Inking with the Cuttlebug

Over break I had a chance to try out a new technique with my cuttlebug. I mainly use my cuttlebug for embossing, since I have a cricut to do all my die cutting with. I saw this video by Lisa K (http://stamptv.ning.com/video/distressed-letterpress?xg_source=shorten_twitter) and I had to try it out. It took some experimentation, but now I have a new technique.

The first thing to do is pick your embossing folder. You pat the ink onto the folder, on the side of that will be pressed down into the paper. My embossing folder is Paisley from ProvoCraft. The ink is night of navy from Stampin Up. You can see how the groves of the Paisley are raised, and that is what I inked.

Then center the paper in the folder, on the opposite side of the ink, then close.

I ran all of this through my cuttlebug. It was a normal embossing sandwich with the "A Plate" then the first B Plate, the embossing folder, and then the second B Plate on top.

When you pull it out, you can leave it as is, or run a second color of ink along the top. It is important to gently swipe from side to side, that way you are not pushing the ink down into your already inked areas. I am looking forward to using this on some of my upcoming pages. I have a lot of earth toned fall pages, and this will be perfect. I was looking for a new way to use my cuttlebug.

My second layer of ink (more mustard from stampin up)

I learned some things along the way. It is better to put your darker color down first, and go over it with a lighter color, or else you will loose the light color if that is your first color. Also, you must use a water based ink such as Distress Ink or Stampin Up's Ink. I used Stampin Up Ink, with good success. I was able to clean all my embossing folders with regular stamp cleaner and a paper towel.

Finishing my Junior Year Album

I finally finished my junior year album. I am a chronological order, and definitely scrap more events than every day life. I have thought a lot about scrapping more of the every day, but I realized my life is quite boring. Its one ongoing cycle of class, study, gym, eat, sleep, repeat. I definitely have some ideas brewing that I do want to preserve before I graduate, but I am trying to decide how to tell my stories with no pictures--like the day the bear ran in front of my car on the highway. I didn't have my camera, and I was so freaked out by the bear.

I had one last page to finish up from my cousin's wedding. We had some great family pictures that I wanted to find a spot for in my album. The patterned paper is from BoBunny and the metallic cardstock is from Coordinations. I fussy cut the black swirls from the BoBunny and used my I-Rock to add some extra  bling. The flowers are from Imaginscene--my new favorite source for flowers. The bottom flowers were originally white, but I used my American Crafts metallic silver pen and colored them to suit my needs.

My last page was our day at the zoo. Every year my cousins and I go to the zoo in my parents town. Normally we do lunch and then the zoo. This year we went to the zoo when it opened, and had a late lunch. The animals were so active and alert. We got to feed the giraffes, they are adorable. You could run their heads, and feed them crackers. They were so gentle and friendly. My other favorite animals are always the penguins and the moose.

 I'm enjoying my last few days of spring break laying around. I still have one last lesson plan to write for the week I am teaching in the middle school. I have been watching all sorts of fun craft videos, and I am hoping to make some time to play before I head back to school.

Alcohol ink Class

This morning I took a class at my Local Scrapbook Store--Creations Galore. I have attended their crops in the past, and had a great time. Back in November I sat with a gal who was doing Alcohol Inks on her Christmas Cards, and they were beautiful. When I saw this class on the calender during my spring break, I knew I wanted to attend. The class was $20, we learned four techniques, and then got a 15% discount on anything we used or talked about during the class. Our instructor was Nicole, and she did a great job. She calmed all our fears, and we had a really great time!

All the work we did was on top of the Ranger Craft Sheets. Alcohol Ink is permanent on clothes, but other wise can be cleaned up with rubbing alcohol and an old rag. It came off the craft sheets very easy in between projects. The first technique we learned was called "pouncing". We used the Tim Holtz Ink Applicators with the felt toppers. I really like how my pounced pieces turned out.

All the ink was by Adorondack-Tim Holtz Line. The colors I used on my first piece were Wild Plum, Raspberry and Pool Blue. I finished it off with a Silver Mixative. I was going for wintery colors with this first attempt. I had a hard time initially controlling the arrangement of the colors.

I really love my second piece from the pouncing technique. My color combos where Rust, Butterscotch, Terra Cotta, Sunshine Yellow, and then topped with the Copper Mixative. We are in the process of putting in new titles, and we met with a flooring rep yesterday. I realize that the diagonal pattern we were talking about putting in our kitchen was coming out in my designs today.

The second technique we did was a striping and plaid technique. We changed our application of the ink to the applictor, by lining up all the colors. I had to go over this paper a few times to get the richness of the color I was looking for. My colors were Terra Cotta, Lettuce and Sunshine.

Our next technique was the "messy technique". We sprayed our ink right onto the mats and just swirled and swished around. I really love this piece. Initially I wasn't so sure about it, until I got my silver polka dots on. I am all for glittery metallic fun on my work. I am not a big fan of distressed or messy work, but I really liked this. It was something new and different. My color combo was Wild Plum, Cranberry and Denim, along with the silver mixative.

Our last technique was resisting. We stamped a clear image on, and then putting white embossing powder over the top. We heated the image on the paper without any ink. We then inked over the embossing powder and let it dry. Overall the ink dries very quick. Like 5-10 seconds. The only thing that took time was my messy technique. My silver ink took about 5 minutes, because it was thick. After everything was dry, we remelted the embossing powder and pulled it off with an iron.

I love this first resisting piece. I was shooting for the color patterns found in BoBunny's Winter Joy line. I love the turquoise/purple/green combo, and can't wait to start scrapping my winter pages. My color combo here was Pool, Lettuce, Wild Plum, topped with silver.

My last resisting technique was a flower stamp. I am hoping to use this piece with my fall pictures from this year. I have some big ideas for this piece. Nicole encouraged us to keep track of the colors we used on each piece, and I am glad I did. I really like some of the combos I made today. The sunflower colors were Butterscotch, Rust, Terra Cotta and Peach Bellini. I didn't like the peach color, so I added more terra cotta to cover it up. Then I used a gold mixtive to give it some more shimer.

I had an absolutely amazing time at my class today. There were 6 other women participating, and we all really enjoyed it. Creations Galore had like very color available to play with. I really am happy with my creations, and I can't wait to try more. I want to change my base. Today we used glossy paper, but I am thinking of pulling in some metal next, and I want to try some dry embossing. If you are ever in the Green Bay area, you have to check out my LSS!

Thinking Summer

Spring Break started a day early last week. I was supposed to teach and have one last class on Wednesday, but we had a blizzard roll through the area. We got about 8 inches on Wednesday. So I had to stay in town an extra day before I could head home. This was our second snow day of the school year for the university. Last year we didn't have any snow days, so I happily will take them.

 So I had to work on at least 1 scrappy page. And I was thinking anything warm at that point. I found one last set of beach pictures that I wanted to use up. We had such a fun day. The beach was deserted and the water was a bit choppy. It never stops my sister and I from swimming in the waves. I actually like it when the water is a little rough. I seemed to use the same Echo Park paper line throughout all of my Door County pictures for Summer of 2011. I really love their happy and bright colors.

 

I cut the circles on the bottom from the Echo Park paper, and mounted them with a foam pop dot to give them some dimension. I blinged them up with some Stickles, and then framed my kraft paper with some Doodlebug twine. 

I did make it home for spring break safe and sound...and just in time. The day after I left another blizzard rolled into town. This time they got nailed with 18 inches. The town just west of us got 27 inches. I was a little sad not to see all the snow, but then I remember that it took an hour to dig my car out of 8 inches on Thursday morning. I cannot imagine how buried my car would have been with this storm. Tomorrow I am taking an alcohol inks class at my local scrapbook store. Can't wait to show you my creations!

Scrapping College Style

I've been a bad blogger this month. Life has gotten super busy. I have midterms on Monday and Tuesday. Then it is spring break. Normal as usual, there is a blizzard threatening my departure for break. I am hoping to pull out of town in front of the storm.

Life has been exciting lately. Lots of classroom time. I am writing and teaching my own lessons in the special ed classroom where I am placed this year. I was very excited with how my lesson went last week. I also was able to attend an exciting Special Ed conference last week. I went to a day long seminar on Aspergers Syndrome. I learned so much.

Now to the real stuff. Scrapping in a small college apartment. My apartment is so much better than the dorms, but still crammed for space.  My rolling cart stays in my living room, and my cricut stay on top of it. The contents in the draws vary. The best part, the cart fits right behind my passenger seat in my car....if the seat is pulled all the way forward. I picked up the cart at a thrift store, but the tags were still on, and it was from the Target office section.

I store the rest of my scrappy stuff under my bed. Its really the only space I have. But its still more storage than the dorms. I have my rolling tote, an arm tote (my favorite thing ever), my cuttlebug, and some extra reusable bags (my cricut tote).

Inside the rolling tote I have two Iris cases. I use these to store paper and my premade kits. I just bring it own when I want it all. I keep my extra adhesive in one pocket, embellishments in the second side pockets, and cricut mats in the front compartment. I would love a bigger tote if I had the funds.My arm tote (also from Target) holds all the essentials. I have a big paper cutter back at home, but I just use a small Fiskars here. I have my small Creative Memories Guillotine Cutter. I also keep my ATG, Sew Easy mat, and a variety of adhesives, pens, and other tools in the arm tote.

My kits are the key to traveling lite. I am a chronological scrapper. I print my pictures ( I love snapfish) and then make kits. My kits include pictures, patterned paper, cardstock, any ribbon, or other embellishments. I just stack them in my Iris cases. Sometimes I will use scrapbook folders to organize a supplies for a specific group of pictures. This eliminates me bringing a lot of paper, since I don't have an elevator. I make new kits every time I go back to my parents house. So I am swapping supplies every 4-8 weeks depending on when I can pull off a trip home.

I will admit it takes a lot to keep stuff organized going back and forth. I have a notebook keeping track of layouts. I write down the name of page once I have the kit together. I have a running list of what pictures I have with me here at school. I highlight the page once it is done. I would like to move this to a spread sheet when I have time. I would like to start keeping track of everything together. Pictures printed, pictures printed and with a kit, when it is done, etc. Someday I will have time. And to think I am almost done with college!

This is the shelf my sister took to school with her. I wish I would have had this in my dorm room. Its super tall and skinny, and doesn't take up much space. Tall albums fit on the shelves. I would have done a combo of text books, binders, and scrappy stuff.

Eben Ice Caves

Senior year is quickly passing, and there is so much left to do. My friends and I wrote a bucket list of things to do this year. One of our activities was a return trip to the Eben Ice Caves. We went 2 years ago and had a great time. This morning we packed into 2 cars and went out. Of course the weather has been glorious all week. Today -1 windchill and windy. But we made the best of it.

Of course the road going into the trail is horrendous. We had snow yesterday, and it wasn't plowed. So you pretty much stay in the path. There was a minimum of a foot of snow at all times on either side of your car.

We had a great hike. No one got hurt, which is always a plus. The trail is icy and steep. I had rented a pair of snowshoes from my gym. Totally worth every dollar. It made it so easy on the hills. But sometimes it is still fun to slide on your butt.

The ice caves are a small water fall that freezes in the winter. We have had a very mild winter, so not much precipitation. They have been much bigger in previous years. But they are still a gorgeous sight. Its about a 1.5 mile hike from the road to the caves.

 

You can even walk behind the frozen waterfall into the cave. The icicles have a cool blue-green tint to them. The floor of the cave is pure ice. The claws on the snowshoes were great to help walk easily. 

And if you are a monkey like my friends and I, you can even climb to the top. Its hard to get up, but it is a cool view from above.

I love the sunny days hiking in the woods and seeing all the beautiful trees! Next weekends adventures are the sled dog races. One of my favorite activities of the year.

Wedding Fun

This past July, my cousin Brian got married. Needless to say, I love wedding pages. I like to keep them simple and elegant, and tie in with the wedding theme. The colors of their wedding were black and ivory dresses for the bridemaids, with purple flowers and accents. It was a super fun wedding. My mom has a big family, and it is always fun to get everyone together. My sweet little goddaughter danced the night away. She loved all the oldie songs.

Here's a few of my pages from the wedding. I have more in the works, but the homework is starting to get pretty heavy. Can you believe we are 1/4 of the way through the semester?

I really like this page. The program and the save the date are both double sided. I wanted them both to be accessible, so I used brads (by recollections) to secure them down, but you can still lift them up and see the other side. I got to play with a friend's score board, and I am totally in love with the folded rosettes.

I really like to save people's invites and other memorabilia that they send out. I love how the paper all coordinated so nicely.

I am looking forward to this weekends adventure. I am going to snowshoe with some of my friends to the Eben Ice Caves. I went in 2010, and they are gorgeous. It is a decent hike, but it is totally worth it.I will get some pictures up when I come back. They are quite a site.