Success!

Sometimes you read stuff on-line and you wonder if it's true. Before we purchased the Martha Stewart table we read through the comments. Everyone LOVED it, but said that the construction was difficult, and that it would take a minimum of two people to put it together. One individual said, "... it takes a village". They weren't too far off.

The second part of the shipment arrived 5pm on Friday. And despite running a fever, Tony helped to put it together. We had to take breaks - but we did it! I could not have done it by myself. At all! One, I'm not the "engineering" type and looking at the descriptive pictures and spacial relationships in the diagrams... it's hard for me.  I just don't "see" it. With Tony's foreman like direction we did it - slowly. It took from about 6:30-10pm to get it completed.

And we built it inside the room. To make sure it would clear the doorway, we tested it with the top. No way! It was not going through. Maybe if we took the door off, but who wants to do that. We did the construction in the living and the putting the pieces together in the "studio".

And OMG!!!! I love it!!! The drawers in this thing are MASSIVE and hold so much of the things I use to have to walk to to get! Not anymore, everything that I use on every card is in one drawer. My brads, glitters, inks all sit in the section drawer making it look like some type of crazy mosaic with color stretching from one side to the other.

I've put envelopes, card stock, tools, adhesives, etc all in the drawers and there is still more space to fill.  It's freed up a minimum of three shelves and an entire slat wall. Giving me more options to organize the left over stuff.

And thank you Tony - for your patience and help. I don't know anyone else who would have put together a craft cabinet with a fever - you are truly THE best!!! And make me so happy!!!

Love, love, love it!!! And wish I would have bought this years ago.

It's a BIG day today.... two reasons... I'm going to CHA!!! Yes, the summer show in which all the new product lines are premeired.  It's not open to the public and I'll be working for ThermoWeb - an adhesive company. I can't wait. I'm a little nervous - nothing like working for a "new employer" and I want to do well. I'll be doing the demo for a card using the Icraft sheet.

Secondly... as we continue our "makeover" in the studio using the ScrapRack.. which I love, love, love... I got a new table. Oh yes.. a Martha Stewart table.  With drawers! More places to organize more things.  Love, love, love that too!  It should ship today! Which means I could have it next week! OMG! I'm going to love it!!

  I did get the white. It will match what is in there now... and white will go with anything if I ever change the room.

I'm going to be a card making machine! Between my Silhouette, the ScrapRack and a new desk! OMG!

The top one is an "oldie" but a good one. A baby card was needed for a guy who was an Ironman comepitor. And the bottom is my idea of the perfect American Girl card.

OK.. next card.... For a 6yr old princess. I cut the crown from the silhoutte... the happy birthday part was letter stickers. I'm trying to use up my letter sticker stock.

OK. So here is my attempt in getting my pictures posted.
I did this custom card for a couple, who just got married in the Dominican Republic, where it
rained the entire time. I think the card says it all.

Well.... it's been a long time! Lots of changed. I've gotten a Silhouette Cameo to cut with. What a great toy! This will eliminate the need to buy any type of letter sticker or rub- on, since I can cut my own. I can cut images, print and cut them, make them any size, color, etc and never ever run out of the image! It's always there. Always ready to use. Talk about not buying anything. With a "never ending sticker machine (and it's actually better then that) I won't need a thing!

And then I bought a Scrap Rack - an organization device that has changed how I see my room and my supplies.  Once I started to organize things into four basic categories - (Letters/Numbers, Themes, Calendar, and Rainbow) I know exactly where things should be placed and I can find them in seconds. All items (ribbons, paper, embellishments) are organized in the same manner. Pairing them up to find things is easy! AND my scraprack holds all my card categories so when I go to make a sympathy birthday anniversary card - I know exactly where the items are and they are ALL in one place.

I'm also taking an on-line card/stamp class in order to use my stamps more. I have a ton of them and don't use them enough.

But between the Cammie (my silhouette), the rack, (to show me everything I own) and going through and re-organizing I really feel  no need to get out there and shop.

What I do feel is a need to get in my room, organize it and start to use it all on cards and pages!
Oh yeah baby.. I'm ready to do some series work. 

Another reason I fired up this blog again is that for my card class, in order to post a picture in the gallery you have to have a blog, upload your picture to the blog, then from the blog to the gallery. I had a heck of a time finding this and getting logged back in.
BUT, here I am and I think I got it.

So if you want to hang out and see some new cards and such you are more then welcome.
We'll see what I come up with. Stay tuned.
:)

December 27th - What I did on my Christmas Vacation

Merry Christmas to all!  I have had 3.5 days of Christmas vacation. Starting with a half day on Friday, all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday. :) Oh yeah! That means a lot of time in the scrap room. Weeks ago I had started a list of all the things I wanted to "fix" in my studio. It had become quite messy, and although I can work within it. The clutter at times clutters my brain and frustrates me. If bags are piled up on the floor and you have to move three of them to get to your paper - that is NOT good.

So I was determined to take this time and get things ready to go for the new year. Last year I cleaned out the scrap closet... this year I hit the room.  With the hubby out and singing almost 24/7 for Christmas eve and Christmas day and not celebrating with my family until the 28th. I had  entire days to work on things.

So this is what happened...

Here is the over view of the room:

Starting on the far left next to the two drawer file cabinet we have a white three tier shelf on the floor with a bag. My craft table is crowded with crafty crap, and you can see the messed up ribbon wall cascading with colors. (Almost looks like Niagara falls) Bags piled next to the cabinet. And there is even stuff hiding on the floor just behind the small rolling stand in the fore ground.

The table with a 3x3 working space right in front. Do I really need all of that?? On the table? I was cutting on top of stuff.

Desktop... full of more clutter.

Close up of the ribbon mess.

Bags and projects on the floor.  I know.. doesn't look TOO bad. But you can't get to the 12x12 paper if the bags are there.

Always room for improvement. :)

So I moved all of my photo cases out from under my desk and put them on the top shelf of my closet. Works great. I just hope the rack doesn't collapse from the weight.  So far, so good.

Then bagged and tagged all my "pending" projects. Stuff like a book I'm working on for my mom, Creative Escape project, my MGIC album, Italy, etc.  With it tagged, I can just grab a bag and take out cropping with me. When I come home, instead of dropping it at the front door, it goes back right in it's place. And don't worry about using too many tags... I'll just cut more on the silhouette.

Nice? I like it.  Notice that the desk top is now cleaned off too.

I removed a mismatched "Scrap" sign, pens stored up there and chalks -  and replaced it with a project , a beautiful angel.. and pictures of all my "angel friends".

I reworked the top shelf, adding completed projects, placing albums together... putting all my pattern paper away. Paper is in the vertical paper holders on the bottom. Christmas stuff is stacked in its on own cube. (Bottom left side.)

Next was one of my biggest challenges...
The ribbon wall.
From this....

To this...

And you HAVE to love the ribbon ring.  Complete with a new hanger that holds ALL the color rings.
Thank you Bed, Bath and Beyond. :)

Each ring is separated by color.  And it's SO easy to see all the ribbons and they stay nice and straight. No ironing required.

Now there is nothing on the floor... except a make up/travel case that use to be my grandmothers that she kept her pictures in.

Yes, that is more/extra ribbon stacked in the plastic cases, separated by color or type.

Everything is labeled and organized. Every photo put away, every piece of paper from shopping expeditions from Utah and Arizona. Everything is in it's home including all the letter stickers sheets (which had to be cut apart and organized by color.) Embellishments are hung on the "tree". I know what I have and where it is. 

Between this weekend and knowing what I have, and having my "sil" (my shilhouette cameo) I'm in excellent shape for the new year to start.  And I can't wait.  With the "sil" my cards will have yet another new look. And I'll never run out of lettering. I can't wait to get started. 

So come on by. I have plenty of supplies to share and would love to do a page or two with you.

And we won't have to climb over anything.