we headed up to san marcos this afternoon, a made a quick stop at scrapbook haus in new braunfels after lunch. scrapbook haus is a nice store with a good selection of products, so we had a good time purusing.

after that, we went on into san marcos and got to the convention center about an hour before laura and i had a class. my friend charlotte went up with us today, and since she didn’t get a to shop yesterday, she made a dash in today to check out the show. laura and i found some comfy chairs again and sat down to wait for class time.

we were both taking a class from SimpliCraft called Beyond the Square; which showed different ways to use shaped mats – like large scalloped circles, or bracketed squares, etc. we made 3 one page layouts and 1 two page layout all with different shaped diecuts and different techniques. the class was nicely paced, and since almost everything was precut for you, you could take your time putting the layouts together. i thought the class was a great value, you got lots of layouts, plus some extra product to play with. and there were lots of little idea “nuggets”! good ideas and techniques to use and apply to other layouts too. and the instructor was wonderful as well; clear concise verbal directions, as well as great written directions.  laura ended up finishing up all the layouts she made in the class AND got photos, titles AND journaling on all of them tonight! so obviously the layouts were pretty easy to find photos for and USE!

my mini book class was scheduled for right after the Beyond the Square class in the exact same room! so as soon as i was done taking the class, it was time to get up and prep for MY class! laura and charlotte were there as the “vanna’s”; to wander around holding up the samples and help anyone who needed it. i also had a ta, Mari, who was great! she hopped right in there and was a HUGE help! we had the book all prepped and were ready to begin putting things together after only 20 minutes! the class was full, so i was AMAZED at how quick everyone was working! things went VERY smoothly, and the class was able to work on some extra bits that they would normally have to complete at home. we finished on time and pretty much everyone had all the steps completed when they left.

i am SO happy, delighted, grateful, tickled pink – i could go on – that the classes went so well! i always stress a little; i want everyone who takes one of my classes to leave happy! i want them happy with the class, happy with the instruction, happy with the pace and most of all – happy with the project!

a great big shout out and thank you to laura, charlotte and tinka for helping me with CKC Houston and San Marcos. i am POSITIVE, that your help, support and efforts were a LARGE part of things going according to plan, and the classes running smoothly! SO THANK YOU ALL!

i also appreciate each and every person who signed up and came to one of my classes. i know there are a lot of classes at CKC to select from, so THANK YOU for deciding to give mine a try. i hope you had a great time and learned something useful!

it was fun, but i am SO glad it’s over! this was a large undertaking for me; but i did it! {with a little help from my friends!}