Hello and welcome to my personal/crafty blog :) My name is Estivalia and I'm a papercrafter, rubberstamper, card and ATC maker. You can read more about me, my art and how to contact me on the "About" page. Thanks for stopping by!



Disclaimer

Text and photographs are © Estivalia Correa. Original artwork is for personal inspiration only and may not be copied for publication or contest submission. Remember, bad karma can kick your sorry cheating ass anyday :)

F.A.Q

How do you take your pictures?
I use a Sony DSC-S65o and only natural light from my dining room and edit all my pictures with Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0. My white background is actually 3 sheets of letter sized cardstock (2 glued horizontally with masking tape and one on the bottom). Here’s a picture of the setup on the dining table:

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What are COPIC markers?
They’re a brand of alcohol based markers made by a japanese company (Too). Unlike water-based markers these give an even color coverage (I mean, if you work quickly there won’t be any visible strokes). I use COPIC Sketch markers, they come in 310 colors, are refillabe, the nibs can be replaced and the markers can be used with the Airbrush system (which I don’t have). More info on their homepage.

Where did you get them?
There are several place where you can order these markers. My favourite is an eBay store named Oozak-Online, they only sell the “big” cases and not individual markers, but they have free shipping for the U.S and prices below retail. Even the international shipping fee is reasonable (it’s EMS and comes with tracking number), I was very happy with their service.

Which are your favourite tools?
Well, my all-time favourites are the ones that can’t never go out of sight on my desk. That would be my: Tonic paper trimmer, hobby blade, scissor, cutting mat, adhesives (double sided tape, foam tape and glue stick) and my Palette Hybrid inkpad (Burnt Umber).

What are kusudamas?
Kusudamas are japanese 3d paper ornaments (also known as modular origami). They consist on a single unit that is used to make complex modules to form a figure. I make mine when I’m on travels (far from my stamping supplies) or as a break from the usual routine. They do take up sometime (around 8hrs of the overall process). I don’t use special paper, just plain photocopy paper printed with pretty patterns.

Why are your kusudamas glued? Aren’t they supposed to hold together on their own?
While it is true that most kusudamas are designed to avoid the need of glue to hold the pieces together, I prefer to use it because most (if not all) of the ones I make are to give as gifts and I don’t want the recipient to suffer a panic attack if it falls down and a few pieces get loose.