New Cards

As usual I went on a Michaels excursion for paper and other knick-knacks. So my mission for this weekend was to make some holiday cards...so this is what I've created over the weekend.

This is an invitation I had a vision in my head, and I was able to find a wine stamp at Michaels. I wanted to do something different by adding velcro to keep the invite (inside hidden). I typed the invite on a cool metallic sheet and cut it to size for the inside flap.

My Shopping Excursion Towards Organization

 

 

I have spent the last 3 days organizing my office. You never know how much stuff you can accumulate until you have to organize it. I was beginning to feel overwhelmed, and closed in. So I waited until the perfect opportunity to find something I could use that was sturdy, cost effective, and pretty (well, nice looking considering I'm sharing space with hubby). He's the problem as to why it was messy!!!

So in order to stay insane, and save our marriage, I would like to thank Michaels for having a 50% off sale on their baskets, and plus having a 15% off sale off your whole purchase price. Oh, I thought I was in heaven.

So, I made my way to my excursion of basket shopping. I looked at the coupon and off course there was a catch...the 15% off sale takes place on Sunday between 4 p.m. to 8p.m. So, I had to plan this correctly so I wouldn't waste gas going back home after dropping my mom off to work, or wasting time sitting in a parking lot for an hour. As I dropped her off at 3 p.m. I made my way to the gas station and took my time filling up the tank. Took the long route to Michaels which is conveniently up the road about 5 miles tops. I got there around 3:30. So I remembered I purchased a newspaper, and my goodness there was a Michaels sales ad in there. Excitement was all over my face. They had another 15% off coupon along with a 40% off coupon. So I had 2 15% off coupons. What is a girl to do? Now we all know for those who shop at Michaels that you can't use 2 coupons at once.

Now imagine, as I enter Michaels they have some baskets outside. I picked up one and it was regularly $16.99. I calculate in my head that I would save about $2.50, but the basket wasn't large enough for what I want to hold. So I put that basket back and I head inside. I go straight to the back and oh my goodness, what an inventory. I saw some baskets that were on clearance, and plus 50% off. In front of me was this bamboo basket regularly priced at $24.99. It was on clearance for $9.99, so I grab one. Then I see several other baskets priced perfectly for my budget. So on that trip I purchased 5 baskets that totalled $25.09. If I would have purchased these baskets at full retail price, it would have cost me for the same 5 baskets $71.95, and the cashier let me use the 40% coupon on the clearance basket that was priced at $9.99.

I head home with excitement, and start putting stuff in the baskets. Now I need some more baskets to really make a difference in the room, because my husband has a lot of stuff. Yes, I will blame him. So I head to another Michaels that's up the freeway from my house in Southfield. So I get there after doing 70 miles, and they don't have such a wonderful inventory like the Michaels in Livonia, but I manage to jump and grab 7 more baskets that's the same style of baskets I purchased earlier. As I make my way to the cashier with everyone looking at me like I'm crazy, but they don't understand...these babies are on sale and I got another 15% off coupon, and another 40% off coupon that you get when you make a purchase, and you can use this coupon the following week.

I head to the register grinning ear to ear, and put the baskets on the counter and give the cashier my coupons, so she scans everything, but this time, the 40% coupon wouldn't register because the items are on sale. Now this is strange...so I'm figuring when you use a coupon from the sales paper, you can use it on a sales item, but if you use a coupon that you receive from purchasing items, you can't use that one on a sales item. Oh well, but once again I save a bundle. I did go back to Michaels today...hehehehehe, I know I'm addicted, but it's for a good cause, the cause of having an organized office. I was able to use my 40% off coupon on this basket because I went back to the Livonia store, and the baskets were still 50% off.

So in total for 15 baskets, if I would have purchased them at regular price including tax, I would have spent $211.84, but I spent $80.22, including tax, and I am very satisfied with how organized I was able to get the room. I didn't want to buy any more shelves, or hang anything else on the wall, so this system works for us. Now I hope my hubby can get with the program.

I went to my 20th year class reunion in September (wow, how time flies), and this was our first reunion. I had a ball!!! I didn't hang out with a lot of people in high school because I was reserved and shy, but I remembered everyone who were there. I didn't remember a lot of names, but I remembered faces. So I had purchased the Your Story by Provo and what a perfect first project to test the machine on. So I took my camera and took photos, and luckily I got some photos from the fabulous photographer. I will give him a shot-out. His business name is:

J. Forest Photography
John Forest
phone: 800-717-9898
website: http://www.jforestphotography.com/

He took some beautiful photos, and I'm told he photographed a couple (who were there at the reunion) wedding photos. I would recommend him for any photo opt you may need done in the Detroit Metropolitan area. He may travel, I'm not sure, but contact him. Anyway, I couldn't just let those beautiful photos sit in a box, so I put this book together. I used the 8 1/2"x11" black binder and laminated 14 pages. I used the Office Depot 5 mm, 8 1/2" x 10" photo laminated paper (which is thick), so that's why I had to use a plastic binder to attach the laminated pages and then I glued it with the glue gun to the black binder. I decorated the front with this beautiful black cardstock I purchased from Michaels (which looks and feels like fabric), and I purchased a 3" black ribbon and attached it around the binder to hide the glue marks and to be able to tie to book together on the front to give it a sophisicated look.

It took me about a week to put everything together as far as picking out the photos I wanted to put in the book, and the cardstock colors I wanted to use and adhering the photos to the cardstock and cutting down the cardstock to fit into the laminating paper. So I had fun exploring, but I'm happy with the outcome.

Send a Card to Say "Hi"

This is my first card that I made using my Cricut machine. I can say that I'm addicted to this machine and to beautiful paper. I made this card to send to my uncle. I wanted to go back to sending something that's tangible instead of just sending a text or email, and even a phone call. I wanted to send him something that he could keep, just like I have his letters he has sent me over the years. We have gotten away from sending something personable, and I want to go back. I still have all of my cards from my graduation, holiday sent over the years, and birthdays.

So for those who say that don't have a creative bone, this is not hard to do, but do something that's from the heart and send it to a loved one.