My Craft Room

These are a couple of photos of my craft room as of last night. I went downstairs yesterday afternoon and my first step into the basement was waterlogged! Our sump pump failed and at least 75% of the basement was affected. Our basement is big and finished with the majority being carpeted. Service Master came out (after the plumber) and the clean up began. Anything that was on the floor is going to have to be pitched. I saw the water and I grabbed my scrapbooks, photos and my cardstock. Unfortunately, the moisture in the air has all of my paper and cardstock curled--no way can I make cards or scrapbok pages using it.

The failed sump pump has caused a huge mess and a lot of damage to our things. But it could have been worse. As we were moving stuff out of the basement, I kept thinking about the people in hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, etc. This is my basement--can you imagine if this was your entire house getting ruined by 4 & 5 feet of water? Or blown away or burned? I was walking around the basement overwhelmed and wondering where to begin the clean-up. Once I thought about the really unfortunate people who have had to deal with major, major disasters, dealing with our problems seemed seemed a lot less overwhelming.

A lot of the water has been sucked up--thanks to Service Master--and my office is down to the concrete floor. We had a good night's sleep, so time to get back to the business of cleaning up.

Papertrey Ink

Anyone who knows me knows that I am extremely partial to SU! cardstock. I have been reading many posts and blogs in which people sing the praises of Papertrey Ink cardstock. I decided that I needed to get my hands on some of this cardstock to see what people are talking about. I ordered the PTI cardstock sample pack, PTI stamper select white cardstock and PTI Ocean Tide 5/8"grosgrain ribbon. My PTI package arrived this afternoon, so I ran down to my craft room and made this simple but pretty card. I used only PTI cardstock (ocean tide, aqua mist & stamper select white). The beautiful image is from the newly released SU! stampset--Ever After--that is in the 2009 S/S catalog on page 83. I used SU! Blue Bayou ink (I know it is retired, but it looked really good with the PTI CS.) The finishing touch is PTI's ribbon. In case you are wondering what I think about PTI products--I am pleased with the products and the quality of the items I purchased from Papertrey Ink. I am not disappointed and it is money well-spent.

Delicate Dots Class

Here is another card using the Delicate Dots designer paper from the SU! sale-a-bration mini catalog. I also used the new Thoughts and Prayers stampset from the 2009 Spring/Summer catalog. I am liking the Delicate Dots paper so much that I have decided that my card class on Thursday, March 5th, will include the three cards I posted here on my blog which highlight the Delicate Dots paper: Baby, To Wonderful You & Get Well.

Sale-A-Bration Goodies

I am so happy with my SAB choices. I received my order yesterday and made these pretty cards. Both cards were made using the Delicate Dots designer paper which is a lovely combination of SU! colors--Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, So Saffron & Sahara Sand. For the "Baby" card I also used the new eyelet border punch, the scallop punch and Certainly Celery cardstock. The sentiment is from the Lovely Labels stampset using Bashful Blue ink.

The second card shows the Certainly Celery twill ribbon which is part of the SAB ribbon bundle. In addition to the So Saffron & Certainly Celery cardstock I also used the Sweet Little Sentiments stampset which is a Level 1 hostess selection. I will be placing another order very soon as I need--or maybe "want" would be the better term-- more of this paper and ribbon!

Off to create--dinner that is! Happy stampin' & scrappin'.

Love You Much

On Monday, my husband and I celebrate 35 years of married life together. Sometimes it seems like only yesterday that we said "I Do" and here we are with two grown children, a granddaughter and 35 years worth of memories. Speaking of memories, I not only make cards, but I also scrapbook. If you recently started scrapbooking and are overwhelmed with "so many photos to scrap", start with the most recent photos and work back. When I started scrapping someone suggested that I start with the most recent five years. I followed that advice and it helped immensely. Hope this tip helps you, too.

Supplies used for card: SU! cardstock, Love You Much stamp set; Candy Lane designer paper; Marvy oval punches; heart brads and rhinestone heart.

Hello Kitty Valentine

I recently purchased the Hello Kitty Cartridge for my Cricut. Isn't this card too cute? I made this for the little love of my life--my 4 1/2 year old granddaughter. I plan on exploring the cartridge a little more over the weekend. So watch for more creations soon.

My Stampin' & Scrappin' Place

I love being in my craft room, so decided to show a couple photos of it. I am sharing now because it is somewhat clean and organized! I am so spoiled since we moved back to the Chicago area. While we were in Phoenix I did my scrapping and stamping in the kitchen. That meant always taking out and putting away supplies and projects in progress. Now I can just leave my partially completed projects on the counter or the table until the next time I get "sucked" into my space! I am not kidding about getting "sucked" into it. When I go downstairs to my craft room, I just get lost in there for long stretches of time. I actually have to prioritize my list of things to do so that I finish the "must do" items before heading down to my creative space.

A Blogspot For Me!

I just returned from two weeks of sunshine, sand & the Gulf of Mexico. We rented a condo on the beach in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. We met up with two other couples and my daughter, Jen, and her family spent about a week with us. The first couple of days were a little cool, but then it warmed up to about 78 degrees. Our 4 year old granddaughter let us see our vacation thru the eyes of a child--so exciting and delightful for all of us. While sitting around the pool and walking the beach, I was thinking about my stamping and scrapping. I had a couple of ideas, one being that I needed a blog. I really don't have that much to say, but I will be posting my monthly classes and events here along with class descriptions & photos of some of my projects.

February Events

2/05 - Stampin' Up! New Catalog Open House: 10 am-12 pm OR

1 pm-3 pm OR 7 pm-9 pm; view the new catalog and do 2 make & takes; purchase catalog for $5 and receive gift certificate for $5 off your next order of $25 or more; 2/07 - Scrap & Stamp: 1 pm-8 pm: Bring your own "projects in progress" and work on them at my house. My punches, stampsets, inks and other tools will be available for your use. Fee: $20 which includes snacks, beverages and dinner. 2/08 - Scrap & Stamp: 1 pm-4 pm: Same as above but only 3 hours. Fee: $10 which includes snacks & beverage 2/10 - Valentine Card Class: 7 pm-9 pm; make three valentine cards and a valentine treat. Fee: $10 2/22 - Scrapbook 101: 12 pm-3 pm; Learn basics of scrapbooking and make 2-page layout. Fee: $12 (This is a tentative date as my son will be having surgery and I may be out-of-town.) 2/28 - Child & Significant Adult: 10 am-12 pm; This event is for children aged 6-10 years old. An adult--mom, dad, aunt, caregiver--must accompany the child and participate in making projects. We will be making 2 cards and a treat holder.

Fee: $10

PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL TO LET ME KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE ATTENDING A CLASS OR EVENT.