Preparation for Stamp Club on 5.2.09

To my Stamp Club members and other stamping friends that might be interested. In an e-mail which I am getting ready to send, I indicate that I am going to put some links on my blog to take you to tutorials for some of the things we're going to do Saturday (May 2, 2009) so you can have a better idea of what we are going to do. Some of the addresses changed color means you can click on them and go there. Some did not and I haven't figured out why - for those I guess you'll just have to copy the address and drop it in your browser. (Note - I think they've all changed color now which I THINK means you can click on them.)



The first card we will do is a Spiral Pop Up card. Here is the link to the Resource page on Splitcoaststampers. The front and inside of card will be different than what you see here.



http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/


Click on Resources, then on Projects, then scroll down to Spiral Pop Up Card

or:
Direct link:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/spiral_pop_up_card/





The we will do a simpler card - you'll see there.



The third card will involve woodgraining technique, which I will show you there and we will make two -- one to be used as a card front, and one to be used as part of the card and the other half of that one will go on your Technique card for Woodgraining Technique.



I am using the first one by Gina K in our workshop on Saturday - I think hers was the first video I found. And Creamy Caramel card stock seemed to work better for me than More Mustard. I think this is one of those techniques that you might have to play with to decide what you like. Gina K shows making the board lines with the Scor-Pal. Some of the other videos or card pictures I saw drew the lines and nails in with a marker, which is what I did. I'll upload pictures probably after Saturday. I also saw a card or instructions that used Sahara Sand cardstock, white or vanilla craft ink, and Gray ink pad (I used Going Gray) and it gives you weathered wood.



Gina K:

http://stamptv.ning.com/video/woodgraining-1

Gina K indicates that you might want to have a brown stamp pad designated just for this because the white craft ink will get on the brown pad (and it did on mine). I read in another place though about just cleaning the brown pad off on a piece of copy paper - so next time I try this I'll have some of that handy. ... I've already got a designated brown ink pad though cause I didn't know to try to clean it off until it had sat several days.


Wanda Pettijohn:


http://www.starlightstamper.com/2008/08/it-sure-looks-like-wood-tutorial.html

Maybe if I ... aha - it changed colors! I know not what I did! But hopefully now you can just click on all of them, look at them, and then come back to the blog and look at the next one!



Dawn:



http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-make-a-Faux-Wood-Grain-Background-for-Your-Card-77393209



Either in another post today or tomorrow or after Saturday, come back and see more links. I had Father's Day/masculine birthday on my mind for this coming workshop. I made a number of display cards and still want to make some more if I have time. A couple years ago I saw a card and the instructions for an origami shirt and it is SOOOO cute. When I was looking last night to find the videos for it so I could put it in my notes -- I also found one that has shirt and pants made from a dollar bill -- too, too cute. There is also one that has the tie and the shirt made from the dollar bill, but making the tie looks waaayyyy too complicated. I think I'll stick with just the shirt or the shirt and pants. Once you make the shirt one time and have the directions in front of you it's not that hard. And the pants are really easy.

Whew -- I clicked on something (encoding - won't try that again) and thought I had lost all of the above. Managed to find it in draft file, thank goodness. I have all the links in a Word file, but not my "talkin' ". I was trying to get the woodgrain link by Wanda Pettijohn to change colors but no luck - I don't know what makes them change colors - it just does it ... on most of them, but it takes a little while for it to happen ...

Well -- it's been quite a productive blogging day today. I was taking my daily (one of my daily) treks through splitcoaststampers this morning and got sidetracked on someone's blog and their playlist on the side of their blog. I'd seen that before ... so anyway, clicked on part of her playlist -- and set one up on mine and put a lot of songs on it. Still gotta make me a list of other songs I like and try to find them. Anyway - we now have music on this blog! And I accomplished getting it on the blog -- all by myself! It really wasn't that difficult! And to find the songs you want on there you can do a search by artist or song name and what you do is go through other people's playlists and when you find something you like, you just click add and it adds it to your playlist. Neat, huh?

Well, I think I'll close this one out and work on Saturday stuff some more.

And I just learned how to come back in and edit this post to add a few more sentences... let's hope I can remember next time how to edit as it took me a little while to figure it out... but I KNEW I had seen something indicating I could edit!

Another Hobby - Reading

Although the bulk of this blog will probably be about stamping and cards -- it is titled "Helen's Hobby Haven" and so encompasses other hobbies as well. Another favorite hobbie of mine is reading -- has been every since Daddy took me, as a very little girl -- I must have been about 4 -- to the county library. I still remember the first book I got. I don't remember it being read to me - I think it may have been a little advanced for such a little girl -- but I remember the book, that it was small in shape, and that it was green. That instilled in me a love of the library and of books that has lasted and is a treasured connection to Daddy. When we moved to Statesboro, one of the things I checked out as we were investigating the town was where the library was -- and I was most impressed with the building that houses the Statesboro Library -- I was glad to see such a beautiful library setting. So I would like to share books I've read from time to time here on this blog. One of the best book series I've read in recent years is the Mitford Series by Jan Karon. The books are just absolutely delightful -- good for the soul! I'm still trying to find similar books and ask each time I go to the library if there are any books that are similar. I've been steered to the Miss Julia series and have read most of those, and I have a list of a few others my friend Janice and others at the library have suggested.






One book I've read recently was recommended to me by Earl's Mom. She had been asked by a friend to read it, which she has, and she has talked with author Michael Ryan several times. The book is The Last Freedom - A Novel on the Real-Life Adventure of Dr. Viktor Frankl. Mom wanted me to read it and let her know what I thought. I was most impressed. This is what I wrote as a review on amazon.com (after giving it a five star rating):






"Profound - much to contemplate, beautifully word crafted, April 28, 2009 -

The Last Freedom by Michael F. Ryan is a novel beautifully crafted around the true story of Dr. Viktor Frankl. The book draws you into the experiences of Dr. Frankl and his explanation of logotherapy and the Meaning of Life. His statements of what it means to be human are profound and give one much to contemplate. Michael Ryan presents Dr. Frankl's information in a much more pleasurable manner than the dry factual learning of college psychology class -- oh that all courses could be presented so artfully! As you read the book, Michael Ryan has done such a wonderful job of writing that you feel like you are actually sitting there with Dr. Frankl, listening to him talk. As stated by Perry M. Smith in a previous review, this book impels you to read more. The author's high regard for Dr. Frankl and his wife come shining through and it is evident that this book in no small way was written to honor Dr. Frankl, yet also projects the humility of the man. Today's society could learn and benefit much by adopting the principles set forth by Dr. Frankl. I plan to read it again with pen, notepad, and highlighter in hand. "


Mom sent him what I planned to put on Amazon, and he wrote and thanked me. I learned he has a website: http://www.thelastfreedom.com/.


On the website, I particularly enjoyed the highlight video from his "Life of the Mind" lecture at Augusta State University and his blog Michael's Musings. Please take a few minutes to peruse his website and listed to the "Life of the Mind" highlights. I think he would be a wonderful speaker to have at a book club or at various meetings that have programs. I would love to hear him speak.


I do want to read The Last Freedom again with highlighter, notepad, and pen, and also read Dr. Frankl's book The Meaning of Life. And I would encourage you, my readers, to read this book also. If you're in a book club, please share it with them also and let Michael Ryan know. Some other comments, not included in the amazon review, but which I wrote directly to Michael Ryan, are:

"I like the fact that your book/Dr. Frankl’s teachings have an underlying Christian message also. It’s not overt so as to turn people away, but you can tell that he did believe. You were quite skillful in portraying that."


*****


Another book I've read in the last year or so is The Shack, by William P. Young.

I was reminded of it today while visiting a friend's blog. She has a video on it of the 700 Club talking with the author:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYvjRiun3MA

Well, I tried to embed the video, but I still have some learning to do because it's not cooperating! So went back and put in the URL address.

Well, that's enough book stuff for today. I'll be back later today with some card info for my Stamp Club as a prep for Stamp Club this Saturday.

Let's Begin Blogging

Helen's Hobby Haven blogspot --

Stamping Talking!

I've been thinking about starting this blog for quite a while so I could keep my stampers happy, especially when you aren't able to make our first Saturday get togethers or if you're one of my out of town friends. Have been a little intimidated by the idea of blogging ... but here goes! Now that I've started --- it may be easier to "talk" to you here than send e-mails like I just did for those of you that missed the April stamp club.

Let's try uploading the pictures that we did in April and see how that goes!

April Workshop 4.4.09

That wasn't too difficult to insert the picture! I did learn that I probably need to insert all the pictures and then do the writing. I had to do a lot of dragging to get the pictures where I wanted them.

ROCK AND ROLL TECHNIQUE - This is the first card demonstrated that day to demonstrate the Rock and Roll Technique. This card was CASED from poster Petal Pusher on splitcoaststampers. See her card there. Stamp set is SU! Upsy Daisy and for the sentiment a new set -- SU! And Many Mower. Almost all of my cards have folded white as the card base; next is a layer of Kraft, then a layer of white that has alternating stripes of Riding Hood Red and Summer Sun with just smidge of the white showing in between. Note that the middle Riding Hood Red has been Cuttlebugged with the Swiss Dots Folder. The card I was casing had white polka dots instead of the embossed dots. Then there is a layer of Kraft, a layer of Riding Hood Red, and the image of white. I did realize as I was preparing the class not to cut out the white beforehand because it is then too difficult to place your stamp in that small square. Stamp the image on white and then cut it down. Also the dots to the side are a double layer of 1/2" circle out of Summer Sun. The card being cased had the Summer Sun corduroy buttons here. I did a double layer of those circles because I felt like it gave a little more definition. As a matter of fact, on one of our Shoebox Swaps, Sally had done a large snowflake where she glued several layers together (more than two) -- it looked and felt like chipboard to me. (Aha - new technique - faux chipboard!). I also realized Saturday morning -- and cut 3 of these out quickly to show -- that I could have used the Sizzlets button die from the SU! catalog in my cuttlebug and we could have had paper buttons!

There are two places you can find tutorials about how to do the Rock and Roll Technique. One is at Splitcoaststampers. At Splitcoast, there are a lot of techniques under Resources.

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/rock_n_roll/

I think you should be able to just click on that and it will take you there! And then hopefully you can find your way back here!

On the Stampin' Up! customer website there is also a section on Techniques. Link for Rock and Roll is
http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/4290.asp

I think there is a way I should be able to just type "here" and hide the address, but we'll save that for another Helen's blog learning!

Most important thing to learn and remember about Rock and Roll is to use your lighter ink first and then the darker ink -- so that you won't mess up your lighter ink pad!

BAPTISM DRESS - Next thing we did was a simplified Baptism Dress using white textured cardstock. I thought it was sooo pretty when I saw it on splitcoast. Reference the card cased here from : http://stampwithstef.blogspot.com/2009/03/baptism-card.html based on the tutorial here:

http://laurenm.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2008/02/05/create-your-own-onsie-card-tutorial-and-important-note-please-read/

After I cut the cardstock vertically and folded so that the fold is at the top, I made a mark at 2 1/8" on the fold so I could see where the center of the top was. Then working with the 1 3/8" circle punch from the bottom, I cut a half circle out for the neck. I learned while reading and doing this that if you look on the outside of your punch there is a little line that indicates where half the circle is. Didn't use that this time though -- but learned if you also look inside at the silver metal part of the circle punches -- there are either some dots at N,S,E, and W that help you position your paper or there is a crosshairs cross in there. So I used that to help me get a half circle. You are punching through both layers of cardstock on this card base. Then, on a separate, scrap piece of the same white textured cardstock, punch a half circle out (measuring as before so you have close to same size half circle). Then, using your scallop punch, position it over the negative half circle and punch out the scallop decorative neckline piece. Put that aside until you are almost done with your card and are sure which side is the front (I say this from the experience of having put it on the wrong side!).

Then this is where the baptism dress is a little different than the onsie since you want it to be a dress: With a pencil and ruler, measure down 1 3/4" from the top fold of the card on both sides and 1/2" in and put a dot. See picture to visualize this easier. Then draw a horizontal line from the outside edges of card to the dot and from the dot to the bottom corner on each side. Cut inside these lines so that the lines don't show on the finished card. Tie white taffeta ribbon so that it is off to one side. I find it works better for me in tying bow if I turn the card upside down. There are also some YouTube or other videos about tying bows and one of them suggests making two loops and then tying those loops together in order to make a pretty bow. I haven't tried that yet. Now, since you have determined your front - put the scalloped neckline piece around the neckline. Stamp "Blessings" in pink or write whatever is appropriate in the inside. The card I was originally casing had finished off the edges of the sleeves and the bottom with the Fiskars Threading Water Punch; and I did one with my Eyelet Border Punch. This can be done, however it is difficult because the double layer of textured cardstock is so thick. I did a few, but I don't think it is wise to try too many with the border punches since the thickness does put a strain on them. One solution they came up with at stamp club for the bottom was to just punch the front layer of the skirt -- and they then discovered that a colored piece of cardstock could be put underneath that for some color. If you do border punch the sleeves and bottom - with the sleeves, work from the underneath side of the border punch and don't go all the way in to the punch guide - it will make your sleeves too short. Just make sure you have all your border there. Also, for the sleeves - work from the underarm up so that you don't accidentally get part of your skirt (which you will if you punch from the top of the arm down). For the bottom of the skirt you can go all the way in to the guide to punch.

The picture on the right was template I made and had the directions on the back. Email me if you would like those directions. The template was 8 1/2 x 11 regular paper cut in half and then directions printed on opposite side and some directions drawn/written on this side.

Rub-Ons -- Wendy W. had asked about rub-ons a while back, so we played with a simple rub-on. You just cut the image you want out of the sheet of rub-ons (if you try using it from the sheet without cutting it out, you run the risk of rubbing on part of another image that you don't want, so that is why you cut out desired image). Remove the backing and place the vellum image on your cardstock in desired location - after you have determined what else you will stamp on the card front or whatever. Then, using a popsicle stick or your bone folder, rub the image. You can kind of tell when it has left the vellum and adhered itself to the cardstock. When you have finished rubbing, peel the vellum up slowly, looking at the image as you do. By peeling up slowly and looking to see how well image transferred - if it was a detailed image and you missed rubbing a spot, you could lay the vellum back down and rub some more. If you just quickly pulled your vellum up, it would be too difficult to try to reposition it to rub on a missed spot! After rubbing on the image on upper left, then we stamped a sentiment in the lower right of the card -- that was a quick card! I didn't take any pictures of those. If you order rub-ons at any point in time -- read the information with the item -- I think generally there are two sheets -- one on which the images are black and one on which the images are white -- or they could be in color. I did pick up in my splitcoast computer reading that if you do rub on a piece of rub on that you don't want (like if you had a circle that had some writing in the middle and all you wanted was the cirlce and not the writing) that you can remove rub ons with your Adhesive Remover.

Using Sponge Daubers - Erin had asked about sponge daubers earlier, so we had a quick lesson on what to do with sponge daubers also for those that weren't familiar. I showed how the daubers fit on your fingertip. I used SU!'s Upsy Daisy stamp again and the Summer Sun and Riding Hood Red ink pads and daubed the dauber in the Summer Sun ink first and onto the stamp and then another dauber in the RH Red and daubed that onto the edges of the stamp. It is another way of getting two (or more ) colors onto a stamp. The effect is softer than the Rock and Roll Technique. One can also use the chalks instead of ink pads and dab chalks on. I have learned though to be careful how hard press on chalks - they will crack. I shared that I have read that the daubers can be washed; I've read where some people put them in the little containers made for small things for the dishwasher and washed them that way. I found a case for mine a while back and had some very small white labels -- so I've been labeling mine by color and putting them in the case. I did a search recently to see if I could find the cases again -- which I did. Google Sponge Dauber case and I think you will find some if you are interested. They were reasonably priced. Sponge daubers could also be used for sponging edges of cardstock like we've talked about in the past -- to give definition. A video I was watching recently shared that sponging cardstock edges with daubers gives one a little more control over how much is sponged as compared with using a sponge piece. This is one of those things that it is up to the user as to what they like - what suits them.

Window Sheets - In the new Occasions Mini-Catalog that came out April 1 and which lasts through June 30 -- there is a new product called Window Sheets, so I did a quickie demo on those also - we didn't make cards with them - I just showed my samples. There are some preprinted ones and then there are plain ones. The plain ones come in two weights. I ordered the preprinted ones and showed the group what I did with those. See pictures below. The window sheets came two to a pack. There are 4 card fronts on each 8 1/2 x 11 window sheet - so you get 8 card fronts. One of the images had Thank You sentiment; the others just had the dandelions or the leaves. On those two you could add a sentiment if you wish by using a rub-on or with Staz-On ink. (Staz-On ink made to use with non-porous materials like window sheets, glass, etc.) Since the window sheets are transparent - you either have to not let it bother you if the mini-glue dots show, adhere just some mini-glue dots and hide them with a ribbon or piece of cardstock (see book binding example below), or adhere with brads. I did learn that if you use brads, particularly if larger ones like flower brads -- to come in further to position peircing your hole (with paper piercer or large push pin) so that the brad looks good and also so that the brad posts don't show off the side of the card (again, experience is a great teacher!)

Note the top left picture with dandelions. I had four mini-glue dots. You can see them showing at the bottom just a little bit. I covered the other two up with ribbon. I was experimenting with these cards about adhering window sheets, so this was a learning process. Then I went back and covered up two of the dots with the white taffeta ribbon. So -- I could have just used those two dots to adhere the window sheet and hidden them -- I didn't have to use the other two. The Thank You window sheet was adhered with 4 white brads; The upper right window sheet had white polka dots. I hid those glue dots by folding in this instance, two pieces of cardstock punched on one side with eyelet border punch before gluing together, then I put that fold over the left side fold and glued down -- like you would if you were putting a tape binding on a book. That does a really pretty job of hiding the glue dots I think. As I looked at this polka dotted window sheet with white polka dots, I wondered how it would show up with white cardstock (as opposed to black) underneath it. I tried it and it shows up! I thought it would actually make a pretty wedding card with white cardstock underneath and the binding done in gold and the stamping done in gold (or as I realized recently - River Rock in color from last year has a goldish tint to it). Haven't tried it yet, but I think that would be quite a dressy card! I used the new Oval All stamp set for the greeting, punched it out with large oval punch and then backed it with Perfect Plum scalloped oval punched with new Scalloped Oval Punch. I also realized recently -- if you stamp your image and then punch it out and put on card front -- you don't have to worry about if you are stamping it straight or good on your (usually, especially in my case) almost completely finished card. You stamp it and then turn your punch over and sight your image straight in your punch. Then you don't mess up your 99% finished card with a crooked or wonky placed sentiment.

The Mellow Moss card with the leaves - I had bought vellum adhesive and decided to try that on window card. No, Helen, it doesn't work -- window sheet is clear ... vellum adhesive is frosted like vellum so that it won't show with vellum. Duh ... So I just cut the edges off that window sheet in order to get the vellum adhesive off (wouldn't come off any other way) and then adhered with brads. (Almost always there is a solution to a mistake when you're making cards!)

We had a full day with 3 make 'n takes (actually 4 if you count the quick rub on card) and two quickie sharings.

After lunch we did one more card:

Heat Embossing on Vellum: Used butterfly stamp from Great Friend in new mini catalog and white detail embossing powder. Stamped butterfly on vellum paper (or could also use vellum cardstock) with Versamark, then embossed. Then cut out the butterfly. Had strips of Pale Plum and Perfect Plum which I had punched on an angle with Eyelet Border punch. I had to play with the lengths a little bit so you will need to do the same. The border punch uses about a half inch, so take that into consideration. Once I had determined the lengths, I used the part I cut off as a guide to make the angle and length on the other strips I was pre-cutting for class and would do the same if I was mass producing this card. After adhering the strips on the right, we adhered the butterfly with just one mini glue dot on the body part -- so that the wings are free. Some embossed two butterflies, adhered one down flat and then glue dotted the second one with wings free over the top of the other one for a more dimensional effect. The Mother's Day sentiment is from SU! All Holidays set. A more detailed butterfly - with more detailed wing veins etc. would be even prettier done this way. I have embossed the butterflies and flowers from the retired Butterfly of Happiness set and they turned out really pretty.

Ignore the yellow background. My scanner has a mind of its own and won't pick up the white well, so I have to back things with a colored sheet of paper. I'm getting close to going and getting a new all in one printer so that it scans better!

This card was cased from Reddyisco at this address:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1280876?cat=500&ppuser=135325

Colors changed and image changed.

Well -- enough for today! My blogging has begun! I know it's long -- that's me ... my thoughts just flow out of my fingertips. Long, talky emails - that is just a part of who I am? Hopefully it won't be too long for you to read! (Or too long for size allowance on blogspot!)