Spring Break Adventure

With only a few days left of Spring Break...I took the grand kids on an adventure to the park. The first stop was the huge "climbing" boulders...to see who was bravest.

Of course every adventure has to have some wild animals...I think this bird was just trying to get warm...
Some of the trees were just starting to sprout...check out the dark clouds...looks like it might rain.

Good thing we brought a sack of bread to feed the ducks...

it looks like they haven't eaten in hours!

What is that hiding in the reeds?

A duck preening his self, after his morning snack.

A photo op at the waterfall...

and here comes the rain...

nice weather for ducks!

Oh by the way...
Last Friday I taught my first Heritage Scrapbooking Class for Scrapbook Barn. The ladies were wonderful...good class participation, great comments and questions. This Friday is the Heritage Scrapbooking Workshop 4:30 to 6:30...bring a Heritage project and join us...you can sign up by calling Scrapbook Barn.

A Short Busy Month

Yes, yes, I know I haven't blogged in over a week...and I have heard the complaints! For a short month February was very busy. I did some holiday designing for a local flower shop. Valentines is such a big flower holiday, shops call in "holiday help". I had never worked with the other designers...but we all knew some of the same people...so that was fun. As soon as Valentines was over I brought out the box marked "tax stuff"...must get all that organized...not fun.
Mom stopped by and spent the night on her way back from Tucson to Flagstaff...and all that snow! The grand kids spent the night...that's always an adventure. And Tucson Sister (and my niece) came up for an afternoon.
The exciting part of the whole month was starting my new job at Scrapbook Barn.

All the ladies there have been great help breaking in the "newbie"...
Each day has been different from the other...which makes it fun and interesting. I started just after CHA, so I get to see...and put out, all the wonderful new scrapbook products...I want it all!
I will start teaching my Heritage Scrapbooking Class in March. The first class will be Friday the 12th of March 4:30 to 6:30. This is the class with all the information you need to get your ancestors out of the shoe box and into a Heritage Album. You can call Scrapbook Barn to sign up. Friday the 26th of March 4:30 to 6:30 is the Heritage Scrapbook Workshop. Bring the project you are working on ...learn a technique, and receive some coaching to help move your project along.
March is already looking like it will be another busy month.

LOVE

The Mystic Paper design team had the month of December off. With the next big holiday in mind...Valentines Day...Jennifer and I put together the January design team kits with the theme of "LOVE".
I got Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Cuts...with a Victorian look. Two sheets of Pink Paislee patterned paper ..."Bow and Arrow", blue with tiny white hearts and "Love Potion", distressed white with tiny white hearts. A sheet of Melissa Frances patterned paper..."Paige", pink on pink dots. Also in the kit is a fun sheet of K&Company embossed paper..."Cut and Paste Chocolate Lover".
A "springy green" lace and a couple of small wooden hearts.

Hearts, lace, chocolate and vintage looking Victorian images...looks like Valentines to me! Now what to do with all these fun treasures?

Oh By The Way...

Jennifer has had some requests for me to teach my

Heritage Scrapbook class again. This is the beginning class to get you organized, how to copying old photos, what to do with ephemera and the answers to many more questions you may have. You will receive a note book full of information to get you started on your family history.

This class is the 15th of January 4:30 to 6:30. You can call

Mystic Paper to sign up.

It's all about the Glitz!

It was all about the glitz at the Friday night Heritage Scrapbook Workshop. I designed a few "demos" using Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and talked about how to incorporate the mist onto heritage pages. In my effort to show that you aren't stuck with colors like tan, ivory and brown when creating heritage layouts, I went way out of the "box" and used PURPLE!
This is such a fun "vampy" photo, it was just the image to use with glimmer mist.
The back ground patterned paper was sprayed with "Coffee Shop" and "Creame de Rouge". The lace got a spritz on the "Coffee Shop" too.

A couple of white, Dollar Store silk flowers, were disassembled and misted with "Creme de Rouge". When dry, the color was stunning. The flower was reassembled, with a 7 Gypsies brad in the center. Smaller paper flowers from Prima were sprayed too. The bottom flower is the "Coffee Shop" and the top was the "Creme de Rouge"... Same glimmer mist color but a totally different effect on the paper Prima flowers. The flowers were layered using Ultimate Glue. I added a healthy dab of the same glue to the center of the flower and loaded it up with purple beads. The glue dries clear so all you see is the shimmering beads.

Sometimes you just need to play!

Last night at the Heritage Scrapbooking Workshop, Mary asked if I would like her to take pictures of the class...That would have been nice, but I forgot my camera! The nights I do remember the camera...I forget to take pictures. I really must get my act together. All the ladies are working on different types of Heritage projects and are encouraging each other along the way. Ann has amazing family stories, ephemera and photos which she is using to design some impressive layouts. Mary is working on a book honoring her mother-in-law, who was a poet. It is fun to see the wonderful pages they have created. We were joined by Cynthia, whose mother made a marvelous scrapbook back in the 1950s. It has been well loved and the cover is coming apart, so Cynthia is "remaking" the book.
During the class I taught different ways on how to use "Transparencies". I had a photo left over from the demo I designed for the class. With the extra photo I decided to play!
I printed a photo of Grandma Mabel at age 3 on clear adhesive film (transparency with an adhesive back), I love this stuff! You don't have to worry about how you are going to adhere the image to your project. Where do I get it you ask...Mystic Paper of course! I placed the transparency on a patterned paper that looked like an old letter. At that point I pulled out all my boxes of lace and fabric. Most of them got a "bath" in tea to give them an aged look. When they dried, I started layering.

From there I dumped out the jar of old jewelery and I found some pieces that if you squint...might look vintage. For a pop of color I added a few posies.

It turned out kind of cool...I will have to play more often!

OBTW:

If you feel like you missed out on all the fun last night...I have another Heritage Workshop this Friday the 25 of September- 4:30 to 6:30. You can sign up for the class by calling Mystic Paper.

Another OBTW:
Congratulations to the Mystic Paper new Design Team. Holly, Jenna and Surina. All very talented ladies. You can see their 12x12 entries on the Mystic blog site. Every team needs a captain...and Mystic Paper has asked me to be the Design Team captain. I'm looking forward to working with the new team. I have some very big shoes to fill...Sheri was an awesome DTC.

A Taste Asia

I must have been in the mood for Lo Mein and Spring Rolls. This is another birthday card with a bit of an Asian look. The background is a dark chocolate brown cardstock with a wide red ribbon running along the left side. I used a credit card (the kind that comes in junk mail) and covered it with this gorgeous red Asian print. I have had this paper forever...it came from Memory Lane, which hasn't existed for a while. The ladies have moved on to other creative endeavors. The "Happy Birthday" is a strip of vellum run through a label maker, then matted with gold tissue paper.
I still have a few more birthday cards to create, I'll keep you posted.

Another OBLW:
I will be teaching a Heritage Scrapbook Workshop this Saturday the 19th of September - 3:30 to 5:30. Bring a project to work on and join us downstairs at Mystic Paper. You say you can't make it that day, but you really want to join in the fun...no problem...There will be another Workshop Friday the 25th of September -
4:30 to 6:30. Give Mystic Paper a call and sign up.

Friday Night Post

Looking at this picture you would think the ladies at the Wednesday night Heritage Scrapbook Workshop didn't get much accomplished...actually I forgot to take photos until they were all cleaning up. They have all accomplished a lot with their projects. Lisa has posted some of the pages from the recipe book she designed on her blog...House of Hullabaloo. Ann has great old photos and family stories and her layouts are wonderful. Mary is working on a book with a few photos and a lot of poems written by her mother-in-law. I'm impressed with each book these ladies are designing.

If you are ready to get all your old family photos out of a box and into a scrapbook and aren't quite sure were to begin, call Mystic Paper and sign up for the Heritage Scrapbook class on Saturday the 15th of August. This class will break it all down for you and help you get started.

Did you notice something was missing from my blog? There is no Design Team project for this month. It has been a year since I joined Mystic Paper Design Team and our term is now up. Mystic has a call out for a new design team.
I have had so much fun with each and every project that Fearless Leader...Design Team Captain Sheri pick out. I got a chance to play with all the fun toys at Mystic and the opportunity to met some very talented designers while hanging out there.
Earlier this year Kim and Jennifer asked if I would be interested in teaching classes at Mystic. I have appreciated the offer and it has a great experience to be able to share thoughts and ideas with so many people.

Playing with Butterfly Wings

I've been playing...
It started with the flowers, outlined with a black pen. I had cut the flowers out for a long ago project...that I ended up going a whole other way and didn't use them. I remembered a wonderful background that Debrina Pratt had shared on her Flickr...Spark*your*imagination. I needed an image so I sorted through my collection of vintage photos and came up with this lady in an Asian costume...check out the high heals.

She needed some butterfly wings, but it had to be the right color, a bit of red and some orange...I couldn't resist the blue in these wings. Digging through my treasures, I ran across some VERY old gold sealing wax and a "sun" seal...the goal was to not burn the house down. The edges of the card were stamped with flourishes and rubbed in gold ink. At this point the lady had to have a crown...gold Dresden Borders to top her head and a bit more for a border on the bottom of the card. I'll add a message inside and send her off to a friend for a birthday card.


An "OH BY THE WAY" class schedule...

This Wednesday August 5th at Mystic Paper I will be teaching the Heritage Scrapbooking workshop 3:30 to 5:30. Come join us and bring a project to work on.

On Saturday the 15th of August from 10:30 to 1:30 I will be teaching Heritage Scrapbooking class at Mystic. You will leave with a notebook full of information to get you started creating your own family album.

Wednesday the 19th of August 3:30 to 5:30 will be another Heritage Scrapbooking Workshop. With ideas to move your project along. Call Mystic Paper to sign up.

Way too much fun!

We had way too much fun yesterday afternoon downstairs in the classroom of Mystic Paper

at my Heritage Scrapbooking Workshop. Everybody had a project that they were working on. Mary has some great poems written by her mother-in-law that she is designing layouts around. Ann had been busy since the last workshop creating beautiful heritage pages using her old family photos. Kristy worked on a page with a great color combination using a family picture. Lisa's book has family recipes, photos and marvelous family stories. Sandy assembled a layout for a family picture by layering patterned paper from Basic Gray's Periphery line.

There was a lot of "ooh-ing and ahh-ing" going on around that big design table.

You want to join in the fun...the next Heritage Scrapbooking class is Saturday August 15th. Call Mystic Paper to sign up!

Thank you Kim for the class photo!

Christmas in July

I was surprised how easily the Mystic Paper Christmas in July Design Team
project went together. I'm not sure it was so much the theme, as it was the Basic Gray patterned paper...hey it's no secret, I am a Basic Gray girl!
With names like "Winterberry", "Merry Happy", "Brandy Butter" and "Spruce" how can you not create wonderful Christmas layouts. Basic Gray knew what they were doing when they created the "Wassail" line...this paper would be great for non holiday pages too. I really did have a good time with the Element stickers. I mounted a few of them on chipboard to give the layout some dimension. The journaling was printed on white vellum.I haven't played with that in a while.
The Vellum Glue Dots make it much easier to apply the vellum to layouts. If you are not using vellum because it's to annoying to figure out how to make it stick to you page, try the Vellum Glue Dots... they are great.
Not sure where to find the dots...Mystic has them!
Of course I added"Old Paper" distress ink and some "Star Dust" Sitckels.

My new favorite paper is the "Brandy Butter". This is a lovely shade of yellow with hints of red distressing. The Element Sticker page had some fantastic borders that I layered. The distress ink on this layout was "Tattered Rose".

What to do with the Daisy Ds Picture Hanger?

I wanted something unexpected...but couldn't come up with any ideas. Sometimes you need a little bit of creative help... I scrap-swiped this idea from the Internet. I can't remember were, so thank you to who ever came up with such a fun idea!

With the last little bit of paper and stickers I designed a Christmas card. After all what is Christmas with out Christmas cards?

I'm going to click over to see what Sheri, Lindsey and Yasu designed with their Christmas in July kits...want to come with me...just click!

Another "Oh by the way"...

Wednesday night I had great Heritage Scrapbooking class at Mystic. Lots of information and ideas to get the ladies started with all their old family photos, letters and memorabilia. If you are still wondering what to do with all your family treasures, call Mystic and sign up for the next class. It will be Saturday the 15th of August. Don't you think it's time to get your grandma out of a box and into a Heritage Scrapbook album?

168 Days till Christmas

It is difficult to even think about Christmas when the temperature here is above 100f and getting hotter every day. But that is just what the Mystic Paper Design Team is doing for their July projects. My first thought when I opened my DT kit and saw all the wonderful Basic Gray pattered paper was Hooray...I haven't had my all time favorite paper in a while.

Then I took a second look...it was the Christmas line "Wassail". Was there some mistake? Did DT Captain Sheri really intend to give me Christmas paper? Seeing the confused look on my face, Kim told me it was for Christmas in July. With a tear in my eye at the very thought that "yes...soon...too soon, it will be that time again"

I pulled the rest of the Christmas goodies out of my bag.

Besides all the wonderful paper there was a page of Basic Gray Elements stickers, they are always a great addition to any layout, a yard of holiday green striped ribbon and some Daisy Ds picture hangers.

So to get me in the holiday mood I have set my Air Conditioning very low, and have Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" from the CD player...I am designing Christmas in July. You would think with this much warning I would start designing my Christmas Cards...naaaa, I'll wait until December!

I wonder what Lindsey, Yasu and Sheri got in their kits?

Oh by the way!

I had a great class last night at Mystic Paper. It was a workshop for Heritage Scrapbooking. Lisa and Ann came with all their treasures and wonderful ideas. They both have photos, ephemera and fantastic stories for the albums that they are working on. Want to join in the fun? I am teaching the Heritage Scrapbooking Class again next week at Mystic on Wednesday the 15th of July from 3:30 to 5:30. This class is full of information to get you started and will prepare you to join Lisa, Ann and I the following Wednesday on July 22nd from 3:30 to 5:30 for the continuing Heritage Scrapbooking workshops. All you have to do is call Mystic Paper and sign up.

A Touch of Class...

If you weren't in the class room at Mystic Paper yesterday afternoon you missed a great class. I had some wonderful students at my Heritage Scrapbook class.
One of Mystic's favorite people, Lisa from "House of Hullabaloo" was there. She is so much fun and such a talented artist. Ann, who already has a head start on genealogy and family history and Leah, who came all the way from Wyoming to take the class! Okay...not really, she is visiting the Valley, and is interested in Heritage Scrapbooking, so that was good timing.
My Tucson Sister also attended and is still working on the photos and poetry of her mother-in-law's.
They all recieved a notebook full of information on Heritage Scrapbooking and made notes on all the added info I talked about in the class. I completly forgot about getting "class pictures" until the end when Kim came down to check up on us, so she got in the pictures.
If you missed the class, not to worry, I will be offering it again on July 15th.

Remember, your family may be waiting on you to tell their story!

Cape Cod...without me!

Where have I been for the last five days you ask...gathering up all the toys I will need for my Heritage Scrapbook class at Mystic Paper this Wednesday. I have a new found respect for teachers...there is a lot of prep work to get ready to teach a class!

While I have been at the bench in my "Wizards Room", my mom and aunt Mary took a trip to Cape Cod...without me! The weather was rainy and windy, which made it hard to walk on the beach and pick up shells. They were forced to find other activities, like antique shopping.
Which worked out well for me... Mom found me some wonderful old books...they even smell old

The "Book House" books have a publishing date of 1937...

The weather cleared up the last day they were there and

they were finally able to walk on the beach. Sadly for mom and Aunt Mary...

there were no shells or rocks on the beach for them to pick-up.

How to get Grandma out of the box

It is no secret that I have a fondness for old photos, family history, and genealogy. It is a wonderful journey to take vintage family photos, ephemera , stories and design an album that can be passed on to your children and grand children. Heritage albums can take on many different themes. Albums using faded family recipes, or long ago written poetry and pictures of the loved ones who wrote them. An album from a recent trip to where your family came from along with old photos of the ancestors that lived there. These are albums to be cherished for generations. If you have wondered what to do with all those old family photos and other bits and pieces that are still sitting in a box since the day you got them,
now is the time to get started. I am teaching a Heritage Scrapbook class at Mystic Paper.
We will start with a class on how to get organized, copying photos, what to do with ephemera and many more questions you may have. In the first class we will cover all your question. You will receive a note book full of information to get you started. This first class will be June 24th 3:30 to 5:30. You can sign up by calling Mystic Paper, or if you are in the neighborhood...drop by.
There will be follow-up workshops with coaching and advice to help you to move your Heritage album along. We will focus on building upon your ideas to draw out your creative genius. The first follow up class will be July 8th 3:30 to 5:30. Your can sign up for this class by contacting Mystic Paper. Get those photos out of the box and into an album you can show off to your family. Your album can be big or small, a whole family or just one person...haven't they lived in the box long enough?

Once Upon a Time...

I taught my "Once Upon a Time..." book last night at
Mystic Paper, it ended up being a mini family reunion, birthday party and Heritage Scrapbook class all rolled in to one. My cousins had seen my book at Mystic and wanted to take the class. My Tucson Sister heard about the plans and came up with my niece to take the class too.

Along with lessons on how to use Distress Ink and Glimmer Mist we had cupcakes and hummed "Happy Birthday" to the birthday cousin. We hummed because she wanted to just forget the whole thing!

Bed, Breakfast and Scrapbooking

I taught a beginning "Heritage Scrapbooking" class this weekend. It was held at a East Valley Bed and Breakfast, with a very limited student to teacher ratio. It involved organizing family photos and documents . Type of story to be told, selection of paper and placement of pictures and ephemera. How to use distress ink, chalk and different types of adhesive. Scanning photos and documents and a quick lesson on glimmer mist.

Okay...my Tucson sister (TS) came up to my house, spent a couple nights sleeping on an air mattress on the living room floor, made her own breakfast and I taught her how to begin scrapbooking. TS had never scrapbooked before. She makes lovely handcrafted Valentines cards every year, and designs beautiful quilts. But she has never scrapbooked. Her husband has some wonderful poetry that had been written by his mother and had been placed in a magnetic photo album... which we all learned long ago is a big no no!
We carefully removed the brittle paper from the album and semi-organized them into categories. There were quite a few poems, about a dozen photos and a few pieces of ephemera. We talked about the album and what she wanted the end result to look like.
The kitchen table was covered with glue, scissors, patterned paper and all the other scrapbook stuff that I pulled out of my wizards room to play with. Of course no scrapbook lesson could be complete with out a visit to Mystic Paper. TS added to her supply of paper, picked up a Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad , Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and breathed in all the creative vibes at MP.
My mother was here also (she got the bedroom) and between reading in the sun room and doing her crossword puzzles she would lend encouragement and creative input. We inherited all our creativity from mom...she is one heck of a talented lady. We also managed to go to lunch three times while they were here. With her talent and the inspiration she is getting from the pictures and poems TS will have an exquisite family heirloom when she finishes.