design.commit.create

WINNER

Sorry I have been so long in getting the winner posted. The end of the semester is just a week away. That means final projects are nearing completion and deadlines are fast approaching. I have been up to my eyeballs with computer work, writing papers, and organizing portfolios. There is not much free time these last few days of the school year, but all will be done soon and free time with be in high supply.

On to the winner!

Congratulations, Michelle! Send me an e-mail with your address (I have it from the ATC Swap, but just to confirm) and I will get your goods in the mail!

ATC participants, I am sure you are all anxiously waiting to get your bundle of cards! I am still waiting on a few cards from people. I haven't received cards from you, you should have an e-mail. I will get them bundled and out once I get word from everyone.

Travel miniBOOK Class

After going to Paris a few weeks ago, I thought it would be perfect to create a miniBOOK about the attractions. This month my miniBOOK class at The Scrapbook Shop is just that. The new 7 gypsies line Nottinghill was a perfect compliment to the photos. The nostalgic yet trendy look of this line has Paris feel, but works great with any type of photos. If you are local the class is April 27th at Noon. Check out The Shop's Class site for more info. Here is a peak.

Procrastination Pays

I found one for myself. The infamous Treading Water punch from Fiskars. And I have to say, it does live up to all the hype. The design is so simple. It really can work in so many ways for so many uses. Borders, shaped papers, and edges are a huge trend right now and the ability to adapt any paper into one of these super chic design elements is a pretty cool thing.

The story about how I came across the punch is rather amusing. If you know me personally, you know I am notoriously bad with deadlines. On Monday, I had a project due for my photo class. Of course, I waited until the last minute to get matte board to mount the suckers. Well, I planned to get to Dick Blick and pick up the board I needed right when they opened Monday morning. I was a bit early, as they didn't open until 10. Conveniently enough, Archiver's, right next door, opens at 9:30. Moral of the story, procrastination pays off.

I picked up a few pieces of pattern paper while I was there as well. I love the bold patterns and colors that we are seeing in papers. They are inspiring in themselves. They just beg you to make something with them.

A new trend I am seeing, especially in my own work, is pearls. They are a great alternative to the popular "bling." They come in great sizes and awesome colors. The soft shimmer works great a flower center, layered on buttons, or just to draw attention to a flat stickers. These are from Mark Richars. I also have some from the new company Kaiser Crafts.

Oh...and Mom, it looks like I have your ink pad.

Due Date and Give-a-way

ATC participants, the cards are due today. As you can see above, I have received quite a few and they look great. If you are still working on yours, don't stress. Just shoot me an e-mail and let me know when I can expect them. Once I recieve them all, I will let you know when you can expect your batch. Here is a peak at mine in process. What a great size to work on. They were fun to create.

I have been spending the last few days organizing my scrapbooking/crafting area. When I moved into my new apartment, my dad bought me a glass top dinning room table to use as my workspace. Over the last few months I have been getting it set up and never really scrapped much. I used the table more for school work. In design school, we are still doing a lot of hand work and inking. The large work table was great, but it's time I used it for the intended purpose.

I am organized and ready to go now.

In lieu of the ATC due date and my recently organized scrap area, how about a Give-a-way? All you have to do is leave a comment to enter. I will do a random draw to select the winner.

Comments will be open until Friday, April 18th at 11:00 am Central Time.

Fiskars Stamp Press

When I first saw this debut at CHA, I though it was pretty pointless. It's a clear block with sponges on it. What was the point? I was wrong! We had some tools supplied by Fiskars for an event we had at The Scrapbook Shop this past weekend. The stamp press was one of them.

I taught a class on Sunday at The Scrapbook Shop and was prepping for it after our event. I needed to stamp about 4 images for each person in the class. I pulled out all my clear blocks and was going to stamp each image individually. Then I thought, I should try the Stamp Press and see what it's all about.

This thing is amazing! I was able to get all the stamps on it at one time. I only had to stamp one time for each person! It definitely made prepping much easier! I had to take photos of the process to share. It's not just a clear block with sponges on it...its a clear block with sponges on it!

First: arrange your stamps. There is a grid so that you can line things up straight.

Second: Ink your stamps. It's easy to do, just dab your ink pad on them (I used StazOn as I was stamping on transparencies).

Third: Align your stamps. This is easy to do because the press is elevated.

Fourth: Press down evenly. It goes down level and smooth so there is no rocking.

Finish: Your stamped images are perfect!