Noodle Soup

Page candy

I'm envious of all the girls who get to spend this weekend at the amazing Spark event - the pics Margie has been tweeting look fabulous.

Alas, attending was not in the cards for me (not the Visa, not the American Express, not the debit card...). However, I was asked to contribute something creative for the auction to benefit breast cancer research, so a little part of my creative spark is there!

This is what I sent:

 

Here's a closer look. It's filled with handmade layered flowers, ribbon, and paper lace, with a couple handfuls of buttons thrown in for good measure. Of course, the goodies don't actually dispense from the machine, but it makes a cute package, don't you think?

I bought a couple of these little gumball machines on clearance at Target a while back. I had the bright idea to fill them with buttons and findings so I could crank out a handful of fun 'page candy' while scrapbooking, but instead I usually found myself taking the whole thing apart so I could get to that one button near the side that was exactly what I needed. Guess the random thing wasn't really working for me. I'm more of a search by color kind of girl, so I replaced the buttons with Jelly Bellies instead.

Got a crafty friend on your holiday list? Fill any kind of jar with handmade embellies and fun bits & pieces of scrappy "page candy" for a super cute gift!

Find of the day

I interrupt my regular blog-genda for today to bring you my latest find.

Sometimes it's the absolute simplest things that can totally make my day. Like today, when I popped into the grocery store Starbucks to grab an iced tea on the way home from preschool pickup, and found this:

Look again. It's an insulated, reusable cup that looks just like the clear cups they use for iced drinks. I think I might have actually squealed aloud when I saw it. I have one of the reusable travel mug thingies for hot drinks, but iced tea just isn't the same to me if I can't see my ice cubes clinking around. I know, I have my quirks.

The other really cool thing (no pun intended...or maybe just a little pun intended, 'cause I like to be punny whenever possible) is that because it's insulated, the outside of the cup doesn't get wet. Which means no more trying to wedge my iced tea into the cardboard drink holders that don't really fit, and that eventually get soggy and fall off.

Total bright spot in my day! I am actually excited to go show it off at my PTA meeting. And believe me, this particular meeting is not one to be excited about. We will be talking about what programs will and won't make the budget for next year, now that the state funding has put so much on the chopping block. Give me strength, clever little insulated cup of caffeine!

Party on!

Today is National Scrapbooking Day, a day for celebrating the hobby and supporting the industry that has given us such an amazing array of product choices.

Like this latest release from Quickutz that turned up in my email yesterday. Holy creative packaging, Batman! I am not a QK user, but those are seriously cute.

If you’re a scrapper from way back when, I’m sure you’ll agree – we’ve come a long way from Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, plain cardstock diecuts, and busy theme papers. Not that there’s anything wrong with those, of course! Just ask my 1998 vacation album.

I didn’t sign up for a crop today, because let’s face it, I rarely get much done at crops. I figured I could be more productive here in my own little studio. So I am sending the hubby and the younger kidlets off for a visit with Grammy & Grampy and I am going to roll around in my patterned paper for a while, and maybe even make a page or two.

I’ve got my pear jelly bellies handy, and I’m brewing a big jar of sun tea. The only thing missing is some scrapping buddy banter. So that’s where you come in. Drop me a comment. Let me know what you’re working on, what products you’re drooling over, or what is inspiring you right now.

Oh, and I guess I’m missing the door prizes, too. So tomorrow morning I’ll pick one lucky commenter to win a little prize package of scrappy goodness.

Party on!

Tea, harmony, and butterflies

Today I was cleaning out a junked-up cabinet, and came across an old and nearly empty box of tea. I was about to pitch it when I noticed the quote on the side of the box. Ironically, this is the very thing I have been trying to work on lately. So I clipped the panel off. Not sure exactly what I’m going to do with it, but it is a message that needs to be tacked to my inspiration board for now. Maybe I will incorporate it, or just the quote, into a page somehow.

(click to enlarge)

I never did get around to joining the ranks of the Ali Edwards “One Little Word” crowd, but this quote made me decide that HARMONY would be the perfect word for me this year.

Speaking of Ali Edwards, I was uber-inspired by her Weekend Creative post today. I am so in love with her punched butterflies in a frame. Rarely do I ever take an idea and copy it exactly – I am one who usually takes inspiration and runs in my own direction with it. But I love those framed butterflies so much, I might just have to make my very own just like it.

Will you be part of the buying flurry?

My latest clever packaging shout-out goes to the Quickutz Snow Day font.

In an industry marketed toward creative minds, shrewd scrapbooking companies know that innovative packaging can make the sale. I have no doubt that’s what Quickutz is banking on with their new holiday font. The release of the magical Quickutz Silhouette craft cutter rendered their original hand tools & dies obsolete for me, but when I saw this cute little snow globe in person at the scrapbook store today, I was enchanted. No, I didn’t buy it. Truth be told, I have reached a level of consciousness where life is too short punch out letters by hand. But kudos to Quickutz for the concept!

Here’s the scoop on cool packaging

If I stopped buying chipboard sets today, I could probably go 10 years before needing to replenish my supply. The reason for that is stuff like this:

We R Memory Keepers has gone and packaged these average little alphanumeric wafers from their fall catalog in a way that makes me think, hey – I don’t have any in an ice cream carton. Seriously, how clever are those containers? What crafter wouldn’t want to dip into a set of chipboard letters served up like ice cream – especially with names like Strawberry Chocolate Chunk? They’ve got their finger on the pulse, I’m telling you…their spoon in the bowl of the target market.

It’s a package deal

I think I’ve said this before – I am a total sucker for clever packaging. Which is why I came home from the scrapbook store with this.

Ignore for just a moment, if you can, the fact that the entire {note}worthy line should have been named "{drool}worthy". Put aside the fact that these tempting trinkets are in my favorite colors. And just behold the allure of the squat acrylic jar with the darling label, and the three separate sections filled with color-coordinated buttons, felt flowers, and paper flowers. I’m sure I will drive myself crazy trying to keep those little baubles properly segregated between their own wee cardboard walls. But it will be completely worth it each and every time I reach for this little treasure trove of marketing genius.