I used not to see the point of the Ranger ink applicator tool; I was quite happy inking my papers directly from my ink pads. Then I got some Distress inks, and found that the ink pads were firmer than my Docrafts/Papermania pads, and that made them harder to use. Then I bought a new Docrafts pad and it was too 'juicy', giving me streaks of ink instead of soft edges.
So when I won a Papermaze gift voucher last autumn I treated myself to the tool, which came with two foam pads. It did actually make inking the edges of my papers considerably easier and I wished I'd bought one sooner. I kept the two pads for black and brown ink, and stored them in small plastic bags when not in use. Most of the time though, one was in use; the tool has practically lived on my desk since I bought it.
Last month, I bought a set of refill pads for use with other colours, and gave myself a new problem. Just where was I going to keep all these pads? And how would I know which one was which colour? I considered some kind of plastic pocket system, but didn't really want to buy something new. Finally I hit on another idea, one which would use up some old supplies, and I made a mini book with velcro pieces to hold the foam pads.
I started by covering a pair of chipboard album covers with paper on both sides, running washi tape down the spines. I used old, thin paper for this as it's easier to manipulate:
Then I added small squares of self-adhesive velcro in a grid. My covers had space for 12 foam pads, six each side, and I added a small label to each place for the colour names:
I then cut down a piece of square scalloped chipboard, and added it between the covers. I didn't cover this piece; it will lie against the inky sides of the foam pads, and will absorb the ink better that way:
Finally I decorated the front cover, keeping it quite simple as I didn't want anything bulky or that would snag in use:
I am really rather pleased with the way it turned out, and now I'm looking for other things to alter to match.
Supplies
Teresa Collins Bracket Shaped Covers
Scalloped Chipboard
Self-Adhesive Velcro
Papers - K&Company Sea Glass
Washi Tape - Queen & Co
Labels - 7Gypsies
Ink - Docrafts, Ranger
Craft Creatives Alphabet Stamps
I suppose that March is a bit late in the year to be making a calender, but that is what I was doing last weekend. Until this year, I have always had one on my desk at work, generally a gift from a client or a freebie from a printing company. This year, no one obliged, and I have really missed it.
However, I do have a surplus wall calender, and although a wall calender isn't practical for work, I thought that I might be able to turn it into the desk calender that I crave.
I started off by cutting the calender parts away from the pictures on the wall calender, and choosing complementary cardstock and paper for my project. I was guided by the teal print on the calender for this.
My calender pages were 7.25" wide so I set out to make a stand from one sheet of 12x12 cardstock. I cut one piece at 12"x8" and scored across it at 1", 6" and 11" from a short side. Then I cut a second piece at 8"x4" and scored along its length, 2" from a long side. I folded along the scored lines to make two tent shapes.
I stuck these two together, with the smaller tent going inside the larger one, and being glued to the two flaps.
I stuck a panel of patterned paper to the front of my calender (forgetting to photograph it, but I'm sure you can imagine that) and punched holes through the frame and my calender pages. I was originally going to use book rings, but they just looked too clumsy, so I switched to cord instead. Mine was so springy that my knots kept coming undone, so I used a little PVA glue to hold them in place.
Once the glue had dried, I rotated the cord so that the knots are on the inside of the frame, out of sight, and I decorated the front of my calender.
All done, and this now has pride of place on my desk at work.
Supplies
Cardstcok - Bazzill
Paper - K&Company
Doily - Papermania
Butterflies - Prima
Washi Tape - Tesco
Ink - Docrafts
Cord - Unknown
