*** GIVEAWAY POST FOR 500 OR MORE FOLLOWERS IS DATED SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2011***
Please leave your comment under the GIVEAWAY post for consideration in the drawing. Once I reach 500 followers I will select a winner! Thank you kindly.
It is a drink holder & trash bag in one. It easily attaches to most counter tops and tables. The fabric trash bag is removable for emptying and can be washed. You can also just use it to store supplies or snacks. It sells for $19.95 HERE. It has been around & I even own one. I love it. I also have the Creative Memories version. They are quite handy to have around. Once you have one you wondered how you crafted without it. Thanks for tuning in today. Enjoy your day.
I wanted to share a gatefold card I made using the Xyron Tape Runner.
This card is special because I made it for my recently engaged daughter to give to each of her bridesmaids to be. It is her unique way of asking them if they will be in her bridal party.
Take a look:
I trusted the Xyron adhesive to adhere the cardstock pieces because their adhesive is high quality and has never failed me. I often use the 1.5 or 2.5 Create A Sticker Machines but I recently purchased the tape runner to give it a try & I have to say as with the other Xyron adhesives I own, I am very pleased.
There is something to be said for tried & true! Xyron has been around in the craft industry for quite a while and I have to say the Xyron quality keeps me crafting with confidence because I know my pieces will stick & stay!
This week's tool is brought to you by Clover & it is their Yo-Yo Makers! Yo-Yo Makers are templates consisting of 2 pieces allowing you to make all kinds of shapes using fabric, a needle & thread.
Check out this video which shows how to make them & the assortment of shapes available (You may need to turn up your volume):
You can find these at Joann Fabrics, Michael's & Hobby Lobby. They are reasonably priced ranging from $3.99 & up depending on the style and size of yo-yo you chose. You could really go to town making lots of embellishments for all of your crafting needs. These would work wonderfully on fabric and paper crafts.
This week I am offering a quick tip. As the year continues to roll by and we turn the pages of our calendars why not put those previous calendar months to good use. Recycle them and incorporate them into your paper crafting projects. For example; you could cut out the name of the month using a decorative edge pair of scissors and adhere that to a scrapbook layout depicting a fun activity you did in that month. OR...you can cut out the entire block of numbers only & use them to create a background mat for a school photo. You can also cut out photos that often accompany calendars & use them as an add on to a handmade card. I am certain you crafters can come up with a zillion more ideas so before you pitch those calendars this year, think of ways you can incorporate their elements into existing projects and use them up!
This week's find is an ETSY shop called: MOLD MUSE!
Since this week I touched on making your own molds, I thought I would share information about an Etsy seller who sells molds already made for filling. They start at $4.85 & go up depending on the design you chose. They offer many options. Here are a few samples of their work:
Today's tool is brought to you by RANGER. It is the: MOLD -N- POUR. This simple little product converts into a mold in which you can pour certain mediums to create all kinds of 3D embellishments.You can use flowers, dolls, toys, buttons, charms and more to make your mold . It’s so easy! Just knead equal parts of the two putties together. Press any dimensional object into the Mold n’ Pour. It hardens in less than 10 minutes to become a mold you can use again and again. Check out this video by Suze:
• Easy to mix • Sets in 7-10 minutes • Makes many molds I have seen it at Michael's for $9.99. Throw in the use of a coupon and you can make yourself many molds for 40%-50% off.
Today's tip offers a way for you to make your own version of Webster's Pages Rose & Pearl flatback buttons.
Look @ their versions to the right: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
They are so lovely I just keep wanting an endless supply of them. So I thought about it long enough to come up with an easy way to get my own, a lot of them & for a lot less than one package of what the Webster's Pages brand would cost.
I first sought out vintage buttons with deep welled centers and unique shapes. Then I took some of the bling/pearls in my stash & used a glue dot to adhere it to the center of the buttons I purchased.
Now I was able to find a bag of 1 dozen vintage buttons at an antique marketplace for $1. So factor in that I already had the pearl centers & adhesive in my stash and to make 1 dozen cost me approximately $1. FOR REAL!
Joann Fabrics carries a large assortment of buttons both clear & colored alike. If you factor in the use of a coupon this would be an inexpensive way to get more for less too.
Take a look at a couple I assembled:
Hope this inspires you to try making your own. Happy Crafting!
MY CRAFT CHANNEL.COM is coming soon to a computer near you! It is the first of its kind online TV Craft Network. It will deliver broadcast quality, craft programming. With over 20 new shows each week there is something for everyone. Top experts, bloggers & craft celebrities in various niches from sewing, painting, scrapbooking, DIY projects, photography, mixed media & more have joined together to bring education to the WEB with TV formatted shows on the craft channel.
Hope you head over to their blog, follow them there and on Facebook. Click on my title bar to go for a visit.
THE CRAFT CHANNEL IS SCHEDULED TO AIR THIS COMING FALL!
I was going to post about this as a fabulous Friday find but could not contain myself.
Today's find is the: SCRAP RACK. Beware: this post has a lot of detail. I felt this product really warranted it especially at its price point. The Scrap Rack is an organization system that is a metal base which sits on your desk at a comfortable tilt. The tilted design allows you to view all your supplies quickly and easily. When fully open the rack is approximately 3 feet long and 14 inches deep. The face of the base unit is covered with commercial strength velcro, ready to accomodate up to 8 Spinders, 400 organizer pages and thousands - maybe millions - of supplies. The Rack w/wings open is 12" by 36" The rack itself looks like this: The spinders are a specially designed 3 ring unit. Each Spinder has an industrial strength 3 ring mechanism which fits all standard 3 hole punched products. The spinders have "close tight rings" and also feature double locking tabs. The Spinders adhere to the base unit with commercial grade velcro. The velcro is secured to the Spinder with both rivets and epoxy. The spinders look like this: The spinders hold organizer pages, 3 ring binder pages, baseball card insert holders and or dividers that you can use to store & organize your scrap supplies. The scrap rack folks sell specific inserts called Organizer pages that are available in 4 different designs. Each pocket has a cresent cut out of the top for ease of loading and unloading and are made from heavy acid free plastic. Organizer pages can hold anything at all. Pages are designed with a flap at the top which will prevent items from sliding out of the pockets. Flaps can easily be tucked behind the items so loading and unloading the pages is very easy. Place your small items (eyelets, sequins, tiny die cuts,etc.) in a small zip lock bag before placing the items in a pocket. When you need to get the small items out you just pull out the small bag, take what you need then return the bag to the organizer. No more struggling to fish tiny things out of the bottom corner of a pocket Page. Those look like this: Here are more options of pages:
Check out this video:
There are different configurations available on the scrap rack website. It can be costly but seemingly a worthwhile investment especially if space is at a minimum and/or you just need help getting organized. A scrap rack start kit cost $144.00. I hope you find this information insightful. Thanks for tuning in.
This week I thought I would share information regarding Xyron's Mega Runner. Most of us know & love Xyron. After all, they brought us the Xyron runner machines that allow us to easily make stickers out of everyday paper. Now they have introduced to the market a hand held, lightweight & ergonomic adhesive runner. It looks like this:
This baby boasts 100 FEET of 1/2" wide adhesive. That is a lot of glue! Which makes this new runner a strong consideration in the craft room. It varies in price from $17.99-$24.99. At the time of this posting I found it online at places like HSN.COM for $17.95 and Oh My Crafts for $22.49.
For those who like the idea of the ATG but not the large size, this one might be worth a try. That's it for this week. Have a good one!
Today's tip is quick & easy. It relates to scoring.
When scoring one sided paper, flip the paper over to the plain side so you can see your score lines better. Conversely, if you are scoring double sided paper and want the ability to see the score lines, first use a marker, pen or pencil lightly along the score board then go back with the scoring tool and score over that same line. Using a writing device will allow you to see the score line better when working with the paper. Sometimes when working with double sided paper it is difficult to see the score line. If you are like me, you may end up even tearing the paper because you might place too much pressure on it while re-scoring. I have found my solution quite helpful and saved double sided cardstock by using this tip. I hope you find it useful. Have a good day!
Today's find is: BEAN BLOSSOMS FLOWERS BY JILLIBEAN SOUP. The unique blossoms feature a button center surrounded by coiled jute. They come in a few color options and would make such a nice addition to any paper crafting project.
Do you want extra chances to win their grand prize before the hop even begins? Here is what you can do:
1. Pick up the blog hop badge on the Whimsical Wednesday blog & put it on your side bar and link it back to their blog hop post. Go back and leave Stephanie of Whimsical Wednesday a comment letting her know you did it. 2. Write up a blog post about the blog hop with a link back to the post. Go back and tell her about it as well. 3. Post about the hop on FB or any other social network you belong to. Go back and tell her about it. That is 3 extra chances. For each one you do, don't forget to leave a separate comment. It is going to be guaranteed fun! I am off to do this now because I think I am the only crafter left in America without a Gypsy. You can click on my title to get to the Whimsical Wednesday blog!
The tool I chose for today is WE R Memory Keepers LUCKY 8 PUNCH. These punches are amazing. See for yourself:
What makes these beauties so special is their ability to make 3 different page border designs with one tool.
You can make an Outer Cut, Inner Cut or Combined Cut. They are stackable for convenient storage & have corner guides for no guess punching. There are 6 designs out in all of which shown above are 5. As of this post they are available on the We R Memory Keepers website as a pre-order and will be shipping in July. I also found them HERE @ Scrap-Mart.com for $29.74 The average price is said to be $34.99. Yes, a bit pricey but when you consider its' functionality you very well may be making out. Hope you enjoyed this week's tool time segment. Enjoy your day.
Just in case you are not out celebrating or crafting is your way of celebrating I have prepared a tip for today.
It's a detailed way on how to clean your scissors.
You will need some warm, soapy water. A mild dish detergent works best (Dawn or Palmolive).
1-Hold the scissor blades in the water and open & close them in a cutting motion to help release gunk off the blade. Make sure all parts are wet. Do this for about 10 seconds. 2-Remove the scissors out of the water, shake off the excess water & rinse the blades with clean water. 3-Then completely dry the blades with a paper towel or microfiber towel . 4-Then hold scissor open, take a piece of aluminum foil paper and rub the blade gently but firmly with the tin foil. Make sure that every surface gets attention. Do this for about 20-30 seconds then repeat on the other blade. 5-Take a dry piece of paper towel and wipe off any excess dust/residue left behind by what you did in step 4 and that is it! Your scissors should be clean & sharp.
I am a military wife & mother to 2 beautiful girls.I have been blessed beyond measure. I craft to document, display and archive as many memories as life will allow us to make. I hope to inspire you with crafty news & ideas you can use. Thank you for your visit and come back soon & often. Crafty Best Wishes!
