A few (or six or seven) more items in the boxes...

Happy Friday!  Today is my day to post on the Creative Charms blog.   I enjoy participating on the Design Team and I always have fun thinking of ways to use their great products!  Be sure to check out the Creative Charms blog HERE to see all of the projects my fellow Design Team members have shared.

This week I tried a few "off the page" ideas.  You can see a bit more about these projects on the Creative Charms blog.  Be sure to also read THIS POST - Creative Charms is trying something new and including a ticket for every $15 you spend when your order is shipped.  They are awarding a prize to one ticket holder with the lucky number twice each month and will send the prize with your next order.

So...you probably are wondering what is being added to the boxes today...  I told you yesterday that there would be three different sets of items added so now the boxes are not identical - just to add to the fun and the suspense for the eventual winners!

Friday's additions are three fabulous sets of Creative Charms items

Black and White

Colorful

Vintage

Thanks to Creative Charms for sending me lots of extra items to include in the boxes.  I also added some more from my "stash" to round out the three collections.

These boxes are really starting to fill up - and there are still four more days to go!  If you just landed on this page and haven't already posted on the first two days be sure to go back and add your comments to maximize your chances.

To answer a few logistical questions that have come up...it is easier for me if you leave three separate comments  - one to answer the question of the day and then a second and third for being a follower/subscriber and for "liking" my Capadia Designs Facebook page.  If you have a Google account and your posting name is "clickable" to your profile with an email address that is fine - you don't have to retype your address.  I just want to be sure that I can get in touch with the winners easily so I can mail the packages right away.  It is fine to use "anonymous" when you post as long as you give me some contact info in the post.  I hope that helps clarify any confusion.

Here are the directions from the original post - just to make it easier for you

So - what do you need to do to take part in this celebration?  As always it's simple - just leave a comment.  But not just any comment - each day I'll ask you to answer a question (just to keep things interesting!). 

You don't have to be a blog follower or a subscriber to play along, but if you are, you can leave another comment and have a second chance each day as a way for me to thank you for your support.  If you are a Facebook user you can also "like" the Capadia Designs page HERE and leave another comment telling me that you are a Facebook fan.  I started the Facebook page at the request of some readers who wanted to keep up with my blog on Facebook and I am planning to start using the page in some new ways (more about that later).

You can leave comments everyday so you will have multiple chances to be one of the three winners.  Please don't leave more than 3 on one day (1 comment, 2 follower or subscriber, 3 Facebook fan).  When you leave a comment be sure that you don't have the box checked to be notified of follow up comments so you don't get tons of emails clogging up your in box.  Please be sure to leave some way for me to contact you if you are one of the lucky three - you can leave your email address and use (at) and (dot) to help avoid spam.

I really enjoyed reading all of the comments and the stories about your favorite colors - so many interesting memories were shared.  If you have the time to read through the comments I am sure you will be touched by some of the things others have written - color really has an enormous impact on us, both physically and emotionally.  I added a few flower photos in some of the colors mentioned to this post - I hope you like them.

Now for Friday's question...

What tool or technique has made the greatest impact on your development as a crafter?  How did you discover it and what helped you learn how to use it?

I hope you are having as much fun watching the boxes fill up as I am having as I decide what to put in them!  I wish I could deliver them in person!  To answer one more question - there are no geographic limits so please don't hesitate to leave comments if you are not in the US.

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Adding a touch of blue...

I had an appointment on Wednesday and I was out for several hours - I came home to find so many comments (and I read them all!).  Thank you for the many kind and flattering words.  It is very nice to hear that people enjoy what you do and find it helpful.  I will try to post answers to some of the most common questions from the comments as soon as possible.  

The celebration continues today, but first, a bit of enabling...  You may have heard the buzz around the message boards and blogs.  Michael's is offering one super deal of the day each day this week and the deal for Thursday (the 7th) is the Yudu silk screening machine for $99.  I have been waiting and hoping for this machine to be added to the Cricut Rewards program for months - it appeared briefly last fall but then it was gone before I could place an order.  I have been hoarding my "bajillion" points thinking it would be back, however, at this price, I think I'll be making a trip up the road tomorrow morning!  I hope they actually have it at "my" store.

Of course, this complicates the craftroom redo - the Yudu machine is huge!  I think it will be better to keep the new machine in the laundry room so I will have a sink handy...we'll see...the laundry room needs some reorganizing too!

Today I have added three more items (well, actually four items) to the boxes.  They all are blue (or mostly blue).  (I can get a little too literal at times!)

I love glitter but it can be messy to use.  I found these great rub-ons from K and Company a while ago.  They are super easy to use - you put the glue "sticker" on your card or project - peel off the protective layer and then add glitter - it sticks on the glue but not on the paper so your word or shape is neatly glittered.  I must have found these for a good price because I bought a LOT of them - so I am adding one of these baby boy sets to each of the boxes.  

The quest for organization is something everyone can relate to - so I also found three of these handy (and blue) photo holders and organizers to add to the boxes.  They expand to hold lots of photos and have dividers so you can keep the photos for your projects and pages together and readily available.  They also work for holding spare parts - die cuts that you have assembled but haven't used yet.

In February, I found a great offer for the "Tipsy" and wrote about it HERE.  The Tipsy is a wonderful little helper for anyone who has trouble holding a stylus for extended periods of time.  

It works like an extension of your finger - you just wrap it around your finger and use it to tap on the screen of the Gypsy or the Imagine (or other small devices that use a stylus - games, phones, etc.). When I wrote about it last time there was a bit of a rush with people taking up the very generous offer for a free tipsy (with a shipping and handling fee of $3.99).  Denise, the owner of the company, got in touch with me and offered to send some more Tipsys.  I asked for three - one for each box.  Many thanks to Denise for these nice gifts - she went above and beyond and also sent a matching lanyard for each Tipsy.

I have been using my pink tipsy for a while now and I love it - the flexible material is very lightweight and my hand does not cramp up or get tired the way it used to.  The lanyard is a nice addition if you are prone to putting things down and losing track of their whereabouts.  If you aren't feeling lucky (you don't think your name will come up in the random draw for one of these boxes) you can go to THIS PAGE on the Tipsy site to see the information on how to get a free Tipsy (shipping and handling fee does apply).  You'll also find the information about the lanyards on that page.  The regular price for the Tipsy is $7 and the price of the lanyard is $4.98.

Thanks again to Denise for the gift of the Tipsys with their lanyards.  The boxes are starting to fill up a bit more...

 So far, all three boxes are identical - that will change tomorrow when they each will gain a "separate but equal" packet of goodies!  

The same procedure for entering applies today - I'll paste it in here for your convenience.

So - what do you need to do to take part in this celebration?  As always it's simple - just leave a comment.  But not just any comment - each day I'll ask you to answer a question (just to keep things interesting!). 

You don't have to be a blog follower or a subscriber to play along, but if you are, you can leave another comment and have a second chance each day as a way for me to thank you for your support.  If you are a Facebook user you can also "like" the Capadia Designs page HERE and leave another comment telling me that you are a Facebook fan.  I started the Facebook page at the request of some readers who wanted to keep up with my blog on Facebook and I am planning to start using the page in some new ways (more about that later).

You can leave comments everyday so you will have multiple chances to be one of the three winners.  Please don't leave more than 3 on one day (1 comment, 2 follower or subscriber, 3 Facebook fan).  When you leave a comment be sure that you don't have the box checked to be notified of follow up comments so you don't get tons of emails clogging up your in box.  Please be sure to leave some way for me to contact you if you are one of the lucky three - you can leave your email address and use (at) and (dot) to help avoid spam.

I was surprised to find out that many of you had no idea that I had a Facebook page for Capadia Designs.  I am not a big Facebook user but I do enjoy keeping up with my crafty friends there.  I just changed the profile image to this pansy - you make recognize this pansy from the header of my blog.  I created the digital banner and turned this photograph into a digital "sticker" that I can use for many more projects - and the revamp of my blog page.  Once again - it is in my favorite shades of blue and purple..

The beautiful photo at the top of this post was taken by my husband last summer when we visited the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina - more wonderful shades of blue early in the morning.

Here is Today's question - you may have already guessed it.  What is your favorite color and why?  Do you have an early childhood memory that is infused with a certain color?  Do you find a certain color energizes or calms you?  Color is fascinating to me and I am curious to see what some of you have to say about the colors that make you happy.

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Black, White and Silver Card for the Scrappy-Go-Lucky Blog Hop

This is the card I made for the Scrappy-Go-Lucky blog hop.  We were given a theme (which you have to guess for the blog hop prizes) and a color scheme of black, white and silver.  You can get all of the details about the hop and the four great prizes (Country Life, Happy Hauntings, Rock Princess and Winter Frolic) at THIS POST on the Scrappy-Go-Lucky blog.

My card is a plain white card with a strip of black cardstock anchoring the design elements.  The card was to be 4 x 6 inches (instead of the usual A2 4.25 x 5.5 inches) since Mandy plans to use these cards in a photo frame in the guest room of her home in Australia.  The black anchoring strip is 2.5 x 6 inches.

As always, I used Design Studio to plan my card and also to cut the components efficiently and make the best use of my specialty papers.  I first previewed the card as a black card with a white strip but I did not like that variation and quickly changed to the white card with a black strip.

Once again, the ability to preview in color is a great benefit in using Design Studio.  By choosing the colors for each element you can get a pretty good idea of how certain colors will work and avoid wasting paper that would be used by cutting out lots of different "audition" versions.

I cut the black strips for the cards with my paper trimmer - if you have trouble cutting straight shapes with a trimmer you could cut these rectangles at 2.5 x 6 inches with the Cricut.  To place the pieces on the card front evenly I used a clear lay out ruler (available quite inexpensively at any art supply store) and aligned the ruler at 3/4 inches along the top and placed my paper strip along the base of the ruler.

I used this branch from the Pagoda cartridge and set the size at 1 7/8 inches to fit my card nicely.

By using Design Studio, I could rotate the branches to fit more on a smaller amount of paper than I would need if I cut the branches directly from the machine.  I cut ten branches so I had an extra (I only needed to make nine cards for the swap).

The flower layers for the branches are on the shift of the branch key.  Whenever you cut layers you need to be sure to set the same value on the slider bar - this will insure that they will fit perfectly.

Once again, using Design Studio to lay out the cuts, I was able to cut all of the flowers I needed using the smallest amount of cardstock possible.

The dragonflies are also from the Pagoda cartridge sized at 2 1/4 inches.  I chose to use the dragonflies with no added layers.

Since I wasn't adding the layers, I checked weld on each group of butterflies to eliminate the interior cut lines (webbing) that help with the placement of the layers.

I moved the dragonfly pairs close together to maximize the use of my specialty cardstock.  12 sets fit conveniently on the mat so I cut a couple of extras that I will use on another project.

I cut the branches from some silver cardstock I got a long time ago from Creative Memories.  This was one of my favorite metallic papers because it had a beautiful soft shine.  I have a little bit of it that I "hoard" and use only for special cards.  I have found that the best way to get clean cuts on intricate shapes like these branches is to use multi cut 2 when I cut the mat full of shapes.  In Design Studio, multi cut is set by choosing it from the Preferences drop down menu and then selecting 2, 3 or 4 times.

Here you can see how easily I was able to lift the excess cardstock from the mat.  You do need to be careful in lifting the thin branches from the mat.

I also used multi cut 2 for the flowers.  Nearly all of them stayed on the mat when I lifted the excess cardstock.  It is important to check the offcut carefully and replace any of the flowers back into position on the mat so you will be able to add them to the branch.

The flowers and the dragonflies were cut from some American Crafts linen textured silver cardstock.  In this close view you can see the difference in texture and shine between the branch and the flowers.

I left the flower layers on the mat and flipped the sheet of cardstock to the other side of the mat to cut the dragonflies.  I then had all of my small items available on the mat and could remove them as I assembled the cards.

The easiest way to adhere the flower layers to the branch is to add a spot of adhesive to each flower position.  I use the Creative Memories Precision Point Adhesive for these tiny details.

When the adhesive has dried to clear, I picked off the tiny pieces and placed them in the appropriate spots.  The cut is designed so that the pieces fit on the branch in approximately left to right order.  Keeping the pieces on the mat makes it much easier to get them in the right places!

Here are my nine cards all assembled just before I sent them off to Australia for swapping.

Now - do you have any ideas about the theme Mandy gave us for the swap?

There are nine designers involved in the blog hop and each day one designer will show you the card they created in detail.  We were given a color scheme (black, white and silver) and a theme.  You will need to look at all of the cards and try to work out the theme. 

Four lucky winners will be drawn on Wednesday, August 18th - one for each cartridge.  Remember, Scrappy-Go-Lucky is in Australia so you will need to convert the time from Perth time.  My day is Wednesday - but that means I needed to post this on Tuesday night in my time zone.

To play along with the blog hop and have a chance at winning one of the new cartridges be sure to visit all of the designer's blogs and add a comment to Mandy's Original Post on the Scrappy-Go-Lucky blog telling her what you think the theme is and also list your all-time favorite cartridge and why it is your favorite.

The links for all of the designers are listed in my post from yesterday - here is a LINK.

If you would like to use my file to make a group of cards (or just get a closer look at how I put the file together) you can download it at this link.

Black, White and Silver Card for SGL


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Love Struck Cartridge Giveaway (times three!)

I have been doing some designing for the Cuttlebug Challenge Sweet Treats team - our posts appear twice a month (first and third Thursdays) to inspire you to use your Cricut cartridges in new and creative ways.  (Here is a LINK to my project posts).  I also post a Design Studio lesson on the third Saturday of the month.

This week, as a special treat, there is a great giveaway that you can enter.  There are THREE "Love Struck" mini cartridges to be given away - Happy Valentines Day!  This cartridge has quickly become one of my favorites and I haven't finished sharing all of my ideas for using these lovely and intricate images.

 
Here’s How to enter this SWEET Give-Away:

1. If you are not yet a follower of Cuttlebug Challenge, become one. All followers will receive ONE entry for a chance to win.
2. Leave a comment on the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog. ONE entry for a chance to win will be given for each comment made on ANY post throughout the week … beginning Sunday, February 7th and continuing through Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14th, until 11:55 PM Eastern Time.

That’s it … That’s all you have to do. Now how SWEET is that? Winners will be announced on the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog on Monday, February 15th at 6:00 PM Eastern Time.

Blogoversary Gift Winners

The following people will be receiving my Blogoversary gifts:

Tablecloth - Katherine
 I've been visiting your blog since pretty early on and I have learned so much about my Cricut and how to do what I want to do - I don't do it very often but I know how because of you! How's that for complicated? I just officially followed your blog but I've been getting the Rss feed through Google Reader and I visit pretty much every day. I'm thrilled to read new 'how to's but it doesn't matter to me when you post stuff - I'll keep reading. : ) I do want to say that I visit your blog if I get stuck doing something on CDS before I visit anyone else's!  
Thanks for sharing all of your lovely designs over the years, too. I have enjoyed them very much! 
Congratulations on your 2 year Blog-aversary!!!

Bracelet - Scraphappyana Creations
wow, that's a very nice piece of glass etching it is beautiful. You are a very talented lady Diane. And thanks for sharing everything with us.

Cards in folder - Jean
Diane,
Congrats on 2 years of blogging!!!!
It certainly doesn't seem that long. 

Marbled paper - Sheila 
What a wonderful way to celebrate your 2 year blogaversary! Congratulations once again. And I thank you for your willingness to share with us your talent.   

Ribbon Box  - mahuntington 
I enjoy your daily posts, but I know first hand about "burn out" and I'm afraid if you keep this up you will soon be heading there. You have an amazing talent, but trying to come up with a new idea daily is too much for anyone. None of us would mind if you skipped days now and then. I love your surprises and even though some sites have special days set aside I like your site done the way you do it now. Congratulations on your anniversary.
Mary Ann (pixie grammy)

Scrap-Ma-Bob - chriswooten57
congrats...and thank you for letting enter to win a prize...i would love to have a scrap ma bob. 
i love your blog...your projects are just beautiful....you are so sweet to share and teach us.....how to use our gadgets..
i am nothing without your help here...
you are so sweet, thank you....

Design Studio Private Consultation - Colleen Kramer
You are super generous!! (What most excited me was the hour of private help - oh the joy!). I will start my list of questions immediately. :) 


If I had an email address for you I have sent a message asking for your mailing information.  Please contact me as soon as possible so I can send out the gifts.
Thanks to everyone who commented and helped me celebrate two years of blogging.


UPDATE ON THE FIRE:
I am sorry that this announcement was delayed.  I spent the day helping our neighbors as they try to put their lives back together. With four children (five, three and twin babies) it is an enormous task to try to keep some sort of normal routine and deal with all of the practical concerns.  They appreciate all of the messages of comfort and hope you have sent.  A few people asked about a fund to help.  Our neighborhood and our town have rallied around and we will be able to take good care of the family.  Food, clothes, toys, baby equipment and offers of housing and more poured in all day.  They do have insurance and will be able to replace most of what was lost but it will take a long time to rebuild.  Thank you all for your concern.  If you'd like to send a card you can contact me for more details.

Second Blogoversary Celebration Gifts!

 

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment about my two years of blogging.  I have been feeling the love while reading your encouraging words!  There have been some questions and I am trying to get back to everyone so thanks for your patience.  I am still happy to receive any feedback on my blog format if you are just catching up with reading the blog now.

It took me all day to get the celebration gifts sorted out while I was also working on other things.  Now I can post my blogoversary gifts to thank you for your support.  You can comment on this post or any post to be included - I will draw some random names from all of the comments left this week.  If you would like to become a follower or subscribe, please do - but it is not required to be included in the celebration.  If there is a gift you would not want to receive (because you have it or just don't care for it!) please be sure to let me know in your comment.

Last September, my husband and I went to Italy (along with the Gypsy!).  I made a few posts about the trip and our adventures.  While I was there, I did a little shopping with the idea that I'd have a chance to offer some token gifts to readers when I returned. I am finally getting the chance to do this!

  

Gift #1 is a typical Tuscan tablecloth from the market in Lucca.  These are seen everywhere and this is a common design and color scheme.  The tablecloth will fit a 6-8 seat table.

 

  

Gift #2 is a bracelet made from Murano glass beads.  I found this in a shop in Lucca near the square where we had the best ice cream ever.  It has an elastic base which stretches to slide over your wrist (you could also take it apart and use the beads as you like).

 

  

Gift #3 is a small folder with 10 correspondence cards and envelopes in the typical Florentine style with touches of gold.  The cards are flat single sheets with a lovely border and could be used as journal boxes or layered on a card that you create.  The envelopes have a printed lining with gold accents.

  

Gift #4 is three sheets of handmade marbled paper that I bought in a shop in Siena.  The blue and orange sheets are about 8 x 11.5 inches and the red sheet is 6.5 x 7.5 inches.

  

I was asked to participate in a blog giveaway for the Original Scrapbox Company while we were on vacation.  I agreed because I hoped that one of you might win the fabulous prize they were offering.  I was sent a few items as a thank you for acting as one of the hosts for the giveaway and I'd like to share these with some readers.  Gift #5 is a Ribbon Box.  It holds 27 spools of ribbon and keeps them clean and untangled.

  

The other very handy item they sent me was a "Scrap-Ma-Bob" which clamps to your table and holds a drink and a small scrap bag.  I have one of these to give away as Gift #6.

 

  

Many of you have lots of Design Studio questions and are sometimes shy about asking them - so the final Gift (#7) is a one hour private Design Studio help session.  This will be done online so you do need to have a good internet connection but you can be anywhere in the world - we will just have to set up a convenient time.

I will draw seven names from the comments I receive this week.  If you have left contact information, I will send you an email.  I will also post the names and comments that are chosen on Sunday.  If I don't hear from any of the people chosen with their mailing information within three days, I'll choose another name.

The rest of the week will probably be crafty posts, however, I have learned from the comments left that a lot of you don't mind the element of surprise - so something else may show up too!