skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Almost every time I craft I learn something new. Sometimes even when I craft something I’ve done before, I find a new way to speed up a process. I often learn the most from my mistakes . . .what not to do the next time.
Today, I decided to make a card for an upcoming nephew’s birthday. I usually find it difficult to craft guy-themed stuff because I like frills, glitter, flowers, hearts and other girly-girl embellishments. Anyway, I decided to start with a black card…all boy. This nephew was recently in a robotics competition so I found a robot rubber stamp in my collection. I wanted to keep the card simple so I thought maybe I would just stamp ‘Happy Birthday” with the robots in a row. I think colors are an easy way to establish a masculine tone to the card so I decided to use silver and turquoise because they would also stand out on the black. Anyway, I stamped and embossed with the same color powder as the ink so that any part that didn’t get embossed would still be the right color. I discovered that on the black card if the embossing powder didn’t stick to all of the inked design, the non-shiny design is really noticeable. To correct this problem I used an embossing pen (clear) to fill in the missing parts and re-embossed the design. I’m happy to say that this worked well and the card came out just right. The finishing touch was the copper eyelets that I added to the sides of the card. The rubber stamp letters were ‘Ransom Alphabet’ Clear Choice Stamps from Royal Brush Mfg. and the robot rubber stamps are by Personal Stamp Exchange. (I'm not sure if PSE is still in business.) Actually any machine-type rubber stamp (cars, planes, tools, etc.) could be used instead of the robots to give the card a masculine look. The ransom alphabet stamps are my new favorite letter stamps because you don’t have to line them up exactly since they are supposed to look messy.
Continue crafting and learning,
Lynn
It’s difficult to get much done when I’m so disorganized. I keep clearing off my work desk and it keeps filling up. It’s totally irritating to try to work on a 1ft. square of space and ridiculous since the desk is huge. One of the drawbacks of cleaning up and putting away is losing track of where I put everything (even though I do label my bins). On the up side, I do discover treasures I’ve stored away years ago. I am a really good pack rat.
The first photo shows a few of the cards that I made (using my new rubber stamps) in between tidying up. I decided to make a bunch of thank you notes (not written in) to give to my sister as my way of thanking her for her hospitality while we were
in Washington. The other photo shows a necklace and earring set I made to match a favorite blouse. I found the beads while shopping at the Bead Shoppe in Mapunapuna. The pink and black colors of the large beads and the faceted shapes give the jewelry an art deco look, which I really like. Combining the beads with copper findings and beading wire pulled the whole piece together. I will try to put the instructions for the necklace on the website so you can make it for your mother, grandmother, or yourself. This design is really simple and you can easily adapt it to other beads. Turquoise and copper would be a pleasing combination and very trendy today. I have discovered that the Bead Shoppe stocks a good assortment of glass beads (many extra large ones) at very reasonable prices. When I leave the Bead Shoppe I always feel that I leave with more jewels to put in my (organized) treasure chests!
Lynn
I’ve been away on two trips. The first one was to Washington during Easter. I only visited one craft related store, Impress, (a rubber stamp shop). It was a small store but I still found several stamps and embellishments that were new to me. There were lots of silhouette stamps, many with birds or New Orleans style. I’ve noticed that many magazines are featuring silhouette designs on their projects. I’m having fun making cards with my new treasures and I’ll try to post them soon.
In Honolulu I visited the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts. Of course, I stopped at the Bead Shoppe first where I purchased pearls in new shapes and large sizes. I was pleased to see that the store had strands of gemstone beads similar to other bead shops but at greatly reduced prices. Some of the cutest beads I found was a strand of polymer mouse beads. I’m not sure what I’ll do with them but I just couldn’t resist buying them.
At the BFC store I found some unique clear albums and instruction booklets, new K and Co. papers (colorful children prints) and kits (punch out purses and boxes), a rotary letter stamp from Provo Craft, and beautiful Bohemia papers and embellishments from My Mind’s Eye. As I make projects with these new items I will post photos and instructions on this website.
It’s good to be home again,
Lynn
I recently talked to Donna who works at the Hilo BFC and she told me that she reads my blog late at night when she is not making cards. So Hi, Donna! I hope your card making is going well and you are thinking up some great ideas for your class.
Besides talking to Donna, I did SOME shopping at the store, of course. I found a Magic Punch that I didn’t see before, the double petal flower. It makes a super cute flower, which works really well with paper printed on one side and solid colored on the other. I also picked up some Sizzlet die cutters for my machine. I’m sure that they would work in the Big Boss, too. The two tag shapes I bought have lots of possibilities.
As usual I found more scrapbook paper than I really need, but they were so pretty. I like the new floral papers from Me and My Big Ideas and S.E.I. Lots of the companies have glittery flower stickers and rub-ons, which coordinate with the papers. It’s so easy to put together cards and album pages when everything matches. Spring colors, flowers, and cute animals what could be more inspiring?
I can rarely pass the Bead Shoppe without finding something that makes my beading fingers itch. This shopping trip I noticed some carved stone pendants. They reminded me of the jewelry that the lead actress wears on the TV show, ‘Bones’. The jewelry on that show is fabulous and has an antique, sometimes earthy look. Anyway, I thought pairing the large carved pendant with some carved green chalk beads and agate and then stringing them on dark brown silk thread would give me the ancient look I wanted. See the photo. (Click to enlarge.) I made this necklace extra long (30”) so it would be more dramatic and used an S-hook clasp so that I can add more strands if needed. I’ll try to put this project on this website soon.
Lynn (Good night, Donna.)
Well, the next newsletter is off to be printed so I can relax for a while. To amuse myself I made a humorous Easter card. At least I thought it was humorous, but my hunny bunny and baby bunny did not think it was funny, so I guess I’ll be sending the card to my funny bunny, the White Rabbit hiding out in his Honolulu burrow. The rabbits on the front of the card were made with a Martha Stewart rabbit punch and the inside honeycomb egg is actually from a package of hanging Easter egg decorations. See photo (of the card, not the White Rabbit).I’m not a gardener (probably because I dislike dirt and sun), but I wish I had flowers in my yard. Luckily, I have a neighbor, Laura, who does have a green thumb so I get to enjoy seeing her flowers. Thankfully also there are numerous floral themed craft supplies available at Ben Franklin Crafts. I am very fond of the dimensional flower stickers by Martha Stewart and Jolee’s. In the coming weeks I hope to utilize spring flowers in my website projects. I have lots of ideas for Mother’s Day and graduation crafts but for now I think I’ll sit back and dream a little while reading some issues of craft magazines…. ahhhh…. spring break!
Lynn
Actually, I’ve been playing with my new craft tool toys. The Zutter binding machine has given me endless possibilities for making bound books for myself as well as allowing me to create special albums for gifts. I like that the binding rings come in various colors and sizes. It’s also nice that the machine is small because it leaves me space for more craft supplies. I love the new flower punches by Punch Magic that punch out paper shapes to fold into 3-D flowers. These dimensional flowers can quickly turn a blank card into a handmade creation by just adding a stamped message, glitter glue, and ribbons. I am pleased with myself when I can recycle anything. These punches allow me to turn cards sent to me into cards to send to others. Sometimes I use the wrapping paper or birthday card that someone gives me and I make a recycled thank you card for that person. That person can then cut off the front of the card and attach it to a blank card and we can both feel good about saving paper. Save a tree, recycle!
Lynn
Although I usually do jewelry work with sterling silver or gold-filled findings, I was enticed to try the 
chain maille kits offered at the Ben Franklin Bead Shoppe. Because I was new to the technique of making chain maille, it seemed more prudent to practice on the less expensive silver plate and gold colored metal jump rings contained in the kits. However, I thought that the finished pieces shown on the kit box were rather plain, so as often is my habit I put my own spin on the project. I added gemstone beads to the bracelet and slider components to the necklace. (See photo. Click to enlarge.)
Basically, I followed the directions for the bracelet, adding wire-wrapped ¾” jade beads in between 1” lengths of chain maille. For interest and to make fastening the bracelet easier, I added a ½” length of chain to the end jump ring and used a head pin to add a ¼” round jade bead to the end of the chain. To the chain maille silver plated necklace I added 4 slider flower components and one floral 7/8”slider rectangle. The connections were made by fastening the upper two loops of each slider to the smaller double jump rings on the necklace using the extra jump rings from the kit.
You can of course make the chain maille jewelry exactly as shown and have very fashionable, trendy pieces to wear. Initially, you may find the process of making chains tedious, but you will probably quickly get the hang of it and maybe create some designs of your own. Now I feel confident that I can make some chain jewelry from sterling silver and gold-filled jump rings that will have the desirable Chanel look.
Lynn
Almost every time I craft I learn something new. Sometimes even when I craft something I’ve done before, I find a new way to speed up a process. I often learn the most from my mistakes . . .what not to do the next time.
