Command Center Updo

I mentioned earlier that the Command Center is getting an updo! It is long overdue but I never wanted to start it because it just seemed like it would be too much work. It was...but totally worth it!

I'm sure there are sections that we'll redo and change, but for the first go around, it looks so much better! I purchased three different size shelving from IKEA using the KALLAX system - basically cubicles.

We purged a lot of supplies but I'm happy to report that I donated two huge tote bags of stamps to an Art Reuse store in San Diego and I'm bringing papers and embellishments to the Stamp & Scrapbook Expo this weekend to add to the Trash/Treasure tables.

Be sure to check out the quick video showing the updo and take a look at the photos as well.

Details:

Clear bins:  The smaller ones are from The Dollar Tree and the larger ones are from Amazon. Such a huge cost savings finding those small bins at the dollar store!

The cubicles are Kallax shelves from IKEA. Including some shelf inserts. These were great for using those small clear bins so I could four in one cube!

The clear paper trays are from Scrapbook.com  They seemed to be the best deal. I bought a set of eight for a better discount.

Cloth bins are from Walmart.

We reused other bookshelves from what was already in the room. They worked perfect for larger items - like the paper holders. They were just a tad larger than the cubbies. I also refigured the wire shelving. I may end up getting another Kallax shelf for the corner behind me and moving those wire shelves into the closet. That's a project for another day!

We also purchased a new tv stand that swivels & has an outlet strip on the back (with two chargers).

I still have to put up some art work but I am waiting until I'm absolutely sure about placements. Still need to add labels to the bins but that's about it!

TGIF; Thankful Friday #306

It’s Friday and this week I’m thankful for vacation time. This is a rough week since my son’s birthday was Wednesday. It was his 40th. He was so excited about this birthday because he wanted a 40’s themed party. Not the 1940’s, but 40 ounce beer 40’s!

We didn’t have the party but we did drink a few 40’s in his honor. His cousins, brothers and sister. It was bittersweet for sure. But I’m thankful that everyone participated 

What are you thankful for this week?

Final CutCardStock Project

Yes, that's right. I have decided to step down from the CutCardStock Design Team. I have just been finding it's getting harder and harder to stay on a schedule and meeting due dates.  I just needed a little break. Believe me though, I'm still purchasing my paper from CutCardStock because I do love the variety and prices!

I'm still working on my nephew's wedding album so I decided to create this awesome layered truck for their group photos. They both are members of a Mini-Truck group so I knew a truck would be perfect for their photos and I hope you agree.

I used Navy, Peach, Orange Fizz and Cougar Smooth white for the truck and Orange Zest for the layout base.

If you recall, I made base pages for this album so it was easy to just add the photos and embellishments to them.

I decided to add some random stamping to bring down all that orange on the layout. I actually love the color orange but it was just a little too much in my opinion.  The two floral swags were also made with the Cricut & CutCardStock colors. I added some inking and pen marks to give them some dimension.

Be sure to check out the YouTube process video to see how this all came together.

Rediscover Your Stash YT Hop; Specialty Paper

I love a good challenge and this is a good one. Rediscover Your Stash is a Facebook group that does just that...rediscover and use your stash. If you're like me, we have plenty of stash to create lots and lots of projects but we just keep on buying, don't we?!

Well, for this YouTube Hop, the item we are to "rediscover" is specialty paper. What is specialty paper? I'd say any glitter, foil, vellum, acetate paper and anything else like that.

I was gifted a lot of vellum from a friend and fellow scrapbooker so I knew exactly what kind of specialty paper I was planning to use. 

Since I’m still working on my Christmas 2021 photos, I created a two page spread for the hop.

I used All is Bright paper kit from My Mind’s Eye, embossed snowflake vellum, red stars vellum, gold glitter and Jet Blue pearlized paper. Gorgeous!

Here’s the process video:

Check out the other hoppers by looking at the information box on YouTube. They are some on IG ad well.

Love Birds Tote; Printable Cuttable Creatables

I know Valentine's Day is over, but that doesn't mean I can't show my love for books every day of the year.  I'm working with the Love Birds cut file from the Printable Cuttable Creatables website and it is a super cute one!

I uploaded the cut file into Design Space and then added it onto the canvas.  I noticed that there was a black base included in the cut file but since I am using HTV for this project, I ungrouped and then deleted the black base & square.

I ungrouped the hearts from the birds to add them as the title. Typed "To Read" using the text option and moved them to the middle of the birds versus the top.

Once all the pieces were cut, I layered them as they should be adhered and then brought the tote bag & all the vinyl to my heat press station. It went from this:

To this:

Do you love it? I can't wait to use this tote at my next book club meeting and next library visit!

Check out the quick YouTube video to see how it came together! Be sure to use 3SONS15 for 15% off your order. Honestly, the prices are so good, you don't really need one!

Get Better With Age; Sketch n Scrap Card #260

Do you struggle making masculine cards? I know I do. I decided to create one for this card sketch by Sketch n Scrap.

I used a stamp set from Fun Stampers Journey (currently Spellbinders) to create my background and focal images for this card. The sentiment is from CTMH.

To create the background, I placed three of the stamps on the acrylic block and stamped them across the piece of 5x3.75" red paper using Versamark Ink; sprinkled white embossing powder over the images and then used a heat gun to set. I found a blue piece of cardstock in my scrap bin and cut it to 5.5x1". Card making is the perfect time to use paper scraps!

I stamped the sentiment directly on a piece of white cardstock measuring 3.5x2". The two focal images were stamped and fussy cut on more scrap paper before adding to the left of the sentiment box.

The inside greeting was stamped in the middle of the card but also some beer bottles lined the right side. I'll tell you a secret...I wasn't planning on putting those bottles on the side, but I got some ink smudge there so instead of freaking out...I decided to embellish.

I found the little clip on my desktop so I decided to add that with a little rolled piece of twine. That little bit plus some stars were the only embellishments needed to complete the card. Nothing fancy but perfect for a masculine birthday card!

Be sure to check out Sketch n Scrap for your card & layout sketches. They post two of each sketches a month on their blog and on their FaceBook group.

TGIF; Thankful Friday #305

Folks, it's Friday! This has been a busy week with the Superbowl, Valentine's Day, Academic Awards Day for my granddaughter and a work potluck. But to add more activity, we are giving the Command Center a facelift.

I can't wait to show off the before and after photos but since we're taking our time, it'll be awhile. Here's a sneak peek of one wall. Such a HUGE difference already! From this:

To this:

Hopefully a place for everything by the time we're done.

This week I'm thankful for the return of our regular shows. Amongst all the busyness, there are lots of tv shows that we watch. So when I want to spend time with the hubby, that's what we do...watch our shows and then talk about them. 

What are you thankful for this week? Leave a comment and let me know.

Iron Crafter Challenge Hop; Christmas Eve 2021

Hey there, I'm participating in the Iron Crafter Challenge Hop for February and this month's item is Pocket Cards/Project Life Cards. All the details of the hop are below. I'm glad I decided to join because I completely forgot about this Christmas set that I have. 

I created another multi-photo layout that uses FIVE 4x6 photos. This one is from Christmas Eve 2021. Every year I tell myself to quit taking so many photos and concentrate on a group shot, but every year, I take too many photos!

I know it's ok. I really love looking back at how much everyone has changed over the year, especially the kiddos.

I only use one of the pocket cards but I did use a lot of the other embellishments that came with the set. I used the pocket card as a journaling spot and wrote over all the printed items. The title was cut using the Cricut.

Be sure to check out my YouTube video for the process and check out all the other participants in this hop. I always learn so much from watching scrapbooking process videos. It's so fun to see how creative people are with their scrapbooking.

Hop Details:

Join a fun group of crafty peeps each month as we take on the Iron Crafter Challenge! Each month Anna from @piececraftlove or Tara from @thepapersnob will select a challenge ingredient to use on a layout.

The mystery challenge ingredient for February is pocket cards.  

Here is a playlist with ALL the videos of the participants:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCfSqErOPJord1e0aKwm5Q2U6f7V_ESd7

If you want to learn about the mystery item and play along, come over to the Piece Craft Love Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/piececraftloveclubhouse

Here is a list of the folks playing along, please check out their Instagram or YouTube channels to subscribe and say hi!!

YouTube:

Tara https://www.youtube.com/@thepapersnob

Kristen https://youtube.com/@scrappingonthefly1217

Christine https://youtube.com/@ScrappingHarden

Hollie Www.youtube.com/ivycoelcreations

Michele https://www.youtube.com/@stampbooker

Lynda https://www.youtube.com/@thescrapbookingphotographe3607

Briana https://www.youtube.com/@lovemylifeonpaper

Mel https://www.youtube.com/@MelWScrapping

Karen https://www.youtube.com/@alittlekinder/videos

Cheryl https://www.youtube.com/@WatchCherylScrap/

Instagram:

Brandi Jo: https://instagram.com/scrappy.boymama

Simera https://instagram.com/scrappysimi

Laurie https://www.instagram.com/scrapbookingbits/

DawnLyn https://www.instagram.com/dawnlynsdesigns/

Angie https://www.instagram.com/ellerang

ScrapRona https://www.instagram.com/scraprona?igsh=dzk3Z2wxZGo4aGp5

Sketch n Scrap Layout Sketch #291

Hey there! I know, I know...I've mentioned it many times before, but I sure do love a great layout sketch! The sketches at Sketch N Scrap are a great jumping off point when you don't know where to start. The nice thing is they post two scrapbook and two card sketches a month.

Here's the current sketch that I'm working with:

And here's the final layout:

I'm working on Christmas 2021 and this was the first year we were able to get together after the quarantine. My sister & mom made everyone quilts during this time and gifted them all on Christmas. I plan on using a 6x12 flip flap to include all the photos I took of the quilts.  There will be 10 photos on this one layout once I'm done!

I used stamps for the border & punched hearts and my Cricut for the "Made with Love" title. I used chalk pencils to do the scribbly coloring. I love how that turned out! Definitely different than my norm.

The paper line is Candy Cane Lane from xx.

Be sure to take a look at Sketch n Scrap website and their Facebook Page for all the sketches and challenges!

Valentine's Day Project

Happy Valentines Day! My daughter and I decided to have a Valentine's Day dinner for the girls and the rest of our family. We bought printed hearts plates, napkins, cups, and a tablecloth. We're going all out! I mean, why not?!?

I bought some store bought stuffed squishees, ordered beautiful cookies from a friend's small business and wrapped candy bars from another friend's small business to put in a cute container, but you know it needed some kind of decoration for it. Out comes the Cricut!

I searched images in Design Space for a Valentines pennant and found two that I liked. I duplicated one & changed the colors so all three would be different. To make things easier, I decided to Print then Cut these pennants since my craft room is in the middle of an updo and I can't find anything (including my desktop)!

I printed these on white cardstock, attached them to wooden dowels and added a bunch of ribbons to them too!

I'm really happy how these turned out! What do you think?

 

Masculine Card Series Final Card; Stamp & Punch

It's Day 7 and the Final Day of the Masculine Card Series! I did it! What a fun series and I'm glad you stuck around to see the cards. Scroll to the end to see all the cards.

For this final card, I sort of lost my mojo. It took me awhile to get started on this one but eventually it all came together.

I stamped the Camp Snoopy image on white cardstock and thought I had a tent stamp but couldn't find it so I grabbed what I thought was the next best thing...a teepee!

Awhile ago, I put together an outdoor/hiking scrapbook kit so I grabbed those paper scraps to go with this outdoors stamp. Then one thing led to another as I pulled out a fun border punch to add some interest to a plain black cardstock strip.

Also...who knew you could stamp on cork? I'm so glad I came across that cork embellishment. I think that really brought the card up a notch!

Check out the video to see the process. It came out so cute!

Products Used:

Paper scraps from Echo Park Let's Go Anywhere 

Border punch by Stampin Up!

Cork embellishment from FSJ

Cardstock from CutCardStock

Black Archival Ink

Snoopy stamp gifted from Rubber Paws

Here's a recap of all seven cards. Which was your favorite?

TGIF; Thankful Friday #304

TGIF and Happy Thankful Friday! This week went by so fast and I'm thankful for that but I'm also thankful for cold medicine. I had the worst cold, congestion and cough for about two weeks and it's finally gone. Well, I still have to cough every so often, but I feel so much better!

This wet & cold weather doesn't help either but I'm glad I'm getting over it. I'll get to finally see my baby granddaughter. I've been avoiding her because I didn't want to get her sick, but she ended up getting sick anyhow. I guess this time of year is so full of germs, almost everyone gets a little something.

What are you thankful this week? Share in the comments!

Masculine Card Series Day 6; Stamped & Colored

Wow, it's already Day 6 of my Masculine Card Series. Have you seen all of them? I decided to challenge myself to make masculine cards and I think I did a pretty good job at it!

Each card is a little different and uses a little different technique. I think my favorite so far is Day 5 but don't tell the other days.  smile

For today's card, I used a really old Stampin Up! stamp that I haven't used in years. I decided to use regular markers and keep it pretty simple. I did add some highlights with a white pen here and there.

I also pulled out my circle/oval cutters from Creative Memories. This is one of the first scrapbooking tools I ever purchased and it's still going strong! You can still purchase these cutting systems from Creative Memories now.

Check out the YouTube video so you can see how I put this card together. Very simple but very cute!

Cowboy & sentiment stamps are from Stampin Up!

Cardstock is from CutCardStock (Light Blue and Sand Castle)

Patterned Paper is from a DCWV Stack My Guy

Masculine Card Series Card 5; Cricut Cut

I've got a fun card to show off today as part of the Printable Cuttable Creatables Design Team and my Masculine Card Series.

This fun card shows off this sweet Green Halloween One Eyed Monster cut file from Printable Cuttable Creatables. Folks, it's only $0.75 and it is adorable! I decided to size mine to 3.5" and use it as the focal image for a birthday card.

As always, I recommend placing the layers together first before adding adhesive. It does help when placing the pieces and avoid adding adhesive to the wrong side.

This little guy has lots of small pieces but if you keep them all together, it's easy to assemble.

I also decided to cut a colorful banner that I pulled off Design Space and a wobbler to really make this a fun interactive birthday card.

And the video: