Five Minute Friday #4 and CHA-bound!!!!

Hello! I'm here with a super quick post for Five Minute Friday and to give you my CHA plans. I can't believe that tonight I'll be in Anaheim! Woo-hoo!!!

But...just because I'm traveling doesn't mean YOU should be deprived of Five Minute Friday, right??

So, here it is! The base of this is PTI Dark Chocolate cardstock with a small layer of SU! Pretty in Pink. The DP is from the Sugardrop pack. I love this paper!

The hearts at the top are the puffy pink hearts, attached with some dimensional dots. I used Cinnamon Stickles to dot the dark brown flowers for a little but of sparkle.

It is so easy to make quick and gorgeous cards when you're using quality products, don't you think? The "Love You" is from the Many Hearts set, stamped with Palette Burnt Umber ink, directly on the DP. I Stickled the heart in the LOVE with Cotton Candy Stickles. I also Stickled each circle center on the bottom of the DP for a little extra shimmer.

See? Here's the close-up. The ribbon is the pink/brown reversible satin. I know I've said it before, but this ribbon is so silky and easy to tie.

Be sure to check in here for CHA updates starting tomorrow. My fun begins bright and early tomorrow, starting with my Copic Certification class - with the one and only Marianne. Then later tomorrow night I'll be attending the Splitcoast gathering for their advertisers and the Dirty Dozen. How exciting is that? I hope to meet some of my stamping heros (and some new friends) and have some pics to share with you.

For the rest of the week, I will be posting here, as time permits but I'll mostly be sending CHA pictures to various members of my own design team, who will be sharing them with you. So be sure to check here to see who is covering which day.

Thanks for stopping by! Next time I post I'll be nice and warm in Cali!!!

SALE! LIQUIDATION! BUY NOW!!!

I've placed A TON of items on sale to liquidate them and make room for new CHA goodies. There are currently over 200 items on sale! WHOA! These are while supplies last so hurry and save!

ALL of the K & Co inventory is on sale. ALL of the Moxxie papers are on sale. ALL of the Sonburn papers are on sale. Spellbinders Borderabilities and Labels Large and Labels Small are on sale. ALL Three Bugs in a Rug papers are on sale. ALL Webster's Pages papers are on sale.

You get the idea. :) So, while you are no doubt, rushing off to shop, please remember, orders beginning tomorrow, may be delayed a few days from our normal 24 hour shipping turnaround due to temporary staff filling orders. Please see the notice here.

And, don't forget to check in regularly for CHA updates, beginning Friday.

Pre-Orders & shipping news

Just a quick post to let you know I've added a PRE-ORDER category on the site for things I'll be ordering at CHA. Of course if you order these things on an order with items that are in stock, I will ship whatever I have on hand and then ship the pre-ordered items to you when they come in AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.

Right now the only things up there are the new Nestabilities but hopefully I'll have time at CHA to continue updating. Feel free to order now though! :)

I have also decided that despite the fact that USPS rates are increasing this week, I am KEEPING the minimum threshold of $40 for free shipping and not increasing it - at least for now. I need to see how much of an impact the rate increase has...but for now, it is all staying the same.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Believe Frame Tutorial

My new friend and design team member, Sarah (sairabee on SCS) joined with me in Ali Edwards' One Little Word for 2009. As you know, I chose BALANCE as my word for 2009 and Sarah settled on BELIEVE. She was the only one to really join with me in this and I wanted to make her something as a reminder of her choice. So, I made this and sent it to her. Now that she's gotten it, I can post it publicly along with my short little tutorial.

I used my SU Simon chipboard alphabet for the letters and covered them with these coordinating papers from My Mind's Eye:

Falling Flowers/Buttermilk Polka Dots
Hello Baby/Miss Sunshine
My Sweet/Manilla Swirl
Paisley Patch/Sweet Life
Totally Dotty/Pink Argyle
Zest For Life/Aqua Fancy

Here's how this all came together.

First, I started with a foamcore frame. (STORE NOTE: I get these cut to order, so there is a few day turnaround time for me to get them before I can ship them out. With me leaving for CHA this week I won't be able to get these out until around Jan 30 but you can still order them!)

I covered the frame with the This Is Me side of this paper.

Grab your craft knife, bone folder and i {stick} papers redline tape...and then move on to the next step!

Center your frame on the 12x12 paper and use your craft knife to cut an X in the center.
Then, use your bone folder to very tightly fold those triangles up, as close as possible to the inside of the frame. You want to make sure your cuts go all the way to the corners or when you do this step, your paper will tear in the corners and look icky.



Then use your bone folder again and i {stick} papers and press it down really tight. Trim off the edges so it doesn't overhang because you're going to need to folder over the other part later on.











Cut the corners so that you can fold them and put your i {stick} papers as close to the edge as possible on the paper and on the frame. Be sure to go all the way to the edge.

Once you do this on all four sides, this part is done.

Moving on...





Then I took a piece of matboard and covered it with the My Sweet paper. I wrapped ivory 3/8" double faced satin ribbon around it and made a neat little bow.

I attached my letters and embellished the B and last E with white beaded daisies. I stickled the heart on the I and the dots on the middle E with Stardust Stickles.

On the L I used some self adhesive gems to follow the half circle design on the paper.

On the second E I used Accent Pearls for the flower centers and on the brackets to accentuate
the points.

Finally, I used some Funky Flowers to make a little vase out of the V. Isn't it cute?!!

Once you're done embellishing, then you apply your sticky tape around the edge (again, as close as possible).

Then you're almost done! For my finishing touches I used some Quill Flowers that I added some SU rhinestone brads to. I love these quilled flowers. They are a little fragile though so you have to be careful.

I love all the different textures and dimension on this project, don't you?

Five Minute Friday #3: Hugs & Kisses Bouquet

Phew...what a week! Boy, am I glad it is Friday!! I've even more glad I'm beginning my CHA preparations - scheduling blog posts, prepping the vendors that are must visits and planning on who I am going to meet while I am in Anaheim! How exciting!!!

I did manage to make a little time this week to make a little card. I used the new acetate that I have in the store as my base. This stuff is super thick. It is 10 ml poly (which is just a tad thinner than the clear card boxes) so it is fantastic for card bases and for making your own acetate boxes. This weight is NOT laser or ink jet printable so you won't be able to use it for that. We also stock a thinner acetate, which is good for shaker boxes, window sheets or things of that sort.

But, look at this card! See how nice and straight it stands up? No buckling...it's soooo nice. Can you tell I'm loving it? AND...wait...there's more! I've got it in 8-1/2"x11 AND 12x12. How awesome is that??


This card is super simple. FIVE MINUTES!!! Sorry about the awful lighting...I waited entirely too long to photograph this one and had to use my icky lights.

I used some more of my favorite wire stemmed flowers - these are the pink feathered ones - and made a little bouquet from a scrap of vellum cardstock. I just rolled it up, tied it with a scrap of the pink/light pink reversible satin ribbon and TA-DA!

The greeting is stamped in Palette Boudoir Blush ink on the white panel.

To make the card I used the acetate as my base then layered a panel of SU! Regal Rose on the inside of the card and then adhered a panel of PTI white to the inside front of the card. My adhesive is only behind the bouquet. I used a small strip of i {stick} papers to hold the bouquet in place on the front. (Store note - we're actually out of i {stick} papers right now...but have an order arriving Jan 30 and will ship any orders for it then.)

For my finishing touch I put three little self adhesive pearls on the front and that's it!

Totally simple! This idea could easily be adapted for an anniversary card, birthday card, and I'm Sorry card or even a sympathy card. So easy and so versatile.

This greeting is from Many Hearts but there are so many in the All Occasions Messages set that could easily work as well.


In other news, my studio is STILL clean. And, yes, I've been creating! It isn't just clean because I haven't been using it! I KNOW at least some of you were thinking that!!! *grin*

Impressed?

So...even with some surprises this week I think I've stayed on track. Balance check - yup!

And lastly, remember that beginning Jan. 20 the store is going to be manned by some temporary staff and orders may be delayed getting packing and shipped for 2-3 days. Please be patient! Thanks! And, thanks for stopping by today!

Shipping notice for January 20-29

In preparation for CHA I just wanted to let you know that beginning Jan. 20 (and running through Jan. 29) all order shipment will be slightly delayed from our normal 24 hour turnaround time. Our regular staff will be traveling to/attending CHA and orders will be filled by temporary staff. I'm very grateful for their help but they don't work as quickly as us :) so please be patient.

Orders may take 2-3 days to ship instead of our normal 24 hour turnaround time.

Thanks and we look forward to bringing you lots of sneak peeks during the show so be sure to check back frequently for pics and news!

Fabulous Blog award

Ann over at Creative Antics tagged me with this little award. My first blog award...isn't it cute? She looks like so many of the FABULOUS Manhattan ladies I used to see when I commuted into the City. Boy, am I glad I don't do that anymore. I certainly don't read as much as I used to when I commuted but I get to sleep way later AND get to do more paper crafting. That's a win/win in my book!

:)


So, I'm supposed to list 5 obsessions and pass it on to 5 other bloggers.

In no particular order:

1. My Keurig...mmm...do I love that thing.
2. Cooking - I actually really enjoy cooking (and baking). I rarely follow recipes and just seem to have a natural inclination towards creating yummy stuff. Before starting i {heart} papers I contemplated starting a personal chef service.
3. Papercrafting - duh. I {heart} papercrafting stuff.
4. Internet/Blurfing - I *love* the internet. I love trivia and looking up stuff. I could have also credited this one to my Blackberry but I'll keep it general.
5. My friends - I have a magnet that reads "Friends are the family you choose yourself." This is SO true in my life.

I'm passing this little award onto:
1. Carolyn - she is fabulous and she still commutes into Manhattan everyday :)
2. Susanna - Papercraft Planet QUEEN! I can't wait to meet her at CHA!
3. Joan - Hysterical and talented. What better combination?
4. Judy - She was a member of my SU! downline for the years before I opened IHP. I can't wait to actually meet her at CHA!
5. Lynn - Another person I am so fortunate to have met this year online and that I will be meeting (for real this time) at CHA. We actually met briefly at the last CHA...this time it is for real!

Thanks for stopping by. I've got a crafty post that I'm working on. Check back at the end of the week. I'm still recovering from my dad's surgery and an unexpected additional medical situation that happened the same day. I've been playing Florence Nightingale all week. :)