The Cutting Edge

First - Happy Easter!  I hope that everyone will spend today with family and/or friends.  I know that we will all have some cute pictures to post later today or tomorrow.  I can't wait to spend AngelCakes first Easter with her!

So my post today is about cutters.  Susan and I keep trying to find the "perfect" cutter.  It is really out there?  Here is my current collection.  My favorite is the new Fiskars cutter that GQ turned me on to.  My second favorite is my Creative Memories straight cutter.  I have the wavy cutter and the newest rotary cutter, but I'm not "in love" with those.   For me, the perfect cutter has to be light weight, have a good cutting groove that won't warp, very visible hash marks, and blades that last a long time.  The CM straight cutter is light weight and has a great cutting groove.  However, I had to mark the hash marks with a white pen in order to be able to see them and the blade doesn't last as long as I wish it did.  The new Fiskars has everything on my wish list....so far.  I haven't had a chance to judge the groove and blade, but am hopeful that they will make me proud! :)  I do like the CM wavy cutter for cutting decorative borders and strips. 

Do you have a favorite?

Stuck on You

Adhesives - wow, there are so many to choose from.  And just like other tools, certain adhesives are better than others for certain tasks.  The scotch liquid glue is my favorite for general purpose use.  I love my Scotch ATG for everyday scrapbooking  and card making.  The adhesive is pretty aggressive, which I like.  I LOVE my Creative Memories precision point pen for adhering small items such as letters.  And you CAN'T forget the pop dots - a crafting MUST!!!   But, as you can see, I have many different brands and types.  I use most of them.  Sometimes I will decide that a certain type just doesn't work for me in my crafting.  But rather than just toss it, I'll use it for other purposes such as gift wrapping. 

Do you have a favorite?

Do You Have a Favorite Designer?

I have ALWAYS loved Anna Griffin.  I love almost everything she designs.  Everything she designs has such an elegant flare to it.  You can view her latest work at http://www.annagriffin.com/.  She will also be on HSN on May 7 for National Scrapbook Day.  I can't wait to see what she will be launching. 

So who is your most favorite designer???????

My Little AngelCakes

I took off of work this week.  No special reason; just really needed some time off.  Unfortunately I wound up getting sick last week and it has lingered into this week.  I have managed to salvage some of my time off though.  I have had the opportunity to spend some extra time with AngelCakes, which is such a treat.  AngelCakes' Mommy and I did another "Glamour Shots" photo shoot with her (not the real Glamour Shots - just our version at home).  She was in a great mood this time.  Since she is still too young to sit up on her own, I purchased a beanbag chair for her.  She actually loves the chair!   We covered the chair and backdrop with a black sheet and started snapping away.   We did three outfit changes and took close to 400 photos in about 30 minutes!  It was fun.  I enjoyed getting to spend this time with AngelCakes, but I also enjoyed getting to spend some fun time with my daughter.

Ribbon Organization

I love organizational ideas.  I love trying new organizational ideas....seriously.  Susan and I have decided that somtimes we think we enjoy organizing our supplies more than we enjoy using them! :)  Ribbon oranization has been a tough one or me.  I love ribbons.  I love the texture that ribbons and fibers add to pages and cards.  I have tried numerous ways of organizing my ribbons.  I've tried having each ribbon in a small baggie - takes up a lot of room.  I've tried keeping it on the spool and organizing on dowel rods - I wound up with tails of ribbn hanging down all over my wall.  I've tried wrapping the individual ribbons around popsicle sticks - that was okay but not great.  I've tried wrapping around floss cards and storing in plastic floss boxes.  Can't even remember why that one didn't work for me.  I had my ribbons organized by color and stuffed into glass jars.  That was too hard to work with because the piece I wanted was ALWAYS on the bottom. 

Anyway, I think I have finally found a system that is working for me.  It is made by Best Craft Organizer and  can be found at http://www.bestcraftorganizer.com/.  I have about a dozen of the trays and each tray has six tubes.  Each tube holds six selections.  If your purchase the initial kit, you will get the winder, which is very easy to use.  I love that I have all of my ribbons organized by color and can just pull it rght out without having to dig.

Photography

I like photography.  This is another hobby that I wish I were better at, but  I am just so thankful for automatic settings. 

My Mom has always liked photography, and her father liked photography.  She has a cool collection of old cameras.  She knows how to take pictures the "real" way - manual settings and all.  I remember borrowing her 35mm film camera to take pictures at a Braves game back in the early 90's.  She tried to give me a quick lesson.  All I really remember is "thread the needle".  I actually got some good shots that day. 

I have always had a camera.   I remember being a little girl and having the kind that had  flash "cubes".  I worked my way through various cameras through the years.  Finally - in 2001 I got a Canon Rebel 35mm film camera.  I stayed with film until the GQ convinced us all that digital was the way to go.  She was the first in our group to go digital.  So I started out with the original Canon Rebel digital and am on my third upgrade.   I currently have a Canon Rebel T2i.  I have tried to upgrade every two years; however, this may be my last upgrade since retirement is around the corner.  I have four good lenses.   Sometimes I'll try to use the manual settings on my camera, but by the time I remember all of the settings I'm supposed to adjust, the photo op is gone.  So I mostly just use my auto settings.  Creative for me is "no flash" - that is about as good at it gets!  

I have had the opportunity to take pictures of some wonderful scenery.  All of my pictures are from U.S. destinations (except just a few from Mexico).  I've never traveled abroad - again, except Mexico - and I don't even have a passport.  I went to Mexico before passports were a requirement.  I think I'm better at photographing animals and nature than people.  But now that AngelCakes is here, I really want to get better with people.  My kids used to tease me about my lack of skills.  Either there was no head on the subject or my thumb was in it.  I'm better these days because of digital.  I may take a thousand pictures of the exact same thing, but at least one picture will have a head!!! :) 

I do enjoy reading photography tips and seeing what other people are able to do.  My current favorite photography site is http://www.picturecorrect.com/.  I get automatic posts from this site.  They are a great source of  information.

Potato Chip Scarf

I knitted this scarf as a gift for a friend.  The pattern is super simple, but you have to keep a really good count on your rows.  I love the way it spirals.  

I have found that YouTube is a great resource for learning certain stitchtes.  I didn't even know what m1 stood for, so I googled it and found that it means "make one".  Then I went on YouTube and found several video resources which helped.

Also, if you google "free knitting patterns" you will find numerous free patterns that can be downloaded and/or printed. 

Ceramic Bunnies

Susan (aka GQ), Christine, Holly and I went to a Pottery Painting session a few weeks ago.  I wanted to do something special for Easter so I chose these two little bunnies.  One is the Mom and one is the Baby.  Painting pottery is not something that I do well at all.  I kept slathering on the paint but because I was using a very neutral color, you couldn't even tell that my pieces had paint on them.  We had to leave them for a week so that they could be glazed and fired.  I fully expected my pieces to come back looking naked....shiney and naked!   But to my surprise, the color came out in the firing process. 

These will go in AngelCake's Easter basket from Grammy and Grampy.  Shhhhhhh!  It is supposed to be a surprise for her -:) 

Knitting - My Latest Obsession.....I Mean PASSION!

Knitting is my latest craft.  I have been crocheting for many years (although I'm not too good at it), but I have always wanted to learn to knit.  Around Christmas I visited The Yarn Garden knit shop in Lawrenceville and I signed up for a basic class.  In the class we learned the two main stitches....knit and purl.  We learned to cast on and cast off.  My favorite thing to knit is scarves.  I guess I like scarves because they are fairly quick.  I am also one of those A.D.D. crafters who has to have umpteen things going at the same time, so I have three or four scarves as well as a shawl and an afghan in process.  I knit on one until I get bored and then I move on to the next for awhile.  There are many things I enjoy about the knitting process.  I like that it is a "small" craft project as compared to scrapbooking.  I can fill my entire SUV with supplies for a weekend of scrapbooking, but I can take one small bag for a weekend of knitting.  It is also a "lap" craft; something I can do while watching TV, I can do it during my lunch break, I can do it on a long plane trip and I can do it in my hotel room when I'm bored and lonely.  It is a great stress reliever and it keeps my hands busy.  Even though I quit smoking long enough ago to be considered a "non-smoker", I still have days when I miss it.  This occupies my hands and my mind.

These pictures show one of my baskets of yarns.  I love pretty yarns.  I am also showing my Boye electric yarn winder.  I love this tool.  I enjoy knitting so much more if my yarn is "center pull".  The winder takes a skein of yarn like the blue one and winds it into a perfect center pull ball like the one next to it.  I purchased the winder from Michaels.  It retails for $90, but I used a 50% coupon and got it for half price. 

There are several nice yarn stores in metro Atlanta.  I like the Yarn Garden in Lawrenceville (on the square) and the Needle Nook in Atlanta (located at the intersection of Briarcliff and North Druid Hills).  Both stores are run by people who know their business and are willing to help a newbie.  While teaching classes is  a part of their business, they will always help you if you need help learning a particular stitch.  .

My "Crafty Steal"

One of the daily sites I visit is http://www.craftysteals.com/    I love this site because you can get some really good deals.  For instance, this Anna Griffin set.  I have been looking at the tote bag for a year now.  Just the tote alone retails for about $50.  This deal came with the tote, the flat pack which included cards, envelopes, and many embellishments, and the zippered pouch which snaps inside the large tote.  I got the whole "steal" for just $29 plus s/h.  This tote is such a great size.  It can be used for multiple purposes such as a knitting tote, a scrapbooking tote, a purse, or even a diaper bag.  I love bags, so this was right up my alley  This bag will definitely be going to Texas with me later this week!

My Teresa Collins Mini Album

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I took a Teresa Collins class which was offered through Emi Scrapbooking Store in Cumming.  I loved the class.  We worked with different items than I have worked with before.  I think one of my favorite things  was the crate paper - yep, just plain old crate paper.  We put down a line of adhesive (we used thermoweb) and then just hand-pleated the paper.  We used black in the class, but you could take white and spray it with Glimmer Mist - that would probably produce an awesome look!   We also used lace, bling, metals, and even an embellished hair pin.  It was so much fun.  I didn't put the pictures in my album until I got home, but I am really happy with the results.  I plan to use many of these techniques on future pages.

Favorite Scrapbook Albums

Which manufacturer makes your favorite scrapbook album?  Mine is Creative Memories.  I have been using their albums since I first started scrapbooking.  I have tried others, but always come back to CM.  What I love about these albums is the quality.  They are very well-made and durable.  They lay flat when opened, too.  Yes - they are a little on the pricey side, but well worth it to me.  CM has evolved with their albums through the years.  Initially you could only get their version of 12 x 12 which was really 12 x 11 1/2.  Then they got on board and gave us true 12x 12 albums, pages, and protectors.  Then they went another step and gave us side-loading pages!  I love the side-loading pages.  Even though I typically scrapbook in chronological order, I still like to have the flexibility to move my pages around in an album if I so choose.  I like side-loading vs. top loading because these keep the dust bunnies out of your albums.  All in all, for my money I vote for Creative Memories albums.

The one in the picture is from the Nancy O'Dell Hummingbird series.  Since AngelCakes is all about purple, the Hummingbird series is a must for me!   

My "Play Room"

These are pictures of my craft room.  It is sort of a mess and I probably should have straightened it before taking a picture - but then I decided, this is just how I roll.  In the one shot you can see some of my many completed albums on the shelves.  In the other, you can see one side of my work area.  I have a small television, a netbook and printer, and supplies.  I also have many pictures of my family and friends displayed around my room.  This just makes me feel good!   

Never Let Go

This is one of my favorite pages that I've completed recently.  It is a picture of AngelCakes and her Mommy holding hands.  I titled it, "Never Let Go".  Makes me cry!   Anyway, I recently took a Teresa Collins class and she uses a lot of "blingage" and pleated ribbon, so I took what I learned and applied it to this page.  I'm very happy with the results. 

My First Post

So this is my first ever blog post.  I don't have any pictures to post yet, but will be posting some soon.  I spent most of my day playing with AngelCakes today.   Her Mommy didn't feel well so I went to keep the Angel company.  While I'm really sorry that my daughter is sick, I SO enjoyed getting to spend the afternoon with Baby Girl.  At just three  months old, she doesn't do too much - she eats, sleeps, poops (a lot!), and "talks" a little.  She is just precious.  I dressed her up for a photo op, but she really wasn't too much in the mood for glamor shots today.  I am cherishing every single moment with her.  Being a grandma is the best thing ever!

Afterward, I went by Archivers because my dear friend "The Gadget Queen"  (who will be known as GQ on this blog) had told me about a new die that has been released.  If GQ says it is a must, then it IS a must!  Then I ran into Michaels to purchase a new Cricut Cartridge, but (luckily) they didn't have it.  I will just say that my trip into Michaels was far cheaper than my trip into Archivers. 

So what type of crafts do I like?  Almost all of them.  My most fave is scrapbooking.  I've been scrapbooking for ten years and have completed over 100 albums.  Obviously, I also love photography.  I take tons and tons of photos.  I like stamping, beading, crocheting, sewing, and most recently I've been learning to knit. 

So these are the types of things I will be posting about and hopefully I'll actually complete a few projects and be able to post the pictures!