Homegrown Scrapbooks

Fall Survival Designer - Marie Pilgrim

2008-11-03T19:10:00.004-05:00

Marie Pilgrim

Hi! My name is Marie Pilgrim. I’m a thirty-something speech-language pathologist, who works in the public schools. I’m very happily married to my college sweetheart, who is going back to graduate school to become an SLP, too!

No kids yet (we're praying hard), but we have a spoiled chocolate lab who thinks he’s our kid (probably because we treat him like our kid). When I’m not at work, I’m usually at church; I’m involved in children’s and women’s ministries.

During my downtime, you’ll find me either reading (voraciously) or scrapbooking! I’ve been scrapbooking since 1990 but it’s definitely become an obsession in the last few years. My favorite supplies are patterned paper, rub-ons, and lately I’ve developed an addiction to buttons.

My style tends to have a graphic/linear foundation and then I have fun layering patterns and embellishments on top!

Please join me in welcoming Marie to the Fall Survival Design Team!

Fall Survival Designer - Aubrey Rives

2008-11-02T14:16:00.007-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to our 8th designer. You've seen her work with Maya Road. She is simply amazing!! Please welcome....

Aubrey Rives

Howdy! My name is Aubrey Rives and I am a proud to be from the Lone Star State. I am a graduate of Texas A&M University and a career Elementary school teacher (18 years). I am happily married to my high school sweetheart. He is my soulmate, the love of my life, my rock and the world's best DAD! I have two beautiful daughters! They are both outstanding athletes (in addition to being great kids). Nearly every free minute of my life is spent watching them play softball and running them to and from practices.

I have been scrapping for over 12 years. I originally started paper crafting as a stamping consultant for CTMH (back when they were still called DOTS). In my early scrapping years I did solely two page layouts... then I went to one page layouts... and now, I'm a MINI ALBUM fan! I still do layouts, but my passion for scrapping has definitely shifted to altering chipboard albums.

I have designed for a couple of other kit clubs but the highlight of my scrappy existence is that I have been blessed to be a member of the Maya Road design team for the last two years. I am excited to be a designer for Homegrown Scrapbooks Fall Survival Program! Let's have fun together!

StashBuster Challenge #8 - Birds of Summer

2008-09-25T05:35:00.004-04:00

Yes this actually a game.. you are the mama bird saving your baby birds.. well stop it! Use them birds and think of summer.. do a layout about summer.. anything summer 1 point for the layout and a bonus points for every bird you use! (Don’t forget the owls!)
Here is Tami's Miss You Layout

Be sure to upload your challenge layout to the Stashbuster Gallery!

Fall Survival Designer - Kim Moreno

2008-09-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

My name is Kim Moreno and I am a stay at home mom of 5 little ones, ranging in age from 12 to 5 1/2 year old twins. It's a bit chaotic around my house but I love it! I have been married to Jesse for 14 years. Jesse is in the Air Force, so as a family we have lived several places including Germany! We are both originally from Texas and will retire to there in a few short years! I can't wait for that day!!

I have been scrapping for over 7 years now and love the creative outlet that it gives me. I have been fortunate to have been published in several top magazines including Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers magazines and books, Scrapbook Trends, Cards, Scrapbook and Cards Today, Paper Crafts and more. I was thrilled to be named a runner up for the 2008 Memory Makers Masters contest this year. Not only is scrapbooking a wonderful outlet for me, I love knowing that I am documenting memories for my children to enjoy as they get older!

I'm so happy and excited to be a part of the Homegrown Design Team (once again... LOL)!! You may visit Kim at her blog: Kim Moreno

Technique Tuesday - Emelyn Magpoc's Who's Got the button...

2008-09-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love using buttons on my scrapbook pages. They are easy to find --you can buy them from SB companies, from sewing companies, and I've even used the "just in case you lose a button" freebie that is attached to shirts..LOL! And they are super easy to use. I have to admit, before I was not so friendly to the idea of using buttons. I am NOT a sewer, and I dreaded having to thread the holes of buttons. But after seeing Elsie Flannigan use buttons w/o threading them, I was convinced and now I'm addicted!! I simply use either a really good liquid adhesive like Ranger Glossy/Matte Accents or glue dots.

Here are just a few examples:

Use buttons to create a border.
Use buttons to create "bullets" for journaling strips.
Create shapes with buttons.
Use buttons as flower centers.
Or just randomly cluster buttons around other embellishments for an eclectic collaged look.
Have fun and get some buttons on your pages!! :)

StashBuster Challenge #7 - Rock Paper Scissors!

2008-09-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

Oh paper beats rock, rock beats scissors and scissors beats paper.. why can’t they all just get along! Let’s make them on a layout.. 1 pt for each piece of paper you use.. 1 point for blinging it up.. and use scissors.. no tearing!

Tami's Rusty Rose

Now it's YOUR turn! We are looking forward to your layouts! Be sure to post them in the Homegrown gallery!

Fall Survival Designer - Audrey Tan

2008-09-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

Hiya, I’m Audrey. I’m live in the United Kingdom although I’m originally from Singapore. I’m married with 2 boys, Oliver, 7 and Zac, 5, both of whom form the basis of inspiration for my pages. They are probably fed up with their paparazzi mom taking photos of them constantly to use on her pages. I re-discovered scrapbooking in autumn 2004, via card making. I attended a class and was instantly hooked. I realised it was something I used to do 16 years ago. Each time I went on vacation, I would take endless photos and keep souvenirs, all of which would be decorated and journalled in a photo album. At least this time, materials are of archival quality and much more interesting!

I’ve been with Homegrown since 2005 when Steph gave me my first opportunity to be on her design team. Since then, things at Homegrown have changed tremendously. This year’s Summer Survival kit marks the first anniversary as I was designing with SSK 07 last year. However, you would have seen my work in the form of sketches as I’ve been doing all of the Survival kits sketches since its inception.

Taking up scrapbooking as a hobby has certainly opened doors of opportunity, not to mention friendship as well. I’ve been published before, served on other design teams and definitely have made a lot of friends from around the world, all of whom share the passion of scrapbooking. I’ve enjoyed scrapping so much that I’ve even started a monthly crop with a couple of friends where we provide classes and a great environment to mingle and learn. Regarding my style of scrapping, I certainly love to experiment and try out new ideas. I’m a stamp fanatic and this is evident in my pages. I’m also into the mixed media art and I do tend to bring this over into scrapbooking. Hence, sometimes my pages will turn out to be a hodgepodge of creative experiments.

I’m definitely looking forward to playing with the Fall Survival Kit and hope to be able to inspire with my creations. I would like to thank Steph for creating the Survival kits and coming up with such delectable goodies that make creating a sheer joy!

StashBuster Challenge #6 - Phase 10!

2008-09-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

PHASE 10: In the game you need to be the first to complete all 10 phases. For out challenge - you get 10pts each time you use all 10 of these manufacturers.. (use as many layouts as needed).. here are the 10 manufacturers (you may recognize them.. as they were in the summer kit and are coming up in the fall kit!)
a. Basic Grey
b. Bo Bunny
c. Kaiser
d. October Afternoon
e. Prima
f. Sassafras
g. Cosmo Cricket
h. Maya Road
i. Hambly
j. American Crafts

Here is a yummy layout Tami did for the challenge!

Tami’s phase 10
Basic Grey – papers
BoBunny – paper
Kaiser – bling
Oct. Afternoon – Smile square
Prima – Flower
Sassafras – border strip
Cosmo – “sunny days” (from the strip sheet)
Maya Road – house
Hambley – rubon swirl
Am. Crafts – chipboard underline

Now it's YOUR turn! We are looking forward to your layouts! Be sure to post them in the Homegrown gallery!

Fall Survival Designer - Giselle Homer

2008-09-18T08:46:00.004-04:00

I live in South West England, with my long suffering husband Jim, where we run our own business. We have 2 beautiful daughters and 3 even more beautiful grandsons!

I started scrapbooking seven years ago and my style is quite graphic and simple; having studied design at college, I usually stick to the rules that I learnt there, though I have been known to tear and ink a piece of cardstock occasionally! I've been published in all the UK scrapbooking magazines and was a winner of the first Best of British Scrapbooking. I was on the American Crafts International Design Team in 2006/7, the Scrapbook Mate DT which is Europe's largest scrapbooking distributor & I teach layout classes at my local crop including album tracks and mini books.

Please join me in welcoming Giselle to the Fall Survival Design Team!

StashBuster Challenge #5 - Operation

2008-09-16T06:00:00.008-04:00

Ooh.. remember this one.. carefully remove pieces from the patient.. well let’s remove pieces of each other’s layouts… carefully select a layout from the homegrown gallery and use pieces of it to inspire your layout! 1 pt for each layout.

Tami "operated" on this layout by Karlotta:

Tami's layout Brothers:

Show us your take on this challenge by posting a link to your layout on the Stashbuster thread on the Homegrown forum!

Fall Survival Designer - Kathleen Taylor

2008-09-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I am Kathleen Taylor. I live in West-By-God Virginia. I am originally from a little cow town in Maryland, but moved here 10 years ago. I am married to a goofball of a husband (love that about him!) and have 3 children. Jet and Kaileyne are my 6 year old twins and our new arrival Quinn is now 6 months old.

I have been scrapbooking for over 10 years. I was introduced to it when a friend of mine had a CM party. I was instantly hooked. I think I bought every scrapbooking embellishment that I could find at my local craft stores ( remember all those punches and plain die cuts? I had them all! LOL).

The stuff out there sure has changed a lot in the past 10 years and it is so hard to have it all. But I still try. :)My children truly are my inspiration. I love taking photos of them. And they love having their pictures taken. So, I always have something fun to work on.

When people ask me what my personal scrap style is, I often don't quite know how to answer that question. When I sit down to do a layout, I have an "anything goes" kind of attitude. My style constantly evolves and I don't tend to use the same patterned paper, embellishments, or techniques more than once on a page. I feel more comfortable doing two page layouts than one pagers. I also like the fact that all my layouts look different. And it is not unusual for me to spend hours and hours on one layout. Actually, it happens more often than not.Scrapbooking has really changed my life. Not only has it given me a lot of joy, but it has also lead to many opportunities . I have been published in several publications, teaching classes and I am also fortunate enough to be on two Manufacturer's Design Teams.I started designing with Homegrown in 2006. I was so excited to be working with Stephanie and her kits. And I was even lucky enough to meet Stephanie early on while I was at CHA in Chicago. We have been friends ever since. I love that girl!I was so excited when Stephanie started the Survival Kits. What an awesome concept! I am honored to be a part if it. And it has been so much fun.

Kathleen Taylor brings us an Etsy Find!

2008-09-14T06:00:00.005-04:00

Remember the last time I did an Etsy Spotlight? When I told you that I {gasp} did not know what an "etsy" was.

Well, I am happy to report that this is not the case anymore. But now I try not to go there. Why?

There is just too much yummy goodness for me!

But sometimes I have to go. This time I was looking for things that would compliment the FSK. Little tidbits that would just look great on a Fall or Halloween layout!

Ok, ok I could not help myself! I was looking just to look!

And I found something!

Remember when Lisa showed you how to make Yo Yo Flowers? I loved those things!

I really enjoy funky flowers, but I do not seem to ever do them. But I love buying them!! Hee Hee

While perusing Etsy, I found some Spooky Tattered Posie Tags by Luckchelle7.

Aren't these cool!??

I am thinking: Halloween Layout plus Tattered Posies = AWESOME LAYOUT!

And you know I had to have them! And yes, I bought them!

She has a lot of other cool stuff. You should really check Luckychelle7's Etsy Shop out!

StashBuster Challenge #4 - Taboo!

2008-09-13T06:00:00.001-04:00

What’s more taboo than putting a little Basic Grey with SEI.. they aren’t suppose to be together! But it’s ok, mix manufacturers.. matter of fact.. don’t use the same manufacturer twice on the same layout.. 1 pt per layout (You can even have one “unknown” manufacturer per layout, because honestly I don’t know who made my black brads anymore than most of you do..)

Tami's layout:
Product List
Paper- Making Memories, Basic Grey, Scenic Route
Circle- Creative Imaginations
Fabric- Unknown
Ribon Circle- 7Gypsies
Alphas- EK Success, American Crafts
Journaling- October AFternoon

Awesome layout!! Let's see what you come up with. Be sure to upload your layout to the Stashbuster Gallery and link here on the blog!

Fall Survival Add-ons are going FAST!

2008-09-12T07:46:00.008-04:00

You do not want to miss out! Did you get all that you wanted? Did you get any?

I thought I would share what is left with you!

Always in demand! MORE ALPHAs - the ENTIRE box of Fancy Pants Daily Grind Chip AND Artyliscious!! YUMMY!! Only 1 more available
Free Falling includes Prima - Mixed up Acrylic Album!! Just 2 more in the store
SHUT UP!! The Pilgrim People in Falling Leaves - to Die FOR! Only 1 remains!
Feeling Lucky - The Prima Flowers ROCK! just 2 to go!
FRESH BAKED! Adorable Maya Road Cupcake book!! All the rage - Just 5 remaining!
Holy Canoli - My personal Favorite!! ROAR! only 1 left!!
The Awesome Halloween Kit: Spellbound - 9 kits left from reorder!!

Hurry! Order add-ons here!

Have a FANTASTIC Friday!!

Fall Survival Designer - Tina Albertson

2008-09-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

Scrapbooking to me is such a passion. I want the “small” stuff to matter, to be remembered, because too quickly those “little” memories can fade. Through scrapbooking I can preserve all those memories for future generations. I also NEED that creative outlet!!!My scrapbooking style? I still haven’t figured that one out. My layouts are usually linear with a little bit of clutter, lol. Is that a style?!!! I usually like the focus to be on the pictures and journaling.

My favorite things to do while scrapbooking is listening to the playlist on my iPOD and eating peanut M & M’s. I also have a hard time concentrating so I take lots of breaks to get on-line and gather inspiration from some of my favorite artists.

I am one lucky girl to design for Pink Paislee, whose product never ceases to inspire me!

I have 3 little girls, my husband Chad and I are raising them in a small town in Indiana. I love the peace and tranquility and would trade it over a big city any day!
I am beyond thrilled to be here at Homegrown Scrapbooks, these kits are AMAZING and absolutely FULL of scrapbooking goodness!!!!

StashBuster Challenge #3 - Crazy 8's

2008-09-10T06:00:00.002-04:00

Ooh remember this game 8 was the magic number.. it still is!

Use 8 items left over from any survival kit 1 pt for each 8 items used.

Tami's layout:

Product List
Scrapworks paper
Basic Grey paper
Scrapworks chipboard
Making Memories letters
Creative Imaginations Transparency
Heart & Wings Brad
October Afternoon Journaling block

How fun! Be sure to upload your layout to the Stashbuster gallery and link it here on the blog!

Fall Survival Designer - Rachel Millington

2008-09-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

Rachel Millington

My name is Rachel Millington and I'm 35 years old. I've been scrapping for 3 years now, after making Xmas cards in 2004 and cardmaking for a while, I got fed up with always giving away my creations. So I turned to scrapping in May 2005 and now that's my first love. I make cards for special people these days and still don't like giving them away!

Kim Kwan Sponsored Challenge#2 What Makes You LAUGH?!

2008-09-08T09:48:00.002-04:00

Kim Kwan - What a SUPER guest designer she has been for Homegrown's Summer Survival kit! Her inspiration and interaction has been so very motivating! Guess what! Kim is not done. She was kind enough to offer to sponsor TWO Challenges here at Homegrown!

Without further adieu - here is Kim's Second Challenge:
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
On our SuSK online chat on 8/6 I divulged a few secrets about things that make me laugh. I want to know what makes YOU laugh!

The Challenge: Using supplies from your SuS Kit, create a layout to show me what cracks you up. I'm not talking about the cutesy cute "babies, puppy breath and Disney" type of list...I'm talking about the stuff that makes you laugh so hard you almost pee your pants. The stuff that would make your mother gasp if she read it! The kind of REAL stuff we all laugh at (but are often too timid to admit!).

The Prize: After all entries are submitted by September 26th Midnight EST. I will use a random number generator to pick a winner and I will send you my Funky Found Art Journal kit form Paris!!

BE SURE TO LINK YOUR ENTRY TO THIS THREAD AND identify that it is the What Makes You LAUGH CHALLENGE!

You can view Kim’s first Challenge GET FUNKY - Here

Please note: All Kimberly Kwan designs and content provided for the Homegrown Scrapbooks Summer Survival Program are copyrighted by Kimberly Kwan.

Kim Kwan Sponsered Challenge#1 GET FUNKY!!

2008-09-08T09:45:00.003-04:00

Kim Kwan - What a SUPER guest designer she has been for Homegrown's Summer Survival kit! Her inspiration and interaction has been so very motivating! Guess what! Kim is not done. She was kind enough to offer to sponsor TWO Challenges here at Homegrown!

Without further adieu - here is Kim's First Challenge:
The FIRST Challenge!
GET FUNKY!!
As soon as I stopped trying to emulate the latest trends, as soon as I stopped caring what anyone on a message board thought about my art, it was AMAZING how much FUN I had. All roadblocks were lifted. All cares tossed by the wayside...and guess what? It is also the exact same time that my work actually started to get noticed! ha! How about THAT for ironic! Art is my THERAPY. It is my solace. It is my PASSION! I create for nobody besides myself!

The Challenge: Throw caution to the wind and show us just how funky you can get. Who cares what ANYONE thinks?! Who cares if you're using supplies that are not AF/LF?! Who cares what trends are hot or stylish?! When you toss out all the rules and create from your heart and aim to please NOBODY but yourself, you can't help but find your authentic inner artist! Show us who you REALLY ARE as an artist and post your layouts, journal pages or projects here so we can ALL oogle over them!

The Prize: After all entries are submitted by September 26th Midnight EST. I will use a random number generator to pick a winner and I will send you my Funky Found Art Journal kit form Paris!!

BE SURE TO LINK YOUR ENTRY TO THIS THREAD AND identify that it is the GET FUNKY CHALLENGE!

You can view Kim's second Challenge What Makes You Laugh?! Here

Please note: All Kimberly Kwan designs and content provided for the Homegrown Scrapbooks Summer Survival Program are copyrighted by Kimberly Kwan.

StashBuster Challenge #2 SCATTERGORIES

2008-09-07T06:00:00.002-04:00

Here it is!! Tami brought us a very fun challenge for #2!!
SCATTERGORIES: In the real game you are given categories for the letter.. we’re gonna flip it around to make it easier for you! For each letter of the word stashbuster you have to have an element on the layout. Points 12 pts each time you spell stashbuster (go ahead take as many layouts as you need to spell it). For example:
S – SEI paper
T – Teresa Collins journaling blocks
A – Alphas
S – Seven Gypsies
H – Hambley screen prints
B – brads
U – unique ribbon (yes sometimes it’s a stretch)
S – stickers
T – teal cardstock
E – eclectique items
R – red patterned paper

Hint: You can be as vague or as descriptive as needed to fit the letters, however you can only use items for one letter.. once you use Brads for B they can’t be used for any other letter.. like T – teal brads..

Tami's layout:

The list:
S – Scrapworks Patterned Paper – Peaches
T – Textured Flowers
A – Arrows
S – Scrapworks Patterned Paper – Sunshine
H – Hambley Screen Print Rub-ons
B – Brads
U – Ultra Smooth Ribbon (it’s to the right of the be happy circle)
S – Swirls
T – Tree
E – Eight letter stickers
R – Red Square

Please post a link to your layout with you "list" on the Stashbuster thread!

Fall Survival Scrap Star Designer is........

2008-09-06T09:01:00.009-04:00

Caroline Lau!!!!!!!!Caroline Lau one of the partners/owners of Maya Road. She left a career as a Chemical Engineer to work on Maya Road full time over 3 year ago.Caroline's work has been published in magazines such as Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbooks, Etc, Paper Crafts, Memory Makers and Somerset Studio. She is thrilled to be able to travel around to share with everyone her love of Maya Road products!
In addition to scrapbooking, Caroline enjoys spending time with her husband(David) and little boy (Noah). Caroline also enjoys soccer and running half marathons.

Please join me in welcoming Caroline to Homegrown Scrapbooks and sharing our excitement with her as we look forward to her talented inspiration!!
You can learn more about Caroline on her Blog

StashBuster is here!! Challenge #1

2008-09-04T10:40:00.005-04:00

It’s baaaaaaaaacccccccccccck!

Stashbuster is back in the house.. and this season it’s all about fun & games! That’s right.. you’re going to be playing Last Word, Scattergories, Phase 10, Sorry! and many more. It’s the same old rules though.. a challenge gets posted and you have 72 hours to complete the challenge.. make sure you have your work posted before the next challenge is posted. Let’s make room for the upcoming Fall kit!

Each challenge has points, there will be 10 challenges over the next four weeks. Starting today and ending in October.

Challenge #1:

Tami(michigirl74) brings you this challenge! Matter of fact she will be bringing you all the StashBuster Challenges! She has some really fun things in store for you! So, without further delay...let's get to it!!

1. LAST WORD: This is a silly game about getting the last word in.. how about getting those words on your layouts! Use up those journaling cards.. each journaling card used is worth 1 pt regardless of how it’s used.. what? Yes that’s right journaling cards don’t have to be used for just journaling.. use them to also matte a photo, use it to back a title! Hint: some of those journaling cards have patterns on the back use it for a splash of a different pattern.

So, let's pull out that stash and get to work! Link your completed StashBuster layout to the blog post the challenge is on and keep track of your points. Then, look for a thread in the forum to post your points as you play along. And have fun!

As always, the winner of the StashBuster will get a prize!

Survival Samples - Look What You Will Receive!!

2008-09-03T17:42:00.005-04:00

Have you ever wondered what the Homegrown Survival Programs are all about? We thought it might be nice to show you a sample of what the program is all about!

There is an array of talented designers. Each designer asked to participate is invited because of their unique style. In an effort to provide a wide range of inspiration, ten designers are enlisted to participate and provide at least ten layouts each. Each layout is accompanied of a picture, detailed instructions, a technique tip or design tip - sometimes both! as well as a detail shot - up close and personal. In addition, a sketch of each layout is provided.

Here is an example of a layout:

At the end of the lesson - a sketch for each layout is provided:

The program runs for six weeks. Each Thursday of the program, a lesson is posted in the private Survival members forum. Again - each lesson includes a minimum of 10 layouts with instructions. As the program continues and the international designers complete their work, the number of layouts increases with each lesson.

The grand finale is one .pdf containing all the sketches from all six weeks of the program - well in excess of 60 sketches combined in one easy to download .pdf.

Ladies - this program is above and beyond the fantastic array of products delivered right to your doorstep! The program kit always contains product value in excess of the cost of the program. With the increased shipping costs - added value comes in that shipping is included in the cost of the program. Add-ons will ship for free if they fit into the priority overnight box. Additional shipping charges will apply if the total purchases require additional packing over a standard priority flat rate box.

So there you have it! An overview of the Homegrown Survival Program. The Fall Program is available right now. You can purchase yours here.

Oh and how I would be remiss if I didn't point you to the add-ons!!

Technique Tuesday by Anita Letts!!

2008-09-02T18:31:00.007-04:00

Designing with this SUPERB kit has been such great fun! I love seeing all the different techniques. I chose to highlight creating different types of borders for my technique. You can create a border around a photo, along the side of a page, along the bottom of a page element and the list goes on. The possibilities are endless! A border can really spice up a simple page and I'll show you how...

Here are 4 different techniques to show you how to create fun borders.
1. Stamping a border on the edge of a page really spruces things up. What I did was use the lid to a chapstick tube and dabbed it on a black ink pad and stamped it on the edge of the page. It's that simple. You can use just about anything to get the look you want. For my page, I wanted to give it a scalloped look. 2. Put buttons along the edge of your photo. EVERYONE has buttons and it's time to bring them out! You can use colored buttons, clear buttons, painted buttons and so on. What I did is took my adhesive runner along the edge of my photo and placed the buttons how I wanted them. You can use a tape runner adhesive, glue dots, or even hand-stitch them to your page.
3. Using trim and ribbons is another choice. Gosh who doesn't have ribbon? Stephanie threw that fabulous orange Prima lace into the kit that I used along the bottom of the striped patterned paper on my page. It can be placed anywhere on the page that you want for instant color and texture.4. My final technique is scalloped edges. I LOVE THEM! The paper companies are now coming up with so many different types of paper with different edgings on them. I just go into overload! This layout uses the Bazzill Just the Edges strips that came as an add-on, but the possiblities are endless. They make so many different papers now with die-cut trims on them and any of them would work just as well on this page.

Now let’s see what you can do and when you let your imagination run wild!!

Summer Survival Spotlight: Kim Kwan!! Week 6

2008-09-01T08:30:00.017-04:00

The final Summer Survival lesson has been posted so we wrap up with Kim Kwan's final project. I must say - Kim sure knows how to go out with a BANG! She brings us this incredible Summer mini album!!The Inspiration
Instead of using the Cosmo Cricket journaling cards as intended, I thought they’d be cute pulled apart and fashioned into a tiny little book. This project is a quick, easy and totally free-style little memento of our fun summer…It was a satisfyingly quick little project that allowed me a little “playtime” and helped me use up a bunch of the yummy scraps I have left over from my Summer Survival kit AS WELL as some of the extra photos I have floating around on my desk.Designer Notes!
I often print small photo notations and journaling using Microsoft Word and free fonts I downloaded from the internet. In this project, I used a font called “Pussycat” which you can download at www.dafont.com

Please note: All Kimberly Kwan designs and content provided for the Homegrown Scrapbooks Summer Survival Program are copyrighted by Kimberly Kwan.

Up Close with the Fall Survival Kit!!

2008-08-30T07:58:00.007-04:00

Have you signed up yet?? Time is running out.Here are some more detailed pictures of the Fall Survival Kit

Order your FALL Survival Here!

And - Don't forget the luscious Add-ons!!

Week 6 Challenge Sketch - Let's See the Layouts!

2008-08-29T11:12:00.007-04:00

The Sketch!

The Designer
Audrey Tan - Cookie Monster

ScrappySoccerMom - Expression of Antigua

Melaniestan - Lil' Smore Chef

LisaNRoxy Sharing A Story

How FUN! I love seeing the different takes on the same sketch!

Eye Spy Time!!!!!!!!

2008-08-27T07:57:00.005-04:00

I was strolling through the new uploads in the Summer Survival Users Gallery and came across so much EYE CANDY!!

Here are just a few:
Scrappy Soccer MomMelanieStanMelRansom RosePooch

Let's give it up for the talented Summer Survival members - WAHOO!! great job ladies!

Technique Tuesday by Leena Loh

2008-08-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Technique Spotlight! Multi Photo Layouts!!

Some people say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I have to agree with that saying. I always love to photograph people, things or an event that capture moments and enable me to reminisce the story behind the pictures. Creating multi-photo layouts is one of my most favourite - and easiest - techniques, and anyone is able to adapt it as well. I do enjoy the process of putting pieces of photos together and I believe you will feel the same! In this particular layout that I created, I printed a series of photos of my son that show the different expressions that reflects his emotion. They always put a smile onto my face whenever I look at them!

Summer Survival Spotlight: Kim Kwan!! Week 5

2008-08-25T06:36:00.006-04:00

The Inspiration Behind the Layout
Ok..the brother again. As their over-indulgent, too-much-money-and-not-enough-common-sense, 41 year old single surfer uncle, my brother is a hands down favorite of my girls.

While still in the womb, my eldest started receiving insane gifts such as a titanium Trek mountain trike. At age two, he custom ordered a princess tent from FAO Schwartz in Germany for her and at age three she received a hot pink pre-paid cell phone (which I then programmed with ALL of his home, work, cell and pager numbers…and then proceeded to encourage her to call him at all hours of the day and night).
When Olivia was one, he bought the girls a HUGE bounce house and had it shipped to my house, and when she was two, he gave the girls a commercial size cotton candy maker! He taught Olivia how to tap a keg at 18 months and brought Alexis home from an “Uncle date” puking up blue slushies and candy.

Most of his antics are done simply to get a reaction out of me, but he is the one adult in their lives who consistently (and skillfully) breaks all the rules…and they absolutely ADORE him. “As soon as you girls were old enough to speak, we taught you to recite “Uncle Steve is a bad influence.” Most people might be offended, but your goofy uncle wore it as a badge of honor!”(P.S. I used hot pink and foofy stuff all over this just to annoy him!)Designer Notes:
As you’ve probably guessed by now, I love using office supplies in my scrappy projects! They probably are not AF/LF, but they are fun, cheap and always available! Go ahead…dig through your kids’ backpacks and swipe a few sheets of notebook paper, or if you’re really bold, hijack a few (gasp!!) Crayons or markers! J (If you’re nervous about page longevity, use copies of your cherished photos.)

If you run out of certain alpha stickers (I ALWAYS do!!) make your own! I ran out of the letter “e”, so I took used the letter “c” instead, then cut up a lower case “v” and MADE myself two “e’s” for my title!
Also, don’t be afraid of using girly motifs and colors on layouts about men. I think they look great and if you’re really lucky, your brother…ummm, I mean subject…will definitely not approve!

Please note: All Kimberly Kwan designs and content provided for the Homegrown Scrapbooks Summer Survival Program are copyrighted by Kimberly Kwan.

It's not too late to join the fun! You can still sign up for the Summer Survival Program Only! Click now to join the fun. You will be granted to the private forum where you can access weeks 1,2,3,5 and 5Lessons as well as the Summer Survival Gallery chock full of awesome layouts by members!! Don't miss another minute of the fun!

More Chocolate Truffle LOVE!

2008-08-24T08:17:00.003-04:00

Kathleen Taylor created two incredible layouts with the Just Because Chocolate Truffle kit:
This Stunning layout is just that!!

Get your Just Because kit here

Saturday Challenge!! Week 6 Sneak Peek Sketch!

2008-08-23T07:57:00.003-04:00

Here it is ladies - your sketch challenge for this week. This is a sketch from the week 6 Summer Survival. We will peek at it this week. Then see the designers layout on Friday.

Your challenge - do a layout using the sketch before Friday. Post a link to the blog here before 11:59PM Thursday. On Friday - I will post the designer layout - the sketch and YOUR creation!

Please join the fun so I can showcase your work rigth here on the Homegrown Blog!

Week 5 Challenge Sketch - Let's See the Layouts!

2008-08-22T05:57:00.006-04:00

We posted a week 5 sketch last saturday and challenged you to make a layout before the Designer's layout was revealed!

The Sketch

The Designer
Kathleen Taylor
PALS

The Results
Kim - BassetnBrits
It Doesn't Get Better

Thanks for playing KIM!

Check in tomorrow morning for a Week 6 Sketch Challenge!

Just Because!

2008-08-21T06:56:00.001-04:00

Here is a lovely layout Kathleen Taylor made with the Chocolate Truffles kit.

Technique Wednesday? YoYo Flowers

2008-08-20T05:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry guys - I was a little preoccupied with my new friend Fay. It was a bit windy and rainy here in Southwest Florida on Tuesday. So I am posting my technique today.

I learned this technique from wicked cool scrapper Martha Bonneau. Check out her blog - she is a rock start scrapper!

Step 1 - trace a circle on your fabric
Step 2 - Cut out the circle
Step 3 - Straight stitch around the outer edge of the circle.
Step 4 - Pull the thread gently to gather the edges together.
Step 5 - Your yo yo should look like this now.
Stitch a button on top, through the circle and you are done.

I love this flower and it is so very easy! Please share pics if you decide to make one!
Lisa

Summer Survival Spotlight: Kim Kwan!! Week 4

2008-08-18T06:08:00.009-04:00

The Apple WonThe Inspiration behind the Layout
After watching my youngest daughter, Olivia, try to eat an apple the other day without her two newly missing bottom teeth, I knew the October Afternoon patterned paper would be perfect for a layout about my tooth-less sweetie pie! While this layout is certainly far more “linear” than my normal style, after adding a few simple cuts with a deco scissor and a little bling, I’m already excited to add this one to her scrapbook! Designer Notes!
I love using scraps to create my own embellishments and accents, and quite frankly, I love finding uses for all those little bits and scraps!

For this layout, the simple act of hand-cutting one of the cute little apples from the patterned paper then popping it up on a stack of scrap circles really dressed up the layout.

Adding some cardstock strips cut with a deco scissors and gussied up with a little bling was also an easy way to accessorize.

Also, if you can’t find “just the right” alpha sticker or rub-on for your project, why not just print it out on your computer? For this layout, I simply typed my text into Microsoft Word, printed it onto white paper and snipped each letter out individually. Cheap and easy custom text!

Please note: All Kimberly Kwan designs and content provided for the Homegrown Scrapbooks Summer Survival Program are copyrighted by Kimberly Kwan.

It's not too late to join the fun! You can still sign up for the Summer Survival Program Only! Click now to join the fun. You will be granted to the private forum where you can access weeks 1,2,3 and 4Lessons as well as the Summer Survival Gallery chock full of awesome layouts by members!! Don't miss another minute of the fun!

Fall Survival Add-ons

2008-08-17T05:00:00.031-04:00

Thickers - $46.00

Just Me - $26.00Contents List:

Prima Just Me Clear Acrylic Stamp Set

American Crafts Cool Flair

7Gypsies 97% Complete Life Stickers

Down Home - $10.00
Contents List:
Prima Down Home Line: 1-12"x12" plain sheet, 1-12"x12" die cut sheet, 4-6"x6" sheets, 5 ribbons (1 yard each), 10 flower pieces.

Fresh Baked -$16.60
Contents List:
Maya Road Cupcake Chipboard Album
American Crafts Cupcakes Details
Tsukeniko Memento Rich Cocoa Dew Drop Inkpad
Making Memories Chocolate Felt Alphabet

Special Occasion - $33.00
Contents List:
Prima White Glitter Swirls 12x12 Transparency
7Gypsies Carolina Journey Dots Flocked Paper
7Gypsies Journal Clear Acrylic Stamp Set
7Gypsies French Ribbon Pack: Hudson Valley
Making Memories Silver Mini Shimmer Alpha

Falling Leaves -$30.50
Contents List:
Sassafrass Orange In a Stitch Blossoms
Prima Say It In Crystals Thanksgiving
Kaiser Copper Pearls
Kasier Bronze Rhinestones
Chatterbox Artsyliscious Chocolate Trims
Making Memories Brown Mini Shimmer Alphabet
Maya Road Copper Mist (not shown)

More Alpha - $36.00

Contents List:
Basic Grey Offbeat Sweets Mini Monograms Alphabet Stickers
Basic Grey Piper White Chocolate Chipboard Alphabet
Fancy Pants Daily Grind Chipboard Alphabet Box Set
American Crafts Aqua Chloe Remarks Alphabet Stickers
Chatterbox Artsyliscious Choclate Fine Letter Press
Making Memories Black Puffy Alphabet

Take A Hike -$36.00

Contents List:
Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy Ribbons and Trim Card
Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy Clear Acrylic Stamp Set
Creative Cafe Lucky Price Tag Cut-Outs
Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy Rub-on Book
Sassafrass Hog Heaven Framed Chipboard Stickers
Creative Cafe Calendar Cut-Outs

Young at Heart - $29.00
Contents List:
2 x Kaiser Sheriff's Star Gems: Clear
Maya Road English Ruler Singleton Stamp
Maya Road Gear Chipboard Album
Making Memories Red Puffy Alphabet
Kaiser Red Pearls
Prima Youth Brads
Prima Youth Epoxy Stickers

Feeling Lucky- $12.00
Contents List:
Creative Cafe Lucky Phrases Cardstock Stickers
Prima Denim Lollipop Flowers
Creative Cafe Lucky Labels Cardstock Stickers

Free Falling - $29.75

Contents List:
We R Memory Keepers Nonsense Chipboard
We R Memory Keepers Nonsense Trims
American Crafts Chit Chat Tangerine Puffy Thickers
Creative Cafe Lucky Teal Felt Pocket
Prima Mixed Album - contains pages from heart, star and square page sets

Remember - add-ons will be live in HERE at 7:00PM EST today.

More!

2008-08-16T13:29:00.006-04:00

Fall Survival Add-on Product Sean Peeks

2008-08-16T10:09:00.004-04:00

OK - are you ready?

Steph gave me the OK to post some individual product pics for items that are in the Add-on kits. Check back throughout the day for more pics!

Remember - add-ons will be available tomorrow night at 7:00 PM EST. I hope to post the add-on kit pics and lists tomorrow morning so you can prepare ;)

Summer Survival Week 5 Sketch Challenge!

2008-08-16T06:00:00.004-04:00

Wow - Happy Saturday!

What fun this challenge was last week - we posted a sketch that was to appear in the week 4 Summer Survival program - but we posted it 6 days before the pdf was released. We challenged you to create a layout with the sketch and post a link to the blog. The goal - to have a variety of layouts from the same sketch created before the designers layout was posted!! Very fun and what a wonderful range of talent showcased through that one sketch!

Today - I am posting a sketch that will be released Thursday in the Week 5 Survival program pdf. I hope you will join us in creating a layout or two or three with this sketch and link me up! Next Friday - I will profile the designers layout and what we create as well!

Here is the sketch for this challenge:

Remember! Tomorrow is Fall add-on day! We hope to post some sneaks early tomorrow so you can prepare your list before the product packages go live at 7:00 PM EST tomorrow night!

Week 4 Challenge Sketch - Let's See the Layouts!

2008-08-15T06:20:00.010-04:00

Saturday - we brought you a sneak peek of a sketch from the week 4 Summer Survival program. We also issued a challenge to create a layout from the sketch. We wanted to see the variations that could be created from the sketch prior to the designers layout being posted! What fun! Today - I will share the sketch, the designers layout, two participants layouts and three layouts I made from the same sketch!

Here we go:
The sketch:

The Designer - Anita Letts
Smiles

Melanie - Melaniestan
He's Traveling Now

Mel
Country Girl at Heart

LisaNRoxy
Supa Uncle

LisaNRoxy
Genuine Giggles

LisaNRoxy
The Mooch

One sketch - six completely different looks! How fun. We plan on doing this every Saturday through the Summer Survival Program. Be sure to check back tomorrow morning to see this week's sneak peek sketch! Create a layout - link it to this post and we may be showcasing your work next Friday!!
Enjoy your day!

April's Just Because Mini Album!

2008-08-14T06:28:00.011-04:00

April Holquin used the Just Because Chocolate Truffles kit to create a wonderful keepsake filled with her Disney memroies!

Some kits are still available.
Check Here

Technique Tuesday by Kathleen Taylor

2008-08-12T05:58:00.013-04:00

This Survival Kit has been a ton of fun for me! I have been dabbling with products I never thought I would use or would enjoy using. And I have been a technique-crazy person this time around with the flocking and the crackle paint. I just cannot seem to put them down! I have discovered many uses for crackle paint and flocking and I am thrilled to be able to share them with you.Technique Spotlight: Giving an Album cover a weathered look with Crackle PaintI know I showed you how great crackle paint looks on chipboard, but I found a different way to use it. And it was completely by accident…. We all know that crackle paint works best on porous surfaces. And I thought the Making Memories Noteworthy album was one of those surfaces. So, I covered the entire album in crackle paint and waited for the magic to begin. And waited. And waited. It crackled a little but not a lot and I noticed that the paint was flaking off. Apparently it was not the porous surface I expected. I was disappointed and realized I had to get the dried paint off to save the album. So I took the sandpaper block and started shaving the paint off. A lot of the paint came off easily but some was stubborn. I realized that when I was sanding at the paint, it created a weathered look. And I liked it. I kept sanding until I got the look I desired. Then, I took my brown ink pad and rubbed it all over the album and on top of the crackle paint. And that is it. A complete album make-over of sorts.
Supplies Used: Making Memories Noteworthy Mini Album (add-on), Crackle Paint: Broken China (add-on), Making Memories Sanding Block, Brown Inkpad
Technique Spotlight: Flocking
Flocking? What is flocking? I know some of you might be asking this question. I was asking it last week. Flocking powder is a velvety fiber that adds dimension and color to almost anything. And it is relatively easy to use!

Supplies Used: Doodlebug Crushed Velvet Flock, Prima Flower, Chipboard Swirl, Zip Dry Paper Glue, Glue Dots
The first technique is to add a fuzzy center to a flower.
1. Take a glue dot and place it on the center of flower.
2. Add Doodlebug Crushed Velvet Flock on top of the glue dot.
3. Press Flock down on to glue dot and tap off excess.

Designer Tip! I found out that you can create a new color of flocking by mixing two colors together
Technique: Adding Flocking to chipboard
The next product I decided to alter with Flocking Powder was chipboard. I have found that a strong liquid adhesive works best when adhering to
chipboard.
1. Add liquid adhesive to chipboard. Wait until a few moments for the adhesive to become tacky.
2. Tap flocking onto chipboard. Gently press flocking into chipboard.
3. Tap off excess. You’re done!

Summer Survival Spotlight: Kim Kwan!! Week 3

2008-08-11T06:27:00.005-04:00

SK8RGRL
The inspiration behind the layout
My brother Steve, who is 18 months younger than me, is a total kid at heart. As a 41 year old bachelor, he refuses to grow up, and although he is a successful business owner and seemingly responsible citizen, he still spends all his free time riding his long board in Malibu or his skateboards wherever there’s an open stretch of sidewalk. I guess this works out well for my girl-punks, though, as he’s always handy to teach them cool tricks on their long boards. This layout features my youngest, Olivia, learning how to “hang ten” on the long board (which is 6” taller than her!) her Uncle Steve gave her. Lucky girl!
Designer Note!
By adding the circle “frame” around the photos you can easily soften an otherwise linear layout (striped paper, straight lines of photos, straight lines of lace, straight lines of the journaling block). The circles also serve to really “connect” all the elements of the layout

Please note: All Kimberly Kwan designs and content provided for the Homegrown Scrapbooks Summer Survival Program are copyrighted by Kimberly Kwan.

It's not too late to join the fun! You can still sign up for the Summer Survival Program Only! Click now to join the fun. You will be granted to the private forum where you can access weeks 1,2 and 3 Lessons as well as the Summer Survival Gallery chock full of awesome layouts by members!! Don't miss another minute of the fun!

Summer Survival Week 4 Sketch Challenge!

2008-08-09T16:44:00.002-04:00

Ladies - we thought you might enjoy a little more inspiration! How about a sneak peek of the week 4 .pdf?

Here is the deal - we are going to post a sketch today that will appear with the layout in the week 4 lesson. My challenge to you is this:

Create a layout with this sketch. We want to see what you create before the designer layout is debuted!

You can use the Summer Survival kit or you can use your stash - it's up to you!

Here is the awesome sketch:

Link your creations to this post. You have a whole week to play. On Friday, I will post the Summer Survival Designer layout and some of your interpretations as well.

I am excited to see what you create!

Summer Survival EYE Spy!!

2008-08-08T06:52:00.009-04:00

Holy Smokes!! I checked out the Summer Survival Gallery and LOOK WHAT I FOUND!! Our talented members have uploaded these awesome designs! Be sure to share the love and show your appreciation for this talent.

Shaynaynay
Melaniestan
Mel
JeanaD
EllenD
DawnCorney
April

Fall Survival Kit is available!!

2008-08-07T19:35:00.003-04:00

Papers - 1 sheet each
Basic Grey Ambrosia: Mandarin, Tangy, Winsome
7Gypsies Savannah: Flocked Bird
7Gypsies Savannah: Troup and Wright
Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy: Happy Camper, Gojumpinalake, Nature Walk, Strip Tease
Cosmo Cricket Haunted: Nevermore
Sassafras Happy Place: Apple Delight, Promises
Sassafras Woodland Whimsy: Rose Thicket
Prima Little Guys: Starstruck, Fun Times
Prima Youth: The Best of Things, Coupling
Kaiser: Flutter
Pink Paislee Vintage Moon: Night Owl and Moon Glade
My Mind's Eye Encourage: On Target
My Mind's Eye Masculine: Strength
Bo Bunny Splendor: Splendor, Stripe
Bo Bunny Beautiful Life: Beautiful Life, Stripe
Luxe Simply Luxe: Orange Lined and Brown Grid
We R Memory Keepers White Out Nonsense: Silly Sally, Wishy Washy, Sing Song, Fiddle Faddle
October Afternoon Hometown: Main Street, Woolworths, Depot Park, County Library
Creative Cafe Lucky: Teal Die-Cut Paper
American Crafts Cardstock: (2 sheets each) Apricot, Denim, Sunflower, (1 sheet) Alligator Emerald Foil

Sheers and Transparencies
1 sheet KI Gizmos Sheer Delights Transparent Paper
1 sheet Hambly Black Frame Wallpaper Transparency
1 Fancy Pants Glitter Cut: Autumn Frame
1 sheet Prima Orange Dot Transparency
1 My Mind's Eye 29th Street Transparency Frame
1 My Mind's Eye Family Transparency Frame
1 My Mind's Eye My Love Transparency Frame

Flowers
Assortment Prima Whispers Black and White Flowers
1 set Prima Licorice Lollipop Flowers
Assortment Prima Summer Singles Flowers
Assortment Prima Essentials 5 Makes Me Happy and Christmas Flowers
1 package My Mind's Eye Embark Crochet Flowers

Brads and Such
Assortment 7Gypsies Paper Clips - Words
Assortment Creative Cafe Buttons: Teal, Gold, Green
9-12 pieces assorted 7Gypsies Nottinghill Brads
Assortment We R Memory Keepers Nonsense Glitter Brads

Chipboard
1 package We R Memory Keepers Nonsense: Chipboard Words
1 set Sassafras Hog Heaven: Pal Around Chipboard
1 Maya Road Cupcake Mini Coaster Book
Assorted Maya Road Chipboard Bracket Sets
1 Maya Road Nature Keychain
1 set Prima Owl Chipboard: Deco Fun
1 set My Mind's Eye Embark Chipboard Borders
1 My Mind's Eye Lucky Chipboard Title

Bling
1 package Prima Say It In Crystals: Black Diamond Swirl
1 package Prima Say It In Crystals: Clear Swirl
1 package Kaiser Gunmetal Pearls

Alphabets
1 sheet Creative Cafe Lucky Alphabits Cardstock Stickers
1 set Prima Felt Alphabet Boy
1 sheet Sassafras Fawnd of You Too Monogram Alphabet Stickers
1 set American Crafts Dolce White Thickers
1 set October Afternoon Hometown Alphabet Stickers: Yellow and Blue
1 sheet Pink Paislee Fashion Script Black Alphabet Stickers

Stickers and Rub-ons
1 sheet 7Gypsies 97% Complete Family Stickers
1 set Mr. Campy Cosmo Cricket Stickers
1 set October Afternoon Hometown Rubber Charms
1 sheet Luxe Journaling Tabs Stickers
1 set Sassafras Serendpity Pink Flower Flair Rub-ons

Felt and Ribbon
1 package Chatterbox Stitched Felt - Together
1 package We R Memory Keepers Flocked Lace: Nonsense Blue Bird
3 assorted Creative Cafe Felt Spirit Words
1 sheet Creative Cafe Lucky Die-Cut Paper Ribbon Stickers
1 package My Mind's Eye My Boy Trims

Journaling
Assortment Prima Felt Factory Frames with Journaling Inserts
1 sheet Bo Bunny Splendor Journaling Cut-Outs
1 sheet October Afternoon Hometown Journaling Cards
1 My Mind's Eye Strength Journaling Card
1 each Creative Cafe Shipping Tags: XL Chocolate, Large Gold, Medium Teal
1 sheet Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy Journaling Cards
1 Knock-Knock Notesheet

Stamps
1 Prima Acrylic Stamp: Owl
1 My Mind's Eye Acrylic Stamp: Life

Order your Fall Survival Kit Here!

Check back for the unbelievably cool ADD-ONS!!
Pics and contents coming soon!

Tonight is the night!! Kim Kwan 4:00PM PST - 7:00PM EST

2008-08-06T14:31:00.003-04:00

Tonight - At 4:00 pm PST - 7:00PM EST, Homegrown will be hosting a chat with the lovely and hilarious Kimberly Kwan. We can't wait to chat with her! It's sure to be a fast-paced, exciting chat and one you won't want to miss.

If you haven't had a chance to visit her blog, I recommend visiting. It's a blast to follow along with her antics and it's full of eye-candy photography. And, if you enjoy what you've read, leave her a comment and let her know it. Her blog is definitely worth subscribing to.
Kim Kwan Blog

Here are some cool tips that Kim shared with the Homegrown Summer Survival Program attendees:
I love to use good old masking tape in my memory projects, but if you’re nervous because it isn’t Acid/Lignin free, use COPIES of your original photos OR feel free to substitute a different product or even use paint!

When using flocking on the semi-opaque acetate shapes from Maya Road, I find that a thick, white, clear-drying adhesive (I use Crafter’s Pick Ultimate, but white Elmer’s glue would work, too!) spreads more evenly and works MUCH better than clear dimensional adhesives like Diamond Glaze

Please note: All Kimberly Kwan designs and content provided for the Homegrown Scrapbooks Summer Survival Program are copyrighted by Kimberly Kwan.

Technique Tuesday by Rachel!

2008-08-05T18:03:00.006-04:00

Technique Spotlight: Touching

Not being a technique-y type person, I decided to focus on a design element for my technique challenge, and explain why I created my “In Daddy’s Arms” layout the way that I did. Having worked as a graphic designer in an advertising agency for about 16 years, I find that my design skills often come in quite handy when I'm scrapping.
I love scrapbooking because I can use my eye for design and the end product is entirely up to me. There is no client wanting the title smaller or the logo bigger… I'm totally the boss!

So I chose to talk about touching. You may have seen my 'I like touching' signature on the forum. I think touching is so important when designing a layout because it helps anchor everything to the page. When I say touching, what I mean is placing your rub-ons so that they touch the photo, or placing flowers so that they are touching each other in a cluster and maybe have a petal overlapping the photo a little bit. Touching helps hold everything together, helps lead your eye from one element to another, and anchors everything to the page.

This picture is an example of a layout where everything is floating on the page. The flowers have been placed randomly in an attempt to fill up every available space and corner—and nothing is anchored to the page.

Now on this layout, I've used the exact same products (with a bit more of the obligatory ric-rac thrown in :) ) to create a completely different layout. Everything is touching; there are groups of embellishments and they helps anchor everything together.

Subtle touches like these can really help a layout to be more aesthetically pleasing. See how much more effective the corner rub-on looks because it's touching the photo? It probably wouldn't look half as good if it wasn't touching, because it wouldn't be anchored.

So that's my technique for you—touching! Next time something doesn’t look quite right, try moving your embellishments around a little bit before adhering them and see if keeping things touching helps.

Tricky Tip from April! - Ink Pad Repair in a JIFF!!

2008-08-04T12:41:00.005-04:00

At one time or another we have all had a Cats Eye ink (by Colorbox) break. There is nothing worse than to be inking something and have the ink pad fall off the holder and go flying across the room or worse - fall onto the carpet. I have an easy 3 step solution.
1. Take the ink pad off of it's holder and wipe away any excess ink from the holder. It doesn't have to be perfect and you DO NOT have to scrape the old adheseve from the holder. I have an old rag that I keep with my inks to wipe up any spills or to clean my hands, but you can use anything.

2. Put a nice amount of Glossy Accents onto the pad holder. You don't want to put to much or it will just make a big mess. I usually put about double the amount that was there before.

3. Place the ink pad carefully into the holder. Gently tap down, but DO NOT squish. The ink pad will absorbe some of the Glossy Accents to make a firm hold. Set aside to dry for about 30-45 minutes.

I hope this helps everyone that has a floppy ink pad. When I first tried it, I was so excited because I had about 13 of these ink pads that were broken.
April :)

Summer Survival Spotlight: Kim Kwan!!

2008-08-03T11:10:00.004-04:00

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 6th. At 4:00 pm PST, Homegrown will be hosting a chat with the lovely and hilarious Kimberly Kwan. We can't wait to chat with her! It's sure to be a fast-paced, exciting chat and one you won't want to miss.

While we are waiting for this fun chat - let's enjoy Kim's contribution to the Week Two Summer Survival Program!
Please note: All Kimberly Kwan designs and content provided for the Homegrown Scrapbooks Summer Survival Program are copyrighted by Kimberly Kwan.

It's not too late to join the fun! You can still sign up for the Summer Survival Program Only! Click now to join the fun. You will be granted to the private forum where you can access both week 1 and week 2 Lessons as well as the Summer Survival Gallery chock full of awesome layouts by members!! Don't miss another minute of the fun!

Contents list for Fall Survival 2008!!

2008-08-02T09:55:00.003-04:00

This is the list of what is ordered. I will post the add-ons asap also... There's a ton of them! :) I'll be working on the pic once the other lists are completed ;) I have to add in one more color of cardstock as well. FYI :)

Papers - 1 sheet each
Basic Grey Ambrosia: Mandarin, Tangy, Winsome
7Gypsies Savannah: Flocked Bird
7Gypsies Savannah: Troup and Wright
Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy: Happy Camper, Gojumpinalake, Nature Walk, Strip Tease
Cosmo Cricket Haunted: Nevermore
Sassafras Happy Place: Apple Delight, Promises
Sassafras Woodland Whimsy: Rose Thicket
Prima Little Guys: Starstruck, Fun Times
Prima Youth: The Best of Things, Coupling
Kaiser: Flutter
Pink Paislee Vintage Moon: Night Owl and Moon Glade
My Mind's Eye Encourage: On Target
My Mind's Eye Masculine: Strength
Bo Bunny Splendor: Splendor, Stripe
Bo Bunny Beautiful Life: Beautiful Life, Stripe
Luxe Simply Luxe: Orange Lined and Brown Grid
We R Memory Keepers White Out Nonsense: Silly Sally, Wishy Washy, Sing Song, Fiddle Faddle
October Afternoon Hometown: Main Street, Woolworths, Depot Park, County Library
Creative Cafe Lucky: Teal Die-Cut Paper
American Crafts Cardstock: (2 sheets each) Apricot, Denim, Sunflower, (1 sheet) Alligator Emerald Foil

Sheers and Transparencies
1 sheet KI Gizmos Sheer Delights Transparent Paper
1 sheet Hambly Black Frame Wallpaper Transparency
1 Fancy Pants Glitter Cut: Autumn Frame
1 sheet Prima Orange Dot Transparency
1 My Mind's Eye 29th Street Transparency Frame
1 My Mind's Eye Family Transparency Frame
1 My Mind's Eye My Love Transparency Frame

Flowers
Assortment Prima Whispers Black and White Flowers
1 set Prima Licorice Lollipop Flowers
Assortment Prima Summer Singles Flowers
Assortment Prima Essentials 5 Makes Me Happy and Christmas Flowers
1 package My Mind's Eye Embark Crochet Flowers

Brads and Such
Assortment 7Gypsies Paper Clips - Words
Assortment Creative Cafe Buttons: Teal, Gold, Green
9-12 pieces assorted 7Gypsies Nottinghill Brads
Assortment We R Memory Keepers Nonsense Glitter Brads

Chipboard
1 package We R Memory Keepers Nonsense: Chipboard Words
1 set Sassafras Hog Heaven: Pal Around Chipboard
1 Maya Road Cupcake Mini Coaster Book
Assorted Maya Road Chipboard Bracket Sets
1 Maya Road Nature Keychain
1 set Prima Owl Chipboard: Deco Fun
1 set My Mind's Eye Embark Chipboard Borders
1 My Mind's Eye Lucky Chipboard Title

Bling
1 package Prima Say It In Crystals: Black Diamond Swirl
1 package Prima Say It In Crystals: Clear Swirl
1 package Kaiser Gunmetal Pearls

Alphabets
1 sheet Creative Cafe Lucky Alphabits Cardstock Stickers
1 set Prima Felt Alphabet Boy
1 sheet Sassafras Fawnd of You Too Monogram Alphabet Stickers
1 set American Crafts Dolce White Thickers
1 set October Afternoon Hometown Alphabet Stickers: Yellow and Blue
1 sheet Pink Paislee Fashion Script Black Alphabet Stickers

Stickers and Rub-ons
1 sheet 7Gypsies 97% Complete Family Stickers
1 set Mr. Campy Cosmo Cricket Stickers
1 set October Afternoon Hometown Rubber Charms
1 sheet Luxe Journaling Tabs Stickers
1 set Sassafras Serendpity Pink Flower Flair Rub-ons

Felt and Ribbon
1 package Chatterbox Stitched Felt - Together
1 package We R Memory Keepers Flocked Lace: Nonsense Blue Bird
3 assorted Creative Cafe Felt Spirit Words
1 sheet Creative Cafe Lucky Die-Cut Paper Ribbon Stickers
1 package My Mind's Eye My Boy Trims

Journaling
Assortment Prima Felt Factory Frames with Journaling Inserts
1 sheet Bo Bunny Splendor Journaling Cut-Outs
1 sheet October Afternoon Hometown Journaling Cards
1 My Mind's Eye Strength Journaling Card
1 each Creative Cafe Shipping Tags: XL Chocolate, Large Gold, Medium Teal
1 sheet Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy Journaling Cards
1 Knock-Knock Notesheet

Stamps
1 Prima Acrylic Stamp: Owl
1 My Mind's Eye Acrylic Stamp: Life

Ladies - this kit is going to be AMAZING!!!! Be sure to sign up now!

Order your Fall Survival Kit Here!

Check back for pics and the unbelievably cool ADD-ONS!!

Just Because Designer Showcase-Alicia Giess

2008-08-01T07:27:00.003-04:00

We are pleased to bring you the designs of Alicia Giess. She worked her magic with the Just Because - Chocolate Truffles kit.
My name is Alicia Giess, and I have been married for 27 years to a fantastic, patient husband. We have four children, ages 13, 11, 9 and 7. I am passionate about my love for my family and want my children to know how much their mother loves them. I became addicted to this hobby 4 years ago when I returned from a dream vacation to Hawaii. My style has evolved quite a bit since that first Hawaii album, and I just love this craft more and more every day. I am thrilled to be asked to be the guest designer for Homegrown Scrapbooks and absolutely fell in love with the textures and gorgeous colors and patterns in this Just Because kit.

You are in luck - there are still some kits available - HERE

Celebrity Chat - Kim Kwan August 6th!!!

2008-07-31T05:00:00.001-04:00

Hi ladies!
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 6th. At 4:00 pm PST, Homegrown will be hosting a chat with the lovely and hilarious Kimberly Kwan. We can't wait to chat with her! It's sure to be a fast-paced, exciting chat and one you won't want to miss.

If you haven't had a chance to visit her blog, I recommend visiting. It's a blast to follow along with her antics and it's full of eye-candy photography. And, if you enjoy what you've read, leave her a comment and let her know it. Her blog is definitely worth subscribing to.
Kim Kwan Blog

Altering Chipboard Tutorial by Marie Pilgrim

2008-07-30T05:03:00.010-04:00

Holy Guacamole! Marie Pilgrim has created an incredible tutorial for altering chipboard!

Technique Spotlight: Altering Raw Chipboard
If you’re like me, you’ve collected tons of raw chipboard in all different shapes and sizes. You’ve got alphabets, shapes, flourishes, mini albums, etc. Question is, what can you do with it? Well, I’ve got a few suggestions….

Foiled Chipboard
You will need a package of foils—mine are from Pinecone Press. You will also need an adhesive dot runner (I use the Herma Dotto by EK Success). Here’s the process:
1. Roll adhesive dots all over your chipboard piece. Don’t worry if they don’t adhere perfectly on every bit of your chipboard; this will give your finished piece a textured, distressed feeling.
2. Select a colored foil and place it shiny/colored side UP over the adhesive dots.
3. Rub over the foil to transfer the color to the chipboard (I use a bone folder but you could use a popsicle stick) .
4. Carefully peel the foil off the chipboard and there you have it! A foiled chipboard piece!
5. If you want to define the edges of your piece, outline it with a marker. I used a blue Opaque Stix pigment marker by Marvy Uchida. It worked great, and the marker went over the foil without any problem.Chipboard: Maya Road Chipboard Wings

Sparkly Chipboard
Sure, you could use glitter but it’s so messy! Instead, I used a light brown chalk inkpad from Colorbox, “Tiger Lily” Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels, and “Cinnamon” Stickles from Ranger.1. Ink the entire chipboard piece with a chalk ink pad and let dry.
2. Spray the entire chipboard piece with Glimmer Mist and let dry.
3. Apply a second coat of Glimmer Mist and let dry.
4. Use the Stickles to outline or define details on your chipboard piece and set aside to dry for a really long time.
Chipboard: Maya Road Chipboard Wings

Tip: I was trying to squeeze some Stickles out of the bottle onto a scrap of paper just to get the bottle started, when a giant blob of Stickles came bursting out! So I put the lid back on the bottle and grabbed a needle. I dabbed the needle in the Stickles blob and used it to outline my wings and to draw in the feathers. I liked this because I could control the application more easily than if I’d been squeezing the Stickles directly from the bottle.

Patterned Paper-Covered Chipboard
This is my favorite technique! It’s a little labor-intensive but I love the result. The process is easy; it just takes a little more time.1. Trace your chipboard piece on the patterned paper. I always lay the reverse of my chipboard piece on top of the reverse of the patterned paper and then trace. That way, any stray pencil marks will be on the back of my project, not the front.
2. Cut out the shape from the patterned paper.
3. Glue the patterned paper to the chipboard piece.
4. Optional (but it looks so cool!):Sand the edges of the patterned paper-covered chipboard piece. I use the Basic Grey file set because it works really well. If you don’t want to sand the edges try inking or painting the edges. Or, just leave them alone!Chipboard: from the Maya Road Chipboard Tree Album (add-on)
Patterned paper:Scrapworks Magpie Pears and Starburst

Crackle-Painted Chipboard
You could use regular paint, of course, but crackle paint is way more fun! I used Tim Holtz’s Distress Crackle Paint. This is the easiest technique of all!
1. Shake the paint bottle.
2. Apply a heavy coat of crackle paint.
3. Leave it alone; it will crackle as it dries.
4. If you like, you can rub the finished piece with pigment powders, chalk, or ink to emphasize the cracks. Then leave as is, or cover with a rub-on as I’ve done here.

Chipboard: label tag from the Maya Road Chipboard Wings keychain

We have a winner!

2008-07-28T21:59:00.002-04:00

Melaniestan is the winner for the first FREE Fall add-on from the Sneak Peek Blog Challenge! WTG Melanie!!!

I'm posting the pic of Rachel choosing the official winner ;)

Summer Survival Spotlight: Kim Kwan!!

2008-07-28T06:39:00.003-04:00

Summer Survival started Thursday. The first lesson was just loaded with incredible inspiration.

I wanted to share our Scrap Superstar Kim Kwan's stunning work!

The stitching detail ties the design together. Just lovely.

I can't wait to see this week's collection of work from the entire talented Summer Survival Design Team!

Please note: All Kimberly Kwan designs and content provided for the Homegrown Scrapbooks Summer Survival Program are copyrighted by Kimberly Kwan.

Sunday Sketch Challenge by Audrey!

2008-07-27T12:55:00.004-04:00

Check out this awesome sketch that Audrey created for today's challenge!

Here is her wonderful layout based on the sketch.

Be sure to upload your creation on the Homegrown Message Board!

Technique Tuesday with Kathleen Taylor

2008-07-26T07:17:00.000-04:00

I will be honest. I have never tried Tim Holtz's Distressed Crackle Paint. Just thought it was not something I would have fun playing with.

What was I thinking!!!?????

If you have never played with it, you really should. Or maybe you shouldn't! It is really addicting.

The crackle paint will work on anything that is porous. if you are going to apply it to plastic or wood, paint it first with an acrylic paint. Then, coat the Tim Holtz's Distressed Crackle Paint on top of it.

So, let's pull that Tim Holtz's Distressed Crackle Paint out of the SSK and get to work!

First, pick out what you would like to distress.

I picked a chipboard title to alter with the crackle paint.

The crackle paint has an applicator attached to the lids of the paint, so it is really easy to apply. Coat the entire chipboard liberally. The thicker the paint, the heavier the cracks.

Tip: you can apply different color crackle paints on top of each other to create the exact color you want.

Once you completely cover the chipboard, wait for it to dry. Yeah right! Well, that is what the directions say ladies! But if you are like me, I just cannot watch paint dry.

So, pull out your heat embossing gun, run it over the chipboard and watch the paint begin to crack.

Tip: if you have rough edges after you are done cracking the paint, just sand it off.

When you are done, you can ink the chipboard with ink. It makes the cracks in the chipboard stand out more.

Here is close up of the finished chipboard:

Tip: You can also put crystal lacquer on top of it to magnify the cracks even more.

Here is another sample using Tim Holtz's Distressed Crackle Paint. It was sent to me as a baby gift from my dear friend Dawn Tavela.

She used the crackle paint on the "q", "QUINN", and the red heart.

Isn't it gorgeous??? I absolutely love it!

Now, I used the chipboard title "pals" on a layout, but I can't show you it yet. It will be in the SSK. And you know if I posted it here, Stephanie would have my head. LOL

The crackle paint is so easy to use. Just give it a try.

And make sure you you show me what you have done with it.

Maybe, I will do a giveaway for the people who play with the crackle paint during the SSK!

Watch the SSK boards for my post on the details of the giveaway.

Link me up to your crackle paint creations and I promise I will make it worth your while.

So, get cracking!! LOL

Sorry I could not resist.

A few more sneaks for the scavenger hunt :)

2008-07-24T22:32:00.004-04:00

Here are a few more... I'm posting them all at once, but the rules are a bit different.
When you post your comments, please guess according to the photo's number. You may list three guesses for each number, in the order that you would have guessed them. Does that make sense? For example, if you wanted to guess Pink Paislee Vintage Moon, but thought just maybe it might be Basic Grey Euphoria, list Paper #1: Pink Paislee Vintage Moon, Basic Grey Euphoria, etc.
I hope that makes sense... I'm tired :)
So here goes... Some more Fall Sneak Peeks!

Number One.... Number Two...
Number Three:
Number Four:
Number Five:

Happy Guessing!!!

October Afternoon Paper

2008-07-24T11:12:00.000-04:00

Here's the full picture of the paper

Fall Sneak Peek number 12!

2008-07-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

Isn't this fab!

Kaiser Superhero Paper

2008-07-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Rachel didn't get a proper picture of this paper, so I've 'borowed' this from the Kaiser site (and fired Rachel)!

Fall Sneak Peek number 11!

2008-07-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Gidday guys, here's number 11 - didya get the little clue there?

Sassafrass Paper

2008-07-23T20:21:00.000-04:00

Here's the proper picture of the lush Sassafrass paper Serendipity- Happy Place Apple Delight!

Fall Survival Scavenger Peek #10

2008-07-23T20:00:00.001-04:00

Here's sneak number 10, see what you think it is :)

So sorry for being late guys!
My Internet keeps going down!

Chatterbox Felt Embellishments

2008-07-23T18:37:00.001-04:00

Here's the whole pack, how stinkin' cute is this!

Fall Survival Scavenger Peek #8

2008-07-23T17:36:00.000-04:00

Oh my! You will definitely *heart* this bit!!!

BoBunny Paper

2008-07-23T15:32:00.001-04:00

This is the best picture Rachel could get because the papers were all displayed layered over each other.

Fall Survival Scavenger Hunt Peek #7

2008-07-23T14:01:00.001-04:00

Lines & dots + green, just great!

Prima Owl Stamp

2008-07-22T22:19:00.000-04:00

This is reowly cute!

Fall Survival Scavenger Peek #5

2008-07-22T22:07:00.000-04:00

So whooooo do you think this could be?

Prima Flowers

2008-07-22T21:38:00.001-04:00

Here's the whole pack shot to look at :)

Fall Survival Scavenger Peek #6

2008-07-22T21:37:00.006-04:00

Who needs some flowers????

Mr Campy Paper

2008-07-22T21:34:00.004-04:00

Had to borrow this from the Cosmo Cricket site as well, as Rach didn't get a good picture of the whole page - and this pic shows the double-sided deliciousness as well!

Fall Survival Scavenger Peek #9

2008-07-22T21:33:00.003-04:00

Now this one should be hard...... NOT!

Basic Grey Paper

2008-07-22T21:31:00.005-04:00

Here's the full picture of one of the lovely new Ambrosia papers from Basic Grey that will be in the kit!

Fall Survival Scavenger Peek #4

2008-07-22T21:30:00.004-04:00

What could this swirly deliciousness be?

7 Gypsies Flocked Paper

2008-07-22T21:16:00.003-04:00

Here's the proper picture of the 7 Gypsies flocked paper, it's so lush IRL! It is only a swatch in the photo, but it's a 12x12 sheet in the kit! :)

Fall Sneak Peek Number 3

2008-07-22T21:15:00.003-04:00

You know the drill by now! One more after this one and then I'm done for tonight. Who knows what's pictured here?????

Scheduled outage at 8:30

2008-07-22T20:26:00.001-04:00

I have a note on blogger than says scheduled outage at 5:30 pm PDT, which is in 3 minutes. We'll post the next sneak at 9 pm EST or when the outage is over if it's still out then (which I doubt). Just an FYI :)

WRMK Felt Lace

2008-07-22T20:23:00.003-04:00

Here are some pics of the lace so you can see it better - we got the blue one!

Fall Scavenger Hunt #2!

2008-07-22T19:05:00.003-04:00

What product is this and which manufacturer? Post a comment with your answer (as many times as you like) and be entered in the drawing for a free Fall add-on! :) Make sure that you take note of the bird - although his little head was cut off in the picture to protect the manufacturer :)

Fall Survival Scavenger Peek #1

2008-07-22T15:38:00.002-04:00

What's the product and who makes it? Post a comment and be entered in the drawing for a free Fall add-on! :)

Did someone say Thickers?

2008-07-22T15:16:00.003-04:00

Thought you guys might want to see some pictures of the Thickers we've picked for the Fall Add-on. They are OH SO YUMMY! Vinyl, chipboard, puffy, fabric and foil, OH MY!

Rachel's CHA wrap up!

2008-07-22T05:39:00.004-04:00

Well here's the last few pics from CHA for you. And my roundup of the show. The show wasn't anywhere near as big or busy as I expected. That was great for me! I thought I would be battling to get to the stands and then battling again to see the stuff but no, it was not that busy. Everyone was so polite and nice and since we're all scrappers, we've all got something in common and I had great chats with people from all over the place.

Here's Steph and I off for the last day. We'd just stopped off to get Starbucks which is why Steph is looking so happy ;) I just look shattered cause I was!My favourite things were, some 7Gypsies journalling stamps. I just loved these and wanted to take them off the wall and shove em in my bag!The monsters at October Afternoon, these just rocked for me! I have no kids and no reason to be scrapping with cute little monsters, but I will be using them for sure!Sassafrass. Just. Love. It. All.. End of story!Also love the Amy Butler new releases by K&Co. One word, lush!It was fab to see some of Nic Howards LO's on display in the Basic Grey booth. I have read Nic's blog for years (she's a Kiwi scrappers) and loved seeing her LO's online but OMG, in person there are so many layers to look at, she rocks!The October Afternoon booth was lovely, very easy to look at everything.We Are Memorey Keepers had some dead cool stuff as well, I was loving these embellishments!

Here's some of the LO's on show at the Scenic Route booth, they were fab! Most booths had great LO's and cards on display, great inspiration.The Graphi45 Booth was fab as well, they just had things displayed so nicely, piles of interesting things all stacked up there, like an antique shop!

So that's summer CHA over and done with. The Fall kit is all picked and ordered and we'll be shooting some sneaks of the contents your way real soon! Thanks for reading everyone :)
Hugs,
Rach
xXx

Fall Add-on Sneak Peek 1

2008-07-21T23:28:00.003-04:00

Rachel here again (with my English spelling), and here's the first sneak peek of one of the Fall add-ons for you. Try and work out what this is!

More sneak peeks from day 2

2008-07-20T01:08:00.006-04:00

So here's more sneaks of today. This is Steph with Dee & Kelly from her local scrapook store outside the Cosmo Cricket booth. This was a company I'd never heard of, Black Market. They had pretty cool papers, I got a load of 6x6 samples, yay!
A couple of pics of BoBunny. They had cool stuff, I didn't like some of the ones I'd seen online beforehand IRL, but I did like others that I'd seen and thought yuck to!
Another one I'd never heard of, My Little Shoebox. They had cool little alpha stickers! Ok, here's me with my pouty face on after Steph said she didn't like some papers I did like! I don't even remember what they were, but I liked em and she didn't. She's the boss, she has veto lol!Jenni Bowlin had some cool stuff Loved the displays! Some We Are Memory Keepers, they had way cool stuff too! This company was having their first time at CHA, like me! They're Graphic45 and had a great stand.
Such cute little displays of stuff! And finally, here's Tim Holtz doing his thing. He was constantly surrounded by women so I didn't trouble him for a photo. He's not one of my favourites, I'm not one for getting inky & messy lol! That's it for tonight, got to get some sleep now! See ya tomorrow *yawn*

Amy Butler

2008-07-20T00:59:00.005-04:00

OMG! The Amy Butler stuff is amazing. I love it all as well! There's a new line in blues (I didn't even see what it was called, I couldn't stop looking at all the stuff!) Here's some pics, I hope you guys like it as much as I do. I am a massive AB fan but I know it's not to everyone's taste.

Here's some of the blue papers, I just want to wallpaper my lounge with it! This thing was so awesome, it's a fabric swatch book and the fabric strips have words and stuff on them. So cute! Then there's a journalling card book, very cool 6x4" sheets and they're so lush! More stuff, fabric tapes up the top and grand adhesions as well as the little brag book which isn't very clear in the middle at the top, but it's a cute little (maybe 3x3" or 4x4"?) fabric covered book with a magnetic closure, comes in the blues and the pinks as well. Must have one immediatelyI am a recent convert to the K&Co fabric covered brads, in fact April will tell you, I bought a few packs at Michaels last week! These are just so nice! As well as the blue line, there's a pink one too. Super lush, glittered and foiled papers and just Amy Butler patterned lushness!
And lastly, a couple of LO's that were on the wall, love the inspiration!Don't get too excited about seeing this soon though, it has a long ship date so I'll be pacing the floor waiting for it to come out!

Sassafrass!

2008-07-20T00:52:00.002-04:00

Ok, Sassafrass is my 'want it all' booth! I just want one (or three) of everything in there! It rocks. So here's some pics for you, this is the cute bunny on the outside of the booth (to go with the cute hedgehog in one of yesterdays posts).
Check out this super cute card, I love it! All the LO's on the walls in the booth were awesome, very inspiring and strokeable! And here's just a few shots around the booth, they had everything all displayed so nicely, it was very simple and calming. Like the Prima booth was awesome, there was stuff everywhere to look at but it was a bit chaotic, your eye was flying around everywhere trying to take it in. The Sassafrass booth was very calming and quiet. A fab contrast between my two favourite booths. Prima was all black and busy and Sassafrass all white and graphic.

I totally want everything, just everything

More sneaks from day 1

2008-07-19T01:38:00.014-04:00

Ok, so these rubber charms are just the best thing ever in my book. I just love em! There's 4 new sets but this one is by far the coolest! Love, love, love them! I have been a 7 Gypsies fan for a long time so here's a few photos from there, it was so cool to see the awesome books and journals in real life! There's 4 new 97% stickers, H for happy, F for family, L for life and W for wish. So cool, can't wait for those!This is a bit of the Savannah line, it rocks. Such cool litte bits :)
This is a LO on display in the Pink Paisley booth. Pink Paisley rocks and the girl we talked to, Tina, was so cute!
OMG, puffy Thickers! How freaking cool are these!Here's the Heidi Swapp mirror album. I know it looks black in this picture but I just couldn't get a good photo of it. So the black is proper mirror, so flippen awesome! I'll have to do a whole post just for Sassafrass tomorrow because it's just so cool. Prima and Maya Road may have been awesome stands but the Sassafrass one is my 'I want it all' stand. I just love every single thing in there! This is the hedgehog on the outside of the stand, there was also a cute little bunny but my picture of him wasn't good :( But check out this cute little guy!
Here's the Poolside collection from Making Memories, lovely papers! They are flocked, die-cut and foiled and all sorts. There seems to be a lot of that going on this show, foils and coatings on the papers.

How freaking cool are these!!! Cupcakes made from paper. Just awesome. They are lifesize too, the temptation to pick em up and have a bite was strong lol! These were in the Chatterbox stand and they had loads of them. I wonder if they would notice if I did take a bite tomorrow?
Ok here's some Basic Grey. My photos of the papers haven't come out very well so I'll get some more tomorrow. I'm sure you've all seen them by now though. They are lush as always. These are the rub-ons, I so love BG rub-ons they work so well and have great designs.Bigging up the Kiwi's here, this is a LO by Nic Howard that was on the BG stand, love that girl!

And finally, a stand of Kelly Panacchi stamps, there are some dead cool designs there!

So that's all for tonight. Hope you like what I've got here and if anyone wants me to get photos of anything specific, leave me a comment and I'll try and get there tomorrow or Saturday. I'll do my best for you guys!
Rach
xXx

Maya Road

2008-07-19T01:29:00.008-04:00

So another booth we spent time at was Maya Road. Their booth rocked! So many samples to drool over. Here's some pics....
Some awesome albums
They have some super cool rub-ons, my favourites are the ticket-y/office-y ones, but then there's cupcakes which are cool and OMG, the flourishes too!
And I am so in love with these sheer tickets, they're an off white colour, so cool,
Some cool stamps,
And how cute are these stamps! I'm loving so many of them!
Maya Road rocked, keep your eyes peeled for lots of these products appearing at Homegrown soon!

More later today!!

Prima Sneaks

2008-07-18T21:10:00.007-04:00

Ok, so Prima was by far my favourite booth today. It totally rocked. I kept coming around the corner and seeing it, then thinking WOW, I have to go check that out. Then I'd realise it was Prima and I'd been there already! So this is what we were like there, Lynne laughing at Steph saying woooh and lunging for yet another new product
Here's one of Adrienne Looman's LO's in the booth, they rocked!
OMG! I totally loved these flowers! They are layers of lush thick handmade paper and it's kinda scrunched up and just so cool! There's loads more colours than these ones, but the turquoise was my favourite!

Oh wow, these are huge glass buttons and they are just so tactile and fab! I just asked Steph what size they are and she said a little smaller than a quarter. I wouldn't have a clue, I totally haven't got the hang of these American coins. I don't know which one is which and I'm just piling them up in my wallet so far lol!

New felt stuff, the frames in the very top right hand corner were the coolest! Another fab LO by Adrienne as well.

And last but not least, just for Lisa, some cool stamps! I know she'll love the owl, he is dead cool.

So that's just a few bits we saw and loved at the Prima booth, I suspect there might be a few bits of this in the Fall kit...... ;)

(Thanks for the stamps girl!! LOVE THEM!! xo L.)

Celeb Spotting!

2008-07-18T20:56:00.004-04:00

Ok, so today I met some celebs! I was excited. First up I met Adrienne Looman I love her! She was so nice. I have been reading her blog for a long time now so seeing her in person was great. She's so small as well, so cute! She was just lovely as well, so helpful on the Prima stand (she works with Prima now and she will have her own paper designs at the next CHA, can't wait to see them!) and there is so much cool stuff to look at on the Prima stand, it was so my favourite today! I could have spent hours there, just hours poking through all the little books and looking at the awesome LO's hanging on the walls. So here's me with Adrienne :)

Next I got to meet Heidi Swapp and Ali Edwards at the same time! So excited to meet them both, I enjoy reading Heidi's adventures in China and Ali is just awesome! So here's me with them both!

I saw Stacy Julian in passing and also Tim Holtz, I will attempt to get more photos tomorrow.

Another fab thing happened this morning, I bumped into Staci Compher (my favourite blog from the blog & Etsy post last weekend) who I just love. I had posted on her blog that I would look for her at the show and when I approached her and asked if she was Staci, she said 'are you Rachel!' I was chuffed to bits lol! I did have a photo with her but on her camera (I didn't have my camera on me at the time), so I'll be looking for her tomorrow for a photo. I did bump into her a lot and chatted, she's so lovely. It's so cool to meet people who's blog's I read.

More photos soon guys! Check in often today - we have more stuff to share!!!!!
Rach
xXx

Another check-in, Chicago Sightseeing

2008-07-18T08:18:00.009-04:00

Ok, so yesterday was sightseeing day, we got up and got a cab to downtown Chicago. We went straight to a restaurant to meet Nicole for lunch. Here's a pic out the window of the cab on the way down the motorway, I think that's the Sears Tower on the right Here we are with Nicole, we really appreciated her having lunch with us, she's so lovely and helpful! Thanks Nicole Here's the obligatory scrapbookers shot of the food. Such cute little pizzas and I couldn't even finish it! Lovely crust on it.Here's a shot down the river of some of the Chicago buildings, there are such amazing buildings there. I spent most of the day looking up
And lastly, here's a shot of the coolest part of the Paper Source window. Paper Source was the number one thing I wanted to do in Chicago. Steph wanted to go to Navy Pier, but we rode past on the bus and were too hot and cranky to even get off! But I got my number one thing done and managed to spend $60 in there. I got the coolest papers in big A3 sheets, lovely Japanese ones and floral ones, just lush!
So now it's Friday morning and we're just about off to catch the shuttle to the show. I will try and report in later with pictures of what's cool and sneaks for Fall :) Have a good day everyone!

Rachel and Steph Checking in!

2008-07-17T10:55:00.001-04:00

Ok, so we're off! It's Rachel here (KiwiGirl) and I'll be posting updates of cool things we've seen at CHA and definitely stuff that'll be in the Fall Survival kit.
Now here's some photos of us on our way :)
Here we are on the road to the airport in Fort Myers. I am still amazed at the size of the roads here in America - honestly, most of the vehicles out there wouldn't even fit up my lane in England!
Posing outside the airport.

Had to take a photo of the wonderful airline staff at the airport. Catherine and her husband were so helpful - especially with the crazy luggage mix-up - and the eye candy on the other counter wasn't bad either ;)

Here's Steph on the plane. We got on and had hysterical laughing fits about I don't know what! We were laughing our heads off!

Then along came Shawn with a W. He was a scream! Made our flight so much fun lol!

Now we're in our hotel room in Chicago and all ready for sightseeing tomorrow. We're meeting Nicole (nicholasaaronmommy) for lunch and I'm really looking forward to seeing Michigan Ave and visiting Paper Source!
I'll report in again soon!

Just Because Layouts are fun!

2008-07-17T05:30:00.004-04:00

April created these fantastic layouts with the Chocolate Truffles kit!

There are still some left. Get yours here!

CHA Peeks! Look what we found!

2008-07-16T17:26:00.009-04:00

Maya Road!!

College Press - YUM!

Rusty Pickle Goodies:

What's your favorite peek?

Technique Tuesday by Marie P

2008-07-15T05:57:00.004-04:00

I have tons of chipboard pieces (alphabets, shapes, borders, flourishes, etc) and I love to use them on my pages so I’m always looking for new, easy ways to alter raw chipboard. I like the look of covering chipboard with patterned paper but sometimes that’s too labor-intensive and I just don’t feel like getting busy with my craft knife. I also like to paint my chipboard pieces but sometimes the look is too flat. Glittered chipboard is fun but, man, is it messy!

So, I tried using colored foils on my chipboard stars and I loved the effect! You will need a package of foils, mine are from Pinecone Press. You will also need an adhesive dot runner, I use the Herma Dotto by EK Success. Here’s the process:

1. Roll adhesive dots all over your chipboard piece. Don’t worry if they don’t adhere perfectly on every bit of your chipboard; this will give your finished piece a textured, distressed feeling.

2. Select a colored foil and place it shiny/colored side UP over the adhesive dots.

3. Rub over the foil (I use a bone folder but you could use a popsicle stick) to transfer the color to the chipboard.

4. Carefully peel the foil off the chipboard and there you have it! A foiled chipboard piece!

I was really happy with the way my foiled stars looked. They have a glittered feel, without the mess of glitter! But I wanted to define the edges, so I used a white Sharpie paint pen to outline the edges. It worked great; the Sharpie went over the foil without any problem.

If you’re like me, you’ve got tons of chipboard hanging around your stash. I hope you’ll give this technique a try! And, if you’ve got any great chipboard techniques, please post them in the Homegrown forums. I’m always looking for something new to do with chipboard!

Summer Survival Designer - Kim Moreno!!

2008-07-14T12:23:00.005-04:00