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ella publishing - spring training 2012

Spring Training 2012

12 Days of Fun and Inspiration!

As Olivia Newton-John famously sang in the '80s, Let's Get Physical! For twelve days, April 23 to May 3, join us in the exclusive Spring Training craftnasium for a series of targeted daily "exercise" sessions—led by five pro scrapbookers—that are guaranteed to:

• jumpstart your creativity and exercise your scrapbooking muscles
• inspire you to lead a healthy and balanced crafting lifestyle
• give you new skills to try AND remind you of important foundational principles
• get you in tip-top scrapbooking shape just in time for (inter)National Scrapbooking Day on May 4th

The cost for spring training right now is $44.99

What You'll Get
12 exclusive video coaching sessions (that never expire!)
12 targeted training exercises
4 expert coaches
4 live chats
6 bonus scrapbooking fitness tips
20 inspiring minutes a day
a place to upload your work and connect with other scrapbookers
concrete challenges that result in meaningful layouts
daily challenges, bonus downloads, sponsor prizes, and more
1980s aerobics-queen references galore
email reminders that it's time to put those legwarmers on and get ready to scrap!
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1 amazing online event that includes hours of scrapbooking fun

Ella Publishing is also letting me give away one spot to Spring Training 2012. Leave a comment here on my blog for a chance to win! I will close comments on Thursday night and announce the winner on Friday. One comment per person please!

year of flowers - winner

Congratulations Anne! Send me your email (pinefeather@yahoo.com) and I will send the Year of Flowers card set out to you!

year of flowers revisited

Happy April everyone! We are enjoying an earlier than normal spring here in Minnesota - I hardly know what to do with all of the plants coming up in my yard this early!

Today is the Papertrey Ink senior design team challenge and we are revisiting the Year of Flowers series. I chose to use Lily of the Valley, which is May's flower, for my project. Lily of the Valley has always been a favorite of mine. My grandma has always had them growing along the side of her house and I now have them along the side of mine!

I stamped the flowers and sentiment in Smokey Shadow ink, stamped off once for a bit lighter tone. I did some coloring with Copics, did a whole lot of stamping with Fine Linen ink with text (stamped off once) with Fine Linen and sentiments/images from Garden Variety in Classic Kraft. The edges are inked with Fine Linen and Classic Kraft inks.

It's hard to tell in the picture, but there is some shimmer on the flowers added with a Stardust pen.

Make sure to stop by all of the Papertrey Ink sentior design team members blogs to see their projects done with a set from the Year of Flowers series: Betsy, Dawn, Maile, and Melissa.

Supplies:

all supplies from Papertrey ink unless noted

Vintage Lily of the Valley Card

stamps: Year of Flowers: Lily of the Valley, Background Basics: Text Style II, Garden Variety

ink: Smokey Shadow, Fine Linen, Classic Kraft

cardstock: white, kraft, Simply Chartreuse pattern paper pack

other: Classic Kraft grosgrain ribbon, Ripe Avocado button, Rustic Jute button twine, Copic markers, stardust pen (Sakura), corner chomper (We R Memory Keepers), pinking shears (Fiskars)

Here is a look at the collection of cards that I created with the Year of Flowers set the year it was released...

I used the same technique each month. I stamped the flower onto patterned paper, did shading with Copic markers, cut the flowers out and attached them to cardstock where I stamped the image in just black ink. I wrinkled papers, cut them out in layers for more dimension, etc. - whatever was needed to bring that flower to life.

I still have this collection of flower cards and I would love to send it out to one of you to spread a little springtime! I will leave the comments open until Monday (4/2/2012) night and then draw one name to send the 12 card collection to, as well as the card created for this challenge. One comment per person, please!

creative chemistry 6

Okay, just one more today. These are techniques with embossing from the Creative Chemistry class.

creative chemistry 5

Distress marker techniques learned in Creative Chemistry...

creative chemistry 4

Creative play with distress stain techniques and these tags are the result. One of the great things about this class is really getting into what things are made of that we are creating with and what properties they have. The class focuses on Ranger products, but I am able to go into my own supplies if I can't find what I am looking for in my local craft stores (and I am too impatient to wait for an online order!) I wasn't able to locate the Picket Fence (white) distress stain and so I went into my supplies and used the Mr. Huey's Calico White spray by Studio Calico. I still want to get my hands on the actual Ranger product, but the results I got with this substitution were great!

creative chemistry 3

Some more creative play with technique in Creative Chemistry class...

creative chemistry 2

Another day of play with great techniques over at the Creative Chemistry class taught by Tim Holtz at Online Card Classes. I am not even going to admit how much time I have spent in the last few days at my craft store looking at and buying new supplies!

creative chemistry

I am taking Tim Holtz's Creative Chemistry online course over at Online Card Classes. One way to keep creativity brewing, is to take classes and try new techniques. I am always looking for lots of ways to immerse myself in this craft that I love so much.

march release review

Hi everyone! Today is the day that all of the stamp sets and products for the March release are revealed and everything will be available to purchase tonight, 10PM EST, at Papertrey Ink.

Here are my remaining projects for this March release...

Right away, when I saw Back Pocket Basics, I knew that I wanted to do a technique with Copic markers and the colorless blender fluid to achieve the denim look on the packet itself. I colored the whole pocket in the blue and then pressed a piece of denim fabric that I put colorless blender fluid onto - it doesn't need to be dripping wet, just damp, and just press it over the Copic colored area. The colorless blender fluid "lifts" the color and creates the fun denim texture look. You might try doing this with other fabrics and textured items to get different looks.

I embroidered the heart onto the pocket with embroidery floss and added a bit of twill ribbon to the side of the pocket for the tag.

I am excited that we now have a Tremendous Treats: Birthday and used the turtle image on this card. I colored him with Copics and then paper pieced the dots on his shell with the striped paper from the Simply Chartreuse patterned paper pack.

He is so sweet and perfect to have in my birthday card stash to grab and go when I need him!

Here's another birthday card using the Heart-2-Heart #2 set - although my card didn't end up including any hearts...! Before I die cut the Super Stars border die, I ran it through my Xyron machine so that it would have adhesive on the back. Then I used the little stars from the border to decorate the little die cut balloons.

The card turned out so sweet and fun and it could be given to just about anyone!

Not too many of the dads in my life are tie wearers, but I really like how this card turned out with the row of ties die cut from various colors of cardstock and then the pattern stamped on them with True Black ink.

Stamping Background Basics: Houndstooth on Pinefeather cardstock with True Black ink is going to be a new favorite go to for masculine cards - and possibly for a few other ideas I have in mind too... I liked how it looked so much that I used it again on this next card.

I think this is one of my favorite cards from this release - and the best part? I don't golf and no one close to me that I know golfs! I think it's the vintage look and feel of the card that has me taken.

I love the Classic Kraft stamped on the kraft cardstock and the color of the Smokey Shadow ink for the main image? Perfect. Pinefeather and True Black houndstooth really does finish it off just right.

Go to Nichole's blog to link up to all of the design team members blogs to see all of the projects that everyone created for the March release.

You can see supply lists for these projects and for all of the design team members projects over at the Papertrey Ink gallery. Make sure to stop by and chat at the online countdown party over at the forums as well!

Thank you so much, everyone, for a great countdown!

Happy shopping tonight!