Upcoming Newsletter

With a New Year comes new ideas and new changes here at Simply Renee.

We are starting a monthly newsletter where we will share ideas on organization with you, and welcome your ideas, pictures and thoughts to be shared with our Simply Renee followers and readers. There are a lot of creative people out there who have great ideas. One thing about organizing is that it needs to be customized for your taste, personality and methods. Since there are many different ways to organize, we want to share your ideas so we all can find something that works for us.  Email us your pictures and ideas to clipitup@gmail.com.  If we feature your idea in our newsletter then we’ll send you a $15 gift certificate to www.clipitup.com.

The first newsletter will be written by me. We are also starting a section called: Ask Renee … where you can email me any questions you have and I’ll do my best to try and answer them for you. Send emails to clipitup@gmail.com put as the subject ‘Ask Renee’.

We are excited about this upcoming year and our “NEW” Clip it Up products. They are all about building and customizing for your individual organizational needs! We’ll be showing sneak peaks soon so keep following our blog.

2011 will be an exciting year and we look forward to your ideas and working together to make your organizational needs easier!

Happy New Year!

Renee

2011

2011. For real? Like in 3 days? Wow. I know it sounds cliche' - but where does the time go? If you find it, will you let me know?

Christmas has come and gone - did you get everything you wanted? Did you get things you didn't know you wanted but love anyway? Did you spend good times with your family? Do you have a mess to clean up? Do you have a list of thank-you cards a mile long? Do you have a list of thank-you cards for cards and gifts that were sent to you but maybe you didn't send to them? *gasp* I know! Every single year we get at least 1 card, maybe a couple three from people we didn't send to. I'm not a big Happy New Year card-sender, but I do make cards for the occasion to send to the people that for whatever reason were not on the Christmas card list. For all they know - they were on the Happy New Year card list ;)

All the best to you and yours in the new year.

Design Team

Don’t forget to apply!!! It’s a great way to get Clip it Up products!

Due date for applications is January 10, but don’t procrastinate you won’t want to miss this opportunity. Here’s the official call:

Scrapbookers/Crafters/Quilters Design Team Call

We are looking for 3-5 talented designers to participate as members of our design team. Anybody who loves to scrapbook, craft and/or quilt we’d love to have you apply.

To apply please email:

· Contact Information

· Headshot or Photo

· Short Bio

· Resume including publication (if any)

· Link to your blog and usernames on pertinent online forums

· .jpegs of 3 projects (any combination of altered art, layout and/or cards)

Expectations:

· One picture of Simply Renee’s product setup and in use (does not have to hold scrapbooking products) and short review.

o YouTube video would be great if possible

· 5-6 blog entries about recent projects

o Including pictures and instructions

Compensation:

· Free Clip it Up product/s (to be determined)

· Discount on Clip it Up products

· Link to your blog on Simply Renee Inc’s blog

Deadlines:

· An average of 1 blog post a month and a list will be sent out to all members telling them when their posts are due.

Simply Renee Inc retains the right to approve or disapprove of any blog content and to change it accordingly (writer will be notified of changes) and to use the design team member’s likeness, designs, comments, blogs for publication or as we see fit, giving the design team member full and proper credit.

Submissions will be accepted now through January 10^th, 2011 at 11:59 MST. Email clipitup@gmail.com

Quote of the Week

"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." _ Roald Dahl

Clip it Up, Toy Story and Quilting

Happy Holiday Greetings to you on this fabulous Wednesday from Rhonda!  Today I'd like to share with you another part of my crafty side.

I had a lot of fun with this project that I'm going to share with you, but first, do you remember this?

I love my floor model and it worked out just perfectly to store my fabric projects on my extra bonus tier for me!  If you are like me, sometimes we end up with more projects than time.  Having my fabric staring at me every time I walked into my craft studio was a huge motivator to work on this project!

As you know, I love to scrapbook and to create cards!  I also love to sew every once in awhile and when I saw that cute Toy Story fabric, I just knew my boys would love a quilt out of it.  The initial inspiration for this Rag Quilt came from the Samantha Walker blog.  Once I saw the simple instructions I knew that even with my novice quilting abilities, I could create this from start to finish, without having to hand it off to someone for decorative quilting. 

Do you want to see what it became? 

Of course, I had to try and create a little pillowcase too.  My next one will have the pattern going in the right direction, but it still works well enough.  For instructions how to create the pillow and for a moving story about Benjamin Smiles, click here.

As I said, I'm a novice and this was a great fun project!  It is really easy, super cute and very rewarding when you complete it.  I am so excited about giving these to the kids!  Yes, you heard correctly, I am busy making another one for the baby.  Both the boys are crazy over Toy Story and I know they will enjoy their quilts and pillowcases.  By the way, you can also use your Clip It Up to store your quilting squares as you cut or build them.

I also created a fun little holiday card to share with you today.

This is just a kraft cardstock base, and some really sweet Basic Grey Jovial papers and embellishments.  I had the honor of being a Guest Designer over at Back Porch Memories and created this card using their Medley kit.  Fa-la-la! 

Thank you so much for spending a few moments with us here today!  Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season filled with magic and love!

~Rhonda

Quote of the Week

"Advice is cheap...It's the things that come gift-wrapped that count" -Horace Vandergelder (Hello Dolly)

Wall Mount A-Z

Happy Holidays to everyone! 

This month I am featuring the Clip it Up Wall Mount.  I've used mine above carts that hold my seasonal and cooking papers.  The Wall Mount hangs above the two carts and I was able to put all of my seasonal and  cooking embellishments on it.

It holds a ton of embellishments and I still have room for more!!
Using the wall mount for embellishments is just one way to use it! 

I came up with an alphabet of uses and here they are, from A-Z:
A- acrylic stamps
B- buttons, brads
C- collage clips, cards, chipboard
D- die cuts, decoupage pictures
E- embellishments, ephemera, embroidery floss
F- fabric, flowers, felt
G- German scrap
H- handmade paper, holiday craft items
I-  ideas from magazines
J- jewelry making supplies
K- knitting patterns, kits
L- letters, latchhook yarns
M- metal items, mini books
N- number stickers, new product
O- origami paper
P- photos, patterns
Q- quilling items
R- ribbon, rhinestones, rub-ons
S- scraps of paper, stickers, stencils
T- Tim Holtz products, trims
U- unfinished projects
V- velvet scraps
W- wool felting supplies
X- x-stitch supplies
Y- yarn
Z- zillions of things!!!

I hope Santa brings you lots of Clip it Up products and that 2011 will be your best (and most organized) year ever!!

Joan

Clip it Up and Baseball Hats

The cool thing about the Clip it Up Swinging Wall Arm is that I can utilize the space behind the door but not hinder the use of either door and it won't squish the hats! 

I used an elastic strip and tied loops in it to insert the clips.  As the elastic stretched, I added more loops.  I can always add another elastic string if needed to the arm. 

I added more hats and even the floopy hats that never would have worked with my old system, with a max of 9 hats, that needed the adjuster in the back to hang it from. 

BEFORE

I painted it to blend in with the white walls.

I love this option to utilize the limited space in my son's small room.

Thanks again Renee!!
Crystal Meads

Crystal- thanks so much for sharing your great idea!!! We love getting fun, new ideas from our customers. If you have a fun new way to use the Clip it Up email us at clipitup@gmail.com!

Simply Renee

The winner of the Floor Model is…

It’s that time! We  know you’re all anxious to hear who the winner is so we won’t delay … much :-)

First of all we want to thank everyone who participated and please continue to comment on our blog and facebook.  We love your comments and they make our blog better.  Also we’ll continue to have random drawings. 

Now for the drawing.  It was really hard to hit that button on random.org but we did it and we got a winner.  If it’s not you please don’t be sad, keep reading for we have 2 other drawings plus a present for everyone!

The winner of the Clip it Up Floor Model is…

Bethany Collins Hardy

Congratulations!  Bethany may have been our most diligent to participate.  She posted a comment on both Facebook and our Blog almost everyday.  Persistence  really did pay off this time!She definitely deserved the win and I hope she knows we expect pictures very soon. :-)

We had 2 prizes that were never claimed so we decided to give them away to the individuals who commented the most on our Blog and Facebook.  We actually had a tie between a few so we went back to random.org and had it pick our winner. 

The blog winner is : Jbuffan (also known as Beth R.) and she won the 36” Clip it Up Ribbon Organizer!

The Facebook winner is : Joyce Casaldi and she won the Clip it Up Jumbo!

Congratulations to Bethany, Beth & Joyce! Don’t forget to email us your addresses to clipitup@gmail.com, so we can ship your prize in time for Christmas.

We really wish we could have given everyone a Floor Model so for everyone else we’re giving you 30% off your entire retail order at www.clipitup.com.  Valid today until Jan 1st, use coupon code : Christmas2010 at checkout.

Don’t forget the last day to order and receive your order before Christmas is Thursday Dec. 16. (US  only, international orders take 4-6 weeks to ship).  So hurry and get shopping!

Merry Christmas!

Simply Renee Team

 

Indulge me for a moment please while I get a little sentimental…

This is my favorite time of year!  We have November to remind us what we have and should  be grateful for, and then the month of December to remind us  that “love, hope and charity” is really the best gifts you give and receive. 

People tend to be kinder, more willing to forgive and forget,  our hearts are touched by the sadness in the world  around us and more willing to help those in need.  We all need something!  Sometimes the best gifts aren’t  wrapped with pretty paper and bows.  Sometimes it’s just a hug, smile, or random act of kindness. 

It is my Christmas wish that we will all be mindful of those around us and try to do one random act of kindness daily!  Not just this month, but throughout the whole year.  Ask yourself – What  have I done for someone today?  I can promise you if we all did this each day – the world would be a better place! 

Have a truly joyful holiday season and thanks for your support throughout the years!

Renee

Design Team Call

I know everyone is excited for today’s drawing, but we have one thing we want to announce first.  We’re looking for a new design team. I can’t believe it’s that time again.  We’ve loved our current design team and we’re so sad to let them go.  They’ve all done a fabulous job and I’m glad we still have 1 more month together. 

Due date for applications is January 10, but don’t procrastinate you won’t want to miss this opportunity. Here’s the official call:

Scrapbookers/Crafters/Quilters Design Team Call

We are looking for 3-5 talented designers to participate as members of our design team. Anybody who loves to scrapbook, craft and/or quilt we’d love to have you apply.

To apply please email:

· Contact Information

· Headshot or Photo

· Short Bio

· Resume including publication (if any)

· Link to your blog and usernames on pertinent online forums

· .jpegs of 3 projects (any combination of altered art, layout and/or cards)

Expectations:

· One picture of Simply Renee’s product setup and in use (does not have to hold scrapbooking products) and short review.

o YouTube video would be great if possible

· 5-6 blog entries about recent projects

o Including pictures and instructions

Compensation:

· Free Clip it Up product/s (to be determined)

· Discount on Clip it Up products

· Link to your blog on Simply Renee Inc’s blog

Deadlines:

· An average of 1 blog post a month and a list will be sent out to all members telling them when their posts are due.

Simply Renee Inc retains the right to approve or disapprove of any blog content and to change it accordingly (writer will be notified of changes) and to use the design team member’s likeness, designs, comments, blogs for publication or as we see fit, giving the design team member full and proper credit.

Submissions will be accepted now through January 10^th, 2011 at 11:59 MST. Email clipitup@gmail.com

Christmas Gift Idea- Make your own earrings!

Lesley here with you today and I'm going to try and convince you to make jewelry.  I was always intimidated when it came to jewelry, because I didn't know the first thing about it.  After my friend started making it and selling it, and I took a hard look at how she put it together, I realized that it's pretty doable!  All you need besides the beads is a couple tools and the basics like jump rings, head pins, earring loops.

 

 

I shot a video for you today on making the above pair of earrings.  Below are the beads and findings I needed to make these earrings, all organized in the Small Zip Bags from Simply Renee.

And here they are hanging from my 36" Ribbon Organizer!

And here is a video, made just for you!

In case you need some close ups of the looping of the head pin, here are steps 1 - 3.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and try making jewelry sometime!  If you already make jewelry, now might be a good time to think about a Clip-It-Up for storage.  Think about Zip Bags for your crimp beads, jump rings, eye pins, wiring, clasps and toggles, not to mention seeing all your beautiful beads and pendants. 

________________________________

**GIVEAWAY ALERT**

It's Christmas, and we want one of you to have these earrings.  Please leave a comment on this post and we'll pick a winner.  If you also leave a post on my blog (earring post), you'll get an extra chance to win! Hopefully, you'll get them in time for Christmas morning!

I'll announce the winner on my blog this Friday, so you have 2 days to leave some comments.

Bye for now.

Final Week-Dec. 16 last day to order

We can’t believe Christmas is less than 2 weeks away.  We just wanted to remind you all that the last day to place orders and get them in time is this Thursday, December 16 (U.S. orders only).   Anything after that we’ll process and get out as soon as possible but it may not make it before Christmas. 

Also we have a NEW bundle pack on our website and it is a great value.

The 36” Ribbon Organizer and Attachment together are now only $78! Click here to order at this great price!

This is a great gift for the Ribbon Lover in your life.  Hurry and order!!!

Plus don’t forget the Floor Model drawing is coming up soon!!!

Quote of the Week

"A will finds a way" - Orison Swett Marden

Quote of the Week

"Wisdom is knowing what to do; virtue is doing it."

-- David Jordan, scientist

I thought I would share a quick and easy holiday garland that my 8 yr old daughter and I made to revamp up our Christmas tree this year.  It really is very flexible, use different colors for different seasons you could also add snowflakes in between the balls and hang it like a swag, endless possibilities.

1.  Use a circle punch and any paper (I used some vintage sheet music) to create 6 circles.

2.  Fold each circle in half and then glue them all together, half to half.

When you get to the last of six folded circles put the string or thread down the center and glue it together.

  

3.  I just used my hand with to space the circle. 

4.  My string is cut into 3 yard lengths to make it a little bit easier to handle.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday.

Jenifer

Clip it Up Jumbo Winner

Thanks to Teresa Collins and to everyone who posted comments yesterday.  The winner of the Clip it Up Jumbo is

Karey said...

I think my favorites are 10 and 8. On 10 the designer used gems to make a belt buckle and on 8 I like the tab. Thank you for giving us the chance to win.

Congratulations Karey!!! Email us at clipitup@gmail.com to claim your prize.

For everyone else- don’t forget about the Clip it Up Floor Model drawing.  Only 8 days left.

Simply Renee

Teresa Collins and a Clip it Up Giveaway

I'm sure you all know Teresa Collins and love her and her designs as much as we do.  We had the opportunity to meet her last year and we found out that loves the Clip it Up.  Click here to see her Clip it Up in action.

We're joining forces today to give you a chance to win a Clip it Up Jumbo.

To enter visit her blog www.teresacollins.typepad.com and then come back to ours and leave a comment on our blog telling me which Christmas tag is your favorite. (scroll through all the December posts, she's putting a new tag up every day).  You have to leave a comment on this post to be entered!!!

Winner will be announced tomorrow on our blog.  Make sure you check and see if it's you!

Simply Renee Inc

Quote of the Week

"Savor the moments that are warm and special and giggly" - Sammy Davis Jr.

Carol’s Clip it Up Video!

Technorati Tags: Clip it Up Jumbo,Scrapbook Organization,Simply Renee

Hi Everyone!

I've been showing you organizational ideas using a Clip It Up Jumbo.  Today, I want to show you my Clip It Up Jumbo, how easy it is to add an Upper Tier, and I also want to show you how much I like both the small and the large Zip Bags!

In the video, I mentioned Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas!  Be sure to visit him every day up until December 12th!  His creativity will amaze and inspire you!

I also mention my "25 Days Until Christmas" book.  Visit Ali Edward's blog for more information on a December Daily.  This is my third year creating a December book!  It's such a worthwhile project, and I love it!

Get organized!!  :)

Carol

Aphra’s Clip it Up

While shooting my video, I realized just how many Thickers and embellies I have store on my Clip It Ups.  Many of which I have had for a long time.  These cute Christmas stickers are from 2006.

And I have several packages of every color Thickers.  I think I counted twelve red ones alone.

So, I decided to issue myself a little stash challenge.  I grabbed those Christmas stickers and several sets of red and green Thickers and some scraps of patterned paper. 

Perfect for getting a jumpstart on my Christmas cards.  Here are the two cards that I had fun creating.


Both of these cards took me less than 30 minutes to make and didn't cost me a thing.  And two of my co-workers will be thrilled to receive them. 
Thanks for stopping by today!
Aphra