Sketch Challenge #22

I was surprised this week when I checked in on the OWH Sketch Challenge to find that it was my card and sketch! The timing of the Sunday sketch challenges fit into my schedule well and I've been looking forward to them each week. I decided I'd jump in on this week's too and to make it even more interesting, I decided I'd aim for masculine designs. Here's what I cam up with.

It's been a lot of fun seeing the sketch interpreted in so many beautiful ways. There is so much inspiration on the OWH Stars & Stamps Blog I am delighted to be able to be on the motivating part of it this week.

Keep Crafting!

OWH Stars & Stamps Challenge #22

Here's this week's sketch supplied by Debb at Forget Me Knot Nonsense and my interpretation of it. The image I can say with certainty is from an older Stampin Up set, and my best guess on the papers is that they are from one of the many (many, many) DCWV stacks I was unable to resist. Thanks for the great sketch Debb!

Happy Crafting Everyone!

Card Making & Clip Art Images

Here are a few cards from my last shipment in which I've used pre-colored images. While I do sometimes like to color stamped images at other times I just want to "dive-in" to making cards and at those times coloring suddenly feels tedious. Besides, I like to mix it up to keep it interesting and fun from a creative standpoint. I wonder... if creativity becomes a predictable routine (using the sames colors, techniques, layouts over and over again) is it still creative? :)

As a graphic designer I have managed to amass quite a lot of clipart over the years and more recently I have started to view clip art from the card maker's perspective and I have managed to find some great images to use. So if you enjoy making cards but are not inclined to "coloring" it may be something to consider.

Happy Crafting Everyone!

Sketch Challenge #21

I didn't get to do much crafting today but wanted to get in on the Sunday Sketch and I knew full well that if it didn't happen today the week would get away from me and it wouldn't happen at all.

The sketch is so nice, simple and straightforward that I used it just as is with minimal variation. Thanks for a nice sketch Brittany!


Happy Crafting Everyone!

A Couple More

These are a couple more of the cards that made up that last box I sent to Dixie. The top one is made using parts of a scrapbooking kit. I usually have a hard time using pre-made diecuts (and stickers) in a way that results in a card I like. I did manage a few with these supplies that I thought came out decent. The polka dot birthday card is very typical of the "neutral" cards I aim for.

I have very little on my "to do" list this weekend so I am looking forward to hopefully getting in some crafting time and to this week's Sunday Sketch Challenge.


Happy Crafting Everyone!

Midweek Throwdown - Masculine Cards

Masculine cards are not the easiest to make but I do like the challenge and I try to include some with every box of cards I make for OWH. Though like a lot of you (I imagine) I absolutely love florals and frills,  and find myself always attracted to designs that include them. Here are two cards that were part of the box I shipped to Dixie last week.

This golfer image is actually from a  Royalty-Free Clip Art Collection (Art Explosion by Nova Development)  I have owned for many years. It's colored with PrismaColor  Design Studio Markers (a forerunner to the very popular Copics) that work on a similar system, including using a "blender" marker. I am showing my age but I learned to do advertising marker comps with these way back in my art school years and I'm comfortable with them so I've not ventured into Copics. The background is Cuttlebug Argyle Folder and the stamp is from an older StampinUp set.

This design is one I consider gender and age neutral. I try to keep the majority of my designs in this category simply because it would seem they'd be useable for just about anyone. The background on this card by the way is a page out of an old damaged dictionary I bought at a used bookstore over a year ago. I paid about $3 for it and cannot tell you how much use I have gotten out of it. Old road atlases are also a great choice, particularly for masculine cards.

Happy Crafting Everyone!

Sketch Challenge #20

With Sunday afternoons often being one of the times during which I can squeeze in some crafting I'm really enjoying the weekly sketch challenges. Here are two cards I made based on this week's sketch. I find that the sketchs often push me out of my comfort zone just enough to keep things interesting.

 

On a separate note, I know many of you are careful to include lots of details about the supplies you've used. I have so much, collected over so long, that I don't think I could identify most of it, even if I wanted. I can tell you the top card uses an old StampinUp set and that I created the flower  embellishment with a Fiskars punch that I picked up at Michael's not too long ago.

Happy Crafting Everyone!
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How To Cut 100 Sheets of Paper in 2 Minutes

I make my living as a graphic designer in a small print shop. Among the expensive and absolutely wonderful equipment that I have access to is a professional cutter. This allows me to cut large stacks of paper very quickly. How does this help you? Well first let me show you exactly what I'm talking about...

 

This is a professional guillotine/cutter. It's huge and heavy enough that it requires a crane to move it. It's also precise at cutting lots of paper in one fell swoop. Below is my stack of about 100 sheets of 12"x12" patterned paper. I have measured and marked it so that I can get 6 stacks of paper measuring 5.25" x 4" (the perfect size for the A2 cards most of us make for OWH). Additionally there will be a long "strip" of leftover scrap that measures 1.5" x 12". You can see it here in this picture on the right side.

In just a couple minutes time, the paper is cut to size. The long "scrap strip" is perfect for borders so make sure you request all the paper be saved for you.

I now have 6 identical stacks of paper (shown below) that will need some quick sorting. This is quick and easy enough to do. Those of you with kids... this could be a fun AND learning experience for them. They'd be able to practice their "matching skills" as they group them together taking the top sheet in each stack, over and over again.

 

I've recently bought a 4x6 file box at my Staples office supply store (this one cost $10) to keep these pre-cut papers in. Bear in mind that you may want to consider how you stack your papers because while "all over" designs will not be affected, SOME papers (like the ones pictured next to the box) will result is a specific orientation, and will only work in one direction. If you tend to prefer vertical or horizontal formats just keep this in mind when you stack your papers. Though I have not yet added any to mine, you could certainly put dividers in this box and sort these cut papers by theme, color or whatever categories you like. 

So now, if you're liking this idea and wonder how you can do it too... It's not as hard as you make think. Just about every print shop small or large, will have a cutter. As do most, if not all Kinko's/FedEx locations. While it is not widely advertised most provide cutting services and typically they don't charge a lot. Charges are normally figured by the cut and some shops will have a minimum charge, but if your company, church or group uses a local print shop by all means make sure you try them first. It would not be at all unusual for them to do a small amount of cutting like this for free, especially if you are willing to leave it with them so that the cuts can be made during down time. Marking out your paper is not only a smart thing to do to ensure it's gets cut correctly, it's less work for the printer and more likely to get you fast and free cutting.

Oh and don't forget to bring that stack of card stock you use for card bases. These machines can typically cut upwards of 250 sheets of card stock at a time, meaning you can dive right into creating once you get back home.


Happy Crafting Everyone!

Stars & Stamps: Pot of Gold Challenge

Among the new list of goals I've set for myself since this past weekend's blog hop is to do my best to participate in as many challenges as possible and to do a better job of photographing the cards. This challenge was a lot of fun and it forced me to dig out my embossing supplies which hadn't seen the light of day in I don't know how long.

Thanks for the inspiration Jan. I had forgotten how much fun embossing can be.

Happy Crafting Everyone!