I Love KNK

Where has the time flown?  It has been a busy week here in my studio.  Getting organized for a big reveal coming in 10 days.  (what...10 days...nerves are waking up)  Last post contained a colorful mess on my work space.  Want to see what happened?

I have to say I am really pleased with the end result.  The inside has 'celebrate your day!'.  Want to know a little secret?  I am in love with my ZING.  My Zenith Zing is an electronic die-cutting machine that my DH bought me for Christmas 2011.  I use Make The Cut software (included) that lets my imagination soar!  I could never get such beautiful intricate cuts without it.  Scoot on over and take a look at all the cutters.  http://knkusa.com/  (i'm drooling over the new KNK Maxx Air)

Short and sweet post today.  Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  

Love to all, Jana

What's Up!

Hello everyone!

Thought I would let you know what I have been up to.  Mother's Day was celebrated on Sat, May 11.  My daughters scooped me up and we went to a local casino to play bingo and have my birthday/Mothers Day dinner.  (i am used to having my birthday and mothers day just a few days apart) We checked in and bought our bingo cards and one game is a special blackout with a huge payout.  The girls picked here they wanted to sit and we got settled in.  The casino has the numbers pre-selected for the special blackout game and I got my handy dandy bonker out and got to work. (this is where it gets really spooky/exciting)  I start bonking the numbers and low and behold one row is completely covered. Then the next row, my heart starts racing, another row is covered and of the whole card I ONLY have two numbers not covered.  I am shaking and so excited that I shove the special card under some paper like someone is going to copy my answers on a test.  I have to wait almost an hour before the game is called.  

The caller asks if anyone has a bingo before the game begins (it's worth 50K).  My little card is worth 5K if my numbers come up in the next two calls.  Gang, I am shaking so bad my bonker is moving.  DO YOU THINK I COULD GET THOSE STUPID TWO NUMBERS CALLED.....HOPE EVAPORATES LIKE  AN ICE CUBE ON THE SIDEWALK.  We didn't come away empty handed though, one daughter won a game and made a little money.  Dinner was wonderful and spending time with my kids, priceless!

Here is what is on my work space right now.  I found a pic and printed it out (be careful when doing this, don't want to step on anyone's toes).  Then I get into my stash and start pulling colors out.  That is about as far as I have gotten.  It's a birthday card for a dear friend that takes quite a few days for a package to get to.  So now I am off to make something spectacular!!!  

Love to all, Jana

I love office supplies

There I said it.  Scissors, paper, pens, markers the whole lot.  I absolutely love office supplies.  I was the little kid who got  excited for 'back to school' shopping.  The smell of a brand spanking new box of crayons is right up there with the smell of a brand new book.  To this day, I will wander the aisle of office/school supplies looking for exciting new items.  So it's no wonder that the LOVE of paper in all it's various textures and prints absolutely captivates me.  As my daughters have learned, make sure you have plenty of extra time on your hands when you take mom to the craft store.  I will be in crafty nirvana for hours. 

When I was just starting out paper crafting, I had some paper that came in the great big totes with all the other supplies.  But I needed to flush out my new collection.  So a trip to Joann Fabric was in order.  I picked up a bunch of single sheets of cardstock and some beautiful paper.  And then I saw it.....Wholly Cow!  A big book of 12x12 sheets of paper by DCWV.  MY HOLY GRAIL!!!  Halloween/Autumn all in a single book.  Excited is beyond what I was feeling.  Grabbing up my treasures, I head home with visions of the cards I can create for all my friends and family. 

By now my stash of supplies is growing like weeds.  Those 3 totes are full and I have commandeered the closet in my dear husbands area that was his office.  (of course I took it over a long time ago with my vintage singer 503A machine but he just doesn't know it yet) To get at various items, I needed to move other stuff.  Being a little OCD with my organizational skills this is driving me crazy.

There has to be a way to organize all my supplies and keep the price down doing it. (went a little overboard on all the pretty paper and markers)  One day on a COSTCO run, I found the most wonderful 12x12 plastic project boxes in a 5 pack made by Creative Options.  I put my beautiful paper in these.  But I still wasn't organized.  I wanted stuff off the floor and out where I did not have to dig to find something.   Think, Think, Think.....   My husband, gotta love him, came up with the perfect solution.  Back to COSTCO a few weeks later for more project boxes and this was his solution.

The closet is perfect for me.  All my pretty boxes are labeled and I can grab something and not have to dig for it.  Here are a few more pictures of my STUDIO. (giggle giggle I sound so artsy fartsy)

This is my studio.  I create and escape into my own little world here.  Now you can join me on my adventures with Rhapsody on Paper.  Have a great weekend and Happy Mothers Days.  Bright Blessings, Jana

The official 1st post

Wow!  I  never imagined when my daughter and daughter-in-law brought home 3 gigantic totes filled with stamping stuff that I would someday be blogging.  Here it is almost 2 years since that fateful day and the first post on my blog is here.  (just to let you know, i am scared and excited at the same time.  what have i gotten myself into)

Where to start.....

A dear friend had started making cards and seemed to be having a ball.  Well of course I wanted to try my hand at card making also.  So I got my stamps out, learned how to emboss, found card ideas on various web pages and took off.  Here is one of my very first cards.

Boy howdy!  I was soooo pleased with myself.  Sure there are a few oops, but I actually made a card.  My poor daughters, they got dragged to garage sales, thrift stores and craft stores to find more stamps constantly.  The collection of stamps grew.  But wait,  I can cut out shapes and put pretties (which Jana now knows are called embellishments) on my cards.   Off I go to search out rhinestones, ribbon, buttons, and any item that I think might work on a card.   WHOA.....tell them about the paper.  Well the paper story will have to wait until tomorrow.  So for now...

Bright blessings, Jana