Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Create n Connect Recap

Good evening,

I wanted to give you a recap of my time at the summer CHA show, Create N Connect. Wow, still pinching myself that I had the opportunity to attend. Thanks and big hugs to Jodie at Chico Scrapbooks!

I wish that I had taken more photos. Some of the time I just plain forgot and others times we were just so busy I didn't have time.  So much to see and do  

We were on the move from the time we got up on Saturday morning to the time we left on Thursday. Saturday and Sunday was spent at the Crafters Home Showcase. Crafters Home is a group of independent retailers. We took classes and got to see new product previews. 

Monday we attended an off site cross coordinated marketing extravaganza. Lots of projects and products to see. 



A highlight was meeting Anna Dabrowska, a fantastic artist who rocks the mixed media canvas. 




Then it was time for classes. Dylusions tag album with Ranger designer Dyan Reavevely. 


The Magic of Steampunk Spells with Laura Denison. After following her blog and attending Usteam classes it was so fun to meet her in person. She taught a wonderful class with the Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells line. So this is one of those times I didn't even think to get a photo, ha, ha. Jodie was on top of it and posted to the Chico Scrapbooks Facebook page. 

Tuesday the show floor opened. So much anticipation for the upcoming craftification!



We were on the floor Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Of course I had to visit the Ranger and Sizzix booths. Amazing to see the demos with Tim, Dyan, and Wendy!  So much inspiration with all the samples. 













The Prima booth was full of eye candy!  One of the big trends was chalkboard themed paper. Prima rocked it. 





Other favorite booths included:

Kaisercraft- loving the cute mini dressers


Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft


Also loved but didn't photograph (sorry😜), Elizabeth Craft Designs,  We R Memory Keepers, and Graphic 45.

Tuesday evening I had a mixed media canvas class using Faber-Castell gellatos, pens, and watercolor pencils taught by the fun and talented Donna Downey. I got all inky creating this canvas. 



Attending a CHA was a dream come true. The crafting community is a fun neighborhood to hang out in. So much positive energy and inspiration. 

A great big thank you to my traveling companions Barb and Jodie!  You made the trip so special and fun!

Well, that's my big crafty adventure.  Hope you enjoyed the recap. For those of you local to Chico and the Northstate area be sure to stop by Chico Scrapbooks to see the new products and to sign up for classes and events inspired by what we saw. 

Thanks for stopping by. Happy creating!

Hugs, Sharon






































Monday, July 29, 2013

Generous Zandra

Hello, me again,

two posts in one night!  Ha!  On a roll.

I wanted to give a big shout out to Zandra of Scraps to Beauty!  We became online friends through the Ustream shows of Laura Denison and Jim, the Gentleman Crafter.  Last week we had the opportunity to meet in person at the summer CHA show, Create n Connect.

It was so fun to meet her.  She is a wonderful artist and a very generous lady.  I feel very lucky to have received one of her wonderful cards!  Thank You so much Zandra!  I really appreciate you.  She also included a few other fun goodies in the card.


How cool are these little skulls?  They will make a fun addition to a halloween project.


And these mustache ring and bracelet are too cute for words!


Thanks again Zandra for your generosity and your friendship.  

Please take the time to visit Zandra's website to check out her wonderful projects and posts at Scraps to Beauty at http://scrapstobeautybyzandra.blogspot.com/  

Have a wonderful evening!  Hugs,  Sharon

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013 July

Good Evening all!

Another take on Tim Holtz tag for July.  Check out Tim's post to see his techniques and what other crafters have posted here.

While I am a big fan of patriotic works I don't have the Distress Stain colors or the Sizzix die that Tim used.  I went in a completely different direction utilizing the same techniques.





The background is created using Distress Stains and a brayer.  On my tag I used Broken China,  Iced Spruce, Shaded Lilac, and Seedless Preserves.  Those same colors were used on the die cut bird, branch, swirl and ribbon.  Gathered Twigs and Brushed  Pewter were added to the branch.


Wonderful texture with the Distress Stains over the crackle.




Can't believe we are already through seven tags for 2013!  Having so much fun learning all these techniques.  This one has a wonderful grungy vintage feel and will be using this on other projects.

Be sure to check out the Tim Holtz website for more inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by.  Love to read your comments.

Happy Creating!

Hugs,  Sharon





Friday, July 26, 2013

Back Home

Good Morning,  errr, I mean afternoon,

Got home late last night - 2 ish. That's AM!  Tired and moving at a snails pace today, lol. 

I wanted to share more photos and post more from the CHA Create n Connect show. Unfortunately the Internet was not accessible on my iPad and I had to use my phone. I did post a bit on my blog and on my Facebook page (SY's Studio).  The other thing is that I did not take as many photos as I would have liked.  Partly because I was so busy and partly because I was just on sensory overload with all there is to see. 

Once I get unpacked and settled I will sort through the photos I did take and do a recap for you. 

Jodie, the owner of Chico Scrapbooks posted photos on the stores Facebook page at Chico Scrapbooks. Go check those out as well and "like" the page too if you want to see her posts. 

I kept hearing that this was a much smaller show than the Winter CHA. Even so, for a newbie like me it was a lot to take in and see. Seeing all the products is great, really great. The most exciting thing for me was to see the samples and the products in action with the demos. 

Thanks to all who stopped by to check out my posts and Facebook page. 

Will try for another post later on today or tomorrow so be sure to stop back by. 

Happy creating!

Hugs, Sharon

Monday, July 22, 2013

Vegas Day 3-Classes and More

Good evening everyone!

Whew, back in our room at a decent hour. 


I started the day at an off site event where we got to meet Anna Dabrowska. So so fun to watch her work and to be able to ask her questions about techniques. 



Then it was back to the LVH for some classes. First up was Dylusions where we did a cool mini with big tags. Learned some new techniques.  While I ran out of time to finish here is a peek at the cover. 


And here's my inky fingers. 


Next up was a Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells album taught by Laura Denison. Love her!  Love the album.  We ran out of time on that one too. That 2 hours goes by fast. 

I was a bad girl and didn't take photos. I will work on doing a better job tomorrow. In the meantime you can head over to the Chico Scrapbooks Facebook page and check out Jodie's photos. 

Tomorrow the show floor opens. So excited I can hardly stand it!

That's it for now. Going to chill out and get a good nights sleep. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Hugs, Sharon




Sunday, July 21, 2013

Vegas Day 2


Good Morning from Vegas!  Sorry I've been MIA. On Friday we had some massive flight delays and didn't make it to the hotel until about 4 am!  Yikes!  Well as we had to be at the Crafters Home classes at 8 am we didn't get much sleep. Dragging all day long but got to do some classes with Imagine Crafts, Spellbinders, Fancy Pants, and Graphic 45. 

Here is a card we made with Imagine Crafts. 


After a goods night rest we are raring to go!  Today is another Crafters Home day and is all about product reviews with a bunch of manufacturers and then a sample showcase tonight. 

Now that my brain is working properly, ha, ha I will work on getting some more photos. So excited to be here!  They are setting up the show floor but we can't get in but it is very exciting to see all the preparations. 

More later!  Have a great day. 

Hugs,  Sharon 

Friday, July 19, 2013

Delayed

Well, we are still at the airport.  Our flight was supposed to take off at 9:40 PM and it is now 11:20 PM.  They are estimating a midnight departure. Yikes that means a 1AM arrival!  Wish us luck. 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Steampunk Spells Box and Mini

Good evening!

As promised I've got some photos of my Steampunk Spells project to show you.  What a blast I had putting this together.  I did this one just for me.  No particular end in mind.  Just playing and having fun.  Hope you like it as much as I do!

The box I used is a Graphic 45 Altered Art Box with windows in the front.  I don't think these are available anymore.  I have had this in my stash for a year.  The flowers were fussy cut and layered.  I got this idea from Anne Rostad from the G 45 Design Team.  There are Tim Holtz die cut gears, paper and chipboard accents.






I took some metal tape, ran it through the Big Shot with a Tim Holtz Texture Fade, and sponged on some black paint.  Most of the paint gets wiped off but stays in all the nooks and crannies.  I used this on the sides, as accents and even a little peeking out of the back.  Thought it gave a great grungy steampunk feel to the box.



The front cover opens to reveal our steampunk witch in all her glory.  You can see that metal tape accent.



The interior panel opens to reveal a mini "spell" book.  The ribbon is holding it in place.



This ribbon is to help pull the mini out.



Using the cut apart sheet I created some journaling spots and then added tags held in place with belly bands and stoppers.  So fun huh?




Well, what do you think?  Steampunk Spells combines two of my favorite things - Steampunk and Halloween.  I'm just in heaven.  Still have lots of paper left and I can't wait to make something else.

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy creating!

Hugs,  Sharon