My New Craft Room - Revealed

Well Good Morning My Stamping Friends!! I'm having a great day here in Northern VA. The sun is shining, it should get all the way up to about 50 degrees today, I'm sitting in the sunshine that is streaming in my diningroom windows and we're expecting a snowstorm tonight. All of these are good things but I'm most happy that I'm finally able to share the details of my new Stampin' Up! craft room with you.

I wasn't quite sure what to call this 'redo' for a while. I've referred to it as my Stamp Room Renovation, my Redo, my 'takeover', my new-to-me stamp room and a few other things. To be honest, it wasn't really a renovation since we weren't knocking down walls. It wasn't a redo, since it wasn't my craft room to begin with, it wasn't a 'takeover' since it was more of a room swap but it is a new-to-me stamp room. I guess I've settled on calling it Rose-Ellen's Stamp Pad....at least thats the Facebook location name where you can 'check-in' when you come over to stamp with me.

So, to give you a little background, my new craft room started out as my kids playroom/TV room but we found that the kids weren't really playing with the toys down in that room. No one wanted to clean up the toys that had magically migrated to the floor from the toy bins, so no one could GET to the TV to watch it. So......we did a few room swaps. We originally had a piano in our living room which felt like it took over the whole room, but when we got the piano we didn't have a better place for it. I had a craft room on the same level so I gave up my craft room and we turned that into a music room/TV room with a toy closet. This gave us back our living room which we are now able to enjoy again (insert huge WAHOO! here!!!). However this meant I had no craft room anymore. I used to host my classes and clubs at the large table in our dining room which worked just fine but it wasn't a perfect solution for lots of reasons. Plus, I couldn't just leave my stampin' stuff on the table all the time. So we decided that I could takeover the kids old playroom for my stamping area and as a place for My Stamping Friends to sit and create when I have my classes and monthly club meetings. It took quite a while of working in the evenings and weekends, and planning where to put the shelves and what would go on them, to get this room just right but I believe I've done it.

I'll take you on a little tour of the room starting with what you'd see if you went down the stairs and made a left.



My counter height workstation that I use for my Stampin' Up! Simply Scored
tools, to include the diagonal plate and the new Borders Scoring Plate. I also
have some of my retired stamp sets on the shelves available for sale.

This is the counter height station that I'm using for my Simply Scored scoring tools. One has the Diagonal plate overlay and the other has the brand new Borders Scoring plate. I can leave them on the counter and when we aren't using them I can put them on the top shelf. I think I'll probably be using this counter more often for the drinks and snacks we always have when we're stamping.  Also on the top shelf I've got my light table and a few baskets to hold misc stamping goodies. The lower shelf in this photo has a basket of snails and snail refills (we seem to go through a lot of them around here) and a few display pieces that have either come from Stampin' Up! or are made with Stampin' Up! products. If you zoom in you might be able to see my UPS Delivery Guy Punch Art. He was made for me by one of my great friends, Joan H and I LOVE him AND her for making him for me. On the bookshelf below the counter I have some of my retired stamp sets. Having them here makes it easy for me to grab one if someone is looking for a retired set and it makes them easy to sell at my Open House. There is a double door storage closet to the right of the counter but that is my behind the scenes storage area. Sorry, no photos. Besides if I opened those doors I might not get them closed again!

To the right of the double door closest (and just around the corner) is a bookshelf.

My Ordering Station (which holds catalogs, order forms & pens),
some current wood mount stamp sets and several shoeboxes full
of swap cards and project samples. 

I realize you can't see the bottom shelf but that holds my Catalog and Idea Books and grid papers, so its nothing exciting. The shoe boxes are full of cards that I've made and cards that I've swapped, going back to my very first convention in Denver in the Summer of 2007 and the Bermuda Cruise Incentive trip in April of 2008. Its amazing to see how trends have changed so much. The shelf also holds some wood mount stamp sets and on top of the shelf is a tall DVD rack of some of my clear mount stamp sets. I also have a few Catalog and Idea Books, Mini Catalogs and Sale-A-Bration Brochures available for anyone to look at. I've added some order forms and pens just to make everything easy for my clients. As far as the dart board goes a) I can't find a better place in the house for it yet and b) its a stress reliever and mojo-finder when I need a break. Seriously though I'm keeping my eyes out for the perfect display surface for me to attach my vinyl 'Create' definition and hang in this spot. Meanwhile, I'll leave the dart board. 

To the right of this area is another single door where I've hung a cork board for displaying card samples.

Corner View of my display board, punch wall and desk area.

All the display cards are in plastic envelopes and hung with paperclips and push pins so the cards themselves don't get damaged. You can also see my punch wall in the photo. I hung all my current punches on BYGEL racks from IKEA. They are the perfect depth for holding the older style or the newer style of punches. You just have to unlock the new style of punches to hang them on the bar. Under the punches is a BYGEL basket (two actually that are stacked ontop of each other). I think its a spice basket but don't quote me on that one. I use these baskets for my handheld punches and the very tiny punches that won't fit on the rack (Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack). I'm just waiting to hang these baskets on the wall and get them off my desk surface. You can also see part of my desk in this photo but later in this blog post there is a photo with a better angle.

Here is a close up of my punch wall.

My Punch Wall - This holds my current punches. Its so
 wonderful to have them available to look at and use
since they are right at my fingertips.

Here is a much better angle of my desk area.

My desk area - holds all my Stampin' Up! ink pads, current clear mount
stamp sets, accessories such as dazzling details, ribbons and buttons are
all within reach and all my current designer series paper is on the top shelf.

I find that when I'm crafting I tend to use the card stock, a tool or accessory and put it on the right side of my desk so I decided to sit more towards the left side of the desk and give myself plenty of room on the right. Starting on the top shelf I have order paperwork and 12x12 Designer Series Paper and then three three-drawer units that hold my sponges, glues, stamp-a-ma-jig, sticky strip, glue dots, refill cutter blades, embossing powders, etc. and on the end of that shelf are my Big Shot Die Boxes. They are fantastic boxes but I have a functional area for my dies right now so I don't plan on breaking them out of their boxes just yet. The next shelf down has some more clear mount stamp sets. One section is full of stamps from the current mini catalog (so I always know whats current from the mini vs. the main catalog and idea book) and then one of our new designer printed 8x8 albums and some of my Stampin' Success magazines. The next shelf down holds my ribbon keepers and a few little baskets of misc goodies and a basket of all the open snails I use in my classes. You can see how I store my inks. Having this holder attached to the wall makes it easier for me to get ink pads from the bottom slots (cause my desk is hardly ever this tidy!). Above the ink holder I have a few baskets full of pearls, rhinestones, dimensionals, etc. On the desk surface I have my markers in the corner, then a basket of my clear blocks, and a basket of mini catalog accessories, then a few small holders for dazzling details, crystal effects, pens, scissors, bone folders, etc.

Moving to the right you can see my Big Shot station.

Here is a view of my Big Shot workstation. my framelits and embossing
folders are on the desktop and all my dies fill several drawers.
Now someone can emboss while another person diecuts.

This is a desk height workstation where stampers can walk up and cut some cardstock on one Big Shot while another stamper is embossing with one of our embossing folders or using framelits or something else on another. No more waiting for the Big Shot! On top of the workstation, along the wall, are baskets with all my framelits, embossing folders and sizzlits. The drawers are nicely organized, with all my Big Shot dies on the left most stack of drawers, retired Designer Series Paper in the center drawers and some extra paper cutters and other misc items in the right hand drawers. You probably can't see it too well, but standing up inbetween the drawer stacks, is my large cutter. I LOVE my cutter and when I pull that out I can cut all the cardstock for my Stamp-A-Stacks or my Cropping events, in no time! In this photo you can also see the black file cabinet full of card stock, that doesn't fit under my desk. I'm still on the search for the perfect lateral filing cabinet that would fit all my card stock as well as fit under my desk. For right now, the file cabinet works and a side benefit is that it hides all the junk I tossed, stuff I threw important items I have carefully placed under my desk. I think I'm going to get some fabric and make a curtin for under the desk.

Anyway, moving on to the right you can see my classroom area.



A view of my classrrom area. I leave it set up for 8 guests all the time but
by moving the tables and chairs I can fit up to 16 stampers.
Find my class schedule on my website and come stamp with me!

 

I have it set up all the time for 8 stampers, but can configure the tables and chairs so many ways so I can fit up to 16 stampers in here. I love that I can leave the tables set up like this all the time with grid paper and a snail at each table and it actually STAYS that way until people come over again (unlike my dining room table where my family sorta expects to eat a few meals a day). Another reason I like having the tables that are movable is that I can take them down and fit a whole mess of girls for a sleepover just in the right spot to watch a movie and hang out.

I have my Stampin' Up! banner on the wall and at the end of each table I plan to have a cork board to display more sample cards. Those will probably be filled up and hung up after the Baltimore Regional in mid-April. In the right of this photo you can see another bookshelf with retired wood mount stamps (these are unmounted so I think I'm going to start giving them away as blog candy so keep your eyes peeled on my blog). There is also a DVD rack full of retired clear mount stamps. I sorta figured that having them in two different spots would make it easier for shoppers to check them out during my Open House. Aw, who am I kidding, I couldn't fit them all on one bookshelf!

From this direction if you turned right you would see my husbands desk in a corner niche and then a wall which will have a TV, just as soon as I find one that is just the right size and can hang on the wall. Once that is done I'll take a photo of that area and show you that as well.

I guess this room isn't really done, but with so many ideas rolling around in my head, it might never be done and I'm dying to share the fruits of my labor with all of you. I love it and if sharing this set up can help one person with setting up their own craft space then I'll be a happy girl.

So, I hope you've enjoyed the photo tour. If you're local and want to come over for a class you can check out my calendar. I host Monthly Clubs, and Stampin' 101 classes for beginners , Kids Classes, Stamp-a-Stacks, business meetings for my Stampin' Up! team and more. I even have monthly 'Make Up' dates where you can come over and catch up on any class you missed during the month. I hope I have something for everyone but if there is something you'd like to see on my schedule, just let me know and we can work something out.

I hope you have a wonderful day!
Rose-Ellen

Candy Cane Christmas card using Scentsational Season and More Merry Messages from Stampin' Up!

Happy NOVEMBER to My Stamping Friends!! I can't believe how time is flying by and Christmas is almost upon us. I know I haven't posted lately but I'll tell you that I HAVE been spending lots of time in the stamp room and lots of time at local craft fairs.

Today I'm sharing a quick and fun card from my November Holiday Stamp-A-Stack. This one was so simple and all my stamping friends loved it. I used the Scentsational Season and More Merry Messages from Stampin' Up!

Candy Cane Christmas Card using Scentsational Season and
More Merry Messages from Stampin' Up!

I started by using the Scallop Trim Border on both sides of the whisper white card stock layer. Then I used real red ink and stamped the candy cane image and the sentiment, centering that on the cardstock. I attached that layer to the card base and I was finished.

Give this simple card a try and see for yourself just how easy it is.

Leave some love in the comment section if you like the card. Happy comments always make my day.

Rose-Ellen

Christmas in July - Create handmade Stampin' Up! holiday cards

It’s that time of year again. Time to start making your Holiday or Christmas Cards** so you can have them all ready to mail out in December.

In this Stampin' Up! Holiday Stamp-a-Stack class you will make 12 Christmas/Holiday cards** (4 cards each of 3 different designs). If you come to all 6 Christmas Card classes scheduled you’ll have 72 cards ready to be mailed in plenty of time to get to your loved ones by the holidays.

In this class each participant will get a bottle of Stampin' Up! Dazzling Details FREE to use on their projects and take the rest of the bottle home. The class fee is $20 and will be waived if a minimum order is placed at the event.

These classes fill up quickly so please RSVP early. RSVP by clicking here and going to my calendar page. If you can't make it this Wednesday, check out my calendar for the rest of the Stamp-A-Stack Holiday classes scheduled through December.

 ** You can feel free to leave the sentiment off the card and change them to general winter holiday cards. Sentiments will be available in English and in Spanish.

RSVP TODAY for this winter/holiday card class scheduled for this Wednesday, July 25, 2012.

Here is a sample of a holiday card (using the Chock-Full of Cheer stamp set) we could do at one of my Holiday Stamp-a-Stack events.

Stampin' Up! Christmas Card photo from Convention 2012 using Chock-Full of Cheer

Have a fantastic day and I hope to see you this Wednesday.

Rose-Ellen

End of School Teacher Gifts (Gift Cards, Punch Art Frog and Pencil Holder)

Wow, I can't believe its been so long since I've posted on my blog. June was a busy month around here with a graduating 6th grader, a graduating preschooler,  graduation parties, end of year parties for all the kids, camps starting, and much more. I did get to create some teacher gifts that I promised I'd share so here goes. Enjoy!
Our class decided to give a plant to our teachers and if we wanted to, we could give gift cards in decorated envelopes. The envelopes were put into the plant on floral wire and were supposed to look like flowers. I might have taken the theme literally, but they were so cute I couldn't stop, so several teachers got gift card envelopes like these.

 Here I used some retired Designer Series Paper and the retired 5 petal flower punch

 For this one I used retired Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper and the retired 5 petal flower punch

This set used the Stampin' Up! Simply Scrappin' Kit, the retired 5 petal flower punch, the retired fancy flower punch, the 1-3/4 scallop circle, the 1-1/4 circle and the 1/2 inch circle.

I used the scallop envelope die and the Big Shot to cut the envelopes. The envelopes are normally a little too small to fit a regular sized gift card so I folded the paper in half and left three scallops uncovered when I cut the paper.

This makes the envelope longer and voila, it now fits a gift card.

One of the teachers is very fond of frogs and she has a frog as her classroom mascot so of course I had to make her gift card envelopes frog themed.

Too cute, right??

My youngest was graduating preschool and she is going to a different elementary school than most of her classmates so she gave pencils to her classmates so they could start kindergarten with a memory of her. This is what we made for all her preschool classmates and teachers as a graduation gift. Pink for girls and blue for boys.

 I used the owl from the retired Stampin' Up! set called Go, Graduate and punched it out with the cirle and scallop circle punches. A little 1/8 taffeta daffodil delight ribbon and it was finished.

Today I'm stamping with my brand new goodies from the new Holiday Mini Catalog to create projects for my Christmas/Holiday Stamp a Stacks. I hold one of these each month starting in July and running through December. When you come to the class you'll make 12 cards (4 each of 3 different designs) and if you come to all the classes you'll have 72 cards ready to send out or give away just in time for the Christmas Holiday Season. The best part is that when you sign up for one of these classes you'll get product to use on your cards while you're here AND you get to take the rest home. The Christmas in July Stamp-a-Stack is going to feature Dazzling Details. You can take the bottle home and add some sparkle to any cards you already have or are about to make. Not a bad deal. Click here to check out my calendar of upcoming events and see which events you'd like to attend. And don't forget that the card sentiments can be stamped in English or Spanish if you'd like OR you can leave them blank and use them through out the season as Thank You or Thinking of You notes. So many options, so little time. I'll post some of the Holiday Cards this week so stay tuned by following my blog, liking my facebook page (Stampin' Up! with Rose-Ellen), following me on Twitter at @REEastman or signing up for my newsletter. You can email me with questions anytime at StampingWithRose-Ellen@cox.net

Hope you're having a wonderfully relaxing Sunday!
Rose-Ellen

Holiday Stamp A Stacks - Spots still available

Hi there My Stamping Friends,

I wanted to let you know that I still have space in some of my Holiday Stamp a Stacks. If you haven't heard, the schedule is as follows:

Tuesday Dec 7, 2010  at 7:30pm - 9:00pm Stamp-A-Stack #1 (evening event)

Still need time to get your Christmas Cards finished? Now is the perfect time. Come over and get a few more Christmas/Holiday ** cards checked off your list.. ..and nibble on some holiday candies while you’re here.

You will get to make 15 Christmas/Holiday ** cards (5 cards each of 3 different cards). The fee is $20 and includes a roll of ribbon to complete your cards and you get to take the rest of the roll home. You can make a second set of cards for only $15 (additional sets will not include an additional roll of ribbon). Please let me know how many cards you would like to make when you RSVP. This is the evening offering of the Stamp-A-Stack #1 for Christmas Holiday Cards. I will be hosting four Stamp-A-Stack events in December (a Stamp-A-Stack #1 daytime and evening and a Stamp-A-Stack #2 daytime and evening event). The #1 classes will offer the same cards during the day and evening events but will be different cards from the #2 classes. I will try and post photos on my blog very soon.

Please RSVP by December 1st so I have supplies prepared for each participant.

** You can feel free to leave the sentiment off and change them into general holiday cards.


Wednesday Dec 8, 2010 at 10am-11:30am Stamp-A-Stack #1 (daytime event)

This is the daytime offering of the Stamp-A-Stack #1 for Christmas Holiday Cards. I will be hosting four Stamp-A-Stack events in December (a Stamp-A-Stack #1 daytime and evening and a Stamp-A-Stack #2 daytime and evening event). The #1 classes will offer the same cards during the day and evening events but will be different cards from the #2 classes.
Thursday Dec 9, 2010 at 7:30pm - 9:00pm Stamp-A-Stack #2 (evening event)
You will get to make 15 Christmas/Holiday ** cards (5 cards each of 3 different cards). The fee is $20 and includes a roll of ribbon to complete your cards and you get to take the rest of the roll home. You can make a second set of cards for only $15 (additional sets will not include an additional roll of ribbon). Please let me know how many cards you would like to make when you RSVP.

This is the daytime offering of the Stamp-A-Stack #2 for Christmas Holiday Cards. I will be hosting four Stamp-A-Stack events in December (a Stamp-A-Stack #1 daytime and evening and a Stamp-A-Stack #2 daytime and evening event). The #1 classes will offer the same cards during the day and evening events but will be different cards from the #2 classes. I will try and post photos on my blog very soon. ** You can feel free to leave the sentiment off and change them into general holiday cards.

Mon Dec 13, 2010 at 10:00am - 12:30pm Stamp-A-Stack #2 (daytime event)This is the daytime offering of the Stamp-A-Stack #2 for Christmas Holiday Cards. I will be hosting four Stamp-A-Stack events in December (a Stamp-A-Stack #1 daytime and evening and a Stamp-A-Stack #2 daytime and evening event). The #1 classes will offer the same cards during the day and evening events but will be different cards from the #2 classes. I will try and post photos on my blog very soon.

Please RSVP by December 1st so I have supplies prepared for each participant.
** You can feel free to leave the sentiment off and change them into general holiday cards.


Here is a sneek peek of what the Stamp-A-Stack #1 cards look like.

Hope you can join us tonight or at one of the SAS events this week. Email me at

StampingWithRose-Ellen@cox.net or call me at 703-200-2340.