I am so sad (and so relieved) the Boise Retreat is over! Klo and I had a fabulous time and made so many wonderful friends. Thank you, Thank you, wonderful ladies for attending and being so gracious as we muddled through our first ever retreat. As much as we taught you, you also taught us.
Halloween is the perfect occasion for Pop Up Cards. After all, you almost expect spooky things to pop out and surprise you. Pop up cards are not hard to make and add an extra dimension of fun to the card. If you have a grandchild who lives far away, a pop up card will remind them of how much you love them. Of course, pop up cards can be used for any occasion and can turn a ho-hum card into a "Wow, would you look at that!" card.
These easy Halloween luminaries make an easy, spooky greeting for the Halloween season. Create an eerie glow for Halloween or switch the design for a warm holiday welcome for Christmas.
Proportion can make a significant difference when you are creating a design for a card or scrapbook page. The details on the design should enhance it and not detract from it. Tiny accents and lines on a large project can get lost. Putting large details on a small image will overwhelm it. Sometimes you need to use both types in order to get the right effect. I love the kiss cut tool to add details but sometimes the default size is way too small for my project. Are you like me and had forgotten that there are 2 sizes of kiss cut lines available in the Inspiration Studio Software?
The details for the Boise retreat were emailed to all attendees today, Wednesday September 28. Just in case you didn't receive them, you can download all three by clicking on the links below. We have an amazing schedule of classes and projects that are themed for the upcoming holidays. We will also have games, goody bags and grub. What more could you ask for!! See you soon! Chris and Klo
The air is crisp, school has started and the leaves are turning colors. Yes, Autumn has really arrived. I may want summer to last but I have to admit, I do love the colors of fall. One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to visit the local pumpkin patch. Round orange pumpkins lie all over the ground with leafy vines trailing everywhere. Inevitably, I am inspired to make a card featuring a pumpkin. I often feel that no matter how many lessons you watch on the software, you do not truly understand how all the features work until you see them in action on a project.
Sunflowers are some of the happiest flowers I can think of. They always make me smile, no matter what size or shade of yellow they are. For some reason they always seem to say "you are special to me". In late summer the roadsides and fields near my home have a multitude of wild sunflowers. A little bit of cheer that pops up in the most unexpected places. Naturally, I thought of adding a sunflower to a gift box as a way of telling someone how much they are appreciated.
It is hard to believe that it is less than a month until the first Pazzles retreat! Klo visited Idaho last week so that we could hammer out the details. Based on the responses received we have organized a fabulous set of classes and projects. There will be 9 different teaching sessions, 2 crop nights, demos, games, door prizes and goodies for all. Keep watching for a more detailed class list coming soon and start packing your bags!
I love the look of chipboard in my projects but I don't like that I always have to cut a layer of paper or cardstock to cover it. The chipboard may be brown or an ugly gray or even printed on (if I use a cereal box). So, I usually cut a second layer of cardstock and glue it on; or I paint it; or ink it; or in some other way try to disguise the chipboard. That is why I really love today's technique, I can make a nice stiff board that is already covered in the cardstock of my choice. Plus, I can recycle all of the plastic bags that seem to accumulate under my sink. It's the perfect combination: making something beautiful while repurposing something that would normally end up in the trash.
I have been to several weddings this summer and even made a few cakes for a shower and a reception (Pastry tool - of course!). Every wedding had created the theme around a monogram. Sometimes the monogram was just one letter for the new couple's last name and other times it was the traditonal 3 letter monogram. It really isn't a surprise that monograms would feature so prominently in weddings. It is a way of showing the joining of two lives together in a very classic way.
Sometimes, when I am focused on scrapbook pages, I forget about design elements such as pop ups and windows with flaps. I tend to think that when a page is slipped inside of a sheet protector all of the fun movement is trapped inside. I realize that that is not always true. I have resolved to cast aside my tunnel vision and see what ways I can use these dimensional elements in my projects.
Nana's Garden A couple of months ago I taught you about paper rosettes. At the time I had played a bit with making Rosette Flowers as well but felt that they deserved a lesson all on their own. When I needed to make a project for Grandparents Day for a magazine, I decided to make flower rosettes. What I didn't count on is how addicting they are! I just couldn't stop trying one more style of flower.
It seems that when I have thought of back-to-school projects I usually focus on the elementary years. For this project I was determined to make something that would appeal to a high schooler, college student or even a mom who needs to organize her office supplies. So often the pencil holders found in the office supply stores are too small for the collection of pencils, pens, scissors and rulers that I want to keep close at hand but this roomy box holds a lot .
Thanks to all of you for the shortcut tips! I have updated the tutorial and the PDF list of shortcuts. Even if you viewed this recently be sure to take a look at the last 2 minutes and download the revised PDF. Special thanks to Camilla from Pazzles for alerting me to some Fabulous shortcuts. Chris The email started out "Mom, you are going to kill me but". Believe me, when Amanda sent that to me, it really got my attention! Most conversations or phone calls that start out in that way do not usually contain good news, but this one did. Her email went on: " draw a shape, hold down your Shift key and try to move your shape anywhere on the page. This works in any version of our software." Nothing else, just those instructions. Naturally, I went to my computer to try it out. Wow!
My Apologies. If you have had trouble viewing the most recent tutorial videos I would like to ask you to forgive me. I switched to a new computer recently and although I thought I had all the settings correct, I had overlooked one tiny check mark. I have re-rendered the last 6 Tricky Tuesday tutorials and you should be able to view them as easily as you have in the past. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience. Chris
I have to admit that I am a symmetrical type person. I am often teased about my obvious bias towards symmetry. I like my pictures in neat rows and I like the flower beds to have balance. I guess it does limit me at times. I do think, however, that it has been to my advantage when it comes to creating my own designs. I can see symmetry in a lot of images and I take advantage of that to save myself time when creating a new design.
I remember playing the Candy Land board game as a child. I always hoped I would draw the right color card so that I could take the shortcut path. The shortcut would put me way ahead of my brother and just maybe I would win! Most of us still love to discover a shortcut. Whether it is a shortcut across town that saves 10 minutes or a shortcut to making a favorite recipe; we all love to shave a few minutes off our job. Apparently, there are a LOT more shortcuts for the Inspiration Studio software that I was unaware of.
I absolutely love small town pride and all the hoopla that goes with it! Pazzles is located in a small town and this past weekend we celebrated our company and our home town. There was the BBQ and the farmers market, the craft booths and the barrel train ride, but best of all was the parade. It may be hokey and lack the glitz of the big city but small town parades are a lot of fun! Where else can a kid get a huge bag of candy in less than an hour? Where else can you get soaked by the little old ladies and their water hoses as you walk by? (Believe me, that is very welcome on a 90 degree day!)
Retreat is Sold Out! Get on the wait list by going to the registration website. The first Pazzles Retreat will be held Friday, October 14 through Sunday, October 16, 2011 in Boise, Idaho! Join us for a fun filled weekend where you will learn more about your Pazzles electronic cutter & software. Classes will be geared to beginners and advanced users alike and will include techniques, projects and lots of extra goodies. Note- Craft Room membership is NOT required to attend the retreat.
Have you ever been in this spot? You have spent a lot of time making a beautiful card for someone special. It is all finished, you've spent some time admiring it and now it is time to slip it into an envelope and send it on its way. But what envelope? You don't really want to use a plain white envelope even if you have one that fits, do you? Why have a ordinary envelope for an extraordinary card?
Recently, my husband and I along with all of our children and grandkids, spent a wonderful 4 days at Seaside, Oregon. The ocean never fails to inspire me when I gaze on the seemingly endless span of water with waves breaking on the shore over and over again. It also can be a tranquil place to sit and contemplate my blessings. It is good to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life just to slow down and breathe deep while watching the kids hunt for sea shells. Making this scrapbook page helped me remember that time and just for a moment I was able to smell the ocean air, feel the breeze and hear the ocean's roar. Ahh... tranquility!
I am always looking for new ways to use my Inspiration. Since I used to sew a lot, I have had covered buttons on my list of ideas for a while. Recently, there have been covered buttons showing up in a lot of product lines. They come already covered and cost quite a bit of money. Naturally I want to be able to make covered buttons in the size I want and have the exact color and print I want- when I want it.
The First Pazzles Retreat is officialy on the calendar. We will be hosting 3 days of fun, friends, learning and projects in Boise, Idaho. It is an event that you won't want to miss. Classes will be Friday through Sunday, October 14-16, 2011. So pencil those dates in on the calendar and watch for more information and sign up details next week!
I love flowers, is there anyone who doesn't? They come in such a abundance and variety of shapes and sizes. I never cease to be amazed at their simplicity and yet they can be so complex in design. I have a large number of flowers in my cutting file collection already, but I am always looking for more. Apparently, one can never have too many flower designs. Today, I have created a video tutorial that will guide you through the process of using the Rotation feature found in the Transformation window. Using my method you can create an infinite number of flowers for your cutting file "garden".