Saturday, December 8, 2012

Magic Reindeer Food Tutorial

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share a fun Christmas craft that I'm sure you've seen before. My friend Kris in Newport told me about this project last year, and since then, I've been dying to try it out!




For the poem and ingredients I turned to the internet. I found the poem from the DLTK site and the recipe Organized Christmas. I swapped out the regular sugar in the recipe for glitter and I also altered the recipe to make it even more kid-friendly. Instead of using cups, I used tablespoons and teaspoons, since they're easier on little hands plus it helps wee ones to practice counting. Then, I turned to one of my trusty Tim Holtz dies, a basic office supply, and festive baker's twine to decorate!

~What you'll need~

Reindeer Food ingredients (makes at least 8):

  • 6 cups of rolled oats
  • 1 container of red sugar crystals
  • 1 bottle of glitter - the cuter the container, the funner it is! (I used Donna Salazar's Fairy Dust glitter because of its amazing holographic shine and adorable shaker style top!) 
  • Silver mixing bowl, ramekins, tablespoon, and teaspoon
  • White piece of paper with the recipe written down, for kids to refer to

Packaging:

  • (8) plastic sandwich bags with zipper closures (snack size)
  • Tim Holtz mini reindeer die
  • (1) piece of kraft paper
  • (4) 5" wide x 3" tall index cards (they're usually referred to as "3 x 5")
  • (1) spool of red and white baker's twine
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Hole punch


~Directions~

Preparing the food:


1. Pour oats into the bowl and the red sugar crystals into ramekins.



2. For each bag of reindeer food, use 5 tablespoons of oats, 1 teaspoon of red crystals, and 1 - 2 shakes of glitter. Helpful hint:Write this recipe down on a piece of white paper so the kids have something to refer to!


3. Close bags then turn them vertically. Make sure mixture is at the bottom and set aside.

Creating the packaging:

1. Cut kraft paper so that you have (8) 2 1/4" wide x 3" tall pieces. 

2. For each piece of kraft paper, place it over your mini reindeer die and cut. Set aside the mini reindeer for another project; we'll use the stenciled part of the paper for this project. 

3. Take your hole punch and punch a hole in the upper left corner of each reindeer stencil. Don't have the reindeer die? You can also use a stamp or sticker. 


4. Locate your 5" wide x 3" tall index cards and cut them in half so that each card produces (2) 2 1/2" wide x 3" tall pieces. 


5. Take your hole punch and punch a hole in the upper left corner of each reindeer stencil.



6. With a pen, handwrite the Magic Reindeer Poem. 



7. Use a ruler and measure out 8" of baker's twine. Cut. Do this 7 more times.

8. Grab one of the baggies, ensure that it's sealed tight, then run a piece of baker's twine around the top.
Insert the poem through the twine, and then a reindeer stencil. Tie a bow and you're done!


Graphic 45 Place In Time Calendar Album Class 12/13

Hi there!

I just wanted to post some photos of my last class I'll be teaching for 2012! Most of you have probably seen Graphic 45's "Place In Time" collection. It's a comprehensive paper line consisting of 2 double-sided pattern papers per month, with an additional third sheet that you can use as a monthly 12" x 12" foundation.

Now, if you've ever taught a class before, you know that other than being creative, your project has to be somewhat "in budget"! Since I used more than twice the amount of paper that I normally do for my classes, I had to skimp on embellishments and just use as much of the paper as I could. A little Glossy Accents and Stickles here also helped!

What I made was a 12" x 12" calendar album that you can put two photos in per month. The mini month is always tucked away so that this album is more of a perennial calendar, but it can always be brought forward and filled in. :)


I apologize for February's blurriness ... 



Yesterday, my friend Lauren told me that the Graphic 45 blog is showcasing a different month everyday from their design team. So I checked it out last night and I had to chuckle when I saw April. I saw that one of their designers also fussy cut the ladies for their April page. We G45'ers think alike! 


May has these gorgeous butterfly stamps. I fussy cut two of the butterflies and placed them over two of the stamps. And yes ... those are definitely mini butterflies that I also fussy cut ... don't forget your detail scissors, my friends! ;)









When I made December, I'm pretty sure I had zero scraps leftover ... it's hard not to use every piece for this month! 


Well, there you have it, ladies and gents! I'm sorry to post this so late, as I'm afraid there are only 2 kits left at this time. But you can always call the store (425-427-8871) to confirm. 

Thank you for stopping by ~ have a lovely, crafty weekend, dear friends!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Have Yourself A Very Grungy Christmas Class 11/29

Good morning!

I wanted to share my latest project for The Mad Scrapper: A Christmas display with a Tim Holtz sort of touch!


I love Tim ... who doesn't? And I also love Christmas, so I wanted to make a fun little Christmas display that my students could put together in time for December 1st! The display works as a candy cane holder, Christmas countdown, ATC's, or even a place to show off your tags from Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas


We will use a handful of Tim's dies, including his fun tattered pinecone die. (Thank you, Lauren for letting me borrow your die!)


If you have Stickles, make sure you bring your Candy Cane color ... or, just make sure you have some at home! I used it for the ornaments along with Rudolph's nose. :)


It's amazing what you can do with regular chipboard and some of Tim's dies, Idea-ology trinkets, and other products! This is truly a project for Tim and all my students who love him, too! One day, I would love to meet the king of grunge. I think that - and a Jack Russell Terrier puppy - would be the ultimate Christmas present!


Thank you ladies and gents for looking! Oh, I wanted to add, I will have a little treat for every student who comes to class or orders a kit! :) Happy Beginning Of The Holidays ... we now return to your normal Thanksgiving programming!!

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Class info: 

Date: Thursday, November 29th, 2012
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 
Location: The Mad Scrapper, 1590 NW Gilman Blvd., Issaquah, WA, 98045 U.S.A.
Phone: 425-427-8871

Please bring: Scissors for fussy cutting, foam dots, adhesive (I am a staunch supporter of Beacon's 3-in-1 glue), Walnut Stain distress ink (Vintage Photo or Gathered Twig will also work), ink blending tool, paper distresser, ruler, paper piercer, and craft mat. Optional supplies to bring: Glossy accents, clear rock candy distress paint, snow cap acrylic paint, brown alcohol ink, ink blending tool for alcohol inks, red Stickles such as Candy Cane, distress stains in the following colors: Forest Moss, Vintage Photo, Barn Door, Weathered Wood. 

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Prima Card & Photo Tray class 10/18

Hi there! 

Here is my latest project, a card and photo organizer tray. I "built" the tray from basic chipboard and decorated it with Prima's beautiful "Rondelle" line. 


With the holidays right around the corner, I thought it was imperative to have a very practical project. Not like mini albums aren't practical ... but with the amount of Christmas, Hanukah, and other winter holiday cards to give, I figured we'd need something to help us stay organized during the holiday craze. :) 


In the tray, there are 12 file cards that you can allocate towards the 12 months of the year! Or, you can reserve 7 of them for the days of the week, and make the other 5 for other things. :) It is totally up to you! The best part is, my file tray is big enough to store 5" x 7" cards with their larger envelopes ... and ... the files themselves are big enough to put a slightly cropped 4" x 6" photo on each side! 


I just love Prima ... oh, the gorgeous flowers and embellies ... they make me so happy!!


Mad Scrapper students and out-of-state customers, if you'd like to order a kit, just call the ladies at 425-427-8871. I'm not sure if we have enough room in class, but you're welcome to call and find out! 

Date: Thursday, October 18th from 6:00 - 9:00
Approximate cost: $48 - $50
What to bring: Your basic toolkit (scissors, paper cutter, black ink, adhesive, ruler, etc.)
What you get: Everything you see in the photos: the full Prima "Rondelle" paper line, full packages of flowers, butterflies, velvet trinkets, and stickers, chipboard, instructions, and full color photos.

Thanks for looking dear friends ~ have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Graphic 45 "Bird Song" Fan Album Class 9/29

Good morning!

I wanted to share my latest project for The Mad Scrapper: a 12" x 10" fan album that I made using chipboard and Graphic 45's gorgeous Bird Song paper line!


I also used some of Graphic 45's new metal key staples and Petaloo flowers. They go together so nicely. Since I drew the fan shape, it's a bit imperfect - but have no fear, your kits will either have a smoother-shaped fan or other template for a precise shape. :) 







Mad Scrapper customers, here are the details if you'd like to attend class or order a kit: 

-Date: Saturday, September 29th from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
-Cost: Approximately $39/$40
-Location: The Mad Scrapper, 1590 NW Gilman Blvd., Issaquah, WA (U.S.A.) 98045
-Contact: (425) 427-8871

Thanks so much for looking and have a beautiful day!

-Maria

Monday, August 13, 2012

Prima Mixed Media Canvas Album Class 8/30 & Job Posting

Happy Monday, everyone!

Wherever you are, I hope you are having beautiful weather! Here in the lovely Pacific Northwest, we are finally enjoying some gorgeous summer weather ... warm (okay, hot) temperatures, clear skies, and neighborhood festivals ... it is all so lovely! I wish summer was year-round, but then, I'd have to switch places with one of you. Anyone want to do an exchange program?? :)

Well, the sunny weather is part of the inspiration behind my upcoming class for The Mad Scrapper. That, and I have been pining for a Prima class ... I just love their flowers, paper lines, and embellies! With that said, here are some photos for the project I'll be teaching on Thursday, August 30th. In my class, everyone gets one of Prima's fabulous canvas resist mixed media albums ... we'll ink and mist it up, then add some of Prima's lovely paper and embellishments from their colorful new Zephyr line.








I was pleasantly surprised at the size of these canvas album covers ... they're 7 3/4" wide x 9 3/4" tall, so they are pretty spacious. :)

**Class Details**

Date: Thursday, August 30th from 6:00 - 8:00
Where: The Mad Scrapper, Issaquah, WA
Cost: Approximately $45 right now
To sign up/order a kit: 425-427-8871

What to bring: Paper trimmer, ruler, detail scissors for fussy cutting, adhesive, ink pads (turquoise, lime green, orange, black), Glimmer Mist or Smooch Spritz if you have any (blues and greens), pop dots.

If you can, I would bring a heat tool and a craft mat so you don't have to share those. :)

**Calling all crafty Washington ladies looking for work!**

The Mad Scrapper is hiring! If you love scrapbooking and/or papercrafting in general, and you happen to live in the greater Seattle area, please call The Mad Scrapper at 425-427-8871 to inquire about their current openings. The ladies are looking for people to teach as well as to ring up lovely customer's transactions. There are definite benefits to working at The Mad Scrapper - so if you're looking for work, it's a crafty lady's dream job!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Graphic 45 "A Ladies' Diary" Journal Mini Album Class 8/16

Hi there!

I wanted to share my most recent project, a worn and weathered journal (it can also be used as a mini album) that I made for The Mad Scrapper. I used Graphic 45's lovely "A Ladies' Diary" paper,  chipboard die cuts, and real coffee to make this book!









Thanks so much for looking!

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When:       Thursday, August 16th from 6-8pm
Where:      The Mad Scrapper, Issaquah, WA (U.S.A.)
Call:          425-427-8871 to sign up or order a kit