Papertrey Blog Hop- and Philosophy

September's challenge from Nichole for tonight's Blog Hop is to 'show off any skill you might have learned from any stamper.'

So here's my philosophical thinking~ I do not consider myself having created any technique in card making that is mine, only mine- an original thought, so to speak. In philosophy, there is much discussion about whether there is such a thing as original thought, or is every thought (or creation) anyone has just built upon what comes before... is that too obtuse to think about on Blog Hop night? Suffice it to say that I consider everything I do in card making is learned from some other stamper.

The trick this month, then, was to think about which technique or tip has had the biggest effect on me. Ah! That's easy!

Look at these!

Early in my card making I went to All About Paper LLC in Hampton, NH (www.allaboutpaperllc.com). There, an entirely new world of card making was opened up to me~ I saw the most wonderful imported papers, and all kinds of things made from them- cards, 3-D items, and best of all, alcohol inks!


From Catherine, I learned how to line edges with a gold Pilot pen, how to let the paper carry the card, and how to get things to look 3 dimensional even when they are flat. And, lol, I learned to love little gold stickers!!

Mostly, though, I learned how to use alcohol inks. For that lesson, I am forever grateful!

She told me about score-tape that is 6 inches wide, and how it will hold down any thick photo paper, and also how when you punch through the stock then put the tape on the back- glitter will stick! She also taught me how to use an xacto knife with a ruler and cutting mat to get perfectly straight lines. Wow, I needed that, and went home and threw away my cutter that always made for wonky cuts. Freedom!

Catherine's cards also use lots of layers to pull the color away from the central image all the way to the edge. Can you see the gold in the inked background? Another lesson from Catherine: how to use metallic's with your inks.

Here's the last card tonight, hard to see in the photo, and maybe I've shown you this one before~ but a great example of using those imported papers along with alcohol inks, how to create a planned image with inks, and how to stamp on top of the inks!

Other than the fact that it's tough to make baby cards with alcohol inks, lol, it's still my favorite way of creating cards!

Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom, lol, and now carry on with your hopping!