Craft Room Organization

Craft Room
Originally uploaded by Cup O'Cake Designs

Ever since I moved into the new house, I've been trying to find a way to be more organized with my craft space than I ever have been before. See, the thing is, the house is bigger. My craft space is bigger. So there's an even greater potential for me to end up with more craft items than I could use in a year.

I don't know about you, but I have a horrible habit of buying things at craft stores on impulse, and then completely forgetting they're in my "stash." I am in the midst of a self imposed "paper ban" because of how much paper I have. (I do allow myself to purchase paper for specific projects- only things that require multiples of the same color/patterned paper: ie. invitations)

Clearly, I am an "out of sight, out of mind" kind of crafter.

My solution? To get organized, in a very visable way.

My craft room is far from complete, but I am really pleased with the progress I've made.

At the old apartment, I had a steel storage unit, consisting of eight drawers per side (two of those, per side), with an opening in the middle. The unit also had a top "shelf." I got it from Ikea, and it served me pretty well.

The new house, having a larger space for my crafts (which is a shared space for our office and music room), needed something more. I have a great work space (again, from Ikea) that's deep enough to be the home for my sewing machine, Cricut, and Cuttlebug- even when one is not in use.

My parents were visiting last weekend and wanted to go to Ikea (they were in search of a bed frame for their guest room). I was more than happy to accompany them. While wandering around the showroom, I came across the Bygel rail system. A-ha! Perfect.

I picked up one Bygel rail, two baskets, one package of s-hooks, one package of spice jars, and one bygel plastic cup. All for under $20. When I arrived home, eager to brag to my husband about my finds, he reminded me that we had an extra rail from the old apartment (we used to house kitchen items hanging from the rail).

On Saturday, I had my husband hang the rails above my craft desk. Then I went about the task of deciding what was important enough to warrant space on the rail.

Each spice jar holds a different type of embellishement (brads, eyelets, buttons, google eyes), the second basket holds ribbons (with seldom used christmas and animal print ribbons in another storage space), and the cup on the end holds pens, pencils, and glue. The top rail holds hole punches (shaped and regular), scissors, glitter, and beads from s-hooks.

The space is far from done, but it makes me excited about crafting. I already have plans on a few more things to pick up at Ikea, including more s-hooks. Eventually we hope to pain the room (a nice slate gray color, we're not too into the beige/yellow feel right now), and I plan to use orange as an accent color (for a trash can, clock, etc).

Who knew Ikea could revolutionize my craft space?

Cupcake Congratulations

Cupcake Congratulations
Originally uploaded by Cup O'Cake Designs

I haven't been making or blogging my papercrafts as much as I'd like as of late. So, I'm working on correcting that.

A friend of mine recently got engaged. I wanted to send her a card because it's what I do, but also because I remember how much I enjoyed the handful of engagement cards I received (hard to believe that was four years ago now).

My friend is an avid cupcake lover. I know that no matter what, I can't go wrong if her gifts/cards have cupcakes involved.

I used my Cricut to cut out the cupcake, and the shapes for the engagement ring. Instead of topping the cupcake with sprinkles or a cherry, I used the engagement ring.

The cupcake ribbon is from Michael's (I think the dollar bin a while back, it has a little sparkle to it). Then I used gel pens to decorate the engagement ring and to write the "congrats!" sentiment.

I'm really pleased with the way this card came out. It's simple and sweet, and I think it works well for the occasion.

And They Lived Happily Ever After

And They Lived Happily Ever After
Originally uploaded by Cup O'Cake Designs

This past weekend, I spent my 4th of July at the wedding of one of my very best friends. I got to spend five full days in my hometown, reconnecting with friends and family. It was fantastic.

Of course, having to be there a few days early for the rehearsal I had to make the wedding card over a week in advance. My creative mojo usually doesn't start working until I have about an hour to finish something, so this was a bit of a challenge.

For my inspiration I pulled out the materials I'd used to create her wedding invations (I...am trying to find the one I have so that I can show you what they looked like, but I have not yet succeeded there). Her wedding colors were black, ivory, and gold.

I decided to use the gold as the main color for the card (it doesn't photograph well, but it has a slight shimmer to it). Rooting around through my stamps I came across the stamp of the couple. It's actually got three different poses for the couple and I really adore the stamp.

I used a square motif because the wedding invitations had embossed squares on them, but incorporated the circles and squiggly lines as a way to tie in the thank you notes I made for a gift (which, I stupidly forgot to photograph).

The shapes are all cut out using my Cricut and the stamp of the couple was embellished using glitter gel pens.

Inspiration from NYC

Christyn, of Bead Up, does wonderful posts where she shares the inspiration behind some of her pieces. I love those posts and they make me think about where my inspiration comes from.

Truth be told, more often then not I am inspired by what materials I have on hand. Sometimes the inspiration comes from the person who'll be receiving the card or the mood that I am in. All of these things are a little difficult to showcase.

Last weekend, my husband and I took a trip into NYC to see a show and visit a museum. I've been to NYC a number of times, but it never ceases to capture my imagination. Once, on a trip, I was ruthlessly teased for whipping out my camera at every available opportunity. After my local tour guide (a friend) realized I wasn't taking the typical "tourist" pictures, he eased up.

After returning home from our trip, I was inspired by some of the things I saw there and began working on some overdue thank you cards.

While in NYC I visited FAO Schwarz. I am a Barbie collector and FAO is one of the few stores that I can actually see an upscale doll in person before making a purchase (their selection is limited, and typically a little overpriced). A silkstone doll came home with me (she just hopped in my bag, I swear I don't know how it happened), and when I took a look at the inside of the box I found inspiration to create one of my overdue thank you cards.

The card uses the same color scheme of ivory, gold, and a little black for the lettering. I used my Cricut to cut out the square shape. The phrase and gold corner details are stamped on. I went over the stamps with gel pens to enhance their look. The final touch was a little gold ribbon.

After pulling the tissue paper back to get a better look at my new doll, her swimsuit (inspired by the original Barbie's swimsuit back in 1959- yes, this is Barbie's 50th Anniversary!) was a definite inspiration. I love the simplicity of the swimsuit, and how the black and white really draw your eye.

I used the swimsuit and the turquoise pashmina I bought as inspiration for another long overdue thank you card. I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the flower design on the black paper. Then I went over the embossed design with white and turquoise gel pens. The quadrilateral shape was cut out using my Cricut. Thank you was stamped and then enhanced using my gel pens.

Hopefully, in the future I can do more posts like this, where I can share the source of my inspiration. The trick will be remembering to snap a photo of the inspiration before it's too late.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Birthday Cow

Birthday Cow
Originally uploaded by Cup O'Cake Designs

Waay back in November (I told you I'd try to catch you up on all I did while I took a haitus from blogging), a good friend of mine hired me to make her 24 cards (a mixture of Birthday, Thank You, and blank cards). I was beyond excited, and also a little overwhelmed.

When I make cards, I tend to either make them one at a time, or end up with a series of cards that all look similiar. I was a little nervous about being able to offer my client (I love that word, by the way!) a broad range of cards that she would be able to use. I wanted to make sure that there was a card in there for everyone on her list.

This card was one of the Birthday cards that I created. I have loved this cow stamp (part of an older Stampin' Up set) as long as I have had it, but I definitely have not used it enough in the past 8 years.

Even though the card includes flowers on the patterned paper (though, they could be sunbursts) and a ribbon, I still believe it is neutral enough to serve as a birthday card for men.

You can see some of the other 23 cards at my flickr.

Birthday Extravaganza!

My birthday was on Friday. I love my birthday, and I love it even more when I get to spend it with family and friends.

This year my husband threw a nice birthday party for me (and another friend- we share the same birthday). So I got to spend time with close friends. Even though my family couldn't be there, they were sure to call and let me know they were thinking of me.

What does this have to do with this blog? Well, the answer is: I got a lot of baking and crafting items for my birthday.

Over the next few weeks I am looking forward to using my new supplies and I can't wait to share the results! I got everything from cake pans to gel pens to stamps to piping tips. Crazy! So, stay tuned because I plan to try everything out.

Make a Wish (Birthday)

I made this card last week for a friend who had a birthday. It was inspired by a card over at the Pink Stamper.

I used my Cricut to cut out the cupcake as well as the squares. The squares are put on the card using pop dots for dimension. I used a gel pen for the sprinkles on the cupcake.

Two different colored papers are used for the background, with a ribbon pulling them together.

The sentiment in the upper left corner is stamped.

Enjoy (Birthday)

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I made this card for a friend's 30th birthday. I wanted something that went with the theme (well, my theme) for the night- my husband & I gave the birthday boy Guinness and home brewed beer as a gift and I'd made a delicious Guinness cake for the party. Thus, the beer on the card.

The Guinness itself was paper pieced. I cut out the beer and the foam first, and then used an Overhead (clear plastic sheets) to cut out the pint glass- and yes, I cut out two pieces (one for the back and one for the front) to make it more authentic.

After I put the pint together, I stamped the sentiment and went over it with a gel pen. I cut out the piece of paper to make it look like it was curved along the glass. Then I attached a ribbon to the sentiment using brads, and put the ribbon around the pint. The pint is raised off the paper using pop dots.

Finally, I stamped "30" in the upper left corner with Versamark and rounded my edges with a paper punch.

Too Cute

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Another Baby card for another couple who is expecting. This time I knew it was a boy, so I felt more comfortable opting for a blue palette.

Tigger is cut using my Cricut. The sentiment is stamped and then gone over with a sparkly gel pen. Finally I added brads to the top, to draw the eye to the sentiment.

Good Luck (Shamrocks)

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I made this card for a co-worker who recently graduated and has moved on to begin her new career.

There's no Cricut on this card- now there's a phrase I rarely use. I used a Sizzix die for the Shamrocks- and then hand cut the background shamrock shape (in ivory). Although you cannot see it in the photo, I used pop dots to make the middle shamrock stand out.

Good luck was stamped and then gone over in a sparkly gel pen. I added brads to draw the eye towards the sentiment.

Still Together

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I made this card last month for my parents' wedding anniversary.

I kept the card basic because I didn't have a lot of time to work with, and I just really wanted to do something simple.

I cut out the heart and the little couple with my Cricut. Drew on the accents with gel pens and then stamped the sentiment. The inside of the card is stamped with "After all these years!" To finish it off, I used my corner rounding punch.

Cute as a Button

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I made this card for some friends who we recently found out are expecting. I had just gotten my new Pooh Font cartridge and really wanted to use it.

This little Pooh was too cute to pass up. Since I have no idea if the baby is a boy or a girl, I stuck with neutral colors. I just love that rich green color.

I used a corner punch to round the corners and added buttons to accent the stamped phrase. Although you can't see it in the photo, I used a gel pen for Pooh's tongue.

2 Scoops are better than 1

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I made this card for a Jack & Jill party that my husband and I attended a few weeks ago. As a gift, we got an ice cream maker and recipe book so I wanted a card that went with the theme.

I cut out the ice cream cone with my Cricut. I cut it out twice, and used only the scoop from the second cut. I ran the ice cream scoops through my Cuttlebug to texturize them, so that they would stand out from one another.

I stamped the sentiment, and used my gel pens to accent the ice cream cone, as well as the stamps.

I used vellum as the outside of the card, and placed the ice cream cone on the right edge, cutting away the vellum so that the ice cream cone served as the very edge of the card.

Happy Birthday (7)

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I made this card for my cousin who just turned 7. I wanted to highlight her age and use a theme that fit with the wrapping paper her gift was wrapped in.

All of the shapes were cut out with the Cricut. I used the wrapping paper to cut out the 7, and coordinating colors for the other dots on the card. I traced the cat's accents with gel pens and used google eyes to make the card a little more playful.

Faux iPhone

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I spent a lot of time trying to get this one right. My husband's birthday was this past week and he'd been eying the iPhone for quite a while. Even though I'd decided to get him one, I knew he would have questions and I thought it would be better to have him there so he could also pick out a case.

I still wanted to give him something tangible to open- because unwrapping gifts is fun- so I decided to paper piece this faux iPhone.

I used my Cricut to cut out the phone base and all the squares for the icons. The hardest part was adding the detail to the icons. I was working off of this image. Given the size of the small squares and the pen tips, I think it came out pretty well.

Once we went and picked up the real phone, I compared the two. I was missing an icon square (it wasn't shown in the picture I used as a reference), and the proportions weren't exactly on. Overall, I think I did a great job.

Happy Birthday (Piece of Cake)

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I made this card for my Husband for his birthday last week. It's super simple because I spent most of my time paper piecing an iPhone (more on that later).

I love this color scheme, even though the photo doesn't do it justice. I used a nice bright turquoise with black accents.

All of the images are stamped. I went over the stamped gifts in a sparkle gel pen, because the ink wasn't standing out enough on the black stripe. The stamp on the black stripe was repeated three times.

Welcome Little One

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This is a card I made for some friends who recently had their second child. I know people don't typically throw a big shower for second (or third) babies, but I thought it was a day worth celebrating.

I wanted to go with a nice girlie color scheme, but not too girlie. I'm not sure I achieved that exactly, but I loved the polka dots. I used my Cricut to cut out the bear. I used a gel pen to go over the mouth and make it stand out, and then added some fun google eyes.

The sentiment was stamped and then hand cut to resemble a flag. I went over the sentiment with a gel pen, to darken it.

I also did a simple weave in the upper left corner, in a small square, to give the card added dimension.

Minnie's Thinking of You

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I made this card recently to send to my Aunt. I don't get to see her as often as I'd like and I wanted to remind her that I'm always thinking of her.

I used my Cricut to cut out Minnie. I love the Disney cartridges, but they are so tough to do on a small scale. I cut Minnie as big as I could, and still leave room on the card (and have the card fit in the envelope).

I hand cut the thought bubble, and stamped the sentiment. I went over the stamp with a gel pen. I also, cut around the dots by hand. It did not turn out as I had wanted it to, but live and learn.

Grab the Keys

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I made this card for my cousin who recently got her driver's license. I don't get to see her very often since we're states away and I wanted her to know that I was thinking of her.

I cut out the car & key with my Circut. I had to hand cut the windshield and front bumper on the car. I also cut the key out twice, to get the brown keyring. I hand wrote the sentiment in the bottom right hand corner.

The inside reads, "Congratulations!"

A simple card, but I think it's cute and gets the message across.

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

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My husband is involved in a Community Theater in our area. He's currently playing Linus in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and this is his third production with the company. Unfortunately, I was out of town this past weekend when his show opened.

Since I couldn't be there in person, I decided to send a few "surprises" to the cast to wish them a great opening. I made cookies for the cast and director (each cast member got 4 vanilla cookies with sprinkles in a "character" color) and to go with the casts' cookies I made little post cards. The post cards had their characters on them as well as a quote from the show.

I also wanted to make a sign, because I knew that would last longer than the cookies. When my husband did his first show at the theater (Music Man), I made a hand written sign. This time, I wanted to do something a little cuter and a little more personal.

I decided to paper piece together each of the characters in the show. I used the Peanuts website as a reference. I cut out all of the characters in one solid color (peach for the people, white for Snoopy). I then cut out the clothes and other accesories. Once all of my pieces were cut out, I assembled them.

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They definitely looked a little creepy without any outlines and markings on them. I wanted to be sure that I got the outlines and markings as close as possible to what the actual cartoons look like. I used a pencil first for some of the markings- typically the faces and on Snoopy his ears. After that, I finalized the pieces by going over the pencil with a gel pen, and I made the "outer" outline using a black marker.

They don't look identical to what Charles Schulz drew, but I don't think they should. I think they turned out quite nicely, and the cast loved the sign.