Month: January 2010

I have a confession.

I’ve not put away a piece of patterned paper into it’s proper home for at least six months. Probably more like nine. Instead, I’ve stacked or arranged temporary homes for my new papers here and there. It’s gotten ugly. To be fair I was doing it on purpose for a while. To see if I could use up my older stuff, to see how much I reached into my ‘archives’, see if I wanted to change things up in my paper storage. Now that the experiment is over, I’m going to be glad to go back to the way things were. Away from this mess…

See? To be fair it’s a bit worse than that. But you get the idea. Anyhow, I purged, cleaned, and organized all my patterned paper yesterday that was in the proper storage container I have. I had papers that dated back to 2001. All papers I loved – but I had to admit that I’ve not even thought about using them. That the freebies from my managing days or extra class or project sheets of paper or design team extras that I love – but haven’t yet used… probably won’t ever see light of day. I’m in a unique position because I try not to use “extinct” patterned paper in my classes or assignments. To do so would mean that students couldn’t recreate and might get frustrated that they can’t get the paper I have. So those papers that are out of print (or are from companies who no longer exist) get put in a special file ‘for personal use only’… and I think you can guess that I just haven’t been reaching in there much.

I use vertical storage (cropper hopper) that are all fit into this crate thing. Rule is if my patterned paper outgrows it’s home, it’s time to sort & donate some. This is the photo before I started adding the newer papers back into it.

Here’s what I learned:

1. Some companies I love AND use up. Pink Paislee, Cosmo Cricket, and American Crafts all come to mind as companies that I thought I’d need a lot of room for but had hardly any papers. (I’ve used them!!!)

2. Some companies I love and either over-buy or under-use. Basic Grey, October Afternoon, and Making Memories are examples. I LOVE their stuff – but still have quite a bit unused. Hmmm.

3. Buying only paper you truly love or that you know will be useful is a smart move. This year I did NOT find lots of stripes, graphic bold designs, and other patterns that I rarely use.

4. Stuff that’s truly “you” won’t go out of style. I still have some 5+yr old paper in my stash that got a nod to stay on. It doesn’t feel old – it just hasn’t been needed yet…

What will clearing out your patterned paper say about you as a crafter? I’m liking what I see in my space.

I am for rain. I mean – would we survive without water? uh no. Do I like travel or working in it? not so much, but I still like rain. To be honest, rainy day activities totally kick the pants off warm summer day activities for me.

Bring on the book reading, puzzle solving, sitting by the fire, watching a movie, cuddling, listening to sound of rain, looking at the vivid colors of the freshly washed landscape, and cocoa weather anytime.

We had a hail storm. Here is B watching daddy sweep it off the patio so that the pouring rain could still get drained. Her shirt is a little short to wear with those pants, leaving a strip of toddler belly hanging out. It tortured me all day. Too cute.

Yep. We had hail. Lots. It was so much fun to run around in for me, and the girls loved eating the pebbles of ice. (FROM THE SKY!)

Here’s to embracing winter weather – and making good memories even if it rains on your previous plans.

Well my bloggy friends it’s been hard for me to keep my mouth shut & not show you all the layouts I did for the Girls’ Paperie debut at CHA. These lines truly made my creative heart so happy I could hardly stand to cut into them. (but once I started? There was no stopping! I went wild!) I can tell you this will be a huge stand-out for me at the show. The reaction it got from me when papers arrived here? Stunned awe. Heavy breathing. Much looking at papers & petting of them. Sorry – but it’s true. I am fully besotted.

I can’t show you my full pages until after the show (I know, SO hard to wait!!!) but I can sneak you a teeny tiny peek…

Ok, how about 2 peeks? On Holiday… another gem of a paper line…

For more info & peeks be sure to visit Margie’s blog!

If you’re going to CHA this weekend do stop by the Advantus booth & check out Margie’s new line. I’ve not even seen it all but I can tell you it is amazing. I will share photos & such after the show. If you’re not going to CHA – be sure to watch your favorite scrapbook store (or e-mail them and beg!) for this line. It’s got such a fabulous vintage inspired flair while remaining so totally useful for current photos.

You know, it seems unfair for me to gush on and on about loving this line but not sharing, now doesn’t it? What if I told you Margie e-mailed me and said I could give away some here? That’s right. YOU could win some & be playing before it’s even in stores. Just leave a comment here to be entered. I’ll draw the winner when I return home from CHA Tuesday (26th) night.

Happy Crafting!

I’m getting geared up for some Valentine inspired projects, and I have a little one to share here today. I took some bits from my January www.scarletlime.com kit & had some fun…

I scallop-cut a 3/4″ strip of patterned paper (2, actually) and pleated/hot glued it to the back. Just don’t glue where the photo turns go.

I also added jewels, made a paper bow, and glittered the heck out of it. Just remember – hot glue is your friend when it comes to projects like this! I hot glued everything except the glitter – I used liquid adhesive for that. As you can see I need to get a dryer sheet (it helps gather up/remove the excess glitter) – then find a photo!

I’ve been creating in secret. I am anxiously awaiting the day when I can show you my projects, for now I can just tell you that they’re for a very special new line that is sure to become a must-have for me. I love it so much – I’ve saved up every tiny scrap of paper so I can extend my creative joy as long as possible.

I dare not show more yet – but know that I’ve got some girls’ paperie projects for show & tell soon as I have the a-ok. It was such a pleasure and an honor to play with Margie’s debut line. I can tell you that if you’re a store owner or going to CHA – watch for this new line from Advantus. If not, tell your local stores & fave on-line stores to buy it up. It’s AMAZING.

Right now I’m going to go make something just for fun to share here so I don’t spill any more beans!!!