Back in the Online World... Hopefully

Well yesterday I had Scott a supervisor from Charter come out & he went over the inside wiring with a fine tooth comb. He changed connectors, reran wires, labeled wires, changed the amplifier, and even reinstalled the phone outlet that I yanked out of the wall a week or so ago when I was calling Charter yet again & got the automated lady voice who didn't understand me & then "told" me that she "can do the same things as a tech can do" well I lost it & my cordless phone base flew across the room and shattered into 10 pieces. The cord was yanked clean out of the wall. I never lose my cool like that but man this has really been getting on my nerves and taken 5 weeks to get this far. Scott said that he is 100% sure there are no more inside wiring issues... but that he was also pretty sure that I would continue having problems since there are some outside intermittent problems in my area that they can't seem to figure out the what & why. He gave me his number & his boss's number to call each & every time there is a service interruption. So we shall see.

It feels good to be able to blog again....

There is lots going on at Everything Scrapp'n. New products are coming in each week. Tim Holtz Grungepaper is now in stock. You can buy it by the package or if you are on the fence Heather is selling it by the sheet. I'm so excited about this product - I can't wait to get my package.

The sale this week for Labor Day is:
September 1st-7th: YOU PICK YOUR SALE!
Free shipping on all orders over $25.00 if you use the code Labor at checkout.
An extra 10% off if you use the code LaborDay at checkout.

There is a fun contest going on right now.

Create a banner using Pink Paislee products. Link your creation to the Everything Scrapp'n Blog by Sept 15th to be entered to win a prize that I sure wish I was eligible to win.... The winner chooses one of the following: a pack of all the 2009 Summer Release CHA Pink Paislee Papers (Yes all of the lines), Pink Paislee Apron, or Pink Paislee Tote.

Here's the banner I made at the booth at CHA


This was my guest post on the Everything Scrapp'n Blog last week.

sure am loving all the new products from CHA pouring into the store. Heather is sure getting a workout receiving, putting it in inventory on the computer & in the warehouse & filling all the orders of others like me who are anxious to start creating with it.

I like to stretch my products as far as I can. Cutting strips of pattern paper will allow you to use one sheet on several projects. If you look at the back of my layouts you will also notice that I cut out parts of the background paper that would just be covered with other layers. So even when I am using the outermost of a 12x12 sheet the middle is carefully cut out so I have a square to use elsewhere - this really stretches my paper. The bling flourishes can also be cut apart so that you aren't using the entire piece on one layout. You can see many of my budget friendly tricks used on all these layouts...

Pink Paislee Amber Road
I have so many photos of CHA I thought I would use some for my layouts today. I really enjoyed meeting people that I know online while I was at the convention. Unity Stamps was one of my must stop places. I had to get a photo meeting Angela & Brooke. I mixed many of the new Pink Paislee Amber Road papers with Maya Road, Prima, & Jenni Bowlin Embellishments.


Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill); Paper (Pink Paislee -Amber Road Apple Cider , Pink Paislee -Amber Road Autumn Blossom, Pink Paislee -Amber Road Bonfire, Pink Paislee -Amber Road Harvest Hayride, Sassafras Lass); Chipboard Buttons (Jenni Bowlin - Photographer's Mark); Journaling Spot (Pink Paislee -Amber Road Postcard); Pins (Maya Road -Trinket Pins Vintage Black Pearl); Ribbon (Maya Road - Black Gingham); Letters (Pink Paislee -Expressions Cardstock Alphabets Chocolate ); Bling (Prima -Pearl Swirl Black Small ); Ink (Ranger & Colorbox); Stamps (Unity Stamp Co); Thread (Coats & Clarks)

Jenni Bowlin & Graphics 45
I had a few favorite pictures with guys at CHA. Tim Holtz has a huge following & when he is "in the house" you can hardly get near him... so late one afternoon I couldn't believe he was by himself in his booth. He was very gracious to take a photo with me. Another favorite guy was from Tattered Angels. During the week he was so much fun - chatting with us whenever he passed us. I can't for the life of me remember his name... that'll teach me to write things down in my little notebook. If you were at CHA & remember leave me a comment please.

For this layout I wanted to keep it simple with clean lines. The new Jenni Bowlin papers & embellishments made it super easy & had a very classic look. I even used some of the Graphics 45 Domestic Goddess - choosing a stripe made a more femine line paper be appropriate for a masculine page.


Graphics 45 also has an alpha that is part of the line. It's an incredible bargain because they are pre punched on a 12x12 sheet of paper. So for $1.40 you get lots of alphas (2 full upper case alphas, 3 full lower case alphas & 2 numbers). You can easily get them to look like the new Tim Holtz metal type letters by punching them out & running them thru a Xyron sticker maker (to apply adhesive & stablize them on a non stick sheet) then apply a thin coat of Diamond Glaze or Glossy Accents.



Supplies: Paper (Jenni Bowlin -Classic Die Cut Label Paper Leger, Graphics 45 - Domestic Goddess Tea Time); Journaling Spot (Jenni Bowlin - Memo Book Black); Letters (Graphics 45 - Domestic Goddess Alpha ) & Jenni Bowlin -Reverse Tiny Circle Alpha Cardstock Sticker Black); Ribbon (Maya Road - Black Gingham); Chipboard Buttons (Jenni Bowlin - Photographers Mark); Brads (American Crafts);

Rusty Pickle - Panama Jack
Finally Heather & I wanted to showcase the new Rusty Pickle Panama Jack line that just came in the store. At first glance it's a very theme oriented with a lot of beachy images & drinking logos. I looked past that & found wonderful products for a layout about my adult sons' birthdays. I love the diecut yellow notebook paper & the mini file folders are an instant favorite to hide journaling.

I hope this will inspire you to look past the obvious of the papers in your stash & in the store... and get creative making them work for you.



The file folder allowed me to hide my journaling. For this layout is was perfect because I wanted to tell the story of the day but since it was a difficult day for my older son I didn't want it to be in view whenever we looked thru the album. You see he broke up with his fiance that day - it had been building up for weeks & he had just had enough...


The journaling spots really added interest to the layout. I cut a noteworthy shape to fit on the file folder and fill in the blank spot under my stamped calendar. The dark border of the square journaling spot really added weight & drew the eye to the titlework. Again on my "guy" layouts I keep the embellishing simple. I used a punch to make a file folder label to add more interest. The Jenni Bowlin Tiny Alphas are a perfect addition. A few buttons scattered on the page in a visual triange complete the design.


Supplies: Paper (Rusty Pickle - Blue Hawaii , Rusty Pickle - Sail Away, Rusty Pickle -Tequila Sunrise, Rusty Pickle - Tropical Hangover); File Folder (Rusty Pickle - Buttercup); Journaling Spots (Rusty Pickle - Cardstock Coupons); Stickers (Jenni Bowlin - Apothecary Stickers ); Photo Corners (Heidi Swapp); Letters (Jenni Bowlin -Reverse Tiny Circle Alpha Cardstock Sticker Navy , American Crafts - Thickers ); Ticket (Jenni Bowlin); Stamps (Unity Stamp Co & Technique Tuesday Ali Edwards); Ink (Ranger); Buttons (Misc Stash); Clips (Tim Holtz & Making Memories); Staples (Tim Holtz); Thread (Coats & Clarks); Punches (EK Success & McGill)





I also wanted to post about a great site that went online this week... Ella Publishing. Lain Ehmann & Angie Lucas (formerly of Simple Scrapbooks) have started a publishing company for downloadable scrapbooking books & monthly ezine.

The first issue of the magazine will be available on September 8th. I can't wait to see it. The books look fantastic. Filled with top notch photography & quality all the way. Here is a link to the freebie they are offering this week. Text Tricks includes 3 sketches & some hints to make your journaling/titlework a standout. Head on over & join the commuity, check out the blog & download your inspiration....


Leave me a comment so I know you visited.