i love the step-by-step, photos with written directions format. it makes it so easy to follow the instructions for any given project. they have lots of categories of guides too. in addition to arts and crafts how to’s, you’ll find projects for fashion, home decor, beauty as well as lots of great recipes for main dishes, side dishes, desserts and much more.
i also have a link on my sidebar at the right to all my published guides. i add new ones frequently. you can also follow me on snapguide if you’d like.
i just noticed that the mom & me pj crop at SCRAPBOOK 911 was not on their web calendar, i’m not sure if it is on the paper calendar or not. i apologize for not catching that sooner, but i DID want to let anyone who was interested know that we WILL be having the pj crop so PLEASE sign up if you’d like to come and crop with your child{ren}! it will be on thursday, july 8th from 5 to 9. snacks are included {but dinner isn’t so please eat before you come or bring something with you!} the crop is priced at just $5 per person. moms must stay, and they can bring as many kids as they can supervise! so your kids can invite friends to crop with them if they like.
the wearing of your PJ’s is optional, but we sure had a lot of fun cropping in our jammies last month, here’s some photos…
there are also 2 other mom & me classes coming up in july:
first up is the “regular” mom & me class on saturday, july 10th from 10:00 to noon. you and your child will work together to make a set of card for various occasions. they will be SO proud to give these cards because they made them themselves!
then, on tuesday, july 20th from 10:30 to 12:30 will be mom & me “our day out”. “our day out” is a special class for summer; by special request from the KIDS! BOTH you and your child will EACH have your OWN project to work on for ONE low price! this month, the kids will be making an altered composition book…
while the moms will be making a summer themed 2 page layout…
please e-mail me if you have any questions about any of these special “kid” classes!
i hope everyone has a wonderful easter tomorrow – well today really!
i had 2 quick little easter cards to share, thanks to jen at scrapbook cottage for the inspiration and idea…
for both cards, i used bazzill glazed cardstock that has raised embossed patterns on it, and smooch spritz. printed papers and embellishments on “for peeps sake” are from reminisce’s Happy Easter line, printed paper on “great dye job” is from making memories and embellishments are from reminisce’s Happy Easter line…
for the first card, “for peeps sake”, i spritzed the cardstock with pink sprinkles, gold glow, and electric blue smooch spritz. i let the cardstock sit for a few minutes until i was sure the spritz had time to be absorbed, then i set a clean white paper towel on top to soak up the spray on the embossed area. then i blotted again to remove more of the ink. then you can just gently “buff” the paper to remove any remaining spritz from the embossed areas.
for the “great dye job card”, i used only 1 spray, the pink sprinkles. then i let dry and blotted as above. once i’d done that, i used the smooch accent inks in sassy pink, grape soda, sundance, carrot, pool and green apple to fill in the designs on the eggs. the ink is opaque enough that it pretty much covers the pink spritz already in those areas.
find lots of easter eggs and bite the ears off of at least one chocolate bunny!
in celebration of st. patty’s day, i have 3 cards to share with you for this happy go LUCKY holiday! i love ANY holiday that features the color green {especially of the LIME variety}!
all 3 cards feature printed papers by REMINISCE, ephemera by GECKO GALZ {formerly Harlee Quinnz} and inks by CLEARSNAP.
all 3 of these cards are quick and easy to make…
here’s a slide show of each of the cards shown individually, and a list of the supplies required for each is listed below…
REMINISCE has just released a brand new Valentine’s line, just in time for all your LOVE-ly Valentine projects! it’s called VALENTINE’S NIGHTS and it reminds me of black ties, red roses and champagne!
it’s very formal and just GORGEOUS! the colors are deep, rich, velvety red, pitch black and soft, buttery gold. Lots of sparkle too, foil papers and glittery papers with hearts, scrolls and a damask pattern. VERY grown up and sophisticated!
i did 2 projects using the new line, first is a trio of cards…
Reminisce included some fabulous embellies with this line – cute little love words to mix and match, beautiful foil cardstock stickers and strips. it made it easy to create these cards. i just added a little ribbon, trim and bling!
and then i did a “10 things i love about you” mini album as a special gift for my dh for valentine’s day…
again, the embellies made this project fun and easy to do, i added a few chipboard and foam letters, some bling and ribbons and trim.
please check out the REMINISCE BLOG in the next few weeks, i’m sure they will be featuring some great projects from the DT!
since it IS the season for thanks… i have a little “thank you” card to share!
i wanted the colors of the card to “seasonal”, but still soft and pretty, so i chose to use yellows and oranges with just a touch of brown to add some contrast…
I started with a muted orange cardstock for the card, then added a warm brown block as a backdrop for the rest of my elements.
Next, I sprayed another piece of white cardstock with the GOLD GLOW spritz, and stamped 2 “wood grain” flowers and 3 “thank you print” flowers from the PRINTED FLOWERS set using the SUNBURST ink. Then i stamped 2 “solid thank you” flowers and 1 “large thank you” flower from the same set onto white cardstock using YELLOW OCHRE FLUID CHALK INK. when the ink dried, i spritzed them lightly with the GOLD GLOW spritz. when all the inks and spritz had dried, i cut out the background and the flowers.
I added the background piece first and topped it with a piece of ribbon near the bottom. i then arranged and adhered all the flowers, having the large “thank you” flower at the lower right.
while doing the demo at STAMP ANTONIO, some of the ladies were asking some VERY interesting questions about what you could and couldn’t do with SMOOCH!
since the product is still fairly new, i’m sure not all it’s possibilities have been tapped. mindy at stamp antonio, had told me about an article in the new issue of Scrap n’ Stamp. i don’t have that issue, so i can’t give the correct credit here, but there was an article on Smooch that used it in some pretty creative ways. one of those ways was to thin it with an embossing pad reinker in order to blend it; it created an almost transucent look.
among the questions asked at the demo was “can you stamp with it”. up til then, i wasn’t sure it would really work well, since the ink dries so quickly. but with the article mindy mentioned fresh in my mind, i grabbed a stamp, an embossing pad, and some SMOOCH. this is the result…
[rockyou id=138450846&w=426&h=320]
to create the pear, i first inked the stamp using the embossing pad to “float” the ink a bit, and keep it from drying out too quickly. then i just painted on the stamp, coloring in areas of the design. after i had added the colors, i blended them together a bit at the edges {use a beauty swab or a fantastix}, then stamped! the result was GORGEOUS! a shimmery, pearly stamped image that had a beautiful blend of colors. it was quick and easy to do!
the card was made pretty impromptue – the pear was actually stamped on the white paper we were using as a blotter! i just tore it out then inked the edges with more Smooch. i had craft and black cardstock on hand for the bookmarks, so i used them for elements of the card. then grabbed another stamp for the verse – again stamped on my blotter – tore it out and inked the edges as well and viola – a quick and easy card!
if you try this at home – and you CAN, it’s EASY – please send me the resulting project if you’d like to share. or if you’ve been experimenting on your own and have a fun technique to share, please consider sending it for me to post! i’d like to see what YOU are doing!
i have 6 classes coming up in june – hopefully i’ll see you at one of them!
first i have 2 classes tomorrow – monday, june 1 – at SCRAPBOOK 911…
in the morning, i’ll be teaching my SKETCH & CROP class. i provide you with a sketch, and you get to make TWO, 2 page layouts. be sure to bring your photos, and i’ll be able to help you select papers if you need me to. after the “class” portion, you can stay for the “crop” portion and work on whatever you would like – cards, projects or more layouts. i’ll be acting as “hostess”, just like on the friday nite crops, so i can help you ideas if you need a little nudge to get you going!
then in the evening, i have PHOTO-FULL. if you haven’t tried this class, i’d challenge you to give it a whirl! it’s a whole different way of looking at a two page layout. i’ll show you how to get a LOT more photos on the page than with a traditional layout, and i mean more BIG size photos, not cropped to tiny bits photos! my goal is always 15 or more photos on a page. be sure to bring your photos as you get to chose your own papers. you’ll leave with a finished layout, directions for the layout so you can copy it again if you like, AND fresh ideas to use on your other pages!
then on saturday, june 6, i’ll be at STAMP ANTONIO. i’ll be teaching a card class featuring the new SMOOCH ink by CLEARSNAP…
we’ll make 3 cards, each using a different technique. you’ll leave with the cards, and some new ideas on how to use this new product!
then on saturday, june 13, it’ll be back at SCRAPBOOK 911 with 2 more classes.
in the morning, i’ll be teaching a layout class featuring SMOOCH! we’ll be making a beautiful 2 page layout that would be suitable for any special occasion or photos; weddings, mother, daughter, grandmother, new baby, baptism and more.
we’ll be doing some basic stamping and embossing – but don’t let that scare you! it’s easy to do and i can show you how if you haven’t tried these techniques before.
here’s a snippet from the layout {you can see the whole layout at Scrapbook 911, it’s hanging on the “class wall”}
in this class, you work with your child to make a fun and unique project. this month we’ll be making a special book just for dad {or grandad} for father’s day.
be SURE to bring your photos! special shots of the kiddos and dad or grandad would be a perfect choice!
this class is geared to kids ages 6 to 12, but older kids and “unaccompanied” adults are welcome too!
and finally, on monday, june 15, i have my SKETCH & MORE class at SCRAPBOOK 911. this will be the LAST SKETCH & MORE CLASS!!! but for those of you who liked this daytime class, don’t dispare – as i’m “morphing” it into a new and exciting daytime class that i think you will like even BETTER! look for more details coming soon! the new class will be on the july calendar! i do hope you will still make plans to attend this class, and give it a nice send off into “class heaven”! LOL! we’ll be making a two page layout using your choice of papers and my sketch, and then, we’ll be making another project using the leftover supplies from the layout.
that’s it for june! please e-mail me if you have any questions about any of my classes. otherwise, just call the respective store to sign up!
then you better head on over to the REMINISCE BLOG to get all the details! they are having a layout contest featuring the new FREEDOM 2009 collection. Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, so you’ll want to plan ahead and get ready to take some AMAZING pics in order to design your WINNING layout!
and don’t forget to pick up some extra papers to make your favorite serviceman {or woman} a special “thank you for your service card”! if you scroll down a few posts, you’ll find some cards i made to use as inspiration if you like.
for you locals… SCRAPBOOK 911 has this collection in stock!
and finally, on 
