Katie & Aaron's Wedding Card!

This is Katie & Aaron's wedding invitation that I got several weeks ago. I took it from this...

... to this!  I just printed an insert to replace the invitation, added a new envelope, and voila, I'm done.  It actually wasn't that easy but I enjoyed doing it!

Gift Opening Time!

Here are pictures of Heather opening her packages! (see other post from today)

Today is Heather's Flip Flop Birthday

Last January I began to think about Heather's birthday, which is today! Her 25th! We wanted to do something special, and something fun. So I made it known to friends on the "net" that I was looking for all things flip flop. They also knew she does scrapbooking. You have to realize that this girl would wear flip flops 24/7/365 if we didn't live in Wisconsin. :)

Several people sent scrapbook paper, stickers, rubber stamps, a note pad, erasers, one even sent a mini scrapbook made from a pair of flip flops (left side - pink), and another stamped off sheets of flip flop images (center).

I found the scrapbook at Addicted to Rubber stamps, and bought it when they had a 40% off one item, and free shipping. Found the flip flop tub decorations at Walmart, and found some odds and ends in closeout bins.

There are clear stamps (and a mini ink pad, not shown), Jolee stickers, chipboard shapes, a wooden pair of flip flops (right side), and sequin flip flop decorations for her shoes. All I know is that this has been a fun. The picture shows everything that was collected. When she opens it I'll get some pictures and add them later.

Thanks all for making this a special birthday!

Quote

“When a habit begins to cost money, it’s called a hobby.”

—JEWISH PROVERB

Knitted Dishcloth Donation

I made twelve knitted, cotton dishcloths, one for each month and donated them in gift-basket form to the local hospital for their Children's Miracle Network craft sale that took place today. They were going to use it as a silent auction item. (I also donated some crocheted items: potholders, and a baby sweater.) The basket and tag that was on it are posted here. I asked them to let me know what the basket went for. I'll update that later.

Rock-A-Block Alternative

On the Gingerwood BB we were discussing the Rock-a-Blocks by Crafter's Companion, the pros and cons, the cost, where to get them.

I, too, wanted to know where to get them, and then I remembered that I had something that might work just as well. Now, I've had these for years, bought them on closeout. I don't know what they were called, but they were put out by Plaid, along with some very large stamps that adhered with cling. I sold all the stamps, and several of these stamp rockers some time ago, but saved two. Here are two pictures of one.


5" x 7" with a curved main base, and acrylic handle. There are grid lines on it, even angles, and 1/2" marks along the edges.

I tried it out last night with an acrylic stamp I got from Laundry Lines. This picture shows the results. And yes, the vintage look of the stamping, is accurate. The flower stamp is about 3" across.

So, if you have one of these in your closet, dig it out, or if you see one at a garage sale, grab it. They work great. I wouldn't use it for really small stamps, but those aren't the ones I have a problem with.

Cannibalize Cards

I have received so many cards, and I don't have a place for them all, so I chose a select few for inspiration, and the remainder will be cannibalized. What does this mean? I will select elements to reuse, or complete card fronts to reuse. In this case, I'm mostly using the whole card front, and putting each on a new card front.

Just so you don't think I'm taking credit for any of this art, these are all going to the troops, to be reused, and none will be signed by me. I just can't see throwing any of these out, and not using them. Our local Operation Homefront coordinator, says that the packages of cards (4-6 per package) that I gave before, were snapped up by family to be added to the goodie boxes sent to their family members in the service.

I'm not including pics with this, as I don't want anyone to feel I didn't like their card, as I loved them all. But I want to share the love I received in these cards with others.

Entering My Room!

This is the long view of my room from the doorway. My room is only 10' x 12', so as the organizing experts say, "if you can't add out, go up." The table on the right is actually two waterbed boxes (4 drawers each) that DH constructed when everyone seemed to have a waterbed (including us). Moving from a newer apartment to an older home proved that older ceilings can't handle the weight of all that water. It enlarged a crack in our mainfloor living room ceiling.

I have two 7 drawer stackers that hold lots of odds and ends for various projects. No other place for it. The container on top holds rolls of ribbon. My Cricut has the honor of sitting on an antique table (see Feb. 5, 2009 entry).

This table has a 6' base with the drawer boxes mentioned above, but an 8' top. Wonderful for working on bigger projects. Here, I am storing my lightbox, two containers of brass stencils, book of stencil pics so I don't buy duplicates, and the white cubes hold my Stampin-' Up sets, and several other odd items.


Here's another project my DH made, a cassette case, again when they were more popular. It now houses my ink pads.

The white pronged stand (a find when the local Hallmark closed) sits on a lazy susan, and houses lots of my embellishments, sorted into categories. Behind that, and not easily seen, is a spice rack someone was throwing out, and I snagged it for my embossing powders, glitter & chalk.

Paper (& stamp) Storage!

This 6' bookcase houses lots of glue, clear stamps, buttons, beads, and paper of various kinds.

The left paper rack I got from Ben Franklin when it closed. I checked to make sure the paper fit before purchasing. Each slot has two shades of paper.

The right hand one came from a local stamp store. They were re-vamping their paper displays. Couldn't pass it up. The paper is categorized similar to my stamps.

The black stacker stores specialty paper, like metallics, corrugated, mulberry, etc. On top I have a basket of acrylic blocks, and my little paper cutter.

Major Stamp Storage!

Here I have three Sterlite sweater drawers from Walmart. Each holds CD cases full of unmounted stamps. Categories in my room pretty much coordinate from one thing to another: birthday, Christmas, get well, etc.










Here is an inside view of one of the drawers. Someone asked what the divider is in these drawers. I used a plastic shoe box, but card board would work, too.

My Work Area!

Here's my small work table. This has been in my life for many years, too. Nothing like using what you have.

I originally had these drawers stacked, but I needed more surface room, so I set them next to each other. On the left one, is my container of white card stock, my scraps of printed paper, the bin of solids, and scraps of white (to the back). The right hand one has an organizing tote, courtesy of my daughter. Wonder if she's trying to tell me something? LOL

The actual stackers are filled with stamps, punches of all sorts, and one drawer of odds and ends, like small clothes pins, skewers, etc.

This 6' book case has more speciality paper in packages, glues, letters, magazines, catalogs, magnetic sheeting, cancelled postage stamps, photo corners, envelopes of all colors and sizes, folded cards, and packaged sets of cards/envelopes.

Bulletin Board on Wheels!

DH made this for me. Our church was giving away room dividers that they no longer used. One was this beige colored one. I brought it home and asked him to put wheels on it. One side I store lots of embellishments, and on the other side I store "nothing." Sometimes I can't decide whether something is "done" or not, so I put it in a plastic baggie, and hang it there for a few days. Then I go back and see if it needs anything or if it is truly "done."

Armoire Storage!

We had this armoire outside our bedroom for a couple years, and decided we weren't using it, so I moved it into my room. On top I have stored flower petals, raffia, stickers, a box of pre-inked stamps, chipboard pieces and alphabets, plus some odd items. Right along the front is a stack of "long" mica paper.

Top shelf houses, pre-stamped pics, and sentiments, paper piercing supplies, Whispers inks, mini sewing machine, blow pens, and my Nesties (in pink basket)

Left: ALL my peg stamps from Rubber Stamp Tapestry, Sunday International (self indexed), Stamps by Judith, and See D's. Plus the odd assortment of peg stamps from various companies. Also, my ink cubes.
Right: Embellishments, embellishments, embellishments.


Left: Still a work in progress. Some wood mounted stamps I use with the peg stamps, a bit of ephemera, and in the back, long strips of mica paper.
Right: Ribbons, fibers, and bigger ephemera.

Chest #1

This chest houses my Cuttlebug and three bins of embossing folders and dies. The chest sits in front of the closet door, which my husband asked me about. The only things in there are seasonal decorations, baskets, and a couple on-going projects, so I'm not in there much. Also, this chest has wheels on the bottom, when the time comes that I do need to be in the closet.



There are two drawers of dry embossing supplies, including the Fiskars Big Boss (I think that's what it's called).

My Cricut cartridges, cheat sheets, tools & instructions have a home in one drawer.



The Coluzzle with accessories gets a drawer, and the last drawer is full of storage options.

Chest #2

The second chest houses 4 drawers of Sizzix dies, and alphabets. On top is the Big Kick and original Sizzix, and all my embossing folders. I just realized that my Side Kick isn't there, but I'm sure it will show up. LOL Update: Found the Side Kick, it's now in the bottom drawer.

Jacki's Challenge

A few days ago Jacki gave us a challenge to make a card that "wasn't a rectangle." I kept thinking about that, and knew I needed two baby cards for showers that are this week. So here is what I came up with.

I took one sheet of white card stock, and one sheet of blue card stock, cut each in half, folded each and cut a large scalloped Nestabilities circle (largest of large set) from the blue, and a small scalloped Nestabilties circle (third largest of large set) from the white, extending the die to create the top fold. I embossed the front of the blue circle using the Stylized Flowers embossing folder from Cuttlebug, and embossing the white circle with "It's A Boy" from the It's a Boy set of 4 embossing folders by Cuttlebug. Overlapping the two at the fold I centered a small straight circle Nestie (chosen to fit the space)and cut through both layers. Using an eyelet punch I punch holes around the white circle, layered them together with double face tape, and added a ribbon bow with a glue dot. The back of each layer is plain.

Signatures

Sometime back, we on Gingerwood, were discussing signing the backs of our cards: how we do this, what we include besides our name (date, etc.). At that time I mentioned that I was collecting small UM rubber stamps to go with my signature stamps. I have several signature stamps that say things like: made by... or stamped by... to which I will add another small stamp that coordinates with the front of the card. Above is a sample of the small stamps I use. Most of these are the size of a nickel. I have more but I think this will give you an idea. Look at your stamp sets, or those Studio G sets from Michaels. There are lots of possibilities. Another idea are those peg stamps you own. They would coordinate wonderfully. Add something special to the back of your cards.

Antique Table?

My DH's aunt passed away in 2006 and we "inherited" whatever we wanted from her house. It's hard to pick out things you want, when you have a houseful of your own. ((sigh)) We selected several things, among them was this table, and another that was a 1/2 version, but same style. Many of the pieces, including the tables, were very dry, with not much varnish left. There was an obvious inlay pattern on the top, but not in good enough condition to save. We saw that they had potential but didn't want to have to totally refinish them. I suggested we spray paint them glossy black. We took this table outside and sprayed it two or three times, to get the coverage we wanted. Now it is in my craft room holding my Cricut.

Today's Quote!

“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”

—JULIA CHILD

That applies to anything and everything in life!

Teach Alora to Knit

I've been considering teach my, soon-to-be 5 year old grand-daughter, Alora, to knit. I've discussed it with her mother, and we agree that she's old enough to learn. I remember learning to knit when at 8 my great-aunt (who is now 100), taught me.

The knitting subject came up on Thursday, when they stopped by for a visit after school. I've been busy making some baby sweaters to have on hand for the upcoming babies. Knitting or crocheting (the technique I'm using) isn't always fun when it gets warm. So after Christmas I make some to have available throughout the year.

Alora asked me when I would teach her to knit. I told her she had to be 5 years old (2 more months) and that she needed to be good at school (has some trouble paying attention). I told her I would buy her a pair of needles and some yarn. Today I went to Hobby Lobby, and got a pair of needles in a 10, and picked up the prettiest pink yarn. I'm going to look for some instructions on the internet, that might make it easier to teach her.

I'll keep you posted on how she does, and add pics later. Wish me luck.

Christmas Thank You Cards

Today, I was at Michaels and picked up a package of pre-embossed blank cards. The package contained eight 5 1/2" square, white cards with a floral motif in the center. I knew exactly what I would do with them. I've been meaning to make thank you cards for gifts I was given at church for Christmas. So here are pics of what I created. The centers are Nestabilities scalloped circles. The holes in the small circle were made with a 1/8" eyelet punch. The center elements were premade items I picked up a couple years back.

My New Year's Resolution...

... to clean out as many boxes as possible, and get organized. This will be a big feat considering I have 30 years worth of "married" stuff to go through, and two households that were brought to this house (after death), to clean through. Oh, but the fun rummage sales I can have. LOL

I know that my weight should be a resolution, but I think for as busy as I will be cleaning boxes, I will loose weight, too.