Belle Papier {pretty paper}

It’s been such a beautiful weekend I’ve been out enjoying the wonderful weather. Finally, there is green grass, perennials coming up, tulips blooming.It’s dandelion season again and I have been blessed with some beautiful bouquets. It’s all how you look at it right? Strawberries are on our table quite a bit now as the stores have lovely ones right now. The little boys are eagerly awaiting strawberry season in about 6 weeks so that we can pick our own. The teenagers of course, are not so thrilled about the outing. Hope you’ll allow me a little spring-time photos and thoughts. Just so you know…my Feedblitz updates have been hit and miss the past few days for some reason. You may want to scroll down as there are a few  new designs there.

And what’s Spring without BBQ? My oldest son made these for dinner Friday night. I wasn’t having a great day but what a yummy way to end it!

While I don’t have a new C’est Bon product for you today, I thought it would be fun to revisit the some of my past entries and update you on whether I’m still using that product and still love it. What gave me the idea was a trip back through memory lane, looking to see what I had written. I was amazed that there were so many and it was so interesting to find that almost all of the reviews, even those from two years ago are pretty much how I feel about the products today. If you’re thinking about purchasing one of these products, you may want to check out the details below. I’ve listed links to all 42 of them.

• Ranger Paint Dabbers - Dec 08 - still love these and collecting them like crazy.
• Making Memories Journaling Pads - Nov 08 - yep…just bought some new ones of these!
• Prima Decorative Tape - Nov 08 - still love this product but find it hard to locate
• Maya Road Chipboard - Nov 08 - hands down this is still my favorite chipboard
• Jessica Sprague On-line Classes - Oct 08 - I’m more addicted than ever! I start a new course tomorrow!
• Copic Sketch Markers - Aug 08 - Love, love, love these markers…I’m still collecting
• Creative Impressions Brads - July 08 - I haven’t bought any new ones but am enjoying working my way through these
• Zots Glue Dots - July 08 - I just cannot create without these!
• Prism Cardstock - June 08 - I’m still using Prism cardstock but am having fun using some Bazzill too
• Avery Shipping Tags - June 08 - wow…haven’t used these in a while but they are still a great product
• Autumn Leaves Buttons - May 08 - I adore these buttons!
• Basic Grey Cutting Mat - May 08 - I’ll be honest…I haven’t used this much over the past few month. I’m  hoping to find a better work-spot for it in my new room
• Robin’s Nest Dew Drops - March 08 - I’m not using these much right now. I need to revisit these
• Terrifically Tacky Tape - Feb 08 - I still use this all the time for altered projects
• Curvy Cutter Circle Template - Feb 08 - Still my go to tool for cutting out larger circles. For smaller ones I use Nestabilities dies or circle punches
• Flocking - Feb 08 - I love the look of flocking but for the most part…I’m too lazy to fuss with the mess
• Basic Grey Rub-on Roller -Jan 08 - still my favorite rub-on tool
• Making Memories Textured Tape - Jan 08 - I love this tape…wish they’d come out with some new designs in it
• Tonic Scissors - Jan 08 - If you cut rubber…you DON’T want to be without these
• Fancy Pants Fashion Sense Pins - Dec 07 - PLEASE Fancy Pants…make some new releases of these! They are darling!
• Rhinestone Singles - Dec 07 - I love this bling!
• Christmas is Coming recipes - Nov 07 -yep…still make these. Check out the recipes if you need a sugar fix
• Scaled Down Paper Pads - Nov 07 - I love 6×6 and 8×8 paper pads. They are economical and PERFECT for cards
• Designer Snaps and Eyelets - Oct 07 -these are beautiful but I tend to hoard them too much
• Heidi Swapp Edge Distresser - Oct 07 - This cheap little tool is still going strong!
• Fiskars Mini Precision Scissors - Sept 07 - I still have three pairs of these and use them all the time. I do like the
• Cropper Hopper Ribbon Storage - Sept 07 - It’s still a great way to store ribbon. It is a bit of a pain though to open and close the drawers and wrap the ribbon. I’m still searching for the perfect solution
• Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive - Sept 07
• Cropper Hopper Ribbon storage part one - Sept 07 - I rarely use ribbon in here any longer. Is it because I don’t use so much ribbon or is it because the storage is a bit of a pain? Hmmmm…
• Prima Flowers - Aug 07 - Have you seen my designs lately? Yep! I’m still a SERIOUS addict!
• Craft Mates Locking Caddy - Aug 07 - I love how my little ones can’t get into these!
• Shabby Princess - July 07 - Still a great resource for digital designs. I mostly by from Designer Digitals now though.
• Palette Hybrid ink - July 07 - this is still a great ink I often use. My latest go to favorite is the Memento Ink line by Tsukineko now. I can use it with Copic markers and it works great on rubber and clear stamps
• Tonic Guillotine Paper Cutter - July 07 - The best Crafting purchase I EVER made! The blade is sharp and this has saved me a bundle!
• Quickie Glue Pen - June 07- great little pen to have on hand
• Scalloped Punches - June 07 - I’m not so much into these now. I really should sell as I mostly use Nestability dies now.
• Crop-a-dile - June 07 - Love the first version! A+
• Dymo Label Maker - May 07 - fabulous for creating your own sentiments and I LOVE the retro feel!
• Crystal Effects - May 07 - I no longer buy this but the Ranger Glossy Accents instead. Identical product though if you want to read the tips.
• Basic Grey Precision File set - May 07 - Wish these were a tad stronger but they are still fabulous for sanding chipboard
• Karen Foster Snap Stamps -  May 07 - These are no longer on the market but were a great concept
• Scrapbooks Etc. - April 07 - I’m still buying each issue but have to buy Creating Keepsakes each issue too.

Anyhow…this gives you a bit of reading for today if you’ve missed something. If not…get outside and enjoy the beautiful spring day!

 Have a good one!

This post has been a LONG time in coming! I’ve been meaning to get back to my C’est Bon posts but life has been crazy. I love writing them and I know a few of you have been missing them so I’m going to try and make an effort to at least squeeze in one a month…hopefully more! When I actually started these posts I had envisioned a short post but they kind of grew into a thing of their own. I don’t want to be doing that each week but keep them to shorter, quick highlights. If you’re new to reading this blog, the C’est Bon posts are things I like and enjoy using. You can find more posts like this by clicking on the C’est Bon category tab.

One of my favorite new products released in the past year is the KI Memories die cut paper. So pretty! And now it’s even better. You can purchase it pre-glittered. I had hardly wait for the next big release to see what they do next. I love this paper as it is so elegant and original and comes in quite a few, right on trend colors. Lace paper looks fabulous layered over cardstock or patterned paper for interest and dimension. KI Memories lace paper comes in 12×12 format. You can use one full sheet on a layout or get multiple uses from one sheet by adding sections on cards. If your wanting to use smaller pieces of this beautiful paper, simply cut out along the motifs for a custom embellishment. I’ve even used one tiny little piece along the edge of a card as a border. I think my all-time favorite color of this paper is simply the white. So elegant and pretty. Each paper is intricately cut with beautiful smooth edges for a high quality product.

Quick Tip: One really need idea for using this paper is to use it as a mask. Lay it over some plain cardstock and then sponge ink or airbrush on top. When the lace paper is removed, you have a beautiful pattern. I love to use the colored lace paper for an extra project as well.

Ideas for Using Lace Paper

• cut motifs out of it for paper embellishments
• use as a mask
• Spritz with glimmer Mist to add color and shine
• layer over an acetate card for a peek a boo effect
• embellish design with brads or eyelets
• stamp it
• die-cut it

Cost: $2-4

Where to find: your local scrapbook or on-line scrap supply store

Gingham Friendship

Supply List:

Stamps:
Fine Gingham Backgrounder by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ornamental Beauty (THe Rummage Bin line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Cranberry Adirondack ink by Ranger
Black Memento ink by Tsukineko
Paper: Simply Smooth white cardstock by Prism
die cut glitter paper by KI Memories
Other: ribbon, charm & pin by Making Memories

A few more ideas…

Have a great day!

As most of you know, I try to feature a product that I really love each Sunday for my {C’est Bon} entries. One of the products I have been having the most fun with lately is the Ranger Adirondack Paint Dabbers line. Until I started buying this fabulous product, I loved the look of paint but rarely used it. Such a mess! I’m a pretty speedy stamper, I have to be! And I’ll be honest…I’ve ruined more than my fair share of brushes because I didn’t get them washed out in time. The best thing about this product is their dabber top. It’s fabulous to use in so many ways and you can apply paint to many surfaces directly with the dabber end. I admit…I’ve gotten so addicted to this product that I now have over 25 bottles of it!

What I love about the Ranger Adirondack Paint Dabbers…

• coordinates with the Ranger Adirondack inks
• easy to use dabber top
• easy to use without brushes
• no clean-up…simply cap on lid
• works on so many surfaces….wood, paper, glass, transparencies, metal, plastic, polymer clay
• acid-free, non-toxic acrylic paint
• beautiful opaque look
• metallic options give a shimmery look…copper, pearl, silver, gold
• great value
• one bottle goes a long way
• huge variety of colors
• work so well for fun and funky styles as well as shabby and vintage ones

Ideas for using Ranger Paint Dabbers

•  ”inking” up rubber
• perfect for stamping on darker colors. With dye inks, you can’t stamp light ink on dark
• painting edges of paper for a shabby or vintage look
• dilute with water to create a translucent paint look. Looks great on patterned paper.
• paint works wonderful on Clear Card Sheets or transparencies
• perfect for covering chipboard
• layer colors for a varied look
• dab on top of Ranger Distress Crackle paint
• use on fabric
• add an opaque layer behind a transparency to easily see stamping
• create your own “art style” background by dabbing on the paints in circles or creating swirls

i heart u

Supply List:
Stamps: The Birds and the Bees (Kim Hughes line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Black Memento ink by Tsukineko
Paper: Fabriano Mediovalis notecard
Other: orange and raspberry Paint Dabbers, Sakura Glitter Pen, rhinestones by MAMBI 

How to Prime the paint…
Inside the dabber, there is a mechanism to control flow. To get the paint flowing, simply turn paint dabber upside-down and press dabber end down onto some scrap paper. Squeeze bottle until paint starts to squeeze out from dabber end. You are now ready to apply your paint as desired.

Where you can find it…

• Cornish Heritage Farms
• other on-line stores
• your local scrapbooking or stamping store

A few more samples from my blog…

If you have questions about this product, I’ll try to answer them from my experiences with it by editing into this post.

Have fun trying something new and out of the ordinary!

Have a beautiful day!

One new product from 2008 that I’ve really loved is the Making Memories Spiral Journaling Books. The fun scrappy office style is so “in” right now and I love how many different ways you can use them. Designed for the scrapbooking market to allow scrapbookers a quick and fun journaling space, these little tear-away sheets are also the perfect size to use on cards and altered projects. As you can see…I’m more than a little addicted to collecting them!

What I love about them…

• perfect size to use on cards as well as layouts
• fun die-cut edges
• lots of variety in each pack
•  great for stamping on
• many of the designs include lines that make it easy to space writing
• love the texture the”notebook” edge gives
• great variety of shapes
• easy to find at your local scrapbook store
• one package goes a long way
• coordinate perfectly with other Making Memories products in the line
• available in almost every Making Memories line releases as they have been so popular
• designs are extremely easy to incorporate with other product on the market
• inexpensive - price approx. $5.00 US (6.50-7.50 CDN) for thirty pages…$.17 a page

Ideas for Using Journal Sheets

•  write your journaling on them…of course!
• stamp images on them
• stamp sentiments
• apply rub-on transfers
• use as an anchor for your embellishments…cluster together on the sheet
• layer under another layer
• trim off the “notebook” edge if you want a cleaner look

Pink Christmas

I created this non-traditional color scheme Christmas design using one of the Making Memories Journal Sheets. By simply stamping on it…I got a fun scrappy look.

Supply List:

Stamps:
-Family Tree (Classic Collection) by Cornish Heritage Farms
-Poinsettia (Classic Collection) by Cornish Heritage Farms
-Aged Sheet Music Scrapblock™ by Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink:
-white pigment ink by Clearsnap
-Burnt Umber Palette ink by Stewart Superior
-Memento Ink by Tsukineko

Paper:
-blush Red Dark by Prism
-Natural Smooth by Prism

Other:
-felt die-cut by Prima
-flowers and snowflakes by Prima
-ribbon by Creative Impressions
-rhinestones by MAMBI
-velvet by Melissa Frances
-Spiral Journaling Book by Making Memories

A few more…(These designs are all from my blog. Click on the image to enlarge)

Where to Find Them…

• local scrapbook store…I like to support my local store and they carry a good variety of them
• on-line stores…try a goggle search

Quick Tip: This product moves fast so if you see it…buy it right away so you are not disappointed!

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into one of my favorite products! Have a wonderful Sunday!

Tape is one of those products that we use on a regular basis to wrap presents, hold things together and we just really never think much about it. It’s usually one of those things we DON’T want seen. Leave it to Prima to come up with some cool decorative tape that makes an awesome embellishment, is economical and so easy to use. You may have seen this product before but never really thought about how to use it. I like to use mine just as you would any strip of paper or ribbon…as a layer to break up the design and add a fun look.

Why do I love it?

• quick to use…just pull off a strip and use it
• fresh and funky product
• sticky backed and easy to adhere
• gorgeous classic decorative patterns that can be used in traditional, vintage, shabby, grungy or even clean styles
• I love clear accents and this product adds a nice visual interest without adding bulk
• they are a great embellishment for masculine designs as well as feminine
• mostly comes in black but is available in a few other colors
• available in packing tape size width or the smaller tape size
• inexpensive ….$2.99 US each

Make A Wish

Stamps: 1938 Suburban GM line by CHF, Birthday Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line) by CHF

Ink: Black Palette ink by Stewart Superior, Brushed Corduroy Distress ink by ranger

Paper: Simply Smooth White by Prism, Ambrosia 6×6 paper pad by Basic Grey

Other: sewing machine, decorative tape by Prima, decorative brad

For this design I adhered the Prima tape directly over my patterned paper layers to add an ornate, vintage look.

Ideas for using it…

• over seams on layers
• layer under ribbon
• use like ribbon
• adhere on clear acrylic pages or cards
• create a frame
• create a binding

A few more samples that you can find on my blog…

Where to buy it…

• Jacksonbelle Embellishments - I buy mine here
• Two Peas in a Bucket

Got any great ideas for this product or have any questions? I’d love to hear from you!

Have a great day!