WOYWW 250 Marker and Inkpad Storage

I know you won't believe this, but Eliza and I had a storage problem to solve....funny....says one suffering from containeritis, who caught it from none other than you know who.....I know it's a sickness...lol    Bestie suggested desktop drawers...remove the drawers and there's storage for my markers and her ink pads....Where does one buy such drawers one might ask, where else?  Ikea....of course.

 Ikea here we come...fun fabulous day, Bestie, DD and I...after our riotous antics in the cafe, lots of very loud laughter.....and rude people staring....really, we are totally sane....in our minds anyway....lol  Got to the checkout, oh boy! Bit of a shock, as usual I bought more than necessary....my reasoning, never do anything in half measures and if you're going to go to Ikea be prepared to spend.  Of course, I couldn't wait to get started, runaway markers was no longer an option, that night I made my marker storage, it turned out great but no doubt I will find myself making adjustments here and there....always room for improvement. 

Play day arrived, having planned everything the day before,  convincing ourselves we were going to try a new technique. Things are never simple where I'm concerned, seeing flaws in the ink pad storage plan. I didn't want to sort through ink pads stacked 6 high.... sleeves had to be made to house the pads...Perfectly sized of course....bugger OCD.  After a lot of calculations, cutting, taping etc., it was finished. Thank goodness. The only thing missing was a conveyor belt and I can't whistle. So we settled for laughter instead. We spent the entire day on these units, I'm happy with the result , don't know how long it'll stay like this, but it works for me...at the moment. Hop to Eliza's desk to see her unit....I wonder if she has enough storage....ROFL.. We are contented little puppies

...for how long? Wait a minute....

Happy WOYWW everybody, pop over to Julia's, say hi and take a peek at lots of desks....  Hope you all have a fabulous week and thanks for popping in..

Hugs
DeDe

WOYWW 248 Another Stamp Cleaner

It's time to join in the fun, hop over to see Julia at the Stamping Ground, you will get to snoop around some crafty desks...

My desk is a little messy, but in saying that I've got a few things on the go... Just finished making another cleaning brew, this one works well with Staz On ink.... And is doesn't contain alcohol of any sort... Tried the isopropyl alcohol, hmmm! Not good, dries my skin out too much... and no I didn't spray it on my hands.... lol 

So I decided to play around with another mix I found on the net, made a few adjustments and it worked.... Sorry about the Christmas stamp, it was the first one I grabbed, as you can see the stamp is quite clean.... Now further testing and mixing is required because I'm not happy with the archival ink test....that's a stubborn little bugger.... It cleans off OK, but leaves a ghosting which is not satisfactory for someone with OCD.....LOL.   

Thought it was time to make storage for my markers, you never know it may help me find the colour I want... Also making a colour swatch thingamy jig for Eliza...she saw what I made for myself ..what can I say... Frick and Frack....... Coooeeee!  Bestie where are you?

Hope you all have a great week and happy WOYWW
Hugs,
DeDe

WOYWW 247 - ScanNCut & Craft Show

Happy WOYWW everyone. Join in the fun, pay our hostess Julia a

visit at the Stamping Ground.  For those who are interested, I posted the recipes for Ink Refresher and the Stamp Cleaner, the original recipes are not of my creation, although I did make an adjustment to both to suit my preferences.  Where possible I will credit the creator. I've also created a page TIPS & TRICKS which will be home for anything that saves a crafter a few cents here and there.

you can see how fine it cuts

Last Friday, I attended the craft show in Melbourne with Eliza and her DD....what can I say....We put our lives at risk. I was pushed and shoved from one end of the venue to the other...The place was swarming with rude, aggressive, ill mannered, rude, tenacious...did I say rude.... I was kicking myself for not wearing a helmet and steel capped boots.... God bless them, I love the elderly, I'm nearly one of them....lol... but boy! Can they push and shove? Strong little buggers. There were a few moments when our blood boiled, I managed to keep my temper in check...just ..at one stage I was ready to ready to do my Mike Tyson impersonation and step on some granny wielding a wheelchair....yes, I kid you not, a wheelchair....nudging at our ankles....silly old biddy...

Dogwood stamp 

Anyway, we survived....with a few bits and pieces. Overall, I was disappointed, nothing new except for the ScanNCut, but again even that fell short of my expectations in the way of demonstrations. Prices generally were high, although we did manage to pick up a few dies for $6 and 2 very nice books. Generally the stall holders with the exception of a few took full advantage of the customers and their willingness to part with their cash. 

desk plaque - minus the brads

I've been playing with the ScanNCut.... fantastic machine, it has a learning curve but overall it's great. I've managed to cut out stamped images successfully, create shapes, etc., there's a fair bit to master, but with patience and attention the results are very impressive. I made a desk plaque, could be better but it's my first attempt at using the machine. The shapes and letters were all cut out on the Scan n Cut, glued them on, added a little colour and shading, some brads........after the photo....oops! Bob's your uncle.  

Well that's my news, hope everyone has a great week and happy crafting. 

Hugs
DeDe

DIY Ink Refresher

1/2 cup (125ml) distilled water
3/4 tbsp glycerin

Mix water and glycerin, pour into spray bottle. Shake before use.

Note: Do not use demineralised water, it's not the same and bacteria will form.
     
          I have not used this mix on my ink pads, do so at your own risk.

I used these measurements for my refresher to make faux leather, the next mix I intend to cut the glycerin down a little. This mix works very well, the bonus is very soft hands.

DIY Stamp Cleaner

This cleaner works very well with most inks.
You will still need a commercially produced cleaner for Staz On, unless I can find a solution for a homemade cleaner.

1 cup (250ml) distilled water
1 3/4  tbsp Glycerin
small squirt of Johnson's baby shampoo
spray bottle

I used a jug for mixing, didn't have to clean a funnel... Mix all ingredients together, pour into spray bottle. Light shake before using.

I spray onto stamp and use scrub mat. Dry off stamp with paper towel. If any soap suds occur, I stamp onto a damp cloth then dry with paper towel.

Note: Do not use demineralised water, it's not the same as distilled water and
          bacteria will form in your mix.

          Do not leave soap suds on your rubber stamps.

          The original recipe was from You Tube. I adjusted the amount of glycerin
           and baby shampoo in the mixture to suit my preferences.
          Original creator unknown at this stage.

IMPORTANT:
I'm not aware of any issues or problems this cleaner may cause with long term use to your health or your stamps. Use at your risk.

WOYWW 246 - New Goodies & Cards

This has been an especially busy week for me, but I might add, quite productive...So excuse while I pat myself the back.....I managed to get a play day in with Eliza... As usual we got up to all sorts of mischief...and then some. I missed my bestie so we made up for lost time, producing cards, faux leather (made with my homemade ink refresher) and a tag or two. Unfortunately, Eliza has all the photo's on her camera, check out her blog for these. If she gets time to put them up.
Note to Self: Take your camera everywhere....

I made 3 flower pot cards out of left over papers, never made them before, so I was amazed they turned out, I mean they are OK, nothing to write home about... but face it folks, better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick....

Plus I have a few goodies, I don't normally by paper packs but could not resist the new DoCrafts packs.... there's a Martha Stewart punch. Couture Creations quick release die paper.... Then of course you are all wondering what's in the green box....aren't you? 

That my crafty friends is the brand spanking new Brother ScanNCut machine. It's amazing.  I can use my own artwork or stamp an image, scan it  then cut it out. It will resize, add a border....fab machine.  I loathe fussy cutting with a passion.... this does it all.....Check it out on Youtube. But only after you participate in the WOYWW blog hop, pop over to see Julia at the Stamping Ground.. Say hi and snoop the desks.

Hope you all have a great week and happy WOYWW.
Hugs
DeDe

WOYWW 245 - Stamp Mounting Conundrum

Expensive pet mat

Apologies for the late post, had a few gremlins in my camera as well as my computer. But I made it and can't wait to visit our hostess Julia at the Stamping Ground, home of the best blog hop ever..

I've been trying to work out a cost effective way of mounting rubber stamps without using EZ Mount foam which I avoid like the plague.... The product is fantastic for others, just not for me. I don't like the feel of it and my purse doesn't like the cost of it.... As usual the brain went into overdrive.... I found a solution that works for me.

cut around stamps with stanley knife

I was not off to a good start though..I nearly lost the plot at the local art supply store when I spoke to this young shop assistant... Well, talk about Pippy Longstocking with an attitude. The little upstart proceeded to lecture me about buying Australian..... Well, stand me in the corner and call me Granny. I consider myself very patient and tolerant, but this snip of a girl was standing on a very slippery slope and in dire need of an education in manners and customer service.... it was not pretty, she huffed and puffed, but in the end I blew her house down.... nicely of course! 

Hot knife in action

Ended up locating the ideal item a few days later in our local $2 store....a mat for pet bowls...GF found it tucked away in the corner... I know, shopping again....$2 later..very expensive.

I got to work... Trimmed the rubber then laid the unmounted stamps on my $2 mat, traced around them.... glued down.   I used a liquid glue and double sided tape sheets, both methods worked beautifully....my preference would be the tape sheets, only because no drying time and less mess. Whether or not the bond is permanent is unknown at this stage.

 cut stamps, went around once more with hot knife

The next step, cutting out... this is where my new fun tool came into play.... A tool called Creative Versa-Tool by Walnut Hollow, basically a hot knife. It cut through the dense foam like butter, there was no sticky residue left on the blade...Got to love that and little to no fumes.... I was in creative heaven.... In a matter of minutes, I had cut out 27 stamps.... Honestly, this tool is amazing, it came in a case with several tips, soldering, stencil cutting, wood burning, fabric embossing, etc., etc., etc.

Using a paintbrush, I spread Tombow glue on the back side of the foam...only because I forgot about the On & Off Glue I had....Oops! Once it's dry, it's left with enough stickiness to cling to acrylic blocks...same result as On & Off glue.  The best part, mounting these stamps cost me about $3, using EZ Mount would have cost $25-30.

A big thumbs up to Walnut Hollow, congrats on a fabulous tool...can't wait to try the other tips...next time with Eliza, yes, she has one too... LOL.  I'm a happy little crafter...but I miss my crafting buddy....where are you bestie? Please, please come home..

Hope you all have a great week and Happy WOYWW.

Happy Crafting
Hugs
DeDe

WOYWW 243 - Never Enough Catalogues

Acrylic stamp storage

It's been an extremely productive week, heatwave and all, I was determined to complete the stamp catalogue, of course the majority was with Eliza's help, she's a real doll.....5 cd storage boxes later and 175 cd cases, I can now find any acrylic or cling stamp I own at a glance through the catalogue.  I've yet to sort unmounted stamps, a slight hiccup with these, I'm working on a way of mounting them without using EZ Mount foam..yes I am crazy, EZ mount is a great product but what can I say....I have a serious aversion to the stuff....lol.

My desk has a few things going on, at last I completed the filing system for my embossing folders, of course filed in alphabetical order by manufacturer & name, then numerical.....one might ask why, my reply as always is '...because I can'... I mean why have one catalogue when you can have many,...  

The actual catalogue was made with bookboard, covered in Kraft card stock. The embossing on the cover is the Spellbinders 3D M-Bossabilities  Persian Splendor, I'll certainly get a lot of use from this one, ideal for my handmade albums. I aged the cover using Metallic Rub On. The pages are embossed using each folder and secured with a book ring... I tried with 2 rings at first but 1 ring works better. 

Hooray! I managed to create this week....can't believe it... I know my post is a little on the serious side, I have to blame Eliza for that, she decided to leave me and go to work.... A little selfish I thought, fancy choosing work over a crazy day with little ole me!!!!  Hey Girl

It's time to snoop on the desks on Julia's blog at the Stamping Ground, where we get to see the happenings on blogs around the world... join us, it's a lot of fun.

Hope everyone has a great week, thanks for stopping by, please leave a comment.  

Happy Crafting and WOYWW
Hugs
DeDe

WOYWW 242 Retail Therapy & Catalogues

Catalogue

Hi Everyone, can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post... time flies when you're having fun... Eliza, (Hey Girl), kindly offered to help me catalogue stamps... Of course I thanked her and proceeded to say I don't have many and I'd really like to find some nice sentiment stamps...

Well, I'm thankful there was a desk separating us, I thought she was going to jump the desk at one stage... Each container she opened there were more sentiment stamps, not just one stamp but a set, some of which had 30 or more. Of course it didn't help much when I'd say "Oh, I forgot about that one" and of course my personal favourite, "Oops!" followed by laughter. Honestly, she stamped her little fingers to the bone, she's such a 'Doll'. We laughed a lot, talked a lot, especially to ourselves...really,  if anyone heard us together they would think us totally insane, bonkers. I did tell Eliza, I was going to do a recording just to see what we sounded like.....WOW! That would be scary...

Bin # 3 - still waiting for Cases to arrive

We survived the heat wave, 3 days of temperatures 42°C - 44°C,  by the 3rd day my room was unbearable... we needed a break. What better way than a little retail therapy... Oh Boy! Eliza and I shopping, by phone, Internet or the shops, we see, we want it NOW. Patience, not being one of my virtues or Eliza's for that matter, once the item imprints on the brain, it's get out of the way or I will run you down...no joke... just don't mess with us when we are on a mission, it's dangerous business, shopping... LOL

Yahoo! 200 houses for my stamps arrived.

We exhausted buys on the Internet, then headed off to the shops, constantly on the lookout for tools that will make crafting easier. Of course people give us wary and mostly disapproving looks when we shop, we love to have fun, tell it how it is and nothing will discourage us from what we want. Couple of dies and a Kaiser shelf to build, we headed home. Obviously still not satisfied with the amount we had purchased it was on the phone to order another fantastic tool....you will have to watch this space for info....
Just between you and I, I'm a little excited the cases turned up, so for now it's back to the catalogue. I was hoping to have it completed by next week, unfortunately the OCD has kicked in and now I find myself with obsessive plans to catalogue everything....go figure....as if I don't have enough to do... I know totally bleeding bonkers.

I'll have a break first, make a cuppa, put my feet up and cruise over to the Stamping Ground, see what's on Julia's desk. What are you waiting for, join in the blog hop and visit lots of very talented people....

Have a fabulous week and Happy WOYWW
Hugs
DeDe

WOYWW 240 - My New Craft Space

I love my new space

What a hoot, my first post for 2014, I know I've already missed a week but I've been trying to create a workspace that I actually want to work in. Not to mention hubby has been nagging me for weeks to get my craft crap as he calls it off the dining table. Grumpy old man.

Well what can I say, needed furniture, so where does one go? Hmmm! Ikea of course with Eliza. Check her blog for photo's. What a day, we got up to all sorts of mischief, Eliza was totally out of control as usual... just so you know I'm the well behaved one....



Yes, I've caught containeritis from Eliza

Anyway, we played with toys, hid under covers on the beds, played hide & seek from staff...in other words we were upside down, inside out, you name it we did it. Every shopper in the place thought we were bonkers, were we offended? Nah, because they were right. We had fun, in fact we seemed to be the only ones having fun.
One desk, 2 sets of drawers, two chairs, stool, and numerous nick nacks for my kitchen. Ikea is a really dangerous place for us, 

Eliza donated a bookcase to a worthy cause, me...lol.  It was a bit beat up and the colour of baby poo. So out came the paint and it transformed into a beauty I think...she's a keeper.

Bunnings (huge Aussie hardware store for those  OS) is the next port of call to get extra shelves for my fabulous new bookcase, best ever paper storage.

The drawers are a great little unit, the castors make it easy to move them around. My apologies for such a long post, but I had to share a little of my excitement. Ya gotta love me. Why not get excited about other posts, touch base with Julia at the Stamping Ground and check out lots of desks in WOYWW blog hop.

Happy crafting everyone and a very Happy New Year to all.
Hugs
DeDe xx