Storing Ribbon

Ribbon...easy to store when it's on the spool, but what do you do when you have a yard or so left?

I have a large ribbon bag with probably 100-150 different ribbons in it.  The ribbon bag is made of a clear vinyl-like material with holes punched it so the ribbon can be threaded through.  The majority of the ribbon stays inside the bag and a little sample is outside for you to see.  The best thing about this purse is that it will 'smash' down in to bags.  My ribbon bag is always the last thing I pack in my rolling tote, it always goes on top and is always smashed, but the bag holds up well and the ribbon is protected.

But what if you're not a ribbon person or you want to keep the ribbon handy at your work table?  I recently bought about 7 different colors of the same ribbon to use on a current project.  I wanted it handy, yet organized.  At the store here, we carry these craft doll pins.  I took each of my ribbons and wrapped them each around their own pins and threw them in a basket on my table.  Easy and inexpensive because I bought a dozen of these for less than a dollar!!  And when you run out of the ribbon that is on the pin, you can recycle it and use it again!!  How cool is that?!?!


Happy Scrappin'!

Easy Breezy Cards

Since I'm heading to London next summer on vacation, I need some extra funding. I have quite the stash of paper and stamps, ink and embellishments, so I decided, with a little prodding by Laura, to start making some cards to sell at the fall and winter craft shows. 

Now, the utter idea of me selling my crafts scares me...why you may ask?  I am always unsure of my color choices...I'm never good at seeing if this blue looks good with that green....and don't get me started on pink.....I don't use pink normally because I don't like pink... (Actually, not liking pink isn't correct.  Hate is a little better description of my feelings about the color pink. LOL) I've recently discovered the wonderful little stacks of paper, in both 6x6 and 8x8 sizes.  Lots of companies like Basicgrey, Bo Bunny, Webster's Pages, Graphic 45, and many more are packaging their collections on a smaller scale, for both scrappers and cardmakers.  

What a wonderful idea!  So to assist me in my color matching abilities, I've bought these smaller-scale collections of papers..  It's great for the non color coordinating sort, such as myself, because all the papers in the packs coordinate.  So your battle with picking the right green to go with that blue is already won.  Then, it's just a matter of picking the right cardstock and embellishment if desired.  Easy breezy and also a great way to use all the collection instead of just one or two sheets.  I've gone through one stack and I would guess that I used about 95% of the pack and made 18 cards.  And not a single one is alike, which I love!!  Not too shabby I'd say.

Try this at Christmas.  It's a sure fire way to make Christmas cardmaking less stressful!

Happy Scrappin'!

Oh...and while I'm at it...  Congrats and Best Wishes to my coworker and friend Laura who is gettin'

hitched tomorrow!!  Hugs!