How to successfully punch shapes from thin tissue... without going nuts

I found a a beautiful paper napkin at the dollar store that I absolutely love, and I have collaged it onto just about every empty box I can find!  I even put it on one of those manikin heads you can find for wigs.

I decided I wanted to top one of the containers with a flower made from one of my favorite punches. This is very thin tissue indeed, particularly after having removed the inner white lining from the napkin.

I slid it into the punch, and this is what I got:

 Not only did it not punch properly, I had a dickens of a time getting it out of the punch.   So disappointed I was!

I refused to give up, and to make this flower to position it where I want I was going to need more than one of these shapes.  Then I thought, why not just "fool" the punch, and lay the tissue on top of a piece of cardstock?  Not adhered to it, because I want only the tissue for this particular project.  And it worked! Here was the result.. and it gave me, of course, extra flower shapes from the cardstock for a future use.

Simple solution, right?

I love my EK punches, but they are getting a bit cranky.  I had to use some WD40 on them this week because the springs were not too springy anymore.

SO happy at having found this solution!

Happy long weekend.

Craft packs are now available as part of the studio clearance!

Studio clearance going on.  Really!


 It's been fun coordinating all these things and making extra die cuts to supplement, as well as cutting out pop-up bases for step cards or whatever anyone would care to use them for.  However, the biggest problem I can see (these are heavy-duty boxes, about 9x12x2) is the shipping cost.  eBay really encourages free shipping but I don't quite know how to price them reasonably and offer shipping too.  I'll figure it out.

The browns and all their accompaniments are my favorites.

Because I have the parchment craft supplies site, and now the studio clearance, I have been trying to tie it all together so that once I have all this put up, I'll have time to PLAY!  I want to get back to painting, and collaging, and have some female heads in foam that I found at JoAnn's that I am anxious to play with.

I also have created some 5x7 bullet journals to include with the craft packs, just for the last six months of the year to introduce people to the idea of bullet journals.  I love using mine, and I really do need a way to look at the month as a whole when remembering all the commitments I have -- including what day my mini-Aussie gets her heartworm meds.  Anyway, I am taking more photos of the craft packs later today.  That is, after I finish hassling with the eBay store inputs.

Do you also set up self-imposed deadlines?  I'm really bad about that!  Balance -- time to play -- is essential.