Distress Marker Tutorial & Sale, Fabulous Asst Samples!

Hi Everyone,

I have a fabulous tutorial link by DT Member Michele Kovack using Tim Holtz Distress Markers!  Michele used our Dahlia Clear Art Stamp Set to create her pretty card for her tutorial and shows step by step photos with tips! 

I just ordered in some of these wonderful markers so I could have a set myself and I have some extra sets to sell!  We have a limited quantity stock so at this time we are only taking phone orders at 1-888 597-8898.  Regular $114.00 - Special $99.95 with FREE S&H and any FREE Small Clear Art Stamp Set!

Tim Holtz Distress Markers Sets include 36 translucent water-based color markers and 1 opaque white marker with handy dual tips which are ideal for many coloring techniques. You can use the brush tip sides for coloring, stamping and shading and use the fine detail tips for journaling, drawing and adding detail to projects.   

What makes them even cooler is these watercolor markers won’t bead up on our Clear Art Stamps, so you can color directly on the stamps using multiple colors – and even stamp on shiny paper!  When you dilute with water they will still maintain their base color and co-ordinate with other Ranger color products like all the Distress Inks, Paints, Powders, etc.  Layer, blend and wash colors easily with a brush and water. The opaque marker is called called 'Picket Fence' and yes – it really works on dark paper.   REGULAR PRICE $114.00 but On Sale for $99.95 with FREE S&H and any Small Clear Art Stamp Set! Phone orders only 1-888 597-8898

How about this adorable birthday card Michele Kovack just created using our Cutie Cat stamps!  You can also see her super cute doggie card she recently created using the Top Dog set.

Look at this cute Hang in There card by Marie-alice also using our Top Dog Stamp Set and you can see an adorable card she created with our Cutie Cat Set

Here's a fun birthday card by Sophie La Fontaine using our Animal Party Stamps and you can see more wonderful cards by Sophie and other creative ladies  here in Our Splitcoast Gallery

Check out this fun card by DT Member Marilyn McIldoon using the same Happy Birthday sentiment as above from our Party Animal Stamps and then added this cute Charlie Chaplin who is featured on our New Mustache Men Stamps - but we are waiting for stock to arrive as we had to do a 2nd round of proofs for a couple of small adjustments. Also, check out Marilyn's purse she made

I am also in love with the way Darlene Pavlick created this scene and sponged on her background colors so it looks like this girl off our Garden Girls Stamps is raking at sunset or maybe sunrise. It's so inviting, hah-hah, read the sentiment!

 

Also, see this pretty card that BeckyT designed over at Splitcoast Stampers 

with the same concept.  Beautiful job on both!

 Congratulations to Melisa Waldorf who has a stunning card she created using our Garden Girl Stamps with a brown paper bag on page 73 of the Stampers Sampler Catch Up Issue.

 I love Summer but I keep hearing about crazy heat waves everywhere so here is a link to some great cold drinks recipes on skinnytaste.com and if you scroll down you will see there are both alcohol and non alcohol yummy drinks!  I will be posting a new free printable soon and a great Giveaway - but in the meantime here is the link to the Printable Hammock image and I also posted Hammock Instructions from a 1893 book back in Aug 2010.

Thanks so much for all the nice compliments and feedback on Our Kitchen Re-do!   Hubby Scott had a big proud smile reading them!

Until next time,

Wishing you joy & creativity
Sandy Redburn

Check Our Store Locator
Visit Our Online Store
Join Us on Facebook!

This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4

USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 9823

My Kitchen Re-do Photos & Money Saving Tips!

Hi Everyone,

We finally finished our kitchen re-do and I'm thrilled with the results!  I've posted some Tips and $$ Saving Ideas at the end.

 Here is a BEFORE photo with the original 17 yr old fridge that needed to be replaced and then our gas stove died so we decided to go for stainless appliances, replace the worn floor, 'peachy' counters, stained sink, add the pendant lights and re-do the cupboards darker.

 We have a long telephone desk and island with counters that wrap around the cooking area so granite was way too expensive for the amount we would have needed.  We went with Formica counters. Wow - our family photo below is over 25 years old as our girls are now 25, 26 and 30!

Part of this photo seems a bit over exposed but I plan on doing the top of my old oak table and chairs darker as you can see the sun has bleached them lighter than the table's pedestal.

 I re-covered my kitchen chairs and bought all the fabric for chairs and new valances at JoAnns in Bellingham, WA at 50% off.  I used 6 yds of Findlay Cliffside fabric on sale for $19.99 yd.  We also re-did the valance in our family room which took the most fabric, but my photo didn't turn out. 

Cindy, our graphics designer, brought over her sewing machine and helped make the new valances. I didn't want ruffles anymore and went for a simple sleeve style. I bought 1" Bronze Braid trim on sale for $1.99 yd and slipped 2 loops over each sleeve and just added Velcro tape (from Dollarama) to stick all the valance's to the old existing bars. Click on the photo to see my piglet print from the 1890's.  It's sentimental as my nickname is PY, short for piglet, which I earned because I can eat so much!

 I'm still not 100% sold on the stools Scott bought.  They look so big for our narrow space.  I had them on Craigslist and planned to buy these stools on Amazon but now I'm on the fence. Which do you like better?  The old Singer sewing machine cabinet also takes up space but I can't part with it and love the little drawers and the treadle holds my big bowls.

Vicki posted a cool bike wheel photo/memo holder she spotted at the Junkstock Show and now I'm on the look out for a small wheel to go over my sewing cabinet (below) as the Grape Nuts print is so faded. I want to mount it so it spins and use wood clothes pins to attach photos and memos, Plus, I bet we can use it for a game at parties.

Re-doing the cabinets was a lot of work! My retired hubby Scott did most of it.  I emptied out, washed and sanded some, he painted and sanded them all and there are 26 cupboards,  16 drawers and trim! We used a product called Saman (see below) a seal, stain and varnish in one. Wash all your wood with TSP first to remove any dirt and grease. Sand wood, apply first coat, lightly sand, add 2nd cost and repeat if 3 coats are needed. Ours have 3 coats of the Medium Oak and Scott said a paintbrush worked great.  Our neighbors used the same product 4 years ago in Walnut and they still look great. They preferred a sponge brush.

I also used Rust-oleum Hammered Paint and Primer in Brown to spray my white metal paper towel holder and a green bird cage to go above the cupboards. 

Below is a list of tips I put together if you plan to re-do your kitchen and you want to save money.  Who doesn't want to save some $$!  Kitchens and family rooms are the hearts of our homes and a warm inviting kitchen is where happy memories are made!

Tips & Tricks for Saving Money on Kitchen and Home Re-do’s

First brainstorm all your options for ways you can save on materials and time. Look for sales on both new items and check for quality used appliances and materials on Craigslist, adpost.com, newspapers, liquidators, auctions, etc. You can also type ‘used appliances’ in Google and you should be able to find local places that specialize in used and often include warranties.  Consider bartering your time & talent with other trades people. Two of the best places to see home dec ideas are  www.houzz.com and DIY Kitchen ideas on www.pintrest.com

Appliances: Shop around and make a list of features you want and your size requirements. Don’t pay full price for new. Wait for a sale or ask for a discount. Consider buying quality used or update yours using some of the new appliance paints available.

Cabinets: New cabinets are often one of the most expensive parts of a kitchen but consider the alternatives.  Could you add a bookshelf to hold dishes and kitchenware, or could you remove some of your cupboards to create open shelving?  Check out these great ideas for turning old dressers into kitchen islands!  If you hate your cupboards, can you replace just the door fronts, or re-paint or stain your existing cabinets?  Often a coat of fresh paint and new handles will transform a kitchen. Here are 2 places I found on Ebay here and here with great prices on cabinet hardware.  Please tell me, do you think we need handles and knobs? We never had any before and have the indents under each cupboard so they open easy.  

Counters: Granite counters are beautiful but very pricey! We have so much counter it would have cost a fortune so we went with Formica counters.  You might also consider wood, tile, corian or some of the other less expensive materials available. Also, check out this postby ApartmentTherapy and how they used a new product from Rust-Oleum to re-do counters with a granite look.

 Flooring: Laminate and Vinyl floors are more cost effective than ceramic tile, marble or wood and many styles closely mimic the same patterns. We found ‘tile looking’ laminate flooring at 60% off.  Be sure to buy some extra. The plumber didn’t hook up our new dishwasher properly and it leaked, damaged the floor and Scott had to drive over 2 hours away but luckily found more.  Another option if you have concrete under your old lino is to paint it.  You will need to prep it, apply at least 2 coats with a roller and seal it with a polyurethane coating for durability. Concrete floors can look stunning and are becoming a popular trend.

Lighting:  One of our favorite changes was the 3 pendant lights we added over our island and it was so easy it took Scott less than 10 minutes to hook up all 3 lights into our existing pot lights with these pendant light kits we found. Dimmer switches are also one of my favorite ‘must haves’ and we have them installed in the kitchen, dinning room and all our bedrooms. They save money and you can adjust your lighting to any level.

Walls:  A fresh coat of paint will give a kitchen a whole new look and feel but consider painting just a feature wall. Also, check your garage for partial cans of paint that can be re-tinted. Ask at your local home hardware stores for miss-tints which are often marked down 75% off.  Consider wallpaper which can transform a wall or the inside of a glass china cupboard. Painted or vinyl stencils are also popular and can make a great visual statement with designs or quotes on a wall.  

You can also add some cool art to your walls or home decor pieces like these canisters DT leader Vicki Chrisman decoupaged and revamped using chicken images from our CD #2, Creating with Vintage Illustrations.

I also want to share this wonderful excerpt I found in an old book from the 1890's I have called Beautiful Homes.  It's written so eloquently and with such passion.

I have a bunch more new samples stamped I want to show you but this post is so long I will do a new post tomorrow.

Do you have any kitchen or home decor tips you can share? 

I'm linking this post to some Linky Parties 

 akadesign

Wishing you joy & creativity

Sandy Redburn

Check Our Store Locator
Visit Our Online Store
Join Us on Facebook!

This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4

USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 9823 

What's Mew? New Animal Stamped Samples, Photo Holders and Travel Albums!

Hi Everyone,   first I want to say how sad I was to hear about the shootings in Colorado and my prayers and sympathy go out to everyone affected by this senseless tragedy.

Today I have some adorable animal cards, photo holders and travel albums to show you.  Sophie La Fontaine has fallen in love with our new animal theme stamp sets and has been creating some super cute cards for her niece and nephews.  She used our Cutie Cat Stamps on this adorable card for her niece and lists the details and her supply list.

On the next 2 cards Sophie used our Top Dog Clear Art Stamp Set and I love the way she turned the play pal pups into beach dogs.

Look at this cute doggie in his car

Here's the Top Dog Stamp set and you can see more samples if you click on the link

DT Leader Vicki Chrisman's monthly art group is going to be having a show this fall and she will be posting more photos of items she's making to sell like these fun photo/card holders.

Here are a couple of Travel Albums I thought you might enjoy that were in our Get Creative Book which is sold out. Vicki Chrisman made the first one using our Wood File Folder Album which is on SALE for $3.50. It shows how long Vicki has been around as this is from way back in 2005! It just proves that vintage doesn't go out of style and the Adventure & Travel Cuts she used are still popular and are on sale for $1.50 a sheet!

This was an album that Cindy and I made using one of our Accordion Albums for a trip I did with my family  back in 2005. Two fun ideas are the paper drink umbrella glued to the page and using netting from a mesh produce bag to make a net for the fish from our Seaside Memories Stickers.  Various Seaside stickers were used on this double sided album.

PS - I'm helping hubby put our kitchen back to 'normal' and will take photos this week.


Until next time,

Wishing you joy & creativity
Sandy Redburn

Check Our Store Locator
Visit Our Online Store
Join Us on Facebook!

This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4

USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 9823 

Shabby Tea Room Samples, Mini Dressers, Tissue Printing and Great Samples!

Hi Everyone,

I have a bunch of fun projects to show you today!  I feel embarrassed that I got busy re-doing my kitchen and totally missed the Shabby Tea Room Challenge we sponsored last week - but I can tell you there were some fantastic samples! Check out STR DT Ladies Cafty Secrets projects by Debbie, Fran, Lenet, Rebekah, Starr  and  host Tammy Roberts who chose "Elegance and Lace" as the theme and 59 ladies entered!  Tammy and Debbie are both past Crafty Secrets Design Team Alumni Members!

People could use any supplies (didn't have to be ours) but we sponsored the challenge and the $50.00 prize winner was Joann who created this amazing dresser! I just adore the way she matted the rose image with a die cut frame and the rhinestone knobs and lace trim add the perfect "Elegance and Lace"!

When I saw Joanns dresser I remembered this dresser I made way back in 2005 for our Get Creative Book.  The book is sold out but I will start posting some of the projects. 

My dresser isn't stunning like Joann's but it's a fun way to display a photo for a little girls room. Tip: if you gave it as a gift you could add some money and small treats in the drawers.  I bought the package of matchboxes at the dollar store. I used our Little Girl Stickers to embellish the dresser top and stick behind the 'brad knobs', used 8 pink beads for feet and some pink cardstock.

 DT Leader Vicki Chrisman has done a Part 2 Tutorial on Tissue Printing and shows you how she printed text from CD #3 for this candle lantern below.  TIP: You could use Vicki's same idea to wrap printed tissue on recycled jars and various glass enclosed containers, which are perfect for the outdoors - as they don't blow out as easy!

If you missed the tutorial I did on Stamping on Tissue Candle Wrap I heat sealed you can see it here.  Gee, now I need to make a tissue wrapped jar so my candle won't blow out.

This altered journal page by DT Member Pam Hooten made me laugh out loud. Our new Cutie Cat Stamps look so cute together and I love all Pam's wild colors and doodle stamping she did!

Look at this pretty tin DT Member Marilyn McIldoon altered using papers from CD #2 Creating With Vintage Illustrations.  The crystal knob and rosettes add extra shabby glamour.

Sophie La Fontaine created this gorgeous goose card using our NEW Animal Party Clear Art Stamp Set. I like how the background is all muted on this card, so the goose she added has that  extra pop.

I hope you are all enjoying summer. I'm wishing you a cool breeze if your in hot weather or sunny skies if you're getting rained on. Our summer weather came so late this year I don't want to complain about our sweltering hot office yesterday.  How is your weather?

PS - our kitchen re-do is almost done!

Sandy Redburn

Check Our Store Locator
Visit Our New Etsy Store
Visit Our Online Store
Join Us on Facebook!

This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4

USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 9823