Storm Crusted Power Poles

Traveling on US 81 in Nebraska headed for York and I-80 we saw these poles. At first glance we thought the area had installed concrete power poles. These were shiny at times and looking at many of them we found it was ice coating the entire length of the poles. Awesome sight.





-- Post From My iPhone

Bits Of Glue, Sprinkles Of Glitter, and Paper Scraps Everywhere

I have a stash of scrapbook paper from Michaels http://www.michaels.com/scrapbooking
and some recent additions from Club Scrap http://www.clubscrap.com. So much paper and I was feeling quite overwhelmed by it. What am I going to do with all this stuff?

February I spent some time handling my scraps and making a bunch of flowers and embellishments using the Cricut http://www.cricut.com/(X(1)S(inss53exioly0t55st32dg45))/default.aspx and Sizzix machines http://www.sizzix.com to use up some of this paper and to keep from buying more stuff.

I wasn't in the mood to do scrapbooking. I have a gazillion photos that I need to do something with, but I just keep putting it off.

I thought I may make some cards. BUT - how do I start? What are the sizes of regular cards? What kinds of things can be used? I had so many questions that I needed to find some help. Doing a Google search brought up a whole bunch of stuff and I wasn't interested in reading all they had. I wanted pictures. Video would be fantastic.

Then I remembered that Google has a video tab. I hunted in there for a while and found a few things that peaked my interest. Nothing that really made me want to spend a lot of time researching. Then I came across Dawns videos and things began to click.

Dawn (I don't know her last name) is a Stampin Up Demonstrator http://www.stampinup.com and she uses Stampin Up rubber stamps, papers, inks, and whatnots in her cards and other items.

I got so excited and the creative juices began to boil over after watching her tutorials. I can do this. I really can.

Then I had a dreadful thought. I don't have any Stampin Up stamps. That almost - ALMOST - stopped me from doing cards. There was going to be some creative license taken here if cards were going to be made with what I own now and don't have to purchase.

So....here is a sample of what I was up against and the solution to this problem.

















This is Dawn's card that holds a gift card. These are photos taken from my computer screen of Dawn's YouTube tutorial for this little cute card.

And this is my solution to the problem of not having the rubber stamp for the front image, nor the hole punch to make the notch in the thing to get the gift card out.
This stamp I've had for a long time and have not known what to do with it. I think it turned out pretty good. And the notch thing I used a sunburst punch that I own. Works the same as the hole punch.

Go give Dawn's tutorials a try. They are fun. You may find all kinds of things in your craft drawers, bins, containers, and baskets that you thought you would never have a use for. Haul those goodies out and rethink their purpose.

Dawn on YouTube

If you are thinking about making cards, and are not quite sure how to go about it, check out this set of videos on YouTube. These are, in my opinion, excellent tutorials. They sure helped me figure it out.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=dawn5377&view=videos

Dawn has all types of cards she shows you how to make. She has tutorials on treat bags, cute paper covers for candy bars, how to use markers to color, how to use ink pads to paint with. She has all kinds of stuff.

I spent two days just watching all of her videos and then I went to my scrap room and got busy.

Go check these videos out. They are awesome. Dawn also has a blog at:
http://dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com/

Ta Daaa. Scrap Paper Embellishments with Cricut and Sizzix Side Kick

This has taken a total of five (5) days to do.

Do I feel great, or what?

One thing I forgot to tell you.

You can use the papers that you think won't be much. This scrap piece of Halloween juvenile paper was not something I really wanted to make flowers out of. But it turned out pretty good.

See?

You would not even know what this paper had come from - unless I blabbed to you about it first.


So, here is what I have gotten done in the past five (5) days.

Discounting the fact that I had purchased the Cricut machine and two cartridges a few years ago, and the Sizzix machines - both of them - along with the dies since 2006. I figure I have saved myself some money by making all these embellishments from my SCRAPS of paper.






























































































Save the oops. You can still do things with them.


If you have the Cuttlebug embossing folders - you can even enhance your scrap paper embellishments. This is just sooooo cool.

















Apart from the really boring aspect of this project - waiting for the Cricut to cut the papers - this project was not really that hard. I just had to get myself psyched up enough to do this.

Even though I went through a patch of not knowing what to do, I guess I really did know what to do, I just was unsure of the process.

So, take a stab at all your scraps.

If you don't have these machines in your home - they are very expensive - there are craft stores in most areas that have these tools. Check with the owners of the craft stores and see what their policy is about using their tools. You may start by bringing a few pieces and getting yourself familiar with the machines. I would not advise bringing in a huge box of scraps and taking up residence at the craft store, but I would think you could bring some papers with you.

These scraps are from papers I already have on hand, they are not papers that I no longer have. Each of these items I just made can be used on my layouts and with cards I make - because I have similar papers in my stash. I don't have to worry about not matching my embellishments to my paper - they already do.

Now, the next part of this is putting bling on these little embellishments.

Let's see. I have embossing powder, rubber stamps, inks, brush markers, glitter, gel pens, brads, rhinestones, eyelets, mica, glossy accents, and .....

Encountering Problems With The Cricut

Since I have not worked with the Cricut, as I had more experience with the Sizzix Side Kick, I did not know about the pressure setting on the Cricut, nor the depth of the cutting blade adjustment.

My first attempt at thick cardstock papers turned out kind of bad.

It didn't cut all the way through the paper.

















I had to cut the flowers out with the scissors.

I soon learned about the blade depth and the pressure wheel on the Cricut and I made better cuts.










My judgment went a little awry when I was trying out some of the cutting features - size wise - on the Cricut.

Oops.

















I didn't throw these away. I can tuck the circle under something and hide the opps, and with the square I can do the same thing. Hide the little mishaps and no one will be wiser.

You don't have to tell anyone.

Using the Sizzix Side Kick On Paper Scraps

Okay. I had some success with the Cricut machine and cutting out the flowers.

Now, another problem came up. I now have SCRAPS OF MY SCRAPS!!!!!

This thing is turning into a nightmare. All I really want to do is get rid of the scraps and get them into some usable format - flowers, squares, butterflies, circles. I don't want more scraps.

Well, I have them and I have to use them.

So, I'll use the Sizzix Side Kick and the Little Sizzlets for the tags on the thinner scraps.















I've used the Sizzix Side Kick a few times. Can you tell?

I've had to purchase some more of these cutting mat things because I think I've about used these up.

There is still a lot of life in these, so I'll continue to use them until I have to begin on the new ones.

Now that I have picked a Sizzlits die to use, the Scalloped Tag, I have to choose some paper to be cut.














I fed the long ends of the papers through the Side Kick first then pushed the cutting plates, papers, and the die through the opening in the Side Kick until I met resistance.

Holding the top of the machine down while I cranked the die through. This is my technique when I'm not using the suction device on the bottom of the machine to attach it to a table top.

This works pretty well. Hold down with lots of pressure while you crank and the whole process still works.

Here are the first of the Scalloped Tag die cuts using the paper scraps and the Sizzix Side Kick.

Not bad, if I say so myself.

I'll use the other tags next to continue using up these scraps.








Now I have an assortment of tags using the Sizzix Side Kick and the dies for tags.





Now I have a bunch of embellishments.

From the Cricut machine I have flowers, scalloped circles, scalloped squares.

From the Sizzix Side Kick I have flowers, plain tags, scalloped tags, crescent tags, and oval tags.

The scraps I have left over were so small that I will not be able to use them. Trash. YES.

The brown papers have all been used up and I have a great assortment of things I can use.

For example:

Creating Embellishments From Scraps Of Paper

When I finished making my birthday cards, I had a drawer full of paper scraps in various sizes and lengths.

What am I going to do with all these scraps? I couldn't close the drawer because it was so full of paper. I'd have to move them out of there so I can put more in when I get into the scrapbooking phase of my time at home.

I went online to see what other people are doing with their scraps of paper. I found lots of stuff about making cards. I watched videos of card making and it was really exciting and I learned more things I can do later.

But, still nothing on what to do with all the scraps of paper left over from these crafts. I still had a drawer full of paper scraps.

Well, I spent a full day in my room, just looking at the papers. Getting even more frustrated as I just sat there and looked at all this beautiful paper.

What have I got that I don't have to go out and buy to use up these scraps?

Well, I have a Cricut Machine.
I have the Mini Monograms cartridge and I have the Basics by George cartridge. I should be able to do something with these.

I stared at the paper for a while longer and the ideas were not coming.

What else do I have that I can use? What other tool do I have that I can use on these scraps of paper?

Somebody, please help me figure this out. This is not rocket science here. I do have an imagination, even if it has taken a hike and doesn't seem to want to come back any time soon.

I have all these Sizzix die cuts, the Little Sizzix, and the big machine. I have embossing folders. I have tools that one of my daughters would like to get her hands on.

Come on!!! This can't really be this hard, can it?

Well, okay, now that I know what I do have - besides all the pieces of scrap paper and these machines - why don't I at least get started by separating out all the paper scraps in colors.

That will give me something to do while I sit and stare at these darned papers. Maybe by the time I get them all separated out I'll know what I can do. Or at least know what I have to work with.

I left my craft room and went back to the internet to see if someone had put something up about using scrap paper for embellishments by using the Cricut or the Sizzix machines. Still nothing new.

I did see some really cute flowers I could purchase - for $7.99.

Okay, something began stirring in my brain.

I have some Sizzix die cuts that have floral shapes. I think I saw that there were flower shapes on the Cricut machine.

Back to my craft room and the scrap pieces of paper. This time I was ready to tackle putting the scrap pieces of paper into piles and sorting them by color - not sizes.















Okay, sorting done. After the sort, I put each group of colors in a sheet protector so they would not be all over my table when I got started with the business of making flowers and other embellishments.

I've used the Cricut a few times, but I'm not really familiar with how it works on different thicknesses of paper. Cardstock and decorative thin papers. Well, I figured I'd learn how the thing works by the time I'm finished.

This took several days to do. Let me tell you, this is a boring process. Waiting for the Cricut to cut the shapes out of the papers, peeling them from the mat and going to the next piece of paper. I was determined to get these scraps finished and done with.

There were a few times I got so bored with the whole process I had to leave my craft room and come out and search on the internet for maybe, just maybe, someone will have posted something about using paper scraps for embellishments.

Nothing yet.

The first day of working on eliminating the scrap pile, I worked on the brown papers.

I still had no idea what I was going to do, but I did see that I had some kind of big pieces and I could use the Sizzix Side Kick for making labels and some flowers - if the pieces were big enough for the dies.















Just grab a piece of paper and get started. Any piece of paper. Start anywhere. Doesn't matter. Still no plan in mind. I was going to wing it.
This piece will do for starters.

It may make some pretty flowers. How about giving the Cricut a shot?
















Well, that wasn't too hard.