Sarah at Sarah and the Stampstars is having a cool contest. Go check it out!
I've figured out 6 of the 7 so far. Grrr.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
SU! color combos
I just found a really cool site:
A SU! color combination generator.
-link found at Stamping for Sanity
A SU! color combination generator.
-link found at Stamping for Sanity
sleepless over design
This is what I get for working on projects on a work night - a lot less sleep!
I'm designing the invitations for one of my nephew's 1st birthday party, which is coming up in April. My youngest sister actually started the project, but I said I'd help. I'm using my Cricut to make die cuts, trying to match the plates/napkins/etc theme, and the plan is to have an assembling party with my mom and sisters. (I figure they can glue stuff down rather than having them stamp, though my mom is a pretty decent stamper.)
Mom sent me a scan of the napkins earlier this week. I've been percolating ideas in the back of my head since then. Yesterday, I went to a LSS to see if I could find paper with patterns close to the napkin design. I think I found something that will work, though it's not an exact match. So, despite getting home late last night (8pm), I started working on the invites. I had a rough layout by about 10:30, so I figured I'd go to bed.
Lying in bed, I could not stop thinking about the invite and how the layout I had wasn't quite working for me. As I moved elements around in my head and thought of possible solutions, I debated getting back up to work on it because I just needed to see it. But I stayed in bed, finalizing what layout I wanted to try, hoping I'd remember it in the morning.
Several times during the night, I woke up, and reminded myself of the layout, just so I wouldn't forget it. But that just got my brain going each time, making it difficult to fall back to sleep. (And it didn't help that my man was out late on a service call and not in the bed next to me.)
So in total, I may have gotten about 3 hours of sleep. But after I showered this morning, I deprived the cats of some of their "momma-lap" time in order to redo the invite. I'm happy with it so far, so I sent it off to my mom for her input. I know there are things I need to change on it (like using actual colored cardstock for some of the cutouts instead of inking the white to fake it), but that's OK. I can work out the details before I cut the pieces for all of them.
I'm designing the invitations for one of my nephew's 1st birthday party, which is coming up in April. My youngest sister actually started the project, but I said I'd help. I'm using my Cricut to make die cuts, trying to match the plates/napkins/etc theme, and the plan is to have an assembling party with my mom and sisters. (I figure they can glue stuff down rather than having them stamp, though my mom is a pretty decent stamper.)
Mom sent me a scan of the napkins earlier this week. I've been percolating ideas in the back of my head since then. Yesterday, I went to a LSS to see if I could find paper with patterns close to the napkin design. I think I found something that will work, though it's not an exact match. So, despite getting home late last night (8pm), I started working on the invites. I had a rough layout by about 10:30, so I figured I'd go to bed.
Lying in bed, I could not stop thinking about the invite and how the layout I had wasn't quite working for me. As I moved elements around in my head and thought of possible solutions, I debated getting back up to work on it because I just needed to see it. But I stayed in bed, finalizing what layout I wanted to try, hoping I'd remember it in the morning.
Several times during the night, I woke up, and reminded myself of the layout, just so I wouldn't forget it. But that just got my brain going each time, making it difficult to fall back to sleep. (And it didn't help that my man was out late on a service call and not in the bed next to me.)
So in total, I may have gotten about 3 hours of sleep. But after I showered this morning, I deprived the cats of some of their "momma-lap" time in order to redo the invite. I'm happy with it so far, so I sent it off to my mom for her input. I know there are things I need to change on it (like using actual colored cardstock for some of the cutouts instead of inking the white to fake it), but that's OK. I can work out the details before I cut the pieces for all of them.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
addendum to card class
Oh my! I can't believe it! I'm really disappointed actually.
I was looking at the web site for My Favorite Things and took a look in their gallery. The card class I took last week used stamps from this company for the 2nd project. What I didn't realize is that the instructor took the project directly from the gallery! The only difference in the one we did in class was the embossed (pink) background layer—the gallery one uses the Cuttlebug D'vine Swirls folder and we were using a QuicKutz goosebumps mini folder. When I got such bad results with the QuicKutz mini folder, I said I was going to take my pink pieces home and use the Cuttlebug folder which I knew would look better. How ironic.
Admittedly, the instructor never claimed the layout was her idea. On the first card, she clearly stated that the flowers/style was something she learned from Elsie Flannigan at CHA. But it is so not cool to CASE (copy and steal everything) an idea and not give credit to the original source. I'm debating sending an email to the owner of the store to tell her my experience and how disappointed I am to discover the layout was CASE'd and no credit given. Either way, I don't think I'll be taking any more classes from that instructor.
I was looking at the web site for My Favorite Things and took a look in their gallery. The card class I took last week used stamps from this company for the 2nd project. What I didn't realize is that the instructor took the project directly from the gallery! The only difference in the one we did in class was the embossed (pink) background layer—the gallery one uses the Cuttlebug D'vine Swirls folder and we were using a QuicKutz goosebumps mini folder. When I got such bad results with the QuicKutz mini folder, I said I was going to take my pink pieces home and use the Cuttlebug folder which I knew would look better. How ironic.
Admittedly, the instructor never claimed the layout was her idea. On the first card, she clearly stated that the flowers/style was something she learned from Elsie Flannigan at CHA. But it is so not cool to CASE (copy and steal everything) an idea and not give credit to the original source. I'm debating sending an email to the owner of the store to tell her my experience and how disappointed I am to discover the layout was CASE'd and no credit given. Either way, I don't think I'll be taking any more classes from that instructor.
what to do?
I finally have a free night tonight, my only one this week. I know I want to do something creative... stamp, cricut, something. But I don't know what. I really do much better when I have something I need to make, and best under pressure of a deadline. It's crazy, I know. My day-job is so deadline oriented, you'd think I'd prefer not to have deadlines on my creative time. But I do.
Knowing myself, though, I won't get anything accomplished tonight. I'll watch tv, surf SCS, or something other than actual making things. It takes me so long to figure out what to do that just a few hours after work isn't enough time, unless I already have something all planned out. But just thinking about what I want to do and looking at blogs/galleries/magazines really does count as creative time. It's just hard to think about it that way sometimes.
Knowing myself, though, I won't get anything accomplished tonight. I'll watch tv, surf SCS, or something other than actual making things. It takes me so long to figure out what to do that just a few hours after work isn't enough time, unless I already have something all planned out. But just thinking about what I want to do and looking at blogs/galleries/magazines really does count as creative time. It's just hard to think about it that way sometimes.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
layout changes
There's been a few changes around here today... most noticeably the new header graphic. I'm a graphic designer by trade, so you'd have thought it wouldn't take me almost 3 months to design a header for my blog. Sheesh! But there it is.
And now that I've got the template/html/css part figured out to add the graphic to the top, I can redesign and change it whenever I want. It will probably take me 2 years for the next one.
Next on the graphics agenda... my own photo watermark.
And now that I've got the template/html/css part figured out to add the graphic to the top, I can redesign and change it whenever I want. It will probably take me 2 years for the next one.
Next on the graphics agenda... my own photo watermark.
Monday, March 19, 2007
card class
Last week, I took a card-making class at a local scrapbook store. My mom joined me. It was interesting...
The class was supposed to be 2 hours, but it ran much longer than that. Mom and I didn't leave the store until 10pm—the class started at 6:30pm—but admittedly, we were the last to leave. We worked on 2 designs, 4 cards of each design. I liked the first design, and worked on finishing all 4 of those. (see below) It was basically cutting and pasting the elements and embellishments. I chose not to use the suggested sentiment "Happy Spring" because I didn't feel the color scheme was all that "spring-y."
The second design wasn't really my style, but I at least attempted it. It included stamping of the bathtub image from the "Time for the Bubbly" set from My Favorite Things. I stamped my 4 images, with a lot of trouble getting a clean image. I think it was the weird surface on the table I was at, but I just couldn't get even pressure. We were also to make an embossed background using a QuicKutz goosebumpz die, however, the die was a small one, not a full card-size image. I didn't like how the embossing didn't reach the middle of the sheet of cardstock. I know that it was going to be a back layer, but it still bothered me. At that point, I decided not to finish the second set of cards and went shopping instead.
I picked up one of these: JustRite Round Monogram Stamper. I've never really had the urge to make my own monogrammed stationary, but I thought it would be great for making gifts. Mom agreed and said she'd like to borrow it. I also bought a little something to alter for mom for either mother's day or her birthday. I spent most of my time scouring the store for a good small alphabet stamp set. The Technique Tuesday ones were too big. The rest I found were too ugly. I want something fairly clean and simple, not roughed-up edges or grungy. I didn't find anything. I think I'm still leaning towards the Karen Foster Snap Stamps, but I'd have to buy them online, sight unseen. I've heard great things about them, but I'm just not ready to buy them yet.
Ok, enough rambling...
Here's the card I finished:
I can't really give details about the papers, etc., because all supplies were provided by the store. All I know is that the flower cutouts are "Elsie Flannigan" style.
The class was supposed to be 2 hours, but it ran much longer than that. Mom and I didn't leave the store until 10pm—the class started at 6:30pm—but admittedly, we were the last to leave. We worked on 2 designs, 4 cards of each design. I liked the first design, and worked on finishing all 4 of those. (see below) It was basically cutting and pasting the elements and embellishments. I chose not to use the suggested sentiment "Happy Spring" because I didn't feel the color scheme was all that "spring-y."
The second design wasn't really my style, but I at least attempted it. It included stamping of the bathtub image from the "Time for the Bubbly" set from My Favorite Things. I stamped my 4 images, with a lot of trouble getting a clean image. I think it was the weird surface on the table I was at, but I just couldn't get even pressure. We were also to make an embossed background using a QuicKutz goosebumpz die, however, the die was a small one, not a full card-size image. I didn't like how the embossing didn't reach the middle of the sheet of cardstock. I know that it was going to be a back layer, but it still bothered me. At that point, I decided not to finish the second set of cards and went shopping instead.
I picked up one of these: JustRite Round Monogram Stamper. I've never really had the urge to make my own monogrammed stationary, but I thought it would be great for making gifts. Mom agreed and said she'd like to borrow it. I also bought a little something to alter for mom for either mother's day or her birthday. I spent most of my time scouring the store for a good small alphabet stamp set. The Technique Tuesday ones were too big. The rest I found were too ugly. I want something fairly clean and simple, not roughed-up edges or grungy. I didn't find anything. I think I'm still leaning towards the Karen Foster Snap Stamps, but I'd have to buy them online, sight unseen. I've heard great things about them, but I'm just not ready to buy them yet.
Ok, enough rambling...
Here's the card I finished:
I can't really give details about the papers, etc., because all supplies were provided by the store. All I know is that the flower cutouts are "Elsie Flannigan" style.
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