New Banners

I’ve been in the studio creating again, this time trying to get ahead of the curve that high school and college graduation causes.  To that end, I started with some banners and then moved on to photo frames.

The banners are for sale at the ETSY Shop now, the photo frames will appear as soon as it quits raining in South Florida so I can take pictures!  Stay tuned…….

March Paper Niche Workshop

As soon as I saw Prima's Romance Novel line of paper I knew I'd use it for "something". That "something" turned into the workshops I'll be doing at Paper Niche in March.

 Lately. I've been doing album covers with sticky-back canvas and I knew I wanted to explore this binding technique in the workshop.  I also wanted to bring back the envelope base as I've had lots of requests to teach it. The great thing about the base is that you can use just about any size envelope to create an album.  That's what I like to teach, techniques that you can adapt and make your own.

This is a unique workshop.  It's spread over two Saturdays and you have the option of purchasing and attending one or both of the days.  Purchase the first workshop and you receive all the material you need to create the album including all the embellishments.  In the first workshop we'll create the cover using chipboard, sticky back canvas and tissue paper. We’ll also create the binding for the envelopes and assemble the album.

Purchase both workshops and join me on the second Saturday to create the embellishments and photo mats and decorate the interior of the album.  

Holy Cow!

Checked in on my Etsy Shop this afternoon and looked at my shop statistics.  Hummmm. . . . . . 

Why were there 16 views of my shop on Monday and 402 on Tuesday?  I NEVER have that many people visit my shop in one day. NEVER. Not even on my busiest days in December. Never!

Looked down at where they all came from and . . . Craft Gossip. Really Cool site! I think I'll bookmark it and be back. Thanks Craft Gossip, for all the traffic!

Just a reminder that I'll be teaching The Heart Hang Up and Valentines Day Card thursday night at Paper Niche.  Come join us. We'll be cutting, spritzing and molding our way to Crafting Paradise!

Look What I Got!

 My hubby complains every year that he doesn’t know what to get me for Christmas so I gave him a specific list of four items. On the internet, so he could access it anywhere. No excuses. Christmas came and went and the #1 item on my Amazon Wish List still sat there, un-bought. I really, really REALLY wanted a Rotatrim for cutting all the chipboard I go through creating Address Books. I put it on the list in late summer. He looked at the list and decided that since it was last on the list, having added a Kindle Fire and accessories in late November, that I really didn’t want it any longer.

 I need to back up and tell you that when I get really behind, around October, that he cuts chipboard for those Address Books for me. The old fashioned way. With a rotary cutter, lip edged ruler, and cutting mat. Takes forever. Not always accurate. So in early January, I asked him to cut chipboard for me. (I’m no dummy) One thing led to another and, lo and behold, two days after he left for a 9-day trip, my Rototrim arrived!  Yay!  Yay for him.

Thank you, Jim The Gentleman Crafter, for recommending it. Cuts great, never needs sharpening and it’s light years faster than cutting chipboard by hand! I LOVE it. 

Three Months Gone

I know, it's been a long time. The Holidays got a little crazy and my ETSY Shop even crazier. The good news is that it's over. Bach to normal.

Thought I'd start by showing you my class for Paper Niche at the end of the month. It's already up on their calendar so you can log on and sign up for it.  I'm really excited to teach this class as it's the first time I'll be teaching using stencils with molding paste. SO MUCH FUN! and it's an easy technique to add to your talents! Come join me and leave with an awesome Valentine Card and Home Decor piece.

We'll be using Studio 490's Hearts, Love and Stars chipboard set with lots of sprays, Perfect Pearls and inks to transform it. We'll also get to play with the new Sizzix Pop-N-Cuts die making the cute Valentine's Day Card. You don’t want to miss playing with this fun new die. The possibilities are endless and we’ll start your exploration with a show-stopping card.

Awesome Albums

 Part of late summer was spent creating some new photo albums and exploring some new techniques along the way.  The Travel Album I created and taught in the Spring was so successful (one went to England, one to New York and one to Australia!) that I decided the paper was just too good not to use it again. The result is the “Pack Your Bags” album.  It’s seven chipboard pages in a gatefold style.  The last page unties to reveal room for four more 4 x 6” photos. Lost of detail, lots of photos!

 

The second album “Every Possibility” includes a new binding technique that I wanted to explore based on an album created by Jim Hankins (thanks Jim!). It’s a series of pockets with lots of room for journaling and pictures. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy!

How to make a broom

I was working on a Halloween Photo Tray in the studio this week and I wanted to use a miniature broom in one of the windows.  One problem, no broom.

In walks helpful hubby as I'm staring into space trying to figure out how I'm going to create a broom.  Seeing the blank look on my face, (after 42 years of marriage, he knows the look) he asks what I need. I explain, he leaves the room.  Short time later he's back in with several very short pieces of a tree limb and his dad's old shoe shine brush. I had some waxed thread left over from a book making class I took a loooooong time ago with Tim Holtz and that became the binding agent. Not bad.

I hope you get a chance to enjoy the season. It's Sunday, the kids and grandkids are coming for dinner and I'm going to go create a ghost with my grandson. Got the idea here.  Thanks Deb!