Procrastination Is Not My Friend

I tend to procrastinate. Well, mainly with folding laundry but there are times that I procrastinate about other stuff. Like making LTC, or logging finds on AtlasQuest. I do that too.
I joined the "North American Mammals" swap at the beginning of April since I didn't have any cards to do this month. I thought "Hey, I got plenty of time!" So I got my stamp carved right off the bat, I just needed to do my cards. I didn't know how I was going to do my cards. Had the stamp but no idea. Then I decided to find some bark looking paper and some green paper and try to put something together.
Last week I finally got out to Micheals to look for supplies and they didn't have anything I was looking for. I had no idea what I was going to do for my cards. I think I walked around for about thirty minuets, periodically coming back to the scrapbook paper section hoping that  the paper I needed would appear or I would think of something else.
Finally I decided to get some paper with a bunch of trees on it and some textured gray paper I could use as rocks. My new plan was a lot better than my original plan. I also had a 40% off coupon that I really wanted to use so I picked up a Distressed ink pad by Tim Holtz. I've been eyeing the stuff for weeks and I can't wait to use it.
Anyways, I bring the stuff home and it sits in my room for a couple of days until I finally decide to start working on them. Got all the cards cut out, great. Then I wait until Friday to stamp all my ermines. Now, these cards must be sent out four days from Friday. I had my ermines all stamped and ready to get cut out. I wait until Saturday to do this.
Saturday Tyrus comes over to dig out tree roots for my mom so she can plant some bushes instead. I decide to take my stash of ermines outside and cut them out while he works. They take forever to cut out because of their little whiskers. Well noon rolls along and I go in to make us some lunch. I come out some time later and I set down my clipboard of ermines on the ground so I can hold my plate while I sit. Tyrus sits on the sidewalk to eat, next to my clipboard. He reaches over for his glass of milk........and................ spills it all over my little ermines. We just kind of sat there for a moment watching the spilt milk run everywhere. Luckily, he didn't spill it on the five or so I had already cut out.

I threw away my soggy ermines and trudged back inside to restamp my little guys. It set me back about an hour by having to restamp my ermines. I guess this is what I get for procrastinating.

After they were all cut out I had to cut out the little rocks they were going to be sitting on. Got half way through that to realize that when I flip them over the way they needed to be, they didn't have the textured side facing up. I had to recut all of those. 

I finally got the cards done late Saturday night and got them packaged up and ready to send. Did you know that by putting your cards in sleeves make them look so much more awesome and professionalish? I don't usually put my cards in sleeves but I don't quiet trust my glue stick right now. But, of corse I packed them all up before scanning one so I don't have a copy right now to post.

I have a bunch of cards I need to scan and post later. I'll try not to procrastinate about doing that!

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Places You Find Zombies, Holy Grails, and Cats

Just finished hosting my Plants vs. Zombies swap. It was really neat! It was also my first time hosting  an LTC swap that were standard size. I had a lot of people sign up for this swap but a handful dropped out a week before they were due. I got backed up waiting for one set of cards to show up in the mail. I waited and waited and a week later, it still wasn't here. I decided to contact the member to see if they sent their cards. Well, a found out that they were a new boxer and hadn't been on since they signed up for my swap. That was a bit upsetting but what can you do?
I really enjoyed this swap and hope to host two more PvZ swaps. One for the plants, and one for the zombies, but I don't know when I'll do that.
I have been waiting for my cards from "The Placed You Find Cats" and "Holy Grail, Monty!" swap. I     got the cat cards first. I loved this swap! I used to have cats until my younger brother was born. We learned that he was allergic and both he and I had athsma. The cards were so well done! Another "Places You Find Cats" swap is being held for later this year and I can't wait to get these cards! We have some very talented carvers and artist who participated in the swap. My card looked very bland compared to the rest. My carving was good, but I stamped it black and onto white card stock. I thought everyone was doing their cards like the comics. Guess I was wrong. The other cards were very colorful and so well done. I'll have to step up my game for the next swap.
Now, the Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail swap... I got Tyrus to do a card for this swap. He did "African or European Swallow?" I sent our cards together since he lives a few doors down from me. Well... I forgot to tell the hostess that I sent the cards together. She thought that his cards were for a different swap she was hosting so she didn't send out his cards, nor did she send two sets of cards in my bubble mailer(I haven't gotten this swap in the mail yet though). She was very apologetic about the mess up, but it didn't bother me. I forgot to tell her so its my fault too.
When I get the cards in the mail, I will be giving Tyrus the cards. The hostess kindly asked the others to mail me one of their cards and she'll be mailing everyone Tyrus' cards. This was a really interesting swap and I can't wait to see the cards. Now all I have to do is wait.

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Art of Sandra Boynton

I got back the cards from the Art of Sandra Boynton swap a couple weeks ago. The cards were very cool. My mom loved the cards too. Her favorite card was Practically Perfect's "Art of Sandra Boynton: Blue Hat, Green Hat!" card. It was so very well done and is one of my favorites too. I think this card was mainly her favorite since it's one of her favorite books by Sandra Boynton.
I spent a lot of time working on these cards and it seems that a bunch of people really enjoyed them. I even had a little story of my younger brother who "ate" part of the book while he was teething years ago.
I was very excited to get the cards back, but when I pulled the package out of the mail box I was confused... The postage on my return envelope was not the same as the ones I sent. That's not a big deal, with a bunch of people sending in cards to a host the return postage could get switched around. It's also very possible I forgot my return postage, but I'm pretty sure I didn't. Oh well, but, the thing that annoyed me the most, was that it was open. The packaging tape to keep the flap down was completely gone. All the cards were in it safe and sound, but it still unnerves me that it was just left open and I don't know when it got that way. It may have been sent back to me that way or the post office took it off. Either way, I was not pleased to get my cards back that way.

Well, I finally took the time to scan some of my new cards! While I was on tumblr last week I came across this comic strip about a shark puppy. It was the cutest thing ever and I just had to carve one of the images. I remembered that there was an LTC swap going on that the little shark puppy could fit into. So I signed up with a little over two weeks before the due date. I finally have those cards done and need to get them mailed. While making those cards, I barely had enough cardstock left to get them done. Well, anyways, here's a look at my new cards. Spoilers!!!

Places you find cats: Greeting a Deer

No Ordinary Rabbit

Orca Inchie

Scaredy-Shroom

Shark Puppy

 

More cards to come once I finish them!! Hope you enjoy these ones!

 

 

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Almost There...

Ok.... So maybe I lied.... I won't have an update of my new cards for awhile. I still have to scan them and finish a bunch.

I have, however, gotten a lot of cards done. My cards for the "Places You Find Cats" swap kept getting progressively lighter and lighter as my ink pad started dying. I was using black Color Box ink.
I do not like Color Box or Craft Smart ink. First off, Craft Smart is cheap and is more like paint than any thing else, and it smears so its not very good for LTCs. I don't like Color Box because it starts off overly strong then dies fairly quickly, not allowing a lot of use for it. This is just what I've experienced with it. I had to use Color Box's white ink for my No Ordinary Rabbit card. They turned out okay.

Anyways, I'm currently working on my cards for my "Plants vs Zombies" swap. So here's a sneak peek of my army of Scaredy Shroom stamps.

*Hint, hint* There's still room in my swap for any one interested!

I'll try to update my cards here soon!

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Well, You Learn.....

Sometimes I really hate blogger. One day it'll let me blog, the next it won't. I finally get to sit down and write!

I have learned my lesson about hosting LTC swaps... Double check to make sure you dished out ALL your cards before sending them. Back in November I hosted not only my first swap, but my fist inchie swap. With over 500 cards to sort I managed to miss an engine set of cards. Luckily they were mine. Well, it is now January 2013 and I'm finally sending out the cards to those who gave me their addresses.  I even had one letterboxer send me a set of inchies related to the swap to send everyone. The stressful part about this is that while i was getting everything ready i could find the set of cards i needed to mail! I looked everywhere and thought I was going to have to restamp them. i did manage to find them. I felt so bad missing that one card. Oh we'll, you learn from your mistakes right?

Now over the past few weeks I have had winter break from school and what not, but I have also been working on some we cards. I only have one set done, an inchie set, but I'm going to post a picture with the card update later. However, before my break on December 22, I had already carved and started stamping my cards for the Places You Find Cats swap. I ended up giving all my blank cards to my secret Santa individual, leaving me with no blank cards. And just to my luck, it doesn't look like I have any white card stock left!

I have decided that I hate white ink. For the Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail, I am carving the rabbit that attacked the knights. Since the rabbit is white I decided not to cut out an outline but keep it solid and stamp the image on black paper with white ink, right? Well it started out with the first ink pad. I got the cheapest ink pad at Michael's which was a bad idea. The ink was more like pain than stamp ink. Not only that but when it dried it was all chalky and could easily be smeared all over the black paper. Fun, right? Well, I went back and got some Color Box ink. Stuffs better, but not my favorite. It works for what I'm doing, look better than the first ink too! Only issue is, well one of a few... It doesn't look the way I thought it would. Could very well be the paper cussing this issue. Another is that I'm trying to draw over parts of it with armed marker but it ends up pink! Blood is not pink! So does anyone have some tips or tricks to using white stamp ink? If o, I'd love to hear!

I also discovered that my work space is very easily invaded by my brothers and their junk. My 15 year old brother set his books and stuff on my cards and my 8 year old brother bend up some up my paper. I also learned tat I need to get better at cleaning up as I go or I never gets clean.
I have learned a lot of things about making cards from my mistakes.mistakes make life interesting though. Also gives me something to write about.

Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a happy New Year! Soon I am hoping to post some of my new cards as well as my tutorial on an inchie binder holde I've made. Till then!

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"Chevron One, encoded"

It is nice to finally sit down and relax. Though it is very late as I'm writing this, it is still nice.
After the craft show, school work, and my birthday stuff, I can finally just chill.

I just got done hosting not only my first swap, but my first inchie swap. I had 13 participants, in including myself, and 39 different cards. "Cheveron One, encoded" is based off the Stargate from the syfy show, Stargate SG-1.
So here's how it works:

The gate is turned on and a series of symbols are chosen.

When each symbol is chosen...

it is locked into. Each time the symbols, or chevron is locked onto, a man says "Chevron one, locked on to; Chevron two, encoded; Chevron three, locked on to." It is changed throughout each episode what he may say it.

Then a worm whole is open withing the gate...

Then it awaits for someone to travel through the worm hole to another planet based on the chosen cordinations.

 

So, for this swap all the symbols were carved that were on the Stargate. Everyone did a wonderful job on their cards and it was really cool being able to receive a full set of cards based off my favourite show!

This was my first time doing a swap and I was going pretty well and all. Everyone sent me their cards, I sorted them all out, and got them all ready to mail back to everyone. I had over 500 cards for this swap. It was a lot to sort through and I was just glad I got it to everyone. But..... as I began working on a new stamp for another LTC swap yesterday, I discovered a set of my own inchies that did not get sent out to everyone. Ug! I was trying so hard to be a good hostes and I forgot some cards! Well, now I have to get everyone's adresses to send them this one inchie. Well, I guessed I learned something from this swap. So far everyone has been understandable about it. I'm just glad it was my card I forgot and not someone eleses.

 

But over all, I think the swap went pretty well. I always strive to so a series that has never been done before.

Well, I am hosting a regular LTC swap if anyone is interested. And trust me, this time I'll make sure I have all the cards in :P It is, Plants vs Zombies and isn't due till March!

 

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Water Colors: A Love-Hate Relationship

I FINALY finished my LTCs. For a while now I have been working on the Art of Sandra Boynton: The Big Yawn or the Big Bite? cards. It took a very long time. It has taken me days to get these done. I think they look good but I don't think I will be doing anything like it again.
For these cards, I had to cut the water color paper, stamp all the cards, color the background, and paint the image. Not to mention all the labeling I had to do on the back. It was a lot of steps and took a lot of time. Here's the result:

 

The background was done with a mustard yellow Distress Marker. For the pink I used regular water color but instead of using a regular paint brush, I used a water brush made my Tim Holtz to do it and I loved it.

I made 31 of these. 24 of these cards are going to the "Art of Sandra Boynton" tracker. I have about 6 of them for trade.

As much as I liked the water color, it just took way too much time to do. I may do it again but it would have to be at some point where I have the time to do. I am currently getting prepared for an art show next weekend. Yes, these cards are do in January but when I start something I have a habit of needing to finish it as soon as I can. I also have about 5 other cards I want to do too.

Well, within the next 3 weeks I will probably start up a new card!