Tons of Freebies, 2012 Winter CHA links and more!

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 : )

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

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.

Welcome November! LInks, links and more links.

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.

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

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.

Amazing FREEBIES!

Happy Monday everyone.  I hope you had a great weekend, my husband and I went to visit my Mom in San Francisco and on Sunday I worked on a set of baby shower invitations someone ordered (18, not too many but enough to require lots of time cutting all of the elements.)

Here is the invitation:

From October 11, 2009

Oh and I did laundry today as well, while watching the 49ers lose...sigh.  Oh well, there is always next week.

Before we get to the freebies I wanted to show you a card I made using a Prickley Pear stamp...wow....I LOVE this stamp!

Here is the card:

From October 11, 2009

I stamped the image (a grid with the heart and swirls) on top of some ledger paper I have (actually have about 500 sheets of the ledger paper), added the butterfly, added another thin piece of card stock (which I stamped) and mounted everything on the black card stock. I used faux stitching around the black card stock (have an old tool for sewing that makes the perforations, then just add some lines with a pen for the stitches).

The butterfly was colored with copics then covered with diamond glaze and some glitter.  I will be doing a tutorial on how to blend different copic colors together (as I did on the butterfly)  for Paper Craft Planet at the end of the month.

And now...onto the links.

I love, love, LOVE finding "free" stamping/scrapping things online, and let me tell you there are tons of things out there if you just spend some time looking.  Today I have perhaps the longest and most diverse list of freebies I have ever posted, and there is sure to be at least one "freebie" that you are going to love.

Here goes:

Freebie Bowdabra VIP Membership:  The Stamping to the Wright blog has a post up with a beautiful bow on a card made with a "Bowdabra."  At the end of the post on Stamping to the Wright is the word for the free VIP membership on Bowdabra (code word is "sandy")  Go to the VIP Registration page, fill in your information and then pick "coupon" for the membership type.  Use your coupon code and you are good to go.  Really cool freebie!


Digital Delight Freebie:  I have not yet tried digital stamp images, but here is a good way to try them out, and for free!  I loved this image and since it is a Halloween image all the better. 

Freebie Pumpkin Images:  And these are SO cute!  And make sure to click on the directions for the project as well. 

Picasa Software:  Picasa is the picture software from Google, and I absolutely love using this program.  What I haven't done yet, but am going to try, is what is suggested from the link, using the software to change the color of digital paper!  The link has lots of good information on using Picasa, as well as a download button for the software.

10 Freebie Digital Images:  These are wonderful images, click on the link and then on the menu bar to the right of the site is a whole list of 9 other free digital images, all of which are wonderful.

Four Freebie Templates:  These are really nice, make sure to save them on your hard drive for future use.

Freebie Designer Paper:  Wow, you are going to LOVE some of these papers, make sure your printer has enough ink for these great designs. 

More Freebie Designer Paper:   I liked this snowflake background, and some of these baby related printables. 

Christmas Images:  Loved these buildings, and can imagine that some great cards and or scrapbooking pages could be made with these delightfully free images : )

Christmas Templates:  Save this page for those projects during the holidays, these are very good, basic templates that you can use multiple ways.

Even MORE Designer Paper:  Yes, there are lots and lots of places to find free designer paper online.

Play Money and other game printables:  Customize some of these printables, use your childs picture on the money, use on a card, use your imagination and find some cute ways to use these printables.

Snow Kids Paper Piecing Pattern:  This is so cute, the directions and template are both on the same page, I can't wait to print this out and make one for the holidays!

Freebie Templates for Blogger:  I know that many of you have your own blogs, so make sure to check out these really cute templates for your blogger site.

Well that is it for this week!  Have fun with all of the freebies : )