Just loved the adaptation of these white pumpkins on the Quickutz Silhouette blog this week. They took this idea and transformed it into a beautiful wall hanging that could be used all the way through Thanksgiving.
Beautiful work and if you don’t already own a Silhouette you should look into getting one as it will allow you to make all sorts of things your Cricut could never even imagine (starting with being able to use all the fonts you already own).
I have been waiting for several months for our local Joann store to start hiring again. I waited patiently through the early part of the year with no hiring and then was hopeful again when school started and kids went back to class and then again now that the holiday season is starting to get rolling and FINALLY I saw the sign go up. I completed my application and turned it in as soon as possible. I tried to put as much information into that tiny block about what you have to offer that makes you special but then I was afraid I had written so tiny that no one would be able to read it 
. I received a call a few days later and have an interview set up for early this week. I keep thinking about how well it should all go. I mean I have been shopping regularly in Joann stores for years and certainly know where almost every item in the store is located but I am still nervous about the interview. I love to research new products in the craft industry and have lots of little tidbits of information about all sorts of new things and how to use new tools. I love crafts of all kinds and really enjoy showing new items or passing along a trick or two I may have learned along the way. I really hope this works out and I get hired – not only for the money but also for the opportunity to hang out amongst all those crafting products! October will soon be here bringing with it the opportunity to start making all sorts of holiday goodies. I already have my head full of ideas for Halloween. I just got the new October 31 Cricut cartridge and have some stamps I bought last year that I never got the chance to use before Halloween had come and gone. Happy crafting to all and wish me luck!
If you have ever wanted to try a digital kit or give digital scrapbooking a chance, today is your lucky day. Jessica Sprague is a great place to start. Her website (www.jessicasprague.com) offers all sorts of classes on how to get started. She is having a free one at the end of the month on how to use your digital stuff for card making but she also has free classes in her archives.
Today she is hosting a 33 designer blog hop with TONS of free product in honor of their 3rd birthday. There is something great at every blog and you have until 10 EST Sunday night to finish the hop. Start here to give it a try and let me know how you liked it. http://spraguelab.squarespace.com/blog/2010/6/18/birthday-blog-hop-spot-1.html
As I was perusing stuff on the internet I came across some digital stamp sets. I am intrigued by these and am trying to learn how I can make my own since I never find anything that I am looking for but I did find these. Not only are they cute but there are several free things on this site so you can try them out to see if you like the digital stamp arena.
Go to http://www.mygrafico.com to see what there is to offer. There is a freebies category with tons of stuff in it. These are from Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff. Please make sure you read and respect the terms of use or Angel Policy for these designers. Have fun!
Why is it that life seems to be all or nothing? I either am trying to find something interesting with which to fill my time or I am so overwhelmed with things to do that I can hardly keep up!! Right now I am trying to get everybody where they need to be with all the things they need to take and then I wait until we are home again and start with all the cleaning up! Whoever cam up with the phrase”lazy days of summer” must not have had any kids! Since I think lots of us are pressed for time right now, this is a quick and very easy project that you can do alone or with kids. All you need is a pair of flip flops, some fun foam and a bag of some kind. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby when they were 50% off so this is also very inexpensive. You could buy pre-made fun foam die cuts if you like but I had sheets of fun foam already so I used my Sizzix and Cuttlebug dies to cut out different shapes and then just glued them on with E6000. There is no end to the different designs you could come up with for both boys and girls. I did some that were wrapped in ribbon like the ones above and then others I just glued on some embellishments and made the bag to match. Go see what combinations you can come up with. This would also be a great idea for a summer birthday party project or just throw on the shoes, put some snacks, sunscreen and a good book in the bag and head for the pool. Have fun and enjoy your “lazy” summer days while they are here.
I have been spending a lot of time transferring all my grandfather’s old slides to digital photos. While it is time consuming, it has been well worth the effort as I am watching my childhood pass before my eyes! The process is very simple; you just put the slides on a special scanner four at a time and they magically transform into digital photos on your computer. After doing some online research, I purchased an Epson Perfection V300 photo scanner and have been very happy with it. Who knew you could actually buy Perfection?!
Apparently they were much fancier back then. If I had to put on heels and a dress to do my laundry my family would be completely out of clean clothes!!!!!
Rosemary D. posted this picture on Flickr using this stamp set.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4541796726_d0502d6223.jpg
I really like these stamps as I LOVE anything retro. I am so happy to finally see some companies moving toward the 1950s and 1960s instead of everything being vintage 30s.
I have been playing with this stuff lately and I LOVE the sketch option they have on there.http://www.dumpr.net/sketch.php
You just upload a photo and then choose the sketch option and it will change your photo to a black and white sketch drawing. You can use an actual photo or just use clipart you have on file. If you want a higher resolution image they offer this if you join their site at the Pro level. Give it a try. You may end up with something you want to use on a layout or card!
Hopefully, free is better will be the theme of this place also. I am really trying to cut back on any expenses as I just got the statement for my son’s college tuition. Even the state schools are now charging over $20,000 a year to attend so things are tough all over. It appears the merit scholarships have dried up and, while he did get a little help, it only covers tuition so books, room, food and misc. expenses are on good old mom and dad again. I am going to finish reorganizing my craft space today so maybe (okay – probably not) I will make some stuff myself to put on here. Sometimes during my clean up phase I find things I forgot I even had and that makes me want to use them again. Here is a sampling of some beautiful spring cards from http://www.kaisercraft.net/blog to help inspire you.
I like to make cards as gifts but always feel like the presentation comes up short if I just give the recipient a clump of cards, even if they are nicely ties with ribbon or something. This note card holder makes a great presentation and was pretty easy to do.
This video was the work of Dannie Graves who can be found at http://danniesdesigns.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/06/note-card-holde.html
