SRW Guest DT for June!

I know, I promised to write about the book that is inspiring me, but I have become sidetracked by a new project (or 4). Months ago, after I found out that I had not made the SRW DT, I received an offer from Frank to be a guest designer one month. I said yes, but never heard back from him, so I figured that he had more than enough offers - or didn't get my email. No problem, it went into the back of my mind - until last week. That's when I received an email from Frank asking if I would like to do it this month. Sure, sounds like fun!

Then, I got my dies. Maybe it's because I was busy trying to get DH to agree to the VERY EXPENSIVE repairs to his car (makes my new tires look reasonable), arrange a last-minute camp for DS (Sensei is not charging for it, she only had one student sign up and figured age-wise DS was a better fit than DD) and catching up with a friend, but I seriously could not come up with any uses for a ladder. Oh, I thought of the tree die with the ladder against it, but I am seriously lacking photos for that (no cats or tree houses and DS has a thing about heights - he fears them; DD has shown no interest in climbing at all. Hard to read and climb a ladder!) Train tracks came to mind, but I never got the big train dies. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

After awhile, it dawned on me: photos from the kitchen painting! I have the ladder in a few of the photos. Okay, one layout. Then it occurred to me to use the ladder as a trellis for a card. Stumped, I went to bed.

We had a bad night. DS had nightmares and a VERY stuffy nose, so I was tossing and turning (and getting kicked and elbowed - sleeping with two martial arts enthusiasts can be rather dangerous!) when it occurred to me that the ladder would make a lovely basket. Sort of like a lattice. Check off the altered project.

Finally, my most inspiring idea came: the Mexican Pyramid!!!! I have been trying to create one for weeks, but the steps were beyond me. The ladder is perfect. A bit long, but that's fixable. I cut them out, and THEY FIT PERFECTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! (After two snips, that is!) Showed the layout to DH who was duly impressed. DS, for whom the layout is, was VERY HAPPY.

Need to put the finishing touches on the items and post them tomorrow. Why am I writing here and not finishing them? Well, hot glue needs to be used and I am not feeling brave right now.....

I LOVE GASC (Part 3) - Stencil Collection Chalks!

Okay, so last night I finally used the chalks from The Stencil Collection. I used them with the Spellbinders wine die I got at GASC. I really thought it would be harder than it was. I simply scratched the chalks ( I used a royal blue, a royal purple and a dark green), swirled them up with my stencil brush and applied them through the openings on the dies.

I LOVE truth in advertising!!! I did NOT need to clean the brush before switching colors and they did blend divinely. I did, however, notice a bit of the colors rubbing off on my fingers, but they did NOT smear on the paper. Yep, I purposely tried that. How else would I know?

DH was duly impressed, which made me very happy because the embossed and chalked die cuts are for his wine notebook to keep track of which ones he has enjoyed, and those he didn't care for. Now that I have the dies - and the chalk! - we can get working. Afterall, I made the book last year....

And, before I forget, I now know that yes, using the simple rubber mat really DOES make a difference with the Spellbinder dies. Sux I got rid of the dies that I tried to emboss using the metal stylus....

Next time, my review of a book of ideas that I actually like and may even use.

I LOVE GASC (Part 2) [and Hate Stencil Crayons]

Okay, I fibbed. I really, really meant to use the chalks, but there are 48 of them and I just didn't know where to start.

So I started with the embossing pastes. There are only five of those: black, red, blue, green and purple (I got the Winter set from The Stencil Collection) which came with an intricate fan stencil and since DD will be presenting fans for her black belt demonstration - the decision was made for me. I decided to emboss the fan in red and black on black and red paper. It was lots of fun - like decorating a cake, which is how they describe it. I love truth in advertising!

Well, to make a long story short: I should have bought the embossing pastes years ago instead of stupidly battling with the stencil crayons. The pastes go on smoothly and dry nicely. Come to think of it, I am pretty sure I like them better than embossing powders, too. I ALWAYS make a mess with embossing powders. (That little factoid shouldn't surprise anyone.) It goes all over the place, melts unevenly and is a royal pain to get off of my desk.

Of course, for multiple colors, I would need white paste and my handy-dandy non-smearing chalks. (MY chalks, not meant for consumption by minors - sorry Kids!) I supposedly just need to spread the white paste, remove the stencil, let the paste dry and then color those with the chalks.

Except I opted to not get white embossing paste. Dumb move. Guess I need to find a source for the pastes. I hate to pay shipping, unless it is my only option. (Makes no sense with the price of gas, I know, but I am nothing if not stubborn!)

In conclusion, the pastes rock! If only I hadn't gotten rid of most of my stencils when I became frustrated with the @#$% crayons....

I LOVE GASC (Part 1)

I LOVE GASC!!! The Great American Scrapbooking Convention is a great place to discover new techniques and supplies. It's also a great place for picking up items you keep putting off...

A bit of background first: in 2005 DD and I attended a scrapbooking convention in Austin, TX, where we used to live. That's where we discovered QK and several other items. I bought the QK, but left the embossing pastes and chalks in favor of the stencil crayons. I spent years trying to use the crayons, passing up the chance every year at the GASC's to get the pastes and chalks. Last year both my friends bought the chalks from the Stencil Collection - and hearing how great they were made me gnash my teeth while fighting with the stencil crayons which smeared all over the place, since the chalks stay put.

So, this year I decided that I needed the chalks - and the colored embossing pastes. It helped that I now have the Rev, Sil and tons of dies and alphabets, a BIA, the new YourStory (thermal book binder), the Mosaic Magic cutting mat and cork-backed ruler, a two-sided Purple Cow and other 'wants'.

To make shopping easier and quicker, I used the links sent by GASC to check out most of the companies. I found several interesting items which went onto my Wants List.

My list was pretty simple:

-Mosaic Magic paper
-Color Studio Cd
-Necklace stand from Glue & Co
-Idea book from Deluxe Designs
-Stencil Company Chalk & Colored Embossing Pastes
-Chipboard Owl Book

-anything new & exicting

I managed to get all of the above items in less than hours, plus a few more....

In fact, one of my best purchases was Postcard for the Sil for $30!!! By the time I got my Sil and decided that I wanted that particular cd, Sherri was out. I wasn't willing to pay $70 where I could find it - and $30 was a dream price. I really wish that some of the others interested me because that is one AWESOME price. While deciding on that purchase, I starting talking to another QK enthusiast about the Sil and all that you can do with it. She ended up buying one, but the booth owners were oblivious that it was thanks to me.

Tomorrow (or when I get a chance), I will reveal whether or not the four-year wait for the chalks has been worth the wait.

Crafted Out?

I am so EXHAUSTED!!! It has been two crazy weeks! I have about crafted myself into a coma. Let's see:

Last week DS handed me the famous scrapbooking letter. That's the one where we were given an 8x8 refill page and asked to do a scrapbook page. I upset the two moms in charge by insisting on making a real scrapbook page. Hey, at least our page will last! We had to turn that in by last Friday.

That same day I went crazy trying to prepare one-and-a-half uniforms for Saturday's Belt Test. Got them done, stripes and patches just in time to go see "Night at the Museum 2: Battle for the Smithsonian." Saturday was the belt test. I am the photographer and videographer (since no one else seems to want to.) DH, DD & DS all tested (brown and 2 pre-blacks), so now I have 3 more layouts to add to my stack of projects. The older two have to do their own journaling, though.

Sunday I worked on finishing the baby album for DD's teacher whose wife had a baby. DD wanted it to be done with my Bind-It-All, which made it a bit trickier. I used most of my cutesy animal dies - good thing I love to piece things together!

On Monday I found out that the Speech Therapist at the school is leaving. Another BIA album needed to be made. Then the Room Mom for DD's homeroom (she had two teachers this year) didn't get her act together for a class gift, so I needed to do something since we absolutely LOVE this teacher. That would be BIA album #3. This one was Texas-themed.

On top of that, two girls in the mid-level martial arts class needed alterations to their uniforms for Wednesday. Okay, fine.

Then, I innocently ask DS about his teacher's birthday. Turns out that it is this coming Sunday. Total is now four BIA albums. One done. Three due by this Thursday (yesterday.) I managed to get the uniforms done, help with the school parties and finish the albums by midnight Wednesday.

Took finished gifts to school (baby album had been taken in on Tuesday), saw part of the end-of-year program and headed off for the Great American Scrapboooking Convention in Arlington where I proceeded to add necessary items to my life.

What were they? Let me get back to you. See I went back today with the kids, am totally exhausted and DH's ghee, which was back-ordered, arrived yesterday and needs to be altered....