New York City's The Ink Pad

This New York City gem is just a hop skip and a subway away from most parts of Manhattan. The Ink Pad is located conveniently in the heart of Greenwich Village. It is lined floor to ceiling with wonderful stamps of all shapes, sizes and brands. The shop is organized by theme, not my favorite as I prefer stores organized by brand. But, that is just my personal preference and was made up by the sheer number and quality of stamps in this shop. From A Muse to Ruth's Jewish Stamps it was clear that variety meant a great deal to this store.

Their class schedule also seemed up to date with classes such as 'Inchies-Find out what the talk's all about'. I was also impressed with the service, the man (yep, man) behind the counter seemed knowledgeable and asked me how I was doing numerous times.

The prices were decent. I believe the mark up was between 5-15% (over retail), which I thought was quite fair considering the fact that it is housed in NYC (where my Dunkin Donuts Coffee cost 3.47 as opposed to 2.34).

All and all I would rate this store 4.5/5, the only negatives being price and organization. This is certainly a must see store to any New York visitor.

For more information please visit: The Ink Pad.
Ely

Caffeine Expression

I seriously feel like I need a vacation from my vacation. But not such luck! Tomorrow begins my first day interning with a local Judge. I did the same internship last year and I am really looking forward to it! The other thing I am looking forward to in terms of the internship is the fact that the neighborhood that the court room is in houses a Dunkin Donuts!!! I am head over heels in love with their Iced Coffee, it's delicous and cheap to boot.

Todays card is perfect for any coffee lover. The card base is Chocolate Chip from SU. The first layer from the back is white Georgia Pacific cardstock sprayed with Perfect Pearls and one pinch of Close to Cocoa re-inker. Next I stamped the Starbucks sign from Viva Las Vegas in chocolate chip. The second layer is tan bazzil cs onto which I stamped 'Just Wanted to Espresso my Love' in Chocolate Chip. Finally I stamped the adorably hung up on caffeine mouse from Ann-ticipations in Tuxedo Black Ink from Memento (colored with Copics: YR31 and R20). The card base itself is just under 4.25x5, smaller than a standard A2.

I'm working on the reviews of the stamp stores and I will be posting them in the coming days.

Talk to you soon,
Ely

Hello!

Thank you everyone for the wonderful wishes for my trip, it was fantastic! We went to three cities (Boston + NYC + Newport) plus a few day trips. Besides the AMAZING normal site seeing we also got a chance to go to three stamps stores (Paper Source + Chica Ink + The Ink Pad). I am going to start a new column with stamp store reviews because I always love to know whether a store is a dud or a gem. Later today I will post my full reviews.

Today's card is a fun mixture of stamps from the sale at my LSS. The main image is from Magenta and was such a joy to color. I used Y23, YG95, YG99, BG10, B01, R39 and E33. I loved playing with this 'through the window' coloring, which I stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on Georgia Pacific paper. I stamped the blue CD with a background stamp from Hot Potato Stamps in Tempting Turquoise. HPS has a lot of really great thick images that are perfect for backgrounds.

The card base is Purely Pomegranate (I actually convinced myself to use it, I overcame a tinch of hoarding HOORAH!). I also used the PP ink for the sentiment 'Hello' from My Favorite Things, which I stamped on GP CS. The ribbon is from Wal-Mart. I am oddly cheap with ribbon. I know it is some people's stamping passion, but IMHO simple looks better.

Well, I'm off to catch up on some sleep. The airline lost one of our bags on the way back (and the way there) so let's just say the stress level is a little high over here. However, I should be back later today for those reviews and I am looking forward to playing with all the rubbah I bought along the way (my very first Thomas Kinkade stamp as well as some A Muse and others).

Elyssa

{1} Little Paper Shop Release

Just wanted to remind y'all that the stamps have just been released!!

Visit Little Paper Shop for all the deets!

I'm off to explore the BIG city.

I'll be back soon. Hopefully with some GORGEOUS NYC pictures!

ETA: Julia just let me know that 'Butterflies and Blossoms' just sold out, so make sure you head over ASAP.

Ely

Hello from Sunny...

Rhode Island! I hope y'all are enjoying the Little Paper Shop sneak peaks. I definitely enjoyed making all the cards. I know that 'Just Bee-cause' is going to become a staple in my card making.

Thank you guys for all the well-wishes on my trip. It has been lovely! First we went to a family function in Boston and now we are in Newport, we are off to the big city on Wenesday. The week is flying by! This picture was taken yesterday at a wonderful All-American resturant in Bristol, the view was to die for.

Well I'm off to take advantage of the gorgeous day.

Elyssa

{2} Butterflies and Blossom

I discovered a new love for Pretty in Pink (by Stampin' Up) when I made this card. You see, when I first started using SU color families I bought the multi pack for each family. As time went on, I had to purchase full packs for many colors as I depleted the 3 that came in the original multi-pack. Somehow I still have the original PiP 3, sad but true. However, after making this card I may have to order a full package. How great does this simply gorgeous card look? It showcases the new Little Paper Shop set 'Butterflies and Blossoms'.

I stamped the one of the two funky butterflies from this set in PiP randomly. Then I took one of the MANY sentiments from the set to write 'Thankful for You' in PiP on White CS. I punched it out with my 1 3/8 circle punch along with punching a piece of Bashful Blue CS with the scallop circle. Finally, I tied a ribbon around the edge and then I had this beauty. Ok, so I like this card. Maybe too much. Maybe I'll send it. Maybe I won't. Story of my stamping life. Didn't I get into this to SEND homemade goodies? Who knows.

Ok, enough ranting! Tonight at midnight is the NEW release from LPS!!! ENJOY and let me know what you buy!

{3} Just Bee-Cause

How adorable are these bees? From the hive to the honeycomb image this is my ALL TIME favorite LPS set! I just love it. AND can you guess where those dots that are trailing behind the buzzers themselves are from? Yesterday's set, 'You're Invited'. See, that is one of the most wonderful things about acrylic stamps, especially high quality ones like those from Little Paper Shop, they bend without breaking and you can configure them into shapes on your blocks! The options are truly endless. All the stamping on this card is from the set 'Just Bee-cause' except the dots on the scallop punch which are from Stampin' up. I used More Mustard Ink for the honey comb and the aforementioned dots. For the Honey Comb I used E00 and E31(copics). Quick and Easy! My favorite.

Hope you enjoyed today's sneak peak, more to come tomorrow!

Elyssa

{4} Swell News

This sentiment gets me every time, it is just such a cute play on words. I love this image as well. I colored the woman in copics {YR31, E00, E47, Rv11, Rv14, RV34, YG91 and B01}. I sponged the background to her scene with Bashful Blue. I find myself using BB all the time, I think it is time to order some reinkers. The base card is Barely Bannana, another BB that I love! I punched the sentiment out with my SU Window Word Punch.

This set is also going to be available on the 24th from Little Paper Shop and is called 'Swell News'. What do you think?

Ely

{5} You're Invited

I am going to be adding a new category today called 'No Layers, No Problems'. I believe that not every card has to be a 3 hour, multi-layer, production. Now, don't get me wrong, I like ornate cards as much as the next girl, but sometimes I need some quick and easy cards and I just don't have the time to put into it. That's where cards like this come in. Simple but classic. I think this 'You're Invited' card is so flexible. Invite someone over to dinner, for a cup of coffee or just to have a movie night. I made this particular card en masse, because I like to send 'just because' notes inviting some one over for the aforementioned and I think this card evokes the causal nature of the invite.

This card also showcases the new 3x4 set by Little Paper Shop called 'You're Invited'. I stamped the main sentiment in Ruby Red, the dotted line in Brilliant Blue (you are going to be seeing A LOT of this dotted line this week and in the future, I think I'm in love, but more of that later), the flowers are in Tempting Turquoise and lastly the doodad is in Pumpkin Pie. Sometimes, simple is just better.

Also, how GORGEOUS are those flowers behind the card. My grandma sent me them yesterday!! Thanks Sue, they're wonderful.

I hope you are enjoying the new releases, I am LOVING them. They may be my all time favorite. Again, make sure to check out all the other fantastic design teamers.

:)
Ely

PS. I'm leaving for Boston/NYC/Rhode Island today, but I will be updating on the go, so talk to you soon from the big city!

{6} Birthday Surprise

This gorgeous little girl is from the soon-to-be released set 'Birthday Surprise' by Little Paper Shop. This month the sneak peaks are going to work a little differently. Each day a new set will be shown, simultanously, on each Design Team member's blog. I.E if you go to all the other DT's pages today, you will see inspiration with this same set. I think this will be a lot of fun for everyone!!

Ok, back to the card. I colored the little girl with the following copic colors:E00, E37, E49, R39, Y13. Y15, BG13, V04, V06 and C3. All of the carstock is bazzil. The ballon image (stamped in taken with teal) as well as the sentiment(memento tuxedo black) are all apart of this adorable set.

How adorable is that image?

Make sure that you visit the other wonderful creations of the LPS Design Team members by checking out their blogs below. Kelly is even offering some LPS Blog Candy.

• Kelly's Crafting Creatively
• Dawn's Treasure Oiler Designz
• Silke's My Life
• Cindy Haffner's Corner
• Sarah's The Scrapbook Table
• Bonnie's The Lucky Clucker
• Ellie's Scrapbook Mama
• Renee's Stamping For Sanity
• Laura's Scrapnextras

Tonight I watched 'Shakespeare in Love' for the first time. WHOA have I been missing out on this movie. Have you seen it? What did you think?

Ely

Relaxing is Mice...

How fun is this stamp? I have literally spent the last two days coloring and stamping. Between the sale at my LSS and the Little Paper Shop Sneak Peak starting TOMORROW! I have been a creative machine!

This particular cards is colored with copics, of course. I used R20, R14, Y000, YR31, B01, BG10, G21, G24, BV000, V01, E00, E31, W1, W3, C1 and C3. I got great use out of those markers for this one, because of course the more you use something the less it costs.

The last thing I did for the main image is to cover the glasses in Glossy Accents by Ranger. Then I mounted the image on white cs (I think the white brings some relief for the eyes between all the bright colors and the busy-sh image). After that, I inked the edges with color box chalk ink in Deep Blue. The base card is Rose Red Stampin Up Card stock.

I'm off to finish up some LPS samples, check back tomorrow for the first sneak peak!

LPS Challenge #1

Renee presented the first Little Paper Shop Design Team Challenge to the team a couple of weeks ago. I am totally excited to be able to show my version to y'all today! I have been waiting to show you this beauty for some time now and I really hope you like it.

The challenge rules were:
- use only 2 colors (any two plus one neutral if desired)
- use one May release stamp set
- no ribbon!

We really want you stampers in the blogosphere to play along, so if you choose to make a card and upload it to SCS please use the code LPSDTC01.

I knew right away that I wanted to use the LPS set 'Jungle Fun' for a belated birthday card. The sentiment from the set 'Life is a Zoo' expressed my reasoning behind the lack of timeliness of this card. But, I think the cuteness of this lion will just melt the heart of the recipient to the point that they may just have to forgive me!

I always have a lot of fun with challenges because I find that they really stretch my imagination. For instance, keeping this card with just So Saffron and two tones of 'Sand' made a really cool almost monotone card.

I used So Saffron for the base (but I guess you could have deduced that, silly me!). I inked up my retired SU! Background, Linen, and stamped it in So Saffron on the base. Then I layered the base with a piece of sand colored cardstock and graduation stamped the leaf from JF in Real Rust. Next I stamped my Lion in Memento Tuxedo black and colored him in with R20 and YR31, my new favorite combo. He is planted in E33. My final touch was stamping 'Life's a Zoo' in Memento TB and punching it out to be 1 inch in diameter and nesting it in metal tag.

Quick and Easy!

Hope you enjoyed it and please check out the other DT's cards (their links are on my sidebar!).

Also, T minus one day until the big LSAT, I can't believe it is almost here!

OH, and HAPPPPYYYY Father's Day DAD(yep, he reads this!)

Ely

Faux Batik

I think I am a techniqueaholic. I love to try new things with my supplies and when I saw Lisa Johnson's Faux Batik Tutorial, I searched my house high and low for some rubber cement and eventually found one that I believe had it's hey-day in the early 90s as adhesive for some spectacular science fair projects. But, I decided to give it a try. And, to my surprise...it worked!!!

If you're interested in the technique please check out the aforementioned link, she explains it really well! I actally used my Mini-Mister from Range which I filled 3/4 of the way with water, put 4 drops of Regal Rose Re-inker inside, then topped it off with some perfect pearls (gold and pink). You can't really see how much this card shines in the picture, but let me tell you it's sure does sparkle.

The dragonfly is from Magenta and the sentiment is by Stampendous. The base is actually Brocade Blue.

My biggest tip is to let the RC dry. If you get overanxious about wanting to see if it worked you will tear the paper.

Easy Peasy!

Elyssa

Every Heart Beat True for the Red, White and Blue WSC51

How adorable is this little mouse??? It's actually from Ann-ticipations and from my LSS. My LSS is actually moving down the road so they are having some major sales! It is totally awesome since she never (and who can blame her?) puts things on sale. I have been gobbling up these mice, I swear I went from like 2 to 6 in 2 days. I am addicted! The sentiment for this bad boy is 'Every Heart Beats True for the Red, White and Blue' which reminds me of my elementary school days.

I colored him in copics. I have been having some coloring break throughs. Basically new coloring combinations for shadows, which I am sure I am not the first to discover, but which are really bringing my coloring to new heights! For instance this mouse was colored in YR31, but was shadowed in R20, which I also used for the inside of his ears. Talk about flexibility! The other copic colors I used are R27, W1, W3 and B29.

The card base is Real Red from Stampin' Up with a Bazzil layer stamped with the stars from Little Paper Shop's Basic Shapes Set in Brilliant Blue. The ribbon is from Wally World (Offray) and of course the layout was Beate's Weekend Sketch (so I'm late?!?).

OK, I'm off to watch 'Password'.

Ely

Happy Father's Day

I love to mix and match stamp companies. I find that I achieve some of my favorite cards when I bring a diverse group of stamps, colors and supplies to my stamping table and just get at it! This card exemplifies this theory. I think I used 5 or 6 companies. The apron and recipe are from Ann-ticipations, the chef on the apron is from Stampin Up (Viola + Viola to Go), the word 'dad' is from the A-Z set from Little Paper Shop, the scratched look on the piece orange paper is a stamp from Stamper's Anonymous, the Clouds on the background are sponged with a template from Printworks (although it would be easy to make one DIY), the ribbon is from American Crafts and the paper is Bazzil. And I just love how it all came out!!

I think I might just mass produce these for all my father's day cards as it is just such a fun look. Are you mass producing your FDCs?

It's the big LSAT countdown, less the one week to go! Thank you to everyone for all the well wishes, it means a lot to me. As JanTink has been discussing on her blog, bloggers LOVE comments, you are all so special to me and I love hearing from you whether you have questions, comments or just well wishes!

You all are the best!
Ely

Beach Days

Happy Birthday Hopper

It is no secret that House Mouse and Stampendous hold a special place in my stamping heart. They are just so precious and fun to color. Their 'Happy Hopper' line provides just the same colorin' fun. You may recognize this little creature as I have done some cards with him on this blog as well as a tutorial. I just love this look for birthday cards of all ages!

This card came together so quickly with paper from Stampin Up(Taken with Teal) and Bazzil cardstock. Plus memento black ink and only orange ink from Stampin up and of course my favorite and yours, copics!

Quick, Easy and Purty, my kind of card.

PS Get excited for this month's Little Paper Shop releases, they are out of this world!

Ely

Graduation Season

It is offically Graduation Season. That lovely time of year when you get to spend your hard earned weekend afternoons in people's hot humid backyards eating food that has been out for G-d knows how long and that always tastes burnt, fishy or melted and you 'get' to discuss your summer plans, your future, why you made this decision, why you didn't make another, where you are at school, what your major is, how many hours your potential work day may be, what the 'interviewer'/parent's friend's personal experience is with your job/internship/summer plan of choice is, what their child/angel/overachiever/perfect-specimen is doing, why your not doing that exact thing/ where you plan to go to law school/dental school/medical school and why you aren't picking their alma matter, how wonderful your ambitions are BUT to remember not to 'rush it' and basically any other unassuming question that stresses any teenager-young adult whom does not have the rest of their life meticoulosy planned. But then again, there is always the chance that someone will fall in the pool on the way to the buffet table, so it's totally worth it.

One of my favorite things about this season (besides the chance of seeing Uncle ___ fall in the pool) is making school specific cards. ESPECIALLY when the grad is going to the University of FLORIDA!! I love to use my 'Go Gators' stamp and the very floridaTASTIC color combo of Orange and Blue. This card was just so much fun to make!

I'm off for more LSAT. Thanks for the well wishes, I was happy with my score from yesterday :)
GO GATORS!
Ely

Go Gators
Stamps: Graduation House Mouse by Stampendous, Go Gators by Kankorkards, Circle of Friendship by Stampin Up
Paper: Only Orange by Stampin Up, Bazzil Cardstock, Georgia Pacific Cardstock from Wal-mart
Ink: VersaColor Pigment (Black), Brilliant Blue by Stampin Up
Punches: 1inch circle by Ek Success
Coloring Supplies: Tombow

Tuscan Villa

Wow! Only a week and a half till the LSAT. I can’t believe it. So much of my time is consumed with studying that you really would think I was still in school.

But, don’t feel too bad for me, as I still have time to create a couple of cards a day. I worked on this one last night. Watercoloring is just so fun and soothing. Plus the Tuscany color scheme was so much fun to work with, I even added some Twinkling H20s (golden monarch) to the stamp. If you have never checked out Twinkling H20s and you like sparkle, you are missing your calling. I even have a tutorial (see my left hand column) on how to use them J

I have a full four hour practice LSAT tomorrow, so I am off to do some last minute studying, hope you enjoy.

Elyssa Blair

Ingredients

Stamps: P1-729 Tuscan Village by Stampers Anonymous, Rondel by Stamper’s Anonymous

Ink: More Mustard by Stampin’ Up, Real Rust by Stampin’ Up, Staz-on by Tsuinkeno

Paper: More Mustard by Stampin’ Up, Real Rust by Stampin’ Up, 140 lb Cold Press by Cannon

Ribbon: Offray

Watercolors: Derwent, Twinkling H20s

A Beginner's Copic Video Tutorial

Fun with Flocking

I love texture. Anytime the stamping industry comes up with a new way for me to add texture to my cards, I'm in. About a year ago, I first started to see ads for Doodlebug's Flocking. I know that they are not the first people to invent it, but they had some pretty darn cute ads with cute little bottles. Cute bottles + Texture= Must Find!

So, when I stumbled upon a prestine pack of 12 for 15$ at a not so local LSS, I was in!

Last night I started playing. I flocked with Versamark and Tsunkiedo's Glue Pad. I got MUCH better results with the Glue Pad. However, it doesn't work perfectly and definitly doesn't work with all images. You really need a thick image to work with, plus a large drying time for it to really stick. You also need to put a good amount of the glue pad reinker (10 seconds pressing) on the pad to get it nice and sticky.

Overall, I would say it was a fun expierence, my images never came out perfectly and I would NOT recommend it for perfectionists, but all and all it was a lot of fun and a technique I am happy to add to my arsenal.

Have you played with it? What do you think

Let me know!
Ely

PS. In the next week or so I plan to make a short video tutorial about the basics of copics, as per some wishes :)

Ingredients:
Stamps: Spring Solitude by Stampin' Up
Ink: Apricot Appeal by Stampin' Up, The Essential Glue Pad by Tsuineko
Accessories: Glitter Letters by K&Co, Rhinestones from Michaels, Doodlebug Flock by Doodlebug

Life is Not a Matter...

Does your stamping desk (or kitchen table, or floor) ever look like it is covered in a mountain of cr*p? Well today mine did. Instead of cleaning it up and throwing stuff away, I decided to challenge myself to make a card TOTALLY out of scraps. It was actually harder than I thought.

I wish I could tell you where every piece of paper is from, but due to the glory of my self-made challenge, I can’t. I know for sure that the card base is Rose Red, stamped by the Jeans CHF Backgrounder in Rose Red. It is VERY subtle, but it gives a great texture to the paper.

The main sentiment is from one of my all time favorite birthday sets ‘It’s Your Birthday’ from Stampin’ Up. It is stamped in Not Quite Navy.

The rest are scraps!!!

I have been totally stressing about the LSAT as it is in 2 weeks, so far so good, but it is taking time out of stamping so I was thrilled to have time to set down and do this card!

Hope you enjoy,

Elyssa

Dream the Impossible-Kwerner Inspiration Challenge 10#

One of my favorite stamping reasons to be home is the ability to do card challenges. This particular card was made for Kwerner's Color Inspiration #10. I loved her combo of So Saffron, Not Quite Navy, Basful Blue, Old Olive and Whisper White. It just looks so peaceful.

One of my favorite techniques for glossy paper is resist. All you have to do is use a resist pad (versamark or ranger clear resist) and heat set it. It will come off clear. To apply color you can use anything from a brayer to daubers (what I used). I daubed the four colors on in a circular motion to make the colors (the challenge colors) more blended. Once dry, I used my Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad and stamped more Magenta Dragonflies. This pad is definitely my all time favorite. Not only can I use copic markers with it, but it becomes permanent once dry or heat set. It’s a jack of all applications.

Next I matted the glossy cardstock on Bashful Blue CS from SU, then put the panel on Old Olive CS from SU. I finished if off by stamping my sentiment ‘Dream the Impossible’ (from Hobby Lobby) on So Saffron CS in Not Quite Navy. I then matted that panel on Whisper White Cardstock. SO yummy! My last step was to add some bling from Michaels.

Enjoy!

Ely