Blocks aren't just for stamping!

So yes, my computer has clearly recovered from the dreaded "blue screen of death" (as any real Windows user knows all too well).

I spent some time in my studio today finally doing a project that has been on my brain since I returned from CHA.

At CHA I had plans to meet up with Susanna (founder of Papercraft Planet - on the right). We had booked that prior to CHA and it was one of the things I was very much looking forward to.

But then to add to that, while I was waiting for shuttle to the hotel I met my long lost Canadian twin, Sandra (in the middle). OK, we're not really twins but as we started talking, we totally hit it off and we had a frightening number of things in common. We ended up palling around for the rest of the show and it feels as though I've know her forever.

Anyway, the three of us had a lovely dinner at Rainforest Cafe in Disney while we were at CHA and we had a complete blast. We were like old high school friends getting together again. It's amazing the friendships you make through stamping and the internet (and hotel shuttles!). We forced the wait staff to take this picture of us (we were even inadvertantly nicely color coordinated!) at dinner and I've had this project in my head since I got home.

So, I finally made it! How you ask?

Here's how!

First I started with 4x4 acrylic stamping block with NO GRIDLINES (duh) but WITH gripper grooves (we'll get to that later). With the grooves on the top and bottom, I attached my photo to the back of my block. I used ATG although you could also slip it in one of those memorabelia pockets that 3M sells. It's a little disconcerting to put adhesive on the front of your photo but it'll be OK - I promise!

Next I cut apart some of the Blush Velvet Class-a-Peel Scrollwork Border and placed it on the frontside of the block. Then I used some Primas from my stash and a little black brad from the Bittersweet Glazed pack as my center on the scrollwork.

Now we get to why you want the gripper grooves. See, you didn't have to wait so long to find out why!

You'll want to slip your i {stick} papers over your wrist (see this picture) and put a strip all the way around the edge of your block and then wrap 3/8" White Double Faced Satin ribbon all the way around your block.

The groove actually serves two purposes - first it gives a chamber for the ribbon to rest in so it won't slip if you didn't want to use adhesive. Plus, when you stand your block up, it gives it stability for displaying.

Finally, I made the little friendship tag from my small rectangle Nesties and the small scalloped rectangle Nesties (the scallops are on sale now!). The saying is stamped in Palette Toile Pink and is from Many Hearts (also on sale now!). I added a little bling in the corners (because no picture with three women in it is complete without bling) and then also in the centers of the two other Prima flower bunches. I used a small scrap of the white satin ribbon to lay under the tag and because I decided I want to hang this instead of having it stand up on a shelf or desk, I made a little hanger on the back. I just used two strips of i {stick} papers and a short scrap of ribbon to make the hanger.

Voila! Easy! Think of all the possibilities...I'm thinking wedding favors in a smaller size...maybe the 2x3 or 3x4 blocks. I think it would be stunning with a black and white photo.

One thing I want to point out about the Class-a-Peels - they come in different patterns and colors and you can mix and match them. So, for instance, you could take the "fallouts" from the scroll (absent in my sample) and replace them with a coordinating color. I think the black and silver would be gorgeous together. Maybe I'll make up another sample and show you what I'm talking about.

If you've got any questions, post them here!

Thanks for stopping by. I'm going to be prepping for a doozy of a storm tomorrow so I'll be back next week!

One of THOSE days!

This is how my morning started. Good times! 'Nuff said.

I hope to get some crafting in a little later today...we'll see!

Hope you're enjoying your Saturday!

Five Minute Friday #9

Happy Friday! You know what that means, right? that's right...another installment of Five Minute Friday!

I'm back with another card made with the absolutely gorgeous new SEI paper, Garden Tour from the Bridgeport collection. It is a varnish paper, which basically means that parts of it are clear embossed, making it look like you did lots of work, but you didn't! I'm really loving this paper.

This is a super quick 4-1/4"x4-1/4" base of SU! Old Olive, layered with some SU! Basic Grey and then the panel of DP. The ribbon is the new magenta glimmer ribbon which is a dead on match for the flowers in this paper and PTI's Raspberry Fizz. Isn't it gorgeous?!! Can you see the shimmer in the picture?

And, just like when I use PTI's RF paper, I used my Palette Claret ink (I find it is a better match than my actual PTI RF pad!) for the greeting from the Expressions set. I used my oval Nesties to create the little tag and that's it!

It think this was really a three minute card but I'll use it anyway! Or, I could try to start a Three Minute Thursday instead...now THAT would be a challenge!!!

I hope you have a nice weekend. I'm looking forward to relaxing and getting some stamping done.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ack! TOO MANY NEW GOODIES!!!

That's right...I have gotten SO many new goodies this week. The CHA orders are really starting to flow in and I get new shipping notices almost daily. It's causing quite a problem for my DT to keep up. :) They just want to keep ordering more and more!

Earlier in the week I got in the Three Bugs Caboodle kits. Very cute. Then I got in more Basic Grey stuff including the new 6x6 Marrakech pads and some Porcelain Collection packs.

Then just yesterday I got my order from GCD. I AM IN LOVE. Seriously. All of their papers are either glittered, shimmer, linen textured, flocked or die cut this time around. They're all gorgeous.

Need some convincing? How cute is this paper? It is glittered AND shimmered. And, if you're looking for elegant, check this out. The four new collections are Chic Bebe, Margarita, Spring All Over and Eye Candy.

Today I got my order from Best Creation. Remember, those are the people who make that AMAZING glitter paper.

Remember my scratchy, scratch video??!

Well, they only shipped me the silver in this order and not the colors I ordered but I did get the rest of the yummy papers. I couldn't resist - I ran into the studio and threw together this little St. Patrick's Day card with some of the new paper, some thick acetate as the base and my Just Rite Small Letter Set and 1-5/8" stamper. I stamped with Jardin Moss Palette ink and used SU! Garden Green for my scallop. And it needed those gold rhinestones on each of the scallops. And, because it wasn't blingy enough, I finished it off with a small piece of the new White Glimmer ribbon.

Here's a close up so you can see the clear embossing and glitter in the paper and the shimmer in the ribbon. Isn't it gorgeous?!! All of their papers are double sided, just in case you don't want to use this side.

I know there are a lot of items in the new section. I've been trying to pare it down but I don't want you to miss anything. You can view all so you don't have to scroll through pages and pages of items. A lot of those are scheduled to drop off 2/28 and 3/1 so make sure you check it out before then so you don't miss anything.

A few other things, Loretta and Lori both have blog candy going on. Loretta is giving away some paper and stamps and Lori is giving away a sampler of ALL of the Glimmer Ribbons. They both end very soon though so hurry up!!

Don't forget you have until Friday to participate in the Card Patterns sketch. I'm sponsoring this week and there is an amazing giveaway! Go check it out!

I'll be back Friday with a Five Minute Friday card! Thanks for stopping by!

Stationery Altered Box Gift

What's in this little recycled altered tin, you ask? Why it's a birthday present for my friend, of course!

I've give you the details and then a little photo montage below.

I started with a plain tin that I saved eons ago, knowing that I would eventually do something with it. Problem was, it was a little dented and needed to be covered. And it was about 1/4" too short to be able to fit in cards and a little tin that I wanted to use inside. *sigh* So, I needed to get creative.

Of course I used i {stick} papers for all of my adhering and when you see the pictures below, you'll see how I like to wear my roll when I'm working on projects. My arm makes a built in dispenser! It's actually pretty nifty because I've always had issues with the smaller rolls doing long lengths and not having it either bunch up or land where I didn't want it to.

I used SEI's Bonbonier paper (both the foil side and the flat, smaller scale side) for this project. It took almost 4 sheets for the whole thing. The 3/8" solid silver metallic is a dead on match for the metallic foil in the paper so I was quite pleased with that!

Because the tin was a little shorter than I liked I decided to raise up the little tin I was going to use inside. So, I took a piece of lightweight cardboard and made a little corner stand for it, adhering it to the sides with i {stick} papers. This enabled the envelopes and notecards to slip underneath.

I attached the tin with a Velcro dot so it would stay in place. I set it off the side a bit though so it can either stay in place and the lid can come off or the whole tin can be pulled off. People like options, right?

I covered the outside of the lid, the inside of the lid and the bottom of the tin so it looked all nice and finished.

I used little strips of the paper to pull in the design onto the notecards and then also covered the flaps of the envelopes with the foil side so they are pretty too! One little trick for doing this - put your adhesive on the envelope, then with the crease side against your table, line up your piece that you're lining with and then lay it flat. This will ensure the DP doesn't overhang the envelope flap crease. Clear as mud? See the picture...it'll probably help!

My last little step was using my small circle scalloped Nesties to make envelope seals. I ran them through my Xyron and then cut them so they fit in the little tin inside the box. Cute eh? I borrowed that idea from Taylor in a post she did a looonnng time ago.

So there you have it. If you have any questions, post them here and I'll be sure to answer them!

Here are the pictures! Click for a larger view.


Thanks for stopping by!

ISO Debbie

I just got a customer request email for more information on the Curlz font from someone named Debbie but the email address is not correct so I can't respond! So, Debbie, if you're out there, please leave me a comment with your correct email!

Card Patterns Sketch #3

Today, i {heart} papers is sponsoring the third sketch over at the new Card Patterns blog. We share a design team member, Tracy, so I wanted to show my support!

Here is the sketch. Come play along with us and you'll have a chance to win some yummy goodies from the store!

Here's what you can win:
- one roll of i {stick} papers
- one Memorybox Sugardrop pad
- one yard of Olive Leafy Vine ribbon
- one yard of pink velvet ric rac
- one yard of ivory faux suede ribbon
- one yard of pink glimmer ribbon

How do you play along you ask? It's easy!

Go make a card using this sketch and then head over to Card Patterns and enter to win!

Here is my take on it. I made a 4-1/4" square card, with a layer of SU! Elegant Eggplant. I used some of the delicious new SEI Garden Tour paper from the Bridgeport collection. It is a beautiful varnished paper that screams out to be used.

I made the little rectangle from my scalloped rectangle Nesties but since the original rectangle was too tall, I cut it out and then adjusted it, lining up the scallops and recut it to get the size I needed. I love that trick!

I stamped the Hello Friend from All Occasions Messages in Palette French Lilac and then sponged the edges to make it pop. It is mounted on some dimensional dots.

The dark purple flower is one of our newest embellishments - it is a knitted pearl burst and is made from sparkly dark purple yarn. It was the perfect touch for this sketch!

And, because it brought a little shimmer into the card, I decided to finish things off with some new White Glimmer ribbon over top a strip of vellum. I didn't want to cover up any more of that gorgeous paper, so I opted for vellum. Luckily, since the ribbon wrapped around it, it hides my adhesive.

(Just an FYI, the magenta glimmer is a perfect match for the pink in this paper and the Claret Palette ink. I wanted to use it on this card but it just didn't go with the purple flower and I guess I wanted to use that more! I'll have another card with the magenta ribbon next week for you!)

So...do you like it? I can't wait to see what you all come up with! I'll be checking the Card Patterns blog to see who is playing but please leave me a comment here if you play so I'm sure not to miss yours!

Have a great weekend! I'll be taking it easy. I've been battling a double ear infection this week so I need some rest!

I'll be back on Monday though, so be sure to pop in!

Spellbinders Update: Here we go again!

I just received this email from Spellbinders about the shipment of the new dies. Dare I say this seems like a repeat of last CHA where they were woefully unprepared to fill orders that they received??!! And, how dare we expect them to be able to tell us when our orders will ship or what dies will be included? The nerve of us...

Sorry...just a little bitter and tired of the same old story over and over and over.

"We have been overwhelmed by the response you and all our customers have given to our new CHA introductions. Thank you.

We are beginning to ship the new dies this weekend, but demand has greatly exceeded expectations, requiring additional production.
We will be receiving additional production weekly through March. We will be shipping to you in the sequence in which your order was received. All orders will be filled by the end of March with the greatest number of orders being filled during the 3rd week of March.

Because the production will be arriving in stages and the number of orders is so great, it will be impossible to tell you exactly when your shipment will be sent or what dies will be included.

We know you have customers waiting for the product … that is really exciting… and we know you would like to be able to tell them when to expect their orders. The information we suggest you give them is that orders will be filled by the end of March.

We appreciate your efforts you to sell and create excitement for our lines. We assure you that we will do everything possible to get the new products to you as quickly as possible."

So there you have it. I know many of you are waiting for pre-ordered dies and I will get them to you as quickly as I get them. I apologize for any delay, but clearly it is out of my hands.

The good news is that I ordered on the first day of the show so with any luck I *should* be in the first batches to get out. *fingers crossed*

I can only hope that there are no quality issues like there were with the Pierceabilities.

Five Minute Friday #8 and (NSR) Happy Birthday Bandit!

THIS IS MY 100th post! How awesome is that?!!

Warning...gushing NSR dog story...if you're just looking for the card, scroll down to the bottom! :)


Yes, I'm one of those crazy dog people. I don't dress up my dog all the time but I do buy silly little headbands like this one and take embarrassing pictures of him. He's amazingly tolerant and will actually fall asleep with them on. I've got a whole collection - antlers for Christmas time, bunny ears for Easter, and this one for his birthday, among others like devil horns.

This is actually an old picture, from 2 years ago, when I had...yes...a big birthday party for my dog.

And, John, while he may not always know a good card when he sees it, does write pretty nifty music and he wrote a pretty funny song for Bandit for his birthday.

Wanna hear it?




So yeah, probably the only dog alive who had a party and his own personal song written about it. I'll pause while you stop laughing.

Done? OK...good, then I can continue.

Here's the story. Bandit should not have made it this far. At the time we were celebrating his 10th birthday because that in itself was a huge accomplishment. In fact, just a month before his party he was hit by a car and walked away, nearly 100% fine. (It probably helps that he's about 120 pounds.)

Anyway, his story begins back when I lived in upstate NY and I rescued him from a local kill shelter. The local police department wanted him for a police dog because he showed early signs of high intelligence but, luckily I was on the list first. He is indeed a very smart dog. I know, I know...most people say that - just like most people think their kid is the smartest - but for a dog, he is quite sharp. He's got a pretty extensive vocabulary and can even shake with both paws!

He was abandoned at the shelter on a cold winter day. They named him Brutus but that got changed pretty quickly. I'm not sure what he went through before I got to take him home but I think he was tortured somehow. He's always had a few very quirky things that I can't otherwise explain. He HATES water for anything other than drinking. Seriously, he will walk around a puddle and hold going out for more than 24 hours if it is downpouring. He can't stand anyone touching his feet. I tried very early on to touch his feet, knowing that would be important later on for nail trimming but he always freaked. And he HATES the kissy sound. You know, most people when they see a dog make that kissy sound to get their attention? Well, he hates it. Moving on...

I brought him home and he was the cutest little thing you ever did see. Look at those feet! The shelter said he'd probably get to be about 70 pounds...yeah...when he was 6 months old!!!

He was the cutest, friendliest little guy ever.

Fast forward about 6 years. Somehow, we're not exactly sure, he ruptured his ACL. But that went undiagnosed by an incompetent Army vet for quite some time. We changed vets since the Lyme medication he was on wasn't helping (because even though he did have Lyme, it was his ACL causing the leg problems, not the Lyme) and found out he was actually injured.

We ponied up the money for the surgery to fix it, about $6000, and we got him his bionic leg. The basically made a new ACL from wire. Eww. It was a pretty painful and traumatic surgery and really ever since then he's never been the same. Relatively soon afterward he started picking fights at the dog park and then snapping at people...people he's known his whole life.

And then it got worse. The snapping turned into real biting...biting people, sending them to the hospital. Most people would have put him down at that point but I couldn't and my vet didn't recommend it. He's basically got a loose wire in his brain. He's not vicious but the best we can tell is he's a little mentally unbalanced. We've tried doggie Prozac and a whole host of homeopathic and pharmaceuticals and nothing really helped. Well, more accurately we can't exactly tell because it's not like we can get him to or want him to try to bite people. He's unpredictable and that can be bad when he's as big as his is. So, we just learned to take precautions. We don't let him near anyone when people visit and he gets muzzled when he goes outside of the yard.

We're lucky that the people he has bitten have been close friends and nobody that would try to force him to be put down.

But, a dog with his record, is very lucky to still be alive. He's dodged cancer, thyroid issues, misdiagnoses, Lyme Disease, ACL surgery and being hit by a car (while we were out for a walk...he was on his leash AND we were in the crosswalk!!!) and lived to tell about it.

That was the reason for the celebration two years ago.

He's definitely declined in these two years. He doesn't get around very well anymore. The arthritis and weakness from his leg injury is too much for the weight of his body. We've installed a ramp so he can get in and out of the house, because he can't handle the stairs anymore. He's gotten grey in the face, much more sedate and just overall has just slowed down.

It's sad to watch. We manage the pain for him - he's got 4 different pill boxes! But, ever since he came home with me he's had a really good life. He eats better than most people I know. He gets a whole foods human diet...no processed dog food for him! But, it is still sad to see him get old. He still has the spirit of a puppy - he still wants to play but he doesn't have the stamina for more than a minute or so.

He's been such an important part of my life and I can't imagine my life without him. He even outlasted my marriage! HAHA!

But, no sadness for today! I'm just glad he's made it another year. I did a little photo shoot of him in the yard the other day and made these cards to send out to the people who attended his party two years ago. I needed them to be quick and simple so I could make a bunch of them. Enter Five Minute Friday!

The base is SU! Sahara Sand and I matted the picture with my last precious sheets of SU! Cranberry Crisp. I should have pulled a Meredith and stocked up with like 25 packs. *grin* The strip of DP at the bottom is from Sonburn and is called Plaid Puppy (on sale now!) and that is where I pulled the Cranberry Crisp from. I stamped the One of a Kind in Palette Noir directly on the DP. Lastly I tied a quick knot in the Paw Print Twill and that was it!. This twill is really easy to tie and is surprising soft for printed twill. That's it! 5 minutes - TOPS!

No party for Bandit this time around but I did order some yummy treats for him!

Happy Birthday, Bandit!

Thanks for stopping by and indulging my little story of my big puppy...

Oh yeah, I've added lots of new goodies in the store this week, including new Our Craft Lounge,, glimmer ribbons and SEI papers so make sure to go check it out!

New goodies!

I just finished uploading new Our Craft Lounge stamps, THREE new SEI collections - Lovebirds, Bridgeport and Mimosa and some new glimmer ribbons like this one. You can see all FIFTEEN colors in the NEW section. YUMMILICIOUS!!!

I think my favorite is this Garden Tour from the Bridgeport collection. HOW GORGEOUS is that paper?!!?! The picture doesn't show it but this is a varnished paper so all the leaves and sprigs are clear embossed. It is AWESOME.

OK, I'm off to drool over this paper. I'll try to not actually drool ON it.

Check back tomorrow morning for my Five Minute Friday card. Thanks for stopping in!

Cupcake Birthday Circle card

I needed a cutesy little card for my friend's birthday last week and hadn't yet used my Cupcake Shapeabilities and thought that this was the perfect time!

So I grabbed the largest one from the set and got down to business. I used my classic scalloped large circle Nesties to create the base of the card and then layered with a standard large one from some Sassafras Lass Lots o' Luck paper. I love the design on this paper!

The cupcake was assembled from SU! Pretty ink Pink base and then I cut the frosting out from a scrap of some October Afternoon Good Cheer paper I had around. I pieced together the cherry (also included in the package of Nesties), added some reflection marks with my white Inkssentials pen, put on some Cotton Candy and Stardust Stickles and the frosting was done!

Finally I grabbed a scrap of the heart edged ribbon and a small scrap of vellum. The ribbon provided just enough opacity that the words were clear enough to read.

I trimmed the vellum down to fit perfectly over the sheer ribbon, stamped my greeting from Chelsea Sentiments in Palette Burnt Umber, attached everything with two matching brads from the Bittersweet Glazed Brads pack and I was done!

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

All better

Site is back up. It was only down for about 45 minutes, thanks to my awesome web guy, Kevin.

Also, much to my surprise, FedEx is delivering today and just brought me my Three Bugs order from CHA! Woo-hoo!

I'll try to get that up online later this afternoon.

Check back later!

Site upgrade Monday morning

Just a quick note that the store will be down around 8:30am EST for about one hour Monday morning for some updates. It'll be back up before you know it!

Thanks for your patience!

XOXOX

When I was at CHA I got to take home a sample of this gorgeous SEI Shawl Lace paper and have been trying to figure out what to do with it. Well, here's what I came up with. I knew I wanted it to be a simple card so that the proper attention would be focused on the paper.

I love that it makes little Xs and Os in the pattern - perfect for lovey dovey cards!

I used a base of PTI Raspberry Fizz and trimmed off about 1-1/2" and put a strip of the lace paper on instead. I laid a strip of 3/8" double faced white satin over the edge and made a perfect little bow to match. I love when it is closed and you can see the pink peeking through the lace.

I wanted to keep the rest simple so I used my Oval Nesties to create a mat from vellum and PTI white center. I stamped the XOXOX in Palette Claret ink. I've found that actually matches the Raspberry Fizz better than my PTI pad!

The finishing touch was to stamp the little heart in Palette New Canvas and add some Frosted Lace Stickles.

Don't forget you can preorder that paper now if you want to!

And, today is the last day to head over to SCS to spy the new banner ads that we're running for your 10% off coupon code. It is only valid through midnight EST tonight so hurry up!

Happy Anniversary card

Happy Valentine's Day! I thought an anniversary card would be appropriate for this token day of love!

I used my Nested Birds to create these lovey doveys, who are so enamored with each other they've got a heart to show for it! The birds are cut from the backside of the shimmery Noisette paper. I {heart} this paper. It is so shimmery and gorgeous.

I Cuttlebugged the layer with my textile folder and mounted it on a piece of SU! Basic Gray. The tag was made from a coordinating scrap from the Chocolat collection using my Ribbon Tags Trio (they're on order and should be here very soon!) and the Happy Anniversary greeting from All Occasions Messages. Then, everything is mounted on a piece of PTI white. The tag is strung with 3/8" double faced satin white. This ribbon is so silky!

The final touch was giving these lovebirds some heart shaped pearls for eyes and also putting two of those same pearls in the lower corners.

Hope you have a lovey dovey day (if that's your thing!). Thanks for stopping by!

Don't forget to head over to SCS to spy the new banner ads that we're running for your 10% off coupon code for this weekend only - because we {heart} our customers!

Five Minute Friday #7 and DT Challenge AND COUPON!!!

Happy Valentine's Day weekend! Big news here. This is kind of a long post so be sure to read all the way to the bottom for all of the news!


First off, I challenged the i {heart} papers design team to use a seasonal stamp and/or paper in a project outside of that season. For example, use Christmas paper on a birthday card or Valentine's Day card.

For my contribution I used Winter Birds and some leftover Wassail paper called Sleigh Ride. When I first saw Winter Birds at CHA in Chicago I instantly fell in love, which is strange because I am usually not drawn to solid images. But, this one was different. I still love it and wanted to use it some more. So as soon as I came up with this challenge I knew I was going to use that! I also have an abundance of Wassail paper (psst - it's on sale at the store...hint, hint). Put those things together and here's what I came up with for my combination Five Minute Friday card and the DT Challenge! Clever eh?

Now, let me also say, I am NOT a vintagey, distresser kinda gal. I'm a cutesy, cupcake kinda gal. So this was definitely stepping outside of my comfort zone. But it was quick and easy and I'm quite pleased with the way it came out. AND I got to use some of my new CHA goodies! Check out that gorgeous Ivory Venise Lace at the bottom! Pretty isn't it?

Now for the details. The base of the card is SU! Kraft, sponged with Palette Burnt Umber (also used onthe branches on the stamp). Then there is a layer of SU! Ruby Red, which is a dead on match for the Palette Moulin Rouge that I used on the bird. And then finally my layer of Sleigh Ride, distressed and sponged a bit more with the Burnt Umber. I crumpled everything up even!

Then I stamped my greeting from my trusty All Occasions Messages with the same inks, stamping the word "heart" in the red to make it pop a bit. Lastly I went over the bird with my clear Spica for an ever so subtle glimmer.

So that is my contribution...be sure to go check out all of the other projects!

Amber Kroening
Carolyn Mustopa
Cathleen Torina
Deb Felts
Dee Jackson
Kendra Wietstock
Loretta Lock
Lori Tecler
Meredith Socha
Sarah Anderson
Tracy Schultz


Second, I've started running some banner ads on Splitcoast Stampers so keep an eye out for them! And, to celebrate that, I'm running a 10% off sale this weekend. It only runs through Sunday since i {heart} my customers but you have to head over to SCS and spy the banner ad for the code!

So...enjoy and I hope you get to spend some nice time with the ones you love this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

New Goodies!!!

Just a quick post to let you know I've started receiving some of my CHA goodies with more already on the way.

Yesterday a bunch of new Stampendous things came in and today I got all of my Upsy Daisy papers! Have you seen them? NO?? Well, I hadn't heard of them either until CHA, and all I can say is that I fell in love. You have to check them out here. Seriously, how cute is that Mommy Bird paper? And the Make A Bloom stamp set...it is awesome. Top quality...I promise!

And, I also got the first part of my Basic Grey order. The new Porcelain line is available as open stock an in 6x6 pads. How gorgeous are they?!!!

See you on Friday!!!

SEI Lovebirds Frame

I {heart} the Target $1 spot. But, all too often I stock up on items to alter and then don't get to them for years. Literally. This is one such case.

A few years back I picked up a few 10"x10" frames. They were available in two colors and were nearly a perfect match for Purely Pomegranate and Taken With Teal. I think I got two of each. Fast forward a few years and here I am finally using one of them!

The mirror part is removable so I popped it out and then I covered the frame part with my sample of Forget Me Not (that I picked up at CHA) from the new SEI Lovebirds collection. It is a shimmer paper (not cardstock weight) is a a gorgeous shimmery light blue with little shimmery white flowers all over it. BEAUTIFUL. This picture does NOT do the paper justice. I covered it with the same method as I used to cover my foamcore frames that I did the tutorial on here.

Of course I used our very own redline adhesive, i {stick} papers to hold everything together. [Store note: our vendor lowered our cost on this and since we JUST got a new shipment in, I've lowered the price for our current inventory. That gets you a 60 YARD roll of redline tape for 21 CENTS a yard. Seriously folks, does it get any better?]

Next I took some of our new Venise Lace trim and framed the opening. I printed off the saying "Now, you see why we're friends!" (it's a mirror...get it??) on a strip of vellum and decorated the edge with a few little accent pearls. I made a little bouquet of pink roses in a white clay pot as a focal point in the corner, and to help anchor the vellum strip. I added a little string of the pearls on the vase to tie it all together.

A few more strips of i {stick} papers to the back of the vase to hold it in place (and clearly it sticks many other things) and I was done!

And this concludes yet another installment of my continuing series of difficult items to photograph!

Thanks for stopping by! I may not be back until Friday. I've got some big news on Friday and a super busy week leading up to it, so be sure to stop in then!

Balance Check (quick post)

I've had a very crafty weekend! I was busy completing a ton of projects, some of which I'll start showing you tomorrow. I know...I'm such a tease. :)

In the meantime I realized that I haven't posted a Balance Check in a while. It was funny because when I was at CHA at least 4 people noticed my necklace and asked if I got it from Lisa - including Emily Giovanni at the SCS Cupcake reception!! She was wearing her own! How cool is that?!!

So, I think I'm doing pretty well, all things considered. This is my studio just a little while ago, after an entire weekend of crafting. If you look carefully you might be able to catch some glimpses of thing drying on the table. The basket on the left is full of things I need to inventory and enter into the store.

I just posted the three new IO sets I showed you the other day on the video...you remember the ones - the cute little bunnies and the cupcake martinis - so if you were waiting for them, they are there!

But, in between all my crafting I did manage to do a little housework (just a tad!) and some other things. I've been really good (if I don't say so myself) about getting cards out in the mail and not just hoarding them so that feels good.

Anyway, thanks for stopping in tonight. I'll be back tomorrow with a project for you!

Five Minute Friday #6

Happy Five Minute Friday! Have you all caught on that this is a regular thing now? :) Today is extra special because DT member Cathleen is joining me with her own Five Minute Friday card. If you'd like to join in for next week, please let me know by Thursday and I'll list participants here next week.

This is such a simple card. I made 12 of these babies from a single sheet of Webster's Pages Raspberry Truffle. Just cut it down to 4"x3" pieces! I {heart} this paper. Isn't it gorgeous? And I love it with the black faux suede ribbon.

I used PTI Ivory cs as my base so it was sturdy enough without layering. The right supplies make all the difference! The Sweet Friend greeting is from Chelsea Sentiments and is stamped in Palette Noir and Belle Rose. I love the variety of greetings in this set.

The finishing touch is three little heart rhinestones.

So...what do you think? I'm going to recount my conversation with John when I showed him this card. Here's my best Paperlicious impression:

Kate: I made a card.
John: Oh yeah?
Kate goes into stamp room and retrieves said card and returns, handing it to him.
John: It's alright.
Kate: Really? Just alright?
John: You've done better. It's not ugly.
Kate: Ummm...OK.
John: What? Would you rather me just tell you everything you make is beautiful?
Kate: No, I guess not but this is definitely going on the blog.
John: Greeeaat.

So, not only do I not think this is not ugly but I think it's pretty nice. Much more modern than I usually do but I like it. I love the bright pink and black contrast.

Am I crazy or is it really just "not ugly?"

Cupcake bag

I wanted to participate in Nichole's HUGE giveaway so I made this cutey cupcake bag from a white lunch bag. Adorable isn't it? The two cupcake parts are Cuttlebugged. The medallion is made with PTI's It's A Celebration. I love the little cupcakes in that set!

It's a little hard to see but the cherry and the swirls on the frosting are all Stickled. YUMMY!

OK, that's it for tonight...I promise. Scroll down for the video from earlier today of new goodies and check back tomorrow for Five Minute Friday!

Impression Obsession goodies!

I got some new goodies today! Have a look! Included: new Easter IO goodies and sneak peek at some of the samples of the SEI papers and other papers I ordered.




I'll have these stamps in the NEW section of the store soon. I'm just waiting for IO to send me the images! The new ribbons and lace are already listed so go check it out!

Check back tomorrow for Five Minute Friday (FMF). I've got a card and a funny story for you. This week Cathleen is joining me in FMF so be sure to check her blog tomorrow too!

Thanks for stopping by!

CHA sample

This is new the Love Note paper from SEI's Lovebirds line. It is foil and so shimmery. I didn't want to cover it up so it is pretty simple. The colors in the paper are a strange combo - one that I would never have thought to combine. It looks to be SU! Groovy Guava, PTI Aqua Mist and then some foily pinks and a dark chocolate brown. Weird, right?

The base is PTI Aqua Mist, layered with SU! Groovy Guava and then DP. The little tag is made from the Small Scalloped and Small Standard Rectangle Nesties.

The greeting is from the SEI Windsor stamp set (on SALE) stamped in Palette Nude.

I finished it off with some pink metallic string and a few of the pink rhinestones from this assorted pack.

It's a little plain for my tastes but I wanted to show it to you anyway!

Thanks for stopping by! Don't miss my little video from earlier today showing you the amazing glitter paper!

Glitter cardstock

OK, so as promised here is a short little video of me introducing you to the AMAZING glitter paper I found at CHA. Enjoy!


I also received my first CHA box today! I ordered some yummy new ribbons and LACE and some crocheted flowers and other goodies from a new ribbon company I found. So, I'll be adding those to the store a little later. YAY! Keep those CHA boxes coming!!

Quickie post

I got the big 'ol box of CHA goodies that I mailed home to myself last night. Yes, all 50 pounds of it. I {heart} Brown. My UPS guy is AWESOME.

Anyway - catalogs, order forms and MEGA SAMPLES including one sheet of EVERYTHING that Basic Grey released at CHA was carefully packed into that box and NOW I have it. YAHOO! I also have SEI samples and some other really yummy things. So, hopefully later today I'll grab a few minutes and come up with some teasers for you with new products. Of course they haven't shipped yet but I can tease you and get your saliva glands going, right? Just try not to drool on my paper, OK?

If I can figure it out I might do a little video to show you how awesome the glitter paper I found is. Really, it's that awesome. You NEED to see that you can literally scratch it and the glitter does NOT flake off. It's amazing and I can't figure out how they did it.

But that might take me a few days.

See you later - I hope!

Happy Birthday Tracy!!

Who Is Tracy? She's the birthday girl! That's who!

Please join me in wishing her a very happy birthday! She is on my design team and is not only a wonderfully talented stamper but also sews, gardens and makes gorgeous earrings. She's also a self proclaimed Star Trek nerd. She could probably get 10 out of 10 on this ST Generations quiz. I certainly couldn't. Heck...until I was a sophomore in college I barely knew the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars! (Now I know, for the most part.)

(Note: These earrings are not her creations but I found these cuties on Flickr and thought they were appropriate!)

Oh! She's also a writer for Craft Critique so maybe she's helped enable your purchasing of some fantastic item. *wink* Or maybe, just maybe, she saved you some money by not endorsing a product. It's possible, right?

Anyway, I am so lucky to have her as part of my team. She's incredibly sweet (just like these birthday cake earrings!) and I wish her the very happiest of days! So please pop on over and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!