quite tickled with how it went

When I don't like a part of a stamp image or when separating two parts of the design makes it more flexible I will just do a rubber-ectomy or a polymer-ectomy.  That is, I take scissors or knife to the stamp and modify it, or to use a popular term hack it..

I had a Sizzix knife edge die: Library Card Pocket, that just wouldn't work. As a design element some people might not know what a library card pocket is or what it was used for, especially when I hear that some libraries now have self-serve checkouts.

In the die some of the blades in the shape are for cutting and some of the blades are for scoring. Regardless of the die cutting sandwiches I assembled with or without a crease pad, one of the scoring blades would work as a knife blade and cut through the paper. It was sitting too high in the die block

With nothing to lose I dug below the foam layer and wriggled the knife blade out of the supporting block for some edge modification. Using my Dremel and the gardening tool sharpening bit I ground off some of the height of the scoring blade until trial and error gave me the result I wanted.  Yes!!.  Now I have a die that works and another successful hack. 

Regardless of whether it needs to be gift wrapped and given back to you for your birthday, when you buy a new tool or die, take it home and use it straight away.  Try it out, learn more from your supplier or the internet about how it should work and then if it is necessary get it replaced.  Sometimes it isn't you, it is the tool!

tools for technique tuesday

Tuesday 20 March

Morning session - Tying buttons and bows - bring a bow maker if you have one + normal sized clothes peg + tape runner such as Elmers or Dot'n'Roller.

Evening session - Diecutting sandwiches - bring your Cuttlebug, BigShot or BigKick, all plates, an embossing folder, a collection of at least one of each type of die you own and a pointy picking tool for cleaning out dies. Questions welcome but you must bring the paper and items that don't work.  If you don't have your own machine yet please tell Marisa so we can have one ready for you.

The advantage of working with your own tools is you are already familiar with them and you have an opportunity to learn more about their use and care.  

For class bookings and payments please call Marisa at Create On Ormond on 03 5222 1449 or email info@createonormond.com.

buttons and bows

 The morning session of Technique Tuesday on March 20 will be tying buttons and bows. 

To tie our beautiful bows we will be using one of Shelley's Easy Bow Makers with dowel pegs in a board with multiple holes.

My model has an additional post to hold a roll of ribbon and I gave it a custom finish of paint and Prima paper.

I love using my Bow Easy to get beautiful bows but I am told it is hard to get them here at the moment.  The advantage of the Easy Bow Maker is that it sits securely on your work surface while you make the bow.

You might like to reserve your own bow maker with Marisa.

For class bookings and payments please call Marisa at Create On Ormond on 03 5222 1449 or email info@createonormond.com.au.

string of asters

As I had cut apart all the aster strips to make the card here I punched a new blue one.
Here is a short string of asters.  If I remember correctly a 30 inch strip will give you a 5 aster string.  The end petal on the first and last flowers will need to be trimmed with scissors to a point.

I used the new KAISERcard  12 x 12 weave cardstock.  The asters punched beautifully from the card with clean edges and not too much stress on the punch mechanics.  I have also done a trial cut with a Spellbinder die followed by embossing with a good result.

Looking at this cardstock it appears to have two shades of blue in the mountains and valleys of the texture.  Having looked at the surface under a magnifying glass this illusion seems to be created by light reflecting off fibres after the embossing process. Neat trick!

tools for technique tuesday

Tuesday 13 March

Morning session - Diecutting sandwiches - bring your Cuttlebug, BigShot or BigKick, all plates, an embossing folder, a collection of at least one of each type of die you own and a pointy picking tool for cleaning out dies. Questions welcome but you must bring the paper and items that don't work.

Evening session - Thermo acetate + alcohol inks. As we are working with alcohol inks, a non-stick craft mat (bigger than A4)  is worth bringing and a fine clean paint brush for flicking off stray grains of embossing powder.

The advantage of working with your own tools is you are already familiar with them and you have an opportunity to learn more about their use and care.  

For class bookings and payments please call Marisa at Create On Ormond on 03 5222 1449 or email info@createonormond.com.

prisma pencil + gamsol

+ Martha Stewart aster deep edge border punch
+ printed paper
+ plain cardstock

A friend lent her beautiful wide aster punch to me. I started by checking out what it is like by punching a border.

 

This is a DL card, 21 cm high and 11 cm wide.

Soon the thinking was "what if I punched a strip of paper from both sides",  then I might have a string of whole asters.This takes it from a border punch to a deep double edge punch in a flip of a paper strip.  It looked lovely.  .

Cut a strip of cardstock 62 mm wide and mark the centre of the length i.e. for a 12 inch strip mark at 6 inches. Also mark the centre of the face of the punch.  Punch one side of your strip, turn strip around, align the marks and punch some more.

With some initial experimentation and some careful aligning you might get your punches giving you double service. None to show here as the experimenting went further.  My strips of asters became individual flowers.

I coloured the edges with Light Umber pencil and blended the colour with an uninked Copic pen filled with Gamsol (odourless mineral spirits).  The Gamsol works with a waxy coloured pencil like Prisma.  The colour can be moved around with an alcohol ink blender but the alcohol can cause the components of some colours to separate.

+ buttons
+ thread
and with some assembly here is my aster card

Products used: Martha Stewart Aster Deep Edge Punch #42-70042
Keaycolour china white card
Prismacolor pencil PC941 Light umber
Wild Asparagus "thankful" dots/cream paper

yep, its pea straw

The recent rain has soaked into a corner of a spare bail of straw and the dried peas trapped inside have germinated and are heading for the sunshine.

Are they too early or too late?

tools for technique tuesday

Tuesday 6 March
Morning session - Thermo acetate + alcohol inks. Suggest, as we are working with alcohol inks, a non-stick craft mat is worth bringing and a fine clean paint brush for flicking off stray grains of embossing powder.

Evening session - JAC paper + X-PressIt adhesive sheet -Suggest you bring a pointy pick tool or bead headed sewing pin for getting between the layers. Also a fine clean paint brush for flicking off stray grains of embossing powder

The advantage of working with your own tools is you are already familiar with them and you have an opportunity to learn more about their use and care.  

For class bookings and payments please call Marisa at Create On Ormond on 03 5222 1449 or email info@createonormond.com.