Use Every Stamp 2013

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Still plenty of time to join the fun!

I know we are close to reaching the half way mark and some of you may be thinking it is to late to join the challenge. NOT TRUE! There is still plenty of time to organize your stamps and, most importantly, start using them. :)

You can read more about the challenge in this thread. I also encourage you to stop by our website and see how you can join the Use Every Stamp 2013 class. It is completely FREE! Post your challenge and get started organizing and using your stamps. I can't wait to see you inside the classroom.

Jeri'

Got Ribbon? Want More!

Happy Tuesday,

Since we are talking about ribbon I thought I should add note about my upcoming class, All About Ribbon. Not only does it give you more ideas for storing your ribbon, it also helps you USE your ribbon. What a wonderful idea. :) Best of all, it is on SALE right now. But hurry, sale ends tomorrow, June 20th at 10:00 a.m. CST.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jeri'

All About Ribbon

Course Description

Got ribbon? We do! And we have boatloads of it. If you are looking for some ribbon inspiration, look no further as we explore borders, bows, flowers and faux ribbon. We'll even cover how to organize those unruly knots and how to use up that stash! Join 12 MCC Instructors for this fun class.

Week One:Join us as we get you started on this journey. Shirley Pando will provide a general overview of the types of ribbons and some other basics. Then Cara Miller and Jeri Parks will dive into the many uses for ribbons as borders. You'll be amazed at how versatile ribbons can be.
Week Two: Join Jennifer Priest, Donna Maligno, Deena Ziegler, Rachel Smith and Cristal Hobbs as they walk you through creating flowers out of ribbons and mastering the bow!
Week Three: Join Catherine Scanlon and Kim Parkinson as they guide you through a few different looks of faux ribbon. It might not help get rid of your stash but sometimes, you need to make your own perfect ribbon to complete your project.
Week Four: Join Karen Hunter, Jennifer Priest and Deena Ziegler in our final week. This week we'll talk about organizing your ribbons and how to use up that stash.

Student Feedback

"I love the multi-contributor class approach, gives a touch of everyones style. Awesome class video and instructions. I am waiting for the next class to enroll." - Lynnetta, MCC Student

"This class was a great for learning to be more creative with my ribbons! Opening my eyes for new ways to alter and incorporate them into my projects. Thanks to all the instructors for sharing their creativity." - Jan, MCC Student

Course Information

Class Begins: June 27th

Course Length: 4 Weeks

Early Enrollment Special: $20 (Early Enrollment Price is $5 off regular price. Price will increase to $25 on June 20th CST.)

Buy Now!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Project: Organize Ribbon

Hello,

Last week I spent the week organizing my ribbon. It was not an easy process...and it is far from complete. But I did make good progress. Unfortunately, by the end of the week I knew I would not finish. Rather then leave myself with a big huge mess, so I put the leftovers back away until the next time.

I did promise photos and description of the process. So here it is. :)

Old System: I had long outgrown my previous system, but for some time it worked quite nicely. Years ago I started sorting things by color and I still prefer this method. I had 8 shoe boxes with ribbon, fibers, brads, eyelets, trim and other items sorted by color.

In addition, I had photo boxes with extra ribbon and fibers that were back-ups or would not fit in the shoe boxes. I also had a separate area for buttons and flowers.

Finally, I have some small tin buckets with ribbon and a plastic cart with ribbon that was larger in size. Yes....I had ribbon everywhere. :)

New System:

My desktop is supported by the same modular components I use throughout craftroom. Originally on the shelves below I had paper and other items, but it never really worked the way I wanted it to. What I really wanted was drawers with dividers for all of my ribbon and other embellishments. But I did not want to purchase new modular units. That meant I had to work to find a way to convert them. I like a good challenge. :)

I decided on deep draw organizers. You can purchase them at your local office supply store or online at Amazon. They fit perfectly in the openings.

I quickly figured out that I was going to have to loose the spools. They take up soooooo much room. They have the added downside of making it hard to see how much ribbon is left. So I coiled the ribbon around my fingers and then placed them in bags. You can purchase these clear poly bags at Amazon. For some of you they may look familiar. I was use them on my shoe rack to hold dies and stamps.

Below you can see the finished product. I have places for buttons, brads, eyelets, fibers, trim and of course, ribbon. As I worked I found tons of ribbon that I totally forgotten about. And I realize I have way more ribbon then I can ever use. Still I have a very hard time parting with it. :)

What do I still need to work on? I did not finish organizing my buttons by color. I still have multicolored ribbon to organize....remember those metal buckets? That will be their home.

I will still have boxes for extra ribbon and fibers. And I still have larger ribbon rolls in a plastic container. But this new system works far better then the old one. I am so happy to be free of all of those spools.

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions.
Jeri'

June 17th-Stamps

Happy Monday!

Will organizing my ribbon I ran across a box that contained four unused (and long since forgotten) Club Scrap kits. It was like Christmas in July. :) I will be working with these kits over the next few weeks. My favorite is the Comics kit. The stamps are so fun and colors are bright....just perfect for summer.

This week's Stamps include:

Club Scrap: February 2011: Comics
Papertrey Ink: Boy Basics Simple Circles (This set also has a matching die.)
Club Scrap: March 2011-Raku

I will be working on Birthday and Thank-You cards. I hope to also create a few note cards. Be sure to let me know what you are working on this week.

Jeri'

Friday, June 14, 2013

Friday's Post...under a pile of ribbon!

Happy Friday,

I am posting today deep inside a pile of ribbon. How could I have possibly collected this much ribbon?! And buttons! How many white buttons do I really need. The answer seems to be hundreds. :)

The hardest part of organizing for me is working through the last of it. I some point I become overwhelmed and just feel like throwing what remains in the trash. I would probably never miss the items I throw away. This time I am determined to stay the course. Why? Because I love ribbon. :) And it shows. LOL!

I am about 70% done with the project and I hope to finish up this weekend. I will be posting pictures of my hard work and new system of housing my ribbon on Monday.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day weekend. Thanks for stopping by.
Jeri'

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Taking some time to organize

Happy Wednesday,

This week is my traditional week of 'vacation'. It is the 1st week of summer vacation for my son. We spend extra time at the pool, going to movies and playing video games. Yes, I am a 13 year old boy at heart. This year we also hope to do some science experiments. I did promise my husband we would not blow up the house. :)

Also on the to do list this week is some much needed organizing and cleaning in my craft room. I have long ago grown out of my current system for storing ribbon, floss, fibers, brads, eyelets and buttons. I like to keep them sorted by color. We are working to create a system that is able to hold more ribbon. I have amassed quite a collection. Imagine that. :)

So this week we are organizing. Next week we will be back to stamp. I will post more pictures on Friday. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.
Jeri'