Calling ALL paper crafters...A PERFECT Paper Trimmer, FINALLY!!!

As a dedicated paper crafter, one of the things that are a MUST HAVE is a really good paper trimmer.  Believe me, I have tried them all.  I have even contacted trimmer manufacturers and suggested ideas for improvement in their products.  YES, it is that important for a paper crafter to find a paper trimmer that does the following :

• Cuts straight and true...every time
• Has easy to read guides for measuring and don't rub off after using a zillion times
• Expands to hold larger than 8X11 size paper
• Cutter mechanism is sharp but easy to handle
• Is portable and doesn't take up a lot of room on craft table

As you can tell, the list seems relatively easy to find.  The issue is that finding ALL of these things in one trimmer is near to impossible! 

Guess what? I have some how stumbled upon the perfect portable trimmer.  Fiskars has finally managed to make the PERFECT paper trimmer.  I have been using this trimmer for the past month, 
and just let me say.....it really is PERFECT !! 

WHY DO I THINK THIS IS A PERFECT TRIMMER?

•Has an antiwear veneer, now printed from bottom side so the scale and grid will never wear off - PERFECT!

•Very easy to read printed scale in 1/16 inch increments, and grid in 1/4” x 1.0”, which makes measuring easy & accurate - PERFECT!

•High profile triple track cutting cartridge is ergonomic for better gripping when cutting - PERFECT!

•Swing out extension arm, extends measuring to a full 12 inches, plus the base is 6.5 inches wide so easy to do mats and other mid-size cutting - PERFECT!

•Cutting guide is clear so easy to see through to line up cutting line, cutting rail pivots open for easy project placement and it locks in place...no more flipping around when storing or toting the trimmer around - PERFECT!

I encouage everyone to find the trimmer that is PERFECT for them.  Make a list of the things you would like a trimmer to have and start shopping around until you find the one best for your needs.

I am so happy with my new Fiskars 12" Personal Trimmer....hope my story INSPIRES you to keep searching until you get your PERFECT tool to use in your papercrafting!

Note: PaperTrimmer picture is courtesy of the Fiskars website link listed above.

Another GIFT Idea

The THIRD GIFT was made for my Father and his wife.  They had just moved into their new house the week before Christmas and I wanted their gift to be something tied to the new house. I decided to make them a WELCOME sign to hang in the front hall.  They are using pale blue and silver and earth tones as their color scheme in the front rooms so that was the INSPIRATION for the color scheme.

I did a lot of altering on most of the pieces on this project. The "Welcome" letters are from House of 3 digital kit that I printed out on white smooth cardstock and altered using Ranger products such as distress inks, paint daubers and stickles. I also added little details around each letter with a silver glitter pen. And  to top it all off, you guessed it, more Prima flowers and leaves.

Here is a close up of the "To Our Home" name plate I created....The embossed silver paper was actually gold so I used a Ranger silver paint dauber to change the color. It worked beautifully.  It is hard to see here but after using distress ink on the "to Our Home" die cut, I added a little bit of silver glitter gel pen around the letters to give it a punch of silver color.  And to anchor the name plate, I used some gorgeous silver buttons by Delish Designs. If you have not checked out Delish before, they are an amazing company from Australia that have incredibly beautiful papers and embellishments.

And of course, I couldn't resist using Tattered Angels glimmer mist Pearl to add some shine to the Prima

white flowers.  I also added a touch of Ranger silver paint dauber to the edges of the flower for highlights and to tie the color scheme together.  I love how they turned out.

I love playing with different products and getting a totally custom look. It is INSPIRING to me and hopefully to you as well.   Have an awesome weekend!

Now On To The Good Stuff...

I am still playing around with design of my blog and will most likely change a few more things but  ON TO THE GOOD STUFF !

I have been dying to post pics of some of the gifts that I made for Christmas this year. Everyone has finally received their gifts now so I can let you take a peak over the next few days. I hope you enjoy the projects as much as the receivers seemed to like their gifts.  

All these gifts were customized for special family members.  I used the wonderful Fancy Pants Designs On Display Embellish Me Frames as the base for creating these.  These frames are 18X9 and a wonderful size to hang on the wall of your home or even on a large easel on an entry way table, etc.

The 18X9 size was a little daunting since I wanted one continuous background paper.  By a stroke of luck, I found a wonderful selection of custom artist paper in large sheets at Aaron Brothers.  Their selection was fantastic and was just what I hoped to find.  They were hideously expensive for a sheet of paper but well worth it for the depth of embossed and metallic printed qualities.

Note:  Right click on any of the pics to see a close up view of the project and papers.  

The FIRST GIFT was made for my Brother Jim and his family.  I was thrilled to find some really fun faux animal print with great embossed texture since my bro is a big hunter.  Plus the background paper fits perfectly into the color scheme of their lovely home. The "Family" word is a House of 3 transparency that I colored the backside of the image with inks and paints and stamping to texturize.  I love how it tied the color scheme to together so well. And of course, I couldn't resist adding a luscious Prima flower and some leaves for the final touch !

I was especially happy with the photo selection that really lets the personality of my bro Jim, my sis-in-law Kim and my adorable nephew Nicholas shine through.

The SECOND GIFT was made for my Mother-In-Law.  I decided to show case the three granddaughters...our daughter Crystal, our daughter Heather and our granddaughter Bianca. My mother-in-law got a little misty eyed when she opened it so that was very rewarding to see how much she enjoyed the gift.

Of course I used more Prima Flowers on this project but I experimented with altering the flowers with some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Pearl which I am now addicted to using on everything that isn't moving !  LOL  The Glimmer Mist adds such a great shine and well, a little glimmer to whatever you spray it on.  It is the next best thing to BLING and you know how I love my BLING ! 

And notice how I tucked in some beautiful Prima lace and one of their awesome gossamer butterflies, a sprinkling of pearls, some gorgeous embossed paper from Aaron Brothers and even some glittered chipboard to enhance the beauty of photos of my lovely daughters and granddaughter.

Here is a close up of the flowers that I altered with the Glimmer Mist...see how awesome these look?  So much better than just plain ole white flowers, don't you think? 

I think this post is long enough....I will be back later to post a few pics of some more fab gifts.

Hope you  found a little INSPIRATION here to today!

I DID IT ! I DID IT ! Wooohooo...I DID IT !!!!

Thanks for indulging me in my little happy dance in my post title.  I am soooooooo dang excited I finally figured out how to add the dividers between the post.  It took several times until I got it right, but my diligence has paid off. 

What do you think?  I love the "embellished" look of the cute little divider.  I found it on ShabbyBlogs.Com    which is a great site of FREE blog design items.  Those ladies keep coming out with more and more fun items to help decorate our online journaling spaces.  You should check them out sometime. I am not associated with them in any way but wanted to share their goodness with you all.

Next post will be back to usual scrappy goodness!  I am so looking forward to spending more time on my creative pursuits this year and sharing with you all.  I even have plans to do some tutorials on some of my favorite techniques or demos of new products.

I LOVE to share with others and miss being associated with a scrap manufacturer or store design team.
Maybe in 2010 I should attempt to get back on a team somewhere.  What do ya think of that !  LOL

Hugs to you all. And remember... Find something today to INSPIRE you or someone you love.

Still Re-Designing My Bloggie Space...

As you can see, there have been some major changes accomplished this weekend with my new blog design.  I have scoured the internet for tutorials all weekend and tried to put into practice what I have learned.

ACOMMPLISHMENTS SO FAR:

1. Two column designed blog turned into Three column blog - CHECK
2. Replaced blog header and figured out how to put in blog name in fancy font - CHECK
3. Split content into two distinct columns of info - CHECK
4. Created digital tags for each topic -  IN PROGRESS...will add more tomorrow
5. Added lovely decorative separator bar between bar posts - CHECK  OOPS - change to IN PROGRESS...just noticed for some reason it is not showing between ALL post as it was earlier.  GOSH DANG HTML CODING !!!

And the BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT of all....I AM STILL WILLING to continue working on designing my blog !  This digital/html design thing is A LOT of work.  Hats off to any of you who have tackled this project yourself and succeeded.  I must admit that I am proud I am finally getting the hang of it and learning something new.  This process is really INSPIRING me to think outside my comfort zone.

Special thanks goes to the wonderful support offered on  ShabbyBlogs.Com for some of the digital elements and the awesome tutorials even a technically challenged girl like me can follow !

STAY TUNED FOR MORE CHANGES AS THE WEEK GOES ON.

Have a wonderul week and remember to stop and see or do something INSPIRING !

My Blog is Undergoing a Make Over..stay tuned !

Testing Testing 1 2 3

Happy New Year Everyone !

Anyone know where I can get a t-shirt that says "I survived the 2009 Holidays"? LOL

The recent holidays were both a blessing and a challenge at our house. A blessing that I have such wonderful family and friends to help take care of me during my post surgery recovery and help "make Christmas happen" at our house. It was really frustrating not being 100% full speed during Christmas. There is always so much I LOVE and ENJOY doing during the holidays...decorating, baking treats to share, shopping, making and sending Christmas cards, making gifts, wrapping presents, cooking special family meals, going to parties, enjoying holiday events around town, the list goes on and on as I know you can relate.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that Miss Bianca turned 7 years old on Dec 11th so we had a little party at our house for her since I was't up to galavanting around and she insisted I be at her party. She is really into Hello Kitty, and LOVED the Giant Hello Kitty pinata her mother found to add to the festivities. Hard to believe our little granddaughter is now such a big girl.

With the help of my dear family and friends, the shopping did get done, the gifts got wrapped, our tree got put up and the house decorated. I even managed to carve out time to send out Christmas cards (store bought but atleast I got the cards mailed out :)

My BFF, Anne, organized a decorating party at my house the weekend after I got out of the hospital because she knows how much I LOVE all my holiday decorations and that I just wasn't up to doing it myself this time. She and members of her family and mine, took on the daunting challenge of not only putting up our tree with over 100 Santa ornaments on it but also placing my favorite snow man and Santa decorations around the house. Bianca enjoyed playing Anne's "elf helper" (see her in background with Santa hat on).

Anne's daughter Joan was just the right person to put the Santa tree topper on top of the tree under the guidance of my mother-in-law, Gladys. (I will post pics of the results of their efforts in another post later).

I finally felt like it was Christmas when one night after work, I finally got around to making my traditional Christmas fudge. And the next night, hubby drove me around to look at Christms lights....funny how some traditions just give you that good ol'e feeling that the holiday IS actually happening!

Christmas Eve was spent at my dad's new house (he has spent the past three years building) with all my side of the family in attendance. It meant a lot to my dad to finally host Christmas at the new house. After his recent liver cancer surgery, we were all thankful to be together this year especially. We even took time to all pose for a big family photo which we haven't done in years. I can hardly wait to get those pictures in my hot little crafty hands!

My mother-in-law graciously hosted us on Christmas Day at her house and we enjoyed our time together with my hubby's side of the family. Crystal was here with Winston and we loved having her home again for a few days. And we got to pamper our Granddog too :)

And viola....the New Year arrived! Wow, the past few weeks have flown by haven't they?

I have recovered from my surgery and feel more like myself, finally !!! We have put away the holiday decorations already and have been enjoying some relaxing time watching movies and I even got in some crafting time.

This weekend I want to concentrate on setting my goals for 2010. Also, I am anxious to update my blog design so stay tuned for a revamp !

Sorry this was such a long post but I had a lot to catch up on. Hope you enjoyed a few of the pics and catching up with me. Stay tuned for the blog update and some pics of recent craft projects that you might find inspiring.

Hugs and Happy New Year to you all.