The Craft Cave - Redux

Hi Everyone - If you follow me on FB, you've seen the new craft cave, so for those of you who don't, here's a post to get you up to date. 

The move is complete and the new craft cave is up and running!  My very first post on this blog, oh-so-many years ago was a tour of the original cave, posted to prove to you I wasn't just some craft poser.  Now that the cave has been sorted through, packed up, moved, unpacked, sorted through some more, and reinstalled into its new home, it's time to share the updated pictures once again. 

This new space is about the same square footage as the old, but its long and narrow as opposed to the square I had originally.  As a result I've had to replace some of my overhead boards and add a topper to that dresser below in order to keep things from falling on the floor on either side of the cutting station. Its an inch higher now because of the board, but that's fine by me. 

Below you can see the door, once again festooned with my hand punches.  I never understood why Cropper Hopper discontinued the Punch Pal.  That's the organizer I use for my punches.  I have 5 of them all together and they are just the perfect thing.  If you see them on E-Bay snap them up.  A simple heavy duty wall hook in the wall and they hang right up.  Or in the case of the three on the door, they chain together.  I used some over-the-door hooks lined with felt dots (to protect the finish on the door) to hang all three. 

 

I have to thank Simply Renee for inventing the Clip it Up.  I got the idea for hanging all my wafer dies in the picture below from her.  They hang above the standing work table.  I buy metal rods from Home Depot for about $3 each, screw cup hooks to the underside of the 2x10 plank and use her clips to hang them.  I used to use her ribbon organizers in the old space, but here there is just no room for them, so I employed the same thing for ribbon which you'll see in the next photos.



 

The east wall of the room is wall to wall built-in storage and work space.  You can see the shelves and drawers on one end of it here.  Then the sitting workspace is under the window with more shelves and drawers next to that.

Because the room is narrow, I can't get the whole wall in one shot.  The Cricut cartridges are shelved behind the glass doors in the cabinet.  I took the doors off the closet, and inserted a set of folding shelves in place of the hanging rods on one side.  The other side is where the ribbon hangs above all the rolling carts filled with stamps.  Out of the way, yet totally accessible. 

That's the new space.  Its already messy, just the way I like it. I finished up the change of address cards and am already working on the cards to mark the Fall equinox.  Happy Scrapping! - AMK

Shut the Front Door! - Change of Address Cards

The first real card to come out of the new craft cave is in the mail!  Woot!

I used up all the WRMK White Out collection paper I had and came up with the variations on the theme below.  I get my address lables from Vista Print.  They are super easy to costomize on their website and they have a TON of available art to choose from.  I've got a pack of address lables for all the halidays in the calendar, and then some non-secular ones for the every day.  I made them into a little tag on each of the cards,  held on with an artist's safety pin.  The stamps are from Unity, again.  I know, I use thier stuff a lot.  What can I say?  They have cool stuff.  For those of you who know me, there is just no way I was passing on 'Shut the Front Door'. 

Since I just spent a lot of time sorting through and hanging all my ribbon, I've decided that this year, every card will have some ribbon on it.  I have an OBSCENE amount of ribbon.  Time to use it up!

Channeling Scarlett...

Hidey-Ho Readers!  There are big changes afoot for the craft cave.  There's a reason nobody got any Valentine's this year.  The sign went up in front of the house today.  My beloved Cedarburg home is for sale.  I'm going to have to pack up my craft cave and move it to Brookfield in the next 60-90 days.  Gah!  It's just mind numbing to think about.  I don't even know where to start, or if I even want to start.  I mean, if I start packing things up now, then my creativity will be stifled and I'm already stressed out enough.  If I can't barricade myself in my cave when I need to, I might take some one's head off.  But if I don't start now, that bedroom will probably not show too well.  And the last thing I want is a mad dash to pack and move in a hurry.  Ugh.  What to do, what to do?  Screw it -  I'll think about that tomorrow.  Scarlett O'hara's got nothin' on me.  

An Ilustrated - T'was the night before Christmas

Over the years I've made a LOT of Christmas cards.  I pop in some seasonal music and let the lyrics guide my hand.  There's a rendition of this poem from my childhood, by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvains that always makes me smile.  Here now, for the first time ever, are most of the cards I've made to this tune, layed out for your viewing pleasure as an illustrated version of the classic poem.  There's still a lot of room in here for more, so I guess I'll keep listening to it and share more as I go.  Happy Christmas!

Twas the Night before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
(sorry, couldn't resist)

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
(tee hee- there's another one!)

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Christmas on a Stick - The 2013 Cookie Book

Here are the shots of this year's cookie book, Christmas on a Stick!  The challenge for the bakers this year was to either put their cookie on a stick or make a sticky recipe to share.  This proved challenging indeed, but what we got was a lot of fun.  Thanks to all who participated!  Once Rosemary sends me the pictures, I'll get you a copy of them so you can have them for your books.

The book is not as elaborate as other years, from the looks of it. All my efforts pre-surgery went into the binding this year.   Post surgery, well, I just needed to get them done. 

It's a cloth covered hard bound book with a wire binding.  Each page is an A2 envelope cut from the Big Shot Pro die.  The covers are made of Davey Board, which if you've ever tried to cut that stuff, you'll know is no picnic.  The rounded spine is an up cycled paper towel roll trimmed to fit.  I used a quarter inch, square sided, wood dowel to mark the gutters in the binding, which allows the covers to turn back and the book to open. 

You first must put all the pieces together with book binder's tape, and then cover them with your chosen cloth, applied with a thin layer of PVA glue.  Fat quarters from the quilting isle of your local sewing store offers a myriad of fabric choices.  One fat quarter covered two of the books, so while not every book is completely unique on the outside, there are only 2 like it in the world!  The end papers cover up the raw edges of the fabric on the inside, and are reinforced with more book binder's tape to keep them strong.  The first and last page of the books are also reinforced in the same manner. 

I'm late getting these in the mail for those of you who get them as a gift.  But, never fear, they are on the way!

Squeeze the book and S-L-I-D-E off that organdy ribbon so you can put it back later....

The book stands on it's end very well for display.

This is the book open to the first page.  I marked the year on the front end paper with one of my Cricut fonts..can't remember which.  You can see the reinforced pages here if you click to embiggen.

Each recipe is a Christmas card from the participant inserted into the A2 envelope. 

Here is Pye getting into the act...note the furry black thing in the upper left....I alternated patterned paper with plain paper throughout the book and cut a name plate for each recipe.  If the paper was too plain, I got out some stamps and put some swirl into it.  The labels are hand lettered, inked, cut and stamped to add a little interest to the pages. 

Next year we are doing BLACK TIE CHRISTMAS.  I'll tell you now, the book idea I have is very elegant, so the recipes should match! The challenge is to deliver an ELEGANT recipe for the exchange next year.  You've got all year to practice, ladies!  I wonder what we'll get? 

Love you all! - Merry Christmas! - AMK

Christmas Cards - 2014

So here they are, some new this year and some made last year while the mood was still upon me.  There was a call out for blue colored Christmas cards last year so you'll see a lot of blue.  Of course I did not send them in so missed that publication.  Whatevs...

I was playing with transparency film and came up with this poinsettia card.  Using up some scraps from this year's cookie books makes them all just a bit different.  They are pretty fat in the envelope, so extra postage will be required. 

 

Then we have some HO cards and a simple Merry Christmas stamped on vellum to let the background show through.  Nothing too fancy here, but using up some more scraps. 

 



 

These are the BLUE cards I mentioned earlier.  If you didn't know, orange is the opposite of blue on the color wheel, so I worked in some orange on this first one.  Orange is just about my favorite color and is not typical for Christmas, so this one is probably my favorite this year.

Here's one with a window and a look at how the inside works all by itself.  I used a wafer die for the foliage on the front of the card, tied a little bow, stamped some poinsettias and off we go. 

Happy Christmas to you all!  If you have any questions about how any of these came together or what products I used, leave a comment and I'll reply.  All the best to you this holiday season! - AMK

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hidey-ho Readers, here's a sample of the latest Thanksgiving Day card.  In truth, I made these a while ago, knowing I was heading for an extended leave of absense from work.  Post surgery was going to leave me hobbled, and trying to swing a walker around in my craft cave was a recipe for disaster. 

These went out in the post today.  Admittedly a bit late for the friends who live farther away.  I had a number of cards left over from the Thanksgiving Day posts from 2011 as well.  As of today, I'm cleaned out!  Always a good thing for a card maker. 

Enjoy your Feast Day everyone!  A very happy and healthy Thanksgiving to you all!

WMRK made the paper, Sizzix made the dies and the senitment comes from Inkadinkado.  The little star brads were a gift from Andrea way back when she was a rep for Stampin' Up! 

Shameless Image Thievery - Southern Tier Brewing Co.

Southern Tier Brewing Co. produces a pretty good pumpkin beer this time of year.  With a tag line that reads; 
”bewitched and brewed with pagan spirit” - come on, how could you pass that up?  Below is the label affixed to black card stock.  Equipped with a color photo copier and some craft supplies; a little hocus-pocus and....Ta DA!  The Pumking greeting card is born.

They also produce a Warlock pumpkin stout that I have not tried yet.  It too has a pretty cool image, but I'm not diggin' the hat as much as I am the crown. 

Halloween #4 - my favorite so far!

Admittedly, this one is a little sick and twisted.  I've had this idea in my head since the first time I saw that butterfly-squished stamp from Unity Stamps.  They call that image Beautiful Disaster.  Irresistible from my perspective.  Tim Holtz also has a squished moth stamp but it's a lot more pointy than this one.  Oh, I own that one too, but this one was my 'first love', if you will.

So, as always, here are pictures of the products I used, giving credit where credit is due.  And then the finished card. "Life, subject to change without notice."

The Rusty Pickle set got used on the inside of the card - just a simple 'Happy Halloween'.  Those Rain Dots are a very dark purple.  And another set of pennant stamps from Unity added the '31' on the front of the card.  That 'October' stamp I got for a buck on Addicted to Rubber Stamps.  The background paper uses up the last from WE R Memory Keepers.  The line is called Heebie Jeebies.  Added to that were some scraps from My Mind's Eye.  Sprinkle a littel fairy dust on the pile and out popped this card.

 

 

Halloween #3

This card is made from paper meant for scrapbooking more so than card making.  WRMK made this line, but most lines provide something similar.  A sheet of paper with rows of different sentiments or borders.  It's meant to be cut into strips and used for 12x12 scrapbook layouts.  Since I'm not a scrapper (how many pictures of my cat do I really need?) and the strips are too big to fit on a card, that means this is the paper that filters its way to the bottom of the pile. 

Here I cut it into #10 cards and layered on some pennants that I cut from the Lifestyle Crafts Pennant Punches set.  I pulled some scraps from my stack and cut a moon using Spellbinders circle dies, a bat from an oldie but goodie Sizziz Original and boom!  I bizzy, but effective Halloween greeting. 

Pick o' the Patch

This little card came together pretty quickly.  My Mind's Eye provided the background paper and Prima leaves and flowers added to some scrapper's floss and button brads puts just the right spin on it, to make it "The Pick o' the Patch".  (which is what the sentiment is on the inside). 

Playing with my Stamping Gear

With Summer's end comes the time of year where I'm sick of working on the cookie books for Christmas and desperate to dive into Halloween greetings.  Anything NOT Christmas is in order.  While the books are not yet done, I find I get a little sloppy with them, so it's time to put them aside for a bit. 

Here is the first of three Halloween designs.  First a shot of the stuff I used to make it.  I went a little nuts when the Stamping Gear hit the market about a year ago.  I've been buying stamps steadily to use with it, everything I like, which was kind of a lot.  What can I say?  It's a gadget for stamping!  If I were a cat, this thing would be cat nip....just sayin'

It's sold under the Inkadinkado logo, parented by EK Success.  That green cog is the large round version of the tool.  It has a small round as well as a set of ovals, rectangles and squares too.  Essentially it acts as a spacer so you can evenly place images around the shape you've chosen.  They sell a line of stamps made for the Gear, but you don't have to limit yourself to them.  Any foam mounted stamp can be used.  I took one of the clear stamp skulls in the set below, mounted it on foam and used it with no problem.  Sure, sure the clear stamps stick without foam, but if you want the tool to work you need the height of the foam added to the clear stamp for it to work. 

That set of stamps in the center of the Gear is one they sell for the Gear - its their Halloween offering from last year.  I used the branches in the design below.  It should be said that the gear works best with images that are roughly 2" or less.  Anything larger won't fit well onto the handle they provide. 



 



You can see that by varying the color and the notch you use you can layer in the images until the cows come home.  A wreath of anything you can think of becomes possible.  The large circle was used on the front and the small was used on the inside.  I wanted the bats to have some dimension, so stamped them individually and then fussy-cut them out while watching mindless television. 

 

The Gear is a keeper.  If you like to make frames around things, this is a great twist on the standard.  There are lots and lots of Gear stamps available and more every season.  And, with a little ingenuity ANY stamp, as long as it's foam mounted, can work with your Gears.  You can probably even use wood mounted as long as you mark the center of the image on the wood and line that up with the notches on the Gear as you stamp.  Put it on your Amazon Wish List for Christmas! 

 



 

Marker Storage - Crafty and Free!

Hello Readers!  Today is the 4th of July, and while I didn't get anything seasonally made for the holiday, I do have a little organization tid-bit to share.  Behold!  My new marker storage caddy!  The first picture is a top down view.  The bee-hive separators are none other than toilet paper rolls I saved over time.  You can save the rolls from wrapping paper and cut them up, or from paper towels too.  They all work. 

Here's the how-to:

1. Figure out how many markers fit into one roll. Count your total number of markers and do the math. That will tell you how big of a box you need to make this work. It's not a bad idea to have a few empty sections. These are prisma-color markers. I can fit 5 markers into one section. 
2. Find a suitable box or make one from sturdy corrugated cardboard.  Mine is a cast off from buying a 12-pack of ginger ale from Costco last Christmas.  The sides of the box should be just a bit shorter than the length of your markers.  So, trim down the sides of any box that is too tall.  Or add height to the box with some deftly trimmed panels of corrugated cardboard, like I did. 
3. Determine the pattern you want your bee-hive to take, mine is a simple 4 x 6, but you can create extra pockets near the walls of the box by alternating your pattern.
4. Hot glue your bee-hive together outside of the box.  If you skip this it will still work, but I store my markers on the side, which makes the box a little top heavy, which in turn, will cause the upper level of your bee-hive to slip forward.  To avoid the potential mess of markers everywhere, and because I have a curious cat, I hot glued the bee-hive together.
5. Slip the bee-hive into the box.  This has some give, so just push it in there.  You can hot glue the hive to the inside of the box if you choose.  I have not done that yet, but I see now, it's a good idea.
6. Sort your makers by color - or however makes you happy.  Place it near your work table and you're all set!  If you really want to be fancy, cover the box in paper.  Me, not so much.