Hip to be Square

Yep, I'm still creating here too. Another set of pages from the Caspiana Soul Journal Project! We were sent on a scavenger hunt for images on a list. Then were tasked to cut them into small squares and to arrange them on our prepared pages. You really begin to look at things more closely and see new possibilities when you embark on a project like this. I found the images that were requested... and then found a few more I couldn't resist! I actually kept a few large images pulled from magazines as well for future use. No magazine will be safe in my hands from this day forward! This project has really nurtured a lack of respect toward the fruits of the book binding industry...

After we glued down our images, Sarah wanted us to add a color wash, but I had so much fun making circles with my metallic paints on the background I couldn't do it. So I used my new favorite thing, which is my white gel pen, to emphasize them more. We were to highlight some images and label others.

She had us find an "a", "t", and "r" and after I realized they probably didn't spell rat as had first pinged into my brain, I placed in order to spell art. It was interesting to see comments from some other folks playing along who thought they had somehow been less creative by putting them in order. The way I look at, I'm lucky anytime I spell a word correctly without my spell check!

I also laughed when I realized that I was not the only one who created a template to help myself visually crop the images.... Great minds think alike and tool development is a sign of high brain function!

ScrapFest 2008: The Vendors, Round Two

...And on we go!

EK Success This little bookmark gave us an opportunity to try many of the EK success products. We used the Zig calligraphy pen to great the flower stems and the border edging. With some practice it was pretty easy to control the width of the line and to get the feathered effect with the chiseled end. The fine tip point gave us the thinner lines and detailing. It seems I don't often use "plain, boring, old stickers" anymore, but sometimes it is nice to get back to the basics. These flower stickers were a good change of pace. The 3D-dots are not the ones I usually grab off the shelf, but work very well and seem to have good hold. EK Success punches continue to be one of the best on the market (If I am not mistaken speaking as a former Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, their punches are manufactured for SU! by EK Success.) Aren't these EK Success ArtBlanche mini-books the best? (ETA: that darn link just won't work! Search 'chipboard book' when the page comes up.) Another gift from my buddy Edwina (she is the best travel adventure partner I must say!) The ghosty was actually used in one the ScrapFest classes we couldn't fit into the schedule and the spider... well I'm trying to develop a better relationship with my dreaded nemesis and the "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" book they designed shown on the back cover is darling!

Hambly My love affair with Hambly continues! I wish I could adequately describe the quality and production of these products. When Allison Kreft told us about them in our class it was easy to understand why they are so easy to work with and why they look so great. Something about the thickness of the paper and the metallic dies going through out (looks extra cool when you use a tearing technique!) There is a post on the Hambly Blog that shows the screen print process and how they created their new kraft stickers. This little notebook looks so polished, but was so easy to do. We had tons of choices (kinda puts you in a mode where you just stand and drool and hold up the line!) and we selected a background paper, and overlay, and a rub-on. They provided the chipboard backing and pages inside. It was easy to construct. A standard size hole was pre-punched through all layers. We were given a small piece of wooden dowel (most likely a shish-ka-bob stick) and a regular hair ponytail holder. We used a bobby pin like a needle to thread the pony holder through the hole, slipped the stick in the loop on the first side then threaded the pony holder through the second hole and slipped the stick in place. Clear as mud? Can't wait to make some more of these as gifts! I picked up the Owl Rub-ons for just such a project!

Hero Arts Always great stamps here - this year was no exception! This make and take was simple and quick but very cute. Sometimes those are the best ones! The sketch map is one I've seen before and can easily be modified for other occasions with different stamps or phrases. I know there are those that say there are too many owls out there, but I am not one of them! How fantastic are these guys!? Had to have them. Ghost Owl and Kitty Owl crack me up! And those others with the scarves, sweaters, and hats!? Perfect for those North East Ohio winters!

K&Company These guys win the new millennium prize for being internet savvy! When I went to the website to grab the link, I found a page which has downloads for all the Scrapfest 2008 Projects! Thanks guys! Even if I didn't already love all your products I'd still kiss you! We made the Amy Butler Lotus Earth Day pocket photo holder. Also pictured are some of the Amy Butler products I picked up while in Archiver's (and the spinners are actually urban rhapsody). So lovely! We discussed just framing the butterfly 12x 12 sheet as is! Isn't that a fun little license plate they gave away? One of the projects we missed featured the Halloween Whimsy Collection. (Some of which I have acquired below!) Edwina also bought these fantastic pins - guess which one she gave me as a gift!?

My Little Yellow Bicycle Another one of my favorite booths! (Tip - anybody that give me a pin for my crop bag gets an automatic boost on the list!) Although we did not actually get to create these fun ornaments, they were made on one of the Make and Take days... very cool! They used the Sharon Ann Christmas Magic Line. It would seem you too could make these if you purchase the kit (photo ornaments - glitter project MC-118). The day we were at the booth, we made a nifty Halloween pocket album from the Frightful Line. It came from a single 12 x 24 sheet of paper and included tons of cardstock embellishments to finish off the project! They also gave us some cute bat buttons and brads as extras. This one is also available as a kit (fold out album kit HW-170) In the background you see a fantastic value die cut stack from these folks chock full of alphabets, borders, frames, and more all for $1.99! (I believe it may say C-thru Ruler Company as they are connected.)

QuicKutz Isn't it a hoot that they decided to use the Chi Omega Owl for their make and take? Just funning with you! They gave us the whole alphabet with matching numbers and I chose my own phrase rather than using the very clever "Wise Guys" from the sample. Let's see, what can I spell out with the rest of the letters?! Wasn't kidding about the owl though - it is most assuredly one of the new Archiver's exclusive dies from QuicKutz. I'd give you a link to all of them... but I've spent the last 20 minutes searching for a page that apparently does not exist! I guess I should have taken a snap of the display while I was in the store. For the sake of duty for my readers maybe I'll need to take a drive out there next week! We used the Revolution Table Top Die Cutting Tool to make our hooties. This would be the fourth die cutting unit I've demoed... Let's just say I'm still not turning in my CuttleBug! But you cannot beat their dies. I also have purchased their fantabulous Ohio State Buckeye and Block O (exclusive to Cord Scrapbook Studio) Since you can use most any die in most any machine with a bit of finagling - it's all good! I used my free cardstock coupon to pick up the fixings for many baby hooties!

Reminisce I'm not very objective in these posts... I realize I seem to like everyone! Reminisce is no exception. So many great lines. We created this fun altered spiral note book with the Enchanted Autumn Line. Well, we would have created it, but after waiting in line for 2 hours, we would have missed our class, so since we were the next to sit down, we grabbed our fixins and hurried to our next class! (Thanks for helping us out and not making us listen to the instructions.) Here is the sample from the project board. When Edwina saw all the owls she said she had to get these for me! What a pal!

Stampendous We created a sweet envelope minibook with Stampendous, featuring their perfectly clear stamps, and Dot Sparklers Class A'Peel Stickers. First off, I think these stickers are sensational! We used them on last years project too - this time I bought some! I will say though, I am not certain what rolling stamp sets we used, I did not care for them... I could not locate them on the Stampendous website, so perhaps they were not actually one of theirs. Still though, the project is very reproduceable. Each envelope has an insert that you may add a picture too, or journal on and return to the envy. Great quick and easy gift or Christmas card idea!

We R Memory Keepers Good stuff here! I promised you more from these folks and here we go. First, the new White-Out paper lines are gorgeous! The Frenzy, Hoopla, Promenade, and Explore lines have already been released and the Nonsense, Halloween, and Christmas lines are coming soon if not already out. Melodee Cloud was the expert at the booth and was very knowledgable about the products. She was a delight and answered all of our questions. Girl - you totally sold me on some new wish list items! The make and take at this booth was mainly designed to showcase the new twist ruler and circle cutter coming soon from We R Memory Keepers. You may know them from the Cropadile, The Big Bite, and the Ultimate Cutting Tool Kit. I was unfamiliar with this last item, and I had a slendid time playing with it! The soon to be released Magnetic Anywhere Twist Ruler is designed to work with the magnetic pad and can therefore cut virtually anywhere. The blade retracts inside the round blade housing and so can be easily caried without risk of damaging it or the other things in your tool bag. It is designed to work with the Magnetic mat and it an upgrade to the metal ruler in the tool kit. You simply turn the housing to expose the blade and cut as needed. They are also coming out soon with a new circle cutter which is an upgrade to the one in the kit. It is very sturdy and fits in the hand well. It is easy to set the circle size and simple to use. The cuts are smooth and even. There are many circle cutters out there and this one should rank among the top ones. Here is the project, a nice 6 x 6 scrapbook page block. The papers are from the Frenzy Line. In addition to cutting our circles, we also used the Big Bite to set our grommets. Speaking of grommets... have you seen the new "Designer Gromlets" they've put out? Oh, wicked cute! They were not featured at ScrapFest, but they are the website!

Zutter A most amazing make and take. Possibly the one with the highest retail value? We recieved the "Spooktacular" 9 x 9 Faux Wood album covers designed by Teresa Collins especially for Bind-It-All systems. Also included were a pack of page protectors to fit. The cover of the book has break out embellishments and a frame to use inside the album. Of course rushed to get the coordinating 8 x 8 pages too! I'm really coveting the " 'Tis the season" and "Travelogue" versions too. On the wish list!We put it all together using the Zutter Bind-It-All V 2.0. (Am I the only one that doesn't like pink?) Although I had not used the original, rumor has it that the 2.0 version can cut a greater thickenss, more types of material, and has some other added features for ease of use. I really want to get one of these book binders. It really is simple to use and makes such a lovely finished product.

Just for Fun! Just a few fun items I picked up at Archiver's to close out our journey... I had been looking at the Sakura 3-D Glaze Pens for a while and can't wait to try them out. They will create an embossed look on any non-pourous surface. With my new found love for acrylic albums, these should be terrific.

I also came across these awesome "boos and tattoos" rub-ons by Imaginisce in their Hallowhimsy Collection. I think these are some of the coolest halloween designs I've seen this year. The colors are subtle but really nicely used and the images are really different and fun.

This is the first Penny Black stamp set I have acquired. I'm not sure why I felt I needed this one called "Zoophabet" from their "T is for Transparent" line, but it could be that it is absolutely adorable! I'm seeing some A through Z albums and name plates and lots of other fun. (And don't accuse me of buying it just because "o" is for owl!)

Well, that about wraps it up! Hope you learned something fun... Ya'll come back now!

Related Posts: The Classes & The Vendors, Round One

ScrapFest 2008: The Vendors, Round One

Okay! Here we go! There were a total of 27 vendors this year at ScrapFest, significantly fewer than last year. We did not manage to visit them all - but we would have, had time permitted! Line wait times ranged from the shortest at 5 minutes (American Crafts) to 20 minutes (BoBunny) to the longest at 120 minutes (Reminisce). Technically, The Creative Imaginations team may have had the longest lines, but as we got in line for those about an hour before "opening," I cannot adequately judge the line wait time. I had to come up with some simple way to organize these folks, so I selected alphabetical order. I'm splitting this between two posts so that page loading might be slightly easier for some folks... Lot's of snaps here! As always - feel free to comment or email me for more information!

Don't forget you can enlarge most pictures for more detail... right click and open in a new window!

American Crafts These folks have some wonderful product lines. I just recently bought several of their double sided paper collections and love them all! They also offer those nifty "flair" items that look like buttons (remember office space?!) I just recently figured out that they actually have adhesive backings to be used as embellishments. "Thickers" are theirs as well - the glitter, chipboard, foil, foam, fabric, and vinyl thick letters and shapes are great highlights. In our project below, we also used their "details" embellies that feature felt, stitching and lots of layers. Mine is from the 'fashion tiffany' line. Love these bright colors! Their rub-ons are also a favorite, lots of styles and they are very easy to use. Our make-n-take was super quick, very simple, but lovely and fun. I'd be proud to give this card away!

Archiver's I almost didn't include this one because I botched it so badly from the sample! But I figured that wasn't very fair to our hosts. This card was much nicer before I got to it! Placed the trim on the top rather than the bottom then scored it crooked so I turned it on it's side to camouflage that... the stamping and rhinestones weren't terrible, but sigh... everybody has one of those projects, no!? If you have an Archiver's near you, you really should check them out. They've lots of great products and classes available. And I am here to facilitate your positive crafting experience! (That a good thing - not like enabling an addiction!) Autumn Leaves Autumn Leaves along with some other brands (Blue Moon Beads, Crop In Style, Westrim, and DMD) make up Creativity, Inc. We used a clever clear stamp set which helped us build a license plate. I searched for an image of the set on their site... but it didn't come up. Being as I used the set, and I watched Edwina buy one, I know they do exist! (Designed by Peter Horjus one shopping site lists the item number as AL-RS-3169) I enjoy using the Autumn Leaves clear stamps and have several sets. I have had good success with die inks as well as pigment. By the way - Miss Fiona is my car adopted in July of 2005 and she is very excited that she will have her very own monogrammed holder to store her registration and proof of insurance cards in the glove box!

BoBunny To be honest, I sometimes tend to overlook the BoBunny products, I have no idea why. They are very nice to work with. This quick Christmas mini-book was fast and easy. The colors in this Christmas Line are just a little different than the traditional ones, and I really like them. The rub-ons are like buttah! Best ones I used all weekend. Details for the recipe are provided in the picture.

Cosmo Cricket Yea! Raise your bones and yell, it's Cosmo Cricket! This stuff is golly gee good! I've been a fan for a while now... my older favorites were the Cogmso and Get Happy lines. Now I have new favorites! For the make and Takes, we each selected a Blackboard piece and an adhesive die cut to match. From there we selected a few pieces of coordinating paper and viola! A super cute card! The day we queued up the paper theme was Jacks World. I love the quirky images here and can't wait to use them for a new baby album for someone soon (or maybe at least finish some of Ian's pages from 20 years ago! ) And you know, you never know when you might need a giraffe! The fellow behind the table looked a me like I was quite nutty when I asked for j,r,a,f... then he was like... oh, yeah! The rub-ons pictured here were ones I won during the Haunted House project class we made using the Haunted line. I had to rush up to Archiver's and get more goodies after I played with these! The "Crafting Kits" are great because they include the self adhesive dis cuts, journaling blocks, 'striptease' paper, as well as the rest of the 12 x 12 papers in the line. Actually some of the other lines have 8 x 8 crafting kits as well. There are also matching ribbon, stamps, and more to design with. And then there is Mr Campy. My new buddy! First of all S'mores have got to be my true official favorite dessert and he is one tasty guy! These products were also on my list at Archiver's but they ran out! Luckily, I have an Archiver's near by so the local store got some business when I returned home! NO crafting kit available this time so I kind of created my own! I'm for sure seeing a theme for Volume II of our Canadian Adventure Memories!

Creative Imaginations This vendor is always a hot topic at ScrapFest. All the vendors do nice things... but these guys seem to do big things! We passed through twice, catching two of the six projects they offered. In addition to these, there were wall hangings, frames, and more. Day one morning was this very cute stand up recipe card holder, which could also be changed slightly and used as a place card holder for a festive dinner. Both of these projects were designed by Samantha Walker and I believe that you can see the details in the product sheet in the photo. Morning of day two was this memory keeping box. Lots of choices as to which rub-ons you wanted to use. A lovely piece worthy of giving as a gift if I didn't want to keep it so badly! I find Creative Imaginations products are of very high quality.

Doodlebug Design Before I even got on the plane, I knew I was going to Archiver's to buy the New Doodle Bug "Crushed Velvet" flocking and "Sugar Coating" glitter. I was thrilled we'd get to use similar products from this bold, bright color pallet on our make and take project. The velvet and sugar coated brads are to die for and the paper lines are scrumptious! You can see a close-up of the texture of the paper and embellishments here Miss Edwina in Action! I have to give these guys props for best booth decor. Check out some of the displays they had on hand! Be sure to check out the individual projects by enlarging! Fun, Fun, Fun! I just adore that square black card below. So simple: using the la-di-dots paper, attach some of the velvet braddies randomly and viola! There were tons more I haven't space to share... These colors are HOT!

Die Cuts With a View & Ellison Cool! New toys! We used the new and improved Sizzix Big Shot. No more crank! Push a button and the sandwiched die just cruises through! The project featured papers from Die Cuts With a View and we finished it off with Stickles.

Stay tuned for the final installment!

Related posts: The Classes & The Vendors, Round Two

ScrapFest 2008: The Classes!

The Place: Yes! I'm finally back for my report on ScrapFest 2008 sponsored by Archiver's at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota! We arrived Thursday evening this year, flights were quite difficult to organize at the times we wanted this year. (Thank you price of oil and the overall collapse of the mortgage and general financial industries!) Edwina actually made the trip in from Wisconsin by car. This gave us time to get a bit organized at the hotel and plot our attack - I mean plan our adventure for the next few days. We checked in at the Archiver's Booth Friday morning first thing and received our free paper pack. This year it featured the 'Laundry Line' paper from My Minds Eye. In addition to the beautiful paper, it also included die cuts and rub ons - oh la, la! If I'm not mistaken, you too can have this lovely paperpack if you make it to Archiver's quickly - the other stores are now offering it with a $50 purchase. Also pictured above is the Pioneer 8 x 8 album received when spending $75 at the MOA Archiver's store. We received a guide book to tell us when things were happening and a map to help us get there. This year with 27 vendors to visit and 6 classes to take we were busy!

You'll notice that there are not two albums there... My only real complaint about this trip was that even though I spend far and away above the amount necessary to earn two of these in my first hour in the store, because I simply went in and gave them my money rather than plotting visits strategically, I only 'earned' one. Nice guys! No, not really. We were surprised by this as last year they happily provided you with an extra album or nifty Archiver's bag for each $75 you hit in one purchase. Other smarter gals went in multiple times and received multiple albums. $150 in a visit equals two albums. Not talking about keeping track... adding up... figuring a total of small purchases... Just plain spent $150 at one time. Silly me. Okay. Done whining now, but it really just needed to be said again (and I did put it in my survey, with my name and contact information just in case they felt really bad and wanted to send me extra one!)

This post will feature the classes we took and the next will cover the vendor booths. Hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions about what we did, or would like a copy of any hand outs emailed to you, I'd be happy to oblige! Just let me know.

The Usual Suspects: Once again, my pal Edwina accompanied me through this weekend. This was our third year at ScrapFest and I think we have a better time each visit! We had a blast planning which classes we'd take, how to register for them to ensure getting in, which booths to hit when, and generally getting into as much foolishness and mayhem as legally possible! I am so thankful to have her as my friend. Do you have any worthy events in your area we could have an excuse to go to? Not completely kidding!

Stamp & Scrap With Scrappy Cat: "Join us to create a beautiful 20-page, fully embellished 8x8 family album in one workshop! Learn how to use Scrappy Cat's popular clear stamps, dimensional glitter stickers, silk florals, and more to decorate your album. After class, just add your family photos and journaling, and you've instantly got a special keepsake you'll treasure always!"

I was excited to take a class with the Scrappy Cat folks, because they too, are from North East Ohio! This album really was all they said it would be. We received all the items in the photo above in a totally awesome totebag with Scrappy Cat on it! It was really a treat to be able to take so many things home with us. I was excited to receive the pigment ink pots, as I hadn't bought any of this type yet. The 'island tropics' book is well made and all the paper for the 20 pages was precut, double sided paper from the 'Kids, Teens & In-Betweens' line. The only problem with that is that I had to decide whether to use the cleverly designed layouts as is, or to flip the paper for a different look! The dimensional stickers are a a really nice weight and fun to use. The pages were detailed and really wonderfully prepared. With the time allotted, we may have been able to complete the album, but I preferred to wait until I had photos in hand in case I wanted to make some minor changes.

Here are Chris and Kim Roberto who put it all together for us. It was wonderful to meet them. Thanks again guys! I wasn't kidding when I volunteered to help out at any local events!

Frightfully Fun Haunted Album - Cosmo Cricket: "No tricks, just lots of treats in this Halloween workshop! Embellish a haunted house Blackboard album using the Haunted collection from Cosmo Cricket. You'll use patterned paper, Blackboard shapes, adhesive die-cut shapes (that perfectly fit the Blackboard shapes), and more. No bones about it - this is one frightfully fun mini album!"

A Halloween class is always on the list for us! It's a favorite holiday for both Edwina and I. This class really was fun. I apologize to the instructors for our wild behavior... I never should have suggested we get an extra shot of espresso in our already heavily loaded Starbucks beverages! This item was the first I finished after returning home. Again - the time was short - but we knew that going in! I love the Blackboard line of chipboard they offer and the self-adhesive die cuts do coordinate exceptionally well. The die cuts can also be used alone. All the supplies were provided as well as the remainder of items in the pack as sold - there were plenty of rub-ons and Blackboard shapes left, so I have lots more fun to come! We earned even more extras by playing trivia. (Thank you gods of TV land!) Everyone of their lines is a winner in my book. All in all a fantastic class!

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Me and My Big Ideas: "Girls just want to have fun, and this album is certainly fun! Mix Reese [Me and My Big Ideas] collection specialty papers and embellishments, acrylic, chipboard, funky die-cuts, and great photos of your friends to create one spectacular mini album that is unlike anything you've ever seen. Accessorize with rhinestones and ribbon for the fabulous finishing touches!"

Call Cindy Lauper and someone get me a cosmopolitan - this project is ab fab baby! I plan to finish off this album with photos from my college sorority days (don't ask why they are still in a box 25 years later!) Once again, we received so much more than necessary to create this album. As you can see, we were given full packs of the paper, rub-ons, and embellishments as well as the rhinestones and plenty of ribbon. The hot thing this year was to have all the paper precut into the fancy project shapes and my only complaint here was that some pages were cut off the edge of the paper, so many of my scallops are kind of flat... no worries as I'll just trim them a bit! I love the mix of paper and acrylic here and the fact that more pages can be added to the split rings. The design plan is great and the paper is totally fun. I have always enjoyed the "Soft Spoken" embellishment lines and these are no exception. Projects like this are so good for my mid-life crisis!

Skinny Dippin' Tropical Mini Book - Marah Johnson for Creative Imaginations: "Come escape to paradise with us [creative imaginations]! Join Marah Johnson to create a fun, tropical-themed beach album, created with a Bare Elements book and her new Tropical collection. You'll learn new techniques to create fun embellishments, with a unique little twist. Fill with your favorite summer or vacation photos and you've got a cute keepsake!"

What can I say... Marah Johnson: OMG! Why the heck didn't I get a photo with this fine artist? I can usually spot her collections from a mile off, in a totally good way! We seldom go on tropical vacations (need to change that!) but once again... Spring Break 1986 photos are already half matted and ready to place inside this little gem. This style of mini book is very cool and I love the way it opens up to tease an edge of each page. Again, all the pages were precut so the album could have been finished if I wasn't so fussy. Some of the cuts were a bit off, but I imagine that it is an adventure to prep that many kits. Sadly, her PowerPoint instructions went down before our class, and the instructions had few photos, but everything was so well laid out for us it hardly mattered. A few new to me techniques were offered in this class. We foiled the edges of the cover using dotto adhesive and blue, green, and silver foil. Very easy and a fun touch. (I must add that Edwina didn't care for this trick and used some extra embellishments to do her own thing, but I was enamored!) We also used Ranger Alcohol Inks to color our plain pearl brads to match the vibrant papers and embellishments. Speaking of embellishments, once whole sheets of epoxy and die cut stickers were provided, offering lots of options for finishing off our pages once we got home. (I think I need to plan a cruise or something to use up the huge pack of rub-ons we got! Right?!)

Hip Clear Mini Book - Hambly: "Join Allison for this fantastic workshop and learn how to design your very own clear mini album. You'll create your funky, custom album using Clearly Heavy overlays, plus learn other tips and techniques for using Hambly papers, overlays, rub-ons, and new stickers!"

I think that this project was the most unique of all the ones offered this year. I have always admired the Hambly products - hot colors, hip retro images - very cool. We got lots of swag once again, so I am excited to design more items! This was also probably the most complicated class, if only because the beautiful full color directions were shot with the preceding and following pages in place; Nifty for showing the special design benefits of clear pages - awful for seeing the page as a single unit for replication. We used a product I'm not sure I had heard of before: Glue Dots Vellum. It allowed a thin layer of adhesive to be applied to one side of an item with minimal visibility through the clear pages. Worked well, but I'm not sure the cost or practicality for primary use in a project. I'm also still a bit unclear what the best adhesives are when working with clear pages and images. The instructors were very well informed - but honestly I was beginning to get overloaded with information by this point in the day: I have a new found respect for kids in junior high school now! I know it helps to design layouts with front and back mirror images which can hide adhesive like many of the pages here were done here, but it would be fun to utilize two sided paper to its full advantage. If you've got some tips for adhering clear overlays - please share them here!

ETA: I emailed Hambly, and Allison Kreft responded to me (thanks!) Here is what she suggests... "I really like the mini glue dots- they work great for the circle overlays too. Even though you see the adhesive a bit, it just a clean circle (so it doesn’t look messy) You can also staple through the overlays – that what I do if I have 2 very clear pieces and I don’t want any adhesive to show. If not I use the UHU glue roller & Therm O Web- Vellum Runner. It’s barley noticeable. I hope that helps!!" She also reminded me of the Hambly Blog - check it out!

Pretty Promenade Binder - We R Memory Keepers: "Make a mini album dedicated to someone you love! In this workshop, you'll use charming papers from We R Memory Keepers' Promenade collection to decorate the outside of a 5x7 binder, plus create 10 pages inside. You won't believe how fast this album comes together and how pretty it looks when finished!"

Okay folks. This was class six for the weekend, class five for the day, the fourth in four hours. And we ran here from the total opposite top corner of the mall! The very kind course instructor, Melodee Cloud, perhaps thought we were quite insane or terribly bored as we were totally incapable of following along. Actually, that's not completely true. Rather than "doing" I spend the time really appreciating the materials we were provided (again - tons of yummies!) and truly thinking of how this book will be made for my mother-in-law in honor of her 80 years. Which embellishments I'd use where to best celebrate her life and how it would really be perfect. I enjoyed reviewing the very detailed handouts and hearing her explain how things could be done. We also utilized a new We R Memory Keepers tool - the circle cutter. Very nifty and better than many out there. It works with the magnetic pad cutting system which I am very excited about. (Details and photos of this tool to follow when I review the vendor booths!) The design was lovely and this one album will be put to wonderful use as a gift. Thanks for being patient with us - your class was great!

The Class Wrap-up

So, despite too much caffeine, a huge mall to run through in the five minute break in between classes, and general information overload: everyone of our classes was a hit in my book. Every project met the descriptions, was fully formed, beautiful, fun, and worth the effort. We managed to select six which also gave us tons of swag - total bonus!

I'll be back soon with the details on all the Make 'N Takes! Promise!

Related Posts: The Vendors, Round One & The Vendors, Round Two