DIY Paper Organizer

I have soooo much cardstock and scrapbook and it's just packed away in a couple of plastic drawers. A system like this one from Create and Babble would be super helpful in seeing what colors and types of paper I have available.

 

See the DIY Paper Organizer.

Gift Card Book

A Peek into my Paradise made this fun gift card book for her daughter's birthday. With a few modifications, this could work for so many gift giving occasions - anniversary, Christmas, retirement, teachers, Valentines, etc. So great, right?

See the Gift Card Book.

Close to My Heart Project Review + Giveaway + Discount!!

I LOVE crafting and creating, but to be honest, I don't always have the time to plan out a project, coordinate the things that I'm going to use, and then actually DO the project. I usually get to the first two steps and then...well, let's just say I have a craft room full of unfinished projects.

 

*hangs head*

 

It's pretty shameful, I know.

 

But when Elizabeth, a Close to My Heart representative, asked if we would be interested in doing a review and giveaway, I jumped at the chance. What could be better than an already coordinated kit?! I chose the Workshops on the Go Canvas Art Kit and it's pretty awesome.

The Canvas Art Kit includes the following items:

• 1 My Acrylix Canvas Art Workshop Stamp Set
• 1 12"x12" Printed Canvas Display
• 1 yard of Cashmere Baker's Twine (not pictured...somehow it disappeared for a minute)
• 10 clear sparkles
• 1 sparkle flourish
• 2 12"x6" Dimensional Art Shape Embellishments
• Instructional Brochure

To complete the project, you'll also need some basic crafting supplies such as inks, stamp blocks, glue, and other tools you might prefer to use when doing scrapbooking projects. You'll also need a picture (or more). The larger frames fit a 5"x7" picture nicely and then I also printed a 4"x6" picture for the smaller frame.

 

Elizabeth was also kind enough to provide me with 3 clear stamp blocks and 10 pigment inks.

 

 Those are beautiful colors, aren't they? I've never used pigment inks (only the regular ink pads), but I really liked working with them. They took a while to completely dry, but they're really vibrant colors!

 

Here are the stamps that are included in this set.

 

 

I loved working with the acrylic stamps and blocks. They're so easy to move around and clean! I had a hard time getting the large, open square stamp to be straight, but I think that's due more to inexperience than the product itself. :)

 

What I love about this project is that it's completely customizable and everything is ready to go! I was given products and elements to work with and I love my finished product. What do you think?

 

 

 I love how it turned out!

I have a hard time making decisions, so I came up with a couple sample layouts before ever gluing anything down. I can't commit right up front like that ;) I also took pictures so I could remember what I'd created. It came down to these two layouts.

In the end, I went with the layout on the right.

After you come up with your idea, get to work. I chose to do some stamping at this point. I stamped "LOVE" across the banner, added a brown heart on top of the little blue heart in the right hand corner, and then used the square stamp around the smaller blue frame.

 

What's so awesome about this project pack is that there are enough embellishments to make 2 canvases. The kit only comes with one canvas, but you can easily buy another canvas and make another one. These would make cute Mother's Day gifts or wedding gifts. Or you could just make two coordinating canvases for your own gallery wall. Close to My Heart makes creating so easy!

 

Now for the fun part! We knew you'd want to get in on the action, so Elizabeth has generously offered to give one lucky Someday Crafts reader their own Workshops on the Go Canvas Art Kit. How awesome is that!? This kit is valued at $39.95 and, like I said, comes with enough embellishments for 2 canvases.

 

 

 

If you don't want to wait for the giveaway to get one of these awesome kits, you can order through the Someday Crafts party on the Close to My Heart Website. To join the party, clicking that link, scroll down and you'll see a list of Elizabeth's parties. Click the "Join" button next to the Someday Crafts party. 

 

If you purchase the Canvas Art Kit and a mini ink set before May 3rd, you'll get a FREE stamp block (valued at $8.95)!! Just email Elizabeth at alwaysdeeper@hotmail.com and let her know you've made the purchase. She'll then include your free gift with your order. Also, anyone who places and order for any product through the Someday Crafts party will receive a free idea book!! Again, you have until May 3rd, 2013 to take advantage of this special offer.

 

To be entered, just use the Rafflecopter widget below. The giveaway will be open from 6:00am on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013. through 11:59pm on Monday, April 15th, 2013. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Product Review Epson R2000

Today I have the opportunity to share with you something really great. The folks at Epson sent me a R2000 printer to review for you. 

First the facts, the Epson R2000 is a professional level printer. It prints on a wide variety of medias including glossy, matte, and luster photo paper, cardstock, overlays and even canvas! It also can print up to and impressive 13 inches in width and a unlimited length. This makes it a great choice for scrapbookers and crafters who are looking for an option to print larger prints at home. It uses 8-color UltraChrome Hi-Gloss® 2 pigment ink including two different blacks and a special cartridge just for glossy prints. 

Let's talk a little about size. I'm not going to lie, this printer is a monster. Taking up the space of almost two all in one printers and weighting in at over 20 lbs, it's a beast. I knew in advance of it's size and planned for a space to house it. Keep this in mind when you purchase.

Because I have had many bad printer installations in my history, I was a little worried about set it. I knew that I would have to be using the printer wirelessly and would not be able to ever connect it to the computer. I grew even more nervous when I discovered that the install instructions were little more than pictures and a few words. I proceeded with caution. I am happy to report that installation was a breeze!!! I have never had an install of any computer hardware go so smoothly. Within 15 minutes of opening the box, I was happily printing my first test page.

I used several media types to create my test prints. Premium Glossy Paper, Velvet Fine Art Paper, Ultra Premium Luster Paper,  Matte Presentation Paper and Matte Double Sided Scrapbook Paper. 

    

Each paper, to me serves a very specific purpose.

In terms of everyday portraits and prints to give to my family my pick is the Premium Glossy Paper. The prints were very true to color from my calibrated montior and they print fast! I 5x7 took just 45 seconds. Great when I have eager family members that want their photos now.

For myself and my albums, I would choose to print with the Ultra Premium Luster Paper. This paper is top of the line and the quality backs that up. In terms of color match, I printed straight from my Lightroom software using printer manages color settings, color space sRBG, and an overall brightening of +5. I have found in the past with my other Epson that they tend to be a little darker than my screen. The +5 brightness did the trick.

I used the Double-sided Scrapbook paper to do print and cuts directly from my Silhouette Cameo. Let me tell you how exciting it was to no longer be limited to an 8.5x11 print and cut. Amazing!! Of all the matte papers I have tried, this really holds up well. The color is slightly duller than my screen using the same above settings, but just perfect for graphics. Myself, personally I would not use it for photos due to the dull quality of the prints, but that being said the color match was spot on.

In addition of all the the formentioned media, this printer will also print CDs. I used this feature to create custom DVDs for our family from a recent reunion.

Although I have long feared the ink consumption that I have read plagues Epson Large Format Printers, I was pleasently surprised that it did not suck ink as my pervious Epson did. To date I have printed 5 full 12x12 pages, 10 8.5x11 luster pages, 10 DVDs, two velvet fine art 8.5x11 prints and 10 5x7 prints. The ink levels are just now starting to drop below the full level. I'm very impressed for an ink jet. Price to replace all 8 cartridges is: $79.99. which is much cheaper than previous models from Epson and other retailers.

Final Verdict: If you are looking for a professional grade photo printer that will allow you to print large formats on a wide variety of media, this is the printer for you. Because of it's hefty price tag: $499.99, it may not be right for the casual printer. As a semi professional photographer, it has already delivered on that price tag. I can print family and client photos late at night and be confident in the results. I can scrapbook and product digital products in print at a scale I could only dreem of before. I can also print art work and other images for my home on the high quality papers and use them for home decor at a fraction of the cost in store. I cannot wait to use this printer in the coming months for the majority of my work. 

Disclosure:  I was provided the Epson R2000, ink and media for printing free of charge in exchange for my review. The review and opinions are all my own.