Craft Fair Countdown...

Well, my first craft fair of the season is less than three weeks away (the Catholic Heritage Festival at Bull Run Park, Manassas, VA Aug. 22--come visit!) and I'm going on vacation next week so here's a "double post" since I'm going to try my darndest to avoid the computer for awhile--some photo binder clips I've made to sell and a new display idea I picked up fromKerry on splitcoaststampers.com. (Love the free sharing of ideas on that site!!)

First off, some jumbo binder clips (from Staples) that I altered to hold photos. I used retired Simply Scrappin' Kits for these. My SU! glue sticks hold the paper on very nicely & then dimensionals pop the images out. Note the snowflake on the Christmas one--that's the new SU! Snowflake punch.

This next version of the photo binder clips uses some that were on clearance at Staples. They had a round end and were too top-heavy to stand upright so I turned them on their sides. I used the Batty For You stamp set and a random soccer ball stamp I had. Luckily, SU! colors coordinated nicely with the clips. I dipped the images in a Versamark Pad, covered in Clear Embossing Powder and embossed (2 layers to get a nice smooth glass-like appearance).












Now, here's a little preview of a new display idea I got from Kerry: using upended wire shelving! She used these for a craft fair to add height and I loved the idea. I also have this area in front of the folding doors of our furnace and it was the perfect solution for adding more organizational space. I can still move it easily if we need to service the furnace and I can then use it for my craft fairs too. These are 6 ft. high & tied together with plastic cable cord ties--got it all at Lowe's. Right now they're just leaning against the doors but for the craft fairs, I'll use Kerry's idea of bungee cords to secure them to the table since there won't be a wall to lean them against.

I got the "S" hooks and long narrow basket from the IKEA kitchen section. My punches are on a towel rack I found at a thrift store. I rigged this other wire basket with some yarn so that it'd hang. More counter space was saved by using S hooks to hang my brown & pink organizer tote too.

See you in a couple of weeks :)

Craft Fair Countdown...

Like Mother, Like Daughter

If you're a crafter with kids, I think you'll be able to relate to this situation--whenever I steal away into my craft room, before long "they" find me! & when they find me, especially my 4 yr.old daughter Maddie, they insist on doing what I do.

Okay, so last February I did a class on creating 16 cards in a tote made from half of Stampin' Up!'s Boho Blend Simply Scrappin' Kit (see pics--got the idea from a local SU! meeting). It's been sitting out in my craft room ever since then & numerous times Maddie has eyed it.

Yesterday, I was in there an inordinate amount of time trying out a couple of new craft fairs ideas. There's kind of a point of no return when my time becomes non-productive because one of the kids will inevitably come in looking for attention. (My craft room is right off their playroom so I can keep an ear on them.) With Maddie, it usually involves me having to stop what I'm working on to help her make "something pretty." This time she wanted to make the Simply Scrappin' tote & cards.


As you can imagine, you're trying to get stuff done, the creative juices are flowing, the last thing you want to do is stop & figure out a way a 4 yr. old can make something complicated without using your good supplies! (I keep a stash of "dispensable" supplies for the kids & taught them not to use my good stuff.) Anyway, on her own initiative, Maddie goes to get her paper & proceeds to cut it up(using my Stampin' Up! tabletop cutter--safe for the kids!) & puts on glue stick, & then brings me the pieces to fold together to make a tote. When we were done, she asked for the handle, which I did. Then on her own, she made a bunch of "cards" to put inside & here's the result!

So, while I know as a good mother, I should probably spend more time making stuff with her, I also can't help but be tickled & proud of what she does when left to her own devices with just a little assistance :-)

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Another Use for Simply Scrappin' Kit

The head of my previous parish's mom's group asked me to decorate a bulletin board that will hang in the church's "cry room"--because if you're ever going to find a mom who needs friends, it's going to be in a cry room!

I decided to just use SU!'s new Simply Scrappin' Kit "Summer Home" because it's so much easier to have the professionals coordinate everything & let me get on with it. I used our retired "Letterpress" alpha set for the main title & clear embossed it. If you're wondering how I got them lined up so nicely--the magical Stamp-a-ma-jig--I only discovered this tool this year & now I LOVE it! If I had the time, I'd do a video tutorial, but I don't--so, I recommend checking out fellow Splitcoaststamper starofmay's on YouTube. I use vellum cardstock for my stamped images & just store them with my stamps so I only have to do the placement stamp once.

The Baja Blue letters & flowers are die cuts from the new Naturally Serif Sizzlits strip & Birds & Blooms respectively. I'd also like to point out the vellum "pocket" at the bottom. She wanted something see-through so that people could see the group's business cards so I came up with a template (cut the width you want, then for the length, I cut 4.5" scoring a 1/4" alley right in the middle so that it would have a 1/4" depth to hold a few cards. I reinforced the edges with 3 pieces of paper 1" wide & scored 1/4" in the middle to fold around the open sides & bottom). Oh--& check out the cute buttons in Kiwi Kiss from the new Button Bouquet collection. It was tough giving those babies up but it's for a good cause & I need to fight my hoarding tendencies. Still gonna miss them.

Another Use for Simply Scrappin' Kit