Creative Chaos

Tutorial Tuesday!

I have a fun little tutorial to share with you based on the little Christmas book I did the other day.  But first before I get into that I just wanted to thank everyone for all your sweet words about the video.  I was so nervous to show you all.... but now I'm glad I did! 

So I was thinking how fun it would be to have a "Tutorial Tuesday" where I would have all sorts of neat projects every week to show you.   People would come from near and far all over the web to see what I had cooking up every week. Tuesdays would take on a whole new meaning in the blogasphere......life would never be the same.  However, after thinking the whole thing through, I realized that I don't possess the kind of consistent follow through needed and ditched the idea before it even got started.   

But I did do this one notebook tutorial before I scrapped the whole "how to" every Tuesday  business.  I've been obsessed with these Websters Pages scrapbook paper.   I grabbed up a bunch at Paper Tales and have been using them ever since.   You can make either of the above designs.  The only difference is the ribbon and the wording.  

So let's get started! 

Ok....everyone clear your desks.......

Once you've got space to create, grab a small notebook, journal, chipboard album or whatever you have on hand.  I got this little baby from the $1 section at Michael's. Our tumultuous relationship continues with its ups and downs....but the dollar section never disappoints....

Here are the three paper designs I'm working with.  Sorry the one piece is sort of chopped up.  I didn't have another full piece......just work with me here people......

Glue your cover piece down (I used a glue stick for all my gluing needs on this project).  I allow about an inch or so around all sides for folding over the edges.  
 

Cut the corners and excess paper. It will make it easier to fold over the top and bottom......

 

 

Glue into place......

Cut your piece for the inside cover and glue into place......

Oops.  As you can see, I didn't realize it was upside down until after I took the picture......Try to learn from my mistakes......

 

Do the same for the back of the book........

Cut a piece of music paper to fold over the spine to cover bothe front and back.  No music paper?  No problem.  Just use some of the coordinating paper on hand.....

Glue into place.......

Cut the house and the grass out.....

  

Cut the grass to fit the bottom half of the journal......

Place the house on the front and glue into place.......

 

I cut the music notes out of the other paper......

I cut them with some decorative scissors and glued to the bottom.....

Cute the letters out from the rest of the paper.....

I added "Sweet Home" with some stick on letters......
 
 

I added a little shading with white and charcoal pencils

Lastly, add some pom pom trim and red seam binding.......

I added a couple crystals.........and there you have it! 

 
 Now you're all set to make your list to Santa.......I'm asking for more hours in the day! 

Talk to you soon!  Karin
 

I've already had my two main critics approve this......

and they gave me the thumbs up.   So now I'm ready to let you all see it......... 

I did a tutorial on how to make the "Baby's First Christmas" photo cover.   I had to have a special screening for two people that I know would tell me if I sucked.....Gail and Michelle.   Thankfully, not only did they tell me I didn't scare them away, they actually liked it.  So here you go.....just click on the picture.....oh, and you also get to see my new haircut and dyejob........

It's so weird to see and hear myself on camera.  Very weird.   But I think I could get used to it.....

Anyway, when I wasn't filming blockbuster movies, I was busy doing some more fun stuff with the Webster's Pages Christmas paper.  Ever since I saw at at Paper Tales, I have been going crazy with it.   So yesterday, I went with my friend Nikki to Paper Tales to do a crop.  At first glance, it seemed the perfect opportunity to work on the boys' scrapbook.  Since all I have done is one page containing Carlos' sonogram, I figured I had nowhere to go but up. 

I figured wrong.  I'm probably the only person on the face of the scrapbooking earth who shows up to a crop with no scissors, no glue stick and no pictures.  Let me back track a bit.  I've never scrapbooked.  I love the idea of scrapbooking. I love the visions of the beautiful pages that I create which only exist in my head. I love the paper, the embellishments and everything that goes along with it. 

But unfortunately what happens to me in the in creating picture story is I get overwhelmed with the whole process.   I don't know where to start or where to end.  I want to perfectly illustrate my children's formative years in a way that will be appreciated generation after generation.  I want my great great grandchildren to sing praises of my talents decades after I've kicked the bucket.  

Cosme shakes his head and says "what's so difficult about gluing a picture to a piece of paper?"   I, of course, turn to him and very calmly say "It's a historical document. I'm sure you wouldn't say that to the founding fathers when writing the constitution."   He then rolls his eyes leaving me to continue to stare at my blank page.  Of course my friend Nikki and all the other women at the table merrily glued pictures and embellishments down without a second thought.  So I decided that I needed more time to think this whole scrapbook thing out.  Maybe next months crop.  That will give me thirty days to organize and prepare for it.  In the meantime I did this notebook.  At least it was something......

 

I also finished the tags for my Christmas Tag class at Paper Tales.......

Everything has been delayed because of my printer problems.  I'll spare you the boring details.  Let's just say you should never unplug your printer when it's still on and attached to your computer.  It can get really ugly, really fast.

Gotta get back to work....I'm trying to create some thing to put in my long neglected Etsy shop........Talk to you soon!  Karin
 
 
 
 
 
 

Change....why does everything have to change.....

 

When I was on Facebook yesterday, I was informed by a little memo on top that I needed to update my Internet Explorer to version 8.   Ok.  Easy enough.  I go ahead and do it only to discover that I no longer have any of my home pages.....all the words are microscopic......my favorites button has changed....and, I can't figure out how to retrieve my email.   Arggg.   Why don't I just leave well enough alone.  My old trusty Internet Explorer wasn't perfect by any means, but at least it was familiar face. 

Then I log into Typepad and they've switched everything around again resulting in wasted time trying to figure out how to center my Flickr button.  Ridiculous.  

Anyway, I did lift my head up from the beads and wire cutter long enough to do these snazzy little cards for a class at Paper Tales.....

I told Julie at the store today I felt like a designer on Project Runway completing my runway collection.   I feel as though the cards tell a story....have a point of view.....yet are able to make a statement on their own.....

I'm heading off to bed.....Talk to you  later!  Karin

Continuing to roll....but down another path......

A friend of mine asked me if I knew where she could find a class on jewelry making.  Seizing on the perfect opportunity to unearth all my beads and crystals, I told her and another friend to meet me at 10:00 am sharp to learn all the tricks of the trade.

Of course it's been so long for me, I had to relearn all the tricks of the trade myself.....

After searching for my wire cutters and making them sign a noncompete contract, we were set to go......

Fun!  It's been awhile since I wrapped wire.  I've forgotten how much I miss it.....

Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas...........

 
Talk to you later......Karin 
 
 

Still rolling.......

except right now I'm rolling into the couch and counting down the minutes until bedtime.

I had my avastin treatment this afternoon and it just wiped me out.  Everytime I go in for my treatment I'm armed with magazines to read, a notebook for jotting down witty blog posts and my bagel to eat.  And every single time, as soon as I sit in the comfy chair with a blanket on me, I'm like Pavlov's dog and can barely keep my eyes open.  I don't even get premeds anymore! 
 
 

Something about that chair just makes me go to sleep.  So now I'm going to finish making dinner and then convince the boys to go to bed at 6:30.

I think I'll go change all the clocks to convince them it's really 8:30.

As you may or may not know, I love my Target snowflakes.  So this holiday season is going to be the year of a thousand snowflakes.   Here is a snowflake banner I'm working on for a class at Paper Tales. 

 

Talk to you later.....zzzzzzzzzzz.......  
 
 
 

On a roll......

This is for a project I'm working on.....

New snowflakes for a class at Paper Tales.....

Some revisited tags......
 
 

Ok...back to work....
 
 
 
 
 
 

This is the new notice on the outside of my bathroom door....

 BEFORE KNOCKING, YELLING OR CRYING PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

1. Does it involve blood?
2. Does it involve fire?
3. Is someone not breathing? (Hyperventilating while crying does not count)
4. Is there someone at the door holding an oversized check, balloons and a microphone?

If it does not involve any of the above items do not, and I repeat, do not knock on this door.  This includes, but is not limited to: 

• asking where your tootsie pop is and can you eat it now
• telling me your little brother won't let you watch World's Most Extreme Rollercoasters
• Telling me your big brother won't let you watch Yo Gabba Gabba
• wanting to brush you teeth at that precise moment
• notifying me the cat needs food and won't stop meowing
• asking what your password is for Toon Town
• both of you coming to the door arguing about something that I neither care nor want to care about in this lifetime nor the next. 

I believe that by following these simple rules you will find that mommy doesn't stomp out of the bathroom as often proclaiming everyone is losing computer privileges for the rest of their natural lives.  (and yes, I will call your wife and tell her to tell you to get off the computer)  Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.  If you have any complaints or questions please fill out a form in triplicate and file it with management. 

Oh boy..........

How......

in the world.......

did this.....

happen again......

Same table.....different season. 
 
 
 
 
 

Trying to stay focused......

on what I need to do.  But I'm getting lured in by Christmas.   I fell in love with these papers and have to do something with them.......

They are Webster's Pages.   Love them.......

When I was eating my lunch yesterday at Paper Tales, Michelle was hard at work stocking them on the shelves.....

I was going to help her after I was finished eating but then got distracted by this.......

and this.....

 

By the time I made my way back she was already done......

Trying figure out color combinations and textures....

I pulled out some tags from last year to see how I could change them up.....

Alrighty.....someone is breathing down my neck wanting to go on Toontown.  I have a ton of food to cook today since our freezer went on the fritz.....Talk to you soon!  Karin
 
 

 

 
 
 
 

  
 

Can a shelving unit change your life?

Well maybe not your life....

In my case it changed the entire direction of my day.  On Sunday I decided to clean and organize my craft room.  Yes, I know, it's the story of my life.  However, it really needed a good scrubbing. Plus, I wanted to be all organized for the big Christmas crafting rush.   So as I stood in my room overwhelmed with too much stuff and not enough storage, Cosme walks in and asks me if I want to take a look at this shelf he got from a client before he puts it in the alley.   Ack!  Yes! I'll take it!  It was as if I read "The  Secret" and all my wishes came true.  I then stood back in my craft room and wished for him to walk in with a bag containing a very large sum of money.   It never happened so I got back to organizing my ribbons.   I love the little light on top. People are going to think they stumbled into a museum.

Hopefully, when everyone is distracted by my lighted shelf, the rest of my messy room will be ignored.  I was able to free up a considerable amount of space on the other shelf......

Still not sure how I want to fill it.   And this table is driving me crazy.  It's supposed to be a "work" table but it just ends up being a catch all.  The room is slightly too small for it. But if I remove it then I have all this wasted space.   I think I'll pretend to read "The Secret" again and wish for a larger space.......

Some cans made the cut.....then I took them off...

Crepe paper storage.....the never ending battle.....

Sigh....I love my vintage wallpaper.  By the way Donna will be putting some new packs in her Etsy shop soon.  I only divulge my super secret source so I don't go crazy buying more......

This is what happens when you put cute little things in cute little drawers.  You completely forget about them.......

I found my little birds that I had been working on before all the Halloween craziness began.....

Back to the museum......

Ok....back to work.......