Rick Touchstone

Posted on December 7, 2020December 7, 2020 by Rick Touchstone — 1 Comment

Adhesive Foil Stainless Review

Cricut Supplies

Our friends at Cricut have been hustling to offer the best Adhesive Foil Stainless product selection for crafting. Get creative and put across your message in fun interactive ways. These supplies are created to work perfectly with your Cricut machine. They meet your every need for fit and function. Cricut makes a big offering because their selection is huge. While you’re ordering your sweatshirts, hats, mugs, and other blanks grab the HTV or adhesive vinyl and get it all shipped together. Sign up for their newsletter on the bottom right of their footer—you’ll get new deals straight to your inbox. A purchase from Cricut through these links and support this site. One of the most exciting things about getting a new Cricut is thinking about all the fun things you are going to make and all the supplies and materials you get to buy. But it can be a little overwhelming too. From vinyl to cardstock to iron-on and foil not to mention all the different tools, mats, and accessories. You will find all the needed supplies directly from Cricut. Click to see the Cricut Sale.

When it comes to materials, spark your creativity with hundreds of premium possibilities, all designed especially for your Cricut cutting machine.

Accessories – Whatever you plan to create, be prepared with these essentials for every craft and crafter.

Description

It’s not about a fear of commitment or even your ever-changing tastes, moods, or preference it’s about freedom! Cricut Adhesive Foil lets you create easily removable decals, labels, and more for personalized kitchen containers, electronic device covers, and anything else your heart desires. And the fun Stainless surface adds a glamorous high shine to all your creations with the look of brushed metal. For use with all Cricut cutting machines.

The various types of Cricut Products.
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Cricut Maker®
Cricut BrightPad™
Cricut Materials
Cricut Iron-Ons
Cricut Paper
Cricut Infusible Ink
Cricut Blades and Tools
Cricut Fabric
Cricut Glitter

Cricut Machines
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Cricut Maker Machine – Versatile. Powerful. Revolutionary. Cut hundreds of materials with effortless precision. Cricut Maker® changes everything.
Cricut Explore Air™ 2 Machine – Now available in an array of stunning hues and value-packed bundles.
Cricut Joy Machine – Make a little happiness in minutes. This smart little cutting and writing machine makes it easy to personalize almost anything.
Cricut Easypress Machine – Heat-transfer success without the guesswork. Whether you’re inspired by iron-on or Infusible Ink™, there’s a Cricut EasyPress™ machine for you.

Product Specs
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Spark your creativity with hundreds of possibilities. all
Designed especially for your Cricut cutting machine.
Essentials for every craft and crafter.
Tools make every project a pleasure.
Safer, more effective, and beautiful.
Go beyond vinyl and iron-on with basswood, and balsa wood.
Cricut Chipboard, leather, and more.
Experience pro-level personalization at home.

CUTTING MATERIALS (Vinyl, Cardstock, Iron-On, Etc.)

VINYL– if you’re making signs, stickers for car windows, coffee mugs, tumblers etc. these are the products you will want.

Removable Vinyl – great for projects you don’t want to last forever. Great for rentals and more!
Permanent Vinyl – great for projects you want to last, even though wear and tear
Glitter Vinyl – removable vinyl with sparkle!
Dry Erase Vinyl– perfect for labeling
Chalkboard Vinyl – great for making calendars or also for labeling
Holographic Vinyl – same as basic vinyl but with different colors depending on the angle you’re looking at
Stencil Vinyl– use this if you want to make hand-painted signs or screen print shirts
Disney® Vinyl – From Disney® to Star Wars
Printable Vinyl– great for making stickers
Patterned Vinyl – From Mickey and Minnie to Star Wars, watercolor, and cute hippos, add some fun designs to your projects
Place your order

My Review of Adhesive Foil Stainless

This was my first purchase of this type. The cost was low, and once I placed the order it arrived a few days later. Over the years I have dealt with a lot of other companies and were used to getting okay quality. But buying directly from Cricut was the Best thing ever! The quality is amazing, the processing time was fast, and the shipping was fast too. I ordered a bunch of different materials for a big project that I created both logos and script. I appreciate the smooth transaction and will be using Cricut for all my future material supplies, so order yours today! Get the pictured supplies Adhesive Foil Stainless (Aff), or see all materials Cricut Materials. Really nice, and the design process was super easy. The cost was perfect, the quality and the speed of delivery was unexpected! Only took about a week. Have recommended, and will continue to use.

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Posted on November 16, 2020November 17, 2020 by Rick Touchstone — Leave a comment

Artwork email and Social Media

How are you making use of your email list? Sending out a monthly newsletter is great, but if that’s all you’re sending out, you may be missing out on a lot of sales. While social media is awesome, your email list is still the most powerful tool you have for marketing.

What gives your mailing list more potential power than, say, a paid Facebook ad? The answer is that if people are receiving your emails, it means they signed up to your list. That’s essentially them raising their hand and saying “Yes, I like your stuff and I WANT to hear from you!” Social media ads can be a powerful tool, but there is a lot of guesswork and refining involved in getting it “right”. Your email list is a perfectly curated list of people who have already expressed their interest in your work and the desire to hear from you again. So if you can figure out the most effective way to communicate with those people, you have a seriously great opportunity on your hands to forge good relationships with them and ultimately sell more art.

Why the Email Newsletter is Failing You

You may object to this- “but I DO send out emails to my list! I send a bi-monthly newsletter with pictures of what I’m working on and a list of events where people can see my art!”
This is great! But let’s step back and imagine receiving this information via snail mail. When you receive a newsletter from an organization, what do you do with it? You may scan it for interesting info and look at the pictures. But then? Into the recycling, it goes. This is likely so even if the newsletter has a place at the back for your to order a product, send in a donation, or sign up for an event. There is just no appeal. You don’t feel a real need or a sense of urgency to take action.

An email marketing campaign is different from a newsletter: it’s typically sent in a series of emails over intervals of days or weeks, and these emails are usually linked together by a common theme- often the marketer will choose to tell a continuing story that doesn’t conclude until the last email. The key elements you need in order to get started crafting your own campaign?

Research effective tactics by signing up for email lists: Sign up for some email lists (they don’t have to be other artists’ lists, but if you know of some artists doing well selling their art online it doesn’t hurt to take a peek at what they’re doing!) and take notes on the emails you receive. Note the frequency, the intervals between emails, and the way they write. You’ll probably notice that they normally write in a very conversational tone- more conversational than a standard blog post. They may leave you with a cliffhanger, or really “buddy-up” to you in these emails and make it feel like they’re sharing intimate secrets. Take note of how this makes you feel because they’re doing it on purpose!

Get in-depth teaching on writing and setting up email sequences: How to Sell Your Art Online 201 is a course all about sales funnels and email marketing for artists. Learn more and sign up for the course here.

Northeast El Paso Homes for sale.

Snake River Farms’ American Wagyu Beef

Asparagus Quiche in a Crust

Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef

El Paso and Socorro listings in 79927

Posted on October 26, 2020October 28, 2020 by Rick Touchstone — 2 Comments

How are you using email

How are you making use of your email list? Sending out a monthly newsletter is fine, however, if that’s all you’re sending out, you may be missing out on a lot of sales. While your usage on social media is awesome, your email list is still the most powerful tool you have for marketing because of a captive audience.

What gives your mailing list more potential power than, say, a paid Facebook ad? The answer is that if people are receiving your emails, it means they signed up for and want to read your list. That’s essentially them raising their hand and saying “Yes, I like your stuff and I need to hear from you on a regular basis!” Social media ads can be a powerful tool, but there is a lot of guesswork and refining involved in getting it to be as effective as possible. Your email list is a perfectly curated list of people who have already expressed their interest in your work and the desire to hear from you again. So if you can figure out the most effective way to communicate with those people, you have a seriously great opportunity on your hands to forge good relationships with them and ultimately sell more art which is the only reason to do this step anyway.

Final thoughts

The email and other means of communication is not to be underestimated. You can build your list and keep your readers engaged with a little effort. Now go for it!

See all El Paso listings in 79936

Food Blogger Pro Review

Posted on October 21, 2020October 28, 2020 by Rick Touchstone — Leave a comment

Tips for Enhanced Digital Photos

Just bought a new camera ?? And very excited to start taking photos with your new gadget??

But Alas, why does the picture not look as good as you wanted to !! Fret no more, stay tuned below for 4 new tricks to taking more interesting and memorable photos.

Trick #1 – Try out different camera exposure settings
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By exploring the exposure settings of your camera, you could have pictures looking more brilliant with 0.5 to 2 stops underexposed in bright surroundings, and scenes appearing more clear with some overexposure. Just by simple tuning of the exposure level, you can create pictures which can bring out different moods from people viewing it. Thats why the quote “A Picture Says A Thousand Words” is very true indeed ! For newbies, try out bracketing (i.e: Take the same photos with different exposure levels) and take your favorite pick from them.

Trick #2 – Bring out some creative blur in photos
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By introducing some well-planned blur in photos, you can bring across certain important features, while using the rest as good complement, providing an overall nice touch. This can be done in 2 basic types.

First type is depth-of-field blur. Varying the lens aperture between 0.4 to 1.4 can create a lovely, soft background blur which bring sharp focus to the subject in the foreground.

Second type is movement blur. Done by setting the camera exposure on shutter priority, and keep it slow so as to capture interesting streaks as the subject moves in front of the camera.

Trick #3 – Create something out of nothing !!
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What does it means? This exercise encourages you to take a step back and rethink how you can take wonderful pictures with things you already encountered on a daily basis.

One approach is to create your shot around the common elements around you such as lines, space and patterns. This can mean anything from the roads to the bridges, the trees, the railings, etc.. You start to see more possibilities and room for creativity.

Trick #4 – Take Unique Photos !!
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Try to avoid taking photos from already popular places where everyone else has taken before, it will not be fresh, and the excitement is also much diminished. Try out new extreme photography (for example: underwater photography), or it could be as easy as shooting through thick glasses for that extra 3D feel, or shooting reflections of objects in water or other reflective objects.

Hope you enjoy this article

See all El Paso listings in 79935

What You Need to Know About The Pelvic Clock!

Best Espresso in your Home for 2019 – 1st In Coffee

Learn Painting

Posted on October 17, 2020October 20, 2020 by Rick Touchstone — 1 Comment

Cricut Sizzling Sale

Cricut Joy Machines Starting at $179! Valid through 7/28

Save 20% off Select Vinyl! Valid through 7/28

Save 20% off Select Paper! Valid through 7/28

Save 20% off Select Craft Tools! Valid through 7/28

Save 50% off Select Blanks! Valid through 7/28

Save 20% off Select Other Materials! Valid through 7/28

Cricut Joy Machine

Description

Step away from your inspiration boards and turn your best intentions into action with a little help from Cricut Joy, your DIY best friend. This smart little cutting and writing machine is ridiculously easy to set up and use, so you’ll find endless excuses to personalize, organize, and customize every single day. Cut custom vinyl decals for water bottles or your wall. Make labels for your kitchen or office. Bust out a custom card or a birthday banner. It’s also compatible with Cricut Smart Materials™, for super-easy, super-long cuts without a cutting mat. Just load & go! With plenty of projects that take just 15 minutes, Cricut Joy makes it possible to make something unique for you – or anyone – at a moment’s notice. It’s the perfect companion to full-size Cricut Maker® and Cricut Explore® machines.

Details

Fits in a cubby, packs away easily, sets up instantly
Cuts 50+ materials, including iron-on, cardstock, vinyl, paper, and Smart Materials™ – super-easy, super-long cuts without a cutting mat
Draws any shape and writes in a variety of styles
Cuts individual shapes up to 4 ft long or makes repeated cuts up to 20 ft long*
Perfect companion to full-size Cricut smart cutting machines

Features

Weighing in at only 3.9 lbs (1.75 kg), this smart little cutting and writing machine makes it easy to personalize almost anything
Cuts 50+ materials, including iron-on, cardstock, vinyl, paper, and Smart Materials™ – super-easy, super-long cuts without a cutting mat
Draws any shape and writes in a variety of styles
Cuts individual shapes up to 4 ft long or makes repeated cuts up to 20 ft long*
Fits in a cubby, packs away easily, sets up instantly
Perfect companion to full-size Cricut smart cutting machines
Bluetooth® wireless technology
Design Space® software for iOS, Android™, Windows®, and Mac®

Included

Cricut Joy machine
Blade + Housing**
Fine Point Pen, Black (0.4 mm)**
StandardGrip Mat, 4.5″ x 6.5″ (11.4 cm x 16.5 cm)**
Welcome card
Power adapter
Free trial membership to Cricut Access™ (for new subscribers)
50 ready-to make projects online
Materials for a practice cut
*Requires Cricut Smart Materials
**Only for Cricut Joy

El Paso Homes For Sale

Wine of the Month Club

Best Espresso made in your Home for 2019 – 1st In Coffee

Braised chuck roast with red wine and mushrooms.

Posted on October 15, 2020October 26, 2020 by Rick Touchstone — 1 Comment

Cricut BrightPad Review

Cricut BrightPad Description

Cricut BrightPad™ is the brilliant crafting companion that illuminates projects for easier crafting and reduced eye strain. Use it for tracing, weeding, quilting, and more. It’s light, thin, and durable for comfort and portability. With its ultralow profile, you can trace sitting at a table or in your favorite chair. When weeding vinyl or iron-on, your design will be beautifully illuminated for quick and easy work. And paper piecing quilt blocks has never been easier! BrightPad makes crafting more enjoyable with its adjustable, evenly lit surface–use it for models, jewelry, needlepoint, and more. No more insufficient, overhead, or glaring light. Use BrightPad as your workspace, and make crafting simple. For use with US power outlets only.

The brightpad is the right tool to do this work, I just love it. The light is so strong that ordinarily (i.e., when using standard writing paper) I crank it down to about half for comfort. I think it would work well for transferring sketches for painting, instead of using carbon paper. And at 32.5″ diagonally this thing is HUGE. I bought this size because I did not want my hand to move when writing. A size smaller just would not do the job. The surface is hard, easy to clean, and does not bleed color or ink. Great product!

I really like the adjustable light strength. Heavy-duty plastic grids come with it. Stays cool even after hours of use and the light is pleasing not harsh like the other brand. This one is exactly as advertised! I am not disappointed that I spent the extra money and purchased this product! I a.m. especially grateful for the 1 yr unconditional money back guarantee. Recommend highly!

Features

Bright, uniform LED light
5 brightness settings
Brightness settings, from lowest to highest, are at approximately 400, 1300, 2200, 3100, and 4000 lumens respectively
Lightweight, portable, and durable
9 in. x 11.5 in. lit area
Nonslip base
6 ft. USB power cord (must be plugged in during use; does not contain a rechargeable battery)

*”Hardness” refers to a material’s resistance to being scratched. The higher the number on the hardness scale, the more scratch-resistant the material. The surface material of most other light box products on the market reaches only a 3.5H on the hardness scale.

Included

Cricut BrightPad
6-ft. USB power cord with US wall power adapter
Welcome booklet
Warranty

Details

The lightweight, low-profile BrightPad™ makes crafting easier while reducing eye strain. It illuminates fine lines for tracing, cut lines for weeding, and more.

Lightweight, durable Cricut BrightPad™ in Mint with adjustable LED light
5 brightness settings
6H Hardness* Surface (scratch resistant)
9 in. x 11.5 in. lit area
6-ft. USB power cord with wall power adapter
Nonslip base for ease of use on desk or table
Must be plugged in during use; does NOT contain a rechargeable battery

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See all El Paso listings in 79936

Posted on October 12, 2020October 28, 2020 by Rick Touchstone — 2 Comments

Learn painting with oils and acrylics

Learn & Master Painting brings out the inner-artist in you! Learn & Master Painting is the by far the world’s best DVD-based course available to learn to paint with oils and acrylics.

Learn & Master Painting is the best home instruction course available to learn to paint with oils and acrylics. Master artist, Gayle Levee, has designed interactive lessons to provide you with a solid, comprehensive foundation for your own artwork. Learn & Master Painting consists of 20 professionally produced DVDs, 3 Music CDs (to listen to while you paint), a thorough Lesson Book with supplemental information, and access to a free online student support site. Please note that I do not receive this product or any others in exchange for this article, I do get a commission for readers clicking the buy now links which helps to differ the cost of hosting this blog and I sincerely hope this article site helps you with your search for Learn and Paint products. It is the only instructional package you’ll ever need on your journey toward painting mastery and to seeing the world through the eyes of an artist. All you need is the desire to create incredible works of art! See all offerings at the store.

From the onset, learning how to paint can seem like an overwhelming endeavor. But when you study with Gayle Levée she’ll walk you through step-by-step video instruction, taking you from any skill level—even if you’re a total novice—to paint with advanced techniques used by professional painters. You’ll learn how to make your paintings look realistic and believable. Gayle will teach you how to set up your studio, properly care for your materials, choose colors to best communicate your theme, and how to develop your compositions and draw objects in perspective. You’ll learn all the foundational painting skills you’ll need to become an accomplished artist.

By the end of the course, you’ll understand how to get the illusion of depth and distance in a painting and you’ll be amazed at how you are able to record your experiences and the world around you in your paintings. You’ll complete several paintings—together with Gayle—from start to finish and discover a whole new way to create!

Not a beginner? That’s ok. Just review the basics (you might be surprised what you don’t know) and jump into the more advanced training on perspective and color theory. Many classical and formal training programs don’t include the information you’ll learn here.