September ATC: Back to School

For this month (September) the theme for Custom Impressions' ATC group was Back to School. I used a digital stamp I bought on Etsy by  Artbymiram. It is an adorably anime style girl with books and a satchel.

I colored her with colored pencils that I blended with mineral spirits in the gamsol method. To do this I filled in lightly with two or three shades of colored pencil and then blended it wit a paper "stump" dipped in mineral spirits.  This was my first time trying this method, I had picked up a kit during Shop Hop.  I did find that some pencils blended way better than others, I am not sure why and will have to investigate further.

I covered her glasses with Diamond Glaze to give a lens look, In the background I used pieces of Dear Lizzy Neopolitain paper and added some Stampendeous Luxe Mix and butter fly bling.

The ATC trade is the last Sunday of the Month at Custom Impressions. Please call ((562) 430-8100) for details and themes. Hope to see you next month!

Teresa Collins Class at Scrapbook Daisies, Christmas Countdown Flip Album

 

 

I recently took anothervgreat class with the fabulous Teresa Collins.  This class was at Scrapbook Daisies in Xxx, Ca.  She was teaching a few classes on this trip to Southern, Ca, but the one I took was this beautiful and fun Christmas countdown, flip album with the Candy Cane Lane paper.

Teresa was such a sweetheart sharing sneak peaks of some of her new products, like Fiskers punches and scissors and he new dies and embossing folders with Craftwell. She is always coming out with something new and amazing.

 

 

The project started with a plastic frame from Ikea that we spray painted gold. (Side note: Her husband, who has been terribly sick, drilled the holes for the rings in all the frames. What a sweet and helpful man, right?) Along with some numbers from a chipboard set.

We then followed along with Teresa and her detailed photo guide to decorate all the tags and pages. I decided I wasn't crazy for the black letters in the kit and replaced them with sobe red Thickers.  I also added some of the new punch shapes, like love and feathers to the pages. And the snowflake rosette was different from original, but Teresa had suggested it. (Alot of people added it.)

I think it came out very nice and can't wait to display it during the holidays. It counts from 25 down to 1 and will be super nice to look at and change it everyday

 

 

My Version of the MDM using G45 Couture & Typography Goes to Moscow

Recently, I had a chance to make a gift for a friend of mine who lives in Moscow, Russia. Since she has never seen any of my paper crafting in person, I wanted to make something special. I decided to make a version of Kathy Orta's My Design Mini album and use Graphic 45's Couture and Typography lines.

 
I picked the MDM album because it has customizable options, but does not look too complex or overwhelming for someone who doesn't scrapbook. Also it was a new tutorial for me and looked like fun to make. Couture by G45 was my first thought for paper because my friend is stylish and the colors and feel of the paper suit her style. As I worked on the project and realized I need more pspers, I added the Typography line (also G45) into the mix.
 

I really like the My Design Mini and the idea of having a tutorial that can be customized to different projects. What a great concept! To get the MDM tutorial click here. To order the EKC #12 with MDM included click here.
 

Since I did not create the MDM design, I don' t feel right posting images of the book in progress. So we will skip right to dessert with pictures and a video link of the completed album.

 

 

 

Shop Hop 2014- A Good Read..

Rosie and I teamed up again to conquer the So Cal Shop Hop. This year the theme was books, which made for some fun photo ops and make amd takes.

Once Upon A Memory, Huntington Beach

 The So Cal Shop Hop is a great event here in Southern California. You get 20% off at all the participating stores. 

Custom Impressions, Bellflower

There were a few changes this year. Shop Hop is under new management, which was different because I used to get the inside scoop from Rachel. Also, Rosie and I had a new home store, Custom Impressions.

But we did make it to all 42 stores. Here are some highlights.

Scrapbooking Forever, Thousand Oaks

Treasured Memories, Oak Park

Wootens, Ontario

Paper Tales, San Diego

The Making Place, Escondido

My ATC card for CI's July trade.

The theme for July was Books. This was a really fun theme because there are so many different ways to go. Like do you do something about reading, or a specific book or images of books? I choose to go with reading as the main focus.
 

Once again, I choose a Some Odd Girl digi stamp, this one is of Mae reading. It is colored and shaded with Copics and fussy cut. (The old fashioned way this time.)  In the background is a card that looks lije a book page. It is from a set i bought that were close to ATC dimensions. I thought they were so cute, I even cut up the cover page and used the tiny preview cards. I attachedvthem to tge cardcwith a tiny Tim Holtz paper clip. I inked the edges of both with brown ink.
  

As embellishments to finish the ATC, I added a few bits of bling and a punvhed glitter heart. And to the bottom, the phrase "I ♡ to read" with a plastic strip style label maker.

I think it came out cute and makes me think of books and reading.  What do you think? Would you have tackled the subject of books as a general theme (like I did) or been inspired by a specific book?

The ATC trade is the last Sunday of the Month at Custom Impressions. Please call ((562) 430-8100) for details and themes. Hope to see you next month! 

The Paper Phenomenon Files (Part 2) OR: Taking the Next Step

As I wrote in an earlier post, I had ordered a few Kathy Orta tutorials from paperphenomenon.com . And since then, I ordered a few more. So when the enrollment for her Everyday Kit Club (EKC) #12 opened up, I was pretty intrigued. 

Each Kit Club (EKC) has three main projects and three bonus projects plus a bonus tool. The three main projects are breifly described before purchase and come with all thecl supplies. And I mean ALL, chipboard, pattern paper, embellishments- the works.  The three bonus projects are a surprise. Generally they will either enhance the main project or enchance each other. And the bonus tool is kind of like a gift with purchase.

Now when I first looked at it I thought it looked cool and fun, but I wondred if it was worth the price. I don't fo kits often. In fact I have a tendency to disect kits for the paper. BUT, Kathy had one more special feature for EKC #12. She included a teaching and selling licence with this specific kit.  Yeah, I was in.

I will be participating in the July, August & September projects, which are as follows: My Design Mini (MDM), Life is an Open Book & Cascade Parade. I will also be getting the directions for the three bonus projects and a nifty teflon Trib bone folder.

I plan to post more about each project as I make it. This should be a fun adventure!

To order the digital version of EKC #12 click here. To order a future EKC please check paperphenomenon.com for open enrollment period.