A New & Exciting Adventure....

My mama always said (yes, you MUST read that in your best Forrest Gump voice) that when a door closes, a window opens.  As I've lived longer (I may be admitting my age now but I'm not going to say I've grown up or that I've gotten older) I find this to be more and more true.  You just never know when one chapter ends what will happen in the next.

Deciding to stop teaching crafting classes was really hard.  I'd been doing it for so long.  And it was so much a part of "me".  The me I knew, the me that I showed to the world and the me that made up my life.  Letting go of that was hard.  But also kind of freeing.  Now, I had all kinds of new choices to make.  New possibilities to consider.  New ways of creating and sharing to think about.

At RollerCon ( a week long roller derby convention for those of you not into derby) my window didn't just open, it slammed up and announced itself.  I met with Em Dash, co-founder of derbylife, and over really bad loud music and the clanging of slot machines, agreed to become an editor for the site.  

Since getting into crafting some of my other, former interests had fallen by the wayside.  They were still there, they just didn't get much attention or weren't often used.  But to now be able to write.  To talk to people and get their story.  To be able to share that with other people.  I'd forgotten that "writing" voice I used to have.  I'm working at getting back in touch with that part of me.  Percolating ideas and opening sentences.  Thinking about how I want to approach a topic or subject.  Being able to combine a creative outlet with my now, 2 year love affair with roller derby.  The possibilities are wide open.  And I'm so excited to start charging down this less traveled path.

My blog will continue to have my crafty pursuits showcased.  I'll never be able to stop that.  It's as essential as breathing and skating to me.  I'll also try to tell the occasional interesting, humorous or at least funny story about my life and the characters that are in it.  But you'll also be seeing questions and topics I'd like feedback about.  If it pertains to you, please respond.  If it doesn't, I hope it's at least interesting and you learn about something you didn't know about before.  And no matter what, I hope you'll read those things I write for derbylife because they'll be personal.  I don't know how else to approach things.

And for those of you that have listened to my stories, listened to me vent and complain and cry because I wasn't making the progress I wanted to - I PASSED MY ASSESSMENTS LAST NIGHT!!! That means I can start scrimmaging and hitting and PLAYING derby.  It also means I'm 6 weeks closer than I was to getting onto a team.  I'll be expecting all of you to come watch me once I'm on that team and actually bouting in public.

Beat the heat this weekend...

If you'd like something fun to do and get out of the awful heat and humidity here in the Valley of the Sun, consider heading to Prescott.  Northern Arizona Roller Derby is hosting an all day scrimmage to help raise money and donations for the Fallen 19.

Mel will be playing DJ all day long and I've signed up to skate in 3 of the scrimmage bouts.  I hope you'll consider joining us.

Here's the info straight from the event page on Facebook.

• • Sunday, July 21, 2013
  • 

    10:00am until 3:00pm

• Pioneer Park Roller Rink, Prescott, Arizona 86301

• NAZRD will be hosting a memorial scrimmage on 7-21-13 from 10 am to 3 pm. 6 - 30 minute bouts with a lunch break. $10 skate entry plus one item to donate to the families that have lost everything. ALL proceeds go to the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association. This association is currently helping out Prescott FD because of the overwhelming nature of the situation. All the money given will go directly to the families of the 19 heroes. Please come out and give if you are a fan and play if you are a derby player, man or woman, any league. This is open to all. I would love for the derby community to come together and support the families in our hometown. Thank you all!

More Pinterest inspired projects...

I was reluctant to join Pinterest.  I KNEW I'd get hooked.  But I did it anyways.  And I'm definitely addicted.  Between really good recipes, pictures of beautiful people and clothes and the endless variety of DIY projects to be found I can lose myself for days on that site.  I've pinned plenty of things to try myself. Here are a few more cards created from inspiration found there.

 This one was so fun.  I love the textured background, profusion of flowers and just all around happy vibe.

Inspiration

Two versions of the same thing.  One for a work birthday and one for Mel's mom.

Good design is good design and you can change colors, themes or shapes and it still holds up.  There was so much I liked about this one that I stayed pretty true to the original.

Inspiration from Lucy Abrams, pinterst link

Here's the piece that inspired me.  I loved the textures on it, the white on white, the crisp feel and the fun use of die cuts & their negatives. And how well the design would translate to a variety of different themes.

A Consuming Passion blog

If you've gotten addicted to Pinning, please share some of your favorites with me.

At long last a return to my blog.....

I haven't' checked the date for my last post but I know it's been a long time.  Life has a way of getting really crazy, busy and getting in the way of all the things I want to do sometimes.

Here are a few updates from me:
- Am no longer teaching classes anywhere.  That was a pretty hard decision to make since I've been sharing my love of all things crafty for over 11 years.
- I've started working out in the real world again.  And I have to say, I'm delighted about it for so many reasons.  I was able to, literally, propose a dream job and suggest I be the one to do it.  I can't thank Spellbinders and all of the people there enough for going along with my idea.
- Lots of things have changed this past year in my derby league.  They've revamped the training and put in place some great organization.  I'm still working hard to get on a team and have hopes to do so in the near future.
- Bret will be moving back in with Mel & I.  This is a good thing and I'm kinda excited about it.  I like that kid.  He'll be going to school full time so that's pretty cool too.

Since I'm no longer teaching I figure I'll be able to share other crafty stuff here.  One of the things I've done recently is offer to create all of the birthday cards for the office.  It just seems wrong, on so many levels, to have store bought cards from a crafting company.  I also still haunt Pinterest on pretty much a regular basis. I love trying things I've pinned and figure this is a good place to show my inspiration pin and my results.

So here goes:

Original Link

One thing I really liked abut this design, besides the fact that it's totally classic, is that you could really change out the leaf shapes on the original with nearly any other shape or design and it still works.  Really, that's one of the hallmarks of classic/good design.  Since this card was for a man, I used the Nautical Frame & Accents from Spellbinders.  This set is discontinued and kind of hard to find.  I got mine from 7KidsCollegeFund.

June was a busy month for birthdays in the office but I don't want to post all of the cards at once.  :)  So check back in a few days for more.

Until then, have a totally fabu day, support local roller derby and love is love.

April Card Notes

Hi all!!  Finally getting a chance to pop in and get notes about the April card projects posted.  Please don't hesitate to ask if you've got any questions!

I hope you enjoy this small sampling of projects created with this stamp.  I can't wait to come up with more as this has been a really fun image to play with.  I really love how different it looks depending on the colors used and the portion of the image I highlight.

Path to The Beach Cards

 Sailboat
- For interest and dimension, use foam adhesive to adhere the snapshot on the card front.  I airbrushed the sky & then used my Colorless Blender 0 to push the color around and out in a cloud-ish shape.

Lighthouse
- I didn't include sand in your envelopes.  :)  I figured that might get a little messy.  If you'll be adding sand to your shaker pouch, rub the inside of the pouch with a used dryer sheet.  This will help reduce static and help keep the sand from trying to stick to the inside of the pouch.
- To color the card front I used a blender tool with a light grey, dark grey and a smidge of navy blue.  I included the die cut circle in case you'd like to use it for another project.
- I airbrushed the background and created clouds just like in the Sailboat project

Full Scene, oval cut

- This one was colored with my markers.  I let the beach are fade out and didn't color all of it.  Make this a smooth transition by fading with your Colorless Blender 0.

- I included a number of small starfish and a sand dollar in your kit.  They are real and very delicate.  I adhered mine with ZipDry.

- I airbrushed the sky on this one.  If you don't have the airbrush system, you can soak the sky with Colorless Blender 0 pretty well and feather the blue from the skyline up.  Hit the edges with your Blender pen again to smooth this transition more if needed.

Full Scene, Colored Pencils
- It was very interesting to color with pencils rather than my markers.  I applied many of the same principals of coloring with my markers to coloring with pencils.
- I  scribbled in all of the colors I wanted to use for all areas of the image.  Once I had color in each area, I came back in with an Aqua Brush or tiny paint brush dipped in water and started moving the colors around.
- Layer your gradients or shades of each color as you would your markers; most of the lightest color, less of the middle color and least of all of the darkest color.  If I overblended I found it easier to let that area dry and go back with my colored pencil and scribble in some more and start over.
- Trim the tiny sand castle out of the die cut corner, ink it up, adhere with foam adhesive.

April Featured Stamps & Projects

Ok.  So I"m a little late.  But at least I can say I got them posted BEFORE April.  :)
I've been so excited about the images and projects I had in mind for them for this month. It was so hard when the stamps came in not to create these ones first!!

The primary stamp for April is this "Path to the Beach" from Impression Obsession.

I just saw so many possibilities with this one.  I hope you will too.

Another of my favorite things from Impression Obsession is their HUGE 6x6 background stamps.  I've paired the Cover-A-Card Map stamp with the beach image a few different ways.

And last, but far from least, I found the "Picture Frame" stamps & was in love.  I'll be pairing this set up with LOTS of other images.

Here's one of the Projects I created with these stamps.  For the others check out the Class Projects Tab.

You'll notice the others have some large paper clips holding them together.  That's because the designs on them are fighting me back!!  I had them all planned out but when it came time to execute them something just didn't work.  I'll have it figured out by class time.  If you've got any ideas please send them my way!!

No Rectangles Here Samples posted!

If you'll be in Tucson for the Stamp & Scrap Fest March 16 & 17, you should join me for these fun cards.  Here's one of them.  You can see the others om the Class Projects tab, just scroll down to view them.

This class is sponsored by The Stamp Dr and features Spellbinders dies.

I'll be posting photos for the Mixed Media Mini book and the Waterfall album soon.

While in Tucson that weekend, you might also consider checking out some junior roller derby.  The PHX Derby Brats will be playing in the First Junior Devil Tournament!

March Projects!!

I was able to drop of the projects for March's class this morning at Barn.  I'm pretty happy with them & the feedback I've already gotten regarding them.  Please share your thoughts regarding them.  I'm always looking for ways to improve and add value to class.  Ok, now to the projects....

Impression Obsession has long been a favorite stamp company of mine.  With so many different styles of artists and stamps available, they really do have something for everyone.  And this year they've added dies.  Oh heaven help me!  I'm already bugging them for a die to match the Darling Dahilia, which is the image featured for March.

Here's one of the projects we'll be creating

Please excuse the photo - don't even get me started on the scanner/printer issues I've been having - I literally uploaded this from the camera and haven't done any editing to it.  I know that great photos are important but in this instance I thought any photo was better than none.

One thing I really  like is that each card features not only a different color for the Dahlia, but a different technique.  It's so important to not only be able to envision different ways to color an image but to also have a variety of ways to USE it.  That was always one of the things that stumped me with stamps.  And it's now something I'm really happy to be able to share in my classes.

This project highlights how you can use embossing SAFELY with your markers.  You can easily do this with ANY color (come to class to find out how) but I really think the white is striking.

The remaining projects can be found on the Class Projects tab.  You have two chances to join me and create these cards in March.  Please call the store to sign up as space is limited.

Stamp & Scrap Fest Classes!!

Sometimes life takes a zig when you thought it was going to zag.  The opportunity to teach at the Stamp & Scrap Fest was one of those kinds of things I'm happy to say.  March 15 & 16 you'll find me in Tucson teaching 3 classes.  Here's a quick overview of the classes:

Friday afternoon - Anything but a Rectangle!  $20
3 unique cards created fast and easy with dies.  One will be a center step card, there will also be a flip flop card and a uniquely shaped card.  As always, I'll have plenty of tips and tricks to share.  Class project samples will be completed soon and I'll have pictures posted here.  If you're not able to join me in Tucson but are interested in these projects I'll happily mail a kit out to you or bring it to a class in town.

Saturday morning - Mixed Media Mini  $30
This 2" mini album will feature the new Media Mixage blanks from Spellbinders.  There will be plenty of ink, paint and stampy goodness to go around.  Not to mention paper, texture and more.  This one is gonna be super cute and perfect to hang off your purse or other prominent show and tell kind of spot.

Saturday afternoon - Create Waterfall Album  $25
Mini's are always fun but this one celebrates the creative in you.  With fun & funky papers from Glitz Designs, this album is packed with plenty of space for photos & journaling.  Add the letters to the end of each page and you have a perfect way to document your hobby and what it means to you.

Products for these projects are on their way to me.  As soon as I can get them in my hot little hands look for lots of photos and more information to be posted.

She mixed media canvas

Have you ever wanted to decorate your home with art you create yourself?  Or create a one of a kind gift for someone special?  But weren't sure how to start or what the "rules" were?  It's easier than you thing.  Join me for this mixed media canvas project.  Here's my version:

I'll have plenty of ephemera and lots of paint colors for you to play with.  You'll be able to chose from a variety of fabric and embellishments to adorn your art work.  Feel free to bring any special trinkets you'd like to include.

This class will be March 9 at 1:30 at Scrapbook Barn.  Please call them to sign up. (480) 503-2475  Space is limited.

March classes

After some wonderful feed back - thanks again Nancy & Norah! - I've chosen to make a few changes to the card classes at Scrapbook Barn.  We'll still color and create cards with lots of techniques but we'll focus on one main image each month.  I've already got sketches and ideas for March, April & May!!  I'm rarely that far ahead.  This makes me think that this change is a good one if it's got my creativity kicked up into overdrive like this.  I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of all the stamps from Impression Obsession.  As soon as they land in my mailbox I'll start stamping, inking, coloring and cutting up a storm to create the March projects and then I'll get them posted.  In the meantime, here are the images I'll be highlighting in March.  Enjoy!

You'll be able to purchase these items and special order lots more at Scrapbook Barn in March.

Cards 2 & Cards 3

Creating cards with the same images but using different techniques has been a lot of fun.  I, only recently, have been comfortable calling myself a stamper.  I started off as a scrapbooker.  I played with paper, glue and photos.  I told many people that I already had one expensive hobby, I didn't need another one.  And then someone showed me hear embossing.  And Copic markers came along.  And I'm now fully hooked on stamping and all the techniques you can use with them.  Here are the samples using just one of the images:

 This is the Cards 1 sample.  The image is straight colored and stands up beautifully as a focal point.

The Cards 2 sample has select portions of the image colored and then highlighted with embossing powder.  Same image but completely different look.

Cards 3.  This one might be my favorite.  Not only is it stamped on patterned paper which instantly makes it look totally different but it's colored and then has small touches of gold foil/leaf added to it.

I used pretty much the same colors on all three images but look at how different they look.  And the different "vibe" each of them has just based on the way it is featured on the card and the colors surrounding them.

To further highlight how versatile stamps really are, I'll be creating layouts and other non-card projects with these images.  I'd love to hear what you think of these projects so drop me a note.

Have a fabulous day!

Happy New Year & Happy New Cards 1,2,3 Class!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year's evening.  We were totally the oldest, boring-est people possible - Mel playing his guitar most of the night and me playing in my office; both of us in bed before midnight.  Oh the excitement.

While our last day of 2012 might not have been very exciting, I'm kind of excited about the change in my card classes.  Being able to concentrate on a select few images is helping me feel like I'm actually getting my money's worth when I purchase them.  To sum up the change in the class going forward, I'll be featuring 4 images from one single company each quarter.  Cards 1 will showcase each of these images colored with Copics. Cards 2 & Cards 3 will have the same images but will each utilize different techniques.  Quarter 1 will feature embossing powder and foil.  I'm planning on incorporating coloring when and where I can so don't leave your markers at home for those classes.

The stamps arrived just prior to Christmas so last night was the first real chance I've had to just play a little with them.  I've got the Cards 1 versions done and posted to the Class Projects tab.  I hope to get Cards 2 & Cards 3 done in the next day or two.  I've got lots of ideas, I just need the time to sit down and make them happen!

Here's a peak at one of the Cards 1 projects.

Please excuse the photo.  One of the things I want to try to do better/more in the new year is to photograph my cards rather than scan them.  This necessitates a learning curve & I hope you won't hold it against me or the projects sacrificed during that time.  :)  I'd love any tips/tricks/suggestions or ideas to help with this.