Tim Holtz Distress Inks

When I have NO MOJO and can't seem to do anything else, I tend to organize. Now under those circumstances you would think my studio should be very well organized, wouldn't you? Ha!
I spent a few minutes last weekend organizing my new Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads .

This chart is a must for those of you who don't keep your ink pads out in plain sight. You can find the Tim Holtz Distress Ink Chart on the Ranger website. I simply printed mine on white cardstock and stamped each color with a solid stamp. I tried to use plenty of ink and good pressure so I know the "darkest" shade of the ink. It's also a great way to keep up with which colors you have so you don't buy duplicates.

As soon as I have the other three colors I will laminate this, or keep it in a sheet protector along with my Tombow Marker Chart .

This is a photo of a few of my distress inks. You can get the Distress PDF Label Sheet File on the Ranger Ink website as well.

I printed the file on Avery 18167 labels. Each label measures 1/2" x 1 3/4", and it's the perfect size. I'm pretty sure I bought my labels at WalMart. I had already labeled my Distress Inks a while back, but needed to update for the new colors. So I decided to use a different stamp for the ink on the newer ones.

It's great if you can keep these on your desk, but if not, the chart above works perfectly for choosing your colors.

I'm still in Baton Rouge...going to class all day then studying until bedtime at night. I will be SO GLAD to start toward home after my test on Friday! Three more sleeps to go? Geez!

Tombow Marker Chart

Since I just added Tombow Markers to our inventory at Stamper's Dream, I wanted to share a Tombow Marker Chart that you can download for yourself. Here is the file: Download Tombow Marker Chart. Simply print it on cardstock, then color in each block as you acquire the markers. It's a lifesaver when you are buying more markers because it keeps you from buying duplicate colors. You know we all do that if we don't have a cheat sheet! LOL! It's also a tremendous aid in color selection.

I have included a picture of my completed Tombow Marker Chart for you. It took me a while, but I have collected all 96 colors...and frankly, I use them ALL! I keep this chart on my desk in a sheet protector. When I'm coloring an image a quick look at my chart really helps me choose the colors I want to use as well as matching ink colors to paper.

You should note that some of the colored blocks are two shades of the same color. (You may want to click on the picture to get a better view.) Look at several of the green colors, for example, 098 Avocado. The bottom of the rectangle is darker than the top. I colored the bottom using more ink so show you the darker shade, and used less ink on the top to show you a lighter shade you can get with the same marker.

Keep in mind that this was printed on cardstock...not watercolor paper. You can't really move the color on cardstock like you can on watercolor paper. So there are even more possibilities with watercolor paper and a damp paint brush or blender pen.

You should also note the explanation of the Tombow numbering system that's written on the bottom of the chart.

I hope this was helpful for those of you who are interested in Tombow Markers. In the next day or so I will get the download file for the Tombow chart on my sidebar for you so it's easier to find in the future.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

My Studio - Part 3

These are the last of the pictures of my studio. Sorry I didn't get them posted last night, but there was just too much to do!

The first picture is when I am sitting at my stamping desk looking to the left. You can see my clear sets that I like to keep handy, and to the right of that is a container with my Cuttlebug folders. Then, my BELOVED Tombow markers. I couldn't live without those!

The second picture is sitting at my stamping desk looking straight ahead. I always keep a stack of 11 x 17 white paper on the desk that I use as my "stamping pad". You can buy a ream of it at your office supply really cheap. When one page gets dirtied, just throw it away and there is another underneath. And of course, my OTT light is a must have!

The next picture is just at my right hand sitting at my stamping desk. All the necessary tools are within reach. You can see my Prisma pencils in the blue bucket. The larger white carousel is from Making Memories. I bought it at Michael's with a 50% off coupon. (It was cheaper to buy it that way than for me to buy it wholesale and pay the shipping!) The smaller carousel is from Pampered Chef. My friend Nancy gave it to me a long time ago, and I love it!

The last picture is what I call my embossing area. The little wicker basket is filled with my VersaColor cubes. You can also see the postal scales which I use daily for weighing all the packages I mail. My Milwaukee heat tool is in a holder, and I love that. I've tried to find those holders for other people, but haven't yet been able to find another source.

Under the embossing area you can see a glimpse of a 12 x 12 rolling cart that holds my scraps. I have each color in a gallon zip lock bag. They are really handy, and I always look in there first before cutting a new sheet of cardstock.

So...I know you're tired of these, and this is the last of them...until I reorganize something. Don't worry, that probably won't happen anytime soon!

Thanks so much for all your super sweet comments, and for stopping by.

My Studio - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of the photos of my studio.

The first picture is just to the right of my Making Memories shelf, looking above the arched window. I bought these wooden letters somewhere a while ago, then altered them with dp in colors to coordinate with my room. Sorry I couldn't get a better picture, but you get the idea.

Just to the right of the window I have two shelves holding some of my Primas, and some of my treasured cards, as well as others that I have made recently.

The next picture is my computer desk. I promise you, this is as clean as it ever gets! My desk is also by Elfa, purchased at The Container Store. It has a row of drawers on the right, which has a lot of storage.
I don't think you can see it well, but just to the left of those drawers is a 12 x 12 Iris Cart. It's really handy for a lot of embellishments, chipboard, rub ons, etc. Each of the drawers is organized, and very handy here.

The silver bulletin board over my computer desk is magnetic. I found it at IKEA on one of my trips to Dallas, and I love having it there. The things on it are constantly changing, except for pictures of the grands.

Just to the right of my computer desk is another Elfa storage drawer system. The top it holds my ribbon storage containers. There is also ribbon in the top 3 drawers of the Elfa. Can one EVER have enough ribbon? :-) The drawers beneath hold paints, embellishments, and lots of ink pads and reinkers. I am actually pretty good about buying the reinker when I buy the ink pad, and it has served me well.



To the right of the Elfa unit is my 8.5" x 11" cardstock storage. What can I say about that? I love cardstock....in every color! And I love it that I can see what I have at a glance.

Primarily, I use Bazzill cardstock. But to be painfully honest, any paper that's pretty will manage to find it's way here eventually.



The last picture for tonight is the double closet. For those of you who think I'm super organized....just look at the mess in there!

You can see my 12 x 12 cardstock stored on the floor in Karen Foster paper holders. It is sorted by color, and it's really pretty handy. When I'm looking for a particular color I can pick up the whole container and bring it to my work table to match it under my OTT light.

There is a little of everything in this closet, from beads and glitter to alterables. I also store my notecards and envelopes in here. Really, I think it's ALL "good stuff" so I haven't been willing to part with it. Maybe someday?

I will post the last part of the pictures of my studio tomorrow night if I have time to write the post. I am expecting a shipment from Memory Box in the next day or so. Yep...new stuff! So if it doesn't get here tomorrow I will have time to finish up on the studio pictures.

Thanks so much for stopping by....more of something tomorrow.

My Studio - Part 1

Since I didn't have a chance to do any stamping today, I decided to take photographs of my studio. I've had a number of requests for them. And to be honest, it's never quite clean enough to have a permanent record of the mess! So....this is as good as it gets!

As you walk through the door, the first picture you see is just to the left of the doorway. It's what I call my cutting area. The white basket on top of the stack of Rubbermaid drawers is for paper scraps that need to be filed away. It's always full! Just to the right of that on top of my counter is my Scor-It and Genesis paper trimmer. I especially love the light on the paper cutter. But frankly, the whole thing was pretty pricey. AND I was on a waiting list for almost a year in order to get it!

The next picture is the same area. You can see my Big Shot there. All my Nestabilities are in CD cases stored in the blue cubes underneath the clock. My Gina K stamps are also stored there.

The third picture is the rest of my counter top. My Sizzix machine and Sizzix dies are handy here. Frankly, I don't use them much, but when the Grands come to play with me they use some of them. Of course, the TV and DVD player are a must! When I'm sitting at my stamping desk, the view of the cutting area and TV is directly in front of me.

Going to the right of the stamping storage and paper cutting area, you will see my Making Memories shelf. I like it a lot, and am happy to have found it at Michael's (with a 50% off coupon)! That makes it much sweeter!

The last picture for tonight is a shot of the stamp storage system I use. I have 7 of these in a row, which forms the counter top for my cutting area. The entire row of them is 10 1/2 feet long. And the counter top is about 42" high. Each unit has 10 drawers, so it holds a whole lotta stamps and stuff! They are from The Container Store, and are made by Elfa.

They put them on sale usually in January of every year, and that's when I bought mine. I even bought the labels for the outside of the drawers but just haven't gotten around to that quite yet.


I forgot to mention that the shelves on the wall just above my stamp storage are also from The Container Store, and made by Elfa. I love it that they are adjustable. I'm constantly changing things around, so that's a necessity for me. They put those on sale sometime in the summer. Since we don't have a Container Store here, I've hauled it all back from Dallas, and made several special trips when it's on sale.

I will have more pictures of the studio later this week in another post. I didn't want to overload one post with a lot of graphics so it would take too long to upload.

I plan on doing some stamping this weekend, so in addition to more studio pictures, I should have some cards as well.

By the way...I haven't forgotten about the questions several of you asked. I will also address those real soon.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're having a great weekend!

New Stamps...and a useful tip!

I haven't had any time for stamping the last couple of nights.

Last evening I was busy photographing and listing the new Stampendous stamps in the store. Tonight I received an order from Paper Inspirations , so those are now listed in the store as well.

Since I didn't get to stamp, I thought I would show you a little organization I worked on last weekend. I found the PDF file for the Ranger Ink labels on the Ranger Website. You can get it HERE . They also have the label files for their Adirondack, Archival and Nick Bantock inks, in case you need those.

I bought the required size Avery labels at Wal Mart. Mine are Avery 18167, and measure 1/2" x 1 3/4". After I printed the labels, I stamped with each color on the label and adhered them to the side of my Ranger ink pad. I think it's a great way to organize and actually see the color of the ink. And believe me...I need all the organizational help I can get! LOL!

I know this was short and sweet, but I want to pop in to the MFT Party at SCS. That reminds me....the new My Favorite Things stamps have been ordered are on the way...including the new Twisted Sentiments set.

Thanks so much for stopping by!