Thank you for sharing a little of yourself with us; with me. I have SO enjoyed reading the comments on our blog candy below. It absolutely thrills me to know that you are enjoying the creative process and that so many of you find it to be a source of stress relief in this crazy, busy world we live in!
Being I have so enjoyed reading your responses, I thought I would share a little of myself with you and reflect on my creative journey. As a young child I didn't realize the value of the creative process, but I do know that it was a respite for me even then. At that point I would use different tools then I use today to try and "find myself". Playing the piano would allow my mind to escape in to a different world; as well my mom taught me to crochet, knit and sew - I value those "lessons" so much now. I would also doodle, draw, and paint - sometimes successfully, but most often in a way that would allow me to explore as to "how close to reality" I could come. It never would come that close though - LOL!
With life's way of leading I have been given the opportunity of exploring this creativity on many different levels. I am truly blessed to have found another level that is so very satisfying to me. When I injured my hip I really had no idea that it would lead me to a new life experience; this experience! As a child my parents taught us that God always has a plan for us, even if we don't know what it is. Many times I haven't known what that plan is and more often than not I truly wonder what that plan is; but I have learned to just "go with the flow". Sometimes it is easier than others to "go with the flow", but as I read through your answers it brings tears to my eyes to know that so many of you appreciate the "flow" that life has now led me to.
My form of stress relief is now sometimes stressful (due to the demands I place on myself,) but it still brings me so much happiness. It is with gratitude to each of you that I write this post. It is your belief in what it is that I have been able to share with you, your belief in the products that I have helped develop and discover, your belief in what it is that I do - this is why I think that I create. I so want to bring happiness to others - I want to help provide a respite from the stress of everyday living. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me this opportunity that provides my soul with a sense of happiness!
Today I want to share why it is that I love the Scor It and Teflon Bone Folder products. We are giving these away below, so be certain to visit that post and leave an answer to the question in the comments section to be included in the random drawing for these fantastic tools!
To showcase these tools I decided to create a CD Holder. WIth the celebration of Christmas 2008 completed in our household I thought it would be fun to put together a CD of some of the pictures from this holiday season. My hope is to create a CD that includes some of the special moments from this year as well as season's past to keep these photos together to give to my girls when they are grown. So following are directions with a PDF file and measurements included at the bottom of this post.
I am a person who likes precision; perfection I guess you might say - LOL! The Scor It, Mini Scor It and Teflon Bone Folders lend themselves to creating a project that is so much more precise in nature than I can achieve when using other tools. Over the years I have used numerous other scoring products and none give the same mountain and valley effect as I obtain when using the Scor It. The Scor It score allows me to fold my paper without cracking! Even when using white core paper I can achieve a beautiful fold.
To begin your CD holder cut a 12" x 12" piece of two-sided Cosmo Cricket decorative paper down to 6" x 12". Then score and cut your lines as shown on the template below. Please note that you can print a copy of this file out using the PDF file at the bottom of this post to aid you when creating your own CD Holder.
After I have completed scoring all of my lines I then use my favorite cutting tools to help give me clean, straight cuts. If I need to make a cut in the center of my project I pull out my "Tim Ruler" (using the side that has the metal edge - I prefer this over the metal ruler because I use the grid to make certain I have my project properly aligned), precision cutting mat and cutting blade. I then carefully cut along the scored lines.
I always love it though when the cuts come from the ends of my project, so that it works to use paper cutters to create my straight cut lines. I have found that by aligning the scored line directly beneath the blue plastic piece that holds my paper in place on my Carl Cutter I can then cut exactly on the score line (please see photo above.) I simply watch from the side how far the blade needs to run and stop when I am almost at the finish point. I then snip the remaining small segment with my scissors.
For cuts that are smaller then 8 1/2" in length I use my small Tonic cutter. This is my "go to" cutter that is always on my work surface when I am creating cards. I have found that by firmly holding the safety bar in place using the extended plastic "oval" shown above, it keeps my paper project securely in place and allows me to get an accurate cut. Yes, precision is my vice Ü
Once all my scores and cuts are completed I then firmly fold the flaps of my project in to place using my teflon bone folder. Why a teflon bone folder? It does not create a "shine" on your paper when you press it firmly to your project!
This is a photo that I took quite some time ago when I first started using the Teflon Bone Folder. It is difficult to see in this photo, but I wanted to share it to show that how I used the Teflon Bone Folder on the left side of the fold and a regular bone folder on the right side. In real life the shine on the cardstock on the right side is extremely noticable. No more shine on this girls projects since beginning my little "love affair" with this tool Ü
Not only is the Scor It great for creating fold lines it is wonderful for creating a decorative surface. In looking back on my creative "history" it has been a LONG time since I have been creating dry embossed surfaces using a scoring device. This project was one in which I discovered that the grid on the surface of my old Fiskars paper cutter made a perfect dry embossing tool.
Since that time I have continued to explore ways to add texture to the surface of the projects I create. I have discovered that by using my Scor It together with a clear grid ruler such as a quilting tool or Tim's Ruler I can create a scored line with precision.
In the photos above (and below) I have shown how it is that I place these tools on my non-slip Scor It surface. I then use the wooden tool that is attached to the Scor It (yeah - I can't loose it this way!) to begin scoring at any point on my project.
As you can see in this photo it was easy to create a square grid on the face of my project. It truly helps to define the cover of this CD holder.
Here again I wanted to share how it is that I can use my quilting tool to act as a guide for those awkward diagonal projects. The combination of these tools make it so very easy to add detail to your projects!
The last stage of creating your CD holder is to add the interior pieces.
Simply cut out two additional pieces of accent paper using the sizes indicated above and in the PDF file below. To create the little "cut-out" circle simply used a handheld punches, a nestability or any diecut shape of your choice. In my creation above I used one of my older Stampin' Up! punches that I still treasure. I added a few score lines for detail, a tag and some decorative brads and then completed the cover with the addition of some ribbon and a festive Christmas Stocking and my project is complete. All I need to do is now load my pictures to the CD and put it in a safe place for the future.
Thank you for stopping by to share in our celebration! Be certain to return tomorrow for yet another opportunity to learn and leave a comment on our Second Day of Christmas give away and be certain to tell your friends if you think they may be looking for something to brighten their spirits as well!
