Rubber Room Stampin'

ANOTHER USE FOR DéCOR ELEMENTS CHALKBOARD VINYL SHEETS

Last Saturday my daughter came to spend a day with me.  We worked in the a.m. and played--like skied--in the afternoon.  One of the morning bits was her pronouncement that the green metal 'country loft' shaped thing* that I have hanging on the entry door to my stampin' playground, was not a welcoming piece.  It was covered with various magnets and photos, very haphazardly positioned, and not changed or updated forEVER!  To be honest, I didn't even SEE the metal sign any more.  And Andrea (daughter) saw it as an unwelcoming MESS! 

So........I pulled everything off (after she left), washed it, and covered it with Stampin' Up!'s new Chalkboard Vinyl and wrote a welcome to my afternoon's class participants:

 

I used part of one of the vinyl sheets.  I did have to piece it.  You might be able to see a bit of the 'overlap' just above the letter "M" from March.  To position the 'windows and door' and the slant of the roof, I slipped the vinyl under the metal piece and marked the cut out places with a pencil.  Then I placed the vinyl on a large self-healing cutting mat and cut it with a small exacto blade and ruler.  It was very quick and easy.  After removing the backing from the vinyl, I positioned the chalkboard.  It was easy to pull back to re-position as necessary.  And then writing on it (with sidewalk chalk) was a 'piece of cake'.  When I go out to my Stampin' Loft later this morning, I'll remove the class name and just leave the WELCOME.

* * * * * * * * *

You can find these vinyl sheets, in Bashful Blue, Basic Gray, Black, Certainly Celery, Chocolate, Clear and Dark Gray by going to my Demonstrator Website, clicking on Shop Now, clicking on Home Décor on the left column, then Raw Materials, and then on the Vinyl Sheet selection of your choice.  Here's the product information:

Make Décor Elements your own by creating your own vinyl images using the Décor Elements sheets and your Big Shot.

■ Each package comes with two sheets of vinyl, along with two sheets of transfer tape (approximately 14-1/4" x 24" )

■ Instructions for use are included in the package

*This metal sign, along with the sign you see over the entry door into the garage and then into my Stampin' Loft, were salvaged from a hardware store that was located in Sugar Pine, the 'wide spot in the road' just below the Mi Wuk Village 'wide spot in the road'.  When the fire department purchased the building and my husband was working out there on the conversion from hardware store to fire department 'home', he found these signs stashed away in the back of a storage area.  After a few "mother may I"s, the signs found a new home at our house.  Hence, my stamping area is now known as My Country Loft.

I'll be at a scrapbooking crop/Expo in Pleasanton, CA today.  Hopefully I have enough of whatever it takes to send a blog post tomorrow.......something from the crop.  I've been working on the s-a-m-e family camping scrapbook for 3-4 years.  :)  I think that this year, with my experience with My Digital Studio, I'll have a much better grip on what I want to accomplish and how to go at it.  See you then.......

WHAT I ACCOMPLISHED TODAY!

I'm still feeling a little 'under-the-weather', coughing my insides out (sorry) and having little or no voice.  My energy level has been up but my inspiration level hasn't been.  I'm really hoping to do some stamping tomorrow. 

But today I did something I've wanted to do for a long time:  I gave my Mac laptop a little makeover. 

I used the Flower Garden Décor Element which can be found on p. 16 of the Definitely Decorative Fall-Winter 2009 catalog.  #116056, $12.95

I cut the element sheet that held the stems into individual stems, but kept them in the order shown in the catalog.   If I were to do it over, I would have only made a cut between stems 4 and 5.  I had to divide it because of the Apple Logo right in the middle of my lid.  Regardless, I think it looks pretty darned spiffy and my laptop won't be confused with anyone else's.  I've wanted to do this for a long time but just "never got around to it".  Today was the perfect day.

Here a look at it just after I finished:

I'm going to be smiling whenever I pull my Mac out of my bag from this time forward.  What do you think TSA will say besides "nothing"?

If you'd like to find your own 'out-of-the-box' use for some Décor Elements, let me know.  Email me at blythe@stampinwithblythe.com .   I have a few other ideas on my mental shelf.  I'm sure you all have some wonderful ideas too.  Share them with me and other stampers.  I can help you with your order---maybe after midnight for your FREE SHIPPING?  Choose another element for decorating your laptop.  What unusual places have you put a Décor Element?

Hopefully I'll see you a little earlier in the day tomorrow.  :)

DECOR ELEMENTS IN YOUR "LAUNDRY ROOM"

Our home is definitely not a fancy place.  But it is a fun place.  The guy who built it made good use of small spaces.  Hence our laundry 'room':

It's tucked into the hall bathroom/guest bathroom.  Originally the area was enclosed by quite ugly, old, plastic accordion-fold doors.  They've been gone for a long time.  Someday we hope to come up with something that will offer privacy to the washer and dryer and to the rest of us.  In the meantime we want everyone to know that this is the laundry area in case they were wondering.

Again, if I was to do this again, I would install the largest "laundry" element.  This one is the medium size.  With the white wall and green tile in the tub area on the other side of the ironing board, I could only use the black element.  Red, although I really like it, just wouldn't work in this area.  Again, there's no place to back up to in order to get a better perspective of the area.  I'm happy though when I walk by the doorway.  And I'm sure that my husband, the launderer (is that that male for laundress?) could care less!  :)

No more new Décor Elements for awhile.  They sure are addicting though.  Do you have a place in your home just yearning for one?  Some of you newer readers might not have seen the 'happiness' element on the back of my Jeep.  Check out this link to go way back to that July 2008 post.  This car has been from California to New Jersey, across the north of the U.S., and back to California.  We also have lots of snow here in the winter.  "Happiness" has perfectly survived it all.   If you click on Décor Elements in the Categories Column to the right, you'll see more examples of the Décor Elements that either friends, relatives or I have put in our homes. 

If you're ready to try one, just let me know and I can help you with the process--ordering and installation.  I'll be here to offer support and guidance. 

I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.  Have a restful end to your weekend.

DÉCOR ELEMENTS IN YOUR BAAATHROOM

I've been wanting to put some more Décor Elements in my home for a long time but wasn't certain what or where.  Do you ever get great, or semi-great, ideas while brushing your teeth?  After several years of operating in our little master bathroom, I thought---ah-ha, why not put one of those dandelions on the wall?  So, I did.  Dandelion Flurry, page 14 of the Definitly Decorative Fall-Winter 2009 Brochure.   And now, I fear, the space needs another, positioned on the left.  But in the meantime here's what we have:

It's a very small, narrow bathroom with no way to get back to get any perspective.

 

The photo below shows you just how textured your wall can be.  If the Décor Element doesn't get in to all of the recesses as you are applying it, just press with your finger or thumb once all of the backing paper has been removed.

This is actually the 'early-in-the-process-photo as the backing paper is slowly being peeled away.

You'll get another look at this project in a few months.  I'm enjoying it now but think it can look more complete with another flower.  I'll be working on it in my mind for a bit.

Tomorrow---the 'laundry room'!  Stay tuned.

DéCOR ELEMENTS: THOUGHTS & PRAYERS TREE IN 3 SIZES and FIVE LOCATIONS

I am thrilled to share with you today the trees of three happy customers and one happy downline.  Plus my own once more.  Several months ago I installed the large Thoughts & Prayers Tree and Direction of Your Dreams words in our great room.  I had my class participants come into the house to see the grand accomplishment---and two of them purchased their own.  My cousin in Ohio (Columbus) saw the light somewhere along the way and ordered one for me to install when I came to visit for her daughter's wedding in early July.  And then, finally, my sister and downline, who lives in Northern California (Santa Rosa) purchased and installed her own.  Now I have photos of all of them and here they are, smallest to largest:

Janet placed her Thoughts & Prayers Décor Element in her newly fluffed guest room in Santa Rosa.   Hers is the small size: 16-5/8" x 13".  The Direction of Your Dreams words are also the small size:  22" x 2-7/8".

 

Linda, "up the hill" from me in Long Barn, CA, placed her small tree and words in the cute little kitchen in her cute little cabin.

Something I love about Linda's placement....her tree is right above some of her own paintings (the peppers are from a sister-in-law I think she said), but the three, left to right, excluding the lower one, spell out her initials:  Leeks, peppers, cucumbers.  I think that's just so cool and imaginative and just plain FUN!

Now Lynn (Columbus-below) opted for the medium sized tree (34-3/4" x 24-3/8"), without the words.  She had recently fluffed her bedroom and had the perfect place for the tree behind their bed.

Nancy, right here in Mi Wuk Village, also opted for the medium sized tree and words (30" x 4") for her office/craft room.  It looks fabulous.  She followed the theme with new silk bird pillows on her new find, the red leather sofa.



The tree below is mine.  I showed it to you in June when I first put it up.  It's quite difficult to get a decent photo of it because of the overhead fan.  We have a large great room/dining room with wall space that we don't know what to do with.  This tree fits perfectly above the dining room table.



So, below I'm ducking under the fan blades (turned off) so you still have that upward angle.  If you look out the left window you'll see where My Country Loft resides (complete with Christmas lights).

I hope you'll try a Décor Element or two for yourself.  I'm ready to try a few more soon.  The Kids Growth Chart is on special from now until the end of September.  Click on the button in the right sidebar to find out more about it.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by.  Have you signed up for my newsletter?  There's button on the upper left sidebar just waiting for you.  My more recent issue will be out Tuesday (yesterday?) or Wednesday this week.  See you soon.  :)

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Blythe Blythe where have you been?  I've been to London to visit the Queen.

No, not true.  I've been to Columbus Ohio to visit family and to enjoy the wedding of my cousin.  And of course I got zero stamping done while gone.  I even took 3 projects to work on , carried them on board planes and..........you're right, didn't touch them. 

However I did take, by request, the medium size Thoughts & Prayers Décor Elements tree for my cousin to place in their fairly newly redecorated bedroom.  And it looks just perfect.  Ta da......

We squeezed the installation of the tree between the Girls Night Out Thursday evening just after we (my sister and I) arrived from California and the Friday night Rehearsal dinner.  The Bride gave each of her 'worker bees' an itinerary for the days/hours preceding the wedding so we popped the tree time in an open space.

Is there a place in your home needing just that elegant pop?  I can help you get your own.  I'll be sending pictures in the coming days of 2 more installations, one a medium sized tree placed in an office/stamping area and the second, a small tree, placed in my friend's kitchen area.  Send me an email or go to my online shopping place on my Stampin' Up! website for yours.

I'm glad to be home.  I 'visited' 5 airports trying to get home yesterday, one of the perks of flying stand-by.  I left my cousin's home at 4.15 a.m. and arrived in San Francisco at 4.30 p.m., including a 3-hour time change.  Did I get near you????  Columbus.  Chicago.  Des Moines.  Denver.  San Francisco.

Have a great day.  :)

WOW, AM I PLEASED!!!!

It's been wild around my home lately (hence no posting), but with the help of my daughter on Sunday, I was able to finally determine where to place my Décor Elements Thoughts & Prayer Tree and then get it actually placed.  What an accomplishment!

We have a large 'great room', high ceiling, with a fireplace in the middle.  Most of the wall is totally inaccessible unless you're a giant!  After much conversation, we decided to place the tree on the right side, over 2 windows, above the dining table.

You should know that the tree comes in 6 pieces---well actually on 2 long pieces of paper, each with 3 pieces of the tree on it.  You just cut out those individual pieces (trim loosely around each branch) and match them up to the branches, sort of like a 6-piece puzzle.  Quite easy really.  Then trim the excess paper from each piece for a good visual.  I attached each piece to the wall with 1-2 push pins. I also will admit that I wasn't real impressed with how it looked until I just 'bit the bullet' and started to apply it to the wall.  Here are two lovely views of the installation:

And here are the visuals from a slight distance:
 

I brought my Monday afternoon stamp club inside to see what I had finally completed---two of them decided they want one too: one selected the small size for her kitchen area and the other selected the medium size for a new craft room.   It is just so soft and graceful and eye appealing.  I have to say that I'm just tickled pink!

The Thoughts & Prayers Tree is available right now and will continue to be available in the new Stampin' Up! year in 3 sizes and 2 colors, Chocolate and Black.  If you are interested in the tree itself or the new Décor Elements Brochure, please let me know.  There are many many new Décor Elements items for your perusal and pleasure so be sure to check it out.  I hope I've inspired you to consider adding a décor element to your home.  They're awesome!

A LITTLE LAUNDRY ROOM CHEER!

I think Monday is wash day.  Let's hear you sing now:

This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes, wash our clothes.  This is the way we wash our clothes, all on a Monday Morning.

There now, don't you feel good having sung such a fun little ditty??  Yes, that's from my childhood.  And I can't remember any of them for the rest of the week.

So, do you smile when you walk into your laundry room to wash your clothes, all on a Monday Morning?  Well, you should!  And you would if you had this welcoming Décor Element on your wall just smiling right at you. 

My daughter just put this Laundry Décor Element up.  It adds a lot of spark to an otherwise utilitarian room. 

 

This Element is the medium sized choice, 11-3/4" wide x 13" high, in white.  Other selections are Red and Black, either of which would also have looked good in this area.

 

And this has inspired me to get one for our laundry area which is a part of our main bathroom.  I'll share it with you when I get it and then get it into position.  Actually I have several others planned as well, so stay tuned.  They can add a spark to many areas in your home and even work on your car!  Check mine out here.  It's been through a cross-county round trip, and a snow and rain filled winter and it's going strong.

I hope you're inspired to add one to your home (or car) as well. Let me know if you need a brochure or have one already selected.  You can also click on the Décor Elements brochure on the right column of this blog and have a look at what's available. As always, send me a photo of a completed project and I'll post it right here. 

Have a great day........

Another Décor Element--this one on my Stampin' Room Wall

My Stamp Room offers many challenges, mainly because it is over the garage (bedroom in a previous incarnation) and the roof has a steep pitch.  So when it came to installing one of Stampin' Up!'s new Décor Elements I was sort of stumped.  There are slanted 'vertical' skylights on the north slanting wall and dormer windows on the south wall.  The "Create Definition" is the Element I wanted to place in the room but I have no space that would accommodate it as presented: 4 lines of text.  The fix:  to separate the lines and install them side by side across an 84" stretch of wall.  It worked great!  I embellished it with the "Flourishes" element.  I still want to place the "Flourishes" star-type flowers but I'm not sure just where.

I can't get far enough back from this wall to take a straight-on photo.  I tried and it looked totally weird.  No scale, very angular, not pretty actually.  Be sure to click on the photo for a larger image.

Looking at the far left end of this wall, and because of my very limited place for shelves and normal vertical storage, you can see Stampin' Up!'s Stampin' Stacks attached to the wall.  (Thanks to my sweetie for installing them!)  I store my eyelets, brads, and buttons there.  This system works terrifically for me.  And unfortunately the Stampin' Stacks have been discontinued.  Hey--don't look at me.  I'm not the one in charge!

On the center and right side of the wall, I have two metal "hang-em-ups" from Ikea.  I can display and hold things on them with magnets and in little magnetic mesh baskets.  Works great for me too.  As I said earlier, I've had to find ways to utilize these slanted walls for storage.

I hope you've enjoyed this little tour of my one slanted wall and the "Create Definition" of SU!'s Décor Elements.  Where would YOU place those 3 remaining flowers?  Let me know if you'd like a Décor Elements brochure--just click on Email Me in the left column.

"Happiness" with Décor Elements

Have you checked out Stampin' Up!'s new product line yet? Décor Elements?  What fun.  Yesterday I applied two more "Elements", one to the back window of my car, the second to a sloped wall in my stamp room.  Today I'd like to show you my car.  I love it.  It should give a smile to the driver behind me and it gives me a smile as I look in the rear view mirror.  I can see it in the right direction when I take the time to look while stopped---not while driving.  :)

It's kind of hard to get around the reflections but if you click on the photo you'll get a better view.  Check back tomorrow when you can see what I've put up in my stamp room.