Thinking Inking

Technique Play Day: Copic Various Inks and Shaving Cream

Welcome! How about another experiment post today? (I will have a post Tuesday evening for the MFT March Reveal --this is just a share-the-fun post.) I've been playing mad scientist lately, and I have a counter top full of card fronts to show for it. I recently had someone ask if Copic Various Inks (reinkers) could be used with shaving cream for marbelizing paper, and I really didn't know the answer. Hmmm. . . time to find out, right?

Please Note: After making a mess all over my studio, as you can see below, I did some Googling and found THIS POST from 2014 on the Copic Oz Blog, where Kate Palmer made *beautifully* marbled paper. I mean hers doesn't need to be covered up at all, so you really will want to check it out! I'm sure that other people have tried this too; I'm sharing only my brief experience with it--NOT claiming to invent something new. 

Clearly, the place to begin was with shaving cream. I chose raspberry so that my studio would not smell like menthol for the next week!

I dripped three colors of Copic Various Inks (R81, RV04, and YR07) onto the shaving cream. They fizzed a bit and made little indentations, but that didn't seem to be a problem. I neglected to take a picture of the next step--I must have been a little to eager to see what was going to happen! Anyway, I used a piercing tool to pull lines through the shaving cream. I wasn't particularly careful about spacing them since my drops of ink had been pretty random.

This was my first sheet of cardstock, still coated with raspberry shaving cream and Various Inks. (Are you curious yet?)

I added a few more drops of ink to what was left in my pan since the ink was a little farther apart on piece one than I wanted it to be after I blotted the shaving cream off of the card stock. Next I grabbed my little piercing tool to run a few lines through the new ink drops.

And here's another half sheet of card stock in its shaving-cream-and-ink bath. You can see that my shaving cream is getting a bit thin in places where the ink has fizzed right through it.

Here's what the second paper looked like before being blotted. You can see that my ink is starting to look a little muddly by this point. The orange is staying put, but the pink is starting to spread and fade.

But after it has been blotted, it doesn't look half bad! So I thought I'd keep going until I was sure that I'd totally exhausted my shaving cream-ink bath.

Here's the next one, and this one is pretty muddy looking. (I have an idea for that though, so I'm not quitting quite yet.)

You can see my first five tries in a row here. I didn't really like number one since the ink was too clumped together still. Number two? Meh--okay. Number three? It's starting to get muddy, but I actually like it better because I have better ink coverage. Four and Five? I think that they still have possibilities. . .

I kept going, knowing that I was WAY past the "pretty point" at this time, but it's all part of the experiment, right? :-} Besides, I still have an idea for rescuing these. . . This would be sheets six through eight. The pattern is much softer by this time, and I'm beginning to wish that I hadn't included the orange ink in my original mix.

What do you think? I let ALL of the papers dry overnight, and then I took the ones that seemed too muddy to be stand-alone pieces and stamped a couple of my MFT background stamps in Versamark ink and heat embossed with white or detail white (for the smaller lines) embossing powder. ( I used Garden Flourish Background and Roses All Over Background.)

Here is my completed card set. I left them blank inside so that my recipient could write her own messages in them, but I used sentiments on the outside that I knew she would find useful. The sentiments are from MFT's NEW Spring Wreath stamp set, which will be available at this link Tuesday night at 10pm EST.

Here's a close up of one of the Garden Flourish cards.

And here is one of the Roses All Over cards--I loved the roses! I think I may play with shaving cream and Various Inks again--as long as I have raspberry shaving cream, that is!  Thank you for stopping by today,

Questions Answered:

Several of you have asked really good questions that I should have addressed when I first wrote this post! I'll answer them below as they come up.

• What kind of paper did you use--regular (absorbent) card stock, or glossy card stock? I used three different kids of regular cardstock: PTI Stamper's Select White, MFT Smooth White, and X-Press It blending card. There was really not much difference in the way the Stamper's Select White or the Smooth White accepted the ink. The surface of the X-Press It is smoother, and I think that the colors may have been slightly more muted on the X-Press It. (That could also have had to do with order of use though--that's why I don't want to be dogmatic about it.) Anyway, no glossy used here.
• "So, how do you think this compares to creating a watercolor background with re-inkers then embossing your design on top?" I think I had more texture with this technique than I usually have with watercolor washes. Perhaps that is because I have more water in my watercolor washes than I need? A good watercolorist can get some pretty amazing wash effects, and I love those too. But I do think that this gives more texture. Also, if you go look at Kate Palmer's pieces on the Copic Oz blog, she had a very well-controlled marbled effect that I do not think you could achieve with a watercolor wash. My attempts were more random--the "whatever happens, happens" approach. . . ;-)
• "How much do you blot the card stock after you've lifted it up from the shaving cream mix, and do you use paper towels? Just wondering how much so you don't mess up the pretty design."  I placed my shaving-cream laden cardstock on a paper towel, and then I placed a second paper towel on top of the shaving cream and pressed straight down, deflating and absorbing shaving cream as I went. I didn't really wipe it--more like blotting it. I had to let it dry overnight, but the ink seemed to stay put pretty well. Hope that helps!

Sweet Succulents: MFT Countdown Day 2

Welcome! It's Day 2 of the My Favorite Things March Release Countdown, and I have a Sweet Succulents card to share with you today. I got a kick out of some of the sentiments in this set. I thought I'd put this card up for for husband, because no doubt I've occasions to say something like this in the past, and chances are, I'll need to do so again. . . ;-)

I colored my cactus with the Copic markers listed above after stamping it in MFT's Hot Fudge Hybrid ink. 

I chose a different succulent for the inside--is that aloe in the pot? All of the supplies that I used are linked below. Keep in mind, however, that the NEW release items won't be available until March 1 at 10pm EST.  All of the other links should be working now. 

I hope you get a chance to visit the MFT Blog for a list of all of today's participants and to see how YOU can win a $75 prize! Thanks for stopping by today,

InLinkz.com

Spring Friends: MFT Countdown Day 3

Welcome! It's Day 3 of the My Favorite Things March Release Countdown, and I have a Spring Friends card to share today. I also used a new die-namics--see that inverted scalloped frame? It's a new release called Stitched Rectangle Scalloped Frames, and I have more shapes at the top of my wish list now! 

I colored the Spring Friends image with Copic markers, all listed above, and used a scrap of denim saturated with colorless blender to create texture on the girl's jeans and shirt.

The sentiment that I used is from an earlier MFT Pure Innocence stamp set, Just the Way You Are. That little Cross-Stitch Rectangle Die-namics that looks like a darker color of cardstock is really just the same Wild Wisteria that the Stitched Rectangle Scalloped on top is; I needed a little bit more contrast than I had, so I used one of my Copics to darken it just a tiny bit. I love the sweet little bunny in this set too! 

Be sure to visit the MFT Blog to see who is showcasing today's release sets AND to see how you can win a $75 prize ! While the links list is below, the links for the NEW PRODUCTS won't work until March 1 at 10pm EST. All of the others should be working now, and the new products links will work as soon as the release goes live.  

Thank you for visiting today!

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Spring Wreath: MFT Countdown Day 5

Welcome! It's that time of month again--the birds are singing, the days are getting longer and warmer (well, warmer somewhere, maybe, but not here!). . . You guessed it--it's the March release time for MFT Stamps! Today for Day 5 of the My Favorite Things Stamps Countdown, I have a couple of sweet little Spring Wreath cards to share with you. 

These were so simple to put together since the coordinating Spring Wreath Die-namics does most of the work for you! I also love the new Blueprints 27 with that sweet scalloped, stitched border.

I did just a hint of airbrushing (Copic B02) in the center of both wreaths to make them stand out a bit more on the white background.

I used foam tape to pop the top wreath up after stamping the bottom one and some flowers directly onto the card fronts, and I added glitter to the flower centers.

Be sure to visit the MFT Blog to see who is showcasing today's release sets AND to see how you can win a $75 prize ! While the links list is below, the links for the NEW PRODUCTS won't work until March 1 at 10pmEST. All of the others should be working now, and the new products links will work as soon as the release goes live.  

Thank you for visiting today!

LJD Spring Wreath	Die-namics LJD Spring Wreath	Die-namics Blueprints 27	Coral Crush Premium Dye Ink Pad	Pink Lemonade Premium Dye Ink
Cotton Candy Hybrid Ink Pad	Razzle Berry Premium Dye Ink	Limelight Premium Dye Ink Pad	Sour Apple Premium Dye Ink Pad	Smooth White Card Stock
Ruby Microfine Glitter	Cool Diamond Microfine Glitter	Quickie Glue Pen	Foam Tape 3/8"

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Technique Play Day: Copic Various Inks 2

Welcome! Can you handle a second "inky play day" post today? I have two more cards fronts on which I experimented with Copic Various Inks (refills) and Colorless Blender, aiming for a looser watercolor style. (Image is from the Peonies on Parade stamp set by Papertrey Ink, linked at the bottom.)  On yesterday's post I used X-Press It Blender Card for my base, mostly for its smooth, uncoated surface.  On today's first card, I tried MFT's Smooth White cardstock; it is a heavy cardstock and has a smooth finish--not quite as smooth as X-Press It, perhaps, but definitely both heavier and whiter. 

First, a comparison of yesterday's image (on the right) and today's (on the left). I'll explain what I did differently on technique a little later, but I wanted to show you a color and value comparison first. Please note that I'm not unhappy with either one, and I can think of great uses for BOTH types! But they do give you a little different look, and you'll probably find that almost every paper you experiment with will give you different qualities to work with--that's the fun part! The color was darker and more vibrant on the whiter, thicker cardstock. (So then you have to decide whether you are going for a softer, lighter style, or for a richer, more intense style. Again--BOTH work, but they just work a little differently. (You should be able to click on a picture to see a larger version. On a Mac, the best way is to right click and select Open in a New Tab. I had to disable the feature that opened the full-sized picture with one click, because it was making all of the blog pictures low resolution. Sorry for the extra step!)

Yesterday I had saturated my cardstock with colorless blender before dripping reinkers directly onto the unstamped cardstock. On the piece above, I first stamped the image in MFT Black Licorice Hybrid ink onto MFT Smooth White cardstock and quickly dried the ink with my heat tool to be sure that it was well-set before inking with my Various Inks. (That may not be necessary, but I knew that it was going to get pretty wet before I finished, so I heat-set as a precaution.) I used an aquapainter/waterbrush filled with colorless blender solution to paint the peony and leaves with Various inks, and then I decided to airbrush the shadow areas and background. When you airbrush with Copics, the ink does not absorb into  the paper the same way it does when you color directly onto paper with Copics; it sits on the surface of the paper and is easier to move around with colorless blender. That's why I airbrushed instead of dripping ink onto this cardstock. I wanted to see how much contrast and texture I could get if the ink were not fully saturating the paper before I started applying Colorless Blender. I did not use any masking, so the airbrushing is rough. Since I'm going for a looser look, however, having ink outside the lines doesn't bother me at all here.

Here I have dripped colorless blender directly from the bottle, AND spritzed colorless blender. Do you notice how much lighter the background is than the peony and leaves? That's because of the airbrushing on the background. I had already painted a layer on ink onto the flower and leaves, so they stayed darker when I spritzed with colorless blender. Colorless Blender WILL move Various Inks, but it moves them more when they are not deeply saturated into the paper.

Here I've pulled my markers out and started darkening in parts of the flowers and leaves, as well as some shadow areas. That messed up the nice texture in the shadows, but I'll just drip Colorless Blender on it again later. :-)

Here I've blended some of the color that I added on the previous step, and I've dripped and spritzed more Colorless Blender to get some of the texture back that I'd lost when I shaded with my markers. It was almost finished at this stage, though I fiddled with it more as I was making the card. That's one of my problems--not always knowing when to stop. . .

I have one more comparison for you: on the left is the MFT Smooth White cardstock with the airbrushed top layer--the one that you just saw up above. On the right is another piece of X-Press It Blending Card. The piece on the right was a disaster--seriously. I had over-inked it and let the colors get all muddy. I had also failed to clean my Craft Assistant (magnetic board), and had some Red-Violets that migrated back though the paper into the sky area when I wet the paper down with Colorless Blender. Truly, it could have won First Prize in an Ugly Contest. I wish I had a picture of it at its ugliest, but I wasn't planning to show it to you and didn't take a picture. Then I decided to keep playing with it for a while to see if I could rescue it. I knew the the surface of the X-Press It would hold up to a lot of abuse, so I abused it for the next two hours, and I think I like it now! It's definitely a darker and less vibrant piece, but it eventually worked out to be useable.

Here's a summary of the cardstock trivia and inking techniques that I've used over the past two days--the picture above is for you Pinners out there. :-)  Lessons that I've learned over the past two inky play days:

1. Yes, you can make Copic Various Inks look quite a bit like watercolors if you want to.
2. It's worth trying different papers. Each will have different strengths and weaknesses. 
3. Try different methods of ink application, or a combination  of them: straight from the bottle, spritzed, and painted on with a brush and colorless blender as the "water."
4. If you think that a piece is past saving, keep playing with it. What do you have to lose? You might be able to say eat, and you should be able to learn from it even if you don't save the piece!
5. Be generous with the Colorless Blender if you want a watercolor look.

Well, that's about it for my little Various Inks adventure. We're quickly coming up on MFT's March countdown, so you'll be seeing a lot of me this week! I didn't link everything I used below, but I did link the supplies that were most important to my topic. Thanks for visiting,

PTI Peonies on Parade Stamp Set	PTI Think Big Favorites #16	MFT Smooth White Cardstock 25 sheets	Blending Card by X-Press It, 25 Pack	Various Ink
Various Ink Colorless Blender 200cc	Essentials by Ellen, Craft Assistant

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Technique Play Day: Copic Various Inks 1

 Before I jump into a LONG technique post, I just wanted to give a shout out for some upcoming Copic Certification and Workshop Classes! Lori Craig is teaching in St. Louis  on March 4-5, and I'll be teaching in the Elk Grove area of  greater Chicago on March 11-12. Cindy Lawrence will be in Hanover, Maryland the next weekend, March 18-19; and Michelle Houghton will finish up March with classes in Atlanta on March 25-26. I'm back in Portland, Oregon on April 15-16. We'd love to have you join us!

Welcome! I finally finished the work on my "must do" list and had a chance to just play today, so it's a mishmash of supplies and thoughts that I'm sharing today. I had ordered this lovely Peonies on Parade stamp from Papertrey Ink a few days ago and decided that it was a perfect size to experiment with some ideas I've had rumbling in my head lately. Watercolors have been really popular for a while now; and although I have several different kinds of watercolors (and have been playing with them!), I wanted to see if I could use my Copic Various Inks (reinkers) to achieve a similar loose look. I tried three different ways, one of which you see above. Are you ready for a LOT of pictures? Some aren't very pretty, but as my friend Lori Craig reminded me, "Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better!" :-)

For this piece, I started with a 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" sheet of X-Press It Blending Card. It's not a glossy cardstock, but it does have a very smooth, hard surface. I used a magnetic board (linked at the bottom), paired with some strong magnets to hold my cardstock down, knowing that I was going to get it very wet. The magnets and magnetic board setup worked perfectly, and I can't wait to see if that works well with really wet watercolors too! Anyway, I soaked my cardstock with Copic colorless blender solution and them just dripped ink in the areas that I wanted to stamp my peony and leaves images,  then dripped ink for the sky as well. I used a water brush that was filled with colorless blender to move the inks around a bit and get full coverage. (I did not pre-stamp any images, because I wasn't overly concerned that I fill the image lines perfectly anyway.)

   

Shown above are the Various Ink colors that I used. I've also misted the cardstock lightly with colorless blender solution to create some fine texture. TIP: If you try this, be careful not to overdo the spritzed colorless blender, or you will fade much of your color out. You want just enough for texture.

Next I stamped my images in MFT's Licorice Black Hybrid Ink. (I had tried an earlier version stamping the image FIRST, and I'll try to finish editing the pictures to share that one tomorrow.) I stamped the peony first, then masked its edges with wide Post-It tape so that I could stamp leaves a little closer to the flower than I would have been able to without masking.

In addition to taking the mask off, I've dripped colorless blender straight from the bottle all over my cardstock. At this stage, it was a little less defined than I wanted it to be.

So I used my Copic Colorless Blender (in marker form this time) to push some of the ink that was in the leaves out through the back of the cardstock. That allowed my shadows to be darker than my leaves and gave me a place to introduce a cleaner green color as well. I have a paper towel underneath the cardstock to soak up any color that I can push through the paper with my colorless blender.

Here I've added cleaner greens to the leaves, as well as a yellow center to my peony (after first  pushing the red-violet inks though the cardstock). I introduced more blue-violets to the shadows to push them deeper, cool them down, and give more contrast with the leaves. I'm finally getting more comfortable with how the image is looking. . . Believe me--I had my doubts that this piece was going anywhere but the garbage for a while there! But that's half the fun of experimenting, isn't it?

I have one more version that I almost threw away, but then decided to keep playing with. I'll try to get the picture of that ones edited by tomorrow and then show you the similarities and differences that paper and ink application techniques make. While I probably could have planned my layout a little better, I was still overall happy with how it turned out and thought it looked a lot like watercolor, while still giving me some of the control that I enjoy in my Copic markers. 

Thank you for stopping by today!

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Birthday Hooray: MFT CCWB Circular Reasoning

Welcome! Today I'm playing along in an MFT Creative Construction with Blueprints Circular Reasoning challenge. Would you like to play too? You can find the challenge HERE on the MFT Blog. There weren't many "rules" for this challenge--mostly using a set of MFT  Blueprints die-namics that contained circles, and then adding any more circles that you might want to use with that Blueprints set. I chose Blueprints 12 as my starting point, though I ended up adding a Stitched Mini Scalloped Circle die-namics as well. For stamp sets, I used both Mini Modern Blooms and Birthday Greetings.

For the inside, I used the same Birthday Greeting set for the sentiment and added a few flowers to tie into the card front.

If you are looking for layout possibilities for use with specific MFT Blueprints sets, don't forget about this great resource: Printable Resources: Blueprints Sketches. I combined elements from three of the Blueprints 12 Sketches for my layout. Be sure to visit the MFT Blog to see what others have done with the Circular Reasoning Challenge--you'll be inspired, I promise! Thank you for visiting,

InLinkz.com

Gumball Greetings Card Kit: Reveal Day

Welcome! First order of business: the MFT Gumball Greetings Card Kit is now available! Here's my second Gumball Greetings card. This time, I wanted a flatter card that would be easy to mail. Instead of making this card a shaker, I simply colored the globe with my Copic markers (G0000, G00 and 0), stamped the gumballs in solid ink, and then used a white Prismacolor pencil to create highlights on the gumballs in the machine. I used white cardstock die-cuts for the green and red gumballs at the base of the machine, colored with Copic markers. Cast shadows were added with Copic Cool Gray markers.

Here is the inside. Again at the base, I stamped the gumballs in solid ink, then used a white Prismacolor pencil to add highlights and a Copic C1 to add a cast shadow.

I used silver embossing powder on the gumball machine base, top, and mechanism. As you can see, my embossing powder gave me more of an antique finish than a super shiny finish, but I didn't really object to that, and I liked it better than using my non-embossed silver cardstock. I used the longest of the Stitched Fishtail Flag STAX Die-namics to cut the stitched right white edge of the card front and simply ran a layer of patterned paper behind that for a touch of color on the side. (I linked the three ink pads below that I used in addition to some of the ink colors in the Gumball Greetings kit.)

Be sure to check out the rest of the Gumball Greetings posts, all linked here on the MFT Blog. Thank you for visiting!

InLinkz.com

Gumball Greetings Card Kit: Day 1

Welcome! Today I have a shaker card to share made with the February MFT Stamps Gumball Greetings card kit. Isn't this a fun kit? I've always been a fan of shaker cards anyway, and it was really simple to create a shaker with the dimensional circle confetti and the round shaker container that nests perfectly with the gumball machine. The Gumball Greetings Kit will be available on Tuesday evening, February 16, at 10pm, EST.

Okay, I loved this inside sentiment, but using it meant that the only person I can give this card to is my husband! I was still down in South Carolina visiting my parents on Valentine's Day, so I had to leave this card where he could find it. I used a white gel pen to add a highlight to the gumballs, and a Copic C1 marker to create the gumball shadows. That small strip of patterned paper is from the Freshly Squeezed Chevron paper pack.

To make my gumball machine shiny, I die cut it from a scrap of Blu Raspberry cardstock, then mashed it into my Versamark pad and heat embossed using clear embossing powder. I embossed other parts with silver embossing powder, then glued my layers together and added a shadow with my Copic C1 and Colorless Blender.

I hope you get a chance to visit the MFT Blog for a complete list of everyone participating in the Gumball Greetings reveal today! Again, the Gumball Greetings Kit will be available on Tuesday evening, February 16, at 10pm, EST. Thank you for visiting,

InLinkz.com

Storage and Organization: Studio

Welcome! Today I'm sharing pictures of my work space in conjunction with the MFT Five Days to An Organized Crafty Stash week. Have I mentioned yet that MFT has been running specials this whole week? I hope that you saw that when you visited the MFT Blog to get links to everyone else participating in this week's organizational festivities!

First, I am blessed to have a dedicated space in which to work. I know that many of you have double-duty spaces that don't allow you the luxury of leaving your tools and supplies out, and that your crafting time may also have to be used to get things out and put them away neatly. We had unfinished basement space meant for a bedroom that we've never needed. So a few years ago, my husband agreed to create a work space for me--have I mentioned a time or two that he's VERY handy, and total "keeper?" It's not super fancy, but it's utilitarian and a great space for me. 

The picture above is taken from the doorway of my walk-in closet that is about five feet deep and the width of the room (and hides a multitude of sins, ummm, I mean cabinets and shelves. . . ;-) I use the counter on the left to work on projects, and the counter on the right to do my computer work, sew, and take photos of my work for blogging.

This picture is taken from the window area, looking back toward the closet. Obviously the work space is reversed then--computer/photography on the left and crafting space on the right.

Here's where I sit most often to work--right in front of my Copic markers and my ink pads--my happy place!  That's a light table on my desk surface. I don't use it super-often, but it certainly comes in handy when I do need a light table. I have a tempered glass mat sitting on top of it to protect the light table surface. I have two paper cutters on my countertop--a Genesis cutter that is just outside of this picture to the right of the desk area, and Tonic that you see in this picture. (If you look at the TOP picture again, you can see the Genesis cutter right by the window.) I have a third paper cutter stored in the closet, a Carl rotary cutter. I use the Carl Cutter when I need to cut a thicker material, like chipboard, or a whole stack of cardstock. 

Back to the business side: I have both an inkjet and a small laser printer on the very end, one for color printing and the other for economical black and white printing. Next comes my computer (with cardstock stored in the kneehole beneath the computer), clear stamps and ribbon, sewing machine, and to the right of the sewing machine just outside of this picture, my light tent and photo lights. If I were to pick one main thing to change, it would be to clear off more of the countertop and find places to put some of the STUFF that's on my countertops. I am more productive when my room is tidy, and I really like visual "quiet space."  But that means that I need to pare down my stash in order to make more space to put things away. Hmmmm. . .

In the closet I have three 6' x  2-1/2' utility cabinets, as well as three paper/cardstock racks, and a wire grid shelving unit with labeled cloth drawer bins. The closet is pretty full, but I can generally find what I need in it, and it keeps my room looking better than it would otherwise! If you have questions from what I've shared this week, please feel free to ask in the comments section, and I'll try to answer them if I can. 

I hope you've enjoyed this storage and organization week! Be sure to visit the MFT Blog to see who else is participating in the craft room tour today. And check for specials while you're at it, okay? ;-)

Thank you for visiting,

Storage and Organization: Cardstock and Stencils

Welcome! I'm back with a third MFT craft organization post, with today's topic being cardstock organization. All of today's participants are linked on the MFT Blog. I really haven't had much of a challenge in the cardstock area in past years, because almost all of the cardstock I used was from the same company. That meant that all I had to keep straight was color--and that's easy! But when I suddenly need to keep two lines of cardstock unmingled, I was a bit concerned about how I would store it.

You see, I really didn't have room, even with a walk-in closet, to add another cardstock storage shelf! (You caught me: these aren't in rainbow order, and I have no idea why--must fix!)

I looked around the house and found a couple of old, short filing cabinets that could be repurposed and decided that repurposing was better than buying another new shelf or two and creating space issues in my studio closet. Since these are just two-drawer cabinets and not very deep, I was able to put then under my computer desk, in the knee-hole area. (My oh-so-handy husband built me a pull-out keyboard shelf, so I didn't need to sit in close to the countertop to work.) At the moment, my MFT cardstock is happy here. But when I start collecting more full packs (instead of mostly sampler packs), I may eventually need to switch out with the cardstock shelves in the closet. As long as my filing cabinets will hold the cardstock, I'll be happy to leave it this way, mostly because of a FABULOUS idea that watercolorist extraordinaire (among numerous other talents) Kay Miller shared! I asked Kay how on earth she kept everything straight, as many companies as she works for, and Kay graciously shared how she was organizing her cardstock.

Kay said that she cuts a piece of cardstock into four pieces--4-1/4 x 5-1/2"--and uses the same refrigerator bins that most clear stamp sets fit into to store labeled cardstock right beside her paper cutter. (Is that genius, or what?) I can't even tell you how much Kay's idea has simplified my life when it comes to keeping up with cardstock! I can grab exactly the line and color that I need, and I can easily check to see what color I have used in cases of similar colors. I also have room for cardstock scraps right in front of the quarter-sized sheets (see below). And when I get to the last quarter sheet, it's time to cut down another full sheet of that color. 

By the way, that's also how I decide what cardstock colors to purchase next: I started with only two variety packs of cardstock, along with a few colors that I knew I already loved and would use often--like blue-greens and pinks. (Oh yes, I adore blue-greens and pinks!) Anyway, when I have cut into my last sheet from the variety packs, I put that particular color on my list to purchase next time I have enough on my want/need list to earn free shipping. Pretty slick! (And, thanks, Kay, for the help!)

It's handy and accessible--just what I needed. The tall half sheets in the back are for card bases since most of my cards are vertical. I still make a few trips to the closet and filing cabinets, but not so many now. I hope you get a chance to go to the the MFT Blog Blog and see a full list of designers playing along with the storage and organization ideas week! Thanks for visiting,

P.S. I didn't link to the refrigerator bins yesterday or today because Jennifer McGuire has linked to them in her organization lists HERE. I thought since she had gone to all of that work making videos and had been kind enough to share her ideas, she should be able to get affiliate credit for it. Thanks for understanding!

Storage and Organization: Die-namics

Welcome to day three of MFT's Five Days to An Organized Crafty Stash event! The MFT Blog has a complete list of today's participants. Today we are sharing ways that we have organized our dies. As you might image, I have a LOT of dies--not even going to try to count them! Most of my dies are the thinner, wafer or cookie cutter type dies, though I have a few of the thicker variety as well for cutting heavy materials like chipboard. Today I'm focusing on the wafer dies such as MFT's Die-namics line.

I store dies that coordinate with stamp sets in the same clear envelope that I store the stamp set in; that way they don't get separated, and I don't have to spend time looking for them.

The dies that are nesting or that don't coordinate with specific sets are placed on magnetic sheets and labeled, then stored in an Inter-Design refrigerator bin. 

And here we have the oh-so-rare-all-tidied-up look! Seriously, my die-cutting area is the area most likely to be in disarray since I really DO use dies quite often. This bin contains not only my MFT dies, but also dies from three other companies. Since I am storing stamp-set-coordinating dies in the envelopes with the stamps, I should have sufficient room in the box for quite a while. (The patterned paper and label maker are in there mostly to keep the dies from sliding down toward the front, and the metal cutters are on there for when I need to cut apart attached die sets.)

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I'll be traveling down to South Carolina today to visit my parents, but I'll try to watch for questions and answer them when I get a chance along the way.  Tomorrow is all about cardstock storage. . . Don't forget to check out the MFT Blog for a complete list of designers participating in the Storage and Organization event! Thanks for visiting,