Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!!

May your 2010 be wonderful, prosperous, healthy, crafty, enlightening and FUN!!

My New Year's Resolution this year is to blog more.  I always want to and I have so much to show, share and say so... in the new year of the newest decade, I plan to show you more, share more and say more!

Please be safe tonight and enjoy your festivities!

My husband isn't home from work and may not be until almost 8 but the kids and I are playing Wii, crafting and I'm just about to put a chicken into the rotissourie (ok, I KNOW that's spelled wrong!)

See you all next year!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Life Now....

It's been a while since I've blogged here about my family, my life and me.  So I thought I'd catch everyone up.

The kids are in school and I volunteer twice a week at the school.  It keeps me in their lives while at school too.  I really love the opportunity.  Both boys brought home their report cards the other day. Caleb got all A's and B's (except they don't call them B's anymore - now they are P's. I do not know what the P stands for.) and Bryce receive all Satisfactory or Outstandings (in K through 2nd they only do Satisfatory, Outstanding, Needs Improvement, etc. No A's or B's in those grades either). Bryce's teachers note made mention to him being a little of a mess maker. OK, it made mention that he's a big mess maker. But it's so hard for me to tell him to clean up his act when I'm exactly the same way!! Yikes! Both boys are in cub scouts and love it. Patrick's even a den leader for Bryce's den. So we are all about the scouts here. Well, sometimes.

I've been sticking with the Weight Watchers plan and have lost a total of 21.2 pounds since September!  I do keep a blog on my Weight loss, giving me something to look back on in the future.  It's been a fun road so far.  Not too hard yet.  Well, it was very hard at first but now it's kinda smooth sailing.  I don't always loose a lot, and one week I gained!  But I jump back on and work at it.  It'll be a while before I'm at goal but I know it'll be worth it.

Christmas shopping is in full swing here (and I'm sure almost everywhere!), the boys are done being shopped for.  YES!  And I just finished my husband this morning.  YAHOO!  But I have several family members to get gifts for.  Some are easier than others.  It seems that all my swap partners this year are guys, so I'm not going to be making any gifts this year.  Oh well.  Speaking of making things... I have my Christmas cards in pieces.  I think I'll work on those today.  Almost everything is ready for them, it's just assembly time.  Which can take a whole day!

Life continues to spin crazy.  I'm creating classes and have almost all of my January class samples done.  I'm working on my Copic classes today.  I'll take some photos and post those later this week.

A very Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL and PROSPEROUS 2010!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Zen - tangled!

Today was the ATC Swap at the Scrapbook Cupboard.  The theme this month was Zentangles or Doodling.  I read all the online literature I could find and I came up with 10 completely diffferent ATC cards.  While I didn't find the theme to be difficult, I did find it time consuming.  I had a tough time doing more than one card at a sitting - my eyes going 'tangled'.  One of the days I was working on my cards, Bryce came in to see what I was doing.  He's only 6 1/2 but he can tangle with the best of them!  Take a peek at what Bryce did...



Aren't those cute!

We are missing a few from some other participants, but so far, these are the fabulous cards everyone has made...



And not a one of us has had an actual class with a Zentangle teacher!

Our next ATC swap with be Wednesday, February 10th and our next theme is Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales.  I can't wait to see what these talented ladies come up with!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Holiday Card Keeper - Part 4

This is is, the last of the series on the Card Keeper.  I hope you have all enjoyed it!

Today we are going to finish it up and attach our metal to our box.  Here goes...

Day Four


Supply List:

 Box with lid – I’m using a cigar box, it measures 8 ¼ x 7 ¾ x 3, any paper Mache box will work too.

 Paints with Brushes, I’m using the new Claudine Paints by Ranger but any acrylic paints will do.

 Some paper towels or a soft cloth for buffing.

 Sand Paper or Sanding Block

 Your nearly finished piece of metal

 Paper Stump

 Brass Brush

 Humungo Adhesive

 

 
To color the metal, I dipped my brush into the paint and painted over some of the areas I wanted colored. Ranger's Studio paints stick really well into the metal so you don’t need to let them dry too much before buffing.
 

With cotton cloth or some paper towels, buff off some of the paint. I do this just so I can see some of the metal underneath.
 

As you see here, I completely covered the back piece in blue (I mixed the white and blue to get this nice color) I also completely covered the bottom in white.


I just buffed off the paint so that the paint ‘stuck’ into the snowflakes but didn’t stay all over the project. If you are using a cheaper paint, just let the paint dry a few moments before buffing. If you don’t then you might find yourself wiping all the paint off the project. If that happens, just do it again!

I found that some areas had paint left on that I didn’t want there. I used my brass brush and in a circular motion, ‘brushed’ off the paint.


To add my metal to my box, I use the Humungo adhesive from Ten Seconds Studio. There are many options out there. You can use a strong liquid adhesive as well as any strong dry adhesive. I’ve used the Ultimate, Claudine’s Multi Medium, Uhu’s Twist and Glue, Kokoyo’s tape roller, Magic Scraps adhesive and some others.

If you use the Humungo adhesive, my suggestion is to cut it to size first and then peel back just one layer.

“Walk” the adhesive down your piece. Basically, start at one end and then slowly spread you hand over the piece until all the adhesive is down. You’re trying to ensure no air bubbles get trapped between your adhesive and metal.


It’s possible you might have to trim up some of your adhesive.

Once you find the correct placement on your piece, then peel back the other layer on the adhesive and ‘walk’ it onto your box.

Use your paper stump or popsicle stick to help the sides lay flat on your project.

And now you’re done!


I hope you enjoyed this blog class! If you have any question, please let me know!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Holiday Card Keeper - Part 3

I hope you are having fun!  I would love to hear from you or see what you are doing if you work on this project!

Day 3

Day Three



We are going to continue our metal embossing today. Today is going to be a tough day. Depending on how much you stamp, there could be a lot of tracing and refining. If you need to, take breaks. Your wrists and hands will thank you for it.


For today, you’ll need to dig out…

  • Your aluminum piece from yesterday.
  • Stamps, any of your favorite images will work. Don’t use ones with words for your first design.
  • Staz On or Archival Ink, any color is fine although a dark color is best.
  • Paper Stump - or popsicle stick
  • Refiner tool – or empty ball point pen
  • Ball and Cup tool – or medium sized stylus
  • Thin Mat - or mouse pad
  • Acrylic Mat - or glass cutting mat
  • Small Wheel Tool – I use the ones by Ten Seconds Studio but Merc Art makes some and there are even some that quilters use. This past Halloween we bought a pumpkin carving set and it had a wheel tool in it that will work too!
  • Lightweight Spackle

 Choose your stamp set and let’s start inking…


REMEMBER!  When stamping on metal, use only a hard surface under your metal.



Choose the placement of your stamps and on the back of the metal, with just the acrylic (smooth cutting mat) underneath your metal, stamp your images. I used Staz On ink for this.


Complete your design. If you make a mistake or decide that you put in one too many trees or snowflakes, no worries! You can either ignore it or you can ‘erase it’ with a little blending solution or rubbing alcohol on a paper towel. Remember this is all done on the BACK of the metal. You won’t see this part in the end. 



On the thin mat (mouse pad) with the refiner (ball point pen), place the waxed paper over the stamped on metal (this is optional) and trace the stamped lines. Be careful with close lines; remember you don’t want to ‘blur’ the lines. If you can leave out some lines on your image and keep the basic design, I would recommend for your first try. You can always add more detail in later if needed.



Once you have completely traced all of the stamped images, flip over your metal and place on just the acrylic mat (smooth cutting mat) and refine all your edges. This might take a while. Be patient!



If you have some areas that have a lot of details, such as the trees in the above photo, consider just tracing the outside lines. The when you are on the front of the metal refining, add in some squiggly lines. The lines will be slightly debossed in to the metal, but it’ll add a little bit of texture to your design.


On the acrylic mat (smooth cutting mat), take your paper stump (or popsicle stick) and on the front of the metal flatten any areas that are slightly puffy. You’ll add some dimension to just the area you want after this step.


On the back of the metal, place a thin mat (mouse pad) under the metal and select a few areas to ‘puff’ the metal. You’re just going to rub over a small area and stretch the metal outward.

Above is a photo of the ‘puffed’ area. You can see it’s slightly raised from the other metal surrounding it.

Let’s add a little bit more detail to your work. If you own a wheel tool, run the tool over the metal with the thin mat (mouse pad) under the metal. I did this on the front side of the metal. In my design, I only ran the wheel on the bottom – to look like a road, but feel free to use as you need for your own design.


Now we need to protect our embossed design from being flattened by normal use.

I use a cheap Lightweight Spackle and an old gift card.


It might take a little bit of scraping but slather on your spackle and then scrape off any extra. It's easiest to remove any spackle that's onyour gift card before cleaning up the metal.  Spackle likes to attach itself to itself so if your gift card is scraped it will work better.

When you are done, you should see mostly metal but you need to make sure that the puffed areas are mostly filled in.  The piece above is still not completely done.  You should make sure that any excess spackle is removed - even if you use your fingers to do it.  The better your spackling job on the back, the better the finished piece will look!


Let the spackle dry completely. Tomorrow we will finish up with some painting!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Holiday Card Keeper - Part 2

Thanks for coming back!

Here's day two of the Holiday Card Keeper:

Today we are going to get started on our metal embossing! For today, you’ll need to dig out…


 Your aluminum metal. This can be a piece of 36-40 gauge metal from Amaco, Merc Art, Ten Seconds Studio or you can even use a disposable top to an aluminum party pan.

 Tracing paper or words printed backwards.

 Paper Stump - or popsicle stick

 Refiner tool – or empty ball point pen

 Ball and Cup tool – or medium sized stylus

 Thin Mat - or mouse pad

 Acrylic Mat - or glass cutting mat

Here’s a few photos for reference…




Thursday, December 3, 2009

Holiday Card Keeper - Part 1

Welcome Back! 

Today I'm starting a three part/day blog post.  I'm hosting a FREE blog presentation on how to make a Holiday Card Keeper.  You can view the Supply List for what you'll need the next three days here.

If you have any questions, post them as a comment and I'll answer them in another post for everyone to see.

Enjoy!


Supply List for today: **



  • Box with lid – I’m using a cigar box, it measures 8 ¼ x 7 ¾ x 3, any paper Mache box will work too.
  • Holiday papers
  • Gel Medium, Mod Podge or other favorite wet adhesive
  • Paints with Brushes, I’m using the new Claudine Paints by Ranger but any acrylic paints will do.
  • Sand Paper and Sanding Block
  • Aluminum Metal Foil – about 36-40 gauges will work well.
**See my tips in yesterday's post.



I’m working with a cigar box as my card keeper. Any paper mache box will do and use your imagination, you don’t have to make a card keeper either. A journal, a clock, a photo frame, almost anything can be covered in metal.


Today we are going to prep our Cigar box.  I used Gesso to cover the wood grain look on my box. If you are using a paper mache box, you may not need this step.



Once completely dry, I sanded off an area that was bumpy. You’ll want to make sure that the top part of your box, the area that’s going to have the metal embossing on it is as flat as you can get it. If you have bumps, it might show through on your metal when you lay it down.


Once the outside was dry, I painted the inside edges. I’m going to place Holiday paper in the top recess and the bottom recess but I need to paint the edges first. I painted the flat edge and the inside edge of the inside of the box. I used Ranger's Studio Paint in Sable Brown. It’s nice and creamy and thick. Any acrylic paint will do for this step. The key is to cover completely any areas you want covered. Some paints will take several coats. Before painting the bottom, I did remove some cedar planks that were fitted into the box. Your box may or may not have these. Removing them is your choice as well.



I painted the inside edge of the bottom with Ranger's Studio Paint in Modern Red. Once dry, I measured my inside edges and cut some Holiday paper to cover the top and bottom edges.



I used the Studio Multi-medium in Matte to ‘glue’ the paper to the top and the bottom and then I also used it as a glaze over the paper. I did have a few bubbles in my project but I’m happy to say, when they dried, they dried flat. The key is to add thin layers of multi medium.


*Not pictured, I painted the top lid of the box the same Modern red and I added Holiday papers to the bottom outside edge. I adhered the paper with the Multi Medium and I then added a thin layer of multi medium over the paper too.




I used one of the left over cedar planks to keep propped open. I left this to dry overnight.


Tomorrow, we’ll emboss our metal. I used a piece of aluminum metal that just fit the top of my cigar box…


While I used a piece of Copper colored Art Metal from 10 Seconds Studio as well as their tools, remember you can use a top to a large disposable aluminum party pan and some basic supplies you might have at home. Here’s a photo for reference…



That’s a cutting mat, a disposable aluminum pan cover, a mouse pad, several stylus’ and an empty ball point pen.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Holiday Card Keeper

I've been thinking... I've been a bad blogger lately. Other than not updating regularly, I also haven't done any projects or free tutorials lately.  Tsk.. tsk on me!

So, I was thinking. 

Last year I taught a Holiday Card Keeper class online to a Yahoo group that I belong to. Here it is:



And it occurred to me that I should post these directions here.  For you... out there in blogland. 

This class spanned 4 days online so I'm going to do the same here.  I'm going to post the supply list today and then set up the blog to post a new lesson at 8AM EST each day for the next 3 days.  If you have any questions along the way or at the end, post them here and I'll answer them here online too. 

If you decide to try this out, feel free to use whatever stamp set you have and like.  The women in the Yahoo Group that tried this all used different stamps and they each came out beautifully.  For these techniques, you won't be able to use word stamps, once embossed the words will be backwards.  Other than that... try it.  It's easy and fun!  AND! I tell you how to emboss using cheap materials that you may already have at home!

Here's the Supply List, come back tomorrow for the first set of directions:  Have Fun!

Supply List:


Box with lid – I’m using a cigar box, it measures 8 ¼ x 7 ¾ x 3, any Paper Mache box will work too.
Holiday papers
Gel Medium, Mod Podge or other favorite wet adhesive
Paints with Brushes, I’m using the Studio Paints by Ranger but any acrylic paints will do.
Sand Paper and Sanding Block
Aluminum Metal Foil – about 36-40 gauges will work well. **See below for a tip on this**
Stamps, any of your favorite images will work. Don’t use ones with words for your first design.
Staz On or Archival Ink, any color is fine although a dark color is best.
Tracing paper or words printed backwards.
Paper Stump - or popsicle stick
Refiner tool – or empty ball point pen
Ball and Cup tool – or medium sized stylus
Thin Mat - or mouse pad
Acrylic Mat - or glass cutting mat
Small Wheel Tool – I use the ones by Ten Seconds Studio but Merc Art makes some and there are even some that quilters use. This past Halloween we bought a pumpkin carving set and it had a wheel tool in it that will work too!
Brass Brush - you can purchase one of these in your local hardware store.  The hardware store one is bigger but will still work in a pinch.
Lightweight Spackle
Humungo - or Red Line Tape. You can also substitute strong glue. I’ve used The Ultimate with great results. 

**The metal I used is a 40 gauge aluminum sold by Ten Seconds Studio. They make several different color coated metals.
If you don’t own metals by Ten Seconds Studio, you can use the metal foils made by Amaco or Merc Art as well.
OR - If you can’t get your hands on any of this metal foil, an alternative to this would be the top to an aluminum party plan. These can be found in your local super market, Wal-Mart or any party planning stores. I’ve bought mine for as little as 49 cents! If you choose the bottoms, you will find that they have too many creases and that many are stamped with a logo. This molding and stamping are hard to get out – and could be impossible so I’d just stick with the tops. Many times you can buy the tops seperately.

Check back tomorrow morning for the first part of the directions for this Holiday Card Keeper box.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Another one stop shopping event!

Looking for another Holiday one stop shopping event?  You can find one at the Studio 23 in Abington,MA.  The address is Studio 23, 597 Brockton Ave., Abington, MA

Gayle will be having several vendors there on Friday, December 4th from 6:30PM - 9PM.

You can purchase items from:

  • Studio 23, including Silver Jewelry
  • Stampin Up
  • Tastefully Simple
  • Partylite
  • and more!

Come on by and take a look around.  There will be refreshments to enjoy.  And for anyone bringing a non perishable canned item for the Abington Food Bank, they will recieve a free gift from Studio 23!

I hope to see you there!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

I'm a lax blogger - but I have some eye candy for you!

It's been a busy few weeks.  With Caleb and I being sick in the first week and my continued sickness into the second week, then my birthday was this past Monday so I've been busy celebrating and trying to catch up on the two weeks I missed getting things done.  Oh boy!  I'm amazed that I have been able to do what I've done!  Next is to clean my house, studio, everything.  It's all a mess.  But since I won't be having Thanksgiving at my house, I guess I'm good for right now.  Good enough to bring you some eye candy!

I've completed a few upcoming classes recently.  Sunday, I really cranked out a bunch and I'm happy I did!  It's always so rewarding to have stuff up and postable prior to a few days before class.

Here's my napkin card class:



Each of these cards are made using napkins.  Just regular, old, Christmas Tree Shoppe napkins.  They don't look like napkins, they don't feel like napkins but they are easy and a super quick holiday card!  I may do all my Holiday cards like this!  I wish I took a picture of the napkins to show you but they are at work.  These are the small cocktail napkins and so each card is square. This class is being held on Friday, November 27th and Friday, December 11th from 7-9PM.  It's only $20 for the class and you'll make all three cards.  You'll also learn this fabulous technique and still (even in the December 11th class) have time to get them made and mailed before the Holiday! 

The next class finished is my Dreaming of a Beautiful Christmas Card Class:





I know that Let It Snow card is in there twice - I wasn't sure whether we'd make just two cards or all three.  But I know we will have time to make all three!  This class will explore a few more Dream Weaver techniques.  If you own a Dream Weaver stencil you'd like to use that day, bring it with you!  These techniques can be easily used with any stencil!  This class will be held on Thursday, December 3rd from 7-9PM.  Also only $20! 

The third class I put together is the Stampscapes Coaster Class.  This class is phenomenal!:


Aren't those beauties!  And believe it or not they are easy!  E-A-S-Y!!!  Easy!  Just plain and simply easy.  They are on Stampbord so they are very study.  3.5 x 3.5" and we will spray them before you leave so that they can be used as coasters.  Wrap these up in a bow and they'd make a beautiful gift for anyone!  I can't tell you how easy Stampscapes really are to use.  We will make all 4 coasters, one for Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall (in that order in the photo).  If you have time to come in to the store and take a peek at these - PLEASE DO!  Touching them, looking at them, they are simply delightful!  And really, I just put them together but it's the stamps that do everything justice!  Even if you stamped the images in black and left it black and white, these coasters would still be stunning.  The stamps are simply gorgeous!  OK, so this class is being offered twice as well.  Once on Saturday, December 5th from 12-3PM and then again on Friday, December 18th from 7-10PM. The class is $30.  If you own any of these stamps in the photos (or any stampscape stamps) bring them with you on the night of class.  It'll be easier to get it all done that way.

All the above classes are being held at the Scrapbook Cupboard, in East Bridgewater, MA.  If you live or will be in the area on any of those dates and would like to take a class, call 1-508-378-0008 to sign up!

I have 2 more December classes to share with you.  One I'm waiting on a stamp to come in and the other is just time.  Maybe I'll get it done this weekend.  Metal Christmas cards!  WOW!  Now to start thinking about January...

Friday, November 13, 2009

One Stop Shopping Event - TOMORROW!

It's that time!

On Saturday, November 14th from 11AM - 2PM, you can stop and do all your Holiday shopping in one place! The Hawley's are opening their home to you! Come stop and shop at their beautiful new home at 264 Court Street, Plymouth, MA.


 
Which vendors will be there? You can expect to see business women from:

 

  • Stella and Dot
  • Stampin Up
  • Tastefully Simple
  • Beijo
  • Athena's Home Novelties
  • Southern Living at Home

There will be 100's of dollars in free give-aways, personal one-on-one shopping experience, sparkly drinks, festive foods and of course, you'll be supporting local women and their businesses.

 

Come on by and see what we have!  Where else can you go and shop in one place and get all these different companies under one roof? I hope to see you there!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Free Moodles...

My Creative Classroom offers a Free Class every few weeks.  These are called Everyday Moodlings.  If you are a member of My Creative Classroom, you can view these for free!  How? 

Well this is how...

To enroll in My Creative Classroom's FREE classroom please complete the following steps:

 
  1. Go to the website: http://www.mycreativeclassroom.com/
  2. Log on or create a new user account. Subscribing to our newsletter does NOT create a user account on our site. You must be a registered user of MCC to enroll in this course.
  3. Once you are logged on choose Free Courses from the drop down menu at the top of the screen.
  4. Click on the Everyday Moodlings course title.
  5. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
  6. Enter the enrollment key: mccfree1108 The enrollment key is case sensitive.
  7. Click enroll in this course.
 This week we are talking about Fabric!  Several of the teachers have submitted articles on how to use fabric in all sorts of different crafty ways! Need some inspiration for a easy crafting project, holiday gift or just have a hankering to learn something new, be sure to check it out!  My tutorial is on how to create Paper from Fabric.  You'll be surprised at how easy it really is!
 


You never know what new and interesting techniques each of the My Creative Classroom talented teachers will bring to you.  Why not go subscribe and see what you can learn!
 

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Stampers Quest Holiday Blizzard Project!

The Stamper's Quest EZine has been working on bringing you some great projects you can complete for this holiday season.  They've got projects on:

Creating Ornaments
Making calendars
Creating Tags
Making Wine Totes
Place Cards
Journals
and much more!

I submitted my Winter's Welcome door hanger. 




You may have seen it on this blog before.  It was my Kandi CHA submission for earlier this year.  But in this Ezine article, I actually give you complete instructions on how to complete it!  Yippee!!

If you haven't popped over to the Stamper's Quest Ezine lately, you should!  The November Ezine has been published and there's lots of great articles to read and to review.  There's even an article (or 4!) on digital stamps!  Yup, there is such a thing as digital stamps.  WOW!  That opens up a whole new world out there. 

If you've got a few moments (or more!) to spare, take a trip over to Stamper's Quest and look around.  You never know what you'll learn!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Art Journals, Hand Bound!!

My latest class with My Creative Classroom, Art Journals, Hand Bound has begun!



These Art Journals will be treasured for years to come. This class is jam-packed with loads of techniques! We'll explore paints, chalks, inks and mists. We'll decorate each page in the books as well as create the covers and then finish them with a hand sewn binding. They can be created with Metal coverings or without.




This class will run for 4 weeks and each week we'll cover several techniques. By the end of class, you'll have created two journals perfect for keeping your art thoughts, or for scrapbooks or just to enjoy!



Class started Monday,October 19, 2009 but you can sign up here until Wednesday, October 28th.  Don't worry about catching up, class has only just begun.  Sign up today and you can jump right in and download and print or sit and watch the many presentations already ready for you!

I hope to see you in the classroom!

 

Monday, October 19, 2009

A One-Stop Holiday Shopping Event!

It's not even Halloween yet but I have a ONE STOP SHOPPING EVENT to tell you about!




Mark your calendars...

On Saturday, November 14th from 11AM - 2PM, you can stop and do all your Holiday shopping in one place!  The Hawley's are opening their home to you!  Come stop and shop at their beautiful new home at 264 Court Street, Plymouth, MA.

Which vendors will be there?  You can expect to see business women from:

Stella and Dot
Stampin Up
Tastefully Simple
Beijo
Athena's Home Novelties
Southern Living at Home

There will be 100's of dollars in free give-aways, personal one-on-one shopping experience, sparkly drinks, festive foods and of course, you'll be supporting local women and their businesses.

I hope you mark your calendars and stop by this event.  Where else can you go and shop in one place and get all these different companies under one roof?  Maybe I'll see you there!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

You've gotta check it out!

I was stumbling through some friends blog rolls and I found this one:  http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Holey Moley, Batman!  Some of these actually made me laugh out loud!  Keep scrolling through some of the previous posts.  Check out some of the pictures and the comments they make.  Hilarious!

OK, I'm going to stop procrastinating...

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Where'd "Tomorrow" go?

Wow, I had every intention of posting more last week.  I don't know where on Earth my time goes.  What with working 2+ jobs from home, running a household, helping with homework, cooking, cleaning, keeping track of my weight watcher points, laundry, volunteering at the kids school, doctor appointments, shopping, helping my son's cub scout den, exercise, friends and family who knows.  It's lost in daily life.  I'm not complaining.  I enjoy my life.  I love what I do and I love my family, friends and the hectic schedule.  But I do wish one thing. 

I wish I wasn't a P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-O-R. 

It drives me nuts.

I like to think that I'm an organized person.  Lists litter my workspace, charts, graphs, even sticky notes on the bathroom mirror once in a while.  Lists on my phone, lists on the fridge, lists in my pocket book, heck if I could stick a list on the dog for her to carry around for me - I just might!  But the one thing I do perfectly is procrastinate.

Take now for instance, should I be working? Yes.  Do I need to make this post about my lack of motivation?  Maybe.  OK, - see there's my justification.  Hehe!  No, I probably don't.  Cause really, you didn't come here to listen to my woes about procrastination.  Although, if anyone knows of a good book or online seminar about why I might be a procrastinator, please pass the information this way.  I'd really like to change my ways!

So, without further procrastination, here's the project I've been working on...





How stinkin' cute is that?  I'm loving it!  A little coffin book inside a coffin.  The coffin has some Plum colored metal on it.  Very neat.  This is a class I have scheduled for Friday, October 23.  It's the perfect little mini scrapbook for those people who love to showcase their kids for Halloween!  A little spooky but fun too!  If you are interested in taking this class, I'm going to be teaching it at the Scrapbook Cupboard.  Class is from 7-10PM.  You make everything!  The coffin is made from cardstock and the book inside is card stock too.  There's a little metal and adhesive and lots of fun!

Now I've got some time today and I've got a list to tackle.  I guess I should stop this insane procrastination and get on my way!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Last Chance!

It's been a whirlwind over here.  I'm always feeling like I'm catching up on something.  My to do list is about 12 inches long, single spaced! 

I just received an email today saying that it was the last chance to sign up for my Metal Sampler at My Creative Classroom!  So, if you haven't had a chance to do it and have been thinking about it, now is the time!  Enrollment ends October 7th!

Tomorrow, I'll have pictures up of a project I'm working on. It's not quite done yet.

Lot's of exciting things going on here!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

It's Metal Sampler time!

I've been feverishly typing up instructions for Monday's Metal Sampler at My Creative Classroom.  I'm going to be teaching this in person Sunday at the Scrapbook Cupboard too!  So if you aren't busy today, you could join me in learning how to create this:




Let me tell you, it's very different to teach in person than it is to teach online.  Yes, the project might be the same but for online you have a lot more typing, loading of photos and slideshows to put together.  eyeyiyi!

Why am I cramming to do it at the 11th hour?  Because...  I'm the Queen of Procrastination!  And I just love to torture myself with last minute deadlines and issues. 

Anyway...

Thankfully all the PDF files are done.  And they are loaded to the website!  So, if you didn't get the latest newsletter from My Creative Classroom showcasing my class, then let me tell you - there's still time to go there and sign up! 

Not sure?  Let me show you a few pictures that are in the tutorials...  and there are many, many more.











In these classes you just won't learn about the paper stump and the fine tipped tools.  We'll also explain what the angle tool, the deer foot tool and the chisel tool are all used for.  We'll cover techniques that I've created as well as those that I learned at the Ten Seconds Studio Certification course I took in April, 2008.  There will be more than 15 hand outs on metal embossing alone!  What an amazing deal!.  Whether you are in class tomorrow or in the online class Monday, I'm looking forward to helping you make your journey into metal embossing even more fun.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Better late....

then never, right?!!

I finally finsihed my "Napkin Cards" for this Friday's class at the Scrapbook Cupboard.  These are super easy and fun to do!  And once you know how, you'll be able to use any decorative napkin you own!!!!  Think of how easy a birthday card could be - or to make your Holiday cards with this this fun technique!



This class is definitely running, there were sign ups even without samples - you guys are all great!  But if you aren't signed up and would like to take the card class, call the store at 508-378-0008.  Once you learn this technique, you'll be able to use it on much more than cards!  Think of it - scrapbook paper made with a napkin!  Yup, it can be done!  h,mmmmmm.....  maybe that might be something I can work on...

School's out ...for Summer?

Last night the Governor of Massachusetts cancelled all school until May 4th.  He did this on March 25th.  That is about 6 weeks of no sc...