It's been one of those days...

Giveaway (s), fun classes and cheese on toast.

Draw closed and we have a winner!!  Email me, Maree! 

 

I have taken a few Big Picture classes (including Double Take)and I have gained so much inspiration and knowledge from them all. I love your style Nic and am an avid follower of your blog (good to see you are a Warriors fan as well). Learning some of your techniques would be invaluable to developing my scrapbook pages to the next level. Thanks for the chance to win.

Posted by: Maree | July 01, 2012 at 09:46 PM

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Giveaway time.  I have a class coming up that's full of dimension and texture, layers and techniques.  Dimensional Details - The Expanded Version is a 3 month online class with Big Picture Classes.  Class runs 5th July - 26th September.  I ran this class in 2010 and it was a huge success.  I'm running it again and here is your chance to win a space.

But first, the FAQ.

Dimensional Details is a "4 Experts" class.  Do I have to be an expert?
No - this class is for all skill levels.  You don't have to be the expert, I'm the expert.  apparently. Although  my husband would argue with that.  The invoicing he was doing yesterday is now covered in GlimmerMist.  Not so clever.  Not very expert at all, really.

13 weeks?  What on earth do we learn for 13 weeks?
We start right at the basics and build on up through the layout.  From the beginner stuff to backgrounds, borders, frames, titles, right down to the itty bitty embellishments.  Week by week we build more and more.  Except week 8 which is gala week.  That week there are plenty of assignments but a whole lot more fun stuff as well.  As if there wasn't enough already.

What is involved?
Each week I have a 'Learn It' handout, where I outline techniques through photos, text and layout examples.   Then there is a 'Build It' handout where we have step-by-step instructions to build a layout that involves the learnt techniques. THEN each week there is a bonus.  A guest artist or two(I've even got Ms Finnabair featuring!), perhaps a video, some more step-by-steps, something else.  Oh! And nothing is compulsory.  If all you do is read the handouts and browse the gallery, you'll get plenty out of this class.

I've got summer and kids, and I'm sooo busy but I really want to do this... what if I can't keep up? 
Big Picture has forever-access.  If you miss a week (or two!) it doesn't matter.  You can access all areas of the class always.  Love that!

I did Dimensional Details in 2010. Is the 2012 version any different?
Yes and no.  I wanted to expand and add more.  I wanted to take some away too.  As I went through the content though, it was all so valuable.  So I kept most of it!  I added though.  I twisted things.  I updated.  I had a lot of fun with it all.  We had such a blast in 2010 it'd be fun to see you all back.  Ahhh good times, good times...

Anything else I should know?
Yes.  I've put heart and soul into this class.  My kids lived on cheese-on-toast while I prepared for it.  It's FULL of info.  We have a whole lot of fun as a group.  We learn together.  We have the best gallery on the planet.  Inspiration unlimited.  That's all.

Any more questions?
Email me.  I'm here for ya!

Can you win a spot?  Yes you can.  Click here and visit the description page, then comment on this thread and let me know what you'd look forward to in a class like this.  Giveaway closes July 3rd, class starts July 5th.

And want another chance too?  Visit the Prima blog here..   They are giving a spot away also...  love giveaways!

Laters

 

Snuggling down on that favourite couch.

I'm home from Sydney where I just had the most incredible 4 days.  I need to do a recap on that trip sometime in the next few days because I learnt some cool stuff.  I see a lot of it being used in my classes, both online and in real life.  Tim Holtz is a clever man with a lot of inspiration to pass on.  I'm grateful to have had the time spent learning from him.

He's a great teacher.  And I've seen a few - I've been involved with scrapbooking for a long time and I've been teaching internationally and at large national events for over 7 years.  My first big teaching gig was with David Roberts and Crafting Connection waaaay back when David bought ladies like Becky Higgins over here.  I had some seriously fun times with Crafting Connection.

My next big teaching gig was with Prima.  I became an official educator for them in 2007. I had an incredible amount of fun with that, I bought the 'card buffet' concept to the forefront in New Zealand and Australia (how fun was that?  Remember the one that we made fudge in?  It was part of the class?  It was like a fudge and cards class?  Seriously random as I think about it now...).., and I travelled all over the globe, as far as South Africa, for Prima.   I also was heavily involved in design team work.  Loved it immensly, loved how far it pushed me outside of my zone, enjoyed creating pages for tradeshows and catalogs, good times, good times.

During 2011 I took a well earned break.  I settled into online classes more, I spent a lot of time building Autumn Escape and switched focus a little.  My kids started to wonder how on earth I found time to watch TV all of a sudden.  I became addicted to MasterChef.

2012 has seen me find a different focus again. My online classes are still a massive thing for me, I still travel, I still teach but now I create class kits and travel the occasional trade show too.  Eventing with BFF Lucy has been so successful we have expanded that as well - we have a huge retreat in 4 months and our April event is already close to full. 

And so, when I recieved an email about 3 weeks ago inviting me to once again join the Prima Educator team, I was thrilled.  There are around 12 of us on the educator team, each one hoping to bring something different to the mix and I'm proud to be alongside, and congratulate each one on the team with me. 

Being asked to be on the Prima team again is like snugling back down on my favourite couch.  I feel like I'm just fitting right back in.  Once again you will see new layouts and projects from me at CHA tradeshow time when they release new products.  I'll be travelling more.  IN fact I already have some big things lined up, I have some busy times ahead. 

And so here I am.  Back from Sydney and back with Prima.  Nothing like snuggling down on that favourite couch when you've been away from home.  Happy to be here.  Thank you Prima.

Laters

Five for Friday

1. I'm getting on a plane.  Mum & Dad are here with the kids.  Penny is at her fairy dogmother's house in Huntly.  Sydney awaits me.  New technique and new knowledge is there to be taken.  I have cleared room in my mind for a whole lot of fun stuff to settle in there and I'm hoping when I'm back I'll be able to pass it on.  Tim Holtz. Bringer of all things amazing and distressed.  Give me thy knowledge.

2. Crafthouse has 50% off everything (except Project Life) at the moment.  50% off.  Cardstock stock-up anyone?  Adhesive stock-up anyone?  Don't thank me.  Just shop. 

3.  I am going to the NZ Warriors vs Cronulla NRL game tomorrow night.  In Cronulla.   I am practicing my Aussie accent.  Just sayin'. 

4.My husband just ate leftover curry for dinner and we are due to board a plane in 11 hours.  I tried to warn him to the unwiseness of his ways but he assures me he will be fine.  But will I be? 

5. Washi.  Ahh yes.  New designs will definitely be here next week.  Barnes EasyCast resin will be here next week.  Here are some more washi ideas.  (Below - these are Project Life cards but the same techniques can be used on layouts or cards) Love this stuff.  Mostly because one roll costs just slightly more than one sheet of patterned paper.  And it goes for freakin miles.  Well.  10 metres anyway.  Enough to cover a whole laptop in damask design, anyway.  Or so I've heard.

laters.

The Washi how-to

Washi isn't new.  It's been around for a while but it is one of the hottest products in scrapbooking right now.  Because I love Washi, and because I have just about literally a truckload in storage to sell at SENZ in a months time, I'm pretty involved in the stuff right now. 

So I spend my days playing with washi, I sell washi, and my house is slowly being taken over by these cute little rolls of tape.  Infact I now wade through washi to get to my kitchen , which isn't a problem unless anyone in this house wants to eat, is it?,

So this leads me to one of the questions I am most commonly asked lately. 

Just what do I do with it?

The question is more what can you not do with it.  This has to be one of the most versatile products out there.  It is a lightweight paper masking tape but it is really low-tack.  It's paper, you rip it off, you stick it down, and when you change your mind you remove it and shift it. 

It's that easy.

What do you use it for?  The possibilities are truly endless and if you google 'washi', you will get hundreds of images of things to do.  These are some of my favourites though:

Tags and journaling blocks:  Start with plain journaling blocks or tags and run a strip of washi across the bottom.  Layer a few strips, mix and match, up to you.  These happen to be Project Life journaling tags and those are 2 of my favourite Washi designs from my own for-sale-stash.
(Black Script has 2 lengths of washi across it, black damask has one strip).

Most the rolls you will purchase (from wherever) are 10 metres worth.  Be aware of the occasional 3m roll, but even at 3m, it's a lot of embellishing...

You can get all flash and start layering designs.  I threw two strips of the black script across, and then got all keen and put that red flourish on top.  You can see there isn't any fuss, just rip it off and stick it down.  (most washi is see-through... I put a scrap piece of paper underneath to make the design show up better).

Some of the journaling blocks I threw together for this weeks Project Life layout.  I created some journaling in Word with margins set to the same size as my card, printed it out on regular printer paper, trimmed a card, put Washi Tape across the bottom, and fed it back through the printer.

She's cute huh?  AND the COOLEST thing about this Washi journey I'm on right now?  It's a joint venture between Abby & I.  If you go to my page, view the washi, and send me an email with an order, do you know who picks it up?  Abby does.  Don't worry, she only opens emails with the subject "Washi" , which is the word most people put in the subject line. 

But yes, Abby opens any emails with Washi in the subject line, she reads, she gets the order ready and it's sitting at my desk with a little scrap of paper with your name next to it next time I come into the office.  It's the best fun we've had in a long time.  It's a real little Mum-Abby project.  She gets to feel important, I get a helper and most importantly, we are slowly making a path to the kitchen.  The Howard family may get to eat again.  Soon.

More ideas for Washi over the coming days.  

Laters.

 

Cool things from the weekend...

First cool thing from the weekend was this.  I used to shift this flippin mat 800 times a day.  At least.  It was one of those situations where although it was always creeping up the wall, I was the only one that noticed and moved it.  Then thanks to pinterest, I got the silicone idea.  And thanks to my fabulous hubby, my mat no longer creeps.  Here's the pics - taken in my very own lounge.  Very excited about this... small things, small things, I love you, Pinterest.  My hubby ain't bad either.

Second cool thing from the weekend?  This.  This smile.  This smile that is slowly changing.  Those top teeth are wiggly and my eight-and-a-half year old daughter is over the moon they may come out soon.  "I don't smile in photos anymore because I still have my baby teeth".  Soon, Abby, soon...just one last photo of your gorgeous baby teeth smile for your mama.

This puppy...no, dog... no puppy... finally settling down and becoming a companion to us all.  We did the right thing adding Penny to our family.  I can finally say that.

And lastly, this.  Autumn Escape 2013 is open for registration.  This will be our 5th year running this event and we are only going better and better.  We're so proud of what we are doing and next year we have Jenni Bowlin visiting us here in New Zealand.  Already registrations are exceeding expectations.  Love these ladies, can't wait to do it all over again.

Laters