Updates

For the past two months I have attended to most weekly casual meets at the local craft store and six CM workshops to learn new inspiration pages from new and old products. 

Since I was introduce to AZZA last year I intend to incorporate both American and French style together. I use the Amercian version for pages and embellishments still but interlock the photos together and use ABC stencils for the titles. 

Last meet happened on Friday night until midnight.  This workshop was to use one of the large shaped CC and border maker punches inside the large shaped ribbon cut. I used the largest oval CC. It was a challenge but the outcome was worthwhile.

Now the countdown is on for our first scrap camp for the year.  Only on Thursday I started on some scrap camp preparations of photos to do the girl's school albums over the weekend next month.  This week I am hoping to grab some layout page layouts from both CM and AZZA.

Two craft tips

I have two interesting craft tips for crafters to try out.

To glue fibres into your curves, use a glue pen.  Draw onto the paper where you your fibres to go. Let the glue go tacky and then press your fibre into it for afew seconds. 

Instead of matting your photos with cardstock or papers, try lightly sanding or inking the edges of your photos.  For a darker photo lightly sand the edges to give a lighter feel to the photo.  For a photo is abit too light, use your inkpad to ink around the photo edges. It's recommended to use a quick dry kind of inkpad.  Remember the ink pad must be acid free.

Enjoy your craft!  Keep those mojo juices going!!

New craft tip

After a month's break of attending to any scrap meets, it was mid January 2013 by the time I got back to casual scrap at the craft store with friends.  I was using the AZZA style with photo subjects from last year. At present time I am hoping to attend as many casual meets on Tuesdays during school hours. 

Only last week it the return of CM workshops via my consultant.  The first lesson was just using the one of the new border makers from last year to do a summer layout.  I worked on some photos from my summer holiday of last year.

I thought this year will be best to catch up on projects I am behind in. There was talk about a proposed camp to be held at our popular venue on a weekend in March which would be a great opportunity to catch up in the school albums.

Thought I would share a new craft tip for this weekend.  Who uses acetate or similar transparencies for their craft projects?  Did you know these sheets can be used as templates?? But if you plan on computer print your template onto these sheets, just be careful which type of sheets you use through the printer.  Some plastic sheets can melt and wreck your printer. If you are unsure which sheet to use, best to ask your local craft store or officeworks for recommendations. But remember to check your paper setting on your computer before you print out on your acetate sheet.  Make sure your paper setting is set on transparency before you print your templates.

Camp report

Didn't my weekend of creativity ended so fast?? I had a wonderful weekend away on scrap camp.  Inspite our weather was abit on the wild side with storms (which hit the Brisbane inner city area twice) and rain over the weekend, it was good to be indoors and be productive to complete many pages in my albums.  An advantage about the scrap room we all had a table to ourselves which we can spead our belongings all over the place and just leave it at the end of the night and come back after breaks.

 

I managed to closely finished off two albums.  Just abit of last minute touches and then it's finished. These albums will be presents so I hope the persons in receiving them will love them!!

 

As always I was the last person up in our group!  I managed to get ten hours sleep over two nights. But the best part of all, I had my accomodation room all to myself.  The room is just like a small bedroom with one single bed, a small cupboard and a student's table.  Before I go to bed, I would spend an hour reading a novel.

 

The camp meals were great as always. Friday night we had chinese stir fry and mini pavlovas for dessert.  It was nice! Friday was the only night I consumed light supper.  It was only tim tam biscuits through.  Being a hot and humid night, the chocolate melted so fast.

 

Saturday breakfast was ham and cheese croissants and mini fruit danishes.  I was wrapped with the choice as I only have the general basic of breakfast at home.  Our Saturday lunch was half chicken wraps with chips and fruit pieces on offer, Saturday dinner was roast beef and vegetables then my favourite dessert of all time "STICKY DATE PUDDING".  YUMMO!!!!!!!!  

 

Sunday's breakfast was baby sausages and scrambled eggs. Sunday's lunch was sushi, deli meat cuts and salad. I love sushi and it's becoming my favourite camp lunch there.  I didn't consume any morning or afternoon tea on Sunday as I was so full from other main courses during the weekend. 

 

I think I might gained afew more pounds after all the good food on offer throughout the weekend. You sure get your money's value when you go away for afew days at this place.  Just imagine what it would be like to go on a scrap camp for a week??

 

 

 

Scrap Camp

Depending on how the weather goes this afternoon, I only have 10 hours to go to pack all my belongings into the car ready to go and be there to check in at 5pm today.  This is the weekend I have been waiting for and it's the only weekends are my favourite.  It's so great to have my 'me' time away from homelife.

If you haven't worked it out, I am off to scrap camp this weekend.  We generally have two camps per year with our CM consulttant at Brookfield.  It's the best place to be!  The service of our meals is great and the accomodation is quite good.  The best highlights of being on this kind of camp, there is no cooking, cleaning, firey kids or husband and there isn't any time restrictions when to go to bed. Generally I am the last one up (anytime after 1am) scrapbooking!  Sleep for about 4 or 5 hours and off to scrapbooking on the next day after breakfast. I have survived on two hours once after the first night!  It happened when the first time I went on camp in 2006.

I have three 12 inch albums prepared to create my scrap pages.  Depending on my mojo motivation I hoped to complete alot of pages.  Majority of my pages will be using templates and stencils.

Have a great weekend creating!

New technique

Guess it's been awhile since I last made a report about my craft diary.  Last month was busy attending to the usual scrap meets and workshops via CM or craft store.  But I have been introduced to french scrapbooking last month.  I feel this new technique would suit me better because I had experience of using stencils and stamps for most of my life.



Interlocking photo

Earlier in the year while I attend to a craft show I did came across some 12 inch stencils from AZZA but I didn't get much thought into it until a couple of ladies mentioned they went to the second craft show months later and found the consultant who does french scrapbooking.  They were invited to attend to workshop one but I couldn't attend the same on in August as I was sick with the flu.

It wasn't until last month I booked myself in to do workshops one and two through an AZZA consultant.  Each workshop was 3 hours long but because I was the only one there I had one to one teaching completed in less time.  For $25, each workshop included the papers to use, all her tools and stencils used and tutoring for three hours.


Framing photos

The first workshop was to learn about interlocking either  photos which does take time to work out which photos you intend to crop more of. 

The second workshop was to learn about framing photos which is another time consuming project.

New challenges coming

How's your creative mojo been going this month?  I am finally getting back to normal with my regular scrapbooking mojo with regular meets via my CM consultant and craft store.

This month I attend to three casual scrap meets at the craft store.  While I was there they had their weekly workshops on which I happened to be nosey and use their simple layout idea for one page at least.

If only had known months before, the shop has their own annual camp weekend away near Warwick. They go away for four nights to do any form of craft work.  Also they will run workshops for card makers and scrapbookers.  The owner (who I have form a good bond with) shown me what the workshops will be about this weekend.  I wish I was there because I would of had some fun doing these workshops this weekend.  Next year I will do it and go!

Through my CM consultant I attend to an all day scrap meet two weekends ago and two normal workshops this month.  The workshops were only simple layouts of course which I managed to do a page or two in my current album.

But I am starting to think it's time for a new change in scrapbooking. I have thought about starting to do french scrapbooking.  A company called AZZA sells these kind of stencils. For further details go to www.azzaworld.com.  I am not sure how long this company has been around but I have seen some examples of the pages done through using stencil templates at craft shows, earlier this year.  A couple of my craft friends have been to an introduction workshop and I have seen their work done. You start off on simple stencils and work slowly up to using more challenging stencils.  I have found a local consultant who does french scrapbooking. I am hoping my first workshop will be done after the school holidays.

While most scrapbookers intend to learn on how to do a simple layout by working out on which papers to use with their photos first, french scrapbooking is different.  You need to know which photos is right to use with your template, first. It's more recommend to have scenery kind of photos to use in french scrapbooking.  I did buy some challenging stencils at the craft show and it's about time I use them. I thought I start a holiday album as I had taken alot of scenery photos when we had our holiday interstate in 2009.

It's only 13.5 weeks to go until Christmas! My challenge is to get my Christmas presents made.  I have three albums to finish off if I want to give them as presents to family this year. Two albums are traditionally made and the third one will be digitally made. The next camp is planned to happened in November so I will properly be using that weekend on getting my projects up to date.

Feel free to share what creative moments you had enjoyed lately.