Next Up: Pumpkins

This one is from a KNK file I bought from Sam & Hailey Designs. Each designer has their own terms of use. This designer, Jan Bryson, authorizes commercial sales of no more than 200 per design and no Internet sales.

This design is from the QuicKutz dies that I've been making for a few years. The black cat is made from a punch. I reproduced these on my KNK Groove, of course. This year, I added the green base, rather than affixing the pumpkin to a patterned paper circle on a scallop. Though . . . I just saw my own pin in my drawer and I still kind of like those. Have to keep thinking on this. Or I could offer both.

My KNK is good. Life is good.

.

Old & New Business Cards

It took forever and a day but I finally got my business cards set up the way I want them in Publisher and the Groove. I printed and cut 250 yesterday and will give them to Mom this morning at breakfast to stitch.

I originally intended to print them on white paper, same as I've been getting from Vistaprint. I have two weights of white paper, one is very heavy (120 lb) and one is heavier than text but not quite cardstock weight, 67 lb I think it is. I hate flimsy business cards. I know the Groove can cut 120 lb paper (right, Darcy?) but I couldn't get it to work nicely.

I had considered using colored cardstock but I really like the multicolored thread we use. And I want the cards to be all the same color, not mixed up. In reviewing my paper supply, I noticed the gray you see here. I actually bought 3 shades of gray quite a while ago but have hardly used them.

I love printing on textured paper. Plus then I realized (love my Groove!) I can resize the design to anything I want. I actually love the new card more than the old now. The holes are smaller but look how they don't even show after being stitched! (Heck, they are hardly show before stitching. Mom, you'll get used to them, I promise!)

After I printed 250 cards, I did nudge the text down a hair so it's more centered.

My KNK Groove Kicks Ass!

What's this, you ask? This is how well the Groove conserves paper! And I guarantee all my crafty friends reading this are thinking, "Wow, I wonder what I could use that for?" Some nice collage? A stencil? Am I right?

63 peace signs cut in 10 minutes!

These other two photos are a bit blurry. Try as I might, I was unable to hold the camera steady tonight. I must still be trembling with excitement from the progress I've made using my new computerized KNK Groove cutting machine. I highly recommend this machine and I have Darcy to thank for emailing me last year to tell me about it. I had never heard of this particular brand until she mentioned it. Darcy has patiently answered my questions this past weekend, as has Sandy, the real KNK guru. I've been watching her tutorial videos, learning something every time. They are both very generous with their time and expertise. I'm discovering a whole new community out there for this machine.

Once my brain got in gear with how it works, you should have seen the lightbulbs over my head popping off all weekend. I'm fairly obsessed with this machine. I think about it in the shower. While driving. All the time.

Sunday night:

Stefani: How can I possibly get to sleep when my Groove is in my studio, just waiting for me?

Steve: It will be there in the morning. Go to sleep.

One of my "signature" (ha!) things is that I love to stack layers to make thicker elements, especially with black as the bottom layers. It adds such dimension. When I was cutting these peace signs with my QuicKutz Revolution, I was figuring out how many layers to make each one. I had decided on 2 blacks, topped with a colorful peace sign, because that's a whole lot of die cutting. But now that I can have the Groove cut sheets of them at a time, I'll stack 3 black layers with a colorful one on top, which I think looks much better.

I have more stuff to show you sometime but I need to get to bed soon. Just wanted to surface for a moment and say that I'm having more fun with this machine than I thought possible. I had high expectations and they've been exceeded.

1. I am thrilled with how easy and useful it is to change the size of designs. That alone means the sky is the limit, over the vast collection of craft punches I own, even.

2. I knew this machine is super precise, but I had no idea how intrigued and happy I am to set up diagonal guidelines mathematically. It's exactly how my brain works.

3. It's fascinating how I have to change my thinking. As Darcy says, you can make designs that rely on cutting away portions rather than gluing bits on top.

4. I had no idea this machine could trace existing elements to cut out. That's how I made this peace sign project. I scanned a peace sign I'd punched out with my Revolution. I scanned a butterfly (remember, I kept breaking the punch?) to cut, but I ended up tweaking it. Another lightbulb!

5. I can't bear to look at my poor neglected Tivo. It's maxed out it's 40 hours capacity. I have been on my computer for days, not watching TV.

Life is changing. Life is good.

Business Cards

I love my business card. Customers love that it has actual stitching on it. I usually 'fess up and tell them that I've outsourced that responsibility to Mom, who stitches most of my cards for me (and lots of design elements too) these days. Some people ask permission before taking one!

I received a phone call last week from a woman who was camping the previous weekend with some girl scouts, and found a backpack that didn't belong to her group. She was going through it for clues as to the owner and the only identifiable thing she found was 3 of my business cards! I don't know any girls around the age she was asking about and I told her a lot of people take my business cards. I wonder if she ever found the owner?

Just the other day I was remembering back when I came up with this idea of stitching a design on each business card and tried the first one. You know how you get that ka-klung (like the Law & Order sound) in your chest, in your heart, when something is so right? Yeah, that happened.

I was very intrigued to run across all these very cool business cards yesterday! Wow, such creativity! They are clearly more expensive than the average business card but I bet they are kept and the businesses are remembered.

I collect business cards of my vendor friends. I keep them in a notebook filled with those business card sheet protectors. I think of them as little works of art in themselves!

I'm having a little trouble getting going with my KNK Groove. I emailed Guru Sandy so I'm about to look at some of the things she suggested about the settings. At first read-through of her email, I feel like I've done those things but I'm going to slowly and methodically make sure. Yeah - me - slow & methodical, I can do that. Can too!

(Darcy, I may be in touch with you too!)

My first order of business will be to cut and pierce sheets of business cards. I gave away tons this past weekend. I found myself rationing them a little bit towards the end. I have 8 left. (Mom - help?)

Riesling Festival in Review

I've been having a heck of a time loading photos in Blogger the last few days. Is that happening to anyone else? I even republished my entire blog, hoping that would help. It did not.

This was my view this weekend, overlooking Canandaigua Lake, from my tall director's chair at the back of the tent, stitching away, making sales, interacting with customers. Sunday brought us a nice breeze most of the day, which made it head & shoulders better than Saturday.

That cinder path though, made for some dusty product and display pieces by the end of the weekend. I'll have to dust and clean and repack everything. That was a surprise to me. Fellow vendors said it's not always like that, especially if you're on grass or even pavement.

I'm happy to report that after all that physical uncomfortableness, I look back at the Festival as a success, one that I'd like to do again next year. I mean, there were a lot of people there. I wonder how many more would have come if it wasn't so blasted hot?

Sunday, as usual, wasn't as busy as Saturday. I took these photographs on Sunday. On Saturday, there was never a time I didn't see people walking past (and into!) my tent. There was a very steady stream of festival goers.

My sales were decent. I was hoping for over-the-top-crazy but I'm happy with decent. (Other vendors said the same thing; decent enough sales and they'd do the show again.) I attribute it to a still dismal economy and that it was just so blasted hot. People were content to walk around with their water bottles and get to the shade or home or the beach or something.

Speaking of drinking, wine tasting was a big part of this festival. I saw a handful of Tipsy McStaggers walking around, not drunk, just unsteady. Honestly, I don't know that it was the wine, could have been the heat or medication or a combination. Didn't look like fun to me, but that's me.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard a person read the Sticky Notes sign out loud, I'd have, um, a really big bag of nickels. That tall freestanding display is one of my very best investments.

But since I started using the stand, I haven't liked that side of my booth layout. I used to use two tables when I displayed the notepads in the tiered acrylic rack. It looks out of balance here. Wasted space. But I have come up with a way to use the other table again. And I credit Gretchen with getting me there.

I have the magnets hanging on the right side of the black doors in the back and Gretchen said I should move them up closer to the front and she's right. Those black doors look especially far back here because I had them bungeed to the tent leg because the ground was a bit uneven there.

I'm going to put my other table on that side of the tent, add a shelf, drape it with black gabardine like this other side and stand up the white picture frame easels filled with magnets. I'll use two table top spinners for cards instead of the floor spinner you see above. I can see putting some framed art there too if it fits without looking too crowded.

I need to design a way to hang the Pine Tree Designs sign, the one in the middle photo, from the tent "rafters" so it's more visible. I can use fishing line or something - it's just foam core.

This show convinced me that the magnets are a good idea, here to stay. I talked them up and they sold well. Sometimes I could tell people wanted to buy something so they were looking at the pins but when I mentioned I have magnets over here in some of those same designs, their faces lit up. So yeah, magnets, they're a good thing. :-)

I tried putting my carpet down but it was too bumpy. I might have to give that idea up for outdoor shows. I still like it for indoor shows though - just gives a nice finished look.

The staff finally came by and hooked us up with electric from that light pole so I was able to hook my fan up on Sunday - clipped it to the tent support right near me. It was fantastic. Leslie, I appreciate the idea of the battery operated fans. Steve finally found something online I can plug into the 12 volt jump starter thing we have. Not sure exactly what it's called - but it looks sort of like this:

The plug-in place is like a cigarette lighter, so Steve found a fan online that will work. Love him! Better find a heater too - next big show is in October. Weather could really swing either way that time of year around here - heat wave or snow. Whoa-boy.

I did put my container of Wet Wipes in my cooler Sunday. An ice cold wet wipe across the brow, back of the neck and down the cleavage - woo-hoo! I had planned to take cold wet washcloths in plastic bags, Leslie, but I never thought of freezing them first! I love that idea even more because I'd much rather use a reusable washcloth than put these chemical-laden Wet Wipes in the landfill. Thanks for your suggestions, friend!

On the drive home, once I got my air conditioning blasting, I caught myself already plotting and planning what I'd start working on that night after dinner for the next show. And so I did. Stay tuned.

We're Having a Heat Wave

Sunday, 9:00-5:00

Holy crap, it's hot this weekend! Sitting in my booth all day at the festival, I kept hoping no one would mention the number of degrees because I had a feeling that would make me even hotter. Even the veteran outdoor show vendors were complaining. I was keeping my whining to myself until I realized it wasn't just me. The customers were complaining too. It was hot & sticky. I used my hand sanitizer regularly, trying to keep my hands from getting too sticky to stitch.

This location on Canandaigua Lake is notorious for quick storms popping up - I've been hearing horror stories from other vendors for years. Tents ruined. Tents floating in the lake. So we all agreed, a little (or a lot) of heat was preferable to almost any other weather extreme.

When I arrived at my tent yesterday morning, it seemed a little flappy to me. Looking around I noticed some tents had more Velcro strips down the legs than ours did. So I called an audible and made a dash to the nearby Lowe's and bought 8 clamps, the kind that look like giant clothespins and put two on each leg. That was better.

Once I got the front and back of the tent opened up, the breeze had somewhere to go so that was better too. I happened to be next to a light pole from which I'd read I could get electricity but I couldn't figure out how. Coupled with the delightful breeze, I left my clip-on fan in the car.

Then the breeze died and only rose, slightly, occasionally. I kept wiping myself down with the wet wipes I'd brought. I stayed hydrated with all the water I'd brought in my cooler.

I have a great spot, as I mentioned yesterday. The rest of the arts & crafts layout seemed a little helter skelter with no clear walking path. Early Saturday morning my jewelry vendor friends behind me moved their entire tent from behind me to set up in the empty space next to me. They had a generator from which I will plug my fan in today. He also told me how he's going to get electricity from that light pole. The organizers have to bring a ladder - the connection is at the top. I figured it had to be - they wouldn't make them low on the pole for any Tom, Dick or Harry to use year round, know what I mean?

Sales are good, as my fellow vendors agree. Not through the roof, but decent enough. This is my first time in this town so a lot of people are seeing my art for the first time and that's always fun. A good number of friends stopped by, I always love that. Some repeat customers, always a good sign.

All day I kept fantasizing about the drive home with every vent focused on me, blasting cold air. By the end of the day, I had to admit, I was so hot and so tired that I found myself ever so slightly teary when I finally got to the car for the drive home.

I feel better today - - - and off we go!

Let's Go!

These are two pieces I put together last night. I have to assemble them in the frames this morning. I had hoped to make 10 new ones for this show. I guess 2 is a start! The one on the left is a bit of a departure for me, in that it doesn't have a "fancy" outer border. I like it.

Set-up went well last night but I surely regret not taking water to drink. I have the tent weights thing totally licked. I have a good spot. I saw a couple of vendors friends whose work is top notch. It really looks like a fantastic festival - art, music, food, wine - something for everyone.

Right now I'm waiting for the adrenaline to kick in. Because at the moment, all I feel is tired. Time to kick it into gear . . . and the energy will follow. :-)

Saturday: 10-5, Sunday: 9-5

I know of a number of friends who promised to stop by - I hope to see you there too!

Riesling Festival Countdown

I'm so glad I took Thursday and today off to do all the final prep. I want to finish up product today and make sure all my printed material and supplies are in order. I'm feeling the usual frenticism, in a good way. I'm also feeling the usual I-can't-wait-until-the-show-is-over-so-I-can-clean-up-my-studio. Then, it's on to the KNK Groove - I can't wait to get started with learning that software. It will be life-changing, I know.

Steve took today off too so I think I want to set up earlier rather than later. The set-up time is 5:00-7:00. I don't know if this is true but I always figure people without day jobs want to set up earlier rather than later so we usually go towards the end of the time frame. We usually just drop everything off then I set it up the next morning. Of course that's been indoor shows. Tonight we'll set up the tent and all the furniture inside. We'll basically set up everything but the product which I'll take and set up tomorrow morning.

Saturday: 10-5, Sunday 9-5

Picture perfect weather is expected. It will be hot but I'm hoping for a nice GENTLE lake breeze. Hope to see you there. Seriously, check out the festival website - there will be lots of food and music and stuff for kids.

Rays of Sunshine

.

Come join us this weekend at the brand new, first time ever, Riesling Festival!

.

35 Years? Really?

.My high school class's 35th reunion was held this weekend. I was asked to join the organizing committee to help with the website, originally a Wiki page. It was surprisingly not very user friendly. It was about that time I got into Facebook so I suggested we set up a group page there. So I handled that, invited all the classmates we had email addresses for - and it was a rousing success. Some people were already using Facebook, bunches joined for the express purpose of reconnecting with classmates. Some are power-users, some barely use it at all.

Mostly, I consider it a great ice-breaker for this weekend's reunion. The last reunion was only 5 years ago and before I got involved, I wasn't really planning on going to the next one, whenever it might be. But then Facebook happened. So I did go to the Ice Cream Social Friday night at Shadow Lake. It was very casual and relaxing. The weather was so perfect we sat outside for most of the night, eventually heading indoors to eat our ice cream. We felt like we knew each other in our present selves even better because of Facebook. We'd seen photos of each others' families. "Hey Stef - when's your next craft show?" Lots of fun, it was. I really had a good time. For me, it was so much better than last time which was held in an art gallery and it was loud and hard to hear - and kinda weird, in that I had a lot of reunion-jitters heading into that one.

I did have a moment Friday morning, driving to work, trying to figure out how much weight I could lose in 12 hours. Then I thought, "Screw it. They've seen my picture on Facebook. I like me. I like my life. It will all be just fine." I let it all go - and had a lot of fun as a result.

There was a dinner dance Saturday which I did not attend, just not my thing. I hope someone posts some pictures on Facebook. We had a relatively low turnout for both events. In retrospect we think it was too soon to have another reunion, since we just had our 30th five years ago. Now what do we do - wait 15 until our 50th? Dunno. The people organizing it are a little burned out on the subject, I think. I bet they'd be happy to let someone else take a turn. I'm good at the virtual reunion stuff but haven't a clue about a real reunion.

I just know that I say the words 35th reunion because I know that's what it is but I cannot begin to imagine any of us who were there, are old enough to be out of high school 35 years. Blow my mind.

This is what a bunch of 53 year olds look like sitting around chatting. That's the thing I love best about being with any of these high school "kids" is that we have the same memories, culture-wise. That's pretty cool.

.

Voices of Glory

.

I'd like to pass along a link to a performance on America's Got Talent that Stephanie provided. The mom was a co-worker/friend of Stephanie's. Very moving. (Click the link, rather than the embedded video if you want to avoid a 30 second commercial.)

Love The Human Slinky.

Hope to see you there!

.

Kerry Bogert, Glass Artist

.

Watch Me Create is a collaborative blog by 15 diverse artists. I've only been reading it for a few weeks, but today's entry really caught my eye when I read the artist is from my area. Kerry Bogert is a talented glass artist, jewelry designer and teacher.

You knew I'd have to pick the lime green necklace to share! This piece is sold, but you can see more of her work at her shop, KAB's Creative Concepts.

I really love these 5" x 7" mixed media pieces, suitable for framing or displaying however you want.

Kerry's blog is definitely one I'm now following. I left a comment on one of her entries, introducing myself, saying I hope we get to meet in person some day.

I've always said if I didn't work in paper, I could see myself working in glass. I love it in all forms - lampworking, mosaics, fused. I guess the two mediums are pretty similar, really.

Come visit me at the first ever Riesling Festival in Canandaigua. Should be lots of fun!

.

Wimpy Lever Punches

Yep, that's about how many butterflies I was able to punch before the lever broke off the punch. I hate those wimpy lever punches. They are especially fragile with intricate punches, which of course, are the ones I like. I always press down on the lever and the punch itself, trying to even the pressure, coax it along. Snap!

I need to stick with die cuts. I'm starting to enter the pre-show frantic-ness I've come to know and love :-\ otherwise I'd take a weekend to work with and learn to use my KNK Groove. After the show, then it's time to get serious. I hope I'm over anticipating the learning curve with this. I can't wait.

Riesling Festival

Label Finale

Back to Plan A.

I really thought I had talked myself into punching out these labels with a circle punch and layering them on a black scalloped circle. Then I realized the time drain would really be the twice-punching aspect and I don't have time for that now.

Brenda, I did try your idea of layering two scallops, slightly offset - and I like it, but I decided I need to take the simplest route right now. Thanks for the suggestion though, I'll definitely use it in the future sometime.

Then I sorted them by color.

Then I filed them in their proper drawer.

Some day I'll have to show you my entire drawer system. My workspace is too messy at the moment to fully appreciate the grandeur that is lots o' tiny drawers.

We had a rotating tower of these multi-drawer units at work that I've had my eye on for literally years. Back in the day it was filled with small computer parts in the service department. But as long as I've worked there (14 years) it was in storage! Not being used. I did ask about it years ago, but not since. Finally, my day came. We were consolidating our space last year so I asked if I could have it. Sure, was the answer if I disassembled it. I paid Simon to come in and do it for me.

I think it garnered me 23 of these units, all different configurations. I'm a true hoarder in every sense of the word when it comes to these things. One corner of our garage is filled with them. Steve and Simon think I'm totally ridiculous but I love these things more than words can describe. Mom, Dad and Gretchen will tell you, I've always loved little drawers. Always.

I'm not a well person, I know.

I spray painted one turquoise and use it for my jewelry box.

I spray painted two burgundy and used them in my workspace, but I eventually outgrew them. I knew it was time to go big or go home. So now I have two units, each with 60 drawers, supporting a shelf which holds the original two units. They hold all the punched leftovers and things I make in quantity on purpose (dragonflies, turtles, etc.)

It's definitely working as efficiently as I had envisioned - but unfortunately, I've all but blocked my window with the gorgeous view! I literally left myself a hole, about 10" x 10" where I can look outside. I'll re-do this set-up someday. In my free time.

I have given a couple of the drawer units away to other crafters. But only to people I've properly vetted, who I know will truly appreciate them. :-) But even I know I have more than I can use, so if any of my local readers would like one, email me and we'll make arrangements. After I approve your 500 word essay about why you deserve one and how you'll use it. And then of course, there's the home study. Hurry, before I change my mind. :-)

Anybody know of a good 12-step program for multi-drawer unit hoarders?

Running on Full

(Photo from CMAC website.)

We went to see Jackson Browne last night - our first concert at the newly remodeled CMAC arena. (Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center - see why it's called CMAC?) This is my very favorite venue to see concerts - always under the shell. Stefani doesn't do the lawn seats. I think back in the day I saw six concerts there one summer. Always a good time.

It's about a 45 minute drive from our house on country roads, through small villages, always a pleasant drive. Parking is very organized as well it should be for ten-freakin'-dollars. I told Steve I had been thinking back to years ago when I wouldn't pay for parking for this venue and parked on a side street and walked a good ways to the show. (And it was probably $3-$5 back then.) But I'm an adult now and past all that, until I saw the sign and gulped at the $10. There were lots of employees directing cars, etc. but I can't imagine they were paid a lot. And I can't hazard a guess as to how many cars there were - but lots. (6000 attended the show.) Oh well. We did get out of there relatively quickly, which was surprising - thanks to all those organized employees. End of mini-rant.

We went early because there's always food and drink available so we decided to eat dinner there, especially after I read they now have a Dinosaur BBQ stand. Used to be you could bring food and drink, even hibachis, into the arena - people had picnics on the lawn before the show. Now you can only bring in bottled water and food.

Photo taken with my phone, just for reference. We were in row 24. I was online at 10:00 am on the day the tickets went on sale so I was pretty disappointed with row 24. (I've been in row 3 before - Crosby, Stills and Nash.) But the seats were actually pretty good - not a bad seat in the house actually.

Steve Earle opened the show and I know he has a cult following of sorts, but we're not members. I know he's good and appreciate his talent, it's just not quite my thing. Even less so Steve's. I leaned over to Steve at one point and said, "I have a touch of Opening Act Syndrome." Meaning, can we please just get to the headliner?

Photo from Oz Music Scene.

I half-expected Jackson Browne to look like this, you know, hot :-) but alas, no beard.

He's definitely aged well - looks like an older version of himself. I know, duh, we all do - just some are better than others, right? The set list for last night's show isn't posted here but it was real close to any one of these. I told Steve it was a little weird for me to go to a concert where I haven't studied and prepared. :-) I mean, Springsteen, I know inside and out for the most part. Plus prior to the show I listen to whatever new music he has released, constantly. The other recent concert, Fleetwood Mac, was pretty much a greatest hits tour so I know most of those songs.

I would say I knew less than half of the songs because although I love his music, I haven't kept up with it over the years. I aim to correct that, btw. So instead, it was nice, just being in the moment, listening to a voice and music I thoroughly enjoy. He's still very laid back, the complete opposite of a high energy Springsteen show. I loved every minute of it.

I'm so happy he's touring. He's one of my top 5 favorites, off the top of my head. (In no particular order: Springsteen, Eagles, Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Stevie Wonder, come to mind.) I saw Jackson Browne at the Dome, in the early seventies, I'm guessing it was. (I've seen the others listed above too and would see them again, though we did just skip Crosby, Stills & Nash in June. Tickets are so freakin' expensive, it's a little bit hard to justify very many in one year.)

I was very happy he performed, "For a Dancer," one of my all-time favorite songs. My iPod hosts a Linda Ronstadt version, which is excellent too. His two back-up singers were really great. He said he's known Chavonne Morris and Alethea Mills, since 2001 when they were "attending Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles and singing with Fred Martin & The Levite Camp. Morris and Mills are also prominently featured on The Levite Camp’s debut CD, 2006’s Some Bridges, an album Browne co-produced and performed on, and which features six of his songs." They received standing ovations every time they were featured.

He made me laugh at one point, saying "this song is about the sixties. And now I'm in my sixties, which is a whole 'nother story". He shares a birthday with Steve (Oct 9), when he (Jackson) will turn 61. They also share a birthday with John & Sean Lennon, though technically I'm sorry that John isn't having birthdays anymore. Btw, when I was just looking that up to make sure I remembered that it was also Sean, I see he's on Twitter so I followed him, which led me to Yoko's Twitter page, where she follows 75,200 people! I would not have guessed Yoko Ono to be a big fan of Twitter, for some reason. But I digress.

The local review is here, if anyone is interested.

I can't disagree with the comments that there were lots of people milling about during the show. I thought maybe it's just more noticeable there because it is an outdoors venue and maybe people tend to move around more. I also mentioned to Steve that it was one of the better people watching opportunities that I've had in a long time. I found one young girl especially fascinating, a dancing hippie girl who seemed to love Steve Earle. But she disappeared halfway through his set, leaving her hippie boyfriend looking rather annoyed. They reunited later in their seats and it was then that I figured out they must have timed their drugs wrong and their LSD peaks happened way too early. Alrighty then.

A fine time was had by all. And time for me to head to iTunes.

Oh - and PS. We got home after midnight, read until 1:00ish - - - and slept until 9:38 am. Yes! I literally can't remember sleeping that late in years and years - unless I was sick. I thought we'd had a Daylight Savings Time clock change. Just had to share that - those who know me, know how shocking that is. Yep, 9:38 am.

.

Pine Tree Designs Labels

My logo and label has evolved over time, mostly to include more and more info. I want people to be able to reach me and order more, of course. I have 2 other configurations, with spacing left for a magnet or a pin back. But this is the one I use for Sticky Notes and cards. I started out with all labels being white. Now I make them in all sorts of colors so I can co-ordinate them with the item on which they are being used. Good way to use up odd color sheets I find myself with.

I started with the lower right, plain circle - used that for a few years. Then I accidentally figured out I could use a slightly larger scalloped punch to give it a little frame - upper right. I love that. Naturally, I had to try an even larger scalloped circle background - upper left. Nice too. Finally I realized that my scalloped punch gives me a nice effect while being less labor & materials intensive than using a separate piece for the scalloped part. (My Stampin' Up pals will recognize the scalloped punch, lower left.)

If time wasn't a factor, I'd use the upper right one, it's my favorite. But for now, I'm sticking with the one-part scallop, lower left. I thought about offering another poll (I love polls!) to see which ones you, my vast loyal readership, prefer. But my mind is made up. Mostly. Because seeing that upper right one has me trying to justify it to myself, "So what if it's twice the amount of paper - it's only pennies! and it's just gluing 2 pieces together, it's not that time consuming." Oh - and when I finally have a moment to get my KNK all working nice, it could cut the scallops out for me.

Did you see that? You just watched me change my mind, I think.

I would be interested in your thoughts if you care to share them in the comments.

~ ~ ~

Now, some old business - the results of yesterday's poll.

5 Votes


4 Votes


8 Votes

Because 3 friends (+ Mom) concurred that they liked the middle one, calling it my come hither look, I used that one on my Facebook profile. I didn't even know I could "do" come hither! And notice the new photo, in the upper right corner, as voted by my vast adoring public.