Inspiration

I've just been browsing some blogs and galleries online and am feeling very inspired. Partly because I should be writing my term paper and there is something really fun about playing around with scrapbook stuff when I should be working...and also because I have been seeing the most awesome fun stuff online today (because I am NOT busy writing my term paper as I ought to be).

I wanted to share some of the places I get inspiration. Like every scrapbooker, I get stuck creatively all the time..believe it or not! Lisa from Scrappin Good Times and I were just discussing this phenomenon last night--we can always use a little inspiration from other places to complement our personal styles. I use the "normal" ways of getting ideas, like books and mags, but they aren't very fun and they seem rather stale to me, especialyl since they take so long between creation time and when they are printed. I get the best ideas from galleries, blogs, and other stores'/scrappers' websites.

Today I checked out the following (links for all of these are in my links section to the left):

• Tina Keyner's blog--check out the cute donut holes she decorated for her dd's birthday! Very summery. And the cute page she made for her other dd's bedroom door--so Elsie, love the doodly drawings she did!
  
• Elena Etcheverry's blog--her card kits are so fun and she always has great ideas. Check out her book club she is offering at Pink Pineapple! I feel inspired already.
  
• Tara Young--her pages are always so fresh and fun--love her page with the "Love. Elsie" line. Plus her self portraits are always whinsical and fun. Love her take on scrapbooking.
  
• Cindy Farbach's blog--she shares some pics of a special dinner presented to the Design Team at SGT. She has this pic of choclate covered starwberries which just made me thnk of doing a page with those colors--hot pink, white, brown, red, and a little green--what a challenge that would be!! But I gotta try it...
• Scrapbook.com's gallery and challenges area. I love the challenges--anyone can participate too. It is fun checking out different scrappers' interpretations of the challenge guidelines. Better yet, it is fun to take part in the challenges. Some of my bet pages have come from particpating in challenges or checking out other people's designs.
  
• Pink Pineapple's blog--they have the silliest pic of Michelle Hill eating a big piece of cake-so funny! Just reminds me this hobby is so fun!
  
• NON-Scrapbooking Magazines--I check out the advertisements. A great way to get new inspiration is to copy the layout of an ad; the same techniques used to make advertisements visually appealing, such as balance and color, totally apply to scrapbooking.

So have fun checking out these places and I hope you get inspired!

Close to My Heart Stamping Club

I am inviting you to be a member of my new stamping club through Close to My Heart! Every four months, Close to My Heart comes out with a new catalog. Plus every month they have a Stamp of the Month, an exclusive stamp offered for a limited time, that month only. My stamping club takes advantage of both of these aspects of Close to My Heart. Whether you are new to stamping or a seasoned stamper, this club is for you. Plus we are going to have fun!

Every month you will receive one stamp set plus a project using that stamp set. The projects I am working on for this stamp club are a vacation mini book, card sets, and some other fun paper crafts. We will get together for a mini crop each month to complete the project, have some snacks, and you can pick up any additional orders or stamps. The projects will come with instructions and photos of each aspect of the project so if you can’t make it to the get-together, I can meet up with you later to give you the kit. I can also conduct these meetings at your home if you have a group you would like to do this club with. Let’s do whatever is the most fun and convenient for you!

The stamping club is four months long—basically lasting one catalog period. Each catalog features the four stamps of the month for the period the catalog covers. The cost is $30 per person, per month. Each month you may elect to receive the stamp set and the project or purchase $30 in products of your choosing. You can change your preference from month to month as well. I want to make sure you are getting the most benefit from this club as possible.

Each month a different person will be chosen as the “hostess”. They will receive the stamp of the month for free and any hostess credit resulting from orders placed by the members in your group. Hostess credit begins at $150 total in orders. Each person in the group will have a turn as the hostess.

You don’t need to know anyone else or form a group to be part of the stamp club but if you have a group, I can accommodate you as well.

So here is the low-down:

§ The cost is $30 a month.

§ The time commitment is 4 months.

§ And at the end, you will have:

o A free catalog/idea book

o 4 stamps sets

o 4 projects using those stamps

o 1 stamp of the month set

o Any freebies you earned as a hostess

o Lots of fun!

Please let me know if you want to join this stamping club. I will start it off with groups of four people each; as soon as I have a group of four, I will start the club going.

Arrrgghh, Matey!

I just got my welcome kit in the mail for the Scrapbook Royalty crop on July 28th--It's a Treasure Hunt! It is going to be so fun but I can't go!!!!! So I need to give my spot to someone else....I already paid for it. All you would need to do is collect donations. Please contact me if you are interested in taking my space. Their events are one of a kind and super fun--plus it all benefits charity!

http://www.scrapbookroyalty.com

This is the kit--look at the cool LOOT bag! How fun!









Check out this cool wax seal they used on the invitation!

Awesome Retreat Company!

My friend Andrea runs this retreat company called P.S. Let's Scrap featuring retreats in Palm Springs. Last year our scrap group went and had a total blast. Andrea caters to your every whim. making sure all your favorite drinks, snacks, and goodies are there for you, and just makes the entire weekend like a fairytale. Plus she has tools galore! I just wanted to share her site because i got an email from her a while back about her 2007 dates. If you ever get the hankering to go on a retreat, I say try one of her full service retreats FIRST! You will get MORE than your money's worth, a ton of pages done, and come back home refreshed and relaxed.

Here's a link:
http://www.psletsscrap.com/

Check out my Slide Show!

Here are some snapshots from the class kickoff June 1, 2007. A group of customers (really, they're friends) got together and bought the entire Design Team dinner, made these elaborate chocolate covered strawberries and a fancy cake for us, and then put on a little skit about doing a make n take--really it was a roast on all of us instructors! I added my own little captions cuz I don't remember what all was said. I just rememberthat we were laughing from beginning to end!