Here is my new weekly addiction.  3d shadow boxes.  The pics are not the best, being in glass there was a horrible shadow.  As I made them for co-worker gifts I didn't have time to really take a good picture that would avoid the glare.  Each tree has a song lyric printed on them.  (of the 3 here, 2 are wedding trees and one is the birthday tree.) 

I hope that you enjoyed and thanks for visiting ... 

Fun Stampers Journey

Nearly two weeks ago I found out about a new direct sales company for rubber stamps (cardmaking).  I'm sure that all of you paper crafters would understand the excitement!

 

So I joined in the fun and became a Journey Coach.  Hey why wouldn't I?  A new exciting company with so much to offer?  Well today the kit came.  I couldn't wait to play for a few minutes tonight.  I decided that I would make a simple card and put this product to a test.  

 

Here's my card:

Simple, sparkly and cute!

First I wanted to make my card base using whip cream cardstock.  Folds nicely.  Then I wanted to try to put it through the silhouette cameo to see if there were cutting issues.  So I wanted a more intricate design (silhouette file) So I tried out blue lagoon. I used regular setting for cardstock. It cut like a dream.  Then I wanted to see how their glaze worked. I have to tell ya, it was nice.  I could apply it thick or thin, without any problems. The bottle tip makes it really easy to apply.  Then while wet, I decided to apply clear glitter.  In the pic the glaze was still wet, so I'm hoping that when it dries the blue lagoon will seep through the glitter for a more vibrant effect.  (btw, the yellow center is a DIY melted perler bead.  Very easily done, and several video's on youtube.com)  Then I had to try the stamp.  

Fun Stampers Journey are nice rubber cling stamps, not acrylic, which I really liked.  There is a nice foam backing to allow it to give a nice crisp image. I used Blue Lagoon ink, true color fusion ink.  The pads are nice and juicy and the pads are not cheaply made like some.  You can see in the card photo, above, that there is a nice vibrant color.  I was very pleased.  The ink cleans right off the stamp.  No staining.  Of course I used FSJ's stamp cleaner, which the formula is specific to the color fusion.  Again, my stamp did not stain!  

Now for some FSJ info....

First,   the new catalog came out Friday and you can view it on my website here:  www.funstampersjourney.com\587.  I think that you will really enjoy the products. 

Second, to be a journey coach they make it so simple, reasonable and fun.  There are three choices of coaches kits, and you can get the information here:  http://www.funstampersjourney.com/become-a-coach.  The one thing that I really liked right from the start, quarterly sales are only $150 to maintain your coach status. Not $300, only $150!!  That is a o much more reachable goal, don't you think. There is no hassle, you can either sign up for a hobbyist to take advantage of savings, or a small business partnership.  The choice is all yours!  After you have checked out the above link, should you decide that being a coach is a dream come true (and believe me it is!) you can use this link and sign up here to start your journey, https://shop.funstampersjourney.com/MemberToolsDotNet/EnrollmentNew/EnrollDistributor.aspx?PageMode=1&OverrideDestinationPage=  I think that this is going to be an incredible journey!  There are so many resources to help you create, learn and just make new friends!

I hope that you enjoyed my little review and hope that you'll stop back. 

Until next time,
~Kim ♥♥♥
That's my passion, and this is my journey!

This weekend was beautiful here in Western NY.  Finally no cold, no snow, no dampness, no mud, I can go on and on!  I saw my first hummingbird Friday morning as I was leaving for work trying to hoover over Bob's birdfeeders.  This weekend we made sure that she had her nectar put out there.

While having to run to Walmart for the nectar, I broke down and bought an inexpensive heat laminator to play with. I can't justify paying for the MINC foil applicator nearly $197 (when it's only a heat laminator) vs. $19.97 for a SCOTCH heat laminator.  OMG I am in love.  A new obsession!

So I'm throwing in a disclaimer now, I am not responsible for any debt that one obsession can bring to anyone.  LOL.

I looked at several Youtube videos using a regular laminator.  Some were a fail so I was a little skeptical when I decided to buy the laminator. I did do a few attempts to make sure that my investment was worth it. I'll explain my findings down farther.

You will need:  1. your image  (my image below is from the SIL store 
                                       http://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/
                         2. laser printer.  A copier which takes TONER would work too. 
                                Bottom line: you need to work with toner ink.
                         3. cardstock
                         4  copy paper for a protective folder
                         5. toner foil. (heat transfer foil)
                         6. laminator
It doesn't matter where your image comes from because you need to print it out using toner ink.  Even a scanned stamped image, printer would work.

so... again, print your image using a toner base ink on to your cardstock.

Fold a piece of copy paper to make a protective folder. I just want to add, if you are using a scrap piece of copy paper from your laser printer or copier, fold using the print outside (I'll explain below).

Cut your foil to the same size as your printed image. Place your foil over the image, color side up.  (color not touching the image) and place in the copy paper folder that you made above.

Place in the lamininator and let it do it's thing!

And... here we are:

Now, I tried a couple of different things other than how I listed my steps above.
Don't make the protective folder out of cardstock to send through the laminator.  It's to thick and creates a slight heat barrier.  The foil failed to stick on the image.

So I used copy paper to create my protective folder. However I used a simple piece of scrap paper that was previously printed using the laser printer.  I DID NOT do this, however it was a quick epiphany as to what NOT to do. If you are going to use a scrap paper printed previously from your toner device, but the printed side on the outside.  Remember that your foil will adhere any where that there is toner.  A scrap paper with the toner print inside, if your foil overlaps with it, it will adhere.  If you forget to cut down your foil just large enough for the image, you'll waste some foil.

I did send my foil and image through the laminator without a protective folder using the lowest setting.  It didn't hurt the machine but made me a little uneasy about doing it. 

All laminator settings are different.  On this particular laminator from Walmart there are 2 settings, 3 mil and 5 mil.  You want to use the 5 mil. The 3 mil only stuck if I sent it through without the protective folder.

So there you go!  You don't need a $197 machine when you can have the same results by a $19.97 Scotch laminator :)  AND I also researched where to find a better price on foil!  I found a blog who sent me to Laura Murray's blog... it's the best price out there that I can find right now. And it's sold by the yard!
                                http://lauramurraydesigns.com/foil/foil-by-the-yard/

Good luck and have a ton of fun!  Beware, it can easily become an addiction for all your projects!


For more inspiration join us on my facebook page,
                             https://www.facebook.com/groups/1808769786015616/


Happy May 2015!

~Kim

  Welcome to the:  FISKAFRIENDS - THE POWER OF COMMUNITY BLOG HOP 2015

To find out about our Fiskafriend community you may like this read, if you haven't already found on one of our other blogs,  

http://fiskafriends.blogspot.com/2015/03/fiskafriends-2015-blog-hop-power-of.html. 

 I'm Fiskateer #5612!  I'm so excited that you came for a visit!

For rules of the blog hop be sure to go here, if you haven't already:       http://fiskafriends.blogspot.com

Here's a list of the blogs:  I am the end of the bunny trail :) You should have visited all the other members blogs AND came here from Tracy Moloney's .  I don't want for you to miss out on anything.

1. Jean Bullock, #8889,  http://ez3dpopups.blogspot.com 
2. Susan Slomski, #6150,  http://sueinct.blogspot.com 
3. Cindy deRosier, #4113, http://www.cindyderosier.com
4. Tifany DeGough, #5942, http://inkblotsbytrd.blogspot.com 
5. Cheryl Waters, #002, http://blog.artsyfindings.com
6. Jean Marmo, #7358, http://pagesintime.blogspot.com/
7. Teresa Godines #6857 http://purplebunnypapercrafts.blogspot.com/
8. Michelle O'Driscoll #7586 http://scrapbookingsos.blogspot.ca/
9. Nancy Carroll  #11488  http://nancecarroll.blogspot.com
10. Maya Oren-Dahan #351  http://mayadahan.blogspot.com
11. Amy Martin Jones #8546 http://thetigershaven.blogspot.com/
12. Karen Poirier-Brode (Ladydoc) #2858 http://www.karenscorneroftheweb.blogspot.com
13. Tanya Napier #5407  http://mamabirdy-happinessishomemade.blogspot.com/
14. Pamela Haskin #8040 www.cottagebelow.com
15. Stasia Sloma #9314 http://www.stampzone.blogspot.com
16. Tracy Moloney  #6773 http://tracyscraftyadventures.blogspot.com.au/
17. Kim Chenez #5612  *YOU ARE HERE FROM TRACY MOLONEY ;)

One of the things that I really love to do .... craft... paper craft specifically. Even as a kid I loved the paper dolls. Remember those? My dad worked at a local paper mill so there was always a supply of cardboard. (tag board) I'd sit for hours and cut, glue, color.  The paper dolls had to have a home right?  oh, and I used to love doing the paint pages.  Remember those?  They looked like a coloring book but the images were filled in with small colored dots.  You "painted" with water and the image magically became colored!  I remember my mother always bought me one of these books right around Spring/Easter time. The 70's were good times! (yes I'm showing my age LOL)

Now it's not about the paper dolls or the water colored pages.  It's about making cards, a little of scrapbooking and paper crafts. Things that can make someone else smile.  I LOVE 3D projects. I need to share a project that I did this week. Snapdragon Snippets, 3d button joint rabbit. I found it on the silhouette design store.
 Heres the link  
http://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/?page=view-shape&id=76506 . 
I cannot believe how easy he was to put together!  

Snapdragon Snippets also offers detailed instructions on how to put him together.
  Which you can find here:
  http://needlesnknowledge.blogspot.com/2015/03/rabbit-3d-button-jointed-figure-assembly.html. 

But here is my little guy: 

 Really?  Isn't he cute?  He's put together with buttons, ribbons and glue and he's poseable!  He will sit up by himself, on any shelf, bookcase, ledge or even on a box.  (I used a fruit crate that I also created from the store, here, to sit him on for the time being)  I LOVE SNAPDRAGON SNIPPETS designs.  This little guy comes in two files.  Usually this file is $1.99 but he's on sale this week for $1.49.  Thats less than $3!  

He didn't take very long to cut, fold and assemble either. A couple of hours and he was completed.  There is a couple of things that I found that the instructions didn't explain well which took me a few brain blocked moments to figure it out.  The picture on the instructions had me baffled for a second.  

The biggest thing is the button joints. Which is also probably the hardest. I used a piece of wire and made my own threading needle to capture the ribbon through the buttons and push through the body.  It just made the threading that much easier and less time consuming.  And... I didn't have anything else to use to push the ribbon through to the other side.   Each side of the joint has a button holding it in place, and your ribbon gets tied off.  The upper leg portion is designed to have a hole for easy assembly, and then it is covered by a cardstock piece.  Which is a great idea.  But when assembling, what the instructions don't share, is that when you assemble your legs, be sure to put the "hidden hole" facing inward against the body so that it is not visible. Also, there is a button on either side of the joint, but only one side is "tied off" in a bow with the ribbon, the other is lays flat and the ribbon feeds in/out of each hole back into the body to be joined by the second button (hope that this makes sense).  So be sure that the button that gets tied off is on the outside of the bunny's body.  (hole inward toward the body and the button tie lays to the outer body) 

Instructions also give you an option that you can fill his torso with beans or something, to weigh him down.  But I found that I really didn't need to bother.  He sits up nice without.   

The Silhouette store and Dragon Snippets website also has a 3D carrot that you can purchase should you want for your bunny to hold something.  I haven't purchased the file yet.  So for right now Mr Bunny is just hanging out. 

If you would like to be eligible for the sponsor giveaway drawing, START at the Fiskafriends blog:
http://fiskafriends.blogspot.com and follow the instructions there. If you have already done that, I would love for you to leave a comment here with me :)

**UPDATE** I just have to add something real quick.  I just finished the blog hop, in a little shy of 45 minutes.  There is so much creative inspiration on the trail tonight!!  I hope that when you have gotten to my blog, you followed the trail correctly and didn't miss a blog.  I was, am and always will be a proud Fiskateer.  The friends that I have made along the way have been amazing. I'm blessed to have found the new community.  If you are a fiskateer and haven't found the new community yet~ please join the gang!

                                        Happy First Year Anniversary Fiskafriends...
Again, thank you to all of YOU who took the time to celebrate with us. I hope that you have found some new projects and inspiration! Thank you to Snap Dragon,  you're 3d designs can make my cameo humm, and people smile! 

May you and your families have a wonderful Easter Holiday.

God Bless, 
Kim #5612.  

Kim W.



  
 

Sharing the Fiskafriend community brings back so much emotion and good times! I remember like yesterday, finding the fiskateers.com site. I owned my own scrap store, was meeting people that I am so proud to still have contact with today, and I had to share my find.... with everyone who would listen!  Yes I was, am and will always be Fiskateer #5612.  If  you haven't read the history of a fiskateer, you may like a good read by clicking here:  http://fiskafriends.blogspot.com .

Welcome! Welcome to the Fiskafriend Crafters Blog Hop 2015.  I think that you will soon see why we all loved being a part of a great community. Thank you for taking time to join us in celebrating our ONE year (I can't believe that it's been a year already) anniversary of coming back home.

Be sure to click here for the official rules of the hop http://fiskafriends.blogspot.com and the place to start.
Be sure to start at the beginning so that you capture all the fun, inspiration, and wonderful prizes for not only our sponsors, but from my fellow Fiskafriends.  I don't want for you to miss a thing.  (and you have to visit all the blogs to be eligible from some great prizes)

The blog hop begins on March 27th at 6PM (PDT) and will end on March 29th at 11:59 PM PDT. The full contest rules and blog hop list will  be revealed on the blog on March 27th.         

So be sure to check back... it's going to be fun!!! I promise that you won't want to miss a thing.

In the meantime, be sure to check out my Close To My Heart catalog from some great stamping and scrapbooking product.   http://ilovetostamp.ctmh.com/retail/category.aspx.  

I'll be back shortly with my BLOG ENTRY...  Counting down to the next 2 days.  I can't wait for you to join us this weekend for fun, inspiration and prizes ....
 

What better way to share the love of paper, scissors, inks, stamps, than to share it with some CTMH! Come and hang with me as I build up my blog, participate in a blog hop (coming soon btw) and just simply share some inspiration!!!