Scrapbook Workshop - Blossom and Jackson papers

These two paper packs are in the Summer Seasonal Expressions catalog.  They will be available until the end of August, or while supplies last.  So guess we'd better get busy making our layouts with these beautiful papers!

This paper is so fun!  I used the Blossom Complements as well as the Coral Reef Sequins and Bitty Pearls on this layout for embellishing.  While the pearls are retired, the Bitty Sparkles are the same size and would work perfectly.  There is also another set of sequins - Oceanside - that could be used instead.  I've listed that information below.

It was fun to group the smaller stickers on top of some of the label shapes in the set.  Gave it a larger feel.  Then adding the sequins and pearls randomly on the pages helped to fill in the empty spaces.  Don't get me wrong - I like the empty spaces, but it just needed a little something and these little embellishments were perfect!

This is the sketch I used for the layout.  You can see the variety of photo sizes you can use - and I even switched that up and added a 4X4.  You could add more photos in those empty spaces if you have more photos you want to showcase.  It was fun to use the 3X4 size of photos - I cut them all from regular 4X6 pictures, but didn't feel the need to have all of the background.

Jackson is a great outdoor themed paper pack.  But you will notice in the layout sketch below that you can flip each of these pieces over and use the reverse side - and it doesn't have that outdoor feel.  You could use this layout for any theme you want!

This layout has only one more photo on it than the Blossom layout does, but because they are full-size photos, it fills up more of the space.  I wanted to keep the outdoor pictures large in order to see all of the beauty.  I cut the 4X8 from an 8X10 photo, but you could substitute several smaller photos in the same area.


The cost of the workshop is $20 and includes all of the cardstock and patterned paper to complete the layout as shown and a page protector for each layout.  If you wish to add the complements or the sequins and sparkles, you will need to purchase those separately.  Here's the information for those.  Click on the product number to go to my online shopping site if you would like to order them.  If you are on hand for the workshop, you can purchase coordinating cardstock to stamp images for journaling, titles and decorations if you do not want to purchase the accessories.

Blossom Complements - X7196C  - $4.95

Bitty Sparkles (top left) - Z1263 - $2.95

Coral Reef Sequins (top right) - Z3042 - $3.95

Oceanside Sequins (bottom left) - Z3041 - $3.95

Blossom Assortment - enamel shapes - (bottom right) - Z3072—$5.95

 Jackson Complements - X7195C - $4.95

Jackson Assortment (enamel shapes) - Z3071 - $5.95

 Workshop dates are:

Saturday, July 25

Tuesday, July 28

Both groups will meet at 9:30 in my home craft studio in Prescott Valley, AZ.  If you are interested in this project by cannot attend, I can make a kit available for you.  Contact me if you would like this option.
Please email me at scrappingailaz@gmail.com to register or if you have questions.

Update from CTMH Convention

I'm having a great time at the Close to My Heart Convention at Disneyland!  I participated in the Consultant Creativity Showcase on Thursday night, displaying many of the projects we made in classes and workshops during the past year.

We now know that there will be two new catalogs to share with everyone at the beginning of September - our Annual Inspirations Catalog with product available for 12 full months, and a Holiday Expressions book, with products specific to fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and winter.  These products will only be available to order from September through the end of December.  There will be a Spring Seasonal Expressions catalog available from January through April, and a Summer Seasonal Expressions catalog from May through August.

I will be holding my annual Open House on Friday and Saturday, August 28 and 29.  At that time, you can receive a copy of each of the new catalogs as well as see samples of the new products and projects that we will be doing in the coming months.  So mark that date on your calendar.  If you are not on my regular email list but would like to receive more information, please contact me at scrappingailaz@gmail.com.

One more exciting bit of news.  There will be one paper pack from the new catalog that will be available for you to purchase in August - a month ahead of the release of the rest of the product.  The Zoe papers are just so cute - and very versatile.  A smaller pattern on all the papers that make them work well for a variety of projects - not just a single theme.  Also, the new Cricut cartridge - Artistry - will be available for you in August as well.  I will see samples of what it is all about tomorrow, but my understanding is that it is a "back to basics" kind of cartridge along the lines of Art Philosophy - with updated images.  I'll have more information on both of these new products as August approaches.

Our European Adventure

I’ve been absent from “blogland” for a spell because I was on a wonderful adventure through Europe with my husband and two grown sons.  What a wonderful time we had in five different countries over five weeks.  I’m posting a few photos from each locale to give you a   summary of the trip.

I thought I would start with the “high” points of the trip – literally!  The boys and I climbed to the top of every tower, spire or hill we could find for the best vantage point of the cities we visited.  This photo is from the top of the Old Town Hall Astronomical Clock Tower in Prague, dating from 1364.  While not our favorite climb (it actually consisted of ramps instead of stairs and ladders), it still provided amazing views of the city.   

Our favorite was the climb to the top of the spire on the Church of Our Savior in Copenhagen, which was completed in 1752.  We took 400 steps (some of which were nearly vertical ladders) to the very top of the 90m tower.  There were 343 steps to the Tower Keepers' Room at St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna, and we were 61m above the street atop the Old Town Hall Tower in Rothenberg, Germany.  

No climbing, but we did ride the London Eye 135m into the sky to see incredible views over the Thames.

Denmark was the starting point of the trip – complete with the boys crewing on a replica of a Viking ship and a visit to the Little Mermaid.   

We saw some lovely palaces and castles, but really enjoyed Kronborg Castle on the Baltic Sea, famous as the setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Next we were in the Czech Republic.  That is Prague Castle on the hill behind Rick and me, and because we missed the bus to reach it, we walked up the “hill”.  Felt more like a mountain while we were climbing!   

My great-grandparents came from the small Czech village of Sadska, and we took a day trip to visit.  It was amazing how similar it was to the small town they settled in back in Nebraska!

Vienna was the next stop – and I finally was able to ride in a horse drawn carriage around the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace!   How fun.  

We visited museums and took advantage of the music culture throughout the trip.  We attended a symphony concert in Vienna, sitting on stage behind the orchestra and had standing room tickets for the Vienna State Opera.  While in Prague, we had attended a bassoon, harpsichord and cello recital held in an 800-year old monastery, and saw a stage production of Agatha Christie’s Mouse Trap in London.

We finally had hot weather in Munich, where we rented bikes and rode 13 miles around town.  Of course the beer garden was a nice treat after that!

On to the Alps where the boys went swimming in an Alpine lake, while Rick and I enjoyed the restful picnic time.  As a family, we climbed to the ruins of Ehrenberg Castle, built in 1296.  The boys climbed to the top of one of the mountains near our apartment, and at the top, they rented scooters and had an easier way down!

Back in Germany, we visited the medieval town of Rothenberg, founded in 1250.  We walked along the town wall, where some family members found themselves a little cramped!

We took the ferry from Calais, France to Dover, England and enjoyed the views of the white cliffs.

Our final stop was Great Britain.  Amazing museums, great pub food, and history abounding.

We finished in the British countryside in the Cotswolds, and enjoyed a quaint Bed & Breakfast with a short walk into town to our favorite pub for dinner.  A great ending to a fabulous trip!

Another Graduation Card - Freshly Made Sketches #185

Our son is graduating from the University of Arizona on Saturday. It’s been six years of hard work to complete dual degrees, and he is ready!!!  I wanted to tailor the card to his diverse programs – piano performance and mechanical engineering.  So with the use of the Freshly Made Sketch, I added the musical notes background and the cogs design on the top banner to represent his fields of study.   

The main sentiment and diploma are from the new CTMH "Diploma Day" stamp set.   The hat and numbers are from the retired "Congrats Graduate" set.  The cogs are from the retired hostess set "A Thing Well Done", and the musical notes are from "Universal Backgrounds", also retired.  

I used black and white cardstock, black ink and black and white embossing powder (the hat and diploma). 

I can't wait to celebrate with Nathanael.  We are all very proud of what he has accomplished.

Pop over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to check out other cards made with this sketch.  And thanks for stopping by!

Graduation Card for RetroSketches #163 & Papertake Weekly

It's that time again - graduations are popping up.  The RetroSketch Challenge Blog this week gave a great design that worked well with this new stamp set I wanted to use.  I finished the card yesterday, but our internet went down.  It was finally repaired late today, so I'm actually able to upload this to the challenge blog! 

The sentiments and diploma are from the new "Diploma Day" in the CTMH Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog.  The hat and numbers are from the retired "Congrats Graduate" from last year's CTMH line.  The splotches are from one of my favorite sets, the long-retired SU "Itty Bitty Backgrounds."


The pattern paper is CTMH's Chalk It Up and the cardstock is Flaxen, Black and White Daisy.

I used Black and Flaxen inks, as well as black and white embossing powder on the hat and diploma. 

In addition to the RetroSketch Challenge, I'm also entering this card over at Papertake Weekly, where they have said that "Anything Goes" this week.  Click on the links to see the other great projects cardmakers have created.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your weekend!

APRIL 2015 STAMP CLUB

April's Stamp Club is fast approaching.  Class will consist of the four cards shown above as well as the tea bag holder shown in the center.  There is an add-on option this month.  You can cover a chipboard box that coordinates with the cards, making a wonderful gift set.  More photos and details can be found on the Stamping Club page of this blog.

The basic Stamp Club fee is $20 and covers the four cards and tea bag holder.  There is an added fee for the storage box.  Dates for Stamp Club in April have been adjusted to accommodate my husband's work schedule, so please note that most classes have been moved back a week.

 Monday, April 13

Tuesday, April 14

Thursday, April 16

Saturday, April 18

Email me at scrappingailaz@gmail.com to register.

Favorite Sketch - Scrapbooking

When I started this project, I really didn't know how much I would LOVE the sketch I chose.  The whole project went together so quickly, and the placement of the photos was very versatile.  In fact, I added 3 pictures to this layout that weren't included in the original sketch!  As a result, I am entering this layout in the H2H Favorite Sketch Challenge.  I just couldn't resist.  The layout is based on the "Monologue" sketch from CTMH's Imagine scrapbooking book.

You will notice that there are no photos on this layout.  Well, this layout is going to be used to showcase the photos from my "girlfriend" crafting weekend.  It was suppose to be happening right now, but family issues arose that made us postpone it.  But the layout is ready whenever we take the pictures.

I used the Chalk It Up papers from CTMH for this layout.  LOVE the colors in this paper pack.  I really like to use stamps on layouts, and I used old and current sets to complete this.  It's great that you can change the colors and placement of stamped images, and never know that it's appeared elsewhere in your album.

This layout was also one of two that we did in my March scrapbook workshops.  Check out the Scrapbook Workshop page of this blog to see more details.

You can also pop over to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog to see other projects made with favorite sketches by the participants.

Thanks for stopping by.

Put A Bow on a Spring Card

Spring is just around the corner, and flowers are ready to pop out of the ground, if they haven't already.  At least, here in Arizona they are!!  Not so sure about the rest of the country.

This is a card I designed for my March Stamp Club classes.  You can see a variation of it below.  The background on this card is done with sponge daubers and three ink colors.  In the one below, I did a gradation of color, and tried to keep the ink application soft so you don't see the dauber impressions.  In the one above, I used the yellow over the entire card, then added the green over it all, using a little less near the top of the card.

The three inks I used were Canary Yellow, Sweet Leaf and   Pear (both greens).  The Sweet Leaf was used as a transition between the yellow and darker green on the card on the left.  When the dauber is pressed onto the paper it leaves the circle image, then you can keep pressing the same dauber and get lighter inkings with each application.  If the dauber is rubbed over the paper, you don't get the dauber impression.  I was going for a look something like the Bokeh technique, but without using the white pigment ink.  It works well to create a unique background for your stamped image.

Speaking of that image, the daffodils are from the CTMH stamp set "A Little Note" #A1171.  I stamped it again on the inside of the card in the canary yellow ink, just to add something fun when you open the card.

The canary yellow corner mat is from the Whimsy Assortment of Paper Fundamentals (Z2033), using the glossy pattern side.  The bow, which is why I'm entering this in the Crazy 4 Challenge this week, is done with the Topiary Mini Chevron Ribbon (Z1929).

Check out the other cards with bows added over at the Crazy 4 Challenge Blog.

Thanks for taking a look.

Retrosketches Challenge #156 with the NEW Jackson paper!

CTMH will be revealing a new mini catalog the beginning of April, and I just received the preview materials for it!  The Jackson paper is a great outdoors paper pack, and so I used it on this masculine card for May's "It's a Guy Thing" Stamp Club.

I used the RetroSketches design for this week and a stamp set that had been sitting in my box since I came home from the CTMH convention last July!!!  Finally put ink on it and am happy with the way it worked.

Here's the list of what I used on this card -
all are from CTMH unless noted

Stamps:
Great Job (doodled swirl design) #C1588
Doodled Designs (doodled circle - stamped twice) #A1170
Heartfelt Birthday Wishes (sentiment) retired

Inks: Cocoa, Barn Red and Lagoon

Papers:
Jackson patterned paper - available April 1
Barn Red and Lagoon cardstock
Tan cardstock from my stash


Other:
Bronze shimmer trim #Z1849
mounting foam
star punch from my stash

Check out the other "doodled" cards over at RetroSketches Challenge Blog.

Thanks for popping in today!

Another Masculine Card - with Deconstructed Sketch #191

I've been working on the masculine birthday cards we will be making in the May Stamp Club classes.  I wanted to get a lot of different textures on this card, and I think I succeeded.  I started with the Deconstructed Sketch seen on the right.  I used a standard A2 card size instead of the square.  The brown paper is from a pack I bought at Costco years ago - really liked the case it came in, and I still use it to store my papers.  But I'm running out of usable 12X12 paper from the pack.  But, this light pattern worked well for this card.  Not too much design, but enough to give some interest.

The striped strip across the top is actually just kraft cardstock with the design stamped in white pigment ink!  The baker's twine was purchased at an estate sale by my neighbor - and I got a TON of it for just a few dollars.  The banners and circle mat are cut from a pack of DCWV glitter paper I got at a steal at JoAnns a couple of years ago.  No reason not to add a little glitz to a guy card!  The greeting is stamped with the same white pigment ink.  I even embossed the black paper at the bottom so that it matched the stripe above.  Luckily, my strip wasn't too wide as I had to angle it in the 5X7 embossing folder.

You might notice that there seems to be a recurring thought with this card - I'm trying to use up my stash!  I love my papers, and tend to hoard them instead of using them.  After cleaning my craft room, I've decided that I bought this stuff for a reason, so I have to start using it. 


Here's a list of what else I used on this card:
Stamps -
You Mean the World to Me (sentiment) CTMH #B1467
In the Background (striped strip) CTMH #D1540
Inks - White Daisy Pigment Ink - CTMH #Z2163
Other -
Stripe 5X7 embossing folder - CTMH #Z1960
Tim Holtz Baker's Twine

In addition to the Deconstructed Sketch Challenge #191, I'm also entering this card in the Just Us Girls Challenge #283 - Masculine card.  Hop over to both of these blogs to check out the other great projects that have been submitted.

Thanks for stopping by!