Thank You!

I have to say thank you to a few very important people in my life: First, my dear husband, Gary, who supports me in all I do, and makes sure I stay healthy and happy! I enjoy his sense of humor, enjoy taking care of him, and cherish being a stay-at-home wife. Next, my only sister - my big sister, Jeanne. She's always been a big part of my life and has seen me through tough times and is always just a phone call away. She's a professional scrapbooker, I swear! I love that we share our love of paper, ink, & embellishments! She'll never know how much I count on her advice, love, and support. Next, my brother-in-law, Greg, Jeanne's husband. Words do not exist to thank Greg for getting me through some pretty tough times over the years. A few close friends - Crystal, Lloyd, and Michelle - they keep me on my toes with their senses of humor, phone conversations, and their great emails. I miss them all dearly. I wish I could see them every day and chat with them over a good cup of coffee.

Stamp Pad Holder

Two years ago, I was looking for an alternative to the stamp pad holders on the market (which at the time, I couldn't afford!), and I came up with these simple stamp pad holders, put together with hot glue and slim jewel CD cases. Each unit holds 6 stamp pads. I no longer have the units on this shelving - I now use the shelving for storing all my stamps sets in CD cases.

Tools

I just have to give you a list of a few of my favorite things! 1. Crop-a-dile Big Bite - I used this consistently when I was scrapbooking for a friend and it was fast, simple to use and made lining up those eyelets and brads a breeze! 2. CTMH makes a stamp cleaner that's amazing. I use it to not only clean all my stamps, both acrylic and rubber, but also to clean my acrylic blocks. 3. Microfiber cloth - I bought a dish towel at a discount store that was microfiber, cut it in four pieces, surged the edges, and ended up with four small clothes that are lint free for cleaning stamps. 4. Paint Pad Stamp Scrubber - Back when I was just starting to stamp, I was looking for a large surface to clean stamps on, so, I put together two small paint pads from the hardware store (with the edge loops cut off) and attached them with double-sided tape to a flat plastic lid from a dollar store container. Voila! Stamp scrubbers! I have two, one for wet and one for dry and although I've tried two manufactured double scrubbers, I always fall back on my paint pad scrubbers! They have a large surface and no lip to catch the stamps on. 5. Simple Green - I've got to admit, about the only place I use Simple Green cleaner is in my stamp room! I use it one part SG to one part water for cleaning the SU craft and permanent ink off stamps (like SU's Basic Black and for my embossing pad), and it's an affordable substitute for the expensive stamp cleaners. 6. Cricut Expression - My dear husband bought me a Cricut Expression for my birthday in March and I've thoroughly enjoyed the five cartridges I got with it for both stamping and scrapbooking. 7. Catalogs - I've always had my CTMH and SU catalogs wire bound mostly so they lay flat on my table (plus you can wrap the unused pages to the back, so only the page you need is showing). In January, I had the front and back covers heat laminated at a office supply store and I love that even more than just having plastic covers separate from the actual covers. Try it - it's worth every penny! The laminated covers really keep the covers from getting bent and torn. 8. My guillotine paper cutter - I'm not sure how I ever crafted before I had one! My cutter is not an expensive one - it's about $50 from an office supply store, 12" x 12".

Finally Finished!

Well, now that my scrapbook project (38 pages in 3 weeks!) for my college friend, Michelle, is finished and her daughter, Robynn, has received it, I've moved on to cardmaking again, which really is what I enjoy the most right now!

Very First Post

Phew! I finally did it, I got a blog up and running! Stay tuned for postings of my latest creations.

Notes Concerning "Supplies for Projects" Posts

All supply lists are listed under the label "Supplies for Projects" on the right side of my blog. You will notice the recipes are all dated 01-01-09 - this is so they remain at the very end of my list of posts.

Each recipe has the same or title and the posting date for the item to which it pertains.

I TRY to list all companies/manufacturers when providing a recipe, but if I fail to do so, it's most likely a mistake or I honestly do not remember the manufacturer's name. It is by no means intentional or to prevent the company from getting credit for their great product.

Abbreviations:

AC - American Crafts
BG - Basic Grey
BZ - Bazzill
C9D - Cloud 9 Design
CTMH - Close To My Heart
CS - Cardstock
CHF - Cornish Heritage Farms
CM - Memories
DA - Darice
DD - Diane's Daughters
DCWV - Die Cuts With a View
DBD - Doodlebug Designs
DP - Designer or Decorative Paper
EK - EK Success
EO - Eyelet Outlet
FA - Far and Away
GP - Georgia Pacific
HP - Hot Off the Press
INK - Inkadinkado
JA - JoAnn's
KF - Karen Foster
LB -Lion Brand Yarn
MA - Marvy
M - Michael's
MM - Making Memories
MS - Martha Stewart
MME - My Mind's Eye
OA - October Afternoon
OF - Offray Ribbon
PAC - The Paper Company
PBP - Polar Bear Press
PC - ProvoCraft
RGR - Ranger Industries
RR - Ribbon Retreat
7G - 7 Gypies
SEI - SEI
SG - Studio G
SK - Sakura
SU - Stampin' Up!
SS - Stewart Superior
TH - Tim Holtz
SU - Tsukineko
WMK - We Are Memory Keepers
ZU - Zutter

Supplies - Late Night Lattes & Crafts #13 - 12-05-2011

Holiday Warmth stampt set (CTMH)
Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla cardstock (SU)
Dark Green CS (M)
Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon (SU)
Gold Perfect Pearls Powder (RGR)

Supplies - Late Night Lattes & Crafts #12 - 7-07-2011

Be Yourself stamp set (CTMH)
Atomic Alpha stamp set) (CTMH)
Black Cardstock (M)
5-1/2" x 8 1/2"
1-1/2" x 3-1/8"

Cream/Natural Cardstock (BZ)
1-1/2" x 3-1/4"
1-1/4" x 2-7/8"
4" x 5-1/2"

Decorative Paper (DCWV)
3" x 4-1/4"

5  (1/8") brads
Punch or paper piercer for brads (SU)
Ticket Corner Punch (SU)
Black Ink Pad (SS)
Pink Ink Pad (Worn Lipstick TH)
Pink Marker (Cameo Coral SU)

Supplies - All Together Now Mini Album Tutorial 6-6-2011

Purple & Black DP (C9D)
Black CS (M & GP)
White CS (CTMH & GP)
Chipboard (recycled)
Cricut & Pooh Font
Charm Dangles (TH)
Bind-it-All & 1-1/4" o-wire (ZU)
Scor-Tape
ATG Tape

Supplies - Wish Upon A Star5-30-2011

Wish stamp set (CTMH)
Pink Swirl DP (DCWV)
Green Galore CS (SU)
White CS (GP)
Pink Passion & Green Galore ink pads (SU)
1-3/8" & Scallop circle punches (SU)
Pink Eyelash Yarn (LB)
Magenta Stickles (RGR)