The New Year

The New Year is just around the corner. Are you ready? Are you organized? Have you decided on New Year's resolutions?

Here's just a couple of things that might help you with some of these questions:

Stamp Converter: Do you have unmounted rubber stamps or wood block mounted stamps that are taking up a lot of space? See-D's has created a way to minimize the bulk of the wood block stamps as it allows you to convert your rubber stamps so they can be used with a clear stamping system. This kit comes with 4 storage boxes, 8 sheets of cling, and 8 storage cards.

Mini Calendar Stamp set: If you are looking for a little 2008 calendar to keep in your purse, why not make your own. It's the perfect size and you can customize it any way you'd like. And, you can use it year after year and on other projects as well, like layouts and cards.

And, last but not least, remember -
All Christmas GIFT items in the store are currently 30% off

SALE! & Work It Wednesday

First up, There's an after Christmas sale going on at Judy's right now.
All Christmas items in the gift section are 30% off!


Now, onto our Work It Wednesday. Scrapbooking is all about remembering, right? Sure, we do it for fun and it's a creative stress reliever for some. But really, we do it to remember. It's a way to tell our story, to document the details of our lives.

This time of year is a perfect time to stop and reflect on some of those details. So, for Work It Wednesday go get your camera. Take a look around your house and determine which holiday decorations are special to you. Ask yourself which ones are worth remembering? What are the details and the story behind them? Why are they special? Take pictures of them and then take a few minutes to write down the details. Then you will have everything you need to make a special little mini album of Holiday details worth remembering.

Enjoy,
Amy

P.S. The photo shown will go in my little book of Christmas details. It's one of the first few decorations we put out each year. It always comes out before the other items and seems to be our way of slowing introducing our home to the holidays.

It's Time

It's time to wish you all a very
Merry Christmas and a
wonderful New Year!

Thank you for your continued friendship, business, and support. We are all looking forward to the new year and all the creative possibilities it brings.

All our love,
The Staff at Judy's

So much to share & it's Work It Wednesday!

It's Work It Wednesday! But before I get into today's idea I want to make sure that you stay with me for a bit as I've got some new products to show at the end of this post.

Ok - Let's dive in. Today's work it Wednesday is about making your own background paper. Here's what you do:

- Pick your paper. This can be a solid color of cardstock (like the white shown) or use a pattern piece that has a small print or subtle design (like green shown).

- Using the word processing program on your computer, type a line or two of several different words or statements into a document. Once you have a few lines done, go in and change the font and color on one or two words. The example shows that "Happy Holidays" is done in red while the rest of the words are in black.

- After you've changed the fonts and colors as you'd like, highlight the lines and copy them. Place the copied text right after your first lines and then repeat the process until you've filled a whole page with your chosen words.

- Next you print. And there you have it, you've created your own background papers. I still prefer to do 8.5x11 layouts but you could use this tip on a 12x12 too, even if your printer can't print that size. Just print it on 8.x5 x 11 and place that piece of paper onto the 12x12 background. You can also use your newly created pattern paper for cards.

The coolest thing about this trick is that you can work it into any theme; birthday, Christmas, vacations, anything will work. It gives your designs a totally custom look. So cool!

Here's a sample layout and a card I did using this weeks Work It trick.

Next time you are in the store keep your eyes open for pattern papers that have a small design to them, buy some and then see how you can personalize it using today's Work It trick.

Now, as mentioned above - we have new stuff in the store! We love getting shipments and we love sharing them with you. We have the new Card Creations idea book by Paper Crafts - (I's a good one! Lots and lots of creative ideas for all different kinds of cards)


And we have a ton of new Jolee's stickers too. So many I had a hard time getting a good photo to show. There are Hockey skates, hunting, kayaking, rafting, tennis, pirates, skiing, ambulance, princess, and so many more. The detail on these stickers is amazing. Check them out when you come in next.
That's it for today - Happy Wednesday!

Quick Christmas Ornament

Here's a really quick Christmas ornament idea
that is really easy to make.

You will need:
1 - clear glass ornament (You can buy them at Judy's)
Holiday paper cut into 1/2" x 6" strips (Judy's has holiday paper too)
1- pencil

Here's what you do:
- Remove the top of the glass ornament and set aside
- Take a strip of paper and roll tightly around a pencil
- Carefully remove rolled paper and place inside ornament
- repeat process until the ornament is as full as you'd like
- Replace topper and hang on Christmas tree or give as a gift

We are quickly approaching the last full week to get your Christmas shopping done. Remember Judy's has a large selection of beautiful gift items as well as scrapbooking and art supplies. And if you're not sure what to get, stop in and pick up a Gift certificate.

Guess What???

It's a girl!!!

Congrats to Judy and her family. Last night they welcomed a beautiful little girl into their family. This little addition is Judy and Steve's 4th grandchild. We're so happy for you!

It's still Wednesday, just barely

I've been on the road today so I apologize for the delay in getting up today's Work It Wednesday.

So, what's in store for today? I thought since Christmas is just around the corner, I would show a few ways that you can really work the supplies you have and turn them into some fun Christmas projects.

First up is the ribbon frame. A few years ago fibers and ribbons were the big trend in scrapping. I must admit, I never got into the fibers. But still to this day I can't pass up cute ribbon. It's my weakness. I have a large collection of ribbon, all kinds of ribbon, and I really don't use it much on my layouts. So, for this project I put my ribbon to work by simply wrapping it around a photo mat and placing it in a frame.

Up next is a new favorite of mine. It's a metal barn star that I've covered with Christmas papers. We just made these a few weeks ago in one of my classes and out of all the projects this one seemed to be the favorite. I used some new papers that Judy has in stock but you could alter a star, or anything else really, by picking out and using papers you have on hand.

So today's Work It Wednesday is to use your scrapping supplies for something other than scrapbooking. It can be done. You've got scrapbook paper, embellishments, and tools that can all be used for many other purposes. So put them to work and enjoy the creative process along the way.

(Side note: if you are interested in making a star of your own, stop into the store. Judy has the stars in stock. And if you want it, you can even pick up a pattern and the directions for altering the star. Be warned though, there is a limited number on hand)

Enjoy,
Amy

P.S. I've got a few other Holiday items to show in the next few days so be sure to come back. I like to read your comments too, even if you just say "hi".

Holiday gift idea...

Is there someone you need to buy for this year but just aren't sure what to get? I've been in that situation before. You want to buy something but either they have everything, need nothing, or you don't know them well enough to get them something too personal. So, here's what I did, I bought a candle and called it good. Yes, it's pretty generic but that's what makes it such a great gift. Because they come in so many varieties you can still personalize the gift by buying a scent that reminds you of that person. So, if you are in need of a quick gift check out the stash of candles Judy has in stock. There are many to choose from, everything from your flower varieties to warm and delicious holiday scents. And, in case you need help deciding on one, the candle shown that has Santa on the front - It really does smell just like a County Christmas. Warm, comfy and delightful!

Have you seen these?

You've probably seen these canisters at the store. They are just a canister right? Wrong! They are a blank canvas waiting to be decorated.

You can do so much with these. You can alter them, paint them, poke a hole in the lid and make a bank, use them to hold supplies, or give as gifts.

Here's a little sample of what I'm doing with them for Christmas gifts for my neighbors. First, I picked some scrapbook paper I love (lots of options at the store) and trimmed it to the right size. Then, using my Xyron Cheetah (available at the store) I added adhesive to the back of the paper and wrapped the canister.


After the paper was in place, I simple added some embellishments. A ribbon, tag and snowflake make the gift container complete.

Now the question is, what will I put in them? You could put quite a lot really. Candy, gift certificates, t'shirts, and for me, well, I'm giving cookie stacks. They are easy, just bake your cookies (or buy them), stack them up, wrap in Saran wrap and place them inside the canister. It looks so much better than just giving a plate of cookies. And there you have it, a cute little gift to give away.

We have a lot of these canisters in stock, both the ready-to-decorate and some already decorated. If we can set them aside for you, let us know.

And, if you like the gift tag shown, be sure to ask about it. It's new from Daisy D's and comes in a pack of 24. All of them being different and all of them being adorable. You can use them for gift giving, for card making and scrapbooking. They are in with the scrapbook stickers if you go looking for them.

Work It Wednesday - Dec. 5th

Yep! It's Wednesday again. That means it's time for another Work It Wednesday idea.

Do you have a favorite layout? A layout that came together quickly and when it was done you were really happy with the end results? If so, than you need to go pull it out from wherever it is hiding and put it to good use.

Here's what I mean. Sometimes coming up with new designs for our craft isn't always easy. So when you find a layout design that works, use it again. You can repeat the design of the layout over and over. Duplicate it on another layout that has a different theme and color scheme or even scale it down and use it for a card.

Personally, I really like this layout of my daughter. It was quick and easy. I used one of the pre-packaged kits that Judy has combined together of My Minds Eye products. (the kit has a few sheets of coordinated paper plus a cool pre-printed quote - ask about them next time your in the store.)

Because I love the layout, I decided to really "work" the design, and use it again on a quick Christmas card. You can see that even though the colors changed and the size is scaled down, the design still works.

So for today's Work It Wednesday I encourage you to look through your completed layouts and find a few designs you really like and then, well, copy them. Make more layouts or make some cards. Chances are, if you liked it the first time around, you'll love it the second and third too.

Enjoy,
Amy

P.S. - Remember last weeks tip about scraps. You should know, on this Christmas card, I went right to my pre-trimmed scraps, found a red I liked and pulled the card together in a matter of minutes.

Holiday Hours!

In order to make sure you have plenty of time to complete your holiday shopping we have special Holiday Hours at the store until Christmas.

Monday - Closed
Tuesday - 10 to 6
Wednesday - 10 to 6
Thursday - 10 to 8
Friday - 10 to 8
Saturday - 10 to 5
Sunday - 12 to 4

If you need a gift idea why not give a SIGN as a sign of your affection. The photos shows just a few but we have many other names and places as well. Come in and take a look.

Happy Holiday shopping!