Trust Your Gut — But, Also Try Different Ideas
Making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn what works for you and your creative habit.
Behind the Page
The Olympics are coming to a close, and I am so sad about it. I’ve enjoyed getting up each morning and immediately being able to turn on some amazing sports. Especially when it means I get to see my favorite sports host/analyst Andrew Siciliano every day.
For today’s page, I just wanted to create a simple Thursday3 style journaling page (I did take photos — but I didn’t feel like printing them out for this page). So I went with something super colorful and basic. I love the way these three colors look together — sort of an alt-take on primary colors.
Technique of the Day
For today’s page, I grabbed some outline number stamps and a gel print that I created last weekend that had three distinct color blocks. I stamped each of the numbers on the different colors of the gel print and then cut them out.
First, I did a simple square cut to separate the three numbers out, then I added some of my scrapbook.com roll adhesive to the back so that the entire thing would be covered in adhesive when I finished my precision cutting.
The full-back adhesive is especially useful for this kind of cutting, where you’ve got little ends that are delicate, and could easily rip while cutting or adding adhesive. The roll adhesive gives the paper a little more heft, so you’re a lot less likely to rip off the edges when getting them onto the page.
Reflections & Insights
Pro-tip: When in doubt, use Staz-On ink — especially when you’re stamping on gel prints/painted paper.
I did not use my Staz-On ink today, just grabbed my regular Versafine Onyx (which is a pigment ink, and will dry *eventually*). That was a mistake. Even though I used my heat gun, gave it extra time to dry, I still smudged the hell out of my numbers.
It all could have been avoided if I had just used the permanent ink in the first place. Live and learn.
How It’s Made
Supply List
Print — DIY Gel Print
Stamps — Kelly Purkey (discontinued)
Scrapbook.com Roll Adhesive
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Tips & Creative Wisdom
Trust your gut. But also allow yourself to make a different decision, and be okay with the outcome. That’s how we learn.
Like for me today, my gut told me that I should really use the Staz-On permanent ink for these numbers. But I had the Versafine (which is pigment ink and will dry eventually) right on my desk, so that’s what I grabbed. I thought that I could just use the heat gun for a few seconds and everything would dry right up. Wrong.
And that’s okay — now I know for next time, Staz-On when I’m working with my gel prints. Versafine is great for other applications, but when I’m making my Daily Pages, time matters, and waiting for stuff to dry is a fool’s errand.
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