Happenings at A Place in Time on January 9th 2013

Good Morning Everyone,

I got up this morning and went out to my Laser Den to get an early start on a couple of new stencil designs. After a couple of hours of "play" i went back in the house and found that Priscilla had also been "playing". She was using our new stencil, "Tropical Plant", to give some file folders a fun look. I thought they really looked nice and "borrowed" one to take a photo. Priscilla used several different ink pad colors to give it depth and definitely a "wow" factor. I asked her how long it took her and she said all of 2 minutes. How many of you make new file folders for your records for 2013? I think it's a boring job, but if you add a little color to the front of the file, it could be a lot of fun.

Close up of the "Tropical Plant" on manila file folder

Add a fun touch to your file folders

Fran's class is filling up very quickly. There are 3 seats left. One thing that I failed to mention in my previous Blog is that, along with various Bird Song papers that you can choose from, there are 12 x 12 pads of paper, stamps, chipboard die-cuts, 8 x 8 pads, and stickers. Priscilla also acquired a variety of embellishments from Prima to add the perfect touch to your album, card, or scrapbook page. Give me a call if you want to be included in the class.

See you tomorrow,

Bill
A Place in Time
1079 Liku Street
Kailua, HI  96734
1-808-261-2882
wotsearch@hotmail.com

Happenings at A Place in Time on January 8th, 2013

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou everyone,

It's hard to believe the new year is here already. It's harder to believe that it has been a full month since I last sat down to write something. Maybe that should be my New Year's resolution - more entries into the Blog.

The most exciting piece of news is that we are going to start having classes again. Priscilla met with Fran yesterday and the first class for the year will be on Saturday, January 26th ( 1:00 - 3:00pm). The cost has yet to be determined and I will let you know when I'm told. The name of the class is Bird Song Mini Album. As you might guess, it uses the Bird Song Collection paper from Graphic 45. The paper has a very beautiful Asian flavor and I can't wait to see the sample that Fran is making. There is limited seating - perhaps up to 10 people. Ha! I have to laugh because I already received one phone call this morning to sign up for the class - and that's before I even Blog it. Apparently, Fran beat me to the punch on her Blog. The class will be at our new location: A Place in Time - 1079 Liku Street - Kailua - 1-808-261-2882. Please give me a call if you would like to sign up and, if needed, I can give you driving directions.

We've had a few people come by and check out our new laser operation and the new stencils we've been creating. Shown below are a few more designs that we have created. One of my goals is to modify our website and have all of the stencils available for viewing. That would allow us to sell them on the internet. Our newest stencils are as follows:

BAMBOO  FRAME

BUTTERFLIES  ARE  FREE

FLOWER CIRCLE

All of the above stencils work well with an A2 sized card, but can be used on larger cards as well. If you have a specific size so as to eliminate an embossed border - let me know and I'll customize it to fit (no charge as long as the image size doesn't change. The Flower Circle is an amazing design - almost becomes 3D when you view it.

Next in line for stencils will be a BANANA TREE, an ASIAN FAN, and a TROPICAL PLANT. Priscilla asked me what the tropical plant was. I told her I didn't know but it looks tropical to me and it has berries. I like it because of the undulating shades and shadows you can employ.

We are also working on an ORCHID FAIRY, a KOI, and a new DRAGON.

That's all for now. If you have the time, drop by our new place for a preview. Your more than welcome.

See you tomorrow,

Bill
A Place in Time
1079 Liku Street
Kailua, HI.  96734
1-808-261-2882
wotsearch@hotmail.com

Happenings at A Place in Time on December 4, 2012

Good Morning Everyone,

Whew! Art and I were very busy last week. The order for 750 name tags from the Four Seasons Resorts Lana'i arrived and we shipped the name tags last Friday. Sandwiched in between were engraving chopsticks, glassware, a leather journal, acrylic plaques, and koa pens.

We've also been busy developing some new stencils that I think you will enjoy also. We had a call yesterday from Nancy - she lives in Ozark, Alabama - and wanted our Mokulua Islands stencil. Her plan was to use the image on her mailbox. It's easy for us to customize the size to fit the item you want to use it on. Her stencil is going out in the mail today  Our new program gives you the flexibility of ordering any of our stencils by giving me a phone call. Most of our stencils will fit in a standard sized envelope. There's no shipping charge. If your order is larger we'll use the flat rate boxes from the Post Office and just pass along that cost to you. There is no handling fee. Saves you time and gas but I'd rather see your smiley face.

The stencils I have for you to see today are 1. North Shore Wave  2. North Shore Moon  3 & 4 are two background design using the Sakura Flower. We also have a card(s) that Priscilla made using our new Sakura Blossom stencil. I hope you like them.

First up is a sympathy card Priscilla made for a neighbor. Simple but elegant.

Sakura Blossom

Second is a new stencil were affectionately calling North Shore Wave.

Third is a Sakura Flower background. Emboss it on the Big Shot and layer any other design that you like over the top of it to fit the occasion.

Sakura Blossom Background

Fourth is another card made by Priscilla. It's hard to see because of my photo taking ability (Ha), but this is a traditional folded card, but the front of the card is only 1/2 the height of the total card. The Sakura Blossum is embossed on the front fold and then Priscilla cut along the top edge thereby exposing the Merry Christmas and swirls that would normally be hidden. Dry embossed on the Big Shot, use your favorite pigment ink colors and embossing powders and you have a really nice card. I have it on display in our Laser Den.

Sakura Blossom

Fifth is more detailed Sakurs Flower and using it as a background. I really like the fine detail of this image and I think it will give you some new ideas in the cards you will be making.

Sakura Blossom Background

Sixth is a slight modification the the North Wave Stencil by adding a moon or sun if you prefer. I think it has a grace and delicate feel. I'd use crystals where the dots appear.

North Shore Moon

 

Happenings at A Place in Time on November 19, 2012

Aloha Everyone,

There are 3 holidays during the year that I consider to be my favorite. Christmas is my favorite, Thanksgiving is 2nd because I believe it is closely related to Christmas. Third is the Marine Corps birthday. Those of you that know me understand this. Thanksgiving is this Thursday and Priscilla is planning a "small" gathering. The importance of this day is more than turkey and mashed potatoes. It gives us a chance to reflect and be thankful for the blessings we have. And I have a lot to be thankful for. Have a great day and I look forward to the leftovers.

As I promised, I have the next 3 stencils (new) for your review.

#8.  Sakura Blossom - this is a playful design that offers you the opportunity to be very creative. I think I would use the variegated foils on the leaves (some people would say wings) and embossing powders on the flower. Do the image a second time and cutout the flower and pop it (3d dot) on your original embossed image. It could even spin if you wanted to.

#9 Sakura Sunburst - This almost reminds me of a sand dollar. Use embossing paste and sprinkle beach sand on it. The sakura flower - maybe mix the red and white embossing pastes together to get a softer red. I think this would look stunning on black card stock. Glossy black would look fantastic. Ok... I did it in purple ..Ha! Purple is the favorite color of the ladies on the island.

#10 Sakura Wheel - Dry emboss this with the Big Shot and use your mica powders. Work from dark to light - the darker tones on the outside and gradually getting lighter as it reaches the inner edge of the leaf. Play with the inner "wheel" and be creative. an option would be to layer a clear plastic over the finished image and place a small Asian coin in the center. Apply rub-ons for a sentiment or use another stencil (happy birthday, etc) and embossing paste.

Well, there you have it - nine new designs for you to choose from. You can reach me at 1-808-261-2882. I'll mail your stencils to you if you wish.

All of the images shown above where colored via Photoshop. We still haven't uncovered all of our supplies. I have embossed all of them on the Big Shot and they work beautifully. Please feel free to bring in samples of what you have done and I'll share them on the Blog. Did you know that if you have a scanner ( they're not expensive) you can scan our stencils into Photoshop and color them as I did. It's kind of cool because you can use it as a base color and then dry emboss them on the Big Shot. Try it....

I'm working on more designs and will share them with you as soon as possible.

See you tomorrow,

Bill
A Place in Time
The Laser Den
1079 Liku Street
Kailua,  HI  96734
1-808-261-2882
wotsearch@hotmail.com

Happenings at A Place in Time on November 16, 2012

Aloha Friday,

I can hardly believe that it's been almost a month since my last Blog entry. I hope you all haven't given up on me. No excuses, I just haven't taken the time to write a line or two. The Lazer Den is just about done. I spent the other day installing a security door and the exterior window and door trim. I now have something I never had in the old store. I'm sitting here looking out at palm trees and blue sky - the trade winds are sending a soft breeze through the screened window and door .... I feel like I'm living in Hawaii.. When you come over to take a look at the new stencils you will find a potted plant sitting in the driveway. It's about 20ft from where I'm sitting. What I would like to do is landscape the driveway in front of the Laser Den to soften the approach and provide more separation from the vehicles. I think it will look kind of nice.

Art and I have been very busy. Engraving electrical labels, glass vases for a wedding, chopsticks for a 60th birthday, koa boxes for a company Christmas party, and much more. We also just got word today that we've been selected to make all of the name tags for the two Four Seasons Resorts on Lana'i.

We've also been busy in the designing of some new stencils that I think your going to like. In the past we were able to design one or two new stencils a month. Without the old store to run, I now have more time for designing and letting my creative juices loose. So, today I have 9 (yes, I said 9) new stencils for you to review. If you like them, you can come visit me me at our new location or I can mail them to you. So, here we go....

  Just in time for the holidays I have 3 different designs for you to choose from. Priscilla is still in the process of putting her new teaching space together - the enclosed "patio" was and mostly still is a lot of boxes. But she is making steady progress, so keep in touch with the Blog - you will want to take a class or two. My problem is that all the supplies are still in boxes. So the new stencil designs are colored using the computer. As you review the new stencils below, I will offer suggestions as to how I would use them.


1. Snowflake - a delicate design that dry embosses beautifully and if you look closely you will see I included the sakura flower in it's design. This image will look great with whatever technique you choose to use. I would use embossing paste and then color it. Something that would be fun would be to use a circle cutter and cut out the snowflake and using an eyelet you could pin it to the greeting card - it then spin freely on the face of the card. Where the circles in the snowflake occur use could use crystals or glossy accents.

SNOWFLAKE

2. Gift Package Border - Use this for Christmas or any occasion where gifts are involved. The stencil is sized for an A2 card. If you would like a suggestion, I would try the mica powders on the ribbon and bows. The package itself I would use the gold, silver, or copper leafing. All of this would be done over a base of matte black embossing paste.

GIFT PACKAGE BORDER

3. Christmas Tree - Just in time for the holidays - except for those of you that already started in July. Ha! Try using matte white paste as a base. Sprinkle glitter on the draped tree decoration and I would use clear crystals for the Christmas balls. Once the paste is dry I would color the tree and packages with a variety of chalk inks. It would be fun to let some of the white paste show through to give a hint of snow.

CHRISTMAS TREE

The next several designs are generic and can be used for any occasion. I hope you have fun with them.

4.  Bamboo - I really like the "softness" of this design. It would be especially good as a sympathy card. It dry embosses using the Big Shot extremely well. I would then mix the matte black and white pastes to create a soft grey and layer it over the raised image. You can then add just a tinge of color to the tips of the leaves. I also like the idea of layering a piece of thin plastic over the top of the card face. This would have the sentiment embossed on it. Simple and elegant. Don't forget, you can use the Glossy Accents to adhere the plastic to the card face.

BAMBOO

5. Asian Gate - I've always wanted to create this stencil. Here I would try using the Copic Pens and the Windstorm Air Brush. I think you could achieve some really nice shading. How about a tri-fold card? The stencil is an A2 size so your paper would be 4.25 tall and 11.0 wide. For you frugal paper users out there, you could get 2 cards from a single 8 1/2 x 11 piece of card stock. Now visualize this - the gate is the front of the card and is split in half when the card opens. Well, I've probably confused you, so come by the Laser Den and I'll show you.

6. Asian Woman - Dry emboss on the Big Shot and them play with colors. Use your Picasso from Dreamweaver to control the placement of colors. I think I would try dry embossing this stencil on a sheet of metal and then just add a tinge of color here and there. Put the embossed image on a thin piece of chipboard - fold the edges of the metal  around the chipboard and adhere on the backside. Mount this on your card leaving a decorative border around the mounted metal image.

ASIAN WOMAN

7. SAKURA BLOSSUM    8. SAKURA SUNBURST  and  9 SAKURA WHEEL

Your going to have wait until the next Blog - which will be soon.

Give a call if your interested in any of the stencils and please spread the word that we still exist and are doing some fun stuff. If you have an idea for a stencil - let me know and we'll have some fun together making it happen.

See you tomorrow,

Bill

A Place in Time
The Laser Den
1079 Liku Street
Kailua,  HI  96734
1-808-261-2882
wotsearch@hotmail.com

Happenings at A Place in Time on 10-19-12

Good Evening Everyone,

I'm beginning to feel like I'm relocated and the pieces are falling into place. We now have phone service and it's the same number as the old store - 808-261-2882. I figured out how to disconnect the ringer on the base station in the house so the phone only rings in the Laser Den. Prior to that, the phone would ring and mom would wonder "what phone is ringing". Ha! It was kind of cute. Our space, Art's and mine, isn't totally complete yet, but we are starting to receive some work orders. It's nice to get back to something other than construction. Most recently we completed a job for 70 buffet signs for the Pahu i'a Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort on the Big Island. That was followed by an order for 12 wine glasses that Art engraved a kanji and a small flower on them. Next were Koa Boxes and name tags. Not too bad for the first week.

My thanks to everyone who helped make this all possible. It's not the same, but it will do. If you have the opportunity, please spread the word that we are taking orders. I have to start making phone calls to let people know how they can find the laser den - or they can simply give me a call.

I hope you enjoy the photos.....and I'll see you tomorrow at the Laser Den. The hours of operation has changed a bit: We are open Monday through Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. If those hours don't exactly fit your need - give me a call and we will arrange something.

We used chalkboard paint on clear acrylic to create the buffet signs.
The chalkboard paint goes on easily and it gives you a "cool" medium to work with

Wood plaques are adhered to interior of koa boxes as award to deserving individuals

Art's corner in the Laser Den. 

Bill's corner - it's small, but has a high tech look to it.

Happenings at A Place in Time on October 16th, 2012

Good Morning Everyone,

It's been three weeks since my last Blog entry and so much has happened in that time. Art and I have been working non-stop to get our new laser's home built and ready to function. My first thoughts, however, are to thank those who have made this all possible. There are so many of you that lent a hand in making the transition of vacating the store. First there was the "breakdown crew". It took a lot of strong backs to remove and box up the store. I was amazed as to how fast it happened. One day there was a store...the next - there was boxes and store fixtures broken down and laid against the walls. For those fixtures that weren't purchased, Priscilla was looking for a non-profit organization that could find a good use for them. Secondly, there was the "moving crew". Once again it took strong backs to load the truck with all the "stuff". Priscilla had the idea to "enlist" the Marines. So she did. She made a phone call and that's all it took. We had our volunteers. I found out on the morning of the move that they warmed up for the move by running 6 miles in about 57 minutes. They provided the muscle that we needed and I am proud to be apart of the family called Marines.

The moved happened and our new location for the laser is almost done. I have to finish the ceiling and apply the siding to the exterior, but we have started accepting engraving orders - our first being a large order for buffet signs for the Four Seasons Restaurant - Pahu i'a on the Big Island. We are using chalkboard paint on acrylic cutouts of the Big Island. These will adorn their buffet line and tell the guests what delicacies they can choose from. I have decide to call our new space "The Laser Den". Sounds kind of nice. The phone company is expected today to provide service to the laser den and then I'll feel that we have been re-born. The phone number will still be 1-808-261-2882.

So what is next? I'm sitting here looking out the window in the newly converted carport and am thankful for the opportunity. I'll keep you informed.

Have a great day.... and I'll see you tomorrow at the Laser Den

Bill
A Place in Time
1-808-261-2882
wotsearch@hotmail.com