Twelve on the Twelfth for September

It's the twelfth of September (already?!) so if you are doing the "12 on the 12th in 2012" project, get out your camera and start snapping.

For the past few days, I have been distracted from crafting by another big organization project around the house.   September always feels like a second "new year" as the school year gets going (even though I no longer have school age children) and I get inspired to get organized.  It all started when I was looking in the bathroom closet for some extra dental floss.  I found the floss, but also found all sorts of things that didn't belong there or should be discarded.  I ended up emptying all of the linen closets and bathroom cupboards.  I read somewhere that clutter is the result of deferred decision making and I have made a lot of decisions to toss or relocate items in these spaces that had been filled to overflowing.  Soon everything will be back in place and I may even make some labels to try to keep it all organized!

Back to the number 12...  I came across an article that lists the 12 Most Striking Tendencies of Creative People on a site called 12most.com.  This site is full of interesting lists that you might enjoy.  If you have a chance, take a look at the characteristics listed for creative people - do you agree with them?  Do you see yourself there?  What would you add?

The photo collage at the top of this post features 12 photos of our little cousin that were taken at the family reunion last month.  When you have lots and lots of cute shots, a collage is a great way to use as many images as possible.  I could print this at 8 x 8 inches and I would still have plenty of room to do a traditional page layout.  I use the Creative Memories StoryBook Creator 4.0 to do photo collages.  If you like the look of  a traditional page with one large photo, you can use the collaged image to showcase lots of photos but still decorate the page as if it is a single large photo.

I hope you have a wonderful day - it has been cool here but hot weather is on the way for the next few days.

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Getting Organized - Collections

I have been thinking a lot about organization over the past few days.  Until we moved to Concord, we moved around quite a lot, including eight years of living overseas (two countries, three schools, four houses).  We lived in most of our houses for only a couple of years - sometimes only one year.

If you move a lot, you have to get organized for the packers and movers and you sort, prioritize and get rid of things that you no longer want or need.  When you have a "collector" type personality, and lots of different interests, the sheer amount of objects in your house can get to be overwhelming!

It's been a long time since we last went through the moving process.  When we left England we needed two very large containers to bring home all of our possessions.  Even though we aren't planning to move anytime soon, I am going to try to sort through all of the things we have accumulated and decide which are "keepers."  I am sure that over the nearly twelve years we have been in this house, we have added far more than we can appreciate.

I have a feeling that other crafters are also collectors like me.  I wonder how many of you have ever felt overwhelmed by all of the objects in your home?  Anyone want to do some "editing" with me.  I'll start with the non-craft items and eventually I should be able to face the task of deciding whether I can choose to edit my crafting supplies and tools...

The art glass and pottery in the photo at the top of this post are some of the items I recently "rediscovered" in a box that was packed away a few years ago.  Maybe I just need to rotate my things - we do have a big attic!

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My Mother's Day Project

I hope that you all had a nice weekend.  I had a very enjoyable Mother's Day and worked on a project I have been meaning to get to but never seem to find the time to do!

I have been accumulating Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads and Distress Stains for a while (in part due to some great sales on Blitsy) and I wanted to get everything labelled and organized to make it easy to grab the colors I want when I start a project.

Ranger has lots of free downloads on their site for color charts and ink pad labels.  Click HERE to go to the page with the download links.  The labels for the ink pads are set up for Avery 5267 labels - or labels that are 80 per sheet and 1 3/4 inch by 1/2 inch in size.  I finally got to Staples to buy the labels on Friday so I could set up my system.  Here is my nearly completed chart - I ran out of the foam pads for the blending tool so I have to go buy another pack and then I can finish up.

When I bought the small labels for the ink pads, I also bought some 2 by 4 inch labels.  I peeled off a label and placed it on my Non-stick Craft Sheet and then applied ink all over the label directly from the pad.

When the label was dry, I lifted it off the Craft Sheet and put it back on the backing paper.  I put a piece of sticky backed velcro (the loopy side) on the back of each ink pad to hold the foam pad for each color.  I don't have enough handles for all of the inks so I switch out the foam for each project and keep the foam pad attached to the ink when it is not in use.

I attached the labels to the side of the ink pad.  I have them on the pads "upside down" so I can read them if I sit the pad on a shelf (the foam stuck to the bottom keeps them from sitting flat when they are right side up).  For the darker colors, I leave the part with the name slightly lighter so it is easy to read.

I cut three strips, about 1/4 inch wide and punched two 3/4 inch circles from each label.  The circles are for the top of the Distress Stain bottle and for the color chart. I put the three strips on the other three sides of the ink pad so I can see the color at a glance no matter which way it is sitting.

Here is the Rusty Hinge set all finished and ready to store.

I have three baskets that each hold a dozen ink pads.  The labels that are still white are the ones that I need to finish after I buy more foam pads.  I organized them in the same order as they are listed on the color chart to make them easy to find.  The color groups are together so I can quickly choose the shade I want for a project.  There is enough room on the side of the basket to add the Distress Markers - I hope to be able to add them to my collection soon...

The dots on the top of the Distress Stain bottles make it much easier to choose the right one.  I have been keeping these stored in a drawer and I could only see the black tops so this is a huge help - no more picking up random bottles until I find the right one!

I was a little impatient and didn't always allow the inked label to dry long enough.  A few times I ended up with circles that didn't punch quite as smoothly as I'd like.  I also got some smudges on my chart.  I saved the leftover pieces of the labels and I will probably punch out more circles to redo the chart.  I'll also punch out a set to use in the Palette lid as a guide when I set up the Reinkers in the Palette.

After I got into the swing of things I did four labels at a time.  This allowed them to dry a little longer as I worked my way through each set.  I suppose I could have filled my craft sheet with labels and done a dozen or so at a time but I found it easier to stay organized doing them in groups of four.

Our younger son had to work on Mother's Day but he brought me these lilies of the valley (one of my favorites) when he came home   Our older son and his wife called from Spain to say Happy Mother's Day.  I think the flowers are from all of them!

My "big" Mother's Day present is happening next weekend.  I took the Tim Holtz online class "Creative Chemistry" earlier this year and I have really been enjoying trying something that is very different from my usual computer designing and cutting.

I was excited to find out that Tim and Mario would be coming to Massachusetts and, thanks to my husband, I'll be spending next weekend taking classes with Tim at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, MA.  (Special thanks are also due to my friend Marilyn Mae from Maine who stood in line at the store and signed me up since registration opened on the day I was traveling home on a train.  We've been "blog friends" for several years and I'll finally get to meet her in person in a few days!).

I'll be sure to take some photos of the class and show you the projects that we make in the classes.  I think there will be about 90 people in each class.  I am amazed that Tim will be able to keep us all organized but I know we will end up with fabulous pieces of art!

Have a great Monday!

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Another Collection (in progress)

In the midst of all the projects I am trying to finish up for the gallery display, I have also been hit with the Spring Cleaning bug.  This includes more than my physical environment and filing paperwork.  Unfortunately, my computer photo files have fallen into a sorry state. 

I take many photos for a blog post and edit them to show the project or the process as clearly as possible.  I used to be good about immediately deleting the "also ran" images but somewhere along the way I got out of the habit.  In order to catch up and clear the backlog, whenever I have a few minutes to spare and the laptop is up and running, I tackle a week or a month and delete the excess photos (thousands so far - I can hear my computer breathing more easily!).

One of the reasons I have so many photos is that I always seem to notice things that I think are interesting and want to save for a reference.  I also like to make my own digital scrapbooking elements and when I see something that would make a good page background or accent I "need" to take a few photos to preserve the idea.

When I was walking back from town last week, I noticed this light pole labeled with the letter "A."  I have walked past this spot many times but the letter caught my eye that day and I had a camera with me.  For a long time I have had the idea in the back of my mind to put together an alphabet of letters that I have photographed. 

So, now the hunt is on - the only question is whether I need to find the letters in order.  I am sure I have a few other letter photos in the thousands I am working through as I clean up my files.  How long do you think it will take me to get the full alphabet?

One of the other things I noticed that day was this soggy ice rink.  In our area, it is fairly common for people to put up a small backyard ice rink.  I think this year it probably wasn't worth the effort!

Another problem I have (and I know I share it with lots of other crafters) is dealing with the scraps from my projects.  I hate to waste anything so the offcuts tend to accumulate until I get around to trimming them down to workable pieces - or punching images from the edges.

It's a little embarrassing to admit that the leftover piece that I finally punched a day or two ago was from a card I made and posted last October (you can click the photo of the card to go to the original post if you missed it).  Another reminder to myself - deal with the leftovers as you finish each project and then they won't pile up and cause craftroom chaos!

That's all for today - I'll leave you with this lovely rose that I printed and cut out with my Silhouette SD.  I am so excited to be able to take any of the thousands of digital images I have in my digital scrapbooking files and easily print them and cut them out so perfectly.  This is an Echo Park image from the "For The Record" collection.  I think I'll be able to post the card tomorrow - unless I get distracted taking photos of letters or punching shapes from scraps!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!  We are expecting the temperature to be in the 80's. Don't forget to check out the new deals at Blitsy today - there may still be a few of the Tim Holtz items from last week available.  If you haven't joined yet (it's free), please use my LINK to sign up.  Then you can get your own link and refer your friends to earn credits.

Speaking of Tim Holtz...the Creative Chemistry 101 class has been great so far.  You can still sign up - you'd just have to catch up watching the videos.  When you take the class you have life long access and the interaction during the original two week session is a lot of fun.  Here is the LINK to the information page.

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Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Foam Pads

After reading Monday's post about organization, a few people asked for photos of the way I attach the foam pads to my Tim Holtz Distress Ink pads.  So I quickly took a few photos - I hope they help make it easier to see how simple it is to do this.

You can buy hook and loop fastener (Velcro) at a sewing store.  Some is sold in dots or tabs and it also comes in long strips.  I had some strips left over from another project.  You only need the "hook" side (but of course, I saved the "loop" side - it may come in handy for something!).

Just cut the strip of the hook side into small rectangles - about 1/2 inch or so in length.

 I use the 1/2 inch wide Scor-Tape to adhere the loops to the stamp pad base.  It is a strong adhesive and should stay put if you are careful when you remove the pad from the base.

You can add the loops anywhere on the back - I tend to put it to one side but it doesn't really matter.

The foam pad that you have used for this color will always be handy and you can quickly put it on the wooden handle to work on your project.

I have just a few handles, enough for now and I can add a few more from time to time so I can keep the colors I use the most ready to go.  I don't think I'll ever have a handle for every color - they take up a lot of space and I'd rather save the money for another crafty purchase!

I hope the photos helped - it is quick and easy to set up this system.  I still have to redo the rack for holding the ink pads.  I'll post that when I finish it.

I am busy packing and trying to make sure I don't forget anything  - less than 24 hours until I fly to Germany!


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Getting Organized - Ranger Stickles and Inks

I have been adding more Distress Inks to my supplies.  I like experimenting with various techniques and the colors are so beautiful.  I also have a pretty good size collection of Stickles that I have built up over the years.  I decided it was time to tackle the organization of these items.  For the most part, I have been keeping them in JetMax cubes and that works fine.  The difficulty comes in remembering the shades of the colors - some of them are only slightly different and the names can be confusing.

I started out labeling the distress ink pads with my Dymo Labelmaker.  The tapes for this gadget are fairly pricey and I wanted to be able to label all four sides to make it easier to put them away.  This would take quite a bit of tape so I looked for an alternative.

I discovered that there are a series of charts and labels available to download from the Ranger Ink site.  Just click HERE to go the the page on the site where you can find lots of free label sheet PDFs that work with Avery brand 5267 labels for your ink pads.  These labels are 1/2 inch by 1 3/4 inch and there are 80 labels on a sheet so another brand might work if you can't find Avery labels.

There are also color charts for lots of other Ranger products.  You can print these and add the colors you own for a handy reference when working on a project or shopping.

When I was at CHA last year, I had a chance to make a few of these charts.  Tim Holtz actually autographed the Distress Stain chart at the top right.  It's very handy to grab the chart and check colors.  For the stain, we did samples on sticky back canvas as well as directly on the cardstock.

I have done my Liquid Pearls and Stickles so far.  I have a Stickles color called "gunmetal" that wasn't on the chart so I added it at the top.  I am also not sure if "midnight blue" (on the chart) and "dark blue" (on my bottle) are the same color but it was the only spot left so I put it there.

You can see the effect of the liquid pearls very clearly on the chart.

 

When you fill up the chart be sure to go in order from top to bottom so you hand won't bump into wet Stickles!  All of the clear colors are across the bottom row.  

 

I did a post a couple of years ago that shows the differences between the various clear colors - if you missed that post you can find it HERE. 

One more tip for using the Distress Ink pads.  If you have the room and the funds, you could buy a handle for each color and keep the foam pad on it for easy use.  I only have a few handles and I just keep the foam pieces tucked under each ink pad (the base is recessed just the right amount).  You can add a small velcro dot (the loopy side) to keep the foam pads attached to the correct ink pad.

Thanks to the Ranger Company for providing these easy charts and labels - it helps all of us to get (and we hope - stay!) organized.  It also shows you which colors you still need - I think I'll have to go find the Liquid Pearl and Stickle colors that I am missing!

(did you hear the latest news - they are adding Distress Markers to the line - see HERE - one more thing to organize!)

A couple of notes...

I want to remind you that the Creative Memories 20% off album sale will be ending on Thursday, January 26th.  If you like these albums (I think they are the best available), this is a good time to stock up on pages, protectors and coversets.  If you don't have a Creative Memories consultant that you work with, I'd be glad to help you.  You can click HERE to go to my Creative Memories personal website.

Thanks to those of you who ordered through me on the surprise five day sale earlier this month.  I know there were issues with the servers being overloaded and I was happy to help those of you who contacted me get your orders through.  The shipping is taking longer than usual due to the huge volume of sales - thanks for being patient.  I have a couple of orders from the 15th that don't show shipping information yet but I know that everyone is pitching in at CM to get the orders out as quickly as possible!

Also, Blitsy keeps adding interesting items for sale each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Today they added the Pink Paislee Vintage Vogue line - I couldn't resist and ordered some of this adorable paper along with a variety of embellishments.

If you haven't joined this free membership shipping site, please use my link below to sign up

http://blitsy.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/989/ 

Once you have joined, you can get your own referral code and invite your friends and family.  When someone you refers makes their first order of $10 or more, you will get a $10 credit to spend on the site.  If you are a Facebook user, be sure to go "like" their page and then check in the left side column for a fan coupon code that will give you and extra 10% off on your first purchase.

Christmas is almost all back up in the attic - things are starting to look more normal around here!
Just a few days until I leave for the trade shows in Germany.  I'll do my best to post while I am away but there may be some delays.  I will definitely tell you all about it when I get back next week!

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Something to think about...

I was searching for something on and off all day on Wednesday - and thinking about organization...

I called a photo repair shop and found out that Nikon has a five year warranty on their lenses.  In order to send my broken lens in for repair, I need the original receipt and some other paperwork that came with the camera.    No problem, I thought - I save everything (those of you who know me in real life know that this is true!).

I found all of the other paperwork, a neatly labelled file folder that says "Diane's New Nikon" (with the ad for the camera from 2007) but I still can't find that receipt.  I have discovered through my searching that I have entirely too many outdated and useless bits of paper stashed around our house.  In addition to reorganizing the craftroom, I need to do some serious purging all through the house.  (Middle School newsletters when your youngest is a college graduate - it's time to let go!).

I will find that receipt.  It must be here somewhere (though why it is not in the file or with the other papers is a mystery).  The interesting thing is that I have come across all sorts of other things while I have been looking for that elusive receipt.  Some are "priceless" and and some are ridiculous (the schedule of events at the public library from three years ago...).  I'll keep looking until I find it and try to get rid of all of the outdated stuff that is just taking up space.


However... 

This was the daily quote in the Boston Globe on Wednesday.  When I first read it in the morning I hadn't started on my search for the receipt.  I assumed it would be in the file and it would only take a few minutes to track it down.

What this quote made me think about was the state of my crafting island.  You may have noticed that the photos of the trimmer storage were pretty tightly cropped.  That's because the top of the island is usually covered (and I mean really fully covered!) with bits and pieces from recent projects, things I just purchased and haven't put away, notes with ideas I want to try - you name it - it lands on the island.

While it is very untidy, I often find that when I am putting together a card or another project, some little bit or piece on the island gives me a great idea and helps me to create something that is better than what I may have originally planned.  So the "things in my way" do lead to some happy accidents.

So the question is - how do you find the balance between having everything neatly put away (so there is no chance of having a "happy accident") and total chaos with the risk that you will never find what you are looking for?

What do you think?  (...has anyone seen my receipt?)

Please leave a comment - I'd love to hear what you think about creating and keeping the balance between order and chaos.  If you just wanted to see something cute or pretty today - here is a card I made a couple of years ago - you'll find the original post HERE.

Have a great day!

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Getting Organized - Trimmers and more

Happy Monday!  I hope that those of you who have a holiday from work today for Martin Luther King Day are enjoying your long weekend.  I decided to share something about how I organize my craft space each Monday.  People always are interested to see how others put their work areas together (I love looking at other craft rooms!).  Maybe some of the things I do will work for you or give you an idea to make your space function better so you can spend more time being creative.

My very handy husband built this wonderful crafting island for me a couple of years ago.  It was quite a project and there are several posts showing the steps along the way.  You can click HERE to go to the posts labeled P - Craft Island, just scroll to the bottom and work your way up to see it come together in the proper sequence.  It has been filled up to overflowing - this photo was taken before the top was added and I started "moving in" to the cubbyholes.  There are lots more details in the old posts but it is basically three Expedit bookcases from Ikea - two 2 x 4 and one 2 x 2 - arranged on a wheeled platform with a large top made from plywood (not in this photo).  If you go back to the other posts you can see how it came together.

I do most of my crafting at this island - I usually stand when I work - and I take most of the photos for the blog here too (I'll show you what I use for that another day).  I need to keep some basic tools very handy but out of my way.  I had this office file holder around the house (you can buy similar ones at an office supply store) and one day I realized that it would be a great help to keep my trimmers, tape guns, cutting mats and scoring board handy and easy to reach. (I realized when uploading these photos that it is a little dusty - the flash shows off some dust I didn't see!).

The file sorter has a heavy weighted base so it is very stable.  It is about 12 inches wide and fits in one of the sections of the Expedit bookcase (from Ikea) with a little room to spare on each side.

I keep most of my small trimmers, two tape guns (with different adhesive), some extra self healing cutting mats (for using with an Exacto knife or the Creative Memories Custom Cutting System) and my Martha Stewart Score Board neatly stored and ready to grab in this section.

Here I have pulled the file holder out a little so you can see things a bit better.  I don't use the Martha Stewart board as often as my Scor-Pal - the Scor-Pal stays in one corner on top of the island almost all of the time.  Each of these four 12 inch trimmers has one thing that they do best - my dream is to find one that can do it all!  The small Creative Memories Personal Trimmer (with the star) is great for trimming down photos or mats for cards. 

Here you can see some of the surrounding cubes in the island base.  I am reorganizing some of them but will share more photos of all of the things this island holds in future posts.  There are some drawer units available for the Expedit and I have four sets of two drawers that help keep some smaller things handy (regular tape runners, glue dots, Scor-Tape, and some hand held tools like my Crop-A-Dile).

It may seem like a lot of space is used for just these tools but I find it very helpful to have them so close.  I can grab the tool I need without even looking since they are always in the same order.  As I look at these photos, I am realizing that I just might be able to put a shallow container below the file holder - I think there would still be room to easily grab the tools...(I will have to take another look at this tomorrow!).

Update on Creative Memories SALE

I had planned to take Sunday "off" but there were issues with the Creative Memories website and I posted late on Sunday to let you know that they have extended the sale prices until tonight (Monday the 16th) at 8 p.m. Central Time.  There were a lot of problems with the servers and they had IT people working as quickly as they could to try to sort things out.  So this is the absolute last chance to take advantage of the 25% off nearly everything sale.  The exclusive CM Cricut cartridges are $41.25 at the sale price (instead of $55) - the best price ever for these cartridges.

There is more information about the cartridges in my first post about the sale, just click HERE to see that post.

If you were trying to order and couldn't get through, please click HERE to go to my Creative Memories personal website where you can place an order and have it shipped directly to your address.  All of the cartridges are located on THIS PAGE of my personal website.  The January sale on albums will continue until January 26th but the sale price will go back to 20% off instead of 25%.  Some Picfolio Albums (the non-expandable type) will remain at 40% off until the 26th.

Thanks to everyone who has placed an order on my site.  I appreciate your support and will be happy to help you with any questions or problems.

I have some of the prettiest pink and red goodies sitting on my table - part of the project for tomorrow's post...

If you are an email subscriber, there may be two posts in this email since I posted late in the day on Sunday - just keep scrolling down to see everything - thanks!


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