Artsy Arrangements

Christmas... I {HEART} Christmas!

I am loving this new blog I stumbled upon, where the great Holiday Collage above may be found:

Elise Blaha : enJOY it

I am already brimming with possible variations!

This would look really great as a sampler of different Stampin' Up! Designer Paper series - to decorate my craft room :-) or to present them in a binder at events or shows -- maybe jazz the page up with some coordinated sets like they show in the new catalog?
Not all papers have the coordinating sets, but it could make for a creative collage. Or to give as Gifts, or as a Boutique/Craft Fair sales item: holiday themes - using the Christmas, Valentines, and Halloween themed papers,decorative accents - some of the new papers are pretty Chic!!


Notes About Designer Papers: I love that the designer papers are all coordinated! Yet they are different enough that you could use them for totally different looks. Used together, like in a simple collage as Elise suggests, or in a giant family Scrapbook, smaller theme scrapbooks, or even as suites or sets of Cards -- they will really help you achieve a totally coordinating and complementary look. And did you know that they come in patterned sets of a single color? Check them out : click Shop Now at my site and from the selections on the left choose Paper, then Designer Paper. (Shown: Merry Moments, Cast a Spell, and Game Night)


I also like the idea of saving bits of wrapping paper ( I LOVE wrapping paper, I always - much to my husbands dismay - save pieces, some not so small, from parties for scrapbooking) or gift bags and making an Event collage - bridal shower, baby shower, anniversary party, Birthday or Graduation parties... It would be a simple and timeless way to remember the event, maybe add a little line of journaling about the gift or giver, or add a larger Quote or Title to the frame! Keep it clean and classic, but it could have a great meaning for the recipient. What a decorative and meaningful piece, with that memory of a special time celebrated in an almost secret code.

Happy Crafting!

~angie

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MckLinky Blog Hop for July 21, 2009 - Favorite Recipe or Dish

Welcome Blog Hoppers!

This week's theme is favorite recipes, so here's mine:



Banana fana fo-fana! Banana Bread!

I am a big baker: I don't "cook" very well, but I can bake! I love to make this easy and delish banana bread for my son to take with him to share at school!
Its also great to freeze for a quickly warmed snack or breakfast on the go during the week (mini loaf pans work great for this).
And who can resist a nice big loaf of fresh hot banana bread with some butter and coffee in the morning?!?
This stuff is Great, Enjoy!!



----> But wait! Thats not Crafty!! you say.. (you blog hoppers might not say it, but the Crafty Crowd may...)

Well...
if you add one of these great gift boxes

SplitCoastStampers.com Box-in-a-Bag Tutorial

Filled to the Top with mini-muffins!!
And, maybe add a nice Recipe Card?


You would have a VERY Crafty Gift for someone!!
(perhaps to make Martha proud!!)

Happy Crafting!
~angie



Banana Bread



INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs, beaten


• 1/3 cup buttermilk


• 1/2 cup vegetable oil


• 1 cup mashed bananas


• 1 1/2 cups white sugar


• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional - leave out nuts for Kids Sharing Snacks)
  

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray coating. For Mini Muffins use mini-muffin tray and line with paper baking cups.
Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.
Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir in pecans/walnuts (optional). Mix well.
Pour into prepared loaf/muffin pan and bake:
Loaf pan - 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Muffin Pan - 13-18 minutes, test as above.

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Teddy Bears don't need Hearts - They are already Stuffed with Love

Oh My Gosh!! I just had to share, the new Mini Catalog ((LOVE IT!!! my wishlist is MADE)) comes out September First, and folks- Do Not Miss It!! I am SOOOOOO excited (can you tell?!)

This is just ONE of the fabulous finds in the upcoming Mini! Wheeeeeeee!!! I know you'll want to see the Bears --- they have Costumes!!! ADORable!!! (are you getting my excitement in the exclamation points? EXCited!)

For Release: July 13, 2009
Date: July 15, 2009
Media Contact: Angela Bodas, Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, AngelaBodas@comcast.net


STAMPIN’ UP!® AND BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP® ANNOUNCE UPCOMING PAPER-CRAFTING LINE

Stampin’ Up!’s exclusive offering to include stamp sets, Designer Series papers and Sizzix dies—available September 1st

Castro Valley — Stampin’ Up! ®, a Utah-based manufacturer of rubber stamps and accessories for paper crafting, scrapbooking and home décor, has partnered with Build-A-Bear Workshop® to produce the first-ever paper-crafting products featuring Build-A-Bear Workshop brand. The exclusively designed product offering includes stamp sets, Designer Series papers and Sizzix dies providing young and young-at-heart Build-A-Bear Workshop enthusiast endless hand crafted possibilities for scrapbook pages, cards, invitations, home décor and more.

“I’m excited about the opportunity we have to partner with Build-A-Bear Workshop,” said Shelli Gardner, Stampin’ Up! cofounder and CEO. “The company has a strong reputation for inspiring creativity and encouraging imagination with its products, which is what we have done at Stampin’ Up! for more than 20 years. This is a great partnership that will provide unlimited opportunities for creativity—I know I will be spending hours playing with my grandchildren, making all kinds of Build-A-Bear creations.”
Transforming Build-A-Bear Workshop characters into a crafting line is one of the many ways Stampin’ Up! and its demonstrators plan to excite the next generation of crafters while revitalizing the art of creating and giving handcrafted items.

“Like Build-A-Bear Workshop, Stampin’ Up! is a company that offers a variety of ways to express creativity. We are excited to partner with them to inspire the imagination in kids of all ages and to encourage this great hands-on activity.” said Maxine Clark, founder, chairman, and chief executive bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Stampin’ Up!’s Build-A-Bear Workshop Collection will feature products portraying the beloved Build-A-Bear Workshop mascot Bearemy® and other furry friends.
Castro Valley based Stampin’ Up! demonstrator Angela Bodas will hosting a Build-A-Bear Workshop September 26th to show-off the collection of Build-A-Bear products. Those interested in attending this event with Angela Bodas are invited to visit: http://www.midnightcrafter.stampinup.net/ or contact her directly at AngelaBodas@comcast.net.

###

About Stampin’ Up!
Stampin’ Up!, a 20-year old, multi-million dollar direct-sales company, offers an exclusive line of decorative stamp sets and accessories for home décor, greeting cards, craft projects and scrapbooking. Currently, tens of thousands of demonstrators from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom teach the art of stamping. Stampin’ Up! operates two state-of-the-art facilities including an 80,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Kanab, Utah; and a 300,000-square-foot corporate office, distribution center and demonstrator support call-center in Riverton, Utah. For more information call 801.257.5329 or visit www.stampinup.com.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the leading and only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. Founded in 1997, the company and its franchisees currently operate more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop® stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. In 2007, the interactive experience was enhanced - all the way to CyBEAR™ space - with the launch of buildabearville.com®, the company’s virtual world stuffed with fun. The company was named to the 2009 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $468 million in fiscal 2008. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company’s award-winning Web site at www.buildabear.com.

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Clubbing, anyone?

and while I WISH I could be offering this experience.... I'm really talking about:

Are you interested in a regular crafty stash fix?!?

Then why not join my

Crafters 6 Club

and earn some FREE goodies!

Let me explain how the Club will work:

The Club will run over 6 months and will require 6 people to sign up. (Crafters 6 :-)

Each month, every member will buy just $25 (+tax/shipping) worth of Stampin' Up products which will add up to a Club total of $150 (6 x $25) each month. This is equivalent to a (Virtual) Workshop which earns a Level 1 hostess stamp set plus $15 of Stampin' Up! crafty goodness from the catalogue.

Each month a different member will take a turn at being Hostess.
In your Hostess Month, which will be picked as you sign up (first come, first pick!), you will also have the option of having friends or family place outside orders to increase the Hostess Benefits for your month. I can provide you with more catalogs, and info or ideas, if you'd like.

This is a **Virtual Club** so you do not have to make time on your calendar to meet with the group, or clean the house for guests, or travel through traffic. Just browse through the catalog at your leisure, make a wish list; place an order with me by a certain date each month; and look forward to your crafty supplies being delivered to your door! You can also attend my Stampin' Up! events for a discounted cost or Free! I will also send you a monthly newsletter highlighting the current Stampin' Up! promotions, and a sneak peak at upcoming deals as well - the inside scoop as it were!

Once you have joined the Club I will send you a Free Stampin' Up! Catalog and Idea Book (worth $9.95) so that you can see all the beautiful stamp sets and paper and tools and craft supplies you will be able to choose from, and you can get that Wish List started! The Club does require 6 members, so refer a friend and the Club will begin when we have 6 people signed up! -- you will still get your free catalog and pick of the Hostess Month when you sign up, so contact me today!

Think you can't get much for $25? Think again!!
Stampin' Up! has a wide variety of products at every price level!

Interested in hosting your Own Virtual Workshop? or need another party solution to fit your busy life - Contact me! I have a ton of ideas for alternative events that might work for you!

If you are interested in joining the Club, or require further information please email me at angelabodas@comcast.net or fill out the contact card on my Stampin' Up! site - please mention your interest in the club in the comments field. The Club does require 6 members, so refer a friend and the Club will begin when we have 6 people signed up! -- you will still get your free catalog and pick of the Hostess Month when you sign up, so contact me today!

Happy Crafting!
~angie

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All that matters is what's inside...as long as your outside is wearing the tiara!

Quote by Aspen Brooks. Card from SplitCoastStampers tracielynmartin (uses Stampin' Up Perfectly Princess set - Retired -- to create, try current set Princess Time #116720)

So what goes inside all YOUR cards??

Do you stamp messages? Do you pen a fair note to your friends? Do you have the kids draw a bit of Cute for you? Do you Recycle old Greeting cards and paste their cut-ups inside? Do you search for the Perfect Quote?

I like Quotes myself, since my stamp collection tends to Not include the phrase stamps unless they come with my favorite images - yes, I plan to remedy this, my wishlist of phrases from the New Catty is growing!! :-) But for now, I like to Print my messages - be it quotes, or notes. (My handwriting leaves a bit to be desired...) and i LOVE that I can MATCH my font color to the theme of my card! How do you do that?? Well , I have found the most useful site!!

StampMonkeys: RGB Values for SU! Colors!: "When printing your own titles or greetings inside of cards, why stop at Basic Black?
Listed here are the HEX (Web Colors), RGB (Red Green Blue), which are both normally used for the web and graphics, and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black - percentages normally used for printing) values for each of the 48 Exclusive Stampin' Up! Colors, Neutrals, In-Color and retired colors. If you find any of these colors aren't right, please let me know and I'll check them. Remember that screen colors and printer colors will vary slightly."

How do you get the text in the right spot on the card??

Here are some instructions for printing TWO cards on an 8.5"11" paper:

In your word processor You need to set your page to landscape to get a card like the one on the Left (5.5x8.5" when you cut the page in half); and set your page to Portrait for a card like on the Right (4.25 x 11" when cut). For MS Word 2000: File -> Page Setup -> Paper Size ->Landscape.

Format the page so it has two columns. For MS Word 2000: Format -> Columns -> Two.

Set all margins to the edges of the paper. For MS Word 2000: File -> Page Set Up -> Margins. I lke to set mine to .25" (1/4 inch)

In the first column, type your text in the bottom half of the first column, the top line of text needs to be below the 4-1/4" on the side ruler. I like to use the Center Text feature.

To change the color of the Font follow these instructions (I know - Fabulous site!!)

Copy this column and paste it in the second column (or make TWO different cards and type some OTHER greeting!).

Check the print page set up and make sure the text is in the bottom center in its column, if so, print out. If not, go back and fix, then print out. You can also print using Draft mode to see how it looks before printing on your "good" card stock.

When you have printed this out, cut the 8-1/2" by 11" sheet in half. This will be your two cards.

Decorate the front as you would normally, Stampin' it Up!!

Hope you found this Useful!

Happy Crafting!

~angie

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My "New Year" Project

<----- LAST Years Birthday Celebrations (Thanks SOOO Much Liz & Kristin & Shannon & Austrailians! and Yes, I know its Upside down - the Austrailians need a picture They can see! Sheesh!)

So I mention that I am going to try out this new project - the 365 Project - since July 1 was my Birthday and its a "new" year and all... and folks haven't heard of it and ask me "what IS that 365 thing you're talking about?!?" SO....

Short & Sweet: you take a photo every single day of the year for the entire year. ((for me this will NOT be hard)) Of course, there will be photos of the special events in life like birthdays and holidays but even if you don’t have anything exciting going on that day, you still snap a photo of something in your life. (like I dont already - Daisies on the Lawn at the Roof Garden? They WERE cute!) I found it here: Project 365: How to Take a Photo a Day and See Your Life in a Whole New Way and you say - That is NOT crafty!!

So I say ((WHaaaaT? my photos are not crafty?!? you know me & my photos!!))

But I also saw it here at Beckys Blog and she IS Crafty!

AND I saw it here (scrapbook.com with links to sample galleries) and> here (Creating Keepsakes 365 ideas for photos) - crafty spots! And they all involve Photos -- my Other Passion :-)

When explaining this, one question was would I be taking photos of myself or what? Well, that’s just it – since it would be my project and my interpretation of my year then it could be photos of anything in my life; anything that has importance or matters to me at the time. It doesn’t necessarily have to be people. But what’s the point of taking a photo every single day you ask? Well to each person it probably means something a little different but in the years to come it will be a great way to reflect back at this age and stage of my life. My kids, my commute, my desk at work... One suggestion I read was to photograph things such as a gas station displaying the current price of gas. I think something like that will be interesting to look back on from years from now to not only look back on my own small world but the world at large.

So, what do you do with these 365 photos? Some people post them on Flickr or on their personal blogs and while I will do that, my ultimate goal is to scrapbook these photos. I think the journaling will be the hardest for me, I don't usually caption my pics...

Have you been participating in 365 from Jan 1 2009? Have you done it before? Any tips or tricks you might have for me? Want to join me and start on Your Birthday? Come On - we'll try it!

Happy Crafting!

~angie

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