Want to see what has been taking up all my time?

This is the paper for my CHA classes!  Can you believe it?  This is the paper for 400+ class kits (and doesn’t include all the embellishments!)

Good thing I love teaching workshops!

This post won’t apply to everyone but I thought I would share this info for those who are attending the winter Craft & Hobby Show (CHA) in January (Anaheim, CA).  I am teaching 4 workshops at the show – each based on a different area of papercrafting (mini albums, cardmaking, scrapbook pages, gift packaging).  The focus of the workshops is adhesive (SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY3L™) which might seem basic but if you have ever taken a class with me you know it will be anything but boring!  LOL  There is a lot to be learned about adhesive since it is literally what holds your projects together!  I have a ton of tricks up my sleeve which I will be sharing and there will be no question too silly to be asked and answered.  There are a TON of projects to be completed during the classes which will be great for store samples or to base your own workshops from. 

And the added bonus….no cutting!  Yes, that is right!  Everything is prepped for you so you get right down to the fun stuff – creating!

Here are the classes I am teaching:

Mini Album Adhesive Solutions

• W0101
• Saturday, January 23, 2010, 7am-9am
• We make a jammed-packed shaped mini album that is sure to wow anyone who sees it it.  I share a ton of tricks to make mini album easy.
• This class uses products from SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY3L™ and paper, etc from Pink Paislee, Core’dinations and Sizzix.
• Image coming soon.

Cardmaking Made Easy with Adhesive

• W0301
• Saturday, January 23, 2010, 3-5pm
• In this workshop we make a ton of cards, complete with a box to hold them in.  These cards are definitely fun and fabulous! 
• Workshop uses adhesives from SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY3L™ and paper, etc from American Crafts and Cosmo Cricket.

Become a Gift Giving Goddess

• W0401
• Saturday,  January 23, 2010, 7-9pm
• During this class you will make a ton of knock-’em-dead gift packages that will cause people to love the package as much as the gift. 
• Workshop uses adhesive from SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY3L™ and papers, boxes, etc from Basic Grey, American Crafts, Prism and Sizzix.

Inspiring Adhesive Solutions

• W0608
• Sunday, January 24, 2010, 6-8pm
• Get ready to make a lot scrapbook layouts in this class!  We will use a variety of adhesives , learn some new tricks and create fabulous scrapbook pages - some single and some double pagers.
• Workshop uses adhesive from SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY3L™ and papers, etc from Me and My Big Ideas, Doodlebug and Prism.

Registration has already opened - I hope to see you there!

*blowing the dust off this blog*

OOOOH it has been awhile since I have blogged.  It is probably one of the longest times I have gone without blogging since I started in 2006.  There are many reasons but nothing too serious. 

Basically, I have been busy.  Nice excuse, huh?

Most of it is work related but all in a good way.  I have 2 new jobs (scrapbook related) which have kept me busy this last month.  You know how it is with new jobs – everything takes longer than it should because you are getting used to a new way to do things.  I have enjoyed every minute of it but it hasn’t left me much time for creating. And to be honest I haven’t missed it.  To me, this tells me, I a needed a break.

But now I am getting the creative urge again so today I got a little creative.  There are a lot of you out there who celebrate Christmas (I do as well) and I have had lots of emails for these (I did them last year as well) so I have a little blog present for you.  Here are some tags you can download and print. I updated the colors (there are two color versions this year) and updated the fonts and year.

You can print them on a sticker sheet or onto cardstock (this is what I do) and adhere (or punch a hold and attach with ribbon)

Enjoy!

I just realized that I forgot to post this Halloween Banner that I made recently using Basic Grey and some Sizzix dies.

Banner is made with this die and the Eerie Collection - it was a snap to put together.  I raised some of the stickers with foam squares and created the glitter letters using this method.

I am definitely going to make another one of these for Christmas!

Sizzix has a great pop-up die in the shape of a ball that I love.

It is great for cardmaking but I found a new use for it – to make halloween pumpkin decorations.  Take a look at this.

Isn’t it adorable?  I just love it. Of course you could make the same thing inside a card but I like this little guys as a stand alone decoration.

I didn’t make this as a pop-up (no elastics on the inside) and used 6 side panels to create it (and not the layered panels with the hole for the elastics).  It is still flexible enough for me to slip in a little electronic tea light inside so that it glows at night (we are having a huge halloween bash next week and I am using these to decorate the house).

For the top of the pumpkin I just rolled a piece of brown cardstock and glued on some thin, curly strips of green cardstock and poked it into the hole that was already there.

For the jack-lantern face I used this die. 

I think I am going to make a bunch more of these for around my house - using patterned paper for some of them.  The kidlets can take them home at the end of the night.

I blogged a handwriting challenge here yesterday.  Be sure to check it out.

The CreativFestival starts here in Toronto, ON tomorrow and I am going to be at the show with Scrapbook & Cards Today all day. Scrapbook & Cards Today is hosting the Paper Arts Park which means product showcases, make ‘n’ takes, giveaways and more!

Today I thought I would show you one of the make ‘n’ takes that we will be hosting. 

This gorgeous card is made using Sizzix Textured Impressions (embossing folders) and dies (paper flower, felt flower).

If you have never checked out Sizzix’s Movers & Shapers card making system (which is used to make the above card) take a minute – it is an incredible time saver + it makes stunning, personalized designs.

Hope to see you there (if you are local).  :)

(Cardstock by Prism, Patterned Paper & Ribbon by Basic Grey, Adhesive & Foam Squares by Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L)

This past weekend I visited my hometown for Thanksgiving (Canada).  While there I went to visit one of my favorite spots – the border crossing between Canada and the USA.  Even as a kid it fascinated me that  all that separated the countries was a river (and in some areas nothing more than an imaginary line).

Today I thought I would share some photos for those who have never been to this area (Sarnia, ON Canada / Port Huron, MI, USA)

The above photo was taken from the Canadian side and shows the two Bluewater Bridges.  When I was a kid there was only one bridge but there were always huge line-ups so a second bridge was built in the late 90’s.

I am standing in Sarnia, ON and looking across the St. Clair river to Port Huron, MI. This river is very deep and allows tons off shipping to come through (Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes, is just to the right of where I am standing).

The river is pretty swift and it is crazy when I think about how I used to swim here as a teenager (teenagers are not always very bright!).  We used to jump in further upstream and float down to this point under the bridge and get out.  The whole time you kind of had to keep swimming to stay close to the shore as the currents are wicked (our parents used to scare us a kids about the dangerous currents but as teenagers we promptly forgot!)

I spent a lot of time as a child crossing between Canada and the US.  Both countries felt like home to me – just different colored money!  LOL  Funny to think I only needed 50¢ and a birth certificate back then to cross! 

Above is a view from under the bridge looking up-river to Lake Huron (Lake Huron flows into the St.Clair River).  The USA is on the left and Canada is on the right.

One of the best things about Sarnia, On is the beaches. This photo was take not too far from the last photo (bridges are off-frame, to the left). Port Huron is across the water and to the right, Lake Huron opens up.

The above photos is just a slightly different angle from the previous photo. It was a cold and blustery day but was it ever nice to see all that water again!

This photo was taken from the same spot – just looking to my right.  Gorgeous, gorgeous lake!  Lake Huron is my fave of all the Great Lakes and I spent MANY hours in this lake as a child.  Great temp, sandy beaches (looks yucky now but that is just ’cause it is Fall)  and stretches as far as the eye can see.

Thanks for coming down memory lane with me!

Hope you get a day of cardmaking today.  Me, I am not sure yet.  Might be able to squeeze some in but it is a busy weekend for us.

I’m just posting quickly to let you know that Scrapbook & Cards Today has a year of cards  up on their blog today to inspire you – one for each month of the year.

There are samples + sketches + some great prizes to be won just for leaving a comment.  Go and look and enter for a chance to win.

Have you ever seen the fabulous work of Lisa M. Pace?  Gorgeous! 

Well, yesterday I decided to sign up for her All Hallow’s Eve workshop for a little Halloween creative inspiration. 

I love online classes because it gives you a chance to learn from people you might not get a chance to because of location.  The class had already started but it didn’t matter.  It is a work-at-your-own-pace kind of workshop – projects get posted with photos and full instructions and you make them whenever the mood strikes!  Love that.

Today I go shopping for a few supplies that I need – nothing major.  Most of the stuff I already have (basic scrapbook stuff ,really) but I do need to get some crepe paper rolls.  Lisa does amazing things with this inexpensive material!

I am sure I will be sharing more about it soon.  Happy Crafting!