September 2009: Cindy C.

September 2009 – Cindy C.
“Accordion Window Folder”

How long have you been stamping?
Since 2002 when Stampin’ Up! came to Canada.

What is your favorite technique?
There are too many to narrow down! Depends on my mood and creativity level.

Favorite stamp company?
I have several About Art Accents (http://www.aboutartaccents.com) , Art Neko (http://www.artneko.com) stamps and have started to drool over Stamp Magick (http://www.stampmagick.com) !

Favorite Asian stamp?
See above

Favorite stamping accessory?
Embossing powder

Favorite colors?
Blue and green are always my go to colours.

Your favorite embellishment to finish a card?
Ribbon. I love the elegant look and challenge of finding the right ribbon to finish off a card.

What is the one tool you couldn’t live without?
My ink pads? Honestly, I do not have a favourite tool. I will use a Cuttlebug, fancy edged scissors, punches, markers, crimper, children’s’ toys, but I do not have a go to tool every time…

Any helpful tips for the group?
When you start to collect stamps, start right away with some system to catalog them, whether it be on the computer or in a book. Mine is SO out of whack right now, I cringe at the thought of redoing it after culling through my collection and selling some…

As a member of OSA, why do you like stamping in the Oriental theme?
I’ve always loved the look of oriental art, but never had an outlet for it. Now I can create all I want and share with like minded people!

Is there any one place or city you’d like to visit to find rubber stamps, supplies, or Asian art elements?
Any Chinatown, or equivalent would be great! I just don’t have the guts to go on my own, being a white, red-headed person that speaks only French and English. I’m afraid to offend someone! If the lottery pays off, a trip to China and or Japan is on the agenda!

What other stamping lists or local clubs do you belong to?
I belong to a local stamping club here in Edmonton called Pretty Mean Stampers (PMS for short) and this year I am their president.

What favorite stamping magazines would you recommend?
VSN (http://www.vampstampnews.com/index.html) has become a strong favourite, as she focuses on one or two techniques and products per issue and goes in depth. A very valuable resource, I think! I also have a subscription to the online Patstamps Technique Junkie Newsletter. (http://www.patstamps.com/)

Published in any magazines? If yes, please list.
A few years ago some of my scrapbook pages were published in Memory Makers (http://www.memorymakersmagazine.com/) and lately one of my cards was published in VSN.

Any other hobbies, talents or craft interests?
Scrapbooking was my first interest, and stamping came from there. I lust after fabric and will eventually get into quilting one day. Hubby says there’s no room in the house for another hobby right now!

What inspires you to be creative?
The ladies of this group and PMS would be my first source of creativity. Fabric, nature and sometimes scrapbook paper does too.

Any art background ?
Trained as a professional photographer in 1990. Now hubby and I are just hobbyist photographers. I also have a certificate in Baking from 1996.

Have you used any unusual item in your stamping that wasn’t necessarily meant for stamping?
A lady in the PMS group has inspired me to look at everything before I throw it away to see if it can be stamped on: Plastic packaging, cream cheese plastic insert, etc. I now have a growing hoard of items, and DH will not throw away anything if it looks like it could be stamped on or scrapbooked with checking with me!

Any favorite websites you would recommend for inspiration?
I like Split Coast Stampers (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com) and Rubber Stamp Artists (http://rubberstampartists.com) , I believe has its base with a group of Australia stampers that posted their swap cards.

Do you have a day job when you’re not stamping?
I work part time as an Administrative Assistant.

Tell us about your family and where you live.
Right now it’s just me and my hubby Jim. We lost our fur-baby Pirta in February. We live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in a duplex with a large crafting area in the basement that we split in half. He builds and flies radio controlled airplanes and I craft. We spend lots of time down there, watching TV and working on our hobbies together. I’ve placed some pictures in my Gallery site on OSA if anyone wishes to check it out!

Edmonton, Alberta , CA

Supplies Used
• Cuttlebug
• Cuttlebug nesting scalloped squares
• Hero Arts CL297 Four Dolls set
• Stampin’ Up Bliss Blue ink and paper
• Stampin’ Up Whisper White Cardstock
• Stampin’ Up Black ink
• Coloured Cardstock cut into 2 pieces of 8 ½ x 3 ¾”
• White Cardstock cut into 5 pieces of 5 ¾ x 3 ¾”
• White Cardstock cut into 2 pieces of 2 ½ x 3 ½”

5 ¾ x 3 ¾” white cardstock pieces
• Stamp one side of each piece in a colour and ink of your choice
• Fold each piece in half to find the center
• Center the largest cuttlebug square along the center line on a
diagonal and cut through to make a ‘window’
• With the fold facing you, fold the two sides back towards the
middle lining up the edges to the centre fold
• Folded pieces will look like an ‘M’ when done

2 ½ x 3 ½” white cardstock pieces
• Stamp on one side of these pieces the same pattern as the above

8 ½ x 3 ¾” coloured cardstock pieces
• Fold pieces accordion style at 2 ¾”, 5 ½”, 8 ¼”
• Clip 1 panel off of 1 of the strips

Assembly
• Adhere the two coloured pieces of folded
cardstock, overlapping on panel

• Stamp images in the center of the valley folds that will peek through the cuttlebugged ‘windows’

• Colour images now if you wish
• Adhere the 5 cuttlebugged folded pieces
into the valleys of the coloured cardstock

• Adhere the 2 smaller stamped pieces of cardstock to the two solid ends, first
placing a 28” piece of ribbon behind one of them
• This will enable you to tie up your art piece