Cindy's Scrapbooking Conference

Cindy's scrapbooking conference is coming up May 18th & 19th.  It will be held at the Red Lion in Pocatello.  You can find all the info here.

I haven't scrapped too much lately, because I have been spending time painting, drawing, and watercoloring.  I have been taking the "Art of Wild Abandonment" class, which is taught by Junelle Jacobson and sponsored by Christy Tomlinson.  Can I just say F-U-N!!!!  But that's a whole different story for another day...

It was fun to pull out my scrapping supplies and use them on a layout instead of on a canvas or in my art journal.  I have to say it was hard not to drag out the Mod Podge, though.  It is so much easier, and messier, and fun to play with Mod Podge than it is photo squares.  ;)

I finished one of my classes that I'm teaching at Cindy's.  This is a doodling class that will be taught on Friday evening.  Love these new papers from My Mind's Eye!

I'm in love with rolled paper flowers!  They can add the perfect embellishment anywhere on a card or layout.

I have one more layout to design for Cindy's conference.  Then I might post some pictures of She Art canvases and art journaling I have been doing over the past several months.  (I know...my poor neglected blog)!  See you soon!

Cindy's Fall Scrapbooking Conference

Wow!  I have totally neglected my blog!  I have lots of fun things to share, but today I will concentrate on my new classes for Cindy's Fall Conference.  I'm not sure if she has her full schedule of classes up yet, but keep checking for updates.

My first class is "Beautiful Life."  This summer I have kind of set my scrapbooking aside and played with art journals and mixed media instead.  It has been so much fun to explore new creative play!  I wanted to incorporate as many mixed media techniques as I could on this layout.  

  I used tinsel glitter, embossing powder, paint, mist, tulle, chipboard, and fabric.  Fun, fun!

Here are some close ups:

 Painted and doodled border.

 Glimmer Mist on a paper doily.

 Tinsel glitter on a chipboard bird.

 Handmade muslin flowers.  To see a tutorial, click here.

Heat embossed chipboard bird with tulle wings.

My second class is actually two one-page layouts.  Here's a look at the first one:

 I did not start this layout with the intention of fitting 14 photos on it.  But that's what ended up happening!  I printed each row of photos as one solid piece for a couple of different reasons.  First of all, it was a lot easier to attach 5 photos to the background instead of 14 small ones.  Secondly, it cut down on "clutter" by eliminating the gaps between each picture.

 Because the layout was filled up with photos, I didn't want to clutter it up with lots of embellishments, so I kept it simple and just added basics like die cuts and buttons.  The exposed white edge of the patterned paper also adds a little contrast.

 This star stamp reminded me of fireworks!  It is heat embossed with Zing embossing powder.

I created a little pocket for my journaling tag and added a sub-title to the front.

Now, here's a look at the last layout.  The big #1 was inspired by a layout that was in the September "My Mind's Eye" newsletter.

 There's a first time for everything and this layout is a fun way to document it.  I used a faux stitching technique that is easy and sewing-machine free! (But you will have to come to class to learn how to do it).  :)

Since this layout is flat, I didn't take any closeups of it.  

I'm excited for conference!  Hopefully I will see some of you there! 

Photogenic Family

My niece and her family are so photogenic!  I swiped these pics from their blog and added them to my latest class kit for Lucky Lark Designs.  They dragged her mother's settee across the street to the park (which I think makes a wonderful setting for some family photos).  Love it! 

 I'm in love with these "Bloomer" style flowers.  They are so soft and feminine and make a wonderful accent on a page.  And after being squished in a sheet protector, they still just pop right back up.  :)

I heat embossed the "Family" title with black powder as well as a couple of other accents of the page.  I've had the Scenic Route papers around for awhile just waiting to create something with them.  They are so bright and pretty and remind me of summer.  (I *think* I remember what summer is like...)

Thanks for looking!  I have some fun Echo Park layouts I've been working on and need to get them posted soon.

Accordion Folded or "Lolli" Flowers Tutorial

I've been on a "Lolli" flower making kick lately and thought I would share with you how to make them.  They can be made easily from any size strip of paper.  It's a great way to use up some of those scraps! 

Start by cutting a 1" x 12" strip of paper.  (You can make them wider or thinner than 1".  The diameter of the flower will end up being a little more than double the width of your paper strip). 

 Next I scored the strip every 1/4" using my new Martha Stewart Scoring Board. 

(I have to say that having a scoring board makes this process SO much easier!).  Scor-Pal also makes a scoring board. However, I decided to purchase the Martha Stewart one for a couple of different reasons.  First, it has scoring lines every 1/8" while the Scor-Pal seems to have more random measurements.  Second, the MS board was much less expensive, especially after using a 40% off coupon at Michaels.  Third, the MS board has a handy little add-on tool to help you easily make envelopes.  There are many You Tube videos comparing the two if you would like to take a closer look. 

After the entire strip is scored, fold back and forth like a fan.  

NOTE:  I wanted the green side of the paper to show after the flower was complete, so I made sure the first fold was pointed down.  This way, when you get to the end of the flower, it finishes off nicely.

This is what is should look like when it's all folded up.

Next, use a strong glue along one edge as shown.  

(Use something like Diamond Glaze, Red-Line Tape, etc.  Glue dots don't work so well.  They can't hold up to the tension the flower causes once formed into a circle).

Glue the two ends together and hold for a minute or two until dry.  

(You could also hold it closed with a clothes pin or office clip).

 Punch a 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" circle from any color paper.  

This won't show as it will be attached to the back of the flower.

Add strong glue to the circle, but not enough that it will squish out of the sides when pressed down.

This is the part where you sometimes need more than 2 hands.  :)

Flatten the flower, top side down.  (The orange that you see is the back of the flower). 

While holding the flower in place, attach the circle glue side down, to center of flower. 

Press down for a couple of minute while it dries, or place a heavy object, like a book, on it.

The back should look something like this when done.

Flip it over and embellish with coordinating paper, buttons, brads, ribbon, string, rhinestones, etc.

Another fun way to jazz them up is by using a border punch along the edge first.  Then instead of scoring every 1/4", score in between each scallop.

Here's an example of a completed flower with the scalloped edge.

Here's a peek at some completed layouts I recently used Lolli flowers on:

"Eggcellent"

This small pink flower started out as a 1/2" x 12" strip.

"4 is my Lucky Number"

Thanks for looking!  If you have any questions about making these flowers, there are tons of tutorials on You Tube that show you a few different methods.  Give them a try!

Lots of Layouts to Share

Wow!  When did life get so crazy?  I mean really, really crazy? It's all good...I'm just staying busier than normal. 

So here is one great big blog post about some of the projects I've done in the last few weeks.  Ready?

2010 YEAR IN REVIEW

This layout was inspired by Jana Eubank on 2 Peas using My Mind's Eye "Fine and Dandy" collection.  I love how there is so much room for journaling but the photos are still the main focus (14 tiny photos, in fact)!  I don't have any close up shots of this layout, so hopefully you can pick out the details.

EXTREMELY WONDERFUL

Can I just say that I love, love, love this color combo?!  Maybe it's because I'm so tired of seeing white snow everywhere I look, but this layout just makes me happy.  :)

The title is printed onto a transparency.  And notice the fun paint splatters?  Those are some stamps I picked up at Michaels.  Oh the possibilities!!

A little chipboard makes the perfect accent.

Have you ever tried stamping with bubble wrap?  Well it's fun and almost as addictive as popping it.  I painted a little acrylic paint with a foam brush directly onto the bubble wrap.  Then "stamped" it onto the journaling block and a few other places on the layout.  So fun and grungy looking!

IT'S A GOOD THING YOU'RE SO CUTE 

This is my latest layout for Lucky Lark Designs. It's pretty simple, but I like all the details.

(Can you believe that mischievous baby boy is now 10!!!  Where does the time go)?

I was having a hard time finding the "right" paper for this layout, so I decided to make a simple modification to something I already had.  I cut the ledger paper into a bracket shape, then thinned some acrylic paint down with a little water.  I painted a border around it without worrying too much about it being perfect.  It added a little splash of color to break up the red/black/white theme I had going on.

  I love texture on a layout!  Adding tiny details, like the hand-stitched star, can make all the difference on a project.

Ahhh...time to dust off the ole' Silhouette machine again.  The ticket design really caught my eye in their online store and I just couldn't resist!

Well, I still have more layouts that I made for the "Grandkids" album for Christmas.  My goal is to have those posted this week.  For now I think I'm calling it a day.  Thanks for looking!

Dear Spring, Please Hurry Up!

Spring could come any day now and I would be a happy girl!  But since it's still a winter wonderland here, I thought I would share this layout I created for Lucky Lark Designs last month.

 I was inspired by a fun Thanksgiving layout where Cindy Tobey cut up bingo cards to create a border on her page.  I loved the idea and thought I would try it out.  I found the cutest digital crossword puzzles and bingo cards here!  Check them out!

 Have I ever mentioned how much I *love* Glimmer Mist?  Well I do...a lot!!  I sprayed the entire background with "Frost."  I think it's the perfect color. 

I also love the crepe paper craze that's so popular right now and decided to create my own ribbon.  I just made a few pleats, then added gingham ribbon at the top.

***

While on the search for digital bingo cards, I found this tutorial for a darling hybrid mini album.  The pages are made from the same printable crossword puzzles I used on my winter layout.  Check it out here!