My Monthly Hero - April 2017 Review and Card

Hello there! I hope you are doing well.  I recently ordered my first kit from Hero Arts' My Monthly Hero Kit and I will be reviewing that today and making a card. I received my kit on Friday and made a card the same night because I was so excited about it.  I have been of the fence a few times with kits and ultimately did not buy them, but I am very happy with this one. You get a really nice value, the kit is $34.99 plus shipping, but the stamp and die set would probably cost that much on their own, so it's like all of the other things are free.  Check out the review below.

As you can see, I am very happy with this kit and that card came together very quickly. I have not started a subscription yet, but I will be keeping an eye out on the kit contents from now on.  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting.

-Gaby

iPad Pro is Everything and I've Been Missing Out

Maaaaannnn, where do I begin!? I finally sat down to use an iPad Pro to try handlettering because I keep seeing everyone using ProCreate, so I wanted to try it. When I tell you that I literally improved my lettering in minutes, I am not exaggerating. I even rewatched a time lapse video of my first attempt and you could see the progress after 35 minutes! That's a really neat feature by the way; you can export a video of your art work. I am just starting out, so I am super excited about practicing and learning more. Before I was using my Wacom pad and Adobe Illustrator; I won't get rid of that, but I can tell an immediate difference in ease of use and results.

Some lyrics from "This Town" 

Below you can watch the video of me starting to use the software and finally getting the lettering right. 

I cannot stress enough how excited I am! I even did another picture for the #DNDchallenge.  You can get the full list of prompts over on www.bydawnnicole.com along with some other cool tips and techniques about hand lettering! Yesterday's prompt was "Hot Pink" and I may have gotten carried away.

So easy to do backgrounds!  

I will be using this more than my Wacom I think, any letterers out there care to chime in? Leave a comment about what method you prefer; is it iPad, Wacom, or paper? Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting.

-Gaby

Lawnfawnatics Challenge - Interactive Cards

Hi there! I absolutely love Lawn Fawn products and I thought I would play along with this challenge.   The theme for this one is  interactive cards. I used the "Bicycle for You" and "Bun in the Oven" stamp sets for this as well as the "Simple Road Border" die. This was so fun to make and when you pull the tab, the bicycle moves. I used "Slide on Over" to create the slider portion.

Here is a quick video to show him riding along!

I used the tiny faces from "Bun in the Oven" for the balloons and the "Congrats!" from that set for the pull tab. I did not make a video for this card, but I might recreate it in the future. Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting! 

 -Gaby

Building the Workbox 3.0

Friends...I finally got a Workbox!!! It started as me showing the video to my hubby and he said "You should just get it." 24 hours later my pre-order was complete. It arrived about two weeks ago  and honestly, I have been working on it since then. I built it over the course of a few evenings and I just finished putting all of my items into it this past weekend.  I will do another post soon that gives a full look at it, but this post is just about the build and my first impression. To be frank, this is not a single person job, I repeat, find someone to help you! I am an experienced engineer and by the time I was done, I had used several principles of leverage, power tools, and light woodworking; it was a monster. However, once it was finished, it was magnificent! I was able to fit so many supplies in it because of all of the tote storage. Check out some photos below. 

These boxes are in addition to a crate that was about 7' x 3' that I had to leave in my garage. 

This is all of the hardware that comes with the Workbox. 

These tools are included, if you have a decent rubber mallet, use that instead, I found that the head kept popping off of this one. 

End of Day 1. 

End of day 2. 

End of day 3. Putting the shelves in was surprisingly difficult because some of the spacing was really tight. 

As you can see, I started putting things in there right away, and this was when it started to get really fun and exciting. This was also before I installed the crown, which I love, the light is great.

I ordered the magnetic boards for both doors because I have a ton of dies that I wanted to store and this worked beautifully.  Also I ordered the shelf upgrade for the Velcro swing door, but I haven't installed it yet, I'm still debating if I will.

Left side. 

I used my Letratag to put labels on almost all of the totes/shelves because as I was organizing, I realized everything would be in a new place.  That part was super fun too, I went through 3 cartridges! 

I found so many things I had forgotten about and apparently at some point I needed to buy every roll of washi tape known to man, I found at least 30 rolls. I also found duplicates of a few items and this made me realize I will probably spend less on supplies now because I can see everything that I own. I think that is awesome because in just the few weeks that I have had this, I have been able to make more cards and drawings because I'm not wasting g time looking for supplies or trying to find a clean work space. 

My camera even mounts to the top shelf! 

I am so happy with this view; so many of my frequently used supplies are right in front of me. I am still working on organizing a few things as I use it more. In fact, my paper trimmer now has a designated space instead of sitting on top of my Big Shot. 

It is so easy now to sit down and color or stamp, record tutorials, or work on blogging. This was a big expense, but it was really an investment that I think is worth it just for the time and sanity saved.  If you are on the fence about it I can honestly say I am very pleased with this piece and it looks beautiful closed.  I did not show under the table, but my sewing/embroidery machine is under there along with my colored pencils, my Crop-a-Dile Big Bite, my Cinch, my Xyron Creative Stations, and my Fiskars Rotary Cutter, and they all fit comfortably. I am still impressed by how much it actually holds, I was able to put all of my regularly used supplies in there and free up so much space in my closet in the craft room. 

Now that I have completed that, expect regular posts and videos! I have recorded a few but I have to edit them, also I will be doing a full tour of my Workbox soon. As always, thanks for stopping by and happy crafting! 

Mr. Snugglekins is an Enamel Pin!

In addition to being a stamp and having his own stamp set, he is now an enamel pin! You can find him in the shop!

He is 22mm tall and perfect for bags, hats, and jackets. 

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Gaby