Heading out to see Tim Holtz

I am so excited the day is finally here. I'm heading to whim so doodle to take a class with Tim Holtz today. Check out these goodie bags that I made for my All Things Tim group members that I'm meeting today for the first time. It's going to be so much fun I can't wait.

Proud to be Artsy - Webster's Pages, Melody Ross & Prima Flowers

I seldom make a layout about myself, but I started a challenge last summer to write a layout about why I scrapbook, what it is I like the most about what I do.  This is why I made this Proud to be Artsy layout.

The journaling is on a little tag and it reads:
"It takes my breath away when colors coordinate just perfectly.  Frilly Fibers excite me.  Glimmery items just thrill me.  Art is Emotion!"

That says it all!

This layout is created with Webster's Pages Life's Portrait line papers.  I cut the border freehand, distressed the inner edges and inked it all over.  I finished it off by attaching some delicate light blue lace to the bottom along the ridges using brads.  The inside paper is must brighter for contrast.  The picture of myself is circled with three embellishment clusters and anchored at the bottom by layers of lace and ribbon.  The title, Proud to be Artsy, is a textile tag by Melody Ross, and the flowers around it are all Prima flowers.  I colored three white flowers using various inks in colors match my layout.  Then a big blue flourish sits above it.  On the opposite edge of the photo is my journaling tag.  I started with a plain manila tag and then inked it in the same colors to match.  I finished it with ribbon at the top and lace at the bottom.  Then added flowers all around it.  Then at the top are three roses over a Webster's pages canvas tag.  I finished it off by stamping the word Artist vertically using a Tim Holtz stamp, and tracing the inside with a gelly roll glitter pen.

Products Used:

Webster's Pages Lifes Portrait - Love Yourself Paper
Webster's Pages Designer Trim - Delicate Pink
Prima Innoscence White Flowers
Melody Ross Designer Collection - Textile Tags

My Adventures at Scrapbook Expo

Scrapbook Expo came to my part of town for the first time ever, and I was so thrilled to take part in this event.  It was very exciting to see all these companies and manufacturers come to sell all the latest products in the industry that I love.  I had the best weekend!

I started the weekend working as a teaching assistant in the Tattered Angels class.  These classes were mindblowing!  So many great techniques, so many beautiful effects, so much shimmer and shine.  The first class I was in was called Glimmer Mist 101 and it was a technique class where they teach you tons of different ways to get different looks from the Glimmer mist products.  Each student left the class with a three ring binder full of over 25 pages of techniques that they got to play with during the class.  This was an excellent learning experience, and everyone in the class had a blast.  Our teacher Nanette was awesome and super fun.

The second class was using the Heidi Swap Fascinations products.  These were products with resist built in and it was like magic in the making.  As you sprayed and wiped, different images just appeared like magic.  The papers were treated with resist images that made the most awesome effects.  It was surprisingly easy to make something look spectacular.  This class was also taught by the gracious Nanette.

After class time was shopping time!  I loved walking through the vendor area and seeing all the awesome products that I had only seen online until that point.  Manufacturers like Creative Imaginations, Pazzles and of course, Tattered Angels were there.  Plus rows of other vendors with stuff from multiple manufacturers.  I went to my hotel room with lots of new goodies to play with.  And play I did.

The next morning, I entered the Expo's Creativity Contest and submitted the desktop plaque that you see above.  It looks like they liked it because I won third place!  I won a Slice die cutting machine, a $149 value!  My very first electronic cutter!  I was over the moon!

That afternoon I worked at at one of the booths for a company called Eyelet Outlet.  This company had a huge variety of colored and shaped brads like nothing I had seen before.  It was amazing to see all the really cool brads.  Plus they are the manufacturers of Quicklets, an eyelet that you can attach with just a pen, no special tools needed.  Really easy. 

I really enjoyed myself working at the booth.  I demo-ed the products and met so many wonderful people, just as excited about papercrafting as I am.  It was so much fun.

At the end of the night, I got to work at the crop.  It was so much fun to be part of the party, for free!  Tons of giveaways, tons of fun.  I had a really good time. 

Can't wait for the expo to come back next year!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Finale

Thanks so much for visiting this month and reading my Breast Cancer Awareness Month posts. I am finishing up the month with the last pages from the grungeboard minibook that I made for someone special.

Please join me, if you have not already, in my fundraising activity benefiting the Susan Komen society.  Click on this link and give to their efforts to find a cure.  Any amount will do, even if you can only give very little.  You too can make a difference.  Please give what you can.

Breast Cancer: Live to Remember

Continuing on with my series of posts in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am posting another page from my grungeboard minibook.  This page says "Survive to Remember".  It is not until long after you conquer the battle against Cancer that you get to recognize how significant and positive it was to go through that experience.  You become a stronger person because of it, and remembering what you went through, and what you won the battle against becomes a testament of your courage and determination. 

Please join me in my fundraising activity benefiting the Susan Komen society.  Click on this link and give to their efforts to find a cure.  Any amount will do, even if you can only give very little.  You too can make a difference.  Please give what you can.

Breast Cancer: New Perspective

One really positive thing that one gains from being diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness is a new perspective on life. Suddenly things that were all-consuming and top priority in life may not be all that important anymore. You start to measure your success in life not by monetary gain, but by the relationships that you have made, the family that is standing beside you showing support, and the friends that send positive supportive messages.

It becomes so clear suddenly, what really matters in life, and what you hold most precious. Celebrate your riches, celebrate your ability to see things anew. Celebrate your new perspective.

Please join me in my fundraising activity benefiting the Susan Komen society.  Click on this link and give to their efforts to find a cure.  Any amount will do, even if you can only give very little.  You too can make a difference.  Please give what you can.

Don't forget that there is Blog Candy being given away on this blog! I am giving away two stazOn ink pads. One in Timber Brown, and another in Jet Black. Just comment on this post for one chance to win, donate to my Susan G. Komen fundraiser with the link above for a second chance to win, and subscribe to my blog using the links on the right for a third chance to win!

Breast Cancer: Finding that inner Strength!

Continuing on today with my posts for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I am showing off a new page today of the album I made for Sherry Goodloe. This page is dedicated to finding the strength inside oneself to put up a fight, even when things become unbareable! It is so important that a patient in cancer treatment, or anyone dealing with anything difficult in life, to really find that inner Strength and let it hold you up.

Please join me in my fundraising activity benefiting the Susan Komen society.  Click on this link and give to their efforts to find a cure.  Any amount will do, even if you can only give very little.  You too can make a difference.  Please give what you can.

Don't forget that there is Blog Candy being given away on this blog! I am giving away two stazOn ink pads. One in Timber Brown, and another in Jet Black. Just comment on this post for one chance to win, donate to my Susan G. Komen fundraiser with the link above for a second chance to win, and subscribe to my blog using the links on the right for a third chance to win!

Queen Kat Designs Stamp Company & Blog Candy!!

Welcome!

I am so glad that you are here!

Didn't you just love Kapree's blog, your last stop before mind on the QKD blog hop?  Her blog is designed so impressively, I just loved visiting it.

The Queen Kat Designs Stamp Company (QKD) challenged me to do a fall themed hand stamped card.  I did a fun little play on words and did a motivational card with the quote:

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows FALL behind you."

I added a few more fall themed elements to the card with a shedding tree stamp, and handstamped a leaf from my yard on paper to create the leaf in the background.  All these are surrounded by beautiful shiny copper!  My absolute favorite crafting color.  I used a copper leafing pen to shade some Tim Holtz Idea-ology embellishments in more of a copper color.  Lastly, some vintage lace trims the page at the bottom for just a little charm.

This motivational card goes perfectly with my current series of posts in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I have been posting some pictures of gift projects that I have been making for breast cancer patients and survivors.  I'll have to send this card out to someone special that I know who is affected by this horrible disease.  Hopefully it will cheer her up.

Scroll down to see my previous posts for more inspiring projects.

BLOG CANDY!!

I am giving away some Blog Candy this month!  Read below for instructions on how you can win.  One name will be selected at random and posted at this blog on Sunday, October 17th.

One prize will be awarded which contains two StazOn ink pads.  One in Timber Brown, and the other in Jet Black.  Enter today for your chance to win.  You have three chances to win.  Here is how:

1.  Just simply comment below for your chance to win.  One comment per person, please.

2.  Contribute to my Breast Cancer research fundraiser benefiting the Susan G. Komen society for an additional chance to win.  Click on this link and give to their efforts to find a cure.  Any amount will do, even if you can only give very little.  You too can make a difference.  Please give what you can.

3.  Subscribe to my blog for an additional chance to win.  Simply click on this link below and subscribe today.

Thanks for stopping by!  Check out Penny Hartley's blog next by clicking here.  Her blog is beautiful!

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Breast Cancer: Find the Laughter

I love, love, love this quote from Bill Cosby:

"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it."

Remember to laugh, surround yourself by those you love and enjoy each other's stories, jokes, and laughter.

Please join me in my fundraising activity benefiting the Susan Komen society.  Click on this link and give to their efforts to find a cure.  Any amount will do, even if you can only give very little.  You too can make a difference.  Please give what you can.

Breast Cancer: Surviving with Hope

I love the famous quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that says:

"In all things it is better to hope than to despair."


There is no doubt that Breast Cancer Treatment is difficult and grueling. Multiple people in my life have told me that there were moments that they just wanted to die. Its a pain that no one should have to go through.

If there is one thing that I can offer is hope. It is so important to hold on to hope in such a difficult time. Hope that you WILL get through this. Hope that it will all be over soon. And hope that there will be a cure soon.

Please join me in my fundraising activity benefiting the Susan Komen society.  Click on this link and give to their efforts to find a cure.  Any amount will do, even if you can only give very little.  You too can make a difference.  Please give what you can.