July 17 Express Event - Great Day!

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)

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)

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

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

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

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....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Layout Contest - 2nd Place

Layout Contest - Honorable Mention

Layout Contest - Spring 2010

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

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!

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...

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.

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. :)

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!

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.

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

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!

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!