*** 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.

Monday, April 30, 2012

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK #138 PINCH THIS!

Hello there & thanks for tuning in today.

For today's tip I wanted to offer up a little trick I use when I need an extra set of hands or helpers when adhering projects.

Want to know what they are?

CLOTHESPINS!

Keep these functioning little helpers on standby especially when you are paper piecing your die cut images like boxes, bags & more.

You simply apply your adhesive & form your object...say like a small box for jewelry that you may have cut from your Cricut cartridge. Once you burnish your adhesive of choice, simply clip the clothespin on to the seams you adhered and let it PINCH together your adhesive & paper.

By using the clothespin to pinch together the cardstock it helps to reinforce the bond.

After a few hours you can simply un-pinch the clothespin to remove it and you should have a strong hold on that project.

Between the adhesive & the prolonged pinching pressure of the clothespin you will have yourself a great bond.

Friday, April 27, 2012

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND- A Marker Manager

That's right...this apparatus will help you manage your marker collection.

It looks like this:

The Marker Manager will hold up to 24 pens (1/2" diameter).
Each of the 24 pen holes is just over 1/2" square.
It is made of lightweight plastic.
You can use Velcro to mount it on any surface in your craft space. The velcro will allow you to pull the whole unit from where it is mounted and take it wherever you need it.

It makes such great use of vertical space and can fit just about anywhere. Even if you have a tight space, small space or limited space. This Marker Manager is portable with a slim profile allowing for managable storage of your markers.

It runs $10 and is sold by the fabulous folks @ Scrap Rack.com.
Click on my title above & it will take you to their site.
Recently, (when I was researching the item) they were sold out but maybe by now they have replenished their stock. It is easy to see why they would sell out so quickly.
It's practical, easy storage at an affordable price.
What crafter couldn't use that?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

TOOL TIME TUESDAY- Paper Layers

Hi Blog Friends!

Today's tool is PAPER LAYERS!

These cool ruler type tools will help you mat your papers, photos, frames or borders quickly, easily & without measuring.

Check them out:


Click on my title bar & it will take you over to purchase them. You can purchase one or a set.

It's reasonably priced at $12.99 for one or you can purchase a set of 2 for $19.99 or a set of 3 for $27.99. The size options vary per tool. As you saw in the video, one ruler type tool renders up to 4 sizes of border options.

What a wonderful way to get precise matting!

Hope you enjoyed this week's featured tool-until next time.


Monday, April 23, 2012

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK #137 Paper, Paper on the Wall-If I Keep on Stashing you're Sure to Fall...

Crafty Friends... does this sound like your dilemma?

There are many solutions out there as I am certain you have seen by now. They don't always work for everyone.

Space is at a premium for most crafters so making the most of it by having key pieces of storage can be quite fundamental in helping you to stay organized. It also would be most helpful if you could have your most important items like paper right at the ready.

So I thought that maybe using an office supply could come to the rescue.

Curious yet?

How about an OFFICE LITERATURE ORGANIZER?

They look like this:

The one pictured has 12 compartments. Not to mention you could stack a couple of trays on top of the unit to store other sized papers, or stack other often used craft items, and simply for more storage of whatever you would like. These units come in letter & legal size. You can find them at office supply stores. I also love that there is space on the front of the unit where you can label your paper anyway you please. So you can use a unit like this to store your favorite designer lines, collections & specialty papers .

Now I know that Cropper Hopper has a vertical 12x12 paper holder system that can hold up to 400 sheets. I have this system. It works great but...the value pack system I purchased cost me $39.99. A unit like the one I shared above will hold much more for about $20+ more. In order for me to store more paper (that I currently have stored in a different place) I would need to spend another $39.99 for another CH System and still find a place for it as well.

So...I'm thinking 2 things: I may have to change to the office literature system of storing my paper & it will give me the most bang for my buck.

As of this post, I spot one at my local Office Depot & it was not as expensive as I thought it was going to be. If you click on my title bar it will take you to the Office Depot website page where you can see it for sale.

So that is it for this week's tip. Hope it's a helpful one.

Friday, April 20, 2012

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND- It's Talking Tag Labels!

Yes Crafty Bloggers...you read that right!

Today's find is the fabulous TALKING TAG LABELS by Sizzix.

TalkingTag Labels literally add your voice or a loved one's voice to any craft project. After downloading a free Talking Tag app to any smart phone, you simply scan the tag and record up to one minute of personalized audio. For playback, scan the tag again from any smart phone and retrieve the voice recording from a secured platform.

Check out this video by Oh My Crafts:

They are available in permanent sticker packs of 3, 10 or 20 and vary in price accordingly.

As you can imagine, they can be used on your scrapbook pages, mini albums, specialty gift items, cards, etc...

What a wonderful way to capture a special sentiment you want to convey or simple greeting of love.

You may be able to purchase them @ Oh My Crafts online store by now but I am not certain because as of this pre-post they were not yet available.

Click on my title above & it will take you to the Oh My Crafts Shop online. Maybe you'll get lucky and they will have arrived.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

TOOL TIME TUESDAY-The Clicut

Hello Crafters!

Today's tool is brought to you by Imaginisce & it is the CLICUT.

It's a retractable pen knife which comes with replacement blades. Looks like it has a nice rubber grip to provide comfort while you hold it to perform your fussy cutting.

It was to be out in the market by March so hopefully by now you can find it for sale either online or the big box craft stores.

Well, that's it for this fine Tuesday. Meet me back here for Friday's fab find.

Thanks for stopping in.

Monday, April 16, 2012

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK #136 Got Glitter...

Everywhere???

Hi Crafty Bloggers!

You know how when you apply glitter on your project & it dries it still manages to come loose & it sheds off your project?

Want a way to keep your GLITTER solidified & adhered on to your finished projects?

If so, when you apply your glitter- let it dry very well then apply MOD PODGE over the entire surface of the glittered area & let it dry very well. Overnight works best.

Using Mod Podge will create a strong bond over the existing bond that serves as an added layer of protection, coverage & insulation.

Give this one a try. I think you will be happy with the results.

Friday, April 13, 2012

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-Ruffle Paper

Oh yes crafty friends...I said RUFFLE PAPER!

Brought to us by American Crafts.

Looks like this:



Isn't it the bees knees?

Can't wait to find it & try it!

It is a new release for 2012. So new in fact, that I do not have any purchasing info at the moment but it is something to be on the lookout for when you venture out for your next shopping excursion.


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

TOOL TIME TUESDAY-Stamping Gear

Yes my crafty friends there is such a thing.

It is the INKADINKADOO STAMPING GEAR TOOL by EK Success.

Check out the video demo:


Another cool thing about this system is that you can actually use any existing acrylic stamp you have in your stash that will fit on the stamping paddle to create all kinds of designs as well as the options provided by Inkadinkadoo.

The kit contains a circular gear, an oval gear, center pieces, a stamp handle and 4 sets of foam mounted rubber stamps. However, you could use any non-wood mounted stamp as long as it fits onto the stamp holder like I mentioned above.

It is said the kit will retail for $39.99. I am not sure when it will hit the market but be on the lookout for this one. It made quite a splash at the Winter CHA 2012 Trade Show recently.

Looks like a fun one to me.

Monday, April 9, 2012

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#135 ) I'M GONNA NEED TO SEE SOME I.D.!

Of course you do crafters... don't you?

I am referring to identifying or labeling of your crafty contents.

There are just some things that you may want to label & if that is the case for you then you want to stick around for this tip.

You know the packages that your merchandise comes in? Well, they usually have the manufacturer name & identification of the product it contains right on the insert. Why not save that, cut it in a uniformed fashion to fit your container where you will then contain your craft supplies?

For instance, if you have a lot of Tim Holtz goodies- all his packages come in that cool vintage looking packaging. Just like the one below...


You can simply pull the actual branding insert from the packaging, cut it to size & adhere it to your container, a box or a tag and it will have all the information you need.

I' m sure I don't have to tell you how helpful it is to have your craft supplies labeled. Great thing about using the packaging inserts is that a lot of them have signature wrapping. So even at a quick glance you know what brand something is based on the style of the packaging insert before you even read the label.

I hope you find this helpful my crafty friends.

Friday, April 6, 2012

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND- MAYA ROAD RHINESTONE TRIM

Happy Friday Friends!

As I stated in a previous Friday post, Maya Road really has brought us lots of wonderful goodies in 2012.

Today's Maya goody is... the Rhinestone Trim:

I thought it was fairly fabulous & hope you do too!

This stuff is so new that as of this pre-post I still was not able to find any for sale at the big box craft stores. Maybe somewhere online or a local craft store may have it. Keep an eye out!

Have a terrific weekend.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

TOOL TIME TUESDAY- Maya Road Stamps

Hi Craft Friends!

Stamps are tools, right?

I sure hope so because today it's all about Maya Road's new SPOOL SENTIMENT STAMP SET.

These 1.1" in diameter acrylic stamps would be perfect for so many applications. There are 9 total with some of the most essential sentiments you could ever need or want.

They will be retailing for $9.50. Relatively practical price point, I thought.

Imagine finding large enough plain wood spools & actually stamping them with these or making a cute layout.

Having good stamps in your tool arsenal are always a good thing. This versatile set has such understated sophistication & beauty (in my humble opinion) and it's practical size makes for great placement on various sized surfaces.


Monday, April 2, 2012

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK#134 POWER PLAY

Or should I say, make a way to power your play!

Okay, I will get to it my crafty friends.

In 2 words...POWER STRIP! Get one. You will be able to add plenty of electrical power to your crafty power tools like the glue gun, embossing gun, soldering tool or the ultimate die cutting machine.

Using heavy duty/industrial strength velcro attach a power strip on to the side of your work surface or under your work table. It will come in handy for your crafty tools. You can easily plug them in when you need them yet keep the power strip & cords out of plain site. It will also help to keep your cords from laying directly on your project or tangling up with your craft goodies.

Wouldn't that be swell?

Sunday, April 1, 2012

It's an award ...


I would like to thank Jessica from Chick-n-Scrap for gifting me this lovely blog award. She received it herself (which to me is no surprise) & was so sweet to pass it on to me & many other lovelies. If you don't know her already, you are missing out. You have got to give her a visit. You will be glad you did. Her infectious, crafty spirit comes through with every creation she shares. This award goes right back @ her! She is not only versatile but incredibly inspirational.

There are some rules & guidelines to receiving this award & they are:

*Thank the person who gave you this award. That’s common courtesy.

*Include a link to their blog. That’s also common courtesy — if you can figure out how to do it.

*Next, select up to 16 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
*Nominate them for the Versatile Blogger Award by telling them about the award on their blog & including a link to their site on your blog for others to see how versatile they really are.
*Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

Now I have the honor of passing it on to other wonderful bloggers so in no particular order here they are:
Nikki from: Bond Girl Creations
Janet from: Life Full of Sunflowers
Monica from: Unique Monique Creating
Amy E from: Scrap This, Save That
Kelly from: You and Your Big Dreams
Keren from: Free Pretty Things for You
Heather: Busy Martha
Lucy: Love 2 Create
Rexann from: I be circled
Becky from: Shabby Treasures
An'Jenic from: AJ Scrapbooking & Cards
Michelle from: Peanut Butter & Jelly Designs by Michelle
Arin from: A Piece of Life's Pie
Alisha from:
My Crafty Ways
Alisha from: Crafty Brooklyn Army Wife


Those were the recipients I chose. I know in my heart that ALL crafty bloggers put their heart & soul into their art and I really feel so many more are deserving of this blog award. So I propose you all help me pay it forward & pass this on.

Now for my 7 things about me (brace yourselves):
1-I am extremely shy. I do believe it is one of the reasons I only have one video on my you tube channel & it is not even me...it's my youngest daughter.
2-I am fluent in Spanish.
3-I have lived in 5 states.
4-I'm a former Budweiser marketing model (from waaay baaack in the 80's-hey...no laughing) AND yes...even with shyness-don't ask!
5-At one time as a teenager I was in 4 different singing groups as a 1st soprano in my church.
6-I'm an Air Force Wife.
7-I live in Western New York like my blog buddy Jessica who gifted me this lovely award. We hope to get together sometime soon.


Thank you everyone for following my blog & being so supportive.
Crafty best wishes to you all!