Thank You & some updates....

Hey everyone, hope you're having a great weekend.  I'd like to thank you all so very much for your orders over the weekend.  If you missed it, I have a big shop update and sale going on in my shop.  You can read more about the new items in this post.  Orders will begin shipping tomorrow.

How about a little sampling of some of the new products in my shop?  My mother's birthday is tomorrow and she's one of those people that loves the packaging almost more than the present.  So I fancied up this Bath & Body gift sack (big sale 50%-75% there right now, by the way) with some tissue paper flowers that Jordan made for me, some new stamps (Water Blooms) from Mama Elephant and some items from my shop.  I used a new Large Special Delivery Tag for the base tag, stamped with flowers.  Next I stamped and layered a Small Manila Parcel Tag.  I finished up the layer with a Small White Tag stamped with "mom".  I love just reaching for staple supply items like the basic tags.  You can pretty them up so much with just stamps and a few embellishments like the enamel dots.  I added some pretty sequins from the Rainbow Sequin Collection directly to the sack along with a few resin flowers from the upcoming July Gossamer Blue kits.  

Also, I wanted to thank everyone who has purchased a kit and/or signed up for my Sweet Summertime class over at Gossamer Blue.  The kits are now sold out but if you'd like to create your own kits, here's a helpful post I did about gathering your own supplies.  You can still sign up for the class until July 10th.  You'll get 4 weeks in July full of inspiration on how to create the banner + how to use the leftover supplies to create gift sacks, cards and tags.  I'm looking forward to meeting some of you and chatting it up in class.  

Okay, coming up this week I have a fun tutorial on how to use the Pan Pastels and Versamark ink pad from the Gossamer Blue June Color Kit.  Plus I'll be sharing something fun using the new Hero Arts artsy stamps.  The rest of the week will be spent partying it up with my "Sweet 16" Fourth of July Birthday Girl, Josey.  We've got lots of swimming to do and Eric's itching to throw some slabs of meat on his Traeger smoker.  And margaritas for me and my sister.  Good times.  Woot! Woot!

Fun shop update!

EDIT:  The items are now up in the shop!

I'll be having a shop update this weekend and have the following new items coming.  In addition, many shop items have been marked down in price so be sure to look for sale items.  Sizes of tags and more in depth item descriptions will be included with each new shop listing.  I can't wait to try out these new items on my Project Life pages, cards and packaging.  Here's the lineup.....

XL Lined Note Tags

Perfect for adding journaling or a handwritten message to cards, packaging and pages. 

 Blue Boutique Tags
Very cute with a pretty scroll border.  Perfect for packaging, Project Life or cards.

 Small Admit One Tags
So many uses for these....scrapbook pages for any event like the circus, concerts, local pool, etc.  Tuck into invitations for guests to redeem a prize at a party.

 Small Kraft Tags
I've been searching for these and finally found a nice Kraft tag.  Looks great when stamped with white and, ink the edges with white, emboss.  Black also looks striking on these.  I want to try some modern calligraphy on them.

 XL Check Tickets
Use whole or tear apart at the perforation.  Perfect for journaling on a travel page.  Place a small Instagram on top and journal on the bottom.  Create a little mini booklet of tags.  Red stitching would look great on these.

 Large Special Delivery Tickets
I envision these layered with paper doilies, pretty papers and embellishments as a fun gift sack packaging.  Or attach to any of the sacks I have in the shop and add as an insert for Project Life or adhere right to a scrapbook page.  How cute would this be on a baby card?

 Green Postcard Tags
Fun and unique, it's a postcard and a tag in one! I can't wait to add a mini Instagram to one side and journaling to the other.  Stitch on one of my mini vellum envelopes and add some sequins.  So many, fun possibilities.

 Tiny Gold Tags
Teeny tiny to add that special little touch to a package, card, journaling card or scrapbook page.  The gold foil look is so trendy right now too.

Tiny Silver Tags
More teensie tags with silver foil edges.  Love the divided lines on these tags.

 White Sequin Embellishments
White from one way, purple-ish iridescent looking from another view.  Layer with buttons or brads, stitch or staple.  So pretty and textured.

 New! Neutral Sequin Collection
My Neutral Sequin Pack just got a new addition.  I've now added gray sequins to the gold, silver and white lineup.

 Rainbow Sequin Collection
Back in stop and just as pretty and soft as ever.  Use with any of my tiny vellum envelopes, sacks and tags from the shop.

It's officially the weekend for my family so I'm off to spend a little time with the rug rats.  Jordan worked hard for me today and packaged and sorted all the items so they're ready to go.  I'll be adding the items to the shop over the weekend sometime and shipping will begin on Monday.  Look for my Twitter and Facebook Page updates and her on the blog for an update time of when the items will go live in the shop.  You can follow me on Twitter and Facebook by clicking the links at the right.  <<<

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sweet Summertime Kit...sold out but there are options!

Hey everyone, the Gossamer Blue Sweet Summertime Kit is now sold out.  Thank you to everyone who purchased a kit and I hope to see you class too.  You can sign up for class at this link.  

I've had a few of you ask, "What do I do now if I want to take the class but don't have a kit?"  Here are a few options that may help you out.  

1.  You can purchase the class without having any kit.  You are certainly welcome to join in on the fun and perhaps get some ideas of how to put together a layered banner using your own supplies, check out the other sample cards and gift sacks and get the fun packaging and recipe ideas.  

2.  You can purchase the class and piece together your own kits.  This is what the kit looks like and you can see the full supply list for the kit at this link.  (photo might be a little blurry, sorry)

If you'd like to put together a kit before class starts, here are some of the products from the kit.  Some are extras that you can purchase as single items from the Gossamer Blue shop.  Some are items from my shop.  Here's the breakdown.  Quantities are limited so we can't guarantee the availability of all of the items.

Gossamer Blue items:

Basic Grey Mint Julep Flair Stickers

Crate Paper The Pier Letter Embellishments

Crate Paper The Pier Standouts

Crate Paper The Pier 6 x 6 Pad


Made by Mish shop items:

1 set Small Clothespins

1 Set Large Manila Tags

1 set XL Manila Tags

1 set Medium Manila Tags

1 set Dainty Doilies

1 set Medium Glassine Sacks

1 set Kraft Sacks (check my main store link and scroll to the very bottom.  I have many kinds of sacks including Large Kraft Sacks, Large White Sacks, Large Horizontal Stripe Kraft Sacks, Large Chevron Kraft Sacks, Large Polka Dot Kraft Sacks, Scallop Brown Kraft Sacks, Large Gray Chevron Sacks, Large Polka Dot Gray Sacks and Large Horizontal Stripe Yellow Sacks.

Vintage Paper Kit ( has the vintage playing card + it would be fun to see you get creative with these other layering pieces)

Hope that helps you out a bit.  Please leave a comment or email me with any questions about product help, etc.  Also in my shop, I have many items marked down....making room for new items to come soon.  Thanks again to everyone who was purchased a kit and signed up for class.

Oh and guess what?  I bought the wood, chalk paint and supplies to start my chalkboard wall!!  My husband asked, "Now where is this all going?"  I could tell by that tone in his voice he was clueless.  I replied, "Don't worry dear, it's gonna be really cool!".  He's heard that before.....which means get your screwdriver charged up honey.  I can't wait to share it with you guys first in the classroom!

Sweet Summertime Class winners + a few more sneaks...

Note:  I have a new Project Life week up today also....just scroll down past this post.  

I'm back to announce the three winners of a free Sweet Summertime Class.  Thank you all so much for your comments, I loved reading about your Summer Bucket List items.  The winners are Amy Papale, Samantha Marshall and Elizabeth Vollmer.  You will be contacted by Gossamer Blue very soon to get all signed up for class.  Looking forward to seeing you in July.  :)

You can read all about my Sweet Summertime class at this blog post or at Gossamer Blue here.  This class is going to be sooo much fun.  There will be 4 weeks of jam packed posts showing you how to assemble the Sweet Summetime banner.  It's gonna look something like this.......

I'll show you how to use lots of dimensional product and layering to create a banner full of fun eye candy.  There's new items from Crate Paper and Basic Grey + some vintage items like that playing card I see below + some fun items from my shop.  You'll be able to use these fun ideas over and over again on your projects.  

Like on tags that can be attached to cards or gifts.  

And on cards that become one of a kind little pieces of artwork.  You'll have an entire fun filled month of July with me and all of the other class participants.  We'll have a message board and a gallery where you can share your creations.  

I did some recipe prep work over the weekend.  7 out of 7 hungry taste testers gave this recipe a 2 thumbs up.  I'll share the recipe and ideas on how you can package the treats for fun gifts.  Plus they'll be more recipes shared in class.  

I'll also be sharing one of the biggest Summer Bucket List items on my list.....a new chalkboard wall in my dining room. I'm in the planning stages now and class participants will be the first to see my new chalkboard in action.  The Sweet Summertime Banner will be front and center.  I can't wait to share it with you.  Do you follow me on Pinterest?  I have tons of fun ideas for chalkboards on my Chalkboard Pinterest Board.  I"ll be implementing some of these ideas for my own chalkboard wall and will share the fun links with you during class.  

Pinterest Link Here 

The Farmhouse Porch blog here

I can't wait to share it all with you.  You can find the Complete Sweet Summertime Class Kit here along with some of the extra product from the kits.  The kits are almost all sold out so act quickly.  You can find the Sweet Summertime Class here along with the full course outline.  Once the class kits are sold out you can certainly still take the class without the kit.  I'll share tips on how you can use your own stash items to complete a banner of your choosing or theme.  You'll get the same information as everyone who purchases a kit + all of the fun recipes, Pinterest ideas and more.  

I hope you'll join me in July for class!!

Project Life 2013....Week 15 (using all Gossamer Blue June Kits)

Today I'm sharing Week 15 of my Project Life 2013.  I think almost every item came from my Gossamer Blue June kits.  I love to open my kit packages and sort through all the papers and embellishments each month.  From there I turn my patterned papers to my favorite sides. I organize all my supplies in my Project Life area then I get to work on a weekly spread.  

Here's this week's 2 page spread with 2 inserts sitting in between. 

Here's the 2 week spread without the inserts.  I used 11 photos this week between the two pages.  

This was the first part of April.  Still so very cold and this was the big week for the turkey hunters.  My nephew brings a friend and they stay 3-4 days each year during the hunting season. 

This week has lots of photos from the turkey hunting events so it makes it kind of a challenge to use your favorite papers and embellishments when all the photos have camo pattern.  

Oh, these wonderful letters from Create Paper.  They remind me of the vintage letters that slide into those wall mounted signage boards.  I use a gazillion packs of these.  I used an XL Parcel Tag as the base for the letters.  

Here I used some stickers to embellish a photo. 

 Lots of inserts cut from a sheet of patterned paper with vintage typewriter journaling and stickers.  The photo is an old Purina Chicken waterer.  I filled it with succulents and vines and gave it to my sister for her birthday.

 More journaling cards that I cut from a sheet of Crate Paper.  Lots of little tags ,and Washi from the Color Kit.

 Sometimes kits offer items that you want to hoard or that are maybe somewhat challenging.  I found a fun way to use this Mint Julep envelope from Basic Grey that came in the June Bits & Pieces Kit.  I added some journaling to the card that slips in the envelope and then adhered the envelope to the outside of the page protector.  That way the envelope can be opened but is held closed by the fun paperclip.

Here's the journaling. 

 While my nephew is back, we eat pretty well around here.  He's a chef and fixes us the best entrees.  Here we had smoked pork that was seared in a pan and then sprinkled with coarse salt.  It was crunchy yet tender, oh so good.

 The next night we had BBQ ribs that were to die for.  I used the fun vellum pieces and blue chipboard letters as card accents.

On to the inserts.  This is a 5 x 7 photo with some stickers and hand lettering.  I love the beautiful turkey feathers.

 The back side of that photo has another 5 x 7 photo of Josey and Jordan.  The right side is another insert noting more turkey hunting events.

 Journaling about Josey's turkey.

 The back side of that insert has stories about Jordan's turkey.

 I used various manila tags from my shop for some simple typewriter journaling +a few of the Snap stamps from the June Bits & Pieces kit.

A great week to have in the books.  

If you're wondering about the 3 winners for my Sweet Summertime class, I'll put up another post a little later announcing the winners. :)

Friday finds.....

This fine Friday finds me longing to just relax, hang out with my family, dabble a little bit with my vintage finds, throw something on the smoker and maybe drink a margarita, finish up some projects and  spend time with my family.  

Here's a few other finds that I thought I would share with you.....

A new magazine....

Oh how I love a new junk magazine.  This one is really good and is full of beautiful photos of different decorating styles all done with flea market finds.  It's a good read and the styling of this magazine is fabulous.  I found mine at the grocery store.  

 This page with the pretty milk glass caught my eye.  It makes me glad I saved a few of my most recent finds.

Some new supplies....
I've been doing a ton of concept sketches lately and my pens and notebooks have been scattered all over the place.  I finally placed an order at Jet Pens which is a company in the US that sells Japanese pens and pencils, journals and some great pencil cases.  I got 3 of these pencil cases, one for me and and the girls and we love them.  Nice and roomy with lots of fun pockets.  The office geek in you will love them too.

 Here's a few of the other things I got.  The FudeBall 1.5 pen is highly recommended by Dina Wakley for thick journaling lines.  I love it for making bold outlines in my sketches.  The pencil....oh that pencil.  It has a squishy soft grip and the lead advances by shaking the pencil!!  I know!  My first real boss who was an architect had one similar to this and I loved it and found one too.  That was over 20 years ago.  I was so sad when the pencil broke...or maybe I lost it.  When I saw this style at Jet Pens I knew I had to have one.  It's awesome.  The girls were mad that I didn't get them one too.  Looks like I might need to place another order soon.  The pencil case and a few fun pens and pencils would make a great back to school gift.

 This stationery set....
Could it be any cuter?  It's from One Canoe Two and has a "notes from camp" theme.  I absolutely love it.  During the Summer months, I dream of heading off to a secluded cabin in the mountains or a fun resort that used to be a Summer camp.  These fun notecards just capture that style so perfectly.  And you need to take a stroll through their blog.  These ladies took up shop in an old barn and are refurbishing it for their offices which houses their letterpress machine.  How jealous am I?

 (photo from One Canoe Two)

New in the shop.....
My little Instagrams are a popular item in my shop and I have a new set added today.  Fun little camera Instagrams that are perfect for adding to cards, Project Life pages, packaging and more.  You just cut them apart and use as you wish.

 My upcoming class.....
It's coming in July and will last all month long.  It's called Sweet Summertime and you can read all about it here.  It's offered through Gossamer Blue which is where you can purchase the kit and the separate class.

Sneak peek time....

The July Gossamer Blue kits will be available soon.  I love 'em....just like always. Jam packed full of fun crafty goodness.

Finding myself in a pickle....
Here's where I need your help.  I've had this vintage kitchen cupboard in my dining room which is open to my kitchen for a few years now.  I love it however the white paint doesn't match anything I have.  It hasn't bothered me at all but now I have a little dilemma....

 I recently acquired this old file type cabinet at a junk sale.  It's old and chippy and worn and just perfect for something I've always wanted to do.  I'm working on creating a chalkboard wall in my dining room and have always wanted a small office type station near my kitchen.  My idea is to have a place to keep a family calendar, a place to store my bills & calculator, an area to hold my chalboard supplies, maybe a place to display my cookbook collection, a place to hang keyes.  This set up below would allow me to do it all.

My dilemma is this.....I don't have another good place to put the white cupboard.  I'm seriously thinking it would make a great porch piece, used for beach towels, a radio for the pool, some outdoor entertaining items, etc.  But I don't want it to weather too much in the outdoor elements.  Also, my family is giving me the raised eyebrow look when I ask their opinion about the mock set up below.  They think it's junk, weird and another one of my hair brained ideas. Kind of like the chalkboard. Kind of like those vintage lockers that everyone thought I should paint.

But the paint matches my furniture color perfectly, the aged wood looks good with my kitchen cabinets, the galvanized metal looks good with our new stainless steel refrigerator.  This would also work great down in my basement office area.  I could definitely use the storage, etc....but I love the thought of it in my dining area with the chalkboard. But then the kitchen cupboard might belong in the kitchen.

Sooooo, I'm asking your opinion.  I need it quick.  My husband tripped over this setup below and gave me the "I know you like your junk dear, but please move your crap somewhere else" look.

Hey, have a great weekend everyone!!

Introducing Sweet Summertime...

Hey everyone, I'm very excited to announce my first class coming up with Gossamer Blue.  It's called Sweet Summertime and it's going to be jam packed full of Summer crafty goodness. 

Here's a peek at some of the items we'll be making in the class.  I've got an awesome double banner that will be perfect for displaying front and center in your home.  It's homespun and cute and just full of eye candy and unique crafty items.  Then I'll be showing you how to make some sweet cards, gift sacks and tags.  I know you all love to get new recipes so I'll be sharing some of my new favorites, packaged up with the packaging we create in class.  To top it all off, I'll be sharing some inspiring Pinterest finds for ideas on how to display your banner + you'll be the first to see the progression of my chalkboard wall which is where I plan to display my Sweet Summertime banner and Summer Bucket List. 

The concept for this class is so great, here's how the classroom works........

First, you will be able to purchase all the supplies needed for the class in the Complete Sweet Summertime Class Kit.  The kit is on sale now at this link. You can see a photo of the kit contents + there is a listing of the kit contents below the photo.  When I say jam packed, it's really jam packed full of goodies from Basic Grey, Crate Paper and some fun items from my shop + a few vintage finds.  The kits are in limited quantities so act quickly if you want the exact items that I'll be showing in class.  

Next you can purchase the Sweet Summertime Class at this link.  This gets you private access to  a special blog which becomes the classroom.  The class will open July 5th with a welcome message and full class syllabus.  Class begins on July 8th and will updated by me every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with fresh content.  The class will run for 4 entire weeks so we will be able to have a lot of fun in July!  There will be detailed instructions on how to assemble the banner, the cards, the gift sacks and tags.  Plus there will be a message board and gallery so that participants can connect, ask questions and share creations and display ideas.  You can see the full course outline at this link. 

So you can purchase the class and the kit and you'll be all set for July.  If you think you'd rather use your own supplies but would love the ideas, you can certainly just purchase the class and have access to the private blog.  Or you can just purchase the kit and use the supplies as you'd like. It's all up to you.

I hope you'll join me in class.....I promise this won't be your typical Summer school. No math, no hot class rooms, no research papers....just pure fun!

But wait....I'm giving away 3 spots to just the classroom (no kit).  If you'd like a chance to join me in class in July, leave a comment at the end of this post telling me an item on your Summer to do list.  You must leave your name and email address so that I can contact you if you're a winner.  I'll select the 3 free class spots on Sunday evening at 6pm Central Time.  Winners will be announced on Monday, June 24th here on the blog.