Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I {heart} PeachyCheap.com!!

I have been enjoying a new shopping experience with a website that offers
only one item for sale each day. These items are scrapbooking and
cardmaking related and are available for sale for only one day at a very
low price! At midnight, they are no longer available and another cool,
extremely well priced product is listed.

Brooke at PeachyCheap.com has sold 7 Gypsies photo carousels, Fancy
Pants Gateway albums, SEI album in a weekend kits, chipboard sets,
vinyl stickers, Daisy D's Fall and Halloween kits and embellishments just
to name a few. You have to shop early because things have a tendency
to sell out and if you see something you want you need to purchase right
then, because it won't be available the next day.

Everything is first quality and listed at a significant 25-99% discount.
Shipping is $4.99 and your purchase ships within 2 to 3 days.
Check out her frequently asked questions page here.

Click on the button at the left on my blog to take you right to the
Deal of the Day and enjoy cheaper scrapbooking
supplies - one day at a time!!

xoxo
Csmoferret

Monday, September 29, 2008

My Studio Calico RAK arrived...

today!! What a cool selection of acrylic stamps, a stamp block, an acrylic album
and journaling stickers!! So much fun to find goodies like this in the mail!




Thank you Studio Calico!! You made my week!
xoxo
Csmoferret

It's Framed!!


I finally found a cute frame for the Coffee Cup punch needle piece I made
a couple of weeks ago! I searched all of the usual haunts for frames (Michaels,
Hobby Lobby, Joanns, World Market, Pier 1, Target, Bealls, Kmart and
finally WalMart.) I found this frame in an embroidery kit on the clearance aisle
at WalMart! Perfect fit, perfect colors, perfect price!

I even recycled the embroidery kit the frame came with and
sent it, along with a whole bunch of other stuff, to a group that
needed crafty things to work on.

I love the way it turned out. I hope my friend does too.
More later,
xoxo
Csmoferret

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Not so Haunted House....


I received my Vintage Haunted House kit from Jennifer Stewart 's
Etsy Shop in the mail today!! It was perfect timing! I sat right down and
worked on it. It took a couple of hours but it was just the creative project I needed!

I did get frustrated with the jute rope that was supposed to go on the fronts of the picket fence pieces but I decided, after accidentally gluing both hands to the jute, I could always hand draw the ropes or use embroidery floss and weave it around the pickets if I really felt the need to.

I also used the lighter side of the double sided paper and I like the contrast of the black edges. The lighter color made it look a little sweeter and less haunted but the "foggy mists" around the edges and the ghost waving from the side window leave no doubt that this house is haunted!

I love the little electric tea light that comes with this kit! Sooo cute!
It adds just the right amount of spookiness when the room is dark!

It's a bit early for Halloween decor but it's going on the mantel tonight!
Now, I'm inspired to get out all the Halloween decorations and let the kids
help put them up - they were home on Thursday and Friday for Hurricane Ike
preparations and now, it feels like the weekend is a month long!! I think
decorating is just the thing they need to help with tomorrow!

We are so lucky that Hurricane Ike passed us up and our prayers
and best wishes and hope for a speedy clean-up go to all of the people
who are dealing with the aftermath of the storm.

xoxo
-Csmoferret

Friday, September 12, 2008

Mandarin Pixie Stamp Company is going out of business...

Visit their website to check out their final inventory at awesome prices ($.50 to $4!)

Click this link to go there now!

It's sad to see another company going out of business but I do enjoy the stamps I purchased
from them a while back!

XOXO
Csmoferret

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Daisy D's Update...

I heard Daisy D's was going to close in August and sent that information out to all of my Scrappin' and Cardmakin' Friends. Sooo I thought I would share this update I just read on Sharon Hodsdon's blog.

---^--@

Sharon writes...."A while back I reported here about the apparent closing of Daisy D’s. I had spoken to some folks over there to confirm it, which they did, and well, I got this email today that I wanted to share with you all here…. I sincerely hope that someone steps up to the plate and buys this amazing company. I have always loved their paper but, more so, the folks that work for and own the company. Not only are they community oriented, they are avid supporters of those of us who teach. I am forever indebted to the Daisy D’s folks and wish them continued success and a bright future. Please spread the word.

Daisy D’s Update We have had many phone calls from consumers and customers wanting to know what is happening at Daisy D’s? Well here is the scoop from the “horses mouth”…. The first week of August we announced that we are not printing A Village Market and Once Upon A Holiday. We featured these at CHA Summer along with Chloe Marie. If that didn’t stir things up enough, staff members were telling customers we were closing at the end of August. Now it is September 9th and we are still here.

The current owners have decided to not design any new product and try to sell the company. While we are looking for interested parties we are selling the inventory of all the collections that we have produced over the years until they are gone. We are not in a big hurry and hope to find someone who would like to continue on with the daisy d’s name and continue the “daisy d’s” look. If we do not find anyone who is interested in taking over, we will close. For now we are fulfilling our orders and plan on having great sales through the rest of the year and into 2009. If our timeline changes we will update everyone. We appreciate all your support and comments we have received and hope we will have good news to spread in the future. "

---^--@ Thank you Sharon for keeping us informed about this terrific company!! @--^---

If you had a chance to see the new lines "Once Upon A Holiday" and "A Village Market" you too would feel the pain of lost opportunities! These were gorgeous paper lines that were really elegant.

The sale of this company is a great opportunity for someone who wants to break into the Scrapbooking MarketPlace because Daisy D's brand name is so well known and already available in most scrapbook stores.

Spread the word to your Scrapbookin' friends, may be they will become the new owners and continue the fine products we have enjoyed from Daisy D's!!
xoxo
Csmoferret

Saturday, September 6, 2008

I won a prize from Gypsy Rose Paperie!!!

They hosted a 5 day long Blog Scavenger Hunt that was a lot of fun. We had to read the clues, check out the blogs and find the answers and then email them in and keep our fingers crossed we were chosen from the other right answers!

And guess what?... I was chosen for the Day 3 answers!! Yippeee!!
I got an email saying I had won a sampling of lace and other goodies! I can hardly wait to get the mail and show it to you!!

They have some very dramatic kits that will be available for sale on 9/15 and have been giving 'strip-teases' or 'sneak peaks' of them all month long. A very cool company with a very clever sense of humor, beautiful kits and lots of vintage ephemera downloads! Check them out here.

xoxo
Csmoferret

Sweet Life in the Valley is giving away Heather Bailey Trash Ties!

Go to this link and sign up to win some!!

Trash Ties have been the easiest way to put Caitlin's hair up without a whole lot of fuss. In fact, she will be wearing Trash Ties in her hair for her school picture (we've been playing with hairstyles this week!) and I think the style will hold all day (if she leaves the ties in) and will be adorable for her school picture!

I like the fact you don't have to pull them out of your hair, you just unfold them and they come out so easy. Ponytail holders always break her hair and because she is in gymnastics she has to wear a ponytail frequently. The Trash Ties hold her hair for gymnastics and don't cause any breakage. That means no tears after practice is over and that is super big!

Go check out Sweet Life in the Valley's blog and sign up to win some Trash Ties (and tell April I sent you! )
xoxo,
Csmoferret

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Painted Wine Goblets...


I painted these goblets at the local Creative Arts Center for my Honey and I.
They were bisqueware that I painted and then had glazed and fired. The polka
dots continue all the way around the rest of the goblets with only the space
for the initials. The owner has a goblet that is orange, green, black and purple
that was my inspiration for these. I have admired hers for a couple of years
and finally decided to make some for us! Love how they came out!
They are lots of fun to use, too!

-Csmoferret

I won a Studio Calico prize!

I can't believe it! They randomly drew names from the comments and mine was chosen!!

Wahoo! I guess I can't say 'I don't win anything' anymore!! : ) Yippeee!!

Check out their website here and the announcement that I was the winner here.


What a cool way to start September!!
-Csmoferret

Monday, September 1, 2008

Yummmm...


I saw a picture on a food blog (can't find the blog or the photo now, but I will post it when I find it) of a hot dog with cheese and jalapeno slices on a grill. Well, that image stuck with me since this Labor Day weekend was prime hot dog grill time. Soooo, I decided we would risk it and wing the recipe. I mean, how hard can it be? Well, not hard at all! This photo is actually the second time we had these for dinner! The first time we used ties from the ice tea bags (talk about going green!) to tie the hot dogs to keep all that cheesy goodness from falling into the grill but the second time we had kitchen twine.

This was super easy to make and oooooh so good! I used pre-shredded mild cheddar cheese, sliced fresh garden jalapenos, and Ball Park Deli Style Grill Master Beef Franks. Slice the dogs lengthwise but not all the way through, pile in some grated cheese, stand up the slices of jalapeno, add some more cheese to both sides of the peppers (so they stay in place) and then tie with the twine so they don't come open on the grill. Then lay them on the pre-heated grill along the grate so they are supported and don't roll. Once the cheese is almost melted you can turn them across the grill and lean them against each other for grill marks on the sides. Truthfully, that step isn't really all that necessary but it does allow for more browning of the hot dog sides. It all depends on how you like your hot dogs grilled.

Gently cut the strings off and add them to prepared hot dog buns ( we like a stripe of ketchup and mustard along the sides, but use what you like) and enjoy. Oh so yummy!! Beware, you may never look at plain hot dogs the same again!

Enjoy!
-Csmoferret

Punch Needle Coffee ...

is almost as addictive as the real thing!!! Who knew??

I started this Dimensions pattern last night just before midnight and worked on it a couple of hours. Started it up again this afternoon and finished it up before dinner! I wish I had realized how fast punch needle patterns work up! I would have been punchin' like a crazy woman! Wow! This was so much fun!



The cool part is you work from the back so you can see the line design and then the finished
project is line free! I took this photo after about 3 hours of work. Then 3 hours later, I was
all done! (see the top photo) So easy, so fast! Love this!

Off to iron the hoop ring out so I can frame it for a friend's kitchen!
More later!
-Csmoferret