fun at the park

here is my May design team layout for Urban Scrapbook.

i loved looking at the design team layouts again this month. it's so amazing how unique they each turn out. Jan shared that Pink Paislee posted the link to our layouts on their FaceBook page. i don't know if we have had that happen before. isn't that awesome?!



i decided to use this photo from Fort Edmonton Park. it was a garden in the Ottewell Homestead on 1885 street. they let Aidan and Kiara water part of it.

Fort Edmonton Park opens up again next weekend for the summer. i'm excited to go again this year. Kiara has a field trip there this month, and i'm hoping to be one of the parents to join them. one summer it would be fun for the three of us to volunteer as a family.

the doily under my photo is a cut file from the Silhouette Studio Store:

12x12 Background Circles
Design ID#40822

i used the one that is mint green coloured to cut the lighter coloured doily. then i used the external offset tool to cut out the one from the grey paper.



i think i decided to go with the Fort Edmonton picture because of the daisy that was included in the kit. it reminded me of the flowers in the garden. i added some more ink and clear rock candy crackle paint. then i found some 3D flowers in the Silhouette store that worked well.

Silhouette Store: 3D Layered Chrysanthemum
Design ID # 16303

Silhouette Store: Layered Chrysanthemum
Design ID # 38039






using the same paper that my doily was cut from, i did just a bit of fussy cutting. yup. just a little bit. on the flower portion, i also added some clear rock candy crackle paint.

i got to use the prima gem crystals again too. they look great used in their original circle shape. but you can also cut out individual crystals too, just like the strips that are popular. i used a brad from my collection for the one flower, but i could have easily put it together like i did the yellow flower....using adhesive and then putting the crystals in the centre.



one of the items was a linen fabric flower from Maya Road. there were no roses in the photo and i didn't like how it was looking left as is. so i unrolled it and used the linen like ribbon. some of the girls left theirs as is....and others did some alterations to it. i love products that can be used in so many unique ways!

i loved the Prima trinkets on their own. but i decided to alter the colours with some alcohol inks. i used the same method i taught in a class last year. anyone of my students remember how we altered the acrylic frames and trinkets in July and September?! the quickest and most rewarding technique ever!! i'll have to use it again in one of my classes this year.

i am also in love with the decorative photo frames. they add lots of interest to a simple photo. but they area also great background detail too. again, love products with more than one option.






the detail in the rub-ons from Pink Paislee were spectacular. they were easy to apply and looked like they were a part of the paper. i had set my set aside because i knew i wanted them to be applied towards the end. then i found them as i was cleaning up! oh no!! i had to peel off my "F", but thankfully the dry adhesive had not set yet.



these letters are part of the Pink Paislee Heidi Swapp products. in the package they don't look special. but after using wet or dry inks, they come to life. i used Pumice Stone and Iced Spruce to get the two toned effect.

if you haven't already done so, check out the other pages on display in the store. if you are a last minute crafter and need to make a Mother's Day card before Sunday....there are a few examples of some different designs. Pat used the kit to create some cards.

i will be grateful for this day

we had a great time putting together the "yellow" layout this past week. the class got to play around with some Ranger Shrink Plastic and glitter. how much better could a day possibly get?! ha!! i'm excited to see and hear about the projects they completed that have those new techniques incorporated into them.

my next class just got announced for May. {dates at the end of the post}

the colour is Purple. i think some Mothers' Day photos would look fantastic on this layout. my photos have navy and lime green as the main colours, and the purple really works well with them. don't be afraid to add colour photos!

much of the layout will focus on Multi-Medium. most of us think that it is only good as a glue. fortunately that is just a rumour. there are a few other quick techniques thrown into the class as well.



i think the classes will like that this has some messy AND neat elements. why use all the wonderful multi media products on a canvas or art journal...use them on your layouts and display them in a pretty frame.



i can't wait to see the reaction to how simple this technique is.



or this one. i had a bit of a surprise myself when i finished this part. it turned out a bit differently than i had expected. this time, it was a happy mistake.



i can't get enough of this. i have to make some more layouts with this technique.



lots of layers and a technique for each layer.



i really enjoyed putting this together. i also love these photos of two of my most favourite people. they look so much older now. i'm very grateful that i followed the advice of a good friend to take many photos when the kids were young. they still are young. and i'm still taking photos as much as i can of them. i'm so looking forward to better weather. there are only so many photos one can have of kids in parkas and snow. sigh.

anyways, i digress about the speedy growth of these darlings. ha!



the class details:

call the Urban Scrapbook to book your spot at 780-451-3459

Saturday, May 25 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

                        or

Wednesday, May 29 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm {sorry full}

good news!

i now have 2 open spots in my class this month....


Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

this class is packed full of technique... 

       perfect pearls....Shrink Plastic....as well as some other amazing products....

                ...with a few new twists too! 

{ click here for class details }

call Urban Scrapbook to reserve your spot: 780.451.3459

card kit on my Cameo

what a crazy week! last week i made about 30 cards - notecard size. then i made some boxes to hold the cards. this week i gave them away. it helped that i made 7 cards in each design. it cut down the time it takes to design them.

these were my favourite. it was not as quick as the other cards. the easy part was that it came designed as a kit from the Silhouette store.

confession: it was the last card i made for the gifts. after they were done, i was kicking myself for not having started out using my Cameo to make the others. it was fun to think of simple designs. but sometimes it is handy to have had someone else plan the design...and then you can just copy it!!



this was one version.



and this was the other version.

the little buttons are mini-brads. i remember buying them for pages when the kids were super small and i don't think i have used a single one in the past 5 years. they were perfect for these flower centres.



i added a piece of white paper to the back so that they can add a greeting.

i used a combination of the knife tool and internal offset tool to cut out the perfect size. i'm so glad that i thought to try this! i need to do this kind of design alteration more often....so much faster than measuring and slicing each individual piece.

card kit flower pot by Lori Whitlock : Design ID #8696

they have at least 5 pages of card kits. click here to take a peak. or type "card kit" to do a search.

gift box - circles by A Little Hut: Design ID #27342

this is the box that they were put into. i didn't take photos of them after they were done.

i'm happy to say that everyone was happy to have received the gifts. each Wednesday night from September to April, i lead a group of preschoolers for an Awana club at our church. we have almost 40 of them in total and it is the craziest hour and a half of my week. i organize a group of 7 other leaders to assist me in keeping these kids entertained and happy. if even one of the leaders is missing, we totally notice it. as crazy as the night gets, we manage to have a lot of fun together. we had a fabulous team this year. they rarely - if ever - missed a night and showed a ton of enthusiasm even if they had a horrible day. these 7 ladies were the ones who were given these note card collections. we are all happy for a break and to have our Wednesday nights open again. however, i will miss my regular interactions with them. sometimes they made me laugh until it hurt!!

on top of the world

the April monthly kit at Urban Scrapbook is amazing.

most of the products were from Prima. the papers and some of the elements were from the Engraver Collection. the gold flowers {also sold in silver} are from Finnabair's collection. the wooden border is from Studio Calico.



i had printed this photo for a different layout, but then decided that it would be perfect for these papers. a few years ago we took a trip to the island of Maui. one of the places we visited was at the top of the volcano on the island. Haleakala. it was amazing. although the twisty "mountain" road created some anxiety for myself. {at almost every turn - going up and coming down - it appeared as if the road would suddenly end at some point.} you literally feel like you are on the top of the world. there is even an observatory at the top. we heard that the sunrises/sunsets at the top are very memorable. as well as the view of the night sky. we'll try that one day too!



i changed the colour of my wooden border with ink and water. when it was dry, i stamped on it with a darker ink. then i melted some UTEE on it. i used my Ranger Embossing Dabber on it, and that worked really well to keep the UTEE in place while it melted!



these paper flowers are so much fun to alter. they are more durable than other paper flowers and can handle a lot of products. i kept some the same, added a bit of dry ink to others and a few i sprayed with Dylusions Black Marble spray. i even went so far to take a few apart and build larger flowers. one of the petals became the end of one of the "rulers".



as soon as i saw this paper, i knew that this is exactly what i wanted to do to it! super quick because all of the cutting is in straight lines. just roll up the ends and glue the underside to keep the rolled part together.

the pattern on the clothespin didn't go so well with my design in the end. i trimmed some scraps of my paper to fit and it worked really easily.

i challenged myself to leave my Cameo turned off for this page. trust me when i tell you that it caused its' own kind of anxiety and pain!! ha!! i kept thinking of specific designs that would have been perfect. i took it totally old school and kept to inks and basic cutting tools. i did do some fussy cutting of some flowers. okay, there was a border and leaf punch that begged to be used. haha!!

looking at the wall where the design team layouts are posted, the pages are incredible. again, same products but what a variety! there are so many ideas and techniques that will work on many kinds of layouts. go to Urban Scrapbook and get inspired today!!

redemption

i love this online store:

DIGNIFY

the story behind this company really intrigued me. Shelley works with companies that support women in third world countries. i love that she works to carefully choose companies that truly give their profits directly to the women doing the creative work. i know that i alone can't change the life of a country, city or even just one woman. but i'm happy to help in a small way. i'm sure i'm not alone in that thinking.

i recently received an e-mail from the company listing new products that they have in stock. more jewelry designs, home decor, gifts....

it occurred to me that maybe some of my readers would be interested in the products and company as well. {{i'm not getting paid to share this!}} i just think it is an amazing way to support other women who are creative. 

i'll share a selection of my faves....but you have to go to her website to check out all of the items. 

i love the colour of this blanket. there are six layers of saris that make up each blanket. and they are totally unique.

amazing right?!

the prices are not rock bottom. you have to remember that you are not just buying a cool and unique item.... your money is also going to invest in the life of another woman who has not been as fortunate as yourself. i also love that every time you look at the blanket or whatever item you purchase you can also enjoy the feeling of doing a small part to help another person.

the products ship out right away and they arrive packaged beautifully too.....

love it!

the Parsnip Kantha Throw looked exactly like the photo in the store listing. 

this was a gift. i have to admit that i wanted to keep this for myself! part of my reason for the purchase was because the recipient has a desire to help others in rough circumstances. i thought she would appreciate knowing that her gift was not only one of a kind, but also made a difference in the life of another person.

i know i will be making more purchases in the future. not just for gifts, but also for myself. money well spent.

check it out : dignify

send others that you know are interested in pretty things and helping others at the same time.

captured memories

my April Year in Review layout is all about yellow!




lots of yellows. from cream to ochre.

you can check out my inspiration board for this layout here.



i thought it would be fun to create a layout that included some cameras. and a filmstrip ribbon. and a viewfinder wheel. ha! while i was on the camera train of thought...why not ann old fashioned looking cabinet card.



there are several techniques on this layout. some are new twists on old techniques. most of them are pretty quick and not too difficult to learn. this photo has at least 10 techniques in this small section of the layout.



the sparkly gold letter stickers were a bit of a jump for me. i like glitter...in small doses! it was a wonderful surprise to see how well they worked with this sort of vintage layout.



and don't get me started on that washi tape. i loved the idea that it looked like measuring tape. and it was yellow. ha!! i was not expecting the uneven appearance of the yellow....love it!


a number of my students have all kinds of wonderful vintage photos that would look great on this layout. the design isn't set, so it is open to the photos setting the theme. those that are not so fortunate to have those old photos can print their modern photos in sepia tone or black and white. i used an action by Willette that gives my black and white photos a bit of a brown to them. another option for colour photos would be to find some that have yellows or browns as a dominant colour (maybe from autumn?). they entire layout would be very calm. or go over to the other end of the colour wheel and find something with a blue-green...it just has to be the right blue-green! the final effect will be much bolder and your photos will really stand out. some beach photos may have great balances of the sand, water and sky that will look great against this background.

i can't wait to teach the fun techniques in this class!!

class details....

Thursday, April 25 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm {sorry - full}

or 

Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

contact the Urban Scrapbook at 780.451.3459 to register.