WE INTERRUPT WHAT I'M UP TO WEDNESDAY TO BRING YOU THIS SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT...

It's actually a reminder that beginning in April my Wednesdays will be reserved for the WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE BLOG!

********* ALSO *********

Don't forget to join me & the gang FOR THE GRAND OPENING BLOG HOP OF THE WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE BLOG this coming FRIDAY, APRIL 1ST @ 7:00 PM, EST.

To celebrate the Whimsical Wednesday Challenge Blog is having not 1 but 2 giveaways. That is a separate giveaway from what is happening on blog hop day.

Some of the designers will be sponsoring giveaways on blog hop day
.
As for the Whimsical Wednesdays Challenge blog their prizes will be as follows:
*The 1st prize is Peachy Keen Stamps and the 2nd prize is from the Shabby Vanity! Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

In addition, on the day of the hop- Babette from The Kraft Outlet will be sponsoring the blog hop with a gift certificate to the store. She has also added on something for ALL the hoppers. Be sure to join us on Friday night to get in on all the fun.

The WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE blog is all about sharing the love of scrap-booking,paper crafting & altered arts. There is sure to be something for everyone!
Please head on over & share the love- I have a link below for easy go to, click to fun.
There will be prizes & inspiration a plenty!

So mark your calendars for April 1st @ 7pm EST as well as every Wednesday beginning in APRIL because you are not going to want to miss a minute of all the fun!

To preview the "new" Whimsical Wednesdays Challenge blog please click HERE!.

All I can say is WOW, WOW WHIMSY!

Can't wait for you guys to join us.

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" Slice Fabrique

Hey there!

Today's tool is brought to you by Making Memories.

It is the: Slice Fabrique .
A petite & portable die cutting machine designed specifically for use with fabric.

Check it out in action below:


Looks pretty cool right?

So many tools, so little time!

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#82) Storing Clear Stamps

Hello out there!

Today's tip has to do with yet another way to store your clear stamps.

I know, I know...there are many ways & some "popular" ways.I confess that I too store mine in CD cases but while I was pulling out a CD from one of my portable,wallet style CD cases- it hit me!

Why couldn't we (meaning me) or I just use these to do the same thing. So I thought & I thought. It can be done.

These wallet style, zip up cases are portable, allow for easy access & we could definitely embellish and customize them. They also house many sleeves allowing for storage of collections to keep them all together. You can also assign one wallet per designer. You would just have to remember to label the case & the inside sleeves but I imagine you are doing that already so it's not an issue.

Check out some of the cute variations I found:






The variation of sizes are great too. They are expandable and keep well in their zipped up wallet. It would be easy slip in, slip out of the stamp set. I think it would be wise to use a transparency layer over clear stamps if you were to use the open sleeve, wallet CD concept that I am proposing. That would help to keep the stamps from sticking or sliding out when you pull out the stamp sheet to select your stamp.

The portability factor involved in this idea is a plus because when you go to crops, events or creative sleep overs you know your stamps will be secure & contained.

These CD wallets vary in sizes and can hold from 12 to 100 CD's or more depending on what your needs are & what you purchase. They are affordable too. They come in all kinds of materials like leather, pleather,vinyl,plastic, neoprene & so on. You guys know how much us crafters love options!

So...whether you store it by artist,era or title you know they will remain in tact and at the ready.

And THAT...is just a little something to think about.

PLEASE JOIN ME...

FOR THE GRAND OPENING BLOG HOP OF THE WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE BLOG!!!




BE THERE @ 7:00 PM, EST.

Also, I am happy to share that the Whimsical Wednesday Challenge Blog is up and running!
To celebrate they are having not 1 but 2 giveaways!
*The 1st prize is Peachy Keen Stamps and the 2nd prize is from the Shabby Vanity! Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

The WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE blog is all about sharing the love of scrap-booking,paper crafting & altered arts. There is sure to be something for everyone!
Please head on over & share the love- I have a link below for easy go to, click to fun.
There will be lots of prizes & inspiration!

So mark your calendars for April 1st @ 7pm EST as well as every Wednesday beginning in APRIL because we would love it if you would join us. You are not going to want to miss a minute of all the fun!

To preview the "new" Whimsical Wednesdays Challenge blog please click HERE!.

All I can say is WOW, WOW WHIMSY!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-The Keepsake Keeper

Hey there!

So this week I found something geared toward the "scrapbooker" in all of us.
It is somewhat of an alternative to scrapbooking.
You see, sometimes living life & making memories takes up a lot of our time and it becomes a commodity to find the time to scrapbook in the traditional sense.

So, I found something that may help alleviate some of the guilt & stress related to that feeling of having to scrapbook everything. This little something can help take the edge off the possibility of scrapbooking being something too labor intensive for you to consider on a regular basis.

Have I peeked your interest? GOOD! Then keep reading.

At kangaroomstorage.com you can find the "Keepsake Keeper".


This fabulous alternative system allows you to file, sort and save your most prized memories in an accordion-style organizer with 12 sections. It simplifies time-consuming scrapbooking by providing easily accessible open-access folders and tabs for sorting, and a customizable exterior label and photo sleeve for identifying and distinguishing each Keeper at a glance. It's perfect for organizing and keeping track of annual school functions, team sports, family events, photos, award certificates, report cards, art projects, correspondence,holiday greeting cards received from friends and family and more!
* Each compartment section measures 8.5" x 11.5"
* Made of durable faux leather, meant to withstand the effects of time.
* Dimensions: 12.25" L x 9.25" H. Binding is 4.25" wide, accordion files can expand to 9" wide

The cost of this wonderful item is $29.99 or you can get a set of 3 for $75.00.
Hope you enjoyed this week's find.

OH MY...

Another award!



I would like to thank Charlotte from A LITTLE BIT OF DETAIL for this terrific award. I am humbled yet again by someone so talented & considerate.

As a recipient of this kind award, I am to pay it forward to 15 other bloggers & share 7 things about myself as well as thank the sender. I have already taken care of the thank you now on to the rest.

My 7 Things
1- I am bi-lingual
2- I was a Budweiser Model in my early 20's
3- I sang for a Gubernatorial candidate as a teenager
4- I worked in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 10 Years before moving to New York
5- I am an Air Force Wife & My best friend is in the Air Force
6- I have lived in 6 different states
7- I flew in a c-130 military airplane!

My 15 blog friends
1-teachdanz
2-Lynda
3-Katie
4-Nikki
5- Denise
6- Raquel
7- Sue
8-Irene
9- Grace
10- Giselle
11- Victoria
12- Vicki
13- Scrappin C
14- Candice
15- Carol
I think that covers them all!

By the way if you have not done so already, head on over to MOMO's blog by clicking HERE!
She has a Got Followers? Blog Hop going on that is a one of a kind.

Until next time!

GREAT NEWS

WEDNESDAYS WILL BE DEDICATED TO THE WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAYS CHALLENGE BLOG because...

Stephanie @ ALWAYS CRAFTING has asked me to be on the new Whimsical Wednesday Challenge Blog Team! I am so excited!

The blog is nearing its' final phase of completion & should be finished this week. New challenges are scheduled to start on April 6th! The first Wednesday of every month will be a scrapbook challenge and then other challenges the rest of the month like: card-making, altered items & home decor crafting to name a few.
Each challenge will last 2 weeks so you'll have plenty of time to enter.

To introduce the new blog we will be having a GRAND OPENING BLOG HOP on Friday April 1st SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

If you would like to check out the rest of the talented Design Team head over to Always Crafting and check out the fantastic line up!

I hope you tune in, follow along & join the challenges. It is sure to be quite the crafting journey.

Have a wonderful day & wish me luck!

WHAT I'M UP TO WEDNESDAY-Tic Tac Toe

Happy Hump Day Guys!

This week I decided I would make a classic game we have probably all played at one time or another.

It's TIC*TAC*TOE.

Check it out...






A simple game to commemorate a simpler time.

Supplies Used:
12x12 Chipboard
12x12 Cardstock (Autumn Leaves-Olive Juice Bouquet,Bazzill-Swiss Dot Black & Solid Yellow)
Black grosgrain ribbon by Offray
Velcro Sticky Back
Blue Clips-Making Memories
Flowers-Dollar Store
Bling-Michael's
Letters (XOXO)-Colorbok
Stickles-Diamond
Alpha-Lil Trinkets & Treasures by Lil' Davis Designs
MS Loop Punch
Marvy Uchida-Scallop Square Punch

I was thinking...(I know-that could be dangerous)
Maybe I could punch holes on the top, thread some cute ribbon through to convert it into a traveling tic tac toe game. Easy to take on long car trips for upcoming spring & summer vacations. You could always make a smaller variation of the game that could fit in a shopping tote using your child's favorite cartoon characters too. Hmmm...possibilities with this are indeed vast.

Hope you give this a try.
Have a great rest of the week.

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" HOT GLUE GUN HELPERS!

Hi there!

Welcome to today's segment of Tool Time Tuesday.
I bring to you: The Hot Glue Gun Helpers kit brought to us by Plaid.
While this can also be considered a fabulous find I had to showcase it under the tool time segment because of its functionality.


Here is what the kit looks like all packaged up:



Here are the parts:


Included in this kit are 5 non-stick items created to make hot gluing easier (and actually enjoyable): a pretty pink craft mat, a finger cap for protecting delicate fingers and pressing, tweezers with non-stick tips, a paddle for soft pressing, and a press wand for heavy duty pressing and smearing of glue.

-The Craft Mat is a good size – approximately 11.5" x 14.5" and it rolls up easily for travel.
-The fingertip is designed to keep your finger protected from the heat when pressing your glued image to ensure a bond.
-The Tweezers are perfect for holding and applying hot glue to delicate wired embellishments and gemstones of any size. And it will also help with pressing in those tight places where the Finger Cap cannot. They also help with exact placement of any object.
-The Press Wand is meant to be used for "heavy duty" pressing. The pointed tip is also meant to be used for spreading your glue to help get rid of those tell tale hot glue gun lines – unless of course, you want the added dimension.
-The Paddle meant for soft pressing, so it's perfect for flat items like flowers or fabric embellishments.

As you can see, this is a lot of little tools packed into one comprehensive kit.
This is said to retail for $19.99 but as of yet I have not spotted it at any of the local, big box retailers.

Best to check online first.
Hope you enjoyed this week's tool/find.

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#81) No Rubbing of Rub ons!

Happy Monday Bloggers!

Does anyone out there still use rub-ons?

If so, I found a way to use them that does NOT require a popsicle stick, rub-on tool or rubbing of any kind!

Curious yet?

Here's what you do:
Simply peel off the backing, place the rub-on where you want it & run it through your embossing machine. That is all there is to it.

For your sandwich you will need the indicated supplies in the exact order listed:

"A" Plate + cardstock + rub-on on top of cardstock + rubber embossing mat + "B" plate then you run it through your embossing machine.

This sandwich applies to the Cuttlebug since that is what I used. You basically want a thick base to set your cardstock on, then the rubber/embossing mat to impress softly- creating the contact needed so when you add the thinner plate over the top of the rubber/embossing mat that keeps everything engaged & provides the necessary pressure while rolling through the machine to secure the rub-on to the cardstock.

Basically, whatever machine you use you could probably follow the protocol for embossing to applying rub-ons & it should work.

That's all for this week. Hope this tip comes in handy.
Have a wonderful week!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-SMASH BY EK SUCCESS

This week's find is this wonderful product from EK Success.
Let me let the video do the talking, not sure that I can do it justice.
Check it out below:



So this fabulous, 3-D, journaling portfolio is due out in the retail world in April. I have not heard of the price point at this time but it sure looks like a winner to me.
There are some great accompanying SMASH products as well like SMASH clips, pockets, tabs, stickies & bands.


UBER CUTE, RIGHT?

Hope you enjoyed this week's find as much as I did!

WHAT I'M UP TO WEDNESDAY-A Card Box

Hi All!

Today I am sharing a simple little shirt box I made using the Tags, Bags, Boxes & More Cartridge,to house the cards I made for my daughter last week.






It holds 5 cards & their matching envelopes.

Thanks for peeking in.

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" Multi Gadget Tool by Imaginisce

Hi All!

Today's tool is brought to you by: IMAGINISCE.
It is their all in one, cordless, paper edger, engraver & distressing tool.

***WOW!***

It is a battery operated device which allows you to distress your edges, sand, emboss, deboss & whatever else your crafty mind can come up with. This rotary tool comes with three different crafting tips. As well as being cordless, running on 2 AA batteries (sold separately), you can take the ergonomic tool with you and work anywhere. This tool allows you to do so much by simply changing out your crafting tips.
This tool packs a punch giving you a lot of function for a reasonable price point. It is said to retail @ $15.99 and it should be on some online retailers by now.

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#80) Paper Trimming Troubles?

Happy Monday Bloggers!

I just recently experienced some trimming troubles with my paper trimmer & thought I would share what I did to help with my woes.

My trimmer blade has been in need of replacing, I just could not find the replacement so I continued to use the old one. In doing so, many of my cuts resulted having ragged edges. Rather than throw away the paper or use my craft knife (like I probably should have), I simply sanded the edges of the ragged paper then rolled a brayer along side of it to recondition the paper. I will say that it worked best with better quality cardstock as opposed to the thin, decorative papers but I was able to salvage what I needed. By sanding those ragged edges, dusting off any remnants of them and then rolling the brayer over the edge of the paper I got a seemless looking edge. No one would ever be able to tell that my blade behaved badly.

Needless to say, the blade is now replaced & my projects are all the better for it. But it was a lesson learned and I acquired a new tip in the process.

Hope this helps someone.
Tune in tomorrow for Tool Time Tuesday.

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-Glubers

Hello there!

Thanks for tuning in for today's find.

This find is so new that it debuted at CHA 2011 recently.

It is a cool product called : GLUBERS by COSMO CRICKET. They are adhesive glue circles. They will be available in 2", 2 1/2" & 3" sizes.

Check out the video below to see & hear all about it.



It is going to be helpful for so many projects.

Makes me say, why didn't I think of that?

Have a great weekend everyone!

WHAT I'M UP TO WEDNESDAY- Create A Critter Cards

***A Set of Create-A-Critter Cards***

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" The Cricut Craft Room

Hello There!

Today's tool is brought to you by PROVOCRAFT.

It's the Cricut Craft Room.
Check out the video below to learn all about it.



Sounds pretty amazing right?
Can't wait to try it out!

Thanks for tuning in today.

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#79)Stretching your Flower Dollars

Happy Monday Bloggers!

I had a curious crafter actually e-mail to ask if I knew a way to stretch a dollar or two when it came to flowers.

So this week's tip is for you..."Flowery Fiona"!
Thanks for asking & I hope this helps.

Long ago I posted a tip that you could purchase a bouquet at the dollar store & pull the petals apart & get a stash of flowers & greenery on the cheap. You could build your flower for less & customize it to suit your project using different colors & types of flowers. Think about it...with 2- dollar store bouquets you can really rack up.

Today I am adding a bit more of a tip to that. I recommend that you check out the bridal aisle of any local craft store. They have small scaled flowers of all kinds & some really beautiful sprays, leaves, pearlized & jeweled stems that you can incorporate too. You can get a lot for less going that route. In fact, Michael's had some floral spray minis on clearance for .79 cents just this weekend!

Lastly, never rule out the garden & faux flower sections of your local craft stores. You know those flower picks? Michael's carries some that are .99 cents. Sometimes they go on sale for 40% off and those make for gorgeous additions to your craft projects & pages.
If you are concerned with the acid free, lignen free component...don't let the flowers, stems or sprays directly touch your photos and everything should be fine.

Have a great week!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-Tiny Mini's

OMG! If this is not one of the cutest finds, I don't know what is!

Check out these adorable mini albums by Doodlebug Design Inc.




Seriously cute, right?

You can't help but smile when you open your pocket album to see the faces of the ones you cherish looking back at you. These keychain albums are a picture perfect way to brighten every day.
They come packaged in a cute metal rimmed paint bucket in the color assortment shown.

I was unable to locate a price at the time of this pre-post.These were just debuted at Winter CHA so they should be hitting local scrapbooking stores soon.

Hope you enjoyed today's find.
Have a wonderful weekend!

WOW~ ANOTHER AWARD

I am truly honored to have received another award. This time it was from Linda over @ My Creative Playground. Thank you kindly Linda, truly sweet of you!

With this I am to share it with 8 other fabulous crafters & share 8 things about me.
I think I will share some of my previous tidbits since I have gotten some new followers recently. Besides, I am running out of interesting things.

8 Things about Me

1- I sang in 4 different groups/choirs at age 13.
2- I had a Christian prison ministry.
3- I had the opportunity to go to Germany to visit my husband last October while he was on the job.
4- I speak fluent Spanish
5- I was voted "most beautiful" of my high school class...oh the 80's (some truly blind kids in my graduating class of 200).
6- I have lived in 6 different states.
7- I flew on a c-130 military airplane!
8- I used to work in Disney World where my "stage name" was CHINA.


It is always so difficult to chose just 8 because there are so many more than 8 fantastic crafters out there who deserve it but it is my hope that as we all continue to circulate the award it makes it to millions more.

Here are my 8 picks in no particular order:
Angelica @ Angelica Scrappenings
Lou @ Pretty Paper & Chipboard
Audrey @ Audrey's Reflection
Gail @ Gail Lindner
Makiko @ Makinko Studio
Oma @ Id Rather be Crafting
Grace @ Sugar Cards
Irene @ It's All in the Cards

HAPPY CRAFTING EVERYONE!

WHAT I'M UP TO WEDNESDAY- Paper Rosettes

***PAPER ROSETTES***







These I made using my MS Score Board in spite of having the Tim Holtz Die. I found out in attempting to use the die that I have the incorrect plates so until then, I will just do them the old fashioned way. I really love paper rosettes.

Thanks for peeking in!