Happy Planner Stickers Freebie

Hey guys. Merry Christmas.

I was just playing around designing some stickers for my planner. These images are not mine but as I am not sure who made them, I thought I would share the stickers I made with them. You may have to adjust the scale for your printer.

Wishing you all the best in 2018.

Tracy

New Bible Journaling Tool

Hello lovelies.

I just wanted to pop in and share the video of the new Bible Journaling books that I purchased. The video turned a bit pixelated when I uploaded it, but I hope you can still see the beautiful designs. I can't wait to get using these.

Additional Bible Journaling Tools

The gift you can enjoy all Year :Cricut Access

This post contains affiliate links to products I love.

This year ask Santa to bring you something that will keep you crafting all year long. Cricut access members can choose from thousands of projects to make with their cricut cutting machine.


No more bulky cartridges to store and manage. You just log in to your Design Space Dashboard and choose what you want to cut.






 Featured Projects
New bags and totes at Cricut

Little Stinker Planner Freebie

Hey guys. Quiet day at home with my family today. I was doodling characters to print for my planners and thought you might get a chuckle out of this one. Feel free to use it as you please for paperclips, bookmarks etc. Please do not sell it.

The dimensions may be crazy so you will need to resize it for your needs.

Happy Saturday!

Tracy

Sizzix is having a huge sale.

*this post contains affiliate links.

Hurry to rake in the savings from Sizzix. Is an amazing Black Friday sale but don't wait, products won't last long at these prices. Tell all your friends.

Illustrated Faith:Goals with Grace Bible page Layout.

I am working my way through all the past Devotional kits from Illustrated Faith. This week I have been delving into the Goals with Grace kit.

I have always believed that God brings things into our lives at just the right moment. Like an attentive parent he let's us struggle a bit just to strengthen us but then gives us a guiding hand.

That is how I felt when I began working through the Devotional.  I have been struggling with trying to figure out what I should be focusing on in this season of my life. My PTSD limits the energy and opportunity that I have to keep up with everything in my life. For every one item I can cross off my list, another 4 fall to the wayside. After awhile I find myself laying on my bed too overwhelmed to do anything.

Currently I am running a store from my house, trying to parent 3 special needs kids, be a wife, keep up a home, maintain my 2 blogs, youtube, instagram etc. while working on my therapy goals and attending weekly sessions. I feel like a duck, you know, everything looks calm, but beneath the surface the poor thing is swimming with all he has. I know that is not what God wants for me. Somewhere along the way I started striving for the wrong goals and forgot that I need only work towards HIS goals for me. The verse is in Phillipines and it reminds us to focus our energy on God's goals in order to receive the good things he has planned for us.

If you want to see what comes in the kit, feel free to check out my Unboxing video:

Carseat Safety Awareness

You are likely thinking that this post is a bit off topic considering my usual theme of crafting and such. Just as much as I am passionate about creating I am also passionate about child safety. This is a "sponsored post" but close to my heart none the less.

We are just coming to the end of Car Seat Safety Awareness Week and I wanted to join in by helping to spread the message.

You may be in a season of your life where car seats are not much of a concern to you. You may not need a car seat in your vehicle, but I bet you have friends and family that do. Many of these people have not had their seat checked to ensure it is correctly installed using the car's latch system. There are clinics held by police departments and private organizations that will show you exactly how to use the safety restraint system in your car. Every car model is a bit different and it is sometimes difficult to get the seat properly installed. I remember as a foster parent we were required to attend a day long training which included a hands on lesson installing various car seats in our vehicles. They actually had us put our full weight on the seat while our partners fastened the restraint. Most people don't realize how tight those restraints need to be.

When looking for a new vehicle encourage new parents to do as much research as possible about different models of cars as well as car seats. A great resource to start with is Cars.com You will find a plethora of reviews and articles to help you make an informed choice. After they have made their purchase it is important for them to attend one of the free car seat clinics. It will offer them some peace of mind knowing their precious cargo is securely restrained.

If you are occasionally transporting wee ones in your vehicle be sure to aquaint yourself with the latching mechanism in your vehicle. It is not a fun experience trying to scramble to find the latch while dashing off to take baby somewhere. Be prepared that some latches are extremely hard to find and even harder to access. My fingers were mangled for the full 10 years I fostered from having to squeeze my fingers between the vehicle cushion to install whatever seat the child was using.

Attending a car seat clinic would be a great family activity for parents-to-be and grandparents to learn about car seat installation so they are all ready to go when the little bundle is ready to come home from the hospital.

If you are interested in attending a car seat clinic check with your local police services as they usually have a listing of local clinics.

Why a Traveller's Notebook will change your life.

I know, you are a doubter right?  Change your life is a pretty big claim but I assure you once you set up your first travellers notebook you will never look back.

If you follow my blogs you likely know that I struggle with severe depression, anxiety and panic disorder and now have been diagnosed with diabetes and PTSD. That is allot to keep track of. One of the side effects of these issues is that I often forget things, conversations, things I said I would do, times of appointments, even to pick up milk.

It was sq uggested by a couple of members of my team that I always carry a notebook and record  everything I am asked to do, my schedule in detail, detailed lists and even phone numbers to call when I have a totally blank moment.

I immediately thought planner as I am a longtime planner girl.  I adjusted the contents of my A5 Webster Pages ring bound planner but honestly it was just too bulky to carry all day. Then I discovered travellers notebooks. You can customise the inserts to suit your needs. There are so many ways to personalize the set up with dashboards, paperclips, ephemera etc.

The more you adapt your TN to your needs and interests the more you will find yourself immersed in its pages. The trick to planner success is actually making it a place you love. If you want to learn more about Travellers Notebooks jump over to my YouTube channel and check out my planner perfection playlist.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuX6pRTVyrsAdbGvmH-M_9Q



Here are a couple of my videos showing my TNS.

Perfect Alternative to Pin Curls and Hair Torture

April 1994

This is a sponsored post. That means I may receive compensation for sharing my opinion with you. It baffles my husband as I share my opinions with him constantly and he definitely would not pay me 😅.

Luckily this is a topic that has solved a very real issue with me as of late. I know it will come as no surprise to many of you that I am a bit obsessed with all things vintage. My friend Sylvie recently got me hooked on youtube tutorials of pin up hairstyles. I adore the charm of the suicide roll, pin curls and the infamous victory rolls. Spending the time rolling, teasing, curling, spraying.....not so much. Honestly I have no idea how women used to pull this look off. Interestingly enough the solution came in an email just the other day. The answer is lace fronts wigs.

April 1994

When I was in my final year of high school I wanted a more mature look so a week before graduation pictures I went to a salon and had my long ringlets hacked off and the surviving hair dyed the most ghastly shade of brown. After I did it I immediately regretted it but it was too late. I was distraught as I had prom, graduation, my friends wedding and my own wedding coming at a rapid rate.

May 1994

Through tearful eyes I listened as the stylist explained that there was no way my hair could grow out in time. Then as though some miraculous intervention occurred. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed several "falls" in the display case. My miracle had happened. Emptying my meagre bank account and maxing my shiny new credit card I left the salon with two wigs costing over $500. That's allot of tables to wait on.

I loved my faux hair and felt so glamorous in my new locks. I could roll out of bed, shower and be out the door in 30 minutes or less. Everyone commented on how beautiful my hair looked every day. I wore those two wigs until they were barely usable. By the time they gave out I was married with a mortgage and there was no money for frivolous purchases.

July 1994

I forgot how much fun it is to transform myself to whatever look I want in a moments notice. Enter my new secret weapon. Instead of messing with rollers and irons I can purchase vintage styles for less than $50. Seriously, less than $50. I like that they have have the vintage feel without the stiff styling. They are vintage with a modern twist.

Here are a few of my favourite lace fronts wigs

Pretty cool right!  So who do you want to be today? Be sure to check out these and hundreds of other styles of lace front wigs at our sponsor #divatress

Celebrating Canada's 150th Birthday with presents for You!

Do you ever just sit back and think about how lucky we are to live in a beautiful country like Canada? In many areas of the world people struggle daily just to provide food and clean water for their families. Some are persecuted for their beliefs, their gender or even their race. That is why it is so important for us to take time to be grateful for our lives. We need to celebrate the opportunities we have living in Canada.

In celebration of Canada's 150th birthday My Grandma's Teacups,  Southern Ridge Trading Company and Emerald Creek will be hosting a blog hop featuring their designers tribute pieces to Canada. Join us June 29th and 30th as we visit each of their blogs and spread Happy Birthday wishes across the country.

Be sure to check out the rafflecopter at each stop and see how to collect entries to win the grand prize of a Spellbinders Platinum 6. We will also be giving away goodies from Southern Ridge Trading Company Canada 150 line. Be sure to mark your calendars for a virtual cross country celebration.

Cathy Potosky 's Junk Journal Mini Album.

Hi everyone, my name is Cathy and I'm am very excited and honoured to be sharing a project here at My Grandma's Teacups, thank you so much for having me Tracy!

For this mixed media project I put my own twist on a Tim Holtz Worn Cover book. I had grabbed it up for a steal of a deal, even though I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at first. Then when this opportunity came up, I thought....I know exactly what I want to do and then came across my SRTC Life chipboard piece and thing started to fall into place. I turned it into a kind of "junk journal", but for myself and pics of my kids. 

My kids are adults, my oldest lives with her boyfriend and my son is busy with work, his girlfriend and his car. So my "Life" book is going to be for pics I take when we are all actually at home at the same time. And they might not be pretty LOL The pics going in here are going to be selfies and they could very well be of all of us right when we wake up, hair a mess etc. It's rare that we are all in this house at the same time so now it's Mom imposed selfie time when we are and each pic will get printed and put into my "Life" junk journal! :)

I started with Distress Oxides on the inside cover, splashed some water to get those wonderful splotches and let it dry. I then stencilled over that using the Walnut Stain for a hint of the wildflowers on the inside.

I used some old paper from my stash because I liked the little sentiments in the corners and got my Distress Oxides ready to ink the front and back covers of my junk journal.

Once the ink was dry I used the wildflower stencil (it is one of my faves) and translucent texture paste on the front cover so it adds texture but no colour. On the back cover I added a touch of shimmery paint to jazz it up a bit.

I then went to work on embellishments. So many embellishments so little time!! I love flowers of all kinds and had the leaves in my stash. Dyed the flowers using Distress Spray, Distress Oxides and some Finnabair Spark paint.

I got out my Distress Paint and the gorgeous Fractured Ice Embossing Powder and my "Life" chipboard. Painted the word and then embossed it. I love the texture from this ep and loved it with the paint. The top pics are just close ups of how the Distress Oxide looks on the worn cover and paper. I love how it looks like an old water stained book.

For my inside pages, It was very simple. I used brown packing paper (Amazon used it in their shipments, I may or may not have a lot of it in my house) and for half of the sheets I crumpled them up tight, flattened them back out and ran my Distress Vintage Photo (another fave that seems to end up on every project!) You can get the binder clips to attached to the worn cover, I just used purple hemp twine and a piece of natural twine I had to tie in my pages. 

Details on the front cover include gemstones for the butterfly body and the flower centre and you can see the clear texture paste on the cover too.

For the back cover I used another piece from SRTC. I just love this chipboard, it can be front and center like on the front and it also makes it a great anchor piece for embellishments like seen here on the back. Added gemstones for the butterfly and the flower centers and a little silver rose charm from Emerald Creek.

And last but not least the spine of the book. I added beads from my stash, charms from EC and a zipper pull I found in a basket of stuff (everyone has a basket of random stuff in their craft space right?)

Be sure to check with Tracy of My Grandma's Teacups and ask her which Southern Ridge Trading Company chipboard pieces she has.....you are going to want to play with these!  Thank you so much for stopping by everyone and I hope you have a great day!

Guest Designer Cathy Potosky will be joining us this Wednesday to share a tutorial on a beautiful Mini Album.

My name is Cathy Potosky and I am a papercrafting addict. I love paper and started my journey as a cardmaker, simple, embossed, sometimes fussy cut and that was all. Now....I have discovered mixed media, all things Tim Holtz and Distress, Dylusions journals, Dina Wakely paints and stamps. Just to name a few of my favorites.

I also love some amazing Canadian companies that create intricately designed chipboard, Southern Ridge Trading Company and the beautiful full of texture embossing powders from Emerald Creek Craft Supplies and beautifully hand designed scrapbook paper collections from   Wild Whisper Designs.

I am inspired on a daily basis by my fellow Design Team members, other creators that share their work and their stories, colours I see on my walk to the bus stop, and textures I notice in the strangest places. 

I love sharing over on my blog http://amethystalcove.blogspot.ca/ and I am on instagram probably way more than is healthy @cathymp2119

6 Tips to create a High Visibility Craft Booth

Let's face it, you could have the most amazing product ever created but if you are not able to get customers to come into your booth, then you can't show them how great it is.

You only have a a few seconds to catch the attention of shoppers before their eyes settle on something in the booth down the aisle.  What can you do to capitalize on those first few Seconds?

1. Incite their curiosity. 
Shoppers are expecting to see racks and shelves and counters in your booth. If you can prominently display something that is different your potential customers will be naturally drawn towards your booth to figure out what is unique in your space. In our recent booth for Scrapfest we hung a vintage parasol with flowers in it, and a glass chandelier from our booth frames. They could be seen from a distance, took no floor space away from our products and became quite the conversation pieces. They were also great landmarks for happy customers to direct their friends to.

2. Make them laugh.
One of the things that I invested in for the booth was a foam board poster that said "a good friend shops for scrapbooking supplies with you, a best friend helps you hide the stash when you get home." We hung the poster on the canopy frame facing the main aisle. Hundreds of crafters stopped to read the sign giving us an opportunity to chat with them and bring them into the booth. We also helped over 50 people take photos of themselves and their BFF in front of the sign. Those pictures were posted all over social media where my Web address is prominently displayed on the bottom of the poster. Not only did we get customers from this sale, but also free advertising from social shares.

3. Offer more than they expect
Being a veteran Scrapfest shopper I know how dry the arena can get when you are walking for hours on end. Visitors to our booth where offered free water bottles while they browsed. Shoppers were surprised that we were giving water to everyone without need for purchase and it placed our booth in their mind as a friendly courteous shop.

4. Be true to your brand
I can honestly say that anyone that saw our booth knew immediately what to expect as far as products. We spent a large amount of time planning which elements would best represent our brand. The shabby chic feel  we achieved let our customers know we were a boutique type business that specialized in high end supplies from around the world.

5. Give them a reason to stay in touch
We handed out over 500 business cards to patrons of the show and with each card we made sure to connect a reason to keep it. Some customers were interested in additional pieces for a collection, some were looking for new lines that we are ordering in. Several people had an interest in classes and workshops and there were even a few that were interested in having their designs featured on this blog. Whatever the hook, we ensured that each customer felt invested in our business and knew that the information on the card was key to staying connected.

6. Be a problem solver
No one store has every product. If a customer has a particular item that they are looking for, go out of you way to find the business that has it. Do not give vague directions and send them on their way. If possible, personally bring the customer to the appropriate vendor. It will keep you in the mind of the customer as well as the vendor that may send business your way.

Well there you have It!  6 tips to increase your booths visibility.  Try one or try them all and I am sure you will see your foot traffic soar.

Bonus Tip

Smile at Everyone!  It is really hard to walk past someone when they are looking directly at you with a big smile on their face. Give it a try, bet you can't ignore them.

Where did February Go?

Hi Friends. I can not believe it is half way through March. The kids will be home next week for March Break and I have to start thinking about booking their summer camps. I realized that it had been some time since I posted and I have created a few items that I wanted to share.

The first is a canvas I made using Heartfelt Creations Paper and Dusty Attic chipboard. I love the way the locket turned out. I used Rub and Buff to make it have that vintage gold look.

The second is a gift box with a cute little tag album. This was also Heartfelt Creations, Graphic 45 tag album and a box from the dollar store.

Finally I made this cute little card using Heartfelt Creations. Seeing a pattern here? I am trying to use up things I have been hoarding.

I will likely be busy all week so chance are I wont get to post until later in March. In the meantime enjoy what looks like the beginning of Spring (fingers crossed) and don't forget to celebrate St. Patricks Day.


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Crafty Chick's Road Trip 2017

Hello fellow craft hoarders.....I mean papercrafters. Our trip to Scrapfest in 2016 was so much fun, we have decided to do it again. This time we will start out on Thursday April 6th. There will be pick ups in Kingston, Shannonville, Belleville and Cobourg. We will be staying at The Radisson hotel in Kitchener and enjoying a full breakfast before being shuttled to the Convention Center in time for the Scrapfest Crop. We will be staying until Saturday so you will have lots of time to crop and shop in the huge Scrapfest Market.

Your passport to crafty fun includes: a seat on one of McCoy's luxury coaches, 2 nights shared accommodation at the Radisson hotel, full breakfast on both Friday and Saturday mornings, shuttle service to and from the event, crop and market access and inspiration from some of the greatest retailers in the industry. We will even bring you home Saturday when you are too tired to think straight. All this for the amazing sum of $350.

 For those of you that would like a ride and crop space we only  have a limited number of seats reserved for $250. Hurry to reserve your spot. 50% non refundable deposit required at booking and the remaining balance is due 2 weeks prior to the trip. Book with three friends and you will all be entered in a draw for a brand new product from Creativation 2017. To reserve your space: email mygrandmasteacups@gmail.com

The Right Tool for the job.. The top 5 benefits of Cricut Products.

This post was sort of a rabbit hole as I was planning a tutorial for next week on how to use your Cricut Explore to make planner stickers. I was looking on YouTube to make sure the topic had not been covered 100 times already. I was surprised to see that most of the tutorials were for the cameo.

I have been a long term Cricut fan from the original right on through the Explore Air. Cricut had a few bumps along the way that upset fans of the product. Despite  that it is still one of the most user friendly digital cutter around.

Top 5 Benefits of Staying with Cricut.

#1 Backwards Compatability
They never abandoned the cartridges from previous machines.
#2Constant new innovative products being release
Cricut Vinyl, magnetic sheets,  markers, tools.
#3 Once master a Cricut the learning curve for the next machine is not bad.
#4 Print then Cut
So many new projects can be made with this feature alone
#5 Ability to load any svg to Design Space.
For people that are still bitter about losing SCAL this gives you back the ability to cut anything.

I know everyone has their own opinion but for me, I am firmly planted on team Cricut.

https://youtu.be/dbNdLBqvMTQ

• Black Cricut Cuttlebug™
• 
• Price: $69.99

• Cricut Explore One™ Pink Poppy Machine
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• Price: $199.99

• Cricut® Cardstock, White
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• Price: $9.99

• Cricut Explore® Machine
• 
• Price: $299.99

• Cricut® Tools Organizer
• 
• Price: $12.99

• Cricut® German Carbide Premium Blade
• 
• Price: $12.99

• Cricut® Deep Cut Blade & Housing
• 
• Price: $29.99

• Cricut® Tools Scraper and Blue End Caps
• 
• Price: $6.99

• Cricut® Tools Scraper and Spatula
• 
• Price: $9.99

• Cricut® Tools Basic Set
• 
• Price: $24.99

Why you may be spending too much on everything

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

As you may have noticed I am a bit obsessed with papercrafting supplies. Beautiful designed paper and frilly die cuts make my heart all a flutter. Unfortunately all these pretty toys come with a hefty price tag. This leaves me with only three options:

1. Stop buying supplies. (PARDON ME WHILE I TRY TO STOP LAUGHING)

2. Stop taking my family out for supper. (ALSO HIGHLY UNLIKELY)

3. Price match, coupon clipping and points ninja.


Yes, you guessed it I am that lady ahead of you in line explaining why I should be getting $0.50 off that box of cereal.

You would be surprised how much you can save by using reward programs and coupons to your benefit. No time to search out discount codes or Coupons?  Well you are in luck. With the use of Groupon Coupon you can find deals on things you buy everyday! From shoes to coffee and even electronics, you are only a few clicks away from saving big. All those savings add up and you will be adding to your scrap stash in no time at all.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Family needs new shoes?
Payless Shoes Save up to 60% on clearance items

Coffee time? 
Starbucks buy one get one free

New Electronics?

Best Buy Up to 50% on select tablets