Croppin' Train Scrapbook Retreats

CHA pre-work

2012-01-25T09:56:00.000-06:00

I saw this on someone else's Facebook post and thought it was perfect for us since we are about to attend CHA:

If you could only scrapbook with ONE paper company's paper and embellishments who would you choose? You may only choose one!

More CKC Tulsa Layouts

2012-01-22T09:00:00.004-06:00

More from the Technique class:

This layout was from Creating Keepsakes. The technique was to cut out shapes from your patterned paper to make embellishments. Nice layout

This layout is from Paper Loft. This technique is the same as the layout above - cutting shapes from your pattered paper to make embellishments and borders. A nice fall layout.

This layout is from Technique Tuesday. Their technique was to stamp your own patterned paper and borders.

Still more CKC Tulsa layouts

2012-01-15T09:00:00.004-06:00

Thursday night of CKC we attended the Technique Class. There are many companies that come in and we complete a one page layout. We have the option to buy the second page the next day. I am not a one page kind of scrapbooker, so I always get the second page.

This layout uses my new favorite paper company, Simple Stories. The techniques she shared with us was how to make pinwheels and how to pleat paper. I just love this layout.

If I remember correctly, this layout is from Lickety Split. I changed it some from the original. It had a cute little bear on it but it was too cute for me. The technique she shared with us was how to make paper beads for your page. Super easy. I had never done this and love it. What a great way to use up scraps.

Crop Express

2012-01-08T22:31:00.001-06:00

The Crop Express on January 21st is now SOLD OUT.

More CKC Tulsa Layouts

2012-01-08T09:00:00.002-06:00

Here are a few more from the My Mind's Eye class:

This layout uses paper that I love. Her technique for this page was to show how to "stretch" die cut across two pages. Maybe new for some :)

This layout I do not like. I love the paper though. For the left page, she had a class contest. She showed how she designed the page then we had so much time to create our own page. The only thing I did that no one else did was to take the wire that was attached to the flowers and spiral them.
This layout needs the ER.

CKC Tulsa Layouts

2012-01-01T09:00:00.001-06:00

Kelly and I took a My Mind's Eye class. LOVED IT!

This is one of the layouts we completed. For this layout, she taught us to cut apart those big pieces of bling designs you can buy.

This layout has great colors. It reminded me to use paper clips to attach ribbon. So simple, yet so easy to forgot.

Soon the new year will be here

2011-12-26T20:25:00.003-06:00

Ready or not the new year will be here soon.

I have goals for next year that I hope will make me more organized. I wrote these tasks in my calendar to help me stay on track. Now I will tell you so then I need to be accountable. (in case you ask me about my progress at retreat)

Goal #1: To download and organize all pictures from my camera the last day of every month. I have been good at downloading but not organizing. Well, my downloading is not all that great either. I don't delete them off my camera until I make two back ups of the pictures. So when I do download the pictures, sometimes I get the same picture many times. This has caused a huge mess for me. 2011 I have been working on organizing my digital pictures. First I have them organized by year (complete). Now I will go in and organize them by month (in process) and delete the duplicates. Then I will mark if I have scrapbooked/printed them yet. Then when I need to print pictures, I know what to pick. Recently I printed pictures then found I had already printed them. Nothing like wasting money.

Goal #2: To keep these blog postings up to date. 2011 seemed to be hard for us to keep this up to date. I have had planned blog postings since mid August, but have you seen them yet! (They will be coming very soon)

Goal #3: To MAIL the birthday cards on time. As of today, I have made 58 of the 105 cards I need to make for 2012 birthdays. Last year I made all the cards in the beginning of the year also. I have them sorted by month in a box. Somehow I still never get the cards mailed on time. Addressing them is my problem. It doesn't take long but I just cannot seem to get it done. My hubby suggests that I print all the address labels now then I only need to change the ones that move. So I will try that. What could be easier then sticking a label on and walking to the mailbox. I was trying to convince him that since I make the cards, his job should be sending them. So far he is not going for this idea. :0)

That is plenty of goals for me. Others are minor, like continuing to ride my bike 3-4 times a week. That one I have to wait until my doctor releases me to ride the bike again. Currently I am restricted to the stationary bike. That is a lot harder for me then the real bike, outdoors. - Sigh - soon though, soon.

In early December, my mother and I attended a crop in Bixby, OK (south Tulsa). We got so much accomplished. It was wonderful. I completed 13 two page layouts from scratch and 5 two page layouts that I only needed to stick pictures on plus 21 birthday cards. I am trying to make myself make cards every time I complete a layout. I already have all the matching cardstock and embellishments out - why not. So maybe that is a goal for 2012 too. We had a great time.
Hopefully these layouts will be in future blog postings.

At the end of January, Pat and I will be attending CHA in Anahiem, CA. We are so excited. (only 34 days left). So you should see some postings from that. We hope to learn lots to share with you at the Spring Retreat.

Till next time, keep scrapping.
- Dora

Pre-register for the 2KatieDesigns layout class

2011-10-09T10:16:00.005-05:00

We have invited 2KatieDesigns back to teach another fantastic layout class at the Fall Retreat.

Come learn tips and techniques while completing this 2 page layout.
You will get a whole set of alphabets so the title can be changed to fit your theme.

This class will be on Saturday, October 22nd at 10:15am. The cost is $15. Sign up using the paypal button on the right side of this page.

There are a limited number of seats to complete the class at retreat with 2KatieDesigns. They will also have some kits to sell.

Pre-register now before the seats fill up.

Moving to a new location

2011-08-18T10:35:00.002-05:00

For past few years, Croppin’ Train Scrapbook Retreats have been held at the Embassy Suites in Rogers, Arkansas. The Embassy Suites has taken really good care of us, and we have enjoyed each of our Retreats.

We are often contacted by other venues, with an interest in moving a Retreat to their facility. Until now, we have not seen anything that would compare to the Embassy Suites.

The Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Springdale, however, has undergone major renovations over the past few years, and we have designated them as our host hotel for the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 Croppin’ Train Scrapbook Retreats. This Holiday Inn is owned by the same company that owns Embassy Suites in Rogers.

Following is an excerpt of a recent news article, detailing the renovations:

The $6.5 million, multi-year renovation was executed in three phrases, modernizing the guest rooms, redesigning the public spaces and restaurant, and upgrading the 50,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. Guest rooms and suites now include 36-inch flat screen TVs equipped with cable/satellite. Bathrooms were updated and rooms redesigned to provide work areas. High-speed wireless internet access is throughout the hotel. The lobby, pool, business and fitness centers were all revamped and Precor Fitness exercise equipment added. The hotel features a 24/7 ‘snack area’, adjacent to the front desk.

The Northwest Arkansas Holiday Inn & Convention Center is located at 1500 S. 48th Street in Springdale, at the intersection of Hwys 540 and 412.

Croppin' Train Perks

In addition to the Holiday Inn’s renovations and upgrades in their facility, some of the perks they are offering Croppin’ Train attendees are:

—Reserved carts for Crop Room only!

—Microwave In the Crop Room for emergency pop corn, coffee, tea, etc.

—Electrical available for each Crop group

—Meals (with Salads) will be served in a reserved area, solely for Croppin’ Train attendees.

Retreat Week-ends:

· October 21-23, 2011

· March 30-April 1, 2012

Baseball 2010

2011-08-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

I attended a class at Signed, Sealed and Delivered and created this layout. I put Diamond Glaze on the "STAR" of "ALL STAR" to make it stand out. We used the Sewing Heads by We R Memory Keepers to stitch a baseball stitch on the white piece of the left page. I like the effect. We will have these stitching templates at the next retreat or you can go to their website and download it.

Embellish It and My Craft Channel

2011-08-04T20:56:00.002-05:00

Are you familier with Embellish It? I received the following info from her today:

To celebrate the launch of My Craft Channel, with a line-

up of 20 expert shows, I get to help give away 20 Cricut Machines in 20 Days.

The really amazing thing is that by helping spread the word today, YOU could WIN not just a Cricut, but a Cricut

E2 Machine!

NOTE: This giveaway is being hosted on the My Craft Channel blog.
To be eligible to WIN the Cricut, you can do the following 5 things:
Even better, you can enter the drawing for each of these things you do (so, do all 5 and you can enter 5 times!)

Make sure you leave a comment here for each thing you do

* You have until midnight PST tonight to enter for the Cricut E2

ONE | LIKE my Facebook page
TWO | LIKE Cricut on Facebook (I think we owe them this)
THREE | LIKE the My Craft Channel on Facebook
FOUR | Forward this email to 5 of your friends
FIVE | Facebook, tweet or blog about me or my new venture coming this fall on My Craft Channel

Mr. Personality

2011-07-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

I created this layout using some Kaisercraft paper we sold a few retreats ago. The actual layout design is from the Sketch books that we sold at the last retreat. I LOVE those books for inspiration. Go here to get your own or let is know you want them and we will try to get them at the next retreat.
This layout is about my nephew. He was 13 months old. He made the funniest faces and stills does. It may be hard to tell in these pictures, but he has an Elvis look in one of them. :)

Party at Grandma's House

2011-07-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, this layout isn't quite finished but I wanted to share it anyway. I used paper from a My Mind's Eye paper pad called Twinkle Twinkle Little Boy. This paper made me think of floors in a house.

Take note of two new Stampin' Up products that I am excited about. One is the brown scallop polka dotted ribbon. I have it across both pages. Also there is a new punch that is awesome. You can see it best on the second page below, on the flip book I made, but it is on both pages.

I just need to add a title and a CD of the videos I took of the babies.

Leave a comment of title suggestions.

CHA Day 2

2011-07-19T22:27:00.004-05:00

We are SO wiped out. Sorry this post will be weak. Hopefully we will make up for it this weekend. :)

This is what was in a prize box that I received just for being the "timer" during a Minute to Craft It event. As I was pulling things out of this box, it seemed to be never ending. Can't wait to see who wins some of this at retreat...

This is a picture of the make and takes and some gifts I received today. Only thing missing is a little banner we made. We had to rush to the booth giving prizes away so we didn't get to finish the project. I will finish it then post a picture.

The headband uses the iTop tool.

The halloween bag uses the new sew ribbon tool by We R Memory Keepers. You may see that this retreat.

The door hanger uses Harry Potter paper and another project that I asked a couple of times but they didn't explain it at all. Great huh!

There is a little white box from Spellbinders.

A file folder from Tattered Angels and Prima. (love their new products)

The turquiose rectangle is made from sheets of duck tape. Neat.

We decorated a scissor holstor and received a pair of scissors to go inside.

I also made a ring using melt art and mold and pour. Neat technique.

The gray bag is from Silhouette and we die-cut flocking sheets and they ironed it on the bag.

We R Memory Keepers has new Sweetheart Inkers. This picture has an exclusive silver inker.

I will have to share the rest with you at retreat. :)

CHA - Day 1 for Croppin' Train

2011-07-18T22:36:00.004-05:00

A Fun Day 1.

First, Dora took a class and used the new Cinch, Sew Easy, Brad Setter, and the Heart Attack. We made a 6x6 book with pocket pages and note pages. You might see something like this at a future retreat.

Then Melissa and Dora took a class on Asian Knot Tying. I don't have a picture yet, but will soon. It was a neat technique.

Then we went to the Navy Pier and rode the Ferris Wheel. That was cool. 15 stories high.

2011-07-17T14:36:00.001-05:00

About to leave for the airport to head to CHA in Chicago. So excited here!!!

T-Ball 2009

2011-07-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

This layout is of T-Ball practice. I cut the title from the Baseball Cricut cartridge (which we have at retreat for you to use). The base paper has printed stitching around the edge and I purchased it at Hobby Lobby.

K.I.S.S. Summer Fun Crop

2011-07-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Dora and her mom attended the K.I.S.S. Summer Fun Crop in Siloam Springs back in early June. It was a lot of fun and they got a lot completed. They also won some great prizes (look at all that paper/cardstock they got below) and got a few ideas for the next retreat we host. What was neat is that all proceeds from this crop went to Joplin families and volunteers.

Dora's Room - Day 7

2011-07-09T10:00:00.003-05:00

My punches are propped up on curtain rods that we mounted on my wall. I love that they are out where I can see them and remember I have them. I like the design of the new punches except they do not work for this type of storage. I will have to come up with something else. The little buckets hanging on the ends hold the punches that are too small for the curtain rods, like the 1/2" circle punch. And one is holding the glimmer mist at the moment.

I saved my favorite for last. This is a zoomed in picture of my Ikea shelf. The bins with the the circles are from Lowes and the solid blue ones are from Ikea. Each bin is labeled with its contents. When I purged my room, I divided the undone kits from the completed kits that just need pictures to the paper collections. I also have a bin for Cricut, Slice, card making supplies, tools, and two for Glimmer Mist. Now when I go to crops, I can just go to whichever bin and pull projects. One of my bins has packs I put together that have the paper and pictures together. That is the easiest one to pull when I am ready for a day of scrapbooking.

Dora's Room - Day 6

2011-07-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

This is the corner of my room that is opposite of the closet. I love my shelf from IKEA. It was well worth the money. I have four squares of stamp sets. I am slowly converting them to cling mount and hope to get that down to two squares. I store my scrapbooks on top of my shelf. In front of my shelf is where I store my solid 12x12 cardstock.

Dora's Room - Day 5

2011-07-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

This is my closet. I hope it doesn't look too crazy. We took the doors off and added shelves to it when we moved in. I have lots of bins and drawers and everything has its own place. I also made sure the lowest shelf would still allow my rolling drawer carts to fit underneath.

Dora's Room - Day 4

2011-07-06T10:00:00.003-05:00

This is my computer desk. I have my scanner and color printer on top. My laptop and natural light lamp on the desk top and the keyboard and mouse in the drawer. I love this desk most of the time. Sometimes the desk top is too small for what I need to do. But then I bring in a TV tray. :)

Dora's Room - Day 3

2011-07-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

I have a nice ink rack that I purchased online years ago. (Actually I have two) It holds Stampin' Up ink and other ink pads very well. I am even storing a sponge wedge temporarily on one of them in this picture. :o) This one is on my scrapbook desk. The other is on top of the desk with retired colors and my Powder Puff inks on it.

This is a shelf I purchased at Sam's Club. It comes with the bins too. This one is a mix of office supplies and craft supplies. I love to have my bins labeled so I know where everything is.

Dora's Room - Day 2

2011-07-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

I was so lucky one day to find a brand new kitchen cart at Helping Hands for only $75. I have been wanting one and they are normally $100+ and shipping. I store my Sizzix, Cinch and some Sizzix dies of the shelves. I don't have anything in the drawer yet. I have my baby laptop and the xyron inside the door of the cabinet. On top is my cricut and gypsy. This was the main purpose for this cabinet. I had to keep my cricut boxed up. So I rarely used it. Now it is ready to use anytime.

Dora's Room - Day 1

2011-07-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

I will post a series of pictures of my room. I just finished purging the whole room. It feels good and I now remember what all I have and know where it is. (At least for a month or two) ha ha

First picture is a zoomed in look at my scrapbook desk my husband built me. I have pegboard as the "wall" so all my tools I use a lot and are easy to loose on a desk are up there. I also have my watercolor crayons handy in a votive holder. In another votive holder I have other handy tools: rulers, bone folder, stylus, pencils and pens, eraser, fan brush, etc.
Later in my series of pictures, I will show a zoomed out picture of the whole desk.

Sunshine Layout

2011-06-26T13:31:00.003-05:00

This is a summer layout from a birthday party last year. The kids couldn't get the slip and slide to stay wet so they put it at the end of the slide on the playground and attached the hose to the top. Clever and lots of fun ahead...

I used Rusted Sun by Fancy Pants. I just love their patterned paper.
The "fun in the sun" on the picture is a rub on that matched this collection.

2011-06-24T14:13:00.001-05:00

Meet the new Samsung Galazy Tab 10.1. Fall in love

I canot wait to get my hands on one of these. Chick on the link below to help me win one.

http://bit.ly/k6DJoY

Croppin' Train Express - August 6th, 2011

2011-06-22T10:06:00.000-05:00

We will be hosting another Crop Express on August 6th in Bentonville. We will set the exact location as the event gets closer.

The Express event will start at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, and run until midnight! Lots of croppin' time for you! Registration is just $25.00 per person, and includes snacks, lunch, dinner, beverage (2 liter of your choice), your very own 6' table, and access to a Cricut Expression machine, with over 80 cartridges!

You will find a PayPal link for Croppin' Train Express registration on the right side of the main page of our blog. We will confirm your registration via email.

Due to the limited number of seats available at an Express event, we will close registration on Monday, August 1st. Don't delay - register today! :)

June 4th Crop Express

2011-05-18T08:52:00.002-05:00

Join us for our next Crop Express on June 4th

Scrapbook from 9am to midnight. We will provide lunch, dinner, snacks and a 2 liter of your choice or water. Plus you will have your very own 8' table to crop at.

We'll have two Cricut machines and lots of cartridges. We'll also bring a variety of textured cardstock and adhesive for sale if you need any basics. If you would like us to bring any of our other tools, please let us know.

All this for just $25. You can register by mailing a check, using Paypal (button on the right side of this blog) or by calling with a credit card.

Sign up now as spots are limited.

Location: Extension Office on HWY 102, near jail.

Join me here

2011-05-03T21:41:00.000-05:00

National Scrapbooking Day Crop Express

2011-04-14T09:45:00.006-05:00

May 7th is National Scrapbooking Day so we HAVE to have a Crop Express. :o)

Scrapbook from 9am to midnight. We will provide lunch, dinner, snacks and a 2 liter of your choice or water. Plus you will have your very own 6' table to crop at.

We'll have two Cricut machines and lots of cartridges. We'll also bring a variety of textured cardstock and adhesive for sale if you need any basics. If you would like us to bring any of our other tools, please let us know.

In addition to the normal offerings listed above, we will have some special things in honor of the day:

We will giveaway door prizes.
You will receive a layout kit.
and more...

All this for just $25. You can register by mailing a check, using Paypal (button on the right side of this blog) or by calling with a credit card.

Sign up now as spots are limited.

This will be held at the Bentonville Police Station

Quote

2011-04-08T09:55:00.001-05:00

Someone posted this on Facebook...

nothing is impossible...the word its self says "I'm possible"

Cricut Chatter

2011-04-01T13:50:00.005-05:00

The NEW Cricut Expression 2 Anniversary Edition will be highlighted on HSN on Tuesday, April 26, during the following times (all times EASTERN): Midnight - 2:00 a.m.; 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.; 11:00 a.m. - Noon; 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Watch the HSN schedule as they will sometimes change these times.

If you want to be one of the first to see it, you'll need to watch your clock on Monday night, April 25. Central time zone - tune in at 11:00 p.m.; Mountain time zone - tune in at 10:00 p.m.; Pacific time zone - tune in at 9:00 p.m.

So what's new about this "new" Cricut Expression 2 (CE2)?

Pre-Loaded Cartridges: It will come pre-loaded with Cricut Essentials, Cricut American Alphabet, Cricut Decals, and Just a Note! The Cricut Decals and Just a Note are exclusive to the CE2. Just a Note was designed by Cosmo Cricket.

LDC TOUCH SCREEN: Larger, faster, full-color LCD touch screen display with stylus.

NO KEYPAD OVERLAY REQUIRED! Mat Preview: See shapes you're cutting and where they fit on the mat before you cut. (Similar to using the Gypsy.)

Materials Profile: Choose a default setting for materials you like to cut OR customize a material setting just the way you like it.

Load Mat: There are now brackets on either side of the loading area to make sure your mat stays in place.

Cartridges: It will use both the regular Cricut and Imagine cartridges. You cannot print the Imagine cartridges, but you can cut the images!

Cutting-area Light: A light under the cutting blade to let you see where you're cutting on the mat.

Layered View: See ALL creative features and layers right on the screen, including shift layers. NO NEED to keep referring back to the handbook!

Wrapping: Fit a sequence of images or letters to a specific length by wrapping them onto more than one line or mat.

Independent Image Sizing: Size each image on a mat on its own. (Similar to using the Gypsy.)

Apply All: Apply all of the edits (scale, flip, rotate, etc.) you do for one image to all images on a mat at the same with just one button.

This machine was first introduced in January, and is just now being made available to the general public.

There are several blogs that have announcements and videos for the new CE2. One of the more informative videos (approximately 20 minutes) can be found here: www.mypinkstamper.com/2011/03/cricut-expression-2-anniversary-edition.html.

I haven't seen any pricing yet, but will keep you posted as more information becomes available!

Spring 2011 - Overall Winner

2011-03-30T11:02:00.002-05:00

This stunning layout was the overall winner at the Spring 2011 Retreat. It took about two hours to hand-cut all of those little squares. Congratulations - thanks for sharing such beautiful work!

Spring 2011 - Winning "Other" Project

2011-03-30T11:00:00.003-05:00

Cindy Tyner won for the best "other " project. She created this adorable mini-album entitled "Summer". Congratulations Cindy!

Spring 2011-Winning Scrapbook Layout

2011-03-30T10:51:00.003-05:00

Randee Hallmark had the winning layout at the Spring 2011 Retreat. The banner on the left-side page was created using the Tie The Knot Cricut cartridge. Congratulations Randee!

Spring 2011 Retreat - Done!

2011-03-28T14:04:00.003-05:00

Well, the Spring 2011 Retreat has all been boxed up and put away. We'll rest a bit, and then start preparing for our Fall 2011 Retreat.* (*More news about that retreat in a separate post). We had a wonderful week-end, with 43 people in attendance! We had croppers from Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and, of course, Arkansas! Mary Ellen created name tags in the shape of the state to represent each cropper. It was fun to see where everyone traveled from. As usual, we gave away lots of fun prizes, and free goodies! Dora taught a class on a 'waterfall' technique that was used on the free layout kit. I demoed how to stamp on your pictures, a technique that was used in the Early Bird layout kit. We also gave each cropper a mini magnetic bulletin board kit, and a test tube candy holder kit. 2Katies, a local design team, came on Saturday afternoon and taught a beautiful 2-page layout class. This was an optional, extra, class that people could purchase if they wanted. Saturday night we had our layout contest. We had 27 entries - lots of layouts and a few cards, mini-books, etc. All of the entries were awesome, but the winners were truly works of art! We'll post those in a separate, photo-heavy, post. Sunday comes awfully fast! All too soon it was time to give away the last round of door prizes, the grand prize, and then the "big" grand prize! :) At this Retreat, we gave away an Ott lite - many people have been asking about them, so we gave away a small one that can be used for travel - like coming to a crop! Our "big" grand prize is always a "free ride" on the next Croppin' Train. This time, Dana Reed, a first-time attendee, won the free ride. Dana - we look forward to seeing you again in the Fall! We hope everyone enjoyed themselves, and that you got a few things accomplished, too! All of us at Croppin' Train truly appreciate your attendance at any Croppin' Train event, and hope to see each of you again soon! Thanks for riding with us!! Pat

CRICUT ALERT!

2011-03-28T14:01:00.002-05:00

Many of you have asked about 'good places' to buy Cricut products. We can sometimes offer sale pricing, but there's a few websites out there that you want to keep an eye on. One of them - www.allthingscricut.com - is having some great bargains right now. Be sure and check them out today -I don't know how long their current prices will be in effect.

Spring 2011 Shirts

2011-03-24T14:23:00.001-05:00

Our new shirts are here - and we are so excited...

S-XL are $10 and 2XL-5XL are $12

Another Sneak Peek!

2011-03-14T13:59:00.004-05:00

For everyone that fully pays their registration early, we like to thank you with an extra layout kit. This Spring's layout kit will be using Vanilla, Black and Turqouise, with the following picture sizes: (1) 4x6 or 6x4, and (3) 3x3. You can do some stamping on this - you can even stamp directly onto your pictures if you'd like. The kit also includes two pre-cut Cricut pieces.

“It’s the Little Things”

2011-03-08T21:20:00.009-06:00

We are pleased to offer a third class opportunity for you this Spring retreat.

Join the 2 Katie’s of 2 Katie Designs for this fabulous 2 page layout class! This class will be on Saturday at 4pm.

They will focus on making pages fabulous while still quickly scrappin’ those 4x6 snap shots! Join them to create this memorable two page layout featuring a newly released paper line from Fancy Pants Designs. Capture the “little things” in your life while learning fresh scrapbook techniques that will leave you inspired and motivated to scrapbook the memories that are often forgotten.

This class is for an additional fee of $15. Click the paypal button to the right to sign up and pay for this class.

Spring 2011 Retreat Class Layout Teaser

2011-03-06T16:26:00.006-06:00

It was requested last retreat to let you know what colors we are using for the class layouts you receive. Great Idea!

The layout kit is a Springy layout. The colors are yellow, orange, pink, red, green, cream. Lots of colors as you can tell.

You will need these photos: a 4x4 or 5x5 and seven 2x2's and a 4x4 and a 2.5x3.75

It features an interactive waterfall technique for the photos. We will have an actual class on how to construct this piece on Saturday of retreat at 10:30am.

We are excited to share this technique with you.

Spring 2011 Retreat

2011-02-09T22:51:00.001-06:00

We only have 10 spots left for the Spring 2011 Retreat. If you haven't signed up yet or if your friend hasn't, now is the time.

Challenge

2011-02-09T10:04:00.002-06:00

Read this article then post what you create with this technique.

Learn more about overlaying textures onto your photos to enhance the stories you're telling.

I can't wait to see what you create

What Can You Expect

2011-02-04T20:36:00.004-06:00

We want to invite you to attend the Croppin' Train Scrapbook Retreat week-end.

We are excited to have the retreat at the newly renovated Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Springdale, AR. This venue is easily accessible from the highway, and is very centrally located to a variety of food establishments and other shopping areas.

For those that have not attended a Croppin' Train event in the past, here's what you can expect.

Friday:

The week-end ride begins at 3:00 p.m. Pick out your very own 8' table (let us know if you want to be seated with a particular group of croppers) and set up your work area. A little later in the evening, when most people have arrived, we'll introduce ourselves, pass out the Welcome Aboard goodie bags, and take a brief tour of both the Supply Depot and Boxcar Store. After dinner, you can crop as late as you want.

Saturday:

We'll start the morning off with a hearty breakfast (we have to fortify ourselves for all that scrapbooking!). Throughout the day, we'll offer demonstrations of new products or techniques at our Demonstration Station. If there's a product or a technique you are particularly interested in, please email us before the retreat so we can try and include it in our demonstrations.

Sunday:

This is always a short day. After breakfast, you'll want to give yourself that 'last-minute' push to get more scrapbooking done. We'll draw for the final ticket prizes, and get you all on the road by 1:00 p.m.

Door Prizes

We like getting prizes when we attend events, so we want to make sure you get lots of prizes at a Croppin' Train event. In addition to prizes, you'll also win tickets throughout the week-end. You can use those tickets to try and win your favorite prizes on Sunday. These are special prizes that will be put out Friday night; we'll draw a ticket for some prizes on Saturday and the rest on Sunday. You do need to be present on Sunday to receive the ticket-prizes.

Supply Depot

We are proud to offer one of the best Supply Depots in the area! We want to make sure you have all the basics, plus several 'cool tools', at your disposal - and you don't have to bring them from home! You'll find a substantial listing of available tools on the website. Check it out periodically - we are continually updating it with new tools, stamps, etc.

Boxcar Store

We celebrated the Grand Opening of our Boxcar Store at the Spring 2008 Retreat. We are able to offer an impressive array of products -- cardstock, designer paper, fibers, embellisments, alterables, storage / organization items, etc. -- at very low prices! Again, if there's a particular product you are interested in, please email us before the Retreat and we'll see if we can make the item(s) available for you.

2011-02-01T10:27:00.001-06:00

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” — Mary Lou Cook

We need your input

2011-01-28T20:23:00.002-06:00

Please use the poll on the right to vote on your top two date picks for the Fall 2011 event.

Crop Express on Feb 5th

2011-01-23T19:27:00.003-06:00

Our Crop Express on Feb 5th is sold out.
For those of you that are signed up - see you soon.
For those of you who missed it this time, we plan to have another in May.

Cricut Station

2011-01-23T19:21:00.004-06:00

At our last Crop Express I took a picture of our Cricut station. This is the same station we set up for our Spring and Fall retreat except that we have two Cricut Expressions for you to use there.

This picture only shows half of the cartridges that we bring to share with you:
Here are the rest of them:
To see the whole list check out our Cricut post here.

9 New Stickles Colors!!

2011-01-22T20:26:00.004-06:00

9 New Stickles Colors and we will have them at the Spring retreat just for you.

Let your projects sparkle with everyone's favorite—Stickles Glitter Glue! Nine luscious new colors of Stickles in the same high quality, non-settling formula that you know and love.

The new colors include:

• True Blue
• Mystic Green
• Paprika
• Lagoon
• Midnight Blue
• Thistle
• Glam Pink
• Firefly
• Tropical Tangerine

Use Stickles to add glittery dimension to craft projects—easily add dots, lines, doodles and draw on paper, fabric, plastic, wood, metal and more.

check out this blog post on Ranger to see them http://blog.rangerink.com/blog/2011/01/nine-new-stickles-colors-and-a-contest.html

Scrapbooking - Wedding Photos

2011-01-13T16:20:00.006-06:00

The daughter of one of my best friends from high school got married last fall. I've created a scrapbook for her as a late(!) gift. All of the base cardstock used is from Best Creations - their Mr & Mrs line. It's all double-sided; one side is embossed and glittery; the other side is plain (but still nice). Everything coordinates nicely, and makes it easy to add any accent colors you wish. The bride's colors were eggplant, plum and silver. I could never find any plum paper that really worked, so I stuck with (SU!) Elegant Eggplant, Basic Black and Silver. I also used LOTS of bling on these pages (at least LOTS for me!) Most of the bling was added with the iRock tool, but some were Heidi Swapp self-adhesive jewels. And lots of Cricut cuts - several different cartridges. Hope you enjoy! More pictures can be seen on our Facebook page. Thanks for looking! Pat

Fall 2010 Retreat

2010-11-21T19:02:00.003-06:00

The last couple of months have a been a whirlwind for us getting ready for our Fall Retreat. There was a chance I wasn't going to be able to make it due to work. Luckily that didn't come true. I am not sure I could miss one.

This is a picture of one of the Class kits our attendees received last weekend.

The techniques we used are:
- We used a Clear Glaze Pen and doodled on Vanilla Cardstock. Then after it was dry, we used Spanish Moss Glimmer Mist. The Clear Glaze acts as a resist to the GM. If you don't like to freehand, you can also stamp an image with Versamark ink and it will act as a resist as well.

- We cut flowers out of the patterned paper that will be later covered with the brown cardstock. We adhered them to the page, raising their petals with dimensionals.

- We adhered self-adhesive pearls throughout the layout. We used the stencils from the i-Rock tool to make the swirl that is under the cut-out flowers.

I will be listing some of these kits on ebay next weekend. The kit will include the Spanish Moss glimmer mist, cardstock, patterned paper plus step-by-step instructions.. If you are interested, please send us an email and we can make arrangements or check us out on ebay (seller name is inkyfingersdora), The kit will be $15.

We should be able to get back to a weekly posting either here or on Facebook or both.
More posts coming soon... classes I took at Tulsa and Kansas City CKC and more.

Talk to you later, Dora

Croppin' Train Express - September 11

2010-09-12T12:21:00.002-05:00

Thanks to EVERYONE that attended the September 11 Croppin' Train Express event! We had a full house, and it was great! Build your own deli sandwiches for lunch and a delicious roast, with carrots and potatoes, for dinner! It was fun to see what projects everyone was working on - so many ideas! We'll rest a few days and then it's on to more planning, etc. for the Fall 2010 Croppin' Train Scrapbook Retreat week-end.

Imaginisce I-Rock

2010-09-11T22:47:00.006-05:00

I finally got my hands on the I-Rock tool by Imaginisce! For a couple weeks, everyone was sold out!

The I-Rock is battery-operated, and has a metal stem that heats up, allowing you to adhere pre-glued gems to paper, fabric, etc. The heated metal stem melts the glue enough to allow the gem to stick. If you don't like the placement, you can re-heat the gem (again, melting the glue), move it and there's still enough glue to re-adhere it somewhere else.

The only 'problem' I've had with it is having enough patience to wait the (approximately) 15 seconds it takes to adequately melt the glue. Overall, it's really a cool tool, does a good job of adhering the gems and is very quick and easy to use. Following are some pictures of the first time I used it.

These are some of the accessories I purchased. Each round container has different gems in it. The flowers have gems that can be glued in the flower's center. The templates are made of a light-weight teflon-like 'fabric' - they're not plastic. One template comes with each package of flowers and gems.

Here I'm using one of the Flourish templates on an Independence Day layout I had done earlier. It was very easy to use. You can actually put the gems in the corresponding holes, adhere them and then lift the template away. Well, the pictures and text aren't really cooperating tonight, but, I think you get the idea of how this works. :)

We'll be demoing the I-Rock at the November Retreat.

Back to School Purses

2010-09-11T22:37:00.003-05:00

For our freshman college daughter and her three roommates, I made these purses. Each purse contained a matching beaded pen and two binder clip note holders, along with the snazzy sunglasses on the front, of course, These were really fun to put together; surprisingly, the actual purse goes together pretty quickly. You can't really see it in the pictures, but each purse is lined with coordinating paper.

Back to School Backpacks

2010-09-11T22:32:00.002-05:00

I have several projects to share with you. For the little grandchildren, I made these miniature backpacks and put a gift card in each one, along with a couple sweet munchies, of course.

Teaser of Freebie Layout

2010-08-29T21:52:00.003-05:00

Here is a teaser of the Freebie layout. This is a layout that you will get, in addition to the two class kits, if you pay your registration in full by August 31.

Sorry this image is dark but it was the only way I could get the glitter on the paper to show up.

Croppin' Train Express - September 11, 2010

2010-08-03T10:10:00.003-05:00

We so enjoyed our first Croppin' Train Express event, we want to do it again! Join us on Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. at the Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bentonville! Sixteen hours of crop time - lunch - dinner - soda of your choice - all for just $25.00 per person! As before, we'll have our Cricuts there, along with all cartridges, for your use. We'll also have adhesive and paper for sale if you run out of anything. The layout at the Church only allows for a combination of TEN 6' and 8' tables, so, please register right away if you plan on coming! There is a $25.00 Express registration button on the right-side menu. If you have any questions, please let us know. Hope you can join us!

July 17 Express Event - Great Day!

2010-07-20T23:50:00.004-05:00

We thoroughly enjoyed the July 17 Croppin' Train Express event. The one-day (16 hours!) was plenty to get lots of little things taken care of. We had 13 people attend, so it was a nice small group. I'm posting two of the layouts I was able to complete - one layout is a success for me! All of the cardstock is Stampin' Up!; I used Life is a Beach, Sports Mania, and Stand and Salute for the Cricut cuts. The "Freedom" page contains the words to the Lee Greenwood song, "God Bless the USA" - I forgot to give him credit on the page, but will add that.

Hope everyone else had a good time, and we look forward to presenting other, one-day Express events!

Thanks everyone!

Croppin' Train Express (July 17)

2010-07-06T15:02:00.002-05:00

Don't forget to get registered for the Croppin' Train Express - a ONE-DAY event - on Saturday, July 17, 2010, at the Bentonville Police Department.

For those of you frantically looking for the PayPal registration button on the blog, it is there now! :)

Remember - we only have 16 tables, and we're just at the half-way mark for registrations. If you were thinking about it before, please register now so you don't get left out.

Thanks very much!

Layout Kits for sale (8 out of 20)

2010-06-30T21:17:00.016-05:00

We have been busy creating new layout kits for you. The first few we am posting here are from the last retreat but then we will post the many we created last month. We are so excited about these and hope to get some of our own pictures on them soon.

These kits include instructions (including measurements) and a color picture of the layout. We do not precut the cardstock and paper so that you can adjust it to your pictures, if needed.

These kits are $10 each and we have a deal for you, purchase 5 kits and get the 6th half off.

These are first come, first sold. There are limited numbers of kits available. I will mark them as sold out as soon as I can.

Paradise Layout Kit
Green, purple, turquoise, cream with diecuts and Wine colored rhinestones to embellish.

BackYard Fun Kit
Black, Red and White with cute bug diecuts.

Family Layout Kit
Green, brown and cream. Uses a glimmer mist technique for the ruffle (glimmer mist available at our events after purchasing this kit)

Princess Layout Kit
Pink, black and gray with embellishments and rhinestones.

Fun Fair Layout Kit
White background with greens, reds, turquoise, yellow, orange, well probably all colors. Room for two 4x6 and one 4x4 picture. Includes turquoise rhinestones to embellish.

Floral Frenzie Layout Kit
Yellow, Orange, Pink, Green with white mats. I bright layout.

Christmas Frost Layout Kit
Red, green and cream with wooden embellishments and fiber.

Class Kit from Spring 2010 retreat
Kiwi green and blues. The glimmer mist and screens will be avaiable at our events for those who purchase the kit)

You can pay by cash, check, paypal (we will email you an invoice) or credit card.

Life Is a Beach Birthday Card

2010-06-29T22:48:00.003-05:00

Here's another birthday card I made recently. I used the Life is a Beach Cricut cartidge for the front of the card. The designer paper is SEI (Juliette) and the card base is SU! (Bravo Burgundy). I LOVE the little flower brads on the flip flops - those are from SU!, too. I cut the image twice - once with each paper, and then cut one apart to piece over the other. I really liked how it turned out. Can you guess what the gift was? :) Thanks for looking! Pat

Cricut - Lacy Labels

2010-06-21T00:47:00.010-05:00

I just got one of the new Lite Cricut Cartridges - Lacy Labels; it has some really nice images on it! I used it last night to make a card. Here is the finished 6"x6" card front. I used SU! cardstock - Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, and Very Vanilla. I also used the Dotted Swiss Cuttlebug Embossing Folder on the Very Vanilla cardstock.

I used the Scallop label, and cut all three pieces at 3.5 inches.

Then I layered the Pink on top of the Chocolate.

Maybe it's just me, but I thought the pictures in the 'book' were a bit misleading. The 'words' are right, but I think the pictures make it look like (using my cuts as an example) the Pink piece (with the hole-punched scalloped edge)should be on the bottom, and the Chocolate on top of it. In the picture it looks like the holes in the scalloped edge are 'open', and not laying on top of another cardstock. If you see the picture in the book, what I'm saying might make more sense. :) At any rate, I think it's a cartridge I'll use often.

Pat

Football Layout

2010-06-21T00:37:00.005-05:00

Well, it looks like Dora and I had the same thought today - we have been very remiss in posting ANYthing the last month. I'm posting a football layout with my grandson - this was their final game of the season. No special techniques on this layout. I used SU! cardstock - Summer Sun and Basic Black. I also stamped a football, with Summer Sun ink. Nothing earth-shattering, but I wanted to highlight Joseph in the pictures, so I used punches to make a 'circle highlight'. You can do this with any punches of graduated sizes. Always punch your smaller punch first, then eyeball line up the larger punch, and punch. You can really see it on the second page - the top picture on the left. Unfortunately, the light caught that picture, but it does show the circle highlight quite nicely. A pretty easy technique, but very useful!

Pat

Where is it....

2010-06-20T14:40:00.003-05:00

Where does the time go to? OMG, we haven't posted since May and now it is mid-June. What happened. Everything is such a blur to me - so fast. Tomorrow I get to scrapbook and stamp all day, so I will have new things to post :)

Dora

more Christmas pages

2010-05-09T22:28:00.005-05:00

I cut the names using the Cricut then I outlined them in Stickles to make them stand out. Really not much else special about this page, but another layout done. That is what is important.

(faces blurred to protect the innocent :O)

Glimmer Mist Sale

2010-05-03T21:56:00.005-05:00

We have the following colors of Glimmer Mist for sale for $5.40 each (includes 8% tax). Buy 5 and get free priority shipping. Buy 8 and get the 9th free plus free priority shipping.

Besides getting great new colors of glimmer mist and/or restocking your empty bottles of your favorites, there is an opportunity for a prize. The info is on the original email notifying you of this sale. (just too much to put on here.)

Go to http://www.mytatteredangels.com/ to see the colors.

If there is a season and year after the name, that is when it was available. So it may not be on the website site anymore. Let me know if you cannot find one and are curious about the color.

Don't delay - we only have 1 to 3 of each color (I will delete the colors as they are sold out)

At this Fall retreat, I will demoing more ways to use glimmer mist to create your own embellishments. I will have a beginners demo and an seasoned demo. But of course, everyone is welcome to attend both.

(Payment note: email us your order at croppintrain@aol.com and we will email you the amount you owe and hold your order until payment is received. You can mail us a check or we can send you a paypal invoice. )

We have two limited edition colors at the bottom of the list - they have different pricing but can be part of this sale.

Aspen Yellow
Auburn - Fall 08
Black Gold - winter 08
Black Cherry
Cherub Pink
Cinnamon - Fall 08
Coffee Shop
Coral - Summer 08
Cranberry Zing
Carribbean Blue
Chocolate Covered Cherries
Copper
Coral Reef
Crushed Shells
Dazzling Diamonds
Frost
Frozen Lake
Gingerbread -Winter 07
Gold
Golden Terracotta
Haunted Shadow
Harvest Orange
Juniper
Kiwi - Summer 08
Lavendar Wisp
Lemon Grass
Marshmellow
Merlot
Moonlight
Mustard Seed
Old Lace
Olive Vine
Oriental Poppy
Pashmina
Peppermint Stick
Pink Taffy
Popsicle
Raven
Red Maple
S.W.A.K
Sage - Fall 08
Sand
Sapphire
Simply Khaki - Fall 08
Slate
Snow Angel - winter 08
Spanish Moss
Spring Mint - Spring 08
Spring Violet
Suede
Sugar Cookie -Winter 07
Sunshine
Sweet Clover
Tattered Rose
Tuscan Sun
Twilight - Fall 08
Walnut Gold
Watermelon - Summer 08
Waterslide
Wheatfields
Wild Currant - winter 08

Limited Editions ($6.75 each including tax)
Lucky (from St. Patrick's Day - great green - used on layout kit at Spring retreat)
Pieces of Heart ( A percentage of proceeds from this unique color will be given for autism research)

Another Christmas layout

2010-05-03T07:11:00.004-05:00

I am still working on Christmas layouts. I only have two years left then I will be caught up - On that holiday anyway :o)

I did pleating down the left side and near the bottom of the right page. It is quite easy and I like the effect when I need some texture. The green envelope on the right page will hold a small CD with the video of the cat playing with the box. It was so funny yo watch her. It ws like she was on a treadmill.

the other two cards

2010-04-27T20:59:00.003-05:00

Ok, my scanner is up and running again.

For this card, I placed the coral screen on the white cardstock then misted with Coral Reef GM. As I was picking up the screen, I dropped it back on the cardstock. It landed in a slightly off it's original placement - so I left it there and used the Crushed Shells GM. It created some dimensional to the image. I think it is super hard to see in this scan. I then roughed up the edges of the cardstock and adhered to a mustard cardstock card. I used a punch for the greeting and ran the edges in the mist that was on my mat.

For the Seahorse card, I sprayed Crushed Shells on white cardstock. Then I placed the screen on a paper towel (you can also place it on your mat) and I used Pieces of Heart and Lucky GM to coat the screen. Then I picked up the screen and held it, mist down, for a few seconds to allow the glimmer to move to the bottom, then I "stamped" it on the cardstock. I used tweezers to ensure I got all the image stamped. (Note: if you wait for the Crushed Shells to dry, the seahorse will be sharper/crisper. I don't wait and as a result get more of a watercolor look) I then stamped a greeting with brown staz-on and adhered it to turquoise and teal cardstock.I REALLY want to go to the beach now.

Cards with new product

2010-04-25T22:04:00.005-05:00

I finally got to play with some new Tattered Angels product we have for sale. It is the new Seaside collection. I love it - I love the beach.

The first one is with the sand dollar screen from the "Under the Sea" set. I used a new color "Pieces of Heart" (see previous post about this amazing color) First I placed the screen on the cardstock then used the Pieces of Heart GM. Then I used some tweezers to pick up the screen and then I stamped with it twice on the top and right edge. The shimmer in this mist is so pretty. I wish you could see it in the picture. Where the stamped sand dollar seems dark - that is actually glimmer. (the blue is a little darker in person)

For this card, I sprayed Sand GM on white cardstock. Then I placed the sea oats screen from the "On the Beach" set and used the Pieces of Heart GM. Then I inked the sea oats stamp from the "Coastal Breeze" set with Brown Stazon. Next I ran the edges of the cardstock in the sand GM I had on my mat.

After I made the card above and before I cleaned the screen, I sprayed a little Lucky (another Limited Edition color) on the screen in three places. I then flipped the screen over, held it in the air for a few seconds to allow the glimmer to move to the surface, then I placed it on the white cardstock. I used the tweezers to ensure it was "stamped" down in all places. When I lifted the screen, I held it above my cardstock and tapped the back with the tweezers to get the dots splatted here and there. The scan doesn't show the Lucky very well. It is in the bottom left and on the tips of the sea oats
I have two more to share, but my scanner has went to bed for the night - I guess. So I will try again after class tomorrow.

We have these products for sale - email us for info.

Glimmer of Hope

2010-04-01T19:56:00.002-05:00

My favorite company/product has done it again. They have created a new Glimmer Mist in honor of Autism Awareness called “Piece of Heart” representing the “puzzle pieces” that Autism Awareness is known for as well as for the beautiful of art/heart that each child represents.

This limited edition color will sell exclusively on their site for $5 and part of the proceeds for the sales will go towards Autism Speaks .

Check out their story here: http://mytatteredangels.com/educators/?p=827
Buy it here

Layout Contest - 1st Place

2010-03-30T11:28:00.001-05:00

Layout Contest - 2nd Place

2010-03-30T11:27:00.002-05:00

Layout Contest - Honorable Mention

2010-03-30T11:25:00.001-05:00

Layout Contest - Spring 2010

2010-03-30T11:12:00.004-05:00

We had some wonderful layouts entered in the Layout Contest Saturday night:

THANK YOU!!

2010-03-29T17:53:00.002-05:00

Thank you to EVERYONE that attended the Spring 2010 Croppin' Train Scrapbook Retreat! We had some new faces at this Retreat, and I think we were able to visit with both new friends and old. As we walked around and saw your layouts, we were just blown away. You all are such talented ladies! We saw several people making cards this time, too - cards and scrapbooking are a great combination. We will be posting some pictures of the Retreat, along with winners of the layout contest, and the grand prize winner, over the next few days. We just wanted to take a few minutes today to thank everyone for attending the Retreat. We hope to see each of you again at a Croppin' Train event!

Update

2010-03-07T19:08:00.003-06:00

We have been busy creating layout kits for the Spring retreat classes. We are very excited about them and hope you feel the same way once you see them. The Spring retreat will be here before you know it. We will have two cricuts set up for you to use. Plus hundreds of stamp sets and tons of other tools. We will demo glimmer mist again. We will have some new colors of glimmer mist as well as extra Marshmellow (white). We sold out last retreat and hope we have enough for all who missed out. The newest products from Tattered Angels will not ship until retreat :( so we will post them on this blog for sale with project ideas as soon as we can after we receive them.

We also have Duck adhesive for sale, as well as Zots Glue Dots and the adhesive refills for the Glue Glider Pro.

I hope to get a layout to share with you on this blog within a couple of days. Keep watching...

Christmas Layout

2010-02-07T20:38:00.003-06:00

I have been working on Christmas layouts the last few times I was able to scrapbook. I am trying to get caught up on one holiday...

This was a kit I purchased and altered to fit my pictures. On the left side, I pleated paper which was a lot easier then I thought it would be. On the right side, I attached some 6x6 page protectors so that I could add many pictures. There is also a pull out photo mat under the 6x6 pages. All in all, this two-page layout has 11 photos.

Static Curls

2010-01-31T22:30:00.006-06:00

This layout I started with a white cardstock base, which is NOT normal for me. But thanks to glimmer mist and needing to make my own background paper, I have been doing it more and more.

I used Lemon Meringue, Candy Apple Red and Raven Glimmer mist to spray from the bottom corners. I used the "Center of Attention" Masks that we sold this last retreat for the title. They are reusable and so perfect for paint, ink, and of course glimmer mist.

I love how the glimmer really shows up in this picture.

(My brother has a thing about me posting pictures of my nephew so I had to fuzz his face. Even though you would never recognize him now, I still respect his wishes)

Wood Flourishes, Glimmer Mist and Stickles

2010-01-31T22:17:00.004-06:00

This is a Wood Flourish made by Kaisercraft. (love them) They are just as thick as chipboard but sturdier because it is wood. Anyway, this is one shape out of the set. I sprayed it with Olive Vine Glimmer Mist. It soaks up the GM so well.
Then I used Candy Candy and Platinum Stickles for the ornaments on the tree. Goldenrod stickles is on the star.
The layout I made this for is not finished, but I wanted to share this embellishment with you. It sparkles so, so much. I wish the picture would show you the sparkle as well as it is in real life. Oh well, you will have to come to the Spring retreat to see it in person. :)

Spring Retreat Registration

2010-01-17T23:00:00.001-06:00

Oh my gosh! It's here already! Time to register for the Spring 2010 Croppin' Train Scrapbook Retreat!

The Spring Retreat is scheduled for March 26-28, 2010 at the Embassy Suites in Rogers, Arkansas. We really had to work to get any date in March or April for this retreat, but we are very glad to remain at the Embassy!

Our Spring Retreat is typically a smaller retreat than our Fall Retreat. We have 35 crop tables available, and have already received several registrations, so you'll want to be sure and send yours in as soon as possible.

We have a variety of pricing options for the week-end:

All-Inclusive (based on double occupancy): $215.00 per person

All-Inclusive (single occupancy): $332.52 per person ($215.00 plus $117.52)

Crop and Eat but Do Not Sleep: $110.00 per person

Scenic Route - Friday - 3:00 p.m. - ???: $30.00

Scenic Route - Saturday - 9:00 a.m. - ???: $55.00

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL:

As in the past, all REGISTRATIONS FULLY PAID by Monday, February 15, 2010, will receive an extra two-page layout kit at the Retreat.

We also offer several payment options: PayPal buttons on the blog; snail mail (Croppin' Train Scrapbook Retreat - C/O Dora Poage - P.O. Box 982 - Bentonville, AR 72712-0982); or call (479-464-7206) with credit card information. We also have GIFT CERTIFICATES available, if someone needs any Valentine ideas.

We look forward to seeing many of you in March, and, if you're not able to make the March retreat, mark your calendar now for the Fall Retreat - November 12-14, 2010!

If you have any questions, please email or call; we'd love to hear from you!

T Shirts Still Available

2010-01-09T21:29:00.004-06:00

Get them while they last
First edition Croppin' Train shirts

This shirt is light blue with navy blue writing. It is short sleeve. It is made with 100% preshrunk cotton and mine did not shrink when I washed it.

We have t shirts available in the following sizes:
Small = 1 left at $10
Medium = 5 left at $10
Large = 5 left at $10
XL = 9 left at $10
2XL = 3 left at $12

Email us what size you would like to purchase and we can make payment and delivery arrangements.

New Glimmer Mist Products

2010-01-04T20:35:00.002-06:00

Check out the link below for information for the brand new Glimmer Glaze and Educators and their websites/blogs. I am SO SO excited about this new product. I cannot wait to share it with you at the next retreat. I am so addicted :)

http://mytatteredangels.com/educators/?p=35

Fall 2009 Retreat

2009-11-23T13:43:00.013-06:00

Whew! We're just now catching our breath after an awesome Fall 2009 Retreat week-end! We had a wonderful group of scrappers with us this year - lots of familiar faces as well as new ones. We appreciate each and every one of you that attends Croppin' Train event!

Here's one section of the Crop area with a few Friday night croppers.

We had over 30 entries in our layout contest - it was tough deciding on our favorites!

Some of the contest entries:

We'll post some more details and pictures, along with the layout contest winners, a bit later. Thanks!

It's Almost Here!

2009-11-12T06:18:00.002-06:00

The Fall 2009 Croppin' Train is just about ready to pull into the station for a fun-filled nothing-but-scrapping week-end!

We know you're all as excited as we are!

Like you, we're still packing things up for Retreat. Tonight, we'll rent the UHaul and get it loaded up so we can head to the hotel in the morning. We always hope to be at the hotel around 11:30, so we have plenty of time to unload and set up. We're getting better about that! The Thursday night packing has really made a difference in our Friday setup - it's so much better!

Mary Ellen will be at the registration table to greet you and assist you with your name tags, while we put the finishing touches on the Crop, Store and Supply areas. Listen for that train whistle just before 3:00 - you'll know the doors are about to open!

We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the drive from wherever 'home' is - should be a pretty week-end. Travel safely!

Fall 2009 Retreat Updates

2009-10-27T02:54:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe we are just 18 DAYS away from the Fall 2009 Croppin' Train retreat! We've had a few questions that have come up, so we thought we'd share them with everyone, just in case you had the same, or similar, question.

--The Retreat itself begins at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, November 13. In the past, we've allowed people to come in early, but we're going to keep the doors closed this time, and really stick to the 3:00 p.m. start time. You can 'park' your Retreat supplies outside the door, and be ready for that 3:00 p.m. opening.

--For the most part, we are not assigning crop areas; you may pick your own. With that said, however, there are a few crop areas that will be assigned, due to accessibility needs, group size, etc.

--Gary Roark, Provo Craft representative, will be at the Retreat on Friday and will be demoing the Cricut Expression and the Gypsy. He will be on hand to answer any of your specific quesion as well.

--We will be implementing a new check-out system for the Cricut cartridges. They will be kept near the check-out area in the Boxcar store. As always, we will have a Cricut Expression available for your use along with the Cricut cartridges. There is no additional charge for using any of these items.

--We have had LOTS of requests for power outlet availability for Cricuts, Slices, etc., and will do our best to accommodate everyone. We do ask that you bring an extension cord and a power strip, as there is no guarantee a power outlet will be adjacent to your cropping area. We will have plenty of duct tape on hand to tape down those errant power cords, etc.

--We have acquired several new cartridges recently, so will be updating the Cricut list during the next week.

--We will be sending out an email update to all registered attendees on or about November 1, so please be watching for that email.

Hope you're as excited as we are about this Retreat! We're trying to make this 10th Retreat a little extra special for everyone!

Thanks very much - we look forward to seeing everyone very soon!

Windy Day

2009-10-16T02:38:00.005-05:00

The first day of soccer season this past spring was terribly cold and windy. Grand-daughter Maebre was being held by Mom, trying to shield her from the wind. I was trying to get a good clear picture of Maebre's face, and, at first, was disappointed with this picture. However, after looking at it further, I really liked the picture, and wanted to feature it on a page.

I used papers from Close to My Heart (Blush collection) to double-mat the photo and as the background paper also. The ribbon at the bottom is also CTMH. I used the Swirly border die-cut from Sizzix to cut the two borders on the left. The flowers are from Oriental Trading Company, and their centers are from KaiserCraft. I left the top open for a title, but now don't know that I want to clutter up the page with anything else.

Soccer - Sports Mania Cricut Cartridge

2009-10-16T02:06:00.007-05:00

Our grandson tried Soccer this spring - it was not a good fit for him, but it made for some excellent photos for Grandma! :)

I finally got to use the Sports Mania Cricut Cartridge. I had a lot of trouble cutting the soccer ball itself. First, I couldn't seem to cut all the way through the cardstock. I changed my settings and then the cutting itself went fine. I set the pressure to max and slowed down the speed, and then also increased my blade setting to 4 (it used to be on 3). The next problem I encountered was that the blade starts and stops at a really narrow spot on the soccer ball itself. I had a terrible time trying to get a decent soccer ball off the mat. In fact, I never did get a really good one. The one I finally used, I wound up putting a glue dot underneath the weakened area.

I had no trouble with the "Kick this" cut on the second page. I did wind up buying a single soccer ball stamp from Hobby Lobby, and used that to stamp a background on the second page.

For the "Coach" cut on the third page, I used a standard image from the cartridge, which included a whistle. I didn't want the whistle, so I just trimmed it off. Since I wanted to include the girls' pictures on this page, I also wanted to add some pink to the page, so I used a background corner cut from Sports Mania to cut the pink. I added the large green brads (from Oriental Trading Company). I just repeated that same layout on the fourth page. The little girl on the fourth page was so not interested in playing soccer - she just wanted to try and sit or lay on her soccer ball. She was so funny to watch!

For the last photo, I used two soccer ball brads (from Hobby Lobby). At the top of the page, I stamped and embossed my soccer ball stamp, cut it out, mounted it on a black circle, and used Stampin' Dimensionals to raise it up a bit.

Digital Scrapbooking

2009-09-13T00:50:00.006-05:00

I've been wanting to try digital scrapbooking for quite a while, and made several feeble attempts, but gave it up pretty quickly. I bought several magazines and books, signed up for internet classes, and downloaded tutorials. Nothing ever jelled for me. Recently I decided to give it another try, and my mind must have been in just the right place because something seemed to actually 'click' for me this time. :)

I downloaded a tutorial and a free kit from http://www.scrapgirls.com/ to create the following layout. It took me a couple hours to do, so the next night I tried it again with a different kit (another free kit, this one from http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/), and it was much easier and a whole lot quicker. Here's my first effort:

For "the rest of the story" ... this is my 5 year old grandson. This was the first time I got to pick him up from Kindergarten, and we went for an ice cream afterwards. It was a beautiful day, so we got out of the car and sat down outside to visit while we ate our ice cream. He wound up with chocolate ice cream ALL OVER his face - he even had it in his ears! It was so funny! As I was wiping off some of the ice cream, he says "I yike ice kean Gamma". What a surprise! LOL! It was a precious couple of hours with him, and I'm glad I was able to capture it with this layout!

I don't think I would ever switch to total digital, but I can see where some digital and maybe some hybrid pages would be nice once in a while.

If you're doing any digital work, we hope you'll bring some to share at the Retreat.

Teaching!

2009-09-07T15:11:00.006-05:00

Hello Attendees,

I am finally teaching! Well kinda. I am in graduate school now, working towards a Master in the Arts of Teaching (MAT). With this I attend classes at the university all day (9-6) on Monday, and then intern at McNair Middle School Tuesday thru Friday. This year is going to fly by as I am so busy I don't know which way is up! The school is AWESOME and the teachers in my pod could not be more supportive. I am excited about this year, but also nervous. I want to do a good job AND give plenty of attention to Croppin' Train.

I have been working hard to design a two page layout for the fall retreat. I have had trouble getting one aspect of it (no hints!), but Dora is working diligently to help me find what I need (thank you Dora). We attended classes at CKC and learned all kinds of new and exciting stuff to show you. This weekend (HAPPY BIRTHDAY DORA!) we went to a cabin and worked on more ideas to demonstrate for you in classes during retreat. It is amazing what creativity comes out in a cabin with other crafters. So while I am very busy with school, family, and more, I am still finding time to assist in planning a great retreat in November.

I look forward to seeing everyone and visiting with you all. I also look forward to sharing what I have learned and the ideas we have developed. See you soon,

Melissa

CKC Tulsa

2009-08-23T21:28:00.003-05:00

We have just returned from CKC in Tulsa where I took four Tattered Angels classes. They are the makers of Glimmer Mist. I am so full of new techniques for Glimmer Mist that my head is spinning. I am looking forward to sharing it all with you at the Fall retreat. I hope I can wait that long :) I just cannot express how excited I am. There are things that I have never thought about doing. I know this is such a tease - but you have to come to retreat to hear about all the things I learned. You won't be disappointed.
Dora

Scrapbooking in a Cabin

2009-08-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

At the end of May, five of us rented a cabin for the weekend to scrapbook. It was so much fun. We all got a lot done and relaxed. The lake view was so nice (picture above). I love combining nature and scrapbooking. I felt no stress that weekend. We may have to make this an annual tradition (or maybe more often).

This is the cabin we stayed in. We cropped on the bottom floor to ease the unpacking from the vehicles. :) Yeah, I think we are going again. I wish I could buy it. My goal the next time is to work on the Navy scrapbook for my husband. I think he would really like that. (see the Something to Think About post)

2009-08-14T09:40:00.002-05:00

Don't miss any announcements we make on this blog. Click "Follow Blog" at the top of this page.

Wireless Internet

2009-08-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

We WILL have wireless internet at the

Fall 2009 Retreat at Embassy.

We will have to set up your user login, etc before the retreat. If you are already registered for the retreat, please send us an email letting us know if you need access to the wireless internet. For those of you that will be registering soon, please make a note of this on the registration form.

If you want wireless internet in your sleeping room, that is an additional charge that you will arrange through the hotel.

Advanced Cricut Training

2009-08-12T08:45:00.001-05:00

We are excited to announce that we will have a representative from Provo Craft at our Fall 2009 Retreat.

He will be here Friday night, November 13th, from 4:00pm until ?? to teach us some advanced features of the Cricut and of course, answer any of your questions.

He will talk about the Design Studio software, Deep Cut Blade with magnet, and many more topics that will be decided on closer to retreat. If you have any topic requests, please leave them in a comment here, we will try to get them all in. (Note: the Gypsy will not be shipping until November, so we may not have it in time for retreat. We can take preorders and we will try to have the best price around - see the Cricut Gypsy post)

This class is optional and FREE. We will have a area set up off to the side where you can come and go to listen and learn.

Cricut Gypsy

2009-08-11T13:55:00.003-05:00

For those of you interested in the Cricut Gypsy check out the following web site. This link will take you directly to the test drive but there is also other information on the web site.

http://www.provocraft.com/gypsy/test-drive.html

One thing to keep in mind, once a cartridge is loaded onto the Gypsy, it cannot be loaded onto any other Gypsy. It does not affect using it in any Cricut machine. So you and your friends can still share cartridges for your cricut machines. And we will still have all of our cricut cartridges for you to use at retreat (just don't load them on your own Gypsy)

We will be able to sell the Gypsy to you for $225.00 plus any postage to mail it to you, if necessary. If you would like to preorder one, you can make payments on it until it is delivered which should be in November (hopefully in time for retreat).

Here are some questions I copied from another email I received:

1- Will the Gypsy Version include ALL the features of the current Design Studio,
or will features be reduced to facilitate operation on a handheld device, ie, a
Design Studio Lite?

Yes the Gypsy will have evrything the DS has and then some. The only thing is lacks now is individual select but that should come with an update soon

2- Have the bugs that have plagued Design Studio been corrected and/or reduced?
If so, which ones specifically?

Yes it is completely different from DS written from the ground up. DS issues have no bearing on the gypsy

3- Since Design Studio was introduced, users has asked (okay.... we have begged,
nagged, whined, and even cried) for the following options:
Group all/ Ungroup all
Select all/Deselect all
Weld all/ Unweld all

Yes it does group, select all, weld options and more.

4- Given that Windows 7 will be here shortly, ProvoCraft can you please confirm
that Design Studio and the Gypsy are both able to work with Windows 7?

Yes, we are prepared to update the gypsy with windows 7 when it comes out.

5- If carts can only be loaded once in the Gpysy, what happens if my Gypsy
breaks or the software malfunctions? What procedures/policies does PC have for
retrieving lost data and cartridges ~ both in and out of warranty?

First is that the carts you have do not get erased. Second if the Gypsy malfunctions while in warranty it will be replaced by PC with a Gypsy that has an identical serial # to the faulty one and you can then reload the carts again. If the Gypsy is lost, damaged, stolen, or out of warranty then you will need to purchase a new one also with the same serial # as the former one and then reload the carts.

Glimmer Mist for Sale

2009-07-29T11:00:00.004-05:00

We have the following colors of Glimmer Mist for sale for $5.60 each (includes tax). Buy 3 and get free priority shipping. Buy 6 and get the 7th free plus free priority shipping.

Go to http://www.mytatteredangels.com/ to see the colors.

If there is a season and year after the name, that is when it was available. So it may not be on the website site anymore. Let me know if you cannot find one and are curious about the color.

Don't delay - we only have 2 to 3 of each color (I will delete the colors as they are sold out)

At this Fall retreat, I will demoing more ways to use glimmer mist.

Aspen Yellow

Auburn - Fall 08

Autumn Leaves

Black Gold - winter 08

Blue Skies

Candy Apple Red

Cherub Pink

Cinder - Fall 09

Cinnamon - Fall 08

Coffee Shop

Coral - Summer 08

Cranberry Zing

Dewberry - winter 08

Frost

Frosty Nights -Winter 07

Gingerbread -Winter 07

Gold

Golden Terracotta

Harvest Orange

Holly Berry -Winter 07

Kiwi - Summer 08

Lavendar Wisp

Merlot

Mustard Seed

Old Lace

Olive Vine

Oriental Poppy

Pineapple - Summer 08

Pink Taffy

Red Maple

Red Velvet

Sage - Fall 08

Sand

Simply Khaki - Fall 08

Slate

Snow Angel - winter 08

Spring Mint - Spring 08

Spring Violet

Suede

Sugar Cookie -Winter 07

Tattered Rose

Timeless Lilac

Tuscan Sun

Twilight - Fall 08

Walnut Gold

Watermelon - Summer 08

Wheatfields

Wild Currant - winter 08

Winter Pine - winter 08

2009-07-26T01:19:00.012-05:00

Today, I'm sharing a couple pages from a work-in-progress multi-page wedding layout to highlight some techniques to add texture and dimension to your pages. These pages use SU! cardstock. On this first page, I stamped an image from the Cherish stamp set (love that set!) multiple times to create the border. If you want multi-stamping to look random, be sure and turn your stamp so you're not stamping the same position every time. And, NEVER be afraid to stamp off the paper - just make sure you have something covering your work surface beore you do. After stamping, I used SU! Mini Glue Dots to adhere the pearls. I used Grey Taffeta SU! ribbon to separate the two cardstocks, and, again using Mini Glue Dots, adhered tiny pink jewels to the taffeta. The pearls and pink jewels came from Hobby Lobby's bead section. I am not concerned about embellishments like that being acid-free - they're not touching my pictures, and they're adhered to acid-free cardstock, so there's a buffer between them and my pictures. Across the top of this page, I wheeled with an SU! jumbo wheel, with a Versamark-filled ink cartridge. I then embossed that image with clear embossing powder. Then I sponged pink ink all over the image. This resist technique is very easy to do, and, depending on the colors, can be subtle or very striking. After I sponged with ink, I also used a cotton ball and 'scrubbed' over the embossed areas, just to clean them up a bit.

This second page - with that beautiful cake! - highlights the Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. In the enlarged section, you can see how the swirls on the gray cardstock match the swirl pattern on the cake. I ran my cardstock lengthwise through the Cuttlebug, then turned it around and ran it through again. This allowed me to get the embossed image across the 12" width. This technique will 'shrink' your cardstock a bit (width-wise), but I don't mind having that sliver of background color on the edges.

Hope you enjoy today's post, and can use some of the techniques highlighted here. Have a great week!

2009-07-21T22:27:00.004-05:00

This week's layout features my youngest grand-daughter, Maebre - pronounced like "maybe" with an "r". I love her name - it's unique, and I particularly like the old-fashioned spelling of "Mae". This is a collection of photos from her first year -- she just turned 3!

The pattern paper is from Close to My Heart - Life Delights, and the solid cardstock is all from Stampin' Up! The ribbons are from Adornit; the other embellishments (chipboard flower and brads) are also Stampin' Up! The chipboard flower was naked, so I painted it with a SU! Craft Ink, and then stamped an image on each of the petals.

Both the title on the left and the words on the right were cut from the Wishblade cutter. I originally intended to use the individual letters for the title on the left, but, after I got it cut out, I liked the silhouette of the name. The Wishblade is similar to a combination of Cricut and SCAL (Sure Cuts a Lot), wherein you can cut any font, image, etc. you want. No cartridges are required. I've had the Wishblade for about 3 years, and have used it extensively one week-end! Shameful isn't it? I still have it, but find I use the Cricut more often. I have Design Studio for the Cricut, but have not yet invested in SCAL.

Something to think about

2009-07-21T13:31:00.003-05:00

I was looking at the Aug/Sept 2009 issue of Scrapbooks, Etc. today and read a question that made me think.

"What scrapbooking project have you always wanted to create but haven't yet? What's holding you back?" (page 14)

Immediately I thought of my project... my husbands pictures from his time in the Navy. I think he would really appreciate me putting his pictures in a scrapbook. I have purchased the album to put them in and paper and embellishments for the US Navy. He seems to get excited and interested. I recently purchased the Stand & Salute cartridge for the Cricut. He liked that. All and all, he is more excited about me getting a Cricut then I would have expected, but that is a different story.

So what is holding me back... I scrapbook for myself most of the time. When I create classes for the retreat or my classes at my house, I am nervous you won't like it, but that is nothing compared to how I feel about doing his Navy pictures. I didn't know him when he was in the Navy. I am afraid to get the wrong tone for the pictures or maybe he sorted them by event and I mixed them up again. Bottom line, I am nervous he won't like the album.

Silly, I know because he has always liked the pages I have done. He actually wants to read my journaling and all.

So how would you answer this question? Think about it and if you want to, post a comment to encourage us all to finally do that project that keeps following us around.