Sweet Summer and a Tidy Tip

I recently helped to host a multi-demonstrator Sale-a-Bration event.  It was a lot of fun!  One of the cards that I had for the ladies to do used the Sweet Summer Sale-a-Bration set.  It is an outline set, which means it works well for coloring!  I used to love to color as a child.  I still do.  For awhile when my daughter was younger and all I ever colored were princesses from Disney, the love of coloring disappeared.  I enjoyed watching my daughter color, but could not muster the excitment to color one more ball gown.  But now that I'm back to coloring with wonderful Stampin' Up markers on my cards, the love has returned. Here's the card.

Stamps: Sweet Summer, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Embossing folder: Tulips

Card stock: Whisper white, Blushing Bride

Inks: Blushing Bride marker, Pear Pizazz  marker, Daffodil Delight marker, Stazon Jet Black

Ribbon: Blushing Bride Poly twill

Punches: Scallop Oval, Medium Oval

It's a super simple card, which is why I think it ended up being such a hit!  It is also the kind of card that will work for many occasions, I used one of the stamps from the set Teeny Tiny Wishes for the sentiment.  That brings me to today's Tidy Tip.  I have to admit that I am one of those people who likes everything neat and tidy.  I cannot create in chaos.  I must have all chores off my mind before I can settle into the right side of my brain.  So, something that was driving me ab-so-lute-ly NUTS was the stamp set Teeny Tiny wishes.  Love the set...hate how the blocks refused to stay neat and all standing up so I could easily read the sentiments.  Because this was the set I used at the Sale-a-Bration event, I spent a lot of time helping guests find a sentiment.  By the time I got home, I wanted to chuck the whole thing!  Urgh!  Then a thought dawned from my weary mind.  It said, "Make ledges."  It wasn't a voice like Kevin Costner hears in Field of Dreams, but I did hear it.  So I took a piece of scrap Window Sheet and began making mountain and valley folds.  Mountains were taped together and valleys were about 3/4" wide.  I then taped the valleys to my plastic case and placed my stamps into the valleys with the mountains becoming the ledges the stamps could rest against.  And it happened...that sigh escaped my lungs as I smiled and felt all neat and tidy!  Look!

Okay, it may not look like much, but those stamps do not slop around in the case anymore.  I can put a sentiment back exactly where I left it last.  No other stamp has slid into it's place or flopped over and messed up the arrangement.  And when I close the lid!!!...Yes... NOTHING changes. Makes me all emotional.  I tried to get a picture of the mountain and valley folds inside the case.  Dare I say this might just be genius!?

 

Just look how that line of stamps stays so soldierly on their ledge!  It's a little slice of heaven for a neat and tidy chic.

Okay, go tidy up your own Teeny Tiny Wishes.  You can thank me later. :-)

Kristine