Sites of the week

Being organized in this craft is often a challenge. Storage can be expensive and just getting organized is just about everyone’s nightmare…including mine. I recently moved into my new craft room and I was determined to be organized and I am…for the most part. The other night I was looking at my non-color-ordered ribbon and about had a conniption. It had to get organized in proper color order…NOW!! So, I took it all apart and divided all the ribbon into their color families. Two of the pics are from the organization process and the other two are the final product. The organization part was not a one person job! I had a very special helper…a cat {Gracie, the sly black cat}! Talk about some interesting moments. Now that all is said and done and I’m happy. Well, mostly happy. I forgot one thing. One very important thing. A fact. The fact that I will purchase more ribbon in the future, and I didn’t leave any room for the newbies to move in. I guess I will be having another re-org night with Gracie! Oh, and by the way, the ribbon storage that I have on top of the drawers is from Target and they are $6.99 each. Tony got most of mine post Christmas when they were on super sale. The ribbon in the drawers is ribbon that I have purchased from the spool and many various places and is wrapped around ribbon cards from Cropper Hopper.

**MORE DARE TO GET DIRTY CHALLENGES OVER AT SCS TODAY**

***TOMORROW IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE COUNTDOWN TO THE NEW MFT RELEASES!!***

The challenges for today are up at SCS! I am hosting a sketch challenge today. It’s a sketch that I have used in the past, but think that it’s a great design and fun to work with. I hope that all the Fan Clubbers play along. I think that there is something for everyone and some of the sketches can certainly be combined. I am looking forward to see what everyone comes up with, because I know that there are going to be some drop dead gorgeous creations to ogle! Have fun with all these challenges!

PS-I will share with you my creations for the challenges here next week.

ARE YOU READY?
1…2…3…4 new sets from MFT are coming soon. Very Very Very Soon…August 1st. Be here on Friday to get a sneaky peeky at one of the new sets.

Did you hear? Beth welcomed a beautiful baby girl to this world on July 19. Congratulations to Beth and her family!! SIX kids…I cannot imagine!! So, I have to say “Good Luck!,” too.

Dimensions: Standard
Stamps: SU! Bundle of Joy, Bundled in Love
Paper: DP from American Crafts, Cardstock (SU!) Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie
Other: Ribbon, Brads, Dimensional Glue Dots, Corner Rounder punch

The idea for this card first started with the Designer Paper from American Crafts. I thought it looked cute for a baby card and the colors were just right together. By the time I got done with the card, I thought it looked a little “boy.” That’s when I added the bow, in hopes to “girl it up” a little. I used the 3/16″ corner rounder from SU! to soften up the edges a bit. The sentiment is mounted on a scalloped rectangle {Marvy punch}. The sentiment is from the Bundled in Love SU! set and was created by using markers, since the words on the stamp are next to each other, rather than on top of each other.
Beth, if you’re peeking in here, this is on it’s way to you. Congrats again!!

ARE YOU READY??
Tomorrow is the first day of the DARE TO GET DIRTY challenges at Splitcoast. I am hosting a challenge tomorrow and on Thursday. You won’t want to miss what we have in store for you!! There is a challenge for everyone, so be sure to play!!

ARE YOU READY FOR MORE FUN STUFF?
My Favorite Things is releasing 4, count ‘em 1, 2, 3, 4 brand spankin’ new sets on the 1st of August. Starting on Friday, July 27th, I will be featuring a set a day. Be sure to check in here to see all the fun new stuff that MFT is coming out with!

For the paper that is. While I would normally described my “normal” style as neat and clean, I {heart} distressing paper from time to time. I mixed both clean and distressed styles to create this card. I think that a distressed project can look way overdone if all the pieces are tattered. I chose to do this card in browns because 1. the recipient loves brown, 2. flowers don’t always have to be in flower colors {i.e. pink, purple, yellow, etc}.

There are several elements to make this card look a “little worn.” First, I layered the Linen background and Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamps {in Sahara Sand} with the flower stamp {in Chocolate Chip} and sponged the edges {in Sahara Sand}. Next, I used the Sanded, Linen and Itty Bitty Backgrounds on the layers. Then, I used my cutter tool to distress the edges of the paper, giving it a tattered look. The twill is from 7 Gypsies {I like their twill a lot better than the SU! stuff} and the edges are frayed.
Dimensions: Standard
Stamps: SU! Sanded, Linen, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Garden Silhouettes, Noteworthy
Paper: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip
Other: 7 Gypsies Twill, Sponges, Twill, SU! Cutter Tool

For today’s challenge, I bring you a sketch challenge. I absolutely love doing these on SCS and thought that I would throw one out from here. I didn’t show any embellishment placement, as I am leaving that up to you. Have fun with it and be sure to link your projects on this post. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!