image and can't find the right patterned paper to go with you have stamped. So, I find it easier to sometimes just create a background paper, and have done so with background stamps, and today, with a cork.

UPDATE: I have been asked to provide information on the stamp used in the video, here is a link to the stamp: Stampendous "Deco Lady." The stamp comes in clear, wood mount and cling mount (my son gave me the stamp for Christmas and I am really loving how versatile the stamp is!)

You do not need any special tools (except for the wine cork), and the card itself is quick and easy to make. Here is the video, I will try to post some links for you later this weekend, on Sunday hopefully (have been finding some sneak peeks for the upcoming Winter CHA, lots of goodies!)

Please let me know what you think of the video, this is only my fourth one and I see some things I want to "fix" in the next video, would love to have your feedback on this video though : )

Take care, have a great Friday and hopefully I can get to the links by Sunday.

Happy 2012! Time for updates and all sorts of great links

2012-01-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, yes, I have been out for quite a time now (three months), and it feels good to be back! As my last post stated, my life turned upside down when my father's wife (my stepmother) took ill and needed full time care. I did not realize how sick she was, and my father and I took care of her 24/7 until her passing.

It was perhaps the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and it has taken me months to recover physically and mentally, from the impact of what happened. In a nutshell: my stepmother left her home to live with her daughter, this lasted three days (two nights). Sadly, the arrangement did not work out at all, and my stepmother left her daughters house and ended up in a residential hospice facility until my Dad and I could get her back to home.

She was happy to be home, but estranged from her daughter, she would not talk to her daughter and told us she was frightened when she was at the daughters house. The daughter never called to ask how her mother was doing, but did come over one day to scream at her terminally ill mother. It was the worst situation I have ever seen (and hospice told us that it was the worst they had seen in 25 years), daughter screaming because the mother was cutting her off financially, mother telling daughter to get out and never talk to her again, you get the picture.

Somethings change your life in ways you just didn't anticipate, and this situation was such an event. I loved my stepmother and feel blessed that I was able, along with my Dad, to give her the care and love she needed and wanted during her last days, and I miss her very much. She was 13 years younger than my father so her illness was unexpected and traumatic to my father.

My father ended up moving to a rural community in Northern CA, and for the last two months I have been visiting him (and my Mom who lives in another Northern CA city) on a regular basis. Given all that there has been little time for blogging (though I have continued to post here and there on the facebook page). Am back now though, with lots more time since I also ended up having to quit my full time job, but still teaching classes at Michaels.

Sorry for the long intro, just wanted to catch you all up and thank you for your emails and support during this most difficult time.

How about some crafting talk, finally? Am considering posting a bit more often, without as many links (I find all sorts of links each day to use at a future date). Would love to know if you would like shorter posts with fewer links or if you like the way the blog is now, ie, one post a week with more links. I do post more often on the facebook page (since it is just a quick post with one link). Speaking of facebook......

Would you like to win a free Magnolia bench stamp? If so, all you need to do is to guess how much I spent on this order:

Leave a comment on the AfterHoursStamper FACEBOOK page, the most recent post, and the person who is closest to the amount I spent will win the stamp. Contest ends on Sunday at midnight, PST.

Have been cleaning/clearing/organizing my little craft area and thought you might like to see a video of what I have done recently, watch for the video next week : ) We now have an extra bedroom in our home, but I really like my little craft area in the family room and have no desire to move to a larger area. I am going to be clearing out the garage (have been going through all the rooms in the house and organizing) and storing some little used craft items in the garage, that way I will have some free shelves in my craft area for even better organizing.

Ok, now, finally, how about a HUGE amount of links? So many fun things to view and find, so little time : )

Blitsy: Am LOVING saving money here! Have already made a number of purchases that saved me a ton of money. You really need to check the site on Monday/Wednesday/Friday for new offerings, and they only have limited amounts of products, if you see something you like purchase it immediately, it may not be there later (as I have, sadly, found out). Right now you can find savings on Glimmer Glam, Glimmer Glaze, ColorBox Pigment ink pads and reinkers, and much, much more, and remember that on Monday there will be other new products posted!

Tombow doodles: Loved this quick and easy way to use your markers to create a fast, easy card or note.

Make your own dauber: Really great idea, especially since you can change out the foam inexpensively. Video is provided below as well:

DIY Glimmer Mist: Nice video that shows a number of different ways you can make your own Glimmer Mist, as well as has a few other DIY ideas.

Cool technique using Vaseline: Interesting technique, a must try since it is fairly easy and of course quick!

Colored Pencil Tutorial: I love using colored pencils for coloring, and love finding tutorials on ways to color with colored pencils. This is a nice video that takes you through all the steps. Click here for the blog (which as of Jan 2012 will not have any updates, but the archives are a wonderful resource).

Am purchasing the Perfect Layers tool, have read a great deal on this product and would like to try it out, am tired of sometimes having "issues" with layers when trying to finish a project. (please note that I am in the Amazon referral program, if you click on the box below and make a purchase I receive compensation)

Mama Dini's Stamperia: Link is to her tutorials, but make sure to visit the main blog page (click here), for GREAT inspiration. Loved her site and her work.

Goosebumps: Nice video on a new product from Tsukineko, looks very interesting and a fun product to try. Here is the product techniques PDF from Tsukineko mentioned in the video.

Copic Paper: Why spend $120 on Xpress It when you can use Hammermill Color Copy Digital Cover Stock, (photo white is the color) 80 lb for $10? The Hammermill paper works just as well as the Xpress it paper for copic coloring, and at $10 a ream, you can't go wrong! And yes, I have used the Hammermill paper and love it, will be ordering some more soon! The Xpress It paper comes in packs of 125, the Hammermill comes in packs of 250! What is great about this paper is that you don't have to have separate papers for your base card stock and then another paper for your copic coloring, given the price of this paper you can use it both ways and not feel like you are wasting expensive paper.

Ink Pad guide: Great link for a listing of the various types of ink pad available. I have sent this to many new rubber stampers and they always appreciate the information.

DIY Foam Board Cabinet: Wonderful tutorial on making your own mini cabinet. If I had room in my crafting area this would be something on my list of todos : )

Don't forget to go over to the AfterHoursStamper Facebook page, lots of links there as well (some are here, but not all), make sure you "like" the Facebook page so you will see updates on your personal Facebook wall.

That's it for today! Take care and have a most wonderful and amazing day, feels good to be back, thank you for understanding my long absence.

Will be AWOL for a bit

2011-10-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone just wanted to let you know that I will be AWOL for a bit, am leaving to help my father take care of his wife and not sure when I will be back.

Thank you for understanding, will post updates if able.

And a short thought for the day:

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
― Mother Teresa

Die cuts galore!

2011-10-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, sorry for the missed posts. My best friends Mother passed away this last week, and my step-mother has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Needless to say, I have not been able to get to posting on the blog, and I apologize for the lapse. This is a hard time for me right now, but I will do my best to keep up with the blog, I hope you understand and bear with me.

Now, a bit of an issue with the blog, seems that blogger "ate" all of my posts for August! They just disappeared, no where to be found, thankfully I saved them all. The issue is that when I put the posts back up they will all land in your mailbox, so a heads up, I will try to get around to putting August back on the blog this weekend.

Onto the topic today. For a while now I have wanted to list all of the companies that now feature die cuts with matching stamp sets (and no, I haven't purchased any lately, as I need to cut back on my craft spending for a bit). I love the concept though, how neat is it to be able to cut out shapes and then stamp on the shape for a perfect fit!

And I also wanted to list companies that have their own die cuts (with or with out stamps), and truthfully, there are just tons of neat, unique die cuts out there!

So, without further commentary, here is a list of stamp companies that have unique die cuts, some with stamps, some without, but all very, very cool! I am almost sure I missed a few, if you know of a company not on the list please let us know in the comments.

Hero Arts: Some absolutely GREAT sets here, and yes, on my list of must haves : )

Prickley Pear: LOVE these sets, so many ways you can use the dies and the stamps.

GinaK: There are a few stamp sets in her store that coordinate with existing Spellbinders sets, cute stamp sets that will work with the die cuts you already have.

Heartfelt Creations: Lots of nice sets here, really like the layered flowers!


JustRite: Some really cute ornament stamps/die cuts here, and make sure to visit the store for even more sets to view and buy!


MFT: Lots of exclusive dies, and a few stamps/die sets. Love their die cuts just so cute and can be used so many ways!

Whimsy Shapeology: Just love these die cuts, so many to choose from! Guess I need to start saving my pennies again : )

DooHickey Die Cuts: These are from Magnolia and are just adorable!



Marianne D Dies: OMG! These are just breathtaking, and I would LOVE to get my hands on a few.

Nellie's Multi Frame Die Cuts: Yes, I know, how are you supposed to choose when there are so many choices? Love these die cuts....

These are but a few of the companies that have matching die cuts and stamps, don't forget, if you know of a company that I did not list please share with us in the comments.

Take care everyone, see you back again next week.

Clean and simple cards: information, links and videos

2011-09-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

Another week flies by and I am left wondering where all the time went. This week we were FINALLY able to video Skype our son, it is the first time we have "seen" him since he left in May (he is in the Marines and finished bootcamp in May, came home for 10 days and then left again for his training).

I spent the majority of the first call crying as seeing him was almost too much! Wanted to hug and kiss him in person, but had to settle for seeing his wonderful smile and person on video chat. We actually talked to him twice, the second time his girlfriend came over (she lives two doors down) and ended up spending almost two hours with him! Can't wait to Skype him again : )

And how about your corner of the world? A good week? Lots of crafting? I did some crafting on Saturday, more on Sunday, but truthfully, there is just never enough time to do all the things I would like to do. Speaking of crafting.....

This Saturday Michaels is hosting tons of demos for their new classes! I will be at my local Michaels from 10 am until 3 pm (Michaels in Westgate, San Jose), promoting all the great classes that will be coming up. This is a national event, every Michaels is supposed to be presenting demos and providing information about the card making/paper crafting classes that are now available. Would love to meet some of you in person, so if you are in the area please stop by on Saturday : )

Now off to our topics for this week (and yes, lots of links). While I love to embellish cards, the beauty of a clean and simple card is not to be underestimated. It struck me that with the holidays quickly approaching it would be a good idea to go over how to make amazing clean and simple cards (fast, easy and elegant). How many times have you wanted to make your own holiday cards and felt too overwhelmed to get them done?

So, today is a study in clean and simple, hopefully there is enough information to inspire you and also reassure you that if you so desire, making your own holiday cards is possible with a minimal amount of time. Spending a little time now to design your clean and simple card will get you going, then set aside the time to make your cards before November (yes, before November). Make a few extra, get them addressed and ready to send out in November and pop them in the mail Dec 1st, your cards are done, and people will LOVE receiving a handmade holiday card from you!

Here we go, links, examples and explanations below:

What makes a clean and simple card stunning? The use of color and design (as with all artistic creations).

Understanding how color works is important when you make any card, and with "simple" cards color becomes even more important as it is a main element of the card.. Think about this: when you find a card you like, what usually stands out? For me what usually catches my eye first is the color in the card (or the lack of which also creates interest.) Here is a link on how to use color with your scrapbooking pages (all of which applies to card making). If you want to learn more about how color works, try this link which is for painters but gives you a very good basic understanding of color theory.

And then there is the design of the card, and good designs for our cards usually follow the use of the "rule of thirds" which

says that most designs can be made more interesting by visually dividing the page into thirds, vertically and/or horizontally and placing our most important elements within those thirds.

Lets look at some simple and stunning cards to see the color and design elements the card uses:

Isn't this a GREAT card? Found this on the blog Clean and Simple Stamping, and yes there are tons of clean and simple examples for you to view.

So, why is this card so striking? First of all the use of the red in the heart, , secondly the design which follows the rule of thirds. Putting the card on a muted, neutral colored paper adds to the overall design/color, and then rounding the corners also creates another design element.

A video from GinaK creating a simple, yet elegant card. What makes it work? The design (the stamped image is off to the side vertically, using the rule of thirds) and the colors are neutral, two colors working well with each other. Simple yet creates a stunning card.

Another place to view some amazing Clean and Simple cards is over at Hero Arts, this card is from this link, created by Virginia L, and what a fantastic card it is. Once again this design utilizes the "third" rule, this one using the horizontal division in thirds. The colors work together well, and the Merci nicely picks up the orange in the shell images.

And given that this is about clean and simple holiday cards, here are a number of examples I found on SCS. These cards require no additional coloring other then your stamping, few if any embellishments, great color, good design, and they are quick and easy to make.

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2029141?&si=CAS%20Christmas

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2028431?&si=CAS%20Christmas

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2021635?&si=CAS%20Christmas

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2019149?&si=CAS%20Christmas

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2008041?&si=CAS%20Christmas

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2005113?&si=CAS%20Christmas

And a few more cards that are not holiday related, though the design could easily be used for a holiday card.

From the blog Inkredible Stamping, GREAT card with wonderful color and design.

Love this card, especially as it is a wonderful use of leftover designer paper! And as the designer states, leave off the sentiment until you need a specific card, happy bday, sympathy and so on. Easy, elegant and clean and simple : )

I hope the post today has given you some inspiration on creating a clean and simple card : )

If you have some good examples of clean and simple cards please post a link in the comments section so we can all be inspired a bit more.

Have a GREAT week everyone!

Almost time for 2011 Summer CHA! New products, new stamps and lots of other goodies.

2011-07-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the middle of July! Where has the year gone? Love summer because of all the sunshine, but I do not especially "like" the hot weather. Luckily here in San Jose, CA our weather has been fairly mild, with a warming trend into the 80's expected next week.

One of the reasons I love living in CA is the weather, for the most part we do not have extremes, ie, high temps or low temps. Sometimes we do get hot (over 100), but usually that just lasts a few days and is bearable for the most part.

Hope those of you who are experiencing the heat wave are coping well, remember to drink lots and lots of water and stay cool! I keep checking the weather in Pensacola, Florida (our son is there awaiting his training for the Marines) and see nothing but thunderstorms there. Our son mentioned how different the clouds are in Pensacola, as he put it "tall, not flat like our clouds."

Anyhow, enough of the that dribble! Time to get to the real deal, crafting!

The 2011 Summer CHA starts on July 18th, and there are so many GREAT links out there for new products, papers and stamps! Here are some of the things that I have been finding:

i-Zing: By Tsukineko, similar to Stickles, comes in translucent, glitter and opaque. I am intrigued to see how this product compares to the Viva Decor pens and also Stickles. The link also lists some other new products Tsukineko is unveiling, all look interesting : )

Ebosser by Craftwell: This machine was actually unveiled at the Winter CHA, however the formal debut is scheduled for this upcoming CHA. I love that the machine takes large embossing folders, and if the price is right could be a GREAT addition to your crafting supplies!

Fiskars: New punches, really like the border punches that are going to be at CHA.

Cottage Cutz: Lots of cool new dies here for July, check out the long list of other die cuts available, something for everyone (and the prices are good too!)

Ameircan Craft "Hollyday" collection: Lots and lots of cute things here, love the paper and all the embellishments!

Crafters Workshop Stencils: These are excellent stencils and can be used in many ways, from inking to using stencil paste, great additions to your paper crafting tool kit. The link takes you to some of the new designs being debuted at the 2011 Summer CHA.

Pink Paislee: Amazing new Vintage papers and embellishments, you are going to love the colors and designs!

Shimmerz Enamel: A new embossing powder by Shimmerz which takes on the look of Enamel. I am intrigued to see how this product works and looks on paper projects.
Check out this link to see a video of the new powder.

Graphics 45: New ABC Primer Stamps, love the design and retro look! Check out the link for more images of the new stamps.

Ok, that is all for today, but I will be posting on Facebook as well, make sure to stop by there for more CHA news.

Have a great week, and I will try to post early next week as CHA video's, news and pictures become available.

Happy Friday! Lots of Summer CHA 2011 sneak peeks this week

2011-07-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

Hello and HAPPY FRIDAY! Yes, it has been a long week, even though it was a "short" week because of the holiday. I hope you had a great 4th and are enjoying your summer : )

We talk almost every night to our son who is now in Pensacola, Florida. He is doing part of his training, but not yet in the school for his main training (not sure when his "real" school starts). He is so missed, and I don't like that he is so far away, but we are so proud of him! In September/October we might go ahead and fly to Florida to see him, not sure yet, but would love to be there with him.

Anyhow, onto some stamping stuff! This time of year it is hard to not find all the great sneak peeks for the upcoming Summer CHA 2011, lots and lots of paper, tools, stamps, just tons of great new things! So, without further suspense, links for sneak peaks and also some other general links for you too : )

Tim Holtz stamps: Loved his new stamps, especially the Santa ones, some very nice stamps here (and if you are near Carson, CA take note that there is a stamp show you can attend this weekend, details are at the link).

Sew Ribbon: This looks pretty neat, sewing on your paper projects with ribbon! Like the other new tools as well.

New Perfect Pearls Mist: New colors from Ranger, rich and just begging to be added to your project!

Spellbinders: WOW! Lots of great new dies, can't wait to try some of them out. Link is to the blog, you will need to look at the last three posts for all the links to the new products.

Now some general links:

Intense Pencils: I posted this video on the AfterHoursStamper facebook page as well, GREAT tutorial on how to use these amazing pencils : )

Picnic Basket Template: This is SO cute, looks like it might take a bit of energy to put together, but well worth the effort!

An entire page of Video Tutorials: SparklenSprinkle have an entire page of great videos on all sorts of projects and techniques.

Make a rose: Love this rose and an easy to follow tutorial as well (and I need to put the rose spellbinder templates on my wish list).

And a video on how to create the roses:

Product review: Nice review of Glittler Modge Podge, another thing on my "wish list."

Ok, that is it for this week, have a wonderful weekend, happy crafting!

Ok, so I am now officially a "Cricut" fan: cricut links, gypsy links and lots more!

2011-06-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday! Hope you are having a great day and an even better tomorrow. Before I forget, if you could take a second to "like" me on stumble (the link is at the top of the blog in the left column), I would greatly appreciate your "like." : ) Now onto some paper crafting stuff.

So, I avoided buying a Cricut because of a limitation of space, and wow....what a mistake! Having played with my Cricut Create for the last week, and also purchasing the Gypsy, I am officially "hooked." What a machine! And the Gypsy is just what I needed with my limited space.

Now, I do still have the Slice, however have not used it much, and am not sure how much I will use it as I get more and more "hooked" on the Cricut Create. Did you know that there were hundreds of videos on the Cricut/Gypsy on Youtube? Spent most of last night viewing the videos, from how to use the Cricut, how to use the Gypsy, to some amazing cards using the Cricut/Gypsy together.

So far there are seven cartridges in my library, am waiting for two of them to arrive. I watch ebay and bid on the cartidges I want, and have paid about $20.00 (no shipping) each for the carts, one was a bit more ($26 for "Storybook," but no shipping costs).

What is fantastic about the Cricut and Gypsy is how many things you can do with the images, especially the welding. You can take two images, meld them together and then fold in half to get a unique card shape, weld a silhouette to a frame for stunning results, and the list goes on and on.

Today I thought it would be fun to link to some of the videos I have found helpful, and then of course some other general type links.

Great videos I found at YouTube that show you to use the Gypsy with the Cricut (and yes, I think the Gypsy is a must have.)

ScrapperBug2002 has some fabulous videos, here are two:

Part 2

She has other videos too, check out her "channel" on YouTube.

And here is one quick Christmas card:

And another (love the deer!):

And yes, some more general type links too.

Free digital images: A few here, and then there are some for sale as well, cute images : )

Make it Colorful: Nice blog with tons of coloring and even more inspiration!

Studio quality photograph: Using only $12 worth of materials. I LOVED this as I never can get the perfect picture, need to get the materials together and try this out.

Some links from the AfterHoursStamper facebook page: (some of the links on the facebook page are of a timely fashion, and the reason I started a page, ie one day sales and so on, make sure to like the page so you don't miss anything).

Less is More: Wonderful blog that highlights simple cards that will blow your mind!

Dancing in Pajamas: Great blog with lots of inspiration, and here is the link to their "Cats Pajamas" store.

Little Princess Cards: Wonderful things here for you to feast your eyes on!

"Mistables:" From Pink Paislee, neat assortment of new chipboard and other items that will take color well, looks interesting and I might just have to find some around here.

Don't forget to keep checking the CHA Sneak Peek link, lots of great stuff being posted everyday!

That is all I have for you this week, again, make sure you pop over to the facebook page so you won't miss any of the one day sale and other links I post there.

Until then, have a wonderful day and enjoy your 4th of July!

Attention Bay Area stampers, check out these amazing workshops!

2011-06-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, hope you had a wonderful weekend. Today's post is actually geared to readers who live near San Jose, CA, I will post again later this week with the usual links..

Last Saturday I was visiting one of my local scrapbook stores (research for an upcoming Examiner article) and stumbled upon Irina Blount (La-La Land Crafts) who was hosting a workshop. You can read the article I posted about her and the workshops by clicking here. If you are facebook I would appreciate you "liking" the article as well, and subscribing to me at Examiner.com.

If anyone is interested in taking one of Irina's workshops, let me know (email Jacquie at afterhoursstamper dot com) as I want to take a workshop and thought it would be fun to meet some of you who are local. While the workshops are not cheap, they are value added, and when you see the crafting that Irina does, and the projects for each workshop, well, you will be as excited as I am : )

I also bought a couple of her stamps (Irina draws them herself), and made a couple of cards this weekend, here is one of the cards I made:

I used "Capri Marci" and colored her with Copics. I also added some glitter to the shirt, Viva Decor Pearl Pen to the pants, shoes, flowers and the butterfly. The shapes were cut with my new Cricut Create (and yes, I am absolutely LOVING the machine, more about that later). I embossed the shapes using the Cuttlebug. The butterfly has glittered wings ( tape was put behind the shape, sticky side up, glitter sprinkled on top).

Background paper was stamped (and clear embossed) using an Impression Obsession background stamp, and then I layered paper on the card base (card is 5.5 square).

Ok, that is it for today, hoping to see a few emails of other locals who want to take Irina's workshop : )

See you again later this week : )

Welcome Summer! "cool" links, Summer CHA 2011 "sneak peeks," freebies and more.

2011-06-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Summer has officially arrived! The joys of summer, long days of sunlight, walks in the evening, lots of outdoor parties, enjoying a cool drink on the patio, the list goes on and on. Of course there is also the heat, but fortunately for those of us in San Jose our heat is usually limited to a few days at a time.

Don't forget that Summer CHA is just around the corner, I will be posting links to all the sneak peaks as I find them, there seems to be lots of cool things heading our way this year, stay tuned! (One CHA link today, more to follow).

Because I don't have enough to do (insert laugh track), I have taken on writing a column for the Examiner, signing up as the San Jose Paper Crafter : ) I would be honored if you stopped by the Examiner online and took a quick look at the article I just posted there on a local art studio, "A Work of Heart," that has tons of classes for kids (and adults). If you are in the San Jose, CA area you should check out this studio, location and other information can be found in the article.

Before I go on with the links, wanted to let you know that I have entered the world of "Cricut" with my first purchase of a Cricut Create : ) My new toy is still in the box, will be playing with it later tonight (my birthday was a little bit ago and used the bday money to purchase). I was able to get the machine for $38.01 plus $12 in shipping on Ebay. It is an opened box, and we shall see if the thing works. Have also bought a few cartridges, two, for $20, also on Ebay (I refuse to pay full price for the carts).

If you have any suggestions on "must have" carts, please let me know in the comments, I would be very interested in what you recommend : )

Ok, enough of this and that, how about some links (which is why I am sure you stopped by today : ). Here we go:

Studio Calico: A wonderful site for all sorts of inspiration, tutorials, lots of scrapbook ideas and more, you are going to love the things you find here.

Summer CHA 2011 Sneak Peeks: The granddaddy of sneak peek links for all things Summer 2011 CHA! Lots and lots of new things coming our way, make sure to check this link often for updates of new sneak peeks for Summer CHA 2011. There are not many links listed yet, but as the time draws near this list will grow (tempting your wallet to shrink).

Cardmaking 101: Great site (I posted this on Facebook as well), all sorts of tutorials and wonderful information.

Honeycomb Stamps: These stamps are designed to be used with honeycomb paper, check out the video and view the stamp sets, love this site. You can also buy the paper at this site (a bit cheaper, but the link is only for the paper, no stamps). This link was on Facebook as well.

Get it Scrapped: The link takes you to a post on their site that has 50 links to ideas for scrapbooking (many of which can be used for card making as well). Make sure to tour the entire site as there is a huge amount of information here for you.

Cricut Cartridges: The link is to Ebay and wow can you save money buying the cartridges here! As soon as I hear from you about the best cartridges I will be spending a bit of time on Ebay : ) Watch for the carts you want and then start bidding (many of the carts do not charge for shipping, which saves you even more money).

Making an ink pad swatch ring: From Get it Scrapped (like I said, lots of GREAT information on that site). Loved this idea and it is pretty helpful when you are trying to match a certain paper or color scheme.

Posy Patch Stamp and Die: Love these stamps on "It's Cheaper than Therapy," make sure to visit the main page for more stamp/die sets, makes card creating/scrapbooking so much easier ! The dies are below the stamps, and the stamp set is very reasonably priced!

Adorable Free Digital Images: New images are added on Tuesdays, and you will just drool over some of these! I loved the Bird reading the book (shown to the right), there are lots more images, so take a look and have some fun! Scroll down to see the images.

Craft Gawker: Lovely collection of links to all things crafting, and I do mean all things! A real treat for the eyes, click on the pictures to be taken to the blogs/sites.

That is it for this week, don't forget to read the article posted at the Examiner, let me know what you think and what you would like me to write about over there.

And thank you all for your continued support and visits to this little crafting corner of the internet. Have a great week, check the AfterHoursStamper Facebook page for daily links, and see you next week.

Returning to the blog: links, new tools and updates

2011-06-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone, yes, I have been away for a bit : ) . Our son is now officially a Marine, he graduated in May, and he currently is doing some more training in San Diego and then will be going across the country for more training for his specific job. We are very, very proud of him, though it is very hard to not have him with us. Thanks for all the support you have shown, I can't tell you how much I have appreciated your emails and comments.

Don't forget to "like" the "AfterHoursStamper" Facebook page, I have actually posted quite a few links there, and try to post something at least once a day (some of the links will be posted here as well, some will only be found on Facebook).

Now...onto some other exciting news! I am currently teaching Scrapbook classes at the Westgate Michaels in San Jose! The first set of classes started this last Friday, and continue for three more Fridays (June 10 to July 1). The next Scrapbook classes will start on July 8th and continue on Friday evenings until July 29th. You can enroll in the class by visiting the Michaels at the Westgate Mall, 1600 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, phone number: 408-379-4717.

I will also be hosting a Crop night at the Westgate Michaels, June 18th, from 2 to 8 pm, the cost is $5 and gives you access to all sorts of tools at the store, as well as design/technique help from yours truly.

In the near future I am also hoping to be teaching some card classes, stay tuned for more details.

Though I haven't been posting, I have been taking some pictures, the butterfly at the right has been a visitor where I work, finally got a picture of it the other day and just loved the color combination in the picture.

Even though I have not been posting much, I have still been saving all sorts of interesting links for you, and I hope that you find the links below useful, fun, interesting and cost saving : )

Ready? Here we go:

Design Seeds: You are going to LOVE this site! A fantastic resource for color combinations, lots and lots of examples and beautiful combinations for any of your paper crafting.

Wild Orchid Crafts: This is the online source for flowers for your cards, great prices, and now they have two blogs, one for sharing projects and another blog for challenges (with some cool prizes). Make sure you stop by both for a nice dose of inspiration.

Digital Publishing in the Scrapbooking Industry: GREAT article on which publications offer digital versions of their publications.

Coolibah: For those of you with IPads or IPhones, this is a free scrapbooking app. I just downloaded it, but haven't played with it too much yet, will let you know what I think after I have a chance to play with this app.

ScrapPad: Another scrapbooking app for the IPhone/IPad. I have this app and have played with it a bit, and so far I like it. And here is a video review for you:

Miss Art's Papercrafting School: This looks interesting, quite a few classes offered and for a good price too. All of the classes are offered online, another nice feature.

In case you have not yet become a fan of the AfterHoursStamper Facebook page, here are a few links that have been posted over the last week or so. (To see all the links just visit the page and make sure to "like" so you will get the new links each day.)

Copic coloring tutorial: Nice tutorial on coloring flowers, especially the step by step instructions.

FREE online Magazine: You are just going to LOVE this online magazine by Whimsy Stamps. Make sure you take a look at the Distress Ink coloring tutorial, which is in an easy to follow step by step format. Lots of great information here.

Colored Pencil Studio: All things colored pencils can be found here, a wonderful site with tons of information on colored pencils.

Feels good to be back! Again, thanks for all of your support and for sticking around during my LOA : )

Enjoy your day and have a GREAT weekend!
There are lots mo

A Valentine's Day Post

2011-02-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! Apologies for no post last week, our life was busy and truthfully there was not much time or desire to craft.

Last night we dropped our son off at a hotel for his journey to Marine Boot Camp. Friends, this is one of the hardest things we have ever had to do as a family, and it is all I can do to type this and not sob.

We are so proud of our son for enlisting, and for choosing the Marines. Yet our hearts long to hear him run through the house at top speed, hear him banging away on his drums in the garage or sitting next to us at dinner.

He was to be awakened this morning at 3:30 am to go to the processing station then he boards a plane for San Diego where he will be for the next 13 weeks. Sleep was fitful last night and I found myself awake at 3:45 am, thinking about him, praying for him, praying for all of the young men and women who are on the same journey.

We have spent the last weeks together, visiting family, doing fun things, and just hanging around together. Yesterday he and I attended mass together, and it was difficult to stop my tears from flowing. He was given a special blessing by the priest, and was also told that the parish would keep him in their prayers.

And of course we had a nice dinner for him last night,after which the four of us got into the car to take him to the hotel. I didn't want to leave, but eventually we left him there with the other young men who were also leaving today. Another young man was there with his family, and like our family, his sister was crying.

We went over and introduced ourselves and I took a family picture for them. And so now we have a connection to at least one other family from our area whose son is also on the same path as our son.

I hope that you understand that my heart/mind is distracted for the moment, will be ready to post about stamping next week, but right now I am just hoping that we get that quick phone call later today/tonight that the recruits are allowed, basically just "I have arrived" and then they hang up.

Already I have written him a letter, and hope to try to write one each day to remind him that he is strong, that he is loved and that we are proud of him. We won't be able to mail letters to him for about 10 days, or until we get his address (he will be allowed to send it to us on a pre-printed postcard).

And while we have had wonderful weather here for the last month, today is a dreary day, rainy, dark and windy, which is not "lifting" my spirits.

He left flowers and some candy for his girlfriend, our daughter is going to deliver the gifts to her this morning. Our son wanted his girlfriend to have the gifts on Valentine's Day, even if he couldn't be here to give them to her personally.

Enough of my whining, I hope you understand and if you pray, please keep our son (and all the young men and women who are at Boot Camp with him) in your prayers and thoughts.

Thank you for being my "online" friends and support, today that means more then anything to help me get through this difficult time.

Update: I posted so quick this morning that I had to come back to fix some typos...sorry everyone.

2011 Winter CHA: Lots and lots of new product to drool over!

2011-02-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, sorry my post is a late, I did not have an internet connection this weekend and have been playing "ketchup" all week.

As a side note, I saw a satellite picture of the country yesterday and couldn't believe the size and veracity of the storm covering most of our nation right now. Yet again in CA we have weather in the high 60's to low 70's, just amazingly great weather while the rest of the country is getting slammed. Here is what I saw:

That picture goes from the East Coast all the way to almost CA, the storm was said to be more then 2,000 miles wide. I hope that if you are having to deal with the weather everything goes well for you.

This week we get to review all of the releases, news, updates and stories from CHA : ) Lots and lots of new paper, stamps and tools for everyone!

I have been reading tons of blogs reporting on CHA, thought I would list some of the ones I thought were most interesting, as well as links to new products, at the end of the links I have posted some cool videos as well!

Plaid: LOVED this post, lots of pictures of the Plaid booth, really cool.

Work in Progress: Lots of pictures from lots of different booths here.

New Slice Design Cards: These look so wonderful! While I did end up returning the "Slice Elite" I ordered, my original Slice still does the job and might be happy to have some new cards to play with : )

And here are some videos:

BlueMoon has additional videos on their blog, make sure to stop by for more CHA videos.

Here is a short video of the new Cricut Expression 2 (Cricut E2):

Here is a link that has a number of other videos on new features for the Cricut Expression 2.

How about a demo by Tim Holtz?

Ok, that is it for today, again, sorry that the post ended up being so late this week! Take care and have a wonderful day.

Organization: Great ideas to help you spend more time crafting, less time looking for lost items

2011-01-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Our January is feeling more like May here in San Jose, temperatures in the 60's all week, and while I do live in California, this is still a bit odd for us this time of year. We had rain, but now no rain on the horizon, which is something we need in our dry state.

I hope that your winter is going well, it is really hard for me to imagine how cold it is for some of you right now while here we are in CA with spring like weather. Oh, and don't forget to visit me over on Facebook, am trying to post a new link there every day, mostly links to great blogs, but once in a while a sale, or something special : )

And yes, I do have time once in a while to make cards, this is for someone at work who wanted a birthday card:

From 2011-01-24

Inside the card:

From 2011-01-24

Close up:

From 2011-01-24

I used distress ink to color the image, put some clear gloss on the candle flames and also ran a few of the panels through the cuttlebug to emboss. I also added some diamond stickles to the image (the dots you see, couldn't get the camera to pick up the sparkle.)

Now, onto the dreaded topic for today: Organization. Some of you have rather large areas, some have small areas (like me) and some crafters have to haul their tools out and craft on kitchen and dinning room tables. Whatever your situation, today I should have a link or two that will hopefully give you some inspiration to organize your tools/papers and whatnots.

First and foremost, given that we are still at the start of the year, one of the best ways to organize yourself is to clean out what you haven't used: old stamps, paper, tools, inks, whatever it is that you know you haven't used in the last year or two, now is the time to clear it out.

You can donate your old crafting supplies to local schools, you can give your old supplies to a friend who is just starting to paper craft or you can try to sell some of your things on places like ebay. Whatever your choice, the objective is to remove that which you haven't used and know deep down in your heart you aren't going to use.

Once you have cleared out your stash, the next step is to determine what it is that most needs your attention. In my case it is punch storage, in your case it might be paper, stamps, embellishments or other tools. After you get your worst mess together, move onto your other supplies, and little by little you will find that instead of spending half your time looking for something, you will spend more time crafting!

Here are some helpful organizational links for you:

Club CK: A whole group of links here for you to visit, and I am sure you are going to find something on one of these posts to inspire you to organize your stash.

Ribbon Organization: Great link with some good ideas, and check out the links at the bottom of the article for more ideas on getting everything organized.

Picture Organizing: Nice article on how to organize all of your old pictures and actually get them from the computer into a scrapbook.

Organization blog: WOW! This blog is devoted to organization for scrapbookers/cardmakers/papercrafters, and it has tons of great images and ideas for you to view, loved it!

Organizing Craft Rooms: A video is posted here and then another group of links at the bottom of the post for more organizational blogs/posts.

This Blessed Nest: Part one is the link on the left, and here is part two, you are going to love what she did with her space and will get some great ideas as well.

The Frugal Crafter: Nice video of an organized craft room and then lots of tips to help you get organized. Don't forget to check out the free digital images on her blog as well.

Cropper Hopper: Lots of great ideas here, many of them work in both large and small areas.

All sorts of storage: found these items on Nextag, lots and lots of things for organization : )

Ok, that is all for this week, next week will be filled with all sorts of goings on at CHA, can't wait to see what goodies are unveiled for us there!

Take care and have a wonderful week.

2011 Winter CHA Sneak Peaks!

2011-01-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

Good morning, I hope that you had a wonderful weekend. We finally put all of the Christmas stuff away, I managed to get some other chores done, and actually had time to do some stamping!

Don't forget to visit AfterHoursStamper on Facebook ("like" the page so that the updates land on your wall), I am linking to a "featured" blog each day, as well as sales and other cool things I find online : )

Here is the card I made:

From 2011-01-17

Close up:

From 2011-01-17

The image was stamped on 140lb watercolor paper with black VersaMark ink, then I embossed with clear embossing powder. Distress Ink was used to color the image, the rope, bow, and hair bows were highlighted with TonerTex foil. I also used some Viva Decor pens to make the "colored pearls" in the corners of the card.

Now onto a TON of links for new products debuting at the 2011 Winter CHA. I have been clicking and saving links all weekend, some of the new products will just knock your socks off, and I need to make more cards to use up the paper I have so I can buy some of the new paper that is coming out this year. Here we go:

Paperwishes: Love this site, tutorials, videos and tons of products! One of the new products is called "Paper Tole," images that are precut for you to punch out and layer on your scrapbook page or card. Watch the video here to see how it works. And check out their "Stamp and Punch" stamp set, a must have for card makers.

Unity Stamps: Tons of new stamps here for you to view.

Studio Calico: The link takes you to a catalog of their new products for 2011 Winter CHA, just adorable papers, embellishments and more! And while you are there check out the tutorials on the blog.

Prima: Flowers, papers, embellishments, all in colors to drool over, can't wait to get my hands on some of these new designs from Prima.

Creative Imaginations: Beautiful papers just waiting to be used : ) Here is a link to a larger image of the new papers. And make sure to view their new "Gingham" paper (I love Gingham and can't wait to try this paper.)

My Minds Eye: More paper, tags and embellishments to temp your senses ; )

Tim Holtz: Die cuts, alterations, embossing folders, and a whole lot more!

Teresa Collins: Amazingly vibrant pink paper here, great designs and color.

Fiskars: New cling stamps, can't wait to try these!

Stampavie: Lots of new stamps, make sure to click on the links in the upper left hand column on the "Stampavie" blog for previously listed sneak peaks.

New Spellbinders: So much to tempt you here! Link takes you to the Scrap-mart preorder page, and here is a link to check out what the Spellbinders DT is doing with these new die cuts (you are going to be knocked out by the beauty of the new dies!)

Studio 490: New stamp sets, the link takes you to a preview of the first set, new previews each day.

Whew! Lots more to come next week, and I can't wait to share a link to an amazing scrapbooker I found, her work will knock your socks off! Until then have a wonderful week!

A special request for a special person

2011-01-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

My dear friends and fellow crafters, I am writing an extra blog post this week to bring to your attention the story of a fellow crafter who needs our help, Katie Emmerson Renz. Katie has just been diagnosed with stage 4 Stomach Cancer, and she needs our help.

Katie is a young mom with three small boys and a loving husband. The entire family has been hit hard by this diagnosis, and I am hoping that we can help band together to help Katie and her family during this struggle.

Here is a link to Katie's story, and here is a picture of Katie in the hospital, surrounded by her loving family:

The crafting community has banded together and come up with a wonderful fundraiser for Katie, you can find all the details here. Take a look at the many people and companies who have come together to help this family in need.

I know times are tough, and if you can spare just a little to aid Katie and her family I know how much help it will be to them. If you can't give financially, you can assist by making sure to spread the word about Katie's story and posting the link to the fundraiser on your blogs or Facebook pages.

Thank you for any help you can give this lovely family, and lets keep our prayers and best wishes for Katie forefront in our minds.

With all my love to you my dear crafting friends, thank you for being an amazingly warm and caring community.

Lots of cool links this week: Freebies, CHA, and more!

2011-01-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

Good morning to everyone, it is cold here (for us anyway), 30 degrees this morning (which is not something we see regularly). Hope you had a great first week of the year, we have not finished doing all of the Christmas clean up, but will this week (funny how the clean up always takes longer then the set up).

Please stop by and like the "AfterHoursStamper" page on Facebook. I am posting there almost every day, usually a link to a cool blog you might like, but also links to things that are time sensitive, like sales and other things. There are so many great links out there, and I just can't list them all here on the blog, so the Facebook page is a way for me to post things on a daily basis.

I have been working on some cards, here are three that I did this last week:

From 2011-01-04

The card above actually has a "boo-boo" in it, on the background, but I think that it ended up looking pretty good! When I was stamping with my background stamp from Impression Obsession I moved the stamp and got a double image, however I just kept going and think that it still looks ok. In other words, even if you mess up try to work with what you have left, you might be surprised : )

I cut out the note shapes with my Slice, then used my cuttle bug to emboss the red and the black, the color on the edge of the "thank you" was done with chalk (actually am trying to use all my supplies this year.)

From 2011-01-04

I did finally try the "medallion" technique that I posted a few weeks ago, and yes, it does work, you just have to play around with the size of your circle. The card above had a five inch circle and then a three and a half inch circle. If you can't completely "finish" the circle try putting a button, flower, bow or some other embellishment in the area that doesn't quite line up, like I did with my bow.

The background paper was made with yet another background stamp from Impression Obsession, I stamped in embossing ink, embossed with clear powder (to keep the white), and then colored the paper with a "stain" (which comes in a dauber bottle) from Lindys Stamp Gang (I love their products, if you haven't tried them before, check out these "try me kits," a great value and a nice way to get a chance to use their products). I also added some of the Viva Decor Pearl pen to the card (the Pearl Pens are another product that you really need to try if you haven't yet, once you try them you will be hooked!).

From 2011-01-04

The card above uses a Hero Arts stamp, I inked up the stamp with distress ink and then sprayed the stamp with glimmer mist (the pearl which is the one I use almost all the time and now need a refill of). The shape at the bottom was cut out using my Slice (the original one as the Elite was sent back.)

Now onto our links for this week. Again, no theme just a collection of things I thought you might like.

2011 Winter CHA: Lots and lots of buzz about what is coming up in a few weeks, so far there have been a ton of new papers, I am looking forward to seeing some of the new tools and other goodies.

The Hybrid Chick: Tons of stuff here, tips, freebies, techniques, great projects, just a wealth of fantastic paper crafting goodness!

Craft Crave: The link goes to their freebies page (they have a search that pulls up freebies that are online), but make sure to check out their "printable" page as well.

Recipe Card Maker: LOVED this link, you can make your own recipe cards, and then you can decorate them up with stamping and what not. And make sure you check out the rest of this blog, I can't wait to try to make this and these.

DecoArt Glamour Dust Paint: If you love the Glamour Dust Glitter (which is great), then you are sure to love this new paint. I am going to try some of this, the set of 12 is a good price, am thinking of ordering these to play with.

Ranger Ink Blog: I had no idea that this blog existed, fantastic information, tips, techniques and projects here, as well as updates on new products.

Tombow USA Blog: Another good blog from a manufacturer, make sure to check out all the links to the right under "categories," which include a whole lot of free downloads!

Fantastic New 6x6 Paper Pads: Wow, you are going to LOVE these, run, don't walk, to Susana's Custom Art and Card Design to grab hold of some of these papers (I need to order some when I get paid later this week.) Really loved the "Let's Party" paper, as well as all the other ones : )

Paper in the Works: You will need to spend some time on this blog as the work here is simply amazing, and it is done mostly using Tombow markers! Just a real treat and filled with all sorts of inspiration.

Ok, that is it for today, please remember to stop by and "like" the AfterHoursStamper page on Facebook, I have a new link up for today, and will be posting a new link everyday : )

Have a fantastic week, stay warm and see you soon. Thanks so much for visiting the blog and sharing your love of paper crafting : )

Happy 2011! Freebies, news, links and lots more for you.

2011-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

A most happy new year to everyone! Here is to the best year ever, filled with all sorts of paper crafting goodness. Given that this is a new year, I wanted to make some modifications to the blog, not big changes, but hopefully changes you will find useful. One change you will notice right away is that I am going back to posting on Monday which just seems to work best for my schedule.

Given that I am working full time I have had to resign from my DT position on Susana's Custom Art and Card Design. This year I think that instead of being on any DT's I am going to try to submit some of my work to magazines, as well as work on my scrapbooking a bit more. Don't forget that I will be teaching scrapbook classes in San Jose, and should also be getting some Copic Coloring classes together soon, stay tuned.

First of all, if you can please take a moment to visit my new Facebook page, click here and "like" the page. I will be trying to post there more then once a week, mainly featuring inspiring blogs/work from paper crafters. The facebook page will also be the place where I post sales and special deals that come up in between my postings here on the blog. Right now you will find links to two blogs that had some amazing work.

Please feel free to share the page with any of your friends. Also: I will be getting rid of the other facebook account for AfterHoursStamper, just never had enough time to sign in under that account, and why I created the page for AfterHoursStamper, just much easier to update and manage.

Over the holidays we visited my husband's Uncle who lives in Calistoga, CA (wine country, near Napa), and I took some pictures of some carvings that his wife had done (she is no longer carving, which is too bad because her work is amazing):

From 2011-01-02

And here is Mimi, the artist:

From 2011-01-02

And now, onto the first links for 2011! After almost three years one would think that everything possible has been linked to, but as I found out yesterday, there is so much out there to find, see, enjoy, learn from, be inspired by and just have fun with.

The links today have no special theme, just what I was finding as I surfed around yesterday, hope you enjoy them.

Winter CHA 2011 Sneak Peaks: The page is finally up, and more companies will be putting their information on the linked page so make sure to visit there often. I will also feature some of the more interesting products/information when more links are added to the page.

Kindred Creations: Good deals here on the Daily Deals page, (this is a store in Idaho Falls, ID). There are also a number of pages for "freebies," here is the link to the digital freebies, click around the site for more freebies : )

Masterful Scrapbook Design: This is a site that you can subscribe to for $10 a month, you can join at any time as well as cancel at any time. There are lots and lots of great designers who provide fantastic inspiration and scrapbook design elements. If you are a scrapbooker, or if you have a friend who is one, this might be a nice gift (to yourself or a friend).

Colour Lovers: WOW! There is just an amazing amount of information here, and tools. You can go to "trends" and pick "craft" to see some of the latest color trends for crafting (and all sorts of other categories as well.) There is also a nice color tool to help you pick colors for your projects.

PaperCraft Connection: The blog that goes with the PaperCraft magazine. Very nice layout and some fantastic inspiration here, as well as information on sending your projects in for publication and lots more.

A Little Hut: Wonderful blog from a graphic designer, the link to the left takes you to some free downloads, here is the link to her home page, be ready for some major inspiration.

Five Free Digital Magazines: From Cards magazine to Scrapbook Trends, something for everyone! You will be asked to enter your email, and then you have full access to the digital versions of the magazines.

Craft Gossip: I have linked to them before, but you can never have too much of a good thing. If you haven't bookmarked their site, do so for 2011. The blog always has links to sales, new tutorials, freebies (where I found the link for the magazines) and more.

Hope that you enjoyed the links today, next week perhaps a bit of what you plan on doing this year with your crafting (my resolution is to try to craft each day, which means I need to move away from the computer : )

Thanks for visiting, and don't forget to "like" the AfterHoursStamper page on Facebook.

Goodbye to 2010, reflections and of course some links

2010-12-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the last post of 2010. Was thinking this morning that the year went by way to fast, too many things still left on the list (that were going to be done last January), and reflecting on the upcoming year with all the possibilities that are yet to be realized.

I hope you had a most wonderful holiday with your family and friends. We enjoyed lots of family, great food and are exhausted! Am off of work this week (took four days off and get 11 days off in a row : ), but so far have not done much (though I actually made a card yesterday!). Made a trip to Michaels and bought a new OTT light for my work area (thanks to the Gift Cards in my purse), also bought two Hero Arts stamps (I do love their stamps), and managed to put away most of the dishes and such from Christmas dinner.

Here are a few pictures for you, starting with my 83 year young Mom:

From 2010-12-26

Here is my brother preparing his award winning appetizers for us on Christmas day:

From 2010-12-26

And here is my hubby (on the left) and his brother right after they "found" their Christmas gift (we made them go on a treasure hunt to find the final gift, a trip to spring training to see their World Series Champion Giants):

From 2010-12-26

You are the reason that I continue this blog, thank you so very much for visiting, posting, sending me emails and for all the support you have given me over the years. It is hard to believe that AfterHoursStamper has been around for almost three years now (May will mark the third year)! Yes, three years! Again, thank you for your continued support, it means the world to me.

This year is shaping up to be pretty exciting! I will be teaching a scrapbook class at Michaels, and hopefully will also be able to branch out and teach a card class there as well. Am also working on setting up some small sized classes for Copic coloring, will provide details soon.

Now onto some crafting links/thoughts : )

First of all, the new Hero Arts catalog is FINALLY available online, here is the link and watch your pocket book because there are piles of stamps in there that you are going to want. And don't forget to visit the Hero Arts blog, so much talent there, just amazing work that will give you all sorts of inspiration and ideas.

One Sheet Wonder: Here is a nice template for the OSW technique. I really need to try this so that I have a "group" of cards ready for any occasion.

2011 Winter CHA: Yes, it is coming up soon! The link I posted takes you to a blog with some links to other blogs, but make sure you visit the official CHA website as the event gets closer (I will be linking to their updated sneak peeks as they get posted.) Here is a link for featured designers at the show, and you can click around the link for more show information.

Basic Craft Supplies: interesting site with some good bargains on craft supplies.

Blade Rubber Stamps: LOVED all the tutorials on this blog! You are going to find video after video for all sorts of techniques, so sit back, grab a cup of tea/coffee and enjoy.

There She Goes: Really cute stamps here, and some good sale prices right now too!

Pillow Box Tutorial: This link has a download for both a small and larger sized pillow box, very good tutorial and a way to get started on yet another holiday: Valentines Day!

Sales: LOTS of sales right now, here are a few places to get you started:

Alota Rubber Stamps
House Mouse
Stampin Place
Splitcoast Stampers Shop Hop (some GREAT deals at the member companies)
A Cherry on Top: Buy two Martha Stewart punches, get one free (and their prices are pretty good!)
More sales: A post on SCS lists a number of other companies that are having year end sales.

Version 2 of the Cuttlebug: Looks interesting, and this is a good price for the machine (which includes embossing folders), it appears the new machine does not use the "C" plate and the handle can be folded into the machine for easier storage.

12 New Copic Colors: Sketch pens, coming in March. To see the colors, go to the link, then to the Sketch Markers, and then scroll through the colors, the new colors will have a "notify me" black button on the left. Pretty cool colors too!

That is all for 2010 my dear friends, am looking forward to sharing 2011 with you and our passions for paper crafting.

Making Memories Elite Slice review (updated) and good alternatives to Copic markers

2010-12-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

A most happy and Merry Christmas to you and yours this holiday season. We are experiencing a series of storms, as I type we are under a flood warning, though the rain does seem to have subsided a bit. Thankfully we do not have to travel much for Christmas this year, and I learned last week that Christmas dinner was going to be at our house this year, so at least we will be home for Christmas.

Our remodel moves along, the vanity ordered for the bathroom arrived, damaged, but at least it is installed and awaiting the removal of the damaged piece with the new piece that arrived on Friday. The bathroom was painted (I picked a color that was too dark, had a small jar and then mixed the color with some of my own paint, made a pretty good match and the painter then matched that color). The windows are wonderful! Keeping the house nice and warm, and they look wonderful!

The tree is up, and the lights outside are up, however I am not doing much decorating this year given all of the construction, just too much to deal with.

Update on the Elite Slice Review: Sadly the machine is going to be returned, and after much back and forth Making Memories will pay for the return shipping (as they should have done from the beginning).

I was hesitant to have them "repair" the machine and continue to have problems and be required to pay for shipping to their facility. Additionally if they replaced the machine the new replacement machine would not have the same one year warranty as the original one, so I am going to wait about six months or longer to try the machine again, hopefully by then they will have fixed the bugs.

Again, I strongly advise that you wait to purchase the "Elite Slice," as you will need to spend additional money to send the machine to MM, and then if they do have to replace the machine you lose your one year warranty.

When the Slice works it is GREAT! I now also have the hands free 6x6 mat and LOVE it! My old machine is working fine, and while it is a bit slower, louder and does not cut as accurately as the newer "Elite Slice," it works all the same, which is more then I can say about the "Elite Slice."

I wish that Making Memories would perform better quality control with their products, I don't relish the idea that as a consumer we end up having to QA their products, not a good experience. I also have issues with the fact that consumers are required to pay shipping when having to send the Slice back for repairs/return. In my experience companies pay the shipping costs for faulty equipment (as one example: my Kitchen Aid mixer had to be returned and Kitchen Aid send me a new machine, and a shipping label to send the old machine back.)

Ok, now how about some links today? I thought you might like to have a list of alternatives to Copic markers. If you have limited funds consider supplementing your markers with some of the following alternatives, especially for the darker colors. All of the markers below will blend with you Copics, and they are all alcohol based markers. Note that some of the markers have different tips then the Copics, and also that some (like the Promarker) are larger then the Copics.

ShinHan Touch Twin Markers: Great sale right now at Jerry's Artarama on these pens, and check out the price for a set of 60 (though I have yet to find a listing of what colors are included). The set works out to about 1.66 per pen, not bad. From what I can tell these could be a good choice to fill in your marker collection, especially if you want a color that you might not use much. These pens are refillable as well. Consider ordering a few individual markers to play with and then decide if you might want to order more.

TriArt Markers: One review, that I found helpful (many others out there as well). I have a few of these markers and they work fairly well, blend like copics, have an extra tip, and they are refillable (like Copics). The colors tend to be much more intense, so this might be a good alternative for some of your darker colors. These pens are refillable.

Tria Markers: Here is a review of the pens, noting a known problem as well as an excellent customer response to the problem. Bottom line? These may be good pens to use when starting out, or again, to fill in for rarely used colors. The pens are refillable and come with three nibs (bullet tip, brush tip and chisel). I may order a few to try them out. UPDATE: Paul , the online Marketing Director, has left a comment on the Tria Markers (and I might add that I was impressed with the quick information that Paul provided, excellent customer relations)

As you mentioned we (Letraset) make both the Tria Marker and ProMarker.

ProMarker is our entry level marker with two nibs (chisel and fine nib), available in 148 colours. They are great value for money and they do hold a lot of ink!

Tria is our high-end marker, available in 300 colours, has 3 nibs (brush, chisel and ultra-fine!) and is fully re-fillable.

We regret the past problems with Tria, and have done everything we can to put things right. The Tria Design has been altered to fix the problems and it is now an extremely high quality marker.

If you have any questions then please do get in touch with us.

Paul (Online Marketing Executive, Letraset Ltd. UK) http://www.letraset.com

Promarker by Letraset: Non refillable, however the price is amazing, and the pens come with about twice the amount of ink as Copic Sketch markers. Here is one review for you to read, and here is the website for Letraset (which also makes the Tria markers), and check out this nice tutorial on coloring hair and clothing.

Prisma Markers: I had a set of these and found I did not like the tips on these pens, and also did not like the color variety. Having said that, these are still a good alternative to fill in your Copics with darker colors. These pens are not refillable.

Pantone Markers: These look similar to the Copics, but I can not determine if you can refill them. At $3.19 a pen if they cannot be refilled you are better off waiting for a sale on Copics (when you can get them for about $3.87 a pen).

To you and yours a most wonderful Christmas. I am ever grateful for your continued support of my little blog, and hope to have some exciting posts in 2011, including the upcoming Winter CHA!

Mini product review, Elite Slice, and some other cool links

2010-12-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

Good morning to you! Our tree is up, house sparsely decorated (still undergoing construction) and we are slowly getting our tasks done before Christmas (can anyone say last minute shopping?) Will post pictures next week.

And yes, I have been making a few things, here is a card I did a bit ago, was just able to get a picture taken:

From 2010-12-13

Close up (a bit blurry) :

From 2010-12-13

Love the stamps (CC Designs), image is colored with copics and then with colored pencils for the shading.

Now...onto the product review. Last Friday my brand new Elite Slice arrived and by Saturday it was back in the box and I am awaiting a "ticket" from Making Memories to send it back. First of all, I was able to get maybe five "good" cuts from the machine, and yes, it is much faster and from what I can tell cuts more accurately then the old one. The Elite is also "quieter" (not as many harsh grinding sounds), sadly, after saying all that, I have to also let you know that there are some bad machines out there.

My machine started ripping/tearing the paper after those five cuts, first I used the "Under the Sea" design card and tried a shell design on four inches, no go, the blade did not retract all the way and the paper was torn to shreds. Then I tried another card, "Mistletoe" and that gave me even worse results. The designs that would cut were "wonky," and yet again a majority of the cuts were ruined by a dragging blade.

I adjusted the blade, changed the blade, tried the design cards on my old machine (which cut them all perfectly), so the machine is back in the box. I wrote to Making Memories and was told to "lubricate" the machine, however the Elite does NOT have the small holes in the bottom to allow for this.

In addition Making Memories also told me that the problems I was having were due to "user" error, ie my adhesive was on the glass mat wrong, the blade was not new, and I told them that 1.) I cut on the same glass mat with my old machine and no ripping of paper (so the adhesive wasn't the problem) and 2.) I had only used the machine for about five minutes, had changed the blade as well as adjusted it.

I should have a ticket today to send the machine back, and truthfully am not sure that I even want to keep the new Elite Slice. If you are considering purchasing one of these new machines I would highly suggest you wait for at least six months to give Making Memories time to once again fix the "bad" machines they are selling to the public.

Making Memories does not pay for you to ship the machine back (they instead send you embellishments for your trouble.)

Sadly, my "bad" experience is not the only one (one other online reviewer had to send a machine back as well.) When I get my machine back I will be doing another review, but for now, hold onto your money.

And before I forget, our family went on an outing together Saturday night, dinner and then we went to what is called the "Fantasy of Lights," a WONDERFUL display of thousands of lights set up at one of our local county parks. We had to wait in line for about 45 minutes (if you go during the week I am sure there is not such a huge wait), the park opens at 6pm and the cost is $15. If you are in my area I HIGHLY recommend taking the time to attend.

Here is a video I found online of the display (have no idea who the people are who put this up, but the video gives you a good sample of what you will see if you attend the Fantasy of Lights.

Now, onto some links! Yes, I do eventually get around to the links : )

Making punched Vellum Flowers: loved this tutorial, makes some absolutely gorgeous flowers! Update: link is fixed : ) Thanks to Cathy : )

Deconstructing Jen: Amazing cards here, you are in for a treat and TONS of inspiration!

Making your own borders and medallions: WOW! All you need is a Martha Stewart corner punch and then you just punch away. I make a few of these in various sizes, 5 inch circle, 4 inch circle, and this really works GREAT! You will need to play with it a bit, and I found that punching with the bottom of the punch face up works best, so you can see exactly where your punch lines up.

Colored Pencil Tutorial from Deconstructing Jen: You will love this video, it is easy to follow and should help you get a more finished look with your colored pencil coloring.

Cherry Lynn Designs: Lots of interesting sets of die cuts here, similar to Spellbinders, but a bit different and these are made in the USA.

Daisy Trail: A community for digital scrapbookers, very cool.

Hero Arts: The new 2011 catalog is here, though I have yet to see it available for download. Can't wait to get my hands on this new catalog : )

Free printable scrapbook pages: Loved this site, has all sorts of wonderful things to download for FREE!

Ok, that is it for this week, take care and see you again next week. And please know how much I appreciate your continued support of this little ole blog, it means the world to me.

Have a fantastic week!

19 days and counting : ) This week links to quick and easy Christmas projects

2010-12-07T06:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday! The camera is back, better then ever and actually taking nonpink pictures. Our remodeling is still going on, so....we do not have the tree up yet, and our outdoor decorations are limited to just the icicle lights (which are new this year, led's). We are still waiting for the stucco to be finished around the new windows, so we can't put too much up outside as it will interfere with the ability of the workmen to set up for the stucco work.

One thing I noticed with our new windows...we can't hear the wind/rain anymore. Yesterday we had a rainy/windy day and I had to keep looking outside to see what the weather was, before the new windows you could "hear" the weather (and feel it as well). Am so glad we have the new windows though, they are so nice, and yes, you will get pictures soon.

Now onto some links! I thought this week would be a good time to find some quick and easy projects for the holidays, because sometimes we just have to craft at the last minute : )

Christmas Tree from a Book: Love this idea, and I need to find a few books to try this with. After folding use some spray paint and glitter to give your tree some added bling.

Circle of Lace: Loved this as well, especially if you have some extra lace around the house. Be creative and make double circles, put interesting embellishments in the middle, add glitter, and so on.

GREAT idea for a Christmas Centerpiece: Wait until you see this idea for a quick and easy centerpiece for Christmas.

Words of Christmas: Another great idea, and yes, simple as well! You could actually use this idea to make either house decorations or tree decorations to give as gifts.

103 Quick and Easy Christmas Gifts: Loved this, and hope you will too. Almost all of the ideas are great for paper crafters!

Curly Wired Christmas Ornament: So easy, and adorable!

Quick and easy Snowman ornament: Loved this one too, and it would be a fun craft for kids.

Christmas Idea Page: All sorts of things here for you to try (the two links right above are from this link).

You are going to LOVE this idea:

More ideas can be found here.

Hope you find something useful in the links today. Check back next week for an product review, more links (of course) and pictures!

Until then, stay warm and have a wonderful week.

Time to get organized; out with the old, in with the new

2010-11-30T05:38:00.000-08:00

Happy after Thanksgiving! I hope you spent your holiday enjoying your family and friends. We had a nice time with my Dad, ate too much, but so enjoyed having a quiet and relaxed Tday.

I still do not have my camera back, so no pictures again this week. Our remodeling is moving along, waiting for a few little things and then a break while we celebrate Christmas.

And so I thought that while we usually wait until after Christmas to organize ourselves, this year how about trying to fit in a little time to clear out some of your older, unused things (give them away to schools, teachers, friends) to make way for what Santa might bring your way.

Once some of the stuff is cleared out it becomes easier to reorganize what is left. Today the posts are all about organization, how to organize your craft supplies, from large ideas to some pretty interesting small ideas, there is sure to be something here for you to use. Oh, and remember that some of these ideas will work as gifts for your crafting friends as well (don't you just love being able to give a crafter something they don't have but need?)

Here we go:

Better Homes and Gardens: Loved the links here, some really interesting ideas, especially creating a crafting cabinet out of an old media cabinet.

HubPages: Lots and lots of great ideas on this link. I am thinking of adding a peg board to my back wall, and then adding shelves and other containers to the peg board, trying to get more organized in my little area.

Scrapbook Storage Solutions: Lots of pretty interesting ideas here, you can find the products you want and then do a search to see what stores might carry the items you would like.

Organizational Tips: Great article with a whole bunch of good ideas to incorporate into your crafting space.

Craft Storage: Some really neat products in this search, you are going to like what you find here for sure.

Vertical File Folder: This isn't cheap, but what a GREAT idea!

Cheap Storage for Stickles: Loved this! And I have to wonder how many other great storage ideas there are out there that can be found in the hardware store?

Crafty Storage: This link is on the side of my blog, and you can never get enough of this ladies blog, just one of the best collections of links to all sorts of craft room organizing. Grab some coffee because you will be on her site for quite a while.

For Keeps Sake: Love this unit, however I do NOT love the price. Here is something similar, for much, much less. You can also search for "computer hutches" or "computer armoire" to find other types of furniture that might work for you as well.

Once we get our house somewhat finished I am working on completely reorganizing my workspace, including getting rid of things I don't use. And yes, I am going to use some of the links above to guide me through the sorting and storing : )

Enjoy your week, stay warm and see you next week for some more fun and fabulous paper crafting links.

Happy almost Thanksgiving! More videos and links today : )

2010-11-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone, sorry my post is late today, but as fate would have it, two days before Thanksgiving and I have come down with a major cold..sigh. There is too much to do around here to be sick, so I am going to just "ignore" the fact that I am sick and do what needs to be done, will be sick on Friday instead : )

I hope that you are getting ready for a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family, we are traveling to see my Dad in Bodega Bay, wonderful area, and it is always a treat to spend time with my Dad. We are going to try a new method to cook the turkey, a high heat method. If you have tried it, let me know how your turkey turned out (preferably before Thursday : ).

Our remodel project moves along, we now have a new floor in the kitchen and hall bathroom, the shower is finished in the hall bathroom and most importantly, the toilet has been installed, which makes us a two toilet family once again.

Still a number of things to be done, the molding has to be finished for the floors (am waiting so I can put more things away), we have to have the painter fix a few things, the vanity/sink/mirror needs to be installed in the hall bathroom, and I need to pick out a new dishwasher (our old one quit working two years ago). And then we need to get the back bathroom floor fixed.

And no pictures this week because my camera had to be sent in for repairs, Cannon had some bad "chips" and my "Sure Shot" had one of the bad chips, all the pictures were turning out pink and blurry. Should have the camera back within a week or so though.

Now, onto some GREAT videos and links.

Copic Marker System: This is a very good explanation of how the numbers work for the Copic pens, if you have friends who are just starting to use Copics make sure to send them this article, it will help them understand what they need to achieve good shading with the markers.

Paper Possibilities: WOW! Wait until you see how this lady colors with colored pencils, I warn you though, you will want to run out and buy huge amounts of colored pencils : ) Here is a link to how she shades around her images, and here is a link I found on her blog to a color chart for Prisma colored pencils.

Papercraft Inspiration: Tons of downloads and ideas here for Christmas, you will find paper, ideas and so much more!

And of course, a few videos that I found for you:

Here is one of five videos, make sure to see all of them here. What I LOVE is the use of Copics with the Prisma colored pencils for shading, this technique gives your image some amazing depth and it is not all that hard:

Make sure you visit the blog for some amazing work by Chrissy, you will need to go to older posts to view some of her work, just amazing.

Loved the flowers in this next video, easy to make and the effect is just beautiful!

And how about some leaves to go with your flower? LOVE this idea, the video is a bit long, but you see the process from start to finish, can't wait to try this:

That is all for this week, and I want to let you know how thankful I am to you for visiting my blog. To you and yours a most wonderful Thanksgiving, and again, thank you for your continued support, it means the world to me.

Lots and LOTS of videos today, from DIY to some great Copic techniques

2010-11-16T06:22:00.000-08:00

Well, Fall seems to have taken a very strange turn in CA, yesterday it was in the 80's, today is forecast to be in the high 70's, go figure. Not that I want the cold weather, but it sure doesn't feel like fall : )

Our home remodel is moving along, the refrigerator is in the family room while the contractor replaces our 17 year old kitchen floor, we still only have one toilet, and the windows are close to being finished. We will have to wait for three more weeks for the vanity in the bathroom, but we should have the floor and toilet in soon : )

Enough of all that, onto some AMAZING videos and links for this week. Since there are so many videos below, I will sign off here at the top, thanks so much for stopping by, you are the reason that I continue finding all these goodies on the web. Have a great week! And now...on with the show ; )

GREAT video on blending/feathering two very different copic colors:

Wonderful copic coloring! There is no sound to the tutorial, but watch and be amazed, never thought to do a few of the things this person did, I sure plan on trying them though!

Make your own glimmer glaze! This is a really easy thing to make, and inexpensive as well! Make extra's to give to your crafting friends at Christmas. And the iridescent medium can be bought at your local Michaels, or online for about half the price (LOVE this stuff!). All you need are small jars to store the glaze.

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And how about making your own glimmer glam? Here is another recipe, and here is where to find the inexpensive gel mentioned in the video, and here is a link to the Pearl Ex. Another great thing to make for Christmas gifts for your crafting buddies.

Make your own shimmer paints. Wait till you see how easy this is....and again, a great way to make a gift for your crafting buddies at Christmas:
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And here is how to make your own Twinkling h20's, easy and with GREAT results!

Martha Stewart Punch All Over the Page. This video shows you how easy it is to use this new punch, I bought the star one this weekend for my Christmas cards, and yes, it is easy and so versatile! Fiskars also has a punch anywhere punch that allows you to buy the base and then you buy the various shapes to put into the punch base. The Martha Stewart punch is not cheap, but when they go on sale they will be a fairly good price.
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Tuesday is oh so much better then Monday ; ) And lots of links for you too.

2010-11-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

Good morning! We had a nice rain over the weekend, but sunny skies and somewhat warm weather for this week, which is fine for me : ) Our house is in total disarray with all the construction, we started with the windows today, and the hall bathroom still has to be finished.

Remember the "Sketchbook Project" that I linked to last week? My sketchbook came in the mail on Friday and I decided that my book would be "Unfinished Life Projects." Basically I am using all of the scraps I have from projects, backgrounds I made but did not use, stamped images that I colored but didn't use and so on. I figured that putting all those things in a book does two things: clears out my area while at the same time represents all those unfinished things we have in life, from paper crafting to other areas.

I figure that using these unfinished elements in the book actually will "finish" these elements when I am done with the book : )

So, here are a few pictures of what I have done so far:

From 2010-11-09

Calendar Templates: Lots and lots of templates here for you to use (gifts, making your own planners and so on). I love when all the links are in one place like this, makes knowing how to find the information so much easier!

Digital Stamping: What is the difference between a JPG and a PNG file? Click on the link to find out, GREAT information for anyone who is using digital images, or is thinking of using them.

Outliners Design Team Search: I love their stamps and saw that they are now looking for DT members, so if you are so inclined, go for it : )

Digital Stamp Companies: GREAT thread on SCS, lots and lots of places to find digital images.

99 cent specials: Check out some of these stamps and other items for only 99 cents! One of my most favorite stamps of all time is here, the "dream" stamp. Other bargains here as well.

Templates for Xmas cards: Loved these, print out a card with a ready made border, add another stamp, some color and you are good to go (and it makes for a nice easy kid craft.)

Really cool snowflake: I might even try this for some quick gifts this year.

And this is a great snowflake too: A fun project with the kids, and I love that this shows how to make a snowflake with six points, you will be amazed at these (and they are easy).

A whole lot of videos: Mrs. Grossman has a ton of videos on how to use stickers for some pretty interesting projects (I have so many unused stickers, these videos gave me some good ideas on how I can start to use them up.)

Thats it for today, check back in next week for some more GREAT links just in time for Xmas : )

And thank you so very much for being such loyal readers of my blog.

Welcome November! LInks, links and more links.

2010-11-02T06:20:00.000-07:00

Happy November! I hope you had a great Halloween and are now getting ready for the last shopping days before Christmas ; )

And WAY to go GIANTS! After many long years they are finally Champions!

Anyhow.....our hall bathroom is tiled, we still need the doors put on and then the floor and maybe a new top for the vanity and new sink. Here is a picture of the new sun tunnel in the bathroom, provides a very nice light for the room without having to turn on the light during the day:

From 2010-11-01

And here is the tile over the tub (we only had one shower in the house, in the master bath.) Having two showers in the house is going to be GREAT! We still need the shower doors installed (slider doors), the floor, a new counter top and sink....and a new toilet:

From 2010-11-01

After this bathroom is done we need to have the back bathroom ripped apart because of water damage to the floor...sigh. Not fun only having one bathroom with four people.

Here is a card I finished last night, I colored the images with colored pencils (which I love using by the way). The colored pencils are not hard to use, they just take a lot more time then using copics, but I do love the depth they give.

From 2010-11-01

And a close up:

From 2010-11-01

Now, how about some links? Today I just have a collection of all sorts of things for you, not a theme, but things I have found that I thought you would like:

Tracy's Stamping Corner: Loved the cards on this blog, and the coloring is amazing! You will really like viewing all the things she has on her blog.

The Sketchbook Project: This is just so cool! You send away for a sketchbook, do what you do with the book, then send it back in January. Your sketchbook will then go on tour! And yes, I signed up for one, just not sure what I am going to do with it yet...any ideas? I will be stamping, coloring, maybe adding some other mediums as well.....

Companies that sell stamps for Spellbinders (nesties): Loved this thread on SCS, go down a bit for the post with the name of the companies that make stamps that will fit your cutout Spellbinders. Way cool.

Free Digital Images: Love it! I must confess though...I have yet to use a digital image, but plan on trying them one of these days soon. For some reason it is hard for me to give up the actual stamping on the paper....

MFT (My Favorite Things) YouTube Channel: Love when I find companies that have a whole channel with lots of videos to watch!

Paper Talk: Very nice post on unmounting your stamps, at the end of the post there are links to each technique she goes over in the post, very informative.

One more free digital image: Love all the digital images on this site, and thought you would enjoy the free digital as well.

It is a Boootiful day here in San Jose : ) And yes, we have some links just for you!

2010-10-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

Good morning, I hope you had a great weekend and are enjoying your week so far. Our roof is now finished, and we also have had some insulation added to the attic, so far the insulation has made a HUGE difference on the temperature of the house, we still have not had to turn on the heater even though the temperature is in the low 50's.

This week the hall bathroom gets a mini face lift, including adding a shower over the tub (right now we only have one shower which is in our back bathroom.) Windows and a new front door are coming soon, and then repairs to the back bathroom.

Anyhow, onto some crafting : ) Here is a card I made using a stamp from the CC Designs Sugarplums Christmas kit (an adorable collection of stamps!)

From 2010-10-26

I used Copics to color this image and also added some diamond stickles (my favorite stickles) and then some Viva Decor Red Glitter pen for even more bling.

Closeup:

From 2010-10-26

For the face I used E50, 51, 21 and 53 (which is becoming my preference over the E00's. The E50 is less "red" then the E00's and I like the more subtle brown tone). I used E11, 15 and 19 for the sash, YG91, 93, 95, 97 and 99 for the dress and for the hair and shoes I used E50, 25 and 31.

Here is an image from the same Sugarplums Christmas Kit that was colored with colored pencils:

From 2010-10-26

I love using the colored pencils for many reasons, one being that if you are in the middle of coloring and need to do something you don't have to worry about the ink drying (like with Copics). The key to coloring with the pencils is to make sure to use a very sharp point on the pencils, color lightly making very small circles, starting with your lightest color and slowly blending in the darker colors.

It does take longer to color an image using the colored pencils versus Copics, however I find it very satisfying to add the colors, sort of like therapy. And I love the results using the colored pencils, adds a great deal of depth to the image. As you can see, if you take your time, use a very sharp point on your pencils and add lots of light layers your coloring can look every bit as nice as using Copic markers.

And now onto the collection of links for today! Lots and lots of things here for you, and I will try to keep posting any new holiday crafts I find.

Christmas sayings/images: Lots of stamps here for you, loved the sayings and images.

Humorous Greetings: Loved some of these, unique and are fun for a different type of Christmas card. Actually liked lots of the stamps here, make sure to check out their other offerings.

JustRite Stamps: Make sure you look at their Gallery for some amazing design examples, and also make sure you check out their video how to's.

Martha Stewart: Don't forget to visit her site for all sorts of interesting ideas. I have linked to one and thought that one could cut out all sorts of shapes using your Cricut or Slice, add the glue and glitter and make a xmas card/ornament to send out. You could also cut out words, add the glitter and use to decorate the house.

Make Your Own Mixes: Make your own mixes and then use your creativity to package these easy and inexpensive gifts.

Glow in the dark Christmas Ornament: Very interesting idea, I might even try it.

Impress: Some very cute ideas here for Christmas cards, and they look fairly quick and easy.

Interesting Box: LOVED this, and while it uses a 6 x 6 square (gives you a small box) I imagine you could do this with 12 x12 paper to get a larger box. Can't wait to try this.

Treehouse Stamps: WOW! Great prices on these unmounted stamps and some really cute designs. And make sure to visit the $1.00 stamp link, some really cute stamps there as well.

And for your last minute Halloween costume ideas, check out this site for some really funny adult costumes. I know, off topic, but thought I would throw it in for you.

How about some Christmas links this week?

2010-10-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

Wow....we are already half way through October! Halloween is around the corner, then Tday...then the big C. We were so lucky at our house this weekend, the roof was replaced and the day after they finished the roof we had rain, talk about a close call!

Now we are working on the insulation, windows, and both bathrooms, all of which are things that need to be done, and hopefully the windows will get done before the rain sets in. Now, how about getting onto some links?

I thought that since we are getting to that time of year when we start to focus on the holidays you might want to view a few holiday related links. Take a look at what I have found so far, and then next week I will work on finding some more things for your holiday giving/decorating.

Here we go:

Craft Ideas Info: Great collection of projects and templates for your holiday needs. I especially like this one, and can image all the variations one could come up with. Love that most of the templates are included with all of the directions.

More Christmas ideas: This is a more general link for Christmas projects, some are paper related, most are not, however a great collection to look through for some ideas.

Disney Family Fun: You will be amazed at the number of ideas for Christmas, some are paper projects, many are not, but you are going to LOVE what you find here. This one was soooooo cute (and pretty easy to boot.)

Craft Bits: Lots and lots of links here to projects, have linked to this before and wanted to remind you of all the goodies on this link.

Christmas Crafts: Again a very large collection of links with tutorials, templates and directions for everything Christmas (decorations, gifts, ornaments and more.)

Cute Custom Stamps: I loved these and thought about how cute it would be to use them on your cards or other projects.

Glitter Window: Love this technique and thought I would show this variation for you to think about for your Christmas projects. Buy cheap packing tape, it works just as good as the expensive stuff.

Paperlicious: Amazing cards here, simple but the designs are amazing. I have put this blog on this Christmas list because I think many of these cards could easily become Christmas cards, and there are a few xmas cards on the blog as well.

That is all for this week, have a wonderful day and see you next week.

Two baby boy cards and lots and lots of GREAT links!

2010-10-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

Good morning! It is going to be a hot one here today, over 90 (is it October or July?). Wednesday the roofer starts on our roof, and then we will be getting our windows replaced and our bathrooms worked on. And in the middle of all this our son may leave for bootcamp tomorrow (Wednesday). Needless to say I am a bit of a wreck right now.

Moving onto stamping stuff : ) I have been busy making cards for people at work, here are two of my most recent card, both for new babies (boys). Personally I find it hard to make "boy" cards because of the need to restrain from adding flowers, bling and any other frills. Both images are colored with Copic markers.

From 2010-09-29

From 2010-10-06

And now some links! I have been collecting all sorts of links for you this week, next week have some really neat Christmas links. So get ready and here we go!

Wow! Clip art for free: You are going to LOVE this collection of images you can use just like digital stamps. Lots and lots of black and white line drawings for you to print and color with your colored pencils or your Copics. This link is a keeper.

My Magnolias: Wonderful Magnolia coloring! You are going to LOVE this link.

Creations with Christina: Amazing projects on this blog, a fantastic source for you.

Scrapbooking Warehouse: Some pretty good deals on all your scrapbooking needs, large selection too!

Digital Stamps: Theses are just adorable! Link is to the blog, you can find a link to the store on the blog, loved the bee stamp.

Scrapbook Examiner: Nice collection of links, you can also subscribe to the column for regular updates.

Motivet Blog: Click on the "Free digital stamp" icon on the top left for a very cute free digital stamp. Also, check out the "home" page, very nice tutorial on how to color with Tombo markers.

Simply Scrapping Crafts: Very nice Social Network, I just signed up and am looking forward to looking at all of the great offerings here.

Michelle Zindorf: WOW! Wait until you see this tutorial, simple yet the results are amazing. But then again everything Michelle Zindorf does is amazing.

Mariana Grigsby: Loved, loved this blog and I think you will too. These cards are simple, but the designs are amazing and the coloring and use of felt and other objects is beyond words.

Thank you so much for following the blog, take care and see you next week.

Happy October! Blog candy winners and lots of great links.

2010-10-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

Wow....October already, where has the year gone? We are just getting started on our home improvements, and I am hoping the roof gets done before the rain starts. Other then that our household is pretty much just kicking back before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

And I am a bit of a mess right now, our son just found out that he may be shipping off to boot camp in October.....sigh.....so proud of him for joining the Marines.....but also will miss him more then I can say in words....

Before I forget: the winners of the portable Copic Storage containers are.......Heidi (CardsbyHeidi) and Sharon in Arizona! Congrats ladies.

Please email me at Jacquie at afterhoursstamper dot com with your address so I can mail off your prizes. I have more of the bags to give away as blog candy....so keep on following the blog to find out when I will be giving more of them away.

And here is my card for the SCACD challenge this week (we needed to use a stamp with an animal and then add texture to our project as well. So I used one of the absolutely fabulous new stamps from the mini collection, Elisabeth Bell's "Angel of Hope."

From 2010-10-04

I used colored pencils to color in the image (LOVED using them by the way), and then added some white flower soft to the background for the texture. I also added some glitter to the flower soft and stickles to the wings of the Angel.

Here is a close up:

From 2010-10-04

Before I get to the links for this week I wanted to call attention to a new listing on the blog, at the top of the blog, in the left column, right under my Copic Certified Designer badge. I am compiling a list quick list of some of the best Copic marker websites, blogs and videos for you, watch as I add information in the coming weeks.

Here are your links for this week:

Color Me Copic: What a GREAT blog! You will love how much information there is on this blog, including quite a few videos on color hair. Make sure to check out the color combination page as well, various designers have listed their favorite color combinations, very nice reference tool.

Finding time to stamp: Wonderful post on how to find the time to stamp and create some wonderful paper projects.

Coloring Pleats and Folds with Copic Markers: GREAT post on how to color in those pesky pleats and folds on your images. Make sure to check out all of the tutorials, one also has a very good tutorial on how to color hair.

Free Digital Stamps: You are going to love these images! Absolutely adorable, and they are FREE! There are quite a few cute stamps here, including one that is just in time for Halloween!

Coloring Bears/Animals with Copics: Very nice post on coloring these images (though I prefer coloring light to dark, might try the dark to light as her examples are amazing).

Front and Back to your images: Really fun idea on how to create a front and back for your images.

Love the video below, wonderful way to add a shadow to your image:

Ok that is all for this week, stay tuned for some really fun things next week, until then enjoy your crafting and as always thanks for visiting the blog : )

"The Girls Are Back In Town" Blog Hop and exciting blog candy : )

2010-09-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the SCACD Blog Hop "The Girls are Back in Town." This is a mini release from both Victoria Case AND Elisabeth Bell! You are going to love these cute images!

If you landed here first you might want to start the blog hop over at Suzanne Dean's blog, if you came here from Alex's blog you are on the right track, and after you are done here make sure to go to Danni's amazing blog for some more wonderful crafting goodness! If you want to purchase these stamps but live outside of the US please make sure to visit the Quixotic Blog for buying information.

And don't forget to leave a comment on my blog for a chance to win a portable storage bag for your Copics/Colored Pencils or whatever you need to keep with you : )

From 2010-09-26

Now, onto the new image : ) I used the "1st Leaf of Fall" from Elisabeth Bell in the card below:

From 2010-09-26

I colored the image with Copic Markers, then cut out using Nesties, and then added some Viva Decor Glitter Liner for extra bling and spakle : ) The leaves were made using a Martha Stewart punch, and the swirl was made with a Tim Holtz die cut.

Have fun with the rest of the Blog Hop, see you all again next Tuesday : )

Goodbye to September, and as always lots of fun links

2010-09-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hello and happy Tuesday everyone! I hope that you are enjoying the last few days of September....where did the month go? We are in the middle of a heat wave, go figure. Our summer was cool and now we need AC, it is just typical CA weather, you never know what is around the corner : )

Onto stamping stuff : ) Susana's store is open for business and loaded with all sorts of cool new items, make sure you take a moment or two to stop by her store. And speaking of Susana....SCACD is having a new release set for this week! Of course we will be having a blog hop, so make sure you stop by here on Thursday, but before then make sure to leave a comment over at the "Follow your Heart" blog to win some really great blog candy. The new release is called "The girls are back in town," and you are going to love these cute new images!

Oh, and I have some very special blog candy for you on Thursday as well. Two people will win a portable Copic Storage bag....here is a picture of what two lucky people will win (you will need to leave a comment on my Thursday post which of course will be posted on Thursday the 30th):

From 2010-09-26

As you can see the bag holds quite a few copics for when you are going to a crop or out for a crafting night. You can also use the bag for other pens/pencils as well. Remember though....you will need to come back on Thursday to enter for the blog candy : )

This week I have three cards to share with you:

From 2010-09-21

The image above was colored with Copic markers and cut out, then I cut out a background with my nesties, ran the shapes through the cuttlebug with an embossing folder and put the whole thing together. I love to use that Elisabeth Bell image (called "New Friends"), especially as it can be used so many different ways, like I did on this card (we had a Christmas Challenge on the DT blog), spring, summer, just about any season you can imagine.

From 2010-09-26

The two images above were created using the Viva Decor Modeling Cream with stencils (here and here) from Susana's Custom Art and Card Design. I wanted to make two cards that were quick, but also had some "wow" factor to them as well, the Viva Decor really adds the wow to the cards : )

Ok, now how about some great links today? I have a whole mix for you today : )

Copics: Another great link to general information about Copics. I post these links because everyone has their own certain likes/dislikes and it is always good to see a variety of opinions on things : )

UPDATE: This link appears to be down as of 9/29, I am going to keep checking to see if the website comes back online. Thanks to Gail for the heads up : ) Free Online Magazine: You are going to LOVE this magazine, found it last week and already can't wait for the new edition : )

Simplicity: Love this site! The link takes you to all the posts that discuss design elements, make sure to go to the full blog and see all sorts of great posts.

Papercrafts by Rach: Wonderful Copic tutorial on the link, one can never get enough of examples on how to use Copic markers : ) And here is another Copic video worth your time.

Copic Color Combinations: Go down a little bit in the post and you will see a very nice copic color combination chart to print out and use. (I think this is fairly recent as I visit this site all the time.)

Colored Pencil Links: Wonderful collection of all things colored pencils (which, as you know, are also one of my favorite ways to color images).

Foam Board Copic Storage: WOW, WOW, WOW! I might even try making one of these, make sure to read the whole post because she also has a link to an ink pad storage unit you can make!

More Information on Copic Paper and Coloring

2010-09-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

A most happy start of the week to everyone. I had a nice weekend, helped a friend and then was able to visit my Mom (who is 83) and take her out to dinner (the whole family went which was an added bonus.)

If I seem a bit scattered I apologize, my son has enlisted in the Marines and is now trying to move his bootcamp date up from February to ASAP. We are so proud of him and are thrilled that he is going to be serving his country, at the same time I have "Mom Jitters," the biggest of course being that this is the first time he will really be away from us in his 19 years of life. And right now he is called a "poolie," (correct me if I am wrong), enlisted but has not yet gone through boot camp.

His sister (who is older but still lives at home) is also going to miss him tremendously. While they are five years apart the two of them are very, very close, which is so wonderful to see in action.

On top of our son enlisting we are also having major renovations done to our home (roof, solar, new windows, hall bathroom update, back bathroom repairs, insulation, skylight new door) depending on how the work goes I may miss a post or two, but will try to at least post a quick update.

All in all a busy time, however not so busy that I can't stamp and color : )

I have received a number of emails from people interested in attending Copic classes in the Bay Area, please email me if you are interested Jacquie at afterhoursstamper dot com. I will be putting together locations/dates/times in the near future.

This week I wanted to go over a few hints on how you can improve your Copic coloring. First of all you must remember to practice, practice and then practice some more. Take some of your favorite stamps and stamp them on your paper (more about paper in a bit), stamp the image twice (you will get one good image and one much lighter), and play with the lighter image.

Experiment with different techniques, marker to marker, blender pen, picking color up from a pallet (scribbling a marker color on a plastic surface and picking the color up with another colored pen, usually the dark color is scribbled and the plastic and the lighter pen picks up the color)

Lets say you start coloring an image and you don't like how it is turning out. Go to a different part of the image and practice something else, ie, the clothes on the image didn't turn out, but you practice coloring the skin and that turns out great! In other words utilize your stamped images as much as possible. And don't be afraid to make mistakes! You will not be perfect at first, but the more you use the pens properly the more you will get comfortable with knowing how to color and blend the pens.

When you like the results you get make sure to write down on the sample what you did, ie, the colors, paper and so on. Believe me, you will not remember what you did nor the colors you used unless you take a minute to write down what you did.

And you should always start with the lightest color first, adding the darker colors as you go along. It will be MUCH easier for you to get nice graduated blending if you saturate your paper with your lightest color and add the darker colors. The darker colors "soak" into the lighter ones, giving you a nice start to your blending. If you start with the darker color it is much harder to blend away the sharp lines.

Paper: I did get my Xpress It copic paper and LOVE it! My personal preference is the Xpress paper, much better then using the Gina K or the Neenah paper. What I have found with the Gina K paper is that the ink sits on top of the paper and after you start blending you get a very heavy deposit of ink build up because the paper does not absorb the ink.

You want your paper to absorb the ink, what you don't want is for the paper to be so absorbent that the color "wicks/bleeds" beyond your coloring area. The Xpress paper is better then the Neenah in this regard, both absorb the ink wonderfully, the Neenah tends to wick outside of your coloring area. Now, the Xpress it paper will eventually bleed as well, however it can absorb much more ink before it starts to bleed. Does this all make sense?

Think of it this way: You want your paper to be like a sponge with the ink so that you can "pour" in more color and allow the colors to soak into each other and blend easily. What you don't want is for the paper to be so much of a sponge that your color bleeds outside of where you are coloring. When the ink sits on top of the paper you are then trying to blend your inks without any "buffer" and the ink tends to build up very quickly (especially with the darker/heavily pigmented 7's, 8's and 9's).

Here are some examples of how I practice/play with my images and copic markers (note that I did not write down on my samples what Copics I used, something I should have done)

From 2010-09-21

I stamped a Tilda twice and then played with blending on the above sample, and also fooled around with face color as well. This is the Xpress paper which is amazing, as you can see the red (which is very hard to blend) just went together like a dream, same thing for the purples. I knew that I was not going to use these images for a card so I wasn't afraid to play with them and just color parts of the image for practice.

From 2010-09-21

I stamped the above image twice and used the second stamping (lighter one) as my sample. As you can see I was playing around with the E's for the face, and also was playing around with the color for the shirt. The second image is the one I will use on a card, just need to finish coloring it in, and I can use my "practice" image to play around with some different looks for the wings and hair.

From 2010-09-21

Here I have two images, the one on the left didn't stamp completely so I inked up the stamp to get a better stamped image. For the face/skin tone I was playing around with E50, 51 and 53. For the image on the left I put the colors down and blended on the card stock, for the image on the right I used the tip to tip (51 picking up some of the 53) to see if I liked the blending better.

I think I prefer the 50's for skin (less red then the E00), however I have an issue with the E53 leaving a line of dark pigment that is hard to blend (thus the reason I tried the tip to tip).

From 2010-09-21

Here are two images side by side, the one on the left is the "lighter/second" image. As you can see I am playing around with the hair color for the image, and also used some of the Copic Opaque to make white dots on the shirt. And I also colored the face a little differently, same Copics used, just tried to lay down less of the dark color.

From 2010-09-21

The above is a finished image, colored and highlighted with a clear glitter pen. Before doing this image I played around with a sample image, and that allowed me to know what I needed to do with this image. Again, I should have written down all the colors I used. Am really going to have to work on that.

And no, I did not forget to include links:

Copic Opaque White: Mariann at "I like markers" has a great post on how to use the Opaque White (and yes, I did get some it is wonderful to use!)

X-Press It Paper: Nice blog post comparing the Neenah to the X-Press It paper (I will be doing one as well next week.)

Nice video on the new paper (and the other parts can be found here)

Way too long of a post today! And sorry this is so very late, will have an "extra" post later this week for some other links I have been saving.

Until then, I hope your week is filled with all sorts of paper crafting goodness! And thank you so much for visiting the blog.

Copics, colored pencils and some amazing stamps!

2010-09-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday, hope your weekend was restful and filled with all sorts of paper crafting goodness. I spent the day in Oakland on Saturday, at a Copic Designer Certification. I learned so much about Copics, and went home to practice all of the new tips and techniques that Jenny (our instructor) went over.

Here is a picture from the certification:

From 2010-09-14

I will be teaching classes in the Bay Area in the near future. If you are interested please shoot me an email Jacquie at Afterhoursstamper dot com.

And of course I had to use my Copics to color an image for the SCACD challenge this week (we needed to make a card that wasn't a square or a regular A2). Here is what I came up with:

From 2010-09-14

And a close up:

From 2010-09-14

Used the Slice to make the shapes, and the colored the image with Copics (of course), I also used lots of Viva Decor Glitter Liner on the card : )

It was fun to work outside of the box by making a card that wasn't square (though I LOVE square cards), took me a little while to figure out exactly what shape I was going to use. I used "Sprite" from the new Victoria Case "Aurora 2" collection (really cute set), and cut her out so she popped a bit off of the card.

Susana has some great new products over at her store, make sure you visit and see some of the exciting things she has just ready for you to bring home (make sure to surf around the site for the all sorts of great goodies).

Speaking of Copics, I was able to try out the new Xpress It paper, and WOW! It is amazing! One of the things I learned this weekend is that blending is much easier with a paper that absorbs some of the ink right away, ie, coloring with your lightest color and then adding layers. The paper I am currently using does not absorb the ink well at all, rather the ink sits on top of the paper which makes blending much harder.

The new Xpress It paper is not cheap, but what an amazing job it does for your blending! The ink absorbs well with no bleeding of the colors, and it is a lovely white. I have placed my order for a pack of 125 at Oozak, which I found to have the best price ($44.95, about .36 cents a sheet).

I had tried the Neenah paper and have found it bleeds too much. Now, one of other things I learned this weekend is that one needs to be careful and not over soak the paper with too much of the marker color, your first layer should soak the paper, but each darker layer after that should not be anywhere near as much ink, just enough to blend, and you don't want to completely go over the darker color with your lighter color...because you remove the darker color. In a few weeks I will be doing a written basic tutorial on blending using two colors, am waiting for my new paper to arrive first.

Here are a few more links for Copic information:

Jennifer McGuire: Great overview with some good links as well. Nice combo charts and starter packs.

Thinking Inking: Nice FAQ's on Copics with color combos.

Copic Tutorial: Very nice, also from Thinking Inking.

And I also wanted to include some colored pencil/art links this week. Knowing how color, shadow and other art related elements work makes it so much easier to achieve the look you want when you color an image (and no, I have not mastered, nor come close to mastering any of these.) So here are some interesting art/colored pencil related links for you to view. Keep in mind that these are more on the art side, however you can see the amazing results colored pencils can give you.

Moores Art Gallery: Wait until you see this artwork, will make you want to pull out those colored pencils for sure!

Tips/Techniques: Another link from Moores Art Gallery, and lots of links and tips for you to play with.

And last, but not least, you really need to go check out these amazing stamps from Impression Obsession called "Cover a Card." I ordered a few of these, including a snowflake background:

From 2010-09-14

And a close up:

From 2010-09-14

What I love is how easy it is to use the stamp to make your own designer looking paper, and you get a size that you can use for a large 6 x 6 card! Also, I ordered their "Mega Mount" and can tell you that it makes stamping such a large stamp easy! No more areas that don't stamp, just put your large stamp on the Mega Mount and roll the image right onto the paper with perfect results!

Thats all for this week, have a wonderful day and thanks so much for visiting and sharing your love of paper crafting.

Get out your pencils!

2010-09-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: I just read about a blogger who needs our help, please visit this blog for information on her situation. I will be donating what I can later today. Also, if you have a blog please try to post the link as well.

Good morning/afternoon everyone. Yesterday was so busy I just didn't have time to get my post ready for today, by the time I was finally able to sit down at the computer it was past my bedtime, thus the late post today.

We had a very busy and productive day at our house yesterday, managed to get four loads of laundry washed, dried and put away, made a trip to the pet store and then shampooed the hall, dinning room and family room carpets. And then made a nice dinner for the family : ) Our carpets are pretty old and they are not going to be replaced anytime soon, so we have to make sure to try to keep them in presentable shape by keeping them as clean as possible, thus we try to get a good shampoo done in the warmer weather to expedite the drying time.

I hope you had a wonderful three day weekend! Time is marching on isn't it? Here we are roaring into September, and soon it will be October....and then....the "holidays." It just seems that we settle into a season and then ....wham...the season changes and we need to adapt yet again to a change in weather, holidays and whatnot. Ok, enough of my musing, how about some crafting stuff?

Over at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design the team was challenged to do a 2x2x2: Two embellishments, two papers and two products from the store. I interpreted the challenge to mean "at least" two of these things, and here is what I came up with:

From 2010-09-07

And a closeup:

From 2010-09-07

The stamp is from the new Elisabeth Bell Animapeeps (an absolutely darling collection of animal stamps), and I also added some Crystal effects to the eyes, used Viva Decor for the dots on the umbrella and the embellishment on the corners of the card. The two products I used are the Spellbinders and Viva Decor. The image is colored with colored pencils! I am really getting back into coloring with my colored pencils, easy, fun and versatile, and they work so well with Copics! While the image for this card is not combined with Copics, I have been playing around with combining both mediums and love the result, but more about that later ; )

And here is another card I made for a friend who is having a baby boy:

From 2010-08-24

I have been able to get my hands on a few of the Hanglar & Stanglar stamps (they are available on Ebay, be warned though, they are not cheap). And yes, I used colored pencils again for the coloring.

And I wanted to let you know that this weekend (Saturday) I am attending a Copic Certification in Oakland, CA. If any of you are also attending, please make sure to say hi. When I am done with the Certification I am planning on holding a few coloring classes in the Bay Area, not sure yet when/where, but will try to keep the cost of the classes as reasonable as possible. If you might be interested let me know, more details will follow in the next few months as I work out the exact details.

Ok, so I just get finished talking about Copics and then switch gears to colored pencils! I have been having a blast playing with colored pencils these last few days. Copics, colored pencils and distress inks have to be my most favorite ways to color images. What I love about colored pencils is that they are a bit more forgiving then the Copics, and you can walk away in the middle of blending without having to worry.

So, I thought that today I would post about all things colored pencils : )

First of all, I do think that one of the best colored pencils to use are the Prisma, for one reason they have a very rich color to them, and secondly they are well made. The one problem I have with them is that the lead tends to break when you are sharpening, but I found a "hint" on how to sharpen while reducing breakage, (yes, this is a MUCH better way to sharpen your pencils). I have been doing this and have had about 90 percent LESS breakage:

Copics and colored Pencils: Marianne of "I Like Markers" has three posts on combining Copics and colored pencils, make sure to click on the tape dispenser to get a larger view of the image. Here is the link to part three of her posts.

Lockhart Rubber Stamp Company Tutorials: Here is a great collection of various techniques using colored pencils, I loved the one that showed how to add texture, as well as the one on the fall leaves.

Basic information on sharpening colored pencils: Good overall information on how to care for your colored pencils.

Lessons on using colored pencils: This site has some GREAT technique and tutorials for you to play with. The key to using colored pencils is to understand how they work, and how to layer to get the effects that you want. Of course you also must make sure to practice : )

A quick lesson on color value: This link is actually very helpful for all of your coloring mediums. Understanding how color works makes it much easier to get the effect you want with your images and projects.

Project sheets: Some easy to follow artist project sheets to help you learn how to use your colored pencils (these are really quick and will broaden your ability to use the colored pencils.)

GREAT video on using Prisma colored pencils:

What I love about the above video is the introduction of using a Prisma colorless blender to blend the colored pencils (and YES! it does work, and the prisma colorless blender is cheaper then a copic colorless blender).

Another video ( I have linked to this one before but feel it is worthy of reposting)

And here is another repost of a video which has some wonderful techniques:

I hope these links will keep you busy for a bit : ) Pull out those colored pencils and play away! I will try to get some pictures of the Copic Certification this weekend to share with you next week, until then enjoy your week and thank you so very much for visiting the blog!

Did someone say September? I know someone said links : )

2010-08-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here we are, the last day of August, summer has flown by, and we are quickly approaching the fall season. I love fall and spring, as they are two seasons without the excesses of summer and winter (heat/cold). And fall colors are amazing, the reds, yellows, oranges bring a warmth that the weather is trying to take away.

The next few weeks should be interesting at our house, we are having a new roof installed, a solar system, new windows, a new front door, new closet doors (actually we have no closet doors right now) and insulation. Our roof has to be replaced (missing shingles), and we have the original windows (we are installing double paned), and our insulation is almost nonexistent in the attic. We are also going to have a sun tunnel installed (to give the hall bathroom a bit of natural light). So, depending on how things go my postings in the next few weeks might be a bit brief.

And here is a picture of a spider that has decided to make the area outside my office its "home:"

From 2010-08-24

Yes, that is a large spider, and I was amazed at the size of its web as well. Each day the spider finds a new place to spin a web, and each day I try to find out where it has moved. I am not a huge spider fan, however this one was just so amazing I had to take a picture.

Now, onto some stamping stuff! This week over at the "Follow Your Heart" blog we have been challenged to use at least three products from Susana's store (Susana's Custom Art and Card Design), and this is what I came up with:

From 2010-08-23

And a close up of the lettering:

From 2010-08-23

The new Elisabeth Bell stamps are so cute, my daughter loves them and I made this card for her birthday (even though she is 25 she still loves cute animals). I actually used more then three products on my card: versamark, clear embossing powder, copics, viva decor, spellbinders and diamond glaze : ) I cut the "Happy Birthday" out with my slice (white cardstock), colored with copics (feathered the orange to red), then covered the letters with versamark and clear ep, heated the ep, then repeated a few times for a nice raised effect.

Don't forget to head over to Susana's store for some fabulous new stamps, can't WAIT to try these out.

And now, some links:

Impression Obsession: I absolutely LOVE these background stamps, ordered the large snowflake background and a few others, will make it so much easier to create coordinating backgrounds for cards.

Ribbon Organizing: Another great storage idea, and something I might be putting on my "must order" list. Again, my area is so small that something like this is a godsend.

Really Useful Boxes: Great assortment of all types of storage boxes that you can use for almost every crafting need you have!

Fiskars Continuous Roller Stamp: What I am liking about this is that the images are stored flat, so instead of all sorts of rollers you have one roller, some ink which are the larger items to store, but the others are flat...and because they are flat you can also use them as a regular stamp.....check out the video on this product, looks interesting.

Cute Halloween Card: This is so cute and simple, and just in time for Halloween.

Little book of Sketches: Amazing collection of sketches for just about everything you could want, cards (all sorts of sizes) and scrapbook pages (again, various sizes) and even some ATC sketches.

Time to get dinner ready for the family! Hope you have an amazing week filled with all sorts of creative goodness. Take care, and thank you for stopping by.

Mini blog hop, some heat, and of course some GREAT stamping stuff.

2010-08-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so for the last few posts I have been writing about how nice our non-summer has been, temperatures in the 80's, nice evenings, and great air quality. Well, I spoke too soon, yesterday was in the high 90's and today it is supposed to be over 100. And while our temps are going up, the trees are starting to change color:

From 2010-08-23

That picture is from a tree right outside my work place, I am planning on taking some more fall pictures of some of the trees in the parking lot as their colors are just starting to change as well, beautiful oranges, reds and yellows.

Anyhow, today is not just about the weather, I have a new set of stamps to preview as well. Elisabeth Bell has designed a new set of stamps for Susana's Custom Art and Card Design, and WOW, these are just the cutest stamps you have ever seen!

I was given the stamp "Spot of Tea," and here is what I came up with:

From 2010-08-23

Here is a close up of the stamp:

From 2010-08-23

And here is a close up of the background paper I made ( to show the glimmer):

From 2010-08-23

Like these stamps? Then head over to Marti's blog for another sneak peak of these fantastic stamps!

I used copics to color the image, and to make the background paper I used this stencil, and put some distress ink right on top of the stencil (first I put the color on my craft mat, then sprayed the color with some glimmer mist, then placed the stencil on top of the ink). I also used some Viva Decor Pearl Pen for the dots on the card. I also added some Glamour Dust to the shirt for some added bling (if you haven't tried Glamour Dust yet you really should, especially with the holidays coming up.)

And don't forget to head over to the store blog for some amazing blog candy! Make sure you post a comment by August 26th. Oh, and don't forget to check out all the wonderful new products that Susana has at the store (I am going to go broke trying to get my hands on all the new things!)

If you have made it this far then I am thinking you want some links, so links you shall have!

Colored Pencil Comparison: Very nice comparison showing how the different colored pencils look when they are blended. I still love my Prisma's, but I haven't used them much lately......

Tutorials: From the same blog above, GREAT tutorials on all sorts of things, you are going to find at least one thing here to love.

Just Give Me Stamps: Inspiration all over the place at this wonderful blog (I spent way too much time admiring all the wonderful creations!)

Tutorials: Just in time for the holidays, check out these tutorials on all sorts of projects. The link is from the Just Give Me Stamps blog (linked above as well.).

Allistamp: Wow, just wow. This lady has some of the most amazing cards, they are a real treat, and they also will give you all sorts of inspiration. What I loved is how she creates such wonders without having to have tons of layers.

That is it for this week (it is 92 degrees as I write this on Monday night at 7:00 pm, tomorrow is supposed to be warmer!) time for me to get another glass of lemonade : )

And I hope you all know how very special you are to me, your comments and emails keep me going, you are the reason that this blog is still here. Thank you for visiting and sharing your love of stamping with me.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Enabler Alert! Read this post at your own risk!

2010-08-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday! August is half way finished, and the trees are starting to turn color around here, only problem? We didn't really have a summer, but then again, it has been GREAT not having a high utility bill (no need for AC for most of the summer), and truthfully, I am loving the mild weather.

This is a very long post, and it is divided into three sections, 1.) Cards made using the Dreamweaver paste and stencils, 2.) The room divider I told you about last week and 3.) last, but never ever least, some links to Christmas stamps.

1.) So...why the enabler alert? Because I think you will like what is being posted today, and you may also want to try out some of the things being posted today : ) As you might know, I am part of the "Follow Your Heart" DT, which is Susana's Custom Art and Card Design blog. This week we were challenged to use stencils with the DreamWeaver paste...and oh my, I got a bit carried away!

So, here is what I came up with:

From 2010-08-15

Close up:

From 2010-08-15

I used the translucent paste and then sprinkled glitter on to the wet paste after I lifted the stencil off of the paper. First I tapped some green in spots and then quickly turned the card over so that there were still areas that did not have glitter, then I sprinkled some light blue, flipped and tapped off the extra glitter, then a darker blue. The design is amazing in person, very 3D and it just glimmers with all that glitter!

Then this happened:

From 2010-08-15

The card above was created using the white embossing paste with some Glamour Dust sprinkled on top of the wet paste.

And then I had to do this:

From 2010-08-15

And then this:

From 2010-08-15

Here are a few more that I stenciled but didn't get around to making a card with yet:

From 2010-08-15

One of the reasons I was carried away with using the paste is that I finally got the hang of doing this technique, and wow! Once you get the hang of it you really do not want to stop! Here is a quick video on how to use the embossing paste (hint: do NOT use any pressure when you are spreading the paste, that was my mistake before, simply spread it over the stencil. Also, hint 2: cut your card stock to the exact size of the stencil, hint 3: you can use regular scotch tape because you will not have paper hanging over the edge to worry about. I taped my stencil to the paper using my craft mat, it worked like a charm).

And here is a link to the videos on Susana's Store blog.

Just one more "hint:" PRACTICE! I promise that once you get the hang of this you will LOVE it! It is actually very easy once you practice and learn how to spread the paste. I have tried this technique before with not so great results, my problem was using too much pressure to spread the paste, all you are doing is gently putting the paste on and spreading.

Don't forget to check out the brass stencils at Susana's store, and the other great stencils she has as well!

Now.....Part 2!

My husband and I were at Costco two weeks ago and I saw a room divider that was PERFECT for my scrapbooking paper! This is what I used to have:

From stamping area

And this is what is there now:

From 2010-08-15

After we bought the room divider I also ordered some trays for 12x12 paper and what a difference it makes! It is so much better! And I don't need to worry about the whole thing falling down, and I love having the paper in trays now!

As I am always saying, my area is very small, but I love being in the family room with everyone, and truthfully, even though I would love to have a whole room, I am not sure I want to give up my little corner : )

And now, part 3! Links! About this time of the year I start thinking about what type of card I want to make for Christmas, and I thought today it would be fun to list links of Christmas stamps (some are new stamps, some are just ones I like). So here we go:

Hero Arts: This link is to the blog, but the store will have their new holiday catalog online starting....TODAY! Here is a store that has them ready to purchase.

Stampango: Wait until you see these adorable stamps! And they have quite a few verse stamps as well.

The Stamping Place: Some wonderful stamps here and lots and lots of variations!

Amuse: Here are some adorable stamps as well (can you tell that I love Christmas stamps?)

PB Stamps: Some very cute and unique images here.

GinaK: This is one set, but it is an exceptional Christmas set.

QKR: More great stamps here, very nice and would make great cards and other craft items for Christmas.

SlideShow Stamps: Great retro stamps, and some unique images.

Northwood Rubber Stamps: TONS of stamps here, click on the Christmas Sayings for a HUGE amount of stamps to choose from.

Ok everyone, that is about all I have for today! Hope your day is going well, enjoy your week and thank you for visiting!

Where did Summer go? Time for more links, videos and other goodies

2010-08-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Where did Summer go? Here in "sunny" CA we haven't had much hot weather, not that I am complaining, but it seems like we never really had a "summer." This week we might get some warmer, high 80's, weather, but we are getting pretty close to September and cooler weather (though our weather can stay warm all the way into December). I hope those of you in the East are getting some cooling, and hope that the rest of your summer stays cool.

I am reorganizing my craft area again, no pictures yet, but my husband bought me a wall divider that is PERFECT for my little area, and then I bought some trays to hold 12x12 paper, and now I just have to sort and organize (just? did I just say "just?" sigh). We also bought a new recliner sofa and rocker recliner for the family room, so there was a bit more room for the room divider unit (and my craft area). Very nice not to have to turn sideways to get into my crafting area : )

And here is my card that I made for the challenge over at the "Follow Your Heart" blog, this week we used flower soft and some Viva Decor products:

From 2010-08-09

And a close up:

From 2010-08-09

Details about the card are on the blog.

Now, onto some LINKS!

Mini Paper Roses: Really loved how this flower was made, have to try it out, just haven't had time yet. Looks fairly easy, and would be great to be able to use coordinating paper to make your rose! Check the link below for more tutorials from this very talented crafter.

Paper Pleasing Ideas: Here is a link to all of the tutorials from Paper Pleasing Ideas, some great things in here! Nice link to save for a rainy day when you have time to check them all out.

Copic Watercoloring: Very nice card made by "watercoloring" with Copic markers, am looking forward to trying this.

Just Give Me Stamps: Some GREAT cards here, her work is amazing, some so simple, but elegant, all of them a real treat and inspirational.

Another DIY Flower: PLEASE make sure to check out this tutorial, I am going to use these on my next card, amazing, and pretty easy to boot! This one is a keeper for sure.

A Thousand Sheets of Paper: GREAT blog candy here, and after you enter for the blog candy make sure to visit the entire blog, amazing work, lots of wonderful images, trust me the entire blog is "blog candy."

Ok everyone, it is 10:00 pm and I need to be up at 6:00 am tomorrow, so off to bed I go! Have a fun week, and again, thank you so much for visiting the blog and sharing your love of stamping with me.

MORE CHA Summer 2010! Products, pictures and videos!

2010-08-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

I can't WAIT to write this post! There is so much to share with you about CHA, tons of new products and now there are so many links to great things as well! But first.... some other things to get out of the way.

Here is my card for the DT challenge over at the "Follow Your Heart" blog:

From 2010-08-02

And here is a close up of "Aurora:"

From 2010-08-02

Our challenge this week was to use a new Aurora stamp and blue, green and pink. I used my BG, B and R copics to color Aurora, and then also added lots of the Viva Decor Glitter Liner (love that stuff!). Hope you like the card : ) I also did the shadow behind her with the copics, making lots and lots of dots.....should have done more I think to blend it out...but....next time : )

Now...onto CHA! Like I said before, one of these days I am going to try to attend CHA, but until then I have to get my fix online, and over the weekend lots and lots of things appeared on CHA, so without any more introduction, get ready, grab some coffee, wine or whatever and lets visit CHA Summer 2010:

Cricut Imagine: Wow! Wow! Wow! This is the newest Cricut machine and it is impressive. First of all the machine will cut images AND it is also a printer! So....you can print out designs....then cut out the shapes!
Here is another blurb about the machine, and truthfully it sounds wonderful! What will be interesting is what the machine will sell for (it is both a printer and electronic cutter), and the MSRP is $599 (way too pricey for me), but most stores should sell this machine for at least $100 less (I hope).

Here is a video of the machine in action:

Spellbinders: A new manual die cutting machine that will take 8.5 x 11 paper and NEW dies that are large enough for scrapbookers! These look amazing! And here is a link to the discussion on the new machine.

Slice: A new, faster and more accurate Slice, the Slice "Elite," along with all of the new cards I linked to last week. Now...someone tell me how I justify getting a new Slice....sigh. Here is a video (from Craft Critique)

StampTV: Three great videos from Gina K! Loved watching these videos, very fun and well done.

Paint Me Plaid: Amazing posts on CHA, lots and lots of pictures, I felt like I was "there" at CHA when reading this blog! And this is a good blog to save for future visits as well.

ScrapTime: Some cool videos and pictures here as well.

Paper Pile Kittens Blog: Amazing collection of links to products that were previewed at CHA Summer 2010. I didn't even get through all of the links there are so many!

Creating the Keepsakes Blog: More fun videos to view.

Prima Booth Video:

Whew! And that isn't everything either! I will keep looking for more links, and still have a few I didn't list here yet.

Have a great week and thanks so much for stopping by.

SCACD Blog Hop: She's back! Better then ever!

2010-07-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another fun filled, exciting SCACD blog hop! And wow, this release is simply adorable. So....what release are we talking about? Who is back? Better then ever? Aurora by Victoria Case! If you have landed on my blog first, make sure to start at the "Follow your Heart" blog for the entire list. After you finish here, make sure to go to the very talented Alex's blog for more Aurora!

I was asked to use the "A ladybug is love" stamp and this is what I came up with:

From 2010-07-26

Isn't she an adorable stamp? I love the entire collection, but really fell in love with this image. Here is a close up of Aurora:

From 2010-07-26

And the ladybugs:

From 2010-07-26

I used Copics to lightly color Aurora, and then decided to use the Bronze Pearl Pen to "make" her hair! To do that I followed the lines of the hair part of the stamp, filling in each section slowly with the Pearl Pen. I then used lots and lots of the Hologram Glitter Liner on Aurora and the lady bugs. For the flowers I used the Sukura Glaze Pen, and actually used my Copics to color the distressed edge of my image layer.

Coloring the distressed edge was actually pretty easy, all you need to do is take your Copic and using the brush end run the pen around the side of your paper, some of the color will seep into the paper causing "blotches." To get rid of the blotches use your colorless blender to remove the hard edges.

Hope you like the card and the blog hop! Have a wonderful day and don't forget to grab your Aurora stamps at Susana's store!

CHA Summer 2010: WOW! Some GREAT things coming our way

2010-07-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone, hope your summer is going well. I have to say that our summer has been one of the mildest in about 40 years, and I am LOVING every minute! Nice days in the 80's, cooler evenings, almost perfect, and we have not had to deal with any real heat waves yet.

Before we get into all of the CHA links, I wanted to make sure that you go over to the Follow your Heart blog to sign up for some great blog candy! And we are having a very special blog hop this Friday, an "old friend" has come back to visit, and you are going to love what you see! And no, I can't give any more details then that, you are just going to have to check in here on Friday to see what I am talking about.

Oh, and I did register for the upcoming Copic certification in September. If anyone is going (it is in Oakland), please let me know! And once I am certified I am going to see about teaching some Copic coloring classes in my area, stay tuned.

And now, onto some fantastic CHA Summer 2010 links! One of these days I am going to attend CHA, until then I have to attend CHA virtually (online) and there are an amazing amount of links to upcoming products and more. Are you ready? Here we go!

CHA Summer Trends Preview: Great place to start and read about where the manufacturers are headed this year, and of course, to no surprise, everyone is keen on cost. This is a great article to read if you are interested in some of the trends going on in the paper crafting world.

Spellbinders: Wow! Lots and lots of posts on their new releases....some of which I absolutely LOVE. I also understand that there are a few more releases that will be revealed later this week (make sure to keep visiting their blog).

A Million Memories: Amazing list of links revealing all sorts of goodies at CHA. I spent over 30 minutes clicking around and still didn't get to all of the products.

17 Turtles: Wait until you see this paper, it is absolutely ADORABLE!

Scrapscene: Click on links to other company blogs for more CHA previews here.

Shimmerz Summer Collection: A sneak peak at some new delicious colors!

Papercrafters Corner: All sorts of paper and other great products featured here.

Scrapbook.com: Lots and lots of new products being revealed here.

Two Peas in a Bucket: Some really cute previews here as well.

Prima: Fairy Flora collection, wonderful new collection of paper and other goodies.

Slice: Lots of new design cards previewed here, I absolutely LOVED the Paper Reverie card!

Facebook: If you are on facebook make sure to see which companies have facebook pages. I have "liked" a whole group of companies and many of them are doing daily updates on CHA.

I will keep on tracking CHA this week for my post next Tuesday. Hope the links I gave you today are enough to keep you busy for a bit : )

Don't forget to stop by Friday for another fun blog hop, and also get over to the Follow your Heart blog for some blog candy!

Take care everyone, thank you so very much for stopping by.

Viva Blog Hop!

2010-07-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone, and welcome to the Viva Blog Hop, hosted by SCACD and Quixotic Paperie.

Quixotic Paperie (if you are in Europe you can purchase Viva Pens and rubber stamps at Quixotic Paperie) owned by the Fabulous Elaine, and SCACD, owned by our Susana, have been partnering behind the scenes so much that they now consider each other International Sister Stores.

This new partnership/sisterhood has resulted in both stores combining efforts on certain mutual adventures starting with this awesome Viva Blog Hop (which of course involves Yummy Candy).
Make sure you stop at BOTH store Blogs: HERE for SCACD and HERE for Quixotic Paperie. You will have a chance to win a set of 3 Pens - (Ice White Pearl pen, Holographic Glitter pen and the Clear Gloss gel pen). Each Store Blog will offer up one chance to win the set. How Yummy is that?!! The candy will run thru the 31st.

All you have to do is answer a question at each store blog - 1 entry at each STORE blog per person please!

Continue with the blog hop by visiting Kim Costello's blog to see some more exciting uses of Viva Decor Products.

Viva Decor products are just amazing, and today the blog hop is all about using these fantastic products on our projects.

Here is a card I designed with the Viva Decor Pens:

From 2010-07-22

Everything but the leaves is colored using the Viva Decor Pens! The image was stamped with black ink, then I colored the vase in with the Hologram Glitter Liner. Then I colored the leaves with Copics (YG 91, 93, 97 and 99).

The yellow flowers were dotted with the "Sunny Yellow" Gloss Gel Pen, the blue flowers with the "Cobalt Blue" Gloss Gel Pen, the little bits of orange flowers colored with the "Amber" Glitter Liner and then I used the "Hematite (black)" Glitter Liner for a few of the dark stems.

To finish off the card I used the "Ice White" Pearl Pen to make the double pearl border.

If you haven't yet tried the Viva Decor products I highly recommend that you take the plunge and order a few colors/types of the pens. Every time I take the pens out I find a new use for them, and every card I make using these pens elicits a "wow" from my fellow workers (I put a new card on my desk each week).

Stay tuned because there is going to be MORE blog candy next week! Yes, another hop, this time you will be meeting an old friend (can't say more then that) and some more goodies!

That is it for now, have a great weekend!

Part II: Copics, Copics and more Copics! Tutorials, Resources and Storage

2010-07-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Another week, another post, and part two of the copic mega post. But, before we get to that, a few pictures of what awaited me when I got home from work on Thursday last week:

From 2010-07-13

As soon as I drove into the driveway my husband comes out and told me that there was a problem, and then he continued,"there are two birds trapped in the garage." We have NO clue how they got into the garage, but there they were, one was clearly a baby bird, and the Mom wouldn't leave without her baby. The baby was trapped near some boxes, and after much commotion the Mom bird flew outside.

My husband then tried to get the baby bird, only to make it jump down behind the shelves. The baby bird ended up on the wall, right in front of a vent, the Mom bird was right outside chirping away.

From 2010-07-13

My husband finally grabbed the baby bird, and boy did it make noise, "CHIRP, CHIRP!" We put the bird outside, it sort of half flew and half hopped, and the Mom and Dad swooped in to guide it back to where it needed to be, so all turned out well : )

Don't forget to check over at the "Hearts and Hugs Blog" to get a look at the card I made this week : ) And there are ALL sorts of wonderful things going on over at Hearts and Hugs, a new "Make a Mess Monday" feature with some fantastic creations, some wonderful new stamps from "Krafting Kimmie," (you must see the cards posted on the blog using these stamps, simply amazing coloring).

And, we have a blog hop coming up this Friday, and a special new release coming up at the end of the month, with of course blog candy and another blog hop! Yes, I am being kept very busy these days.

Now, off to the topic at hand, Copics, this week focusing on tutorials, resources and storage. Now, this list is going to be far from complete, but it will have some of the links that I think are worthy of your attention if you want to improve your Copic coloring skills.

Tutorials:

There are quite a few Copic coloring tutorials, the following are some that I think are the most informative and easy to follow:

The Creative Closet: Love this video, and especially like that the colors she used are in the written post.
Zest Blog: The link goes to the "Marker Monday" posts which have lots and lots of tutorials, remember to click on the previous entries link at the bottom to get all of the posts. The "Marker Monday" link is also listed on the left sidebar.
Heather's Heavinly Stampations: Lots and lots of tutorials here, from various hair colors to skin types, and all are easy to follow.
Thinking Inking: GREAT tutorial on coloring a car, loved the result, and I hope you do too.
Icopic: Lots and lots of tutorials at this link, and I guess you could also consider this a resource (actually all of these links are a type of resource : )
Debbie Design's YouTube Channel: A couple of great videos here for you to view and pick up some nice tips.
Distinctive Touches: The link takes you to a great tutorial on how to blend colors using a feather type of stroke with your pen, very well done and helpful.

Resources:

While any of the links above could be considered a "resource," there are a few places you can go to get nothing but Copic information, thus they become a "resource."

I Like Markers: This is the "Cadillac" of resources, here you will find posts like this one, and just about everything you can image related to Copic markers. In addition you are also exposed to color theory, composition and more are related topics, just a wonderful overall resource.
Copic Creations Blog: Wow! Just amazing information here, everything you need to know and more, and there is always something new to discover as well.
PaperFections: Tons of information here, an amazing resource on all things Copic.
Suzanne Dean: Amazing videos, tutorials and templates to keep are resources.

Storage:

Copic markers can be stored horizontally or vertically. The Cio markers do not have the number of the color on the cap, the Sketch markers do (another reason I prefer the Sketch markers.) If you have some of the Copic Glitter Markers you MUST store those on their side!

Storage is a personal issue, it depends on how much room you have, how often you use your Copics, and how you are organized. I do not have much room, and I like to have my Copics right in front of me, so I have this system:

From 2010-05-30

You can use a counter top storage container for makeup, which when being used looks like this, you can use what is commonly referred to as "x cubes," or try a system called "Magpie Storage Unit," units designed for Copic storage, or you can even try a kitchen tool turnaround.

And there tons of ideas on the Ikea website, as well as just keeping your eyes open whenever you are out shopping.

Ok everyone, that's all for this week! Don't forget that there is a blog hop this Friday and at the end of the month!

Have a fantastic week.