I have found the 'Origin' of happiness

Honestly, I feel like I have been on a roll over the last couple of weeks and that makes me happy (*wink*). And I owe it all to great product (Basics Grey's Origin line) and amazing photographers (Fairytales Photography located here in Chatham).

My last post was a little mini album. That worked out so well that I decided to see if Basic Grey's premier scrapbooking layout kit held up to the test. I am a huge fan of their card kits. They are just too fun....8 fun cards with no thinking required! What more do you want after a hard day at work? You feel like you really accomplished something without having to strain your brain. I don't know about you but it normally takes me 2 hours to pull together a card from thinking of what stamps to use to which papers will look best...and this is on a GOOD day!
*
Honestly, their scrapbooking kits were JUST as much fun as the card kits! You get everything you need in the kit to make 2 one-page layouts and 1 two-page layout AND there were tons of extra goodies thrown in (ie. chipboard flowers, butterflies, rub-ons, die-cuts). And look how great they turned out!!

I really tried to stick to the layouts provided, as they were all so cool. Did I mention that instructions are provided and all pieces are labeled....this kit really was made for dummies (me included!). The only thing I did add was the Live, laugh, Love stamp by Unity, as I didn't have a photo that fit well in that spot.
*
I had one pro scrapbooker ask the other day if the pieces were all pre-printed on the 12x12 pages (ie. all the smaller pattern papers you see) and the answer was no. So you have the flexibility of moving the various papers or omitting them if you like. It is nice to have that option if you are feeling creative.

Just in case you are wondering, these kits are available in store for $21.99 (just $5.50 per page)! Not bad work for a Sunday night if I do say so myself!

PS...The class schedule will come out tomorrow!

A New Year's Resolution I Can Keep

*





*





*




*


*
I know what you are thinking....yeah right! No one EVER sticks to their New Year's Resolutions. But I think I have finally found one that everyone should make AND can stick to. My resolution is to do things that make me happy. Vague, yes but at the same time all encompassing. And with almost a whole day of 2010 under my belt I think I have stuck with my promise to myself.

Take a look at this project I worked on today. It is Kaiser Craft's 2009 album. I worked entirely with Basic Grey's latest line called Origins, a few strands of twine, some rub-ons & metal embellishments and VOILA....something that make me happy! This project just makes me smile. These were our very first professional family photos. BJ & Melanie of Fairytales Photography did the most amazing job. Their style is very rustic, vintage-y and well...me. I'm sure you will be seeing many more projects from this session!



Projects like this make me happy because they take no time to complete. The album is 6.5x6.5 and has a total of 8 pages and can very easily be completed in a few hours. And what makes life easy is when you work with collection packs. As mentioned, I used the Origins collection. There are 18 double sided papers, a sheet of alphabet stickers and sticker embellishments. Pair this with their chipboard embellishment stickers (sold separately) and you're laughing!



What do you guys think of the colours of this collection? Yellows, greens, black AND browns. Yes, the colour palette is kind of all over the place but it just works. Don't be afraid to different colour combinations like this on your pages or cards.

Update on Classes
The teachers are busy working on their projects for the upcoming classes. We will resume classes around the middle of the month.

Oh no....

Um...I hate to report this but we have LOTS of new product at the store! Basic Grey arrived just before lunch today and the new lines are even more fabulous in person. The three new lines are 'Indian Summer' (Autumn), 'Eerie' (Halloween) and 'Eskimo Kisses' (Christmas).

I have never done this before (due to limited shelf space) but I ordered each and EVERY paper from the Indian Summer line because I ♥d it SO. I also brought in the card kits, and complete collection kits. Have a look at this paper....doesn't it just make you smile and think of those warm autumn days that we all treasure?

I received a nice sampling of papers from the Eerie line as well as some great clear stamps, card kits, glazed brads and rub-ons. This halloween paper from Basic Grey has just the right amount of 'creep' and 'class'.

The Eskimo Kisses collection is just adorable. It has a nice mix of tradition and funk. The gorgeous magenta, teals and greens are very nice. A quick call to Kell this morning, to share my news about the order, had her rushing to the store to grab some papers to possibly use for her card for the Zonta Card Extravaganza. PS...there are still tickets available but they are moving fast. Stop in and pick yours up today! I ordered in the brads, card kits, stamps, mini pads, etc.

What an exciting day! And this wasn't all...there are still TWO boxes from various companies waiting for me to dig into them!! Can you guess what else may be in store?