Crafter's Retreat

I finally used that cork! and those stickers! and it looks
AWESOME

bonding with grammaD and increasing flexibility too



Rainie, my mom, and I were able to attend our first overnight crop together. My friend Lynn from church got me in with this group and this is the second time I've taught at their retreat. Now that my oldest daughter is nearing 5, she's to the point where an all day, 24 hour craft sesh (or two) is not unappealing to her, and with her level of endurance I knew she'd be up for it if the other ladies wouldn't mind her being there. After we got the okay, sent in our reservation fees, and confirmed our plans with dad, it was all she could talk about. In fact she was so excited that it made me excited to go all over again each time the subject came up. The idea of letting grandma make us breakfast while we made cards first thing when we woke up in the morning just delighted her (and I). 


CraftWithAnna TP Roll Mini Album by Barbara

I had also sent out an email offering the recipe for a fun CraftWithAnna class. I kept it a surprise, but it turned out to be Toilet Paper Mini Albums. These are really cute, economical to make, and hey it's fun to save the toilet paper rolls and pretend you're going to do something with them. Rainie would be teaching her first public class, TP roll Owls, made with a variety of circle punches and those same multi-purpose  cardboard tubes.
Her class was a hit, but her favorite students arrived just after it concluded- so she got to do it again! My aunt Lisa and her mom, Ivy made the trek to join us at Valley Camp above North Bend. The scenic location offered us some beautiful fall backdrops and we went on a family photo shoot walk before lunch. All of us out enjoying the brisk breeze as it swirled cascades of autumnal toned maple leaves in every direction. Now that we are all sporting less than shoulder length hair, that didn't bother us too much but Rainie's long strands kept blowing around her face. Coupled with her bright blue eyes and the corduroy jacket she sported, the photos I took are going to be really fun to set on patterned paper. Hmmm, maybe the left overs from the upcoming November EmbellishKits.com 2, double paged layout kit will find a home? I've got pictures in mind for the two pages that directions are provided for, but before I get into November's goodies, I'm going to make some wedding cards with the August 2014 cardmaking kit, which features beautiful black, white, and woodgrains from Simple Stories. I've been doing a fair amount of facebook stalking and unauthorized saving of pictures of my families when they post, and I hope to use that kit's dazzling array of die cuts to embellish a wedding themed mini album for my cousin Lori.
I'm falling behind a bit on my project list as I anticipate an upcoming craft fair I've committed to. Good thing I've got those handy planner pads and note pads from WriteItDesigns.com to keep track of my obligations! I finally decided it must be the pressure of having my art judged under holiday wanderers that keeps me from getting anything done... but I was able to create enough cards this weekend that I no longer feel the need to make my products fit witin a 4.25x5.5" perimeter.  After today I'll be focusing on getting the tools part of my display set up, the card rack I've never used, packaging all my cards and stuff like that, so I'll be hard pressed to finish the edit on my kit preview videos. But if you're a subscriber on YouTube, you'll get first rate notification on all my latest releases. So just do yourself a favor and hit that red rectangle next time you're watching a CraftWithAnna video.
I hope to find a few moments to dabble in Mixed Media canvas'... as if my list of to-do's isn't long enough, I want to throw in some modge podging lol. I'd better get started for the 15th time today...Until next time, friends~ Stay Crafty!

 

We're crafty and we know it!

 

 



Here's a paper sampler that's so cute, it's SCARY

New Beginnings

A few weeks ago I decided to rummage through my embellishment storage space and see what the heck was in there. I keep a large amount of stickers available in Cropper Hopper pocketed plastic files, and those are housed in an even bigger clear plastic box. I think it used to be a drawer!
Well, behind the files full of stickers is where I keep my ready made kits. It's also where I store the kits I've received in the mail from EmbellishKits.com So the box is a store-all, which generally speaking in the world of craft storage means I had no idea what all was in there, hence the clean up and refresh for my mind.
There were a lot of partially used kits that I'm no longer needing. I sorted a lot of small and medium sized scraps into their respective drawers and then stared at the mountains of paper piled all around me. I got up to put them away and then sat right back down to create some new combinations. Cause why put it away when I can store it differently!?
One of the fun parts of this project was remembering how Rainie would play with my scrap papers as a toddler. She would come up with these amazing color or pattern combos, and I always marveled at that ability because I was not as experienced with pattern mixing as I've let myself become since. I channeled her enthusiasm for just playing with the papers, but I also kept in mind some of the styles I'll be creating cards for in the next few months.
That led me to creating small kits of tiny bits and pieces that I can use at my next crop. Now there are roughly six little cards waiting to be made; I'll just need some card stock backs and, when you are surrounded by women who don't know how to leave the paper at home, I'm sure I will have a solution for that figured out even if I forget somehow to bring it myself.
Speaking of forgetting, don't ask me where these kits are today... between then and now I've taught three classes and attended a different crop as well, so my things are pretty willy-nilly right now, even though things look tidy. It's a good thing I regularly clean up my desk or I may not have found the laptop!

So tell me friends, do you prefer to sit down with a kit, or a pre planned project? Or is it more your style to just grab and go at random in the midst of a creative whirlwind... there is definitely a happy crafty feeling that comes with both. I do enjoy using a prepared kit because it means I'm traveling with less product. (Translates: room for more, but different products to be brought!) It can feel a bit constrictive though, depending on the materials in the kit. Sometimes I can't figure out what the heck I was thinking when I added such-and-such to the bag. But that same constrictive feeling can stem from an overabundance of choices as well, so like I said, there are pros and cons to both.
I guess as long as we are making something, even if it is just a kit, there's a good reason to play with paper huh? Happy crafting!

 

JYC 2014 Album Prep Payout

The stars at night...
my Artsy Super Star, Radient Rainie!

This year I signed up for Shimelle.com's Journal Your Christmas class. The daily prompts allowed me to explore Christmas memories throughout the season and also provided some really intriguing photo-taking challenges.
 I figured early in the month that I'd be doing a lot of writing, but more than that, I'd be doing a lot of Christmas card making. Which I did! Well, not so much the writing, but definitely a lot of cards were made and sold which was really invigorating for me. Every day there was also a short video showing a 3x4 card being dressed up for the season, and I enjoyed watching and using the ideas on a few of those cards I made, as well as in creating little mini masterpieces with the girls.

I knew in the past that it has taken almost an entire album to contain just the one month of December's scrap worthy photos, so early in the process I chose an album and then after about five-ten prompts I added patterned papers, project life cards, and embellishments that fit the seasonal theme. I figured it would be easy to maintain a consistent theme throughout the entire album with this base to build on, plus I just like to build kits without pictures for a challenge occasionally. I used the prefilled sleeves that came with the album, added pocket pages as well, and kept everything for the season's recordings in there, adding mementos as they came across my desk.

Now, the title of the class does include the word Journal, which has never been something I've really enjoyed doing in my albums- I'm more of a record happenings daily on a calendar person than a record feelings type of person. So while I thought a lot about the ideas presented, what I ended up doing was more about talking to other people, sharing my own traditions and anecdotes, while learning more about my friends and family through their own story telling.

Photo Prompt: Through the Window

Some of my favorites; Hearing about the little boy who got a bike but didn't know it until he was completely disappointed about not having found one under the tree (it was in the backyard)! The little girl who was shocked to receive a paint by number set from her parents (she thought they were oblivious to her artful inclinations). My friend whose dad took her and her sister to get their ears pierced on a whim while their mom shopped the other side of the mall. Sharing my own story of being up on stage in preschool and being so mesmerized by my granddads shiny bald head glowing under the lights that I forgot to follow my classmates into the wings!

Photo Prompt: Add Sparkle

So, not having written most of the storytelling down as it came my way, how HAS my album benefit from this class? Well, for one thing, I've been able to take some really cool pictures throughout the month that I may not have thought to try otherwise, like this amazing picture of my mom and Sunday in a restaurant before dinner. Tried out a few new apps and created really cool effects on otherwise terrifically seasonal photos. I'm thinking more about stories that I've told over the years and how they all impact how I enjoy the sights and sounds and the whirl of Christmas cardmaking around this time of year... and the awesome bonus is that I'll have access to this class for many years to come and can continue to visit the prompts and tell those stories that make the background for my families traditions.

Thanks for joining me today, I wish you and your family all the best of the Holiday season, and the best hopes for a happy, healthy, scrappy New Year!

Ten Minute Layout Inspiration

A lot of times I will turn to a scrapbooking magazine for inspiration. Sometimes it is the color combination, or use of tools I have like the scalloped border punch featured in this Creating Keepsakes issue. Their last-page, 10-minute Layout article is always good for a quick and easy spark of creativity.

Of course sometimes even the best intentions fly out of my brain when I select my products or photo, and tonight was no exception! I had put those three project life cards with the photo and the pink die cuts, along with an old package of brightly colored of rub-ons, a few random blings and pearls and a tiny pink felt flower. 

All of those items were contained in a medium sized product package I had laying around. I am in the habit of collecting these clear plastic bags, which can be a bit bothersome at times, but they are great to have on hand.  So it wasn't just lying around, it was with a bunch of other clear bags in a nice stack under some other nice neat stacks of scrapbook-cardmaking type things :-)

Creating kits like these out of like-colored bits and pieces out on my desk make it easy to whip up a simple layout. Ironically, my last post was titled Ships Ahoy, and that evening I ended up scrapbooking a page whose title will likely be Ships Ahoy~ or maybe it should read, Sisters Ahoy? Rainier and Sunday are sitting in the stearn of a little dingy at Gig Harbor's Historical Museum. They were so into acting like they were steering a ship and all of us were enthralled watching them tug at the long lines and swing the sails around.

 There is already a small title on the bottom left, so I may just leave it as. I rarely use a white paper background but adore the look. The simple borders along the top and bottom ground the scattered cards and random flowers, and it all looks delicate and pretty.

It was really easy to find the borders I wanted to use in the colors and designs etc, as a result of another item which I have trouble letting go of, which is the manufactures' strip at the bottom of papers. I have a nice BAG to store them in though, it is a large 12x12 clear, and I have it folded in half. One side has the barcode strips and I can see them all alongside almost all of my borders stickers. There are a lot of Queen and Co. edgers and felt borders too mixed in there too.
 There is another place where I store border stickers that are still on their 12x12 sticker sheet though, so it's not the best system ever. It does work well for me and my personal creative process, I mustn't let my creative flow get interrupted. When I want to MAKE, I need to be able to grab my supplies quickly, adhere and cut, embellish, etc in anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. The faster I can see what there is to use, the better!
So what is one of the best organizer things you've installed in your life? There is a new video coming out next week in my Card Magic series... Part Three will also feature a sneak peak at my Super Subbie YouTube contest!!! I have almost got 50 subscribers as well as some of my favorite designers following me on Instagram so I think a contest is in order.
Oh and not to brag or anything but I get additional 40% off at Michaels extra employee discount, whaaat? Look for some repurposing Halloween stuff posts coming up this winter, as well as more pocket page / project life style scrapbooking tips. Thanks for reading,
~Anna

Sons of Scrap-archy

You may have read before that I am a big fan of late night scrappin... well, if you've read enough of my blog to know that, you probably know that I'm a fan of anytime scrapbooking lol.
Earlier this summer I found that one of our tv trays works perfectly for creativity in the living room. On the one hand, I am forced to gather a limited amount of supplies to work with. This challenge can help me to focus and also flexes my brain to come up with alternate ideas. My craft room is 30 feet away, too so it's not like I can't go and find the item I think will make a layout perfect!
On the other hand, I get to spend some quality time with Ray after the girls are asleep. By "quality" I am referring to the type of interaction couples nationwide experience nightly- zoning out in front of the boob tube! We hardly watch any tv in our house, so binging on some Netflix can really be a treat. One of our favorite shows is the Sons of Anarchy. We also enjoy House of Cards and the Orange is the New Black- or, the Orange and Black as my hunny refers to it.
Well yesterday I was griping to a friend that I've been doing altogether to much house cleaning and that it is really interfering with my creating! It was no surprise to me that such a build up of not making had me in the mood to really crank out some craft last night, and I was able to create three layouts in their entirety. Go me!
Often times the lack of supplies on hand will have me making most of a layout or card, and then finishing it up the next day or sometime later in the week. Last night I managed to get pen to paper on all three pages as well, and tucked them into my brand spankin' new red canvas fall album. A much better feeling than the one I had the previous day, when the only crafting I managed was putting a completed page into the same album. Not working on the page, just putting it away... lame!
So, often times I'm asked how I'm able to whip out the pages so fast? A lot of times it is because I'm working out of a pre-assembled kit I've made. Have you ever seen  a collection of items on your desk and thought, gee that's pretty! Well, when I do that, often times I will enclose said collection of goodies in a sheet protector. I keep between ten and twenty of these on hand to grab and put with photos at a whim. By adding a few more embellishments, or sometimes just an additional piece of background paper, I can sometimes stretch these one-page kits into three or more layouts, like I was able to do last night.
For September, my challenge product of the month is going to be using my stash of pre-made kits. A lot of them have photos in them that I want to include in albums already moved out of viewing, and seeing what I wanted to scrap with last year is like having my own Throwback Thursday any day of the week!
If you'd like some tips on how to create your own scrapbook kit, check out this movie I made last year. Grab a pen and paper, jot down some notes, and then go shop your stash (or favorite scrappy outlet) and then go to town! Or, go to town, shop, and then stay up late making something awesome :-) The choice is yours, of course.
Thanks for choosing to spend some time on my blog today, and if you've got a good show for me to watch I'd sure like to hear of it... the Sons had their final soap opera style dramatic conclusion last night and Survivor is merely on the horizon of my viewing schedule!
Hmmm... anyone else extremely disappointed that "Jax" is no longer being considered for the role of Christian Grey...? He does bad boy gooood! I'm not saying he's a great actor, but I believe it when he gets into a heap of trouble episode after episode all while wearing his custom baggy leathers :-D

Labor of Love

Okay these are not childbirth photos so you can go ahead and look at the photos :^)

I'm scrapping at the Sharon Memories here in Olympia and wanted to share my first completed layout with you. 

Pictures of three special dads available for spending Father's Day with are offset with warm wood tones, blues and even the surprising pink! 

I'm hoping my honey will journal about his road to fathering and what it's like parenting our brood (does two count as a brood?)- I even placed a sticker of an old fashioned pen at an angle a lefty like himself would hold it.

Nautical stickers echo the Gig Harbor Historical Society's emphasis on the Mosquito Fleet's local influence . I also added a burlap lol through the magic of Washi tape!

Thanks for cropping by to craft with me tonight!

♡ Anna

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Project Life- My Way

 

Ok, Sharin Memories in Olympia is hosting a freestyle crop next Friday night from 6-10pm. Store owner Jodie there calls it "Project Life- My Way," and it's meant to be sort of a, free-for-all work time for crafties. Who may be bringing snacks :-) My friend DF and I have gone once before. The store has beautiful displays on show to inspire, and lots of table space to share.

Project Life, if you aren't familiar with the phrase, is a term used to describe a style of scrapbooking which captures the everyday details of life. It used to be that generally, only the "important" photos would get the fancy paper treatment, but about 5-7 years ago there was a shift in the industry to include the more everyday photo as well. Probably a direct correlation to iPhone's release! Next came a concept called the Smash Book, which was basically an artsy journal to place all of your saved ticket stubs, airplane tickets, fortune cookie strips, and brochures you might be saving, all mixed in with photos.

There have always been embellishments like die cuts and pockets to include with your memory preserving, but now these are available in standard sized kits and pocketed page protectors. Simple Stories might be a company who deserves credit for introducing a time saving way of preserving which appealed to newbies and old-timers like myself alike. Many companies have fallen suit and Becky Higgins presented a program of scrapbooking called, Project Life.

Available in any theme you can think of, a project life kit can contains as many as hundreds of 3x4 and 4x6 die cut cards, printed with cute phrases or just pretty patterns, to go along side your photos in the pocketed page protectors. Some people (like me) mix these in with their standard full sheet pages, and others devote entire albums to this style, capturing a week in photos in each "spread." Friday, Shimelle posted how she and three of her friends are approaching Project Life, and it got me considering my own style, and Jodie's phrase, and how I really DO do this my way.

I include the pocketed pages right next to my full size 12x12 pages. Sometimes I include a group of photos that all speak to the same theme, and sometimes, it is all about one day, or moment. My photos may be turned the "wrong" way, and that doesn't bother me, I just turn the album to see better and keep flipping!

There are times when I have a full sized page and a pocket page next to each other and they are all about the same event, but most often they are not. Usually I am creating just one "side" of the page at a time. One of the conundrums I've encountered in my learning process is that these pages almost have to be worked on consequentially, and that's not particularly my style- I tend to jump around in my memories quite a bit.

So how do I go about making this style work for me? You can watch one of my first attempts here, or join me at the Gig Harbor Michael's for a Project Life class! Each class is only $15, which is one of the least expensive classes the store offers. Email me if you are interested, and we will find an upcoming class time that fits in your calendar.

Interested in peeking over the shoulders of some other scrappers? There's that Project Life- My Way event next Friday at Sharin' Memories in Olympia, and next month, a Scrap-In on September 13th from 2:30-6:30, again in the Michael's classroom. Sign up for only $5 online, bring some pictures and basic supplies, and we'll get you figuring out how to work these products, Your Way!

No one in the World...

You may recall seeing the kit for this layout in my Special Edition: Packing for a Crop videos. The SEI flocked background was out of my comfort zone, but I think you'll agree, it really pops without competing!

I added a Glitz Designs sticker (thanks Cruise and Crop) as well as a Basic Grey brad (Big Lots, Ill be back!) to a globe die cut for a simple little anchoring embellishment cluster.

You know Im (a horder) into recycling and repurpousing... take a look at your packaging materials like I did for the fussy cut flower group on the left hand side.
A long title and a long row of bling, a journalling card cut in half to stretch behind my photos, and pictures of a little girl who makes my heart sing... I gotta say, love how it turned out! But...
Where are the stamps?
Heh heh gotta get crackin on incorporating my March theme product :-) pretty good reason to craft today, dontcha think?