Monday, March 12, 2018
A new record
Well, this time it's been 3 long years since my last post. Last year was very traumatic so that's my excuse for no posts. I am trying to get organized again and then hope to post some photos. Don't hold me to it, but I am going to try.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Note to self...
A reminder to myself… I really want to make a concerted effort to incorporate a multi-media approach in my card making. I want to get all painty-painty again. I love the tactile feeling of gliding paint onto something… using a single brush loaded with many colors to produce a beautiful flower or flowing leaves. Jeepers, I really miss that. It always put me in my zen mode.
Besides, I have all the stuffs, I just need to break loose and do it! I hope you listen to your inner zen once in a while and try something that's been nibbling the back of your brain too.
get some ink onto your paper!
Cathy
Besides, I have all the stuffs, I just need to break loose and do it! I hope you listen to your inner zen once in a while and try something that's been nibbling the back of your brain too.
get some ink onto your paper!
Cathy
Monday, March 16, 2015
Before another year passes...
When a friend first introduced me to card making, I didn't realize how much I would enjoy it. Not only have I made new friends, but there is an abundance of 'stuff' to try out and play with. When I was a tole and decorative art teacher, I looked forward to a new pattern book release, or a new paint product. How I loved finding a new paint product, or technique and sitting down to push all the boundaries.
These days, I look forward to playing with a new die, or feeling the hand of a new paper product. And rubber stamps? Oh my, don't even get me started. I can hardly wait for a new release of Hanko Designs paper and then I just want to look at each and memorize the design before I dare cut into a piece.
I am very happy to find a new way to be creative. It was very hard to give up teaching paint classes and not be able to manipulate a brush. I still miss painting very much. It's been a slow learning process, but then I stop and realize how often I fall into my pushing boundaries fugue and and how quickly time can get away from me.
Recently, I purchased a MISTI. I was a little behind the times, mainly because I would not allow myself to watch all the YouTube gift guide videos during the holidays :). The good thing is that inventory was up and I received mine very quickly. I LOVE this thing! It won't completely replaced my Stamp-a-ma-jig, but it has been a God-send to me when using a layered stamp set. It is not hard to use, easy to figure out how to use it, and the results are fantastic.
I do use the plastic from my Stamp-a-ma-jig when I want to test the placement of a new layer, and Jennifer McGuire has a blog post about printing a guide on a transparency sheet here (She also has more videos highlighting the MISTI.) This really comes in handy when you are using red rubber cling mounted stamps. You can't see through the stamp so placement of the different layers is difficult. By using even just a clear piece of plastic, you can lay it over your project to help line up the next stamp. Once you've placed your stamp correctly, you can proceed with multiple stamping of the same image, perfectly aligned, over and over again!
I hope you get a chance to try this tool.. it has given me the confidence to use all those stamp sets I've collected and taken all the frustration away.
Enough rambling from me for now… I will try to post some photos of some of the cards I've made using the MISTI soon.
Happy inking,
Cathy
These days, I look forward to playing with a new die, or feeling the hand of a new paper product. And rubber stamps? Oh my, don't even get me started. I can hardly wait for a new release of Hanko Designs paper and then I just want to look at each and memorize the design before I dare cut into a piece.
I am very happy to find a new way to be creative. It was very hard to give up teaching paint classes and not be able to manipulate a brush. I still miss painting very much. It's been a slow learning process, but then I stop and realize how often I fall into my pushing boundaries fugue and and how quickly time can get away from me.
Recently, I purchased a MISTI. I was a little behind the times, mainly because I would not allow myself to watch all the YouTube gift guide videos during the holidays :). The good thing is that inventory was up and I received mine very quickly. I LOVE this thing! It won't completely replaced my Stamp-a-ma-jig, but it has been a God-send to me when using a layered stamp set. It is not hard to use, easy to figure out how to use it, and the results are fantastic.
I do use the plastic from my Stamp-a-ma-jig when I want to test the placement of a new layer, and Jennifer McGuire has a blog post about printing a guide on a transparency sheet here (She also has more videos highlighting the MISTI.) This really comes in handy when you are using red rubber cling mounted stamps. You can't see through the stamp so placement of the different layers is difficult. By using even just a clear piece of plastic, you can lay it over your project to help line up the next stamp. Once you've placed your stamp correctly, you can proceed with multiple stamping of the same image, perfectly aligned, over and over again!
I hope you get a chance to try this tool.. it has given me the confidence to use all those stamp sets I've collected and taken all the frustration away.
Enough rambling from me for now… I will try to post some photos of some of the cards I've made using the MISTI soon.
Happy inking,
Cathy
Friday, August 15, 2014
Sighs
I see another year has passed since I last posted. I think I really suck at this blogging business. I really did mean to post this last May, but alas, I ended up in ICU for a number of days due to a very bad and naughty asthma flare. Much better now, in fact, better that I've been for probably a year.
I am still busy taking stamping classes from Lori Lai and trying to fit more Michael Strong classes into the schedule. Both are teaching classes, along with Rebecca for Dreamweaver, at Scrampers, in Torrance, CA. ( I know… the Scramper's website isn't working right now… hoping they get it repaired soon! But I went ahead and added the link for just-in-case it's just my browser that's not working)
Hopefully, some day soonest, you will start to see some photos of cards I've finished. We shall leave it in the 'hopefully' stage for now, though. I've just finished the latest Online Card Class called "Stretch Your Stamps 2" and my head is spinning and my fingers are itching to play! Visit onlinecardclasses.com to see all the great classes available.You can't beat the prices for all the ideas and tips and new knowledge you will acquire.
I truly hope your year has been better than mine and you are happily getting all inky and thoroughly enjoying life!
See ya soon!
Cathy
I am still busy taking stamping classes from Lori Lai and trying to fit more Michael Strong classes into the schedule. Both are teaching classes, along with Rebecca for Dreamweaver, at Scrampers, in Torrance, CA. ( I know… the Scramper's website isn't working right now… hoping they get it repaired soon! But I went ahead and added the link for just-in-case it's just my browser that's not working)
Hopefully, some day soonest, you will start to see some photos of cards I've finished. We shall leave it in the 'hopefully' stage for now, though. I've just finished the latest Online Card Class called "Stretch Your Stamps 2" and my head is spinning and my fingers are itching to play! Visit onlinecardclasses.com to see all the great classes available.You can't beat the prices for all the ideas and tips and new knowledge you will acquire.
I truly hope your year has been better than mine and you are happily getting all inky and thoroughly enjoying life!
See ya soon!
Cathy
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Just stuff
So... another long spell of not posting anything. No pics, no ramblings, no nuthin'. Lots of stuff has been going on in the background. I have been making cards, but not too many original designs yet, and I have a huge stack of class projects to finish up.
I still get a little frustrated that I am still casing designs and not creating my own. Some of that stems from being a decorative painter and teacher for so long. We traced designs and copied from instructions and it became a way of life. Although I did publish my own original designs, I have not progressed as quickly in designing my own cards. My good friend Margaret says this is okay and I shouldn't fret, but I do.
I remember when I started quilting and had a hard time combining prints. It just wasn't the same as simply putting paint on my palette and mixing colors. It took a while to become comfortable mixing prints like I did my paints, but I did get there. I guess I will get there in my card making as well.
In the meantime, I've been experimenting with combining die cuts in the style of Kittie Caraccilo, who is a demon with die cuts. Her designs are so inspiring. I made a hydrangea card for my Mom's childhood friend and it was a big hit.
I also want to make a huge shout-out to Michelle Ogdahl of Avocado Arts. She is an awesome person and I love that each stamp set has a pre-made cut file that you can order along with the stamp set. Most awesome is that the cut files are sent via Dropbox which means you can send the file directly to your own Dropbox account. Aside from that I love her clean and simple designs. You can join her club and receive a monthly delivery of a new stamp set and cut file.
Last note, more for my diary, then for those who don't know me. I was recently taken off my Tysabri infusions for managing my MS. Tysabri has kept my MS in remission for 6 years. Before it was approved by the FDA, I was at the end of the list for any disease-modifying drug that was not a chemotherapy. Unfortunately, being on Tysabri for so long, I became a high risk for developing PML, an incurable brain infection. My doctor and I have been waiting for the approval of a new oral medication called Tecfedera. It's effectiveness was closer to Tysabri than anything else on the market. I am now almost finished with my first week on Tecfedera and so far not too many side-effects. I get one or two flushing incidences a day and it has made my car-sickness come back, but only if I am not the one driving. A little more dizziness than usual, so the cane has come out of the closet, but other than that, no nausea or stomach distress (my biggest fear). I am still on the half dose.. next week it's the full dosage, but I am really hopeful that I can stay on this new medication.
Time to post this poor rambling post, but I wanted to end on a happy note so...
Congratulations to our son, Kevin. He graduated from CSU Channel Islands on Saturday!!! In the fall, he will be in the Master's program for Computer Science. We are so proud of him!!
Happy note done, time to sign off.
Keep those fingers inky!
Cathy
I still get a little frustrated that I am still casing designs and not creating my own. Some of that stems from being a decorative painter and teacher for so long. We traced designs and copied from instructions and it became a way of life. Although I did publish my own original designs, I have not progressed as quickly in designing my own cards. My good friend Margaret says this is okay and I shouldn't fret, but I do.
I remember when I started quilting and had a hard time combining prints. It just wasn't the same as simply putting paint on my palette and mixing colors. It took a while to become comfortable mixing prints like I did my paints, but I did get there. I guess I will get there in my card making as well.
In the meantime, I've been experimenting with combining die cuts in the style of Kittie Caraccilo, who is a demon with die cuts. Her designs are so inspiring. I made a hydrangea card for my Mom's childhood friend and it was a big hit.
I also want to make a huge shout-out to Michelle Ogdahl of Avocado Arts. She is an awesome person and I love that each stamp set has a pre-made cut file that you can order along with the stamp set. Most awesome is that the cut files are sent via Dropbox which means you can send the file directly to your own Dropbox account. Aside from that I love her clean and simple designs. You can join her club and receive a monthly delivery of a new stamp set and cut file.
Last note, more for my diary, then for those who don't know me. I was recently taken off my Tysabri infusions for managing my MS. Tysabri has kept my MS in remission for 6 years. Before it was approved by the FDA, I was at the end of the list for any disease-modifying drug that was not a chemotherapy. Unfortunately, being on Tysabri for so long, I became a high risk for developing PML, an incurable brain infection. My doctor and I have been waiting for the approval of a new oral medication called Tecfedera. It's effectiveness was closer to Tysabri than anything else on the market. I am now almost finished with my first week on Tecfedera and so far not too many side-effects. I get one or two flushing incidences a day and it has made my car-sickness come back, but only if I am not the one driving. A little more dizziness than usual, so the cane has come out of the closet, but other than that, no nausea or stomach distress (my biggest fear). I am still on the half dose.. next week it's the full dosage, but I am really hopeful that I can stay on this new medication.
Time to post this poor rambling post, but I wanted to end on a happy note so...
Congratulations to our son, Kevin. He graduated from CSU Channel Islands on Saturday!!! In the fall, he will be in the Master's program for Computer Science. We are so proud of him!!
Happy note done, time to sign off.
Keep those fingers inky!
Cathy
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Boy, Time sure Flies!
Maybe senility has set in, as I turned 60 this last November... seems like I tell myself to post something to the blog and then all of a sudden, it's been several MONTHS!
The good news is that my back problems are gone for now and I've been slowly trying to organize things and get a new workflow going after re-arranging the craft room. The bad news is that I literally created a cave with the new arrangement, so it may be back to packing everything up again and moving furniture around.
The Gelli pad is still waiting to get broken in, and my new electronic cutter machine, the fabulous Silver Bullet has not gone through a complete work-out, but at least I've been using it a little. Also, have been playing with the eBosser, which I really like. I like using my embossing folders with it, then, just to make sure the Vagabond doesn't get too jealous, I cut a slew of paper with my movers and shapers and steel rule dies.
Of all the new gadgets I need to post about and review, my favorite is a drawing board that has little feet to raise the back end up. My Physical Therapist wouldn't let me craft much when I was being treated, but she was happy, happy, happy when I got the drawing board. Now my neck is not bent when I'm working because of the nice incline I work on. It's portable, so I always have the option of taking it off my worktable, but it's also sturdy enough to lay my Vagabond on, when I fold up the legs of the board.
I have been busy, just haven't posted what I've been working on. I will note that Norm of Hanko Designs (www.hankodesigns.com) was happy to learn I DO NOT hoard my washi paper. I do hoard my washi tape for some reason, but I love using washi paper.
One extra note before I sign off...I had the pleasure of attending a class with Els from Elizabeth Crafts and we got to play with her new branded line of glitter and her new dies. She also has sueded paper that is adhesive back and the dies cut through it wonderfully. Looking forward to trying the paper in my Silver Bullet. We learned some tricks to use when using the double sided adhesive and glitter and just had a fun time.
So.. stay tuned... there is a new product that I haven't mentioned yet and I know you are going to be dazzled by it! I just need to finish something to illustrate the wonder of it :)
Til then, happy stamping and inky fingers!
Cathy
The good news is that my back problems are gone for now and I've been slowly trying to organize things and get a new workflow going after re-arranging the craft room. The bad news is that I literally created a cave with the new arrangement, so it may be back to packing everything up again and moving furniture around.
The Gelli pad is still waiting to get broken in, and my new electronic cutter machine, the fabulous Silver Bullet has not gone through a complete work-out, but at least I've been using it a little. Also, have been playing with the eBosser, which I really like. I like using my embossing folders with it, then, just to make sure the Vagabond doesn't get too jealous, I cut a slew of paper with my movers and shapers and steel rule dies.
Of all the new gadgets I need to post about and review, my favorite is a drawing board that has little feet to raise the back end up. My Physical Therapist wouldn't let me craft much when I was being treated, but she was happy, happy, happy when I got the drawing board. Now my neck is not bent when I'm working because of the nice incline I work on. It's portable, so I always have the option of taking it off my worktable, but it's also sturdy enough to lay my Vagabond on, when I fold up the legs of the board.
I have been busy, just haven't posted what I've been working on. I will note that Norm of Hanko Designs (www.hankodesigns.com) was happy to learn I DO NOT hoard my washi paper. I do hoard my washi tape for some reason, but I love using washi paper.
One extra note before I sign off...I had the pleasure of attending a class with Els from Elizabeth Crafts and we got to play with her new branded line of glitter and her new dies. She also has sueded paper that is adhesive back and the dies cut through it wonderfully. Looking forward to trying the paper in my Silver Bullet. We learned some tricks to use when using the double sided adhesive and glitter and just had a fun time.
So.. stay tuned... there is a new product that I haven't mentioned yet and I know you are going to be dazzled by it! I just need to finish something to illustrate the wonder of it :)
Til then, happy stamping and inky fingers!
Cathy
Monday, November 26, 2012
Long Time, No Posts
So... it's been a long time since I posted anything at all. I still haven't tried out my new photography equipment, although I did unbox it all and then packed it all back.
I've been having horrible back problems again so card making is almost at a standstill. And I was so busy shopping Black Friday, I didn't even think to post all the great discounts.
I'm currently waiting for the arrival of my Gelli Plates to play with. I've been eyeing them for some time and even pinned it to my Pinterest board. Decided to finally bite the bullet and start making some nice background papers. I love printing out digital papers, but now I'll be able to create some one-of-a-kind papers.
Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and continue to give thanks throughout the year to come for all the good things life throws out at you!
Cathy
I've been having horrible back problems again so card making is almost at a standstill. And I was so busy shopping Black Friday, I didn't even think to post all the great discounts.
I'm currently waiting for the arrival of my Gelli Plates to play with. I've been eyeing them for some time and even pinned it to my Pinterest board. Decided to finally bite the bullet and start making some nice background papers. I love printing out digital papers, but now I'll be able to create some one-of-a-kind papers.
Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and continue to give thanks throughout the year to come for all the good things life throws out at you!
Cathy
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