Bye....

Well, I am off to go get my hair cut and then I will be leaving shortly after that to go HERE. I am so excited. I really need this mini-vacation. I love catching up with friends and relaxing...I will be getting a massage while I'm there. Seriously, can't wait. I am packed and ready to go....Before I leave, I wanted to remind everyone that I owe a blog prize to...those will be sent out on Monday, I promise. I have been super busy with the Bakery and next month's kit. Okay, I also promised a winner from the Creative Block Survival Guide Mini-Workshop and that would be Timi Mercado from the Philippines! Timi sent me submissions to ALL of the challenges and they were all amazing. Thanks to all of you for playing along. It was so fun. Here is Timi's submission for an all about me layout....
Timi, you know my address...email me and I will get a prize out to you! Okay, gotta get going. Have a fabulous weekend! Thanks for reading!

Cuttlebug Crazy

Thanks to the world's best enablers, Laura and Jennifer, I now own a Cuttlebug:

Jennifer had this on our trip last year to Cornerstone (where I am leaving to go tomorrow for the weekend!) and I have been wanting one ever since. My mom surprised me yesterday as a gift even though my birthday is not until Monday. Thanks Mom! I have been going to Michael's almost twice a day to use their 50% off one item and picking up the embossing folders...love them! I also picked up this Amy Butler "carrying case"....

The pockets are great to hold all the dies and folders. I will embossing like crazy this weekend. lol

And...since I did have the coupons, I splurged on my niece and got her a Cuttlebug kids and die-set for her birthday this summer .....

She is going to be five and for some kids that is young but she was at my mom's when I got mine and I showed her what it did and she said, "OH MY GOSH, I LOVE IT!" and then tried it herself about a hundred times and said she is a scrapbooker...the same thing happened when she came over and finally realized that Aunt Heather has a scrapbook store in her house! She about died with excitement. I think she has already got the scrappin' bug! lol

Okay, I know Blah, Blah, Blah...time to wrap it up. I think I have gone Cuttlebug crazy! I will be back tomorrow before I leave. I hope you are having a great day!

Lots to Share...

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend. Alex and I just hung out at home while Ted was in North Carolina for the Coca Cola 600. When I was down there for the Inspired event, the Embassy was offering race packages. I decided to splurge and surprise him. Needless to say he loved it! He has been treated like a king all weekend in their special V.I.P luxury box. :)

Anyway...today I finally got some things crossed off my long to-do list today. One of these things was to photograph some of the scrap projects I have been working on. Here are a few things that I created using Jenni Bowlin products. I just sent them to Jenni as well b/c I made them for Jenni's booth at CHA. I hope she likes them. No pressure right?? lol I've said it before and I am saying it again...just love her product...

A detailed shot... Journaling: Even though you were not in my life five years ago. Now, I can't imagine one day of my life without you in it. I am one lucky lady to be your step mom.

I also created a little shadow box of our first dance at our wedding. This is a pic of the inside without the lid..

I used Ranger's Paint Dabbers for the stars. I love those! I must get them in every color now. lol Here is the finished project sitting on a cute little stand I got at the dollar store....The shadow box is from Martha Stewart. I got three of them at Michael's. They were marked down from $14.99 to $2.99!

The last project uses Jenni's Scalloped Banner Chipboard. Instead of making a banner, I spray painted them using chalkboard spray paint and turned them into mini-chalkboards. They are hanging in my kitchen and are perfect for writing down phone messages and grocery lists...

You can find lots of these Jenni Bowlin products at the Bakery!

I also have some pics to share from my awesome Mother's day. My son surprised me with a card on Mother's Day that said that we were taking a surprise trip on Thursday and he cleared my schedule for me! He is the best. On Thursday, he navigated me until we arrived at the Cincinnati Art Museum! He said that he remembered me saying that I really wanted to get back there since I haven't been since college when he went there recently for a school trip. How sweet is that? Very thoughtful. So, we spent a rainy day at the museum walking around and enjoying art. Nothing could be better. Just love him ....

and speaking of Mother's Day....Ted surprised me with a Flip Camcorder! I was so excited. Can you tell? lol

Do you know what this means? As soon as I can learn how to use it, I will be recording some scrapping videos to post here! Leave a comment and tell me what you want to see. I need some ideas and I don't want to bore you guys. lol

Be back soon with more scrappin' projects and the winner from the Creative Block Survival Guide Challenge Contest. Thanks for reading!

And the winner is....

Hi everyone. Just dropping a note to say how happy I am that David Cook won American Idol! Yeah! What did you think about the result? I really wanted him to win, but thought the other David had it b/c of his performance yesterday. Anyway, not much to report. Been in a slump lately hence the no blogging. Be back soon with some projects. Have a great night! One more thing...what did you think of George Michael's performance at the end of the show. Was it just me or was it horrible??? lol

Creative Block Survival Guide-DAY 5 and 6

Hi! Thought I would wrap up the Creative Block Survival Guide tonight. Thanks so much to all of you who have been leaving sweet comments and participating! So glad to hear that this is working for you! :)

The next category is SCRAPS: Here are the challenges...

1. Put those ribbon scraps to good use. Create a frame around an enlarged photo. I shared this technique awhile ago on my blog. Here is the end result again. Love putting all those tiny ribbon pieces to use!

2. After completing a lyout/project, use the materials that are leftover to create a card... Here is the two page spread I did...I did an interview with my son about his rock band...(by the way, those are tons of extra rub-on letters for each letter in ROCK...a great way to use up your extras!)

Here is the card...used the leftover stars...also duplicated the theme as well...

3. Use leftover scraps to create a mosaic-like background on a layout...

The next category is REFRESH. These challenges are what I call "quick inspiration fixes". I will show an example where I can, but some of them (the quotes) are simply just to read as a reminder why you do this hobby when you are burnt out. :)

1. Just walk away! Go take a walk and return to your project with a fresh perspective. I use this one a lot. I love to take a walk in the evenings to wind down and listen to some music. It has never failed in getting me inspired! A bubble bath is also a great way to wind down and get some inspiration flowing.

2. Travel to the nearest scrapbook/art store in search of inspiration. I love looking at other people's art. It is so inspiring. It doesn't have to be a scrapbook store either. For example, I went to the Cincinnati Art Museum yesterday...full of inspiration!

BONUS: Try purchasing a product from an unfamiliar product line. I am really trying to get out of the habit of buying from the same product line all the time. It is fun sometimes to experiment BUT you will never get me not to buy Making Memories , Heidi Swapp, Jenni Bowlin or KI! I'm pretty loyal to them. :)

3. Scrap-lift a layout, card or project from a scrapping buddy. I love scrappin' with my friends b/c they are so talented and it is fun to bounce ideas off them. The internet is also hopping with great inspiration. I am officially a blog hopper and I just love Robyn's work. I lifted this layout from a layout she did on the Hero Arts site. Sorry, can't find the original but here is my take on hers:

And here are the quotes that always gets my creative juices flowing...

4."Perfect just the way you create" -DONNA DOWNEY

5. "Good art is not what it looks like, but what it does to us." -ROY ADZAK

and that concludes the Creative Block Survival Guide mini-workshop. Thanks for reading and participating. I will be back soon to post winners from the challenges.....

Creative Block Survival Guide-DAY THREE and FOUR

Thank you for all the get well wishes, I am feeling much better now. More like myself. Anyway, I promised you Day 3 and 4 ....here they are....

The first category is JOURNALING. Here are my examples...(By the way, I am so sorry for the crappy pics. My camera and I are not getting along! lol)

1. Record a simple conversation as your journaling. For this one, I recorded a conversation b/w me and my step-son about how he says he was too "old" to do halloween and I just love looking back on it because it reflects his personality so much and I am so thankful that I got it down. Here is the LO...

The next two challenges I am going to combine b/c I used them both on one layout.

2. Use words from your cards/letters as your journaling. I do this a lot...such an easy journaling jumpstart.

3. Journal using your own handwriting. I rarely do this...I do not like my handwriting but I understand that it needs to be in my scrapbook every once in awhile. :)The last challenge in this category is...

4. Tuck your journaling in a pocket or on a tag behind a photo. Here I displayed some of my journaling but hidden in the pocket (on the tag) are words for my hubby's eyes only. This is great when you don't want to share every sentiment with people who flip through the pages of your scrapbook. The next category is EMBELLISHMENTS. Here are the challenges:

1. Group embellishments together to add "pop" to your project. I love grouping these together not only b/c it is so easy but b/c it is a great tool to draw your reader to your photo....

2. Use leftover stickers as a mask. I loved this challenge. I only had brown sticker letters and brown on brown did not look good. So, I laid the stickers down. Swiped blue paint over them and once it was dry, I pulled the letters up, creating a mask. So fun...

3. Use the "oldest" embellishment you own and give it new life by painting, sanding, or altering it in some way. The reason I created this challenge is because I believe that the scrapbook industry is so focused on the new product that a scrapbook "collector" like me, who buys things way faster than I could ever use them, must think of new ways to keep my stash fresh.

*I CAN'T FIND THE PIC FOR THIS ONE....hopefully I will find it soon and I will post it here. :)

4. Use four flowers of any size and color on your next project.

BONUS: FIND A NEW GOODIE TO USE FOR THE CENTER OF THE FLOWER...

Okay. That is it for tonight. Need to get to bed. Keep those layouts coming. I have so enjoyed looking at all of them! What great talent. See you tomorrow with Day5! Thanks for stoping by. :)

Sickies

Hi all! Just popping in to say that I will do Day 3 and Day 4 of the Survival Guide tomorrow b/c I have the flu. Hopefully, I will be back to myself tomorrow. Just hate being sick. I hope everyone is having a better day. More tomorrow...

Creative Block Survival Guide-DAY TWO

Hello all. Today we are doing the second category of the Survival Guide, which is PHOTOS. Here is what I did for each challenge...

1. Come out of hiding and hand over your camera to get pictures of you! : This was hard for me b/c I don't like having my pic taken but at the last crop I hosted, I was so glad that my sis took some pics of me with some scrapping friends....

2. Create a layout made entirely of photos: This challenge is perfect for those of you who like to make a title page for your scrapbooks. This one was done of my new nephew, J.T. and it will be a title page for his scrapbook....(sorry for the bad pic, I was in a hurry)

3. Extra Photos? Use an envelope or mini folder to hold them all: When we went to Gatlinburg, I fell in love with this miniature golf place that we went to. It was so cute and I took lots of photos and needed to find away to incorporate them without doing twenty pages on the subject! so I used a wallet photo holder. It worked great....

Here are some more pics of this in some detail...

4. Try using 6 or more photos on a layout: I love using small, mini-prints on a layout. It can really support a larger photo and carry out your theme.
Thanks for stopping by. I will be back tomorrow with more challenges. Don't for get to send me images of what you created to be entered for a chance to win a prize! Can't wait to see what you have whipped up...

Creative Block Survival Guide-DAY ONE

Hi everyone. Thanks so much for the great response to the Survival Guide! Now, the fun part. I am going to break down each category over the next week, show examples that I created and
if you decide to do one of the challenges, EMAIL ME AT hruwe(at)scrapbookbakery.com with the subject line as Creative Block Survival Guide and show me what you have done. I am going to post on my blog next week winners for each category, so get scrapping! :)

The first category is Design. Here are examples of what I created using the challenges....(Some of these have been shown before on the blog but I will re-post to show the ladies who are new to my blog)

1. Create patterned paper using rub-ons, stamps, or paint: Here I stamped a fall definition stamp on the half circles and then applied rub-ons on top. I really like the effect of creating custom patterned paper!

2. Mix 5 different patterned papers to create a background: Here I used the KI pop culture paper line (love it!) and a little trick to not make the layout so "busy" when doing this is to leave a small amount of a solid color around the sides.

3. Create a monochromatic layout: Remember, monochromatic colors are all the hues (tints and shades) of a single color.

4. Place an element of your design on an angle: Instead of tilting the photos, I decided to tilt the paper behind them. Gives a fun twist on the normal square route that I usually take.

5. Try using a sketch: Awhile ago, I designed a layout for Valerie Salmon's sketch blog called GOT SKETCH. You could even try to turn the sketch upside down to create a new one like I did.

Few more things, I just added the LAST Refill Kit from my Inspired Class. If you go to the Bakery and hit SHOP and then KITS you will find the CREATIVE BLOCK REFILL KIT. So, if you are thinking about creating one or refilling the one you have with your own ideas you might want to snatch it before it is gone.
I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. I did...more on that later. Thanks for stopping by...see you tomorrow with the next category. Have a great night!

Creative Block Survival Guide Mini Workshop

WARNING: LOOOOOOOONG POST! lol

Hi Everyone. First things first...the winner of the NSD post goes to ....

Kendalls Mom 3 said...
hi Heather
May 3, 2008 11:29 AM

Okay, let's pick one more......I will choose the next comment since it was a race against time.....

Marissa said...
Thank you for the flower pencil inspiration! I made Teacher Appreciation gifts today!
May 4, 2008 12:36 AM

Congrats ladies! email me at hruwe(at)scrapbookbakery.com with your address so I can send off some goodies to you! :)

____________________________________________

Okay, on to the reason for this post. I taught a mini workshop at the Inspired Event last month and I wanted to share it here for all the ladies who purchased my extra kits and for all of you who could not go to the event, maybe you can incorporate the idea. A free online class!

The purpose of this class is obvious.... to try and conquer or at least tame the Creative Block that I am sure every scrapper experiences from time to time. I was so tired of going to a crop and experiencing Creative Block and just sit there wasting precious scrapping time. So, I got out my handy dandy HUGE, HEAVY inspirational binder that is home to all kinds of ideas I jot down or tear out of magazines. I love my binder and it really helps but when I travel to crops, but it is really annoying to travel with. So I decided to create a mini version of that binder and since I was teaching...of course it had to be cute! :) So, with the sponsorship of Jenni Bowlin and her AMAZING products, my mind started racing with ideas.

First, I wanted to create categories that would help with the overall design of any layout/project....

DESIGN, PHOTOS, JOURNALING, EMBELLISHMENTS, SCRAPS, and REFRESH. The purpose of this was to help with Creative Block from start to finish OR if you were only experiencing creative block with one of the areas...it would get you jumpstarted to completing your project. Can there be more than these categories, of course! These seemed like the best place to start.

With that being said...I am going to post ALL of the pics of the individual creative challenge cards. I hope this helps the ladies match up their materials, who are making their kits at home. :)

Front Cover:

The first Category is DESIGN: (REMEMBER when you are writing on these label stickers, they are slick...use a SHARPIE...for all the REGULAR papers, you can use a regular, acid free, black marker!) The Jenni Bowlin tickets were PERFECT for making tabs on the side of each category. Makes it so easy to find which category you are looking for..

These are all of the creative challenges under DESIGN:

The next Category is PHOTOS:

These are all the creative challenges under PHOTOS:

The next category is JOURNALING:

These are the creative challenges for JOURNALING:

The next category is EMBELLISHMENTS:

These are the creative challenges for EMBELLISHMENTS:

The next category is SCRAPS:

These are the creative challenges for SCRAPS:

The next (and final) category is REFRESH: This is by far my favorite category b/c it does just what it says (or at least for me!) ...it refreshes you!

Here are the REFRESH challenges:

Jenni Bowlin's Vintage Journaling Cards tied in perfectly...

Thanks for reading this super long post! Hopefully, I have supplied you with a few ideas to get out of Creative Block! I have a word document with all of this information. Email me at hruwe(at)scrapbookbakery.com if you are interested and I will send you a copy! I KNOW this was a lot of info for one night. So, I have decided to disect each category over

the course of six days (STARTING MONDAY, MAY 12th) and show you examples of how I used my survival guide. I will have challenges and prizes. So, stay tuned......