It is HERE!!

Two posts down explains the "Tale of a Sale" that my PIC (stamping Partner in Crime) and I sold at and shopped at at the Enchanted Cottage store in Lewisville, NC. After the sale I shopped their store and I also put in an order for the new Sizzix Big Shot machine that is new to the market...

Sizzix began making the Big Shot machines back in 2001 for paper crafting. I had bought an old black one used as my first die cutting machine and it lasted a long time and I got a lot of use out of it but once it stopped working I bought a new Sizzix Big Shot machine on sale and that is what I have been using for a couple of years..... but..... this newer machine I have had problems with the handle working itself loose and coming off in my hand so I had to keep the Allen Wrench that comes with that machine to attach the handle when it came out of the box nearby to be able to re-attach the handle as needed... In crafters videos I have seen other crafters having this problem as well.... 

Fast forward...... before the sale we sold things at at Enchanted Cottage I had seen the new redesigned Sizzix Big Shot machines in videos and watched to see all the new changes..... FELL in love with the machine so I decided if I made enough money from our sale that I would use my sale money to buy this new machine..... Here is the Big Shot I was replacing:

I ordered the machine from the store and they called to let me know it had arrived and I just went and picked it up this weekend. Here it is:

right out of the box:

Handle is stored under the machine if you need to store it to take the machine with you to a class or crops or for storage on a shelf:

Took the handle off the storage slot and popped it on the side of the machine and it clicked and is in place and NO Allen Wrench needed!! YAY  

The mechanics of this machine are the same from the original Big Shot so I am sure it will last me a very long time..... it is flat on the top so you can put your plates there while working if needed:

The platform plates with this machine have photos and instructions for use for thin dies, steel ruled dies, 2D and 3D embossing folders, regular embossing folders, and anything else you would need to use your die cutting machine for:

Love that this machine is the same 6" opening and it has a higher channel to keep your plates straight as you die cut or emboss so they will be evenly stacked while going through the machine for a better die cut or embossed piece:

A photo of the two machines together to show the size of the new machine VS the old machine:

With this machine is also an instruction booklet with instructions and photos and that is big and bulky since it is in 6 languages so I cut off the English part for easy storage on my die cutting table for a quick reference if needed:

I do not think I make any projects in my craft room without using my Big Shot for die cutting, or embossing, or hot foiling with my Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil machine so I am happy I was able to get this new and improved model!!  Looking forward to many years of projects ahead with this new machine!!

This new machine can be ordered just as the machine or they also offer a starter package of the machine with over 70 dies that come with it. I have many dies similar to the ones offered in the starter package so I just opted for the new machine...... Thanks to Enchanted Cottage for ordering it for me to pick it up!

Autumn Array Card

Bought the Taylored Expressions Autumn Array stamp, stencil, die set at a used papercraft sale last weekend. I wanted to use this bundle to make a Thanksgiving card and I also used a used SU background stamp I picked up at a paper craft sale in September:

Here is the TE Autumn Array bundle:

Here is the card I made:

Card stock base is a rust that I cut and scored on the side. Cut a piece of cream card stock for the card front and put that onto the card stock base using liquid glue. For the background plaid pattern I turned the wood stamp with the stamp side up and I inked it with an pad. Laid a piece of cream card stock on the inked stamp and I put a piece of printer paper over that and ran my hand over the stamp to transfer the ink to the card stock. This gives the image a softer look for the background.

Stamped the Autumn Array stamp onto cream card stock for the leaves. Used the stencils and added all the colour and layers of the design. This was easy to line up because the stencils have an etching pattern on them:

Used a cake turntable to do the stenciling on and even with the different layers this did not take long to do:

Used the matching die and I cut out the stenciled piece. Also used the die and cut out a piece of white craft foam to put behind the floral piece to add dimension for the card front. For the holiday greeting "Thanksgiving Blessings" I used a stamp from the Trinity Stamps Autumn Greetings stamp set and I stamped that using green ink. Cut out the banner using a banner die set from Pink & Main from the stash.

Used liquid glue to assemble the stencil piece to the craft foam and then to the plaid card front and on the base. Added gems from the stash for some sparkle. Easy bundle to use and it did not take long to stencil and make this holiday card. 

Amber Autumn Cards

Used the cover plate die from the SU Amber Autumn bundle to make the background for the front of these cards. I used the "smooshing" tool that NB Cards on YouTube shared. Here is one of the cards:

Since I was using the smooshing tool I decided I would do this technique on a full sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 card stock as that would give me four card fronts. I began with a sheet of cream card stock and first I used a yellow ink and added other colours as I went along. I used the heat tool to dry each layer as I wanted to layer the colours and not to have them blend and become muddy when wet:

kept adding colours until I covered the page and I went back with more yellow for my last layer of colour:

and the last layer:

With that all done and dry I die cut the leaves cover plate from the bundle four times - I made three cards and I have one panel to keep with the bundle. With all the card fronts die cut I cut cream card stock for the card fronts. Used green card stock base for the cards and scored those at the top.  Wanted a one word shadow piece for the card front so I used a die from the stash - Whimsy Stamps "Autumn". I cut this out of a rust mirrored card stock, a brushed gold mirrored card stock, and a matte gold mirrored card stock. The problem with this "Autumn" die is the word "Autumn" die cuts three different pieces so I used the scrap piece of card stock I cut the letters out of and I put the letters back into that so they would be in a straight row and the spacing would be correct for the card front:

Turned the piece over and added liquid glue and put this onto the vellum shadow piece I cut for each word:

For all the smooshed card fronts I used the Spellbinders Layering Rectangle die set and cut the inked card front piece for the card front. I used liquid glue and put the inked card front onto the cream card stock piece. Used liquid glue and put these onto the green card stock base. Put the "Autumn" word and vellum shadow piece on the card front using liquid glue. Added gems from the stash so a little sparkle and shine. 

Each of the card fronts are a little different as it is the smooshing technique and parts of the piece of card stock I did the smooshing on are lighter and darker than other parts of that sheet. Here are the other cards I made:

Much easier to use this "smooshing tool" that NB Cards shared rather than to ink blend your inks. Fun technique and just as easy to do the 8 1/2 x 11 card stock than four different smaller card stock pieces. Fun Autumn card to make!

The Tale of the Sale . . .

Every year the Enchanted Cottage paper crafting store in Lewisville, NC holds their annual Customer Yard Sale and usually my PIC (stamping Partner in Crime) and I shop this sale held in the parking lot behind the store.... this is the first year she and I have rented spots so we could sell items. I had weeded items out of my craft room and the DSD now has a full time career and no longer uses her paper crafting items so I combined her items and mine and sorted and priced it all to sell.... Unfortunately my PIC's Mom had passed away so my PIC was left with her whole paper crafting craft room of supplies and tools. My PIC also weeded items out of her craft room so between us we had 4 craft rooms of items/supplies to sell at this sale. She sorted and priced her items and I did mine. 

The night before this sale my PIC brought over all her boxes and bins and such of things she was selling and my DH helped me get my boxes and bins and such out to the driveway and the three of us loaded up a small trailer and the back of DH's truck for our trip the next morning to Enchanted Cottage for this sale. It is a 2+ hour sale from our house to Lewisville and the store had assigned us a setting up time of 7:30AM and we did not want to be late - esp with all we had.... DH not only drove us but he set up the two canopies and we set up the tables. I had bought black tablecloths at the Dollar Tree so all the tables looked neat and tidy since some of the tables are different colours and some have spray paint on them and such from house projects..... I also had made signs on green poster board from the Dollar Tree to list some of the items we were selling at our side to side spots. We hung these signs on the canopy using spring clamps from Harbor Freight as I did not want to use something that would damage the canopy cloth. 

When we shop this sale I usually take photos as soon as we arrive but we had shoppers before we even had a chance to finish setting up so these photos were taken late in the morning:

This year there were 30 sellers at this sale. Enchanted Cottage sent out emails and did posts on Facebook announcing this sale and she gave a list of some of the items sellers had told her they would be selling at their spots. I decided I would run an ad for the sale on CraigsList in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Winston-Salem and I listed some of the items other sellers were selling and I added a few of the items we would have. We had Big Shot machines, SU carousel ink pad holders, a Cricut with programs, embossing folders, etc.. On the signs I had made up for our spots I listed many of the items we thought people would be looking for and each sign I wrote out I made it different and listed different things

Both my PIC and I had read the email from the store listing items from other sellers and on the list was a Spellbinders Glimmer hot foil machine. I already have this system but my PIC wanted to see what shape this machine at the sale was. We did not know which of the sellers had it for sale and our plan was once we were set up I would scope out and look for this machine for her and check it out since she does not know what the machine should come with..... we were far too busy for me to shop right away as I was helping my PIC set up and we helped the first rush of customers and then I went through the sale looking for the machine but not looking at other seller's items for sale at that time.... two booths from the end.... 

I saw two ladies looking through a large pile of SU Paper Pumpkin kits and right behind all the Paper Pumpkin kits I saw the Glimmer box.... the ladies were nice enough to let me stand between them so I could look at the box - the guy at that spot was a teenager so he got his father to come over to help me as his mother was helping another customer on the other side of her spot. I asked the father how much the machine was and did it have all the plates, platform, cord and all? He said he was sure it had everything because the box was still sealed from the factory and never opened..... the store sticker price on the box was $164.99 but the sale price they were selling it for was $35.00!!!  So I paid him right away and hurried back to our spots to give it to my PIC and to help with the sale. A little later I was able to get away to do my shopping and since I already had seen all the other seller spots I knew the spots I wanted to shop at. GREAT deals all over..... bought 3 of the IRIS bins for card stock for $3 each, picked up dies for $1 and $3 and a stencil for $2, and TE stamp and die sets. I also bought a TE stamp and 4 piece stencil set for $12.00 but when I came home and opened that up the $22.00 die that matches that set was in the envelope between the stencils so that was a DEAL for sure! Also bought a hot foil sentiment strip set with matching dies. So happy shopping for me for sure:

As I always do when I shop this Yard Sale I stop in the Enchanted Cottage store and buy things to support their business. This year I bought the Wavy Rectangle die set from Penny Black:

This die set will make frames and shakers and some how I did not own a wavy rectangle die set so I was happy to pick it up. I also ordered one of the new Sizzix Big Shot machines from them and they will let me know when it arrives at the store and I will go back to pick it up and looking forward to that!! The store is all decorated for Fall and Halloween with cards and projects all over the store for inspiration so I am hoping all the shoppers made a stop inside....

We packed up at the end of the sale and loaded up and headed out for a late lunch and then headed home and we got home just as it was getting dark. We unloaded all the boxes/bins and such of PIC's items and loaded her car for her ride home and left all the rest on the trailer for the night. In the morning I got up and unloaded the trailer by myself so that DH did not have to deal with that. I am certainly happy we came home with many empty boxes and bins! YAY

When I was going through items in my craft room that I was weeding out I had three of the white shadow boxes left over from the Butterfly Shadow Boxes I had made - here is a photo of the one I made for my craft room:

For the sale I made two of the pink butterflies and one of the aqua butterflies -- here is a photo of them in progress before I put them in the frames for the sale:

Sold the two pink ones but brought home this aqua shadow box:

We had a great sale and came home with empty totes and bins and boxes and not so many machines so YAY.... Probably in November my PIC and I will hold a sale at my house and see how that goes.... Fun day and huge thanks to DH for pricing w me, loading the truck and trailer with us, driving us to and from there and a huge thanks to DSD for being the main Cashier!! Thanks a lot to Enchanted Cottage for giving us customers a chance to buy our supplies at a used Yard Sale in their parking lot and for being the ONLY paper crafting store still open that we can get to........

Craft Supply Sale

My PIC (stamping Partner In Crime) arranges for us to attend a local used stamp supply sale every Fall. The sale was held yesterday and this post shows the items I bought. Each year that I have gone with her the sale is different as to what is available for sale as far as products, manufacturers, etc.. This year most of the sale items were SU products. In the past they have had a lot of storage items, machines, tools, supplies, inks, ink pads, stencils, steel ruled dies and thin metal dies, bling, ribbons, albums, etc....  But this year more stamps were available and card stocks and ribbons. 

I was happy to find SU card stock new in packaging for $5.00 per pack so I picked up some of those:

The colours are a lime green, purple, and navy blue. Also picked up a random pack of reds card stocks:

Foiled card stocks in a pack:

The Tulip punch:

A brand new ink pad, re inker, and marker in a bag for $3.50:

Two background stamps:

Two of their Project Life stamp sets for $2 each:

Brand new Painted Texture embossing folder in original packaging for $3:

How this sale works is this lady holds this sale at her house and different sellers consign their items to her. She sets it all up so I have learned from the past if you see a product you like and there is a stack of three of those sets to look at each set - one for the condition it is in and secondly is the price. The Tulip punch I picked up there were two of those - mine punch was $4.00 and the other punch was marked $7.00. Same with the stamp sets - the plaid background I paid $5.00 for and under that one was another of the same background for $8.00 so it is worth the time to look through the products. 

I also bought one pack of SU bling for $2.00:

By the register was a huge box of empty SU stamp cases marked 3 for $3.00 which was a good deal if you wanted those as SU is phasing those out and will not offer the plastic stamp cases anymore but I did not buy those. Always fun to shop these used craft supply sales as you never know what you will find or what kind of deals await!  Thanks to my PIC for signing us up to shop!