A Passion for Scrapbooking, Decorating and Shopping

Treasured Timepiece...

Tejae Floyde exposed us to the wonders of polymer clay at Inspired.  And in her class, we created a decorative timepiece that I adore in many ways.

This was new territory for me and it was quite gratifying rolling the clay into various shapes and stamping the clay with images before baking.  I then dabbed acrylic paint onto the stamped images and wiped some of the paint off so the color would fall into the crevices of the images.

As I was working on this project I was constantly thinking to myself how much my nieces would enjoy making jewelry with polymer clay.  I'm envisioning polymer clay supplies as a Christmas gift in their future.  Then we can play together.

That's how I would describe Inspired...us gals playing together.

Canvas Collage: Two

Back to Inspired. 

The ever-so-talented Jennifer Stewart taught a class using various techniques, including bees wax, on a canvas collage.  I thoroughly enjoyed her class.  My project is nearly complete but I wanted to share what I have thus far to give you a taste of what we experienced at this event.

To get a better sense of what the class entailed, please go to the Inspired website to gain a little perspective.

My best friend had her mind set to finish this project and stayed up past midnight that evening in order to complete it.  Now that is determination!

Jennifer is very kind, patient and knows her stuff!  I have never dabbled with bees wax before.  For me, that was a fun adventure experiencing new techniques.  And oh how I love the window frame.  I love how she incorporated a bit of architecture into the collage.

I foresee this piece hanging on our 'family' photo wall which I've yet to even begin working on.  Another project for a rainy day.

As soon as my project is complete, I will share updated photos. 

Tidbits..

Just a couple of quick bits of info I want to share this evening. 

First, questions regarding the stamp "Keep Calm and Carry On" I used in the fabric project mentioned in my previous post is one I borrowed from my inspiring friend, Pam.  She has listed the details of where you can find the stamp on her blog.

And for anyone who appreciates red wine, I have a recommendation for you.  Last week I discovered a Shiraz from our local wine shop called "Layer Cake".  It's from Australia and is absolutely delicious.  The next time you are shopping for wine and are interested in trying something new, I highly recommend this wine.

Finally, we are in the midst of a painting project in our master bedroom.  And if all goes well, I hope to share some photos tomorrow night.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

A journey into the world of fabric & sewing...

I ventured into unfamiliar territory at Inspired when it came to Susan Edmonson's class. 

Our task was to create a fabric book.  And it involved use of sewing machines, which intimidate me because I do not have a clue where to begin. 

With thanks to my best friend, I own a sewing machine, and she as well as my 2nd mommy have demonstrated how to operate it.  Because I do not use it very often, I have a tendency to forget what I just learned. 

Thank goodness for patient friends who are willing to not only hold my hand throughout the class and show me the way but select and purchase the fabric for me.  (I was unable to join them when they paid a visit to our local quilting shop.)

I developed a small bit of confidence and even got fancy with my sewing using a zig zag stitch on the machine and layering the fabric as shown above.

Stamping onto fabric was quite a liberating experience as well.  I could have spent the entire class stamping on fabric.

This class was a 'journey' for me, a journey into unchartered waters.

And I will be amazed when the project is completed.

A Journey of a journal...

In Carol Wingert's class at Inspired, we created a journal that included a variety of techniques.

One technique was covering the butterfly-shaped chipboard with embossed cardstock and air duct foil tape.  The first thing I did upon returning home from this event was visit Home Depot and purchased a roll of air duct foil tape for future projects. 

Here's another example using the same technique:

We also applied Tattered Angel's Glimmer Mist over their Screens on a piece of canvas (fyi, there is canvas with adhesive already applied to the back of it available at Scrapbook.com).  You can see it very faintly in the background as I sprayed very lightly onto the canvas.  I was a little nervous of getting too carried away with the glimmer mist.

And in the corner of the canvas I stamped an image using Tattered Angel's acrylic stamps from the Compass selection.

We also included pockets in the tri-fold journal as well as stitched a booklet. 

Carol never ceases to amaze me with her great knowledge and creativity.  That is why I am always willing to sign-up for her classes at any opportunity I can get. 

Now that I am stocked up with air duct foil tape, let's see what kind of creative trouble I can get myself into.

Ten Seconds metal art...

At Inspired, I learned how to emboss metal and create great works of art using decorative templates by the teachings of Cheryl Darrow, owner of Ten Seconds Studio. 

It was liberating using a variety of templates and a paper stump to help us get a feel for how the process works.

We created a dog tag in which I personalized for myself on one side:

And included one of my favorite design embellishments, the fleur de lis, on the opposite side of the tag:

A DVD/CD from Ten Seconds Studio was included in our Inspired goody bag that shows how to draw letters and shapes on metal using tools from Ten Seconds.

The CD contains 56 designs of words, shapes, alphabets and quotes along with how to turn them into designs and incorporating them into collage elements. 

This form of artwork is very new to me and I enjoyed stepping outside my comfort zone.  It was quite gratifying. 

I am now dreaming up ways to create a piece of metal art depicting a topiary.  You know, one of those rainy day projects!?  I hope to have one of those rainy days real soon.

Preparing to be Inspired...

I am preparing for a big event this week, Inspired '09, in Charlotte, NC for a few days of creativity and girlfriendship.  And as I gather my supplies for each of the 6 classes we will be taking, I decided to separate the supplies and tools by each class into Ziploc baggies.

I'm relieved that I have duplicates of certain items as I do not want to have to carry everything with me at once.  On Day 1, I will carry 3 classes-worth of supplies and tools and the same on Day 2.  And if I do not have what I need, thank goodness I will be with my friends.  We play well together and always share.

My past experience with craft / scrapbooking events is to dress comfortably and bring an apron.  And in my effort to pack light, I decided not to bring my Canon 20D, rather I will carry a portable Canon point & shoot to try and catch some memorable moments with our long distance friends.

I hope to find an opportunity to visit a furniture shop or two along the way. How can we visit North Carolina and not partake in some window shopping of casegoods and accessories for the home?

And the crafter in us must visit places not available in our neck of the woods like Hobby Lobby and Sonic. 

It's the little things that mean a lot.  I'm happy to have my best friend along who enjoys it as much as I do. 

We are ready to be Inspired.

Multipurpose...

Our scrapbooking tools are similar to what my guy has in his Craftsman tool box.  For example:

• Tim Holtz's Sanding Block/Grip
• and his Textured Hammer
• a Fiskars Drill
• Making Memories pliers
• and wire cutters

And I must not forget drywall tape.  My friend Tammy introduced me to the wonders of drywall tape and it's many uses in papercrafting and scrapbooking. 

Having said all this, let me share with you my nearly-complete project by Carol Wingert:

It involved joint compound.  You know, the kind you use on drywall.

Amazing, huh!?!  The cover of the Bo Bunny binder involved a mask and joint compound.  Once it dried, I dry-brushed some ivory acrylic paint over the now-textured album cover.

The interior of the album involved use of joint compound where I frosted the cupcake and spackled letters.

It was a fun, out-of-the-box experience for me.  I would have never imagined that joint compound would become a fixture in my scrapbooking tote.  Which is why I am eager for more inspiration from Carol when she teaches at Inspired next year.  You never know what to expect.  And I love fun and creative surprises.

All I want for Christmas...

...is a camera bag wristlet. Or I hope that is what our nieces will say when we present them with these adorable limited edition accessories at Christmastime.
 
How wonderful it feels to kick-off the holiday shopping season with pink & green.  I saw them on display at the Inspired event last month and decided they are the perfect complement to the cameras our nieces own (or will own...there's a birthday coming up). 

And now that I am seriously contemplating purchasing a purse-size camera, I wish I had ordered one for myself.  Donna's talented partner, Heather, is one incredibly amazing seamstress. I've also purchased an apron as a gift and I intend to do more holiday shopping from her site.

The gift of something handmade is quite special.  And that is my goal for this holiday season.  A labor of love and a gift from the heart.  And my contribution to the 'labor' is laboring over the selection of handmade gifts for family & friends.  I will be spending a lot of time at Etsy this holiday season.

Merry Holidays & Happy Christmas. 

#55...

...is the winner.  And that is you, Nancy Palm!  Nancy will receive Donna Downey's 2 new books.  Coincidentally, Nancy happens to teach classes at our LSS. 

All of you are truly gracious individuals.  Entering a contest and to also take the time to leave such kind remarks makes it all worthwhile.  Thank you very much.

I've enjoyed sharing my creative journey at Inspired.  The teachers all were incredibly inspiring.

And how original can you get with the program for the event.  Cardboard.  Amazing. 

Donna and her hubby, Bill truly created an environment in which I felt like an artist.  They also connected with every attendee.  It was remarkable in many ways.

I also met some very nice folks.  Mechiel (who has a beautiful smile), Patricia (who I believe is the queen of damask), Sherry (whom I met first at the local AC Moore), Wendy Smedley (my craft room organizing guru), Jessica McDougall (my fashion guru), Paolo (photographer extraordinaire and is quite humorous), Jennifer (as we were checking out), CD Muckosky (a kind & gentle creative soul who is quite pleasant and friendly)...and Cathy Zielske (whose just as funny in person as she is on her blog) to name a few. 

There's also Renee Pearson, whose workshop I attended on Photoshop design elements.  Now this is totally out of the box for me.  I've had photoshop to enrich my photos with actions.  And I barely know what I'm doing in that regard. 

After Renee's workshop, I discovered that my reluctance to do more with Photoshop is pure laziness on my part.  I purchased Renee's book, Digital Designs for Scrapbookers 2 and intend to expand my horizons.  I've got high hopes and we'll see where it takes me.  With Renee's enthusiasm to share this knowledge, how could anyone go wrong.  She's a great teacher.

Stay tuned for details concerning next year's Inspired event.  I understand it will take place over Mother's Day weekend.  What could be a better present than spending it with those who share your passions for crafting. 

It's been fun....and I can say, I was inspired.

It begins with a D...

D is for dressforms.  Donna Downey taught a mini-workshop at her event that involved dressforms (still available for $5), patterned paper, embellies and proper adhesive.

D is also for Donna who authored a book:

Fabric Scrapbooking

This is one of my favorite projects from the book:

D is for Designing Layouts.  Another book authored by Donna:

I've marked this page as I really like the design of the layout:

D is for deal as in I have a deal for you. 

And the deal is one commenter to this blog entry will be the recipient of these 2 books.  I will select a name tomorrow night, Saturday, April 19 at 9:00pm ET. 

To celebrate Friday and the weekend, grab a beverage of your choice for a toast to inspired moments and to those that inspire us.  Here, here.  And good luck.  :)

poppet ® puppets: a mixed media collage workshop

One of my collected urns is now keeping company with the puppet I created with Claudine Hellmuth's guidance.  She provided materials that came from an auto supply store and hardware store.  I'm beginning to think I need to visit those type of stores more often.

And with the material my best friend gave me, we created something whimsical and decorative.

 

My inspiration and admiration from Claudine goes back to when Donna Downey spoke of her on her blog a couple years ago.  I decided to surprise my guy with a commissioned piece by Claudine which we adore to this day.

I also own both of Claudine's books (Collage Discovery Workshop & Beyond the Unexpected) that are chock-full of ideas and step-by-step techniques.

As for these puppets, I believe they would make humorous party favors. 

And believe it or not, I have more to share tomorrow.  :)

ARTISTRY: bulletproof positive attitude session

A new discovery....Prisma Crayon Pencils.  With Kal Barteski in the driver's seat, we drove along all sorts of creative paths with these pencils. 

Using a certain type of plastic (will find out the name of it) and Prisma Crayon pencils, we taped a photo to the back of it and outlined the individuals.  We then filled in certain areas with more pencil crayons.  Now take a look....

With photo:

 

Without photo...

 

Pretty neat, huh!?  I can't wait to do more of this with my nieces.  They will love it.

The project below involved a black and white photo on copy paper, cardboard and pencil crayons.  The image was transferred onto the cardboard using a HB pencil and a marker. 

 

The pencil marks serve as the "carbon" that transfers what you outline onto the cardboard.  A little artwork made from a photo. 

 

To warm us up, Kal had us play with the pencil crayons by randomly sketcing on the cardboard.  My piece turned into a representation of Ali's one word - mine being motivate.

 

With Kal's encouragement and guidance, she motivated me to be free creatively.  It was thoroughly envigorating to express myself in a way that makes you feel good all over.

Where Am I Today...

I always ask myself the question "Where Am I Today".  Just a little reality check to take notice as to what I am doing that day.  And that is when it hit me, during Stephanie McAtee's class, where I decided to dedicate our class project to my venture with this Inspired artist workshop.

 

We used nibs and ink, color washes, manila folders and had a field day with it.  I tried to achieve a worn leather-look to my album.

 

The freedom to create was liberating.  We also transferred images from magazines onto packaging tape.

And covered photos with acrylic paint.  I smeared some of the paint off the photo in order to achieve a look where I'm peaking through the paint.

 

Loved using the color washes and the pen nib.

  

Totally outside of the box for me and I loved every moment of it.

And once this project is complete, I will share updated photos. 

More to come. 

Life is Beautiful...

Acrylic albums...I've heard about them....I've seen them....but it took me a while to get with the program.  Thanks to Tena Sprenger's good teachings, I have recorded beautiful memories and thoughts in an acrylic album.

We played with alcohol inks, mediums and acrylic paint.

And oh how I love those glaze pens. 

Heidi Swapp damask stickers are a great way to dress-up a page. 

To me, it can't get any more beautiful than this.  Unfortunately the kits are sold out but for those who seek inspiration when it comes to acrylic albums, you must see Tena's class sample. 

Textile Anthology...

The creative possibilities are there when it comes to fabric.  And Christina Lazar-Schuler (who looks just like my dear friend, Deb Z.) showed us the way.  Using fabric designed by Heather Bailey, who was also at the event, combined with embellies and sewing. 

Sewing is not a passion of mine but I am willing to do it in small doses.  I still have the perimeter of the layout to sew which I've opted to do on my sewing machine.

We also took transparencies (Christina highly recommends Apollo brand transparency film) with words and phrases and transferred them onto fabric.  A very neat and simple process. 

We then created a pillow on the layout with embroidery floss and batting. 

I chose to sew my photo to the fabric just at the corners vs. all the way around the photo.  And I sewed the sides of the fabric words.

We added a flower, button and beads for a little flair.  And yes, there was more sewing involved.  I discovered I could handle sewing a project like this.  It prompts you to get a little creative with your sewing although I did take a couple shortcuts.  The nicest thing about that is Christina encouraged us to get creative and make it work for you.  So if a shortcut is the answer, well then go for it.

You can incorporate this layout into an album or choose to display it in your home, which is what I opted to do.  I took ribbon and sewed it to each end of the fabric to make it into a hanging for my craft room.

If you want to share in the inspiration, I noticed Donna has some Textile Anthology kits available for purchase. 

I'll share more projects tomorrow.  And I have a giveaway in the works.  :)

Family banner...

There is so much to share from the Inspired event, I'm not sure where to begin.  So I'll start with the first project we worked on.

UPDATE:  This kit is available for purchase on Donna's website...in case you are interested.

It involves cedar edging.  Yes, the kind you buy at Home Depot or Lowe's.  Jennifer Stewart, who is very warm, friendly and inspiring, showed us how to alter the edging into a lovely decorative banner for your home.

We used glitter, made a miniature pillow for background and simply had fun with it.  There are also bottles and battery-operated lights to add.

And when I add them, I will share an updated photo. 

I'm trying to get a little organized having just returned from Charlotte and do intend to share more tonight. 

To be inspired...

UPDATE:  This zippered tote is for sale on Donna's website.  It has 3 outer pockets on the front and one on the back of the bag's exterior.  Inside there's a zippered compartment and 3 pen-size pockets and 2 larger pockets.

Today is the first day to be Inspired by a group of women who have artful knowledge to share.  We are excited.  We've met some incredibly nice ladies who are just as anxious as we are about getting our hands dirty. 

In the last day and a half, my best friend and I have ventured all over Charlotte.  We've shopped, ate and browsed at furniture.  Let's just say we know every shopping mall in this town.  And we indulged in a cream slush with an orange flavor at Sonic.  I don't even want to know the calorie count.  We like to think that calories do not count while on vacation. Right?!

I do plan to share more on the projects very soon. 

Happy Friday to you all!!!

Inspiration bound...

In a few days I will be en route to North Carolina with my best friend to gain some hands-on inspiration by talented ladies in the art-world at the Inspired Artist Workshop.  Donna Downey has gathered quite a cast of teachers who will share their knowledge and inspire us with creativity. 

I intend to detox my mind from work stuff and open it up to absorb as much art and fun as I possibly can. 

We've reviewed the list of recommended supplies...

and I began to collect mine into a zippered bag I found at Target recently.

And I have gathered books for personalization at the event by those who inspire me.

We have our driving directions and noted all scrapbook/craft stores in the vicinity as well as a few furniture stores.  You can't go to North Carolina without having a browse at casegoods and home decor accessories. 

And we plan to enjoy a refreshment from Sonic as well as paying a visit to Hobby Lobby (never been to one before).

Only a scrapbooker/papercrafter can appreciate the lengths we go to check out local craft stores.

We have 344 miles to go where inspiration awaits us.

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.  :)