My Den of In-Ink-quity ...

... is otherwise known as my craft room. When I first occupied this house in 1990, the room, which is located just off the kitchen and contains the doors to my back yard and to the carport, was set up as my den. The furnishings included a sleeper sofa, a comfortable recliner, a side-chair for extra visitors, bookshelves that actually held books, and a television set.

In 1999, I discovered the world of rubber stamping, and my cozy den soon became a thing of the past. When I first started stamping, most of my supplies would fit into my office closet. It didn't take long for me to outgrow that space, so I soon converted the den into my stamping room. Over a period of several years, I've managed to fill it almost to capacity.

Four eight-foot shelves that hang on the wall, plus several free-standing units, hold boxes of stamps and stamp sets, which after 12 years of acquisition are too many to count. Multi-drawer units, about a dozen of them, hold papers, ribbons, embossing powders, and other accessories. Three six-foot tall bookcases line the back wall. Tools of the trade occupy the shelves of one of them. Boxes of envelopes, reams of specialty cardstock and other 'have-to-have' items almost fill the other two.

Gardening Daughter helped me convert an old library table into my stamping surface. The sturdy table, which made the journey from New Mexico to Arkansas in 1950, has been raised another 6" on wooden blocks to allow me to stand to stamp, which is sometimes preferable, or to sit on a bar-stool and have the surface at the proper height. The top is fitted with a 3' x 5' piece of three-quarter inch plywood, upon which I stamp, and where I keep my most often used supplies (inks, pens, colored pencils, glue, tape, scissors, bone folders, a small paper cutter, etc.). Several drawers of  the legal size file cabinet next to the table hold yet more card stock, the colors I use most often.

Between the stamping table and the back wall is a revolving, four-sided cabinet with shallow shelves on which I store additional ink pads and other items. (A few of the shelves, and a few of my ink pads, are shown in the photo above. Someone, not a stamper, once asked me why I had so many ink pads, to which I replied, "They are all different colors!)

When I walk into this room, I am completely surrounded by my obsession hobby.

What brought all this on, you may ask? I’m in the midst of preparing for another Stamp Camp. I will be up to my eyeballs in paper, ink, and stamps for the next couple of weeks.

I’m not abandoning my blogging, however, since it will be a relief to write about something other than stamping. Aren’t you glad (that my posts will not be about stamping)?

Tomorrow is also a day.

Bits and Pieces

Caught in the Wind

(click on photo to enlarge)

It's time for another Stamp Camp. I've been occupied this past week with designing cards and creating samples. This coming week, I'll be cutting card stock, decorative paper and ribbons and otherwise gathering all the materials needed for the participants. It's fun, but time-consuming, so my blogging and blog-reading has been and will be somewhat neglected.

A week ago, I was working in the yard, enjoying the sunshine and balmy weather. We had temps in the low 80's and I thought Spring had arrived. On Wednesday of this week, the icy cold descended upon us again, and temps have not been out of the 40's for the past several days. Thursday brought a bit of icy weather, but it didn't hang around long, but it has not warmed up very much, either. It's good that I have "indoor" sorts of things to keep me occupied.

I was walking my "back forty" a few days ago (before it turned so cold) when my eye caught something hung up on a limb of my fig tree. Closer examination revealed a delicate feather, which had been caught by the not-yet-budded out leaf. How it managed to stay there in the strong wind is a puzzlement.

That's about it for today. I'm off to take precise measurements in preparation for cutting card stock and paper.

It's Stamp Camp Time, Again - Post 61

Yes, I really am thinking of you!

I'm up to my eyeballs in card-making stuff, again, so postings and visits to others' blogs may go begging for a bit. My stamping partner and I are hosting a Stamp Camp for 20 ladies this coming Saturday afternoon. I've been making sample cards, writing instructions, measuring and cutting card stock and decorative papers and otherwise getting my share of things prepared for our attendees. Our theme for this session is "Think Pink" and all of our cards (six of them) have the color pink in them. Some are predominately pink while others, like the one above, has a pink focal point.

It was a good day to be inside doing stuff like this, because outside was sort of yucky! I was awakened during the night by thunder which shook the window panes, followed by the sound of rain, which promptly lulled me back to sleep. It's been raining steadily all day, and we're supposed to have thunderstorms and 40% to 60% probability of rain through the weekend.

I thought it was still "tonight" but I see from looking at the clock that it's already "tomorrow," so it's off to bed with me.

I'll be back, soon.

Blog-Absent, but not Gone - Post 26

It's been a busy week so far, with more to come before the week is over. My stamping partner and I are hosting a "Stamp Camp" this coming Saturday afternoon for 15 to 18 rubber stamping enthusiasts. The week prior to a Stamp Camp is pretty much filled with preparation for the event. I've been up to my eyeballs in card stock, decorative papers, ribbons, etc., and writing easy-to-follow instructions for assembling the six greeting cards they will be making.


Stay tuned. I'll be back to normal (whatever that may be) soon.