As in, LayOut ADay, the next BPC class I am now working on, taught by Lain Ehmann. Come September, I will be in scrapbook “boot camp”, creating a layout every day for 26 days in that month. I’ll get whipped into shape as far as using my time wisely, being productive, using up old supplies that are currently collecting dust, learning new, time-saving techniques, and generally getting my motivational and creative butt kicked. It will be so awesome! For now, we are getting “warmed up” in class…this week we are organizing our scrap spaces, and using some old products and/or photos to help clean things up. A much-needed exercise, indeed. Here is my layout for this week:
Bo Bunny paper and stickers; Paislee Press green patterned paper. Noelle at 7.
You know, using up old supplies makes room for new ones! Don’t tell my husband I said that. I’ll be back for round 3 in a little while!
Monday we received our final shipment of book-making materials from Bookmakers, Inc. Once we finally determined exactly how many books we will be making, and how much of the supplies will be needed, we plunked down a hefty chunk of change to make it happen. This is a dream of ours: Micha’s beautiful photos+my handiwork= one amazing book (we hope!). We settled on 12 copies, 11 of which have been sold (possibly the twelfth, as well) before they are even made. Once we completed one copy, our first try, we were able to figure out how to improve it; now we’re using it as the “artist’s copy” to show friends what we’re doing, and that’s how we were able to sell what we intend to make.
The last weekend I was not working, we had every intention of cranking out the first complete copies that we could sell. What we turned out instead was one disaster after another. Amazing how badly things turned out, and amazing how calm we stayed! No one was hurt in the process! So, we ended up wasting some supplies, and spending more money than intended, but our goal is to get each copy right and make it as perfect as possible, as if it were professionally made. Ugh. It’s so not easy! A few days ago, however, we did it. We created the first three copies, in their entirety, without any mistakes. We were so thrilled, we treated ourselves to dinner (!!). Three down, nine more to go. Sigh. I have also come to realize that I had not yet taken a photo of the final, completed book, probably because the artist copy doesn’t really count for me. Too many flaws. So, here you go.
Not fancy, nothing award-winning. A simple way to showcase the photos my husband created that will be exhibited at the art museum beginning this August. I am one proud woman. More details on the exhibit will be coming soon; any questions about the book are welcome. Thanks for letting me share!
Happy Mother’s Day! I would like to wish every mother out there (even if your kids are the furry, four-legged kind!) a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing and lovely day! Where would the world be without mothers? Now, sit back for a moment, think in your mind about all the gazillion things you do for your family, friends, co-workers and society in general, and then give yourself a pat on the back…maybe ask your kid to fetch you a beverage, and then kindly ask the hubby to give those shoulders a massage. You deserve it!
You also deserve a little something free, if you love to scrap, or paper craft! Get a free package of goodies from me today only by submitting a comment about why you deserve free scrapbook supplies. You know you do, so don’t be shy! One person will be chosen to receive a package containing no less than a dozen papers by the likes of Jenni Bowlin, Basic Grey, 7 Gypsies, Making Memories, etc., plus American Crafts alpha stickers, numerous ephemera, journaling spots, and ribbon! I will be making up some kits to begin selling on Etsy, but in honor of Mother’s Day, one lucky person will get a free one, today! Good luck, and happy scrappin’!
One more thing: I did manage to get another layout completed yesterday, for challenge #4; using wood or woodgrain products in a layout. Luckily for me, Studio Calico has recently had some fantastic wood die-cut pieces in it’s kits, so I had some frames and stars in wood, as well as alphabet pieces. They were perfect! I chose some complimentary papers in blues and gold, also from Studio Calico, and made this layout to submit.
The wood pieces come with adhesive backing, and they are thin enough to cut easily, making them super easy to work with. They also come in many different sizes, whether the frames or stars, so choosing the right size is no problem. I’ll be making more layouts today, to submit to Big Picture Classes for some of the other challenges. The challenges are so much fun; even if I don’t win anything, it’s a good exercise for me to hone up on my skills, and just give me a personal challenge. I’ll be back tomorrow with more layouts. Enjoy your day, and don’t forget to post a comment if you’re interested in winning free scrap supplies!!
I started a self-paced class by Mary Ann Moss yesterday, called Remains of the Day, which I mentioned yesterday. When I came home from work today, I had enough time to chew on what I had accomplished yesterday, and decided that I wasn’t happy with it. So, I started all over. I made the covering, and one of the signatures. They take a lot longer than I anticipated. The nicest thing about this project is my ability to utilize what I already have, so I did not have to buy much of anything, really, except for some scraps of fabric. Michael’s now has fabric, which is relatively inexpensive, and pretty nice. Here is what I have done so far, and since I am not working tomorrow, so I will be back with the part II, the completed project.
