You Paid for It: Use It! - Spellbinders Storage

The owner of one of the crafting Facebook groups I’m on issued a challenge to group members; by the end of July, create a project using at least one tool that you haven't used yet. My tool of choice was the “MUST HAVE” Cinch…purchased in February, and gathering dust on a shelf until just last week.

When I started collecting Spellbinders dies about six months ago, I happened on this YouTube video with a great storage idea. So I decided to use that idea to store my Mega Nestabilities and my Impressabilities. This is what I came up with…not very artistic, but it does the job! I purchased my magnetic sheets from Home Depot; they’re magnetic vent    
   covers.

But wait, I know you don’t think those are the only Spellbinders dies I have, do you? The rest of my dies are in this nifty little CD box purchased from here and labeled with my Avery label maker. 

The sleeves are the perfect size for the nesties and I just file them alphabetically. I haven’t filled one box yet, but I’m sure it won’t be long so I have another empty one waiting in the wings.

So today’s lesson is a really simple one…if you spend good money for it (and what money isn’t good!?) USE IT!

Shop in Your Own “Store” – Paper Organization

I know it has been a VERY long time since my last post. I really had good intentions this summer and I can’t even say life got in the way. Instead I have been crafting and organizing my craft space like crazy…so the news isn’t all bad. I DO have to go back to work in two weeks though and pretty soon crafting is going to have to take a back seat to getting dressed everyday and earning wages. Truly, I don’t know how so many of you are able to craft regularly, work a full-time job, care for your family AND keep your blog current. If there’s a secret, please do share! Anyway…on to today’s topic!

When I moved into my house in 2006 my third bedroom (10 ft x 10 ft) was made into an office with built in workspaces and shelving. In the last year, my crafty stuff has slowly been taking over and it occurred to me that I’m a simple school teacher, what the heck do I need an “office” for? So slowly but surely it has evolved into a craft room, and with that has come the need to move things around and organize.

I mentioned that I’ve been an organizing fiend this summer and in working through that task, I had an epiphany the other day. The urge to just buy, buy, buy is starting to dissipate (important because I’m a teacher, and well…’nuff said!) because I can put my hands on almost everything in my craft space quickly and easily, and in doing so, I am rediscovering many things that I totally forgot I had.

So…this begins my series of posts on organization, which I actually promised to do a long time ago. I can’t take credit for most of the ideas and when I’m able, I’ll point you in the direction that the idea came from so you can get more information.

Today…it’s my paper. By many standards, I really don’t have a large collection of paper but it’s enough to keep me busy for a long, long time! I store my paper in JetMax cubes and prefer to store it standing up because it is much easier to remove a sheet of paper and return it to the right spot if I don’t use it. I know some people worry about the paper curling or warping, but that really hasn’t been an issue for me. Awhile ago I stored my paper flat and it was truly an effort to keep it organized especially when I needed to put some back. I keep my cardstock organized by color, and my patterned paper organized by color (whatever color I “feel” first when I look at the paper). I don’t organize by mfg because I don’t buy enough paper that way. When I first started purchasing paper stacks, I would pull them apart and file them according to color, but I quickly realized that it is better to keep them together, especially when trying to coordinate patterned papers for a project. So now I just label the spines and keep them turned so that I can see them.

This summer I did pull out special categories of paper and stored them separately in this little basket. These are the categories I use: Autumn, Birthdays, Disney, Holidays, Kids, Metallic Paper, Places (zoo paper, Lego Land paper, etc.) Music, People, School, Sentiments, Shaped Paper, Sports, Spring, Summer, Transparencies, Travel, and Vellum. I also have all of my CM Power Palettes, Harry Potter paper and large alphabet sticker sheets in here.

I keep all of my scraps, and most 8 ½ x 11 paper I come by, in drawers according to color. Solids and patterns are mixed together and I don’t keep any pieces that are smaller than 2” x 2”. I always trim my odd-shaped scraps into rectangles. Whenever I need a small piece of paper for a card or cricut cut, I start there first! The bottom drawer contains paper I no longer like and so I used it for practice cricut cuts.

So today’s lesson is this…if you haven’t already done so, get organized. Do it in small baby steps a little bit at a time. Start with your paper, because that’s at the heart of PAPERcrafting! 

Thanks for visiting!

Can't find the perfect stamp or sentiment? Make your own!

I'm sure y'all are aware that there aren't a ton of male-themed scrapping and stamping supplies out there, unless of course you want to spend all of your time crafting for a baby boy. I needed to make a birthday card for my brother and my rubber stamp collection is still quite tiny especially when compared to many of y'all's collections! I had scrap-lifted a photo for my card, but I couldn't find the right sentiment for the front of it.

I went to my trusty book and found this phrase: "A brother is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. Thanks for the memories."

Trusty Microsoft Word to the rescue. I did my best to match the ink to my chosen papers. I formatted the phrase (without the "thanks for the memories") and italicized and bolded (is this a word???) the word Brother. I copied the phrase several times across the page. Then I printed it on cardstock and punched it out with a square punch. Here's a close-up:

A little trimming, inking and embossing later and I had my finished card. Thankfully, this one didn't take me too long! The inside sentiment also came from the same book.

So our lesson for today...don't let yourself be limited by your rubber stamp collection. I assume that you have a computer or you probably wouldn't be here visiting with me...LOL!!! Use the word-processing program in that computer to make your own sentiments for your cards and layouts. You'll be amazed at what you come up with!

Thanks for reading!

Scrap. Set. Match!!!!

For some reason, I had tennis on my mind (even though I haven't played since college) when I came up with the title for this post. Game. Set. Match! Get it??? If you don't, please humor me and pretend like you do.

For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, you know that I am patterned paper challenged!
I've blogged about it many times, but most specifically here.

***I just noticed that all of my followers have disappeared. I hope that's a glitch with blogger and not that people don't like me anymore!

Matching up patterned paper is tough for me and can consume a great chunk of my crafting time. Over the years I've acquired lots and lots of patterned paper...mostly purchased on a whim, with no project in mind. For probably the first eight or nine years of my scrapbooking life, I purchased 10 to 12 sheets of each pattern. Seriously? What was I thinking? I'm still trying to figure out how to use up some of that paper. But I digress....

I think I've found the key to my matching pp problem. I took a Spellbinders card class over at My Creative Classroom. While trying to choose paper for the cards, I pulled out a few DCWV cardstock stacks. (I just began acquiring them within the past year or two. JoAnn's has great sales!). I decided that whatever paper I used for each card would come from the same stack, thus assuring that either the colors or the patterns would work together. And...I was smart this time, and chose my paper BEFORE chosing my Copic markers for coloring.

For my Mother's Day Card, I used the DCWV Summer Dream stack. The bonus with this stack is that all of the paper is double-sided. Makes matching a no-brainer! There are three different patterns used in this card AND some embossing. The sentiment was done in Microsoft Word.

For this sympathy card, I pulled from an old Creative Memories Power Palette set called Blush Blooms. Though it's kind of hard to see in the picture, this card uses four different patterned papers, not including the white cardstock. The sentiment for this one was also done on the computer.

All of the patterned paper in this layout came from the DCWV Guy Stack.

So...I've decided that for most of my paper needs, I'll probably stick with DCWV. Their patterned cardstock is of great quality and they have a lot of selection. They are constantly coming out with new stacks. I need to start crafting on a budget and more often than not, these stacks are on sale at JoAnn's for around $10. If not there's always a coupon. Does this mean that I won't ever buy from other manufacturers or purchase single sheets again? No....but I will make every effort to buy paper that is in sets or, if buying single sheets, buy coordinating sheets that will work together for a project. Having the paper already matched removes some of that decision making that slows me down and gets in the way of my creativity.

So...our lesson for today....wait for it...wait for it!!!!

When setting out to SCRAPbook or make a card, consider purchasing and using paper that comes in SETs. It makes MATCHing patterned paper that much easier!

BTW...Despite the amount of time it took me to make those two cards, I DID manage to give them away!

It's Okay to Give Them Away...Cards That Is!

After taking about six hours to make one card, I decided that I wouldn't give my handmade cards to just anybody. (You know that feeling. You send the card to the person, they look at it, maybe display for a few days and then throw it in the trash.) It would have to be someone who would truly appreciate the time and craftsmanship that went into making the card, someone who would save it forever and ever; usually those are select family members and other paper crafters. But then I found myself participating in Friday Night Challenges over at Scraps of Color and developing a stockpile of handmade cards that I didn't want to give away.

A few weeks ago, I had an "ah ha" moment. When I was spending $5+ for a greeting card, I didn't care what the recipient did with it. When I was taking the time to design and print them with my computer software, I didn't care what the recipients did with them. If the joy comes from the crafting, why stress over what happens to the card once its sent? Just a thought.... So here are just a few that I've been hoarding that I vow to send out in the next couple of months.

 

Thanks for looking!!!!

Step Away From Your Cricut, or...Use Clip Art!

I wanted/needed a staircase with graduated steps for a scrapbook page I was doing for my sorority scrapbook. Mind you, I was working on page 2 of 10 pages that I needed to have finished within four days. The titles for each page were done, but I was having trouble coming up with a concept for each page. I searched and searched my over 100 Cricut cartridges via my Gypsy, Design Studio, Cricut Cheat Sheets, and MyCutSearch.com. The only image I found was on A Child’s Year and it wasn’t what wanted.

I then opened an MS Word document and went searching through the clip art. I found exactly what I was looking for but I didn't like the colors.

So, I hit upon the idea of printing it in grayscale. I would have loved to print it in black and white but in two years I haven’t figured out how, or if I even can, print in B/W with my printer. So…grayscale it was! Before printing though…I enlarged the clip art, added some titles to the steps and did a little cropping. Then I printed the image using the fast/draft setting so the gray wouldn’t come out so dark.

I colored the steps with my Copics. I’m still learning how to use them so it took me quite awhile just to color some danged steps! I wanted to make the titles pop out a little so I came up with the bright idea of using my glaze pens over the titles, sprinkling them with green embossing powder, and heat embossing. I tested the idea with different colored glaze pens and embossing powders (including clear) on a piece of the image I had trimmed off and it looked like it would work out okay. Turns out the idea was not so bright….*sigh.* The first title didn’t come out too badly, but for some reason with each title it got increasingly worse. The embossing bubbled and the letters kind of ran together. It could have been that I was holding my heat gun too close or it could have been the glaze pen, the embossing powder, or both, reacting with my Copics. In any event, I had messed up and I flat out refused to print out another image and go through the task of coloring again…especially with a looming deadline. So I tried different black pens on top of my sample embossing, none of which worked very well. Then I tried my Smooch ink which although not perfect, worked much better. So trace over the letters I did. I also added a little Smooch ink at the top where you could see the white cardstock, and wouldn’t you know it…I made a smudge…..grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr……

So…I added some bling to the top. (Makes it look kinda like a cake don’t’cha think??) I then cut an image from Forever Young (I plumped her up a bit!) to place at the bottom of the steps, and several smaller silhouettes to place on the steps from the same cartridge.  Here is the finished project…

While not my best work, it worked for me!

If you’ve made it this far in my blog post, I thank you! And since you HAVE read this far, you might as well finish up and take note of the lesson for today.

So what I’ve learned is this:

…If you can’t find it on one of your Cricut cartridges or draw/create an image yourself, check your word processing program for clip art, or any clip art program for that matter. There are many ways to make creative changes to clip art so that it works for what you want it to!

…Don’t, I repeat DON’T, experiment with new techniques on your project when you’re playing beat the clock. Save experimentation for those times when you can afford to mess up because you have time for do-overs!

…Don’t take short cuts either! I was too danged lazy to get my ink pad and so used my Smooch ink (which was at hand) and wouldn’t ya know it…I messed up.

Thank you for stopping by. 

**I have TWO more days of school left and then it's on and croppin' (and bloggin')!

Turn Your Camera!

So...I realize that it has been SOME time since I've blogged. My intentions are really good, but life seems to really get in the way sometimes. The good news is, I HAVE been creating and continuing to learn by trial and error; the bad news is, I haven't posted anything here in a long time, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a blog, don't cha think?

I have 21 days until [in my best rock & roll voice] SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER! In the meantime, I'm going to leave you with a short little lesson today.

Turn your camera!!!! What do I mean "turn your camera?" I mean, make sure you take pictures both in landscape (horizontal) AND portrait (vertical) orientation.

I am taking a great online class over at My Creative Classroom on using sketches (if you've been following me, you know how I feel about those!). Lots and lots of the sketches contain lots and lots of 4 x 6 photos that have a portrait orientation. In looking for groups of photos to use with the sketches, I had trouble finding good photos that were portrait-oriented. That's when it hit me...I hardly ever TURN MY CAMERA!

In this day and age of digital photography, most of us have abandoned film cameras which are quickly going the way of the dinosaur and 8-track tape. So...there's no excuse not to take lots and lots of pictures of your subjects with the camera turned both vertically and horizontally. You can always save and print the very best one, and delete the bad ones. Why save all fifty of the shots you took [trying to get the perfect picture] of the same statue or flower pot? Upload the pics to your computer, be ruthless in narrowing the collection down to a very select few (in both orientations of course!) and delete the rest!

So..our lesson for today people is this...(repeat after me)...TURN YOUR CAMERA!
And... for all you digital camera people, purge, purge, purge and keep only the very best pictures.

Thanks for stopping by!

Digi-stamps and Old Embellies on Layouts - Real Cats Scrap!

Digi-stamps are often sent out early in the week to Friday Night Challenge participants over at Scraps of Color. I received one such digi-stamp of a kitty going after a goldfish. Normally, I take the digi-stamps, color them with Copics (I'm a Copic newbie) and try to use them on cards, but for this one I couldn't for the life of me decide what kind of card to put it on.

Then I thought about the fact that I have a cat, and some pretty cool pictures of that cat, and that just maybe I could use that digi-stamp on a layout about my cat. While I know that people often use sentiment and other kinds of image stamps on layouts, I don't know that I've seen too many Copic-colored image stamps on a layout. Not saying that they're not out there...I just haven't seen any. So I decided to treat that image as a third photo to go along with the two photos of Isis I had chosen.

Pulled out my trusty "Page Patterns - Just Plain Simplicity" book and found a simple sketch using three photos. Found some paper, ribbon, a chipboard tag, small journaling tag, and some old, old, old embellishments (now that they're all organized) and got to work. I purchased the stainless steel scrapbooking embellishments years and years ago at a LSS that was going out of business in L.A. (Yes, they are real stainless steel, and yes they are sharp! I know...because I cut myself with one of them!) I think I found the other embellies that they're sitting on at a Big Lots in L.A. years ago. I have no clue where the chipboard tag came from but once I covered it with the coordinating patterned paper and inked the edges, I was pleased with the results. The letters of the title came from the Don Juan Cricut cartridge. Once I got all of my supplies together, the layout came together fairly quickly.

Going Fishing is So Played Out! Real Cats Scrap!

So this is what I learned...

1. It's okay to color a stamp (digi or rubber) to use on a layout.
2. Having your scrap stuff organized (I feel another post coming!) really helps you to find the perfect embellishments to use on a project.
3. Be careful...stainless steel embellishments are sharp!
4. Get those old embellishments out and use them! You might be surprised at the results...

Thanks for checking me out!

Those Pesky Twisted Rhinestone Flourishes

So....I don't know about all of you, but whenever...and I mean WHENEVER....I try to adhere one of those rhinestone flourishes to a card or layout, they get all twisted on themselves and I usually end up accidentally tearing off pieces while trying to get them untangled (especially when I'm under the gun doing a 30 minute card challenge!). Do you know what I'm talking about? Witness some of those pesky flourishes below...

One night it occurred to me, if transfer tape (or painter's tape) can be used to transfer vinyl, why can't it be used to transfer these lovely embellishments that add "bling" to our projects?

So...I pulled out my wide roll of blue painter's tape, tore off a piece, stuck it on top of the flourish, smoothed it down to make sure it stuck well, and removed the plastic that the flourish was attached to. I placed the tape with the flourish on my project, rubbed it well, slowly removed the tape...and voila! The rhinestone flourish went onto my project without a twist or a turn! The only thing that would have made it easier would have been if I had used clear transfer tape...so I will be placing an order soon.

So...today's lesson is this: when trying to put a rhinestone flourish (or other similar types of embellishment) on a project, try blue painter's tape or clear transfer tape, then embellies attach in a jiffy!

Thanks for checking in!

Extreme Makeover: Scrapbook Style - Mr. President

Last week I took part in another Friday Night Challenge over at Scraps of Color. Most of the time we do cards, however this particular Friday night included a 45-minute layout challenge. You got it...45 minutes to do a layout! Me...the slowest scrapper in the land... the scrapper who takes hours and sometimes days to design and create a two-page layout. Not only were we to do the layout it 45 minutes, but we also had to follow certain parameters: Create a two-page 24x12 LO of President Obama.  Your color scheme is Red, Black, ONE PAPER MUST BE PATTERNED and a color of your choice as an accent. Your design must use a "star". It must have a minimum of 4 photos. One photo must include show "Black Love."  There must be bling. There must be the words "OBAMA" and "44." There must be a space for journaling. Let me repeat...this had to be done in 45 minutes. I really didn't think I could do it, but I was determined to try. Thankfully we had been told earlier in the week that we needed to have several Obama photos so in that regard I was prepared.

I grabbed one of my trusty sketches books, "Page Patterns...Just Plain Simplicity," found a simple sketch that contained four photos and got to work. Pulled out some cardstock and found some OLD 4th of July patterned paper that contained stars and the word FREEDOM at the bottom (I cut that off)! In the middle of working my ATG ran out of adhesive...grrrrrrrrrrrr....!!! So I had to make do with some Zots and other things in the meantime. I didn't quite make the 45 minutes; I think it took me between 50 and 55 minutes and I wasn't quite thrilled with the layout that resulted. But I posted it to the gallery anyway.

Two days later, I decided to change up some things. I found some old chipboard letters (with a design on them) and numbers and covered them with glitter using the technique you can find here. Since I used red glitter I changed the color of the background they were on from the red patterned paper to blue. I added some more rhinestone flourishes (stay tuned for my next post about a great way to adhere them without having them tangle) using them to cover some of the punching mistakes on the blue frame. I added a star made from the red patterned paper and a couple of blue stars with some added bling. Finally, I added some typed journaling.  I tried to write on the American Crafts transparent journaling box but none of the pens I had would write well on it, so I ended up printing it on cardstock and adhering it over the journaling box. What you see below is the result.

So, today's lessons are these:

1. If you aren't pleased with a layout that you did, let it sit and "marinate" for a bit, and then come back to it. Taking a break from it and coming back to it with fresh eyes, may help you see where you can add some improvements.
2. If nothing about the layout pleases you, don't be afraid to go back to the drawing board and start over.
3. This one bears repeating yet again...try sketches!
4. Find a way to fix or cover little "boo boos." You really don't have to start over or re-cut something just because it has a flaw in it.
5. Setting a time limit for creating a layout will force you to think quickly and you may be surprised by the results.

Hope you enjoyed my musings for today. Thanks for looking!

Making Progress When Challenged - Some Cards

I've recently begun taking part in Friday Night Chat Challenges over at Scraps of Color. A different member hosts each week. A digital image is sent out at the beginning of the week and we use it to make a project of our choice that has to be posted on Friday evening. During the chat on Friday evenings, we are presented with challenges that almost always involve making a card (according to certain parameters) AND posting it within 30 minutes. And...we usually do that THREE times during the course of the evening. That is part of what has gotten me in organization mode here in my scrap space...simply so that I can put my hands on tools and supplies quickly. Since I'm also still fairly new to cardmaking, the entire process forces me to think and move quickly...and if you've been following me for awhile, you know that I am very slow when it comes to papercrafting. It takes me an hour just to choose paper sometimes.

So I'd like to share a few of the cards I've completed and share what I've learned through the process of creating them.

This card was created with the image that was sent to us at the beginning of the week. I'm very new to the world of Copics though I've acquired quite a collection. My coloring leaves a lot to be desired but that's okay because I am a work in progress and have long ago given up on being perfect.

For this card, the instructions were to make a two-layer all-white card with just one small pop of color. I had a great idea in mind and intended to put a layout on there using one of my Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page punches. Only problem was, since acquiring all seven or eight of them (I bought them when Oprah gave out the 50% coupon) I had never used one. I chose to test it out during a 30-minute challenge. Not too smart. I should have tried them out AND learned how to use them as soon as I brought them home. As you can see, I had some issues with the corner punch. (Which reminds me; my Cinch and Creatopia arrived last week. Better take them out of the box and try them out!)

For this card...we were given a sketch to follow and instructed to make it monochromatic (shades of one color). You know me...I love sketches! Not quite monochromatic, but almost!....

For my last card, we were supposed to create a card using stamp of our choice, rhinestones or pearls, fringe and a sentiment. I kind of misread the directions and used the stamp as my sentiment. I also didn't have any fringe in my stash. I suppose I could of made some fringe out of paper but I didn't want to since I was in a time crunch. I found some fiber stuff in my stash that I had forgotten I had. Decided to use that instead.

So here is what I've learned going through this process...

1. Progress, not perfection, is the name of the game.
2. When you go out and spend your hard-earned money on new scrapping tools, get them out and learn how to use them as soon as possible. You've spent the money; no use having them just sit there. You might just be surprised at what you can create with your new toys.
3. This one bears repeating...when you've lost your mojo or are in a creative rut, use a sketch!
4. Don't be afraid to substitute one product for another.

Thanks for stopping by....

Sketches and Boo-Boos! - Route 66

I'm here watching the Superbowl (just for the commercials and Black-Eyed Peas at halftime) and have been working diligently to update my blog. I've actually gotten several things done in the last few weeks but have been too busy to work on my blog. I've been inundated at work and busy [re]organizing my scrap space. So, since my DS is at his friend's house watching the game and I'm here in peace and solitude I figured I'd take the time to add some new things. Starting with this layout:

This layout was done for a challenge over at the Library of Memories Community at BigPictureClasses.com. We were supposed to create a Storage Binder layout of an event with more than 10 photos. Use only four on your page. Triage the remaining six photos behind at least three different tabs in your category drawers. I cheated a little and used seven photos. I figured it was okay since I was doing a two-page spread. I began with this sketch from Page Patterns: Just Plain Simplicity.

Sketches are a great starting point for me and my final product usually looks very little like the original sketch. Remember that when starting as a sketch, you don't have to use it as is. You can rotate one or both pages four different ways. I turned the entire sketch upside down to accommodate the orientation of my pictures and the sequential order in which I wanted them to appear.  

As I was attempting to adhere one of the 6's onto the Route 66 embellishment, it fell onto the white portion adhesive side down. I picked it up quickly and swiped at the glue with my finger. It left a a very visible black smudge. I thought about re-cutting it and decided I didn't feel like being bothered and would use it as is. As I was finishing up, inspiration struck and I decided to cover the entire embellishment with Distress Stickles in Rock Candy. So I just squirted some on and smeared it all over with my finger. Not only did it diminish the look of the smearing, but it kind of gave the sign that old dirty road sign look. It added that certain somethin' somethin' to the page. I love how it turned out!

So...today's lessons are:

1. Begin with a sketch but feel free to manipulate it so that it works for you, your photos and your design process.
2. Also, don't despair if you make a mistake or drip glue or something else on your layout. Look around your scrap space and find a little-used product that you have and use it to help you fix the problem.

Thanks for stopping by!

My Blog's Got Attitude!

My dear friend Helen was sweet enough to bless me with the "My Blog's Got Attitude Award!" I feel so honored...this is my third award and three is my lucky number! But before I forget, I must tell you, Helen's work is out of this world, and she is what I strive to be in my crafting endeavors. If I can create just one-fourth of what she does with her flair for creativity, I will have done a good job. So please, when you are finished browsing here, take a peek at her blog A Taste of DC and leave her some love.

This award requires me to tell three things that make me different from other people.

1.  I was a late bloomer in the motherhood department. I had my only child, "Skootch!", when 

I was 41. He is now in the 4th grade, so you do the math!

2.  I can organize the heck out of anything, hence the reason I don't create as much as I'd like to. I come in my craft space to make something and then see something that I would have better access to if it were in a different place. This usually leads to a complete overhaul in one or more sections of my craft space and crafting during that set aside time.

3.  I was once photographed by Annie Leibovitz. At the time, I didn't realize what a celebrity she was. Her sister, Barbara Leibovitz, was making a documentary movie called "Salvaged Lives." I was there with one of the people who was being profiled for the movie and Annie was doing the photo stills for the promotional posters and what-not, and took several pictures of the two of us together.

Now I have to pay it forward and nominate five bloggers for the award who have A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E. So, here are the five bloggers who I am nominating for this blog award.

1. Trell is fairly new to the Sistas Scrap Too! message board over at Cricut.com. His work is phenomenal and is going to probably necessitate our changing the name to Sistas AND Brothas Scrap Too! Please check him out at Polka Dots, Paint and Cake Batter. Even the name of his blog denotes fun and creativity!
2. BDMommy is another one of my sisters over at the SST message board. She is all kinds of creative and posts something new almost everyday. I can't imagine with her job and her little one when she finds time to create, but somehow she does and everything she makes is stunning! Go visit her at Riley's Custom Creations.
3. YayaPhilly is also on SST. She creates some AMAZING dimensional projects and is the master at handmade flowers. You can see her beautiful work over at YaYaPhilly Scrap Spot.
4. Michelle is on SST as well and is all kinds of talented. Plus she has the cutest blog. You must go see it at Now Stamp This!
5. Sanura is another one of my friends over at SST and SOC. This sister has cardmaking on lockdown! She said that one of her New Year's Resolutions is to keep her blog updated. Maybe if she knows people are coming to see her over at SanuraScraps she will. Frankly, I don't know how she has time to create the beautiful cards that she does considering she's a mom with three children AND a teacher, just like I am!

Please enjoy your blog awards. With this award, you are now entitled to enjoy a $5 gift certificate from the  Digi's With Attitude store.

NO CRAFT SHOPPING FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY!!!

I know...long time, no post. I've been much too busy organizing my craft space (yet again!) so that I can put my hands on something and make the time spent in my craft space more productive. Just in time too!!! 


Over at Scraps of Color, folks LOVE to issue challenges! A "No Craft Spending" challenge was issued as a result of many members viewing this video.

The rules are: 

*No shopping in any store-Michael's, AC Moore, Hobby Lobby, Archivers, etc. 

*No online shopping

*No window shopping

*No HSN shopping

ONLY USE WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR SUPPLIES!!!!!

Remind yourself with a note on your page, ask a family member to help you to not to shop, check in with your SOC friends by saying "NO SHOPPING TODAY!"

The "no window shopping" part is fairly easy since my nearest M's is starting to bore me and my nearest J's is over twelve miles away. The online shopping part...not so easy since I am on so many mailing lists and message boards that are full of enablers. My dear son was THRILLED to hear that we would not be going to any craft stores in February since he would much rather play outside than ride with mom on yet another browsing expedition in a craft store. 


I confess that I placed quite a few online orders towards the end of January, so withdrawal hasn't set in yet because yesterday my Cinch arrived in the mail, and the day before my Creatopia (both from HSN) came a knockin'.

So...we'll see how this plays out. It's Day Four and so far I'm not tempted! Since this blog is about what I learn through my crafting experiences, I hope there is a lesson here! Stay tuned....

Stylish Blogger Award

Normea over at M.M. DeZigns was kind enough to present me with a blog award - the Stylish Blogger Award. Me, who is having trouble keeping her blog current. Thank's Normea! Normea is one of the most talented card-makers I know. Please stop by her blog and take a look at her awesome work. When you do, let her know that I sent you. I am grateful she thinks so highly of my l'il 'ole blog! Hope I can live up to the hype!

This is a pay-it-forward style award. Here are the rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this.
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pay it forward to 8 bloggers that you have recently discovered
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their awards.

So here are 8 things about myself:
1. I have one son affectionately known as "Skootch!"
2. I am the only person I know who can "phutz" away more time and then look up and not be able to say what I did for the last several hours.
3. Being a middle-school teacher is hard work.
4. I love the color orange!
5. I recently realized that even though I began scrapbooking in 2000, I was making all kinds for craft items back when I was much younger.
6. I buy and collect more than I scrap. Hoping to change that in 2011.
7. I could eat some good Thai food everyy day of the week.
8. I eat just about the same thing for lunch at work everyday. It's easier, and doing so has helped me shed quite a few pounds.

Here are the 8 bloggers I would like to share this award with (and it was so very hard to choose only eight): 

1. My {Life}, My {Blog}
2. Nubian Crafter
3. Scrap InnoVations
4. Divine Scrapper
5. Treva's Craft Corner
6. Stamping on the Road
7. Now Stamp This
8. StampinDymonz