How to Post a Comment on the Blog...

A few of you have had trouble posting a comment on the blog, so I thought I'd write up some instructions on how to do it and put it over in the side bar --------------------------------------->
so you can reference it whenever you need it! After all, with the recent prizes hinging on leaving comments, we certainly wouldn't want anyone to be left out because they couldn't get a comment to post! So here's what you need to do...

1. Find the post you want to leave a comment on. At the bottom of the post, click the link that says "__ comments" (there will be a number in the blank, depending on how many comments have already been posted.)

2. A new window will open containing the previous comments and a blank comment form. Scroll down to the bottom of the existing comments to see the comment box.

3. Type your comment in the box.

4. Below the comment box, type the random letters you see. This just ensures that you are a real person leaving a comment, and not a spammer. =D

5. In the "Choose an identity" section, you can choose any of the options, but the easiest is to make sure the "Anonymous" option is selected. Click the circle next to "Anonymous" to select.

6. Make sure you sign your name in your comment so we know who posted!

And that's all there is to it! It seems like a lot of steps, but once you do it a time or two you'll see that it is really pretty easy. So go ahead... practice a bit and leave us a comment on this post!

Thank you to all who took last night's Cricut class!

By Kristii Lockart

I want to take a minute this morning and thank each and every one of you who took the Cricut class last night. I had a great time with all of you! I hope all of you who have a cricut, will take it out this week and have some fun with it. It really is a marvelous machine! Any of you who want to try it again, let me know on my blog here, and I would love to bring my machine back to the store and play some more!

Please, take time to post a message on the blog to let me know what you thought of the class. I am always striving to make my classes better, so your input is important to me! I will hold a drawing for those of you who post an opinion and one lucky winner will win a prize! So please let me know what you think!

I am posting the pictures of our projects so that you may copy them if you would like! Once again, thank you all for coming to the class and I hope to see you all soon!

And the winner is...

Margo Mosley!!

I used the random integer generator to choose a number between 1 and 3 from the comments on the previous post. Here are the results:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

3 

Timestamp: 2008-02-28 04:43:03 UTC

So congratulations, Margo!! Stop by Keepsakes to get your prize!!

Transparency card variation

This card is Margo Mosley's take on what we did in class last week! She used one of the Tres Jolie cards to draw out the brown of the paper and ribbon combined with the cream of the flower. Isn't it beautiful?! Thanks for sharing, Margo!

Tranparency Card Class

by Elizabeth Wickland

Thank you to all who came to the class tonight! It was so nice to see fresh faces and to get to know some of you a little better! I hope you had a wonderful time, too. I loved seeing how you adapted the cards to your own style, including turning some of them on end. You inspired me and each other - thank you! Here are the pictures of each card for your reference. Feel free to print them out and use them as inspiration for more transparency cards! Try using different transparencies and papers to make similar cards. I know Rosie is planning to stamp her own transparencies to use. Let us know how they turn out!






Please leave a comment* on the this post to let me know what you liked/didn't like about the class or what you would like to see more of in the future! We'll leave the commenting open for a week, then draw a name for the door prize! (Don't forget to put your name with your comment, or we won't know who to give the prize to!)

* to leave a comment, click the link that says "0 comments" (or 1 comment or whatever) below the list of labels at the very end of this post. It will open a new window where you can type your comment. Click the "publish your comment" button and your comment will appear on the blog! Don't forget to check back in a week to see who wins the door prize!

February Book Club: Designing with Details

by Susan Beth

It was a great fun meeting tonight! There was much laughing, some munching, and lots of encouraging and oohing and ahhhing. I managed to lose my notes, so I can't tell you what page inspired each of the projects, but I'll try to remember as much detail as I can. Unfortunately, there was not good lighting in the back room, so my photos do not do any of these projects the justice they deserve. In fact, the photo of my project is completely unusable! Many photos were unusable, but here is what we've got, with comentary below the photos:

Jan was inspired just by the whole concept of details, and she put that all together in a mini-album for her son. It is so beautiful! Remember, the colors are just not right because the lighting was poor!

Barb shared this project from an on-line scrapbook class! It is really cute, even if it isn't from the Designing with Details book.

This is another project from Barb, this time it is inspired by the Designing with Details. It features her daughter Sarah and her dancing experience one year.

Here's the detail on the pull-out from this page.
And one more from Barb, inspired by a layout from Marlette, one of the Autumn Leaves Desinging With authors. Barb commented that making these metal rimmed tags is done with a tool she does not enjoy, and doing this did not change her mind about that. Oh well, glad she went to the trouble for this one!
And, if I remember right, this is a page that Barb really likes because it got her a nice complement from her on line instructor. It is also nice and bright and full of great photos!
This is Rosie's layout, which is not from Designing with Details, but actually from last month when we did Nic Howard's "That's Life." Rosie was not hear that meeting, and brought this to show us this month. It has some moving parts, shown below.

Rosie let us know that doing this detail on the photo did not go as she expected. She was dissatisfied with the way the stamp ink went on, so she went over the image with a black pen. Way to recover Rosie, because it looks great now!

This is from one of our two new members tonight, Christi -sorry, don't know her last name! She says she is a card maker, not a scrapbooker, but then she got a great grand-niece recently, and decided to use this BoBunny book to make a little scrapbook. It isn't finished yet, but it has lots of details.

Here you can see the baby that inspired Christi to step out of cards for this project.


But, fortunately for us, Christi allowed herself to be inspired by the Designing with Details in her card making, and she had this to share with us.
Yes, those are little die cut tags that were alternated to make the closure on this cute card!

It is a wonderful little card!

These next three layouts are by Rachelle, and they are of her with her husband before they got married. The photos are beautiful! The layouts are beautiful! My photos suck! Sorry to say, but you are not able to enjoy the beautiful purple and plum colors that she used because I just can't seem to get them edited in a way that shows them off. My bad!
Rachelle said she loves ribbon, and was inspired by a page in the book that did strips of ribbon as the details to highlight the photos. This is just beautiful!

And this one I remembe was from page 38 of the book. It is a great one! I only wish youcould see the colors as they really are!

So, that does it for this month. There were three people who came who for one reason of another did not have a project to share, and we love them anyway. Oh! And Kristii L. had a great layout that she was finishing up by putting blanket stitching around it with floss. She ran out of floss before the meeting was over, and did not want it photographed without being finished. But trust me, in true Kristii style, it was beautiful and full of oh so many lovely details to look at.

So, for next month we are taking inspiration from Designing with Texture, an old but really great book! Kind of a classic, you might say. That meeting will be on March 17th.Then, on April 21st we will be presenting projects inspired by The Designing With Recipe Book, a new publication that many of us are very excited about. On May 19th we'll be showing work inspired by "Imperfect Lives," a Memory Maker's publication. Then, yes, we know our June book already too. It will be another Memory Maker's publication called "Home Decor." There are so many books to select from! And so much art to be inspired by! Join us if you'd like. There is not cost outside of the cost of the book. We always meet the third Monday of the month, and we have a great time!

This Just In: BUTTERFLIES!!

The beautiful Heidi Swapp butterfly masks and ghost shapes are finally in! Kristii has shown us some beautiful ways to use these winged pretties, so they're sure to fly out of the store quickly! The masks come in a single long mask with 5 butterflies (which can be used together or cut apart) or a smaller set with two individual butterflies. The ghost packages include 6 butterflies - 2 each of 3 designs! You can save one set to use as templates and use the rest on your projects!

Today's Card Class...

By Kristii Lockart

I want to take a minute and say "thank you" to the most wonderful group of ladies that took my class this morning!!! I enjoyed each and every one of you!! Your cards, envelopes and pockets turned out fantastic!!! I loved all of your ideas and came home with a few new ideas myself!! Thank you again!!!

Here are the projects and please feel free to print them out and make them again. I hope to see your spin on this class. Please share your ideas and finished projects with me!!! I can't wait to see what you will create!!

Product Review: Build-A-Frame Stamps

by Elizabeth Wickland


When I saw this Build-A-Frame stamp set by Iron Orchid Designs, I had to have it. It's a huge stamp set, and for about $20 it was a good deal! I loved the designs and planned to use the images separately, since I'm not big into frames. I took it home and played with it in a few different ways to create this layout...


1. I stamped the corner and side stamps to create a frame around the patterned paper. IOD advertises that the pieces go together for a seamless look, and I have to say that they were right. The way the corners are designed lends itself well to blending with the side pieces for a seamless frame.

2. I stamped a stripe down one side and across the bottom of my page, then stamped an edge stamp around all four sides. IOD claims their stamps fit together just right for stamping on a 12x12 layout - and they do! I love what they look like as a distressed edge in distress ink!

3. I stamped the butterflies in the corners to see how they stamp on textured cardstock. They stamp beautifully, even over layers!

3. I stamped the butterflies and flowers on patterned paper and cut them out to use as embellishments. I loved the result!



This is a stamp set I will use over and over again. With several corners and edge pieces to choose from, I can create a custom frame for just about any project. The edge stamps will be great for cardmaking, too. I love the coordinating accent stamps, like the butterflies, heart, and flowers. The stamps themselves are high quality. They stamp crisp images, adhere well to a clear block, and resist staining, even when used with Staz-On ink. They clean up nicely and are easily stored back in the original packaging. This is the most versatile stamp set I have seen in a long time and I'm looking forward to using it a lot!

Upcoming Class - Sentiment Cards and Holder

Saturday, February 16
10-12
$20
Instructor: Kristii Lockart

Create a variety of beautiful sentiment cards, matching lined envelopes, and a holder using papers from Bo-Bunny, stamps, ribbons, and more. A great set of cards to keep or give as a beautiful gift.

For more information or to sign up for this class, please call the store!

**NEW** Iron Orchid Designs

Have you seen Keepsakes' newest products from Iron Orchid Designs? In the last year Prima Marketing (maker of the all-favorite Prima flowers) has come out with some wonderful things, but these two take the cake...

Transparent Scrapbooking Tape


For less than $6 you get a dispenser and 3 rolls of clear tape (one of each design shown above). And with almost 33 meters of tape, there's a LOT of playing room with this stuff! It dispenses cleanly and can be used for anything you would use tape for - and more! Use the tape to cover the seam of two abutting papers for a beautiful transition. Tape around the edges of your photos to adhere them to a layout and frame them at the same time! This tape is beautiful, versatile, and best of all it peels away from your paper and photos without tearing them if you don't like where you have it positioned! It will quickly become a favorite adhesive and design element!

Build-A-Frame Stamps



These beautiful stamp sets include corners and straight edges that can be used individually or combined to make a variety of frames. Use them together on acetate to create your own clear frames! Stamp the corners on your photos to give the look of a digital layout! The frame strips are designed to stamp end to end seamlessly so you can create 12 inch frames - try framing an entire 12x12 layout! Add your own frame to your favorite patterned paper for a custom look! The possibilities are just about endless...

Paper Clearance!!

Stop by Keepsakes to see the selection of paper Sheila is clearancing out! The sheets are going for 10 cents apiece, so this is a great time to stock up for cardmaking or making a coordinated album! These papers are great for altering items, too! The patterns lend themselves well to being torn and layered, so if you've wanted to try altering an item, this would be a great time to give it a try! The selection will be changing weekly, so stop by often and check the clearance rack at the front of the store!

(Last year when Sheila did this Elizabeth Wickland thought ahead to stock up on paper for her Christmas cards - what projects do you do every year that you could stock up on paper for?)

February Kit Club - Scrapbook Page

Dive into the fun world of rub-ons with this month's scrapbook kit designed by Susan Beth Breuner! This bright, cheery page promises to brighten up your winter and get you looking forward to spring. The kit includes everything you need to make the page seen here, plus a complete alphabet so you can customize the title to your own pictures!

For more information or to sign up for this kit, call or stop by Keepsakes!

February Kit Club - Prayer Book

The project kit for this month is this wonderful prayer book designed by Peggy Lucas. Designed with beautiful black, red, and cream papers it is sure to be a display piece for your home as well as a reminder of those who are dearest to you! The book has a magnetic clasp and several pages that can be tailored to your individual use. Here's a peek at the inside!



For more details on this kit and to sign up for February's kit club, call or stop by Keepsakes!