Craft Fancy and a Rockstar!

As you know, I spent the day going a JustRite demo at the new store Craft Fancy in Arlington Heights. Soooooo much fun...thank you Simone(left in the pic). Let's just say SOLD OUT.

Even more exciting is that I spent the afternoon with Michele Kovack (right in the pic) from the blog Thoughts of a Cardmaking Scrapbooker AND today's Featured Stamper on SCS. Talk about a Rockstar...wow! Michele is so sweet in person and it was wonderful to spend the day with her. Although, she is probably tired of hearing my speech over and over in her head. LOL Maybe Michele should be a JustRite Guest Blogger.....what do you think?

Speaking of JustRite...as if I have stopped talking about it yet.....there is a blog candy contest right now for all three Accessory Kits. All you have to do is subscribe to the daily feed that will email blog updated right to your email box. Head on over to the JustRite Stampers blog for more details. Tell everyone!!!

Ok...tomorrow I will show you some of the scrapbook pages that I made yesterday. I made 15 pages in one night! My inspiration....Simple Scrapbooks. Ahhhhhh....simple is good.

See ya on the blog!

Attention Chicagoans

Hello my fellow Chicagoans! Did you hear that there's a new scrapbook store in town....Craft Fancy in Arlington Heights! Yahoooo! Simone Collins has partnered to open a new store and if you look at their blog it is fully loaded with every possible papercrafting goodie you could imagine. (Oh my wallet hurts already just looking at the pics.)

Those goodies include JustRite Stampers and I will be there this Sunday, June 29th at 1:00 pm doing a live infomercial with the Large Monogram Stamper. Oh and if that doesn't drag you out of the house on a Sunday afternoon maybe the temptation of a sneak peek with get you there. Yes, I will be giving a sneak peek of our new Sonnet Centers that will be released in July at Summer CHA. You're gonna love them and want them and use them on every project you make.

Ok back to our regularly scheduled Kraft paper program. Yes, I still have some of my Kraft paper binge to show you but this time I am just going to show it all at once and get it out of my system. Plus, I am sure you are tired of it by now.

This first card is for my boss Jill and I used the From the Desk of border. I made it with her monogram which by the way is her first name (J), maiden name (T) and last name (H). In the new product packaging JustRite Stampers has now included a mini idea book/catty filled with tips and Monogram Etiquette has it's own section. Very helpful.

The next project was totally inspired by this awesome pocket card tutorial by Michelle Wooderson. She had some great tips for sewing on your cards which is totally addicting. This is a pocket card and the I Heart You sentiment was created on my JustRite wooden block. The heart is a Marvy punch.

Finally, this last project was just a simple creation of my own using the Small Monogram Stamper without a border. Ah.....I do love that green satin ribbon. I went to get more at Mike's and it was gone! Ohhhh the agony of backorders. I'll survive...maybe.

Off to get back to my CHA samples.
See ya on the blog!

Thanks

Nope....I am not done with the Kraft paper and butterfly creations. However, I did skip the American Crafts paper on this one. I used my DCWV textured papers on this card as I love the look of textured papers.

The white flower is made with DCWV chipboard that is pre-covered with the textured paper. I picked that up at Archiver's a long time ago. The "thanks" sentiment was made with white DCWV textured paper and cut with a Cuttlebug die from the Olivia alphabet. (I added the flower and and yellow brad to cover up a mistake...shhhhh....I accidentally tore the letter "s" when I ran it through the Xyron.) The yellow paper is DCWV textured note cards that I picked up at Mike's the other day. The note cards already come with the scalloped edge...which is a bonus in my book!


Here is a close up of my chipboard flower. I used my Small Monogram Stamper and Small Letter Set to create the sentiment and then I punched the butterfly with my Martha Stewart punch and added it to the center of the flower.

I spent part of my day organizing some more of my studio. I am telling you that book The Organized Scrapbooker is addicting...makes me want to clean my studio...what's up with that? Honeslty, I can say that since I started implementing some of the changes I am much more efficient as I know where to go immediately for the supplies rather than digging around in my piles. Oh, don't get me wrong...I still have piles but they are smaller and more organized too.

Anyway, I purchased 6 photo boxes at Jo's yesterday (on sale for $1.50) and I labeled each box for my cards. That way I can mail them to people instead of just keeping them! My new thought process is to get my cards sorted into these boxes and then actually mail them to people on the SCS Blogger RAK list. It's always nice to get a surprise in the mail....no? And it will give my girl's a nice project to do while I am at work tomorrow. Busy work for them means the less my house will be trashed while I am gone. LOL

Alright, off to make dinner and maybe scrapbook a page or two. Can't remember the last time I scarpbooked...so sad!

See ya on the blog!

Cupcakes...YUM!

Who doesn't love a big chocolatey cupcake? Ok....I know that there is someone out there that doesn't like them but I personally think that this one looks cute and yummy.

I have been on the watch for these silicone cupcake holder since I saw them at winter CHA. They are made by Wilton and come in a pack of 12 (six yellow and six pink). They are so darn cute and look like little flowers.

Anyway, I made the cupcake picks personalized by using my JustRite Small Letter Set and my JustRite Small Monogram Stamper. I know that I said in a previous post that I was intimidated by those tiny letters but just let me clairfy that I am now officially ADDICTED and LOVE those tiny letters. Oh my goodness....I love being able to create my own sentiments that coordinate with whatever project I am working on....cupcakes or cards....totally creative freedom with those tiny letters.

Anyway, if you want to see the rest of my cupcake project, get all the extra details and some close up pics of the coordinating card you are going to have to click on over to the JustRite Stampers blog as I am today's guest {wink}.

Oh and thanks for all the comments and emails about my letter writing deployment days. Yes, I really did hand write letters to my husband and he saved them all. I have a huge box full of deployment letters tucked away in my closet. One day I will sit and read them all but I have to put them in order first......that's a lot of letters!

See ya on the blog!

I {heart} You

Here is another card from my Kraft paper collection and yes, I am still using that American Crafts paper too. I even went back to Mike's and picked up more plus the coordinating papers too. Looks like I'll be getting creative this weekend! I have really been wanting to do some scrapbooking lately....thanks to that Wendy Smedly book. BTW, did you see that she commented on my blog? I feel like a Rock Star just popped in for a visit and I had a mild brush with fame. Ha Ha. Hopefully, I'll get a real face to face with her at CHA. Wendy...come see me at the JustRite booth!

Here is a close up of the sentiment I{heart}You that I made with my JustRite Large Monogram Stamper. I used my Times New Roman font and added a heart that was punched with my green Marvy heart punch. I used Brillance red ink for the border {which by the way goes so well with this paper} and the center I colored with the SU Tempting Turquoise marker. Again, I added my new favorite celery satin ribbon. I am totally addicted to that ribbon that I picked up at Mike's.

So who is going to be the lucky recipient of this card? My son Cody will get it while he is in Texas for five weeks! He is going to visit my brother and while he is gone I plan to write to him every day like I used to do for Bill while he was on deployment. One time I wrote 193 letter to Bill....that was before the email era. Gosh that makes me sound so OLD!

When I was a young Navy wife we didn't have email and we had to write real handwritten letters. Sometimes it took 30 days for the letter to get to him and sometimes they would arrive out of order and then the stories in my letters didn't make sense. So I numbered all my letters so he could sit at mail call and put all his letters in order before he would open them. Just a little useless info to share with all of you. LOL

See ya on the blog!

That Darn Butterfly....Again!

Here is another card from my Kraft paper collection. Of course, it has my Martha butterfly on it again. Not sure why I like that little guy so much as I am not really into butterflies. But it add a cuteness factor to the card....I like him.

This is again a 4.25 square card base of Kraft cardstock. The pattern paper is from American Crafts and I will definately be going back to Mike's for more plus the coordianating papers too. It has so many different colors in it and it matches so well with the Kraft cardstock.

Ok....back to the card. The yellow is a 5x5 scalloped notecard from DCWV that I cut down. It is textrued paper with a white core which is awesome for embossing folders as you can sand the paper and add some dimension by showing the white core.

Ok....back to the card. The circle copper tag is from Stampin Up and I just love it with this pattern paper. The copper is really a nice accent to the colors in the pattern paper. I have the matching copper brads and used them on another card I will show you tomorrow.

Ok....back to the card. The celery satin ribbon is to die for and cheap. I picked it up and Mike's and will be picking up more when I get my pattern paper refill. I love the width of this ribbon and the color is so neutral and looks great with the Kraft cardstock.

Finally.....I used turquoise staples on the ribbon to just add some texture and bling. Oh and the sentiment is from Stampin Up and I used Versafine Sepia ink...love it.

Did you see Dawn's video tutorial on the JustRite blog today? Gotta love it. She is so sweet and creative too!

See ya on the blog.

My New Addictions

I spent Sunday afternoon making cards with my new addictions. 1) Kraft paper 2) Martha Stewart butterfly punch 3) Yellow DCWV textured paper 4) celery satin ribbon.

OMG....wait til you see all the cards I made with my new favorite thing. I can't show you everything at once so I'll just have to share a little at a time.

This is a 4.25 square card with a kraft cardstock as the base. I punched the squares with my SU punch and matted them on pumpkin pie cardstock. The turquoise squares are the flip side of the polka dot American Crafts paper...love it.... gotta get more of it. The flower was punched with the small green Marvy flower punch, the center circle punched with a SU circle punch and a copper brad finish it off. Of course you know the butterfly is from Martha. The green satin ribbon is attached using a turquoise staple.

So did you see who the first Guest Blogger is over at JustRite Stampers? Go take a lookie and give her some love in the comment section.

See ya on the blog!

Many Thanks!

Hello...yes.....I have become one of those annoying once a week bloggers. Sorry to all those that have sent me emails wondering if I fell off the face of the Earth. No, I am still here just working for my gas money.

Speaking of gas money, have I told you how much I LOVE my job at the bank?! Last week we were all greeted with a wonderful surprise in the form of a $500 check. The check was accompanied by a letter that basically said gas prices in Chicago were the highest in the country (I just paid $4.20 the other day) and that the Chairman of the Board wanted to help ease the burden of our travels to and from work! Needless to say, it was a HUGE suprise that brought people to tears. Really, it was unbelievable to have such generosity given to all 70 employees.

Even though I called the Chairman of the Board at home to say thank you and to tell her what perfect timing her surprise was I still made her a card. This is the card that I made with my new Martha Stewart butterfly punch. The thanks sentiment was punched with a Cuttlebug die from the Olivia alphabet. The flower was made with the SU circle and scallop punches. All pattern papers are from SU.

Thank you to those that asked about Maddie's arm. She is doing really well and is adjusting to having limited use of her arms. Bailey has stepped up to the plate and become her assistant. Very cute.

Ok I am off to spend my weekend doing lots of stuff....cleaning, shopping, organizing, and celebrating Father's Day.

See ya on the blog!

Double Doozie

Thursday evening Maddie and Bailey were told they had 15 minutes of reading time before it was lights out. Instead of reading they decided to make up a game of tossing coins onto each other's bed. Maddie was on the top bunk and leaned into her toss a little too much. She went over the railing head first and used her hands to break her fall.

She ended up with a huge bump on the head and fractured both of her wrists. What a way to start summer vacation! Just another day in my crazy life.

Today I am organizing my office....it's a huge mess....and no I did not take any before pics. But I'll be more than happy to share some after pics later today. I have been inspired after reading the book The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker. It's a good book with lots of cool ideas.

I was able to be creative this week. If you want a sneak peek at Bill's Father's Day present hop on over to the JustRite Blog and get all the details.

See ya on the blog!

Happy Graduation Day!

Last night Sarah graduated from the 8th grade. It was very emotional for me as usual I cried. I am a big baby at any event my kids participate in and it's not limited to special occassions....I'll cry at a volleyball game or church. I just get overwhelmed with the moment which is a good thing I guess it shows that I am fully present and taking it all in.

Anyway, the ceremony was beautiful and I'll post some graduation pics later. But for now here is the pic of the card that I made her. That Large JustRite Monogram Stamper is so perfect for personalizing any card. I was able to add the name of the school and the year using the small letters.

I have to be honest and tell you that I was a bit intimidated at first using thos small letters because they are so tiny but I am honestly addicted to those small letters. I have made a list of sentiments that I want to use for future cards. They are so versatile and a must have for your JustRite collection. I am really thinking that I need two sets of the small letters....told you I was addicted to those tiny letters. Oh the endless possibilites.

The base of the card is white with a layer of brilliant blue and I used the Nestabilities to cut my circle and scallop layers. I added some sheer organdy ribbon and accented with three brads. I kept the whole card very simple so she could add it to her scrapbook as an accent on the page.

Since I had my wood block loaded with those small letters I stamped off a dozen of the sentiments to make cards for the graduation parties she was invited to and for my teacher thank you cards as well. I am definately getting my use out of this personalized sentiment.

RAK from Tammy

Thank you Tammy for the beautiful RAK. It was such a nice surprise to come home last week and get an nice goodie in the mail.

Please visit Tammy at the blog Stamp With Tammy. Check out the incredible teacher gift card tin she made. I am in LOVE with it. What a great idea....I have added it to my files for a future day when I have nothing to do...yeah when is that going to happen?

BTW, here is a random bit of SU trivia. Did you know the sentiment on this card was made by the one and only Kristina Werner? Yep it's true....watch the video if you don't believe me.

Teeny Tiny BFF's

I can't believe I haven't blogged in a week. That's what happens when you have two paying jobs, one volunteer job, four kids and a husband. Ahhhh....life is great! Thanks for coming back to see me.

I had this cute idea running through my head but the thought of using those Teeny Tiny JustRite Letter didn't appeal to me. (They are really called small letter set but they are so small you need to use tweezers to hold them.)However, now that I tried it and saw that it really wasn't that bad after all and I LOVE how my photo holder turned out too! Just a little tip...once you get all the letters on stamp a lot of the image so you don't have to do it ever again. I am going to make some cards with the extras that I stamped and give them to my daughter Madison (on the left) to send to her friend (on the right) who moved away last year. Now they are pen pals. We are going to send this photo holder to her friend too. It is a jumbo clothes pin that I covered with SEI pattern papers. I tied some ribbon around it and added the monogram with a pop dot. The layers were cut with my Nestabilities circle and scallop dies. OMG...I love those things! I am so addicted to Nestabilites and NEVER use my Marvy punches anymore. Can't wait to get the ovals and rectangles next. Oh the possibilites are endless and so worth the price I paid for them too. I got mine at PaperTrey Ink.

If you would like to see the rest of my pink and green projects click on over to the JustRite Blog . Lots more ideas swirling through my head that I'll share during the week.

See ya on the blog!