SNOW DAY!!!

The silver lining of a frigid winter is a . . . SNOW DAY!

I just got two and made good use of my time. I broke out the Gel Press petites sets of mini gel plates.  They are a great size, and act as a large clear stamp.

The fingers got a bit messy, but who cares!! I had a ball.

I even know what I'm going to do with all these amazing papers I created!! I've got a card design and I will be making some really colorful birthday cards.

Making every moment count!!

Put that art on display!!!

I made an impulse purchase at an amazing art supply store just around the corner from me. It's called Artist and Craftsman and it's got all kinds of fun supplies and great gifts.  They had a display of Umbra products for displaying art on desks, walls and from the ceiling.  I decided to take a chance on home improvement and moved a framed artwork upstairs to make room on a wall near our kitchen.  I purchased this Umbra Hangit which has clips for 40 images. Even when it's not Christmas card season I love having pictures and art work. The fridge is an option, but doesn't seem to be a fitting locale. So this display is perfect!  For those who do not have a trove of art to show, the best part is that it comes with fun images, until you have time to add your own creations.

It's a simple design, albeit a bit stressful to put up in a home with plaster walls.  I'm not the best at being precise and I ended up going to the hardware store to pick up a new drill bit. Let's just say I was lucky that I got it up and any errors in my drilling efforts were covered up by the wood slats.

I will use this for my holiday cards and for the rest of the year, I'll put up photos and cards.  The one thing I want to do is to make sure pictures get out of my camera so I think I'll try to print a couple each month and remember the fun things we do through out the year.  

Scan n Cut

I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos and happened to become intrigued by the Brother Scan n Cut machine demonstrated often by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.  

I saw a project on Scrapbook Soup and invested in a cut file, a pattern prepared that you can purchase on Etsy.  I thought I'd try it out.  I'm thrilled with the results.

The hearts pattern started as a white sheet of card stock and I used crayons to color the columns of hearts in a somewhat complimentary group of colors. Then I used fiber paste with a stencil and allowed it to dry before arranging the hearts and sewing them so they stay lined up as they were in the cut file.

The next project was my own work of art, scanned and converted into a cut file.  I simply drew the love you below on paper, making large thick lines and connecting the word in a box shape, so that everything was "connected."  Then I scanned the image and the machine then read the image and cut it out.

It's really exciting to have my own artwork turned into a die cut that I can use in my art.  It allows me to create exactly what I need instantly.  So rewarding and I've only scratched the surface of what this machine can do.  Can't wait to show you more!!

Washi tape

As if art supplies are not addictive enough, now we have another item to obsess over.  Washi tape!!  I've been collecting it faster than I use it.

The collection began innocently enough, and now it's exploded.  I'm sharing some pictures of my stash, please don't judge my hoard.

Tim Holtz has a line he refers to as tissue tape, which is light and paper-like with the vintage theme.  Much like fun duct tape manufacturers are catching on selling lines in office supply stores like Staples and Office Depot. I've given rolls to my nephews in hopes they will use it in their smash books. One of their favorites is the caution tape and one that looks like tire tread.

A fun version I picked up at Paper Source is color your own washi tape. It is black and white design with room to color.  So I decided to try it out.  Since the washi tape has a slick surface I used Sharpie markers to do my coloring.  I have a huge collection and I had a blast decorating an envelope that I included with a friend's birthday gift. You need to enjoy coloring if you decide to use this tape.  

My only comment is that there are some tiny little spaces to color, so don't plan on using a very large piece unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

Also, the most recent addition to my collection is the Jane Davenport tapes I picked up at Michael's.  They were on sale and I adore them.  Particular favorite is the small roll that says "I'm learning to fly."

Finally, for the Christmas cards I delivered to neighbors I chose to dress up the naked envelopes with some tape from Paper Source. The tape is translucent, so the white of the envelopes just makes the tape pop even more.