Thanks for the LIFT!

So happy it is Wednesday already!  I have been spending the last few evenings putting the finishing touches on my studio space, and I think next week I will show you some of my organizational ideas.  We're always looking for new ways to hide our stuff right?! :-)

I was able to actually sneak in some working time down there as well and whipped up some quick and simple cards!  I have been loving dies recently.  I love that I can diecut any paper and have instant hot air balloons.  And that Basic Grey paper?  The Out of Print collection might be my favorite from them EVER.

I also have to show off this little 3''x3'' set that I made for my sister.  She is gnome obsessed and keeps one on her desk at work! As soon as I saw this set from Sweet Stamp Shop, I knew it was a must order. And everyone is in luck because Nicole is running an awesome little sale over there as well for her Birthday week! Expect to see a lot of these little gnomes in the future.  I'm kind of in love with them. :-)

Fall Haul!

Yesterday was a VERY happy day.  Three fun packages came to my house all at once!  I was like a little child on Christmas. Who am I kidding?  I was like ME on Christmas.  (I still get ridiculously excited for my Birthday and Christmas...like a five year old.)

Anywho, I ripped through the boxes pretty quickly and was super happy with all of my purchases.  I thought I would share them with you in a quick haul video.  Hopefully, I will be on a little spending hiatus for a few months.  I feel like I sort of shop with the seasons, so if I only place big orders 4 times a year that's not so bad right?!  I've linked everything I purchased below the video, just in case I have enabled you in anyway. :-) Happy shopping!

Products featured in the Fall Haul video:

Handmade with heart...

Look at that yummy felt goodness!  How I have never used felt on a project before is beyond me, but I am just so in love. 

 As I said yesterday, I really let myself have a slack week on the blog front.  I even skipped my usual weekly video!  So, this week, I have two videos on deck and plan on making more.  I think I'm going to phase out "Made it Monday," only because I hate being committed to a certain day for a video post.  I would like to start some type of weekly series, so put on your thinking caps and help me think of a creative name! :-)

I have been creating a lot of handmade gifts recently, and I have been wanting a tag that I could grab and tie on my package.  I was inspired by the Fabulous Felt Challenge over at the Moxie Fab blog, as well as a technique that was posted on the Papertrey Ink blog a few weeks ago. 

These were really easy, but look super gorgeous.  To get all the details, check out the video below.  There may or may not be a blooper reel at the end of the video, in which I definitely embarrass myself!

Thanks for watching everyone!  I just noticed that I have over 100 subscribers on Youtube.  I think a giveaway is definitely in order! :-)

Fun week ahead!

Whoa!  Long time no post! I really let myself have a slacker week on the blog front for a lot of reasons. I was sick with a cold throat thing that took down a lot of my blogger-friends this week. I definitely was not complaining at all about it on Twitter almost every day. :-) 

The second reason for the blog silence was because my craft studio was on the move!  I've moved my studio space to the basement. Surprisingly, I love it 100x more than I ever thought I would.  I have a new photo-taking locale down there as well, and I will definitely share the new space with you when it is completed. 

So, during my recoup time, I have been a busy bee!  I have a lot to share with you this week.  Cards!  Videos! Tags! Printables! 

We'll kick off the excitement with a fun announcement.  I am now an affiliate for my favorite scrappy supply company Simon Says Stamp!

Story time —

I have only been papercrafting for a couple of years.  I remember discovering the world of crafty blogs and instantly loving the products they were using. Problem was the craft stores in my area didn't carry Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey, Hero Arts — all of the amazing stamps and papers I was seeing online, were nowhere to be found. Thanks to the wonderful Jennifer McGuire, I was introduced to Simon Says Stamp. It was like a creative mecca where every product I had ever wanted was available (and at a great price!). To now be working with this company is a dream come true! :-)

What this all means for my readers is that if you click on a link for Simon Says Stamp on my blog, and buy some fun paper crafting goodies, a small portion of your purchase there will go to me.  I am currently saving my pennies for an HD camera to film higher quality video tutorials.  I have said before how much I love filming videos and sharing ideas that way, so I am hoping that soon, the videos will get just a little bit better!  

On a serious note, I really like the relationships that I have made from this blog and strive to be transparent about all of my decisions here.  I would never promote something that wasn't up to my standards or endorse a product or company that I would not personally use myself.  On to Monday's card! :-)

This is the first photo I have taken using my new set-up!  Let me know if you like it!  I liked my other photo location as well, but I think the background is a bit more neutral here and really let's the card shine.

On this card, I was able to ink up my new favorite background stamp!  It is seriously gorgeous and will get a lot of use in the future. I simply stamped it here with Versamark and heat set it with some clear embossing powder.

I also just HAD to take a picture of this gorgeous little flower!  It is from an EK Success punch that I bought when I first started papercrafting. I don't have the name of it and couldn't find it online, so if anyone happens to know the name of it, please let me know!

I also wanted to take a second and talk about my awesome supply list tool that I have been using the past couple of weeks.  It is soon going to be released from beta testing and available to the public on September 3rd!  I will have all the details on that day to let you know how you can get started with it.  It is SUCH a time saver.  I will be back tomorrow with a fun video using some PTI felt!

Supplies used on this project:

Supplies not pictured: Unknown EK Success Punch, Think Big Favorites #1 — PTI, Smoky Shadow Cardstock — PTI, Lavender Moon Cardstock — PTI

Market Street Sneak Peak Day #3!

Only one more day before the full Market Street Stamp August release is revealed. For all the details, check the Market Street blog!  Today I am sharing my favorite set from the release — a real must-have if you ask me! :-) 

The stamp set is called "For all it's worth," and it features 15 of the most versatile stamps ever!

I decided to combine almost all of them to make a custom recipe box gift. 

This would be a perfect gift for a bridal shower, birthday, or just a quick thinking of you present for someone special!  If I had to pick two favorite stamps from this set it would have to be the scalloped circle stamps.  The possibilities are endless.

I had to photograph these at night (which I never do!) So, the pictures aren't my favorite, but I thought I'd share all of them with you so you can see everything close up!

The recipe box was inspired by my husband's Aunt.  She was a papercrafter extraordinaire and I am inspired by her memory every day.  Although she passed away a few years ago, I have so many of her cards and other creations in my craft room.  One of her gifts was a Christmas recipe box.  I decided to take it apart to use as the template for my own! I'm sure she would be happy to see her projects being used over again.

It was really easy to make. A couple of quick scores and some Scor tape and it was all put together!

I also got to hammer in some eyelets which is pretty rockin'.

 That's it for today folks!  Don't forget to leave a comment below to win a free Market Street Set!

Supplies used on this project:

Supplies not pictured: PTI Limitless Layers Die, Brown Twine