FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-CRAFT STORE COUPONS

Hi CRAFTY FRIENDS!

ENABLING ALERT

This find is one for the favorites file.
Finally, a place where you can print out your craft store coupons.
They usually carry craft coupons for Michael's, A. C. Moore, Joanne's and Hobby Lobby.

Go to www.mycraftcoupons.com anytime to get your coupons.

The site is easy to navigate and offers coupons for participating U.S. and Canadian stores.

Happy Shopping!

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" CROP-A-DILE CORNER CHOMPERS

This week I thought I would share information about the We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile Corner Chompers. Whle they have a variety of them. The one shown below is the original which rounds your corners at both 1/4” and 1/2" .

Check it out:



Here are the other styles :

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#34) SUPPLY OVERLOAD TO UNLOAD!

Have you been doing a little spring cleaning in your craft room?

If so, do you find you have a supply OVERLOAD that you need to UNLOAD?

Then you have come to the right place for a little inspiration on how you can release yourself of not only the unused, unwanted & ignored crafting supplies but the guilt that comes along with that situation.

Grab a box & start packing that surplus baby because this week's tip in a word says it all: DONATE.

CHECK OUT THE MULTIPLE WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE JUST BY DONATING THOSE CRAFTING SUPPLIES YOU AREN'T USING ANYMORE.

TURN YOUR UNUSED,IGNORED OR UNWANTED SURPLUS INTO A SAVING GRACE!

On a LOCAL level you can do any of the following:


1- Pass down your supplies to your kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids, etc... It's like hand me downs but only better because one size can fit all.
2-Donate them to a local childrens' hospital or a childrens' wing of a local hospital.
3-Donate them to your local elementary school.(Your kid's class)
4-Donate them to a local church.
5-Donate them to your local YMCA or after school program.
6-Donate them to a local homeless shelter.
7-Donate them to your local Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop.
8-Donate them to a local child care or pre-school facility.

If you want to take it even further or combine your donation efforts here are few places in need which serve wonderful & noble causes:

1-
www.heartfelt.org
The Heartfelt Foundation
2101 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite 117
Santa Monica, CA 90403.

2-
www.bloomingplaceforkids.org
Blooming Place for Kids
1108 Commodore Street
Clearwater, Florida 33755

3-
www.scrapbox.org

4-
www.neccmillerton.org
North East Community Center
Northeast Community Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 35
Millerton, NY 12546

5-
www.womensplacestcatherines.ca
Gillian's Place
P.O. Box 1387
St. Catharines ON L2R 7J8
**Craft supplies of all kinds

I am sure there are many more organizations in need.The list above is just the tip of the iceberg.
So go ahead, take those unused,ignored or surplus supplies and pass them on.

There is nothing more gratifying then to give to those in need.
***************************************************************
It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.
Mother Teresa

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-FREE DOWNLOAD -FOR THE TROOPS SENTIMENT

This special "for the troops sentiment" design was created by Raindrop Echo Designs.


Here is her great, free download for images which you can use to make some wonderful cards in honor of our soldiers:

Raindrop Echo Designs - For The Troops Sentiment Freebie.zip

Have a great weekend!
And don't forget to support our troops.

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" THE ECLIPS BY SIZZIX

This week's tool is brought to you by the folks @ SIZZIX.

It is the Eclips- an electronic shape-cutting machine
that combines the creativity of award-winning Sizzix artwork with cutting precision and remote-controlled intelligence of their most innovative system ever. The eclips electronic shape-cutter and handheld remote control features an initial selection of interchangeable cartridges preloaded with dazzling designs to cut solids, shadows, borders, pieces and more. The eclips also offers the option to change the size of each design within 1/100 of an inch.

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#33) ORGANIZATIONAL HELP FOR YOUR OVERAL CRAFT SPACE

In this week's tip I want to share how I got on the organizational path to creating a crafting space I love. I hope it inspires you to create an imagination station that works best for you.


Whatever your situation, whatever the size of your space- be it an entire studio or a corner in your dining room, organizing can often be the first essential step in creating your space. Finding the time however is a whole other story.

I am not an expert nor am I a person who likes to brag about my works of art or show off my space. I am truly blessed to have a space but that has not always been the case. Like many I started at the kitchen table and gradually made my way into a place of my own.

Here's a group of helpful tips that worked for me. If you find you need a new strategy to tackle organizing your space, to get out of the rutt you are in that won't let you craft or just to give your space a little boost try adapting these simple 5 practical pointers.


-Find Time to Get Started,Analyze How you Spend that Time & Make Ways to Find Time to Craft, Create & Organize
-Set Simple, Obtainable Goals
-Begin by Picking a Place to Start & START
-Once you have that Starting Point Enterprise on It, Gain Momentum
-Little by Little do What it Takes to Get Where you Want to Be & to Make Your Space into the Crafting Haven you Want & Deserve

Here's a little of my story and how I used the tips I am sharing with you to get my crafting supplies organized & space in order.



How I Found "Time"
When I moved last Summer into our new home, I was so overwhelmed. My scrap space was the last thing I cared about. The thought of unpacking those small embellishments, paper and endless "crafty things" we accumulate seemed such a task to me. It affected my ability to create, to want to scrapbook or to even prepare my craft room. So much so that I did not create anything for at least 3 months after the move. At that point I began having crafting withdrawals. I really wanted to craft but knew I needed to get my "stuff" in order to do so.

My Goal & Execution
So I crafted my plan. I set a goal to unpack as many boxes of craft stuff as I could a day. But, I did not put any pressure on myself to do so. If I could or wanted to only unpack one then one was all I did. I then placed all contents on the carpet in the craft room making sure to group like items together. For example: tools, paper, adhesives,etc...
As I began to see the piles grow & scatter into different categories I kept telling myself I needed more of a strategy because I had no idea how or where I was going to put the stuff let alone organize it.

My Gain of Momentum
One thing I did know was that I was on my way to accomplishing my goal of creating a craft space that was efficient, warm, inviting & creative. With that in mind I drafted on paper a plan of what I would do with the piles I had been unpacking. The more notes I jotted down, the more doable the plan seemed to become. It was as if writing a plan and following it provided a road map for me to follow. I then made a checklist of it and did a little at a time, happily crossing off each task as I accomplished it.

My Continuation, Little by Little
I then began to look at my current storage options. I documented those too. I immediately began labeling containers, boxes, bins and placing their coordinating items inside. This took me over 2 months to complete. I was not always able to devote many hours to this project but by following the principles it gave me a place to start.
I used them to ground my thoughts and give me direction.


End Result

My craft room is all set up, everything is in its place & there is a place for everything. One thing I have noticed though is that in spite of having order and organization, I continue to come up with more efficient ways of dealing with different issues that face habitual crafters.

For instance: inventory lists, sample swatches, binders of sketches, a file system for a variation of craft topics, to mention a few. I found that with the accumulation of "craft stuff" comes much responsibility to organize, to care. This will ensure not only an environment conducive to creating but one where you will find what you need to create.

I firmly believe that organization & space planning is an individual thing. What works for me may not necessarily work for you. So you have to adapt this plan according to your preferences. These tips are a springboard. A place to start.

I hope this inspires those that feel overwhelmed as I once did. I hope this inspires those that craft at the kitchen table and feel that maybe because they do not have a room that they cannot create. That is not so! Make the most of what you do have. When you create from the heart your hands will follow. Your talent should not be held captive, it does not know the difference between a scrap studio and a scrap corner. At the end of the day, all you need are a few supplies and a table.

Happy Crafting!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-RANGER TO THE RESCUE!

This week's find is from Ranger. Need I say more?

I love it when a company recognizes that their products deserve special care & attention.
It says they are not only proud of what they produce & sell but want the consumer to be happy with it too.

Ranger has made it easier for you to organize your ink pads!
They have created PDF files of the most popular Ranger dye inks - Adirondack®, Archival™, and Distress™ inks.

These files were designed to work with Avery brand 5267 labels (or other brands that have a similar size label--one and three quarters inch by one half inch, 80 labels per sheet).


PLEASE GO TO RANGERINK.COM TO GET YOUR PDF FOR THE FOLLOWING:

Adirondack Label Sheet

Archival Label Sheet

Distress Label Sheet

ALSO

NEW! Ranger Color Charts

Print these helpful grids on letter-size (8.5" x 11") card stock and apply your Ranger inks, paints, and glitter glues in the appropriate squares to create colorful reference charts!

Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers Color Chart

Stickles Glitter Glue Color Chart

Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Color Chart