Monday, January 16, 2012

Sharpie-Colored Banners and Crafty Chit-Chat

It's been a while since I colored anything, and I decided the Hero Arts banner set needed some bright color to pop off a white background. So I made this little set. So much fun!!!!








I'm a little late on the banner bandwagon, but these certainly are fun, not to mention easy to cut out! Obviously, I didn't bother with shading much (the orange happy birthday flag was a feeble attempt at using a colorless blender, with less than satisfying results).

To attach the string, I used 1/8" scor-tape. Then, I placed the dimensional close to the tape so the top edge wouldn't stick down to the card.

A Note on New Year's Resolutions and Purging and Grab Bags

My crafting resolution this year (and probably for next year, too) is to use all my image stamps again. This idea just wouldn't leave my brain, so there it is. Here are some of the advantages to using every image stamp in your hoard collection.

1. You get your money's worth out of stamps, and it alleviates the guilt of all that money you spent.
2. You stretch your creativity working with older images trying to make them fresh.
3. You find out what stamps work for you and your style...and what stamps don't. This makes future purchases wiser and allows you to purge the useless from your collection, freeing up space for those future purchases.

I've done this once (it took 2.5 years) and am so thrilled with the results that I want to do it again. Feel free to join me if you want!

Speaking of purging.... I was lamenting the possibility of ever getting my craft room satisfactorily organized out loud on Facebook when my online friend V-Grrrl told me what an artist friend of hers did when her art studio became oppressively overcrowded. She boxed  up stuff and sold it on her website as grab-bags!

I am all over this and spent two hours yesterday sorting through stuff...and I'm not finished! These grab bags (or more properly boxes) will go on sale on Simplicity soon (probably next week). Among the items I'm including are ink pads and reinkers (SU, Memories, Ancient Page, Colorbox, VersaMagic), SU markers, cardstock (SU, Mark's Finest, DCWV, even a little Papertrey), punches, a 12-pack set of watercolor crayons, and embellishments like hardware (SU Hodgepodge Hardware, random brads, paper clips, photo turns, etc.), DMC and craft floss, ribbon, buttons, Perfect Pearls, flock, doilies, googlie eyes and such.

A lot of these are items I use but come packaged in absurd quantities.

Will I use 100 googlie eyes in my lifetime? No. Will I use 20? Certainly.

Others are perfectly lovely products that I have a huge selection or duplicates of...such as the watercolor crayons and ink pads. I have over 500 ink pads. This is a ridiculous quantity for a Clean-and-Simple Stamper, not to mention hard to store. Shedding some will give others a chance to try inks they haven't tried. Don't like it? Toss it. Love it? Go buy more!

Finally, each box will contain as many stamps as I can stuff in them. Almost all of these are high-quality brands such as Hero Arts, Northwoods, StampinUp, Memory Box, Papertrey, and such. Yes, I'm getting rid of a few Papertrey sets.

I'm thinking of pricing boxes at $30 (for medium priority flat-rate shipping box through USPS, domestic only) and $40 (includes large priority flat-rate shipping $14.95, domestic only), but each box will contain as much stuff as I can stick in it. You'll definitely get your money's worth!

Now, I know lots of you are like me...you have more stuff than you know what to do with and don't need someone else's excess stuff. BUT there are plenty of people who

a. are just starting out and would love a chance to get a lot of stuff at a huge bargain, or
b. are in a rut and want to jump-start their creativity with random stuff bought so cheap that if it doesn't work for them, they won't feel bad at all, or
c. are Ebay experts who want to repackage the stuff for profit.

I hope y'all have fun with these!

22 comments:

  1. Susan, I love your hand-colored banners. Such a nice "not flat" color effect. Especially the orange one!

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  2. I think your colorless blender attempt looks fine on the orange banner ( at least on my monitor it does); but I really love the blue and green color scheme.

    Can't wait for your boxes to go on sale! Would love to shake up my stash with something "else" and as I've been getting ready to purge unused stamps and things from my collection, I will feel no guilt at adding more!

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  3. I've never gotten on the banner bandwagon at all - just always some other image I wanted. These little triangles are the cutest I've seen. Love the cards too. Hope you are able to purge lots. 500 stamp pads???!!! I didn't have near that many when I purged a year and a half ago. I gave all of my stuff to the Senior Center. Never missed any of it one bit.

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  4. If you live anywhere close to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Stamping Day or Night has a huge rummage sale twice a year where stampers can put anything stamping on sale for store credit. It's a great way to purge some of those stamp sets that you don't use anymore and get some new stuff from this wonderful stamping store.

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  5. You are very brave!! I have been packing up my stamp room to move and wish I could get rid of more. And better yet stop buying!! Papertrey's new release last night, need I say more! :) My new craft romm is smaller and I don't know how I will get it all organized. Not a bad problem to have, I know. Your banner cards are cute. Happy stamping.

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  6. Susan these banner cards are wonderful, they made me feel so happy looking at them:) The colours are so vibrant. Wish I lived a little closer to take advantage of your crafty boxes:(
    Val x

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  7. I like the idea of using every stamp I own!! Do you use a check list so that you can keep track? Any tips on how you go about it?

    Your grab boxes sound tempting (even though I'm in the process of purging and organizing my craft room)!

    Love the banner cards!

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  8. Perfectly sweet cards, I love these!

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  9. Whoa. 500 ink pads!?? It's good to know we all have our vices :) I couldn't begin to count several other craft categories, so I'm betting we're even :)

    Oh yeah, and those cards? Super-fun! Love the bright colors.

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  10. Oh, my - over 500 ink pads! I have about 48, and I told my husband that I don't have a lot. Your cards are great and so is your coloring. I would love to buy a grab bag, but I'm not buying anything for at least 3 months in order to use what I have. I hope those who buy from you share the details of what they get :)

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  11. Wow! Five hundred ink pads! LOL!! I was speechless for a while on that one. But then I have not been at this stamping hobby through several SU color changes either! I've been feeling like I have way too many at around 100! And yet I still have some on my wish list. But, I'm not going to tell how many punches and Spellbinders dies I own! LOL!!

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  12. Your banner cards are just adorable. Love your idea of the grab bags as way to purge your collection. TFS!!

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  13. Fabulous cards, and if I buy one of your purges does that mean I have to do my own?

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  14. And my spirits when up and up, almost reaching the sky when reading about your grab-bag sales, right up until I took a free sky dive because of two little words "domestic only".

    I so much wish for Denmark relocate......

    I just adore your designs.

    Love
    Jeanette
    Denmark (presently in Europe)

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  15. 500 ink pads!! Good golly Miss Molly! haha My husband thinks I have alot of stamping items, he has no idea how much I could have!

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  16. The bright against the white is fabulous!

    500??? Oh my! :)

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  17. Should I shouldn't I, at least I have a few days to decide.

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  18. Your banner cards are just fabulous!!
    I've also decided to use my stamps more this year. I really like digi's but will always have my rubber stamps.
    Such a pity I live here at the southern point of Africa, otherwise I would definitely have jumped at buying a box, for that kick start...:)
    I'm going to pencil this 'challenge' in on my calender and see how far I get.

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  19. Even though I've been stamping for a few years now, I can fit all my stamps - including the wood mounts - in one Sterilite drawer. Not the whole chest, just one drawer. And ink? I have maybe 20 pads, and I squirm knowing how much I've spent to get them. So, bring it on! I've got my fingers crossed I'll be able to purchase a box with a PTI stamp set.

    Sarah (Kegbo)

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  20. I like that grab bag idea. I am feeling a bit crowded in my craft space. Also think it's EXCELLENT that you are challenging yourself to use all of your image stamps. I think I'm going to join you in that as I know there are some I've never used (gasp!) but apparently thought I had to have.

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  21. I know there's a box with my name on it! I'm getting some of the girls at work into stamping (so much fun to have stamping buddies again), so this would be a wonderful deal!

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  22. I'm so glad my tip helped you!

    I have also donated appropriate stamp sets to a friend who teaches art every summer at a camp for children with cancer. She works with kids from about age 6-16 years. Another option for excess supplies is your local branch of Boys and Girls Club of America.

    Your stamp pad confession made me go and count mine, as I was suddenly curious. Fewer than 50! I'm afraid to count my stamps...

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!