JadeMingmei Designs

Vinyl Tutorial and Updates...

2012-01-05T05:45:00.000-08:00

You know it has been some time since you logged into your blog when you cannot remember your password and have tried every combination! As you can see, I did finally get in! The break from blogging was much needed as it's been very busy around here with company, the holidays, morning sickness, and SURPRISE news of a move in our future. I also felt with as long as I've been blogging, my posts were getting very repetitious to write out etc. Maintaining a blog requires a lot of work behind-the-scenes and although it appears they may be quick to type up and share, they can become time consuming and overwhelming. That being said, I will try my best to update regularly here on the blog as much as I do on the Jademingmei FB page. Facebook has made it very easy to post a quick pic and if you ever have any inquiries, it's a much quicker response!

We have a busy year ahead of us! Pregnancy is going well and Jack is an aspiring gymnast in the womb. We are 25 weeks along now...only 99 days to go as of today! On top of baby coming, the military has also given us our 'eviction notice' to move this summer. We were not expecting to go anywhere and felt very settled in our home so with overwhelming excitement(took a while to sink in!) and somewhat bittersweet feelings, our family is headed to Japan this summer. I know once we get there and settled, it will be a wonderful experience for not only us, but the girls and baby as well. I do plan to continue all my craftiness when we move abroad and suspect I will be seeing LOTS of Hello Kitty in my future...ha!

Anyhoo, during my blogging break I decided to start dabbling in vinyl on my Cricut. I must confess(you can too!) here that I've had this machine for several years but never used it as much as I thought I would. Quite frankly, my husband has used it more than I have and he uses to cut reflective vinyl for decals etc. If you've never used reflective vinyl, its pretty cool as it 'glows' when light reflects off of it....hubby made me an EGA(Marine Corps symbol of the eagle, globe, and anchor) for the back window of our van and I love it! For all of my latest projects I only use matte or glossy vinyl...the finish only differs for if you're using it on inside/outside projects. I certainly prefer the matte over glossy any day, but I'm learning to like both! Below I've shared a quick tutorial on my new 'Welcome' sign that I put on yesterday...yup, that quick and simple! Step 1: Before you install any vinyl, make sure you clean all surfaces of dust and dirt. I just eye-balled it here to see how placement would look before completely pressing down my transfer tape. Step 2: You can buy grid or non-grid transfer tape, but I will tell you this, go with grid! You can purchase transfer tape by the roll or sheet...I've cut mine down to 12x12 sheets(same size as my Cricut cutting mat) for easier placement...here I'm using a 12x6 cut size...cut your transfer tape to the size of your vinyl as not to waste too much! While 'Welcome' was cut and still sitting on my Cricut cutting mat, I simply laid my transfer tape over it using the grid blocks to keep it nice and straight. Since my transfer tape was 6 inches in the middle, I lined the up with the lead line in my glass window(finger pointing to it). Step 3: Press transfer tape slowly onto your door. I used a spatula from my Cricut tool kit but a CC or ruler works just as good! Once you have the bubbles worked out you can press more firmly.Step4: Time to peel off! When you go to peel back the transfer tape, be sure to pull back slowly! Step 5: Voila! I really love this gold matte vinyl! If you didn't want to put the vinyl directly on your paint, you could always opt for putting it on the window above or also your glass storm door. I had considered putting it on the storm door at first but figured since the sun never shines directly on my door, I wouldn't have to worry about fading or painting my door anytime soon.

Happy Crafting!
Dawn ;)

Little Firecracker Trio...

2011-11-10T06:17:00.001-08:00

Today's post is full of stamping, but anything other than a card. These 3 plaques were inspired by a 4th of July card post I did over the summer. Much like a card front, the layout is adhered to a wooden plaque that is approx. 1/8 inch thick and I did have to take out the power tools to drill the holes for the country wire. Once the paper is adhered, I went around the edges with a sanding block to smooth out the rough edges and clean up the excess glue and paper that may try to hang on. I stamped directly onto the patterned paper with MFT's-Little Firecracker, CTMH-tree, and the fence is a die from PTI. A great gift to make up that can be left out year round! I took this photo out back on my little spruce tree and then I thought if I cut the wood down into smaller squares, oh what cute ornaments this would make???!!!Glittery sparkler!Happy Crafting!
Dawn ;)

Christmas Milk Carton Boxes...

2011-11-08T06:16:00.000-08:00

I desperately needed a break from moving furniture and supplies around so I played with these little milk carton boxes last week. If you own the SU! milk carton die, you'll REALLY love that you can make a much larger box vs. the single milk carton. If you'd like to try it out, HERE is a great photo tutorial that I followed. You can also create some fancy tops from this tutorial. Love the white kraft ink on the night of navy cs. Kraft ink does take some extra time to dry so when I'm using it, I will stamp first then set aside for drying. Once the snowflakes were dry here, I then went back and added clear rhinestones around the entire box. Hellllllllllo Gingie! My favorite little gingergbread (wo)man with a vintage glitter copper border. Top view of milk carton box. You may have to fidget a bit to get them to gather but once you tie the ribbon through, it will hold well enough to seal up the bottom of the box. Santa's suit! Happy Crafting!
Dawn ;)

Christmas Wreath Card...

2011-11-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's a chilly evening here tonight! And with the chill, its got me in the spirit to pull out the Christmas stuff...or at least on cards for now! These cards are from a recent Christmas Card Swap I shared in with a local scrap store. Don't you love those red berry wreaths you see everywhere during the holiday season? I know I do! Although I kept my design fairly simple, I really did want to add this little birdy to the wreath...he's kind of cute dontcha think?I used my copic makers in 2 shades of green for Mr. Birdy and then glossed him over with crystal effects.In the meantime, posting here on the blog has been slow...much slower than I'd like it to be. I do have a few older projects to share and in between a bumpy pregnancy and attempting to get my studio moved downstairs, I'm not getting anywhere quick! After a fainting spell at the grocery store last week(I KNOW how to make a scene now, don't I????!!!) I've been taking it easy and dabbling in crafting when I'm up for it. I really need to get my mojo back as there are so many cute things I'd like to make. For now, I will continue to share what I've got made up and hopefully some new stuff in between!

Happy Crafting!
Dawn ;)

Got Goodies???

2011-10-31T11:24:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!! Just a quick post today as I'm just getting in from lunch with my two favorite goblins and I've got to get their costumes accessorized with winter gear tonight! It's super cold here and we are expecting rain...right.around.trick.or.treating.time! Grrrr! Anyhoo, I took these in today for the girl's classmates. Since I did lots of cute goodies for my oldest, it's only fair to follow tradition with my youngest, Addison. We decided on the milk carton's for her class and I added a simple self-adhesive sticker strip to the sides of the carton. Now, I didn't realize when I started out that they were actually "adhesive", so I wasted quite a bit of Scor-Tape and then had to go back and re-adhere when they starting falling off...let's just blame that on pregnancy brain shall we?! The cartons are super tiny(unlike what I had thought!), but you can really pack a punch with the candies. Inside I stuffed some gummy lifesavers and a few pixie stix before closing them shut with ribbon. Super simple project I'm sure the littles will love! Love those monsters on the right! For my Gracie bug who is 7, we needed something a little "older" in style. I took about 8 pixie stix and wrapped them in a 5 inch cello bag. They are tied off with ribbon and I added a simple "spooky treats" tag.

SU! Swap Stockings Galore...

2011-10-06T04:31:00.000-07:00

Before I get started on today's post, I'd just like to say a little 'thank you' for your comments on the sketchbook post. The sketchbook really is a great tool when your sitting there 'stumped', got all your supplies out, and no where to go! I did in fact make myself one as well, but she is a little bland...just the plain ol' clear binder. When I have some free time, I think I will dress her up a bit!

Now, on to today's post! It might be a little premature to be posting Christmas stuff here(because I still have some cute Halloween ideas yet to share!), but I really was super excited to try out the new SU! stocking die! The size of the stocking is larger than I thought and I really like that. There are several dies I have by SU! and I will be honest, they are much smaller in person than when I see them on blogs etc. The wonderful thing about this larger stocking die is that you can make banners with it too! This stocking collection is for a SU! Swap coming up this weekend. I immediately thought of a gift card option and knew I had to try it! To create the stockings, you will need to cut out 2 stockings...1 in patterned paper for the front, 1 for the kraft paper in the back. Those 2 pieces together will create your pocket to hold the gift card. The Window Punch from SU! makes the perfect slot to slide your gc inside(I used my library card to ensure the pocket was just the right size!) Love, love, love these textured paper leaves! These leaves come in a large pack loaded with leaves of different sizes at Mike's. The red Dew Drops(Poinsettia Jar) were glued on with SU! Crystal Effects. Patterned paper is from the paper pack O' Christmas Tree. After I assembled the stockings, I wanted to add just a bit more glitter with my Stickles Vintage Copper. The glitter lines really POP with the bright Christmas colors.

Creating Your Own Sketchbook...

2011-10-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

Hello breezy Monday! I woke up to some pretty chilly air this morning, but not quite ready to crank the heat on just yet. Fall has to be the best season for me...changes in temp, the leaves changing colors, and getting cozy by the fire...how could you NOT love it?!

Today I'm sharing a sketchbook that I created for my dear friend Donnak. Her birthday was not too long ago and her gift had to be handmade! Between the both of us, we could open up a paper crafting shop, so because she has every supply out there, I thought creating a sketchbook would be perfect! The paper I selected is from The Blossom Song Pack. Lots of pretty papers in this pack and subtle glitter galore.

I bought a 1 inch clear binder and cut my papers to size, then slipped them inside the clear pockets. Since this binder will probably be displayed on a bookshelf, it needed to have have a spine title as well. Letters were stamped with a PTI alpha set and then I used my circle punches to punch out and matte.On this inside flap, I printed off a Verve gift certificate and did a little simple stamping down the side.Inside the contents are put in page protectors and I printed off a few years of sketch designs from Verve and Taylored Expressions. These are free printables and I was sure to add some extra page protectors so Donna can always add more at a later date. Happy Crafting!

Dawn ;)

It's Cleaning Day!!!!!!!!

2011-09-27T10:49:00.001-07:00

Whew! This has been long overdue and I've finally gotten around to taking pictures of items I'd like to clear out of my studio. All purchases are on a 'first come, first serve' basis. Most items can be shipped, those that cannot will be noted. Preferred payment is Paypal, but this papercrafting fanatic will accept cash for local pick-ups as well ;) All prices are labeled and do not include shipping rates(unless noted)...those items to be shipped will be done so by priority boxes/envelopes only...I will be sure to let you know how many stamp sets can fit into either an envelope or box at the time of purchase. All stamps are used(unless noted) and may contain staining. The staining in no way compromises the image when stamping. If you have any inquiries, please email me: madscrapper24@yahoo.com

Since this is a 'first come, first serve' basis, please email me first with the item title(s) in the subject line of your email...'Cuttlebug Folders' etc. And we will make payment/pick-up arrangements.

1. SU! Think Big-$5.00 SOLD

2. SU! Floral Set--$6.00
3. SU! Terrific Tulips-$8.00 SOLD4. SU! Fun Fillers-$3.005. SU! Wild Rose-$10.006. SU! All in the Family-$12.007. Crafty Secrets--Kewpie Dolls-$6.008. Crafty Secrets-Chef/Dinner Set $6.00 SOLD9. Crafty Secrets Angels-$5.0010. Karen Lockhart Cupcake Stand-$4.0011. Inkadinkadoo Chandeliers-$5.0012. My Favorite Things Easter Set-$5.0013. Papertrey Ink Iconic Images-$15.00(20.00 shipped) Brand New with Box!14. Lot of Prima Flowers(jars are filled to the brim!)-$45.00 with Jars-60.00 SOLD15. Papertrey Ink-Favor-it 2 die-$12.00(includes shipping!) SOLD16. SU! Bravo Burgundy Ink Pad-Brand new-$4.00 SOLD17. Full Jar of Robins Nest embellies--Silverbelles--$4.00 SOLD18. Soldering Kit--Complete and with plenty of extras! $45.00($55.00 with shipping)19. Lot of Punches-Su! and EK success--willing to separate if need be--$8.00 each20. Scor-pal--Still in great condition, I would reccomend purchasing a new bone file as mine as been well used, but still works! ONLY $8.00(local pick up only!) SOLD21. Cuttlebug Lot--Still in great working condition with lots of extras here! Only selling because I recently purchased a Bigshot. SOLD22. Lot of 3 Cuttlebug Folders-$6.00 SOLD This is what I've got for now, but I'm sure as I purge more of my room, I will add them here! Don't hesitate to email if you have any questions!

Thanks,

Dawn ;)

Baby Shower Gifts...

2011-09-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Even though the ol' blog was empty in posts, I certainly stayed busy behind the scenes the past few months. Today's post is another special request for baby shower gifts. Since the shower was being held at The Wilmington Tea Room, I knew I had the perfect teapot set for the occasion. I hadn't realized until now, that these colors actually match my banner as well! The colors are pulled from the shower invitations and I used several different stamp sets to create my own patterned paper. First off, we started with a notebook for the mom-2-be. The notebook is for the shower gift thank-yous and maybe later she can use the extra pages to write down all the 'firsts' of baby's year before she transfers them into a baby book. Prima flowers, grosgrain chocolate ribbon, and button accent. Love the teapot notebooks! Without any intention here, I used this tag die which also looks a lot like a tea bag! Added a few 'note tabs' on the inside. A couple of notebooks for the Men who attended. I'm was really pleased with how well the cattails came out. I did not have a 'pond' themed set, so I had to make my own cattails from the SU! small slot punch. I then went back and sponged a cocoa brown ink for my first layer, then back with a darker brown for the outer shading. The pond looks more realistic with crystal effects! Love that stuff!

Custom Frame...

2011-09-24T05:18:00.000-07:00

Getting to play 'outside the box' today! I really enjoy getting to work on altered projects from time to time and this Alexa frame was a custom order gift I recently finished. Although it doesn't show the shimmer here, Alexa is covered in a shimmery dew drop ink, which gives a nice subtle glitter effect. The matte behind the shimmer purple is SU! Pear Pizzaz, along with the pear strip with polka dots. The bottom half repeats the same scalloped border with a strip of white grosgrain ribbon and accented with clear rhinestones.The argyle patterned paper is just a sheet of 12x12 patterned paper and has accented glitter diamonds. Once I had the frame completed, I went back and sponged the shimmer ink along the outer edges as well as the inside edge of the picture window.Happy Crafting!
Dawn ;)

SU! Fall Swap...

2011-09-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

Short and sweet post today as I'm finishing up a few custom orders this morning. I recently had another SU! swap and this time the rules called for Fall colors. There aren't many SU! sets still left in my stash(once I switched over to clear), but I've kept a few old ones and now I'm finding some new ones that I really like(Wicked Cool) too! I've held on to this baroque set and decided it would work perfect with my Fall colors. The layout is a simple one-layer design and then I just added some polka dotted ribbon from May Arts.
Happy crafting!
Dawn ;)

Batty Eyes...

2011-09-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

Another trio of Halloween cards. I used a mix of PTI and SU! sets here to create my 'spooky' look. To create my bat squares I used the PTI-Take Three die and it cuts out 3 rounded squares at one time. Then for the yellow matte underneath, I used my CM square punch. The moon is created with my spotted dot set and the bats are from Wicked Cool again. I added some googlie eyes to 'spooky' and adhered it to a strip of black grosgrain ribbon. Super simple, but fun layout. I'm getting ready to load these up into my Etsy shop...if interested, they will be available in sets of three, one design from each of the three that were featured this week. I'm also working on getting some more candy packaging, tags, etc. in the shop, so stay tuned!

Happy Crafting!
Dawn ;)

Pumpkin Legs...

2011-09-15T04:56:00.001-07:00

How's that for a post title?! I love it! I pulled out my stash of Halloween papers and there was a full 12x12 sheet of cut outs and this is what came to mind...'why not put a pumpkin on legs' I thought! The only stamping I did on this card was the sentiment(Wicked Cool--SU!). I decided to add the orange rhinestones for eyes...makes me feel like this kooky pumpkin is watching me on my crafting table...LOL! Happy Crafting!
Dawn ;)

Spooky Surprise...

2011-09-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been well over a month since my last post! With all good intentions, sometimes LIFE gets in the way. I've had a very good excuse as to not posting and that is having the wonderful joys of morning sickness! I've been terribly sick with baby #3 and if my instincts are correct, this HAS TO BE THE BOY! I don't remember feeling this ill with either of my girls. My other 2 pregnancies, although a little queasy, were nothing like this one. I'm hoping it passes soon as I've got a few projects I'd like to get going! Needless to say, the whole family is quite thrilled and my 5 year old has given me all sorts of name options, although they are all girl names! Maybe she knows something we don't? We are expecting Baby Chau's debut in April 2012.

Anyhoo, I did force myself to sit down and create some fun Halloween cards. This week on the blog I will be sharing several trio's of cards. Today's creations are done with the Wicked Cool set by SU! I must admit that I've had Really Rust CS in my paper collection and have never, I mean NEVER used it! I cracked open my SU! catty and realized they had used it along with Rich Razzleberry and Pear Pizzaz...I think I can learn to like it now! The Lattice Die(SU!) design is also a new one for me. I cut out the lattice design in Pear Pizzaz and added the Rich Razzleberry CS underneath. Every witch needs a shiny vinyl hat! The hat is popped up with foam tape and a thin layer of crystal effects was poured over the top.

Owl Cards...

2011-08-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

Last 'hootie' post of the week! Today I'm sharing some clean and simple cards that all you really have to do is add the owl embellishments. I decided to use the small heart punch on these owls(heart comes within the owl punch), but I'm still not convinced that the red glitter mixes well with the pastels?? Either way, I'm on an owl kick right now...don't be surprised if they spill over to next weeks posts as well! This set may not look familiar for PTI fans, but believe it or not, it's what I received in lieu of 'Say it with Style'...7 one of a kind sentiments...that look nothing like 'Say it with Style'...lol The sentiments were still perfectly usable, and 'hoo' wouldn't love to add a few rhinestones to the lettering?!! I do finally have the replacements, so hopefully I will get to play with those soon! We are off the beach today! We've got 5 nephews visiting for the week so my house is full of energy that needs to be exerted! Have a splendid weekend and happy crafting!

Owl Tags...

2011-08-02T05:16:00.001-07:00

Another owl themed post! I shared in my last post owls made of simple shape punches and today's post is all about the SU! Owl Punch. What's so great about this punch is that the body, eyes, and nose are all separate dies allowing you to mix and match colors. All papers, with the exception of the patterned one(LilyBeeDesigns), are SU! This first set of tags is made with the PTI die--Tag Sale #2. The sentiments I used are from a variety of PTI's sets. I also used my trusty wood grain bg in versamark.I went ahead and made some fun mini tags as well! These fun little tags were made with Verve's--Sweet Scallop Die and coordinating stamp set. I've made up a few extra sheets of owls if you'd like to make some tags of your very own. You will get a full sheet(9 owls total) of owls to create tags, cards, or gift tags. You can find them HERE.

It's HOOTIE Time!

2011-07-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

ETA: Here is a fun question from Rachel...have you ever tried to make these into penguins?

Rachel, thank you for your comment and question! I have to say, I've never tried a penguin but not you've got my head spinning. I imagine if I were to try it, I'd simply change out the brown cs for black, do the bright eye background in bright orange and the rest of the eye would stay the same...voila, you've got yourself a penguin! I'm wondering though, do you think the penguin would be ok with the flower in the corner too? I'm certainly going to try this now ;)

I think I'm really starting to love 'themed' weekly posts. Having themes certainly has made it easier to blog, plus it gives me the opportunity to create oodles of fun projects while having out one stamp set or a few punches. Today I'm sharing some chocolate owl goodies that I used for a recent SU! class I hosted here at the house. This is a super easy and inexpensive gift to give, whether it be for a class or for the the kids. I've seen quite a bit of clip art with owl faces and that's where my inspiration came from to create these little guys. I wanted to use BRIGHT color behind the eyes and flowers so I just miss-matched all the colors. The eyes are punched with my CM circle punches. The nose is also a CM punch...the smallest square...and turned sideways(diamond shaped). Once I had all the eyes assembled, it still looked a little plain for me so I added the rhinestone flowers. The cello bags are 3x3 and can be found at any crafting store...these were from my sweet friend Donnak! The 3x3 size holds 4 Dove chocolate snugly. More fun filled owl posts will be up this week...cards and owl embellishments. I've made up a few extra sheets that you will be able to pick up in my Etsy shop to create your very own!

Dashing Through The Snow...

2011-07-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's not quite feeling like 'snow' around here today. Temps are over 100 with the heat index, but since this is our first day in HOT weather, I won't complain too much. We are not suffering here as is most of U.S. right now. NC has been hovering in the high 80's the last few weeks and it's been blissful...I knew it wouldn't last forever.

In the meantime, I've got a set of fun cards to 'cool' you down a bit. This is the first time I've used my reindeer stamp(SU!). I bought him at the end of last season so he's been sitting around, collecting dust etc. Anyhoo, I mixed my reindeer with some Papertrey Ink(ribbon tails, polka dot basics, and woodgrain) sets and SU! new cherry cobbler ink...which is super close, if not the twin, to cranberry crisp. The reindeer is gold embossed and accented with twin stars that I stuck together with a rustic copper brad. I'm off to finish the mess of owls I've created in my craft room. I got carried away last night, but have a lot to show for it ;).

Washi With A Little Ginge-y...

2011-07-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

Today I've got a set of cards using the Washi Tape again. If you missed the tutorial on using Washi Tape, just scroll down to my previous post for some easy-to-follow tips. I used the same stamp sets, Signature Christmas and Holiday Button Bits. I loved this patterned tape and thought it felt just like a gingerbread house so I decided to cover my entire vanilla card stock. I outlined ginge-y in Copper Stickles and filled the frosting lines with Liquid Pearls(puffy paint, but better!). She looks DELISH!This card follows the exact tape layout I did in my tutorial. I left the gaps open so I could add the candy cane twine. Make sure if your using twine that you pull it taunt when taping on the backside...otherwise is stays loose and your twine will sag.Stay tuned this week for more Christmas goodies! Happy crafting!

Washi Tape Tutorial...

2011-07-15T15:40:00.001-07:00

So if you've been on the FB page you know I've been drooling over this fun new product(Washi Tape) I've been experimenting with. Now, I will tell you, it really is not a new trend or fad, as a matter of fact I remember seeing this as a kid when I lived in Hawaii(some 20 years ago). In Hawaii this tape is known by Kawaii Tape. It's essentially the same thing, thin rice paper tape, but the Kawaii versions have cartoon characters like Hello Kitty etc. There are lots of places to buy Washi Tape and the collection I'm sharing with you today is from Etsy. Today's post is going to focus on the Christmas stack on the left. Let's get started! I decided to make my own background pattern so I used my CM self healing mat to keep my line positions straight. The tape is not super sticky, so if you need to reposition, just don't press down hard your first try...don't ask me how I know that!Next, you can trim off the excess if you'd like, but I chose to simply tuck behind onto the backside of the card stock.I mixed two patterns for two separate cards.Voila! See how pretty your background comes out? I didn't want to cover up too much of the pretty tape(Washi Tape is fun to play with, but it doesn't come cheap!), so a few textured 'holly' leaves and some red Dew Drops finished my focal image.I was needing a little more depth and texture to my leaves so I traced around the edges with my Copper Stickles.On these cards I only used 1 green strip of Washi Tape(underneath the red ribbon) as an accent.The stamp set is Holiday Button Bits. My cards are on a smaller scale than A2, so I chose to substitute buttons with Dew Drops...sparkly! Next post will share some more Washi Tape designs with some yummy gingerbread! Although I've used this tape for holiday cards, I'm almost certain the tape would also make fun monogrammed cards?! ;) I just might have to play with some of those too!

Pretty Bird, Pretty Bird...

2011-07-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

I've been busy doing lots of fun stamping projects and I hadn't realized as I was posting this card today, but there is absolutely NO stamping here! I had to double check to make sure! The bird and thank-you font are all one piece on the pink striped chipboard. I found a small 4x6 sheet of Lost & Found chipboard embellishments during my last venture to Scrapdoodles in Fredricksburg, VA! If you've never been there and live close, you NEED to swing by! This store blows all the big box stores away when it comes to paper crafting. I live 5 hours from there, but it's on my way to my in-laws...makes the last hour of travel totally worth it ;) . The glitter comes with it too! I really like this glitter because it's almost identical to the german glass glitter...has a nice vintage glimmer in the light. I added a few extra embellishments and the scalloped border to finish my design.This is the sweet little packet I pulled my patterned paper from. The lilybeedesign pack is available from Archiver's.

Flutter Butterflies...

2011-07-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you ladies for your kind comments on my last post! It always amazes me where inspiration can be found and as many times as I tell myself 'I'm totally going to try that', the thought slips and I'm stuck in a funk again...I know you all can relate! I will keep browsing the magazine isle and see what strikes my fancy! If you've got a cool link or something neat for a card challange, post it here on the blog(comment section) and we can all play along!

Today I've got some more mini card sets to share here on the blog. This first set is all Papertrey Ink sets with SU! colors, pear pizzaz and concord crush. I love the deep shades of purple and blue that jump out in the concord crush...the pear pizzaz cools the deep colors down a bit. The main image is the new Mehndi set and I used the smaller Mehndi designs for accents on the left. The sweet little butterfly was purchased from a friend who does hairbows and I've been holding onto them for 'just the right' project! A fun mix of PTI and SU! here. The woodgrain(in pear pizzaz) is from PTI as well as sentiment. The flowers are from SU!...I think this set may be from the spring catty? I flipped the design sideways on these two beauties.

If You Give A Girl A Cookie...

2011-07-12T04:29:00.001-07:00

...she will be inspired! While I was in Savannah a few weeks ago, there happened to be a cupcake store around the corner from our hotel by the name of 'Gigi's Cupcakes'. My sister(who we call "gigi") and I were determined to make a visit there with the kids. We did make it, but it had just closed and that started my mission to find some cupcakes for the night. It turned out to be a mission and we settled for some cupcakes from Fresh Market. They were just ok, but while at the checkout, this Martha Stewart mag caught my eye! I didn't really care what the inside contents were, the 'eye candy' on front was enough for me! Tah dah! Mini note cards. I stamped the large dot stamp first, then added the 2 smaller circles on the side. The center circle is punched out and matted on red cs with a little rhinestone. And then I tried my new Mehndi stamp from PTI. Isn't she lovely? I made some more mini cards with this set that I will show you later in the week.

HAPPY 4th!!!

2011-07-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

...courtesy of Little Ms. Firecracker from My Favorite Things!

4th of July Celebrations...

2011-07-03T21:13:00.001-07:00

I'm just about to wrap up my vacation here in Atlanta, GA! We also managed to squeeze in a few days to beautiful Savannah. I fell in love with 'her' and not just because Paula Dean calls Savannah home. No chance of visiting her restaurant this time, but we did get a quick snap shot of her eatery. We've got some packing to do before we hit the road and head back to NC. I'm not looking forward to the smokey skies back home as we've been battling a terrible wild fire that is projected to smolder all Summer! I would rather take the Atlanta smog over smokey air any day. Anyhoo, just a quick post on a birthday celebration we threw here this weekend for the July birthdays. My bro-in-law was born on the 4th, niece Kate is on the 8th, and my baby girl, Addy, on the 18th. If you've been following my recent posts, this is another identical banner to a previous one posted. I made a duplicate for my sister to hang on her fireplace hearth and to use for the party. Love these striped bags for party favors! We decided to put 4th of July themed cookies on the inside. The fit and worked perfect! All stamps and rectangle die are from Papertrey Ink. The small metallic stickers on the stars are from a Michael's sticker pack. The finished tag is attached to a close pin to 'seal' the bag. Once I'm home and settled, I will have some fun posts with 'my little firecracker' stamp set. I've already posted a sneak peek on my FB page if you'd like to check her out...fun lil' gal!Happy 4th to you and yours!

Mudpie Birthday Part Deux...

2011-06-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

You may remember several recent posts on a Mudpie inspired birthday party. Well, here is a new customer order with some of the same touches and some new party ideas! Same banner, but personalized just for Ella! I used crystal effects(using A LOT lately!) for her name for texture and shine. Mini banners for a cupcake stand or potted plant centerpiece. A little glitter for extra sparkles!
Cupcake goodie bags. Simple clothes pin clip keeps the goodies inside!
Cupcake deco-sticks. We switched out the embossed butterflies(above), and went with the cupcakes(below). I think I totally agree with the cupcake choice ;). Stamp and punch are from SU! Flower bg is from my PTI flower die set.

SU! Swap...

2011-06-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

I recently joined a SU! hostess group and I'm soo thrilled to be getting my feet wet with this new card swap! When I first started out stamping 4 years ago, I started out with SU! sets. Over the years I have almost completely converted over to clear stamps, but fell in love with this Valentine's set and knew it was a must have! I have since purchased a few more new SU! sets that I adore AND you can now use them with acrylic blocks...happy girl! I started with SU! cs in concord crush and pear pizzaz. These two colors are really bold and bright against my PTI kraft cs. I did step out of the bounds and used my trusty PTI polka dots in versamark for the left side! Once I punched my green floral vines, I went back and punched out hearts in the concord crush. The hearts are raised with foam tape and accented with crystal effects to make them shiny! Super simple, but sweet card ;)

Sweet Tooth...

2011-06-17T05:49:00.001-07:00

ETA: Sandy would like to know where I get my clear bags for these treat sticks so if anyone else is interested here is the link to clearbags.com ;))

1x8 CLEAR BAGS

TGIF! Sharing something a little sweet today! These are some goodies I made recently for a customer who wanted a little something for her children to share with their classmates at an end-of-the-year party. This batch I made with m&m's and a 4th of July theme. I used some mini manila tags and recycled some heart buttons. The buttons had a loop on the back that was cut off, allowing them to lay flat on the paper. The patterned paper is from a new Pink Paislee pack that you will see below.This is the new Pink Paislee pack I picked up on my last visit to VA. It's a super cute 6x6 pad and here I showed the 3 sheets I chose for this project. The great thing about 6x6 pads is that the pattern is the same as the larger sheets, but on a smaller scale...this allows you to use your favorite sheet on smaller projects!I made this bunch with skittles to avoid a peanut allergy with the m&m's. Still a great and sweet substitute! This was the first time I'd used skittles and they fit just as nice and snug as the m&m's.Added a little crystal effects for a shiny melon! I thought I'd add this quick note on how I made the watermelons. Just layer your circles then cut in half. When it comes to getting your 'seeds' lined up(below), stamp both corners and the middle FIRST...then go back and add your additional seeds. This will give you nicely spaced out seeds without having to guess if you do them one at a time ;).

Vintage Tag Spree...

2011-06-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

Getting in the SPIRIT of the holiday! Fourth of July is not only my favorite holiday, but it feels me with a lot of creative inspiration as well. There is nothing better about stamping then being able to mix and match! These tags were created with a mix of Hero Arts(silhouettes) and PTI(est. 1776) stamp sets. I brought out the Tim Holtz vintage inks(tea dye and antique linen) to create an Americana feel. The ribbon is hand dyed with my Putty copic re-inker. Looks a little greenish in the photo, but is more of a slate/concrete tone. The ribbon on these tags was made before I even had a theme. Luckily, the ribbon and stamp images coordinated perfectly! Merci is from a new BIG set from PTI.
Taking a slightly angled shot here allowed you to see the shimmer(above) ink vs. looking straight(below) on. There are so many fun ideas on how to use these tags! I needed a quick gift this weekend, so I grabbed a bottle of wine and attached a nice handmade tag to the bottle. I have loaded a few sets into my Etsy shop for purchase(link is on the upper right of my blog). If you'd like a custom order or a larger quantity, you can simply email me at madscrapper24@yahoo.com

Everyday is a great day to be inspired by something ;)

Girly Graduate...

2011-06-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! We are officially on Summer vacation and you would totally know it with yet another sunburn! I was pretty good about getting several layers on, but fair skin+sun+beach=glutton for punishment! Luckily this weeks is not as bad as the previous...next time I will just stay fully clothed WITH gloves...lol!

Anyhoo, I've got a quick card post to share with you today! I picked up For The Graduate stamp set for this card and made a girly spin on the colors and layout. If you have been following me via facebook, you know I have been linking fun tutorials about seam binding etc. Well, I bought myself a roll and these little rosettes were my first trial run with dyeing and twisting. I followed a simple and easy tutorial by Debbie and used a light pink copic refill. I'm not sure if there are other re-inkers you can use. I did try another strip with SU! re-inkers and it didn't dry as quickly and the crinkle is a little softer. With the copic re-inker, it dried fast because they are alcohol based and I was able to use this seam binding within 5 minutes of dyeing. I used a large scallop die on the inside of my card to create a pocket for the money. A nice and simple gift for any grad on their way to college!

Road Trippin' Snack Basket...

2011-06-11T17:38:00.001-07:00

A very special gift, for a really awesome family! There isn't much that is predictable in life, almost NEVER in the military lifestyle. It is PCS season once again(moving time!) and although we have not had to do this since we left NYC, we said goodbye this morning to great friends who became our family away from family. I suppose after we finally bought our own home, we became comfortable with our surroundings and were in denial that our neighbors would always be the same great folks we met nearly 3 years ago. I'm thankful for the M family...lots of laughs, kindness, and most importantly...a lifelong friendship!Since their trip will take them a week or so to reach their destination, I wanted to put together a snack basket FILLED with lots of goodies. I took into consideration that it could not be made too large, but needed to hold as much as I could get stuffed in there! I knew I couldn't go wrong with this lime green basket that I picked up at Mike's. A neat idea I came up with for gift card holders. I wanted each card to represent the children's personalities! These are very simple to make up. I think I may do a tutorial on the next round I make! Wouldn't this pattern be cute for Christmas gc's to hang on the tree??!On the reverse side, I just flipped up the bottom half and taped down the sides, and slid in the gift cards. There was plenty of room to write a quick message of thanks on the back. I figured with all the stops they had to make along the way, gift cards were a nice and compact gift when the car is FULL of luggage and kids!

Monogrammed Teacher Gifts...

2011-06-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

School's out for Summmmmmmmmmer!! Our last day is tomorrow here in NC and myself and the kids can hardly wait! We have several family trips planned this Summer and a wedding so it will be packed. I wanted a fun way to say thank you to the teachers...besides the candy and bath stuff that teachers are probably overloaded with...am I right??? And even though I said I'm no fan of decorating with apples, I hope I have redeemed myself here by throwing in a Staples gc...something they can REALLY use! There are many ideas with clear cups and these drink mix combos...I first saw these on my crafty friend, LYNN's, blog! You can also check out Jen's HERE, and Susan's HERE...love their use of the ice cubes...ADORABLE!I trekked to Wal-Mart and Target in search of plastic cups. Then I remembered my sweet friend Stephanie(Sweet Southern Designs) does monogrammed cups. I have bought a few of these as gifts in the past, and I'm amazed for being clear, they really do keep your drink COLD for several hours! SCORE! I simply filled them with Lipton Tea and several types of Crystal Light. To keep the packets from moving around, I added some shredded kraft paper in the middle.Simple Apple gift card holder. I like this new shape and it fits the card very snug so it doesn't slip out. Apple set is from PTI.

And of course, she really should have something 'stronger' in her glass...Ms. Denise, the bus driver ;) It's been a great school year! I always get a little anxious about the year ending because it means my babies are getting older. Both of my girls will be in school full time this Fall and I'm just not sure I'm ready for that ; (.

Banner Frenzy...

2011-06-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Somone got a little crazy this weekend and not only cleaned her crafting space, but once it was clean, she felt inspired to get crackin'! I've been on a patriotic kick lately and decided I'd get my creative juices flowing on banners. I pretty much stayed in my space all weekend. For those of you who know how I work, or have purchased my creations, you know my dedication. Each of these 3 banners took about 4 hours each to make. Time consuming, yes, but a few of those hours were set aside for glue drying.

FREEDOM--is a special thank-you for my sweet friend who made me realize the older I get, the less I need or want. She has taught me the true value of quality friendships! Thank you Donnak for making my birthday so AWESOME! Each card panel is 4 1/4 by 5 1/2(blue cs), the top layers(red and kraft) are cut down 1/4 so they nest nicely on top of each other. The red striped paper as well as the smaller kraft polka dots(underneath the lettering) paper is from DCWV Nautical Paper Stack. To create the accordian circle I took 2 strips of blue cs(1 cut at 1.5 x 11, the other cut at 1.5 x 8.5), scored each one, then taped both pieces together. Once you have the ends taped together, you then attach a small circle to the accordian circle to keep it all together. These circles are very, very strong...much like corrugated cardboard. At this point, I left the accordian circles to dry for at least 2 hours...which gave me plenty of time to hop over to my Cricut and cut out the lettering. Lettering is from the Storybook Cartridge on the 'fancy' option and cut onto SU! red glitter paper....absolutely LOVE this stuff!CELEBRATE--this one is for an upcoming 4th of July party in GA. We will be heading down to visit my sister soon and my niece and daughter have July birthdays so I told my sis I'd take care of the decorations/supplies. I figured after the party is over, she might like to keep this little gem and put it on her fireplace hearth ;)AMERICA--is an extra banner I made just for fun! If you'd like to purchase her for yourself or as a gift, she is available in my Etsy shop today! I will have a few more gift ideas this week. Some cute teacher gifts and another friendship gift. I hope this inspires you to create something fun!

Mudpie Goodie Bags...

2011-05-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Last post with the Mudpie goodies. The weather has been terrible for shooting pics, so these seem a little washed out, but the colors are very vibrant in person. The goodies bags also coordinate with the other Mudpie decorations I've shared this week. I bought these striped bags from Baker's Bling on Etsy. They come in a variety of color stripes and Baker's Bling carries all sorts of cupcake wraps too. I bought them just to have, but when we came up with ideas for the party, these bags were the first thing that came to mind. When making items for kid's parties, I like to keep them fun yet simple. We all know they will just get tossed out once the candy has been devoured. For the cupcake bags I started with the close pins and covered them with lime green cs and stamped in versamark with polka dots. I cut the circles with my CM punch and the cupcake is punched from SU! Just added a little bling on top of the cupcake and clipped the close pin right on the bag.Now, since a few boys will be at the party, you've got to make them something just as fun...without the girly stuff! I couldn't resist this little SU! pirate stamp. Some of the pirates I wanted to make special for Mom since she is an Eastern Carolina Univ. Grad. (ECU-pirates) so I just used my copic markers to color in the school colors. To make the sword 3-D, I simply added a small dab of crystal effects and it made the sword nice and shiny.

Mudpie Birthday Banners...

2011-05-18T10:04:00.001-07:00

Another fun post with Mudpie colors! Today's post is all about banners! The table/wall/fireplace banners are something I'm pretty familiar with, but this was a first for a high chair banner. The high chair banner is my version of 'fun size'! I dusted off my trusty Cricut and cut out the letters as well as the large cupcake in the center. The top of the cupcake actually had holes already cut into the design, but I didn't like the placement, so I covered them with punched circles and added stickles glitter glue. The frosting looks so sparkly and ready to eat!The letters are from the Storybook Cartridge and cut at 4 inches. The black letters are cut slightly smaller at 3.5 inches to give a POP out effect. I stamped the pixie pink(SU!) cs with polka dots. Each letter panel is strung on black satin ribbon and accented with little snippets of coordinating ribbon colors.This is the my new 'fun size' banner! I didn't get a pic of it on the high chair, but we measured and this will fit perfectly across the front. If I get a chance, I will grab a quick photo this weekend at the party.The letter panels are cut out with my nestibility dies. I also did whole panels in the blue and pink and cut them in half then accented with the lime green strip. I cut the letters from the same Storybook Cartridge and added the white dots.Another mini cupcake accents the banner on both ends. In my next post on Friday, I will be sharing the last Mudpie post on goodie bag ideas with cupcakes AND pirates?!!

Enjoying Life with a little Mud Pie...

2011-05-16T04:41:00.001-07:00

Hola! I know its been quite some time since I last posted. Shortly after my last post, we had some terrible weather here in Eastern, NC. I had just en joyed a wonderful afternoon at a stamping class and decided to head home right after as I knew we were in for some bad storms. The skies didn't seem any different from other thunderstorms we've had here in the past. Shortly after 8 p.m. that evening I received a call from my Dad in Oklahoma letting me know we were having tornadoes here! We had been watching movies with the kids so I didn't have any idea we were under tornado watch. Now I know it sounds odd to those of you who may have never been through a tornado, but in Oklahoma we have sirens that are very loud(like a tsunami siren) and you have plenty of time for cover. There are no such warnings in NC and for as much damage as we sustained over many, many counties, ours was very fortunate to not have any deaths. Our home did not sustain any damage, but we do have friends who lost everything. On our way up to VA last week for spring break, we passed through several counties where the damage was unimaginable. A house was lifted from its foundation and literally sitting in the middle of the highway!! Mother Nature can be the wrath of all destruction and I really have trouble with the phrase, 'we are very fortunate to not have had any damage'. I feel God made us fortunate for another reason...to be able to get up the next day and live another day. He made my family fortunate enough to be able to help others. Never take anything for granted!

Although it has been rather quiet on the blog, I've been quite busy behind the scenes. I'm currently working on some fun decorations for a 1st birthday! All the decoration concepts came from THIS Mud Pie onesie. I love all these BRIGHT colors and they matched the colors perfectly from the onesie. All papers are from SU! and the only stamp set I used was PTI's-Polka Dot Basics. The cupcake and sprinkles are from the SU! Cupcake punch. The party info. is printed from my pc on PTI's Basic White CS. Since this CS is pretty thick, I do have to hand feed it through my printer, but it looks so nice and the ink does not bleed as opposed to other white cs. The only request for the invites, was to incorporate a photo of the birthday girl. She is just adorable and even her hair bow matches the colors! Stay tuned to the blog this week where I will share the other coordinating decorations with Mud Pie inspiration!

Spring Composition Journal...

2011-04-14T04:54:00.000-07:00

Still feeling in a Spring-y like crafting mood, I opted to make another composition journal this week. The main image I cut out(birdies on the mushroom), was actually a lined journal tag from a full 12 x12 page in my paper pad. I covered up the lines with my 'courage' Verve stamp and made the matte circles large enough to cover up most of the journal area.

Lately I've been using patterned paper to stamp my phrases on. Here I used the yellow polka dot paper and it really is a nice contrast vs. just stamping my phrase on white cs. I finished off the image with a few purple rhinestones. You can see below just how sparkly and glittery this paper is! I've gotten a few emails as to what paper pads I've used on my projects and although I'm not very good about listing all my supplies, I figured showing a pic of the paper pad would be easier. What I love about these paper pads is that all the papers coordinate with one another and you can mix a number of patterns together. I'm not sure if this one is still available as I bought it last Spring...I think!

Etsy Shop NOW OPEN!

2011-04-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten around to re-opening my Etsy Shop. My hope in re-opening is that I'm still able to provide my customers with beautifully hand crafted items at an affordable price. My goal is that all my products will remain near or below $10.00, with most items starting @ $3.00. The only exception to this rule will be listings in which more than 1 item is listed in a single post...ie multiple quantities. You can find my Etsy Shop on the right hand side of my blog, just click on the Etsy widget and it takes you directly to my store front. All items currently posted are ready for immediate shipping/delivery. As always, I do take custom orders as well. All payments will be rendered via Paypal, unless we have made prior arrangements. I truly enjoy what I do and love to share. If you ever have any questions relating to the Etsy Shop or my blog in general, you can jot me a quick note on this post or by email: madscrapper24@yahoo.com and I will be happy to help! I would like to thank each and every one of you who have supported my work over the years...YOU are the reason I feel inspired to create every day. Sincerely, Dawn Chau

Personalized Soccer Ball Clips...

2011-04-13T05:55:00.000-07:00

Care to kick a few balls around?! This is a recent custom order I did for a local soccer mom. We toyed around with a few ideas until we came up with these cute personalized clips for their goodie bags. This is a wonderful way for you to make a large quanitity of gifts for very little money! I broke out my PTI set-Have a Ball and got busy! The Karen Foster Snap Numbers fit perfectly for the uniform numbers. They no longer make these stamps, but you may be able to find them on Ebay or another crafting forum. I printed the names on Kraft cs and cut them into strips and used scor-tape to adhere them. I kept the bows off the boys clips, but you know how bad I wanted to add them?! I don't think the boys would be all that crazy with my feminine touch! All packaged up and ready for delivery!

Damask 4 of a Kind...

2011-04-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

It's very rare these days that I don't use any pre-printed patterned paper, so I was feeling the need to try something new! When I was thumbing through my plain cs, I selected these 4 BRIGHT colors from my SU! paper. Just about any image stamped in white ink shows up really well on bright colored cs. I used Damask Designs from PTI as well as their Fresh Snow Ink. These cards have also been cut down from the normal A2 size...they are approx. 3.5 x 5.5...a perfect size for jotting a quick, but not too lengthy note. The jewels are from Michael's Recollection line and have a Moroccan feel with rhinestones and felt.

Sharing the Odds and Ends...

2011-04-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

I decided to gather the rest of the projects I've been working on over the last few weeks, and put them into a single post. These Spring Bird tags were a spin off of the one I made on yesterday's notebook. I'd made the notebook first, and liked it so much, I made several more. I didn't share the others here, but I have another set made up with 'celebrate today'. Here are some fun mini-tags using Sweet Treats and THIS coordinating die/stamp from Verve. I wanted a little more dimension, so I used my woodgrain bg stamp in versamark. The flowers were all die cut with leftover paper I had stamped for a previous project. The red flower is cut from felt. I recycled more of the hearts I used on my glitter heart string for Vday. Using my SU! flower trio punch, I created some fun, 3-D flowers. The rhinestone centers are a sage green. I did a 2-for-1 here and created cards and tags! I really love these phrases from the Verve stamp collections. There are several sentiment sets they sell, and they are nice to use in place of regular images I would normally color.

Composition Journals...

2011-04-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have already had a 'sneak peak' of this post as I posted it on the FB page last week. You know when you purchase those paper packs and you often have large patterns that are much too large for a card or small project? Well, I found the perfect solution for using ALL that paper up! I covered 5 composition books...front and back...with the large prints and it made me think, my sister, who is also a teacher, would really appreciate looking at some more beautiful and fun vs. the marble pattern! These were a surprise sell out at the show, but as luck would have it, I stocked up on some more books and I'm eager to play with some new paper! If your a fan of Etsy, these 'keep calm and carry on' signs are everywhere! I just happened to be at Michael's and found that Hero Arts has made this into a STAMP...swoon! This tag is the one and only I've made with this stamp so far...but I can assure you, I will get A LOT of use out of it! I thought I'd share THIS link on a beautiful wreath made with this Blossom Song paper! To DIE for! Amy Butler paper, sentiment is Verve. Finally got around to breaking-in my new bird punch from SU! I hate to admit that I don't use my supplies as soon as they come in...this punch has been sitting around for awhile....I guess I was for just the right time to use it. Love how well the bird coordinates with the patterned paper. Some more YUMMY Amy Butler paper...sentiment is from Verve. Lots of patterns going on here! Luckily I pulled all these pages from the same paper pack, so the colors blend well....no matter how many patterns are thrown together! We are off to enjoy our first Azalea Festival in Wilmington! Hopefully these clouds and rain disappear soon! Happy crafting my friends!

Easter Goodies...

2011-04-07T04:52:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a busy weekend. I needed those few extra days to chillax and clean out my crafting space. I hate to admit that I threw out several grocery sacks of odds and ends. Who knew paper scraps would be everyone BUT the trash can?! I'm terrible about making messes when I'm deep into my projects. Luckily I can see the carpet, desk, and I'm officially organized...to make another mess! I thought I'd share a few pics the show. My booth was almost the same setup as the Fall show, just added a new peg board and spinner rack. I purchased my card spinner recently from a scrapbook store that was going out of business...super cheap and it's very heavy and sturdy. I thought I'd make some more M&M sticks since these were a big hit at the Fall show. No matter the crowd or timing of craft shows, these were not a big hit this time around. But now I have Easter goodies made up for Gracie's class! I got a kick out of the puffy chicks on the tags! Here are my Chic'n Nuggets! I made the chick from THIS die by cutting full eggs in white and yellow. I cut the white shell in half and used THIS set for the scalloped edge. To make the avery labels I used THIS set, which is a 3 step process, but looks really nice on the labels. After I had my whole chick assembled, I decided to go back and add a little feather on top. They turned out like little mohawks! I cannot take any credit for these, but a BIG thank you to Elizabeth for giving me the idea. The original idea had a much smaller bunny head, but I found this HUGE one at the Mike's $ Spot and thought it might just work! The bunny did have a little body attached to his huge head, but I simply trimmed off his lower half and this is what you get! I wrapped the nuggets in festive Easter paper and added a little white pom pom on the rear ;) These candies, as well as the Chic'n Nuggets sold out. They also got a lot of chuckles! Overall, this show was wonderful. I met some new fans and other eager crafters who enjoy paper as much as I do. A BIG THANK YOU to fellow vendors and Hidden Talents for putting on a great show! I do have lots of extras and am in the process of updating my Etsy shop again. If your interested, keep your eyes posted to the right side of my blog. I have an Esty widget that will take you directly to the shop.

Restoration Hardware Inspired...picture HEAVY!

2011-03-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had the pleasure of turning the pages of the Restoration Hardware Kids Catalog? Well, I can say I've never bought anything from them, but continue to receive their catalogs. If you thumb through the pages, the designs are all the same...simple blues and pinks with chocolates! Their designs inspired me to make up several things up while I had the same stamp set out. I wanted to keep all these projects on one post since I used the same stamp sets...you get a visual of how many different projects you can create! All stamps are PTI and cs is from SU! The little feet are from the Loss of a Child set and I pulled the double layer circle from the Borders & Corners set. The pleated pink skirting is made from crate paper! Yes, the same streamers you use to decorate for the kids birthdays?! I was so excited to play with this. It is thin, very thin, but as long as you don't tug too tight with your adhesive, you get a really fun look to your projects and you don't have to worry about the extra bulk for postage! I was on a roll here...so I kept going and made up a stash of tags! WHEW! That's a long post! The next few days will be super busy getting my table finalized and last minute things I need to grab for the craft show. I'm almost...not even close really...to being ready! Happy crafting my friends ;)

For the DUDE'S...

2011-03-29T04:49:00.000-07:00

If I make some for the ladies, I've got to make some for the men as well! For all these cards I used MASCULINE MOTIFS from PTI. The paper is current from the Recollections collection....whoa, say that 10 times! I also picked up the ribbon at Mike's!

This show I'm prepared as these were a BIG seller over the holidays. I made several different themes and in my next post, I will share some baby gc holders that I also made into coordinating cards!

Gift Card Bouquet...

2011-03-28T04:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday ya'll...in my finest Oklahoma twang! I'm feverishly getting things prepped and finished for the Martson Craft Show this weekend, April 2nd and 3rd!! I've still got some more space to kill on my pegboards, but it's finally getting to where I'm not in a mad dash like I was last week. In the meantime, this week I will be featuring gc holders for ladies and gents! HERE are some other fun holders I've made. The damask paper is from Michael's Recollection line. This paper is current and it comes in lots of different patterns such as polka dots, stripes, etc. It is thinner than normal cs, but when layering, I prefer it not be as thick as the other cs I'm using. This helps cut down on bulk ;) Sentiments and damask stamp are from PTI. I added some shimmery black rhinestones to the center.

Chipboard Notebooks...

2011-03-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

ETA: I didn't realize I pulled from 2 different paper pads...I also used Garden Variety from Cosmo Cricket!

Today's notebooks are not of the 'mini' type, but rather the larger(Reporter's Notebooks) ones I normally use. The patterns and colors I chose for these notebooks are a tad on the vintage...70's-ish side! Boy I HEAR it coming loud and clear now...lol! I used a mixed-combo of products here! The sentiments are from THIS PTI SET. The paper is from COSMO CRICKET and coordinates with THIS chipboard...super ca-ute! The glitter heart make look familiar...it's from my heart strings that I hung on my chandelier for my Vday post! Re-use and recycle! I took a close-up of the little girl so you could see how 3-D she is! Now her clothes are separate, so you can dress her up in a few different outfits. Once you decide, you cannot redress her...the entire chipboard piece is adhesive backed and it is STRONG! When I packaged her up in a cello bag, I didn't have to worry about snagging her threading needle...she's NOT going anywhere!
A few more fun pieces! Love the vintage colors on the dress form! I laughed when I saw this sewing machine was smiling. Lord only knows my sewing machine is not doing the same when I shove paper through her...ha! Funny thing is, this is the only notebook I did not sew on...signs?!

Grocery Notebooks...

2011-03-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

SQUEE!!! As promised, here are the grocery list notebooks! I absolutely LOVE this paper...I'm biased about cherries...even though I have roosters in my kitchen! As I was cleaning out my craft supplies this last week, I'd remembered I had some cooking charms....somewhere! I believe I bought these at Archiver's years ago. They came in a package of 8 and used all of them! The favorite part about this paper is the TEXTURE! The entire paper pad is actually made with recycled paper, so it has a grocery bag look on the back side, with a grid-texture on the front side.
Thought I'd do a few with strawberries ;)

Feeling Spring-y...

2011-03-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

An appropriate post for the first day of Spring! It's a bit chilly where I am, but I can't complain as the last 2 days here in NC were in the 80's! I'm feeling very ready for Spring and Easter this year! I've been wanting to make some simple, but fun cards and had BRIGHT scallops and white ink in my heads for a few days now. I dug out In Bloom and white craft ink for this project. I love how well the white ink shows up on these bright colors! The top scallop is just plain white cs that I added my pastel yellow ribbon on to. My scallop strips were originally cut in 2 inch increments, but after punching them out, I discovered they were much too wide. I cut off a 1/2 inch and used those strips on notebooks! How fun, right?! The sentiments used are from Take Note! I love the little pencil! Stay tuned to the blog this week...I will be dedicating this weeks posts to all things mini-notebooks! I even found some old cooking charms that worked perfect for my grocery list notebooks...squeee!

Amy Butler...pattern overload here!

2011-03-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wait to finally dip in to my Amy Butler patterned paper! I've had this paper pad for some time, but wasn't sure if the colors were really my cup of tea. Turns out...I REALLY DO like them! I'm not sure I could have pulled off all these patterns with image stamps, but I think just using a sentiment still allowed for the colors to show off without being too overpowering. After making these cards, it got me thinking I should make some notebooks to match?! My sentiment is from PTI's-with sympathy as well as the woodgrain bg.A great card for someone who could use a little pick me up! Sentiment is from Verve-blue skies and polka basics-PTI.

Teacher Thank You Cards...

2011-03-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Getting back to making loads of cards for the Marston Craft Show. I think these stamps by MFT are just adorable for the kids teachers. I made these up in burnette and blonde and also different skin tones. It's a pretty simple layout and added a simple clear button over some patterned paper. Her little dress is paper pieced. The clouds are made by die cutting a few cloud images from eclipse tape. Eclipse tape is like a full sticky post-it note and it works great for masking. Once I had my first layer of clouds, I laid the images over again, but off centered and that's how you get a fully loaded fluffy sky. If anyone is interested in a tutorial, let me know and I'd be glad to put one up!

Rockin' Out...

2011-03-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

What a busy week and fun filled weekend here at The House of Chau! I took the week off from blogging to catch up on several home projects...second phase of the fire pit we are building as well as helping the hubby out with a bench extension on our deck. The weather is really starting to warm up around here and the trees and flowers are in full bloom! I'm ready...BRING IT! I had so much fun with the rockstar tags I posted the week before, that I just had to make some rockin' cards! The photo does not pick up the details all that well, but I did the same design as the tags, but on kraft cs with shimmer pink ink. There wasn't much room to add a sentiment so I came up with the idea of just ripping and distressing a small piece of kraft cs...makes it a little rugged! Lastly, I did a little sewing and added the polka dot ribbon....LOVE IT! For the guys! No fancy embellishments or sewing, just added some brads.

Blog Candy WINNER!!!

2011-03-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you who played along! I enjoyed each comment and it's wonderful to hear what inspires your creative spirit! I wish I could have chosen all of you and to make things fair, I decided to let my little crafter choose a name....annnnnd the winner is......

I am inspired by seriously creative bloggers like you, Mish Wooderson, Melissa Phillips, all of the Papertrey crafters and more! Another inspiration is the HUGE assortment of colors, patterns, and textures available to use!! Creating is a joy and necessity in my life.

Thanks for the opportunity to make some tags with your supplies!!

Lila

I won't be posting anything crafty this week, but I will be spring cleaning and hope to get my crafting supplies organized while getting products created for an upcoming craft show. If there are some supplies I'm willing to set free, I will post them here ;) Have a great week!

Tag Week....BLOG CANDY!!!

2011-03-04T04:31:00.000-08:00

So now that I've gone tag crazy this week, I'm giving YOU the opportunity to join the craze!! It's been long overdue since I've shared some blog candy and I thought today is the day! I'm including the basic supplies to make tags of your very own. I've also thrown in a post-it pad made by yours truly. Kit includes: 5 kraft lunch sacks, 5 white doilies, 5 large manila tags, 5 white sentiment tags, handful of clear and vintage cream buttons, and post-it pad.

Now, all you have to do is leave a comment about what inspires you in your crafting adventures...this could be products, blogs, or people. All I ask is when you comment, PLEASE leave your email so I can contact the winner. If no email is left in the comment, I will choose an alternate winner. Winner will be chosen Monday, March 7th by noon est. Happy Crafting!!!

Tag Week Post #4...

2011-03-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

Electic Easter tags! Time got ahead of me this morning and I didn't get this post up early, but have no fear...tomorrow you will have a chance to win some blog candy...a blank slate to create your own goodies! Be sure to check back tomorrow and enter for a chance to get tagging! I will be including the basic essentials to create 5 tags, along with a handmade post-it pad so you can jot down all your great ideas! All my tags were made with PTI's-Egg Hunt. On this first set of tags, I used my Beautiful Blooms II flower die. The flower petals are double layered and curled up with a pencil edge. After I had the flower curled, I used 3-D foam tape to lift the layers up. The pink circle matte is cut with my CM circle cutter.Ready for an egg hunt? The purple egg is die cut and stamped with one of the 3 egg patterns that come with the set. The other two eggs are simply die cut from patterned paper. I had cut the green paper portion before I realized just how long my sentiment would be. After a little figgiting, I decided it looked kind of cool hanging off the sides of the tag.Same design as above...just changed out the grass pattern and added a ghost shape butterfly (double layer). I used E6000 to adhere the butterflies down and it dries clear so they look as though they are floating.A little doily fun! This is actually one doily for 2 tags. The ink I used is a sparkly dew drop green and it really helped the eggs POP! The ribbon is probably some of the oldest ribbon I've owned (I'm guessing 10 years...give or take!)...I knew if I held on to it, I'd find SOMETHING to use it on...YOU know what I'm talking about, right? Perfect example of use what you have and not hoard ;)

Tag Week Post #3...

2011-03-02T04:22:00.001-08:00

Flutter-by butterfly! Using the same layout as yesterday's tags, I decided to break out my punches. The butterflies are from the large MS butterfly punch. Although, I don't have any of these in bulk, like the other tags, I plan to make more to finish up the green polka dot paper. This tag would be delightful for a baby gift or new mom!

Tag Week Post #2

2011-03-01T04:51:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the Ride! Your in for another fun post today with 'buggy' tags! These tags were super quick and easy to make! The only part that will take a little extra time is the paper piecing on the vw bug. I started by cutting 3/4 inch strips in pink and green polka dots. I used distress inks on the paper strips as well as around the entire tag. The vw bugs are paper pieced with pink polka dot paper and colored with copics. The cork circle is cut with my nesty dies and cuttlebug.

The sentiments are also from Enjoy the Ride and although I hadn't intended on inking them this way, they turned out to fit perfectly on my strips.

It's TAG Week...Post #1

2011-02-28T07:08:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! Let the tagging begin! I went a little crazy last week and went on a tag making spree. It's amazing how many of these you can crank out in the same time it would take me to make one card! I have to say, I do like switching from cards and tags...breaks up the repetition in my crafting. Today I'm sharing some rock n' roll tags...it's NOT just for the boys! All tags were made with a set from CTMH that is on loan. I kept the same design for the boys and girls, just switched up the colors. I like the idea of splitting the tag in half on the design...polka dots on one, and ink splats on the other. The sentiments are from Enjoy the Ride.

For a little added sparkle, I added the rhinestones to the guitar.Since I can't tie pretty bows on the boy tags, I opted for kraft natural ribbon and knots. For the thinner threads, I used kraft threads from The Cat's Pj's. This thread is super nice and even as much as I tugged on it to tie, it never split! The sentiments came with this set.I will be making more tags, this is a good start to my stash for an upcoming craft show. Have fun with these tags...if you make some, link it here and we will share with everyone ;) Happy Crafting!

Fit For A Princess...

2011-02-25T06:35:00.001-08:00

Soooo, remember the last post where I mentioned I was going to play with glitter for the PTI-glitter strip challenge?!!! Well, I found out that glitter and me are NOT meant to be! I did attempt to make a vintage card, complete with 2 glitter strips...which is now at the bottom of my trash pile! I think I will stick with glitter paper and call it a day ;)

So something I can share with you has a little bling (without glitter!) and fit for a princess. These were the invites for Gracie's 7th birthday party. Not much planning on my end since the party was not at home this year. I don't get to do this often as we are normally with family and we keep the parties simple. Gracie decided she wanted a "princess" party and I knew this crown would be perfect! I knew I didn't want to cover the entire tiara with rhinestones, so I think the few I added, add just enough shine. I then stamped 7 in chocolate chip and added the circle (PTI-basic polka dots) to close the focal point. The party info. is printed off the pc in black.
Big birthday girl!
Mommy & Daddy sandwich ;)My wonderful in-laws! They were gracious enough to make the 6 hour drive from VA just to help Gracie celebrate her special day! Grandpa looks like he's had a little too much fun!We continued our weekend with a trip to the park and a nature hike. I'm proud to say Addy dresses herself...note the snow boots in nearly 70 degree weather! And what can I say, the kid LOVES to layer!Just wish she would slow down...just a bit!My favorite shot of the weekend! Grandpa loves his babies ;)

I Love Thee...

2011-02-23T05:10:00.000-08:00

A quickie post today! I'm going to try my hand at the Make it Monday Challenge with PTI, so I will keep this post simple today. This is a fun new stamp set I purchased from SU! at a recent workshop. I combined the stamp images with a punched heart from the new red glitter paper. Simple, thin, grosgrain ribbon adds a nice accent to the lime green polka paper. You know how much I LOOOOOVE polka dots! Alrighty, here's to wishing I can make some magic with glitter strips...glitter is not my favorite to play with, but I will give it a go!

Miss You...

2011-02-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

What I what give for another 3 day weekend we just had! We celebrated Gracie's 7th birthday over the weekend, had some family in town, and just enjoyed our time together. I didn't do too much on the decorating end since we had her party at Chuck E. Cheese, but I did do her invites and goodie bags. I will be sure to share those pics later in the week.

Today I've got a sweet lovebird card. I used Aviary from SU! Birds of all sorts seem to be a big trend right now and as much as I wanted this set, I'm finding the cling hard to use on my acrylic blocks. I'm sure if I play with it enough, I will get use to them, but I've been using clear stamps for the last few years and them seem to be much easier to place for me. Aside from my crooked birdcage, I'm still loving how it turned out.
I mixed a few sets from PTI on my design as well. Basic Polka Dots and Little Lady (the small ladybug body for my heart).Another PTI set, Masculine Motifs was used for the sentiment.
I plan on donating this card, along with a few others to deployed troops to send to their sweeties. It's hard when your in the field and don't have a Hallmark or P.O. nearby. I know when my hubby was deployed, he'd hold on to the cards and letters for several days until they were back safely to address and mail them off. Happy Crafting my friends!

Feelin' Hippy-ish...

2011-02-16T05:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday! I can officially say I'm ready for the weekend! Our oldest has a BIG birthday party this weekend and with everyone starting to get over the flu, I'd say it's a wonderful way to celebrate! The invites are done and delivered, now I just need to work on some tags for the goody bags and then we'll be finished. Chuck E. Cheese will handle the rest!

On to what I had planned to share last week! I took some time out last week to rest and craft...a little...and made this cute little number! Lovin' these hippy flowers! You have seen this paper on a recent "love bug" card I made. Although the photo doesn't pick up the detail, the flowers are very sparkly! Stamp set is Chair-ished. I took my green gingham strip and added some Text Style II in purple ink.

Valentine Montage...

2011-02-15T05:40:00.001-08:00

slip-in a little love...because they matter... ...and tug on my heartstrings and love will always bloom here......because I see how magical he truly is...through THEIR eyes

Papertrey Ink Tag Challenge...

2011-02-11T04:49:00.000-08:00

Papertrey Ink Tag w/a tag Challenge. I actually had this tag made before yesterday's card, so I was happy when I saw today's challenge on tags! On a recent trip to the LSS I found these packages of fun/crafty chipboard. This set also includes buttons (not the ones used here), knitting needles, and balls of yarn. I think these would also make some unique tags for a handmade blanket or scarf....my sister is probably reading this and is going to remind me that I have yet to make the tags she requested...a year ago! Jillybean, I was just "waiting" for the right embellishments to come along ;) I distressed my manila tag, used Polka Dot Basics in olive green, rubbed plum ink over my white doily, added my chipboard, buttons, and tag sentiment is from Studio Style.

Papertrey Ink Button Challenge & Tutorial...

2011-02-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

Plugging away with another PTI Challenge. I had other projects slated to share this week, but I'm having a TON of fun thinking outside of the box! This card was a loooooong work in progress. I actually started out with a plain heart and "attempted" to sew around the edges...BIG mistake! Once I regrouped and gave up in the impossible, this was my end result! Scroll along with me and I will show you how you can make shadow hearts too. Stamps sets used: Masculine Motifs (sentiment), Text Style II, Studio Style.
1. Stamp your bg cs with Text Style in Versamark ink. Cut scalloped heart images from copier paper saving the heart image AND the negative. You could probably use Eclipse Tape here, I just wasn't sure if it would leave sticky residue on my cuttlebug plates. 2. Take your first scalloped heart, place it where you like, use a cotton dauber and vintage ink and rub the outsides of the heart image.
3. Now you have a "shadow" effect.
4. Take your negative and lay it directly over your shadow image. 5. Hold your negative snug and stamp away with the buttons in Studio Style. Look at those inky paws! 6. Tah-dah! Loads of buttons without the added weight!
7. Once you have your first heart done, you can repeat as many as you like! I do plan on giving this to my sweet husband! There are no ribbons, frills, or embellishments that wouldn't make this perfect for a male card.

PTI Color Challenge...

2011-02-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

Before I get on with today's post, I just wanted to thank each one of you who came to visit my blog via the PTI challenge. In turn, it gave me the opportunity to see new faces and explore your blogs for more inspiration! There is so much to see out there when you start surfing crafty blogs...it's like my cup of coffee in the morning!

Anyhoo, I decided to throw myself into another color challenge today! If you want to join in the fun, CLICK HERE for all the color challenges to choose from. I chose to use the color palette from Melissa Phillips!My friend and stamping buddy, DonnaK will be here today so I figured I'd better make up a few more cards before I return my "loaner" stamps! I fully intend to add On My Couch and Additions to my wish list. Just imagine all the patterns you could come up with for this couch?? Now I do own plenty of PTI stamps, but I do not own any cs or inks so my shades of green will vary just slightly from Melissa's color palette. I added a little life to my flat pillows with some foam tape so they look 3-D. The lamps are paper pieced from the Princess Pack...I know, I've been posting A LOT of projects with this paper...but there are many sheets that are just too cute not to play with!

Make It Monday With Papertrey Ink...

2011-02-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know about my fellow crafters, but I've been having oodles of fun creating and celebrating in the festivities over at Papertrey Ink. It would be hard to pick just ONE favorite as I love all their products, but for their new Make It Monday Challenge, I picked out In Bloom and Friends 'til the End to ink up. I love the In Bloom flower die, not only does it cut nicely, it's easy to match up the stamp after the die has been cut. The leaves are from the coordinating die with In Bloom and instead of using the leaf stamp, I opted to use Polka Dot Basics. I also used Polka Dot Basics on the pink cs before I added all the "friend" sentiments.

I actually got ahead of blogging this week and all my photos and posts will be ready to go! Lots of fun stuff to share! I've been on a card making frenzy! If you'd like to join in the PTI festivities, HERE is the link! Happy Crafting ;))

Sweet Buggy Love...

2011-02-04T08:36:00.001-08:00

Rounding out the last projects with vday candy! I'm hoping this will be the last of the candies I have to resist eating while making goodies for others. Making good use of some 3x3 clear bags (thanks Donna!), I stumbled (yeah right!) upon some mini snickers that when put side-by-side, fit perfectly in this size bag. Since I wanted a LARGE heart, but needed it a little less round on top, I used the lady bug body from Little Lady and turned it upside down. Letters and bug are also from PTI.I hope all of you have a Superbowl of a weekend! There are no sports fans in this house (I'm so lucky, aren't I?), but we do find it a good excuse to make some goodies and watch the commercials! Enjoy!

One, Happy, Tree...

2011-02-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

ETA: Tree stamp is from Close To My Heart (CTMH)

I got a little card happy this week! I'm trying my darnedest to create everyday in the hopes that I can build up my stash for an upcoming craft show. This stamp set is from CTMH and on loan from my sweet friend DonnaK. I'm thinking it will soon be another set on my wish list! I stamped all the trees directly on to patterned paper. This tree is fairly large, as you can see, so keeping the layers to a minimum is best.

A little doodling, jumbo eyelets and sentiment from papertrey ink. I've had this vintage lace from a trip eons ago to the fabric store. The lace is not super fluffy and lays flat...perfect for cards!
I decided to try a little stitching on the bottom. It really helped high light the red cs.These little birds crack me up! Catch my boo-boo?? I put a baby bird in the tree that is not resting his little feet on a branch...catchin' air! I didn't realize it until later...eh, I will consider him "special".Manly option! I punched a bunch of hearts out with my small su! heart punch and adhered them with foam tape. The natural twine I wrapped around the bottom is from Cat's Pajamas. This is my first time to try twine and I must say I LOVE IT! The twine is super flexible, won't rip, and it's not bulky. I just enabled you, didn't I?

Awareness...

2011-01-28T05:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday! It is going to be nice and SUNNY here in NC this weekend! I know this isn't much consolation for those just North of us, but I will take what we can get. It has been an unusually cold winter this year and I look forward to Spring getting here...QUICKLY!

I have a bundle order to share with you today. You have seen these cards before, I just switched up the papers...can't resist that new gingham! The basket was made up for an auction that will raise money for cancer research....I know Deb is going to raise a lot of money at her event, and for such a wonderful cause! I filled this basket with all sorts of goodies...notepads, cards, jr. notebooks, and some m&m candy sticks! Sweet, simple, and feminine cards! Do you remember from my post yesterday when I mentioned that negatives I used as frames? The scalloped green gingham squares are what I used from the negatives! This is a GREAT way to stretch and use ALL of your cs!

Buggy Teapots...

2011-01-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

Who's ready for FRIDAY?!!! So much to do, so little time! We have a BIG project planned for this weekend (tile job in the kitchen...YIPPEE!) and some friends will be here to help us, so I thought I'd better update the ol' blog before I'm too tired to type and covered in grout! I went to see my dear friend DonnaK last week and before we hit the LSS, I rummaged through her stamp collection and she loaned me out a few sets to play with! I could not wait to get my hands on this cute, Enjoy The Ride, set! SQUEE! Looks how fun she is?!! The green gingham frames are actually ALL scraps (negatives) that I used on another project (will share in next post!) and was intending on throwing away. I tossed them aside, then came back to them realizing they would make neat frames. The pink gingham is paper pieced from the Princess Pack.
I covered the inside tab with hippy flowers...otherwise it has STAPLES across it!I'm a "little teapot"...I really don't know where I was going with this one! The teapots started out in pink gingham, but were too plain, so I added some chocolate chip ink over them and I think it did the trick? On the middle frame I added a small strip of lace from my local fabric store. To hold the lace down, I made a simple paper border on top, and adhered the lace to the back side.
Buggy LOVE! I didn't want to get too frilly on this card since my focal image was so large. Just add a check and send to your favorite GRAD.

Little Lady Invites...

2011-01-24T04:43:00.000-08:00

...LOTS of little ladies! This was my BIG project over the last few days. Once we decided on a layout and colors, I got to work. The best and most efficient way to do mass production projects for me, is to cut ALL your pieces FIRST! Since I knew I'd be doing many cuts and punches, I spread my workload out over a few days. To keep my strips straight, I just used my CM cutting mat to line everything up. If you don't have a cutting mat, large desk calendars work just as well...basically anything with lines!
Here is the finished invite! I have blocked out some personal info. for privacy.
Here's the whole gang...ALL 75 OF THEM! I just love those little ladies...so cute!

Little Love Notes...

2011-01-21T04:25:00.000-08:00

Little love notes for your lil' Valentine. I went out of my comfort zone and made up these 4x4 cards...perfect for school lunch boxes, or tuck a little note to the one you love. I plan on sneaking one on my hubby's dash as he drives to work! For the "love notes" I used my vintage book of sheet music and PTI's Tiny Treats and Polka Dot Basics.

Princess Notebooks...

2011-01-20T06:34:00.001-08:00

A sweet Valentine gift for my girls. I had some jr. notebooks cut at Staples last weekend and for some reason, I thought they would be the same size as my old ones...they are not! I used to be able to get 2 notebook covers out of 1 sheet of 8.5x11 cs, but this time around I noticed my notebooks are cut 1/4 inch larger. I'm sure if I do some finagling I might be able to squeeze one more cover out. Anyhow, the girls love to doodle and draw dolls all day long so these will be perfect for travel and on the go! The paper is from a 12x12 Princess Pack. There are several sheets included that have the clip art (castle and princess I used here), which is easy to cut and matte. My nesty dies did not fit a matte for the princess so I used some patterned paper and buttons to add texture.

Finished them off with monograms. I'm hoping I can keep these a secret until Valentine's Day!

Crafty Storage Link...

2011-01-19T04:53:00.000-08:00

While I'm getting some crafty projects finished up, I just wanted to share this link that may inspire you to get that craft room organized...FOR REAL! Aurora over at Crafty Storage had asked to feature a recent post I had done on my craft space. Forget about my room, this blog will show you all sorts of neat ideas when getting that craft room organized. I've already skimmed thru some of the posts and I'm inpspired to get a few other things in order! CLICK HERE to get cleaning!

Going Vintage...

2011-01-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

The sun is out today and has offered a nice meltdown with the snow. This is now day 3 of no school and I think the cabin fever is getting to all of us...MOM included! I did get out the baking supplies and the girls and I have baked a few dozen chocolate chip cookies. They love to pull out the aprons and go to town. I was even able to sneak some nuts in without hesitation...my 6 year old swears she can't eat nuts...you would never tell with those sticky fingers! Needless to say, she had her fill this afternoon ;))).

While the girls were crafting with the Cricut yesterday, I looked through my supplies to see what I wanted to work on. I came up with these vintage tags that I thought would go perfect with some kraft lunch sacks. There is a lifetime supply of these bags underneath my desk. They were used at my craft show for packaging purchases. Detailed close up. This was a first for the use of doilies. I picked up a pack of 30 from Michael's and rubbed my Dew Drop inks over them to cover up the white. The flowers are die cut with my nesty circle scallops. All the flowers are tea-dyed and "scrunched" up before I adhered all the layers. The leaves are from my PTI die and I stitched on the vein lines. Buttons are foo-fa-la.Pink lemonade tag. This is the only tag I left the leaves off of and only because I thought it might be too much with a green flower. Even with the leaves left off, it still offers enough layers for a vintage feel. The mini tags with the sentiment were white so I added some vintage ink from Tim Holtz (the same ink I used on the edges of the large tags).

Emboss Resist Technique...

2011-01-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

If there's anything I'd like to do this year (besides use the supplies I've already bought!!!), it's to try some new techniques in paper crafting. On my last trip to Archiver's I picked up a few Hero Arts Frame Stamps. When I saw this stamp it SCREAMED for me to try the emboss resist technique. You can find THIS wonderful picture tutorial from Splicoaststampers.I clear embossed my design on white cs, then rubbed my Dew Drop--Aloe Vera over the embossed area. Once I got the ink coverage I desired, I went back and rubbed off the excess ink and it revealed the clear emboss. I knew I wanted to add a sentiment, but I didn't want it to be overbearing and cover up the floral image. My snap stamps were a great solution...simple FRIEND...letters were stamped individually and then I hand cut the baby blue matte. This is something I'm definitely looking forward to trying again!

Snapshot of yesterday...this is in the middle of the storm...hard to believe the beach is only 15 mins. away??!! Looks like the snow will stick around as it will not be above 40 the rest of the week and school has been out for 2 days now. Chan and I got this crazy idea to drag the kids around the neighborhood, on boogie boards, in the freezing rain! We all had fun, but my arms are thanking me today!

Valentine's Fun Dip Bands...plus tutorial!

2011-01-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry my first official post of the New Year is running a little late today...see, we sort of have a little snow on the ground...roughly 5 inches...and we had to go play FIRST! And to think we were only slated to get an inch! It's just so pretty outside right now. The view is better enjoyed from my warm comfy couch.

Anyhoo, I've finally gotten around to updating the ol' blog with some fun projects and today I even have a quick tutorial to share! I'm always on the look out for goodies that I can dress up and use for the kids Vday cards. This year I decided to come up with something different for these Fun Dip packages. In case you need more ideas, HERE and HERE are the ones from last year. Lets get started! Take a sheet of 8.5 x 11 kraft cs and cut into 1 inch strips. Be sure to scor the strips at the 3 and 7.25 marks on your scor-pal. Stamp your polka dots only in the center with versamark ink. You can use whatever stamp you like, I'm just addicted to my polka dots! I used the medium dots from THIS PTI set...it fits perfectly between your 2 scor lines! Now it's assembly time! Add your cute little vday image to your strip and now your ready to band the Fun Dip packaging To add the band, add 2 small strips of adhesive.Once you add the band, it will "bunch" slightly around the cello bag...that is OK, you want a snug fit so the band does not slip off...or you can add a strip of adhesive (1 of 2 strips in the above pictures) so it attaches to the cello bag.

Wrap your band, seal the cello bag and now your ready to send to your favorite Valentine. There is plenty of room on the back of the band for the kids to write on.If you'd like to skip the manual labor and make up some quick kits yourself, I've added a few to my Etsy Shop. The kits includes 10 bands (2 of each design), fully assembled, with 10 cello bags...all you have to do is add 2 adhesive strips, attach the band, and candy.

Happy NEW YEAR!!!!

2011-01-03T05:38:00.001-08:00

Now you will see why December was so quiet on the ol' blog! I hope this New Year finds each of you off to a great start in 2011! We had a very busy December not only for Christmas with family, but the week prior, my hubby and I also set off on a cruise to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary! In all the years we've been together, we've never splurged on something so nice and just for the two of us...yes ONLY 2 of us! We left our girls a case of juice boxes and granola bars to tie them over until we got back...kidding...my in-laws were gracious enough to take the girls while we set sail from Baltimore for 7 days to the Bahamas. December 13th, our 10 year anniversary! We celebrated by enjoying a 5 star dinner in David's Steakhouse. The steakhouse is located on the 9th deck, just under the wing tip on top of the Carnival Pride...pretty cool! We thought at first it was a pool from the outside.

His & Hers...Chan about to dig in to some escargot...I'll pass!Maine Lobster and Fillet Mignon. Best lobster I've ever eaten!Free table dances from the waiters...I believe here they were dancing to Apple Bottom Jeans! This is the main dining room, The Normandie, where we had a scheduled dinner time of 8:15 each night.Our first stop was Port Canaveral. Long story short, we purchased on-shore excursion tickets through Carnival for an air boat ride in The Everglades. We saw zero gators, our boat broke down (the propellers broke off and some shrapnel hit Chan on the shoulder...no serious injuries!!!), and it was only 56, which on an air boat is pretty damn cold! Needless to say, we laughed about it and ended the day with GATOR TAIL! Eh, no frowns here...tastes just like chicken...like everything else!Pulling into our 2nd port of Nassau, Bahamas. A warm 78 degrees (it was snowing back in Baltimore and Virginia) and shorts weather! The water here is simply breathtaking and incredibly clear on the white sandy beaches.Hopping off the big boat and taking a small water taxi over to Paradise Island, where The Atlantis Resort is located.Atlantis Resort. The "bridge" suite goes for 25k a night, with a 4 night minimum...who's in folks??Once we got over to Paradise Island we went to Cabbage Beach and rented some jet skis. I lasted for about 5 mins. before I left my hubby to do his own crazy racing. He is in the middle of this picture.Heading back to the ship before it set sail from Nassau. LOVE this shot!Woke up the next morning in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. We grabbed a quick cab as soon as we docked and headed over to Port Lucaya...this shot was captured at 7:30 in the morning.The one day we didn't bring our swim wear...gosh it was so nice here!Awwwww...relaxtion!Iced martini bar!Last day of the cruise. We had incredible servers and met wonderful new friends. After our last dinner we came back to our room to find our "confiscated" wine had been delivered. Our bottle was legal size and sealed, but was taken out of my check-in luggage...apparently you are supposed to store it in your carry-on luggage. So no wine, but I had a cork screw that I was allowed to keep all week...LOL! No worries though, we had plenty to drink without it ;) Over all, this was a fantastic experience...so much so, that we plan to take the girls on one in the next few years! If you've never been on a cruise, I HIGHLY recommend it!After we returned from our cruise, we stayed in VA for Christmas. Since I'm the crafty girl that I am, I always bring a fun project for the kids to work on. Gingerbread houses were on the agenda...with my nieces and youngest (far right). My sweet sis-in-law had this made for our anniversary. I can't wait to take this out every year and fill it with festive flowers. Christmas Day with Gracie and Addy. Christmas Dinner was hosted by my brother-in-law and his sweet wife. A "small intimate gathering" with my hubby's side. This photo is just of his parents, siblings and their children. We are actually 1 sister shy here! As you can imagine, there is never a dull moment! We have a lot to look forward to this year and a possible move which we will find out soon if we are going or staying. I personally don't mind staying, but with the military, you don't always have that option. Also, my youngest will start Kindergarten in the Fall which is huge milestone in our house. I'm at the crossroads now where I will either continue to stay home or join back in the REAL workforce. A lot to think about, but it will all come in good time. In the meantime, I'm working on Valentine projects and will also post some for sale in my Etsy shop in the next week or so. Thank you for visiting my blog, asking questions, and just laughing with me. I do have some emails to get back to and a request for a tutorial on the clips I made earlier....those requests are in the works so stay tuned! Wishing all of you a WONDERFUL start to your New Year!!

Fun, Fall Tags...

2010-12-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

This should be last of the craft items to share..."promise". Because the craft show was right before Thanksgiving, I thought I'd make up a few Fall-ish items. I dug out my First Fruit set and got carried away! These tags were a big hit along with the close pins. Luckily I had a few left over and used them for packaging bananna bread and gave some as elf gifts this year. You could easily turn the close pins into magnets...I actually covered both sides of the pins in this festive and sparkly orange paper. As you can see, I used all available display space and up top on the peg board is where I squeezed my pins on. I tried my best to keep like items together and since this was all the Fall stuff I had, it fit perfectly! These pins have got me thinking of so many fun ideas...Valentine pins, Easter pins, etc....

Simple Holiday/Everyday Cards...

2010-12-05T09:22:00.001-08:00

Happy Sunday Ya'll! It's getting rather nippy here in Eastern, NC. I'm ready for the snow to come, unfortunately we usually only get a nice dusting. The fire is going and we are staying in for the day!

I thought I'd share some simple cards I made a while back. These cards are a total CASE from THIS card I did earlier this year. A Little Argyle is versatile in so many ways. I originally bought this set for male cards, but I find myself using it other ways. This set can be used for as fun spin on holiday cards or for everyday cards.Stay warm!

Odds And Ends I've Forgotten to Share...

2010-12-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

These were some special request projects I worked on a few weeks back and I'm just now getting around to sharing. I often take the pics, edit, save to a folder and forget about them. After getting all caught up in the craft show stuff, some things had fallen by the wayside....sooo, since I'm overdue with new pics, you get 3 fun projects to check out today!!! First up are some cancer survivor cards made with Papertrey Ink's Anniversary Set...2nd or 3rd year? I made my own patterned paper with pink polka dots, then added the bird scene over it. The "square-ish" shape is from my nesty dies and for a little added texture I used versamark with my wood grain stamp.
Ice cream and sweets overload! Love the old fashioned ice cream cup complete with shine and oozing marshmallow topping.You can "almost" taste it right?This notebook was hard to photograph, but looks just lovely in person! Without intending, the design looks like a quilt with all those dots. The patterned paper is Graphic 45...they have such a fun and vintage look to their papers.

Sometimes It Just Feels Good to PURGE...your spaces!

2010-12-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

ETA: I'm adding a few links for the storage units....cause you know your going to make a trip to your nearest IKEA....TODAY;)

STAMP STORAGE

PUNCH STORAGE

PRIMA AND SMALL BUTTON STORAGE

LARGE BUTTON STORAGE

I could not find links for my COPIC storage, but you can find those utensil boxes in the kitchen section, and the ribbon storage box is also in the kitchen center....you can interchange the wooden boxes for glass jars (for storing dry noodles etc.).

Calling all IKEA LOVERS! I finally had some downtime and my upstairs master was screaming for a re-do/purge/declutter/INTERVENTION! Remember when I shared this post (moons ago) about my "little niche in the corner?" That "little corner" was back in Brooklyn, NY and once we moved to our new home in NC, the space nearly tripled and so did my crafting supplies! More space=more junk=more headaches! I'm a firm believer in "less is more" and so the last 4 days I've be tackling this space, and that space just to the left...the DREADED TOY CORNER! While I was visiting my sister and family in GA last week, we made a visit to the IKEA in Atlanta. What's that you say? You've never been to an IKEA before?!!! Follow along my dear! I figured I start with the lesser of 2 evils, and purged in my space first! Isn't Addison just precious? She's supposed to be cleaning her toys?!Directly behind the couch is an old sofa table...which may not be a BIG deal yet, but I plan on organzing all my ribbon soon and this table will be for my girls, who are 6 and 4. They have the crafting bug as well and need a space of their own. Stored underneath the table are my fruit stands and banner from the recent craft show. Following the bend to the right is my spinner rack and shelves with all the primas I HAD TO HAVE, but don't really use much! Adding that to my New Year's resolution....USE WHAT YOU HAVE! The "nerve center"...she will not stay this clean for long! That pretty bag and loot is from trip to Archiver's in Buford, GA as well as Hobby Lobby...I could stay there ALL DAY! There was 4 of us at Hobby Lobby and I even conned Dad into using a 40% coupon for one of my new paper packs...REAL MEN by pretty paper ;) Below my desk: to the left of my work chair are 6 plastic drawers which store tools, adhesives, chalk inks, and embossing supplies. The 2 binders you see leaning against the unit house my card sketches, patterns, and address labels for stamping. On the right you will see another plastic unit that houses SU! ink pads, stickles, soldering tools, and packaging supplies. If you go further to the right where the paint can is, that's where I put all my alterable items.Snazzy peg board! Regular ped board from Lowe's (smallest size they carry) that I mod podged with fabric. It's nice to have my everyday supplies close at hand. All the rods (for punches) and bakets (extra punches and buttons) are from IKEA. Some of these storage items I've had forever, but the COPIC marker boxes are new. Each box has 2 compartments and I found these in the kitchen untensil area of IKEA. Directly below the COPIC makers is my ribbon storage box. The box is full of ribbon that comes on the smaller spools and they are wrapped around 4x6 cardboard pieces and stored by color families. My redneck mug is full of water....no caffiene for this chica! More wonderful storage from IKEA! I have 3 of these units for holding my stamp collections. Most are Papepertrey ink sets, but for those that aren't, they too go into clear cd cases and get labeled. There is no subliminal message in that preggo card...I just held on it because it was the first card I ever created! I call it my "terrifically tacky" phase.
The loose stamps that do not come in CD cases are soon to be getting new homes! I've ordered some more cases from PTI so I don't have to keep putting these back in! They love to slip out all the time! Always keep baby wipes on hand. When I'm stamping, I perfer to stamp, wipe, and store...no more piles of stamps that need to be rinsed. There is a big bay window that separates the last photo from this one. I do love that there is plenty of light coming in this space. I find it hard to stamp in the evening with dimmed lighting. These would be my paper towers! There is also other supplies here: clearbags, small alterables like post-its and notebooks, and chipboard. The paper I've got on top was recently used and is just waiting for me to put it back! Heavy equipment table...makes me sound tough right?! Behind my cuttlebug are baskets, 1 for cuttlebug folders and dies, the other is for my PTI dies and nesty dies. Below the table is where all this madness started...SCRAPBOOKING supplies! I have not scrapped in over 5 years or so...maybe a page or two, but I'm not really dedicated like I should be! I hope soon that will all change. In my 2 drawer filing cabinet is where I store all my SU! 8.5x11 cardstock. Both drawers are plum full and I keep them well stocked. I've tried other brands, but SU! by far is my favorite...plus I have some of the matching ink pads so no need to switch brands.

************DANGER ZONE!!!*************

I know none of your children play like mine...50 toys at once?! I'm laughing as I type this because I'm just now noticing the nekked patch kid in the foreground...you get my point exactly!

That Addison is STILL sitting, chilling, waiting for "someone" to miraculously clean up! I wonder if she noticed that BIG, BLUE, IKEA bag in the chair? It's not full of "new" stuff anymore ;).A godsend! I took a pic because I knew someone would ask the name and I would not remember.
>Awwwww, sigh, relief....BREATHE! We purchased 2 of these units and they are pretty cool because of the combinations in how to display them. The white units can go on top of each other like puzzle pieces...store up and not out if you are limited on space. I liked them side by side and there is still plenty of room for the bins to be pulled out and played with. Each bin will soon be getting a label, hopefully making clean up time a breeze. Happy organizing my friends ;)

Goodies For Sale!

2010-11-29T06:09:00.001-08:00

Good morning ya'll! We are just getting back in from a trip to GA to visit my twin sister and family. The drive took longer than expected, but well worth it! I only wish my family lived closer and we could see each other more often. I hope each and every one of you had a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving.

While I'm in the midst of cleaning up the tornado (crafting room) I've created over the last few weeks, I've got a few leftovers posted on JadeMingmei Designs over at Facebook. Prices are listed, but do not include shipping charges. If you are here locally and would like to arrange a pick up, I'd be happy to help. Paypal payment is preferred. If you're interested in purchasing some goodies, please contact me at: madscrapper24@yahoo.com before you purchase.

Any other questions or inquiries can also be sent to the above address.

Thanks again,
Dawn ;)

The Craft Show Came And Went...I SURVIVED!

2010-11-22T17:24:00.002-08:00

I never got around last week to sharing my candy post, so I hope this picture heavy post will do! I spent almost every free moment tying up loose ends, changing displays, and filling space! The craft show was this past weekend and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. Even though I have crafted for years, I would have never had the courage to tackle a big craft show such as this one if it were not for my family and friends...I love ALL of you...even my cyber friends...you know who you are! I kept the set up rather simple and cozy. It almost felt a little like home. Finally made a banner for me! The design is very simple and I can count on all my fingers and toes the amount of people who asked, "are you trying to spell something?" Yes, why yes I am....lol! Because I said it many times over at the show, for those of you who many not know, JadeMingmei is a combination of both of my Daughter's middle names...Addison Jade and Catherine Grace-Mingmei (Ming-may). I have always said many moons ago, whatever my company name was, it would be a family affair ;). The card spinner. The cards were not my best seller, but it was interesting to see how they were purchased. I had several customers who only purchased 1 card, and then several who purchased 6 or more cards. And believe it or not, we live in a HUGE military town and I'll be darned if I didn't sell 1 single Marine Corps card!! I suppose they were looking for something different and non-military. I have a nice stash now. The altered mailboxes and box purse were sold. Candy loot and fruit stand. The candy was a HUGE hit and I sold out almost all of it. The nugget boxes sold out...sold the 3 nugget boxes for 2.00 each and 6 nugget for 3.00. The Christmas tags and floral tags were a sell out as well.I have to tell you something funny about these close pins. I had them posted 2 for 1.oo and they were not selling! My sweet friend Donnak ran the booth with me and she says, "Why don't you put a lunch sack in the basket with the close pins to close the sack and sell them for 1.00 a piece!" She was genius and they sold like hotcakes! People need visuals and the close pins alone were not getting the job done...have plenty of samples of what you can do with these. One customer purchased several of these and mentioned she would be using them on pies she'd be gifting over the holidays...CLEVER!These gift card holders were THE HIT! Who knew?! I sold out on Saturday, and then half the stock again on Sunday. These were sold for 2.oo each. A little liquid pearls to create my creme ;)
I'm pretty proud of this peg board! Took a little elbow grease on my part to put it together. The peg board is the smallest sized one at Lowe's for $4.92 and I also used 2, 2x4's ($1.77 each) for the back supports and feet. After I used the hand saw and screwed in the supports, I used 2 cans of black spray paint to cover the raw boards. This is by far the cheapest way to display your items. What kills the bargain price is all the pegs you have to buy. I originally had my post-it pads in baskets, but I think in the end, having them displayed as such, made them more appealing and you didn't have to flip thru the baskets. The Fall close pins were also a big hit along with the Fall tags. The only thing I failed at with the tags, was not having made Christmas tags in this size. Many requests, but none to offer :( Sunday Morning! Day 2 of the show. I took down my fruit stand since the mini tags had sold, and I moved the candy up top. I kept plenty of business cards on the table and I saw folks pick them up by the handfuls...hopefully the are getting passed around or maybe they wanted to be creative and build pyramids with them?! Let your imagination wander ;) I would like to share a few things I learned from my first show. When there was downtime (lots on the 2nd day!) I was doing A LOT of observing not only on the crowd, but the booths as well. You don't have to spend a lot of money to make your booth presentable, you see I just used fabric, an inexpensive banner and a smile! Also, get up and out of your booth! Be approachable, asks questions, and engage your customers. Even for myself, I've shopped at craft shows for many years and I was much less likely to shop at a booth where there was no interaction from the vendor. I even went around to the booths where I saw heavy traffic and asked for some friendly advice. Here is what I was offered and I think it is valuable information: have something for the kids at your booth (mine was the candy, unintentionally!), because who follows behind the kids? Their PARENTS! Have a HIT item! This was my first show, so I had no way of knowing it was going the be the gift cards. People will look for you every year in search of your HIT item and bring their friends and buy more etc. This particular lady made body scrubbies...she's made them for years and had 200 at the start of her show...she went home with only a small handful left over! Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Several customers were stampers as well and we'd chat about some of our favorite stamps, websites, and projects. Overall, this was a very good first experience and I would do it again! There is still quite a loot leftover and I will be posting some goodies for purchase on FB over at JadeMingmei Designs. Items will not be posted until after the holiday :)

Craft Show Goodies Part 6...

2010-11-15T05:57:00.001-08:00

Notebooks GALORE! You know, this weekend I packaged up a lot of completed projects and put them in the baskets I plan to use on my craft table. As I got to looking around, I realized the majority of things I have created are ALL notebooks of some kind. I didn't intend for this to happen, but I'm hoping to finish up this week with some other new goodies. The craft show is this weekend...eeeek! CRUNCH TIME! I hope all of you had a wonderful Veteran's Weekend. I'm a little biased, but I couldn't help overload with the Marine Corps notebooks. I know it looks like I went crazy with the Kraft cs here, but only the notebook base is Kraft, the other Kraft "looking" cs is actually brushed gold. There are 6 of these notebooks, 3 in blue rhinestones, and 3 in clear.Dontcha just wanna squeeeeeeeze this little doll?! Crystal effects to make happy heart more desirable ;)Mini-tag notebooks...I will be selling these for 5.00 each.Now these mini-tag notebooks will not be at the craft show! But I did make these up for some dear neighbor friends and decided to post them all together. The "D" is mine...all these years in crafting and I finally made something for myself! I use this notebook for passwords and supply lists.More post-it pads in NEW colors!WHEW! That's a lot of work! This week is going to be very busy, but I plan to share some more things before I off like a headless chicken! Stay tuned for my next post....I will be sharing the candy goodies for sale! Happy Monday!

Craft Show Goodies Part 5...

2010-11-12T07:07:00.001-08:00

Fluff and Stuff! My oldest Daughter uses this phrase when she has a stuffed animal with a hole, she always says, "Mommy, you think you can fix his FLUFF AND STUFF?" Definitely fitting for today's post. I actually whipped all these up yesterday...yes, I'm running behind! I borrowed this snowman (Unity Stamp Co.) from my dear friend Donnak! She is just as passionate about paper crafting as I am. Although you can't tell from the photo, I embossed the snowman with super fine white powder against SU! blue cs...he's stunning! I made a shaker frame and added some "fluff" courtesy of Martha Stewart. The mini snowflakes are inked in shimmer blue and have ice blue rhinestone centers. I will be selling my notebooks for 10-12 depending on what supplies I used. Made a few more shaker frames and turned them into cards. These will retail for $4.00 each. Got a little heavy here with the snow fluff! A little glare can be seen via my faux snow globe glass.This is the BIG jar of snow fluff I picked up last year. I think these large jars normally retail for 10ish? I bought this for $2.00 on clearance...well worth the price! This stuff really is FUN!I thought I'd include a pic of the stamp I use to advertise on all my projects. You can purchase it HERE on Etsy. Now, I know in my last post I mentioned that I use this on ALL my projects, but I will mention that I do not put this on the items I create for the kids school projects etc. I also did not use it on the recent tags I posted...had I stamped the back of those, you could not write on the back of them. This stamps still works fabulously...even after inking it up over and over! I never even clean it!

Craft Show Goodies Part 4...

2010-11-09T05:26:00.001-08:00

I'm not going to touch base too much on the pictures today, but I do want to address some inquiries I've had on pricing my items etc. Just to clarify, this too is also my first time to do a craft fair, most orders I do are custom and from the comforts of my own home. I think when it comes to pricing, you really need to NOT undersell your products and be confident in your work. Trust me, it took me a VERY long time to learn this. When I first started selling my items, I was practically giving them away...which is not always a bad thing, a friend will tell a friend will tell etc. These are just a few tips I've learned over the years and I will be glad to share them!

1. In general pricing- take the cost of your supplies, double it, then add a little extra for labor. More elaborate projects will require more labor, therefore adding more to the cost of your items.

2. Look at the market you are selling to. Do you live in a large city vs. small town? Do you sell your items to a mom and pop shop vs. boutique? Higher priced areas= a higher price for your goods! I don't sell any items as "sets", I've never tried, but individual cards sell great! If you do sets, you will need to include an insert if all the cards in the set are different...otherwise I would think people would want to open the packages to see what all the cards looked like?

3. If you are selling out of state or far enough that your items will require shipping...CHARGE for shipping! Now there are always exceptions to the rule! I do occasionally offer free shipping if it is a frequent customer, or if they have ordered over a certain amount. It's a nice way to thank them for their business and keeps them coming back. I also try to include a free gift from time to time. The free gift can include a card, post-it pad etc. Whatever I have on hand!

4. Brand yourself- this is as simple as signing or stamping the back of your items. I have a small 1x1 circle stamp and I use it on just about everything I create (the link is from the store I received mine from-Stamp It Out-on Etsy). The stamp contains my full name and blog address. This is a great way to advertise yourself because you never know who will receive your card, and for me, it has turned out to be return business...almost like free advertising!

I hope this has helped those of you have asked, and maybe those of you who didn't, but were curious. While I'm putting up the craft show posts, I will go back and add to the previous ones, what I will be selling those items for. Whatever I don't sell I will most likely sell here on the blog. You will see I still have my Etsy shop up, but there are not items in there currently. I'm not anti-Etsy, but I had a really hard time overcharging on there just to make up for all the extra fees they charge. I'm not saying I won't use it again, but I much rather prefer selling my items straight to the customer vs. having to incur extra charges when I can save the customer!

Tags, tags, and MORE tags! I added this pic of the fruit stand in my previous post but forgot to mention it. I picked this stand up at Target in the kitchen section. Although a little pricey at 16.00, I justified it by telling myself I could actually use it for other things then just craft show items. There was another stand I had initially decided on, but the "plates" inside were round and I much rather prefer that the plates on this one are flat. I also picked up some matching baskets at Wal-mart for only 3 bucks! I will share those at a later date! Tags that are more elaborate will sell for 1.00, those less elaborate will be 2 for 1. I'm not SET in the pricing of all my tags just yet, so this could change...I've still got 2 weeks to decide!

Craft Show Goodies Part 3...

2010-11-08T06:28:00.000-08:00

Simple, quick, and easy! I can't even tell you how much I LOVE this tag die from PTI. This die makes all of your holiday gift labeling a cinch! Most, if not all of the tags were created with a kraft base and when I wanted to add the patterend paper, I cut another full die of the patterned paper and cut down the middle to fit. Make sense? If not, I would be happy to do a tutorial ;) I've made a recent winter card with these adhesive snowflakes and when I'm done with all these tags, I will have used the entire stock! Remember what I said earlier about not buying any extra supplies for this craft show?!!! I can't even tell you when I bought these, but at minimum 3 years ago!
Love this candy cane ribbon! This ribbon is available at Mike's in their new holiday dept. LOTS of buttons! The buttons are still from my current stock...great way to use up those supplies girls!

Craft Show Goodies Part 2...

2010-11-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

More BRIGHT notepads! I'm not usually a fan of bright colors when I'm creating, but lately I've jumped out of my comfort zone. The bright color combos were brought on when I opened my new package of Concord Crush CS from SU! It has just a slight hint of purple with a very deep shade of navy blend. It goes perfect with Pixie Pink, Lime Green, and Yo-Yo Yellow. The flowers are cut from my PTI die and then I went back and stamped versamark polka dots over the flowers. Stamp set is Take Note.You will see a trend of polka dots and BUTTONS...lots and lots of BUTTONS! Since I'm mass producing, I didn't want to go over the top with embellishments, so buttons are an inexpensive alternative to adding texture. I have not gone out and bought anything extra (other than display containers) for this craft show. I'm trying my best to use all the supplies I have on hand. I've been able to use up a majority of scraps here and then added some flair with the PTI star die.
Another blend of Concord Crush and Pixie Pink! Love that new color! A little sneak peek at the tags I will be selling. I will share more details on displays and tags in my next post!