Where Imagination Meets Paper

Been Slow

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:52:00 +0000

Well I haven't really done much lately. I did create some clay pendants, but I'm not sure how much I like them. I think I like 4 out of the 20 or so I created. I'm still in the trial and error stage. I have set them aside for the next time I mix up some resin to coat them. Here's a sneak peak though.

I need to make another batch since I bought several colors of clay. I'm testing out my inks and colorings techniques to see what actually sticks without smearing.

I'm going to try and get some done tomorrow. School is out soon so I'm not sure what the house will be like for me with the kids home. I was out of work last summer too and was happy to spend it with the kids. I'm going to try again, while looking for work. I'll still look, just less aggressively.

Update May 21, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:46:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

I'm embarking on yet another venture. My whole Suspended Imagination shop was supposed to consist of pendants and it's been going very well for my creativity. The only thing so far I feel that's out of place is my necklaces, but technically they aren't because I did add some dangles that hand like pendants. I can think of 5 pendants types that I want to try to include in my shop.

Today I bought the materials, tools, and supplies for 1 of them, polymer clay! I bought a tutorial on Etsy to teach me how to make clay pendants. I can tell that there is a learning curve to get the smoothness and thickness just right, but I'm willing to work on it. I have some created but I will need to wait to bake them until tomorrow. I started up my new craft oven and it was smoking. It says that it will do that, but since everyone is sleeping I don't want anyone alarmed. I can't wait to have another thing to stamp on and make jewelry with.

If you are wondering about the other pendants I want to create, they include bottle cap, resin, glass, solider, and the polymer clay. I could easily do some bottle cap ones, I just need to buy some caps to use. I'm sure that I have tons of items here already that I can decorate them with. The resin ones I would like to play with the resin and find things to fill it with and use a mold. I only use resin right now to cover my pendants for a nice finish. I want to do the whole glitter in resin making heart shapes type of pendant. Glass pendants probably won't be in my near future, I'm thinking of the fused glass pendants with all the beautiful colored glass. The kiln alone is so far out of my budget, I need to be successful in all of my other pendants first before going down that road. The solider pendants are the kind that use 1 x 2" pieces of glass sandwiched in decoratives and solidered on the edges.

I love crafting and doing different techniques and playing with different mediums. I hope that my shop isn't too mix matched to browse in. Hopefully I'll have some new pendants to show you tomorrow. I did make a new necklace tonight too, I should have that listed tomorrow as well.

On that note I'm leaving you with a picture of my 2nd necklace I created last week. This is in my Etsy and Artfire shops right now.

Artfire Listing
Etsy Listing

Update May 20, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

First things first... I may have mentioned that I'm not good about updating so I was going to try and schedule some set "events" to keep me in line. That lasted only 1 week. I think I better just free flow for awhile and just get into the habit of coming here and writing. I have a lot to write about but then I feel guilty for not doing the things I said I would so then I don't write anything. I'm wiping the guilt away and I'm just going to post.

I started school (again) this week. I'm attending Joliet Junior College, which is my local community college. I am going in with 53 credits that I earned from DeVry already. My DeVry degree was taking forever and was very expensive so I decided to switch to a community college instead. I'll see what happens after I get this degree done. I'm going for Web Design and since I already have all of my Gen Ed classes out of the way I can focus on learning the good stuff :)

My first class is Graphic Design an introduction class in design that I desperately need. I don't know anything about graphics except how to look for them. I really need to learn this so I don't spend anymore money paying others to create graphics for me. I'm still stuck on what to do with my Suspended Imagination logo design. I was thinking a hot air balloon, but I really don't like that. I'm also thinking of maybe stars tied to the sky, something like that. I'll come up with something by the time class is done in 2 months I think.

The job search is going so slow too. Everyone is paying less and less, its almost not worth it to work full time. I am just trying hard to make my other projects successful in the meantime.

Here is something new that I designed. This is my first necklace and it's listed on Etsy and Artfire.

Blue and Black Bead Necklace $15.00 on Etsy
Blue and Black Necklace $15.00 on Artfire

I enjoyed making that one so much that I did make another and I'm working on a third, I'll write about those later :)

Well that was a quick update, I'll talk to you all later.

Missed Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 10 May 2009 05:26:00 +0000

I'm sorry I missed my 2nd scheduled Friday tutorial. I told you I was bad at this lol. I have the idea all set out and I'm going to show you "Drunken Pastels". I'm going to do it tomorrow for sure.

DH has been taking up a lot of my time this weekend. He plays World of Warcraft, but lately he's been playing less. When he plays less he seems to need me to entertain him then... so I never get anything done. I'm trying to make sure he doesn't cancel his account because he will be at my side 24/7 (when he's not working of course lol). We did clean out the storage space under our stairs, which we basically crammed with stuff when we moved in. There was some icky shelf thing under there and some dry wall that needed to be replaced. We cleared all that out and put the stuff back in that we need to store. I have 3 huge bags of clothes that I need to take to Goodwill ready to go out.

So I told DH I needed time tomorrow for my tutorial, he should give it to me since it is after all Mother's Day and I should be able to do what I love... right?

Card Sketch Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 04 May 2009 06:13:00 +0000

I sure hope that I can at least keep up with my blog if nothing else when I find a full time job. I do enjoy it and it gets me creative to actually do some stamping.

I'm going to try and do a card from a random google search because I can't do my own or have the time to do it. Hmm maybe I can get my son to do that for me. He's good at shapes, we'll see. I try and get him involved in my business where ever I can.

Since this is from a random site I really don't know the rules for showing the sketch since I'm sure that the original site would like you to visit them. So I'll put up a link to the sketch page that I used. I'll find out what the etiquette is from the stamper bloggers.

Faith Sisters - 4/7 Card Sketch

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Cardstock: Green Galore, Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron
Markers: Green Galore, Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Basic Black

I used the argyle cuttlebug folder, some green rick rack, some metal brads.

Hope this inspires you!

Suspended Imagination

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:05:00 +0000

New banner needed. When I first re-opened Suspended Imagination this year I purchased a banner that I really liked.

This banner however does not reflect what I'm about, what my products are, or my style. My son is going to attempt to make a banner for me but we are stuck as to what the image should be. I want it very rock and roll and edgy more than whimsy. We were coming up with things that are in reality suspended and came up with a couple, swings, chandeliers, and pendulums in a grandfather clock way. Out of these I think the pendulum would best represent me, but it still doesn't tell you what I sell or the style of my work. I don't want to go the route of adding products to my banner either.

Does anyone have any ideas for me?

Marbled Background Technique

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:20:00 +0000

I know that I'm not very good at blog posts or posting on a regular basis, so this is my attempt to have 1 regular posting day a week, at least to start with. I always have ideas, but when it comes to doing it I fail.

I am starting with a technique Friday. This technique has been around for a long time, but it was refreshed this week on Split Coast stampers. It's called Marbling and it's used to make backgrounds to give your cards and paper projects a little abstraction.

The list of supplies: (you can change this to whatever works for you)
3 different colors of reinkers
cardstock
marbles
little cups
plastic container big enough to hold cardstock
repositionable adhesive
tweezers

Add some adhesive to the cardstock just so that it won't slip around in the container. Just add a tiny bit.

Place your cardstock in your container and press down to hold it in place.

Put your marbles into a tiny cup.

Add 2-3 drops of ink to the cup.

Swirl the marbles around getting ink all over them.

Place the marbles in your container.

Close the lid and roll the marbles all around.

Repeat with the second color.

Repeat with the third color.

Now you are all done and ready to make a card using this background. Don't forget to remove the adhesive from the back of your cardstock.

Here's the card I made with my piece.

I have posted this one up for sale at my Artfire shop Cardstock Creations

I have another one for one lucky commenter. I'll post next Friday who you are, so check back!

Give Away Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:12:00 +0000

I was already for the drawing at 10:00 Monday night (2 hours ahead of time) and then I forgot to do it!

The winner is Audrey! She won this domino pendant. Congratulations!

Etsy Day Give Away!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Today, April 24th, is Etsy Day. In honor of that I am having a give away! It's really simple to enter.

1) Check out my Etsy Shop Suspended Imagination http://suspendedimagination.etsy.com

2) Come back here and comment on which items is your favorite with either the URL or item number (the number is at the end of the URL). Please leave me your email or way to contact you.

The item you pick will be your prize! Choose wisely :)

I will use a random number generator and assign a number according to the order you commented. I will pull 1 number midnight (central time) on Monday. This is just a short weekend contest.

For an extra entry re-tweet the contest using the shorten URL
http://digg.com/u111Iq or @servina (I will do a search for this before the drawing).

Good Luck!

Suspended Imagination specializes in pendants and charms. I create my pieces using a variety of items using a lot of scrapbook and stamping supplies. I use scrapbook paper and cardstock to add prints and colors. I create using stamped images also. I try a lot of different techniques to create unique items. I hope you enjoy them!

Finished Pendants

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:39:00 +0000

Finished my pendants I started the other day. Only 2 didn't turn out, but I hope I can re-resin them and make them work. These are 1.25" circles that I added an eyelet and jump ring too so that you can hang them from any type of chain or necklace. If you'd like to buy one and want a different color jump ring I can accommodate that. I have silver, gold, or nickle (I think that's the right color). I'm selling these for $5.00.

I'm working on listing these to my Etsy, Artfire, and 1000 Markets shops.

I have another set that I'm finished with too that I'm working on taking pictures of and listing. They are wood circles that measure 1.5", I varnished them and stamped an image in black ink. They look very classy to me. I'm selling these type for $10. There is a bail attached that you can pick from sterling silver plated or 18k gold plated. Here's an example.

New Pendants - WIP

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:04:00 +0000

I'm working on a new batch of pendants today. These are funky, groovy, and colorful circles. I'm going to have some that measure 1.25" and a little over .75". I have the prep work mostly done and will be resining them today so they should be ready to post Wed.

View my current pendants at my Etsy shop http://suspendedimagination.etsy.com or Artfire http://suspendedimagination.artfire.com.

Jackkyll Scraps

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:41:00 +0000

Jackkyll Scraps has been updated and ready to take new orders. I was down for a few months trying new places to sell my paper, but my own site is really the best method for me selling cardstock. I enjoy customizing and taking care of it.

I lost my job last week so I've been working steadily to get the site up and running. I have all of my stock that is currently there accurate. I do have must more stuff to list, but counting all of my cardstock was the hard part. I have embellishments, stickers, printed paper, and albums to post next.

So stop by for all of your cardstock needs. My Bazzill 8.5 x 11 sheets are only .25. This is a great deal and I have 100's of colors, maybe up to 1000. I haven't counted in awhile.

New Bracelet

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:43:00 +0000

Finished my chainmail bracelet. I'm going to get some black and red rings and make a "real" one now. This one I made random because I bought a trial (to me) pack for $1.00. Great deal!

Do It Your Own D*mn Self Show

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Went shopping yesterday at a craft supply sale held by Craft Mafia in Chicago. It was for crafters who had extra supplies that they wanted to sell and get rid of. I went hoping to find for 4 things and came back with 3 of them.

First I knew there would be a table for chain mail supplies. Me and my husband are into fantasy and medieval things, not excessively, but love the look and movies and such. So I've always looked chain mail, I just didn't know how hard it would be to get into. Luckily there were supplies there for me to buy without breaking the bank. I bought enough rings to make a bracelet and the pliers I need for opening and closing the rings. If I like the project I'll buy more and try other things. The shop was Blue Buddha Boutique http://www.bluebuddhaboutique.com/

It's a rainbow of random colors so my bracelet looks random right now. My real one will have an actual color scheme.

Next I was holding out buying glass squares for pendants because again I didn't want to spend too much money on them. There was a table selling them. I purchased 100 square pieces so I can add glass pendants to my Etsy store. Can't have enough pendants in Suspended Imagination. My imagination is full of ideas!

I was also looking for some spacer beads for my pendant to use with the crystals. I only found one small package. There were others but they were out of my price range and not "garage sale" prices.

Don't know exactly what I'm going to work on today! I have so much to do and not enough time. Happy Crafting!!

Coloring Stamped Coasters - Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:22:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

I really enjoy creating little works of art on coasters. This is a great way to use your stamps without having to think of a card design. There are many ways to design coasters. This one I'm going to show you is about coloring images with markers.

Supplies Used:
Ceramic Coasters - I did not use coasters from the hardware store or tumbled tiles. These are crafty ones.
Stamp Set - Paisley Rocks by The Angel Company
Craft Ink - Basic Black by Stampin Up
Markers - Summer Sun, Green Galore, and Cameo Coral by Stampin Up
Acrylic Sealer Spray

Ink up the flower image really good and randomly stamp it on the tile, inking inbetween impressions.

Randomly stamp some of the matching little flowers in between the bigger images.

Randomly stamp the dots in some of the open spaces.

Let the image dry, with by waiting or by heat setting with a heat gun. I have found that this ink does smudge a bit if I don't wait long enough. Color the image very carefully so to not collect much black ink. I think a little dark color added some shadowing and gave it some depth on this coaster.

Spray the tiles with the acrylic sealer for a couple of coats to protect the design. Wait for the spray to dry between applications.

I like the soft colors that these markers create on the tile.

You can purchase these coasters on my cardstock creations etsy shop

Girl Skull Button

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:19:00 +0000

Created this button last night. I love this girly skull with the little bow. I glittered this bow to add more sparkle. You can purchase this button for $2.50 at my Etsy shop. HERE If you'd like a different color the combos are endless, just give me a shout!

ArtFire

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Register on ArtFire.com

Just joined ArtFire. They have a limited offer if you join now your monthly bill is only $7.00. With that $7.00 you get a ton of benefits! One of them is no listing fees. As we know the more people who join a site the more popular it becomes and the more buyers and sellers visit. It won't hurt, I can easily spend $7.00 in 3 days on Etsy.

Hard at Work

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:26:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

I'm busy working on some new scrabble tiles, I hope to have them complete and up for sale by Friday. These are sweet springy themed graphics. I would love to hear your opinion. Here's a look after the first step, applying them to the tile and trimming the paper down to size.

Disney 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:03:00 +0000

Disney 2008, originally uploaded by Jackkyll Scraps.

Testing the blog feature. This is Kris and Derrick in front on an "Aladdin" camel.

Summer Sparkle ATC

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:14:00 +0000

I was very busy today doing fun stuff with the family. I did manage to squeeze in this ATC for the Summer Sparkle ATC swap that I'm in. It didn't turn out exactly how I pictured it, but I'm happy with the results. The scan isn't as good as in person due to the glitter not being able to scan nicely.

Cardstock all from Jackkyll Scraps Pastel Blue, Sandstone Sparkle, and Bazzill Cornbread. The stamps are Inkadinkadoo "Coastal". I'm pretty sure the brads are Making Memories.

Polka-Dot ATC Swap

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:13:00 +0000

I finished my cards for the Polka-Dot ATC swap I'm in. I hope the girls that I'm sending these to like them. I know I do.

ATC #1
Stampin Up - Basic Black ink
Stampin Up - Whisper White craft ink
Stampin Up - Real Red ink
Jackkyll Scraps - Black, Red, White cardstock
Inkadinkadoo - stamps Garden Words and Pretty Flower
Doodlebug - Lily White sugar brads
ribbon

ATC #2
Stampin Up - Old Olive cardstock and ink
Stampin Up - More Mustard ink and ribbon
Jackkyll Scraps - Cream cardstock
Inkadinkadoo - stamps Garden Words
brads

You can purchase Jackkyll Scraps cardstock, Inkadinkadoo stamp sets, and Doodlebug sugar brads from me. Jackkyll Scraps

Cardstock and Stamp sets are available from me Jackkyll Scraps

Beach Layout

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:54:00 +0000

Finally made some time to do a layout!

We went to Disney World in June and before we came home I wanted to make sure we had some time to get to the beach, just in case I'm never in Florida again. We only stayed a couple of hours, but it was really fun.

This layout uses some papers that I bought from the Story Tellers Club. They were at a scrapbook expo here recently and I love the kits I bought. I usually don't use patterned paper, so I need to step out and start. I used Bazzill Lemon Drop for the yellow parts. The title is made by me using Pastel Blue and Sandstone Sparkle. Some other things included in the layout are eyelets, waterfall stickles, sizzix and quick cut cut outs, stamps, and ink.

New Coaster Sets

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:37:00 +0000

I created 5 new coaster sets today and uploaded them to my etsy store. Melissa's Etsy Shop These coasters are great and are much brighter than the photos I'm taking. (I really need to learn more about my camera and some editing to get spectacular images online). Here's one version that I am particularly fond of.

Supplies:
Pretty Flowers Acrylic Stamps from Inkadinkadoo
Dot Flourishes Acrylic Stamps from Inkadinkadd
Colorbox Petal Chalk Pad
Ceramic Tiles

Thanks for looking!

Museum of Science and Industy

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:16:00 +0000

Since the kids are on Spring Break and I'm working from home now I decided to take them out to the Museum. I think everyone in Chicago had the same idea because it was so packed we could barely move. I should have bought our tickets ahead of time online, but since I was going to purchase a membership for the year I thought that part wouldn't be so bad. It was very busy in the membership line too and there were only 3 girls helping 100's of people. So I got the membership and now we can have something to do next winter or for any rainy day.

I now have tons of pictures to scrap. I'm not sure how I'll do them though because I already have a whole album of this museum. I haven't scrapped in so long though I really shouldn't worry about it.

New Coaster Sets

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:26:00 +0000

I'm going to be starting to create these wonderful stamped ceramic tile coaster sets. I just love the way they look on the tile, as if the images were meant to be there. I have this listed on Etsy for $20.00 per set. I hope they are a hit!

Melissa's Etsy Shop