live in the moment

this photo was taken in 2009. my babies seemed so grown up at the time. my oldest was just about to start kindergarten and my youngest would soon start her first year of preschool. their lives were so simple. as their parents, ours was not quite as much! however it definitely reminded us to enjoy each moment despite the quickly passing days.



this has been a fun year for the design team at Urban Scrapbook. each month has a new challenge. this one was to follow a sketch. i did an entire year of classes creating layouts on a variety of sketches a few years ago. you can check them out here. if you have not yet tried creating layouts or cards using a sketch, you do need to give it a try. sometimes they end up looking exactly like the sketch and other times it looks nothing like it. as you go through the process of putting the papers and photos together, it eliminates the questions: "does this arrangement look ok? would this embellishment look better here....or here....or here...?"



if you have not tried it yet, you MUST buy the Xyron sticker maker. i pop my letters inside and it puts dry adhesive on the back of them. it's seriously the best thing since sliced bread.
and if you have not tried the "Wink of Stella" glitter brushes....well....get with it! don't even bother to ask me which colour you should get. i'm still in debate over which one would be the best addition...because you definitely need them all.



i confess that i tried a few techniques on a few other sheets of paper. did. not. work. like. i. wanted. sigh. i think they will work for a different set of papers....but i didn't have much time to mess around and bring them around from the dark side. some days are like that. onwards and upwards!

i hadn't made these pinwheels in awhile. they are just plain fun to put together. after making a big mess of things i needed a little pick me up! haha!

as you can tell blogging and scrapbooking have fallen through the cracks of my life for the past bit. it might look like i'm stepping away from one or both of them...but i'm not! honest. i'm trying to balance my life between work, family and this incredible hobby. i was just thinking that i should create a page comparing my first classroom to my present classroom. the differences are enormous.

stay with me. i may not be posting as frequently as i used to, but i'll still be here. living in the moment.

frozen

January Monthly Kit at the Urban Scrapbook

the new BoBunny Woodlands Winter papers are incredible. i had trouble picking a favourite paper out of the kit. love original designs like this!

there is also a snowflake stencil in the kit that is a lot of fun!

here is my layout:



i tried several techniques on the background page as well as bits of pieces on other papers.. lots of fun! a snowflake stencil is included in your kit, so it was a fabulous excuse to think of many different ways to use it.



i cut some detailed snowflakes on my Cameo. then i added clear glass glitter. i love the look of the glass glitter against the white snowflake. it looks just like frost!
it is a bit difficult to see, but i also cut a snowflake from the Tim Holtz Frosted Film with my Cameo. it cuts it perfectly!



to make the title thicker, i cut out 3 layers from chipboard and adhered them together. the patterned paper was adhered on top. it is hard to tell the glimmer on the title. i got that effect by using a Wink of Stella glitter pen. love that pen!! i haven't gotten the look from any other technique i've used...it's totally unique.

another part of the kit are some clear rhinestone crystals. i kept some connected as they were in the package and cut others apart so that they were singles.

there are some more designs on display at Urban Scrapbook. as usual, the design team members have so many different styles and this kit was perfect for all of us. go, check it out and be inspired!

it's the Halloween Countdown!

chalkboard and glitter. fun!

Happy Haunting by My Mind's Eye has them both.



i love this skeleton. i really think it stole the show in this collection.

i had a halloween countdown item that had a really ugly picture on it. but i loved the countdown idea. it was a perfect opportunity to make it look pretty. of course we are down to 20 days until Halloween...

it was a rosette making storm in my studio! i hadn't made these in a long time, and suddenly i used them on both of my halloween projects. what are the odds?



i totally love how the pumpkin turned out. i used the Flourish and Wings Texture Fade by Sizzix. although i was wishing i had the Halloween Words and Cobwebs...a spider web would have looked really amazing though. we were given the orange Core'dinations cardstock with a kraft core.

those little vials are so fun. i've filled them with sand, glitter, beads.... the yellow one is a mix of yellow re-inker, water and gold glitter. the black one is microbeads and black ink spray. i coloured the cork tops with some black and dark brown ink.

i took the shine off of my binder clip with some nearly black Inka Gold metallic rub by Viva.



i cut out a spider with my Cameo. added silver Inka Gold metallic rub to the web. then pulled out some ancient Doodlebug crushed velvet flocking to make him furry. i think black Distress Glitter would have looked awesome.

i also cut out the words: "days until" with my cameo. i added adhesive to the letters using my Xyron Sticker Maker. that little tool has been around longer than i've been scrapbooking.....but it is awesome! no runny liquid glue distracting my layout.


i was "oooohing" and "aaaahhhhing" over the other projects the girls made at Urban Scrapbook with this kit. many of them used the Apothecary Bottles Bigz Die to cut out shapes for their projects. as well as a few of the other new Halloween dies and embossing folders. they are so inspiring!

only boring people are bored...

...and we are not boring!

primary colours? check! {  red, blue and yellow  }

secondary colours? check! {  green, purple and orange  }

here is layout Number Seven...



black!

is black a colour? well....if you mix all of the primary colours together then you will get black. or at least close to black.

how lucky for me that the hot trend right now is chalkboard. it really helped make this layout more fun. i had thought about going "halloween" style...but i changed my mind when i saw the new chalkboard papers.

i decided to keep one of the pages more classic. black and white photo. and as many black elements as possible. there is just a touch of white and silver on this page.

this one is more playful. i decided to use colourful photos on this page. those colours really pop against the black background. this would be a great place to use those very colourful photos that conflict against the coloured pattern papers. sometimes the story of a layout is more about the colour of an event, isn't it?

and don't you adore those cute little chalkboard frames?!

i chose this quote because it is one of the more original ones that i have seen lately. the other option had the lyrics to "you are my sunshine", which i also love. {My Mind's Eye: Chalk Studio - in stock at Urban Scrapbook}

i think this little mason jar is one of my favourites right now. it was fun to make. i'm excited to see what my students think of this technique too.

and then there is this technique with the chalkboard "clips". it is another new product that has some pretty cool properties.

pre-made embellishments are fine. i take advantage of them at any possible moment. but. there is just something fun about the embellishments that you make yourself. they can be customized and altered until they are just right.

you can register for this class by calling Urban Scrapbook at 780.451.3459

Thursday, October 24, 6:00 to 9:00 pm {sorry, full)

                   or

Saturday, October 26: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

i have absolutely loved this Year of Colour. for the first time i have been tempted to frame the entire year on a wall in my house. maybe not both pages of the layouts...but how cool would they look if they were displayed in a grouping of three by three? hmmm.... i'm so thankful for the great group of ladies that come out each month and get their hands full of ink! i look forward to these classes and you inspire me to keep creating. 

i didn't forget!

ok. who sped up the clocks this month?!!

so much for teaching a class in the summer. i made a "to do" list for myself at the start of July. i don't think well if i'm not organized. room by room i managed to de-clutter and breathe easier. i managed to get 90% of the list marked off as complete....so i'm happy.

the day i went into Urban Scrapbook to organize for the September class i wanted to get working on the layout right away. of course life got in the way. but i am always so happy to have some of the ideas from my head work out on the design. this was one of those projects.



that's all i'm giving you for now.

oh yes, there are details. it wouldn't be a Roxanne layout if there weren't! ha!!

however the majority of the details will be fun. and not really that messy either. shocking!?

anyways, for those of you that have signed up for the class, you can expect the photos and details in your mailbox very soon. i plan to make a trip to the store before Saturday to hang it on the wall. the pictures are good - however you have to see it in person to see the little details. and the shimmer!

you are the best

am i the only one who can't believe that May is nearly over?! it feels like it flew by in the blink of an eye....until i look at my calendar and see that we packed more into the past month than i thought humanly possible! June is stacking up to be a replica of May. we are so thankful that the month is full of fun activities. which means some photo opportunities and more memories to record.

i'm entering June with a bit of trepidation though. it was the month that landed me in the hospital only a year ago. my husband "celebrated" Father's Day by bringing our kids to visit me in the hospital. Aidan and Kiara had both made Father's Day gifts at school but refused to give them to Daddy until Mommy was home. i think he deserves to be greatly spoiled this year!

it had been a few years since i created a layout geared to Fathers. we had not done the colour BLUE yet, so i thought it was a fitting time.



i realize that not everyone wants to do a "dad" layout, so i also tried to keep it on the generic side. the kits will include some rub-ons with Father Quotes....but there are some quotes in the package that could apply to anyone that you admire.



Distress Paints are a new product on the shelves. i'm still learning how to use them as well. they are a bit different from other acrylic paints i've used. the May layout was quite intense - a surprise because it looked so simple. the techniques on the June layout will build on the techniques we used in the May layout class.



in class, we will talk about how to use the techniques we learned in the previous class....as well as expanding on new techniques that the Distress Paints will allow us to do.



these letter stickers are so awesome!! i decided to create my title to look like the styles of quotes that i often see on Pinterest. i'm not sure what this style is called....chalkboard?



it has been ages since i got interactive on a layout. when i was creating my baby albums i had something like this on nearly every one. a perfect little mini album to add extra photos or journaling. sometimes we have photos of occasions that we love, but end up blurry when we print them. hidden photos are a simple way to highlight the excellent photos, but include those less than perfect photos without distracting from those lovely photos.



here is a view of the album open. i attached it so that it is secured to the layout, but i can still remove it from my layout to get a closer look.



this class is coming up very quickly too!

Saturday, June 15: 1:30 - 4:30 pm
Thursday, June 20 6:00 - 9:00 pm

call Urban Scrapbook {780-451-3459} to register for your spot!

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}

beautiful smile

the beginning of my fourth Year in Review classes will be starting this month!

i had some space in my final 2012 classes that were scheduled in January. the final pages were designed as two separate pages to complete the 2012 albums. but after they were finished i realized that they fit in perfectly to the 2013 class as well!

{you can see page one here and page two here}

here is the FIRST layout for the 2013 Year in Review....

the colour for this month is red...which includes pink in the spectrum!

i could not resist the hearts to go with it.

you could use photos that had a valentine theme. or something from everyday. most of us use photos of people who smile...so the title should work for all of us as well! i prefer not to use pre-made titles that limit the use of photos we can pick from. i am also in need of more title ideas....if you have one, please share!

the class dates are scheduled:
Thursday, February 28 from 6 to 9 pm  {sorry full}
Saturday, March 2, from 10am to 1pm {3 spaces available}

my inspiration for this layout came from a few places.

a few papers from Glitz....Hello Friend.

i adore the fade out look of the patterns.

and this children's craft from Martha Stewart.

here are some details....

the frosted film arrived and i missed it. i had completely forgotten about this product that debuted at the Summer 2012 CHA trade show. then a second order came in and it was suggested that i try it out. it is amazing!! 

these embellishments will be made as one of the techniques demonstrated in the class. i cannot wait. there was much excitement in my house they day these were made! i expect that my students will become just as giddy. can. not. wait.

here are the full pages again:

please excuse the photo quality. the days when i needed good sunlight to take this photo....it was either cloud or warm light at the end of the day. the background paper colour is more true in the top photo. there really isn't any of the yellow that the second photo suggests.

a few people commented that i used the same photo 4 times. it appears that way. except they were 4 separate photos taken barely seconds apart with my DSLR on continuous action. a handy little feature!

i'm looking forward to the students who are returning for another year, and meeting those who are joining us for the first time. it will be a great year, filled with lots of COLOUR!

2011 Year in Review overview

here is a super quick over view of my 2011 Year in Review Classes.
**but still a long post with a ton of photos!**


my students signed up once and were automatically registered for the class each month. they chose either the Thursday Option (6:00 pm to 9:00 pm) or the Saturday Option (10:00 am to 1:00pm). the class was held on the last Thursday or Saturday of the month. the only time we made exceptions were due to holidays. the most extreme was Christmas....in which case we all decided that it would be better to meet mid-month, rather than in the middle of Christmas and New Years' when life was busy and unorganized!

when you register, you will commit for the year. if space allows, you could register for a class on a single-time basis. the number of spaces are very small. also you will want to check back to my blog at the beginning of each month to see the layout, then register!

i also work very hard to finish the up-coming layout of the month to be viewed at least a month before the scheduled class. for instance at the January class, i intend to have the February layout complete and ready to share. once my classes have seen the layout, then i post it online for "the world" to see. it is also nice for them to look ahead and either plan photos to take that month, or to find photos that will work with the layout.

if anything needs to be die cut, i do that ahead of time. i try to do as much pre-cutting or prepping ahead of time so that there is time in class for the fun technique stuff. at the start of each month you will also be emailed a supply list. some items are optional...if they are, it is because you may need to share this tool....so it will be less time consuming if you don't have to share! or it may be an item i used on my layout, but could be substituted with something you may already own.

here is the fun stuff.....



JANUARY





the technique we used was a "ghosting" technique that Tim Holtz discovered by accident. this was a fun class because the students had a lot of time to experiment with it. the design was also very simple and i think the majority completed the layout in the 3 hour class time. this was a perfect class technique because it allowed for learning error and allowed for some design changes if desired.


FEBRUARY








glitter!
2 different types of glitter: fine and coarse.
2 different application methods: double sided and liquid adhesives.

and a new twist on the types of glitter to customize your design.

this was a super messy class. i think we were sweeping up the glitter for a few months afterward. ha! we were all glad that we did not have to make the mess in our own homes. although many of the girls loved the glitter enough to use it on other layouts. of course, nearly a month after this class we had a guest instructor who introduced us to a handy-dandy glitter picker upper tool. that would have been soooo handy to have had!


MARCH








masking techniques! Maya Road sells their version of the artistic masking fluid with a narrow nozzle to draw intricate designs.

the technique also used the Ranger Colour Wash. i think its' original purpose was to be used on fabric. but it works amazing on grunge paper....the Butterscotch colour gives a lovely worn-leather look. and paper!

the new tissue tape was also used. an old favourite - Distress Embossing Powder - was also brought in. honestly i don't utilize this cool supply often enough. it takes your heat embossing to a whole new level.

this was one of those layouts that was very difficult to finish in the 3 hour time frame. there were a ton of details that simply took time to complete. lots of techniques to experiment with.



APRIL







this month Pat challenged me to make my own patterned papers. she sent me home with several sheets of white background paper, a set of stamps, one sheet of patterned paper and a few other little details.

we had just attended the annual Edmonton Scrapbook convention and were left feeling inspired by Tim Holtz and Marie Romney-Aslett. the distress stains were also brand new on the market. i had been messing around with them and decided that they were so similar to a concentrated watercolour. after that it was love!! using a variety of ink pads, stamps, acrylic paint and distress stains....we created our background as well as a few embellishments.

another time-intensive layout. a huge leap of confidence for everyone. lots of time to experiment and play with the colours provided. just not a great deal of time to assemble the parts in class.


MAY





sewing!

this paper was the last set of The Girls' Paperie products designed and produced by Margie Romney-Aslett. as i designed this layout, i thought back over our conversations with her. remembering that she came up with the design from this paper by her memories spent with her Grandmother. quilts and old time country fairs were my inspiration. yes, we used a regular sewing machine for this technique!



JUNE






Pat felt i was up to another challenge. this time she encouraged me to design a monochromatic layout. as soon as i was done i decided that i wanted an entire album that was monochromatic....for each colour in the rainbow.

a bonus was using the Clearly for Art in white to design the flowers. another material that allowed for error and customization. and....most finished in class....except for the photos....many wanted to try the photo collage in the digital way!

another bonus was the chance to be taught digitally and the paper way of creating a photo collage on your page. i'd like to repeat this in another layout this year. you can fit so many photos on a page this way.



JULY







we now had a couple of very feminine layouts, so it was time to include a masculine version.

Kraft Glassine was the main focus of this class. we embossed it, crumpled it, die cut it, inked it with dye ink and alcohol inks, stamped and typed on it. we also used alcohol inks on chipboard to replicate a metallic look for the gears.

this month i had so much die-cutting to do. each set of gears had to be cut from 3 colours of cardstock, one of chipboard (or was it two?) and one of kraft glassine. and that was just the gears! i also had a clock, a sign and 2 words, and a set of borders. i also had to do some design in Photoshop and some printing for each kit too. i recruited my husband and we spent an afternoon and evening bonding over the Vagabond.

the dry embossing was using embossing folders....i brought in my collection and my Vagabond.....and let them customize their own.

despite all the work i had to do, and the amount of work required in class...most finished this one in the class time too. phew!


AUGUST





many of my students were taking holidays that involved camping or hiking. they needed something that could share those photos!

the techniques revolved around wood. wood veneer. real wood twigs. wooden clothespins. wood grain dry embossing. wood grain printed papers. i also came up with my version of a pine cone. i also included some canvas....for those of us who have tents or tent trailers...thankfully we have better material options now....but it was for nostalgia.

another layout that was mostly finished during class.



SEPTEMBER








texture!

glitter paper. metallic foil. kraft glassine. felt. twine. vellum. clear acrylic.

we just added alcohol inks for colour. then spritzed with Perfect Pearls for shine.

and i created another 'pine cone'. made from felt. however i was actually trying to make a flower. is that a failure or success?!

i saw a lot of finished layouts in these classes too.


OCTOBER





black.

black flowers on black background. clear embossing powder on versa mark inked stamps. black gems on black. double heat embossing to create smooth surfaces.

and the loveliest set of clear frames ever designed to date. i had to use all of them!



NOVEMBER





another feminine layout. this time historical vintage.

the technique? tea. we used a 'tea dye' coloured ink pad and 'tea dye' coloured crackle paint. we even had to try dying paper and ribbon with real tea. had to use real tea to get to the historical accuracy, right?! this one involved a lot of detail cutting. there were also so many little details that the students had plenty of options to customize their final layout. an entire sheet of stickers will give you that option!

the great part about many of the materials used this month, is that they could be custom coloured to suit different papers.

we did a lot of time-consuming techniques in class. which did leave some work for later. i had a few from my Saturday crew that finished their day working on the layout in the store!

it was neat to hear what kinds of photos people were using. some just took every day photos and printed them in sepia tones. others used real vintage photos (lucky them! i wished i had some to use) one of the girls found that the paper matched her daughters graduation gown perfectly. that was cool...and will look perfect, especially with the dress form accent.



DECEMBER







more glitter! this time glass glitter.

we also took some other techniques learned during the year and revamped them slightly. like altering one Tim Holtz Rosette die cut to create different sized rosettes. as well as another use for distress ink stain. this time the Picket Fence version. it is a must have. also a few uses for Filter Paper...which we all agreed felt more like tissue paper....and which we all liked better anyway! we did get a few chuckles thinking that last month was "tea" and this month was "coffee".

i also realized how crazy i was. i spent an entire day just cutting paper for the kits. the time i spent doing this meant that there was less work for the students. which meant a simpler layout during a busy month when extra time is just not found.



BONUS EXCLUSIVE!
***the other classes allowed for extra spots and single-time (or triple-time) registrants could pick and choose a class to take. this class is only available to those who registered for the entire year of classes. when their album is completed, they will have an empty front and back page. this way, their album is also complete. they are not automatically registered for this class, as it is a bonus. but there is no fear of them not getting a spot in the class because there are guaranteed a spot. but i do encourage them to sign up as early as possible!!





i used an "autumn" paper line for a winter set of photos.

the first time i will be teaching how to make these pine cones.

i originally thought this would be my FIRST page...but then i created the next one....







i thought the title gave it a great introduction to a new year. if students do not like this title, they could use leftover letter stickers from October...or purchase new ones on their own....or their own special word.

this layout has a hidden pocket.

both layouts involve stitching. this time using the We Are Memory Keepers Sew Easy tool. an affordable option for crafters who love the look of stitching, but don't want to spend a lot of money. you could buy ALL the tools for the Sew Easy, and it is still cheaper than a cheap sewing machine. honestly, you don't need ALL the stitching heads either. each head is versatile and can create a minimum of 3 different stitches. lots of value.


the ladies will probably recognize bits and pieces of layouts from the past year on these final 2 layouts. same techniques, new design.


one change for this class is that we couldn't have it on the last Thursday or Saturday of the month. so we had to improvise with this one as well. i'm hoping that most of them were able to finish their unfinished layouts by that time. if they made it to every class, this would have been easy. i love to see their finished albums as much as they love to see their albums finished! :) there are a few Night Crops at Urban Scrapbook planned for this month too. maybe you can squeeze one or 2 of these into your schedule and finish off those layouts if you missed a class or 2. many of the layouts are still on display at the store, so that would help as well.


i think that covers it. i hope i didn't just succeed in confusing you even more! if you are a new scrapbooker or an experienced one that just wants a few hours a month to craft.....you are welcome to join! just don't wait too long to sign up, i would be sad you would miss out. bring a friend too! you will definitely make more friends, but it is always fun to have a good buddy to join you each month.


if you have questions, you can call Urban Scrapbook at 780.451.3459 or leave a comment here.