Time Redeux

I had an old retro looking clock that the mechanism had gone out on.  I really liked the clock, so I figured it shouldn't be too hard to fix.  I went to JoAnn's and found a $8 (-40% for the coupon) mechanism with a long shank.  Figured that had to be it, since the clock was so thick.  Wrong.  It was so long that the clock wouldn't go back together.  I decided it had to be the shorter one.  So I went back to JoAnn's.  Returned the long shank, got the shorter one (same price, but 50% off coupon this time).  Took it home and the thing hit the glass, thus it wasn't moving time! 

I was in Wal-Mart one night and found this little clock though.  It appeared to have a really short shank.  Plus, the clock was just $4!  No coupon necessary.  I decided to buy it and try it.

I ripped into it as soon as I got home to see if this was the solution.  I pulled the "retro" clock back open and changed one mechanism to the other.  It wouldn't move!  Turns out the the hands were too long!!!  I looked at it for a bit and then after ruling out burning and melting the ends off - little too dangerous and figured the smell wouldn't be good.  I took an electric nail file and filed off the end of the longest hand, rounding it to where no one would even know the difference.  Well, if you look really, really, really close...you might.  But why would you want to?  The good part is that the clock finally worked!!! 

But then there was another issue.  What to do with the $4 leftover clock from Wal-Mart.  Or rather the frame with the glass and paper liner with numbers on it that certainly wasn't much of a clock now.  I had a thought, but then it was making it work that was another issue.  I was going to try to find chalkboard contact paper locally.  It wasn't easy.  I did finally find it at a Hobby Lobby, even after a clerk told us that they didn't carry that.  Actually, they do.  It just didn't have the phrase "contact paper" attached to it.  You have to be so precise when asking for things apparently.  He did direct us to some 12x12 sheets of paper that were also chalkboard surface.  One sheet was $1.99.  A roll of the adhesive paper was $7.99.  It can also be found online, by clicking here.  Okay, so now onto what I did.  I took the new clock that saved my sanity and gave it a new life as a small chalkboard.

I took it back apart and using the glass pressed to the backside of the chalkboard adhesive paper, I marked around, cut it out (duh!), peeled off the backing and stuck it down.  It is repositionable...luckily because I did have to do that a few times.  You may want to have a credit card handy to smooth out any bubbles.  That does cause a problem as well.  Not sure yet where I'll place it.  Right now I just took a quick picture for this post.  It's not the easiest thing to get a photo of with the glare that it causes when the flash hits even the chalkboard.

Note that SOME chalkboard surfaces such as these require that you rub all over it with a piece of chalk to "condition" the surface a few times before first use.  This particular paper took the chalk very well.

Tip: Batteries

I always have rechargeable batteries in my camera bag.  At one time, they would end up all over the place and you'd have to put them all through the tester to find out if they were charged or not.  I was in the Wal-Mart cosmetics travel type area when I saw these soap holders in green and red.  Only $0.50 each.  SOLD! 

I now keep good batteries in the green and spent batteries in the red.  (Same with regular batteries when you don't have a place to dispose of them.)  I know when I get home that I'll only have to charge the batteries in the red case.  Problem with that at times is that some rechargeable batteries will only hold a charge for so long and some will only take so many charges.  Thus, I try to leave them until a day or two before I know I'll need them.  (Exception being the new eneloop batteries by Sanyo.  I charged them when I returned home one night near the end of December (Garth Brooks) and didn't use them again until the last week in March (Shawn Camp) and the batteries had held a FULL charge!  They are my new favorite thing because I don't have to worry about whether I've charged batteries.)

Anyway, the cases fit really nicely in my camera bag along with a charger - just in case.  (Some chargers - like the eneloop - have fold down plugs so there is little chance of damage in transport.)

Bleeding Hearts

I returned from running an errand this morning and found that my bleeding hearts have made their first appearance of the season!!!  I know it's not a crafty thing...technically speaking...but I'm always so happy to see them!

I'd have an entire yard of these things if I could!

That's What She Said & The Geek In The Pink T-Shirts

A friend from high school requested these in September. I finally got them done in November and shipped them off to him in December. Now here it is February and I'm finally getting around to posting them on here. A January injury slightly delayed that process! I really wanted him to receive them first anyway! (He loved em...at least that's what he told me.)

The "Geek In The Pink" was kind of an accidental thought while shopping. His thought...while I was shopping. We were trying to figure out what color to do the "That's What She Said" T and I came across the pink then. Opted to do a light pink on dark pink. Since we were going all pink on that we went with the not-so-unexpected pearl white on black for the "TWSS."

They were both done using the freezer paper method. Though, I found out - the hard way - that the little small crafting irons are not meant to use with this! They just don't put out enough heat. It does make it easier when you're doing multiple shirts at one time....only one clean-up!!! Now I need to get the ones that I've been procrastinating on for myself.

Merry Christmas 2010!

Amazingly, I got the "kids" to cooperate for photos. I had picked up some of the Post-It note photo cards in a 4x8 size a couple of years ago on clearance. Not bad for 20 cards with envelopes. They also have double-adhesive post-it strips on the back so receipients can peel them off and stick them wherever - if they're those type of people.

These card kits also come with software, but it was a little too restrictive for me. I ended up finding another software by Hallmark that had the 4x8 printing structure - sometimes hard to find, but I always check for. I was able to score the software on a serious clearance at a Ross' in NC over the summer. I scoured the internet saving any image that I liked that I thought I could possibly use for the background of the card. I also didn't want something that took away from the photos especially knowing I was going to have to cram four of them on there. Admittedly, I did hit some snags and learned to print off in grayscale and on plain paper before loading up the good stuff. Every software and printer has some quirks!

It ended up being one of the more popular cards that I've sent out. The greatest thing was only having to print off the amount of cards I needed and then I could zip off one more when I suddenly remembered someone else. For those that I didn't have mailing addresses on, I had created an electronic card that I simply emailed off or posted like this! Update: Just recently scored some more 20-packs of the cards and envelopes for $1.00! I went back to the store a week or two later and they'd already sold out of them. Great sale!

Halloween Pumpkin

I finally got my pumpkin carved for Halloween. I know, it's really late. I haven't done one in a long long long while. WalMart had them on sale about 1 week and a half ago for $2 though and couldn't resist the price! A few days later, another store had the same pumpkins for $3.88. So I guess it's when and where you go!

Since I didn't have a lot of time, I just pulled out one of my pattern books and had a few copies made. Decided on the kitty. Very similar to the one laying on my arm while I type this - and no it's not that easy to type with him sleeping on my arm!

I do still need to carve out a trap door to put my light in and scoop out the gross stuff. But here is a daylight photo for now.

Card - Walking with Friend

The brown has a hard time showing up on my little "staging mat" but it is a brown background card with a circle of red instead of the hot pink that it appears to be.

Supply list:

Paper - Colorbok (card); Keepsake Essentials (red cardstock)

Martha Stewart Circle Cutter

Pencils: KOH-I-NOOR Woodless Color Pencils
Klean-Strip Odorless Mineral Spirits

Card - Hyacinth Flowers

This was the main card to be done for the May 2009 MCPT Card Challenge. I only followed through with three of the five - just couldn't come up with anything "different" enough for the other two. Inside this card, I have a larger version of the "fallen flower" adhered in about the same spot just as an accent.

Supply list:

• Paper - Colorbok (card); Keepsake Essentials (yellow cardstock); Bazzill white cardstock
• Border - EK Success Plan-A-Page Template
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Swirls (just the green and the yellow)
• Pencils: KOH-I-NOOR Woodless Color Pencils
  Klean-Strip Odorless Mineral Spirits
  

Card - Busy Mom

Honestly, I was a little fearful when I layered a second droplet of Paper Glaze on top of the bubbles. It remained milky in color until a day or two later. I literally let it sit for three days just to make sure it was completely dry after that! I did mean to run it through with the Cuttlebug Embossing Bubbles Folder, but just forgot until after the fact.

Supply list:

• Paper: Paper Reflections; Ampad Cardstock
• Aleene's Paper Glaze
• Pencils: KOH-I-NOOR Woodless Color Pencils
• Klean-Strip Odorless Mineral Spirits

Jewelry - Butterfly Necklace

Did this on a whim Saturday afternoon. There was a particular thing I was looking for at Michael's, so went into the Bellevue store and they were in the middle of one of their make it and take it classes. When we went back by, they had completed the previous 'students.' We had the choice of two different necklaces or a pair of earrings. I couldn't resist the butterfly necklace. The shimmer doesn't show up in the photo....plus you have to have "store lighting" most of the time for that! I still need to redo one part of it, I missed a strand going through that needs to be fixed. I was supposed to be in Lebanon - way across town - by 3pm and I was starting this at 2pm. I was very late to Lebanon.

Tip - Gardening and P-Touch

Last year, when starting the garden, I had these markers. They include a little golf-sized pencil in a package of 25 "T-Labels." You can find them at Wal-Mart for somewhere around $3. I was going to be good about marking everything, but I didn't care for the way the pencil looked, not to mention that without going over it several times, you couldn't really read what it was.

I decided to write it on the backside with a pen and utilize a P-Touch to print labels for the front side making it what was visible. I wasn't sure how weatherproof they would be. After the garden decided it was finished for 2008 and the remains had been removed, I forgot to take in the labels. I just pulled them back out of the ground this week and washed them off. As you can see, they still looked perfect and totally reusable even after going through rain, sleet, snow, hail, sun, and anything else you can think of. They really survived much better than I ever imagined they would. And now they're usable for this year as well. Since I'm planting different things, will just be pulling off the old labels and replacing them with new ones.

I'm usually really bad at seeds, but I decided to try again. I just started some seeds, April 27th, to see if I could get them to survive this time around. I was really surprised at how quickly they're starting to sprout. I've gotten some established plants to plant, but then decided to try Cherry Tomatoes and Sweet Pepper from seeds. Then I also planted some flowering things for other areas. The Cypress Vines and Cardinal Climber Vine have already come up by inches after just two days. It's amazing. They actually grew by an inch within something like four hours the second day. The Cherry Tomatoes have just started emerging today. Those are the ones that I'm really hoping do well. Below is the tray. Some of these may have to be moved soon so the others can have the greenhouse cover - the anxious ones have forced the top off now. Now I just have to see if I can get them to survive and actually produce either vegetables or blooms!

Tip - Inventory of Supplies

This has been one of the most helpful things that I've come up with for myself anyway. I carry it with me in my purse all the time. It is an index card notebook that was originally purchased for my genealogy research and I decided that it would work perfect for this. Now if I'm in a store, especially good when there is a sale, then I have a list of what I have, so I don't duplicate any purchases.

I have kept the file, just in case anything were to ever happen to the notebook, but have also put my cell phone number inside it just in case I were to leave the notebook laying anywhere by accident. But within Word, I was able to make tabs for every aspect of my artistic type things using the table format. This is where a little obvious logic plays in. Make a two-row table with five-columns. The 2nd row will be merged together and sized at 3" x 5" (the size of the index card). The five columns, in the first row, should be one-inch each. Now, whether that is the first row or the second row, is up to the individual, just make sure one is five-columns, one-inch each and the other is merged together and is 3" x 5". Think about which direction you want your tabs to face. If you do the 1st row as your tabs, they will be printed facing into the notebook; 2nd row will face outwards. If you do a border line through the table with a light grey/silver color - it will give you a nice guide to cut with. Remember, you only do one tab on each table. The next one, you would do the second tab and so on until you get all of your tabs done. A couple can be printed on one sheet of cardstock. Margins can be minimized since they don't matter in this case anyway so you can maximize use of the sheet. Click here for Dividers file in Microsoft Word format.

I know I'm going to have to add more tabs as I get into the project, but so far I've got the following tabs in my notebook:

• Beading
• Books (helps to remember what you checked out from the library or actually purchased)
• CDs
• Cricut
• Cuttlebug
• DVDs
• General Crafts
• Magazines (because some stores have special sales on past issues and it helps to know what you have)
• MCPT
• Knitting
• Polymer Clay
• Refills (pens, printer inks, p-touch, etc)
• Scrapbooking
• Stamping
• Stencils
• Software

Word has a page setup for the Index Card size. I've set up a fiile for each topic in my notebook so I can keep a running file going of these. If you've already printed off some of the cards in the file, just make sure to change the printer properties to only print the ones you need. I've put instructions for some projects, so I can refer back in case I see something that might work in place of something else. Just make sure that the print isn't so small that you can't read it! You can test on a plain sheet of paper, so as not to waste the cards, and see which way the print feeds the cards (if they're pre-punched). Also keeping a card with a MCPT reference chart so I'll know what colors I have available at home - works the same with paints. (I also have a larger chart that I keep with my MCPT materials, so I can reference it - will put another post with close-up photos of those and details on the set-up).

I've been working for a while on getting all of my stamps into an 8½" x 11" notebook and hopefully (fingers crossed) I'm also going to be able to reduce those down to the index card size for the little notebook. I would just put the names and numbers of those, but sometimes it helps to actually see the image in case it's similar to another. It's all a personal preference. Some manufacturers have photos of their items on the websites, but sometimes it's faster to just lay things out and take digital photos yourself to add to the book and then you get what you want. I've actually used both. It's still a work in progress and obviously will always be since I'll obviously purchase more and as I use things up. It'll just get easier when I've got the basic of it done and only have to add things here and there.

The notebooks can be found at Wal-Mart for less than $4 and I had already purchased many packs of index cards when I found them on sale. Best to do it when they have back-to-school sales. I've gotten some packs for as little as 10 cents and 33 cents for 100 cards...so it's really affordable.

Tip - Shopping Lists in a Photo Book

I gave new life to an old photo book - which I rarely use anyway because of too many photos! These things are easy to find at thrift or dollar stores. I started out with one cover and then changed it to one I designed with the Cricut. The lettering was from Alphalicious and then the scrolls from Wedding Solutions - using two colors of paper and then just linking them together before sending it through the Xyron and adhering them to the black cardstock. The covers are a bit larger than the 4" x 6" photo pages, so measure the cover they have in there before creating your own.

For the inside, I created a base for a 4" x 6" card (to make it cheaper, I just cut down cardstock to the proper size with a paper cutter and saved the scraps for other projects) and just changed the location name with each print. Then on another word file, I created a sheet with 4" x 4" blocks of checklists for inserting into each page. Those are printed on standard copy paper to save on the cardstock. After I fill up one checklist, then I toss it into recycle and put in another insert. Helps if you can get it worked out to print the paper two-sided as well. Just keep your margins evened up for it to work. Obviously, by the photo, I put any current store coupons I may have on the corresponding page.

After I came up with my frequented store list - some are obviously lumped into one such as "Home Improv" (ie Lowes, Home Depot) to save some space. I do still have some empty pages, but lumping those type stores together helped with that. I didn't lump my craft stores together because I'm sometimes more specific with what I want from where. Also at the end, I created an index for the front with an alphabetical list (which they are in the book alphabetically as well) for a quick reference to see what stores I have in the book.

This has been so much easier than having a list or multiple lists just stuck everywhere. Plus I can pull out the book whenever I think of something that I want to get the next time I'm at a particular store! Especially after reading the Sunday ads.

Tip - MCPT Color Chart / Paint

This was briefly mentioned in my post about my little index card notebook. After creating a reference card for my MCPT colors, I realized that it would be helpful to have with my supplies to see what the color would actually look like after blending with the mineral spirits on a larger scale. So I created the 8½" x 11" sheet above.

I utilized the Microsoft Word table feature, and of course Excel could be used in the same manner. Because my pencils didn't have "color names" like a box of Crayola's, I ended up just using a number for each block above where I was going to place the color. Then I created two rows below that - the first more shallow than the second. The first I put a deep color and then the second was just for the blended color with the mineral spirits. I've only been doing this for three months now, so I haven't gotten into mixing colors yet. But once I do, I have plans of doing a similar reference chart for that. Obviously starting off with handwritten notes and then dressing it up a little.

This could be really helpful if you purchase your colors in singles. I may eventually P-Touch my pencils though because the numbers are a little hard to see even though I keep them in their container in numerical order. I think the P-Touch could just make it a faster reference. Would also be good if you paint and have a large inventory of paints for the large scale and the portable book.

Card: Little Girl with Butterflies

It's my day to post all of my Magic Colored Pencil Technique challenge cards. Taylor (the kitten) found that, if he times it just right, my workboard is a good place to sleep - while I'm working! So I had to rush some of them up!

Supply list:

• Paper: Ampad Colored Cardstock; Momenta Born To Be Wild Girl Cardstock
• Punch: Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Floral Fantasy
• Ribbon: Berwick Offray 1/8"/3mm Lavender

Card - Hedgehog on Bicycle - Party Invitation

I didn't really care for this one. I created one design that I didn't really like, but hated to waste the paper completely, so I utilized the paper I'd already done and covered over what I didn't like.

Supply list:

• Paper: Ampad Colored Cardstock and Paper
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Bloom Dots
• Colorbox Fluid Chalk Pad - Chesnut Roan
• Microsoft Word: StamPete
  

Card - Family - Sheep/Lamb

I went through several trials with this one and finally decided on this color scheme. The coloring turned out to be the easy part! I used a q-tip to distress the edges of the "Family" scalloped circle with the same color as the "Family" stamp.

Supply list:

• Paper: Ampad Colored Paper; Colorbok Cards
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Border): Frills
• Colorbox Fluid Chalk - Chesnut Roan

Card - May Your Day Bubble Over With Fun

I'm not sure why I did a purple monkey thing, but I just liked them that way. I may add another close-up photo later on since the Tiny Bubbles emboss didn't show up as well on here. May do that later in the week when I have more time.

Supply list:

• Paper: Ampad Colored Paper
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Tiny Bubbles
• Martha Stewart Circle Cutter

Card - Easter Bunnies with Eggs

These bunnies were just too cute. Shown is the front as well as a portion of the inside.

Supply list:

• Paper: Ampad Colored Cardstock; Momenta Born To Be Wild Girl Cardstock
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Border): Frills
• Stamp: "Happy Easter" Marcella by K 137028 Seasonal Stamps

Card - Garden Party

FRONT:

INSIDE:

This one actually has two layers of dirt and the carrots are raised from the back layer of dirt. It's hard to tell in the photo though. Kind of which I'd done a backing shadow to the letters, but didn't think about it until after I'd already Xyron'd it. Plus Taylor kept wanting to stand on the Cricut! But had to give the little nod to Ricky Nelson.

Supply list:

• Paper: Georgia-Pacific White Cardstock, Astrobrights Orange, Embassy Colored Paper Dark Green, Brown Construction
• Carrots: Found image on the internet, printed onto each of the colored papers and a little CPA later...voila!
• Phrases: Cricut Alphalicious card
• Dirt: Wavy Scissors, Embossed with swirled stencil