Saturday, November 30, 2013

Some Christmas Crafts

As I am making this blog post, my turkey is in the oven.  We're having our big Thanksgiving meal today because Lily has a few friends visiting from college visiting.  They didn't get to go home to be with their own families for Thanksgiving, so I told them that I would give them all the comforts of home (or at least feed them well with all the traditional Thanksgiving trimmings).  So, needless to say, I've been very busy baking pies and getting things in order.  The kids are all gone for a while, and since the turkey is in the oven.....I snuck in a quick blog post.  I have my big Holiday Craft Boutique at church coming up next weekend.  So every spare moment I have has been spent making crafts for the boutique.  I wanted to share a couple of things I've made.
This first little project is an ornament/decoration I made using some antique heart-shaped metal tins that I found while antiquing this past summer.  They were really cute and not to terribly expensive, so I bought them not knowing what I would use them for.  I painted them cream, sprinkled them with ultra-fine glitter, and then added some goodies to the inside of them.  I used some seam binding, a Making Memories poinsettia, some rusty jingle bells, jute, baker's twine, and felt leaves.
This next project was made from a little gingerbread-man-shaped paper mache box.  I got several of these on clearance last year after Christmas.  I painted them cream and then decorated them.  This one has Simple Stories Handmade Holidays patterned paper on the front, a Tiny Tag stamped with "Wish", some vintage baker's twine, holly berries, a red poinsettia, ribbon at the top (for hanging) and around the shape (for decoration), some jute, and a tiny little candy cane tucked into the loop of a mini safety pin.   Here's a close-up shot of the little tag.
I'm going to share these little Christmas projects in the following challenges that I found where they fit the criteria.  I haven't won anything in quite a while, so I'm crossing my fingers, saying a little prayer, and hoping for the best.  We'll see what happens.
 
Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
 
Little Scrap Pieces - Friday Linky Party on Saturday - Create Any Card, Project or Layout
 
Creative Card Crew Challenges - Challenge #50 - Sweet Treats - I chose to link these projects because of the sweet little berries and the fact that both projects are sugar-coated with diamond glitter.  Now that's sweet!
 
I'm so grateful that you stopped by today to say hello and take a peek at my projects.  I enjoy your visits and comments so much, and I really do look forward to visiting your blog to see what you've created this week.  Having blog friends is a HUGE blessing, and I  really do thank God for all of you!
 
Blessings,
Karen
 
 
 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Anything Goes at Word Art Wednesday

Wednesdays are always one of my favorite days of the week.  But this week, Wednesday is extra special because our sweet Lily comes home from Bible College for Thanksgiving break, and there's nothing I love more than having all my babies sleeping in their own beds at night.  All is well in the Letchworth home.  Praise God!
 
We have another fun challenge for you this week at Word Art Wednesday.  As always, our challenges are Anything Goes (family friendly and uplifting or encouraging themes).  We have two amazing sponsors again this week.  One person will be winning a new stamp set of their choice from My Craft Spot.  This is one of my favorite shops of all.  Kimberly has the sweetest and most scrumptious crinkled seam binding in an array of sweet colors, she has the only vintage colored baker's twine I've ever seen (a favorite of mine), stamps and die-cuts, and so much more.  You will definitely want to check out My Craft Spot by Kimberly.  And, we also have the talented Kathryne of Stamp Art Designs by Kathryne who is offering another lucky person five (5) digital images of their choice.  Take a moment to visit her sweet store - it's filled with all sorts of adorable images.  In fact, I used one of Kathryne's sweet images on my card.
Karen Letchworth for Word Art Wednesday
The image I used from Kathryne's store is called Autumn Wagon.  Isn't it sweet?  I used my Copics to color it.  The patterned papers are from Chatterbox (orange plaid) and Simple Stories (green polka dot).  I used a Jenni Bowlin Bingo card that I cut in half and used the top half on the front of the card, and the bottom half on the inside of my card.  I did some machine stitching, added some buttons and jute, and inked the edges.  Here is the inside view of my card which also uses this week's scripture (free at Word Art Wednesday this week).
I really hope that you will stop by and share with us this week in our Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday.  You can enter  up to five times to increase your odds of winning, and we absolutely LOVE having everyone join us.

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
 
Have a very blessed week.  For those of you in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving.  And for those of you who don't necessarily celebrate Thanksgiving, I strongly encourage you to just stop and take time to thank God for all He has done for you.  We are such blessed people, and God desires to give us ALL the desires of our hearts.  Let's praise and thank Him together.  God is SO good!
 
Thanks for stopping by, and God bless you!
Karen

Monday, November 25, 2013

So Very Thankful at The Kraft Journal

Hello, my crafty friends!  It's time for another great new challenge at The Kraft Journal Challenge Blog, and this week's theme is "So Thankful".  If there's one thing that I most certainly AM....it's SO THANKFUL.  I know that ALL my blessings, big and small, come from the Lord.  I wanted to make a mini album to capture special memories of this year's Thanksgiving celebration at our home as we thank God for all that He has given us.
Karen Letchworth for The Kraft Journal

For this week's challenge theme "SO THANKFUL",  I wanted to make a Thanksgiving mini album to celebrate my family.  I started my project with a Corrugated Kraft Square and covered that with harvest colored cardstock.  I decorated the front of my mini album with lots of Kraft Outlet goodies including a Canvas Tag, three stickers from the Jenni Bowlin Memo Book, some Jenni Bowlin Black Label Stickers, a Jenni Bowlin Rubbings (torn notebook), Jenni Bowlin Chipboard Buttons, orange and black Baker's Twine, a Tim Holtz Memo Pin, some Black & White Polka Dot Washi Tape and Music Washi Tape, and a Tiny Wooden Clothespin.
Karen Letchworth - Photo Pocket
To make the pages of my mini album, I used two Catalog Open End Lunchbag Kraft Envelopes to create photo pockets to save family memories.  These Catalog Envelopes are the perfect size for saving larger photos, and they cost just 50 cents each!!  They can be easily bound together to create pocket pages in albums.  I bound my book using black 7 Gypies Gaffer Tape.  Almost all of what was used to create this album can be found at The Kraft Outlet.  Treat yourself to some new supplies, and come play along in our "So Thankful" Challenge this week!  Here's the back view:
Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I hope you will stop by The Kraft Journal to share your projects with us this week.  It's always more fun when you all play along, and you will be entered to win a $15 gift certificate to the wonderful Kraft Outlet where you will find all sorts of great crafting supplies at wonderfully low prices.
 
Have a blessed Thanksgiving, and always remember to be SO Thankful!
Karen
 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Christmas Is Coming

We see it all around us....shoppers scurrying about, decorations popping up, cookies getting baked, and people (like me) stressing out that they're super behind on all their shopping and preparations.  I know that I'll get it all done.....somehow.....eventually.  But right now, not so much!  It's a work in progress.  I have Thanksgiving coming up - with an expected houseful of guests, and my big craft boutique at our church the first weekend in December.  Once I get those two BIG milestones out of the way, I will be able to breathe, and start really focusing on Christmas. Until then, I remain a bit frazzled.  Yesterday was another cold, rainy and gloomy day here in Las Vegas.  We get very little rain, but our share of annual rainfall seems to have all fallen in the past three days.   I didn't even want to leave the house, so I put on a big pot of chili and then sat down and created a few Christmas cards.  I couldn't even photograph them until today because it was SO gloomy outside.
This first card was created using some vintage sheet music, Simple Stories Handmade Holiday patterned paper (red plaid) and the green snowflake print is from my stash (not sure of the brand).  The snowman is from a very old October Afternoon Christmas collection.  I used some vintage lace, black buttons, machine stitching, a row of green stars cut from a PTI die-cut, and the holly and ivy sticker and sentiment sticker on the snowman's hat are also from the Simple Stories Handmade Holiday collection.  I just love that thick May Arts striped ribbon, so I just decided to add a little tab on of it on the side.
This second card was totally "lifted" from the very talented Melissa Phillips.  I found it on Pinterest when I did a search there for Simple Stories Handmade Holiday.  As soon as I saw it, I knew it was her card.  She has inspired me so many times, and I always love to recreate her designs.  Again, most of what you see in this card is from the Simple Stories Handmade Holiday collection.  I also did some machine stitching, added some May Arts green silk ribbon, some vintage buttons dusted in ultra-fine diamond glitter, and a Maya Road chipboard circle with heart that I painted and glittered.  I added a little pearl sticker to the heart.  So sweet!  Here's a closer look at that sweet element:
And finally, here is the third card I made.  I also found the inspiration for this one on Pinterest but I couldn't find the name of who originally created it.  It's all Simple Stories Handmade Holiday collection as well, with the exception of the sentiment which is a stamp from Papertrey Ink.  This one below was made following this week's sketch at Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog.
I hope that all of you are having fun preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that you find plenty of time to stay crafty and create some hand-made gifts for your friends and family.  I hope to send out all hand-made cards again this year, so I've got my work cut out for me.

ABC Christmas Challenge - W is for Winter Wishes - Can you tell what I'm "wishing" for?  SNOW!  I live in the middle of the desert, and I WISH so desperately for snow so that I can build a snowman.

Christmas Cards All Year Round - November Challenge - Thank you, Cindy, for offering this amazing prize package!

Little Scrap Pieces - Friday Linky Party - Let It Snow

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Follow Heather's Sketch (This would be the third/bottom card).
 
Have a blessed day!
Karen

Monday, November 18, 2013

A Color Challenge at The Kraft Journal

Welcome back to my little slice of Blogland, friends!  Today we have another super fun challenge for you all over at The Kraft Journal Challenge Blog.  It's a color challenge with lovely shades of brown and a touch of red.  There are so many wonderful products at the Kraft Outlet that will help you get started with your project.  The Kraft Outlet just got a "face lift" of sorts, and you will LOVE their new look.  I hope you will stop by and pick up some new goodies for yourself.  After all, you deserve it!
Karen Letchworth for The Kraft Journal
I started this card with a Buff Ivory Notecard and added some layers of patterned papers from my stash.  Then, I dug into my WONDERFUL Kraft Outlet supplies and added a darling Small Glassine Bag and tucked a Grungy Prim Shipping Tag into that.  I stitched the Glassine Bag to the card and added a few more goodies including some Natural Hemp Cord, sequins, a wooden sentiment flag, a canvas heart from Michaels, half of a vintage cream doily, and a seam binding bow in brown and red.  Here's a close-up peek at the sentiment.  It really helps you to see the sweet Glassine Bag (which I absolutely LOVE), as well as all the other little goodies I added.
I look forward to seeing all the sweet cards and projects you will create and share with us this week in our Color Challenge at The Kraft Journal.  You will be SO inspired by all the amazing cards our talented Design Team Members have created for this challenge.  Lots of great and inspirational ideas!

Thanks so much for visiting today.  It always means so much to have you stop by and leave some love, and I look forward to doing the same for all of you.  Have fun creating this week.
 
Karen
 

Friday, November 15, 2013

Giving Thanks and....A Winner!

Well my friends, today is the day that I announce the winner of my Freckled Fawn Blog Candy.  I want to thank all of you who left comments, and most especially to those of you who posted the candy on your blog's sidebar.  It meant so much to me to have your support.  I hope that by now, you've all had a chance to check out all the wonderful goodies at Freckled Fawn.  I'm very happy to announce that Freckled Fawn is a sponsor again in 2014 for our challenges at Word Art Wednesday.  So, before the suspense kills you all.....here is the lucky winner.  Karen Conner - you have one week to email me with your mailing address.  I hope you enjoy these gorgeous gold star paper clips.
I made this Thanksgiving card for my next door neighbors.  They're always asking me to show them what I've created, and they love it when I give them hand-made cards.  I'm trying to get all my Thanksgiving cards finished.  I used Basic Grey patterned papers, a Maya Road chipboard tree painted brown and inked, I glittered several buttons to place on the tree, used a rub-on sentiment, a Grungy Prim Small Tag from the Kraft Outlet, half of a vintage cream doily, a seam binding bow, machine stitching, and Tim Holtz ink.
I'm sharing this card in the following challenge:
 
Red Carpet Studios Challenge Blog - Challenge #57 - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
 
Thank you for stopping by today.  If you leave me some love, I will be sure to stop by your blog and leave you some love as well.  I always enjoy seeing what everybody is creating.  Happy crafting, my bloggy friends.
 
Be blessed,
Karen

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Genuinely Jane Studios Guest Designer

For this, my second and final project as Guest Designer for Genuinely Jane Studios, I used Genuinely Jane's Studios adorable "Alterable Wooden Tree".  The first thing I did was to paint the entire tree with Vintage Antique White (Martha Stewart paint from Michaels).  Once the entire tree was covered in a nice coat of paint and dried completely, I "dirtied it up" a bit with some Tim Holtz ink.  Next, I traced the shape of the tree onto a vintage dress pattern and gentle cut out the shape with scissors.  I then painted the top of the tree with a very thin layer of Mod Podge.  This made it sticky enough to adhere the dress pattern permanently to the tree while leaving it loose enough to work with while I was positioning it.  There were a few little spots that needed covering, and I just patched it up here and there with little pieces of the vintage dress pattern and a dap of Mod Podge.  I was VERY pleased with the result.  My next step was to find lots of little buttons in white, red and green and apply a light layer of spray adhesive and then sprinkle them all with ultra-fine white diamond glitter.  Once I had  added my button rows of garland, I added some ribbon up the sides of the tree that I tied into a bow on top.  This ribbon is from Maya Road, along with some red and cream hand-made scrunched seam binding.  I cut a small star using a Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags star die-cut.  I covered it with Mod Podge and doused it in silver glitter.  I mean, what's a Christmas tree without a star, right?  The final touch to this tree was a little sentiment made from the Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags die-cuts and matching stamp set (Wish) adhered with a rusty little safety pin .  Two additional little decorated focal points on the tree include some rusty jingle bells tied with natural jute, another tag, a little Melissa Frances pipe cleaner candy cane, holly leaves cut from a Papertrey Ink die-cut, and some red holly berries that I covered with ultra-fine diamond glitter as well.  They're just so sweet!

I think I've covered my entire supply list, but if there's anything you see that you'd like to know about, I'm happy to share.  Just let me know.  I had a lot of fun with this project.  As I said earlier, when I originally got this wooden tree in the mail, I literally had NO IDEA what I was going to do with it, but once I had firmly committed to the idea of using the vintage dress pattern for the base....I was really happy with the outcome.  So, here is my finished project!
And finally, here's another close-up of the candy cane, doily, holly leaves, and berries tied with jute and vintage baker's twine from My Craft Spot, and it also shows the dress pattern.  I just love it!
Thanks so much for stopping by to take a peek at my project.  I really appreciate your visit, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this vintage Christmas tree.  I also hope you will stop by Genuinely Jane Studios to check out their fabulous wooden albums and designs.

Before I run off, I'm sharing my lovely vintage Christmas tree in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas Challenge Blog - W is for Winter Wishes - Did you see my tag (top photo)?  My tag says "WISH" and this Christmas tree is a Winter Wish Tree - It reminds you to make your Christmas wish!  ....and I'm "WISHING" to win this amazing prize from Stamp & Create!

Frillie and Funkie Challenge Blog - Challenge: Christmas Preparations - This is my first Christmas decoration of the year, and this challenge thrilled me.  I find this tree both frillie and funkie, and it did challenge me personally (read above).  Thanks for a great challenge!

Ribbon Carousel Blog - Holidays & Celebrations - This is a holiday (Christmas) project and a celebration of me trying something new in my crafting!

Have a very blessed week!
Karen

Monday, November 11, 2013

Follow Any Sketch at The Kraft Journal

Hello, my blog friends!  I will be very honest with you all, and tell you this - when I first started blogging, I really hated sketch challenges.  I would avoid them all the time.  Then, I learned that following a sketch can really be helpful because it gives you a starting point, but you can totally make it your own.
Karen Letchworth for The Kraft Journal
This week at The Kraft Journal Challenge Blog, we have given you all the freedom to choose and follow ANY sketch you choose.  This can be one of your own, one you've seen on someone else's blog, etc.  It's always exciting to have the freedom to choose from ANY sketch you want, and that's exactly what I did this week.  I chose a sketch from an old CARDS Magazine, and ran with it.  This card all started with a wonderfully-versatile Large Lunchbag Kraft Notecard from the Kraft Outlet.  And, of course, I didn't stop there!  I started with a piece of patterned paper, and added several other goodies from the Kraft Outlet.   My cute chalkboard-style stamped sentiment is from a stamp set I won recently at The Craft's Meow and it works perfectly when stamped on the Half-Size Blackboard Paper.  There's also a layer of this Blackboard Paper on top of the Lunchbag Notecard as well.  The card is embellished with various trims including some Prima lace and two lengths of Natural Hemp Cord.  You're all warmly invited to stop by the Kraft Outlet to pick up some fun new supplies, and to stop over to the The Kraft Journal Challenge Blog to play along in this week's "Any Sketch" Challenge.  We always enjoy seeing your fabulous projects!

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenges - Keep It Clean and Simple

Simon Says Stamp & Show - Monday Challenge - "Got Ink?" - I used white chalk ink on this card for my first try at the chalkboard technique
 
Before I run off, I want to give a big SHOUT-OUT to the wonderfully-talented Tina Milbourn for taking the time to help me with this chalkboard technique.  I am still not really comfortable with the technique, but I am so very grateful to Tina for being SO kind in helping me find a tutorial and share her expertise with me.  It's always a blessing when sweet crafters are willing to share their talents with others.  Thank you, Tina, and God bless you!
 
Have a blessed week!
Karen

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Genuinely Jane Studios GDT Fun

A few months ago, I applied for a Guest Designer spot with Genuinely Jane Studios because I really like their wood products and embellishments, and I wanted to challenge myself to do some crafting with wood.  I rarely try new things, so it was important to me to give it my best effort.  So anyway, I was really excited when Sue contacted me to tell me that I had been selected to Guest Design for them in the Month of November.  Then, when my wood items arrived in the mail, I kind of looked at them, scratched my head and asked myself, "what am I going to make with these"?  It took me a long time to wrap my head around working with wood and coming up with innovative ideas, but I finally had a brainstorm one day, and this design came into my mind.   I will be doing two different projects for Genuinely Jane Studios this month.  Somehow, I had the idea right from the start to cover my wood using vintage dress patterns.  Both projects just took wings from that point.

This first project I made for Genuinely Jane Studios was this beautiful THANKS wooden album.  It is 10" x 4" and was so much fun to work with.  I loved having enough room on each page to add a photo and still have plenty of space left for journaling and adding pockets and envelopes for tucking keepsakes inside.   Below is the cover.  I painted it in Martha Stewart vintage cream and then painted the raised letters (thanks) in green and sprinkled them with a light dusting of ultra-fine glitter.  I added Foo-Fa-La letters to include the word GIVE.  I also added lots of lovely Making Memories ribbons, leaves and flowers.
The second page shows my niece, Whitney, and my Great-Niece, Leilah (who just turned 3).  Leilah and Whitney are great friends, yet closer because they're family.  Whitney is, in actuality, Leilah's Auntie.  Leilah's Mommy is my niece, Ashley.  She's a WONDERFUL mother, and I wanted her to have an album where she could document these memories in her daughter's life, and to have a place to tuck notes and memories inside letting Leilah know how VERY loved she is.
The next page shows more of these two having fun together.  They enjoy each other  so much.  I'm excited to give this album to them.  Because of Genuinely Jane Studios high-quality wood boards, this album will stand the test of time and be a keepsake for a long time to come.
This next photo shows you a close-up view of the embellishments on the above photo.  I used some October Afternoon school cards (together, family and happy), and a Jenni Bowlin Bingo card, Making Memories corrugated letters (&) and a 5 cent button from the Kraft Outlet, and lots of sweet little touches here and there.
Now, on to the third page and more of Whitney and Leilah.  This page is covered in both patterned paper AND dress patterns.  It also has some Making Memories black and white polka dot ribbon, a doily cut from dress pattern, a journaling spot, a Prima leaf, flower, and some jute to accent this family page.  I left lots of journaling spots.
Starting at this point, the fifth and sixth pages of the album turn their focus to Leilah.  She's been such a blessing in Ashley's life, and has brought her so much joy.  I love watching how Leilah makes Ashley a better person.  Blessings in disguise!
This next photo shows you a close-up view of this page.  I used a lovely Maya Road kraft envelope and decorated it to go with the theme (you are so loved) so that Ashley could tuck a note or memento inside telling Leilah how loved she is, and how she has blessed her life.  I like including lots of journaling spots on my projects, and Genuinely Jane Studios' albums really make that possible!
The very last page (other than the back cover which I didn't photograph and one other blank page I didn't photograph) is ALL LEILAH!  The entire board is covered in layers of vintage dress pattern which was adhere with Mod Podge.  This technique worked VERY well on Genuinely Jane Studios' wooden products.  This was my favorite page of the book.  I really wish I could make this photo larger, but for some reason I can't change the size of photos in my blog posts once I'm down toward the bottom of the page.  If anyone can remedy that, please let me know.
And finally, this sweet close-up photo of the October Afternoon school journaling card (happy), the fabric rosette, Prima leaf and flower, Making Memories ribbon, Maya Road stick pins, and jute.  I also have a little wooden heart from Freckled Fawn in the upper right hand corner.  Lots of room for all kinds of sweet touches when you use Genuinely Jane Studios' fabulous wood albums.
Thanks for stopping by today.  I really do hope that you will all take a moment to check out Genuinely Jane Studios their blog, their Facebook page, and all the wonderful wooden albums they make and the lovely embellishments they sell.  They're phasing out all non Genuinely Jane Studios products from their shop, so can get some FABULOUS buys right now in their shop where EVERYTHING (non-GJS) is 30% OFF.  I know that I sure enjoyed playing with their wonderful wood products this month.  I will be sharing another Genuinely Jane Studios project here on my blog the morning of November 14, and I'm even more excited about that fabulous project.  It's a vintage Christmas tree, and it turned out SO cute.  I appreciate your comments, and would love to hear what you think.
 
Have a very blessed week!
Karen

P.S.  I have some Freckled Fawn BLOG CANDY at the top of my blog!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Sharing Bits of My Craft Room - TKJ

Hello to all my blog friends and those of you visiting from The Kraft JournalI'm here today to share this week's Watch Us Wednesday feature with you all.  Our theme for this week is "Show Us Your Craft Room" and so, I'm giving you all a little peek into my crafty corner of the world.  My husband keeps promising me that some day we'll have a house with a bigger scrapbooking room for me.  We shall see!  One thing that you will see recurring over and over again in my scrap room (and all through my house) is the use of antiques for storage.  I have lots of "old things that hold things".  For instance, I love displaying things on my antique White sewing machine.  I keep extra baker's twine, spools and bobbins in the drawers, and I store lots of things on top as well.

I love all things vintage, and so I'm always looking for antique containers to keep my laces and trims tucked inside of.  Each and every little bobbit tucked neatly in its place.  I keep baker's twine tied around antique wooden bobbins and placed in spongeware crocks.

Lots of little things are kept inside antique cheese boxes, I even have a couple of really old wooden Cod Fish boxes (below) that I keep all my crocheted doilies and delicate embellishments inside.  I have lots of cheese boxes throughout my scrap room filled with things like sequins, small embellishments, glitters, journaling cards and more.  They don't make wooden boxes like they used to - all those lovely detailed dove-tail edges.

My button collection is extensive.  I have LOTS of white and cream buttons (probably 3-4 jars).  I keep all my buttons in old Mason canning jars, and they have the old lids with ivory inside.   I have a few jars that hold all those really special buttons - the vintage, rare and hard-to-find (or crazy expensive) ones.  I enjoy all kinds of different antiques.

Mason jars also work great for storing your ribbon.  You can do one jar for each color ribbon.  Lots of great storage ideas for old jars.  Or, am I justifying my obsession?

I don't think I will ever feel like I have enough buttons, trims, or (well, pretty much anything) all the little bits and bobbits I've collected along the way, but it sure is fun.  Each drawer is filled with all sorts of wonderful sewing and crafting items.

This picture (below) is a cheese box from when I was 2 years old.  I colored all over it.  I couldn't believe my mother would let me do such a thing!  She saved it for me all these years.  I guess she kept my crayons IN the cheese box when I was little.  I have about 100 journaling cards tucked in this cheese box.  Behind that is a vintage metal bread box or some type of kitchen storage box.  That holds all my seam binding (undyed) and all my glimmer mists for making scrunched seam binding.
I have all my wool felt stored in a big antique wooden crate.  I think it was some type of wooden crate from either an old office or some type of factory.  It's in rough shape, but it works just perfectly to display all my wool felt.
This next picture (below) shows you a really sweet way to display trims.  I love taking my really special ribbons, laces and trims (especially rare vintage or very expensive trims) and winding them around antique wooden spools to store and display them.  A small pin holds each length in place.  This systems makes it very easy to cut off just the right amount of trim needed for a project.
I also wanted to share this picture (below) with you.  I have a lot of vintage and antique cases (suitcases, travel cases, a vintage train box, etc.) that I use to store paper goods, cards, cardstock, crafting bags, flowers and more.  This picture shows a few of those cases.
One of the final things I will share is my infamous WALL OF SHAME!  I need a better way to store and display my ribbon.  But because I have a ribbon collection that BY FAR exceeds JoAnn, Michaels, and ten local scrapbook stores inventory put together, I don't have a whole lots of options.  For now, I am dealing with this wall of ribbon.  These ribbon boxes were sold MANY years ago at Target.  My "Wall of Ribbon" has grown to 16 boxes high, 4 boxes wide, each box has 6 holes where you will find 4-6 different lengths of ribbon, lace or seam binding coming out of each hole.  There are also ribbons stored in these boxes and elsewhere in my craft room.  I have TOO MUCH RIBBON, and yet never enough ribbon.  And by the way, NO!  I don't always have just the perfect ribbon for every project.  I still find myself dreaming up ribbons that I don't have.  But when I say "My Cup Runneth Over", I'm not kidding!  God is SO GOOD TO ME, and I consider myself SO blessed.
And that, my dear friends, is a peek into my scrap room.  I hope that you all enjoy arranging your crafting supplies in a way that helps YOU stay organized.  You're all invited to stop by The Kraft Outlet to do some fun shopping for new krafting supplies and goodies, and to stop by The Kraft Journal Challenge Blog to play along in this week's "Harvest Time" Challenge.  We look forward to having you visit, shop, and play along with us as often as possible.  And, have a blessed week!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Fall Feathers and Leaves at Eureka

Hello friends, and Happy Fall!  Oh, how I miss being back in the northern parts of the United States this time of year.  One of my most favorite things to do is to take a long drive up along side of Lake Superior out of Duluth heading toward the Canadian border.
Betty's Pie Shop on the North Shore of Lake Superior, Minnesota
There are sweet little shops along the way, a favorite old pie shop called Betty's Pies, the majestic lake to behold all the way, and the MANY beautiful leaves on all the  tall pine, birch and maple trees.  It's a trip I looked forward to every year, and one that I miss greatly now living in the deserts of Nevada.  I'm also sharing a beautiful picture of the majestic scenery found along the North Shore of Lake Superior between Duluth and the Canadian border.

Gorgeous maple and pine trees along the North Shore
I also enjoy the crisp cool evening air and taking long walks outdoors to enjoy even more of the falling leaves.  The house I grew up in was just a short walk from the Duluth Public Schools Stadium where all the city's high school football games are played.  I always enjoyed walking down to watch the games.  I didn't get to experience all that this year.  I saw only the few changing leaves here and there in my area.  But as I made this card for the Eureka challenge this week, it brought me back to all these warm wonderful Autumn memories.
Karen Letchworth for Eureka Stamps
I used Eureka Stamps digi #26901 "Leaves Background" and Eureka digi #25803 "God Bless Y'All!" to create this card.  I colored all the leaves in the background stamp using my limited collection of Copics.  Then, I added the sentiment to the top by inking it a bit and attaching some acorn stickers.  I used Jolee's stickers on the bottom to give my card some texture and personality.  We would LOVE to have you all stop by Eureka Stamps Challenge Blog and join in our challenge this week by sharing your Autumn leaves and feathers cards with us.  You're all SO creative, and I know you'll knock our socks off with your entries as you always do!

I'm sharing my card here:
Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
 
Have a blessed week, and thanks so much for stopping by.
 
Karen

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Woodland Park Peacocks

As many of you already know, I'm a big fan of October Afternoon.  Each year in the early Fall, October Afternoon has their annual Warehouse Sale in Apply Valley, Minnesota.  I am blessed to be from Minnesota (I'm from Duluth, but the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul is only about 3 hours south of Duluth.  I also spend some time in the Twin Cities Metro area to visit my best friend, and of course, for the October Afternoon sale.  On the years I am unable to attend, I always have friends who attend and pick up whatever I want.  I usually spend somewhere around $50 - $75 a year which adds to my already HUGE October Afternoon collection.  I don't mind though because I LOVE all their sweet products.  One of the lines I purchased was Woodland Park.  This line has lots of really sweet sentimental prints, and....randomly enough - PEACOCKS.  I don't know why, but they somehow worked Peacocks into this line.  I didn't know how, or even if, I would ever use any of the peacock stuff, but I did implement some of it into this Birthday card I made today.
I used the patterned papers, inked them with Tim Holtz ink, use some of the Flower Sack and other little tidbits from the Woodland Park line, the metal pin with the peacock, and some strips of paper cut from OA scraps.   I also used some Pebbles In My Pocket black and white striped ribbon, some baker's twine, some acrylic paint, a doily, and a Happy Birthday stamp from my stash.  Here is a close-up of the October Afternoon decorative metal pin.
I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
 
Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
 
Pile It On Challenge Blog - Challenge #43 - Embellishment Crazy!
 
Thanks for stopping by to take a peek at my bright peacock card...LOL!  I'm grateful to have you visit.  Don't forget, I have blog candy at the top of my blog - a Freckled Fawn treat.  Have a blessed day!
 
Karen