Nuts For Stampin'

"Big Bear Camping" 2-Page Layout

Here's a sneak peek of one of my favorite details from my latest scrapbooking endeavor.  I got the idea last Saturday as I was demonstrating the Cricut Expressions at JoAnn's to promote my classes. I decided to make a few pine trees in various sizes with Christmas Cheer. That was the cartridge in the machine when a prospective class member's husband approached my table and wanted to see the machine in action. His wife and I had been talking about Big Bear while she'd been waiting for him to come give her a ride home. Since Big Bear is a place my husband and I have enjoyed visiting and I even have pictures from a vacation there, I decided to make a 2-page layout using the pine trees I'd demo'd for the couple. I need to find my Big Bear pictures and maybe add some more embellishments, but for now this is done. 

• All the cardstock is DCWV. I did some layering to give dimension on the pine boughs, grass, trees and title. 
• Also for dimension I used Stampin' Up! classic ink in Chocolate Chip and Garden Green to shade the pinecones and trees.
• Lastly for dimension, I used mounting tape to the trees and pinecones.The grass is from Plantin Schoolbook.
• Title lettering cut with Printing 101.
• The pinecone stamp is ancient and is by Carmen's Veranda.

To see the full 2-pages and more detail close-up pics, visit my Cricut Projects photo album.

QUESTIONS? Feel free to contact me anytime.

Happy paper crafting, Michelle

Crazy Fun With My Cricut

Since my Scrapbooking 201 class featuring the Cricut is coming up early November, I figured I ought to get the sample made to display at Jo-Ann's. As usual I had a syllabus to follow making it super easy to create this adorable page. Here's a sneak peek of it. Isn't this snowman cute?! Because of the scale of the paper shapes I needed to use the Cricut Expressions, but all of the cut pieces could be made using the original Cricut, just scaled down. What a great Christmas card it would make.

Just to give you an idea of how quickly the page went together, the scalloped background (visible in the full page view) took less than a minute to cut. Try that by hand with a pair of scissors. Ha! Not! I got the picture of the family playing in the snow from the internet (source forgotten) since I don't have any of my family or friends in the snow. I was so tickled to see that the colors in the picture ended up coordinating with the paper colors I'd chosen from my DCWV cardstock supplies on hand before I even found the picture. Cool, huh! Of course the same page would look great in all Stampin' Up! cardstock, textured or smooth. I just have to use materials available at Jo-Ann's for my classes there.

To see the full page and another detail shot visit my "Cricut Projects" photo album. I had so much fun creating this page, that I decided to create a right side page to coordinate with it. In class we may only have time to create the left page, but I want to show how a 2-page layout could look. If there's time, we can at least cut the parts for the right page to assemble at home. I'm also creating another 2-page layout using a similar template from the SB201 class syllabus. I'll post the photos of the 3 additional pages ASAP.

Cartridges used: Accent Essentials (scalloped bkgd), Christmas Cheer (snowman and snowflakes), Cursive 101 (part of title) and Printing 101 (part of title).

The class is scheduled for November 6th at 6:30 or November 7th at 10:00. It's a 2 hour class and is only $20. Please pre-register right away.

Questions? Feel free to contact me anytime.

Finally Finished with Heidi Grace

OK, so I've been using a lot of Heidi Grace lately and I'm sure my die-hard Stampin' Up! fans are pretty sick of it. Well, I'm pleased with what I've created with the materials and think it's a nice quality product line, but I am pretty tired of working with the HG materials provider me from Jo-Ann. So, the 2-page spread I'm sharing today will be the last of my HG projects for a while, at least until next year sometime, maybe after Valentines day or later. Maybe forever. :-) Well, we'll see.

Here's a sneak peek of a simple 2-page spread I threw together this AM to display at Jo-Ann. You can see the 2-page layout in my Heidi Grace album. It's based on the syllabus I teach from for my Scrapbooking 101 class at Jo-Ann. The template can be used in a variety of ways. If you compare it to my more elaborate 2-page spread of my Valentine roses (in my Cricut photo album), you'll see the same basic template. The large rectangle on the left page in this layout could be for a large photo or for a long bit of journalling. In my Valentine roses page, I tucked it into a pocket on the same page since the journalling is a love letter to my husband.  This 2-page spread really needs some rub-on or chipboard lettering for the title bars and maybe some additional rub-on or chipboard accessories, but I don't have those from HG here at home. If I jazz up the layout I'll re-photograph it and re-post it. But this is done for now. This template can be used for anything from fancy to funky, masculine or feminine. Have fun playing with this template.

New Scrapbook Layout for Class

If you've ever taken or taught a class at Jo-Ann's, then you know that their "core" classes, IE the classes that ALL of their stores offer, follow a syllabus handed down from the corporate office. That is how my scrapbooking 101 and 201 class samples are determined, by following a syllabus. I actually like this because it saves me a lot of time coming up with new ideas. Plus, the class coordinator at our store allows me plenty of room for creative license. Here's a sneak peek of the 2-page layout I made for my October Scrapbooking 201 class. Be sure to see the full view in my Heidi Grace album. Yes, Heidi Grace (HG) again, but that's what I am given to work with. Note: The letters in the title at the bottom of both pages are rub-ons. I didn't have all large letters, so I used what I had. Notice the 3 dots between the "m" and the "e" in Moments. That is to signify that the layout is to "Celebrate MOM". Just so you know, I think the HG products that I have used since starting with Jo-Ann's in January '08 are all a very nice quality. But my heart still belongs to the Stampin' Up! (SU!) line of products. This 2-page layout would be simple to adapt to Stampin' Up! papers, pretties, die-cuts, rub-ons and trims. Hopefully, soon I'll get a layout of the same template made with all SU! so you can see.

BTW, I used the SU! border scallop punch on the HG layout since it's the only border punch I own. If you decide to take this class, coming up this Thursday PM and Friday AM, we'll have lots of Fiskar's border punches to use, which is what the instructions call for.

Questions? Contact me anytime! Have a great week, Michelle

Fun at the County Fair

After living here for 6 years, I finally went to the "famous" county fair. I was there to demonstrate the Cricut. While I did the demonstrating, Crystal, the class coordinator for Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, did the speaking for me on the mic. All they had was a hand held, which was not possible for me to use while demonstrating. I can project my voice pretty well, but there were times Crystal had to speak for me over the noise of the crowd. Plus, she's better at promoting my classes at Jo-Ann's than I am. We were in the Home Crafts exhibit building. Wow! Some of the quilts and cross-stitched pieces were nothing short of amazing.

Most of what I demonstrated at the fair on my Cricut Expressions machine were little party favors and ornaments created with the "Tags, Bags, Boxes and More" cartridge. Here's a picture of some of the items I made, which I will have on display at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts later this week.   I've also created a photo album for my Cricut samples so you can view the projects up close.

The papers used were card-stock I have on hand from years past or from Jo-Ann's, specifically DCWV for all of the textured papers. All inks, the jumbo eyelets and the flower punch (Trio Flower) are SU! and the stamp images are from the current Stampin' Up! set "Embrace Life" in the Fall/Winter Idea Book/Catalog and "A Cardinal Christmas" in the 2008-09 Holiday mini-catalog. All trims are scraps I had or items from Jo-Ann's. The rub-on used for the tag of the heart box is retired SU! Be sure to visit the photo album. The samples are so cute, if I may say so myself! Very soon I'll add more of these little boxes to the photo album featuring all SU! products.

Remember, I offer a Cricut class at Jo-Ann about once a month. These adorable little boxes will be the featured projects for the next class and you are welcome to bring any papers and trims you'd like to use. Solid or patterned papers will work great! If you own a Cricut - original or Expressions - please bring it to the class. You are welcome to come to the class even if you do not have a Cricut of any kind. The classroom is equipped with 2 machines. Please be sure to pre-register right away. My class schedules are posted on the right of my blog page.

Want to have a party or take a class featuring the Cricut machine and ALL Stampin' Up! products? Contact me anytime and we'll set a date. It will be a blast!

Thanks for the CASE, Robin - Adorable Card!

As most of my blog readers know, not only am I a demonstrator for Stampin' Up!, but I am also an instructor for the local Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. I like to visit the Jo-Ann online idea gallery as well as various blogs and other online galleries sharing projects created with all SU! products. Last week I submitted a challenge to my fellow demonstrators in my upline's Yahoo group to visit the Jo-Ann idea gallery and CASE something from there with all SU! products. "What does 'CASE' mean?", you might say. Well, what I was told is that originally it meant "Copy and steal everything", but more recently it means "Copy and share everything", which is what I prefer.

So now that you know about the challenge, you too are welcome to participate and I'll share your work on my blog to give you more online visibility. I'd like to share a sample submitted to me from Robin Messenheimer. Robin found a cute Halloween card online at JoAnn.com and CASE'd it in all Stampin' Up! products. The first photo is the sample Robin used as her challenge inspiration. Here's the link to the Jo-Ann webpage for the instructions. The second card is Robin's ALL Stampin' Up! CASE'd version. Adorable!!!! Here's the link to Robin's blog where you can find the recipe and instructions for her version of the card including how to make paper rick-rack for the spider legs, which would be cute for other things.

OK, as I mentioned, you too - demonstrators and non-demonstrators alike - are welcome to participate in this challenge. If you go to JoAnn's online idea gallery and CASE any paper-crafted projects idea in ALL SU! products, please share it with me by email so I can share it with my blog readers.

Thanks to Robin for participating in my challenge. I look forward to what others share with me through this challenge. Have fun!

New Card Class at JoAnn's

In honor of World Card Making Day I have a card class scheduled for October 2nd at 6:30 PM and forOctober 3rd at 10:00 AM. Below is one of the cards we'll be making - a head start on our holiday cards.  Not all of the cards are holiday themed. Check out my photo album, WCMD Class Samples, for the 4 cards we'll be making. You can also see these cards on display at the JoAnn's where I teach. I will provide all of the materials and supplies for the this class. (You are welcome to bring other stamp images if you'd like.) Two of the cards feature Sizzix dies, which are carried by Stampin' Up! as well as JoAnn's. The sample here uses theStampin' Up! scallop edge punch, which will not be available for the class, but lots of terrific Fiskar's edge punches will be on hand for you to try in addition to the Sizzix dies. Both the dies and the punches are so much fun!

I'd love to see you there! Please just pre-register within 48 hours of the class and show up at the time you're signed up for. I need at least 2 people, but would prefer at least 4 so please get your friends to sign up too. My JoAnn's classes are held either in the store classroom or in the scrapbooking department (if the sewing class needs the room).

If you are a die-hard Stampin' Up! fan and prefer not to use anything else, as I know some of you are, I'd be happy to offer this class using only SU! products, at your place or mine. However, I will need a minimum of 4 people for a private SU! class. Check with your friends and we can set a date.

Hope to see you at my class! Have a great week, Michelle

World Card Making Day

Join me in celebrating World Card Making Day (WCMD)at JoAnn's October 2nd and 3rd. We'll be creating several greetings cards you'll be proud to send to a loved one. I'll post sneak peeks of the samples next week sometime. We'll use various techniques and materials that will be sure to please the beginner and the expert card maker. Be sure to visit the WCMD website for information about the "holiday" and to see some great projects shared by card makers from all over.

OK, I'm off to finish making all of my card fronts (mine and other's from various swaps) into full cards. I'm participating in a Craft Fair September 27th and will be offering these cards (100's of them) for really great prices. Trust me, these cards are not easy to let go of as they are all something I'd love to send to a loved on. However, I simply don't have room for them all in my ever more crowded office. Be sure to come to the craft fair to pick up some of my cards and other paper crafted items as well as to check out what the other crafters/artists will be offering. Where: Oakdale Heights front lawn, 7442 N. Millbrook (corner of Millbrook/Alluvial), Fresno. When: Saturday Sept 27th, 10:00 AM to 2:00PM.

Hope to see you at the Craft Fair and at JoAnn's.

Welcome Home Dad

Because I own the Cricut and am on the Cricut.com mailing list, I got an e-message that they are looking for people to do some in-store training. If I get the position I'd be demonstrating to customers in various locations, in addition to my actual classes at JoAnns, where the products are sold. I have already completed their online survey and I just downloaded a sample to their website. Below is what I posted to their online "message board".

"I've been thinking about all our military folks and how it must be such a wonderful time when they get to come home to their families, whether they have been in the country at "boot camp" or out of the country in active service. With those giving folks in mind I decided to make a patriotic welcome home card.

I used the Design Studio to plan it out and to "Weld" some of the words. I wanted chunky letters so I used the "Shadow" mode. To get a shadow on some of the words instead of a full outline, I simply made the same word a bit bigger and offset it when adhering the layers together. The cartridges used are "Opposites Attract" and "Plantin SchoolBook". The card looks simple, but it took a fair amount of fiddling to get everything the size I wanted. The papers I used mostly are some heavy watercolor paper I had on hand. The bright blue is SU! Brilliant Blue. The ribbon I had on hand - found item. I used some dimensionals to pop up some of the stars and "Dad".
Enjoy!"

Scrapbooking and My Cricut

So I've been teaching the Scrapbooking 101 classes at our local JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts and thought I'd share the 2-page layout I've made. The pictures mounted ON the pages were taken with my old camera. The pictures taken OF the pages were done on "auto" with my new camera, which I'm still trying to learn how to use. Guess I better get one of those "For Dummies" books to learn how to best use it. It's quite a bit more advanced than any camera I've used before. What I have gotten pretty good at is using my Cricut machine, the original version. I just bought the Expressions version along with several cartridges. I hope to have everything next week so I can put my Cricut "Design Studio" program to better use. On these 2 scrapbook pages you'll see lots of embellishments I made using textured card stock and my Cricut. Click on any picture to see each of the pages in full view as well as the 2-page layout.

Note about Cricut embellishments: If you look at the enlarged photos, you might notice that there are some frayed/rough edges on some of the embellishments. I decided that was acceptable for this project since there are other torn elements on the page. For other projects I would adjust the Cricut settings to get clean edges.

Want to learn how to use your Cricut or try out the machine before purchasing one? Come to my class at JoAnn's July 31st at noon. The class was scheduled today impromptu and will be 2 hours at $20 per person. Bring your machine if you have one and paper you'd like to practice with as well as make paper embellishments for cards, pages, home decor items and so much more! If you don't have a Cricut yet, there will be a machine on hand in the classroom. Please be sure to pre-register ASAP. Come join the fun!

Can't make this class? I'll be offering something similar monthly. Check my class schedule for dates and times.

New Class Schedules

OK, after much prayerful consideration, I've had to choose which things to continue with and which irons to withdraw from the fire. I have discontinued my efforts at The Palace Courtyard. Though it is a delightful place to bring my demonstrations, it was a lot of work that was not meeting the purpose hoped for by the owner and myself. I am also discontinuing my efforts with the Scrapbook Socials and the Rubber Stamping classes at JoAnn's.

However, at JoAnn's I am still offering classes twice weekly beginning in June. Those classes include paper crafting, scrapbooking and polymer clay. Some of the JoAnn's classes may incorporate basic rubber stamping. I still have classes scheduled for April and May. Check 'em out!

Also, I have put together some Stampin' Up! classes to hold in my home. One of my first classes scheduled in my home will be My Card Keeper shown in yesterday's post. It's such a fun project with fantastic materials. I'll also be offering a class using the Stampin' Up! On Board Chipboard which will be specially priced during the month of May. See my class schedules for a complete current list of classes.

Have a look at my Spring and Summer class schedules for JoAnn's and my Stampin' Up! classes. Then please register right away. I look forward to having you in my classes!

Even Grown Up Girls Just Want to Have Fun

I had so much fun this Monday at JoAnn's presenting a mini stamp camp. Actually there wasn't much stamping, but it was more paper crafting to create 3 cards. What was the occasion? The Police Chiefs of California were having a conference in our town. The wives who came along needed something to do while their husbands were in seminars. The events coordinator called JoAnn's and I was given the opportunity to entertain these ladies. I think I was equally entertained. Here's 2 samples of what we did. The idea for the card template came from one of the make-n-takes I made at the Stampin' Up! annual convention I attended August 2007. I displayed 2 samples for each card template since each of the materials packets were not exactly the same. The materials are all from JoAnn's, with the patterned papers and 3-D stickers by Amy Butler for K&Company. Check out my photo album to see my cards and how the room was set up. There's also a photo of the ladies who attended.

My First Tag Book

Since I have a "Scrapbooking Social" to facilitate at JoAnn's this coming Friday, Jan. 18th, at 6:30 I thought I'd make a sample. It was so easy and fun! I've used Heidi Grace papers again and embossed stickers. The sample I've made has twice as many pages and a is bit more fussy than the tag booklet they'll make at the social. I just had to show them a "stepped up" version, though it still is ever so simple. I'm not sure what's going on with my photos. They aren't coming out very good. Hope it's just the photographer and not a technical problem with my camera. We'll see. Have a look at some of the other pages in my JoAnn's samples album.

Rethinking my Classes for JoAnn's

OK, so I'm new at this juggling 2 businesses. I've had to do some rethinking about my classes for JoAnn's. I decided not to try to hold classes this month since I'm already bogged down with learning to use my  new blog, learning how to use the new Stampin' Up! demonstrator business website plus sorting through and reorganizing all of my stuff - SU! versus non-SU! - so I don't grab something from SU! for a class at JoAnn's or use something from JoAnn's for my SU! parties. That would be a bit embarrassing!

Oh yeah! I also need to get all of our papers ready to do our taxes. And not to forget that The Palace Courtyard still wants me to hold parties in their vendor conference room. I'm looking forward to that too.

Soooo . . . I've updated my JoAnn's class schedule to reflect some changes. Want to come to my classes at JoAnn's? Contact me for more details.

March 5th: updated class list again based on availablitiy of products at JoAnn's.

Demo Day at JoAnn's

Just thought I'd share the samples I made for Demo Day at the local JoAnn Fabric and Crafts last Saturday, Jan. 5th. I was stationed near the front of the store helping customers do a quick "Make It & Take It" card. The patterned papers and punchboard sticker accessories are from Heidi Grace and are very nice quality products. I don't know who the stamps are from. They came from the store's classroom supplies.

My participation in Demo Day was to introduce myself to JoAnn's customers as their new rubber stamping class instructor.  Each customer got to make one card. Sort of a teaser. Hope I get some people signing up for my classes. 

I have my classes on the calendar, but still need to enter the description. Check it out in case you might like to join me at JoAnn's some time.

OK, gotta go! Enjoy, Michelle