Early card class samples....yes really!

Can you beleive I actually have 3 samples made, photographed and uploaded by Saturday morning????? Me either..lol! I had the teddy bear one done on Thursday and completed the other 2 yesterday after much mind-changing about papers, stamps, layout, techniques and just about everything else. You should have seen the mess I made on that big table before I finally decided what I was doing! Anyway...here they are. Two cute and cuddly valentines and one bold bright one! Sentiments can be added, changed left off...whatever your little heart desires. I really like the sentiment "I love you the most" on the bunny card, but you can't really give it to your child or grandchild...unless of course you only have ONE...or you want to start a war LOL. The red and white one is a gatefold card and the image and tag are both heat embossed. This one could be used as an anniversary card if you didn't want to use it as a Valentine. The teddy bear card could be for just about any occasion, and I have a number of different sentiment stamps that will work with the bunny card, or it could be left without a sentiment and a ribbon could be added to the panel beside the image. Well, it's another frosty day and I'm kinda glad I changed my mind about driving to Toronto this weekend as we're supposed to get a lot of snow on Tuesday and that's when I would have been driving back. I really wanted to attend the open house at the Japanese Paper Place, but I'll have to wait until the better weather arrives....ahhhhh spring! I can hardly wait! Have a wonderful weekend.

Beyond the page...chapter 1

How's that for a different post title???? Kaisercraft, an Australian company with a knack for coming up with "different" scrapbooking/papercraft products, has a line they call "Beyond the Page." Made of sturdy MDF, this range of mini albums, shadow boxes, bookends and so much more, is perfect for altering with acrylic paints, inks, patterned paper and anything else your little heart desires. I've sold a few of these items, and recently discussed class ideas with a good customer, who has been playing with Kaisercrafdt products a lot lately. Danielle came up with the sample in the photos and we'll be offering it as a Saturday class on February 12th at 10 am. The pictures don't do this little project justice. It's almost too cute to add photos to (which was the original idea!) The fee for this class is $25 and Danielle recommends using Tombow glue for adhering the paper to the cube as well as adding embellishments. I sell Tombow for $4.99, so participants can buy it here or bring your own along. (Or bring a friend and share the cost of a bottle....it goes a long way!)There are only 8 spaces available and I'm pretty sure at least 2 of them are already spoken for. We'll offer the class again if there is enough demand. The papers used are from Kaisercraft "Hey Birdie" collection. Wouldn't this make a cute Valentine gift for a special someone?????? Danielle is already working on some other Beyond the page project samples so stay tuned for chapeter 2.....

Another flower card.

Sticking with the floral theme, here's the second card for class this week. This one is stamped on vellum and attached to a layer of cardstock which I dry embossed with my new Time Holtz texture fades folder, "Bricked." You can't really see it in the photo, but these folders emboss a really deep image on cardstock, and I know I'll be using this one often. A different sentiment could be stamped on the oval panel, so if you have need of a thank you, sympathy or even a birthday card, this one could work. As usual, I'm still working on card number 3, but it will definitely have a flower on it somewhere.

I hate cold weather!

I know that's a very negative title for a post but it's the truth! I can hardly wait for Spring to arrive. I learned a new word on Facebook today...grismal (grey/dismal) which describes January to perfection in my humble opinion! So....to brighten my day (and hopefully yours too) I made a pink flowery card, which we will re-create in various forms and colours in our class next week. This is another clean and simple design, and although I'm not a big fan of pink (the colour, not the singer...I quite enjoy her music!) I love it with black. The vase was made by using a portion of a Christmas ornament punch. I stamped an intricate scroll design on it in versamark and heat embossed with clear EP. I think this is the first time I've used this particular embossing folder. It's one of a set called "Heritage" by Cuttlebug. There four folders in the set, 2 standard and 2 large. It also coordinates with the Cricut cartridge of the same name. I don't stock Cricut products but I carry several different designs of these sets of four embossing folders for just $19.99 each. I'm going to play around with a few more samples for next week's class, but they will all be featuring flowers. It's just my way of thumbing my nose at winter weather!!!

Whoo loves ya baby?

Ok I'm, definitely dating myself with that line..(does anyone else remember Kojak?) Here's the third card for this week's class. I love these cute little owls, and I finally got to use the new Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folder with the wood grain. I added a little walnut stain distress ink to bring out the pattern. Distress inks and a mask were used to for the sky and moon. I think I'll be doing more of these for various occasions. Phew! 3 guy cards was a real challenge for me. You can count on a flower or two next week..lol!

Guy card #2

This is a clean and simple layout using a stamp set loaned to me by Janet (thanks Janet:)) I've already used this image for a birthday card and it would make a great Father's day card too. I coloured it with Prisma colouring pencils and then blended with mineral spirits and a blending stump. Those of my ladies who don't "LOVE" this technique like I do may prefer to use markers to colour the image. It's a rainy day out there...perfect for stay indoors and making cards! Have a fun day.

Why are men so difficult?????

Well....not men in particular (although there are moments... ), but creating cards for men is very challenging for me. I've heard the same comment from many other card makers, so I thought I'd take up the challenge and try to create 3 "manly" cards for this week's class. I left this one sentiment free, basically because I didn't have a stamp that I felt worked with the image, but I think a computer generated sentiment cut out with a small tag punch and attached to the twine would work well. How about.... "To my favourite handy man"? I'm taking suggestions for this one, so how about leaving a comment with your idea for a fun (or sappy) sentiment for this card. If it's too long for the front, it could go inside. Or it could be a two parter. Let's have some fun, but keep it clean girls..lol! OK...one down, two to go.....

Celebrate snow?????

We're definitely on a winter theme with our card class this week. Card 1 was a sledding scene; card 2 was a winter bird, and here is a big fat snowflake for ya! I don't know about you, but I have a number of friends/family members with winter birthdays and anniversaries, so this is a handy little card to have in your stash. The best thing is that it can be used for a guy or a gal:) It's a dreary day here in Kingsville so I needed to work with something a bit shiny to brighten my mood a bit. I LOVE the way Bazzil silver foil cardstock works with die cuts. The little silver snowflake looks almost like a brad and it really pops with tha addition of the American Crafts mini jewel brad in the centre. I used a Cuttlebug border embossing folder on the white strip, but the camera didn't quite catch the detail.... and by the way that's a navy snowflake...not black! I'm in the process of working on some Valentine ideas and there is a lovely big order arriving tomorrow which will no doubt distract me from my creative wanderings for a while. New 6 x 6 paper pads from Kaisercraft are on their way along with a few new clear mini stamps, LOTS of 12 x 12 paper (where will I put it????) Tim Holtz Texture Fades embossing folders and some lovely rub -ons. Oh... and the new Sew Easy stitch piercer and mats are finally in stock, so look for those on the shelf in the next couple of days. Next week will see the arrival of some great new rubber stamps from "Your Next Stamp" with something sweet for all you Valentines. Enjoy your week:)

Winter birds...

January with its' chilly temperatures is not my favourite month of the year, but at least I'm not hopping around outside looking for food like the poor little birds outside the store. I don't know how they survive, but watching them makes me feel very grateful for a roof over my head and food in my belly! Anyway...winter birds is the name of the stamp set I used for the first of our class cards for the coming week. I love silhouette stamps and I also love monochromatic cards, so this card came together quickly. More to come...stay warm this weekend!

Happy New Year

I hope everyone is off to a good start in 2011. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but you've probably been too busy to check in anyway right????? We had a wonderful Christmas, a very quiet New year's Eve, and the past few days have been filled with taking down Christmas decorations at the store and taking inventory. This was a much bigger task than last year, as I have lots more stuff to count! Consequently, I was here till 10 pm last night and I still have lots of numbers to enter into the computer. The shop has been turned upside down and inside out and I decided I need another day to get back on track. So....I am closed for the day and will not be offering a class this week...sorry! We'll start fresh next week, but in the meantime I have something special to share. One of my customers who used to come to classes regularly and is planning to return soon, (we miss you Marci) has sent me photos of some of the cards she made with the Kaisercraft 6 x 6 paper pad she bought here. She loves the ease of card making with these little books and decided to use them to make photo cards for Christmas. I think she did a fabulous job, don't you? Thanks for sharing them Marci, and your daughter is beautiful by the way! There are lots of Kaisercraft products in the store and I will be placing another order this week. Don't forget to enter this month's card contest...cards are due by January 15th. Call me if you need more info. Have a wonderful week!