Crafty Cardmarkers Challenge 36 First and Last

Hello Everyone,
When I made my first card I thought it was awesome. Years later and I'm glad I never mailed it. It does make you feel good to see your progress. I have been card making for around four years, but became more into it in the last two. I really enjoy working with digital stamps and Coloring in with Copic markers is by far my favorite.
This last image is from Stitchbear stamps called Ice Princess.  Perfect for this time of year, she has a lot of sparkle that isn't captured in the picture. I used Distress Stickles Clear Rock Candy on her dress which gives it an icy shimmer, on her hair ,sentiment, and staff an Iridescent medium.  The Circle paper and the border stripe are all glittered.  The border strip is also a combo of blue and purple.
Please come join use in the fun and show us your work, but don't forget to check out the Design Teams Creations at Crafty Cardmakers  Have Fun, and CRAFT ON!

I'm entering my last card Ice Princess in the following Challenges:
Copic Creations- Light source (upper right)
Digital Tuesday- Baby it's cold outside, use a digital stamp
The Pixie Cottage- Use the Sketch/ or sparkle and Shine
Fresh Brewed- Sparkle and Shine
The Play Date Cafe- Main Colors 2 Blues and Purple

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 35 1/2 Tag Spotlight

Hello Everyone,
 Here is my tag using the Holly Fairy from Prairie Fairy Designs. I think she looks like my dear sweet daughter and I had to use her on my circle tag/card. I cut the tag using the Cricut Expression and MTC software.  There's lots of room to write a special message for your loved ones. The image is colored with Copic markers and I did a neat background effect, and the whole card sparkles. Come check out the creations of the Design Team and join in the fun. Craft On!

I have entered this in the following Challenges:
Dutch Dare-Tag
Little Red Wagon- Tag
Flutter By Wednesday's - Fairy
For Fun Challenge - Card that's not A2

My Latest Cards

Hello Everyone,
I would like to share two cards I did recently.  The one card with the Magnolia stamp is for a Thankful Challenge over at 7 Kids College Fund Challenge Blog   My shape mats on the card are not Nesties, they were done using my Cricut machine and MTC.  I also used my Copics to distress the matt edges.  The fall pumpkins are for my sick Grandma.  She loves the fall colors so I thought I would cheer her up, and I just had to make a matching envelope.  This stamp is from CopicMarkerScrapbooking  Thanksgiving Collection. Enjoy and Craft On.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 33 Stitching

Hello Everyone,
This card is very different from the norm. I found this Joy fold card ideal at splitcoast stampers you tube site. This card has tons of stitching, and I had a lot of fun with it. The orange part of the card with the acorn stamp opens up for you to write in. The stamp is from the Thanksgiving Digi stamp set at Copicscrapbookmarkers and I colored it with Copics.  Thanks for looking and check out the other Design Teams work.  Enjoy and Craft On.

Love Um or Leave Um: To Glue or not To Glue Act 2

Hello Everyone,
 First I want to thank you all for the glue suggestions, but I still have a few more liquid glues in my arsenal. So after using up must of my glue stash I went on the search for more glue.  This time I also wanted something that would work on small die cut pieces.

These next three are glues a lot of crafters love, I kind  of feel bad, but I found they were just not for me.  LEAVE UM!!  And heres why.
 Tombo's Mono multi- this glue has two really cool ways to apply the glue to a project, one small applicator and a bigger one on the opposite end that also allows you to spread the glue out without making a mess.(Me like) This glue worked really well, but for small applications if you did not put a very little it oozed out from under a die cut(dries shiny) and I found myself never reaching for it for bigger projects because I felt I would go through it too fast.
  Zip Dry- Everyone loves Zip Dry my sister-in-law and I were told when we bought this glue at our local shop while scrap booking.  We told them we wanted the glue to adhere paper to chip board to make a book and they said it works great.  Well we used the glue in the store and were not happy.  It was like a clear, smelly rubber cement, and it was drying before we got the whole area covered.  It was oozy and gooey, but it did come off our hands without a big ordeal. We weighted down the book covers and let them dry.  When we looked at them the paper looked fine at first but soon began to pucker in the middle.  No more Zip Dry for use.
  Quickie Glue pen- This pen worked but not for what I wanted it for.  If you want to write a word and quickly cover it with glitter, this is the pen for you.  I wanted to adhere die cuts and found that it dried before I was finished covering the die cut. It also did not last very long.

But there is good glue news brewing and here it is. My go to liquid glues LOVE UM, LOVE UM, LOVE UM!!!

So it took a while but I am pretty happy with these glues.  That's also why I am posting, so that many new crafters can have a place to start their search for glue. I'm talking about the glues from left to right in the picture.

  Zig two way glue- these are the blue tubes. I use these for all my small die cute pieces and I have never had a problem with oozing or pieces not staying stuck.(I use the big chisel only to re-sticky my mattes)
  Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive- Yeah, quick dry(no one likes to sit and wait for glue to dry) and it's true, you have a very little window to remove or reposition your object. The bottle also has a small tip applicator (never had a problem with clogging)so that glue only goes where you want it to go. This is the glue I use to make chip board albums and book covers.
  FABRI-TAC permanet adhesive(acid and lignin free)- This glue is like a combo of rubber cement(a little smelly)/hot glue(It does make strings) Very, very easy clean up, it rolls off your fingers.  Make sure you get the newer bottle which has a long pin point tip, the older bottle style has a wider opening about 1/4 and your glue would dry up in the bottle.( Glad they fixed it) This glue works really well for attaching ribbon, felt, flowers of any material, and it will not pop off going through the mail. I've also used it on paper. It does not seep through the ribbon, you need very little, and you have some move time.
  Glossy Accents- this is technically not a glue but a clear dimensional embellishment. I love the small fine tip applicator and I hate it. My tip seems to be always clogged so I keep a small needle near by. Glossy accents gives major pop to die cuts, stamped images, chip board,plus much more and it acts like a glue. I use it as a glue for bigger objects like metal frames, metal words, big buttons, and to glue paper to acrylic tags or pieces. The major down side is it takes a long time to dry (hours depending on the size), but the results are worth it, and that's why I won't leave um.
Well there you go, the end of my Liquid glue Saga.  I hope you enjoyed and CRAFT ON!

Color Snob

Hello Everyone,
 Ok, ladies this is my silly post for the month.  I would like to know by a show of comments, is it me or are you on this craftin band wagon too?  How many of you see a new product, be it tool, glue holder, what ever and want it and one of the first things that pops into your made is, if only it came in my favorite color? I feel that way all to often and it makes me sick when it does come out in my color 4 months latter, after I have bought it or I have to custom color it my self.(My ATG gun Post)  Ok, how many of you have bought it twice to get the color you want? I can say I have only done that once. The nice thing is the crafting world is hearing us loud and clear, no more gray and orange or just plain black.  Enjoy your evening and Craft On!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 32 Use a Freebie

Hello Everyone,
 Sorry I'm late with this. This is a very simple card but I loved the free image I got from Archivers over 7 months ago.  I used a 5 1/2 by 81/2 (I had the wrong measurements on CCM)card scored at 3inch and 6 inches and made into a tri fold. I also added a mat for writing  in the card. The image is pop dotted and I added a Copic blender pen affect to the flower and some PTI ribbon. Come check out what my team members have created at Crafty Cardmarkers.  Enjoy and Craft O!

Love Um or Leave Um: To Glue or not to Glue- Act 1

Hello Everyone,
  So how many different glues do you have in your crafting arsenal? Ok, I love to craft, but I don't like to spend money on a product that's not going to serve my purposes or meet my needs.  In an effort to help other crafters do the same I am doing a series of blogs on crafting supplies and tools called Love Um or Leave Um. In the end the final choice is up to you, I am only giving my humble opinion.

 So let's talk liquid, paste, spray types of glue.  I was looking for a glue to attach paper to chipboard to make mini albums, and maybe I could use it to add embellishments to my book.   I told myself that a spray sounded like a good ideal, it's not drippy or messy.  I went  with Elmer's Craft Bond.  This was a hot mess. The first problem was the fumes.  I had to spray my project in the garage.(middle of winter, not heated didn't help) Second, after I spayed a few sheets the box and nozzle were so sticky and gooey that  my paper started to stick to the box.  This glue does not come off with just soap and water.  I had to use goo gone on my hands.  Third, which is the number one reason I went to a new product was after a while(maybe a month) my papers began to separate from the chip board. LEAVE UM!

So next, I checked on line for what people used for book making and one product which is easy to find was glue sticks.  So I tried UHU glue stick and twist and glue.  I found my self going through this product super fast in order to get good adhesion.  One glue stick covered  maybe two wordbooks, and the same with the twist and glue. LEAVE UM!

On to a new product. Yes Paste.  This product was also one that many recommended online.  In the description it's called a favorite among hobby enthusiasts, artists and crafters everywhere, an all purpose glue for all your crafting needs.  I truly believe the only real reason I tried this product was the amount you got(19oz) and the price $16.75 plus 40% off.  Boy was I sorry. When I opened the jar all I kept thinking was how in the world am I going to spread this without making a huge mess.  I first tried a small putty knife(type of spatula) but in the end I turned into a kindergartner and used my hands.  The problem was getting an even coat on my paper.  This product does work but it was way to much hassle and mess for me.  LEAVE UM!!!

So, after this last  failed glue attempt I stopped searching for a while, plus I had to use up all that I had.  As for the Yes it was so messy I just chucked it. It was not worth the headache and sticky fingers and I would feel guilty giving away a product I didn't like, especially since my little girl wouldn't even touch it.
Until my next post, Craft On!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 31 Spotlight Fancy Folds

Hello Everyone,

 Ok, the folds aren't super fancy but it's very elegant and not your normal card folded in half. This is a 4 1/2 by 11 card scored down the center and scored on the front panel in half and folded. Then you add your image panel matted on card stock. My image is from CopicmarkerScrapbooking.com the Oz digtal stamp set, I love this image because you can use it for so many types of cards.  I also showed this card earlier in my Oz  post. I would share more pic's but someone(mother-law) gave my card away before I finished with the pic's.(sorry)

Photographing Your Creations

Hello Everyone,

  So you want to take a good photo of your card or layout but it never comes out quite right.  These are somethings that I do and it works very well for me. I will start with my disclaimer.  I am not a professional photographer but I have been taking pictures for a while and have even done some weddings. That being said here we go.
   First, you should know your camera well, here is an instance where the manual can really help you. How to change settings, turn off flash, and any thing that it can do that will help you to get the best out of camera picture.(the object is to take a picture that needs little to no altering in an editing program)  This may sound silly but trust me it helps so much.  I went on a family vacation with a new digital camera that came 2 days before our trip.(this was not my fault, we ordered it 2 months earlier but they were out of stock) Bad, bad, ideal.  My pictures were so pixelated that lots of them were worthless.  I thought I hated my camera.  Well in time I got to know my camera, and it was one of the best buys I had ever made, in fact 7 years done the road it still works and takes better pics then almost all the new cameras that my friends and family have.

   Second, lighting can make or break a photo. Some photos can be beyond fixing in Photo shop or other editing software if the lighting is to bad.  I use a white background and I light from above with a lamp that has a daylight bulb. I never use the flash on my camera when taking pics of my work, it will wash out the color.When I take a photo I get as close to the card as I can without cutting off any of the card, or scrapbook page. This is not a fancy setup, my background happens to be my all white computer shelving unit and my lamp was clearance $20.

You can try natural lighting but for me I don't like the shadows I get from sunny days. An over cast day would work better.  This is why most photographers who shot outside do so early in the morning or in the evening before it gets to dark.

  Third, you need some sort of editing program.  When you  take a photo of a card there is still so much background behind the card that it distracts from the image and you really can't see the details.  You may also still need a little lighting adjustment. Depending on where you are posting your picture you may have to re size it, and lower the pixels.  All this is done in your editing software.
   I use Photo Shop Elements  to crop, adjust lighting, re size my image, and save for the web.  Here are some screen shots.

This shot shows the crop tool highlighted dark gray. Click on pics to enlarge 

This shows how to adjust the lighting.

 This shows how to resize your Image. I set Resolution at 72 pixels per square inch.

 
  These last two are how to save for the web.  I have to do this before I can put them on a forum or in an email because my camera takes pics at such a high resolution.  You will know if  you need to do this if when you try to load a picture to a forum or send and email it says image is to large.(when you save for web this is not print quality, it's only for viewing on the web)  When you click save for web, a  window pops up with 2 images, the original and the one you are going to change.  On the right there is a box that says new size with a height and width in pixels.  This is were I make my changes. I change my width to around 600 and the height automaticly changes to fit the width. If you make this number to small you image will also be small and you may not be able to see much.  You can always go back and resize it again with no problems
.
  You do not need an expensive editing program to make these changes.  Some are free or come with your camera.  So here are a few pictures to show how my image looks from start to finish.

This pic is straight out of the camera no editing

This is the cropped, light adjusted, and resized image.
Well that's it, I hope this was helpful.  Enjoy and Craft On!

Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge 30 1/2

Hello Everyone,

Isn't she so cute, I love this digital stamp from Mo Manning. She is colored with Copics in a monochromatic theme. Background dark purple, I cut a circle out and then embossed with CB swiss dots. Next I put a square of purple floral under the circle. I then cut out a strip and cut scallops in it with a PTI border die, and stamped with a script in white and added ribbon. All done. Come over to Crafty Cardmakers and play with us and check out the Design Teams work. Have fun and Craft On!

This card is entered in the following Challenges:
Anything Goes - Something Cute
Digital Tuesday - It's all about the girl's and use a digi
Some Odd Girl - Monochromatic
Crafty Sentiments - Use your scrapes(dark purple background piece with circle cut out, pattern piece behind it,border strip all scraps)

CopicmarkerScrabookings Oz Digital Stamps

Hello Everyone,
 I have awesome news. I am a new member of CopicmarkerScrapbookings Design Team. Yeah me! I love Copic markers and I love this company.  The owers are so super sweet and they have all the Copics you need and accessories at an awesome price.(FREE SHIPPING) I have bought markers from them before being on the team, and they handle there business like a hometown family caring store, not a Mega Chain store where your just a number.(Some people may like that,to each his own) They  teach you how to use the product you buy knowing there is a learning curve with Copics. They help you along the way with several free classes and lots of information on their Forum. They also have a members program which gets you free refills and extra discount and more. Enough about me telling you, check them out for your self.
So with no further ado, here is some cards made with their new line of  Digital stamps OZ.

Fall is Here

Hello Everyone, 

Fall is here and what a great way to celebrate by making fall cards for friends and family.  Here are two I made and had so much fun doing so. Enjoy and leave me a comment to let me know what you think. Craft On.

This last card is being entered in Copic Creations challge shading

Similar Copic Colors

Hello Everyone,
  Here is some information about Copic colors I thought would be very,very helpful. This is a list of colors that are SO Similar to each other that you only need one of these.  I like to get the most bang for my buck so this list will help you do that also.  This list was compiled by Suzanna J Dean and I added any others that fit the bill.

E21,E53
BG23,BG32
BG01,BG02
Y04,Y06
Y18,Y19
Y23,Y32
G02,G03
G16,G19
G21,G24,G82
G28,G29
E08,E09
E37,E39
YR01,YR02
RV17,RV19
BOO,B01
B05,B06
B14,B16
Enjoy you day, and Craft On.

Copics I Reach for All the Time

Hello Everyone,
 So many people ask for a list of beginner Copics. Well here is a list of colors I find myself always going for in my stash(My go to colors).  This is a personal preference,(I tend to look on the Brighter side of life)but  more then likely it will work for you. So here we go:

Skin Tones - E000,E00,E11,R20(blush)
Afican American - E31,E33,E35,R32(blush)

Blues - B21,B24,B26
B000,B02,B05

Greens - G20,G24,G28
G20,YG63,YG67

Yellows- Y000,Y11,Y13,Y15

Orange - (bright)YR00,YR02,YR04,YR09
(warm)YR00,YR12,YR18(my daughters recommendation)

Brown - E33,E35,E37,E39


Yellow Green - YG11,YG13,YG17

Pink - R81,R83,R85

Reds - R20,R22,R24,R27,R29(reds are one of the hardest colors to work with and having ALL these colors will help you get a smooth blend)

Violet - V000,V12,V15, V17

Blue Green - BG10, BG13,BG15,BG18

Grays - C00,C1,C3,C5,C7,C9
So there it is, a really, really good place to start collecting. These are by no means the only colors you will ever need.  That will all depend on what you color and what colors appeal to you. That being said, an awesome source for markers is Copic Markers Srapbooking.  They have everything you could ever want and their service is wonderful.(I know from dealing with them)    
So have fun and Craft On.

My Ultimate Copic Storage

Hello Everyone,

      I wanted to share with you my Copic marker storage system .  Granted it's not rocket science, but how you store them can make your life easier or harder.  It seems like crafters are always looking for a new, better way to store all their prized possessions.  I have looked at several different ways to store my markers and I am convinced that this is the best way for me.  This ideal could also work for other markers like Promarkers or Prismas, depending on the height, and you may have to alter a bit. This method expands very well as your collection gets bigger.  Here is a pic of my markers and you'll see why I needed a good way to store them.  I also told myself, if you spread them out people will see it's really not that many markers.(Who was I trying to kid)

 So here it is.  I use a makeup storage Caboodle(normally found in makup section of stores like Walmart, Target, Cosco) medium sized and I add plastic canvas inserts.  You don't have to add the inserts but if you don't, your markers fall all over the place.(not a good ideal)  I can transport my markers without any problem and I can lock it up so no little fingers can get to them.  This unit can also store ink refills with your markers.  Take a look.  Email me at Deezcreativedesigns@yahoo.com  for Insert info. 
The Caboodle you start with most be this size to work. Height- 6 3/4in, Width- 7 3/4in, Length- 7in
This is very important or you slots will not match When you fit the pieces together the 2 panels with 5 sq on the end should be on the same side, and the same with the 9 panels all the ends with 17sq. should be on the same side.

So everyone let me know what you think.  Enjoy, and Craft On.

CCM Challenge 29 Clean and Simple

Hello Everyone,

 This was truly a challenge for me. This took more time thinking then making. I stamped the image 3 times and sponged the color on, and added a sentiment. A few mattes and a ribbon and I'm done.  Come check out the Design Teams cards at Crafty Card Makers 
This card is entered in the following Challenges:
Secret Crafters Saturday Challenge
The Paper Players
The little paper shop

CCM Challenge 28 Spotlight Glitter and Sparkle

Hello Everyone,
I was inspired by Lady GaGa's Bad Romance video.  I used the colors Black,white,and red. I loved the mirror in the video, so that's how I came up with the shape. The black card front was scored on a diagonal in both directions and the I rubbed white pigment it across to make it pop. This pattern reminded me of the wire mess. Of course we have rhinestones, metal, and lots of pearl glimmer mist(hard to see) . I couldn't stop with the card front.

CCM Challenge 27

Hello Everyone,
     This is a Criss Cross Photo wallet found here http://www.scor-pal.com/projects2/index_files/Page854.htm to hold memories of a special day.  This is made using one sheet of DSP and scored and folded.  The images are colored with Copics and I used a MS punch on the inside mat, two ribbons and a felt and paper flower topped of with a button.  The sentiments are mounted on pieces of thin wood.  The inside  pull out picture mats are colored with glimmer mist and one mat is stamped with dot circles.  Come join us and check out the teams creations at http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.com/
Have fun and Craft On.

I entered this card inthe following challenges:
http://stampinbsdesignteam.blogspot.com/
http://craftsandmechallenges.blogspot.com/
http://mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/
http://donnasdenofcrafts.blogspot.com/
http://anythingchallenge.blogspot.com/
http://www.pollycraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/

CCM Challenge 26 Recipie

Hello Everyone,
  Welcome to CCM 26 Challenge Recipe. You have to make something using the following ingredients.
     1. A sticker or punch
     2. The color Yellow or Orange
     3.  A animal or fish
Here is my take on it.

I picked an image drawn by Marianne Walker from I Like Markers.blogspot.com and colored it with Copics. I sprayed it with pearl Glimmer mist and added pearls. Next I took a 12 inch stripe of paper and punched(MS) and folded it to make a border around half the image. Then I stacked 3 prima flowers and added diamond dust to the top, added ribbon and rhinestones to card.

Head over to CCM and see what everyone else has come up with.  Have Fun and Craft On !

This card is entered into these Challenges:
Crafty Creations
Cards for Men
Pollycraft
Stetch and Stash
Stampin Royalty

CCM Challenge 25 1/2

Hello Everyone,
    I am so excited to tell you that I'm one of the new Design team members for Crafty Cardmakers.  When I found out I was so happy and this first challenge was really fun.  We had to make easel cards.  I made one shaped like a fish bowl.  It's also a shaker card.  So here's what I did, I used the colors as my inspiration. The card was cut with the Cricut Expression using Life's A Beach. The fish is cut from felt and then coated with stickles. The fish bowel is cut from acetate and pop doted, and I added blue/green beads as the gravel.  Added prima flowers, PTI ribbon and All American Crafts sparkly botton.  Head over to http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.com/  and check out the other Design team cards.  Enjoy and craft on.

Pink Stamper Color Challenge

Hello Everyone,
  This challenge called for you to use the colors green, pink,brown and orange.  My sister-in-law has a shoe fetish so this card is made for her.  The shoe is cut from Gyspy wanderings.  Alittle bit of ribbon and Nestie tag and viola. Enjoy.
  Craft On!
  Dee

All That Scraps Wed. Challenge

Hello Everyone,
  The challenge is to use celery,caribbean , and pink.  Base card is Caribbean, mat is pink, and ribbon is celery.
I had fun working withe ribbon like this.
   Enjoy and Craft On!

                

ATG Gun

Hello Everyone,
  Thanks so much for the lovely comments about my ATG gun.  There were also some questions that I want to answer for you.  Before I painted the gun I took it a part so all the black pieces would stay black  except the inside wheels.  They looked like they had a lot of pieces so I left them on.  I then primed all the parts I planed on painting and let that dry about a half a day. I did this to make sure my paint would stick because the color I wanted did not say it was for plastic.  Next I painted my top coat which is called Key Lime and let this dry over night.  I loved the look but still wanted more so I added BoBunny rub on swirls.  Then I sprayed a clear coat on top so my rubons would stay put.  All and all it came out really good, but there are a few things I would change. I would not paint the inside wheels because they connect to each other, and I can see where the paint is chipping where they touch. I would also prep the gun a little better for the paint job( give it a light sanding so the paint adheres better, sand the primer coat for better adhesion before adding top coat)  I would also let the clear coat dry for a day, some of my swirls broke apart from handling to soon.  I know this sounds like a long process but it really wasn't and the work was well worth it. 
   Enjoy your day and Craft On.