Gramps

Hi! Check out this super cute baby sign that I made for my sister! I am feeling a little obsessed about "altering" things ... I am saving iced tea canisters, laughing cow wedge boxes, pringles cans and really anything else I think I can get my hands on. I guess its my way of trying to save the Earth from overflowing landfills ... how very green of me, huh?? I am not entirely sure what I will do with all this stuff but if a project just screams for an empty chinese take out container ... I've got it!! I also think this obsession is an ode to my late Grandfather, Red, who kept EVERYTHING in case he might need it someday :) I personally don't know anyone who would need 1200 kool-aid scoops or thousands of twist ties, but I do know that I now relate more to that feeling of panic when something that could be useful is headed to the trash can. So, I dedicate my stash of random stuff to my beloved Grandpa!

Oh, and one last thing ... please consider leaving me a comment (just click on the comment button at the bottom of the post you'd like to comment on) so I know I am not alone. I have gotten several nice emails from friends in my personal account, so thank you much for those. But I'd also like to know if my rambles are reaching anyone else out there :) THANKS!

Mmmm, doesn't chinese food sound good for dinner??

Kimberly

Gifts Galore - Rub Ons and More!

Hello :) I have begun doing some research about selling my stuff on http://www.etsy.com/ so watch for more information coming soon.

In addition to cards, I'd also like to start selling some more home decor kind of stuff. Here are a few examples. These were so easy to make and I think turned out so pretty! SU! has just started to sell rub-ons and here are a couple of examples of how you might use them. I found this frame on sale at Walmart. The candles and taper holders came from Bed, Bath and Beyond 75% off! Rub Ons can be used on lots of different items ... but remember that they are not washable ... so if you use them on plates or cups you'll really only be able to lightly brush them off -- NO WATER! They are also great on cards and in scrapbooks. I hope to use them that way in the next couple of days.

I am also posting a few other home decor items to give you a taste of what I have already done.

1.)There is a name frame for my neice, Alaina. That was a First Communion gift.

2.) A gift pack for my nephew, Daniel's birthday last year turned out really cute. He likes to find treasures and "write books" so I included a journal, lunchbox tin, bookmark, cd tin scrapbook and a name frame for his room, too.

3.) I also designed a name for Kamryn's room using wooden letters and printed paper from my LSS (local scrapbooking store)

4.) The "E" was given to my neice Emily for her birthday last year. Got the big "E" from Archivers and found super cute matching paper and tags there, too. This was lots of fun to make.

5.) I have also made toothfairy boxes for a couple of my neices and nephews (the fairy and the frog prince). These were made from zip drive boxes I got free from the doctor's office I used to work at. They are about the size of an Altoid box.

If you have any questions about Rub-Ons let me know. The options with them are limitless! I have a few other ideas floating around in my head for home decor/gift items so as I finish them I will post!

Thanks for looking,

Kimberly

Come Get Punchy With Us

Okay, I am posting a whole bunch of cards that I have been working on. The first two pictures above are of a sympathy card that will go on sale at Nooks and Crannies. Buckle cards are so easy and look really nice, I think. I am not usually a big fan of Blush Blossom but paired with Close to Cocoa, I thought it looked really nice! Maybe all that paper won't go to waste, afterall. I try to make sympathy cards simple but elegant. Petal Prints stamp set is perfect for that purpose.

The second two pictures are birthday cards. One is going to Nooks and Crannies and the other to my sister, Kari :) Hopefully she won't see it here first!! I got the layout from the most fabulous blog that I have been visiting often ... http://www.poeticartistry.blogspot.com/ -- she does a Monday morning sketch (and you can download all of them in one document). She is very talented and I think you should go check it out (after you read all this, of course!)

The scalloped circle with the "Y" on it is one from the stamp camp coming up this Saturday -- Come Get Punchy With Us! I used my corner rounder to make this large scalloped circle! Isn't that fanastic!! It will fit nicely in a square envelope so no problem mailing it. The "Y" on the outside stands for "you" which is the definition (from Define Your Life set) on the inside. Its chipboard and SU! is having a chipboard promotion beginning May 1st so our guests can try that out, too. The printed paper is Le Jardin.

The little colorful Gable Green card is my swap card for this month. Our challenge was to use vellum, so I immediately knew I wanted to emboss it. I used my cuttlebug embossing folder to do the little bee and then, of course, because its finally spring AND bees love flowers I finally got to use The World Over (hostess set) which I think is so cute but hardly ever use.

And lastly, the pretty buckle card is the second sneak peek at the cards for the Stamp Camp. I just got the Together Forever stamp set to make my cousin's wedding thank you notes. I loved it in the catalog but didn't really have a reason to buy it until she asked me to do those for her. The flowers are just so pretty :) And since I have a few weddings to go to this summer I am sure I will use this card and this set more often. I have not gotten into the In Colors as much this year as I did last year but I decided to dig into that stash of paper and used: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky and River Rock with Purely Pomogranate ink, too.

Alright, hope you find some inspiration!

Teacher Gifts

Morning :) It is beautiful today here in St. Louis and I will be heading outside to get these kidlets some fresh air but before I do that I thought I'd post and get you thinking! The end of the school year is coming up fast so here are a couple ideas for teacher gifts. I made these notecards for Tim to use at work (per his request, if you can believe that!) and also the thank you notes. He wanted something simple (aka, masculine) and I hadn't made many "no-layer" cards so this was a great opportunity. Notecards, Thank You Notes and Journals are all great teacher gifts! Let me know if you need any!

Enjoy the weather!

Kimberly

Nooks and Crannies

Good Afternoon ~


I have been given a wonderful opportunity to put some of my cards in a friend's store -- Nooks and Crannies! Now, if you haven't been to Nooks and Crannies it is a beautiful little antique store on 2nd Street in St. Charles. I believe that part of St. Charles is called the French District and it is full of cute antique stores and little resturants! Nooks and Crannies has beautiful furniture, glassware, and just about anything else home related. And now some of the SeaStar Creations, too! I will be putting in a few Mother's Day cards, Thank you cards, Sympathy cards and Birthday cards. Hope you can stop by the store soon! Here is a sneak peek at a few of the cards you can find there! Check SCS for more information about these cards.


Also, Stampin' Sisters (Christy and I) are hosting a Stamp Camp called "Come Get Punchy With Us" where we will have four cards for you to make using various SU! punches. The cost is $10 and the camp will be held at my house on Saturday, April 26th from 10am-1pm. New and seasoned stampers will enjoy this one -- feel free to bring a friend! RSVP by Monday, April 21st to stampinsisters@hotmail.com.


Kimberly

Mother's Day Special

Good Morning! Here is a peek at the last of the Stationary Boxes I have made for my friend. This one is for her Mom and is made using Au Chocolat Designer Series Paper (love, love that pack) and Natural Beauty stamp set. I bought a Martha Stewart monogram set of acrylic stamps for the letter this time. It works out really nicely to use acrylic stamps for the monogram since you can see exactly where they are going to be placed. I used Fancy Frames and Frames with a Flourish stamp sets to highlight the monogram on almost all of them. Definitely needed the Stamp-a-ma-jig for this set!!

I have decided after much delibration that $12 for this set will be a Mother's Day special price. After April 30th, I will have to raise the price to $18.50 ($2 per card, $.25 per envelope and $5.00 for the box). If you add in a beaded pen I will sell them for an even $20.00 The boxes are very time consuming and because each card is an original design those are taking a while to make too! Each set is taking me close to 4 hours to complete!!

The biggest challenge about starting SeaStar Creations was setting prices for my projects. It was harder than you can probably imagine. I have also not been in a Hallmark Store for years! I did do some research ... really ... but think I might be underpricing some stuff. I feel terrible raising prices but hope everyone will understand that making each project unique for your friend or loved one is important to me. BUT I need to be able to make sure I can replenish my stash of supplies and make it worthwhile financially, too! Hope you will forgive me. This selling adventure is definitely a learning process! If I find I can whip out a certain project and that it doesn't use too many supplies, I will adjust prices downward accordingly, too!

Anyway ... hope you enjoy seeing these cards and the box as much as I enjoyed making them! They will be delivered today :) If you'd like to order anything please feel free to email me at stampinsisters@hotmail.com! I'd love to do something special for your loved ones, too!

~ Kimberly

2nd Stationary Box

Here are the cards that will neatly tuck into the Le Jardin stationary box (below). Enjoy :)

Camera has been located ....

Still Alive and Crafting ...

Good Morning! I can't believe I haven't been on here to post anything for a very long time! How very bad of me! Well, I have actually been quite busy being creative and am dying to share my projects with you. BUT my husband got tickets to the opening (take 2) STL Cardinals game and took my camera with him. He didn't take any pictures there (I must admit I would have enjoyed seeing Rick Ankiel) BUT I still don't have my camera back yet!! So, I will hopefully track him and it down tonight to take some pictures.

I have been working on some stationary sets for Mother's Day gifts that a friend ordered and am LOVING them. They are quite time consuming but are turning out to be just beautiful! I hope she will love them (and her sisters and mom who will receive them, too).

We are also doing some house projects which have resulted in more craft storage space for me ... yea!! We tore down bookshelves flanking our fireplace which I have hated since the first day I walked into this house. But as it turns out, I love the top part in my craft area for it has really added a ton of space for my supplies!

So, that and my Virtual Assistant endeavors have been keeping me busy. I hope to post more often in the coming weeks. Here is a link to a blog I just visited via Splitcoast and it is quite impressive! I have not gotten brave enough to post a tutorial -- not sure I ever will be courageous enough -- but I will share with you what I find in my many online crafting expeditions!

http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

Oh, and don't miss out on the 50% off coupon at Michael's this week! I suggest you visit the one on Zumbehl or in the Valley rather than the one on Hghwy K ... they aren't so generous if you happen to have forgotten your coupon! The others will let you sign their little paper and reap the rewards!

Happy Stampin! Stay dry!