Flower Accessory Share $8

With Spring here, I thought it would be fun to do some kind of flower share! SU has many fun flower accessories to choose from, but these are my favorite!

You will get 3 white crocheted flowers in three sizes.

10 Sherbert Buttons, as shown below.
10 Playground Buttons, as shown here.
Shipping is free to long distance participants.

Those who email me to sign up by tomorrow, March 31st, will receive a few bonus felt flowers cut on the Big Shot by yours truly.

Sale-A-Bration Farewell Promo!

I can't believe it, March ends this week. An unprecedented three months of Sale-A-Bration has been super fun! I thought we should go out with a bang so I am offering a three-day special.

With every $25 purchase, you can choose one of these samplers from the Welcome Home, Sale-A-Bration designer papers. It will come with 7 sheets of 6x6 double-sided paper and a yard of matching grosgrain ribbon. You can choose from the pumpkin, rose, or turquoise sampler. Of course, if you place a last-minute $50 Sale-A-Bration order, you get TWO samplers of your choice PLUS your free Sale-A-Bration item. Your order can include any combination of items from the large or mini catalog.

You must contact me by Wed, March 31st at 6pm CST with your order, to receive your freebies.

And thank you for another great Sale-A-Bration!

Welcome Home

I used the Sale-A-Bration designer paper, Welcome Home, for this card. How about those trees? They are part of the paper. All I stamped was the house and the sentiment. The little house door is cut so it opens. The faux stitching is done by poking holes with the paper piercer and mat pack...then connecting the holes with the white gel pen. I cannot recommend the SU white gel pen enough!

Stamp Set: Good Neighbor
Ink: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink
Cardstock: Pretty Pink, Whisper White
Punches: Large & Small Oval
Tools: Mat Pack, Piercer, White Gel Pen

Don't forget to enter my fabric give away here!

Fabric Give-Away

As you may know, I'm having a blast cutting fabric in my Big Shot...and even SEWING! My mother was gracious enough to dig through her stash of retired fabrics so I could practice. I just love this turquoise and brown fabric and will have made FOUR purses with it by the time I am done "practicing". Needless to say, I'm getting a little tired of working with it and am ready to move on to some new patterns!

So I am giving away some of what I have left. Here are two large pieces (one is a fat quarter) at the bottom of the pile. Then there are several patterns of charm squares. And then I have one of the fabric and batting flowers cut and all ready for you to stitch up.

Seriously, if some of you prefer not to come within 10 yards of a sewing machine, you can still enjoy cutting fabric in your Big Shot! So come on, go ahead and enter to win!

To enter, just leave a comment letting me know what you may want to do with this lovely fabric....fabric flowers, a bag, a wallet??? If you aren't sure, that's fine too!

Comments must be left by Wed, March 31st at 10pm CST. I will randomly draw the winner on April 1 and announce that day. Thanks for entering!

Thoroughly Modern Flower Folds

The Flower Folds die has been super fun with fabric, but it works with paper too of course! Here I used 3 of the 4 flower sizes on the die. All the designer paper is from Thoroughly Modern.

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Very Vanilla
DSP: Thoroughly Modern
Punch: Word Window, Corner Rounder
Accessory: Latte Button and Linen Thread
Die: Flower Folds XL Bigz

Fox & Friends Sweet Pea

Anyone dusted off their crimper lately? This little tool is an old favorite, and I think it looks great on masculine cards! What a great way to add texture. I often flatten it back out after crimping so it's more subtle and not to bulky. And who knew the Sweet Pea papers could look so masculine!

We made this card at Stamp Club in February.

Stamps: Fox & Friends, Whimsical Words (SAB)
Cardstock: Chocolate, Turquoise, Pumpkin, White
Ink: Chocolate
DSP: Sweet Pea
Markers: Saffron & Pumpkin Pie
Punches: 1 3/4", 1 3/8" circles

Sizzix Shadow Box Alphabet $40 SOLD

See picture in following post. I had a hard time with the picture so I had to do separate posts.

With the big move, I am weeding out a few items. This is a retired and rare THICK-CUT alphabet from Sizzix. I actually bought it used recently, and just want to get back what I paid. These used to retail for over $100, maybe $150...I'm not entirely sure.

These are the thick-cut dies so they cut through chipboard, felt, FABRIC...not to mention several layers of paper and carstock at a time. The letters are on individual dies which is handy. This is not a picture of MY dies. I don't have the original box but you will get them in a perfect-fitting Rubbbermaid for safe storage...probably safer than the cardboard box.

These will work in a Big Shot or a Cuttlebug, as well as the old Sizzix machines which these were originally made for.

There are two cuts for each letter. You can use the top layer of each letter by itself or you can shadow each letter with, well, it's "shadow die". I wanted to use this picture so you could see how they look.

Alphabets are great for scrapbooking, monograms on cards, and even for applique on sewing projects! I actually bought this set for my mom to try with her sewing, but we never got to it. And for my own sewing, I would like to use the SU alphabet dies so I can demo them.

If you would like to adopt this great die set, let me know. Thanks!

Sizzix Shadow Box Alphabet $40 SOLD

Vera Bradley For Sale $50

It's moving time, and there are a few things around here that I don't want to move with us!

I bought a few Vera Bradley purses in the retired Mod Floral Pink pattern. This is one I decided not to keep. Retail on this style is $63. I would like to get back the $50 I paid including SH and tax. It was a retiring clearance deal. This is brand new with tags. I will ship to a non-local buyer for free.

Here it is in the middle so you can compare it to a couple others I got. The one on the left is the one I kept. The one on the right is a smaller style. So this one is a good size.

Here are some more deets:

• Deep front pockets, three interior slip-ins and a zippered compartment
• Versatile bag offers plenty of organization
• Fashionable rounded shape and modern pleating

Let me know if you would like to take this beauty off my hands. Otherwise, I will just return it to the store. I just know this retired pattern is now hard to find so thought I'd see if any of you are interested first.

Hello Again Kiss Note

This is one of the last cards I whipped out before going home from the weekend crop a couple weeks ago. I should have put the pink paper in the middle, but I was half asleep at that point, LOL. As you already know, I've been using those Kiss Notes from the Occasions Mini as layering pieces on cards. Here I stamped the flower from Hello Again. I inked the stamp with markers to get the multi-colored affect. I used a felt piece from Sweet Pea for the center of the flower. I used to be at a loss on what to do with those felt circles. Using them for flower centers was a good epiphany.

Back to packing! Yard sign is OUT! :)

Card Display

Bye-bye stamp room! We are MOVING!

But like I said, I see myself just transferring all these organizational ideas to the new house. I'm kind of glad I thought all this out ahead of time so all I have to do is paint and set up!

This is my little card display. I used small command hooks to stretch silver wire across the wall. The hooks will come off easily for the move, no holes in the wall. I got silver binder clips to clip the cards.

Don't mind the bookshelf. That's the boys' Melissa & Doug puzzles for when they are in the room with me. :)

Vinyl Wall Decor & Making Memories Shelf

Well, wouldn't you know. I start fixing up my stamp room, putting fun vinyl on the wall, and now we find a house we really want to buy. We put in an offer today, and our house is not even on the market. I'm a bit in freak-out mode!

But hey, at least I will have a head start on setting up a new stamping room if I get the opportunity. I love the ideas I'm coming up with, and would just move them onto a new house.

This white shelf is the Making Memories accessory shelf from Michaels. Who doesn't love a 50% Michaels coupon?! I have loose stamps on the top. Ribbon fills the 3 jars. All my small punches fit on one row. And I found these cut turquoise striped tins in the dollar section at Target recently for holding loose ends like adhesive and scissors.

My favorite is the vinyl above the shelf. You can purchase it from SU in white or chocolate, large or small. Mine is white in small.

Cafe Bag, Take 2

Thank goodness for all this leftover fabric my mom gave me. I keep plugging away at making the perfect Cafe Bag, easiest for beginners. I actually have two more purses cut out so I can keep tweaking my design. Yay for cutting with the Big Shot, it's the easiest part!

The changes I have made so far from #1 to #2 are:

• Magnet closure instead of flap
• Handle will be pre-made instead of matching fabric
  
• Flower will be a keyring on the handle instead of sewn on the front (not shown)
  

Features that will remain are:

• Nine squares on each side. I like this size!
• A long strap for wearing across the chest for hands-free shopping!
  

My next issues to consider are:

• Inside ~ quilted squares with batting in between or fusible fleece with a lining
• Whether to keep the magnet closure or just have the bag open

Again, I am a beginning sewer. Besides Angie Juda's rag purse, these are my first sewing projects. My mother doesn't understand why I can't just follow a pattern for my first tries. Good question! But I've always been one to tweak things to suit me best. And I also love simplifying things so I can share ideas with others. Once I perfect the features on this bag to be simple and easy, I would love to put out a tutorial for everyone!

Here is a closer look at Version 2 of my Cafe Bag.

Here is the store-bought handle up close. I got it at Joann's....much easier than making your own fabric strap, especially when it needs to be over a yard long!


And here is the magnet closure and the lining. I like magnet over a clasp and button, and it was easy enough to put on...kind of like a brad with prongs. But I'm also a lazy bag carrier. The easiest way to get into a bag the better. So maybe we just leave it open?

Doing a lining was fun, but I think Angie Juda's rag purse method of quilted squares being the inside may be the easiest. I'm off to try that next.

Any input is welcome!

Hello Again Shamrock

Stamp Set: Hello Again
Ink: Garden Green
Cardstock: Garden Green, Certainly Celery
Accessories: White Grosgrain, Silver Brad

We made this card at February Stamp Club. We used the heart stamp in the Hello Again stamp set to make a shamrock. The stem is drawn with a marker. It's fun to corner round the two corners.

The Hello Again set is one that can be chosen for free from the big catalog, with a $50 purchase in March.

Flower Folds Key Chain: Free This Week!

You can receive a free Flower Folds Key Chain from me this week! Read on for details.

I used SU's Flower Folds and Scallops 2 Bigz Dies to make this cutesy key chain! The wonderful thing about the bigz dies is that they cut through all kinds of material, including felt. The main concept for making these into key chains is that your main flower (the brown) is actually two flowers connected with a fold at the top. You cut a piece of felt big enough for TWO flowers, fold it in half, and run it through the Big Shot with one petal cut off at the fold. This makes the loop for the key chain. And the bigz dies are so heavy duty, that they will cut through the two layers of felt like butter.

The pink flower is also from the Flower Folds die. And the cream center is from the Scallops 2 die.



I actually made my first key chains using fabric, batting, and stitching on the sewing machine. But I need to wait for my new sewing machine before I attempt to do detailed stitching on these flowers. That's when I decided to move on to felt for now. Not only is felt totally "in", but it is also great for non-sewers. You can cut felt out in your big shot and not have to make a stitch on it because it won't fray. My stitched fabric version will be coming at a later date.

You can use these as an actual key chain.


Or even dangle them from your favorite purse or tote. This tote doesn't match very well, but you get the idea.


The metal ring is actually a binding ring from the office supply store. I have a slew of those on hand. And the center is a Pretty in Pink Corduroy Button from SU's Occasions Mini Catalog.

How would you like a felt flower key chain of your own? Anyone who places an individual Sale-A-Bration $50 order with me this week (Mar 15-Mar 21), will receive a felt flower key chain. I may even let you pick your colors from what I have on hand. This gift is in addition to the free Sale-A-Bration item you get to pick with your $50 order. And as an FYI, the flower folds die will get you close to a qualifying SAB order. It is a fantastic die!

Stamp Club: Chocolate Bunny

Stamp: Chocolate Bunny
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Blue, Sage Shadow
Dies: Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Leaves Embosslit
Accessories: Kiss Note, Blue Taffeta Ribbon, SS Brad
Punch: Flowers Three

This was one of our Stamp Club cards for February. I actually cased this card right from the Occasions Mini Catalog. Instead of using a die cut for the white piece, we just used the Kiss Notes from the mini! I really like using those things as accents pieces on cards. And I love the embossed blue on blue.

The Cafe' Bag

My second sewing project, ever! I have wanted a purse like this so I decided to put the scallop square die to work again (my first project ever was the rag purse). This is one of those long handle purses that you can wear across your chest for hands-free shopping.

I went from a pattern in a quilt magazine, but it called for strips of fabric, not squares. And it called for muslin, but I used iron on fleece. And it had a cord strap, I used fabric. It didn't have a flap, I added one. Of course it didn't call for a Flower Folds flower either, LOL. So all in all, I guess you could say I came up with my own design. My purse is much larger than the pattern purse, too.

I'm calling this the Cafe Bag because this is a bag I would take into Starbucks to hang out with friends (like I get to do that all the time, HA!). But let's just pretend.

I had most of the scallop squares cut last night. It took about 5 minutes, LOL. Jeff asked, "How many does that cut at one time, anyways?!" I joyfully replied, "EIGHT"! I said, "I could never be a REAL quilter, but I can handle it with the Big Shot." He was impressed.

Then I called my mom today to run my ideas by her. I got to the shop at 10am to pick up fusible fleece and fabric for the lining and handle. Here's the lining. Isn't it pretty?


And here's the handle. The handle came from the same fabric as the lining. I had to get it just perfect to have those flowers showing. I did a pretty good job.


I actually sewed this flower together earlier in the day just for fun. This is made with the Flower Fold XL Bigz Die, a Stampin' Up! exclusive. But as the bag was coming together, I thought it would be the perfect embellishment. Now that I'm looking at it, it needs to go down into the lower block I think. Ah, I'll do that on the next bag.

The handles are actually not sewn in yet. I need some help from my mom. I just can't get my machine to go through all the layers. I hope she can do it on her machine with no problems.

This is definitely a prototype. I will change a few things on the next one. I especially want to figure out some decorative stitching. And although I love the flap, the original pattern did not call for one. That would be a LOT easier for all us new sewers! But overall, I really like how this turned out. I spent a whole day and night on it, yikes!

Let me know if you would like a tutorial on this once I get the kinks worked out! ;)

Vinyl Monogram

I got this new insulated lunch tote at Target recently. I cut a vinyl "K" with my Big Shot and Serif Essentials alphabet dies. This project took all of 5 minutes.

Did you know SU offers 23 colors of raw vinyl for all your die-cutting pleasures?! I find that I especially like having white and chocolate on hand, but I may have to start collecting some more fun colors soon! Take a look here!

Chocolate Bunny

Stamp: Chocolate Bunny
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip
DSP: Cottage Wall
Dies: Embosslit Hi, Leaves Sizzlet

I not only love that little bunny, but I am loving him with the Cottage Wall papers! So Eastery with those purples and greens. I curled up a few of the leaves using my paper piercer...same technique I used to curl the petals on the paper flower in the post below. Just lay your pierce, on it's side, down the middle of the leaf or petal. Then gently fold the cardstock up around the piercer.

Scallop Circle Paper Flower!

Stamp Set: A Little Birthday Cheer (SAB alternative)
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo
DSP: Melon Mambo Designer Prints
Punch: Scallop Circle, Scallop Trim (SAB)
Accessory: Pumpkin Pie Corduroy Button

You may be seeing that paper flowers are all the rage right now! And there are so many fun versions out there! I spent an evening reading and watching tutorials, checking out samples, and trying to figure out the most user-friendly paper flowers for me and for my Stamp Club. I think I have trained my stampers to be quick and easy, practical stampers like myself, LOL.

After finding a few of my favorites, I combined a couple to come up with what I thought was the perfect paper flower (for now). I especially love this little flower because it's quick, easy, and it's not TOO 3D so it can easily be sent through the USPS in an envelope. Told you I'm practical!

Here are the steps for this fun flower:

• Use SU's Scallop Circle Punch to punch 1 scallop circle from cardstock or designer paper
• Use a sponge and ink pad to ink around the edges of the punched scallop circle
• Use paper snips to snip at every other scallop, making little heart shapes as you go
• Use a piercing tool to fold up each petal. I place the side of the metal piercer along the center of each petal and then gently fold the two sides up around it.

If you have any questions, just ask. We made need a visual for this.

Fabric Ponytail Holder

This is information cut and paste from SU's demo website for your inspiration!

Stamp: None

Paper: None

Ink: None

Accessories

• Corduroy button
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Scallop Circle #2 Bigz die
• Fabric
• Needle and thread
• Ponytail elastic
  

1. Die cut 10 large scallop circles using Big Shot and Scallop Circles #2 Bigz die. Cut off eight of the scallops from each scallop circle. Gather together across the flat side about 1/4" from edge, gathering all ten circles on the same double-thread. Tie off.
2. Die cut 10 small scallop circles using Big Shot and Scallop Circles #2 Bigz die. Gather the circles across three of the scallops on the same double-thread. Tie off.
3. To cover Corduroy button, die cut a small scallop circle, then cut off all scallops. Gather the fabric around the edge, place button in the middle, then gather up threads and tie off.
4. Attach ponytail elastic to back, then sew through all layers of fabric (including fabric around button), so fabric layers are connected to elastic.

Fabric & Big Shot Q&A

This information is taken directly from SU's demo website.

Crafting with fabric is one of the biggest industry trends right now, and we aren't just talking quilts! You can create beautiful fabric accessories and home décor with your Big Shot--even if you don't sew. The Sizzix Big Shot makes it easy to cut intricate fabric shapes to use in all your crafting projects. To help you get started, we have listed some basic questions and answers about using the Big Shot to create with fabric.

What type of fabric will the Big Shot cut? The Big Shot will cut all types of fabric. For a complete list of Big Shot-approved materials, click here.

How many pieces of fabric can I cut at a time? That depends on the fabric. Different fabrics vary in thickness. For example, your Big Shot can cut through eight layers of cotton, which is a relatively thin fabric, but it will only cut through one layer of faux fur, which is a very thick fabric.

Do you shim fabric in a Big Shot differently than paper? No. Your Big Shot works the same with fabric as it does with paper. Different fabrics vary in thickness, much the same as different paper materials vary in thickness. If you are only cutting one layer of a very thin fabric, you might need to use a piece of card stock as a shim just as you would if you were only cutting one layer of thin paper.

Will all Big Shot dies cut fabric? You can cut fabric with any of the Sizzix steel-rule dies (Originals, Bigz, Bigz L, and Bigz XL). You cannot cut fabric with Sizzlits, Embosslits, Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, or Texturz Plates.

Will dies with score lines ruin my fabric? You can still use dies with score lines to cut fabric. The score lines will slightly distress your fabric, but shouldn't damage it permanently. However, we recommend that if you are using dies with score lines to only cut one or two layers at a time (depending on the thickness of your fabric). If you try to cut too many layers at a time, it is possible that the score lines could tear your fabric.

Will cutting fabric with the Big Shot dull my dies? The Big Shot steel-rule dies (Originals, Bigz, Bigz L, and Bigz XL) were designed to work on several different types of materials. For a complete list of Big Shot approved materials, click here. Cutting fabric with your Big Shot dies will not result in any damage to your dies, and will not dull them any faster than cutting paper will.

Should I wash my fabric before working with it? It really depends on the fabric. Some lower-quality fabrics will shrink after they're washed, which could result in your project coming apart. However, many quilters don't wash their fabric first because the fabric is stiffer and easier to work with before it's washed. And if you use higher-quality fabrics, they will likely not shrink.

I just recently purchased my Big Shot. How does it work? You can find general information about the Big Shot on the Big Shot product page. We also have several videos that demonstrate how to operate your Big Shot. You can find those on our Video Techniques training page.

Does Stampin' Up! plan to sell fabric? Stampin' Up! works hard to stay on trend, but it just isn't possible to offer every crafting product on the market. We will continue to explore new products and possibilities, but will keep stamps, ink, and paper as our core products.

I don't have a sewing machine. Can I still create fabric projects? Yes! The world of fabric crafting is as varied as the world of paper crafting. There are several alternatives to using a sewing machine. You can create many simple designs sewing by hand using a needle and thread or even a hot glue gun. In addition, fusible web is a great option for creating one-of-a-kind fabric crafts.

What is fusible web, and how does it work? Fusible web is a manmade fiber that will melt when heated with an iron and become sticky. When it is placed between two pieces of fabric, the melting of the web causes the fabrics to fuse together making it possible for you to adhere the fabric without the use of a sewing machine. Fusible web is available in rolls (similar to tape), in pre-packaged pieces, or is sold by the yard in your local fabric store.

My quilting friends mention things called charm packs, layer cakes, and fat quarters. What are they? Charm packs, layer cakes, and fat quarters are terms for precut cotton that is generally used for quilting. Charm packs include a variety of coordinating fabrics cut into 5" x 5" squares. The packs have an assortment of patterned and solid fabrics, and their small size makes them ideal for using on quilt blocks. Layer cakes are just like charm packs, but they are larger in size, with the cotton cut into 10" x 10" squares. Fat quarters are pieces of cotton cut into quarter yard segments. However, instead of being cut vertically, like you would cut a piece of fabric off a bolt, fat quarters are cut horizontally first, giving you a piece of cotton that measures 18" X 22". All of these options are a great way to get a good selection of fabrics at a relatively inexpensive price.

The Next Sewing Project

Also at the crop this past weekend, I cut more fabric into scallop squares (with the Big Shot) for my next Rag Purse. This shows the front, sides, and bottom. I'll be back with the finished product....sometime. :)

Scallop Oval

Stamps: Happy Moments (SAB)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla
DSP: Rich Razzleberry
Ink: Basic Black, Curry Marker
Punches: Wide Oval, Scallop Circle, Scallop Border Trim (SAB)
Ribbon: Rich Razzleberry

I made this card at the crop I attended this weekend. Time away really sparked the creativity...because I created a scallop oval frame for SU's wide oval punch. I used the scallop circle punch!

I punched three scallop circles and layered them behind the punched oval. I created a guide to show you here. I made the three scallop circles different colors to show you how they are layered.

I started with the scallop circle in the middle...with four scallops showing on each side. Then I added the top and bottom. The top and bottom each have 7 scallops showing from the circle scallop. Make sense? When you do this with a designer paper (which is thinner than cardstock and has a pattern), the overlap lines are real subtle, and you really can pull off a faux wide scallop oval!

Bermuda Bay & Vintage Labels

I am scheduling this post real quick before I head to a crop for the weekend. Woohoo!

Stamp Set: Vintage Labels (SAB)
Ink: Bermuda Bay
Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
DSP: Thoroughly Modern
Punch: Scallop Circle, Scallop Trim (SAB)
Ribbon: Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain (I flipped it over to the solid side)

Big Shot Needs A "Brother"

Thanks to the Big Shot machine, I have taken my old sewing machine out of the box and set it out on my craft table. When I took it in to my mom's quilt shop to learn how to use it...um....learn how to THREAD it, she laughed at it. I guess sewing machines have come a long way since she gave me that White machine 10 years ago.

But I was proud of my heavy duty machine and quickly learned how to use it. Then mom decided it was time to show me the new models of machines...still basic...but electronic (not manual like mine). She and I both agreed that a beginner Brother machine was perfect for me!

With a user-friendly machine, I think sewing will be much easier for me, I will like doing it, and I will more likely keep with it. This starter Brother machine has speed settings which is great because I do not have a steady foot on the foot pedal! Also, with the Brothers, you can actually detach the foot petal and just push a button to make it go. Holy Cow, sign me up! Another great feature is that threading is so much easier!

Brother actually teamed up with the show Project Runway and put out some machines with the Project Runway logo on them. So they are running good deals on these machines for people willing to take the logo. Discount? Again, SIGN ME UP! The beginner model that my mom has in her shop is the Brother Innov-is 40, it is the one pictured above with a pink control panel, and it's the one I hope to get someday soon. There is actually such a high demand for these that she can't keep them in stock and there are some backorder issues...although it is getting better. I guess it's just a great value.

My mom does have a floor model that anyone local can go in and test out. I tried to take that one, but she wasn't having it. So for now, I will just go in once a week to visit the floor model until I have my own to take home.

What kind of machine do you have and love?

Rag Purse with Scallop Square Die

This is my first sewing project ever! I know it's a little rough, but I am inspired to keep trying and to get better. This is a rag purse using the Square Scallop Die in the Big Shot. It cuts through 8 layers of fabric at a time! It was super fun using the Big Shot to cut the squares for this purse.

I used the online tutorial over at Chicknscratch if you would like to give this a whirl.

If you love the fabric it is from my mom's quilt shop, Sew Unique. It is the Backporch Bouquet line from Maywood Studio. She takes online orders at sewunique @ sewunique dot org. And she helped me with this project so she knows exactly what you need for this bag.

Even more exciting is that my mom and I are hoping to team up for a stamping/quilting retreat this summer!!! She would be at our disposal for two days, to learn all we want to about sewing machines. Even if you have never used a sewing machine, she is excited to teach us paper crafters! And I will enlighten the quilters about the Big Shot...and let them make a card too. :)

I can't wait to show you more fabric projects cut with the Big Shot! Stay tuned!

Scallop Circle Pin Cushion

Being that I am a sewing newbie, even a pin cushion can prove to be quite a challenge. But I had all the elements to make a fun one...so I gave it a try! I cut this awesome AMY BUTLER fabric with the SCALLOP CIRCLE #2 bigz die in my BIG SHOT. Now how is that for excitement?!

The fun thing about Amy Butler is that her patterns come in both paper and fabric. What a way to tie the two crafts of stamping and sewing together! And my mom sells Amy Butler in her quilt shop so I just had to snag some of her scraps. :)

It took me a few tries to get the feel for sewing in a circle. And I still may not be doing it right but... I'll check with mom. Making pin cushions with the square scallop die was easier, but I didn't have this cutesy fabric then. Plus I like this cushion nice and small.

If I get better at making these, we may have to do a GIVEAWAY soon! Anyone need a pin cushion? Hey, even stampers use pins for their ribbon at least, right?

Document Organizer

Ok, I know to some of you...ok....MOST of you, this does not look like the most exciting organization in the world. But let me tell ya, I LOVE it! Jeff was sick and couldn't hang it for a day, and it was just killing me....KILLING me! But now it's up, and I LOVE it just as much as I thought I would. Yep, I said the word "love". That's right, I have organization sickness...that's all there is to it.

So the story goes that as a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, I often have order forms, catalogs, receipts...PAPERWORK...lying around my computer. I try to keep it all in nice piles, but it drives me nutty. Now that I have my craft table back, I was finding that it was for the most part cleared off except for PAPERWORK. That's when the mission began for a way to put the WORK on the WALL. I found this super 3 tiered document rack at Staples. It can go on a table or on the wall. There are only TWO things I am allowing to be screwed into the wall for "mission organization"...and this is one of them.

Now my catalogs, receipts, and even my cleaning pad (another table hog that never has a good home) are happily hanging out NEAR my table but not ON it taking up precious stamping space. Yay, happy me!

Anyone out there care? LOL!!!!

Get Vertical

To the tune of Olivia Newton John's song, "Get Physical", let's sing "Get vertical, vertical..I wanna get vertical". Ok, now that we've got that out of the way...

This is what I had to do in my new, SMALL stamping space, GET VERTICAL. This poor room has been a dressing room, a spare bedroom, a computer room, a nursery...and now it's becoming a stamping/exercise room. Anyone have a used elliptical they want to sell, LOL. Because I've saved a whole 72 inches just for that. I know, such self control...when I easily could have let the stamps take over the whole room.

Anyways, in this little cranny of the room, I had my stamp armoire and filing cabinet. The space on top of these things has been wasted for years! Don't get me wrong, I often thought of "getting vertical" with storage, but I was afraid it would make the room look pretty cluttered and well...desperate for that matter. But after doing some craft organization research online, I figured out that I was onto something with the vertical idea! So many crafters have pulled it off with CLASS...floor to ceiling...organization at its FINEST!

So shopping I went...again...while sick. Organizing is one of the few things I can still do when sick...that and feed my kids. Anyways, I found these sturdy plastic cubes at Target. They have a whole line of these organizational bins. You can get smaller cubbies in the cubes, drawers, shelves, you name it. I just wanted the big cubes because I had the smaller tins and containers to fill them.


The cubes fit my 12x12 scrapbooks perfectly! And as you can see I found a good use and place for all the turquoise tins I've been hoarding. They contain my stashes of adhesive, embellishments, and more. I guess my room is going for a turquoise theme...the tins, the scrapbook, the latest Rubbermaid color, the tote...it wasn't intentional but it's working.


The vertical idea is good for keeping safety hazards from the boys, too. The Rubbermaid has all my new sewing gear, including the deadly rotary cutter. And I keep my liquids like stamp cleaners up there high too. Oh, and I found the coolest folding stepstool at Wallyworld to have on hand for reaching my stuff up high. I'm short!


I can't believe how much "stuff" I have fit into this vertical space...and there's room for more. Whatcha think? Are you ready to "get vertical" too?!

Punch Organization & Hanging Storage

Let's talk hanging storage!

I have been DESPERATE for a place to store my punches! I started years ago with them in stacked plastic drawers. That worked fine although they always slid around, and I was forever pulling out drawers to find the punch I wanted. Since then, I have gotten rid of the drawer storage because I don't have the floor space anymore.

Then when my storage went "mobile" because of the stamp room becoming a nursery, I had the punches stored in my turquoise shoebox tins...stacked in a duffle bag. That worked ok for crops and such. But it really stunk for doing work at the house. Opening up tin after tin for what I needed, ugh!

So look what I've gone and done NOW! (All slots are spoken for except 2, some punches are packed for Stamp Club).


So far I am LOVING this hanging, shoe rack method!

Oh all the things I love about this: I love the see-through feature. Each row has a theme...squares, circles, ovals, labels, etc. This takes up no extra space in my SMALL stamp room. The rack is super sturdy as it's made to hold several heavy shoes. And this cost all of $7.50 at Super Walmart!

Some things to consider though are that the hooks on top ARE making indents in our door. I hope I don't tear it up too much. And I can't completely shut the door now, but Jeff agreed it's worth that inconvenience. Also, I need to find a way to get the bottom to stay against the door. If we open/close the door too hard, the whole thing kind of swings. Maybe command sticky things.

But overall and for the price, this has been my best new storage! Other ideas were to buy a big punch rack from online for over $60 with shipping...that would have required holes in the wall which we are trying to avoid. And another hole-in-the wall option was putting towel rack type things on the wall to rest the punches on. That would have been less expensive than the big wooden unit, but it also would have been a LOT of holes! I would have needed a few racks, each with 4 screws, yikes!

Also, you may be wondering about room to expand. WELL, I am super happy that SU is now going to flat storing punches. So the shoe rack will be for my retiring style punches, and I will come up with something new for the new compact punches!

Now onto something a little less exciting but...

We used to have a hook on the back of the door into the stamp room. I had to take that down for the punch rack, and I quickly missed that little hook! I hang stamp bags on there and often our Scrap Club Kits (the white bags) are found hanging there to keep them high away from the kiddies.

So I went on a mission to find over the door hooks for the closet door instead. I found these double hanging hooks for 99 cents each in a crazy little store in town called Tuesday Morning. I had never been there, and I wasn't there to look for hooks. I was just checking it out after being told they get all kinds of random stuff each "Tuesday Morning", kind of like reject stuff maybe from the big stores??? I saw a lot of beat up boxes and big discounts. And I found my hooks when I was least expecting it...exactly what I wanted and more!

Yay for hanging storage!