Pink supplies winner, a free download and a few thoughts

Despite a busy week, I found some time Friday night to check my emails and was very much taken off guard by all the touching responses I've had to my Cancer Journey Album post.

I was brought to tears by the outpouring of love and concern we all have for our sisters, mothers, friends and sadly, even children who have had cancer. Some have survived and some have not.

I pray that one day there will be a cure.  Until then, let's continue to uplift and give courage to those around us.  I think making an album similar to mine would make such a meaningful gift. 

And since only one person can win my pink supplies, I thought I might be able to help you by creating a free digital version of the "what cancer cannot do" poem.  I hope you like it.  there are several versions, some without the butterflies and flowers, some in pink, some in black instead of brown.  You can download them here.

So, with the help of a random number generator our winner tonight is Bella (bellameabhn).  Please email me with your mailing address and I'll get this off to you asap. 

Thanks again ladies for sharing your special stories with us all and God Bless!

"What Cancer Cannot do" JOURNEY album

Paper crafting, for the most part is a light-hearted hobby; Birthdays, Thank yous, holidays etc...  It can, however, play a more heartfelt role in the lives of our family & friends.

I got an email from a student this week asking if I knew of any inspirational quotes or poems for people who have cancer.  The first thing that came to my mind was a project I did for Paper Crafts Magazine many years ago.

The whole project was based around a rubber stamp with a poem/quote on what Cancer cannot do.  At the time I had a good friend who had just been diagnosed for the second time with Ovarian cancer and I was very tuned into how this sentiment might help.
 

Journaling can be a significant part in dealing with any of life's challenges, and cancer is no exception.  Creating a place to record your journey, treasuring the people who are helping you, remembering your day-to-day challenges while finding peace and hope can be very cathartic.

Maybe you know someone who could use a memento like this?  Maybe you need some pink supplies to create it?  I gathered a collection of pink paper crafting supplies (including ink, pins, brads, rub-ons, ribbon, stickers and brads) and would love to give them away to someone in need.

Please share why you'd like this collection of pink supplies and I'll pick a winner on Sunday night. 

Q's Creative Card Class ~ Tag Box

I am a paper crafter. I make pretty things out of paper. WHY, then, do I panic every year on Christmas Eve and end up using business labels, folded-over wrapping paper and other quite tacky ways of 'tagging' a gift.

{click to enlarge}

Never again! This year I've designed a Christmas Tag Collection Box that is so pretty that I'm leaving it out as Christmas decor and a ready reminder that it is filled with tags for the whole family to use!

This class will include everything you need to alter your paper mache box, create cute compartments and enough paper and embellishments to stamp 50 tags! That's 10 each of 5 different designs.


I've tried to schedule these classes for the earliest part of December because I know it's a busy month. I also figure that having a small break, creating something so useful and sharing some Christmas cheer (as in music & goodies) is a good thing.

Sandy: Tues. December 1st, 10-noon
Provo: Tues. December 1st, 6-8pm

South Jordan: Wed. December 2nd, 10-noon
Orem: Wed. December 2nd, 6-8 pm

Centerville: Fri. December 4th, 10-noon
Clinton: Fri. December 4th, 2-4pm
Clinton: Fri. December 4th, 6-8pm

West Jordan: Wed. December 9th, 6-8pm
American Fork: Thurs. December 10th, 6-8pm

You will need to purchase the following for this class:

Most of the Roberts have these in stock. They are kept in the back where the classrooms are, so you might want to call first to make sure. Or, just purchase them in class. The Stamps are $12.99 and the boxes are $6.99...but use your coupons (50% this week) and save! Notice there are 3 boxes in the set? We'll be altering just the largest one, but I will be sharing several ideas on how to alter the other two.

Also, bring the following basics to complete the project:

• Trimmer and scissors (fine tipped and long)
• Adheseive (variety: Roller tape, pop-up squares, mini glue dots, dotto etc...)
• Bone Folder, exacto knife & self healing mat
• Pencil and ruler
• 1/8" hole punch and micro hole punch
• EK success Small Daisy Punch (we'll have some in class)
• Brown Ink pad (preferable Versafine *instant dry* Vintage Sepia)
  

Hope to see you all there!

Stick 'em up!

This is probably the question I get asked the most as a PC Pro...and it's SUPER easy to answer!

Scotch ATG adhesive gun.

Originally designed for framers, Scotch saw how this tool could be adapted to the scrapbooking industry. They created the ATG 714 with it's perfect 1/4" width and their tapes with and archivally safe (Gold) option.

Here are a few reasons I love my ATG.

• It's affordable. The dispenser itself is an investment, but quickly pays for itself as the tape refills run about $2.50 - $3.50 and lasts a loooong time. THe best price I've found is at www.cropandstick.com.


• Easy to use. Tiny learning curve and then it's super quick to adhere anything and everything!


• Love the tape. I use the 924 1/4" tape. It's super strong, but I can (and do often) pull off items with hardly any notice (except when paper is lightweight). I love that it's semi-repositional but also extremely strong.


• Great with ribbon and other embellishments. The 1/4" width is perfect for most ribbon and really holds it down.


• It's pretty big, but guess what? I never LOSE it on my messy creative work space!


• It never gums up.


• I've had my ATG for over 2 years and it's still going strong.


• If you have more time on your hands than mine you can alter your ATG to reflect your own personal style...one day.

Here are just a few altered ATGs I found: Scrap 4 Life, Scraphappenhere, scrapinstyletv, darlene's scrapbooking stuff.

So, after all that...want one? I've done some of the leg work for you and found a great deal at cropandstick.com. They are offering the ATG with 3 free rolls of gold tape...savings of $10.50!

Errr, not done yet. Even though I use my ATG probably 95% of the time, I also could not live without the following.

Dotto Repositional Adhesive. This is great for little or intricute die-cuts. The dots sticks to tiny spaces and then whatever is extra is left on the scrap paper underneath without gumming up the die-cut.

Scrapbook Adhesives 3D foam squares. I love how these squares peal off so easily! I can cut the 1/2" squares into tiny teeny piece for really intricate pieces.

Mini glue dots. So perfect for when you need a tiny, but strong adhesive. I use it with buttons, blossoms etc...

Ranger's Glossy Accents is my go-to adhesive when I need to add glitter, micro-beads and other hard-to-adhere additions.

Having the right adhesive can make a huge difference to your projects and your level of enjoyment in creating them. I know you probably have your own great adhesive picks and I would love to hear about them. Please take a moment and share!

In need of Christmas Inspiration?

Look no further than our Christmas Special issue “Holiday Card & More”…emphasis on the MORE!

I got inspired when I turned to Heather Mellstrom’s Metal Star Card Holder (pg. 147). I thought…

· Perfect Christmas Home Décor – Just my style!
· Fast & Easy to duplicate
· Practical! I never know where to put my collection of cards
· Never mind…where will I ever find that metal star?

Wellllll...I guess at Roberts Crafts (a local craft store here in Utah)! As soon as I saw it, I did a little happy dance and then really started groovin’ because it was on sale! Next challenge? Getting it DONE!







My next piece of inspiration came from the gorgeous new line of Christmas paper from Basic Grey: WASSAIL!

Even though altering is easy it can be a little intimidating at first. Just remember to create your template first and you can't go wrong. Be prepared to use scissors and/or an exacto knife if necessary. I used my ATG gun for adhesive, so I was able to pull off pieces if I didn’t lay it exactly right the first time. Sand paper is essential when altering anything, it can smooth rough edges and make your project look clean & finished.


Project cost: $12 (plus you’ll have a lot of extra paper left for other projects)
Time to create: 90 minutes
Days until I can put this up: 12 days and counting!!

~Sue

Build-your-own Button/bling/tree buffet

Here's my latest Studio 5 segment promoting our Holiday Cards & More issue. Awesome issue by the way, many great ideas that are affordable and do-able.

I just had to laugh when Brooke called it the Build-your-own button/bling/tree buffet! But she's right! That's exactly what it is. Something to graze on without adding any calories!

Need Christmas Inspiration?

Having some problems getting my blog on this morning...and I'm scheduled for Studio 5 this morning...will try to get it on later today, but in the meantime you can see a duplicate post at the PaperCrafts website. It will be on later this morning. Watch for a new post on RH side of page. It's a new website so please be patient with all it's navigation bugs.

Have a great morning! Sue