Desk Organization and Pen Storage

Hi girls, Natalie here.
This project was so easy. I saw the project finished in my head as soon as it caught my eye!
Most of us have more than just a couple pens and markers. Plus we’ve got rulers, files, tweezers, knives, bone folders, and all sorts! Most of you probably have jars or fun containers to keep them nice and tidy in, but some of you might be wondering what you can do to organize and keep them handy at the same time!

Well look no further than an old dishwasher!!! The cutlery holders in dishwashers come in all shapes and sizes, so although maybe one you’re chucking out isn’t suitable, or you aren’t chucking one out, but … you might know someone who is, and theirs would be perfect!

All I did was sand the plastic with some sand paper to remove all the little cuts and lifted groves near the top from the knives, then I spray painted it black to match my décor. I made sure to stand it on every side and spray from every angle so that no white showed through, and bang: Instant storage for the back of my desk that keeps everything nice and tidy, AND right here within reach!! The best part is, the footprint is long and narrow, perfect to keep tucked up at the back against the wall.

Can it be this easy? Yep!!!

Funny side-story…
When we bought our house, the dishwasher was in AWFUL condition, so we didn’t use it. Since we had furniture and appliances to buy, the dishwasher went on hold. Eventually DH decides we should buy a second-hand one, so we make arrangements to buy a guys dishwasher and when we arrive to pick it up, he says, “Ahh, just have it. I’m not 100% sure it works.” So we take it, and sure enough, it spilled water all over the floor when we turned it on.
So,
I was having a yard sale, and just in case, I put both broken dish washers out with my goods, and labeled them up “Free” and “Even Freeer”. (Not before I took out my pen holder!) Needless to say nobody took them. About a month later, they still sat next to the garbage can, and DH said, “I’ll ask if I can throw those in the dumpster at work”. THAT NIGHT when we came home from work, they were GONE! Somebody finally thought Free and Even Freeer was a good deal... and just in time!!!

Inspiration from graph paper

Hi y'all! Teri here. :)
Anyone who knows me knows I break for the office supply aisle whenever I go to the store. The clips, the papers and everything else make swoon.
So it probably isn't a surprise that I found some inspiration this week from the office supply aisle.
Specifically, what caught my eye was a table of graph paper.
That is the very reason there is the graph-paper looking circle on this little layout of me and a couple of my Funk-ette pals that I tossed together the other night. :)
Here's I achieved the graph paper look:
I began with the ledger circle stamp from Technique Tuesday's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" stamp set.
I inked it up and stamped it once on my circle of cardstock.
I then inked the stamp up again, rotated the stamp 90 degrees and stamped on the circle again.
The result: the look of graph paper.

Layout Scraps to Inspire You

Hi everyone, Wendy here....I know Ms. Melissa touched on this in a previous post *you can see her amazing cards from scraps and sketches HERE* but I thought I would post a little bit on this subject as well because it really, really works and works well. Whenever I finish up a layout (and believe me I'm a very messy scrapper!) I will leave my layout scraps out and then make a card. I always have plenty of product and I usually don't have to add anything else to my card. I just completed an assignment layout and left my scraps out...then I had a thank you card to make, so I just used my scraps and embellishments I already had taken out. I created this little thank you card, and I even used some scraps from an image I cut out using my Cricut Expressions diecut machine. So use up those scraps and make something fun before you put everything away...the stuff matches and it's already out, why put things away twice right?! Have fun!!

Inspiration from a Valentine's Day Card!! :)

OK...so you all think that Valentine's Day is over...right??
Well...I think not! Go grab the valentine that you gave to your loved one...and read it again...
there was a reason you picked it out from all the other cards on the shelf, right?

Because it was perfect...right?

Well...take those words and sentiments...and use them on a layout!

Each year, I really think that I had found the PERFECT Valentine...they always seem to ring so true...but this year, I really DID find THE PERFECT VALENTINE!

I love everything it says...
it suits us perfectly!

So...why just pack that card away for prosperity..????

use the sayings, verbage, sentiments, poem...whatever...on a layout!

Dee ;)

More Home Decor.

ok, I need to brush up on my photography skills, and my picture hanging skills! These look so much better in real life. sigh, oh well.
Anyway, I was looking through a magazine, and saw these 6 wall hangings. Price = 279.00. So pretty.


So I think, well, I have some pretty scrappy papers that would look good in a look like that. So I went to hobby lobby and bought 4 canvasas. total cost = 10.00. Then I bought some modpodge- 4.99. I had the paper and stamps, so I went to work.
They took me about 3 1/2 hours to do, then I let them dry overnight, and then stamped the sayings on them.
I then hung them on my wal- I only did 4 because they are 16 x 20 in size each. I like them, what do you think?
Here is my version.




Thanks for looking! :D Shellie

Artist Trading Cards (ATC)

Jen here...I admit it! I am totally addicted to creating these little 2.5 x 3.5 cards. I had never made one until last spring. It was part of a challenge that I took part in. I'd been admiring these cards for quite a while and the challenge was all I need to jump in and give it a try. Once I made that first card, there was no turning back. I've been involved in a monthly swap ever since. I love creating these and it's so much fun getting cards from the others in my group too. I am always amazed at the different ways that the monthly theme is interpreted. This is one that I created for February and the theme was...can you guess...LOVE!

LOVE MONTH

Hi, Natalie here.

In light of it being February, I'm going to show you a love project I made.
I saw something similar to this, thought it was lovely, and I've made my own version.

I used a theme of love, and came up with words for each letter that in some way relate to my husband. I used Making Memories chipboard letters, and instead of using the letter, I used the negative. I also used scraps of BasicGrey paper from one of my earlier projects for this blog. Chipboard for the most part is small, so it’s great to use paper scraps on it.

So let me tell you how I did it.
Before I attached any paper, I laid out my letters to decide how many lines of letters I’d have and whether my design would sit symmetrical or not. Once I decided this, I cut rectangles the size of the chipboard from my paper scraps. With all my papers cut and my letters laid out, I arranged the paper atop the chipboard to decide where my colors would live. I didn’t want two of the same paper too close together. I wrote on the back of each paper which letter it belonged to. I punched out the letter centers that I would not need, and I proceeded with a glue stick to attach the paper to the negative rectangles.

When every piece of chipboard was covered, I sanded around the edges with a nail file to show the white core of the paper. Then I straight stitched around each one. (The M & W were large, so I only stitched along the top and bottom of those two.)

Then I used an x-acto knife to cut out the center of the letters face down on a cutting mat. (for the letters that had a piece in the center, like this letter "e" here, I attach that little piece to the back of the paper where it should sit, and cut it out too.) Then I sanded the inside of each letter.

When there were finished, I laid them out again in the arrangement I’d decided on, and spaced them to determine how big I needed to cut my board they would be attached to. I took into account the words I wanted to print and attach beneath the letters. I measured spaces between the letters and determined the perfect size of my board. I cut it and spray painted it black. I sanded the edge of the board like I did on the chipboard letters.

Using foam adhesive, I attached each letter to the board. I printed my words on Glossy photo paper, and tried to find the same font as the chipboard. I printed a couple tests on plain paper to get my sizing just right. And then attached them with liquid adhesive.


It was easy to make, but I won’t lie, all those letters took some time to sand and cut out!! :)
(ps DH was very impressed and pleased. That's an awesome bonus.)