Washi Tape Storage Ideas: What works for me!

I am going to be starting a new regular feature here on the blog about storage.  I have been at this hobby for about 9 years now and I have played with storage from keeping it all in one small suitcase to a big room all to myself.  I am constantly rearranging trying to find new things that work!  Once I'm happy it stays that way...so on Wednesdays that I don't have a design team commitment you can find some fresh storage ideas!  I don't spend a lot of money on storage (I'd rather spend it on supplies) and usually hit garage sales as much as I can.  But if something has stumped me for awhile I'm willing to spend a little to make it work!  Today I spent a little...but it totally works!  I am kicking it off with one that I have been searching for a better way on for a while!!!  Washi Tape!

Here is what I have come up with that I am loving!

This is a mug hanger from Ikea.  I believe it was $5.99 - if I'm wrong then it was less than that.  I also looked at using a plate rack - similar in style but with less stands.  I opted for this because it had a lot of stands!  As you can see I have arranged them pretty much by color with the exception of the multi-colored tapes :).

Now what else have I tried????

I tried hanging a tension rod and putting them on that.

Why that didn't work:  I want to get my washi tape down and in my hands!  I ran out of room long before I had all my tape on it.

I tried putting them all in a box on top of my desk (not neatly arranged or anything...just tossed in).

Why that didn't work:  They were forever getting buried and were out of sight (thus out of mind)

I tried nicely lining them up in a 12 X 12 box.

Why that didn't work: Who has room for a 12 X 12 box on their desk??? Again the out of sight, out of mind thing!

Why this works?

1-I can see exactly what i have and what I NEED more of!

2- It's pretty and let's be honest, we're crafters, that matters!

3- I don't have to sort for that one red roll, it's right there easy to grab

What do you think?  Do you have a brilliant way to store washi tape???? I'd love to have you link me up with it in the comments or on my facebook page!

Imaginisce Valentine's - One for Him and One for Her

I am featured today over at Imaginisce with two Valentine's that I created!  I decided to create one for a female and one for a male!  

This one started out all pink and white and I struggled long and hard to figure out how to add in some contrast!  The final touch of a red arrow was just what it needed!  

This one was born from the "Perfect Vacation" line!  I jumped off from the map and just ran from there.  A fun Amy Tan rub-on completes the look!

You can check out all the detail shots on these two cards at the Imaginisce Blog!

Supplies Used:

Patterned Papers: Imaginisce

Glitter Tape: American Crafts

Cardstock: American Crafts

Rub-on: American Crafts

Kiwi Lane Designs DT Doodles Sketch: Baby Boy Layout

It has been awhile since I have played along with the Kiwi Lane DT Doodles sketch of the week.  So this week I got out my new "My Baby" line from Imaginisce and played!  Here's the sketch!

And here's my interpretation:

You may have noticed that I am scrapping lots of baby Bo lately.  I had a big box of his early pictures and finally sorted them into either Pocket Page style layouts or use on 12 X 12 layouts.  So I have just been working my way thru the pile!  As you can see from the sketch, I opted not to add flowers to my layout.  That wasn't going to fit with my boy theme so I used the circle templates and went that route instead.  One of the patterned papers has circles that resemble bubbles, so I fussy cut some of those too!  I love the die cut shapes in this line, especially the little hippos!  

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper: Imaginisce

Die Cuts: Imaginisce

Buttons: Imaginisce

Templates: Kiwi Lane Designs

Washi Tape: Doodlebug Design

Cardstock: American Crafts

A Quick Thank You Card

Another Saturday and another round of snow here in Illinois!  We are snowed in again so I thought I'd post a card that I created a couple weeks ago and hadn't yet blogged!

When I created my scraps cards for Imaginisce, I created this one also...but decided not to use it because it just didn't use as much Imaginisce as I wanted it to!  The pop up flowers are a cut from Samantha Walker.  I added scraps of paper beneath them to add some pops of color.  A simple Thanks cut out and added atop some ribbon and and a twine bow round out the bottom part of the card.  I added a few hearts up top just to bring in a little more color.  Hope the weather is good where you are and if it isn't, I hope you are finding something enjoyable to do to pass your time!

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper: Imaginisce

Cardstock: American Crafts

Ribbon: American Crafts

Practical Scrappers Blog Hop Winner

Just a quick post to let: Michelle King know she is the winner from the Practical Scrappers blog hop last week!  Shoot me an email at practicalscrappers@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Samantha Walker Creative Team Blog Hop - Snowflakes

Welcome to the Samantha Walker Creative Crafters Team Blog Hop!

You should have arrived here from Nicole's blog.

We have an awesome giveaway this month sponsored by Spellbinders!

One lucky winner will get the French Frills Spellbinder Die Set

All you need to do is enter below. You can earn multiple entries by following us on Facebook, commenting below, tweeting about the giveaway, and signing up for the email updates. This giveaway is open to US customers only and closes on this Sunday at 11:59 PM MDT.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This month our blog hop is focused on Snowflakes!  

Samantha has some stunning snowflake options!  I created a layout using some of them to share with you today!

I used Snowflakes (#38926), (#38922), and (#38924).  If you click on the numbers it will take you right to their location in the Silhouette Online Store.  I resized them so I would have a variety of sizes and made sure to cut them with a newer blade (detailed cuts are best done with a newer blade).  My background is Polka Dot Lace (#5093).  I chose it because I thought it looked like a snowy background!  To complete my snow look I added some enamel dots and punched vellum circles throughout.  My title: Let It Snow (#14833) was a perfect final touch!

Other Supplies Used:

Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye

Cardstock: American Crafts

Vellum: CutCardStock

Adhesive: Helmar

Don't forget to sign up for Samantha's Newsletter 

through the Rafflecopter widget to receive your

FREE SVG and Silhouette Studio file! 

Thank you so much for stopping by today! 

Click on the image below to head to Jamie's blog 

Card Sketch

Today is card sketch day at Practical Scrappers.  I created one of the two sketches and that is the one I played with also!

I love this card in person but am not sure it is translating as well on camera.  Something about that background paper is giving me a run for my money :).  I combined goodies from my stash along with a few new things from Imaginisce!  The background paper is from an older Dear Lizzy line from American Crafts.  The polka dot hearts and bling are both newly released from Imaginisce.  I folded up the bottom corner to add an extra pop of color to the bottom of the card.

Hop on over to Practical Scrappers to see some more interpretations of this sketch and another fun one from Patty!

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Imaginisce

Wood: Sutdio Calico

Bling: Imaginisce

Chipboard: Bella Blvd

Doily: Jillibean Soup 

Happy Birthday Card

Last week was heavy on layouts and this week is going to be heavy on cards!  Today I have a birthday card  idea to share with you!

I created the background by weaving black ribbon.  Do not attempt this when you are tired or crabby.  It requires patience - but the finished product is definitely worth it!  I punched a variety of pretty patterned papers and added those.  Then came the dimension!  Cork, enamel dots, and pins all add some extra umph to it!  I opted for the cork to calm down all the bright colors a bit (yes sometimes I opt to calm things down :))) 

Supplies Used: 

Ribbon: Ribbons Unlimited

Patterned Paper: Paper House Productions

Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye

Stickers: Pebbles & SRM Stickers

Pins: My Mind's Eye

His and Hers Birthday Cards for CutCardStock

I had a post up on Friday at CutCardStock and didn't share it yet because of the Practical Scrappers blog hop.  I had fun putting together his and hers cards and using another one of my sketches :)) Today I created a couple cards using pieces from our Brown Bag line.  I actually created two cards - one for a man and one for a woman - and they are both based on the same sketch.  I wanted to show you how easy it can be to take a simple sketch and make it work for you over and over again!

Here the cards are side by side and here is the sketch I worked off of.  

You can see that I followed it somewhat loosely.  Using the initial base to create and then letting my creativity roll from there!  But I wasn't done with just creating the cards, I wanted to have matching envelopes!

 I used items that coordinated with what I had done on each card and the same basic "sketch" for my design but they each work for a man and a woman.

 These brown bag envelopes are fabulous and a little bit of coordinating washi tape to dress them up even more can make them extra special!

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper: Teresa Collins

Die Cuts: Teresa Collins, Elle's Studio

Stickers: SRM Stickers

Washi Tape: Bella Blvd, My Mind's Eye

Wood: Studio Calico

Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye

Zap Dots: Helmar

Practical Scrappers Blog Hop: Scrapping Our Stash

Welcome to the Practical Scrappers Blog Hop 

where we are Scrapping our Stash.

CHA is this weekend and that means the industry is putting out all kinds of fabulous new product.  So what better time to kick off our new monthly series of Scrapping our Stash!  A special shout out to the sponsor of today's hop: Kiwi Lane Designs!  Head to Practical Scrappers to find out details on how to win a fun prize from them!

Practical Scrappers Blog Hop List

Practical Scrappers

Charissa Miller 

Cathy Harper  

Jennifer Haggerty ***You Came From Here 

Christine Meyer ****You Are Here***

Kristina MacKeen ****Head Here Next****

Erin Morehouse 

Nicole Laha 

Krissy Clark 

Wendi Robinson 

Lissa Mitchell 

Deborah Johnson  

Jessica Arrant 

Kerri Yarus

Lisa Peeples 

Kim Ryden

Laura Cox

Kelly Jean

Lanette Erickson

Alison Day

Wendy Coffman

Michelle Johns

Lee-Anne Thornton

Marcia Dehn-Nix

Kelli Fortier

Now on to my Stash Busting Project!  I decided to pull out some old papers and one of my new Kiwi Lane Templates to create a paper pieced layout.

So this.looks.complicated.Yes?  It's not so bad actually!  I used my Kiwi Lane Chevron Template and cut five strips of five different patterns.  I then cut those in the middle of each them.  The challenging part was putting them back together and figuring out a pattern :)  The papers, stickers, chipboard are all from my stash...mostly from Pebbles from a line that I totally loved and picked up extras from over a year ago.

I am doing a giveaway here today!  In order to qualify you can do any/or all of the following:
1) Become a follower here on my blog
2) Subscribe to my blog via email
3) "Like" my facebook page
Make sure to leave me a comment letting me know what you did!  Here's the prize pack up for grabs!

Lots of goodies from my own stash!  Includes ribbon, trims, stickers, washi tape, chipboard and more!  I will leave the giveaway open until 11:59 est on Monday and plan to announce the winner on Tuesday!

Thanks for coming by...head on over to Kristina MacKeen's blog next!

Baby Boy Layout

There's nothing quite like scrapping pictures of a new baby. Today I have a layout featuring me and my littlest guy.  And it features a free cut file from the talented Juliana Michaels.  It is based on this sketch, which I created!

I am a sucker for stars.  Probably because I have three little boys...I can't get enough of them.  So when I saw that Juliana had created a cut file that was a star background I knew I wanted to make use of it!  Here's the link to her blog where you can get it for yourself!  I debated on making the cut in yellow or vellum but just opted for solid white.  I think it adds some subtle texture without overwhelming the pictures.  I also used a Samantha Walker cut file for my Border Loops (Design ID #12961) at the bottom. These pictures are from the first moments my little Boaz was alive, not moments I remember all too well ;)

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper: Bella Blvd

Stickers: Bella Blvd, Echo Park

Wood: Studio Calico

Cardstock: American Crafts

Cut Files: Juliana Michaels & Samantha Walker

Using Scraps to Create Cards

Ahhhhh so excited!  Today is my premiere day at Imaginisce and I am thrilled to share these projects with you!  The theme there this week is to use scraps - something I love to do!  Here's my cards!

My favorite thing to do with scraps is to cut them up and put them back together to make something interesting ( I know this is shocking to you regulars :))!  For the background of this card I cut triangles out of the light blue paper and then applied them to the card leaving spaces between, allowing the base to peek through!  I also fussy cut some snowflakes from scraps and surrounded those by small snowflakes punched in a complementary color.  I'm finding that I am going to kraft colored items a lot right now...be it in the form of actual kraft paper, burlap, twine....you get my drift!  

Supplies Used:

Stickers: Imaginisce Childhood Memories

Patterned Paper: Imaginisce Colors of Christmas

Cardstock: CutCardStock

Gems: Queen & Co.

Twine

Doily: Wilton

Adhesive: Helmar

I am almost always creating birthday cards from scraps.  It is easy to use scraps to make the colors and style match the personality of the recipient.  This simple card was created by combining a Silhouette cut file from Samantha Walker and some simple Imaginisce die cuts.  Under a few random circles I added some colored scrap papers. Adding a ribbon and some enamel dots helps create some different textures and tie the whole thing together.

Supplies Used:

Die Cuts: Imaginisce Birthday Bash 

Patterned Paper: Imaginisce Berrylicious

Cardstock: American Crafts

Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye

Ribbon: Ribbons Unlimited

Practical Scrappers Sketch

This was the first month in a long time that I had a chance to play along with the sketch for Practical Scrappers!  That is another one of my goals for this year - to play along with my site a little more.  If you haven't been by there lately, you should!  We are on a different schedule now and I think you will love it!  Today you can see all the different interpretations of this fabulous sketch from Liz Chidester.

For my interpretation I used more of the pieces from that gorgeous We R Family line from Lily Bee Design!  Kind of a coincidence that they both ended up on my blog two days in a row!  I managed to incorporate lots of my stash into this one too!  Tip: Have a  big stash of embellishments??? Sort your embellishments by type and you will get more use out of them.  I have mine sorted by clear, chipboard, words, tags, metals, etc....now when I am looking for a chipboard I don't have to dig thru tons and tons I just go for that container.  

Do you have a great organization tip? I'd love to hear it!

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper: Lily Bee Design

Wood: Studio Calico, Lawn Fawn

Chipboard: Bo Bunny & My Mind's Eye

Stickers: Bella Blvd

Enamel Dots: Lily Bee Design

Brad: My Mind's Eye

Doilies: Jillibean Soup

Cork: Fancy Pants

My First Sketch Interpretation!

Last week we went on a roadtrip to Nebraska.  I have been playing more and more with sketches and decided to try my hand at creating some!  If you look at the tabs underneath the title of my blog you can find all that I have created so far there!  Last night I actually used a couple of them and created layouts.  Here's my very first one!  I created this sketch with patterned paper in mind....I often come across collections that I adore the paper on and want to include as much of it as I can!  This sketch is perfect for that.

The fun thing about sketches is that they give you a jumping off point...but if you start and then stray that is okay.  Even I don't follow my own sketch exactly!

One of my goals for this year is to do several layouts about myself, just myself.  I do lots on family and obviously lots on kids.  But there are some things about me that will be fun to remember down the road.  Today's layout features journaling about some of my dreams that came true in the scrapbooking industry this year!  

I absolutely love the line "We R Family" by Lilybee Design.  It incorporates some of my favorite colors and has fabulous patterns.  My squares for this layout are 1 3/4" and with that they didn't fill the whole page, so I trimmed it down and matted it on a turquoise cardstock.

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper Lilybee Design

Wood: Studio Calico

Stickers: Bella Blvd, Cosmo Cricket

Washi Tape: My Mind's Eye

Stapler: Tim Holtz

A Two Page Bella Blvd Layout

I remember a time when I almost exclusively did two page layouts.  That is definitely no longer the case.  But there are times when that is exactly what I need to do to tell the whole story or use all the pictures I want to use.  Today I have a two pager featuring shots of my little Lucy.  I had a lot of fun playing with the title work on this one!

It is always so hard to show a two pager on a blog...so I will share some close ups!

I had fun playing with feathers, flags, and stitching on this one. Tip:  Think outside of the box with your color combinations, without the navy blue this layout would have a very different feel and could be less eye catching.  Throwing in the unexpected navy blue helps to add to the boldness. 

Tip: When working with a longer title, varying the fonts and what the letters are created from help to add some interest to the title.  

Do you still do two page layouts?  I'd love to see a link to one that you love!

Supplies Used:

Feathers; Bella Blvd

Washi Tape: Bella Blvd

Letter Stickers: Bella Blvd

Stickers: Bella Blvd

Patterned Paper: Bella Blvd

Let's Party: a Bella Blvd Birthday Layout

If you aren't real awake yet, this layout is sure to wake you up!  Today I have a bright and cheery birthday layout to share!

This is actually an older layout that I just realized I hadn't shared.  I love it when I can include unexpected things like feathers on a boy layout!  I often create my layout straight from my brain with little to any plan.  I know that is probably making some of you gasp because I know many scrappers are total planners! Usually when I start I have some idea of what I want to use...be it paper, or a technique, or a theme.  I then just run from there.  Usually my title work comes into play when I 

have created my base and am ready to start embellishing.  In the case of today's layout...I didn't have a good spot for my title without it getting overshadowed by patterns and textures.  Tip: Go vertical with your title!  As you can see I did just that and then added the word "let's" on the horizontal.  I think it actually ended up being my favorite part of this layout!

Supplies Used:

All Supplies Used are from Bella Blvd

Doll Hair Bows

Christmas is over and the recovery is on!  I have a little set of bows to share with you today that I created for my little girl as part of her Christmas present.  Her big dream for this request was an American Girl Doll.  It was a first for her!  She loves to do hair, so I wanted to make her some little bows to use in her new doll's hair that were just the right size!  

This lucky little doll has her own, one of a kind bows!  Today I am going to share with you how I created these bows.  And don't worry, they are quick and easy...especially with the right tools in hand!

I created several different little bows.  The key to making this work easily is to use ribbon that is less than 1/2" wide.  

I purchased some smaller clips that are about 1 1/2 inches long.  Perfect for a very little girl or a doll!  --To start you will want to cut a 4 inch strip of ribbon.

-Cover the top of the clip with fabric glue or hot glue (something that dries fast).  

-Then begin at one end and tack it down and create a loop until you get to the other side.  

-Add glue to the center and smash down the middle with your finger.

-Cut down the excess and use that to create the middle of your bow

-Add a dab of glue tot he center and wrap the piece around the center, securing it with glue to the bottom of the clip.

-Trim off excess.

-After allowing it to dry overnight, it should be ready for doll hair!

Now what colors should I make next?

Ribbon Supplies Used:

Grosgrain Ribbon Neon Orange

Swiss Double Face Satin Ribbon - Flame Red

Grosgrain Striped Ribbon - Royal Blue

Grosgrain Striped Ribbon - Yellow

So Happy: Layout for Ribbons Unlimited

I have a layout featuring some fabulous Ribbons Unlimited ribbon today!  I am wrapping up my time on their design team and decided to finish it off with a layout!  Have you ever created a layout and realized you were just missing something?  That was the case for this one today!  

I had started the layout and left it sitting for about a month.  I finally pulled it back out with the hope of polishing it off.  As I worked I realized that the top area really needed a punch of color....but not something overwhelming.  Yellow is my go to color for times like that!  I pulled out my organdy ribbon and just created a top border strip.  Ahhhh, so much better!  I added some vellum underneath my picture (again :)) as well as some other softer shapes to break up the triangles.  I created the triangle base using pieces from the Little Man stack by Paper House Productions.  

Supplies Used:

Organdy Ribbon - Bright Yellow

Burlap: Little Yellow Bicycle

Patterned Paper: Paper House Productions

Big Announcement & Blog Hop Winner

First off today I have an awesome announcement! I have lots of dreams when it comes to this industry!  Last year when I got my Silhouette Cameo, one of the dreams added to the list was to be on the creative team for Samantha Walker.  Imagine my delight when I received an email saying that I was chosen for her 2014 team!  Here's the rest of the gals she chose for the team!

The new 2014 team:

Jamie Cripps Creative Team Coordinator

Guiseppa Gubler

Diana Fisher

Allie Gower

Nicole Stark

Christine Meyer

Crystal Hobbs

Cathy Harper

Guest Digital Specialist:

Chrissy Guido

Guest Designers:

Aimee Maddern

Arin Flynn

Tonya Graham

Here are some of my recent posts that feature her cut files!

One Doily - Two Projects

Reindeer Holiday Decor

Front Porch Layout

Thank You Card

Snowflake Card Ideas

Now, I know a bunch of you are wanting to know if you are the winner from my Top Ten blog post!  The winner is....LisaM!  

"All of your projects are amazing Christine, but I think my favorite is the You only live once, one. Loving all those triangles! Hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!"

Lisa - email me at practicalscrappers@gmail.com and I will get that sent out!