Workshops On The Go

A hint of nostalgia and old world charm makes Close To My Hearts Emporium Paper packet especially suitable for preserving your most cherished memories. At this month's workshop I will also be teaching you how to create special artistic affects using a rubber brayer!

ORDER THESE ITEMS TODAY:
D1330 Connections My Acrylix Stamp Set
X7105B Emporium Level 2 Paper Packet
X7105C Emporium My Stickease
Z1146 Pewter Designer Brads

Optional:

9030	Imagine™
E1003	My Acrylix® Boutique Alphabet
Z2114	Cocoa Exclusive Inks™ Pad
Z2153	Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks™ Pad
Z616	Rubber Brayer
Z1294	Sanding Kit

It's a New Year, what is your resolutions?

I hear this phrase quite often...

How do you have time to scrapbook/paper craft?

Honestly, I don't have EXTRA time to scrapbook - I have to make scrapbooking time a priority. I am a Stay At Home Mom with a toddler in the house and a husband that is here as well. My husband is in the process of becoming self employed. So I have a lot of interruptions to say the least.

I am one that also feels guilty scrapbooking if there is housework needing to be done. Once I get going on a project I don't want to stop so the household chores can pile up. I am learning to prioritize my responsibilities.

One thing I have found to make it easier and a little more guilt free is to have designated days for some things such as laundry. Before my husband left his previous job to work on his own employment ambitions my schedule was like this:

Sunday is church day. We have Church and Sunday School in the morning and AWANA's in the evening. No plans in between other then preparing a "lunner" or reading. Quiet day.

Monday would be grocery day and local errands if necessary.

Tuesday/Wednesday would be scrubbing sinks and toilets and sweep/mopping or running errands in town with dh. If we were gone Tuesday then Wednesday would be scrubbing day.

Thursday would be laundry day. Easy task - just time consuming. Thursday was also dh's night back to work after his weekend.

Vacuuming is a noisy task. I only have carpets upstairs in the bedrooms. No shoes or dirt so not a daily task. I didn't necessarily have a designated day for vacuuming since dh would sleep during the day. That came when he was out of the house when it fit around other tasks.

Daily tasks are playing with my toddler, dishes/kitchen and sweeping.


When do I do my creative time? I would use Thursday evening for that when dh was working nights. This way it didn't interfere in the weekend activities or if friends would call for a get together. It was the end of the week so if I was up late creating - I didn't have a full week ahead to be exhausted.

Now that he is home all the time, I have a harder time making an evening to scrapbook. I do designate a day and tell everyone, this is important to me and I'd like to get work on my projects. If I'm staying on top of my daily responsibilities then I don't feel guilty about having ME time.

When are you scheduling some paper crafting time for yourself? You have the supplies -- make it a priority and get to it! Start with small blocks of time -- 2 hours. If you don't have a space to leave the "mess" out. Invest in a flat 12" storage box where you can lay what you've begun into and/or a bin to keep the supplies still being used in so it is ready to grab and go and get back to it next time.

Are you going to set aside a day a week or a day a month for paper crafting? Leave me a comment if this is something you are struggling with and want to squeeze in more time for.

Stay tuned -- I am in the process of creating my wall calendar. It is all black and white inks and papers and I can't wait until it is finished. I will post January and February pictures here shortly. No photos on the layouts yet though. I'll do that when the entire calendar is done.

I thought I would break down the supplies list by pointing out how where I used each of the papers on my layouts. I hope this helps in your paper selections.



I chose to use Grey Cardstock for my base pages.

Cardstock sheet number 1 is Desert Sand Textured Cardstock.

Cardstock sheet numbers 2 & 3 are Colonial White Textured Cardstocks. These are the photo mats and the strip along the bottom. Sizes in the Imagine book are 5x7, I trimmed mine a little to fit my pictures a little closer.

B&T Paper number 1 is the plaid design from Sarsparilla Paper Packet.

B&T Paper number 2 is the black/barn red swirly design Sarsparilla Paper Packet.

OPTIONAL SUPPLIES

• I used twill ribbon along the bottom with pewter photo hangers for my MAKE YOUR OWN BUCKLE.
• White Acrylic Paint
• Paint Brush
  

Stamp Sets Used

• Moments in Time, January 2009 Stamp Of The Month (calendar image)
  
• Star Struck (circles and arrows)
• Chocolate Alphabet (large)
  
• Frienship Alphabet (small)

Using Acrylic Paint On Your Paper Crafting Projects

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I can not believe we are into January already!! Where did my time go? I instruct a scrapbooking class the 2nd Friday of every other month in my home. This month we will be meeting at the NEW Scrapbooking store inde-scrap-able! in Sandy on Friday. Michelle has a nice sized workroom so I'm hoping we'll fit a little better then we do in my home.

I will be showing how to use Acrylic Paint on your layouts. I find it to be a great alternative to sanding or tearing for a distressed or aged look. I like to use WHITE and add a few drops of Close To My Heart stamp pad reinker for custom colors to match my layouts perfectly. Since everyone selects different color schemes for their pages, we'll just be using white this week.

Layouts are from IMAGINE page 44 THREE-PART HARMONY
Required WHAT TO BRING LIST:

2 - 12x12 base pages (These are the pages we do the layering on top of. The bases are very visible so you may choose a color to use rather then just white).
2 - different patterns of 12x12 papers (2 sheets total each a different coordinating pattern)
3 - 12x12 cardstock papers (2 are the SAME color and 1 different color)
Paper Trimmer
ADHESIVE (if you forget yours or run out I will have extra available for sale at catalog prices)
Pencil
Scissors

OPTIONAL Supply Items
Ribbon
Photo Hangers
Accessories
Distressing items (coordinating ink, sand paper, edge distressor)
*PHOTOS -- layout uses 3 - 6x4 photos vertical; 2 - 3x2.5 photos vertical; 1 -2x2
*Title block is 2.5x5.5
*Journal block is 1x9

*I have altered the orientation of my layout to better accomodate my pictures. I used 2 photos trimmed to 3.75x5.75 to sit horizontal, 1 photo 4x6 horizontal, 1 photo 6x4 vertical, 1 photo 2.75x2.75.
My title and journal blocks are not placed how the layout photos are.



Acrylic Paint can be applied by dapping, swiping, painting, brushing, sponging or stamping your images. You can add the paint to your papers or even your embellishments (brads, ribbons, chipboard elements, buttons, etc) -- really, the possibilities are endless!

You might choose to use Acrylic Paint in lieu of chalks, inks, sanding/distressing.

• Squirt a little paint on to your paint palette found in the Close To My Heart Distressing Kit.

• Mix in reinker if you'd like color, or leave it white.

The Distressing Kit comes with several different tools you can use as applicators. For our class I'm just using the flat paint brush.

• Dab the paint brush into the paint, then dab it off to the side to get the bulk of it back off the brush. I am going for subtle accents, you can always add more paint back on but I suggest you start light.

• Gently brush the edges of your pages with the paint. Don't worry about perfection -- this technique does not have a correct way. Press a little more on areas you wish to be whiter. Use a gently touch for areas you just want that slight sanded look.

Acrylic Paint dries REALLY fast so you can add your page elements right away.

• Another option is to brush a little paint onto your stamps themselves and stamp them directly onto the paper or title block. I would use a foam brush for this and dab it onto the stamp.
  

• Painting makes a great photo mat -- you can brush some directly onto the edges of your photo, to the edges of the paper mat, or directly onto the page background.

• To paint your embellishments, add paint and leave it or cover it with a gloss overcoat. Custom colored page accents.

• Perhaps you are out of your favorite shade of cardstock. Add a little paint to alter the color of something else you have. Or paint over it with white as a primer and then paint again in a coordinating color to complete your project.

• Maybe your pattern is a little too bold for the project you have in mind -- go over it with a light coat of white paint to soften it up.

• Don't have reinker? Paint your paper with white paint then sponge your stamp pad color over it. Chalk also adheres to the paint quite nicely.

So many possibilites to be found with Acrylic Paint and your paper projects! I hadn't tried it out until I did these layouts but I'm LOVING the ease of this technique. Acrylic Paint is inexpensive -- just a $1.95 through Close To My Heart. The distressing kit comes with paint and brushes....

Distressing Kit (page 102 of the Spring 2009 Idea Book) Z1299 $35.95
Comes with the following:
6 texture tools (2 foam, 2 stipple, 1 sea sponge, 1 black stubble)
6 pieces of sand paper
3 paint brushes (1" flat, 1" foam, 1" fan)
2 distressing ink pads (black and chocolate)
1 Delta Ceramcoat acrylic paint (2 oz)
1 edge distresser
1 sanding block
1 emery board
1 paint tray with mixing sticks
1 frosted plastic carrying box