More Than Words!

Hello. Hello. Hello! Don't mind me...I am just dusting off my blog a bit for an exciting new post! 

Recently Nicole reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in being the November Special Guest at More Than Words! It's a FABULOUS challenge blog with tons of inspiration and talent! Check it out please!  http://morethanwordschallenge.blogspot.ca/

As soon as I read this month's challenge I knew the exact photo I was going to use: a very special shot from my son's wedding. It fit perfectly with the quote too! The wedding was a high point in our family as we celebrated this special love and welcomed another daughter into our crazy family!

"Something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new"...I love symbolism in my projects so I could not wait to incorporated as many as I could on the "Wedded Bliss" shaker canvas. I started with a canvas (something old) that I had discarded because I messed up the stencil work (so don't ever throw those projects away!) A four inch photo was trimmed to fit the shaker dome, then I filled the dome with glass beads (something new and blue), adhering the photo to seal it all in. Clips of lace are added around the dome, while flowers, metal, and wood pieces embellish the dome. A sweet little dove was added as a symbol of their new life together wishing them a very special lifetime together filled with peace and love!

Okay- so you need to go check them out to see the close-up shots!!! And you can also find me on Facebook and Instagram! I'd love to be friends with you! ~ Sharon

Prima in STAMPtember!!

It's STAMPtember® over on the Simon Says Stamp blog! They have tons of exclusive new products just for this special event! I was so excited to try a few of them out! (Thank you, Stephanie!) You can also try them out with a special discount just for YOU! Use the code above for 20% all Prima products!

It's not too early to start getting Christmas card ideas ready, right? Good, I didn't think so! Besides, you'll want to start early with these so you can make them for everyone "special" on your list! Who wouldn't love to receive a little bit of Christmas magic in the mail? (Click "read more" below to see all the steps!)

Art Venture - Canada

Art Venture Canada was quite the experience! To make a long story short we started a wee bit late, but once we got rolling it was REALLY a blast. I love teaching. I love sharing my passion for new products and new techniques with others. And I really enjoyed each gal sharing their personal photos, their family stories, and their techniques with me. It doesn't matter where I travel, or who I meet in the craft industry...when we find out we both scrapbook we instantly have an artsy connection!

It's a Simon Says Stamp Birthday!

Okay...that sounds a bit confusing! Lets' clarify things a wee bit. First off I just have to say THANK YOU to SSS for inviting me to be featured on their blog again! It is always a huge honor, but this time it's extra special because TODAY is my birthday! Woohoo! Okay, on to the project! I sure hope you like it! Here's a teensy-weensy sneak peek!

Planners and journals are all the rage right now and while I LOVE those out on the market I always like to make something unique for myself! When I received a sampling of Prima's new summer releases I instantly fell in love with the Memory Hardware Tall Journal Book. It is the PERFECT size (about 5"x7") for a journal or planner...and for slipping into my purse! You can check out the whole project, including step-by-steps right here on the SSS blog! xoxo

Did You See Who I Get To Work With?

First of all: a special THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who applied! We were humbled beyond words to see so many talented people apply for our design team. Your creativity, beautiful projects, and sweet words about our company are all appreciated so much.

We know that along with the excitement for the new team there will be some disappointment too...and we hurt right along with you. If there was ANY way we could add everyone who applied to the team we would do it in a heartbeat! So please know we appreciate YOU. We love seeing your work, we know you put yourself out there, and we THANK for it.  We will always consider ALL of you as part of our Prima family!

So, after spending hundreds of hours going through gorgeous design team applications, poring over blogs filled with beautiful projects, and repeating this process multiple times, we FINALLY have our new team narrowed down! Please help us give these designers the warmest welcome ever. (Click on their blog links for a wonderful creative journey around the world.)

Love DIY Projects!

My family is crazy big...which means we always have a lot going on! This year is no exception. My oldest son, Billy, is getting married in June to his sweetheart, Bethany! Our whole family has been busy crafting away for it. (Imagine that!)

So, today I have a super fast and easy DIY wedding project up on the Simon Says Stamp blog! Come on over and check it out! It is easy to customize to fit your colors, and your style! Seriously...it would take less than an hour for all three pieces! (Even if you do not have a wedding in your future this would make a gorgeous table-scape, or mini wall gallery! I now need to make one for myself...I'm thinking blush pink, sparkling gold, and a touch of mint!

Romantic Mixed-Media Tags & Simon Says Stamp!

I'm a nerd, but I get so excited when I see an email from someone I LOVE hearing from! Simon Says Stamp recently emailed and asked me if I'd like to create a NEW project featuring fresh-from-CHA products. That's like asking me if I want a bowl of ice cream!

So I mixed a few of my favorite NEW Prima products together (Finnabair, Bloom Girl, Julie Nutting, Gold Foil Icons, etc!) to see how they would look and was so excited with the results! These tags could be PERFECT for Valentine's Day!!! Hop on over to see the three tags right here on SSS's blog! Pssstt: here's a peek of one of them.

Products:

• 911195 Julie Nutting Armoire Tag Pad
• 580070 Mixed-Media Cling Stamp
• 580124 Mixed-Media Cling Stamp
• 980399 Bloom Collection 6x6 Stencil- Spark
• 980429 Bloom Collection 6x12 Circles Stencil
• 980405 Bloom Collection 6x12 Ricket Stencil
• 990473Memory Hardware - Parisian Ruffle Trim
• 579746 Wood Icons with Foil
• 578930 Bella Rouge Journaling Card
• 961800 Finnabair Art Ingredients-Art Sugar- White
• 962593 Finnabair Art Ingredients-Micro Beads - Blush
• 961381 Finnabair Art Basics-3D Gloss Gel
• 580304 Farfalla Vellum Butterflies
• 582647 Aquarelle Watercolor Flowers
• 580667 Butterfly Flowers- Bette
• 580636 Butterfly Flowers- Pupa
• 581701 Isabella Roses-Dani
• 581954 Valentina Flowers & Hearts-Roma
• 577032 Lace Trim-Frosted
• 547424 Precious Metals Leaves-Gilded
• Archival Ink-Jet Black, Coffee Brown
• Other: tulle, ribbon

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Every time I receive an email from Stephanie at Simon Says Stamp it puts a HUGE smile on my face! My goal was to create  a shabby-chic piece filled with fall touches. I dug out some of my new favorite Prima products that shouted "FALL" to me and went to work. In the back of my mind I had a dual purpose for this altered birdhouse...my house really needed something seasonal on the entry table. So that is where this sparkly, texture-filled baby is going now!

Make sure you check out ALL the photos, plus the step-by-step instructions, over on the SSS blog! You can find almost ALL of the products there too. I also linked them below for easy-peasey shopping. (Just keep in mind that I scrap LATE at night, when the kids are asleep, and I can chill... so some of my step-by-step pics are not the best! It's a decent trade-off though!)

Prima Products:

Finnabair Altered Metal Birdhouse

Providence Vine

3 inch Canvas Flower

Doily Die

Leaf Die Set

Weave Trim- Camel

Lace Trim- Cloud

Forever Green Stick Pins

Hillsboro Pumpkin Leaves

Epiphany Cork Stickers

Ingvild Bolme Junkyard Findings Door Signs

Ingvild Bolme Victorian Lamp

Ingvild Bolme Junkyard Findings Clock Parts

Finnabair Resist Canvas Sheet

Elementals Harlequin Stencil

Color Bloom Sprays: Tea Stain, Gold Foil, Worn Leather, Antique Gold, Lime Wedge, Gilded

Art Ingredients: Glass Glitter-Copper, Glass Glitter-Gold Rush
Art Ingredients: Mica Flakes-Gold Leaf

Art Ingredients: Glass Beads-Plum

Art Basics: Soft Matte Gel

Art Extravagance: Copper Crackle Paint

Other: Tiny Attacher, Gold Paper, Fabri-Tac Glue, Craft Acorns, Pine Cones, Gold Branches, 3 inch Ceramic Pumpkin (I found this at Michael's for $2.99!)

Sparkly Christmas Cards!

It's never too early to start making those special Christmas Cards! Tonight I am teaching a festive Holiday Card Class on LWP! I am HOPING to get two cards finished, with a FUN technique from a bonus card (shown below.)

So...let's pull out the glitter and have the most sparkling time of our lives in this fabulous card class using North Country papers, Color Bloom sprays, new glitters, and other fun, yet fast techniques. 

You can click right here to watch it and join in the chat to ask questions!  (6:30pm PT/ 7:30 pm MT/ 8:30 pm CT/9:30pm ET)

Happy Birthday, POM!

Today is Prima's fearless leader's birthday!  She is the beautiful founder and visionary force behind the whole company. Her positive "let's try it" attitude keeps Prima on the cutting edge with new products, programs, ideas, and energy! Please join in and help us wish Pom the very HAPPIEST of BIRTHDAYS ever on the Prima blog!!!

Today is YOUR special day, Pom! Enjoy it to the limit! I made a little tag for you from our NEW Special Delivery kit! (Thought you'd like that extra promotion, hehe!)

So Pom and I go a ways back. I have known her for about nine years now. We have some CRAZY memories together...from working trade shows all over the states (and she will help from start to finish!), laughing uncontrollably at everything when out with Josie, Sally, Tami, Cari, and the girls (remember that ONE time talking about noodles???), to hitchhiking in Moscow late at night (yeah...who would ever think we would do that?)

I do treasure each memory though. So today, Pom, I hope you have the most blessed birthday ever!

BIG News!

We've had some EXCITING news recently! My son, Billy, recently got engaged so I wanted to create a little journal for him, and his sweetheart, Bethany! (YES, our family seems to be in a continuous wedding-planning mode!)

I started by painting one of Prima's fun journals with white paint, then spritzed a bit of Gold Foil Color Bloom spray on top for a soft, shimmery effect. (I took the journal apart to complete this step.) Once it dried I put it back together, then added layers for the cover with the Enchanted Framelit dies from the Flora Grande set. Set each layer on foam squares for extra dimension on your journal front.

Tip: Use the framelits for your photo too. Everything will nestle together perfectly, making the photo the star of the project.

Top your framed photo with beautiful Prima flowers, and a few glistening butterflies cut with the Winged Beauty Thinlet Die and gold vellum! I just adhered the butterflies in the center so they look like they are barely landing on the project!

Thank you, Sizzix & Prima, for letting me play with the new dies! They are absolutely marvelous and so versatile no matter what type of project you want to create with them! (Click here and comment by the 18th for a chance to win a Big Shot and new Dies!)

Prima Products:

Princess Flowers 574406, Shabby Chic Treasures Metal Nameplate 892319, Something Blue Flowers 575274, Fairy Rhymes Journal 950644, Gold Foil Color Bloom Spray 573805, Wood ATCs 572921, Annalee Paper 841812

Sizzix Products:

Winged Beauties Butterfly Dies, Enchanted Framelits Die Set

Other:
Tulle, Gold Ink, Gold Vellum

Photos, Photos, Photos!

Who, like me, takes a ton of photos on their phone? Well, I really want to scrap those photos that I take! So, with this post, I am hoping to share a few tips and tricks I have learned that help me get those pics edited, printed, and put in my albums...all right from my phone!

Step 1:

Take pics with your phone!  The best camera is the one near you. So use it!

I keep a shortcut on my iPhone so I can get the camera opened quickly. I slide my screen up from the bottom and  have my camera accessible instantly (see it on the bottom right?) When I get back from a trip, or hit 500 photos on my camera roll, I force myself to upload the photos to a hard drive and then delete as many as possible off my phone. 

Confession time: I always keep about 100 pics on my phone of my handsome hubby, cute kids, and adorable granddaughters, for, you know, BRAGGING purposes! But I delete the rest once they are backed up or my phone fills up quickly. :)

These are pics I took on a recent trip to Paris and Rome. 

Step 2:

Edit pics as you take them. I usually do this after a day of teaching or sightseeing when I'm curled up in bed and letting my achy feet rest!  It's fun to put your faves together in collages for Instagram or Facebook (like those shown above), or add fun filters and text on top of them (like the one shown below.) Save those edited pics to your camera roll so you can print them out later. So...how do you edit pics?

Photo & Editing Apps:

This article has an amazing run-down on their favorite photo apps for taking photos and editing. They include popular apps like Snapseed, procamera7, and pic, tap, go.  Of course if you ask 100 people what the best apps are you are going to get 100 different answers. (I just found another app that I HAVE to get-TimerCam! It's a timer for better selfies or group shots when you ALL want to be in the pic! And it's FREE!)

Now here are the ones I use! Haha. I love editing single pics with Rhonna Design or Design Studio. These give me a choice of adding text, frames, filters, etc. Rhonna is a fellow scrapper who does shabby-chic designs like no one else!

It allows the lazy side of me to "remix" other brilliant designs and apply them to my photos if I do not want to make my own! (Reminder-Save all edited photos to your camera roll so you can print them later!) I also LOVE Instagram's filters for photos! I haven't found a filter set I like better than theirs so help me out if there is one you like!

To keep photo editing easy I put all my photography apps in one file on my phone. Once I have edited my pics I use either PicStitch or PhotoCollage to put pics together so I can print them out and add them to my Insta-Scrap album. I like both, but they are different so use the one YOU like! Both are free. 

Tip: I'll show how to put a collage together in my class...so come watch it! 

When I need to print photos I pull out the page I am scrapping and look at the page configuration to see what size photos it requires: 4x4, 3x3, 2x2, 3x4, etc. I pick the pics for that page and use PicStitch to put them together in the correct sizes so I waste less photo paper. I find this the most logical way to print what I want and need!

Printing Tips:

Now that I have my pics edited and put together in nice formats I need to print them out.  I open my Canon Selphy app on my phone and send the edited pics straight to my Selphy CP900 printer using wifi. It is so SIMPLE! It takes about 40 seconds to print a 4x6 out. I only print what I want, when I want. The printer is about $80 and the paper/ink packs can be found for about $12.99 for 36 shots.  I think it's a great price for the comfort of printing at home.

Tip: you can also connect your camera directly to a Selphy and print from it...no need for a phone!

Don't want to print your pics at home? You can also upload your phone pics to Snapfish (my fave),  Walgreens, Adorama, Persnickety Prints (my other fave), Wal-Mart, and other photo-printing sites! They now have options for square pics, etc. See how everyone is adopting to the social media trends?

Other Tips:

What about scrapping pics not on your phone? I have found two easy ways to do this!

1. I email myself lower res shots (500 kb) of my fave photos from my Mac, or hard drives, so I can save them to my iphone and print out when I want. It is also a FAB back-up method for my pics! Just save those photo emails into their own folder so you don't delete them when you are cleaning out your email.

2. You can also use your smart phone to take "scans" of old, vintage pics! I didn't have a scanner and needed copies of a photo taken with *gasp* film. I took a shot of it with my phone and LOVED the results. The phone is so fast and easy that you can get copies of all of those old pics in just a short time! Upload them to your computer or hard drive and clean them off your phone. (And throw that scanner away!)

Happy NSD!!

Welcome to the NSD Prima Blog Hop! Scrapbooking is a hobby that caught my eye shortly after I got married in the 80s. (YEAH! That long ago!) I scrapped my wedding photos, cutting many of them out with decorative scissors. OUCH!) Then life swept over me with it's craziness of having six babies in a row and I had to set the hobby aside for a bit. I picked it up again a few years before I had my last baby and couldn't believe how much the product selection had grown. I was a gonner! (Is that even a word? Well, you know what I mean!) I have been immersed in it every since. Isn't it the best hobby ever?

And....I am so thrilled you made it to my blog! You most likely came from Keren Tamir's blog and will be going down the list to Patricia Fernandez's next! I am so very blessed to be working with everyone on Prima's blog hop list today. Prima has a fun-packed day planned with the wonderful Ambassadors, the talented Design Team, and their amazing Educators! I hope the projects inspire you to dig out your crafty supplies and have fun along with me.

I have a sweet, feminine project to show off today, along with a cute prize to give-away. So make sure you scroll ALL the way to the bottom to catch it all! The complete blog hop list is also included for you. Prima will also be giving prizes away on ALL of their social media outlets, along with a stunning main prize hosted on the Prima blog, so make sure you hop around and then comment on Prima's blog!

Prima is offering free classes today as well! Want to learn new techniques? Chat with other scrappers? Join in on the marathon of "Live With Prima" classes filled with gorgeous projects kicking off at 7 am PT! The first class will be taught by ME showing off a few techniques for art journaling! Click here to watch!

Now on to my project for NSD! Each of us created a 6x6 page with an inspirational quote. With Mother's Day coming up I wanted to create something to let moms know how wonderful, important, and unique they are to their children!


I lost my own mom three years ago so Mother's Day is bittersweet now. It's hard to celebrate the day knowing your own mom isn't here, but God always knows my needs. He gave me the most amazing mother-in-law! She has always been there for me. She doesn't pry, or push, or try to have her own way. And she is adventurous! My hubby really respects her, and I agree 100% with him. She's the kindest, most giving person I have ever met. I'm so glad she's a part of my life, and my children's lives. So I made her this piece, as the quote inspires me to be more like her:

"To the world you are a mother, but to your family you are the world!"

.

 The project was simple to put together! I started with a 6x6 paper from the Meadow Lark Collection, added a bit of cheesecloth to it, then added a resin butterfly in the corner.

I printed out my saying (multiple times as I kept printing it slightly TOO large!) Glued it to the back of one of our new resins. And then started decorating the page with flowers and leaves.

 I think it's the perfect way to show her how much we all love her. And her favorite color is purple! (I sure hope some day my children will feel the same way about me!)

And here is my give-away! All you have to do is leave a comment right here and I will pick a winner on May 12th to receive these gorgeous products! Open to all countries! (I would love it if you found me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram as well!)




Now here is the Blog Hop Line-Up! Hop along, be inspired,  and find some give-aways!

Prima Marketing
Olga Vasilieva
Adrienne Ford
Magda Bolinska
Kasia Krzyminska
Kasia Tomaszewska
Felicity Wilson
Delaina Burns
Louise Nelson
Brit Sviggum
Jennifer Snyder

Solange Marques
Kelly Foster
Keren Tamir
Sharon Laakkonen-You are HERE!
Patricia Fernandez
Elena Olinevich
Alberto Juarez
Frank Garcia
Maiko Miwa
Trina McClune
Janine Koczwara
Misty Olsen
Sarinda Jones
Ramona Downing
Candace Hagler
Erin Reed
Sam Ho

Life at Full Speed Ahead

That's how I feel right now...I've been running to and fro and have just been BUSY! (As you can tell by my poor blog!) First there was the CHA trade show in January held in sunny California. I love creating with new products! Here are a just a few of my projects. (Both feature my daughter Brittany's wedding pics...cause Miss Breanna's were not ready yet!)

This layout uses the new Free Spirit collection by Prima. It's bright and cheery and totally perfect for Britt's wedding pics.

Something Blue is another new collection by Prima and is made for wedding photos! (Like this gorgeous shot by Honey Heart Photography!)

Shortly after CHA Tami and I hopped over to Germany to work another trade show there. I wasn't sure what to expect, to be honest, as I had never been there before, but I LOVED Germany! CreativeWorld was fabulous. I love our distributors there. The people I met were just so amazing. And I LOVED the gals I was working with. 

Did I mention the weather? It was SO much warmer than I thought it would be (that's always a win-win in my book!) And the food???? Tami and I found a little restaurant right by our hotel that served authentic German food and we sort of PIGGED out a bit! Haha. We actually ate there three times in one week. Yeah. THAT good! One day after the show the train skipped our stop so we made friends with two other gals, while trying to figure out what to do, and then threw caution to the wind and ended up going shopping downtown with them! They were so fun...and we were quite lost, but it was a grand adventure!

I even found a Starbucks (behind us in the pic) and got my German mug...you know how important that is, Cari & Rommel!

After the show we went sightseeing. It was so hard narrowing down where to go and what to see! Seriously, Germany has SO MANY cool things. Being the girly girls that we are we decided Neuschwanstein Castle was a MUST SEE. In America we have the famous Disney castle fashioned after this very castle...thus us poor girls, who cannot pronounce Neuschwanstein to save our lives, just called it Cinderella's castle the whole day. ha.

 Now getting UP to the castle is a whole 'nother story. pant. pant. You think you've paid for drop-at-the-door service and then the carriage actually drops you off WAY far away. With a steep mountain climb in front of you. So we run to make our ticket time. pant. pant, cough. run faster still.

 And we're there and they open the front door with 2 minutes to spare! (Still coughing, but we rocked it!) No pics were allowed INSIDE the castle, so I can't post those. (And I finally stopped coughing near the end of the tour!)  :)

But, isn't it gorgeous? It's so regal and HIGH up in the mountains. (The other side looks more like the Disney castle, but I couldn't GET a good pic of that.)

A few other highlights of the day: Buying Schneeballens

Visiting old cities...

Going down the autobahn at a break-neck speed (146 mph/234 kmh.) Go, Sharon! I videoed it just to show my guys at home, cause I knew they would never believe me. (Secretly I LOVED going that fast! The video proof is on Facebook!)

And, this might rank right up there with one of my most favorite surprises on a trip, our driver took us into Austria! 

I knew we were right on the border, but thought it would be too much to ask him to go off the route. Austria (and Bavaria) were so beautiful...snow-capped mountains and little villages in the valleys. I swear I heard the Sound of Music playing...

SEE?????

So jump forward. Every time I get home from a trip it's mass chaos catching up on everything work-related and family-related! This time my guys did such a fantastic job of cleaning the house. You couldn't REALLY tell they had been living in a man cave for over a week. My hubby & boys did a great job getting rid of the evidence! And I missed them so much! Homecomings are always so sweet.

Being back home meant focusing on the next adventure! All of February...and I mean almost every spare evening and week-end...has been spent working on my Version Scrap classes. 

Blush Project Life Class Peek

(I LOVED putting this colorful book together with the gorgeous kit! We also have some cool dies, sequins, and so many other embellies to add to the pages!)

Family Mixed-Media Journal Peek

(This class has the BIGGEST kit of all...and has many Mixed-Media pages and photo pages all mixed into one FUN journal! If you love playing with art supplies you will love this class! I even got a few NEW Color Bloom sprays & Nathalie Kalbach's new stamps for ya!)

Custom Art Journal Peek

(I love the colors of this kit, the wonderful selection of pages in the book, and the custom touches each technique will let you add to your art journal. Eeek...it's gonna be an artsy adventure!)

Whew. I am ALMOST done with everything! Hopefully all kits will ship out next week...and they are very FULL! The box weights this year have gone up from last year, so that means more goodies for those of you signed up for my classes! If you have not signed up HURRY UP!!!! Some dates are sold out already.

These are just some of my amazing sponsors. You are going to LOVE playing with their products!!!

American Crafts, Becky Higgin's Project Life, Faber Castell, PanPastel, Prima Marketing, Simon Says Stamp, and Stampendous!