Technical Pen Refurbished

I brought home a technical pen from the ReUse Centre a while back.  It did not write so it sat with other pens for quite a while. When I rediscovered it this week and I tested it again and still no marks, I was ready to chuck it.  I could see it was a good quality pen - the lid screwed on, Staedtler is a good brand, and the pen point was in good shape.  I decided to google to see if I could find out anything about the pen.

I found out that it was refillable. I figured out how to remove the pen point/cartridge assembly from the barrel. After soaking the pen point for about 30 minutes I managed to get the pen point assembly off. It just unscrewed from the ink cartridge. Very good!

The pen point assembly was soaked for another while until ink started dissolving from it into the water. I used my fine point syringe to push water through it until it ran clear. That done.

The ink in the cartridge was all dry and pretty stuck in there. I soaked it over a 24 hour period and slowly the some of the ink dissolved and some came out in tiny hard bits.  I was happy to start seeing through the cartridge.  I kept rinsing it out regularly and more ink came out.  After a while I could see a small mechanism in the bottom part of the cartridge. I was careful not to damage that.

Finally, it was clean.  I searched on line and one recommendation was fountain pen ink to refill it. That I had so I filled the cartridge with a fine tip syringe, screwed the pen point assembly back on, placed that back into the barrel and lo and behold it writes!

Came in handy for Inktober drawings!

Christmas Cards for Seniors

 

I prepared some Christmas cards for seniors which will be distributed to nursing homes by a local scrapbook store.

I have several techniques in this collection of 24 Christmas cards.  

1) recycled commercial cards onto new card bases and new inserts - several which worked better in the 5x7 size.

2) refurbishing handmade cards I have received - some from friends who took my card making classes so the designs are mine but I did not make the cards, some I received in my monthly card exchange. 

I am very happy with the selection and variety in this collection.  Soon they will be delivered to the scrapbook store.

2021 Christmas Card Challenge - Refurbished Cards - Session 2

I continue my clean up of old cards and they need to be use or otherwise disposed of.

A beautiful manger scene which is simple and elegant.

I just added a brown texture card stock layer to the golden rod card base.

The manger layer was then adhered to the brown layer.

I added a greeting with a Stampin Up Modern Label in the the card color and a brown Word Window punchie.  This was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light:

I love the beautiful greens in this stain glass window of the shepherds in the fields.

I trimmed the window from the commercial card front.  It was not wide enough so I added a strip of purple to the right hand side.

The stained glass layer was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

 

 

 

A well lit church scene inside a Christmas tree shape with gold foil stars all around.

I trimmed it and then layered it on a piece of white card stock.  Then added to a medium blue card base.

I added a Stampin Up Modern Label punichie greeting in blue. This was adhered to the card with 3D foam tape.

 
 

 

 

The name above all names "Jesus".  The reason for the season.  Gorgeous trio of candles with holly around the base. I added a green layer to the golden rod card base. Adhered the focal element with 3D foam tape.

 

The trip to Bethlehem on a donkey.  Mary pregnant with Jesus and Joseph leading the family to their destiny. 

Love the blues and purples in this card.  Adhered with 3D foam tape to a purple card.

I am really happy with these cards. 

Five more cards for the Christmas box.

2021 Christmas Card Challenge - Refurbished Cards

With the power off most of the day I had to keep my hands busy.

I decided to refurbish some commercial Christmas cards.  Use the A2 size is a bit challenging because the commercial cards are so much bigger.  It means finding a focal element and trimming to keep in the center of the element.

Here I chose the star and Rejoice as the focus.  The width was not full so I added a strip of gold on the warm deep teal card base.  The focal element was adhered with 3D foam tape.

 

This snowman seems to enjoying the Christmas season.  

I chose a card base that matched the twig arms which is a warm taupe color.

I just trimmed the snowman to leave an even border all the way around.  It was adhered with 3D foam tape.

I trimmed the candles then trimmed the scripture verse so that I could overlap these elements.

I chose a warm blue green card base.  This is in the portrait or tall orientation.

The candles were adhered with double sided tape then the scripture was adhered with 3D foam tape.

 

 

 

A sleigh ride is always fun at Christmas time.

I chose a deep red card base.  Once again choosing the focal point of the sleigh and trimmed accordingly. 

Mounted with 3D foam tape leaving a tiny border.

 

I am imagining headed off the a Christmas Eve service by horse and sleigh.

I chose a lavender card base.

The focal element was adhered with 3D foam tape. 

Each card had a seasonal insert adhered inside and a new envelope was matched to it.

A few more cards for my Christmas Card box!

I had to make do with not electric tools today so a paper cutter and tape worked really well.

Christmas Cards - Refurbished Set 3

I used to print greeting cards with a Gocco printer.  This ivory wreath card is my own design that I printed in gold ink on ivory card stock along with the greeting.  I added the ivory organza ribbon onto the wreath. 

To refurbish - I trimmed the card front to leave a small border and mounted that onto a brown card front.




If you want to check out the Gocco printing process I found this video on line.  Turn the sound down on your computer before clicking.

This card features a small nativity clipart image.  It is layered onto a layer of white card stock. I then chose a piece of purple mulberry paper.  It was wet with a paint brush in order to be able to rip it in the shape desired.  I dried the paper with an iron then adhered it to the card front which had the greeting color printed onto it then mounted the other layers.

To refurbish this card I trimmed the card front to leave a small border and mounted it onto a purple card to coordinate with the purple mulberry paper.

 This card features a Christmas tree in a modern design.  It is stamped onto a white layer with a green ink pad.  It was mounted onto a piece of coordinating green bond paper and trimmed with decorative scissors.  It was then mounted to the greeting layer which has a greeting color printed in red.

To refurbish the card I trimmed the card front to leave a small border.  I then mounted it to the front of a coordinating green card.

 This is a card I designed for my work a few years ago.  It features coordinated digital images of the star and the word PEACE. 

To refurbish I trimmed the card front to leave a small white border. Then I layered it onto a red card stock layer then onto a warm green card.

This card features a small store bought card in turquoise with a bright red bird. 

I mounted the small card front onto white pearl card stock leaving a small border. Then onto the front of a black card which picked up the black in the words on the card.

Refurbishing Store Bought Cards - Christmas

This a sample of the store bought Christmas cards in my stash accumulated over many years.  I am working to refurbishing these into useful cards.  I find store bought cards a challenge because they are generally larger than the A2 invitation size I normally make, so the images are sometimes too large.  At times, I can trim them to fit on the smaller card bases.  The smaller cards work at lot better like the We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  See the sample below.

Here's a few cards I made from the stash above. 
The tree was trimmed very close and mounted onto red card base. 
The Joy was a small card which I trimmed then mounted onto a white layer then onto a matching blue card base.
The star had wonderful color so I chose a deep red burgundy card base to which I adhered the trimmed store bough card.  Then I added the greeting made from gold Stampin Up Decorative Label punch, a green label and the greeting is a SU Word Window punchie.
The We Wish You card as a small one trimmed then adhered to a kraft layer to which I added a black hand drawn border to repeat the black in the store bought card.  It was adhered to a warm red card base.
The Peace earth was a small card, trimmed to the right proportions then adhered to a deep red card stock then adhered to a matching blue card base.
The winter street scene was trimmed a lot to get it to the right size the adhered to a mint green card base.  I added 3 white tiny star brads in the center of the glitter snowflakes in the top of the Thomas Kincade image.
The triangle tree with words was a small card, trimmed and layered to a gold spattered brown layer which was then layered onto a bright green card base.

Check your place for old Christmas cards and see how you might re-use pieces to make your Christmas cards this year.  A green idea which re-uses and saves paper and ultimately trees.

How To: Refurbishing Handmade Christmas Cards

I`ve had someone ask for more details about how I refurbish old handmade Christmas cards.  Some of us save the really nice Christmas cards we receive.  It's hard to throw them out. So you may have all the cards you need by working with a bit of paper crafting mojo.

There are several scenarios so let me go through them.  You will need to provide new card envelopes so that is why I generally refurbish to the standard A2 Invitation size envelopes.

Refurbished Cards - Set 2

Another set of refurbished cards for the church fund raiser.

These are such nice cards to it is satisfying to give them a second life.

Some simply needed a new insert, some need a new card base, some needed to be straightened out and all got new inserts and envelopes.

Refurbished Card - Second Life

I have received many wonderful cards from friends, coworkers, family over the years.

These cards are way too nice to throw away.

When I heard that card donations were needed for a church fundraiser

I refurbished 25 of them and am ready to have them have a second life.

Greeting Card Gift Sets - Portfolio

I'm working on inventory for my sale next weekend.

I designed a new portfolio for selling these gifts sets.  The advantage to the old packaging is that you can see all the cards and it stands on it own so may not need a container on the craft table. The front has a small label at the bottom identifying the set and the back holds the credits.  The inside shows both cards.  I used a 6x10 cellophane where I add the 2 labels and a piece of bond between the 2 sets.  I seal the cellophane then punch holes in the center with a long reach punch through the cellophane and the bond paper. The provides strength to the ribbon feature. I string a piece of satin ribbon through the holes from the back to the inside and back to the outside and knot and trim the ribbon ends.

Happy with this system.

I'm refurbishing some of my cards which have been returned to me or were samples for classes that did not run or some other reason the cards were set aside.  I've added a piece of card stock or whatever else is needed.  This set features watercolored graphics glued to handmade paper then onto card stock.

This set features paintings of my own.  The green white lily and the birch trees are paintings I have scanned and printed on the card fronts.

The flowers are from Dover Clipart collection.  The hyacinth and the lily are great flowers for this time of year.

Refurbished Cards

We all receive a wonderful array of cards from family and friends including card makers through card exchanges etc.  What to do with them?  My box was overflowing and something had to be done.  I refurbished many cards over the weekend. I added inserts and new envelopes. Cleared out a corner of the craft room.   They are on their way to a seniors center where they will have another life. I'm really happy!