I love Paper Wishes Week of Webisodes!

I am a big fan of getting creative ideas anywhere I can get them. If you are a papercrafter, be it cards or scrapbooking, one of the best resources is http://www.paperwishes.com/. Every Wednesday they post a new webisode that not only showcases new products, but they give you tips, tricks and examples. The webisodes are between 15 minutes to a half-hour in length. Plus, they archive every webisode that they do. In addition, they also have a link to a blog Simply Ann that also is new every Wednesday. Ann Barba is the blogger and she posts a video demonstration of a project, usually a card.
This week, November 3-7, 2014 there is a Week of Webisodes. They are showcasing Christmas kits from Hunkydory Crafts. I have noticed a few people searching for tutorials on Hunkydory’s Warmist Wishes/Windows to the Heart Christmas kit in the statistics section of my blog. I bought a Hunkydory Christmas kit a little over a month ago and have posted a couple of cards that I have made. I’m pretty sure that there will be a webisode for the Contemporary Christmas card kit. I am sharing images of a couple of cards that I have made from this kit. I am selling them in my Etsy shop (prettycolorful). You may wonder why I don’t post a link, it’s because my WordPress account doesn’t allow me to post links to sites where I sell stuff.
Here’s a link to the webisodes: http://www.paperwishes.com/webisodes/index.php?page=choose&WT.hotp_ct=home-webisode-box
I am an independent crafter and do not represent any particular company. I just blog about things that I like to use.

Give me a reason to buy your products

I just attended the Scrapbook Expo in Mesa, Arizona this weekend. I had a blast, took a class, did a make-and-take, and met some very nice people. I wandered through the booths several times and bought some new tools and supplies.

PLEASE, if you are a scrapbook/cardmaking/papercrafting company, have an Angel Policy. If you don’t have the basic “if you buy our products you can sell anything you make using our products as long as they are handcrafted” Angel Policy, I won’t be buying your products. Even if they are the most gorgeous papers, stamps, embossing, die-cutting or hand punch tools in the universe; just on the off-chance that I might decide to use one of the products in a card that I chose to sell.

I fully support the rights of every artist to protect their designs. However, I just have to put it out there, if you are so concerned about your creation, why mass produce and sell it to the crafting public? What do you thing we’re going to do with all of this nifty, beautiful stuff? And be honest, by buying your products, we are putting money IN your pocket, not taking it OUT.
I would love to try some of the paper, stamps, cutting dies and embossing folders that I have seen, but if I can’t find an Angel Policy, I won’t buy them.

Examples of generous Angel Policies:
Hot Off the Press: http://www.paperwishes.com/articles/id/67148
Hunkydory Crafts: http://www.hunkydorycrafts.co.uk/acatalog/Angel-Policy.html
Sizzix: http://www.sizzix.com/angel
Stampendous: http://www.stampendous.com/angel-policy/

Playing with new Die-Cut Card Blanks

Hot Off the Press Oval Swing Die-Cut Cards

I am starting a new blog series about some great die-cut card sets from Hot Off the Press. The card blanks measure about 6 ½ x 5 inches and come with white envelopes. The card sets are: oval swing, heart swing, rectangular swing, side step, center step and shutter cards. The cards have a nice weight to them; they don’t seem to be flimsy. The best part is that there are templates for cutting background paper to layer on the cards, leaving a narrow white border. I printed a couple of copies of each template set on white light-weight cardstock but you could just copy them on paper. Since the templates overlap each other on the original, I recommend that you make a couple of copies of each set with the exception of the center step card. Hot Off the Press has an online store, Paper Wishes that sells Hot Off the Press products as well as many other crafting items. One of the best things that Paper Wishes does is a weekly webisode about various crafting products. Paper Wishes just did a webisode demonstrating the new die-cut card sets at http://www.paperwishes.com/webisodes/index.php?page=low&id=586. Each card kit is $3.99 for 5 cards and 5 envelopes. This is a link to the combination kit of all 6 sets but there are also links to the individual card sets:  http://www.paperwishes.com/products/5109920.

I like to do unique cards, but I spend a lot of time cutting, scoring and shaping, then trying to figure out how to layer the paper and embellishments. These kits are going to save me a lot of time. Plus, I have so much paper that I need to use up, cardmaking will go very quickly using these kits.

Here are two examples of cards I made using the Oval Swing die-cut card set. The paper that I used to make these cards comes from assorted papers by Hot Off the Press and from a couple of their Artful Card Kits. I subscribe to Paper Wishes’ monthly Personal Shopper kits for Premium Dazzles and Papier Tole, so some of the papers come from those kits. I’m not going into the detail that I use when I do a tutorial because I can’t be specific about which paper sets the papers I used came from.

In making the first card, I used the card as it comes out of the pack. I made copies of the template sheet and cut out the pieces, traced them on paper and glued the paper to the card. I added red “Let’s Eat Cake”stickers and the cupcake die-cuts from Robin’s Whimsy Papier Tole (http://www.paperwishes.com/products/4108063). I used a variety of turquoise paper from my stash and I used some red birthday Dazzles from my Personal Shopper, which is not an item that is currently available on www.paperwishes.com. It may be a set that will be available later this year.

I refolded the card blank for the second card, basically reversing the folds, so that the oval “swinging” portion is at the bottom of the card.  I used a dark brown paper with gray dots and a red paper that were part of one my Personal Shopper kits, with die-cuts from the Red Velvet Artful Card Kit, and stickers from the Time to Celebrate brown Dazzles, and Gold Tiny Words and Phrases Dazzles.

I think that my cardmaking would go much quicker if I didn’t have quite so much paper. It takes me some time to make up my mind which papers to use. I do have a lot of fun playing with the paper. These cards came together very quickly when I finally made up my mind which paper and embellishments to use. I’m going to talk about the rectangular “swing” die-cut card blanks in my next blog.

My Paper Crafting Tote is Finished!

Well, just in time for the Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooking Expo in Phoenix, I have finished my specially designed tote for paper crafting supplies. I also realized that while I have made totes for other people, I have not made one for myself.

I designed the lining to put my ruler and cutting mat, and also with a pocket that can hold 12 x 12 inch paper. I also have a zippered compartment for whatever else I want. Unlike other tote patterns, the lining was the main part of the tote, the outside needed to fit the lining dimensions.

And I got to use the tulip print fabric that I have been holding on to for a few years. Tulips are my favorite flower, and I was looking for a project to use this fabric. The tote was inspired by a tote in one of my quilting magazines. Unfortunately, I misplaced the magazine a few months ago when I had to move out of my craft room, so I am not able to tell you which quilting magazine and year/issue the pattern came from.

Getting Ready for the CK Scrapbooking Expo

 

I have a little over one week to go before the Phoenix Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Expo. This is the first scrapbook convention that I have ever attended, and I am excited. I have read all of the advice on the website (http://www.ckscrapbookevents.com/) and printed out a list of the things that I need to take with me.  Well, darn, I don’t have anything that will carry all of this stuff. I am going to have to make a paper crafting tote!

In this instance, I am starting from the inside-out. I need to make pockets to fit some of my tools and hold paper, cutting mat and ruler. Since I am a quilter first, I am used to using a cutting mat and a rotary cutter. I have a rotary cutter for paper and one for fabric.  I made the pockets to hold the cutting mat and ruler first.

 

Papercrafting tools pocket

I will be working on finishing the lining of the tote, and then I will put together the outside.  I guess I had better start to work!