Tuesday's {Tip} Stamp Conditioning

If you have any clear stamps at all, you know that they bead up sometimes. People think it could be the ink or the stamp, and a lot of people don't know that there is a simple fix. Today, I am going to show you how to condition your clear stamps so that they don't bead up, and that you can get a clear, crisp image when you stamp.

For my sample today, I used Memento dye ink and the Layers of Color Architectural Block stamp set. I love this set, and to be honest, the Layers of Colors stamps are not the best to do this example with. Why you ask? Because the product is SO good, that they really don't bead up nearly as much as the $1 Michael's stamps and stamps from other manufacturers. Stamps made in the U.S. such as the Layers of Color stamps are much better than the acrylic stamps made off-shore. So, sometimes even after conditioning, the acrylic stamps made off-shore may still not stamp as perfectly as you would like.

First, let me share with you a picture of the stamp inked up BEFORE conditioning. A sample of this stamped image will be at the end of my post.Not too much beading but for those of you that have other manufacturer's stamps, you know just how bad the beading can get. There is also beading on the veins of the leaves but it is hard to see in the photo.

So, what do I do to fix this and condition the stamp? To begin, I put my stamp on my acrylic block. Then I take my favorite Staedtler eraser, and "erase" over the entire stamp. It will leave a bit of a white film on your stamp. No worries though! To get the white film off, I take a baby wipe and clean the stamp off. Now you are ready to use your clear stamp! So easy, and so fast to condition a clear stamp! Yes, your stamp is now conditioned and ready to use. Such a simple fix! In the image below you can see the stamped image BEFORE conditioning and AFTER conditioning. The image is SO much more crisp in the bottom image. Everything about it looks better. Even the ink looks darker and almost like a different color. Wow!I hope you will try this next time you have a new clear stamp to use! Enjoy, and I pray this was helpful to many of you. Have a blessed Tuesday!

Tuesday's {Tip} Personalized Stamps

I have seen so many discussions on various message boards about personalized stamps. And there are MANY places to buy them. I thought I would share the new one I just received along with a few sites that sell personalized stamps.

I have one from Paper Angel, and I have used it for about 10 years or so. I really like it but I wanted a new one. So, I found a GREAT shop with many designs called Sweet Papery. Look at this adorable stamp I got: And here is how I used it on the back of my latest Memory Box creation:Here is the direct link to the stamp I bought. She has excellent customer service and so many amazing designs to choose from. It really was hard to settle on one!!

Other places that sell personalized stamps include:
DRS Designs
Imagine Stamps
Onyx Xpressions
Stamp Out Online
Third Coast Rubber Stamps

Of course there are many other sites too but these are just a few to get you started! So, have fun looking. I know I have never, in 44 years, been able to find my name on anything so I LOVE to be able to order custom stamps! Enjoy, and have a blessed day!

My Creations for {Layers of Color}

I am SO very excited to share my creations for Layers of Color with you! These have been secret for a while, and now I can share. Whew, that was hard to hold on to these. LOL!

For my first creation, I altered a wooden cross that I bought at Michael's for $1.99. Of course I had to make it pink for my scrap room but right now it is still in my office with my collection of crosses that I have. I just love walking into my office and seeing it! And isn't the cross stamp just gorgeous? It's one of my favorites!Papers: Basic Grey Archive
Stamps: Layers of Color Gothic Crosses
Stamp Ink: Colorbox Pigment Ink chestnut
Paints: Making Memories manilla, LuminArte H2Os cinnamon brown, Stickles cinnamon
Embellishments: Bazzill blossom, Heidi Swapp flower, KaiserCraft rhinestones, Deluxe Designs chipboard, wooden cross from Michael's

My second creation is a simple card. I used my Copics to color just the center flower. This set of stamps is really unique in that you can make a complete flower by piecing stamped images together. It is really a beautiful set!Papers: Paper Trey Ink, Stampin' Up, Making Memories Flower Patch
Stamps: Layers of Color Architectural Blocks
Stamp Ink: Memento tuxedo black
Copics: Y000, Y11, Y13, G40, YG17, YG23
Embellishments: misc. button, misc. ribbons, Making Memories tiny alpha stickers, Memory Box grass green jewels, Karen Fosters scrappers floss black

And now for my notebook! Remember I shared a small portion of it with my "houndstooth post"? Well, now here is the complete notebook. I used chipboard I had lying around for the cover and back of the notebook. Then I recycled paper from a used journal for the inside pages. I haven't decided what I am going to use this for yet but I think it may be for my BSF prayer requests. :) And can you see how I painted the flowers with Stickles after coloring them with my Copics?

Papers: Paper Trey Ink, Creative Memories, Making Memories Sabrina
Tools: Zutter Bind-it-All
Stamps: Layers of Color Nature Walk
Stamp Ink: Memento tuxedo black
Copics: YG17, YG23, G40, R000, RV21, RV23, RV25
Embellishments: misc. buttons, Stickles diamond, Ribbon Retreat ribbon, Karen Fosters scrappers floss black

You can see my Layers of Color page with a link to my gallery here. You will also see a bookmark in my Layers of Color gallery that will be featured in an upcoming article for Scrapjazz/Scrapbook.com. I am so blessed to have this opportunity with Laura. She is amazing, and I can't wait to share more of my creations with you. Thanks for looking, and have a blessed Monday!

His Holy Name {Challenge 13, Jealous}

Challenge Word 13: Jealous
God’s Attribute: God is a Jealous God. He is El Kanna. He desires us completely.

How does this affect my daily life? What is first in your life? Your children? Your husband? Money? Things? Crafting? Or could God be first in your life? God shares many times in the Bible that He is a jealous God. Well, when we think of His attributes and praising Him for who He is, how can we praise Him for being jealous? In our humanness, we are limited in understanding His jealousy. It is not a negative term as we perceive it. God being a jealous God means that He wants our total love and worship of Him. He is to be first in our lives. Our greatest desire should be to be completely loyal and faithful to Him. We are to love Him, honor Him, praise Him, and glorify Him in all things. He is jealous for His name and His character.

J.I. Packer said “God’s jealousy is not a compound of frustration, envy, or spite as human jealousy so often is, but appears instead as a (literally) praiseworthy zeal to preserve something supremely precious.”

I just love that! Do I have an intense passion for the Lord? Is He supremely precious in my life? Do I have an eager desire to love Him, obey Him, and glorify Him in all I do and say? Even in the way we use His name should be honoring and glorifying. Do you take His name in vain? If so, remember He is a jealous God.

For my page this week, I chose the color orange. This color helps me remember to have that zeal for Him. The verses I chose were:

Exodus 34:14 "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."
Romans 12:11 "Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."Papers: Bazzill, Daisy d's Autumn Collection
Stamps: Just Rite dater
Stamp Ink: VersaFine onyx black
Embellishments: Heidi Swapp lemonade stand chipboard alpha, Rose Moka white letter stickers, Maya Road chipboard frames, Basic Grey offbeat button, Karen Foster Scrappers Floss white, fabric from Freehand Scraps June 2009 kit, misc. ribbon

Remember to use the Keyword HHN09 when posting in online galleries, and to chat about the challenge, join us in this thread here on Splitcoaststampers! Blessings to each of you as you study, and I pray that you will think about our Jealous God and have such a zeal for Him that you live for Him in all things. Our view of Him can never be high enough!

His Holy Name Stamp Winners!

Thank you to all of you that played along these past two weeks in completing your "God Who Sees" pages. I also loved seeing how God is using this challenge in your lives! What a blessings! I also appreciated the belated Happy Birthday wishes. Thank you to each of you!

Now for our two winners. This is amazing. Wait until you see the numbers. Love it! Our winners are:

Here are your random numbers:
1
2
Timestamp: 2009-06-21 21:09:52 UTC

How fun is that! Our first entry came from:
Amy said...
Thanks Patter! I am always blessed by playing along. This year is my first year participating in the HHN challenge. I have made duplicates of everything I do to give to my prayer sister at church. We are both loving it! Here is my submission. www.thescrapaddict.blogspot.com Amy

And our second entry came from:
Lavonne (tweetygirl) said...
Hi Patter, I've been doing these challenges since January. I did fall quite a bit behind but caught up just last week. This challenge was finished on Monday. Here's my page for it: God Who Sees I've been learning quite a bit this year. Between these challenges, Bible study at church and my regular reading there's a lot of learning going on!

Amy and Lavonne, please e-mail me so that I can get your stamp off to you! Thank you for playing, and congrats! Blessings to all of you!

Scripture Challenge 2009 {Weeks 25 & 26}

I pray you are enjoying your weekend celebrating fathers! And what better way to celebrate fathers than to study and learn about our Lord, our precious Father! Here are your next two words:

Week 25: Holy
Week 26: Tongue

Remember to use Scripture Challenge Keyword: SCRC209 when posting to online galleries. Also, please join us in this thread here on Splitcoaststampers for links to your pages and general discussion about the challenge words. Enjoy your study time, and I will see you again on July 5th! In Him,

Organizational {Friday} Kits!

So, how many kits do you subscribe to? Do you have trouble deciding how to store them? How about the contents of each kit? Does the store/company provide you with a list of contents? Well, let's look at what I do with my kits.

I am going to use my most recent kit purchase as an example. This amazing June 2009 kit comes from Heidi at Freehand Scraps. Heidi keeps a beautiful content list on the website. Here is what the June 2009 list looks like along with the content list from the site: Here is a list of everything you'll receive:
Patterned Paper/Cardstock:
•1 sheet My Mind's Eye in "Bohemian Vines"
•1 sheet My Mind's Eye in "Vines Paper"
•1 sheet Crate Paper in "Grove"
•1 sheet Crate Paper in "Meadow"
•1 sheet Crate Paper in "Slate"
•1 sheet Crate Paper die cut in "Stuffed"
•1 sheet Pink Paisley in "Fascinating"
•1 sheet Fancy Pants in "Turquois Grid"
•1 sheet American Crafts cardstock in "Caramel"
•1 sheet American Crafts cardstock in "Mint"

Fabric & Trims:
•1 piece of orange and white dots fabric
•1/2 yard green flower trim by Prima
•1/2 yard grey dots trim by Prima

Embellishments:
•1 alphabet by Crate Paper
•1 package Crate Paper "little sprout" rub-ons
•1 canvas house by Prima (patterns will vary)
•2 sheets Fancy Pants "Mixed Media 8x8 book" (patterns will vary)
•1 exclusive handmade Etsy tree (colors will vary)
•1 canvas embroidered tag "Home" by Prima
•1 canvas embroidered tag "Family" by Prima
•2-3 chipboard frames/shapes by Maya Road

Content Lists
What an awesome content list! One thing I have found with kits is that I never know the manufacturer(s) for all of the contents included. Now if you submit your work to magazines, you really need to have this information. When I designed for Inspire Me Card Kits, I posted a picture and a content list for each kit on the store message board for everyone to reference. It was a HUGE help to many people. Well, unfortunately now that Dannie closed the store when she moved, I don't have the information anymore. So for future kits, I wanted something a little more permanent. Now what I do is copy and paste the information from the kit website into a Microsoft Word document. I then print it out and put it in the ziploc bag along with the kit itself. That way I have the kit name, month, and content listing together with the kit. It is SO easy and wonderful to reference, and I always have it available. Here you can see my kit with the content sheet right on top.Storing Kits
To store my kits, I write the name and month of the kit on the bag itself. I then store them in alphabetical order in a Cropper Hopper paper holder. With the Freehand Scraps kits, I do not have to write the kit name on the bag because Heidi includes a company tag on the bag. Such a wonderful idea.

Breaking Apart Kits
I do not break apart my kits for many, many months. I save so many scraps that I still like to keep it all together. Now, once I know I am completely done with a kit, I then break it apart and put the remaining contents away with all of my other paper crafting goodies. Some kits I am able to break apart quickly, and others may sit for 6 months or more until I am completely done with it.

I hope this is helpful to you! Feel free to share how you organize your kits. We can all learn from each other. Happy organizing!

A Little {Thursday} Inspiration

Wow, what a week! Isn't summer time supposed to be slower? Well, we are at VBS this week with 580 kids, and my daughters and I come home completely exhausted each day. What a blessing to see so many children learning about our precious Lord but wow, I need some energy to make it through today and tomorrow. LOL!

And wouldn't you know it, I have been in a serious crafting mood this week but I have been too tired to create when we get home. Maybe y'all can create a bit for me! I have a few inspirational pieces for you that I have created for Memory Box. Maybe these will put you in the mood to create too! Here is an alterd notebook I did for my private music lessons:
And here is a quick, simple card I made with one of my favorite color combos (but I never use it). LOL!
And finally, here is a post-it note holder I made out of an old wooden stamp block:
For step-by-step details on all of these creations, see my posts on my Memory Box blog here. And we also have another $100 Memory Box Buck contest going on. Be sure to check out those details too. You have until June 30th to get your submissions in!

Well, have a blessed Thursday, and if I can complete my post for tomorrow when I get home today, I have a new organizational post for you this week! Blessings!

Tuesday's {Tip} Color Challenges

Color challenges--do you like them? I love to use them when I am stuck or need inspiration. I recently found an amazing blog by Kristina Werner that shares great color challenges. Oooh, they are so awesome. Here is Color Inspiration #51 from May 6th: Doesn't that look yummy? Each post has a wonderful picture with the colors you can use. I have been printing out the little "cards" and keeping them in a notebook for inspiration. I hope you will look around and find some great inspiration! You can find all of Kristina Werner's color challenges here. Enjoy, and happy crafting!

Houndstooth {Madness}

Okay, I used to like houndstooth; it was okay. But since I created an adorable notebook for Layers of Color using some Making Memories houndstooth paper, I am TOTALLY obsessed! I now LOVE houndstooth. So, now I am on the hunt for tons of it. LOL!

Yesterday, I found this adorable ribbon at Hobby Lobby. It was half off so I only paid $1 for each color. Each rolls contains 4 yards.Isn't it adorable? If they would have had other colors, I would have bought it too!

Then today, I used my amazing houndstooth background stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms to create more tags for my stamp binders. I used Memento Rose Bud ink on white paper. Then I punched out my tags using a 1" circle punch and adhered to a metal tag.Think of how many different colored houndstooth papers I can make with that stamp! Wow!

Now I am on the hunt for a micro houndstooth stamp. Cornish Heritage Farms makes one called a "fine houndstooth" but it is on a 6x6 scrapblock, and that is just too big for my hands. If you know of anyone that makes a stamp like that, please let me know in the comment section!

Hmm, I wonder what other houndstooth fun I can find? And that notebook that got this new obsession all started--well, I can't share yet. Once Laura gets it up on the main site, I can share but for now, I will give you just a teaser here: So, do you like houndstooth? Or do you have another pattern obsession? Do share! And until next time, have a blessed weekend!

Tuesday's {Tip} More Crochet

Most of you have seen my posts on my crocheted flowers and butterflies. If not, you can see those posts here. Today, I wanted to share an amazing post I found from Nicole Heady of Paper Trey Ink. She gives step-by-step instructions on how to make a 2-layer flower. She also uses DMC floss instead of the DMC crochet thread I use. And be sure to check out her DMC list that matches the Paper Trey papers. So awesome! You can see her flower instructions here and her DMC matches here. Enjoy everyone, and have a blessed day!

His Holy Name {Challenge 12, God Who Sees}

Challenge Word 12: God Who Sees
God’s Attribute: God is a God who Sees. He is El-Roi. He is everywhere all of the time; He is omnipresent. Here is some wonderful information I found on Precept Austin:

"EL" is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in the Old Testament combined with other words for descriptive emphasis. "ELAH" is another name for God, used about 70 times in the Old Testament. Again, when combined with other words, we see different attributes of God.

How does this affect my daily life? Are you suffering with your finances, in your marriage, with your children, or other difficulties? Do you think that God doesn’t know about you or see your current suffering? Well, He does. He is all-seeing. He knows everything about us, He sees it all, and He understands in a way that no one else could. Kay Arthur put it beautifully. She said “The omnipresent God is there, and His eyes are not shut. He isn’t asleep, unaware of all the circumstances. He sees.” We are never alone. He is always there with us though we tend to forget about Him or even ignore Him. Do you recognize His presence?

Maybe you are sending a child off to elementary school or even college in the Fall. Or maybe you are becoming an empty-nester. Are you fearful of your children leaving? Put your faith and trust completely in Him because our omnipresent God is with them when they leave home. He is watching your children too just as He watches over you. Recognize Him in your joy, your sorrow, and your suffering. He is always with you, and He sees everything. He doesn’t forget about the sparrows and He certainly doesn’t forget about you or your precious children. He even knows the number of hairs on your head. Matthew 10:29-31 says “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

I encourage you to read the story of Hagar in Genesis 16 this week and read about how Hagar recognized God as the omnipresent God. Then turn to Genesis 21:1-20 and read about how God was with Hagar’s son when he grew up. It is all so perfect for our lesson this week, and I pray you take the time to read these passages.

For my page this week, I once again found several scriptures I loved; however, I only had room to put one. So, I used 2 Chronicles 16:9 because it was so encouraging to me.Papers: Memory Box Butterfield, K&Co. Wild Raspberry, Paper Trey Ink
Stamps: Just Rite dater, Provo Craft Circa 12 pt.
Stamp Ink: VersaFine vintage sepia
Embellishments: Stickles frosted lace, Mking Memories tiny alpha mixed ledger, Doodlebug white rub-on letters, Jenni Bowlin butterflies, Scenic Route rub-on, Basic Grey boxer buttons, Fancy Pants flowers, Karen Foster Scrappers Floss brown, Elle's Studio 365 tag

Note, when searching for scripture, I searched on "the eyes of the LORD," "the LORD watches," and "God who sees." I pray that helps you find the scripture that speaks most to you.

Now for a little surprise! I am offering a RAK with this week's challenge. Whether this is your first week studying with us or your second year, I would love for everyone to play along. To enter, you need to complete your study on God Who Sees, and create a card or a page. Upload your creation to any online gallery or your blog, and post a link to your creation in the comment section. I also would love to know how long you have been joining in on the challenges and how God is using it in your life. TWO winners will receive the Almighty God stamp that I designed for Unity Stamp Co. You have until Saturday, June 20th, at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard time to upload your creations!

Remember to use the Keyword HHN09 when posting in online galleries, and to chat about the challenge, join us in this thread here on Splitcoaststampers! May you have a blessed week ahead, and remember that in all His fullness, He is everywhere all of the time. See you for our next study on June 21st and to see our winning entries. Blessings,

Scripture Challenge 2009 {Weeks 23 & 24)

Wow, it's June already. We are more than half way through our study. Amazing! Your two words for this next study are:

Week 23: Truth
Week 24: Doubt

I pray your time spent with Him this week draws your closer to Him and His will for you. And remember to use Scripture Challenge Keyword: SCRC209 when posting to online galleries. Also, please join us in this thread here on Splitcoaststampers for links to your pages and general discussion about the challenge words! Please join me on June 21st when I will post two new words for your study. Blessings,

Organizational {Friday} Punches and More Winner!!

Oh my, y'all made this hard on me!!! There were SO many awesome entries for the Stampin' Things Punches and More Organizer! It was SO hard to choose! I highly encourage everyone to look through the entries and leave each entrant some love. They really created some beautiful pieces!!! You can see all entries in the comment section of this post. Thank you to ALL of you that participated!

Now, as I said, it was SO hard to pick a winner. But after going over the entries several times, I finally was able to pick, and the very funny thing was, our winning entry was posted LITERALLY at the final minute entries were due last night!!! Whew! So, without further chatter, here is our winner:

Rebekah Williams!!! Look at her amazing piece: She used all of these punches on her entry: Fiskers Threading Water Border Punch, EK Success small corner rounder punch, Marvy Uchida mega punch scalloped circle, and The Paper Studio large butterfly punch. You can see close-up photos and more details on Rebekah's post here. She also has other gorgeous creations on her blog. You will definitely want to look around!

Huge congrats Rebekah! Please e-mail me your address so that Sue can get your organizer off to you!

Thank you again everyone, and if you are in need of organinzational pieces for your craft area, be sure to check out everything Sue has at Stampin' Things. Each organizational piece is so well built, and they really are amazing pieces for any crafter! Have a blessed Friday everyone!

Layers of Color, Stampin' Things, & Memory Box!

Wow, I think my title means I have too many things to tell you today! :) Now, don't run away because you might just miss something. LOL!

First, I want to give you all an update on Layers of Color. Do you remember Layers of Color? That is another amazing company I design for. I have finally turned in my first creations, and they will be posted soon. They will be posted to the company website first, and then I can share here! I am SO excited to share my creations with you. The stamps are AMAZING! If you want to see some creations done by the other Layers of Color design team members, just look here. You will NOT be disappointed. WOW, these girls are talented!

And next, thanks to all of you that have been posting your creations for the Stampin' Things contest. I still need to go back and leave some comments but I am excited to see everyone participating. Now if you haven't posted yours yet, there is STILL time! Today is the LAST day to enter for your chance to win the new Punches and More organizer. For all of the details on how to enter, look at this post here. Good luck to all of you! I will post the winner tomorrow (Friday).

And finally, I wanted to show you a few things I have been creating with the Memory Box new releases. Be sure to stop by my Memory Box blog to find out more details on how I created each of these and to see the new releases. :) Whew, okay, so that post wasn't too long was it? Thanks for hanging in there with me. Have a blessed and joyous day everyone! I appreciate you!

Tuesday's {Tip} All Things Copic!

Okay, I admit it! I love my Copics but I stink at using them. I try but my coloring just doesn't turn out like those that have taken the class! I am praying there will be a class near me soon but until then, I just play and see what I can learn on the web.

Well, today, I wanted to share several AWESOME Copic sites. I hope they will help you as you learn how to color with your Copics. Here are my favorite sites:

Sharon Harnist has a great page with downloadable color charts, an explanation on the numbering system and marker types, coloring tutorials, SU color matches, favorite inks and papers to use with Copics, and Sharon's personal favorite color combos. Sharon is amazing and is also a member of the Copic Design Team. I highly recommend subscribing to her blog!

Suzanne Dean has many great tutorials available. Visit her blog here. Scroll down until you see Copic Video Tutorials listed on the right-hand side. This is where you will find lots of fun information!

The Copic Creations Challenge Blog is a great place to learn and get ideas. You won't want to miss this blog!

Here is an AMAZING and detailed Copic tutorial by Rachel. This is truly a must-see tutorial!

And here on the Flourishes blog, you will find many "natural color blending families. They are done so that the levels of color blend perfectly when shaded together. Each one of our collections will take the guesswork out of trying to figure out which colors will blend perfectly." So be sure to check out their color families!

And then of course, there is Marianne Walker's blog, I Like Markers. Marianne is a product specialist for Copic Markers, and her blog is a wealth of information! This is another one you will want to subscribe to! :)

I hope the links are helpful. I know I will be referencing my own post a lot. :) I like having all of the links in one spot! I hope you do too, and happy coloring!