Congratulations - Top 500 in the country!

Spellbinders Paper Arts Named to Prestigious Inc. 500 List

Craft Company Listed as One of America’s Fastest Growing Companies


Peoria, AZ – August 31, 2010 -- Spellbinders™ Paper Arts, LLC, an award-winning inventor, manufacturer and marketer of cutting edge tools for crafters, announced today it has been named to the Inc. 500, a list of the fastest growing private companies in America. With an extraordinary three-year growth rate of 673%, Spellbinders Paper Arts is ranked 446 on this year’s list, No. 5 in the Phoenix Metro area and No. 25 in the Consumer Products & Services category. With over 27 million businesses registered in the United States, the Inc. 500 list represents the top-tier businesses in America today.

"Fast growth at any time is a big achievement; fast growth during the past few years is just short of miraculous," said Inc. editor Jane Berentson. "The Inc. 500 consists of these just-short-of miraculous companies, the ones that through ingenuity and ambition have increased revenue, hired employees, and grown fast in difficult economic times."

Each year, Inc. magazine ranks U.S.-based, privately held companies according to percentage growth. The fastest-growing list is an exclusive ranking of entrepreneurs nationwide – a group Inc. magazine refers to as the most important segment of the U.S. economy.

“It is an honor to be included in this year’s Inc. 500 list and recognized for our entrepreneurial achievements,” said Stacey Caron, Spellbinders’ President. “Our focus has always been on manufacturing innovative, quality products for crafters. This confirmation of our success is the ultimate recognition of our efforts to grow a business that is both rewarding and fulfilling.”

Spellbinders embraces Web 2.0 marketing methods. They have assembled a team of the best designers in the industry to share their expertise online through a variety of web communities.

About Spellbinders Paper Arts
Spellbinders™ entered the craft and hobby market in 2003 with the introduction of the Wizard® Universal Craft Tool and a unique, patented collection of dies unlike any introduced before - or since. Always on the cutting edge in introducing innovative tools to the market, the Grand Calibur™ and Presto Punch™ are the company's latest offerings for crafters. Spellbinders product lines include more than 250 patented and patent-pending products, allowing crafters, hobbyists, artists and teachers to create one-of-a-kind, beautiful paper art projects. Visit http://spellbinderspaperarts.com/ or e-mail info@spellbinders.us for more information.

Play Date Cafe - Shocking! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Hey, y'all!

Are you feeling crafty?  Well, I've been working on design team assignments for the past several days, but now that I'm finished (woohoo!) I decided it was time to take on another challenge.  I scrolled down to the challenges I have posted in the left column and stopped at Play Date Cafe.  I wanted to see what my friends Julie, Steph and Mona had created.  To my horror, Steph's term is ending.  Boo hooo!!!!  Luckily, I can see her amazing work on other design team blogs.

Now look at these colors.  Navy Blue.  Bright Pink.  And Mustard!!!   Oh, good grief.  That is certainly a challenge, right???  But a fun one!

I found a cute little tag from Crafty Secrets that had blue and pink teacups with yellowish-mustardy tea in them.  Perfect!  All I needed to do was cut out a little white crown and color it mustard with my Copics.  Easy, right???   So I spy this little "scrap" of white cardstock that is the perfect size to cut out the crown!  Zip it through my Wizard and turn it over - oh no!!  I cut my cute little baby teacups!  Friends, I was mortified!!!  There went my card, right out the window.

Or not.  Goodbye, fair teacups!  Well, I had already cut out the shocking pink frame, the wings and the sentiment tag.  What to do?  Luckily, the same Crafty Secret sheet had this precious little birdie who fit the bill (tee hee - bill - HA!)!  So I plucked him up, stuck him to the back of the frame and proceeded to color the wings and crown.  Mind you, I had no mustard cardstock and haven't missed it.  ha.  So I pulled out a Copic marker (Honey) which is about as close to mustard as I could find.

This definitely knocked me outside of my crafting box.  I would have never used these bright colors without the challenge....but I kind of like it!

So did you play this week?  Share!

Peace out,

Handmade Paper - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

The sun is finally peeking out a bit here in coastal Florida.  We've had the summer rains and thunderstorms for a few days now and it's nice to be the sunshine state again!

I've been puttering around in my studio, trying to purge (yeah...right!!) and make use of things that were tucked away waiting for the right moment.  Well, my BFF Rindy gave me some fabulous handmade paper that she brought back from a trip a few years (yes, YEARS) ago.  And when I rediscovered it I squealed with delight!  Because now was the perfect time to cut into it and marry it with the new colors and peacock images in CTMH's new Autumn Idea Book (coming out September 1!).

Just look at that paper!  Isn't it insanely beautiful???  The gold really shimmers and shines.  I just love it!  It's a light and airy tissue texture and I have plenty left - tee hee!

I didn't want a bright gold cardstock, so I used a Copic marker to make my own muted gold cardstock from white.  The stamped label is one of Claire's fabulous Waltzingmouse stamps that coordinates with Spellbinders(TM)' S4-229 Labels Five die template - still my favorite! 

That awesome huge glittery brad, the peacock feather stamp and the new 'blue' ink colors are all in the new Idea Book.  I hope you enjoy!

p.s.  For all you "international" Spellbinders™ lovers....you may be interested to know that the Spellbinders International Guest Blogger - Fall 2010 Contest is on! Please click here for complete details! wooHOOO!

What's your routine? Plus a Grammy's Love - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

How do you handle a disruption in your routine?  I've always been a creature of habit - fairly comfortable with knowing what I would be doing each evening after work.....each weekend.  So having some free time off while I'm job-searching changed things up. 

Last week, for example, I had a surge of mojo and created some art nearly every day.  Then this weekend I had a dog-sitting job (my first) with a wonderful little guy named Corky.  I stayed at Corky's house and didn't take any craft supplies with me (can you believe it???).  Then Alan has been home from college for a couple of days, and we fell into our Alan-home-from-college-routine of sitting together with our computers, watching our taped shows that I save for these days and eating takeout.  Watching typical guy shows, but they really are pretty good - Deadliest Catch, Whale Wars, Swords and a new one - Scrappers.  So all of my chick shows have stacked up in a tidy row waiting for Alan to leave.

So now he's home at his other home in Gainesville, and I'll be back to the studio tomorrow - yippee!  And back to looking for a job, trying to find affordable health insurance...you get the idea.



Here's one of my Spellbinders(TM) layouts that you can find in the Spellbinders' blog gallery.  This is my mom (isn't she cute!) and my baby's first college graduation from BCC.  I used some lace that my mom gave me from her old scraps, as well as sheet music she gave me (for the fan and the flowers).  Click on the image to enlarge it.  These are my two most favorite people in the world!

So how do you handle a routine disruption?  Do you still manage to slip in a little craftiness, or do you dive completely into the disruption and start anew when things settle down?

JustRite and SFYTT Challenges combined Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Gene Simmons got his head stuck in a squirrel head.  Oh, good grief.  I am dying here watching the show that I recorded form last night.  Need I say more?

So, have you joined in any of these challenges that I have listed in the left column?  I combined two of them yet again - JustRite's Friday Challenge #030 and Jen's SFYTT (Sketch For You To Try).

The JustRite challenge invites you to use this photo as your inspiration.  I used the colors and 'feel' of the pillow in the upper left corner of the photo as my inspiration, then used Jen's sketch as my template.

I used a stamp from JustRite's Joyful Hearts set and some of my Spellbinders(TM) Nestabilities:  S5-022 Labels Ten, S4-112 Classic Ovals Small and a brand new release, S4-293 Lacey Circles.  The paper is from MME's "Quite Contrary" line, mounted on  CTMH's Hollyhock cardstock with a touch of Sweet Leaf thrown in.

Now, I realize that most of you have been using these tiny little Prima flowers for a while, but this is my first!  My friend Mona slipped a package of them in my luggage when I stayed with her in Phoenix in April.  Now, how sweet was that?  She is an angel here on earth!

Thanks for stopping by and for putting up with me during my transition to whatever my new career might be.  Your comments and thoughts mean so much!

Till later,

JUGS - Just Us GirlS Challenge - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Hey y'all!

Have you tried my friend Lisa Kind's JUGS challenges?  It's pretty cool 'cause they host a different type of challenge each week - sketch, color, templates....you get the idea.

This week it's a sketch challenge and I used it to vent a little about my unfortunate incarceration - subtly, of course!

The awesome little tag from the paper pack (CTMH's Notebook) afforded me the opportunity to circle the exact date of my layoff...and then at the bottom is my editorial comment - 'f-r-e-e-d-o-m'.  tee hee

I sliced up some Prima flowers I've had for eons.  This quick card took maybe 15 minutes to make, which is a record for me!

I'm having a blast doing these challenges....and lovin' the return of my mojo!  New Spellinders(TM) die templates are on the way.....ah, life is great!

Peace out,

Embellish Magazine Challenge Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

My friend Ashley Cannon Newell publishes an awesome on-line magazine, Embellish  along with her hubby Mac.

This week she had a challenge with colors that looked interesting....and the best part was, you had to use a birdie!  Well, that's right up my alley!  So I heeded the call.

It took every bit of restraint I had not to use my Spellbinders S4-297 Nested Crown die template again.  So instead I used S4-303 Crown Ovals.  Both of these are brand new sets available now on the Spellbinders website.  The paper is an old K&Co stack, and it really is bright pink and neon green - I just had a fit photographing this one! 

The birdie is a CTMH stamp set (A Tweet)....I stamped him on the back of the paper and cut him out because I wanted him facing the opposite direction.

Make sure you check out Ashley's magazine and join in the challenge!

Peace out,

Mojo Monday meets Play Date Cafe Scrapbooking in Melbourne,Florida

Oh, it's good to be back!

Thank you for all of the encouragement during my morosity (new word?).  I hope the mojo has returned -- I made four cards today!  wooHOOO!!!  I decided to sit down in my studio and just create for fun -- no design team projects (although they are fun!!!) -- no restrictions; just create.

So I started with a card for my BFF Rindy, which you'll see in a couple of days.  Then a card for my BFF Tami.  These gals really were my lifeline a couple of weeks ago during my unfortunate incarceration (my layoff - ha).

Then I moved on to a couple of challenge cards.  Now, this is the first time I've ever made a card that actually fits two challenges!  I used Julee's Mojo Monday 150 sketch.  Wow, this sketch rocked!  I always forget about my corner rounder, so this was a fun reminder that it's in my stash.

I also fulfilled the Play Date Cafe's Challenge 41, which is a color challenge.  What great inspiration there!

I was so excited to get to play with Spellbinders'(TM) brand new release S4-297 Nested Crown(R) die templates.  Yum!!!!  The darker portions are actually inked through the holes in the die template - that's what's so great and unique about Spellbinders die templates!  Click on the photo to get a closer look.

So how's your mojo?  If you are stuck like I was, try making something just for fun - no restrictions.  Or try one of the sketch challenges - I've linked several here in the left column of my blog.  Let me know how it works out!

Till next time,

Have you missed me? Slowly coming back.............

I know I have been a bad blogging friend.  Let me tell you why, dear followers.  I lost my job two weeks ago.  I've never lost a job.  How do you deal with it?  How do you deal with the plummeting self-esteem?  The embarrassment and humiliation.  Yes, I know that 'my job was eliminated'.  They loved me, I was a wonderful employee, it was nothing personal.  After 16 years, though, I am crushed.  And that's all I can say because I signed a release.

So.  This is why I have not blogged, but more importantly why I have not created.  I just haven't had the heart.  When I should be using my craft to pick myself back up and put on those big-girl panties!

I ventured into the studio last night and started reorganizing.  Well, it was never really organized so I can't say that I reorganized...just shifted some things around.  The mojo is not back, but I sensed a rumbling.  I'll try again tonight.

In the meantime.....anyone offer cheap health insurance?

Smiles,