My Rant, Top Dog, Party Animal & Cutie Cat Sets

Hi Everyone,

Sometimes it seems like everything goes wrong – like this week. It turns out our 3 new animal theme sets won’t arrive until tomorrow (Thurs) which is maddening after I promised they would be here Tues, July 10. I've been holding off posting until I got confirmation on all 3 sets.

My rant continues below from the flood in my new kitchen to the stain dilemma on my cupboard doors. Thank goodness it's finally all starting to work!

    
Below are the store links to our 3 NEW animal theme Clear Art stamp sets.  I'm also adding them to our new Etsy Store.

SL51 Top Dog Clear Art Stamp Set
Click the link to read the full description, see the stamps and more great samples made with this cute doggie set. I adore this cute dog card by Sophie La Fontaine made with the Top Dog Stamp Set!

SL52  Animal Party Clear Art Stamp Set
Click the link above to read the full description, see the stamps and some cool samples created with this fun party set. Look at this adorable card that dressed Duck card that DT Member Michele Kovack  created with Animal Party! 
 

SM45 Cutie Cat Clear Art Stamp Set 
Click the link above to read the full description, see the stamps and more samples created with this cute set. Look at this cool card Beverly Cole made using one of the cats from the Cutie Cats set along with stamps from 4 other sets to create this fun scene.

Kitchen re-do's are stressful and messy! My kitchen re-do started because our 18 yr old white fridge was on it's last legs and after we found a great deal on a fancy stainless bottom freezer drawer model none of our other appliances matched. Then our stove died so we decided to re-do the kitchen on budget. Here is a before photo of the kitchen (I will show more at my big reveal) but you can see the light oak cabinets and now that I have stainless steel I wanted darker cabinets - without spending a bunch of M$NEY.

Hey - they look darker in this photo but they are sun bleached so light in some areas.

After checking out our neighbors oak cabinets they stained walnut 2 years ago (and still look amazing) we decided to stain ours and use the same product; Saman, which is a seal, stain and varnish.  It's Canadian made but they must have similar products in USA and overseas. The first coat looked horrible!  I don't think we sanded the area enough where the hood fan will go and the Walnut color was way too dark. We switched to Dark Oak.

 Our cabinets were varnished and have a lot of raised panel detail so Scott cheated and took them to a sand blasting company who did them all for under $200.00 - but look - they are down to the bare wood.  Now we are stressed out about getting all the side panels, shelves and crown molding sanded this well.  I may be stripping this weekend - and I don't mean my clothes!

Here is one cupboard door with 3 coats of the dark oak stain/sealer. You just lightly sand in between.  I love this warm rich color and it will match our antique oak dinning set and sewing cabinet in the kitchen.

We have a big job to finish but Scott has the first coat on a bunch of the cupboards and they look so good.  Too bad that when the guy came to hook up the new dishwasher he crimped the hose too tight, never tested it, so water leaked and lifted our new tile looking laminate floor!  If you ever install floor keep some extra! We had a hard time finding more as we bought on clearance.  Granite was too $$ so we went with arborite and it looks great but I really love my new tiled window sill!

I ditched my ruffle valances and a bunch of the clutter and I'm on a mission to make a bike wheel photo holder for a wall in the kitchen like this one Vicki spotted at the Junkstock Show.  I'm taking photos along the way and will do a detailed kitchen post when we are all done.

Do you have any kitchen re-do nightmares or tricks you can pass on?

 Wishing you joy & creativity
Sandy Redburn

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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 

The Winners, Vicki's Tutorial, Wood Knobs and Peek at New Men Stamp Set!

Hi Everyone,

We have 3 Winners between the Linky Party and Giveaways!  We had 27 entries and so many fantastic entries - so a big thank you to everyone who entered!  I used random.org and  #12 WON the July Linky Party, so Congratulations to Cammie and you can see her cool July 4th  stamped popcorn bowls on her blog!

We had 107 entries for our New Stamp Giveaway and Congrats to #74 Monti who also entered the Linky Party. 

 

I sent out our Monthly Newsletter yesterday but I had the wrong link for our new stamp giveaway, so some people were leaving comments on on a Giveaway from March. To be fair I did 2 giveaways, one for the right post with 97 entries and one for just the July 8 entries which had 183 but 17 from July from July 8, so Congrats to #6 CraftyFoody who can pick all 3 new animal stamp sets or a mix of

DT Leader Vicki Chrisman has great tutorial on printing on tissue and a Giveaway for CD 3!  She printed on  Tissue from Canvas Corp and created a bunch of Candle Wraps using different papers from CD#3. Her tutorial is very well done with more tips & photos and check out her cute map candles. If you missed it my Stamping on Tissue Candle Tutorial is here.

 Our 3 Animal Stamps sets will be in stock tomorrow and I've been trying to add them to our Shopatron store but their system is temporarily not letting me. I will do a post tomorrow with all the links.  Look at this cute card by Sophie La Fontaine using Animal Party

We have the 1.5" Wood Knobs in stock and they come in a 6 pack (screws not included) for $3.95. You can paint, stain, stamp and decoupage them with images, words, copies of photos and more.  Add knobs to lids, dress up furniture and embellish various projects. You can also super glue to turn them into tacks or magnets. Note: if you are decoupaging paper you have printed on an ink jet printer, first spray the printed paper lightly with Krylon Matte Sealer before using Mod Podge or other decoupage glues. 

See my post where I used text & sheet music papers from CD 3 on these knobs.

These are some that Vicki made using images from papers on CD 3.

Look at this wall art plaque Jan Hennings made using a piece of paper from CD 3 that has shading to add a 3D look. Jan used it to showcase the the stamped chair she embossed.

This is our SL53 Mustache Men Large Stamp Set we have on order but my manufacture is so busy it will likely be a couple of weeks before we receive them.  We have a couple of sheets of matching papers that will likely be a digital download as well.  Too bad we did get this set done for Fathers Day but it took a while to get it right.

Do you like this set? What do you think of a digital paper download?

We also have 2 New FUN Halloween sets coming soon, a large Halloween Labels set and Best Witches will be a medium set.

Thanks for all your comments & support!

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 

Stamped Tissue Candle Tutorial, Giveaways & Linky Party Reminder

Hi Everyone, 

Here's a new tutorial I did on stamping a tissue wrapped candle. It was my first try and easy!  Also, if you missed it check out our Linky Party here and why not join in - you might win!  You can also enter our Giveaway for our 3 New Animal Theme Clear Art Stamp Sets.  Plus - you can enter DT Marilyn's Giveaway for CD #3, until July 10th and DT Alumni Member Jan Hennings CD #3 Giveaway runs until July 8th and see the cards she made with our FREE July 4th printable!

I picked the fern and 2 dragonfly stamps from our Wildflower Stamp set to stamp all over my tissue.  I used Memento Inks but Ranger Archival or other Dye based inks should work as you heat seal the tissue to the candle.

Here's a Printable Supply and Tip Sheet

I used plain white tissue paper and stamped in a random pattern. I just kept turning my stamps in different directions and combined some of the ink colors listed above.

This is the plain candle I started with and I wanted a outdoor design to match my patio set

Here is my stamped tissue paper which I cut a little larger than my candle so I could fold over the top edge and heat seal it using my hair dryer.

A heat tool gun would work great but mine is packed away on a skid with show supplies. 
I was surprised at how well my hair dryer worked to melt the wax and seal it to the tissue.

Viola - all done and it looks pretty.  Now I want to try stamping our Art Blooms stamp set in vibrant colors and create a new background on tissue I can melt around votives, tapers and some tiered candles I found at the dollar store. I'm going to wait until my new Tim Holtz Distress Markers arrive so I can color the flowers and leaves multiple colors!

This photo is just to show the top of the candle and how I folded the tissue around the edge.  

You could also trim your tissue with decorative scissors or punch around the top edge.

 Last year our graphic designer, Cindy van Koll used our Wildflower, Bird Notes and Mini Memories Stamp sets to stamp this coffee mug she bought at JoAnns.  Dollar Tree recently had the same stampable mugs but when I last checked I just saw the photo mugs.

 Happy 4th of July to all our friends in the USA!!! We just celebrated Canada Day June 1st.  Did you see our free patriotic printables and look at this cute card Jan Hennings made and you can enter her giveaway for CD 3 until July 8th

 

Don't forget to see all the great projects  people have been posting at our Linky Party and enter our Giveaway which lasts all week long.  I got word our Cutie Cat, Top Dog and Animal Party Stamp sets are due to arrive next Tues, July 10.

PS - We had so much fun on our mother-daughter road trip and I wanted to say it can be done on a budget. We booked both nights on Priceline, shared a room, were able to pick the area with 3.5 stars or higher and breakfast included.

Wishing you joy & creativity
Sandy Redburn
Crafty Secrets
 
Visit Our Online Shopatron Store
Visit Our New Etsy 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

Linky Party and Giveaway for 3 NEW Clear Art Stamp Sets!

Hi Everyone,

Beside our Linky Party we also have a great Giveaway for our 3 NEW animal theme Clear Art Stamp Sets!  To enter just leave a comment here on this post and tell me which set you like the best.  I'm on vacation and will be back home Monday evening July 2 but I wanted people to be able to start posting their projects this morning and enter our giveaway so I've pre-set this up.  UPDATE:  I'm home and just added all 3 sets below, plus some great new DT samples!

 I hope you will join in and post any project you have created using any of our products and add a link to your blog or gallery you use.  Also be sure to enter to win our 3 new adorable animal stamp sets by leaving a comment on this post!

 You have all week to enter and 2 random.org winners will be announced next Monday July 9/12 to WIN a the Linky Party $50.00 Giveaway and someone will win all 3 new stamp sets or they can pick any of our other products with the same $$ dollar amount.

Here are the 3 NEW Stamp Sets you can enter to WIN by leaving a comment. *Update: We received news all 3 sets will arrive Tues, July 10/12

SL51 Top Dog is a really fun set with 22separate stamps. There are 7 fun to color adorable dressed puppies, various mix and match words, sentiments, a ball and birds to play with, paw prints, plus 2 embellishments. The words Top Dog are die cut to come out of the oval frame and all of the other sentiments fit inside, or you can use the flourish stamps to accent above, below and the sides of the words. Expressions include DOG GONE CUTE, PLAY PALS, Hang in There, I’ve got your back, FOR THE LOVE OF DOG, I RUFF YOU!  FRIENDS, STICK TOGETHER. To give you an idea of size, the friendship dictionary definition is 1.75H x 2”W and the puppies doing the 3 legged race are over 2.25 x 2.25”.

    

 SL52 Animal Party is a large sets with 23 separate stamps and so many creative possibilities for stamping fun birthday cards, invitations, gift tags, bags, wrap and party decor. The adorable dressed animals will also work for different projects besides party themes.  There is a parade of mixed animals, an elephant in striped pants who can hold the balloon, cupcake or present, a jumping frog with a top hat, polka-dot pants goose with umbrella, a cute possum, music notes, and for size; the marching drummer doggie is 2.5"H.  Sentiments include: DANCE all Night, YOU'RE INVITED TO A , PARTY, ANIMALS, JUMP FOR , JOY, HOW OLD?, TO: , FROM: , FOR YOU, WHEN: , WHERE: , and HAPPY BIRTHDAY.  
* See the super cute puppy card Sophie posted in the Linky Party below.

SM45 Cutie Cats has 14 separate stamps and the kitty faces are adorable.  There is a little mouse in a polka-dot dress. Sentiments include:  SAY CHEESE.  Sign reads HAPPY BIRTHDAY CUTIE, Cats sitting in tree with curved lettering 'CONGRATULATIONS' and banner 'Don't be a Scaredy Cat, It's only a',  BIRTHDAY.  The dressed Smartie Cat would be great for a graduation card.  For size, the cute cat on bottom left is 2"w x 1.75H and words; WHAT'S MEW? , PUSSYCAT are perfect for stamping thinking of Mew cards!

Just leave a comment on this blog post to be entered to win all 3 sets!

 DT member Marilyn McIldoon is also doing a Giveaway for CD 3 you can enter Marilyn's Giveaway here on her Blog 
Also, look at this pretty little card she stamped using our new Fairy Wishes set and sentiment is from Pixie Dust set.

Look at this fabulous sparkly card DT member Michele Kovack created using our American Beauty Stamp Set.  You can get the details here on Michele's Blog.  You also have to see the photos of her adorable new puppy Myla!

Here is my tutorial on how I made this stamped tissue wrapped candle.

Update: Got word our 3 animal theme stamp sets are due to be in stock by Next Tues, July 10/12

Okay - you can enter your Crafty Secrets project in our Linky Party below!





Best of Luck!
Sandy

Visit Our Online Shopatron Store
Visit Our New Etsy 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

Canada & July 4th Printables, Stamp Samples, Linky Party & Giveaway Reminder July 2

Hi Everyone,

I have 2 great vintage printable images for you, a Canadian flag and some cute 4th of July kids - plus some fabulous new samples to share using our new Fairy, Pixie and Cutie Cat sets as well as French Mail and Garden Girl Stamps.  

**Note: This Monday, July 2 is our 4th Linky Party plus a Giveaway!

I'm leaving this morning with my 3 daughters on our annual road trip for a couple of days and Sunday is July 1st, Canada Day.  I've been trying to buy vintage patriotic Canadian images to make a stamp set but there isn't much of anything - so I made a vintage Canadian flag and then decided I needed to add a July 4th printable.   Sorry for the short notice.      Left click each image to make them big and right click to save to a picture file (for personal use only please).

I adore these sweet kids but their firecrackers were so big and they had a little rocket which I didn't think would be a great image for little kids to possibly see on a card or decoration so I cropped it and chopped the bottom off.  Cindy our graphic designer is a pro at this stuff but she wasn't here - so don't look too closely at my patchwork.

 Darlene Pavlick created some fun festive cards to celebrate the 4th using images from our Seasonal Booklet and you can see the other card on Darlene's Blog

Our Pixie Dust Stamps have arrived in our Shopatron and Etsy Store and check out these super adorable ATC cards that DT Member Pam Hooten created using  them and papers from CD #3!  You can see the details here on Pam's Blog and the supplies she used including a list of her Copic Markers.

Bev Cole already created a card with the Pixie  set she bought and it turned so cute with the little boy wearing the flower branch hat and glitter wings here in Bev's gallery

DT Alumni Member Tammy Roberts created this sweet shabby stitched card using our new Fairy Wishes Stamps and the fancy 'Fairy Wishes' lettering and poem from the set with a little fairy girl image from our Little Dolls Booklet and you can see the details here on Tammy's Blog

Our order of Cutie Cat Stamps should be here this coming week and I will post details on the other 2 sets Party Animals and Top Dog which are on order.  This set has 14 separate stamps and I was so happy when I tested the the drafts - they stamp so perfectly with fantastic detail!

We had some extra sets from the drafts sent and look at this adorable kitty card Bev Cole made and you can see other great Crafty Secrets cards in Bev's Gallery

I can't remember if I showed you this beautiful garden scene card the Sophie La Fontaine stamped with our Garden Girl Stamps but it so pretty and uses so many of the stamps I didn't want you to miss it.

DT Member Marilyn McIldoon made another cool button card, this time using our French Mail stamps.  It looks so stylish I bet she could go into the button business!

Look at this cute support card Cynthia Olheiser made for her sister who is moving.  She used an image from our Girlfriends Booklet and cut the mirror out and it looks great. 

Here are my girls from our past road trip in the hotel room.  I'm so glad I started our annual trip 5 years ago and I hope we will continue until I'm a little old lady. Traditions are what unite people.  I always plan a bunch of goofy games with prizes. Prizes includes $5.00 bills, magazines, scratch & win tickets and some wine and you would think they were playing for a million $$.  We eat at cheap places, stay up late talking and do a little shopping.  We were going to take the ferry to Vancouver Island but Scott bought 4 tickets at a silent auction to Ste. Michelle Winery east of Seattle and gifted them to our trip.

Our kitchen is getting close to being finished but to save money we are using a stain on our cupboards and it's the last part to finish. It's taken a couple of tries to get the color right but we should have dark oak cupboards next week instead of blonde oak.  I will post a bunch of photos and the tips & tricks we've learned.

This Monday, July 1st is our July Linky Party and I hope you will join in and post any sample you've made using any of our products!  You have all week to post and a random.org winner will recieve a $50.00 CS Gift Certificate.  

Plus -  I will post our other animal stamp sets and do a Giveaway for all 3 sets! 

Until next time, wishing you joy & creativity

 Sandy

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