escape 2 create creativity continued...

This year, there were three highly regarded and talented teachers with a class each to wow us with:  (L-R)
Ebony van der Starre, Kim Jeffress, and Sharmaine Kruijver.   Ebony is a current "Scrapbooking Memories Master", and is on the guest design team for Bella Blvd.  Kim is an Aussie scrapping superstar, on the design teams for Heidi Swapp, Basic Grey, Bella Blvd, Pebbles, Greatest View as well as having been a past Scrapbooking Memories Master.  Sharmaine is on the Cocoa Daisy, Scrapmatts, X-pressIT, FabScraps, D-lish scraps and is also an official blogger for Target.  I decided to do all three classes this year, to create some new pages for my wall frames (most of which still contain pages scrapped when I was last on a design team, some years back now!).  All three ladies were lovely, down to earth and friendly.  Sharmaine and I kept feeling we knew each other from somewhere  (but still can't think how or where, so perhaps it's a kindred spirits thing)

Anyway, here are the projects:

This was created in Ebony's class, and I loved making it.  Lots of masks, mists, strips, tape, and gesso texture. as well as doodling.  I love it, and the colour theme suits my boy's favourite colour - ORANGE!

Kim's class was for a Memory File - and it's not yet complete, as I intend making it an album to record the 2013 e2c retreat roadtrip.  I think I will have a bit of a play using some SU gear to create something similar - it's a fast and  easy way to get memories stuck down and safe.
Here are the progress pics - I've collected quite a few bits and bobs to stash in the pockets, and have plenty of photos.  I'll try and remember to post again when it's done.  And I'd better hurry up, since Kim is keen to show our creations to Heidi Swapp herself (!)

Sharmaine's class was perfect for my messy style, more sprays and paste and splats.  And Potty People!  I'd not heard the term before, but it was perfect for the little wooden male/female shapes we added.  There was resin, washi, twine and more.  Another frame-worthy creation.

As well as these three completed (well, almost!) layouts, I did a non-class layout of my own, first time in aaaaaaggggges, as a warm up before the classes started.  And 14 cards!!  I think that was a record level of output for me at a retreat, but staying up laaaattte is good for that ;-)

More later!!

Housekeeping and Customer Lists

Further to yesterday's post on the newsletter, and on clearing our my own inbox this morning of clutter I regrettably don't have the time to read, I have had a major clear out of my customer database.  Now that I have been a demo almost 5 years, there are a lot of people who may no longer be interested or who have another preferred demo.  There have been merged customer lists, and a change from Constant Contact to my Demonstrator website emails, times and hobbies change and that's OK!  There were also quite a few 'opt-outs' which means the Demonstrator Website does not send on newsletters to those email addresses.  For a while there, it was quite easy to accidentally unsubscribe, so if you would still like to receive my emails, it's easy to re-subscribe again, by clicking this link.  I guess if you don't want the monthly-ish email, you won't miss it, but if you do, you're most welcome to re-sign.  Thanks for visiting, it was nice 'knowing' you, one day maybe we'll meet again...

More Escape2Create goodness!

 I've had a shocker of a week, catching up from a fabulous trip to e2c, full on teaching and uni, and some assignments to stress over as well :(  It's nice to look at the pics and pretend to be back there, if just for the time it takes to write this post.  Some of the pictures have been borrowed from the escape2create blog...

The lolly buffet - complete with some memorabilia from e2cs past.  There were lovely big white bowls to scoop assortments into, and take back to the tables for the late night sugar hits needed to keep on stampin on!
  

 Just before the happy noises of guests arriving, we enjoyed a toast of Moet with the whole behind the scenes team and teachers.

Creative juices, captured in a glass - Amanda and Meredith's now famous Cosmo cocktails.  Chug-a-lug, there's a whole jug in the kitchen!

e2c blog borrowed pic of the hive of industry taking place!

 

The decorated shed, before the peeps filled it up!

 Kate Mason, artiste extraordinaire!  She would like this pic better without her in it, but I think this apron captures her quirky creativity best when she's holding it out for me!

L-R me, Nat, Amanda, Kate, Meredith, Andrew and Sue, with Mardi at centre front - the e2c organising team and teachers with interstate helpers!

The whole crew, early Sunday morning  - sunglasses might have been a good idea...

I've photographed the cards and Kate's canvas class products, more tomorrow maybe!

Escape2Create 2012

Just posting these pics makes me wish I was back in the shed, stamping and laughing, soaking up the creative vibes that were so thick in the air you could cut them!  As always, Amanda, Sue and Meredith (the main organising team) together with their wonderful teachers for the year, Nat May, Mardi Winen and Kate Mason made it an unforgettable trip.  I feel lucky that I get to stretch the experience out to nearly a week, because it's a fair way to go.  For the last two years, Andrew has been part of the incredible behind the scenes team making everything run smoothly, helping out in the kitchen with the wonderful Val Slater (my newly adopted physics and chemistry HS teacher mentor!), and this year's volunteer cooking trio of Leanne, Mel and Kym.  This year, following on from last year's "Man in Pink" tag, he scored the label of "Mr McGuyver" from Mardi.  Lucky me that he's made himself so indispensible that I get to be amongst the chosen few who have the pleasure of attending and helping out.  I'm so inspired, my buckets are flowing over with enthusiasm, now just to find the time needed to play!  A huge thank you to everyone who is so friendly and welcoming to us out-of-staters, if I ever feel the need to move to the country, the Eyre Peninsula would be top of my list I reckon!

Important Update for 'We Stamp for Lara' PayPal be DAMNED!!!!

Despite Lara's mum Madonna going to considerable effort to get a Government Approval Sanction specifically for this fundraising project, PayPal have seized her account where the donations have been made, and will not release any funds. PayPal were even asked prior to the donation buttons being placed if they required a copy of the documentation, but have blocked the account anyway. Come ON!!! We're mothers and friends helping a severely disabled child to access vital equipment, not terrorists or drug dealers!!! Get over yourselves, PayPal!! I'll be closing my Paypal accounts after this has been resolved, and I encourage you to do the same if at all possible. Vote with your feet to show how you feel about this reprehensible 'bully-boy' behaviour!

To this end, a brief message from the lovely Mads:

So, if you have friends that you want to join up or know of anyone else who’s interested, please direct them to Lara’s trust account:

Heritage Building Society
Mrs M J Dunn T/F Lara May Dunn
BSB 638010
A/C #: 12189650

So pass along the message girls. We will make sure that PayPal release the funds quickly. Word of mouth is a powerful tool. An angry Mother is another one!

Love and Hugs,
Mad

There's still plenty of time to jump in and join, you'll be able to access all of the daily tutorials to date, all the future daily tutorials and prize draws and of course, the grand prize draw of a Bigshot! Let's stick it to PayPal and show them we can succeed without their high fees and heavy-handed tactics!

and a partidge in a pear tree....

This card is mostly Stampin' Up!, but when I saw how well the tree stamp went with our Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Papers, I couldn't resist borrowing it from a friend and giving it a go at a recent scrapbooking gathering.  The card base is Old Olive, and I sponged the edges with Old Olive ink, and stamped the Medallion background all over in Old Olive too.

I wanted to use a piece of Good Morning Sunshine paper that has a very similar  pear print to the main image, but as luck would have it (not!), that particular pattern was not in my crop stash.  Ahhh, never mind!  The beauty of the Stampin' Up! colour system is that because the colours match so well between paper, card and ink, you can get away with it (and if I didn't tell you you'd probably not even think about it!)

 Anyway, I matted a piece of the Designer Series paper with Chocolate Chip cardstock and attached to the left side of the card.  I inked up the tree stamp with my markers, in Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Summer Sun, which was a technique not seen before by quite a few people at our table, so it was nice to be able to share that knowledge.

I stamped the image onto a piece of Whisper White and matted it with a piece of Summer Sun with sponged edges for definition.  This panel was popped up over the DSP panel with Stampin' Dimensionals.  For finishing touches I used a scrap of Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain with a "Fire"circle rhinestone brad through a Felt Fusion flower, and drew a border around the panels with the fine point of my Chocolate Chip marker.

There were a few oohs and ahhhs at the table, so I hope you like it too! 

* Don't forget, today is the last day to get your orders in for the final "Deal of the Week" on selected rhinestone brads and ribbon - last order to make the deadline will be submitted after I have got the kids tucked into bed tonight. 

* We've also had our first completely sold out item in the retiring colours announced, Close to Cocoa cardstock is no longer available to order.  I expect there are a number of other items that will join Cocoa shortly, so if you haven't done so already, it's high time for that inventory of your stash! Call or email me with your requirements and beat the panic...

A bit of this and a bit of that - e2c totally rocked!

Well, I have had a curiously amazing week. I have travelled over 4000km in a car, been in 3 different states at various times, spent an awesome few days at a brilliant retreat in SA, and back to normal life via a sad and unexpected funeral :( Phew! And, funerals most definitely excluded, I'll be doing it all again next year!! I am almost reluctant to tell you more about it in case you all decide to go along and steal all the spots!!

The Escape 2 Create retreat was organised and run by a bunch of fab girls I feel I have known for years, and in some (online) ways, I have! Thanks!! Thanks!! and more Thanks!!! go to Amanda, Meredith, Sue, Val, Kathryn and Mel for your wonderful hospitality and brilliantly smooth organisation. I haven't laughed so hard since... last year's retreat!! I also managed to get quite a lot done, with three classes, a scrapped 2010 calendar from a kit (thought that since it was nearly April that I should make that a priority!), and all up I made 13 cards as well.

The top layout is the one I made during Amanda Hall's class. She's such a clever chicky that it's already been snapped up for publication, so give me a yell if you need me to take it down! It was lots of fun, and although I had reservations about my choice of photo (taken by my then 8 year old!), it turned out to fit in just brilliantly. Ciaran is very excited to see it scrapped at last.

The second layout I made during a class by Mel Forbes, who was guest teaching at e2c all the way from WA. It was great to catch up with Mel again IRL, and I got to watch her talent up close sitting at the same table, making the most stunning off the page creations. The layout looks a lot more complicated that it actually was to create, so that's a bonus!! And, it was nearly as messy as a good stamping session, so I felt right at home!!

I also got to meet IRL a lovely digiscrapping online mate, Ange Byrnes. You have probably seen her super 'real' creations in the mags, and she was also the lightest packed scrapper in the shed!! Her expanse of table top looked positively vacant!! In the top pic we have Mel, Ange and Amanda left to right, nice and happy scrapped out faces from the final hours on Sunday.
It was lovely to catch up with old mates from last year, thanks to Tiff, Sue, Sandra, Val and plenty more for making me feel so welcome. The piece de resistance was a shoulder, back and neck massage by the diminutively powerful Mandy - I fair glided out of the shed and into the car for the trip home. Stay tuned for some card creations and the cutest mini flap album (the source of much late night hilarity) by Meredith maybe tomorrow - off to the Royal Easter Show with kids in tow!