Recklinghausen Musings ...: classes

Showing posts with label classes. Show all posts

Saturday, 18 August 2012

Stitching on paper - inspired by quilting

Last weekend I posted about Clair's wonderful Stitching on Paper class in which I have the honour of being one of the GDs.

I had the chance this week to catch up with the first 5 lessons and they really are super. Interested in paper? Love stitching? Than you have to check this class out and say hi to Clair while you are there. There's even a super prize on offer.

In the meantime, today's lesson is being inspired by quilting and I also contributed to this lesson and it was so much fun. I decided to go back to my patchwork beginnings and made a page as a tribute to my Granny who taught me to patchwork nearly 40 years ago!

I chose an old-fashioned patchwork design and made it out of paper scraps. I stitching around each piece to give it some definition and didn't worry about how messy it was. I've never been a perfect hand-stitcher (all my patchwork is done by hand) so it matched the feel I was trying to create. I so love how this turned out and it really made me want to go back to my fabric patchwork again - who knows, I might just do that ;-)

And just to add a couple more examples of how to use this inspiration, here are a couple of projects I don't know if I've shared before.

Why not give it a try and then go over to Clair's site and link up - after checking out this week's class of course!

Sunday, 12 August 2012

Stitching on Paper - embroidery

You remember that I told you about Clair's free class? And I hoped you checked out the first two parts last weekend where she gave you lots of inspiration and know-how for where to start (here for the basics and here for machine stitching) as well as yesterday's part about using stamping for inspiration when stitching.

Well, today's part is all about embroidery and using embroidery on our pages and I was thrilled if a little daunted when Clair asked if I could contribute to this section. Gulp!

Now, I love sewing and I love sewing on my pages but I'm ever so slightly (ok, very!) lazy and don't get around to it all that often, and when I do, it's usually pretty basic. So I knew I had to get creative this time around and try out a couple of new things.

I started off my adding some mist splats (Glimmer Mist) to my cardstock and then creating a small layered photo element with pink (what a surprise) papers from my scrap box. I knew that I wanted my stitching and other elements to sort of radiate out from this point and I knew I wanted to go pretty. So, because I'm not a good doodler so I was happy to fish out my stitching template (Bazzill?) to create some swirls in cream and pink as a starting point.

Then I decided to get knotty. I love the look of French Knots and decided to tackle them with the help of the internet. Now, the trick to these knots is that they take a bit of practice (some of my earlier attempts are not so successful!) and you need to take them slowly, but once you've cracked it, they are super fun to make and look so cute scattered around.

Once I had finished those, I added some blanket stitch to opposite corners of the page, just for a bit of dimension and because it took me back to primary school when we would create little felt needle books or something similarly "useful" items. It was a fun trip down memory lane!

At that point, I thought that I was done but while looking up a few stitches online, I saw pretty chain daisies and decided to give them a try. They were a bit more difficult to make neat and even but somehow, I felt they added the final, perfect touch.

This prompt really made me go the extra mile on the stitching and the result is just gorgeous!

It doesn't happen often that I take the time to stitch so much but I always love the end result.

Here's another one I did last year and I don't remember if I shared it here or not...

And here's the stitching template being put to good use again on a Christmas card from last year.

And one last one to share - here, the embroidery is a little more subtle and I just created those little stars freehand.

Embroidery is a great way to add something extra to your layout without making a whole lot of bulk. It may take a bit of practice and time but the end result is always worth the effort.

Make sure you check out Clair's class. I haven't been over there yet but you can bet she's got a load of tips and tricks to help you on your stitching way.

Friday, 3 August 2012

Something fab's coming up and you need to know about it!

I've said it before, but it always surprises me - in a wonderfully good, happy, big smiley way - how easy it is to make friends in our little part of the blogosphere. Creative peeps are just the best and along the way I've made many new friends and they are very special to me. And they are such an inspiring group of people.

So I was more than delighted when my Counterfeit friend, Clair, emailed me to ask if I'd like to join in in a creative endeavour she's kicking off on her blog tomorrow.

Like stitching? Like paper? Like stitching on paper? Then you have to come along and join the party.

Clair explains how her FREE class came about on her blog {here} and it all starts tomorrow so you have to make sure that you jump on board.

Did I mention it's free? Did I mention that there's a whole list of talented featured stitchers. Oh yes... and did I mention that there might be a prize? Go on over to Clair's blog {here} and tell her I sent you!

See you in class!

Friday, 20 May 2011

A Colour Reference

As part of the Nic H BPC class "Colour! or is it Color?", there were weekly handouts to make up a small colour reference book. It was such a lot of fun to create a small 6x6 page to go alongside a full description of the colour with all the emotions it creates.

You would have thought that I could have kept up with this during class, but true to form, I fell behind and soon only had 2 pages done when the class was already over. Typically, it sat on the side neglected and collecting dust for a while (ok, ages!) until I decided to pull myself together and get it finished.

It's such a great little guide to all the rainbow colours and I included some other handouts Nic gave us regarding the colour wheel and different types of combinations.

The front and back covers got full colour decoration using up lots and lots of bright, older scraps. How refreshing it was to just mix up colours and patterns, and slap it all on together to make something that is really a joy to look at.

It sits on my window sill which is right above my scrap desk and within easy reach if I want to have a look at the different colour wheel options. It's not that I use it very often, but when I do, it's a small, funky, self-made resource that makes me happy.

That's what it's all about after all!

Other layouts/posts I've written about this wonderfully colourful class can be found here, here, here, or even here!

** And the class is running again over at BPC - info can be found here - and I would really recommend it. Nic is a fantastic instructor and the handouts, assignments, videos and interaction with Nic are fantastic. Such a fun class. I'd love to do it all over again!

More from LOAD soon. Watch this space...

Friday, 8 April 2011

An Experiment in Purple

Recently, I wrote about catching up with my "Colour! or is it Color?" class. I had lost my momentum when I was originally part of the class and had only managed two of the layouts which was such a shame.

I shared green and blue with you in that last post. (I blogged about red and yellow last year).

Well, next on the rainbow comes indigo and violet, ie. purple. Do you like purple? Do you scrap with purple? I can't say that I had ever thought about it before but if I had thought about it, I would have said, neh, not my thing. I'm a pink girl.

But purple was the colour we should use and we should see if we could be converted to loving purple. I was sceptical. But decided to jump in anyway.

I had used BG Euphoria during LOAD last month and it's soooo hard to use - or it is for me at least. Knowing it had a lot of purple in it, I challenged myself to use it. I tried not to think too much about it and really go for the stronger tones of purple in the collection.

I grabbed these three adorable photos and just decided not to worry about the colours in them but just make it work. And I had a set of the chipboard pieces and threw on a whole load of them instead of lots of layered clustering. I took Nic H's advice to throw in some other colours (I chose blue and green and just a bit of pink) and a splash of something quite bright (that red paper). Nothing would have possessed me to use these colours together before and I am still really unsure about what to think of it, but you know what? I don't dislike it as much as I thought I would. Now that is something I wasn't expecting.

I followed the sketch quite closely because I love the three photo design. Mine looks nothing like Nic's, but I think it is quite me!

Once I had done one purple layout in really bright shades, I wondered if I would like it if I made one with softer shades - BG Wisteria.

Again, I followed the sketch quite closely, just mirrored it to the left. I made the flowers and leaves that Nic had suggested but less product in the cluster itself. And I always need a little bit of journalling so a sticker journalling block was perfect. I just grabbed some pretty flower photos as the layout was more of an experiment than anything too serious.

I like this one more than the last - the shades are more what I use usually, but I am really surprised at how purple I can go.

Like it or not, it's great to take the challenge to select product that wouldn't normally be used. These purple buttons were unlikely to be anywhere on any layout without this challenge, nor the lilac gems. And I think they work really well.

One last thing? When I had finished the first purple layout using Euphoria, I decided to make a couple of cards using some scraps. I've heard from lots of card makers that they make one or two cards from whatever is left on the table and decided that it was a great idea. And it was. Within a couple of minutes, I had two simple cards. I am trying to make more and more cards at the moment. First, practice makes perfect (I'm not a good card maker yet!) and second, I really hate to hand over so much money for nice cards when I have all the necessary right here in my room. I really must try this technique more often as I was very pleased with myself.

The moral of the story? I can be very prejudiced about colours and maybe I just need to select odd papers and make them work, regardless of the colours. I have way too many papers to be fussy!

What is the colour that you avoid the most? Care to share and then make a layout using exactly that?

Give it a try!

Friday, 18 March 2011

Catching up - yet again

As you know, I am a bit of a class junky. Love them, love learning, love being part of the class community, love trying out new things.

Of course, the problem is that I sign up for too many and then don't manage to do some/any of the assignments. But I do most of my classes over at BPC and they offer lifetime access so even if I don't keep up while the class is happening, I can access the classroom as and when I want and try to finish up.

I think I could do nothing but class assignments from previous classes for the next two years if I did that for all that I've missed (!) but every now and again, I get a bee in my bonnet to finish up a particular class. Sometimes it's even a class that I totally adored and I can't even tell you why I didn't keep up.

One such class was "Colour! or is it Color?" by Nic H. I loved her first class, fell in love with this colour class but lost my momentum. Now is the time to make amends! I'm feeling inspired and productive at the moment so I fished out the handouts and have been making some progress.

Actually, this first layout was completed back in January but I haven't shared it here. I think you can see that the colour for this week was green. Lots of layers, lots of distressing, three photos (got to love that multi-photo design), love of dimension and lots and lots of handmade leaves! I love this layout, and I love this little girl. Isn't she gorgeous?

And just one more for today by sharing this layout for the colour blue. I followed the design quite closely, even choosing the same papers as Nic H which is unusual for me. But something I realised when I was looking through my stash, I have very few blue papers - or at least very few that would have worked on a layout like this. I liked the combination of the blue with the orange and these papers from BG's Marrakech hadn't yet been broken into so this was a good opportunity.

It's a great design for a series of 5 photos that are connected, giving lots of space for journalling as well as plenty of room for lots of embellishing. It could be adapted for a single page layout, easily turned 90° or adapted in many different ways. It's a design I will be coming back to again in the future as I really enjoyed the ease of this construction.

Have you got classes lurking in the background that are calling you to get them finished? Try getting one out and trying to get just one missed assignment done! I promise you, it will feel great to get it done. You never know, it might spur you on to get the whole class finished!

Friday, 14 January 2011

Top 3 Classes - and a half (2010 in Review pt3)

Over the year, I did my usual signing up for more classes than I could really deal with! At BPC I took 6 classes, received prompts from Shimelle's LSNED and JYC (you are automatically in the class each year it runs once you have joined the class for the first time), and also joined in various challenges including LOAD. I was successful (!) to a greater (at times when I was über-motivated) or lesser extent (due to my own laziness or lack of concentrated effort), and only really completed one of the classes from beginning to end but I did manage to complete a layout every day for the three months of LOAD (February, May & October) which I am very proud of. A pile of 90 layouts is really something I can tell you! Some of my favourite layouts of the year (to come) came from these classes and from LOAD - they filled me with inspiration and motivation.

My Top 3 Classes of the year were therefore:

1. Dimensional Details by Nic Howard (BPC)

If you are at all familiar with Nic's work (she is on the design team at BasicGrey and also Prima) you will know that she is all about the clustering, distressing and dimension. Originally, I wasn't sure but she was so highly recommended on the LOAD message board that I signed up and it was FANTASTIC. You have to get on board if she ever runs this class again. Every week was stunning: full of inspiration and beautiful layouts as well as great assignments and clear, motivational instructions. I loved every minute of it and completed every assignment which is a real achievement for me. It's really hard to pick a favourite layout from this class as I truly love them all but this one was so much fun to do.

Through this class, I really feel as though I have found my style and that feels great. I love the curled edges and the piles of embellishments and the paint and ink and bits and pieces. I have no idea how I will get them all into albums due to their dimension but I don't care! I haven't put a single layout into an album for more than 18 months and just adore sitting looking at the huge piles of finished layouts I have.

2. Colour! or is it Color? by Nic Howard (BPC)

Once you've done a Nic H class, it will have you coming back for more! She is delightful and fun and inspiring and has a wonderful NZ accent which we all love. She produces just the most gorgeous layouts and has a style all her own (which I want for myself!!). So when this class came up, it was a no brainer for me. Ok, so I haven't managed all the layouts yet but I am working through the assignments in my own time and loved the first couple that I did. As you might have guessed, this class was all about colour and we went through the colours of the rainbow to create a collection of cards and layouts that represent each colour considering the meanings behind each colour and thinking about the mood or feelings they can represent. I just finished green last weekend (so 2011) but managed red and yellow last year. Yellow is therefore my layout of choice to represent this class.

3. Camp Scrap by May Flaum (BPC)

May offers a completely different style of class but is so much fun. The pace is faster. There are always loads of examples, assignments, challenges, handouts, chats and giveaways. She has a great style and loves to make simple but quirky layouts using mostly 6x4 photos either complete or cropped down which I love. Most of her layouts are multi-photo (now there's a topic for a blog post ;-) ) and are easy but effective. She's not a perfect scrapper which suits me down to the ground. Camp Scrap was a summer class with all the fun of, well, camp! Ok, many of us non-US'ers didn't really know what happened at "camp" but it was all good stuff and we had a ball. Again, I didn't do all the assignments but that's the joy of lifetime access: I can go back over the ones I missed and fill in. I completed 8 specific challenges or assignments but this one of Charlie is my favourite for sure.

And I am going to add in a 3a which would be the October LOAD - it was a wonderful 31 days and I have 31 wonderful layouts to prove it. Check out the link above to find out about LOAD 2/11 and I promise you, you won't regret joining up - if you complete 28 or just 2 layouts! I will be blogging more about LOAD later in the month but this was one of my favourite LOAD layouts where I followed the prompt (purely optional and sometimes I do, sometimes I don't).

Are you a classaholic like me? If so, what is your favourite - I'd love to check it out.

I am currently *shock horror* classless but am planning to join May Flaum again at BPC for her Creative Retreat 2011 starting in Feb - it might be crazy to join at the same time as LOAD, but heck, I am just a crazy girl sometimes ;-)

Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Create Free - Day 3 aka Day 2 for Lisa!

I know you don't expect anything less but yes, I am a day behind! There is no way I am able to do today's Create Free class even though it looks like a lot of fun - all layering and clustering and piling stuff up.

But I have managed to complete day 1's task of creating a front and back cover for my mini-book. (Yes, I am following the lessons in a peculiar way. There IS method to my madness!)

I am really enjoying all the layering and using odd bits and pieces together. It's all stuff that I LOVE to do, but am mostly a bit lazy to take the time to do it. So the "instructions" which I am following (sometimes more directly than others) are a great incentive to do the things that I LOVE.

Sounds a bit crazy I know, but it's really true.

Ok, looking at the photos now, I can see that the ribbon is wrong - badly wrong! Tomorrow I might try to glimmer mist the tone of it down a bit or I will remove it and replace it with something better. It looked ok at first but now I can see that the colour is just toooooo... well you know!

And my cluster might be a tad tooooo high. Guess I got carried away with the few minute scraps I did manage to track down - LOL! But it's done and tomorrow I can get on with the little collages for the inside pages.