Inspiration Journal

Please take a moment to view the slide show below which shows the whole book, Thanks!

A number of years ago, I put one of these together, only to have it stolen at a CKC Convention where it was exhibited as a sample.  It took me a while to gather up all the quotes and finally, when I read Melody Ross's blog I was inspired to make a new one.  I was looking for something that would have a bold, fun, and timeless look and found what I wanted in three of the 2010 spring collections. I used some Melody Ross Homespun Chic papers, clips and especially loved her sayings, TPC Studios Boho Blooms, and K&Co's Serendipity 12 x 12 Specialty Paper Pack.  It is amazing how those three lines flow together!

Over time this journal will get add ons, tags, pictures, journalling and will become more and more personal. This is a moment in time in it's evolution.

I can only hope that my inspiration journal/perpetual calendar inspires you! Like Melody Ross, I want to be brave!

March Winner

I used random.org to pick the winner of my March blog candy!  The winner gets Tim Holtz' Compentium of Curiosity an excellent technique book!  

As per normal, the winner will have to email me with her address so that I can ship her gift off to her! Drumroll please!

Congratulations to:

KATE I.

Coupons!

Here are the latest coupons that I've received,  Don't forget to click on the coupon to get the larger version! Hope you enjoy them!

More Coupons! End of March Beginning of April

Well here are a few new coupons for your enjoyment andsavings pleasure! In some cases it is easier to give you the link!

Michael's

 

JoAnn's

 

 

Are you still looking for your "Craft Store Coupons"?

If you are still looking for your coupons for this week, here they are!  I always lose mine, plus there are people that don't get their Archiver coupons and that I forward to them.  Posting them here is just as easy for me and will allow me to find the coupons when I need them, LOL!  Not promising that I'll be faster than your email, just that you'll find them here, whenever I've got them to post!

I love comments and followers, who doesn't? So please do let me know if you've used these and find this useful   The April blog prize winner will be awarded at random to one of my followers, who has left a comment sometime during the month! Enjoy!

BTw, given that I'm somewhat consumer savvy, let me say here that I am not responsible for any coupon that is refused by a store.  I've done my best to give you the latest, but sometimes strange things happen.  I am definitely not responsible for any strange things, LOL!

Feminine Birthday Cards

I mentionned in yesterday's post that I had worked on some feminine Birthday cards!  The challenge was to use the same basic supplies and keep each card within a very acceptable budget. Picked up two 12x12 sheets of Lucy Bird Paper by Imaginisce, 4 sheets of 8.5 x 11 bazzill cardstock in pink, a Happy Birthday Sticker Accessory Sheet Quite Contrary Collection by My Minds Eye, plus flowers, buttons, stickeles and a white pen from my existing supplies and voila... 7 different cards.

Here are the favorites:

My personal favorite:

Triumph

I've made the committment to "Triump" this year.  Triumph is a big word, it is an unequivocal word. It is not about trying to do this or get to that. You have to "DO" to triumph! You can't sort of triump, you do or you don't! Failure to start, finish or do your best does not lead to triumph. But triumph leads to feeling good about yourself!  Triumph is Rocky Balboa with his hands in the air and a huge smile on his swollen, beat up face!  Triumph is an Olympic Bronze medal in women's skating by a young woman who turned her grief at losing her mom just days before, into a celebration of everything her mon (and dad) sacrificed so that she could be on the podium!  Triumph is a red haired daredevil doing an intricate trick in snowboarding, not because he needed it to win, but because he needed it to feel like he had not only surpased his peers, but himself! Yes indeed, triumph is a beautiful, sweet word!

So today I write about triump and achieving something in such a way that you are at least a hero in your own eyes!  And that my friends is the hardest thing for some of us! Today, I got up and was at the gym by 8am for the 3rd time this week, and that was sweet! Tonight, I will go to sleep knowing that I am one small step closer to achieving some of my goals. Today I triumphed over my own inertia and scrapbooked some female birthday cards.

For Info - Make the Cut 15% off sale Good Till 21st

Make the Cut has decided to run the 15% off coupon until the 21st and will go off the air at 11:59 PM Eastern. The coupon code is "MTC311".  That brings the software down to $69.59

Make The Cut! Version 2.2.1


They are releasing version 2.2.1 of Make The Cut! This version will allow users to cut with a majority of the other die-cut machines out there. There is more information on the MTC forum. One more thing, there is never any charge for upgrades to Make The Cut! And I can personally attest that their customer service is awesome!  I wrote in with a question at 8pm last night and had an answer just past 1:30 am Eastern from the CEO. I mentionned that I bought the software a day before they started the sale and wondered about downloading from the internet while I waited for the CD version to come in.  The email contained a link for me to download the software and the assurance that my credit card had been credited $12 to cover the difference in price!  Sweet!!!  Thanks Andy!  I'd heard about the great service and now I knowfor myself that it's true!
Oh and here is one of the YouTube videos that made me decide that this was a piece of software worth getting! If you're convinced that you need the softwarem, then please use my link with the coupon code MTC311!  For the record, this is advanced, but I wanted you to see what the newer version looks like.  The video shows BETA version 2.3.1. Once you watch this you realize the posibilities and how you can divorce yourself from buying catridges! In my opinion, that makes getting the software a smart move, especially now that it will work with the various cutting machines!

Craft Robo

Craft Robo Pro
Silhouette
Pink Wishblade
Blue Wishblade
Gazelle
Gazelle "lookalikes": FunCut, and CutOK




Stay tuned for new video's from yours truly! I hope to make them as I learn to use the software and my son and I also hope to create both free and special file libraries that will work with the MTC software!

Going Over to the Dark Side

"IT" is just one of those things that sometimes, you realize that you have to give in to if you are going to be competitive in the marketplace. I think that if I'm going to teach scrapbooking classes, I just need to get with the program... or rather cartridges! And if I'm going to go over to the dark side, I must do it well.  Not so well that I need 24 inch wide, but perhaps so far that I need 24 inch long!

So what I'd really like to find out from those of you already on the dark side is this, what are your 5 favorite cartridges and why. Do your 5 favorites differ from the 5 you use most often! And assuming that you know me well, which 5 cartridges do you think I should get!

Oh and of course, you've guessed, right?  I've rejoined the underworld of cricut users!  I've also ordered the new software for the Cricut, Make-a-Cut since it seems to be the latest and the best software out there for use with the Cricut! Just so you know, it is currently on sale at 15% off but I hear it is only till the 17th/TOMORROW!!! I'd appreciate your using my link as I did not get the 15% off, as I bought the software a couple of days ago!  This will give me a small commission on the software!  So here is a quick link if you want to go over and see:

So I'll just post this immediately!

http://www.iportis.com/affiliate_product.php?productid=5g7b5s8w3myn3v0p9qyl&affid=4083

I WON!

I went to an all day crop on Saturday with one of my local Scrapbook Buddies and had a great time!  I worked on my inspiration journal and I won two door prizes.  One was a piece of jewelry and the other was the big Making Memories embellisment center!  Woo Hoo! Now all I need to do is find a space for it and load it up.  I'm thinking that the first part will be a little harder than the second! You should have seen the door prizes!  They included a Cricut (the original I think), a gypsy, a case for the Gypsy, and the embellishment center amongst the top prizes!

Thanks to Lynne T. for making sure I found the place and helping me move in and out of the crop with all my stuff!  It was so much fun!

BTW, I've already got the challenge for April and May figured out so do come back and see what you have to do and what you can win. The latest challenge/contest always has a link on the top right of the blog! You do have to follow the instructions to be eligeable so read, craft, comment and perchance win?

A Day at Archivers!

I  actually wasn't really expecting to go to Archivers today, it was kind of a last minute thing.  I was on the waiting list for their Shabby Chic card class, it looked like a few cool techniques, someone cancelled late yesterday and so they called me and off I went! All four were pretty, but this one is my favorite! When it comes to stamping, I can do shabby just fine, chic?  I'm still working on!

 Once I was done with the class, I stayed for another few hours to work on the mini book I'm making.  More on that later!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Recipe Swap - Quiche Lorriane au Jambon

Or in English, Ham Quiche. If you're a friend of mine you are scratching your head and thinking "what a recipe from M-C?  What is wrong with this picture!" And you're probably laughing too!

So stop that! Right Now!!!  I've been participating in a recipe swap for a while now. I may not like to cook or do it often (pardon the understatement here), but when I do bother to cook, I want it to be and taste good! So here is a recipe that meets both goals! Plus well, it's a swap, I get to scrapbook the recipes!

Enjoy!

My 5 Top Dreams Layout

Today I met my friend Charlene at Archivers for a scrapbooking day!  MY aim was to get my March Challenge completed.  Of course I'm not part of the contest, but it wouldn't do for me not to complete my own challenge, would it?

First let me just say that my biggest dream would be to open the first craft store off planet.  Since the challenge required pictures, I asked my son the graphic artist to create a very quick image based on a very few ideas we threw back and forth!  Here is what we came up with and he drew! You can click on all the pictures to see larger versions.

Next I found the paper to go with it!  All the paper is from Fancy Pants new lines. And came up with this page.

With another 4 dreams to document, I definitely needed to make this a 2 page layout.  Here is page 2:

Dream 2 - to visit Europe and specifically to go back and visit Paris where I lived for close to a year in my teens.

Dream 3 - Cruising, lots of cruising to Europe, Australia, Alaska, Aruba, Martinique, and on and on.

Dream 4 - Going to CHA this summer in Chicago and at least one more time in Anaheim, CA.

Dream 5 - What list is complete without the traditional "A Thin'r Me.

Put the two layouts together and they look like this:

The most important comment for me though is mine at the bottom of the page. Dreams to goals, goals to reality. OK, so it might take a little extra effort to get that first craft store opened, but I must say, for the record, that it would have the largest selection of terra firma paper in the cosmos!

Now don't forget to add your entry to the blog entry about the contest and do post a comment!

March Contest Prize

If you haven't already, you should seriously consider entering this months craft contest!  The details are here.  The prize, a copy of Tim Holtz Compentium of Curiosity. 

This is such an awesome book, I thought it would be wonderful to put it in the hands of the winner!  Remember, the winner will be randomly drawn from all the people who enter the contest AND post a comment!