Grandson

Yesterday I found out that my daughter Carrie is expecting a boy. We are all thrilled since we have lots of girls in the family.  The baby is due March 6th.  They are thinking the name will be Samuel David Gray.  :))

Engagement

My youngest daughter Carrie got engaged last night to her best friend Seth Gray.  They have known each other since they were 3 years old.  Here is her ring.

Happy Birthday Sue

Today Sue turned 65, we took her and Dad out for Mexican food.  Here is my granddaughter Maddie with them.

Here is the card Maddie made Sue last night while she spent the night.

Bullwinkles Fun Center

This long weekend my daughter and family are in Portland, OR school shopping and relaxing.  Today my granddaughter and her friend Carson went to Bullwinkle's Fun Center.  Looks  like they had fun. 

Going Away Card

I made this card for my granddaughter to give her neighbor who moved out of state.  She use to take care of her cat who was an orange tabby like my Tom.

My BFF's Birthday Card

Well I have to tell a funny on me and one of my best friends, Shelley.  

Years ago we would take our kids to the public pool together and we would sunbath and visit while they swam.  

Oh how we hated to hunt for our new swim suits.  We usually did this terrible task together, it didn't start out that way.  We each would go hunt down some choices but before we committed to making a purchase we ended up calling each other for final approval.  Well one year we found my suit and I purchased it, a few weeks later Shelley called me to come to the store to see a suit she had picked out.  When she modeled it I told her I really liked it.  She then purchased it.  

Well school ended, the pool opened, and that marked the beginning of summer!  So off we went with the kids.  We grabbed our towels, flip flops and reading material and got all situated on the deck by the pool.  I look over to Shelley and what do I see?  HER SITTING NEXT TO ME WEARING MY SUIT!  We were sitting there in the exact same suit, how embarrassing!  To this day we argue as to who copied the other...duh!  I had my suit first!

When I saw this Art Impression's stamp set with the swim suit I had to make up a card for Shelley's birthday to capture this memory .  I had to do some double stamping and cutting out to get the images to create this.  It brought back just one of the life time of fun memories I have with Shelley.  We have known each other since birth, raised our children together and have shared laughter and tears together.  I guess I really liked the suit since I had already bought it for myself!

Anniversary Gift

Maddie my granddaughter made these for her mom and Leroy's anniversary.  She did a great job for only being 10.

Jill's Birthday Card

My good friend, Jill McDonald and owner of Urban Paper turned 50 last week.  Here is an Art Impressions stamp set I purchased from her that I used to make her card...

Mini Album - New Baby Boy

My granddaughter Abby's teacher just had the birth of her first grandchild.  My daughter Carrie asked if I would make a baby card for Abby to give her.  This teacher is someone extra special since she taught Carrie too when she was in elementary school.  I decided to make the card and a little mini photo album to go with it for Grandma to use as a brag book.

Here is the front of the card and the mini album (propped up on a note pad - white cube behind the mini).  The images that I colored are Mo's Digital Pencil.  I colored the images with my Copic markers.

Here is the first section of the mini album when you take off the belly band.

  Here is the inside image on the card.

Here is the mini opened up, pictures can be placed on the designer paper pages.

Here is the inside flaps of the mini - the stickers I raised on dimensionals and purchased from Urban Paper in The Dalles, OR.  The owner of Urban Paper, Jill McDonald is a good friend and she carries lots of wonderful things! The stickers are by Karen Foster Design and are called Fun Trucks and have 12 fun stickers on the page. I decided to do the album  in more of a boy theme instead of a baby theme.  It was quick and fun to do.  The designer paper is also from Urban Paper.

Here is the instructions for this quick little mini:

Album spine/cover:  1 piece:  4 x 11, scored a 1-3/4, 2, 5, and 8 inches

Pages:  3 pieces:  7-1/2 x 2-3/4, scored at 3-3/4 inch (which in in half)

Designer paper for whichever sections you decide to cover is 3-1/2 x 2-1/2

Embellishments and decorating is up to you and what areas you want to decorate or journal in.

Tip:  glue your pages in alternating positions on the album spine/cover before you add your designer paper, that way you put the designer paper on the right flaps!

Birthday Cards

Here are three birthday cards I made this past couple weeks for my April Birthdays.

Organizing My Craftroom, A Work In Progress!

Today organization ideas are on my mind so I thought I would share with you some of my latest Craftroom organization, a work in progress!This shows my 12 x 12 paper holders, I like looking at my paper this way instead of having to lift each sheet to see what's underneath. I put the holders in between my Jet Max Cubes (I used them as bookends) and had Rick cut down a ready made bookshelf the length of my three rolling carts so that I didn't lose storage space on top of the holders. This way I have space for my boxes, Cricut, Laminator, Bind-It-All, etc. notice the two Barbies on the top by my Cricut, they were my first Barbies which I loved to play with for hours with my sister and friends. It was a Saturday ritual in our house to rush through our chores to have the rest of the day to play. We had it all - the Barbie Playhouse, convertible car, a boat, tons of clothing that my Grandma Peggy would make for them, shoes, purses, you name it! There is a jar with Lemon Drops here also that I got from my daughter Carrie on my birthday. Lemon Drops were something my mom always had available to drop in our hot tea so whenever my girls see Lemon Drops it brings back fond memory for them.    Humm, I wonder if that is why my sister likes the Lemon Drop drink :))

Cropper Hopper 12 x 12 Paper Holders behind my Big Shot

The drawers on the right were how I use to store my paper, now I have scrapbook kits, projects in the works, templates, and scrap paper in them. The Cuttlebug is my newest crafting toy, I purchased it even though I love my Big Shot for easier transporting when I go to workshops.  I bought it at the Scrapbook Convention in Portland, Oregon that I went to with my besties Sue Kment and Barb Nesta.  I saw some really fun Metal cutting with the Cuttlebug there out of soda pop cans...fun!

Here my Ink Pad Storage for  Stampin Up ink and reinkers.  The holder I have had for years and is called a Portaink by CDJ Designs, LLC. My Stampin Up markers are in pen holders made by Close To My Heart (yes I go for products I love, not just from one company even though I have my loyalties).  My colored pencils are in the white holder in the middle (Can't remember where I purchased that but it was online).  The 6 x 6 Scrapbook Page holder on the left with the two little girls hanging on it I  bought with my 50% coupon at Michael's.  The card on it is from Sue Kment.  The little mini book is also made by Sue, it is sitting on a fork that is bent like a little stand that my friend Pat's husband made for me for Christmas.  It is extra special to me with him passing away in January.  You can see my Relay For Life coin collection can behind by clock.  I put my change in that to save each year for my donation to this great cause.  The little boxes on the right hold cards, images, etc.

This is a DVD box that I hold my embossing folders in, love it.  I purchased it at Staples, it holds the taller ones from Stampin Up along with the Cuttlebug folders.

This is my growing Copic Markers and the holder I purchased from Urban Paper in The Dalles, Oregon.  Thanks Jill for feeding my habit and having such wonderful, fun things in your store!  It is a unique store for crafters but has a lot of fun items for non crafters that just want something pretty or fun that is ready made.  Jill has a Cookbook Club that I have attended for nine years, I took this past year off and have missed it so am rejoining...I have gotten some really great recipes from her over the years.  It is a class where you go and scrapbook the recipe that she shares and cooks up for us to sample while crafting - now what's better than that!

The cute little bug holding the Four Leaf Clover is something we made at our March Craft Night as a project by Sue Kment.  The wooden box with Minnie and Mickey Mouse on it is something I have had since a teenager.

This shoe holder on my closet door is what I keep the most used Stampin Up punches in it.  I use to have a mesh shoe holder but it was harder to see at a glance so I got this one from Beds Baths and Beyond.

Here is a closer photo of my rolling carts, I love love love them.  I like that the drawers can be from shallow to deep and rearranged.  This is how I store my ribbon (the pulled out drawer).  The carts come in different heights and widths also.  I have three tall and two short which line my one wall.  They are purchased from The Container Store.  The little black cube you see on top of the short cart is what I keep my 6 x 6 paper packets in until my collections gets as big as Sue's that is :)).

I got this box made by Art Bin for Christmas from Sue for storing my Spellbinder Nesties, Stampin Up Die Cuts, and now these three new ones I purchased at the Scrapbook Convention that emboss and cut.  This is what they used to cut a coke can with and it was Oh So Cute!  I use to use the magnetic books but had to open each one to see what I wanted, this system allows me to flip through the pages and see at a glance.  As you can tell "seeing at a glance" is what I like.  My friend Jill at Urban Paper sells these and the inserts too, I currently have 18 inserts with dies on these in one box with room for more :)).

Here is a closer look at my new embossing and cutting images. The guitar remembers me of Elvis Presley and I am a huge fan of Elvis, just ask my granddaughter Maddie.  (I think she is trying to be one also or at least curious.  She is a fourth grader and brought home a book from her school library to show me about Elvis!  Also she was on her spring break and found a wall art of Elvis and had her photo taken by it and sent it to me).  At least she knows who Elvis is!

Here is how I store my Sizzix and Stampin Up Die Cuts in mesh DVD holders that Staples use to carry.  They fit nicely on the floor under a two drawer dresser I have.  Good thing because they are heavy to lift and this way I just slide one out when I need something.

I purchased a couple of the Medium size Die boxes from Stampin Up to store my Sizzlits in, works great.  I have them in a drawer but here is a photo from the Stampin Up catalog so you can see what I am talking about.

Regarding my stamps I have unmounted all of my wooden and put them on foam and store them in DVD cases like the new clear stamp sets come in and another style I found online as well.  This is a project that keeps on giving (me work that is, lol!)  I am in the process of organizing them by subject (valentines, Christmas, words, sentiments, etc.)  This is giving me a head ache and will take me forever to finish.  For the time being though they are all at least stored in DVD containers in Snap It DVD storage boxes found at most office supply stores.

To add a little humor to my room this is my door sign.  One year when I was hunting for my costume for work when we were all going to b witches Rick saw this sign and said I needed it for my office at work.  Love it.  Afterward I decided to hang it year round on my door to my craftroom.

I hope this helps with some of your storage needs.