Creative Spaces Giveaway WINNER + Another CK Giveaway!!

Thank you for playing along with the CK "Creative Spaces" special issue giveaway!  I used a random number generator, and the winner is . . . Juanna Hope Sia!! Congrats, Juanna!  Please email me your mailing address.

If you didn't win, don't fret because Creating Keepsakes has another new special issue and I get to give away a copy of that one too! This special issue is all about my favorite scrapbooking accent:  FLOWERS!!!  It's the new Tips & Tricks: Fabulous Flowers.

You’ll learn how to use pre-made flowers in a creative fashion, easily make different flower accents, and learn lovely ways to photograph flowers for your layouts. And to top it off you’ll even find ways to display and organize all of the beautiful flowers in your stash.

Here's a peak at one of my layouts in this issue:

You know the drill -- if you would like to be entered to win a copy of this special issue, simply leave a comment here before Sunday night (May 21st) and tell me your favorite kind of flower to use on your projects.  I'll draw a random winner and announce it next week.  You can buy this gorgeous issue online here. Enter the code FLOWERBB for free shipping in the USA for orders over $25 (expires June 3).

The power of the mind or pure coincidence??

I'm diverting from my normal scrapbook-related post and I'm going to share a little story that happened last November.  It still amazes me every time I think about it.  The background story is that I've always been a cat lover.  I'm drawn to them. I adore them.  But having a cat of my own was out of the question because my husband developed cat allergies years ago (even though he had a cherished cat as a child).  For some reason I started thinking and talking about cats quite a bit last year, and my girls and I even jokingly asked my husband a couple of times if we could get a cat and he could get allergy shots.   Ummmmmm . . . . no.

One afternoon last November my girls and I were sitting at the table looking at magazines.  I was going through an old Creating Keepsakes magazine, and I came upon this page:

At this point I don't even remember what the article was about because I immediately ripped out the page from the magazine and showed my girls.  I squealed "Ooooooooooohhhhhhh, look at this sweet kitty!!  I want him!"  My girls oohed and ahhed over the pictures of the kitten too.  I cooed over the picture a bit more and then I stuck the magazine page up on our china cabinet (I sometimes display the girls' artwork, holiday cards, etc. there) so that I could admire the photos of that sweet kitten for a while longer.  

Now here comes the weird -- and wonderful -- part of the story.  That same day, no more than an hour after I found the pictures of this sweet kitty in my CK magazine and declared that I wanted him -- my husband arrived home and my girls opened the front door to greet him, then Danielle yelled, "Mommy, there's a cat on our porch!!!!"  I immediately came to see what she was talking about, and sure enough a sweet little cat was sitting right there at our front door.  Now mind you, we live on a very busy street in a busy neighborhood, and we rarely see cats wandering around.  In the 10+ years I've lived in this house, we've never had a cat actually come up to our door.  This is the cat that showed up on our porch that day:

The girls and I immediately thought, 'WOW!  He looks just like the kitty in the photo!'  Sure he's older (he's estimated to be between 1 and 2 years old), but the coloring is the same as the kitten in the magazine photos.  It was actually my sweet husband who gave the cat the okay to come into our house for a bit -- despite his 'alleged' allergies.  So this friendly little cat walked right into our house and the girls and I immediately fell in love with him.  I expected my husband to start sneezing and watering up, but he didn't have much of an allergic reaction at all.  We decided to name the cat "Smokey".

To make a long story short  (yeah, too late, I know), Smokey kept coming back to our house.  He even brought us a mouse one day, which is a sign of true love from a cat.   We attempted to find his owner with no success.  Smokey could come and go as he pleased, but he was at our house pretty much all the time.  We finally determined that he was most likely a stray, and we officially took him in.  Thankfully my husband doesn't seem to have significant allergies to Smokey, and he's grown quite attached to our furry addition to the family.  As long as he washes his hands after he plays with Smokey (which he does often!), he's totally fine.

Smokey has now become a beloved member of our family.

 Here's hubby and Smokey taking a little catnap together on the couch:

The other interesting thing is that my beloved stepfather passed away a few weeks before Smokey showed up.  We were very close to my stepfather ("Papa"), so his loss left a void.   I said at the time that Papa must have sent Smokey to us because he knew how much joy he would bring to our family.

So tell me, do you think it was the power of the mind that brought Smokey to us?  Serendipity?   A Premonition?  Or pure coincidence?

Stay tuned for Chapter 2 . . . we're adopting a kitten so Smokey will have a companion.  Fingers crossed that they get along!

Time for Another Giveaway -- CK's Creative Spaces Special Issue

Creating Keepsakes has a fabulous new special issue out called Creative Spaces!

This special issue is all about craft rooms and organization. You'll get an incredible tour of the scrapbook rooms of many well known ladies in the industry. This issue is also filled with many great storage ideas for all budgets. 

I was honored to have my lil'ol' scrap room included in this issue. One thing I love about the issue is that it's organized into 'small', 'medium' and 'large' scrap spaces.  At only 8 x 9 feet, my scrap room is definitely considered small.  It was fun to see how other crafters with small spaces organize their stuff.  Here are some snippets of my scrap room (you can see the rest of it in the special issue -- tease, tease).

 Here's a little bit of my lace collection:

 

And some of of my ribbon storage:

 No, Smokey, these spools of ribbon are not for you to play with (nosy kitty):

 
I admit it . . . I have a little bit of a hoarding problem with lace and ribbon (what you see above is only a very small portion of my massive collection). 

Creating Keepsakes is allowing me to give away a copy of this issue to one lucky blog reader.  To be eligible to win, simply leave a comment here before Sunday night and tell me what scrapbooking product(s) you tend to hoard.  If you'd like to purchase a copy, you can find it HERE in the CK store.  Use coupon code SPACESBB for free shipping in the USA (good through May 27th).

Prima Blog Hop!!

Welcome to Prima's NSD Blog Hop!!

If you arrived here via Prima's blog and you came for the secret word, you're in the right place! If you didn't, then be sure to go back and start on Prima's blog and read the instructions for a chance to win a great prize!   The blog hop order is also posted there.

If you already follow my blog, then you probably recognize the first photo in the group above.  It's the "Madeline's Song" kit that goes along with my Miss Art's Papercrafting School class.  Yes, that's one of the fabulous prizes you can win as part of Prima's blog hop!  I helped design this gorgeous kit, so it has a lot of my very favorite Prima products from the newest collections.  It's a BEAUT!!!

My little share for the day is a Prima layout that I created for Creating Keepsakes Magazine.    

 I made a pull-out tab for hidden journaling.  It's a little love note to my hubby.

As seen in Creating Keepsakes Magazine.  Copyright Creative Crafts Group.  Posted with prior permission from the publisher.

Ready for the secret word?  It's a scrapbooking tool I can't live without and it's a necessity for fussy cutting (something I do a lot of).  The secret word is . . . SCISSORS

Now mosey on over to the blog of the very talented Nic Howard to get your next secret word.  Good luck!!

Celebrate National Scrapbook Day all week with Creating Keepsakes

There's lots of fun stuff happening for NSD (National Scrapbooking Day), which is this Saturday, May 7th.  The fun has already begun over at  Club CK. 

There are different challenges posted every day with many of chances to win a subscription to Creating Keepsakes Magazine and other great prizes.  If you missed any of the weeks' events, you can see the schedule on the CK Blog.  I'll have a challenge posted on  Club CK on Friday (with prizes!), so be sure and check back then!

Come join the fun!!!

Miss Art's is officially open!

Miss Art's Papercrafting School is officially open!!  The winner of Thursday's giveaway of a month's pass to Miss Art's is . . . Michelle!!  Michelle, please email me with your contact info and preferred username.

You can now register for my "Secret Garden" Layout class (see the peaks from the post below).  Some people have asked me about the pricing structure.  You can find all the details on the Miss Art's new site, but  here's a quick breakdown of what the 101 and 201 designations mean:

101 subscriptions are $10 per month, and include 3 classes. 101 classes are a bit smaller then 201 classes, and cover a wide array of subjects, from how-to's for specific projects to classes about using specific products and tools, to technique classes. 201 subscriptions are $5, and while you only get one class, it's a whopper of a class. 201 classes walk you through 1 or more projects, and you learn EVERYTHING you need to know about EVERY technique that goes into those projects. These classes are detailed, in depth, and utterly inspiring and they all have a coordinating kit available for purchase!

My class is a 201 class, so the cost is only $5 for all 12 of my video lessons (such a deal!!).   Although registration opens today for my class, the class is self-paced so you can register at anytime during the next three months and watch the videos at your leisure. Students who subscribe to my 201 class will have 30 days access for the $5 monthly fee. The class will be available for 90 days at this level, but you will need to renew twice ($5) to view it for the full 90 days. After that, you can subscribe at the $15 level to view the class in the library/archives. Basically, all subscriptions purchase 30-day access. There's also a GORGEOUS Prima-filled kit to go along with the class called Madeline's Song.  But you can buy the kit without taking the class and vice verse. If you sign up for the class, I'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments!

Before I sign off, I'll share another one of my Creating Keepsakes layouts. My girls love to play "Red Light, Green Light" on our front lawn.

As seen in the January 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine.  Copyright Creative Crafts Group.  Published with prior permission from the publisher.

We're off to go visit an adorable little kitten we're adopting (more about that soon!)

Just a few more days . . .

Just a few more days until the Grand Opening of Miss Art's Papercrafting School!  Woot, woot!! And because it's the week of April, this is the last Thursday that I'll be giving away a free month's subscription to Miss Art's.  Please leave a comment to be entered in this week's drawing.  I'd really love for you ALL to join me at Miss Art's in May, so even if you don't win (unfortunately I can only draw one name each week), please come check out the new site on May 1st!  The winner of last week's giveaway is . . . Jocelyn!!!!!  Please send me your email address and desired username for log in.

To recap, I am honored to be Miss Art's first "201" teacher when the new site launches in May.  In my "The Secret Garden" Layout class we will create three layouts.  Along the way I will show a variety techniques for adding texture and dimension to your pages, layering, clustering and - YES -- CROCHETING!!  My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was a little girl.  Since then I've crocheted many blankets, funny looking booties and misshapen hats.  I first got the idea to crochet on my scrapbook pages when I saw it done by the very talented Wendela Lam a couple years ago (thank you for the inspiration, Wendela!).  I've been addicted to crocheting on my pages ever since.  My Miss Art's lesson on crocheting will be geared towards people who have never crocheted before, though all levels are welcome!

Here are sneak peaks of the three layouts we'll be doing in my class:

I hope you'll join me in May at Miss Art's Papercrafting School!

Monday, Monday . . .

Happy Monday, everyone!  After one of my busiest months ever, I'm finally coming up for air.    Phew!!

I scrapped most of the weekend, but I took a little break yesterday to help my girls with a lemonade and cookie stand to raise money for their school.  Their school is in dire financial straights and at risk of having many crucial programs cut and the class sizes increased next year (thanks to the huge budget deficit in our state and legislators who don't realize the importance of public education . . . but I digress).  

Business was pretty slow under my supervision.  During the first 45 minutes we only had two customers, and one of those was my mom who made a special trip to our house to support the girls' charitable and entrepreneurial endeavor (thanks Mom!). 

The girls started to get bored and discouraged, and soon they began eating and drinking the profits (and I admit that I had a cookie or two). It was not going as planned.  But then my husband came outside and, being the business "go-getter" he is, he shook things up a bit.  Before I knew it, the signs were off the table and the girls were up on their feet, waving their signs and shouting "Lemonade and cookies! Support our school!"  

That did the trick!  People were smiling, honking, waving and . . . finally . . . stopping to buy lemonade and cookies. We had a constant flow of business for the next hour, and the girls raised $60 for their school!  It's only a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed, but every little bit counts, right?  Most importantly, the girls felt good about raising the money and they had a ball doing it.   They're already planning their next sale!  

Since Easter was yesterday, I thought I would share a page I created for Creating Keepsakes.   My stepmother celebrates Easter, so every year the girls get to have an Easter egg hunt at her house.  The journaling says: Every year you girls look forward to going Easter egg hunting at Grandpa and Mumsie's house.  We've learned from past experience to count the eggs before we hide them so that we know when all the eggs have been found.  A couple of times we've stumbled upon a treat-filled egg that we hid the previous year.  Yuck! April 2010.

As seen in the March/April 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.  Copyright Creative Crafts Group.  Published with prior permission from the publisher. 

Have a great week!

Miss Art's Papercrafting School giveaway and another sneak peak

The winner of last week's Miss Art's Papercrafting School month's subscription is:  Lynette!  Lynette, please email me with your full name, email and preferred username for the log in.

Don't forget to leave a comment here and post the Miss Art's countdown blinkie on your blog for another chance to win a free month's subscription to Miss Art's Papercrafting School. You can get the countdown code HERE. It will appear at the very top of your screen. Copy the entire code and paste it into the "Add HTML" section under "Design" in Blogger.

As I mentioned, I will be teaching Miss Art's 201 Level class for the month of May.  It's called "The Secret Garden Layout Class," and I'll be leading you through three different layouts.   The class will consist of 12 different videos full of techniques -- including crocheting on paper!!  You get access to ALL of  these videos for only $5 (such a deal!!).  It's self-paced so you can watch the videos whenever you want and as often as you want during the term.  Here's the description of my class:

There once was a girl who found her escape in a secret garden. While she worked to bring the flowers to bloom and the garden to life her soul was refreshed, and her creativity was sparked. In “The Secret Garden” Layout Class, teacher Stacy Cohen brings you layouts and techniques inspired by both flower gardens and by the “Madeline’s Song” Miss Art’s Papercrafting School kit.

Join Stacy in this 201 class to learn techniques for creating a shadowbox effect on your layouts, adding dimension through layering, and creating beautiful floral clusters. You will also have the chance to see a step-by-step demonstration on how Stacy creates her crocheted pages. Join Stacy in “The Secret Garden” on May 1, 2011.

Here's a sneak peak of one of the layouts I'll be teaching you in my class:

It's based on the amazing monthly kit for May entitled "Madeline's Song" which will be for sale on the Miss Art's website starting May 1st for only $28.50 (a $34.76 retail value, not including some extra goodies).

It's chock full of beautiful Prima papers, flowers, chipboard, crystals, and more.  And the kit also includes some special surprise additions from my own special stash of trims.

Miss Art's will also be offering several great "101 Level Classes" next month (including a great class on customizing chipboard taught by Alyssa McGrew), so be sure and check those out too! 

Creative Therapy Guest Artist

I'm thrilled to be the Guest Artist at Creative Therapy this week! The catalyst is:

Tell us about a favorite or special piece of clothing.

I chose to do a layout about my favorite pair of Dearfoams slippers.

 

I used all Prima goodies on this page.  The papers are from the beautiful Melody collection.

The journaling says: Nothing signifies comfort to me more than my soft and cozy Dearfoams slippers. I wear them at all times when I’m at home. The first thing I do when I walk in the house is take off my shoes and put on my slippers. They are the last thing I take off when I go to bed at night and the first thing I put on when I wake up in the morning. I’ve been wearing this same style and color of Dearfoams slippers for almost a decade, and I’ve worn out quite a few pairs over the years. I usually buy two pairs at a time so that I’ll always have an extra pair should one pair wear out. Combined with a thick pair of white socks, my feet are very happy inside these cushiony slippers, even in the hot summer months. They are on me all the time — while preparing meals for my family, while talking to clients on the phone, while cleaning the house, and of course while I’m scrapbooking. I never thought about it until now, but they are like a trusty old friend, always providing me comfort. I’d wear them everywhere if I could, even out to public places (and I’ve actually done that a couple times by accident). If you’re listening, Dearfoams Corporation, thank you for making such comfortable slippers. Please don’t ever stop making style number DF672, color black. They are my hands down favorite thing to wear.

Of course I'm wearing my beloved slippers right now as I type this blog post.  Ahhhhhhh, pure comfort.  I hope you're feeling comfortable and cozy today too!!

A little more about Miss Art's Papercrafting School . . .

I wanted to share a little bit more about Miss Art's Papercrafting School and the online class series I will be teaching in May (see my post below). The online classes are a total bargain! Here's the price breakdown:

$5 - 201 Subscription: Miss Art's 201 classes are composed of 10-12 videos, and are perfect for the crafter seeking to learn new moderate to advanced skills and detailed techniques. In these monthly classes, our industry-leading teachers bring you 8-12 videos taking you through a detailed project, and teaching you every technique they use along the way. As a 201 student, you will have the unique opportunity to participate in a live online chat and receive personal email responses from the teacher.

$10 - 101 Subscription: Miss Art's 101 classes are posted every 10 days, and are designed for the crafter who loves having a constant flow of new ideas, fun tips, and techniques. These classes are video based, and range in length from 2-6 videos. As a 101 student, you will have access to live online chats with some of your favorite designers and teachers, as well as personal email responses every time you have a question.

$15 - Extra Credit Subscription Miss Art's Extra Credit subscription includes access to all of our classes, at the 101 and 201 levels, providing you with a total of 4 new classes every month. As an Extra Credit student, you will also receive a Library Pass, which will enable you to see classes that have been posted for 90 days and archived in the library.

I will be teaching the 201 classes in May, during which time we will put together three . . . count 'em THREE . . . layouts filled with texture, flowers, bling and a touch of shabby chic, and I'll share lots of tips and techniques along the way. I will even be doing a video lesson teaching you how to crochet on your pages!

Here's a sneak peak of one of the layouts I created for the class:

Sign-ups will begin on May 1st on the Miss Art's Papercrafting School website.  But in the meantime be sure to check out Miss Art's Facebook page for a chance to win some prizes!

And don't forget about all the blog giveaways this month (see my Miss Art's post below).  I'll be giving away one free monthly all access Extra Credit subscription every Thursday to a lucky winner who leaves a comment on my Miss Art's blog post AND posts the count down blinkie in their sidebar!  So leave a comment here before next Thursday.  You can get the countdown code HERE. It will appear at the very top of your screen. Copy the entire code, and paste it into the "Add HTML" section under "Design" in Blogger.

Miss Art's Papercrafting School winner

Thank you for all the encouraging comments on my last post about Miss Art's Papercrafting School.  The winner of the all access Extra Credit subscription for a month is Creatingme!   I will contact you to get your info.  Congrats!!

I've been busy working on lots of projects I can't share just yet, so in the meantime here's one of my recent Prima projects.  It's based on the March BAP and features papers from the Sweet Fairy collection.

Check back here this Thursday for some sneak peaks of my Miss Art's class projects and another chance to win a month's subscription!

Come join me at Miss Art's Papercrafting School!! And did I mention a giveaway or two?

I have something very fun and exciting to share with you all today . . .

Have you ever wished there was a school which only taught your favorite classes, that had the best teachers and where tuition was so affordable it left you plenty to buy the most stylish school supplies?

Miss Art's Papercrafting School is a virtual academy for every student who wants to learn the latest techniques from the paper crafting industry's leading experts and it is opening its doors for the first time in 23 days.  In the meantime, you can check out the current classes on stash-to-treasure.net where Bethany Kartchner is currently teaching an "All About Me" album.

Subscriptions to the monthly classes start at only $5.00 (such a bargain!) and include live online chats and personal email responses from your favorite designers. Consisting of 2 - 12 videos with unlimited monthly access, each class is the perfect blend of individualized crafting and supportive learning.  You may purchase Miss Art's reasonable kits to compliment your course or pull items from your own stash using the detailed supply lists.

To countdown to the grand opening, select teachers and staff will be participating in a month long blog celebration. Be sure to check back each Thursday as I will be sharing information about Miss Art’s with you. 

And I'm very excited to announce that I will be Miss Art's first teacher when it opens in May!!  My class will be entitled "The Secret Garden," and I will be showing you how to create three different layouts that I created just for this class and available only to subscribers.  Through a series of 12 video lessons, you'll see how to put together the three layouts from start to finish and you'll learn a variety of techniques, including how to crochet on your pages!!

The first Miss Art's exclusive kit is a BEAUTY!    "Madeline's Song" (available May 1st) is loaded with gorgeous Prima papers, flowers and embellishments, as well as some vintage goodies and trims.  Here's a peak at the gorgeous kit (there are a few other items that aren't shown):

Nervous about trying something new? Most new students have a few first day jitters, so we want to give you the chance to get to know us better. Each business day (Monday-Friday) in the month of April we will be giving away one free monthly all access Extra Credit subscription to a lucky winner who leaves a comment on the staff member of the day’s post and posts our count down blinkie in their sidebar!  Just leave a comment here and post the blinkie on your blog before Saturday night at Midnight, PST and I'll draw one lucky winner.  You can get the countdown code HERE. It will appear at the very top of your screen. Copy the entire code, and paste it into the "Add HTML" section under "Design" in Blogger.

Miss Art’s Papercrafting School Blog Celebration Schedule for the month of April:

Monday: Bethany Kartchner
Tuesday: Heidi Kelley
Wednesday: CarrieAnne Deloach

Thursday: Me!!  Be sure and check back every week!
Friday: Alyssa McGrew

Please come join us on Facebook for a chance to win this great prize package:

Thanks for celebrating with Miss Art’s as we count down to the best first day of school ever! Don't forget to leave a comment here and post the count down blinkie on your blog for a chance to win a free monthly subscription to Miss Art's.

A few more Fancy Pants projects to share

I have a few more projects to share that I made as the Guest Designer this month for Fancy Pants.  I had a BALL playing with all these beautiful products!  Here's a layout featuring pictures of Rebecca in Hawaii a few years ago.

I used papers, ribbon, die-cuts and chipboard from the Beach Babe collection, and I added a glitter cut flower from the It's the Little Things line for good measure.  I made the little droplets using Shimmerz' new Pink Stiletto Coloringz. 

One of my favorite new Fancy Pants products are the new Filter Papers.  I used them to make the large blue flower and the small rolled rosettes (I colored them with Shimmerz).

I made the paper roses using a petal punch made by Punch Bunch.

I also made a couple pairs of shoes using my Shoe Template.  The papers are from the elegant It's the Little Things line.

 

I made the big flowers here using the Filter Papers.  I colored them with Shimmerz and added some glitter to the alternating layers.

One more pair . . .

Thank you Jodi and Fancy Pants for having me as your Guest Designer this month!  It's been a true honor and pleasure!

Fancy Pants Guest Designer!

I'm thrilled and honored to be the Guest Designer for Fancy Pants this month!  I fell in love with the new collections when I saw them at CHA, especially the It's the Little Things and Beach Babe lines.   Here are a couple of the projects I created . . .

The new Beach Babe line is so fun and colorful!  It's perfect for these Hawaii pictures that I never got around to scrapping.

This line comes with lots of adorable chipboard and die-cut pieces.  I had a ball dressing them up with rhinestones and Shimmerz paint.  I also added some real sand to the paper.

 Another close-up:

This page was made with the beautiful new It's the Little Things line.  I just love the color combo and patterns!

I used lots of different Fancy Pants goodies on this page -- paper, chipboard pieces, die-cuts, a rub-on (the journaling circle), a metal piece, flowers (yep! these are Fancy Pants too), and the great new chipboard alphas (I love these!).   Here's a close-up of the crocheted, curled and machine-stitched curvy border:

I was giddy with delight when I first opened my box of Fancy Pants products.  My sweet kitty, Smokey, was too:

(Luckily I had already removed all the goodies before he decided that the box would be a fun play toy for him.)

I'll be back in the next couple of days to post my other Fancy Pants projects!!

P.S. Did you notice the new blinkie on the left sidebar?  Stay tuned for the deets!