Flower Note Cards

Still in line with keeping my stash of cards well-stocked for the new year, I CASE'd these note cards from Pinterest (see the original cards here).  As soon as I saw these, I knew I wanted to re-create them.

They were so cute, and so simple, and so easy to make.  Making these 6 note cards took me around 15 minutes.

Each note card is 3 inches x 3 inches, which is the perfect size for a quick note, or for enclosing with a gift.

I purposefully left the note cards without a sentiment, so that I will have more versatility in using them.  I figured I can easily stamp and add a sentiment (to fit my needs) later on.

What about envelopes, you ask?  Please check out my quick tutorial here.

I used these supplies and products (please click on the link to buy):
Posy Punch stamp set (Stampin' Up!)
Rich Cocoa ink pad (Memento)
Tangelo ink pad (Memento)
Mini brad (my stash)
Kraft cardstock (Recollections)
White card stock (Georgia Pacific)
Patterned paper (my stash/scraps)
Fancy Flower punch (Stampin' Up!)
3/4 circle punch (EK Success)

I love, love, love these 3x3 note cards!

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Masculine Star Birthday Card

I hope everyone had a great Christmas/holiday.

New Year's Day is around the corner, and I'm starting the new year right by replenishing my stash of cards.

I have little inspiration when it comes to masculine cards, which is a shame since I live with two boys (my husband, R, and my son, r).  So what happens when you hit crafter's block? Pinterest to the rescue!

I saw a similar card, and decided to CASE (copy and share everything) it, since it's a great masculine card:

And since I was making one, it was easy enough to make three:

It's not visible in the photos, but I popped up a few stars to give the cards some dimension.  

Again, this was not my original idea.  The original card can be found here.

I used the following for these cards (you can click on the links below to buy):
Word Play stamp set (Stampin' Up!)

White cardstock (Georgia Pacific)

Solid cardstock, different colors (my stash/scraps)

Black ink (Memento Tuxedo Black)

Stars Die (Lifestyle Crafts/We R Memory Keepers)

Rhinestones (my stash)

Foam tape (Scotch)
Big Shot (Sizzix)

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Organization: Wood Mounted Stamp Sets

After Cricut cartriges and punches, I decided it was time to organize my wood-mounted stamp sets.  I didn't think I really had lot of them, since I tend to buy the clear-mount (Stampin' Up!), or the clear photopolymer stamp sets (from other companies), but after finishing organizing them, I did have more than I thought (does this sound familiar?).

Moving on, I needed a uniform way to store my stamp sets.  I originally kept them in their Stampin' Up! clamshell, or in their original boxes (for other companies), but because the boxes have different  sizes, it was really hard to store them.

I liked the idea of the Stampin' Up! cases (for wood-mounted stamps), but I couldn't wait for the longer time it took to place an order (in my previous experience, it took maybe 7-10 working days for me to receive an order).  I needed something that was readily accessible, or at least will get here in a shorter time than that.

Enter these boxes.  They fit the bill perfectly!  They were uniform in size and accessible.  And they came in this carrying case, so I can pack up some of my wood-mounted stamps and take them to crops with me if I wanted to (and you can bet I will be going on more crops in the future, after going to my first one!):

I labeled each individual box with the stamp set's name, using my label maker and paper refills.

And if I had a larger stamp set that won't fit in one box, I just split the set into two boxes.

I really love this method.  If you're looking for a way to organize and store your wood mount stamps, please give this a try.

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Christmas Cards and Tags

I'm interrupting the organization theme of my posts to share with you my Christmas card this year.  I know, I can't believe I'm posting it just three measly days before Christmas.  I also can't believe I've forgotten to post it before.

Anyway, here it is:

This year, I decided that I wanted to simplify my card-making process, so I chose to mass-produce a single card design (see last year's card, gift card holders for teachers and coworkers, and tags).  This will serve as our Christmas card and our gift card holder this year.

This card is my interpretation of a card I saw at the crop I attended.  I only saw a peek of it (the lady next to me was mass-producing them) because I was busy making my own project, but I'm fairly satisfied with how it turned out.

Here is a closer view of the ribbon, the snowflake (it was so hard to capture it well on camera, since it's shiny surface was reflecting light like crazy) and the embossing:

And here is the inside of the card:

I also made some tags for my husband's and my presents to our coworkers.  Again, I decided to simplify by using and coloring a single stamp for our tags:

Please excuse the smear of ink on the bottom of this photo.  I saw this while I'm posting this photo.  I was able to change the tag before giving it to the recipient, but I didn't have time to take a photo).

Products Used:

Snow Swirled (Stampin' Up!)

Tags Til Christmas (Stampin' Up!)

Greetings of the Season (Stampin' Up!)

Bow die (Sizzix)

Labels Die (Spellbinders)

Big shot (Sizzix/Stampin' Up!)

Magnetic platform (Sizzix)

Stampin' Write Markers (Stampin' Up!)

Black embossing powder (Stampin' Up!)

Snowflake embellishment (Jo-ann's)

Black and white twine (my stash)

Red, white, shimmer, kraft, black cardstock (my stash)

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Organization: Punches

I guess I am in an organizing kick lately.  After sharing with you how I organized and stored my Cricut cartridges, handbooks, and overlays, I am now sharing with you how I organize my punches.

I own a variety of punches (old Stampin' Up! whale style and the new Stampin' Up! locking punches), and storing them in a way that still makes them really accessible has been the bane of my crafting existence.  I really wanted to use the Ikea Bygel rails that most crafters have been using to keep their punches, but my hubby is not very keen on the idea of me drilling holes on my craft room's wall.

After a lot of thought, I came up with this:

I purchased an Ikea table top and drilled holes on the underside of the table for the shorter Bygel rails.  Then I propped the whole table top against the wall, and -- voila! -- instant "wall" storage for my punch.  I was tempted to use the longer table top for this project, but I thought about how heavy it might get, and it may topple over.  

I keep my punch storage behind the door of my craft room, where it's out of the way, but still accessible when I need it.  I've also been very careful to lock the door to the craft room so r cannot get inside and get hurt if the punches fall over.

It's been working great so far, but if I outgrow this system, I just have to talk my husband into letting me drill holes on the wall.  And then I can use the table top as another desk in the craft room!

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!  

Organization: Cricut Cartridges

I started "officially" crafting after watching a few Cricut videos on YouTube.  That was 4 years ago.  After watching many more videos in YouTube, buying a Cricut, cartridges, and other craft-related supplies, I realized that when I sit down to do a project, I spend more time trying to remember where things are, than actually creating.  Partly because I think I have too much stuff for my needs right now (gasp!!!), but also because I don't get to craft often, that I tend to forget what I do and don't have.

I noticed that most of my craft room "real estate" was taken up by my Cricut cartridges.  I have over 150 of them, and all of them are still in their original boxes.  And some are even unopened.  Here, take a look:

I searched the Internet for Cricut cartridge organization ideas, and stumbled upon this method.  She created little cardboard containers for each cartridge, then organized them on boxes.  You can check out her blog post and video here.  

It was genius.  I cut the SVG file of the cartridge "containers" (also on her blog) on white cardstock using my Silhouette Cameo.  It wasn't too bad -- it took me probably a whole night to finish cutting and assembling all of the "containers."  I also made labels using my label maker (font is "Small").  And I stocked up on refills, although I think I ended up using a little less than 2 label refills for this project.

The hardest part for me was throwing away the original cartridge boxes (seriously, but please don't judge).  I got over that initial hesitation, however, and the results were well worth it.  I was able to fit 84 cartridges in a box, which I got here.  From occupying a nearly a full shelf in my craft room to this:

I kept the handbooks and overlays in these boxes, which I got here.  I triedd to fit the same number of handbooks and overlays in each box (84 each).  It was great that I had a mix of different cartridges, with Lite handbooks.

And then for my active project (I am currently working on r's baby book), I'm keeping all the cartridges, handbooks, and overlays in this box.

I'm so happy that I found this method of storing cartridges.  Now I know exactly what I have, and can easily reach for what I need.

Give this method a try, and let me know what you think.

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Packing for a Crop - Part 2

As I promised yesterday, today I am sharing with you my packing list for the 2-day crop that I am attending this weekend.

I've divided my things into categories:

Bags/containers

Rolling craft tote

Craft caddy

Grocery bag/tote

12x12 paper bin x 2

Page protectors

Tools

Cutting mat

Craft mat

Rulers

Scissors:  for paper, ribbon, adhesives (non-stick), all-purpose/regular

Paper trimmer

Photo trimmer

Craft knife and replacement blade

Cricut spatula

Cricut piercing tool

Pencil

Eraser

Paper and adhesives

Patterned paper

Solid cardstock - 12 x 12, 8-1/2 x 11, and white

Adhesives:  wet glue, 2-way glue pens, foam tape, glue dots, regular tape, ATG gun, ATG refills

Photos

Page maps - the page maps that I use came from a book (photo below):

Scrapbook Page Maps: Sketches For Creative Layouts

I think this will be awesome for when I get "scrapper's block" (I don't know if that is a real term, I may be making that up).  You know, that feeling when you just draw a blank when you're trying to plan a page or figuring out how the different components of your layouts fit together?  This comes in a book form, and then in the middle of the book are tear-out page map cards.  You can keep the cards in the box that comes with the book (you assemble the box, and ta-da -- handy-dandy page maps that you can take anywhere with you).  I love, love, love this.

Stamps and inks

Stamps: alphabet, baby/family stamps

Stamp scrubbing pad and spray

Dye ink pads

Chalk ink pads

Pigment ink pads

Distress ink pads

Sponge daubers

Die-cutting

Cricut cartridges in ArtBin

Cricut mats x 2

Framelits

Personal comfort

iPad

Pop-up trash bin

Ott lite

Pillow

Headphones

In case anyone is curious, this is how these things are packed right now:

And in case you want to know what's inside the bags/cases:

The extension cord, and the cords/charges for all of my electronics are in the side pockets.

I think I'm all packed!!!  I hope this is helpful to someone.

Thanks for looking, and a great day!

Packing for a Two-Day Crop - Part 1

Since signing up for a crop a few days ago, I thought about how I'm going to have everything ready in time.

I want to share with you my thought process, and I'm hoping that it will help first-time crop-pers, and maybe even seasoned crop-pers, in figuring out what to bring.

Plan your project.  Since I have taken a crafting hiatus, I really have no on-going projects right now.  I've Googled tips on how to plan for a crop to make the most out of my time there, and saw that most experienced crop-pers plan their pages and their layouts in advance (if they are scrapbooking) or their card projects (if they are card-making).

I know I'm going to be working on r's baby scrapbook, but since I signed up late for this crop, I will not have the time to plan layouts, paper packs, embellishments, and photos for each page.  I've managed to choose some photos I've managed to scrapbook, and will bring what I need for them.

Make a list.  I'm a fan of making lists (I stick it in my planner and check things off as I go).  For this crop, I've made a list of things to bring, which I will share with you in more detail in my next post.  In order to avoid bringing my whole craft room with me, I focused on things that I think I will need to complete r's baby scrapbook.  Making a list helps me figure out what supplies I already have, and what supplies I need to buy.

Buy the things you need.  With little time left until Friday afternoon (when the crop begins), and with little time to go to the craft store (gasp!!!), I turn to the ever trusty Amazon.  With the supplies that I do have in abundance, I needed to buy:

Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps-Riley's ABCs

I could not believe that I had no alphabet stamps for labels, journals, etc!!!  I've been eyeing this set from Lawn Fawn for a while, but am resisting the urge to buy all the alphabet stamps they have available (and trust me, they have plenty).  Does that sound familiar?  Needing to buy one thing, and then ending up buying ten times more than you originally planned to do?

Tonic Studios Mini Guillotine Paper Trimmer, 6-Inch

I am bringing a paper trimmer, but I plan to use this to trim photos.  I have a full sized trimmer that I use for photos in the craft room but I wanted a smaller, more portable one for crops.  The trimmer I have had been discontinued, but I think this may be similar (maybe a little smaller).

Hopkins TRASH-BLA Pop Up Trash Can

I saw this at one of the Youtube videos that I've been watching (you can search "How to pack for crops" in Youtube).  The lady in the video said she uses this for trash at her table in a crop, so she won't need to keep getting up, especially if the trash can is in the other side of the room).  This folds down, so it's very compact and lightweight. 

 ArtBin Super Satchel Cartridge & Tool Storage

I'm planning to bring a few Cricut cartridges with some "baby" images.  They will have Cricut machines at the crop, but since they may not have the cartridges that I will need for r's scrapbook, I've decided to just bring my own.  I'm going to take the cartridges out of their boxes for the crop, since packing them in their boxes will take up so much room.  Unfortunately, my Gypsy had died on me -- that would have been ideal for this crop.

The best part -- I have Amazon Prime!  I've had it since I gave birth to r, and it was very, very convenient.  My orders get to my door in two days, free!  Woo-hoo!

Pack your things in bags/containers that will do the job.  Even if I'm trying to keep the supplies that I'm bringing to a manageable amount, I still have a lot of supplies and things that I will be bringing with me.  I think it will be important that my things are organized, so I know where to find them in my bag.  I have this bag:

      

Crop In Style XXL Rolling Tote, Black

It is the Big Mama of scrapbooking/craft bag, but it's sturdy, holds a lot, has a lot of compartments, and it rolls.  I think it will do the job very nicely.

I will also be bringing with me this caddy, for my tools and my most reached-for things:

Mackinac Moon Mackinac Moon Open Top Craft Tote, 14-Inch by 10-Inch by 8-Inch, Black with Pink Animal Print

Having a game plan/strategy for this crop is helpful.  I feel like I am more prepared (all things considered), and hopefully have a decent chance at getting tons of scrapbooking done.

I'll share more photos of what I've packed in my next post.

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!!!

I'm Still Here!!!

And I'm going to a crop this weekend!  Woo-hoo!

Excuse the exuberance.  I've been away from my blog, and paper crafting in general, that my supplies have gathered dust.  Well, not really.  Every now and then I went to my craft room to "play," but I had been overwhelmed with my responsibilities with family and work that crafting and "me" time had been pushed to the back burner.

In any case, I've arrived at some realizations:
1.  If something is important to me, then I have to make time for it.
2.  I need to have some time for myself, so that I can be a better wife, mom, and person.
3.  r is already 2 and a half years old, and I still haven't completed my pregnancy album.  I've yet to scrapbook so many of our life's moments that came when r was born.
4.  To jump start my creative mojo, I need to surround myself with like-minded people.

Enter the crop.  Ta-da.

I stumbled upon this crop's website less than 2 weeks before the event itself.  I just completed my registration today, which gives me:  Three.  Days. To plan/pack.

Did I mention that I have a family and work that both keep me fully occupied?

Whoa.

Review resolutions #1 to 4.  Okay, I can do this.  I'll go for now, I have to plan/pack.  Note to self:  "I can do this.  It's not impossible.  I can do this.  Go, C!!!"

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

r's Elmo-themed 2nd Birthday Party

r turned two last May -- hurray, we're at terrible terrific two's!

He loves Elmo, and so we decided to host an Elmo-themed birthday party for him and his friends.  Everyone had a great time!

I started brainstorming party ideas in March, so you can imagine me going crazy about party details, decorations, etc.  R, my husband, pretty much gave me all the freedom to decide on things I liked for the party, which I thought was nice of him.  He only told me to "not go too crazy," which I promised I wouldn't.  Famous last words.

Here's the invitation we sent out to r's friends:

I chose a simpler design this year, compared to last year's invitation, so it was much easier to mass produce.

And then, the party decorations.

I made this Elmo "Happy Birthday" banner using my Cricut and Silhouette Cameo cutting machines.

The banner and the letters were cut with the Cricut.  The medallions were cut with the Silhouette.  We're not allowed to hang or stick anything to the party room's walls/furniture, etc., so I planned to put this banner on the sweets table, together with letters of r's name, and the number "2."

These letters and number are 3D boxes, which I got from the Silhouette store.  I loved how they are able to stand by themselves.  After the party, I planned to use these as decor in r's bedroom.

Here's a photo of the sweets table:

r's birthday cake is not in the photo, because I was still picking it up. :p

I made these chocolate cupcakes and topped them with Elmo's icing decoration (from Wilton).

We also had Elmo chocolate lollipops, chocolate-covered Oreo's with Elmo's face, and Dorothy marshmallows.  I got the idea for the Dorothy marshmallows in Pinterest.

Unfortunately, I was not able to take close-up photos of the other treats, but you can see them a little bit (at least, I hope you can) on the photo of the sweets table.

And no, we did not just feed the guests dessert. :p  We also had Caesar salad, vegetables and dip, chips and spinach dip, cheese and crackers, Dorothy goldfish crackers, four different kinds of pizza (since half of the guests were at the picky-eater age), three-cheese tortellini, roasted chicken, and fruits.  We served water, pop, and juice for drinks.

I don't have a photo of the individual tables, but each table was covered in red table cloth, with a Dorothy the Goldfish centerpiece, again, thanks to Pinterest.

And then we had the goody bags.  I printed each guest's name on a label with an Elmo clip art, and attached it to white paper bags from Michael's.

I made these Elmo water bottles using red water bottles from Michael's, and stickers of Elmo's face (that I made myself):

I also included in the goody bags:  a small red beach ball, bubbles, and Playdoh.

And then we gave each guest a party hat.  I got this idea from Pinterest.

We also gave the guests some crayons and Elmo coloring sheets while waiting for the program to start.

And then, the guest of honor arrived, and he played and danced with r and his friends.

By the end of the party, we were all pretty tired, but so happy, since everyone had a blast!  It made all the prepations and hard work all worth it.

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!