Promarkers going dry? Top tip !

If your alcohol markers are going dry or you accidentally left the lid off, don't throw them away they can be reinvigorated!
Just remove the end of the pen to get to the inside and drip triple distilled vodka onto the coloured felt tube. Re seal and leave for a few hours. How much vodka you use will depend on how dry the pen is.

This is a bit messy so if you don't want to get your fingers stained wear some rubber gloves.

More money saved!

Yve
:)

Oooooh !  Just had a thought............maybe you could use this for the shading effect in the previous post. Hmmmm?? Will have to try that!

Turn your Promarkers into shading pens

Am just watching the UK's dedicated crafting Channel (I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about) and specifically the programme about the alcohol pens with the colour blending pens with the name of a lizard (Ch---------n).  Having already got a good selection of PROMARKERS I thought I'd see if this worked with them and guess what IT DOES !

Simply turn your coloured promarker upside down with whichever end you are wanting to use and press's the chisel end of your blender pen to the end of your coloured pen and wait for the blending solution to be absorbed into the tip of the coloured marker. Use as demonstrated or if you didn't watch the demo shade from the light area to the dark area with just the one pen. Ta dah!

Money saved!

Yve
:)

More Christmas card inspiration for 2014.

 

There's a lot of different manufacturers in these cards, some old, some new.  I have listed them below. I hope you like them.

 

Tip for today : If you don't have the right colour for your decorative gems try dripping alcohol ink over clear, white or a similar coloured gems (e.g. use a pink gem with dark red alcohol ink). I did this for the stags/deer eyes. I used brown alcohol ink on a clear gem. For the Holly berries I used cranberry alcohol ink on a pearl white gem.

The centres of the poinsettias are clear microbeads mixed with a yellow alcohol ink and allowed to dry before application.

 

Stag's head and leaping stag - Marianne dies
Greetings - frames from an old Anna Griffin CD rom and computer text.
Winter wishes - Tattered Lace.
Noel greetings -  designed & cut by me on the original Quickutz Silhouette machine
Pine branches - Chloe's stamps, Tattered lace and an old Judikins Christmas block.
3 Holly leaves - Judikins Christmas block.
Poinsettia - Spellbinders, Quickutz silhouette & Sizzix Bigz dies.
Flourishes - Spellbinders.
Gold Matts - Martha Stewart punch around the page & Tonic dies.
Holly sprig - Creative Expressions die
Wreath - Sweet Poppy stencil and my homemade stencilling paste (see earlier post)
Holly corner - I think is an old X cut punch.
Gold snowflake - Spellbinders.

Have fun!

Yve
 

Inexpensive Card Stand

Do you sell your cards?
Want to display them without spending a fortune on expensive dies or stands?

Well here's my version (with template & instructions). Feel free to copy & print the template. All I ask is that you point the credit back here and spread the word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Take an A4 sheet of card.
(I used foiled but you could use plain and decorate it)

2. On the wrong side and measuring from the shorter edge measure & score at 1cm, 2.5cm & 4cm (ABC distances apart as shown).
     Draw a pencil line at 5cm. (the red line at 'D' on the template)

3. At the opposite end of the card measure and score at 1cm, 9cm & 17cm.  (EFG distances as shown)
     Draw a pencil line at 23cm. (the red line at 'H' on the template)

4. Cut the A4 sheet into 3 lengthways (the dotted green line). Each piece should be 7cm wide.

5. Between point 'A' and the edge of the card put extra strong double sided tape.
Fold to make a triangle align and stick to your pencil mark at 'D'.

6.  Between point 'E' and the edge of the card put extra strong double sided tape.
Fold to make a triangle align and stick to your pencil mark at 'H'.

7. Do this for each of your 3 pieces.

If you're not decorating - Job done.


Thanks for looking and happy crafting.

Yve

Rough few weeks !

First I have to apologise to apologise to the ladies booked on my 'mirror stamping' class. Unfortunately since I was off sick from my regular day job, I can't be seen to be working elsewhere (however much I want to be there for you). So I'm sorry I had to let you down. I will be doing classes again after the holidays so I hope you'll forgive me and join me then.

Personally I've had a rough few weeks culminating in the passing of a dear family pet who went over the rainbow bridge sometime overnight Thursday/Friday. Although his passing has been expected for the last year, I thought I was prepared for it. WRONG ! I spent all Friday night balling my eyes out. Welcome back those fatty bags under my eyes that I worked so hard on getting rid of last time I had a good boo ! Oh, well !

I haven't been lying about feeling sorry for myself all the time though as you've probably noticed from my last post (stencilling with this Sweet Poppy Stag being what I  hope to be doing as one of my classes soon). Once I'd made all these stags heads though they had to made into cards and here are some of the results (plus some other creations). Hope you like them. Only one of them is done with shop bought embossing paste.

 

 

Hopefully, with the arrival of a very lovely gift from Tonic studios (guess who jumps to the top of my favourite crafty stash list) on Saturday morning I can put all this bad luck behind me. I also got a £5 birthday voucher from Ideal World (which I hope includes C&C) and only this morning I got a £2 voucher for being overcharged at ASDA's  (including the amount I was overcharged). Not a huge amount granted, but when you live on a tight budget everything's welcome. The moral of the story is "always check your receipts before you leave the shop".

 

 

Anyway, enough for now. I'm Hank Marvin so I'm off  to see what I can rustle up for my tea.

 

 

Yve

Stencilling on a budget - Part 3

Making your own glitter paste.

Ok folks, as promised the results of my experiment.

 

 

I think that's a brilliant result. Don't you?

 

Some cheapo kiddies glitter glue (from leading supermarkets) mixed with Tylose powder (available from good cake making shops or I got mine from C & C) to make a firm gel. (I sieved it in an blended well each time).

 

Place the card onto a magnetic sheet and pop the stencil on top. Mask off the edges with low tack tape, Scrape over the gel with a dedicated scraper or the edge of a palette knife. Carefully remove the masking tape and lift the stencil and VOILA !

Allow to dry and design your cards.

 

 Simples !

 

On this example I really like the tonal variations between the sections of high glitter and those with a lower concentration of glitter. I'm just blown away that this is so inexpensive but gives amazing results.

 

Although I love my job, I feel sometimes my talents are going to waste.

Any serious job offers considered. LOL

 

 OH WELL! school holidays are here. YIPPEE !!!!!!!

 

Yve Jaye



Stencilling on a budget part 2

Encouraged by my efforts at creating a budget embossing paste I've just finished trying it with glitter glue. As expected adding the talc made the mixture opaque, reduced colour to a pastel shade and had minimal glitter showing. It looks good though!
What could I use to thicken the mix enough so that it wouldn't just run under the stencil or collapse into a puddle when the stencil is lifted without compromising the transparency? Gelatine was my first thought, but that packet that I remember being in my kitchen cupboards must have gone out of date and been thrown because I just couldn't find it anywhere. OK..... think harder ........... I have gum Arabic or Tylose powder. I'm not really sure whether they are the same but I use Tylose powder to thicken roll out icing so it is easier to mould flowers without them losing their shape. However.... when mixed into glitter glue does it turn transparent? Only one way to find out. My first attempt was a disaster. I used about a quarter of a teaspoon in about two teaspoons of glitter glue and it just went into a lumpy mess. Second attempt and I added it very gradually, making sure to add in minute quantities (almost dusted in) and blend well each time. On my first, second and third attempts at stencilling with it, the results got gradually better. Fourth attempt ( and a fresh batch in gold) was just right. It needs to be quite gloopy. (If you've every made meringues you'll know what I mean when I say it needs to stand in peaks.) It retained transparency and didn't run.
The proof will really be in the drying but I am hopeful and will let you know soon how it turned out (with pictures). If it works, I will used the Tylose powder in with the /pearlescent paint to see if it works any better.

Fingers crossed !

Yve Jaye