Copic - Kraft Parmesan Container Storage Tower!

As you know, in a previous post I won the huge black Copic marker travel bag at the 10 second Marathon Run at Absolutely Everything, Topsfield, MA last summer and ever since,  that is where my Copic pens have been stored.

  Last night, I was coloring an image and was reaching for a color and the individual mesh basket inside this huge box spilled over---blah, blah, blah...<swear word here> ha-ha

After regrouping my mess, I was looking around my studio thinking... how can I store these on my desk so I can see each color in their proper color family without dumping them out onto my work station...

 Hmmm...

Kraft Parmesan containers - glued together with hot glue!  BINGO!  I glued two together and the hot glue did not distort their form and supported the weight of the markers...itsa go!

Now, we are not of Italian decent, but I guess big parm-pasta consumers and I have made it a habit of upcycling these wonderful clear plastic containers in my craft room.  I have used them for buttons, doodads, giving a jar of Cricut pre- cut die leaves to my secret sisters and and now my Copic's!

My Copic's have a brilliant new home, lying securely at a 45 degree angle, on my desk in clear sight! I need to invest in some re-inker's to put my entire stash up there...and as my collection grows-I'll yank out the glue gun and add another container to the stack!  Brilliant!

Question...Any ideas what to do with the Parmesan caps? I suppose I could use them for glitter or embossing powders--but the horror of the cap not being closed properly could really make my head spin! 

*Note: Dishwashers melt the plastic-hand washing a must!

Since I have to multi-task while chatting on the phone (one can only play so much "Mahjong Titans" w/o going cross-eyed)...I grab a 12x12 stack/ pad of decorative papers and get crackin' on assembling envelopes!  So far these envies have journeyed to the UK, Germany, FL, Chicago and AZ without fail!  This "Lick & Stick" glue works beautifully-even with my full-figured  6x6 cards!  I am saving myself bundles on envies!  A big round of applause to 

 We R MemoryKeepers!!!

This spring I worked for Absolutely Everything ,Topsfield, MA for a short stint--actually 18.5 days and really enjoyed myself.  One of the best perks was given the opportunity to 'create from scratch'-Kate Farricker, owner of AE, let me run with the ball on some new images. This image is from IO Stamps (Impression Obsession-Mermaid). She is holding something else-but I could not help myself to use a use something "real" as her focal point--Yes, I always think about what the image is doing!  I am pretty sure that sand is from Anna Maria Island, FL.

Paper Smooches "I love Shoes"

"Tracie's Specks-tacular Cabana"

Tracie, from our SCS swap gave us the challenge of working with this digital image; Sunbathing Beauty by Dearie Dolls-she was originally lying down on a beach blanket--but I sent her to work in her beach cabana instead!

The Nutcracker featuring Art Impressions Girlfriends!

November was my month to select an image for our card swap.  I chose the ever-so-fun and silly Art Impressions “Girlfriend’s” that are workin’~ it in both tutus and on bouncy balls! Our challenge was to use both or one of these images with a humorous theme.

T
is’ the season~I thought I would tie both of them in together performing “The Nutcracker” as Sugar Plum Fairies and at Bounce Class!  I really had some crazy fun with this once I found the right papers and theme. I think my new favorite colors are; purple, cherry red, cream, touch of green and gold!

Stamps: Art Impressions “Girlfriends”

Ink: Copic & Tim Holtz Distressed

Card stock: Bazzill

Decorative Papers: Graphic 45, Echo Park

Sentiments: Word “Opera Font”

 Goggled: Dance Quotes

Retro “Dunkies” Thermos

 So I am minding my own business one night and my sweet daughter Kala and her good friend Ashley storm down the stairs into my basement with a “Surprise” for me!  Excitedly, Ashley is holding something behind her back while Kala is looking onward to witness my reaction.  Ashley reveals my gift and exclaims “Look what we found for you!!!”  They had just arrived home from shopping a few second hand stores for articles of clothing and props for Halloween costumes and the play that Ashley is in.  They paid almost nothing for it-but could not resist since ‘I gotta have my Dunkies iced coffee every day!’

A very large Dunkin’ Donuts Thermos in perfect condition!  We had a good laugh and I suggested how I am going to hold onto this “artifact” because somewhere in time it will be worth a fortune! We laughed together!

I can see it now, my kids-- kids-- kids (all the way down the genealogy line of future generations to come) will find it boxed up in the back stacks of storage in the remains of this house and bring it to a traveling “Antiques Road Show” event. There, it will be broadcast on PBS as a one hit wonder and crowds will surround their colorful and gigantic pristine tubular find!  They’ll wonder what it was used for and why anyone would NEED that much coffee in one day.  Did people use it to bring it to their jobs or on a week’s vacation to a place that sold no coffee?  Did they carry it as an accessory just in case they needed a little lift throughout their day?  How long would the coffee stay hot in this tubular form and is there a microwave chip gadget inside to keep it hot? What, no buttons or wires to plug this thing into a wall—it’s not WIFI’d?  Why can you not see the bottom of the mirrored inside capsule of this thing they called a “thermos”? And, if it keeps something hot, does it also have the ability to keep something cold for a long period of time?

The experts at Antiques Road Show will list a price below its picture as;

Dunkin Donuts Thermos: $10,000 - $20,000

(The standard size coffee mug was used as a size –scale comparison in this photo.)

White on White Winter Scene

I am teaching a card class this November and one of my challenges for this class is to create a card that does not involved a lot of fussing around.  This card is as no fuss as picking up a handful of snow to make a snow ball!

1) White card stock (5.5 x 5.5 card base size)

2) Accent color mat card stock (blue)

3) Dotted Embossing folder (snow)

4) Memory Box dies (background scene & decorative swirly tree)

5) White ribbon (dotted pattern)

6) Bling! (One card with blue to coordinate with blue accent mat and one card with clear/silver bling)

This card took about ten minutes to create. Your only challenge is to make sure you are using the same white card stock-because as we all know—all “whites” are not the same!