Have you seen the Basic Grey November newsletter? You can check it out here: http://www.basicgrey.com/clientuploads/CNL_1109.pdf

Pssst – I made a layout with their swoon-worthy Eskimo Kisses line that is featured this month in it. I pretty much squealed when I saw Kelly Goree’s call to create a page for the sketch… and I was even peppier when she gave me the green light to do it…

It felt good to put some of my Basic Grey stash to such good use. I just love how this page came out and YES! I used a holiday line for a non-holiday page. It can totally be done – just have to pick the right stuff.

“I Becca” is because if you ask her if she’s various things (animals, minnie mouse, etc) she says “I becca!” So cute. Had to document it. I’ve got a few tips to share about the layout too:

* Die cut paper (could be any kind of paper really) approx 11 1/2 x 11 wide. I used the back side of it instead of the colored side.
* Kraft cardstock cut 9 1/2 x 8 1/2 and corners are rounded & edged with smooch ink.
* strip of patterned paper below photos (which are 4×6) is about 1 1/4 x 6
* Strip of patterned paper at right of photos could be substituted with a ribbon or border sticker
* I used a big rub-on under the title letters, but a stamp or sticker could work too.
* I placed the bigger rhinestones and pearls first, then the smaller ones. Don’t worry about perfect or being even – I like the random look.

I think the rhinestones & pearls along the edge is my favorite part.

Excuse me, I need to go fondle make another layout with this line of paper ASAP.

This is Yearbook, the October kit from Studio Calico. I use this in week #6 of my Big Picture Scrapbooking class (get info + sign up here) and it was a fun kit to play with. Those envelopes + woodgrain alphas = my favorite parts. I’m currently a subscriber to Studio Calico, and because of that I ended up with 2 of these kits.

How? Well they sent me the kit (way early) so I could get it used in my class… but then about a month later my subscriber kit that I buy each month showed up. Huh. Whatever should I do with this kit that I wound up with two of? I’ve been thinking about it and I could take it apart and use the pieces… or…

{do you know what I’m going to say?}

I could gift it to one of you!

Yes that’s right, I’d like one of you to have it. Just leave a comment here and tell me something you like about kits. If you’re already signed up in my class please do tell me what you’re liking about that too! (if not – that’s ok too!!)

Good luck, and happy crafting!

Today I played with a different Making Memories little kit. This one had 8×8 papers inside and I used it to make a 12×12 layout.

To create a page like mine you need:
12×12 sheet of cardstock (I used and distressed core’dinations cardstock)
2 pieces patterned paper cut to size 8×8
2 photos (4 x 6 and 3 x 5)
Tag or embellishment (about 3 x 6)
journaling paper/card (about 3 x 5)
1/2″ x 8 strip patterned paper for pleating OR ribbon of approximate size
alphabet stickers
2 1/2x 4 1/2″ paper (mine is an envelope – the one with the crown on it)
random buttons, flowers, jewels, sequins, or other small embellishments to accent page

Once again I gathered inspiration from my kits class that started this morning. It’s so much fun already – and yes there’s still time to join us.

I just love  that all I added to this page outside the very cute girly kit was cardstock + letter stickers + the journaling block I had printed out from Ali’s class. So simple to do – and way fun.

Next up? Sleep followed by more fun to share here…

Margie e-mailed me and asked if I’d make something to donate for an auction they’re doing at this weekend’s Spark event (wish I could have gone!) to benefit the Susan G Komen foundation.

It starts tomorrow. Oh if only California was an hour’s drive from Utah… ah well.

I said OF COURSE. But then the flu set me back and I didn’t have time to do the big pillow or wall hanging I’d planned on and I needed a plan C. Something faster but still super cute.

So I sewed this pouch and put one of my precious vintage jars (filled with treasure) inside. My idea was that these treasures might spark creative ideas.

I loved putting my homemade touches on these supplies, and I hope whoever gets the jar enjoys it.

In just a few hours the classroom will open over at Big Picture and students will start on an adventure with me + kits. I’m going to go get some sleep before it gets going, but in the meantime, I’d like to kick off a blog party right here – you’re invited of course.

It’s an idea that just came to me a few moments ago since I’ve got posts and thoughts backing up – why not do a blog-stravaganza for a few days to celebrate class, kits, craftiness, and just because? So it starts now, right here. I present: give away #1

Tiny kits = fabulous, and the vintage findings line has been a favorite since first sight. I picked up these little treats yesterday at my Michael’s store – who also had famous Ghirardelli peppermint bark. I think it goes well with the vintage cuteness, don’t you? One of you will walk away with these treats – just leave a comment here to be entered!

Happy Crafting -

Tomorrow my class at Big Picture starts – and I really hope you’ll join me!

You can find info here: http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/adventureskits.php - and if you have any questions please feel free to ask here or e-mail me at mflaum @ comcast . net

I did a guest post over at the Big Picture blog this morning – and as promised there here’s a “how to” on my layout inspired by week #2 of class:

1. All you need is:

* 12×12 sheet patterned paper
* 8 1/2 x 9 piece of paper (patterned or solid – corners rounded and edges inked)
* Four photos: 2 that are 3 x 5 (portrait) , and 2 that are 3 x 4 (landscape)
* 1 x 10″ strip orange cardstock (pleated)
* stickers, tags (or paper cut approx 2 x 3), and buttons and rhinestones or other small embellishments

2. Place the piece of patterned paper with photos placed on top of it onto the background paper.
3. Place the pleated paper and stitch into place.

4. Add in tags, stickers, and embellishments to taste.

You can use ANY products in my class – substitutions are totally welcome and I hope that you join me to have fun scrapbooking the rest of 2009 away! Busy times or not – you’ll have a great time. Something I really work hard on in my classes is to make the content useable long after the class is over so you can work at your own pace.

Since you now have access to all the class materials forever – even after class ends – this is more true than ever!

I’m excited – and I’ll be back soon to chat more. Have a great day!!!

I’ve already shared my how-to’s on the photo decor + the muslin flowers… now it’s time I post these layouts! First up, my layouts with the project kit from www.scarletlime.com -

I can’t wait to go Christmas dress shopping for the girls next week. Oh how I love Christmas dresses and of course scrapbooking the portraits I take of them…

This layout is photos from our first Christmas, first Christmas as parents, first with Becca, and then last year. This year I vow more family of 4 pics!

Now here’s what I did with the main Nov. kit…

See? Already this year we’re taking more family photos. This layout came out exactly how I wanted it. And since we were all REALLY red faced in this photo I’d printed it out B&W instead of in color.

Christy put a lot of funk-a-licious stuff in this kit. I was in heaven for sure.

Duuuude. I had to beg a cast member to help me figure out when to get in line at Pixie Hollow so we could meet this fairy. ANY fairy really. After 2 or 3x going up and meeting Irridessa + Tinkerbell (who’s ALWAYS there)  E was getting bummed. She really wanted to meet Silvermist or Rosetta. She batted her eyes and I pleaded. The nice lady helped me time it out and we met Rosetta. Aw yeah.

I don’t know why I made this page or what inspired it exactly. I had a 101 fever at the time… and I do really like how it came out. Just index prints + squares of paper. Fun stuff.

I had a lot of fun with these kits. Is it time for next month’s yet???

Making kits is so much fun – almost as much fun as using them. Did you know I really kind of make “mini kits” every time I make a page? I bet you do too. When I pull  stuff together that I think will work with my photos I’m kind of making a single page kit. So even when I don’t think I’m using one, I kind of am. Can you tell yet that I’m all pumped for class to start? I totally am.

In celebration there’s going to be a lot of fun going on here all week – even more than usual. Today I have a 13 x 13 x 3″ box to fill with a homemade kit. I’m calling it “nov/dec 09″.

lots of reds and greens, but other stuff too. I love putting together vague kits that can be interpreted and used in many different ways. Know what else I love? giving the kits away. If you’d like to win everything pictured above + about 10 sheets of alphabet stickers + any other fun stuff I can fit into the box just leave a comment here! I ask that you enter the drawing only if you’ve not won a prize from me in recent months. I’ll leave that up to you to interpret- I just want to make sure somebody who’s not won before – or at least in a long time – from me wins.

AAAAAAAANNNNNNDDDDDD here’s some winners I need to announce! E-mail me (mflaum at comcast.net) with your info to claim the prize!

Halloween prize winner: Ann Abrameit

 BIG box ‘o Fiskars prize: Terrie Carlson

LAST CHANCE: winner of the ink, ribbon, and brads – Christina Simon {I’ll draw another winner at end of week if I don’t hear from Christina…}

First of all, we’re on count down to adventures in scrapbooking: using kits. Seriously? Could NOT be more excited for class to kick off Thursday!! Something that’s important in class – and in kit use for anyone really – is to remember that a kit = supplies. While it’s beautiful and makes your choosing supplies much faster and easier, if you take the kit apart it is still just craft supplies. So don’t get hung up or worry about the right thing to do with it – just have fun!

related: since it is supplies, that means you don’t have to just do layouts with it – you could do anything you like. Me? I usually stick to layouts but sometimes another paper craft project tickles my fancy and I take off in a new direction. Like when I got the Scarlet Lime project kit (November) and there was the cutest little red box containing flowers in the kit. I dumped those flowers right out and grabbed the box.

Why? Well looking at all the flowers and buttons in this festive kit, and determined to use some of the wire in it, I hatched a plan for something decorative to add to my hallway.

Re-using a container is a great way to reduce waste but also make something inexpensive too. To start, I punched two holes at the top (I used a thick needle) and strung wire through. I put six beads (three for each side) before wrapping and tying off the wire. My piece was about 8″ long (then wrapped/cut) but you could go shorter or longer.

Next I cut a piece of 3 3/4 x 2 3/4 white cardstock and adhered to the front. I made it this size so that a 2 x 3 – 2 1/2 x 3 1/2″ photo would fit after I’m finished. Then comes the easy part - just slather the front with liquid adhesive (area not covered by paper) and stick flowers, buttons, and rhinestones all over until covered fully. When you are done, sprinkle with gold glitter – it’ll stick a little here & there and I just really like the effect. I also used a big sticker at the bottom – the portion that hangs off was of course still sticky. To take care of that I rubbed a bit of liquid adhesive on the sticky part. That sounds crazy – but what it does is when dry that exposed sticker will no longer be sticky – thanks to that liquid adhesive!

The final piece of the puzzle is the flower at the very top. I used a scrap of wire to thread the two flowers, snowflake, and bead through and looped around the top. The bead is essential – it keeps the wire from just falling back through the flowers.

This project is going to be home for the 2009 Santa photo – and I think it’ll be brought out and enjoyed every year from now on too. If you don’t have this red box, any box lid or shallow box that’s nice and sturdy could be substituted – just find a bit of wire or ribbon, some cute embellishments, and have some fun with your creating!

Miss R is soooo down with the jingle bells and their sweet chiming whenever I move this. She’s way happy with it – I can’t wait ’till she sees her cute face on it with Santa & her sister! {Note to self: buy more little jingle bells!}

I hope you enjoyed this project, and that when you next craft you ask yourself if there’s anything useful you can make with your leftover bits and pieces. I still have pieces from this kit – and I’ll be experimenting and sharing soon.

I was excited when I heard that there would be a strip of Muslin fabric (it’s about 1-1 1/2″ wide) in November’s Scarlet Lime kit. I buy this kind of fabric in yards for both sewing and for use in my paper craft projects – so I’m already a fan. Today I’m going to give you some ideas for turning a strip of fabric into flowers. (Note: this would work with most any fabric – but the thin muslin is so easy to work with!)

First of all, you don’t have to sew – you can just use the power of hot glue.

Use your fingers and hand fold a circle shaped flower. How much folding you do is totally up to you. Then drop a glop of hot glue onto a circle (or other shape ok I suppose) of patterned paper that is smaller than your finished flower. Press your flower into it.

Huge tip: Use a pencil, stylus, or ANYTHING but your finger to press that glue into the fabric and make it stick. I still do suggest the hot glue though – it’s fast and does a great job. I had to let a flower done this way with regular liquid adhesive set overnight to work. I’m not that patient!!

I pressed a button into the center of mine, but you could put another (smaller) layer of fabric, beads, paper, or even a sticker as your flower center. Just pick off the excess hot glue once it’s all set up.

For a decorative touch you could use pinking shears along the edge, or even a decorative blade (before making flower is easiest!) from your trimmer or rotary cutter.

Now let’s talk about sewing one. The above flower (w/pinking shears) was created by using thread instead of hot glue to pull a flower together. I find it makes a more uniform and easily tweaked flower – but it does take a bit more time. Here’s 2 ways – by hand and by machine:

If you have a machine – do a basting stitch (a BIG and very LOOSE stitch) through the fabric, then pull it tight. You can adjust how tight you make it before either stitching together or using hot glue (and a circle of paper) to glue it down.

Note: most of my flowers are a piece of fabric around 12-16″ long, however if you make them longer you can easily make yourself a multi-layered flower by just circling around and around. The downside to this is they really become too bulky to put in a scrapbook, so that’s why you’re only seeing single-layer from me here.

Sitting in front of the TV? Fighting the flu and need something to keep your hands and mind occupied while sitting still? I like to get our some embroidery thread and a needle and pull flowers together.

Just do a straight stitch in and out (regular thread would be ok to0- but I pull hard and break it sometimes… so I go with the thick stuff now). The thing I like about this method is you can do it anywhere, and you can gauge your progress easily because of the slow & steady pace.

To close these flowers I tie the two ends of thread together in a knot and pull nice and tight. Then I tuck the ends (of fabric) under when placing it on a project. of course gluing these onto a circle of paper makes them a) more sturdy and b) easier to manage so I still suggest that.

Had enough? No way! I’ve got 2 more ideas to show you…

I cut six 1 x 2″ strips of muslin. Then I folded in 1/2 and pinched the open end a bit and sewed 2 stitches (regular thread) to keep it puckered/pinched.

I repeated this for each petal, then I sewed them together, just putting 2 stitches of the left side of one into the right side of the next one (and on all the way around)

It’s ok if the stitching looks crazy. You’ll never see it again.

When I was done It looked like this – then I spritzed and spritzed some more until I liked the color I got. Oh yes, did I forget to mention? Using Shimmer sprays, inks, even paints or stamps on this stuff = fantastic. It’s totally easy to do and adds customization to your fab flowers.

Still, layered flowers rock and it bummed me out that all the bunching & stitching meant  they were too lumpy (like 1″ thick!) for my pages. But what if you just cut & glued petals onto a circle base? Say, like this-

3 layers of petals – I just cut a ton out (no worries if they’re imperfect!) and hot glued onto a circle of paper. Then when I liked how many layers I had I went spritz crazy. See how it’s all beaded up? That’s OK! It’ll soak in and dry really quick, and wherever it was all beaded up will just have more color. If you want it to be even all over just keep spraying until it’s all very, very wet.

Having fun yet? I sure am – and I’m ready to do more, more, more!