November kit sneak peeks

I thought I'd post a few sneak peeks of the super fun November Red Star kits.

Here are a couple from me:





And a couple from Nicole:





Doesn't it look great?

12 Days of Christmas

Nicole and I have been mulling over this class topic for a long while now. And now, with the shoppe accomodating Red Star Studio, it's time!

So, come join us for our 12 Days of Christmas online class.

12+ projects over a 4 week period (Nov. 9 - Dec. 4). There are 12 projects scheduled, but we'll be throwing in a couple more just for fun! ;)

The projects are a mix of paper crafts and other crafts you can make at home... often with supplies you have lying around. The projects are either holiday related or would make great christmas gifts.

The classes will take place in a private forum. Classes will consist of project instructions (including images) and instructor support throughout.

You'll receive a supply list prior to class.

This month long class is $20. That's less than $2 per project!

You can sign up here. Hope to see you there! It'll be a blast!!

Oh... and did I mention we're having a draw at the open house on Saturday for a free spot in the class??? ;)

busy

no post from me today. busy getting the open house ready.
but watch for info of our next class shortly.

Stuck in a 12x12 rut?

When I first started scrapbooking, I only scrapped 12x12 layouts. Maybe it's because those were the easiest albums to find. Or because of all that pretty 12x12 paper I didn't dare cut up. Either way, that was all I did, and was almost scared to do otherwise. It was like some unwritten scrapbooking rule that everything had to be that size.

Then I stumbled upon Celeste Smith from Simple Scrapbooks. She only scrapped 8.5x11 layouts. And they were fabulous! So I tried it. And realized that I kind of liked it! I found that the standard 4x6 or 5x7 pictures really stood out on the smaller size. Which was great, because back then I hadn't been introduced to the world of photo editing and didn't realize one could actually print other sized pictures. Another benefit? It used a lot less product, which meant I could (a) hoard more, or (b) spend less! Either way, it's a win-win in my books.

So I thought....why stop there? Why not try a 6x12 layout, like this:


Or (gasp!) scrap on whatever piece of cardstock you have kicking around. No one says that it HAS to be 12x12. Or even 8.5x11 for that matter. Like this layout below. I really wanted to use that colour cardstock, but had chopped off part of it for something else. I figured - who cares? The people looking through my scrapbook won't gasp in horror that it wasn't a perfect size.


Don't get me wrong, I still do find myself scrapping 12x12 layouts most of the time. But sometimes, I find that my pictures and layouts can get "lost" on such a big size. Especially for a "white space" scrapper like myself. So that's when I find doing a smaller size works better. It focuses more on the picture and the layout. Kind of like cropping a picture to zoom in on the subject. It's not unusual to see me cut a layout down to 8.5x11 after making it on 12x12 cardstock, just to make it pop.

So that's my challenge to you this week. Get out of that 12x12 rut and try another size! Don't worry, the world won't end. And you just might like it. ;)

inspiration from a post

Last week in the MSS forum there was a post about
high school...that prompted me to create this weeks
challenge.

Create a layout using your high school photos, and
summarize your feelings about high school.



okay, you have 10 seconds to laugh at my expense..
but i'm pretty sure i am not the only mss-er to rock
that 'do.
and i think my journalling is fairly easy to read..
it basically says i hated high school..i am not one
for the academics.

I can't wait to see everyones layouts..
and i promise to stifle my laughter
to a slight giggle.

later,
Jen

open house - oct. 31

First of all... bad indoor lighting.


I'm narrowing down the details, but this year we're going to have to go with Saturday, October 31st for our holiday open house. Yes. I know it's Halloween. 10am - 2pm... so you can still hit the shoppe and get all your Halloween-y stuff in. This is what we have planned so far...

- special sales (also available online at http://www.myscrapshoppe.com/). More details coming soon.

- enter a draw to attend our "12 days of Christmas" holiday class (details on this online class will go up on Monday, hopefully).

- the November kit released a day early... and a project kit or two (for sure one).

- a section of the shoppe devoted to homemade goods. Great for gift giving. This section will remain indefinately (we've got a lot more planned for Red Star Studio). We'll be revealing bits and pieces of this on the blog as we go. There was already a little peek here.

- possibly some cupcakes. ;) and some decorations.

- blog posts featuring holiday ideas the following week, topped off by an online crop (Nov. 6 and 7th). I'm hoping to share pictures of the open house on the blog as well.

So. Clearly I have a LOT of work to do and I'm just hoping I can get everything ready in time.
What would you like to see at our open house?

Letter trick

I don't think it's much of a secret that one of my favourite manufacturers is Pink Paislee. And since seeing it in the CHA summer sneaks, I have been itching to get my hands on some of the Pink Paislee Amber Road products.

I loved the patterned paper and rub-ons that Marcy got in. When I noticed that she hadn't ordered the coordinating chipboard letters, I figured, no problem, I have a pile of black letters at home.

However, when I started to work on my first layout using the Amber Road products, I didn't think that black letters would work so well. I needed something a little brighter.

I searched through my letter binder for the perfect red letters to use..... only to realize that they couldn't be found. Plan B: make them myself.

I looked through the rest of my chipboard letters and chose some chipboard letters that I thought were both a good size and the right looking font. And, they also happened to be Pink Paislee. Imagine that.

But, said letters also happened to be pink, which would not do.

Normally, I paint my chipboard letters, but I wasn't sure if the red paint I had would be the right shade, and it was running low. Plan C: use ink.

I started with a red ink, which I dabbed onto the letters with a make-up sponge applicator. I repeated this step for a second coat. Then, as a third coat, I switched the ink colour to orange.




I let them dry (probably for about twenty minutes. I didn't time it, but worked on cutting out the trees from this piece of patterned paper while they dried.)

And here's how they turned out:

New Arrivals

New Arrivals.

New October Afternoon Report Card and Farm Fresh. More from these lines arriving soon.
New American Crafts... this paper... this paper... these new badges... these stamps... new Thickers (foam, fabric, and chipboard)... new Remarks (including alphas), this ribbon and some new brads.
Additional Making Memories holiday items and lots more!

P.S.
When I was looking for the Thickers link I noticed that the subcategories (ie. fabric, chipboard...) only show up on the left column... not on the main screen. I think this is something new. I'll check into it.

Something I've been doing...

Have you ever felt totally overwhelmed?

I have! There are days when my day, my kids, my husband, my work, my LIFE, seem too overwhelming that I can't even begin to relax, nevermind sit down at my scrap area and try to create beautiful pages!
These kinds of days often make me feel uncreative, unproductive and frustrated. 

So, this is a little something I created to combat those feelings, and my lack of productivity.

This is a 12 x 12 coiled scrapbook that I was given awhile back.  I have a hard time scrapping in coiled books, but didn't want to waste it, so it sat on my shelf, staring at me...begging to be used.

One night, after having an incredibly stressful day, I put the kids to bed, and I holed myself up in my room with this book...determined to come up with something to do with it. 

I started gluing, journalling, drawing (well, more like doodling) and using some of my favourite embellishments and materials (though not always strictly scrap items) and what I ended up with, was a unique blend of scrapping and journalling.

I use this book ONLY WHEN I WANT TO.  I feel absolutely no pressure to create something in it everyday, or even every week.

This book is incredibly personal (akin to one of those diary's I had growing up...with the lock on it...you know the ones).  I don't show the pages to anyone (except SOMETIMES my hubby). 

I use this book as a release.  A way to remember (or forget) how I'm feeling...and it often works as my own brand of therapy. 

Now, because it's so personal, I have created a "sample" page to show you.  It IS a page in my book, but while the journalling is not as personal as some of my pages are, the style is similar to some pages I've done in it. 

These pages are (clearly) not as "pretty" as my regular pages.  But with this book, I don't judge myself on how it looks.  More on how it FEELS to me when I'm done (or how I feel when I'm done). 

The greatest part about all of this, is that I now feel like I have an outlet.  I don't have to show anyone.  I can take 5 minutes to complete a page (or portion thereof...I have 4 days on some of my pages; 2 on others) or 2 hours.

And it is one thing I do just for me.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I know this is not a brilliant idea, but it was an idea that brings me some comfort when I've had a bad day, and helps me relax. 

I hope your day is filled with relaxing moments, creative thoughts and a small chunk of time to do what we all love best...scrapbooking.

Grateful challenge

Afternoon everyone.

My day has totally slipped away from me... I was hoping to post in the morning. Oh well.

I wanted to highlight the mid-month challenge and share what the Shoppe Girls did with it!

Grateful.

Mine.
Nicole's.

Leigh's.

Jen's.

Flo's.

Now come on... play along! You have until the end of the month! Create a layout using this theme and post it in the MSS Gallery. Link to your layout in the comment section of this post and I'll draw a winner!

What are Actions?

I've gotten a few questions in the past about how I make my photos look vintage, like this:


I do it by using Actions in either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. (As far as I know they don't work on any other type of software. Sorry!)

What are actions?
In the simplest sense, Actions are a specific set of steps performed on an image. They can be as simple as turning a photo into black and white, resizing a photo, or making them look vintage, like my picture above. Actions take all the steps necessary to complete that 'look' and record them so that next time, you don't have to repeat all those steps. All you have to do is hit play. Genius, no?

How do I get them?
Which leads me to my picture above. I could have spent the time and manually figured out how to make it look vintage. Or, I can download an Action and let it do the work for me. There are tons of free actions out there for almost any kind of look you're going for. Here's a few I've tried:

- CoffeeShop Actions (works with both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements)
- The Pioneer Woman (only works with Photoshop)
- Totally Rad Actions (only works with Photoshop)
- Maggie Holmes also has a few sets that I've been wanting to purchase (they're not free!), and can be used with both PS + PSE.

Downloading Actions
From here on in, all my instructions will be for Photoshop Elements, as that's what I have, and what I think most people have. If you have Photoshop and would like some instructions, just let me know!

So, once you find some Actions that you like, follow the instructions here to find out how to download them if you have a PC, and here if you have a Mac.

Now What?
Now that you've downloaded them, open up an image that you want to alter. You should see your actions on the right hand side in the Effects palette. Now choose the Action that you want to use, and hit Apply at the bottom of the palette. Easy! If you want to adjust your picture after this, look in the Layers palette below the Effects palette. Near the top, you should see the Opacity, and a little slider next to it. Use this to make any adjustments. Just slide it left or right until it looks just right. The last step is to flatten your image. Go to Layer>Flatten Image. You're done!


I hope this has helped you out. Feel free to post any questions you may have, or show me any pictures you've altered. Just be warned - it's super addictive!

your challenge this week

i decided its an open topic this week ,
meaning it could be about ANYTHING, as long as
its about YOU!!!

but what's the challenge??
use your favourite type of stuff on your layout!!
and bonus points if you use alot of it..
my layout has ribbon and buttons,
2 of my favourite things. but i often find that
i don't use them, that i just like to look at them
instead...



i'd love to see what you come up with!!
and also, if there is a challenge you'd like to see
that i haven't covered yet, send me a PM,
and you may just see it pop up on a monday!

later!!!
jen

last but not least

hi.
its Jen.
the master of procrastination...
i get my layouts posted last, every time.
even with the best of intentions, they are
still late. sorry marcy.

Most of you already know me, but for the newer peeps,
here it goes.

i hate laundry, i wish it would do itself..
i love U2..have ever since i listened to the joshua tree album...
my hubby does all the cooking, i AM able to cook, but it just
works better the other way.
...i use alot of periods when i blog and/or post.....not sure
why...oh, and i don't text. i refuse to.

i have been scrapbooking for 7+ years,
and loved every minute of it.
I have 2 awesome girls, Jolie(8) and Aymie(6),
and of course my hubby Mike, who thankfully puts up
with my organized chaos in the dining room.

i have been on the DT for almost 5, right Marcy?
i believe i am the last original member.

i am a colourful, stripe-y scrapbooker, you'll understand
that if you check out my gallery. i love one-photo layouts,
and i love taking everyday "moment" photos and making
them super special.

my current scrappy obsessions are deer, owls, and buttons.

i have a hard time scrapbooking Christmas photos..not sure why.


so above is my scrap space. which doubles as the dining room.
i am sitting in my "special" spot, its where i work my magic.
(and where i eat, so if i make a mess i can only blame myself)
i hope to one day have my own room, but i'll take what i can get
for now...i have the space fairly organized and have everything at
arms reach..i really love the paper rack. my dad had it made for me
2 christmases ago..i'd be lost w/o it now. i also love displaying my
girls artwork and my favourite layouts on the walls...what you can't
from this photo though are the MANY nail holes in the walls from me
moving photos around..yikes!!!

and apparently we are sharing our first layouts...well below is the
very first one i did by myself at home..there was one i had done before
at a class, but it was SOOOO bad i threw it out!! it was so bad i
almost gave up right then and there. as you can see i was all about
the computer typed titles and lymeric (sp) journalling..



but enough of the old layouts, a couple of my recent creations...

made this for my scrap space, its a lift from one of my favourite scrapbookers, Kelli Crowe


...and this lo is from the August kit? i think?? it was one of my favourite kits!! Marcy rocks putting those things together!!


...and this is my most recent layout. its was for our mid-month feature, being "grateful"
i am really digging the orange/blue combo lately.


so there you go!
you've met all of the DT girls!!
keep checking the blog daily, as we will
be adding to it constantly..

i will be posting monday BOOK OF ME challenges again..
and i believe each DT member will be offering
something different daily!!!

later!!!

My turn..... Leigh

Hi, my name is Leigh Penner and I am a scrapaholic. ;)

I've been a proud member of the MSS DT for almost four years now. I am married to my husband of 13.5 years, Cameron and am the mom to three children: two sons, Austin & Jonah, ages 10 & 7, and a daughter, Sage, who's 5. I have recently gone back to work as a substitute teacher. In addition to scrapbooking, I also enjoy getting together with friends, photography, reading and taking tae kwon do.

Like Marcy, I enjoyed lots of different crafts in the past, but when I discovered scrapbooking in the spring of 2003, it just seemed to be a hobby that clicked for me, because it combined craftiness with photography and storytelling.

Like I said, I started scrapbooking in May 2003 through a good friend of mine who sold CM at the time. She was going away for a week on a vacation and we'd planned a beginner party at my house for when she got home. During that week, I went to the libary and online and did some research, where I discovered scrapbooking magazines and more specifically, Becky Higgins. I remember looking for her ABC's of Creative Lettering book in Winnipeg and falling in love with her style. I loved that she also did her own lettering. My first layout was a scraplift of a layout in the ABC's book.



Don't laugh!

My style has definitely evolved over the past six years and changed considerable when I discovered MSS and started shopping there (even though at the time, I was clueless about how to use patterned paper!)

Here's my most recent layout:



Now, about where I scrap...
My scrappy space is found in a little nook of our basement rec room. (By the way, I took these pictures in spring when the space was complete and it has never looked this tidy again!)









So, that's me. Make sure you check back tomorrow to read about another "old-timer" to the team: Jen K.

Hello. My name is Nicole.

And I am a craft-aholic. 

And, yes. Scrapbooking falls under that craft-aholic banner. 
I have been scrapbooking officially since 1998, when I made a mini-book/year book of my year at Bible college in Sweden.  That book has long since been destroyed, so I can't show it to you, but I will show you one of my early layouts a bit later on!

I remember thinking (during my 2 year stint as a single mom) that I would never have time to really scrapbook.  It seemed like life would never slow down, and that I would never have the time to treasure (or record) the moments which were consuming my every minute. But now that I have my wonderful husband, and another 4 kids (5 total) to scrap about, I have more time, and ironically, infinitely more stuff to scrap about...and still not enough time to do it all!!

So today, while I still don't feel like I have a whole lot of extra time to actually get scrapping, I am incredibly more grateful; for not only the time that I get to devote to this wonderful, important hobby, but also the man who takes care of everything else while I do it!

Speaking of being grateful...our mid-month DT challenge for October is "GRATEFUL".  Be sure to keep your eyes on our forum and our gallery to see what our DT's came up with this month!

Now...on to my scrap space. Well, as of 7 days ago, I no longer have a dedicated scrap space. Sad, I know, but I am now in the same boat as so many of you out there...I scrap on the kitchen/dining room table.  I have many (MANY) cabinets to store my scrap stuff, but like I said...this table is now my scrap space.

And yes. It always has people around it, stuff on it, and is basically a mess....if not from a meal, then as a result of a scrapping session. But, I work with what I have!

And here is that early layout I promised. 

What was that about sticker sneeze and country dot lettering, Marcy???

SO! Now that you've learned more about me than you ever wanted to know...you can hold your breath in anticipation to meet Leigh tomorrow!!

Me... Marcy

Hi everyone!

My turn. Marcy here. Although I've been a fixture here from the beginning, and I'm wondering what about me you don't know, I'll recap.

I started scrapbooking in 1999 I think. When my daughter was born. I've always kept stuff though... and glued it down in books and labeled it and added stickers and stuff, so I guess I'd say I've scrapbooked in one form or another since grade school. If there's a craft out there I've done it (except crocheting... that's for this winter!), but scrapbooking combined so many of my favorite things... photography, my family, memories and pretty papers.

In 2002 I looked into Creative Memories but remember going, "That's it?" when I saw the product available. So, after that I looked into other individual companies. Thanks to my dad I was able to use a small part of the video store (one counter to start) and started from there. We've now grown to around 1300 sq. ft. and carry the newest and best stuff in Manitoba. Over the years we've had ups and downs... we've even had customers who've taken our ideas, learned from us and started their own stores... but thanks to all our wonderful customers we're still here! We've got lots of new things in store for the shoppe this fall (new classes, a retail Red Star Studio section, and lots more) so stay tuned!

Okay. Back to me. hee hee.

My first layouts have long been taken apart. The photos were cut into shapes. Oh yes. Stars... circles... hearts... ovals... you name it. They'd share the page, but have nothing in common. Little tiny stickers would fill empty spaces and there'd be lots of handwriting (with those little country dots on the ends of the letters... you know the ones) and solid colored paper in primary hues (because that's all I could find here). Lots of deco scissor mats. LOTS! When I started the shoppe, things changed and actual product was found on my pages. I graduated from the sticker sneeze to Becky Higgins. Probably the most "unlike me" pages I've ever created. After Becky Higgins it was Ali Edwards.

And, here's the first layout I posted in the MSS gallery. I'm 100% sure it was lifted from Ali. (Notice the horrible scan job! Man... I could never get those two sides to line up properly! LOL)

But, now, in my defense I feel it necessary to illustrate how my style has changed in the last 7 years (I'd be too embarassed not to...)

My space.

I've shared my space before here. In the last few months it's become more of a storage room as we get ready for our addition (and this room becomes an office) in spring.

Here's what it looks like today...

Yuck. Not inspiring and all the stuff in here is driving me nuts (my scrapbook stuff is in that counter and then on the wall you can't see in the picture). Spring will not come soon enough! I've been sacrificing my space to store baskets, candles, office stuff... everything... but my next space will ROCK... so it'll be worth it.

So, that's me. Tomorrow we get to "meet" another one of our new girls... Nicole.

we interrupt your regularly scheduled program...

for this announcement. Please please watch your children while you're shopping! It's not uncommon for me to clean up the toys in the back (and in the front... or wherever they end up) on a daily basis. And even though, because of my practice at home cleaning up after my own kids, I am very good at it... I have lots of other things to do (like getting new product out). I've already eliminated many of the toys, but I may have to eliminate them all together. I'm also often putting misplaced product back where it belongs (but that's TOTALLY part of the territory and I don't mind doing that). Today alone I have to pick up the toys, pick up the courtesy magazines off the floor and wipe off foot prints off my upholstered chairs in the front... and will not have time to unpack any of the boxes that arrived today. I have a lot of new and exciting things planned for the shoppe and plan on making it more homey, cute, and less retail. But I'm slightly discouraged right now. So. Please please watch your children.

Get to know the DTs!

This week on the blog we thought it would be fun to re-introduce the Design Team. We'll each be writing a bit about ourselves, how we stumbled upon scrapbooking, pics of our scrappy space and just for fun, a pic of our first layout.

And I don't know how it happened, but somehow I managed to go first. New girl hazing, perhaps?

So for those that don't know, my name is Florence (aka Flo) and I'm one of the two newest DT members. I'm probably one of the only girls around here that doesn't have kids. So my scrapbook is filled with other people's kids, my two cats, and every once in awhile dh and I show up in there too. I've been married to Kent for 3 years, we live in Winnipeg, and I work at a Marketing Agency (Mad Men, anyone?). I love french fries, Amazing Race, volleyball, reading, traveling and am a self-professed neat freak.

Believe it or not, until a few years ago, I had never even heard of scrapbooking. I mean, I used to decorate my albums with pretty paper and stickers, but never actually realized it was called something. And that thousands of women did it. And there were people paid to do it all day. And then my cousin suggested we do a scrapbooking bible study. Aha! The light bulb went off in my head. Goodbye extra money! Goodbye free time! Goodbye dh! So, without further adieu, here's a picture of my very first official scrapbooking layout. We called our bible study group the Joy Love Club, a spinoff of the book the Joy Luck Club. This was my title page. I know there's no picture on the layout, but it still counts, right? Well it better, because I slaved over this baby for days. Days!!!

After this little foray into the world of pastels and letter stickers, I stumbled upon Creating Keepsakes and that's when the world of scrapbooking really opened up for me. I quickly moved on from the magazine, finding it to be a little much for my style (read: too much money for cheapskate me!). Then I discovered scrapbooking blogs, forums, online stores - you name it! And somewhere along the line, I found MSS and have been happily stalking er.... posting to the forum ever since.

After months and months of complaining persistently asking for a dedicated scrap space, dh renovated our office and built me an awesome desk:

You'll have to excuse my lack of photography skills. I'm still trying to convince dh that I really need an SLR. Oh, and some photography skills would help too. I keep trying to channel my inner Marcy and Eva and it never works! So yes, the picture is crappy because it was taken in a rush early this morning before work, it was dark and my camera sucks. So does my brain apparently, because I didn't think to take a picture of the entire room. Oh well. You're not missing much. The other half of the desk is for the computer. And yes, that is pretty much all my scrapbooking stuff. Told you I was cheap!

So that's me in a nutshell. If you're still reading, then I hope I haven't bored you to death and that you've learned a little something about me. I have to get back to work, as lunch time's over. But tomorrow you get to learn all about Marcy! Ooohhh....I can't wait to see her first layout.....

A different kind of stamping project

I recently made a new quilt for my bedroom and got inspired by this piece of patterned paper to make some pillows to match.

(If you're thinking, "Leigh, this is a scrapbooking blog, why are you sharing a sewing project?", it's because I used a Red Star Stamp to make my pillows, and I love finding ways to repurpose my scrappy materials (& sharing about them!))

Here's what I did:

I ironed out some of the leftover scraps from my quilt and ironed some interfacing to the wrong side of them.



Then, I used some ink (which, in retrospect, I should have used something non-watersoluable, in case I ever want to wash the pillow cases), my stamping block and my leaf Red Star Stamp (this set would work, too.)



I stamped the leaf onto the right side of the fabric. And repeated this step many, many times, using four different patterns of fabric.



Then I cut them all out.



And arranged them on a square of fabric, that would become the front of my pillow. (The square was 17"x17" so that when sewed together, it would fit my 16" pillow forms.)



And pinned them in place.

With some brown fabric, I turned the edges under and slipped them in between the clusters of leaves, to create the branches and the trunk of the tree. Then, with brown thread, I sewed the branches, trunk and leaves (down the centre vein of the stamp) in place.

Then I repeated these steps and made a second pillow, a mirrow image from the first, with a few different details. I sewed them into pillows and am quite happy with the results.

wanna make some cards...

... with KI Memories?

Download instructions here.

Two new kits...

the main kit...

... and the add-on...

Buy them here.