Organization - digital images, my way

I'm getting quite a collection of digital images. When I first started collecting them, I put them all into their own folders. Make It Crafty had a folder, Mo Manning had a folder, well, you get the idea. And then one day I needed an image with a balloon...there I was - stuck with 20 folders and looking through each one. Eventually, I found a Dustin Pike image that worked. I had wasted too much time trying to find the right image so I went to each folder and renamed every image with the name of the creator. So, butterfly-swing-angle-part2.png became Make It Crafty_butterfly-swing-angle-part2.png. This might seem to be a labor intensive project but after you've renamed the first one, copy the added text (i.e, "make it crafty"), right click on the file name, click on rename, your file name will become highlighted, place your cursor at the beginning of the file name (make sure the name is no longer highlighted) and hit ctrl+v. This will actually go quite quickly. Once you have all of your current digital images renamed, move them from their individual files to a large one containing all of your digital images. You can scroll through them and still know where you got them so you can give credit to the proper person. Now it only takes me minutes to find an image, not an hour and as I buy or collect new images, I rename them immediately.

This card is for the Duchess of Gilli - she knows who she is. My loyal Duchess, this is your queen:

This image is from the new winter kit which isn't named yet. Paper: DCWV Once Upon a Time, Stash; Stamps: Magnolia 'So Special Collection 2011'; Stickles Gold; Copics: [Skin E00, E000, E01, R20][Hair E19, E09, E07][Clothes B99, B97, B95][Outline N0] Charm: Make It Crafty; Ribbon: Stash.

Was Santa good to you?...

I made out like a bandit this Christmas. My husband got everything on my list, I got all the new DCWV pads: The Lodge Stack, The Four Seasons Stack & Cardstock Stack, The Gone Wild Stack, and The Cotton Bloom Stack. My favorite is the Gone Wild stack. The crocodile prints are awesome. If you have guys - The Lodge Stack is filled with outdoor stuff, real guy paper. I also got the Ironworks Cuttlebug folder, lots of rhinestones for cards, a huge pile of York Peppermint Patties, gift cards, a gift certificate to the Kindle store (what a treat - the gift of books). My secret Santa on the design team got me what she calls a 'sweet indulgence' package. Gourmet hot cocoa, mini marshmallows, a HUGE cup, lots of chocolate and two new Gilli stamps (thanks, Anary, you're an angel). All in all, lots of new toys to play with, lots of new challenges in the future. This year I'm going to try to focus my challenge days on containers. I have lots of container dies, so I would like to introduce you to them. And I love making containers.

Today's a great day to head out and get supplies for next year. My daughter, who works at Michaels, sent a bag home with her dad for me. I got jingle bells in lots of colors and sizes and Christmas buttons for cards which are just wonderful. A big surprise was the MS Holiday Cakes cartridge that was on sale for $14.99. I don't have the Cricut Cake, but this cartridge (for the price) has lots of stuff I can use on cards. I stopped by Big Lots yesterday and purchased their last four gold chargers (we had so many people for Christmas dinner that I ran out of them). Big Lots was having a 50% off sale on their Christmas items so I picked up some wooden napkin rings (I was using my Thanksgiving napkin rings for Christmas dinner) and four packages of tiny ball ornaments to decorate containers with. All for less than $12.00. My husband and I are headed for the big city today, we have to pick up the cards I had for sale at our local nature center's Christmas sale, a short trip to Walmart for Christmas wrapping paper for next year, and dinner and a movie. We thought we'd see what all the buzz is about concerning the new version of True Grit. And Red Lobster for dinner, it's been ages since we did Red Lobster.

Was Santa good to you?

I made out like a bandit this Christmas. My husband got everything on my list, I got all the new DCWV pads: The Lodge Stack, The Four Seasons Stack & Cardstock Stack, The Gone Wild Stack, and The Cotton Bloom Stack. My favorite is the Gone Wild stack. The crocodile prints are awesome. If you have guys - The Lodge Stack is filled with outdoor stuff, real guy paper. I also got the Ironworks Cuttlebug folder, lots of rhinestones for cards, a huge pile of York Peppermint Patties, gift cards, a gift certificate to the Kindle store (what a treat - the gift of books). My secret Santa on the design team got me what she calls a 'sweet indulgence' package. Gourmet hot cocoa, mini marshmallows, a HUGE cup, lots of chocolate and two new Gilli stamps (thanks, Anary, you're an angel). All in all, lots of new toys to play with, lots of new challenges in the future. This year I'm going to try to focus my challenge days on containers. I have lots of container dies, so I would like to introduce you to them. And I love making containers.

Today's a great day to head out and get supplies for next year. My daughter, who works at Michaels, sent a bag home with her dad for me. I got jingle bells in lots of colors and sizes and Christmas buttons for cards which are just wonderful. A big surprise was the MS Holiday Cakes cartridge that was on sale for $14.99. I don't have the Cricut Cake, but this cartridge (for the price) has lots of stuff I can use on cards. I stopped by Big Lots yesterday and purchased their last four gold chargers (we had so many people for Christmas dinner that I ran out of them). Big Lots was having a 50% off sale on their Christmas items so I picked up some wooden napkin rings (I was using my Thanksgiving napkin rings for Christmas dinner) and four packages of tiny ball ornaments to decorate containers with. All for less than $12.00. My husband and I are headed for the big city today, we have to pick up the cards I had for sale at our local nature center's Christmas sale, a short trip to Walmart for Christmas wrapping paper for next year, and dinner and a movie. We thought we'd see what all the buzz is about concerning the new version of True Grit. And Red Lobster for dinner, it's been ages since we did Red Lobster.

Also, let me give a great big shout out to Froggy - the 27th is her birthday. And since I've already mailed it, this is her card:

It's the first time I've inked up this image. I was pleased with the coloring and the dots on the paper matched the bubbles perfectly.

Paper: Debbie Mumm Baby Girl; Stamps: Bubbling Tilda, Kraftin' Kimmie Sentiment; Smooch Illuminate; Spica Pink, Crystal Stickles; Sparkling Ice Glitter; Spellbinder Classic Squares, Fancy Tags; Copics: [skin E000, E00, E01, R20][Dress R83, R85, R81][Hair E30, E21, E33][pipe B02]

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night....

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night....

SSCC #13 - Anything Goes

I love 'Anything Goes' challenges. Only two days until Christmas, hope you have all your shopping, baking, and cards finished, wrapped, mailed. I finished last week. I ordered early on-line and let UPS do the work. I avoided the weather, the crowds and the traffic and got everything I was looking for. I had trouble getting ideas for everyone this year so I solved that problem by handing everyone a pre-signed "Dear Santa, this is what I want for Christmas" list at Thanksgiving. As soon as I got all the filled-out lists back, (and the mess was cleaned up), I headed for the computer. An hour later, I was done shopping with the exception of one last minute gift and stocking stuffers. So, hint for next year - let your fingers do the shopping.

This card was requested by my BFF for a relative. Early this year she gave me her birthday card list with names, hair color, hobbies and let me use my imagination to make the cards. I'm finished for the year and this is one of the last cards that I did for her. I like it so much, I plan to duplicate it sometime in the future. The background is from Local King Rubber Stamps in Canada. I inked it up with VersaMark and embossed it with Zing Gold Embossing Powder (this is wonderful stuff). I have several Local Rubber background stamps which offer some unusual backgrounds. I just ordered their crocodile skin background and can't wait to get it, I'm not even sure what I'm going to use it on, but I'm thinking Aussie Tilda. It will make a great man card, too.

Paper: Stardream Metallic Antique Gold, Anna Griffin Christmas Scrapbook Cardstock; Stamp: Local King Rubber Stamp Noteworthy, Magnolia Singing Tilda; Smooch Illuminate; Liquid Pearls White Opal; Copics: [Skin E00, E01, E000, R20][Hair E35, E34, E31][Microphone T6, T3][Dress, Shoes E51, E50, E53] Zing Gold Embossing Powder.

Christmas Shopping - Forget anyone?...

I have lots of 'support' people in my life. When I was an Administrative Assistant (which means 'gopher' in corporate speak - go fer copies, go fer supplies...) I learned very early that you take great care of the people who take care of you. When there was only 1 of something left in the supply room, two people wanted it, and I was one of them - I ALWAYS got it. That's because I regularly bought Pat coffee, remembered him at Christmas, sent candy in an interplant envelope every once in a while and made sure that he always knew how grateful I was for his help. He made me look good when my boss said "go get me...." whatever and I always came back with one. I remembered our mail person's birthday, and her granddaughter's birthday. Karissa was important to her, so she became important to me. To be an effective leader, you need to find out what motivates your people. It isn't the same for everyone. One person may be ecstatic to get a pat on the back in public so everyone knows that you think they did an exceptional job. Someone else may want a quiet word of thanks or a plate of fudge. I was blessed with terrific IT people (Maddu and Kathy, if you read this, I still love you both), supply and mail people (Jean, I hope you and Karissa have a fabulous Christmas), even the wonderful people who schedule rooms and equipment that I might need at some point in time. So, look around you during this holiday season. Is there someone you haven't thanked for their help this year?

This was my gift for those support people: Erin, who does my hair, she always gets it right, is pleasant and nearly always on time; our paper delivery person who takes the time to push the paper deep into the box so it doesn't get wet from the weather; our post lady - she makes sure packages are out of the weather and always has a smile. The envelope is easy peasy to make: one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, scored at 3.75" and 7.5", fold the right section over the middle section and the left section over the right section. I cut a small indentation with a 1" circle punch but you don't need to do that. I adhered the very top and bottom of the right hand section with a good adhesive. I stamped the outside with a very old Inkadinkado stamp. You could emboss this too, it would be lovely. I stamped the greeting with a JustRite stamp that Cindy sells that was just perfect. I layered it on a spellbinder die, punched the slots on either side, added the ribbon and some jingle bells from Michael's (use your bestest ribbon, it shows you care). This 'belly band' will slide off so you can really bling it up.

On the inside, I added a package of Land O Lakes gourmet hot chocolate (see how wonderfully the stamp tied in?), and a small gift of money. This would also work for a gift card. It takes very little time to make and says "thank you" in a pretty and practical way. So, what are you waiting for? You could have made three of these while you were wasting time reading my ramblings. Happy Holidays.

Christmas Shopping - Forget anyone?

I have lots of 'support' people in my life. When I was an Administrative Assistant (which means 'gopher' in corporate speak - go fer copies, go fer supplies...) I learned very early that you take great care of the people who take care of you. When there was only 1 of something left in the supply room, two people wanted it, and I was one of them - I ALWAYS got it. That's because I regularly bought Pat coffee, remembered him at Christmas, sent candy in an interplant envelope every once in a while and made sure that he always knew how grateful I was for his help. He made me look good when my boss said "go get me...." whatever and I always came back with one. I remembered our mail person's birthday, and her granddaughter's birthday. Karissa was important to her, so she became important to me. To be an effective leader, you need to find out what motivates your people. It isn't the same for everyone. One person may be ecstatic to get a pat on the back in public so everyone knows that you think they did an exceptional job. Someone else may want a quiet word of thanks or a plate of fudge. I was blessed with terrific IT people (Maddu and Kathy, if you read this, I still love you both), supply and mail people (Jean, I hope you and Karissa have a fabulous Christmas), even the wonderful people who schedule rooms and equipment that I might need at some point in time. So, look around you during this holiday season. Is there someone you haven't thanked for their help this year?

This was my gift for those support people: Erin, who does my hair, she always gets it right, is pleasant and nearly always on time; our paper delivery person who takes the time to push the paper deep into the box so it doesn't get wet from the weather; our post lady - she makes sure packages are out of the weather and always has a smile. The envelope is easy peasy to make: one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, scored at 3.75" and 7.5", fold the right section over the middle section and the left section over the right section. I cut a small indentation with a 1" circle punch but you don't need to do that. I adhered the very top and bottom of the right hand section with a good adhesive. I stamped the outside with a very old Inkadinkado stamp. You could emboss this too, it would be lovely. I stamped the greeting with a JustRite stamp that Cindy sells that was just perfect. I layered it on a spellbinder die, punched the slots on either side, added the ribbon and some jingle bells from Michael's (use your bestest ribbon, it shows you care). This 'belly band' will slide off so you can really bling it up.

On the inside, I added a package of Land O Lakes gourmet hot chocolate (see how wonderfully the stamp tied in?), and a small gift of money. This would also work for a gift card. It takes very little time to make and says "thank you" in a pretty and practical way. So, what are you waiting for? You could have made three of these while you were wasting time reading my ramblings. Happy Holidays.

SSCC #12 - Winter Wonderland

I thought this beautiful paper from My Mind's Eye was much too pretty to cut into small pieces, so I decided to make a box to showcase all the pretty snowflakes. I recently became the proud owner of a Sizzix Big Shot Pro and this is the Box, Tall w/Scallop Flap #656600. Depending on how quickly you decorate, this box takes no time to make. You only need one strip of tape to fasten it. The box measures 6 1/2" high x 3 1/8" wide x 2 1/4" deep and will hold a whole bunch of candy or a pair of socks or a cell phone or a ton of other good things. It looks fab sitting under the Christmas tree, too. I would offer one piece of advice: if you use a lightweight cardstock to cut this die, remove the shim, otherwise the creases will cut. I think it will do very well with a shim if you use heavy weight cardstock. Another hint: you can fasten the top of the box permanently and decorate the devil out of it. It can be opened from the bottom to fill.

Paper: My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas; Stamps: Magnolia Christmas Angel, Stampin Up; Stickles Gold; Smooch Illuminate; Copics: [skin E00, E000, R20][Hair Y000, Y00, Y02][Robe B0000, B000, B00] [Wings B0000] The angel was popped up using foam. The gold trumpet is from my stash.

I promised you....

This is the first box that I cut with my Cricut Cartridge - Wrap it Up. It's big enough to hold a cupcake but if you add acetate to the openings on the inside, you could fill it with candy. I've used a Hero Arts stamp to stamp a cupcake and overlay the cartridge cupcake. A rhinestone finished it off. I wrapped the box with some wired ribbon and stamped a tag using the same Hero Arts stamp set. The box was cut from a single sheet of 12x12 double sided paper and about half of it was left. I stamped the cupcake on the side of the paper that's on the inside of the box. I used the 'fit to page' button on my Expression; this box measures about 2 3/4" square. I'll be making more boxes from this cartridge as I have time.

Paper: Martha Stewart Playful Pink; Stamps: Hero Arts; Cricut Cartridge: Wrap It Up

A little of this; a little of that...

First of all, I'd like to give 3 snaps for some great customer service. I thought StampingScrapping.com had the best customer service, but I recently found another company that's as good as hers. I ordered some items to make Christmas gifts from Factory Direct.com, got them quickly, but didn't actually use any until last night. One of the items I ordered did not work. So, last night around 7:00pm, I logged on to their site, used their contact us form and told them the order number, the item and the problem. This morning at 7:44am, I received a reply and a notice that a new item had been mailed to me. Which is terrific because I really need it. So, if you're looking for items like doll parts and refillable ornaments, (they don't compete with Cindy), give them a try. I'm sure you'll be pleased.

My second item today is "my Christmas cards are done"....Hallelujah! I've even mailed the out of state cards but still have some square ones to take to the post office for extra postage.

My third item is I recently received my Wrap it Up Cricut cartridge and cut my first box with it. I'm going out on a limb here and say that this might be one of the best all purpose cartridges they make. You can make a shaped card, a gift tag and a box all in the same theme. The box I created yesterday is a cupcake box cut with my "fit to page" button which made it as big as it could be on the 12x12 sheet. It's big enough to hold a cupcake or a cupcake candle - or even just a bag of candy. My next post will have a picture of the box after I decorate it and fill it. This cartridge covers all occasions from Father's Day to Birthdays to all holidays. Something for everyone. And the blackout tags are wonderful, easily used with any stamp sentiment. I understand it's a popular item so you may have to wait for it, but it's worth it.

This is one of my Christmas cards for 2010. I also made 50 ornaments using two different stamps. Might I whine a little here and say my wrist hurts? The good news is, I'm off to the next big thing...

Might I just inject a small advertisement for the JustRite font sets? You can make any phrase you want in any configuration that you have a stamper for. I use them all the time.

Paper: Anna Griffin Christmas Scrapbook Cardstock; Stamps: PrairieFairyDesigns digi, JustRite Times New Roman 25 pt; Flower Soft Polar White; Glossy Accents; Tulip Glitter Fabric Paint; Spellbinder Snowflake Pendant, Classic Oval Large; Copics: BV0000, C3, C1, R000, 0.

Friends are a blessing....

My husband and I have a great wealth of friends. I have inherited by marriage a group of people my husband has been friends with for many years. (I just married him for his friends - lol) They are a varied lot - a teacher, one restores antique cars, one works in the health industry, one manages an apartment building, one has a design firm. We have breakfast the third Sunday of every month but not everybody comes to every breakfast, life gets in the way. We catch up on what everyone is doing, tell stories on each other and just enjoy the friendship. I have so many stories attached to this group, they've provided some of the best times I've had. We had a party once and a couple we had invited was worried about an elderly family member. So, they flipped a coin to see who would stay home and who would go to the party. She won. Since it was a pot luck and she hadn't had time to cook, she stopped and picked up a large bag of M&Ms. We still tease her about the time it took to paint the little Ms on each piece of candy. We're an unforgiving bunch and she's an easy target, but a warm and wonderful woman who has a heart as big as Australia. We had brunch on Sunday with another member who recently lost her husband. We miss him very much this time of year, they waited until very late in life to find each other; it's so sad they had so little time together. This year we lost our train enthusiast who died after a long illness. "Bob" was a marvelous man with a terrific sense of humor and the world is a dimmer place because he's not here.

Friends are a blessing....

My husband and I have a great wealth of friends. I have inherited by marriage a group of people my husband has been friends with for many years. (I just married him for his friends - lol) They are a varied lot - a teacher, one restores antique cars, one works in the health industry, one manages an apartment building, one has a design firm. We have breakfast the third Sunday of every month but not everybody comes to every breakfast, life gets in the way. We catch up on what everyone is doing, tell stories on each other and just enjoy the friendship. I have so many stories attached to this group, they've provided some of the best times I've had. We had a party once and a couple we had invited was worried about an elderly family member. So, they flipped a coin to see who would stay home and who would go to the party. She won. Since it was a pot luck and she hadn't had time to cook, she stopped and picked up a large bag of M&Ms. We still tease her about the time it took to paint the little Ms on each piece of candy. We're an unforgiving bunch and she's an easy target, but a warm and wonderful woman who has a heart as big as Australia. We had brunch on Sunday with another member who recently lost her husband. We miss him very much this time of year, they waited until very late in life to find each other; it's so sad they had so little time together. This year we lost our train enthusiast who died after a long illness. "Bob" was a marvelous man with a terrific sense of humor and the world is a dimmer place because he's not here. I offer this card to my friends - thank you for the friendship, the laughs, the warmth.

How cute is this little darlin'? I've been a big fan of Penny Black for - oh, about a drawerful now - and I'm thrilled that Cindy at Stamping Scrapping.com is now carrying them.

Paper: Olivia Paper Pad, Bazzill; Stamp: Penny Black Betsy Bluebell; Distress Ink: Barn Door, Worn Lipstick; Spellbinder Classic Rectangles Small; Spica: Lipstick, Clear; 3d Crystal Lacquer: Jade, Ivory; Copics: [Skin R20, E00, E01][Hair E35, E34, E33][Dress R37, R000][Balloons: [YG03, YG01][Y18, Y02][Socks R00][Outline NO]

MSL Challenge - Ornaments anyone?

Sometimes what seems to be a disaster turns out to be a blessing in disguise. I glanced at the calendar and realized that I was late for this challenge and only had a day to get it finished. I had another card I could use and while I was editing the challenge blog, I realized I had the wrong blog for the challenge and the card I was planning to use wouldn't work for the right challenge. Drat! So, with very little time to finish something, this is what I came up with. And I'm really happy with it. It's simple, elegant and can be used as a card. You can write a sentiment on the back, pop it into the mail, and Bob's your uncle. (I know, I don't understand that either, but all my British friends say it, and I like the sound of it - and it's my blog.) So, I present my take on the Magnolia Stamp Lover's Ornament Challenge. Why don't you head on over to the challenge and show us what you can do.

This little beauty is Flying Angel Tilda by Magnolia. The background is a Spellbinder Heirloom Ornament with a window cut out by a Spellbinder Classic Oval. I used the same oval die and traced an outline of it onto a piece of cardstock to match, cut it out and attached it to the back of the window. Another ornament cut out of white cardstock and attached to the back covers up the oval and gives you a place to write a greeting. I punched a hole in the top using a punch, added a gold elastic string and bow. The image was popped up on the oval - be sure to write your greeting before you add the image, it's rocky to write on if you don't.

Paper: Anna Griffin Christmas Scrapbook Cardstock Pack; Stamp: Magnolia Flying Tilda Angel; Smooch Illuminate; Stickles Spiced Marmalade; Spellbinder Heirloom Ornament, Classic Ovals Large; Copics: [skin E00, E01, R20][Hair E33, E30, E21][Clothes yr20, YR82, YR61] [Wings YR01]. If you love it, leave me a comment, if you hate, tell me why. It's like Christmas when I receive a comment from one of you.

From one blogger to another

Being on a design team, I have the opportunity to look at lots of blogs that I probably would not have found otherwise. While I like them all, some of them are easier to read than others. I'd like to share a few opinions from a 'not so young' blog reader. First of all, and most importantly, make your blog 'readable'. Lavender is a pretty color, but lavender type on a white background is almost impossible to read for young eyes (and, trust me, mine are no longer young). If I can't read it, I don't stay long. Secondly, really fancy type is great once in a while, but the curlicues and flourishes, while pretty, make it hard to read also. Good blogs have type big enough to be read easily, a font that's easy on the eyes, and type color that stands out from the background. If you enter challenges, please don't link just to your blog, link to your actual card. While I enjoy looking at the blogs, some days I have time restraints and can't go searching for your card in a long line of cards. If you aren't entering challenges, this doesn't matter so much, people are probably just browsing your blog anyway. Can you imagine if the design team has to browse through three or four cards on each entry? We wouldn't have time to cook or clean (not that I like to do those things anyway). OK, as I step off my soapbox, I present for your approval: Mirror, Mirror.

I recently discovered Lili of the Valley stamps and have added a few to my collection. This stamp very much reminds me of my daughter and the 'trunk' full of dress up clothes she had until she got to be about 10 (and all grown up). I am going to save this for her birthday in May (isn't it great to have things done so far ahead?) I was worried this color combination wasn't going to work but I think it does, what do you think? Her necklace was done with Tulip Metallic White Paint, but Liquid Pearls would work as well. I added a dot of Spica on each of the dots on her dress, it's subtle but does add a nice sparkle.

Paper: DCWV The Luxury Stack; Stamp: Lili of the Valley Mirror Mirror; Spellbinder Classic Squares Large, Lacey Squares; Spica Crystal, Tulip Metallics White; Daris Premium Beads, Wild Orchid 1/2" Silk Ribbon & Pin; Make It Crafty Charm; Copics: [Mirror E55, E57, E59, B0000][Skin E00, E000, R20][Hair Y21, Y23, Y26, Y00][Clothes R01, R02, R00, R000, R0000, 0][Outline N0]