Technique Tuesday - Tips for mass producing projects.

Over the summer a friend of mine asked me to make 125 wedding invitations for her.....on a BUDGET!

If you know me at all then you know I am a pretty frugal crafter.  So the challenge of making 125 invitations at a low, low price was right up my alley.  I thought I would share a few tips and tricks that I used to create beautiful invitations on a very tight budget.  Whether you are making a large quantity of invitations, bulk cards for groups like "Cards for Soldiers", or your yearly Christmas cards, I hope you find these 8 tips very useful.

•  Tip #1 - Choose your envelopes first.  For this project and likely for most projects the envelopes were going to be the most expensive component.  And once the envelopes are chosen it is easier to size and plan your project.
• Tip #2 - Make a prototype (shown below). Even if all of the elements aren't exactly the right color the prototype will help you get the perfect sizes and help you plan on how much paper, ribbon, vellum, and other supplies you need to purchase. I generally write sizes and instructions on my prototype.  A prototype will help you work out all the kinks so your final project will be perfect.  I also take the prototype with me when shopping for other supplies.  And....all of my prototypes are kept in a file in my studio.  So later I can refer to it for a different project and not need to completely reinvent the wheel. :)

• Tip #3 - Make a cheat sheet.  I know...mine looks like a bunch of chicken scratches.  :)  List each supply and make a calculation of how much you will need to finish the number of cards or invitations that you are making.  My cheat sheet showed the measurement of the envelopes that I chose and how many packages I would need to order.  I multiplied the number of inches of ribbon I needed for each invitation by the number of invitations I was making to figure out how many spools of ribbon to purchase.  And I figured out how many sheets of paper I would need by determining how many parts I could get from each sheet of paper.  This is SO helpful because I always purchase more than I need if I don't take the time to plan.  Purchasing exactly what I needed was a big budget saver.

• Tip #4 - Make a cutting "map" for each paper component of your project.  Making this map will insure that you get the most from each sheet of paper that you purchase.  The map helps to determine how many sheets that you will need to purchase and it is a great reference to look at when you are actually cutting all the parts for your project.  I am a very visual person so I mapped my cuts on typing paper.  (using 12 x 12 paper? Just tape typing paper together to achieve the right size...then make your map)   As you can see from my vellum "map" it is sometimes helpful to turn the direction of some pieces to fit more on the page.  I made little notes so I knew the exact measurement of each cut to make on my paper cutter.

•  Tip #5 - Make your own embellishments.  Embellishments are so expensive!  It would have cost a ton to purchase beautiful ribbon sliders for each card.  So I made my own and cut them out.  Was it alot of cutting?  Yes...but it is kind of mindless.  It is definitely something that you can do in front of the TV while watching "Last Man Standing" on Tuesday nights.  (one of my new favorite shows!)  I drew the image that I wanted to use for my slider.  Then I laid the ribbon over the image to get a feel for where I wanted the cuts to be.  I wanted the cuts to be a little narrower than the ribbon so that the ribbon would bunch together at the slider.  I used Glossy Accents and glass beads to add sparkle to the image.  *Bonus Tip* for my project I found it easiest to thread the ribbon through the slider, then do the glossy accents, and then sprinkle on the beads.*  I am including the heart image that I made for these invitations.  Please enjoy this little freebie.  :)

•  Tip #6 - Use hot glue when possible.  I know, I know....hot glue isn't exactly archival.  But it is CHEAP.  And it is fast....and it holds like crazy.  Offer to make archival versions of  the invitation for the bride, her parents, and her new in-laws.  The picture below shows the back of the ribbon slider.  The hot glue held the ribbon edges perfectly.  And I didn't need to have alot of ribbon overlap on the back of the project.

•  Tip #7 - Do everything in sets of 10.  I cut all of the paper layers, ribbon pieces, slider cutouts, and did all of my printing in groupings of 10.  It is so much easier to be organized and to keep count of the project when working this way.  

• Tip #8 - Budget paper planning.  This might represent the largest challenge for me during this project.  Initially when I started planning these invitations I planned to have the base layer of the invitation measure 5" x 7" and then the printed portion of the invitation to measure 4 3/4 x 6 3/4.  However, by printing the wording of the invitation on the base layer and printing the heart slider on a smaller piece of paper to the left I was able to use about 50% less paper on that 2nd paper layer of the invitation.  Pretty cool!  The printed layer with the heart slider still allowed the ribbon to be wrapped around to hide the ugly edges.  But one minor problem (ok...kind of major problem).  I had to find a way to back the brads so the legs of the brads didn't show on the back of the invitation.  I liked the movement of the vellum and really wanted to attach the vellum with the brad.  But I hate having things show on the backs of my projects.  The solution?  I used a little photo corner punch with a small hole punched in it for the brad.  Now the legs of the brad are hidden behind the photo corner punch, and it looks like a decorative element under the vellum, aaaand I still have the movement of the vellum that I was hoping for.  Oh...and I used hot glue on the back of the corner punch to attach the whole thing to the base of the invitation.  *Bonus Tip*  Save paper by making a flat "postcard style" invitation.  A traditional folded card would have used much more paper than this flat invitation style.

Tutorial Tuesday - Sizing Image Layers

With the new format of some of our images, I thought it would be helpful to share an easy way to get the sizes of your layers to match perfectly.  Not all image layers are designed to match up perfectly in sizes.  But anytime that the layers need to match together perfectly you will find that this technique will enable that matching.

I generally print all of my images from Word.  The version of word that I use is Microsoft Office Word 2007.  If you use a different version then the directions might vary slightly.  Remember, you can click on any of the images to see a larger view.  

So, let's get started.  With your Word program open click "insert" then click "picture".  Choose the first layer of the image that you want to work with.  Today I am using our "Corn Harvest" image for demonstration. I am also working with the .png versions.  This screen shot shows the husk layer inserted.  Notice the selection box around the image.  The red arrow points to the control corner.  Just click the corner and drag to size the image to the perfect size for your project.

 We are now ready to insert our second layer.  **Important** Be sure that you click somewhere in the open area of the screen so that you "de-select" the husk layer.  In other words, we don't want a box around the husk layer when we insert the 2nd layer.  Click "insert" and then click "picture" and choose the second layer you want to work with.  Here we are working with the corn layer of the "Corn Harvest" image.  Now to make the image easy to move and work with we need to right click inside the image box.  Now click "Text Wrapping" and then click "Tight".  With the corn layer selected drag it to the side so that you can see both layers.

 Now we are ready to size the layers so they will fit together perfectly.  Click inside the husk layer to get the selection box.  Right click inside the box and then click "size".  A pop up box will appear that will show you the exact height and width of your husk layer.  **Note**You can also see the size in the upper right hand corner.  Write down the size of the husk layer.

 Click the image of the 2nd layer so that you have the selection box around it.  Right click within the box and then click "size".  Highlight the measurement in the box marked Height and type in the correct measurement.  In my case my husk layer measured 5.22" for the height.  So I will change the height measurement of my corn layer to 5.22".  Now change the width measurement.  My husk width was 4.4" so I will change my corn image to be 4.4" in width too.

 Voila!  Perfectly sized layers for creating your projects.  **Hint** Before printing be sure to check the Print Preview to be sure that all of your image fits inside the margins of your page.  This will save lots of wasted paper.  Yep...the voice of experience again.  If you would like to print the layers on two different sheets or colors just insert the second layer onto Page 2 of your document.

Ok....so maybe your thinking "why does this work?"  Obviously the corn and the husk in our example aren't the same size.  Well...when designing the layers I place them in files that are exactly the same size.  So even though the husk and corn are different sizes, the "canvas" that I draw them on is the same size.  So we can make the image size match in any format that we work with and the image sizes will match perfectly.

And with every good thing comes a drawback.  The drawback to making the "canvas" size match is that some of the layers will have alot of unused space around the image.  Don't forget that you can crop an image in Word if you are trying to save paper.  You can also overlap .png files.  After you size the images using the steps above you can crop the image to remove the blank space around the image.  The crop tool in Word is located in the top right corner on the format tab.

We hope you enjoy the new layers we are adding to some of our images.  Give this a try and let us know if you have any questions.

Get your Markers ready for a TUTORIAL

Do you ever need bling and the colored bling that you love and cherish in your stash just DOES NOT match your project no matter WHAT you do??

Well, have no fear, with your clear diamond type blingy and a Copic marker, you can switch up the colors in no time flat and have that PERFECT matching bling.

What you'll need:

Copic Marker Color of your choice

Clear Bling of your choice
(The ones I used for this are by Hero Arts however bling from JoAnn and Michaels work just as well!)

Take Your Bling (I keep mine on the plastic sheet it comes on until I've achieved the results I'm looking for). 

Now comes the FUN part - COLOR your Bling - you may have to color several times to achieve matching color.

Let dry for a few minutes (doesn't usually take long, but once you've achieved the perfect color, you don't want to miff it up).

Remove from plastic sheet and adhere to said project that needed matching bling and
 - VOILA - the PERFECT MATCHING BLING!

You'll have to wait until Thursday to see the ENTIRE final product - but here's a little sneaky peek!

***NOTE: This may work with OTHER types of markers other than Copics, but I have only tried it with Copics.  I would THINK that this should work with other alcohol based markers as well.***

Look at that - it's that's easy and you have perfectly matching BLING!  =)  Let me tell you - when I figured this out I was ONE happy girl - NO MORE looking for the perfect shade to match your project and being denied again!!

I hope you give this a try & love it as much as I do!
Hugs & Happy Days!

Tutorial Tuesday Faux Flower Soft

Whooo Hoo! It's time for another Tutorial Tuesday! *applause*

Have you always wanted to try Flower Soft but didn't want to pay the price for a full container of just one color?

Well, then this is the tutorial for you! Today, we're going to teach you to make your own Faux Flower Soft!

Ready?? Let's assemble our supplies!

Supplies You Will Need:

Several pieces of styrofoam (tip: The squares are easier to use, than the round balls)
Plastic ziploc baggies (one for each color you plan to make)
Colored inkpad reinkers or alcohol inks (tip: alcohol inks are easier to mix)
Wax paper, or anything to use as a mat for catching your fluffiness


Instructions:

Start out with two pieces of styrofoam, as seen here:

With a piece of styrofoam in each hand, rub the two pieces together over a piece of wax paper, causing the styrofoam to flake off onto your wax paper:




Your pile of fluffiness as I like to call it, should look like this:





Next, place your styrofoam fluffiness into a baggie labeled with the name of your color. Add several drops of your alcohol ink or reinker into the baggie:





Zip the baggie closed and then work the baggie around in your hand to mix the alcohol ink with the styrofoam, until all particles of styrofoam are evenly colored. If you'd like a deeper color, add more of your alcohol ink, and mix again until you get the shade you want.


Here's a pic of the finished product, showing all the colors I made in one sitting. This pic shows my part of the Flowersoft. Two friends helped, and so we split each color three ways. One small baggie goes a long way, since you use only a little of each color at a time.

Now that I've shown you how to make your own Faux Flower Soft, Let's use it on a project.

Place your glue on the part of your project where you want to add texture with flower soft. (Do one color at a time). Sprinkle a little flower soft on, fully covering the glue, then press down lightly with your fingers to help it stick. Let sit a couple minutes, then turn your project over and shake off the excess fluffiness. (Empty the excess back into your baggie, to use later). Repeat this process for each color you want added to your project.

I used the faux flower soft on my card with the duck pond image, adding the faux flower soft to the cattails, grass and part of the feathers on the duck.

And here is the finished card, with the faux flower soft added:

I love the effect the faux flower soft gives!

I hope you enjoyed today's tutorial! We'd love to see what projects you come up with your own faux flower soft!

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!