Merry Christmas!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. We are heading to Cambridge to spend Christmas with our kids ( I don't have to cook this year...whoo-hoo!)and then on to Toronto for Boxing day with my in-laws. The store will re-open on Tuesday December 28th with lots of lovely specials! Whatever your plans are, may your holidays be filled with joy, peace and love. Thanks for checking in and why not check back again sometime next week to see another card from our first class of the new year!

A few more Christmas cards

I didn't upload this week's class project because it was supposed to be a surprise. Unfortunately a few of the ladies missed class due to sickness this week, so I'll hold off posting pics of that project for now. Instead,I thought I'd share a few cards I've been making for friends and family. I'm still working on a few last minute cards, as I keep remembering other people I'd like to give cards to. I finally talked myself into cutting into one of my very few 8.5 x 11 sheets of Japanese paper to make some Origami Christmas Tree cards. It's such fabulous paper to work with, and I really loved the colours in this sheet for a Christmas card. The other cards were made with various scraps I've been holding on to....I just love when I can make something pretty from scraps don't you? Anyway, there are no more classes till the New Year now, but I'll be working on some ideas for upcoming classes during the holidays, so watch out for some sneak peeks!

Late again....

Another late post...sorry! I took my camera home so I could post yesterday and I forgot that we just cancelled our internet at home...duh! Anyway...here are two of this week's class cards, both quite simple and much nicer in real life than they photographed. I'm still working on number 3, which will be a gift card holder. Anyone going to send me photos of their tags from last week so I can post them?....awwww c'mon!

Tag...you're it!

This week in class, we'll be making all kinds of Christmas tags. The samples are all stamped and are just a few simple ideas to get things rolling, but I'll have lots of patterned paper available and with some punches, glitter and imagination, it should be lots of fun! Sorry about the photos being turned around...I'm not sure what happened there...they were the right way up when I uploaded them...honest! I'll try to get some pics of everyone's creations...I'm sure they'll be awesome!

Stickles and S'mores

Once again I'm late uploading the samples for this weeks class. It's been super busy since the move, but the new store feels like home already, and once I get the back room organized (hopefully before year's end lol)I'll feel a bit more settled.I got the idea for the S'mores card from the Holiday Cards issue of Papercrafts magazine (thanks Lucille)and it's a really simple fun card to make. The square card is another "case" from the same magazine (I was a little short on time and inspiration this week...can you tell?)and the last card with the wreath is a clean and simple design and actually came out of my own head (gasp!!!) Next week, we'll be making an assortment of Christams tags and I should have samples ready soon...I just need to make my sons birthday cards and my hubby's anniversary card by tomorrow. Thirty three years and counting....and they said it wouldn't last!

In my new happy place

The doors at 13 Main St. West closed at 4 pm last Saturday and the great migration all the way to number 25 Main Street began! Many thanks to the friends who lent a hand (or two!) and lots of muscle power to carry all my "stuff" and help get me set up to open by Tuesday morning...no mean feat! My amazingly wonderful husband Steve, worked so hard to build my new counter and work table, in addition to all the hauling and fixing that needed to be done. It was an exhausting week, but I really LOVE my new place and everyone who has come in so far agrees that the place looks great. There are still lots of things to be done of course, but thanks to my friend Claudette, the store is already decorated for Christmas and once I figure out where all my stamps are hiding, I can get samples for the coming week's classes made. The new classroom area is brighter and less cramped and has been put to good use this week as more and more people are coming in to work on their Christmas projects. If you haven't visited for a while, be sure to stop in soon to see all the lovely goodies in stock, including gorgeous Christmas papers from Harmonie, K & Co, Kaisercraft and many more. There also some really great Christmas stamp sets to use on your cards and scrapbook layouts. Hope to see you soon!

Guess what?????

I think I must work better under pressure! This may be a first...I actually have all 3 class card samples made, photographed and uploaded by Thursday...WOW! I realized after my previous post that if I didn't get them done now, there wouldn't be anytime on the weekend with the move...so there you go!!! The silver reindeer and the ornament cards are from this week's class, which includes the angel card in the previous post. We'll be doing quite a bit of colouring in next week's class as you can see from the angel, snowman and penguin cards. I just got the snowman stamp from a Quebec company called Harmonie and I love it. I also have some of their fabulous Halloween and Christmas papers in stock. It's great to be able to bring in Canadian products and these are top quality papers in gorgeous colours and patterns. It's a good thing I got my cards finished, because Steve is coming to dismantle the big table after class tonight, so I won't have any place to stamp for a few days. I have almost all my stamps packed up anyway....only 3 more days!

Last class at 13 Main St.

This is a very short post to give you a peek at what we'll we doing at our last class before the big move this weekend. I am very low on energy and short on time right now, so this may be the last post for a week or so. I'll miss this lovely old building, but I'm excited about the changes to come. Wish me luck!

It's November already....!

I didn't have a chance to upload my photos yesterday, but here they are, better late than never..lol! The camera didn't do them justice (or was it the photographer?) The first two are cards we will make in class this week. The stamps are from Unity and are available to purchase in the store. I used another template from Crafter's workshop on the tree card. It's very subtle, as I used antique linen distress ink on an ivery cardstock, but I love the country look of this card. The cardinal card has a white background embossed with the music folder from Cuttlebug...hard to see in the photo. The other 4 cards were all made from the "Tis the Season" 6 x 6 paper pad from Kaisercraft. Very little was added to the gorgeous papers and diecuts included in the pack and there is absolutely no stamping on these cards (GASP!!!!) Unfortunately I have a very limited supply of these paper pads available, and there are no more to be had ANYWHERE:( So I decided to make up a bunch of sample cards (yes...there are lots more samples to come) and anyone who purchases one of the paper pads will be able to come into the store and copy them, no cost other than any extra materials used plus envelopes. This would make a fun Saturday afternoon project, and if you hurry in to buy your paper pad, you can book your session at the same time...as long as it's after I move to the new store on November 16th. Yes.... it is getting a bit crazy around here. Please keep your fingers crossed (maybe your eyes and legs too)that all goes smoothly with the move, and I will apologize in advance for being a bit more scattered than usual....anyone who knows me realizes what a scary statement that is... lol!

I'm back!

What a wild and crazy week it's been. I didn't have a chance to update my blog or post pics from the anniversary events. I didn't even get photos of last weeks class cards uploaded. So...here we are with a potluck of photos: Browsing the great bargains at Friday night's Clean Up sale; Brigit (aka the Enabler Queen) leading Saturday's make and take projects; and better late than never....last week's Christmas class cards. Brigit did such a great job showcasing all the great products she brought. I'm totally in love with the crafters workshop templates and I used the snowflake one on the blue card for class this week. The Harmonie halloween papers we used for the make and take are so adorable and should be arriving any day...just in time for your Halloween photo layouts! I know it's Halloween tomorrow, but I'm really into Christmas cards right now and I have a bunch more to share with you tomorrow..including two of next week's class cards.
Happy Haunting......

Two more from the same sketch

Here are the other two cards we made in class using the same layout. Sorry about the terrible photos...I forgot to edit them before uploading! I had to change it up a bit on the last one by using a semi circle in place of the triangle (I get bored easily..lol!) but using the same layout made for a very quick and easy class. Not sure which I like the best...maybe the black and green one; I love that colour combo. Anyway, today is store anniversary number one, and I have a million things to do, so check in on Sunday night for photos and stories of the weekend activities, and with a bit of luck, I may have a couple of card samples for you too!

Anniversary Events

Yes it's been one whole year since the doors to my little happy place opened, so we have to do some fun stuff right???? First of all, on Friday Oct 22 at 7pm, customers are invited to come and pick up some "almost new" crafting bargains from my personal stash and those of a few other customers who need to "make room for new goodies." There are some great stamps, embellishments and other goodies arriving so make sure you get here on time to get your pick. These will be cash sales only and you will be paying the individual seller. Everyone selling stuff is making a donation to charity so it's a win/win situation. We'll have some yummy refreshements, door prizes and a raffle for two beautiful hand crafted garden ornaments made by a very special customer and friend (who shall remain nameless as she is very shy and modest)Raffle proceeds will also go to charity. Then on Saturday from 1 - 4pm we'll have a great time with Brigit (aka The Enabler Queen) who is driving all the way from Toronto to do some fun make and take projects with us. Brigit is a certified Ranger Educator and a very talented artist. I'm so happy she agreed to join us and bring her wealth of knowledge as well as some awesome samples and catalogues to drool over..lol! The photos are a sneak peek of the projects we'll work on using Tim Holtz/Sizzix dies, Harmonie's Bal Masque Papers, Crafters Workshop Templates and more. If you'd like to check out Brigit's blog to see her great style, visit her at : http://www.itsjustpaperbrigit.blogspot.com/
It's gonna be a fun weekend so be sure to stop in if you can.

CASED layout

For those of you not familiar with the term CASE as it relates to papercrafts...it's an acronym for "Copy And Share Everything." One of the things I love about this hobby is the generosity of people who share their ideas and creativity...they are genuinely flattered if someone "copies" their idea. Of course, proper etiquette requires that the person using the idea gives credit to the original artist. As much time as I spend browsing websites and magazines for ideas and inspiration, I do very little actual copying of other cards. It's not that I think there is anything wrong with it, it's just that my own ideas kind of take over, and what began as a "case" ends up looking nothing like the original! This week's layout for our class cards is an exception. I LOVE this layout that I saw in "Take Ten" magazine (available in the store:)) and I was amazed by the variety of fabulous cards that were showcased using the same layout. So I decided to challenge myself to come up with three very different cards using ONE layout. It's been a very busy weekend with Migration Fest and such, so I have only one sample so far, but I'm excited to see what I can come up with for the other two. I'll keep you posted......

Happy Thanksgiving

What a perfect weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. The weather has been fantastic and we finally got some long overdue yard work done. Our poor old ash trees have finally succumbed to the dreaded emerald ash borer and Steve spent much of the day sawing the limbs off one so we can have a campfire tonight. Speaking of trees...the colours in my "Funky Forest" card are a bit off, but it's really quite cute in real life. I keep thinking I should add something else, but I'm going to try to resist the temptation as I'm on a "Clean and Simple" kick right now. (Let's see how long it lasts..lol!)The other card was inspired by our upcoming Migration Festival here in Kingsville next weekend. I always think of Monarch butterflies beginning their long journey at this time of year and how amazing it is that something so delicate can be strong enough to withstand such a flight! We'll be using the faux Mother of Pearl technique for our third card this week. I'll try to upload a photo tomorrow. Hope you have lots of blessings to count this weekend.

Clean and simple card

The creative juices just aren't flowing this week....I hate when that happens. Here is a very simple card that I'm thinking we can dress up a bit for class with the addition of sentiment/ribbon etc for those who find it too plain. Most of the ladies who come to class love playing with distress inks to get this kind of look and there are lots of possibilities for colour combos for the sky. This one was done using Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold and Wild Honey for a very soft subtle look. The image was then cut into four equal panels to get the look of a window view. I deliberately left it sentiment free, because I like having cards like this on hand so I can stamp a sentiment on it as the need arises. Sadly I'm in need of several sympathy cards right now and I think this one may fit the bill, but I can think of several other occasions it could be used for such as Thinking of you, or retirement wishes for example. I really hope my mojo is back tomorrow.......

Monday already......?

After our "Amazing Race" weekend, I'm afraid I've slowed down considerably and almost ground to a complete halt today! Note to self....don't book dentist appointments for Monday mornings when you don't have any card samples ready yet!!! Sorry to you ladies who are waiting to see what we'll be creating in class this week. I managed to get one done and photographed today and the rest will have to be a surprise..(maybe to me too lol!)

We have a winner.....

Congratulations to Judy on winning the September card contest. Her Autumn Splendor card made fantastic use of the Apple cider collection of papers. You know just by looking at all those cut out leaves that Judy is a very patient person, and her creativity really shines in this card. Each of the entries was fantastic and each one appealed to a different group of voters. Judy's card has won her a Basic Gray card kit full of fabulous "Capella" papers and embellishments. I can hardly wait to see what she creates with it:)
As mentioned in my newsletter, the October contest begins today and the theme is "Birthday Cards" just because Papercraft Cafe turns one year old this month lol! Cards should be standard A2 size and must be submitted by Friday October 15th. They will be on display for voting at the Papercraft Cafe booth at the Migration Festival Market on Saturday October 16th and in the store until the end of the month. This month's winner will receive a $10 store coupon!
It's been a very busy week in the store and I still don't have my card samples for next week's class ready. If all goes well I may have one to share by this evening, but I'm away for the weekend so we might just have to "Wait and See" what Monday brings. Have a great weekend:)

Blue Christmas

It's been a bit of a stressful week which may explain why I made two "blue" cards for next week's Christmas card class. Designing cards is always therapeutic for me and these two did the trick so I'm all ready for a "stress-less" weekend (fingers crossed.) I used my new border punch on the trees card and I love it. On the "O come let us adore Him" card, I brushed some Perfect Pearls on the sheet music stamped image for a lovely soft gold background. I have had a few customers giving me strange looks today as I found myself humming "O come all ye faithful" while making the card lol! Well....there are only 92 days until Christmas...Fa La La!

Ghouls just wanna have fun....

I don't send out Halloween cards, but I LOVE making them....especially this one. I picked up this little bargain sentiment stamp a couple of weeks ago and it went perfectly with this unmounted wheel image from Stampin' Up. A little embossing, a little distress ink and Voila!...a card I have no idea what to do with, except to show others how to make (lol.) This week, we'll be making this one and the leaf wreath card from two post prior to this one. It seems some ladies are willing to cut 20+ leaves out after all ... (even if I did need to assign homework!!!) The final card is another Autumn themed card. I used a Happy Thanksgiving sentiment, but that could easily be changed. I used a masking technique on this one and I really like the way it turned out. Next week we'll move from Fall to Christmas with our monthly Festive Card class. Hopefully, I will get them posted a little earlier than these. I actually completed them LAST week but misplaced my camera. Thank goodness my husband thought to look down the side of the passenger seat in my car, before I rushed out to buy a new one!!!!