Back from CKC-Tulsa

The time has come and gone again, my most FAVORITE time of year... seriously the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Tulsa tops Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter all of them. I love it! I know some people knock it or aren't impressed by it but for me personally its time away from my job and "real life" and time to relax, craft, and hang out with friends... oh yes and shop! :) I felt like this year was extremely slow vendor faire wise. There were a few booths that had crazy lines but for the most part there was not the hustle and bustle of past years. Classrooms weren't as crowded. Maybe one class of the 8-ish I took was sold out. I know that there were a lot of sold out classes but only one that I took. The vendor faire was smaller than in past years... probably the smallest I have ever seen it... but there were two new companies that I spotted that I am really excited about and I hope they return! I like to give class reviews... honest class reviews. That's the only way you know what to hit and what to miss. So I shall start with Thursday....
Thursday we took the afternoon class called 15 Things That Define Me. We had five hours to complete a 12x12 album. We used Cosmo Cricket Cira 19-something paper. Not a line I would normally use or buy but I enjoyed it. My very first year at CKC they offered an All Day Album class and I remember being amazed at all the product you got! Full sheets of stickers, rubons, ribbon, buttons everything... even adhesive and pop dots!! Times have changed as we only got just enough supplies to make the album, with the exception of the paper and a sheet of really old thickers. I enjoyed it and got most of my album completed. We (and by we I should mention here that I went with my two dear friends Marsha and Karen who were kind enough to take a chance on a stranger (me) five years ago and invited me to go with them to my first CKC. Their kindness overwhelms me and I'm so grateful to call them my dear friends). But I digress..... So Thursday Night we went to the Technique Crop where each company gives you a 12x12 layout and teaches you a new Technique. Some of the layouts I'm not particularly crazy about but I take it for what it is and have a great time cropping and gigging with friends. There are a few this year that I LOVED and I also LOVE getting coupons to use in the vendor faire the next day! You can buy companion pages to most layouts and the first few years I made sure to get every companion page. Now I only buy the companion pages that I love. (this year that was Technique Tuesday and Embellish It!)
Friday: Boxerpolooza 2011... by Boxer Scrapbooking. I always enjoy this lecture style class in which Angie, an owner of the company gives you tons of product and gives you new ideas to use the product.I will say that the product was scaled down a bit this year but I still enjoyed it .

Next up was 2011 Latest and Greatest with Basic Grey by Emellish It! This is a must have class every year. I love it and I always learn some kind of new technique every year. Shelby is a wonderful teacher and is so stinkin creative its ridiculous. While some of the paper is not my style for the most part I do love all the layouts. This year she taught me how easy it is to make a pinwheel and now I'm obssesed!! :)

Think Ink by Creating Keepsakes... now honestly...  had I known that this was a Creating Keepsakes Class I would have not signed up for it. I'm not a fan of the classes put on by CK. But I've been scrapping for over 10 years... so I think if  I was a brand new scrapbooker I would be amazed by their classes, but really I didn't learn anything. I did receive a full packet of Kioshi by Basic Grey which is one of my favorite collections EVER. So I just took the time to sit and relax and work on a simply layout with inked edges.

Misting and More by Studio Calico
I wanted to take this class because I wanted to know about Mister Huey's mists by Studio Calico. I see Nichol Maguirk use them all the time in her videos and wanted to know more. Plus I knew Kelly Purkey would be teaching it and I'm a huge fan! She's amazing. What I learned: Mister Huey is a dye based ink. Meaning he has more color than water, which means that as he dries he's not going to warp my paper like other mists. He has vibrant colors and and a lot of fun and stay true to what is on the bottle. I fell in love and took my buy one get one free coupon to the Studio Calico booth and bought two collections. Later I went back and bought a third. Definetly try it out.
That was my Friday..... on to Saturday
Technique Tuesday: Recipie for Delicious Cards
This class was all about teaching rather than finishing.... which I love! Teach me something new. I can assemble a card at home! I go to classes to learn new tricks and tips! This year... I learned that you can stamp on felt. (Some of you may have known I didn't) Also I learned that I could use my clear stamps to stamp with paint. Yes I know this seems obvious but I seriously didn't know! No judgement please! YOu get all the goodies to make five cards, plus ink and a stamp set.

So Sweet Banner Album by The Button Farm
This was one of the new companies that was in Tulsa this  year and I must admit... I'm OBSESSED! They are all about making super cute mini-albums and super amazing, easy to follow color instructions!! The downside? I could have done this class by myself.... an instructor was not necessary.... but the album was so cute I didn't care! Did I mentiono I bought two of their kits in their booth? So CUTE!! Their website is http://www.thebuttonfarm.com/ go check them out!

Scrappin with Sketches by Creating Keepsakes
I honestly signed up for this last minute to fill time during the day. The sketches in the class weren't all that amazing. But I did get 15 extra sketches and an entire pack of Green at Heart by Basic Grey. So Again I took that time to sit and relax and do my own thing with the sketches.

Mixing, Matching and Scrapping by Faber Castell
SO this was the class I was MOST excited about... Faber Castell has a new product out called Gelatos and I knew that I would get to experiment and play with them in this class. I got a sampler pack of product that included A water color pencil, a big brush marker, a pastel pencil, another marker, and a gelato. Had I known who was going to be teaching this class I would have avoided it. I can't stand this teacher. She taught a few GCD Studio classes back in the day and she is a witch... but with a b if you know what I mean. She is so horrible and rude I can't stand her. I honestly feel like I wasted my money on this class and I would say run away! You basically try a different technique on each square of paper and then assemble your layout. meanwhile the teacher walks around critizing your work. No thank you! I'm probably going to write CK about this beacuse I feel so strongly about it. She's ridiculous! I did get a free tote with the class so there was an upside.

My last class: Classic Cards from the Heart by Heartfelt Creations
Another new company that I am in LOVE with!! Beautiful cards and projects Beautiful! Please do not get them confused with Heartstrings Designs (the matboard people) totally different beautiful!! I almost missed this gem but Marsha and I signed up at the end of the day and we were sure glad we did! You got a free stamp set and made four cards in the class. I would have loved to buy more at the show but money run out!  I plan on ordering on line when I lift my self imposed spending freeze. They make beautiful stamps and spellbinders makes coordinating dies to cut out the stamped images. gorgeousness! http://www.heartfeltcreations.com/ go look be amazed!

Saturday Night Send Off/Celebration Crop
This is just a basic crop where my friends and I take the time to finish up class projects and reflect on our weekend. Vendors come in with final deals so there is shopping. :)

Overall I had a great time and can't wait until next year!!

Sketches for Scrapbooking Volume 7

Here is a layout I created from the Sketches for Scrapbooking Volume 7 book by the incredibly talented Ms. Allison Davis. Allison and her family own and operate Scrapbook Generation and these books have completely changed my scrapbooking for the better!! The design work is done for me (which can be the most time consuming part of scrapping not to mention overwhelming!) this layout came together super quick! At this rate I'll be finished with my Vegas scrapbook in no time!


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Super Sketch Club LO

I have been working on some of my Super Sketch Club layouts this weekend. The sketch club comes from Scrapbook Generation in Springfield Missouri. The girls there are fantastic!! Make sure to visit their website for more information about the club! Anyway I used this bright paper from My Minds Eye Lime Twist Collection. I knew this Layout would be perfect for sweet Chandler's scrapbook. Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend!


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Lent Updates and Classes

Alright friends confession time I bought a set of stamps on Friday after work. It was the last set of basic grey/hero arts life of the Party stamps.


Here they are! Aren't they adorable?! I know I wasn't strong but did I mention it was the last set? Ok no more excuses. I think I'm doing pretty well. I'm back on the wagon for the rest of Lent!

I'm taking a couple of classes online from www.mycreativeclassroom.com
If you have a chance check it out. I'm taking sketch support with Allison Davis and I have completed the first weeks two assignments. It has been a blast! Here they are






Pretty excited about getting some pictures scrapped!

On a fun note some of the ladies from my office and I went to see an Elvis Tribute Artist last night names Cody Slaughter. A lot of people don't know that I am actually a HUGE Elvis fan so I was so excited to see him! And Cody did not disappoint! He is only 19 and is phenomenal! He does Elvis through the years and does it great!


Isn't he adorable!? Such a good time!! Well gals I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Shopping Update

Well it is still lent and I still haven't bought a thing. My grandma used to say that Sundays during lent didn't count but I didn't allow myself to give in on Sunday! Last week was especially stressful! This week probably will be too. But I feel accomplished!


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Lent

Though I'm not really a practicing Catholic anymore (shhh! Don't tell either Grandma we joined a non-demoninational Christian Church a few years ago). I still like to take the season of Lent to "give up" something and to work on my relationship with the Lord. So this year for Lent I am giving up Scrapbook Shopping!! I really can't believe it but it definetly is a sacrafice! I have a whole scraproom and I'm running out of space! How horrible is that?! I couldn't fit another organizational item even if i wanted to! So I'm stopping cold turkey. I have a habit of stopping by either Michael's or Hobby Lobby and using my weekly coupon and it is just not necessary! No more daily deals websites! There are some amazing deals out there but nothing I can not live withouth. (this will be particularly hard when there is a deal on Tim Holtz Distress Stains!) anyway so I'm asking for your prayers/positive vibes during this time. Hopefully I will be able to focus on praying through my struggles rather than leaning on worldy temporary fixes! I will be updating regularly on my progress. So Day 1 is done and I did great! I feel accomplished. Day 2 is underway and work is so busy that I really haven't had time to browse my normal sites! So maybe that is a good thing :) I think the struggle will come when I have a particularly stressful day or something sad happens. Shopping is always my quick fix! I'm trying to get it under control and hopefully by the end of the Lent season I will be able to.

Some of the ladies on two peas asked what if I run out of adhesive! Well I have a drawer full and just ordered six more rolls of ATG so I think I'm good for 40 days BUT should I run out of adhesive I don't think God will fault me for going and getting another roll of ATG. He understands that adhesive is a super important part of crafting :) but if I go in and buy a ton of things I don't need while I am buying adhesive he might frown a little bit. So let me know how many of you are doing this and your progress! We will make it girls!
Happy Thursday!

Birthday Card

I made a birthday card for my boss using Birthday Bash and the Birthday Bash paper from Imaginisce. The little dog is cut at 3 3/4 and the card base was cut at 5.5 at fit to page. This probably would not fit into an A2 envelope but I usually just put his cards on his desk with his treats. I also used some baker's twine from thetwinery.com.


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Gypsy Tip

I learned this tip this weekend and thought I would pass it along. I was trying to update my gypsy (this has been going on for quite some time. I haven't ever been able to download my "free cartridges" and I have had my gypsy since its launch on HSN). Anyway I recently got a new router for my computer and thought that maybe the Cricut Sync software would work now. Well of course that was stupid and it didn't work and the software actually ended up crashing!! My gypsy screen said "busy syncing" but of course it wasn't doing anything. I unplugged it from the computer and realized that the screen was stuck. I tried turning it off. Nothing!! I just knew I had broken my gypsy. I am not really "gypsy savy" but I do enjoy welding titles together. So I panicked as I am in the middle of a baby book for my friend's sisters babys shower in two weeks.
So if your gypsy freezes up you need to reset it. Here's how:

Unscrew the top of your stylus and turn your gypsy over to the back side. On the side where you hold your gypsy there is a tiny hole. There is a pointy tip on the end of the stylus once you unscrew it. Stick the pointy end into that tiny hole and TA-DA! Your gypsy will reset. It works fine now but I still can't download the new gypsy sync software. I've tried everything. I plan on calling PC when I get home from work to figure out what I need to do. Hopefully its nothing to major. Happy Monday To All!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone! I wanted to do a post about my top five cartridges in 2010. So here we go:
Number 5: Jolly Holiday
I didn't fight the black Friday madness at Wal-Mart but I did order this cartridge off eBay and it is the most precious thing I have ever seen! This is a cricut lite cartridge so it's " only available at Wal-Mart" but trust me go find it on eBay and snatch it up!
Number 4: Birthday Bash
This is one of the first cartridges to debut the new handbook format and it is full of a ton of goodies!! Not only does it have a Ton of woodland animals ready to party but it has the cutest font! And let's talk about the card/tag feature. If you don't have a gypsy or are not gypsy savy (me!) this cartridge is worth it just for the welded scalloped circle card and regular circle shaped card as well as all the rest of the shaped cards! I also like that the critters on this cartridge are more whimsical and less anime.
Number 3: Just Because Cards
There are some quirks with this cartridge. But after watching some YouTube tutorials you will love this little cartridge. These cards are terrific for any occasion and a great follow up to Wild Cards!
Number 2: Simply Charmed
This is a modern day doodlecharms! A cut for every holiday/season/event and phrases! A lot of ladies were turned off because everything has little smiley faces on them. But with or without the gypsy you do not have to include the face on your cut. On the gypsy just hide the faces and without the gypsy. Just don't cut the layer. Super easy! I adore the faces but my style is very cutesy and girly! If you don't own a lot of cartridges or are just starting out this is definitely a great one to have because of it's variety!
Number One: Create a Critter!
Big surprise I know but this cartridge was the hit of the year! It spun off a ton of animal pun stamps to accompany it (most of which I have) and is the easiest layering cartridge Provo Craft has ever released! This is my go to
Cartridge when it's late and I need a quick card! Each little critter has a phrase and accessory and some even have cute little buddies to go with them. Yes this is hands down my favorite cartridge of the year. Sometimes I like to cut out a critter just to have on hand. It's that easy and fun to use! This cartridge is a must have
For your library!
Many Blessings in 2011!


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