CroppinTrainRetreats@gmail.com
479-531-8518 (between the hours of 9am and 8pm Central
)
Croppin' Train; c/o Dora Poage; PO Box 982; Bentonville, AR 72712-0982


Imagine a weekend devoted exclusively to you and your favorite hobby... SCRAPBOOKING!


Calendar

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

the other two cards

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.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Cards with new product

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.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Glimmer of Hope

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

Monday, March 29, 2010

THANK YOU!!

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!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Update

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...

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Christmas Layout

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.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Static Curls


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

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. :)

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Spring Retreat Registration

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!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

T Shirts Still Available

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.

Monday, January 4, 2010

New Glimmer Mist Products

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

Monday, November 23, 2009

Fall 2009 Retreat

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!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

It's Almost Here!

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!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Fall 2009 Retreat Updates

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!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Windy Day

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



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.