Playtime!

I took advantage of the girls being in preschool all morning on Wednesday to spend time with "my rubber stamp friend, Sue."  That's how I often refer to her because we have attended many rubber stamp shows/expos together over the years.

Here is Sue with just some of her rubber stamp collection, stored under a bed in her work space.

I should probably more accurately call her "my card making friend, Sue," as she has raised card making to a high art form, constantly learning new tools and techniques and sharing her knowledge and expertise teaching card-making classes.

I thought I would share a technique we tried together, and then let you see photos of her studio space.  After all, who doesn't love photos of an artist's studio space?!

I don't know exactly what you would call this first technique that we tried, but here is what we did:  We covered a piece of cardstock with glue, and then wrapped a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the cardstock.  Then we ran it through Sue's Big Shot with an embossing folder to create an impression on the foil.  Next, we rubbed black shoe polish over the embossing, allowing it to pick up and highlight parts of the design.

Next we ran it through the machine again with a die that cut our foil into pretty shapes that we could use for card-making.

Here (above) is Sue's finished piece, and mine is below.

I'm not sure how I'll be using mine, but I can't wait to see how Sue incorporates hers into an artistic card!

Now for a peek at Sue's enviably large and well-stocked work space:

A huge portion of her finished basement holds her card-making supplies.  There is a larger table where we did our playing (above) and where Sue can use her die cutting machine, as well as a smaller desk area (below), with lots of drawers for many of her supplies.

 She has stacks and stacks of colored paper for her cards:

And she has loads of rubber stamp images to incorporate into her designs:

Don't forget she has all those stamps hidden away under her bed and in her drawers, too!

 

She has boxes filled with die cutting and embossing folders for her Big Shot:

I spent an hour and a half at her house Wednesday morning, and it felt more like fifteen minutes!  We are definitely going to schedule a follow-up to continue exploring some new tools and techniques.  She always has her eye on something new to try, and I'm always game to participate!

Work or play?  You be the judge!

How will you spend some time in creative play this weekend?