As I don’t have anything new to share with you until tomorrow, I thought I’d take this time to answer a few questions some of you asked a few weeks ago. I’m actually going to start by answering a quick question about the design I created yesterday. I was asked about applying the chalks to the inchies….how I went about it. It was really simple. No, I didn’t use Verasmark. I just used my little cotton balls that come with the I-kan-dee chalks to apply the chalk direct to the image after stamping. It really clings well to the white Inchies and was super quick to color. I’d say under 5 minutes for sure. The beauty of these chalks is the soft impressionistic look. They just blend beautifully. I found that the chalks mostly stayed put on the design but if you’re worried about them rubbing off, I’d spray them with a light coat of matte spray sealer before adhering to your design.

# Lori on 08 Apr 2008 at 2:57 pm

Do you find it tedious or time consuming to stitch on your cards? I guess what I’m asking is do you have your sewing machine ready and waiting all of the time? One more ? - do you think stitching on your cards is just a fad for now and will sort of fade away?

I really hope stitching doesn’t go out of style. I think I’d probably just go against the flow and still stitch away! I love to stitch and love the texture and interest it adds. It’s also great for shabby and vintage looks as well as country-style and even some fun funky styles. Also…stitching is the ultimate in cheap embellishing! As for finding it tedious…no! I don’t. I stitch quickly and it is so much quicker than hand piercing for faux stitching. Have you been peeking in my house? Sometimes I do keep my sewing machine up all week on the dining room table. I guess I never totally put it away…just tuck it in the corner when we need the room. I find that if I keep it threaded with white or brown thread, all I have to do is plug it in and start stitching.

Regina Davison 08 Apr 2008 at 3:24 pm

Happy Birthday, Julia! I hope you were able celebrate while grouting. LOL!

I’d like to know how long you’ve been stamping, and what got you started. Did you start by attending a SU workshop like most of us?

Take care - Regina

Thanks Regina! Hubby brought me home some Swiss Chalet and a lovely cake so while I did spend most of the night on my knees…it was great to get some progress made. We’re still working away on the kitchen but I hear that the rest of my cupboards will go in on Friday. Yay!

As for stamping, I’ve been stamping over four years now. After having my fourth child I was excited about scrapbooking again. I’d started scrapbooking as a hobby nine years ago and dabbled in it when I had the chance. Looking through magazines, I noticed a lot of stamping and techniques and thought it would be a fun addition to my pages. After purchasing some stamps at Michael’s, I saw a Stampin Up advertisement in a magazine. I went on-line and found my demo, Lori. Soaking up ideas in the catalogue, Lori clued me in to Splitcoaststampers. I lurked for a little while but once I borrowed my mom’s digital camera…started uploading my own designs. I’ve been hooked since. AS far as workshops go…I think perhaps I’ve been to a total of five and took my very first class a couple weeks ago. I’m so thankful for the on-line stamping community where I’ve made friends, learned techniques and found an outlet for my creativity.

Karen Reynoldson 08 Apr 2008 at 4:05 pm

I am amazed at all you do within the stamping world, while being a wife and mother. What is you secret to be so organized? How much time do you spend on your blog and others in a day? And how many hours do you slepp? LOL

Me? Organized?! Well I do try! Some days I succeed and others…… I keep a detailed calendar on my computer as well as lists and information I need to know. I also design very quickly which is a blessing for me as I wouldn’t be able to do this if I didn’t. I also multi-task where possible. As for my housekeeping…it has been more than a challenge with the renovation ongoing. I’m really trying hard to set aside time each day to sort and organize and try and get caught up again. Laundry I just do first thing every morning and meals work best if I plan the week ahead of time. As for free time…um…what’s that? I don’t watch tv. I also try and get up early as that is the most productive time of my day.

So…I’m sure that’s more than you all wanted to know! LOL Hope I didn’t put you back to sleep!

Hope you have an awesome day!

Julia

I just wanted to pop in and tell you about the blog candy delay. The whole story is this. Some new server upgrades rendered some of our blogs without categories and a blog roll. It was quite the surprise to wake up a couple mornings ago and find it all gone. I’m  happy to say, the experts have been hard and work and restored all the categories and my blogroll. To do this…I had to save all my recent posts and then re-upload them. The comments will be restored….it is just taking some time. So….until then, I want to be fair and wait on those other comments being restored before I draw a number for my winner. Thanks so much for your patience!  I’m hoping I’ll be able to announce it tomorrow evening. I’m going to be away most of the day tomorrow so don’t want you to be checking all day. I DO have a blog post for Simply Saturday tomorrow morning…so check back in for that too. Hope you have a great weekend!
Julia

Well, my week “off” has been spent working from early morning until 10 at night. So many things to catch up on. All those things I’ve let slip with the extra work of the renovation in full gear. I’m still having to feed seven people each day without a kitchen. We do order in once a week but really…it is just not cost effective (or healthy for that matter) to eat fast food all the time. I’m still working hard with lots of projects and a huge to do list for the rest of the week. It does feel good to be getting things done though!
One of the things I’ve been super busy doing is going through all my stamps, paper and ink and trying to get organized. I’m still looking forward to that new stamp room but until then…I’m doing my best. My local stamp store has a garage sale twice a year and a lot of my goodies are going there. As I can’t sell opened ink pads etc. as part of their terms, I’d love to find them a good home from my blog. I’d like to turn these around quickly so I’m selling ink pads and reinkers together. I’d like to sell a minimum of four pads per order and would just accept Paypal for this sale. Your best value for shipping costs are a higher number of pads. I charge actual shipping costs…no handling. Also…should you buy 11 pads, I will add a 12th of your choice for free. Ink will be sold on a first come first serve basis. Items will be crossed off when spoken for. Please allow me 12 hours to respond to your e-mail. Please e-mail me with your postal code by clicking on the link just under my photo in the sidebar.

All ink pads are in good condition. Covers may be slightly stained from use but the pads themselves should give you many years of happy use. Reinkers are all full or almost full. Please note: I am not a SU demonstrator. All ink pads are Classic Dye Inks by Stampin Up. Prices are the same in US or Canadian Why am I switching? I’ve loved these ink pads, but professionally need to change to a more retail-friendly line.

Thank you so much! These inks are all sold except for the Craft Spots in the above post.

Basic Brown (no reinker) = $4.00

Chocolate Chip Craft Pad (no reinker) $5.00

Bashful Blue Craft PAd (no reinker) $5.00

Creamy Caramel Craft Pad (no reinker) $5.00

2007/08 In Colors Ink Pads

-Purely Pomengranate, Wild Wasabi, Buckaroo Blue, Soft Sky, River Rock, Groovy Guava (no reinkers) $20.00 set of 6

Soft Subtles

-Pretty in Pink + reinker = $5.00

-Sage Shadow + reinker = $5.00

-Mellow Moss + reinker = $5.00

- Lavendar Lace + reinker = $5.00

-Certainly Celery + reinker = $5.00

- Bashful Blue + reinker = $5.00

-Perfect Plum (no reinker) = $4.00

-Almost Amethyst+ reinker = $5.00

-Apricot Appeal + reinker = $5.00

-Blush Blossom + reinker = $5.00

-Barely Banana + reinker = $5.00

Rich Regals

- So Saffron + reinker = $5.00

-Ballet Blue + reinker = $5.00

-Brocade Blue + reinker = $5.00

-Bravo Burgundy + reinker = $5.00

-Elegant Eggplant + reinker = $5.00

-Regal Rose + reinker = $5.00

-Rose Red + reinker = $5.00

- Always Artichoke + reinker = $5.00

-Taken With Teal (no reinker) = $4.00

-Night of Navy + reinker = $5.00

-Handsome Hunter (no reinker) = $4.00

-Bordering Blue (no reinker) = $4.00

Bold Brights

- Only Orange (no reinker) = $4.00

-Gable Green + reinker = $5.00

-Yoyo Yellow + reinker = $5.00

-Brilliant Blue (no reinker) = $4.00

-Real Red (no reinker) = $4.00

- Green Galore + reinker = $5.00

-Tempting Turquoise + reinker = $5.00

-Lovely Lilac + reinker = $5.00

-Pixie Pink (no reinker) = $4.00

-Pink Passion + reinker = $5.00
-Orchid Opulence (no reinker) = $4.00

Earth Elements

-Ruby Red + reinker = $5.00

-Summer Sun (no reinker) = $4.00

-Chocolate Chip + reinker = $5.00

-Close to Cocoa + reinker = $5.00

-Creamy Caramel + reinker = $5.00

-Pumpkin Pie (no reinker) = $4.00

-Really Rust (no reinker) = $4.00

-Cameo Coral + reinker = $5.00

-More Mustard (no reinker) = $4.00

-Old Olive + reinker = $5.00

-Garden Green+ reinker = $5.00

-Not Quite Navy (no reinker) = $4.00

Other:

Very Vanilla Craft Pad $5.00
Sahara Sand (no reinker) = $4.00

Basic Grey (no reinker) = $4.00

Going Grey (no reinker) = $4.00

Basic Black + reinker = $5.00

Cool Carribean + reinker = $5.00

Cranberry Crisp (reinker only) $1.00

Rose Romance (reinker only) $1.00

Buckaroo Blue (reinker only) $1.00

Marigold Morning (reinker only) $1.00

Positively Pink (reinker only) $1.00

Bliss Blue (reinker only) $1.00

Thanks for your interest!

Julia

Thanks so much for stopping by over the past few days. You were all so sweet to leave such lovely comments. I wish I could send something out to all of you! That being said…I used the random number interger generator to pick out two winners. The numbers picked were…

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

149	53

Timestamp: 2008-03-12 11:19:57 UTC

Number 149 and winner of the Basic Grey Two Scoops package is Carla H.

Number 53 and winner of the ink and stamp set is Pam Clay.

Congratulations ladies! Please e-mail me with your address and I’ll get the goodies in the mail ASAP. My e-mail link is just under my photo in the sidebar.

Thanks again to all of you who take the time to stop by each day! I truly appreciate it.

Wishing you all a fabulous day!

I spy with my little eye….

Crafts n Things April 2008 issue

Anyone like that little birdie card on the cover? I must say…I just couldn’t believe my eyes the other day when Lauren sent me some congratulations. I really had NO idea! I also have three other designs in there and just can’t wait to get my hands on that magazine.

As for my {C’est Bon} entry for today. With the renovations still going strong and my kitchen pretty much torn apart….I’m thinking {c’est bon} to take a day off. I can’t wait to show you what I have in mind for my entry next week. I think you’ll love it as much as I.

Have a great day!

It’s been a while since I updated my stamp sets for sale page. I spent quite a while yesterday…getting it all updated. If you’ve never noticed it before, the Stamps for Sale tab is right at the top of my blog header. Just click and it will take you to my sale page. Some sets are brand new and others, lovingly used. I’ve found I have to pair down my stash if I’m ever going to get everything into my new (but small) stamp room. Also stay tuned… if you’re in the market for ink, I’m currently in the process of switching my ink pads over to Ranger Adirondack Ink. I’ll be listing those sometime in the next week.

Have a great weekend!

Julia

….is SO much fun…..

Not!

“wook Mom…bue hair!”

Trust me…this is not as easy to get out as it looks!!!

45 minutes later and 3 bathtub fulls of water…we are all good.

…. Is it nap-time yet?

Today is the day for another Kim Hughes’ set release at Cornish Heritage Farms! Absolutely gorgeous, these sets are so much fun. My mail has been delayed…the joys of Canada Post!… so I haven’t been able to create any samples for you. I’ve included a look at the sets here and for samples…just stop by the Cornish Heritage Farms gallery. Our fabulous design team has been hard at work!

The new releases…

Silhouette Blooms 2

Foursquare

You may be wondering what I’ve been up to this week. Finishing up designs for a publication, a sick toddler, teenagers getting ready for exams..add that to the never-ending renovation…whew! I do have some designs to share with you. I just need to find some time to write them up. Hopefully soon!

Also…if you like a sale…Jacksonbelle is having one at her ebay store. She has so many wonderful goodies that you are certain to find something you “need”.

I have four packages of beautiful Watercolor Wonder crayons for sale. As I usually use dye inks for watercoloring and these have just been sitting here. These watercolor crayons and perfect for taking with you, watercoloring, coloring direct to paper or stamps. I’d love to sell them if anyone is interested. I think I may have used them once…they are in like-new condition!

If you are interested…please send me an e-mail. I charge actual shipping costs and plan on going to the post office today or tomorrow. I only accept Paypal as I’d like to get these sold and shipped. Prices are the same in US and Cdn dollars. Thanks and have a great day!

Watercolor Wonder Soft Subtles $14.00

Watercolor Wonder Rich Regals $14.00

Watercolor Wonder Earth Elements $14.00

Watercolor Wonder Neutrals (package of 6) $7.00

These are all now sold. Thanks for the response! If you are interested in ink pads and reinkers…I’ll be listing some of those in the upcoming days…

It’s Monday and I’m busy working hard here. Happy Martin Luther King day to my American friends. I hope you are enjoying the holiday. It is business as normal here in Canada. In Ontario we’re in the middle of a cold snap. Brrrr…… I think I need to make some more warm weather cards!

Over the weekend I’ve been hard at work on another review for Craft Critique. If you are interested in tool reviews or are in need of a great paper trimmer…take time to check it out at Tonic Guillotine Paper Cutter.

 Sources for the Tonic Guillotine Paper Cutter…(because you asked )

• Scrapbook Studio - I bought mine in-store at the Scrapbook Studio
• Scrappin Great Deals - CND on-line store - HERE
• Two Peas in a Bucket and other on-line stores
• Stampin Up

Also of note…Craft Critique is on the hunt for some fabulous new reporters. If you like to write, craft, review and share your opinions…this is for you! Besides being a lot of fun…there is also the opportunity to try out new complimentary products and increase your blog readership. If this interests you, make sure you check out the Call for New Reporters while there is still time to apply.

Have a fabulous week! I’ll be back with a new release design so stay tuned…