0 Monday Class Rudown

Upcoming classes this week...and check this out--I am teaching ONLINE now!!

NEW Classes:

Tomorrow signups launch for My Creative Classrom. It's an online classroom where you can take classes on anything creative--Teri Martin is there, Nan Paturzo, lots of great talent and knowledgeable, experienced teachers with great courses! I'm offering two classes this semester -- check them out below:


You've either already taken the Bind it All 101 course with Nan Paturzo online (or Bind It All Bascis with me in person) or you're familiar with using the Bind It All. In this course, we'll take binding to the next level, creating several projects using the Bind-It-All tool and accessories, like the Round-It-All, O-Wires, and Cover-Alls. It's not about the basics anymore - we'll learn techniques for addressing challenging binding situations such as binding irregular shaped pages, binding on the edges of a project, binding pages of various sizes, creating projects besides books, tips for fixing mistakes, and more.

This class starts after Nan's 101 class, also at My Creative Classroom, so you can take that class first to get familiar with Bind It All and then follow it up with my Masterz class.

Start Date: November 18, 2009

Check out more info on this class and enroll here:

http://www.mycreativeclassroom.com/course/info.php?id=246

In 10 Weeks + 10 Techniques = 20 Pages we'll create two layouts each week, focusing on one main technique. Other techniques and tips will be shared along the way. After 10 weeks, you'll have completed 20 scrapbook pages and tried 10 techniques!! I'll also share my tips for making the most of your supplies, solutions for using scraps, and more. For those of you who take my classes in stores, this course will have a few layouts from past "Twenty Pages In A Day" classes as well as some pages exclusive to the online class. The best part about this class is you can use your own stash to complete all the pages--you don't have to buy a kit! Plus I share a little more since we have more time during the online class. If you want a kit, I will have kits for some of the pages available in my etsy shop before the class begins.

Start Date: October 8, 2009

Check out more info on this class and enroll here:

http://www.mycreativeclassroom.com/course/info.php?id=250

You can sign up for these online classes now until about 10 days after they start by visiting My Creative Classroom. You will need to set up an account with the site--this will give you immediate access to tutorials and free classes and you'll also be able to see classes like mine thatare open for enrollment.

Classes This Week:

Book Club
Featuring Claudine Hellmuth's
"The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit"
September 2, 2009
October 14, 2009
November 4, 2009
7-9pm
$65 (includes 3 meetings + book)
Ph: 714-961-8011
The Scrappin' Table

Let's meet up and get creative! Book Club is all about inspiration. This cycle we'll try Claudine Hellmuth's creativity prompts in her latest book, The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit. We'll use the idea book as a guide, experiment with new techniques at each meeting, share our creations, and leave with a homework assignment and creativity kit to play with until the next meeting. It's lots of fun and you'll leave each meeting inspired and ready to create. Membership fee includes idea book and 3 meetings.

Bind It All Clinic Day
Bind Your Shop Hop Books & More
September 5, 2009
10am-2pm
FREE
Ph: 714-961-8011
The Scrappin' Table

Join me at The Scrappin' Table for a Bind It All Clinic. Bring in your Shop Hop make n takes to bind them into a book. Or bring in projects you're stumped on and we'll get them bound, First come, first served!

Bind It All BOOT CAMP
Five Projects Using the Bind It All
September 5, 2009
3pm-6pm
$40
Ph: 626-358-5334
Pages From The Heart

Create five challenging projects using the Bind It All:

• Candy Holder (you'll actually make 4 of these in class)
• Perpetual Calendar
• Wall Hanging
• Memo Board or Jewelry Hanger
• Secret Surprise Project!!

See you there!!

2 Bind It All Boot Camp

Today I did my Bind It All Boot Camp class at The Scrappin' Table. It was just Robyn and I so it was a nice relaxed class. Since Robyn and I were on our own we played and chatted and created some fun projects. Here's the calendar she created--it came out super cute!



I really wish there were more people able to take classes but right now, it just does not seem to fit in their budget. Stores get asked all the time about Bind It All classes, they pass the info on to me, we schedule something and then the class gets canceled or has low attendance. I know there are so many factors that go into people not being able to take a class and right now lack of funds is a big one--I totally understand because I am in the same boat! LOL I really appreciate everyone who is able to take classes because I love this job so much, I love seeing that creativity lightbulb come on when you learn something new or get inspired, and I love sharing and meeting new people. I am just hoping we get through this soon and can get back to cropping, learning, and sharing.

I'll be teaching this class again next weekend at Pages From the Heart in Monrovia on September 5. You'll create 5 different projects, NINE total projects, for just $40!! You can't beat that!!!

I'll also be holding a Bind It All CLINIC the same day, from 10am-2pm, at The Scrappin' Table. So if you weren't able to make the class today or the one next Saturday, some on down to The Table to get some pointers, get your Shop Hop makes n takes bound if you did Shop Hop, and learn a little about the Bind It All. This is the only time I am offering a FREE CLINIC like this all year so take advantage!!

See you there!!

2 Cropping Is SOOOOOO Much Fun!!

Last night we had another crop at my house!! It was great to see everyone and spend time chatting, snacking, cropping. We made over 70 layouts, cards, and projects over the course of the night - woohoo!! Xaver made burgers and dogs for our little crop picnic - yum yum!

Susan was cranking out loads of sports titles on her Cricut after a mini lesson from Aprile:

Aprile was creating spooky goodness with her Epic:

I think Nikki rigged the prizes cuz she won an awful lot! LOL She got the most raffle tickets because she was just cranking out the projects--she got this entire paper bag book done before dinner!

Jamie and Teresa drove up from Temecula, Nancy D. and Teri came from my neck of the woods. Look how serious they are, in the cropping zone!

We had goodies to buy, past class kits, handmade items from me:

We hit 50 Layouts early on in the night so everyone got a prize from my goodie box. Teresa chose some fun Prima alphas:

Here's Aprile creating the 65th item, a Halloween card:


Thank you to everyone who came up to crop and braved the Friday night traffic. We closed up shop just before 1Am! Next month I'll be working on Scrap Pink so I won't have a crop but October 30th is the next one I am planning so mark your calendars ;)

See you at Scrap Pink!

2 Five Fridays #3 - Storage Solutions

1. Scraps. I store my scraps by color, in 12x12 ziploc bags. I keep them in a bin--once they get too fat to fit in the bin, I know it is time to clean them out. Here are some ideas for cleaning out your scraps stash:

• Take the scraps from 3 bags that coordinate and create cards. I took green, orange, and brown scraps to the Diva crop a couple weeks ago and got 30 cards done, 100% from scraps! Better yet, after you create a layout, create cards to match and then you don't have to put any scraps away.
  
• Purge the scraps you have not touched in 6 months. Donate them to a local school, adult living facility, or women's shelter.
• Create punchies -- Tammy I creates journal spots from scraps and then keep them ready-to-use at crops in her cases.
• Use scraps first - before using a new sheet of paper for diecuts or a mat, check your scraps first. One lady on scrapbook.com said she posted a sign over her paper to remind her to "Check Scraps First!"

2. Ribbon. I have 5 different ways of storing ribbon. You probably won't need all of these because I am clearly out of control when it comes ot buying ribbon but hopefully some of these ideas can help you stay organized.

• Rings. I got a curtain rod from Ikea, set it on brackets that extended it about 3" from the wall and threaded on Binder Rings. On each Binder Ring I aded more rings. Then I looped on my ribbons, one color per Binder Ring. This works great for ribbon purchased by the yard.

• Drawers. if you line up your spools of ribbon in a drawer, they will be easier to see and you're more likely to use what ytou can see easily.

• Cafe Rods. You can get a couple thin cafe rods from Target, some extended reach brackets from Ikea and create your own ribbon spool rack like I did here:

• Scraps. I keep small bits of ribbon in baggies by color. I try to keep it to a sandwich sized bag or smaller. I lay it in my drawer with my spools of ribbon so I will check the bag before cutting a strip off a spool.
• Go Whole Hog! A while back I got some wire ribbon racks for retail stores and they have been sitting in my garage. I could not decide how I would use them in my room and then I finally settled on pegboard. Last Friday my dad and I cut the pegboard, I brought it home, and then Xaver installed it when he got home from work. We still need to paint it but I could not wait to get the ribbon I use for classes up on it --this is going to make planning classes so easy! Plus it is kind of fun to look at :) I won't be posting a photo until it is painted!
  

3. Paper. I have tried all kinds of things and for the last two years, the thing that has worked THE BEST for me is storing my paper by color, vertically.

I can thumb through all the papers to find exactly what I need and my paper almost never gets bent. I keep cardstock to the left and patterned paper to right of each color section. For example, white cardstock, white patterned paper, then red cardstock, red patterned paper, etc.

4. Stickers. I cannot stand stickers but I still buy them. I tried file folders, Iris carts, drawers, stacking them vertically in a bin, a Sticker Stadium...nothing worked. Until I got the Clip It Up. I only have Stickers on my Clip It Up but it is perfect for that.

5. Embellies. A few years back I got some Dot Boxes from Cottage Mills for my embellies. They come in a couple sizes--it is basically a case where you can insert small modules, that coe in diff sizes, to store small items. Here's what it looks like:



I have all my embellies by color, with some drawers having two dot boxes. The boxes come in a much larger size than what I have but I wanted something that would fit into the drawers I own now and that I could easily toss into a scrapbook tote. Again, these are all by color. If my dot box is full, I know that I need to use some stuff up before I can buy more.

Happy Organizing!

1 End of Zomething Wonderful For Me...and Possibly The Ztart of Zomething Wonderful For You!

I LOVE being on the Zutter Bind It All Design Team. I mean LOVE IT!!!! I could not have asked to be on a better team - I get freedom to create things I like and actually use, Nan is awesome to work with, the product shipments we get are beyond generous...what's not to love!?

Sadly, my time is coming to an end. To commemorate our year as the Original Zutter Zisters we're doing a little swap. Here is my layout for the swap:


Though this is a sad time for me (sniff sniff) it is a good time for you to APPLY TO BE A ZUTTER ZISTER! Yeah, get on over to the Bind It All website and send in your application NOW!!! Best of luck!!

Okay, I can't be sooooo somber since there are some things in the works and I will still be involved on the Ning board for Bind It All fans...more to come on that later ;)

Oh, and in case you missed it, the Bind It All was featured on an eposide of the show Psych on USA Network. Check it all out HERE.

Happy Binding!!

1 Recycling old sheet protectors

If you're like me, you've got old used sheet protectors sitting around. They are either still in your books, looking all scratchy, or you've replace them with new ones but something in you does not want to throw them away. Here's something to DO with them!!

This technique involves machine sewing but you can do this by hand as well.

Here's what you need:

• Scrap paper
• Paper Punch or diecut machine
• Old sheet protector
• Bind It All
• Sewing Machine or needle, thread, and paper piercer

Assembly:

1. Punch shapes from scrap paper. I used Prima's new Indeed and Paradise City Lines to create a mini book. I punched butterflies from the scraps. You'll want to use a double sided paper since the shapes will be visible from both sides. If your paper is not double sided, use a symmetrical shape (like butterflies) and glue two back to back to make a double sided shape.

2. Trim a sheet protector to size--mine is 7.5 x 5 to fit in a Zutter Cover-All but you can pretty much do any size page up to 12x12.

3. Lay a punched shape (butterfly in this case) in one corner. Sew a vertically line and one horizontal line across the whole sheet protector to box in this shape. This will start a gird for you to place the other butterflies in.




4. Continue filling the grid boxes and sewing vertical and horizontal lines to close off the boxes.




5. After you've filled the entire sheet protector, stitch around the edges to close it.

6. Punch with the Bind It All and use a as page in your newest mini book! This page is actually one of the pages in my "Delightful Daydream" Prima Endorsed Mini Book Class on September 13 at Collective Journey in Redlands, CA.

Happy Recycling!!

0 Big Announcement Coming September 1

So please check back then--it's pretty cool ;)

Here's a hint:

Happy Scrapping!!

12 Monday Class Rundown

It's Monday, time to let you know what the new classes are that I've put up over the last week!!

This is my new plan--every Monday I'll run through new classes I've posted, changes, and maybe post a giveaway so keep an eye out. This will free up more days during the week for me to post tutorials, share pages, and do more scrappy fun stuff.

If I don't post classes on a Monday then maybe there weren't any news ones that week. If you want to know what's coming down the pike, just check out my class schedule to the left--photos of each class are above the listing for the class. So if you see a class title and date and no photos, keep an eye out cuz I just might be posting it here!

Classes This Week:

Our Little Monkey
It's Back and Better Than Before!
August 26, 2009. 5-730pm
$38
Ph: 909-793-2200
Collective Journey

Crop Picnic
Cropping and Potlucking it, Picnic style!
August 28, 2009
5pm-???
Email: hydrangeahippo[at]yahoo[dot]com
At Jennifer's House



Bind It All BOOT CAMP
Five Projects Using the Bind It All
August 30, 2009. 1-4pm
$45
Ph: 714-961-8011
The Scrappin' Table

NEW CLASSES and UPDATES:



Book Club
Featuring Claudine Hellmuth's
"The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit"
September 2, 2009 October 14, 2009 November 4, 2009
7-9pm
$65 (includes 3 meetings + book)
Ph: 714-961-8011
The Scrappin' Table

Let's meet up and get creative! Book Club is all about inspiration. This cycle we'll try Claudine Hellmuth's creativity prompts in her latest book, The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit. We'll use the idea book as a guide, experiment with new techniques at each meeting, share our creations, and leave with a homework assignment and creativity kit to play with until the next meeting. It's lots of fun and you'll leave each meeting inspired and ready to create. Membership fee includes idea book and 3 meetings.

Bind It All Clinic Day
Bind Your Shop Hop Books & More
September 5, 2009
10am-2pm
FREE
Ph: 714-961-8011
The Scrappin' Table

Join me at The Scrappin' Table for a Bind It All Clinic. Bring in your Shop Hop make n takes to bind them into a book. Or bring in projects you're stumped on and we'll get them bound, First come, first served!

Bind It All BOOT CAMP
Five Projects Using the Bind It All
September 5, 2009
3pm-6pm
$40
Ph: 626-358-5334
Pages From The Heart

Create five challenging projects using the Bind It All:

• Candy Holder (you'll actually make 4 of these in class)
• Perpetual Calendar
• Wall Hanging
• Memo Board or Jewelry Hanger
• Secret Surprise Project!!

Delightful Daydream
A Prima Certified Class
September 13, 2009
1-4pm
Ph: 909-793-2200
Collective Journey

Embark on a delightful daydream with this mixed media book featuring Prima’s new Indeed and Paradise City paper lines. Alter flowers, create custom colored felt borders, and sew a one-of-a-kind ribbon and lace binding in the class. Doilies, altered sheet protectors, canvas, and other materials are used to create a truly unique, 21 page album. We'll explore techniques from using glimmer mist to stamping, painting, glitter, machine sewing and more - you'll also learn tricks for making the most of Prima's newest products.

Supplies: Foam Paint Brush, Non stick Craft Mat, Chalk Inks, Glue Dots, Heat Gun if you have one.

Our Little Monkey
Just added to The Scrappin' Table
September 27, 2009.10am-1pm
$38
Ph: 714-961-8011
The Scrappin' Table

Me Likey Mini Book
DATE CHANGE!!
September 27, 2009
1:30-4:30pm
$35
Ph: 714-961-8011
The Scrappin' Table

Due to Labor Day Weekend, we've moved the "Me Likey" class to Sptember 27, 2009 at 1:30pm. See you there!!

World Card Making Day Tour
Cards For the Troops
October 3, 2009
Pink Pineapple Scrapbooks: 12pm
The Scrappin' Table: 5pm
More Stops TBA
Samples Coming Soon!!
$10
Scrapbook Royalty

I'll be teaching 4 Prima cards for $10 at each store. After you've made the cards, use the supplies in my travelling art bar to create as many Cards for the Troops as you'd like.

And finally, let's do a giveaway! Sign up as a follower of my blog then post a comment here letting me know you did (or if you are already signed up let me know that too) and I'll draw 3 names to win this cute little "My Peeps" make n take kit:

Be sure to leave your email address or a way for me to contact you so I can tell you if you won. Thanks!

Happy Creating!!

3 Fun at the Fiskateer Picnic

Today we went down to a Fiskateer Picnic in Laguna Niguel. It was arranged by Cheryl Waters, Lead Fiskateer, as a way to end the Shop Hop. I didn't participate in Shop Hop this year but all Fiskateers were invited so the three Fiskateers in my family plus Matt went down for the afternoon.

There were several make n takes offered--the Durbins had a fun little paper bag book featuring Cosmo Cricket's Snorkel Line of papers. Here's Tiffany, Xaver, and other Fiskateers doing make n takes.

Michelle Cummings and Katie--Katie really liked Michelle's door hanger make n take.

It was a little hot, as evidenced by Matthew's sweaty little face! But he was having a blast. Apparently there was an incident involving Matt, Katie, and a croquet mallet while I was in the restroom!

Each family packed their own picnic lunch. Drinks, watermelon, and cake and ice cream were provided--yummy!

There were also games for everyone to play. Here's Matt trying his hand at croquet:


When we left everyone was in the middle of a fun game of bingo. There were also sack races and other fun games planned. I wanted to stay because everyone was having such a great time but we've always got Sunday dinner with the grandparents so we had to get on the road.

It was really nice seeing so many familiar faces (Tran, Tiffany, Pam, Michelle, Yuko, Anita, Abby, Jim, Jeanne...), putting online faces to names (I finally met artist Laura Bray), and meeting new people. Just a fun time with creative crafters! Thanks Cheryl for organizing a great time and inviting us all.

Happy Crafting

1 Downloading fonts

Thanks to everyone who came out to my yard sale this morning and to my class this afternoon! Thanks for braving the weather--it was nice to see you all ;)

At the yard sale I was asked about installing fonts on the computer. It's easy to just assume everyone knows what "downloading a font" means when I am typing away on my little ol' blog but this morning I was reminded that a refresher on this process would be nice. I really should say "download and install fonts" when talking about adding fonts to your computer. So here is the refresher:

From the Web:

1. Go to a website that has fonts, like dafont, com (free) or Scrap N Fonts (fonts for under $5). Follow any instructions for purchasing then follow the down load prompts on the website.

2. Make sure you download the font version for your operating system. That means for Windows or Mac and also which level of system you're running like XP or Vista.

3. Your computer will prompt you to specify a location to save the file. Remember this! If it does not prompt you, then it will download the font to a specific place on your computer where all downloads go. You should know where this is--usually it is in a "Downloads" folder or on the Desktop.

4. After the downloading is complete, find the folder the font is in. Open the folder so you can see the icon for the font but don't open the font itself.

5. Go to the Start Menu (I have no idea about doing stuff on Macs so I am just talking Windows here). Click on "Control Panel" and open it.


6. In the "Control Panel" is a folder labeled "Fonts". Open it.


7. Drag the font you downloaded into the "Fonts" folder. A window will pop up that says that the font is being installed to your computer. When it's done, your font will be accessible in all your programs.

From a CD or Drive:

1. Open the CD or Drive. Locate the font you want but don't open the font itself. Follow steps 5-7 above.

Why on earth would you want to do all this? Because there are super cute fonts to use for scrapbooking! You can create your journaling on the computer, make word art, cut out items using a diecutting machine (like a Quickutz Sihouette) and more.

Here are some of my favorite fonts (linked so you can download them too):

Pharmacy
Euphorigenic
Teen
Carnivalee Freakshow
Hurry Up
Pupcat
Artistamp Medium

Happy Creating!

0 Blinking

I started designing blinkies in 2007. It was one of those things that comes out of necessity, learning the whole blinkie making process. Since then I have done a few blinkies. I don't like the flashing borders of most blinkies so I play more with the animation and the images. I also am not a Photoshop pro so I prefer using photos of things as a base instead of creating everything digitally.

My newest blinkie is for Scrapbook Royalty--I revamped the old blinkie, making it larger and adding more event photos and the new SBR logo.


We're announcing a contest over on the blog in the next few days andthis blinkie is a crucial part of that so make you stop by the Scrapbook Royalty Blog on Monday.

I am at work designing a blinkie for my etsy shop and blog as well as one for the Divine Desert Divas so I'll post those when they are done. If you'd like me to design a blinkie for you, please let me know!! You just need to provide the images and I will do the rest. For a small fee of course ;)

Happy Blinking!

1 Bind It All Boot Camp

How do you know if you're ready for BIND IT ALL BOOT CAMP!?!

You know you want to know everything there is to know about the Bind It All and wayyyy wayyyy wayyy more, right?!

Books are cool but there is other stuff, cooler stuff, more useful thrifty gifty stuff (think Christmas) that your Bind It All is capable of helping you do and you want to do it!

You're already pretty savvy with the Bind It All, making some books here and there, closing your O-wires into a nice "o" shape most of the time.

This year, you will make the best handmade gifts, have the best decorated house, and command the worship of Bind It All novices everywhere you crop...okay, well, maybe not that last part but you'll learn some pretty cool tricks for some pretty challenging projects.

If that describes you, then Bind It All BOOT CAMP is the next logical step! Here's what you can make in this class:

Bind It All BOOT CAMP

With Jennifer Priest of the Bind It All Design Team

Create 5 challenging and innovative projects using the Bind It All:

Wall Hanging

Multimedia Gift Card Mini Book
This one is top secret and you can only see it in the class - hehehehe! Think gift cards, "green", tags, canvas art board...

Candy Holder
We'll make FOUR of these in class!

Desktop Calendar
You're more than welcome to bring your own paper for any of the projects - we'll choose paper from my secret stash to use in the class.


Memo Board/Key Holder or Jewelry Hanger
Choose one - the memo board includes the cork board and the post it pad (think man-gift!), the jewelry hanger includes the "Diamonds" quote, fancy ribbon hanger, and diecut dress form (and a girly gift). Each features Zutter Clipboard Wood.

You’ll choose paper and embellishments from an art bar set up during class to create your own custom creation – materials available WILL vary from samples. We will each walk away with our own custom creations.

August 30, 2009

@ The Scrappin' Table

Placentia, CA

1-4pm. $45

Ph: 714-961-8011

September 5, 2009

@ Pages From The Heart

Monrovia, CA

3-6pm. $40

Ph: 626-358-5334

Call the stores now to secure your spot!! That's 5 projects for under $50 (really 8 projects if you count the 4 candy holders...). AND I will have lots of fabulous Zutter prizes to give away. You won't want to miss out!

Happy Crafting!