Brenda Pinnick -news, ideas, events and more...

use your stash

In an effort to encourage you to use your stash, here is a page layout I did doing just that.

Designers have had a love affair with circles forever. They are so versatile, user friendly and just plain fun!
I wanted to use up some papers I had sitting around and so I broke out my Sizzix circle dies and went on a circle binge last night. I cut so many circles, I think I have enough to last until, well, maybe next year!

I made this layout, crazy as it is, with scrap papers and matt board. I think the design is appropriate for scrapping a layout of 3 little 9 year olds! Whimsy, bright and energetic, even a bit chaotic.

And, another project using my Sizzix die cuts...a new "pin up" board made by covering some foam core with a nice fabric I've been saving for a rainy day, (although that never seems to happen here in the "desert South East" as we are rapidly becoming known.) Anyway, I used some velvetine fabric, some heavy watercolor paper, some Plaids Keepsake colors paint, my glue gun and voila...done. EASY.

*******This is really sad, but.....***********

We recently celebrated my son-in-law's birthday. What's so sad about this you ask?
His title at work is CHEF....Chef Robert Gerstenecker of the Four Seasons, Atlanta. AND, then why is HE in the kitchen???
ON HIS BIRTHDAY?? Well, he tells me that's really where he prefers to be. I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with my cooking. RIGHT?
He's such a wonderful, gracious man. We adore him with or without his culinary skills. Happy Birthday Robert!

Robert and our daughter Brooke

It certainly is fun watching him cook...Cheers!

Gone Fishing

Here's an almost finished scrapbook page idea for you to try. You could do any theme you want, I chose this picture of Brooke when she caught her first fish at my parents retirement lake house up in Michigan.
I love adding dimension into my papercrafting and this page features a pop-up element soooo easy to do! I've taken a picture of it from the side for easy reference. The shape that makes the pop-up feature is exactly like a match box cover, in fact, you could use one and just cover it with your fav paper. There are a lot of people who are enjoying showing off their creations by hanging them on the wall for a while before sticking them in a scrapbook, so this is a perfect opportunity to show a little dimension!

I used my papers and embellishments from the big 8K scrapbooking kit on QVC.com and cut out an additonal big flower. I also used the KaJinker tool with their embellishments and of course, my glitter, which I finally found after cleaning again (and after I went out and bought a bunch more). Some days a girl just needs glitter.

Here it is from the side. This would also make a wonderful card. Try this out and send me some pictures of your creation... maybe there's a Holiday theme you could apply to this to get started using the big 8K Holiday papercrafting kit if you're one of the ones who snagged it before it sold out. I think I'll get started on one also.

On another note- I've posted a November challenge on the UKCrafter's forum. It's theme is: gratitude. The challenge is very open ended and it's ; Pick something you're especially grateful for and craft an item based on that. You can visit them here and the prize is donated by us, it is a set of three minibooks from the Everyday (Crafter's Delight in the UK) kit. Word on the street is Nige is even playing along! Bloomin right!

Cheers!

Not everything has to be a masterpiece

I read with sadness a comment from a scrapper who stated that she hadn't used any of my kit she bought on QVC,
MONTHS AGO! She said she just gets it out, strokes the papers and puts it away. I guess this is a compliment, but I sure do wish she would just dig in. Maybe it's the "blank canvas" syndrome we've all encountered from time to time.
Here's a layout I did using my papers and a beautiful leather look paper from Fibremark as the background. I offer this up as an example of "covering up mistakes"! Good design sensibilities tell me that adding the two little flower accents actually compete with the eyes of the owl and also distract from the photo, my main focus. WELL...those little flowers became necessary when I accidently smeared ink on the owl's wings. It's only a scrapbook page...it's not going to hang in the Lovure. Done, onto the next one.

Here's another story about perfection; A class of pottery students was divided in half. The first half was to be graded on how many pots they made. The second group was to be graded on the quality of the pots they made. Group number one went through pounds and pounds of clay, making as many pots as they could. Group number two worked diligently on their "masterpiece" pot, striving for utmost perfection. At the end of the semester, guess who had produced a perfect specimen? Yep, the group who made the most pots. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

When I think about how many canvases and how much paint I've "wasted" over the years, my first thought is it's a shame. But really, nothing was wasted. It all adds up to having more knowledge, more skill, more talent.
Use it or lose it!

New page layouts

Last night I made a couple of new scrapbook pages using the following:
Papers from my paperstacks, Chipboard pieces from my BIG KIT, a card from my card crafting kit, (everyday),
and some chipboard letters and pieces from my yet to be released Chipboard Alphabet kit, all sold on QVC.
I also used some generic, (from the office supply store)tags and my favorite paint for anything having to do with scrapbooking or papercrafting, Plaid's Keepsake Colors. Everytime I see the Plaid folks, (whom I used to work for) I tell them how much I love this paint and I beg them not to discontinue it. It's a marvel!!! AND, I used some Sizzix diecuts for additional flower and circle shapes. Man, those dies cut matboard like it's butter! LOVE IT!

time to CREATE

I just had to take a bit of time today and mess around with paper. In my efforts to keep my studio clean, I have resolved to "straighten up" each day. Well, because I'm now creating designs for Sizzix, I'm outfitted with a whole big box 'o fun sent direct from California and it's calling out to me. So, I take a little break here and there to grab a snack and cut out something new from "the box". This afternoon I realized I had quite a little pile going and had better straighten it up before it turned into, well you know," the way it was". I became very intrigued with the positive/negative shapes that developed from using the Sissix Big Kick dies, especially the bird. I find it very satisfying to create from "drops", little bits and pieces of whatever is left laying on the table. So, I combined those little tidbits with a new product I have coming out soon, some nice big, chunky chipboard letters that coordinate with my papers.
I need some new stuff for my studio walls and not only do I love to create, I think it's important to create JOY, for ourselves and for others.

p.s. I can't find my glitter. I need glitter. bad.

Christmas Scrapbooking Kit on QVC.UK!

courtesy of Aime Farkus.

Happy Holidays!!!!!
Finally, the 8 Thousand Piece Scrapbooking and Papercrafting kit offered as the "autoship" on QVC this past year is now available as a stand alone purchase. It's airing on Thursday in the U.K. Here is a sneek peak at some of the many designs in this kit and also a SOOO SWEET project that Amie Farkus did for the idea guide.
Actually, I think Matt, her husband helped with this one. Good job you two!

The kit has the same componants as the EveryDay version including ribbons, chipboard, diecuts, greeting cards, brads, on and on and on....8 thousand pieces.

I've gotten a couple of samples and can't wait to play! I'm very pleased with the color...always a challenge especially with reds. The papers are of course acid and lignin free...I always get calls and emails asking me.

**********I've just gotten word that the new date is in October, not September. Boo. From the responses and emails that I've recieved, I think people are READY to start papercrafting for the holidays! Well, this will give me time to create new projects using the kit and I'll have plenty of inspiration up and ready for the ship date!

My perfume adventure

Isn't it wonderful how inventive children are? All those ideas floating around in our heads of how we can become millionaires or save the world through our creativity and ingenuity!

My mother wore Estee Lauder fragrance. Expensive stuff, not for little girls. HMMMMPPPH!
"I'll make my own" said the little inventor. And she did...

There were no explosions, although it would have been expected by anyone with any chemistry knowlege whatsoever. Afterall, using everything the little girl could reach in the bathroom closet seemed like the best approch to the most fabulous concoction that womankind could ever hope to wear.

So, in secret, she mixed toghether such ingredients as salves, iodines, Old Spice, and probably even some cleaning supplies. Then she tucked it away in the "catch-all" drawer in the hallway closet. This is the place that was hardly ever visited...you know, where the emergency candles, old keys that fit nothing and extra clothespins were stuffed out of site when company comes. Don't we all have a place in our home where last minute clean-ups land? Anyway, later that summer the little girl remembered her secret stash of "miricle perfume" made especially for little girls too young to wear Estee Lauder. And there it was, BUT,it had
turned into powder!!!! And it acually smelled ok. Maybe better than ok.

I was very proud and quite positive I could sell the stuff if only I had a store. Or maybe I'll share it with my mom...which I did.

Scrapbook pages _July07

Here are a couple of scrapbook pages I created using some of my paper designs currently available on QVC. The first one features a sweet little girl I know who is the only child of a friend of mine. She is absolutely precious!

The second page features my daughter, Brooke, first at age 7 then at age 27.