Save it or use it?

A good friend of mine gave me the best tip once! She is a great crafter in many ways. She sews, scrapbooks, paints..... Well, she had been holding back the good stuff. You know, those pretty buttons, or that beautiful ribbon not wanting to use it because she felt that she should save it for some bigger or more important project in the future. Then one day someone told her "use your best and you'll do your best!" Well, she passed that advice along to me and I realized that I was doing the same thing. I'm bad about saving pretty paper for that ultimate project somewhere in the future. Since I took her great advice I'm much happier with my cards and scrapbook pages because I don't let my creativity be hindered by the need to save something. So, if your projects need a little more of something, don't hold back the good stuff! Use your best and you'll do your best!

I framed the above layout and gave it to my mother-in-law for Christmas. The little picture is of her when she was about five and the big one is my daughter, Grace. Everyone says that Gracie looks just like Grandma and this layout celebrates that.

I used the Veranda Level 2 paper packet, So Sweet MyAcrylix stamp set, Authentic MyAcrylix stamp set, Filigree Charms, and Just Blooms Spring Blossom Paper Flowers. All products from the new 2010 Spring Idea Book.

She must have really liked it, she showed it to everyone!

Merry Christmas from the Gegg family

These are gift tags that I made for Santa to put on the kids gifts.

Christmas Card

I just finished a really cute Christmas card and wanted to share.

I started with a 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" Daisey White cardstock card. I used a 4" x 4" piece of cardstock in Ponderosa Pine for my background, which I distressed by using an embossing stylus to create lines. I then sanded to reveal the white core of the cardstock. The red is Cranberry cardstock with snowflakes random stamped also in Cranberry. I sanded the edges again to reveal the white core. The Christmas tree was the fun part. The tree (as well as the snowflakes and lettering) came from the Holiday Warmth stamp set that was our October stamp set of the month. I stamped the tree in Ponderosa Pine on White Daisey cardstock and then used a Cranberry Exclusive Inks Marker to shade in the ornaments on the tree. After the Ink had dried (a couple of minutes) I used a dab of Liquid Glass on each ornament then covered them with clear Prisma Glitter. I know they may not sparkle much in the picture but, trust me, they sparkle. The finishing touch was the "Merry Christmas" which was stamped in Cranberry then attached with foam tape to give it some pop.

The annual Gegg Christmas tree hunt

I'm gettin excited! January Retreat is getting closer!

I just finished a preliminary schedule of events for my January 9th retreat at the Agnew cabin in Lithium MO. Thought I'd wet some appetites and post it!

Kit selecting- After everyone has arrived and settled in you'll get to select your kit for the evening. I'll have lots of paper from the new Spring 2010 Idea Book to choose from! This will include all the paper you need to complete the project we'll be doing.

Stamping Demo- I'll be demonstrating several types of stamping with the MyAcrylix stamps.

Breakout session 1- You get to try your hand at the stamping techniques on your own kit.

Paper Distressing Demo- I'll show you some ways to distress your paper to give it a worn, hand-made look.

Breakout session 2- You'll get to use my tools to distress your own kit.

Scrapbook Layout Demo- This will be the longest demo. I'll be showing you how to use the CTMH scrapbook programs to create beautiful pages. I love personalizing the layouts so I'll be showing ways to do that as well.

Breakout session 3- You'll put together your own 2-page layout using the program guide that I used in the demo.

Game Time!!!- Sorry, no sneak peeks here. I will tell you that there will be prizes!

Studio J!- If all goes according to schedule we should be able to play with the new Studio J digital scrapbook program.

Crop til you drop- If you're a night owl and want to bring your own things to work on, please feel free!! I'll be letting everyone play with my personal items during this time too. Try out the Glitter Rub-ons or whatever you want. It's free-for-all time.

If you plan to attend and haven't signed up yet, please call me right away. The spots are filling up! This is a free event and mystery hostess. I'll also have door prizes! It's my give-back event for the quarter. Don't miss out!

I'll close with some art (of course). These are some thank you notes I made with Jingle Paper, Holiday Trinkets stamps, Glitter Rub-ons, Twinkle Brads, and a lot of love!

Don't miss out on the January retreat!!!

This is just a big reminder that the January retreat is the 9th. I'm working on a schedule of events that I'll be posting for everyone to see what we'll be doing. Spaces are filling up fast and remember that accomodations are free this time, so call me today to reserve your spot!!