So have you designed and printed out your papers yet?
Today we'll look at the punching and putting together aspect of the control center. I don't really know how you would make this without some sort of punching machine and the only one I know that can go through this thickness is the Zutter Bind it All. I am not affiliated with them – just enjoy using their fab products.
Prepare your printed pages by cutting out and inking any edges should you like or need that effect for your chosen colour scheme.
Then you'll need to…. {read More}
You will want to start thinking about what it is you want on your control center before you start. The clipboard for my monthly calender and bills was the basis for mine. The shopping list was also a must. Then it got creative. What other things do you need?
Somewhere to hang your keys, a note-pad or a "honey do" list? Chore chart, birthday list and memory cards are just some other ideas.
The next thing you need to do is…… read the rest here.
It just went off yesterday at 2.50 pm. Just as I was about to skype my dad for his birthday. 
We had a great day today though, even without the internet.
Then tonight my prize from the Bind It All Spring contest arrived in the mail. Two 6 x 6 coveralls and a set of antique silver O'wires.
I can see some cute projects coming up. Thanks again to Zutter.
What a lovely way for the day to finish.
I had a lot of requests wanting more information about my control center made with the Zutter Bind it All. It is a big project and the tutorials will be in a couple of parts.
Without further ado – Here is the Control Center Tutorial Part 1
Do you like it?
All of the things in the photo were gathered from my home – most of them from places they have sat for years. I wasn't really noticing them any more. It amazes me how moving something, altering it's placement, can make it seem new again.
This is the photo I picked before resizing for the header.
One of my current photo assignments is looking at light.
My craft area has a big picture window that lets in a lot of light. Too much in summer as it gets the full morning sun and glare. With temperatures of 49 celcius or higher we have to use very heavy drapes to keep the room cool.
It is on the second floor and has a longish view – not all that nice due to the area I live in being surrounded by industrial types business.Perhaps one day when the windows are not so dusty from sand storms I will photograph it so you can see.
Yep! That means I would need to hang outside about 15 – 20 feet up and clean my windows.
Not happening!!
Maybe you'll get a dusty photo.
Anyway – in the afternoon the sun is one the other side of the house and the light falls so pretty in here. Softer but still nice and bright. I knew I wanted to use that light to create shadows and area's of interest. To have the light fall on things so that your eye wandered from one to another.
I also wanted to create mood, kind of a soft romantic feel to it.
Hopefully I acheived that!
As it all looks so pretty and this little table sits to the right of my craft desk I am going to leave it here for a while and enjoy all my new 'old' things again.
What a great surprise. All my play and participation over the Hybrid Chick blog over NSD turned into a wonderful little bonus.
I won a Scor Bug!
I have been wanting a Scor Pal for some time – in fact it is on my Mothers Day wish list.
And now I will have this handy little gadget embosser to go with it.
If you played over at the Hybrid Chick you may want to go and check the list of winners – perhaps you are on it. They sure did give a lot away!
Thanks to Diana at Scor-Pal and the ladies at The Hybrid Chick!
Ready for the full reveal?
This is my control center. I have been wanting to make one for ages and NSD gave me the perfect excuse to spend the day (or two) scrapping.
Like I needed an excuse. 
I used my Bind it All, a clipboard, lots of baby pink o'wires, ribbon, some pink string and little crystal heart beads.
Here it is hanging on my kitchen door. Where no one can miss it.
Here is what I have included.
A calender and clip board. I make the calender at the end of the previous month. On it there are all the birthdays for the month. Plus the munchkins weekly activities and anything that I might be doing. There are also our important phone numbers and a quote for each month.
I can place the bills due for the month behind that month and then file them when they are paid.
A shopping or to do list. That's the one I made the clip for yesterday. Then underneath there is a place for me to clip our weekly memory verse. The verse is laminated and will have a hole punched through it so it can be put on a o-ring at the end of the week (or when we have memorised it).
Then I may just hang them off the key ring holder.
Wooppeee! A place to hang my pretty key rings that my munchkins like to buy me. Not being allowed to drive here I don't have anything but a house key – and that is not often used. So they usually sit in a drawer.
Over on the left is a responsibilities or chores chart. Each child has a weekly task to take care of. I will list them each week.
No excuse for forgetting.
Below that is a post it note station. A place to take phone messages – and leave them. Makes it easy to check and also not get lost or forgotten.
The beautiful kit that I have used through out this whole project is Cherry Delight by The Digi Chick's. Gorgeous! You can get it in the DST magazine till the 5th of May or in the shop over at The Digi Chick after that.
I took a bunch of photo's so I'll be back in a couple of days with a full tutorial of how I made my control center.
Many many years ago, long before the scrap booking craze, and then the digital scrap booking craze, I was into what was called "Cottage Crafts" in Australia.
My favourite of these was stamping and card making. Of course it became passe' for a while, then digital just seemed easier.
However earlier this year I felt the urge to create my own hand made cards again. I also wanted to justify the huge stack of scrapbook papers that needed using up in my closet.
So I pulled out my old old stamps and inks and got started. By old I mean 15 or more years old.
Yep! Might be time for an update to my stamping supplies.
All designs are mine.
Munchkin boy#2 commented about how cool this one was – so he got it for his birthday. Now this technically isn't a stamped card as the little pirate bits are digital.
When I can find where I purchased the kit I will link you up – if you recognise this and know please leave me a comment.
If you want to add some dimension to your cards you can't go wrong with printing your own digital elements to match your theme. I have printed, cut them out and layered them up on some corrugated card. Then added some buttons, an "anchor" tag and string to tie it all together.
Here is a grown up one!
The flower stamp I used on this card is about 15 years old. Still good!
Can't say the same thing about the ink pads. I have had them stored upside down in a dark cool place but I guess – just like me, that time has done some damage.
Wrinkly, saggy and a bit dry in places. 
Next time I get out of here on vacation to a more craft oriented country I will need to stock up on some inks and markers. Oh and some more stamps of course!
Here is a close up. Of the card – not me.
You can see the little ribbon flower I made by pulling some wired ribbon along one edge till it all pulled tight. Then added a button which I have tied on with some cotton floss.
3 dimensional mounting tape and a bit of bling to finish it off. Those little crystal thingys – the bling, are not stamping or scrap book supplies. They are from those little clear sheets for decorating your cell phones or your Ipod. It is all I can get here though. The added bonus to using these is they are peel and stick. So no mucking around with glue!
Here is another variation on the pirate card.
And lastly a masculine one. Fairly simple, I have stitched around the paper with some Karen Foster Scrappers Floss and inked around the edge of the raised "Happy Birthday".
Fortunately my embossing powder and heat gun still work.
So if you were just giving advice to someone just starting out stamping – what you recommend they purchase as a medium basic kit to get started? I am sure there is a lot more product out there than last time I looked.
Leave me a comment and link me up to your favourite stamping products. I need to get a list of "must haves" ready for my next trip home!
Oh, and if you are looking for some more stamping inspiration you just might want to check out this fab giveaway over at the Hybrid Chick – what else but stamps!
Actually these were done last night but the light was gone. Yes, I could have used a flash – but it is so harsh and just doesn't do the colours justice at all.
Not sure it gives you anymore clues?
I hope to be finished with it today – so check back this evening for the final reveal!
Here is tiny part of my project completed.
Finally I can hear you saying !
The whole project is a bigger job than just one national scrapbook day. So I get to tease you all a little longer about what it is I am attempting to make.
Perhaps this shopping list notepad and clip may give you a bit more of a clue.
Or not!
I should be back tomorrow with some more.
