New Product Announcement
I am thrilled to announce that Stampin’ Up! will be releasing a new line of Home Decor Vinyl Wall Stickers starting July 1st. The stickers are very similar to http://www.whatisblik.com and come in very stylish patterns- I already plan on applying a few of them to my walls in the living room.
If you are interested in seeing a catalog, please email me. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to post the catalog to my blog until after the 1st of July.
Scrapbook in a Night!
I will be hosting a “Scrapbook in a Night” class on May 7th starting at 6:30pm - just in time for creating that special gift for that mum in your life!! If you cannot attend, don’t despair! I will be having additional classes and for those of you who are not local, I can also ship the kits to you directly- just email me for more information. If you like to see before you buy, I will be posting preview pictures of the two different kits on Monday.
Each kit comes complete with full-color instructions on how to assemble a 20-page 6×6 album, and will include your choice of album, pre-cut paper pack and various buttons/brads/ribbon/etc. The class will include a demonstration (also with color instructions) of how to assemble the album with additional tips on how to make the album shine. I will be providing each of you a scrapbook kit with precut materials to make the assembly easy.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP here and include your selections in your RSVP notes. The class fee must be received by 5/1 to secure your spot and if you would like to purchase more than one kit, just make note in your RSVP.
Kit Options:
Option #1 - $50
6×6 Linen Post Album (Choose from Real Red, Mellow Moss, Navy or Natural) with 10 page protectors
Simply Scrappin’ Paper Pack (Choose from Rose Cottage or Tie the Knot)
Various sundries (brads, buttons, eyelets, ribbon, etc)
Option #2 - $65
All from Option #1, PLUS
One Package Rub-ons, Cherished Memories
Option #3 - $75
All from Option #1 and 2, PLUS
Stampin’ Dimensionals (Foam adhesive squares to add dimension on your pages)
Anywhere Glue Stick
Knock Knock.
I’m off for the next week or so to sit on a lounge chair and bask in the Caribbean sun. I’ll leave you with this little card I made. It’s eventually going to wind up being reproduced about 150 times and hung on mailboxes and mailed out to invite people to join my card making classes on a monthly basis. More details on that later… Talk to you all in April.
Pink Cupcakes
One of the first things I wanted to do differently on this blog was take high quality photography of my artwork. I’ve seen a lot of craft blogs and the one thing I disliked the most was the fact that the pictures were always shady and hard to see. Turns out no matter how hard you try, sometimes it is just not easy to get a great shot. My lightbox doesn’t seem to want to cooperate this week. Nor does my camera; no matter how many times I’ve cleaned out the guts, it’s still got dust inside. I am going to have to schedule an intervention with my husband in hopes that he can take the brush to it (something I’m just not comfortable doing with my Canon EOS 30D).
Another goal was to start using the stamp sets that I purchased from Stampin’ Up instead of having them just sitting there. So, this is the first card (of many, I’m sure) that uses one of the first sets I purchased; ABC Images. 28+ little itty bitty stamps that have a different image for each letter of the alphabet, plus an ABC & 123 stamp as well. I can think of a lot of cute gift ideas for a certain little boy I know… but perhaps when he’s a little older.
The Rule of Thirds
One of the single most important rules I apply to all (most) of my cards is similar to the Rule of Thirds in photography; everything that you place on the card should be done in thirds. Take a look at the card- it has three major embellishments and each embellishment in itself has a “third” applied to it.
1. The star paper at top is approximately 2/3s of the card (partially hidden by the ribbon).
2. The pink paper at the bottom has three cupcakes.
3. The blue striped ribbon has a bow 1/3 of the way in and I’ve placed it right in the “Rule of Thirds” hotspot to visually draw the eye to the bow when initially looking at the card.
If you use these general rules, you should be able to pull off a visually pleasing layout every time you work with paper.
Of course, here comes the confusing part of this conversation- I wouldn’t always apply the rule of thirds to all sizes of cards. For me, it’s more visually appealing to have a matted image in the center of a square card.
I also tried to take a picture that would showcase off the minimal amount of glitter I used. Hope you can see it in this picture!
The Card That Never Went Anywhere
A few weeks back, my sister called me up stressed out, with another cold and generally grumpy like only a future test-taker can be. She was studying for an interview with exclusive nurse anesthesiologist (yes, I had to look up the spelling) program she was hoping to get into. They only take something like 20 students out of the thousands that apply. Shockingly hard, but it’s a great career path for her. Honestly, the best part is she’ll get to work in Harlem and freak my mom out!
So, in an effort to encourage her, I made this…
…and never sent it. She did well on her initial interview, now we are just waiting to hear about the final acceptance. Wish her (and me) luck! Her to get into the program and me to get to the post office to get stamps sometime this week!
Welcome!
Well, welcome to my new blog! As some of you may know, I have had a blog in some format or another for many years. However, as my interest in crafts grew I found myself spending less time sitting at the computer and more time covered in glitter, alcohol ink and glue. Much as I love what I do, I also like sharing my art with people and hence this blog was born.
For those of you who don’t know me well, my husband and I move from Miami, FL to Cary, NC approximately a year ago. The three+ hours I was spending in the car each day translated into a work from home job that allows me to use a far greater part of my time dabbling in what I love. I can’t promise to be interested in one particular craft at any given time; I have played around with most of everything at once point or another. However, the focus of this blog will primarily be papercrafting and card making, sharing what inspires me, and also teaching what I know.
