My new rubber stamp shelf...I'm in love!!!!

For awhile now, I've been looking for a new way to store all my rubber stamps so that they are easily accessible and don't take up a lot of wall space. I think I've done it, and I can proudly say I did it ALL BY MYSELF!!! Here is a picture of the finished product, followed by a step-by-step picture tutorial for anybody else who might like to try it. Click on any picture to make it larger. Thanks for looking!

Here is the "naked" shelf, which I purchased from Michael's. The normal price is $49.99 (a little steep, I know), but with all the coupons out there, I know none of us ever buy anything at full price. :)

Here's the label on top of the shelf, to help you identify the correct one:

For my first step, I used a level and a pencil to extend a line even with the top of the first shelf:

I then continued that line around to the side of the shelf, across the back, and around to the other side of the same shelf:

I measured the distance between the top of the first shelf and the top of the entire unit, and figured out the number of tray inserts I could fit in this space. Each tray insert is about 1.25", and I used 1/4" dowels as my supports. Once again using my level and a pencil, I drew horizontal lines showing where each row would be. I flipped my level and made vertical lines representing how far apart the front and rear dowels would be:

I continued the horizontal lines across the back:

I made the same markings on the other side:

I drilled holes for my dowels where the vertical and horizontal lines intersect, except at the level of each existing shelf. Even though there are staple marks showing where each existing shelf is, I still penciled in the word "shelf" to remind myself not to drill holes there:

I used a 1/4" drill bit and drilled holes in the appropriate places:

I used these dowels, also purchased at Michael's. They are 1/4" x 12", and they come 10 to a pack, for $1.99:

I inserted my dowels through one side of the unit into the corresponding hole on the opposite side:

I wanted a "shabby chic" look, so I decided to crackle paint my shelf. I used DecoArt crackle medium and Apple Barrel paint (Satin Cream color), also from Michael's.

Here's the finished crackle:

I used fabric from Hancock's Fabric, along with pom-poms by Offray and a sheet of scalloped Bazzill cardstock to dress up my shelf. The fabric was 18" x 21" and cost $1.99. I bought two pieces, one for each side of my unit. The spool of pom-poms I already had, and I found them on clearance at Walmart for $2.00. The scalloped Bazzill also came from my stash, and I distressed it slightly by dry-brushing the acrylic paint on it.

I pleated the fabric and adhered it the the shelf with my ATG. I also adhered the paper and pom-poms with my ATG:

I loaded my stamps into the trays , divided into themes. The "trays" are actually clear acrylic box frames that I purchased at Michael's and Target. They are 8" x 10". Neither store had the quantity I needed in that size, plus I had a gift card for Target, so I actually got 9 trays for free.:) The cost for these trays are $2.99 at Michael's and $3.19 at Target. I made sure to use one of Michaels' "20% off your entire purchase" coupons. If you do decide to make one of these units, you may be tempted, as I was, to use the 8.5" x 11" frames for your trays. They don't fit in the shelf! On average, I was able to fit about 17 stamps in each tray, depending on the size and arrangement. I chose this particular tray to photograph because it shows a lot of different sized stamps:

I loaded all my trays into my new stamp shelf. I was able to fit 22:
And here's my (almost) finished product. I haven't yet decided how I'm going to label each shelf. I want to do something cuter than using my label maker, I just haven't thought of the right solution. I'm also planning on putting an 8" x 10" piece of paper at the bottom of each tray and stamping each stamp in the proper place. So when a stamp is missing, I know which one it is :

I'd love to hear what you think! Also feel free to ask questions if I left something out. Thanks for looking!

A birthday tip...have your cake and eat it too

Here is a cute little card I made using up some paper scraps I had after making an altered project. I also found in my stash a sheet of vintage birthday stickers by Pebbles Inc., and thought this little sticker was perfect for my card. Kraft paper for the card base is Bazzill, and the patterned papers are from a JoAnn alterable kit. Ribbon is from my stash, the border punch along the bottom is Fiskars Apron Lace, and although it is hard to see in these pics, I used a Martha Stewart punch along the bottom of the pale pink patterned paper.

Another view:

Fiskars Apron Lace border punch:

Pumpkin streusel bread...mmm...

I found these cute little loaf pans at Michael's, and immediately knew I wanted to make pumpkin streusel bread for Halloween gifts. They cost $1.00, are oven- and dishwasher-safe, and Michael's usually carries them in different colors and themes. I also got the clear bags at Michael's, and it just so happened that their credit card machines were down, so everybody in the store got 20% off their entire purchase for paying cash. YAY! Anyway, I used this recipe. And the recipe made enough for 4 of these mini loaves, with plenty of streusel to top each one. I realize there are only 3 loaves in these pics, and you may be wondering about the 4th one...let me just say, it was delicious ;). For the tags, I used a Studio G $1 stamp on patterned paper by DCWV. I used Stickles glitter glue on the word "boo". Ribbons are Making Memories, and I secured the tags to the ribbons with silver brads. I thought they turned out really cute!

Another view:

Orange tag, close up:

Green tag, close up:

Purple tag, close up:

Here is what the cream colored pan looks like:

Here's what the black pan looks like:

A view of all three loaves:

BOO

I know it's a few days late, but here's a Halloween card I made. I love the idea of the Sweet Treat cups from Stampin Up!, but I don't have any. So when Nilda on the Cricut MB thought of using Wilton candy molds, I knew I had to try it. I found a Halloween set at Michael's that had skulls and spiderwebs, and I used the spiderweb mold on this card. The card base is Bazzill Bling, the patterned papers are American Crafts, chipboard letters are American Crafts, fibers are from my stash, scallop punch (under fibers) is EK Success, black pen is Sakura Gelly Roll, and the mold is filled with M&Ms.


Here's a close-up of my "orange widow" spider:

Close-up of the curled corners of the spider paper:

Close-up of chipboard letter stickers:

I'm over the moon for you

Here is another card I made using the adorable stamp set from Sandylion (scroll down a few posts to see the set). I wanted to make a boyish card for my husband, so I picked the rocket ship stamp. I really liked the color scheme and pattern of this SEI paper (even though it's a Christmas line and it's kinda old). The blue pattern at the bottom of the card is the back side of the top pattern. The green polka dot strip is Three Bugs in a Rug. The cardstock for the base is Bazzill, and the cardstock that the stamped image is on is Georgia Pacific. I colored in the ship using Prismacolor markers, and accented using Black Diamond Stickles. I used a Heidi Swapp distresser on the edges of the papers, and the holes along the bottom are an EK Success border punch. The ribbon used for the rocket's vapor trail is Making Memories, along with the plastic glittered brackets and star sticker. The lined paper on which I wrote my sentiment is simple notebook paper that I cut down, leaving the messy "notebook" edge, and inked with Tim Holtz distress ink. The black pen I used for the sentiment is a Sakura Gelly Roll pen. Thanks for looking!

Here's a close-up of the rocket ship, colored with Prismacolor markers and accented with Black Diamond Stickles. I used thin pop-dots underneath to give it just a bit of dimension:

Here's a close-up of the notebook paper, plastic glitter stickers, and ribbon:

sweet baby boy card

So, a few posts back (titled "i'm not lion"), I showed a set of Sandylion stamps that are just too cute. I said I had made some more cards using other stamps in that set, and that I would post pics later. Well...later has arrived. This card uses the monkey stamp, and I LOVE HIM! I stamped him onto white Georgia Pacific cardstock using Black Staz-On ink, and then colored him in with Prismacolor markers. I stamped him again onto the striped paper, and cut out only the belly part (which I thought would be cute as a bib), and paper-pieced the "bib" onto the monkey. I then cut around the image with my Cutterbee scissors. The striped paper is by Three Bugs in a Rug, the blue dotted paper is Bo Bunny, and the kraft colored cardstock is Bazzill. The loopy punch is Martha Stewart, and the large scalloped punch along the bottom is EK Success. I used some letter stamps by KI Memories to stamp the word "sweet" in white ink, then I covered the letters with white Fun Flock by Stampendous, using Glossy Accents as my adhesive for the flocking. Ribbons are by American Crafts and Offray, and they are stapled to the card. Pearls are from Kaiser Craft, and the brown pen for the dots is American Crafts. Isn't he SWEET???

Here you can kinda see where I layered the "bib" using a pop dot to make it stand out a bit.

Here's a close-up of the Fun Flock. For those who've never used flocking, it's basically the same concept as using glitter, but instead of a sparkly look, it gives you a fuzzy look and feel. You can see the fuzziness here:

I'm nuts about you

I bought a bunch of scalloped Bazzill cardstock last year sometime, and have never used it (it got lost in the stash)...until now! It was a lot of fun to use on this card. It already had the holes in it too, so I triple-stitched them with white floss. The base cardstock is also Bazzill, and the white cardstock that the squirrel is on is Georgia Pacific. The patterned papers are Three Bugs in a Rug. The squirrel stamp is by Recollections, and stamped with Staz-On Timber Brown ink. I colored it in with Prismacolor markers. The ribbon is Offray, and the brown pen I used on the sentiment is American Crafts. Finished size is 4.5" x 6". Thanks for looking!
Here's a close-up of my squirrel. I stamped him (a pink squirrel can be a boy, right?) on Georgia Pacific cardstock, and then cut him out using my Cutterbee scissors. If you don't have a pair yet, GET ONE! They are sharp to the very tip, and therefore great for making small, detailed cuts. Anyway, I then adhered the squirrel to another piece of Georgia Pacific cardstock, cut at 2" x 2". I rounded the corners with a Marvy punch.

And here's just another view:

Blog candy on Amy's blog

Hey, girls! I was just visiting Amy's blog (www.scrappingmommy.com), and she is having a fantastic blog candy giveaway. Here's what you get if you're the winner:
Prima papers
Cricut Home Decor cartridge
Sakura Glaze pens
Glitter glue
So jump on over to her blog and check it out!

i'm not lion...

I bought the cutest set of Sandylion stamps a few months ago, and just recently used them for the first time. Now usually, I'm not the biggest fan of Sandylion products, but this set from Michael's was just too cute to pass up. Here's what the set looks like, and for this card I used the adorable lion up near the top. I have also made cards using the monkey and rocket ship, and will post those later.
Now, my father-in-law just had surgery, so I made him a get well card. First, I stamped the lion onto white Georgia Pacific cardstock using Timber Brown Staz-On ink. Then I colored him in with Prismacolor markers that matched the background paper I used. The patterned papers are Cosmo Cricket, and the cardstock for the base is Bazzill. The bottom zig-zag border punch is EK Success, and the two scalloped patterns are Martha Stewart border punches. Stick pins are Dritz, and I used earring backs to cap the points. I used my Marvy Uchida corner rounder on the top corners of the card and patterned papers. Ribbon is from my stash, and the brown pen is American Crafts. I wrote the words "i'm not lion..." on the front of the card...

...and here's the inside of the card. It reads "...i hope you feel better soon".

Here's a close-up of the cute little guy:

Another view:

hello card

Here is the first card I've ever SEWN on! YAY!!! I'm so excited - been wanting to sew on cards/layouts for so long. The thing is...I SUCK at sewing. I just cannot sew a straight line to save my life. So when the sewing on this card actually came out somewhat straight, I was thrilled. Anyway...the cardstock is Bazzill, patterned paper is Scenic Route, the border punch is EK Success, brads are Making Memories, and the letter stickers and felt heart are American Crafts. The green paper is the back side of the patterned paper, and I distressed and sanded the edges. Thanks for looking!
Here's a close-up of the heart, letters, and brads: