Thursday, February 9, 2012

I'm So Happy and Look What's Coming!

Hi Everyone, Scroll below to see NEW Wonderful Things to Come!

I'm so HAPPY I could do a dance! If you have been here to this Blog over the last 2 days you probably noticed it was a mess, the template and a bunch of links had disappeared. I lost the template a couple of days ago trying to do a post doing a post and no one could help me, not the Blogger Forum, or a Tech Company who refunded my money. About 2 hours ago I FIXED it by myself!!! Thank goodness because we are leaving on a vacation tonight my husband signed us up for. I blame him all the time but I'm excited. It's spur of the moment, $250.00 ea to go on a sailboat around islands off Cancun for a week with friends! I'm bringing a bunch of work but I feel so lucky to go.

Cindy and Denisa will be here looking after things, and Shelley is back in shipping - so to celebrate all this good news I'm asking Shelley to send extra GIFTS until I get back with a FREE SUMMERTIME BOOKLET with all orders over $15.00 and a with orders over $50.00 a FREE SHEET OF COTTON SPRINGTIME SCRAPS and a SMALL STAMP SET!

We have been working like crazy on a bunch of different things but I want to show you a new Stamp Set we just finished and the other 2 new ones should arrive any day! Plus a peek at more new papers going on CD # 3!

Here is a new Large paper doll set coming called All Dolled Up

Okay, check all these wonderful papers that will be on CD 3! The first 2 are by Astrid from Scotland who is helping with design work!!

The rest are by Cindy, our head graphic designer and you can see others I showed HERE

Vicki is going to do a post while I'm away

See you soon

Sandy

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Saturday, February 4, 2012

Vintage Valentine Projects, Valentine Giveaway Sat & Sun, My Trip to Chintz & Co. Store

Hi Everyone, Update: this Giveaway is closed but you can enter Pam's Big Giveaway

Yes - there are 2 Giveaways left for our Vintage Valentine Download 5 Day Giveaway - today Feb 4, and tomorrow! To enter, simply leave a comment HERE on this Blog Post, or on Our Facebook Page and tell us a story, what you have done or made to make Valentines more fun or special at your house, at work, for those people you care about? Yes, you can enter on each day with a different post and thanks for all the fabulous ideas!

UPDATE ON WINNERS!
Wed, Feb 1 Winner: Donna H.

Thurs, Feb 2 Winner: Ruth Greene

Fri, Feb 3 Winner: Gale

Sat, Feb 4 Winner: Dawn's Craft Place

Sun, Feb 5 Winner from Blog: Sarah Stainback 92 years young, still making valentines and can remember as a child leaving them on doorsteps for surprise recipients
From Our Facebook Page: Sar Tann for all her ideas for celebrating with her kids and being a self esteem builder.

Thanks so much to everyone for all your wonderful stories and ideas from heart shaped pancakes & pizzas to decorating and craft projects!

I have some wonderful new samples to show you created with a variety of our products, plus photos from my visit to the Chintz & Co Store in Victoria last weekend!

I love this pretty layout the DT Leader Vicki Chrisman designed using new dies from Accucut along with some of our Sew Nice Scraps and Sew Special Stamp Set. Paper from Prima and the colors are yummy!

I'm showing these memory drink glasses again because they are such a great deal and quick gift if you can find any at your local Dollar Tree Store. I picked these up in Blaine, WA last month for $1.00 but they have sold out. Vicki dressed them up with papers from CD # 1, Creating with Vintage Patterns. They also had the ceramic style ones you can stamp similar to ones JoAnns sells. Please tell us if you know where else to get them?

DT Member Julie Campbell created some wonderful Valentines projects including this card and mini envelope from our new Downloadable Kit - but you can also see the pretty layout Julie did here on her blog and how she turned her grandmother into a little angel.

I love this little printable envelope Cindy created for the Kit with a mini calling card. The way Julie inked around the edges adds great definition.

DT Member Heidi Blankenship altered this tag using a script stamp from our SL31 Artsy Banner Stamp Set and asst Spellbinders Dies.

I adore this pretty card Debbie Marcinkiewicz designed using a combo of our Love Scraps and Bonjour Merci Stamp Set. You can see another card on Deb's Blog.

I just spotted this cute card past DT Member Marisa Grosson posted on our Facebook page using the Valentine Downloadable.

Scott & I had a spur of the moment invitation last Friday to go to Victoria, BC to drop off supplies a friend needed for a job. All expenses paid - how could we refuse? I had 10 minutes to pack so we could catch the ferry boat. My favorite part was we had a time to go to the Chintz & Company Store in downtown Victoria. It was an ugly rainy day but this was the bright spot for me. Look at the cool green chair!

They also have a store in Vancouver (I LOVE) and 2 in Alberta. Sorry ladies - it's all Canadian but worth the visit when you visit. I never thought I would get into fake plants but they have the nicest fake plants and I've bought several of their mini ones over the years to pop into vintage tea cups as a gift for friends.

I fell in love with these ceramic busts with different styles of ladies heads

Scott took all the photos with his cell phone and this one was blurry but I wanted to show you how cool these drawers looked with the giant angel statue across the front.

I own so many images as nice as these (or nicer)

that I've been saving to license. I need to find a pillow mfg

Look at this beautifully crafted royal doggie bed

Lastly, later when heading back to our hotel we drove along the harbor and saw the BC Parliment Buildings all lit up and they looked like a fairytale castle!

The ferry ride home in the rain made me realize I need to go back this summer when the sky is blue and the breeze is warm. Funny - today (a week later) it was pretty nice out and would have been beautiful.

See you soon and don't forget to leave a comment HERE to enter our giveaway.

Also, be sure to Enter DT Member Pam Hooten's Fantastic Giveaway for: CD # 2 – plus: a sheet of Love Mail Creative Scraps, Altered Fairies Creative Scraps, Babyland Vintage Cuts, Baby Boy Vintage Postcard Kit and Childhood Images & Journal Notes Booklet! She will announce a winner Tues, Feb 7/12

Sandy Redburn

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

I Got Crafty, Cute Valentine Projects, My 12 x 12" Printer and Vicki’s New Accucut Die

Hi Everyone,

I have some adorable projects to share including a little Baby Onesie I just finished, a peek at Vicki's New Recipe Accucut Die, a report on my new Cannon large format printer, great samples and some cool things you can use Dropbox for! It's a free program that we have been using to store large files like our Valentine Download Kit. Jan 2013 Update: Our Vintage Valentine Digital Kit is available now for immediate download in our www.craftyvintagegirl.com Store! Plus see Be Mine Valentine Digi Stamps!

Why do I love Dropbox so much? It’s free and I can store and back up large files, organize photos, music, videos, digital images and projects in themes, but you can also link it to all your computers, ipad, most cell phones, etc. You can make a shopping list or add your travel documents and then see them while out later on your phone and even add items to your list. It’s also secure and has a memory so you can retrieve files if you accidentally delete them. You can also share individual folders such as a photo album with relatives and it won’t take up space on their computer because the files are actually stored securely on Dropbox.

I bought this pink onesie at Dollar Tree and used our Valentine Kit to create an iron on transfer by opening up the page of 'Red Card Back Sides" with Paint (a free program on many computers) or you can get the newer free version of Paint.net HERE. I clicked on the little eraser tool and removed the To and From and then used the Text tool to spell JANE for our friends grand daughter. Don't forget to flip or mirror the image before printing it on heat transfer paper. I cut out the heart and ironed it on and viola - a cute gift.

Here is a cute card Jan Hennings created using the same image and other pieces from the kit. You can see another sweet card and jar on Jan's Blog.

I got my Cannon IX6520 Printer hooked up that I wrote about here and I love it. It took longer than planned as I had to add a router hub so Cindy and I can share it.

The Pros: It will print up to 13" x 19". Nice sleek design. The colors printed good and my other Canon compatible inexpensive ink from the Ink Farm will work in this printer. Vicki also switched to this ink and said she hardly noticed a difference.

The Cons: I wish it had a scanner and copier but geeez - it was under $200, so I just saved my other printer for copying. The price keeps changing and now it's just over $200. I would have been nice if the manual was printed rather than online but I can print it. You also need to be careful what size it's set on as it reverted back from my Photoshop Elements size. Test on scrap paper before printing on the good stuff.

Here is the Table of Contents for the Instructions Manuel

I need to play with the settings to make it print a 12 x 12" borderless page but I thought this turned out great, especially as it's just a digital page that Viola emailed me from Singapore and I printed it on the back side of an old piece of thick scrapbook paper. She used paper and images from CD # 2, Creating With Vintage Illustrations. Also, check out the beautiful love card Viola made!

I couldn't find any sheets of plain vellum here but I printed Jane's Heart (at top) on transfer paper and this photo of me on a piece of canvas and the colors were great. Note: I used our Flourish Clear Art Set to stamp some red flourishes across the top and the 2 red designs to the right of the door. I had Scott take this photo of me in Mexico and I took one of him as I fell in love with this funky building and the cat, tree and doors! I'm going to staple them on 2 wood canvas frames I bought at a Dollarama Store here in Canada.

I'm excited for DT Leader Vicki Chrisman who designed couple of new Die Designs that AccuCut just released and one cuts everything for a great Recipe Album, or you can use the designs to create other kitchey cards and crafts. See the other Recipe Book on Vicki's Blog.

This card uses her new spoon with papers from our CD #1 and image from our Farm Fresh Scraps.

I also have a very pretty card that DT member Pam Hooten created here using our new Vintage Valentine $5.00 Download Kit.Look how she stitched the polka-dot hearts.

Lastly, I want to share these photos of our dog Otis that my youngest daughter Chelsea sent me. Otis has been living at her place for the last few weeks and I miss them both since she moved away. He is 12 yrs old, blind and diabetic but he looks like a puppy here and seems so cozy I bet he never wants to come home!

I almost forgot - I'm going to give away a Valentine Kit each day this week! Just post fun ideas here or on our Facebook page on what you have done to make Valentines more fun at your house, at work, for those people you care about. I've added red food coloring to make pink mashed potatoes and cut all sorts of food into heart shapes. Otis was pink one year. I'm making cute packaging with our kit for little gifts to give to my daughters & friends. I also need to surprise my honey. Did you see my List of 32 Creative Ways to Say I Love You?

Wishing you joy & creativity

Sandy Redburn