Kerry’s Paper Crafts

My collection of clear stamps is rapidly growing. If you’ve watched any of my recent videos you know that I like to use them a LOT

Every now & then the stamps get a little grungy & need some cleaning up. I’m not so much referencing the staining of stamps, as all clear stamps will stain over time. I use a lot of chalk inks & I’m not the *best* at cleaning them right away when I use them - so you might consider my collection of clear stamps very stained well loved.

An example of the sad day (today) when said stamp no longer clings nicely to the acrylic block:

A closeup view of the “yuck” on the back of the stamp (where it clings to block).

The good news is that cleaning these stamps is super simple. All you need is a little warm water & soap. I run them under the water & just use some regular hand soap and rub back & forth with my hands. Don’t use anything other than your fingers - you don’t need a scrubbing pad - all you’re looking to do is get rid of that layer of grime (in my case it’s usually powders & dust that build up).

OK here’s the most important part: when you’re all done rinsing, simply place the stamps on the counter to air dry. DON’T pat them dry with a towel, paper towel, tissue, etc. - that will defeat your efforts of getting rid of the dust As long as you let them sit out for a little while & air dry, they will be nice & sticky again, just like new. I flip mine over after they’ve been sitting out for a bit to ensure both sides dry nicely. (Pete is then under STRICT instructions to stay AWAY from the upstairs bathroom sink for fear of me losing a stamp somewhere, haha.)

OH and are a few tips for cleaning your acrylic blocks. Mine were getting SUPER dirty. They were full of adhesive, ink, powder, dust…ugh…everything. So I finally bought some Ultra Clean from Hero Arts - (I am pretty sure you can get this most anywhere - there are quite a few manufacturers out there.) Anyway, this stuff cleans EVERYTHING. It’s awesome. It even gets rid of StazOn. I spritz some on my blocks & my self-healing mat to get ride of the grime. It does leave a slight film on the surface though - so I usually run them under water to get rid of this film. (FYI: you want to be careful when using Ultra Clean on your blocks & Cling stamps - I have heard that the Ultra Clean can affect the way the unmounted stamps cling to the block).

That’s all for now. If you have any other cleaning questions, let me know & I will help you out if I can!

Do you find it hilarious that I’m posting about cleaning tonight, when you can clearly see the disastrous state of my craft desk in the backdrop of that last photo?!??!?

OY.

Other, Tutorials

Many of you requested a video on making these - so here I am with one for you

Here’s a few shots of the project I made in the video. Colors used are Berry Sorbet (PTI), Old Olive & Crushed Curry (Stampin Up!)

The best part about these is that they can really be adapted to any size post-it you may have. Don’t feel like you have to stick with the exact size ones that I used (4″x4″ post-its). In the video, you will see my process for lining up the thickness of the post-it & determining how big the paper needs to be, score lines, etc.

Hope you enjoy!

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EDIT Fri 3/26: OK so the file download should now work - bad news is that it’s just an SVG file - so you Silhouette users out there won’t be able to use it I am trying to see if there is way for me to create a GSD file for you guys too - if anyone knows of software that will allow me to do this, please let me know. Thanks!

OK I’m pretty excited about this one!

So, I found that I really like the Sizzix Milk Carton die in the latest SU catalog - but it was pretty pricey & from what I heard, the actual finished milk carton was pretty small. I wanted to see if I could create a cut file that would allow me to create my own milk cartons. Since I now have Sure Cuts a Lot software, I figured it was worth a shot to create an SVG file. I found a “sample” milk carton at the local grocery store in the candy aisle (was full of Reeses candy!) - I ripped it apart & used it as my template.

These are great for spring & Easter - but I am totally going to use these throughout the year for all Holidays. You can stuff these with almost anything - and since it’s a digital cut file, you can cut it in whatever color cardstock or paper you’d like!

They are super fun to stamp on & embellish…

I put together a video to show you how to assemble this milk carton once it’s cut. Even better, I’m offering you all a FREE download of my SVG file so you can make these for yourself.

You will need a digital cutter (such as a Cricut) and some die cutting software on your computer (such as SCAL - which is what I use). See updated info at the top for Silhouette users - as of right now, I don’t think an SVG file will work for you. I’m workin’ on it…

I am also providing a guide to where you need to score this milk carton. This is a PDF file that you can download & view on your computer to see where the score lines are. (it’s not that pretty, sorry. haha.)

Anyway, onto the download & video. To download, just right click below & choose “save file as”. You can save to your computer & then import into SCAL. (look for an option to Import–>SVG file) NOTE: after the program was loaded, I sized the shape to the size that I wanted. Mine was roughly 7.5″ x 8.25″ or so. You have  to play with it a bit to figure out how you’d like it sized.

Download File: Milk Carton SVG File

Download File: Milk Carton Scoring Guide (PDF format - requires Adobe Reader)

And here’s the video below, or watch at YouTube. Please comment if you have any questions. Thanks!

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Hi everyone - I hope I’ve been fulfilling most of your requests for 2010 on the blog! I’m trying to respond to what people asked most for…and that was: VIDEOS! (I have some other things in the works too, so keep checking back. I’m also hoping to re-vamp the blog a bit & have it looking better real soon.)

As promised, here’s a super quick video showing you how to tie a bow with ribbon that has a pattern on it. I’ve always found it tricky to use patterened ribbon because some parts of the bow may or may not have pattern showing, etc.

Hope you enjoy - let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Tutorials, Videos

OK as promised, here is a video tutorial on making these skinny notepad holders. One thing to note: I bought my notepads at Walmart & had them cut at Staples. These are not the pads I bought, but they are something similar. I had the people at Staples cut the lines off the side, and then cut the pad in half for me. It gave me these skinny pads to use:

In the video, I show you how to cover the top of those pads to hide the label. The paper that I use to cover these measures 8.5″ x 5″. I scored at 2 3/8″ and 2 5/8″. Depending upon the size of the notepads you use, these measurements could vary.

EDIT: In the video I show how I add the paper to the pens to make them match. However, my SU Demo has a much better video that fully demonstrates this HERE. So check it out!!

Here’s a photo of the notepads I made in this video - if you want to see the original blog posting, it’s HERE.

Anyway, onto the video. Here it is - thanks for watching & let me know if you have any more questions!

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This one goes out to my friend Erin, who just recently got ENGAGED!! Squeeee!!! Congrats Erin!!

I used some stamps from Inkadinkadoo, Stampin Up & Hero Arts. That border is from a Martha Stewart Border Punch (LOVE).

Check out the video below to see my process for making this card. Thanks for looking!

Cards, Tutorials, Videos

Hi everyone - thanks SO much for all the comments you’ve left this week. I read each & EVERY comment - especially the ones that contain things you’d like to see more of on the blog. (sidenote: you have ONE DAY left to leave a comment HERE if you haven’t already…for a chance to win a prize!)

I’ve already started acting on some of your feedback - so with that, I give you some fun Treats for Valentine’s Day - plus a video showing you how I made them!

These are great because you can stick anything inside them - and adapt them to ANY holiday or occasion. I had a few people say they would like to see things that are more practical - things that can be used…instead of just candy. This sort of combines the 2. I had some fun pencils lying around so I thought I’d find a way to creatively wrap them up as a fun little gift.

And to respond to even MORE awesome feedback from my readers, I thought I’d whip up a “boy version”. These are some robots from both Cosmo Cricket (paper) and Hero Arts (stamp). What boy doesn’t love Robots!?!!

I added a wooden heart from Martha Stewart to give it a small Valentine’s touch…but nothing too girly. (the Robot was colored using Copics). The pencil has motorcycles on it. Very “boy”.

OK, here’s the “how to” video! If you can make it through listening to my corniness…then I give you credit. LOL. I HATE listening to myself on these videos, ugh!

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as promised, here is a quick video on a few coloring techniques. I focused on Prisma Colored Pencils & Copic Markers. Please note that I am NOT by any means an expert on either of these…I just watch a lot of YouTube and see what works for others…in this video I show you the quick & easy way that works for me. If you have any questions just leave me a comment. Thanks!!

EDIT: Yaneri had some great questions. Thanks Yaneri! I wanted to answer them for everyone:

I am using Memento Black Ink because I find it to be the best ink for coloring with Copics. Staz On ink will BLEED with Copic Markers.

Also, I am using PaperTrey Ink’s Stampers Select white cardstock - I find that with this paper & the above ink, nothing bleeds. It definitely helps to use quality cardstock.

Copics, Tutorials, Videos

I got this pillow box die from Sizzix for Christmas and I’ve been loving it…there are so many things you can do with it. I’ve been using it to make a bunch of Valentine’s Treats. I found that a Ghiradelli chocolate fit nicely inside - but I’m sure you could fill these with lots of other types of candy.

Here are some photos of a bunch that I’ve been making, along with a video tutorial at the end. I will probably be offering these for sale very soon, so leave me a comment or send me an email if you’re interested. I will be selling them for $2 each. Thanks!

Here are the ones that I made in the video. I used clear acetate & stamped on it with some white StazOn ink. This is a fun way of doing it because you can see what the goodie is inside the box!

Here is the video. You can also watch over on YouTube. Enjoy!

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EDIT: I’ve added a little Q&A at the end of this post b/c I’ve already got some more questions on these so I wanted to answer them on the posting for all to see. Be sure to scroll down to check ‘em out. Thanks!

I’ve had quite a few inquiries about these. They are a big fave among the Craft Fair attendees by the way! I really think they make a versatile gift that you can give to almost anyone.

I ran into an issue when I first started doing these, where I didn’t have any place to put the pen. I thought about resting it on top of the post-it, in between the post-it & the ribbon/embellishment at top - but when you have 20+ of these at a craft fair booth, and you are trying to keep everything together, it doesn’t really work.

The other issue I run into at fairs is kids who like to touch everything! They mean no harm, but kids are kids - and in particular there is something very attractive to walking up to the table and flipping through the whole post-it note pad. It was starting to make them get dingy - and I was cringing & having to rearrange all the time.

So I decided to go & buy some inexpensive sheer ribbon - and simply tie a knot around the post-it pad. I then take the matching pen and insert it underneath the ribbon. Voila! This not only holds the pen in place, but it somewhat protects the post-it pad from the “flippers” :).

Here are some photos so you can get a better look:

The other question I get a lot is what do you do when the post-it runs out? Well, I say just go ahead & stick another one right on! I tell people that I would add some adhesive to the bottom of the pad, as the adhesive on the post-it notes themselves aren’t always sticky enough.

All in all, this gift is fun, versatile & what I like is that it’s re-usable. If the post-it falls off, all you gotta do is re-stick it. If you run out, just add more. It’s a great gift for teachers or co-workers.

Hope this helps some of you, let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks!!

More Q&A’s from your comments (I will add to this as I get more questions):

Q: Where do you get the frames to make these?

A: I get mine at the Christmas Tree Shops. I either buy the 3.5″ x 5″ (pictured above) or the 4″x6″ frames. They are 69 cents & 89 cents a piece. Can’t beat that price!

Q: What adhesive do you use to stick them down?

A: I just use my ATG gun. I run some on the back of the post-it pad. I tell people at my fairs that when it runs out to just use some double sided tape, or a glue runner to tack a new pad down.

Q: How do you get the paper INSIDE the pen?

A: Funny you ask this…I was intimated by this technique too. It’s actually super simple, just takes a bit of practice to get the paper rolled up just right. Once it’s rolled, I actually keep the pen inside the paper & just shove it in there! My Stampin Up Demo Michelle has a great little video about this. It might help you!

Q: Is that big NOTES a stamp?

A: Yep! It sure is. One of my new faves actually. It’s from the “Take Note” stamp set by PaperTrey Ink.

Q: I know that they always sell for you so I was wondering how much you charge for them?

A: I charge $4 for these. They sell very well. I’m sure you could get away with charging $5 even. If you think about it, that is still a very reasonable price for a gift for a Teacher or Co-Worker.

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