I mentioned the new Bug-a-Boo class in a previous post. And today, I'd like to share a couple of sneak peeks with you.
First, is a cute little blue critter....
And a look at the entire layout....
Colorful caterpillars, ladybugs and snails~lots of cute bugs all pop-dotted to create a 3D effect. This fun layout could also be used for toddler pages or (thinking outside the box a little here) maybe even ones of your beloved furbaby!!
Class is July 18th from 1-3 p.m. Kits are available if you do not live locally or are unable to attend that day. Hope to see you there! :o)
Have you ever worked on a layout and had your title perfectly aligned but when you went to adhere it, you glued it in the wrong place? Well, today's tip will help you get perfect placement for your lettering.
Place your title exactly how you would like it on your page. Take a pencil, and lightly mark where each letter begins. Then, when it comes time to glue your title down, you know exactly where to place each letter.
Hope you find today's tip helpful! :o) Have a great weekend everyone!
Yesterday, I heard about this fantastic blog where you'll find plenty of freebies and discounts. Now not all of these things are scrapbook related, but I really think you'll enjoy this fun website anyway.
So, here it is:
http://www.giveawaytoday.blogspot.com
Hope you find something good! :o)
A new class is completed and will be at the store tomorrow for anyone who would like to sign up. Don't miss this first in the series of baby pages coming to the shop. And because this layout is adorned with all kinds of friendly bugs, it would be perfect for that special toddler in your life as well. Stop by and check it out, or call to register at (706) 321-0202. Class is scheduled for July 18th from 1-3 p.m. Hope to see you there!
And as always, if anyone who is not local to our area would like any of our class kits, please call the store for details on how you might get one sent to you.
Also a reminder that there is still space available for our new online "Make a Wish" class.
When doing research for today's blog post, I came across a wonderful website. I decided to make this post separate from my Cricut info because I really wanted to call attention to it. I truly believe the work they are doing is a huge blessing.
They call themselves The Limelight Scrappers and their mission is to use their crafting talents to serve some wonderful charities (breast cancer awareness, Ronald MacDonald House, animal shelters, etc). If I didn't have so much going on right now, I would jump at the opportunity to do this. But with a trip to Canada scheduled for later this summer and much to get done before then, well, now is probably not the best time. But in the near future it is something I plan on looking into further and lending my efforts toward.
Until then, I'd still like to contribute in some way. So, I'm passing the info on to you. They are also forming a design team. I believe the deadline for applications is June 30th. Hopefully some of you might have the time to invest in this wonderful idea. Even if your schedule will not afford you the time to be on the design team, I'm sure they would welcome any of your creations as a donation.
http://limelightscrappers.blogspot.com/
Two questions that I seem to get asked a lot are "Where do you purchase your cricut cartridges?" and "Which ones are your favorites"?
Well, a couple I have purchased off of Ebay. In fact, I've heard some people get great deals there. I don't tend to have much luck with Ebay most of the time. However, I do have some resources for you if you're looking for a new cartridge at a reasonable price.
Michael's is obviously one choice. The limitation there is that you have to wait for the catridges to go on sale. So, here are a few online options that I have found:
One website I've used numerous times is Scrappers Must Haves. Typically I have my cartridges within two days of placing my order. I've been very, very happy with their level of customer service! And, as long as you don't mind them cutting off the top of the blister packaging, two catridges can fit into one priority flat rate envelope. This means shipping is less than $5 (if shipped within the U.S). Just remember to choose that option at check out. They also sell some of the more rare cartridges such as Don Juan and Accent Essentials.
Here is their website so you can see their selection:
http://www.scrappersmusthaves.com
There are a couple of other websites I've heard good things about (although I have never ordered from them personally, so I cannot rate their customer service):
http://www.ohmycrafts.com
http://www.customcrops.com
I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones I have heard the most chatter about. Oh, one other thing...you might also want to check out http://www.cricut.com . Within their message board, there is a separate category titled "Product Reviews & Deals". There you will find a lot of people selling some of their used (some new) cartridges at great prices.
Now, I also promised I would tell you some of my favorites. First for fonts:
Storybook~I love the elegance of this font...perfect for formal pages or sweet girlie layouts. It also contains several scallop shapes which are so popular in scrapbooking right now. There are also a lot of flourishes on this cartridges. I don't tend to use many flourishes in my scrapbooking, but if this is something that appeals to you, then you will looove this cartridge.
Alphalicious, Doodletype and Learning Curve ~ three different fonts that are all very versatile. They work well for most of your every day kind of pages. Alphalicious has more of a cute, whimsical feel to it.
Now for the shape cartridges:
Doodlecharms ~ has a wide variety of fun shapes. A little something for everyone can be found on this one. It's a great cartridge and I highly recommend it.
Paper Doll Dress Up ~ is very different than the title implies. It has sooo much more than just paper dolls. It has tons of "accessories"! Just a few of the many things you will find on this one include: a pirate ship, witch's cauldron, pumpkin, mummy, a castle for some adorable prince/princess pages, a shamrock, a rocking hourse, a sailboat, a wagon...the list goes on and on. So many adorable items contained in one cartridge. I'd even go so far as to say this is my favorite shape cartridge that I own.
My only buyer's remorse was my Stretch Your Imagination cartridge. There seems to be a lot of great things on this one, and yet I can't bring myself to like it. Don't ask me why because I really don't know. LOL I'm hoping to learn to love it the more that I use it.
Hope today's post was helpful to someone! Have a great day!!
I cleared it with the boss (that would be Cheryl, not Bruce Springsteen~haha!) and she gave me the okay to show you the sample for the online class. So, here it is!
Lots of fun 3D embellishments on this one. And ten mats which mean plenty of space for your photos and journaling.
Just a quick post to let all of you know that the new online class is now at the store. If you're interested, please don't wait to sign up. Our last online class filled up VERY quickly...and we only have 9 spots left for this one.
Please note that this is a pre-order. Kits will not be available for pick up until at least July 6th . If you would like yours by the 6th, please don't wait to register. (This class has alot of embellishments to it, so it will take a little longer for me to prepare each kit.)
This two page layout is titled "Make a Wish" and would be perfect for any birthday pictures you may have....and this layout has lots of photo mats for you to house those great photos! Here is a little "taste" of what this class has to offer:
A cute mint chip ice cream cone...
and a sweet-as can-be yummy cupcake...
Many of the page embellishments are 3D, so if you plan on taking this class and do not have pop dots in your stash, you may want to pick some up when you register.
Hope you enjoy it!
Sometimes you learn things by trial and error, as was the case today. Now, keep in mind that this tip may not work if you're using a glue stick/pen to adhere your letters. But, if you're using the hermafix dots, xyron, or the ATG gun (which is what I have) this should work for you.
I was working on a layout and wasn't happy with the font I chosen for the title. And as luck would have it, as careful as I was trying to be, some of the background cardstock peeled off with the letters. Once I removed all my letters, I went back and removed any sticky residue left over. (I use a Pentel Hi-Polymer eraser for this purpose. I believe they can be found at most office supply stores).
Now that the sticky residue was gone, I needed something to smooth the background paper where there were little pulls in it. I found an emery board and decided to give it a try. I gently sanded the little tears and before you know it, you could barely tell where I had messed up.
So, the moral of my story: Invest in an emery board. Mine came in a package of two (purchased at Walmart). A wonderful $ .99 investment to have in your scrapbooking stash.
Summer hasn't officially started but apparently my dogs do not know this. They are enjoying the good life! I let them out to potty and this is what happened:
By now I'm figuring this is pretty much a lost cause. So, I try my luck with Muffin. I say her name. This was her response:
I'm afraid that I haven't been a very good blogger lately. I completely forgot to tell you about the fantastic time we had at the Ice Cream crop. I was a little more on the ball than usual as this time, I managed to remember my camera! So, I have some pictures to share!
The first one really demonstrates how totally inept I am as a photographer. But, it's also a fun picture of two friends who are obviously not taking themselves too seriously. So, here we are...me and the Queen of the Crop in all her glory (well, HALF of each of us anyway)!
I tried the "Quick Fix" button on my photo editing software, hoping to make it less blurry but well...you can see how that turned out. I guess some things just aren't fixable.
So, we decided to try again:
Hmmm...still not good enough. What are we missing? Why, we needed to freshen ourselves up a little, of course!!
A little lipstick and voila!!
Now THIS is the money shot! LOL
Next, we decided our friend Miss Elizabeth was ready for her close-up. I got in the picture with her, just in case she was a little camera shy....you know, for moral support. Yeah, that's it..moral support. :o)
Actually, I have very few pictures of Elizabeth and I together so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Doesn't she look pretty in her green shirt? It looked so cute on her!
But probably one of the best things of the night was this:
To borrow a word from Cheryl, it was "yummylicious" in a bowl! Vanilla ice cream topped with M&M's, Junior Mints, a Reese's Peanut Butter cup, whipped cream and a cherry on top! Ask me if I was sick the next day? Violently sick. Would I do it again? Absolutely. There is just some fun in life you can't experience by playing it safe. This was one of those times.
I also got a shot of Elizabeth's creation. It looked yummy also (even though I'm not a fan of nuts on my ice cream):
I have a few other photos of some of my other scrapbooking buddies, and I fully intended on posting them. However, for fear of retaliation, I think it's probably best that I refrain from doing so. I'm guessing at least one of them has an unflattering picture of me lying in their stash somewhere.
Yesterday was a date I had been dreading for quite some time. Around December of last year, my dear friend and neighbor called me to say her and her family were moving to Augusta. Now rationally, I know that it's only a three hour drive and that we can still visit one another from time to time. Yet it seems so much further.
We've only known each other for about 2 1/2 years, but in that time, she has become such a special part of my life. We didn't talk or see each other every day as some friends do, but yet there was this comfort in knowing she was right next door....that either one of us could pick up the phone at any time just to say hi. And often we did just that. As much as I will miss her, I am also very grateful that God saw fit not only to make her my neighbor~but my friend as well. There is a quote I read awhile back and I think it sums up my feelings perfectly:
"How lucky am I to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to. "~anonymous
In other news...
It's pretty much been confirmed that I'm losing my marbles. Yes folks, we all knew it was bound to happen. LOL Let me tell you what happened:
Rejean left for work yesterday morning as he ususally does. I decided since it was still early that I would lay down for a while longer. All of a sudden I could hear something. I get up to check and realize the tv in the craft room was on. So, I turn it off and get back in bed. About an hour later, same thing. Again, I get up and shut it off. Then less than an hour later, it turns on again. By this point I'm getting frustrated and decide to just turn it off once I wake up. When I do get up, I realize the tv is off. Later that afternoon, the tv turns on and off over and over. By now I'm starting to get creeped out a little so I unplug the tv. Rejean comes home after work, plugs it back in, resets the tv. and all last night was quiet.
Well, I shouldn't say ALL was quiet. While Rejean was watching a tv show in the living room, I decided to go to our master bedroom to watch another. Now keep in mind this is a separate tv from the one I was having issues with before. I turn it on, start watching it and then the next thing I know, I see some numbers in the upper right hand part of the screen as if someone is changing the channel. Then, the channel actually changes. Remote for the tv is sitting on the bed.
This morning, after Rejean went to work, it starts again. I'm in the craft room surfing the net and the next thing I know, the tv is turning on and off behind me. Remote is sitting on the table untouched.
I promise I'm not crazy. But if Rejean has me committed, you'll all know why. If any of you have an idea why this might be happening, please feel free to share. We've considered that maybe there is a problem with the remote itself so we may try putting it in a seperate room to see if that stops the problem. I'll keep you posted if we find out what this could be. Unless of course, the "my being crazy" part turns out to be true...in that case my lips are sealed. :o)
