ScrappinGalz Cafe

Studio Flood Update and Stamp Sale

Well I am finally moving back into the studio.  Its been a long holiday season with my entire studio having been in bits and pieces all over my living room.  There wasn't even anyplace to put a tree.  just a bit more in the basement and I will be able to finally start creating again.  One good thing about this past flood and having everything up in the livingroom was that I finally broke down and inventoried my entire stamp collection.  I had stamp sets I didn't even know I had let alone a couple of duplicate sets.  Now I have a spreadsheet of every image and sentiment that I own.  Now no more hunting thru sets to find what I am looking for.  Just a few short keystrokes with a keyword search and I know exactly what set to go hunt for.  I also labeled all my stamp sets in larger letters so the ole eyes can see the name of the set.  Eventually I will transform my spread sheet into an access database to make it even easier, but for right now its doing the trick.

My car on the other hand has not been faring so well.  I hate cars.  I had to dump a grand (that I didn't have) into the car this week just to be able to drive it up here in the wild snowy northeast.  Grrrrrrr.  Since the ice storm, everything I own that "runs" like water(plumbing), electricity, car, computers, etc has had some sort of issue for me to deal with.  One of my native grandmothers says that creator is testing me.  FOR WHAT?!!!!  I would like to know.  At this rate I must have a pretty big job ahead of me to get this much testing.  LOL  So to help pay for the car being fixed I am offering many of my stamps sets for sale.  Please email me if you would like any of these sets.  All my sets are in excellent condition.  If you don't like the price, make me an offer.

FYI - I am not (nor have I ever been) a demonstrator for any company. Just little ole me paring down my stock in order to pay for work that needs to be done on my car with over 200K miles.

FYI - Shipping is additional and will be paid by buyer. Items will be shipped within 24 hours of payment being received. Shipping charges will be exact and $1.00 will be added to cover the cost of envelopes, time and gas to post office. If you don't feel this is unreasonable, please PM me and we will try to work something out.

I will update this post as necessary and will keep all items on sale thru 1/10/08 at which time they will head to ebay.  Want it all?  Make me an offer.

Studio G Clear Stamps – $1.00/ea or $9.00 for the set

Series 11 Months of the Year
Series 11 Punctuation
Series 11 lower case swirl alpha
Series 11 Birthday
Series 12 August
Series 12 July
Series 12 September
Series 12 November
Series 13 Just a Note
Series 16 Birthday Wishes

Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps both for $18.00
Beauty in Bloom Collector’s Edition – New never used $5.00
Infinite Wisdom Times to Treasure – slight stain on4 stamps others are unused $15.00

MSE (My Sentiments Exactly)
Christmas Sentiments – Couple stamps used others never used $9.00

Simply Chic Stamps by Provocraft
Friends and Flowers One stamp was used rest of set is never used $5.00

Thinkable Inkables – New still in pkg sentiment stamps – $6.00 each/Both for $10.00
Attitude - $6.00
Inspirational $6.00

Autumn Leaves Clear Stamp both for $17.00
Flowers by Rhonna Farrer New Never Used $10.00
Hearts and Stars New Never Used $ 10.00

Fastinator (Pink) Used a couple of times $5.00

Stampendous
Posie Doodle Used 1x but perfect condition $5.00

Rainy City Stamp Co Clear Stamps- $1.00 each/$3.00 for all
“because” Never used
“giggle” Never used
“Adore” used 1x very slight staining
“Memories” Never Used

CTMH – Priced each below or $35.00 for all of them
Moments D1210 New $15.00
Spirit of 76 C1201 Some staining on a few stamps most unused but perfect condition $8.00
Reminders B1211 Staining on 4 stamps most unused, perfect condition $8.00
Hop Hop Hooray B1171 New $10.00

All Night Media Rubber on Wood used one time perfect condition
Fancy Heart with Swirls $2.00

Danielle Johnson Clear Stamps
Stitches New $4.00

Stampin Up Wheels Take them both for $10.00
Double Line Stitch Plaid $5.00
Butterfly $8.00

Stampin Up Sets  $70.00 takes them all
Parisian Plaza Used and loved but excellent condition $20.00
Lots of Thoughts NUM $10.00
Furnished with Love NUM $10.00
Hearts and Clovers Mounted but never used $8.00
What’s for Dinner mounted some staining on main stamp most unused $20.00
Business Memos mounted only one stamp was used $7.00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I want to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Swanza and a Festive Yule.  I hope you all have a blessed New Year as well.

This year has been quite the year.  I started the year with a flood in my basement and the remodel project became my wonderful scrap studio (see past posts for pics).  Then 11 days ago the Northeast got hit with an ice storm that left us without power and as a result my neighbor in the next townhouse without a sump pump; which left me with another flood in my studio.  After moving everything out of the basement, I was able to get all the water out and dry out the rug.  Today the rug people are coming to restretch the rug so I can get my room back together.  I'm also waiting for the plumber to fix some stuff in the basement as well and the carpenter to put back in all the cabinetry.  So I will be pretty much out of service for being able to scrap and make cards for a while.  My whole house is upside down thanks to the flood.  I am hoping that by the middle of January to have my house back in one piece so that it can finally go on the market.  I want a home that doesn't flood, a place that doesn't get snow and is sunny. Mmmmmmm...can't you just feel that warm sunshine?

Peace to all

Tina

Last Minute Quick and Easy Christmas Cards

Ok everyone, time is running out to make and send out those Christmas cards.  I know, I know by now your saying, "with all the shopping and packing and wrapping and parties, I just don't have the time.'  Well I have two cards that you can make in a very short amount of time, that are super easy and cute. Click on the images to enlarge them.

                                                                                                                                                        

 

For this first card, I took my snowman stamp from the SU Frosty set and stamped it in Versamark and then heat embossed him in silver.  Then once he was cooled, I embellished with Burgundy Stickles.  I created 10 of these in a half an hour, I could have probably done more but I was watching a Christmas movie on Lifetime.

The second card was made with some PP and cardstock, a piece of ribbon with a simple knot and the Merry Christmas stamp from my brand new SU Cute and Curly set.  First I laid down the PP and cardstock, then I stamped the image and then used the SU Curly punch to punch out the image.  A couple of pop dots, some more Burgundy Stickles and boom you are done.  If I was in a super hurry I wouldn't do the Stickles on this card.  It would still look simple and elegant.  This card could even be made using non traditional holiday colors.

I hope you enjoy!

Teacher gift - Altered Clipboard

A couple of weeks ago, DD and I headed to NH Scrapbook Cabin to visit my good friend Julia and while there DD spotted a clipboard she liked as well as a bare chipboard music note, after pleading with me that she wanted it for her teacher for Christmas, I said ok to the music note and said we would get the clipboard later.

Over these past few weeks, we discussed what we should do for her music teacher with the clipboard and music note.  Here is what we ended up with.

 

We took some of our sheet music and copied it onto parchment paper (had it at home  - bought originally at Wally World), and then using Modge Podge, we tore the paper into pieces and put it on the clipboard.  For the second coat of MP, I added a few drops of distressing ink and then painted the MP all over the clipboard.  I painted the music note in a black gloss and adhered it to the back of the clip board on the upper section.

Total cost of this teacher gift?  About $4.

I think it came out really nice, and DD loves it.  She can't wait to give it to her teacher.  Now only 3 more teachers to make gifts for. 

Enjoy!

Teacher Gift - Coffee Travel Mug

DD wanted to do something with monkeys or Curious George since that is her teachers favorite character. So here is the gift I made for DD's Social Studies Teacher.  I bought a travel mug at my local CVS for about $4.  This is the kind of travel mug where you can insert, photos or PP to suit your taste.  I had bought a monkey scrapbooking kit for DD some months back since this year's Rainbow Girl theme is Monkey See Monkey Do.  So I grabbed a piece of the PP with the monkeys on it, cut it based on the original piece of paper inside the mug and added a sticker from the kit.  I included a cone of snowman soup inside the mug.

 

Not bad for a $4 teacher gift?  I know DD can't wait to see him put it on his desk full of coffee in the morning.  Two down and two to go....

Have a great day and enjoy!

Bind It All - Cardkeeper Gift Set - Another Christmas Gift

 A number of months ago (well ok it was probably 9 months ago) my mother asked me to create some card sets for her to give as a Christmas present since she loved the set I gave her last year.  I said ok I would make a set of 12 cards for her...no problem right?  Thinking ok one or two sets not to much time...I an do that....HaHa -  then she told me she wanted me to make 6 sets.  Wellllllll, ok I can do it I have plenty of time to complete it since it was only March.  Then a couple of months later when we are talking about the cards she says asks me if I can create something to put the cards in.  Hmmmmm  ok I think I can make an easy cardkeeper. 

 So I put on my thinking cap to try to come up with a card keeper that will fit multiple cards in each pocket, etc.  I knew I wanted to be able to create something that her friends could use on a monthly basis, with bdays and anniversarys on a perpetual type of calendar.  So this is what I came up with.  A Zutter 8x8 Cover (2 of the 6 were the new linen covers), stamped, and inside pages made with reinforced binder pockets, cut and covered with PP, I created a calendar using good ole MS Word, and for the back pocket have address inserts which I also created in MS Word.

           

Now, although this project wasn't as easy as I had hoped, it is definately do-able for most crafters.  In total one of these books took about 3 hours to make.  I think it was mostly because of the cutting and trying to figure out the best way to do certain things.  I think my next book like this would only take about 2 hours, now that I have figured out some tricks.  Cost wise it was about $30 per book in supplies, mostly due to the PP and the reinforced binder pockets that I used.  Card sets I  made from scraps around the studio so I didn't add the cost of the cards in.

Complete step by step directions including the additional word files are available for $2, please email me your request if you would like a copy.

I hope you have a great day!

Enjoy!

Joy to the world update

Well after a bunch of curse words and tons of time this weekend(LOL)  I finally figured out what I am going to have to do to stamp this image.  I have no idea why I didn't think of it earlier, lately my brain has just been swiss cheese.  Here is how I "fixed" the issue with stamping the mouse....First I used saddle brown instead of black ink.  Then I stamped twice.  Once on a scrap sheet and then on the good cardstock.  For some reason the second image comes out perfect and has no bleeds.  Go figure.....

I will be posting tonight I promise.  I have the pics I just have to shrink them down in APE so that they upload to typepad.

Joy to the World Christmas Card

Ok so I promised a second Christmas card.  So here it is.  I used Impression Obsession's Peace on Earth set.  I really like the stamp set, but must say I was disappointed with the set itself because no matter what I did it would not stamp a decent image with Stazon or another archival ink I had here at home.  Although this problem made it hard to color the image as a result, it didn't turn out all that  bad.  I used my Prismas to color it in but couldn't blend the pencils as well as I would have liked since the Gamsol made the ink run.  I found the only ink I could use on the mouse stamp with any satifaction was CTMH's basic black.

  Here is the recipe

• Very Vanilla
• Always Artichoke
• Bravo Burgundy
• Melissa Francis "Holly"
• CTMH Basic Black Ink
• SU Always Artichoke Ink

Click on the image to pop up a larger view

I really do love this little guy and I love that the ornament is a globe of the world. I stamped a bit of a christmas tree with the pine needles from SU Pines set.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  Check back on Monday for a wonderful Christmas present to make in these hard economic times.

Enjoy!

Wishing You A Sweet Holiday Christmas Card

Every year I go thru the agony of trying to figure out what in the world to make for a Christmas/Holiday Card.  Not everyone I know is Christian and PC Girl that I am, some years I make two seperate cards, some years I make one for everything.  Now this year I am making two cards but not because I am being a PC Girl, but rather because I just got a really cute new stamp in.  Enough about that...come back next week to see it.

This year I was inspired for my first card by a Food Network Show that featured gingerbread houses and a stamp set I got a month or so ago from Martha Stewart's line.  The stamp set has gingerbread men, round candies and gum drops (and more).  I cut the house itself out from a pattern I made at work on Monday (boss is in Orlando, shhhh don't tell him LOL).  I stamped and cut the gingerbread men and the candies, and then I used Liquid Applique that I got from CTMH and heated it to create the snow (ahem icing) on the roof.  I also used LA for the snow under the gingerbread me as well as for their icing.  I used Candycane Stickles for their eyes and buttons.  I also used Stickles on the candies (stardust and diamond)

+

+

  I liked it but it just didn't look icing enough for me, so back to Mike's I went on the hunt for something a little different.  I did find a dimentional paint in the paint section that worked, but stupid me used the whole bottle and then threw it out before I remembered   to write down the name.  So my apologies but I am not about to go rummaging around in the dumpster at the bottom of the street where all 144 of us townhouse dwellers put our garbage. (Although it would have made for a hysterical scrap page).  I added some course Martha Stewart glitter to the icing to look like course sugar crystals.  These cards are for my immediate and extended family.  I hope they like them.

__________________________________________________________________________________

On another note, today I was reading a blogging thread on SCS that just burned my cookies (no pun intended based on my card) about a blogger who stole an original banner from another blogger, cropped the original bloggers name off the bottom and then called the banner her own!  Even put a copyright on it.  I just don't understand people.  Several SCS sistahs went to the culprits blog and posted that she should do the right thing.  And you know what?  Not a word from the blogger.  The original creator of the banner has asked her repeatedly to take down the banner since September.  I just don't think this is right.  On top of that, its a SU demo who is the culprit and the blog is her SU blog.  I just don't think that this whole mess is becoming of a SU Demo, and thankfully I know that most demos are not like this one person.

All images, banners, designs (unless otherwise noted) and the name ScrappinGalz are copyrighted. The original artist (paid) for my banner is GeekGirl on SCS.  If you like her work, please contact her and she will create a banner for you.  If you love my stuff and want to case for your own pleasure, please do, but please do not use the designs for competitions/publications/for sale and call them your own.  I try to always give credit where credit is due and hope that all my wonderful friends and readers give the same courtesy.

Thanks so much for being such wonderful readers! 

Enjoy!