Making Ribbons

Hi there, everyone!

What a weekend.  Yeah?  One thing you know, it's Friday and the next thing you know, it's time to lay out your clothes for work and watch THE WALKING DEAD on TV...

Speaking of work, I'm not gonna be in the mood to get up and go tomorrow.  Why?  Because of the stupidity that is the time change.  I hate Daylight Savings Time time.  My internal clock is screwed up.   I'm gonna be crazy and mean at 8AM tomorrow.  I promise you.

But now- it's time to talk about making ribbon!

Why make ribbon?  And is this really ribbon?  I call it ribbon, so there- it's ribbon.  I've used this on lots of projects.  It adds a great touch, and you can adapt it to make any kind of ribbon 'look.'

First, cut a strip of plain, unbleached muslin.  This stuff is cheap.  And versatile.  And looks good.

One of my favorite things to do, when 'makin ribbon,' is to stamp the muslin. My favorite stamps to use when doing this are Distressing Stamps from Glitz.

Here is the stamped muslin.  Looks cool, doesn't it?  The muslin takes the ink very well.  It looks like the fabric 'came that way!'

Let's look at that close up!

I also like to color the strips with some Distress Stain, then cut it into smaller strips.  Here, I've used some Weathered Wood and Vintage Photo Distress Stains.  I usually mist the fabric with water before applying the stains- it seems to both help the fabric take the stain and gives it more of a worn/streaky look.  Which I like.

I really liked how the strip from the 'numbers' stamp turned out.

I decided to make a few strips without any stamping.  Misted with water, put on some stain.

Wrinkled it up into a ball and dried it with my heat gun.

And SURPRISE!

Cool lookin strip of fabric!

Which I cut into smaller strips and tied to a mini-book that I've been working on for months.  Yeah.  Months.  I keep doing a little bit at a time.

I like how they look on the side of this book, but not sure what else I'll do to them or tie to them or..

So, make some ribbon!

I'm going to relax for a little bit and then try to go to sleep as early as I can, so that I don't feel like too much nasty when I try to drag myself to work.  I think it'll be a Benadryl night.

Oh yeah!  Remember my little contest?  Well, besides from makin' ribbons, I also used one of your ideas and made something with my cool little stamp!  I'll show it to you tomorrow!

-kory

Wine! A Stamp! A Prize!

So, have you seen these commercials for boner pills?  You know, Cialis, Viagra, Needagoodtime-a?  Well, you know how they say, if you have an erection lasting longer than 4 hours, to call your doctor?  A friend of mind put her phone number in the phone book under the name 'Your Doctor.'

How'd I spend my day?  I didn't spend it at my desk at work, I'm tellin' you that!

I started off the morning, bright and early, with the infamous Holly.  Just wait 'til you see what we did!  Okay, I'm not gonna lie to you and build it up- cuz we didn't do anything but buy crap.

But speaking of building things up-  remember when I told you about a stamp that I had my eye on for a week?  Thinkin' and thinkin' about it until I went back to pick it up and claim it as my own?

Well, here it is- feast your eyes on this little beauty!

Another stamp from those geniuses over at Catslife Press- and if you're in the Oklahoma City area, you can pick up one of your own, over at My Heart's Fancy.  The owner is beautiful and on the freakin' ball, and has the sweetest dog.  Come ON!  How much more enticing do you need?

I had planned to make something with it, before I just showed the stamp.  But I got all busy in mini-book land, and haven't made anything.

So there it is!  What to do with this guy?  Give me an idea!  I'm lazy and not too ashamed to admit it- so give me an idea of something to make with this classy, serious guy.  If I pick your idea, I'll send you a prize!   Yes!  The wine I am drinking at 4pm in the afternoon (Central Standard Time) has encouraged the very first prize at the SCRAPiVERSE!   What is the prize?  I don't know, yet.  But it won't be nice, so don't get your hopes up.

-kory

A Mini-Book For My Boss

My boss is going on a trip, soon, to visit her daughter.  Unlike the many horror stories I hear from people about their boss, I don't have any-  I love my boss!  She is a riot!

So I made her this book, to put photos and anything else, in-

I made this using the blank chipboard album from the Dollar Bin at Michaels.  I used an On The Edge die from Mr. Holtz, to change the edges on two of the boards.  One I kept straight, and one is from one of the scalloped chipboard albums.  I bought a ton of these when I first saw them.   The cover, I've used a license plate cardstock sticker, my Dymo Labler, and attached them- with my Tiny Attacher, to a piece of plastic that was some the packaging for something I bought- which I embossed and rubbed paint on-  I love the way that looks. 

This page has a pocket, for anything like- a boarding pass, receipts, whatever.  You know the game.

Here's another one of my octagon flowers!  Haven't seen that for what, two days, have you?

The page on the right doesn't look as yellow in 'real life.'  Sure wish I had a good camera.  And wish I knew how to use one.

Close-up of the front!

Another picture of the front.  You can kinda see the 7Gypsies paper peekin' out.  Also, hanging on the cover- a 'wing' charm, that I got from the beautifully amazing and amazingly beautiful Ellen, from The Women's Waiting Room.  She sent me the greatest little package of charms, as one of her RAKs- just from leaving comments on her page- so check her out and love on her- you never know...!

The rest of my evening involved a Do-It-Yerself Mister Huey disaster.   And by disaster, I mean like the Titanic.  Only my evening had more casualties.  Maybe I'll write about that later.

-kory

Inspiration Time!

It's Wednesday morning!  It's windy outside.  Coworker Bev is making fun of the way I just asked if today is Wednesday.  Now she's saying "Kory And The Blustery Day."  Are you enjoying the play by play?  I didn't think so...

So here's a new sketch for you!  Fresh from my aching fingers.  I gots the carpal tunnels, I just know it!
Poor fingers.  They're being worked to the bone.  The coffee is nasty.  But on the bright side, it looks like I'll be taking the Basic Grey class at a local shop with my coworker.  I love Basic Grey!  Their 'Out of Print' collection is one of my favorites of my 'too nice to use' papers. 

Oh yeah, the sketch.  I'm gettin' there, I'm gettin' there...

If you use it, let me know- I've loved seeing what you've made with my sketches- it makes my little black heart swell with what a human would call admiration!

-kory

Gettin' down 'n dirty at the Dollar Tree Party!

Where do you go, when you're supposedly living paycheck to paycheck, struggling and living the hard life, just so you can 'buy a little goody' when it's FINALLY payday?  For those of you who frequent the forum at Scrapbook.com, you'll know what that's about.   Hahaha.  Seriously, tho, the 'buy a little goody' is what cracked me up.   I've pimp-slapped people for saying things half as stupid as that- but, I digress.

Many of you already know that the Dollar Tree is one of my favorite places to shop.  It's one of the happiest places on earth.  Happiest because everything costs one dollar, not because you have to fight the dirty and/or crazy people who are pushing past you to get to the frozen food section.  I try to throw up my hands and say, "I'm not here for the paper thin dollar steaks!"  But they never ever listen.

Yes, you have to look past all the crap- but there are many surprising nice or useful things within that mass of humanity!

Tonight, I'd like to show you some of the most useful finds from the Dee-Tee, as I call it.

First, the flexible chopping mats.  These are terrific.  Two of these little dears in one package.  That makes them fifty cents each.  Before I got my non-stick craft sheet, I was using these with my Distress Inks.  And also as a cutting board, when I used my Exacto knife.  I still keep these on my table- they're just the right size, and you don't worry if you screw them up-  so they're also great to have around in case you have a few guests who want to play, too.  Each person gets a cutting/gluing/inking mat!

And see?  They must've known what I had in mind, too- even the packaging says 'Crafts.'  Useful!

Next up is another one of my favorite Dee-Tee crafting supplies!  The twine!

This twine is incredible- it's soft, it's off-white, it's a dollar.  You can use it to add a great vintage touch to something- as an accent or to tie on a few charms.  You can also make a little pool of Distress Stain on your mat, mist the twine with a little water- and rub the twine in it- and SURPRISE!  Custom colored twine!  420 feet of twine.  That's 128m, for you people who live in those classy places.  Glad it's printed in big-ass letters on the package, or my metric-challenged trailer park soul couldn't have told you.

There's more in the way of supplies at the Dee-Tee, but there's also great, cheap storage options, too!  For the next few options, I had to push eight of a woman's ten kids out of the way- they were lined up and blocking the entire damn aisle.

First up, these nicely plain glass vases- perfect for a slowly expanding collection of paper tapes!

Pretty, too, huh?

Now this next thing- I must also credit the Scrapbooks Etc magazine out right now- which featured this same damn thing.  But, they didn't mention that you could buy these retro sugar jars at the Dollar Tree- and I've been using these jars to stash stuff in, ever since one walked out of the Waffle House with me. For real.  It just followed me home on its own two feet.

Here, it holds a big handful of orphaned ribbon.  By that, I mean scraps or ribbons without spools.  This is their little support group.  They meet in a sugar jar and wait to be used.

Here's an empty (except for one string I put in, to demonstrate) jar that I'm going to fill with twine- as I'm always using it, and it'll be nice to have it right on my worktable but out of harm's way.  The Scrapbooks Etc. magazine shows these filled with Baker's Twine.  What will be the next hot thing once this Baker's Twine craze winds down a little bit?

The last thing I have to show you tonight is this great little easel- perfect to display a nifty card or rather thin mini-book!

Not good at using your imagination?  What kind of crafter are you?  Why are you HERE?  Alright, alright, here- I'll put that card I made last week on it, so you can get the full effect.

That's sexy, isn't it?

So, there you have it- the very first DOWN WITH THE DEE-TEE ROUND UP at The Kory K. SCRAPiVERSE.  There'll be more.  Cuz you can't keep my ass out of that place.  DOLLAR POWER!  Okay, Daddy gonna take a Benadryl and call it a night.  Sleep tight, my hookahs!

SCRAPCRACK! New Tim Holtz Products!

I just made the horrible, painful mistake of clicking on 'New Products' over at the scrapbook.com 'Superstore.'  Why, why, whyyyyy.

New Tim Holtz products are listed!

The DESTINATIONS Paper Stash!
The CHIT CHAT WORD STICKERS!
The COMMUTE Tissue Tape!!!
The....wait for it....ALPHA CARDS!!!!

I want these things. So much that I want them NOW. I wonder if any of my local stores got them in- if you are reading this and you did, let me know immediately!!! Now, to just hold on until his new dies are released. My little black heart is aching for that typewriter die...

See what's new HERE.

-kory

Product Review: The Prima Ingvild Bolme Distressing Tool

Over the weekend, I acquired the Invild Bolme Distressing Tool from Prima.  When I first saw it online, I thought it looked cool.  I also liked the blue color.  Then I forgot all about it, I mean- do I really need to order something that I have other tools to do, or that I can achieve with something else?

Then, I saw it in person.  Even though I'd seen all its features the first time I ever saw it online- this was the first time that it all sunk in-  An edge scraper?  Sander?  Bone folder?  Wire brush?!!?  AND ALL IN ONE?

I immediately grabbed it and threw 14.99 at the cashier.  

It is the best 14.99 that I've ever spent.  Really.  I'm not exaggerating.  As soon as I began playing with it, it was like the night I first drank a vodka and tonic.  I cradled that little blue stick and exclaimed, "Where've you been my whole life?!"  Then we began to make out, and it all got a little too hot and heavy.

Here's a few pictures- I know, my hands are so NOT hand model quality.  Just look at the tool. 

This picture shows the 'edge scraper' feature.  It's a bit wider than the 'other' edge scraper.  It's sharp, too- works incredibly.  You can also see one side of the 'sander.'  This one is a bit fine- for adding just a touch of detail.

This side, is clearly much rougher.  Great for really shredding into something!

Look at this end of the tool!  Yes, the tip can be used to 'rub on' a 'rub on.'  But when you pull the top off-

Surprise!! There's a wire brush in there!   This is actually my favorite favorite feature.  I love it!

If you like to distress- you've gotta get this tool.  It's wonderful!  I feel a little stupid, being this crazy over a tool- but it can do everything!  I am amazed by not all it can do, but how well it does it-  

See more of the tool here, at scrapbook.com.  There's also a video, if you need to see more!