xmas mini-album sneak peak

i'll be teaching a christmas mini-album class in the very near future. time + place tba. click on the mosaic to see bigger sample pictures.

this is a 6x6 mini-album with a transparency cover. students need to bring 6~10 christmas or winter-themed photos, family holiday card(s), and any embellishments or ephemera (such as ribbon or gift tags from gifts, ski lift passes or business cards from a trip). i will provide all other materials.

no worries if you've never scrapbooked before. the class is geared towards all levels of scrapbookers :: the design is simple + easy enough for beginners, and more advanced scrappers can add embellishments and details to suit their individual style.

the class fee is $15, and it should last about two hours. i intend to teach this class at least twice, once at my house and another time at a friend's house. if you know you're interested, please leave a comment here (or email me) and let me know general times + days that work for you (i.e., weekend days, friday nights, etc.) so i can schedule classes in the next month or so.

here's a variation on the album ::

click together

patterned paper: ek success (floral), treehouse designs (stars), sandylion (dots)
letter stickers: sei ("s"), ki memories ("lick"), ek success ("pals," "fun")
phrase stickers: ek success
letter stamps: fontwerks
stamp: jenni bowlin ("date")
other: photo corners, acrylic stars, rhinestones, ribbon, date stamp, mini index card, foam tape, decorative scissors

i was going to scrap these pictures anyway but i decided to do this week's dare (#58) over at the dares site. i used to have a ton of decorative scissors but i pared it down to the essentials -- pinking, scallop, deckle -- which are quite useful.

the journaling is on the mini index card (which i got in japan) and it reads: you know how some people just "click"? that's chloe and ian. they don't see each other for months but when they do they're inseperable. they were meant to be friends!

afro

patterned paper: american crafts
letter stickers: ki memories ("f"), american crafts ("o")
foam letter stickers: american crafts
epoxy phrase stickers: k&co
label: target
bracket stamps: technique tuesday, autumn leaves (with lines)
letter stamps: purple onion designs ("'fro"), provo craft
stamp: jenni bowlin (dotted line)
other: dymo label maker, date stamp, foam tape

m & i

there was definitely something missing from the original layout (see below) so i thought about it and came up with a few embellishments. i think the addition of the embellishments makes the layout more textured, complete, and trendy. "trendy" 'cause i'm using some popular techniques like the faux-silk flowers in maya's hair (a la elsie flannigan) and the stapled transparency (a la kristina contes) with the rhinestones.

patterned paper: my mind's eye
letter stickers: sei
stamps: fun expressions (ampersand), purple onion (everything else
date stamp: heidi swapp

this one definitely doesn't feel complete to me. i feel like i could do a bit more in the lavender area on the bottom right. maybe do a stitch stamp across horizontally, overlapping the photo and the cardstock?

the 8 nights of hanukkah

patterned paper: cactus pink (red), anna griffin (gifts),
punches: ek success (tag), fiskars (arrow), marvy uchida (circle)
stamps: purple onion, paper source, psx, fontwerks, ek success, cavallini, hero arts, fun expressions, catslife press, inkadinkadoo, all night media, kodomo no kao, 7 gypsies, date stamps
letter stickers: making memories (small), ki memories ("h")
rubons: heidi swapp, 7 gypsies
other: brads, eyelets, rhinestone, mini clip, various japanese stickers, photo corner, digital swirl element

this one was time-consuming and i will probably not attempt to repeat the endeavor again. each of the date squares are pockets that hold tags with what we received as gifts written on them. sorry about the poor scan.

takara (treasure)

patterned paper: bo-bunny press
tab: 7 gypsies
frame: impress rubber stamps
magnet word: nickelodeon ("wing")
word stickers: k&co
flower eyelet: ?
flower brad: making memories
flower stamp: kodomo no kao
circle clip: close to my heart
angel and wing stickers: ? (got it in japan)
letter stamps: inkadinkadoo ("takara"), hero arts ("treasure")
japanese letter stamps: shachihata
journaling: september 23, '05 blog post

oy vey

patterned paper: anna griffin (green & pink), chatterbox (floral), ki memories
letter stickers: making memories ("cute")
dome letter sticker: artoz ("m")
letter stamps: duncan enterprises ("oy vey"), hero arts (lowercase), all night media ("bad")
stamp: paper source ("registered no")
graphic rubon: american crafts
other: ribbon (michaels), tag punch (ek success), staples, photo corners, acrylic paint (delta), stamping ink, decorative scissors (fiskars)

pure laughter

cardstock: bazzill basics
patterned paper: kelly panacci (sandylion)
word stamps: magnetic poetry

flower stamps: hero arts, kodomo no kao

letter stamps: hero arts
letter stickers: ek success
letter rub-ons: making memories
flower eyelet: (can't remember)
other: photo corners, date stamp

i'm not sure if i'm done with this layout ... it looks a bit top-heavy. i actually stamped some large flowers on the cardstock at the bottom (under the word stamps), but the ink color just doesn't show up well on the pink.

kindergartener no longer

cardstock: via (i think it's hammermill)
patterned papers: hot off the press, colorbok, marcella by k, paper fever, die cuts with a view
date stamp: fontwerks
line stamp: fontwerks
letter stamps: psx
stamping ink: colorbox
word stickers: marcella by k

5.5

cardstock: bazzill basics
patterned paper: anna griffin (green), scrapworks (aqua)
letter epoxy stickers: k&co
letter & number stickers (black): ek success (rebecca sower)
number stickers ("5.5"): american crafts, ki memories
oval sticker: target
punches: carla craft
letter stamps: psx, image tree (ek success)
date stamp: provo craft
number stamp: cavallini
dotted circle stamp: hero arts
stamping ink: close to my heart, color box
acrylic paint: delta
index card: office depot

i haven't scrapbooked in awhile, and (as usual) this layout took awhile to complete. i've been intrigued by the "freestyle" movement in scrapbooking lately because it looks so freeflowing, creative, and expressive. but for an anal-retentive obsessive-compulsive like myself it's an extremely difficult method of creativity. i always use a ruler and my body and mind are accustomed to right angles and a linear look. i have an extremely hard time just "going with the flow" and putting things down on paper, layering, and embracing the "imperfections" of this style. although aesthetically pleasing to my eye, i can't actually accomplish the look myself. therefore, this layout turned out only "half way there" in my opinion. it's stuck in limbo between my usual look and freestyle. i feel like it's too empty ... i may have to sleep on this one awhile longer and tackle the embellishing later on.

anyway, the layout is about ian's half birthday and what kind of life he had at that age. i just loved this picture of him shooting a squirt bottle at me from behind a window.

are we there yet?

cardstock: bazzill basics
letter stamps: psx, provo craft, cavallini ("to," "rush," "?")
number stamps: cavallini, psx, image tree (ek success)
border stamp: hero arts
stamping ink: artnic (red, purple), close to my heart (green), color box (brown)
number rub on: scrapworks
photo editing software: photoshop elements
other: date stamp, staple

t ball

cardstock: bazzill basics, paper accents
patterned paper: bobunny press
letter stickers: doodlebug (round), making memories (white)
letter & number stamps: psx
stamping ink: color box (white, blue), artnic (red)

unkies

cardstock: paper accents
patterned paper, tag, epoxy letter stickers: marcella by k
word stamps: magnetic poetry
letter stamps: psx
number stamps: cavallini
stamping ink: color box
rubon: making memories ("&")
other: date stamp