handmade cass

I have had a Silhouette electronic cutting tool on my wish list for a long time.  And I got to use one for the first time this weekend.  It was love!  My mom is the proud new owner of a Silhouette Portrait and I think she plans on using it to cut fabric for quilting.  But she is in the middle of a big move right now, so I get to use her machine for a bit.  Hooray! I used it to make a father's day card for my husband, and was amazed by how clean the cuts are.  It was really easy to set up with my Mac too.  Here is the cut held up to the window so you can see through it. Now, what else can I cut??? And here is the finished card.  I really like the way the bumble bee came out. I used an enamel brad and Sharpie marker and added some vellum wings.  My husband said it was one of his all time favorite cards.  Just goes to show what a difference the Silhouette makes. I also pulled out some old Hambly screenprints paper to make a mat...

I have been really good about not buying too many extra crafty things this year...but June was the exception.  I had to do my last Hambly order, and then I needed a few things from Papertrey this month (I am madly in love with the hexagons), and lastly a new color obsession from Stampin' Up.   I go to a monthly card making class put on by my Stampin' Up demonstrator and our projects last month used the Calypso Coral color.  Coral happens to be my favorite at the moment - I usually have a new favorite color every other year.  So I had to get this: Calypso Coral card stock and {new style} stamp pad, Tangerine Tango ribbon, Champagne shimmer mist, and chevron embossing folder.   Then I got a surprise from Christine (aka Listgirl) .  This date stamp from Dear Lizzy (by American Crafts) has been on my wish list since I started my Book of Lists.  Thank you!

This is what addiction looks like... I started to clean up some of the mess in my crafting area tonight and look what happened.  I discovered that I have 41 rolls of washi tape and some other decorative tapes.  So many rolls that they needed their own cubby in my storage cabinet.   Time to really buckle down with my resolution this year - to only buy the supplies that I am going to immediately use.  I had a little backslide this month, with Hambly going out of business .  I had to place my very last order and build my Hambly paper stash to keep me going to a couple more decades.

I have to give a shout out to Listgirl for this one.  She is doing "30 Day of Lists" for September and I loved the idea.  However, I quickly realized I would fall behind after the second day.  So I am doing a book of lists that I update whenever I have a chance.  And like Listgirl, I am using a Smash Book which is so much fun I can't even handle it. The whole idea of a Smash Book (from EK Success) is to capture memories and get things into the book without too much thought or effort.  But being the Type A that I am.... I agonized over my opening page for about 2 hours.  It is still pretty bare and I'll keep adding to it I'm sure. Second list I did was about things I miss during a power outage, since all of San Diego went dark on Dan's birthday last week.  You can see I did a bit of story telling - so it's more like a journal than just a list. I was so excited to pull out my Hambly washi tape that I have been hoarding for a few months (and a ...

I am in LOVE with all that Hambly Screenprints has to offer (as evidenced by a very small sampling of their products that I have been hoarding). This lovely California company got some great press this week that included a behind-the-scenes slideshow of their screenprinting process.  Enjoy! And PS - the latest word on the Hambly blog is that they will be offering some great deals this Saturday, May 1st in honor of National Scrapbook Day.  So be sure to check it out this weekend.

I am always so happy to get emails from my local craft stores announcing sales...who doesn't love a sale?  I took a drive to one such event yesterday during my lunch break and was excited to find lots of great things on sale and a bunch of new goodies to try. I had been eyeing the Amuse stamp set for snail mail and decided that I couldn't wait any longer (it wasn't on sale).  And picked up a bunch of great paper from Hambly, American Crafts, and Luxe to try out a themed mini album - can you guess the theme?  Then I decided it was time to try out some different brands of pigment pens and adhesive.  I got a navy blue Pigment Pro fine line pen from American Crafts and the Glue Glider Pro (which was on sale).  We'll see if they can top my long running favorites. And when I got home yesterday I was shocked to see a package from American Crafts!  I had taken a look at their latest catalog online last week and was already making a wishlist.  But they sent me a hard copy WITH ...