"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" ECLIPSE TAPE

Hello!

For this week's tool I decided to go with some tape.
It is not any ordinary tape though.
It is called ECLIPSE and looks like this:


It is an art masking tape with sticky adhesive. It can be used for more than masking though. You know how when you are stamping,inking, spritzing or just playing with saturated color inks they sometimes tend to bleed on the other side of your project?
Eclipse can help that not happen. You can also create your own stencil mask or create your own non-permanent stickers.
This particular roll is 6 inches x 33 feet. That's a lot of tape. I have seen it run for $14.95 on Eclectic Paperie.com. You may find it via other online retailers as well.

Hope you enjoyed this week's "tool".

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#56) HELP, MY VINYL IS STICKY & WON'T COME OFF!

Hello Bloggers!

This week's tip is designed to help you remove your Cricut vinyl images when you are ready to either change the location of your image or just done using it.

It's relatively simple. If you have difficulty removing your vinyl letters or images from a particular surface like glass or walls; just use your blow dryer on a low heat setting & aim it in a back & forth motion over your image. That should do the trick.

Have a great week!

HALLOWEEN /FALL BLOG HOP

I am super excited to share some great news! The delightful
Stephanie at: Always Crafting
is hosting a "boo"tiful & bountiful Halloween/Fall blog hop. It will take place on SUNDAY,OCTOBER 3RD beginning @ 8am Eastern Time. She has asked me to participate & I am over the moon honored. I am so happy to be one of your stops on this much anticipated blog hop.

There are a total of 11 fangtastic, crafty bloggers participating in all. You will just have to join us to see who they are. There will be a GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY by Stephanie which is being sponsored by the generous Carol & Barrie of:
SCRAPADABADOO !
They have donated a Tim Holtz, On the Edge Die-autographed by the king of crafts himself and a Kaiser Craft Paper Pack called Jades Garden!
I too will have a giveaway but you have to make a stop on the hop over to my blog to find out what it is & for your chance to win.

I sure hope you can join us~ It is going to be a lot of fun!
We will have a spooktacular time.
I look forward to sharing my project with you all.

Feel free to share the news! Copy & paste the adorable blog hop photo in this post on to your blog.

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-CLEAR & SIMPLE STAMPS APP

Hey Bloggers!

This week's find is focusing on an application for those lucky enough to own an iphone.

It is the Clear & Simple Stamps App.
It is available on the Apple APP Store.
You can download the CSS App and give yourself a daily boost of creativity with Clear & Simple Stamps.

There are directions for projects and links to get you where you can buy the products used.
The cost is: $4.99 and you can go to itunes.apple.com to grab yours.

Sounds like fun.

Enjoy!

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" THE QUICK STICK

Hi there!

This week's tool is brought to you by the people at QuicKutz.

It is not a new tool but I have found that sometimes when tools have been out in the market a while if they don't receive a lot of hype you may just miss them.

This utilitarian tool is called the Quick Stik. It is the "Quicker-Poker-Picker-Upper".



This tool will help you pick up and remove the tiniest of embellishments, die cuts, beads, punched images and photos with a stroke of the stik. It has an adhesive putty on one end and slanted- flat head on the opposite end allowing for pick up both adhesive & non adhesive products.

Some people have tweezers to help with tiny embellishments but I have this tool because it holds my tiny embellishments and allows me to place it exactly where I want it without slipping.

The retail on mine when I got it was $6.99 but I still have the same stick & it still has adhesive putty. I use it often. It was well worth it for me. If you can't find it at your local craft stores, try online retailers or quickutz.com .

Happy Crafting Everyone!

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#55) MR. CLEAN IN THE CRAFT ROOM

Happy Monday!

It's a quick tip this week.
Need a way to clean your inked up acrylic blocks?

Just use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

It will get the job done quite well.
Just follow the directions on the package.

That's all for today folks.

Thanks for visiting.

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-THE CRAFT CLEANER

Hello Bloggers and Happy Friday.

Today's fabulous find is brought to you by the ever present in the craft world folks at EK Success.

This find is called the Craft Cleaner.It is a small thing but packs a big punch in functionality.
Check it out:



This little handy gadget is quite the big helper. Its' function is to easily help you clean your work surface.
Just push down and forward to clean your surface & that is all there is to it.
It has a little brush for larger scraps but works great to help remove finer particles like glitter and embossing powder quickly.


To clean it you just lift the tray on the undercarriage and empty. It has a sticky roller that you can remove and rinse with water.

I really love mine.
I got it at Marshall's for only $1.99 and I have to say it was worth more.
To be honest it wasn't something that I thought I would use often but once I got it home and tried it, I was hooked.
It sure beats whipping out the vacuum!

Have a great weekend.

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" CROP-A-DILE 3 -MAIN SQUEEZE

Hi All!

This week's tool is the CROP A DILE 3!
Yep...you read that right.
There's a 3 and here's the low down, if you have not heard already :


We R Memory Keepers has done it again. They have designed the Crop-A-Dile III (main squeeze) with interchangeable plates for squeezing, attaching corners, embossing & die-cutting. Just slide on the plates and give the handles a squeeze to create gorgeous embellishments on any project.






It’s now easier than ever before to add a quick border or die-cut icon to a project. Just insert your paper and give the tool a squeeze. You’ll become an instant fan and want to embellish everything with these fun die-cuts!
Includes Squeeze Plates for setting Squeeze Tabs.

More than just beautiful accents, they have corners that can be used to frame photos and projects in a new and special way. Insert on your photos or place them on books and secure with the Main Squeeze. You’ll fall in love with their many charming accents.
It is currently estimated to ship to stores nationwide before November.
I do not know the retail price at this time.
You can find more dies and info on the We R Memory Keepers website:
http://www.weronthenet.com/main_squeeze

And that's going to do it for this week's tool time segment.
See ya next time.

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#54) FROM THIS TO THAT...

Happy Monday Fellow Bloggers!

This week's tip is about recycling your embellishment craft packages.
As in making use of the packages where your cute brads, snaps & grommets come packaged in.
These are the kind I am referring too:




Often times these cute packages have a hole at the top where you can thread ribbon, floss or baker's twine giving you opportunity to hang your creation.

Here is how I "up-cycled" one of mine:



It's a Halloween Candy Ornament.

I love being able to customize it for anything.

Here are a few of my ideas on what you can do to yours:
1-Holiday ornaments (Halloween, Christmas, Birthday Tree)
2-A hanging photo frame
3-A mini calendar holder
4-Favorite quote or bible verse holder
5-Place card holder for your table
6-A sign to identify dishes at a pot luck dinner or picnic
7-Personal mini menu
8-Gift Tags
9-An embellishment for your layouts
10-A memorabilia holder (ie: your kids first tooth or first lock of hair)


Supplies Used to make my candy ornament: We R Memory Keepers Designer Gromlets Packaging
Halloween Paper by Tim Coffeey/K & Co. Designer Mat Pad - Polka Dots
Bats by Martha Stewart
Spiders, Boo, Happy Halloween & Skeleton by Recollections
Ribbon: Joann Fabrics
Adhesive: Glue Glider Pro Dots & Glue Dots
It was easy to put together & quick. The candy inside is skittles. They have a long shelf life, won't melt & fit easily in the little existing pockets on the packaging.
Whatever you make can end up being a special,personalized gift as well.

I am certain you can think of more ways to make the most of the ones you might have on hand.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great week.

Notice Anything Different ?

I have been restored from the brink of badness by one amazing blog designer.
I am so glad I made the decision to go with DESIGNER BLOGS.
Erin & her team are true to their advertising words.

They are punctual, pleasant & professional. Their prices are extremely reasonable & they have many options to chose from.

I researched many blog designers and as some of you know waited on a list or two before being told they would no longer be designing.

I was skeptical about trying yet another blog designer but soon after our first contact they restored not only my blog but my faith in blog designers. I had many questions and reservations all of which were answered and put to rest.

I must say if you are thinking about getting a blog makeover or just need a few touches here & there- consider DESIGNER BLOGS.
As always, read all the options & information they provide. You will know where you stand and have a realistic expectation going into it.
You won't be disappointed.
Check them out here
A big thank you goes out to Erin & her fabulous design team!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-OLIVERS LABELS.COM

Hello!

This week's fabulous find is brought to you by: OLIVERSLABELS.COM

It is a website that offers labels of all kinds which include:
waterproof kids labels, shoe labels, iron-on clothing labels, stick on clothing labels, safety wristbands, allergy labels, luggage tags & more.

This can be helpful is so many ways to so many people. For crafters, you can label your tools, embellishments & belongings which you take to crops & conventions.
For families, you can use the labels for your kids belongings from uniforms to books and everyday clothing.
For anyone suffering from allergies, the idea of having allergy labels is genius and can help prevent reactions & set backs for adults & children.

Here's a sample I retrieved from their website:




One unique feature about oliverslabels.com is their FOUND-IT feature. It is optional & free. We love free! This feature prints a found-it tracking system code on your labels which connects you to your item via your e-mail address.

The labels will have printed along the bottom of them...
if found, visit oliverslabels.com/found and enter the code. Oliverslabels.com acts as an intermediary between you & the finder so you never have to share any personal information. Best of all your item will find its' way back home.

This is a wonderful product with many uses.
We are more than crafters...we are moms, dads, sisters,brothers, aunts, uncles, spouses, friends, caregivers & the list goes on.
This kind of practicality touches us all.

This was a fabulous find for every facet of who you are!

Have a great weekend.

In The Spirit of Sending My Little One Back to School Today...

Here are a few layouts I worked on to try and catch up on her school scrapbooks. I have fallen way behind. These were from 2nd & 4th grade. Today was her first day of 6th grade. The bottom layout where the large pink flower is, actually spins. They look so much better in person.
Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. They were taken with my cell phone.
Before I found my digital camera again.












I would like to point out that you may notice some of the layouts don't have any photos. That is because I chose to use one to describe what her schedule was like in a day and the other I used to display her report card.

In the layout containing the star student portfolio I actually miniaturized many of her test papers & assignments and put them inside the portfolio pocket. I can't tell you how many times we take them out to look at them. My daughter likes seeing her grades and I love seeing her "little girl" handwriting. I also made good use of those index prints I received when I developed the photos. I love using those to custom make jewelry, in lockets and in film strip formation.

I love incorporating those kinds of details in my scrap pages.
Those days may be gone but I have captured many special moments & memories in preserving it not only in photos but using her handiwork.

I hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as I did creating them.

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" SCRAPBOOK SPINNER TEMPLATE

Hey there!

This week's tool is affordable, easy to use & even portable.
It will give you scrap pages with a wow factor.
It will give you the ability to create spinner pages.
Want to know what it is?

It is the: SCRAPBOOK SPINNER TEMPLATE.



You can find this on paperwishes.com for $5.99.

Paperwishes.com also has a video highlighting its features & showing you how to use it.
They do a great job bringing to life this savvy tool.

Enjoy.

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#53)GOT BELTS?

Happy Monday Bloggers!

Not necessarily those big- buckled, biker belts but regular everyday belts.
If you have adult or kid clothing you might be considering donating check them for belts and keep them. Often times they can be incorporated into a craft project, layout or album. Childrens' belts in particular are better not only because of their size but because of the range of colors, textures & materials.
Put them to work somewhere other than on your waist.
Use them as a way to embellish a 12x12 layout or as a closure for a mini album.
Sometimes depending on what materials are used for the belts you can deconstruct the belt & use pieces of it in different ways.

Here are 2 of my daughter's belts I plan on upcycling.



These 2 belts I rescued from my daughter's outfits which were being "repurposed" due to accidental food stains . I thought I could "repurpose" the belt too.
I have not quite begun the project but I just could not help falling in love with the idea of doing something with them.

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-CONTAIN YA CRAFTS

Hello Bloggers!

This week's find is brought to you by: Contain Ya Crafts.

The Friday feature is this fabulous Scrap'n Tote.



It was designed to store your Cricut cartridges, books, overlays,12x12 Cricut mat & more. It is 15"x13" and constructed well. It is a high capacity, commercial grade binder. It has sturdy riveted handles so you can take your cartridges along with you wherever you go or just keep them stored together in a collective fashion in your craft space.
The binders are customizable meaning you can decorate yours to your heart's content. It is spacious allowing you to store 36 cartridges. The vinyl clear inserts allow for an easy side by side view.
Go to www.cricutcartridgestorage.com if you are interested in purchasing one.
At the time of my discovery of this fabulous find they were running a special price of $49.99 but it was set to expire on 8-31-2010. I sure hope they extend it.
The price after the introductory period was going to be $89.99.

To buy or not to buy...that is the question.

Have a great weekend!

I AM FINALLY GETTING MY BLOG MAKEOVER...

It feels like I have been saying that title phrase forever but the time has come.
I found some wonderful folks over at Designer Blogs who are going to help me bring back my blog from the brink of badness.
I am super excited !
Soon I will be able to move forward & focus on bringing you more content including pics of projects like layouts, cards, home decor & more.
I can't wait to see what the experts do with the mess I have made...Haha...
Thank you Designer Blogs!