BoBunny's Weekend Market

I was going to title this post "Monthly Sketch"....but hey, didn't I just post that a couple weeks ago?? Yikes.  What is going on with days, weeks, and months flying by!


Today I'm featuring my layout created with The Urban Scrapbook's April kit, which is comprised of the gorgeous, deeply coloured Bobunny collection "Weekend Market". 

Lynette designed another wonderful sketch that is included in this kit, which is for sale now in the store.  Jan is the talented artist at Urban who puts these kits together, and she included a number of products from this collection:  Jewels, Buttons and the Combo Stickers....

 The flavour of these papers seems to be travel, however, one sticker on the wonderful sticker sheet caught my attention, and thus my design was born.


Instead of travel, I decided to design a layout about reading.  I am an avid reader....and I'm happy to say that all of our children are as well.  The public library is our second home :)


But in the last couple of years, BoyGenius has spent more time with the XBox and computer than books.  Sigh.  This has been tough for me to watch, but I've been patient and am excited to report that during our Spring Break holiday last week, he finally decided to read a novel I gave him at Christmas.  (It has been collecting dust on his night table for 3 months.  Bigger sigh.)


The world is right again.  He is reading! I celebrated by designing this page....



"Reading is your ticket to travel the world."

Cardstock, corrugated paper and ribbon are also part of this awesome kit!

I attempted to create a bookshelf with the corrugated paper.  I took photos of the books then placed them in the "shelves" as cut-outs.

The tag is made with Coredinations paper, which looks great when you emboss it.  And this is the sticker that inspired my design.

The "ticket" journaling strip is mounted on a wooden ticket (but I forgot to source this element!)

Of course, I didn't run and get my camera when he picked up that book!  I knew that wouldn't help the situation.  This photo is from our summer RV trip (one and only) from 2 years ago.  We had no technology on our trip, so reading became our favourite past time.  Coincidentally, in this photo he is reading a book by the same author of his current book, a wonderful fantasy series called Eragon....about an amazing world of dragons, written by Christopher Paolini, who wrote the first edition when he was 16! 


 I am very fond of Fantasy novels as well, but have not read one in quite awhile.  Watching BG consume Paolini's most current book Inheritance is making me consider reading it myself. 

That might not be considered "cool," so I will leave it on the shelf for now.

In a few days I will post another layout of BoyGenius....this time using Canadian Scrapbooker magazine's April Sketchy Challenge.

Wishing all of you a lovely Easter....and hope you have time on the long weekend to make friends with a good book!

Good news...and Bad news

So, which do you want first?  The good news or the bad news?  I'm always curious about what people choose to hear first.  I'm a "tell me the good news first" type, so that's what I'll deliver...


Part of the good news is that I'm on a Spring Break holiday right now in sunny Phoenix with my family, which is why I haven't blogged in the past couple of weeks.  As far as I'm concerned, palm trees and cactus are ALWAYS good news :)


The bigger good news is....I've been invited to be a featured instructor at Scrapbook Your Heart Retreat!  This is an amazing scrapbooking event organized annually by Allison Orthner and Christy Riopel and Kandi where women come together to scrapbook and explore matters of the heart through creative expression.

The theme of the retreat is "Lessons from the Garden of Life."

Click HERE for more details...and hope you can join us for a fabulous scrapbooking experience!


And now the sad news....


The Graphic 45 2012 Design Team was announced, but I did not make it.  I'm glad I auditioned and want to thank everyone who encouraged me to go for it.  I'm still happy that I was chosen as one of the top 30 finalists, and it's been an exciting few weeks.  I also want to congratulate all the amazingly talented artists who did make the final cut....and can't wait to be inspired by their projects in the upcoming year!


Now, back to Spring Break!  I have 2 more days of hot weather to enjoy....and a couple of American craft stores to check out! 

Monthly Sketches...and Pickles

There are two sketch challenges that I'm involved in every month....one created by Lynette at The Urban Scrapbook and one designed by Jill Sarginson for Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. 


First, here is the March sketch from Jill....

Play along and join  the Sketchy challenge over at Canadian Scrapbooker and you might get published!

How can you get so many photos on a single page?  Scrapbook a birthday, of course!  BabyOfTheFamily celebrated her 12th birthday last month (sniff).  She is going into Junior High in the fall (whimper).  I might not be able to call her "BabyOfTheFamily" anymore (tear rolling down cheek).


And here is the layout of the happy event....

TaDa Creative Studios papers and stickers (BFF collection) and Harmonie yellow ribbon and black alpha stickers.

Pretty bright, isn't it?  Perfect for BOF, who lights up a room and has the sweetest personality :)


You'll be seeing more of these title banners in my layouts ....I suddenly realized I've put them on the last 4 pages I've created....including my next design for Urban Scrapbook's monthly staff challenge....

Jan at Urban Scrapbook put together an amazing kit with these fantastic October Afternoon papers and stickers and all these wonderful embellishments. Drop by the store...there still might be some kits left for sale. 

In the Urban monthly kit, you also get a Maya Road vintage ruler, twill ribbon, a piece of Tim Holtz Filmstrip Ribbon and a 7Gypsies antique pin.  The butterfly and "My Family" are stickers from a sticker sheet also included in the kit.

The Dusty Attic chicken wire chipboard is from my own stash.

I'll never get tired of banners!

The mat behind the photos is just a crumpled and flattened piece of Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine paper.  I also cut a bit of the glassine to make leaves for my ribbon flower top left.


I have to tell you, I'm in love with these photos of my mother, which are from her scrapbook, handed down to me.  I think she's about 18 years old, and to see her in the farmyard (the farm where she grew up) with the chickens and also playing with the dog, well, I am completely enchanted.  The last photo on the right is especially precious....because I've never seen  my mother run.  NEVER. 


When I grew up (here I go sounding OLD again), mothers didn't exercise or play outside with kids.  My  mom spent all of her time looking after us, doing the traditional chores of laundry, housecleaning, groceries, shopping.  All our food was homemade and she did canning, bought whole chickens from the farm....bottom line:  we ate very very well and our underwear was ironed.  I remember the first time I had store bought pickles (or cookies or jam).  YUCK.  I was appalled. Couldn't believe people paid for that stuff and ate it.  LOL!


Yes, I was blessed to have a stay-at-home mom and a dad who ran his own business and worked 24/7 so she could do so.


I think of myself as following in her footsteps, staying at home to raise my children (and not go insane)....but she is in a different league, from a different era and I can't possibly compare my homemaking skills to hers. 


So I don't make jam, and my daughter has taking over the baking responsibilities around here....but my mother did teach me how to make pickles....just like her mother made them :)

Three generations of picklers:  BabyOfTheFamily, my mother Sophie, and me (Summer 2009).


I still can't keep up with my mother's homemaking skills, but I know I can RUN faster than her :)

Exciting Times!!

Last Friday, Graphic 45 announced their Top 30 Finalists.....and yours truly made the list!  I still can't believe my lucky stars!  I'm so thrilled and honoured to make it this far....who knows what will happen on March 30 when the Final DT is announced, but for now I'm very very happy :)

Here is the post on the G45 Blog announcing the finalists.....all their blogs are linked, and I highly recommend checking out these super talented and creative crafters.  The projects you'll see will amaze you!

Another blog post worth checking out is on the Canadian Scrapbooker magazine website (Editor Jackie's blog) where you will find my tutorial on how to use DCWV Fabric Paper to make a card.

This card is made ONLY with DCWV Fabric paper on a white cardstock base. And the vintage button is Tim Holtz.

This self-adhesive Fabric Paper is soooo cool and super easy to design with.

Don't you just love the blue and brown colour palette?

I also made a similar flower for this heritage page of my mother's class at school, using Graphic 45's ABC Primer collection.

"School Days"  published in the Spring 2012 issue

My mom is the girl with the dark pinafore dress standing beside the last girl seated in the front row on the right.  I am so blessed that my mother was a scrapbooker in the days of albums with black pages and photo corners.  Now I have many wonderful heritage photos to design with.....they are very precious to me :)

So if you feel like making a simple but pretty flower, head over to my Canadian Scrapbooker blog post tutorial, pick up some DCWV Fabric Paper and and get started!

Graphic 45 Design Team 2012 Audition

I have loved creating with Graphic 45 products for a long time and have decided to dip my toes into the DT world and audition :)  The unique and amazing papers that this company produces allows my imagination to soar and inspires my creativity!

Here are some of my designs...single page layouts, double page layouts, cards and a Configurations box.  When designing layouts, I find the papers are so versatile and can be used for both heritage and contemporary photos.

First, I have four older layouts and a Christmas Configurations box that I designed for display at my local scrapbook store.

Romance

Walter

A Proper Vintage Gentleman

Coney Island 1955

  Christmas Configurations Box

My passion is teaching (I have an Education degree and used to teach high school English).....and now I enjoy designing and teaching at Urban Scrapbook, a wonderful store where I live in Edmonton.  Prior to this, I taught classes at Scrap-A-Lot, another lovely scrapbook shop.

Here are some layouts and cards that I've taught in classes over the past couple of years.  These double pages are challenging to view on the blog, but if you click on the photos, they will enlarge, and you can see the elements up close and personal :)

The Mad Hatter

Our Fairytale

The Magic of Oz (Click HERE for tutorial)

Christmas Emporium Cards (Click HERE for tutorial)

Paradise (Click HERE for tutorial)

As well, I'm honoured to be the Guest Designer 2012 for Canadian Scrapbooker magazine.  The following layouts and cards were published in the last two issues....

Dear Santa (Click HERE for tutorial) - Winter 2011 issue

School Days (Spring 2012 issue)

ABC Primer cards (Spring 2012 issue)

Currently, I'm surrounded by "Little Darlings"....the lovely new baby collection that just made its debut at CHA.  I'm designing another double page layout class and couldn't be happier, spending my time looking at the adorable images on the papers.

It would be an amazing experience to be a part of the Graphic 45 Design Team, and I would love the opportunity to work with one of the most innovative, artistic and exciting companies in the industry.

GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!!!!

I'm happy to announce the Giveaway Winner of this wonderful e-book of sketches by Kristine Davidson of Creative Scrappers...

A BIG BIG thank you to Kristine for inviting me to participate in designing a layout for one of her sketches in the book!  Kristine also generously sponsored this giveaway!

And the e-book goes to......drum roll.....

Izzyb:   "I love love love your layout! The pinwheels are so fun and festive. Of course I am a follower. I hang on every word!"

Well, hang on THESE words Izzy...you WON!!! 

And if you don't know Izzy, then a trip to her blog is long overdue...she is a super talented scrapbooker and is getting published in ALL the major scrapbook mags in the States.  Check out her blog HERE.

Thanks for joining in the fun everyone :)

Graphic 45....is Paradise

When I first saw the Graphic 45 collection Tropical Travelogue, it was love at first sight.  The rich lush colors and patterns, the gorgeous vibrant images...all spoke to me, and I knew I wanted to design with them.

Knowing we were going to Mexico after Christmas sealed the deal, so I created this double page layout as a class for The Urban Scrapbook, which I titled "Paradise."

The photos are BabyOfTheFamily on the beach in Puerto Vallarta...paradise!

 Here are a few details and close-ups...

I added some Stampendous Mica Flakes to the edges of the beach sign with Glossy Accents, and also covered the palm leaves above the sign with Glossy Accents.   I edged all the fussy cut white flowers with Glossy and added clear chunky glitter.

The waves are super simple to create...just tear and roll the edges of the paper.  I added Martha Stewart clear microbeads along the tops of the "white caps" with Glossy Accents.  (I went through LOTS of Glossy on this layout!)

The Urban Scrapbook has just brought in some amazing and beautiful German Glass Glitter...and the turquoise colour with flecks of red in it were perfect for these papers.  Of course, my husband would say that the Germans make the BEST of EVERYTHING :)

German Glass glitter adhered on the top curve of the umbrella with Glossy Accents....plus I covered her bathing suit and cap with Glossy to achieve that "wet" look.  (Why can't I look that elegant in the water with a bathing cap????)

A glittered and Glossy fish.

These title cards are cut from "Seaside Holiday" and I glittered the top edges.

Is this enough glitter for you?  Nope...I also used Craft & Glitz microfine Glamour Glitter in "Sky Blue" to add sparkly borders to the background papers.

Here's how....

Adhere 1" wide SookWang double sided adhesive tape along one edge of the background.

Remove adhesive backing of tape and get your glitter ready.

It's a good idea to work with this glitter on top of a scrap piece of paper....in your  neighbour's back yard...because microfine glitter gets EVERYWHERE.  (Note:  Do not put your teenage son's clean laundry away, including his basketball uniform, after you have been working with glitter.)

But who cares about the mess...when sparkle is your goal!

Who can resist this gorgeous stuff?!?!

Dump it (yes, that's one of my scrapbooking terms) on top of the exposed Sookwang tape.

Be generous when it comes to glitter...you will get most of it back into your jar.

NOTE:  Avoid working with glitter late at night when you are so tired and need to rub your eyes....because eyeballs and microfine glitter do NOT mix well.

Rub the glitter into the tape in circular motions...this is called "Burnishing".  This will create friction and heat the glitter so it will stick to the tape and NEVER come off.

I use a Martha Stewart glitter brush to wipe the excess glitter off the border. Then just DUMP it back into the jar.

Aside from the glitter mania, I wanted to share a tutorial on how I created the palm tree......so get ready, I went a little overboard with step-by-step photos!

First, the palm leaves....

I learned his technique of altering the Kraft Glassine paper from Tim Holtz's 12 Tags in December...when he made some holly leaves for a tag.

I altered a piece of Kraft Glassine paper with alcohol inks:  Gold Mixative, Oregano and Meadow.

Here is a before and after of the Kraft Glassine....love the Gold shimmer.

TIP:  Heat set the inks into the paper with a heat gun after you apply them.

I freehand drew 5 palm leaves on scrap paper first and used them as tracers. (Yes, sometimes I'm a little bit of a perfectionist :)

After cutting out the leaves, I fringed them by snipping them with fine-tipped scissors.

Now for the trunk.....you need chipboard, Sticky Back canvas (Claudine Helmuth), Vintage Photo Distress ink, and a mini mister of water.

I drew a trunk template and then cut the trunk from chipboard.

Cut a 1/2 inch notches in the bottom of your canvas and rip 5 strips.

WARNING:  It gets pretty noisy when you are ripping canvas..so I don't recommend this technique for you scrappers who are crafting in the middle of the night!

Pull one or two strings off of one edge of each canvas strip to fray the edge.

Start wrapping your chipboard trunk with the strips, leaving about 2 inches extra (to attach leaves later)  Remember to wrap the strips with the FRAYED edge UP.

I have yet another photo....so why not include it??

Wrap tightly all the way down the trunk, with about 1/4 " overlap of layers.

 

The trunk in these photos is for demo only...a "stunt" trunk...because I didn't take photos while I made the REAL trunk :)

After the ENTIRE tree is wrapped, you will ink it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

We use Distress Ink on the canvas because the ink reacts when we mist it with water and the color bleeds beautifully through the canvas, giving you a beautiful brown color.

Love the Mini Mister!

After misting (pretend the ENTIRE trunk is wrapped please).

Here you can see the difference between the canvas that is misted (bottom trunk) and the color of the non-misted trunk in the middle.  (yes, "non-misted" is another technical term in the scrapbooking industry).

Let it dry completely, or if you are impatient like me, you can speed things up by gently heating with a heat gun. (I don't like the term "gun").

Now you will add your beautiful leaves at the top and wrap the extra bit of canvas around them.

You then will ink this white extra bit of canvas and mist it to blend in.

To keep the leaves in place, squeeze a little Glossy Accents (if you haven't run out yet!) in behind the canvas at the top of the trunk  in front and behind the leaves.

A final close-up of the leaves on the layout...

And here is the whole enchilada....as the Mexicans would say :)

Thanks for sitting through this extraordinarily loooooong tutorial!  I hope you enjoy this wonderful Graphic 45 collection as much as I did :)