I made these a few weeks back…they are for post-it pads that are slightly larger than the normal size.I couldn’t really think of what to do with them - and they were a dark orange color. So I just used some paper & stamps that I had & tried to match the colors up.
I know I’ve been going a little nuts with Polka Dots lately…not sure why! I just like them I guess 
All stamps are from PaperTrey (surprise surprise, ha)
OK as promised, here is a video tutorial on making these skinny notepad holders. One thing to note: I bought my notepads at Walmart & had them cut at Staples. These are not the pads I bought, but they are something similar. I had the people at Staples cut the lines off the side, and then cut the pad in half for me. It gave me these skinny pads to use:
In the video, I show you how to cover the top of those pads to hide the label. The paper that I use to cover these measures 8.5″ x 5″. I scored at 2 3/8″ and 2 5/8″. Depending upon the size of the notepads you use, these measurements could vary.
EDIT: In the video I show how I add the paper to the pens to make them match. However, my SU Demo has a much better video that fully demonstrates this HERE. So check it out!!
Here’s a photo of the notepads I made in this video - if you want to see the original blog posting, it’s HERE.
Anyway, onto the video. Here it is - thanks for watching & let me know if you have any more questions!
These are some more notepads that I just love making. I did some of them a while back - I was inspired by Angie’s grocery lists & PaperTrey Ink’s version of these notepads. I don’ t have any of the PTI notepads, but I did follow Angie’s advice & had Staples cut some regular old notepads in half for me.
This leaves you with a bunch of skinny notepads to make lots of fun things with:
Here are a bunch that I created a few days ago. They are really fun to crank out. I was enjoying making all kinds of backgrounds using some PaperTrey background stamps - as well as a Damask stamp set from Inkadinkadoo. All of the sentiments are from this stamp set here. (love). I also used the color purple - which is somewhat different for me (or at least I feel like it is!) It’s not so bad though - might have to use purple a bit more!
These are great to have on hand as a gift for anyone, any occasion.
In other news, I’m OBSESSED with the Olympics. They’ve been on all weekend & I am captivated! I just love watching the Olympics - so that’s what I’ve been mostly doing. It’s been a great long weekend around here. Go team USA!!
Hi everyone - thanks SO much for all the comments you’ve left this week. I read each & EVERY comment - especially the ones that contain things you’d like to see more of on the blog. (sidenote: you have ONE DAY left to leave a comment HERE if you haven’t already…for a chance to win a prize!)
I’ve already started acting on some of your feedback - so with that, I give you some fun Treats for Valentine’s Day - plus a video showing you how I made them!
These are great because you can stick anything inside them - and adapt them to ANY holiday or occasion. I had a few people say they would like to see things that are more practical - things that can be used…instead of just candy. This sort of combines the 2. I had some fun pencils lying around so I thought I’d find a way to creatively wrap them up as a fun little gift.
And to respond to even MORE awesome feedback from my readers, I thought I’d whip up a “boy version”. These are some robots from both Cosmo Cricket (paper) and Hero Arts (stamp). What boy doesn’t love Robots!?!!
I added a wooden heart from Martha Stewart to give it a small Valentine’s touch…but nothing too girly. (the Robot was colored using Copics). The pencil has motorcycles on it. Very “boy”.
OK, here’s the “how to” video! If you can make it through listening to my corniness…then I give you credit. LOL. I HATE listening to myself on these videos, ugh!
so if you’ve been following me long enough you might remember that last year around this time I revamped my craft room & did some major organizing. Well, I’m back at it again…!
There is just something about the lull after the Holidays, the cold weather, and mostly all the crap that has been accumulating over the past year that gives me the itch to get things straightened out. I started doing some of it this weekend, and plan to take most of the weekends over the winter to continue working on getting things in order. (that is, if I don’t get distracted & start making stuff instead…which usually happens by the way…haha)
So I thought I’d share some of what I accomplished this weekend. My Mom got me the Clip it Up for a Christmas Gift which was awesome! I love that it keeps everything out in plain view for me to use so that I won’t forget I have it. Here is a photo of what mine started to look like today as I assembled…
Ooohhh…what’s that? You noticed all my new Hero Arts goodies hanging there? Yep, I told ya I had a good Christmas! Not only that, but I was able to hit up one of my favorite Local Scrapbook Stores this weekend. They have almost everything from the new Hero Arts 2010 catalog so I got LOTS more during my visit. The name of the store is Absolutely Everything…and oh my, can I just say - they really DO have absolutely everything!?!? Stamps, paper, tools, every kind of ink, spray, powder, glitter & embossing stuff you could imagine. I had to pull myself away. Soo good though. I def .will be going back soon - if you live in the area I encourage you to check them out. In the meantime, the above abundance of HA stamps should keep be busy…
OK back to my organizing from this weekend. I had some of these lying around from Staples. Nothing special…just boring coupon holders.
I thought I would jazz them up a little bit & use them to store photos that I have not scrapbooked yet.
The paper & embellishments are from October Afternoon. I cut the title out with my Cricut using the Sesame Street Sunny Day Font. So quick & super simple. I was sure to glue the heck out of everything I put on this so that it endures all the wear & tear.
Here is another one I made, this time for actual coupons…using more October Afternoon paper & stickers.
I hope this inspires those of you looking for ideas on organization. I will try & share more in the coming weeks as I clean up some more. I plan on getting rid of some old stamps & supplies I no longer use - I will probably post them for sale here on the blog so be sure to check back…thanks!
I got this pillow box die from Sizzix for Christmas and I’ve been loving it…there are so many things you can do with it. I’ve been using it to make a bunch of Valentine’s Treats. I found that a Ghiradelli chocolate fit nicely inside - but I’m sure you could fill these with lots of other types of candy.
Here are some photos of a bunch that I’ve been making, along with a video tutorial at the end. I will probably be offering these for sale very soon, so leave me a comment or send me an email if you’re interested. I will be selling them for $2 each. Thanks!
Here are the ones that I made in the video. I used clear acetate & stamped on it with some white StazOn ink. This is a fun way of doing it because you can see what the goodie is inside the box!
Here is the video. You can also watch over on YouTube. Enjoy!
Well, I think this might be my last Blog entry until after Christmas. I wanted to share one last Christmas Project with you though before my break!
These are some baked goods I made for my co-workers for Christmas. (I made some of these last year too - they are SOOO yummy) I found these neat treat boxes at AC Moore & decided to use them to package up the goodies. I wanted to spruce them up a little as they were lookin’ just a tad plain. (Ummm please excuse the EXTREMELY MESSY craft desk in the background. Seriously, you don’t even wanna know what it looks like right now…YIKES)
I put together this really simple 3″x3″ card to go along with each gift, and wrote a little note to each person inside:
Thanks for stopping by! THANK YOU to all of my blog readers - you guys are the best & I am so thankful for all the readers I’ve gained over the past year. Merry Christmas to you all & I hope to make the blog a lot better in 2010!
I am so sorry that I’ve been so quiet on the blogging front lately. I guess you could say it’s that busy time of year!
I am super busy at my regular job, we are actually moving office spaces next week (yes, the week between xmas & New Years!). So things have been pretty hectic for me while I get all of that organized. At home, I’ve been busy getting Christmas stuff wrapped up. (no pun intended, lol).
How about a little sharing though? First, some personal stuff….
Here is a photo of Pete & I at my company Christmas party. (notice all the yummy wine in the background…*drool*). I used this pic on our Christmas Card this year.
And here I am being a nerd with my camera, trying to get photos of the ornaments on the Christmas Tree. Hehehe.
OK, onto the crafty stuff…!!
I created some of these handmade decorative candles this weekend to give to a few members in my family. I used Hero Arts stamps on both of these, and I love how they turned out. They are nice handmade gifts that add just a little somethin’ - especially if you are planning on giving a gift card. I followed the instructions HERE on StampTV. Gina K is so sweet & her videos are amazing. StampTV is definitely one of my favorite YouTube Channels…!
In the video, Gina shows you how to use Tissue paper to emboss an image, and then heat set the tissue paper onto the candle. (so neat!) I decided that I wanted to add extra interest, so I dusted some glitter onto the candle afterwards, and quickly zapped it with my heat gun to set it into the wax. (warning: the glitter part is MESSY!)
To package these, I used some leftover cellophane bags that I had from something else (a Green alternative to buying new ones)…and I tied a ribbon around the base of the candle. I then added an embellishment at the top. I had these wooden die cut snowflakes in my drawer - no idea where I grabbed them from. I used Crystal Effects & added some red glitter to match the candle on this one:
On this snowflake, I embossed with the same Ultra Fine Gold Embossing Powder from Ranger that I used on the stamped image.
By the way, I purchased my candles at The Christmas Tree Shop. Gina actually recommends using cheapie candles to do this, the more expensive ones might melt too much. Also, I think she only recommends using white, as the stamped images show up better - I’m not 100% sure though. Lastly, I grabbed those candle dishes at Walmart for $2 each.
I hope this helps some of you who needed a last minute gift idea. I should be back this week to post a few more Christmas things..!
this collection from My Mind’s Eye is just TOO CUTE!
I made these Ornament Gift Card holders using some paper & cut-outs that I had left from the collection.
This guy totally reminds me of a big fluffy marshmallow that I want to EAT. *nom nom nom*
Here’s a shot of the back side where the Gift Card slides in. I decorated this one up a bit with a cute little bear that matched the front. I really love the non-traditional colors in this collection. Have I mentioned that enough already?
EDIT: I’ve added a little Q&A at the end of this post b/c I’ve already got some more questions on these so I wanted to answer them on the posting for all to see. Be sure to scroll down to check ‘em out. Thanks!
I’ve had quite a few inquiries about these. They are a big fave among the Craft Fair attendees by the way! I really think they make a versatile gift that you can give to almost anyone.
I ran into an issue when I first started doing these, where I didn’t have any place to put the pen. I thought about resting it on top of the post-it, in between the post-it & the ribbon/embellishment at top - but when you have 20+ of these at a craft fair booth, and you are trying to keep everything together, it doesn’t really work.
The other issue I run into at fairs is kids who like to touch everything! They mean no harm, but kids are kids - and in particular there is something very attractive to walking up to the table and flipping through the whole post-it note pad. It was starting to make them get dingy - and I was cringing & having to rearrange all the time.
So I decided to go & buy some inexpensive sheer ribbon - and simply tie a knot around the post-it pad. I then take the matching pen and insert it underneath the ribbon. Voila! This not only holds the pen in place, but it somewhat protects the post-it pad from the “flippers” :).
Here are some photos so you can get a better look:
The other question I get a lot is what do you do when the post-it runs out? Well, I say just go ahead & stick another one right on! I tell people that I would add some adhesive to the bottom of the pad, as the adhesive on the post-it notes themselves aren’t always sticky enough.
All in all, this gift is fun, versatile & what I like is that it’s re-usable. If the post-it falls off, all you gotta do is re-stick it. If you run out, just add more. It’s a great gift for teachers or co-workers.
Hope this helps some of you, let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks!!
More Q&A’s from your comments (I will add to this as I get more questions):
Q: Where do you get the frames to make these?
A: I get mine at the Christmas Tree Shops. I either buy the 3.5″ x 5″ (pictured above) or the 4″x6″ frames. They are 69 cents & 89 cents a piece. Can’t beat that price!
Q: What adhesive do you use to stick them down?
A: I just use my ATG gun. I run some on the back of the post-it pad. I tell people at my fairs that when it runs out to just use some double sided tape, or a glue runner to tack a new pad down.
Q: How do you get the paper INSIDE the pen?
A: Funny you ask this…I was intimated by this technique too. It’s actually super simple, just takes a bit of practice to get the paper rolled up just right. Once it’s rolled, I actually keep the pen inside the paper & just shove it in there! My Stampin Up Demo Michelle has a great little video about this. It might help you!
Q: Is that big NOTES a stamp?
A: Yep! It sure is. One of my new faves actually. It’s from the “Take Note” stamp set by PaperTrey Ink.
Q: I know that they always sell for you so I was wondering how much you charge for them?
A: I charge $4 for these. They sell very well. I’m sure you could get away with charging $5 even. If you think about it, that is still a very reasonable price for a gift for a Teacher or Co-Worker.
