Just a quickie ... It's Canada Day !!!

Just a quick post ... Thursday is a holiday so the week seems really short ! So ... to match the week ... a really short post !! Next week I'll have photos of the winners of the Challenge, a new challenge for July, a new card kit, a little bit about embossing, and a few of my favourite can't-live-without'em tools.
But this week I do have some new things ...

BEADS :
I have unpacked more of the crystals & metal beads and findings. I also have some new products from Beadalon and new cord necklaces.
PAPER :
More Cuttlebug folders : Winter Borders, Holly Ribbons, Stars A2, Floral fantasy A2, Nature's Messenger A2, Pop Culture Borders, Ironworks, Organic Flourish Borders, Forest branches A2, Frills Borders, with Love Borders, Just My Type Borders, Caged Bird 12" border.
More Sizzix folders & dies : Fall Leaves Die, Fall Pumpkin Die, Fall Owl Die, Birthday Set Impressions
Tim Holtz Folders & Dies for Sizzix : Styled Labels die, Tattered Floral die, Checker Board & Cracked Set (embossing), Bingo & Patchwork Set (embossing), On the Edge Die Scallops, On the Edge Die Plaque & Postal, On the Edge Cutting plates.

So that's my QUICK post ... have a great Canada Day, stop in Friday or Saturday, and come back to the blog next week for MORE !!!

** The winners for this month are : jewelry - Natalie W
card - Rosetta M.

Lots of New Stuff !!!

Hi everyone ! Lots of new stuff to share this week ... let's get started !!

BEADS:

I have unpacked 3 boxes of beads this week so there is plenty to choose from including 15lbs of crystals !! Here is a quick list of some of what's new !

* strands of vintage and bright 8mm round beads

* strands of cut edge beads

* strands of teeny tiny Peacock beads ... cute & sparkly !!

* strands of mini copper glass beads

* 3 hole spacers in several styles

* more charms ... and more charms...

* large resin beads for chunky jewelry ... but still light. I'm going to try a crazy random bracelet on elastic.

* sparkle crimp covers - by the piece as well as prepackaged - only 20 cents each for the individual ones

* WATCHES and WATCHES and WATCHES ... and are they ever nice !!! Silver, antique copper, copper, antique brass, modern, vintage ... watch heaven !!

* PRECIOSA CRYSTAL ... now these little beauties are the way to go if you need several crystal bicones but not a big bag full. They are strung in little strands and come in MANY colours. And the price point is GOOD !

Here is an example of what I have ...

3mm (42 pcs) ... $2.99 to $3.49

4mm (31 pcs) ... $2.99 ... that's only .096 each !!! Compare to .20 each for Swarovski .

6mm (21 pcs) ... $2.99 ... that's .14 each compared to .35 from the Swarovski tray.

5mm (25 pcs) ... $2.50 ... a different size.

8mm (15 pcs) ... $4.50 ... only .30 each compared to .65 from the trays !

10mm (12 pcs) ... $6.99 ... another different size.

I am still figuring out how to display them but for now I have just put them in trays ... can't wait to share them !!

And, in case you are thinking "But they aren't Swarovski ..." , I'll tell you they are every bit as beautiful and come in different colours than Swarovski. I often use these in my jewelry as well as the Swarovski and the Chinese crystal. They are all gorgeous and each offers a different detail to your creations.

* sparkly crossed strand tubes

* tiny ... and I mean tiny ... crystal studded spacers in silver and gunmetal

* beautiful new metal tube beads

* magnetic 3 strand tube clasps

* gunmetal pinch bails

* and MAGNETIC BALL CLASPS ... these are so popular that I sell out quickly ... but I have LOTS now !! I have them in silver, antique brass, and antique copper as well as in small and medium. The magnets are really powerful and make doing up bracelets a SNAP ! I love them and use them on many of my bracelets. I have them individually as well as in bags for a bit of a discount !

And there are more beads, bead caps, and findings still being unpacked. I don't have any samples made up yet - as much as I wanted to just make things, I decided to was more important to get them unpacked and out so you could buy them !! I hope to have a few pieces made up next week !



PAPER :

Another exciting box of treasures here too !
(oops - a bit blurry !!)
* Fancy Pants "Wishful Thinking" paper ... this is so pretty ! Double sided. Pale pinks, aquas, greens, browns in celebratory patterns of banners, flowers, stripes, scallops, plaids ... great for summer party pages, birthday scrapbooks and cards, anything happy !!

* jillibean soup "summer squash" series ... joyful colours and designs ... pink, blue, yellow, orange, red ... party lanterns, flowers, and sweet little colourful fish on a happy yellow background. Celebrate something just so you can scrap a page or make a card !!

* Pebbles "Tree House" Collection ... fun strong summer colours ... red, teal, yellow, green, and brown. Birdhouses and flowers as well as the tone on tone backs of the pages and built in trim stripe. Matching Word Stickers.

** These papers are all only $1 per sheet **

* American Crafts "THICKERS" in several different fonts, finishes and colours. These dimensional letters make great titles on pages or words on cards.
* Doodlebug letter stickers ... inexpensive, plentiful, colourful, FUN !!

* Buttons Buttons ... from Hero Arts & Doodlebug. Can you ever have too many buttons ????

* Glue Dots - now these I KNOW you can never have too many of !! I love Glue Dots !! I have mini, pop up, vellum, larger ... they are great !!

* Fancy Pants "Roadshow" Paper Kit . Beautiful kit includes 12 sheets of double sided paper, stickers, alpha stickers, printed transparency, flocked transparency, coloured rub-ons, and glitter cuts. Not to mention how beautiful the paper is ...

* BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND !!! ... the Cosmo Cricket veggie paper !!

* STAMPS ... more from Inkadinkadoo, Pure Innocence Stamps ( and others) by My Favourite Thing, Stampendous stamps ... lots ! ..., Technique Tuesday. Oh so many nice ones ...

* Maya Road - Chandelier Trinkets

* Ranger - new Distress Inks, more Stickles, Gloss Paper, Brayers
* Stampendous ... in addition to the great stamps I also have glitter, embossing powder, and flocking from them. Great colour kits as well as individual bottles.
* Tim Holtz : AWESOME new tissue tape in 4 designs ... LOVE IT !! Also grunge paper, film strip ribbon, grungeboard, and the Tiny Attacher.

* SIZZIX : great embossing folders !!!
* Spellbinders : Snowflakes Impresabilities, Cupcake Shapeabilities
* Staz-On ink

Again, no samples ... too much unpacking !! Next week !



NOTE :

This week is COOKIES FOR C.A.P.S. and I am thrilled to say that Sara Bates is providing cupcakes !!! Many of you have seen her beautiful cakes and - if you are really lucky - tasted them too !! So a very special thank you to her for this wonderful gesture !!



This week is also the last week for Monthly Challenge entries. Get them in by Saturday !!



Anyway, Purolator just dropped off 3 more boxes so I better get unpacking !!

Hope to see you this week !!

Oh BLOGGITY ...poop

ERR ... I am having trouble with my camera/download system so ... so far ... no pictures. I am quite frustrated and have wasted more than an hour of time that I don't have today so I am MOVING ON !!! There may not be pictures this week. Sorry !

(EDIT : I did manage to get a few !! YAY !!)

But there are some great new things that I have put out so I will just get to them !
** SPECIAL - 50yd spools of double faced satin ribbon, 1/4" ... $5.99 **

PAPER :

* some great stuff from 7 Gypsies ... really nice metal book corners , book rings/knobs , mini keys, reinforcers ( metal rings for punched holes) ... these items all come in several metal colours. There is also TONS of new book covers, masking tape, tags, chip letters, fun dangles, and awesome hardware pieces. They are great additions to a project to make a real statement. I am working on a kit for all those of you who would like to try all the different things 7 Gypsies has but don't want to buy whole packages of the items. A sampling of all their great cards, tags, envelopes, metallic bits, tape, etc ... would be fun, don't you think ?


* fun little stamps from Prima - each set includes a little stamp, ink pad, and 3 tags ... all for $3.49. Cute themes too ... owls, love, bugs, pirate owls ...


* EMBELLISHMENTS like CRAZY !!! ... buttons in all colours, metal tags, charms, coins, keys in all sorts of style - from plain to super fancy - and in silver, brass, and copper. All these little elements add charm to projects for not much money.

* rub-on stitches ... 15 feet of rub on stitches actually ! These are so cute on cards and pages.(now if you could only hem pants with them ...)

* Heidi Swapp Crepe Paper ribbon ... this is such fun stuff ! You can mist it with Glimmer Mist or other sprays. It is printed with designs but the colour only heightens the effect ! You get 8 20" pieces per package ... imagine the fun !!





* some new Cuttlebug folders as well as Cuttlebugs ! Buy one and get freebies !! More folders and dies coming in a week or so !!


This is a card I have been making lately ... "The Butterfly Card" ... I love it (if I do say so myself ...!). SO I have made up kits for anyone that wants to make one - includes everything you need (prestamped Birthday card base, cream paper, ribbon,butterflies, and diagram) for $1.50 . Or, if you just want the butterflies, I have bags of 20 of them for $1. If you are not a card maker, I have the completed cards for $2.50 or 5/$10. I will also have small gift tags next week.

BEADS :
... 2 boxes full ...
* lots of new Miyuki size 11/0 in great colours.
* new charms ... I see a great charm bracelet in the future ...
* lots of TOOLS ... including great crimpers and Japanese style cutters ... nice
* crystals crystals and more crystals
* strands of AMAZING beads ... my mind is running full speed with ideas !!
* large link chain
* ribbon
* Tierra Cast charms ... ohhh so nice and excellent quality !
* keys and double loop coins/charms ... great for long summery necklaces .
* strands of mini Peacock beads ... silvery & shimmery.

Remember - next Saturday is the challenge deadline ... don't forget to bring your projects in !! Next week is also "Cookies for C.A.P.S." with a special guest baker . YUM !!

Colour Colour Colour !!!

I LOVE colour ... if you've been in my house you would know that !! So I have some great new colours in beads & paper !


PAPER:

Here's a great special !!! I have just received an order of American Crafts cardstock ... and I really like it ! The colours are super too. SO ... I am putting on a special !

The cardstock is 65 cents per sheet like Bazzill BUT for this week I am selling 25 sheets for $10 !!! That's only 40 cents a sheet ... you save $6.25 !!! Stock up on cardstock now !!



What else is new ? Well ... quite a few things actually ! BUT ... this is a crazy week with BIG turkeys coming in to our feed store so I have been busy with lots of phone calls etc.. and then the turkeys this afternoon so a lot of this won't - sadly - get unpacked until next week. But I'll get done what I can !!

7 Gypsies : metal knobs & reinforcers, metal book corners, Avignon Chipboard Alphas & Paperclip Dangles as well as Avignon Paper Tape and Tags. Book Covers. Mini Key Sets. ATC hardware ... also great for jewelry !! Receipt Holder for displaying all your great paper treasures. Letterbox Trays.

Bazzill : more cardstock colours ... Whirlpool, Squash ... as well as heavy 12x12 plastic paper. Also restocked on the Simply Smooth cardstock ... great for stamping on.

Impression Obsession Stamps : a really cute snowman series ... and other Christmas stamps

Penny Black Stamps : cute kitten in a mug and a teddy bear carrying cupcakes ...

Prima Stamps : mini stamp sets that come with a tiny stamp, ink pad & tags ... all for $3.49 !!! Cute little owls ,love, bees, flowers .

Unity Stamp Co. : owls & cupcakes !

Sassafras Stamps : stitchery ( makes great borders !), and Song Writers - more borders including letters, a keyboard, pinwheels.

Cuttlebug : embossing folders including the new Clockworks with more to come. Also I have the Cuttlebug Machine - it is $74.99 and comes packaged with a 2x2 die and 4 co-ordinating embossing folders BUT ... I also have ANOTHER set of 4 dies for you when you buy a Cuttlebug !! (who doesn't love a free gift ?!)

BUTTONS : lots of buttons - mixed bags, solid colour bags ... great on cards !

DCWV : great rub on stitch lines in black & white.

Embellishments : keys and more keys, coins, tags, charms.

Zutter : Display-it-All ... back in stock ! And also the Bind-it-All.



PAPERBAG ALBUM KITS : I finally got some more made up !!! I pack these kits full of fun items ... 3 punched & folded paper bags, 12 sheets of pre-cut paper, smaller matching paper for embellishments, diecut tags & labels, punched shapes, ribbon, brads, buttons, flowers, punched borders, embossed paper, tags, and the rings. All you need to add is a glue stick, your photos, and your words !! Here are a few pictures to give you an idea what is in the bag ... also includes an instruction sheet & binder rings (not shown). The kits are $9.99 each.





I have more of the Challenge kits ready for those who missed the first batch !!

BEADS :

I am doing my best to get things unpacked ... we'll see how that goes ...
SEED BEADSsize 10/0 : for all you Peyote people ... lots of new and BEAUTIFUL colours !!

WIRE : I am restocked on much of the Artistic Wire as well as the Beadalon stringing wire .
CRIMP COVERS : back in stock !! HALLELUJAH !!!
Glass Pearls : sage & off white 6mm & 8mm ... finally back in stock !!

And here's where the unpacking really starts ... there will be new product as the days roll on ... it will be next week before I can get it all out but there will be lots to watch for ...
Miyuki Delica size 11/0 vials in 20 new colours
Tierra Cast charms ... 35 new designs ... Where will I put them ???
Charms : 12 new designs
Tiny flat Peacock beads by the strand
New bulk seed beads on size 10/0, tiny flats, size 6/0
Resin Crackle Chunky beads
Strands of beautiful Cut beads, glass beads, flower beads...
I have also just placed several large orders for : crystals, tools, and charms & findings. The next few weeks will be flush with great new things ... and , with any luck, more samples !!

Oh what a week !!

This has been a crazy and exhausting week ... so much has gone on that I haven't had time in the evenings & on the weekend to make any samples so ... no new projects for you. Sorry ! We have been up all night several nights in the last week with 2 batches of kittens that we found as well as one of our own cats having vet visits and feeling kind of icky. So we have been busy in our real life and that has kept me from getting some of my "store life" stuff done ! Oh well ... next week !!
I have 2 big orders on their way ... one beads, one paper ... but they haven't arrived yet - next week !!
For this week I have the challenge packets ready. These little packages are $1 each. Buy a package, add what you wish, make something fabulous, and bring it in by JUNE 26th. You can enter as many times as you want. And yes, you do get your pieces back !
So here is the bead package ...

It is a nice mix of watery greens and topaz ... sand and sea. Try to use all the materials that you can. Add whatever you want.
The paper challenge package is next ...

You will get the card base as well as patterned paper, an extra piece of cardstock, and ribbon. Make a card or tag using all the materials in the package adding whatever you want. You can punch, ink, stamp, spray, ... the materials. Be creative !!
There will be a $10 gift certificate for the winner in each category.
Now, since I have no new projects, how about a sale ??
PAPER : save 25% on all OCTOBER AFTERNOON paper & accessories !!!
BEADS : save 25% on all packages of HEAD PINS and EYE PINS.
These specials will be for this week only, on regular priced items only, and ... remind me when you come to the counter !!
Have a great week ... and in the words of Bob Barker "Spay and neuter your animals " ... I can't deal with any more kittens this week !!