Cricut Holidays is available now!

Cricut Holidays 2012

I can't help it... I still get a little giddy each time I go to the store and find an issue that I have a project in. It's kind of like Christmas morning. ...The anticipation of the issue and the surprise of seeing what the writer and the photographer have done with your layout on the shelf before you -just waiting to be opened. And I always love how Northridge Publishing stages the layouts and cards in little themed vignettes, so I was really excited to flip through this issue quick and find my layout.

... And here it is :)

Merry Christmas by Mollie Deem as seen in Cricut Holidays 2012

...And then I always wonder what the store employees and other customers think of the crazy lady photographing the pages of a magazine right in the middle of the store! (Just buy the issue crazy lady!)

You can find instructions for this layout in a previous post found here and here.

If you'd like to make your own version of this layout (for personal use only please -don't sell it or teach it in a class) you can find the cutting instructions here.

November/December issue of Creating Keepsakes available now!

The latest issue of Creating Keepsakes is on newsstands this week. (Those of you who subscribe probably already have yours in your mailbox.) If you didn't get your copy, you can always go online and order a copy here.

And I'm happy to share a project that I made for this issue with you too! (It's on page 83 for those that want to follow along at home.)

"Elf Banner" as seen in the November/December 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. 

Copyright Creative Crafts Group. Posted with prior permission from the publisher.

Technologically handicapped

Graphics card + defective = computer not working.
Computer not working = blogging via cell phone.
Blogging via cell phone = blog with no pictures and limited words = BORING.
Sparing readers from boring = another blog hiatus.
Blog hiatus = sad face :(
(I may have had a few posts in the queue, so you may see a few of those, but that's it until the graphics card is repaired or a replacement arrives.)

Class with Dyan Reaveley!

Dyan Reaveley was coming to town (well not my town, but one about 3 hours away) to teach several classes, but I just fell in love with this canvas class sample:

 



I was on the fence about whether or not to go all the way to KC, so I posted a note on Facebook to The Scrapbooking Studio's DT Coordinator, Stacy Rodriquez to see if she or any of the gals from the store were heading down. Sadly, they were not, but Dyan jumped in to let us know her class was going to be "freakin' fabulous." And with her fun and spunky dialogue added to my decision making mix, I decided that  if she can hop across the pond and make it to Kansas, I could certainly make a 3hour drive to go see her.

Mollie Deem and Dyan Reaveley

But of course, every road trip needs an accomplice... er... uh... I mean a travel buddy. A "Thelma" to my "Louise" if you will, so I promptly rang up my friend Linda and chatted her up. I'm pretty sure I had her at, "you get to play with paints and get all inky." So now I had everything I needed... except for tickets to the class. The store was closed so I had to wait 2 more days until it opened to call for tickets, but fortunately there were 2 spots left. The plan was hatched, the tickets were paid for and all we needed next was a playlist and some snacks!

So the day came, and we headed off on our little adventure. During which we discovered that the GPS on my phone was broken and the directions I'd printed were worthless. Fortunately the GPS came back to life in time to get us most of the way through Kansas City and we'd been to the store about a year a go, so our memory got us the rest of the way.

While I really wanted to make EXACTLY the store sample, I knew that would be next to impossible and well... I'm not much good at following instructions anyway, so I figured I'd just go with the flow. So for the next 4 hours we added layer after layer of gesso, paper, and colorants in a multitude of forms - paints, spray inks, markers, baby wipes (yes, I said baby wipes!) and more. At the end of class my hands were nearly as much of a work of art as my canvas (and I looked like a member of The Blue Band for nearly a week following). Dyan warned us not to use the letters and numbers because we'd try to make them too perfect, so of course the little rebel in me went straight for those (plus, by the time I got to the stencils they were really the only ones left, ha!). Dyan came by a few times to review my use of said stencils and since I wasn't scolded, nor did she take them away, I'm assuming I must have been doing them justice :)

And at the end of four hours of furious creative activity, this little "masterpiece" was born. Quite simple to make really -once Dyan had deconstructed it. Now I just have one decision left to make... to frame it not? That's the question!

Abstract Canvas by Mollie Deem.

Class and technique instruction from Dyan Reaveley.

 

 And here's the fabulously, no diliriously happy canvas that Linda made. How can you not just look at this and smile?

Abstract Canvas by Linda Franklin

(Sorry, not the best photo/photo editing job ever.) 

 

 

Just to give you a little taste of the variety that can be generated by the same techniques, here are pictures of canvases made by some of our classmates:

 

Classic, vintage style

Do you ever buy supplies that you just love, but you can't use them because then they wouldn't be safely tucked away in your stash? I'm totally like that with my Jenni Bowlin products. Partly because I don't want to use them until I have that perfect picture to make good use of them, but also because my LSS doesn't tend to carry her stuff and much of it I've purchased at stores far, far away or online. I totally love how timeless her products are. They're like that classic Ralph Lauren sweater in your closet that never goes out of style.

Well, I've decided that I'm on a mission. I'm going to USE (gasp! yes, I said the "U" word!) my supplies. No more hanging out safely tucked away in their pristine packages. These babies are going on my pages to be beautifully displayed and (safely) tucked away in my albums!

So I sorted through my supplies and pulled out all of my Jenni Bowlin stuff into a pile and just started creating....

Here I used some newer product, the triangle banner stickers and chipboards long with the Blue Ribbon punch to fashion this cute little banner.

And here I used everything I can get my hands on: Some product packaging and some older product along with the new hexagon stickers. Aren't those vintage buttons super cute?

And here's what it looks like all put together - a lovely mix of the old and the new, blended together to create a timeless layout.

Creating Keepsakes Sept/Oct Issue is on Newsstands Today!

The September/October issue of Creating Keepsakes is officially on newsstands today and I'm excited to be included in this issue!

I have a layout in the "Monster Mash" feature article on page 70. It's a variation on one of my all time favorite layouts. (It actually hangs framed in my scraproom...yeah, I like the original version that much!) Would you believe that this was my first foray into using spray mists and paint spatters? ...Anyway, the article is jam-packed with lots of different techniques to try on your next layout. And here's my free tip for you: go to your local hardware store and stock up on those super cheap, thick bristled brushes. They make the best applicator for grungy paint techniques. :)

So head on over to wherever you buy your Creating Keepsakes and pick up an issue! (For you local folks, I spied a few issues at Memory Bound!) And if you don't have a local store, you can buy it online at the Creating Keepsakes store. Go! Get Inspired! :)

Vintage Typewriter Love

So I have aspirations of getting on the Project Life bandwagon (well... sorta PL, my own version of it anyway, but more on that later) so I've been snapping onsie-twosie little photos here and there to you know, tell the story of my life (even if it's pretty bland).

So one day last month I arrived at work to find this on my desk:

The cutest, most amazing little blue typewriter ever, right? :)

I'm pretty sure if you'd taken a picture of me spotting this typewriter, I would have pretty much looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

And well, it's pretty much guaranteed that nothing better was going to happen that day to beat the discovery of the best vintage typewriter, ever, right? So when my coworkers weren't looking (to wonder why this crazy person was holding a photo shoot in her cube with a typewriter as the subject), I snapped this pic.

And then of course it was way too cool to be a tiny little 4x6 daily card, it needed it's own special page. Something to convey the angelic singing I heard when it appeared, the rays of sunshine that emitted from my new found little blue joy.... okay, so I may be getting a tad melodramatic here, but work with me... I lead a simple life :)

Oh yeah, and this is where I deviate from the whole PL thing... I mix in 12x12 pages for the things that are extra special.

And thus, this page, filled with washi tape goodness was born.

Complete with the story of the original owner, and how I came to share a little time with this fabulous, piece of vintage goodness. And since starting to use it, only once have I nearly pounded my laptop keyboard to death. Apparently I don't know my own strength :)

Studio Calico, October Afternoon, K&Co, Bella Blvd, American Crafts, Love My Tape, Bazzill