What's Within Reach?

Hello again!
I wanted to share with you some pictures of my craft space, but I don't like the videos crafters/bloggers post showing the inside of each drawer and every cupboard. I do not find those interesting or informative. They come across as bragging about their crafting supplies, and how much they have.

I tried to come up with a way to show the items I find helpful to have within reach of where I sit at my desk. Which tools and items to I go to the MOST! Those are the posts I think are interesting. I thought I would share my ideas.

Mind you, I am a very frugal crafter surviving on a teacher's budget. I buy ONLY what I need and I use everything, or I don't keep it around. I have been card making for 5 years, and I have been blogging on and off for only 3.

Several of these items I have created by hand, and I have posts on my blog showing you in detail how you can create one also. I will link to those if you are interested. Leave a comment, I would love to hear your thoughts! I believe you can click each picture to zoom in.

Ohh, yes, I do own stamps! you cannot see them in these images, they are to my left, and not in these photos. Here are the links to the hand made items I mention.

• Cassette holder - Click here
• Shelving - Click here
• Ribbon Storage - Click here
• Ink Swatch book - Click here
• Blending pad binders - Click here & here
• die cut folders - Click here

I adore Rubbernecker Stamps!

Do you have a company of stamps that just make you feel good? I do. I adore Rubbernecker Stamps. They are foolproof! They are designed with a watercolor feel, so even the most horrible stamped image comes out beautiful every time! I mean it!

I was dog sitting for a good friend of mine, and I brought a pile of pre-cut watercolor paper and this rubbernecker stamp set. I had more fun combining colors and stamping dozens of images to see the effect I got. They all came out beautifully. Here are a few of the images I finally got a chance to match with a background and mounted on folded card stock. Take a look:

 I took the time to re-set up my indoor light box in the corner of my craft room. I experimented with different colored backgrounds and tons of lighting. I STILL prefer my outdoor photos, but some days I am just not able to get outside due to temperature, or inclement weather. I turned up my exposure on my camera and brighten these photos up with my Microsoft Picture Manager. They still seem dark to me. What do you think? Huh.....so much to learn about this card making/paper craft obsession of mine!!  :)

Please leave a comment, it makes my day to hear from you!

My cricut and three new stencils!

Hello again,
I watched a video from somewhere and the blogger used a stencil to start their card. I have never really been intrigued by stencils, and I don't own any. But for some reason, this stencil triggered something in me. I really liked the card that was created, and suddenly I wanted a stencil, like now!!
I thought "Why buy one, when I can create one?"  MY CRICUT! I located a pattern that pleased me, and I downloaded it, opened it in my SURE CUTS ALOT 2 program and had my cricut cut it out....and POOF! I now have a few stencils!
Take a look!

           

 

I am not quite sure what to create with them, but I am SO pleased that I was able to create them. If I can create these, what else can I create? SO many possibilities! I had some laminated card stock from a previous project. It worked perfectly for these stencils. More creating to come!