Guy Birthday

This is the outside of my card. I found the image free on the internet and printed it adding the words "SHH". The man I made this for is a hunter and both DH and I thought of Elmer Fudd as a really cute image. It's amazing how much out there is free. Of course I resized it and also you have to realize that I haven't sold anything ever! Thought it looked a bit plain so I edged everything with vintage photo. For those of you (I can't imagine) who don't know - that is a Tim Holtz distress ink. The butterfly is cut and stamped with Hero Arts die/stamp set. And then there is the ever present but hardly used at my house, twine. It still looked too plain so I sticked his hat and the barrel of his gun. He is on dimensionals.

This is the inside os the card. It is a pop-n-cut (a sizzix die that folds in the center and actually pops out. The leaves are sizzix  and I used vintage photo on them. If you look really close, you will see the vein is not as dark as the rest of the leaves. I tried for a guy type olive green. I was working on colored patterned paper though. The deer is from a sizzix steel rule die. I really don't like that the nose on the deer comes out pointed, so I recut that part by hand. I also gave him a little eye. I used the postage edge die on the edges of the inside of the card. Added another butterfly and of course some stickles. I couldn't find exactly the wording that I wanted for the inside, so I used stickers!  This paper is from a fishing paper kit that I bought when I first started. I have made lots of fishing cards since most all of the guys I make cards for fish.  Hope you like this one, hope he does also. I decided not to post this on any of my groups as I don't think it fits into any of their criteria. Hugs to you all, Barb F

More Paper Storage

Thought I would finish up my paper storage. You saw the 8 1/2 x 11 and the 12 x 12. Now its time to show you the rest. They are all separated by size into their own plastic bin/case. There are 4 x 6 (or something like that), 8" square, and 6 x 6. I keep all three of these in my closet on the same shelf.  I am on a self imposed temporary "do not buy any paper no matter what size or why" campaign!! If you are just starting out, I would highly recommend - do not buy paper for a stash!! It poses the huge problem of how to store it so you can find it again and use it!! Unless I happen to remember a specific paper pad and what size it is, I have to pretty much look through it all. Not grand because it would be so much more fun to go buy just what I need and then only have scraps to deal with. I can see plain card stock of different colors. If I had that to do over, I would just buy 12 x 12 and use it for everything - leaving some scraps. That's my 2 cents worth. Until I get way more paper used, I just can't see buying any no matter how wonderful. There is just no place left to keep it.

Love this case - as you can see, it holds my 6 x 6 paper pads. This one is really easy to move in and out of the closet and see what I have inside.

I have everything labeled. Don't know what I would do without a label maker! The rest of my paper is in these 12 x 12 plastic cases. One of them has my name on it. That is my traveling one. It always has a project or the makings of a project in it. That way I always have something ready to work on if I am not under the gun to do something and don't feel like looking through all my paper to get inspired (this doesn't work well for me - to look through my paper!). See that aqua carry case? It goes along on a trip and carries things like small tape runner, pop dots.  I do have three new cards to show you but they haven't gone to their homes yet. Next week should be able to post them for you. A retirement card, a female birthday and a male pop n cut birthday card! Hope to hear from you! Hugs to you all, Barb F

Promise & a Birthday Card

First of all I will show you the new birthday card so those of you who aren't interested in my organizing skills can just move onto another blog. This card is for a teacher. I always seem to keep that in the back of my mind when I am choosing a stamp to color - what makes me think of this person in particular. It makes coloring it and putting the card together much easier. I can lean on colors I know they like or images that remind me of them, or both. Sometimes it is even the pattern on a paper. I knew before I had chosen an image that I was going to use a word stencil for the background behind. I picked up some inks from Tsukenetko (probably spelled that one wrong) and finger dabbers at the last scrapbook meet I went to and used a crafter's workshop stencil that is very detailed. It worked well with the dabbers but you aren't going to believe how I did this. Here is the card so you can kind of follow along.

First I stamped my image on a larger piece of card stock than I ended up with. I used a frisket mask - found that you have to be careful or it will tear your card stock when you remove it. I do not recommend it as a mask for cards or scrapbook pages, but I use it if I am at the beginning of something so its not a big deal if I have to start again.  - Like don't bother coloring your image first because it could and probably would tear when you tried to remove the frisket.
Next I colored my background with Tim Holtz distress inks - used mustard seed and broken china, and worn lipstick. Then I laid my stencil down and held it with one hand while I inked up the finger dabber on the pink ink in my multicolored pad. I went over the stencil with the pink - of course it changed the colors in the background and really livened them up. I used the broken china for the edges on the pink paper behind her as well. The aqua  paper is cut from one of the card creator dies - ribbon edge or something like that. I ran the pink ribbon through the slits and tied it. The yellow paper is cut from the basic card creator set and the card itself is aqua. I used clear stickles on her barrette and the flower on her cup. Silver stickles went into each little hole and at the tips. Copics I used : E00, E11, R20, E31, E33, E35, E37, E18, R32, BG10, BG13, C2, C3, Y26.

This is the inside of the card. The lace is from Hero Arts - I poo pooed it until I used it. Wonderful! It is already glued on the back and went on like a dream! The aqua is paper cut with a Martha Stewart punch. I liked the front so much the way it was that I didn't want to wreck it with words!

Here is the first installment about my "organization" skills! I decided to start with my large papers since there isn't much you can make with out them. This is how I have all of my 8 1/2 x 11 and 12" paper and card stock. In the beginning I didn't know about card stock except as a base so I had quite a bit of paper. Now I mostly use  my paper to make odd sized envelopes. If I have to mail them, I add a blank sticker on the front for the address. I have part of a wall that I ordered some little inexpensive cabinets from
Staples. Will show you those later, but it has one cube with shelves - that holds 12 x 12 PAPER. I came across someone using clippies (my word for alligator clips) on something and I went out and bought millions!! I use them for everything. They hold the paper together by color or collection and have a label on them so I know what that clip holds. The clear shelves are from Display Dynamics. One is for 8 1/2 x 11 and one is for 12 x 12 . 8 1/2 x 11 are all solid colors and also all the different coloring (white) papers are clipped by what kind they are. I keep a plastic shoebox next to it for my immediate scraps. When that is full, they go into a 12 x 12 holding box that I give away - not the box, just the papers! I have several recipients as its usually got quite a lot in it. If I didn't do that, I would never be able to buy any more paper. My solid 12 x 12 are in the rolly case. The other 12 x 12 are on the clear shelves. To the very front inside the rolly case are specialty papers - like lace cuts, frisket, sticky canvas well, you get the idea. Papers I don't know what to do with!! On the rare occasion that I need to use the case, the papers stack easily on the floor!! Remember they are clipped. They stay together neatly and it makes it so much easier to remove and put back on the shelves. I can tell you that I couldn't live without my little Brother label maker. It's old as the hills and my DH gave it to me since he has more than one. So here are some photos. I am sure you can guess which is which. As for those shelves. I bought them direct from the maker online and they shipped them rather quickly in huge boxes. If I had more room, I would buy another set of 12 x 12 and get the papers out of my rolly bag. But so far I haven't figured out how to do that.

2 for the New Year

With the huge size of my family, it's amazing Christmas is finally over! Got to see half of them but got to talk to more. Hope your holidays were filled with amazing wonderful things! And I wish you all the very best New Year ever!!
I have been really busy with all that holiday stuff, but did do a birthday card and a get well card. They are both for women. Gee, I never even got to make my husband a Christmas card this year. I did keep track of the copics for you. This first one is a little scene made with Tilda and Hero Arts houses. I just had to have that Hero Arts stamp set when I saw it. You know the feeling!

The copics I used on this one are: E00, E11, R20,(SKIN),  E31, E35, E37, E18 (HAIR), Y21, Y26, YG03, G29, RV21, RV23, RV29, YR02, B93, B97, YG00, Y28, C2, C3, C5, C7. There are clear stickler on all the windows and the lamppost bulbs. I also put a little gem on the two corners of the scene that aren't covered by the ribbon. I drew on the little path and bushes. Not a grand job but didnt have stamps for them. I am going to be on the lookout for little bushes!!

This is the inside of that card. I just used strips of the patterned papers that I used for the color matching on the front of the card. I also added some more gems.

This one is a very special get well card, so I wanted to use some very special paper. Awhile back I bought the Stardust Stack by DCWV. I haven't been able to cut it or even tear out a piece of it until this card. Guess that is what I was saving it for!! I haven't been a big fan of fussy cutting after I spend all that time coloring an image. This time I was very careful and went at it very slowly since I wanted a little bit of a border around her. I thought it would look better since I needed the backing for her wand. And when I finished her, I stickled her with gold. It matches the gold in the yellow papers. I know the colors don't look as if they match - I have figured out that blue and red don't always photograph how they really look. Everytime you have a different kind of paper or cloth, the color on most everything photographs differently. Since I sent her the card, I only cared that the colors do indeed match and look well together. The bottom part on the front is actually from the border strips in the paper pad. I used my card creator dies again and also another spellbinder one for the greeting. I couldn't

find any stamps in my huge collection that said what I wanted to say, so I wrote it in by hand. What a novel idea!! I had little star gems that I put in the corners and little heart gems that I put on the greeting. Tilda is on dimensionals and I just love how this came out. The copics I used are: E00, E11, R20 (SKIN), Y21, Y28, YR20, YR23, E35 (HAIR), V05, V06, BV02, BV04, BV08, and C2-7 (didn't write them down for some reason). Just a quick little tip - if the hair doesn't look right, it usually means you need more contrast. Try a touch of a darker color - usually brown where extreme shadows should be. If you look at Tilda, that would be at her part and also where the front hair overlaps the back. So now this card to the right is the inside of that card. I used the same papers as on the front. That greeting is fussy cut from a sheet in the paper stack - by the way this is the 12 x 12 stack. This card is 5 x 7. All except for the largest paper, are cut using a card creator die. If you aren't sure what that is, there are videos in youtube. I do pick and choose the parts of the papers that I want to use. Guess I get a bit frivolous about the paper once I start making a card, which explains why I end up with so very many scraps!! I got a new Macbook Pro and am learning how to use some of my programs on it. Hope you enjoy the cards. Someone asked me to do a post on how I organize my room. I have a bedroom for my room and its a decent size. My DH fixed me up with all kinds of shelving in the closet. I will take some photos and show what I have chosen to organize and what is just a little organized and why. Promise that will be fairly soon. Have 3 more birthdays this month though and they come first!! Hugs to you all and thanks for hanging in there!! Barb F