Preserving memories in the round …
Posted: November 24, 2011 Filed under: BoBunny, class samples, mini album, Ranger | Tags: altered cd, BoBunny, distressed, vintage Leave a comment »
It’s Thanksgiving Eve and tomorrow is a day when families will sit around the table while reflecting on all they have to be thankful for and sharing memories. How do you preserve your favorite memories? Scrapbook, photo album, digital books, photo boxes? I can honestly say I have a little of all the above but I also look for interesting and odd little ways to share those memories with family and friends. One of my favorites is an altered cd mini book.
I have made several of these over the years and it seems the more I make the more creative they become. “Memories in the Round” has become one of my favorites. In it I used a variety of techniques with Ranger inks, Perfect Pearls and embossing powder but I also added some walnut-dyed muslin, glitter and some interesting flower-making techniques.
The altered cd minis are just the perfect size for gift-giving and I hope to make several for family members this year. They’re quick to cover and easy to decorate because of the limited surface space. This Vintage style is perfect for old generation family photos as well as modern-day photos or fill it with inspirational quotes and sayings.
Catch this class before the end of the year at Capture-a-Memory in Flint Saturday, Dec. 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There’s still time to create this very special one-of-a-kind gift for your holiday giving.
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! And, if you’ll be in those crowds of early-bird shoppers Friday – have fun! As for me, I’ll be on the back roads to Sunset Shores in Clare for a quiet weekend getaway!
Focusing on the positive…
Posted: November 10, 2011 Filed under: class samples, Graphic 45, mini album, Ranger | Tags: classes, Claudine Hellmuth, Distress Ink, Graphic 45, mini book, Perfect Pearls, Ranger Paint Dabber, teaching 10 Comments »
If there was ever a time when everything falls apart it was in class this past weekend and, as an instructor, that’s the one place you never want it to happen.
I’ll admit, the majority of my classes usually go extremely well and I consider myself very fortunate. It doesn’t just happen, though. There’s a lot of time put into designing my projects, keeping track of all the products used and writing easy-to-follow instructions with color photos for all the students. I package kits and pack extra supplies. The store owners receive a complete list of products that will be used in class and they receive a sample for display.
Techniques are the focus of all my classes. I love teaching technique so have learned to incorporate them into projects that can be completed in an allotted amount of class time. I’ve been getting much better at estimating class times and classes have been finishing on time – until this past weekend.
Boy, my estimates were way off and everything that could go wrong did! Students were very understanding and still commented about how much fun they had and that they loved their project, but underestimating the time to complete the project combined with confusing instructions was frustrating for students as well as myself.
On my journey home I churned the day’s events over-and-over again in my mind, working through all the kinks – I do make an effort to learn from my mistakes. These mistakes needed to be corrected because I’m teaching this class again in a couple of weeks and I’m positive it will be a good time for all!
