A start on those questions… and other ramblings…

I had so many questions on my last blog giveaway that I thought I’d better get started trying to answer a few of them. Stay tuned for more during the upcoming weeks. I’ll try and work my way through them. 🙂 And so…here is probably wayyy more than you wanted to know! LOL

Chelsey asked…i was wondering were you buy your supplies from in canada? other than SU.

I wrote a similar answer to a question about where I buy supplies from in person HERE. As for on-line shopping, I buy some supplies from Scrappin’ Great Deals which is located in SW Ontario. I also buy all my cardstock and inks from my Stampin Up demo.

Not located in Canada, but very Canadian postage friendly, I buy a LOT of supplies from Jacksonbelle Embellishments. She has great products you may be able to find easily in Canada.

Liz N asked …”Where do you get your inspiration from?”. I noticed that some of your stuff is almost antique/Victorian-ish at times and other times it’s contemporary

Hmmmm inspiration. That is always a tricky one. A lot of the time I’m inspired by the stamps or patterned paper I’m using. I love both looks! I try to mix them up a little for variety and not back myself into one particular mold. Inspiration also comes from embellishments, clothing, advertisements in magazines, a trip to the mall …the list goes on. Because I design 6 days a week, I’m constantly thinking about it and have my eyes open. I keep a notebook in my purse to write things down on. A trip to Chapters/ Starbucks (a large Canadian bookstore) Monday night had my scribbling down a few ideas for color combos etc. I didn’t have my notebook with my so I had to make do with the back of my cheque book. 🙂

As for creating in different styles, well a lot of times the style of what I’m working with dictates the style. I do always try and make it my own. I think it is OK to have a few styles that you work in. Being flexible and having range is always a plus. Some days are pretty hectic around here and a clean crisp look is just what I need. I’ve been told I have a very romantic look. I love flourishes and flowers and vintage things too so that may translate into my designs as well. I see designers with very ornate and layered looks and I see some with very clean minimilistic styles. Sometimes those “simpler” designs are actually harder to pull off so don’t be fooled. I think the main thing to remember is to do what makes you happy and allow yourself to grow and change design styles as time goes on.

Rachel asked … Do you ever lose your stampin’ mojo? What do you do to get it back?

Funny you should ask. I was struggling yesterday. I’m a little burnt out after a busy week of assignments, family and other things going on behind the scenes. Usually if I’m tired, I’ll have a hard time creating so I have a nap. LOL Other things to get me going again… some new paper or stamps, shopping is good therapy, right? 😉 Some of the time, the layout may be the hardest thing to make work so a sketch challenge is a really easy way to get you designing again. Any challenge is great for that matter…they always seem to give me the push I need. One of the cards I designed yesterday will be posted on Monday. I fell back on some favorite paper and a sketch and it worked out OK after all.

Yosha asked… Hoping you can help me out with clear stamps. I don’t seem to be able to get a sharp stamp with the clear stamps! I don’t know if it is a issue with my ink as I only have the SU ink families. Help please!

Clear stamps can be a bit of an adjustment if you are used to using rubber all the time. There is definitely a different feel. Think back to when you first started stamping…it may have taken you a few tries to get that great impression and now it is probably something you don’t even think about. In this same manner, it may take a little practice to get the right pressure needed to stamp a clean image. You don’t want to press too hard and mush the lines. As for ink tips, sometimes the release agent on the stamps from processing conflicts with the ink and it can tend to bead up. If this happens, try rubbing a pink eraser over the surface to remove it. When using a new polymer stamp, I usually ink and stamp it on scratch paper a few times before using on my project. If you are using Stampin Up inks, you may want to use their chalk or craft inks. I find the best inks to use with solid polymer stamps are chalk or hybrid inks. Smaller solid images should ink up fine with the classic ink. Actually, I just noticed the card on my desk that I am getting ready for tomorrow. I used SU Classic inks on solid polymer images and they worked great. Come back tomorrow and check it out! 🙂

And last but not least…not a question…just a little piece of info that you might be interested in. Jacksonbelle is having a Tombo permanent mono adhesive refills share on her blog, Embellished. Check it out HERE.

I posted twice again today! So much to share, so little time. If you missed it, scroll down. 🙂 Have a great night!