What I've been up to

It may seem like I've not been creating or into crafting for a period of time, however, I have been doing a lot of things related to creating.  The photos on the left were taken at Scrap Stamp Art Tour at the Fairgrounds in Hamburg, NY.  From top to bottom are the following booths - Scrap Dazzle (online store), Buffalo Stamps and my friend Amber's online store Amber's Attic.  Links to their stores and/or blogs are below.  I was one of the first through the door so the booths haven't gotten busy yet - it was nice I could get up close and see all the goodies very well.  I've also been to JoAnn's, Michaels and AC Moore using their coupons to save on my purchases along with visiting Buffalo Stamps the day before the Scrap Stamp Art Tour.  I'm stocking up on supplies for the holidays and for creating through the winter months. I've also been been watching quite a few videos - Suzanne Dean's, Marianne Walker's, Tim Holtz's - to name a few.  I've been using my Cricut a lot cutting stuff for Christmas cards & tags - nothing is put together yet but once I get going I'll show you what I've come up with.  I've also colored several images with my Copic markers - I just have to put those together as well.  Hope everyone has had a nice Labor Day weekend.

Me & Tim Holtz!

Here I am with Tim Holtz at his workshop in Buffalo. Check out his photos of Buffalo and Niagara Falls on his website www.timholtz.com (you can use the link below) - I'm in one of his photos along with 80 some other people! Such a good time and he was so friendly, funny and full of great information and tips.

Tim Holtz Workshops

I had a fabulous time yesterday at Tim Holtz's 2 workshops - Journey Journal and Generation Grunge. I am now a big time fan of Grunge & Grungeboard - now that I understand what a difference there is between it and chipboard. The photo at left is of the room where we worked yesterday - 3 long rows of tables with over 90 women total! It doesn't look like that many but this photo was taken in between the two classes and many were still finishing lunch (which was yummy!). Sharon and her team from Buffalo Stamps & Stuff put on a great event - can't even imagine the hours of time & effort put into all the planning & coordinating. More photos and details over the next few days.

Tim Holtz's workshops this Saturday!!

I'm getting really excited - this Saturday I'll be taking 2 workshops with Tim Holtz at Buffalo Stamps & Stuff!! I'm getting my stuff together and making my wishlists! I have a few of his products & Ranger products and I know that I'll want more as I learn more techniques for using them! I've already had them save me a copy of his book A Compendium of Curiosities! I've been reading his blog, checking out his website and watching his tutorials. The 2 workshops I am taking are Journey Journal and Generation Grunge-I'm hoping to have some great projects to show you after this weekend. I've added the links to Tim Holtz's blog and website below for you to check them out.

Gowanda Crop, CKC, Altered Book Class

Yesterday I was at Linda Edington's Gowanda Moose Crop and created this tag holder (the Scrapping Sisters' Make'n Take). I hadn't used the mesh before so that was fun & easy. I don't know if you can see it in the photo or not but crystal Stickles was spread over the entire mesh (& holes) to make the gold mesh pop even more! Linda provides a great crop experience - good food and lots of great prizes throughout the day as well as special items in the Chinese auction. I managed to get several pages done as I had put stuff together so I just had to put pages together - I didn't have to search for stuff. Makes it much easier and I don't end up with tons of stuff out on the table while I'm looking! I'm really happy that I have my supplies and albums so much better organized now. I feel like I'm making progress again! Not to say I don't have a ton left to do but I can literally just sit down and work! I don't have to search for photos and where supplies are. I'm going to try & be good with all future purchases and put them away in the right places. I found that was one of my biggest problems was as I bought things I just put them somewhere but didn't necessarily put them with similar items. Anyways, enough rambling about me. CKC is this coming weekend and I'm starting to feel sad that I'm not going for the weekend as usual. The last few years I have gone up and stayed 2 nights and taken anywheres from 4-7 classes and at least one night crop. Last year I volunteered - I was an assistant at one class and 2 crops earning about $50 in CK products! This year I'm just planning on going up Saturday morning for the Vendor Faire - check out all the new stuff - I have my list of things I'm looking for. Things I haven't found elsewhere but feel the need to have! Then in the afternoon I'm taking an Altered Book class at Buffalo Stamps & Stuff. No classes at CKC this year as I've put that money towards 2 of Tim Holtz's classes in June! If you haven't checked out Buffalo Stamps & Stuff - go to their website (their link is below) and check it out! Sharon, the owner, has several instructors coming in from various places/companies so its a great way to learn directly from them on how to use the products! She also has a large class listing with something for just about everyone. Sign up for her newsletter while you're at site as well as the store's blog.

Doing a happy dance!

I'm so excited! I managed to get through on the phone to Buffalo Stamps & Stuff and I'm registered for 2 of Tim Holtz's classes - Journey Journal and Generation Grunge! I could hear the background noise and the store sounds crazy! I can't wait!
If you are going to call this morning, they are taking your name and then calling you back on cellphones. Have your credit card ready - MasterCard or Visa only. They are offering lunch for $10 as well. Hope to see you there!

News You Can Use

If you like Tim Holtz's work and want to learn more about it check Buffalo Stamps & Stuff''s website (see link below) for information about the 4 classes he will be teaching there on June 12 & 13. Class sign-ups are this Sunday 5/2 starting at 9am and I would imagine they will be a sell-out quite quickly.
May is National Scrapbook Month with May 1st being National Scrapbook Day. There are a lot of sales this weekend. Scrapbooking at Just Country in Tidioute, PA is having a 50% off sale this weekend, Memory Miser (see link below) is also having a 50% off sale as is Scraps and Strings and Paper Things in Northeast, PA. They will also be at opening day at Crossroads.
ScrapDazzle (see link below) is having a month long sale with 25% off - use code: MayScrap2010 at checkout.