I actually made it to the ocean this year.

August 12, 2016August 26, 20162 Comments

Going to the Ocean is one of my favorite things to do…

and it had been three long years since we last visited.

It was long over due. The beach was calling.

Long daily walks on the beach, soaking up the sun, ocean breezes, good food, reading and relaxing.

It was hard to come back. I needed another week. (I need another week!)

During our week there, we allowed our teen-age son to visit and stay with his best friend who lives

an hour away from where we were staying. Giving him those few days to re-connect also gave

my husband and I a few days to re-connect as well.

After we picked him up we headed to Charleston for the day.

Charleston is one of the most beautiful and one my all time favorite cities.

Charleston is steeped in history and gorgeous homes.

I enjoy walking along the harbor, taking pictures and checking out the architecture.

Another favorite is visiting the Market Place where I am always fascinated by the Sweetgrass Baskets,

a true Charleston tradition. (I’ve invested in a few baskets over the years.)

The baskets may seem a little pricey, but, when you consider the tedious hours of labor that goes into

each one, they’re probably underpriced.

Luckily, we had a few more beautiful days of sunshine together before heading home.

It’s never enough time for me.

(If you’d like you can read last year’s post about not going to the beach here.)

I created my beach layout using Paper House Productions

At the Beach Paper Crafting Kit and the New Beach Mixed Card Pack.

I layered three different patterned papers to mimic the color of the water on the horizon line

and the feel of the sandy beach.

I love the New Beach Mixed Cards, the pack comes with a variety of pictures, overlays and frames.

(I added thin 3-D foam mounting squares to the back of the frame before attaching it to the picture.)

The Myrtle Beach Sticker (for decorating your phone) was found at a local beach shop.

Here is a list of the Paper House Productions products used:

P-2029 Beach Tags 12″ Double Sided Scrapbook Paper (weathered wood side)
P-2028 Boat on the Beach 12″ Double Sided Scrapbook Paper (design pattern side)
P-2026 Seashore 12″ Double Sided Scrapbook Paper
DCC-0006 Beach Mixed Card Pack
STCX-1005 At The Beach 12″ Cardstock Stickers
STDC-0004 Beach Stickers

My beach layout was created for and sponsored by Paper House Productions.

You know that feeling when you get the Urge to Purge?

August 10, 2016August 10, 201613 Comments

I first got the feeling sometime in late January or maybe it was March…

You know… The Urge to Purge!

It happened while I was looking at the Christmas Crafting Hang-Over still lingering in my office.

It had been quite the party and no one had stuck around long enough to really clean it up.

(The above picture is a picked up version taken before I started in Jan. or was it March)

Something needed to be done.

So…I started the slow process of digging out.

I purged, I tossed, I gave away, I cleaned, I dusted, I organized and I purged a little more .

I even purchased a new lamp and picture for my desk. (a reward for a good job)

In the end it was a lot of work mixed in with deadlines and a lot procrastination.

I took my time.

Since I’m done for now (always a work in progress), I thought I’d to share a few pictures.

My Workshop measures only 8 1/2′ x 10 1/2′.

It has a large sliding patio door that leads out onto an upper balcony, a door into the master bedroom,

a closet door and a door into the main hall.

Size alone is a challenge, not to mention working around all those doors.

That’s why it’s real important that I manage a little bit of self-control.

This is My Desk…

I love sitting down to a clean and organized space. (If only it looked this way all the time.)

My desk holds my office supplies, files, embellishments, my favorite inkpads, samples, photo albums,

computer and a whole lot of misc. It’s large a little over 6 feet with a built in bookcase.

I love this picture and had to get it the moment I saw it. (I found it at Homegoods)

Being a lover of the color red, I found the lamp on sale at Target for $20. It’s perfect for this spot.

To the right of my desk is the sliding patio door.

(Next to that door is the door that leads into my master bedroom.)

In front of the patio door, I have a shelving unit which I bought from Ikea.

It holds a plethora of goodies. Ribbon, Big Shot, Metal Dies, Samples, Paintbrushes.

Next to the Ikea unit, I put my small black cabinet…a.k.a. my fabulous thrift store make-over,

that cabinet holds small paint bottles, tattered angel mists, misc. hardware pieces and more.

You can read about the cabinet make-over here.

Next to the bedroom door is my large red stamp rack that holds more embellishments than stamps.

It holds the stuff that I grab often.

I love old drawers, tiny baskets and jars.

What can I say… “I love Ribbon!”

Next to the red rack is my closet door. (kind of boring)

And…next to the closet is a set of cabinets that holds my go to cardstock rack and die cutting station.

I like closed door storage for the things I don’t access regularly.

Across from these cabinets are white storage cabinets.

In between is a super short hall leading to the main hallway. (I told you my workshop was small.)

My white storage cabinets are to the left of my desk. They store the bulk of my paper and stickers.

Because I work with several different manufacturers, I have them sorted by company.

Above my white storage cabinets is my inspiration board that holds some of my favorite family pictures.

I had to include it in the tour because it makes me happy.

And with that…I’m now back to my desk and that concludes the tour.

If you stand in the middle of the room you can spin and see everything. (only one at a time please)

SO…. one big question.

Did I inspire you to do a little purging of you own?

Introducing a New Class: Echo Park’s Happy Summer

August 8, 2016August 9, 2016Leave a comment

I have a New Class for August at The Paper Forest in Washington, Illinois.

Echo Park’s Happy Summer

Summer Fun doesn’t have to end just because the kids are going back to school.

There’s still plenty of time to enjoy the sunshine and play.

Create a 4” x 6” Sunshine Frame, a cute little Mini Scrapbook and fun cards to capture and remember those fun summertime memories.

Saturday, Aug. 27th from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Cost: $26.00

Contact The Paper Forest at 309-745-3440 to sign up or for more information.

This cute little album includes flips and flaps to highlight those fun Summer Memories.

We’ll create a couple cards including “life is better in flip flops”.

This Sunshine frame is so fun and happy. You can replace the saying with a cute picture.

This collections comes with so many cute sayings to mix and match.

Remembering Birthdays 7gypsies Style

August 6, 2016August 6, 2016Leave a comment

A Clever and Creative Way to Remember Birthdays.

I come from a large and always expanding close knit family. With all that family,

there’s a lot of birthdays to remember. As a solution, I decided to make a small desk

top monthly reminder with a funky vintage vibe.

I started with these cute little Heirloom Calendar Months that come on one 12″ x 12″

sheet of paper. You can cut them up and add them to your journals, fold them to make

a mini calendar or birthday book or cut the month artwork to make your own daily or

monthly journal. Each month features a little piece of art and you can color them to

match your style and journal theme.

I used the Heirloom Months along with a variety of Tags, Printed Paper and Ephemera

from Canvas Corp Brands Seven Gypsies Collections.

The base for my Birthday Reminder is a 4″ x 6″ clear craft frame from Deflecto Craft Solutions.

I drilled two holes in the top of the craft frame to hold the antique silver binder rings and

gather everything together.

This project was created for and sponsored by Canvas Corp Brands and Deflecto Craft Solutions.

I would cross the Ocean for You…

July 29, 2016August 6, 2016Leave a comment

When ever I see a Lighthouse, I think of my sweet Mom.

Mom loved all things Lighthouses.

Knick knack’s, postcards, t-shirts, sweatshirts, you name it.

And… she’d cross the ocean for you. She was that kind of Mom.

My Mom was also a card maker and loved using stamps and stickers to make her cards.

Isn’t it great that the supplies we use as Scrapbookers are perfect for creating Quick and Simple cards.

One tip that Mom and I learned at a Mrs. Grossman’s class (back in the 90’s) was…

to make a sticker non-sticky, apply baby powder on the back of the sticker with a paint brush.

My favorite tip for making dimensional cards.

For this card I used the Nautical Collection from Paper House Productions.

Paper House KTSP-1029E Nautical Paper Crafting Kit, 12″ by 12″, Multicolor**

This card was created for and sponsored by Paper House Productions.

**This post uses Amazon Affliate Links.

How to Create a Relaxing Sunset Pillow

July 20, 2016January 8, 20232 Comments

There’s something about a beautiful sunset that always stops me in my tracks.

No matter how many I’ve seen, I still marvel at all the vibrant, beautiful colors.

After all the fun we had making the Patriotic Tied Dyed Shirts for the 4th of July…

I decided to create a color wash dyed pillow with the colors you might see during a beautiful sunset.

With the help of my 2 year old Grandson this is how we made the pillow:

We used the Rainbow Tie Dye Kit from Tulip that comes with pre-measured squirt bottles. All you need to do is add water to the bottles and shake to mix.
Squirt dye onto 12″ canvas pillow square one color at a time starting at the top.
Dip medium/large paintbrush into water and brush the dye to spread the color.
Continue with the others colors until canvas pillow square is covered.
Note: When using a helper who’s only 2 1/2 things can get really wet. (he had fun)
Cover dyed fabric with plastic wrap to keep damp.
Let set for 6-8 hours or longer for intense colors. (we waited around 2 hours)
Rinse well with water until excess dye is removed.
Fill washer to “large load” setting with hottest water suitable for fabric and a small amount of laundry soap. Wash and dry separately. (Wash separately for the first few washes.)
Iron the canvas pillow square to get out excess wrinkles.
To add the word “relax”, I used iron-on embroidered letters from Joy. It’s quick and easy – just preheat your iron to the cotton setting, cover the letters with a cotton cloth and iron for about 30 seconds. I ironed it again from the back of the fabric for another 30 seconds.
Stuff pillow with a 12″ pillow form.

Tulip One-Step 5 Color Tie-Dye Kits Rainbow* (affiliate link)

*Disclaimer: This post 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!

Father’s Day Pool Party Layout

July 15, 2016July 15, 2016Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, on Father’s Day, I invited everyone over for a BBQ Pool Party.

There were 30 of us in all.

It was fun, loud and a little bit crazy. (Just like this layout.)

Thanks to the week before being warm and sunny, the pool was perfect for swimming.

No chattering teeth or blue lips this year!

For my Pool Party Layout I used the following from Paper House Productions:

This layout was created for and sponsored by Paper House Productions.

DIY for Kids: Doodling on Craft Frames

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016Leave a comment

Doodling on clear acrylic craft frames…

a fun little project to make with the kids this summer that will help keep

the kids Happy and Busy.

Print out a few 4th July or Summer Fun pictures in wallet size and pick up a few

supplies and let their creativity soar. (my frame is 3″ x 4″)

Cut a piece of white paper the size of your frame.
Center and trace around the picture on your paper.

Using a pencil and ruler draw your grid lines on the paper.

Reinsert the paper into the clear acrylic craft frame and retrace the lines.

Using paint pens or sharpies, add additional lines and doodles on the frame.

Tip: When using paint pens, allow drying time in between adding colors.

Deflecto Mini Slanted Sign Holders, 10 Piece, 3 x 4 Inches (20006CR)

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been
provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.”

*This post uses Amazon Affiliate links. I am an Amazon Affiliate.

Patriotic Tie Dyed Shirts for the 4th of July

July 4, 2016June 5, 20171 Comment

We’re at it again.

This past week, my daughter in law and I did a little Summer Tie Dying.

(see last year’s shirts here)

Inspired by photo’s she saw on Pinterest,

Bonnie made these cute Patriotic Tie Dyed shirts for the boys.

We used Tie Dye Kits that come with the premeasured squeeze bottles.

She gathered the shirt at one corner and rubber banded it in three sections and squeezed the

dye directly onto the shirt and then covered it with Saran Wrap.

We allowed several hours before rinsing out the dye.

Too Cute! (don’t you agree?)

For more summer fun… click on ad below.

Disclaimer: 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!