Before I disappeared, I went to a free class at Archiver's. It was a stamping basics class. I must say, it was BASIC. I guess you get what you pay for, it was free. I enjoyed the class but I'm not certain I learned much. If you spend much time on-line and you poke around, I'm guessing you would know most of the things they taught. However, they provided the information in an easy to understand system and they allowed you to play with the different ways of stamping.
One plus was their description of the different types of inks -- archival, pigment, etc.
I don't think I was their target audience. Unfortunately for them, I know that I can buy most of the stuff they sell for a fraction of the cost. I will say, I like looking at their papers and stamps. It is great to actually "feel" the stuff but then I tend to buy on line.
If you are going to stamp then you need to figure out inking the images (coloring in for those of us that don't think of themselves as artists). I have looked at the Copic Markers but the cost is just too much for me. I've invested a lot of money in my Cricut with the different software, files I've purchased and the cartridges. Then there is paper. The thought of spending another couple hundred dollars on markers is more than I can stomach. Especially since I'm not sure I will be any good at it and I don't know if I want to spend the time on inking. I recently purchased these markers
They were less than $20 at Staples so I thought I could give it a try and maybe this would allow me to figure out if I liked the idea of Copics. Well, this isn't really working for me. Here are a few things I've done so far
I don't like the way this turned out. It doesn't shade well and the colors don't mix. Here is another picture of the larger flower.
This flower looks OK but mostly because it didn't require the colors to blend. I did this flower a number of different times, in yellow, purple, blue and pink. Because these don't blend well and they don't have a ton of different colors, this works but not incredibly well.
This is the only one that I actually liked. I felt like the colors worked well and this little guy turned out cute. I'm not certain what I will do with him (and his brothers from the upper photo) but I had fun making him.
All of this is a long way of getting to ProMarkers. I love the work of Enfys (she has the life 6 months in the US and 6 months in the UK every year). Although I can't imagine trying to cross the pond twice a year with all of my crafting materials. Enfys received a complete set of ProMarkers to give away. They seem to be a fantastic alternative to Copics. Here is a place to purchase the ProMarkers. Here are a number of tutorials about these markers from Enfys.
Today I have a paperbag mini album to show you. I initially had the idea of making this album after seeing Kathy Files of Paper Phenomenon make mini paperbag albums as a back pack. If you get a chance, take a look at some of Kathy's great projects. She makes a lot of three dimensional things and is doing lots of cool Halloween crafts. I loved the back pack idea but I wanted to give this as a gift to an adult. In looking at the cricut carts I knew there were a number of travel related cuts. I wanted the album to be vacation/travel themed, thus the suitcase and all of the pages in the mini album. I used 16 paper bags for the pages and 34 tags or mats to go in the different pockets.
Here is a picture of the entire album looking down from the top after it has been assembled.
I found the suitcase that fit my needs on the Heritage cart. I liked the details, especially on the top of the suitcase. I must admit, it would have been easier to cover with the patterned paper if it had been a little more rounded. Using Design Studio I sized the suitcase as large as would fit on 12 x 12 mat. I then flipped the image on the other half of a 12 x 24 mat. I also added a 1.5 x 11 rectangle for the bottom of the cover. All of these were cut out (without welding) in chip board.
I bought my chipboard from Bug Junkie a few months ago. I love the way this chip board cuts. You can buy the chipboard from her on the left hand column of her website. It is just below her followers. While you are there, you should check out her lovely shape albums. She is a very talented creator.
Here is the entire thing opened up with the paper covering it. Here are the layers as you would see in this picture:
1. Layer of brown cardstock cut with the rectangle welded to both of the suitcase cuts (layer against the table)
2. Layer of chip board -- no welds
3. Layer of chip board identical to layer two
4. Layer of brown cardstock identical to Layer 1
5. Pattern paper for the front and back of the suitcase
I also cut the handle an additional 4 times so that I could use some textured paper for the feel of alligator skin. I covered the seam between the handle and the suitcase with a VERY large brad which I affixed with hot glue.
The lock for the opener is on the front but it is purely decorative. The back is where mine opens. I put a circle of velcro on the back to close the album. I used Tim Holtz locks, keys and chains. I couldn't believe how easy the chain was to cut using my Bind-It-All metal snips.
Now for the inside. The reason they call these paperbag albums is because the pockets or pages are made with... Paper bags. I actually used craft bags from HL. Below is a picture of the bag as it comes out of the package. I scored all of the edges.
Then I folded the bottom over and scored the new seam. This next picture shows what the bag looks like when you start inking. I must tell you, I scored and inked every edge. I inked so many edges that I ran out of ink in my Cats Eye Color Box chalk. I spent many an hour watching TV and inking edges. Not only are all of the bags inked, but all of the paper covering the bags is inked.
Here is a mat and a half before it has been covered in paper but after it was inked.
And here are a few of the tags I used for photo mats. Notice, they have been inked and are awaiting the pattern paper.
The paper I used to cover all of the paper bags and many of the tags and mats came from three packs. I love these paper pads made by paper House Productions. (I even bought a second pad of the European Travel pad). I first bought them at M's but then also found them at HL. The European pad has a lot of sepia tones, tans, a little bit of glitter and some grays.
The US travel has more golden tones, some tans and some greens. It has some black and red pages for Las Vegas that I probably won't use but they are fun. My favorite is the back of the South Dakota pages. It is a wonderful Native American design with a beautiful golden background.
To add a little color I also used this Global Treks tablet from Deja Views. It has beautiful rust colors, wonderful rich greens and some yummy purples.
Here is the inside of the album's front cover. I love the paper with Big Ben. The lower set of pages says, "We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment." I thought that was a wonderful way to start off the book. If you notice, the book isn't especially "frilly". I used many embellishments from Tim Holtz. The tags have simple ribbons holding them together or twine or chains.
A close-up of the Yellowstone cut from Destinations. The glue hadn't completely dried when I took this picture.
A picture from the Spanish Steps in Rome with the Rome cut from Destinations.
I love the way the cuts from Destinations cart look on the different pages. I wouldn't recommend cutting the Destinations cuts any smaller than 2 inches. They can get a little tricky and tough on my poor E.
I love this mat and a half with the train. The picture underneath is from Ghent and the paper clips spell out Ghent. It actually opens up for another set of pictures. I tried to add as many hidden little areas as possible.
What do you think of the Moab charm? I haven't found the pictures for that page, yet.
Remember that card you saw earlier that had been inked but didn't have paper yet? Here is another version of that car, this one had the parts cut out of it so you can see the pictures below. The one above shows the car in the pocket. The one below has been pulled out of the pocket.
Here are a few pictures of the book before I did any stamping and without the tags, mats or pictures.
These are a number of the tags that have been stamped on the back. I don't have a lot of stamps and I don't always feel comfortable stamping things. I purchased a few more travel related stamps and used them liberally through out this project. Luckily I had some of the Forest Moss Distress Inks for the green tags. I think they looked pretty good. I used Walnut Stain and Antique Linen for the brown shades.
I hope you have enjoyed my project and been inspired to create your own mini album. This one was a ton of fun, even if it was a lot of work.
I've gone back and forth on this challenge. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. All of the time I think there must be a better way.
The cork I bought for the coasters is about .25 inches smaller than the coaster. The ink smudges way too easily. I wasn't happy with most of the stamps I have. Then when I went to seal the ink it all ran from the Kyrlon sealer. I had to wipe it all off and start again. I don't really like the way these turned out. I'm not certain I'll try this again.
YOUR CHALLENGE:
Head to your home improvement store for some ceramic tiles, and create coasters for yourself!
