Think Outside the Scrapbook

The great part about having my craft studio unpacked and organized again is that I can see what all I have. And believe me, after being in the papercrafting industry for over 15 years, I have more than I can probably ever use in my scrapbooks! That's why, when decorating for holidays around my house, I always turn to my scrapbook supplies first. There is a gold mine of great, seasonal goodies just waiting to be used and enjoyed.

For Halloween I wanted to send a little goodie-bag to my daughter who lives out of state. Nothing fancy, just a little sweet surprise to make her feel less far away. So I repurposed a gift box I'd been saving, added some raffia and a die cut (that has long since been discontinued). I hadn't found a use for it on my scrapbook page, but once I saw it in the drawer I knew it would make the perfect tag! I simply cut it in two pieces, punched a hole in the "new" piece and created a quick, cute gift tag. Total original cost .75, being able to use things I already owned...priceless!

Since I've never been one to decorate much for Halloween, I go right into fall/Thanksgiving decorating mode. I love the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon in the air and leaves and gourds everywhere around my home.

This year I decided to add a little flair to the photographs sitting on the bar next to the dining room table. To one, I added a simple little fall die cut on the outside of the glass, while the other I replaced the white mat around the photo with fall scrapbook paper. In a matter of seconds it looks as if I bought all new frames!

Then I took advantage of two FREE photo printing offers (Walgreen's 8x10 collage print and Walmart's 5x7 photo cards - after tax, total cost = .13!) I cut out the small collage pictures and placed them around one of my favorite decor items....a circular card/note holder. With the addition of a few quote die cuts in fall colors, it is now a Thanksgiving photo wreath! The only new purchase made for the entire bar top area, were the two candles.

enjoy bringing the colors of fall into your home!
-dw.

Deals of the Day!

There are two days left to get your FREE photo desk calendar at Clark Color! Simply use the promo code: RINGIN2010 and it your's for only shipping and handling...a better deal than $8.99 and free shipping in most cases! Gotta love all the free offers out there right now! You even get the choice of having the calendar start with any month you like....say February for a Valentine's Day gift? May for a Mother's Day gift? June for a Graduation gift? Once again, the possibilities are endless.

International Delight has an offer ending soon as well....Sign up to be a Fan on their Facebook site and then click on the Holiday Giveaway tab....they will send the first 100,000 fans who register a coupon for a FREE pint! How sweet is that!?

enjoy the FREE things life has to offer!

-d.

It's THAT time of year again...

Every year at this time - Craft & Hobby Assoc. Trade Show time - I get a little sad. It's like reverse home sickness. After spending YEARS attending and working this incredible show, where all the latest and greatest in the scrapbook industry are unveiled, I've been away from it now for about three years. And I miss it. Terribly. Yes, I came home exhausted and blistered each time, but it was WORTH it! Because each time, I also came home incredibly INSPIRED! Nothing turns on my creative energy more than being drenched in fresh new products and surrounded by other artsy souls. It is my heaven on earth. Aahhhhh.....

To help me survive my show withdrawls {thankfully} are the many sites that release "sneak peaks" of the newest products being released. I love that I can peruse pages and pages of what I would have seen and touched on the show floor (and certainly nothing beats that, but this is a nice back-up alternative).

With that said...I have a confession to make. This year I'm not quite as sad that I won't be there. I have not been jumping for joy at the lines being released this year. And let me be the first to say...I have NOT seen them all. But the industry seems to be leaning heaviest toward cartoony and flowery designs this year. And well, that just isn't my style. It is for some - and that is great - it's just not me. So I'm not finding tons of inspiration out there this year. Well, that was until I saw these......

Prima is releasing adhesive felt strips, reminding me of the Queen & Company rolls I LOVED. I can't wait to start adhering these to EVERYTHING!

And if that wasn't enough to make me start drooling...Donna Downey has designed some incredible jumbo, foam stamps! I can already see the layouts in my head. Inspiration achieved.

I'm sure there will be more great things to get me fired up, but for now...that's all I have on my shopping list. I'll let you know when I find more!

Since I mentioned Queen & Co.'s awesome felt borders, I thought I would share a couple ways I've used them. Most recently added to a candle to give it that romantic touch. My initial use of the border was for a bedroom mirror. I bordered the sides with the felt and used rub-on words to create a border along the top. Unfortunately, the mirror has since been broken and I do not have any photos of it after it was completed. This in-progress picture will inspire me to re-create it.......someday.



Enjoy the things that ignite your creative energy.
-d.

I could do that!

I once saw a cute little phrase posted at a craft bazaar and it has always stayed with me....
"Of course you could make it yourself, but will you?!"

I often hear those words in my head as I gather inspiration from retail stores, decor catalogs, and websites. And truth be told, my collection of ideas FAR surpasses my list of completed copy-cat projects, but I find comfort in the belief that many will someday reach completion!

I get a LOT of decor catalogs delivered to me. I receive a TON of advertising e-mails. I do this so I can constantly be inspired. Many of my decorating successes are due largely to the creative sparks set off by advertisers. Among my favorite sources.....Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and Ballard Designs.

I saw this adorable Valentine pillow from Ballard Designs (the one with the number 2 applique) and immediately thought, "I could make that!"

A pretty bold statement given that I am not a sewer! So, for myself and all the other sewing challenged artists out there, I also found this fabulous blog showing easy-to-follow instructions for making pillows!

enjoy the process of making it yourself!
-d.


I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon. ~Author Unknown

Word of the Year

Every year I, along with millions of other scrapbookers, select a word to focus on throughout the coming year. A word that embodies how I feel, what my goals are, and what I strive to accomplish in my life. It is different for everyone. There really are no rules of selection other than it should motivate and inspire YOU. And like most goals, you are asked to write it down, keep it in sight, and weave it into your life throughout the months ahead.

This year I had completely forgotten to select my word until I received an e-mail from my local scrapbook store. Seems they were holding a contest. A contest all about our word. After choosing the word, customers were asked to put that word into an art form...a scrapbook page, wall hanging, etc...and bring it into the store where it would be voted by other customers. I read this e-mail at 11 o'clock on Friday night. The deadline was the following day.

This year's word came to me easily. I had a pretty rocky 2008 and over the past few years I had somehow allowed myself to move away from a lot of things that are important to me: friendships, faith, my health...the list goes on and on. This year my goal is to work harder on those things.

I want to Regain my focus. Refresh my friendships. Improve my health. Lift my faith. Re-ignite my passions. Strengthen my soul. I want to re-prioritize my life.

I want to RENEW all that is good and important to me. So, I decided to enter that contest at my local store. Something I haven't done in nearly 10 years! I rarely ever submit my work to any public forums except this blog. But this time I felt compelled by a force I haven't felt in YEARS! A passion not only re-ignited but on FIRE! I wanted to shout my word out and let everyone know...I'm back! So I stayed up till 1 am creating this wall hanging declaring my word for the world to see.

Now it's in your hands. The contest voting runs throughout the week so if you happen to be in the area of Lasting Memories, stop in and cast a vote! And vote honestly; don't just vote for who you know. There is a temporary position on the Design Team at stake for the winner so it needs to be an artist you find inspiring.

enjoy the challenge of breaking out and going for it!
-d.

Who doesn't love a drink umbrella?

Make your own cute, little drink umbrellas this summer!
Source: Martha Stewart's Living- A soup can makes a handy template for paper umbrella tops.
- Cut paper with pinking shears or scallop scissors for a decorative edge.
- From each circle, remove a pie-slice shape measuring about 1/8 of the circumference.
- Fashion into a cone, slightly overlapping straight ends.
- Use a glue stick or double-sided tape to secure.
- Dab white craft glue inside nose of cone, and pierce tip with a wooden skewer (snip skewer for a custom fit).
- Allow to dry.
- Place in drinks and enjoy!! enjoy the party!

-d.

Photo credit: Martha Stewart's Living

What I learned today....

I just read the details on Stacy Julian's new book, Photo Freedom, and I am very excited to get my hands on it! For those of us that have heaps of photos waiting to be scrapbooked (I'm talking YEARS and YEARS worth here), it could be a lifesaver! Or at the very least a great guilt-reducer! Here's the bio:

Photo Freedom: A Big Picture Approach to Organizing and Scrapbooking Your Photos by Stacy Julian

Are you tired of feeling like you’re drowning in a sea of photos that may never get scrapbooked? Stacy Julian throws you a life preserver in her new book, Photo Freedom. Teaching you the system she teaches in her successful “Library of Memories” class, Stacy gives you a “Big Picture approach” to prioritizing and organizing photos. With Stacy coaching you through this book, you’ll get those piles of photos off the computer (and out of shoeboxes) and into your scrapbooks quicker than you ever thought possible. Through Photo Freedom, you’ll gain the freedom to scrapbook the memories you wish to preserve and have fun in the process.
130 pages, $19.95

Frugalities.com (my favorite on-line sb supplier) is doing a survey...if you fill it out you save 49% off your entire order! While they don't have everything on my current wish list, it will be better than shopping at this weekend's Shop Hop and only saving 20%. Too bad they are in Washington state so I pay sales tax either way; but hey, I get faster shipping right?!

Real Simple provided this great piece of advice and I had to share! Do you throw away carrots because they are getting dry? I do. I never seem to use them up fast enough and then I end up wasting the remaining portion. Well, next time try simmering them in a small amount of water to rejuvenate them! No more wasting carrots!

AccuCut introduced black chipboard at CHA! How cool is that?! Sometimes I love the natural color but there are times I want a completely different look and this will be perfect! YEA! They also blew me away with new Maya Road dies. They cut the paper to cover/alter the Maya Road products perfectly...chipboard albums, tins, etc! I cannot wait to use these!!!! And the new convertible cards and albums dies are quite impressive too! Way to stay on top of the game AccuCut!!!!

Planning a party and need great ideas? Head to Fine Living's Party Place! It is packed with ideas, photos and recipes for throwing the ultimate get-togethers! It's awesome! Because, you all know how much I love to throw parties!

enjoy the things you learn today!

-dw

T-Shirt Inspiration

While out treasure hunting this week, I scored some incredible deals and found some great sources of creative inspiration!

As I walked down an aisle of my favorite thrift store, a Paris t-shirt popped out at me. It wasn't my size, but I knew I had to have it! Before the shirt even hit the bottom of the cart I knew just what to do with it!

I have a ton of canvases at home waiting to be painted, covered, altered (used) and hung up! I knew this shirt would make a fabulous covering for the canvases and a great addition to my newly transformed, Parisian bedroom! What a score!!!!

So I thought I would share with you the first steps in the process.

I plan to adhere the shirt to the canvases with iron-on fusing and then add black satin ribbon around the edges. Add some embelleshments and a little glimmer mist for color, and viola, new wall hangings for my room!

I even salvaged the sleeves to use on some smaller canvases!

I'm soooooo excited!!! I'll post completed pics soon!

enjoy discovering inspiration everywhere around you!

-dw