Button Buddies

I had such fun last night as I worked on this sampler. I'm planning a class with this set and a package of Bright Buttons. I'm kind of happy how the colours came together, even without Melon Mambo buttons in the package! After scanning through my usual spots for inspiration, I didn't find anything to work with for the idea that I had in my head, except for the scallop circle layer on many cards. Now I just have to decide where to hang it up in all its bold, brightness!

smiles,
Laurie

Everybunny Easter Mobile

Just a quick post with an update of the trifold I made. I added 2 pictures to 2 of the 'back' panels and a butterfly to accent them and then decorated this panel:

 

Does it look familiar? I used the creation on the cover of the Spring Mini Catalogue as inspiration. I spritzed the doiley with Pool Party (I love those misters for changing things to the colours you need!) Changed out the paper and the saying (from You Are Loved set) and still got to use one of the trinkets and those lovely roses which I just ordered!
The Girls love having their photos on display, I love having them displayed in this creative way.

I spent last night changing out the mobile to celebrate Easter. I had such fun decorating these 'eggs'.  And then adding some extra buttons to even out all the weight! I might add a couple rows of rhinestones to a couple of the layered eggs to match the row on the little blue butterfly. (You can't see it but I used the rubber boot image from the Spring Sampler, and talking about them this morning with my daughter, I might add rhinestones onto the polka dots on them!)



smiles,
Laurie

Blooming with Kindness Week

A bright sunny day and I 'm getting ready to host a series of classes this week. The ladies will take home the Blooming with Kindness stamp set after the class. This was one of the first sets I fell in love with last summer, I made 3 cards right away (I posted one back in August). Since announcing the class I have been playing around a bit more with ideas for this great image.
Here are some of the other looks I'm working into cards:

Over the weekend, I was playing around and came up with this little trifold to place out on the breakfast bar for the next couple weeks.

The base is Primrose to accent the More Amore Paper. I got to play with my newest stamp set Papillon Potpourri and punch, accenting the butterfly with some pearls and nesting it on the embossed heart cut from Pool Party.

I used our rosette die to create the focal point on this panel. Pierced the framelit with one of our Piercing Packs' stencils and added some punched leaves. The button is a Basics Designer Button with some twine. As I type this up and looking at the project, I'm thinking I will add a couple more butterflies to the middle panel, using the smaller butterfly punch from the Spring mini catalogue. I can see both sides from where it sits on the counter, so I may also add 3 more panels of paper and a series of pictures on the back side.

 

smiles,

Laurie

Stampin'Up! Calgary Regional ~ a couple more photos

Throughout the day, we were given lots of great tips and ideas to move our business' forward, along with wonderful stamping techniques that I am excited to try out. One that I am going to play with this afternoon is to make custom 'washi tape', so check back to see what I come up with and I'll share the 'how-to'.

I made cards to give to these wonderful women that came with me to the event. I have been wanting to play with a different shaped easel card and thought a little technique would be fun to show off.  Crayon Resist popped into my head and I chose an image from my new set For the Birds. I pulled together a couple variations of colour schemes for them.

I suppose from this photo it's hard to see the bits of white spaces around the image. I haven't used crayon resist for a number of years (except on Easter eggs!). I really like the way the image gets highlighted.
To add the bit of pizzazz with this technique is pretty simple. After stamping the image in Staz On, I used a white crayon to draw around the butterfly, a rough outline around the flowers and bird and some highlighting along the ground and bottom of the wagon. Then using a sponge dauber I rubbed on some Daffodil yellow and then some Pool Party. The crayon allowed some white space around the image. I used markers to colour in the wagon, flowers and bird.
I want to play a bit more with some other images and hopefully offer a class around this technique later this Spring.
So the Regional really pulled so many fabulous things together: wonderful people, great tips and neat stamping techniques, free stamps and paper, incredible Wow's from fellow Demos and topped it all off with whipped cream...on cupcakes that is, and chocolate ones at that! Yummy!

It was such a wonderful day!

smiles,
Laurie

Canadian Scrapbooker Visits

The Manager of Stampin'Up! Canada, Dale Hampshire and Canadian Scrapbooker co-founder, Katharina Doyle enjoying some great layouts and tips included in the latest edition!

Jennifer has been one of the biggest fans of the magazine since the very beginning. Katharina recalled her first meeting with Jennifer, when Jennifer arrived at her place with cupcakes to celebrate one of the first issues published. She thought it was a great idea that the Calgary office of Canadian Scrapbooker be invited out to the event.

Katharina is so bubbly and fun. It was wonderful having her come for the visit. It would have been great for her to have met up with Shelli, but unfortunately, for all of us, Shelli was unable to attend our Regional this time because of a family illness.

Stampin'Up! Calgary Regional!

Just back from Calgary and the Regional that Stampin'Up! held there this weekend! It's never a surprise at how wonderful the events are. I enjoy so many things about them! Probably one of the favourite parts is the people: the people who attend the events from all over and the people that work at SU and come up to help put on the event ~( and that most certainly includes Tom, the camera man. He's great at helping the presenters showcase their stuff. And  sound technicians, Jason and Corby; good natured enough to pause for this shot with us Girls!)


This year I was a Make and Take helper. I loved helping out, starting out in the morning with checking the demonstrators and guests in. During the stamping time, I wandered around talking with a bunch of the women at their tables seeing if they needed help, or sometimes confusing them with my goofy remarks! Since I have never sat still during these sessions in past Regionals, I knew I'd love this part, and I did! It also gave me a chance to capture some shots with some of those great Stampin'Up! staff!

Usually, Shannon West and I have our pictures taken full length to show off her fabulous shoes, I love this close-up of us!                                      I may have been a bad influence on this Birthday Girl and fellow Helper, Angela, as I had her pose together with me and Brian Pilling.

Everyone at the table was happy when Jennifer's name was on the big screen to win a Prize Patrol! And another favourite, Donna Griffith, was the one to hand it to her.

 

Off to get groceries, stop back by to see some samples.

 

smiles,

Laurie