A Passion for Scrapbooking, Decorating and Shopping

From my craft room to yours...

Motivated by Paula's recent purging of excess supplies from her craft room has convinced me to do the same.  And "excess" is my middle name.

Tonight, I am starting with a stash of Heidi Swapp product I've accumulated over the years.

This is only a portion of Heidi Swapp product I currently store in my closet, like her masks in all shapes and sizes.

I recall when I was first introduced to masks during a class taught by Ali Edwards at a Get Croppin' event in 2006.  Here's a pic of the project:

I was extremely impressed with this technique.  So much so that I sent an email note to Heidi Swapp raving about the product as well as the good teachings by Ali.

In addition to the masks, I have chipboard alphabets and shapes in a box exclusive to QVC.

And silhouettes in a similar QVC-exclusive box as well.

There are also chandelier crystals, playing cards and a Creative Escape-exclusive journal.

Not pictured is a brand new Heidi Swapp calendar as well.

Any interest in these products?  Please leave a comment and I will select a recipient of the whole kit-and-kaboodle tomorrow (Thursday) night. 

Good luck and good night.  :=)

Thank you...

There are many ways to express our gratitude.  By saying thank you to a gracious host, a kind gift-giver, a caring friend, a loving family member, a supportive spouse.  It never occurred to me to record what I am thankful for until I participated in Kolette Hall's class at Creative Escape a couple months ago.

And today, I am thankful for this site where I record thoughts, ideas and information-sharing.  It's like having lunch with my girlfriends and dishing about the latest and greatest in scrapbooking, admiring the new handbag a friend just purchased, where the latest sales and bargains can be found, and seeking ideas on what color paint to use in the powder room.  We feed off each other. 

That is exactly how I feel about this blog.  Having the opportunity to share what comes to mind on a particular day is extremely theraputic for me.  And I do love to dish about the latest and great in almost anything and everything.  Guess what I read in the latest issue of House Beautiful....or the new hair dryer I just purchased dries your hair so quickly.  You get my drift.  We speak the same language, so to speak.  ;)

If I hear of a sale where lingerie is 20% off, you will be the first to hear (if you didn't know already).  And Lord & Taylor is offering 25-30% off designer handbags.  Or did you see the room decorated by Candice Olson in the latest episode of Divine Design?  Where do you like to shop for home accessories...Pottery Barn...so do I!  Did you know that Ali Edwards is teaching a gratitude project on Big Picture Scrapbooking?  Now that I'm sure you've heard.

This is the sisterhood of scrapbooking, decorating and shopping.  And I am VERY THANKFUL to those who find this site of any interest.  Truly, I am grateful, very grateful.

The road to friendship...

Networking.

Attending hobby-related events.

The internet.

Blogs.

Online socializing.

Reading

These are some of the things that bring us together.  

I got the opportunity to meet Yvonne, a blog buddy, at Creative Escape earlier this month.  Such a kind and sweet person and share similar passions. 

 

I also met Dana for the first time.  A GoodReads buddy, I learned that she loves cardmaking.  When I visited her blog for the first time after the event, I gravitated toward this stamp which displays an image I aspire to experience every now and then.  Their home page is quite adorable too.

I ran into Cary from Seattle at Melrose Vintage where we ooh'd and ah'd over all the delightful papercrafting items in the store.

Reconnecting was good too.  It was nice to see Tena & Laurie (stay tuned for a show-and-tell on Laurie's class, perhaps in a day or two...in the meantime you can see it on her blog).

Spending time with my sister and friends where we shopped, ate, even spent time at the spa and happily enjoyed each other's company.

Seeing Judy from Carefree was such a delight.  You should have seen the beautiful piece of handmade jewelry she was wearing which involved copper.  Oh how I wish I had taken a photo.

I even managed to shop Etsy and get a personal delivery from the jewelry artist herself.  And I got my hands on a kit from the jewelry artist's mom. 

It was exciting to have fond memories and mementos to bring home with me.  Such a shame though that it is quite costly to travel with luggage, if you know what I mean.

From the words of Clairee Belcher, I love ya more than my luggage.  Dedicated to my cherished friends.

Everyday is Beautiful...

A project to help function your everyday life. 

The left side is for lists and notes and the right is where you can showcase your favorite photos.

A calendar appears through little peek-a-boo holes...

And you can list little reminders to enjoy your everyday life on the spinner.  I haven't completed mine yet but I can tell you that crafting is one of them.

And decorative touches still need to be added like using a silver Krylon paint pen and outlining the edges of the cut-out boxes and adding metallic chipboard letters on the board. 

Visit Heidi's blog for a look at the complete project.  She made 2 versions, both of which are adorable.  For this project, we used Prima patterned paper (Coquette & Rue88), Heidi Swapp transparencies, Broken China distress ink for edging on the white paper (which I still need to do) and stamping the numbers on the calendar with Cavallini's Paris stamps.

As a reminder, the Creative Escape idea book is available online and includes step-by-step instructions.

Heidi Swapp's class was quite enjoyable where she presented another way to incorporate photos and journaling into your everyday life.

More new discoveries...

I've owned a pair of Tonic by Tim Holtz serrated edge scissors (great deal @ Ritz Camera online this month) for a while now.  I do not use them very often as I typically grab my Tonic spring action scissors for most of my cutting needs, including ribbon as well as paper.

After my class with Tim Holtz at CE, that has changed.  He showed us how close the serrated edge scissors cut against an object.  In our case, a clear tile fragment adhered to patterned paper.  We needed to trim the paper around the tile and those scissors gave the performance of a lifetime.

When I returned home from Phoenix, I grabbed those serrated edge scissors and cut some ribbon.  It gave such a clean cut.  And trimming paper around chipboard is so much easier.  I am infatuated.

Tim also introduced us to a jump ring opener.  Such an amazing little tool that you wear as a ring on your finger.  It allows you to open and close jump rings with such ease. 

While at CE, I also purchased a retractable craft pick.  I have several already but none of them retract.  For safety reasons, I thought a retractable one would be ideal for my tool bag.

These discoveries may not seem so new to many of you.  I'm always tickled though when I learn ways and/or abilities of various craft products, even ones that have been on the shelves for some time now. 

Treasuring Today...

In Kelly Goree's class at CE, it was about Basic Grey and new techniques (new to me, I should say).

In this layout, I learned how to weave strips of paper for a dimensional effect.

Using a Heidi Swapp clock transparency, we created an adorable layout with a "Time Flies" theme.  This is where I incorporated a few photos of our niece showing a 2 year progression of the changes in her little face.

The layout below is not quite complete but I had to share it (there are empty spots for squares of photos to be placed).

Kelly showed us an easy way to miter the corners of the paper frame we created. 

I was very impressed. 

There is one more layout but I haven't even begun to break ground on it yet.  For a better look at the class projects, check Kelly Goree's blog (she's giving away one of the kits from her class).  And the Creative Idea Book is available for purchase at Scrapbook.com if you are interested in step-by-step instructions.

Hodge-podge...

Hodge-podge is the term I like to use to describe the decor in our home.  What I'm going to share now, though, has to do with a creative project by the one-and-only Jenni Bowlin.

We began with embellishing a variety of items.  Glittering the chipboard star, covering the circle (from the chipboard star), embellishing journal cards & die-cut mini labels with rub-ons, mother-of-pearl buttons, a felt heart, a bingo card, chipboard panel and cutting butterflies from patterned paper to incorporate into the book.

We also used Turquoise Wallpaper patterned paper throughout the book as well as Blue Labels.

Then we assembled the items in a hodge-podge fashion with orange seam binding and added the stars using jump rings.

The next step is decorating a 7 gypsies pizza box, a step I held off till I returned home.

The box includes beautiful patterned paper (Turquoise Tiny Dot, Tangerine Book Print and Tangerine Floral),  and embellished with a large flower, tulle and a vintage milk cap.

All in true Jenni Bowlin style. 

Celebrating you...

I've only had one previous experience in crafting with acrylic albums and was delighted to see that I would have another opportunity at CE.

Jessica Guthrie, who won the talent treasure hunt for an opportunity to teach at CE, led us through this journey of techniques with acrylic albums, including using the Bind-It-All system (a first for me). 

I liked the idea of applying paint (we used Ranger's Espresso Brown Paint Dauber) to the edges of each acrylic panel.  It was also suggested we apply a light dusting of Stickles (Fruit Punch) to the edge as well but we did not do this in class as there was not ample time for it to dry.

Incorporating non-acrylic pages to the album was a great touch.  The idea of using transparencies (Hambly's Brown Vintage Plaid) and cardstock to create a page was awesome.  I liked that idea a lot.

And framing an acrylic panel was another technique we learned using cardstock.  Love it.

With the theme "Celebrating You", you can create an album for a loved one or friend.  And in my case, I will go through photos to see what I come up, which will determine who I am celebrating. 

This was an enabling-kind-of-class (actually this applies to all of the classes) as I now covet the Bind-it-All. And it will be available in pink very soon. 

The Good Book...

There are a number of reasons why I enjoyed Kolette Hall's class at CE:

The techniques.  It's the little things like how to make a pocket using a brad and ribbon (with no adhesive).

Covering the front of the chipboard journal with patterned paper and carrying it over to a portion of the inside cover.  Conveniently, the raw edge of the cover is concealed with paper. 

It saves me a little time having to sand the edge of the patterned paper to smooth it out to the edge of the cover.  I do like to sand though, but not all the time.

The patterned paper is so cheerful (Blue Hill by Cosmo Cricket).

I added my own blue ribbon over the brown because I decided to use Glossy Accents to adhere the ribbon to the cover.  Hmmmm....I'm not as smart as I think I am because it seeped through the ribbon, giving it a wet look even after it dried.  So the blue ribbon covers my mistake. 

I think my sister is learning to not to take my advice as she had naively done so in this case. 

The purpose of this journal is to record things you are thankful for.  It is to motivate you to find the good that happens each day and jotting it down.  Only a sentence or two (which may be a relief to those who do not like to journal).  Kolette provided pre-made sheets for such record-keeping that can be kept in the pockets we created.

It was such a pleasure being in Kolette's class and getting the opportunity to meet her husband, Jason.  They are a happy spirited couple. 

Kolette & Jason will be teaching a year-long class at Big Picture Scrapbooking in 2009, A Well Crafted Life, which they touched on a bit.  Kolette even shared a sneak peek of one of the sample projects (a framed papercraft project for gift-giving). 

Once the class ended, I felt energized inside and motivated to complete my class project.  You can find the step-by-step instructions in the Creative Escape Idea Book at Scrapbook.com.

And I will begin my first journal entry today with being thankful for laughter.  Without it, I'd be sad.  So I had my cup-full of laughter today.

Round-it-all...

While shopping at Melrose Vintage last week, my friend Kitty and I each purchased a corner rounder (Round-it-all by Zutter) that is adorably pink as well as functional (it was the last 2 in the store).  It's heavy duty and will go through chipboard, mirror sheets (see my previous post) and thick paper. 

I was told that it may not work as well on patterned paper because it is too thin and could crinkle the corner rather than cut it.  I gave it a try and it rounded the corners just fine but I would proceed with caution.

Apparently this tool is in big demand as the onsite store at the event sold out of the Round-It-All pretty quickly as well.

Having spent the week with scrapbookers, I feel as though I have been out of touch on the latest and greatest in crafts.  And maybe that's a good thing as far as the checkbook is concerned.  It sure is fun though making new discoveries.  And I have more to share on new discoveries in the not-too-distant future. 

Memory Book...

The adrenalin began to pump quickly with great creative vibes in our first class at the event with Janet Hopkins.  She is fascinated with vintage books which led her to design a chipboard memory book that will be introduced at CHA Winter.  And we were lucky to get our hands on one for this project.

It mimics a vintage book on the outside with the convenience of a binder on the inside.  And on the spine is a ring to dangle jewels, ribbon or whatever you desire for decoration.

The accompanying inserts are ideal for a memory book.

We applied gel medium to the cover's patterned paper (that Janet created herself) to give the effect of canvas.  My sister and I both fell in love with this technique and cannot wait to try it again on another project.  But before we applied the gel medium, we stamped images by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous in silver acrylic paint onto the paper for a weathered look.

Please excuse the curl at the bottom of the book.  It was among a crowd of goodies in my duffel bag.

The discovery of a new product, one that has existed for some time now, is exciting for a crafter.  Finding creative ways to use it, that is.  This is where we incorporated a mirror into our binder using a Darice Plastic Mirror Sheet that you can easily trim with your paper trimmer.

 

I am not quite finished with this class project but decided to share it as is just to give a flavor of what the class entailed.  Janet was incredibly inspiring and helped me gain such a creative high from her wonderful teachings and influence.

If you are interested in step-by-step instructions, the Creative Escape 2008 book is available at Scrapbook.com.

Great possibilities await when these memory books are released after CHA Winter. 

Take Flight...

Starting with Tim Holtz, because it's my only project from Creative Escape in final form, I'd like to share what we made with Tim's guidance.

This class took me on a journey into unchartered territory and I loved every moment of it. 

We altered a piece of chipboard into a collage (using ephemera, buttons, game pieces and adage tickets) and inserted it into the picture frame (from Hobby Lobby).  And Tim encouraged us not to seek perfection. 

Next, we created a pin.  Yes, a piece of jewelry.  It involved using a range of products from Tim Holtz's line.  Like grungeboard for the wings that we painted with Crackle Paint, a copy of various dictionary pages adhered to a heart-shaped ghost by Heidi Swapp with Glossy Accents and embellished with sprocket gears, & game spinner as well as a philosophy tag hanging on a swivel clasp with 2 jump rings for a unique effect.

This is all held together on a long fastener (or long brad) and with a portion of patterned paper adhered to a clear tile fragment.

How clever that the pin hangs on the button which is secured loosely with wire on the framed chipboard.  Tim gave us a ball chain so we could wear the pin as a pendant as well.

If you are interested in step-by-step instructions on this project, or any other project from Creative Escape, the book is available at Scrapbook.com.

This class gave me great confidence in letting go of perfection and embracing imperfection.  And Tim Holtz is one who continually inspires me with creativity in many shapes and forms (I was a student of his at CKU in Boston in '06 as well).

He also is quite generous.  Our last night at Creative Escape, Tim donated a shirt he created and wore just for the event for a last minute auction, raising money for the American Cancer Society.  Amazingly, that shirt went for $6,000.  I believe everyone was in shock as to how high the bid closed at. 

 

It was unforgettable and all for a wonderful cause.

We were all creatively spirited and it was fun to share in it together. 

Confessions from a Dr. Pepper addict...

Vacationing in a hot climate among many women who are anxious to be inspired was how I chose to spend my week.  And what a week it was.  I have many projects and fun things to share and hope to do so beginning tomorrow. 

In the meantime, I'd like to confess that I indulged in way too many cans of Dr. Pepper. 

In each classroom, sodas and water were available to all students.  And when Dr. Pepper is readily available, I am like a kid and do not know when to stop.

I shall return tomorrow after I get through my sugar withdrawal.

Creatively escaping...

It was my first full day in Phoenix today, spending time shopping and dining with great friends.

The views at the hotel are incredibly serene.

Indulging in good food.

And stocking up on necessities to keep our blood sugar at the highest possible levels.

Shopping stops included Melrose Vintage where we all were enamored with the black & white display...

as well as all sorts of craft and home decor goodies.  We also visited Mystic Paper and Scrapbooks, Etc.  And Kitty and I managed to purchase a box-full of accessories for our home at Flowers & Such. 

It was a day made possible by a very dear friend who knows all the in-spots around town. 

This was our way of kicking-off a weekend filled with creative activities.

Ta-da...

My sister completed her Heidi Swapp canvas project from CE. 

As I mentioned before, it was her favorite class.  This event has inspired my sister in many ways.  I'm so glad she is discovering such a wonderful hobby. 

And now I understand why Heidi finds the She book by Kobi Yamada so inspiring.  I won the book last weekend at the crop (along with an awesome Karen Foster planner and other goodies).  Although I've heard this book mentioned many times, I've never taken the time to actually read it...and wow!  There are some amazing and powerful quotes in that book.  They really spoke to me.  I'm going to select one to include on my canvas that I hope to complete over the weekend along with some other projects that I'm excited about.

So, here's to a creative and fun weekend!

Calendar me in...

Here's the last project from CE that I'd like to share.  It was a calendar-themed layout class taught by Heidi Lynn Schreiber.  Very simple and quick.  And for me, that is good.  As a graphic designer, Heidi Lynn shared her knowledge and resources on color.  I have trouble with color, particularly combining them. 

Heidi Lynn not only provided layout inspiration but she also shared how she embellished the cover of the calendar as well as the monthly calendar grid itself.  A light-bulb went off.  I'm going to complete this project and give it to my mom for Christmas.  I've got some photos of the grandkids in Halloween costumes (perfect for the October layout) and all sorts of other photos on special occasions that will fit right in for the corresponding month.

 

And I must, in BIG letters, note special occasions on the calendar grid.  My mom is date-challenged and forgets about upcoming events.  So this will be the ideal gift for her, all tucked into a Heidi Swapp calendar.

Wow, I feel better.  I've marked one item off my Christmas shopping list.

Sadly, this brings an end to all the wonderfully inspirational projects I've shared from Creative Escape.  On the bright side, there are more events to look forward to in 2008.  Get Croppin's Scrapbowl event in February (registration opens Oct. 6 at 11am ET) and Donna Downey's Inspired event in April (registration is already open).  Virginia and North Carolina both are wonderful places to visit.

Anyone hoping to attend CE in '08?  I've got my fingers crossed that I am able to go again.  All these events help keep the inspiration alive for me.  :)

Show me your hand...

...and I'll show you mine.  Well, I'll go first.  Here are some incredibly creative ways to alter playing cards.  This was part of the Friday Night Extravaganza at CE.  Teachers from the previous year's event rotated coming to our meeting room, teaching us a technique or two in altering Heidi Swapp playing cards.  Each teacher selected a quote from the Ever Wonder book by Kobi Yamada and incorporated it into the card project.

As I'm working on these cards my mind keeps flipping back to Tena's 52 pick-up class at BPS.  I've got the assignments printed out, I just have yet to do them.  This extravaganza definitely got me siked to begin those projects!

Samples of these projects are included in the CE book.  That book is a chock-full of creative inspiration.

I'm left with souvenirs of creative moments spent with teachers who are all very creative themselves. 

Artistic expression in the form of a challenge...

A 21 day challenge actually.  Rhonna Farrer's class at CE was more about inspiration and journals vs. techniques.  I've admired art journals yet never made an attempt at creating one.  Rhonna is known for her 21-day challenges and this is my opportunity to participate with her influence. 

As I completed the basic parts my journal at the crop yesterday, I asked my friends what should my challenge be.  I suggested organization but they said that would be too easy for me.  I was avoiding the true challenge in my life and that is EXERCISE.  My friends said this should be my 21-day challenge.  I agreed, reluctantly.

Embellishing my journal with a transparency, pretty rub-ons, stamps with colorful inks, papers with a French Twist, and playing with my favorite pens as I doodle was quite fun.  Now the fun is over.  The hard part now begins in the form of a 21-day challenge.  Rhonna indicated that it takes 21 days to form a habit.  Let's hope I form a habit to exercise.  Particularly when I learned at the crop yesterday, which was a crop to raise money for the American Heart Association, that leading a sedentary life equates to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.  Definitely an eye opener.

Having decided on the challenge itself, I'm hesitant to say when Day 1 will be.  See how hard this is for me?  I'm thinking tomorrow.  Yea, it will be tomorrow. 

Like I mentioned before, consult the CE book for step-by-step instructions.  They also included instructions on a fun banner which is from a kit we received at the Technique Boutique. 

It seems there has been a lot of creating going on in my world lately.  And I'm enjoying every moment of it.  :)

 

Good people...

This event was about good people.  Good teachers, event planners, speakers, friends, acquaintances and the volunteers.  Definitely the volunteers.  There were 2 very nice ladies who were assigned to our group to assist us during each class.  They were like our den mother.  If we needed a baby wipe, they'd get one for us.  If we needed water, they'd get it for us.  If we needed a new piece of cardstock because we messed up, they got it for us.  I'm so disappointed that I didn't take a photo of these 2 ladies.  I was absorbed in the classes and did not take the time to get their names.  Shame on me.

The keynote speaker at the event was Allison Tyler Jones who is very real, encouraging, funny and shared amazing photographs throughout her presentation.  She also shared touching stories and uplifting quotes.  I immediately ordered the book she referred to: "What I Know Now:  Letters to My Younger Self".  I've read the first 2 chapters with letters by Madelaine Albright and Maya Angelou.  Very interesting perspectives in life, then and now. 

Allison is a talented photographer.  She mentioned how she likes to photograph kids before they reach their teens as they are more free with their emotions which makes them fun to photograph.   And Allison also has a book that I've owned for some time now and am enjoying revisiting it.  There's another book called "Designing with Photos".  Such an inspiration that lady is.

Also, it was announced at the event that Allison will be teaching a class with Big Picture next year.  I'm looking forward to hearing more about it.  I've got classes to catch up on this year, so I'm hoping for a snow blizzard or two this winter.  Having a day or two without getting out of your PJs would be welcome in my home!

And I have 2 CE projects remaining to share.  They are far from complete.  I plan to work on them tomorrow at the crop and post photos on Sunday (at least that is the plan).   Also, when I receive my kit from the Friday Night Extravaganza at the Event (it mistakenly ended up in my sister's luggage so she's mailing it to me), I will share some awesome creations from that night too.  They involve Heidi's playing cards. 

More to come very soon...

Office supply inspiration...

How incredibly inspiring when you can take an item you'd find at an office supply store and turn it into an amazingly artistic piece of work.  That is what Tracey Niehues did with the project she taught at CE.

Sponsored by K&Co., she put together an organizer using a poly string envelope  which we folded in half and placed two pieces of chipboard that were covered with K&Co. patterned paper.  This would turn out to be the cover of the organizer.

The lip of the poly string envelope serves as the spine of the book.  Very hard for me to explain but it involved taking pockets we created along with some business card inserts Tracey provided and attaching them to the lip with brads.  First, you must attach the pockets with bookcloth tape.  This is where Tracey demonstrated a folding technique with the tape in order to adhere it to the pockets easily and leave a flap of tape to bind into the organizer.

We also added a couple of Imaginisce flowers by attaching it to a flowered brad & putting it thru the hole of the poly string envelope flap.  I noticed that one of my classmates had placed one of the Imaginesce flowers backwards so the 2 flowers were back-to-back for added depth.  I loved that idea, so I copied her.  Yes, I am a copycat.

I know I'm not doing Tracey justice by trying to explain the steps, so please refer to the CE Idea Book for detailed instructions.

And speaking of books, Tracey has authored an idea book on behalf of K&Co.  I just placed my order.  ;)

Canvas inspiration...

Here's another project from CE.  This one is a canvas board taught by the one-and-only Heidi Swapp and was sponsored by Heidi Swapp and Canvas Concepts.   

Just to give you a little flavor of the class, we used distress inks, masks, created a paperweight using E6000 glue (I haven't completed mine yet), embellished and glued clothes pins to the canvas, mod-podged a dictionary page as an accent and included all sorts of adorable accents to create an inspiration board.  The mirror is the perfect touch to this board where Heidi included an inspirational quote by using rub-ons.  That is another part of the project I have not completed yet.  I'm still searching for a quote that speaks to me.

Heidi used the same technique that Tim Holtz uses when applying distress ink onto paper (I learned this at CKU last year), or in this case, canvas.  It's an alcohol ink applicator where the applicator piece is replaced with foam.  I wish I could recall the name of the foam.  If you know what it is, please leave a comment.

UPDATE:  Tim Holtz and Ranger have new a tool/applicator and refills dedicated to blending.  Read about it here.  And thanks, Jennifer, for the name of the foam - Cut 'n Dry. 

Once the foam is attached to the applicator you then tap it into the distress ink pad and apply it to the canvas in a circular motion.   

This was my sister's favorite class by far.  She's new to papercrafting and let me tell you that when we returned to our hotel room following this class, she immediately went online and ordered an idea book.  She's hooked.

If you are interested in this project, I strongly suggest referring to the CE Idea Book for guidance. 

I'll share another project tomorrow that involves poly string envelopes.  :)

Cards & handbags...

I learned some really cute folding techniques when it comes to card-making.  And Lesli Spafford, who taught the class at CE truly inspired me in big ways.

We folded a card in 3's, and as simple as it seems, these ideas are hard to come by for me.

The card closes shut by simply taking the string around the tag and wrapping it around the brad on the flower. 

Another folding technique here:

And here:

The above card reminded me of folding flaps on a cardboard box.

The card below is sort of a clipboard style card.

And this card is using a file folder template and making a pocket for a tag.

The class was sponsored by Making Memories.  My take away on techniques was definitely folding.  I am pretty basic when it comes to cardmaking and would have never thought to incorporate different types of folding.

Another project was the purse-onality class was taught by Jennifer Wagner.  She inspired me in big ways too.

Very southwestern in style and oh-so adorable.

Jennifer incorporated sewing techniques in this class which I've yet to finish (or begin).  In fact, most of my projects are incomplete but I am too anxious to share them with everyone.  It's the little touches that get me so excited.  Like layering two different size flowers and adding a brad (depicted in the last handbag photo above).  I never think of these things which is why I take MANY classes!

I highly recommend Creative Escape's Idea Book which shows each project step-by-step.  And in my next post I will share more awesome projects from this event. 

I love to solder...

One of our classes at Creative Escape was a soldering class sponsored by Simply Swank and taught by Chris Randall.  I've never soldered before and was slightly nervous about this class.  Chris made us feel at ease and I discovered the process wasn't as painful as I originally thought.

We practiced first on a broken piece of china.  You wrap the copper tape around the piece and burnish the edges with a bone folder.  Then place the piece into a bulldog clip, add flux (adhesive) on the copper piece (one side at a time), then take your iron and melt the solder onto the copper tape. 

The above photo shows my attempt at soldering a piece of china.  Also, Chris recommended we use a craft sheet when soldering as it is non-flammable.   Trust me, you will have solder droplets here and there during this process and the craft sheet will protect your surface.

During class I was also able to create a small pendant using laserjet color printouts of patterns and pictures they provided.  I chose a kissy-kissy one. 

This piece had a jump ring on the top so I can add a chain to wear around my neck.  It was a challenge for me to get the jump ring onto the pendant.  And when I did get it to adhere to the pendant, I decided to touch up the solder with my iron and accidentally touched the jump ring with my iron and melted it into the solder. 

It's a process I won't go into as I do not want to confuse anyone.  My suggestion is if you want to try this at home, order the how-to DVD from Simply Swank.  I saw a sampling of it in class and it shows step-by-step as to what to do when it comes to soldering jewelry.

And when class was finished, I spent some time admiring Chris Randall's lovely pieces of art.  I was in awe of her creations.

And my friend Kitty did an amazing job with her pendant, jump-ring and all.  As Kitty put it, we were in "jump ring hell" but she managed to escape it.  Me, I'm going to give it another try.  It is not a complicated process, it just requires patience.

I purchased the soldering kit that includes everything you need to create a pendant.  My goal is to make some adorable pendants as Christmas gifts.  It's hard to believe it is already September, so I do not have much time!

I'll share more in my next post on more projects from CE.  :)

Pacific time...

Tonight, I'm home but my body is still on Pacific time.  My mind is still reeling in the events over the past week.  I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoyed Creative Escape.  The teachers, students, volunteers, event organizers and the classes were phenomenal. 

This was an opportunity to spend time with my friends.

This was an opportunity to introduce my sister to scrapbooking and papercrafting.

This was an opportunity to spend time with long distance friends (Artsy as they may be).

Meeting and reconnecting with those who inspire you.

Margie and Becky.

Kayce, Stacy, me and Paula.  To me, it's all about BPS.

I met all sorts of very kind and passionate women who love this hobby as much as we do.  Judy from Carefree is so, so lovely as well as her daughter.  Marilyn is such a lovely lady too.  And I ran into Peggy at Melrose Vintage.  She was so kind to introduce us to all the great Anna Griffin product at the store.  And my Virginia friends adopted an attendee from Vegas who was so incredibly friendly.  There were so many fabulous ladies at this event. 

As I unpack my projects, which I am extremely excited about, I will take photos and share them here for all to see.

If you are interested, check back tomorrow.  They are just too fun and inspiring to keep to myself.

 

Shopping in AZ...

The last 2 days have been shopping heaven for me.  I visited many great scrapbooking stores (Scrapbooks Etc., Mystic Paper) and fabulous home decor shops (Domestic Bliss  where I found topiary decorated soap and a piece of jewelry and Bella Fine' where I found a masculine pendulum clock for my guy) with thanks to Carol.  She knows all the "in" places to visit.  The sad thing about it is I didn't take one photo on Tuesday.

So I made up for it today when Pam and I ventured on our own into Mesa, Gilbert and Phoenix.  We visited Devine Memories, SAS (for seam binding) and Melrose Vintage which included scrapbooking supplies as well as home decor.  It was the best of both worlds.  Take a look:

They were busy catering to us scrapbooks in town for CE.

Beautiful surroundings...

The day was also spent searching for a Sonic.  I've heard so much about their infamous beverages, that I wanted to check it out for myself.  We spent the entire day driving around from store to store with no Sonic in between.  Thanks to the navigation system in our rental car, we landed on one in Gilbert tonight and so much enjoyed my orange slushy drink.  Pam was so kind to put up with my obsession as I was determined not to leave AZ without going to this beverage haven.

I've had an amazing 2 days.  And tomorrow, I'm reconnecting with my Virginia pals where the fun continues. 

 

Will travel...

I'm very excited to be heading to Creative Escape next week.  Making new friends and reconnecting with my pals.  And introducing my sister to this world I love to play in.  We have so much fun together.

My to-do list is coming along and am beginning to mark things off.  I found a pair of stylish Keds for comfort.  Nanette is a favorite of mine and when I discovered she designed a line of Keds shoes, I had to see it for myself. 

Just as Marirosa suggested, I've got my supplies/tools in a large plastic pencil box (from Target) so they won't scatter in my luggage.    It is tucked into the wonderful Amy Butler tote which will serve as my tool bag, camera bag, cell phone carrier, and so forth. 

For the flight, I am borrowing my guy's video iPod and downloaded Shopgirl from iTunes (haven't seen that movie yet).  And to feed my magazine addiction, I will stuff a few in my bag to read.  Sometimes my carry-on is heavier than my luggage as a result of all the magazines I carry.  If there's time on my hands, I can't be too far from my magazines. 

And I thought about bringing gym clothes so I could use the treadmill but I don't have room for them.  ;)

It will be a fun adventure.  Hot, but fun.