MIM Challenge #3 Extension

I'm still waiting for pictures for my LO (which is done otherwise, btw) and no one else seems to have done their LO yet, so we're extending this challenge. Plus I'll be in Texas for almost 2 weeks and won't have a whole lot of time to brainstorm on the next challenge. SO.... our next challenge will be posted on Monday, October 3o. Just in time for a great Halloween LO! =)

Product Review: Technique Tuesday Masterpieces of Paisley Stamp Set

Let me first just say that I LOVE this set. I wanted it the first time I saw it, before it was available online or in stores. Basically, it's a build-your-own paisley acrylic stamp set.
I love paisley.
I love acrylic stamps.
I love options.
I love this set.
My favorite thing? You can nestle most of the pieces inside eachother on the block so you don't have to do 2-step stamping. Or you can do the 2-step (or more!) stamping for full color paisley. I debated on getting this set simply because I thought it was going to be tedious to use. But thanks to a lull during the LSS open house, a 15% off coupon, and a lack of other paisley stamps I liked, I decided to go for it. For $20 you get 33 stamps that you can mix and match for the perfect paisley experience. You can build teeny-tiny ones, or pretty big ones. And it's not tedious at all! I filled my acrylic block with as many paisley combinations as I could and made an awesome background stamp. I can't say enough good things about this set and I have no complaints. If it's paisley you want, this is your set.

MIM Challenge #3 Reminder

Just a reminder... challenge #4 will be posted Monday!

New Scan

So... the scanning didn't work so well. Here'a a photo of the LO. Much better! And I DID submit it to Hambly as well. Looks like they're giving out freebies to a couple people besides the DT guest, so maybe I could get one of those! That would be very cool.

Perhaps my favorite yet...

I'm really disappointed in how this scanned. The center of the flower is torn, so the LO can't lay flat in the scanner - it did funky things to the photo in the center. I'm also sad that I can't (okay, I guess I could scan the LO four times and stitch it, but I'm too lazy - two is enough!) get the very bottom edge on the scan, and I seem to have lost part of the side edge, too. Oh well. You get the gist of the LO. I like it. Leif said he likes it, too, which is something I don't hear every day. This Hambly stuff is fun to play with and has been challenging me. Maybe I'll send in this LO, too, for the DT calls. I'll have to work on that scan, though...

Submission

Well, I've done it. I've officially submitted my work for the guest DT spot at Hambly. Am I going to get it? No. But it was fun to create LO to submit and a small step in the right direction for me to acutally get up the nerve to submit my stuff. I submitted my "Oh Sweet Pea" LO and the "Water Baby" LO pictured here. I like playing with this stuff. It's a challenge to keep the Hambly from being too "busy", as Leif puts it. But I'm getting to play with some of my other fun stuff that I haven't used much. Like the Heidi Swapp ghost letters I used on this one. I've had them, but not used them until now. I love the effect they create when the edges are painted. My biggest challenge is how to attach them. Staples didn't seem to fit this LO, so I used glue. We'll see if it holds. I think the journaling is difficult to read on the scan, but easy enough in real life. I've been putting off scrapping these photos because I wanted them to go on a great LO. And I'm pretty happy with the result.

Hambly!!

I got the Hambly papers and overlays I ordered in the mail today. I was so excited I had to pull them out and start playing already. Here's a LO I did about the Sweet Pea Festival back in August. The big teal and copper circle and the little journaling bit in the corner are Hambly. Ooo! And the copper embossed swirls in the corners are my new Purple Onion stamps Leif bought me. I've been waiting for the perfect LO to post with my new stamps, so I guess this is it!

Product Review: EK Success Curvy Cutter

This is the first circle cutter I have owned, but not the first I have used. I love it! It cuts clean lines and you can easily make 1/4 inch thick rings. It works great with paper, cardstock, vellum, and acetate. You can get oval, circle, or rounded corner square templates. The oval template comes with the ergonomic cutting handle/blade, or you can buy the handle separately, as I did. I don't use ovals often (ever?), so I just got the circle template and handle separately. By the way, if you flip the handle around so it's on the outside of the template, you can do even BIGGER circles than the manufacturers claim.

Pros:

• easy to use
• measures precisely in 1/4" increments
  
• cuts large (>12") and small (2 1/4") circles
• cuts thin rings (down to 1/4" thick)
• cutting blade cuts in either direction (counter- or clock-wise)
  

Cons:

• doesn't cut through chipboard (do any circle cutters?)
• paper sometimes slides if you don't hold it down or tape it. I used Aileen's Tack It Over and Over on my glass mat and that seems to work well and doesn't stick to your paper once you let it dry thoroughly.
• requires a glass mat (sold separately - I used a sheet of glass from an old picture frame)
• pricey - $35 for the circle template and handle/blade

If you're looking for a circle cutter, I recommend this one.

Scrapbooking, Anyone?

Hey - I will be in Longview from the 19th - 28th. Any of you Longview-ites interested in getting together to scrapbook some evening?

Last Night's Class

Last night's class went well. It was a tiny group, so they got done WAAAAAY early. That was fine with me, though, because I got to go home sooner to be with my husband and baby for part of the evening. My next class isn't until Nov. 1 - I'll be gone to Texas for a week and a half at the end of October, thus the gap.

Have I mentioned how great it is that Leif takes Ellie and lets me do stuff like this, even though it meant that he didn't get to attend the senatorial debate he was hoping to? And while I was teaching the class on Saturday, he was home with Ellie - not only did he watch the girl, but he did several loads of laundry (including putting them away!), did the dishes, and cleaned the kitchen and dining room. I came home to a clean house after a great day of scrapbooking - Leif is a MARVELOUS guy!

Don't know what's on the agenda for today. I've been in a scrapping mood lately. I got 3 LO done yesterday, so maybe I can get a few more done today. I guess we'll have to see.

Tonight's Class Packets

These are the packets I made for tonight's class. They've got everything for the minibook, except for the patterned paper.

My First Class...

... is over. And it was a SUCCESS! I prepared these (cute, if I may say so myself) little class packets for each of the 5 attendees. I wish I'd taken a picture of one all assembled. Anyway- it was a little booklet with pockets that held the little pieces for each page, plus a card with scrapbooking tips on it at the back of the packet. That in itself was a hit, which made me pretty happy, right off the bat. The class itself ran smoothly. I think teaching kids for the past three years helped - it didn't throw me off when some people were ready to move on sooner than others. In fact, staggering the instructions was almost better because it was a little more one-on-one instruction for the people who weren't familiar with the techniques, but moved more quickly for the seasoned scrapbookers. I was pretty excited that I got to teach new techniques to everyone in the class, especially how to use hinged pages in a page protector. The class even ended almost on time =). We got done at 2:35 - so we ran over by 5 minutes, but not bad for getting two LO done and introducing new tools and techniques! The first LO had a TON of embossing (and embossing on acetate at that!), so that was a little slow as people waited to use the powder, etc. All in all, though, it went great and I got rave reviews! My next class is on Monday night and we're making a mini-book. I only have 3 people and one project, so I'm guessing that class will move a little faster. We'll see! Anyway- I was on a high all night thanks to my class going well. I was giddy as could be and talking 100 miles a minute and Leif finally had to say, "NO more scrapbooking talk!" Sigh.

I also got a circle cutter today - I haven't owned one until now and EK Success just introduced these new circle cutters that were reportedly marvelous, so I've been waiting until our LSS got them. Well, they were in today, so I spent some of the money I made today on one. I tried it out tonight and it is AWESOME! Cuts beautifully... and I think that's the last gadget I'm buying for a while. I've been on a gadget spree lately... Crop-a-dile, notch tool, Fastenater, Circle cutter... it's time for a break so I can PLAY with my tools!

It's Here!!

Well, I mentioned before that Leif got me the Basic Grey Notch Tool for my birthday. Or, at least, he tried to. The place he ordered it from (and paid for fast shipping so it'd be here by my b-day) had it back ordered and couldn't get it from their suppliers, so after a week of trying they refunded Leif's money. Then, they sent it to us for free! And they included another little doodad embellishment, I'm guessing as an apology for the wait. But I'm super excited to have gotten the Notch tool, and to have gotten it for FREE! Now... what to play with it on....

Cosmo Cricket

While I was at the scrapbooking store picking up my class supplies for Saturday, I also bought some Cosmos Cricket papers and die cuts. Then I played tonight and for the first time in a while created a layout I really like. It went pretty quickly since I just had to punch out the swirlies and stuff. There's a tag under the photo that reads, "Wife. Mother. That's what I've wanted to be for as long as I can remember."

MIM Challenge #3

We all have them - ugly things. Paper we bought and now can't remember why. Pictures that we thought would look great and turned out awful. Embellishments that might have been cool in the 80's. Gifts people have given us that we can't find a home for or stand the sight of... Well, I challenge you to use these uglies. Take this dare however you want, but I dare you to

Turn something UGLY into something BEAUTIFUL!

Class Schedule and Projects!

Okay... the schedule is officially out for Keepsakes By Design (our LSS here in Bozeman). I am teaching four classes in the next two months and am pretty excited about it. My first is coming up a week from today! Here are the projects and details for each class...

Hinged Fall Pages
Saturday, October 7
12:00-2:30 pm
cost: $20



Circle Mini-Book
Monday, October 9
6:00-8:30 pm
cost: $18



Baby Pages
Wednesday, November 1
6:00-8:30 pm
cost: $20



Christmas Scrapbox and Flip Card
Saturday, November 11
1:00-3:00 pm
cost: $20

MIM Challenge #2 Results

Well, the picture is awful - I was too lazy to scan and stitch the LO, so I just decided to take a picture instead. The lighting in the basement made the LO look overly yellow... eh, oh well. The challenge was "hand-titling". I used to do a lot of hand titling and at one point I was pretty good at it. Been out of practice for a while (thank you, computer and stamps....) and it appears my hand titling abilities have atrophied. But... the challenge is done and tomorrow we move on to another one! So far I've only heard back from Tam on this challenge - where are all those people who said challenges would be great and they would participate?? Huh?? Well, join in this next time... we still want to see your work! =)

Here's Tam's creation (also an efferdare - #35):