EPCOT - What was all the stress about?

EPCOT is one of my favorite Disney parks, but not the easiest to create layouts for when teaching a class. So when challenged by a friend to use that theme for an upcoming class, there was a struggle.

The problem with creating for classes is that you have to be somewhat generic. You want the layout to appeal to a wide range of Disney scrappers. So I never want to do anything too childlike because they adult Disney enthusiasts may not have pictures.  Anything specific to a country means you would have to have multiple photos from one specific country. 

When I say I struggled for weeks, I am not lying. I picked out paper and returned paper twice before settling on pick number three. That batch sat for about two weeks while my creative mojo was on hiatus. I knew I at least wanted Spaceship Earth, and I had found some SEI paper to represent, but what else?

My mojo returned when my LSS, New England Scrapbook Co. had the Tim Holtz Picture Wheel die.  Have you seen it . . .

Remember the Viewmaster Projector?  Glorious visual fun, much like a picture book, where with a click of the side button, you spun the wheel to the next photo. When I saw that Sizzix die, it all just clicked.

One wheel with the flags representing the eleven countries in the World Showcase, and the other representing some of the many sites in Future World.   The images for both worlds were found on the internet and shrunken down . . . but I think in the future I might think to shrink some photos of my own. 

Twenty kits were made and on class day 19 were spoken for . . . just one remained on the counter after class.

So what was all the stress about?  I have no clue. 

Supplies Used
Cardstock:  Bazzill
Pattern Paper:  SEI

Stamps:  CTMH's A Typeface and Stamps of Life (list2write)
Cricut:  Disney Mickey and Friends and Art Philosophy (CTMH)
Die Cuts:  Tim Holtz Picture Wheel Die
Ink:  Colorbox

Mojo Monday (Seriously Needed My Mojo Back)

I seriously had lost my mojo for a bit . . . it happens.  But it was time to jump back into the land of craftiness for me, and what better to get me going then gearing up for some layout classes at my LSS, and then using up my scraps to make a card for Mojo Monday. 

The sketch . . .

My design . . .

I have Copic markers, but don't use them often enough.  Today I put them to work on shadowing, and while I was not impressed at first, when I came back to photograph the card I was like . . . "Hey, wow!"   I definitely need to use those markers because the result on the shadowing is pretty cool.  

Supplies Used:  Bazzill Cardstock, DCWV Pattern Paper, My Creative Time Stamps and Banner Die, Cricut (snowflakes), Stampin' Up Scallop Oval Punch (5 punches create the scallop circle behind the snowman circle), Stazon Black Ink Pad, Copic Markers, Stickles

Just Beachy in the Sun

Is it wrong that on some days I prefer the  beach below over the real one?  I have this hatred for sand.  Love the sun . . . love the sounds . . . don't like the sand.  It makes my toes cramp and sticks to everything.

That aside, once I'm there, if I close my eyes and block the sand out of my head, so relaxing . . . much like this little creation looks . . .

 

I've entered this into the July Cricut Chirp Challenge . . . which was to do a project (card, layout, etc.) that included a sun, glitter, and a smile of some kind.  Let there be glitter. 

Supplies:  Cardstock by Bazzill, Vellum, Die Cuts from Cricut Life's a Beach Cartridge (sun, shovel, pail and chair), Stickles (Picket Fence and Diamond), stamps from Peach Keen (face) and Clear and Simple (sentiment), Ink from Stampin' Up and Color Box (chalk inks). 

Magical Memories

I was recently charged with creating something decorative for displaying pictures of Disney memories.  It is for an upcoming class at my LSS, New England Scrapbook Co. in Canton, Connecticut.  It is a Disney Sampler Day, meaning that there will be three Disney projects . . . a layout . . . a countdown calendar . . . and a piece of wall art.  

I eventually decided to do a 7 Gypsy Artist Printer Tray for my wall art, which if you've not done before, are SUPER FUN!  I have done a few in the past, most recently was a Girl Scout one to honor a leader in our town who was getting an award.  I've done a Christmas one.  I've done a Family version.  So many possibilities (wedding, baby . . . whatever suits the mood).  But for this one, I went Disney all the way.  I used photo snippets of a trip we took in the 90's when my girls were little.  Such sweet magical memories.

I will admit I stressed over this project . . . getting it just right.  The end result was worth it . . . and hopefully the folks signing up for the class will enjoy putting their memories in the blocks of the tray.

Look at my little cuties . . . 

Some fun things I did within the design of the tray . . . embossing a stamped image in silver on the top left Mickey head . . . that sweet little picture of my girl on the steps of one of the houses in Toon Town . . . my younger daughter almost looking up to her older sister as they ride the carousel) . . . a tiny vial of "magic" with a stamped Mickey that was paper pieced . . . my Jar of Magic (very intense stuff there) . . . and my Mickey hand on an Action Wobble . . . one of our favorite pictures of my youngest hanging on a pole near the castle at the Magic Kingdom, which I put into another Mickey Head to balance out the first . . . and I topped it all up with torn fabric strips.  

The magic on the tray matches the magic of my photos!  I can't wait until this makes it back home and hangs on my wall.

And the best part . . . as I said . . . there are three projects.  The other two designed by others on our team are a layout (here is a snippet of one page - fun, fun, fun page) . . .

And a countdown calendar that can sit on a desk, shelf, etc . . . it has flip pages and the BEST PART . . . put photos on the back side and it doubles as a mini album on your shelf.  When you are not counting down to your next trip you've got photos.  But when a trip is a month away, flip the pages and start your countdown.  How fun for the kids to flip day by day!  A snippet (my bad photo taking skills cut off the number 31) . . .  

Each page is a different color and has a different design . . . all Disney!

Looking forward to the class.  Kits are also available while supplies last . . . so you can call the store if there is interest.  Best part about a kit . . . pieces with no thought, and your done. 

Happy Scrapping!  

I Gypsied Up a Calendar Class

I ponder whether those of us who are crafty make up our own words.  My new word is "gypsied."  As in . . . "I gypsied my 2012 calendar."  I also went down the hall and did some "gypsying."

Of course I'm talking about my Gypsy which was used on my Cricut.  For the last four years or so I have signed on to teach a calendar class at my LSS, New England Scrapbook Co. in Canton, Connecticut.  This year, I gypsied up a calendar.  This class is always well attended, but the amount of prep time is insane because I do a lot of die cuts and stamping.  Cutting and stamping for all the kits is a lengthy endeavor that takes many long days and nights.  And there were some mishaps that added to my stress . . . including Winter Storm Alfred (the big loser storm) who left me powerless for a week and stopped the cutting, stamping, and kitting production.

The Gypsy is a newer tool in my arsenal that I have just begun to use.  I have had my Cricut for nearly two years, and I can honestly say that it got very little use.  In the last four months since owning the Gypsy, I have used my Cricut more than the entire two years of owning it.  I have taken my Cricut use to a whole new level.  Not only was each month cut by "welding" letters, as shown in the June design below, but I was able to design the calendar "on-the-go" and then plug in at home when I was ready to choose paper and cut my designs.  The most intricate month for design was June.  I designed in layers, cutting a cream layer as a base for my clothesline, a black layer for pants and socks, floral layer for the dress, checked layer for the shirt, and then a striped layer for the bathing suit (or are those striped items "unmentionables"). 

I carried the same titles throughout, using the black script welded on the Gyps.  Also used throughout the calendar were the date stamp (from Close to My Heart), and the definition stamps for ten of the months (from Clear and Simple Stamps), and the black ribbon. 

I absolutely love those script letters!  Nice thing is that everything is saved on the Gypsy so I could use it to gypsy myself up another project. 

Hmmm . . . gypsy is my newest verb!


 

Pushing the Limit

I've always been super frustrated with the scrapbooking tools that I buy and then have little success with using.  It is not that the product does not work . . . it is more that I have to wrap my brain around it until something clicks with using it.  The Cricut has been one of those items.  An expensive little venture, so if you're not using it, then you've got a problem.  I am a hands-on person . . . love metal dies and cranking through Big Shots or Revolutions.  The idea of leaving my scrap table to figure out some computer gadget was an issue for me . . . and frustrating when sizes didn't match.  Loading and unloading different colors.  OY!

So seeing some videos and blog posts on the Gypsy had me intrigued.  The concept of designing anywhere, and then plugging in seemed to have some merit for me.  So I purchased the Gypsy a month or so ago, to go along with my Cricut.  I wondered if I was just digging a deeper hole for something that I clearly did not use enough.  I think I have used my Cricut more this last month than I have in the two years I've had it!  Seriously!

I designed a layout for my local scrapbook store . . . their October Kit of the Month . . . a little layout that I called Boo . . . produced the original and then 15 kits.  

Then I "welded" some letters for an upcoming class that I am teaching at the store - a 2012 Calendar. 

Still feeling like I needed to dive deeper into the pool, I decided to give the My Creative Time Throwback Thursday Challenge a try.  The challenge was to use an older cartridge with a card feature on it, and to use a Halloween theme.  I used Wild Card, and with my gypsy, I put a cut-out with a web.  I actually had to measure on the little grid (on the gypsy) to change the sizing on my card to the standard 4 1/4 x 5 1/2".  Then I had to make sure the pieces fit right.  

And then . . . new breakthrough . . . I realized I could cut it all at once by putting the different colors of paper in the right areas of the grid on my mat.  I loaded black, white, and pattern paper on my mat in all the right places according to the grid.

I hit the cut button . . . and done in one push of the button.  CRAZY! 

So here is my challenge card . . . Bazzill Cardstock, Pattern Paper from Basic Grey, Black Ink, stamping from the My Creative Time All Around Halloween set, and some leftover embellishments from my stash (bat, ghost clip and stars). 

I inked the web over the tombstone to get the web effect on the edge.  Cool!  And the little spider on the scallop circle up top . . . he carried through to my inside corner as well . . .

 Always nice to learn some new things with the tools you have - a worthwhile challenge indeed!

We Interrupt This Program . . .

Life interrupted!

It has been a while since I've written anything in my blog.  The first two months of 2011 were the most difficult months of my entire life.  So rather than write blah, blah, blah negativity, I decided to take a break.  Through this difficult time, the one thing that I clung to was creativity.  It has saved me.

Most of those New Year's Resolutions are a blur.  It's as though a bolt of lightening came down, and the loud crack has just been ringing in my head.  But through the loud crack, I've been creative.  I've done some stuff.

Before the crack . . . the first weekend of the New Year, I spent some time working on some "Ranger" techniques at New England Scrapbook.  The second weekend of the year, I took a class from the great Cheryl Mezzetti.  I fell in love with Cheryl's art-si-ness (clearly not a real word), with Zip Dry glue, and with Twinkling H2O's from Creative Imaginations.  I played with them during the class that Cheryl taught.  And then I bought some.  And then the very next day I used some on samples for an upcoming class.

The crack came the next day!  I very sadly, and far too soon, lost my brother to colon cancer.  He was only 50 years old.  When I say that typing these words is just as heartbreaking this moment as it was the moment he slipped away with his hand in my hand, I really and truly do mean it.  Not a single day goes by that there are no tears.  There was almost a day, but when I realized it . . . well, enough said!  So there is not a one. 

What has saved me through this difficult time?  An awesomely wonderful sister-in-law and her awesomely wonderful family (who is, by marriage, my family).  I always said that my brother married her so I could have her as my sister.  She is the best sister ever!  I've also been saved by a husband who has been supportive of me just running off to "play" with people and not asking any questions.  And I've been saved by those people who have played with me . . . you all know who you are . . . my NESC family . . . my quilt/scrapbook friends who convinced me to make (start) a Sudoku quilt one night . . . and my Farmington Valley Stamp group . . . bless all of you!

After the crack, I said to myself, "Be creative!"  No matter how much I wanted to sit around a feel miserable, I just knew I had to be creative if I was going to survive.  I had to opt out of the two quilt classes I had signed up for . . . because I just couldn't think.  I needed to be creative, but not think about it.  So I gifted my class to a friend, and I felt no guilt for it was now a gift.  I had signed on to teach some classes and make some Designer Series Kits for NESC, and I pushed through everything hoping my work would not suffer.

And then there was the nine to five job.  The insurance job . . . new changes . . . new boss . . . people I had worked with for years who were no longer part of the new organization.  Saying goodbye to some of these people had me in tears.  More loss.  

But then there was Brave Girl Soul Restoration, a six-week on-line class that I signed up in December.  It started the day after my brother lost his battle.  I didn't think I could do the class, and I will admit that the six weeks are up and I'm only still working on the fourth week.  I am committed to getting it done.  And if I don't - I will sign up again.  It has been hard, given the circumstances that I've been dealing with.  But it has been absolutely wonderful and I encourage all you ladies out there to check out the Brave Girl Club.  I am learning so much about myself, it's crazy.  Did it come at a difficult time?  Absolutely.  But I am committed to finishing.  I will be blogging more about it in the future.  

In January the New England Scrapbook Company's "Company Kit" for February was given to me to make samples.  The "Company Kit" is a monthly kit of paper, ribbons, stickers, embellishments . . . the works . . . truly awesome stuff.  My first task was to create a two-page layout.  I was going to make a layout about how much I loved my dog.  As I created the layout, there was a ticket . . . there was a blackbird . . . there was all this "love" stuff.  I could only think of The Beatles, and from this dog layout, a layout about my brother's influence in my life was born.  It was my tribute to him.

So I've done some stuff while my ears were still ringing from the loud crack.   And I will continue to push through.

It's funny . . . my brother lived only 15 minutes away, two towns over.  We raised our kids together.  We could go weeks without talking.  When we did, he was a man of few words.  We never needed words.  He would call the house and say, "Hey, Deb.  What's up."  I would say, "Not much, what's up with you."  He'd reply with a one or two word answer.  He'd then say, "Want to talk to Laurie?"  He was the gatekeeper to my sister-in-law (not that she needed one).  The little sister in me now says . . . "Neener, neener neener . . . she's all mine now!"

What I'd give to have the gatekeeper back!

O.K. . . . so time to get creative!  Happy crafting!

What the Flock?

Seriously! Is anybody home? Where is the woman who is supposed to "paws to scrap." Lately, she has not been "pawsing" or pausing at all. Not even a little tiny bit. It has seriously been a lot of running and running and running. My Monday to Friday job has been insanely busy. The stress of "changes to come" has left me feeling less than excited about doing much when I get home each night. There have been some added "volunteer" roles that required me to get up extremely early and yet didn't allow me to leave the office any earlier. The lack of sunshine has got me into my winter "I don't want to do a thing" mode.

I've been to the Big Apple twice in the last fifteen days . . . saw "Wicked" and caught a Rangers game just before the NHL had their Olympic break. I also saw the Lion King at the Bushnell. So while I've not been scrapbooking too much, I have been doing some other great things.

And I can't say that I haven't been creative, because I still have managed some class layouts for NESC, and have been working each month on the page challenge! Are you in on the page challenge? It is a great opportunity to get a page done using your own stash (you know, all those things you've bought and not used). And my idea flow has not stopped. So much to do . . . so little time!

My most creative venture in the last couple of weeks is flocking (that's flocking, folks . . . keep it clean). I flocked Oscar the Grouch for a class at NESC. If you've not flocked, you must consider it. What is flocking? Flocking is this great material that comes in little jars that makes your paper look like velvet or a little plush. It comes in great colors (NESC has Doodlebug Flock that comes in a great set of little jars). Trust me on this one folks . . . a little flock goes a long, long way.

Now . . . a little story! When I was a kid growing up in Ohio in the 60's (yes . . . the 60's) my mother wanted to flock her Christmas tree. I remember that she had the tree in the garage and bought a flocking kit. Some family friends came over and they flocked the tree. There was raucous laughter over the flocking of the tree. All of us kids were in watching Rudolph on television. We were young. We didn't understand. In my opinion, it was just a bunch of adults in the garage spraying all this chunky white stuff on the tree and waiting for it to dry. They talked about flocking a lot . . . and there was a great deal of laughter. I didn't see the humor. Fast forward to me at 48 years of age. I get it now. It was actually at some point this past holiday at a crop that I understood the laughter. My mother saying, "Norm is flocking our tree." takes on a whole new meaning when you're not in the first grade.

You can flock your paper, and while doing so in a group setting it makes for great conversation. People say things like . . .

• What the flock.
• Get the flock out of here.
• What are you flocking?
• Are you flocking?
• Did you flock?
• Get your flock on.

I have never heard so many grown women using the word flock in so many ways. So I challenge you all to flock! Get some flock and some paper and go flocking crazy people!

That's flock people . . . remember . . . keep it clean.