Big Picture Classes: Stashbusters Anonymous

I finally got around to taking some classes from Big Pictures Classes. Oh my gosh I'm hooked!!(thank you Heidi). If you have the time to take a class from BPC i highly recommended it. I'm signed up for two more self paced workshops and just finished the Stacy Julian i.scrap class last week.While Stacy's style is a little looser, shall we say, than what I'm comfortable with i played along and did it exactly as it was designed. I'm so glad i did. It was different for me, definitely out of my normal crafty box, and i enjoyed the processes. It focused more on the introspective journalling than the page assembly (although i was lucky enough to have a Monday off and spent the whole day putting together my pages!). And when it was over i had a finished 8x8 album.

At the same time i was signed up for i.scrap i also started Stashbusters Anonymous.This class is taught by Aly Dosdall and the idea is to start using up your scrapbook stash. You know, all those goodies that you've bought over the years (and years) that are sitting in baskets and bins (and cupboards and iris boxes) just waiting for the perfect layout. I'm totally embracing this concept (across the board), I'm pulling out brads and buttons (and ribbon and stickers) that are probably older than my children (well older than Waverly at least). Dusting off papers that i had forgotten i had (DCWV textured cardstock is amazing!! And i found three pads of 12x12! ). It really feels good to be using up what i have and making the most of some of my scraps (from convention and kits). It's a four week class and we are through the first two weeks. I'm already looking forward to tomorrows challenge that will start off week three!

While the self paced classes are also good, these two workshops are interactive and I'm enjoying the message boards and the galleries. It's fun to see all the different takes on each challenge, there are so many talented people sharing their work.

Book plates (which i had a few of) and Buttons

Paper piecing a chevron pattern and a Monochromatic embellishment frame

Punches (i used my Cricut) and a Sun Burst pattern (that had to be traced and cut by hand, i was cursing it while i was cutting but the end result was worth it)

Heidi's Summer Challenges

Heidi shot me a couple scrapbooking prompts (challenges) this summer. The first one was to use 7 different kinds of ribbon on one layout: see the accent on the Kansas City page. The 2nd was to scrapbook a summer memory. Shortly after that I happened to come across a piece of scratch paper that i had journaled on in the summer of 2007. I was able to pull some pictures from that time period off of my external hard drive and the result is the page you see on the right.
This was a good reminder that even if you don't have time to document your story today, write it down. Write down your thoughts today because at some point, down the road, you will have time, but by then you will only have the photos, your in-the-moment account will be gone.

 I prefer to have some form of inspiration when i scrapbook. The page on the left was inspired by a page i saw at Two Peas in a Bucket the other day. The wave they used was cut on a silhouette. I do not own a silhouette (I'm a Cricut girl) so i had to do a little finagling but i love the way it came out! The page on the left was inspired by a page i found on Pinterest.  Love Pinterest for inspiration, granted i can kill an hour (or a few) once i get in there, it's worth it!

Hodgepodge

I know I've said it before but I'm not a chronological scrapbooker, I grab whatever photos I want to use, no matter how old they are. No matter how much they might embarrass my now 15 year old son. This is an Embellish It! page (thank you Shelby) from ck convention a few years back. There is really so much to see in these photos. I could look at them for hours, remembering how funny Dan was (oh he still is, just with that teenage edge now) and what a great imagination he had!!

I couldn't resist using my Chicago Bears paper with this photo from last winter. 

CK kits & classes!

These are kits and classes that I've taken from CK instructors. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these!

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 I adore this paper line!

 Shelbi Bywater taught this class (LOVE her!), we used all kinds of new color techniques and canvas, fun!

Scrapbook Generations Kits

I always enjoy the kits from Scrapbook Generations. They are straight forward and beautiful!

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I love these patterned papers!

CK: Annette Hardy Album Class

These pages are from a CK album class that Heidi and I took this past April. Annette Hardy was the instructor and she made the class so much fun! She's a nut! We always enjoy the Thursday album classes. I have a few pages from this class that I need to finish up yet!

These are photos from the Get Inspired event that I attended last November with Heidi and a great group of gals. We are registered and already looking forward to going again this November!!

Legacy Arts

These are class kits from Legacy Arts. I have a love hate relationship with these kits, lol! They are very detailed. I have to actually put them together in silence so that i really am focused on the cutting and placement or i'm liable to screw something up. But when they are done and all put together i love them!

Strictly Scrapbooking CK Class

I always enjoy taking classes from Sophia at Strictly Scrapbooking when we attend the CK Convention. I have some journaling left to do on a few of these.

I'm waiting for the companion kit to come so that i can complete the 2nd page for each of these layouts.

First Day of School

I'm not a chronological scrapbooker so these pages were completed and photographed in a random manner. I waited to post them until I was at least up to date. I finished 2008 earlier this week and 2013 just this morning, after I dropped the kids off at school for their first day. They always complain a little bit about first day pictures. As if it's hard to just stand there and smile a bit. I try to make it easy and not fuss about it too much but but they still manage to give me a hard time. It's the game we play. 

Without further ado here are the layouts I created to commemorate Daniel & Waverly's first days of school 2002 to 2013.....

2002: Preschool for Dan. Daycare for Wav

2003: Kindergarten for Dan

2004: First Grade for Dan

2004: Preschool for Wav

2005: 2nd Grade & Kindergarten

2006: 3rd Grade & 1st Grade

2007: 4th Grade & 2nd Grade

2008: 5th Grade & 3rd Grade

2009: 6th Grade & 4th Grade

2010: 7th Grade & 5th Grade

 2011: 8th Grade & 6th Grade

2011: continued

2012: Freshman & 7th Grade

 2013: Sophomore & 8th Grade

Creating Keepsakes Convention 2011 St. Louis

These pages are all from a Scrapbook Generation kit (I love them!!). This was the first year Heidi and I went to St. Louis for convention. As expected we had a GREAT time. And I'm excited to think that as I type this we are getting ready to go again in just a couple weeks.