Copic Certification



(Image from copicmarkers.com)

My favorite thing to add to my paper crafting stash lately has been Copic Markers. Copic Markers are manufactured in Japan and imported into the United States by Imagination International. They are alcohol based markers, which means you can color on just about anything with them (paper, fabric, metal, transparencies....). They are refillable, blendable, have replaceable nibs and come in 344 colors!!!! Which means I need them all. Eventually! :-) I use them constantly for coloring in stamped images, altering embellishments to match my layouts, and in mixed media work for my ATCs.

Imagination International offers certification classes and when I heard they were coming to Pittsburgh, I jumped at the chance to take the class. The class is long (9 AM to 4 PM) and filled with information and how-tos regarding Copics. If you get the chance to take a class, DO IT! Colleen Schaan was our instructor and she is a dynamo! Colleen's blog is here. To sign up for emails about Copic certification, go here.

So, now I can proudly post this badge on this blog and continue on my quest for all 344....

What a Great Surprise!

The other day I was searching around on Amazon and came across this new book:



I was so surprised because the cover art is mine! The 'Hello Birdie' card was previously published by Paper Crafts magazine on the cover of the Summer 2008 edition of Card Creations. I was tickled to find they chose it again for their first ever edition of Best of Card Creations!

More ATCs

I have gotten hooked on making these things! I love the freedom they bring both in time to completion and use of materials.

Theme: Paint/Gesso



Theme: Metal



Theme: Halloween





Theme: Fabric



Theme: The Number Nine



Theme: Altered Personal Photos



Theme: Interactive (the butterfly moves across the card)



Theme: Blue

Artist Trading Cards

This summer I have been having so much fun in my FREE time making Artist Trading Cards. ATCs are simply little bits of artwork the size of a standard baseball card, 2.5 x 3.5 inches. You can use any medium to create the cards and that is the fantastic part- the possiblities are endless! ATCs are never to be sold, only traded with other artists or given away. I have joined the artisttradingcards and ATC_World Yahoo Groups and am enjoying challenging myself with the different themes for the swaps. Here are some of my cards:

Theme: Super Hero (created from a magazine and word processing)



Theme: Stained Glass (created with fabric paint, water colors, and copper foil)



Theme: Skeletons (created with metal tape, an embossing folder, patterned paper, and paint)



Theme: Postage Stamps (created with transparencies, stamps, alcohol inks, postage stamps and a charm)



Theme: Girls' Night Out (created with phonebook paper, stamped images, stickles and gemstone)



Theme: Completely From a Magazine (Created from an issue of Elle magazine, embossing powder, glossy accents, and popdots)



Theme: Beach (created from fun foam, paint, stamps, ink, beads, brads, and glass)

I Am In The Top Five!

Spellbinders Paper Arts has released a new line of die templates, the Pendant Die Templates. The die templates cut in beautiful symmetric lace-like patterns and each has a matching border template set. To help promote the pendant dies, Spellbinders sponsored a contest. I am pleased to announce that one of my submissions, the Butterfly Quilt, was picked as one of the top five entries! Yeah! I wasn't selected in the random drawing, but I did receive $100 worth of brand new dies of my choice. To see the top five entries, visit the Spellbinders blog.


Here is the project that placed. The project is a 12x12 framed home decor/altered item piece. Scalloped squares and the fleur de lis pendant die create a quilted background for butterflies in flight.



And a closeup so you can see the details of the pendant dies:



Here are my two other entries:





To take a peek at all the new die templates and other products from Spellbinders, visit the new products page on the Spellbinders Paper Arts website.

My Scrapbook Room

We have been in our house for almost a year and my scrapbook room is finally back together. The walls were painted "Smooth Sailing" by Valspar from Lowes. I purchased the curtain at Lowes as well; the fabric is from Waverley. I ended up ordering more fabric online to use as accents throughout the room.

It is hard to get a good picture of the room from any angle, but here are a few to give you an idea. I have four of the folding tables with plastic tops (check an office supply store or warehouse club). They are very durable, wipe off easily, and can be reconfigured if necessary. They make a capital letter F shape along the walls of the room.







Our desktop computer is in the room as well.



When I saw these buttons in somebody else's scrapbook room I had to have them. They were made by Pottery Barn but have been discontinued. So if you need a set, you will have to stalk eBay. I put some ribbon and fabric in the holes to tie them into the room. The wall quote says, "A scrapbook is a museum of reminders that life has been good." You can cut your own with your electronic die cutter and vinyl if you like, or you can order a quote online if you would rather have someone else do it for you! I ordered from Words Anywhere and had fantastic customer service!



I recently got rid of my paper towers and replaced them with the vertical paper storage holders by Cropper Hopper. I found it was easiest to dig through my stash this way. My patterned paper is sorted mostly by color. I do have some holders with stacks/slab in them and some with themes such as Christmas or lace paper.



My cardstock is sorted by color as well.



I have my scraps on a cart in more paper holders. Cardstock scraps are on the top and patterned paper scraps are on the bottom.



These holders are also by Cropper Hopper. They have miscellaneous odds and end in them.



These metal shelves are quite sturdy and hold my cardstock, miscellaneous files, TV, rubons, stickers, etc. I bought the shelves at Walmart.



These are Iris carts stacked upon each other (remove the wheels and tops of identical units.) I lined the front of them with patterned paper and made a label for each drawer so you can't see the items inside for a cleaner look.





Some of these drawers hold my punches. I recently grouped them by type (circle, square, heart, animal, floral, etc.) and that is helping me put them to use more frequently. Previously I had them sorted by size.



My Dad worked hard to build this shelving unit after I drew up the plans. It is perfect! I holds my patterned paper, Sizzix towers and dies, Cuttlebug folders and dies, Spellbinders dies, Quickutz dies, adhesive refills, letter stickers, and unmounted red rubber stamps along with a few miscellaneous binders of things. I painted the shelves and all the other shelves in this room with Bulldog Black by Martha Stewart.



My Dad also built me this super cute button shelf to hold my button collection. The jars are from Making Memories.



These units sit on my desk top and hold my most used supplies. Not super attractive- but they are easy to grab and easy to put away which is what I like.



My rubons are in magazine holders. They are labeled and I can easily get them out and put them back when I am done.



Most of my alphabet sets are sorted by letter in these drawers. You can see all of your options with this method, as well as mix and match with ease.



My embellishments are sorted by type. This Iris cart holds bling, dew drops/skittles, borders, chipboard buttons, softies, journaling stamps, and journaling blocks.



My flowers have also been removed from their original containers and are stored in drawers. This makes it easier to see everything at once and saves room.



I LOVE brads! They are sorted into embroidery floss containers and then into drawers of Iris carts. I almost always get rid of packaging to save room.



I purchased some 13 x 13 drawers from Target for my felt. The drawers hold shapes,die cut Fancy Pants felt, and plain felt sheets I can cut with my dies.




My ribbon is in the largest type of Iris cart that you can buy. I have 3 units stacked on top of each other. Each drawer is sorted by color. I covered a sheet of posterboard and lined the front of each drawer with fabric to make it look a bit nicer. This is a picture of the tower and then a closeup of the drawers:





These are old cassette tape holders which I found at a thrift store and which I painted black to match the room.



I removed some of the slats in the holders to customize them to hold the various shapes of ink pads. I labeled each pad so I could see what I had and USE it!



My wood mounted stamps are on this wooden shelf on the wall. I made this one myself from 1 x 2 inch boards and wood screws. Certainly not as nice of a job as my Dad's woodworking, but so far it is staying together! Most importantly, it puts my stamps out where I can see them, and thus use them.



My alphabet stamps are in drawers in the Iris carts.



Everyone loves their Spellbinders nesties! I use them on almost everything and keep them handy in this CD case. I placed magnetic sheets in the slots to keep the dies in place. HINT: Get the magnet sheets at Lowes or Home Depot in the heating and airconditioning department. They are marketed as vent covers and are MUCH cheaper then buying the same thing at an office supply store.




My paints, stickles, alcohol inks, and few other items are in a spinning tower by ProvoCraft. AC Moore recently had these back in stock. Check in the acrylic paint bottle section.




I stitched a quick matching cover for my sewing machine. It is sitting along the wall, plugged in and ready to go next to a 3-tiered metal storage unit from Target. It holds my border punches because I use them all the time, plus it just looks cute!



My pens lie on their sides in these holders. I purchased them online from an office supply store. You can find them at Amazon if you search for "Eldon Shelf Savers X Cube."




Thanks for taking the time to take a peek at my scrapbook room.