Etsy Item of the Day: Vintage Christian Dior Sunglasses

 

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These sunglasses were featured in a treasury and caught my eye. They are fabulous! Check out Vintage50sEyewear  on etsy to see more unique and stylish glasses.

Etsy Item of the Day: Flower Posey Patch

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How lovely! These beautiful little posies are made from patterned paper and coordinating buttons. Can you imagine these on a card! You can check out the shop of psitsinthedetails on etsy and click on the link below the picture to go directly to the listing.

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Great Inexpensive Adhesive Review

The one thing that can be a frustration with scrapbooking is the costs that can be involved. If you are not careful you will amass way more supplies, papers, ribbons, stickers etc than you can scrap with in a lifetime. lol. 

By far one of the most expensive (and hidden) costs associated with scrapbooking can be the adhesive that you use. I prefer to use a refillable adhesive because it is environmentally conscious (less waste) and recently came across some Elmer's CraftBond Permanent Tape in Wal-mart that works great!


Best of all I only paid $2.00 for a pack that contained 2 refills that measure 26 ft each for a total of 52 ft. So that is a pretty good deal. I used to use the Duck Brand Adhesive (280307) but found it to be rather expensive at about $4.50 per roll and is only added up to about 21 feet. Also, I didn't like throwing them away when I was finished.

Related items:

Free Scrapbooking Sketches

Sketches from scrapbooksetc.com

New eBook that has over 600 Quotes for your Scrapbooking Layouts and Cards

If you are anything like I was, you are tired of searching the internet for that perfect quote to accent your scrapbooking pages or your handmade cards. That is why I put together a little eBook that has over 600 quotes perfect for any and every occassion. Now you can spend more time creating, and less time searching!

And get this, it's only $2.99!!! Click on the button below to get an instant download of this book.

And if you have a Kindle you can get yours here: All The Write Words: Quotes and Sayings for Your Scrapbooking Layouts and Cards

Simple Scrapbooking Sketch

One of the easiest ways to put together a scrapbooking page is by looking at sketches. I often sketch out how I want a page to look before I start cutting. Thus saving me money and I save the sketches so that I can refer to them later. Here are a few that I have done recently.

Here is an example of the first one. It's for sale in my etsy shop

Another great resource is 500 Scrapbooking Sketches.

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Review of Scrapbooking Die Cut Machines

I am in the market for a new die cut machine and need to do some research to see which one as they can get really expensive. I used to have a Cricut Personal Electronic Cutting Machine but got tired of having to cut my paper down to use it (I regularly buy 12x12). My sister-in-law has the bigger Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter that allows for you to use the 12x12 paper and she seems to really like it.

I have been leaning towards buying the Sizzix Big Shot Cutting-and-Embossing Roller-Style Machine

I researched the  4 machines and here is what I found:


Product: Sizzix Big Shot Cutting-and-Embossing Roller-Style Machine
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $77.39
Pros: Cuts through just about anything
          Cuts other brands of dies

Cons: Can only cut through one layer of fabric at a time so not good for quilters

Read all reviews here: Reviews


Product: Cuttlebug Machine V2 (Pretty new product so not a lot of reviews yet)
Price: $66.90
Pros: Compact for storage
         Easy to use
Cons: Handle doesn't turn as smoothly as the first version

Read all reviews here: Reviews


Product: Cricut Expression 290300 Personal Electronic Cutter
Rating: 3 1/4 stars
Price: $168.01
Pros: Cuts at 1/4 where most other machines start at 1/2
          Very intricate shaped catridges, other machines seem to have basic shape
          Layering options available


Cons: The price of the cartridges are expensive ($60-$90)
          The cutting mat loses it's "sticky" quickly
          Does not cut chipboard or fabric as the video suggests

Read all reviews here: Reviews






Brand new machine that has 5 stars is Vagabond Machine Inspired By Tim Holtz
Price: $199.00

The machine cuts dies from other companies and so far the customers are raving about this product, there were only 3 reviews so not enough to get any cons

Back To School Mini Scrapbook Album Featured on etsystalker

I am so excited, my Back to School Mini Album has been featured on etsystalker.com along with some other too cool items. Check them out! (oh and drop by my etsy shop as well while you are at it ). :)

Paper Punches for Scrapbooking Review

I've recently started selling die cuts that I make by handpunching cardstock and decorative scrapbooking paper in my etsy shop and have quickly discovered that not all punches are the same. I am going to give you my favorites and not so favorites of ones that I have used.

At first, I wanted to make handmade tags so I headed to Joanne's and purchased a Fiskars punch like this one. Boy was this punch ever hard to use. I thought at first that it may be the size of the tag and then discovered later that I had some smaller Fiskar punches that I have hardly ever used. It is too hard to punch and by the tenth punch you are wondering if it's worth it.

I have some Martha Stewart border punches like this Daisy Chain Trim punch that I rather liked. They punch smoothly and you don't feel like you are working too hard for it. But it's Martha so I wouldn't expect any less.

I also have a couple of EK Success punches like Mickey Mouse Punch that work very well. You can do repeated punching without feeling like you are working too hard for it.

So what your favorite punches?

Related items:

Brown Paper Bag Embellished Pens

I am always looking for ways to embellish pens and this is such a cute and inexpensive idea! I have got to try this. Get the instructions here.

Would go great with my handmade notebooks on etsy.

Make a Cute Mini Scrapbook Album From Toilet Paper Rolls



This is such a cute and inexpensive idea. It is also great for the environment. Think of all of the toilet tissue that you go through. Below is a great video that explains the steps needed to make one of these cute scrapbook albums.

You Tube Video

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How to Make Inexpensive Ribbon Storage for Only $1.50!!!

I am almost embarrassed to show you my ribbon box. I had the best of intentions when I purchased the pretty bins from Target and I thought they were the perfect solution. Well as you can see below...not so much. lol

  

So I started to rack my brain to think of a better storage option. I liked the ribbon storage that was a 3 dowels sitting on a round base but 1) I didn't think I would have room for that to sit on top of my small desk and 2) I wanted something a little smaller and something that could be added to if need be.

So it was off to Hobby Lobby to browse and see if inspiration hit and it did in the unfinished wood aisle. Here I found 5/8 x 12" wooden dowels and 2 x 3/4 wheels with a 3/8" hole. Perfect!



I probably could have gotten the finials as well to make it more decorative but I knew that the constant taking off of them would drive me crazy.

After attatching the dowel to the wheel, the first thing I did was prime the dowels with Gesso. I tried at first just to spray paint them white but the paint didn't seem like it wanted to stick but I don't spray paint often so it may have just been user error :).

Then the only thing left to do was paint it white and then add my ribbon and ta-da! Looks much better than the mess in my bin don't you think? Plus I discovered that the dowels fit almost perfectly inside my bin so I am going to slide the remaining ribbon in the bin that I don't use as often on them to keep the bin organized.

I like this option because it allows me the ability to move the dowels wherever I need them. I can have only the ribbon that I am currently working with on my desk while the other dowels can be tucked away. Hopefully this helps to give you ideas. Oh and here is the price break-down:

• The wheels were $2.99 for 4 ~ 75 cents each
• The dowels were $1.99 for 8 ~ 25 cents each
• The white craft paint was $.99 ~ 50 cents (used half a bottle)

So there you have it $1.50 for a pretty nifty storage option.

Related items:

Etsy Treasury: Harry Potter Handmade Items

Great Harry Potter themed treasury on etsy that is full of wonderful handmade items. Take a look here!



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Uses for ACEOs (Mini Altered Art Pieces)

I got into creating ACEOs last year and was instantly hooked. You can create a little piece of art in no time at all. I like to experiment with different embellishments and lately have been really enjoying using image transfers on my ACEOS. Most of them come from images that I see in magazines.

There are so many things that you can do with ACEOs including, but not limited to:

• Turn it into a magnet and display on your fridge or memory board for daily inspiration
• Frame it and group with other ACEOs for a very pleasing wall display or frame alone and sit on your desk
• Attach it to the front of a plain greeting card, the recipient will love it especially if you attach with velcro so that they can still have access to the ACEO later to display as they wish
• Use as a bookmark
• Use as place settings at parties and the guests can take them home later as party favors
• Set in a pretty box on a coffee table for guests to enjoy (just make sure that they are in plastic sleeves to protect from damage

Great books on the subject:

Every Woman Should Feel Beautiful etsy Treasury

Great listing for beautiful etsy items in gray, black and some with a hint of red. See the treasury here.

The treasury was inspired by a collage notebook that I created.

Esty Treasury

My Valentin'es Mat Set were included in this lovely treasury by BluKatDesign on etsy check out the treasury here.