Friday, August 22, 2014

A Little Window Shopping: Regional, Vinyl Retailer

Officially my MOST VISITED STORE this entire trip...
3571 S. 300 W. 
Salt Lake City, UT  84115
{801}262-6451

They sell vinyl, cutting machines, blades and mats and plastics and basically heaven on earth as far as this color-obsessed crafter is concerned.  Come inside and let me explain...


Walk in the door, turn left, and BAM!  Take in the rainbow of vinyl sold by the 12x24" sheets.  I have been buying  my vinyl on Amazon for a couple years now, but NEVER before have I seen a sight like this place, isles splashed with colorful vinyl you can touch and hold and carry all over the store until you finally decide you are going to have to put some back because you now have 675 sheets in your hands and you cannot possibly buy that many in one shopping trip!   Make sense?  

Here you have your sparkly sheets.  They are on sale for $1.60 a sheet.  Yep.  A steel of a deal.  I haven't even been able to find this type of vinyl for sale, let alone in a cute little 12x24" Sheet.

Then you have your standard rainbow of matte vinyl, around $2.60 a sheet {going off of memory here so please do forgive me if I am off by a couple cents!!!}.  There are so many shades of each color I simply can't decide in one trip...or four, which sheets to take back to Minnesota with me.  

For my fellow tight-wad's out there, I found this rack on my most recent trip to Regional.  The Damaged Sheets tray is stacked with just about every color of vinyl and includes sheets that have rips or wrinkles in them.  For my particular purposes, this find was like striking gold.  I usually only need a tiny smidge of a variety of different colors for designs I am doing.  These sheets are only $.66. Heck, I can work around a couple smudges and rips to save myself $2 a sheet, or $1 a foot!!!  I left with 17 of these in my hot little hands that day ;0}  I used 6 of them than night too!

So now we have talked about the first two rows, there are all these and many more to stare at and try to come up with projects to use the rest of these for.

Check out this selection!  Stencil sheets, Glow in the dark vinyl, chalkboard and dry erase vinyl, gold and silver, textured and holographic, what???

Regional has sold 24 and 36" wide rolls for years, but these 12" rolls of Oracal 631 and 651 are a recent addition.  They are sold in 10 and 30 feet amounts, the 30 foot rolls for around $24 if I remember correctly.  If I have estimated this correctly, these rolls are around $10 less than what I pay on Amazon for the same amount of vinyl.

Each day I have come in the color selection of the rolls has multiplied.  I may be a little obsessed.  Good thing we only have two more days in town of I might have to form an vinyl lover's support group.

These would be the same colors as the other rows, but sold in gloss finish instead of matte.

Whaz that you say?  Do they have iron-on vinyl???
YES!!!

Several varieties.  I think, next time I go I should grab some iron-on to try when I get home...then I walk into the store and end up in the color induced trance again and end up unable to remember what I went to the store to buy.  Word to the wise, write down what you need before you go ;0}

Sparkly iron-on

Standard iron-on....in all it's fabulousness.

Then specialty iron, like mirror and flocked...
I need to step out for a minute to let my brain recover.

So, I had a little chat with my favorite cashier and he took me in here to see the big machines.  I should first mention that they sell the Silhouette Cameo here.  I almost cried when he told me they sell it for $225, complete with the blade and mat, etc.  I bought mine, as a refurbished machine, on Amazon for $250.  Thinking about buying a Cameo???  Give these guys a call.  Regional also sells the big guys. 
 A couple of these machines actually print on the vinyl 
{and yes, they sell the printable vinyl in the store ;-}

The big signs on the wall are examples of printed vinyl they made up on the machines.  They look amazing and he says they hold up really well to weather and UV rays.

I asked him what the next step would be from my Silhouette, and he said these guys.  They both hang out in the $2500 range, so it will be a while before I move up,but it is super nice to know where to go when I am ready to buy.

Regional also has about every tool and accessory you might need for your machine and cutting agenda.  They sell Silhouette mats here for around $11 and the blades for around $9.  Silhouette can be hard to find in the stores, at least in Minnesota, so it is great to know you can get them here if you are a local.  Regional also takes phone orders or you can order from their website.  My Regional friend told me they have free shipping to Minnesota on all orders over $125.  Fabulous!


Note the rolls of transfer tape.  How could I forget to tell you that they sell a great transfer tape here? The masking version is way more transparent than the last roll I bought online.  It is an important attribute when working with clear ornament inserts!!!

You can take a seat here when waiting for your will-call orders...
Enjoy a little fresh popped {Emmalee's favorite part of the store...now she wants a popcorn machine for Christmas.  Oh brother!}

Then, just when you thought you were ready to leave, there are racks of end bolts of vinyl for sale at a discount...

As well as a bin of Acrylic scraps for sale by the pound.  I grabbed one piece, about 12x32 for $2.50.

Awesome.  I may need to go back one more time before we leave ;0}  It is so much nicer to shop for this kind of thing in a store where you can touch and carry around, to stack and thin your real shopping cart rather than a virtual cart!  Love it.  

Live too far away to order from them in person???
You can check them out online at regionalsupply.com.
I even like their website.  It is clean and easy to navigate.  
I love you Regional Supply!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

A Little Window Shopping: Material Girls


There are two fabric stores Madison and I have to visit EVERY TIME we come to Salt Lake City, Utah.  Material Girls Quilts is one of them.  It is located at 1645 W. Towne Center Dr., South Jordan, Utah {or just South of the Redwood Rd. and 10600 intersection, South and on the same side of the road as Harmon's grocery store.

Never have I seen such a spunky, bright, fun quilt/fabric store.  Mads and I usually come to touch all the latest fabrics and to pick a pattern to make when we get back home.  I love, LoVe. LOVE that Material Girls has their patterns made up all over the store.  

Also, I can't tell you how many times we have been to this store, and this was the first time I noticed the bike and other misc. antiques up on the shelf above all the fabulous fabrics.  SEW CUTE!  This place has all sorts of antiques woven throughout the displays and products.  

Besides fabric and patterns, Material Girls has a fun section of zippers, ribbons, trims, and awesome specialty fabrics I can't help but run my fingers over.

I am going to be quite now.  Just take a minute and soak it all in...




The cute little bicycle stitchery was my chosen pattern for this visit ;0}

This dress pattern, the Macy Giggles, WAS going to come home with me, but they were all out.  I will be strong and stick to my one pattern per visit rule...for a few more days.

That pillow made of rosettes is so, so cute in person.  I love rosettes!  I need to get that pattern too ;0}  No sense in telling Mr. SewCakeMaker right now.  I will just wait until the pillow is finished to let him know.  JK




I had to take a pic of this cute little sign they have in the classroom.  It reminds me of a few fabulous ladies I know ;0}  You know who you are!

And check this out!  It is the cutest sewing kit I  have ever seen.  Just the method of keeping it closed is adorable.  The pattern is by Abbey Lane Quilts and comes with the zipper bags that go inside...
Yep.  That would have made packing for my trip a little easier...or at least look better.

This little bit of randomness was just cute.  It looks to me like a table number for a party or wedding or something.  Cute and spunky.

So, if you live in Utah, or are just stopping in for a visit, check out Material Girls.  There is enough eye candy in this store to give you quite an ocular cavity.  Haha.  I know.  Not funny.
But when you are worn out from all the fabulousness in Material Girls Quilts, there is a cute little cupcake shop across the street so you grab a sweet treat and let everything you just saw sink into your brain ;0}



Sunday, August 17, 2014

A Little Window Shopping: Poppy Seed Projects

Welcome to my new favorite wood craft store!  Poppy Seed Projects in Sandy, Utah.  I saw this store in a pin about three years ago.  It has been that long since we were in Utah.  It was the first store on my list for this shopping trip, even if it wasn't the first one I got to go to ;0}

As you can see on the door, they do not open until Noon on any given day.  They reserve the morning to get vinyl picked and supplies made for purchase every day.  As for the particulars, they are located just off 90th and the I-15, on the southwest side of the freeway.  The actual address is 
477 W. 9160 S. 
Sandy, UT  84070
801-948-4365


STORE HOURS:
Sunday: CLOSED
Mon-Fri: 12:00-5:30
Sat: 12:00-4:00 

You can see more at PoppySeedProjects.com.

Here is a little, just a little sampling, of what I saw in the store.  I can't even wait to show you!!!

If you have followed my blog for a while you know we did these temple blocks for Super Saturday a few years back.  Well, if you haven't made your own yet, all the stuff is available here.  Kits are only $3.50.   I bought the one on the far right that says Praise to the Man.  It was perfect with the trip our youth just took to Nauvoo, Illinois.  

Right next to that were these cute divided plaques.  I have seen printed church pictures used on these, but this with personal family photos was precious.  Want.

Please excuse the lame phone camera pictures.  You know how it is, one picture is so fabulous it blows your mind and the next is a blurry mess.  I had to show you this cute little tin, so we will both have to put up with the blur.  Sorry.   Anyway, what a cute gift or busy box to keep a little one occupied for a bit.  They had a basket of these kits for sale that included a sheet of pictures, the tin, and the small tiles cut from bead board.  You paint the tiles and glue on the pictures and that is pretty much it!  My kids would spend more time stacking them tall or lining them up to make a sidewalk than they would playing the matching game, but it all fits the purpose ;0}  I really want one of these in my church bag.  There are so many times I end up wishing I had a little toy to keep a little one busy, even now that my own are getting so big.

Love, love, love the nativity blocks.  Love them!
And how precious is that picture?!?  I love that it is so uniquely shaped.  It makes it even more eye catching.

You can figure by now that I want pretty much everything pictured in this post, but this...
When I walked into my Mother-in-law's house the first night we were in town, her board like this was the first thing I noticed.  It is just this huge board where you can hang all your random loose photos that you love but are too lazy to frame ;0}  OK, not too lazy, just too tired..or busy..or cheap..or short on shelf space or WHATEVER!  Really, REALLY WANT!

I love that Poppy Seed Projects has so many simple, fun decorations for every day life.  Above that, they have all sorts of adorable, trendy crafts for the holidays.  These aren't the same old, dark, moss covered crafts yo' mama made.  They are fresh and clean and so, SO CUTE!!!

Oh pink and blue!  How do I love you!!!
Love.  Gotta have.

Here are a few more of various holidays...




I might as well throw the wedding ideas in with the seasonal, right?  Adorbs.  I love wedding signage.  These are just the best {lego movie}


Did I mention that they did not pay me to write this post.  I did obtain permission to share my photos and my opinion, and baby, this place rocks!

They have all sorts of LDS projects available...

Primary, Young Women, and Youth.  Mission ideas and more.


I also grabbed one of these.  I have a very, VERY meager craft budget this trip, but I was still able to leave the store with a bag full of fun for less than $15.  I love the eye glass paper on the block.  Bought it up by the register so I can CopyCat this block exactly ;0}

Apparently this is one of the original projects that started it all seven years ago.  One lovely lady made the project, ended up sharing it at church, word spread.  Soon the one lady became two.  The two ladies became so popular simply by word of mouth that they were able to open a store four years later.  The store has been open now for three years.  For a while they did the cutting on site.  Now the store is simply for sales and they do the cutting at another location.  I can see how they would grow so quickly with such amazing talent.

These shaped wood plaques were what got my interest on Pinterest so many years ago.  I just, just LOVE THEM.  How precious is this!?!  Now that I am doing photography, I really would love to bring my two passions, wood and photos, together in a similar way.

Some more plaque/frames on display...



Cute calendar and menu boards that would make my Mom job more enjoyable when doing the mundane.  

I can't give you a peek at the store without showing you the "store" part.  Why not start here...
Yep.  Best playplace in a craftstore EVER!  Kids were singing to "Let it Go" as we shopped.  Quite fitting don't you think?  That pile of boxes right before the playroom would be the clearance table.  They have various wood and projects at discounted prices AND a box of vinyl scrap that is only $.25 a sheet!!!!  I bought about $4 of vinyl for $.50.  NOW it isn't a problem that I forgot to bring some with me ;0}

Did I mention I am a total fan now.  

Up by the register they have a fabulously adorable selection of paper, the very same they used in the samples of the projects on display.  They also sell the cutest bottles of latex paint, also the same as used in producing their samples.  I love the little Poppy Seed Projects labels.  These ladies have really done a fabulous job branding their products and business.  I am super impressed.

A glimpse of the shelves in the back.  This probably only makes me excited, but it is just so pretty.  I am trying to get my garage to look like this so I can get production a tad more efficient.


Lastly, they have a classroom, clean and well lit, ready for you to come and make projects right in the store.  Give them a call when you are in town.  It will totally make your trip.  I have been in town less than a week and have gone there twice with two different friends.  Even Sharon, my long lost Minnesota friend that moved here all the way back in April came, professing not to be that into wood, but walked away anxious for the chance to come back.  

The two ladies that work the counter are the most friendly, smiley staff I have met in a long time.  Be sure to tell them Vanessa from Minnesota told you about the store.  If you take an Instagram picture and post it while you are in there you will get 10% off your purchase!

OK,I am done with my sales pitch.  I am off to bed, finally.  Have a great weekend and I will be back with more fabulous places you need to visit soon!

Novelty Print Quilt Pattern

I have had a hard time finding good quilt patterns for novelty prints the past couple times I purchased them.  I made up this pattern so tha...