amy tangerine

last call

2012-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

If you haven't signed up for my newest online class, Stretch Your Kit from Studio Calico, what are you waiting for? I thought it would be good to put up one last post about it before the sale ends on January 31st (tomorrow). Class begins on the 1st of February and I'll be on the message boards daily through the entire month. Remember, there are no assignments and you can work at your own pace. Plus you will have access to the PDF's (jam packed with amazing techniques and photos from myself and our fantastic contributors- trust me, their projects are a must-see!) as well as access to the videos.

We used the January kit, County Fair in our layouts, but the tips and techniques can be applied to any kits, your growing stash, and future projects. Included in the class are over 20 exclusive examples of layouts. Just to give you a little taste of what to expect, I did an extra layout using just the Kissing Booth Add-On.

In case you needed another last minute push to sign up, you can save 10% by using the code: AMYSTRETCH10. This 10% off code is valid only on the Stretch Your Kit class. Valid through January 31st. Code must be entered at checkout. Refunds will not be given for missing codes or previous purchases. Please enter your code on the Confirm Order Screen in the Add Promo Code box and then click Add. Your code will then be deducted from the class total.
Hope to see you all in the classroom soon! Let me know in the comments if you've signed up and I'll randomly choose a winner to get a fun little package from the CHA show. (photo by Shimelle)

today

2012-01-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

We're busy setting up the Sketchbook booth for the CHA tradeshow today. Please do stop by American Crafts and say hi! If you're not going to be at the show, don't fret - we will do our best to keep you updated via Twitter and Facebook, and if we can steal some time, right here on the blog. Scrapbook Update will be keeping you posted as well, grateful they chose Sketchbook as one of their picks. If you missed our booth last year for the launch of my first signature line, here is how it came together.

Project Life Week 3 + giveaway

2012-01-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

Moving right along, still loving every single bit.

This time I added an American Crafts page protector because we finally received long awaited photos of Bamboo's sister, mom and dad. Bamboo was given to us as a gift to be a companion to Buster, so these pictures are extra special.

Our adventure into Beverly Hills led us to my first time in the flagship Robin's Jean store. I have to admit I was a bit intimidated as the store seemed a bit too rock and roll for me. Since I have worn and loved their jeans for years, and they just might be my favorite jeans ever, I went in. And then I went a bit overboard. I got the jeggings (oh yes I did!), the Marilyn in smoky dark, and a pair of khaki stretch poplin Marilyn. And they all fit like a dream. I have worn my charcoal skinnies for so long (guessing 5 years) the manager at the store didn't even recognize the color. So happy to have a new arsenal added to the collection.
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Now for the giveaway. My favorite scissor brand Fiskars, (it's the only brand we have ever used for our clothing line), is celebrating 45 years! They're giving away 4 pairs of scissors - 2 good ol' orange handle originals and 2 micro tips. So all you have to do to enter is:
1. Like Fiskars on Facebook.
2. Come back to this post and tell me something good.
Winners will be announced Feb 1st.

washi tapes are my fave.

2012-01-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

Instead of doing much of the work I should have been doing, I decided to organize some washi tape. Posted this photo on Instagram.

Some of my favorite places to order online:
ginko papers - fast and friendly
two peas in a bucket - great selection with different sizes and offers free shipping over $50
cute tape - big selection, great service
kimamaya - etsy store in Japan, very friendly
pretty tape - etsy store in TX

I really fell in love with these tapes years ago when people around blogland were talking about them. Once I saw them in a couple local stores, I was hooked. Although I love shopping online, there is something just so sweet about holding it in your hands and purchasing from a local independent shop. If you all make it to LA, I recommend shopping for these pretties at Urbanic, Tortoise and Kinokuniya.

Here's the full photo, just for fun.

The containers are from a Japanese store in West LA on Sawtelle. Since we all can't seem to get enough of these, if you have favorite shops not mentioned above, please share. Or don't, as it would make JC and my pocketbook much happier if you didn't. Ok, now I really need to get some actual work done. Happy Wednesday!

loving lately

2012-01-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Source: typeverything.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: pursuitof-healthiness.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: irocksowhat.com via Amy on Pinterest

At last we have the full reveal of Sketchbook on the American Crafts blog

Are you all on Pinterest? It's definitely one of my vices, along with Justified (we're on Season 2), extra crispy bacon, funny puppy pictures, and anything with salted caramel. How about you - any loves you care to share?

tutorial anyone?

2012-01-23T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hi. What an lovely response to the process photos from the first Gardeners' Digest post. Wow and thank you! It looks like a lot of you really enjoyed hopping around. There are some new layouts and inspiration to check out on Two Peas today, including a layout I made with some of the leftover gesso. (Watch the video tutorial, linked below and you will know just what I am talking about.)

Some of you may remember when I posted this book of quotes on my blog. Studio Calico asked if I would do a little tutorial on the technique using their journal kits.

I thought it would be nice to have a place to put some random notes about Project Life. My plan is to include the day-to-day observations, silly quotes, and anecdotes that I may not remember as the week progresses in this woodgrain embossed book.

Check out the video tutorial on the Studio Calico blog, where you can join in on their weekly challenge.
There will be more instructional videos and plenty of techniques and tutorials shared in my upcoming Stretch Your Kit class with Studio Calico. Last day to sign up is January 31st and class begins on February 1st!

two peas: me & you

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a little feature that will be appearing regularly here each month.Various Garden Girls will be participating, and there might even be a little prize at the end of the blog hop.
Here is how this layout for Two Peas came together.

Traced the chipboard heart with a pencil.

I poked holes with a brad setter and a mousepad underneath.

Once all the holes were punched, I erased the pencil a bit.

I did a backstitch for the heart using thick thread.

I picked out some sequins to match the layout and used liquid glue to adhere them for just the right amount of sparkle.

The complete layout is on Two Peas. Hope you enjoyed the process photos - next stop on the blog hop is Becky Novacek.

Project Life Week 2

2012-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

Moving right along with this (which is slightly surprising), but I think it's mainly because I am still keeping it simple and really enjoying the collecting part. Once again it helps that there is just enough space on my desk so I can work on it.

Supplies: Cavallini Vintage Office stamps, our Love Struck stamp set and the U.S. map stamp by Purple Onion

-Paige blogged about our little wardrobe excursion to XCVI.
-It was a good mail week, and if you want the full "shiny and bright" card, let Urbanic know.
-So many folks are on board and making inspiring pages simply by documenting the everyday. Becky Higgins, you are so clever and cute - thank you for developing this system.

My outlook on this project is in this post, where you can also see Week 1.
Today's the last day for free shipping on Two Peas in a Bucket for orders over $35. The coupon code is ATFS35 and should be entered at checkout. Here are the details: The user will receive free shipping on domestically shipped orders when his/her total is $35 or greater in non-digital/non-phaseout product. International customers will receive a $5 discount on shipping expenses. Promo code will expire on TONIGHT 1/20/12 at 11:59pm CST.

thanks & I am taking you to Lima.

2012-01-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Thank you. Thank you. Feeling so overwhelmed (in the best way) reading all your kind words about Sketchbook. Paper crafters, scrapbookers and all around creative, supportive, encouraging types are just the best!

Since we have to wait until next Tuesday for the full reveal, and the products don't ship to the stores until March, I thought I would share some goodies that you can get right now. Although I am really not taking all of you to Lima (wouldn't that be cool?!), I will show you a rather in depth look into the mini book that traveled with me that I just put the finishing touches on.

One of my favorite parts of traveling to a different country is collecting different receipts, labels and paper bits. I used many throughout this book.

Visiting Iglesia de San Francosco was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We were not allowed to take photos inside, so on the way out, we grabbed a postcard.

The odd looks I get from peeling beer bottle labels no longer phases me.

It's nice to add actual brochures from the trip. This one was full of photos and descriptions, and can still be folded out easily.

Another brochure. Though it's written in Spanish, it has nice photos and a map.

The restaurant we visited didn't have business cards, but they did have these big postcards.

Our meal at Astrid & Gaston was one of the best we've ever had. Hopefully we can make it to another one of his locations in the near future.

I don't even have a sweet tooth and that cookie was really amazing. I looked forward to turn down service every evening.

Teaching at my first international store was wonderful! The owners of Scrapping Mania were delightful and did a great job of translating for me, though most of them understood English.

This is also the same trip where I spent the entire last day in bed (guessing it was food poisoning). Fortunately my book was almost full by then so I have no evidence from that not-so-nice day. They say you must try Inca Kola when you visit Peru, so I did at the airport lounge. And it was WAY too sweet for my taste.

supplies: Hug Life Mini Book, Is It Any Wonder fabric paper, hello Thickers in ash, and Bits.
Don't forget the free shipping code I posted about here is still available on Two Peas for qualifying orders over $35: ATFS35 Enjoy shopping!
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And the winner for the spot in Stretch Your Kit is:
Angela said...
This class sounds so useful and so fun, all at once! I'm angelahath on SC. Thanks!!

I'll send Studio Calico your info! Thanks to all who entered and there's still time to sign up!

new collection + a blog hop

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Absolutely delighted to be giving you a glimpse of my newest collaboration with American Crafts...

Splash some color on life with designer Amy Tan’s latest signature collection, Sketchbook. Vibrant colors drip off the page thanks to a bold watercolor effect. Hand-drawn details — from picture frames and cameras to flowers and lace — prevail, bursting with eclectic goodness for everyday projects.

Twenty-four patterned papers mesh wonderfully with fan favorites such as Thickers, Remarks stickers, fabric brads and ribbon. Sketchbook also has a beautiful patterned album to match, and two brand new Daybooks, one of which features a spiral binding and internal pockets.

Join in on the fun as some talented friends are hosting little sneaks on their blogs.

lisa truesdell
cindy tobey
shimelle
jennifer mcguire
kelly purkey
amy heller
jenny chesnick
paige evans

After you visit all the blogs, be sure to go back to American Crafts and tell us what you liked best to be entered to win the entire collection. Yes, the entire collection of fabric stickers, mix tape, fabric brads, (which won't be in stores until March) the whole deal is being given away to one lucky commenter!

3 things (including another giveaway)

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

1- The winner of May Flaum's Field Guide class is:
amcgrew said...

This would be such a fun class! I would love to be a part of it!

Congrats amcgrew! Please send me an email with the email address you use for Big Picture Classes.

2- Week 2 of my 365:

You can see Week 1 here. The plan is to put all the weeks together at the end of the month for a grand ol' collage.

3- Giveaway time for my Stretch Your Kit class with Studio Calico!

Class info: Are you ready to jumpstart the way you look at supplies? Tired of letting your kits pile up month after month without touching them? Ready to pull out the tools you have on hand and put them to use? Amy Tan is here to help show you how to see the Studio Calico Main kits in new ways and get those supplies onto your pages. She’s ready to share tips and tricks on making your kit supplies stretch to create beautiful page after page.

Known for her playful and innovative pages, Amy is the perfect teacher to help you stretch your kits. She’ll walk you through ideas for breaking open those brown paper bags and seeing your kits in a fun new way. Amy and Studio Calico kits... what a great combination!

Amy is joined by creative powerhouses Kelly Goree, Celine Navarro, and Jen Jockisch who will all share inspiration for using ONLY the Studio Calico Main kit. You’ll see their process for getting started on a layout, selecting which supplies to pull from the kits, and tips for using their favorite tools and techniques.

START DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2012

REGISTRATION ENDS: JANUARY 31, 2012

PRICE: $30.00

For your chance to enter, leave a comment with your Studio Calico username and a winner will be drawn on Wednesday, Jan 18. Thanks and good luck!

digging these rules

2012-01-15T09:17:00.000-08:00

found here. I'm doing number 5 on this lovely Sunday, hope you're doing one of the above too!

field guide giveaway

2012-01-13T09:11:00.000-08:00

The wonderful and talented May Flaum asked me to contribute a tiny bit to her newest class on Big Picture called Field Guide. You can sign up now and class begins on February 9th.

A note from May:

I have dearly loved each and every class that I have put together for Big Picture. I am constantly adding, upgrading, improving, and taking suggestions to heart. Now, after many months of plotting, creating, and pulling it all together I'm thrilled to introduce you to my first class of 2012: The Curious Scrapbooker's Field Guide: 12 Weeks of Techniques and Creative Play.

Not just layouts, or simple inspiration either: this course will get you deep into the techniques, fundamentals, ideas, and process of creating layouts, altered projects, tags, and more. From stencils to inks, paper punches to pens, I am working with all kinds of products and have a lot of ideas to show you. Bringing them to life like you've never seen in my previous classes, this twelve week course is packed with more than fifty videos, not to mention the handouts, active classroom, and so much more.
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Even though it's Friday the 13th, it could be your lucky day. May is giving you a chance to win a spot in her class ($89 value!). Simply leave a comment and I will draw a winner on Monday, January 16th for a spot in Field Guide.

forget fear. worry about the addiction.

2012-01-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

That's the tagline for Trapeze School New York, and it couldn't be more fitting. Cindy and I got ourselves Groupons last year and wanted to use them before they expired next month. We called in advance to make reservations and signed an online waiver. Told to wear socks and tight fitting clothing, we got dressed and headed to the Santa Monica Pier to try our first class. (my shirt says: love your mother)

The instructors were incredibly thorough and professional and made us feel right at ease. They belted us up and went over the instructions. A white board at the bottom of the ladder indicated the line up. I was #5 and Cindy was last, but not least, at #7. Later I figured out why they split us up, and was thankful we could watch one another and take photos.

Every time I climbed the ladder, somewhere near the top at the platform, I felt my heart beating out of my chest. I also kept thinking about Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City and how she wasn't quite ready for "the catch". There was a professional photographer who took excellent photos as well as this video. You can see if I was able to make the catch.

No plans on joining the circus, but I did find the experience to be a lot of fun, and I was sore for a few days. I can absolutely see how people get addicted. What about you all, have you tried the trapeze?

for real this time (hopefully)

2012-01-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

The original idea was to do Project Life for my 33rd year. I posted about my attempt in November of last year, and unfortunately fell off the wagon shortly after that. I realized that with the holidays, trips, other mini book projects and layouts (and not having the Core Kit), it was going to be difficult to keep up. 2012 seemed like a good place to really start, especially with all the scrapbookers (and non-scrapbookers) in on the fun this year. (Woohoo!) There are tons of people spreading the good word. So onto the bandwagon I go once again.

I don't foresee doing 2 page spreads for every single week, and I honestly don't see myself staying with it consistently for the entire year. It is OK. And I sure as heck am going to try. There will be weeks when I probably don't want to share the nitty gritty details, and other weeks where there is just so much going on that I'll do Project Life, a mini album and layouts. Who knows. I see the entire project as an excellent way to document the little things and to use up supplies that I have saved. It will be a little of this and a little of that. And who knows, maybe it will be one of those habits I just can't kick. We shall see! For now, I'm pleased with the minimal progress. Here is the title page:

I used a mix of the Project Life Core Kit - Clementine Edition and stuff from my stash. The photos are from 2011, but that doesn't matter one bit. And here is Week 1:

My desk is back to being pretty messy, but it's apparently the only way I can get stuff done.

Photo Pocket Pages - Design B (on the right), Cavallini numbers tape, camera & feather stamp is part of the Love Struck set, orange chevron washi tape, and my favorite pen. So there you have it, week 1 is done. I've only highlighted some supplies, because I will drive myself bonkers if I have to keep track of every little thing I use. This is the only way I can take the lighthearted approach to keeping up. But, if you have specific questions, please let me know and I will do my best to answer. If you all have any tips for staying on track, please share!

..

2012-01-10T05:10:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you've heard the news...

Thank you so much to those who have already tweeted or sent me messages. So excited and grateful to join a talented group of ladies known as the Garden Girls on Two Peas. Amy Heller, Wilna Furstenberg and I were given such a warm welcome last week. When I first started scrapbooking in 2007, Emily Falconbridge introduced me to the hobby, products and the website. I was completely smitten and still am. Here's a 2-pager that I did for my first layout using photos from Madame Tussauds.

Another treat is celebrating with all of you! Two Peas in a Bucket is kindly giving free shipping for orders over $35. The coupon code is ATFS35 and should be entered at checkout. Here are the details: The user will receive free shipping on domestically shipped orders when his/her total is $35 or greater in non-digital/non-phaseout product. International customers will receive a $5 discount on shipping expenses. Promo code will expire on 1/20/12 at 11:59pm CST.
PS- I just noticed that The Little Things Daybook is already sold out, but the 3 other new ones are still in stock. Happy shopping!

be the light.

2012-01-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

Last year my one little word was "share". It turned out to be the perfect word. Ali's year-long One Little word class on BPC was great support (although I wasn't able to keep up with all the assignments, I can go back anytime, and the concepts and prompts are fantastic). More than anything, I carried my word "share" with me wherever I went. I shared laughter with family and friends, maybe even a few strangers. I shared my knowledge and ideas with American Crafts and collaborated on my first paper line, thus sharing those ideas with all of you. I shared meals, mementos and memories and had a magnificent time sharing every single moment.

This year my word is another 5 letter word: light. (definitions modified from dictionary.com)

1. something that makes things visible or affords illumination.

2. an illuminating agent or source, as the sun, a lamp, or a beacon.

3. the radiance or illumination from a particular source.

Looking forward to taking Ali's class again this year, lightening up while adding lots more light to life.

seven on saturday

2012-01-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

So far sticking with the Photo-A-Day 365 project has been going smoothly. I know, I know - it's just the first week, but this is still a small accomplishment for one who loves starting projects, but isn't as good at finishing. It is something I plan on staying on top of because I'm keeping it simple. Taking a picture of whatever tickles my fancy that day. Making it easy. Keeping it easy.

I'm taking the pics with my iPhone, uploading them to my365 (a free app with a calendar), flickr and tumblr. I may be going a bit overboard by uploading to 3 different places, but I am choosing to do it this way because with flickr, it's easy to make collages like this one with big huge labs.

And tumblr has a cool "launch mass post editor" button which displays all the photos by month. Will keep you all posted on how this project goes. I joined in the 1st class at Studio Calico taught by Nicole Samuels and it will help keep me on track. Are you all in on the 365 fun and do you have any tips for this first timer?

wedded bliss

2012-01-05T05:55:00.000-08:00

Last year, I posted this photo on Instagram with the caption: Gorgeous venue, excited about scrapbooking this wedding tonight!

It was one of 2 weddings we did during that week. And wow, was it gorgeous. Here are a couple behind the scenes snapshots of our little LA Photo Party corner before the guests (and fun!) arrived.

As thrilled as I was that evening, it's even more delightful to see that Style Me Pretty has featured Colleen and Roger's wedding, which was designed and coordinated by Amber Events and photographed by Callaway Gable.

Handing over the completed album full of delightful photos and hand-written notes, at the end of fantastic events, like this one, is total bliss.

a fabric project

2012-01-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

My mom will tell you that I wait until the last minute to do things, and well, she does know best. There are plenty of projects that, for some reason, come together right before I need them to. This iPad sleeve is a perfect example. I gave my Zagg keyboard to JC since he got himself an iPad a few days before, and he gets much more use out of it. The day I was scheduled to leave for Thailand (Dec 24), I decided that I needed a sleeve for my iPad. Determined to finish it during crunch time when there were other things on the to-do list, I managed to finish it using some supplies I had laying around. Since I was in a major hurry, the thought of taking step-by-step photos crossed my mind, but didn't happen.

The basics: I used Falling For You fabric paper, felt, vintage lace and sewing machine. I measured (without a ruler) the felt and fabric paper, allowing about 1/2 inch seam allowance on 3 sides. Because the fabric paper is a bit thick, I removed the fabric from the adhesive backing. I sewed it with the felt, turned it inside out and added the lace. It worked out great for the trip but my apologies, not so great for a tutorial. Been pretty busy with projects I can't share quite yet (I know, I hate that part too), but am very excited about and will share soon. What have you been making lately?

A new year, a new class!

2012-01-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

So excited about collaborating with Studio Calico for their 2nd class - Stretch Your Kit.

*edited* I will be using the County Fair kit in my examples, but the techniques and tips will apply to any of your supplies. Any questions? Leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them quickly. Looking forward to seeing you all in the classroom!

perfect way to start 2012

2012-01-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

with this...

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

It's already well past midnight in Thailand. 2011 was pretty incredible, and I have no doubt 2012 will be as well. We're embarking on a very long journey (over 20 hours) home. Wherever you are in the world, hope you have the happiest new year ever!

khob-kun ขอบคุณ

2011-12-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

This post was written on December 24 and the edits made on Dec 25 are in italics.

By the time this posts, I will have already flown for nearly 18 hours to get to Bangkok. I flew out on Christmas Eve at 9:00pm and arrived in Thailand the morning of the 26th, essentially missing all of Christmas. And somehow it's all okay. Our flight was delayed by 2 and half hours and we were on board at 11:30pm. We pulled out of the gate just after midnight, only to return after about 30 minutes. There was a problem with one of the engines. They did their best to keep us posted, but at 3:30am, they informed us that the flight would have to be canceled. We were shuttled to a hotel at 5:00am and after sleeping for an hour and half, we were up again resuming our travels. All in all we are in wonderful spirits and have enjoyed quite the adventure! I will be in Thailand until the 1st of January on a client assignment that I am really excited about. I feel truly blessed to have had a wonderful year, and have to thank you blog readers for being such a big part of it. Your support, kind words and enthusiasm mean so much. It will likely be quiet around here until next year, so until then, a BIG HUGE THANK YOU (khob-kun ขอบคุณ in Thai) and I look forward to sharing more with you in 2012!

merry

2011-12-25T05:35:00.000-08:00

Although we don't send out holiday cards, Red Stamp (a free app!) makes it a bit too easy to create cute postcards on your iPhone. Send a virtual one for free, or for under $2 they will mail an actual paper postcard for you. The simple fact that they use iPhone's address book makes me giddy. So user-friendly and the designs are fantastic. If we were to send out a card, this would likely be it.

Hope everyone is having a very merry holiday!

sending sunshine

2011-12-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

Since it's the 2nd day of winter and we just made it through the shortest day of the year, I thought it would be a good time to share some photos of a recent trip to Hawaii. At the end of October, JC and I took a little trip to celebrate our birthdays (mine Oct 5, and his Oct 26), and also to take advantage of some great deals. He found a sale fare on Delta that we couldn't resist. The only slight catch was that we had to fly out of San Francisco. Since flights from LAX-SFO aren't that bad (and we needed just a one-way ticket because our return flight connected through LA), we decided to go for it. The trip was also a great way to take advantage of a promotion that Starwood ran which awarded us 3 free nights at any of their properties. We redeemed one night at the Ala Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, and then 2 of the nights at possibly the most luxurious, yet unpretentious hotel we've ever stayed in. Then we paid for the last night using dollars and points. And the entire trip was worth every penny and point. This was the view outside of our room at the St. Regis Princeville.

The gentleman who showed us to our room must have said something funny, which turned into my favorite photo of the entire trip. I don't recall what he said because #1- I didn't write it down and #2- I was still in awe of our spectacular view. I'll save the story of our epic 8 mile hike along the Napali Coast where I nearly drowned swimming to the waterfall for perhaps another time. This rooster shot is far more amusing.

There are plenty of roosters running around all over the island, and the smart ones head right for the sand. If you're a fan of ahi tuna, the best poke I have ever had is in Kauai. And it's from a grocery store. Foodland, located right around the corner was the best find, and for $6.99 for a bowl with rice, I couldn't resist having it twice in 3 days.

Supplies: grey frame - Daybook Bits, mulberry Lovely Thickers, yellow chevron paper, map washi tape, Crate Paper pad

Kauai definitely tops my list of favorite places in the U.S. - what are some of your favorite sunny spots? Or do you prefer the cold? Wherever you are, I hope you're surrounded by plenty of love and light.

progress.

2011-12-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

Progress has been made on this December Daily. It's getting a bit fat, so it may need to go on a diet consisting of less dimensional stickers. Though bigger rings could replace the current smaller ones, I am hoping to keep it consistent with the one from last year.

Inspired to take a self-timer photo because I actually wore something other than lulu's and a zip hoodie, which turned out to be quite the task as the dogs decided they wanted to get in on the shots. Had to take a photo of our delicious dinner. So grateful for friends who moved from Hollywood to the westside so we can do these weeknight outings.

Thanks for all the kind words and excitement about the new Daybooks. Of course I can't wait to see what you all do with them. The highly coveted Lovestruck stamp set (used in some of the pages above) are back in stock at Simon Says Stamp!

Other things I'm making progress on right now: finishing up a client's Mediterranean cruise scrapbook (and an identical album she will gift to her friend), staying organized, cleaning up my desk at the end of most days, narrowing down my One Little Word for 2012, and eating too much. The progress on indulging and eating and putting on winter weight is much like the progress on my December Daily. How's your progress coming along on all the holiday planning and projects? Hope everyone is finding time to relax and enjoy!

one last layout for Hambly+Daybook news

2011-12-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

Loved being a part of the Hambly Design team. Here are all the layouts, a tutorial on hand stitching on paper, and an additional one just because their products are too hard to resist.

Hambly products available at Two Peas. And you know what else just hit Two Peas?

Yup, all 4 new Daybooks and all the accessories. Need more incentive to stock up? There's free shipping on orders over $35 through Dec 31.

a crafty honor!

2011-12-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

So honored and excited to be speaking and teaching at craftcation indie business & DIY conference in Ventura, CA March 22-25, 2012.

Check out the impressive line-up and the jam packed schedule. They've got a Facebook page and are on Twitter. If you're still looking for a holiday gift for that special crafty someone in your life, maybe this is the perfect ticket. Or perhaps it's just what you need to jump start your own creative endeavor. And if you need to throw around hints to your loved ones, feel free. Really looking forward to meeting some of you creatives there!

friday currents

2011-12-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

listening: The Best of American Songwriter Sessions. So good and free!
eating: last night we went to dinner at milo and olive. everything we ate was spectacular. adding it to the list of favorites in Santa Monica.
drinking: salted caramel hot chocolate. YUM

wearing: Converse, argyle socks, warm clothes and a new haircut. Thanks Tomoko at UK Salon!
feeling: jolly and chilly
weather: cold
wanting: to wish all friends and family a healthy and happy holiday
needing: exercise
thinking: I love this quote...

Source: 28.media.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

enjoying: the fact that others enjoy my LA recommendations and document them too.
wondering: what my One Little Word will be for 2012.
(list of original currents from Tina)

thankful for: all the wonderful comments about the new Daybooks and add-on embellishments. The winner of the Daybook giveaway is:

Susansaid...: I love them all- impossible to choose! If I had to,maybe the one with the bicycle- we bike all summer! Congrats on all of your new additions- I cannot wait to play with them!; December 7, 2011 5:32 PM

a gentle reminder

2011-12-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

... to myself to keep things simple. Especially when it comes to this December Daily. I played a bit of catch up and here's what it looks like now. Can hardly believe we are halfway done with December.

Still loving the 4"x6" size as it's turning out to be the perfect size for all these bits: hand made card from Paige, Whole Foods label, business card from a restaurant I do not recommend at all, hotel stationery & key card from a hotel I would highly recommend, card from End Malaria Now thanking me for a donation, and plenty of different washi tapes.

Lost & Found Two

2011-12-13T23:27:00.000-08:00

Did a post for The Scrap Review on the My Mind's Eye collection, Lost & Found Two. For your chance to win some goodies, leave a comment on today's review.

For the first layout, I printed some Instagram photos from last month (about 2"x2") and arranged them in a simple sewn grid. This reminds me there are still photos from the end of October that I would like to share here, along with my not-so-great progress on the December Daily.

Photo themed baby shower

2011-12-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

Just had to share this sweet note from a friend from college and photos from an adorable baby shower:

I hope you are doing well. Not sure if you remember me from Ga Tech all those years ago. I just want to say that I love your scrapbook line! I actually started an event planning company a few years ago - I love adding little crafty touches to events. I came across your camera design on Silhouette America and used your camera as my inspiration for an "OH Snap" {photography themed} baby shower.

Just wanted to share it with you :) Thank you for creating wonderful stuff, it inspires people to create so many different things {like this baby shower}:

Vendors:

Event Design: Deliciously Darling Events

Photography: Lauren Nicole Studios

Cake: Joli Kobe Bakery

Fondant cake toppers: Two Sugar Babies

Cookies: Yummy Deliciously Cookies by Whimsical Originals

Polkdadot balloons, favor bags & swirl straws: Shop Sweet Lulu

Cake Pop Mold: My Little Cupcake Pop

Chocolate Favor Display: Patchi Chocolates

Flowers, Candy display, Cake pops, printables: Deliciously Darling Events

small but mighty

2011-12-09T11:05:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, I took a short flight to Oakland, CA to teach at Our Paper Place. Their slogan is "we're small but mighty", which is absolutely adorable and the complete truth. My hotel room was bigger than our apartment and may have even been bigger than the store. Felt lucky (and a bit spoiled) to have had the executive corner suite at the W Hotel.

The hotel was great, but more importantly, the store was just the cutest. The owners, Sarah and Gloria certainly know how to pack a lot of new and wonderful product into a small space. The back room has plenty of good light for crafting and is where they hold crops and classes.

Once again feeling blessed to have had 2 wonderful groups of talented ladies (and 1 man!) join in on the fun.

Daybook Delights

2011-12-06T20:56:00.001-08:00

All of these books were created with the original Daybook (also known as the Hug Life Mini Book) available at Simon Says Stamp, Scrapbook.com, and hopefully your local retailers. There are tons of different creative ways to alter and customize them for any occasion, as seen here by some of the super creative Studio Calico team. A couple folks are using these for their December Daily albums - here and here. Love the versatility of these and I already have 2 more in the works that I will be sharing soon.

Because of the popularity of this mini, we've created four brand new Daybooks and are debuting them here and on the American Crafts blog today. We are so excited to show you these, and at the same time introduce a special challenge for you to win new Amy Tangerine Daybooks for yourself!

THE GOODS
Measuring in at 5.5 x 8.5 inches and 4.5 x 6.5 inches, these new Daybooks are bursting with beautiful colors, dozens of eclectic pages and that inspiration galore that is so uniquely Amy Tangerine.
For those of you who love adventure, these new Daybooks offer crafters of all ages and skill-levels versatility in personalizing your books with photos, journal entries, ticket stubs, food wrappers — anything from your trip across town or across the world.

And we even have some new embellishments to share as well:

THE CHALLENGE details from the American Crafts blog

We want to give away some of these products, and we want you to show us your creativity, too!

Here are the rules:

1. Create a mini-book (feel free to use the Amy Tangerine Minibook or make your own) using at least 1 Amy Tangerine product and 2 American Crafts-brand products.

2. Send a JPG of your completed mini-book to contest@americancrafts.com by Monday, Dec. 12, at midnight (MST) with "Amy Tangerine Mini-Book Challenge" in the subject line.

Images will be uploaded to a special American Crafts Facebook album on Tuesday, Dec. 13, where you and your family and friends can vote for your favorite by "liking" the photo. The photo with the most "likes" wins all four of the new Amy Tangerine Daybooks + a set of coordinating embellishments.

Voting ends at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 16 and the winner will be announced later that day.

Good luck everyone!

************************

And for those who want to double down, simply leave a comment here telling us which new Daybook is your favorite. A winner chosen at random will be announced on Thursday, Dec 15. Thanks!

Scrappy delights

2011-12-06T15:36:00.001-08:00

Cleaning off my embarrassingly messy desk has unearthed some scrappy gems. Since I can't seem to part with these bits of paper and delights, I collected them in a pile and grouped them into colors and stuck them to one another. After hours of organizing, I added some finishing touches and the following pages seemed to just magically fall together.

Now I just need a way for the stacks of pages to magically fall into their proper albums.

December Daily Days 1-4

2011-12-05T07:05:00.000-08:00

Keeping the documentation simple, as the most important thing for me is to enjoy the process and to get it done. So here are the past few days of December documented.
Thursday, December 1st:

Friday, December 2nd:

Saturday, December 3rd:
Paper Daisies recently opened their doors in Sparks, NV and had me teach 2 classes to their wonderful customers.

Sunday, December 4:
Stayed home and rested up for most of the sunny yet chilly day. Sad to have missed going to Unique LA. Mommy was there with amykathryn and said some of you blog readers stopped in and picked up some goodies. Yay.

over it.

2011-12-04T16:59:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday I was in Lima feeling awful after what I think was food poisoning. It took well over 3 days to recover, which was just enough time to get nailed with what I thought was an allergy attack stirred up by the high winds (hey, I'm not a doctor, I was just hoping it was allergies). My symptoms were bad, but not bad enough from changing my trip to teach in Reno. So I flew up there on Friday night and came back last night. Though I am feeling better, I cannot wait to be 100%. This coughing, sneezing and wheezing is getting really old. Thanks for all the well wishes and notes, those have definitely helped lift my spirits. The only benefit to all this feeling bad is that it's forcing me to take it easy. It's not something I'm usually good at, but these 2 pups are doing their best to help the cause.

Hope to be back to feeling healthy soon. If you have any secret tips, besides the usual- get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water, please share.

And thanks to Design Editor for featuring my little watercolor craziness. As soon as I feel better, this is the plan:

doing it again

2011-12-01T09:28:00.001-08:00

Last year I professed I was doing it, and by doing it, I meant participating in Ali Edwards' project - December Daily. To my surprise (and delight), I actually completed the project all the way through. Well, all the way to the 25th of December, which counts in my book. The plan is to keep much of what worked the same for this year.

The small format - 4"x6", bound with 2 rings worked, so I chose the same size for this year. Using up much of my stash was the main goal. I went through the Christmas themed items, choosing most from Echo Park, American Crafts and Hambly. And threw in some others from Jenni Bowlin, Crate Paper, and Studio Calico.

For the cover, I began by adding gesso to a thick piece of packaging. While it was drying, I wrote the word December in white gel pen and poked the holes and hand-stitched it. I used metal stamps for the 2011 circle, punched the heart from a scrap that got some white mist on it. Then I punched the green sheet with a Martha Stewart punch and haphazardly layered on the bits. Admittedly, I went a bit overboard and crammed in a mix of items that may not go so well together. Oh well.

December Daily banner (which will show up on all related posts this year is from Rhonna Designs Christmas kit).
Sticking with a simple plan of 1 or 2 pages per day depending on what happens, and 1 photo - either Instax or Instagram. If I end up with more, great, if there is less, that is fine too. My plan is also to include magazine cutouts and bits from mailers and other fun finds. My main motivation is to get it documented and done, while enjoying the process. Love Ali's advice on being realistic and making stuff when you can. Oh and having fun with it. That's what I did last year and that's what I plan on doing again this year. How about you - are you joining in on the fun too?

craft beach retreat wrap up

2011-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

With the hostess, Rachel Kaufman, who put together this lovely event.

Super clever discovery - chalk inks can change the color of the lovely Straw Thickers. I've used acrylic paint, but this is cleaner. If you try it, you may want to add a spray fixative on it to make sure the color doesn't rub off.

These 2 ladies were also at Spark! So fun to see familiar faces (who let you sit on their laps for a photo) who love traveling around to creative events.

The clouds didn't deter us from having a crafty ball at the Annenberg Community Beach House. Everyone enjoyed an amazing view out the window (see 1st photo) and their mini books all turned out so special and unique. Though the nature of my classes is typically a bit more light-hearted, Craft Beach Retreat opened up a freeing way to dig deeper to identify the 9 things that matter most in our lives. There were some teary eyes, but for the most part the class was filled with laughter, insights, inspiration, American Crafts goodies, Tim Holtz Adirondack alcohol inks and washi tape. A crafty one right by the beach, what a perfect kind of retreat.

Balzer Designs Stencil Hop (frames)

2011-11-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

Back in October I participated in a Stencil Hop celebrating the launch of Julie Balzer's new stencils with The Crafter’s Workshop. Back again using these fantastic designs, this time stretching my comfort zone a bit with a page using the Leaf Frame:

I started off using 3 different Mister Huey's and then added some watercolor, along with some American Crafts stickers and the map mixtape. The journaling was done pretty quickly, listing whatever highlights came to mind.

And for this layout (which happens to be my current favorite), I used the Flower Frame with the Handmade Studio Calico kit, along with white Mister Huey's and this must-have white gel pen. To emphasize a few of the white spots a bit more, I added a touch of white watercolor. Side note: Still working on doing a post for our epic trip to Kauai. Though our recent Thanksgiving trip to Lima was wonderful, the journey home was very long, and feeling sick (and still feeling sick) made it all the more miserable.

On a happier note, check out what these other folks made, and enter for a chance to win a set of these fantastic stencils on Julie's blog.
May Flaum
Karen Ellis
Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

simple things

2011-11-28T05:46:00.000-08:00

See how this page came together in this post.
Also thankful for:
-All of you wonderful blog readers and friends. Yes you. And you.
-Surviving what may have been food poisoning in Lima. The food was wonderful, I think something just didn't quite like me. The bright side is that I had a super lazy Sunday just lounging in the hotel room.
-Heavenly beds. In fact a king sized version is on my wishlist as soon as we move into a bigger place.
-Chick-Fil-A
-Apple products and learning my iPhone can do wireless internet overseas without charging me. Not sure why that revelation didn't occur to me sooner, especially since I have used it with gogo before in flight.
-The internet for keeping me entertained for hours and hours.
-Learning the art of patience. Seeing as I get bored pretty easily, it's nice to be able to just chill out once in a while.
-this book-which is a fairly quick entertaining read-An Object of Beauty

the little printer that could updated

2011-11-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

With the holidays fast approaching and the fact that I am getting daily inquires about one of my favorite travel companions (a portable printer), I thought I would do a little round up to hopefully answer all your questions. I first blogged about the Fujifilm Pivi MP-300 in this post about gadgets on April 2, 2010.

While researching it in early 2010, I found an article on Gizmodo from November 2006:

"The Fujifilm Pivi MP-300 is a palm-sized printer that cranks out playing-card-sized pictures in less than two minutes. Accepting its image data using PictBridge via a USB or infrared, it weighs just shy of a half-pound loaded with batteries and paper, making it kinda easy to carry around and ninja-print shots on the spot. It's $127, only in Japan so far. Wouldn't it be easier just to e-mail the pictures to whoever wants one? Some people are still stuck in the printing era. At least Fujifilm could have added Bluetooth to this new model." – Charlie White

(His second to last sentence had me giggling... I happen to like being stuck in the printing era.)

Getting the printer: I ordered this fantastic device on ebay from someone in Japan. And I don't remember feeling too nervous about it. I did plenty of research on the printer and saw that the seller had tens of thousands of transactions and 99.something% positive feedback. Though my seller does not currently have any listed, I would recommend going onto ebay and typing "Fujifilm Pivi MP-300" into the search bar. If you're nervous about ordering from a seller overseas and on ebay, I am not sure what advice to give. As far as I know, it's the only way to get it (unless you fly over there yourself), because the item is a few years old and may not even be sold at retail stores anymore.

How much I spent: $275, which included 100 films (10 films come in each pack) and a power adapter. Now that I have had it for quite some time, I wouldn't recommend the power adapter. It's bulky and nearly bigger than the printer itself. Instead, I would highly recommend a set of Ultrafire CR2 rechargeable batteries and a charger. The charger is compact and with me on most trips. The batteries do last quite a while, though I cannot give an approximate estimate on how many films I have printed on a single charge. If I were to guess, I would say at least 2 packs (20 photos), maybe 3 (30 photos).

Getting the film: I continue to order the film on ebay. In fact the other day, my order of 100 films arrived 4 days after I ordered them. At about a dollar a pop, they aren't exactly cheap, but I think they are totally worth it.

Using the printer: The USB cord plugs right into the camera and the printer. I then turn on both devices (you need to hold down the power button on the Pivi for a couple seconds). Pictbridge loads and pulls up a photo with a menu prompting me to print. I can select any image from my camera, then crop and make any adjustments before choosing to send to printer. It makes some funny futuristic (or wheezing, depending on how you look at it) noises, and then within a minute or so, the film slides out. You can then take it and shake it if you'd like, or just set it down and let it develop.

Pros: so many! compact, easy to load, can edit and crop the photos within Pictbridge, high quality prints, fun to use, travels easily, fairly instant gratification, can print multiple copies of the same photo, did I mention it travels everywhere?

Con: I can only think of 1 - it does NOT work with the iPhone. And in a perfect world, I suppose the film could be a bit cheaper.

I mentioned the Pivi in a Hawaii post from February. Love it for travel minis.

Love it for layouts.

After showing a few friends just how amazing this little printer is, they too are proud owners of the Pivi.

Kelly Purkey has this to say:
The Pivi is one of the best camera purchases I've ever made! Amy even helped me use it to create my Christmas card last year and it was a genius idea! Because you can print any .jpeg that is on your camera, we were able to take a lot of different shots and select the best one to be printed as an instax... this is the best perk of the printer for me. No wasted film or money on shots that don't turn out. And I love that I can make multiple copies of the same photo. It was especially helpful when I want to scrap the photos on layouts and put them into a mini album or up on my bulletin board or send a friend a copy.

Vee Jennings has this to say:
I love my pivi because of the convenience of not having an extra camera to tote around and still having the ability to have the original digital photo. The pivi printer is super compact and light! The portable printer is fast, just connect your camera's USB cord and you have an instant photo in 30 seconds.

See it in action: Becky Higgins has a video from Scrapfest with an impromptu Pivi demonstration.
**********************************
Updated with answers to your questions:

Sharon Q: Can you tell us where you got the travel bag you put it in?
A: The pouch is from the uber-talented Random Nicole. I own about 5 of her pouches in various sizes and use them to hold all kinds of goodies.

Gill Q: How does Pivi compare with Pogo? (the Polaroid mini printer?
A: A friend has the Pogo and was very disappointed with the quality after she saw a side by side comparison to my Pivi print. She thinks it did the job for the trip, but ended up reprinting her photos on a Canon Selphy ES40 after she got back anyway. I am partial to the Pivi and Canon Selphy. (see comment by daphne as well)

Damiane Lucas Q: What's the difference between your printer and a regular Instax camera? Is the quality of the end result (polaroid) different?
A: The printer needs to be hooked up to a camera, while the regular Instax camera takes the photo and instantly prints it. I think Kelly Purkey does a good job of summarizing the advantage to the printer.

Damiane Lucas Q: I'm still lost regarding my Dec. Daily album. I've never made one, and since I don't have children, I can't pack my scrapbook with pics of kiddos. I love yours from last year! Will you be doing a similar one? What size? Any tips?
A: Yes, I will be doing my 2nd December Daily and I will be doing the same size - 4"X6". My tip is to keep it super simple. I only intend to spend 15 minutes each day (or night) on each page for mine. It was a great system that worked out well for last year, so I will try it again.

daphne Q: what rechargeable battery charger do you use?
A: I have an Ultrafire charger that came with the batteries. It says Model SE-CR2 on the back and is small and silver, with room to charge 2 batteries.

Kellie Q: Can it work with any camera?
A: I am really not sure. I am just guessing that if you have a new-ish camera (within the past 3 years) that has a USB cable, you can likely print with it. With that being said, my old Nikon D40 did not work with it, but my Nikon D90 does. I have hooked up Canon's and also regular ol' point and shoots as well.

Anonynous Q: Do your pictures have to be on a camera? Like, can you hook it up to your computer instead?
A: I have only used it from my camera. I don't believe there is a way to hook it up to the computer.

Gina B. Q: Great post, I sooo want one!!! One thing I was wondering about was ink??? What ink does it use, are they replacable? Where do you get them? How many inks have you gone through in relation to the photos taken?
A: The ink/film cartridge is self-contained. So I order the film on ebay and it comes in a cartridge that includes everything you need to print 10 photos. Once the printer indicates zero, then you replace the entire cartridge. It's a technological advancement I have quite enjoyed, where you don't waste paper by running out of ink. Though I do not know the technical aspects as to how it works, I certainly appreciate it.
***************Hope you enjoyed this thorough post about the Pivi. Have more questions? Leave them in the comments section and if I haven't covered it already, I will add the answers to this post. If the Pivi is on your wishlist, I do hope you get this little package sure to bring big delight!

a little more sparkle

2011-11-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Spark mini book that was started using a Barney's catalog in this post, and the event photos from this post, now appear happily with notes and ephemera in this post...

It's pretty eclectic with the notes and memorable little bits collaged together along with the Instax photos. Been working on an in-depth post answering frequently asked questions about my favorite travel printer (which was used to print out the credit card sized photos in this book). Hope to have it done in the next couple of days. Guessing there will be a lot of folks adding it to their holiday wish lists, so stay tuned!

happy mail

2011-11-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

Really appreciate you all sharing your favorite quotes and your kind words about the little mini from the last post. The winner of the Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooking with Fabric & Notions giveaway is...

Ursula Schneider said...: I just finished a birthday card for my mama. My motto, try to create something every day! Love the look of this issue

Congrats Ursula, please send us your address so you can get some happy mail from CK!

Creative, kind, thoughtful people never cease to amaze me. Especially those people who are halfway around the world and besides knowing one another on the internet, you've never actually "met". These days though, through this creative hobby of loving pretty paper, I feel as though the world just keeps getting smaller. And in a most pleasant way. Pooi sent this, as if getting happy mail wasn't enough, it's handmade happy mail.

word.

2011-11-17T10:31:00.001-08:00

Having loved quotes since a teenager, I have been searching for a place to put all the wisdom that's been popping up lately on Pinterest. While it's nice to have it all online, some of the sayings just need to be put onto good ol' paper. This Studio Calico Alphabet Embossed Journal kit seemed perfect.

I used gesso and then added splashes of watercolor. Once it was dry, I added the washi tape. It was super easy to bind using this Fabrip. After it was all put together, I added the Pebbles alphabet stickers and typewriter strip.

These Hambly rub-ons were used to accent throughout and on the back.
Now when I'm online, I have this handy book sitting next to me so I can jot down all the clever sayings. Always looking for words of wisdom, care to share some of your favorite quotes?

on 11.11.11

2011-11-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

At 11:11am I tried (and failed) to get a good shot of all of us taking a little break in the backyard. I put the remote down and picked the camera up to get a photo of them staring at what looks like a lime but is actually from the orange tree. Most of the time, they prefer playing with these little balls than the ones purchased from pet stores. At 11:11pm a screen capture was the only thing I could get, just before dozing off.

And a layout to commemorate the day:

supplies: Hambly, American Crafts, fabric paper, Sassafras, Cath Kidston washi tape, orange chevron tape. Aside from the cool repetition of numbers, Friday 11.11.11 was a rather ordinary day... which is just fine by me.

oh boy!

2011-11-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

Some cute photos of little guys in our tees.

Amy B photography

For a few days, The Mini Social has some of our shirts available on their adorable site. Perhaps this makes it a good time to get a head start on your holiday shopping for the little boys (and girls) in your life.

sew special giveaway

2011-11-14T11:46:00.001-08:00

It's no secret that I have a major affinity for paper and fabric. I often sew on paper and have been putting words on tee shirts for years. So when CK asked me several months ago to contribute to a special issue called Scrapbooking with Fabric & Notions, I got a bit giddy. And the other day when I got this in the mail, I totally did a happy dance.

Here's the description: Discover how to enhance your scrapbook layouts using buttons, fabric, thread, and other materials from the sewing world. From using quick, pre-made accent options to creating beautifully sewn backgrounds, we'll help you learn the ins and outs of adding homespun textures to your layouts with patterns, step-by-step instructions, and more. You won't want to miss this "sew" special issue from Creating Keepsakes.

This issue is full of amazing ideas and techniques. The dress I am wearing in the photos above was made by one of my favorite designers, Rebe and a similar style can be found on Specks & Keepings. I'll be teaching how to make these flowers as part of my layout class in Newark, CA this Saturday at Our Paper Place.

It's a fun technique that's showcased on page 83 in the magazine as well. The other layout I made for this has some celebrities with our shirts and shows a way to put fabric down with minimal sewing.

Sew, what does this have to do with you? Creating Keepsakes is giving away a copy of this special issue to one of you fine blog readers. Just leave a comment below sharing something you've created lately or wish to make. Winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck!

Sunday randoms

2011-11-13T09:35:00.001-08:00

Hambly has a tutorial I whipped up using notecards to make this little bitty book.

Cocoa Daisy's weekend crop celebrating 5 years had me chatting with some ladies in the forum last night. Here's a layout I made using this month's kit for Challenge #7, using stitching as a title or accents on the page. Hope you'll consider playing along.

And some wisdom found on Pinterest...

Source: notonthehighstreet.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: blog.armoniadecors.com via Amy on Pinterest

Scrapbook Territory

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I hopped on a plane to Oakland for the first time. The flight time was just an hour, and the scenery was lovely. Aside from the window on this small plane being slightly lower than normal, and the slightly nervous feeling in my stomach when landing near water, the flight was fine.

At OAK they had a gallery of Polaroids, which instantly made me think this was one of the coolest airports ever. I was picked up by sweet Nikki and her dog and we headed (in Friday evening traffic) to Berkeley. She drove me down the well-known shopping mecca, Fourth Street. At the end of the block was our destination. Scrapbook Territory is probably the biggest scrapbooking store I have ever set foot in. Aside from being a huge, incredibly well-stocked (with the latest and greatest) store, the people (and dogs) there are just the best. Diane, the owner, took us to an epic dinner at The Fat Lady. Turns out Diane and I totally have the same affliction for food. We shared 2 appetizers and ordered the same delicious chef special. With the best of intentions to go back to the store and crop, my belly was much too full, and I went back to the hotel and crashed. That was Friday, this was Saturday...

How amazing is that ribbon wall? Next time I plan on heading up to Berkeley with one of the pups, as it is quite the dog friendly place. THANK YOU so much to everyone who came out to make this such an incredible day. Once again I am humbled by the kindness in this industry and feel blessed to have had people who drove in from 90 and 117 miles away. Amazing.

If you can't make it to an in-store event, my self-paced class, Get Those Creative Juices Flowing is always available at Big Picture Classes. I am also teaching with a group of talented ladies for 12 Days of Christmas. It's a great way we can all join in on the fun together. Today I'm joining in on Dear Lizzy's challenge and hope you all have an epic 11.11.11!

best advice

2011-11-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

The prompt at The Creative Type is "The best advice I ever received". After much thought and realizing that over the years I have heard lots of kernels of wisdom, I finally chose one that has really stuck with me. It's from Gretchen Rubin's book, The Happiness Project, and it's "spend out". Turns out I have been always good at saving - but sometimes too good, meaning I would save useful items for a rainy day. Instead of using my really nice pens, I would ~~save~~hoard them, and years later when I found them, they were rendered useless. This is one of the issues I worked to resolve. Spending out has not only allowed me to enjoy the things I have, but to also appreciate life in the moment. Instead of saving gifts or hugs or compliments, I find much joy in sharing these things with friends and loved ones right away.

This is how my layout came together, using mostly little items I had been saving (yes, I even save little tiny scraps of paper. it's pathetic)... I started off by stamping with Lawn Fawn and adding some 7gypsies tape to kraft cardstock. Then kept on layering from there.

And if you want a chance to win one of our packs of washi tapes, join in on the fun.

You'll need to upload your layouts to the flickr group and leave a comment on the Creative Type blog. Hope you'll play along!

an attempt at Project Life

2011-11-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

Many times I have the best of intentions to start something. I see pretty projects all over my google reader and think, hey- I wanna do that! So that's what I do. Starting is not usually the problem. The enthusiasm and excitement I feel when I begin something like this is a little off the charts. However, for some reason (I think it has to do with life in general/work/taking on too many projects/making excuses) I have only seen a couple of these all the way through. Both have been projects from Ali Edwards - Week in the Life 2010 and December Daily 2010. I kept both of them pretty simple and allowed myself to just get the memories recorded. Feeling great pleasure from finishing both these projects last year, I really wanted to do something big this year. I was kicking myself for not starting Project Life at the beginning of 2011 after I started spotting all the amazing pages on various blogs. Since it's something anyone can start at anytime, I decided to begin on October 5th, the beginning of the 33rd year of my life.

Snapshots that didn't make it in (see the dolphins in the second one?)...

So the actual putting together of the pages of Project Life took me hours to do. Hours people! Hopeful that it will take less time as I get going. As a newbie who really wants to see this project from start to finish, I think it will help to study up on these amazing tips from Lisa, Liz and Jenni and read through this article from write.click.scrapbook.

This binder will also help keep everything together. It arrived yesterday, now just waiting on the core kit & additional pocket pages. Are you loving Project Life? If you have any other useful tips or links, would love to hear them.

i got schooled.

2011-11-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about the Goodness chipboard Thickers is that you can change the color of them while keeping the fun printed pattern. Using our Wanderlust paper, ruler mixtape, new AC paper from the Chap line, Studio Calico goodies, along with my old student ID's, here is how this page came together.

Going to give myself an A+ for this one.
*************************************************
The winner for the spot in Kelly Purkey's Sketchpad class is:
Julie Kelley said...
My husband just passed the bar!! If that's not a slice of the good life, I don't know what is!! (P.S. I'm so excited that Kelly's class is self-paced!)
*************************************************

extra! extra!

2011-11-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about finally having an iPhone is Instagram. I love it to pieces. Before, I would post photos from my iPod but had to wait until I had an internet connection to do so, and well, this is way easier. A lot of people are using PostalPix for printing their Instagram images, but I prefer printing them really small at home and using extragram.

It's a free, easy to use platform and a pretty fun way to look at a collection of Instagrams. Plus you can print photos from friends' feeds - instant and extra gratification.

sketchpad giveaway!

2011-11-03T01:11:00.000-07:00

Sketchpad is a brand-new class from Kelly Purkey, spinning off from her series of successful Sketchbook classes. Sketchpad is a downloadable, self-paced class featuring 12 original sketches, 35 exclusive layouts from Kelly + and her talented contributors, 35 MORE sketches made from those layouts, and 12 amazing cards based on the sketches from the talented, Kristina Werner... all in a full-color 75 page PDF. Visit Kelly's blog for more details on the class and how to purchase.

Excited to be a part of another one of Kelly's amazing classes. Like the others, this one is packed full of inspiration and is an incredible value. Here's a sneak at the layout I did with one of the sketches:

In good ol' KP fashion, she's giving out a spot to one of you. Simply leave a comment telling me something fun. Winner will be announced on Monday, Nov 7.

coming right up...

2011-11-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

As if October didn't fly by in a blink of an eye, a quick look at my google calendar revealed that I will be teaching every Saturday this month!
I'll be in Berkeley at Scrapbook Territory this Saturday. The mini book class is full, but there are still a few spaces left in the afternoon "3 Layouts with a Twist" class. It will be my first time to Berkeley and I'm really looking forward to seeing some of you there.

And in case you needed an excuse to come to Santa Monica, Craft Beach Retreat is just over a week away. They've opened up some more seats so you don't have to commit to the entire weekend. My 4 hour "What Matters Most" class is on Saturday, November 12th from 8:30am-12:30pm and you can find more info on it and the other workshops here.

For an updated schedule of classes, you can always check the list of upcoming events. Hope to see some of you on one of these Saturdays soon!

girl love.

2011-11-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the Echo Park giveaway... the winner is:
Danielle Higginbottom-Brown said...Love all EP Lines!! Esp love Victoria Gardens!!! Thanks for sharing.

(frame around Adelle from Rhonna Designs)
What's not to love about cute girls in our shirts with big ol' smiles on their faces?

The H word

2011-10-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'll be spending my Halloween on a red-eye flight from Hawaii back to the mainland this evening. Hope all those who love this holiday are out having a heckuva time. This Thriller pumpkin was carved by the super-talented husband of my friend Shannon. Happy Halloween!

spark!

2011-10-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

A week ago I was in Utah teaching a couple hundred amazingly creative women how to do a reverse applique on various mediums from tee shirts to tote bags to little baby hats. The joy of sharing this technique, which has been a signature treatment in our line since 2002, is pretty indescribable. Seeing faces light up as some had never even sewn a button before, to watching others carefully make every stitch as if it was a work of art. And indeed it was! Fiskars generously donated my favorite pair of scissors, 8-Inch Softgrip Bent Scissors to each and every person who took my class. Bazzill donated an embroidery floss set along with 2 needles.

Margie did a beyond amazing job with the entire event. Her partners, staff, and helpers went above and beyond expectation, and every detail was turned into a total delight. So grateful my cousin Cindy had a day off of grad school (what are the chances?!) and was able to help out and join in on the fun. One of our favorite parts of the entire event was chatting and meeting everyone! I am still soaking in all the magic from the 2 days...

Huge hugs to all those who attended - hoping the "Spark!" we all experienced lasts until the next one!

echo park paper

2011-10-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

Echo Park Paper asked me to guest design for them, and I happily obliged. Love their versatile patterned papers and how easily the colors mix together to create fun pages. It's been a while since I did a "love list" so here is the one for September using a calendar page from Night Owl Paper goods and 1 little photo booth picture.

Just adore Buster in his Santa outfit. And here is how this layout at my favorite happy hour spot came together:

They have generously offered one of you readers an entire collection. For a chance to win one of their recent releases, either tell me your favorite technique or favorite Echo Park Paper collection. Winner will be chosen on Monday, October 31 (Halloween!).

word.

2011-10-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Source: vineyardbound.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: brownquilts4me.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

oh mini you're so fine

2011-10-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

You're so fine you blow my mind. Hey mini!

When American Crafts and I first collaborated, this mini book was secretly one of the items I really, really wanted to have in the line. (Okay, maybe it wasn't such a big secret, since I kept pushing for it.) Because it was a new product we were introducing, there was a risk of it not actually being made. The quality and production schedule needed to work, along with the very important task of making it available at a reasonable price point. And then all the hard work, combined with some wishing and hoping, harmoniously mixed with the resourcefulness of American Crafts... it all worked out! And not only did it sell well, but the first production order sold out. Fortunately the reorder has come in and is shipping to stores now.

So thank you all for embracing this mini book dream come true. Take a look at how some of the Studio Calico design team members added their own amazing touches for various themes. It blows my mind how creative people are and how the same mini can be transformed in so many unique ways.

Vee

KP
You can take a more detailed look at each one by clicking on the respective names.
Here's a video showing how to peel off the protective sheet that is behind the transparency. Some tips on how to remove the sticker residue include using a q-tip with nail polish remover, or just using a piece of scotch tape to repeatedly unstick the residue.

Any other fine pieces of work out there? Do share! Please link directly to your post containing the mini book, and not just to your blog, thanks!

creative type

2011-10-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

Made this layout a couple weeks ago for The Creative Type with a "pop culture" theme in mind.

Used a mix of Studio Calico, American Crafts Thickers and goodies from their newest release, CHAP, and my washi tape.
Not sure if I shared the fact that I finally got an iPhone? I have been with Sprint for over 16 years and have been waiting patiently for over 4 years to get an iPhone. Needless to say, I quite like it. Who knew the 4S would make this layout already feel a little dated. Thinking of adding Siri to this list. She has become quite the snarky companion, but I like her. Well, maybe like so many others, I actually love her.

shine on

2011-10-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

Got this Barneys NY catalog in the mail and it looked too good to toss into the recycling bin. Though I cannot afford any of the shoes in it, I thought I may as well make use of the chic, nicely bound book.

supplies: American Crafts, Studio Calico, Crate Paper, and sequin trim from downtown LA. I'll be covering up the photos of boots that cost the equivalent of a month's rent with found items, Instax photos, business cards, notes and lovely random bits from what is sure to be a spectacular event.

Hambly love

2011-10-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hambly was one of the first brands I fell in love with when I began scrapbooking in 2007. Their rub-ons go on like butter and the transparencies are so unique and versatile. Here are some layouts I did for the Hambly DT. Their new release is available at Two Peas and scrapbook.com. The pages were up at the booth at CHA using a mix of my line and My Little Shoebox.

This year with them flew by so quickly! Did you hear Hambly's looking for new Design Team members? Deadline is October 31st, good luck to all who try out!

welcome to the neighborhood.

2011-10-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

When friends come for a visit, I have a routine I like to follow to entertain them. It evolves mostly around food and showing folks how cool Venice is. Though our place is tiny, it can accommodate an overnight guest willing to sleep on an orange sofa and sharing less than 550 square feet for the evening. Luckily, Kara is one of those friends. We spent a lot of time walking around our neighborhood and I took her to a few of my favorite spots. The only thing that would have made her visit more perfect is if we squeezed in a dinner at Gjelina. Considering she was here for less than 20 hours, I say we did it right.
1. Mani/Pedis on Main Street in Santa Monica at Zumani. They have oversized yellow massage chairs, essie colors galore and for $20, you get someone working on your feet and someone else working on your hands at the same time. Efficient, clean, and walking distance from our place.
2. Lunch at Lemonade. This is a must. We shared 2 sides split 4 ways AND a pot roast sandwich with mac and cheese ON it. We each had a blueberry mint lemonade. If we had more room in our bellies, we would have had a mini cupcake, but alas we were stuffed.

3. Shopping at Urbanic. It's my favorite store. They recently expanded and are carrying some Amy Tangerine stickers and bits.

4. Walk down Abbot Kinney, it's such a fun, eclectic street. There are also stores like Firefly, Tortoise, and A+R, all fantastic for gifts and super cool goodies.
5. Watch the sunset on the roof at the Hotel Erwin.

And that my friends, is a full day. We walked everywhere except had to get into the car to make it in time to catch the 6:30 sunset. Afterward we got to try a new restaurant just around the corner from Hotel Erwin, called Larry's. We all enjoyed it and look forward to adding it to the repertoire. Their Brussels sprout pizza is no joke - so delicious, and obviously healthy, right?

If any of your are visiting the neighborhood, perhaps you will check some of these spots out. Come back soon everyone, especially you- Kara!

Crate Paper love

2011-10-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

Did you hear the exciting news? American Crafts has acquired Crate Paper. And to celebrate, I decided to use the Random collection mixed with my line to put this list on paper. Our washi tapes are available at Simon Says Stamp online here and here. Also ask your local stores if they have gotten their orders in yet.

Made 3 other layouts only using the Random Collection (love this eclectic line) and also wrote about it for The Scrap Review.

JC got me a sweet promo from Klout for 100 free moo cards, so all I had to pay for was $5 shipping. It was my first batch of mini moo's and these are the favorites out of the bunch. I used this camera design and this doily design with my Silhouette SD. The "memories" is also cut from the Silhouette using this Lobster font.

And the winner of the spot in Emily's Fabulous Felting class is:
Joanne said...
wow so many amazing things going on. Spark looks awesomeeeeeeeeee, so does Emily's class:)
Congrats and Happy Monday everyone!

Christmas comes early

2011-10-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Rhonna Designs has launched their Christmas card kits! To celebrate, they are giving everyone a free photo card template. See other stuff that you love? You can also receive 25% off your order by entering: RDcaRd5 in the 'discount code' box at the bottom of your shopping cart before checkout.

Registration has opened for 12 Days of Christmas at Big Picture Classes. It's 12 prompts from 12 BPC teachers, and then after Christmas 12 layouts + extras (including videos) from all the instructors. Rather than rushing through the holidays this year, give yourself the gift of happy memories documented in a delightfully doable way!

Happy Weekend!

a happy list + a giveaway

2011-10-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

Love this quote and had to record it in my journal. A bit obsessed with watercolors and markers at the moment.
Other happy things:
-It's the last week of The Good Life class at Big Picture, and it's bittersweet. I will miss the interaction with so many talented folks who are eager to learn fun techniques. On a happier note, however, the gallery is so full of goodness, just grateful that we can access it even after the class ends next week.

-Sara shares her finished mini book from Scrapfest.

-Jenny shares her finished layouts from the class at Paper Tales.

-Stacy Julian was on Martha Stewart Morning Living show and shared her top tips for getting started with scrapbooking. This list is great to keep in mind even if you've been doing it for years.
-Working on an album for a client who took an amazing trip to Alaska. Adding it to the list of places I want to visit.
-Getting ready for Spark! next week and cannot wait to see you all there. We will have some tee shirts, kits and other fun crafty items available at the market.

-Really looking forward to seeing Emily there.

We were able to catch up on the phone a couple days ago and it was so nice to hear her fantastic voice (Australian accents are the best!). If you can't make it to Spark, Emily's got a class starting October 27th at Big Picture Classes:

Fabulous Felting - A Beginner's Guide to Wet Felting
Have you ever felt like trying it? Felting that is! Felting is a hands-on, all ages, colorful, creative treat for the senses and Emily and Nicole are going to show you just how it is done! Wet felting is the art of taking soft, natural wool (often called roving), and combining it with water and agitation to form endless options of texture and shape. In this three-week workshop you will learn all the basic skills to create various felt pieces. Get ready for your world to be rocked with felt-a-liciousness! Projects include felt beads, a scarf, layered felt flowers and a seamless pouch – wonderful handmade gifts for the upcoming season and a whole lot of skill to take your felting further!
Emily is giving away a spot in her class to one of you wonderful blog readers! To enter, simply leave a comment telling me something happy. Winner will be announced on Monday, October 17.

for the love of dog

2011-10-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

Took this photo of a window on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice. It's my favorite street in all of Los Angeles. And these are my 2 favorite dogs in the entire world, Buster and Bamboo, in the October issue of Scrapbook Trends.

Apparently they don't know just how good they have it, as I keep putting the same 3 words on their layouts, "The Good Life". Here is how another layout of the pups came together, using all American Crafts supplies. The photo was taken with the Fujifilm INSTAX 210 Instant Photo Camera.

Supplies: Daisy's Diner paper, Magnolia Market paper, Rose Ave paper, Let's Hang details, Lovely Straw Thickers, American Crafts dot runner
Looks like you all like seeing the pages come together, so I am working on actively taking more photos of the process. Enjoy!

sigh.

2011-10-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite like having 10 month old Starling falling asleep on my chest on 10.10. So glad my friends let me borrow their babies.

it's the little things

2011-10-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Stacy Julian asked me to do a project as part of her keynote at The Creative Connection. For those lucky enough to attend (I wish I could have left Scrapfest to go just miles down the road to check out this amazing event) you may have seen some of this mini book already. She sent this adorable Maya Road mini and asked contributors to finish the sentence, "When I See You". Since my dear friend Kara hasn't had much time to scrapbook after her second child, Lily was born, I decided to make the book for her. She sent me the photos and the words, and here is what I came up with.

Falling For You

Lovely Mulberry Thickers

Patchems

Garden Cafe Details

InLinkz.com

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, I have had a wonderful week and have been enjoying spending time with dear friends. Kara is actually in town (her last visit was 4 and half years ago before she had her first child) and we've had a ton of laughs and will be getting our craft on in San Diego later. Hope you all have been enjoying your weekend!

32 while 32.

2011-10-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

1. Hiked a volcano in Guatemala. In Converse All-Stars.
2. Visited Portland, OR for the first time.
3. Scrapbooked 30 gigs ranging from Bat Mitzvahs, Bar Mitzvahs, Birthday Parties, Soccer parties & Weddings.
4. Went to Mexico for the first time. And went zip-lining for the first time.

5. Took jumping photos at a 15th birthday party at LACMA. Then went back to the house to show the girls how to make their own reverse applique tee shirts.
6. Purchased an iPod Touch and an iPad2.
7. Launched a signature scrapbooking line with American Crafts.
8. My parents met JC's parents and siblings.
9. Cooked more meals than I've ever cooked.
10. Made it through the entire 90 minutes of Hot Yoga for the first time.
11. Fell in love with kale chips.
12. Realized my 85 year-old grandma is one of the strongest women I know.
13. Started watching Breaking Bad and quickly became obsessed with it. We finished Seasons 1-3 within a couple months.
14. Hand delivered an order of shirts to a store in Hawaii.
15. Organized a staff of 18 to work the arts & crafts stations at the most epic joint 50th birthday party ever.
16. Volunteered at Foster's Mother's Day with Johanna for the second year in a row.
17. Gained 3 pounds, and now weigh more than I have ever weighed.
18. Visited Washington DC for the first time.
19. Made the switch from PC to Mac. Never looking back.
20. Did a couple sales with Zulily.
21. Taught a workshop on a private blog that turned into a self-paced class at Big Picture Classes called, Get Those Creative Juices Flowing.
22. Held babies: Lily, Fox, Katelyn, Starling
23. Confused my grandma while skyping with JC. She kept asking, "When did you take that picture of me?"

24. Signed up for a half-marathon & haven't been training nearly as much as I should.
25. Shot a stop motion video.
26. Made a manicure last for 7 days without chipping.
27. Visited the Mall of America and the Jersey Shore for the first time.
28. Felt overwhelmingly proud of my cousin, Cindy, for getting accepted to the #1 PT school.
29. Had my website re-done, at last.
30. Saw some of our stickers at Paper Source.

31. Worked on some amazing creative collaborations.
32. Realized that life just keeps getting better. Also I don't think I've ever felt this much love from near and far. Thank you. Thank you.

I also found out this super interesting fact about how October 5th is the most common birthday in America.

Hello 33! I am looking forward sharing many more happy adventures with you.

Balzer Designs Stencil Hop

2011-10-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

First, as promised, the winner of 175 Fresh Card Ideas book is:
Michele H. said...
i just love making cards and giving them away is even better. Thanks so much for the give away! happy saturday:)

October 1, 2011 7:56 PM

Congrats, please email your address to: amy(at)amytangerine(dot)com.

If you are in Southern California and want to take the "4 Layouts with a Twist" class with me on Sunday (yes, this Sunday, Oct 9th from 2-5pm), check out this Paper Tales post. Be sure to call the store for a spot, as space is limited. Looking forward to it!

The extremely talented Julie Fei-Fan Balzer asked me to participate in her Stencil Hop showcasing a couple of her super cool new stencils for The Crafter's Workshop. I must warn you though, if you get easily addicted to fantastic products, you will get hooked on these. They are top quality and easy to use on multiple projects. Her hand writing is gorgeous and the messages are uplifting. So you've been properly warned. If you're on the hop from Kelly Purkey's blog, welcome! She happens to be holding a page I sprayed with white Studio Calico Mister Huey's. The Trust Your Heart mask lifted perfectly to reveal the message, but I couldn't resist adding some yellow stitching for emphasis.

Supplies: Classic Mister Huey's, Scatter Sunshine paper, Fiskars cloud punch, All Together fabric border stickers, Paper Leaves, Enjoy Ribbon, woodgrain Mixtape, Hero Arts stamps

Next stop on the hop: May Flaum

3 things on the 3rd

2011-10-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

1. I enjoyed reading through all the comments with various scrapbooking facts from this post. So many positive tips were shared, which reassures me that this industry is truly full of wonderful people who care deeply about their memory keeping. The winner of the Scrapfest kit is:

Vera said...
I wish I could attend scrapfest!
Fact: scrap the memories you want to scrap, not what you think others want you to scrap.
Congrats! Please email me amy(at)amytangerine(dot)com with your mailing address.

2. Nichol asked me to contribute to the Two Peas Scrapbook Stamping class for October. Here is what I made and how it came together. The Love Struck stamp set is out of stock at Two Peas, but available here. *edited* Apparently it's sold out at Simon Says Stamp too!

Supplies: Lovely Mulberry Thickers, Work In Progress paper, Mix Tape 2, Let's Hang details, Fabric Brads
3. In less than 3 days, I will be 33. I can hardly believe it.

Guest Design for Freehand Scraps

2011-10-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

In addition to the layouts below, I could have made 3 more with a Halloween theme using this Freehand Scraps October kit. Though I am not the biggest fan of Halloween (please don't hate me), this kit inspires me to look for some old costume photos to use for additional layouts later this month. For now, here are the pages I made. Love the papers, chandeliers, wood tree and tiny type stickers. If you don't share a particular enthusiasm for Halloween, know that this fantastic kit can be used for many other themes.

-The first layout uses photos from the Fujifilm INSTAX 210. I call the camera "the beast" because it's slightly larger than my Nikon D90. Though I do like the photos, the camera is a bit too bulky to take most places. Thank goodness for the Fujifilm Pivi MP-300, which is the printer I take with me nearly everywhere and was seen in the Becky Higgins Scrapfest video.
-The second layout uses one of Shimelle's Starting Points. If you need a little push when you're feeling creatively stifled, this is a great source of inspiration.
-The third layout uses Martha Stewart's leaf punch.

getting carded

2011-10-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ever get a card that prompts you to think about sending a thank you card just for the thank you card? Well it seems to happen every now and then and yesterday was one of those days, when I got this from Ann-Marie:

How fun that it arrived on the eve of World Card Making Day, which is today. In celebration, I have a great book by Kimber McGray, to give away to one lucky reader.

To win a signed copy (Kimber was kind enough to autograph it at CHA) 175 Fresh Card Ideas, please leave a comment below. I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, Oct 4th. Thanks and Happy Saturday!

A video + some sneaks

2011-09-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Been enjoying all the comments on the post below with all the interesting scrapbooking/memory keeping facts. The darling Becky Higgins (creator of Project Life) came by Scrapfest with her husband and shot this little video. Please ignore the inebriated look on my face in the still shot below.

Here are some sneaks for Freehand Scraps October kit. Elaine, the sweet owner of the kit club asked me to be their guest designer.

I had to get my hands on the September main & mini album kit (which are both now sold out), mainly because I was in love with the wooden silhouette of the USA and the potty people too.

And because the mini album worked perfectly to capture the last road trip of the summer (up to Ojai).

The full reveal of the October Freehand Scraps layouts will come Saturday, October 1st (also World Card Making Day).

amy tangerine

last call

today

Project Life Week 3 + giveaway

washi tapes are my fave.

loving lately

tutorial anyone?

two peas: me & you

Project Life Week 2

thanks & I am taking you to Lima.

new collection + a blog hop

3 things (including another giveaway)

digging these rules

field guide giveaway

forget fear. worry about the addiction.

for real this time (hopefully)

..

be the light.

seven on saturday

wedded bliss

a fabric project

A new year, a new class!

perfect way to start 2012

Happy New Year!

khob-kun ขอบคุณ

merry

sending sunshine

progress.

one last layout for Hambly+Daybook news

a crafty honor!

friday currents

a gentle reminder

Lost & Found Two

Photo themed baby shower

small but mighty

Daybook Delights

Scrappy delights

December Daily Days 1-4

over it.

doing it again

craft beach retreat wrap up

Balzer Designs Stencil Hop (frames)

simple things

the little printer that could *updated*

a little more sparkle

happy mail

word.

on 11.11.11

oh boy!

sew special giveaway

Sunday randoms

Scrapbook Territory

best advice

an attempt at Project Life

i got schooled.

extra! extra!

sketchpad giveaway!

coming right up...

girl love.

The H word

spark!

echo park paper

word.

oh mini you're so fine

creative type

shine on

Hambly love

welcome to the neighborhood.

Crate Paper love

Christmas comes early

a happy list + a giveaway

for the love of dog

sigh.

it's the little things

32 while 32.

Balzer Designs Stencil Hop

3 things on the 3rd

Guest Design for Freehand Scraps

getting carded

A video + some sneaks

the little printer that could updated