New Video-& A Scrapbook Kit Reveal Teaser

It's been a while since I've made a video, but I just had to before heading to my first ever Portland version of the Creative Keepsakes Convention I love attending. I'm looking forward to spending time with my favorite designers as well as visiting my favorite booths to stock up on my favorite paper collections! Can you tell I'm excited?

Lately, I've been thinking about some of the changes that have occurred in our home over the last year... not going into detail here, but more reflective thoughts that I nonetheless would like to scrapbook in some form or another. Next week I'll have a video to reveal my solution, as well as a review of the trends I spot this weekend on the convention floor.

If you're not already subscribing to my CraftWithAnna YouTube channel, do so today~ that way I don't have to worry about you missing my next video release :-) Take care, friends, and keep it scrappy!

Family Time

I've received a few invitations to some upcoming Craft-the-weekend away retreats this fall. My fearless artist daughter Rainier has even been invited to accompany me to one that's set in a amongst the hiking trails of the Cascade Mountain range. Interestingly enough, the other takes place in the foothills of the Olympics. The people I've met while attending these events are all really sweet and it's an awesome feeling to be in a room with like minded, artistically inclined women. Sharing the stories that go along with the projects we work on is all part of the fun, and then there are all the snack options too.
 While I'm looking forward to accepting and planning for what I'm bringing along, there is this strange compulsion...to scrapbook as much as I can BEFORE I go! Now, why is that? This is not a new sensation, folks. I mean, if you read 2-5 posts on this blog, you soon realize that the need to create is serious in this artist. And that memory keeping and telling tales to go along with the thousands of photos I take each year comes naturally high up on my list of desired projects.
Year after year, my DF and I travel to the Creating Keepsakes Convention for 2-3 days of papercrafts immersion. And more years than not, I bring a long about 20 premade kits complete with photos, sticker sheets, cardstock, patterned paper and other embellishments like brads, twine or bling. Do I use any of those kits? Sometimes! But more often than not, I end up using the items acquired in the vendor faire or during classes I learn and assist in. If you haven't seen one of my movies before, I've got one that includes a lot of the tips I've learned over the years about packing for a "crop!" Just search for CraftWithAnna on YouTube.

 This layout features pictures taken while chatting
long distance with the East Coast grandparents

Perhaps it is this knowledge that leads to the compulsion I mentioned before. For some reason I now want to eliminate every unused kit in my collection so that I can a. create more kits for these coming events- I gotta use that stash! b., I have to use the stash! lol including photos that I haven't seen for years because they are hidden amongst the plastic bags full of goodies that I also have forgotten I own. c. because the memories fade as quickly as ... hmmm, I know I was going somewhere with that one. :-D

Now, sometimes the pages I end up making don't turn out to be what I would consider award winning presentations. This page I created is really just a bunch of off cuts or scrap pieces I've cut from the other layout I had already made from this homemade scrapbooking kit. The pictures aren't great; they are unedited, feature poor lighting, high contrast of shadowing, and are even blurry. But you know what? They are now in an album. They can be seen again! They tell a tale! And best of all, they have the perspective of appreciation for moments we won't get back included in the journaling.
Another point to this post- I said this layout isn't great... but why isn't it? When I texted this image to a scrappy friend of mine, she thought it looked like it was quilted... what a splendid interpretation. Patchwork becomes patchwork! With a little stitching, either with my pen, or (gasp!) the sewing machine, that look will really come to life.
Oh who am I kidding; this page is already in it's protective cover, and I'm digging through my stash for my next goodie bag of old memories. Hoping you are partaking in a labor of love on this Labor Day weekend- thanks for taking a moment to muse with me!

Day of Departure

After staring about the ship's entryway with wide eyed wonder, our stomachs finally decided to alert us to the fact that we were a bit on the hungry side. The Windjammer is the all hours cafeteria style serving area, and the first line we jumped in started with the with our culinary exploration of some East Indian fare. I chose to skip the rice options to go with my hot pink Tandoori chicken and Masala beans, instead opting for a small spoonful of the best mashed potatoes I've had this year! Truthfully the only ones, but still. Then a supplemental salad topped with fresh peas, parmesan cheese, arugula of all greens, and olives. A few broccolis and the scraping on my plate of the ladle used to dip a scoop of Cesar salad dressing out. It wasn't much , but a little does go a long way with me when it comes to dressing. I figured it'd be terrific incentive to eat those little green florets of healthy intentions.
So did I cap the meal off with a soft serve ice cream cone, petite four sampler, or fresh fruit? No, I figured there'd be plenty time for that, and why start this week of fabulousness with a regretful tummy? There's a very comparative narrative running through our conversation as we bask warmth of our place in the window, watching our cruising companions pile obscene amounts of food onto their plates and return for more. We ponder, what is it that brings out the desire to excess on a vacation like this?
The drink packages onboard worked out to be about $25 a day for the liquor and $16 a day for soda and bottled water if you signed up the first day. Don't forget they include a souvenir color changing cup lol .DF and laughed about how important it becomes to some people that they MUST HAVE DRINKS! Agreeing that we both don't need that type of enhancement to make the vacation worthwhile, and then laughing about how we had started the day with Bailey's.
Next it was off to the Spa for a tour and the chance at winning part of the $500 in certificates they'd be giving out after muster. The scents of Eucalyptus, mint, and algae permeated the air and the lilting accents the spa staff were relaxation in themselves!
Now, when I cruised on Holland America's Oosterdam in 2012, we went out on deck and stood under our life rafts for the safety drill. On this boat, we were directed to muster in our designated area- inside the boat, in one of the nightclubs, a room with no exits to the outside as far as I could tell. With about 500 people! As one of the ladies crammed onto the stage with me remarked, is this what it's going to be like in an emergency? Feeling very Titanic-ish as we were advised to, "step back, please make room for the arriving guests," and hearing them call out repeatedly for rooms that had not yet reported in, the same woman further pondered, would we be waiting for these slowpokes in an emergency?!
I know we weren't the first ones to enter the Conference room which would become home to our scrapbooking sessions over the next week. I knew we were only two among 90, and that we may not become fast friends with everyone in the room. I also knew that our teacher Shelby Dredge of Embellish It! would have provided some fabulously trendy goodie packs to house our new memories, even if our two table name tags had been misplaced.  I still savored the opportunity to look over all of the kits out waiting for their scrappers to arrive.
We would be working on a mini cruise/vacation/summer album, as well as two, two-page 12x12 scrapbook layouts. The rich textures and patterns of Simple Stories, Echo Park, and Fancy Pants, a few sentiment sticker sheets, and a card of ombre ribbons, as well as an additional card kit were all sifted through with delight. I myself  had packed only 3 additional kits to work from, and then a large supply hoarding of cruise and vacation style embellishments I hoped to use in the mini-album. I also brought about 6-10 loose photos in case I ran out of "stuff" to work on.
Remember how we were waiting for our crop supplies to appear in our room? A quick run up to the room before dinner and guess what? No bags outside our hallway waiting. Hmm, well I wouldn't have minded going to dinner in my jeans and scrappy Paper Wizard tee, but luckily I didn't have to, our Porter Kenneth had them there inside waiting for us. Our paths crossed again on the way to dinner and after we thanked him he shared that, "When I saw these to bags coming up, I said to myself, oh no- these two are going inside where they will be safe!" Awww. He didn't want anyone taking our precious scissors!
Remember those two friendly ladies we had met in the hotel, Lani and Nancy? Can you guess who's table they'd be sitting at? Yep, it was ours! Hooray, now we will have even more gab time with our neighbors from Sequim :-) Notice they have on beautifully coordinated ensembles in coral- totally not planned. But I love to see women (and men, too) wearing this cautionary color. It's funny that a color so easy to wear for so many skin tones is the one that people steer away from. So, next time you see it, why don't you try it?

Yumm, if you've ever gone on a cruise, or know someone like me who has, you will be sure to hear a lot about the food onboard. My favorite place to eat is always the dining room, maybe because of the formality of the wait staff. Or perhaps I just enjoy selecting three courses each night without a care to the price! Yeah, pretty sure that's it... So bring on the Eggplant! Poached Salmon? yes! BBQ Crème Brule? OK! oh and the Drink of the Day, sluuurp! All enjoyed next to a large porthole window overlooking the sun as it sets on fun-filled, dream like day.
After dinner, I was so tuckered, I just went right to the room for night the night. NOT. I had get at least one page out of my system, and besides we wanted to meet our table mates, Candi, Halee, Miranda, and Laurie. Such sweet ladies, Laurie even remedied the name tag situation with a flash of paper and flourish of sharpie. I enjoy any opportunity to teach, and with my Sweet Carolyn over my shoulder, it was no time at all before I had shared the basics of scrapping, from the foundation up. Echo your story with patterned paper or colors, give your photos a resting place, include room for journaling, add a title of some sort, and embellish away!

Finally, it was deemed retirement time, but knowing my craft habits as well as I do, and feeling especially grateful that I had the supplies with which to create with, I brought a small armful of treasures back to the room and made a thank you for our steward, Ken, who had also re-arranged our King size bed into the two twins we had requested.  Sitting at the vanity while Daphne read herself to sleep, I couldn't help but consider what my day would have been like at home... wondering would I be able to catch up on some sleep in the morning? And, what would I like delivered from room service! Sweet dreams indeed for our first night at sea.
Thanks for following along as I relive my adventure filled cruise onboard the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas. I'll be posting all week, so feel free to share the trip with your own friends and family, and ask anything you like in the comments section. There will be fun (and facts) abound as we continue towards our first port of the island of Roaatan, Honduras!


Late Night Love Life

One of my favorite holidays to design cards for, Valentine's Day is even more special for us because the day before is Sunday's birthday. Plus, I'm just a really lovey dovey kind of gal, and what better way to express that tangibly than with a handmade card? These were made with the My Mind's Eye woodgrain 6x6 paper pack. I also picked up a package of wood veneers to add to my stash and used the cupid one as I consider it to be the least versatile and therefore the first to go to the store in time for selling! Simple Stories chipboard and some foam adhesive built this embellishment cluster into a focal point of the card, but doing something as simple as adding gems to a pennant sticker really dresses up a simple embellishment. Feeling a little more advanced? Try layering trim behind a sticker as I did with the Be Mine card. Using grey lace, I did have to cut a little on the corners of the hearts to help the ribbon lie flat. Then over two border stickers, also layered, and to top off my fancy embellie, I pop-dotted that smaller heart and paced it slightly offset for some textural flair. Working from a 12x12 sticker sheet helped all of my cards coordinate, and I LOVE the look of each!
 

Quick Card Share for Dec 15th

Just a quick look at a few cards I made last week, and I'll be back to share more of what I've been doing with my time this month tomorrow!