Wednesday, February 29, 2012

My WorkSpace!

Because I'm a terrible procrastinator, I've waited until pretty much the last minute to enter in the exciting contest over at The Craft Donkey.  Do I mean to put things off until the last minute?  Of course not!

It's a fun thing to do- to take a picture of your space and link it up for all the interested to take a look.  And I'm one of the people who love to see where other people create.  I love it.

First, tho, before I got around to taking pics of my space,  I played around with the doily stamps from October Afternoon's Farmhouse stamp set.  I stamped them onto a piece of kraft cardstock and cut them out- and don't they look terrific?!


They're so cool!  I can't wait to use these!

After cutting out maybe fifteen of these beauties, and after admiring them for a bit- I started the search for my camera.  Why can't I keep it safe in one place?

Found the camera and shot some terrible pics!

First up: My table.  Look at that mess.  Stuff everywhere.  I can't decide if I work better with a mess all around me or if I start with a clean surface and everything in its place.


This is where I keep my paper trimmers, Martha's ScoreBoard, my BigKickAss, and usually a stack of dies that I've forgot to put up on my shelf.  To the right, a big plastic bucket of scraps, paint chips, and other random things...



This is my ghetto photography studio.  Obviously, there's my tripod.  A blank canvas works as my white backdrop.  On top of my YUDU, I've stood an assortment of objects for height, and covered them with a white shirt.  Classy, huh?


Here's a few buckets filled with stickers, chipboard letters, Bind-It-All book covers, rub-ons...



Close up of a shelf- in these gray bins, I keep lots of grommets, Tim Holtz Ideaology, envelopes, my big metal paper hole-puncher...


Here, I've stood back, so you can take in the mess in its entirety.  I love my stuff!


The stuff spills out onto the back of this sofa, here, too.  It makes a great platform to line up papers and stuff I'm meaning to use 'next,' or thinking of using 'next.'



I love the cliche white craft storage units.  I admit it.  I admit it proudly.  The bottom two shelves are cheap 20.00 shelf units from Target.  The top wall shelf thingy is from Michaels.  Thank you, coupon.  I got it when they had 40% of storage plus 30% of sale price.  I love arranging my Distress Stains, Alcohol Inks, paper tapes/tissue tapes, ribbons and anything else, into the little spaces.  Love it.



Here's the Tower of Power!  Sewing Machine, Cricut, bucket of stamp pads, binders full of stamps, Cricut cartridges, piles of paper....and on top, yes, those are mini-bottles of liquor.  Yes, I do drink them- they are not for display.  Everything here is for use, not looks.


Close up of my top shelf unit- see the framed sign above it? Cracks me up!  "All Madam's Must Keep Their Girls Off The Street After Dark"!  At the bottom is a mini-album I've been working on for forever.  It is slowly but surely coming together.  I can't wait to share it with all of you!


Distress Inks, Mister Hueys! And more STUFF!


There ya go!  A tour of my space!  Wish me luck, I wanna win a prize!

And yes! Everyone click the link at the top of my post to go to visit my wonderful friend The Craft Donkey, and enter pics of your space!  A chance to win an incredible prize- who wouldn't be up for that?!  But not too much time left!  Run!


-kory

Happy Leap Year Day!

I don't know about you, but the idea of a day that happens only every four years just plain freaks me out...

It sounds like the basis for a horror movie.

How are we celebrating in the office?  Coworker Beverly brought me a donut in the shape of a person!\


Isn't that cute?  Such a nutritious breakfast.

Enjoy your day, everyone!

-kory

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Tuesday With A Vengeance

Yeahp.  Tuesday damn near killed me.  I don't want to complain.  But I will.  I am cursed with a face that looks younger than my age.  It's definitely catching up, the hard life I've lived is starting to show through the cracks- but still, I don't really look my age.  Believe me, it was much worse.  When I was sixteen, I looked maybe ELEVEN.  My younger brother, who had a freakin' BEARD and a foot-tall mohawk when he was FOURTEEN used to have to go up to the box office to buy tickets for rated-R movies because they wouldn't sell them to me.  To ME, the person who DROVE us to the movie theatre.  I had to hid around the corner, behind the bush, while he bought the tickets for The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Saturday night at midnight.  Anybody else remember doing that?  Not hiding behind bushes while your younger brother bought the tickets, but going to Rocky Horror at Midnight?  I digress.  What I was getting to is that because I look/sound younger- it can be a struggle to get people to take me seriously.  I can't tell you how many times I am talked down to at work by people who don't know me/are unaware of my awesome work skills.  As I was TODAY.  Which put me in a bad mood.   DISCLAIMER:  When I say something like 'my awesome work skillz,' or talk about 'how cool I am,'  -trust me, I am just being funny.  I am not some crazed conceited d-bag.  Alright- with that disclaimer out there, let's get down to bidness, before I send more people running for the 'back' button, screaming 'I CAME HERE TO SEE SOME PAPERCRAFTING GENIUS NOT TO BE THIS GUY'S THERAPIST!'

With a tough day at work, what am I to do but use my lunch hour to run up to PAPER CROWN and see what was in the new shipments she mentioned on her blog yesterday?  No new Tim Holtz, but I did find a few things- a set of Prima stamps that I bought because one was a little bug.  A bee, I think.  Or is it a fly?

photo from scrapbook.com - click to buy!
What is THAT?  As soon as I want to say it's a fly, its butt makes me want to say it's a bee.   I think I like every one of these tiny stamps.  Yes, they are tiny.  And perfect for fitting into little spaces that need a little bee.  Or a fly.  And they cost two bucks.  Well, I love all of them except for the the 'love' on the little stamp.  It would've been perfect if it didn't say 'love!'  By the way- have I ever expressed my distaste for those 'Live Laugh Love' signs?  They do to home decor as Thomas Kinkade does to art.  Oh I hate the LIVE LAUGH LOVE signs.  Don't get me started.  And my sincerest apologies to all of you that have a LIVE LAUGH LOVE sign hanging in your living room.  I mean no more offense than that sign.  

;-)

So there I am, staggering around Paper Crown, trying to decide if should hurry back to work or if I should fake a flat tire so I can go home and play, I get distracted by paper.  Being distracted by paper is a wonderful thing, isn't it?  I grabbed some new My Mind's Eye, and some of the 'Boys Life' papers from Echo Park.  Wow, dat's some purty paper.

I also got these nifty stamps from OCTOBER AFTERNOON:


These caught my eye because of the doily shapes.  Ever since watching the great DREW SCOTT's live Prima class last week, I've wanted some doily stamps.  I loved the way they looked, stamped with brown ink, on that layout he did... and now, I've got some doily stamps!  I also love the 'this book belongs to' stamp AND the two silhouettes.  They key isn't bad, but I have more key stamps than I have vintage typewriter stamps.  How about a round of applause for OCTOBER AFTERNOON, ladies and gentlemen?!  I love you, OA.  

I also got these very cool retro travel inspired cards, from GLITZ's 'Happy Travels' collection!  I love anything having to do with travel - did you know that I was a travel agent for a little over six years?  Remember.  There might be a test, one day.


I can't wait to find a way to use these cards!

The rest of the day at work, I was planning on coming home to scrap a layout using my favorite old photo of my parents.  But when I got home, I YET AGAIN felt too lazy/technologically challenged to attempt messing with the printer... so I decided it was time to make another card.  

I forget WHERE I saw (in person) one of the 'Tri-Fold Shutter Cards.'  And that 'A Boy's Life' paper was sitting on table, winkin' at me and showin' a little leg...DAAAAMN!  I had to put that paper to work!  


I used some postage stamp lookin' paper tape from 7 Gypsies and more of my beloved die cuts from K & COMPANY, that I picked up while, um, grocery shopping at Wal-Mart.  It's a big bag of very cool looking vintage cards and bits- I need another bag!  That little 'Howdy' card, with the horse, is almost cooler than I am, for Gawd's sake!


See what I mean about that little 'Howdy' card?!  Coolness.


This is a close up of another one of the K&CO die cut cards- I thought it would be cool to circle the date and write the month and year info when I give this card to someone.  Those are the tiny staples from Mr. Holtz's tiny attacher, there, too.  Any excuse to use that damn treasure!

Well, making cards can wear a fella out.  I'm done for...

I hope everyone had a great creative day!  I'm working on some exciting things for my blog, so I hope y'all keep coming back.  What exciting things?  Some PRIZES and some VIDEO!  Don't get too excited about the prizes- this ain't no big classy blog.  But I can promise it'll be somethin' cool- cuz I'm cool like dat.  And video?  Yeahp.  I've been practicing a big opening number every time I jump into my truck to drive somewhere.  


-kory

Monday, February 27, 2012

Sale Alert!

Tim Holtz Distress Ink pads and reinkers are 2.99 each at Jo-Ann

...and that's all I have for exciting news.  A coworker just microwaved something that smells like a dead cat.

-kory

Sunday, February 26, 2012

The Rosette Bowl!

As much as I like to complain about Mondays, I hate to complain about Sundays- but I will:

I don't like Sundays, either.  Lots of stores are closed and you can feel Monday hovering over the entire day.

My Mom wanted me to come over and help move her new mattress up the stairs and into her bedroom.  Because we're so classy, we didn't have to carry the old mattress down the stairs to get it out of the house. How did we get the old mattress out?  We threw it off the balcony.

Once I got home, I sat down at my worktable and started playing around with stuff.  I didn't know what I wanted to make, I just knew that I wanted to make SOMEthing.

The first thing that caught my eye was my plastic bin of punches.  I dug through the jumbled mess and saw the double-loop border punch.  I wanted to know what it would look like if I folded it into a rosette.  I cut a strip of kraft cardstock, punched it, then scored, folded and glued it into a rosette.  I brushed the edges with some white American Crafts pigment ink.  Pretty cool looking:


I couldn't think of what to do next.  I started sorting through lots of stamps and placing them into plastic binder pockets.  I came across some 'Distressing Stamps' from GLITZ that I had forgotten all about!  I grabbed another sheet of my favorite Kraft cardstock and my Tim Holtz Mini-Rosettes die.  I wanted to see what they'd look like if I stamped the paper before assembling the rosette.


I LOVE these stamps!  I found them on clearance at Hobby Lobby for 7.79.  They're big and have great designs.  I loved the way this strip looked- it reminded me of my current favorite papers- Kraft Funday from My Mind's Eye.  I also stamped a strip of the cardstock with the 'handwriting' stamp, then ran them through my BigKick with the rosette die.  Here's how they turned out:


Don't they look great?!  For some reason, I'd always used a solid colored piece of cardstock when making them- I love how these turned out.

But now I've got a little handful of rosettes with no plan to use them!  I got out some blank cards and more paper and came up with this little 'thank you' card:


The stamp is from American Crafts.  The background paper is from the Tim Holtz Core D'nations Distress Collection stack.  I also used two strips of unassembled rosettes as a kind of border strip.  And used that 'dots' stamp, again, from the pack of Glitz 'distressing stamps,' stamped with Antique Linen Distress Ink.



The string is one of my favorite things to use on my cards- I got a big spool of it from the Dollar Tree!  It's just a plain twine, but looks kinda dingy white, and is very soft.  I need to pick up a few more spools next time I'm there- because, well, it IS just a dollar- but I seem to be using quite a bit of it!

As soon as I finished clearing some space off my table, I noticed that new stamp from yesterday.  He was staring me down.  Begging for me to use him.  And how could I say no?


Again:  I FREAKIN' LOVE THIS STAMP!

The card base is from a pack of tag card bases from the 'dollar bin' at Michaels.  I found the small scrap of light blue Distress Core D'nations in my scraps box- it was just the right size to fit in the Tim Holtz gears Texture Fade embossing folder.  I sanded it a bit and rubbed some Tea Dye ink on it, as well as some Walnut Stain.  I added one of the stamped rosette centers, with the tiny attacher.  The tape is "Tinted Tape: Aged," from Vintage Street Market.  There's also a trinket pin, a chain, and the 'IMAGINE' tag, all from Mr. Holtz, of course.   This is one of my favorite cards, in a long time.


I LOVE THIS STAMP!  I can't wait to find even better ways to showcase it!  What a charmer!

Alright, ladies and gentlemen.  I've taken a Benadryl.  It's time to try to get enough 'Sanity Sleep' before I have to try to face the week.  What is 'Sanity Sleep?'  It's like beauty sleep.  But I need sanity more than beauty, at the moment.  No jokes, please.

-kory








The Joys of the USPS


I love to get mail.

Love is putting it lightly, even.

I freakin' LOVE getting mail.

When I was a kid, I bought a little book at the school book fair, called "Free Things For Kids Through The Mail."

I sent away for every single thing in that book.  Even for the free pamphlet, "Puberty And You, Girls!"

As usual, I digress.

And before you have to ask me, yes- I talk like I type- just like a rambling drunk lounge singer from the late 50's.

ANYWAYS:

I love to get mail.  Imagine my surprise at such a mail-filled week!


The week started off with a package from one of my greatest friends from Scrapbook.com, the lovely Scrap Princess.  Her stuff is pictured on the left up there...  She sent a beautiful card and some great Halloween die-cuts, some very nice movie theatre themed cuts, and some cool black paper flowers.  I love the Halloween die cuts!  They're from the Slice Halloween cartridge.  Really made me regret not buying the Slice when it (and cartridges) were all on clearance at Michaels.  I still remember myself standing in front of the entire display.  I even had the box and a few cartridges in my hands.  But then, something masquerading as common sense took over and said- you have a Cricut, you have a Cricut Expression 2, and you barely use those- so why bother buying THIS?  You'll not only want the Slice but then you'll want every cartridge, just so they look good lined up so DON'T GET IT.  Dammit.  Kory loves you, Princess!

THEN- just when I'd barely got over the buzz of mail from the Princess, I get a message from The Ellen Bee.  Yes, the ELLEN from The Women's Waiting Room.  What they're waiting on, I don't really want to know- but she has a fun blog and I'd won a RAK just from leaving a comment!  And you know what it was that I won?  A great envelope full of fun!  It's all on the right in the above photo.  I love everything- especially the tombstone embellishment, and especially the octopus charm!  Actually, I really freakin' love every one of these charms, and I'm afraid she's started a new collecting obsession- but really: check out this octopus!!!


Isn't that terrific?!  I can't wait to find a place for him!

And then, the week ended with an envelope full of unmounted rubber stamps.  I got these for free, from Viva Las Vegas Stamps, just for adding their blinkie to my blog.  Now, I wouldn't have done this if I hadn't been to their site and LIKED their stamps.  They have an ADULTS ONLY section of stamps, dammit!  And the free baggie of stamps didn't disappoint.  My top favorites are the set of Scrabble tile alphabet stamps and one little treasure that says STAMP SLUT.  


So there you have it- a week full of fun mail!  Thank you, Princess, Ellen, and Viva Las Vegas Stamps!

-kory

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Book Sales & Rubber Stamps

I'm going to be totally honest- this last week sucked a zombie's butt.  It was horrible.  Work was stressful. To a sickening degree.  And why am I talking about zombie butt?  Because, as I was trying to think of something disgusting to compare my week with, I looked up and saw a zombie on TV.  Have I told you how much I like zombie movies?  Even bad, cheap zombie moves on the Chiller Channel.  Have you watched any movies on the Chiller Channel?  They are worse than the 'movies' I made with friends when I was eleven and my Dad bought a video camera.  We had bigger budgets than these things.

So yeah, bad week.  But the weekend started off well enough- leaving the office early on Friday for one of my favorite annual traditions.  The Friend of the Metropolitan Library Booksale!  We go early, around one, and line up with the other die hard booksale fans.  The sale doesn't open until 5- so it's a long wait.  What blows my mind is that when we arrive at about 1, there are already about fifty people ahead of us in line!  In the picture below, taken about an hour before the sale is to open you can see all the people who are BEHIND us!


I've been going to this book sale for as long as I can remember.  My Mom used to take me.  It's a tradition, dammit.

But now, the tradition is to go, with Holly, to 'the presale,' which is the night before the sale opens to the general public.  For a ten dollar donation to join 'The Friends,' you can get into the presale and find even more books to hoard.  You do know that I'm a hoarder, right?  Well, because of that show- Hoarders- I've become more aware of my habits.  So I limited myself to books, this year.  Instead of buying so many books that a nice volunteer has to find a dolly and help me load the books into my truck, I only allowed myself to buy what I could carry.  What I could carry in a big bag looped around my neck, that is...

I always walk/run directly to the 'Fine Arts' section, to look for any scripts/plays/theatre books- and I gotta hit the table FAST.  There always seems to be another group that heads right to this table first, believe it or not, who are trying to beat me to the scripts!  I LOVE reading plays.  I found a couple of good theatre history books, this year.

There are so many books EVERYWHERE that my head gets a little spin-y, and my eyes glaze over.  My next stop is the Hobbies and Crafts table.  This is where things start to get a little violent.

The library sale is very popular with what seems to be an entire compound full of some religious sect.  I'm not sure what they are and I definitely don't want to offend anybody- I'm not making fun of them, I'm just saying- if you're going to grab a book out of my hands, I'm going to make fun of your sideburns, lady.  So yeah, I battled a squadron of long-jean-skirted women with sideburns for a couple of craft books.  I'm not a proud person.  As I reached for a book about lettering- I saw Holly's head bob up out of a writhing mass of jean-skirts, waving a book- she tosses it to me, which gets me about ten evil glares.  It's 'The Joy of Scrapbooking.'  It's outdated but fun!  I think I have mentioned it- but I'm gonna mention it again- I LOVE outdated or vintage craft and/or cooking books.   "Here's a recipe that's just PERFECT after an energetic evening of folk dancing!" is one of my favorite lines from one of my old cookbooks.  HIGH-larious.

Here's a shot of my 'craft book haul.'


I grabbed another old dictionary to use- it's full of those great old line drawings and beautiful pages, that, for a dollar, you don't mind using for art.  One of the old dictionaries that I bought last year (I bought more than one, last year!) was already a bit of an art piece on its own.  Its previous owner had cut out articles from newspapers and bits of old bills and pasted them inside the covers.  Bunch of random stuff- clips from articles about when daylight savings time begins, birthstone lists, part of a water bill- and it's beautiful.  I can't bear to cut it up- I feel it was so special to the lady who owned it and glued this stuff in, and because I FOUND it, I feel that I was meant to be its guardian.  You can go 'awwww' right now, if you understand what I mean.  If not, you can make fun of me.  Go ahead.  I'm tough and can beat you up. AND- check that out- SCRAPBOOKING FOR DUMMIES!  Isn't that hilarious?  I don't know why I think it's so funny.  I just do.  Sue me.  The big pinky purple book is the book about lettering- it has some great examples of fonts to write by hand- and not just calligraphy- great looking handwriting examples.  I love to write by hand.  It's a dying art, people.  I must keep it alive.

Saturday:  I woke up, bright and early, with one goal.  To visit a new(ish) rubber stamping store.  How lucky is OKC?  We have a good number of stores- everything from the big holy trinity of Hobby Lobby, Michaels and Jo-Ann, to the perfectly perfect small local-owned stores (Hobby Lobby is technically locally owned- yes- it is 'Oklahoma owned and operated, as we're always told).  Our local art stores are great.  Paper Crown, Paper Arts, and Whole Lotta Scrap- and now- My Heart's Fancy.  That's the rubber stamping store that I went to, today.

I'd recently heard of My Heart's Fancy from a coworker, Miss Chris.  She's the scrappy lady I work with who gave me her little Cricut when she upgraded to the Expression.  Was that a blessing or a curse?  She told me about this shop and gave me the link to their website- and I was finally able to make it out there, this afternoon.  They're only open until 6, weekdays- so I can't go after work.  And they're closed on Sundays.  And too far to make it there and back on my lunch hours during the week- so Saturday it has to be!

I'd been checking out on their blog- here, for the last two weeks, so even thought I had a good idea of the stuff they carry- I was still awed upon walking in, wow- you know that feeling- when you're walking into a store that is filled with stuff you don't see at other stores?  Stuff  you might've only seen online, and wanted to see up close, to touch and hold?  I'm a stroke and tap shopper.  I must run my fingers across items and/or tap them.  Why?  I don't know.  We'll explore that.

I told myself I wouldn't spend more then thirty bucks.  I only went over a dollar.  It could've easily been in the hundreds.  And with all the items that I put on the little next time list in my head,  the next trip could do lots of damage.

I ended up with the 'dot matrix/gridlock' embossing folder from Tim Holtz.  I'd had my eyes on that one for a long time!   But I'd never seen it in a store.  And I needed to run my fingers over it before buying!  I also picked up some more 7 Gypsies paper tape- the one that looks like stamps, a ruler and something else?  Yeah, that one.  I also bought three dominos AND the coolest wood-mounted stamp I've ever laid hands on-  wanna see it?   Hell yes, you say?  Okay!  Here it is!



It's from Catslife Press.  I've never heard of this company before- but I just went to their website, to find out the name of this AAAMAZING stamp.  As far as I can find, it's known as nothing else besides 594F. Isn't this a wonderful stamp?!?!  It's cool.  It's strange.  It's fun.  It's classy in a cool, strange, fun way.  It's everything that makes my blood pump.  Catslife Press is now my favorite stamp company.  Sorry, Mr. Holtz, but you'll still always have a special place in my little black heart.  I can't wait to get a few more of the Catslife Press stamps as soon as I go back to this store!  I hope I didn't frighten the owner and she hasn't banned me from the premises!  Just kidding, I was on my quietest, best, most polite behavior.  I do have manners, no matter what you might've heard.

Alright, I'm off to play with my stamps.  I'll be back soon with a special post about the United States Postal Service and the joy they provide.  In the meantime, why don't you check out My Heart's Fancy, and if you're in OKC, give them a visit and tell them Kory sent you.  They won't have the slightest clue who you're talking about, so that'll make it fun.

-kory





Friday, February 24, 2012

Martha, I love you...

So- just a quick post, but did anyone else see this post at ONE LUCKY DAY about the Martha Stewart labels available at Staples?!  The thing that really caught my darling hazel eye was the mention of KRAFT labels!

I also must add my shout-out of love to Staples, and other office supply stores of its kind.  As a child, I used to obsess over the catalog from Office Depot.  As other children were out playing 'ball' and dolls and shooting up schools, I would arrange my bedroom as if it were an office, typing imaginary memos on my typewriter and filing things away- only to take a break to circle much needed supplies in my Office Depot catalog.   But more recently, I've purchased scrap supplies at Office Depot: blank TAGS.   C'mon, y'all know you can buy blank tags in bulk at the office supply store, right?  With STRINGS on them.  I know all of you know, so I'm not even going to act like it's some kind of breakthrough.  But my office-playing childlike hear loves that they come from Office Depot.  And have the strings attached.

Anyways- see what inspired this post HERE.

-kory

It's Friday, Get Your Weekend Scrap ON!

Good morning!

Actually, it isn't morning.  It's Thursday at 10:23pm CST.  I'm testing out the 'schedule' option to the right on Blogger, here.  Isn't technology amazing?  So amazing that I had to try it out.

I thought I'd start the weekend off with two sketches I made.  I've had a few people tell me that they like them.  I've even had people say they're going to USE them!  I totally didn't expect that- I mean, my sketches are simple to the extreme.  So simple that I'm sure there are exactly thirty-seven other identical sketches out there.  I make my sketches to inspire myself.  If I sketch it, it will be done.  That's kinda how I work.  I love to plan things out.  I love to make lists.  Seriously.  As a child, I even made details to-do lists to every occasion.  But I also used to demand to have my money in one dollar bills.  You're giving me birthday money, Grandma?  Please make it all in ONES, if you please.  And then I would mist them with water and iron them before hanging them from a string with clothespins.

How do I make these sketches?  I use an app on my iPad called Sketchbook.  I love this app.  It's handy.  I recommend.



That's my inspiration for the weekend.  Two layouts.  Will I do them?  Stay tuned to find out more, including news of LIBRARY SALE EXPLOITS!

-kory

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Oh, HI!

Happy Friday Eve, beautiful people!

I almost sat on a cat.

For real.  Thought it was a pillow.

Anyways- I was sitting around, feeling sorry for myself and- oh, who am I kidding?  I was sitting around thinking, WHOOHAWL, tomorrow is Friday!  Not just any Friday, either.  Tomorrow is the annual Friends of the Library SALE!

Once a year, the 'Friends of the Library' have a gigantic book sale at the OKC Fairgrounds.  It's HUGE.  The best part?  Hardcover books are ONE DOLLAR and anything not hardcover is FIFTY CENTS.

The next best part?  If you pay ten bucks a year to be a member of the 'Friends,' you get tickets to the 'Member's Only Pre-sale' the night before the sale opens 'to the public.'  Now, being a member of the Friends of the Library isn't as exclusive as I might've made it sound.  Anybody with ten bucks is good.  And there are LOTS of anybody's with ten bucks.  TONS of people show up for the pre-sale.  The line starts to form very early- just to walk in at 5, when the doors open.  Holly and I show up around 1pm.  And sit on cold concrete for four hours.  Just in the chances that being the first hundred people through the door is the only thing keeping us from finding a real treasure.

Waiting in the line is fun, tho- we see the same people every year.  We catch up.  Holly and the lady who is always there with her Aunt practice their 'pushing people out of the way of a good book moves.'  We make fun of the woman who talks on the microphone the entire three days of the sale.  We make fun of the 'unexperienced book shoppers' that walk in with dreams and a list of brand new bestsellers they'll find...  and then we make fun of each other.  It's all in good fun, we're not cruel.  Not that cruel.  And then the minute the doors open, we all run inside and forget we ever saw each other- until the next year, that is...

What kind of books do I find?  All kinds of things.  Books I never knew I wanted or needed or ones I've known I've wanted to have for a long time- and each one is a surprise!  I look for (and usually find) lots of scripts, published plays, theatre history books, crazy fiction, literature-  very cool stuff.  I do all this while Holly clears out the Home Decorating section.  I usually end up with fifty to sixty books.  Last year, I picked up a few old dictionaries and an atlas, for cool papers to use in crafts.  This year, I think I'll need lots more.  My old dictionaries are lookin' kinda ragged.  Well, the ones that didn't walk away with other people who needed cool old dictionaries.  I might pick up a few extras, for use in me 'n Holly's online shop.  No, it's not live, yet- so don't get too excited.

Wait a minute, where was I?  Oh yeah-  so, I was watching TV and thought, I can't sit still too long.  Project Runway All-Stars isn't entertaining me.  I decided to get up and work on a mini-album that I started a month ago.  I'm blocked.  I decided to try out a new Tim Holtz die that I bought a week or so ago.  That didn't get anything flowing, either.  I know!  I'll make a card!

I'm still slightly in love with that paper I used on the 'wedding' layout that I did a couple of days ago.  The opposite site is a bright yellow color- and, of course, I was dying to spray some Mister Huey's up in hurr!


I'm a bit proud of this photo.  I attached my camera to the super-nice tripod I found for five bucks at a Goodwill last Friday.  Believe it or not, my hands are not as steady as you'd think they would be.


I used a piece of Kraft cardstock that I bought from Jo-Ann.  This is the best kraft cardstock that I've ever got my dirty hands on- seriously.  It's thick and has almost the texture of a grocery store paper bag- you remember those thick brown bags?  It's slightly rough and is just terrific.

The only other things I used on this (surprise) simple card are:

Crate Paper: Brook Collection- 'Ripple'
My tiny attacher
The 'centers' that the Tim Holtz mini rosette die cuts out
and- Dark Calico and White MISTER HUEYS, for the win, as the kids say.

Here's another view:



Well, I don't know about you beauties- but like the card doesn't say, tomorrow is a new day, too- and I need my rest for a big day of half a day of work and THE LIBRARY SALE.  Wish me lots of luck!

-kory

New Templates from The Crafter's Workshop

Don't tell me I'm behind the game with all the mistin', schprayin' and schpritzin'- I know I am...

I bougth my first ever template/stencil/whatever a few weeks ago, at a local shop.  It's the 'clocks' template. And I love it.  I've been playing with that thing since the day I bought it- the only thing I don't like about it?  Trying to clean it up after I'm rubbed ink all over it.  It's bad enough trying to clean my hands off after a craft binge.  Do you know how sad it is to be at the liquor store buying a box of wine, with ink smeared hands?  They think I'm a hobo.  It doesn't help that I look like one, with my unshaved face and fingerless gloves that only serve to accentuate my ink smeared fingers.

But ever since buying that first template- all I can think of is how to use it and which to buy next!

I was just checking out those classy Crafter's Workshop people's website, and whoa- look at that! Brand new templates!  Be still, my box of Franzia!  I've decided to post my "GOTTA GET" list of new stencils from THE CRAFTER'S WORKSHOP!  My mind is spinning with ideas!

I do need to admit that I really do like all of them- but here are the real lookers:

'Gears'
'Fence Frame'
'Ledger'
'Blazonry'
'Circle Explosion'

Check these hot little numbers out, as well as most of the other new ones:


both photos via THE CRAFTER'S WORKSHOP.
Now, what did I tell you?  Yeahp.  Yeahp, they're sexy.  Go get 'em!

-kory

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

"Obsession is more than just a perfume!"

I got a hot tip from an unnamed source at 11:07am CST.  Mr. Holtz's sanding grip refills were are marked clearance at Michaels for a dollar each.  Yeah, they're just little rectangles of sandpaper.  And I've tried sandpaper and those sandpaper 'sponges' from the hardware store- but they really don't work as well for me,  Or I'm getting the wrong strength/grade/whatever it's called- but I really like these!

So I ran over to Michael's on my lunch break.   Grabbed five packages of Mr. Holtz's fine sandpaper and noticed- oh, Distress Stickles! Three packs! Three bucks!  So grabbed the package containing Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap, and Walnut Stain.  Those are also three of my favorite Distress Inks.  What a high!

There were boxes everywhere.  And actual, real life employees walking around!  They were (GASP!) STOCKING THE SHELVES!  While I'd love to believe those boxes were filled with all the latest and greatest products from Scraptopia, we all know it's just a bunch of shiny Jolee's crap.  But a guy can dream.

While I'm lost in my sensual scrappy daydream, I stumble upon a new display.  I ain't seen this before!


It's a new (newish?) line from Hampton Art, called Ditto.  The designs were very simple and clean.  Love them.  Really liked the large wood-mounted stamps, priced at 3.99 (?!), especially 'Large Circles' and 'Groovy.'  Really great background stamps, and sized perfectly to be used on a standard A6 card.  And only 3.99?!  They also had an assortment of resist die-cut chipboard shapes, color mists (those didn't look too interesting- but I'm still reeling from my discovery of Mister Huey's), stamp pads, and some packages of masks.  They are also worth looking it- very cool shapes. 



Here's a close-up of some of the stamps.  I feel they give off a young, modern, clean look.  Very decent stamps for this price!

I picked up the large flower shape, third from the left on the bottom row.  But I can already tell I'll be back, soon, for 'Groovy.'

Oh my, why am I being tested so?!  Email from Paper Arts, a great store here in the OKC area: ALL TIM HOLTZ DISTRESS MARKERS ARE IN, buy individually or the entire set with a discount!  Please, please, twist my arm, Paper Arts!!!
-kory

ScrapCrack

Do you know what ScrapCrack is?  Sure you do.  It's that product that you stumble upon in a store that catches your eye.  It signals to you, just like the little crack dealer on the corner of 1st and Main. 

The Amy Tangerine Thickers keep calling out, "Hey Mister you out lookin' for something?  Need-a-rock-Need-a-rock-need-a-rock?"  

So you buy the Amy Tangerine Thickers, called 'Goodness.' 

And you run home with the Amy Tangerine Thickers.  You wrap your leopard print Snuggie around your shoulders and turn on your desk lamp and you have a good time with those Amy Tangerine Thickers. 

But suddenly, you're running low.  You're out of vowels.  You start to itch.  You run to scrapbook.com and the 'Goodness' Thickers in white are 'DISCONTINUED!'  Next thing you know, you're wandering around in the Hobby Lobby parking lot, offering random Cricut cuts to strangers in return for some more Thickers! 

That's ScrapCrack.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

New Page Wednesday!

First of all- don't let that blog title fool you into thinking I'm going to upload a new page layout every Wednesday.  I'm not that disciplined.  Also, it isn't even Wednesday.  It's Wednesday Eve.  So I've already misled you twice.

My good friend, Holly, gave this photo to me.  It's a picture taken of us at her wedding.  It was a beautiful wedding with an even better looking open bar.  And I can tell this photo was taken very early in the evening, as I look spectacularly sober.




I swear, this photo looked a hundred times better when I was looking at it on the little view-screen on the back of my camera.  Hmmm.  I bet that you're now wishing you had a nickel for every time you've heard someone complain about the quality of their photo on a blog.

But Kory, WHAT beautiful products you've used! What ARE they?!

Glad you asked!

-Textured Cardstock, Ivory, Hobby Lobby (Store Brand?)
-Ripple from the Brook Collection, Crate Paper
-Julianne Vintage, Die Cuts, K & Co (Plaque with date, under photo)
-'Script' Embossing Folder, The Paper Studio / Hobby Lobby
-Regal Crest, Tim Holtz/Sizzix Bigz Die (Leaves on sides of photo)
-EveryDay Fun Borders, Kraft Funday: My Mind's Eye (border)
-Thickers, Amy Tangerine, 'Goodness'
-Distress Ink, Victorian Velvet and Broken China (on the 'leaves')

There it is!

I think it turned out very great, very simple looking, and a memory of a very great and beautiful day.  However, Holly was a little cranky that I had to call her to ask, "WHAT DAY DID YOU GET MARRIED ON?!"

And I still swear it was in July- it was too freakin' hot that day, to be wearing a suit outdoors...


-kory

Gray Monday

What a horrible Monday! It was dark and gray outside, a bit of a storm in the afternoon.  And my mood fit the weather.  I was ... DEPRESSED!  Yes, all capital letters.  The worst part of Monday?  It lasted for twenty four hours.  I hate Mondays- how original is that?!

With all that doom and depression surrounding me, I 'proceeded to push all sharp objects aside*' and use my lunch hour to drive up to Paper Crown.

This is such a great store.  If you're in OKC, go check it out.  If you're not in OKC, go check out their blog.  There's lots of great photos.  The store looks great- the way she places product is amazing.  Definitely a lesson for other shop owners!  I usually find lots of new and/or hard to find stuff, such as Crate, October Afternoon, Graphic45, 7Gypsies...and on and on- I even see cool stuff that I didn't even know about before-

Here's a picture of the store- I tried finding one that really shows the inside of the store, but this is the best I could come up with-  I should've asked if I could take a photo! 


Photo from PAPER CROWN:

Check that out- even the lighting is good.

I picked up a few more pieces from one of the best collections out there- KRAFT FUNDAY from My Mind's Eye.  I happened to be at the store right around the time the stuff first went out.  I bought two stamp sets, a pack of borders and some papers.  The more I look at the papers, the more I feel like I have to buy more and more.



http://mymindseye.typepad.com/blog/
http://mymindseye.typepad.com/blog/


Aren't those nice?!  My only complaint is that the text on the 'oh happy day' banner doesn't come out when you stamp it- and I've tried everything, from light pressure to quick and light pressure to different ink, to blowing on the ink before I stamp- I've even tried it on the full moon and stone cold sober.  Is it me or just the stamp?  If anybody else has it, and it works- let me know the secret!  (The stamp I'm talking about is n the first photo, under the two star stamps.)

Now, the papers!  I love Kraft.  It just looks nice.  It's sexy.  You can use it with nearly anything.  And My Mind's Eye has made Kraft even sexier with these great colors and patterns.  


I think my favorite is the paper in the bottom right corner- the one with the black chevron pattern.  Whoa. It's nice.   

While at the store- I also picked up a package of clear buttons from 7Gypsies.  I think I bought them for the cool metal container they came in, more than for the buttons.  And I finally picked up a box of those nifty bingo/game number pieces.  Love those.

If you're in OKC, go to Paper Crown.  It's at Penn and Britton Rd, and she told me there's going to be lots of new stuff coming in within the week- whoooo, I can't wait for the new Tim Holtz products to start coming in!!! 

If you're not in OKC- go check out Paper Crown's blog.  It's still worth looking at, even if you're not able to drive on over!  

Alright- Monday is gone.  The rest of the week best look better!

-kory






Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Weekend Ends...

Wow, what a weekend!

I am exhausted.  And tired.  And worn OUT.

...and I do not want to go to work tomorrow morning.

We closed the new play, FRESH MEET, last night.  After the show, I went out for what was supposed to be one drink, with my best friend, Jason.  We were roommates back 'when we were kids.'  We've known each other a long, long time.  He moves around lots, now, with his job as a very successful TV news producer.  So any time he's in town is an occasion to have a great time!  And as I was saying, 'one drink' after the show turned into a barhopping wild time.  Just like the old days.  I ended up staying up to four in the morning.  No, not out drinking until four- but when we did get back to my place, I got distracted by what I guess was an all night marathon of one of my favorite TV shows-  LOCK UP.  I love it when they show the women's prisons- the two ladies who run the loan shark business FROM THEIR CELLS crack me up...

Anyways, I did finally climb out from under my hangover long enough to make a card.  Yes!  It was time to try out my Mister Huey's Color Mist!  BUT FIRST, I needed some background music!  I went over to my record player and put on one of the new records I found at the thrift store on Friday.  This is the super cool record player that I found in someone's trash, last year.  Can you believe someone would throw this away?  It looks so cool and it WORKS!  The record is a collection of music from the '20s.  So fun.


With the music putting me into a great mood, I stared lovingly at my collection of Mister Huey's Color Mists.  And this was when I got the 'joke' of the name- MISTER Huey's!  Get it?  MISTER?  Clever! 


I've since peeled off the bright pink price stickers.  Hmmm.  Which to use, first?  Yeahp.  Calico White.  The first one I ever saw.  The shade that began a great love affair.

When I use any kind of mist or spray,  I use a big plastic bag.  I put whatever I'm gonna spray in the bottom of the bag and spray away.  


I sometimes see those cardboard 'Color Catchers' at the store, and often think about buying one- but I luckily come to my senses and realize that this works perfectly.  And it's free!

The mist worked perfectly.  A perfectly non-uniform, random mist.  I LOVE these!  I haven't been this excited about a purchase in a long time.  Now, to find the 'Clay' color!  

So- here's my card!


I used:
A Fiskars Triangle punch.  (Found at Big Lots for 3.00)
The 'chain' is a border\edger punch from EK Success
Spellbinders, Labels 1
Distress Inks: Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain and Festive Berries
"Friend" stamp from Magnetic Poetry Word Stamps
The Kraft card stock is Michael's store brand
Colorful paper is from Kaisercraft's 'Surf's Up' collection

and of course, Mister Huey's Calico White!

Happy Sunday evening, everyone.  Have a great week!  Gotta run- THE WALKING DEAD is on!

-kory

Saturday, February 18, 2012

PayDay Friday: Part Two!

Yeah- that's right.  Part TWO.  The PayDay celebration so big that it had to be two posts!

This second part will be much, much shorter.  Promise.

After all the Jo-Ann Grand Opening excitement, I really just wanted to go home.  And crash.  But we had to check out Super Target.  It's next door.  I debated buying a box of silver binder clips.  Holly debated over a plant.  We changed our minds and decided, no, let's go to Goodwill.

And that took some convincing.  I don't like to go to Goodwill.  Well, I do- but I'm always so discouraged because I rarely find anything.  I was all, "NO! LET'S GO TO BASKET MARKET!!!!"

Holly is a Goodwill Guerilla.  She can find the coolest stuff at the thrift shops.  I'll often be at work, slaving away at my desk, and she's texting pics to me from thrift stores across Oklahoma.  The coolest things.  I'm still kicking myself for missing the text about the ventriloquist dummy that she found- I would kill to have that scary little thing sitting on a chair in my room!

So, Holly talked me into Goodwill.  And I actually found things!  A vintage Better Homes 'Entertaining' Guidebook.  So cool.  I love the photos in vintage entertaining books.  And the recipes.  Hilarious.  I have an old cookbook, that I think I stole from my Mom, just because it has a recipe for something it swears would be 'perfect after a night of energetic folk dancing!'

I also found a nice tripod, still in the box.  Surely, I'm going to need something to steady my camera, right?  And it was only 4.99.  I also picked up a couple of records.  You know, for my record player.  Have you seen my amazing record player?  I'll haft show it to you.

So, Holly found a giant old globe.  I was jealous she found it, but didn't try to wrestle it out of her arms because it was HUGE and I didn't have any place for it...

Holly drove me back to Jo-Ann, and dropped me off at my truck.  She said she was going home to take a nap.  But I know better.  She was hitting more thrift stores and didn't want my competition.  Or my whining for BASKET MARKET.



And BASKET MARKET is exactly where I headed!   I jumped in my big manly truck and headed to the least manly place in town.  The HOBBY LOBBY OUTLET!   I know I'm always going on how it's called BASKET MARKET but it like an undercover Hobby Lobby outlet.  Yes, the majority of the stuff is wholesale floral and wedding supplies.  But you go in, you turn to the right, and cross under this sign:


Yes, ladies and gentlemen, through this passage is the promised land.

At first, I kinda felt out of luck.  It had only been about a week or week and a half since I've last checked out the Basket Market.  When I made my first descent into the scrapbooking aisle, I really felt out of luck as I saw the three hundred packages of Hobby Lobby brand brads that have sat there looking lonely and unloved.  I think those poor brads have been there for ten years.  They're dusty and sad.  Not even their 1.00 price tag can find them a new home.  BUT WAIT- what's all this?!  There are so many new packages of stamps that they're almost jumping off of the wall hooks!  WhooooHAW, restock!!!

I found lots of stamps.  Too many.  I had to restrain myself.  I grabbed so many on the first pass that I had to sit down on the cold concrete floor and decide what I really NEEDED.  Yeah- believe it or not, I don't just buy EVERYTHING I get my hands on- I DO try to really put some thought into it!

I realize that I'm not 19, anymore, when I try to spring up from the floor.  I realize that I'm not even 29, anymore, when I think- I might be trapped.  My injured knee isn't going to let me get up off the floor!  (I hurt my knee last week, at the theatre, trying to climb down a dangerous metal spiral staircase.)

As I'm thrashing about the floor- something catches my eye.  What is it?



Well, if you keep up with my goings on, you will remember that last week, I saw and fell in love with the Studio Calico Mister Huey Color Mists.  Yes- that's what was on the shelf.  A nice selection of MISTER HUEYS!!!  And the EVEN BETTER part?  They were TWO DOLLARS EACH.

You would've thought I saw priceless jewels.  Well, they kinda are!  None of the local stores carry them.  I was about to order them from scrapbook.com- but they were out of a couple of the colors I wanted, so I wanted to wait until they had all the colors I wanted IN STOCK so I could order them all at once.  But I LOVE being able to just buy something IN a store.  I hate paying and waiting for the mail.

I grabbed every color of MISTER HUEY that caught my eye.  And then some.   



They didn't have 'Clay,' and a few others I'd wanted- but I can order those later.  At least, now, some of the compulsion is quelled.  But they did have CALICO WHITE- which is the one that has been most recommended to me- so here, allow me to model it for you:


Now, here's where I learn an important lesson.  

Things might only be one or two dollars each.  That doesn't mean you can fill a basket with the things and  only spend ten dollars.  This is a lesson I have to relearn.  Every time I go to Basket Market.  These things do NOT add up in my mind.  I will fill a basket with two dollar items and be dazed and confused when the cashier says, "That'll be 54.19."  WHAT?!  I only bought 27 two dollar items!!!

No, I'm not complaining.  Look at these great stamps I found!  


There it is- the Part Two of the Pay Day Celebration haul- Basket Market style.  I even found a few colors of Distress Stain (also 2.00!) and the Goosebumps texture spray that I saw mentioned in the scrapbook.com forum earlier in the week.  I said I would buy some and sure enough, I did!

See you all later- the Craft Donkey inspired me to make a card.  

-kory