Month: September 2010

 Lots going on over here in the batcave… lots of good things, some not so good. Since I’m a focus on the positive kind of girl (and there IS a lot of that around here) I’ll share some good things going right now:

First off – stay tuned at www.scrapbookupdate.com for a lot of new articles coming from yours truly. I’ve got a bunch in the works + several already turned into the editor… to be posted any day now.

Secondly: I have new prizes. For you. For here. YES! Two to come next week…

Finally: some exciting news here. This girl is officially an Ella friend. Looking forward to all that the future brings – so many fun ideas and projects in my head, and I’m glad you’ll be seeing more of me + Ella publishing.

First off – the texture fades (the folders that work with sizzix machines to create embossed images) by Tim Holtz ROCK. But, of course, being me I had to see if there was anything else I could do with them. I recalled long ago a project where a person used Elmers Glue to do something similar to what I’m doing on a textured surface. Anyhow, I made a video with my iphone to give you a better visual:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCDVTHtmtc4]

I used PPA by USArt Quest (available at some Michael’s craft stores as well as art stores/some scrapbook stores too) – that’s my go-to medium/liquid ‘stick anything’ product that I’ve used for YEARS. I can not suggest enough the greatness of this sealant/adhesive/medium. I used the matte finish, but the glossy could work as well. I wasn’t happy with my kid glue experiments. They just didn’t turn out as good and I figure if I want long lasting then the PPA is really the way to go anyhow.

All you do is coat the surface with glue. You don’t want it THICK… then it takes forever to dry and/or just won’t really dry. Still, you want it thick enough that the raised surfaces won’t tear/break from the thicker indented areas.

Then WALK AWAY for 24hrs. Oh, I pulled a few after 8-12hrs… and they stuck, were tough, took longer than when I waited at least a full day. If you are impatient, I suggest a small craft knife of paper piercer to assist you when the corners and such stick. There was usually some stick on some edges – but with the help of the tool it was no big deal.

If there are some tears, holes, rough spots… IT’S OK! Tim’s stuff is meant to be vintage/distressed, yeah? So it’s OK!!! In the video I show a few that were colored – on those I experimented with ink directly on the texture fade, then glue… it went BADLY. Those suckers were very tough to remove from the texture fades. I’d ink AFTER the glue is dry, not start with it as base.

Alright so once you have the glue faux-fruit roll ups (which is what I have named them since that’s what they feel like) what can you do?

Use ink, stickles, paint, and anything else yuo like with it to make a textured ANYTHING! On a layout, card, canvas (shown above)… so many things! Best part? Now you’ve got another use for those fantastic texture fades.

Want to know more? You’re in luck. I’m going to share the project you have a hint of above tomorrow…

Saturday November 6th at Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley, CA { www.scrapbookterritory.com }
11am – 1pm
cost: $24

This class is packed full of cheer and sweet detail to get you in the mood for the upcoming holiday season. From glitter to buttons to paper and more I will provide everything you need to make your own little custom house to display and treasure for years to come. Yes- we’ll have plenty of goodies to play with and lots of options for customizing your house. Just imagine… all the fun of making a gingerbread house… but with scrapbook supplies!

This project features the brand new Tinsel & Twig line by the Girls’ Paperie, and you’ll love how festive and fun it is. In addition to the class project I will be sharing several never before seen project ideas (complete with photos in the class handout) as a special bonus, and there will be cupcakes and sweet treats (how could we have a gingerbread house class without them?!). To sign up contact Scrapbook Territory (Berkeley, CA) at 510-559-9929. Space is limited.

Supplies needed: scissors, black pen, inexpensive paint brush (to be used with adhesives), paper trimmer optional. Adhesives and all other materials will be provided

Note: if you’re not local and/or unable to attend I will have a few kits available for sale. You can e-mail me (mflaum @ comcast . net) if you’re interested in that option.

We have a lot of snakes in our home. It’s not a problem. They’re friendly and they guard. These two are watching out for little sisters, so I’m told.

Also strangers, big spiders, and monsters. The guy on the left (rattle snake) is from the San Diego Zoo. “You can have ANY one item in the whole gift shop Elizabeth…” and that’s what she picked. On right is a snake from a street fair – her 2and year going + choosing a snake there. I shouldn’t be surprised. This has been about 18 months now that she’s really into snakes.

Rubber, cloth, wood, plastic – fine… just no real snakes. Mama’s gotta draw the line somewhere folks. Right now I have two “growing” toy snakes in the bathtub. In a few days time they are supposed to grow to four feet long. I asked Elizabeth what we should do if they come to life. Her answer:

{eyeroll} We will just chop off their heads with a knife so they can’t bite us mommy. Or, iffin they get away from us or hide we’ll just call Billy the Exterminator. But maybe you should just buy a snake cage and get me a real one. If I had a real one then I could train him to keep other real snakes away.

Nice try kid. I don’t think so. I like that her first instinct was decapitation (what? where did that idea come from?!) and/or calling a Louisiana pest control company (aka Vexcon).

I think Princess has us covered.

Ps – if you’re wondering, why yes I HAVE scrapbooked the snake obsession. I may need to re-visit it as it’s been over a year… but it has been recorded.