Video Find Crafters Challenge

I recently launched a new (on-going) challenge in the CHW forums.  For this challenge we’ll be viewing a video or two about every 10 days or so and looking for ways to incorporate what we see into a project of our own.  The projects don’t have to be just like what we learn in the videos.  They are really just meant to help our members jump start their muse into doing something creative.

Pinwheel Greeting Card

So in our first video the crafty artist shared a pinwheel design element that can be put on the front of a greeting card or used on a scrappy page  very easily.  And so I set out to making one myself.  I didn’t use the exact same measurements in my project.  Instead I simply used my small square punch to make the pinwheel “petals” and then eye-balled how big the bottom blocks of cardstock had to be.  Then went on from there.  Here’s the card I came up with for that video prompt.

This was so easy to do.  Much easier than it looks actually!

Masking with a Doily

The next video showed us a basic masking technique that I’ve seen and used often in the past.  This time, using a doily for the mask.  I love doilies on valentine cards.  They are so romantic looking.  So of course this video prompted me to use the technique again.  And here’s what I came up with:

I’m not sure why, but I’ve sure been drawn to purples and pinks lately.  LOL  I think all three of these cards will make wonderful greetings for my family at Valentines this year.  Of course I’m going to need more than just three cards.  So I did up a few more too.

This time I inked around the doily after placing it on a piece of patterned paper, just to see if I like the affect.  And I actually do like it.  Especially after adding the big ribbon to the front of the card. I think it adds a very feminine touch to this card.

More Greeting Cards

When I was finished using my doily to ink the other cards I couldn’t just throw it out.  Oh come on now – you know I wouldn’t do that.  So instead I cut it so the purple and pink inks I used earlier became primary color on doily piece of it’s own.  Then I added these pieces to individual cards.

I think these design elements along with the ribbons and stipple coloring along the edges of these cards – makes for a quick and easy – yet elegantly simple set of cards.  What do you think?

These were very easy cards to make and using the videos to prompt me to create them was fun too.  Be sure to bounce over the CHW forums to see the videos and join in the fun!

Valentine Projects Already?

So in November I did up a project for the Life’s Journey Scrapbooking store – the chunky holiday scrap journal.  Then there was no project for me to do in December.    But I was lucky enough to get another challenge kit to work on this month.  Wahoo!

Not surprisingly, the kit had a Valentines Day theme to it.  In this latest crafty stash, Shannon included a fun set of cardstock papers in pink, brown, and a golden yellow, along with a sheet of tags that had sweetheart sayings.  It also contained a heart-shaped chipboard ring-style book by Maya Road and I was given the opportunity to pick out some buttons, flowers, and ribbons to use as well.

So in preparation of February sales, I worked up a (not necessarily Valentine’s Day) project for them, that I think will work quite well for the season (and beyond).  Two projects actually.  After being encouraged to create a banner – I did just that.  I created two love themed wall banners.  While there’s nothing in my home these will match, I do believe I know a couple of young gals who would enjoy decorating their bedrooms with them. <wink, wink>   After they come down from display at the store I’ll be passing them along to sweet grand daughters who (I hope) will enjoy adding pictures and hanging them in “their space.”

Because the photos above may be a little difficult to see the details in – here are some close up shots for ya:

The little butterfly on the heart above is a sticker with sparkly highlights on it.

The buttons on the brown heart are added using pop-dots.  And on the heart below here I added a flower element that I dipped in UTEE in my melting pot and then shaped the pedals when it had cooled a bit.  It’s shiny and fun.

For two of the “pages” I added slide-style photo frames that I also used the same UTEE/melting pot technique on.  The base of them is simply the brown cardstock that came in my challenge kit.

For each of the “photo holder” pieces you see above, they are simply attached using removable double sided tape.  That way the girls can easily take them off and use them as a template to cut their photos before attaching them more permanently.

All the paper elements are edged with brown ink to give the project some cohesiveness throughout the entire piece.  And the hearts are all strung using some awesome ribbons strips I picked up from Life’s Journey Scrapbooking.  Which by the way, happens to be a terrific place to grab some awesome scrappy items and participate in crops if you’re in the local area!

This was a fun (and super fast) set of projects that I completed in just over an hour.  Maybe this will give you some inspiration to use your heart shaped ring books for a project that’s a little less “book-like”…. just for something a little new and different?!

ATCs For Fun and Trade

I thought I’d share with you today a few of the ATC’s I made up recently.  Here’s a couple examples of those I handed out at Christmas time.  This one called “Holiday Wish”.  And I have only one more left to trade.

This next one is called “Believe in Christmas” and yes I used the same ornament stamp on both these ATC sets.  It’s a great little stamp.  The one above is embossed in gold then colored with pencils.  The one below stands on it’s own beauty.  Sadly, I do not have anymore of these left to trade.  Sorry.

Then I created a small set of these I call, “Snow Bird Celebration”.  I love the way the birds tail intermingles with the silver embossed snowflake.  And I’m always partial to horizontal ATCs too.    I have three of these left to trade if you’re looking to do so.

Now I also have a new set of “Doodley Spring Blooms” available for trade with only three left at this time as well.  Yeah, I know it’s not spring where I live right now, but I was just in the mood to do something with bright pink and yellow in it.  LOL

I did a couple of dragon themed cards to celebration “The Boo’s” birthday.  She’s always loved these fantasy creatures.  I called this set, “Dragon Song” and tucked one of them into her birthday card.  I know it’s hard to see them in this photograph, but the dragons are hidden in the shadows of this dark specialty paper.

Then I also did a one-of-a-kind ATC based on my love of hot tea and my Irish heritage (I was born a Murphy).  I titled it…. wait for it…. “Irish Tea Time”.  Are you shocked?  LOL

For this one I adhered the tea kettle using pop-dots to give it a 3-D look.  I had a grand time playing with ATC’s this past couple months after having a loooooong break from them.  Too long in fact.  I think I’ll do up a new set each month of this year.  Just to stay in practice and keep using up the scraps in my stash. 

If you’re interested in trading ATCs, leave a message here or drop me an email.

Cheers,
Cindy

Migraine Update and Frova!

It’s been a very long time since I mentioned my migraine status and I’ve got good news.  Better than it was last time I spoke on it anyway.  As some folks already know I’ve had migraines since my teen years and they became chronic and darned near uncontrollable 12 years ago.  Like most migraines I have multiple triggers.  Long ago I was able to successfully identified 6-8 obvious triggers and a few more that are questionable.

The worse set of triggers (meaning they are seemingly the ones I’m most sensitive to) all radiate from the building where I’ve worked for the past 12 years.  I can’t say it’s a “sick building” for everyone, but it is definitely toxic to my system.  And it is especially difficult for me every time they change the carpets throughout the building.

Try, Try, Then Try Again

While in treatment for years, I’ve been a somewhat typical ginny-pig type patient in the sense that the doctors have run a ton of tests and we’ve tried all sorts of meds for prevention and abortive measures as well – with varying degrees of success.  The most successful routine I started about 4 years back.  I started have BOTOX injections every 3-months.  While at first it didn’t seem to work, after the second round of shots I began seeing significant improvements.  I went from 28 migraines a month down to an average of about 10.  That was soooooooo awesome and lasted for almost 3 years.

Then in Dec 2009 they did it again.  They changed the carpets.  That set off a new round of migraines that were just so unbearable at times.  After several months of dealing with the migraine count growing again and trying to combat the intensity of them I was finally ready to throw in the towel and quit my job.  Having to come to grip with that (defeat if you will) – I knew it was no longer worth all the painful days and nights anymore!

Greg encouraged me to try just one more thing before walking out the door.  He wanted me to see if the current administration would consider allowing me to work from home or at least move my office to a different building.  Well I had tried this before with a flat out denial of my request, but that was under a different executive staff.  I figured I didn’t have much to lose by asking the new staffers if they’d consider this, so I decided to put in the request.

Am I Disabled?

This time I approached it from an ADA prospective specifically asking for work-place accommodations for my “disability”.  There have been several cases in recent years where migrainers have won some disability cases and accommodations have been granted more and more often in work places to assist with the special needs of migraine sufferers.  My work place has even allowed me to make some lighting and other small changes to my office to help out too.  I’m not so sure folks would agree in the disability label here, but there are many migrainers (self included) who will stand firm on admitting that migraines do, in fact debilitate our lives and in many ways leaves us unable to accomplish much of daily activities – at work and elsewhere!

I was pleasantly surprised with our leadership when they accepted my proposal/request!  All the homework I did in preparing it was well worth the effort!  Now I work from home 3-days a week and in the office the other two work days.  My in-office days are shorter hours as well.  This has been a life changing event for me, as my headaches have diminished to an average of 5 a month now.  This is the least amount of pain management I’ve had to do in what seems like forever!  And I won’t be retiring from my government job 8-years ahead of schedule either. 

Frova Not a Good Option for Me

Of course I still have those migraines that tend to get out of hand and spin me so out of control that my home-administered meds don’t do the trick and I require a needle stick or two from the clinic/hospital. I had one of those buggers Monday night which turned out to be a total mess after a bad reaction to the drug Frova.  A drug that is now on my don’t-go-there-again list.  Ugh! However those bad-boy migraines are much fewer and further apart now.  I feel like I have a new lease on life again. 

And let me just add a bit of clarification here that while Frova ended up leaving me in worse condition that I was when I took it – doesn’t mean it’s not right for others.  Like any med choice, you need to work closely with your doctor to determine what works for you.  And if you have a bad reaction to something – be sure to let them know what’s going on.  So you can get immediate treatment if necessary!

Moving Upward and Onward

So…. getting away from my worst triggers even more often, continuing with a med regiment for prevention, and continuing to look for a better option than the Imitrex is where I am today.  Bottom line is that I’m doing much better than I did for sooooo many years.

And that’s the latest/greatest news on my migraines. Yippy!

Added Note: Looks like Relpax is a better abortive option for me than Imitrex or Frova.  Except…. it makes me sleepy as all get out.  LOL  Not a bad side affect as compared to some of the real icky things I’ve put up with in the past.  A good trade most any day!  And while TRICARE still doesn’t cover my BOTOX shots just yet – now that the FDA approved it for migraine use, maybe, just maybe TRICARE will eventually cover my cost.

My Rubber Stamp and Sticker Storage

Happy New Year to you!  I hope you brought in 2011 with some fun and laughter!  Here’s what I did during part of my holiday break:

For the past few years I’ve been storing my rubber stamps in a combination of boxes, open bins, and file folders.  Most of my wood-mounted stamps are now unmounted, while some are still on the wood blocks.  I stored stickers, rub-ons, die-cuts, and other flat type embellishments mostly in file folders, but also in some other box containers.  And for a while now I’ve been finding these storage solutions less than wonderful.

This takes quite a bit of shelf and/or drawer space and everything is (usually) closed up where I can’t see the items until I go looking for them.  At which time I have to open and close multiple containers sometimes just to find what I’m looking for….. yes – even when I have them labeled!  By having them closed up I sometimes forget what I have as well.

Hesitation on the Clip-it-Up Units

Like many other crafty folks, I’ve had my eye on and seriously considering the Clip-it-Up storage system by Simply Renee, but I’ve held back for two basic reasons.  One – is because this unit sits on a counter top and I have limited work space as it is. Reason two is because it’s what I would call a pricey option for me, because I’d need multiple units to handle all my items.  Maybe after shelling out a $100 or more, I might have enough “ring units to store my goods.  And it would truly be well worth it, except I’d still end up with less space on my work desk and it’s totally NOT worth that.

The parts that I really do like about the Clip-it-Up storage is the idea of seeing my pretties out in plain view where I can remember what I have and be inspired to create with certain tools/toys more often.  I also like the “lazy susan” type turn style and being able to store things in less space.  Honestly hanging things also works better for me than filing things.

So I’ve been on the lookout for storage options that I felt more comfortable with. Until….

A YouTube Lucky Charm

I was doing some general “rubber stamp storage idea” searches on YouTube to see what other crafters were doing and I came across several “how-to” type videos of folks making their own Clip-It-Up style storage units using the wire frame from a lamp shade and creating a stand much like you see used for a standing lamp.  I figured I could give this a go and maybe come up with something that would give me all the good parts of a clip-up type thing, but without taking up space on my table top, and maybe save me some money in the long run as well.

Off on a Creative Quest I Go

I happen to have a couple of floor lamps and lampshades that have been in storage.  So that part was easy.  I had a chatty phone conversation with a friend while I was doing the demolition part to the lampshade covers and figuring out the assemblage part.  So what would have been like work, really seems more like play as we giggled through my silly project.

I already had a mess of plastic bags and quite a few office paper clips as well.  So I pulled them out of the drawer and got started hanging my stickers, and flat paper-like embellishments – along the way building divider cards for sorting them by theme.  In the end, what once took up two file drawers and a big box is now all on one “Cindy made – clip-it” storage unit.  And to me – this is great!

I liked the end result of the one I did for my stickers and such, so I went to work creating another unit, this time using two lampshade frames on one pole – in a double-tier fashion.  Unfortunately this pole is attached to a side table.   Like one you’d put at the end of a couch.  Although there are some benefits to this special characteristic,  I’m not so sure I like that part just yet.  Nevertheless – in the end I’ve got a second unit that I’m very quickly filling up with my rubber stamps.

Unmounting My Wooden Block Stamps

I still have a few stamps mounted on wooden blocks, so I need to get busy on the chore of unmounting those.  That’s an activity that I tired of the first two sessions I did (way back when).  But it needs to be done and I’m determined to stick with it this go around until the job is done.  I’m hoping to get them all unmounted and packaged according to theme before the end of the month.  We’ll just have to wait and see how I do with that because for now…..

More Re-Organizing is Needed

I’ve got a few stacks of creative fodder I need to put away in the newly found space from where my stickers and such were previously.  A new home for these piles of stuff will leave me with a bit more work table space.  Wahoo!  A most welcomed thing that I always treasure discovering. 

Terrific Storage Solution!

I do believe this will be a great way for me to keep my items both organized and readily available for when my muse tempts me to play in my art studio.  Now mind you – these little beauties aren’t quite as “perfect” as the commercially sold units.  They are odd colors and shapes and my packages don’t all hang at the same length as what’s usually on display in a store.  But then again…. my files weren’t as neatly lined up, nor my boxes decorated and stacked perfectly either.  So I’m not worse off in the “looks” department.

The Price Was Right

Now in the end, did I save anything?  Well yes I did!  I wound up having to buy some more paper clippies that cost less than $15.  Everything else was recycled from my personal stash.  I spent a couple of hours making the units too, but outside of those small time and money investments – everything else was totally cost free!  Saving me quite a bit in the long run.  So for me, this was a good option because it left me with extra space and extra cash in my pocket.  Plus I was able to recycle some old furniture I wasn’t using.

Now maybe I’ll think a bit on how to pretty up my new found storage solutions so they look more pleasant to the eye when folks walk into my little creative corner.