Paper Wreath

I love these wreaths I see all over the internet made from rolled sheet music or pages from vintage books. And while it really hurt to rip up a beautiful old book to make this, I sure love the way it came out. I love it so much so that I am teaching a class on "how to" in November at our Michael's location. Thanks for looking!!

Until next time...

Prepping For The Holidays

I have been working hard on getting samples ready for some upcoming classes at the store. As I did last year, I will be offering an ornament club for families to come in and make ornaments together to decorate their trees or to give as gifts. Here are a few samples from the club classes.

Paint Brush Santa

Snowy Trees

Burlap Hearts

Pom Pom Santa

Wooden Trees 1
(even though it is a star)

Wooden Trees 2
(even though it's a sleigh)

Wooden Tree 3

I am also offering a musical spool ornament class as well as the paper pinecone classes I featured in my last posting here.

All these classes are $5 plus supplies. These are two hour classes per ornament. You are welcome to complete as many as time allows. Stop by the store today to register for a class.

Michael's Arts and Crafts

7836 Rea Road

Charlotte, NC 28277-6502

Phone: (704) 543-9341

Until next time...

Fa, La, La, La, La...

The holiday season is upon us!

I can hear the jingle bells!

I can smell the cookies baking!

I can see the excitement in the air! 

What?!

Not in your neck of the woods? 

Well, not yet at least...

For those of us who work in the crafting industry it is time to create some holiday samples and start up some holiday project classes. I am excited to be presenting once again an ornament club at our Michael's Arts & Crafts location in Charlotte, NC.

What is ornament club you might ask? Every two weeks beginning in October we will have a two hour session in which we create beautiful ornaments to adorn our Christmas trees or gift to our family and friends. The cost of the class is only $5 plus the cost of your supplies. I have tried to find lovely ornaments this year that are very economical and can be created by any level of crafter.

We had a great time with this series of classes last year. Many people brought in their whole family to create a tree full of personalized ornaments. Crafting is a great way to spend family time and creates wonderful holiday memories to cherish in years to come. So come down to the store and sign up for a class today.

Michael's Arts and Crafts

7836 Rea Road

Charlotte, NC 28277-6502

Phone: (704) 543-9341

Our first ornament this year will be the Paper Pinecone Ornament. I have created two samples, one using an egg shaped form and one made from a ball shape. They both came out so beautiful that I am planning on making many more for my own tree.

Stop by the store to register to take this class. I cannot wait to share this project with you!

Time to get back to my workshop. After all, I don't have any elves helping me out just yet. I have 8 different ornaments to create this year. Stay tuned for the next one here or in our store.

Until next time...

Playing with video today

I am getting ready for CKC-Charlotte this weekend. I will be manning the Michael's booth at the convention and we decided to feature some samples for upcoming classes at our store location. My biggest project so far has been the December Days Daily Journal. I wanted to document it, but it is so involved a photo just would not do. So I am taking my crack at using Photoshop Elements to show the journal off. Let's see how it plays out.

Roll Video...

So far, NOPE!!
But here is the one sheet mini I will be featuring as well.

Back to the drawing table.

Until next time...

Saturday Night Scrapping

I have been so busy lately I have not had time to complete any of the scrapbook layouts I have been working on in the past two months. I have many midway through their completion. So my goal tonight is to get those photos mounted, add some cute embellishments and journal, journal, journal my way through this stack on my desk. Strap on your seat belts, because here we go...

Number 1: Cookin' Up Creations Birthday Challenge #1
They provided the sketch and the color schemata.
I provided photos of my favorite frozen yogurt pusher.

Number 2: Scrap 'N Chat's May Sketch Challenge
This sketch was great for a more recent shot of
hubby and I at the vineyard on our recent trip.

Number 3: Scrap 'N Chat's May Scraplift Challenge
I posted this one quite awhile ago, but never got to add
the photos. Here is my sweet granddog Phoebe.

Ok, I am having trouble with my printer. Gotta stop here for now. I'll be back at it as soon as I can...

Number 4: Two Birds with one Stone
June Sketch Challenge from Scrap 'N Chat
Birthday Challenge 2 from Cookin Up Creations

Last one for tonight. Darn that printer!!!

This one I did just for me.
Scraplifted a layout from one of my coworkers.

Until next time...

Spring Time Mini

I had fun this week creating a mini album for my Mother-in-law while she was visiting us here in the Carolinas. I took photos every time we went out on an excursion. Then I bound them together and surprised her on her last day here. The best part is that this mini is made with brown paper lunch bags. Here is a peek at the book.

Thanks for looking.

Until next time...

April Challenges at Scrap 'N Chat

Today is April 15th and that means I posted two new challenges at Scrap 'N Chat today. Our scraplift challenge was inspired by Nicole Nowosad on her blog. I just loved the layout and the colors she chose.

So of course when I decided to use it as our inspiration I tried to stay true with the shape of the layout. But my colors went their own way. AND she did not have a single button on hers. You know, my layouts always need a button or two.

Then I completed the layout for the Ad/Art Challenge. I was loving the colors in this advertisement for a Vogue magazine.  

And since I was already working with these colors from the previous layout, I decided to hit the stash for this one. 

So if you are needing some inspiration for your scrapbook layouts head over to the Scrap 'N Chat forum and see what other challenges we have lined up this month.

Until next time...

Two Posts in One Day

I just wanted to share. In March I participated in Layout Tag with Scrap 'N Chat. If you don't know what Layout Tag is, here is a brief description. "The Tag Queen" sends you an anonymous layout from another participant sometime during the month. You are to copy something on the layout, create your own and send it back to "The Tag Queen" within 48 hours.  She then passes it onto another participant. At the end of the month, we have a big reveal and see how the tag started and ended. It is always amazing to see the evolution.

This month, I received this layout created by our fabulous team member Diana:

I created this using my favorite new grand-nephew as the subject. Isn't he a doll!!!

Feeling like Layout Tag might be a challenge you would enjoy? Come over and join us at Scrap 'N Chat. The more, the merrier!!!

Until next time...

Taking a stroll Down Memory Lane

I am strolling along 1977-78 today. This is the last shot I have left from our trip to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO. I am going to have to move on to another old road now. I was inspired to do this layout based on a Scrap 'N Chat's Facebook Challenge today as well as a Technique Tuesday Challenge from Cooking Up Creations. All of the paper included here is "stash" paper, meaning I did not cut a single new piece of paper. Part of the Technique challenge was to sand something. So I sanded the edges of my photo, the matte, and the blue circle with the embossed squiggles. This was a fun layout to do.

Until next time...

Anyone Scrapping Lately?

I have. I found an old album of mine from "the junior high era". I say that, but the more I think about it, I wonder if  it was from 6th grade. For all you young'ns, that was LONG before junior high became "middle school" when 6th grade was your last year of elementary school. We were so cool!!!

Any-who, I noticed the photos were starting to fade and yellow because I had them in an old photo album that had self adhesive glued pages. YUCK!!! So I took them all out, scanned them (for "just in case" purposes) and picked up a cheapy scrapbook to put them in. These are all 8.5" X 8.5" pages. Since the camera was a Kodak Instamatic, which were all the rage back then, the square photos fit nicely on the small pages.

Our fabulous trip to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, circa 1977 or 1978.

Won't my sisters be so happy to know I am scrapping their awkward  years. Luckily the photos are small, hee, hee, hee!!

A secret flap on the page allows me to share the dailies on this page without embarrassing my sisters in the shots. LOL!!

OH and while I was at it, I did an ATC too.

Until next time...

Card Folding Part Two

I am going to be offering a new card making class at Michael's in May. This is the second class in a series of card making classes that involves scoring card stock and creating cards with special folds, pockets and pop ups. We will also learn how to use a score board to create accordion flowers. These cards were fun to make and are so festive in the spring. Have a look:

Trifold Card

Tri-shutter Card
(my favorite to make and give)

Pop Up Box Card

Until next time...