Organizational {Friday} Die Cut Do-over

Okay, it's time for a "do-over." When something isn't working anymore it needs to be changed. Many of you may remember my two methods for storing die cuts. If not, you can see them here:

*Binder Die Storage
*Spellbinder Storage in Quickutz Binders

I love the binder method. It is cheap and easy to find what I am looking for; however, the binder is getting SO heavy as it has filled up. I am only going to use it now for my grand dies and my long border dies. My current die storage system needed a re-do a long time ago but I did not have time because of our move across the country. So, I collected dies, and they were just sitting in piles which made it VERY hard to find things when I wanted to use them. So, this week I took the time to get them put away and organized in a new way that I hope will last for many, many years.

I found this organizational idea on Pinterest. I loved it, and I happened to have an extra CM Mini Power Sort Box that I could use. This box measures 7 3/4" w x 6 3/4" d x 5 1/8" h.

There were a few things I didn't like about the system on Pinterest so I changed it a bit to work for me. Here is what I have come up with. First, the original idea uses magnetic sheets. Those can get expensive, and I would have needed a lot of them. Second, the magnetic sheets were glued to the Power Sort Dividers. Only 9 dividers come with a Power Sort Box so I would have needed to purchase a lot of extra dividers. I didn't want to do that. So, I used the dividers as they were intended--as dividers. Then I cut cardstock into 7 1/8" x 4 1/2" pieces, doubled up the cardstock, and placed several dies on each sheet. I cut a small piece of magnet from a roll to put behind each die. It is much cheaper to uses small pieces of magnet than sheets. This works perfectly for me. Here you can see several Memory Box dies on one sheet and then the small pieces of magnet that are behind each die.

This particular box holds my Memory Box, Poppystamps, Our Daily Bread Designs, Cheery Lynn Designs, and PTI dies thus far. There are:

*14 dividers
*38 cardstock pages
*107 dies

And this box is not full! I still have room to grow! Actually I am still putting more away but wanted to get this post up. LOL!  The dividers I have right now include:

*Alphas and Nos.
*Banners
*Birds
*Borders
*Butterflies
*Christian
*Circles
*Frames
*Garden and Floral
*Hobbies
*Holidays
*Home
*Labels and Pockets
*Wreaths

I am eventually going to do this with all of my other dies too so that I have one system not 3. This does take some time to do but in the end it is totally worth it, and this little box holds SO much! I hope you have enjoyed this. Let me know if you have any questions. I will answer them in the comment section. Thanks for stopping by! Blessings to you.

Stamp It! Cards {A Little Unity & Creative Memories Love}

I am SO excited! I finally received my complimentary copies of Paper Crafts Stamp It! Cards Volume 3! Have you gotten yours? Well, look on pg. 17! You will see my card there using a little Unity and a little Creative Memories. My card is the one on the right-hand side of the page. The "hello" sentiment is from the Unity Flirty Flowers set. I love that set. Full of many sentiments, flowers, a bird, and more fun! Then I also used the Creative Memories 1 1/2" square maker. It was a fun card to make!Well, thanks for letting me share. And be sure to pick up your copy. There are a LOT of amazing cards in this issue! Have a blessed Friday!

Hip Hop {Thursday} 2 More Recipes

Well, are you ready for some more recipes? I have so many I want to scrap! So, you may just have to deal with me for a while. :) Before I share this week's recipes, I hope you are joining me from Amber's creative blog! If not, be sure to hop back home to the Unity blog to begin the fun! Okay, now let's talk food!

This week for my first recipe, I used the flower border from the Unity Floral Fantastical set and the word 'indulge' from the Unity Remember Happiness set. And I used the Wavy Frames Patterns from Creative Memories to create this fun shape on my page. For my second recipe, I used my favorite Unity Distressed Dots background stamp. I stamped it on Paper Trey Kraft Cardstock. Then the sentiment comes from the Unity Sweet Yummy Cupcakes set! Now my awesome Stampin' Up ribbon went a little 'wonky' when I zipped around my page with the sewing machine. I didn't put any adhesive down because I didn't want it to stick to my needle. Well, the results was 'ribbon wonkiness'. Oh well!Thank you SO much for stopping by today! Now it's time to hop on over to the amazing Natalie to see what she has in store for you! Enjoy, and Happy Hoppin'.

Hip Hop {Thursday}

Welcome to another Hip Hop Thursday! I hope you are enjoying the hop thus far. I am assuming it will be kind of quiet today since so many people are headed to CHA! If you are going, I pray you have fun! Today, you should be joining me from Linsey's inspiring blog. If not, be sure to hop back home to the Unity blog!

Today I created a cover page for my 6x6 album that I am using for my His Holy Name Challenge. I used two Unity stamps--Scalloped Journal and the smaller version of my stamp Almighty God from the Friendship Love Miracles September kit. The larger version of my stamp can be found here. The papers are from the Creative Memories 8x8 Romance Power Palette. They are so pretty! For a full list of products used, be sure to see my gallery post here on Splitcoaststampers! I also used this week's card sketch from Splitcoaststampers--SC212. This sketch was certainly very adaptable to a 6x6 scrapbook page.

Well, thanks for stopping by. Be sure to hop on over to my dear friend Chelsea's blog! I know she will have something incredible for you to see! Blessings,

Hip Hop {Thursday}

Welcome to another amazing Thursday. You should be visiting me from Heather's blog. If not, please be sure to head back to the Unity blog so that you don't miss any specials, new releases, or inspiration!

This week I have a card, a layout, and a very quick tag for you. For my card, I used the sentiment from the Unity Delectable Delights set along with a Unity flower that some of you may have received as a freebie with a previous order. Isn't it a great flower? Angela is always so generous! You never know what amazing things will end up in your box when you place an order. :)
For my layout, I used the Unity Best Friends single for the title, three stamps from the Unity Beach Day set, two stamps from the Unity Our Life, Our Stories set, and finally the bracket is from the Unity Amazing Me set. Wow, that is 7 Unity stamps from 4 Unity sets on this one 9x9 layout. Hmm, I think that is my new record. :) My papers are from Creative Memories, and I thought they matched the picture so well. I am all about matching photos and papers. :)
And lastly, I created this tag very quickly this morning using the new Unity Snow-one Like You set along with the sentiments from the Unity Bitty Christmas Tags set! These two sets work perfectly together not to mention being precious! I used the Creative Memories tag maker and papers to create this tag. The tag maker is the perfect size for these snowmen! Think of all of the cute gift tags you could make this holiday season!Well, thank you SO much for stopping by today! Now, hop on over to Jennifer's amazing blog for more fun and inspiration! Have a joyous Thursday!

A Thanksgiving Garland!

I am SO excited to share my Thanksgiving Garland with you! It is a little hard to see the sparkle and shine in the picture so I will give you a close up here. Instructions and a full photo are here on the Creative Memories Project Center. This was very fun to make! I hope you enjoy it! Blessings,

Organizational {Friday}

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you have some fun plans this evening! I want to take today and maybe the next few weeks to address some of the issues you posted in the comment section a few weeks ago. I am hoping to help you with some of the organizational difficulties you have. So, let's get started!

Small Spaces
Several of you mentioned that you scrap in a very small space. The key to organizing small spaces it to go vertical! Use the wall! You can buy drawer units whether plastic iris drawers, Scrap 'n Cube drawers, or any other stackable drawer units that you find. Stack them on top of your desk and continue stacking up! You will just have to watch how much weight each drawer unit holds.

You can also hang a lot of things on the walls! There are many hanging organizational units that you can use. Go to The Container Store, IKEA, Wal-Mart, Target, or other places that have organizational pieces and look around. Think UP! Hanging shoe organizers are a great way to store punches and other tools! Also, Unity has a hanging stamp rack for their wood cassette stamps. However, I think it could also be used in the same fashion as a Clip-it-Up. You can look at it here and see what you think. You would just need to mount it into the studs of the wall in case you hang a lot of stuff. :)

Keeping Your Area Clean
Some of you mentioned that your areas aren't too bad but they seem to stay messy all of the time. The key to that problem is to pick up between EVERY project. Put it all away. And if you missed the great tip I posted earlier, here is what Carolyn suggests: The Put it Back Basket!

I know I personally pick up between each project, and I also use that time to record all of the products I use so that I can submit things for publication. It works well for me, and things stay pretty well picked up. Give it a try!

Organizing Paper
I have posted a couple of different ideas for storing paper. In case you missed these, here are the links:

*Storing Scrap Paper
*Storing Patterned Paper

I like to use the Cropper Hopper paper holders a lot. That is where I keep my cardstock and specialty papers. I also just ordered the Creative Memories PODS Paper Organizer. They are on clearance and were $122 but now are selling for $32. I am not sure how it is going to work yet since I don't have it in my hot little hands but it looks like it will be great for papers! These are being phased out though so you might want to jump on it if you think it looks like something you could use.

You can organize your papers by color, manufacturer, or theme. It depends on what you prefer. Sometimes you have to try one or two different ways before you get it how you like it! Unfortunately, organization takes time but it is SO worth it in the end!

Storing Acrylic Stamping Blocks
Some of you asked how to store your stamping blocks. Well, I used to have a lot of blocks, and I got rid of them all! I purchased the four Unity handles. They work for all acrylic and unmounted rubber stamps along with the Unity wood cassette stamps. Now I don't have a problem with acrylic block storage since I only have, need, and use these four blocks! I purchased these before I began designing for Unity, and I love them!

You can also label your blocks with a labeler. Label the edge of the block with the block size (2x2, etc.). Stack them in a container with the label showing, and you can easily grab what you are looking for. Close to My Heart also sells a storage case for their blocks. That is what I used to use, and it kept everything nice and neat! Other blocks may fit in the case but I am not sure. You would need to check with a consultant.

Okay, I think this will be it for my post today. I don't want y'all to get bored reading too much! :) Just remember, organizing takes time! Start with one thing and over time, it will be just how you like it! Enjoy, and I will address other questions next week! I pray this is helpful! Blessings,

Hip Hop {Thursday}

Happy Thursday! I am so excited to be your second stop today along the hop! You should be joining me from the Unity blog! If not, be sure to start there so that you can see all of the specials that Angela has today along with our new releases! You won't want to miss her post! Lots of amazing new releases, $2 stamps just for today, bundles, and freebies!

This week, I created a card and a layout for you. On my card, I used the Unity new release Stocking of Elegance. This stocking is just beautiful! Elegant is the perfect word! To create my card, I stamped the stockings onto Creative Memories designer paper. Then I colored each stocking with a Prisma pencil, painted each stocking with Stickles Diamond using a paint brush, and then outlined each stocking in Stickles Holly. After drying, I cut out each stocking and hung on my "mantle" (a popsicle stick). I actually used my Crop-a-Dile to punch holes in the popsicle stick and tied each stocking on the stick. The sentiment was printed on my printer, and the beautiful poinsettia is a rub-on from Tinkering Ink Yuletide collection. It matches these Creative Memories papers beautifully! To see a full list of products used, please look here.And for my layout today, first I would love to tell you the story behind the pictures. My daughter was trying to get the air out of this floaty. She squeezed and squeezed that darn floaty! I finally saw her struggling, and I told her that she needed to squeeze the valve (see the bling around the valve). :) Anyway, as soon as the did that, the air went right out! You should have heard her squeal! It was a hysterical moment! I hope the pictures capture that. :)
Now, what stamps did I use on this layout? Well, several fun ones! I used the second flower from the Spring Has Sprung set, the sentiment from the Oh Happy Day set, and the amazing journaling box single called Tell Me About. Once again, you can see how all of the Unity sets works SO well together! I just LOVE that about Unity! To see all of the products I used on my layout, please look here.

Now, you can hop over to Princess Heather's blog for some more fun creations and inspiration! Have a fun hop everyone!

Hip Hop {Thursday}

Wow, can you believe this is Week 10 of Hip Hop {Thursday}? How awesome! I hope you are joining me from Sarah's blog. If not, please be sure to hop back to the beginning: The Unity Blog! And if you are new to Hip Hop {Thursday's}, welcome! We are so glad you are joining us!

Today, I have two layouts for you! I really miss working on my scrappy pages. And since joining the Creative Memories DT in September, I really am having fun with my layouts. So, today, I bring you two that I did this past weekend!

For my first layout, I think I challenged myself to see how many different Unity stamps I could use. Ha! I used FIVE Unity stamps on this layout: Tulip Duo single, Scalloped Journal single, My Biggest Wish single, a flower from the Spring Has Sprung kit, and the butterfly from the Cute as a Bug kit. Whew! Isn't it fun that Unity stamps can all work together so wonderfully! It seems every kit can go with another! Love that! For a list of supplies that I used on this layout, be sure to look here. And to see my new distressing tip, look here. :)
On my second layout, I used the Unity Belly Ruler single and the Unity Around the Dot stamp from the Thanks to You kit. I also used the amazing October kit from Create My Keepsake! Lisa always knows how to put a spectacular kit together! For a complete list of products on this layout, look here.I hope you will join us in the Unity member forum on Splitcoaststampers. There will be lots of fun stamps given away today not to mention lots of fun conversation! Now hop on over to my friend Heather's fun blog! See you next week, and be sure to bring some friends with you for fun!

Tuesday's {Tip}

Today I wanted to share with you a VERY easy and fast way to make a postage stamp edge on your papers (either for cards or layouts). You will need a Creative Memories Mini Circle Maker, a Sharpie, pencil, ruler, and your paper. You will be using the smallest circle on the punch (the 3/4" circle punch). Now, I have created this same edge with a regular circle punch before; however, it is not as easy, and it doesn't come out as straight. I actually ended up tracing a piece of Making Memories paper and then using my hole punch because it was such a pain. And afterwards, I had to go back and erase my trace lines. It was definitely much more work. This technique is SO much easier!

Now, I cannot make videos, so I sure hope that you will understand this tutorial. I tried to take a lot of pictures to make it easier to understand. It truly is easy once you try it. To start, you will need your Sharpie to make a permanent line on the bottom of your punch. You want the line to be in the middle of the circles going across your punch. This won't hurt your punch, and you will always have it there to use in the future.

To begin, punch your first hole anywhere on the edge of the paper; however, if you are creating a corner and doing two or more sides of your paper, you will want to mark the corners before you begin. See below for those instructions. I always work with the punch upside down and by feeding my paper from the right to the left. To always work in this direction, sometimes it means turning your paper over to the other side when you are working on different edges. You will understand what I mean as you try it.

After you have made your first hole, slide your paper to the left. Align the edge of the circle you just made with the edge of the punch. Align the paper with the Sharpe line on the punch. Aligning the paper with your Sharpie line will ensure that you have a straight set of punches along your edge. And aligning with the left side of the body of the punch will ensure that you have equal spacing between each circle.

Continue to slide your paper across and aligning the circles with the edge of the punch and your Sharpie line as you make each new punch. When you are done, your paper should look like this:
To make a corner, mark each edge of your paper 1/2" from the edge with a pencil before you begin punching. Punch your first hole by aligning the pencil mark with the left side of the circle instead of the edge of the punch. Then turn the paper, and align the next pencil mark with the right side of the circle. The picture below shows the first circle already punched (shown at the top of the punch), and now you are aligning the punch with the pencil mark on the right of the circle to start the other side.
Once you have finished the two punches on the edge, it should look like this:
Now you can continue along the edge of each side as we did above. Remember, you may need to turn your paper over so that you can work right to left each time. Here is a card I created earlier this summer using this technique:
I used Creative Cafe and Basic Grey papers and the Unity Tiny Trinity stamp set.

This technique really is simple and fast with this punch. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know if you have questions. It is a bit hard to explain but truly so simple. Blessings,

It's {Hip Hop} Time!

Happy Thursday! Are you ready to Hip Hop? I know my blog is almost at the end of the hop this week so by now you have seen some truly inspiring stuff!!! I hope you have joined me via Wendy's blog. If not, be sure to hop on back to the Unity blog to begin your fun and also to see all of the specials for today!

Well, there is an amazing new release today from Unity Stamp Co. that I know a lot of my faithful subscribers have been waiting for. This is the kit I suggested to Angela. It is our "Something Within" kit. I came up with the scriptures for the kit, and then Cassie Medema made them look pretty! I think you all will LOVE this kit, and it is only $10!! I used one of the stamps in the kit to create this paperweight:
I used a paperweight I purchased from 1-2-3 Stitch. Yes, I still love my cross stitch too! Anyway, it is glass and very heavy. It has a nice recessed area so that you can use lumpy embellishments if you would like. You could make a set of four paperweights with the four different stamps in the set. These would make great gifts. In this week's Unity Challenge Wednesday thread, the challenge was to use pink and black. So I decided to use the challenge colors for my paperweight. I love pink anyway so this was an easy challenge for me. I did emboss the scripture. It really makes it stand out beautifully underneath the glass. For a full list of products I used, look here.

Now onto my second piece of inspiration for today. I love to color, and the Splitcoaststampers Fan Club product focus (Coloring Mediums: copics, watercolors, pastels, etc.) was perfect for this butterfly from the Unity It's the Little Things July kit. If you don't currently subscribe to the monthly kits, you really should. They are a great value, and there are always AMAZING stamps in each set! The current September kit even has one stamp I designed. :)I also added some fun bling to the center of some of the flowers, and to create the squares along the bottom, I used my Creative Memories square maker. Fast and easy! The Copic colors I used are in the picture below.
For more information on the products used on this card, check out my gallery post here.

I hope you have enjoyed today's inspiration! Have fun with the rest of your hop. You can now hop on over to Heidi's blog. She has created a stunning post for today! Blessings to each of you!

News & More News!!!

First, I know many of you have been waiting for a stamp set that contains scripture! Well, this Thursday, Sept. 18th, be on the look out!!! Unity Stamp Co. will be releasing a brand new kit by Cassie Medema. I found the scriptures that I thought would be good to use in a kit, and Cassie "fancied them up." You are going to fall in love with these stamps. I have been playing with them this week, and the only thing I can say is that we need MORE! :) I hope you will watch for them on Thursday during the Hip Hop!

My other bit of big news is that Creative Memories sent me an e-mail asking me if I would be interested in joining their new design team. After much thought and prayer, I accepted. I am SO excited. I really believe this is what God has been telling me to "wait" for. Forget about what you knew about Creative Memories! They are in for some big changes, and I think you are going to love it!!! I am excited to be working with these amazingly talented women and helping the company go in a new direction! You can see all of the designers listed on the left-hand side of my blog. Just scroll down a bit. :) My jaw just drops at the talent these girls have! I will be doing work for their magazine, catalog, website, etc. Thanks for letting me share, and thanks to all of you for your kind and loving comments you leave me weekly! I truly appreciate each of you! Blessings, and have a joyous week!