You heard me right!!! Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Ok, I can't contain myself. I was going to wait until I had a flyer made up... but I can't. I'm too excited about my new upcoming workshop. 16 PAGES!!! That's right! 16 beautifully coordinated pages in one afternoon! I'm planning a January workshop where YOU get to choose your paper palette, pay only $35, and go home with 16 complete layouts! Can you tell I'm excited?? I'm excited! Details will come in a newsletter, plus you will be able to see the completed product at my open house on December 30th (and, of course, I'll post them all here!).

This will be a pre-registration required event... so DO contact me if you are interested. Space will be limited to 8 people.

I'm excited!

Texturizing Monday, November 27, 2006

Here is another way to texturize your paper. I used the textured Blush cardstock to start, wrinkled it into a ball, smoothed it out and then sanded it. It gives a really neat effect. You can also use the textured paper on its own and sand it, and the grooves really pop. Also, using inks or chalks has a great effect too.

Happy texturizing!

Quick layouts Friday, November 24, 2006

I made these 2 page layouts in less than an hour thanks to the Cherish book. I never really thought I would use this book, as I tend to like to do my own layouts.... but my own layouts often take HOURS to figure out! This way, I chose the layouts to go with the number and types of photos I wanted to showcase, flipped them to suit my photos, cut all my pieces and went from there. I find it easiest to put the book away once I have my basic layout and then embellish from there. But, I'm sure there are lots of people too who will use the book for embelishment ideas.

PS - For those in the states, the book is available at most major bookstores. It's a great Christmas idea!

Back to my standards Tuesday, November 21, 2006

I did another Birthday card featuring the types of colors I work with most frequently (as mentioned in a previous post). I did venture out into different shades though! This card features Chocolate, Vineyard Berry and Baby Pink. I really like the way the two pinks went together... something I wasn't expecting till I tried it! Just goes to show - try stamping two inks side by side before you rule them out together!

Not sure if I've mentioned Dimensional Elements yet, so my apologies if this is a repeated tip! I used the Dimensional Elements Ribbon Accents here and covered it with cardstock. Once covered (glue stick works fine), I let it dry a bit, then use a cutting knife and self healing mat to cut away the tricky parts. Scissors don't always get close enough and are difficult for intricate patterns. I do the same when cutting out letters. Then, sand away... it covers any cutting imperfections and looks great!

Joy - in more ways than one! Monday, November 20, 2006

This is about my 12th attempt at posting this card... so if it works... there truly will be JOY!

Another Christmas card to get your creative holiday juices flowing. This one is SOOOO simple and quick. From start to finish, you're looking at under 2 minutes! I simply dry embossed the Sweet Leaf cardstock to spice it up, and added some Ritzy Ribbon stamping to the New England Ivy strip, stamped the Rustic "Joy" and glued it all together. So easy! Great for bulk card-making!

I hope that lots of you are starting to think about making your own cards this season. It truly does add a special touch to your holiday mailings!

Back but...

I am back from vacation and was thoroughly planning on getting lots of ideas onto this website... and then the switch to "Blogger Beta" floored me. I can't get the flickr import working at all!!! So, it may be a few more days until I can get things up and running again. I'm so sorry! I have lots of ideas to post, but no means of getting them here :(. Hopefully soon!

Take a Leap! Sunday, November 12, 2006

First of all, my apologies for the delay in getting more posts up! I've been away on vacation, and though I had intentions of posting from sunny California... it didn't happen. Go figure!

I'm back, and today I'm encouraging you to try new color combinations. I have a tendency to stick with what I know I really like. This usually includes one shade of brown (Cocoa is my favorite, followed closely by Chocolate), one main color (favorites include Blush, Hollyhock, Twilight, Sweet Leaf, Petal and Sunflower), and another accent which is often in the "beige" catagory (I love my Bamboo).

So, today I ventured out and tried a Autumn Terracotta/Vineyard Berry combo. I NEVER would have tried this... but I was feeling adventurous. I'm very happy with how it turned out! It just goes to show you that you don't know until you try!!! So, go pick out a color you use seldomly and try to pair it with something new. Get inspiration from a B&T paper (this one was from the Harvest set), but know that you don't have to choose only colors from the paper (this paper showed only Cocoa as an accent, which I forced myself not to use!).

Good luck!

Workshop Class Wednesday, November 01, 2006

I can't wait 'till November 26th! That is when we will be having a class to do these adorable coaster frames. The frame is made using coasters (like from a typical bar) decorated with cardstock and B&T papers, and then made into a frame with the photo hinges. These make such a cute present! In the class, you will be able to choose from a variety of color combinations (and letter, of course, which is stamped using the E-level stamp set Rustic Alphabet). You will complete a frame for only $5!

Space will be limited, so be sure to let me know ASAP if you would like to attend.

For those of you not lucky enough to be on the beautiful west coast of Canada, try these at home! They will make fantastic Christmas stocking stuffers.