Stamp Storage and Labelling

Gm Everyone!!

So by special request, this post is moved from Monday to Sunday. Since hubs is away for the day, I was able to sit and type it out!

So after my ink swatch book, I took on my stamps in the organization mode. I had been running out of space to keep them in my files. Files were getting bulky and cumber some.

Pic Source - Jennifer Mcguire.

This was an older Jen Mcguire method. It worked for a while and then I ran out of space. 
They could only expand so much and I had no more room for files.
So I decided to go the newer Jennifer Mcguire way. You can see her  original video here

Now I could find the exact same things here, but they cost a bomb. And I'm all for alternatives. I would not pay 600 bucks for 25 plastic sleeves, when I can find an alternative that gives me 100 bags for 100 bucks!

I kept searching for an option for Avery Elle storage sleeves. I did think of using plain plastic sleeves, cutting the top and making flaps. But I was not convinced the flaps would stay closed. And one of my blog buddies just convinced on that part. She needs to use a glue dot or a velcro sticker to keep the flaps closed. They don't seem to stay tucked in.

So my option was the ziploc bags. The size you need to look for is 6x9 size. Look for a good thickness. It will fit a stamp set easily and will fit into the storage box easily. It even fits the long MFT stamp sets. It won't fit the 8x8 stamp sets from fiskars or Altenew layering stamp sets. For that, I have to go and check other bag sizes. It's still a work in progress.

Then comes the labelling part. I was not going to spend 4k on a label maker and another 2k on its refill tape. I cannot simply justify that cost. Plus with my own label sheets, I can use whatever font I want!! :D

 I already had some A4 size label sheet. It was just one whole sticker sheet in A4 size. So how to go about creating those perfect looking labels that you saw on my post! 'm linking all the products I've used below. 

If you are using the A4 sticker sheet, you will have to cut the labels with your trimmer. That is a 5 minute work. Which is what I did. And stick.

Finally the dividers. Ran to my stationary shop and bought some cheapo Solo files and cut them up. There were some plastic pockets inside which I ripped out. You should have seen my husband's face. "You brought them up to cut them up??What is wrong with you!!"
Sigh!! Who will explain to these men how far our obsession will take us??

And finally my storage box. It fits 50-60 stamp sets easily. I have a few rubber background and other cling stamps to do. Which should be this week.

Sorry for the weird lighting on the photographs. Its a dark hazy day today.

So I really hope it helps those who are planning to organize. Trust me, if you see it , you use it. 

Product links (Affiliate links used, helps me earn a little extra something so I can do better research)

Lock&Lock Fashion Basket, Gray (HP265)
Solo CC- 101 Conference Companion (With Pen and Pad) A4 - Blue
NOVAJET 1 Label (Per A 4 Size Sheet) Multi Purpose Self Adhesive Labels (100 Sheets)
NOVAJET 84 Labels (Per A4 Size Sheet) Multi Purpose Self Adhesive Labels (100 Sheets)
 Plain SOLO CC-101 Files (set of 3)

White Cardstock Comparision

Hello Everyone and Welcome to a long long post today!

Well, a few weeks ago Neha Gala (A-one craft) asked me if I could review some  white cardstock she had..and well that set the ball rolling. I already had a review of  Neenah white cardstock pending ( so Sorry for the delay Priya!)... so I combined all the white cardstock that I own.

Note- I am not including any watercolor paper in this review because, well those are completely different papers. And I am not trying any coloring with water because none of these papers are meant to hold water. They will all curl, wilt and lose shape if I use water with them.

So the papers I have with me are

 Neenah Solar White 230-250 gsm (not sure)
Brustro Sketching papers 200 gsm
Iris 170 gsm
Iris 270 gsm
Ivory Smooth 300 gsm


I will talk about individual papers at the end of the post. 

So whatever techniques I've tried, I've tried equally with all the papers. I have used the supplies which every beginner could have. I did not try Copics, Bic-it Markers, Prisma Pencils because not everyone has them. If you want I can do a separate comparison later on.

1. Distress Ink Blending

So far I used to use Brustro Papers for creating my inked backgrounds. But couple of people told me to try Iris paper for ink blending. So finally I gave it a go...And what amazing results. You can see for yourself.

The Iris paper 170 gsm was a little hard to hold down while blending, but 270 was just perfect. Out of the other 3, I think Neenah blended better than even Brustro.  Ivory was just okay.

So for ink blending, I will whole heartedly recommend to go for Iris Paper or Neenah Solar White.
One thing to remember though, Iris paper being a coated paper, will not absorb ink. So it takes a long while to dry. I suggest over night drying time, And it will go one shade lighter as it dries.

So if you want a dark background, go one shade darker than you want because overnight as the ink dries, it will go one shade lighter. As you can see the color difference between Brustro and Iris papers. Same colors, Same ink foams.

2. Stamping And Coloring.

Being a stamper, this was my foremost requirement. The Paper had to stamp well. So I tool 4 kinds of inks and went to town stamping with them. And here are the results.

I used Versafine Onyx black, Memento Black, Memento Ladybug red and Distress ink Abandoned Coral.

The top red ink is Lady Bug Memento and bottom is Distress ink. As you can see, most of the places it smeared and gave splotchy images. Distress ink is anyways not meant for stamping, You will always get a splotchy effect, unless you want that kind of a result or are trying a technique, avoid stamping with Distress ink.

The stack of books was with Tuxedo black. On the Iris paper, you have to be careful while stamping  else the image shifts while stamping. (see last paper) Since its a slick surface.
(Click to see image in detail)

Rest all inks stamp exceedingly well on every paper. Neenah Solar White had more crispness to it than others.

This is with Versafine Onyx Black on all the papers.  (Click to see image in detail)

Versafine did not dry quickly on Iris papers. Since its a coated paper, even after 24 hours, I could not get it to dry on Iris papers. I did not use a heat gun or heat emboss it. You can see the shine on the image below. This is after half an hour of stamping.

Coloring
I have used my favorite medium to color here... the Faber Castell Bi-Pencils. And I love blending with my blending tool and Odorless thinner. If you want to know how to use it, I do have a video showing how exactly I use these. These are fabulous colors and work exactly like Prisma Pencils. And easily available in every stationary store! :D Click here for the video

Neenah was the best in giving me an effortless blending. Followed by Brustro. But Ivory was a little tough to blend..but not impossible. It just took a little more time.
But But But, Iris didn't so well. Being a coated paper, the ink sat on top of the paper, and when I blended with the solvent, the ink itself smeared.
So Iris Paper + Versafine ink + Odorless thinner = smeared image.

However, if you stamp with Memento Tuxedo black on Iris paper and let it dry for a while and then used the same method to color it. No smearing!! So you can try that if you wish.

3. Flower Shaping

     Lastly I decided to see if I could die cut these papers and shape them into flowers. Die cutting is easy on every paper. Ivory takes a bit of extra pressure since its thick, but cut out well anyways. But when it came to shaping, it just fell apart. That's why you only see four samples below.

Aren't they just gorgeous???  Even in creating these flowers, I found Neenah and Brustro to be the best. Iris shaped well, but it wouldn't take on the darker shade. No matter how much ink I applied, after every half hour, it would turn a shade lighter. So I left it at that. That will be my go to paper when I need pastel flowers.

Phew!! So that's how I did it. Now to summarize in terms of the paper...

Right off the bat you can see that Neenah Solar White is the only true white among all the samples here.
Rest all are a pale cream.

IRIS PAPERS

• They are the best for distress ink blending.
• You can shape them well into flowers, but colors of inks may be subdued. You can try with non-distress inks and see how they do.
• the 170 and 270 are excellent for die cutting as well. 
• I wouldn't recommend them for exclusive coloring.
• Few things to remember, it is a slightly coated sheet of paper. If you hold it to the light, you will see slight shining areas on it. That coating is what makes the distress inks move so well on it. But because of the coating, no ink will dry on it quickly. 

IVORY PAPER 300 GSM

• Ivory paper doesn't blend ink well, nor does it shape well into flowers. 
• It is a somewhat hard paper to color on. 
• BUT BUT it is an excellent base for your  CARDS with multiple layers, SCRAPBOOKS and EXPLOSION BOXES. I scored it multiple times and absolute no cracking of the paper. They Ivory I used to buy, used to crack on every score line and eventually the paper used to tear. I am so glad this paper does not crack...And it is fabulous thickness!! 

NEENAH SOLAR WHITE

•  Blends well with distress inks
•  EXCELLENT FOR COLORING IMAGES
• EXCELLENT for shaping the paper into flowers as well.
• Perfect White to be used as a card base, (though a higher GSM would be better, say 280gsm)

       Quick peek of some earlier bookmarks. All coloring on Neenah Classic white

BRUSTRO SKETCHING PAPER 200 gsm

• Good for blending distress inks but needs a bit of effort. 
• EXCELLENT for coloring images. 
• Die cuts superbly
• EXCELLENT for shaping into flowers. 
• Good for solid image stamping (sorry did not click any pictures, but all my ink swatch images on this post are stamped on Brustro paper)

So that's it. Hope this review helps you to make a choice when you are deciding papers for your next project.

One paper will never do everything. Know what you want to do in your project and select your paper accordingly.

An Invitation Card

Darn, I'm posting almost after a month and half..and I have so many projects to share!! So lets start the show with one of the cards that I have absolutely loved making!!

So the card was requested by a fella who wanted to invite his sisters over for Raksha Bandhan festival. Now this was new for me...as a sister who is estranged from her brother for almost 3 years now, this tugged at my heart strings. My parents were in town, my back was hurting but I simply could not say no to him. As someone who sheds a silent tear whenever anyone posts something about their brother, this was something I just could not refuse! And it wasn't just one. I had multiples to make. But I had decided, I wasn't going to say no.

 So here it is!
 It's a gatefold card, with a Vellum/Parchment flap inside. The card is closed by a band. This was a big card..about 5.5 x7.

Since the request was for something traditional, I went to town with Gold embossing!! And I must say I love love the combination. It was hard  at first to think of using all these modern supplies to create something traditional looking...because he said no to almost all my Cards!! (imagine that!) But once I was able to achieve it...Aah the damn good feeling sunk in!

Here they are with some of the envelopes. I used some lighter color Cardstock to make the envelopes. Envelopes are 1/4th inch box envelopes..so that the card doesn't get smashed in the mail.

Frame stamp is Inspired by Stamping, YOU is from SSS, ARE word from Winne and Walter, Invited Lawn fawn.  Vellum Border cut from Spellbinder Scallop Border dies.

So this is how it opens up and the Vellum Flap lifts up to reveal white CS for his personal message.

And when I gave him the cards, his WOW!! with a sigh was all I needed to hear!! The monetary compensation was no comparison to that WOW I got. 

I so have to thank Dr. Sonia for her tips on using a border punch to get those freaking amazing and perfectly aligned borders on my card.

So there you go...hope you loved it as much as I loved making it. Do leave your comments..and questions if any.

See you soon with another post..Hopefully pretty soon! :D


SUPPLIES
Fabriano Dark Green Cardstock
Hero Arts Flower Dot pattern (used on the front of the Card)
Inspired by Stamping - Fancy Label 18 stamp on Band. The small set used inside on Vellum
YOU stamp on Vellum - SSS
ARE stamp from Winne and Walter
INVITED  stamp made from Lawn Fawn's Harold's ABC's
Scroll punch From Ek Success
Ranger's Embossing Powder - Queen's Gold. 
Spellbinders Label 18
Spellbinders A2 Scallop Borders 2
White Gel pen
Diamond Stickles

Quick card share

Just thought I'd pop in here to share the card I made with the experiments of my Flower stamping spree last weekend. If you haven't checked out my post on Multi-layered flower stamping, please stop by and have a read. I'm sure you will find some tips that are useful to you...

So here' is my card made with flowers I stamped with the Papertrey Ink stamps, The sweet life..and cut with it's co-ordinating die.

It was a quick card to assemble.

Thanks for the heads up for the SSS challenge Suman.

Linking this to the Simon Say's Wednesday Challenge - Going Dotty! 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Supplies
Hero arts Polka dot stamps
Papertrey ink The sweet life stamp Plus Die
Damask Design - papertrey ink (sentiment)

Inks - Tuxedo black, Versafine onyx black.
For the flower - Angel pink, rose bud and rhubarb stalk - all Memento
Leaves - Cottage Ivy (memento) and Ripe Avocado (PTI)

Stamping With Multi-Step stamps!

 Hello and here's the post that I promised yesterday!! So Multi-step stamps are the next big thing in Stamping world, along with the watercoloring trend. So I decided to jump on the bandwagon and ordered myself the Altenew Vintage flowers. (There are two sets, The Vintage Roses has only roses, whilst, the Vintage flowers has a mix of roses, cherry blossoms and some more tiny flowers.  11 sets of flowers)

And so I took out all my inkpads, sat with my ink swatch book (if you haven't checked out my swatch book post, do check it out) to try to figure out combinations and then start to stamp!! And of course my MISTI. Little did I know how frustrated I was going to be. Lining up the stamps was not easy...could have been for others, but I needed it to be perfect as the pictures on the stamp set showed. So I started testing papers, inks and what not!! Here are my imperfect results.

 This is on Brustro Sketch paper, the one I normally use for stamping. I couldn't get the stamps to line up..if they lined up, the combination of inks was wrong.

 This is the only one on Day 1 that seemed to look okay..and then I saw..it hadn't stamped perfectly!! So I just walked away from the set. Started checking if there were any tips to line them up.

 Day 2. I changed my papers, and tried some other inks.  Paper was Neenah Solar White.
 I tried pearlescent inks, pigment inks, ranger dye inks (these are the worst  for layered stamping. They overshadow every other ink above or below them!!)

 

 

 Then after some more random stamping on scratch paper, I finally got some decent color combinations and better lining up! Sadly this paper has a linen texture to it, and solid stamps don't like texture paper. I love this for coloring with distress and prismacolors, but you can see on the purple flower below, the white shows through the purple.

Since I was using my MISTI, I was able to overstamp and cover the white in other two stamps. 

Just in case you want the colors I used, 

Pink - bottom to top layer - Angel Pink Memento Dye, Rose Bud Memento Dye, Rhubarb Stalk Memento Dye

Orange - (bottom to top order)  Dandelion memento dye, Tangelo memento dye (double stamped) , Cheese puff Ranger Dye

Purple - Lulu Lavender Memento dye, Grape soda Ranger dye, Grape jelly memento dye (double stamped)

 Then I took out my Papertrey ink's The Sweet Life stamp!! And oh my gosh!! This is how a 3-step stamp should be. Effortless. The lining up was super super easy on this compared to the above stamp set.
If you like roses, I would suggest, spend 3$ more and get this set. Its so worth it!!
Again, the linen texture shows through in the bottom left rose. On right I have used a smooth Campap paper which is really smooth and absorbs dye ink superbly!! This is my favorite stamping paper, for my silhouette and I can't find a decent seller. And I won't buy from snapdeal ( I hate their services)

 So the end of all this drama is this.

Here are my tips and tricks. If you are a beginner, avoid this set for now...it will only make you frustrated with stamping. If you already have this set, or are going to buy..

1. Print this chart from their website and glue it on to your stamp set. That way you always have your lining guide.

2. Take a permanent marker and line your sets so you know what flower belongs to what set. Zoom on the picture below and mark your sets. I've have also numbered them. Because apparently, there are 7 stamping guides and 11 flower sets.. Which is when I realized, 4 sets of flowers are in two sizes. Go figure. They should print all this info or let you know!! Could have saved me hours of frustration. Anyhow. number them, so you know which guide to look for when stamping!

 3. Make an ink swatch book...so you know what colors you have and can form a better idea of what colors in the same family will go together. Its like using a trio of copics. One lightest color, one medium and one dark.  Altenew has released color family sets, but that's again a big investment.
Also do save this link...a lot of amazing color combinations if you have all the inks. HERE

4. Lastly my version of the rose chart. The points marked with arrows is what I use to line them up and it works pretty well. The top most flower is slightly hard to layer and especially if your clear stamps are stained with inks. But not impossible!!

So here were my small tips and tricks. Do try if you have the stamp and share with me what you make!! Will love to have a peek and if there are any more tips and tricks that you know, please do share! 

MDF Word Album

Long break later I'm back for a quick project share! Vacation and hot humid weather make for a no mojo day, but I did manage to complete this one quick MDF word album.

This is 14x6 size DAD album. I kept it  pretty simple...Covering it with flowers and that too for a male album, is something my hands shudder at doing!

So here are the pics!!
Most of the quotes in the album were given to me by the client.

 A fun little waterfall page for an interactive element, in an otherwise flat album!

 How I love the little girl from Mama Elephant!! This is my favorite quote by far!

 Butterflies have to find their way in!! by hook or by crook!! :D

Another interactive element on the last page. Two pockets, one horizontal and one vertical...And both are separate pockets.
If you need to know any supplies, leave me a comment and I shall update the supplies!! As of now, I'm too lazy!! 


And now for some BIG BIG NEWS!!
My Facebook page is close to reaching 10,000 likes and My YouTube Channel needs 2 more subscribers to reach 100!!! Woo-Hoooo!!!

So I'm going to be giving away something to everyone!! Yes!! Everyone!! Keep a watch out on my blog in the next few days. And feel free to post your best guess as to what would be the give-away!!!

Till then 
Much Love,
Tejal

Organization - Ink Swatch tips and tricks

I am not was never a big fan of organizing things, but now after getting lost in my own craft room, I realized that I had to organize. And I started with inks, then stamps and then paper...or something like that!

Here is my ink swatch book..I have followed Jennifer Mcguire's Video (have linked to the video) but did not use her downloads. As the printer which could print on my high gsm paper was dead. So I made a little changes here and there. Will explain better below.

So after cutting all my papers into 2x2 inch squares, I started looking for a solid stamp. And I only had 3. So it was either a balloon, butterfly or a flower. Not hard to guess what I picked.

I was confused about what paper to use. I had 5 different types of whites that I use in my card making, but use Brustro mostly in my stamping. But now with Neenah Solar being available in India (YAY!! Thank you so much Priya!) I may change my stamping paper to Neenah too! For now I went with Brustro.(the link is for 2 packs)

I printed out the ink names and brands on MS word and printed on my regular laser printer, cut it into strips and glued it on the 2x2 swatch. And then I was ready to start doing my swatches.

And having the MISTI (check my previous post) made things so so easy!! It was just simply, ink, stamp, clean the stamp, ink again and stamp!! Simply quick and fast!!

Instead of posting a huge load of photographs, I just made a quick video showing all the inks I have and how I have separated them. As I buy more inks, it will change, but for now, this works.

This is how my folder looks. It looks odd because all colors look mixed up. They are not. They are on consecutive sheets.. In the video , I have put a white paper behind each sheet so as to give you a better idea. I still have to do my distress inks, embossing powders and maybe my mists in this folder..the possibilities are endless!!

You can see the Video on YouTube too! 

 Yes, I know you want to know where to buy those coin protector sheets from...Here is where I go them...from ebay. Here is the link  or you can buy from their website, here.

I did not order an album, since I didn't want a bulky folder on my desk. You can buy a D-ring album if you want to keep it in the folder.

So there you have it, my ink swatching system.

Do you have an inventory system? Would you like to share? If yes, I will create an inlinkz so others can find all the posts under one page.

I am surprised there isn't much sharing in our blogland. No one wants to share any info...if they find something new, its always "inbox me for details" I find it a pretty narrow minded vision. I have lost respect for a lot of people the moment I see, "Inbox for classes/inbox for details" especially considering they learn everything free on YT! Do I sound petty and jealous?? I hate unfairness. Had I been jealous, you would have never seen such sharing or enabling posts on my blog.Well ending the tiny vent on a jolly note, I spoke to a friend about it, and she simply said...Not everyone has a generous heart. Most are money minded. And that is where I find my solace. I am not them.
 To each his/her own...Anyhoo! End of my tiny rant! :P

My MISTI review

Hello everyone,

I'm just here to share my newest love...MY PRECIOUS!! My newest stamping tool, The MISTI... It is nothing related to misting, just that the word MISTI stands for Most Incredible Stamping Tool Invented. And I can promise you, it is all that and more!

Here is my short review on MISTI...I have been using it for almost 4 weeks now. I simply love it. I am so planning to sell off my Fiskars Stamp Press. (If anyone is interested, please send me an email)

Photo courtesy - My Sweet Petunia

What it does? 
Its a stamping placement tool. Its design is such that you can stamp again and again in the same spot without getting ghost images.
Its hinge lid ensures the perfect placement every time. It will be confusing if you have never seen it in action. So hop over to My Sweet petunia's Channel and check out this video..and most of her other videos.

Do you need it?
If you are a serious stamper...and I mean, you make more cards stamping than using dies and flowers and all that jazz, then yes, run and get it. You will love it.
If you like stamping and want to get serious about it, start saving for it. 

 If you are a crafter who only stamps sentiments on cards, or random stamping on your Scrapbook pages or only makes scrapbooks, don't invest in this right away(and this is my opinion specifically for a beginner stamper and crafter)

Simply because the cost factor is such that you cannot use it instead of your acrylic block. It costs 50$ plus the shipping and plus the customs. But if you have the means, then don't hesitate.

Simply put, it is more of a stamping tool which gives you perfect placement, perfect inking and if you don't get a clear impression the first time, you can re-ink and re-stamp in the exact same spot without any problems.You can stamp on your die cuts perfectly and you can make multiples of a card in a jiffy!
If you break down and get it, don't blame me!! :P

What all do you need with it?
For sure you need the magnets. And I recommend at least 2. I use 4, but then I am OCD about lining papers. You can buy magnets from locally... you need to get the size 20mmx2mm which is what I use. I brought them off Ebay long before my MISTI arrived.

Do not get the iron or ceramic magnets..they will stain your papers. You need to get Neodymium magnets or magnets that are coated with nickel.

Buying the spray and grid papers is optional...and I don't have either of those. I print out my own grid papers from free downloads on the internet.
And I use plain water and microfiber cloth to clean my acrylic lid. 

Being the crazy person I am, I would also recommend get a cover for it. Buy any tablet cover that is around 11 inches x8.5 inches (Apple ipad Air covers seem to fit well)
 It will hold your MISTI and make sure the acrylic doesn't break. 

There are some other things that I am looking into, that is an addition to the MISTI, and as soon I find that they are good enough, I will update you all!

Here is my card that I made with this border stamp...when I was just testing out my new tool.
The image is super sized so that you can see how perfectly I was able to line up the stamps.
And most of the colors, the orange, the yellows and the blue (I hate that blue, never stamps well..I stamped it 3 times here) are all stamped twice and some more than twice.

Because of the MISTI, I didn't have to worry about lining it up. I knew it would stamp exactly the same place! 

 I used 9 inks, all of then Ranger Dye inks...except the 4th from the bottom which is Memento Dandelion ink. Finished it off with a sentiment from Winnie and Walter and some gems.

If you still have doubts, shoot me a comment or an email.

Coming in my next post, how to make your ink-swatches, or rather, how I made my ink swatches!

CAS Explosion box!

Yep, you read that right...A CLEAN AND SIMPLE Explosion box...is that even possible?? Well anything is possible....I just chose to keep it simple!

So here's my birthday explosion box....made one after sooo long...and was absolutely glad to try it again...So without much talking....here's the pics....quite a few of them!! :D

Here's the teaser that I showed you yesterday... Loved the SSS dies..but they are a pain to cut..Either that, or I need a new die cut machine! Loads of wink of stella on the balloons and Glossy accents on top of it!

 Here's the top of the box...Told ya..CAS! Since this was for a guy, I really didn't want to load it up with flowers unless necessary! I somehow lost the dot for the "i" in the birthday...and realized it just before I had to give it...just added a sad dot!! That's the one thing that bugs me!!!

The box when closed.

 Loved this sentiment!! looks amazingly stylish!! And lets pop that lid open....and BAM!

As you can see by the 12x12 paper below, this one is big. Its 5"x5" box...when opened it opens to 15inchx15inch. And the request was for blue and reds....so I alternated the layers...blue, red, blue and finally the red cake. My mind works like that...I love symmetry in everything...

Messages were printed and then die cut..

 The second layer with reds...

 The lower most layer with blues..and drum roll please...

 My first ever circle cake...it took me a better part of the day to figure this out! But looks good...wouldn't have been possible without tons of inputs from my friends, Nupur and Manu...Thanks girls again!

No project is ever complete without just a touch of butterflies.. I needed something to balance the overload of flowers on the opposite side.  So here went my butterflies!

So there you go! Loved making it.
I haven't mentioned supplies, because there a ton of it...

Just before I go, there is a discount for the Re-positionable spray used for re-sticking the Cameo mat on Snapdeal...just in case anyone was looking to buy it.  Here's the link http://bit.ly/1zgraSL

Ask me if you have any queries and I shall get back to you asap!!

Toodles,
Till the next post!