One sheet wonders - yay!

Hi there,

I was scrolling along facebook the other day and saw a post in the enabling group asking for some one-sheet-wonder templates. You should've seen the lightbulb that dinged to life above my head! I remember having seen a few posts about it numerous times, and never remembering how to search for it again, so it was an idea that I kept losing. 

This time I decided to make sure I find them again, so wrote it down instantly, and then turned to pinterest and google-searches! Almost fell off my chair, there were so many different templates! So as a warming-up kind of thing I decided to go with this one by the very talented Julee Tilman.

It actually shows sketches of how to assemble the cards too, so super easy! I had an issue though, since it calls for a sheet of doublesided 6" paper, and I only have onesided ones. Oh well, took 2 sheets and ended up making a double set! This kicks off my Christmas card-making too!

I was stunned at how long it took to make those in the end! However, Mr Murphy was having a field day, watching me cut up the papers, and only afterwards realising I don't have a matting paper that would work with the red of the DP, or a paper to emboss that would still work with the light gray of the other DP.. Decided: "sod it" and went with a much darker red, and my usual 4cc 200gsm for embossing. I really love how it works with embossing folders! 

Next problem was the gray paper, decided to ink the edges, except my very limited Distresses didn't have a nice subtle tone for this - so out came the Promarkers, and off I went, adding some cool gray 4 on the edges. 

It was an adventure, but I prevailed! And now I have 8 cards ready for Christmas card season - yay! 

Will see if I can snag a few minutes to myself today, and maybe tackle a 12" one sheet wonder template too! And will try to snatch single pictures of the lot as well, and will edit them in here!

Hugs,

Sofia

Masculine card

...the bane of my existence!

Hi there!

I have a big problem when it comes to masculine cards! They are just soooo difficult! And then of course, I got an order to make one riiiight around late evening before it was needed.. I will admit I was a bit tipsy in the evening and so I decided to wait til morning to make the card. Thank god the order was for a card like this, and they are really quick to make - like 30-40 minutes!

Grattis = swedish for congrats :)

Letters from Tim Holtz Word Play-die, aluminum tape from the hardware store, a couple impressions of a few pens and some black acrylic paint! Oh, and a few up-side-down sequins in there too! I've made a bunch of these, with different words on them, and my son has one above his bed too, with his name on it.

Today, I had a super crafty moment - decided to do a one-sheet-wonder to challenge myself, and it actually turned into a 2-sheet wonder, but I'll try to get each card individually photographed tomorrow, for your viewing pleasure.. Was so much fun, but took a lot longer than I had anticipated.. Good thing Netflix was invented, right? :D

I'm off to have a little tea, and nurse my cold! 

Hugs,

Sofia

Oodles of birthdays!

Hi there,

You know how in Confessions of a Shopaholic, Rebecca has that one credit card frozen into a block of ice? I really should do that too. And also delete the bank-app from phone and burn my account-codes. Granted, I don't have a credit card, it's just a debit one, but still! I lost all self-control lately! 

Yesterday I picked up a package from the post office containing 8 Ranger Dye Inks, a Wink of Stella (finally I remembered to buy it!), a clear embossing powder, a glow-in-the-dark e/p, a MFT  in&out stitched rounded square die-set, a couple of HotP small stamp sets and a pouch a white iridescent sequins that the shop-owner (the fantastic Heidi of Heidin Korttipaja) threw in as a surprise! Thank god the sweet Mister only shrugged and helped me unpack (no mention of my crazy shopping - phew!).. 

I have been playing quite a bit lately! Well, not too much playing around, but more goal-oriented playing, as in needed to make birthday cards for my son's cousins. And I also made cards for my in-laws to give to the birthday boy and girl, so double the fun, double the crafting!

Here's for the boy turning 8:

Stars from a Stephanie Barnard set for Sizzix, the one with cupcakes and balloons, the number 8 with Tim Holtz's word play die (also Sizzix), and letters from a Memorybox die set I bought barely used.

Same Stephanie Barnard dieset, the balloon used this time, and the same Memorybox letters. The string were just doodled.

And his sister turning 15:

This card includes my second ever colouring with Distress Markers - a fussy cut Gorjuss girl (on top of the world) and the Marianne Heart Border from last post. The tag is cut with a die from the BS+ Starter Pack, and numbers again with the word play -die. Numbers are popped up with some foam tape so they catch the easel part perfectly. Also behind the girl is a piece of acetate, with a couple of the hearts that cut out from the Heart Border glued on. And a few pink half-pearls scattered around too. 

The dies used for this one:

- Box die from Started pack

- Butterfly die from Started pack

- Scalloped strip die from Starter pack

- Spellbinders spiral flower dieset (medium and large rose)

- Sizzix (TH) Tiny tabs & tags die

- Memorybox alphabet

The stamp I used for the pink embossing on the black paper is from a swirly set by Artemio. And I added a few dew drops for good measure - mind you, the photographed REALLY green, in reality they were way more translucent and colourless. 

**

Now. For some reason this post is being a technical and layout-ish jerk, and I am very, very frustrated with Blogger right now. I just can't seem to make it work as it's supposed to. We'll just have to see how many times I will need to repost this, or whether it is only in the writing stage that it won't cooperate with me in the least. The pictures are all willy-nilly, there are huge gaps here that really shouldn't exist, but oh well. Maybe it might still work out well enough :P

I still have a lot of playing to do, some stamps to try out and display, I have a couple projects due - one to a 7-y.o boy in America, one for my parents to bring with them as a thank you to their friends with whom they are spending Midsummer (time to bring out the Art Impressions - yay!), and also to one of my BFFs, who just got married!

I am also about to go on a shopping strike. Which has basically already started, but I will still be receiving a few items. As I might've said already, I am ordering the Misti with a few crafting buddies - order went in on Sunday, so now it's just a waiting game. Also, I have ordered 2 stamp sets from Altenew through a Finnish shop-keeper (Vintage roses and I believe it was called Love Labels?), also I'm waiting on the TH/Sizzix spiral mini tattered florals thingy die. (Can you tell I can't remember the name of it?) These are sold out everywhere and so there's no knowing when they're arriving. I also asked a shopkeeper who makes custom stamps to make both a Finnish and Swedish "Happy Birthday" stamp that looks a bit like DYMO-ribbon - so that one I'm still waiting to see how and if it turns out. Other than that, I won't buy a thing - lol!

Happy crafting and tons of hugs,

Sofia

Happy Mail, Happy Summer

Hi all,

And sorry for being MIA! I did 2 weeks of subbing at a high school and was soooo beat each day that I truly couldn't even craft! *shock, horror* 

Being in such a loud place for many hours at a time can be really draining for an introvert like me, but I still love it! It only takes one teenager to say something nice, or to strike a conversation after class and you can go on for ages.. And being able to help someone, or being able to calm down a "rowdy" kid.. Sort of wishing I had gone for teaching instead of accounting now, lol!

Anyways - I have been playing!

I'm in the midst of making invitation cards to a confirmation, and because of some happy mail that I picked up yesterday, I decided to make a little surprise to the design! So I have been cutting these (and picking them clean, and cutting again)...:

I totally fell in love with these!

And most of you will probably guess what this fancy die means? Yes, I splurged, and got myself this:

It's the most amazing, most wonderful thing in the world - the Big Shot Plus Starter Pack! That box die? Was of course the first thing I tried, and even when cut out of the thinnish paper that came with the pack, it's quite sturdy! And so pretty, and super easy to assemble! This is going to be perfect for small gifts - can just stuff it with some candy to brighten someone's day!

And since I got the machine I had to add some new candy to the order, so I got some brushes, hook & loop stickers, that cute tea-cup border (I'm not sure yet, but I think there's a cute idea for a Get well-card in there somewhere?), and that Marianne heart e/f with a matching heart border die :D 

The sweet Marika (Käsitellen facebook-shop) also threw in that Marianne heart-balloon die - isn't it fabulous?

I also ordered me some fancy stamps as a pick me up earlier, will share those later!

Now I'd better get cracking on those invitations so my SiL can get them sent out asap :)

Hugs 'n Love,

Sofia

Wow.. Wait a minute.. May's here already?

Hi everyone!

Wow, I can't believe it's May already! We've had fairly decent weather here, which means that we've spent a lot of days in the countryside. Which, in turn, means that my creative mojo keeps bubbling underneath with no real outlet, grrr. Thankfully I was asked to make a card for a cute little 2 year old, and basically one of those orders where I have about 6 hours to make something :D

Good thing I had been colouring a bit, so I had the perfect picture ready to go! This is also a very new way for me to make my cards - when I used Promarkers I always coloured the stamps to fit the card - now I've been colouring tons just for the fun of it, so I have a bunch ready to go for these "ooops, I forgot to mention I'll be needing a new card - today!"-kind of orders :) (as a note, though, most of my so called orders are actually my mum asking me to make cards for her, so it's not like I'm doing this as a business or source of income)

Without further ado, voilà!

Isn't she adorable! I love pink (can you tell?) and most little princesses I've met do too, so thought I couldn't go wrong with the colour choice. 

The stamp is by Crafty Sentiments Designs, Lollipop Dreams and called Lemonade Sunday (that I got from the amazing Heidi at Heidin Korttipaja <3), and of course, coloured in with my beloved Distress Markers. The rosette is made with my brand-spanking-new Tim Holtz Mini Paper Rosettes die (Sizzix) that I absolutely fell in love with! Corners rounded, matted on bright pink vellum, and the DP is from a pad by Me & My Big Ideas. 

I haven't had time for any challenges again, since when I do get the time to do something, I notice the challenge has already closed. Oh well, soon enough I'll have a bit more time again - until I return to the working world for the last 2 weeks of May, when I suspect I will fall into bed the second I get home.. 

My to-do list for crafty bits this month: still have to make Mother's Day cards, a Happy 30th for one of my oldest friends, and get started on some invitations for a confirmation.

*

In other news, I'm so happy I could burst! I haven't coloured in a while since for some reason there's never enough light.. If there isn't enough light I get a head-ache trying to colour. It's as if the natural light eats up the artificial light inside, and so if it's overcast or raining I can't get enough light in here.. In the winter there's no problem, because we just have the artificial light and pretty much no natural light at all.. 

Anyway - I went to Ikea yesterday, and got a better desklamp, and a Led-bulb of 1000 lumen :D So tonight, my Markers will be back in action! Would've coloured last night but honestly, Ikea = too tired to do anything! Surprisingly enough, I noticed they actually have a bit of crafty stuff there now! Bought some pink tissue paper for next to nothing, and they had some fun paperclips too, but couldn't go too crazy. ;)

'Til next time, when I hope to be sharing some of my inkings at spritzings ;)

Hugs,

Sofia

Answers to comments and a condolence card

Hi again,

The days just fly away, I blame spring! 

Firstly, I want to thank Darnell for the sweet introduction, I'm touched. I also want to thank everyone who has visited and decided to follow my journey into Blogland!

Because I haven't had a chance to check in again, I thought I'd do a blanket answer on the comments and ideas I had in the past week. 

About the glycerin and Distress Ink-spongeing thing, I want to do a separate post on my testings, and give the credit where it's due. I haven't come up with these things myself. Since I got my Mica-powders yesterday, I've been testing proportions in getting a nice shimmermist. However, having a 4-year old around who wants to help, it slows us down a bit.

As said before, I'm trying to learn to make cards without a specific recipient in mind, and doing the challenges has helped me TONS! I'm still trying to find more challenges that suit me, and something that will sort of "force me" to sit down and make more cards. Daring Cardmakers has done that for me - the themes are so fun that I just *have* to play along! Now I need to find more. Until I can get in the groove and make anonymous cards without help.

**

Before I continue to ramble again and lose everyone's interest, here's a card I made a few days ago. I saw the stamp, (Scrapberry's Afternoon Tea, Memories) and instantly saw the perfect stamp for a watercolour condolence card. The handwriting is my own, since I don't have these kind of stamps yet, and the one printer I have that takes card this thick is out of ink. 

I wanted a very light, soft colour to the flower, so I did it in Victorian Velvet and leaves with a bit of Shabby Shutters and a hint of Peeled Paint for depth. 

I will be doing another one or two condolence cards today (sadly enough not for my stash), and hoping I will manage to join in the Arrow-challenge at Daring Cardmakers. For Saturday I still have to make a birthday-card and a happy new baby-boy card as well, so I will be really busy crafting now, yay!

**

I loved what Darnell also pointed out, to buy new and proven brands when it comes to the real equipment and tools. My grandma always used to say, that "a poor person can't afford to buy cheap stuff". This is something that can be said about a lot of stuff, but one thing that springs to mind are the ever-loathed Crocs. 

I have the real-deal, and have used them for 6 summers (away from anyone who could see me use them, they're sort of my guilty pleasure in the countryside) and plan to use them at least one or two more. My mum has the cheap ones, and goes through at least two pair a summer. She has so far spent over twice as much on her off-brand cheap ones, than I spent on my real ones. Hence - also my son has the real-deal, if I have to skimp on some inks for his sake, so be it. 

I have been making use of the facebook groups where people sell their old stamps and dies, and have found a couple nice unused (or just barely used) Stampers Anonymous by TH stampsets, and some retired Golden Oldies and Girlfriends (Art Impressions) in nice condition. I've also got some dies that most of them have turned out to be good buys. I think I'm at the point now, where I can honestly say I have everything I need, except for the darn Walnut Stain reinker. Also, if I ever find Tim Holtz's die, the one for the mini spiral tattered flowers, and if I find it used, then boy will that one be well-loved here! I have noticed that a lot of crafters in Finland buy and resell their spiral flower dies. That of course makes me happy as rain :D

Thank you for (yet again) bearing with me!
Will be back soon with more fun crafts.

Hugs,
Sofia

I have a Problem! (No card today - just ramblings)

Hi, 
My name is Sofia, and I am completely addicted to buying crafts supplies online.

Phew! What a load off my shoulders. 

I've always been one to over-think and over-analyse everything I do, and every purchase I make. When at Uni  (UAS) we first learned about SWOT-analyses, I found myself going through all Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats - even when buying milk. "What makes this brand stronger than that other one, what do I gain or lose by buying this particular brand?" I was making myself crazy. In more recent years I've gotten past that to the point that I only analyse what I'm buying if the value exceeds about 20-50 euros. 

I try to craft "on the cheap", so I like using recycled or repurposed materials. My first splurge was to buy the Distress Markers. I bought them used, but it was still quite a large sum to dish out on something I've never even tried before. Then I found the youtube videos by "TheFrugalCrafter" and boy, did these markers make sense after that! I learned how to refill them, using just some reinker, water, glycerin and gum arabic. Plus, since I had to buy all those, I also made a spraybottle with just water and glycerin - to use as a refresher if my ink pads (waterbased) start feeling dry! So hey, now I can save a few euros here and there, not really having to replace markers until the nibs on them have to be replaced.. 

(Let's not mention that the gum arabic was about 10€, glycerin bottles were 3.20€ each, I bought 2 to be safe, and spent another 30€ on stamps and tape! Plus of course driving around town trying to find gum arabic somewhere - and spending 20€ on some design paper, cardstock and a couple acrylic blocks at a bookstore that didn't end up having the gum arabic that I was going in there to buy.)

A crafter on the Finnish forums told me how she uses glycerin for sponging with Distress Inks as well, and the result is just so much smoother! Yay, another use for it! I also found a tutorial how to mix gum arabic, water and mica powder to make your own shimmer mist. 

Now, I have never felt the need to buy any shimmer mists - I like the look, don't get me wrong, but it hasn't been something I *have to have*. What did I do now? Since I already have gum arabic, why not try making my own shimmer mists - so off I went to Joanna Sheen and ordered 12 jars of Mica. (!!!) And since I was there anyway, might as well buy a template to make a special card for a special friend who's getting married this summer. 

I had actually been thinking about the card template and Micas for a few days, and had already decided that no, I won't buy them this time - I can come up with something else for the wedding card. Well, I still ordered them. And since I'm buying the Micas and there are 12 of them, and I really don't have any idea what to do with them other than the mist, then I have to buy more small spray/mist bottles. Thank god we have a Tiger store in our town - I found some cheap spray bottles there, 3 for 2€ - and they're only a little bit smaller than the Ranger Inkssentials misters :D

Of course, I still need to get a Walnut Stain reinker, but after that I'm pretty much done shopping for a while. Until, of course, I hear whether a Finnish store will be able/allowed to get the Misti...

Hope you have a nice day, and thank you so much if you've managed to make it to the end of my ramblings ;)

Hugs,
Sofia