Here is a collection of the Thursday Tips (and others) which have been sent to the OSA mailing list. Many of these can be found under the Techniques section as well.
2008: November, December
2009: 1st Page, 2nd Page
2010: 1st page, 2nd page, 3rd page, 4th page
2011: 1st page, 2nd page, 3rd page
2012: 1st page
January 2009:
- tO DO SOOT STAMPING WITHOUT BURNING THE PAPER,USE AN OIL LAMP TURNED UP
SO IT SMOKES,AND MOVE YOUR PAPER OVER THE CHIMNEY.tHE RESULTS ARE
LIGHTER BUT THIS WORKS VERY WELL FOR BACKGROUNDS.sO SORRY ABOUT THE
CAPS. GOT LOCKED ON IN ERROR AND I AM TOO TIRED TO RETYPE.oBVIOUSLY,i AM
NOT A TOUCH TYPIST :-)–
Dee Richardson - When I use foam tap to raise images I color the sides of the tape to make them blend into my background for that 3 D look.Bobbie
Houston, TX - Hi Everyone,Vellum can be expensive, but it adds so much to cards with its texture and translucent effect, we all want to use it.
When you want to write a personal message for a card, write your message in your own hand on copy paper. Writing on copy paper allows you to practice and choose your best sample without wasting vellum.
Scan the text you wrote and print it on vellum. The same text can be
copied and pasted several times and printed on a single sheet. You will have messages for several cards using this technique. Your own handwriting is elegantly there on vellum for the recipent to enjoy.Happy stamping,
Annette “:O) - To add to Rli’s tip about scanning different kinds of currency, you can do the same with interesting postage stamps, especially if you know a stamp collector!Diane Young, Victoria, BC
- I was recently down helping my parents and my mother pulled out a collection of money my father had picked up many years ago from the different places he went while in the Navy.I thought they’d make a beautiful background paper so I scanned them into my computer and now use them for background paper on cards with a travel theme.If you have coins, paper, etc. you’ve picked up from your many travels, think about using that as background paper on a card. Really looks nice – all the different colors of the money.Sincerely,
Rli
- Nail polish works great on brads as well – stick brad points into a Styrofoam block (from packaging salvage) — dot with polish – no mess no fuss – and no brush to clean. I use nail polish as paint in a lot of my work – there are wonderful colors, glitter etc. and those tiny bottles geared for teens are inexpensive.Take Joy, Marlene……………………………………….
- I use the Halo system on my unmounted stamps and a pair of KAI scissors. These scissors are for cutting rubber and the velcro only. I would never use them on paper. When you have a lot of rubber to mount the Halo is very sticky and can be very hard to cut after awhile, so I coat my KAI scissors with Glyceryn and they cut like butter. When they start to get sticky again, add more glycerin! What could be a really tough job gets much easier doing it this way! Enjoy!Hugs Lori Reinholz
South Carolina, USA
……………………………………………………. - I would like to add to the old phone book tip. I put the “glued”
piece in the back on the phone book where the weight of the pages
presses it together while it “dries.” Each piece goes into a with a
few pages between it and any other piece. When I’m done with that
step / set of cards, I pull out the pieces and work on the next step.
Thus they can’t wrinkle, can stick down good, get lost, fall off the
table or have something accidently splattered on them.I also take an old phone book to a stamp club and tear out pages to
use as place covers / paper pages to mess up instead of the table top.
T. Linda Sneed
PS Lori, I love your other tips.
………………………………………………… - To hold pieces of work in progress so they can dry or just not get lost, use a Slinky toy. Tape the ends down to your work surface and tuck your work-in-progress pieces into the spaces between the rings. Even a plastic Slinky works.Diane Young, Victoria, BC
Empress of the Universe
………………………………………………. - talking about the permanent markers after Annettes tip earlier made me think of something else. Most peel offs come in gold or silver. If you need another color just use a permanent marker of any color (you get nice ones in the USA called sharpies) to go over the peel off and get which ever color you want. If you use several colors and go over in stripes you can even get lovely multicolor ones.If anyone would like to see an example let me know and I will scan one in for you in the morning. Off to bed now, its late here in France 🙂
Hugs,
Joanne
………………………………………………… - Hi all; That clear plastic packaging is excellent for stencils,
especially when it’s a large flat piece. I just cut the flat area and
put it away and there I have made stencils of larger envelopes, kimono,
vase and anything you want and as opposed to cardboard, it is permanent.
Hugs, Pam James
………………………………………………………… - Tired of labels that won’t come off, gummy scissors, sticky cutting mats, cutting tools that are so coated with goo that they leave a mark on your work and trimmings stick to them? Yep, me too. But whenever I need to use these things, I’m always in too much of a hurry to stop and go get the alcohol and something to clean with. I bought a stack of those cosmetic removers (the quilted cotton squares or circles) and put them in a small jar with a screw-on lid. Pour alcohol over the pads until you have enough in the jar to be about half full. Put the lid on and keep it in a handy place. Next time you need to clean something, everything is right there in a handy, ready to go, disposable form.I love the Crystal Lite containers for a lot of things, but those little cups inside that contain the drink mixes seem like excess packaging. I’ve found that they can be recycled for craft use. They are handy little cups for holding glues, beads, and other small pieces you are working with; and they make perfect little water cups for water colors or twinks when you are using a real brush. When you are finished, they can be tossed or washed to reuse. I’ve also used them to mix water colors in. If you leave them to dry with any leftover paint in them, you can reconstitute the color by adding some water later. I’ve found that when I use these with twinks, there will be quite a lot of mica and color in the water when I’m finished. I’m sure there must be some way to use that – maybe by letting it dry and adding more water later (sounds like a possibility for a Fred Mullett “elegant mess” technique) or by pouring it into a spray bottle to get a glimmery spritz. Don’t mix your colors, though – unless you like the sprayed mud effect! ;-)Just a couple of random thoughts on a rainy Thursday morning in Maryland!
Bonnie Belk - You can stamp on wrapping paper, patterned scrapbook
paper or photographs instead of plain card stock to
create quick and unique multi-colored images.
Chris
USA
………………………………………….. - and…….further to Annette’s and Jann’s post…..
You can color brads or nail heads with your marker pens. Alcohol based marker pens work better, but other will work.Diane M.
……………………………………………….. - Hi Everyone,Staples are not always the prettiest, but they can be colored before you put them into your stapler. Use alcohol ink or nail polish thinned with acetone in a well-ventilated room. Allow the staples to dry, then use to your heart’s content.Also, attaching items with brads is always fun, quick, easy, and they are simple to place. Use a darning needle to make a starter hole and then attach the items using the brads.Happy stamping,
Annette “:O)
…………………………………………………. - 1) I keep a wet scrubby sponge “cut-to-fit” in a plastic sandwich
container, with its cover under the container and keep it on my stamping desk….when I’m stamping it’s close to me for a quick clean up. When done….pop the lid on.
2) Old phone books. I use my old phone books to stamp on when I am using the larger stamps. It works like a pliable surface and then when I am done I just rip out the page and throw it away for quick clean ups. Works well for quick “glue-jobs” as well. You don’t have to worry about glue still being on the surface when you do a card, rip off the page and continue on, you get no “oh-oh’s” that way on the backs of your cards.
3) I got this tip from Carol Duval, but I love it. You buy a 6 pack of soda in bottles-the kind w/the heavy paper bottle holder-(drink the soda)and place empty soup or veggie cans (deocorate them and the holder if you choose) in the pockets of the holder.VOILA! It’s a fabulous pen, scissor, aquapainter, glue pen, etc, etc holder WITH a handle to carry it around with you. I even keep a couple of tape runners in one pocket without a can. I tweaked it a little by using crystal light containers instead of cans. I also use the CL containers for embellishments as they have a nice tight-fitting lid. I also use empty salt scrub jars, peanut butter and candle jars etc to keep buttons, jingle bells, shells,glass pebbles,”snow”, etc on a shelf in my craft area so I can easily see what I have.
4) While working on a 25 card swap I discovered a useful tool. Because my
cards have a special fold they do not lie flat so it is hard to stack
them while I am working on them. They take up a lot of space if I have
to spread them out over my work surface. I cut the top off a boutique
size, square Kleenex box and the cards fit in there perfectly. It is
just a tiny bit wider than 5 1/2″. Now, if I am not finished assembling them, they can stay in the container and off to the side.
5) To remove glue stuck to your scissors rather than using smelly
solvents use an adhesive remover eraser. I just discovered this and it
was a WOW for me. It works!!
6) Since I am OLD, and sometimes take off my glasses to rest my eyes…..I may decide to sit and read emails after work……….If you have trouble reading small print in e-mails, or even on this board, hold down the Control Key and roll the little wheel on your mouse (if you have one). The printing gets larger or smaller, depending on the direction you roll it. 🙂
Lori A-O - Don’t just make a new mask every time you stamp an image. Stamp your
image on scrap paper or post-it notes, then laminate it. Trim excess
from the edges and mask as normal. When you are through with the
mask, wipe it off and store in a log or notebook for future use.I like to insert the image (if it is small enough) inside a sports
card collectors album refill pocket (it is clear and the mask is
readyly spotted) and put it in the drawer where that stamp is held.
To not take up too much space, cut the pockets into a set of three
or however many you want.When the post-it glue starts wearing off, I just put a little bit of
glue from my quickie glue pen and as long it isn’t there for a period
of time, it is tacky and repositionable.
Pam James, Victoria, Canada
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I forgot to mention that when laminating the mask, I only laminate the
top image; I use Mac Tac actually. Pam James
………………………………… - Just call me resourceful. I needed something to pad a quilted heart. I
didn’t have any foam rubber or felt or thin batting sooo what came to
mind was something a little unorthodox…2 pantie liners. By removing
one of the papers on the under side they stuck well together and
removing the other paper it stuck well to the heart. Now how’s that
for being resourceful?!!!!LOL
Carey
…………………………………. - A week ago, I was demonstrating calligraphy and giving out free bookmarks to customers personalized with their name. I was amazed by the comments from people who: 1) don’t read books, 2) read only magazines 3) passed or said they were “all set” and 4) dog earred their pages or folded their pages to mark their page. I was giving out very simple bookmarks on white card stock & people were just thrilled to see their name in calligraphy.
But, here’s an even quicker & cheaper bookmark. How many of us are just drowning in junk mail with sooooo many envelopes that get tossed in the trash? Well, take those envelopes and cut the corners at a 45 degree angle. Stamp, paint, personalize or write a message or quote on the envelope corner to give to your significant others, friends and children. The corner of the envelope fits so nicely over the corner of your page in your book! And when you’re reading just slip it over another page so it doesn’t get lost. Envelopes are always within an arm’s reach! And we’re recycling!
Lynn L
freezing in Auburn Hills, MI
…………………………………………… - Hi Everyone,Bits and snips of vellum papers can be layered over cardstock to mute and enhance the color designs in our art. Layering vellum can give a darker appearance when two or more vellum papers are layered and they can mute a bright cardstock to help enhance a design.Have you ever used an ink that overpowers your design? Cover part of the image with a snippet of vellum. Tone down the ‘pop’ while adding dimension.This technique uses up leftovers and saves money at the same time.
Happy stamping,
Annette “:O)
………………………………………. - Thursday-tips is a great day to share something, right!I’m on the hostess-swap-list again this year and I have asked to put in a note in which you tell about how you made the card.
Instead of writing an a4 paper full about it :o) I came up with a word-document on which you write down once how it is done and copy and paste it 4, 5 times or more.
Cut it up and put it in or on the card, so the reciever will immidiatelly know how you made the card.I have attached it here, just over-write it or keep it as reverance.
Hope everyone who is going to join in in my to come swaps will use it.Hugs
Carla
…………………………………………………. - The bags that cherry tomatoes come in make a great embellishment for cards. Just cut a strip and slip your card into it. Adds texture and interest with no fuss.Bobbie Leas
- For those of you who like to save and use the used postage stamps in your art work…. I have found that applying heat with my heat gun works great….Hold under heat tool (do not scorch or burn!!!) use a very thin flat tool to slip under stamp and lift off… keep applying heat if necessary. (Do not use anything plastic … it will melt….found that out the hard way, duh! I found the spatula tool that came with my Cricut machine works very nicely!)(\__/)
(=’.’=) Rubber Hugs
(“)_(“) Sharon Moore
smoor04@cox.net
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Save your dirty water - Save dirty water from painting with Lumieres, metallic acryllics,
PearlEx mixed with Gum arabic for water colors (keep them in seperate
containers). Let the water settle and pour out the clean water and save
the sediment in a baby food jar. Keep doing this and you have a
wonderful metallic mixture to paint, stipple, fine mist spray, etc as a
background paper or to paint with.
Pam James, Victoria, BC, Canada
………………………………………………….. - Hi Everyone,When children make cards, it is always fun to photograph the children in the process of cardmaking and add the photos to the cards they have made. The pictures make the cards even more special and frameable.Give the children whatever art materials they choose. Leftover trimmings and what-nots from the button box and fiber pieces can make their cardmaking virtually free of cost.Watercolors are always fun. Consider painting outdoors on the picnic table so cleanup is a garden hose. Take photos of the children while they paint. Allow the watercolor creations to dry and iron flat between pieces of paper towel. Resist using newspapers because the inks from the newspaper pages will transfer to the watercolor page.
After the children have washed and dried their hands, show them the pictures you took while they painted. Let the children choose the snapshots they like best and print them out on your computer to the size you need. Trim with circle or square punches. Set the prepared pictures aside and make the card and card front. Attach the pictures. Add text on the card front or inside. If there is little room on the card front, but a text is wanted, let the children write their text on a piece of copy paper, scan, reduce, and print on vellum so the card is visible through the vellum. Attach the vellum text with a brad, eyelet, or two-sided tape.
Happy stamping,
Annette “:O)…………………………………………..
Goof Off tips: - 1. Works better than turps to use with colored pencil art. Dip cotton
but or one of those pointy paper tools I can’t recall the name of into
GO and rub away.
2. Use with laser print (mirror image) to make your own rub on
transfers. Print mirror image, apply GO to back with cotton bud (hold
the paper up while doing this or your image will be on whatever is
beneath), lay down and rub with stick.
It does smell when you use it so you might need a mask, but the odor
does not stay in the paper.
Sandra
………………………………………………… - When I enter a swap I print out the rules and directions. Then when I mail it off, I write the date it was mailed on it and attach my post office receipt. This way I know when it went out and have proof that I mailed it in case it should go astray.another one.. Each month I make a list of all the birthday and anniversary cards I need to make. I put the date of the event on the left side, then their name and then on the right side the date I have to mail it. I always include at least the first week of the following month in case there are any that will need to be mailed early. I run a red line through them as they are done and ready to go. Since I nearly always make a standard size card. I also address the envelopes so they are ready when the card is done. I put the date it is to be mailed in the right upper corner and put them in the order they are to be mailed. Since I do so many cards each month this just seems to help me keep them all straight. hope it will help someone else too.Bonnie Waliezer
U.S.A. - Hi Everyone,
Stamps can take on a new life when they are used in a variety of ways.
Stamp an image, then punch out a shape within the borders of the image. You will have a window that can be placed over another stamped image and create a whole new look. Attach it with foam dots for a 3D
effect. You also have the option of using the punched die on the
same piece of art or saving it for another card.
Happy stamping,
Annette “:O)
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Want a deckle-edge ruler but can’t bring yourself to pay the big bucks?
Raid your husband’s garage or visit the local hardware store. Flat saw blades of all shapes and sizes will do the same thing. It may not be as fancy but you’ll have more money for rubber stamps!
Pam James, Victoria BC, Canada
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I have been cutting out some flourishes on my big shot and when I looked at what was left, I thought it too nice to throw away, so have used it tonight, have put it on my blog. Any how my tip is think twice before binning your scraps. I suppose I am not the first to do this but thought it was worth a mention
Love Dot
From Hartlepool - Many, many years ago I was shopping for dimensional medium and it was very expensive for the quantity you got. So I went home and decided to experiment and I came up with a formula for very cheap and multi-functinal past. If you take wall patch about 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of Elmers glue mixed together you will have a great stencil paste that will stay on paper,tin, and even glass. I’ve also used it with a pallet knife for an underwater landscape on a peice of foamcore.
A little hint/warning if you use Elmers School instead of regular Elmers glue you end up with Silly Putty!
Carey
San Diego, USA
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This tip goes along with Bonnie’s tip regarding using your stencils. When I attended the Puyallup, WA Rubber Stamp Convention, a vendor was using brass stencils. She took black glossy paper and put her stencil down on it. She then put gold paste over the stencil and removed the excess with a baby squeegee but did it as one continuous wipe (not stopping anywhere on the card). If you stop and start, the paste will get under the stencil so whether you use a squeegee or a credit card, wipe off the excess in one motion from one end of the card to the other.The second thing the vendor did was take the template and place it over card stock that was covered with double sided tape (that comes in a sheet). But before she put her template down, she coated the side that was going down with bar soap!! That made it easy to get the stencil back off. She then masked areas and started putting glitter on her card, doing the darker colors first – one at a time. Then she removed all the masking and sprinkled clear over the rest of the card. Boy was it beautiful. Looked like glass.Sincerely,
Rli
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hello,
have some thoughts and a photo attached, about ‘storing’ embossing powder. - i get the clear-style ‘stackable-containers’ …the kind found in the bead sections at stores. generally 4 or 5 to a ‘package’. either lightly spray the inside with static guard, or wipe with a static free dryer sheet. each section will hold about 2 oz. of powder – a full bottle, in many cases. get labels that will fit the height dimension of the sections, and write a label for each powder used. can be ‘grouped’ by color, manufacturer, grade – whatever you care to write.
- i keep these containers in a flat-bottom tray…..see photo…there are 65 different embossing powders shown!! the dimension of the tray is: base width 15″ x depth 6″ x height 2″ . thats a lot of powder in a very small ‘footprint’!!! just pick up the entire ‘container’ and twist off at the powder of your choice. very easy.
- the photo shows a coated paper plate. i always hold the piece being embossed over a plate – or place it on the plate…which can also labeled – and re-used many times…. then pour ep on and tap off right over the plate. when returning the powder to the container, the plate can be ‘curved’ forming a spout, and poured back to the container. ***before ‘re-stacking’ these containers, i always use a soft brush (shown), to dust off the ‘cap’ portion. hold over a trash/garbage can, and gently brush all around the top threaded area. then re-stack. the can of ‘cleaning-duster’ is also shown, as it is handy to clean the ‘bottom’ of what ever container was being used.
- hope this is helpful!!
gentle hugs, wendy - If you have been crafting for anytime you probably have a few inkpads lying around you can fake the look of torn layers with nothing more than an inkpad and a torn magazine page. Here’s how: Tear a page from a magazine, lay it over the card that you want the torn edge on (the mag page should cover the part of the card you wish to protect) then drag an inkpad from the torn edge of the magazine to the edge of the card. Then slid the mag back a bit exposing a little on the card and lightly drag a bit of brown ink over that and it will look like you added a layer of torn paper to the card. Saves on mailing costs too! (you can also use a brayer but IMHO it wastes too much ink and then you have a brayer to clean, I get the best results with my Whispers pads) Here are some examples:
scrool down to the 3rd card: http://thefrugalcrafter.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/free-cutting-files-free-rubber-stamps-and-blog-candy/ - Owner of Lindsay Stamp Stuff: http://www.shophandmade.com/Store/Lindsay
Check out my crafty blog:
http://thefrugalcrafter.wordpress.com
The Rubber Cafe Design Team Member
http://www.therubbercafe.com
Creative Cuts and More Design Team Member
http://www.creativecutsandmore.com/
About Art Accents Design Team Member
http://www.aboutartaccents.com
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tend to buy only UMs and I keep mine in the plastic boxes as used by Chinese Take Aways – I can buy them in the pound shop (dollar store). I write on a card what’s in the box and have a folder where I keep a sheet of the stamped images. If I have a whole sheet then I keep that sheet in the box, if I buy random single UMs then I keep them in a box under their headings, i.e. trees, transport but put which company makes them on the little card and in the folder. I do have some stamps I have no idea about though, from before my days of trying to be more organised!
Lyn
……………………………. - Yesterday I saw a good tip on the Stamp TV site, http://www.stamptv.com, for controlling glitter in cleaning up. They used a Swiffer, not the handle, just the refill. They swiped it across the folded paper after they funneled the glitter into the right container And cleaned up the table surface.Fran Cicero
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………………………. - My tip is using acetate and aluminum foil to make the front of
a card.
Stamp your image using permanent ink on a piece of acetate.
Color image on the back of acetate using magic markers.
While acetate is drying, scrunch up a piece of aluminum foil
and then straighten it out.
Put the aluminum foil behind the acetate. Trim off excess.
Attach to your card by putting brads on the corners of the acetate.
Chris
USA
……………………………… - I like to store my Stickles glitter up side down. It keeps the product
near the tip which means you don’t have to “shake it down.”
It is also easy to see the colors.
I use empty pill containers to do this.The small containers fit the
Stickles perfectly.
Larger sizes can be used for Dimensional Pearls etc.
I find this method of storage very efficient as I can see the colors at
a glance with constantly lifting the bottles. - —
Dee Richardson
………………………………. - I’ve been trying to clean up and use up some stuff. I may be close to the world’s worst at saving things that I know I’ll use someday, but I never can find them when I want them – if I remember that I have them. So I have lots of partial or incompletely stamped images, pieces of printed paper left over after cutting what I needed, washi strips, etc. Usually since I don’t have a purpose for them in mind, they go in a stack, or later a box, then eventually a trash can. But after seeing the wonderful bookmarks in the bookmark swap, I decided that would be a worthwhile purpose. After all, we all like to find a little something extra in an envelope, and we all use bookmarks ourselves. So now I’m actually enjoying cleaning up and using up even more. I take my leftovers and make a bookmark on the spot – doesn’t take much time – and, if necessary it can be finished later with a note or a stamped sentiment for the person it’s going to. Here are three that I did in about an hour yesterday afternoon. http://tinyurl.com/o65og5
Bonnie Belk
…………………….. - I know this has been mentioned before, but now I am experiencing this first hand and with sore hands, from ripping off loopy tape.
- I decided to re- mount my stamps, mainly because I am so sick of using 3/4 different ways of using my un mounted stamps.I tend to only use what’s near by or already on a block. how slack is that. !!!
I can no longer get the VHS cases, and the loopy is also getting harder to come across here in Australia. - SO THE TIP IS :–
No matter how busy you are, even if you just take a photo of say a sheet of unmounted stamps with which company they came from. or even on a scrap piece until you can get to them properly.
As I am coming across boxes and boxes of stamps that have no ID to them, and now I am going thorugh web sites just to try to find the maker. what a waste of time and effort.
I wish I had been more digilent by doing this and keeping them tidy when I had finished with them. - back to it hugs Mary Waspe. xx
Oriental Stamp Art 