Alcohol - Pens That Is! Really?



Take a few very creative women, add great surroundings, lots of paper crafting supplies and tools, a generous supply of Copic and Marvy alcohol pens, shake and serve for a weekend of fun and productivity!

That's what happened this weekend at Scrapbook Connection's event house in Warrenton, Oregon.

We focused on the Marvy and Copic lines of alcohol pens and the voluminous information offered to produce some really fantastic focal images for paper crafting projects.  After getting a little practice under everyone's belt, we moved on to combining Elizabeth Crafts Designs and Glitter Ritz products using alcohol pen techniques for detailing.  The result was extremely gratifying and oh by the way. . . we had a great time!

Becky and Terry showing off their first practice image.

Paula deciding a real cup of hot chocolate might be next!

Jeannette Hayward, owner of  Scrapbook Connection

Here are a few works in progress:

We started at 10 a.m. Saturday, held class, had a great dinner in the well equipped kitchen, worked and played until 2 a.m., then fell, pleasantly tired into comfy beds all ready and waiting for us.  I should say, I was in bed by by 2, I heard this morning at breakfast that the fun went on until 4a.m.!  When people start creating with no distractions and great people to talk to and share with, it's difficult to stop!

With breakfast over it was back to the work tables, and me?  I headed home to attack the laundry and take a nap!

By the Way:  You can now find me at my Etsy Store: Crane Island Comforts and on Facebook!

And don't forget to follow me here!

Until next time, enjoy life.

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Memento Box Class Rescheduled

With my last post I had announced a change in the class schedule for the Memento Box at Peddler's Pack in Beaverton to October but sadly, must now reschedule for a date yet to be announced but tentatively scheduled for Spring 2012.

I always think I can get more into my life than I can, imagine that!  So with Christmas, family and work obligations, I'm shooting for Spring and will announce an exact date after the first of the year.

In the meantime, look for more posts coming this fall of projects currently in the works!

Thanks for stopping by!

Memento Box

Thanks to Tim Holtz and Graphics 45, an ordinary box becomes something special!  The possibilities are endless.

 

I wanted to create something special to commemorate the birth of my youngest daughter's first baby and decided the Graphics 45 paper I've had sitting for awhile was the perfect thing to use.  Tim Holtz and his line of metal embellishments add that something "special" to any project and his elements are the ones I've used for legs, corners and the great knob on the top of the box.  Add some tiny pearls around the Spellbinders die cut under the knob and there you have it!
By the way, this is NOT a purchased, unfinished box, it's built from scratch with a chipboard reinforced top and bottom.




Top detail.




Interior Detail.

As you're reading this, a class on construction of the Memento Box is being scheduled at The Peddler's Pack in Beaverton, Oregon sometime in late October.  I'll keep you posted on details.

10/07/2011 Update:

Class has been postponed to Spring 2012.  No point in driving myself crazy during the time I'm preparing for the holidays!

Weeds Are Growing Like Crazy

As promised, here is card number two in the series made as sets for Christmas gifts.

This was an engrossing card because I had no idea what I was going to do until it took shape during the creative process.  That's always fun but I  don't know why it also makes me nervous!?!  I mean, it's only paper, which I have a ton of, and embellishments, powders and ribbons, which I also have a ton of, so what's the big deal?  Somewhat the same feeling you get gazing at a blank sheet of watercolor paper and being afraid to apply the first color.  It's an art thing, what can I say.  Total neurosis, I digress.

O.k., this is my study in raspberry and tan.  Don't blame me, Colormates says its raspberry and who am I to argue?  Every once in awhile it's fun to do something unexpected and for me, throwing tan in with just about anything looks unexpected even though I usually like the results after the fact.  What you're looking at here is a Colormates Medium Racy Raspberry base with a craft brown mat from my stash so I can't give you a manufacturer on that one.  It's embossed with the ever favorite Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder leaving a l" blank area in the bottom half of the mat.  This is where I was intending to emboss a greeting but decided to change my approach in mid-stream.  Go figure.

Next up, here comes the Medium Racy Raspberry again, using Spellbinders Fair Isle Pendant die studded with jewels in the four corners.  On top of that I applied ribbon from Joann's and one of the treatments it always tickles me to use which is finding ribbon that matches one of my stamps!  See the Poppy Boxed Set post http://craneislandcomforts.blogspot.com/2010/02/poppy-boxed-set.html and you'll find a card that illustrates this same treatment.  Thank you Joann's for cooperating with my desires, that's very sweet!

The focal point is a Spellbinders Large Classic Oval using the #4 die and craft  brown paper, also embossing with the same die.  The stamp is Stampendous "Weeds" (hence the title of this post, sorry) embossed using Versamark ink and fine white detailing powder.  Here's my take on white embossing powder.  After holding up numerous brands side by side in the jars, white is not always white.  Most of what I've seen is actually off-white and while this might seem like nit picking, when you've spent all of this time and sweat, yes sweat, on a card and the white embossing looks as if the bleach got left out of the wash, well, you get the picture.  The whitest white embossing powder I've ever been able to find is from "The Peddler's Pack" in Beaverton, Oregon.  They must buy in bulk and repackage it in their own containers but honest, it is WHITE.  They have a web site and the owner, Joyce, is always happy to answer any questions, she's is a real delight to speak with on the phone.  Remember the beautiful witch in The Wizard of Oz?  That's what she sounds like, honest!  Love you Joyce. . . .

So, all of this is finished off with three little itty, bitty pearls  centered under the oval.  I've used water-marked bond paper to line the inside of the card but didn't include a picture since who wants to look at white paper anyway?  Hey, not me, I'm still o-zoning on the blank white watercolor paper!  Can anyone recommend a good therapist?

Thanks for visiting, oh, and putting up with me!

Poppies, Poppies, Poppies

I'll be posting a series of cards I made as Christmas gifts for family this last holiday season.  The cards were combined as a set of twelve in a very simple, upholstered box constructed for the dimensions of the twelve cards.  The color scheme for each box was chosen with the particular individual in mind.

Initially, I was designing a totally different box, much more complex, but after two months and 96 cards later. . . I revised my plan!

I'll be posting photos of the boxes at the end of this series to give you an idea of how choices in cardstock and pattern can make such a dramatic difference.

I'll also be posting the recipes for the cards as I go but of course, couldn't find my notes for this first one, poppies.  Hope you enjoy anyway and keep checking back. . .or. . .better yet, "follow me" on my blog!