Thursday, May 26, 2016

Checking in....

Hi Friends and Stampers,

OMGosh when I signed up for on-line RN to BSN five week classes, I had no idea it would consume my whole life. I am taking two week breaks in between the classes but it is just enough time to catch up on everything I have been neglecting for five weeks, lol.  Literally, every single minute of spare time is spent studying. I do occasionally jump over to Facebook or click through my emails that stack up thousands at a time. Sometimes I cannot read or look at another word, so I might watch a TV show or something, but wow, this has been all life consuming. 5/12 classes are done now, after this next class I will be half way there!

In this break, I wanted to make some cards up ahead for the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop coming up in June, starting on the 17th, so I will have some more cards to show you then. In the mean time, I was able to make a couple quick CAS cards using this very funny Unity Stamp set I bought.



I thought these were appropriate for what I have been going through, lol. 

I wanted to take a minute here and thank those of you who have left me words of encouragement and let me know you miss you.  You have no idea how much that touched me. I miss being able to blog hop and comment on everyone's creations. But one day next year, it will be all be over and I will have my life back again, lol. 

Oh and the other study breaks I have taken are to hunt and gather the fabulous new products out there, lol.  Just because I have no time for stamping or card making does not mean I can't reward myself with more things as I keep going, lol. I finally got the Crystal Katana mixed media pick up tool.  OMGosh can I just say that I should have taken the plunge long ago? Quite literally I used the black end to pick up these googly eyes and set them right now on the dots of glue I placed and for some reason, it just let go right where I wanted them to go and there was no finger, tweezers, or other object about it, it is amazing. Speaking of Glue, I have discovered Art Glitter glue with the little metal tips you can put on them and I do love this product. I have used it on almost all the cards I just made. Glue right where you want it to go and it delivers the perfect amount with the tips. The last object I have discovered is my Stampoholic stamping tool.  Have you ever executed the perfect card, only to stamp the sentiment last and it's off-center or not straight? Don't you hate that? Me too! Or how many pieces of paper have you thrown out because you didn't get a sharp or complete stamped image? Me too! With the stampoholic, I can ink it up and restamp it as many times as I want and it's all in the same position, so it does not create a shadow. And it's so easy! 

Now there is some controversy about the the Stampoholic and the Misti. I am not sure what came first. I know there is a lot of talk about steeling idea's and standing behind products, etc. I know my stampoholic came in great condition, it was half the price of the Misti, and I can change the colors from teal to purple, which means a lot to me, lol.  I know this poop emoji came from unity, I know I have another one from The Sweet Stamp shop. I know I have emoji dies from Spellbinders and that Lawn Fawn just released emoji die faces. I know I have umteen stamp images and dies that so similar and close to each other, I often wonder why I buy two of the same thing, but you know, they are cute, lol.  My point is, is that there are many great reputable companies that make close to or similar designs and no one is pointing the finger at them or saying they stole an idea. I was also able to find a video of how to make your own stamping tool on you-tube, and I also saw an IKEA frame that someone was also using as a stamping tool. When it came right down to it, the price is what really drove me to buy the Stampoholic. There are so many cute products and tools and paper and stamps and glue, etc, etc, etc. and only some much budget to get the things I want for my hobby. To be honest with you, I could not justify spending over $120.00 for a stamping tool. I just would have continued to use my acrylic blocks and called it good. But for half that price, I was persuaded to put a bug in my husbands ear about Mother's Day, lol.  And he is so sweet, of course he got me one. But either way you decide, I highly recommend getting one or the other. I like my regular sized one but they have mini and jumbo sizes too. 

Okay, this is my semi-annual posting for now, lol.  Thank you for stopping by and checking in on me. 

Holly