Beautifull stamps!

Are you looking for beautiful, one of a kind, special clear stamps? If yes, check out the Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps: http://www.clearartstamps.com/. The designs are really unique and "heartwarming". I just ordered the "Home Sweet Home" and the "Fairyland", I'll post pictures as soon as I receive them.

Card Project

Well, I attempted to make a thank you card for a friend. Not so succesfully, apparently, but it came out really cute! I used white cardstock that I painted with pink dye ink in a "cloudy" manner, and then I used an inkadinkado gem bird stamp to make the birds. I only inked the stamp once, to achieve the various shades of the same colour. Then, I stamped the same bird on a dark coloured patterned paper and embossed it, to make the, let's say, 3d bird that I put on top with some foam adhesive. I wanted it to seem like a flock of birds and I think that it came out ok.

My friend really liked it and I was so happy to see her reaction!

Mayday: How to fix an accident on your layout

Let' say that you've completed your scrapbook page and you realize that you don't like it. Well, it's almost a disaster.

That occured to me today, while I had just finished my page, and, I didn't like it. Specifically the top of the page, it was too crowded.

I didn't want to start over, so I thought to change it. And it didn't take more than 10 minutes:

1. I took a scrap paper of the same page (dark pink).
2. I stamped a few flowers.
3. I took another scrap, a smaller one (light pink) and I positioned it on top of the other scrap.
   
4. I stamped a few flowers, wrote a little something and embossed it
   
5. And finally a positioned this fragment of a page on top of the part of the page that I wanted to cover.

Pronto! The page was resqued!

Must Haves: Croppin' Cutie Catchall

Funny story:

Having storage and space issues, and not being able to scrap in my room (I scrap on the kitchen table), I was looking for a compact storage solution that could be easily moved around.
After a lot of searching, I found out the croppin' cutie catchall.
The problem was that I could't find a merchand that would deliver to Greece and finally I found the manufacturer's site http://www.croppincutie.com/products.html. where they were sold online. Delivery cost 12 $, no mention of overseas delivery , I searched everywhere for shipping info, couldn't find anything. I decided to proceed, knowing that at some point during checkout, I could see it, but, I completed the checkout process without finding it, so I was charged the standard 12 $ (for delivery).

At some point, I received an email from the company informing me that the delivery cost was much higher for delivery to Greece, but they would send it to me nevertheless, without charging me more, and in addition they sent me the two scrapcans (small and big) free of charge.

WOW! Great service I thought.

When I received the product, I was amazed by its practicality and usefullness in such a small volume! It fits all my scrapbooking and stamping bricks and bracks (excluding 12x12 cardstock, apparently), it was exactly what I needed!

It has internal dividers that divide the space in four parts but you can modify them according to your needs (they have adhesion pads that adhere to various positions) and the external net pockets store small objects. The small scrapcan is extra usefull while scrapping (no more scraps and bits scattered around).

I really love this product, it has made my scrapping a lot easier and organized!

Tested and trusted: Zig 2-way Glue

I recently received the whole set of the Zig 2-way Glue.

I so far used the two bigger ones, I find them realy usefull, I especially like the fact that I can cover a large area with no fuss.

The 2-way stand for their versatility of use, since they can be used for permanent adhesion while they're wet, and for temporary adhesion if left to dry.

I think that they're going to eliminate all other glues and adhesives from my stash (except from the pop ones!).

http://www.eksuccess.com/products_list.php?sess_id=eaa53699b71823662c5fd7f0040920ec

I'm in love with...K & Co Sea Glass Two-Sided Paper Pad

I just received the K & Co "Sea Glass" Two-Sided Paper Pad and I have to say, it is no less than AWESOME!

Subtle colours, great designs, each page is two sided and has perfectly matching colours/designs (limitless possibilities for mix and match), 36 pages totally, great value for money.

Absolutely perfect for breezy pages (can't wait for the summer)!

http://www.kandcompany.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=47&idproduct=5748

The Beginning

Well, let's see how it started....

August 2008. I was looking for a new hobby, a little less messy than painting (I had a lot of issues with paint going to all the wrong places and I 'd spend hours cleaning up...) and one day, while surfing the net, BAM!!! it hit me like a truck.

Scrapbooking

THE BEGINNING

I had a specific project in mind (an album for my niece, now 20 months old). All I needed was the SUPPLIES!

At first it looked really simple, just a few basic tools and stuff (boy, was I fooled).
I started by buying the absolutely basics:
An American Crafts postbound album (I love these by the way)
An American Crafts white cardstock pack
A Fiskars paper trimmer
A Basic Grey paper pad (gorgeous stuff, all of them)
A Fiscars Shape Cutter and some templates.

THEN I MET E-BAY and everything became simpler, faster, easier and cheaper!
I can choose from a variety of items and prices, I can find things that are not available here in Greece and even if they are, usually at a much higher price.
So, I bought (and still buying) a LOT of stuff:
DCWV mat stack (glitter and adhesive, they always come handy)
Punches punches punches
American Crafts Coloured Cardstock
More Basic Grey Paper Pads (don't you just love them?)
And then...
Stamps! (clear most of them, easy and compact storage)
Inks! (small pads, storage issues apparently)
Embossing supplies!
And the list is endless...

LAYOUTS

My first pages were really awkward, with lots of photos cramming and a little flower there, a little stamp on the other side, more like a standard photo album with a little shine.

Then I started to focus on choosing just the right pictures, these that had "something" and not the average "say cheese" photos. I started to leave more room for them, I started to match colours, and, every page is (usually, 'cause I still have an issue with squeezing too many photos on a page) coming out prettier than the last.

I 'm still a rookie, there's tons of things that I don't as yet know, but I like experimenting (even if it means that I destroy a paper or two in the process) and the outcome most of the times is rewarding (not to mention lots of scraps left that can be used later on...).

So, this is a journey, with no specific plan or destination, just for fun!