Class one – homework

After we finished Art Journal class in December I thought I could keep inspired with my renewed arty energy. I should be able to do that, given that I work in a Scrapbook Store, surrounded by talented folk and awesome products, but I found myself busy with Christmas, school holidays and then all of a sudden Term 1 was upon us. It’s not until now, the first week of Art Journal 2 class that I am feeling back into it and I really enjoy the class environment too (except for those rowdy ones at the back of the class- ha ha, bringing Michelle a stick next week to keep them in line… wasn’t me… batts eyelashes) It’s so nice to have the paints back out again, and we all have a new book to play in. I hope you might like if I share some if my Art Journal Journey with you.

I have just now completed part one of our “homework” and I am feeling pretty pleased. Our Journals are each unique and we used a variety if mediums to get to this point, but I am completely in love with the Ava Stencil I used to get the face outlines so perfect. (Thanks Sandra for the loan of your stencil – I was “respectful” with it and cleaned the texture paste off it carefully)
All I needed to do was colour her in! I chose acrylic paints and after a few tries at it and some patient lessons from my daughter I am happy with the result. The words on the cover say “Seize the Day, please use the handles provided” and down the bottom it reads “Dare to be fabulous”
Now looking forward to Part 2 of my homework- the apron. Off to google Donna Downey’s creations now for inspiration, she’s the Calico Queen!

Here’s the “before” shot. Got any ideas of what I should write on it?

A Sterling Day at Stirlings Shopping Centre

Today was the first day of our Free “Make and Take” sessions at our local shopping centre. Boys and girls came by our tables to get a little crafty and make some paper flowers, rosettes and embossed butterflies.
I saw quite a few Mums wearing gorgeous badges and flowers too as many kids wanted to make more.
We used the Cuttlebug machines and some dies to cut out the shapes needed and then emboss them too.
It was a fun day, I loved being out in town, I don’t seem to get there all that often as my “house-husband” does our shopping, and saw so many lovely familiar faces.
Emily will be in the shopping centre all this week making different things each day. Tomorrow is “mini gift bags” and I am sure they will be popular too!

Heartistry workshop

Back in April I started an online art course with the talented Louise Williams. This is what it started out like and here is the link to the original post
My desk looked like this…

And my canvas looked like this.

Well, it was a 6 week course and I was chomping at the bit for each weeks lesson plan to come to me. I finished up with it looking like this.

And you don’t really want to see what my desk ended up looking like… Lets just say I am messy and leave it at that.

So I am thinking I need to add some words to it.. A quote maybe? The top left looks a little bare to me.

I have to be kind to myself as its the first time I have used pastels and created something a little more serious, I couldn’t expect much… but the way Louise encouraged us to go on and not worry too much about it all I am very happy with the result. Not bad for a beginner. Thanks Louise!
Here’s a list of things used on this class:
Paint, Gesso, texture paste, Glimmermist, bronze embossing powders, pastels, spray seal, tissue and scrapbook papers. Do you remember when I fell in love with templates? Here’s the original post – it was the kind of affair where you’ve been friends for a long time, then suddenly see things in a different way and bam… Love!
It leaves me wondering what other mediums are out there that I haven’t considered, and how much fun there still is to learn new things and share.
So back to the quote thing… What do you think? Add to it or leave it be?

Art Journaling Class

Next term we are exploring with Art Journaling Classes – A wonderful way to spend a Wednesday evening, being creative and getting inky with Michelle Hearnden.

I am loving the idea of this class – it’s so different. I must admit not having to search for a photo, or a mass of matching products is appealling. Its not cards or a project to give away as a gift, this is purely just for us, to have fun and play, be creative, be social and everything will be at our fingertips. I am looking forward to seeing the learning journey of everyone along with us for the ride. Wanna join us? Come see me to book in.

You don’t need to be able to draw, you don’t even need to journal, just have a desire to play with colour and texture and learn some great techniques to expand your creative mind. Sounds like terrific therapy! Join us on our artsy adventure as we delve into the world of inks and more!

Creative Journaling is whatever YOU decide it is!
It can be to express ideas, develop your creativity, record special moments & times in your life or to simply help you work through some of the challenges life brings.
You don’t need to know how to paint or draw artistically to art journal, you just need to know how to hold a pen, press the plunger on a spray bottle, have an interest in getting creative and be prepared to have fun and get your fingers inky!

This six week course covers techniques and ideas to help you on your journaling journey. You will learn lots of cool & fun stuff including…..

Creating backgrounds & building pages using spray inks & paint, adding interest with simple artful lettering, building up depth & dimension on pages with gesso, stencils and stamps, emotive journaling tips for using art journaling as self expression, combining collage concepts into your journaling pages.

Classes start 24th October 2012 and run weekly on Wednesday night
6.30pm – 8.30pm (ish) for 6 week course

Your teacher will be the fabulous Michelle Hearnden

Total course cost is $250 – includes kit of products, journal and tools to complete several pages using different techniques.
Places will be limited. A deposit of $50 is required to hold your place with full payment required prior to the start of the first class.
Kit & class overview will be supplied on payment of course fees.
Please call Tania for bookings or queries on 9964 8288 or scrapbookhouse@westnet.com.au

Click HERE for the printable Current Timetable to check dates of all classes available.
Call us 99648288 to book or pop in to see our classes in full detail and collect your student supply list.

www.facebook.com/scrapbookhouse

Things for the kids to do during the holidays

This butterfly mobile is so stinking cute that many adults want to do it also! We have a variety of school holiday projects, albums and pages for the kids to do during these July holidays – we are going to have so much fun!

The brochure is available on the Current Timetable – Kids Classes page. We are taking bookings now for holiday classes and also for Term 3 classes.

What’s Up

May’s layout for Page of the Month features four photos, tons of room for a title and journaling, and is ruler-straight with special area for shapes, texture and dimension for a page that really POPS. What’s Up works great with both colour and black and white photos and features the fuzzy felt shape stickers and brand-new flags.
May’s theme is “What my Parents Taught Me”and is a chance to scrapbook cherished advice from a loved one. The Parisian-inspired colours and designs of What’s Up work perfectly for all types of topics for advice. Photos can feature scans of family photos or evidence of advice followed.

 Journaling prompt:
1. What is one of your favourite pieces of advice about? Food? MOney? Work ethic? Cleaning tips? Driving? Fashion or style?
2. Did your parent(s) teach you by telling you or by showing you what they meant?
3. How has this advice impacted your life?
4. Is this a lesson you will pass down?

I think we will enjoy tonight’s Page Of The Month scrapbooking.

Feel free to comment with your own answers to these prompts! We’d love to hear it!

A Day with Tim Holtz

Good golly Miss Molly I am a tad excited! I have been hanging out to tell of our news… The Scrapbook House has been invited to spend a day with Tim in Melbourne at a special retailer day. Oh my oh my, this is so good! I just about peed my pants I was so excited! That is 8 hours with Tim! Oh my oh my! Invite only!

And… I get to invite a friend – I bet ya’ll wanna be my friend now!

Actually, The friend needs to be working in my store – so I bet ya’ll wish ya as working in a scrap store right now!

So, seeing as Kira is going to be indisposed for a little while with her new bundle of joy it will be Sharon going with me. Lucky though, might have had mutiny on our hands if Kira was able to go.

Our invitation is due to the terrific range of Tim Holtz products we stock at The Scrapbook House and have had since it first was introduced. Of course, anyone who knows us, also knows that the Holtz lines are synonymous with our classes, and there has been many a class with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink on the requirement list. My absolute favourite, and it’s paid off! Woo hoo!

More news soon…. But this can only mean one thing for sure…. More Tim Holtz at The Scrapbook House.

Meet Celeste

I would like to introduce you to Celeste, who joined our Design Team earlier this year. Please say hi.
Here is a little from her…

Hi my name is Celeste Glover and I have been scrapping for the last seven or so years. Previously I was addicted to cross stitch, sewing and photography, until I went to a class one night and got hooked on scrapbooking. I live with my husband Alan and four great kids, Chloe 17, Alexander 14, and my twins Cameron and Amberly 12. I find inspiration from absolutely everything and can’t wait to share it all with you.

Celeste worked with the Bo Bunny Enchanted Range last Term and designed these for us. Her first class was well received, and many ladies scrapped beautiful memories of their Wedding Day or School Ball. So many compliments came back from the ladies who did this and the whole paper range sold out on the day of class.

Celeste’s blog is called Gero Girl and you can find it here… and here is the address http://www.gerogirl.blogspot.com.au/

We have been lucky enough to have this project on our front counter for the past few weeks, made with the Graphic 45 TropicaI Travelogue collection, is is full of goodness! I love these colours, the blue is so bright and fun! Of course this is available at The Scrapbook House.
If you missed seeing it on our counter in real life, you can see every page here on Celeste’s blog where she had photographed every page. Did you know this mini album was made from paper bags?

Have a fantastic day!
Tania xxx

Take a Seat or Take a Kit

We have leftover kits available for Term 2, so if you’d like a place in our class, now is the time to say so. If you can’t come to class that’s ok, each kit has full instruction and a photograph, plus photographs of more layouts to make with your leftover once the class is done. There are Five classes in the term and the term costs $150. Each class is a different style by a different designer to give a well-rounded scrapbooking experience over the next ten week.

Class One comes with one Black Distress Ink to get you started.

The background is embossed with white and the Crafter Template – Bingo, which we will do in class, but those who purchase as a remote student will have this part of the class pre-done in case you don’t have all the tools needed for this step.

Here is a pic of our first class. Our kits are fun and full and our designers have created extra pages using your leftovers. These photos are included in your instructions each fortnight. You just need to add your background card to suit your photos, in this case it’s a couple of smokey colored Bazzils and another white.

Call us today and sign up! 08 99648288

Scrapbooking Studio

This is where the magic happens!

And it’s going to happen this week a lot!
Classes are starting for Term Two on Tuesday morning and Tuesday night, and they look fabulous! We have great designers and the first adult class is by Sharon Drown… I will introduce you a little better to our whole team very soon as I just realize I haven’t done that for a while… Naughty me!
Then we move onto the card making class on Wednesday morning.Thursday is another scrapbooking class and then Saturday the kids get to have a play!

I love our classroom, or (workroom as it is affectionately known) as its the place where so much has been shared, thank goodness those walls don’t talk… “What is said in the room… Stays in the room”. Unless of course its fabulous gossip then we’ll all got share with ten people each and put it on Facebook!

Seriously though, many a friendship has been made here, between many a person over many a year.

Love this place.

Don’t forget we kit each class if you can’t make it to our “studio” so you can still join in with our awesome classes. I have 5 kits for each scrapbooking class of Term 2 left to sell, approx 5 card making kits and 1 kids class space left.

How to – distress stain

Tim Holtz distress stain is the new product focus for class one term 2. (which starts first week in may just in case you wanted to play along with us, there is time to book for term 2 even if you don’t live near us, we post!)

But if you can’t wait to learn in Sharon’s fabulous class, then check this link out for a quick lesson. Really it’s so easy, you gonna love them! You’ll wonder how you did without them!

So, with our first class you will receive one black distress stain ( so don’t buy that one) but you will also need one more to suit your layout.
Its not just the colours pictured either… They come in ALL the distress ink colours that we have come to know and love – and we stock every single one! We have every ink, every refill, stain and also distress stickles in the range.
We also have a few of those limited editions distress ink sets of 3 if you were after them.

Just hangin out

The last class of last term had the kids using Texture Paste and Glimmerglaze. They were so awesome getting the right texture with toothpicks and adding the glaze to the monkeys and vines. They get to learn some terrific techniques and always go home with a work of art at each lesson. No wonder they keep coming back!

I wonder what Em has planned for next term?

Artistic kids

Kids need to be kids, and that includes sleeping in and playing games. I don’t know about you, but I love the school holidays when the kids get a chance to kick back and relax, Lord knows it’ll pass all too soon, they’ll be grown and wishing they were teenagers again.
So I let my kids be kids, they sleep late, they play games, they see friends. We chat, we swim and we spend time in the yard together. I do ask them to a few simple things though.

Do something productive
and
Do something helpful.

And for the rest of the day… Enjoy yourself! (Just don’t bug anyone too much)

Our kids classes are on again next week, and there are two days of free choice… Where kids just get to be kids. They can do whatever they like, a scrapbook page, cards or just make flowers if they choose. Free choice.
We also have some projects and also some scrapbook pages for them to do too. Check the flyer in “current timetable” for projects and dates and times.
On Thursday we did this little project where the kids got inky with the glimmermists, stickers, and other embellishments. They had fun! Some created their own designs, others used the samples as inspiration.

We have scrapbooking for kids also on during Term 2, and if your little scrapper would like to join us you might be wise to get in quick to book a place.

Term 2 kids classes begin on Saturday 5th May, each class is held fortnightly at 1pm – 3pm. Cost is $80 term, (=$16 class) or individually $20 class.

Page of the Month Program

Basic Grey Page of the Month Kits

Page of the Month (or POTM) program is a year long program where you receive beautiful BasicGrey products to make one double page layout each month. The 2012 instalment of the program will run from March 2012 through February of 2013. Product is shipped two months at a time

This years theme is Past, Present & Future but as always you can customise it to fit your needs.

• March: Past – childhood favourites: people, places, things
• April: Past – advice to myself at age..
• May: Past – what my parents taught me
• June: Past – a day in my life at age ..
• July: Past – when i was a kid i dreamed of..
• August: Present – current favourites: people, places, things
• September: Present – a day in the life of me now
• October: Present – lessons learned from friends
• November: Present – why i scrapbook
• January: Future – goals to achieve
• February: Future – dreams for the future

This program was so successful last year that BasicGrey aren’t changing it much this year, and so includes the following benefits: Free colour printed instructions for the featured double page layouts. New product featured – only the latest and greatest new releases to help you promote them in your class. Sketches and theme suggestions – designed to make your life a little easier and keep your customers’ creative juice flowing. And if that’s not enough..this is what BasicGrey are adding this year to sweeten the deal even further! The end of year incentive. This year BasicGrey is offering a super-cute and exclusive designer tote bag to in reward for the year long commitment. Exclusive bonus projects to use up those leftovers. Exclusive digital content. Each month will feature a fun digital element which can be downloaded and used on the layout or in the bonus project. Fun journaling prompts to help you think of what to scrap. Each kit is $29.95 You will receive 2 kits every 2 months. Pay upfront for your subscription to receive your tote and as always – we post free of charge! Register by 16 February 2012 Call Tania, Kira or Sharon 08 99648288 or email us at scrapbookhouse@westnet.com.au

Kids Classes start this weekend

 Busy kids are happy kids.

Everything is included in our kids classes, all products, supplies and tools. Just bring your photograph (if doing a scrapbook page)  and Emily & Tania will  teach the rest!

Click Here to Print your Term One Class List

Kids Scrapbooking Classes 2012 Term 1

 Our classes are best suited to ages 7- 12, but if you are younger, just let us know and we will organise extra help.

  All sample pages and projects are on display in store

 Class Cost is $80 Term  = $16 class
(available as kits if you are away)
or $20 individual classes.

  Class One
Saturday 11^th February 2012
 1.00pm – 3.00pm

Cute as a Bug

A layered page with edge distressing and lots of lovely ribbons and a couple of cute felt “bugs”
You will need one photo,
 4”x 6” horizontal

 

Class Two
Saturday 25^Th February 2012
 1.00pm – 3.00pm

What I’m Good At…

Loads of Glimmermisting fun in this one! Bring along of something you like to do, or that you are good at!
You will need one 4”x 6” photo

  

Class Three
Saturday 10^th March
 1.00pm – 3.00pm

Beautiful Girl

A bright and fun page with border punching and raised lettering. 
   You will need one 4”x 6” photo

 

Class Four
Saturday 24^th March
 1.00pm – 3.00pm

Sweet

Learn to make this ribbon-like embellishment from paper, you will get to keep the template to make more at home.
You will need one 4”x 6” vertical photo.

 

 Class Five
Saturday 7^th April
 1.00pm – 3.00pm

Just Hanging Out

A fun page using Cricut cut elements and embellished with ribbons and a little glimmering with GlimmerGlam
You will need one 4”x 6” photo

 

Kids Classes

Tap tap tap… is this thing on?

Just checking to see if this blog is still active after our holiday break! Yup, we are still on.. I will be back soon but for now I just wanted to let you know…

The timetable is now up for the kids classes, see Current Timetables link above!

Cheers!

Making new look old

Seems that is such a popular look for scrapbooking, that almost everything scrapping I touch I feel the need to distress and ink. Every flower, every edge.. my poor old daubers get a work-out. Edges are roughed, photos are sanded, I even got the store an electric distresser for the last class of the term there was so much distressing in it. Love that look.

This terms classes is no exeption and I took it one further and did the photo as well. But I realise this isn’t something that can be easily done at home as I used a photoshop program to do it. Seeing as I haven’t found the time to teach photoshop lessons again, I thought I would offer to do this for you.

This is the orginal colours… a little playing in Photoshop and this is the result.

So… if you are taking our Term 4 classes, and have a photo in mind that you would like to use for the “Handsome” page, and you would like it looking like this aged photo… then bring it in on a USB and I will alter it for you.

Have a great day!

Can you resist?

Thursday nights cardmaking class and we will be making these using White embossing resist techniques and Distress inking. All the colours you see are using ink – we start with white cards!

Come learn with us.

Thursday night – 8th September 2011
6.30 – 8.30 
Cost $20.

Steampunk Mini Album

Join us this Friday night and create this terrific little wooden paged album with Tim Holtz flair, using his new ribbons, along with glimmermist, masks, rub ons, and decorated with ideology pins, buttons, sprockets and gears.

Friday 6.30pm – 9.30pm

Cost $20 plus kit.
You will need to bring your regular kit plus some white paint (or gesso) and 4 Black & White Photographs.

 

 

Boot Polish & Masking Tape

What can you do with boot polish and masking tape?
You can find out in class tonight!

You’ll be amazed what you can do with some simple items.

Thursday nights and Wednesday mornings

Tonight we are and creating some unique cards with our terrific leather look technique. Come along if you can – we’d love to see you tonight.

Click HERE for the printable Current Timetable   

Next Wednesday we are making loopy flowers with felt. Gorgeous!