From Pooka's Crayon

Random thoughts on setting faceted stones

2010-07-31T07:29:00.008-05:00

Hey! Not dead!

It's 7:30 in the morning, I still haven't been to sleep yet, and don't honestly see it happening any time soon. Sleep deprivation dragged me back here.

It's going to seem like a total segue, this and other recent posts from those in the past, but trust me, I can play Kevin Bacon with every single wacky crafty thing I've done.

So, wandering back into a childhood obsession (Going through bookshelves, I found a gem and mineral book with a note written inside marking it as a gift on my *10th* birthday, and I just turned 42 -- and did you miss my Random Injected Thoughts?) with geology and volcanoes (Kevin Bacon), I started my wanderings and collectings again. The husband has brought home some fabulous rock samples: Cleburne fossils, some lovely painted sandstone, Montana agates and sapphires(!), basalt, scoria, volcanic breccia .... I love how tolerant he is sometimes. The two large chunks of amethyst geode that I have came from him. WHOA, speaking of segues ... total brainfart there. Back to the show.

Right. Volcanoes. Olivine bombs. Peridot, and three August birthdays. Gemstones. Jewelry. Kevin Bacon.

I see an awful lot of recommendations that surprise me, though that the offenders are the ones trying to sell the items doesn't. Durability really needs to be a consideration when choosing gemstones you want to set in jewelry.

NOTE: Technically (according to whichever competing school you ascribe to), mountings and settings are NOT interchangeable words. Mountings are the receptive medium for the stone you are Setting, which is the act of placing the stone in the Mounting. Of course, now that I've listed the definition, I'm sure I'm going to promptly require a rap on the knuckles.

Since I may be slightly above the normal level of wear and tear on jewelry, take this as it's meant. This is for ME, and my Things, who have my lack of grace, abundance of clutziness, and a tendency to abuse our hands. It may not apply to you at all. Then again, it might. Keep reading.

Stones *I* would personally avoid putting into rings and bracelets:

expensive tanzanites or chrome diopsides. Not very durable. If the stone and setting cost me around 20 bucks, I consider it acceptable. For an engagement or wedding ring? I guess it's a good thing divorce is so common: the stones don't last, either.
apatite of any sort, petalite, kyanite. Seriously. They're fragile.
flourite. This can be delicate to set at ALL, much less in a ring.
anything below a Mohs hardness of 6. Look, I'm hard on jewelry.
CVD coated gems. It can rub off: it's not necessarily permanent. Honest.

Other random faceted thoughts:

Pleochroic gemstones tend to take terrible pictures. Keep this is mind when looking online for gems.
Always do footwork first, and embrace your GoogleFu, grasshopper. Check the prices of stones on a variety of sites before buying, and if you can, see what you can find locally to get a good idea of what to expect.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. See the flux ruby market flood fiasco for a case in point. (Here's a chance to practice your GoogleFu!)
Don't neglect to take shipping charges into account. This applies to anything, really. If you can get it locally, without paying shipping, and it evens out? Buy local.
BEWARE OF THE HYPE! Again, do your homework. If someone claims something about a stone, they need to be able to back it up with facts. (Ie, if supplies of certain stones are so low, why are they absolutely *everywhere*?) Are they just WAY too enthusiastic about pushing something, especially when you know it's not appropriate to the usage of the stone?
Along the lines of Hype, beware "estimated appraisal values." If they're trying to sell you something, odds are good they're not going to tell you the piece is worthless. Decide on a personal basis what your lower limit is for stones you'll pay to have appraised: after all, if you have to pay for an appraisal, 125$ to ID a 5$ stone is probably not going to be in your best interests. Do your homework, and don't fall for inflated appraisal values. If you're in doubt at all about your stone, take it to another appraiser.
Location, location, location. This applies more to collectors than those purchasing for jewelry. Russian demantoid garnet. Burma ruby. Kashmir sapphire. Columbian emerald. You get the point. This also gives you a base to test the stone against to be sure you have what you think you have.
Beware of any surface-treated gemstones. Likewise, beware of "plated" and "gold over sterling." These processes can't be guaranteed as permanent.
"Irradiated" does not mean "radioactive." Your general living environment will cause cancer long before an irradiated gemstone will.
Shapes with points -- emerald, trillion, baguette, pear, princess, etc -- should, if possible, be bezel or channel set, or V-prongs used to protect the points from damage.

These next few are important.

Guys ... Seriously here for a minute. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir on this one for the most part, but listen up. If you're paying 50 bucks or so and getting 10 ctw or so of RUBIES? They're Not Natural Stones. They may be "REAL" rubies, but they'll have been treated, sometimes to the point that they're as fragile as glass. Check all of your stones carefully under loupe to see if they can not only survive wear and tear, but being set in the first place. The same goes for emeralds, sapphires, labradorites ( ..... Just Don't Go There, or I'll Use Bad Language. I've heard all the available sides of the story, and I don't want to hear any more. People make mistakes. YOU DID, TOO, by thinking you were getting something elite for only a few bucks a carat. AHAH, gotcha, din't I? Nuff said.)

"These gemstones *cannot* accept any treatment." (Emphasis not mine.) Whoooa, Nelly! Rein her in there, cowboy. Here's a little eye-opener for you: garnets *can* be treated; peridot CAN be treated; tourmalines can be treated and mimicked; labradorite can be treated -- have I made my point? GoogleFu. Get an assortment of books. Sometimes you have to collect more information than stones -- they may not be as shiny or easy to carry, but the knowledge is worth a thousand times more. Buyer beware, indeed.

Minimum weight versus average weight. Minimum could mean less than 5% of the stones of a particular calibration were that weight, and the rest are all larger. Average, you take your chances on getting a smaller stone. If you're buying for jewelry, I'd place calibrated millimeter size above carat weight. If you're buying purely for value ... you may be in the wrong blog. ("If diamonds are a girl's best friend, I shouldn't need a bra" will wait for another day.)

This is all about perspective. I'm not going to pull out diagrams and Kevin Bacon math again (I may be lying there, so keep that in mind), but here's a few hints in the right direction.
** 1 ct stones are The Mark, the cherished number for jewelers and nervous fiances everywhere. From 1 ct up, stone values can multiply exponentially, dependent of course on rarity, faceting, color, clarity ... Yadda yadda yadda. Now, depending on the cut, a 1 ct stone isn't necessarily that big. Carat weight depends on the specific gravity of the gemstone in question, and can vary quite a bit.
** Glancing at my earring studs, I see a large number of 5mm stones, a lot of 6x4s, a whole bunch of 3mms, 5x3s and even 2s and 1s in some of them, and that's just the ones I regularly wear. These are all Perfectly Average Sizes for stud earrings. Go shopping, GoogleFu and wander into Your Everyone Has One corner jewelry store. Look at the average sizes on just plain normal studs.
** If you have more than one hole in your ear, and you decide to wear a monstrous 10mm gemstone, unless you have huge earlobes this is going to make wearing an earring in the second hole difficult. Smaller ears are also a problem, especially again with multiple holes.
** If you receive 6x4mm stones that were advertised as 6x4mm stones, then complain about how small they are -- whose error is that? Not the seller's. Get a millimeter gauge and USE IT. The only excuse for complaining about getting *exactly* what you paid for is a lack of knowledge.
** You know what I have a problem with? NOT receiving small accent stones. Out of all the faceted parcels I've purchased, I've never, EVER received anything smaller than 3mm. Do you know what the most common accent stone sizes are? 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3mm. Know what I have to hunt down and purchase separately? Yeah. "Tiny" ie, perfectly sized and proportional accent stones to complete jewelry pieces.

Not-so-random musings on setting stones:

When in doubt of your skills, have a jeweler set your stones.
If you have a chance, take a class on bench jewelery. Barring that, at least do some research and study before grabbing the pliers and thinking anyone can do it.
Use the right tools for the job. There's a reason why there's so many specialist tools out there. Don't be trying to yank a stone out of its mounting without the proper tool, either.
And speaking of the Proper Tools: a lot of these stones are truly delicate. Seeing someone grab kyanite with uncoated metal tweezers makes me cringe every time, I don't give a pig's whisker how good you think you are. There are coated tools, goo to coat your tools (also good to make handles more comfortable), tweezers with rubber sleeves ... Choose, but choose wisely, Indiana! :D ALSO: Tweezers with coated tips prevent a lot of fumble fingered handling with very small and very large stones. There's absolutely no reason you should have to keep throwing your stones across the room -- YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! (Guilty!)
It's all too easy to mangle your setting, your stone, or both. Practice makes perfect, but practice on the cheaper stuff. Your sanity will thank you.
When in doubt, consult a jeweler. (No, that's not deja vu)
Yes, you CAN use mountings of a different mm size than the stone, provided that the mounting and stone are the same shape, and the prongs fit securely. Generally, no more than .5 mm off from the setting is a good bet. Example: 3.5 mm stone can fit in a 3 or a 4 mm mounting, though it will be more secure in the 3. However, it's always best to try to find the right size in the first place.
If your stone doesn't want to go into the setting, check the culet depth. The stone may have too deep a belly for the setting.
Emerald mountings and true emerald cut stones (not the rectangular octagon or cushion) can be difficult to set. Mountings that have corner posts are very difficult to bend over the sharp corners of a stone. I recommend a jeweler.
Pre-notched mountings have had a special tool applied to notch out the posts to make room for a calibrated stone. If the mounting you've purchased is NOT pre-notched, this is not something you can do yourself unless you have a whole lot of time to learn, and a massive wallet to spend the tool money. Best bet? Yep, get a professional to notch the setting for you. (Note: some stores offer cheap pre-notching services when you buy a setting from them, so if you're purchasing an unnotched mounting, check and see.)
Even if you use one of the variety of snap-in-place mountings, make sure you tighten the prongs once set to be certain the stone is secure.
"Requires finishing" or "requires final polishing" mean you're going to have some work to do to clean up the mounting before you can wear it, and often aren't particularly large in descriptions.

Hope you enjoyed this chaotic wandering through my insomnia-wracked brain. A welcome to my new readers -- hope this helps!

"Green" Expressions I

2010-07-27T14:25:00.004-05:00

All right. Take a step back, grab another cigarette, don't go off into a rant about "Green Guilt" and ....

Ahem.

I hate wasting things. Or rather, my brain won't LET me waste: it can always come up with a use for something, no matter how trivial it may seem. I have to make the most of the money I spend, and the most of what I can magpie.

Case in point, and. You slab, you shape, you facet, you polish -- but what about all that "garbage" rough leftover? With just a bit of non-linear Pooka-style thinking, you can reduce your wasted material by at least 50%.

(Note: I'm not going to go into my usual intricate How-To instructions at this time, these are merely ideas. If there are requests for detailed projects, then I'll worry about working up tutorials.)

Mosaics are easy to accomplish.

There are hundreds/thousands of mosaic and pattern books available ("Green"-cough- tip: Check out Half Price Books and other used book stores. You can also find sites and references online. Just download and print as needed.)

Rough can be used as is, tumbled, or given a polish. If you slab and cab, you can easily create custom shapes out of the "junk" to use as tiles. Since there are multiple methods for placing your tiles, your shapes don't even need to be perfectly flat to be used. Some of that "garbage" can be surprisingly pretty after the tumbling cycles. BONUS: When you're cutting stones down, you're going to have the perfect variety of hues and tones to create a very intricate dimensional piece.

Historical references are a perfect place to start. There's fabulous inspiration in Central American mosaics, the works of Antonio Gaudi (practice your GoogleFu here!) ... the list is a very long one. You'll get a really good idea of just what you can do with all those leftovers.

Lots and lots of leftovers from big slabbing projects or multiple tumbler loads are perfect for testing grout colors. Just do small 4x4 squares, applying the tiles with your favorite appropriate adhesive (Be warned: silicone for glass has a STANK to it. It doesn't bother me, smells like dyeing Easter Eggs, but my family gags on the vinegary stench.), wait till it dries, and create samples so you know you've chosen the right grout to work on the right project.

Get an "ugly" gemstone -- faceted or cabs -- in an order, but you don't want to bother with the cost of shipping it back to return or exchange? (Seriously, if you paid less than C on a stone that should cost Zx5, and shipping is N, then loupe it, examine it, learn from it, and find another way to use it. OH CRAP, I DIDN'T KNOW THERE'D BE MATH! I'll ramble on about the fun of included stones at a later date.) They make fantastic accents in mosaic pieces -- including mosaic jewelry. Eyes, mouths, teeth, petals, buttons, bubbles, fish scales (man, I wish I'd had some "crappy" faceted stones when I did my fish tank vase: garnets, carnelian, and citrine would have made fantastic fish scales!) -- you get the idea here. Garbage has suddenly become a nice pricey mosaic!

By any other name ..... Think dendritically! "Inlay," "intarsia," "mosaic," "multi-media collage," -- it doesn't matter what you call it, you're painting with stone.

Resin jewelry is a great use of leftovers. Using the resin, you can place stones into the molds to create some interesting mosaic jewelry with no grout or adhesive other than the resin that holds it all together.

Larger single stones make great focals in resin pieces, as well as nice tiny accents in collages.

Mix a small amount of resin, just enough to cover the bottle of your properly prepared mold. Follow the instructions for curing time before adding a second layer. Using tweezers (with my shaky hands, I prefer cross lock tweezers), carefully lay your stones onto the first layer of resin. Top off the mold with mixed resin, and let cure. Calibrated molds can be used with regular cabochon mountings of the appropriate size.

Think about "fairy bottles" you've probably seen. Tiny glass vials for jewelry making are available from multiple sources, and some are quite elegant. I have one with filigree work that I need to complete for Thing 1, so I'll get Thing 2 to take a photo when the piece is done. Cheap, too small, or unmatched gemstones are gorgeous in the bottles, as are the "cast-offs" -- you know, those ridiculously tiny pieces of rough that always seem to accumulate. Don't waste them! Tumble them up, the super-mini chips can be lovely.

Speaking of Tumbled Stones ....

Of course, not all stones can be tumbled or polished. Books and GoogleFu are your friends for learning the Mohs value of a particular rock or mineral to be tumbled. Stones of a similar hardness should be tumbled together for the best results, as harder stones can seriously abrade and wear down the softer ones.
Tiny chips don't need to be tossed out - toss them IN the tumbler instead. They're useful as filler, and make good filler for display in bottles, jars, and anything that will let light bounce off the polished surfaces.

Waste stone can be tumbled and wire wrapped, or drilled for use as beads. Thinner, translucent pieces can make gorgeous suncatchers (tutorial on request).
Check those tumbled stones carefully, using a mm gauge. If you don't have one, get one. They're cheap -- even the digital calipers are now quite affordable. I love mine, as I'm getting blind in my old age. You might just find that some are close enough in size and shape to being calibrated for use in standard mountings.

If you've cut cabs, slabs, or faceted stones from a piece of rough, and have some larger waste chunks, consider bookends, shaped/carved paperweights, cup holders. This is definitely more collector oriented, as there's an attraction to displaying a larger prepared specimen that your precious stone came from. Gem in the rough, anyone?

If you're in the trade and selling stones with a documented provenance, history, pieces all shaped from a single huge piece of rough, from documented closed down mines or mined out sources (Sweet Home, yes?), run a poll to see if your collector customers would be interested in pieces of rough that their gemstone came from. I guarantee you'll get takers, and thumbnails, micromounts, and handheld specimens don't have to be flawless, perfect color, or worth working to be of interest to collectors. Note: Documentation? Is a good thing. Certification can even be used as part of a display: piece of rough, piece tumbled, piece faceted, certifcate, with a nice sharp microscope photo to use as the background. EXTRA NOTE: I'd LOVE a piece of Nigerian rubellite rough, if anyone has or knows how to get their hands on a small bit.

Some of those leftovers might hold potential you haven't thought of or dared to try yet. There are several treatments for your stones that you can do at home without professional equipment or dangerous chemicals, provided you follow the instructions and all proper safety measures are taken (ie, heated stones CAN explode, or explode when cooled too fast).

You got to use the skills to pay the bills. :D

That way, you can afford to buy more toys!

Weekenders: Printing "White" Text on Your Computer

2008-07-13T13:32:00.003-05:00

Yes, be shocked, be amazed, it's the return of Pooka's Weekenders.

Also, clearly, not dead.

Creating "White" Text on Your Printer:

Depending on how much text you want to do, there IS a way, using PSP or Photoshop, that you can KINDA do this -- you'll see what I mean.

Method One:

Set the fill color for the letter to be white. Set the outer color to be black, or another color that matches your LO -- this is going to give you a "mat" around all of your text.

Do a few test words to see how wide you need to set the outline color. You can adjust this through whatever the line width setting is for your program. What you want is for that outline to be wide enough to touch the outline of the next letter, thus basically giving you a solid line of text that you can cut out in one piece.

Now, start adding your text to your image. Remember to leave enough space between the lines to make it easy to cut each line out. Adjust to make sure that it's going to fit onto the size of the red (or whatever background color you want) as well.

Print your text. Cut along the outside of the mat color, then adhere to your background.

Not just white text, but white text with its own mat.

Method 2:

If you're having trouble finding how to set the line width, or want to try something else, there's yet another way to add the mat to make it easy to cut the journaling out.

Go ahead and create your text, making sure once again that it fits onto your CS. DO NOT deselect it, keep the text selected.

Find where your program gives the Effects option of creating a Drop Shadow.

You want to set Opacity to 100% (Option: You can play with this, and see if you like a softer look. However, this WILL give a bit of a 'halo' look that might be more difficult to cut out). Select the color you want for your mat/shadow.

Adjust the size of the shadow by increasing the number values equally until once again the letters touch each other. Accept.

Print, and cut out lines in one piece.

--------

These techniques will also help save you ink, and thus save you money. Sure, you can do white text on a fully colored background, and the white will just remain blank, however, do you REALLY want to use up that much of your ink just to make a background, when the above method uses a LOT less ink?

Paper is cheap. Ink, and the gas to go get more, are not.

Enjoy my brain-damaged idea fountain. :D

For Sammi

2008-02-29T02:29:00.001-06:00

Had a wonderful visit with Moonrose this week. I always miss her, darn that family and distance thing that keeps us apart for too long.

Well, she inspired me, she suggested I attempt something, since after all, ATCs didn't really have any rules other than size. Needle felt an ATC!

Well. Why not! All I can do is fail, bleeding miserably over shreds of my dignity and all over the felt ... but other than that, why not?

It isn't completely finished yet -- I've got to put the eyes on, figure out how to sign it, and maybe do a little more detailing, but I'm happy.

So Sammi ... thank you.

Weekender Preview

2008-02-29T01:44:00.003-06:00

Since these have now reached their recipients, I figured it was time to post these here.

No, they are not ATCs. These are button boxes, which I use to hold ATCs to send to other people, sort of upping the gift by making the packaging just as pretty as what is inside.

So, for this weekend's Weekender, I'll be teaching you to make these boxes. I'll even upload a pattern you grab so you can make your own. Sure, you can buy pre-cut ones, or find a die cut machine somewhere that has the die ... but why, when you can have a template and make your own without leaving the house or spending money on someone else's work?

Weekenders -- Q&A

2008-02-28T13:41:00.003-06:00

Question: RE: ATC book

What ARE "ATCs" anyway?

Answer:

ATCs are Artist Trading Cards. The classic definition is a miniature piece of art that is 2.5" x 3.5", and is traded between artists, never sold.

Beyond that, there are really very few rules or regulations: size matters, baby! :D Anything you can do in a larger format -- paint, stamp, collage, draw, layer, scrapbook, etc, even quilting and felting! -- you can do on an ATC. Fibers, ribbon, buttons, flowers, mirror: there really are few "rules" to worry about.

As for trading them, you can find swap partners on various scrapbook and art forums, on swap sites, at conventions, and just among other artsy friends. Google can point you to all sorts of places where they can be swapped with others, and each hosted swap will have the rules they require. Some go by themes, or colors, or mediums, and the number of cards you make reflects the number of cards you'll receive back.

Give them a try! They're a lot of fun, and the tiny format can bring out creativity you didn't know you had.

Question: Re: ATC Book

If I have them, can't I just use a large single sheet, instead of gluing shorter pieces together?

Answer:

Good question! You -can-, but I don't recommend it. For a different project, larger sheets would be fine, but for this one, the multiple sheets is your best bet.

The problem with a single sheet is weight, plain and simple. The plastic card sleeves are on the heavy side, and the weight of ATCs can add up fast. By adhering shorter sections of paper together, you provide extra stability and strength to support the weight that will be attached to the pages.

Weekender -- ATC Book

2008-02-24T07:37:00.003-06:00

There are numerous methods for storing and displaying all of the ATCs (artist trading cards, for those not in the know) that you collect. I wasn't particularly fond of the idea of just putting them into the big binders with the trading card sheets: first off, that's how I store my Sizzix dies, so it might confuse me because I'm a dork, and second, because it puts multiple cards on a page, so that your eyes get distracted trying to figure out which one to look at. Also, it's just not as much FUN to look through them that way.

So, I went and did a bit of shopping, and figured out how to make a book to display ATCs so each gets its own page, and gives me a nice, small, portable album. What you end up with is a good-sized accordion-fold book.

{Materials}

--Mat board (my prefered -- you can get cheap sections in wonderful colors and textures at Joann's in the framing department, left over from them cutting custom mats, and they aren't that expensive: one $1 8x10 gives you a front and back cover with room to spare), chipboard, or some other sturdy material for the front and back covers.
-- Cardstock and patterned paper of choice
-- Adhesive (you'll want a particularly strong one to attach the pages to the covers)
-- Ruler
-- Paper trimmer
-- Scoring tool
-- SINGLE card plastic trading card sleeves (Walmart has a large pack in the front where the trading cards are)
-- 1/2" to 1" wide ribbon for closure
-- Xyron 500 or larger (optional, but perfect for adhering the sleeves)

Embellishing:
Stamps
Inks
Other embellishments of choice

{Directions}

1. Check the package of sleeves for size. Most are 3x4. You'll want to add at least 1/2" to it (3.5 x 4.5) for the pages so they're big enough for the sleeves. Add another 1/2" (4x5) for the cover measurements.

2. Cut your cover boards. If using mat board, a heavy duty craft knife works best: don't try to force it through all at once, you may need to make two attempts to get through it if you don't have a heavy duty blade.

3. Next, cut the paper to make the accordion folds for the inside pages to a height of 4.5". NOTE: 12x12 cardstock gives you 2 page sections, while you can only get one from 8.5x11. How many pages you cut depends on how thick you want your book to be. I kept mine to three sections, since most ATCs have some dimension, and the thickness can add up fast, especially with the sleeves. But these books come together so fast, it's easy to make multiples in a short amount of time. NOTE: Do not use light weight cardstock for the pages. The sleeves and cards will be a bit too heavy for flimsy paper -- you want the book to have some substance.

4. Measure out increments of 3.5" across the cut page sections. Score along those lines, removing any excess paper at the end. If you don't score and overlap the excess, you'll get a much neater two-sided book.

5. If you want, ink and stamp the pages now, before putting them together. It's much easier this way. Allow the ink to dry before moving on to the next step.

6. Fold at the score lines (if you've ever made a paper fan as a child, you know the basic accordion fold. If not, it's forward, backwards, forward, etc.).

7. At the last folded section, generously apply adhesive to the front of the fold. Attach to the back of the next page section. Repeat for however many page sections you've chosen.

8. Set pages aside. You won't attach the sleeves until the book is assembled.

9. Decorate the covers. Make sure that if you have any rough edges, they're smoothed out, or covered over with paper -- you can even use single-fold bias tape if you so desire. NOTE: The easiest way to do this with paper is to cut a long strip about 1 1/2" wide, put adhesive on either side of the long edge, wrap around the book, pressing the sides down first. Then work the folds into the corners. You aren't going to need to cut pages to cover the inside of the covers, because the folded pages will attach directly to it.

Alternate: Using either a paint pen, or paints (if you have a steady hand), color all the edges of the mat board so that raw material isn't showing.

You can stamp, layer paper, and add any embellishments you choose, and make a title to go on it as well if you like. If you're careful with how you decorate, you can easily make this album to where either side can work as the front.

10. On the inside of the back cover, attach two strips of ribbon, one on either side. This will allow you to wrap the ribbon around the book to keep it closed. Length is up to you, and whether or not you'll want to tie a bow with it, or use some other method of closing the ribbon (you can also use leather straps, and a buckle, just like a belt).

11. Using a sturdy adhesive (-not- a wet glue, Tacky Tape works great for this), adhere the very first fold to the inside of the front cover, and the very last fold to the inside of the back cover, making sure to cover the ends of the ribbon.

12. Time to add the sleeves. I recommend using a Xyron for attaching them, since like vellum, the sleeves are see-through, and in any areas the ATCs don't cover, strips of adhesive will be visible. If you do not have a Xyron, make sure you cover the back of the plastic sleeve entirely with adhesive, or use an adhesive recommended for vellum.

NOTE: Most plastic sleeves are equal height on both sides. If you want, to make it easier to remove and insert cards, you can -carefully- cut down the front, or use a circle punch and punch a half-circle into the front.

13. Skip the front fold that is attached to the front cover, and attach a plastic sleeve to the next fold, centering it on the page section. Skip the next fold, and on the next, attach another sleeve. (All even numbered pages) Continue until this side is completed.

14. Turn the book around, and work from the back side now.

15. When adding sleeves to this side, do not add them to the same fold where a sleeve is on the front. Alternate on the back as well. This will keep the book from becoming too thick and unwieldy.

16. Almost done! By skipping the inside front cover, this gives you a perfect place for journaling. You can put the date you made the book, if you made the book for a specific ATC swap, you can put that information as well, along with your name (or the name of the recipient if making it as a gift).

Now all that's left is to add your ATC collection, and close it up!

Here is the cover of my first one:

The flower stamp is from Queen Kat Designs March GET INKED kit. There are multiple flowers, plus leaves and the stem so you can build your own blossoms.

I used chipboard for this one, with mulberry paper around the edges. Both the front and back cover got a half-sheet of plain Grungeboard by Tim Holtz that I inked and distressed.

The closure ribbon, not visible in this picture, is a pale yellow grosgrain that matches the yellow in the daisy (which I made a Black-Eyed Susan, because of the obvious!).

This one is already full, so I'll be making another one this weekend!

Weekender -- Getting More Out of Your Stamps

2008-02-16T23:38:00.002-06:00

If you're anything like me, or have been playing around with crafting for a while, you've probably amassed a collection of stamps, whether they're wood mounted, unmounted, or acrylic.
We've all done the basic stamping: ink stamp from pad, stamp on paper. And we've done the embossing powder routines. And we've all pretty much played around with using markers to color individual portions of our stamps for greater variety.

But did you know that you can make your stamping look like you spent a few hours with watercolors and a paintbrush?

Me, I blame Tim Holtz for this particular Weekender. I saw him do this on the Carol Duvall show, and was immediately hooked. In fact, once the show was over (I DVR everything), I got up out of bed and marched to my crafting space to try it. And try it. And try it. I must have gone through at least three sheets of watercolor paper, stamping and playing with this technique.

I learned a few things through this process, so I figure I'll share them with you guys.

{Materials}

Watercolor paper, or heavy cardstock (textured is best, to really do up the watercolor look)
Stamps (bold designs, detailed stamps don't work well)
Dye, waterbased inks (dye markers work as well)
spray bottle (preferably a mist sprayer)
heat gun

{Tips}

-- You definitely want a bolder stamp design. Anything with a lot of detail will turn to a muddy blur. And choose thicker lines over thinner ones.
-- Wood mounts or acrylic stamps work equally well.
-- Some pigment inks DO actually work with this, but they must be very juicy, and you must spray and print -immediately-.
-- You can get several prints out of one inking -- just spray more water. Each subsequent stamping will be fainter, of course, allowing a nice fade effect.
-- Neatness does NOT count with this technique. The water spray will allow the ink to bleed to fill in any spaces you may miss on the stamp.
-- Color color color! Shading really helps the watercolor look.
-- Make sure when you spray the stamp that you hold it flat: tilting it will cause the ink to really run (though this look can work, too!).
-- You can actually use your watercolor paints on this as well. The pencils don't really work, but watercolors from a tube, or a reconstituted dry cake are perfect: just apply to the stamp with a brush.
-- For a really dramatic look, do your watercolor stamping, then stamp over it, same image, with a permanent ink.

{Directions}

1. You can either work on pre-cut sections of paper, or work on a big sheet and then cut/tear the images after stamping.

2. Ink up your stamp. While neatness doesn't count, this look works best if you avoid single, solid colors. After all, you're trying to approximate the look of watercolors. Shade to your heart's content -- but then, don't be afraid of trying a few bold solids. This technique is FUN, so play with it!

3. Holding your stamp flat and level, mist with your sprayer of water two to three times. Test your sprayer first to see how much water it puts out. You might only need two sprays, or even just one.

4. Carefully flip your stamp, and press it to your paper. Lift off carefully to avoid drips.

5. Immediately use your heat gun to dry it. You don't -have- to use a heat gun, but a fast dry keeps the colors stronger and on the surface, instead of them soaking into the paper. However, it MUST be dry before you stamp again, or you'll get running of the image that you don't want.

6. If desired, spray the stamp again, and restamp, changing position of the stamping. You should be able to get two to four stampings out of a single inking, each lighter than the last.

Make sure each stamping is dry before stamping again.

This technique creates images with a wonderful watercolor look, without all the time and effort. And for those like me with precious little drawing talent, makes it easy to get an image that actually looks like something!

Try tearing the edges of the stamped image to further soften the look.

A random field of small or large images makes nice background paper.

Watercolor stampings can be die cut to create great matching embellishments to coordinate with a larger stamping on a project.

Large images, when matted, are even worthy of framing. You don't have to tell anyone you didn't spend hours painting it!

Queen Kat Designs CHA releases!

2008-02-10T16:28:00.001-06:00

Okay, I am TOTALLY in love with this wing stamp!

Sure, it's not the first we've released at Queen Kat Designs, considering that I designed two of them, but this one ... YEAH! This is one of the Queen Herself's first hand-drawn sketch stamps, and it turned out utterly awesome. It's got some great flow to it, and is wonderfully inspiring.

Don't ask me where the winged frog came from. I picked up a set of the dies on sale from Sizzix, and when I got the heart ... well, it had to be done. I could blame the fever, but frankly, this is just too much fun. Now I have to figure out how to take some good indoor pictures without the freakin yellow cast to them. GRRR.

See? See? I can do SOMETHING normal, even when sick.

If you adore wings, and can't get enough of wing stamps, check out Queen Kat Designs for all of our fabulously fun sets of wings to complete your collections!

Double Tagged! Dogpile on the Pooka!

2008-02-10T15:59:00.000-06:00

Yikes, girlies! Juliet and Suzann both pounced me!

Be warned -- influenza is still giving me the rampant giggly Stoooooooopids, so this could be quite a ride.

Suzann's Tag:

The Middle Name Game!

These are the rules:-You must post the rules before you give your answers. You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name. After you've been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details.)

Melissa ... yeah. Could I steal my daughter's and use Siobhan instead?

M - Mother. I'm Mom to two daughters, five cats, one dog, and all of my children's friends. I get as many phone calls from the eldest's friends as she does.

E - Eccentric. Oh yeah, that's me all right.

L - Lazy, Listless, Loopy, Lethargic ... can you tell I'm sick?

I - cuz it's INFLUENZA bringing me down, oh yeah, oh yeah, bayyyyybeee....

S - Sick, STOOOPID, Silly ... right, this is getting too silly. Stop it!

S - Strength. Survival. Whatever it is, I've been told I have it in abundance to continue to cope with my poor health. Me, I call it Stubborn.

A - I love my Animals. There's something wonderfully unconditional about their affection, even from the cats.

Jules' Tag:

The rules for this meme are:
(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) List the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag 5 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
(5) Let each random person know they have been tagged.

Actually, this one is perfect right now, since fever makes me about as random as I can possibly get. You've been warned.

1 -- I have a habit of drumming my fingernails on any book I'm reading, driving my husband up the walls. I don't even notice I'm doing it.

2 -- My body may be a temple, but even goddesses feel the need to redecorate. I have no problems with body modification -- I've lost count of the number of tattoos that I have, I have 7 holes in my right ear, 2 in my left, and one in my nose.

3 -- I collect Techniques. I want to know HOW to do things. New techniques and skills thrill me, but then I have a habit of getting bored after I learn them and wander on to the next new thing. Thus, you'll often see spurts of one thing, then nothing on it for a while.

4 -- This is why I have a huge selection of Tools. I own 2 enkle looms, one of which I turned into a small tapestry loom, quilling tools, soldering iron, butane torches, propane torches, die cut machines, tatting tools, two sewing machines, knitting needles, drop spindles, felting needles, crochet hooks ... etc. I have tools in abundance, so many that I need a separate room JUST for my tools.

5 -- I can sleep when I'm dead. I've had chronic insomnia since I was 12. I turn 40 this year. That's a LONG time to not sleep properly.

6 -- My hair is currently Fire Engine red. Because.

NOW .... those who are to be tagged, I salute you!

Amyrantha, my Moonrose!
Cindy -- the Moonie One's partner in crime
Bev -- the Grannie with the mostest, who never posts enough anyway
Tanis -- twisted minds must stick together, bayyyybe -- for the monsters! Think of the monsters!
La Stephanie! I'm glad I found ya, lady. You're neat!

And I am SO not tagging one for Every Single Letter of my middle name -- that's my parent's fault, no one else should take the heat for that! :D

Weekender -- Sick leave

2008-02-09T10:15:00.001-06:00

Ain't happening this weekend.

I spent yesterday unconscious and incoherent, running between a 102 and a 104* temperature. It's already 101* today at 10 am. I can barely remember my own name or how to type, much less try to figure out a project for this weekend.

So the Weekenders will return next weekend, and cross your fingers that I don't end up in hospital with pneumonia.

This is Pooka, last survivor of the Nostromo ... signing off.

Random Babble-0-tron

2008-02-05T11:29:00.000-06:00

So, for those of you that have spouses on the road, be warned. My husband works out on oil rigs, and apparently he's exposed to influenza strains that are not Strain of the Year in the flu shots. Cough. Hack. Wheeze. Whimper.

Despite the cold, my dog is out in the backyard trying to herd squirrels. You can't tell a Corgi that squirrels aren't herdable. She just won't listen.

First thunderstorm of the year last night, so spring in Tornado Alley looks to be a real doozy. Felimid is usually oblivious to thunder, but last night, he crawled up into my arms and whimpered. It was LOUD.

The new kitten is fitting in well -- perhaps too well. Last night, he even had my anti-social Siamese playing tag with him around the house. When all four of the boys got going, I considered locking myself in the bathroom. That's a LOT of feline weight for them to throw around, since Oz is a huge huge cat, and Felimid is Jabba the Butt. Everyone but the crotchety "Scrappy Squirrel" Manx plays with him -- and she hates everybody. Cranky old girl.

I know, I know, another post from me without pictures? I'll fix that.

Tag swap at Scrapbook.com. The collar tags on the central cats are done in shrink plastic (and have a cat face on them, natch). The additional faces added are cut from a large cat collage stamp, and attached with foam strips.

More tag swap stuff. I need to get pictures of the last two sets.

Any "No Reservations" fans out there? I adore Anthony Bourdain (perhaps it could be called an obsession, after all, I own all his books, including the Mafia fiction), and he's way too entertaining on TV.

Last night, however, the show was rather emotional. Tony visited New Orleans, discussing the aftermath of Katrina. The only other show that had been this tense before was the Beirut episode. Even seeing Tony finally sit down to talk to Emeril, who has been the butt of SO many of Tony's jokes, wasn't as entertainingly fun as expected. Very serious show, but worth a watch.

QKD Round Robin Blog Party .... Prize!

2008-02-04T12:12:00.000-06:00

We have a winner for my stop on the QKD Blog Party Tour!

ScrapAloha is the overall winner for my three days of the party. I will need to get all your contact information so that we can get your prize to you, and nice job, lady!

I have a condolence prize as well, for Effort Above And Beyond ...

Stephanie Earls, who, despite being on a trip, went out and bought shrink plastic for the last challenge, and tried everything short of the waffle iron at her hotel to try to make the stuff work. That's some crazy crafting there, that's for sure! I'll be sending you a little something special, since anyone who goes through that much effort deserves a warm fuzzy!

Congratulations to our winner, and thank you for playing along. I really enjoyed seeing what everyone came up with.

Weekender -- The Great Shink!

2008-02-03T12:59:00.000-06:00

Shrink plastic -- it's not just for kids!

For those of you that haven't played with the stuff since you were a child, you'd be amazed at what all is out now. Shrinky Dinks is no longer the only company producing it, and frosted white is no longer the only colour you can get, oh no.

There's now black, completely clear, a very white white, and even some earth toned shrink plastic.

And you don't have to use an oven anymore, not with heat guns being sold everywhere. They're faster, more efficient, and make it easier for the plastic to still be warm enough to shape and mold as you like.

You can use your laser or ink-jet printers on shrink plastic! There are, however, a few tricks to doing it (unless you spend more money on printer-friendly plastic):

-- Use a very fine sandpaper, and working in only one direction, sand the slick back of the plastic, otherwise, it won't feed into your printer.
-- Make SURE you put it in the right direction -- if it prints on that slick back, it will never dry and will rub right off, making cutting it out impossible.
-- All colours intensify when the plastic shrinks, so you need to alter chosen images in a program like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop. Increase the brightness of the image and lighten it, or the end result after shrinking is mud. Try to avoid overly complicated images for the same reason.
-- Make sure you let it dry after coming out of the printer, and do not touch it for a while, or it will smear.

One thing to remember when working with shrink plastic is to always read the instructions. Each brand shrinks a bit differently, so for some, you may have up to 75% shrinkage, others only 50%. This can affect your final piece. If you aren't sure, you can make your own scale to determine the final size. Take a ruler, and copy the marks out onto a strip of shrink plastic -- make sure you get inches and half-inches. Then shrink the strip, and use that against the original ruler to figure out your size.

Another important detail is corners. Sharp corners get even sharper once it has shrunk, which can make for uncomfortable jewelry. Try to round all corners, even slightly, to prevent this. When cutting your piece, make sure that you cut evenly and smoothly -- any tears or angled cuts will be overly obvious after shrinkage, and some will even become dangerous if you aren't careful.

And if you plan to string it in any way, PUNCH YOUR STRINGING HOLES BEFORE YOU SHRINK IT! Yes, you can TRY to drill holes afterwards, but chances are the piece will just shatter or crack. The hole will shrink as well, so use a larger punch to make the hole.

Cutting can be done with scissors, or you can use large punches (remember, they shrink), and even some die-cut machines to cut your shapes. I don't recommend a craft knife, because of the potential for tearing and slippage. Shrink plastic definitely cuts differently than paper.

Can't find shrink plastic locally? You can actually make your own. Many clear plastic take-out containers (especially from salad bars) that have a 2 code on the bottom can be used to create shrink plastic shapes. However, because of the plastic fumes, I do NOT recommend doing this in any oven not dedicated to crafting, and you have to work in a very well ventilated area. A heat gun used outside is far safer.

More Tips for using shrink plastic:

-- Always work on a heat-proof surface (I have a huge marble tile I picked up cheap at a home improvement store that I use for my heat gun, soldering, and even torch work on PMC), because these things get HOT.
-- If you sand the slick side, it will help prevent sticking. You can also use cornstarch or baby powder. Big pieces do have a tendency to stick, but most of the time, if you just keep heating it down, it will even out.
--You can get creative and make a frame that will stop any of the flipping around by taking some metal screen mesh, attaching it to a frame of cardboard, and cover the cardboard edges with aluminum foil. Make sure you have a thick layer of cardboard around the frame, two pieces thick is perfect, and just place that over your piece and heat it through the mesh. There won't be any flipping around. Me, I just make a small aluminum foil "box" and heat it in there -- the foil makes it shrink faster, and the sides of the box keeps the piece from flipping around all over the work surface.
-- Do not use a metal tool, like an embossing stylus, to hold the piece still through the hole. The metal will get hot, distort the hole, and the plastic will stick to it. Also, do not use a large tool, like a thick paintbrush, because the hole will shrink around it and be impossible to remove without distortion.
-- If you heavily sand the slick side, you can easily colour both sides to match, creating a more even look in the final piece.

I've tried just about every method possible to colour shrink plastic. Some work better than others.

-- Permanent inks will dry, making it easier to cut the piece out without smearing.
-- Pigment and dye inks don't like to dry, but if you give them a VERY quick and gentle heating, from a distance, it should dry it enough for you to cut them out without a problem.
-- Alcohol inks work great on shrink plastic! This looks particularly nice with pieces that have been die-cut.
-- Markers work, but again, permanent markers are best for a speedy dry that won't smear.
-- Coloured pencils are always your friend. Even watercolour pencils will work. However, metallic pencils can end up with a muddy look, so use sparingly.
-- Paint pens generally work well, and a white fine-tip pen is great for adding detail over coloured areas, but paints that will bubble with heat can cause a nasty look on the final piece -- test first.
-- I have some permanent pearlescent liquid acrylic calligraphy inks that work nicely on shrink plastic.
-- You can even use mica powders/pigments like Pearl-Ex or Perfect Pearls dusted over the plastic. Colours do intensify, so you don't have to really slather the stuff on heavily.

Now, while you can rubber stamp onto the surface BEFORE shrinking, did you know you can do it afterwards while the plastic is still very hot, and get a look similar to stamping into embossing powder? Yep! The look is more subtle on shrink plastic (and looks fabulous on black), but you can rub metallic rubons over the raised areas to bring the image out further.

Colouring books and clip art books make great sources for images to trace onto the plastic. Embroidery pattern books work well. If you are feeling really brave, or have the patience, some clip art books of large, intricate ornaments can be absolutely stunning.

Shrink plastic images make great custom dimensional charms for scrapbook pages, cards, and ATCs. They make fantastic custom buttons, not only for paper projects, but for use on purses, bags, and clothing. Once shrunk, they are really quite sturdy, and even work as pet tags on collars -- and then you can make another for the pet's pages!

You can also make some creative, custom jewelry using shrink plastic and some imagination -- and planning. Charm bracelets, earrings, pendants -- there's no limit, and multiple pieces can be glued together (I use E6000 or two-part epoxy) for layered effects that make gorgeous pendants.

The Project -- Spiral Earrings

{Materials}

Shrink plastic
Heat gun
Rubber stamps, or images of choice (optional for this project)
Coloured pencils, markers, mica pigments
2 jump rings
2 earring hooks or posts with loops
A thick-handled paintbrush, or mandrel

{Directions}

1. Cut two long strips of shrink plastic, approximately 1 1/2" wide, and 6-8" long.

2. Colour as desired -- keep in mind that the final piece will be a spiral.

3. Punch a hole in the top of each strip.

4. Work with only one strip at a time -- you can't do this well in an oven, I recommend a heat gun, because once the piece has shrunk, you have to work fast.

5. Unless you have asbestos fingertips like I do (from years of wire-work and working with hot glue guns, PMC, polymer clay, and soldering), some sort of heat-resistant glove will be helpful. Keep the heat gun on the piece (you can't over-shrink it) until you are ready to wrap.

6. Leaving the very top with the hole slightly above the end of your chosen mandrel, QUICKLY wrap the rest of the strip around the mandrel. It must be still hot to do this -- but you can always use the heat gun to soften it again if it cools too much while you're wrapping.

7. Repeat with the other strip.

8. If desired, use a metal leafing pen to gild the edges of the spiral (try to match the metal of the earring findings, or get creative and do gradations of metal colour down the edges).

9. Attach a jump ring through the hole on each piece, and attach to the earring finding.

This same project can be done with strips of metal (copper is nice, especially if you suspend it over ammonia for a while to change the colour, or use heat to alter the copper's surface), or even polymer clay, but shrink plastic makes a very fun custom spiral.

You can do this project with your kids -- have them do the colouring, you handle the shrinking and wrapping -- and let them have a great handmade pair of earrings. This is a lot of fun at girls birthday parties, and gives them something they made to take home.

If you haven't played with shrink plastic in years, I hope this inspires you to give it a try again!

Weekender -- pause for Station ID

2008-02-02T15:20:00.001-06:00

Since the Queen Kat Designs blog party is in its last days here on my blog, I'm postponing the currently scheduled Weekender project.

I will announce winners of this stop on the blog tour Monday, after all of the last entries come in tomorrow, so be sure to check back to see who won the stamp set (and possibly other goodies!).

With any luck, I'll get the Weekender project up tomorrow. The supply list that you may need to get ahead of time is simple:

Shrink plastic.

How's that for a preview hint? :D

Challenge Three: Shrink it!

2008-02-02T13:52:00.001-06:00

Since I am a little late getting this last challenge posted, I'm giving you till Midnight on February 3rd for entries for this one.

I love shrink plastic. Adore it. Have probably more of it than any one person should. But that's not the point.

Your challenge here is simple:

1. Use shrink plastic in a project. At least one piece of shrink plastic must be stamped before shrinking and attaching it to your piece. (extra point for QKD stamps).

2. Finished entries must be linked here by midnight, February 3rd.

Simple, huh?

It could be a mini-diorama, a card, an ATC, a scrapbook page, even jewelry! The point is to play and have fun with this.

Challenge Two: Your Day in History

2008-01-31T23:00:00.001-06:00

All right, I'm getting this up early, but since SOMEONE thinks that if I sleep late, I fell off the planet ( :P), I figure I might as well get on with the party while I'm here!

Your Challenge for Day Two ....

Your Day in History. This can be for you, a child, your spouse -- feel free to choose anyone close to you. From there, look up the date they were born for a historical happening. This will be your subject matter for the project. The goal is to create a scrapbook page or birthday card in any size, showcasing news items from that date of birth for the person you chose.

Good sites are:

Today in History
Today in History -- Historynet.com

For example, my baby sister was born on August 27. Krakatoa's violent eruption that tore the volcano apart was on August 27, though 80+ years before her birth.

Rules:

1. The birth date must be on your project, as well as the year/years for the historical happenings.

2. At least one stamp must be used (even if it's alphabet, or month stamps, etc). Bonus points for QKD stamps (we have a lot of great month stamps in the store!)

3. Links to your projects must be posted in this thread by Midnight on February 2nd.

Have fun, and I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Challenge One: Update the Valentine

2008-01-31T10:45:00.000-06:00

Remember back in grade school, when everyone passed out those awful generic cards with the trendy characters of the day on them? Sure, Mom bought them for us to use because they were plentiful, and cheap, and most of all, no effort was required to take care of an entire classroom of kids.

But darn, they were boring!

So here's your Challenge of the Day.

1. Using the same single page format (card can be no larger than a standard 3x5 index card), create up to three New And Improved Valentine Cards.

2. You must use at least one stamp on the front (extra points for QKD stamps), and at least two embellishments (ribbon, stickers, buttons, brads, etc).

3. The back is included in designing these cards, and must have the traditional "To" and "From" spaces.

4. Upload the images, and post the link to them in this thread.

If anyone has made it here, I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Round Robin Blog Party Rules

2008-01-31T10:42:00.000-06:00

Well, because I overslept today and finally caught up on sick sleep, I seem to have been nudged out of the final spot on this tour.

However, that doesn't mean I'm dropping the ball on my end. So, for those of you that have made your way here anyway, I'm posting some challenges for you.

The basic rules are pretty simple:

1. A maximum of three entries per person, per challenge. Each entry is worth a point towards the final drawing for the free stamps. If I am cut out of this, I will pay for your stamps myself. :D

2. Use of QKD stamps gets extra points towards the drawing.

3. Entries must be posted in each challenge thread by Midnight on February 2, the last day of the challenge.

Simple, huh? Each challenge will have its own additional rules to follow, so sit back, get your paper and adhesive ready, and let's go!

Weekender -- The wire wrap

2008-01-26T12:11:00.000-06:00

I am SO hoping this will turn out coherent. This one will be minus pictures unfortunately, because my brain is barely functional enough to do instructions, much less make my hands stop and do another piece right now to demonstrate.

{Materials}

Focal piece (this can be a stone of any shape and size, with or without a hole)
18 gauge wire of choice
20-22 gauge wire of choice (contrasting or matching)
Flush cutters
Chain-nose pliers
Round-nose pliers
Optional: nylon-jaw pliers

{Notes}

-- This works best with a slightly oblong shape, although any shape will work.
-- Try this with all sorts of items - shark's teeth, for example.
-- Copper wire is softer and cheaper for those just starting out, and coated wire is available in a wide range of colours. Don't make sterling wire your first choice unless you've got a lot of practice: the stuff is expensive.
-- Before choosing your wire, test the colours against your focal point to find the best combination.
-- Be -careful- with your pliers. They can mar the metal and leave marks. Tool Magic on the ends rubber-coats to protect wire, or you can wrap them with tape.
-- If your focal piece is small, adjust wire gauges accordingly: the gauges listed are for a relatively large piece. Tiny objects, like a small shark's tooth, require smaller gauge wire so as not to overwhelm and cover the focal piece.

{Directions}

1. To determine the amount of wire needed, work from the coil and GENTLY wrap one strand of wire around the shape, starting with about 3" extra at the top, and matching that on the other side. Cut two pieces of wire to that size. Make sure when you cut, that you leave only flush ends with no sharp points. (the inside of flush cutters is flush, the outside is beveled)

2. Holding the two wires together, determine how much space is needed at the bottom for the "cage" that will hold the focal piece by gently pushing the piece between the wires. You can adjust this later when the twisting starts.

3. There are two options for the sides: you can twist just those two wires together to create the side supports for the cage, or you can wrap another smaller wire around the sides.

Option A: Work on one side at a time.
-- Hold the wire tightly between your fingers at the top of where the cage begins on that side, and separate the wires above that point, twisting them together tightly for 1/2" to 1", depending on the size of your focal piece.
-- Set your focal piece into the bottom of the "cage" to determine placement for the other side; remove, and repeat the twist, being sure to match them up.
-- Return the focal piece to the bottom, and tighten the twists until you know the piece will be secure.

Option B: Again, one side at a time.
-- Take a 4-8" length of your finer gauge wire (dependent on size of focal piece), and tightly wrap it around the two wires above where the top of the cage will begin. Be sure to tuck the loose ends into the wrap so no pointy wires are sticking out. The amount of space you wrap will depend on the size of the focal piece.
-- Set your focal piece into the bottom of the "cage" to determine placement for the other side; remove, and twist the second piece of smaller gauge wire around the two base wires.
-- Odds are, both will be a little loose right now. This is good, as it allows you room for adjustment when placing the focal piece into the cage. When you have placement correct to keep it secure, tighten the coils up by squeezing them against the two wires with your pliers.

4. The focal piece remains in the cage from here out.

5. Tightly work the wires around the focal piece till they meet at the top. You'll have some adjusting and playing with it to make sure it remains secure. The final steps will help you tighten it up.

6. Bend all four wires across the top to make a double X shape.

7. Bring the two back wires to the front, and the two front wires to the back. The two wires now in back will become your bail: the wires in front, decoration.

8. Give each set of wires one good twist at the top of the focal piece to finish tightening it up.

9. It helps to work on the front first, to get the wires out of the way. Starting at the very end of one wire, take your round-nose pliers, and start to coil. You can make the coil as tight or as loose as you want. Once you get it started, you can generally finish it up with your fingers. If you need to use the pliers, be careful not to mar the wire: Hold the wire perpendicular in the pliers, and only use the pliers to hold the wire. Push the wire around the coil with your fingers.

10. Repeat with the other front wire. When the coils are done, press them flat against the front of the piece and arrange them to your liking.

11. Now for the bail. Take one of the back wires, wrap it tightly twice around the other, snip it off with your flush cutters and tuck the loose end between the coil and the focal piece.

12. At the top of the focal piece, use your chain-nose pliers to create a 90* bend in the remaining wire.

13. Switch to your round-nose pliers, and make a loop, folding the bent wire up and over the pliers.

--NOTE: This is a closed bail, so make sure that the loop is large enough to fit over the findings of your chosen necklace. If you want to make interchangeable pendants, it needs to be a large loop. If it will go to a permanent spot, the loop only needs to be as large as the chosen chain/ribbon/leather without findings on the end.

14. Hold the loop closed with your pliers, and wrap the excess wire around the base. Cut off any remaining wire, and tuck the end in tightly.

15. You can take up any slack remaining by twisting the entire bail tightly against the focal piece.

The rose quartz focal piece here actually did have a hole drilled in it, but it was too small for two passes of the 18 gauge wire. I used copper, and gold wire for the accents. My bail was a little sloppy, because my fingers got shaky near the end.

I hope this all makes sense. Feel free to ask any questions for clarification.

Speaking of jewelry ...

2008-01-24T14:35:00.000-06:00

Yes, the first Weekender post will be this weekend, but I've been totally forgetting to post a few other pieces.

Apparently I have a little thing for copper. The small swirl links with the crystals above the dragonfly are the chain. The dragonfly is two pieces -- the wings, and the body -- both hammered to give it some texture and dimension. I get compliments every time I wear this piece.

Polymer clay is fun, too! I used a face mold to shape her, with scraps from a butterfly wing cane I made (eyes and forehead), some mica-shift, a bit of translucent, and the blues. Heavy duty glue put her on the backing piece, then I started the rings around it in TINY seed beads. The tiny silver ones are faceted Charlottes.

The face cab is completed here, with several more rings of seed beads, then the daggers over the top. It has great movement with the daggers. This will eventually go on a bracelet.

Sometimes I love chain mail, sometimes I hate it. This is a Hate project. It's a knot-pattern chain, and getting all those rings into the knots made me insane. My daughters want one. They aren't getting one.

Weekender -- Sneak Peek!

2008-01-24T14:19:00.000-06:00

Here's a sneak peek at the first Weekender project -- coming this weekend, of course!

It's not a stamping or scrap or cardmaking project this time. Instead, I go back to one of the obsessions that really helped get me into the disaster that my work spaces are today. (And I'll be able to type this without sticky hands if my half-frozen Diet Pepsi will stop trying to explode on my desk)

This is not a complicated project. It just takes a little time, and a few tools, and the results are gorgeous and well worth the effort.

Check back this weekend for a materials list and project instructions!

Blog Party Madness!

2008-01-22T16:28:00.001-06:00

Are you enjoying the Queen Kat Designs Round Robin Blog Party?

This particular challenge was hosted by the fabulous and wonderful Sierra Grannie. It's snowing on her, and she wanted COLOR COLOR COLOR to banish the wintertime blues.

... I think this is more colour than I have EVER used on a single card.

I honestly lost track around 35-40 colours. I was too busy building this fluffy bright monster to keep counting. Stamps used are all from Queen Kat Designs.

Get Inked! -- February

2008-01-22T14:48:00.001-06:00

The following cards were created using the stamp set and some of the techniques from Queen Kat Designs Get Inked! kit for February.

These may be St Patrick's Day stamps, but traditional I am not. Not a whole lot of glaring green here -- gimme my subtle earthtones! All right, I know, I know -- I'll do something "traditional" eventually.

This is Versamark, and mica powders (Perfect Pearls), with foam tape to raise Greetings off the second layer of green paper. The scanner clearly does not like Perfect Pearls, and this looks muddy. Hey, that's why we make cards -- so we can SEND them to someone and they can see them in person!

Versamark watermarking around the outside bottom layer. The ring of shamrocks was done with two colours of chalk ink, as was Greetings. (No surprise, this completely subtle, non-traditional one is my favourite of the batch.)

Watermarks, anyone? I love how Versamark makes wonderful tone-on-tone background papers. The Luck shamrock is done with Versamark and Perfect Pearls again, then applied using foam tape.

If you haven't signed up to get the kits yet, you need to be ready when the March kits are ready for release. These kits go FAST!

Questioning ...

2008-01-22T04:26:00.000-06:00

I know I don't have a lot of readers -- okay, I have maybe one or two reading this blog, but hey, it's really for myself anyway (that's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it).

However, I was thinking about doing a Weekender thing: every weekend, post a technique/project, complete with materials needed, and pictures.

Are the one or two people that actually read this thing interested at all in this?

Get Inked! -- January Technique Peek

2008-01-19T18:31:00.000-06:00

This is a sample of what you are missing out on if you haven't signed up yet for the Queen Kat Designs GET INKED! kits.

3-D Embellishments
Suzeanne Peak

{Materials}

Chipboard shapes
Pigment ink
Clear UTEE
Embossing powders
Heat gun
Toothpick

{Handy Hints}
-- The surface you emboss on must be thick, or the process will warp it. This does not work on regular cardstock.
-- Try it on other objects (inside bottle caps, on bits of tile, CDs, buttons, stamped and baked polymer clay, slide mounts) for an "acrylic" or "resin" look -- without the smell and mess!
-- Use this technique on a chipboard frame, add a photo, and put a magnetic backing on it for a fabulous refrigerator magnet.
-- Try different colours of ink for your background, and different colours of powder. A metallic ink and a majority of clear powder, multiple colours of ink on the background, or several colours of powder swirled in will create all different effects.
-- This is great with alphabet shapes to make page titles, or even a sign for a child's room.
-- Layer the inks -- allow embossing powder to cool, re-ink the surface with a new colour, and add more powder.
-- Do this technique on multiple squares and create a mosaic.
-- With enough layers of embossing powder, you are able to embed items into the surface (see this post for examples).

{Directions}

-Note- Work quickly, but carefully. You may find you have to reheat the surface often for the next layer of powder to adhere without the heat gun blowing it away.

1. Apply chosen pigment ink to your chipboard shape. Ink the edges as well, if you want a more rounded look to the final piece.

2. Add your first layer of UTEE, remembering to get the edges if you inked them, and emboss with your heat gun.

3. While the powder is still hot, add another layer of UTEE, and repeat.

4. With this base created, sprinkle in another colour (or more) of embossing powder while the last layer is still hot and mostly liquid.

5. Swirl colours with a toothpick if desired, to create patterns in the powder.

6. Reheat till molten (be careful, it gets HOT, and any contact with another surface will leave an impression) to smooth out toothpick marks, and add another layer of UTEE.

7. Continue to add layers, heating in between, until you have a look you're pleased with. In general, a minimum of five layers will create a well-rounded and shiny surface with a look similar to acrylic or resin.

Chalk Resist

2008-01-17T17:41:00.000-06:00

I'm a junkie for neat resist techniques. At the Heirloom show, (and going with strep was NOT fun, I came home and passed out, and yes, I wore a mask to protect others), a woman at the Judi-Kins booth was demoing a resist technique I'd never seen before. Since I have a fascination and adoration for resists, I paid close attention, and just goggled.

It is ridiculously simple, and doesn't require a lot of "extras" like most resist techniques: no embossing powder and thus no heat tool, no masking fluid, no resist ink.

Here's the Materials list:

Rubber stamps
Fluid chalk inks
Matte Kote paper
Paper towels

And that is IT.

To do this resist, ink up your stamp (or stamps) with a VERY light colour of chalk ink. Stamp on the matte kote paper. Give it a bit to let dry, till all the "shiny" of the ink is gone.

Now, take your chalk ink pads (and darker is better for this resist, light ones don't work as well), and smear -- DO NOT PAT -- across the previously stamped image. Work in blocks, or swirls, and just go to town inking the paper.

Wipe off immediately with paper towel. Rub the colours into themselves and off the paper, do not rub darker inks into lighter ones, or you'll get some smearing of the colour.

The stamped image will show through the second layer of inks. It's not a strong resist, it's very subtle, but utterly gorgeous for background papers. Any degree of detail in the stamp you use is fine -- I've used both highly detailed, and relatively simple images with success.

You can see how the images show through the green and brown chalks. I then stamped the same image over the top in a permanent Coffee ink. This is one of the rare Obviously Masculine cards I've done. Nice and earthy, and surprisingly, no florals, dragonflies, or even leaves to be seen.

More ATC mayhem!

2008-01-16T12:58:00.001-06:00

Some of these are substantially older, that I just totally forgot to post here. D'oh!

One of the older ones. I loves my Meser. And all my other kitties.

Halloween ATC, made from a Queen Kat Designs October card kit.
This one is for a Mulberry Paper swap at Scrapbook.com. A fun swap, using handmade, and otherwise unusual papers. My other group for this swap is using the paint chip strips. Eee!

I love this stamp. I picked her up at the Heirloom show this last weekend, as well as another of her, facing to the side. The Shimmering Mist on it kinda looks weird static, but in person, it's gorgeous.

Year of the Monkey! I'm a Monkey, Thing 1 is a Monkey. The background paper is made with Shimmering Mist paint daubers, then overstamped with the Kanji -- which is currently missing, and the dog better not have eaten this one! The Monkey stamp I picked up LAST year at the Heirloom show, along with a Rat (Thing 2).
Words words words ... French and Latin (I THINK it's Latin), stamped over a background done with, of all things, JOINT COMPOUND, then stained. The partial face is on parchment paper.

One of my older ones. Lots and lots of tissue paper layers here. And of course, a dragonfly tucked in there, because, well, I had to.

And one that is just so very me. Yes, more dragonflies, the dream theme, more wings ... and one of my favourite stamps at the top: "No one is perfect. That's why pencils have erasers."

Image Fest! "Art" jewelry and ATCs

2008-01-09T17:02:00.001-06:00

Been insanely busy lately. Got work to do for Queen Kat, got a stamp show coming up this weekend, I've been miserably sick, and of course the husband is out in the field -- AFTER bringing home the virus that made me sick in the first place. Men: can't live with them, and shooting them makes too much of a mess that I would have to clean up.

"What Music Inspires an Artist?" I should probably go back and use a metallic rub or alcohol ink on the word "music" so it shows up better. This is a pin, die-cut from chipboard with my Sizzix, then layers of ink and embossing powder. The final layer of embossing powder holds all the goodies.

"Kitty!" This pin belongs to Thing 1 -- you know, the weird kid that wears cat ears to school. Kids that don't know her name call her Kitty. Go figure. So I made an appropriate pin.

"Fortune" I lost track of how many collage layers were in this ATC. There's stamps, tissue paper, the background paper is from a Japanese book, there's all sorts of mulberry ... Yeah. Maybe I got carried away, but I like it. The stamp barely visible on the sides of the center coin means 'dragonfly.'

"Kyoshi Temple" and "Obon." Two more Japan-inspired cards. Maybe I've been watching a little too much Anthony Bourdain lately -- but he's made of awesome, so I can be excused. Obon is a Japanese festival where the ancestors are guided back to spend the day with the family.

This ATC was fun. Two "bad" pictures of Thing 1, that I went crazy on with rubber stamps (and StazOn for the ink), then sliced and diced into varied sizes and shapes to build a mosaic. The "grout" on this is Stickles.

Card done with the stamps from QKD's January Get Inked! kit, with several of the techniques I wrote for that one.

Xyron Shout Out!

2008-01-09T15:01:00.000-06:00

Everybody knows I love adhesive. I also adore my Xyrons -- yes, plural. I have the X, the 250, and the 500.

Well, my 500 pulled a new one on me. The top protective layer sheered off inside away from the receiver cartridge, causing the cartridge to fail to advance. With at least 1/3 left on the roll, I was NOT happy!

I called Xyron.

A replacement cartridge is on the way. It was that simple. I told them the problem, they took my name and address, and are sending me a new cartridge.

Their customer service is absolutely TOPS!

QKD Round Robin Blog Party!

2008-01-04T15:42:00.000-06:00

The party has started ... are you in it?

It will start on the QKD Blog on Jan. 2 (okay, so I'm late, I'm sick, darnit!) and then it will "blog hop" to each of the Royal Court Members' blogs throughout the month. There's fun and prizes so mark your calendar. See the full schedule below. Each of the Royal Court members has fun things planned for you.

Jan 2: QKD Blog
Jan 3-5: Penny
Jan 7-9: Vicki
Jan 10-12: Nina
Jan 14-16: Tanis
Jan 17-19: Nancy
Jan 21-23: Bev
Jan 24-26: Anam
Jan 28-30: Jules
Jan 31- Feb 2: Pooka
Feb 4-6: Amy

Yes, there are prizes involved! Everyone likes to win stuff, right?

So have fun, stop on by, and get creative with the Queen Kat Designs Royal Court!

Convention Fever!

2008-01-04T15:33:00.000-06:00

It's that time again, or at least it seems like it in my little corner of the country. You know what I'm talking about -- convention season. The Heirloom Productions Stamp Show is the weekend of the 11-13th in Grapevine, TX, and there's a huge Creating Keepsakes scrapbook convention the very next weekend down in Houston.

It's time, they're here ... but are YOU ready?

Here's some handy convention-goers survival tips. Some of them, I learned the hard way.

1. Airborne. This product was designed by a school teacher to avoid the regular crud delivered by herds of kids. If you're prone to colds, start medicating the day before the show. Take your vitamins as well, making sure you include Vitamins C, B Complex, and Zinc, to help your immune system ward off the Con Crud. I forgot to do this last year, and I paid for it.

2. Don't leave your drinks at home. Make sure you have a bottle of water on your person at all times. Dehydration isn't fun for anyone, and fighting through crowds to reach refreshment stands and vending machines can be exhausting. Check convention rules for bringing in outside refreshments first, of course, but you should be fine with a bottle of water.

3. If you're going to take part in classes, make-n-takes, or just shopping, don't rely on the flimsy bags they hand out. By the time you leave, your hands and arms will be creased from the weight, and odds are your purchases will be crumpled. Don't go with over-the-shoulder bags, either. They just get heavier as the day goes on. If you don't already have one, a rolling cart is the perfect purchase to take with you. Just drag it, no carrying, and all your purchases and tools will fit inside. Plus, if it's a hard-side rolling cart, you have something to lean or sit on as needed.

4. Always check the site for the show. It will let you know what is added at the last minute, or canceled, so that you don't show up expecting something and get something else. While there, order your tickets in advance. They're always cheaper than at the door.

5. That said, Plan Your Day. By checking the site, you should have a good idea of what classes are available, and what make-n-takes will be there. Get there early for them, because the lines form fast. If classes offer pre-registration, and you KNOW you want to do it and will be there, register before you go. The site will also tell you what supplies you are expected to bring for the classes.

6. Not everybody accepts a credit card at a convention. And sometimes, they won't take anything but cash or check at the door to get in if you forgot to order your tickets in advance. Keep some cash on hand, then your checkbook, and rely on credit cards only if you have to. It'll save you money in the long run if you try to keep in mind what money you have Right Now, and avoid spending by credit.

7. It never hurts to walk away for a little while. If the convention isn't in your home town, step away and see the local sights for a while to avoid convention burn-out. For a show that lasts several days, this will save your sanity -- and your wallet, since you aren't shopping. Sit back, put your feet up, even return to your hotel room and unpack some of your purchases. You aren't going to have much fun if you wear yourself out the very first day.

8. Do some research. Again, the site for the show is your friend. If there's something you've been looking at, but want to see it in person, or don't want to pay exorbitant shipping costs, now's the time to buy. Also, check their normal prices so you know what they charge outside of a convention. Exhibitors often demo their products, so you can see in person how they work. Make-n-takes often allow you to try before you buy. Not sure how often you'll use something you see there? Ask, but don't ask the people behind the booth. Ask your fellow customers.

9. More research. Conventions are great for local business. Some offer special convention deals, whether it be on hotel prices, rental cars, or even dinner. However, those often come with the extra price of being extremely crowded. Look for reviews of local establishments, find places to eat off the main roads, and if all else fails, ask the locals. They know where to eat that won't be packed, and you could find a real treasure. Search for the new and different, and try to avoid chains -- you can eat that stuff at home.

10. If you take medications, don't leave them in your hotel room. Pack them with you, enough for that day. It will save you a trip back to the hotel if your plans change, or you run into an old friend and get distracted from the time. Even if you don't take medication on a regular basis, pack some ibuprofen or Tylenol, eyedrops, especially for those that wear contacts, and bandaids. Between paper cuts, and shoe blisters, your body will thank you if you remember the basics.

11. Layers are your friend. It may be cold outside, but you press several hundred or thousand people together, and the temperature rises fast. Light layers are easier to remove and store in your cart. Unless it's snowing or below freezing, leave your coat in the car. Pack hair ties if you have long hair.

12. If you make ATCs, take some with you. Make sure your contact information is on the back. This is a good way to network, and a lot more interesting than a business card. If you run a small business, take both. They'll remember you better, and you might just make a sale or three. Also remember to pick UP cards at booths. If you see something you want, but don't have the money at the time, write it down on the back of the shop's card. A small notebook can help here as well.

13. If you make wearable art, Wear It! Not only can a unique piece be a great conversation starter (I actually got a free stamp from a fellow dragonfly fan because I wore a wire-work dragonfly I made), but you might just make a new customer.

Above all, have fun!

Cardisms

2007-12-27T15:17:00.001-06:00

Layers of vellum and diecuts, with a sticker strip, stamped backgrounds.

Thing 2 had a birthday party to go to. Guess who helped me make this card? :D I've got to remember to STAND on big stamps to get solid impressions.

Foam stamp, gingerbread girl embossed. Liquid Pearls make awesome frosting. Cuttlebug snowflake diecuts. For Thing 1's secret santa.

I actually didn't manage to get ANY pictures of the Christmas cards I sent out. I'd do another, only THE DOG ATE MY FOAM CHRISTMAS TREE STAMP!! A cat knocked it off the table, and the dog ATE IT!

Get Inked! -- January

2007-12-13T15:34:00.000-06:00

The following card was made using some of the techniques I wrote up for the January Get Inked! kit at Queen Kat Designs.

The Love, Hearts, and Be Mine stamps are part of the kit as well. If you haven't signed up yet to get in on this neat new kit -- what are you waiting for??

The scanner didn't do the greatest job of capturing all the embossing, or the resist very well, nor did it really capture the hologram-look of the embossing done on the edge and in the center heart, but you get the idea.

I feel all sparkly

2007-12-12T01:56:00.001-06:00

Surgeon General's Warning:
The surgeon general warns you that the Pooka is thoroughly medicated thanks to a doctor visit today and while I can almost, ALMOST, type, getting anything ELSE is going to be a several hour-long trial. Be patient, get the rum and the popcorn.... and be ready to run.

It may be chilly or downright cold some nights and there But I'm a firm believer is that, if can pretty yourself up, that you're going to feel better, especially while being trapped, bound, and gagged from usefulness.

Sure, there's seasonal goodies thrust madly into faces, mothers doing the old fabric applique trick on sweat shirts that get hurt when you don't wear it All The Time.

Don't leap to conclusion by me having a new blog entry, You can leap. So, here in this little.... "retro rook"

Dancing Dragonflies.

Sold to a lovely Hobbit lass in the UK. Matching earrings. The long center silver dragonfly is jointed, so each segment moves. The silver and pearl strand is part of the necklace design and is attached at the clasp, which is also a dragonfly. You can only see one of the earrings hanging from the chain -- also made to match. Model: my eldest Thing 1.

Earthbound

Model: Thing 1. Full set: earrings, necklace, and bracelet. The smallest rounded coin shapes are actually glass designed to look like the jaspers and agates that make up the other stones. Swarovski crystals and tiny glass beads as spacers. The looser look to the bracelet is deliberate. Since the earrings and necklace were all very clear and clean in form, I wanted something a little looser for extra texture, so I took more of the long block agates, paired them with the larger jasper coins, and made a double/single strand, with some wire visible to give it a feel of motion.

Indigo swirls.

Inspired by a pattern in Margot Potter's Impatient Beader book. Even the above dragonfly necklace took some inspiration from her, seeing that she had two necklaces that focused on my favouritest insect, so I combined to make something that worked for me, and then it obviously worked for the woman who later bought it.
The big sparkly disco ball cluster that inspired this particular piece wouldn't have worked for my eldest, who was wanting something darker and deeper. We found these blues, and she went berserk -- yep, that was it.
The bulk of the design is built around blue sodalite, including the pendant. Swarovskis and seed beads complete the design. It's not as hard as it looks, it's just time consuming and definitely requires having a plan ahead of time.

Said and aforementioned Thing has another of those swirl necklaces, all in red and white, I believe. I had one in amber, agate, citrine, and red jasper, but I think it may have gotten sold. There is, however, a small problem (an eleven year-old problem) which may be the reason why that necklace cannot currently be found -- considering that Thing 2 really has no idea where ANYHTHING she owns is, much less something she "borrowed." Lemme tell ya, THAT gets old.

And now, my Ambien is saying that it now needs to sleepy time.

Clear Ether! (I will personally make sure a present is sent to the first reader that knows where that phrase comes from)

Round Robin Blog Party News

2007-12-11T18:42:00.000-06:00

Queen Kat Designs is happy to announce it's first ever Round Robin Blog Party or RRBP. It will begin on Jan 2nd at the Queen Kat Designs Official Blog for a day of fun and stamping. Each blog after that will have 3 days to party!

Each of the 10 Royal Court Members will host 3 challenges during their mini crop. You'll have a chance to win a mini stamp set on each of their blogs. So, make sure you play through the month and win a set!

Below is the list of when and where for our party. Come and join us to celebrate the new year and the next 12 months of new stamp designs.

Jan 2: QKD Blog
Jan 3-5: Penny

Jan 7-9: Jen
Jan 10-12: Nina

Jan 14-16: Tanis
Jan 17-19: Nancy

Jan 21-23: Vicki
Jan 24-26: Bev

Jan 28-30: Jules
Jan 31- Feb 2: Pooka

Feb 4-6: Anam

Visit our blogs to see what we have going on right now. We love comments so feel free to leave some love. Happy Stamping and Merry Christmas from Queen Kat Designs.

What a card!!

2007-12-08T23:02:00.000-06:00

Right, I'm feverish and punny, and that's never a good combination. So instead of trying and failing to be witty (just half-witted here tonight) ...

Charcoal cardstock. Asian coin mosaic stamped onto watercolour paper, embossed, then watercoloured. I just love my watercolour pencils. Pearl-Ex blended to make the coins metallic.

Yep, more watercolours! Dragonfly postcard stamped onto watercolour paper, and then painted. I got a little carried away with adding the mulberry paper punches. Ooops. It happens to the best (and worst) of us.

Done for a challenge at Queen Kat Designs. The card isn't blurry, it's my scanner, which hates dimensional accents. Gold is Pearl-Ex added to Versamark stamped images, with a wooden button as a clasp for the door.

Thank heavens DG gave me my Christmas present early. I now have a functional digital camera to solve the image problems.

2008 Queen Kat Royal Court

2007-12-08T22:35:00.000-06:00

Hear ye, Hear ye!

Queen Kat Designs is proud to announce the 2008 Royal Court! Please help us welcome everyone to the castle and re-welcome those who have signed on to stay.

We're very excited to introduce to you our new designers...

Tanis Geisbrecht aka Paperprincess
Nancy Grant aka Inkcicles
Jen Pohl aka Jen
Nina Patena aka cbpatenaand...

And our wonderful returning designers...
Bev Douglas aka Sierra Grannie (that's me!)
Juliet Diley aka Jules
Penny Hartley aka Penny
Suzeanne Peak -- ME ME ME ME ME!
Anam Stubbington aka Kihaku

and of course, last, but NEVER least ... Vicki Beland aka Queen Kat!

A new year is coming, so don't be left out!
We have some fun things planned, including an upcoming Round Robin Blog Party, our new GET INKED kits, and a whole lot more.
Stick with us to join in the fun.

The NEW Queen Kat Designs "GET INKED" kit is revealed!

2007-12-08T20:05:00.000-06:00

This is a new concept in kit design!! This is for the stamper at heart. We have come up with an awesome kit that will please every palette from beginners to advanced inkers (stampers).
Each month, you will receive a kit that has a different kind(s) of ink, a tool or two and techniques on how to use your kit. Below is the list of what we have in store for the next 12 months!

January: Heat Embossing
February: All about Versamark
March: Learn how to Distress
April: Add some sparkle
May: All about Chalk Inks
June: Learn to use Re-Inkers
July: Stamping w/ markers
August: Resist Stamping
September: Paint Stamping
October: Brilliance Ink
November: Versa Magic
December: Memory Mist w/ chalk ink

(subject to change at our discretion)

As you can see, we have a year of fun and INKING planned! You can't go wrong with these kits. You're sure to learn alot as well as collect a wide variety of different inks, tools and supplies. Each month, we will feature an EXCLUSIVE stamp set from Queen Kat Designs that has been designed just for the Get Inked! Kit that month. The stamps are not available any where else!
January's kit will feature embossing powders of all kinds..

Here's what you'll get in the first installment of Get Inked!.

1 Stamp Set
1 Full Size Embossing Ink Pad

1/2 oz. Black Embossing Powder

1/2 oz. Ultra Thick Clear Embossing Powder

1/2 oz. Worn Lipstick Distress Embossing Powder from Tim Holtz

1 Technique News Sheet written especially for the Get Inked! kit

(Note: Many of the techniques come from my own little crayon box -- yes, I share!)

And a bonus! Everyone who purchases a Get Inked! kit will have access to a free download that has more embossing techniques in it.

Each month, we will have a new download with additional techniques for you to try and keep. Access to this feature will run from the 1st of the month through the 31st. You will receive an email on the 1st with a link to the download.

Kits ship on the 10th of the month if not before. If you sign up for a monthly subscription, your card will be billed between the 1st and the 10th of each month. Also, if you subscribe to our monthly kit club AND the Get Inked! kit, BOTH of your kits will ship on the 8th of each month of before! Get your Ink on even faster by subscribing to both kits!

For a limited time, if you subscribe to a 12 month card kit or scrapbooking kit and a 6 or 12 month subscription of the Get Inked! kit, you'll get 10% off your subscription each month of the Get Inked! kit.

Have you inked today? Kits on sale now!

QKD is releasing a new kit!

2007-11-29T02:33:00.000-06:00

Queen Kat Designs will unveil a NEW type of kit in January, in addition to the other monthly kits already available. It's called "Get Inked!"

Can you guess what it's for? It's for all you inkies out there. :) First one to guess correctly will win a kit for free! Post your answers here.

Here's a hint -- I'm involved.

ALSO -- have you signed up for our monthly newsletter yet? Why not? Don't miss a single newsletter from Queen Kat Designs! To subscribe today, send an e-mail to info@katstamps.com. Make sure you put Newsletter in the subject line.

Movie Review: Grindhouse -- Planet Terror

2007-11-16T13:33:00.000-06:00

Break out the wine and crackers, boys, we got us some cheeeeeeeeese!

I used the charming On Demand feature last night, and finally saw Planet Terror. I have a feeling that in a little while, I'm going to watch it again, because, well, I can. I will own this. And DG will give me The Look and just shake his head sadly.

For those that didn't grow up with the Grindhouse B-movie, this film is probably going to go whooooosh and not be fully appreciated. If you're into Splatter Comedy, you've probably already seen it, and own it.

Every Single B-Movie Cliche is present in this. All of them. Shameless, blatant, and deliberate. The cheese factor is so high that nachos come easy, just add chips. Having a shameless adoration for good cheese in a splatter comedy, I loved this movie, giggling madly through pretty much the entire thing.

This is not a movie that takes itself seriously. The script is appropriately atrocious, the nonsensical close-ups of hair flips and ridiculous glamour in the middle of a zombie fight are SO classic grindhouse, the plot is so thin and has enough holes you can fly a 747 through them, the acting is all completely over the top with the actors chewing so much scenery you wonder how they have a set left to film on, explosions that make utterly no sense whatsoever, and the grainy, warping visual completes the attempt to bring back Camp. There is no shortage of gore (gouting fountains of blood, anyone?), and if you don't recognize the tributes to old splatter, you've been living under a rock or don't like watching this sort of thing anyway. It even has the pre-requisite Creepy Ass Kid.

I want to know just how much fun the actors had in making this movie. It's truly no-holds-barred insanity, from start to finish.

Oh, and I never really thought much of Rose McGowan, but damn, she's hot in this. If you're familiar with other films by Rodriguez, then you'll recognize a whole lot of these faces.

There's even a segment of "Missing Reel", just like you'd expect from a grindhouse feature that's been played so many times, the film is falling apart.

It's hard to imagine that a movie can be this much utterly stupid fun.

Gasp -- I've been Carded!

2007-11-14T00:50:00.000-06:00

Can't resist a good pun -- or a bad one for that matter. ANYWAY, before this digresses further, a few cards.

I love making cards, really, I do. I'm not much into the scrapbooking -- I usually leave that to my mother, who thinks Sandi Genovese is a goddess (my parents even have a really cheesy pic of my dad with Sandi, go figure). And actually, the cards sort of ... evolved, you might say, through my other crafting. You know how it is, one thing just leads to another. Jewelry and collage both lend themselves rapidly towards card making, especially once you start accumulating goodies. And let me tell you, you don't want to see what my work area looks like.

On with the pictures, because I do begin to ramble at 1 am.

I love ink. And adhesive. And of course, stamps. The Dream card was actually my first card done on completely white paper. No colour at all, till I added it. It went to my youngest daughter's teacher, who was wonderfully helpful during a period where we were quite broke, and she went and bought some of the school supplies that were not listed in the requirements but were still needed.

The next one, the Love card, was done for a darling and wonderful woman, known to the world as Sierra Grannie, of Queen Kat Designs. She had surgery a while back, so I put this one together to give her a little smile while recovering. I can never resist an excuse to send out a RAK (for those living on another planet and not In The Know, that's a Random Act of Kindness. Or Kardness, for the punny.).

This next card is relatively unisex, because it was a birthday card for my father, who has determined that he's going to regress in years instead of advance, because the idea of me being 40 just sends him into a serious late-midlife-crisis.

As you can see from the last two, I love my Sizzix. The leaves, AND the embossing plates for the second card, are all Cuttlebug, used in my Sizzix.

Murphy. Pooka Murphy

2007-11-13T09:25:00.000-06:00

Thing 2 is an 11-year-old today.

An 11 with a broken arm. Which she broke last night. Yep, day before her birthday, kid falls while playing in a monster leaf pile and breaks her friggin arm.

This is the most stoic kid in the world, though. Thing 2 handles pain pretty darn well, and DG said she was a really big girl about it in the ER, (cough) ESPECIALLY once they got her all doped up on Lortab.

When she came in, she was holding it and complaining a little about it hurting, but she never really complains much about pain. I had her put ice on it, take a Motrin, and just try to sit for a while. When an hour or two later, she was STILL complaining, and it was nearing bedtime ... Took a look, it was starting to swell up, and changing colour a little.

Right. I sent em to the ER, while Amyrantha and I sat here and fretted a bit and worked on getting pages cut for her to be making new journals. And of course, we get the news I was expecting.

Of course, with the new insurance, the ER's referral isn't good enough. Now she has to see her own doctor BEFORE we can take her to the orthopedic to get it properly set. For now, she's just in a plaster splint.

Way to spend her birthday, lemme tell ya. Oy. We did keep her home from school today, though. I guess that's something.

And Amyrantha and the DaddyGod BOTH leave today, leaving me alone with a kid with a broken arm for her birthday. This means I am going to be called on for some major distraction and entertainment to keep her happy. She was already mad at DG leaving -- the Yarn Queen leaving too ... hoo boy. Hee.

Poor kid.

Domino Art and Ranger

2007-11-11T10:51:00.000-06:00

I am Ranger Industries bitch. I know it, and I accept it.

I realized this when I was looking at the stuff strewn about my craft area. Ranger's Distress Inks, Ranger's Alcohol Inks ... it just keeps going.

And I LOVE the alcohol ink. My mouse is the next alcohol ink project to get worked on, that's for sure. I've even considered doing my monitor. Hmmm ....

I would also really really like to be posting images of the latest domino pieces, however, for some reason my computer - or Blogger - is being a pain in the butt and won't let me. I'll try again later on another machine and see if I just need to update my Firefox, which is entirely possible, nay, probable.

Apparently it was Firefox -- go figure.

This particular green one is going to be part of a bracelet for myself, however, finding the appropriate water-themed stamps in a good size for domino work is proving rather vexing. Phoey.

The red ones are a few of the dominos done as a bracelet for my eldest daughter (the one fluttering around as a goth faerie several posts back). To say she is obsessed with all aspects of Asian Culture is a very British understatement.

The kid definitely takes Otaku to all new levels of weird. To my dismay (and yet, vast amusement), her high school allows her to wear ears to school. Not merely her own attached to her potentially empty blonde-by-nature head, but cat ears, rabbit ears, you name it. I want some of what her principal is smoking. But at least he believes in letting kids do their Thing and being unique individuals instead of forcing them into vast conformity.
I haven't scanned the matching pendant, complete with Geisha upon it, since my scanner doesn't particularly like dimensional pieces, and it has a coin attached to the front, with Swarovski flat-backs along the sides. I'll have to borrow her camera at some point and get a good picture of it.

QKD is looking for new members of the Royal Court!

2007-11-09T01:15:00.000-06:00

Queen Kat Designs
Royal Stamping Maid Application
www.katstamps.com

Queen Kat Designs Clear Stamps is looking for an active and exciting “Royal Court” member (design team member)! We are a 1 year old stamp company that’s looking to show our customers what our stamps can really do! We’re looking to add to our court with your help promoting our products as much as possible through your personal blog or any online galleries you may frequent.

About this position:
A “Royal Stamping Maid” is responsible for creating projects with Queen Kat Designs clear stamps. Our stamps are high quality photopolymer stamps that produce great images. Each month that we have new releases, you will be sent 1-2 new sets to work with. A minimum of 6 projects will be required for each set you receive. 3 of which must be greeting cards and the other 3 are up to you. Each project will need to feature the stamps you are working with to show others how they can be used.

You will need the ability to post your work on our gallery. You will have your very own album to show off in. You may use a scanner or camera. Our Royal Court members are responsible for the up keep of their own blogs and are asked to display a little banner or blinkie linking to Queen Kat Designs on their blog.

If the above description is something that you are up for, please email us at info @ katstamps . com we will send you the application to apply for a spot on the Royal Court. Terms are 6 months in length and will formally begin January 1, 2008. Applications will be taken until November 25, 2007 at 12pm MST. The new RC member will be contacted on or shortly after November 25th.

Royal Court Perks:
~Each member will receive a 50% discount on our line of clear stamps
~Each member will receive 1-2 free stamp sets each month that we have new releases (Most months!)
~Each Court member will have their own album at the QKD Gallery.

Customer Appreciation Days

2007-11-03T10:39:00.001-05:00

We @ QKD would like to THANK all of you for making the past year a hit with our stamps! Queen Kat Designs stamps were born in November 2006. We're having a 2 day sale to thank you. We hope you'll take this opportunity to start your crafty holiday shopping. All of our stamps are clear photopolymer acrylic! "It's the REAL deal baby!" No phonies here.

Shop N Save with 35% off of all of our stamps. Includes the 23 NEW stamp sets for November! No coupon code necessary. Just shop and check out. Your discount will be taken at check out.

Have fun shopping and THANK YOU for a fabulous year!
(Sale ends Sunday at midnight)

Product Review: Xyron

2007-11-01T11:26:00.001-05:00

Adhesive Madness
Xyron

I'll admit it right up front and get it out of the way. I'm addicted to adhesive. Glue, glue sticks, glue dots, hot glue, spray glue, sticky tape, duct tape, double-sided tape -- it just goes on and on. I have one of the most ridiculously diverse collections of adhesive, containing all of the above and more.

You want to know what I use more than anything?

My Xyrons. Yes, that is plural. I have the classic X, the 250, and the 500. If money allowed, I'd have the 900, too. Since I don't, the specific review will only cover the first three.

I don't know how I ever lived without them.

At first glance, it may seem silly, not only to "need" a machine that makes with the sticky all over the back of something, but to own more than one. But each different machine has a different size range for use that make them more convenient than others, and the uses are limitless.

-- For starters, have you ever needed to stick down mulberry paper, or get vellum fully stuck to a project? Not easy to get them stuck without the adhesive being visible. And while there are special vellum adhesives, you're really limited to only getting corners stuck down which can be dangerous with delicate vellum that when it crinkles, creases, or folds, it's that way Forever. Little adhesive strips on mulberry paper also show through, which isn't a big deal if you're layering over it and only parts will show, but can be a trial if you're doing large sections that will be clearly visible.

Run vellum or mulberry paper (or really, any paper that has a translucent quality) through a Xyron, and you sticky The Entire Back evenly. No tape lines show through. With the even and full application made possible by a Xyron, you can't see adhesive at all, except on the most translucent vellum, and even then, it's not blatant. Subtle is good, when it comes to the sticky holding your world together.

-- And think about detailed die-cuts. Sure, you can cut the pieces out, and use teensy bits of glue to put all the pieces together, but you get a mess on your work surface from trying to make the pieces sticky, and then you have to get them onto the main die-cut without getting that sticky everywhere else.

Just run the paper through the Xyron first, then the die-cut machine. I don't know how well this works on the electronic die machines, but on the Sizzix and Cuttlebug, it is fantastic. No, it doesn't gum up the dies at all. And then you just peel and stick and the embellishment goes together fast with no mess.

Quick Tip: It's also a marvelous way to get glitter, sand, or any other fine and otherwise messy item onto a piece.

As an example, say you have a die-cut tiara that you want for a princess project. Run it through the Xyron normally, face up. If your Xyron gives you two layers, peel off the clear top that has no sticky.

The back is now sticky (and if you're using lettering this way, you have an entire sheet you can do at once instead of one at a time, making it faster). Turn it OVER, and run it through the machine again.

This time, the top/front is sticky. Peel the protective layer off the sticky top, and apply your glitter/sand/microbeads/metallic flakes to the top, while the back is still securely on the backing sheet. LIGHTLY tap the surface with your fingers, to make sure all the adhesive is covered, then tap off onto a folder or scrap page to return the glitter to the container, peel the item from the backing, and add to your page.

The glitter STAYS where you put it, and you have a completely unique and customized embellishment. This technique is fantastic with vellum, to give very subtle translucent shimmers across a project. If you use coloured vellum, and clear glitter ... the possibilities are endless, and the colour will show through.

-- Detailed pieces of embellishment are often a pain to get properly stuck down. Edges and corners come up -- it's a mess, especially when you're using some of the wonderful sparkle confetti shapes and laser cut hologram confetti that is available now. Not with a Xyron.

Run that otherwise aggravating bit through the Xyron, burnish it against the backing with your finger, not only to make sure it's well stuck but to remove any stray adhesive that is in the open cut spaces. Peel and stick, and it goes down and stays that way.

(BTW, the leftover backing bits are fantastic to use to resist other glues permanently sticking down. You can use them to arrange stickers and sticker bits into the shape you want before applying them to a page, as well.)

Important Tip: The permanent cartridges are perfect to use on items that will get a lot of handling and wear and tear, like covers of albums, keychains, light switch covers. With the full sticky back, there's much less worry about corners or edges peeling back due to handling.

Convinced yet? Then take a look at some of the specifics.

Xyron X

The X will sticky a shape up to 1.5" wide. Cartridge options are both permanent AND repositionable -- fabulous for masking uses. The size is perfect to make small stickers, for use on confetti shapes, and individual letters, without wasting any of a larger cartridge doing a small shape. It's also nice for ribbon, yes, RIBBON.

To use the X, you gently push the piece into the open top of the X leg until it catches on the cartridge, then pull out the other leg by the strip of tape sticking out, and use the serated cutting edge to remove the strip from the machine. Burnish to ensure full stick, peel off the top clear protective layer, peel from the backing, and use.

Xyron 250

Cartridges also come in either permanent or repositionable. The 250 makes stickers up to 2.5" wide.

The 250 has a hand crank, so you just feed the item in till it catches, and keep on cranking till it comes out the other side. Trim, and you're ready to stick.

Xyron 500

Like its smaller siblings, also holds permanent or repositionable cartridges. The 500 gives you up to 5" wide of sticky.

The 500 has a knob instead of a crank, but works the same way: feed in, turn, trim, and stick.

Why so many? Size matters.

The different sizes allow you to make different size stickers without wasting precious cartridge. Sure, you can arrange several on a larger one and try to get them to go through evenly without overlapping and thus missing sticky on some vital edge, but it's not the easiest in the world to get multiple items to go through a big one without some shifts in position, thus choose the size of your machine accordingly.

They're so easy, even kids can use them -- and do. My girls have their own copies of the X, and they see frequent use. The X is the perfect size to do labels for the IPod shuffle, and most other small MP3 players, so you can see how often it gets used around here. NOTE: For younger children, buy the repositionable cartridges. Trust me. It will make it so much easier to peel them off your furniture and walls later on.

The basic machines aren't too expensive, and are often on sale. Cartridges can get expensive, which is another reason why it's wise to choose by size -- and to have more than one. My X gets the heaviest use, since it's harder to stick down small items. And when the machines go on sale, the cartridges are usually included in that sale. 30-40% off is the most common sale price, and you can afford to stock up then.

Now, those are just the BASIC Xyron models.

The 510, 850, and 900 (9" of sticky heaven!) will ALL do not only stickers, but magnets and lamination. Each function just requires a separate cartridge. Multiple choices, one machine. Sweet, huh?

While I think the adhesive cartridges for the X could be a little less messy (you do sometimes need to rub the edges to make sure it's clear of glue before applying), on the whole, this is the way adhesive should be.

And while I love the idea of getting I disagreeorted body parts messy and sticky from glue, my PROJECTS should be clean. Xyron assures me that my projects will always be crisp, clear, clean, and free of sticky bubbles of glue.

Final Scores:

X: B+
250 and 500: A

Happy Halloween from Pooka's Crayon!

2007-10-31T11:31:00.000-05:00

Zombies, for Fun and Profit (part 2)

2007-10-30T10:48:00.000-05:00

So now that you've gathered your supplies, it's on to the fun stuff: production. This article will focus on prosthetics, both off and on the skin.

The above walking corpse is a combination of both methods -- on and off skin prosthetics. The heavy textured pieces visible on the cheeks is done via the off skin method, the rest, directly on the face.

Let's start with some general prosthetics.

If you did manage to get some liquid latex, great. If not, you don't HAVE to have it, it just makes the process of removing pre-made prosthetics from glass a little easier. Yes, you need a sheet of glass for this part.

Supplies:
Sheet of glass (small) -- must be slick on one side. Don't worry, it'll come clean afterwards. A mirror will work as well. You just need enough surface to pre-make a few sections, depending on how many zombies you need to create.
Liquid latex or Elmer's
Texture additives of choice (oatmeal, birdseed, breadcrumbs, etc). -- you can use your toilet paper or paper towel on this step, but it's much easier to do those directly on skin.
Cornstarch baby powder

-- Slather a thin layer of your goop on the glass. Start out thin, or it'll take forever to dry. The shape is up to you, but remember to keep it to a size that will FIT on your victim. This is your base.
-- Let dry.
-- Powder lightly, dust and blow off.
-- Add another, thinner layer, just to get the surface wet.
-- Carefully add in your texture. A mix of items works well, just remember to keep it thin, otherwise, it won't stick.
-- Lightly pat with fingers to make sure it's stuck, then let dry.
-- Powder again, making sure to get all excess off.
-- Add another layer of goop to seal, spreading as necessary. This gives a good foundation to add makeup on.
-- Let dry. Powder and remove excess.

When ready to use, just peel from the glass -- use a razor blade if you have it to prevent curl-ups on the edges that will make it harder to apply.

The powder is necessary for several reasons. First, these prosthetics will stick to each other without it. Second, the makeup will adhere better when the surface isn't perfectly slick.

You can apply these via spirit gum, but really, you don't need it. Use what you have. The back will still be slick and smooth from the glass, making it easier to apply, and if you use as adhesive the same goop you used to make it, it will stick better. Yes, you can use Elmer's for this, too.

Now, return to look at the top image. See the nose, forehead, and chin? That's all direct to skin. And easy easy easy, to get a nasty peeling skin look. The supply list is impossibly simple: Elmer's. Or your peel off masque, if you have it. Me, I stick with Elmer's, because I always have it.

There's several different ways to handle application. You can stretch skin as tight as possible, then apply -- but then you have to hold that skin taut till it drys. This can be a pain, especially if you have to do more than one zombie. Besides, you can get wrinkles other ways, like using tissue, so don't sweat it.

Direct to skin prosthetic rot.

The above picture is the same general method as the preformed prosthetic skin on glass, only direct to skin. This works well for odd areas, areas that might take longer to dry on glass, and areas bigger than the glass you have to work with. It's also relatively fast if you're working a zombie assembly line, as you can apply to one, and be letting it dry while you work on another.

Basic Peeling Skin: This applies to all exposed skin--face, hands, feet, etc.
-- Apply a smooth, relatively thin layer of Elmer's. You want it not entirely clear, but not thick white either. Do it somewhat at random, especially near muscles, so that the peeling is more natural. You don't need to cover the entire area.
-- Let dry. For thinner peels, stop at this step.
-- Add another layer. Let dry.
-- Yep, one more layer, focusing on the middles of the sections and ignoring the edges. It's necessary for details.
-- Let dry.
-- Gently start to peel at the edges, just to get loose skin flaps. Don't get carried away.
-- Using fingernails (the safest), start to tug and tear in the thicker areas. Create holes, slices -- whatever look you want. You can even fake bullet holes this way, just make sure they aren't on the head -- after all, that kills a zombie, and dead undead aren't any fun!!

Nasty Blisters:
-- Once you've popped a hole in the glue skin, use a little more glue and run it inside the deepest parts of the hole to puff it out. Apply a spare amount, you don't want it to run.
-- Let dry.
-- Repeat, if necessary, to get it puffy.
-- If you want, add a glue spot for a gross pustule in the center. Repeat to get the height you want.
-- If you're going for really gross, now's the time to make pus. Since you'll be dealing with blood, which is already sticky, you can just tint the glue and use it for pus, and while it won't run, it'll be nastily effective.
-- Elmer's is tintable. Use your cream makeup, and mix in some green, as well as some of the yellow from the bruise kit. Mix carefully, and apply with the end of a paintbrush to the blister.

After that, all that remains is the makeup.

More Detailed Effects: You can fake nearly all commercial appliances with this method, for next to nothing in cost, except for things like intestines falling out of the abdomen.
-- Start with the layer of Elmer's again. Have torn pieces of toilet paper or paper towel ready to go: you don't want to try tearing after your hands are slimy. If you're lucky, you can have your victim working on this.
-- Don't let dry this time. Instead, start to apply the tissue to the goop. Scrunch, crinkle at will.
-- If you want to be able to cut sections open for wounds, leave big, deep folds in your tissue, and make sure there's a good amount folded into the space, no matter how small you crunch down the fold.
-- Seal over it with more glue.
-- Let dry.
-- Add another layer of glue. This will give you a good, stiff base to work with, and will help protect the tissue when you get to gore, keeping it from disintigrating on you.
-- Once dry, tear or cut the folds into the shape you want. If you plan your folds carefully, you can do bite marks, claw marks, blade cuts, bullet holes -- imagination is your only limit. Even slashed throats can be done this way.

Again, all that remains is the makeup. God is in the details, and those details will matter with these faked prosthetics. Done right, they'll look far better than commercial appliances. Done wrong, they'll still look more natural than latex sheets.

Here's a place where your theatrical blood is well used. The torn spots will be stiff, and not precisely natural. Once the makeup and blood are applied, however, they'll soften down to realism. And the theatrical blood gels and dries, so it won't disintigrate your hard work.

Next time: On to the makeup!!

Movie Review: Dead and Breakfast

2007-10-30T09:11:00.000-05:00

Oh. My. God. SciFi aired Dead and Breakfast the other night. I'd heard about this movie for a while, but never found it on DVD or on any other channel. So no, I've never managed to see this uncut. Yet. I WILL own this movie.

After all, I've got a huge collection of zombie films, both originals and remakes. Clearly, I need to add more.

I damn near hurt myself laughing. This is Zombie Cheese splatter comedy at its finest, along the lines of Army of Darkness meets Peter Jackson's Dead/Alive (BrainDead for the lucky folks over the pond).

Over the top ridiculous gore (gouting fountains of blood, anyone?), a script that never once took itself too seriously, zombies galore, David Carradine, prerequisite characters that do Really Odd Things, like the vegetarian that apparently can speak any and all languages, as well as ASL, and the one who, when the shit hits the fan, starts building her own shotguns because they have shells but nothing to fire them (played by Carradine's niece), the completely nerdy and slightly creepy guy, the mysterious stranger, David Fucking Carradine!, and a country singer/gas station attendant that narrates the movie, both before and after his zombiedom.

The opening credits alone are awesome -- black, white, and red drawings, very comic book style -- and these show up throughout the movie as it shifts from one setting to another. The actors aren't complete unknowns, and some may even be familiar to viewers.

Look for deliberate Cheese Moments: zombies doing the Thriller Dance, an Evil Dead poster, and a Buffy reference.

It ain't Oscar-winning cinema, and it's not for true horror fans, or those that believe all zombie movies should be deadly serious, but it's a damn fun way to spend two hours.

Zombies, for Fun and Profit

2007-10-29T12:19:00.000-05:00

"That's too much work!" Oh, please.
"It's too expensive to do it right." Give me a break.

Next in Pooka's Craft Circle: Zombies, for Fun and Profit

It doesn't take a lot of work (just a bit of practice and willing victims -- I mean, subjects), or a lot of money to turn out some quality zombification. Unfortunately, I will have to wait for some of my victims to send on their own photos (and you know how slow the mail is when graveyards are involved), because my own cameraperson was apparently inconvenienced by gravity and oxygen, thus leaving me with a precious few pictures to illustrate my point.

I'll help show you how to do it CHEAP, and still get a quality look that will hold up even if your event is in daylight.

Forget most commercial accessories. You only need a few of these. The "realistic" FX tricks come through items you probably already have around your house. Ready? Let's go ...

Supplies

Cream Makeup: (Greasepaint is complicated, requires powder-setting or it Will Not Dry and smudges everywhere, and is more expensive. Avoid it.)
White
Black
Green
(Optional colours with a bigger budget: brown, yellow, blue. Different types of zombies need different colours, obviously.)

Detail Makeup:
A bruise kit -- These cream makeups can be bought separately, as a kit of four, or as part of a prosthetic kit, which is obviously more expensive. DO choose costume makeup for this, or you won't get the same effect. They also have a different consistency from the cream tubes, so I consider them necessary.

The colours required: yellow, red-brown, brown, black (or deep purple).

An assortment of makeup pencils for deep lines (brown, black, green, purple, you can get these under a buck each).

Blood: If you do buy commercial, make sure to get theatrical blood that will dry as well as mouth blood or blood capsules. They're not interchangeable, and you Do Not Want regular theatrical blood in your mouth or eyes.

Blood, however, is easy enough to make. If you do go for making your own, I'd still recommend picking up a tube of theatrical blood. The homemade stuff is sticky, and while edible, can get really messy over the course of your zombie stomp. There's a huge number of blood recipes on the net, so I won't post any of them here.

http://www.sickindividual.com/tipblood.html Has a pretty good list of multiple methods for homemade blood.

Home Supplies: Many of these are optional according to how decayed your zombie is and the look you're going for.

For Texture:
Rotting Skin:

Oatmeal -- two piles, whole and well-crumbled but not powdered.
Breadcrumbs -- Different types create different effects. If using oatmeal as well, try Panko breadcrumbs for a finer texture.
Birdseed -- also great for road rash, without the weight of rock. If you have a mixed wild seed bag, it's perfect. Just take out the sunflower seeds (you can use them elsewhere).

Tears, rips, and further texture:

Toilet paper -- only use the cheap stuff you don't want anywhere near your butt. 2-ply ultrasoft is a pain to use. If it's all you have, opt for ...
Paper towels -- Type and quality doesn't matter.
Cotton balls -- just pull and tear till you get closer to a sheet of fluff. Also good for bloody hair sliding free of skin.

Peeling, shedding skin: A lot of people have latex allergies these days -- my method avoids that.
A Peel-Off Face Masque -- is great for rotten, peeling skin. If you don't already have it, don't worry about buying it, unless one of your victims has sensitive skin.
Elmer's School Glue -- yes, good old Elmer's. Come on, you remember doing this back in school. You spread the stuff on your skin, wait for it to dry, peel it off. Here, it serves multiple purposes. Not only do you get the peeling flesh, but you can build up several layers, then tear it open in select spots to create gaping congealed holes and open blisters, plus, it serves to attach your texture items to the skin.

***Yes, it's skin safe. You wouldn't be wearing it long enough for it to be a problem, IF it was a problem. I have ridiculously sensitive skin, and I sat all day yesterday while doing makeup for a Halloween event with my hand gored up, using Elmer's as the base for the makeup, and was just fine.
*** Yes, cream makeup goes on just fine over it --yes, I said OVER, clear zombie skin is not convincing -- and mostly stays put unless you start rubbing it off deliberately. Once the cream sets, you're fine, AND the colour will then come off with the glue, making cleanup easier.

Application: Not required unless they have a *, but useful if you already have them.
Sea sponge for makeup -- good for mottling without a lot of effort and time.
* Cosmetic sponges -- you don't want to use fingers. Not only is it messy, it won't apply well and will be streaky.
Wide-holed textured makeup sponge -- these are usually a sort of mesh, but you can fake one if you look around the house. Awesome for mildew spots on your zombie. Personally, I'd consider this a requirement, but that's just me.
Saran Wrap -- bunched up, this can take the place of other sponges when used to apply makeup, or to further texture the glue skin.
* Q-Tips, small makeup applicators, detail brushes (soft paintbrushes work) -- necessary around eyes, and for facial creases unless you're really good at small detail with a big sponge.
* Powder puff or big makeup brush -- needed to apply powder.
* Cornstarch baby powder -- I prefer cornstarch over regular. Will help set makeup, especially in heat, will further pale up skin, and can help give your zombie a dusty look.

The Costume:
For a zombie, the costume is already in your closet. Everyone has a few items that they don't care about getting destroyed. Here's the time to make good use of them.
Always remember to tear, not cut. Cuts are too clean, you want to look like you've been in a fight for your life, and lost. Seams are a good place to make your outfit look worn and ragged. Scrape, slice (to start a hole) and tear, use sandpaper -- just make it worn. DO NOT get carried away with this. A little goes a long way, and too much looks silly. Make it believable damage.
Also, when doing your cutting and tearing, DO IT WHILE THE COSTUME IS ON. Otherwise, you may end up with holes in places that are awkward and may break local decency laws or dress codes. Not that a zombie would worry about that, but you know.
Important: Keep in mind that any visible skin will need makeup as well. This includes hands, the neck, and anything else clothing isn't covering. Plan accordingly for the amount of time you want to spend doing the makeup.
Lose a shoe, if you can stand being partially barefoot. A zombie isn't going to stop and put a shoe back on if it comes off, and it looks good. Don't forget to tear holes in your sock if you do (and if you're wearing them). Toes don't really need makeup, they just need dirt, and lots of it.

The last thing needed is simple: Dirt. Yes, dirt. Make sure it's clean, free of any animal debris (ew), but doesn't have to be free of assorted sticks, grass, and other plant life. This also adds texture and realism, especially if your zombie just crawled from its grave.

-- Grind some dirt into clothes, getting it as filthy as possible.
-- Mix mud. This covers a multitude of cheap sins, including too new clothing, means you don't need a wig (Yes, rub the mud in your hair -- it washes out easily, saving you from trying to colour it), and skin areas you didn't have time to do makeup on. Plus, it crumbles nicely, and creates more texture.

Mixing mud: Go for wet. Really wet. Standing water should be in your bucket. Then you can dig the mud out, and it's easier to apply.
Mud dries lighter, however, and you may want your zombie to stay looking, well ... moist. Mix your mud, then, with your liquid half and half between water and corn syrup or vegetable oil. A corn syrup mixture will be stickier, of course, while vegetable oil will have a slimier texture.

Notice what is missing from the supply list. There's no liquid latex, no spirit gum, no appliances or prosthetics. You don't need em. If you've got the budget, buy some liquid latex anyway -- if you have time to go with your budget, you can make your own custom appliances on a sheet of glass to cut down the time actually putting the zombification into action, using the texture goodies mentioned above in the list. But you don't NEED it.

="">

The above zombies were created using only the supplies I've mentioned in the list. That's it. No commercial prosthetics. Granted, their makeup jobs looked much better before they went a little crazy with the mud (note: never let your creations do their own mud job).

You can see some of the peeling and rotten skin in this picture without a closeup, but trust me, it was Seriously effective in person.

NEXT TIME: How put those supplies into action.

Happy hauntings.

Glad I kept my supplies for 20 years ...

2007-10-27T22:14:00.000-05:00

So, on short notice, having NOT been reminded by a very naughty Thing 1, I have to spend the rest of tonight practicing to channel my inner Tom Savini.

Yep. Tomorrow I get hauled out to a haunted hayride set to do the makeup for the "Thriller" zombie squad.

If all the goobers involved had reminded me earlier, I could have given them an appropriate shopping list. Now, I'm going to be scavenging in the kitchen for oats and breadcrumbs and trying to get rice cooked for some maggots to go in fleshy wounds. I really hope I have a few bottles of Elmers around, because apparently they forgot to get one of the absolutely important special effects basics -- liquid latex. Nor do they have more than a few measly prosthetics. Kids -- eesh.

Now I gotta get creative.

Man, it's been AGES since I've had to do anything like this.

At least since part of their routine is the Thriller dance, I only have to do SERIOUS makeup jobs on those in the front. Problem is, the distance from the crowd will only be 2-3 feet at some points, so it's got to be very well done for those kids.

Mercifully, I fully believe in one of Savini's classic theories: You can never have too much blood.

Clever, Crafty, and Frugal Cards

2007-10-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

Ah, the clearance aisles and bins. I love em. Love love love them. My kids jokingly (I HOPE they're joking!) call me the Clearance Queen. I can spend hours digging through them for something useful, and while I may not use them at the time, they always get used eventually.

We make cards because we love to. We know that they'll mean more to the person receiving them, and there's something gratifying about doing it yourself and making it personal, rather than just grabbing something off a rack.

Card making and scrapping can get expensive, what with all the neat and nifty tools, special papers and embellishments, and all the other goodies. But they don't HAVE to be expensive. Here's some tips and tricks for not only shopping those clearance sections, but how to use the treasures found. This also applies to garage sales, estate sales, online auctions, and anywhere else you can find a really good bargain.

-- Never forget the precious finds at dollar stores. They always have wrapping paper, ribbon, cards, and gift bags that you can cut up and alter, and for a buck each, you can't beat that. (It's also a GREAT place to look for fancy tissue paper.)

-- Look for pads of writing paper with nifty designs. You get multiple pages of coordinated designs that can be cut out and applied elsewhere.

-- Look for cheap stationary. Even if it's just paper and envelopes that you find on sale, they coordinate and make a good base for embellishing to make them your own.

-- Basic notecard sets don't have to stay that way. When you can get 4-8 for a buck or so, you're already ahead, and then you don't have to worry about finding the right size envelope once you're done altering the card, and you don't even have to fold the cardstock!

-- Shop outside your crafting comfort zone. You may just make cards and not scrapbook, but that doesn't mean that clearance price scrapbook kits aren't perfect to alter into cards. You may not make jewelry, but check their clearance for charms and beads and fibers you can add to your projects.

-- Seasonal craft items can be grabbed after holidays for next to nothing, and they don't take up much space if you shop carefully. Just make a box for each season, and tuck them away till you're ready to work.

-- Lace, buttons, and ribbons are always on clearance somewhere. Check remnant bins as well. These are also easy to find at estate sales, and you could just wind up with some fabulous vintage pieces and antiques out of the deal.

-- Dig, dig, dig. Clearance sections are rarely neat, and if you just skim, you're going to miss things. Take time -- it's like digging for buried treasure.

-- Then go back later. Often, clearance items that haven't cleared out are marked down even further. Patience is your friend.

-- If you MUST have something not on clearance or sale, look around before buying. There are always coupons, and many places will accept competitor coupons, and not every store sells at list price. Some mark up, and others mark down.

-- When using the internet to shop, always shop around. Comparing prices is just the start. Shipping is where you can get taken to the cleaners if you aren't careful. Always check shipping prices and add this to your purchases, then do the same at other places, and go with the cheapest. It may take time, but your wallet will thank you. In addition, many places offer free shipping over a certain price, so if you don't need something immediately, wait until you can spend the money to pick up other items you want all at once.

-- Be wary of "too good to be true" online auction prices. The price of the actual item may make you reach for your wallet, but check shipping carefully. You may end up paying three times the actual list price once shipping is added in.

-- Get on mailing lists. For Joann's, you not only get paper coupons in the mail, but they send coupons via email for not only the store, but the website. Michaels will only take paper coupons, not printed ones, from other stores, so use ones you print at the store that issued them, and save the mailed paper for other places. Hobby Lobby doesn't mail coupons, you have to check their site weekly, and print them out. They're always different, and not always general, but they're worth looking at.

-- Consider style as well as price. A particular item might be more expensive than you want to pay, but if it's unique, or rare, and can't generally be found anywhere but from the creator, it might just be worth it to have something that will make the recipient boggle over how neat it is. "Wow, I've never seen that before!!" is a great response.

-- Walk outside the box, and look around. Anything, and I mean anything, can be used for neat and clever crafting. Dove Promises wrappers are perfect for cards -- just smooth out the foil, and there's a neat shiny saying inside. Candy wrappers are a great start, with nicely coloured and printed foils. Hershey, with their speciality Kisses, has some fabulous foils (look for the Cherry Cordial Creams -- the foil is red and black tiger stripe!!!). Security envelope liners can be fascinating papers -- save them!

Now that you have all these items, what do you do with them?

-- For a neat card set, look at those stationary pads. Many of them have multiple images per page, all in easy to cut shapes. You can die-cut or use punches, or edging scissors to give them a more interesting look. And don't forget that the paper itself coordinates, so cut it up too, and find a way to use it.

With very little time and money spent, you can get an entire set of matching notecards to either use, or package up with a pen and envelopes and give as a gift.

-- Don't like boring gift bags? No problem. Buy cheap plain bags (or origami fold your own bags out of 12x12 or wrapping paper, just make sure the paper is square), then embellish as you like with your goodies. If you've made your own card, embellish the bag to match! You'd spend ridiculous amounts to get a nice card and bag that matches in a store, especially for embellished sets.

-- If you have the space, save cardboard boxes, like cereal or other small containers (not shipping boxes, though those are wonderfully reusable as well). Then, when you're getting a gift set of stationary together, find a box that's just the right size. Decorate it to match as well, and your gift just got even better.

-- Start your seasonal cards early. Make cards whenever you have the time, and save them for when you need them. It never hurts to have a ready stock of generic cards that you can add the appropriate text to as needed. Same for birthday cards: just design some generic birthday, male, female, and kid cards, and you're never at a loss when a birthday takes you by surprise. The plastic boxes designed for CDs (which you can often find on sale) are perfect for storing standard size cards. Just make appropriate dividers for each type, and finding them is easy when you need them.

You don't have to spend a fortune to create quality, personal cards and gifts. It's the effort and love you put into making them that counts, not what you spent on your supplies.

Wubba wubba wubba -- what?

2007-10-26T11:09:00.000-05:00

DG is off and running to a rig again. While the timing wasn't great for kid reasons, we need the money desperately, so it's copacetic. Of course, he got the phone call while he was cooking dinner, and was told to leave Now. They gave him an hour to finish up and get repacked.

Thing 1 just turned 15 this Monday. Who's feeling old? Yes, yes, that's me (and probably a dozen or so folks that knew her when she was a baby). Today was Goblin Day at her school, and thus full costumes were allowed (barring the usual Bible Belt rules of no cross-play (no guys dressing as girls -- but of course, if a girl dressed as a male character, they wouldn't say a bloody thing -- UGH), had to stay in school dress code, if you wanted to wear a hat or partial mask you had to pay for the privilege, etc. Those of you with weak hearts don't want to see the pics when I get them posted. Trust me.

I have little skin left on my fingers from finishing her wings. At least now they're definitely asbestos-skinned towards heat. I so love a good glue gun. Or even a crappy one. Mmm, adhesive!!

And the dd with her wings for her Halloween costume.

My computer is definitely temporarily D-E-D. Half Life 2 was not its friend, and the video card has gone kaboom. Unless anyone out there has a spare PCI-E video card they aren't using and don't mind sending along, I'm stuck without a machine for quite a while.

The fridge, which had croaked, I managed to kick (and had the bruise to show for it) back into something resembling function, but not function that I would trust. However, our doctor neighbor that has saved my butt a few times on weekends with meds is moving (and this makes me not happy) and was getting rid of everything she could. Networking is your friend. So I asked about the side-by-side fridge in their garage.

It's now sitting in my garage, waiting for some muscle to help me switch them out. Free. Frankly, it's much nicer than ours EVER was. Free.

I also managed to get bunk beds from them, and while they don't have mattresses, there's at least one set of box springs, and they're old sturdy hardwood bunk beds that can be assembled separately. Both Things have decided they no longer want to sleep on futons, so this was good timing. Just have to figure out a sleeping surface before we put them in their rooms.

The weather has been nice, finally. 50s or so at night. I finally needed something other than just a sheet last night for the first time, and the AC wasn't even on. About time, considering our electric bills. It's actually 60* out there right now, at 11 am. Shiny. Of course, this led to DG leaving windows open, which led to me and tubby cat not being able to breathe. This fresh air stuff, clearly, it's not good for you.

Still out of ridiculous amounts of medication, which isn't good for me either. At least I still have some Lidoderm patches, and my seizure meds, and my bp drugs finally, but everything else -- newp. And of course none of the ones I need are on WalMart's $4 formulary. Figures, huh?

Ah, the familiar sounds of annoyed barking in the backyard. Zoe's after the squirrels again. She LOOOOOVES chasing squirrels. The squirrels? Not so much love. We tried to tell her about the mob of Russian squirrels mauling that other dog, but she didn't seem to care too much. The dog is also much happier now that the weather is cooler, and no longer minds going outside. She's like me, she hates heat. It's odd, because it's not like she has long fur to deal with -- she's got the sleek Heeler coat, on that Corgi body -- but even the idea of going outside when it was 100* made her whimper and try to refuse. Now, she'll stay outside for hours, just to get to chase the squirrels as they race back and forth above her head.

48 Hours

2007-10-04T13:25:00.000-05:00

Just hit 48 hours with No Nicotene At All. No cigarettes for a while -- heck, I couldn't breathe to begin with, much less if I tried to smoke. Bleh!

Not even the patches. None. Nada. Zip. No Nicotene. Of course, no patches is because we can't afford em.

No one is dead ... yet.

I'm still feeling the twitches and wanting a cigarette, but it's pretty much all psychological now, and not physical craving. My brain wants a cigarette. Habit wants a cigarette. Body doesn't NEED one, so this is progress.

.... still waiting for the "you'll feel SO much better once you quit" part, though. Clearly, the cigarettes had nothing to do with my being unable to regularly breathe through my nose -- ah, I love ragweed. With the pleurisy, I'm still hacking and wheezing, in fact worse than I did when I was smoking normally and not sick.

And worst of all, my nose, which is horribly over-sensitive, now REALLY works. I can smell things from blocks away. This is not good when a cat does something foul in a litter box. And food ... oh man, eating is difficult with the nose. ANY smell that isn't Totally Perfect, and I can't eat it. Seafood is now totally out, because even normal fishy smells are too strong for my nose to handle.

I'd forgotten how sensitive my nose was, and forgot that was part of WHY smoking was "good" -- the honker didn't sniff as much.

Heck, I gagged opening my ink box today. All the chemical-y smells of the ink, in an enclosed plastic box ... yep, almost hurled.

It DOES get better ... right???

Scrapbookers are N.U.T.S

2007-10-03T12:14:00.000-05:00

My mother was looking for an apple stamp, a very tiny one. I found two, plus bought her one of the long Sizzix dies, the complete train one (my dad does model trains in a big big way).

I handmade the bag they all went in, origami gift bag folding (thank you, Karen Thomas). I didn't glue it down, so my mother, who has to reverse-engineer projects, could use it as a template for folding more. And of course, I made the card (Autumn's Daughter, in the card gallery).

I also sent one for my dad -- his birthday was yesterday, Mom's was in late August, but I had to wait till I found all the pieces I wanted for her.

Did she say anything about the presents? Or the bag? Or that I remembered her thing about wanting templates and instructions?

Nope.

What's she focused on?

How to get the birthday card into a scrapbook page.

*thunk*

Stamping On Tissue

2007-09-29T01:11:00.000-05:00

Tissue paper can be fantastic for layering in your projects, but there are certain tricks to make it come out correctly.

In some ways, tissue can be used like vellum, however, most of the time it won't have the same level of transparency. Always test BEFORE permanently affixing it over existing images on your project, because once tissue gets adhesive on it and goes down, getting it off neatly is next to impossible.

Important things first — don't use tissue paper that will bleed. Not only is this important for the inks, but even more important when it comes to applying it to your project. Even gel medium will cause tissue colour to run, even glue stick, so use a stable tissue. While this might be a look you like, when using a stamp on it, it becomes a blurry disaster.

You certainly don't need to stick with plain and boring white tissue. Just check to make sure that the colour you want to use won't bleed by spritzing lightly with water — or purchase tissue that is clearly marked as colour-fast. There are so many options out now, that there are no limits to what you can do. Tissue can even have sparkles, glitter, and confetti worked into the paper itself, and can add some wonderful texture and extra dimension.

ALWAYS put an absorbant surface behind the tissue when stamping. Non-absorbant can cause bleeding and smudges, and the ink WILL bleed through to the surface below.

Permanent and dye inks are the best for stamping on tissue. Pigment inks tend to smudge when applying the tissue to the project, unless you're particularly brave and want to emboss, in which case slow-drying ink is a necessity — tissue is extremely absorbant, and ink will dry faster than you expect.

You CAN emboss on tissue paper, but it's very easy to scorch and burn, and without a static pack, it's pretty much just a mess. If you want to emboss, make sure you dust across the tissue before you stamp with an anti-static pack, or even a dryer sheet. Be careful when removing the excess, and use a fine paintbrush to get stray particles of powder off the paper. In addition, keep your heat tool a good distance from the paper — tissue scorches quite quickly — and don't overheat the embossing powder, or it will melt entirely into the tissue.

Tissue will generally stick to the stamp when stamping, so hold down the tissue with a finger, and pull the stamp up evenly without rocking with the other hand.

All ink colours work, but darker colours tend to give the best results, and are more dramatic. Subtle colours can get lost in the project once you continue to add layers.

If you intend to further colour the image, chalks work well, as do pencils. This isn't always best done after the tissue stamped image is applied, since some adhesives (such as gel medium or decoupage) will make the tissue LESS absorbant. Inks, markers, or paint will run and blur, unless you add these AFTER you've added the image to your project and the adhesive has dried, and even then you may get some running of the colour.

Quick Tips for Distress-Free Distressing

2007-09-29T00:14:00.000-05:00

- When distressing heavier cardstock, spritz it with water first. This helps break the surface tension some and will help prevent tears.

- Start in the center of the sheet you want to distress. Form a ring with one hand, thumb and index finger, and leave a hole. Stuff a bit of the very center of the paper into that hole with your other index finger. Then crumple. Again, this helps break surface tension, and helps to ensure fewer tears, and easier crumpling.

- Lightly sand peaks of crumples, then ink them, for darker zones. Leave a few just sanded, or plain, for great variety.

- Don't limit yourself to sandpaper. Nail files work well. When using sandpaper, vary the strength of the grain for different effects -- very fine leaves few marks, and takes off less paper, while medium leaves a rougher grain and takes off more paper.

- While you can use a hot iron to re-flatten your paper for use, you can also heat it up with your heat gun, then press it under something heavy. This will give you more texture, and a less flattened surface to work with.

- Direct-To-Paper inking is great for edges, but can be pretty intense for larger areas. Use a stencil or stippling brush, pounce it on the inkpad, then work it over the larger space for a softer aged look.

- Household bleach is a great way to get a sunbleached look for certain areas. You can also use dishwasher detergents (liquid) with bleach to get an even more varied effect. It's also thicker, and easier to work with, and less worry about splatters on your work area and clothing. Just remember that any bleach product will work differently on different papers, so test it out first.

- If you really like a paper, but the pattern is too bright for your project, and you don't want to wait for sunbleaching, use your scanner! Scan the page in, and adjust the brightness and contrast till you get the faded look you want, then print on your paper choice.

- When doing a distressed look with paint, remember that colour is your friend. Don't use a single colour, use a minimum of two, preferably three. Petroleum jelly, applied in a thin coat on top of your base coat, will leave a wonderful distressed look when your second coat is on. When the paint is dry, just wipe the jelly off. It's faster and easier than sanding!

Movie Review: Resident Evil: Extinction

2007-09-21T11:14:00.000-05:00

It did not suck.

Better review when I'm more coherent, hopefully, but it did not suck. If you're a zombie dork enough like me to have enjoyed the first one, you'll like the third.

And Milla's my new hero, right up there with Angelina, both of whom regularly do 90% or more of their own stunts (IE, the stunts that legal and insurance will allow them to do).

HOWEVER ... The CGI crew should be taken out and SHOT, repeatedly, starting from the toes up, for one horrendously overdone effect that you are smacked in the face with time and time again.

Every single close-up of Alice is Photoshop Airbrush in action. After only the second close-up, I was already sick to death of the smudge brush. It's that overdone

Queen Kat Designs -- Challenges With Prizes!

2007-09-21T02:40:00.000-05:00

You still have time left to join the celebration party as I join Queen Kat Designs, not only as part of the Design Team, but as one of their new stamp designers!

All QKD clear acrylic stamps and stamp sets are ON SALE AT 25% OFF for the duration of the party, which ends this Monday, September 24.

Come to the Queen Kat Designs Blog to join the fun! Challenges have been posted for every day, and Friday's is the last to be posted. Details on points you can earn are posted in the blog, and you still have until Monday to enter for any of the five challenges posted during the week.

All entries are due in the gallery in their respective albums by Monday, Sept. 24th by 12am PST (midnight).

Winner will be announced Tuesday or Wednesday.

Don't miss out on the grand prize by letting the deadline slip away!

Dog:2 Human: 0

2007-08-30T13:51:00.000-05:00

So, I took Zoe with me for gas. While I was paying ... that little stinker climbed into MY seat and was HONKING THE HORN at me.

The cashier absolutely LOST it when he looked out at the noise ... and saw a DOG in the driver's seat honking the horn.

You know the rule: Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Third is deliberate. FOUR TIMES she honked at me to hurry up. Oy!!

The guilty barker ...

And our Sonic drive-in is The Awesomeness. We went there after playing on the Pet Playground by the gas station (it's REALLY neat, has a bunch of pet-washing stalls with lots of options, like even skunk stink removal, and is set up specifically to wash pets, plus two HUGE playgrounds, one for small dogs, one for larger dogs, set up like obstacle courses with a big old-style handpump and water bowl. Very neat), and the server brought out a packed MilkBone with Zoe's cup of water. Neato!

Look at those pathetically sad hound-dog eyes!

I swear, I LOVE taking this dog places. Because of her mix (Half Corgi, half Blue Heeler), she CONSTANTLY gets comments, and the staff at all the local pet stores just flip out over her.

.... still awake ...

2007-08-30T05:12:00.000-05:00

It's 5 am. I haven't even so much as had a nap.

I wouldn't say I'm wide awake. My body hurts, my eyes hurt, but my brain won't give up for the night and let me go to sleep.

So I came out to the computer ... and ended up having to do a complete system restore to fix whatever eldest dd did to my computer that fried three programs, including Firefox. Child is SO in trouble. This, after losing her cell phone for the SECOND time, because she has no concept of limited minutes. Grrrrrrr.

I hurt. I'm sick and tired of hurting. I know the stupid abcess didn't help, and that it made my nerve block wear off, but geeze .... a few months go by, and I forget how miserable I was before the last nerve block.

And as more time goes by, the symptoms of course get worse, and the blinding brain spike headaches get more frequent, and I reach the point where my head constantly hurts to at least some degree and there's pretty much no relief to be found. And I have to wait until the 7th for my next nerve block -- though I may call this morning and see if they have a cancellation for tomorrow to squeeze me in earlier.

.... and can someone tell me why my "ferocious" Corgi "guardmutt" has decided that the squeaking of my ceiling fan is evil and must be barked at at 4 am? I had to turn the fan OFF to calm her down.

Oh. Look. Shiny!

The Frugal Crafter

2007-08-27T15:28:00.000-05:00

Crafters never throw anything away -- we all know it, we're all 'guilty' of it, and most of us drive our families crazy with the resulting cries of "Don't throw that out, I can use it!"

* You know how you're not supposed to keep clear acrylic and polymer stamps in their original packaging? That original packaging is nice and clear, and usually a decent weight as well. Reuse them, don't toss em!
--- Instead of buying page protectors to make shaker pockets for cards and scrapbooking, use the clear leftovers from the polymer stamps.
-- Spread alcohol inks on them, wait for it to dry, then run it through a die-cut machine for translucent embellishments.
-- You can even stamp on them if you use permanent inks! Or use a permanent marker, and layer your journaling over a photo.

* Don't throw out the chipboard/cardboard inserts in sticker packs! Also, for a lot of places where you can buy collage supplies online, they add thin cardboard to make sure the pages they send stay flat. Reuse!
-- The cardboard in sticker packs make fabulous sturdy bookmarks. Either cover with gesso and paint or stamp, or you can cover them with paper and go from there.
-- Larger sheets make great postcard backgrounds.
-- The lighter weight cardboard works just great with most punches, particularly corner rounders, to take away the sharp (and potentially boring) points.
-- Use them as inexpensive cover and back pages for accordian books and cards.

* Empty medication bottles are endlessly useful.
-- Save them for circle templates, and just trace around the smooth bottoms.
-- Use them to store embellishments, like eyelets and brads, or beads.
-- They make great storage for mixed or custom-blended embossing powders.

* Even if you don't garden, you have access to plastic plant flats. Most home improvement stores and garden centers will just give them away, all you have to do is ask.
-- Great storage for wood-mounted rubber stamps. You can put up to two layers per flat. Just cut a sheet of long paper for the bottom (and make sure you wash the flats first!!) and stamp out the matrix for where your stamps will fit so you know where to put them when you're done. You can use cut wood, heavy dowels -- or even cut toilet paper tubes -- to support the layers of flats so that you can stack them.
-- They make good project trays. Line with paper, or leftover cardboard, add aluminum foil or waxed paper, depending on the project, and you have a decent-sized tray that you can carry with you to another room of the house, or safely stack out of the way and cover your project so children and pets don't get into it.

* Paper scraps. Don't throw them away, use them.
-- Thin scraps, and a border punch, and you have coordinating borders for cards and pages.
-- Cut scraps further apart, and use them to make paper quilts and mosaics for cards and embellishments.
-- Run them through a die-cut machine.
-- Use them in your paper punches to create a stock of shapes in patterns and colours that match your projects.
-- Thin scraps can also be used for paper weaving, to create some interesting page elements, or to mimic ribbon behind photos and journaling.
-- Use alphabet stamps on strips for instant titles and greetings.

* Wallpaper sample books. Discontinued wallpaper books can be picked up, usually free, at most places that sell wallpaper. Most of the time, you not only have entire pages in there, but borders and other coordinating papers -- great for cards and scrapbooking.
-- Use sections of one paper for mats, sections of coordinating colours for other layers.
-- Slide a cutting mat behind a page, and use a craft knife to cut out specfic elements. This is great for border papers that just aren't quite perfect to use on a page - too short, or too wide - but you can get embellishments and design elements out of just a few cuts.
-- Another item great for die-cut machines and punches.

* Just because a glass bead is broken, doesn't make it trash. Don't throw it out, just shift from using it on jewelry to using it for embellishments. (Always make sure to file down any sharp edges and points for safety)
-- Beads broken in half can be added to cards and pages as flower centers, eyes, and anywhere you want a sparkly POP.
-- Collect enough broken beads, and use them with strong two-sided tape in place of using the tiny microbeads, or with the microbeads as larger accents of sparkle.

* You don't need to spend a fortune on sandpaper. Odds are, you have plenty of what you need right around the house.
-- Old nail files are great for distressing paper.
-- Nail files will take sharp edges off wire, and smooth out areas where you've cut shanks off buttons and loops off charms.
-- The very fine and buff sides of nail files replace the harder-to-find extremely fine sandpaper, and can be dampened for use with polymer clay, or PMC.
-- An addition to useful nailcare items is saving old nail clippers. They may not cut your nails well anymore, but they'll still snap a shank off a button!

* Cereal boxes don't have to go in the trash, either.
-- Good source of cardboard for projects.
-- Cut off the top, and cut the sides on angles, then cover in paper for instant and coordinating magazine holders (or use them to hold your stencils!)
-- Reseal the top. Cut off the top 2-3 inches, and the bottom 2-3 inches for great horizontal holders for pens, markers, and other accessories.

* "Fun" foam, the cheap sheets usually in the kids section of the craft store, that also come in pre-cut packs. If you have kids, you probably have this stuff around the house.
-- Those pre-cut shapes can make some nice stamps, and some even already have sticky on the back that you can use for mounting!
-- A little bit of double-sided adhesive, and even tiny scraps of the foam can be used in place of buying puff dots for dimensional accents.
-- Why buy shadow stamps, when you can make your own? Increase your stamp collection the easy way. Use an outline stamp (much like the ones QK sells in the store) and permanent ink to stamp onto foam. Cut the foam out along the outline, and mount in whatever way you choose. You now have a shadow stamp that perfectly matches and fits your original image -- two stamps out of one!
-- Use two sheets, or the thicker foam, and you've got a great pad for dry-embossing, or a great pad to put behind the paper you're stamping on.
-- They can also be used as pads to set nail-heads or eyelets.

* Expanded polystyrene -- packing foam. Don't throw it out and create landfill issues, use it.
-- It holds toothpicks great. Use toothpicks, bamboo skewers, whatever, and elevate things that need to dry -- great for painting on polymer clay, or adding mod podge, or any other sealant to pieces.
-- Cut/dig holes the perfect size into the polystyrene to hold your paintbrushes and craft knives.

* Keep a box for "found objects." Train your eyes to look for parts discarded on the ground. Washers, small electronic bits, buttons -- you'll be amazed at what you can find, and then use. This is especially great on vacations, when you can collect shells, river stones, and any other goodies you may find.
-- Padded envelopes that you've received are great for storing these items. Just label each padded mailer ('Beach, 2007,' etc), and you'll always have a supply of unique items for embellishments.

I'm not THAT old ... am I?

2007-08-27T13:59:00.000-05:00

Thing 1, the eldest daughter, started HIGH SCHOOL today.

There are no words

I <3 my pain clinic!

2007-08-27T12:37:00.000-05:00

SO, as a few of you know, the pain levels have been kicking my butt lately. I noticed that the nasty brain spikes started returning the day after I took my last prednisone and antibiotic, and wondered if it was related.

The pain doc said: "Absolutely." With a dental abcess, and my occipital neuralgia, the pain from the abcess, and the stress of infection and the prednisone, it aggravated the occipital nerve to the point that my last block wore off about a month or two too soon.

I'm scheduled to have needles shoved into my brain yet again on the 7th of September. That was the earliest they could get me in, and they APOLOGIZED for that. COOL!

I asked my pain doc about getting something to take at night, something that would last longer than 2-3 hours, because I'm sick of waking up and having to take more drugs. He did offer a stronger version of my current pain med, but darnit, I'm sick of pills. I have to take way too many on a daily basis as it is. So I asked about patches.

He said the Duralgesis patches aren't any good for acute pain, and they actually have to build up in your system. Then he stopped, and asked if I'd tried the Lidoderm patches. Why, no, no I hadn't.

..... Oh. My. God.

First off, they're huge, so I have to cut them down (which also means I get more usage out of each scrip), since I don't exactly have a big neck. I worried a bit, because I have some adhesive allergies, but the adhesive on these is really, really mild (in fact, it barely wants to stick on the back of my neck, darn hair).

.... And. They. WORK.

Not only do they work, they work directly on the area that HURTS, and doesn't affect the rest of the body. I can still take other pain meds without a problem at the same time. More importantly, they don't screw around with my brain or perception, so I don't feel all drugged up.

AND -- I can use them when my RSD sets off a joint or severe muscular pain elsewhere on my body, with direct to the pain relief.

My husband called earlier to check in after my appointment, and he said I sounded a hundred times better than I did yesterday.

Well, yeah, of course -- I can move my head without whimpering now, and my neck muscles are even loosening up a bit because they aren't clenching over the pain.

Wheeee!

Monoprint Cheats

2007-08-22T12:59:00.000-05:00

Ever do a really awesome monoprint, and never be able to duplicate it? Yeah, me too.

There's a couple of ways to save you from this.

First, the easiest -- USE YOUR SCANNER! While it may not get all the shimmers if you use pearlescent or metallics, you've at least got the colours and pattern and you can always add in shimmer after you print it. This gives you MANY prints, instead of just one.

Second -- you don't have to only print one.

-- Work inside a page protector, or two sheets of acetate. When you put your paper in, use two sheets, and put them with the backs together inside the ink zone. You'll get two copies, pretty much identical.

-- A second round can then be done, and yes, it will be much lighter as most of the original ink was absorbed by the first paper, but you'll still get the same pattern and colours, and the secondary prints make great accents to work with the original.

Product Review: The Silent Setter

2007-08-21T11:56:00.000-05:00

The Silent Setter
Provo-Craft

I used to loathe setting eyelets -- and for that matter, my family loathed it when I did it, too. The NOISE!! All the pounding drove them crazy.

There are other products out there that are quiet for setting eyelets and adding holes, but most are somewhat limited in where you can do it. If it isn't along an edge, you might be out of luck.

Not so with the Silent Setter.

The tool itself looks a bit like a hand drill: a comfort-grip knob on the top, magnetic chuck on the bottom that will hold the punches and the setters. You can literally put a hole ANYWHERE -- and in complete silence.

They aren't kidding about the name.

Operation is simple -- just push and twist to make a hole. Slightly more pressure is required for heavier cardstock, but still, the amount of pressure needed is SO much less than the more traditional methods. It's also perfect for adding holes for brads. With no limitation on where you add the holes, so brads can be added even after most of the project is complete.

It's surprisingly easy to use, even for me. Sometimes I do have to get a little leverage by standing up to use it, but I've had few problems with it working. My hands and wrists do ache if I have to set more than just a few, so it may not be the best for arthritics.

Switch the tip to a setter, and repeat the push and twist to set eyelets. It takes a bit of practice to make sure you don't mutilate the eyelet, but then that's the case for every single setter out there. And since each eyelet is different, some softer than others, practice is your best friend. Still, it's much gentler on eyelets than other tools, and you can -watch- as you set it and stop when it is perfectly scrunched without waiting to see if it worked or if it ended up mangled.

Some people have said that it only works with the eyelets included. This hasn't been the case for me. I've used multiple different brands of eyelets, and had no trouble. Coming from a woman with bad wrists and hands, this is something special. I suppose it all comes down to the user, and how much time you're willing to spend working with a new product.

If you expect any tool to work perfectly the very first time you try it, I imagine you don't have a lot of tools that you like. All new tools require practice, whether it be scrapbooking tools, or power tools in the garage. Very few people are absolute experts the first time they try something, so be patient with your tools and practice!

The Silent Setter has another nice bonus -- it comes with its own carrying case. The case is nicely padded, so the heavy tool won't bang up anything in your crafting bags.

You get three punch tips, three setter tips, and a mini craft mat inside the case, along with a small tub of eyelets to start.

The price is average, around 20, but it's easy to find them on sale.

I give the Silent Setter a B, mostly for the learning curve involved and potential difficulty for folks without a lot of hand and wrist strength.

Book Review: Kaleidoscope

2007-08-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

Kaleidoscope: Ideas And Projects to Spark Your Creativity
by Suzanne Simanaitis

"Indulge your creative cravings! Explore dozens of stories, exercises and instructive projects, all designed to feed, encourage and sometimes flex your creative muscle. You'll tap into the joy of drawing, be encouraged to create art in bed, create your own folded-paper shrine, discover the liberation of stream-writing, practice idea brainstorming, make your own duct-tape purse, learn to quiet the negative voice in your head, dream up your own creative studio space and much, much more. Inspiring art and eye-candy on every page–a Kaleidoscope of creative energy awaits you today!"

The title is not misleading. I consider this to be a book that should be in EVERY crafter's library, regardless of the crafts you pursue.

It is NOT "just another project" book, like so many out there, but a book that instead inspires you to create and work on your own pieces and letting the process lead where it may. This is going to be a book I read again and again.

I know what I'll be buying my crafty chicas for presents this year now, that's for sure. The author (who is a wonderful lady, and another Suzanne) put together a craft book that can be read over and over, and isn't just filled with projects. It is, without a doubt, the best crafty book I've bought in a long time. Not only that, but there's so FEW books like this, that are inspirational and make you think and give you ideas, and new ways to see things.

When I get a major brain fart and I WANT to create something, but just can't figure out what, having something to look through to help give me ideas, and better yet, not just for art, but writing as well, is a complete sanity-saver.

There are WORDS in this book. Not just a lot of pretty pictures and instructions, but stories and inspirational exercises to work you through the creative process. The book is a journey of self-exploration, helping you to reinvent the creative you and find your own true style. It's all about finding yourself.

While there are projects included within the pages, they aren't your average crafting projects, with a definite focus on collage and mixed-media work. Ribbon flowers, crafting with metal, reflection decks, postcard books, portable shrines, beeswax art, even a tape purse! However, these are really a minor part of the book, the main focus is on finding your own creative side, and learning how to best apply it to your art.

I honestly can't find enough words to describe just how wonderful this book is. Buy it, read it, buy more and share with others.

A+

Suzanne Simanaitis is also the editor and founder of ARTitude Zine, a quarterly, independent magazine about art, craft, and creativity. (ARTitude can be found at:http://www.artitudezine.com)

Product Review: Fiskars ShapeCutter

2007-08-19T13:43:00.000-05:00

Fiskars Shapecutter

For the record, let me state now that I'm one of those people that can't cut a straight line with either a straight edge OR a paper cutter. Seriously, I swear to you. Cannot. Do. It.

That's one reason why I am utterly in love with my Shapecutter. This thing is a lifesaver for cutting shapes, even if it's just rectangles and squares. They end up precise, neat, and perfect for mats.

One caveat: You -must- use either the Fiskars ShapeTemplates, or another thick, sturdy template for this tool to work. The blades are SO very sharp that they bite right through and tear up thinner, flimsier templates and stencils. However, there is a HUGE selection of templates that will work with it, and most of them range from flat-out cheap to entirely reasonable, considering how sturdy they are and the number of shape options on them.

The ShapeCutter

Using the ShapeCutter is fairly easy, once you practice a bit -- I don't recommend starting with your expensive papers right out of the box. Larger shapes require a steady hand, and getting accustomed to the slight wobble if you don't keep the support perfectly flat on the template. It's too easy for the support to dip down into the open space, and then you get an uneven cut, so practice, practice, practice. It doesn't take long to get the hang of it.

The "adjustable" depth isn't quite as adjustable as they claim. I've played with it, and it doesn't seem to make much difference, except that at the lowest setting, it's locked down tight for deeper cuts into heavier paper. Still, it does a good clean job, even on vellum, which is always a nightmare to cut without getting weird edges.

Not much pressure is required to cut, even with thicker cardstock. The blades, as I said, are exceptionally sharp, and they do a good job making fast work of getting your shapes cut out. They even do well with sticky-back papers that you just peel away after cutting.

Even the basic Shapecutter comes with replacement blades, and is quite cheap. There are other kits available, going up in price according to what is included. Most of the kits have at least one template and a cutting mat to fit it -- the more expensive sets have more templates.

The ShapeTemplates

I couldn't believe how many were available. Not just your basic shapes: square, rectangle, oval, circle, hearts, stars, diamonds. No, there are alphabets, tiny shapes, tags, boxes, envelopes, borders, banners, even themed templates -- really, anything you might need.

In addition to the shapes INSIDE, the outside of most of the templates is also usable -- deckle edges, ruffles, and more. Instant borders or paper ribbons for your projects.

Each of the basic shape templates has multiple sizes of each shape, so you don't have to do any measuring for layers -- just pick the next size up or down, and you're ready to go.

Perfect circles, every time, and while many people have punches, they don't make them large enough to do the size of some of the shapes on the templates. That's another advantage to this tool. One template, one Shapecutter, many sizes, and no need for a ton of punches that take up space.

Templates are available either singly, or in sets.

The templates are easy to keep in a smaller space -- a single magazine rack will hold a LOT of these things, and keep them out of your way. They even have holes so you can put them in a notebook.

Overall

Granted, you can't get very intricate shapes out of these with a ton of details -- but hey, that's what our die-cut machines are for anyway, right? However, the selection and size of shapes available make this tool very convenient, both in price and functionality. And there's also the space involved: not much at all.

This is one of the few items that will ever get an A+ from the Pooka.

Product Review: Sizzix

2007-08-18T12:40:00.000-05:00

I have the original model, the Personal Die-Cutter, though most of the review applies to all three systems: The Personal, the Sidekick, and the BigKick. However, for anyone that will really be putting their machine to a lot of use, I recommend either the Personal or the BigKick — the Sidekick is a little more awkward to use, wobbles a bit, and won't take the larger dies.

First off, if you have a die-cut machine, and a Xyron, you are next to invincible when it comes to card-making and scrapbooking. No more buying someone else's die-cuts at 3-5 dollars a pop. The only money is in paper (cheap) and dies, which are not so cheap but usable over and over. Embossing dies are also available, greatly expanding your range of embellishments for pages.

It only takes a tiny bit of paper folding to go from a single die-cut to amazing borders and frames. An accordian fold of light-weight paper (this does not work with heavier cardstock), slightly smaller than your die, will create a connected border of the image. A snowflake fold (remember making paper snowflakes? Same fold), also slightly smaller than your die, will create wonderful frames of repeating images.

"But die-cut machines only make single color embellishments!" Actually, no. Every die has little score lines on it, marking places where different colours can be added for both colour, texture, and dimension. Simply cut a variety of paper, carefully cut along the score lines, and you get multi-coloured embellishments with a lot of pop. Holes in a die can have paper placed behind them, or just use the negative space created.

"But I like the dies from other brands, could I use them?" For the most part, YES! I've only tested the Cuttlebug dies so far, but they worked BEAUTIFULLY in my Sizzix. When you add in just those two brands, your range of die-cuts expands exponentially, and both brands have die-cuts, embossing dies, and texture plates. YES, texture plates! Texturize an entire section of paper with a single run through the machine, without spending hours embossing the pattern by hand.

Specific Product Review

I've heard that the Sizzix can be a little rough on weak or arthritic hands. It -can- be a bit difficult, but the key to using the machine is leverage, not hand strength. So long as you have it on a proper table, your body does most of the work for you. Note: The Cuttlebug dies I tried were actually much easier to use in the machine, and took a lot less pressure to make the cuts.

The only thing I dislike (caveat, it's not really a dislike, just a minor aggravation) is that you have to cut your paper down to fit inside the machine. Granted, if you cut the paper just enough to barely fit inside, and you're using the Sizzlits or equivalent size die, you can get multiple cuts from the same piece, just by adjusting how the dies fit.

You do need to practice with it, to learn just how much pressure is required for each individual die (some are a little slower to cut all the way through, but a second pass through the machine in the opposite direction usually fixes that), and the best positioning underneath the pressure plate. Larger dies will require a further push under the plate to get all of the die.

The Converter module is a necessity: it allows you to use the Sizzlits-size dies without use of multiple shims to make the die meet the pressure surface. There are adaptors available to use the Sizzlits, but they're less convenient, the Converter is definitely the way to go, and much steadier. You don't have to adjust the fit of the Converter, like you do the adaptors, and you don't have to readjust every time you slide the die through.

Dies range from the cheap, to the very expensive, though the expensive sets are all alphabets.

-Some of those alphabets are well worth the money, providing not just the letters, but blocks with negative space letters or shadow letters, full numbers, and punctuation. Got kids in school? Great for science fair projects, and other displays.

-Among the dies are 'build your own' paperdolls. You can buy a die with a basic body, dies for hair, dies for accessories, and dies for multiple clothing sets. Perfect to amuse kids, or make custom figures to put in a scrapbook.

-There is a wide assortment of seasonal dies for use in projects, and many remain usable the rest of the year — it's all in how you use them.

-Add in the Cuttlebug dies, and you've got an endless variety of dies for any use you may have.

The cutting pad is removable, not fixed, so you can make a "Sizzix sandwich" and layer your paper, die, and pad, then run it through the machine so that it cuts exactly where you want it to without slipping. When the pad starts to wear out, you can just turn it over and go till that side is too worn. Further paper shims can be used to keep the cutting pad up near the pressure plate, extending the life of the pad and decreasing the number of replacements you need to buy.

I won't say that I specifically recommend the Sizzix above other die-cut machines, though for ease of use, and cost compared to the higher end newer models, it's definitely worth the money if you want to customize your projects and make your own embellishments.

It gets an A from the Pooka.

Easy, full-motion Shaker Boxes

2007-08-18T11:13:00.000-05:00

Hate Shaker boxes that just don't, well, shake? Me too. You go through all that effort, and then the goodies inside just don't wiggle around properly.

There's an easy way to fix that.

1 -- Measure your window size, and make a template, a bit smaller than the window size (about 1/4").

2 -- Using cheap craft foam (the thin stuff), trace the template, then mark around that line 1/4" away from it, and cut out that frame from the foam.

3 -- Glue the foam frame to your project, add in your goodies, add the cover, then add the final frame/cover/embellishments to cover the edges of the cover.

There's no sewing, or anything complicated to keep the shaking goodies inside the box. You get a complete seal all the way around, and a bit extra dimension, PLUS the Shaker box really shakes.

Movie Review: 300

2007-08-15T13:13:00.000-05:00

I didn't see this in the theaters, and now I'm really regretting it.

'300' is based on a Frank Miller graphic novel -- that right there should put everyone that wants to see a 'historical' perspective on notice. You aren't watching a documentary, you're watching a live-action comic book.

And they pull it off beautifully. Literally. The cinematics are absolutely gorgeous, the visuals rich and disturbing. It's absolutely beautiful. Look for the dance of the Oracle near the beginning, and ... just wow. Almost hypnotic. Gorgeous.

I can't say much for the story, because I sort of zoned a bit on paying attention there -- I was that caught up in WATCHING all the pretty. Sometimes being a CGI nerd works against me, but I think drowning in all the pretty was a decent trade-out in losing some of the other things. I could have watched it with the sound off and still enjoyed seeing it, that's how pretty this movie is.

With that said ... I'm not going to call this a spectacular movie. It's a beautiful FILM, but as a movie, not quite as compelling. There's cheese-factor in the script (but again, graphic novel, hello), and Gerard Butler's lovely Scottish accent, while mostly controlled for this, still gives you a few twinge moments because it just doesn't fit. The eye-candy is amazing, both in cinematics, and the cast -- I swear there wasn't a single homely soldier among the 300 (a walking ad for Body Sculpting), which contrasted sharply with the freak-show horrors of Xerxes' army. The plot? Well, it's not like they really had to reach for depth there. 300 men face an endless legion of the enemy for the sake of freedom. End plot.

It's worth watching at least once.

Snarky Ink

2007-08-11T09:49:00.000-05:00

/begin snark

Miami Ink is missing from the air ....
....
....
.... so that we can watch a show where 50% of the episode is dedicated to Kat talking about her BOOBS?

Where's the great stories about the tattoos, and what is behind them, and seeing the artistry?

"Dancing With Myself". I wonder if Kat even realizes that the song is way too appropriate for a self-centered twit like her? She comes off as so bloody shallow, despite her fluffy "Oh, I love the world!" persona that seriously seems forced. Or how potentially insulting that song can be for her "partners" and employees, all the artists that are REQUIRED to make a tattoo studio work ... to have the owner going on and on about ... herself?

Don't get me wrong -- the artists she has brought into the shop are AMAZING. I'd love to have work done by all of them -- even Kat, if her ego could stay out of the way -- and if I had the money, my butt would be in LA getting Hannah to do the mermaid that I want. After seeing the work from the other three artists they show, I even know the specific pieces I want from each of them -- although Corey would be handed a marker and told to have fun finishing my back. Yep yep yep

... but watching Kat is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me.

/end snark

Memory Wire in Crafting

2007-08-09T00:25:00.000-05:00

It's not just for jewelry!

Several different companies make memory wire, in varying levels of cost and components. There's even some that's silver-plated, and you can find it in gold and silver tones.

Three different sizes are available: necklace, bracelet, and ring. Unless you have really big fingers, I can't see the ring wire fitting. HOWEVER, it has so many other uses, it's worth picking up a pack.

IMPORTANT: Never cut memory wire with your regular wire cutters for jewelry. Memory wire is tough stuff, and will notch and destroy your wire cutters. Purchase either cutters specific to memory wire, or pick up a heavy duty set at a home improvement center. You can also bend it back and forth to break it, but that can take a while and is a little tough on the hands.

-- Snip ring-sized memory wire about half an inch past a full loop. Bend one end into a tiny loop with round-nosed pliers. Now you can add on beads and charms for scrapbook or card embellishments, even use alphabet beads for mini-journaling.

-- They also make great wine-glass charms, so everyone at a party knows which glass is theirs.

-- You can cut multiple loops, and link them together into a chain to add dimension to scrapbook pages, with each loop capable of holding other embellishments.

-- For pet pages, choose beads and a 'dog tag' charm to mimic your pet's collar. You can even fold a matching ribbon in half, glue it shut, and thread it onto the wire.

-- Using the bracelet or necklace wire, do the ribbon fold and seal, and you have an instant dimensional circular frame for a photo or journaling section.

-- Engagement, wedding, or graduation? Sparkly sparkly beads, and a Swarovski crystal, and you can re-create school and engagement rings to put into your scrapbook.

Be creative!

Dog:1 Humans: 0

2007-08-02T15:03:00.000-05:00

Had to go to the store to get more stuff for the party this afternoon (teenagers, eeesh, bottomless pits). As I start getting out of the car, my cellphone rings from home.

"Mom, can I give the dog a bath? She's GROUNDED!"

Oh lord. "What did she do this time?"

"Well, there's this hole that she and Nugget (the dog next door) have been digging in, and now she's all muddy after going through the hole into their yard and JUMPING INTO THEIR SWIMMING POOL!"

Yes, my Houdini Corgi got into the yard next door to go swimming.

It took both kids to give her a bath, and EVERYTHING in the house is currently damp and smelling of wet dog.

She's exceptionally proud of herself.

Oy.

I HAD to call the DH after I got off the phone with the kids to giggle the story to him.

Went to the neighbors once they got home to let them know about the swimming, and the hole in the fence. THEY thought it was funny, and couldn't believe Zoe managed to get through that hole. Stubborn little Houdini girl.

She was less thrilled with me putting her in the car afterward and taking her to the Mobile Vet at the feed store for shots and tags. -I- was thrilled that everything they did only cost me 70 bucks, where it's 100 just to walk in the door of my regular vet, without shots, tests, and meds.

New Addition

2007-07-17T03:03:00.000-05:00

Gratuitous Pet Pic --
Our latest addition to the [s]zoo[/s] family:
ZOE

This is Zoe, the newest member of our household. They THINK she's about two years old or so, but they're not sure. She was a rescue dog, and was really scrawny when they got her. She had some weight back when the husband found her through the rescue group. Of course, we immediately had to toss her into a tub to deal with the fleas and ticks that were making the poor baby suffer.

Zoe is a Corgi/Blue Heeler mix. You can't tell in this shot, but she's got a lovely pure black saddle over her back, and she's got quite a curled fluffy fail.

She's an angel. A loving sweetheart. A few loyal and loving and DETERMINED sweetheart. The cats aren't so sure about all this. Now, they're reacting better to her than they did to us bringing our last cat into the house for the first time. They all went hostile on Largo, and stayed that way for some time. With Zoe, they only seem to hiss and get defensive and make warning noises if she gets into their faces. Doesn't stop Zoe from trying to give the kitties baths anyway. She really seems to love the kitties, hell, she loves anyone that will pay attention to her, and when the cats give her the "hiss off" routine, her ears droop and she gets puppy eyes and WHINES, looking to me like I can explain to her why kitty doesn't want to snuggle.

She's always following one of us. Usually, it's Thing 2, who has decided Zoe is HER dog. But really, anyone wanders off, and Zoe goes to find them. Anyone on the constant move, Zoe is right there at their side.

Once the cats adjust, I'm going to have to sleep in my chair -- there won't be enough room for me on the bed with everyone snuggled around the dog playing protector. Sigh. At least my chair is comfortable.

Eureka!

2007-07-13T12:30:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm a Sci-Fi geek. I admit it freely.

Eureka was a TV show that was just to be used as filler last summer, when all the other shows were in reruns. It rapidly became a runaway hit with a large fan base. And I can see why -- Eureka was fantastic. Intelligent, snarky, great characters (even the bad guys), and a sharp writing team, the dialogue was Real and quite funny.

It survived, unlike a lot of other filler shows.

The new season of Eureka started this week, on the Sci-Fi channel, Tuesday nights. Like last year, the DVR is set to record every episode. I haven't watched this one yet (the DH is a fan too, and since he's in OKC until the weekends, I'm saving the watching for him being home), but from what I've seen and read, this season is going to be just as good as the last one.

It helped fill an empty little hole in my heart, the one where Firefly used to live. Sure, it's not in the future, or in space, but it's just as smart and funny, and the characters just as Real. Nothing will ever replace my beloved Firefly, but Eureka definitely helps.

If you haven't given it a watch, I highly recommend it. That, and Sheriff Carter and 'bad guy' Stark are both fabulous eye-candy.

Mourning SG-1

2007-07-13T12:25:00.000-05:00

SO, the final episode of Stargate SG-1 has come and gone. The end of a wonderful 10 years, and I'm not particularly happy about it.

This kills my Friday night TV viewing. Sure, Atlantis is still on, and some of the cast will be moving to that show, and they ARE doing SG-1 movies to finish out storylines that weren't tied up by the final episode, but darnit, this is killing me.

And poor Ben Browder and Claudia Black -- they seem doomed to be on cancelled TV shows. First Farscape, now SG-1.

So, does anyone have any recommendations on what the heck there is to watch on Friday nights now

Why I am Not Currently a Useful Pooka

2007-06-06T02:12:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling awful lately. Constantly exhausted and fatigued, everything aches, I'm shaky, my head hurts ...

Turns out my blood pressure meds aren't working. When I went in today to the doctor, I got the OMFGBBQ stare. My BP, ON meds, was 154/114. They did a blood draw to check kidney and liver function, and surprisingly, everything was Perfectly Normal. At least I'm not killing myself with all the pain meds. It's just everything else that's trying to kill me.

I get back from the doctor today, to find out that a dear friend has finally lost her battle with cancer.

There's other really unpleasant stresses going on that aren't helping with my miserable health.

Darnit, I need a hug. *SIGH*.

So, I finally DO get a new diagnosis -- not a surprise, considering that every time I see a doc, they tell me something else is wrong with me. This one, though, was a relief.

Vasovagal syncope. A new diagnosis for my lengthy list, but at least it means I'm not having regular mild heart attacks -- I'm just screwed up in another totally new way, yay me.

(Note: "Syncope is usually preceded by at least a few seconds of symptoms that may consist of visual disturbances, buzzing in the ears, lightheadedness, sweating, nausea, or other symptoms. Individuals who have had syncopal episodes usually have an excellent idea of what prodromal symptoms to expect. It is important to recognize these symptoms, because if you do, syncope can be averted virtually 100% of the time by lying down and elevating your legs. If instead, you choose to fight the episode, you're likely to pass out in the frozen foods section, and the store manager will insist (for well-founded legal reasons) on shipping you to the E.R. in an ambulance – where you'll be subjected to a battery of unnecessary tests and probably an overnight stay in the hospital." -- amen. At least I'm used to this happening, and know how to keep me from passing out in the middle of a place, like I almost did Sunday night when I had another attack. Sheesh.)

My BP meds were upped again, just to be sure as well. I go back in two weeks to check my BP with the new meds, and go through a whole fasting physical and some massive amounts of bloodwork to narrow down the list of why I'm constantly run into the ground.

I'm tired of this shit. Can I go home yet?

Ah, Spring in Tornado Alley

2007-04-13T19:44:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how fast I got both kids and all four cats into the safety of the laundry room when the sirens started going off.

Weather is NASTY tonight in N TX.

No idea yet just how many tornadoes touched down, but it's several. Haltom City got totally hammered. Lots of damn good funnel cloud and tornado images from storm spotters, now they just have to figure out how many there really were.

Luckily, other than some heavy wind, heavier rain, and golf-ball hail, things weren't TOO bad here (they think the hail set off the sirens). Reports of up to baseball hail at the airport, about 5 miles from us. Fox 4 News went totally off the air for about an hour -- apparently their broadcast tower got hit by lightning.

However, there's another cell forming behind the first wave, and heading our way, so we're not entirely out of the woods yet tonight. Maybe 10-15 before it hits us. Whee.

Spring, in North Texas. Are we having fun yet?

Card Making

2007-04-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

I love playing with watercolours!

The scanner didn't pick up some details, like the shimmer of the embossing powder used on the outlines, or the shimmers of the PearlEx used in some of the detailing, like on the dragonfly wings on the first card, and the coins on the second. Ah well.

The Pain in My Brain is Mainly...

2007-04-01T18:03:00.000-05:00

... down the drain. Goneish. Yay.

I called my regular pain clinic last Monday because I just couldn't handle the pain and the puking anymore. Surprisingly, they said "Is Friday good?" FUCK yeah! The doc even wrote me another pain med scrip to hold me out till then.

Friday: HUGE storm rolls in. Tornado watch, Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Flash Flood Warning. Panic wonders what will happen if I'm on the table and they're shoving the needles into my skull and the power goes out. Like any normal person, I'm terminally afraid of hearing a doctor say "Oooops."

But the storm cell passed, leaving a few hour period between it and the next one, and things went off without a hitch.

Feeling pretty good, considering. I can actually open my eyes without light causing stabbing pain, and the uber headaches are absent. The back of my head aches a bit, but when you think about how many needles got poked around in there, that makes sense. Next 48 hours will be touch and go with pain as my body reacts to the intrusion there, but I've got ice packs and pain drugs, so I should be all right.

It's nice, to not feel like my brain is going to ooze out through my eye sockets.

Got another scrip for pain meds that I haven't even bothered to fill. Awesome!

Saturday: Watched some J-Horror, and slept a lot. YAWNING a lot. Now that was cool. Tired. Tired because my body is recovering and trying to heal and make up for lost sleep, instead of just being overall exhausted. Took it easy most of the day, did a little shopping with a kidlet to get some entertainment, got food -- and was actually HUNGRY -- then snoozed. A lot.

Sunday: Tired. So tired. But it's tired in a good way, it's the healing kind of tired, instead of overall exhaustion. The kind of tired where I actually YAWN. My body is trying to heal itself, and make up for the lack of quality sleep. Another day or two, and hopefully I'll be caught up and back on track.

Running a low-grade fever, which is nothing to be concerned about with me. It's just how my body reacts to 'abuse' like having multiple needles shoved into my skull. Nothing serious, nothing high-grade or over 100, just enough to feel a bit under the weather.

But I'm down to just one prescription pain med, instead of several drugs in combination, and my stomach is already much happier. Reflux is behaving to the point that I've only had to take Prilosec once since Friday, and that was because I got a little carried away with the "OMFG I'm HUNGRY!!!" and ate things that irritated my stomach. Yes, I'm actually hungry again, and keeping food down without massive nausea.

Haven't had to use the icepack for tenderness on the back of my skull since Friday, which is great. I'm sleeping in any position I want without owies there. And other than the fact that the sun was out yesterday for the first time in days withou any cloudcover, light isn't bothering me. THAT kind of bright bothers me even when I don't hurt, since my eyes are over-photosensitive and always have been.

I should even be able to endure the noise and light of a movie theater next weekend if DG comes home.

Still haven't filled the pain meds. I don't really need them, and I had some left over from earlier in the week. I <3 my nerve blocks.

Right now, I just want to snuggle up in bed with someone that appreciates J-Horror and watch a few movies so I don't feel as bad about dozing off in the middle of the day for a well-earned nap.

Yawn. Night night.

Is it April Yet?

2007-03-25T13:11:00.000-05:00

And make a wish.

Oh god, what a week.

First off, the brain spikes are back in full force, leaving me clumsy, disoriented, and in constant pain. The new neurologist that I was recommended to won't be back in the office till Monday so I can't even get an appointment yet -- grr. I need another occipital nerve block BAD.

So of course, that can't POSSIBLY be enough stress. Noooooo, never.

Yesterday, I get a call from Thing 2's school. She's in the vice-principal's office, and in trouble. Big trouble. Great. It's a long story, and I'm not even going to get into it because my blood pressure is already through the roof from TODAY, much less going back and reminding myself about yesterday. Let's just say that she's seriously grounded, and leave it at that.

TODAY, I walk outside to get the mail, to find an ambulance and fire truck across the street. Fuck.

See, the neighbors there are literally adoptive grandparents for the Things. Their own grandkids are far away, and they know that the Things grandparents are a distance away, so it was a mutual adoption all the way around. These are the people that saved my ass on Halloween when I fucked up my ankle. The wife is the one that drove me to the ER, and stayed with me the entire time, holding my hand and generally being wonderful, while the husband watched the Things for me till we got home. They go to almost all of Thing 1's band concerts. The husband is the cop that helps watch out for us when DG is out in the field. In short, they're fantastic people.

And I walk out to see her being loaded into an ambulance. Right. Cue panic attack. I race over there, to realize that she's so out of it she doesn't even notice I'm there. ACK! I ask if the husband is there, to make sure she has someone to go up with her, despite the fact that I needed to pick Thing 2 up soon. Luckily, he is -- along with the other neighbor that takes Thing 2 to school. Yes, this neighborhood is that tight. We take care of each other.

They THINK she just got really dehydrated, and I'm all too familiar with how bad that can mess you up.

So I go pick up Thing 2, and then Thing 1 and her Rukia-clone buddy (and I swear I want to adopt both her and her older sister, those kids are great), get Pooka's Taxi Service all sorted out and the kids where they all need to be, and go up to the ER.

She was doing much better when I got there, not as pale, and actually made a joke that the tables had turned and it was her turn, and wasn't I supposed to be the one flat on my back on a gurney? Good sign. They expect her to go home later, after the blood work comes back and she gets another bag or two in her IV, but they too think it's just dehydration.

It then becomes my job to make the update phone calls, to take some of the burden off him. Neighbor is updated, Thing 1 is updated (and starts sobbing with relief, she REALLY adores these people), and Thing 2 is now busy working on a Get Well card.

All this, on top of the brain spikes and the resulting clumsies and crankies, and me being too damn exhausted from constant pain to really be functional and do anything, plus DG of course being off in OKC, and the whole 'single mom' thing, and, oh yes, my MOMSTER deciding at 8:30 on Sunday night to SHOW UP AT MY HOUSE because they were in town for a train show.

I had to figure out how to get the energy to a softball game, since half of Thing 1's friends were in the game, and ALL have adopted me as the Coolest Mom Evah and want me to be there to help cheer em on. They lost both games. I doubt I qualify as a good luck charm. And of course, I got sunburned, first scorch of the year.

There ain't enough anti-anxiety meds in the world to deal with this week. I think I may drive out to the Temple later and inhale some zen.

Pan's Labyrinth and Felted Grapevine Cuff

2007-03-15T23:40:00.000-05:00

First off, if you haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth yet, what in the HELL are you people waiting for? It's definitely an 'adult' faerie tale, and although my 10 year-old really enjoyed it, it certainly isn't for all kids, so parents beware. While it isn't particularly scary, it is a bit graphic on the violence in places, and some of the themes (all right, MOST of them) are pretty dark, but it is utterly amazing. The 3 Oscars it earned were much deserved.

Faerie fans, it's a Must See, preferably in a theater to get the full visuals. It's a beautiful film.

Two Pooka Thumbs Up.

Next, the obligatory Quality Control Inspector visual:

Don't ask about the camo yoga pants. Shut up, they're comfortable.

The newest felted bracelet:

This is about the second stage or so, after the base has been wet felted. The grapes are needle felted onto the base.

Then, I wet felted up a sheet for the leaves, cut them out, needle felted them on, and added in some wool yarn for the twining vines.

Last step was the velcro closure.

Bracelets, Faeries, and Quality Control

2007-02-25T20:45:00.000-06:00

My quality control inspector has been quite busy. I'm not entirely sure if he approves of the felting process (mostly because it keeps him out of my lap).

The following three bracelets were for an order, and have been shipped and received.

"I believe in faeries..." This is the 'simple' version of this bracelet. I've yet to do the complicated version -- just not capable yet.

And the felting ....

The colours are off here, I was experimenting with my camera settings. The next two pictures show about the correct colouring for the felt. This will be a wrist cuff when completed.

Only the dry felting has been done so far -- wet felting being beyond me at the moment.

I want my life and energy level back. Now.

Pierced "Freaks" only ... heh

2007-02-12T02:07:00.000-06:00

Just out of curiosity -- anyone else out there with a nose piercing interested in custom surgical steel nostril screws with a pure silver design?

I am, of course, going to do a dragonfly for myself, and probably something else I haven't quite figured out yet. (Hell, maybe a crayon!)

I think I've found a pretty good site for ordering the surgical steel posts, but I was wondering, since shipping wouldn't increase if I added a few more (but would if I ordered more a second time), if anyone else was interested.

I DO have sterling silver flat ear posts that are about as long as the 'curve it yourself' nose screws I currently have, though one pair is already dedicated to Thing 1's silver strawberry studs, and I'm going to attempt a first one with these and see how it works out.

I -will- admit now that they won't be particularly cheap, just due to the silver costs for the PMC to do the design, but they won't be ridiculous, either. I'm guesstimating around 20-25 each.

Anyone interested?

Felting Classes

2007-02-08T23:18:00.000-06:00

Or, "thank God it's over."

Actually, teaching the class wasn't that bad. I only ended up with 11 or so students (surprisingly, three guys in the class, whoa! That was a reality check.), which Thing 1 said was actually the most they've had in a LONG time. Cool.

I had a few kids that were really sharp and seemed to love the idea of felting, and what all could be done with it. A few were slow, and never really caught on. One of the kids had a really good eye for design, and a decent amount of talent when HE applied himself and didn't just laze through it. Yes, He.

Sammi, the kids had FITS over the colours -- you done GOOOOOD. They also had a blast when I walked through the beginning, showing them the absolutely raw just shorn and funky wool (they got a big kick out of sniffing it, lol), the different rovings (the girls got the giggles over the angora and all glared at Thing 1, who has an angora sweater), and how each stage affected the fibers. Even went through the "why we never use scissors" routine.

The regular teacher thanked me profusely. See, a month or two ago, she took a weekend class on felting, and apparently it was a Very Professional Class, and the methods they taught were so complicated, she lost some interest. Well, she's got her interest back in a big way, and thanked me for making it easy enough to follow. Hell, folks, I taught Thing 2 how to do it a few days ago, teens are no big deal.

And she wants me back. So do the kids.

Vengeance is MINE, sayeth the Things

2007-01-17T06:53:00.000-06:00

White as far as the eyes can see out my front door. It's not just snow, it's sleet, too. And lots of it. And it's freakin COLD out there. 27*.

School is, of course, closed. The Things were positively SMUG about the whole thing.

I guess it explains why I was in so much pain that I still haven't been to bed yet. Though at least I've been productive. I've got a canvas prepped, the rim spackled for texture and the first coat of colour on it, and some of the collage elements figured out.

Edit: Got the collage piece done, if only I could figure out how to get pics from my cell phone to my email ... oy. Decoupage is my friend. I'd forgotten the smell of Mod Podge, brings back a whole lot of memories.

Lighter cover -- tubular peyote

2007-01-08T17:34:00.000-06:00

This was a fun project. I picked up a great coffee table book called "Gold of the Pharaohs", and it had some wonderful examples of Egyptian beadwork in it.

I picked out a few colours that were close, and just started beading.

Tubular peyote, no pattern, Delica beads. I just winged it as I went, loosely basing it off the bracelets of Queen Ahhotep. The middle section has the hieroglyph "Nefer", meaning beauty.

The colours are off in the photo, the gold is very antiqued-looking, and the red and turquoise aren't quite so bright.

Dragonfly (in progress)

2007-01-08T16:14:00.000-06:00

When completed (I've already got the ultrasuede cut for the backing), this will be the centerpiece on a collar.

Ignore the cat hair visible in the work. My boys "help" me when I work, including trying to eat the thread. They feel a piece isn't complete until they shed on it.

The antennae will be twisted wire and beads.
Combination of 15/0, Delicas, 11/0 hex, #1 and #2 bugles.

I've got some lovely AB matte Magatamas to go around the outside.

Closeup of a wing:

Yes, I know some of the beads aren't flat, the piece puckered a bit as I worked, but it's not finished and I'll go back and ensure that everything is down right and secure before adding it to the suede backing.

Gravity Works

2006-11-01T14:46:00.000-06:00

Oh yes, gravity works. Unfortunately.

Halloween started out pretty good. I had my nifty witch costume on and got a lot of compliments (especially on the fuzzy tarantula I was wearing on my shoulder), but there weren't a lot of trick or treaters out. After it got slow, I put the Things in the car, and we went over to a neighborhood where a bunch of Thing 1's friends were. I was herding around quite a group of kids, when I had to break and take one of them home.

On the way to the car, me and my screwed up neurological system decided that it was going to forget how to walk. Next thing I knew, I was coming down on my left leg, and my ankle snapped sideways underneath me. I hit the ground, but at least I know how to fall, so I just have a skinned right knee .... and the ankle.

It immediately started swelling up and totally filled the combat boot. I managed to drive everybody home, with a whole lot of whimpering and groaning. Then I made the big mistake. I took the boot off.

At that point, the Things bolted for the neighbors. One took me to the ER, while the other took the kids.

It's not broken. That's the BAD news.

The ER doc told me I'd have been better off I HAD broken it. Every Single Tendon and ligament in my ankle is fucked up. Those that aren't torn are pulled. I'm in a hideously annoying splint for at least 3 weeks, and on crutches for that long as well. I also was ORDERED to see an orthopedist to work on trying to handle the damage. Hopefully I can see the same one that rebuilt my arm and worked on DG's ankle.

Unfortunately, they gave me the exact same pain meds I regularly take, so for this intense new pain, they ain't doin squat. I HURT.

And of course, DG is off and working, so it's just the wounded and crippled me here with the kids. Fun fun fun.

SO .... how was YOUR Halloween?

2006-08-23T15:48:00.000-05:00

Still can't sleep right.

Got the phone call this morning from the animal hospital. Zam's ashes are ready for us to pick up. Sigh.

I still keep looking for him, expecting him to be there. It hasn't entirely registered that he's gone and not coming back, but there's a big empty space, not just in the house, but inside me.

I'm not the only one. Ozymandius is having serious issues. Zamboni was his play partner. Felimid is too fat and lazy to play chase, and Harley just runs and hides. Now he chases the Things around the house when they're wearing skirts or anything that dangles. I'm going to have to buy some new toys to entertain him.

Now, when -anyone- leaves the house, Ozzy sits and HOWLS. I went through the grief-stricken kitty hysterics three times this morning, when DG left, and when each of the Things left for school. Add this to my inability to sleep, then the phone call, and getting back to sleep was right out.

Ozzy just started the mournful howling again. Thing 2 left to go to a friend's house.

He's become Velcro cat. Follows us around the house, pounces immediately, Must Have Lovings Now. Poor Oz has become completely neurotic and paranoid with Zam gone.

Double sigh. We just got a sympathy card in the snail mail from the animal hospital. They did good by Zam, and the card is just another example of how well they try to treat both the pets and the people that love them.

Is it September yet? I think I've had enough of August already.

Goodbye, my friend

2006-08-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

Stick a fucking fork in me, I'm done.

Zamboni went from his normal loving Maine Coon self to hiding. One night, he was normal kitty. Next day, after not seeing him all day, I hunted him down to find him hiding under Thing 2's dresser. He was yellow. Skin, eyes, mouth. Overfuckingnight. Don't ask me to spell the hepatic whatever.

We took him to the vet immediately. He'd been there since Thursday, I think. This last week has blurred with everything else going on. He wouldn't eat at all, he was on an IV, they were having to force feed him. He wasn't improving, but he was at least stable.

Until today. When DG went in to see him, he was just laying there and drooling. DG knew something was really wrong when they took him straight to a room instead of to Zam's cage.

I know DG made the right decision in having the vet go ahead and put him down. Zam was suffering, and the vet thinks there may have been a cancer involved, or some other problem they hadn't found yet, because this sort of mass liver failure usually attacks older cats.

What sends me into total hysterics is that DG didn't come home and get me first. I didn't get to say goodbye. I'm mad, I'm furious, I'm hysterical. This was MY cat. I know that he didn't want me to go through it again after Blackthorne, but dammit....

The vet will send his ashes home to us. I need to find the perfect container. If anyone has any ideas, please help, because right now I can't think straight at all.

Letter to the Devil

2006-08-19T19:40:00.000-05:00

Dear Lucifer,

I apologize for all of the snow you've been recently inundated with. I realize that your enviroment is not designed for such elaborate amounts of ice and cold, however, while I am sorry for any inconvenience this may be causing you, I must say that the circumstances enabling hell to freeze over have been created by such sadistic virulence that I think you would be proud of me.

You see, I found myself swept up into a massive cleaning spree, and apparently it was contagious in ways that I had never dreamed of. Now while in the past I have been known as a neat freak, and obsessive about keeping things organized (even my 'clutter' is organized, I know where everything is and why it is there), in the past few years I have just simply been unable to maintain my former diligence. I'm certain that the initial light snowfall was little problem for your continued operations, but now I realize that the scale must have increased to a magnitude approaching total shutdown.

Critical mass of hell freezing over, if you will.

While I have not yet been able to infect my rebellious offspring with the cleaning virus as of yet, it has been passed on to one who, for the most part, has spent all the years I've known him as -- well, there's just no kinder, gentler words for it -- a slob. Certainly, the virus has yet to reach complete cellular amplification in his system, for one still cannot walk in the small space along his side of the bed.

However, when one takes into account that he's finally cleared out boxes that have been in place and blocking not only my dresser, but his dresser, his desk, the closet, and the walkway to the bathroom since we moved into this house several years ago, you'll see that there is a more than valid reason why the cold front has set in and you're now having to deep freeze the damned instead of roasting them over pits of lava.

I hope that Hell's version of FEMA is far quicker to respond to your current disaster than ours is, and that your order of snowplows and shovels arrives soon. You may want to add parkas to your purchase order as well (and I do know how difficult it will be to find a manufacturer that takes tails and horns into account, but I'm certain someone with the resources you have available will prevail), for the disease is still progressing with no end in sight.

In closing, while the saying does go that "cleanliness is next to godliness," I would like to point out that conniving, pleading, manipulating, and infecting others into doing half the work for me should still help ensure my position there in the future.

Keep my seat warm.

Pooka

And now for something completely similar

2006-08-16T19:16:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but at least for now the playback is without all the nasty scratchy sounds.

Had my follow-up appointment with the pain clinic. Unfortunately, my COBRA'd insurance won't pay for PT with that clinic, but they will pay for it elsewhere, so as soon as things settle down a bit with DG's new job, I'll be starting 'occupational therapy' instead of straight old boring PT.

They're also setting me up for biofeedback and meditation to try and help control my response to pain surges, so that I can THINK my way to lower blood pressure and less agony. Taking into account what I've seen about Buddhist monks being able to totally control their bodies through thought -- even body temperature -- it's certainly possible to do it.

Considering the pain psychologist's commentary about me, I believe that to be entirely possible in my case. He said that I was already in the proper mindset for pain management, at a point that he said he usually doesn't see in patients until they've been coming to the clinic for months, so I'm already ahead of the game. Impressed him several times, the weight loss totally blew his mind, and convinced him even more that I was going to be a successful patient. Shiny.

The horrible brain spikes are still absent. This is just amazing, I feel like a totally different person at this point. Sure, I still have normal pain, and the burning throbbing from the RSD, but it's all tolerable pain that I'm used to by now. So long as my head isn't exploding, I can handle just about anything. Still get the dull headaches from the Chiari, but they're tolerable.

And I'm FUNCTIONAL again. I've been out of the house more often since the nerve block than I had in the year before that point. I've totally torn apart and reorganized my office space. Ditto to the bedroom, and not just my side of it, but have most of the rest of it under something resembling control.

It helps the mindset, with everything going on, to see at least SOME sign of organization and control. I may not be able to control everything, but I can control my personal space and sometimes, that's all that matters.

I have a curling iron now for my hair, which has actually been used. My way-too-old makeup has been tossed out, the remainder reorganized, and I actually wear it from time to time. I wear nailpolish again, even though I have to keep my nails ridiculously short because of the way they curve under.

Been reading like a fiend as well. Lots of quantum physics, forensic science (pathology, psychology, crime scene), epidemiology. While my mind still isn't as reliable as it was years ago, without the intense pain it's easier to concentrate and pay attention.

The Things have finally gone back to school, which is an inordinate amount of relief to stress. Kids were starting to drive me screaming up the walls bugnuts insane this summer. They seem to be adjusting pretty well, with few dramatic angsty moments (so far, but you know how teens can be).

"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it."

Image Stream - Ephemera

2006-07-25T23:52:00.000-05:00

A random collection of new pieces off the tip of my digital "crayons."

Dead Man's Party
"You’re late," Dax rumbled.

"You started without me."

"Negative. They started it." Dax ignored the incredulous look Liya spared him as she reloaded.

"I suppose you just ‘returned fire,’ then?" Liya scowled. "Self-defense, was it? May want to duck first next time, cowboy."

Dax’s sigh turned into a groan as he handed her another round of shells.

"I’m really going to feel this tomorrow."

Caladorn
"Caladorn -- Tree of Light, he calls you."

Laurel is in trouble in the Dreaming again -- or is she? An enchanted harp in the hands of a bard ...

Siren
Character portrait to replace an old one that I got lazy on.

I hate trying to paint webbed hands. The gills turned out nicely, I think, but the hands ... meh.

Coming of Shadows
I don't know WHO put this particular expression on Liya's face, but I sure hope they've got really good insurance and have made their peace with whatever God they believe in.

Objects at Rest

2006-07-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

Do you know what it's like to wake up, get out of bed, move around, get your morning caffeine, check mail, and take a shower without effort or pain?

I had forgotten what that was like.

Oh, sure, my body still aches, but I'm used to that, been living with it for so many years that it's nothing for me. It was the headaches that really got to me, and made me almost completely unable to function. Never have dealt well with pain above the neck; earaches, headaches, toothache, etc. Over 300 days of headache, well, you forget what "normal life" feels like.

The injection sites are still tender, but only really ache when touched -- like taking a shower. But it wasn't bad, just caused a few winces.

Got a party to go to tonight, and I'm actually looking forward to being social for a change. It's different, when your brain isn't trying to explode and ooze out your ears and eyes.

I have another appointment at the pain clinic August 4th, to start the actual pain management program, total profile, complete workup, and they're getting all my MRI results. I really liked the doc, too. I'm finally getting real help with conditions that are never going to go away.

Shiny!

Post-Op Update

2006-07-20T18:26:00.000-05:00

I'm home.

The initial local has worn off, and the sites are a little sore, not bad. Got an icepack on it now, lounging in bed.

BUT ....

My head doesn't hurt.

I mean Does Not Hurt. I can turn my head without turning my entire body, and pain doesn't explode. I can look up. I can look down. I can COUGH without my head detonating. For the first time in a year (without the one day where I had benefits of morphine), my head DOESN'T HURT.

Still a little fuzzy from the Versed, but otherwise, things are looking pretty shiny.

T.M.S.

2006-07-18T01:44:00.000-05:00

Not TMI, TMS -- or Too Much Shit.

So, I was looking in my purse of holding (just ask Jon -- and yes, Jon, I'm still using that same brown stressed-leather purse I had in DC), trying to find ... well, something, that completely escapes me now like most thoughts do these days.

Now, keep things in mind. In DC, my purse not only held all my vacation need stuff, but all of Jon's while we were out as well, with room to spare.

On the way to Houston for Christmas, knowing we had to go through some Really Bad Places to reach my parent's house, this same purse, along with all my necessary road trip stuff, held the Beretta, along with 3 full clips.

The asides done, as I went in, just digging and not looking (hey, we females usually don't have to look, we know what's in there) and my hand kept hitting metal. A lot of it -- and it wasn't the same thing, over and over. Curious.

So, in the spirit of "What the hell", I dumped my purse out for a regular cleaning. And found:

-- my mini-Swiss army knife
-- my Mini Pal punch blade
-- a 4" hooked Fury serrated knife
-- 4" serrated Gerber knife
-- and that I was missing my actual Gerber multi-tool.

I have four knives in my purse. Why in the name of screaming sweet baby Jesus do I have four knives in my purse? I could not tell you.

There's also a blow-torch lighter, my metal credit card Bill of Rights, an LED flashlight, and a bottle opener. Two pens, a notebook, copy of "Get a Grip on Physics", bottle of meds, 4 shooter's earplugs, bandaids, hairbrush, dental floss, powder compact, lip balm, packet of tissues. And a purple crayon.

Yes, not just any crayon, but a single lonely purple crayon in my purse.

Huh. So, I examine my bedside table, where I'm sitting.

-- 7 bottles of meds
-- three candles, two lit
-- 2 bottles of eardrops for chronic swimmer's ear
-- EIGHT tubes of lip balm
-- 2 bottles of moisturizer
-- scissors and hemostats
-- resin 'goblet' with half a dozen orphan jewelry bits
-- an uber powerful Sylvania Dot It LED light for emergencies
-- Oh, yes, and a fully loaded Beretta.

This makes me really not want to look at my desk.

1 am. Happy Birthday to me. I'm going to clean up my mess as a present to myself.

Now where the hell is my Gerber?

Objects in Motion

2006-07-17T17:10:00.000-05:00

We're not in such a great place right now. Okay, a pretty bad place. Husband has lost his job, which means no money, no insurance -- well, you get the idea. Without insurance, my meds alone are 1200 a month. He's diabetic, which means he needs meds too. Which he's ignoring, but I'm used to that.

He COBRA'd my insurance so I'd have it through July, which actually enabled some real progress to finally be made with my last neurologist visit.

Bad News: Add Occipital Neuralgia to my list of Things Wrong With Pooka

Good News: It earned me a trip to (wait for it) ... A PAIN CLINIC!

My appointment at the pain clinic is this Thursday for a nerve block on my occiptal nerve, which -should-, theoretically, take care of the worst of the break-through and OMFGSBJ Can I Die? headaches.

I'm supposed to be there several hours. I already got the phone call, with the "no food after 8:30, clear liquids only" orders. So I know it's not just a background and history visit. People trying to HELP me. Whodda thunk it?

So it's going to be two days late to be a 'real' birthday present for me, but who counts when it's a GOOD present, right?

Pain relief. Better than freakin diamonds, as far as I'm concerned. Oh, who am I kidding, I don't really like diamonds anyway. Better than a new 260 gb hard drive and a 21" flatscreen monitor. Yeah, now THAT works!

Yep. I'm turning 38 tomorrow.

No fretting over aging at this point, I mean, I'm already poking 40 with a short stick, and my body is going about its unnatural business and aging faster than my years spent breathing anyway. Maybe it's a flux in quantum mechanics, or my body is going by "mileage" instead of "years". I suppose that would quantify out why my body is definitely trying to push the 65+ range instead of a nice perfectly normal 38.

So, the List:

--Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/Complex Regional Pain Syndome (RSD/CRPS)
--Fibromyalgia (which I argue with after the new findings)
--Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (same argument, just symptoms misread)
--Osteoarthritis
--Arnold Chiari Malformation I
--Cervical Spinal Stenosis
--Peripheral Neuropathy
--Occipital Neuralgia

Quite a doozy to look at, huh? And of course, I'm already wearing bifocals, which I knew I needed, but never realized how much till I had them, and suddenly I could read things again without doing the "find the right distance" dance.

The List sort of destroys the whole "aging gracefully" concept. There's very little graceful about me anymore. I stay bruised from stumbling, bouncing into things, and half the time not even feeling the impacts that leave the marks.

About the only part that IS aging gracefully is my face. Which is weird, since that's one of the places that usually shows signs first. But no, you can look at my hands and tell, but I am surprisingly free of most wrinkles and lines on my face. Granted, my face is now so gaunt that there's not much to help make wrinkles visible, but trust me, I've LOOKED for them, and I really don't have the things.

I guess you take what you got, and that has to be good enough.