Photos With Bears and Other Animals

Sometimes my son hates it when I play the role of Mammarazzi. Other times, he actually makes requests. This was one such occasion, though, I believe that towards the end of the day, he was regretting his request. My husband had taken us along on a business trip to a conference in Aspen,Colorado. Throughout Aspen and Snowmass, we saw a variety of statues. Most of them featured bears. My son had the grand idea that I should take his photo with every statue we saw. I was quite happy to comply, for as soon as he made the request, scrapbook layout ideas had begun to swirl in my head.

Photos with Bears and Other Animals by Christy StricklerSupplies: Cardstock: American Crafts; Alphas: Sassafrass, October Afternoon
Chipboard and Stickers: October Afternoon; Other: DMC Floss

We don't camp a lot, so I took the opportunity to use the cutesy camping theme stickers and chipboard elements. Try to think out of the box with your supplies. Just because something was designed to go with a camping theme doesn't mean you have to use it that way. I sewed a trail throughout the page to signify our walk through town. It also helps lead the viewer through the page.

When exploring a city, look for unique landmarks like these to document your journey. For more ideas for scrapbooking about cities, check out this article at Get It Scrapped:

12 Ideas for Scrapbooking Travel To Cities 

Today is a Holiday

Today is a holiday. At least where I live it is. I am enjoying a day of scrapbooking while my husband chills out and my son plays with his friends. I am happy to have the time to catch up on some of the assignments for the Modeling Paste Class I took at the Art Studio. This is my first go around with modeling paste. I will have a project to share soon. For now, I thought I would give a little sneak peek.

All I can say is this: I love modeling paste and I love Dylusions inks! I am going through way too much of those and may have to buy some more very soon.

I am also pretty happy that I finally got around to using the We R Memory Keepers summer collection I have had in my stash since last year. 

I hope you all find some time to craft before the busy school season kicks into gear for you. Meanwhile, I am off to enjoy more of my holiday.

Tales of a Craft Class Junkie

I have an admitted addiction starting. I love on-line classes. My son loves taking part in them for homeschool. I love getting to take a class of my own at the same time. We both love interacting with our classmates and learning something new. So I thought I would start a new series on my blog sharing my adventures in various classes I take on-line.  Let's start out with the ones I am currently taking:

Masterful Scrapbook Design: I have been taking this one now for several years. Each month has a new seminar with a different topic. You get a lot of content for the money. I love how the PDF's are recorded so that I can either read the seminar or listen to it while I work on my layouts. It's not a step by step to a completed projetc type of class. So what I learn here often gets integrated into other classes I am taking. This month's seminar is all about finding and using inspiration.

Creative Passions:  I just finished a handlettering class here. I am pleased with the results. I have gotten back to using my markers more and relying less on letter stickers. So now, I am taking Michelle's second class, Inky Doodles. I don't own copics but I think that with a little creativity, I can still use my Bic Mark-It's and my new Tim Holtz Distress Markers.

I also have quite a few classes to finish up over at Big picture classes and Get It Scrapped. I need to finish some of those before I move forward. Or so I say. However, I decided to take a few of the classes over at The Art Studio. In July, I took Mists, Beyond Point and Shoot and How to Use Modeling Paste on any Project.I'll be sharing some of my work from those soon. I am pretty excited about a new class coming up.

I have worked with gesso off and on this year. I really like using it but I don't think I have a grasp on the full potential for it's use. I am hoping this class remedies that situation. The class starts this week. If you would like to join me, pop on over to the art studio to register.

Meanwhile, stay tuned to the blog. I hope to change the look sometime in the next few months with some inky doodles of my own. I will also be sharing more tales of a craft class junkie. I will include some of my class projects as well as tips on how to find time to work these classes into your daily schedule.