FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-SPECIALTY FRAME

Hello Bloggers!

As 2010 comes to a close I leave you all with the last Fabulous Friday Find of the year.
Today's find is just terrific and brought to you by Michelle from the EverydayScrapbook.blogspot.com blog.
It is a special frame which allows you to display your scrapbooking layouts right out of your scrapbooks page protectors & all.
I will let the creator tell you all about it.
Check out the video:


You can buy them here
The versatility & prices are other wonderful attributes of this fabulous product.
I always love supporting fellow crafters especially when they bring us such useful and fantastic products.

I hope you show her your support & head over to her site.
Have a great weekend!
Check back with me next year!!

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" HERO ARTS HEAT EMBOSSING GUN

Hi There!
Thanks for tuning in to tool time today.

This week's tool is the: HERO ARTS HEAT EMBOSSING GUN.



This sleek embossing gun directs hot air to the precise area where it's aimed, melting embossing powder and creating amazing results in seconds. It is 8" long providing you with plenty of room to hold and maneuver it where you need it. It also helps keep some distance between you and the heat.

You can also use a it to heat set ink and for heat & stick powder as well. Hero Arts is known for their terrific stamps and they also carry many other wonderful products.
They are a fantastic company which offers true quality crafting products.
Their heat tool is no exception.

This one runs anywhere from $34.00 & up.
I have seen it here and here .

If you don't have a heat gun or are looking to replace one, you could not go wrong getting this one from Hero Arts.

Until next time...

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#69) Tough Time Getting things to stick on freshly inked surfaces?

Hello!

Have you ever had a difficult time getting bling or pearls to adhere to freshly inked surfaces on your projects? If so, today's tip is designed with you in mind.

If you are going to apply adhesive backed pearls, gems or rhinestones to your projects that have been inked with pigment ink, heat set your inked surface with your heating tool first. This will ensure that your gems, pearls or rhinestones will adhere completely. Often times the wet pigment ink interferes with the adhesive. Pigment ink takes longer to dry then other types of inks or dyes.
That may be the case with other types of inks as well so it wouldn't hurt to take a moment to always check your inked up images to make sure they are dry before proceeding.

Hope this helps!
Have a great week.

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

Just in case you are browsing blog land today & find your way here I prepared a pre-post to share some special thoughts on this momentous holiday.

First I want to take a moment to acknowledge all the soldiers serving near & far this holiday season. May God grant you peace, strength, joy and courage always! To the military families that are left behind know that God's grace is sufficient to see you through this temporary separation. In spite of how much we may miss our deployed loved ones, we carry on in their honor with character, love & pride. We await their safe & speedy return with joyous anticipation.

As someone who believes wholeheartedly in Jesus Christ I want to leave you with some warm words of Christmas cheer in hopes they last from year to year.

May the right hand of God ever hold you in keeping
Through coming and going, through waking and sleeping,
May the love of the Christ-Child your spirit be lighting
And the smile of His Mother your heart be delighting;
May Blessed St. Joseph be near you in sorrow,
And the high Saints of Teresa be guarding your tomorrow,
May Peace be your treasure, and long be your living,
With joy in good measure for taking and giving.
In friendship galore beyond bound or expressing
To your door I am sending this Christmas blessing.

I thank you again for your blog support & wish you the happiest of holidays.

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-Little Windows

Hello & Merry Christmas Eve!

There is such excitement in the air in anticipation of Christmas.
In that spirit I have found something that would make a wonderful gift not only for Christmas but birthdays, anniversaries & other special occasions.

Today's find is brilliant photo jewelry & more by Little Windows.

They offer kits & supplies so you can make your own PHOTO jewelry & finery or they make it for you.
Personalized items are always such a classic way to gift someone special in your life. It also makes a great statement. What better way to keep your loved ones close when they can't be with you then to wear them around your neck & close to your heart.

These "little windows" are made with clear resin and sterling silver. They are also lightweight and waterproof making them not only comfortable but practical. What makes these special is the reflections of your photo up and around the sides of their custom molds that create what appears to be a "frame" around your image, without an actual jewelry frame.

Take a look:




You can buy kits to make necklaces, bracelets and even a rubiks cube.
Cool, right?

For a kit that makes 3 necklaces the cost is $48.00. That's basically 3 personalized, quality gifts for $16 each that you customize yourself.

Check out their website for other options, prices and lovely photos.

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful holiday tomorrow.

Blessings to all!

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" The Heart Attack

Hey there!

Thanks for tuning in to this week's segment of tool time Tuesday.
Today's tool is small but packs some punch.
It is the: THE HEART ATTACK!

Attack your project with this new distressing tool from We R Memory Keepers. Simply slide your finger into the ring and sand or scrape to your hearts content. Sand small, hard to reach areas with the point of the heart or large areas with the broad end. Easily distress paper edges by inserting the paper into the groove of the heart and scraping along the blade. Each package includes one distressing tool and three peel and stick sand papers.


Isn't it just the cutest???
It retails for $5.99. You can use your coupon with it too.

Hope you enjoyed this week's tool.
Catch you on Friday for the fabulous find.

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#68) Storage Option

Hi Bloggers!

Just adding another storage option to your repertoire.

This one is a free one in most places. If you don't get any for free you can find similar ones at the Dollar store.
Want to know what it is? Keep reading...

If you are still getting film developed at places like Wal-mart or K-mart they almost always provide a FREE 4x6 mini album to go along with your pics. It's not large or fancy but it is quite functional. If you are not already using it to put those developed pics in then use it to store your metal dies,small dies or small embossing folders. You can easily label the front or attach a little tag stating it's contents and quickly assemble yourself a library.
Hope this is news you can use.
Take care & join me tomorrow for another "Tool Time Tuesday".
Have a great week.

AN AWARD & PAYING IT FORWARD

Hello & Happy Weekend!
I must send out a HUGE-THANK YOU TO NIKKI BOND OF BOND GIRL CREATIONS and SHARON OF LIL PRINCESS CARD CREATIONS for awarding me the fabulous "stylish blog award".

Both of these ladies are terrific and talented.
I feel lucky to have established a blog buddy in them both.




As a recipient you must share it with 8 others & share 8 things about yourself.
Here are the 8 fantastic bloggers I chose to share it with:

1-Martha of Paper Scissors Scrap.blogspot.com
2-Debra of Twisted Monkey Scraps.blogspot.com
3-Kristin of Kristins Crafty Kitchen.blogspot.com
4-Heather of Franklin TN Girl.blogspot.com
5-Kerry of Momma K Crafts.blogspot.com
6-Ivette of All About Me and My Scrapbook.blogspot.com
7- Capri of Capris Delights.blogspot.com
8-Brook of Creative Endings.blogspot.com

All of these bloggers are talented, inspiring & have so much to offer. Show them some support & blog love. Give them a visit.

Now ...my 8 things about me...
This is hard but here goes.
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.

Have a great weekend!
I hope you all continue to tune in.

Hugs,
Sonia

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-SCRAPBOOK FLAIR.COM

Hi All!

This week's find is : SCRAPBOOK.FLAIR.COM.
They offer free digital scrapbooking templates you can use in your crafting.
They also offer free downloads of embellishments, backgrounds and designer collections.
They are truly lovely.
Head on over & check them out for yourself.

Have a great weekend!

SPREADING A LITTLE CHRISTMAS CHEER...SCRAPBOOK.COM STYLE

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" The Tag Maker

Hello & thanks for stopping by today.

The tool of choice for today is the:TAG MAKER by the innovative minds of Making Memories. It has been out a while but like many great tools out there warrants revisiting.

This tool gives you the ability to quickly and easily create custom tags using paper,photos, fabric and more. You will love making one of a kind tags for your scrapbook layouts, cards and crafts.
They sell the tool with a template and some rims, they sell it by itself and they also sell it as a kit which includes various shapes of rims and templates.
As of this post, SCRAPBOOK.COM was carrying a comprehensive kit for the sensational sale price of $16.69. Now that is a steal!
It comes with 12 of 5 different shaped rims.
These metal rims are acid free too making them a great addition to your archival projects. Just head on over to scrapbook.com, click on the superstore tab & enter Making Memories Tag Maker Kit with Rims in the search tool and it should come up for you.
You can also purchase the rims separately when you need refills.

The tool with the rims looks like this:



It works like this:

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#67) INK PAD 911

Hello Bloggers!
This week's tip is fast, simple, cost effective & helpful.

Many ink pads come with a plastic, clear sheath or cover over the ink portion of the pad designed to help keep your ink moist. Often times they come right off with the ink pad top upon removal for usage. This can be annoying.

If you want to keep the plastic protective cover in place at all times without it falling out of your pad every time, place a permanent glue dot on the top of the plastic cover and adhere it to the inside of the ink pad cover.

This way it will stay securely in place to provide maximum ink pad coverage when the ink pad is not in use. As well as stay secure when the ink pad cover is removed to access the ink.
Oh glue dots...you gotta love em'!
Have a great week everybody.

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-The Instax Camera

Hello out there in blog-land!
Today's fabulous find is brought to you by: FUJI.
It's the INSTAX camera.
This retro concept is back big time.
I love the idea of getting pics instantly without having to download, transfer & print out separately. With the FUJI Instax you get instant gratification.

Check this baby out!

This is the 210 Model:


Fuji also makes a mini version which of course as it name implies is smaller and will produce smaller photos as well.

This is the 7s model:

Amazon has lots of optionshere

Prices vary on these cameras as you will see if you head on over to Amazon which seems to have a large selection and variation.
It appears you can find some bundles on E-BAY as well.

I so want one!
I hate it when that happens.
Thanks for stopping by & have a great weekend.

"TOOL TIME TUESDAY" The Martha Stewart Circle Cutter

Hello!

Today's featured tool is the: Martha Stewart Circle Cutter.


This beauty is great!
It cuts circles in 1" to 5.5" in diameter in increments of 1/16".
You can use it clockwise & counter clockwise.
It includes a soft grip hand tool which is ergonomic and contains a storage component to hold your extra cutting blades.
It is best to use this on a glass mat for easier glide of the blade.

Check it out in action:


The price varies from $17.99-$24.99. You can use your coupons for the craft stores with this tool as well.
Hope you enjoyed this segment

Have a great day!

CRAFTING TIP OF THE WEEK (#66) Storage for Dies

Happy Monday Bloggers!

This week's tip is aimed at helping you store dies. I am referring to the magnetic dies like Nestabilities, Paper Trey Ink Dies, Direct Dies and other brands of magnetic dies.

*Supplies Needed*
-3 Ring Binder (How wide depends on how many dies you want to store)
-Pack of Index Tab Dividers(Any office supply store, Dollar Store or the $1 spot at Target)
-Magnetic Sheets (Sold at Oriental trading.com for $9.99/dozen) I think Wal-mart carries some too by the office supply or craft section, not the scrapbooking section.
-Plastic Page Protectors (You want at least a medium weight-Top Loading)To easily slide your magnetic sheet into.






Here's what you do:

-Sort your dies by manufacturer (or whatever way is best for you) and place them on the magnetic sheet. You will be able to fit 2-3 full sets of the Nestabilities, maybe more.

-Label them underneath using a label maker or just typing the information on regular computer paper, printing it, sizing it & gluing it down under the set.

-Slip it into the page protector

-Then use the tab dividers to categorize the dies

On the tab of your divider put the name of the manufacturer listing them alphabetically.

Then right on the front of the divider you can catalog your dies even further.
Type up a list of the dies that are kept with that manufacturer. Then you can see your die inventory listing at a glance . Or if you prefer you can thumb through the actual dies themselves.

Not only is this a great way to store the dies but you can catalog them & keep better track of your inventory.

Once you type a list on your computer you can save it in your documents & easily access it again & again for updates & modifications. You can easily replace the old list with the updated one in your binder too.

Now initially this may seem like an investment of time and money but if you own a lot of dies and you want an effective way to store them with room to grow your stash, this is a smart way to go.
You can customize your binder as well to match your craft room decor or make it personal to your unique style.
They stand easily in a book shelf or table taking next to no room at all. Freeing up your counter space for your other crafting goodies.

I hope this inspires you to get clever with your storage solutions.
Have a great week!

FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND-Tabletop Photo Studio Kit!

Hi there!

This week's find is an all inclusive TABLETOP PHOTO STUDIO KIT!



The professional, portable photo tent and lights kit is extremely suitable for all level photographers from amateurs to professionals. It is a perfect solution for producing photo and video for web retailers, bloggers, crafters and commercial product cataloging. It's very easy to use and setup in seconds. The photo kit includes a specially designed carrying case for convenient storage and travel. With this wonderful photo kit, you can take perfect photos everywhere, anytime.

* Perfect for objects less than 16in., such as mini albums, accouterments, small furnishings and scrap pages, etc.
* Softens lighting for reducing overexposure and hot spots.
* It allows light to enter from translucent side cloth for bathing object in dimensional lighting.
* Seamless and non-reflective background for less post processing.
* Easy to exchange different color backgrounds with velcro tips.
* Sets up in minutes to offer you a professional mini photo studio.
* Stores in a special design carrying case for portability.
* Please kindly note that this particular unit is for 110 voltage.

Soft Light Tent:

* 40cm x 40cm x 40cm size, approximately 16" x 16" x 16"
* 100% pure white high-duty nylon fabric square tent avoids reflections for clean and color-consistent images.
* Translucent fabric gently diffuses the light from your light sources to prevent shadows.
* Built-in velcros to lock three side boards easily to store.
* Built-in pockets for light and accessories. Everything is ready to go with you!
* Setup in seconds and fold up for convenient storage and travel.

Lighting:

* 50w Haloid lamp equal to 200 watts regular bulb. UL listed for your safety.
* Color temperature is 5100k, most perfect color temperature for photo taking.
* Unique blue film on the glass is excellent to prevent from color aberration.
* Easy-to-grasp body allows for hand held using.
* Suppressible steel legs are unfolded for table top using.
* 10" height with 5.6 feet power cord.
* Average life 8,000 hours.

Camera Stand:

* High quality aluminum and steel frame.
* Neck height ranges from 12" to 19", suitable for table top shooting.
* Fully adjustable and stable to eliminate tremble and blurs which tends to happen when hand-held shooting.

Background:

* Size: 31" L x 16" W.
* Non reflective high quality cotton.
* 4 different colors: Black, White, Red and Blue for best result.
* Velcro design allows you to change the background easily and quickly.
* Suitable for different objects photography by changing the background in seconds.
* Provide better contrast solution for all objects.

Package Includes:

* 1x 40cm soft light tent
* 4x high quality background
* 2x 50w table light
* 1x camera stand
* 1x carrying case

This particular one can be found on: thelashop.com where it retails for $49.95. Its' SKU# to help you find it is:
01TNS001-SSL-100
It's an investment piece for sure but if you are in the market for something like this the LA shop may be where to get it. Head on over to their website and take a closer look.

Hope you enjoyed this week's find.
Have a great weekend!