Tuesday 27 November 2012

a look back and sneak peak into the future!


ha! that title makes it sound like i have a crystal ball! nope. just a post reviewing the Year In Review classes i designed for Urban Scrapbook this year.

the 2012 instalment for the Year in Review was based on sketches. i did not make any of them myself. i have found that i do not possess that talent right now! i found them mostly at Page Maps and The Colour Room. a few i found in other less known challenge blogs like Sketch Savvy, Scrapbook & Cards Today, Scrapbooks Etc. and Creative Scrappers. i found using a sketch was a great challenge for me and i enjoyed using them. sometimes i followed it with exact dimensions, but most of the time it was a great starting point for inspiration.

i love trying new techniques with paper. some have been around for awhile, and just not used with the awesome products we have to choose from today. others i discovered by accident in my own scrapbook room. most are from spending many hours reading technique books, magazines or blogs. often i will even take a newly learned technique and put my own spin on it. the list of techniques i want to try is always longer than the ones that actually get done. if i can find a way to add more hours into my days....then that list will be complete!

i have been blessed to become good friends with my faithful and hardworking students! they have enriched my life as we have gotten to know one another. i am speechless when i think about the challenges and joys that they have in their daily lives. the impact they have had on me are priceless. we have laughed, cried, laughed until we cried, have deep and thoughtful conversations, shared stories that are right from the heart, enjoyed jokes and humour in between taught techniques. really, it's a wonder we get any work done! i've seen friends bring friends, and new friends become made in the class. i look forward to the classes each month and hearing how everyone has been in the weeks since we last chatted. i have also felt tremendous support from the girls with my own challenges in the last little while. thank you for the giggles, hugs and tears!!

and let's get on with a look back at 2012....
{click on month title to see the post with detail photos}

January

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i introduced the brand new Tattered Pincone die by Tim Holtz in this class. the ladies got lots of practice as they had to make THREE of them! i also reintroduced the technique of printing journaling on paper with the help of my computer. to create the snowflakes we used a white Staz-On ink pad, Picket Fence Distress Stain and white Embossing Powder. each of those products give a different appearance. each student had their own personal favourite for each of those products and what effect they liked.

February

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the Tattered Pinecone die came back! this time they used it to make roses. THREE more. they worked so hard on these - as i knew they would! i added in two simple flowers to make using Glubers and ribbon. both flowers giving a different look because of how we assembled them on the Gluber. i used Perfect Pearls as well. this product has been around a long time, but is making a timely comeback. we used it dry and wet. it is a fun product with more than enough options for creativity.

March

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this layout involved a lot of cutting and no flowers. we altered both backgrounds. we added additional texture with tissue paper and denim. they also used 3 different colours of Core' dinations Cardstock. when you emboss or sand it, you actually get a dual colour.

April

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another neutral layout. no flowers. we made our own pennant flags using regular sewing pins, pearls and bits of the paper. most of the paper trimming was done for them....with a great deal of help from my new Silhouette Cameo. we did minor alterations with stamps, ink, spray mist, stencils and crackle glue. we also lost count of how many pop dots were added to this layout alone!

May

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since winter was coming to an end, we HAD to bring out some colour. and more flowers! this time i chose to use flowers for  my photos, and added in a few pre-made flowers. we used another old product that has been reformulated. Perfect Pearl in the bottle. we created mini pearls all over the pages. we also painted with it, and did some colour mixing. we also saved lots of fussy cutting by learning to take advantage of gorgeous packaged die cuts.

June

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back to a more neutral layout again. this time we played with the latest trend: hexagons! it was fun to try a few techniques using Grunge Paper, Lindy's mists and even some crackle glue medium. i also took a burlap ribbon and altered it as one of the techniques. i also completely overestimated the amount of cutting involved. i'm still hearing about it!! i'm sure they will soon forget and agree that all that trimming was well worth the effort.

July

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flowers, flowers everywhere! and all but one was pre-cut for them. i went totally feminine and vintage with this one. i do believe i hit the jackpot with a new technique. this layout gets talked about for good reasons! we used alcohol ink, fragments and even a few little stamps to add some homespun detail. nothing makes me happier than to hear about how much fun they had with a new or old technique. i also love to see the variety of results everyone can get with the same products. it's always nice to have a personal detail on a layout.

August

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i kept the vintage feel, but put a very masculine spin on it this time. the new/old technique was to use envelopes and notecards to create hidden journaling. sometimes journaling isn't for all eyes. there were a few small techniques here....like the altered ruler, typewriter with added note, faux lacing on the background paper, tissue tape and the neatest binder clips ever made.

September

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the colours of Alberta Autumn is an opportunity that i don't want to miss. they got lots of practice making rosettes. they also loved playing with a combination of gold UTEE, Mica Flakes and glitter. they were all impressed with how simple it was to use. i also brought back the alcohol technique from July that they loved....just using a different fragment for a change. even though most of the elements were cut out for them before hand, it was another time consuming layout.

October

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this layout won the prize for quickest assembled! everyone was in shock. we used some molding paste to add texture to our background. a big hit! they also loved the pinwheels included. a piece of cake to assemble and they look so elegant. it was also nice for the girls to fully complete this layout in class with time to shop afterward.

**note: there is one kit available at Urban Scrapbook. stop by the store or purchase online by requesting "so blessed - October YIR". 

November

 photo Nov2012YIRfulllayout.jpg one out of two classes have completed this layout. {my next group will complete this layout in a few days.} this one repeats a twist on a technique i used in my 2010 year in review classes. the use of embossing powders to create a vintage metallic effect on paper. i brought back the crackle glue again. it had been along time since we used old dictionary pages, and this paper accommodated that addition very nicely. there was also some alterations made to a metal embellishment that the first class enjoyed. i suspect it will be the same result with my next group. we all love simple and quick alterations.

**note: there is one kit available at Urban Scrapbook. stop by the store or purchase online by requesting "snapshots - November YIR". 

December

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this class has not yet been taught. due to Christmas and New Years creating havoc with schedules we all agreed it was best to move this class before the Christmas rush gets too crazy. they come back and finish their albums in a few weeks. this time they get to play with the brand new Sticky Embossing Powder and Loose Rock Candy Glitter. as well as the new snowflake rosette. they also will be doing a bit of sewing....just a tiny bit. {it isn't a technique, but check out those chipboard snowflakes. they are an embellishment from Pink Paislee. and they are amazing. i haven't seen snowflakes this unique for a few years. we have a few more months of snow in this part of the globe....there will be lots of photos in our albums with snow, and those snowflakes will work with any paper you choose to pair it with.}

12 months. 24 pages. and one very full album! my favourite album for my layouts are the leather bound ones from We Are Memory Keepers. they are high quality and seems to hold all of the dimension the best. they also come in a variety of colours! mine are on display, so they coordinate with my home colours too.

as i mentioned in my last post....the girls who took the class this year will have an empty first and last page in their binders. as an option for them, i have put together another class so that they can fill those empty spots with help from me. this time it is two single page layouts. i'll share the entire pages after my Thursday class gets a peak first.

be sure to let myself or Urban Scrapbook know that you want to sign up for  this class!! i've capped it at 20 students - and if i still have space, i've been requested to open it up for other customers. you don't want to miss your spot.

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this is the first one. just a hint at this point. yes, there are a few flowers. easy flowers! haha!!

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and the second one. ZERO flowers.

both pages involve ink - wet and dry. that's all i'm saying at this point!

Edited:
click here to see more photos of the 2012 Bonus Layout pages.
#1 Celebrate Today
#2 Always Remember This

in 2010 and 2011 the Year In Review classes were mostly theme based. i tried to create some that would work for more than one month, if someone wanted to move pages around to accommodate events or holidays. in 2012 all of the pages were based on sketches, as i mentioned. i've been formulating my plan for 2013. i may still use sketches. i may still keep some thematic pages. however i am going for a major change. i want to have each month based on a colour family. each month will have a colour of it's own. i think it would make a cool album when it is finished. the other big change will be to start this session in February, rather than in January like i have in the past. another change is to not have classes scheduled for July and August. i prefer to teach classes that have people in them! ha!! summer is a busy time and i don't want people to get too far behind if they are busy making memories and taking photos of those special moments. i do have a rough plan for the colours i want to use each month. but i don't want to limit myself to that! as products become available i want to be flexible. i'm excited about the changes.

those who are enrolled in the present Year In Review classes will have the opportunity to reserve a spot first. i know that there are some other customers who wanted to join in this year as well. we are keeping  a list of those interested and enrolment will be based on the first come-first served basis.

there are often open spots available during the year for the classes. i hope that this year it will be the same. it is best to call early in the month to book your spot. i rarely have enough time or product create extra kits.

if you have questions: ask them in the comments and i'll reply to your comment. or email me.


i'm hoping to create more classes in 2013 as i have the time. i'll be sure to post here as they get designed!

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