My Homemade "Clip It Up"

I thought I'd share my version of the Clip It Up (by Simply Renee).  Below is the real Clip It Up:

As I was organizing my new scraproom, I came upon this item that once housed paints, inks, and other assorted art supplies.  I haven't used it in a few years and almost got rid of it at a yard sale.   Thank God I didn't, because as it sat on the floor collecting dust, I had this brilliant idea to make it into my own Clip It Up!.   Unfortunately, I don't know who the manufacturer is and I think it's been discontinued.  

This craft organizer is metal with three rotating squares that each held 4 plastic square containers to hold supplies.   If anyone knows who made this and if the item is still being manufactured, I'd love to know.  Just leave a comment below. 

So, as I was staring at this 'contraption', it occurred to me that I could use two out of the three rotating squares, attach them at different heights to hold all my stickers.  As I started on this project and began clipping on my stickers, I realized that I could only use one square.  I bought several metal shower curtain hooks (at Walmart, of course!) that are wonderful for this type of storage, as I could put several stickers by category onto one hook.  So far, it's working out great and although it might not look like it, I still have more room to add more stickers.  I would like to get one more for all my ribbon!

I hope this inspires you to look around your home for items you might be able to repurpose.    I'm linking up to "The Weekly Roundup" at It's A Blog Party.  Stop by and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

It Came In Like a Lion

I was so hoping that March would come in like a lamb, but unfortunately, it came in like a roaring lion.   We knew it was coming since two days ago, with the forecast of 4 to 6 inches originally.  Yesterday it was changed to 10 to 12 inches.  This morning, they said our area could read 16 inches!  Ick!   Out of curiosity, I brought out a ruler and measured on my front walkway where  I knew there were no drifts.   It measured 8 inches. 

This morning, around 10 a.m. when I took a few pictures, we had about 4 inches.

Add caption

 In just 4 hours we got 4 more inches which means we're averaging 2 inches an hour.   I shouldn't complain though, it's only our second major snowstorm all winter.  It's been pretty mild.  Last year at this time, we had several feet of snow--we were buried in it!  The photo below was at our old address and the mound of snow behind them was 9 feet tall! 

Jaclyn and Zachery standing in front of a mound of snow accumulated since December 2010.

Now, that I'm cozy and warm (after spending an hour in the chilly air), it looks beautiful outside.  The pine trees are dressed in white, it's quiet--no cars, and I'm enjoying a nice, fresh cup of coffee.  Aahhh.  Such small things can me me so happy.

I hope the rest of you are enjoying a wonderful day and those of you in warmer climates, if you want any snow to cool down in, I have lots of it---for free!!!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Several Swap Creations to Share with You!

Hi Everyone,
I want to share today some swap items that I completed and mailed out several days ago. 

This one is a vintage Valentine junk journal I made for the junk journal group over at Your Paper Pantry.  This is going out to Yurika Station---I hope she likes it.  There's very little embellishing because it's suppose to be left up to the recipient to decorate it how she wants.   Here are some inside pages:

If you've never done a junk journal before, they're alot of fun.  You just use scraps of paper, envies, tags, junk mail, basically anything that can be used to write on, to embellish and add character.

The other item I made was for the Junk Page swap at Your Paper Pantry.  The theme was Retro Kitchen using the colors  Red, Turquoise and Jadeite Green.   We had to make 8, decorating both sides and the hostess will bind 8 different pages into a junk recipe mini!   We were also to add vintage ephemera.   The only way I could do that was to download vintage images and use my "From The Kitchen" Cricut cartridge.   I love these colors together!  I used a red plaid patterned paper along with some striped paper that came close to the Jadeite Green.  I added a doily with a K&Co. lace edging to dress up the page. 

I found the image online that was perfect for my page--it had the same colors.  I then cut out from the cartridge a wooden spoon and created a 'pocket' for a vintage cookbook journaling spot:

The tag you see peeking out on the right is a large tag or photo mat or can be used for a recipe, that's tucked in between the chipboard base and the paper.  I used a Martha Stewart punch for the edging.

The other side looks like this:

For this page, I used my "From the Kitchen" cartridge to cut out the stove, the oven mitt and the pot.  The pot pulls up to reveal a journaling spot or a small photo mat.

The recipe card is a vintage reproduction that I downloaded.  It's small, but it's perfect for journaling.  The pocket is edged with K&Co. paper lace and a recipe card or more photos can be tucked in here.  The polka-dot paper is fabric adhesive backed from Recollections and the pocket paper is Lilybean. 

Jane Bain, the hostess, is going to take all 8 pages and bind them together to create an amazing collaborative retro recipe mini.  I can't wait to see the final result.  Once I receive it, I'll post a video and pictures. 

The other swap I completed were ribbon flowers in the Flower Group--again over at Your Paper Pantry.  We had to make 3 sets of 4 flowers and we'll get 12 different ones back.   (Can you tell I'm addicted to the swaps over there?!---they have so many great groups).   Anyway.....

The theme was Easter/Vintage using neutral colors, but I don't think any of us used neutral tones.  I did use Easter colors and made them more vintage and shabby chic looking by adding lace, feathers, some bling,  and faux pearls on one.

This is a 'rolled' rose made from a lime grosgrain ribbon.  I attached lace, a white feather and a loop of faux pearls to finish it off. 

This is another rolled rose using two-tone satin ribbon.  I just love this flower!  I adhered the rose to a base of pink tulle and box pleated ribbon.  I then added a feather for the final touch.

This flower is made from gathered yellow-checked ribbon with a bling center.  I added a mesh loop for a leaf and a yellow feather.

And this is the fourth flower:

This is made from lace, a pink checked gathered ribbon, tan velvet ribbon and a vintage button.  I added a satin loop for a leaf and a white feather.  This flower is quite large--about 3 1/2" across.   These were so much FUN!

I'm now working on a cigar box for a swap over at......nope, not YPP, but MAS---Mini Album Scraps.   I'll share pictures of that in another post-- probably tomorrow.  

Well, that's all I have to share with you today.  Come back soon!

Wishing all of you a great day!

Just Received Two Teacup Pincushions

I thought I'd share with you two teacup pincushions I received this past Saturday as part of a swap I was in over at Your Paper Pantry. Jonnie was the hostess of the Sew Crafty group and January's theme was to create two teacup pincushions and received two different ones back. I was greatly surprised to receive two fantastic ones in return. Oh, the other requirement was to add one stickpin with each teacup. Of course, Jonnie went overboard and sent several. LOL! But, that's Jonnie--she has such a generous heart.

The first one was made by the hostess, Jonnie, and it just reminds me of everything sweet--candies, cookies, cupcakes--and I think that was her intent. Her teacup is whimsical and fun whereas Cynthia's (further down) is more elegant. She also sent me some Valentine candies, an altered glassine bag (that hid the candy), and an eye mask---all in pink. Psst.....I think that's why she goes by "Pinkalicious"!

Look at these adorable stick pins! The teapot
and cupcake are just too cute!

And the other teacup comes from Cynthia Soto. It is just stunning. It's the total opposite of Jonnie's. The cushion is black satiny material that looks embroidered. The cup itself came from her own collection of teacups. She trimmed it with pink flower bling and a gold type mesh edging. The handle has a big pink bow with a vintage looking brooch. I'm telling you, these pictures don't do the teacup justice at all. Both of these teacup pincushions will be treasured for many years. And, I suppose you want to see what I made. Well, scroll down and take a peek.

This stickpin is fabulous! Wonder where she found
the teapot charm?

And here is one of the two that I made:

This teacup came from my own collection as well. It's decorated with faux pearls, bling, a feather, flowers, velvet ribbon and is edged in fringed trimming.

I have to thank Jonnie so very much for hosting this swap. It was alot of fun. If you're interested in getting involved in some great swaps, head on over to Your Paper Pantry and check out Jonnie's "Sew Crafty" group.

Wishing all of you a wonderful day!
Lori

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is a day for romance and love and all that 'mushy' stuff--lol!  Hubby and I don't have any plans for this day.  I went shopping with my daughter, who also treated me to lunch.  I arrived home to find a handmade card with money inside!  Yippee!  My husband doesn't buy me flowers.  Why?  Because I've asked him not to.  I can't see spending the money on roses that will die in a few days.  I would much rather have money or a gift that will last a lot longer.  I also don't get candy (at my request).  I really don't need the extra calories.  Usually I sneak a small piece of candy from the box that I usually buy for my husband. 

We plan on having the usual dinner with the kids and then he'll watch tv and go to bed early.  Me---I'll be playing in my scraproom.  Romantic, huh?  Oh well, I guess after 27 years of marriage, the romance is gone.   Nah.  It's there--we just show it in different ways.   

Well, I'm off to organize my scraproom in the basement and work on some swaps.  I hope that all of you will feel the love on this special day. 

Starting a new endeavor-Project Life

I know that most of you have heard of Project Life by Becky Higgins.  I've decided to finally start one, although I think my day to day journaling and photos will be pretty boring. I mean, how many pictures of laundry and dishes does one want to look at? I don't have any young children who can fill the pages of a PL album with lots of laughter, anecdotes, cute sayings and all the daily frustrations of being a parent to a young child, although I'm hoping for a grandchild someday to help fill my pages with 'cuteness'.   Every day I find myself looking for something that would be interesting to put in my Project Life album.  And, each day I find myself staring at a blank piece of paper trying to find the words to journal.   Can my life be that boring?   Then it dawned on me that Project Life is just that----the day to day recordings of your life---MY life.  Perhaps it's boring, but years from now, my children and grandchildren will appreciate my daily, sometimes boring life---maybe.  

I've been keeping daily notes in a file and taking pictures everyday.    By the time I realized that I wanted to do this project, it was February.  I had missed an entire month.  So, I looked back on some pictures and took notes on what happened that day as I rememberd it.  I'm glad I'm only about a month behind and not more!   Now I needed to find the right album and pages.  I researched Becky Higgins' PL, and, as much as I love Becky's kit, I just can't afford it.   I had to find something that was just as nice but less expensive.   I drove to Michael's and found the perfect album by DCWV and bought it with my 40% off coupon.   Instead of using the album pages suggested by BH, I found photo protector pages by American Crafts and Recollections.

I also needed a box to organize my journaling cards, tags, stickers, notecards, etc and found this idea on Pinterest.   Melissa Stinson of  The Scrappy Jedi.  This post is great--you should click on it and read it.

I was so excited to buy what I needed for alot less than the kit. I plan on making my own journaling spots and have downloaded several really nice ones from several gals on Pinterest.

With this idea in mind, I drove to Michael's to find a similar tray to do the same thing.  I find that if  the items are right there along with the album and pages, I'll be more motivated to work on it each day.

 I couldn't, for the life of me, find a wooden tray, or box, that would suit the purpose of what I needed.  It was disheartening, so, after an hour of browsing through the wood section and scrapping section and finding what I needed to complete some swaps, I headed to the check-out.  As I headed out the doorway to the parking lot I saw a wooden box.  It was a wooden photo box, but I felt sure that it would work.   It was perfect and I had to have it. 

I picked it up and went back to the cashier to pay for it. There was one problem. No price tag. It was the only one they had and no one in the store knew what it cost. The cashier then asked me what I was willing to pay for it. Now I'm drawing a blank. What number do I give her? I don't want to go too low or too high. I hemmed and hawed for about a minute (maybe less) and said that I'd pay
$7.00. She then called the manager who kept me waiting for several minutes before telling her to tell me that he wanted $8.99 for it. I couldn't believe that I was standing in Michael's haggling over a wooden box! I finally agreed to the price because I wanted to have a box for my PL stuff.

Now the cashier sends another girl to go to the Manager's office and get a code in order to ring it up. The girl finally returned and what do I see? A paper attached to the same identical box that was sitting in front of me for the price of $14.99. What?! Now I figure that the manager is going to charge me the full price because he finally found a box with the correct price. But, as luck would have it, she rung it up at $8.99. I then drive home with my new goodies and motivation to get Project Life started.

Once I was home, I had to put PL on hold. I had chores to do and supper to get ready. As I was rummaging through my cabinet looking for a bowl, you'll never believe what I found. A wooden tray! That's right---a wooden tray that would've worked for my PL stuff.  It was handpainted by my grandson.  Why didn't I find that sooner? No matter.    Off I go to see if my plastic organizer boxes will fit into my photo box or handpainted tray.   Oh, oh.

My organizer boxes don't fit on the tray the way I wanted. Two of them do, but not all three. Oh well. I'll try the photo box.   Nope.  Only two.  Well, that was that.  I had two boxes for organizing my journal cards and tags.  I guess it'll be enough to start with.  I still plan on using my newly purchased box and will also keep the tray nearby---just in case I have an overflow. Now that I think of it, I should add this to my PL album. It's certainly more interesting than looking at a picture of socks and towels.

I wish you eventful days ahead.

Lori

Today, I added some Page Tabs to the top of this blog.  I'm slowly working on adding items to each page, but so far I have layouts and altered art (under My Gallery) as well as a bunch of Mini Albums pictures uploaded.  If you're interested, just click on the page and take a look. 

I'm off to work on my scraproom which hasn't been seen or touched in a week.  Still have more to do before making a video of the completed room. 

That's all for now.  I'll post tomorrow.

Check Out This Great Giveaway!

I want to share with you a wonderful giveaway over at Sharon's blog:  "Sharon, the Night Owl Scrapper".  Click HERE to check it out.  She has a video on her blog as well as on YouTube explaining what you need to do to have a chance to win.  Of course, my fingers are crossed (and toes as well!).

 
Aren't these goodies fantastic!  I LOVE them!  So, if you're interested, stop by her blog, check out the video for a chance to win.  Also, check out the rest of her blog as well.  Love her creations! 

Thanks for stopping by, my friends.
Lori

Random Things To Share

I mailed off two more swap items plus the teacup pincushions.  All of these swaps were over at Your Paper Pantry.  Love that site! 

This was for the Flower Swap for January.  The theme/challenge was to make them from tissue paper.  We had to make three sets of four flowers and we'll get 12 different ones back.  But, I goofed and made four sets of three flowers.  I'm sure the hostess will fix it up for me. 

Here is a video at YouTube of my black and white pages for the "Mini Me A Page" swap:   http://youtu.be/aRwHRskfZMA

I thought that I had taken photos of the black and white pages, but I guess I didn't, so the video is the only way to show you what I made.

Also, on a sad note, we lost our cute little hamster, Coco, yesterday morning.  She wasn't even quite 2 years old.  Just a week ago, she was running around and acting normal and then all of sudden became sluggish, didn't eat or drink and finally passed away.  She was a cutie and we'll miss her.

and, I'm still working on my scraproom.  Today I plan on making a tableskirt from scraps of fabric that I've had for YEARS!  That's about it for now.  I'll share more soon.

Have a great day!

Teacup Pincushions to Share.....

I just finished up these two cute little teacup pincushions for the "Sew Crafty" over at Your Paper Pantry.  I still have to make the stick pin that's required to go with it, but thought I'd share what I've done so far.   Have a look:

I added a Prima Rose, velveteen ribbon for 'leaves', a paper rose on the saucer as well as some feathers, bling and fringe around the edge of the cup.

Thanks for looking!  They'll be going in the mail tomorrow.  I'll be getting two different ones back in a week or so.  Once I get them, you can be sure I'll be sharing them.

Wishing all of you a great day!