This fall I started a couple of new ventures at our local A. C. Moore craft store. The first one is doing demonstrations on the "Cricut Expression" and the second one is giving classes. These have been great fun and I wanted to these ventures on my blog.
The demonstrations started as a one time favor for one of the employee and turned in to a two time deal, with possibly more in the near future. I had my "Cricut Expression" for a while but had rarely used. Part of the problem was that I'd gotten mine prior to "ProvoCraft" providing an "how to" video in the package. What I knew I had learned from watching a couple of infomercials and the promotion on QVC. When I was asked to help out with the first demonstration I reviewed everything I knew and re-read the owner's manual. The first demonstration went well, but I was asked many questions I could not answer. I didn't feel bad not being a representative of the "Cricut" products and not having been trained on them, but still I knew I could personally do better. So I buckled up and went on line to get myself ready for the second one. Needles to say I learned a lot and am now using my "Cricut Expression" a little more often.
The classes started almost as a dare. I did one class just for the employees on card making and scrapbooking materials and their basic use to introduce many of them to the products the store carried and they sold! I was very surprised at how little people actually knew about the most basic information and so I decided to do a four part series on the basics of paper crafting open to the public. The first class I covered the basics and we actually walked around the store while I talked about the various types of papers, adhesives, tools etc. The second class was a run through of the various die-cut systems, from hand punches to "Sizzix" and "Cuttle Bug" to the "Cricut Expression". The third class was an introduction to card making, while the fourth class was an introduction to scrapbooking. These were loads of fun and I was amazed at how passionate I could be about these various aspects of papercrafting. I have now decided to do a second more advanced series of three classes.
The best part is that I learn so much and get so many ideas that it's an education for me as well. I will post my class schedule on the side of my blog. Hopefully I will see some of you there.
November is here, which means one of the most American of holidays is just around the corner. The stores are littered with fall foliage and pumpkins and yet these are all sorry leftovers from Halloween. There are actually very few "Thanksgiving" icons available on the market. I wonder why that is? After the 4th of July this is about as American as you can get! In any case I wanted to make a couple of cards to celebrate the occasion and searched high and low for appropriate images. I was tired of the leaf motif or the pumpkin image and yes even of those pilgrims, who each year seem to get trendier and trendier! Because of everything that is going on I wanted an image that represented not only the bounty that america has to offer but also a real Thanksgiving icon. After a long and fruityless search I finally found something I liked on of all things: a paper nakpin! The image
here does not quite do it justice, but it is a regal looking bird surrounded by the bounty that is the season. After all the turkey was chosen by some of our fore fathers as one posibility for the national bird. This turkey was indeed a proud and regal bird. I photocopied the napkin and then using metallic markers and chalk I enhanced the overall colors and depth. To add to the depth I edged the card with black and walnut ink. The text is a sticker from Hallmark. The second card is made starting with a window card with a mat from "The Paper Cut". I used cross stitching canvas in a natural tone as the window inset on which I glued a 3D wheat shaft sticker from E.K. Success. The text is a sticker from "Mrs. Grossman". Although 2009 has not been the best of years for me, I still have a lot to be thankful for this year and have many blessings to count. I hope everyone could say the same but I am sure there are people out there who do not feel blessed or feel as if they have anything to be thankful for. To those people I just say: be thankful you are an American.
The first one was a combination of purple and black that just "screamed" manly Halloween scarry things! I used just the one upper corner (the only spot that had a third color - the brilliant orange glow from within the grinning black sull) and side of the paper and I'm saving the rest for future use. The text is a 3D sticker from "Recollections" in the same brilliant orange and black combination as the skull. I mounted the paper panel on black paper and adhered the whole thing vertically on a letter size purple card.
