Progressive Challenge Task 3

Hi friends, I am on to the next task for the scrapbooking page challenge I am participating with other gals. If you want to see my previous post for this challenge click here. This really makes you think about adding embellishments to one's page. Task 3 for the Progressive Scrapbook Challenge was to add a string or hemp of some kind with a charm on your page. Finish off with a bit of washi tape somewhere on your page. I can't wait to see what the final challenge will be next Tuesday!

Donna Downey Class Creation and a Cubsta

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend celebrating Father's Day. My hubby and I met up with some old friends and enjoyed a dinner out. It was lovely. On Friday evening I took a class at my local scrapbook store with Donna Downey called She is Strength. The class was a mixed media class using acrylic paints, gesso and gel medium. We took a 6x18 stretch canvas and glued tags on it. Then we covered it with gesso. After it dried we placed gel medium over it, book paper, a picture (one was in her kit but I had this picture of the lady drinking tea at home and decided to use it instead), sentiment paper, and masking tape covering all of it again with gel medium. After drying, we used a couple different colors of acrylic paint with mist of water. Then glued down the flowers, leaf, stems, card, and mini banners. I just love how this project came out. However, when I arrived home with it I felt it was lacking something. So, I found my Christy Tomlinson rubons and decided to add them to my creation. You can see in the close up pictures where I placed them. I really like this canvas now! While at the class, Donna brought some items from her store for purchase. She had the lovely pan pastels kit that has a video inside with instructions on how to use them. I can't wait to try them! I also purchased the lovely journal she had. It is made of cloth and oh so elegant! Donna has inspirational videos on her blog to show you how to create your journal. How exciting to be able to meet Donna and her husband! I was very impressed with her fun class. Finally, I have to share with you my new love of a drink. It's called Cubsta and you can purchase them at The Original Brooklyn Bagel Company. They freeze coffee cubes and then place them in a cup. You pour your favorite flavor (and there are several to choose from) iced coffee over the cubes, add a little syrup of your choice (I love Hazelnut), and add cream and stir. Talk about yum!!!! I am so addicted. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this post. Have a wonderful week!

CTMH Card Chatter Birthday

This card is a combination of many different products I had in my craft studio. I started out creating this card with something else in mind, but it turned out totally different. Have you ever had those kind of days? I created this card using 7 Gypsies designer paper. I used Cloud 9 Designs for the brad and flower accents. The sentiment was from Close To My Heart Card Chatter-Birthday. Finally, I used Papertrey Ink ribbon and Gina K cardstock. I was quite pleased with the final product. I think the designer paper made this card unique.

California Pictures In N Out

Hi everyone. I have finally started scrapbooking my California pictures. I took over 1000 pics while visiting San Diego last month! Yes, I know that is a boat load of pics. However, there is no way that I would ever attempt to try and scrapbook that many pics. So, I printed out a few of whatever sight seeing or event we were doing and then I scrapbooked two page layouts for them. This is my first four pages where we were visiting the In-N-Out hamburger place. On the East coast, we do not have In-N-Out burgers, and everyone told us we had to visit. I have to say I am glad we don't have one on the East coast because I would probably be bigger than I need to be! LOL!!! The burgers were really good. Much better than the chain fast food burgers we have in the Southeast. Anyway, I hope you enjoy viewing some of my California journey. I will have many more to come.

Progressive Scrapbook Challenge Task 2

Hey there friends. This post is a continuation of the Progressive Scrapbook Challenge that I am participating on a craft forum. My first post can be found here. This is Task 2 of the challenge. This task required to place 4-8 paper strips next to your photo(s) and then put a flower or vine border either on top of or behind the photo. Finally, you have to stamp 2 images on your page. I chose a combination of paper strips alongside each photo and found the flower border in my ribbon stash. I like how it blended so well with my papers. For the stamped image it took me a while to figure out what stamps (it had to be object stamps) that I was going to use. I must say I was a bit nervous about stamping my image on the patterned paper. I looked a several possible stamps to use. I ended up choosing an old Stampin Up set called Cabin and stamped the log cabin alongside the flower border and then the sprig in the upper right-hand corner of the top photo. I was quite pleased how this came out. Being these pictures were actually taken in front of a cabin that we have frequented for many years, I thought this to be very appropriate. What do you think?

Walk In Closet & Cricut Storage

I am back with more organizational tips. I am blessed to have a walk-in closet in my craft studio (hubby and I are empty nesters so this was a former child's bedroom). Anyway, inside my closet I have 4 large paper holders. The first two paper holders that you see in the first picture hold my cardstock. This is a Mrs. Grossman's paper holder I got in a closeout scrapbook store. It came on rollers and the shelves were back to back making it difficult to use. I figured out it was held together by heavy duty ties and I clipped them so I could arrange them side by side. It works perfect and I am so in love with it now! Above the paper holders is Cricut cartridge storage in the plastic boxes. I love these boxes by Artbin! Along the back wall I have the shelving and cubes that I purchased from Micheal's. These really work out nicely for storing those extras. The third picture shows my stamp storage for all those loose wooden stamps I have collected over the years. I organized these by theme. The wall continues with more paper storage racks. Again, I acquired these at a closeout sale. I have all my designer paper packs and loose pages by theme on these racks. Above the racks, cubes, and storage units you can see the top of my closet where I have extra goodies. I managed to purchase the white boxes at Micheal's to hold other extras. I have these labeled also. Finally, I wanted to show my other Cricut cartridge storage. This is the original way I started organizing my cartridges. It is the Scraponizer system. I have each box labeled and have a reference guide on my computer so that I can locate a particular cartridge I want to use. I do the same for the Arbin boxes also. I am in the process of creating my own booklet so that I can have something tangible for reference. I prefer the Artbin storage system over the Scraponizer. I feel so much better now that I know where to locate my goodies. I hope you have enjoyed this post.

Organization Tips

I am so fortunate to have this large bookcase to store most of my craft stash! My hubby made this shelf years ago before we ever met and I was lucky to inherit it for my craft studio. I just love the fact that I can store all my 8.5x11 paper (in magazine racks turned sideways), stamps (I have several types), along with other things that I store inside the handy wooden boxes that I picked up at Joann's a year ago. I love these boxes because they have a place for a label. I decided to get out my dymo and make labels for all of them so I can locate my stuff so much easier. If you notice, I have Tim Holtz stamps inside the case he makes for them. Just so much easier to store those. Also have Stampin Up stamps and my Sizzix dies at the top of the bookcase. Finally, I have the plastic boxes that I have other stamps inside. I labeled all of those boxes with my dymo too. If you want more details on the plastic boxes check out my tutorial here that I made a few years ago. I think you can still order these boxes if that is something you are interested in. Hope you found my storage solutions useful. Have a fabulous day!

Progressive Scrapbook Challenge

I am really trying hard to get pictures scrapbooked this year. It is such a difficult task. To help motivate me, I decided to join a scrapbook challenge group on a forum that I am a member. The challenge is based on several tasks that you do for a page progressively. The first challenge was to take a 12x12 background page then place a 11.5x11.5 page over it and add 1 or 2 pics with a frame behind one or both. Finally you add washi tape and the pics must be placed toward the center of the page, but more towards the right of the page. Here is what I came up with below. Also, the theme is based on the number 13. I chose these two pics because I was born on the 13th of October. These pics were taken in October and my hubby and I will be married 13 years this year. So there you go!!! I can't wait to see what the next task will be!

Ribbon Storage

Check out my newly painted ribbon storage baskets! I started with a metal stand that held four good sized baskets that my neighbor was throwing out to the dump. Her son owns a sub sandwich shop in our area and these baskets held mini chip bags for customers to select. The shop stopped using the basket stand and since she was throwing it out I asked if I could take it. She happily let me have it and I was overjoyed to place in my scrap room! Today, I decided to spray paint the baskets to spiff them up a bit. I chose pink and lime to match the current colors in my craft room. You need to wait about 10 minutes between each coat of spray to allow for dry time. Finally, I sorted my ribbon for each basket. The top basket has colored grossgrain and cotton ribbons. The second basket I placed all my ribbon that has words or sentiments printed and some specialty typed ribbon. The third basket I placed organza and holiday ribbon. Finally, the fourth basket contains ribbon collections that came in packages and hemp as well as bakers twine.

Volunteer Banner

At my assisted living community we honored our volunteer workers with an awards dinner and pendants. I was asked to create a banner to be hung as you enter our private banquet room. I was pretty happy how this banner turned out being I did it under quick notice. I used Cricut Storybook, Heritage and Lyrical Letters to create this banner. I also used Pretty Pendants for the actual pendant cuts. I added some shabby chic chipboard to the pendant and a few other embellishments. I love making banners.