I guess I have beaches on the brain—this photo of a set of sandy steps is from my time in Virginia Beach. I tweaked the exposure and temperature a bit, and adjusted the sepia levels so it looks a bit grittier. Here’s the original:
Nice, but not as atmospheric as the altered version. Funny how a few simple changes can turn a photo from something so-so into something I’d want to use in my artwork!
Happy Friday!
Wednesday Update: Tricks I Learned at Ranger U
16 Wednesday May 2012
Written by Sara in Ranger U, Uncategorized, Wednesday Update, Workshops & Classes
Oh, you might be thinking…will she ever stop banging on about Ranger U?!! 
Well, my head is still full with stuff I learned…and a few things stood out for me, and I wanted to share them with you. So bear with me!
1) Save $ on baby wipes…get yourself an inky binky!
My inky binky...I'm saving on those baby wipes! (At least for crafting.)
I don’t know about you, but I go through about a million baby wipes during my craft time. Well, I used to. Now I use an inexpensive, lightweight cotton towel and a water spritzer, like we did at Ranger U. Tim referred to it as an “inky binky” and we used them for everything from wiping off stamps to blotting ink to swiping away glitter to cleaning our craft sheets. Super handy…and this is an easier, less expensive (and more earth-friendly) way to keep tidy. Afterwards, you can just wash the towel and go again.
Tim says he gets his inky binkys at Wal-Mart. Since we don’t have Wal-Mart here, I’m using one of Anna’s cotton “monddoekjes” (or “mouth wipes”) from when she was a baby. I think you could use a tea towel or bar towel too—the key is that they’re lightweight and don’t shed a bunch of fluffies like terrycloth.
2) Don’t save your alcohol-inky felt pads
Yikes, these are flammable!
I was always in the habit of saving the felt pads from my alcohol ink applicator. I’d toss them into a plastic container, and when I went to alcohol ink something, I’d dig around for a pad that had some similar color on it. I thought I was being all thrifty and ecological, but it was pointed out that alcohol ink is flammable, so having a bunch of dried-up inky felt pads sitting in a plastic box on a table covered with paper next to a heat gun might not be such a swift idea. Apparently someone discovered this first-hand, which is a whole other story.
3) The earth is round…or, you can store your inkpads right side up!
I’ve been stamping for ages—and it just goes as gospel that you store your inkpads upside down so the ink stays at the top of the pad, right? Ah, no, actually. It seems that a long time ago, A Stamping Company That Shall Not Be Named developed an inkpad holder that—guess what—held the pads upside down, and it was their marketing that brainwashed taught us to always store inkpads this way.
It feels so wrong, somehow...
Anyway, I was super-surprised to hear the Ranger people mention that can store your pads right-side up. I was so surprised that I made sure to ask about it again, and was told that yes….an inkpad is like a sponge, and when you press the stamp onto the pad, it releases enough ink. “Is this for all inkpads, or just Ranger inkpads?” I persisted. All inkpads, they assured me. Well, they’re the experts! But seriously…I must have a very small life, because hearing this was like finding out the earth isn’t flat.
4) Cheap hand sanitizer cleans craft sheets!
This one I haven’t tried but I plan to, so I’ll share it anyway…you can clean your craft sheet with Blending Solution, since it removes ink, paint and all kinds of stuff. But that’s kind of a waste of your blending solution and kind of expensive, so you can also clean up with a cheap hand sanitizer. Cool!
Hope you enjoy the tips, and happy Wednesday!
I’m a mixed-media artist and instructor. I combine found elements and words with traditional art and craft materials to create collages and jewelry. I also love to teach these techniques in workshops, online classes and in magazine articles.