A Bit More Research Was Needed

I really should read up on things BEFORE buying them! And by that, I mean ALL the information. I researched what kind of air compressor to get, going with one that was recommended by an employee at Hobby Town, and even what kind of air hose - but what I totally pushed to one side were the markers. There are different types of Copics. I know I have seen that, but it just didn't seem important. It was. Very.

Turns out that I bought the Ciao. The Copic Airbrush is set up for the Sketch. You can use the Ciao, but it is a bit more work. Once you figure out how to pop the Sketch markers in correctly, they work like a dream.

Oh, and those numbers on the markers DO mean something - blending. I really didn't think I would need that. I was wrong. The colors I bought today have too much contrast, but the ones from last week (the Ciao) blended much better.

So, I guess I will use what I have - and research more in the future. Oh, and I need to post a pic of the dragon. It is so cool!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

It was a scrappy-licious birthday! Sandy went up to RW with me as my Jiminy Cricket, much to DH's relief. She basically makes sure I don't spend too much by helping me to question my wants. She's a great friend.

Well, I dropped off my DT items. Man, am I going to miss being on the DT. I think next month is our last. It has been so much fun, so challenging, but it is now someone else's turn to have the limelight. I might try again in the future, but I am not sure.

I also picked up my QK Calendar layaway. I cannot wait to make Mom's 2011 calendar with that!!! My creative juices are really exploding with that set. My 7 Gypsies ATC holder was there (already paid), as was the Copic Air Brush set - both of which weren't exactly as I had pictured. The ATC Spinner didn't come with any of the sleeves! Bummer. The CAB didn't come with the hose - but that can be rectified when we buy the air compressor, hopefully on Friday.

I bought 7 Copic Ciao Markers. Those are going to be for airbrushing only until I use up the rest of my dozens of markers. I also finally remembered the replacement strips for my Tim Holtz hand sander!!! I found a great stamp with Chinese words, which turned out to be 'thanks', great for thanking those who help with the belt tests. Last, but not least, a compass mask from Tim Holtz that coordinates perfectly with the stamp and Glimmer Screens from Tattered Angels.

I feel so inspired - now to find the time!

All in a wonderful, scrappy birthday!

All Fonts Lead to Star

It was DH's idea that I get a font or two, when I first got into Quickutz. He thought that in the long run it would be cheaper than buying alpha stickers, most of which would get wasted since what I really need is lots of the letter 'a' since DD alone has three in her first name, and one each in her middle and our last name, and DS has 1-2-1. I was hesitant, but we eventually decided on QK Star - with shadows. Man, was that expensive! Then I decided on Indigo Classic, followed by Marisa Classic. The minis of these followed, then a few more and now I have over 20 alphas. We won't even go into how many I have with the Sil...

And, in spite of that, DH still prefers Star and Indigo. Sometimes it makes me wonder why I got anything past Marisa.... Funny thing, Sandy also loves Star, but she can't find all the shadows. I guess you never forget your first alpha love.....

Twinchie Background Photo

A quick pic of the Twinchie background square that I did with the Sil yesterday.

Sorry about the quality, but I took it with my iPhone.

I have finished the squares and the roses look so lovely.

A Sil Pen Experiment

I have been working on my Twinchie Swap for February and it has been a struggle. I wanted to put pink roses on the squares

Well, I tried several combinations of paper and ink, but nothing was quite right. I tried two different roses on the Sil, and two different background squares. I have been trying to get one that I like since Tuesday and nothing has worked. All I wanted to do was draw a 2-inch square with a design along the inner edges, using my Sil. I thought spraying them with Glimmer Mist might soften the bright pink on the white paper, but I sort of over-did it and the colors ran. Nice shiny mess.

Desperate, I decided to experiment. I took out the shiny, textured pink paper that I liked and loaded it into my Sil. I was sure that the ink would smear on the shiny surface or skip due to the texture. It seemed to me that plain paper was the only think I could draw on, and that bugged me. Today, I decided to risk it. The worse thing that could happen would be a useless piece of paper. Then I could blog about yet another ScrapKlutz disaster.

I was wrong! The ink did NOT smear and the pen did not skip. Unfortunately, I erased that file before I thought of putting in the blade to cut out each square, and since they are not lined up perfectly, I need to cut out each by hand.

Oh well. But I got to draw on shiny, textured paper!!!!! Much less messy than using a stamp and ink pad. WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I love it when my experiments turn out (even if I have a few detours.)

Genius Idea Needs Work

Okay, so after a few coats of the fabric paint, I got the album to a nice dark slate color. Unfortunately, I was shooting for pitch black. My eyes spied a bottle of black artist's pigment on top of the refrigerator and a new experiment came to mind. (Paint bottles on top of the fridge? Well, it's a safe place and much easier to get to than the cupboards above the fridge. Think of it as a hold-over from when the kids were little.)

Out came a foam brush and I got to work. Amazingly, it worked! And it is the tone I wanted. Unfortunately, it was not a full bottle, so the insides are still cream. I think I will take the page protectors out and spray the innards with the black fabric paint, slate is a good color for the insides.

I bet the white ink won't show up. I will try it, but I think some white paint is in my immediate future.

Maybe I should aim some of this ambition toward creating the actual pages.....

Mad Genius Inspiration

New Year, new experiment! What better way to enter into the new year/decade, than by try something new. Well, in my case, potentially disaster-filled?

I am feeling like a mad genius: I need an album for the Black Belt photos. I want a special album, but I do not want to buy one since I have so many lying around. Well, DH liked the cream canvas 12x12 from Martha Stewart, but it was, well, cream. Last night I had a stroke of brilliance (well, maybe madness) - I could dye the album with black fabric spray and then decorate it with stamps and stencils. Then, another brainstorm: first stamp it with embossing ink to resist the black paint.

Well, it kindasorta worked. You can just barely see the stamping under the black paint. Guess I need to go back to plan A and stamp over the paint.

Did I mention that I decided to start spraying the paint upstairs, on the beige carpet? Yep, I got some black paint on a few fibers. I am using newspaper underneath this time.....

If it turns out, I will post a photo. I know, I always say that - and one day I actually will!

New Disaster Minimizing Potential for 2010!

As you know, I have bad luck with inks and paints. I get them all over the place. You can always tell when I have been altering something by my hands. Once I had dark blue fingers and nails for three days - and that was with washing them constantly. That was thanks to my arch-foe Alcohol Ink. Yep, I even tried alcohol. No dice.

Glimmer mist is another one of my foes. I get that stuff all over, and since I tend to use more than one color at a time, my hands are usually quite colorful. Well, I was looking for some more GM and the local stores were out. Sherri no longer carries it (DD is really bummed!) One of the ladies at Stamp Asylum told me how to make my own. It involves Ranger Refills or alcohol ink, Ranger Pearl Essence Powder, water and a bottle. You put in a dropper or so of the ink, a tad of the powder and gingerly fill the spray bottle with water. Gingerly is the key. You can guess why.

The first try involved me using a Mini Mister and the water from the fridge dispenser. I detailed that disaster on SRMB. After a few more tries, I graduated to a bigger bottle. Much less mess going in, and less coming out. I was surprised. I didn't make much of a mess, until I picked it up and the shimmer came off in my hands. Guess I put in too much powder.

So, I am going to work on this formula because it is much cheaper than handing bottles of GM to DD who can finish one in no time flat, and with my own bottles (made for heavy-duty jobs), I might just be able to lower the mess potential.