A Fiery FiskaFriendzy

My day started at just before 7am. I know because when I was in the shower I looked at the clock in my bathroom and said, "Holy Cow, I only got 5 hours of sleep!" I started the 90 mile drive to the Queen Mary only to be disappointed by GoogleMaps YET AGAIN. Uggh!! Anyways, I finally made it.

I had never been on the Queen Mary before. It was pretty cool to be there and see all of the details and the history, Wow. Oh yeah, and then there were FISKATEERS EVERYWHERE!!! It was great to see old friends and make new ones and to just have a day of crafting and fun. I got to sit at a table filled with some great friends (Joanne, Elena, Melanie, Liz, and Tran) as well as meet some new friends, One lady, Carmen from West Covina (I think) had our mouths watering with all of the wonderful recipes she shared with us! I also saw some other ladies I know from around town like Tiffany from The Scrappin' Table, Gina a customer at Collective Journey, The Durbins who volunteer for Scrapbook Royalty, Lead Fiskateer Cheryl and her daughter and hubby, Donna Salazar, got to meet Elizabeth Hicks, had fun with Stephanie Ackerman, saw Candace Carpenter again, chatted with Naomi and her friends, saw Rochelle from So Cal Scrap and finally met Renee/Ranita who I chat with on sb.com, hung out with Patty and Sandy from Scrapbook Royalty...just a great day filled with friends! (sorry if I forgot to mention anyone).

We did a fun make n take designed by Candace Carpenter, had games run by the cruise director Elena, and just had a blast with some of the Lead Fiskateers there. Then after lunch we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. And finally, we went to Bubba Gumps' for dinner. We filled half the restaurant!!

I lifted some of Tran's pics form the photosharing site we are all using. So far only she and I have uploaded so I'll post more pics as they become available. Here are some highlights from the day:

Naomi and me, just hanging out in the awesome room we were in. There were all these details to look at--carved wood walls with inlaid images, waves in the plastered ceiling, the windows, inlaid glass ....so pretty and crafted so well!

Elena's Godmother makes these awesome aprons that Elena designs. She had me wearing this super cute one made with Heidi Grace fabrics:

That's me with a bunch of ladies from the So Cal Scrap Group.

Tran and I:

Joanne, Me, and Tiffany on the deck:

We got little "Under the Sea" these cupcakes for dessert:


Here's me at the end of the event:


We were all covered in ash and the sky was gray with smoke. While we were in Long Beach having a blast several of our friends and store owners we know were evacuating their homes because of two BIG fires in Orange County and in Silmar. It actually took me quite a long time to get home too becuase many of the freeways were closed. I hope everyone is okay...just please keep them in your prayers.

I had a blast and it was great to just go and have fun! It was really a day long crafting party. Can't wait to do it again!

Simple Five Fridays #12– Five More Organizing Tips

These tips complement the tips I posted earlier this year. I am in the midst of cleaning up my scrap room from the aftermath of having so many classes and events at one time. I was reminded of these rules I try to follow to help keep my room in working order.

1. Take It Out Of the Package.

I take everything out of the manufacturer packaging and put it into baggies or Dot Boxes when it comes to embellies. I have a kind of file of the baggies in each of my "color" drawers—they are all lined up and I can flip through to see what I want.

I take ribbon off the cards or rolls it comes on and put it on rings that hang in my room, by color. I also hang the bulk ribbon I buy at the LSS by the yard in the same way.

If paper comes in a pack, I split it up and put it with the appropriate color for each piece of paper. Getting rid of all of the irregular and mismatched packaging helps me keep an orderly scrap room! And you can recycle the packages into mini candy holders like this:

This box originally held LARGE Prima Flowers. I covered it with Christmas patterned paper, covered the Prima label with the "Sweet" tag, and then added some shred inside with a couple of decorated Hershey bars. The jars held Prima Flowers. I put a paper strip around the middle to cover the label and tied a ribbon around. Then I filled it with candy and put a little punched 0ut circle on the top of the lid:

I am actually teaching this "Green Gifts" technique in the "Nifty Gifties" Class coming up on November 22, 2008 at Scrapbook Boulevard in Victorville. CA.

2. Purge. Go through your stash every 6 months to a year and assess it. Set a limit for yourself. If the paper is more than 2 years old, get rid of it. If you were really into florals when you first got into scrapping but find that now you use more bold patterns since you have an only son, then maybe those floral print papers should go. The same with stickers and anything else you’ll never use, especially trendy items.

3. Avoid Overbuying Trendy Items. Just like Rachel Zoe says, spend the most money on the staples in your wardrobe and get just a couple of trendy accessories, the same goes for scrapbooking supplies. If I had a nickel for every stupid decorated bottle cap I bought…uggh! Trends are great—I love trying new stuff and seeing what the next big things are—don’t get me wrong. But limit your buying when it comes to trendy items. Only buy what you think you can use in the next 3-6 months. That is how often the manufacturers (if not more often) tend to release new products. So make you sure you use up that trendy item before you buy into the next trend. Also, if it sits in your stash too long, you'll be less likely to use it because the appeal just isn't there anymore.

4. Don’t Buy New "Hangers". This is something professional organizers tell their clients when they can’t organize their clothing and closets. Once you’ve organized everything and it fits in your space and is accessible, don’t go buy more organizing stuff to put new items into. If you buy a new shirt, get rid of an old shirt so you can use that same hanger for the new shirt and don’t need more space. Same for scrapping. If you have a box of red buttons, use some of them up before you buy more. Don’t go buying a bigger box to put the buttons into because now you’ve just bought another bag of 500 buttons.

If you don't think you'll ever use that item, then get rid of it. Plenty of scrapbook stores have semi-annual customer garage sales you can sell your "overstocks" at. Plus you'll get store credit to buy new goodies!

I personally like to use Dot Boxes from Cottage Mills to organize my embellishments. The little boxes inside can move and be removed so that if I need to reconfigure my goodies so they fit, I can do so easily.

5. Clean Your Space Between Projects. Putting items away every time after you use them helps keep your space clean and organized. If you leave it all to pile up or even worse, dump it in a bin (I am so guilty of this) then you are making more of a mess. Now you won’t be able to find that stuff when you look for it because it isn’t where it belongs, at some point in time you have to sit down and take the time to sort through the bin of junk, and you have a bin cluttering up your workspace. Just take 3-5 minutes after each layout to clean up so your space stays organized.

Giveaway!!

Hurry! Go check out the Bind-It-All BLOG! Nan is giving away the brand new cover-alls to FIVE lucky winners!! Check it all out here:

http://binditall.blogspot.com/2008/11/giveaway-new-cover-alls.html

If you haven't seen these, they are covers that you slip a binding project into and they instantly turn it into a more polished and durable "book" type project. Check them out on the blog!

Diving Into the Pile...

I've got a HUGE pile of stuff on every single table I own! This is the aftermath of teaching classes back to back to back I guess...

I have been picking up the pieces and have assembled quite a pile of finished layouts that were buried in the stack. Here are some of the pages I've worked on the last few months:

The Great Southern California Shakeout

Think you're prepared for an earthquake? Think again.

Don't Freak Out!
SHAKE OUT!!

Participate in The Great Southern California Shake Out tomorrow. To register, click here.

Many Californians live near the San Andreas fault line. I live RIGHT next to it. The drill is supposed to get our agencies, emergency services, businesses, schools, and residents prepared to react to a 7.8 magnitude quake centered on the San Andreas fault, that is anticipated to last 2 to 3 minutes. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake only lasted 7 seven seconds. And you remember the aftermath from that quake. So imagine what will happen if the shaking were to last 20 to 30 times longer as the USGS predicts the next big California Quake will last?

What can you do to prepare?

• Check out the ShakeOut website.
• Register to participate.
• Prepare your emergency kit.
• Check for possible danger zones in your home, such as objects that might fall.
• Find out what families can do to participate.
  

There is still time to prepare. We NEVER know when an earthquake will hit so NOW is the best time to prepare. Visit my PERSONAL SHAKE OUT PAGE if you want to join. If you want me to send you an invitation to join in this effort, please send me an email at jennifer@scrapbookroyalty.com or leave a comment here.

"Be Merry" Mini Book and Banner

"Be Merry" Banner & Mini Book
December 2, 2008
5pm-730pm
Ph: 909-793-2200
Collective Journey

Get into the Christmas spirit with this festive, detail-filled mini book. We’ll be using American Crafts and Flair papers to create a vintage feeling mini book full of rich greens and reds. The book features acetate and chipboard pages and is bound using the Zutter Bind-It-All. We’ll also create a banner for you hang across your mantle or on the tree! The banner will feature with tissue paper rosettes, which you will learn to make in class. All class attendees will receive a complete package of chipboard letters in the class to customize your banner. (Banner not pictured)

Here's the banner:

Supplies: Glue dots, liquid adhesive, precision tip scissors, color box chalk inks in maroon, chestnut roan, creamy brown, and olive pastel.

"Good Eats" Recipe Book

"Good Eats" Recipe Book
December 7, 2008
1-4pm
Ph: 909-793-2200
Collective Journey

Give the gift of sweets this year! Create an adorable apron shaped mini album for all of your time honored holiday recipes. Keep it as a keepsake or give it as a gift. And if you’re feeling super sweet, bring a treat to class to share! We’ll be using Teresa Collins' newest paper line as well lots of fun Quickutz diecuts and other details.




Supplies: Glue dots, liquid adhesive, precision tip scissors, color box chalk inks in charcoal, chestnut roan, creamy brown, and olive pastel.

Be Jolly Mini Book @ Pink Pineapple Scrapbooks

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

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. 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.





This project is also featured on the Zutter Zisters website.

Nifty Gifties Class

Nifty Gifties

Sat, November 22, 2008
1pm – 4pm

Scrapbook Boulevard
Ph: 760-948-5700

Create 6 cute gifts in the class-perfect for neighbors, coworkers, friends, and stocking stuffers. You'll get all the ideas and templates you need to replicate these gifts on your own for under $5 each! The gifts include:

• Clear Take Out Box
• Recycled Candy Gift Tag
• Post-It Note Holder and Matching Pen
• Candy Holder (made with Zutter Bind It All)
• Perpetual Desktop Calendar (pictured above)
• French Fry Box Candy Holder

Into The S-H-I-N-Y

I've been into glitter, shine, and bling more and more. If you know me then you know I am not a "girly girl" by any stretch of the imagination! LOL But recently I find I am just loving glitter and all things S-H-I-N-Y on my pages.

While I was scrapping a few weeks back I took some pics of two fun little techniques I've been using to "sparkle out" my pages. Just something a little simple and easy to do to make your pages *shine*.

***Glimmer Misting Flowers***

After checking out my paper I determine these colors were in my project. The cool thing about Glimmer Mist is even if the Mist is the wrong shade (Jazz Blue was wayyyy too bright for the project I was doing) you can mix the colors to tone it down or brighten it up. I also found that my flowers don't have to be the right color either--just change it with Glimmer Mist. Here are the supplies you'll need:

• Glimmer Mist
• Prima or other paper flowers
• A Place to Spray (I use my back patio)
  

If you are going to make flowers that are several different colors, set them out in groups.

You'll want to make sure you shake your Glimmer Mist well before spraying onto your project. These little sparkly bits collect in the bottom of the bottle when it is just sitting.


Make sure the little mica bits are not stuck to the bottom of the bottle -- if the bottom of the bottle is clean then you know you've shaken it up enough. This is what it should look like:

Just a side note, I didn't really realize I was paying such drastically different prices for Glimmer Mist! LOL The prices on the bottles I've purchased range from $7.59 to $8.49. Just FYI when you are shopping around...

Here is what it looked like after I sprayed the flowers in groups. I used Tiger Lily (orange), Jazz Blue (turquoise) and Pink Bubblegum (pink) colors. All of these are wayyyyyyyyy too bright at this point for my heritage style page.



So I hit the edges with some Coffee Shop (brown) and Gingerbread (a little lighter brown):

I sprayed the pink ones with Tiger Lily (orange):

And then I did some Gingerbread (brown) over top of that:

Let the flowers dry for about 15 minutes on a warm day. You can also use a heat gun to dry them.

***Glittering Brads***

I love those Doodlebug Sugarcoated Brads but don't have every color on hand. I didn't have the right color of glittered brad in my stash and didn't want to spend the money to drive to the scrapbook store just for some brads so I improvised. I made my own glitter brads in the color I needed exactly.

I first started off by putting a glue dot on the brad and dipping it in glitter. For the flatter, larger brads, this worked great. But for the small ones with a rounded top, it was a lumpy disaster.

So I tried dipping the brad in glue and then dipping it in glitter. This worked well but then I was too impatient to let them dry so I messed them up when I put them on the page. This is good if you have time to wait for the brads to dry before putting them on your page.




I did a little surgery to repair the brads by adding glue to them once they were in the middle of the flower on the page and then I sprinkled some glitter on top. It worked like charm.

For the rest of the brads I put them on the page first, added some glue, and then sprinkled glitter over top. It worked great! I even used some ugly putty colored brads I had in my stash for over 4 years!
Adhere the flowers to your project using glue dots or glue. Then insert the brads through the centers. You can mix in some non-glimmer misted flowers as well to kind of balance out the *shiny*. Here are some closeups of the flowers and brads on the finished page:




Happy Scrapping!!