Quote of the Week

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too big a burden to bear."
-Martin Luther King

Don't forget about our Mother's Day Contest! Click here for details.

Show off your kids’ Masterpieces

The Big Question is where to display them???  

Solution...Clip it Up wall products

Kids come home everyday with a backpack full of 'masterpieces'.  As moms we love them, but we don't know where to put them.  The fridge only holds so much. My 4 year old nephew Kaden loves all of his artwork and remembers each one.  He'll dig through the garbage once a day to make sure his mom didn't throw any out. Now everyday after school Kaden hangs up his pictures for display on a Clip it Up Wall Mount. 

Here are my cute nephews Camden and Brock displaying some of their awesome art work. Letting them hang their own is a great way to involve them in deciding which ones go up and which ones come down.

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." -Author  Unknown

Don't forget that if black is not your color you can always paint it to match the design of your room.

Carolyn ~ Simply Renee

***Don’t forget the Clip it Up Wall Mount, Swinging Wall Arm, and Under the Shelf Rod are all on sale this month***

Natasha’s Reverse Canvas

Hi everyone! Happy Spring! I am so excited and looking forward to the warm weather. Today I would like to share my first attempt at a reverse canvas. It measures 20” x 20” and is somewhat like a GIANT layout! I had so much fun making this project because I used so many different elements. Below are a few steps describing how I texturized the frame of my canvas.

STEP 1: First apply a coat of Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso. The gesso acts as a primer and allows the work surface to accept paints and other mediums easily. It also adds a subtle texture to
your project.

STEP 2: After the gesso dries, apply a layer of DecoArt Texture Stucco, a paintable texture. I would suggest allowing the stucco to dry overnight.

STEP 3: Once the stucco is completely dry, paint the texture with acrylic paint. Although the stucco medium is a firm texture, be careful not to chip off any pieces. Apply as many coats of paint as desired.

STEP 4: Next, apply a crackle medium. I used a two-step crackle made by Folk Art. Allow to dry.

STEP 5: Spray the frame with Glimmer Mist and allow the ink to seep between the cracks.

STEP 6: I also added a little Distress Crackle Paint. I randomly painted areas of the frame with the white paint.

STEP 7: Once the paint is dry I coated the entire frame with a clear acrylic sealer. It helps prevent the paint and stucco from chipping. I chose to use a matte sealer instead of a glossy sealer because I wanted the frame to have a worn look. Once the sealer is dry, the surface of the frame will harden and become easier to embellish.

All of the chipboard elements, including these ornate corners, are made by The Dusty Attic. I inked these corner chippies with Glimmer Mist and randomly embossed them using Distress embossing powder. I embellished each corner with mulberry flowers as well as floral vines made by Prima and pearl flourishes by ZVA.

I used a template to give me the basic shape of this stitched flourish, but I added additional stitches to achieve greater detail.

The white ferns are also chipboard elements and were painted white and covered with glitter.

This flower is made by Prima and was originally a light blue. I inked it using Glimmer Mist to match my papers. The swirly vine chipboard element was painted and inked in several colors to give it a distressed look.

This is the actual cap that my daughter wore in the hospital. :o) I can’t believe how tiny it is! It is amazing how quickly children grow.

I tend to do a lot of hand-stitching on my layouts. I love the added texture it adds to any project.

To create the masked flourish on the photo, I used a Prima mask and Distress Ink. The pearl flourishes are made by Prima and ZVA, and the green foliage is a chipboard element that was dry embossed and inked.

A little lace was stitched beneath my photo to add a softer feel to my canvas. The decorative frame chippie were altered the same way as the ornate corners.

This is my twisted lacing technique. I love to add lacing to my projects. You can find the tutorial for this lacing on my blog.

The title is made from Thickers alphabet stickers. The smaller letters are foam Thickers that were inked and coated with Glossy Accents to give it a crackled effect. The fence is made out of real wood. I painted it white and inked it to give it more of a worn look.

I really enjoyed working on this canvas. It was slightly different from creating a traditional layout. I look forward to making another one soon... but perhaps not SO large. :o)

Before I go, I’d like to share how I store my paper scrap. Originally, I had my scraps organized in file folders and sorted by color. To be honest, I never once used my file box full of scraps. I just found it to be a pain to sort through all of those little papers just to find the one I need. But then I realized that it was silly to waste an entire sheet of cardstock just to make a tiny flower. I also realized that the problem was how I ORGANIZE my scrap paper. This is when I found the perfect use for the Clip It Up Swinging Wall Arm.

I installed the Swinging Wall Arm on the wall beneath my desk. I organized all of my scraps by color and placed them in poly envelopes with snap closures. Now I can easily see what is in each envelope. To prevent the clips from sliding off of the poly envelopes, I used Clip Grips. The Clip Grips are fantastic! What I love best about this system of organization is that it takes up very little space. The first photo you see here was taken with the arm in a ‘closed’ position (parallel to the wall). The second photo is the
Swinging Wall Arm in an extended position. Either way, this Clip It Up works perfectly for organizing my scraps! Now I have no excuse for wasting an entire sheet of cardstock. My scraps are now within reach and I am finally using up my stash!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read my post. I am looking forward to sharing more projects with you, and I also hope to share more about how I organize my craft studio.

Have a beautiful day!
Natasha

**The Clip it Up Swinging Wall Arms  are currently 30% off through the month of April-hurry and order today**

How Busy Mom’s Stay Organized

Working full time and being a single mom with a teenage son can be a challenge (in many ways) but staying organized isn't a
problem any more. The one place my son, Mitch, and I always end up is the kitchen.  I decided to put an Under the Shelf Rod under my kitchen cabinet. Can I say I LOVE it!!!! It has been so helpful for Mitch and I. Here is how we organize our crazy life!!

Sunday nights Mitch and I go through our week and anything that needs to be done we put reminders on that day-such as garbage night. I love leaving him notes during the week so I have post-it notes hanging in front. I also hang up our shopping list, bills I need to pay, school papers needing to be signed, and Mitch is even leaving me cute notes. I put a zip bag up for lunch and spending money and when it's empty it's a good reminder he needs money(always empty).

I had to make it cute so I decorated the tabs with  Jillibean Soup-Chilled Strawberry Soup line and inked it with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Ink. I think the tabs turned out super cute (can't go wrong with great products). Now I'm ready for my busiest days.

Carolyn- Simply Renee 

**Don’t forget the Clip it Up Under the Shelf Rod is currently on sale for only $14.00 (normally $20.00)**

Quote of the Week

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of the their dreams"
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Nikki Sivils & Clip it Up Giveaway

One of the best parts of working in the craft industry is meeting all the talented designers and Nikki Sivils is one of them.  I’m sure you’ve all seen her cute products and her new lines are amazing .  Our cute Misty did an adorable layout using the Max & Mollie line. 

Today Nikki Sivils and Simply Renee are doing a joint giveaway.  Visit Nikki Sivils’ blog for details on how to enter and what the great prizes are!

Thanks and we hope everyone has a great weekend!

Tina’s Craft Area Redo: Part 1

Hello all! I can officially say HAPPY SPRING to you now! J I hope you are enjoying the longer days… the warmer sun… and all the fun that goes with it!

As you may remember, I am in the midst of renovations at home here. When things are complete, I will have a scrappy space all my own! I would like to share the journey with you. In doing this, I would like to accomplish several things. I hope that I can give you ideas on how to organize your supplies in a small area. I would like to share with you how to maximize your Clip it Up products. I would like to show you step by step how my scrappy space goes from nothing, to something hopefully fabulous!!

Let me begin by sharing a little bit about this space. We live in an old farm house. It has been renovated several years ago (before we bought it) and I love it. One half of the upstairs was just one big open room. It was all great… until we ended up with 5 kids. 5 kids and 2 bedrooms just do not work well! So… renovations began… (before all 5 kids arrived, mind you! J ) When it is complete, we will have 4 bedrooms… 2 boys in one, 2 boys in another, daughter in her own room and of course… one for Hubby and me! J Also when we are done, we will have an upstairs family/rec room. THAT is where my scrappy space will be! I wanted it to be in a space where I can be with the kids. It is not possible for me to be in a room all to myself… we don’t have the room… but more importantly, I want the children to be with me! That’s why this space will work so well for me!

Let me begin with a photo of the room as it is now. The walls are painted… 2 are a light green… the other 2 are light yellow. But when you are in there… it all looks the same… L I’ve also written in what my plan is for now as to where things will go… just so you have an idea of the layout.

Next step… hardwood flooring has to go down… and trim goes on. After that, we’re ready to start the fun part!

Right now while waiting, I have been looking for an old set of kitchen cabinets to use in the room. I would like to give them a creamy white-washed look. I am going for a bit of a shabby/country look to my space. What is not on my Clip-it-Ups, I would like to have behind closed doors. Where it is a family room, I need to try and keep things as neat looking as I can.

I have started to alter my clip-it-up products with this shabby/country style in mind… I began with my mini… here’s what I came up with! Each one will be different… but will keep with the soft pastel color palate…

 

I began by spray painting all of the parts, even if they were going to be covered my paper or ribbon. Next I traced a scalloped circle onto my Webster’s Pages paper of choice. I cut it out using scissors and inked the edges using Ranger Distress ink. I then adhered a sheer ribbon around the perimeter. This was held in place using Helmar’s Quick Fix Adhesive runner. Holds it perfectly! Next I wrapped patterned paper around the pole. I glued it using Helmar’s Premium Craft Glue and held it in place with some elastic bands until it was well dried. To decorate the top handle, I added a small strip of the gingham patterned paper and more of the ribbon. Pink Paislee chipboard letters inspired me to add the word ART to the handle… topped off with a butterfly cut out from the Webster’s paper! Once it was all back together, I added a section of Webster’s tulle flower ribbon around the base of the pole just for a bit of interest. And Voila!! My first altered Clip-It-Up!! It is SO addictive! I had to refrain myself from just going right at the next one! After all… the kids do need supper! J

If you’re still with me… THANK YOU for reading!!! Join me next month to see how things are going in my space… I hope to show you some flooring completed… and another altered clip-it-up… which one will I tackle next???

I would LOVE to hear your ideas and thoughts! I’m open for ANY ideas!!! I need your advice and thoughts on where you think I should put my floor model? I was thinking possibly in the corner between the cabinets and the long table… I need to keep the bottom empty for now due to babies with grabby fingers! LOL! So give me your thoughts… I’d love to hear them!!

Until Next Time…

Happy Organizing… and Happy Scrapping!!

Tina