Paper Raffia Ribbon - Why Can't I Find It?

Hi Everyone,
I remember doing lots and lots of paper twist crafts back in the late '80's and early '90's.  I loved that stuff.  I wove baskets and made wreaths and even life size dolls out of it (the base was a tomato cage).  It was fairly inexpensive and oh so available.  Well while looking for pictures of Halloween projects I have done I came across a picture (as always not a great picture) of this little witch. Her body is made from the paper raffia ribbon and her cloak is made from regular paper twist.  I've done angels like this as well for the Christmas season.  I still have this witch and was thinking I'd like to make some new ones as mine is getting pretty frail in her old age. I also would love to make a few as gifts for Halloween this year. Sadly, I am pretty sure its not going to happen.  I have been all over the internet looking for the paper raffia that was made by MPR ribbon.  I am having no luck what so ever.  I also could not find a source for the regular paper twist.  I will try on Monday to see if MPR in High Point N.C. is still in business and try to give them a call.  In the meantime if anyone can clue me into a source for the paper twist I would be one happy crafter!  Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Lysa

CHA is almost here

Hello All,
Yes, CHA summer is upon us.  Soon all of us who are not attending can watch video reviews and read about all the fall crafty fun that will soon be available in a store near us.  I am on the edge of my seat waiting for a glimpse of the new Cricut Imagine.  Now we all know the boards are a buzz with info and even a picture.  There is rumor of a contest.  I myself have posted all over the place that I will be first on line for this.  Yeah I don't even have a clue about specs or what it can do. But I am telling you now I am on line to buy.  Yes, that would be me.  Printing and cutting my heart out for the fall and winter '10 season.  I am on board!  A long awaited stand alone printer cutter. Why. that's every papercrafter's dream.  Really it has been my dream since the wishblade.  I love that blue machine.  It works, but not good enough.  I waste paper due to alignment issues.  I have also used my KNK and gee it is a bit complicated for print and cuts, and yes I have used the hinge method with the cricut but .... none of them are on the mark.  I know that there are industrial versions on the market that can fulfill my needs but  a whopping price tag of about $3000.00. I just can't swing it.  I mean I am an average Joette.  I can't do it. So if Provocraft can bring that into my space for under $1000.00 then I am thinking they may have a winner.  Without any info I need to say it would have to be able to import any .jpeg or .png file.  I would have to be able to draw my own cut lines to surround the imported image.  I would like to be able to export in a standard file format like an .svg.  I would like to be able to buy replacement ink locally. I would like to be able to use the cartridges I already own.  Will it fulfill these hopes?  Ahhh, time will surely tell.  I know I can't wait.  Sorry for the rant but my family and friends just don't want to hear me talk about it anymore. Thanks for visiting and check out the just a scrappin link and joy's life link for updated info on the Imagine.  Those girls have it all goin' on.
Lysa

Hello HALLOWEEEN!!

OK, so here is the thing, I started writing this post like an hour ago.  I keep erasing because I am not sure what I am trying to say.  Let me start off with - "Don't you just love this candle holder?" come on, sure you do. Well it comes straight out of  a Better Homes and Garden magazine from Halloween 2000.  I fell in love with it from the minute I saw it.  If I wanted to make it I would have to buy 5 rubber stamps, a glass vase, numerous specialty papers, and an array of basic craft supplies. People please it was the year 2000.  Did ya hear about Y2K.  My daughter was in like 5th grade.  Who had money?  Well I didn't. Mostly because of, well ya know taxes, braces and oh yeah...CRAFT SUPPLIES.  So trying ever so hard not to be disrespectful of the magazine and the designer and the rubber stamp manufacturer and of course my parents who raised me to not take what is not mine ... I did the worst thing ever.  I scanned in the pictures from the magazine and then cleaned them up with Kai's Photosoap (Really ... who even remembers that software) printed the cutouts onto card stock with my Canon bubblejet BJ-10 printer and cut them out by hand.  Even the spider web background. Yup, thought I was as slick as a counterfeiter do'in $100.00 bills.  I made 5 of them for friends.  When I get sued I know just where to find them and I am going to give 'um back.  Well now its 2010.  I still got the magazine.  The designer was Roberta Royce (sorry Roberta) The rubber stamp manufacturer was Visual Image Printery (sorry VIP, I tried to track you guys to buy the pumpkin stamp but alas you are gone) So to all I say I am sorry but boy does that luminary so look sweet every Halloween, glowing.
So by now most would think that this post was about my need to purge my soul of my rip off tendencies. Yeah, NO its more about how I discovered how to blend my computer with my crafts.  I find that I love Arts and Crafts but always felt a bit skewed.  I always looked at items and thought I can make that.  I seemed to struggle with my own ideas and seem to find it easier to put my spin on things that I see.  My point (as wordy as it is) is if you can't create an original idea from within, do your best to interpret something you've seen.  There is no right and wrong in crafting.  There is simply a feeling of "Hey, I made that".  I've grown as a crafter and do more original things now then I did in the past but I will never forget my starting points because when we forget our beginnings that is when we fail at our futures. As always thanks for visiting.
Lysa

And The Bead Goes On ....

Now I know for sure I am avoiding a purse project with all these CapriSun pouches.  I mean it is for sure, I am totally avoiding the thought of sitting down at the sewing machine and sewing these foil squares into a tote bag.  It's not that I don't like tote bags.  It's more like ... "It's so been done"  OK, it's true, I have absolutely no CapriSun crafty tote bag Mojo.  At night, I have thoughts of throwing out all the CapriSun pouches or better yet dreams of folding them into little origami birds so that whilst I'm asleep they fly away. My heart was in the right place, I know it was.  It all seemed so cool. All those silvery pouches lined up, Just sitting there waiting for me to add in bit of this and a pinch of that and they would somehow transform into some sort of crafty-licious goodness.  People, I was wrong.   I do not love the oh so shiny, hard to work with CapriSun foil pouches.  I do however, still love my Rexlace plastic lacing.  I thought back to the early days (daze) of cutting up my Mom's magazines to create paper beads.  I thought back to the hours of rolling paper onto toothpicks to create some of the nicest beads I had ever seen.  So, I said to myself, let's give it a try.  Here are pictures of the results.  I just want to say one thing ...... Forget the glue stick and white glue.  You will need crazy glue to stop  these bad boys from unwinding.  I did have fun making the beads but I am so putting the rest of the pouches into an envelop and putting the purse project on the back burner.  Hope you like the beads and the bracelet, and thanks for visiting.  Lysa

WOW that's a lot of holes ...

OK, so the new Cinch binding punch came to live at our house.   So of course now all my focus is on punching a lot of round holes in just about anything that crosses my craft desk. YES, I did try to punch a record.  NO, it didn't work.  But  it was worth a try.  The Cinch did eat right through the chipboard and card stock that I used on this post it pad holder.  I like the Cinch well enough but to be honest I like my GBC square hole office binding system better.  The upside to the Cinch is its ability to control the punch dies, meaning you can somewhat control the spacing of the hole punches.  The GBC at my work has that feature but my home one does not.   I love  the post it pad size that is in this little notebook.  It is a 4X4 square.  Rory has staked her claim to it already.  Now in reality I probably would have punched smaller holes by hand but our goal was to play and experiment with the Cinch and of course use a capri sun pouch as well.  I have two other capri sun projects happily floating around in my head but the weather has been so nice that we are hardly in the house.  We will see if they get done as my crafty mojo is already turning to thoughts of Halloween.  Have a great day and thanks for visiting.  Lysa