October Afternoon's 9 to 5 Collection!

Product Photos from OCTOBER AFTERNOON's blog.

OCTOBER AFTERNOON's newest collection has sent my prescription cough syrup addled brain into a tailspin.  It's just past amazing and almost over to live-changing.  Kind of like the time I had my first vodka & tonic in a Dallas hotel room.  You know, that moment something or someone enters your life and you know you were meant to be together?

OA's '9 to 5' is a vintage inspired office daydream-  vintage colors, patterns, even a dark-wood paneled 'boardroom,'  all brought to life in a sexxxy secretary 12X12 patterned paper way.  Scrap up a mini-book about your job, MadMan style!  Relive your Xerox dreams!  All your dreams are possible, now!

When I was a little Kory, my favorite 'game' was PLAYING OFFICE.  I had a cubicle area setup in a corner of my bedroom, where I kept my bright blue manual typewriter, my wire IN/OUT boxes, stacks of paper and random office supplies- and a copy of a dog-eared Office Depot catalog that I would circle objects I thought I needed to 'order.'  Clearly, October Afternoon built this collection for ME.

Seriously, I love every piece of this collection!  Every piece is 'RIGHT.'

Check out these brads:

Product Photos from OCTOBER AFTERNOON's blog.



And this pack of embellishments:

Product Photos from OCTOBER AFTERNOON's blog.

See the old typewriter?!  I know just where it'll go...

See the entire collection, HERE, at October Afternoon's blog.  Check out the set of STAMPS- with a terrific rotary phone graphic, the journal cards, and their set of coordinating SPRINKERS ink sprays-  great colors, an incredible collection. 

Thank you, October Afternoon!!!

Sickness and Shopping

I am surrounded by sickness! 

I am sure that's a line from a play or movie or something.  Doesn't it sound dramatic?  "I AM SURROUNDED BY SICKNESS!" 

I could just be imagining that it's from something-  I do that, often.  I'll say something that sounds horribly dramatic and think it's from some Academy Award winning performance- but it turns out it's just a bad line from my tv-movie-of-the-week-style life. 

So, yeah-  I got sick.  It was dramatic.  I know how to sell a cough to the balcony. 

I ended up needing to go to visit the DOCTOR.  I had a sinus infection.  And I had to have a shot.  Which, when they asked me if I was going to be okay getting the shot- I was like, 'Yeah, sure.'  Shots don't bother me. 

What I learned is:  SHOTS don't bother me, as long as I can see where the needle is going.

So, after a shot....some pills....and a (too small) bottle of fantastic liquid medicine- and lots of rest, I was ready to reenter society. 

Saturday, I went to DEMO DAY at My Heart's Fancy-  made a fun card in the shape of a birdhouse, using some new dies, Mr. Holtz's new SPRING Distress Ink colors, and that fun 'kissing' stamps technique.  Which, I read a tutorial about in a magazine, recently and really wanted to try- but forgot about it until Saturday morning.

Headed up to Jo-Ann yesterday-  in the rain.  It was great- there was hardly any traffic, so the drive was fast and relaxing.  It's amazing how relaxing a drive to Jo-Ann can be, when you don't have to spend the entire drive honking, screaming and waving your hands at other drivers.

What did I see when I entered the Papercrafting Aisle at Jo-Ann?

50% off!  Half off nearly everything in these holy aisles. 

I bought:

Two new sets of Spellbinders! FITTY OFF!
The Tim Holtz 'Old Jalopy' Die- 10 bucks! (No clue what I'll do with it?!)
I GOT A NEW, big-ass Fiskars paper trimmer! Huge! With a wire to show exactly where it'll cut- FITTY OFF!!!

and I picked up lots of little things (ALL *HALF* OFF!!!) that I'd kinda wanted/needed- such as:

A WATERBRUSH!
ANOTHER PACK OF MINI-MISTERS!
A PAIR OF CUTTER BEES!

...and a few other odds 'n ends- but that's the highlight. 

So what's the purpose of this story? 

When you get sick, you sometimes NEED to go to the doctor.  Then, you go to Jo-Ann and buy anything you want....

Oh, hi! Happy Mother's Day!

Well?  It's 7:10amCST.  Was I the first to wish you a Happy Mother's Day?!  No?  What do you mean your kid woke you up with a plate of undigestable 'Cowboy Surprise,' at 5:30am?  Don't you strap them to the beds at night?  How'd they get out?!


Yeah, I know- nothing as old as a MOMMIE DEAREST joke, but really?  What a hilarious movie that was-  I mean, depending on who's side you're on...   Myself, I'm with Joan.  I don't believe for a minute she did anything so much as ground those little steak-haters.  Every TIME I see Christina refuse to eat that deliciously bloody steak, I just scream at the TV:  DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!  I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT STEAK WAS UNTIL I WAS FOURTEEN!

Anyways.  Sorry about that...  I'm back.  I'm centered.  I'm focused.

So, I went on a little round about the town shopping spree yesterday.  I left the home with all intentions of going straight to MY HEART'S FANCY - but instead, I got on the phone with Holly Busch, missed an exit, said FORGET IT and went to Da HobLobs (Hobby Lobby) and the 'brand new' Jo-Ann!   Also, I got such a late start that I was worried about being able to make it up to Edmond (where My Heart's Fancy is) and back to downtown in time for rehearsal at 1pm.

What was I on the lookout for?  Some Spellbinders.  I saw a card online that I really liked, and knew from that moment-  I GOTTA GET LABELS2.

Well, neither Jo-Ann or Hobby Lobby had it-  and they didn't have anything else that caught my eye, but after combing the store to keep an eye on inventory, I realized I HAVE GOT TO GET DOWNTOWN!

Yes,  I am still stage managing.  The play previews on 31MAY and opens the next day.  Wanna come to the preview?  I'll let you know details.  Rehearsal was pretty tough.  And made tougher due to the fact that I had a pack of Spellbinders on my back...

Oh yeah!  Did I tell you that I finally got a new cell phone?  I did.  I got the iPhone 4S.  I'd been wanting an iPhone for the longest time.  And for one reason only.  Well, two reasons.  The second reason, I'll go into later- as I've got the idea it's going to be a big enlightening post full of excitement.  The first reason I've been wanting the iPhone so badly  is because:

Instagram.

Isn't it amazing?!  And don't these layouts and other projects made using the Instagram photos just blow you away?

And yeah- I've even been using it!

Today, after rehearsal, I walked around the front of OKC's beautifully famous CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALL, and took a picture of the front:

When I was a little stagestuck kid, going to see a show at the CCMH was a majorly big deal.  In the second grade, my Grandma took my brother and me there, to see a national tour of PETER PAN.  At the end of the show, after the curtain call, Peter stepped down front and promised to teach ALL of us how to fly.  My heart could've exploded.  I've always wanted to fly!

Well.  Along with every other hopeful kid in the audience, I followed the instructions carefully.  I bent my arm and put my right thumb into my right armpit- then the same with the left-  then-  FLAP.  And Peter made a chicken noise.  Bawk Bawk Bawk.

Yeah, really funny, weird lady dressed as a boy.  No my heart is broken and all I've got to show for it is a lifetime love of going to the theatre.

Well, that's it- the big reason I bought the phone.  To take pictures using one little free app.

Where the hell was I, ladies and gentlemen?

Oh yeah.  After rehearsal and some rest and some dinner- I headed back out, in search of a new set of Spellbinders, preferably Labels 2.  Or Labels 22.  Or all of them.  It didn't matter, the itch was so bad.

At Michaels, I found a set that interested me.  Labels 18.

And some classy envelopes.

Beautiful, huh?  You might think they're from some classy 'name' company.  Nope.  MAMBI.  Not talking' no trash to MAMBI- but I just don't see much from them-  or know much about them- or find anything I like by them...  Until these beautiful ladies!

I also picked up a 'Seal of Approval' FISKARS punch.  Why?  I don't know.  What can I say, it caught my eye.

And with my purchase (and a brief struggle of explaining WHERE the Spellbinders are and YES it is in stock, I just saw it in the cage WELL DONT LOOK IN THE BACK LOOK IN THE CAGE) the cashier said,  'Your minimum scrapbooking purchase entitles you to a free gift.'

Nice bag!

It looks kinda Tim Holtz.  If Michaels ate him.

But who am I to say anything bad about a free gift?  Some of my best friends are free.

-kory

Where's Kory?!

Believe me, I don't really know where I am...

Am I at the office?  The theatre?  My bed?  At 7-11, fighting hobos for my own spare change so I can buy more candy?

It's been a crazy week-  I started back to work in SHOW BUSINESS.  I'm stage managing a new play, and it's so much work that my fingers hurt from rubbing them against a big pink rubber eraser in frustration.   Yes.  During last night's rehearsal, out of stress and trying to stay away, I was rubbing my finger so hard against one of those old school erasers that I've given myself a blister.  It. Hurts. To. Type. 

That's me, though.   Always a martyr.  Watch for the TV movie about my life, "TYPING THROUGH THE PAIN: The Kory K. Story."

I did manage to make it down to the Hob Lobs last weekend.  I think it was last weekend.  It's all a blur, ladies and gentlemen. 

While digging through a mountain of clearance at Hobby Lobby (nothing good this time) and 'doing inventory' in the Tim Holtz section, I caught a glimpse of some new stamps and thought I'd share-  they're pretty good looking and priced nicely!

The moustache is cute- very similar to the moustache from Stampers Anonymous that I have, but different enough to make me still want it-

Others that caught my eye: the phone, camera, pocketwatch and typewriter.  But I have about seven or eight 'vintage typewriter' stamps- so I might let this one rest on the shelves.  I did snatch up the camera, though. Won't it look great on the bottom right corner of a mini-album?  Yeah!  I thought so, too!

Okay, that's it for now- I've got tons of work to do, then rehearsal 7-10, then hopefully- lots of sleep before I drag my tore up self up to a scrapbook store or two, tomorrow morning! 

-kory

Scrapbook Day and BRAND NEW My Mind's Eye!

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

I saw this now, AFTER the 'National Holiday.'  We really should push for this to become a federal holiday.  Really.  After reading about some the marathon crops that many of you were attending, you definitely needed to call in sick Monday!

What did I do to celebrate NSBD?  Make a new mini-album?  Make fifty amazing Pinterest*-worthy layouts?

No.  I went  out to celebrate Cinco De Mayo.  Why do WE celebrate Cinco De Mayo so crazily suddenly?  I thought I could at least take some pictures that I COULD scrap-  but I forgot about that plan until 2am when the bars closed and I was pushed out a door and had to wait until they found Holly Busch and pushed her out the door- that was when I remembered I was supposed to be taking pictures.  And are you ready to see this award winning photo?  Here it is:

Yeahp.  I guess I had my finger over the lens.


Oh! Kory!  What was the '*' after Pinterest up in the paragraph up there all about, huh?

WELL!  My favorite online home of scrappytainment, Scrapbook.com, pinned by NYC layout to their Vacations board.  On Pinterest!   And yes, I know they pin LOTS of layouts - but still,  I couldn't help but feel like I should wash my face and put on clean clothes.

So anyways, I'll try to celebrate National Scrapbook Day next weekend.  I'm usually a week behind on holidays.


So, didja see the new collection, NOSTALGIA, just out from MY MIND'S EYE?  I love their papers.  They always look great.  They're rarely overwhelmingly feminine, very versatile- just greatness.  Usually, their stuff reminds me of some kind of great vintage wallpaper from some classy cruise ship.

Check out a few of my favorites:

photos from http://mymindseye.typepad.com/

photos from http://mymindseye.typepad.com/

photos from http://mymindseye.typepad.com/

photos from http://mymindseye.typepad.com/

photos from http://mymindseye.typepad.com/

It's okay.  Take a few minutes to go wash your face.  I'll wait.

Aren't those GREAT?!  I WANT THEM NOW.


Alright.  It's Benadryl time.  See y'all.

-kory

Mr. Holtz's Embossing Diffusers: The Excitement Continues!

From the first moment I saw the new Embossing Diffusers in use, I knew it was something I had to have-

And I don't think I've stopped playing with them yet.

And then someone comes up with yet another way they can be used for and even more amazing effect.

Go to TonyR's blog RIGHT freaking NOW and see this genius use of the brand new EMBOSSING DIFFUSERS from Tim Holtz/Sizzix!

The moment I saw this, I wanted to do nothing more than leave work immediately and go home to make things...

Here's the link: Embossing Diffusers.

Tell Tony I say hello, and make sure you tell him THANK YOU!

-kory

BasicGrey: CLIPPINGS: Sneek Peek!



designed by: Kelly Goree http://kellygoree.blogspot.com/
photo from BasicGrey: http://blog.basicgrey.com/

 What's this uproar you're hearing about BasicGrey's new collection?   You mean you haven't heard anything yet?  What do you do all day?  Yeah, there's an uproar!  And the classy little beast in the center of the commotion is BasicGrey's new collection, 'CLIPPINGS.'

I'm sorry if I sound as if I'm going overboard- but I can't find enough worthy adjectives to describe my infautuation with this line.  BasicGrey describes the impressive new collection as reading 'like a mystery novel you can't put down.'  I promise you, BG, I won't be putting the collection down.  I will be buying it up and hoarding so much of it that A&E will be knocking down my door to film an episode of HOARDERS.

Well?  Have you seen the sneak peek the geniuses at the BasicGrey blog just posted?  It's amazing.  There's some vintage menswear fabric inspired sexiness, some board game inspired fun, and on top of that, vintage postal (not in the crazy way) hotness.  On top of the patterned paper - there's some outstanding chipboard shapes and alphas, wooden buttons, flags and banners - AND-  (wait for it, catch your breath) MINI ENVELOPES that look better than I do on a Saturday night after three drinks.

Check it out! 


-kory

It's May 2: do you know where your Mother's Day flowers are?

IT'S ALMOST MOTHER'S DAY WHAT?!  BUT KORY, I'VE NOT ORDERED FLOWERS!

Don't worry!  I'm here to help!  As always!

What are you doing for your Mom for Mother's Day?  Making a card?  Making a new mini-book?  Making a big and full-on scrapbook? Taking her out to dinner at McDonalds?  No matter what you're doing, it would be nice to send flowers, too.  This is the biggest day for the floral industry, didn't you know?  Yeahp- bigger than Valentine's Day!  So don't leave your Mum the only one without flowers! 

And while you're at it- how about using this special coupon code, strictly for my friends (that's YOU!) and save 25% off your order at Teleflora.com!  The coupon code is:  TFMDAYMM6Q7

And feel free to forward the code to any of your friends and say KORY SAYS SPREAD THE LOVE!  (Actually, no don't say that, that's a little too dorky.  Even for me.)

        USE COUPON CODE: TFMDAYMM6Q7

This is my favorite Mother's Day arrangement from Teleflora, the 'Hat's Off To Mom Bouquet.'  The keepsake jar looks just as sweet in person.  Trust me.  And afterwards, she'll have this good lookin' covered container to keep!  They're not called 'Flowers In A Gift' for nothin!

If you're looking for something more traditional, check out 'Lavender Love.'   Nice lillies and lavender roses in a quality (HEAVY!) keepsake vase. 

Or- how about using my coupon code (don't forget- it is: TFMDAYMM6Q7) for another arrangement? 

Mother's Day is May 13!  It's almost here!  Order flowers and book a table at McDonalds!

If you'd like an email to forward to your friends, or to post on your blog- just let me know- I'll be happy to help!  A discount is a discount is a rose.  Isn't that whay they say?

-kory

 

New York City: a layout with washi tape, misting, stickers, a die cut, some bodily fluids...

I guess you can tell by the title, this layout has a little bit of everything- well, no flowers (Sorry, Paul) and no twine (Sorry, Frank).  Yeahps.  Nearly a little bit of everything, even some bodily fluids.  No, don't run- nothing too disturbing- just a little saliva, where I needed to smudge some distress ink.

I took this photo on one of my favorite trips to New York City.  I think it would be my second favorite trip.  On this specific vacation, I saw Tracey Letts' astounding play, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.  I also nearly got into a fistfight with a crazy drunk man outside in line for 'street meat' at four in the morning.  And that was after I nearly beat up a cab driver who tried not to accept out fare uptown, because his shift was almost over and he only wanted to go further downtown.  I'm sorry, but after a long night of awe-inspiring theatre and awe-inspiring drinking- a crazy man in line for food or a cranky cab driver is NOT going to get in MY WAY!

About the layout:

The base is just plain old kraft, and I think the light blue background paper with a slight resist pattern is from, well- I have no clue... if anybody knows, I would be much obliged to know.  I outlined/drew a square around the light blue page with a Walnut Stain Distress Marker.  The Chrysler building die cut is from Quickutz- I found it in the Hobby Lobby clearance aisle for two bucks.  The file tab is a punch from Jenni Bowlin/Fiskars.  I LOVE this punch.  

The strip of subway tape is from Mr. Holtz's new set of DESTINATIONS tissue tape.  This tape looks good everywhere.  It can work with so many different styles- I just love it- I need more of it!  

I used four different bottles of misters.  Boarding Pass from October Afternoon's set of "Sprinklers" that coordinates with their genius-beautiful-classy BOARDING PASS collection. Dewey, Heirloom Blue, Calico White- all MISTER HUEY from Studio Calico.  More of "my favorite things."  What did the world do before the proliferation of misters?  And what will we do when we're all sick of them?  And what of October Afternoon's BOARDING PASS collection.  Please don't stare at me blankly and ask what is THAT?!  If you haven't been hoarding up the pieces from October Afternoon's Boarding Pass collection, you must live a horrible life.  I know that my life was horrible until I discovered that line, and every time I buy more of it as I find it, my life gets better and better.  So that's proof.  OA's Boarding Pass equals life, love and happiness.  Yes, I have most of it and a duplicate paper or two- but WHAT will I do once it's gone?!  I want to be able to have a lifetime collection of Boarding Pass papers and embellishments.  October Afternoon, if you're listening:  If you find yourself cleaning out to make room for all the new genius stuff you're making, and you decide to throw out any extra Boarding Pass- DON'T.  Send it to me.  I will not only be the happiest person on earth, I will also do anything you ask.  ANYTHING.  Wink.

Here's the layout:

See the faint skyline stamped along the bottom?  That's a skyline stamp from Tim Holtz's Urban Grunge set, stamped with Antique Linen Distress Ink.  It's faint enough to fade into the background and add to the 'city' look, but still- part of the background.  I feel it adds lots.  

I also used the Quickutz skyscraper die as a sort of mask- and stamped on and over it at random parts of the page, to kinda add another faint skyline image to the right of the photo. 

I had lots of fun doing this page- I relived parts of the trip, I enjoyed the moment I'm in now- and that's part of what scrapping is about, isn't it?  Okay, that's as deep as I'm gonna get- to put it simply,  I felt good doing it and I love the page!

Happy May Day, everyone!

-kory