A Few Things...

Well, I hope you're comfortable because this is going to be a long post! I am a little behind and have a few different things to share. First up is this little treat bag which we made at both the Big Shot class and the World Cardmaking Day event. The bag topper was made very easily by using the Top Note Die and some ribbon. The sentiment is from one of the new Halloween sets called Tasty Sweets and I just fell in love with it as soon as I saw it in the catalog. While I kept my coloring to a minimum with two colors, Ashley kicked hers up a notch by adding the Old Olive and Elegant Eggplant. I love the additional colors and so I had to take a photo of hers so that I could share it as well!



Now, I realize that everyone has to be sick of seeing these pictures, but I just had to share my first layout for an online class that I am taking with one of my scrapbooking heroes--Cathy Zielske. My love affair began with Cathy many years ago when I discovered her Clean and Simple book when I was working at Pocketful of Memories. I was immediately drawn to her designs and began following her blog not too long ago. When I read that she was going to be offering a class, I knew I had to participate. If you are interested in online scrapbooking classes, you'll want to check out Big Picture Scrapbooking--there's a wide variety of classes to choose from! Registration for this particular class is still open until October 8th in case you're interested. For our first assignment, Cathy gave us a couple of sketches so that we could practice designing layouts that are balanced and symmetrical. I still have the symmetrical layout to complete so I'll share that when it's finished. For Cathy's sketch, we needed an enlarged photo measuring 11" x 7.5" and then three smaller photos which are 2.5" squares. I really like the larger print and am so happy about the sketches--it's an easy way to get started with any layout if you ask me.
Now, saving the best for last...
Did you know that PaperCrafts actually sends crowns to the winners of its Stamping Royalty contest? I thought that it was just hysterical and BEGGED JoLynn to bring hers over. She agreed even though it's been beaten up by her kids who have enjoyed it far more than she could have imagined :-0. Now, you know what this means, don't you? Yes, JoLynn's publication debut has arrived and her card can be seen in the November/December issue of PaperCrafts magazine! Some stores may already have this issue arriving even though it's only the beginning of October--you know how it goes with publications. Here's a pic of the cover so you can find it easily :-) Congratulations, JoLynn!