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My Scrapbook Page is On Display at the SU! Convention

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 31, 2007 in Crafts, Scrapbooks

I have a really full day ahead of me today, but I was just browsing through the photos of the display boards at the Stampin’ Up! Convention going on right now in Denver. I noticed a page on the display board that looked familiar – and lo and behold – it’s one that I entered!

Here’s a link to the photo taken by SCS user ‘sluman’ – thanks for taking and posting the photo!

You’ll notice that it looks sort of like the layout I used on the cover of one of my record album projects. I liked the way it turned out on the record album so much that I ‘scraplifted’ it (from MYSELF), modified it just a bit and turned it in as a contest entry. I didn’t win, but at least it’s on the display boards.

I’ll have to scan the rest of the photos when I have time and see if any of my other entries on on the boards…

 
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Some More Cards…

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 31, 2007 in Cards, Crafts

I just made a few more cards – trying to have some ‘set samplers’ for my Open House…all supplies are from Stampin’ Up! except for the bottlecap.

The first three use the Garden Silhouettes hostess stamp set.

Card - black and red

The flower on this card is a removable pin. I saw some pins like this at CKC and actually made it separate from the card at first. But then when I was carrying it, I had it on top and decided I really liked them together. The flower was dyed with Groovy Guava and an aquapainter and the bottlecap in the center is filled with Crystal Effects, some glitter and a sticker from the Secret Garden scrapbooking kit.

Card - charm pin

Card - lovely

These three cards were made using the Pick-A-Petal stamp set. I’ve been so busy since I got it, these are actually the first cards I made with the set…

Card - blue and brown pick a petal

Card - red and yellow

Card - kissing petal picking

 
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Getting Ready for My Open House

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 30, 2007 in Cards, Crafts, Other items, Scrapbooks

Whew!  I’ve been working like crazy to get ready for my Stampin’ Up! New Catalog Open House tomorrow night.  I thought I’d post some of the projects here for those who won’t be able to make it…and if you ARE coming and think you don’t need to now that you’ve seen it all…I’m not going to post photos of the two REALLY cute FREE make-and-takes to my blog until after the Open House! 🙂

When I set out to do these new projects to show some of the new stamps, colors and accessories, I decided to use some new embossing techniques given to demos at the Stampin’ Up! Convention going on right now in Denver.  Even though I’m not there 🙁 , other demos were kind enough to post some of the things they learned – and I was just dying to try them!  I won’t demo all of these at the Open House – just a few – and not the entire projects – just the embossing parts.

To start, I made a card that uses a mixture of embossing powder and Dazzling Diamonds.  I stamped the image with Perfect Plum craft ink, then used the mixture to emboss the image in the center of the flower…

 

Card - Kind

 

I also used the new Pretties Kit and left the flower white.  The cardstock is Sage Shadow and I used the Baroque Motifs swirl (LOVE that stamp!) behind the flower.

Next, I tried a technique where you take a photograph and add Dazzling Diamonds to areas you would like to highlight.  I used a VersaMarker to highlight my daughter’s pom-poms and the teddy bear’s bow tie and then heat embossed with Heat & Stick powder.  I added the DD on top – I think it looks really cute in person. but you may not be able to see it as well in the photo (see?  that’s why you need to come to my Open House 😉 .

 

Cheerleading Scrapbook Page

 

I also used a technique where you take the Weathered background stamp and use it with VersaMark on top of a photograph.  Then you heat emboss with Glossy Glaze embossing powder for a cracked-glass look…

 

Grandmother Scrapbook page

 

This is a copy of a photo of  my grandmother.  I also used one of the Pretties pins on this layout.  The cardstock is the River Rock textured cardstock and the patterned paper is Brocade Backgrounds.

Next, I made a card using a chipboard accent.  I used Rose Red craft ink to ink the chipboard flower, then embossed using iridescent embossing powder.  Next, I inked the entire flower with VersaMark and heat embossed again with Glossy Glaze embossing powder – what a GREAT effect!

 

Card - bling flower

 

On the rest of the card, I used soft sky and Purely Pomegranate.  It’s funny – once I was done with the chipboard, the color darkened quite a bit and didn’t look like Rose Red anymore.  I also used three flowers from the pretties.  I dyed them using ink refills and an aquapainter.

I used the same technique for the star on this scrapbook page of my dog, Daisy.  For this, I used Blue Bayou ink then just coated it with Versamark the first and second time I embossed it since I don’t have the corresponding craft ink.

 

Daisy Star page

 

The filmstrip effect is done with a piece of black cardstock, the spiral punch and the square punch.  I like how this turned out!

Finally, I used some glue dots in the centers of some stamped flowers, then embossed them with silver embossing powder:

 

Card - pop dot embossing

 

I used a combo of Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou and Soft Sky on this card – makes a nice combination.

Tune in later to see the Open House make-and-takes…

 
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Jacob’s Ladder Project

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 30, 2007 in Crafts, Other items, Scrapbooks

I just finished another project – this one is WAY easier than it looks.

I used some 4X4 square chipboard coasters to make a Jacob’s Ladder toy – these are the toys that flip down one way and then the other. I made it into a little mini scrapbook. 

 

Jacobs Ladder

Jacobs Ladder-2

Jacobs Ladder Closed

 

Jacobs Ladder Closed-2

Jacobs Ladder-3

These are SO much fun to play with – my kids love them!

I used the Stampin’ Up! Secret Garden Simply Scrappin’ Kit and kept the embellishments to a minimum so as not to interfere with the folding mechanism.

I found the instructions for these on Craft Weekly TV here

I may try to schedule a class with these soon…

 
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Days to Remember Project

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 29, 2007 in Crafts, Other items, Scrapbooks

I wanted to design a project using the new Calendar background stamp set, so I decided to make a ‘Days to Remember’ book. The recipient can use this book to record special days such as birthdays, anniversaries and other holidays. Since the dates are not calendar specific (each month in the book starts on a Sunday and ends whenever), this can be used year after year. It’s just the dates that are important, not the days (hey…I guess I should have called this ‘Dates to Remember’ instead!).

This project took a VERY long time – there is a LOT of stamping to do. By the time I got to the inside pages, I decided to keep them very simple and just use a series of black and white photos taken from one day at the beach. But you could use a photo each month of someone whose birthday is in that month – that would be a wonderful gift!

So…here’s how it turned out:

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I realized that I should have oriented the book cover sideways to match the inside calendars, but I think it’s cute anyway.

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Instead of varying the color scheme of the months (which would look REALLY good), I kept the colors the same throughout the book. Like I said, this was a LOT of work.

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Just a couple of pages to give you an idea of the inside…I couldn’t use too many embellishments because I didn’t want the book to be too thick.

I used a Stampin’ Up! art journal as the basis of the book and have MANY more blank pages at the back. Maybe you could use these for notes or as a journal – or to record the gifts received and given for each occasion.

 
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Torrence Family Frame

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 29, 2007 in Crafts, Other items

Just a quick project I did the other day to show at my Stampin’ Up! Open House next week.

I’ve been dying to use the new All In The Family stamp set for a little project, didn’t have the time until now (well…I actually still don’t have the time, but the laundry can wait, right?).

I picked up several of these plain, magnetic frames at the Target Dollar Spot last year:

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And was waiting for a project to use them. I thought they’d be so cute as a family frame to hang on the fridge (this would make a great gift for a neighbor or new family on the block).

P7290007

I just covered the frame with paper and stamped a little family portrait to put inside. Oops – I forgot to put glasses on Mike – I’ll have to add that when I get a chance…

For this project, I used all the new In Colors for my color palette. I watercolored the images with ink from the pad and a blender pen. I also tried dying one of the ‘Pretties Kit’ white flowers for the first time. I used the Purely Pomegranate ink refill and an aquapainter – it was actually VERY easy and I had total control over how light or dark the flower turned out.

 
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Love Walked In

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 29, 2007 in Books I'm Reading

I finished another book this week – Love Walked In by Merisa de los Santos.  I picked it up on a whim when I bought a bunch of other books.  The other books I purchased that day were more serious with heavier topics – this one I thought would be a nice, light read.

And that’s pretty much what it was, but different from most books where it’s just a boy-meets-girl, boy-and-girl-fall-in-love, something-keeps-boy-and-girl-from-getting-together, love-wins-out-in-the-end story.

Love Walked In is about a single, working woman named Cornelia who is looking for love and thinks she finds it in Martin, a sophisticated, witty man.  But when she finds out that Martin has a daughter, Clare, that he hasn’t told her about…and when Clare’s mom has basically a nervous breakdown and abandons Clare, Cornelia steps in as a mother figure and uses maternal instincts that she didn’t know she had. 

It’s a pretty good story, but…why is it whenever there is a man and a woman in a story who are good friends, they have to end up falling in love with each other in the end?  Why can’t they just stay friends?  In this book, Cornelia ends up falling in love with a childhood friend (who also happens to be her sister’s husband) and I wish she didn’t. 

Other than that, this was a nice summer read.

 
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My Day At CKC- Valley Forge

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 29, 2007 in Crafts

I had SUCH a great time yesterday at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Valley Forge, PA! 

First of all, I loved it because there were rows and rows of scrapbooking vendors – so much to see (and buy!).  I did buy just a few things…oh- who am I kidding, I bought WAY too much stuff!!!!  I bought mostly paper – have I mentioned that I have an addiction to patterned paper? 😉

Actually, I have an addition to paper crafting supplies in general, and taking me to the CKC was sort of like taking an alcoholic to an open bar – it was insane!

I bought some beautiful new papers from Basic Grey, SEI, My Mind’s Eye and K & Company just to name a few.  I also did a couple of make-and-takes – during one of which (SEI’s iron-on accents), I managed to burn my arm on the iron – OUCH!  But I didn’t have time to nurse my wound – there were too many more booths to visit!

The best part of going to CKC was volunteering to work there.  If you sign up as a volunteer, you get lots of little free goodies and special discounts too – can’t beat that for working a four hour shift!

I worked in the CKC store where they sold Creating Keepsakes and PaperCrafts books and magazines as well as T-shirts, tote bags, pins and other souvenirs.  While I working, I coudn’t help but talk up Stacy Croninger’s book, 40 Techniques for Making Cards.  I just love this book – I used it as a basis for a series of technique classes I offered last fall and winter. 

Well…lo and behold, who is working at the information desk, but Stacy Croninger herself!  Not only is she the author of this fine book (which I managed to sell a case-and-a-half of, no less), but she is also the editor of my favorite magazine, PaperCrafts!

Stacy also has a new book out, Scrapbooks to Cards, which was my first purchase after arriving at the convention.  So…since she was there, I had her autograph my copy and took a photo with her as well:

Me and Stacy 

After I left the convention, I thought that maybe I should have given her my business card and a link to this blog and my gallery, but I was so excited to meet her, I didn’t think of it.  Maybe I’ll follow up with an email to her…that’s not stalker-like behavior, is it?

It’s just that I’ve been published in several magazines now, but I have yet to be published in PaperCrafts (did I mention it’s my favorite magazine?).  I have submitted a few things, but they only take digital submissions or photographs and I have never heard a single word back on any of the entries I sent to them.  So…if you’re reading this Stacy, can you take a look at my SCS gallery (link is on the sidebar) and see if any of my projects are PaperCrafts worthy? 😉

In addition to meeting Stacy, I also worked with Janice who has a chili recipe in Paper Crafts Gourmet:

Me and Janice

Janice was so much fun – if I volunteer for CKC next year, I’ll request to work with her in the store again!

 
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A New Puppy in the Family

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 29, 2007 in Our Goldendoodle Puppies

No…I didn’t get another puppy (although I have considered it 🙂 )! Andrew’s dad and stepmom did! Last Thursday, they went to Berlin View Kennels (same place we got Daisy) and picked up their very own goldendoodle, Bella! Bella is just 14 weeks old and is the same golden color as Daisy.  Bella is so cute – we had a little puppy playdate this weekend with her, Daisy and my neighbor Chris’ basset hound, Dudley.

Bella and Daisy hugging

Daisy about to pounce on Bella

 

Daisy and Dudley-4

Sharing water

And speaking of Miss Daisy, this week she graduated from Intermediate Puppy Class – yeah, Daisy!!!!

Daisy graduating Intermediate

Daisy will start the advanced training class in September and will hopefully pass the Canine Good Citizen test at the end of the class.

 
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More Totes and Cards

Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 25, 2007 in Cards, Crafts

After the ‘real job’ debacle from yesterday, I felt the need to get back to my artistic roots and use the other side of my brain.

I’m prepping for a class tonight where we’ll be making the little paper totes and matching cards that I showed in a previous post. Unfortunately, I gave that tote and those cards away to Matt’s teacher, so I had no sample to show. Needed to make another one…or three. 🙂

I did make up three samples:

Three totes

The tote and cards on the left are simple and unembellished for the most part. That’s what we’ll be making in class tonight. My sample shows Soft Sky Designer Paper and Groovy Guava cardstock, but everyone pre-ordered the paper of their choice before the class.

Simple tote

The tote in the middle uses Brocade Backgrounds designer paper and is a little bit more embellished with brads and ribbon.

Embellished tote

And the tote on the right shows that you don’t have to use patterned paper for this project. I wanted to do a Christmas tote, but didn’t have any SU! Christmas paper. So…I stamped images from the Peaceful Wishes stamp set using Bravo Burgundy, Always Aritchoke and River Rock inks and vanilla cardstock. Then I cut it according to the same template and used the pieces to make these cards with the same basic designs:

Stamped tote

I hope everyone likes the projects – I can’t wait to see how all the different paper choices turn out.

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