Cr8ive ME

Cr8ive M.E. Black Friday Specials

2010-11-26T09:40:00.003-06:00

Speaking of Black Friday deals, did you know that I have an Etsy Shop.

And all Black Friday - Cyber Monday I'm running a FREE Shipping special on
ready to ship items in my shop.

Here's a sample of some things in my shop.

Etsy
Cr8iveME

Creative Components™ Clearance

2010-11-26T08:59:00.001-06:00

And for the final Black Friday - Cyber Monday deal.

We have all four of our Creative Components on sale! Get 'em at this unbelievable deal before they're gone!

www.theangelcompany.net

If you are intersted in this special feel free to email me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

So Big Special

2010-11-26T08:56:00.002-06:00

And yet another great Black Friday - Cyber Monday special from The Angel Company.

While supplies last, purchase Kaleidoscope Brites Soar With It Collection™ and receive So Big, a brand new, never-before-seen stamp set FREE! So for under 20 bucks not only do you get 16 bright and colorful 12 x 12 cardstock sheets, 2 coordinating alphabet die-cut sticker sheets and 1 coordinating cardstock tags and tabs sheet, but you get a $10.95 retail-valued, never-released stamp set FREE!

www.theangelcompany.net

If you are intersted in this special feel free to email me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Package of Pretty

2010-11-26T08:51:00.002-06:00

Here's another great Black Friday - Cyber Monday special from The Angel Company.

While supplies last, purchase never-before-seen ©Mabelle.R.O.™ Purses and Savor the Sweetness stamp sets and receive Mia's Cottage Soar With It Collection™ FREE!

www.theangelcompany.net

If you are intersted in this special feel free to email me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Palette™ & VersaMagic™ Refill BOGO

2010-11-26T08:44:00.005-06:00

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Here is one of the wonderful specials being run by The Angel Company during
this Black Friday - Cyber Monday weekend.

I'll be posting more shortly.

This one is a great way to get stocking stuffers for that crafty person in
your life or for your own stash. ;)

BTW - Sorry I haven't been posting as I'd promised but I'm recovering after
being hospitalized briefly for a horrendous Asthma attach which was exacerbated
by my Anemia.

www.theangelcompany.net

If you are intersted in this special feel free to email me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Oh Happy Day!

2010-11-10T20:47:00.001-06:00

Hi!

Oh what a Happy Day it will be when you get this adorable
stamp set.

www.theangelcompany.net

Isn't this just the cutest set you've seen?

If you totally agree and would like to place an order feel free
to give me a buzz at (512) 961-6481.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Don't you LOVE surprises

2010-11-10T20:43:00.001-06:00

Hi!

I just love surprises don't you. And this one sounds FABulous.

www.theangelcompany.net

If you are interested in getting in on this surprise feel free to call
me at (512) 961-6481 and let me know.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

$5 Brown Bag

2010-11-10T20:41:00.003-06:00

Hi!

This is an awesome deal for any scrapper/card maker whether you are
purchasing for yourself or as a Secret Santa present or even a stocking
stuffer.

www.theangelcompany.net

Feel free to call me at (512) 961-6481 if you are interested in this deal.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Stamp Pa Palooza

2010-11-10T20:37:00.002-06:00

Check out this awesome deal

www.theangelcompany.net

Feel free to call me at (512) 961-6481 if you are interested in participating
in this deal.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Long time no post

2010-11-10T20:30:00.002-06:00

Hi!

I don't know how many of you there are left on here but for those of you that are I greatly
appreciate your patience.

I promise to start posting again more regularly in the new year for sure. Even if it's just
to let you know about what's going on in my Etsy shop.

Speaking of my Etsy shop if you haven't been there please check it out
here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Cr8iveME

Also I do still continue to write my tutorials but I have taken them off of my blog
as to try to get more traffic onto Paper Craft Planet. So if you would like to view
my tutorials please feel free to visit here:
http://www.papercraftplanet.com/page/tutorials-2

You will not just see my tutorials there but also the whole Tutorial Teams tutorials
too along with some that have been provided by some wonderful scrapbook and
paper craft companies.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Stamp-A-Stack Class

2010-07-31T10:55:00.004-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to let all y'all that live in the Austin area or will be in the Austin area
that I do have a Stamp-A-Stack class on the calendar over at Facebook.

You can find it here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=114517858599666

This class will be on the 29th of August. So there's still time to sign up.

It will be for the low price of $17. And what do you get for that LOW price?

We will make 9 cards each month. One set will be Christmas, another set is
seasonal and one general set design. This allows you to keep up with your
card needs plus explore different designs and techniques. An instruction
sheet will be provided, which lists what technique and materials were...used
to create each design. The NEW 2010-2011 TAC (The Angel Company) catalog
will be there and the stamps we will use in the class can be found in that catalog.

You must bring adhesive and scissors for the class.

Location:Lone Star Retreat
101 Eastview Drive
Georgetown, TX

Date: August 29th

Time: 1pm

Payment: $17, can be sent via PayPal

For details see: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=114517858599666

I will post a couple of sneak peeks of the cards we will be making
in the coming weeks.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Christmas in July 2010

2010-07-22T21:08:00.001-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to be sure to let you know about the Christmas
in July Special that is happening right now available from
The Angel Company.

If you'd like I would be happy to place an order for you.

Just leave a message for me here in the comments section
with your email_at_hosting site.com

www.theangelcompany.net

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Spooky Sets Now Available

2010-07-22T20:58:00.002-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to be sure to let you know that the
Spooky sets are now available from The Angel Company.

If you'd like I would be happy to place an order for you.

Just leave a message for me here in the comments section
with your email_at_hosting site.com

www.theangelcompany.net

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Gatefold Shirt Card Tutorial

2010-06-23T08:24:00.001-05:00

Hi!

I wrote this tutorial for Paper Craft Planet, which was sent out in their
recent email.

And as I promised I'm sharing it with you, today.

Gatefold Shirt Card Tutorial

This card would make an excellent birthday, congratulations or any day card for the
men in your life.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Changing blog layout

2010-06-22T08:20:00.001-05:00

Hi!

You may notice that I changed the background for my blog in honor of Eclipse coming out in
a little under a week.

I might change the banner as well, however doing that will probably require doing another overhaul to the blog.

Setting up tomorrow's blog post too. As promised I'm going to post the tutorial I wrote
for my Father's Day card.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Happy Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T22:55:00.004-05:00

Hi!

I hope everyone is having a Happy Father's Day, whether you are celebrating it with your Father, Husband, Step-Dad, Father-in-Law, or Grandfather.

Take the time out of your day to remember to let them know how much they mean to you.

It's been a while since I've posted a card.

I promise that soon I will post more especially since I plan to kick my teaching career into full gear.

Yup that's right, my teaching career.

I will post the tutorial on how I created this card within the next day or two.

I'm hoping that they do post it to PCP, but as I haven't heard anything back I'm not certain of that.

So if it doesn't get posted by Wednesday I promise to post it here for you.

I created this card for my Step-Father in honor of Father's Day.

I feel very blessed to have a wonderful supportive husband and that my mother and my husband's mother have wonderful supportive men in their lives too.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Updated Blog - Tutorials Now Easier to Find

2010-06-03T07:54:00.002-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to let you know that I've made my tutorials easier to find.

I've placed a list right on my sidebar which will not only direct you to my
tutorials but also the specific one you are looking for.

It's just my way of making life a little easier.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

June 2010 - Stamp of the Month

2010-06-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

This is an awesome special from TAC just in time for those 4th of July
celebrations.

If you would like to participate in this please email me at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

www.theangelcompany.net

Mini Folk Flag - June Vintage

2010-06-01T09:21:00.001-05:00

This is an awesome special from TAC just in time for those 4th of July
celebrations.

If you would like to participate in this please email me at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

www.theangelcompany.net

Ordering through TAC

2010-05-30T08:04:00.006-05:00

Hi!

I know you're probably wondering how to order stamps with
The Angel Company through me. Which I truly love and appreciate.

Currently I don't have a website with TAC. Mostly because my
business is still starting and I don't have the funds to spare to start
up my website.

However, you can PAYPAL your order at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com
and I will send it to you ASAP. Plus, by doing it that way I can better take
care of you, by preparing your product the same way that I prep it
for my local customers. Also as a Thank You for doing it that way I will send
you some extras - i.e. card samples, embellishments, etc. that TAC doesn't
send.

To view the catalog. Please visit The Angel Company here. And it will direct
you to what's in the catalog for your area. Also although I know you all
love my blog and supporting me, this will also lead you to a TAC Demo in
your area if you would prefer to order locally.

I'm not trying to create any pressure here to order from me. Just a supportive,
creative environment. Of course, I do truly appreciate any orders you make through
me.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Changes

2010-05-26T15:22:00.003-05:00

Hi!

I'm making some changes to my life and my blog focus.

No worries, there will still be stamping on here of course.

However, the main focus will be on my stamping business which
is with The Angel Company.

I've stepped down from 2 of the 3 Teams that I am currently
on. So I'm no longer on The Stamping Boutique or The Digi
Shack's Design Teams. I am still on the Paper Craft Planet
Tutorial Team.

I still love digital stamps and stamping but now I'm going to
refocus the blog onto rubber stamping with The Angel Company
stamps.

Also, I'm going to start adding more cards to my Etsy Shop -
Cr8ive ME Paper Crafts.

I hope that I can still keep you my loyal followers, but I know
that some of you may leave.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Bon Appetit

2010-05-12T20:22:00.003-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to share this epicurious concoction of a card.

It's perfect for the chef in your life.

It actually reminds me of these Italian chef figurines that they keep at the
kitchen my mom works at.

I have this card for sale in my Etsy shop.

Have you checked it out yet? I have some of your fave cards listed there and
will be uploading on a more regular basis.

So check out Cr8ive M.E. on Etsy.

This card uses Manic Monday Freebie Fundays image from The Digi Shack, check
it out here. And The Digi Shack's Sketchbook Wednesday challenge.

I still really like TDS' designs although I am no longer a part of the team.

So you should definitely go check things out.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Cr8ive M.E. ETSY Shop

2010-05-09T17:14:00.001-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to be sure and share the good news with all of you.

Cr8ive M.E. now has an ETSY Shop.

Yup, that's right. So all of the wonderful cards and projects
you view on here can now be purchased at Cr8ive M.E. on
ETSY.

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Referral Rewards

2010-05-09T01:34:00.002-05:00

I am always so flattered and honored when someone thinks enough of me and my services to refer a friend. Now I'd like to say thank you through Referral Rewards.

Earn gift certificates good toward class fees and/or The Angel Company product.
$5 for each new customer or class participant
$10 for each new hostess
$20 if your referral becomes a demonstrator

Yes, these rewards do stack! This means you could earn a total of $35 for each new person you refer to me.

***While workshop hostesses are not eligible for the $5 Referral Reward for new customers (i.e. new customers at their workshop) because they are already receiving The Angel Company's Hostess Benefits they are eligible for the $10 and $20 Referral Rewards.

Please contact me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com if you have any further questions.

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

May & June Jubilation

2010-05-03T09:19:00.002-05:00

This is an awesome special for May & June.

If you would like to participate in this please email me at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

www.theangelcompany.net

May 2010 - Stamp of the Month

2010-04-30T09:15:00.000-05:00

This special starts tomorrow but I'm giving you a head start on the info
today.

If you would like to participate in this please email me at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

www.theangelcompany.net

Our Final Farewells

2010-04-30T09:12:00.001-05:00

This special will end on June 25th, so hurry while there's still time.

If you would like to participate in this please email me at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

www.theangelcompany.net

Summer Squares - May Vintage May 1 - May 31, 2010

2010-04-30T09:06:00.001-05:00

This special starts tomorrow but I'm giving you a head start on the info
today.

If you would like to participate in this please email me at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

www.theangelcompany.net

Happy Wednesday Drama Queen

2010-04-28T19:00:00.002-05:00

Hi!

Happy Wednesday!

Yay! Just 2 more days till Friday.

Today I have The Digi Shack's Wednesday Sketch Challenge to share with you.

I used Monday's Digi Shack FREEbie image. Yup, you heard me right it's a FREEbie
image and you can find it here. But hurry cause FREEbies don't last for long. But
no worries as this will go up in the shop for the low, low price of $1.

The background is some scrap from one of my SU! packs. Let me just say thank
goodness for double-sided paper, it just makes it easier for a crafter to craft.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Little Mermaid gift card

2010-04-26T23:30:00.003-05:00

Hi!

Today The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring I Love Cupcake Craft Challenges.

It's Challenge 88 - Don't be Square. Hence the reason the mermaid is in a circle
card.

I just love this image from TSB. Her name is Dawn and she can be found here
among the "Enchantment" line.

The card uses all scraps and is a scrapling card.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Michelle Perkett Studio Earth Day Blog Hop

2010-04-25T17:32:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Michelle Perkett Studio Earth Day Blog Hop!!

You should have just visited Claire's blog. If not you should definitely start
the hop at Michelle Perkett's blog.

We are so glad you joined us!!

To celebrate Earth Day all of us participating were to create something using only recycled material (other than ink and markers/paint)and to get creative with our recycled plastic, paper, cardboard and whatever we liked, as long as its recycled!!:)

Also, there must be some green in each design as well!

I am so happy to be able to participate and do my part in celebrating Earth Day!!:)

Your next stop is Ileana's blog!! Enjoy all the wonderful entries and please leave a comment on everyone's blog that you visit and let them know how much you appreciate their Earth Day creations!!:)

Some details about this card. The image within the tag is backed by chipboard which I got from
the back of a notepad. And the flowers which I've punched out are from a Victoria's Secret shopping bag. The card base is a scrapling, you see I prefer to purchase 12 x 12 designer and
card stock. The card measures 4 x 5 1/2.

Here's the blog hop list:

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

EXCLUSIVE FREE STAMPS GIVEAWAY

2010-04-25T17:31:00.002-05:00

Hi!

This is BIG BIG BIG news.

I am offering my EXCLUSIVE FREE STAMPS GIVEAWAY for a very limited time!! For every $30 you spend in product you will get to pick FREE Stamp of your choice from my list. The stamps will be sent to you seperately from your order by US Priority Mail.

Order early to get the best selection and email me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com with your CHOICE. FREE Stamps go fast so don't delay in ordering!!

Please note that these are EXCLUSIVE The Angel Company stamps which are
acrylic block mounting stamps.

Offer honored for all orders April 25th - May 4th.

If you place an order for this deal it will also be counted toward the
"Cr8ive M.E. Loyalty Loot".

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Cr8ive M.E.'s Loyalty Loot

2010-04-25T13:51:00.004-05:00

I appreciate your Customer Loyalty
and to show my Gratitude,

I am announcing my

NEW & EXCLUSIVE

Thanks for Shopping with M.E. -

"Cr8iveM.E.'s Loyalty Loot"

Effective immediately YOU will earn

"Cr8ive M.E.'s Loyalty Loot"

for every $15 in product,
when you shop with ME!!

When your
"Cr8ive M.E.'s Loyalty Loot"
totals $200,
you will get a
$30 Shopping Spree
from M.E.!!

I work very hard to provide you the
very BEST Customer Service
I possibly can,
so no worries about "keeping track" of all your shopping totals...

I will do that for YOU!!

Treasure Pieces...
Tucked inside your
Hand Stamped Thank You card
for every order you place,
you will receive a
"Treasure Piece"
for every $15 in product you purchase
from M.E.
Each month the
"Treasure Piece"
will be different.

Remember that I
will be keeping track of all your
purchases,
so go ahead and feel free
to use your
"Treasure Pieces"
on your projects as an
embellishment.

How FUN is THAT??!!

The current
"Treasure Piece"
is
"flowers".

C'mon & get YOUR Loot!!

Woohoo!!

Muy Importante (IMPORTANT)

Shopping Information...
I have 2 ways for you to
view our products please visit
The Angel Company
website first or email me
and I will send you a catalog.

Ordering Options...
I have 2 ways for you to order with me.
It's all about EXCELLENT Customer Service!!

Whatever works for YOU, works for ME!!
1. Email me your order along with your shipping address & telephone number and I will be happy to place the order for you.
2. Email me, with your phone number and let me know you have an order you would like to place and I will call you and take your order over the phone.

Visa, Master Card, I have PayPal and good old fashioned CASH accepted.

I am here to help you in anyway
that I can to have the very best shopping experience,
so please contact me at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com
with any questions you have.

For you DAD

2010-04-21T07:59:00.004-05:00

Hi!

Today is Sketchbook Wednesday over at TDS blog.

Below is the sketch. I didn't see it on the TDS blog.

You will definitely find a lot of inspiration from the DT though. So I
definitely encourage you to participate with us today. I promise the
DT will stop by and leave you lots of LOVE if you do.

Today I choose to go with a Father's Day card idea you will also see
that some of my fellow DT members choose to go with either Father's
or Mother's Day card ideas too. FYI: Mother's Day is on May 9th
I know that's soon.

So on with the deets about this card.

The buttons came from my stash and the inner circle where the sentiment
is well that's a CM shapemaker that's no longer available as I believe they've
done away with all the smaller shapemaker sets in order to make room in their
inventory for the NEW shapemaker shapes.

And the sentiment stamp is from The Angel Company. Do you have an
Angel in your life? Do you have questions about TAC? If so I would love
to be of help to you please feel free to email me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com
just put something about TAC in your subject message.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Digi Shack, The Angel Company Thinking of You

Paper: My Mind's Eye Check Her Out

Ink: Bic Mark-Its, Sharpies, Copics, Uniball Silver Gel ink, SU! Classic Chocolate Chip

Accessories: CM Shapemakers Circles

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Calling All Sistah's!

2010-04-15T21:02:00.001-05:00

Calling all Sistah’s!

The Digi Shack Design Team Call

It’s that time again where we are looking for a few fresh faces to join The Digi Shack.

If you LOVE digi’s you’ll love being part of our family! We are looking for new design team members. We’ve recently lowered our prices on our images to just $1 each to do our part in saving the world of paper crafter’s money! We are also adding a few new lines to our shop including some fabulous templates!

Open to:

U.S. and International English speaking applicants

Please read the following very carefully before submitting your application. It is very important that you follow the directions as that too is part of the determining factor of you becoming a DT member

· 3 pictures of your VERY BEST work. Photos must be sized at 640x480. This can either be cards, layouts with pictures or altered items

· A paragraph (not a sentence) about you and why you want to be a Shack Sistah and what you will do to promote The Digi Shack.

· A clickable link to your blog

· A clickable link to your online gallery or galleries

· A list of clickable links to all Design teams you are on. It is favorable that you are not active on more than 3 design teams while you are with TDS.

What is expected of DT members?

If you are chosen to be a Shack Sistah you will be expected to:

· Complete weekly challenges and post to your blog on the challenge day(s).

· Post comments and photos on SNR and PCP and other social networking sites.(this means you will have to have a user account at SNR and PCP)

· You will also be required to leave comments on blogs for all of our TDS fans that participate in our challenges and your sistah’s blogs

· Participate in ALL TDS events where sufficient notice is given.

· It is not required but we encourage all DT members to submit their artwork to magazine publication at least once a month. A list of publications will be provided for you on the DT blog.

You will also be required to participate in Digi Day on SNR on the 1^st Saturday of EVERY MONTH for your term.(this date is subject to change without notice) as well as our monthly Ustream live video feeds (you do not need to have a webcam but you do need to sign up for a free Ustream account so that you can participate in the live chats)

You must use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome as your internet browser in order to view all of our images – both safer than IE and free to download. Our images are not always visible on IE. This does not mean if you use IE you have to delete it, you just need to use Firefox or Chrome while working with TDS images and blogs. You can have more than one browser installed on your computer and it should not harm or interfere with your system.

You must also know and understand how to use digital images. No special software is required but you must be able to print digital images in order to showcase them. Further, you must have a working knowledge of blogging software and understand the basic principles of inserting links, adding photos, etc.

A digital camera to photograph your work is required. No scanned images please.

You will be required to promote TDS by placing a clickable blog button on your blog. (This will be provided to you by TDS if you are chosen to be on the team)

You must have a blog that is updated at least 3 times a week.

You must be willing to commit to a 3 month term (June 1, 2010-Sept 1, 2010)

You will be required to check the DT blog daily to check for updates or new events. This is our main form of communication.

You must be willing to work under short notice. I am not a planner and more often than not, I plan things at the last minute.

Failure to comply with the above terms may result in termination with or without notice.

What do DT members get as part of being on the team?

You will receive free TDS images! This round we are doing things a bit different. Once selected as part of the DT you will receive 3 images of your choice to create with to announce your position on the team. Once I see that these three images are used you may choose 3 more and so on. I’ve found that if I freely give out images then they are not being used to showcase TDS. This isn’t just about getting free images, your position on the DT is to showcase and promote The Digi Shack. As long as you are creating with our images and showcasing them, you will receive all of your requested images. Please remember that this is a serious commitment and I expect that you treat it as such if you are chosen. Please do not apply if you can not commit.

Monthly we will be releasing new images and you will automatically be sent those images before the release date so that you can sneak peek those new arrivals. Those new releases do not count towards your images of choice.

If you think you have what it takes to be a Shack Sistah email your application with DESIGN TEAM in the subject line by May 15, 2010 – Any applications with anything more or less than DESIGN TEAM in the subject line will be disqualified.

Good luck!

Can't wait till next week

2010-04-14T18:41:00.003-05:00

This is an amuse bouche to get you interested in watching
next week's GLEE.

I just love that show. And Madonna is so iconic.

And of course, this one is the original.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

One Stop Blog Hop

2010-04-14T09:02:00.002-05:00

Howdy! Have you herd?

Today The Stamping Boutique is doing something a little different.

They're doing a One Stop Blog Hop. And you get to vote on your
FAVE card. Yup. How exciting is that?

While you are at Bumblebee Creations -vote on your favorite DT card-
and the DT member who has the most fave votes is going to win a blog
candy from me! All images are from The Stamping Boutique and
one lucky commenter will win 4 images also!!!

Thanks for stopping by here and leave your favorite # card in your comment
on Bumblebee Creations.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Celebrate

2010-04-14T08:16:00.004-05:00

Hi!

Happy Wednesday to you!

Yes, I'm still feeling a bit sick so no work for me today.

But I did get a chance to play a little.

Plus, I found out I didn't exactly get the job I was interviewing
for. Oh, well.

At least the birds are singing, the sun is shining, and I'm not
running a high fever today. Trust me that wasn't pretty, I was
having some horrible delusions and trouble breathing.

Today is Sketchbook Wednesday over at The Digi Shack. You've
just got to see the amazing cards that the DT came up with and
can you believe it Toni even participated with an adorable take
on a Mother's Day card. She used an image that hasn't yet been
released to even the DT. So you definitely will want to check that
out.

Oh and don't forget you can participate with us too! You can even
use the image that I used on my card above. It was Monday's
FREEbie and it's still available for FREE. But hurry cause the FREEbies
don't stay up for long. But don't worry it will still be available for
the low price of $1 after that though.

For today's card of course I used the Sketchbook Challenge sketch
but I also took a little inspiration from Sketches! {by tamara} with
using this week's Challenge # 115 - Recipe Challenge. Which was to
use

Brads
Buttons
The Color Blue

Now for the deets on my card.

Well the ribbon, buttons, and brads along with the sentiment stamp came from my stash.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Digi Shack

Paper: Bazzill Basics Paper Wildberry Pie, Basic Grey Offbeat paper pad

Ink: Bic Mark-Its, Sharpies, Copics, Uniball Silver Gel ink, SU! Classic Chocolate Chip

Accessories: SU! round tab punch

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Manic Monday Freebie Fun Day

2010-04-12T22:27:00.002-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to let you all know there's a wonderful freebie available today over at
The Digi Shack blog.

I personally haven't had a chance to work with it yet as I've been sick since
I got outta work on Saturday.

I can barely talk so I had my dh call my manager this morning and the owner
tonight. I did manage to make a call this morning to the owner to let him know
I was having trouble getting ready. It took me 20 minutes to get myself into the
shower this morning. So no crafting fun for me today. Hopefully tomorrow I will
feel well enough to craft.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Friends Forever

2010-04-10T08:08:00.002-05:00

Hi!

Today I've altered a Laura Ashley notebook with Silhouette which has
got to be my favorite The Digi Shack image to date. You can check her
out along with the rest of the wonderful images from TDS here.

You can see all the fun 3D projects the DT made here.

And if you are interested in purchasing these wonderful digis you can
see the whole line here.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Thinking of You

2010-04-07T07:50:00.002-05:00

Hi!

I didn't turn my work in on time I guess. Although, I did send it yesterday
for The Digi Shack.

The reason why it's late is because I've been JOB hunting and trust me after
the meeting we had at my current job yesterday there's even more of a reason
for me to look.

*** WARNING: TMI MOMENT ***
Turns out my new boss is a Child Molester. Yup, he didn't even have a good
reason to defend himself and the owners of the store I work at said they
would not be letting him go, even if the rest of the staff left.

For those of you that know me this isn't exactly a situation I want to be in
given my background. Let's just say I've had a visit from Mother Nature for
25 years and I'm only 33, which means it didn't start naturally it was forced.
** END OF TMI MOMENT YOU MAY NOW RETURN TO REGULAR POST**

So I called back on my last interview to check the status. And I've got
another interview with them this Friday.

I love the new silhouette that TDS came out with. Just wish I could find my
CM CCS blades. Guess, that's why I'm scoping out EBay.

You should definitely check out what the rest of the DT did. I don't know how
long Toni will be keeping me but hey I will take the blame for everything around
me going to pot and creating a chaotic environment which isn't conducive to my
creativity.

And if you are interested in purchasing the stamp I used or any of the stamps
the DT used please visit here.

Happy Crafting,
M.E.

New Images @ The Digi Shack

2010-04-04T20:50:00.004-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to share with you a couple of the new images over at
The Digi Shack.

Digi Day was yesterday and if you missed it there were some HUGE
announcements.

So huge that you've just got to go visit the SNR group and keep in mind
TDS does Digi Day at least once a month. So you might just want to join,
just to make sure you keep track of all that's happening.

So here are my cards:

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Dreaming of Pink Somethings

2010-04-04T20:29:00.003-05:00

Hi!

I hope everyone is having a Happy Easter.

I created this card a couple of days ago for this week's Stamp
Something challenge. Which is Pink somethings.

Well, this is the week I go to the Dr to see what's up with my
body. I've been having a visit from Mother Nature every 2 weeks
since December. Which doesn't necessarily help with our house
getting to hear the pitter patter of little "human" feet. Don't get me
wrong I love my boys Einstein and Newton but it would be nice to
have a little person who looks a little like me and dh.

That's where I found my inspiration to create this card(the little "human"
feet). The image is of course from The Stamping Boutique. Tracey does
some spectacular artwork.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

It's DIGI Day @ SNR

2010-04-03T20:04:00.003-05:00

Hi!

Want to know where I'm at?

I'm headed on down to The Digi Shack's DIGI Day over at SNR.

And you won't believe the love that's being shared.

Like what? Well how does 50% off sound. You've got to head on
down to TDS' DIGI Day.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

HoPpY EaStEr

2010-03-31T10:18:00.003-05:00

Hi!

Today I created 2 cards to wish you all a HoPpY EaStEr.

Both of these cards use a lot of the same elements. But are definitely
unique and different in there own way.

For the 2nd card I used this awesome template I found over at House
of Stir Fry. It's their Egg Card Template.

Last week as you recall TDS had a shape card challenge. And today
they're hosting a sketch card challenge. So in honor of both I'm
bringing you 2 cards.

You should definitely come and play along with today's challenge over
at the The Digi Shack.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Digi Shack Bunny With Flower

Paper: CM Cardstock Raspberry, Studio 8 Paper Company Easter Collection Egg Hunt

Ink: Copics, Sharpies, Bic Mark-its

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

What's Cookin'?

2010-03-31T09:32:00.006-05:00

Hi!

Today The Stamping Boutique and Creative Belli Blog are cooking up some
fun today.

Yup, that's right TSB is sponsoring Creative Belli Blog's challenge for
today which is Belli #88 Color Spray.

To create my background paper for this challenge I used some overexposed photo
paper that was given to my mil. You could definitely use regular photo paper or
even glossy paper. You know me I'm always trying to reuse and recycle. I also used
Tim Holtz's Adirondack ink and some Blender.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Audrey The Chef

Paper: CM Cardstock Taffy

Ink: Copics, Sharpies, Bic Mark-its, Adirondack Ink Oregano, Red Pepper, Mushroom

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

And the Blog Candy winner is ...

2010-03-29T09:41:00.002-05:00

Susan!!!!

Who left this wonderful comment:

Susan on March 22, 2010 9:17 PM said...: Here's my card :)

Susan

http://piecesoffatesusan.blogspot.com/2010/03/some-late-night-art-and-worthy-blog-hop.html

She created an adorable card using chipboard. You should definitely go check it out
and leave her some love.

If you know Susan or are Susan please email me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com with your
addy and I'll send your candy on its way.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Easter eggs and Butterfly wings

2010-03-28T13:31:00.004-05:00

Hi!

It's just 1 week till Easter weekend.

Today I'm sharing the card I made for Easy Craft Projects, it's
Challenge #9.

It's awesome that The Stamping Boutique has been sponsoring some
awesome blogs.

The ribbon I used is from my ribbon stash. For those of you that have met
me in person you know how MUCH ribbon I have. So it's awesome for me
to be able to use my stash. And the Easter eggs are from one of the many
acrylic stamp sets that I have.

I used Journal Fairy Cynthia but changed her up a bit by removing the ribbons for holding
the clouds. And in Cynthia's hand I placed a small Easter egg.

I carried the theme into of Easter eggs into the dp I used as well. Can you believe I actually
didn't go into my scraps to find this wonderful designer paper. Nope, I actually started on
a new dp. Yep, it's been a while since I've done that. But it was totally worth it.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Journal Fairy Cynthia

Paper: CM Cardstock Raspberry, Studio 8 Paper Company Easter Collection Egg Hunt

Ink: Copics, Sharpies, Bic Mark-its

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

The Stamping Boutique's Enchanted Blog Hop

2010-03-24T07:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to The Stamping Boutique's Enchanted Blog Hop!

You should have just visited with Kym. Didn't she do a phenomenal job on
her card?

If you didn't you should definitely start at the beginning over at Tracey's
terrific blog. As an added treat Tracey is giving an unreleased Enchanted
image to one lucky blog hopper. You can view this image over at Tracey's
blog.

My image just reminded me so much of Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Which
is why I posted one of my favorite songs from The Little Mermaid for you to
enjoy while you're here visiting.

My card uses the image called Dawn. You can find her here in case you would
like to purchase her today.

Speaking of purchasing. Today The Stamping Boutique is offering 40% off
during the blog hop. To take advantage of this terrific savings type in
the coupon code "enchanted".

Your next stop on the blog hop is Christy. I can't wait to see what treasure
she worked with and what magic she created with it.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Dawn

Paper: CM Cardstock Aquamarine, TAC Sands of Time

Ink: Copics, Sharpies, Bic Mark-its

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

For My Rock Star!

2010-03-24T00:44:00.006-05:00

Hi!

I created this sentiment to go along with today's card.

Today's challenge over at The Digi Shack is to create a card in a non-traditional
size or shape.

Last week the challenge was to create a water colored card.

So I choose to do a twist on both challenges with my card today.

This dp just reminds me so much of water. And the fish is just awesome, btw
he's called Fish Notes and can be found in The Digi Shack.

I also used this dp for The Stamping Boutique's blog hop. Which you will
find above this post.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Digi Shack Fish Notes

Paper: Bazzill Basics Cardstock Island Breeze, TAC Sands of Time

Accessories: KI Memories Heirloom Brads, CM CCS Wavy Frames Patterns

Ink: Copics, Sharpies, Bic Mark-its

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Tutorial Ideas?

2010-03-23T08:27:00.006-05:00

Hi!

I've got a quick question for all of you.

What tutorials would you like to see?

From time to time I write up tutorials that I feel will not only benefit
the community but also you my Followers and readers.

Currently, I'm stumped which isn't good. Thank goodness I don't have
to submit a tutorial until the middle of April. That's why I would like to
start the idea process now so I'm not surprised when the deadline gets
here.

Thank you in advance for helping with this.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Barrel of good wishes

2010-03-22T23:42:00.002-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to share this quick card with you.

The image is from The Digi Shack. It's today's Manic Monday Freebie
Funday image. So you'd better grab it quick while it's FREE because it
will be removed and placed in the shop before you know it.

Another fun fact about this card is that it uses nothing but scraplings. I
know my scraplings are a bit bigger than most but really this card
measures in at 4 1/2 x 3.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Chipboard Tutorial

2010-03-22T21:39:00.003-05:00

Hi!

I issued a challenge this weekend during the OWH Blog Hop to use
Chipboard. A lot of you commented that you don't have chipboard
pieces.

So I wrote up a tutorial on making your own chipboard pieces. I also
posted this tutorial up on Papercraft Planet.

Also, I will extend my drawing on my Blog Candy to Friday for anyone
that posts a comment here and on my OWH Blog Hop post. But only if
you take my challenge which is to use chipboard on either a card or layout.

Did you know you can find awesome tutorials on PCP.
Making Chipboard Pieces

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

OWH Spring Break Blog Hop

2010-03-20T06:59:00.007-05:00

Hi!

Welcome to the OWH Spring Break Blog Hop! You should have just
visited Brianne's blog, she made an adorable card and has some
fantastic blog candy, too. If not, you don't want to miss anything, because
there's great tutorials and blog candy throughout the hop, so you should
start here at the Stars and Stamps blog. And speaking of blog candy if
you look below you will find that I have some awesome bumper stickers
as blog candy today along with whatever else I can stick in the same
envelope.

These are some of the upcoming Deadlines. Don't forget the troops have these
celebrations coming up too, but unlike us they can't just go head down to the
Hallmark Store and pick out a card. So they need our help.

Card Deadlines:
Mother's Day: April 1
Graduation: April 19
Father's Day: May 15
All other cards: anytime!

A little about OWH.

Operation Write Home began in 2007 with just a few cards made by friends
on a message board; what began as an outlet for a hobby has become a much
larger mission to help heroes keep in touch with home - and the effort has
been joined by thousands of cardmakers!

OWH receives handmade cards donated by crafters across America
(and beyond!). Cardmakers range in age, location, and level of skill; cards are
provided by individuals and groups, schools and scouts, companies and
churches. All have one primary thing in common: a desire to serve those who
defend our nation!

This is my creation for the hop:

For this I wanted something springy that would PoP! And because I
couldn't pick just one stamp to use. I decided to go for simple. So this
is all done using die cuts from Quickutz and Sizzix. I believe the dp is
from Stampin' Up!

Also, I am offering some blog candy. All you need to do is create a card using
chipboard along with your_at_email.address and post it back here for a
chance at the candy below. The only other rule I have about this candy is that
I will only send it in the USA .You don't even have to become a Follower unless
you want to ;).

I will also add some other goodies that I can fit into the same envelope as these
bumper stickers. Here's a pic of some of the candy you'll be getting. I'll draw
the winner at midnight on Tuesday 3/23/2010.

We were asked to say a little something about why we are participating in
the hop. And there's not really 1 specific reason for me. I mean I live in
Austin, TX which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Ft. Hood. If you
don't know about what happened at Ft. Hood, here's a link you can read. Plus,
the men in my family have served our Country, including my Step-dad's
brother. And my mom and step-dad aren't even from this country they're from
the Philippines so believe me I am fortunate to be born in the USA. So if my
making a card and sharing a little information with you helps show our troops
how much we care for them I'm more than happy to do so. I just wish I could
do more because the Troops do so much for us.

So please remember these deadlines.
Card Deadlines:
Mother's Day: April 1
Graduation: April 19
Father's Day: May 15
All other cards: anytime!

Your next stop on the hop is Stephanie's blog.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

An Irish Blessing

2010-03-17T22:02:00.003-05:00

Hi!

I've got one more St. Pat's card to share with you and An
Irish Blessing to boot. But first a little more info on this card.

I created this card for the Digital Tuesday Challenge that
The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring this week. The challenge
this week is to create a St. Patty's Day or Lots of Green card.

And the image I used is from The Stamping Boutique she's
Irish Audrey. She's awesome for your St. Patty's Day scrapbook
pages or late St. Patty's Day cards. Or if you are fortunate enough
to have visited Ireland she'd be great for a layout for that too.

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Flowers and wings

2010-03-17T21:59:00.001-05:00

Hi!

This week's challenge that The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring over at
Practical Scrappers. What's the challenge? Well, it's to use Chipboard
and a TSB image.

And the Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers challenge this month is from
Cheryl and her challenge to us was to "Think Green".

So that's exactly what I did in more ways than the colors that I used but also
in way of my materials. Mainly my chipboard.

This is how I did it:

With some chipboard and my sizzix die. Where'd I get the chipboard? From a
paper pack it was in the back helping to stabilize the paper pack. That's what
I recycled. That's why it's a "Green Card", oh plus there is green in the colors, too.

Oh by the way. Can you tell I LOVE Swinging Cynthia? I do but I can't wait
to share with you the image I'm going to be playing with for TSB's Blog Hop
which will be coming up soon.

Don't you just love that striped dsp that I used? I think it's just super cute.
And it's available from The Angel Company. Have you heard of The Angel
Company? Would you be interested in learning more or shopping with The
Angel Company? I'd be glad to help, just drop me a line at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Materials Used:

Stamps: TSB Swinging Cynthia

Paper: TAC More Mimi

Accessories: Sizzix Flower Layers #4

Ink: Sharpies, Bic Mark-its, Copics

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Happy St. Pat's Day

2010-03-17T16:27:00.003-05:00

Top O' The Mornin to ya or should I say evenin!

That's my best try at sounding Irish, which clearly I'm not. But
hey aren't we all a little Irish today?

I would have posted this sooner except we just got back from
purchasing our NEW 2010 Subaru Forester in Paprika Red. Very
caliente.

As is the image that I worked with today. OK. I was playing around
with my Paint.Net file again. So no you can't technically get this image
from the website but I promise this is totally a The Digi Shack image.

I picked her up a while ago as Lani Patriotic. However, I don't think
she's up in the store. So she's probably a little outdated. But I love
her. She totally looks like she could kick butt.

Happy St. Pat's Day!!!

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Discount Today ONLY!

2010-03-11T19:57:00.003-06:00

Toni got up this morning in a good mood so she thought she'd share that good mood with all of US by offering a discount for TODAY!!!

Receive 15% off of your order of $10 or more today only. Simply enter 3945WVV3 upon check out.

**Make sure that you enter this code BEFORE you log into paypal. The discount is not a paypal discount and must be put into your shopping cart before you check out!

Since this was originally posted at 6:50 AM PST. I'm assuming this SALE is good until 6:50 AM PST.

So there's not time to waste check out The Digital Shack.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

On butterfly wings

2010-03-11T12:31:00.006-06:00

Hi!

What would I do without my Flickr acct?

Thank goodness I have it, so that when I'm away from my computer and can't
type up my blog posts as normal, I can go to my Flickr acct and it will let me
short notes to you.

Today's pocket card was created for TSB's Sketch Challenge. You've got to
see all the awesome pocket/tag cards the DT gals made.

Materials Used:

Stamps: TSB Swinging Cynthia

Paper: BasicGrey Marrakech paper pad

Accessories: Flora Doodles from Petaloo, SU! 1" Circle punch, Sizzix Tags, Scallop

Ink: Sharpies, Bic Mark-its, Copics

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Psalm 97:1

2010-03-10T14:30:00.004-06:00

Hi!

I created this card for The Digi Shack's watercolor challenge today.

This was an interesting challenge for me as I don't have watercolor paper
nor true watercolors.

Instead I used my Aqua Painter and my ink pads. It took me a couple of tries
to get it just right. But I've got to say I love the result.

The sentiment I used is from The Angel Company, it's Be Still. Have you heard
of The Angel Company? Would you be interested in learning more or shopping
with The Angel Company? I'd be glad to help, just drop me a line at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Materials Used:

Stamps: TDS Bud Blossom, TAC Be Still

Accessories: CM CCS Oval, Flora Doodles from Petaloo, Aqua Painter

Ink: SU! Old Olive, Regal Rose, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

I admit it ...

2010-03-08T22:31:00.004-06:00

I'd go bananas without YOU my followers and your loving words of
encouragement.

Don't you love these dancing bananas. They're so silly.

How silly. Well, when I showed this card to my dh it reminded him of
this song.

This digi stamp is of course from The Digi Shack. You can find them and
all the NEW images here.

The great sketch that I used for this comes from the CTMH Originals Card
Confidence Program. CTMH has awesome books for both scrapbook and
card layouts.

Materials Used:

Stamps: TDS Dancing Bananas

Accessories: SU! Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch

Ink: Sharpies, Bic Mark-its, Copics

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Live, Laugh, Love

2010-03-08T21:39:00.004-06:00

Hi!

We had a death in the family and I've been helping my mom cope. I've just
been so burnt out on work. My scrapbooking business isn't exactly where
I'd like it to be.

Basically, life has been getting me down lately but it's always important to
remember to "Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much".

This month TSB is sponsoring Practical Scrappers and the challenge today
is to use White Gel pen.

The sketch I used on the card is from SCS, it's SC269.

Challenges:

Practical Scrappers ~ white pens/markers
SCS ~ Sketch

Materials Used:

Stamps: TSB Journal Fairy Cynthia, SU! Spring Garden

Accessories: DCWV Birthday Adhesive Ribbon

Ink: Sharpies, Bic Mark-its, Copic, Uniball White Gel Impact pen

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

The Digi Shack Blog Hop

2010-03-07T11:00:00.007-06:00

Welcome to The Digi Shack's Blog Hop!

You probably just visited Marlene's Blog. Didn't she do a fantastic
job!! If not you should start out at The Digi Shack so you don't miss a thing.
This is an introductory blog hop to the NEW Design Team and all of the
NEW images from The Digi Shack! Yesterday was our Digi Day over at SNR.
Throughout the hop, each Design Team member will be providing you with a
challenge. Each of these gals are super talented.

I hope to be able to be as talented some day.

My challenge to you is to "Create a SHAKER card". Which was a challenge for me
too. As I've never done one before but I always think they look awesome.

I used Bunny Luv (which can be found HERE with the rest of the
NEW Release) and I didn't want to leave him hanging out all by himself. So
I added a few embellishments. The ribbon is from my scrap stash and goes
along with the theme of this card which is spring and flowers and since this
little guys an Easter Bunny he of course had to add an Easter Egg. The
Easter Egg is from Hobby Lobby.

The flowers inside the shaker part are from my scrap stash. And the container
holding them is a mini sandwich bag. That's at least how I decided to do my
shaker card. I used the CM Custom Cutting System Oval to cut around Bunny
Luv and then fussy cut the sections around him out.

This awesome image is from The Digi Shack. You've got to check out the NEW
images they're AWEsome!!

Your next stop on the hop is Ramona. I can't to see what she's got in store for us.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Audrey's New Dress

2010-03-06T23:28:00.006-06:00

Hi!

Today TSB is sponsoring Pile it On.

The Challenge: THE ONE YOU MUST (only one color +neutral)... so
one color + white or black or cream or brown... I choose Brown and Pink.

And in the tradition of Pile it On. I did find another challenge to pile it on
top of which is SCS Sketch Challenge 270.

The image I used here is Audrey's New Dress. I think she's one of my
favorite images.

Challenges:

Pile it on ~ the one you must (one colour and a neutral)
SCS ~ Sketch

Materials Used:

Stamps: TSB Audrey's New Dress

Accessories: Bazzill Basics Ribbon Brown Dashed

Ink: Sharpies, Bic Mark-its, Copics

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Sneaky peeks of TDS

2010-03-03T22:57:00.003-06:00

Yup.

That's right. I've got some sneaky peeks of the upcoming The Digi
Shack images.

And I will be using one of these images in my project for the BlOg HoP this
coming Sunday.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Butterfly wings and swings

2010-03-03T22:34:00.004-06:00

Hi!

Today The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring Little Hands do Crafts blog. The
challenge this week is FANTASY.

And I just knew that Swinging Cynthia would be just perfect for this. She is
currently SOLD OUT in rubber. That's why I'm going to direct you to the digi
version, just as an FYI.

Materials Used:

Stamps: TSB Swinging Cynthia

Accessories: Sheer Blossoms by Creative Impressions, DCWV Birthday Adhesive Ribbon

Ink: Sharpies, Bic Mark-its, Copics

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

We're heading on down to ....

2010-03-03T07:48:00.002-06:00

The Digi Shack!

Bang! Bang! Bang on the door.

You have been heard and new images from The Digi Shack are
coming and guess what I'm on the NEW Design Team over at
The Digi Shack.

TDS will be hosting digi day this Saturday over at SNR and Sunday
will be a BlOg HoP! Woo hoo!

I'll be showing off some sneaky peaks later today.

So until then I found some theme music.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

1 for the books

2010-03-01T23:02:00.003-06:00

Hi!

This week The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring Cards For Men
challenges. What a fun idea for a blog, I know I certainly never seem to
have enough guy cards. Their challenge this week is paper piecing, check
out this fun challenge here.

As well as Paper Sundaes challenge blog this week. That's where I
got my great sketch for this card. Check it out here.

For the sentiment I created it myself. Tried to find a good font to use
on a guys card.

Materials Used:

Stamps: TSB AJ Sitting, KK's Books

Paper: CM Bountiful Harvest designer paper

Ink: Sharpies, Bic Mark-its, Copics

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Did you know ...

2010-03-01T15:53:00.002-06:00

March is National Craft Month?

National Craft Month
Drop by and find some fun ways to celebrate National Craft Month in March.

Sherri Osborn
Family Crafts Guide

March is National Craft Month! What a terrific reason to celebrate! For those of us who love to craft, vow to try a new crafting technique during National Craft Month; or perhaps you can teach someone how to do your favorite craft. I think National Craft Month can also be the perfect excuse to pull all those half-finished projects out of their hiding places and get them done.

For those who don't make crafts, what better reason to start crafting? Crafting has many benefits; it can help reduce stress, bring families closer together, and you can learn new skills also!

Not sure what craft to try? Here are some creative ideas that might help:

* Paper Mache * Decoupage * Scrapbooking * Macrame * Stenciling * Wearable Art * Crocheting * Woodworking * Sewing * Ceramics * Rubber-Stamping * Recycling Crafts * Floral Arranging * Home Decorating * Jewelry Making * Beading * Basketry * Crafts for Kids * Tole Painting * Candle Making * Cross-Stitching * Soap Making * Mosaics * Collage * Embroidery * Dough Art * Sculpting * Metal Punch * Appliqué * Masks * Knitting * Batik * Stained Glass * Weaving * And Lots More *

As a side note:

In honor of National Craft Month, I will be hosting a crop in my home and you are welcome to join me. Feel free to contact me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Pocket full of TSB Blog Hop

2010-02-26T07:00:00.003-06:00

***Please read my side bar or look under this post if you are here
for Inktegrity's hop.***

Welcome to DAY 1 of The Stamping Boutique's February Blog Hop!!!!
That's right this is just DAY 1 of the hop, I can't wait to see what craftiness
comes up on DAY 2 of the hop.

You should have just visited Rhonda's blog. If not, the entire blog hop is
listed in order below for DAY 1!! And DAY 2 starts tomorrow over at
Jennifer's blog.

Now on to my card and image:

and the surprise:

I converted my pocket patootie image into a pocket card. It took some time
to do in Paint.net but I like the result. I used Doll Pocket Patootie.

If you are interested in purchasing the images you see throughout the blog hop
feel free to stop by The Stamping Boutique. And if you do stop by Tracey is
giving 35% off during the hop, for all you wonderful hoppers, use the coupon
code of "bloghop"-- and it is good until Sunday at midnight!! Yahooo!!

Now you can continue on to Melissa's blog to see another special image.

Thank you for stopping by! Ya'll come back some time you hear.

DAY 1

Inktegrity's Welcome Spring Hop!!!

2010-02-26T06:18:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Inktegrity's Spring Hop!
You probably just visited Jacquie's blog. If not, the entire blog hop is listed
in order below. This is a celebration of the awesome Design Team and all of
you who create with Inktegrity! All of these images that you see on our blogs
were created by request of each member. Along the hop, there is a letter for you
to collect - no need to unscramble as it is spelled out for you.

Simply email the phrase to jonjinko@hotmail.com with the phrase in the
subject line and she will email the freebie image to you.
In addition, be sure to leave a comment on the Inktegrity blog (the last on
this hop) so that you are eligible to win your choice of 5 of these images!!!

Now on to my card and image:

and sentiment picture:

I truly enjoyed being a Guest Designer for Inktegrity. Joni makes such
awesome images they are truly delightful. And the Design Team gals are super
talented. And they truly are some of my favorite chicks.

For this hop, my letter is R
Now you can continue on to Diane's blog to see another special image.

Thank you so much for coming by!

Sheri
Kelly
Tracy
GD Tammy
Laura Jean
Melissa
GD Dawn
Tenia
Jacquie
GD Mary
Diane
Jeanette
Joni
Inktegrity Blog

4-some-1

2010-02-25T22:29:00.003-06:00

Hi!

Today TSB is very busy.

And tomorrow I will be too. I've got 2 blog hops posting tomorrow.

But for today I want to let you know about a couple of challenges
that TSB is doing.

Today Stef's got a challenge for you. It's Sketch Challenge# 8. And as
always you've got a chance to win some awesome images.

Also TSB is sponsoring Cute Card Thursday and their challenge is
Ribbon-Tastic. So go check it out here.

Do you think I used enough ribbon?

Well, I'm off to create and prepare posts for tomorrow. If I have time
I'll be able to include more details about this card.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Celebrate Her

2010-02-23T18:05:00.002-06:00

www.theangelcompany.net

Feel free to contact me about this at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com if
you are interested in learning more about it.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

No-Stitch Ruching

2010-02-22T21:51:00.000-06:00

Hi!

Today the PCP Newsletter comes out and here's the tutorial I wrote.

No Stitch Ruching

Also I created this card for a couple of challenges. Although, one of them
I'm kind of not sure if I qualify for. You see Our Creative Corner has a Try
A New Technique challenge and they said " if you're stumped for a new
technique, check out the Resources on SplitcoastStampers or the
Tutorials on Papercraft Planet."

Well, since I am on the PCP Tutorial Team, that's why I'm not sure if it
qualifies or not.

The other challenges I created this card for are both on the Club Anya &
Friends blog. Although, I didn't include the sentiment. Oops.

One is Sketchy Saturday and the other is Wild Card Wednesday - Paper
Piecing.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Greeting Farm Dressy Camille digi

Paper: Overton House Designs SCBP12 - Caramel Toffee Vintage Flowers/Linen Mini Dots

Ink: Sharpie, Copic R00 Pinkish White, R11 Pale Cherry Pink, Bic Mark-it Tuxedo Black, Honey Brown, Woodsy Brown

Accessories: Bazzill Basics Ribbon Brown Dashed, Flora Doodles by Petaloo

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

No to Digi Bandits

2010-02-22T14:40:00.004-06:00

Hi!

I wanted to bring to your attention a terrible theft that is going on.

A lot of people may not even realize they are committing a theft but
that's precisely what it is.

I went to go visit my friend Joni's Inktegrity blog and saw this post on
her blog. Check it out here.

This is not the first time I've heard of this. Karen's Doodles has also
experienced this and you can read about it here as well as get a FREE
digi that you can post to your blog to help spread awareness of this
crime. Read about it here.

Most of you that read my blog have seen Inktegrity's stamps as I was a
Guest Designer.

And I have and continue to work on Digital Design Teams. You can see the
list of DTs I've been on and am currently on in my sidebar.

Digital stamps are a godsend because they not only are beautiful stamps
but are inexpensive, easy to store (since you store them on your computer),
and are resizable. These are being created by fantastic artists and should
be paid for their work. When you share a digi stamp you are preventing
someone from purchasing the stamp from the artist and that is wrong. So
please do not send digi stamps to your friends via email.

As my friend Joni has stated:
"You may make a few tangible copies for a friend, send a couple wallets sized
ones to your sister, or even print out a sheet for a young crafter to enjoy, but
please no cyber sharing."

If you are interested in trying out digis. There are some digis that are free to
give you a taste of the stamps and if you are interested in finding a place to
find these you can check out the Free Digital Stamps blog.

Sorry to be so serious but I wanted to bring this to your attention.

I promise to have some fun stuff up later today though, as soon as the PCP
Newsletter comes out today.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

xoxo Audrey xoxo

2010-02-18T11:55:00.004-06:00

Hi!

Today's a busy day for TSB.

Yup that's right. We have 2 challenges going on right now over at The
Stamping Boutique.

Today being Thursday is time for Stef's Sketch Challenge #7. Check it out
here for your chance to win prizes.

Also today TSB is sponsoring "I Love Digi" Challenge and plus it's their 1st
challenge. The challenge is to Think Pink. So you'll definitely want to go
check it out here.

So you not only have 1 chance but 2 chances starting today to win an
awesome TSB prize. And don't forget to go check out Tuesday Morning
Sketches as well for a chance to win an awesome prize from TSB.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Audrey's New Dress

Paper: The Angel Company Kraft Paper

Ink: Bic Mark-its, Sharpie, Copic R00 Pinkish White, R11 Pale Cherry Pink, W2 Warm Gray No.2, Uniball Silver Gel Impact pen

Accessories: Martha Stewart border die, SU! Sizzix Embossing plate

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Paw prints and presents

2010-02-18T10:10:00.006-06:00

Hi!

I wanted to post this 2 days ago but with work and a sick dh I just haven't
had a chance to sit at my laptop and type.

This adorable little guy comes from The Stamping Boutique of course. I just
love him. And I totally remembered having this great dp in my scrap stash.
I used it when I was making my Einstein's scrapbook.

So of course, I had to use this for my card using this sweet puppy. By the way,
you can find this image here.

The green background paper is also a scrap piece of paper that I just stamped
my puppy paw print stamp on. I actually bought this particular stamp for
when we send cards to family. I usually use it to represent my dogs signature.
Silly I know but they're my kiddos and they don't have the ability to sign for
themselves.

I created this card for the Tuesday Morning Sketches #33. This week TSB is
sponsoring them. And of course there is a fun prize involved so you'll want to
go check it out.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Puppy Surprise

Ink: Bic Mark-it Honey Brown, Woodsy Brown, Palette Ink Black, VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad
Accessories: DCWV Dog Adhesive Ribbon

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Happy Valentine's Day 2010

2010-02-14T20:53:00.010-06:00

Hi!

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

My dh wanted an original card made specifically for him for Valentine's Day.
So although I did dedicate my Love Letter blog hop card to dh I created him a
new one.

I found inspiration from Clear & Simple stamps. And I just had to
CASE(Copy And Share Everything) their card.

Here's the original.

For my card I used VersaMagic Perfect Plumeria Archival Multi-surface Chalk
Ink Pad which can be found in The Angel Company catalog. If you are interested
in purchasing VersaMagic ink or have any questions about it feel free to email me
at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com It's amazing ink because it looks good on both white
and black cardstock.

I used a Martha Stewart border punch for the second piece of cardstock. Can't recall
the name right now.

Materials Used:

Stamps: CraftSmart lip stamp (Micheal's), Studio G

Paper: Archiver's Black Linen Cardstock 12x12

Ink: VersaMagic Perfect Plumeria

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Audrey's Card Pattern

2010-02-13T08:02:00.003-06:00

Hi!

This week The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring Card Patterns.

And the prize is your choice of either 5 digis or 3 rubber stamps!!!

How exciting is that? So you've definitely got to go check this site out, here.

I felt really inspired by the name of the blog. At least the patterns part
and for me that also meant texture and fabrics. Blame it on my major of
Fashion Merchandising.

Also, I've just noticed that I'm really into paper piecing lately. Don't know
why it just seems to speak to me more. And these felt flowers are my fave
embellishment right now. I don't recall what company made them but I do
recall that I purchased them at JoAnn Fabrics in the sewing/notions section.

I tend to drift around the big box craft stores, i.e. Micheal's, JoAnn's, and
Hobby Lobby.

The Stamping Boutique image that I used is Audrey's New Dress. Check her
out here.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Audrey's New Dress

Paper: BasicGrey Nook & Pantry Strawberry Shortcake/Nap-2041

Ink: Sharpie, Copic R00 Pinkish White, R11 Pale Cherry Pink, W2 Warm Gray No.2, Bic Mark-it Moonstone Yellow, Yellow Blaze, Woodsy Brown, Fandango Pink, Pink Uniball Silver Gel Impact pen

Accessories: DCWV All Dressed Up Lipstick Adhesive Ribbon

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Sweet Sleepy Baby

2010-02-11T22:20:00.004-06:00

Hi!

Today is Stef's Sketch Challenge# 6 over at The Stamping Boutique blog.

Check it out here.

This is a TSB digi however, I can't recall where I found it or how I obtained
it. I know it makes you want it more. Doesn't it?

I love the sketch that Stef came up with this week, although I did change it
up a bit.

So you'll definitely want to go check it out and see what the rest of the DT gals
did with it.

The sentiment is from The Angel Company, it's one of the Hostess Level sets.
If you're interested in learning more about how to obtain it feel free to email
me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

The star brads are from my scrap stash, although I do think I may have
obtained them at JoAnn Fabrics. The dp for the baby's outfit and blanket
along with some other papers in the card are from my personal scrap pile.

I've got a lot of scraps and I can't just throw it out. So I guess I'll be using
it for a while.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique, The Angel Company Label Lingo

Paper: Bazzill Basics Paper Strawberry Splash, Frances Meyer, Inc Sleepy Little Lambs-Girls

Ink: Sharpie, Copic R00 Pinkish White, R11 Pale Cherry Pink, Bic Mark-it Moonstone Yellow, Yellow Blaze, Lemon Bliss, Plumtastic Purple, Polynesian Purple

Accessories: DCWV Missy Adhesive Ribbon

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Love Letter Blog Hop

2010-02-06T22:22:00.004-06:00

Hi!

Welcome to the Love Letter Blog Hop sponsored by Michelle Perkett Studio!

If you've just happened upon my blog you can click HERE to start.

Otherwise you should have just come from the blog of Micki. Didn't she do a
fantastic job!

The card I created today uses the OCC Sketch Blog's OCCSC1 sketch, check it out here.

My Love Letter is to my dear husband. He's such a wonderful guy and even
though we don't always agree with each other we do still love and support one another.

Words aren't always my strong suit. But at least whenever I really want to show
my hubby how much I care I can sing him our song.

Don't worry I won't hurt your ears by singing it. However, I did want to share it here.

Now onto the lovely and talented Sheng. I can't wait to see what she created.

Happy Crafting.
M.E

Puppy Present for you

2010-02-06T07:23:00.004-06:00

Hi!

I've got the best present I've seen in a while to show today.

It's Puppy Surprise from The Stamping Boutique. You can find him here.

I used him on TSB's Stef's Sketch Challenge #5.

Plus, there's a prize: one random person will be selected to win an image of their choice.

So if you're interested you should definitely go check out the challenge, here.

I'd love to tell you where all the pieces came from but it's primarily dp from
my scrap stash. I've got a lot of it to use.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Puppy Surprise, Studio G

Ink: Bic Mark-it Honey Brown, Woodsy Brown, Palette Ink Black

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

P.S. Don't forget today is the last day to do challenges on 365 Cards to win some great TSB digis.

Prince Gael and his Sweet Sketch

2010-02-03T07:52:00.004-06:00

Hi!

Well, today The Stamping Boutique has there hands in just one more pot.

As you know we are sponsoring 365 Cards challenges this week. But today
we are also sponsoring Sweet Sketch Wednesday's challenge.

It's Sweet Sketch 35, check it out here.

I did take a little liberty and went a little differently with the sketch.

I find that I never seem to have enough boy/guy cards. So I'm going to do
my best to create some more this year and share them with you.

The image is from The Stamping Boutique and it's Prince Gael, you'll find him
here in the Medieval collection.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Prince Gael

Paper: CM Bountiful Designer Paper pack

Ink: Sharpies, Copic E00 Skin White, Bic Mark-it Blue Skies Blue, Honey Brown, Oceanview Blue, Moonstone Yellow, Yellow Blaze, Key Lime, Stone Grey, Cloud Nine Grey, Lemon Bliss, Uniball Gel Impact pen Silver

Accessories: Pickle Trims by Rusty Pickle Rustic, Sizzix Bow w/ Arrow

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Cherry Love for TSB

2010-02-02T23:33:00.004-06:00

Hi!

I know it's like deja vu. Yes, I did use the same image from yesterday to create my card today.

This is my first gatefold card using my new Scor-pal. This is a great item that we carry in The Angel Company catalog.

If you're interested in getting one or have questions about it you can send them my way at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

This is a picture with just one of the flaps down.

Just wanted to remind you know that 365 Cards and The Stamping Boutique are teaming up this week.

If you're interested in a chance to win some awesome digis from The Stamping Boutique.

Here are the rules:
1) Each challenge you participate in gives you a chance to win the prize at the end of the week (with up to 7 challenges to win).
2) You have until Sunday, February 7th, at 11:59 PM EST to complete any of the challenges and have them linked up.
3) Each card must be a new creation for the challenge under which it is submitted.

Today's challenge over at 365 Cards is to include the word "LOVE" in your sentiment, check it out here.

The card that I created today was inspired by Digital Tuesday Challenge, the challenge this week is Challenge# 44 - Try a Different Fold. Check it out here.

The stamp that I used is Audrey the Chef. You can check her out here.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Loving from the Oven

2010-02-01T22:22:00.004-06:00

Hi!

Just wanted to be sure to let you know that 365 Cards and The Stamping Boutique are teaming up this week.

If you're lucky enough to win some awesome digis from The Stamping Boutique.

Here are the rules:
1) Each challenge you participate in gives you a chance to win the prize at the end of the week (with up to 7 challenges to win).
2) You have until Sunday, February 7th, at 11:59 PM EST to complete any of the challenges and have them linked up.
3) Each card must be a new creation for the challenge under which it is submitted.

Today's challenge over at 365 Cards is a Color Challenge, check it out here.

The sketch that I used today is from CPS, it's CPS152.

The stamp that I used is Audrey the Chef. You can check her out here.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Did you know ...

2010-02-01T07:23:00.004-06:00

that February is National Embroidery Month?

National Embroidery Month

December 25, 2006 by

Christine Cadena

An Overview of the Observance of Embroidery in February

From children to senior adults, the art of embroidery is a age old tradition often passed from grandmother to grandchild. With simple hand stitches to complex computerized stitching, embroidery is a skill many people will practice during the month of February. Considered the National Embroidery Month, towns across America will honor and recognize the fundamental American values and the traditional art of sewing which dates back many centuries.

Embroidery, an needlework craft, involves a range of stitching from simple hand stitching to high tech factory styled stitching. With so much embroidery around us, most American consumers do not realize the magnitude of the art, and skill involved, with embroidery. As an art, embroidery is not an easy task to achieve. With complex hand stitchings, embroidery stitching is layered to create design and texture. As a result, fine hand embroidered pieces of fabric are often considered of high monetary value. So, as a beginner, how do you celebrate this February holiday celebration?

Visit a local fabric store or shop online and purchase a basic embroidery kit. With most needlework specialty shops providing a full kit to the beginner, the basic outline process for embroidery hand stitching is easily achieved in the convenience of your own home. With a variety of stitches to be learned, beginner embroidery kits often will teach the basic outine stitch to achieve a wonderful beginners piece of art work.

As a beginner in the embroidery needlework art, with an interest in more advanced technology, embroidery can also be learned through the use of sewing machines and digital art work. Using sewing machines with advanced digital design, the consumer can create beautiful pieces of embroidered artwork during the National Embroidery Month observations. For information on digital art embroidery, visiting a local fabric or needlework store will, most likely, provide more useful information than that of an online needlework specialty shop.

Did you know that you could add embroidery or stitching to your crafts. There are some great templates that I personally use for adding stitching onto my cards.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Makeup Jennifer loves 365 Cards

2010-01-31T15:40:00.003-06:00

Hi!

Just wanted to let you know that The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring 365 Cards challenges this week.

Today they are doing a sketch challenge. You can check it out here.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Paper Flower Tutorial

2010-01-29T22:20:00.003-06:00

Hi!

Wanted to share my tutorial that I did this week for PCP.

Paper Flowers Tutorial

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Have fun storming the castle - The Stamping Boutique blog hop

2010-01-22T08:43:00.003-06:00

Hi!

Welcome to The Stamping Boutique blog hop.

We are introducing Tracey's new Medieval Collection.

To provide a little more motivation I'm sharing these 2 videos with you today.

My post was a little late today. Sorry, I've had some health issues. I'm still
waiting on the results for a skin biopsy that my Dr. did.

If you would like to join the blog hop it starts here.

This is my card. And why I'm going with the storming the castle motif.

Materials Used:

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Prince Gael

Paper: CM Bountiful Designer Paper pack

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

MLK Day

2010-01-18T21:26:00.001-06:00

It's MLK day and I figured I'd share a few quotes from him.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better. (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one. (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Craft Room Organization

2010-01-16T22:40:00.026-06:00

Craft Room Organization

From LoveToKnow Cleaning

Finding the right craft room organization system will help you enjoy your projects easily and efficiently so you
can spend more time crafting and less time searching for tools, materials, and patterns. Having a craft room is
not enough; it has to be organized or you will end up with a variety of unfinished projects in a cluttered room
instead of a neat supply area and completed projects to share.

Home Organization

Keys to an Organized Craft Room

There are two principle factors that decide whether a craft room is organized or not: ease and accessibility.
The room should be easy to keep organized and materials should be easy to find – difficult filing or storage
systems will create frustration and a chore-like feeling instead of enjoyment. Similarly, all materials should
be readily accessible so no project requires a lot of digging or reshuffling to reach specific tools or materials.
The most used tools and materials should be the easiest to access, while less frequently used materials can
be stored in more out of the way nooks.

Ideas for Craft Room Organization

The most important thing to remember when organizing your craft room – as with any home organization – is
to choose an organizational system that works for you. Not every type of organization is suitable for every
type of craft, and if you enjoy several crafting hobbies you may need several different systems of organization.
Fortunately, there are many ways to approach craft and hobby room organization, such as:

Decluttering:
When you first begin to organize your craft room, eliminate old materials, leftover bits of projects, and
patterns you are no longer interested in completing. By decluttering your craft materials, you will
free up a lot more space to be efficiently organized.
Project Area: Your room should have one central area where you can work on current projects.
The surface area of the table should give plenty of workspace, and needed materials
should be able to be temporarily stored nearby for whenever you have a moment
to work on the project.
Surface Area: The table workspace area you use for ongoing projects is most efficient if
everything is within easy reach. Tables shaped like a U, T, or L are most efficient and maximize
your workspace and storage area. If you don’t have a shaped table, add on to a basic table with
freestanding worktables or other surfaces that can be moved if necessary.
Lighting: Natural light is most comfortable to work with, so choose a craft room with large windows
or skylights and position your workspace area near the best light sources. Fluorescent lights also
provide good, bright lighting, and you may want to include magnifying glasses with lights or lights that
can be repositioned to help with different projects.
Seating: Wheeled office chairs can help you easily access all your craft materials in a well organized
room. The chair should also be comfortable and at the right height relative to your workspace area.
Brainstorming: If you have several craft hobbies you enjoy, a bulletin board or chalk board for jotting
down new ideas can be a useful way to keep organized instead of using scraps of paper that can
be lost or tossed out accidentally.
Labels: Clear plastic bins and easy-to-read labels are perfect for crafters. Label all storage bins
clearly, but do not use unusual abbreviations that you may forget if you don’t work on the project
frequently.
Immediate Access: If there are specific tools and materials that you use with most projects, such as
scissors, a glue gun, or a small sewing kit, they should be stored in an immediately accessible area.
You can also opt for a wall or drawer organizer for these materials and can change them to reflect
your ongoing project needs.

Storage

The most important thing to consider when creating your craft room organization system is appropriate
storage. All materials will need to be suitably stored so they are easy to find and use as well as being
protected from dust or damage. Storage tips for your craft room include:

Organize similar materials by color.

Use clear containers that can be labeled, stacked, or rearranged for different projects.
Consider a color coding system for different types of projects.
Arrange similar materials in a logical way, such as sorting threads by color or beads by type
and size.
Use all available space for storage, including over-the-door racks, window benches, under seat
storage, and wall pockets.
Choose easy to access storage containers, such as revolving trays to reach items in the back of
a shelf without moving everything.
Use containers that are appropriately sized for each material so you aren’t tempted to mix different
items together in a too-large container.

No Room for a Craft Room

Even crafters who don’t have the space for an official craft room can take advantage of proper organization
techniques to efficiently utilize the space they have. An armoire or closet can be organized for craft
space, or storage containers can turn a basement, garage, or under bed area into a craft space that is
easy and convenient to use.

Keeping Your Craft Room Organized

Once you have organized your craft room, it is essential to keep it organized. Don’t put off putting materials
away! Take out the trash, tidy up the room, and keep materials in their proper places to ensure the next time
you use the craft room, you can find everything easily. Furthermore, make the craft room and off-limits space
for children and pets to ensure there are no accidental messes or mix ups.

The right craft room organization can make indulging in your hobbies easy, efficient, and enjoyable. Find an
organizational system that works for you and stick with it, and you’ll be able to enjoy your crafting hobbies
more than ever.

For more tips on all types of crafts, visit LoveToKnow Crafts!

Retrieved from "http://cleaning.lovetoknow.com/Craft_Room_Organization"

Initial Author: Melissa Mayntz
Recent Contributors: HVLong, Mary White

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Artists Homemade Christmas Cards

2010-01-12T10:10:00.003-06:00

Artists' Homemade Christmas Cards

A new exhibition of seasonal greetings from artists such as Alexander Calder and Philip Guston celebrates the handmade holiday card

By Abby Callard
Smithsonian magazine, December 2009

Americans last year sent more than two billion Christmas cards, and a great many bore a familiar sentiment printed in an overseas factory and boxed for mass consumption. The more than 100 holiday cards in a new exhibition at the Smithsonian's Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, each one designed by an artist for personal use, represent a fresher approach to a tradition that is for many of us, let's admit it, something of a chore. Most of the exhibition cards celebrate Christmas, while several acknowledge Hanukkah and the New Year. They were selected from the Archives of American Art's collection of artists' ephemera, which also includes journals, sales receipts and snapshots.

The thick brushstrokes and cartoon-like blazing fireplace in Philip Guston's 1970s Christmas card are unmistakably his, reminiscent of his darkly primitive renderings of hooded Ku Klux Klan members. "Right away you see that style, but it's happy," Mary Savig, one of the exhibition curators, says of the Guston image.

In 1929, Alexander Calder, best known for his wondrous mobiles, took time out from Cirque Calder, the wire-sculpture circus he showed in Paris and New York City, to create a playful linocut New Year's card, perhaps the exhibition's most ribald season's greeting.

A 1989 card by Pablo Cano, a Miami-based Cuban-American artist known for his marionettes, depicts a dove in a swirl of blue. "This would sell well," says Savig, who, as it happens, worked for a greeting-card company in Minnesota during high school. "Doves always sell well."

But the cards in this exhibition weren't about making money. They were for friends, family and maybe a gallery owner or two. Not meant for public viewing, they give us an intimate, unguarded view of artists doing what we count on artists to do: break through the canned sentiments and commercial clutter of their time to make a personal statement.

Check out the awesome cards here.

This exhibit is so inspiring to know that not only do us crafters/stampers make our own homemade cards(or at least aspire to) but that actual artists who have art hanging in galleries do too.

Hopefully today I'll be able to craft a card or two. For now, I'm busy organizing my craft room and doing a load of laundry.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

From TAC - While Supplies Last!

2010-01-07T21:38:00.001-06:00

www.theangelcompany.net

Remember you can always contact me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com if you are interested
in this special.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

TAC's Giga Grab Bag

2010-01-07T21:34:00.001-06:00

www.theangelcompany.net

Feel free to contact me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com if you are interested in this
special.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

TAC Final Farewells January 2010

2010-01-07T21:30:00.003-06:00

www.theangelcompany.net

Feel free to contact me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com if you are interested in these stamps.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Stamp Spree!

2010-01-07T21:27:00.002-06:00

www.theangelcompany.net

Remember you can always contact me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Did you know ...

2010-01-02T14:38:00.003-06:00

that January is National Hobby Month.

Rubber Stamping Blog

By Kate Pullen, About.com Guide to Rubber Stamping

National Hobby Month!

Monday January 5, 2009

January is National Hobby Month, so this is a great excuse to try your hand at something different! If you are new to arts and crafts, or perhaps have thought of yourself as not being particularly creative, then why not give rubber stamping a go? One of the things that I really enjoy about rubber stamping as a craft is that while at one end of the scale many experienced rubber stamp artists produce wonderful and detailed work, at the other end complete beginners can produce great results with the absolute minimum of supplies or skills. I love the fact that people who have never had the opportunity to be creative before can quickly make their own handmade greeting cards or add their own personal touch to a whole variety of items.

If you are still not sure, take a look at Rubber Stamping for Complete Beginners for more information. If you would like any help and advice to get started then you are welcome to drop into the Rubber Stamping forum and pick the brains of our friendly stamping community.

Rubber stamping is a good introduction to other crafts too. Many stampers learn more about other arts and crafts such as painting and drawing or use stamping within other crafts like scrapbooking, jewelry making, pottery and cross stitch. There are many other exciting hobbies to have a go at - take a look through the About.com Hobbies Channel for more ideas.

If you are new to stamping or scrapbooking and would be interested in learning more about it feel free to email me at cr8iveme_at_gmail.com, I offer classes in my home or would be happy to do a One-on-One in your home. I will also send materials and instructions if you are not in my area.

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

New Year's Resolution 2010

2010-01-02T03:39:00.004-06:00

HaPpY NeW YeAr!!!!

Sorry, I know it's already day 2 into the New Year and this is the first chance
I've posted anything personally.

And that's what brings me to my New Year's Resolution.

I hope that with your encouragement I'll actually be able to accomplish these goals.

So let me begin.

Resolution #1 is for me.
To start to get to feeling better and exercise more. (I have my Wii Fit to help
with that, just need the motivation.)

Resolution #2 is for the blog.
I'd like to have regular postings. (This may mean that I get everything ready
ahead of time. I do promise that if I do this I will make sure that all the
pictures that go with the post are up. I've noticed on some other blogs that the
pics don't always come up because they've posted way too far in advance and
wound up removing some of the pics on their computers to save space. So they
don't show up on the posts.)

Resolution #3 is for my business.
I'd like to start scheduling monthly crops/classes in my home.(Which is fine by
dh, except that I need to keep my house cleaner ahead of time. Currently there
are 2 couches in my living room, the 1 I'm sitting on now then behind that is my
coffee table and behind that is 2nd couch.)

Resolution #4 is a way to bring in more revenue.
I think I'm going to look into opening an Etsy shop and posting the cards I
make onto there for SALE. (Since I love to create, this shouldn't be a problem.
It's just the pricing part that I'm worried about since Etsy takes a cut of the
profit before I see it. And I'd like to be sure I'm making my fair share.)

Resolution #5 is the reason for all the other resolutions.
I'd like to try and have a baby this year. And I need less stress in my life, to be
more healthy, and to be able to quit my job. My dh makes enough money for
me to be able to stay at home except that if I did that now I wouldn't be able to
do the things I love like create. Currently, I get an allowance to help provide for
my supplies and materials for my projects. And if I were to quit my job, now,
we wouldn't have enough for me to continue to get my allowance. Which would
mean no crafting. Which would make me very sad. :(

If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to email me at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Hogs & Kisses Vintage Set

2009-12-31T20:48:00.002-06:00

For info on getting this set please feel free to email me at
cr8iveme_at_gmail.com

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

Back to being Naughty

2009-12-27T01:04:00.006-06:00

Hi!

I wanted to change things up a bit after being so good for Christmas.

Did Santa bring you anything good?

He brought me a Quickutz Silhouette. I can't wait to start using it.

I created this card for a swap I am participating in over at SCS. It's called
It's all about Women. And the sketch also came from SCS, it's Sketch Challenge 255.

And since Christmas is over for another year. I figured now would
be the perfect time to be a little naughty.

I showed this card off to dh and he said she reminds him of Bettie Page.

Here's a video in case you don't know who she is.

Bettie Page
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bettie Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008)[2] was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of pinups".[3] Her look, including her jet black hair and trademark bangs, has influenced many artists.

She was also one of the earliest Playmates of the Month for Playboy magazine. "I think that she was a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society,"[4] Playboy founder Hugh Hefner told the Associated Press.

That's why I'd say she's a little naughty. But don't all men like a woman who is?

Materials Used:

Stamps: Bombshell Stamps Bombshell Angel

Paper: Wausau paper, GCD Studios Tropic Tulips Lost in Paradise Collection, Archiver's Black cardstock

Ink: Sharpies, Copic R00 Pinkish White, YG11 Mignonette, R35 Coral, Bic Mark-it Honey Brown, Rambunctious Red, Palette Hybrid Inkpad Noir Black

Accessories: Micheal's Stores, Inc. Cherries Ribbon

Happy Crafting.
M.E.