Happy New Find...

Ok, so I LIED...I just wanted to add a quick link to my favorite "new find." They are these neato necklace pendants that are made from scrabble tiles...check it out here at Home Studio on Etsy.com

I have several on my wish list, but the "Marine Wife" is my favorite:) Check out the moxie fab Christmas Tree too...AND...she's on sale!

"Rate My Post"...

...this would be the post for all those fanatics(myself included!) that LOOOOOOOVE HGTV's Rate My Space. Actually, I love all the shows on HGTV, but this sweet request for a Teacher's Gift was done with a collaboration of previous posts. I try not to give Teacher's gifts that are OVERLOADED with apples because I have a sister who happens to be a Teacher, and I'm sure she has LOOOOADS and LOOOOOADS of apple memorabila...lol Most importanly, I always try to think of something they can use long term...notepads are always a terrific option:) That being said, I also made 2 more sets in this color combo for my Daughter's Teacher's since the supplies were already out! How bout' that HOT pink and black?? I think its kind of snazzy is you ask me!



Monogrammed tote...I use this monogram set ALOT because I think the front is classic in style! I will never part with it.
Little Post-it holder...I added a ring of Star Dust Stickles to the oval after I ran it thru with my nesty die.

Alrighty friends, this will be my LAST post until Jan. 5th! I'm going to be spending my time purging and creating with all my new supplies. And most importantly, spending snuggle time with my girls. I was trilled last night to get out some paper doll cut outs and put them together with the girls. They love bringing in there little Ikea table and crafting with Mommy...AND...I LOOOVE it every MORE!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with family and a prosperous New Year. This New Year's will be nice an quiet for us since we are no longer living in NYC. My hubby and I will be lucky if we make it that late, but hopefully with some yummy hot chocolate and popcorn we can ring in the New Year in our PJ's.

I look forward to sharing many more creations in the New Year!

Lastly, please remember those service members abroad who will not be sharing the Holidays with their loved ones! We love them ALL:)

Sincerely,

Dawn Chau

#1 New Years Resolution...ORGANIZE!

So this will be the start of my organization tools. I was really excited how well they turned out. I picked these calendar booklets at Micheal's in the dollar section to see what I could do with them. Because the casing seemed sort of "flimsy" I wasn't sure how well they'd hold up to extra thickness. The thickness doesn't seem to be a problem after completion. The original front was stapled inside the calendar pocket book, so I took it out and used that as my template. I made this fun and bright one for myself. That sewing pattern looks awfully familiar doesn't? Its one of my fav's! I hadn't intended on adding the orange glittery layer, but it looked a little dull after it was done...stickles to the rescue! The monogram is from Papertrey Ink--Ambassador.
One to keep for a friend...
Since my stapler did not reach to the middle of my calendar book, I ran her thru my sewing machine. I don't recommend this since the booklets are quite thick and its hard on your machines, however, I did turn the knob by hand and it seemed to do just fine. I have since purchased a longer stapler to reach the middle:)
I lOOOOVE the repetition of the boots on this card. It is fairly simple and I just used my CM punches to matte the boots. The boots are from my My Favorite Things--Rain or Shine set. They are colored with my copic markers...see the two different browns?? It was late and I couldn't decipher as to which brown I started with...let's just call this my "eclectic" card...lol The ribbon is SU! Choco. Chip Satin(YUMMY!).

For the Girlfriends...

Some goodies for the friendships I've made along the way. Being a military spouse can be the hardest job there is at times, however when you find great company that empathizes with your experiences, you keep them close. My husband has been in nearly 14 years now(I have been present for 10!)and it seems to have flown by! I have made many wonderful friends and kept in touch with a few close gals and these sweet little gifts are for them....you know who you are:) I have used this pattern before so I will skip the details! And what about some cute matching key chains?? My soldering skills are improving...the bumps are getting few and far between...lol Add a little ribbon as well...its a great way to use up those scraps!

I have decided to "double-up"(several projects per post) on posts this week since Friday will be my last post of the 08' blog year. So there will be lots of goodies to share! I'm really needing some extra time to get my supplies organized and prioritize my work load for the New Year! I'm very excited to see what the New Year brings for myself and my family.

HUGE BLOG CANDY!!!!

Okay, not from me, but I do have fellow design team member who is giving away some really yummy goodies!!! Swing on by PaperMonkey.org and tell Suzy I sent ya! She is also giving away several items from Glue-Art and Paper Studio. This is the company that I've had the pleasure of working with and their products are tremendously well crafted! Have fun:)

I will be back later today with a new post!

ETA: I'm AMAZED at the overwhelming response to my Relay for Life items. There is currently a waiting list for the "Survivor" notebooks and each order will be completed as they're received. I will continue to take orders until supplies run out! I'd like to add that ALL proceeds from the sale of these notebooks will go to Relay for Life Cancer Research. I'm not making any money off of these...all supplies are purchased out of my own pocket! If your're interested in purchasing a notebook for friends or family they are $10.00 each, please contact me at: madscrapper24@yahoo.com


ETA: at this time I'm only shipping the notebooks. The chocolate boxes are only available here locally:)

Thanks so much for supporting such a wonderful CAUSE!

Dawn Chau

Relay for Life Goodies...

Just a few more goodies I've made for Relay for Life fundraising. These cards are pretty straight forward and a great sketch pattern for mass producing. The sentiment is pc generated and I punched them out with my SU! oval punches. A few more chocolate boxes in new colors:)

Post-it note booklets. Since these will be tied and untied ALOT I heat sealed the ribbon ends to prevent fraying. There great for jotting a quick note and putting in your purse!

Inspired...

I'm hooked on my notebooks AGAIN! I have a closet full of things to alter, but I always seem to go back to my notebooks. I suppose its because they are fast and easy, and with 2 little ones, TIME is not something I have alot of these days. When I saw THIS card by Becca Feeken I felt inspired to see what I could come up with. My dear friend Michelle sent me this stamp all the way from Texas...thanks Mish! Sure wish we had a Hobby Lobby close by:(

The patterned paper is made with my PTI Polka Basics and SU! cs. I love the texture of the Bazzill cs along with the Dew Drops ink. The ribbon is from Mike's.

I'm hoping this will be a great raffle at the next Relay for Life Meeting...wouldn't it be great to give to a cancer survivor?

Bringin' Out the Scraps...

...just wish it were on my OWN albums! I don't even want to think how behind I am running on my kids albums. This was a special request album I did for one of the original founders of Century 21 who was retiring after 30+ years in the business. This album is a compilation of personal messages of congrats and farewells. I had a different album in mind, however, Michael's was out of the refills so I found this option...I think it worked well! The front reminds me of a poker game with how I arranged the lettering.
To make the background paper I used my SU! French Script BG stamp and went all over the paper. To add an "aged" look, I ran my shimmering gold ink over the entire page and accented the corners with my PTI First Fruit Stamps.



Matching card to go along with the album. I printed off the sentiment and ran it thru my Wizard machine for a nice beveled oval.
I have several new projects to share this week...just need to get them photographed and edited sooo stay tuned! I will be taking a two week break from posts later this month when my oldest is on Christmas Break. I'm also going to use this time to clean and purge my craft room(its pretty unorganized) as well as contemplate adding a "For Sale" page after soo many email requests. I'm not sure if I will do this as I take orders on request...but it might be a nice feature to offer things I have made, that on are hand, and ready for immediate shipping! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!