RED HOT NEWS

Yes I know its been a while since I posted as there have been a few changes I've had to deal with in my work life. I'm now working full-time so although I like having the extra money, I'm missing the time I had used to have available for blogging and crafting and everything else that has gone by the wayside of late.
There are still a number of changes to come for the blog and they should be revealed over the next few weeks but for now a few announcements of what I have coming up over the next three weeks or so.


SENZ 2011:


First announcement is that I'm having a site at SENZ2011. For those who aren't familiar with SENZ - its the Scrapbooking, Cardmaking & Craft Expo and its back at the TelstraPacific Events Centre, Great South Road, Manukau.
Alas I'm not doing any classes as I will be holding down the fort on my own again, but I am planning to do heaps of demonstrations instead on my site. I have a heap of new stock from some fantastic new suppliers. Lots and lots of new scrapbooking and card making products and some great new tools that I can't wait to share with everyone.
These new brands and products will be available on my website after SENZ but to give you a taste of what to keep an eye out for... more Tim Holtz, Tonic Studio, Bazzill Basics, Teresa Collins, Zva and much much more.


Here are the details for SENZ - I hope to see you some time over the weekend.
When: Friday 24th June to Sunday 26th June
Time: 10am - 5pm Friday and Saturday; 10am - 4pm Sunday (Prepaid ticket holders get early bird entry from 9am each day)
There is also a Craft 'n Crop night Saturday night from 6.45pm - 10pm.


ONLINE SHOP:


Great news number 2 - my new online shop is at last up and running. I still have a lot of products to enter... especially all of the new products which are currently on order and due to arrive very soon.
Be sure to check out my shop on a regular basis to see all the new tools and scrapbooking products that I know you will love as much as I do. I will have a hard time trying hard not to keep them all for myself.
I can't wait for them all to turn up so I can start to play. New patterned papers, ribbons, flowers, inks, tools, the list goes on. I will be in scrapbooker's paradise so please Mr Postman hurry up and bring all my goodies.


FRIDAY NIGHT CROPS:


There are two Friday Night crops between now and SENZ. Probably won't be any new products for the crop this week (Friday 3rd June), but they should all be here for the next crop (Friday 17th June) if you want a sneak peak because you can't wait another week for SENZ.
You can check out crop times on my website Scrap FX- Crop Dates.

Changes to the Blog

I've been contemplating things over the past week or so. Things about my blog, work, my business and I've decided there need to be some changes.
I love the new format of the blog but its just missing something though I'm not sure what. I will keep posting blogs in the current format over the next few weeks but you will start to notice some changes.
If you have any suggestions, then by all means please share. But for now... just watch this space.
I do have one announcement though. From Friday 1st April - yes April Fools Day - I will be holding Friday night Crops at the studio. They will be held every second Friday night. Only $5.00 which gives you access to all the tools I have at the studio except for the Klic-N-Kut.
If you have any requests or suggestions or you just want to know more about the Friday crops then leave a message here or mail me at paula@scrapfx.co.nz and I can respond directly to you.
I will be announcing some Project Classes and all day crops over some upcoming long weekends so watch out for more on these as well. If you know anyone in South Auckland looking for somewhere to do some uninterrupted scrapbooking, card making or crafting then I would love to meet them.
Whether you are new to scrapbooking or card making or an experienced crafter, then be sure to follow my blog for more announcements over the coming weeks.

Layouts - For Grandad 2

A double layout for Grandad. I wanted a nice picture of him with each of the kids.

Off-The-Page - "D" for Dallas

Here is the letter I made for nephew number 2 - Dallas. Happy Birthday Dallas!!!!

Card Day - Emily's Birthday

Just a quickie tonight. I've been thinking about this card or something similar for a few days so it came together really quickly.

Technique Class - Cross Stitch

For our final hand stitching technique class I must conclude with my favourite stitch, the cross stitch. 
I am a cross stitcher from way back. It was my craft of choice before I discovered scrapbooking so I guess it has a special place in my heart. 
The stitch itself is relatively easy, the hardest bit is making it look tidy and there are some tricks to helping you with that.

1. Make sure your holes are evenly spaced. The best way to do this is to use a piercing or stitching template.
2. Every 4 or 5 stitches make sure your thread isn't twisted. Whether you know it or not, you tend to turn your needle either clockwise or anti-clockwise as you sew (its the same direction all the time, you don't alternate) and this means your embroidery threads end up twisted so your stitches don't look as full and the threads are more likely to break or look uneven.
3. Make sure your crosses all cross in the same direction. Either left to right over the top or right to left over the top.

That's it really, pretty simple if you ask me.

There are a couple of ways of sewing cross stitches. You can either sew each stitch individually - which is best when there is spacing between each stitch, or you can sew them in strips sewing all the cross bars in one direction before turning back to sew all the cross bars in the opposite direction.

Continuous stitching from the front. Normally both cross bars would be the same colour, but I've done them in different colours just to illustrate what I mean.

Continuous Stitching from the back.

Stitching each individual cross stitch before starting the next one. It's the only way to stitch when there is some distance between the stitches like the bottom row, though it can also be used for side-by-side stitching like the top row though you do need to thread the needle underneath every second stitch to get the cross bars to cross in the same direction.

Individual cross stitching from the back.

And just to show you something different, that your cross stitching doesn't just have to be a straight line. I punched these holes using the Bazzill In Stitchz Round Template.

Scrapping Style?

I was reading the January 2011 edition of Creating Keepsakes and they have an article on changing your scrapping style which I enjoyed reading. It did however get me started (once again) on trying to decide "what is my scrapping style?"
I'm sure those who know me and some of my creations will probably be able to answer the question - about my style - relatively easily but I'm still lost as to what my style is.
I don't know that I have a particularly style as I tend to change the style of the page I am creating depending upon a number of factors...

• The theme of the page I am creating
• The look of the photos and their style
• The patterned paper I end up using
• My mood (sometimes I am in the mood for lots of embellishments, sometimes I go minimalist)
• Sometimes the layout just seems to tell me it needs a little bit more here or there and sometimes when I place the little bit more it just doesn't look right so I take it right back off
• I tend not to plan my pages (general statement though I am trying to plan a bit more so I can be a bit more productive instead of relying on the inspiration flowing) so how the style flows is what the page ends up like.

Anyway... so I spent some of my creative time this afternoon instead, trolling the internet looking for definitions of what are scrapbooking styles so I could determine which one I fit into. And basically I came to the conclusion there is no clear definition of what one scrapping style is compared to another as everyone has their own opinion. So I turn full circle and go back to the aforementioned article and refer to the eight (though I am sure some people may say there are more) styles that they refer to and how to achieve this style.

1. Artsy Style - Combine patterns; add ink & paint; create your own backgrounds
2. Graphic Style - Use minimal supplies; use straight lines; create white space
3. Clean & Simple Style - Use a grid or template; limit embellishments; use patterns sparingly
4. Shabby Chic Style - Add clusters of accents; layer embellishments and ribbons; rough up the edges of your pages
5. Sophisticated Style - Dress up an accent; add personal touches; use patterned paper strips as ribbon
6. Cutesy Style - Add pre-made products; use a nickname for your title; use bright, fun colours
7. Whimsical Style - Create a scene on your background; use playful fonts; choose fanciful products
8. Classy Style - Use solid colours; keep it clean; focus on the photos

So reading through that I would have to say I tend towards...

A graphic, clean & simple, sometimes shabby chic look which uses cutesy colours with a whimsical style of fonts and classy solid colours.

Do you agree?

And what is your style?