Card making supplies at your local hardware store.

Metal duct tape used on cards

In the storage cabinet above my work table is a plethora of adhesives I use.  One of those adhesives is a roll of metal duct tape I’ve had for a number of years.  I used it to make my ink pad, ink refill, and shimmery spritz storage units several years back.

Ink pad and spritz storage from foam core and metal duct tape

The metal duct tape comes on a roll about two inches wide and I don’t even know how many yards.  I have used this tape with embossing folders but not with my dies.  I thought I would do some experimenting.

Metal duct tape and dies

In my scrap stash I have a lot of three inch square pieces of paper.  So if I screwed up there would be no hardship on me.

An experiment with metal tape and dies

The die cut snowflakes disappeared in the patterned paper.  I wondered what they would look like on white paper.

Metal tape die cuts on white paper

Finding success in using dies with the metal tape I took it one step further and smoothed the tape over a piece of card stock to be used on a card front and ran it through my Big Shot with a snowflake embossing folder from Stampin’ Up!  Some glitter, a bit of Distress Stickles, and a Stampin’ Up! “Let it snow” rubber stamp were the feature items of the card front.

Embossed metal tape

I made two sets of cards.  One dark and one light.  I can’t decided which one I like the best so I sent it out to my Facebook followers to chime in.  The consensus has gone to the darker card.

And here is the card with the snowflake die cuts peeking out from behind the snowman.

Metal tape die cuts on card front

I used Operation Write Home Card Sketch #16 on this project if you want to know how I made it.  The metal duct tape at the hardware store will make you gulp at the price when you see it.  It is almost $20 for a roll of the metal tape.  Keep in mind that this tape will last for a long time.  It is not used in everyday crafting projects like other adhesives are.

Here is my YouTube video showing the process I used to make these cards with the metal duct tape.

Leslie

I’ve lost my mind and I don’t remember where I had it last.

The paper scraps have been handled, all is well on that front.

I’ve been trying to get my rubber stamps organized and into some kind of format so I will know exactly what I have.  Drawers have been emptied of the Stampin’ Up! plastic boxes.  All the wood blocks have been removed.  Those rubber stamps have been put in large 3-ring binders.

I’ve organized my Jet Storage drawers that are in the closet.  Scrap pieces of paper  have been used in the label area of the drawers.

I have some number stickers that have been in a drawer since 2003.  Those have been used to mark the drawer numbers.

My odd assortment of rubber stamps have been acquired over the years in a “Willy Nilly” fashion.  No rhyme nor reason as to why, or what, I’ve purchased.  The first drawer holds my large block stamps.  Since I don’t have a lot of them and use them infrequently I’m leaving them on the blocks.

The second drawer has an assortment of medium and small wood mounted stamps that I seldom use.

The first of the smaller drawers holds my Stampin’ Up! rubber that came in the DVD/CD holders.  There is no true method to the storage of these stamps.  Just chucked in the amount that would fit and move on to the next drawers.  In the back area of the drawer are my small stash of “Wheel” stamps.

The next drawer holds more Stampin’ Up! rubber along with some small stamps I purchased many years ago while in Wichita, Kansas visiting a scrapbook store there on our way to see one of our sons.

The next drawer holds more Stampin’ Up! rubber along with three alpha sets that I just had to have.  One of those purchases in my early days of gathering stuff for my craft room with every intention of using but have not.

The final drawer holds my last, and final, Stampin’ Up! rubber set.  I have some Tim Holtz, Hampton Arts, Studio G, and I don’t remember what else are in this drawer.

Initially, I was pretty pleased with getting all of my rubber stamps catalogued on the 4″ x 6″ index cards and placed in the recipe box.  Trouble was I still have no idea what I have.  I mean with all of the images and sentiments how would I find the right image for a card?!

I mean, REALLY?!  Look at the mess I’ve made for myself!

So after all that initial work I am sorting through all the cards to pick out images and sentiments that go together.  These are then stamped onto photocopy paper in some kind of an order.  At least all the Christmas stuff is together in a group, as is the floral images, and the birthday stamps.

This will, eventually, be my master list.  Plus this will also work as my documentation for insurance purposes.  These papers will be scanned into my computer then saved to disk and put somewhere safe.  Living in “Tornado Alley” as we do, and usually being in the opposite part of the US during those storms I will have a way of showing what I have lost in the event of a tragedy.

I’ve also been hard at work on my “Day Job” paperwork.  I’m not exactly sure when Joe and I will be leaving once again for weeks at a time and I need to get this data entry crap done for our taxes this year.  I hate this job so much that I have devised a workable schedule of 4 hours daily to this task.  I am happy to say that I have finished all of the data entry that I can for now.  Just waiting for the bank statements to arrive in the mail to complete this task.

Joe has had numerous doctor appointments during the past two weeks.  We had a bit of a scare a couple weeks back.  The pinky and ring fingers of both of his hands have been tingling and numb for quite some time.  MRI, CT Scans, and X-Rays have filled our weeks since we’ve been home.

Joe’s spinal cord is being pinched in his neck and at shoulder level.  The pinched spinal cord is causing the numbness and tingling in his hands.  It is also some of the cause of some weakness in his legs as well.  A new doctor, a Neurologist (another “Ologist” added to Joe’s team of medical professionals) first thought surgery would be needed to correct the pinched spinal cord.  After the most recent visit with the Neurologist it has been suggested to just wait and see what happens.  Another round of MRI, CT Scans, and X-Rays will be done in February to see if there is any further damage.

IF things get worse then Joe will need to go in for surgery.  With the Warfarin he is on the Neurologist has said Joe will be in the hospital for several days before the surgery to make sure there will not be any complications afterwards.  Complications can be leaving Joe paralyzed from the neck down if a blood clot takes up residence in the spinal column after the surgery.

Joe was given some hopeful news that this pinched spinal cord might just right itself on its own as long as he doesn’t go about like Superman.  Good luck with THAT!

So, I don’t know how long I will be home this time.  Possibly through the month of December so I am taking advantage of the time to get some order to my chaos.

Next on the agenda is to get my house cleaned.  It is making me crazy.  I will be taking the 4 hours used in the paperwork time table and do some deep cleaning in each of the rooms of our house.  Starting with our bedroom closet!  That place is a wreck.  Clothes and shoes that have not been worn in many years are going to be sorted through and donated or trashed.  The intent is to not only have a clean closet but to get the boxes out of the living room that we take with us on the road.

I am attempting to stay caught up on this blog, as well as read everything my friends have posted.  I’m a bit overwhelmed right now and under some pressure.  I will get to you all….I promise.

Are you organizing your spaces?  What do you do when you have an area to get control over?  I’d like to know.

Leslie