Craft With May

I’m getting geared up for some Valentine inspired projects, and I have a little one to share here today. I took some bits from my January www.scarletlime.com kit & had some fun…

I scallop-cut a 3/4″ strip of patterned paper (2, actually) and pleated/hot glued it to the back. Just don’t glue where the photo turns go.

I also added jewels, made a paper bow, and glittered the heck out of it. Just remember – hot glue is your friend when it comes to projects like this! I hot glued everything except the glitter – I used liquid adhesive for that. As you can see I need to get a dryer sheet (it helps gather up/remove the excess glitter) – then find a photo!

I’ve been creating in secret. I am anxiously awaiting the day when I can show you my projects, for now I can just tell you that they’re for a very special new line that is sure to become a must-have for me. I love it so much – I’ve saved up every tiny scrap of paper so I can extend my creative joy as long as possible.

I dare not show more yet – but know that I’ve got some girls’ paperie projects for show & tell soon as I have the a-ok. It was such a pleasure and an honor to play with Margie’s debut line. I can tell you that if you’re a store owner or going to CHA – watch for this new line from Advantus. If not, tell your local stores & fave on-line stores to buy it up. It’s AMAZING.

Right now I’m going to go make something just for fun to share here so I don’t spill any more beans!!!

Hybrid scrapbooking is something I’ve grown to love. I’m really excited to get my new Big Picture class started (all about Hybrid Scrapbooking!) and share my ideas & layouts with you.

Link to class info, audio file, etc:  http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/gohybrid.php

I made this class friendly to anybody who has yet to try mixing digital with paper, and I’m also happy with how it’s turning out as a self-paced/you set the goals kind of class. Each week you get an exclusive downloadable product (from a digi designer – more on them later!) as well as the presentation, handout, and of course there are a few bonuses scattered as well.

You don’t need expensive software either – I do 50% of the layouts in Microsoft Word! Yep. Just call me a renegade crafter – I’m into whatever gets my stuff done easily. Sometimes (gasp) I use auto-correct instead of hand-adjusting images. I print 4×6’s at Costco for most of my pages and work with them. While I love to embellish, my philosophy is simple: enjoy.

I would love to answer q’s you might have about hybrid scrapbooking, this class, or anything really! Please feel free to ask in comments or e-mail me mflaum @ comcast . net  I’ll do a “Q & A” post here on blog & continue to sneak the peeks *like the 2 above* as we get closer to class. Also – I’ll be showing off sneaks of the digital products you get in class, doing some hybrid layouts here on the blog, and more.

have a great day!

I got an e-mail about a week ago asking me about scrapbooking and if I ever get stuck. The answer is yes! Sometimes in general, sometimes I freeze for fear of messing up something so lovely, sometimes I don’t have an idea for something. Every crafter and artist I know faces this – it’s natural. That said, and that e-mail in my mind I decided to share this post.

It’s like this: When I get product I LOVE in my hands that I  have a commitment to work with I freeze. I worry over ruining it, messing it up, letting people down, not meeting expectation, being shunned from society… ok not quite that bad but you get my drift. I freak out just a tad. Oh, and I do it every time, no matter how much I love the kit/product/etc. It’s a part of my creative process and I embrace it.

Then: Anywhere from 5 minutes to a few days later after all those yucky negative thoughts have passed through I play. Enjoy. Love every minute creating with the stuff I’m blessed to work with.

Sometimes: If there’s a block, I find jumping in is best. So I’ll make something as a warm-up, a no pressure “do whatever” project or layout. Something that gets the ideas flowing so I can relax into the happy creative zone.

So this afternoon I pulled out these photos and scrapped a subject I’ve been meaning to get into writing. My 2yo says “5 minutes mommy, just 5 minutes” whenever you set her down for a 1-2hr nap. It cracks me up! Every night she’s started doing it too. So when I finally found some photos of her sleeping I knew I could use them for scrapping. No pressure – just for fun…

SUPPLIES: Little Yellow Bicycle patterned paper, American Crafts Chipboard Butterfly, Pink Paislee (pink) alpha, Studio Calico woodgrain number & brackets, Adornit bracket edge word sticker, and random ribbon, buttons, thread, etc.

Now with that exercise complete I feel warmed up and I’m off to play with some of the prettiest paper I’ve seen in a long time. Be back to share more tomorrow!