Last week, I made TWO trips to one of my all-time favorite paper crafting (and so much more) stores — GoldensHill Papercrafts in Fairfax Station.

Visiting with GoldensHill Papercrafts Owner, Ronnie Martinez

My darling husband drove me there on Wednesday (45 min. with no traffic). He was, as always, wonderful and waited patiently while I shopped for paper and embellishments for one of my upcoming classes.

Ronnie was kind enough to let me be the first to go through her box of new lovelies from Graphic 45! I bought papers from their stunning new Tropical Travelogue collection. I can’t wait to get started on the class sample!

The next day I went back to GoldensHill Papercrafts with my friend Heidi and went a bit Copic crazy! Let’s just say that Ronnie was having an INCREDIBLE SALE and it was a great opportunity to purchase many of the yummy marker colors that I didn’t own.

Thanks to my friend Kaye’s encouragement and nudging, on New Year’s Day I submitted my application to become a Copic Certified Instructor.

This morning I found out that my application was accepted! WOO HOO! What a great way to start the new year! I can’t wait to incorporate what I learn into my creative projects and classes. So exciting!

Until next time…keep creating!

What an honor to be published in Scott Publications premiere issue of Just Steampunk! magazine. So many talented designers’ projects are represented, including Candy Rosenberg’s incredible Steampunk Mannequin on the cover.

It was quite a thrill it was to find out that my Steampunk Altered Composition Book and Steampunk Chess Table were included in the issue!

This antique table that I picked up at an auction was originally covered in partially scraped off layers of wallpaper. To create the game table, I covered it with Ranger: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso and Golden Artist Colors: Iridescent Copper, Iridescent Bright Gold.

Then I used Steampunk Charity Wings, Vintage Treasures, and Be Stylish stamp sets designed by Candy Rosenberg for The Rubber Café and the Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante paper collection with coordinating Time Flies stamps by Hampton Art.

For those of you that wonder, “What is steampunk?” Steampunk is a design style heavily influenced by science fiction, from a Victorian perspective — Steampunk is the future as dreamt by the past.

Although steampunk is a style vague in definition, it is certainly identifiable. Think bits of broken jewelry, corroded clock gears and vintage anything, but don’t forget the fantasy, the whimsy or most definitely the metallic.

Be sure to check out Just Steampunk! magazine. It is filled with over 300 photographs showcasing projects from a variety of talented designers.

Until next time…keep creating!

I had such fun making this Halloween Mini Album for a class that I will be teaching on Saturday at Weekend Memories. The above pics are just a sampling of some of the pages. Here’s the class description:

Class: Halloween Mini Album Class
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2011
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Class Fee: $22.00

We will use the Krafty Keepsake Retro Bare Booklets by Basically Bare to create this delightful Halloween enveloped album. This album is filled with products from Martha Stewart, Paislee Pink, Ranger Industries, Claudine Hellmuth, Inkadinkadoo, and more. It is a perfect way to display your Halloween photos and memories or to give as a special gift. Basically Bare was named one of the Scrapbook Update CHA Summer 2011 Hot Picks – the class will be taught by a Basically Bare Endorsed Educator and Certified Ranger Instructor.

Supplies: 12″ trimmer, scissors, pencil, Distress Ink (Black Soot) or a black chalk/Cats Eye ink, ruler, wet adhesive (Zip Dry, Scotch 3-in-1, etc), strong dry adhesive, foam tape or 3D adhesive, red line tape or any adhesive you use for ribbon. Optional: brayer, 1” circle punch, sanding tool.

I will actually be cropping (between Homecoming events) at Weekend Memories and not just dropping in to teach! SO EXCITED! Can’t wait to spend time with some of my cropping buddies…and of course to meet new ones.

If you are in the area, please drop by and say hello, check out the crop, shop the vendors, or take a class or two. My dear friend, and Stampin’ Up aficionado, Jeannette Swain will be teaching an Over The Top Christmas Card Class.

Hope to see you there!

Until next time…keep creating!

Want to use your Cricut to create a card in a pinch? Well, it doesn’t get much easier than this one! I put three different colors on my 12″ x 12″ mat and used my Gypsy so that I could cut it all at the same time.

I used the Happy Hauntings and October 31st cartridges to cut the witch, tree, and fence. I used a circle punch to create the moon (old habits die hard), but I could just as easily have cut it out with the others items on my Cricut Expression.

The different textures of the papers make it interesting and adds a bit of depth to what is truly a very simplistic card.

Until next time…keep creating!

Thank you to all of the lovely ladies that attended my All You Need is Love class at Crops Plus! It was so nice to see so many familiar and new faces. Carren Crossley, crop owner, continues to find new ways to keep taking her crops to the next level. I will write more about that in a DC Paper Craft Examiner article soon!

In this class we used the Funky Findings Bare Booklet by Basically Bare. Their mixed media albums are so much fun to work with — having the blank chipboard, corrugate, acrylic, and canvas all in one album really get my creative juices flowing. I especially enjoyed working with the corrugate on this page to create a sky for the premium stiffened white felt cloud from the Celestial Shapes Basically Embellies pack.

Fraying the edges of the canvas page gave it a nice effect. But I think one of the things that was most liked by all of the class attendees was embossing and then using alcohol ink to dye the bird from the Birds Stack-a-Bellies collection. I created the buttons using the Epiphany Crafts Button Studio Tool.

Many people that know me and my work were surprised to see me create such a bright and colorful album to teach. But I have to admit, when I saw the Love Me Do paper collection by My Mind’s Eye I was smitten!

These photos are just a sampling of the 13-paged album. This jam-packed album also includes both long and short envelopes to fill with mementos or to hide your “sweet nothings!”

Until next time…keep creating!

I really enjoyed making this ATC. The corset stamp that I used is from the Be Stylish stamp set designed by paper artisan extraordinaire, Candy Rosenberg, for The Rubber Cafe.  If you like this stamp, you might want to check out her other stamp sets at The Rubber Cafe — Vintage Treasures and Steampunk Charity Wings. The Rubber Cafe stamps are deeply etched red rubber that always result in a crisp, clean stamped image.

To create this ATC, I used the Adirondack Dye Ink Watermark Resist technique that I learned at Ranger University. I absolutely love the effect of stamping Watermark Resist Ink on Gloss Paper, brayering over it with Adirondack Dye Ink or Archival Ink, and then buffing it off with a soft rag. To complete it, I stamped the sentiment “Friend” with jet black Archival Ink and used Inkssentials Enamel Accents in black to create buttons.

Until next time…keep creating!

A friend told me about a Consumer Adhesive Survey that is giving away a Cricut Expression 2: Anniversary Edition personal die cutting machine to one lucky survey taker.

So naturally, I had to try it out first to make sure it is legit. It is!

It took me less than 5 minutes to complete.

This adhesive survey is being conducted by Adovation Inc. and  is not a sales effort.

The survey ends on September 30, 2011 and the drawing will be held on October 5, 2011.

Good luck!

Until next time…keep creating!

I created this ATC using the fantastic “Steampunk” Charity Wings stamp set designed by Candy Rosenberg for The Rubber Cafe.

All of the other products used to make this sticky back canvas ATC are from Ranger Industries and Prima Marketing (ribbon – color altered using Perfect Pearls Mist).

When you purchase the “Steampunk” Charity Wings 9-piece stamp set, a portion of the sale will go to the non-profit Charity Wings organization.

Until next time…keep creating!

I designed this fun-filled Life Is A Circus mini album for a class that I will be teaching at one of my favorite crops — Weekend Memories in Leesburg, VA on July 23rd.

Class Description:

Life can get a bit crazy and make you feel like you’re center stage in a 3-ringed circus, frantically trying to juggle it all. But you can make it all look c’est magnifique! Step right up and get ready to let the grandeur of the Big Top inspire you with child-like delight!

During this class we will use the Graphic 45 Le Cirque paper collection, products by Ranger Industries, May Arts, Prima Marketing, 7 Gypsies, and a few others to create a 5” x 7” album. With vibrant colors and playful vintage images and patterns inspired by the old time circus, your imagination will take flight like a trapeze artist gliding through the air.

I had a great time creating this album and look forward to filling it with pictures from the 3-ringed circus that I call my life!

Until next time…keep creating!

Tired of just slipping gift cards into envelopes? You can always create a cute pop-up or slide card to hold it, but if you want to do something extra special — decorate a wood bag!

This project was created for and published in Scrap ‘n Art. It started out as a simple wood bag that can be purchase from 50 cents – $1.00 at craft stores.

I painted it with acrylic pant and used Hambly Studios Screen Prints Overlays as both s background and to create flowers for embellishments.

The flowers were made using Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations: Tattered Florals dies and the stamp used was from Stampin’ UP! Whimsical Words set.

So, the next time you have a gift card to give, throw one of these together and you’ll be sure to get a BIG SMILE even before it’s opened!

Until next time…keep creating!