It really has been three years…Remembering Uncle Herb

I think that really says it all.

While remembering Uncle Herb, I can’t believe how time has flown by but yet stood still at the same time. So much has happened. So many things have changed and yet so much has stayed the same all wrapped up in 1065 days.

Uncle Herb was my dad’s brother. He moved to California in the 60’s from Chicago. He lived closer to us than anyone else in our family. We moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles and he was in San Diego. While remembering Uncle Herb… we didn’t see him as often as we would have liked.

Uncle Herb retired when he was 55.

Something that he would recommend to everyone if it is possible. He was a retired Police Sergeant and with his job, he had seen way too much of things he would prefer to forget. He retired early and really enjoyed life by traveling, kayaking and really experiencing the world that we live in. Now he was enjoying the world around him. When we did see him, he always had a story to tell from one of his traveling excursions. Boy did he have stories! Whether it was a story from a kayak trip, traveling or just stories of things that were important to him. He really loved life. The legacy he left behind was great… one of the many life lessons he taught my boys was live life to the fullest.

Uncle Herb lived what he preached.

Uncle Herb was an amazing example and a man who will forever be remembered with love, fondness and gratitude. Fondness because he always accepted me for who I was and who I wasn’t. He listened without judgment. We are grateful for the time we had with him although forever wouldn’t have been long enough. I am honored that he always believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.

We all have a dream…

I always wanted to start my own stamp line. Honestly, I never thought I would it was just a pipe dream that really wouldn’t ever come to fruition. That was until I talked to him. He was diagnosed with cancer in August of 2012. As a result of one of our talks during his treatment he basically said, “Miss, if not now, when?” (Missie was a nickname when I was younger and he was one of the VERY FEW that are still allowed to call me that. Funny enough my husband doesn’t even know who she is! LOL 😉

His statement basically stopped me in my tracks.

Well, considering he was going through radiation at the time I thought I really need to LISTEN to what he was saying. He has always lived life to the fullest although uncertain of what lie ahead. So I called around, did all of the leg work and started creating drawings for my stamps. I wrote down ideas and after quite some time, some mistakes mistakes mistakes. (Did someone say mistakes?) Of course there were even more mistakes.. I had my stamps manufactured, organized an awesome group of fabulous supportive creative women that made up the Creative Crew (design team) and was well on my way to beginning my journey of my stamp line release.

My stamp line grand opening release was on September 18, 2013.

The first release included the stamp sets that were inspired by Uncle Herb.

The first two stamp sets were Awareness Ribbon stamp set #1 and Awareness Ribbon Stamp Set #2.

Awareness Ribbon Stamp Set #1 Awareness Ribbon Stamp Set #2

All of my Awareness Ribbon stamp sets have been in honor of my Uncle Herb and his fight against cancer.

Specifically, the Awareness Ribbon Stamp Set #2 .

He wasn’t doing well and had called me September 17th. As I always did, I asked him if he needed me to come to San Diego. He said Yes. I knew it wasn’t good because he rarely said he needed help and asked me if I would come to San Diego. We (my boys and I-including my husband of course!) often came whether he wanted help or not! Well, with tears in my eyes and a very shaky voice I called my husband at work. He really is my rock. Without skipping a beat he left work, picked the kids up from school asI packed up everything I needed for my release as well as my undetermined extended stay and we were on the road in less than two hours. Although he wasn’t feeling well,

Uncle Herb was very excited about my stamp release!

These were created with Awareness Ribbon Stamp Set #1

These were created by Sharon with Awareness Ribbon Stamp Set #2

He watched me get prepared for my release, package my items for sale and get everything organized even though he wasn’t feeling well. When the stamp release day came, he watched me accept orders and prepare them for shipment from San Diego where he lived. He really shared in the excitement that day and I was ever so grateful for him to be able to share this with me.

Sadly, he passed away September 19, 2013. This being the day after my stamp release and stamp business grand opening.

Much of the time within the last year of his life was spent with him while he wasn’t feeling well, under treatment or recovering from surgery, I learned so much from him during our time together. The stories, wisdom, unbelievable courage, strength and perseverance. I am so grateful that he was able to enjoy his support and influence for me come to fruition and watch the first day grand opening of my stamp business.
When remembering Uncle Herb…

If there is anything I have learned from the loss of Uncle Herb it is remember what is important. When we are remembering Uncle Herb weather happy or sad, we share. We talk about it. We share stories. He would never want us to live in sadness. Life was too precious and if we were living in regret or sadness, we weren’t living life to the fullest.

Remember what matters to you most.

Whatever that is, live your life with that which is instrumental in happiness and success in your life. Surround yourself with people that support you and lift you up. Be selective with those that don’t. Your time is valuable. Tell those friends, family and loved ones you have in your life that you love them. Hug your kids. LAUGH. A LOT. Tell them they are important. BE PRESENT. Be grateful. Listen more. Talk less. Live and Love to the fullest. Tell the people that you love how much they mean to you because tomorrow is never promised.

While remembering Uncle Herb the biggest thing I want to do is not be sad but do what he would have wanted and

Celebrate Uncle Herbs life!

He would not want us to live in sorrow. What better way to celebrate Uncle Herbs life than have a coupon for the stamp sets he inspired me to start! All Stamp Sets are 25% off! This would exclude bundles and items already on sale.

Enter in coupon code UncleHerb at check out! Coupon good until 9-22-16

We appreciate you visiting today. We hope you will share your story of inspiration, hope and courage. Thank you for going on A Personal and A Creative Journey with Melissa.

Create your own Cork Wreath Part Three: Technique and Finishing Touches

Create your own Cork Wreath Part Three: Technique and Finishing Touches is what we have for you today. We are going to clean up our wreath to get rid of our little glue strings that tend to happen when using hot glue and create a bow to finish off your wreath! If you haven’t seen our other posts in this series of three, please check out PART 1 HERE and PART 2 HERE.

But first… before we get started with the Create your own Cork Wreath Part Three: Technique and Finishing Touches,

I have an awesome tip for you thanks to my friend Sheila!

You know how when working with hot glue you have those pesky little strings… Well my friend Sheila told me of an awesome tip! Use a hair dryer or heat embossing gun and you will heat those little buggers away! I used mine (shown above) It works perfectly!

A BONUS TIP!

If you plan to have your wreath for a variety of themes like holiday, birthday, summer, etc. I would suggest you place some velcro at the top of the wreath so you can change the bows out rather easily. Using velcro will not only make it easier it will allow you to change them out without much fuss and make your wreath more versatile throughout the year! Now…. Onto the bows, shall we?

There are a number of bows you can make. Here I am going to just show you three of them and another technique with mesh ribbon. Here are three of the ribbons I am using for my project. You can always double or triple the amount of ribbon you use for your bow creation as well as add multiples together for a thicker more full looking bow.

For the Technique and Finishing Touches, you want to start with wired ribbon. It makes it easier to bend and adjust and it will stay. You can use ribbon without wire but it does make it a little more difficult to keep the bow in place.

To start, you will want to take out the ribbon of your choice.

First, you will want to take the ribbon and make a loop like shown, This will be the front of the ribbon.

You will then fold three loops, each being a bit larger than the next for the ribbon. Be sure that the design is facing outward so the ribbons decorative appearance is on the visable part of the creation.

You will repeat this three or more times. For video and creation purposes, I only did this three times. If I was to make a large bow for a larger wreath, I would probably make at least six or more for a fuller bow.

Cut the end of the ribbon just a little bit past where you have it held in the middle of the bow.

This will be how it looks.
While still grabbing the ribbon, you will want to place some floral wire or wire around the area in which I am gripping to keep the ribbon bow in place.

This is what it will look like once you have placed the wire around the ribbon center. Now for the fun stuff! You get to fix the bow to make it fancy! You can puff it out or adjust it to your liking.

Now for the second bow Technique and Finishing Touches…

You will want to start with at least three different sizes of ribbon one larger than the other. The sizes I used are approximately 30″, 24″ and 12″. The fuller the bow, the more sizes and variations you will want to use. You will want to place your ribbon on a sturdy surface and folded in an awareness ribbon shape like shown.

Take the ribbon and pinch the center. Take out the second piece of ribbon.

Fold the second piece of ribbon and gather in the middle.

Place a small amount of hot glue to the gathered two pieces of ribbon. This will be used to hold the third piece of ribbon in place.

Take the third piece of ribbon and wrap it around the center of the ribbon holding the gathered area in place. Apply hot glue to the end of the ribbon to secure it in place.

Trim the ribbon and adjust to beautify the ribbon for your creation,

This is the completed ribbon.

On the third bow Technique and Finishing Touches,

take the ribbon you are going to use. Make two “rabbit ears” like you would for tying your shoe laces.

Cross one of the ears over the other.

You will then fold one of the ears over the other and push it through towards you .

Pull tightly to secure your bow. Adjust your bow to the desired look you want for your creation.

For this creation, we are going to use glittered mesh.

You can make a number of things with this amazing material but what you may not know, you can use a heat gun on it and give it a different look.

It will melt the material and make it curl up at the ends. It really gives a great look for your creations. Play with it!

Create your own Cork Wreath Part Two: Putting it Together

Create your own Cork Wreath Part Two: Putting it Together is what we have for you today. We have a tutorial on video above as well as the pictorial below.

The original video was over an hour and a half long (1:48 to be exact).

In the editing process I sped up the time so that all you actually have slowed is when I am speaking with tips, techniques and suggestions. Everything else is sped up to not make the video longer. I really wanted to do this video so that you can see from beginning to end what is needed to be done. As I said in my video the wreath is not a difficult project.

It only takes about two hours of time for the larger wreath.

A little under an hour and a half for the smaller one. To find out exactly what you need to create one of the smaller wreaths, go to my first Create your Own Cork Wreath blog post here for info. Hopefully this will give you the courage to try it out! There are so many wine drinkers out there that this could be a great gift or even a great craft fair product to sell! Be sure to ask your friends to save their corks and you can TRY IT! Sooo… let’s get started!

Here is the first of two wreaths that I have made. There are two different types of patterns I used to place the corks her

We are going to recreate this one again for this pictorial and the video.

First, be sure you have your wire or whatever you plan to use to hang your wreath in place before you start to apply your corks. This will ensure it’s usability as well as ease for the person you are either gifting it, selling it or even for yourself!

The first thing you are going to want to do for the Create your own Cork Wreath Part Two is get out your hot glue gun, corks and a protective mat (Hot Glue Gun Helpers set including the protective surface Mat) Place your protective mat down. I placed my corks on the inside of the wreath for visibility. Plug in your hot glue gun approximately twenty minutes before you plan on starting. What I did was I got my glue gun plugged in and then I pulled everything out and got situated to get ready to create. It worked out perfectly!

NOTE You will want to be sure that you have gone through your corks and made sure that you have enough to do this project.

I was so fortunate to have one of my BFF’s which I am also lucky enough to have as my next door neighbor, give me a whole box of corks that had been collected over some time. I was so excited I thought of a few ideas and here is one of them!

A HUGE thank you to ROBIN for the corks for these wreath projects!

Once your glue gun is heated properly, you will want to take out your unwrapped wreath with the flat part on the work surface. The flat side will be the back of the wreath. It is important that you use the flat side so when someone hangs the wreath, it will lay flat on the surface.

You will want to adhere corks to the wreath to essentially cover the wreath. There are a few different ways to do so. This is the first one. You can use this by itself (I would have been a little more careful, lined up the corks better and closer together so it was covered more had this been the final look of the wreath.)

The other way you can do it is the way we are going to show you in this tutorial.

There are a few ways you can adhere the corks.

The three ways I have done in this video are zig zag, directly on the corks and a long line. I have found the line isn’t the most effective when gravity is involved. The corks will slip down and I ended up doing more redo’s with that.

If you use the hot glue line technique, it works great for when you are doing the circle around the top of the wreath when the cork is supported like shown. This was very effective.

I would suggest the following as the best two to techniques to use for the majority of the corks.

The first is using a zig zag line approximately two to three inches wide and almost as tall as the corks that you are using. This works well as long as you make sure you have enough glue on the area where the corks are going to go.

Another other way you can adhere them is to place the hot glue directly on the cork in a thick line.

You are going to start gluing the corks on the top part of the wreath going all the way around. Once you have used either of those techniques, you will then press your corks on the desired area. Complete putting on corks all around the top of the wreath.

Next, you are going to put glue on the inside of the circle of corks you just placed.

Place them all of the way around the wreath.

The next layer so to speak of corks you are going to place is the inside of the wreath layer.

For this, you will want to turn your wreath upside down so that the back of the wreath is facing you. You can place a line of glue or I would suggest gluing each cork individually for the best adhesion.

You will then place your corks vertically along the inside of the wreath as shown.

This is how it looks once completed.

Just to be sure that all of the corks have adhered properly, gently run your fingers around the corks. If any feel loose or fall off, reapply them. It can happen so just be sure before you start your final layer that all of the corks are in place.

Now for my favorite part!

Turn your wreath back around so that the front of the wreath is facing you. Now you will be gluing corks in a random order to cover the top to give it a more 3-D decorated look for the Create your own Cork Wreath Part Two project. I have found it is best for you to individually apply hot glue to each cork. It helps with the random placement.

Apply glue and place the corks in random order on the wreath, filling areas where the base wreath may be showing through.

Add more to fill up the wreath to add more fullness to the desired look you are aiming for. Once you are done, this is where you would clean up any extra glue, glue strings, etc to give your wreath a great finished look. It is easier to clean up the excess glue once it has cooled.

Here are full pictures of the cork wreaths I created.

Wreath 1

Wreath 2 (smaller wreath)

Wreath I made in the video (larger wreath)

Once you are done, you can add ribbon, berries, themed decorations for fall, Christmas, birthdays, even wine bottles and glasses! There are a number of things you can do. For next weeks tutorial I am going to show you how to tie and create a ribbon that will work perfectly for your wreath. I realize it may seem silly but there are different ways to tie a ribbon and they can have all of the difference in the world when creating a gift for someone. You will be able to use this technique not only for your wreath but for cards and future gifts too!

Thank you so much for joining us today for the Create your own Cork Wreath Part Two tutorial.

We are honored you took the time to visit and hope you will create a cork wreath yourself! we hope we have inspired you to get creative and appreciate you going on A Creative Journey with Melissa.

Create your own Cork Wreath: What you Need

Create your own Cork Wreath – What you Need is what we are getting ready for today. I am going to show you what you need to prepare to create an awesome cork wreath. With a little time and patience, you will be ready to create an awesome creation that you can give as a gift or keep for yourself!

What you will need

LOTS OF CORKS! (It obviously depends on how big your wreath is. I have about 500 or even more but you would rather have more than less!)

Hot Glue Gun Helpers Kit

Protected work surface or a Hot Glue Gun Helpers Craft Mat

Glue Sticks

Wreath ( I used straw but DO NOT USE FOAM or it will more than likely MELT with the hot glue)

Hot Glue Gun

Wire

First, you will want to get your wreath out.

Unwrap your wreath. Mine came with plastic wrap around it. You will want to carefully take of this wrap making sure you don’t cut any of the wreath. Once you have take off the plastic, you will want to look over your wreath to ensure there aren’t any huge pieces of straw or areas where it may need a little clean up. Remember, you will be covering this wreath so not need to make it look perfect.

To Create your own Cork Wreath, you DO NOT want to cut the plastic/ clear string that looks like fishing line. If you do, the straw wreath will fall apart.

Once you have looked it over, you are ready to add your wire. Be sure you have plenty of wire just in case you will need more wire to hang it wherever it may end up.

Stick one end through the wreath making sure where it comes out will be a good place to use for it to be hung. If it isn’t, carefully remove it and redo it. You do not want it in an area where it won’t lay flat on the hanging surface or it will show unless you are using a decorative wire.

Once it has been poked through, wrap it in a circle so it stays out of the way when attaching the corks to your wreath. Don’t cut your wire until you give it or hang it. This allows the person hanging it to have plenty of options and length of wire.

There are two sides to your wreath. The matte and flat looking side would be the back.

The glossy rounded side is the front. You want the flat side for the back of the wreath so it lays flat where it is placed.

You are ready to Create your own Cork Wreath!

Stay tuned for our next video showing you how to put it all together!

We hope you enjoyed our video today and appreciate you going on A Creative Journey with Melissa!

Hot Pick: Hot Glue Gun Helpers

Hot Pick: Hot Glue Gun Helpers is what we have for you today.

Do you use hot glue guns? Have you ever touched the hot glue?

So have you burnt yourself? Yes?

This is NO LONGER something you need to do! I have the perfect product that will save you a lot of time and your finger prints! Sharing products that I love is one of my favorite things to do and this one is no different. As I was about to start a project with my hot glue gun, I realized I don’t think I have ever let you in on one of the biggest crafting inventions of all time and so here we are!

If you would like to get your very own set or two (Like I did) of Hot Glue Gun Helpers,

be sure to go to Cathy and Steve’s website to purchase them right from the inventors! They have amazing products including molds, the mod melter, their own craft sticks to be used to create amazing things and so much more! Check out their shop HERE. They also have amazing tutorials and so much more! Be sure to visit their website and take a look around! Their products are also available at multiple big box stores like Michael’s if you can’t find what you are looking for be sure to check out this list and you can find a store that is near you.

The Glue Gun Helpers:

The set includes:

Two finger Caps

Press Wand

Pointed Paddle

Non Stick Tweezers

Non Stick Mat

Here are a few of the numerous uses you can use this set for:

You can use the mat to glue on

If you happen to spill some of the glue on the mat, no worries!

You just peel it right off the mat. NO FUSS OR MESS!

You can even put hot glue directly on the finger caps but be mindful of the temperature of the glue so you don’t burn yourself for those that are sensitive to heat.

You can even put your fingers together as you can see the glue is still warm as it is sticky and stringy.

As I keep touching my fingers together, the glue pulls away from the glue caps and basically clean themselves off!
You can use the pointed paddle to spread the hot glue in various areas you may need more coverage than the hot glue gun tip allows!

What if you have a few small spaces you need to get your hot glue to stick to?

You are covered! Just use the pointed tip on the area you need and you are set!

What if you want to stick material to an area? Simply place glue on the surface and press down on the material.

That worked perfectly but what if you end up getting some glue and material on your mat?

Simply use your finger caps and pull up the glue and material.

It’s JUST THAT EASY!

What if you need to spread a larger amount of glue to a larger area?

Use the pointed paddle! Simply spread the glue!

You realize you have some on the mat? No problem! Use the non stick tweezers and pull the hot glue right off!

It’s JUST THAT SIMPLE!

Who wants to have a burn like this? NO ONE! Just get your own Hot Glue Gun Helpers and use your hot glue gun for hours on end easily and safely WITHOUT BURNS!

As you can tell, I love this product. I love Cathie and Steve and their amazing inventions for us crafty people and I can’t share this enough so please be sure to save your friends some frustrations and burns and share it as well!

Thank you for joining us today! We hope you enjoyed the product overview and we hope you enjoyed going on A Creative Journey with Melissa.

An Olympics Kind of Year

An Olympics Kind of Year is what 2016 is and boy for the past year plus we have felt like we have been tried as if we are preparing for one.

Although we aren’t in Rio

we feel like we have been competing to win for the last year or more. Between deaths in the family, surgeries, illness and other health issues, personal challenges, professional challenges and depression to name a few, its been challenging to say the least. The good thing is, no matter what we face, even if it is An Olympics Kind of Year, we face it head on. We know that the only way we fail is if we don’t try so we endure what we must and keep on keeping on.

My son Christian

has had a challenging few years. It’s been An Olympics Kind of Year times two or so. I have learned a number of amazing lessons from him and one of which is, If not now, when? With that, I have posted the above video. Whether you are a Mother, Father, Aunt, Cousin or a just an everyday caring human, no one wants to see anyone in harms way. Well, my son wanted to challenge himself. He wanted to bungee jump. Not JUST bungee jump but to bungee jump off of the

TALLEST BUNGEE JUMP IN NORTHERN AMERICA.

How about a little perspective on what that looks like, right? I know… I felt nauseous too!

Yes. He did. Yes, I said OK and worse… We even paid for it. I hated the idea because I am his Mom but really loved the idea that he wanted to challenge himself and conquer something of his choice. And BOY DID HE!

Here are some of the pictures of his adventure. If you want to see the video, be sure to check it out above!

Getting harnessed up to jump!

He’s READY! No, I am NOT!

I don’t think I even watched him jump… I was really scared!

He jumped and is coming back up! Phew! I can breathe again!

Almost at the platform

Getting back onto the platform..

Gotta get him unhooked.

He did it and is safe and sound!

I think he is a little proud of himself… AS HE SHOULD BE! LOVE IT!

The lesson? If not now, when?

Can you imagine if all of the people in the Olympics said I can’t. The Olympics themselves is a testament to what can be accomplished through hard work and dedication. The only voice you have stopping you is YOURS. No one can tell you no unless you allow them.

What are you waiting for?

What do you want to do? What’s on your bucket list? I challenge you to create a bucket list and accomplish just two of those things in 2016. Well, what are you waiting for? I would love to hear what you are going to put on your list. Just remember no matter what challenge you face.. YOU CAN DO IT! And again, what are you waiting for?

Sympathy Card Part 2 – Creating Your Card

Sympathy Card Part 2 – Creating Your Card is what we have for you today. This is part two in a two part series. If you would like to see the first part, please go here. Today we are going to create a sympathy card with the embellishment we made in our last video. Let’s get started!

Sympathy Card Part 2 - Creating Your Card a

Here are the supplies you will need to create this project.

Outside and In stamp set

Card base

Paper for sentiment

Patterned Paper

Scissors

White Twine

Stamp Block

Tag punch

Adhesive

Memento Ink

This is the butterfly we colored in Part 1. This will be placed on the front of the sympathy card we are making.

Sympathy Card Part 2 – Creating Your Card is what will be making today using the butterfly we colored with Chameleon Pens in part one of our video.

First, you will want to take out your Outside and In stamp set.

I love this set because not only does it have the outside sentiment, it also has the one for inside which is why it is named Outside and In.

Take out the sentiment you want to use for your card and place it on a stamp block. Ink your stamp.

Using the Outside and In stamp set

stamp your sentiment on your paper. Set aside.

Apply adhesive to the back of your patterned paper.

Place it on the front of your card base more toward the left side of the card.

Take out the paper with the stamped sentiment and punch it out.

Apply adhesive to the back of your punched out tag.

Adhere your tag to the front of the card offset to the right side.

Take out the colored butterfly

Bend the butterfly so it has a slight curve looking like a real butterfly.

Take out your glue line or rolled glue dot.

Place the adhesive down the middle of the butterfly.

Here is a close up shot of what it will look like.

Place the butterfly on the sentiment tag on the front of your card.

Take out your white twine.

Wrap the twine three times around the front of the card.

Tie a bow where you would like it to go on the front of the card with the twine.

If the bow is too large,

hold the middle of it and gently pull both sides of the string to where it is the size you prefer.

Trim off excess twine.

In the video, I decided to add a little flair to the card by adding some rhinestones to the middle of the butterfly.

Here are your finished cards two ways.

One with and one without rhinestones. I really like them both.

We hope you enjoyed Sympathy Card Part 2 – Creating Your Card and we hope you will subscribe to our YouTube channel and blog for some great creations, giveaways and more! Thank you for joining us and for going on A Creative Journey with Melissa.

Sympathy Card Part 1- Custom Coloring your Embellishments

Sympathy Card Part 1- Custom Coloring your Embellishments is what we have for you today. Sadly, I needed to make a few sympathy cards due to a death in the family. In the first part of this two part series, I am going to show you how to color your clear embellishments to create a custom color for your embellishment.

Supplies Needed for the Sympathy Card Part 1- Custom Coloring your Embellishments project

Clear Embellishments

Chameleon Pens – OL3

Make up cotton pad or applicator

Alcohol Blending solution or Alcohol preferably in a small sprayer

Take out your clear embellishment and your OL-3 Chameleon Pen

Color your clear embellishment with your OL-3 Chameleon Pen.

Take out your cotton make up pad and alcohol blending solution sprayer.

Spray the pad with the alcohol lightly.

For the Sympathy Card Part 1- Custom Coloring your Embellishments, you will gently pat the colored embellishment with the alcohol sprayed cotton pad until you get the desired texture and look on the embellishment.

This is what it will look like on the pad. You are basically taking off some of the ink from your embellishment to give it texture. If you want to take more color from it, add more alcohol to the make up pad and you can continue to do so to get the desired effect.

Here is a closer look of the embellishment once I applied the alcohol on the pad to the colored embellishment.

Now that I have created the embellishment be sure to stay tuned for next weeks video on creating the sympathy card that will have this embellishment on it as part of the card design.

We hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and we appreciate that you took the time to visit us today. Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and our YouTube channel for future tutorials, awesome craft hauls as well as product reviews and giveaways!

Thank you for joining us and we hope you enjoyed going on A Creative Journey with Melissa.

Awesome Deals Shopping Haul: Scrapbooking Made Simple and Daiso

Awesome Deals Shopping Haul : Scrapbooking Made Simple and Daiso is what we have for you today which means once again no projects. I do plan on doing projects with my amazing finds but I thought I would be sure to show you what I got! I knew you would want to be “In the know” so better to be safe than sorry right? What kind of crafting sister would I be if I kept all of this awesome information to myself… NOT A GOOD ONE!

First, I want to show you the FREEBIES my son and I received for waiting in line

at Scrapbooking Made Simple’s Shop that didn’t Hop and Sizzix Warehouse Sale and for the Shop that didn’t Hop…. My son came with me in the wee hours of Friday morning… He is pretty cool, isn’t he! The line was pretty long by the time they opened the doors but well worth it! I know I am going to go back especially since the sale doesn’t end until July 31st! You can also shop online so be sure to check out my friend Stacey’s website and you can order online HERE or you can go in and meet her yourself! If you order online, please be sure to be familiar with her shipping policy as it takes a while with this huge awesome savings event!

Our first free gifts were

two rolls of netting; one that is a spider web weave for Halloween and another that is a gold weave that will be perfect for the holidays!

Next we received this sticker sheet perfect for Christmas cards and also a cute little paper set for cards or to dress up a candle. Can’t wait to play with all of it!

We also received an adorable package for the Shop that didn’t Hop…

The pin that was specially designed for this is A M A Z I N G!!! I mean seriously how cool is this?

Last but not least if you visit.. THE SCRAPBOOK PAGE!!

Quantities may be limited, you can get an adorable Shop that didn’t Hop pin with the Phantom of the Opera theme, an adorable scrapbook layout to commemorate the event. Are you ready for some more of my Awesome Deals Shopping Haul?

To add to this awesome package,

you are given awesome glitter glue especially for SMS (Scrapbooking Made Simple) and

Last but not least…

an awesome chandelier stamp and die set! All of that just for heading over there… TRUST ME! You want to go..

For our Awesome Deals Shopping Haul: Scrapbooking Made Simple and Daiso

Here are the awesome items I purchased at Scrapbooking Made Simple Sizzix Warehouse Sale!

I am really excited about the four dies I purchased here. The two card ones, the gift card holder and the easel. I can’t wait to create!

Here are some awesome dies that can be used for project life, planners and pocket page scrapbooking … the possibilities are endless. There is also another step card that I purchased that has a little bit different configuration.

Here are some awesome dies and embossing folders I purchased.

Now onto the Daiso Store Haul

So now we are onto the Daiso part of the Awesome Deals Shopping Haul. If you haven’t been to a Daiso store and you have one in your area, you will want to go. Go here to look for a store in your area. If not for anything else, go for the experience. I went to the Diaso Store in Gardena, California. From what their website said, they were the largest store in the Los Angeles area with 1415 square feet. They have so many cool things and not all from the Daiso brand in Japan although most are. I love their products and the versatility their products provide. This is definitely a think outside of the box type of place!

Here are the items we purchased on our Daiso part of the Awesome Deals Shopping Haul!

There are chair feet pads, adorable erasers, a huge water bottle and a scrubber for washing wheels on cars.

I also purchased a sealer and I am hoping it works on paper! My hubby bought a micro usb cord. I also purchased file tabs for my boys as well as some magnets for me!

Now for the pictures of the Diaso store…

These items were located in what I would call the housewares section.

They had everything from hooks, felt pads for chairs (which I bought!), laundry bags, shoes that looked like crocs both with and without furry lining, chair pads and so much more.. and that is just in this aisle!

This was the cleaning and storage area items were.

It was located at the back of the store. They had everything from mops, brooms, mini trash cans, and just about every storage container size you could imagine!

Here are some towels, sponges and a number of different cleaning products but you could use these beautifully colored towels for a covering for a scrapbook, accent for a card. die cut some shapes… the possibilities are endless!

All of these items appear to be meant for cooking items and decor when doing so. Some really cute items as well as some things that I think would be great for paper crafting… Let’s take a closer look..

I saw these and although they are meant to be used with seaweed sheets for sandwich and food decoration, why not try it with paper? Yes, it’s how I think 🙂

PERFECT FOR COOKING!

I love these items! I love how there are tiny ones and larger sized ones… I’ts pretty cool!

I love the bright colored cooking utensils! As I look at this picture, I need to go back and get some grabbing tongs… I really need a pair! LOL

Containers Containers Containers with color!!! YAHOOOO!!! So many ideas! Look at those cute little jars with straws! SO CUTE!

Here are some amazing dishes of all different colors!

Here they had a whole bunch of double sided tape… all different kinds and sizes!

Did someone say Silk Tape?

I don’t know how different silk tape is versus washi tape but hold on.. we have washi tape too!

They had all different kinds of washi tape. I didn’t find them to be inexpensive as most of them were $1.5o per roll. Some of them had sets of three which would be more worth it but the singular rolls looked like they were $1.50 each. Beautiful colors though!

I LOVED the chalk items..

They had labels, tags, markers and so many awesome things! Yes, I know.. I need to go back already!

Here is some of their yarn and string items.

Here are some twine and more string items as well.

Here are some paper and material items… I seriously have so many ideas for this stuff… I had to walk away! lol next time paper… next time!

Here are some beads and trim.

So many different colors and textures!

They even had items for PETS! YES!! All different kinds of brushes, nail trimmers, bowls, collars and more!

Here are some ADORABLE ceramic mugs… OMG! THEY ARE ADORABLE AREN’T THEY?

Here are some adorable clips, frames and little chairs that would be perfect for a doll house!

You can STAMP ON YOUR TOAST!

You stamp the impression of these stamps and then you toast your bread! How cool is this? Wouldn’t this be fun for some little ones?

I hope you enjoying the sharing of our Awesome Deals Shopping Haul. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away! We appreciate you taking the time to visit and hope you enjoyed going on A Creative Journey with Melissa Awesome Deals Shopping Haul!!

Craft Haul Part 2

Craft Haul Part 2 is what we have for you today. This is the second video of my swap meet Craft Haul. If you want to check out my Craft Haul part 1 click HERE. Today, I wanted to share the rest of my craft haul from the swap meet I bought last week. I had gotten such a great haul I had to split it into two videos. I know… rough problem, right? It was so much fun I am going to have to go again soon.. when I can afford it!

First we have some awesome Sizzix Embossing Folders here.

I LOVE THEM! So excited to create with them! One of the greatest things about them is that they are the larger size 5″ x 7″.

The first embossing folder is the Kitchen Weave pattern. I love it! I think it is really versatile as you can use it for both male and female creations!

Here is the Honeycomb embossing folder. This works great with our Design Elements stamp set.

This is the Old Paris embossing folder. The detail is awesome!

Here is a full picture of the embossing folder.

You can use this for a driving creation, travel, map, and so much more!

As you can see here, the paper is an A2 size and the embossing folder is 5 x 7 so you can see how much more paper you can use with this folder. AWESOME!

Now we have some banner dies. I love this set because it has various sizes that are perfect for matting or for creating multiple sizes for different uses.

This is another awesome set. I love the example creation on here!

Here is the back of the packaging so you can see how many dies come with this set! What a great deal!

Here we have three different card sets.

These die sets have not only the card die but so many embellishments and other goodies for you to create with!

Here is the first die. I love all of the different elements you can create!

Here is the back of the set showing you all of the amazing dies that are in this set.

Here is another amazing card die set. I love how cute the scalloped edges are!

Here is the back of the envelope showing you all of the dies included in this awesome set.

Here is the third card die set.

I love how many elements and how adorable the creation is on the front!

I have taken out the dies for a closer review of the die set. This is the die for the card. It folds as shown above so that it is a moving card. Once folded properly, it will be an A2 card.

Here are all of the dies included in this set. All of the circle dies can be nested in one another. I LOVE that! You also don’t have to worry about fussy cutting the mat for the base of the card. you have dies to do that for you! HOW EASY IS THAT?!

We hope you enjoyed checking out our craft haul! See anything you like?

Let me know and I hope to do a giveaway soon with one of my craft haul finds! Thank you so much for joining us today and for going on A Creative Journey with Melissa.