Crushing on Cardstock - Pleated Technique

 

Here's my card using the completed technique. Not my best effort and I'm not sure I like how it looks from the side, but it sure was a fun technique to try!

Crushing on Cardstock - Miscellaneous Scrap Storage

 

Here's a pic of my scrap storage for all my miscellaneous cardstock. Posting here so I can share in the class gallery. 

I also have patterned paper scraps in here too. This system has worked SO well for me and has really made my cardstock and patterned paper go a LONG way!

I cut any scraps leftover from a project or cardmaking session into my most used sizes (4.25x5.5, 3x4 and 3 and 4 inch squares). I throw away anything else that cannot be cut to one of these sizes. 

I used to store my scraps in hanging files and didn't throw anything away. What I found with that method was that all the little scraps feel to the bottom and made the hanging files really fat and awkward to sort through. This new system - which I've been using for almost 5 years now - really makes things nice and easy for me. Cutting up the scraps is also a nice things to do when I don't have any crafting mojo but want to hang out in my craft room :-)

Crushing on Cardstock - Cardstock Storage

 

Thanks for the bonus videos that were in the Crushing Cardstock class from Online Card Classes this morning! 

Several years ago I did a version of Jennifer McGuires’s method. I put all my Stampin Up and Gina K cardstock into 2 groups and then used magazine holders with tabbed paper dividers to organize by color. I keep the scraps of those colors in page protectors with the full sheets. It has worked SO well!

The rest of my cardstock was just a few pieces here and there of miscellaneous vendors – back from my beginner days when I was buying single sheets from my local scrapbook store and the big chains. So I have all my miscellaneous (“vendor unknown”) sheets in a 3rd set of magazine holders without paper dividers and instead just sorted in rainbow order. Those scraps from the miscellaneous sheets are cut down to my most used sizes (4.25×5.5, 3×4 and some 3 and 4 inch squares). Once cut, I keep them in an open photo storage box (picture in next post) with dividers by color categories. I have found I’m using my scraps SO much more! I even have a Pinterest board with a bunch of card ideas using scraps. And now this class has given me even more ways to use some of the scraps. All this makes my cardstock go a really long way!

All my specialty cardstock is in a drawer. That really needs to be organized soon as I sometimes forget what I have or don’t realize I’m getting low on something. Realized this week as I was taking this class that I only had one sheet of vellum in my whole craft room. Aaaaccck! SSS has now been placed :-)

The only thing I haven’t done is to make a swatch ring. It seems like I don’t have enough cardstock to really make that useful. Although I do have to admit that I bought the swatch ring from Stampin Up and I do use that often to find new color combinations. So maybe I should give it another thought and do one for my GinaK cardstock and any other I seem to buy in larger volumes?? I haven’t swatched my inks either but recently put that on the ToDo list as I seem to be constantly working to find good color matches – especially for those “vendor unknown” sheets.

Here's a better closeup of my dividers and scrap storage for the SU and GinaK papers. . .

Crushing on Cardstock - Card 2

 

Card 2 from the Day 1 class turned out to be a challenge too when I realized I cut my starting square too small and then had to adjust the width of the strips so I could get enough of a patter out of the design. I originally intended to mount the dire cut sentiment in the center but sadly there was a missing piece of the pattern in the lower left hand corner. So I decided to use the sentiment to hide it. Yet another "creative deviation"! I actually like it better as it really shows off the pattern of the technique. 

Stay tuned! More to come!

Crushing on Cardstock - Day 1 Cards

  

Since summer vacation plans haven't turned out quite as I had hoped, I treated myself to a week of cardmaking. I'm taking the "Crushing on Cardstock" class from Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner's Online Card Classes. I'm only on the 2nd day and already it's been quite the creative adventure.

I had caregiving duties with Dad yesterday so all I was able to accomplish was watching the videos and getting the cardstock picked out and cut.

Man! Did they give you a lot for the money. Day 1 of class had 9 card techniques. And today, Day 2 was about the same. I hit the craft room early this morning ready to catch up. Going through the class information and giving the techniques a try has made me realize I must be the slowest cardmaker in the world. It's now getting close to dinner time and I've only finished 2 of the cards from Day 1 :-(

Card 1 above was full of trial and error. I didn't have any word dies that matched what I wanted to do so I tried a few from my Silhouette files. I messed up a bunch of the cuts trying to get a word shadow and finally gave up. I settled on mounting my word on circles. But sadly I messed those cuts up too. I was getting tired so I just cut the bad parts of the circle off. As it turned out it was quite a nice "creative deviation"! I really liked how it turned out.

Card 2 below was equally a challenge when I realized I cut my starting square too small and then had to adjust the width of the strips so I could get enough of a pattern out of the design. I originally intended to mount the die cut sentiment in the center but sadly there was a missing piece of the pattern in the lower left hand corner. So I decided to use the sentiment to hide it. Ditto on the "creative deviation"! I actually liked it better as it really shows off the pattern of the technique.

I have watched all the videos from Day 2 and think I have a plan. Hopefully there will be a little more crafty time after dinner and I can get at least ONE of the Day 2 cards done without too many mistakes and too much creative drama :-)

See you back here tomorrow.