Bow Die Angel

  I got together with my stamping ladies yesterday for a class to make some Christmas items.  I introduced the bow die by having them make this sweet little angel ornament.  This should get you in the Christmas spirit!

 How adorable is this?  It's not a new idea but we had a good time making them.  We kept the color palette to white and silver and I think the sparkle will look wonderful on the Christmas tree.

  Pink Pirouette cardstock was used for the head.  A blender pen and some Pink Pirouette ink make the rosy cheeks.

  We used a glue gun to put all the parts together.  You can use glue dots but they don't always hold for the long term.

  I plan to make more of these to use as add ons for gift card gifts or around a wine bottle for a hostess gift.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: none

Ink: Pink Pirouette

Paper: Whisper White, Silver Glimmer paper, Pink Pirouette

Accessories: Perfect Polka dot embossing folder, silver ribbon, faceted button, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, blender pen, black marker

Light Up Spooky House

  Since Halloween will come and go before we know it I thought I better get my last few Halloween themed projects blogged about.

  This one started off as a possible project for my stamp club a few weeks ago.  It didn't make the cut but I did show it at stamp club as an idea to do with the Holiday Home set.

  This project is more of a decoration than a card though it folds flat with little hinges on the inside to keep it open.  

  I used the Circles framlits to cut the large circle in the Basic Black base.  I backed the cut out with vellum and then stamped the tree and bats in Memento ink.  

  The house is embossed in white and then cut out with the Homemade Holiday framelits.  It is adhered just on the edge of the circle with a dimensional.  The ghost is stamped and then hand cut and adhered to the back of the chimney.

  The moon is a small circle of Daffodil Delight with another set of bats stamped toward the edge.

  And here is it all lit up with a battery tea light inside:

  It looks pretty neat when the lights are really dim but it was impossible to capture it with my poor photography skills so you'll just have to believe me or better yet make your own!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Holiday Home

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black

Paper: Basic Black, vellum, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Accessories: Homemade Holiday framelits, circle framelits, white embossing powder, dimensionals

Beachy Shadow Box Collage

  I have many friends and customers getting ready to head to the beach for vacation before school starts in the next few weeks so I thought I would share this project that I made a while back to give as a gift.  Friends invited us to their beach house for a weekend back in May so of course I had to make a little something to show our thanks.

  It is a 12x12 collage page that I put in a shadow box frame.  I couldn't get a good picture of it due to the glass in the frame and the crazy reflections so just imagine a nice black frame around the collage.

  It was a lot of fun designing each of the nine panels and trying to get each one to be a little different but still using the stamp stamps and colors.  The colors that I went with always make me think of the beach and are similar to colors our friends have in their house.

  I used a lot of different supplies and tools.  Every panel is sponged with Crumb Cake ink including the the larger 12x12 piece.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: By the Tide, Hardwood, Work of Art

Ink: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Soft Sky, Versamark

Paper: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Pool Party

Accessories: button, candy dots, ribbons, vintage trinkets (retired), circle punch, oval punch, scallop circle punch, linen thread, Typeset Alphabet dies (retired), dimensionals, Pool Party embossing powder,

Washi Tape Tealights & Candle Holder - Sunday School Teacher Gifts

  A few weeks ago I did a "What to Washi" class with my customers.  We had a good time creating some cards and gift items using washi tape.  One of the projects was tea light candles with a matching glass candle holder.  This is such a quick project that you can keep the supplies on hand and make one up when you need a little something for a hostess gift, thank you or birthday present.

  I decided to make up a batch of these to give to the boys' Sunday School teachers to say thank you for "Shining Their Light" all year long.  The Gold Watercolor Wonder washi tape from the Occasion catalog was the perfect look for these.  And I'm happy to let you know that this item is carrying over into the new 2014-2015 catalog which is coming soon!

 The most narrow roll of washi tape fits perfectly around the base of these dollar store tea lights.  Just wrap it around the metal cup and snip for a clean finish.

  We packaged the lights in one of the 4"x6" cello bags with a piece of Brushed Gold cardstock.  I didn't take a picture of it but the underside of the cardstock is decorated with the washi tape as well.  To finish off the little package just roll the edge and tape it down with another piece of washi tape.

  For the glass candle holder I just alternated the 3 different tapes all the way around the 4 sides.  I used the paper snips to get clean cuts.  You could use all the same design or just 2....whatever you want...it's that simple!

  I couldn't get a good photo but when the tea light is lit the pattern of the washi tape stripes looks really cool.  These candle holders would be perfect to make if you had to host a dinner or wanted to change up your look for different seasons and holidays with investing in a ton of new items.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: none

Ink: none

Paper: Brushed Gold cardstock

Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape, 4x6 cello bags, Tea light candles (non-SU), glass candle holder (non-SU)

Burlap & Blooms Wreath Kit

  Now that the spring weather has finally arrived it's time to put up some fresh new spring decorations to celebrate!

  I bought the Burlap & Blooms wreath kit way back in December when demonstrators got to preorder from the Occasions Spring catalog...super nice perk right?  Anyway since it was cold and Christmas time I didn't even look at it until about February.  And then it was really just to open to the package and see what all was in it.  We were still in the midst of crazy snow days and single digit temps so I put everything from the kit back in the package and there it sat until about 2 weeks ago.  I wanted to have the wreath complete so I could show it at stamp club to see if anyone would be interested in it for a class.

  It was so easy to put together and all together probably didn't take more than and hour or 2 once I got rolling and just started putting it together instead of just looking at it!

  It looks wonderful hanging in my front hall and adds such a nice pop of spring colors!

  Here are a few close ups...

 

 For my local ladies I've gotten my act together for April and have scheduled a few classes!  Check your email (or spam folder!) for details!  One of the classes is to make the Burlap & Blooms wreath!  

  If you are local to Glen Allen, VA and would like to join in the fun please send me an email at mandysurovy (at) yahoo (dot) com for all the details.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp (or create!) today?

Supplies: Burlap & Blooms wreath kit, glue gun, paper piercer

Autumn Build a Banner

  I've had this Build a Banner Simply Created kit (page 31 Holiday Catalog) since the Holiday catalog was previewed for us demonstrators way back when in the summer.  I thought back then that it would be fun to create a banner for the fall and another for Christmas to hang in my front entry way.  Well, I finally got around to making my autumn banner last weekend.

  I really like this kit because you get 18 banners in 3 styles as well as the pattern and alphabet stencils so you can make any kind of banner you want.  You can also use the stencils on cardstock when making cards and scrapbook pages and you know how much I love double duty supplies!

  Here it is on the floor of my stamp room after I finished it.  I used Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango, Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip for my colors.  Instead of using the Spritzer included in the kit for applying the colors I used sponged daubers so I could get a more saturated color.  First I did the background patterns then I did the letters.

  In between each letter I made a mini banner out of Sweater Weather DSP and added an Autumn Accents leaf.  I alternated the leaf color and shape as well as the embossed pattern.  Some are embossed with the Perfect Polka Dot folder and the others are embossed with the Woodgrain folder.  I tied a piece of linen thread around each leaf stem.

  Since my banner was quite long and I didn't want to use up all the jute twine that came with the kit I cut smaller lengths and just knotted the ends to link my banners instead of having the twine threaded through the back.  This also kept the banners from sliding around.  The smaller DSP banners are attached with sticky tape for a secure hold.  I just folded over the top of the DSP around the jute twine and adhered.

  And one final (giant) photo showing the banner hung up in my front entry.  It add some nice fall color to a very bland wall.  I'm looking forward to enjoying this banner through Thanksgiving and for many more fall seasons to come.

  It was really easy to put together and fun to add the extra accents.  What do you think I should make for Christmas?  "Merry"?  "Joy"?  I still  have 12 banners left so I could do both if I wanted to!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: none

Ink: Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango, Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Sweater Weather DSP, Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango, Soft Sky

Accessories: Autumn Accents die, linen thread, Perfect Polka Dot e.f, Woodgrain e.f., sponge daubers, Build A Banner Simply Created kit

Week of Goodbyes

  Last week was a whirlwind of the final days of preschool for Alex and all the activities that go along with it, some illness, last stamp club of the 2012/2013 catalog and all the other every day stuff.  So blogging definitely fell by the wayside while I was holding everything else together!

  Not only did Alex finish preschool but we also had to say good bye to a very dear teacher of his that is moving away over the summer.  She was Ryan's very first preschool teacher and both boys benefitted from her kindness and enthusiasm when she became the full time music teacher.  We will certainly miss  her and all that she brought to the preschool.

  Of course I had to make her a little goodbye and good luck gift to let her know how much we will miss her.   There are several large patches of clover on the grounds of the church and school and over the years we've found several four leaf clovers.  Alex and I were lucky enough to find a few good ones that we dried and pressed.

  I used some retired textured cardstock and mounted the best looking of the four leaf clovers in a shadow box frame.  I used just a really light coating of spray adhesive on the back of the clover and just pressed it to the cardstock.

  Not the best photos but I forgot to take any until right when I had to get it in the gift bag and head to school!

 I used just a small layer of Gumball Green cardstock in the matting and then a small Gumball Green ribbon knot to highlight the four leaf clover.  It was the perfect color to go with the clover.

  So we said good by to a favorite teacher and to preschool…..what do you think, is this kid ready for kindergarten in the fall??

First Day of School - September 2012

Last Day of School - May 2013

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Happy New Year!!

  So I know New Year's Day was yesterday but I never found a moment to wish you all Happy New Year's!  So HAPPY NEW YEAR my fellow stampers!  Here's wishing you a 2012 that has plenty of stamping time!

  I have some fun news to share to start the year off.  I was chosen to be a member of Splitcoaststampers Creative Crew!  The Creative Crew is a rotating group of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators that are give a new set of awesome challenges every month and we create projects using the challenge guidelines.  It's so fun!  The January gallery is up and running and showcases some awesome talent and cool projects.  I already have a few favorited to try out myself.  I am totally floored to have been chosen to be in this group of super talented ladies.

  Check out these fun challenges for the month of January and play along!

CCREW112CF- My newest stamp set. Use only stamps from a new stamps set on a non-traditional card.

CCREW112DF- Use a color combination that you’ve never used before. Make your card with this color combo using this sketch.
 


CCREW112HF- Valentines Day.  Make a card or a decor item using hearts in a new way to you—something you’ve never done with hearts.

CCREW112SB- a past holiday (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas) scrapbook page or decor item. Use your newest dies, texturz plates or embossing folders to create this beauty. Use one or use many big shot items.

  To upload a project to Splitcoaststampers make sure to add the bold challenge keyword in the keyword space so your project gets placed in the correct spot.  Use the challenge keyword to search the gallery to see the other challenge projects or use the keyword CreativeCrew to see all the projects together.  I hope you'll play along with us!

  Now after all this chatter here is my first project of 2012 and my first Creative Crew project.  This is for the CCREW112SB challenge which was to make a scrapbook page or a decor item for a past holiday.  Please excuse the photos...this was a hard one to photograph...all the white and the larger size just wasn't working in my light box so I had to lay it down on the carpet!

  This 12x12 shadow box came together quickly once I had a few minutes to work on it.  I had been wanting to make a Christmas themed shadow box for Christmas I just never found the time, until after Christmas!  At least I have a fun new decoration to look forward to bringing out next year....oops, this year!

  The back layer is a 12x12 piece of textured Very Vanilla.  The next layer is textured Chocolate Chip (I tried Garden Green, Basic Black and a few others but the Chocolate Chip looked best to me) but you could totally customize this to match your other decorations.

   The top square is another piece of textured Very Vanilla.  On this piece I mounted ornaments punched out of smooth Very Vanilla.  All of the ornaments are popped up with dimensionals.  These ornaments are embossed with the soon to be available Adorning Accents embossing folders which are long and skinny giving you more placement options.  I used the scallop embossing folder and then added an adhesive rhinestone to each scallop.

  The Red Glimmer paper ornament is decorated with 3 rows of adhesive rhinestones across the middle.  I also added a baker's twine bow and 2 mini jingle bells.  I placed this one in the lower right hand corner to shake up my "everything must be balanced and even" sensibilities.  And it's a fun pop of color to draw your eye to.  I might try it again and put the red ornament smack in the middle.  I already have plans to make some of these for gifts for Christmas 2012.

  I hope you'll hop on over to Splitcoaststampers to check out all the goodies the Creative Crew has made for January.  Leave them a little comment love and then get out your supplies and play along!

  Happy New Year.  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: none

Ink: none

Paper: Very Vanilla textured & smooth, Chocolate Chip textured, Red Glimmer paper

Accessories: adhesive rhinestones, baker's twine, mini jingle bells, ornament punch, Adorning Accents embossing folders (Available Jan. 4 in the new Occasions Mini Catalog)

Rolled Designer Series Paper Ornament

  Well I'm back!  The last 2 weeks have been pretty hectic and I think I have finally gotten caught up with everything.  Sadly, in the middle of the fun of preparing for Christmas my aunt passed away after a long battle against cancer so I was out of state for a few days last week to attend her funeral and be with my grandparents, mom and other relatives.  We sure are going to miss her but know she is in a better place with God and is no longer in pain.  Once I got back home I was able to get all of my Christmas cards mailed out (Thank goodness I had them all made from doing the Christmas Card Challenge all year!), finish decorating the house, make my cookies for a cookie exchange and make the gifts for the boys teachers.  Wow!  That makes me tired just typing all that and leads me to what I'm showing today...A fast, easy gift to make!  We made these at my last stamp club of the year and I also made about 13 more for teacher gifts.  Rolled DSP ornaments!

  For the life of me I couldn't get a decent photo of these glass ornaments so you'll have to bear with me and use your imagination a bit to see how cute they are!  First get some of the empty clear glass ornament balls and take the metal cap off.  Cut thin strips from your DSP.  At stamp club we used strips between 1/4" & 3/4" wide.  Use a pencil to tightly wrap the paper strip and put it into the ornament opening and gently slip it off the pencil.  The paper roll will unravel slightly and that's OK.  Keep filling up your ornament until the paper strips are packed tight but not smooshing (yes, that's the technical term!) each other. 

  Next, using the Silver Glimmer paper and the Simple Alphabet dies cut out whatever initial you need for the person you're giving it too.  Some of my stamping ladies had a hard time deciding if they should use their own first name initial, their last name initial or make it to give to someone else.  I told them the ornaments were easy enough that they could make more at home!  I chose to make an "m" for "Mertz" and hang it on my own tree.  We punched a hole in the Glimmer Paper inital and punched a little tag with the jewelry tag punch and wrote the year on it.  We threaded some bakers twine and tied everything to the wire loop at the top of the ornament.  Next, take a few pinches of Champagne Glass Glitter and sprinkle it into the glass ball. To finish the ornament off put the metal hanger back on and use either seam binding ribbon or 5/8" satin ribbon to make the loop to hang on the tree.

  For club we used the Letters to Santa DSP and matched the ribbon and twine to it.  Some of my ladies even used some small scraps of Glimmer Paper to add to their ornaments and that looked really cool too.  The ornaments that I made for gifts I used the Frostwood Lodge DSP from the Holiday Mini and just changed out the ribbon colors.  This is a great personalized gift that you can make in no time at all while sipping hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music or watching your favorite Christmas movie.

  Thanks for sticking with me even though I haven't posted at all lately!  And thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?


Stamps: None

Ink: markers to match your DSP


Paper: Letters to Santa DSP, Whisper White (small tag), Silver Glimmer paper

Accessories: clear glass ornaments (non-SU), ribbon, baker's twine, Simple Alphabet die, jewelry tag punch, glass glitter

Not Stamping but still Crafty- What to do with all those seashells you collect at the beach!

  This isn't stamping related but I figured you would all humor me with showing this project today.  I don't know if I'm the only one that does this or not but maybe I can help some other shell collector out there.  When we go to the beach every year for vacation I always pick up a lot of shells.  Well a lot is probably an understatement; the first time we went I came home with a giant ziploc bag filled with all different colors of shells, some just pieces, some whole, no rhyme or reason to the collection at all.  What the heck to do with them once I was home??  The next year I had a plan.  I was going to collect enough of one type of shell to make a picture frame when I got home.  I ended up collecting enough purple shells to make a frame for me as well as our friends who went with us.

  Now it has become a tradition every year to collect one type of shell (or this year rocks!) and make a frame to put our annual beach family photo in.  The current year's photo is displayed downstairs in my TV room and the previous years get moved upstairs.  They are all hung in a group in the hallway.  It's fun to look at the different shells as well as the photos which shows our family grow from just the 2 of us, to having Ryan and then Alex.   We aren't much for going to those portrait studios every year for pictures so this more casual style works perfectly for us and I get to make great use of my shells and it gives me a bit more focus while I'm at the beach so I don't end up with a 5 gallon pail full of randomness. 

The Hallway

  This year I wanted to find enough little smooth black rocks to go all the way around the frame. I was glad I picked the easy-to-find rocks since our vacation got cut a few days short due to being evacuated for hurricane Irene.  I had plenty of rocks collected by the time we left partway through the week.  Here is the finished product...sorry about the horrible photo, I need to learn how to photograph glass apparently!

The Family- Aug. 2011

  To get started is really easy....collect what kind of shell you want to use.  The number you need will vary depending on how large the shells are so I always collect more than I think I will need just so I'm not caught short once I'm home.  I get a basic black 8x10 frame at Target.  You want to make sure the frame you choose has a flat front...once that has too much detail or ridges will make it hard for you to glue down the shells.  That and you'll be covering up any details anyway so you might as well not pay for it in the first place.  And lastly you'll need some craft glue that dries clear....I use Ailene's Tacky Glue but any brand will probably work.

See in the upper lefthand corner...that's my coveted sea glass from this last beach trip.  We have an unofficial contest to see who can find the first piece of sea glass, the biggest piece etc.  My mother in law won the biggest this year with 2 very large pieces from the bottom of a wine bottle I think.  Anyway, maybe some day I'll have enough sea glass to do a frame.

 
  I always do a dry run of my layout of shells/rocks before starting to glue.  Sometimes one shell will not look right next to another one...don't ask me why I guess it's just artistic license or something!  Anyway, laying them out first allows you to rearrange and adjust as needed. 

 Next start gluing.  This actually goes pretty fast...pick up shell/rock put glue on shell/rock put back into place on the frame....now repeat until they are glued down.  I don't suggest moving the frame for an hour or so to let the glue set up so your shells won't shift around.  And I always wait a day or so before adding the photo...better safe than sorry.  Just one tip for this part...don't let your shells hang too far off of the bottom edge of the frame.  If any shells stick over too far they will prevent the frame from standing up correctly.  This isn't a concern if you're going to hang it but if you're leaving it on a table top then you don't want it to come crashing down.

  And again with the finished frame.  I just get a 5x7 photo matte (or is it mat??) at a local craft store and hand write the beach we stayed at and the date.  I'd love to hear about or see other ideas of what you do with your shells to capture the memories of your vacations.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you go shelling today?

 

Post Valentine's Day Wrap Up

  I wasn't organized enough last week to get my Valentine's Day projects made, photographed and blogged about so I'm going to do it now....maybe plant some idea seeds for you next year!  My DH and I really don't do much to celebrate Valentine's day but I wanted to kind of do something fun this year since my 4 1/2 year old was excited about the whole day since they were doing a party and exchanging Valentine's at school (check back tomorrow to see what he made!).  I made cards for my kids and husband....nothing too fancy but just a little something to tell them I love them.  I left the cards out on the table so they would find them at breakfast. 

  Here is the card I made DH.  I saw this card by StampGroover over on Splitcoaststampers and thought it was so totally adorable that I had to make one myself.

  The bag is made from some of the packing paper that comes in our Stampin' Up orders!  I've saved 2 large rolls of it but haven't done much with it.  This only took a small scrap but it's a great use for the paper don't you think?  I just folded the ends and bottom in and punched out just the edge using my small oval punch and then adhered.  The hearts are made with the Heart to Heart punch and various kinds of red paper.  I highlighted the Whisper White panel with the new Framed Tulips embossing folder.  The Glimmer Paper (sooooo addicting!) heart is popped up on a dimensional.

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Real Red Textured, Love Patterns DSP, Stampin' Up packing paper


Accessories: Framed Tulips embossing folder, Tombow glue, Heart to Heart punch, small oval punch, dimensionals.

  Here are the 2 cards I made for my boys.  They get a kick out of owls lately so I made them both an owl card and just alternated the colors.  I used the Clean and Simple Challenge (CAS105) from last week as my starting point for colors, Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait and Daffodil Delight.  Let me tell you, these colors are hard to use together....I love them all individually but it's hard working with such bright colors all on one little card.  I also used the Sketch Challenge (SC319) for the basic layout.

Stamps: So Many Sayings

Ink: Peach Parfait & Poppy Parade (markers)

Paper: Whisper White, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, In Color Hostess DSP pack


Accessories: Owl punch, Word Window punch, 5/8" satin ribbon

  But wait there's more... for dinner we planned to have a nice family dinner in the dining room complete with candles, good china, good crystal, tablecloths, napkins the works!  Ryan helped me set the table and then we sprinkled a bunch of punched out hearts in the center of the table.  Of course we needed to make some more special decorations so we whipped up a cool (easy!) banner to hang across the large mirror in our dining room.  Seriously, this took less than half an hour and that's with a 4 1/2 year old helping.  Ryan actually did all the Big Shot cranking--he's getting to be quite the pro!  Please excuse the photos...it's super hard to get a decent shot with a mirror there without getting myself in the shot (cause I know you don't want to see me!) and the weird bright spots from the sun weren't helping.  I'm sure you can get the gist of it though!

  This was made using the new Petal Cone die in the Occasions Mini catalog.  I had seen a few of these on Splitcoast and thought how cool!  The heart shape is cut with a little flap on one side (for when you make it into the cone shape) that I just trimmed off.  We used the Love Patterns DSP for the 4 "LOVE" hearts and Real Red textured for the end hearts.  We punched the 2 sparkly end hearts with the Full Heart punch and used the Glimmer Paper (again!) for the letters.  I cut 2 sets of letters, one with thin cardboard and the second with the Glimmer paper (I know- someone call me some help!) and just glued them together.  We mounted the hearts and letters onto Whisper White 2 3/8" scallops.  I used the small handheld punch to make holes to run the ribbon through and then simply knotted them on the front of each heart.  The boys got a big kick out of the "fancy" dinner and were especially mesmerized by the candles...everything is better with candles isn't it?  Well maybe not stamping but a lot of things anyway! 

Paper: Glimmer Paper, Love Patterns DSP, Whisper White, Real Red textured

Accessories: Full Heart punch, Petal Cone die, grosgrain ribbon, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, handhelp punch

And last but not least; here is the card that DH stamped for me.  Didn't he do a good job?  It's so fun to get a handmade card once in while!  Don't mind the smudge on the one heart....Alex got a hold of it with this goopy hands...Silly 2 year old!  DH said he traced the heart from Filled with Love "just to do something different"!  He even cleaned the stamps and put everything away in the right spot!  I'm a lucky lady indeed!

 Stamps: Filled With Love

Ink: Melon Mambo

Paper: Whisper White

  Check back tomorrow to see the Valentine's projects Ryan made for our family and school friends!

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

My New Stamp Room! A.K.A Why I Haven't Stamped Much Lately!

  I've been bugging my husband for a while that I wanted to spruce up my stamp room and make it more organized and pretty.  The paint was still the yucky builder's grade off white that it was when we moved in more than 3 years ago.  The "desk" was my parents old kitchen table and all the storage was just a hodge podge of plastic rolling bins, and random containers to hold all of my stuff.  My poor Big Shot and paper trimmer were on the floor just waiting to be abused by my boys.  About the only part of the room that was organized was my ink pad holder that my husband built for me last Christmas.

  So for my Christmas present this year Matt painted the walls and the ceiling...

This is the corner where my desk goes

 And then put up crown molding....

Look at all those punches!!

And then he built me a desk.....

All wood will turn into a desk...I promise!

The corner desk top

Cardstock file cabinet on the left Small drawer storage on the right

 After we moved the pieces upstairs to the stamp room I had to work on a few projects so I couldn't wait for the desk to be completely finished.  I was so paranoid that I was going to dent the top or drop an ink pad face down on it!  Matt kept reminding me to be careful with it and wait until we got the glass top for it...It's definitely his baby!

In the Stamp Room with paint, waiting for drawer hardware

Drawer fronts and Cup Pulls with label holders

Just waiting for the glass top

  We've since gotten the glass and I've proceeded to fill the drawers and cover the top with all my piles which I'm slowly starting to find new homes for.  You can barely see the top now but I LOVE all the extra room I have.  My husband is so talented!!  I showed him a desk that I had seen on built-it-yourself website, Ana White (formerly know as Knock Off Wood) and told him I wanted file cabinets on one side for my cardstock and smaller shallow drawers on the other for tools, accessories etc.  He took a look at the plans and altered them for the changes I wanted and Voila!  Well maybe not that fast, all in all the whole room painting, molding, desk building took a few weeks throughout the Christmas holiday.

  I still had the old kitchen table that I was using as my desk and it was looking pretty beat and tired.  My parents used it for many many years when we were growing up and I'm sure it wasn't new then as my mom is a great yard sale hunter so it was probably already second or third hand at this point.  I thought it would be great as a Big Shot, paper trimmer & sewing machine table.  The random cut out piece is so I can set my sewing machine down in it so it is flush with the table making it easier to use. When I'm not using the sewing machine the cut out piece of wood fits back in so there isn't a gaping hole.  My dad did that part when they gave me the table.

Ready for a new look

Side View...the carved details on the legs were hard to sand!

  We took it outside and sanded it down...

Now it looks even more sad!

A good healthy coat of Kilz...

I can't decide if it's looking better or worse!

 And 3 coats of semi-gloss, and 2 coats of poly...

Look at that good looking table.  The Big Shot is excited to have a real home!

 And here is the table with all the gear on it as well as this hutch thing I got when my father-in-law closed down his office which I had been using the same way before the room redo but it made the table kind of shallow and I couldn't spread out much.  I want to paint it to match the rest of the furniture but it's that weird laminate particle board stuff....sturdy enough but I just don't know how to paint it.  Any suggestions welcome!  My husband says he can just build me a set of shelves to mount on the wall so we'll probably do that someday.  For now this works for some extra storage and display space.

The work table

  See those long tall things leaning against the wall...well those are the supplies for my curtains; fabric, liner and rod.  I'm not much of a sewer and don't enjoy it nearly as much as stamping.  I think it's such a long process to sew curtains as opposed to knocking out a few cards which is much more immediate gratification at the end.  So my mom is going to help me out when I go visit them next month, she's the sewer in the family.  The plastic bins are the same ones that I've been using for years to store my stamp sets.  I really need to sort them all out between, current, retired, hostess etc. but that's a project for another day.  The small little wire cart over on the right has odds and ends and is where I store my 12X12 paper.  Ultimately I'd like to clean out the closet enough to fit that in and then have a book shelf in that corner.

  I'm now on the hunt for an old picture frame to paint and hang up above my desk so I can have an idea board with all my scraps of paper and pictures ripped from magazines.  Right now they are all stacked up on the desk or shoved in a binder which isn't very inspirational.  I'm also trying to figure out the lighting for the desk.  There is a spot already set for a ceiling fixture but I'm afraid that since it is behind me it would just cause a shadow from my head right on my work surface.  Right now I have a short table lamp that's OK but I think a taller one would be better.  The OTT lights on the hutch above the work table are sufficient for that space for now.

 If you've made it this far....WOW!  Thanks for taking a look at my new and improved stamp room.  I'll be back to posting cards soon now that I have the organization almost finished and I have to finish designing the projects for my January stamp club!  I'll try to remember to post any other changes so you can see how it's going.

  Here are some of the room details in case you're wondering.

Wall Paint: Valspar Coffee n' Cream (satin)
Primer: Kilz
Molding, Desk & Table: Valspar White (semi-gloss)
Corner Desktop Plans
Base Unit Plans altered as needed
Punch Organization: Over the door shoe organizers from Target
Ink Pad Storage

Thanks for looking!  Happy Stamping (or building or organizing!)