Off to Survivor Crop + Scrapping Faster

Well, it doesn't actually start until Saturday morning but I will be making all the last minute preparations to get ready to go to Survivor Crop today. I won't be home at all on Sat and then on Sunday I am sure I will be a zombie!! So no more blogging until Monday (of course now that I put that out there I will find some way to blog between now and then anyways...)

Thank you to everyone who has been purchasing raffle tickets for the raffles I am doing below!! There is still time to purchase tickets--just click the donate button in the post a couple days ago about the raffle. So far we have raised over $200!!!!

Also, Scrapbook Royalty is raffling off a sewing machine on the blog so be sure to check that out. All proceeds from both are being donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation at Survivor Crop this weekend.

Before I go, I'll leave you with my Five Friday post for the week:

Five Fridays #10 - Five Tips for Scrapping Faster

I get comments pretty often about how I am a fast scrapper or how I get a lot done. MOST of the time I am pretty fast but sometimes I get bogged down in the details or my mojo just isn’t flowing. Here are five tips I use for scrapping fast.

1. Use permanent glue. Just stick it down and commit! Your first try is usually right, just like when you are taking a test so stick with the first try and you’ll get a lot more done faster.
2. Make page kits. If you pre-select the paper, embellies, and pics, you can really get a lot done when you actually have a block of time for scrapping. I try to do this as I buy product. I'll go into more detail next week about page kits.
3. Clean up in between pages. A clean space means you won’t spend time looking for inks and scissors that go missing under piles. I don’t always do this but should.
4. Scraplift. From yourself, from books, from mags, from online. If it works, use it over and over. Scraplifting gives you somewhere to start so you can create your own pages.
5. Time yourself. Sometimes I will just say I am going to finish a layout in 15 minutes. I find I move faster and I get a lot more done. It is like a race against myself.

Alright, I have to go get some shut eye before I pass out! Happy scrapping this weekend!!

How to Create Rosettes

I included a link to a tutorial on making rosettes in my newsletter but the link is not working. Here is the correct link: Making Rosettes

And I am posting it here for you as well!

I've seen these awesome rosettes on banners and layouts but wasn't sure how to make them. I learned this technique at CHA Winter 2008 while doing a make-n-take at a booth. The paper strips they used were pre-scored (came in a kit) but I figured I could do it myself a home.


1. Cut a strip of paper 4 times longer than the diameter of the rosette. If you want a 3" wide rosette, the paper needs to be 12" long. The width of the strip should be half the width of the final rosette. In the case of a 3" rosette the paper strip should be 1.5" wide and 12" long.



2. Fold the paper strip accordion style every 1/4" or so.



When you're finishing folding, it should look something like this:



The closer the folds, the more fluted and detailed your rosette will be. If the folds are too far apart, you rosette won't collapse into a ring correctly (we'll be doing this later). I like to fold over a little a flap, flip the strip over and fold from the other side. Then I flip the strip over and fold over a flap again. Once you have it started, you can use the rest of the accordion as a guide to see how deep to fold. The folds don't have to be perfectly straight (check out the right side of my strip! LOL)-just as long as the folds are all about the same size. Perfection is not necessary here.

3. Put adhesive on one end of the strip. Only put about 1/4" or less wide strip of adhesive.



4. Fold the strip around to form a ring.



5. Adhere the ends of the strip to one another making sure that the "hills" of the accordion folds meet up with the "valleys". When adhered, the folds should be nested in one another. You can see the nested folds at the 12 o'clock position in this pic.




6. Stand the ring upright on the table:



7. Push the bottom of the ring outwards and pull the top in to form a teepee or cone shape.



Push the top of the teepee down towards the table.



The bottom of the teepee will fan out and the rosette will form.



8. Adhere to your project using very strong adhesive like glue dots, hot glue, or Zip Dry. You might want to sandwich the rosette between two circles before gluing to help keep it flat.



You can use the rosettes on a banner (like I did) or on a layout as an alternative to flowers, buttons, or circles.

The project I made at CHA where I learned how to make these rosettes is the explosion box with the clown on top at the 9 o'clock position in this pic:



The rosette forms the collar of the clown's outfit. It is sandwiched between two pieces of chipboard to help keep it rigid.


Here's another sample:



Here's one up close:

Baby It's Cold Outside!

I am so loving this cooler weather--aren't you? I turned the A/C off and actually had to turn the heater on the other night! I broke the "winter clothes" bin out of the closet and have been enjoying wearing sweat pants and drinking hot cocoa around the house. I love the winter!

In honor of all of this frosty goodness, I created another class. This time I'll be traveling to the lovely Pink Pineapple Scrapbooks in Vista, CA. Yes, it is far from my house, but the store is worth the drive for sure! I hope you will join me for this adorable class:

"Be Jolly"
November 23, 2008
12-3pm, $34
Pink Pineapple Scrapbooks
ph: 760-598-2222

Get into the spirit of winter with this frosty little mini book! We'll be using Dream Street's newest holiday paper line, which is festive and bright. Perfect for Christmas or Winter photos, this book is full of techniques and fun details. We'll be playing with Staz-On ink, stickles, gems, acetate, and the Zutter Bind-It-All. (Of course I had to use the Bind-It-All -- my all time favortie binding tool!) Plus I'll show you one of my favorite techniques for making pockets in mini books. You'll be able to choose your own title as well from an array of Thickers Alphabet Stickers on the day of the class.

Check out more photos on the Zutter Zisters' website in my gallery, coming soon!!

Raffle for SGK--Last Chance!

Here's the last chance to buy raffle tickets for the raffle I am doing to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation! I'll be drawing TWO names on Friday and making the announcement over the weekend. All of the money raised will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation during Survivor Crop ths Saturday.

Tickets are $1 each or six tickets for $5. If you buy tickets, I write your name on the ticket and drop it in a basket. Katie will draw two names from the basket. You don't need to have a ticket in hand. I am doing everything through Paypal so I have your address on hand in case you win. Buy tickets through this button:

RAFFLE #1 -- GOODIES!!






Included in this raffle are the following items:

• Medium AMM Tote Bag in Purple
• Heidi Swap Foam "She" Alphabet Stamp Set
• 6 Yards Diecut Felt Ribbon
• Cosmo Cricket Blackboard Kate's Album
• Creative Imaginations Sonia Purse Box
• Autumn Leaves Clear Stamps - Rhonna's Christmas Swirls
• Blank 5x7 Clipboard to Alter
• Tinkering Ink Botanical Bliss Paper Collection and Diecut Alphabet Sheet
• Tinkering Ink Botanical Bliss Finery Embellishment Pack
• Tinkering Ink Botanical Bliss Rubon Pack
• Me and My Big Ideas Jelly Stickers
• Stampin Up Bloomin Boxes and Tags
• My Mind's Eye Bohemia Card Kit
• Bo Bunny Board Book
• Lil Davis Crillon Collection Chipboard Alphabet
• Lil Davis Green Flowers
• A Collection of 6 stick pins from my secret stash
• A Beaded Strawberry from my secret stash
• A glass Candy Cane from my secret stash
• Around the Block soft charms pack
• Making Memories Ribbon and Ribbon Brads Pack
• Cloud 9 Sparkle Rubons
• Disney Epoxy Ribbon Slides
• Amy Butler Metal and Ribbon brads
• Autumn Leaves Clear Stamps by Rhonna Farrer "Flower Stems" and "Family"

Over $180 Value!!

RAFFLE #2 -- KITS & SAMPLE!!

Baby Book Sample

Kit for Desktop Birthday Calendar

Sweetheart Sample:

Back to School Sample:

Our Little Sweetheart Kit:


Included in this raffle are the following items:

• Desktop Birthday Calendar Kit
• Our Little SweetHeart Kit
• Sweetheart Sample -- Already Made!
  
• Baby Girl Class Sample -- Already Made!
  
• Back 2 School Class Sample -- Already Made!
  

Over $200 Value!

You have until Friday at 5pm to buy your raffle tickets and I will do the drawing later that evening. Support a great cause and enter to win some goodies too. Thank you to those of you who have already purchased tickets as well!! So far between this raffle and the one I did at Desert Scrappers we have raised over $185 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation!! So please support this effort by purchasing tickets. Anything will help.

Polka Dots @ the Pineapple

Saturday started bright and early for me. 5:30am. I left the house to head to Pink Pineapple for Michelle Hills' free crop for Polka Dot Whimsy customers and fans. It was a BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!! We actually did a good deal of shopping early in the day and then met up with Elena for lunch and some more shopping. We had to go to SEVERAL Michael's after PJ enlightened us with her new punches and goodies--they are fabulous! It was so much fun just to hang with the girls and have some major, major laughs.

Michelle had prepared the cutest mini book MnT and fun goodies for us just for coming to the crop. There was food all day, homemade cupcakes at night and some fun "adult" drinks in the evening. Of course the Pineapple had great product and the store got cleared out of some goodies before the night was over. I got some super deals and some great products I've been looking for--yay! We were the first people there and the last to leave. Talk about SERIOUS cropping!!

Our group consisted of me, PJ, Anne, and Cheryl. All day long familiar faces came in the door and it was such fun to see everyone and to meet "online" scrapping buds. PJ and I were excited to finally meet Ally Serrato. I also met Lauren from It's About Time--so nice to put faces to names and emails, though we had actually already met before but I seriously have memory loss lately. Shetara was there, Christi A, Christi W, Terri K, Teri from Pink, just lots and lots of super fun nice people. And we made some new friends too--just a very creative and talented group there. It was really a great day and atmosphere to crop in!! Can't wait to do it again some day.

Here we are with Michelle:

Cheryl and Anne made a BUNCH of cards from my little basket for the Troops at the end of the night:


Hard at work in the morning:


Miss PJ making Michelle's cute MnT Album:


Really it was just a fun day. I got home at 230 am and really had very little to show for the 20+ hours away from home (2 layouts and one card plus several cards for the Troops) but hanging with friends and having good times was worth all the driving for sure.