My Sassafras Christmas tree

This was a fun project that I made for my craft guild's handmade gift exchange. To create this tree, I started with a styrofoam cone and glued it down on a piece of red felt that I cut into the shape of a tree skirt. Then I took a sheet of Sassafras paper and cut it into several 1 inch by 1/4 inch strips. I folded each strip in half and without flattening it, I stuck it into the foam, starting from the bottom and working my way up, and using those pins with the colored balls at the end, to mimic ornaments. It actually did not take too long to piece it all together. Then I finished it off with some ribbon, bling, and a diecut star at the top.

Happy Holidays to You, my friend!

I want to wish a heartfelt Happy Holidays to all the wonderful people I've come to cherish through this amazing hobby of ours! Thank you for all the inspiration, fun conversations, exciting online events, those special little packages in the mail, and especially for all the support and encouragement as I stretch my crafting muscles and try new things. I learn so much from all of you.

This holiday I wish each of you love, peace, happiness, and tons of crafting time! Big hugs to all of you!

This year I made handmade Christmas cards for the first time ever. I always intend to make them, but never get around to doing it. And luckily this year they made it out the door just in time. I made them using a photo of my kids, a holiday sentiment, and this amazing blue flocked paper (Making Memories - Paperie Poolside - 12x12 Flocked Cardstock - Brocade) that added just the right touch of fun and elegance. Plus I got to add just a touch of bling which makes everything just perfect. :) Enjoy!

Girly Girl - Crate Paper Mia Collection

I was so fortunate to be able to play with the whole Mia Collection from Crate Paper. It had so many different papers and embellishments in sage and hot pink. I would have never combined those two colors, but crate paper impressed me with this paper pack.

Such gorgeous papers and embellishments. Just perfect for a layout about my beautiful little girl. I started with two borders that I cut down and layed in the center of the page, just below the main image. Then I cut a vine of leaves and flowers from a 12x12 paper and added it with pop dots. I tucked a jounaling circle below the bottom border and added an oval sticker with the date. At the opposite corner, I added a smaller photo surrounded by a custer of other embellishments layered one on top of each other. Then at the top right I added a tab and decorated it by added a circle and flower embellishement behind it. Then I finished it off with the title around the tab.

I especially love the way I found a dark paper for the background. It made all the photos and embellishments *pop* from the contrast. I am just thrilled with how it came out.

Shopping Spree Layout

This layout is just so much fun, I love it! It is created using My Mind's Eye papers. The first is from the Abbey Road line called Hello World Shopping Spree paper, and the other is from the Lucky Me line called Open Toed Paper. These papers seemed perfect for my daughter's first trip to go shop at the mall.

Ever since she was born, she had a huge facination with barrettes, braceletes, earrings, ribbons and lace and all things girly girl. She is such a cutie, and everytime she sees something she likes she has to touch it and try and put it on. And did I mention that she is just 1 years old! So I gave her quite a treat when I took her to the mall and let her out of her stroller in what she came to think of was the most heavly place on earth, the Clarie's store. She walked around and touched everything and tried to put things on, and despite the looks from the store staff, I let her loose and followed her around with my camera snapping away. She loved it! And Mom got the best pictures of her little lady for her scrapbook. :)

Meeting Michelle Van Etten from Prima & Tattered Angels (with Glimmer mist!)

I had the honor of meeting Michelle Van Etten, a Prima Endorsed Artist-Educator and was absolutely blown away by her scrapbooking techniques and layering expertise. Her stuff was simply amazing and I wanted to know how to do it all! She is so sweet and personable and willing to teach me anything that I would ask at the class. I just love her!


The first class I took was her Family Treasures class which was all about layering. I learned how to use paper and embellishment layering as a method to add dimension to my project. I made a layout using prima flowers and Graphic 45 papers, ribbons, die cuts, chipboard, and so much more! We distressed and inked just about everything, and used liquid fabric glue to adhere all the heavier items. I felt so proud of this finished project, it is simply amazing! The class included a canvas that I inked on the sides and adhered the layout. The photos are of my baby girl at my vanity mirror getting fixed up, lol! I now display this canvas proudly at my home's entryway.

The second class was a Tattered Angels mini album using Glimmer Mist! I finally learned how to use the Glimmer Mists correctly, and what amazing things it can do. I was suprised that there was so much that you can do with the glimmer mists. We used resists and sprayed to get layering, we created puddles of color and dipped embellishments, and then rubbed and spritzed and patted down to get all kinds of different effects. This class was so much fun. I learned so much! Now I can finally pull out those bottles of glimmer mists that I've been storing and unable to use correctly until now!

My favorite thing about these classes was meeting Michelle Van Etten and being in awe of her talent. I respect her so much for making masterpieces out of everyday items. She is just amazing. At the end of the class she gave us a DVD of her teaching the class we had just taken, so we can finish the mini album at home, or refresh ourselves on the techniques later on. I love that!

Click below to purchase any of her amazing classes with step by step DVD so you can take the class from your very own home! Check it out:

See you at the Show!

Visit CoralSpringsCraftGuild.info for all the details about the Coral Springs Craft Guild's Holiday Show on October 9th from 5p-9p and October 10th from 9a-4p at La Quinta Inn 3701 N. University Drive, Coral Springs, FL. I will be selling some of my own handmade items such as mini scrapbooks, notebooks, altered tins, and several other altered art items. Stop by and say hi!

Donna Downey at the Scrapbook Central Booth

On friday morning at the show, Donna Downey was available for pictures
and autographs at the Scrapbook Central booth. Plus she had her new
line of t-shirts, magnets, art prints and more for sale. Here she is
with store owner, Michelle.

Special Thanks to Carolyn!

Just wanted to post a special thanks to Carolyn for being my roommate and travel partner for the trip. I had so much fun in her company and enjoyed all of our conversations and sharing. I had a super fun time and I cannot thank her enough for making my trip possible. Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Its Over - So Sad!

Well, its all over now. The CHA Craft Supershow has closed its doors and there was so much more that I wanted to do but never got a chance to do. There were way too many lines to do anything and time just flew by as I waited. I think that the convention could have easily been a successful four day event so that everyone could do everything. But as a two day event it was amazing. In my opinion, the event was a complete success. People were leaving with bags and bags of shopping items and sitting it seat after seat of make and takes, most of which were free!

To my surprise, there were many new CHA Summer releases that made it to the consumer show such as provocraft's Gypsy demo, the Craftwell Personal Cutting System that requires no mats, the Imaginisce i-top Brad Maker Tool, Tim Holtz's latest Stampers Anonymous Stamps, Graphic 45 latest Paper Collections, and more!

Overall I think that the event was a huge success. Everyone wanted an event that had great new products and also some shopping bargains all together. It was "the" place to be this months for all crafters. And from the crowds I think that most of us were there, lol! I hope you had a chance to be there too.

The Queen's Ink - JudiKins Mica Gloss

At the Queen's Ink booth they had a display of the most amazing cards. Lots of metalics and glaze. It was the most beautiful display I've ever seen. My all time favorite thing that I saw there were the JudiKins Mica Gloss Inks. These were metalic inks that made some amazing effects. I even got a demo from the amazing Judi herself! She demoed some awesome techniques including the Forever Diamonds technique too!

Creative Crystal - BLING!

I had to stop at the Creative Crystal booth when I saw that all the staff was wearing these customized T-shirts full of bling. I saw a demonstration of their BeJeweler product that makes it super easy to attach swarovski crystals to just about anything. The crystals all had amazing sparkle and the tool made it so quick and easy that I felt certain that I could do it myself. This tool is definitely going on my crafters wish list!

Scrapbook Creations - Copic Markers

At the Scrapbook Creations booth there were tons of awesome products. I got to see a demo of the fiskars corner punch. It was a set of cool border punches with a corner option so that you can get a perfect punch all the way around. I also found out about their Scrapbook Cottage where I would love to spend a weekend cropping. They had a free product giveaway too! So cool.

My favorite part of their booth was the Copic Markers make and take. They had tons of different shades of the Sketch markers. And I got to see how the copic air can works to create an air brush look on the project. It looked awesome. I am even a bigger fan of Copic Markers now.

Oh My Crafts! - Imaginisce I-top Brad Making Tool

Oh Wow! At the Oh My Crafts booth they were demoing the brand new, just released, I-top Brad Making Tool! I even got to sit down and use it to make a super cute brad for my make and take project. It was so super easy to use. I just put in one piece of the brad, added the paper, squished it, tucked in the paper, and then squished it again. It was so easy. In no time at all I had a custom brad made by me. I really like this tool, and I love the possibility of creating matching brads for my scrapbook pages. It looks like it has three different possible sizes of brads that I could make. So many possibilities, it makes me so excited!

Whim So Doodle - Ranger Make and Take

I was able to get my Tim Holtz product fix at the Whim so Doodle booth. They had all the latest, just released, Stampers Anonymous stamp sets and tons of inks, paint dabbers, crackle paints, tools, embossing powders, stickles, and so much more. I enjoyed their make and take, a tag using Tim's stamps, distressing inks and embossing powders. I had so much fun!

The Provocraft Booth Rocked!!

Definitely the most fun booth at the show was the provocraft booth. Not only did they have the most awesome make and takes, but they also had the most fun activities. I posed for a picture as a Rouge Gypsy. So now I am WANTED! Isn't this picture just hilarious!?

Plus twice a day they had a raffle where they gave away a TON of cricut cartriges, cricut machines and the new gypsy! People were cheering and yelling and it was a riot! It was like a big old party and the crowd was huge. My favorite part was that Mr. Cricut himself was there, in all his green attire. Just hilarious. These guys really know how to make things fun! Unfortunately I did not win anything, but I had a great time at that booth.

Provocraft make and take

I made this cute gift tin at the provocraft booth. It's diecuts and ribbons. We got to use a cuttlebug embossing folder and then we put the paper down on the tin and finished it off with some ribbon along the sides. I love it! Its perfect for a gift for men or women.

2nd day at CHA Craft Supershow

Got up bright and early after a late night crop to be one of the first
ones in the convention. Once the iride trolley got me to the building
it was 8:30a and there was already a line at the door to get in. I'm
only about 50th in line so it's not too bad.

I'm planning on rushing to the Provocraft booth who looks to have the
best free make and takes at the convention. Hopefully the other 49
people ahead of me are not planning the same thing.

World Largest Crop

I had so much fun at the crop this evening. It was an attempt at the
world's largest crop but it did not have enough people participate.

The crop was hosted by Scrapbook Royalty and the proceeds benefit the
Leeza Gibbons Foundation. There were so many giveaways and raffles
and I won a set of Tombow markers and cardstock! yippee!

Lots of bargain shopping items and make and takes to help raise money
for this Charity Event. Plus several celebrities donated their
products and their time to support the event.

Preliminary numbers before I left the event were about 6,000 dollars
raised tonight! It felt good to be charitable while having a blast
cropping! Thanks Scrapbook Royalty for putting on a great crop party!

Paperclipping Meet and Greet

I enjoyed meeting my fellow paperclipping.com fans today. I noticed
traychic right Away since she has that cute hair just like in her
picture. She was so much fun. I Also met CraftySuz who was so sweet
and had tons of stories to share about the preceeding CHA show. It
was great to hear about her adventures. The highlight of the meet and
greet was when Nancy Nancy joined us. She was a cute young and thin
person, nothing like she looks on the Paperclipping Newsbreak
episodes. Her camera just does not do her justice. We need to ask
Izzy to hook her up.

I gave out some goody bags so everyone had a little something to
remember our Paperclipping Meet and Greet. Below is a picture of the
bags I made out of patterened cardstock. I just love how they came out.

Violette's

I had so much fun at the violette's booth! I took their free watercoor
make and take and made the cute flowers in my previous post. Plus I
got to see and buy some of the new graphic 45 line of papers! I love
g45!!

Terri O Crafty Bootcamp - decoupage

Terri O's boot campclasses were all free! I took the one on decoupage
and it was so much fun! Such a cute project. And Terri was just as
sweet as can be.

Papertrey booth

The papertry booth was packed! There was a long line to do the free
make and take and then a second long line just to get into the booth
to shop! Their stuff is just beautiful and it looks like they have a
whole make and take schedule for all weekend long with several
different free projects! My favorite thing was that you get a super
cute pink tote with each purchase.

Joann booth make and take

The Joann booth was super cool with 6 tables of free make and takes
from yarn to fabric painting to scrabooking and jewelry. All free!
Plus they handed out a free geen handbag. So cool!

World record bead painting

First stop at the convention was at the Big Picture project. They were
awarded the world record for a 9 foot by 11.5 foot image of president
Obama made entirely out of beads. It was just amazing to see up close.

Whoa! What a line!

There are 15 Mins left until it opens and so I decided to stand up and
go get in line at the door and to my surprise the line was about a
mile long! Tons of people are here waiting to get in to the CHA Craft
Supershow. How exciting! I hope the exhibitors are ready!

Free Gypsy tote bag!

To my surprise after I picked up my tickets at the CHA Craft
Superstore, they handed each of us a free Gypsy by cricut tote bag!
How cool is that!

I also picked up a show guide that lists all the exhibitors and their
booth numbers. I wish I had printed the floor map from the supershow
website since it was not included in the show guide.

Arriving at the convention center

I made it to the convention center after a short and enjoyable ride on
the I-ride trolley and all I can say is that this convention center is
HuGE! After a long walk I found the will call booth and walked right
up. There were no lines yet since I am here an hour and a half before
it opens. Hurray!

Convention here I come!

Almost to Orlando for the CHA Craft Supershow. I have been listening
to all the reports from the preceeding CHA show and people have be
complaining about how it was too small and uneventful. Well I sure am
hoping that CHA is saving the best for last for the CHA craft
supershow! Tomorrow I'll be posting from the convention and at the
crop! Stay tuned for more messages throughout the weekend!

Off to CHA Craft Supershow!

Well, I am getting ready for my trip tomorrow to the CHA Craft Supershow. I am so excited! I hear that there are going to be tons of make and takes. And I already looked through all the workshops and I just love them! I am definitely taking one class, hopefully two, lets see.

I am really looking forward to the Michaels, Joanns, ACMoore, and SplitCoastStampers booths that look like they are doing different make and takes every 2-3 hours. So I'll have to keep going back to them and checking out what they have. I hear that some make and takes will be free and others will be for a fee, so I'll have to wait and see what each vendor decides to do. Hopefully I can do quite a few of these make and takes without going through all of my budget too fast.

On friday, I get to meet Nancy Nally and several of my fellow paperclipping fans. It will be fun to talk to her in person, and also get to put faces on some of the names from the paperclipping community. Possibly on thursday I will also get to meet Noell, we'll see if I can find where she is filming her next episode of Newsbreak.

Anticipation for this event has been mixed. Some people say its not worth it since the hot new products revealed at CHA summer earlier this week will not be at the consumer Craft Supershow. But it looks like with all the make and takes, workshops, crops, celebrities, and events that there is still much to look forward to at the CHA Craft Supershow!

Stay tuned throughout the weekend as I post live from the show with my reviews and photos. I'll make sure to post the event's highlights so you can share the experience with me!


Ibis

Tim Holtz Class: Patchwork Pandemonium

This past weekend I got to take a class with the Amazing Tim Holtz. I had so much fun! He is just amazing and his products are so unique and one of a kind that I find myself thirsting for more more more! Here is a picture of Tim, Mario and I at the event.

In this class we got to learn technique after technique after technique! I was giddy with excitement for the entire 4 hours! Little squares were inked, distressed, painted, sanded, embellished, crackled, and so much more. And at the end they fit together into this amazing quilt that I can display with pride. Not only was it an amazing learning experience but so much fun at the same time.

Before the class, I waited in line with tons of people who were all baking in the hot florida sun, but stood in line just the same so they can be one of the first to see Tim Holtz! I made new friends in the line, including Laura who was so much fun!

Once we got to our seats, there was a prepacked kit with instructions at our table all ready to go with supplies and materials all sorted, labeled, and organized perfectly to ensure that the class goes smoothly. Thanks Mario!

The table was full of Tim's products including a craft sheet, 8 color coded ink applicators a spinning holder, several inks, acrylic paints, jars of crackle paints, a textured hammer, a piercing tool, a set of tonic scissors, and so many more goodies to play with.

The pace was good, and the class was easy to follow since Tim had a projector showing each step clearly. I was able to keep up with the class and get my project completed.

My favorite part of the class was getting to play with crackle paints. Its something I have not had a chance to use before. My least favorite part of the class was that the air conditioning was not working well and it was so very hot hot hot. But Tim was a good sport and made us all as comfortable as possible.

I can't wait to hang up my new Tim quilt. I am so proud of it. Thanks Tim and Mario for putting together an amazing class! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!

Meeting Donna Downey: Intro to Fabric Scrapbooking

This past weekend I got to meet Donna Downey! I was able to sign up for her Fabric Scrapbooking class at Cherry Blossom Studio. For several weeks I was so thrilled and excited about meeting her in person and getting to learn from her. She is a true artist and has so much creativity. I love how she thinks outside the box and adds her own artistic flair to scrapbooking.

Donna was just so much fun in the class. She was so down to earth and just a regular gal with tons of funny stories to share. Plus she was so very patient and nice and it made the class a wonderful experience.

The fabric scrapbooking class was such an awesome learning experience. I learned all about gesso, gel medium and molding paste. Three items that are quickly becoming must-haves at my crafting desk. Plus we got to work with a breathtaking Prima fabric album which was just georgeous and several fabric embellishments designed by Donna herself. Just beautiful fabric flowers, birds and houses, Fleur De Lis, and embroidered tags. All just stunning pieces and prime additions to any scrapbook.

I was so amazed at how many pages were designed for this project. I felt like I could really do a full album with this set and although I have not finished all my pages, I cannot wait to get everything finalized and start showing off my book to my friends and family.

My favorite part about this class was learning how to use modeling paste. It makes such a statement to any project. I think I will use it quite a bit now. My least favorite part was learning to stamp on the canvas. I felt like there was no way to get a clean image and had to use pens and markers to get it to look decent.

If you ever have the opportunity to take this class, I would highly recommend it. There is just so much that you can learn in this class.

Special Thanks to Donna for sharing her amazing talent and for making this an experience that I would never forget. You inspire me!

Here are pictures of my album. There pages were all designed by Donna as part of her fabric scrapbooking kit.

  
  

Muse Token ATC

I found this gorgeous distressed green paper and decided to take a chance with creating an ATC in a pale green color. It was quite a leap but I was willing to try it. I used the Simple Things stamp by Stampendous. I embellished the ATC with a torn light blue paper, a green ribbon and a Tim Holtz muse token. Then I finished up the card with a Tim Holtz mini paper clip. I think this one looks kinda trendy, a sharp contrast to my vintage ATC. I really had fun making this one.

Tea and Lace ATC

I took weeks to plan this ATC. Searching my local fabric and notions stores for the perfect lace and then trying to find adhesive pearls to go with it. At the end, it came out exactly like I imagined. This ATC was created in the vintage style, my favorite style when making ATCs, thus far. It includes a vintage image of a girl surrounded by a tea cup, pitcher, lace, and vintage fabric napkins. I rolled the edges for some texture. Then I added a strip of lace with a Tim Holtz mini pin attached to it. I attached some adhesive pearls and used distress stickles to make the design at the corner. Lastly, I finished off the card by distressing the edges.

Another Graphic 45 ATCs

This one was most fun to make because it has a special meaning to me. I just had a baby girl and my ultimate goal in life is to inspire her. This ATC is made with Graphic 45's Baby to Bride papers, lots of distressing, acrylic paint, and some grungeboard wings. I submitted this ATC for a swap on the All Things Tim group for a challenge themed Spring Pastel Colors. I think it came out just adorable.

Butterfly ATC - Graphic 45

This is the second ATC I made at the Coral Springs Craft Guild ATC meeting. I just love butterflies and the Graphic 45 papers had these beautiful die cut embellishments that I fell in love with. I finished off the card with some punched butterflies and inked everything for just the right look and feel. I just love this card and I gave it to the biggest butterfly-lover I know, my co-worker Tania.

Artist Spotlight: Liz Walters

Liz Walters is an amazing stamper and fellow fan of Tim Holtz. She has been stamping since 1996 and has the good fortune of being a personal friend and neighbor to Tim Holtz for almost 20 years. We are so proud to spotlight her today here on our site.

INTERVIEW:

How I got started stamping. :
I started stamping after "being roped into" going to a SU party. I was hooked. I became a SU demo mostly to "keep up my habit". I was working full time as a RN, specializing in Labor and Delivery so my free time to be a demo was slim. I stopped being a demo and sometimes really miss it. It was a few years of only buying Stampin "up before I learned that there were "other stamps" besides SU. My friend Cara taught me how to stamp "outside the box" and a new world opened up to me. Tim Holtz is my friend and neighbor and we've known each other for over 15 years, way before he was a stamper. Once he learned to stamp he taught me so much. That was way before I had to pay for his knowledge!! All kidding aside...I love that man and his mind is always bursting with creativity. He is an inspiration and he told me that investing in Ranger products was the way to go and to this day I love all things Ranger.

Stamping Style:
I rarely do "cute" and I love the grunge type stamping that Tim has introduced to so many. I try to incorporate beeswax, gesso, acrylics and most all the different mediums into my stamping. I love to do a variety of styles and am always trying something new.

Published in:

* The Rubberstamper
* Vamp Stamp News

Stamp Preference: Mounted and Unmounted

Favorites:

* Rubber Stamp Company: Toy Box, Stampers Anonymous, Hero Arts, Tim Holtz, MaVinchi, Innovative Stamp Creations, Hearts in Touch, Paper Bag Studios, Tin Can Mail, Time to Stamp, Art by Moonlight, Chapel Road, Lazar Studio Werx Inc, Invoke Arts, Rachel Greig, Stamp Camp, Stampington and Co, Magenta, Rubber Romance, BeesWax, Rubbernecker and so many more that I can't think.
* Rubber Stamp Magazine: All of the Somerset Studio mags.
* Favorite Stamp: Sarah from Stampington & Co. R3150 (she looks just like me when I was 17!!)



Liz was kind enough to document how to make these beautiful rose flowers that Tim Holtz taught her to make out of GrungePaper. Click Below to download a copy of the instructions and feel free to share what you make by commenting below and writing in a link to your photos.

 GRUNGEPAPER ROSES INSTRUCTIONS