A Kiss on the Chic

This ones for you Felicia...

Since I haven't posted in a few days, I will quickly type away before I go to bed.  I've been so busy this week getting ready for the class that was tonight and the work I'm doing for Clear Scraps that I haven't had time to keep up on this "blogging" thing!  The class went really well and I'm glad everyone liked their dollhouse album.  I just sent pictures of the two examples I made for the class to a magazine and they already emailed me back to say that they were sending them off to the editor and I should know in a couple weeks if one has been accepted.  There is so much to talk about but my mind is fading... I don't think I've ever stayed up so late in my entire life than I have for the last couple months!  I used to be a 10o'clocker now I think that's early and I've got lots more time to play!  So last night I was talking with Jackie and Janet from Clear Scraps for way over an hour and I finally told them I gotta go because I want to play with their stuff!  I wanted to try different techniques on the acrylic so I'll post one picture of something I came up with.  I hope you like it...

I used Tim Holtz Alcohol ink and then rubbed a gold metal paint on top of that to get this effect.  I need to play around with this some more because this is just one page from a scalloped edge album.  I'm going to try to finish this album tomorrow if I can find the time!

So Felicia, even though you were at the class tonight, emailed me when you got home and are probably going to read this before anyone else, I love ya and am so glad to have met you!(you can be my blogstocker anytime! :)-

Laura

Just finished the Easter layout...

Here it is, hope you like it. I'll post more info on it on my website www.akissonthechic.com and in the class schedule of this blog.

 

I wanted to do a very "shabby chic" looking layout so I think I accomplished that.  The picture doesn't really do all the fun little embellishments justice though.  I used some fun techniques that really made the chipboard shapes look great.  I'm in love with the new Tattered Angels glitter mist which is so easy to use and the Tim Holtz crackle paint!  I used to crackle things and you had to go through about four steps, with this new crackle paint it's only one!  I loved playing around with the new stuff and can't wait to show you how easy it is.  I'm sure you'll be hooked too!

I have to put the little one down for a nap and get some work done around the house so I will leave you with a great quote I read today:

"Courage will follow when faith takes the lead."  author unknown

Laura

Around the World - well, sort of....

A lot of you have asked about the trip we took around the world for six months and it really was one of the highlights of my life so I thought I would take a few minutes to tell you about it. (sorry to bore those who have already asked me...)

The idea actually came from a business associate of my husbands who was helping him sell his company.  When my husband had just finished the sale of him business this man asked my him what he was going to do now. My husand didn't think too much about that question because he just figured he was going to start another company.  Well, little did he know that when he told me about this question, my mind started working overtime!  I remember the conversation like it was yesterday.... We were sitting at Macaroni Grill eating dinner and he told me what this guy said to him and how he should do something you've never thought you could do before like go somewhere, buy something, travel, etc.  Lance must have seen the look on my face when he said that because he got the biggest smile on his face looking at my big eyes dreaming of the possibilities.  So that night we came up with a plan...  If we could do a trip "around the world" under a certain $$ amount we would go for it.  Now, this was such a once in a lifetime opportunity for us because we were planning on selling our house anyway, our girls were young enough to be homeschooled while we traveled and when do you have money in the bank and are not tied down to a mortgage, school and jobs!??

So, it took us 9 months to plan, we organized boxes of stuff that we would have shipped to us at certain stops along the way, sold our house, packed up most of our stuff and put it in storage and moved in with my in-laws until we left.  We had a huge "bon voyage" party at the beach with friends and family which was so bitter sweet and then we left the day after Lances last day of work! (and my birthday!)

We used every means of transportation availabe I think and stayed in all different kinds of accomodations from hotels to timeshares to trains, boats, airplanes, challets, villas and more!  We had great expriences as not so great ones too (ask Lance about the Switzerland police who were almost called after him...

I think that's enough for today... I'll leave you with a few pictures from our trip.  Oh, by the way some of you  may know this but on my website www.akissonthechic.com when you click on the different page buttons on the top you will see pictures in a banner at the top of each page.  Those are pictures I actually took on that trip or had someone take of our family. They are very small so here are the larger versions:

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Laura

A day to myself...

I can harldy believe I have the house to myself until 3 today!  Usually Isabella is at school three days a week until 11:30 but she wanted to go to school "all day like sissies" so I called to see if that was o.k. and they said yes!  Yeah me....

So now that I've been on the computer for over an hour just trying to update my classes and gallery pages I thought I would post as well. 

Thanks to all the ladies that came to my house last night for the Valentines album class!  It was fun and I hope everyone enjoyed it, I know I really like the classes at my home because they really feel more cozy and connected.  Thanks Mel for showing up even though I know it was a far drive and a quick trip for you.  Hopefully "Lost" was a good episode that night.  Lisa, I hope you feel better and can come to another class soon.  DeeDee, where were you?  I'm so sorry you didn't make it but we'll make it up soon!  I gave the girls a sneak peek at some projects I'm working on and my plethora of real vintage lace, doilies, handkerchiefs and buttons that I got from my  mom last weekend.  She lives in a retirement community that has estate sales every Thursday and Friday so you can imagine all the fun stuff she can get me!  Some of these goodies are over 100 years old and could probably fetch me a pretty penny but I can't wait to use some of them on the projects I have coming up!

Speaking of projects, I met with Mel on Tuesday and we set some dates for further classes at "Its About Time", so pretty soon I will post some dates and photos for all of you to check out!  I'm so excited because Mel and I are totaly on the same page as far as the style and direction of my classes.  I'm ALL about the vintage style and altered art medium so a lot of my classes will be more than your typical 12x12 layout.  I hope you will like that I'm taking you into a new direction by bringing your pictures out of the album and into your home!  I'm also really excited to use a lot of the new products I saw at CHA on my upcoming classes!

One of the lines I saw at CHA that I really have to do is the new K&Co. "Berry Patch" line that is so adorable for a little girls room that I decided to make it a class for the girls to do themselves!  It will not be a layout but actually a hanging triple-frame that they can put in their room.  I'm not sure of the date but I think your daughters are going to love this class!

Well, I think I should go work on some of those projects I'm talking about so I'll leave you with a few photos from my stach of vintage lace!

Oh and these are a couple new purchases I made this week.  I decorated this birdcage I found with the flowers, egg and bird on top and I just thought this bunny was too cute to pass up.  My little Isabella loves it too and it's been "driving" all over the family room!  We had so much fun decorating the house for Spring a couple days ago and I'll have to post some photos on more of her "decorating"...

Have a great weekend everyone!

Laura

Trying new things...

Today I've been trying to figure out how to re-arrange my blog and add the image from my business card to my banner on the top of my blog.  I'm so frustrated right now because I can't get the image to the right size for the banner and this is taking way to long!  So for now, this is what it's going to look like until I can get some help!! 

I spent the weekend down in Seal Beach at my mom's house with the girls and went to the Scrapbook Expo in Costa Mesa with some friends.  It wasn't what I had expected and quite honestly I probably won't do another one.  It was fun to get away and be with friends but the classes were disappointing and the shopping too.  I guess coming straight from CHA to the Expo I can't expect them to have all the new stuff yet!  But when certain classes that you take are making things with VERY old product (that you've actually taught classes on two years ago) then the expo is not for you.  I think these expo's need to get better classes and actually show pictures of the classes before you sign up!!  Now I know why there aren't any pictures.....  Not so good people.....

Oh, I forgot to tell you my dear hubby got me a Cricut for Valentines Day!  What a guy!!  I only mentioned this one time awhile back and I guess he was listening because he went into "Its About Time" and asked them what it was called and then he ordered it for me!! Yeah!!  So, watch out girls.... we are going to have some fun coming up with stuff at our classes soon!

Well, the girls don't have school today so I'm being bugged to go "out" somewhere (which means shopping...) so I'm going to get off the computer and start my day...

Happy Valentine's Day to You!!

                                       Share the LOVE today!

I'm still on a high from the CHA Show!  I had such a great time talking and meeting everyone and showing them some of my work!  I appreciate everyone who took their time to look at my work and say such nice things about it!  It's funny but when I'm in my own scrapbook room and in the design "zone", I'm having the time of my life creating but you never know what people are going to think about your work.  I've been scrapbooking for almost 14 years now but this is the first time that I've really put my work "out there" for people to see so it's a new thing for me.  I know I've taught classes for a few years and sold things online but now I'm finally putting things up on "twopeas" and other sites and showing my work this past weekend to the biggies so it's very exciting and a new chapter for me in this artform!

OH....I have really great news.... I just found out yesterday that I'm going to be PUBLISHED!!!  Yes, it's true and I still can't believe it!  I don't know if this is suppossed to be public knowledge yet so keep it all hush, hush...  It will be in a book that is coming out, not a magazine and when I have more information I will definately let everyone know! Someone called me yesterday while I was getting the car smogged and when I got home my babysitter told me she heard something on the message recorder about being published... Of course I did a double take at her as I was writing her check and I don't think I've pushed her out the door any quicker before, sorry Christy, but it was true!  I was jumping up and down and still can't get a smile off my face!

I don't know about you but has this year flown by for you too?  We are already in the middle of February!  Last night we had fun with the girls getting their valentines ready for their school parties today.  We had so much candy and paper all over the family room!  In fact, we were watching the night before's American Idol, eating dinner and doing Valentines all at the same time!  So the next morning Isabella was quiet for awhile when I was talking to my mom on the phone so I went to check on her and this is what she did with all the extra valentines that Rebecca didn't use:

She's already me little designer!  (Hopefully Rebecca won't get too mad about her valentine cards...)

Well, I need to finish painting my hearts for the album class next week.  I'll leave you with a few more pictures of my day:

Me before I ate lunch - I was trying to get a cute picture of my dog and me but she wouldn't look at the camera and she's deaf so I can't tell her to look up...

Here's my lunch - I'm eating this as I'm typing this post - meatball sandwich is from hubby (last night he had to go to his LA office and on the way home stopped by our favorite "meatball sandwich" shop to eat one and bring me one home!! and I bought him his favorite chocolate covered strawberries yesterday! (I'm sure he won't mind if I eat one...???)

Here's some pictures of my GIANT mess in the scrapbook room:

And last, a quick album I made last night with pretty much all 7 Gypsies stuff and a little Tim Holtz:

Have a great day everyone!

Laura

www.akissonthechic.com

CHA - Anaheim!!

Having a great time at CHA!!  Well, my feet aren't but I am!  I've shown my work to a lot of people and made some really great contacts so I'm really happy!  And, I can finally show you the "secret" stuff I was working on for Clear Scraps.  They asked me to design four albums for them and they seemed really happy with the results so that's always good!  Here's two of the albums I made:

This is my little one on the front!  She's three now but I thought these pictures were perfect for this album!  I'll have more pictures of this album on my website soon.

Here's the schoolhouse that I did for them.  Both of these albums are clear acrylic and have lots of pages that open up, especially the schoolhouse.  These were really fun to make and I think I'll be teaching the baby one soon!

Oh, by the way I took a class with Donna Downey on Saturday before I went to CHA!!  She came to the store I teach at and it was soooo much fun!  She's a great teacher and very down to earth even though she's a celebrity in our world of Scrapbooking!  She had some great advice for me in my pursuit of this dream and I wish her well in her new adventures as well!  I saw her and her husband yesterday at CHA and they were so nice again and I even gave her one of my business cards! 

I will post some pictures from CHA on my blog later this week.  There are some great products coming out and new companies that I feel in love with!  I will go through a list of everything and post it here this weekend! 

One more thing...  I have a class on March 4th that will be a "Spring" banner so check out my class schedule!

Laura

Oh, another thing.... MY WEBSITE IS DONE!! (THANKS HUBBY).. Check it out at www.akissonthechic.com  I forgot to mention that last weekend but I was soooo busy getting ready for the show!  It doesn't have everything I want on it yet but you can check it out and send me an e-mail to let me know what you think!!

So much to do....

I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't forgotten about my blog but I've just been soooooo busy getting ready for CHA that I haven't had time. 

I had my first class at the new store I'm teaching at, It's About Time, and it went really well!  It's a great store and I love the people there.  There were a lot of sick people missing from the class but I met some wonderful girls and I know I'll see them at my other classes.  Felicia, you're so sweet to take the time to post a comment right after you left the class!  Thanks!  I know I'm going to have lots of fun with all you girls! Thanks to Launa also for helping me out and getting me plugged into the class procedures!  You also posted a note on my blog that night. How did you do it so fast?  We left at the same time and I got home, checked my blog and you already has a post on there!  Wow, your fast too!!

I have lots of stuff in the works and I can't wait to share them with you!  As soon as I finish these "secret" albums for Clear Scraps and we show them at CHA, I will bring them in to show everyone.  Maybe we can even do a class on one of them!

My husband has promised me that my website will be up by this Sunday so check it out soon.  www.akissonthechic.com.  I will have lots of fun stuff there as well and hopefully in the near future a shopping area!!  There's even more fun stuff to come on my website but I don't want to spill the beans yet so you'll have to check back for more updates!

I'm going to try to post a few pictures from the class last Thursday as well as some silly pictures of me that my daughter took.  I want a picture for my website of me taking a picture but they are turned out so dorky, I don't think it's going to work out.

O.K.  Here's the dorky pictures of me... Let me know if I should use one or not!

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Thanks again to everyone who believes in me and my work!  I appreciate all the nice comments more than you know!  I do this because this is a passion of mine and I'd love to be teaching and creating new things in this industry for the rest of my life!

Have a great day everyone!

Laura