Perfectly Placed Pleats Challenge for Moxie Fab World

The quest to organize my room better (but on a budget) continues (first stage was in this blog post). After spin class today, I went to several yard sales. I bought a metal container that's meant for files and several plastic containers (1 set of 5 and 1 big one by itself). Everything for $11. ::happy dance:: I wasn't sure that I'd be able to find a use for all the containers when I bought them, but then when I got home, I was able to find something to put into each one. 4/5 of the smaller plastic containers now hold cards. The metal container now holds white cardstock and cardstock scraps. The apple box that used to hold other cardstock and miscellaneous crafty things has been replaced by the big plastic bin. The top right is the before picture and the bottom right is the after picture. My next goal is to tackle the boxes of rubber stamps and ribbon. The bottom right picture is the before picture. P.S. check out my craft show inventory. :D

Crazy happening: at one of the yard sales that I went to today, I saw a fat orange cat walking on a leash!

I decided to tackle the Perfectly Placed Pleats Challenge over at Moxie Fab World today. I loved how the example cards were so festive and still incorporated the pleating detail. I decided to do my pleating with the red ribbon I bought yesterday at A.C. Moore and create a super girly but sophisticated dress. I used a scrap piece of cardstock and with the help of various types of adhesive (double stick tape, glue dots, and Glossy Accents), I was able to create 4 strips of pleated ribbon. Next, the bodice. I was going to free hand cut the black bodice, but I couldn't get it even, so I made an origami dress and just covered the skirt part with the ribbon/cardstock piece. Gems were added for a little (ok, a lot) of bling, and I finished off the card with a lovey-dovy sentiment + heart. The black/red/white color combination reminds me of the Twilight Saga.

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Warm Red. StazOn in Jet Black.
Stamp: Fiskars- Romance (sentiment), Heidi Grace- Alphas, Reagan's Closet (heart)
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Ribbon: Sweet Petites from A.C. Moore

Fall-To Layout #111

Hello, Happy Friday! Sorry for the momentary absence. I was in ATL briefly for a work-related meeting. The meeting went well, hooray. Traveling back home was annoying, boo. I sat next to two very chatty UGA students. They didn't know each other, but boy, did they bond over their current college experience. Everything from the Greek life to the library to upcoming events. They talked the ENTIRE 1.5 hour flight. I'm not sure what's worse: sitting next to a conversation you have no interest in or participating in a conversation you have no interest in. I tried to drown them out with some Michael Bublé with my mp3 player with no luck. Needless to say, I was thankful for the "quiet" on the subway. I'm back now, enjoying a 4-day weekend. :D

The flight wasn't entirely bad. A gentleman saw me struggling with getting my luggage out of the overhead compartment and nicely volunteered to help me out. I appreciated his help. The wedged bag was the only thing keeping me from getting one step closer to home.

I made it nearly a month without buying anything crafty, even though I said in this blog post that I wouldn't buy anything new until after my first craft show of the season. Heh. I justified it by using my A.C. Moore $10 off coupon which expires on Halloween. I couldn't let the $10 go to waste! I bought some ribbon that was on sale and 2 border punches: Fiskars Upper Crest and Martha Stewart Doily Lace (buy 1, get 1 50% off). I'm looking forward to trying them out soon.

Here's my take on Fall-To Layout #111. I liked the snowflake example card, but I put a little spin on it by taking the 3 stacked sentiments to heart. I was going to do a ribbon tab on the upper left but didn't have enough space. I wanted the keep the card pretty flat to ensure that it wouldn't get damaged during mailing, but couldn't resist putting some Glossy Accents on it for a subtle touch. Next time, I'll try a narrower strip of white cardstock to leave room. Doing a similar kraft card with a red ribbon tab and red cardstock would be pretty.
Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Charcoal, Prussian Blue, Blue Iris, French Blue, Ice Blue
Stamp: Hero Arts Cling Dots (polka dots), Fiskars- Winter Wonderland (snowflakes), Studio G (sentiment)
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Other: Glossy Accents

Trigger Target Surprise

Whoo hoo, I was selected as a Trigger Target again over at Moxie Fab World! That's two times in a row...I am so thrilled!

As a follow-up from yesterday's post about checking one's work, I got an email from my boss saying that the Executive Director found a typo! Just when I thought I had gone over that document so many times that I could probably recite it by heart like the Pledge of Allegiance. Super. Which brings me to...

Life lesson #2: Accept that there will be mistakes. Apologize profusely to the necessary parties and correct the mistake(s) pronto.

Today's card started out with one die cut flower that was sitting on my desk from last night's card making session. I love that Tim Holtz die and the red/white paper. I wanted there to be butterflies, but to make things interesting, I put them at an angle, making them all face the sentiment in the center. After the buttons and faux stitching, I thought the card still needed something. Ah, Glossy Accents. Of course!

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Chestnut Roan
Stamp: Hero Arts- Thinking of You Messages (sentiment)
Die: Sizzix- Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Flowers (flower)
Punch: Martha Stewart- Classic Butterfly
Paper: American Crafts- Metropolitan
Button: Favorite Findings in Ocean
Other: Glossy Accents
White Gel Pen: Inkssentials

CPS #187

Life lesson #1: Always, always, ALWAYS check your work. And then double check it. Sometimes triple check it. The number of times you check your work is directly proportional to how much trouble you'll be in if you do it wrong.

I was printing off copies of this document that I had been working on with a group since January. The copies are going to be seen by the Board of Directors and other VIPs at a meeting this week in Atlanta. I printed out some on Friday and decided to make extra ones just to be sure. I saw streaks of magenta and blue ink on some of the copies! ACK! I had given a stack of 30 to one of the senior staff people to take with him on the plane to ATL. Good thing I caught him because there were several copies in his bundle with streaks. I would have been SO embarrassed if I knew that higher up people were given crappy copies.

On the Etsy front, I have to always remember to check to make sure that Etsy and PayPal addresses match. One can't just assume which address to send things to. And we all know what assuming leads to, don't we?

All my Rolo cookies from yesterday (except one that's still in the kitchen downstairs) are gone. It's really nice to have willing co-workers who don't mind helping me eat the baked goodies. They are very familiar with my Tupperware container by now. I guess I'll have to make more! ;)

Here's my attempt at CPS #187. This one was a toughie for me because a) it was square and b) where do I put a sentiment? I decided to not force myself to put a sentiment on the card, but instead added the butterfly for some dimension. After I put the Glossy Accents on the butterfly, I debated if I should have just left it plain and then decided that it wasn't a big deal either way.
Card Specs:
Ink: VersaMagic chalk ink in Cloud White. Colorbox chalk ink in Warm Red.
Stamp: Fiskars- Girlfriends (corner), Martha Stewart- Patterns (on red flower)
Die: Sizzix- Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Flowers (red flowers)
Flowers: Prima
Punch: Martha Stewart- Classic Butterfly
Paper: American Crafts- Metropolitan
Brad: American Crafts, Large Brads- Dandelion
Other: Glossy Accents

Fall-To Layout #110

I found this Rolo cookie recipe online a few days ago from TwoPeasandTheirPod and thought they sounded super yummy. Hello, chocolate and caramel? Is there a better combo out there? I decided to bake them today. The dough was a little more sticky than the peanut butter cookie dough I'm used to, but with the help of a ice cream scooper, I was able to reduce the mess on my hands. I forgot to roll the cookies in sugar ended up not rolling the cookie dough in sugar because I thought the cookies had enough sweetness. I do recommend a cold glass of milk to wash down each cookie. Check out the goo-y center on the right. Nom nom nom.
I also made pizza casserole (yes, again) to use up some vegetables before they went bad. Dontcha just love the puddle of melted cheese? On another kitchen related note, the dishwasher door won't close. We will be washing dishes by hand until further notice. I guess this is supposed to be one of those opportunities to appreciate the technological advances we enjoy daily. I feel like I'm back in college. :PI wasn't feeling crafty Friday or yesterday, so I didn't tackle the Fall-To Layout (#110) until today. I wanted to keep a fall theme in mind consider we just hit October (yikes). I've already added an extra blanket to my bed. Ginger the cat took a nap with me this afternoon, which is a sure sign of colder weather, because usually she doesn't want to snuggle with me.Card Specs:
Embossing powder: Personal Stamp Exchange- Black
Embossing ink: VersaMark
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Dark Brown, Olive Green, Deep Green, Blush Rose, Amber Clay, Yellow Cadmium
Stamps: Inkadinkado- Autumn Foliage (leaves), The Paper Company Studio- Greetings (sentiment)
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Foam adhesive: Thermoweb
White Gel Pen: Inkssentials

Busy week ahead (working on a contract and going to ATL on WED for a work meeting on TH), but then a 4 day weekend as a reward to myself! :D

Crafty Bastards

I got to spin this morning, and the front desk guy (no, not "cute front desk guy," unfortunately) asked me for my name because he wanted to see if I was on the reservations list. Um, nope. Apparently there was quite a list. I noticed that the clock said 8:25 AM, and the rule is that if you made a reservation, you had to be on your bike by 8:25 because all open bikes after that are free to anyone. HAH, sweet, I got one! I saw that 2 people walked in exactly at 8:30 AM and didn't get a bike. A part of me felt guilty that I took a reserved bike, but then again, after 8:25, it's no longer reserved.

Right after spin, I whipped by 3 yard sales in my neighborhood, but didn't find anything that I wanted.

After taking a quick shower, packing up orders for the Post Office, and eating breakfast, I headed out to Crafty Bastards. Wow, what an event! There were so many people there, just like last year. Sometimes I kinda had to elbow my way through the crowd. I'm glad that I took my camera with me to capture all the cool things that I saw. Left: Crafty Bastards balloon. They had many tied up and floating around.
Right: The CROWD. I don't really think this picture does the event justice. It was amazing to see so many people support local (and not local) artists and their handmade goodies.Some funny clothing for the little ones.
Left: The text says "My dad made my mom a mixed tape and all they got was me." Does anyone make mixed tapes anymore? It sounds rather outdated, but it made me smile anyway.
Right: The text says "Product of an Internet turned IRL relationship." I thought the juxtaposition of this shirt to the ones on the left was funny. I think IRL = in real life.
Left and right: T-shirts for adults. There were a lot that I liked in the shop on the right (Gnome Enterprises).
Plushie things!
Left: The owls totally got my attention, but then I saw the cute narwal and squirrel. I would have gotten the narwal, but he was too expensive. :(
Right: Plush toast?! Ha ha ha.
For you bookworms...
Left: Coasters made from vintage children books. From Overdue Industries.
Right: Purses made from classic books. From Rebound Designs.
For dog fans...
Left: Dog bags from bubbledog.
Right: Real life dog that fits in your bag! How cute! I had to take this picture covertly as to not be too creepy.

I saw some impressive breakdancing going on at this craft fair. Artistic talent in a different way. Oh, and by the way, I bought some cute things, but they are presents and I don't want to ruin the surprise by writing about them on my blog. Sorry! :)

Song of the day: "If I Had You" - Adam Lambert.

Experimenting With CraftCult

Wow. Today's weather was very much improved. Thank you, weather gods, for the sunny/blue skies and light breeze. Keep it up, please? At least for the weekend.

I had good intentions of going for a 2.6 mile run like I did last Friday, but after the usual loop, I develop a side stitch and decided that 1.7 was enough for today. I can definitely try again tomorrow or Sunday. If I can do it once, I can do it again, right?

I did an experiment with investing in a week-long ad on CraftCult, the type where you pick an item to go on the top of the page. I picked my origami panda card as the item to be featured and run the ad for 7 days. I ended up with 8 shop hearts. The panda card got a few hearts and eventually sold. Perhaps those stats might help you in your decision on whether or not to advertise with CraftCult (the people that run it are super nice and I think their prices are totally reasonable). I think it would have been nice to find out if it sold because the person found me on CraftCult or some other means. In any event, it sold, and I'm happy that I started the month with a sale. Now if the buyer could get back to me about what address to send it to, since the Etsy and PayPal addresses don't match. I shouldn't assume which address to send it to...because we all know what assuming leads to.