Busy again

These past few months I have been working at Michaels as the scrapbook teacher/instructor.  Things got busy....I was scheduling 2 classes on Monday and 2 classes on Wednesdays for 2 hours each, then there were some other occassional classes on Thursdays with a crop once a month for 7 hours.  I didn't always teach, but I had to schedule the time to be available.  I would schedule the classes, create the sample, and create posters to advertise the classes.  It was getting to be more work and less fun.  As a retired teacher, I only wanted a little teaching with a couple of dollars pay.  In addition, my arthritis was acting up and the fibromylagia was getting worse.   Pain was with me quite often during the class times, so I backed off.  I will teach some SDU classes and help every once in a while, but and still keep active. 

I had some groups working on making Christmas cards for our service personnel with Operation Christmas Cards.  Some friends and sisters from Eastern Star worked on making Christmas cards for the past 2 months.  I took them into the store manager at Michaels today.  We made 639 Christmas cards.  I thank each of the ladies who helped make these cards.  They did a fabulous job!

There have been several classes that are coming up at Michaels, and I am so happy to see them.  They are fabulous!  I will add a list of the classes later, but I am sure you will like them as much as I do.

I posted yesterday about the Martha Stewart classes.  They are beautiful, don't you agree.  The best part is with the Punch Around the Page, you can use these techniques on so many different things....for cards, for embellishments, for scrapbook pages.  I love using these punches so many things.  They really make a difference.
The glitter techniques were unique and things I would not have thought about.  There was a lot of glitter left over from the class, and it can be used to decorate so many things.  I was able to teach each of these classes.

Up top is the banner.  In the center of each banner, you can put words, initials or sayings.  At the bottom are some of the flowers.  They are really heavy duty.   You can the invitation in the center and on the bottom right is one page of the scrapbook layout.  

Another class that as put together was called Happy Birthday America.  The design called for me to use a red, white, and blue papers, for the fourth of July, but I wanted to make something more generic for a birthday.   This kit was a complete package for a birthday.  There was an invitation, a birthday card, decorations (flowers, pinwheels, and a banner) and a scrapbook page. 

You can see pinwheels on each side of the board.  At the bottom right is the birthday card and  you can see both pages for the scrapbook layout.  I really like how this came out.

Busy, busy, busy!

MS glitter page

MS Punch Around the Page

Things have been moving quickly since I last posted in February.  I started teaching for SDU back in September, but classes have been slow. This was a partnership formed by EK Success with Michaels, AC Moore, and Joannes.  Each store offered trained instructors to teach a four week course on scrapbook basics.  I was working with Michaels.   In February, things were changing.  Instead of EK Success calling SDU (Scrapbook Design University), it became a part of the Spotted Canary (SCS).  My training for SDU was still valid, but Michaels was trying to offer more classes and techniques for paper crafters.  One of the first classes we were to teach, in addition to the SDU, was Martha Stewart glittering techniques, a beautiful class to create cards using beautiful butterflies glittered on the front of the card.  After that, we were teaching the Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page, creating beautiful punched borders for cards,  using the Martha Stewart Punches.  

Today I have another birthday card for you.  The card sketch for this week at Inspirational Card Sketches is this: 

I must say I liked this one.  As I went through my papers, I found these blues and greens and thought how nice they went together.  I also needed another birthday card, ( I have 5 family members with birthdays this month.)  I started putting my card together,and while doing that my mail had arrived.  The postman brought me some stamps I had ordered from Queen Kat Designs.  This birthday cake stamp came from their website.   

Here is the card I created.  I immediately thought about using my Fastenater with this card.  Those big staples up in the left corner say "HAPPY" and "BIRTHDAY" on them and they were perfect for this!  You can't see it clearly, but I popped the cake piece up with pop dots.  The saying "have your cake and eat it too"  goes perfectly with this, since it is for my sister-in-law.  She is always saying she is dieting, but somehow .....   Oh well, you know what I mean.  Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.

Create and Craft is having a big giveaway!  Their package prize includes the following:




Your Story Package Prize Giveaway Valued at $229!

12″ YourStory book binder / laminator machine

12 – 9″ x 11.5″ Laminating Pouch 3mil

12 – 4.5″ x 6.5″ Laminating Pouch 3mil

1 – Paper Trimmer

1 – 8.5″ x 11″ Binder-Black Leather Texture Portrait no window

1 – 8″ x 8″ Binder-White Linen Texture w/window

1 – 4″ x 6″ Binder-Black Linen Texture no window

1 – 8.5″ x 11″ Binder-Brown Leather Texture Landscape no window

1 – 12″ x 12″ Binder-Black Leather Texture no window

1 – User Manual

Check it out, become a follower and tell others about it.

Want to win a Cricut cartridge?

Over at Paper This and That you have the opportunity to win a seasonal or mini cartridge.  Create a Valentine project and then post a link on their website.  You might be the winner of a new cartridge.  Be sure to check out their website.  Good luck!

Another week, and another card for sharing.  I always seem to be rushing to make a wedding card.  I get invites to the wedding, then wait to create the card.  Now I will have a card made, ready for the next wedding I attend.  

This week at ICS we were given this sketch to use:

My first thought when I saw this sketch was a 3 tiered cake.  Hmm...should I make a birthday card?  No, a wedding cake has tiers, so I decided to make a wedding card.    I had some stamps I was wanting to try, so I stamped this Hanglar couple to see how they would look on top of the cake.   They were perfect as the topper! I had some DCWV paper the I used for the background on  this card.  The four corners had a swirly shape that I liked, so I cut them off and trimmed around the edges.  I used pop dots to pop up the corners... I took my copic markers and colored her wedding dress with some very light blues and grays, then I used some glitter on the bride and groom.   The three layer cake was a set of matching light turquoise papers and I used liquid pearls to "ice" the edges of the cake.   And what wedding cake doesn't have flowers?  I found these small white flowers in my stash and sprayed them with a turquoise glimmer mist.  In the center of each flower I place a silver liquid pearl.   Here is my card...ready to use.  (I just noticed the bottom of the card looks crooked.  It isn't that way in person.  I think it must the angle I used to shoot the card.)

I am a guest designer at Inspirational Card Sketches for the month of February!

Yes, you read it correctly!  I have been asked to be a guest designer for Inspirational Card Sketches . I am very excited to be with them.  They have wonderful sketches each week to get your creative juices flowing. Every week, a new sketch is provided for you.  Create your card, using the sketch, and upload it for a chance to win a prize.  There are different sponsors each week. 

Here is the sketch for this week: 

I know when I first saw this sketch, I was stumped a little.  "Oh no!" I thought.  "All those different papers and such.  What can I do?"

Well, I put my thinking cap on and mulled this over in my brain.  I came up with one idea,then rejected it.  Finally, I had an idea.  I colored the Tilda stamp with my copic markers (doesn't she look cute?)

 I then looked through my papers, trying to find that perfect match.  There it was...the paper I needed.   All of a sudden the card came together.    My final touch was to add the buttons and turn them into balloons.  Here it is:

I hope you enjoy this card. 

I am getting back into the swing of things once again.  Time is marching by at such a fast pace, I can hardly keep up.  One day quickly becomes another. 

I have been experimenting with my Cricut, trying to make some cards from the machine. I found this one, and thought of possibly a Valentine's Day card.  It is called Angel Kisses.

 Here is one card I started to make using the Cindy Loo cartridge:

It is a simple card, with the cut out of the bird in the tree.  the background is a scalloped circle that matches the cutout.  I mounted this on a lavendar card base and then added some pearl drops around the outer edge.  It needs something else, but I need to think about what.  If you have any ideas, let me know.  Thanks.

Keeping busy...card pictures to come soon!

I have been keeping busy for the last month and a half.  A short time ago, I got a small Cricut from a close friend.  I have been playing with it for a while, and I even took a couple of online courses from  My Creative Classroom.  I am more aware of the wonderful uses this machine can perform.

Since I fell in love with the small Cricut, I had to have the Cricut Expression.  I got it as a Christmas gift.  I had some cartridges, and as I have seen the cartridges on sale, I have been slowly purchasing more cartridges.  Then, Michaels had the sale on the Cricut Cartridges...$9.99 each!  I could not control myself and I bought several on sale, saving tons of money. 

Now I have a supply of cartridges, a small and large Cricut machine, and all the necessary tools to create all kinds of things.  I have been experimenting with cards and some layouts.  I hope to add some to  my blog later this week.  Until then....scrap happy!

Crafty Makes is a place I have recently visited.  You can find many different stamps here.  They are offering some blog candy and I plan to try for it.  Perhaps you would like to also.  Click on the above link and find out how you can enter this contest.