mini koinobori

::via craftershock

so cute! of course, i want to print them out and use them on a page. :)

blog readability

emily pitts talked about blog readability on her blog. so i thought i'd run mine through.

here's the result...


i'm laughing here. too funny!

freehand scraps sneaks

heidi at freehand scraps has outdone herself again. she's put together a fabulous kit for august - lots of unusual items. here are a few sneaks of the projects i put together for the kit.

more links

::via 16 sparrows

sorry i haven't been sharing any of my work lately. i have basically only had time to scrap assignments and for my kit club. i'll try and post some of my work after the 1st when the kit debuts!

here are some links for your monday pleasure!

• free printables from 16 sparrows
• ca-ute downloadable mushroom notes that would work great as journal spots.
• beautiful paper lanterns
• easy fabric flower tutorial
• how to hang frames
• free stationary download
• free downloadable labels
• make a six pack caddy - too cute!
• very cool cards to embroider on etsy
• printable papercraft patterns from canon
• make a free photobook from inkubook
• pizza box project
• vintage handcrafted product labels

have fun! :)

october afternoon sneaks

when i was showing my finds from cha, i forgot to include october afternoon! i'm so blessed to be on this team - the new lines are amazing. here they are up close (thanks emilie ahern and emily pitts for the images.)




good cheer


that's the b-side above!

paper tops

::via martha stewart

how fun and so easy to make!

on the stands now

mini albums in an evening! what a great special issue. if you haven't picked up a copy, you can order one here. this issue makes me want to just do mini-albums all the time. so many great design ideas! i have an album in the issue that is from this past thanksgiving. the album means a lot to me as it's the first time my brother, sister and i had been together in one place in years. do you have this issue? what is your favorite album?

decorative magnets

::via martha stewart

i made these a few months ago but glued tacks to the back instead of magents. incredibly easy. i also found a place that sells cabochons that are perfectly clear if you aren't digging the opaque effect of the glass marbles. such a fun way to have your favorite pp's in the kitchen with you - also make great gifts (for those of you with small children you may want to wait until they get bigger to hang them on your fridge - choking hazard!)

where do you shop online?

i must say i had been feeling like i had no shopping home anymore. i really needed an online retailer that ships really really fast. i found one. i can't get over how fast the orders are shipped from scrap-diner - literally arriving two days after i post my order. yay! the owner always has loads of stuff in stock and great customer service too. definitely give it a shot next time you order - you won't be disappointed!

cha part two

ok so i could go on and on. here's some more with links.

pink paislee vintage moon - love the colors in this line. i feel like we should be moving away from owls at this point though. be sure to take a look at the top siders - chipboard borders and shapes that were very cool.

tinkering ink rip strips - a self adhesive fabric sheet that you rip strips off of. you can use the resulting tape to make borders, flowers, and other cute things. linda harrison was having a blast ripping it - she's such a cute, funny gal!

glue arts glue glider pro - i love my atg gun. i had a chance to use this one though. it's smaller and boy does it roll really smoothly i was really impressed. it comes with different kinds of adhesive as well including glue squares (like glue dots) and dot tape. super sticky and easy to use. should be available soon.

bazzill swiss dot - stunning texture - i'm in love with the craft shade. very cool!

kaisercraft rhinestone shapes - love love love the nested circles and the stars!

ki memories sheer delights - sigh i need them all! they are a little opaque like vellum.

hambly studios - mustaches, bicycles, and birdcages - oh my!

and that wraps up my cha summer show finds. now i'm off to write up my to-buy list! oy vey!

pics from cha

you can check out some people pics here. not many but still fun. thanks dina!

cha highlights

cha was so gloriously fun. it was so great to see and laugh with so many people. i had such a great time! thank you to dina and doris for being such awesome roommates!

here are the products from the show that i loved. i'll probably break this into two posts because i have a lot to share. i didn't take photos at the show so i'm linking back to where i found these.

sonburn eco chic

::via renee coffey

renee coffey! renee was the genius behind mod and worked for ki memories for awhile as well. the photos in the catalog here do not do this paper justice. the colors pop in real life and i'm looking forward to getting my hands on this. eco chic has a few elements that are recycling themed - the line is printed with soy ink on recycled paper. i believe it ships in october - but don't hold me to that.

sei poppy

::via shopsei
okay so this isn't new, but i had never seen it in person and i thought it was just so vibrant and interesting. definitely worth a second look!

fancy pants bag of tags

::via fancy pants designs
tiny tags of all shapes and sizes in a cute muslin drawstring bag. each bag includes 80 cardstock tags. 40 in kraft cardstock and 40 in white cardstock.

ball trim

::via maya road

jumping on the paper valise bandwagon both fancy pants and maya road debuted ball trim in some pretty amazing colors. the maya road was tighter to the mounting strip and fancy pants hung down a bit. maya road is also offering clear stick pins that had a great vintage feel.

jenni bowlin crepe paper ribbon

:via jenni bowlin
this is just a glimpse at one of the many fabulous projects in jenni's booth. the paper comes scalloped, straight and pinked! (thanks doris!) it comes in a variety of colors and designs. simply fabulous!

basic grey ambrosia and offbeat

::offbeat via basic grey

those of you that know my scrapbooking style know that i don't use a lot of distressed papers - so basic grey is normally not something i use very much. but these lines change all that. first of all i love orange and both of these lines have orange. the offbeat line is very graphic and not really all that distressed.

ambrosia is more classic basic grey but the combination of orange and grey has me sold. so if you aren't typically jazzed about basic grey - these lines might just change your mind.

glitz car paper

:via glitz

isn't this cute? not sure if it's brand new to this show, but i like it.

sass sass sass!

:via sassafras
the sassafras booth is just pure eye candy. the designer samples were absolute perfection each and everyone. each line just bursts with color and the entire collection is going to make a huge dent in my wallet! the photo above is my from my favorite line - happy place!

american crafts cardstock
the cardstock comes in the fabulous colors that match all of the ac lines! 38 cents a sheet retail! love ALL the new ac lines. especially travel.

more later...

button flowers

::via indie fixx

oh these are just too funand so easy to make!

printable papers

::via craftzine

wedding style guide offers these lovely "modern spice" themed papers - download the pdf's and print them on your printer. love the colors!

rotatrim owners?

That's the Rotatrim M-15, 15" Mastercut II Rotary Blade Paper Cutter / Trimmer

If you have a Rotatrim, which model do you have - the one with two bars or one bar? Do you love it? I'm so sick of my MM trimmer cutting crooked and I don't think I'll ever get the Genesis (been on the list for a couple years) so I'm thinking about biting the bullet. Any and all opinions welcome!

One thing I don't like about the MM trimmer is that you can't hold the paper along the top or bottom lip to get a straight cut. You have to hold it so it is even along the horizontal or vertical lines. Does the Rototrim allow you to just hold the paper along the top or bottom and cut for a straight cut or do you have to line it up with the gridlines? The other irritating thing is that this is my second MM trimmer that has lost it's gridlines and I can't imagine that MM will give me another one.

linky lou

:via bijzondermooi

• cool accordian box tutorial
• bagelopes! not bagels bope - they are bags made from envelopes!
• little wish boats - so cute - no instructions but adorable!
• cool little journals to make
• handcut felt mural - gorgeous!
• favor bag tutorial
• matchbox books
• handmade sewn book
• how to curl fabric ribbon

sticky notes cover

::via greetingarts

i've seen these at craft shows and always wanted a tutorial. love the funky papers on these and can see myself making them with all sorts of scraps.

sorry for the lag between posts we were fortunate enough to spend a long 4th of july weekend on cape cod. we're still unpacking and trying to get back to normal around here.

paper butterfly

::via dadcando

dadcando posted this really cool paper butterfly that you can make in five minutes. this one is made out of wrapping paper - i think you could easily make one out of patterned paper!

lovely lovelies

::via freehand scraps

unfortunately, my design team gig for freehand scraps doesn't start until the august kit. i'm loving this flutter kit. how cute is that wallies butterfly? loving the vintage book page and i'm oh so curious about that glitz roller! and so reasonably priced at $29.50!! i think i'm ordering one for myself!