Run with a View

Today's post is completely not scrapbooking related - unless I decide to scrap these photos - but I wanted to share this with you. 

I am a runner - I am fortunate enough to live in an area where my husband and I can have alternate routes without too much traffic and with fabulous scenery.    

 Unfortunately, none of our routes are without one of the these - - a monster hill - doesn't seem so bad - unless you're footin it up it then it just goes on and on and on and even when you're finally at what you think is the top - it just goes on and on and on.

But once we get to the top, the view is wonderful.  We've watched the sheep all year from wee lambs, and even watched three new Pyranese puppies train to manage the sheep herd. 

I am glad it's starting to cool off though - it makes the run that much more enjoyable.






Happy crafting and enjoy your day - remember to take time to enjoy the view!

Jennifer

Adding Color to Your Crafts

Please enjoy this video from CTMH VP Marketing Kristine Widtfeldt.  She is an amazing lady at CTMH and a dynamo always!!
I think I have some crafting to do today - how about you?

Enjoy & happy crafting.

Jennifer
  

Footloose Layouts



One of my absolute favourite paper packages from the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book was Footloose.  This paper jumped out and grabbed me - love at first sight.

I'm catching up on some of my scrapbooking and this layout is from our trip to Cuba in February 2012. 

These crazy pelicans would come in every day when the fish guy showed up.  He would wave a fish in the air and they would fly in and just sit and wait for a fish.





They were so smart they knew when the tourists would hand the guy a peso and get a fish to feed them.  Holy smokes they would attack you to get that fish.  I dropped mine but my sister-in-law stuck it out to feed them.

I used the Footloose complements but I needed some letters that weren't in the kit.  So I used my white daisy pigment ink and painted the letters on - I think it turned out pretty good. 

Seaside Wooden shapes clustered with buttons, twine and more complements provide some fun embellishments.  For my journalling, I used the tag shape chipboard, cut the complementary shape with the Art Philosophy, added Sorbet brad and twine.

Do you know where I got the inspiration for my layout from?  It was right from the Idea Book, page 39  - changed patterns and colours to suit what I wanted and bada bing bada boom - it's done.

One of the things I love about scrapbooking is remembering what fun we had on the trip, especially with those crazy Pelicans.  It was worth the $2.00 we spent. 

 

Create your own Background Paper

My son & daughter-in-law are Star Wars geeks!!!  They belong to a club called the 501st Legion and participate in fundraisers and appearances with their group.  I am always asking for photos and memorabilia from their shows, and was thrilled when they actually complied.  They were at the Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Comicon and raised over $8,000.00 for Hospital for Sick Children, charging $5.00 for posing for pictures with Comicon attendees - that's over 1,600 pictures taken in 2 days. 

I wanted to put together a Star Wars album for them as a keepsake and that they could add to after each appearance.

Problem is there wasn't any paper that really worked for what I wanted for a title page. I wanted to create a darkened sky with stars much like the opening roll on the movies. 

This is what I came up with thanks to my White Daisy pigment ink and texture tool - from Close to My Heart.  I applied ink to the black stipple texture tool  and gently daubed it on the black cardstock.  In other areas I applied more pressure to get the blobs of white.  Then I used the small star stamp from It's your Day, once dry I coloured over it with the silver metalic marker to create a bit of shine.

The blue letters are cut with the Artiste cartridge in Indian Corn Blue.  Thank goodness for our tweezers to apply those letters to the cardstock. Star Wars is stamped with the Posterboard Alphabet in black on Honey textured cardstock, cut out and applied.

I think it turned out pretty good.  With a little imagination, help from the internet for the intro scroll wording and colours and tah dah - opening page.

Now onto figure out who, and what all the characters are in the pictures.

May the force be with me!

Happy creating,

Jennifer
  


 

Anniversary Card with Artiste

Just a quick post today to show you an Anniversary card I made using the Artiste cartridge.

One of the most difficult things I experience is knowing when to leave something alone - no ribbon, no bling, just leave it alone and walk away.

So this card is very clean and simple.  I used only black and white and a wee tiny piece of cranberry.  I ran the white cardstock through my cuttlebug with a great paisly embossing plate.

The bride and groom and the wee flower are all cut with the Artiste cartridge.

The inside is stamped "Happy Anniversary" over a third generation stamped heart image - I'm walking away and leaving it alone.


I hope you enjoy my clean and simple Anniversary card.

Happy crafting,

Jennifer
  

For Sale - My Acrylix Stamps

I have the following stamp sets for sale. 
I have indicated if the stamps are new (N) or if they are previously loved (U)

A1116 - A Melody (N) $5.00

B1395 - So Grateful (N) $7.00
B1360 - Trouble Maker (N) $7.00
B1394 - John 3:16 (N) $7.00

C1471 - Happy Clusters (N) $10.00
C1421 - The Boo Crew (N) $10.00
C1462 - All Hallows Eve (N) $10.00

WOTG - Believe (N) $12.00
D1456 - Chairs to You (N) $12.00
D1330 - Connections (U) $5.00
D1341 - Butterfly Wings (1 stamp used) - $10.00
D1351 - You've Got Flair (1 stamp used) $10.00
D1377 - Around the Blood (U) $5.00
D1206 - Endless Love (N) - $10.00

* Prices include shipping in Canada.  

Please email me for your selection, if you would like a photo or to discuss payment.

Thanks,

Jennifer

All About Inks!!!

Are you confused about inks? Water, solvent, distress, pigment, dye - what does it all mean? I've had a few questions so I went back to school with Close to My Heart. The following is only the basics and by no means provides a complete listing of all the ink products available.

There are two basic components to ink - the "colourant" and the "carrier". The colourant makes the paper change colours and the carrier is the liquid that carries the colourant from your tool to the page and then evaporates leaving the colour behind. Colourants can be dyes or pigments and carriers can be water or solvent.

So - lets start with the colourant:

Dye based ink soaks into the surface it is applied to and bonds wiuth the medium to change colour. They dry faster, because they soak in to the paper. They are of a thinner consistency which makes them great for detail and provide a crisp image when stamping an image on matte paper. Ink pads for dye based inks are made of felt.

Pigment based ink are slower drying because they sit on top of the surface. They provide the colour and do not change the paper colour making them great for stamping light images on dark paper - they stand out. Pigment inks are thick - they provide a vibrant colour, and hold embossing powder well. Pigment inks can be dried faster with a craft heater. If your project is going to be exposed to direct sunlight for long period of time use pigment inks. Pigment ink pads are a sponge or foam based pad. Pigment inks because they are thicker do not provide as crisp an image when stamping.

Distressing Ink is a hybrid with both pigment and dye based inks. They are not permanent until heat set. Distress ink provides a chalky opaque look and are achival/fade resistant once heating. They are great for antiquing and distressing all types of projects.

Okay, so now that you've got the basics of the "colourant", lets talk about the "carrier":

Water Based Inks have no odour. The water will evaporate slowly which makes them a great choice when stamping on matte paper. Water based inks can be blended with water. They do not completely dry on non-porus surfaces.

Solvent Based Inks have a rubbing alcohol type scent. They are great to use on non-porus surfaces, such as acrylic, or metal. The solvent evaporates faster than water. Solvent based inks are great to stamp an image outline and then use water based inks to colour inside the image. Solvent based inks are permanent.

Staz-On is a dye ink with a solvent carrier - it will dry quickly on non-porus surfaces. It is archival and fade resistant. It is prone to dry out quickly and is not good to stamp on fabric.

VersaMark is a clear pigment based ink that leaves a watermark image. It drys slowly so is perfect for heat embossing or chalk popping.

Close to My Heart inks (except White Daisy & Colonial White) are dye based water inks on a felt pad. This provides for even coverage when stamping with crisp images. They are great for everyday use on matte paper and as they are water based they can be blended with a waterbrush and provide easy clean-up. White Daisy and Colonial White inks are pigment water based. This allows coverage over darker coloured cardstock. Because they are pigment based the ink pad is foam so images are not as crisp. Pigment inks settle so any re-inker should be shook well before use.

Alcohol markers are the newest addition to the CTMH family. Alcohol markers are great for colouring because you can blend and build the colour up. They will have a rubbing alcohol type odour.

I hope this helps everyone understand the chemistry of inks and gives you some insight into choosing the right ink for your projects.