by Susan Itell | May 26, 2015 | Tips and Tricks!!! |
Good Morning and if you are anything like me, you will be so confused all week with what day of the week it is! I adore the holidays but I always think I am on another day!
The countdown has begun…the NEW – AMAZING – FUN Catalog will be available one week from today! I say WOOT-WOOT and YIPPEE SKIPPEE but one thing that I know will make you super happy is to be organized and ready for the new catalog.
WHY??? I want you to have fun with the new goodies, but I also want you to make sure that you know what you have already and I know personally, if I am organized and know what I have – I make better choices and am not so overwhelmed (and also do not over spend!!!)
In yesterdays comments, Nancy asked for me to share with you my craft space. I will be happy to do a post on it and once the new catalog rolls out I will. It has been a "learn by trial and error" but it works for me!
I have a question for you…(now I am talking about your craft area)
What does being organized mean to you?
Here are a couple of thoughts that I have and perhaps they will ring a bell with you as well!
- CHANGE – we all seems to struggle with change but ultimately we embrace it and accept it…this will happen with the new catalog as well. We will be saying good-bye to some of our "old faithfuls" but also saying "hello" to some new friends.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping your old friends (we know that sometimes they are the best….for me, I would not part with Petal Potpourri and also So You…just 2 of my best friends)
Because I am a demonstrator, I do separate the stamps that are being discontinued and I will pick the ones that I really, really like, and then the others, I separate and will sell them (I kinda feel like the movie Toy Story when Buzz Light Year was sold)
- PAPER – we all seem to have LOTS of paper….we LOVE our paper…we find it hard to PART with our PAPER….but here is a system that works for me and I hope that you find these tips helpful.
I do have a permanent section in my craft area for full sheets of paper but before I had them built in, this is what I used and I still use it for my scraps! Most of you can get by with 1 bin but I always found that I needed 2 when using it for both full sheets and for scraps.
Below you will see a bin that I am talking about. You can buy them at any office supply store, probably Walmart as well but I know that the office stores have them. You can see that hanging file folders fit right in. (There is also a lid that snaps on that will not crunch your paper, I never used that unless I was lugging my paper somewhere for a workshop etc…..)
Now my full sheets are in their "special homes" but I use these bins for my scraps. You can see that I put a piece of the specific color of paper in the file tab and then used the sticker with the corresponding name on it to label it.
You can click this – Download Stampin' Up! Color Files June 2015 that I have created for you. I hope that you find them helpful and you will see other ways that I use the labels for other products.
I use the Avery Labels #8167 (they are the return address size)…I love the easy of creating and printing from home! Please feel free to email me if you need to. You can see that I have added just about everything in the catalog that I would find labels to be handy for! (I told you I was type A)
I am a stickler for storage saving tips and tricks. I think that we often receive products that can be re-used again and again. I love the little plastic containers our buttons come in…in the below picture you can see how I have used them with the labels I made.
I like to use the 2 1/2" circle punch to pop out a color that coordinates with the product inside, and then use the 2" circle punch to pop out a white circle and then pop a label on it! In the catalog we have a catty that would hold all of these (I do not have it as I keep them out of sight in a drawer) but this would be super handy if you are short of space.
I will share with you in another post about how I like to store my 12 X 12 Designer Series Paper…..I am sorry that this post is so long…
I truly believe that if you find a system that works for you…than you will not only be happier, you will be more productive – and to me = a total WIN-WIN! It sometimes takes many tries on finding out what works…but to me, that is life!
It's TUESDAY and that means the WEEKLY DEALS – click here to see the goodies!!!! Please feel free to email me if you need any help!
I hope that you can pop back tomorrow as you will see who won the Monday Challenge as well as see the offerings I am doing for the Project Shares for the new catalog….there will be paper swatches, paper shares, ribbon shares and a fun card for YOU!
by Susan Itell | May 25, 2015 | Super Easy |
Good Morning and Happy Memorial Day! I know that many of you have been missing the Monday personal challenges that I like to do….so here you go! I think the theme is super fun!
What are the guidelines??? Easy and have FUN with it! All you need to do is make a card/project using a color from each of the Color Families that we have in Stampin’ Up!
I know that you are going to have fun with this one. Here is my take on the challenge and I am using one of my favorite stamps….the single stamp that is appropriately called “Watercolor Thank You” and I am doing the HAPPY DANCE as it is carried over in the new catalog!
Why do I adore this stamp?
EASY = it is a single stamp = a great price!
FAST = what a cinch to whip up!
CLASSIC = “Thank You” is always necessary and always in style!
Here are the colors that I used and the Color Families that they are from!
NEUTRALS – Whisper White (the card base & I used the note card size…love this size)
BRIGHTS – Pacific Point (the sentiment was stamped in this)
SUBTLES – Soft Sky (the background used with the Aqua Painter…so easy to do…just swish…swish…DONE!)
REGALS – Crushed Curry (the punched flowers from the Itty Bity Accents Punch)
IN COLOR – Lost Lagoon (the centers of the flowers made with the 1/8” hand-held punch and the mat behind the stamped piece)
This is a “Susan Card to the MAX” – I just love everything about it and the best thing is ….it is SUPER fast, SUPER fun and the color ideas are endless!
So how about giving this a try….you can use whatever stamp your little heart desires and all you need to do is use an ink or paper from each of the color groups! You will have FUN!
All you have to do is email me your FUN WORK OF ART and one person will win! Here comes a WOOT-WOOT! Please email me by tomorrow night (Tuesday by 9 p.m.) and on Wednesday I will announce the winner!
What will you win??? You’ll LOVE it…..it will be a swatch ring that I make with all of the colors of paper that Stampin’ Up! offers including the NEW In Colors!
This week is a FUN week of posts for me….
Tuesday – An organization post that will make you smile as I will be sharing a PDF that will make you be an organized Queen/King and also the NEW weekly deals!
Wednesday – The post that many of you have been emailing me about, My Paper Swatches, Paper and Ribbon Share…woot-woot – lots of goodies without breaking the bank!
Thursday – The Pals Paper Art Challenge
Friday – The "must haves" in my opinion to get ready for the new catalog and my top picks for "must haves" from the new catalog in supplies….
Saturday – Show and Tell Saturday (Part #1 of a 2 day post)
Sunday – Step It Up Sunday (Part #2 of the weekend post)
You know what I say to you…a BIG THANK YOU! Hope to see you back…..tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | May 24, 2015 | Masculine, Step it up Sunday! |
Having a great weekend? I sure am…..here is the stepped up version for this weekend and I can honestly say….I am not sure if it is stepped up or not!?!? It still was super easy, but it it just took a couple of extra steps!
I could not get the "collage" deal to work this week but I think that you will be able to see the main differences…I will bullet point them but I think that it is pretty straight forward!
Below is yesterday's card!
- This card I let the DSP be the fun focal part to the card…I adore this paper and again, this would be a "keeper" paper stack…"just in case" for a great masculine card –
- I also did not use any dimensionals on this card…it is totally flat!
Here is today's "stepped up" version…. (see the below bullet points )
- I changed up the DSP pop….I switched it and let the Always Artichoke be the focal with also running it through the Big Shot with the Stylish Stripes Embossing folder!
- "Behind" the shoes I added a 1/2" piece of Very Vanilla with a 1/4" piece of Always Artichoke to set the "shoes" off!
- I also changed the position of the sentiment….I think that it "set it off" better….but you can easily do it either way!
- You can also see the Stampin' Dimensionals were "key" today – we sure do love our stampin' vitamins!
- I did not touch on this yesterday….but I kept the envelope the same….I chose to use both of the colors on the back flap…I thought it was simple yet masculine….I love doing this as it saves on the DSP that you use!
We are having a FABULOUS weekend…doing everything and nothing all at the same time! We simply do not need to do anything but be together to have a fantastic time!
James made it home safely and brought "Leo", his rescue puppy! (sorry, no pictures of him as he will not stay still long enough to get a good picture) – he is having a BALL playing with our 5 dogs and he came with a TOTE BAG OF TOYS!
Here is another picture of the "OLD MAN" and he had a BLAST yesterday playing away! I think it is sooooo funny that he loves his toys!
Enjoy this day, and I hope that you are being able to celebrate the holiday weekend with family and friends …and if not – go do something FUN for yourself! We all need to rejuvenate from time to time and this weekend for me is a wonderful example of getting my battery re-charged!
I did something that I have not done at all this year! I was able to ride yesterday…..even if I just walked "Oscar" it was a start! He had surgery in February and this is the first week that we can "walk" him with someone on his back.
Hannah has been doing this all week and today was "my turn" as she is leaving this morning for her internship for the summer and she wanted to make sure that "Oscar and I" would be ok together….rehabbing a horse takes A LOT of time and a LOT of PATIENCE!
Until tomorrow….it is a personal challenge time!
by Susan Itell | May 23, 2015 | Masculine, Show and Tell Saturday, Super Easy |
Happy Weekend….here is the 1st of the weekend posts for you! Father's Day is right around the corner and I know that we all seem to struggle with masculine cards so…….here you go! This is a very fast card to whip up!
Today I have made this for a Fathers Day Card as I stamped the inside of the card with that sentiment but this layout could also be stamped with a "way to go"….for someone that did something great…or a retirement etc….remember, think out of the box to maximize your stamp sets!
I shared when you when I blogged about this stamp set before, I was on the fence about purchasing it as I was afraid if it was retired etc…but GREAT NEWS – it is being carried over and I am thrilled as this is a wonderful masculine set.
This card is a 5" square Card in Very Vanilla and then the layers are in Always Artichoke and the oh so handsome paper from the Adventure Awaits Paper Stack!
TIP!!! – If you are interested in purchasing this stamp set….I would do it BEFORE the new catalog launches and go ahead and purchase it as a bundle as this paper stack will be retiring and it is a KEEPER for masculine cards…you can see in the scrolling store at the end of the post. Also, remember to use this hostess code K3VX2TKD and hopefully you will win the hostess rewards (wouldn't that be a woot-woot)
Using the stampin' trimmer and some scraps, I simply cut 1 1/2" squares and then stamped the shoes – EASY-PEASY! To get the alignment, I adhered the center one and then did the sides – then you know…..out came the marker and some simple dashes did the trick!
Going back to the scrap bin (don't we just LOVE using up scraps) I stamped the sentiment and then POPPED it out with the Modern Label Punch, (again, our punches are certainly SPEED TOOLS in my opinion!).
I also popped one out with the Always Artichoke and then cut that in half and mounted it behind the sentiment! The addition of the candy dots seemed fitting today!
Making the custom envelope is a cinch with the Envelope Punch Board…for basically $20.00, how can you go wrong? It is such a lifesaver and time-saver when making odd size cards! Simply follow the measurement chart to find what size of paper you need and then punch and score away!
I told you that this was quick! To me it is quick but also a simple masculine WOW! I hope that you pop back tomorrow to see what I have come up with to give it a bit of change, I think that you will like it!
Here is a picture of my dear old man Eddie….this is just priceless. It has been beautiful on the East Coast but the evenings have been chilly. Eddie shivers…and in the evenings he likes to have a coat on!
He adores toys…and is very protective of them (it is funny, I swear he knows them by name) – this is "Mr. Monkey"…we were fixing dinner and then going to watch a movie…when we came into the family room…here is what we found, Eddie and Mr Monkey front and center for a great evening! I hope this makes you smile as much as I did!
Enjoy your day and go make some memories!
by Susan Itell | May 22, 2015 | Embossing Folders, SNEAK PEEK!!! |
Can you believe that the weekend is here already and this weekend is the "kick off" for the Summer to officially begin! Time flies!!!
Here is another sneak peak of a NEWBIE stamp set that will be in the new upcoming catalog, you can click here to see the earlier post this week using it!
My goal is to showcase with you many different ways that you can use a stamp set so you can really get the best bang for your buck!
This card is a one layer card and I will share with you bullet points to make this. Remember to think out if the box – this was a fun card to put together and I just allowed the sentiment to shine!
- Stamp the sentiment and the flowers on a piece of whisper white. (I used the memento black – just love that ink pad as it always gives such a crisp stamp!)
- Using the circle framelits and Big Shot, cut out the stamped image.
- Use the Aqua Painters and use the cucumber crush and daffodil delight…add some fun color. When you do a minimal amount of coloring like I did here today, you can easily get by without using watercolor paper!
- Run a piece of white that is 1/4" smaller than the base through the big shot with the fun polka dots embossing folder.
- Cut a hole out of the embossed piece using the circle framelits.
- Make a green "ring" with the circle framelits (remember, you just use (2) of the framelits….easy!)
- Using the 3/4" punch , make lots of punches using the NEW In Color Envelope Paper and adhere these fun dots on the embossed image…(this paper is a dream, it is super light weight and sooooo easy for lining envelopes – the price is great as well = a win = win!!!)
- Envelope Liner Framelits to the rescue to give that classic finished touch that we all love!
To me, this is a FUN card! What do you think? The color, Cucumber Crush just screams being happy and who wouldn't love receiving this?
This was like a puzzle to put together and it was FUN to do, every element just fit into the cut circle of the white embossed piece….presto! – No dimensionals today but the POP of fun color of the circles makes the WOW happen!
In the next week I will be doing a fun post listing the "must haves" of staples that we need to have handy to make put crafting process smooth sailing and then when the new catalog comes out…I will add to the list! We have some new "speed products" coming out that I think make doing what we do much easier!
Thank for popping in….be safe if you are traveling….I'm doing the happy dance as peep James is coming home for the weekend! Please remember that if you are ordering from my site, please use the hostess code of K3VX2TKD – this is good until the end of the month, one person will win the hostess earnings.
I hope that you will be able to pop in over the weekend for my (2) day post that you all seem to enjoy!
