simple dreams

What's with all the cupcakes???

I hope you aren't tiring of the cupcakes just yet! Can you tell I'm on a mission? These have all been made in preparing to teach the class "Clearly Delectable Cupcakes".  They all have a common denominator - use of a "clear" material, be it vellum, transparency, or shrink plastic. It has been a fun adventure playing around with different inks and techniques.  You probably will laugh knowing that there are even MORE cupcake cards behind the scenes that I'm waiting until class time to share Ü

The one thing I can truly admit to is having a HUGE craving for a cupcake right about now Ü

Channeled - Part 2

Hopefully this photo will do a better job explainin' - having a fever does wonders for my thought process - LOL! They say a picture speaks a thousand words - right?!?

So... you create this "channel" by scoring your cardstock twice, then you can lay your ribbon/paper/whatever in this "channel" Ü

It looks so "finished" when you actually adhere the ribbon, but being that I wanted to just show the thought here I didn't adhere my red ribbon!

Hope this helps all those who I had baffled with my earlier post.  This tool can also create a wonderful pattern on your cardstock. I love creating texture on cardstock and this tool helps you do it in a very "professional" manner.

Channeled

I am absolutely LOVING my new Scor-It - you might ask me if it is worth the $60 it costs retail and my answer would be a resounding YES!!! I am finding all sorts of ways to add professional looking "details" to my cards. "Channeling" my ribbon and accent papers is one of my fave things to do with this little gadget. It takes a little practice, but after only a couple of miscue's I've got it figured out.

 

Hopefully I can continue to share new ideas using this device in week's to come - TIME - I wish I had more of it!!!

Challenge/Experimentation

I love a simple challenge - I've been preparing samples for a class I am teaching using "clear" products. In the preparation process I have been "testing" inks on vellum and transparencies. I was rather intrigued by today's color challenge on SCS and thought - hey - I've got chalk inks in those colors. What a funky experiment this was - I think it turned out sorta cool and it has me thinking about other layouts and combinations.

So - take out the different inks that you have and just experiment - you may find something cool Ü

It bites just like a croc!

Croc-a-dile - oh I mean Crop-a-dile - I swear this baby can take a bite out of anything!

So here is my project of the day - yes, day - I had so many diversions today that it literally took me all day to get this thing completed - LOL!  BUT I'll be oh so happy when I go shopping and can have the perfect tool for coordinating the embellishments I use in paper crafting. Boy does it feel good to be organized and in such a lovely and precise manner at that Ü

After some help today from friend's I think I've figured out how to get the perfect placement - so I thought I'd share my discovery and technique with you all. Following is my adventure for the day Ü

Punch it through as many layers as will fit in the "gap" - it punches like buttah I tell yah!!!

Once you have all paper punched insert screw posts and voila the handiest little bunch of paper you've ever put together. I do hope this helps any other organizational crazies or crop-a-dile challenged friends out there in cyberworld!

Creating for friends!

One of my favorite things to do is create something for a friend - I never seem to have a lot of time to do this, but when I do, I have so much fun completing all the little details. Unfortunately there have been times when the little details have taken soooo long that the gift was never finished, but luckily this one made it through to completion before some other task presented itself.

This little trinket is for Karen to wear when she is out teaching classes or doing demonstrations. These are images from the vegetable couture line and they are just so stinkin' cute. What a fun little conversation piece it has turned out to be! And as most of you know I LOVE to present a gift in style - LOL! So I made up this little box to present it to her in. It was a fun and fairly quick project that was so fun to do.

 

Tool Time - White Gel Pen comparison

If you have joined me from SCS skip to the picture below, the rest of the information is the same. Thanks for stopping by and I hope this can be of help in some way.

With all the talk of discontinuation of the White Signo Pen I thought I would share the comparison I have done of the three white gel pens I have in my collection. Using each pen I wrote it's name and followed it by five white dots - each was done in the same manner so that I could figure out the differences from one to the next. In hindsight I went back in and wrote the letter e to test it against the pooling that occured with the Gelly Roll pens, this is not shown in the photo. Here is my analysis for what it is worth:

Signo pen - slightly shiny surface, very little "dimension", easiest to write small letters, (but I have been having trouble with my tip not writing and ended up having to rewrite this word several times to get it to come out "clean"). The letter "e" did not pool. One other side note is that I needed to write slowly with the Signo pen in order to get even covereage. Ink dries immediately.

Glaze pen - shiny raised surface, "dimension" similar to embossing, dots were super easy to create, I needed to be careful to not overload an area with ink, first writing came out charmed.  You must allow for dry time with this pen.

Souffle pen - slightly shiny raised surface, "dimension" similar to embossing, dots were super easy to create, I needed to be careful to not overload an area with ink, first writing also simple.  You must allow for dry time with this pen.

Analysis - I like them all - LOL! I can see a use for each. So as with any experiment your conclusion can be biased to suite which product you are personally trying to promote - ROTFLMBO Ü

 

Details

I do believe that successful card making is in the "details". I can not take credit for any of the "details" in the following cards because they were all made by Karen. Today I was given what I felt to be the most amazing gift. It was a brown paper bag with the most amazing assortment of beautiful artwork contained within! With the kiddos safely tucked away in bed my eyes have feasted on these fantastic creations - it is the details that make me look at them over and over again. I just have to share a few with you!

The jean jacket below is absolutely WOW with the little detail that Karen added - who would have thought little stickers could add such pizazz!!! I looked at it, looked at it again... then I had to take my finger and lightly touch the surface because I just have to feel those details. Now I am envisioning this jacket in pink or green with little rhinestone type buttons and it will be all girly Ü Maybe I'll even doodle a flower or two on it - yeah - and it was supposed to be for men. LOL

Next is one that is over the top cute! Each year Karen is creating a Limited Edition stamp for the holiday season. The first year was the Flurry Family and this year we have "Nicholas and Daddy".

Karen only does a small run of these - she signs, numbers and dates them. These are going to FLY out the door, so if you want one you need to e-mail me (like yesterday - LOL) and I'll take your order and get it sent out to you pronto. I don't think you are going to want to wait because when they're gone, they're gone. Look at the details in this image - the whimsical faces, candy canes in the basket - all this enclosed in a tantalizing snow globe that just glistens with the little touch of glitter! Sweet, sweet, sweet!

One more "Sweet Treat" to finish out this little admission that it is all in the details is the "Sweet Treat Stocking". I have to wonder how Karen't brain composes these wonderful images - if you look at each stamp image it is a piece of art waiting patiently (or perhaps for me impatiently) to create a project using it. I looked closely to try and take in all the special items in this stocking - a candy cane, bag of swirly candies, lollipops, a couple of fir sprigs - I almost missed the jingle bells adding that finishing touch to the turned down cuff. Add Karen's ability to use colored pencils and...

magic happens!

I hope you enjoyed Karen's details as much as I have!

Ribbon - glorious ribbon

I must say that even though the weather was spastic today nothing could bring the level of fun down that we three ladies were able to have in spite of it. Note the lovely hairstyles - yep, we got wet and my hair does the frizz a lot better than most people's I know, so that would be me on the left. En-May is the sweet thing squished in the middle - what a delight she is!!! I don't know how she kept it all straight when she was writing our ribbon order, Karen and I can talk a mile a minute I do believe. On the right is Karen - some day soon I hope to do a proper introduction so that you all can have the privilege of getting to know her better. What a wonderful lady she is - absolutely and totally gifted! When the two of us get together to share creative ideas our heads begin spinning - I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to be her business associate!

So why were we so happy - the answer is all in the title of today's entry - RIBBON :insert huge grin:  For many in the industry you know all about May Arts ribbon - well En-May let us touch page after page of her glorious ribbon!!! Color, texture, design - you just want to stroke it.  So why was I stroking ribbon? Well I am working on an endeavour that is extremely exciting and it will include ribbon - scrumptious co-ordinating ribbon! You can't make cards without ribbon! LOL

Hopefully soon I will have some lovely ribbon pictures to enter here - yummy, colorful, strokeable ribbon pictures. But for now you will just have to use your imaginations and peak at the details in some of the cards that will eventually get posted here as well.

It started with only one!

Yes, it really did!!! I started with just one - now look at these beauties - LOL. Yikes they had better stop coming out with new products - where am I going to put them?

Gelly Roll pens - the name alone is rather addicting - why do they have to name everything after food items that are simply divine? Just thinking about the names makes me realize I need to go and eat some breakfast - now I'm hungry - LOL.

It started with the Star Dust and to this day it is still my favorite Gelly Roll. Some people use the word glitter, other's say sparkle - but well I now have a new word thanks to the class with Karen the other night. Her word is "shimmer" - and oh shimmer it does! What is so fabulous about this pen is that on cool tones it appears silver, on warm tones it appears gold. It is extremely difficult to photograph, but the effect it gives to your work will truly stun and amaze you. It just steps everything up a notch. You will never regret buying this pen as your first Gelly Roll. BUT I must add that if you buy this one... well look what happens. Click on the shoe below and it will pop up so that you can really see it SHIMMER!!!

Then I added the Clear Glaze - another MUST have in my opinion. Most of you are familiar with Diamond Glaze or Crystal Effects - well this is that product in a pen! You can control it like none other, putting it in the smallest of places and the beauty of it is it dries quickly. On this Lockhart shoe the Clear Glaze just makes these shoes come to life - it is just incredible IRL.

So... I had to purchase ALL the glaze pens - LOL. They are beautiful!!! They add a transparent, 3-D dimension to your work very much like embossing does - only this is quick and easy - no mess to clean-up. You can use these pens on plastic (transparencies), shiny paper, glass, metal, vellum - I'm guessing the list goes on, but I haven't had a chance to experiment any further than these. AND you can do it in the tiniest of spaces - just one little dot, or write a word, or...

Then we have my new favorites!!! Souffle pens - there is something about their name alone that makes them delicious. Yep - gotta go eat breakfast now!! The current colors are sooo perfect for spring and summer - I'm secretly hoping that they come out with new ones by the fall! Yeah I know - where am I going to put them?!? These beauties are also fabulous for many different surfaces - they are even suggesting that you embellish your cell phone with these. Can you imagine the doodling possibilites for those who like "busy"? I'm a clean sorta girl and so my cell phone won't be seeing these except for perhaps my signature - maybe that way I won't accidentally pick up my DH's phone 

I've got to go eat something after this little review - LOL! I will continue with the Souffle pens a little later.

Kat and Mouse

You are probably looking at my banner wondering what on earth does this have to do with stamping? The answer is simple - nothing - LOL.

This little weathervane is a purchase I made six years ago after my second daughter was born. Being that we already had a mouse, our oldest daughter Madeleine, we were looking for names when I suggested Katrina. My DH didn't really like it until I mentioned that we would then have a Kat and a Mouse - well it stuck and we love our Kat and Mouse very much!

So... the only connection this photo holds is that it comes back to my... simple dreams. I have simple dreams for my family - their happiness means the world to me. I hope you enjoyed this little step into my backyard.

Today's Tool

Cardstock - I'm not sure you can really call this a tool, but my feeling was that it is an item that I can't make most projects without. So... for me it's one of my most important tools!

What is it about cardstock that just grips me - for me it's one word - COLOR. Oh how I love COLOR!!! Trendy, current and yet flexible! Being that I'm on this quest to discover new products that are carried in most stamp stores I have gone in search of a product that will suite my needs without a lot of running to and from to accomplish this and I have discovered a cardstock I'm tickled with. My first reason for being thrilled with it is it's COLOR Ü Look at these delicious colors - WOW, WOW, WOW! Not only does Memory Box have delicious solid colors they have fun, adventurous and a wide array of patterned papers that coordinate. One stop shopping - I likey!!!

The second reason I fell in love was get this - NO COLOR!!! Yep, I am a woman of strange contrast I guess. For me the fact that the opposite side of this cardstock is white scores big time! I like the crisp contrast from the outside to the inside, I like being able to print or stamp my sentiments and be able to read them easily.

And last, but not least - envelopes. I love coordinating envelopes Ü Being that the inside is white I can always use a white envelope, but I now have an added bonus - colored envelopes that coordinate.  WOOHOO - COLOR multiplied x2 - I'm a happy girl!

So feast your eyes on this scrumptious ring of color and ask away if you have any questions! I hope you enjoy viewing one of my fav paper lines!

Exciting Day!!!

Each day seems to bring about so many levels of excitement at this point in my papercrafting career. I don't believe this feeling of exhiliration will ever go away just because of the excitement that comes about as I watch students pick up new skills.

Tonight I had the pleasure of joining Karen Lockhart of Lockhart Stamp Company (www.lockhartstampcompany.com) at Rubber Soul in Redmond, WA where she dazzled us with her incredible coloring skills! Karen is a business associate of mine that has taught me such fabulous ways of using the Prismacolor Pencils. I no longer use the blender pencil or gamsol (or any other odorless mineral spirits) to aid me in disguising the beautiful layers of color that the pencils alone produce.  It was soooo thrilling to watch the students go about the learning/experimentation process aided by Karen's skilled hands and amazing eye. I will be thrilled to be representing Karen, teaching classes on her behalf come fall. The things we have up our sleeves are so very exciting that it is hard to contain myself at this point. As soon as I get my schedule figured out I will be posting it here - it will be such an honor to share the amazing things I am learning with the rest of the stamping world!!!

Other exciting news from the week was the arrival of my Stamp It! cards and Cardmaker magazines. To see my work in print has been so much fun and sort of shocking at the same time. I love coming up with things that have a unique touch to them - I have these weird lightbulb moments where a thought just chases through my brain, if I don't act on it or write it down then it can escape me for the longest time. As I'm driving in the car I have to actually call home and leave myself a message so that I won't loose the thought that chased through my head. Am I strange or do other's of you have this same experience? Please tell me I'm not alone in this bizarre pattern of behavior Ü

Color my world with Prisma's

I can't live without these beauties - I can just sit and look at the colors sometimes - they are just soooo beautiful. With all the talk about storing these I thought I'd share the pictures of my storage sytsem. I store them in this wonderful cutlery caddy from IKEA - when I am working on a project I pull out the colors I need and put them in a little jelly jar so that they are right there at hand and not getting mixed up with my other "stuff" spread all over my table-top - LOL.

I also love, love, love this stainless steel kitchen unit I purchased from IKEA. This freestanding counter is working beautifully for me. I have my Carl, Scor-it and Sizzix sitting on it's surface at all times with all the other wonderful tools I can't live without - i.e. Rubicoil, Xyron, etc. - sitting on the shelves that hang below. Off the ends I hang the cutlery caddies- I will clean it off and try and post a picture later. (Right now I have everything stacked on it that was on my floor being that I am baby sitting a little puppy for the next four days. Let me tell you that is an experience in and of itself - I'm not getting anything done!!! Except of course a little typing with one hand while I have him on my lap - ooooy - it's like having a baby all over again :D)

Hopefully this will inspire those of you looking for just the right tools for your work area - I love this investment - it is really helping save my back Ü

Teflon - who would have thought?

I have always been a "natural" materials kind of girl and so when I was introduced to the teflon (yep teflon just like the non-stick pots and pans) folder I determined that natural is not always best. Now this is a photo that was reallllly hard to catch the difference but I hope you can see it. IRL it is extremely noticable - the left side of the fold was made using the teflon folder and the right was made using the bone folder. I hope you can see the shine that the bone folder leaves - the teflon side is beautiful Ü

They are a little pricey - I paid $15 at Paper-Source, but I am so very glad that I did because once again the level of professionalism stepped up a notch. Tools are key to good-looking cards - if you don't have the right tools your card can be beautiful but just not quite everything you want them to be. I don't know how many times I have been disappointed by that "shine" after using my bone folder. So it is bye-bye natural and hello teflon at my house.

Spokane

Oops - one last post - some of you have been asking about the classes I will be teaching in Spokane. Stamp Jeannie has invited me to teach in their store on Thursday, June 29th. 

The first class is from 2:30-4:30p - Clearly Delectable Cupcakes

Satisfy your creative appetite when you take this class featuring Lockhart Stamp Company’s yummy cupcake collection and Sakura’s Soufflé pens. Mix up a batch of “clearly” challenging products – clear transparencies, clear vellum and clear shrink plastic – to create two delectable, intricate cards. Who needs dessert when you can take home these sweet treats?

The second is from 6:00-8:00p - Angelic Wonders

Whimsical and ethereal, these beauties from the Lockhart Stamp Company will allow your imagination to take wing into a world of coloring possibilities.  You'll love the spectacular looks that can be created with a simple change of color and subtle embellishments. Set your imagination free as Ellen shares shading tips and techniques for colored pencil magic. Create fanciful images and then make these into three stunning cards.

Please contact Jeannie at (509) 325-0832 if you would like more information.

Thank you so very much for your interest in what it is that I am teaching - I would love to meet any and all of you, so please let me know if you do happen to come that you met me on SCS!!!

Tool Time - Cordless Wonders

These are new additions to my collection and I think I'm in love. They are sooooo cute and little - I will be able to pack my bags before I head out to teach and not lug the corded wonders that are about 4-6 times larger. I included the picture of the Fiskars punch so that you could see the size of these new toys.

They use butane to heat - one fill of butane will last 4.5 hours according to the manufacturer. It is a little tricky to begin with and you have to be VERY careful (that is a whole other story I'll share sometime) because they do get VERY hot. But awesome tools and very space efficient

The first is for heat embossing - the cool thing is that there is no air movement so it doesn't blow your EP all over the place.

The second tool is a soldering iron. I am using these for some fun projects that unfortunately I can't share quite yet, but needless to say this little device is so far superior to the corded wonder I have used in the past.

Thanks for checking in - hopefully tomorrow's tools will be just as fascinating - LOL. TIme to get to bed - I'm tired Ü

Tool Time!

I promised that I would start a little tool time post Ü These are tools I absolutely LOVE!!! and can't live without - I will try to add to this each day until I'm finished. Unfortunately life happens and I don't have nearly enough time to do what I love - share information ÜÜÜ

So here goes - there is nothing like doing a class for a group of 14 girl scouts. They are so enthusiastic and fun to be with, but...

take a look at this stamp - egads!!! Being that we were stamping on Shrink Plastic they needed to use Staz-On, well believe me it stayed on - LOL.  I tried cleaning these stamps using Staz-on Cleaner, Stampin' Mist, Kiss-Off, and even resorted to bleach - yes, bleach. I was desperate to try and get the image to stamp somewhat clean again. They were sooooo gooped up. Well, they have looked like heck for over four months now until...

last night when I performed my test - I sprayed the stamp lightly (yes, lightly) with Ultra Clean and rubbed it lightly on the Rubit-Scrubit and WOW, WOW, WOW - sprayed a little water on after and used a paper towel to dry. All I can say is that if this doesn't show off the quality of this stuff --- nothing will. So if you like your stamps neat - this is a product on your must have list Ü

And yes -- it was worth having them mess my stamps up!!! Look at what they made - these were all 10-yr-old girls BTW.

Scor-it - gotta hav-it!!!

Can you tell which score was made using my old Fiskar's rotary scoring blade and which is made using my new Scor-it? THIS is an AMAZING tool - if you were questioning whether or not you needed it - you NEED it Ü

First Attempts Ü

 

First attempts - LOOK at all that detail - LOL!!! Three words - busy, busy, BUSY - what was I thinking?

For those of you just wandering in, I posted a thread on Splitcoaststampers forum where I am hoping we can all share our "first attempts" at making a card for publication OR just making a card period. Hopefully this will bring a sense of "relief" to all those stampers out there who are wondering if there work is "good enough". Perhaps it would be a fun challenge to remake this card in the manner I would make it now. It has some fantastic ideas, but they are rather "elementary" in their execution.

From this attempt I did learn something wonderful - I learned that I had the courage it would take to make that leap. So have heart if you are a beginner stamper, have a dream and start working towards that dream - it WILL come true :D

Yeah - I did it!

OK - So it took me almost an hour to add these few little photos - LOL. BUT I did it - woohoo and I didn't even have to call anyone for help. Hopefully next time will be a little quicker Ü so that I will actually have time to stamp something new, instead of just adding some of my favorite designs.

It has been an exciting and busy weekend! if you ever have the opportunity to see the Cirque du Soleil you MUST! We were able to go to see the Varekai show yesterday. Absolutey and simply awe-inspiring!!! WOWsers but some of the performers are bendy - like reallllly bendy! Everything, absolutely everything had us oohing, aahing and wildly clapping. My little one hadn't seen one of the Cirque shows before and she was totally infatuated. It was fun to get another Hutson addicted to this amazing show! So go see Varekai if you possibly can!!!

WELCOME!

If you have happened upon my blog - WELCOME!

Perhaps I'm not ready for you, but my door is open and I welcome you inside. It may be just a little like my house - not totally organized and not always put together, but I hope you will always find a place that inspires you, educates you and most of all welcomes you!

The internet is an amazing place - I have met wonderful, interesting people that are now my friends, I have discovered resources that simply astound me, and I have found a place to share what it is I love to do.

I have a Simple Dream - I dream of enriching the lives of all whose paths cross with mine, through my actions and creativity. I also dream of filling any new project with the energy and enthusiasm that lies at the core of my being. As I head into the future, this blog will allow me to share my dreams in a whole new way.  It'll connect me with new friends around the world, in an instant. So please take the chance to share your thoughts and feelings with me, and people everywhere, by dropping me a line now and then.

I hope you'll be inspired to dream your own dreams, and to believe they too can come true! So... no matter who you are, where you are from or why you stopped in... WELCOME!