Category: Amazon Affiliate

The Gift of Organization

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The Gift of Organization

I’m a little bit of an Organization nut.

I like things to be neat and tidy. (I’m sure I’m not the only one.)

With the holidays around the corner, for that hard to buy person,

why not give the gift of organization.

I like to use the Deflecto Interlocking Single Tilt Bins* all around the house.

I figured everyone else might like them too.

You could give the bins as is or fill them up for the ultimate gift.

Add a bow and your set to go.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

For the Kids

Craft supplies, playdoh, Legos, the list could go on and on.

Disclosure:  This blog uses affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

In the Bathroom

Hair ties, make up…Clear up the clutter on the bathroom counter.

In the Garage (or Mancave)

for the golfer in my life.

In the Baby’s Room

A great gift for the new mother.

In the Craft Room

The bins are interlocking and stackable.

Great for little storage needs in the garage, craft room, nursery, kitchen, and even the kid’s room.

Wherever you need a little extra storage.

The nice thing about the interlocking single tilt bins* is that you can use just one or use

several.  You can also hang them on the wall or use them with a mounting bar*.

Disclosure…“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided compensation and product in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.

Give the Gift of Amazon Prime*

A Merry Little Holiday House

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How to make A Merry Little Holiday House.

A cute little holiday decoration using the Eileen Hull House Ornament Die.

Perfect for gift giving.  Just add a small battery operated tea light and see it glow.

A Merry Little House Supplies Used:            (*affiliate links)

*Disclosure:  This blog uses affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Directions:

  • Cut two pieces of Red and Black Buffalo Plaid paper 6″ x 8″.
  • Run both pieces of paper design side up through the Xyron Creative Station*.  As the paper moves through the Creative Station it adds adhesive to the underneath side of the paper.  You get full and complete adhesive covering on the paper.
  • Cut two pieces of Mat Board* 6″ x 8″.
  • Adhere the buffalo plaid paper onto each one of the mat board.  (underneath will be plain)

  • Lay covered matboard on top of the house ornament die and sandwich it between two sizzix cutting plates.  Run the die, mat board and cutting plates through the Big Shot Die Cutting Machine*.  The Big Shot will cut out the house shape and two tiny houses that you can use on a later project.
  • Cut two houses shapes.

A Merry Little Holiday House bits and pieces.

  • Carefully fold on the scored lines.
  • Cut off the top tab with the two holes on both houses.  (This tab is used if you want to make it an ornament.)
  • You will also need to cut the bottom flap from one of the houses.
  • Use Super Glue to assemble the house. Glue all sides of the house together before gluing the roof tabs.  Leave bottom tab unglued so that you can add a small battery operated tea light.

  • For the Roof:  Cut a piece of Black Corrugated paper 2 1/2″ x 4″.  Fold in half and glue to top of the roof.
  • Place two small pieces of white matboard over the window section of the ornament house die and run through the big shot die cutting machine.  Trim around matboard to create two small windows.  Glue windows frames onto house.

  • Add the “Merry” chipboard sticker from the Christmas Market Chipboard Accents to the front of the house.
  • Make wreath out of a 6″ piece of the craft pine stem.
  • Create a small bow from the red twine and glue onto front of wreath.
  • Glue wreath to front of the house.

Carta Bella Christmas Market Collection*  (available on Amazon)

Give the Gift of Amazon Prime*

Creating a Mini Thanksgiving Room

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Creating a Mini Thanksgiving Room…

Time to get your rooms ready for the Thanksgiving holiday.

I love making miniature rooms, especially for the Holidays.

I created this special little room for Xyron using the Xyron Creative Station*.

The Xyron Creative Station* is perfect for projects like this.  I wanted complete adhesive coverage on every corner and edge of the paper.  (No wrinkles, no bubbles, easy to use.)

Products Used:                                      ( *affiliate links)

*Disclosure:  This blog uses affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

To make the Mini Thanksgiving Room…

  • Cut chipboard into 4 pieces:  9″x7 1/2″, 5 3/4″ x 9″ and two 5 3/4″ x 7 1/2″
  • Cut woodgrain paper just 6″ x 9 1/4″ and run it through the Xyron Creative station design side up.   As the paper runs through the machine it adds adhesive under the paper.
  • Adhere the paper to the chipboard.  I like to cut my paper slightly wider than I need so I can trim the edges with a craft knife.
  • Gently sand edges with a extra fine sanding block for the perfect edge.

  • I cut the patterned paper half the size of the other three chipboard pieces and added a 1/2″ strip of  woodgrain paper to cover the seam.  (it looks like chair rail)
  • Using the Creative Station makes quick work of covering the walls.

  • I covered the back of my room with coordinating paper and added small strips of paper on the inside and back corners for added support.  Run those strips through the Xyron Creative Station* as well.

  • I picked up some inexpensive Doll furniture* at Dollar Tree* and painted them with black spraypaint.
  • I gave them a light sanding after they were dry with a sanding block to smooth.

  • I created additional furniture by cutting small pieces of chipboard and adhering them together.  (simple building construction)
  • A couple coats of black paint to finish the job.

  • To Make the tablecloth…Run a piece of lace through the Xyron Creative Station* and adhere the lace to the top of the table.  Trim around the edges of the lace with scissors.
  • I created a small vase with playdoh and painted it with acrylic paint after it was completely dried.  I added craft glue inside my vase and inserted snippets of artificial flowers.
  • I added a platter of turkey on the table. (don’t tell anyone but mine’s really a chicken)

A small little handmade bench for extra seating.

A shelf on the wall with special pewter pieces.

And a cute Turkey Decoration on top the sideboard to make the room more festive.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the Xyron Makers Program I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.

If you liked the Thanksgiving Room you’ll like the Christmas Magic Room I made last year.

Buffalo Plaid Potholders

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Crisp air, falling leaves, and a big pot of soup to warm you up…

Just a few of the reasons I love Fall.

So while you’re warming things up…

Warm up your plain potholder and add a little personality with Joy Iron-On Embroidered letters.

Supplies needed:

  • Joy Iron-On Embroidered Letters
  • Cotton Potholders
  • Iron
  • Pressing Cloth

Directions:

  1. Remove letters from the sheet.
  2. Position letters shiny side down on potholder.
  3. Cover letters with a clean cloth.
  4. With firm pressure iron cloth over the letters for 30 seconds.
  5. Turn potholder over and iron the reverse side for an additional 30 seconds.
  6. Allow to cool 1 minute before using.

 You can find a wide selection of Joy® embroidered iron-on letters and alphabet sheets in different sizes at your local craft stores!

“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the Joy® Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.

Shop Your Fav Brands at Scrapbook.com

*Disclosure:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Shared Kindness…

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 (project tutorial at Bottom of Post)

Blessings are the Harvest of Kindness

When I create, I create projects for a variety of reasons. 

Sometimes the project helps me tell a story. 

This particular project reminded me of a sweet exchange that happened between

my mom and a stranger several years ago. 

Just a reminder… World Kindness Day is November 13th. 

Please take a moment to spread a little kindness.

Shared kindness…

After eating lunch with my parents and sister at the local Steak and Shake,

Dad got up to pay the bill at the counter.  I stayed back to help Mom. 

When Mom got up, she noticed a lady sitting at a nearby table and said, “I know her”. 

Mom was in later stages of dementia, so I questioned her, “I don’t think we do Mom” I said. 

As I was trying to get her to leave, she said:  “I want to talk to her, I know her.” 

The lady must have heard us and looked up.  I quietly asked, “Does she know you?” 

Mom had worked at a school for many years, and she knew a lot of people that I didn’t.

The lady shook her head no.

Then without missing a beat, the lady got up, put my mom’s hand in hers and said:

“So, you think you know me?” and introduced herself.

After Mom struggled to get her name out, the woman smiled and said, “so nice to meet you”.

And with that, my mom was happy and left the restaurant with a smile on her face.

It only took a minute for this sweet woman to make a difference.

Mom’s been gone for a while now, but It’s something I’ve never forgotten.

To create the Wood Plaque…

Supplies used:                                  (*affiliate link)

*Disclosure:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Directions:

  • Lightly sand the wooden rectangle with the sanding block to prepare the surface for paint.
  • Paint four horizontal autumn hued stripes on the wood.
  • With a flat dry brush blend the colors together to create a “Fall Rainbow”.
  • Lightly sand over the painted surface to smooth the grain of the wood.

  • Using an electronic die cutting machine, I cut the words.
  • Using a weeding tool carefully remove the negative spaces in and around the letters.
  • Place a piece of Vinyl Transfer Tape* over the letters.  Rub over the letters using a vinyl scraper tool to help the vinyl cling
  • Apply words onto a small wood rectangle.


“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.

You can now find the full line of StyletechCraft online at ATSM.

DIY Holiday Inspiration Station

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Holiday Inspiration Station

Tis the Season to be Crafting…. 

It’s November, time to turn on the Holiday movies and start making your lists.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year to be creative.

Inspire Creativity…

It’s easy to promote creativity over the Holidays with a DIY Holiday Inspiration Station.

Set up a little spot in the house to spark a little inspiration for the whole family.

I used the large Deflecto 3 Drawer Organizer* as the center of my station.

It’s large enough to hold full sheets of 12″ x 12″ paper and room for tags, ribbon and more.

It’s stackable for even more creativity.

This is one of my new favorites for organizing embellishments.

The Caddy Storage Tray* from Deflecto.

And best of all it fits into the large compartment of the Deflecto Stacking Caddy Organizer*.

Disclosure:  This blog uses affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Brown paper packages tied up in string.

It’s easy to make your gifts look special when everything’s right at your fingertips. 

Disclosure…“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided compensation and product in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.

Holiday Diamond Art

Sue’s 2019 Holiday Workshop

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Registration is Open for Sue’s 2019 Holiday WorkshoP

The theme for this years Holiday Workshop is Mad for Plaid. 

We will be making several plaid themed projects along a few other non-plaid items.
Plaid Attire is not required but highly encouraged.

Here’s what to Expect…

  • Christmas Cards:  We will be making several Christmas Cards and Tags including the Merry Christmas Black Buffalo Plaid card pictured above.  (more samples to come)

  • NEW this year… a  Buffalo Plaid Hot Cocoa bar with yummy toppings to warm you up.   (Hopefully… Snow Not Included!)

      • I’ll also have fun Buffalo Plaid Party Props perfect for a picture or two with friends.  (party props from Oriental Trading)

The cost of the Holiday Workshop is $45…
which includes your workshop supplies*, hot lunch, Hot Cocoa Bar, yummy cookies and lots of prizes.  Did I mention every wins a prize?

Sue’s Holiday Workshop will be held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
200 S. Main St., Washington, IL  in the church’s large Family Life Center.
Great lighting and plenty of space.  It’s going to be a fun day.

The Workshop is limited to 20 spots.
So…Invite a friend and reserve your spot today.

RSVP: suesholidayworkshop@yahoo.com
Payment is due by Nov. 1st.

Disclosure:  This blog uses affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Let’s talk about Marker Storage

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Happy National Craft Week!

Saturday was National Card Making Day and now we have National Craft Week?

Be still my crafty little heart.   (I thought every week was craft week.)

Since we’re talking all things “crafty” this week, I’d like to ask you a personal question.

How do you store your markers?

When it comes to markers, we all have our opinions and preference on which are our favorite.

Lately, I’ve been curious on how everyone stores their markers and what works best for you.

I started rubber stamping in the mid 90’s and slowly built up quite a collection of Art Markers.

Personally, I have been using Tombow Markers for over 20 years and some markers in my

collection are almost as old.   (and they still works)

Up until recently my marker storage system was just about as old as my collection.

A wobbly little holder (with a slight lean) and an extra basket for the overflow.

It worked but it wasn’t quite as efficient as I wanted it to be.

Recently, I started doing a lot more cardmaking and using my markers again.

That’s when I requested the Expandable Marker Accordion* from Deflecto.

It is the ultimate in marker storage and portability!

It has 80 slots that hold markers, but, because my Tombow and Marvy markers

are skinnier than Copic markers, I can easily put two markers in each slot.

Disclosure…“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided compensation and product in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.

The Expandable Marker Accordion* comes with a clear lid that easily snaps in place and a

handle that makes it easy to take your markers with you to classes and crops.

It keeps everything secure.

And…depending on your work space

you can use it in a straight line, a U shape, as a cube or in my favorite, a zig zag pattern.

Whatever combination works best for you and the project that you’re working on.

Not just another marker holder…

Let’s talk another option.

Maybe you’re just starting out your marker collection or you need a little more flexibility with

your marker storage, you might like Deflecto’s Interlocking Marker Organizer*.

This little marker holder can be used solo or because it has a interlocking design it can be

connected to additional units making it perfect whether you use it upright or horizontal.

And the best part…

The Interlocking Marker Organizer* also fits into the Deflecto Stackable Caddy Organizer.

You can fit six marker organizers into the Stackable Caddy for the Ultimate Grab and Go.

So many great options to fit your crafting style.

Disclosure:  This blog uses affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Country Christmas Pocket Notebook

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Country Christmas Pocket Notebook.

Being a friend and a big fan of the creative dies that Eileen Hull designs for Sizzix…

I was happy to jump on the band wagon with Eileen Hull’s Design Team and Educators

to create an album using Eileen Hull’s NEW Pocket Notebook Die from Sizzix*.

You’ll just flip at the amazing things these ladies have come up with.

Make sure to read to the end of this post to see the full list of designers.

*Disclosure… This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Is it too early to start thinking Christmas?

Once I saw the Simple Stories– Country Christmas 6 x 8 paper pad* I knew it would make

a cute little album for Christmas using Eileen Hull’s Pocket Notebook Die*.

To create the album you’ll need to cut out the pieces from matboard.

The Sizzix Little Sizzles Mat Board* is the perfect size to use with the XL Sizzix dies.

I like to use my Xyron Creative Station* to add adhesive to the back of the paper.

You can do this before or after you cut the die.

The Pocket Notebook Die* cuts the cover (you will need 2), a pen-loop and latch and pages for

the book.  The page size is adjustable and the spine of the book can be any size from 3/8″ to 2″.

I kept the cover and inside of  my album pretty simple, I’ll embellish it more as I add pictures.

The spine has pre-cut holes for gathering the inside pages.

I folded several of the 6″ x 8″ paper from the pad to make little page groupings.

Each one is held together with an elastic loop with I tied on the outside of  the spine.

I created a couple pocket pages in the center of one of the page groupings.

There’s a lot of possibilities and potential when using the Pocket Notebook die.

Country Christmas Pocket Notebook Products Used:

Welcome to the Pocket Notebook Release Party!

Eileen’s Inspiration and Educator teams have combined to show us their amazing Pocket Notebook ideas. Please follow the Blog Hop to see all of the fabulous projects, techniques and videos!

There are also two GIVEAWAYS– the Pocket Notebook die and a gift certificate for Eileen’s Etsy store. To enter to win, leave a comment on each of the posts. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, October 8 on Eileen’s Facebook Live show.

Thanks for hopping along with us today!

*Disclosure… This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Happy Harvest Wreath Card

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Happy Harvest Wreath Card

Sometimes when I’m creating a card…the process is easy and it works out the first time.

Most of the time it takes a couple of tries to get the look I want.

Yesterday, was no exception.

I was playing with my new Hello Fall Stamp and Die Set from Maker’s Movement,

trying to come up with a quick and simple card to share.

I’ll be honest, It took me all afternoon to come up with this one card.

I had an image in my mind of what I wanted the card to look like and I wasn’t quite getting it.

Usually when it comes to creating fall cards, I use traditional Autumn colors.

After setting the finish card down and coming back to it a couple times…

I decided to change the background to something softer.

Not my usual fall colors, but, I like it much better.  (I hope you do too.)

Happy Harvest Wreath Card Supplies Used:

Shop Your Fav Brands at Scrapbook.com

*Disclosure… This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

  • Draw a light circle using a pencil on a piece of watercolor paper.
  • Using my tombow markers I colored directly onto the clear acrylic stamp.
  • Center the small wheat stamp on the circle line and stamp.
  • Continue until the circle is complete.
  • Cut wreath out with a bigger circle.

  • Stamp the words “Happy Harvest” and cut out using the matching die.  Using thin foam mounting squares to raise the words, mount “Happy Harvest” onto the corner of the wreath.
  • Create greenery by coloring onto the small leaf stamp using a darker green marker and coloring in with a lighter marker.  Cut around image and layer under the “Happy Harvest” words.
  • Add additional soft layers and ribbon to complete the look.

*FTC Disclosure… “This is a sponsored post.  I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.”