Day Two: Donna Downey Art Journal

Boy, this last class on Saturday was a biggie - 5 hours! To be honest I hit the wall about 2 hours before the class end time. I think it was a combo of tiredness and lack of acrylic colours which the class had to share. I stayed to the end but I didn't linger to finish anything in my journal. I did get a picture with Donna and her signature in my journal. The handmade journals she gave us are gorgeous! I wanted to keep it just as it was - not mar it with paint! Take a look:

The inside pages are simply white Bazzil cardstock and random items like envelopes. I love them!

This class was totally different for me. Funnily enough, the BFF thought this class was more my thing than hers and that I would be more likely to do the artsy thing again than her. Turns out, she enjoyed it more than I! For me, I took away that I learned about how colours work together (or don't) but in a way that I saw and will remember without actually attending a class on how colours work. 

Part of me is embarrassed to show the pages but the thing about the album is that it is a place to play and see how things work (or don't). It is not something to pull out and say: look what I made. I am tempted though to pull out the pages I used and add new, clean ones in (I told you I like the journal itself!). Here's the journal pages as they are:

Okay, I cheated! This is a stamp that Donna did in my album for me.

I'm going to label the second to last one: child in a highchair with a tomato and mustard :)

Day Two: Heidi Swapp Frame

The first class on Saturday morning was something I really like. We coloured a HS frame with glimmer spray.   Unfortunately we were running out of the tinsel colour to colour our frames as we were the last class to do this class. I managed to get hold of Georgia Peach colour and did a couple of light spritzes of that over my tinsel base as it will go with our decor (and I love bright colours). Unfortunately they sold out at the store (I had it in my hot little hand the day before but I didn't know how gorgeous it would look). Luckily, my LSS got some in so I raced off there as fast as I could as I wasn't missing out twice!

 

 

Here's pictures of the fold-out book inside - minus photos. I will add photos when I get time (I'm just trying to add one of the running themes in here).

 

 

That Georgia Peach colour on the scallop calico is gorgeous, no? So you see why some had to come live in my craft room.

HS was still funny but boy did she bring out the tear jerking stories!

Heidi Swapp: FIle Folders

The last class on the Friday was Heidi Swapp and we made two file folders. Heidi is such a laugh to listen to and she had us giggling most of the class.  The colours are different for me (I'm not a girly girl) but I really like the idea of the file folders and I think you will see them featured here in the future.

Yes, I haven't had time to add photos yet. Also, I have to find a piece that slots into the clear pocket in the second photo. O yeah, that photo is upside down too. Maybe it's time to stop blogging?

Teressa Collins: Layout

Our second class of the day on Friday was designed by Teressa Collins. Poor TC had only flown in that morning! She did great battling the jetlag and tiredness and was super lovely :) Her daughter is so cute too. 

Pretty cool huh? Next up is a shot with pictures added. I used random pictures I had of my nephews and nieces when I last went to visit theme. I did have to rip up the pennants on the first page otherwise they would've covered my nephew #1's gorgeous face.  You will also see I had to move the doily otherwise it would've covered nephew #2! BTW the numbers used refer to their birth order not  their ranking in my eyes. Gee, what kind of Aunty do you think I am?

The second page has 2 file folders with extra pictures inside. I made a flip up book inside the bigger one with some extra pics. Must add that photo in here (when I get time).

Can you recognise 2 themes here? Yup, file folders are all the range and I am going to say, when I get time, a lot!

Maggie Armstrong: Layout

Our first class on Friday morning was a layout designed by Maggie Armstrong and featured a kiwiana theme - there were a lot of Aussies and one Yank attending. Maggie specifically designed the file folder to look like a camera and held a place for the photo booth photos I mentioned in my recap. The BFF and I had fun with our time in the booth (the whole weekend really).

Excuse the peg sticking out of the top of the file folder. It originally had the brass feather on it but it does a great job of holding the file closed. One of the ladies I met used the leftover paua pieces and covered it with them and it looks fab. I plan on doing that too (when I get the time). Another lady placed another file folder inside with extra pics from the weekend - I might try and do that too if I can find/make a folder to fit. 

Here's a picture with the camera open:

The cool Create title was made with beeswax and pigments.  You should have seen the floor after this layout: feathers everywhere and a strong scent of honey in the air.

A Twofer This Week

This week is a twofer, actually, it's a threefer but I don't think there is such a word. (twofer probably isn't a real word either!). I am entering my mother's day card for my Mum into 3 challenges. The challenges are:

A Blog Named Hero: Challenge #23 - All that Glitters. The details are here. This card fits the theme as I hand cut a shadow for the diecut butterfly from glitter cardstock. Lots of lovely, glittery shimmer from that little touch.

Simon Says Stamp: Things with Wings. The details are here. The butterfly definitely fits as an item that has wings.

Southern Girls Challenge #68 - You Can Say That Again. The details for this challenge are here  .  The challenge is to use a sentiment or a quote and the tag on the card front (hiding behind the butterfly in the photo) says 'Happy Mothers Day'.  That's a sentiment right?

Here is the card and the inside as well as a close up of the saying:

This card was heavily inspired by a card by Mrs Frizz so I'd like to add a link in here so you can see her original card as it is her design (not mine). I was inspired by the triangle tri-fold style and the butterfly backed with the muslin circle.  I didn't have any muslin so a doily had to do for my card.  Mrs Frizz used cardstock as the base and patterned paper triangles as decoration. I used patterned paper as my base which meant I didn't have to cut perfect triangles from patterned paper to fit.

Materials: Paper and Cardstock (DCWV), Pink Cardstock (from scraps), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Stamps (unknown), Ink (Colorbox), Die (unknown), doily, tag.

Cheeky On So Many Levels

Today is National Scrapbooking Day in USA. I have been enjoying all the extra inspiration on a lot of the manufacturers' blogs and was super inspired to create. Trouble is, I didn't make a scrapbook layout; I made a card. Cheeky, I know! But I have a good reason: I was laid out with a migraine yesterday so today I am feeling pretty jaded and need to rest up for work tomorrow. I also need to rest up for an up coming Creative Adventure (more to come on that later this month). Am I forgiven?

I get even cheekier. I am submitting the card I made to several challenges/contests. One is a new one for me (Echo Park). The Big Picture scrapbooking ones are supposed to be layouts strictly speaking but luckily the 3 I was thinking of didn't specify - some of them did.  Let's hope they ignore the Scrapbooking part of National Scrapbooking Day eh? :)

Here's my cheeky National Scrapbooking/Cardmaking Day card:

This card was based on a design I saw on the Studio Calico site but I don't have their product (apart from a couple of stamps) so it doesn't really qualify for their competitions. :(  I have to say it came together really fast -faster than my usual. It would have come together even faster if I didn't go to the effort of white embossing a background stamp on the plain pink strip. (I saved papers which I thought I would use elsewhere and used the backs also thus cutting down on the paper I was 'wasting' on a card).  It helps when you are 'inspired by' [copying from] someone - see, I get even cheekier by copying someone else's design. There is no hope for me is there in regards to my cheekiness?

Here's where and why I am entering this card:

First off the legitimate one - Simon Says Stamp's current challenge is Happy Mail (a card not made for a specific reason). The link for this [legitimate] challenge is  HERE .

The next one is Echo Park. I was lucky enough to win a 6x6 Everyday Eclectic paper pad from Artfull Crafts last year and this was my first opportunity to use it.  The Challenge is NSD Challenge #1: Summer Cards. Now, I know you are probably thinking my card doesn't look very summery but I thought the patterns of the papers were very reminiscent of summer. Clouds, hot air balloons, etc. I had the idea of using a saying that said something like, 'hello sunshine' but I realised I don't actually have such a stamp! Shock Horror!  Pity, it would've been cool. Way cool even (channeling my teenage niece there for a moment). The link for the challenge is  HERE .

Finally Big Picture Classes has the following challenges which fit my card:

Challenge#8: Use arrows to draw attention to parts of your journaling. Well, "hello There' can be considered journaling right?

Challenge#6: Shake it up creatively - Don't use your go-to techniques or Do try something new (my paraphrasing).  Well May, I had to not ink the edges of all my papers/cardstock/embellishments which I always do. This would be the first card when I haven't at least inked the edges of the card. Don't you think the paper strips could've done with ink on their edges? A new technique is using my American Crafts thickers on a card. I never use them on cards; I save them for my layouts.

I think that is enough cheeky for now. Gosh, I hope no one was expecting to see any bottoms when they saw my title! ;)

Materials:
Cardstock (Ormolu), Paper (Echo Park), Stamps (Mama Elephant - saying, Hero Arts - background used on pink strip), Ink (Stampin' Up!), Arrows (American Crafts), White Embossing Powder (on pink strip).