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!

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!

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.

Digital Scrapbooking

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!

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