25 January 2017

You've got mail

Ha, ha, I've been playing again with those distress inks and having fun flicking water around on it!!  Such a kid, I know, but what can I say, I had a big grin on my face whilst I was doing it!


After I'd finished colouring this cutie I cut the Postie out with the matching Die-namics You've got mail die and mounted her on foam pads.    The sentiment, which comes with the You've got mail stamp was stamped with Versamark ink and embossed with fine white embossing powder onto a die cut Stitched Sentiment Strip which had also been given the Distress ink treatment.  Can you see the white stitches on the left hand side of the strip.......they're faux.....white gel pen lines!


The background paper was cut from a die in the MFT Blueprints 24 set and the card itself was created using a Stitched Rectangle Stax die.

And as always here is a Copic colour list for those who'd like to give this a go using the colour palette I opted for:

SUPPLIES:
Stamps: You've got mail by My Favorite Things
Paper: Hammermill 100lb Color Copy Digital Cover
Colouring Medium: Copic
Tools: Distress Ink - Faded Jeans and Tumbled Glass, MFT Hybrid ink - Black Licorice, MFT Stitched Rectangles Stax, MFT Blueprints 24, MFT You've got Mail Die, MFT Stitched Sentiment Strips, Spellbinders Grand Calibur, Misti, Versamark ink, Fine Embossing Powder

Thank you for visiting my blog today, until next time
Happy Colouring

23 January 2017

Yes m'lady

Hello everyone, how was your weekend?

Just a short post today, with a sweet little man dressed as a Knight by My Favorite Things........oh and I think I am finally getting the hang of Distress inks......I used them as a background on the card and to create my own background paper!




SUPPLIES
Stamps: Knight in Shining Armour by My Favorite Things
Paper: Personal Impressions Smooth White Card
Colouring Medium: Copic markers, Wink of Stella clear (on helmet), MFT Hybrid Ink: Gravel Grey, Blue Breeze, Bubblegum.
Tools: Misti, MFT Stitched Rectangles Stax, Spellbinders Grand Calibur

Happy Colouring

20 January 2017

My new monthly feature at MFT starts today!

Well hello there, something new and exciting begins for me today and I am thrilled that I can finally share it with you all.

Each month I will be producing a step by step guide using My Favorite Things stamps over on their blog and look, they've even created a logo, just for me!!


So I hope you can join me as I share with you how I use colour and a little bit of my quirkiness to bring life to a stamp!

You saw a sneaky peek of this bear yesterday.....



If you'd like to see how I created this cheeky chap with his bucket of fish, you will find all the information over on the My Favorite Things Blog

Happy Colouring

19 January 2017

Something new for yours truly!

This a sneaky peek of something that will be appearing on My Favorite Things blog tomorrow


I will finally be able to share with you all what I've been up to lately.............

4 January 2017

Copic Marker Storage with Removable Wheels

A full set of Copic markers weighs a lot and should you have to travel with them, trust me it's not much fun!!

I quickly realised back in November last year, when I flew to the States with a complete set of Copics that I had to have a total re-think as to how I transport my markers............and here is the solution that my husband and I came up with:


An aluminium case with a removable case trolley - no more sore shoulders or strained elbows for me!

We opted for an aluminium CD case - with an 80 CD capacity.  As I intend to use this case when travelling by plane it needed to be of the correct dimensions for airline cabin baggage allowances......

   BRITISH AIRWAYS: 250mm x 450mm x 560mm
   VIRGIN ATLANTIC: 230mm x 360mm x 560mm - Completed case fits these requirements!



Here it is out of the box and oh look, it comes with detachable hinges, a feature that really makes this a very practical Copic transportation/storage solution.


And then of course you need some wheels to get this beauty mobile:

Penn Elcom Removable Case Trolley 235mm/9.25"  which we sourced online from a suitcase repair/spares store


Now, from the outset I would explain, you do need some DIY skills 

You will also need:

1 x dark grey/black flat sheet packaging foam 1/4" (6.3mm) thick
1 x black closed cell polyethylene sheet with adhesive backing 5mm thick
Additional black feet to fit to base 15mm deep
Counter sunk and Pan head bolts (they'll need to be cut to length)
Nuts for above bolts
Washers (small and mudguard)
Basswood sheets - 1/16" x 3" x 24", 1/16" x 1/4" x 24" and 1/16" x 2" x 24" (from a hobby shop)
Eggcrate louvre (holes need to be 15mm x 15mm to accommodate Copic Sketch) 
Electric Drill and drill bits
Set Square and tape measure
Wood saw
Spanner
Screwdriver
Hacksaw (to cut screws to exact length)
Sandpaper
Gorilla Glue or similar
Strong double sided sticky tape
Angle grinder for cutting egg crate, but you could use a hacksaw if necessary
Oh and a good old fashioned pencil

Apart from the tools which my husband already owned, all the above were sourced online from various stores in the UK - just Google, that's what we did! 

Now I had the benefit of Peter, my wonderful, practically minded husband......who had great fun pulling out the CD dividers and then stripping out all the foam......a great tip (thanks Jenn Dove) use a spatular or scraper for this bit.



and here is the case base with foam removed



The next step is to carefully remove the four grey feet from the back of the case and re-fit them on to the end of the case that is going to become the bottom when the trolley wheels are attached.  You'll probably need to use a drill for this bit as the feet are fixed on with rivets. Peter drilled the back of the rivet out to remove them neatly.  And of course, you then need to drill the holes needed to re-attach them.  He used pan head bolts and washers to refit them.


The image above shows the case with all it's feet attached - the ones it's resting on are original little grey ones.  The small grey ones on the left were originally on the side facing you and new holes were drilled in the side of the case to accommodate them.  These feet stabilise the case when you stand it up on its end with the wheels attached.  You can also see the replacement black feet (opted for black to match the trolley mechanism) - they were fixed into the original holes where the smaller grey ones had been, this ensures when open, ready for use the weight is evenly spread over these feet and not the trolley attachments.



The above picture shows the mudguard washers and bolts inside the case - inner four are the trolley attachment fixings, whilst the outer four are for the new black feet ......Note: mudguard washers are used to spread the weight.


This is what it looks like from the other side once the trolley brackets had been fitted.

Once you have fitted all the additional hardware to the former CD case you can smarten up the inside again by fitting the replacement 5mm closed cell foam.  We opted for one with a sticky backing just to make life easier.


Now it's time to build the frame to accommodate your Copic markers - we used the same eggcrate louvre as we have done in the past with a lightweight basswood frame - please make sure you get the correct size eggcrate for your markers. Peter used Gorilla Super glue to stick it all together.


above is the top view of the pen storage and below is the base of the frame


The protruding wood to the left in this picture was subsequently cut to fit the case tightly, so that the frame stays in place when fitted in the case.


Here is a close up of the frame prior to the addition of the second eggcrate louvre. Two layers of basswood have been glued together, the narrower one on the inside, creating a lip upon which the second eggcrate sits - it is glued in to place and then a narrow strip of basswood fits above it (flush with the top of the frame) - this too is glued in place.

This particular frame will hold a complete set of Copic markers (excluding the fluorescents) and as shown in the image below there is room at the side for a pencil case to keep extra crafting equipment.


Now the original CD case had eggcrate (ridged) foam in the lid, but this proved to be a tad too thick and the lid would not close properly when all the pens were loaded, oops!  So Peter had to strip this foam out of the lid, fix in a layer of the same closed cell foam he had used for the base as well as a rectangle of flat sheet foam cut to fit which we adhered to the polyethylene closed cell foam using double sided sticky tape.


As you can see, there is quite a bit of work involved but if you intend to travel long distance with your markers it really is worth the effort - especially when you bear in mind this case (including wheels) when loaded with markers weighs approx 7.5 kg!!

Here are photographs of the finished case.   


Above shows the case with the trolley detached, standing on it's base feet like a normal case
(To attach the trolley, turn the case on its side and simply clip the lip on the trolley in to the top bracket, then push a button on the lower part of the trolley which allows you to clip it neatly in to bottom bracket, it clicks in to place and off you go)


To the left the case has the trolley fixed, resting safely on the grey feet you moved, with the handle in the closed position and to the right it shows the handle fully extended. 

I hope that this explanation has been of help and should you find yourself travelling with your Copics this is a "Wheely" good solution to the problem of lugging 350+ markers around!!

Happy Colouring