Have you seen the 2010 Close To My Heart Spring Idea Book yet?

With every new year comes a new season of Idea Books from Close To My Heart (there are three per year). It's an exciting time! There are lots of great products including four new paper packs, new embellishments and new stamps!

You can view the Idea Book online and contact me to place your order.

Don't forget when you place your order you could earn the stamp of the month for FREE or at a discount. January's stamp of the month is only available for a few more days, get it while you can!

A wedding cake
A good friend of mine recently got married. Sure, it's not really "wedding season" but these two love birds didn't do much that followed tradition. For starters, the best man was a woman and the bridesmaid was a man. The ceremony was at Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden, not exactly a hopping place in the middle of winter! The reception was at Salt Tasting Room on Blood Alley in Gastown. What? Doesn't that say romantic to you? It was these types of details that made the wedding very unique and authentically suited to the bride and groom. I was very impressed at how all the details came together and showed how well suited they are for each other and how much in love they are too.

While I didn't exactly follow their cue to make a non-traditional wedding card, I still managed to make their list of favourite wedding cards! (This is a huge compliment because they have lots of talented artsy friends).

In case you're curious what kind of cake they really had at their wedding, you should check out the best man's blog here. She made the cake herself and it was AMAZING! I'm not a huge cake fan but this was the best cake I have ever had. I still drool just thinking about it.

K.I.S.S. especially when it comes to the holidays!

Christmas is literally right around the corner. It's a good time of year to follow the "Keep It Simple (Stupid)" principle. I find it's about this time when I start to wrap gifts and realize my gifts are missing a label. I like to make sure the right person gets the right gift from under the tree but for some reason I always forget about this small detail until the last minute. My solution? Gift tags! Simple, right?

Christmas tags for your gifts are so easy to make and I highly recommend that if your'e short on time and won't be able to get/make a Christmas card a gift tag is a great substitute. Being a perfectionist sometimes I have to remind myself that it's okay! The recipient of my gift will not miss the card if I put as much care and attention into the gift and the tag. And I can write the same sentiments as I would int he card. Plus, it takes me less time to design a gift tag and I get more bang for my buck because it's so affordable. Gift tags don't use much paper or supplies at all!

I was going to post some pictures of gift tags I'm using this year and then I saw some gift tags on Jeanette Lynton's (the founder of Close To My Heart) blog. Her talents far exceed mine so I'll show you some of hers. Aren't they great?!

Now that I think about it, next year I might even offer a class on gift tags. Why not?

Grace & Elegance Scrapbook Class

This weekend I offered a scrapbook workshop with the Close To My Heart paper pack called Grace and Elegance. The workshops are such a great way to finish a two page layout in about two hours. Plus the guide that comes with the kit includes instructions on how to do two additional pages and three cards with all the leftover supplies! If you're looking for a way to save money on scrapbooking, this kit for the scrapbook workshop is a great deal. Here is the layout we finished by the end of the class. I can't wait to add this to my scrapbook album.


It's an affordable way to scrapbook because you can decide how much you want to spend. For this workshop you can buy the "basic" workshop kit for $37.50 (plus taxes and shipping) and you get:
Grace Level 2 Paper Packet ($15.95)
My Acrylix® Beautiful Flourish ($17.50)
Rustic Edge Anchors™ ($7.50)
Workshop Guide ($1.25)

Plus you can add extra accessories to complete the layout and you'll have lots of leftovers for other projects. Close To My Heart calls this the "best" option which adds on to the "basic" option. For the Grace & Elegance workshop the "best" items were:

Z1247 Crystal Blue Waxy Flax ($4.95)
Z1206 Basic Craft Buttons ($9.95)

I can't wait to do more of these workshops with more people. It's such a fast way to get scrapbooking layouts done!

Back to School
This weekend I went back to school with the Vancouver School Board. I taught a Scrapbooking 101 class at Eric Hamber Secondary on Saturday from 10am to 3pm.

There were 6 students in the class and they were all great. So keen and full of questions. I had a great time with them.

I was a little nervous about what I should put in the class and how long it would take to complete the class. It's so hard to predict how much time people will need to finish the tasks but I wanted to balance that with giving them as much of the basics as I could.

The goal of the class was to learn as many scrapbooking techniques as possible and walk away with a small scrapbook that could document the learnings of the class. Here are a few pictures of what we completed, all in a day!


The scallop effect on the purple piece was a breeze for this class. I was so proud of them! It's such a great trick to make a double use out of the corner rounder. The key when putting this page together is adhere all the pieces first and apply the black ribbon last.

This page is a little more "girly" for those who like pink. The left page base cardstock is black and the right page is white. There are a few neat stamping techniques on this page. The top left corner of the left page is a "rock and roll" technique. The little green flowers are two shades of green. It looks so great! The bottom left corner of the left page and the top right banner is three different inks that makes the flowers pop. I love the colours together. It's hard to see in this picture but the bottom right pink of the left page has a "second generation" effect with stamping. I put the four black boxes on the right page to show where the pictures would go. It was perfect to fit six spots for six students in the class!


The animals on this page were such a hit! It was a great way to learn how you can add colour to your stamps by colouring them in with watercolour pencils and a watercolour brush. I had to include a picture of them up close. They are such cute animals!




The left side of this two page spread is a simple one to put together with the red piece on the white base first then the blue, then the white photo mat and the dark blue with red ribbon on last. The right side is a little more complex only because of the three white pieces at the bottom that get fed through the blue hemp. You'll want to take the hemp, feed the white pieces through and then tie the hemp around the dark blue banner at the bottom. After you've tied the hemp, you can use adhesive to attach the white pieces to the blue banner. Then you can attach the banner to the red cardstock and continue attaching the remaining pieces.


And finally the last page that is very simple with a fun corner turned on the top left of the orange piece.

It was a full day but I think it's safe to say that it was fun for all!

Help! I need to organize my photos!

A friend of mine recently asked me for help. She really wants to organize her photos but feels overwhelmed. I have felt the same thing and at times still do. I thought I would share my response to her with you.

I think the key question is how do you want to organize your photos and why? How do you organize them on Flickr? By albums? Have you dated those albums? I completely understand your feeling of being overwhelmed. If it helps, what I have done is put all my electronic photos into folders by date followed by event. For example, "2009_08_28 Golden Ears Camping". So when I look at my folders of photos, I see them chronologically and I can also see the event so if I don't remember the exact date, I can still find it by what it was. Also, don’t forget to back up your photos. I have them on an external hard drive and on CDs.

My hard copy photos are half organized. From the moment I started printing photos (since I was about 18 years old) I put them chronologically in photo albums (not scrapbooked). However, I would also like to start going back to my childhood and organizing my photos because they are all over the place. It's a daunting task. Don't be discouraged! I've read several tips and such on how to go through it. The best is probably from Stacy Julian. She has a book called Photo Freedom and it's written for scrapbookers but there are lots of great tips of how to organize your photos. [I’ve talked about her on my blog before.]

If you’re thinking about how to organize your photos to scrapbook them, I highly recommend you buy the book because I couldn’t do it justice. I'll summarize the part on what to do with hard copy photos for you here.

First of all, take a deep breath before digging in.

Step 1: Gather all your photos and put them in one space.

Step 2: Sort your boxes, envelopes, bags, etc by decade. Just work with your photos as a group, not individually (not yet anyway).

Step 3: Start with one decade and sort by year. Move the boxes and envelopes around to organize by year.

You’re doing great! Keep it up!

Step 4: Focus on one year and start looking at individual prints. To make it easier, just sort them into four seasons, don’t worry too much about being exact.

Step 5: Put your photos into some type of storage. Stacey Julian uses storage binders and will put multiple photos in a photo pocket. Just remember don’t use the magnetic albums, those are so bad for your photos!

Let me know how you do!

Thank you

Here's another little something for your viewing pleasure. I'm creating thank you cards. I scraplifted this design from Hero Arts sketch. I have tried sketches for my scrapbook layouts, but I haven't followed it with the same gusto for my cards. I find it harder to picture what the card could look like from a sketch, but for some reason, I can do it with a scrapbook page. Call me strange.

Here is the sketch from Hero Arts.

It wasn't until I saw this example card below that I was able to visualize how to do the card myself.

I have a stack of paper that I got a super good deal on, something like 200 sheets for $20. Some of the paper is really pretty but it's not a strong card stock so I don't use it as a background for my scrapbook pages. It's best suited, imo, for cards and accents like matting. The pattern on the top part of the Hero Arts card reminded me of this stack of paper I have just waiting to be used. Plus, I got a stamp set this year with that cute little design around the "holiday cheer" stamp. I could visualize this card, no problem! So I dug up my supplies, and....

This is what I came up with! What do you think?

It always feels good to use up some materials you already have. A friend recently asked me how I can afford to scrapbook because everything is so expensive, but it's really dependent on you and how you scrapbook. Using up this stack of paper I got over a year ago for such a good price is a great way to save some dough. I figure it fits my needs for what I'm making and it's better than going out and buying new paper.

See my archive blog post on November 5, 2008 about determining what type of scrapbooker you are. It can make a huge difference on how much you spend.

Hello old friend

Long time no see! Life has been totally crazy lately to say the least. After all this time you deserve to see something from me!

Here's a birthday card I did recently with one of my favourite paper packs from Close To My Heart. It's the Magic Moments series. Love it!

Cut, Cut, Cut...Are You Cutting Back?

It's so sad to see so many stores around us closing! Clipper Street in Richmond has closed, Clipper Street in Coquitlam is closing and now Making Memories in Vancouver is closing! (Clipper Street will still be open in Langley, and Making Memories in Burnaby is staying open).
 
I am guessing the recession has something to do with it. I certainly have seen an impact on my Close To My Heart sales in 2009. I attributed it to the economy. I know others have felt the same pinch as well. 
 
What about you? Have your scrapbooking habits changed in 2009? Are you scrapbooking more or less? Are you buying more or less supplies?

Top 10 Activities for National Scrapbooking Day

Today is National Scrapbooking Day. Here are a few ideas of things you could do to celebrate:

1. Attend a crop or have a scrapbooking party with your friends! Make it a theme day/night. Here are some examples to get your ideas going: Chocolate party, Girl’s night out, Poker Night, Sports Night, Sleepover.

Then everything you do should be centered around the theme. For the chocolate theme, you could wear brown, serve chocolate covered strawberries and even give little prizes (from the dollar store) to anyone who uses the chocolate colour in their project!

2. Try something new. Is there something you have wanted to try but never got around to it? Now is the perfect opportunity!

Here's a list of things, that seem simple or everyday to some, but others have never tried: buttons, ribbon, brads, embossing, stamping, distressing, chipboard, liquid applique, stitching/sewing, colouring/doodling, cutting pictures, gems/jewels, journaling, painting.

3. Scrap on your own. Printing photos, collecting memorabilia counts too. If you’re not sure where to start, write the possibilities on a piece of paper and pull one out of a hat and start with whatever it says. This is a variation of Stacy Jillian’s popsicle stick idea.

4. Get organized. Usually we feel our most productive and creative when we have an organized space to work in. Spend a little time organizing your space so you can be inspired – even if that means cleaning off the kitchen table!

For some inspiration, unclutterer blog is a great place to look for some organization ideas. Ali Edward’s craft space was posted on the unclutterer.

5. Learn a new technique. Take a class with your local scrapbook consultant or at your local store. If you don’t want to attend a class, you can surf online and find blogs or scrapbooking sites to pick up a thing or two.

6. Submit your best layouts or cards to magazines.

7. Sign up for a new email newsletter list. This will be the gift that keeps on giving. You’ll get regular updates to inspire you.

8. Scraplift! Find some layouts or cards that inspire you either from websites or books or magazines.

9. Go shopping! Treat yourself to a new product or new tools you’ve been holding off getting.

10. Find a newbie. Do you have a non-scrapping friend? Why not introduce them to this fabulous hobby. Let them try out your supplies. They will probably say they don’t think they are creative enough or they don’t have the time, but just remind them they can make this whatever they want it to be. They can try it once and never do it again, or they can make this a small or large part of their life. They have complete freedom to choose.

The Top 10 Activities were inspired by Teila King Turko. Thanks Teila!

Happy Nation Scrapbooking Day to you all!