Magnet Noteboard in Kamalaht

I had so much fun making the Frutti Fusion write on/wipe off boards at stamp camp that I made them for the moms and sisters in my family. My sister-in-law and her husband have an awesome restaurant in Syracuse called Opus, so I made her noteboard with a downtown feel, that reminds me of being in their restaurant, with a little live music playing in the background. (If you're in Central New York, you've got to go visit them. The French chef, Nico, makes the best lamb chops and many other inventive dishes.)

I used Kamalaht paper from The Angel Company and added this little spiral clip, so a note could be attached. I hope this little goodie helps them keep track of all the yummy little details at the restaurant!

PS- Everyone asked where to get these magnetic photo holders. I got them in a big variety pack, but I have found them individually at Wal-mart as well, in the clock and picture frame aisle.

Kamalaht Wine Label Coaster Book

I love carrying around my latest mini books and sharing them with friends. I made three copies of this one so that I could literally share this book and I picture it sitting on my friends' coffee tables as a reminder of the fun times we shared bottling our own wine together. See more of my coaster book here.

I got the idea to use mismatched coasters (you can pick them up at restaurants or order them plain) from my friend Lori, who made me this beautiful book. She has awesome ideas for coasters!

My coaster book uses The Angel Company's Kamalaht paper collection as well as the February vintage stamp of the month and the Wine Labels set that has been retired for a while, but is still in my collection of TAC classic stamps. I used hardware from the Amelia collection and ribbon from a couple of different collections. (Check out TAC's ribbon compatibility chart!)

Another recent project I did was posted on TAC's new Savvy Projects Blog. It's a basket, embellished with Sands of Time paper and filled with little chocolate rocks treats. Go check it out, as well as a ton of other inspiring ideas for spring.

I'm loving my studio, ever since I started my makeover project. It's still in the works, so I'll wait to post full photos, but I just thought I would show you one of my favorite parts: DRAWERS! They are so handy. I can find things fast (and hopefully put them away even faster) and there is a secret spot just above the drawers and under my work surface to store large, flat items like a cutter, Scor Pal and extra work pads. Goodness knows, we need as much surface space as we can find!


PS-Have you checked out Heather's blog? She's giving CANDY!

More Asian Beauties from The Angel Company

*Edited to include recipe at end of post*
I got quite a few comments on the geisha from the mini composition journal I designed for the TAC catalog, so I thought I would share a couple other cards that used the same set: The Arts (from The Angel Company.) They are such elegant ladies and the set also includes five other Asian symbols and phrases. People have also commented on the cool little metal loops featured on some of my recent projects. They are hard to find, but TAC has them and they are only $3.50 for a package of 25. They are great paired with all of your paper crafts, but especially the Kamalaht Soar With It collection. (You can see pictures of these products that I mention in my posts, as well as order them by clicking on the links that I have attached to the product names, like the ones above.)

TAC is hosting a winter retreat this weekend in San Antonio. If you are an Angel who couldn't be there (like me) join me Thursday (1/10/08) through Sunday (1/13/08) on the Paper Wings Forum for an Online Escape! In addition to games and challenges, there will be awesome projects like the Manila Folder Book I'm presenting. I'll be online to answer questions and will offer a slideshow of step-by-step instructions. The whole weekend will be full of fun!

If you're not an Angel, stay tuned. I'll post pictures and instructions of my manila folder book soon!

*Mimi asked about my coloring medium. Here are more details on the cards:
Brown and Black CS with Kamalaht Paper
Colored with watercolor pencils, a Dove blender pen and ink (Palette Moulin Rouge and Versamagic Aspen Mist.)

Mini Composition Idea Journal

With the new year, I get excited about new papercrafting ideas. Here's a great place to jot them down. I used a mini composition book so that it would fit in a pocket or purse and it is covered with Kamalaht paper. An eyelet holds a little metal frame hanger, which forms a handy ribbon place holder. Photo turns hang from the ends of the ribbon.
The stamp is from The Angel Company's The Arts set and the letter stickers come in the pack of Kamalaht paper. There are light tan and dark brown letters, which seem to stand out better on most projects. I did run out of two of the dark letters: e and s. I was able to mix light stickers in with my dark ones by sponging ink right onto the stickers. This is a great trick to stretch your supplies. (By the way, I ink almost everything and the best applicators are TAC's hydra sponges. You get a bunch in a package and those can each be cut into wedges . I keep a little bucket of sponges in my work area in all the basic colors and they last practically forever!)
You'll see this little book again in TAC's 2008 Spring and Summer Inspiration Book and Catalog. I designed some Kamalaht and other samples for it and it has just arrived. I'm returning to Denver today from my holiday travels and will see it tonight for the first time! Stayed tuned for more info!

Christmas Verse Starbucks Book

I had so much fun swapping goodies in a recent Secret Sister swap with Mary Leeson (Check out her Blog Here)! She sent me some wonderful goodies, including a treat box she developed from a SCS tutorial. I'll get some pictures uploaded soon of the other great stuff she sent me. Here is one of the things I sent her. It's my version of a Starbucks Book in Mary's favorite color combo, blue and brown. I used the coffee sleeves that Starbucks uses on its coffe cups. I added tabs that count down the days in December until Christmas with a daily Bible verse. (The pages are 4.25" x 2.25") Faith is a big part of Mary's life, so I wanted to join her in celebrating what Christmas is all about. I got the verses from Heather Scott and they are passages that I think you'll find uplifting all year long. Heather has the file loaded here (Scroll down past Ginger Joy). I hope that the Spirit of the season fills your heart and your holidays are filled with blessings!

Kamalaht Chalk Board & Embossed Stones

I made this chalk board a while back as a gift. It's a little bit of form meets function, with its cool Kamalaht accents. (I really wanted to keep it for my kitchen!)
It's also magnetic, so I made some little embossed stone magnets for it, starting with those polished stones you find in the floral section of the hobby store. I used black ink and Transcendence Embossing powder. You could use black powder, but I seem to keep Transcendence right within arm's reach. The great thing about it is you can use it with any kind of ink. You have to work fast with regular ink on paper, but you just stamp, sprinkle, heat and whatever color ink you are using has that glossy, raised look. The other nice thing is that those stray sprinkles of powder that manage to get left behind are clear, so they are almost unnoticeable.
Aside from magnets, I think these stones would make nice little "worry" stones with encouraging messages. You hold or rub your worry stone as you think or pray on your troubles and it helps you let go of worry.
Forget your worries and check out Heather's blog! She's giving out candy!

Kamalaht Purse and Card Gift Set

Don't you love it when you have the perfect little gift at the ready right when you need it? There are so many birthdays, graduations, not to mention Mother's Day that have been happening lately, I was so happy to have this little gift set, all ready to give. It's filled with cards that are great for any occasion and they can be masculine or feminine (we all know how hard it is to make a card for those guys!). Make a little set like this by checking out my friend Camille's class or getting one of her kits. You'll get all the paper and instructions ready to go! You'll be so glad you did, the next time you need the perfect little gift!