new camera, new learnings

With the evolution of the blogging world, I've come to realize that I don't take very good photographs.  Of course, that hasn't stopped me from grabbing my camera and quickly filling a SD card.  It has, however, of late, made me realize that I just lack the education of how to take a good photo.  There must be a large part of my being that has to be in constant motion and have a sufficient level of 'overload' since I decided that I would undertake the task of educating myself on how to use my camera and how to take better pictures.  Enter, Karen Russell.

I've been hearing about Karen Russell for years.  She is local (Oregon) and has been teaching photography classes for some time.  A former scrapbooking partner once took Karen's class and came back raving "I'll never shoot a picture with my camera on auto again."  That was a fairly ringing endorsement for me.  Especially since I didn't really know that there was any other modes to shoot in!  A new scrapbooking partner also took a class from Karen and said that it changed the way she photographed.  Enough endorsements...I took the plunge.  I'm super excited to say that I'm taking Karen's class in January.  This is an online class, which is great for my schedule and I'm sure I'll be reading up on my homework assignments while I'm sitting at the pool with the kids.  I have no doubts that my photography skills will be markedly improved after the 9-week course.

If you have time, and would like another blog to read, stop by Karen's blog.  Not only is it very rewarding to read, her photographs are amazing!

Oh, did I mention that I'm getting a new camera?  I had a Canon Rebel XSi and it was a great camera...not a thing wrong with it.  But technology changes, more megapixels, etc. and I'm technology addicted.  When my dear friend Jill began talking about the new Canon Rebel T3i, I was intrigued.  I spent a little time (only 5, 6, 7 hours) checking out this camera online and I was hooked.  I'm not normally a lucky person, but in regards to this camera, the stars aligned.  I was able to order the T3i at almost no cost to me!  How did I do that, you might ask!  Well, a little gift certificate from an appreciative boss, and the sale of the XSi and I was on my way.  Now it's time to drool over lenses!  Hopefully very soon I'll be filling up my blog with new photos taken with the T3i.

Project Life!

As my card making addiction has taken over, my photos and scrapbooking any of my photos has suffered greatly.  I'm still taking lots of pictures, mind you.  I'm downloading them on my computer and there they stay.  In the back of my mind, I've been looking for a solution, but it wasn't until I stumbled upon a product called Project Life by Becky Higgins that I new there was hope for my dilemma.  Project Life is amazing and so comprehensive in all that it offers.

Over the weekend, I attend a super fun scrapbooking retreat with my girlfriends and I was able to catch up on years of photos using Project Life.  It was easy and simple and I actually journaled, which many of my friends know, I just don't do.

Tomorrow, when there is better light, I'll add some pictures of my Project Life pages.

Check out Michelle Wooderson's blog for some super fun twists on Project Life.

Halloween is just around the corner

I'm excited that Halloween is almost here.  A few years ago I began sending out cards for Halloween and although it is necessarily traditional to send a card at Halloween, I love it!  I love the different elements of Halloween and I think it's great fun to combine those elements in a card.

Here are a couple different Halloween cards I made last week:

One of my all time favorite stamps from Papertrey Ink is the friendship jar.  I just love this little jar!  And just when I thought that this jar couldn't possibly be any cuter, Papertrey designs new things to put in the jar.  I just love this spider and web combination in the friendship jar.

Another favorite friendship jar combination is the little sticks and the ghosts.  I added a bit of Perfect Pearls to the ghosts to give them a bit of that ethereal shine.  I'm also really loving twine right now.

I'm working on a few more Halloween cards, which I hope to get done this weekend, before I begin my Christmas card projects.  I've also been thinking about creating some cute Thanksgiving place cards as well.

As always....too many projects....too little time.

Thanks for reading,

n

September and Fall

I love Fall.  I love wearing sweaters and sipping coffee on cool Fall mornings.  Fall also means that school is staring and Halloween and Thanksgiving are right around the corner.

Although it's not traditional to send cards for Halloween, I can't help looking for any excuse to send a card...and make a card for that matter.

Here are a few Halloween cards I made this weekend.  My inspiration came from Mish Mash.  I have a few more Halloween cards and party items coming soon.  I'm really excited about using some of the new PTI stamps I purchased recently for Halloween.

I hope you enjoy these photos.  I'd love to hear from you, please leave me a comment.

Father's Day is fast approaching

With Father's Day fast approaching, I thought I would attempt to get a little a head and make a few Father's Day cards.  I have to admit that making cards that are more masculine is challenging for me.  But...I like a challenge.  I found inspiration from PTI's website, and was on my way.

This card was fun and super easy.  I love the combination of the text background and chevron stripes.

This next card was also fun, but a bit for challenging for a perfectionist like me.  I love the geometric pattern and the colors in this card.

Thanks for visiting.  I'm off to play with more patterned paper.

another post about ...buttons

I have to admit that I have developed a deep appreciation for YouTube.  Yes, I know there is a whole lot of junk (and likely inappropriate material) on YouTube, but there is also a great deal of interesting and useful information that can be found.  I have learned lots of interesting crafting techniques and even helpful hints on home repair.


One of my latest favorite channels to watch on YouTube is Creations with Christina.  In one of Christina's recent videos she demonstrated using molds with Fimo/Sculpty clay.  This video and technique really intrigued me.  Wouldn't it be amazing if I could make my own buttons in any color I desired...and what if I could make those buttons match the project I was working on?  I had to know more!  Christina mentioned that she found these molds at an Etsy shop called Mold Muse.  If you are looking for a mold, likely Mold Muse has it.  I found six different button molds and ordered four.  I received my order within just a few days and couldn't be more pleased.  I found a decent selection of Fimo and Sculpty at my local Joann's and as soon as the mold arrived I began making buttons.

These are three of the molds that I purchased.

These buttons were made with Sculpey III in 513 Purple.  I also mixed in a little black (042) to darken the purple just a bit.  The result is a near perfect match to Paperytrey's Royal Velvet paper, which is exactly what I was hoping for.


Thanks for reading!

pattern paper

If you are like me, you have a lot of paper.  Lately, I've been entranced by small paper packs of patterned paper.  So much so, that I have to keep a list of which paper pads I've purchased (trying to be better about buying duplicates).  In organizing my crafting space, I've realized that I need to make more cards with patterned paper.  So that is my theme for the next few weeks...more cards with patterned paper.

I started this card on Tuesday night and finished it last night.  I purchased the Library Card stamp from Paperytrey some time ago, but hadn't used it, so I was excited to free it from its packaging.  My inspiration came from a similar card that Nichole Heady posted on her blog.  If you haven't taken a look at her blog, head over there right away!

I love that the library card can be removed from the pocket and a special note can be added.

Here is a close up of the sentiment and library pocket.

Thanks for visiting.

button love

I have to admit that I swoon over buttons.  I love how buttons add texture to cards and of course, the color makes me giddy.


When I saw this card at Papertrey Inc. as part of their April release, I fell in love.  I knew that my next card project would be this card.  I loved the chevron stripes with the buttons.  The colors I chose were slightly different, and of course, the buttons I chose were different sizes.  The purple buttons were airbrushed with my Copic markers.  I attached the buttons using white floss.

I hope you enjoy this card.  I certainly had a great time making it.


Supplies used:
*all supplies Papertrey Inc. unless noted


Stamps:
Background basics: chevron stripes
Think big favorites #3


Card stock:
Kraft
White


Ink:
Spring Rain
Simply Chartreuse
VersaMagic chalk ink in thatched straw
Memento Ink in Lady Bug
Hibiscus ink
VersaMagic chalk ink in spring pansy
Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black


Die:
Basic circles


Buttons:
All the buttons are Papertrey buttons, except the purple buttons.  They were white buttons that I purchased from Joann's Fabrics and airbrushed with my Copic (V25) marker.