Monday, June 13, 2011

CREATIVE TECHNIQUE OF THE DAY---INKING



I believe my absolute favorite technique would have to be inking. I just love the look when you crumple paper and then ink just the peaks (as seen in the Police Line layout). I also love to ink the edges of torn paper, chip board embellishments, and title blocks. Inking the edges helps draw the eye to that portion of the layout and makes a wonderful accent! It is also so easy to do, and I am all about anything easy!
Inking can easily be done on just about anything you want to add a little color to, or help something stand out. All you have to do is choose what you want inked, choose an ink color that contrasts with the color of the paper you are inking for a really good 'pop'! Or you also have the option of choosing a color that coordinates nicely with the paper or item to be inked, which will also help an item to stand out on your page, but in a more subtle way!
Once you have the paper and coordinating or contrasting ink pad chosen, then you just decide what you want to ink and how. Are you going to do just the edges of something for this page? Or are you going to crumple your paper and then ink it? And then you just easily slide the ink pad across the locations you want highlighted! See! I told you it was easy!
Take some scraps of paper that you have, and what scrapper does NOT have a stash of paper scraps, and practice inking! This is when you can play around with different colors, mixing and matching your ink to your paper, and see what combinations you like! There is no right or wrong to this, or any other technique, in my own humble opinion. If you like the result, then it is right!! That is all that counts is whether or not YOU are pleased with your work!
You can see several examples I have added to this post of the inking that I have told you about. I hope you like them and please, leave me a comment! (Please be nice! Constructive criticism is appreciated)
Now, go and play with your ink and papers, create a project or page, and post a picture! I would love to see your work!

PS: I also like to use my ink pads, usually the bigger ones, and ink flowers to the exact color that I need to coordinate with the rest of my layout! Sometimes you just can't find the color you want, so by inking a white flower, or even a very pale flower of some other color, you get just the color you want! Try it out!! Most importantly, have fun!
And please, share your work and ideas!!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Back in the Saddle!! (I'm finally Scrappin' again!!)

For several reasons, I have not been doing very much scrapbooking lately, but, thankfully that is changing now! Even though I have very limited space right now in my room, and I have to search to find something I am looking for, I am determined to get in there and be productive! I have way to many projects on my plate to be wasting time being idle!
Thankfully, I did manage to complete a few pages for one of my clients this past week, and have several others started! I also have some pages already done for my church album, and I have ideas in the works for pages for the Baby Thomas album. Then I also need to try to get time to finish my own albums and such too!
Oh, I will get them all done! It's just that normally for me, I would be in that room working every single day for several hours! Sometimes, I would spend all day and all night in there because I get on a roll and just don't want to stop! And, time gets away from me. It's funny how when you are doing something you enjoy, time seems to fly by! But, that's okay because I know I am getting back in the swing of things slowly. I have let things keep me out of there for too long now.
I am going to set myself some goals for this week, and hopefully that will give me the encouragement and motivation I need to get some things done!
My first goal is that I will complete a minimum of 6 pages per day that I am able to get in my scraproom! Doesn't sound like much I know, but if you consider that each page is typically a MINIMUM of 2 hours, you're talking about working a 12 hour day! I know some people may not understand why it takes at least 2 hours to stick some stuff to a piece of paper along with some photos! Well, the thing is, there is more to it then that. There is actually a lot of thought put into the design of each page. Once the basic design is figured out, then there is the paper selection, card stock color, any techniques I might want to use on this page, as well as any embellishments! And, of course, it never fails that somewhere along the way of actually creating the page, at least one of the ideas is going to change! So, then the products for the new idea have to be located and make sure that everything coordinates! There is a lot more to scrapbooking than a lot of people realize! But for people like me, it is all worth it!
I find my time in my scraproom relaxing, even if I am having to clean in there! Yep, that's what I said....cleaning can be relaxing!
Another goal I have for this week is to get my Stampin' Up! catalog marked with all the items that are retiring so that my potential customers can easily go through it and see what they might want to go ahead and buy while it is still available! There is a lot of stuff on that retiring list so this may take me a while!
Goal number 3 is also going to involve Stampin' Up! in that I want to obtain orders from at least two people this week. I have one customer that I KNOW wants to buy some things, so I have half of this battle beaten already! I just have to locate my second customer for this week! Much easier said than done with our economy the way it is right now.
My 4th and final goal for this week, as far as my scrapping goes, is to post an entry to this blog at least two more times before next Sunday. I plan to have these posts include some photos of previous layouts I have done. I can't take any pictures of my latest work because I have one camera missing, and my other digital camera is not working! So, I guess I could add camera shopping to my goals for this week, but I won't have the funds just yet so I don't think I will get in any big hurry about that!
I hope if you are following this blog that you will leave me some encouraging comments to help motivate me to reach my goals. Everyone likes to have some encouraging words sent their way from time to time, right? So, please feel free to comment away, and share this blog with any of your friends that you think might be interested in talking about scrapbooking!
Until next time, HAPPY SCRAPPING AND PAPER CRAFTING!!!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Bein' Lazy

I didn't realize that it had been almost 2 weeks since I posted anything!! GEEZ!
Well, I am getting to work on a couple of albums that are going to be donated to mothers of babies born with fatal birth defects. These are going to be more of a memorial album for each mother, but I still want them to be quality work with the best of products used, so I will be using primarily my Stampin' Up! products, unless something I am wanting to use is not available through SU. I know these young women will cherish these albums just because they contain photos of their precious angels. I can not even begin to imagine the pain they are dealing with on a daily basis, knowing they should be holding and rocking their infants. Instead they are going to the cemetery to visit a grave.  Just breaks my heart for these mothers! I have to thank some of my SU sisters though. Without these ladies, this album would probably not happen for several months! These ladies know who they are, and I will name them as soon as I can locate all of the packaging that their pages and other items were sent in!! You will understand better when you finish reading this post. LOL
I also have two other albums that I will be spending a good deal of time working on over the next few weeks. The first is an album for my church. This initial album is going to be all about our new Family Life Center. It is still under construction, though we have been using it fairly regularly. We only have a small amount of work left before it is completed!! And guess who has barely started on the album!! YIKES!!
The other is actually not an album. I am creating pages FOR an album for a young woman and her daughter. I started work on this album before my first granddaughter was born so I was ready to do some scrappin' of girls stuff!! With 4 grandsons, I'm sure you can understand that! Anyway, this mother has been so patient with me through my back problems, which are STILL a problem. So, I need to really get busy on her pages.
The thing is, my scraproom is a D I S A S T E R right now!! So, before I can get motivated to get in there to scrap or anything, I have to get it straightened u! That's not going to happen to the extent that I want it though until my son and his wife and son are able to move into their own place. I need that bedroom for some of the things that are currently being stored in my scraproom!! I'll get to it though......soon!!
I am going to start first thing in the morning though working on my Stampin' Up! business, and getting some orders, hopefully!! I really need this to start doing something for me!! Lord, I pray that you will bless my business to be successful, with many satisfied and frequent customers. Thank you Father for ALL of the many blessings you have given me, and I thank you for Jesus and the promise of salvation and eternal life in Heaven with you, my Holy Father! I ask this blessing in the name of Jesus', Amen!