Sending Big Love In a Small Package - The Mini Card

Hello again, my lovelies!

Today we're gonna talk about one of my favorite things... the mini card!

Now, I know that small cards are not exactly new in the papercrafting/cardmaking world, but they have just recently been a great way for me to send big love in a small way.

With Covid-19 still doing its thing (you know I had to mention it in at least one post) I've found this to be a great way to send a small sip of joy to someone. 

Here are some benefits to the small card:

1. You Don't Have to Write More Than You Want.

Say you don't really know the person well, but you still want to send them a note that you're thinking of them. Instead of trying to figure out how to fill a 4 1/4 x 5 inch space with extra words, a small square can be a perfect place to put a small quote or a thought that might warm their heart.  

2. It Will Put Those Small Stamp Sets to Use

We all do it.  We just can't resist the cute image staring back at us, pleading with us to make adorableness with it.

Especially during Stamptember, the most wonderful time of the papercrafting/stamping year. This is when all of us gather online and purchase all the stamps and get wonderful bargains in the process, all while supporting small business owners who love what they do.

One of the things I love are the small stamps that sometimes come free with your order or is at such a great price who are you to let it languish on a shelf somewhere when it can be at your fingertips here?

Those small pieces are golden for these cards. They don't require too much mixing and matching and are a great way to see their beginning potential. And who knows? You may think of ways to combine those images with others in your stash.

3. It's Good for the Environment

I often recommend this as a tool for small businesses and non-profits who like to send out personal cards as thank yous to their customers. It's impactful, personal, and allows the message to be digested quickly. It also saves on waste...so if there is a customer who reads the info once and wants to toss it (which I know is sad, but let's be honest, does happen) it is not creating a bigger carbon footprint than is necessary. 

So, now that we know why they are such an incredible card to use, we will put a few together in my next post. It will have measurements, step by step instructions and plenty of ideas to get your creative juices flowing. 

Just in time for this year's Stamptember! Let me know what you love about small cards or if you've never tried them and you want to give them a go. Who can you think of that needs a quick hug in an envelope?

I look forward to being with you next time. Until then...

May your Inkpads & Creativity Never Run Dry,

Janice 

Creating Cloud Cards

HELLO MY LOVELIES!

In this video tutorial, we are reaching toward the sky with our Follow Your Dreams Cloud Cards.

This method is a great way for you to work on creating sky backgrounds on your cards. You can play with different colors and create something realistic all the way to the fantastical!

I used Distress Oxide Inks from Ranger for the video except for the Versamark ink for embossing, but you can use whatever you've got. 

*Pro-tip: this is a great way to use some of your not-so-used inks before they dry up.

So, have fun, experiment with what you've got, and send someone an inspiring card today!

Find me on Instagram @indigihipcreations and let me know how yours turned out. 

You can also purchase these at my Etsy shop...just choose your colors!

Thanks for stopping by...

May Your Inkpads & Creativity Never Dry!

PS- Click Here if you're having trouble clicking on the video itself. 

PPS- The next one will be a full-on blog post...promise!

Altering Your Digital Stamps - Featuring The Greeting Farm

I have always seen myself as a stamping purist.

When beginning my papercrafting journey, it was deep red rubber stamps mounted onto their own individual blocks that were considered “the standard”. It made things easy to line up and you had to have a particular knack for getting all the ink where it needed to be the first time you laid the inked side to paper.

If you were really good you could reink the image in the exact spot with no shadowing. I think that was the Holy Grail of stamping at the time. 

Now things like Photopolymer clear stamps and digital stamps are the norm. But for a long time, I fought with the idea of digital stamps. Wasn’t that just printing out an image and coloring it in? Was that really stamp work? 

Then a few years ago, I happened upon The Greeting Farm (thanks to Kristina Werner!) and now I’m hooked.

Their adorable images plus the affordability of these stamps were drew me in. And the fact that there is no physical storage required and it’s a way to be a more green and responsible papercrafter is an added bonus.

But what I just recently learned was the complete versatility. 

A friend of mine is getting married this month to his partner of four years and I wanted to send them a personalized card. Something that would be special and would fit them both. I couldn’t find any stamps that had two grooms (or two brides) to use for my card, so I decided to make one myself.

Using the Caketopper Kiss Digi, I created what I call the Mr. & Mr. card. 

To see how to do this with your digital images and the results I got for this, you can click on this short video. 

Let me know how it worked for you! I’d also love to see what cards you come up with, so find me on Instagram @indigihipcreations . 

May your Inkpads and Creativity Never Dry,

Janice

3 Ways to Stay Creative

Ahhh, the sweet smell of paper crafting.

 

There is nothing quite like it.

 

For some people, it is a private room where they can lock themselves away from their always-too-close family to create in peace for bit, while for others it’s vying for space at the dining room or coffee table in between laundry loads and snack prep.

 Regardless what your creative space is, they all have one thing in common: they are an oasis.

 I know, I know. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, right? You sit down to lose yourself in something else for a bit when you get the dreaded “Mommm” or (in my case) a knock on the door to ask about coffee or dinner or some other thing that could probably wait until I’m finished.  

Sorry, I went off track a bit…where was I?

 Right. Oasis.

 The still place where the external stuff disappears for just a little bit. A calm between the hectic day to day parts of life. And whether you have minutes or hours (lucky!) to work play in your medium, here are just a few tips to making that feeling last from one session to the next.

 

 1. Use the Five Minute Rule

 

Normally used for procrastination, this rule/technique has you choose a task you would otherwise avoid and set a goal to work on it for only five minutes. It is an amazing way to boost motivation and get more things done, but I like to use it when I’m pressed for time.

I tell myself, I am giving myself at least five minutes to sit and craft something.

By doing this, I can really focus on one or two elements I want to get done. And when the five minutes is up, I can decide to work for another five minutes or go about whatever I feel is more pressing in my day.

 Think of all the elements you could complete for your cardmaking in that time: Score a stack of card stock into note cards, stamp an image multiple times for assembly line work, set up a clean sheet of watercolor paper for your next session, clean some old stamps… the list is endless!

 

In fact, the list is so big, I may have to put one together as a post or a downloadable PDF to share with you. Let me know in the comments!

 

 

2. Jot Down Ideas

 

There have been plenty of times when I’ve been shopping in a store like Marshall’s or TJMaxx and have seen something stitched or embroidered that would make a lovely card or bookmark. I will normally snap a photo and revisit it once I’m sitting at my craft desk. I also do this with TV shows, commercials, and sometimes scribble down something on a piece of paper when having a conversation with friends.

This allows me to not waste any of that precious oasis time choosing what I want to create. 

I have an idea already in place and can get to the zen part of the work faster.

 

3. Stop Before You’re Finished

This one is a tricky one for some people. 

Most get frustrated when they have to leave a project they’ve been working on incomplete and often wonder why they started in the first place. But don’t be discouraged! It isn’t my recommendation to leave it incomplete forever. Just until the next time you sit down to craft.

Many successful writers and other creatives use this technique all the time. 

In order to keep the momentum of creative juju going, you want to leave your work at a spot where you’re dying to get back to it the next session.

By doing this, you get the satisfaction of knowing what you will be working on initially in the next session and it also gives you the chance to start the next project so that you’re not trying to build momentum for whatever you want to work from one crafting opportunity to the next. 

The excitement stays with you.

Keep creativity a part of you.

I usually use these ideas in tandem, but feel free to play around with them to fit your needs. 

Giving yourself permission to play fast and loose with your paper crafting time and energy will help maintain that oasis of creativity and fill you up with more joy and inspiration for the future.

 What are some tips and tricks you use to keep your creative juices flowing? How have they worked for you? Would you give these a try? Let me know in the comments!

 

May your ink pads & Creativity never dry,

 Janice

The Daily Marker Fabulous Giveaway to Simon Says Create 2019!

Hey there Guy & Dolls!

Today, I would like to share an amazing opportunity that is taking place right now!

For many people, it can be difficult to attend some of the fantastic events that happen in the crafting/cardmaking community.  Well, this giveaway is just for you!

The giveaway is for you and a friend to not only attend two days of creativity and inspiration held by the crew at Simon Says Stamp, but it has the hotel stay INCLUDED! It is a huge opportunity to be a part of such a special event...and all for FREE!

I love that this giveaway is about being able to share this special time with a friend and create one-of-a-kind memories. I have already submitted my entry and will try to repost this a few times on my Instagram page (@jrtorres) over the next few weeks, so no one is left out. 

Deadline for entries to this giveaway is FEBRUARY 27th, 2019 at 10:00pm EST. 

Winners will be announced on March 1st!!!!

I'm not gonna give too much of the details away, because I want you go to Kathy's website www.thedailymarker.com and explore all she has to offer, including the Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge!  

Don't wait to enter! 

Until the next time, my darlings... Happy Crafting!

Cardmaking Sesh Week #1- Start the Year With Love

Hi Guys & Dolls!

Welcome to our first Cardmaking Sesh! We are only a few weeks into the new year and I am ready to keep this feeling of endless possibilities going! I know there are many of you that are pushing forward on some of your resolutions, while others have decided to focus on goals and intentions, but I believe that all your choices are leading you to a great place of discovery. Not just of yourself, but of the world around you. 

I, for one, am focused on bringing some fun new ways to use all of the stamps I already have and limit what I purchase in the future. That way I value what is already in my life, ya know?

And with that in mind, let's get crafty!


I decided to start working on some of my Valentine's day ideas, starting with a clean and simple card that's full of love! Some of you may have seen this card when I posted my first go of it on Instagram (you can find it here) and I thought it would be such a fun quick card when you need to get one together quickly for someone special.

Quick Note: I am not sponsored or affiliated (yet!) by any of these companies and have purchased all the materials I use with my own money. If this changes in the future, I will be sure to post it here!

Ok, so first, I took a scrap piece of stencil sheet I had from trying to make some stencils in my Cricut a few months back and cut it to size for the Vented Heart Die from Simon Says Stamp. 

I then ran it through my Gemini Junior twice to ensure it had cut thoroughly through the material and ended up with a fantastic reusable stencil!

I may do this with some more of my scrap stencil materials and dies for other projects, since it gives you so many more options with the dies you have.


Next, I scored my paper to create a 5x7 card. Normally, I use the 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 standard for my cards, but I wanted to have a bit more white space to draw the eye to the images.

Using some purple low-tack tape, I centered my image on the card and taped it down securely. Always start from the center so you are sure it is all evenly spaced on the front of the card.

I recommend using a t-ruler to get it perfect.

Now it's time to pick your colors! 

I wanted to have a rainbow effect on the hearts, so I picked some colors close to each other on the color wheel. I prefer using Distress Oxide inks from Ranger since they move well over the paper blend like a dream! 

Starting at the top of the heart, I used a pouncing motion to keep the ink from smearing. Notice that I have the cover pushed down a bit further on the bristles? 

This is to pack them tightly together and create a more fluid bouncing motion a laying down of the ink. That is one of the beauties of this particular brush...you can change the flexibility of the brush for whatever you need!

Once you are happy with the top of the heart, change your color and work from the bottom of the heart up. That way the blend is cleaner and you have a strong sense of the bottom color. 

Lift the stencil and VOILA! you have a heart!

Now I did get some of my ink on the paper and tried using water to clean it, but I discovered it will soften the paper too much and begin the dreaded pilling.  So, I switched to a sand eraser and it worked like a dream!

Now line the stencil up to the side of the heart you've done, making sure to align the vents before taping it down. Go to you next colors and repeat until you have all the hearts you want!

NOTE: You'll want to wipe your stencil off between hearts so that none of the other colors interfere with the new color you're adding. A baby wipe or cloth works great! I use the unscented Up&Up baby wipes from Target...it comes in a big pack and is super inexpensive.

I really like the the Heart-filled Sentiments by Reverse Confetti and I thought the font was a bit more modern and fun. It has a bunch of great sentiments  that I often use for background, so you should definitely check it out!

I used Versafine black ink to add the sentiment (my Misti and T-Ruler helped me get it right where I wanted it), heat embossed it with WOW clear embossing powder and I was done!

You can skip the sentiment if you just want to have a card ready for any occasion. I hope you enjoy making this card using your own materials and creativity to really make it special.

On our next Cardmaking Sesh, we will be creating a scenic card using some tiny shells I found while at the beach and some Gina K. Designs stamps...not to mention a really fast and easy way to create a beautifully realistic sky.  

Until then, my darlings, Happy Crafting! 

the wonderful world of crafting

Hello everyone! Welcome to IndigiHip Creations, a new place for most crafty things, especially cardmaking!

I am a big fan of using different ideas and techniques being used in other places, but I also like to see if I can DIY some of my own! I understand what it's like to try to make great quality work on a limited budget, so I will have some tips on getting good results with what you've got on hand.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you and having fun making some stuff!


Janice



PS- The majority of my quick posts can be found on Instagram, so please visit me there : @jrtorres
       
Also, I will be posting some videos there and possibly YouTube in the future...let me know if there something YOU would like me to post about!