Christmas decorating #1

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Ok I told Amanda a number of years ago that vellum would make a come back ... she was skeptical ;-)

It became a running joke between us and whenever I saw just a hint of vellum I made sure I pointed it out to her ;-)

However it does indeed seemed to have done the unbelieveable and is in quite a number of the popular scrapbooking ranges :-)

I saw this project over at the Cosmo Cricket blog and loved it so head over to see more and find the details at Cosmo Cricket :-)

Iron on transfer step by step instructions.

1.    Cut around design leaving a small, even white border.

2.    set up iron and ironing board. Iron should be on hot setting. No steam. Ironing board should have a hard surface on top. I use a wooden chopping board covered with a towel.

3.    Iron creases out of apron so there is a flat surface to adhere the design to.

4.    Tear a very small rip in the side of the transfer. Don’t worry the front design will not tear – only the backing paper. Remove the backing paper.

5.    Position on front of apron ensuring it is evenly placed and appears exactly as you would like it to. Cover with baking paper and iron in even pressure over the design. Do not hold iron in one spot – keep it moving. After about 30 seconds you should see that the design has now stuck to the apron.

6.    Carefully remove baking paper. If an area appears as if it is not stuck to the apron repeat step 5.

Thanks Gina – they look awesome!!

2014 registration day...

Hello one and all,

You may have heard that we are full swing into preparing for our e2c 2014 retreat. Our new logo is above and we have had some fantastic, positive feedback. Thank you to those fabulously supportive comments. Next year will be all about black and white stripes and soft minty green! 

As usual escape2create retreat will take place at North Shields, South Australia on March 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th. Yes we have an extra day due to the Monday being a public holiday!

The cost of the retreat is $280 and includes all meals, accommodation, goodie bags and a massive prize table raffle. There will be a variety of scrap shops open and we will offer classes from 4 amazingly inspiring and well known Australian scrappers. These ladies will be revealed soon. Classes and kits will be at an extra cost.

Registrations to attend will take place very soon! Please mark SUNDAY 3RD NOVEMBER in your diaries. Email registrations - no texts or phone calls - will be accepted on this date from 2pm. The email address to contact is john.treloar@bigpond.com 

Please include your name and contact details (including email, mobile and postal address)  in your email. You may submit 1 proxy registration if needed for someone else who cannot register that day themselves. Please ensure your proxy registration is aware that you will be submitting their name and that they are not able to register for themselves. 

For those unfamiliar with e2c registrations :

• we have 80 available seats (due to venue restrictions on space)
• no seats (apart from teachers, shops and ourselves) are reserved. 
• it is strictly a 'first in, first served' basis. This is dependant on the time your email is received at above email address. No attendee is 'handpicked' over another. We pride ourselves on a very fair system.
• those 80 seats are taken up quickly. Waiting 5 minutes may mean you miss out!!
• We normally have a long waiting list of those who did not register in time. Last year we were able to work through our waiting list due to last minute cancellations. The message is : if you don't get in originally - don't despair!
• After our registration list is complete you will receive a reply email stating : yes - your registration was successful  OR  no - sorry you missed out on registration but are on the waiting list.
• Full payment must be made by December 1st 2013 (details will be given in the successful registration email)
• There is a strict no refund policy after 30th January 2014.

We have our fingers crossed for everyone and hope to hear from you on November the 3rd.

Meredith and Amanda

e2c retreats.

our fourth and final e2c 2014 teacher is….

Celeste Vermeend!

Check out Celeste's blog to see her beautiful style.

Welcome to the e2c team Celeste!

our third 2014 teacher is….

Kim Archer!!

Visit her blog and see how creative this lady is… it will blow your mind.

Welcome to our e2c 2014 team Kim.

our second 2014 teacher is….

Check out her blog for peeks of her amazing work.

Thrilled to welcome you Gina!

our first 2014 teacher is...

Natalie's awesome blog shows off her beautiful, inspiring work. Welcome to the e2c team Natalie :)

e2c 2014 registration news :

mini retreat / scrapathon 2013

scrap-a-thon 2013

a message from our past e2c teachers...

Easy title idea ...

Layout by Jill Sprott

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Head over to the October Afternoon blog to see how the title of this layout "summer sun" was done ... easy but clever :-)

save the date - e2c 2014

How e2c works:

We have 2 retreats a year. 

One is a big one with bells and whistles, decorations, goodie bags, guest teachers, 4 local scrap stores, prizes and many interstate attendees. There is enough room to host 80 scrapbookers.  This is held in the Lions Hostel in North Shields, Port Lincoln. It is a well known, well loved retreat and has become very popular.  The e2c main retreat is normally held in the months of March or April.

There is a strict registration process to ensure that it is as fair as possible. We advertise the date that registrations will be open here on this blog, on our Facebook site and also via email if we have your contact details. This registration date will be given well in advance so as to organise a proxy (only one per person) if needed. Registrations are email only to Meredith Treloar (address in sidebar--> ). No registration is taken via phone or text. No positions are held.

In 2014 the retreat will be held on a long weekend as above…

The mini retreat or 'scrapathon' is much smaller, without all the jazz and flashiness of the big retreat. There are less spots and in the past it has been less popular. We hold the mini retreat at a small local beach Trinity Haven where there is dorm style accommodation. The shops attend, but there are no decorations, no goodie bags and a lot less stress for the organisers ;-)

Registration to secure a seat at this retreat is not as chaotic and typically we don't have any interstate attendees attend. 

The scrapathon is usually held in a weekend during the months of September or October and the date will be announced soon along with the registration process.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions if you have them. Both Meredith and i are very easy going and approachable   :)

Scrapbooking on the go ...

So do you ever scrapbook while on your actual holiday?

We are planning a trip to Sydney in the next school holidays and I thought that I might give it a go.

I am thinking about getting an Instax camera ... does anyone have one?




The 2 parts of this video clip that made me laugh ...

1. "staying hydrated" while scrapbooking

2. asking Kelly if she ever scraps while consuming alcohol!! Reminds me of retreats and looking at your work the next day and needing to straighten up some things ;-)

So let us know ... what would you pack in your travel kit to document on the go?

I'm thinking ... adhesive, journaling pen, washi, a set of travel themed stamps, date stamp and black ink pad like Kelly ... and maybe some enamel dots, envelopes (vellum would be cute)  to hold tickets etc, some stickers maybe in a travel theme, some shipping tags and some more adhesive.

And just the right journal to use ... I liked the look of Kelly's blank book :-)

Maybe these stamps ...

And this little collection looks great too ...

Source: Two Peas Newsletter

Forgot my tiny attacher ... I'd pack that too :-)

stationary shop love

A few years ago i bought three Kikki K sticker books from the Adelaide City store. I am sure they were not specifically aimed at  scrapbookers but all the same i bought them.

 Afterwards i gave myself a mental beat up thinking 'what a ridiculous purchase - when the hell would i use them??"



and have I used them? Hell yes…

round stickers

day circle sticker

arrows

arrows

heart on camera

heart

round number sticker

alphas

heart

heart

label

Around the same time i bought a pack of manila folders from Typo. They had a delicious worn graph on one side.

They seemed a bit pricey at the time and again some self kicking and mental berating followed…..

however these have been my most loved scrap item that is NOT a scrap item.

(just a few quick snaps of a small amount of layouts that have been produced using these yummy typo folders.)

In fact as i looked at my stash tonight i realised i was down to my last sheet of these folders which is giving me a slightly panicky and sick feeling in my tummy.  They were discontinued about 2 years ago so there is no hope of a restock :(

However i did spy some cool red and white spotty folders in Kmart the other day…..

Stationary shops / aisles in supermarkets are so fascinating aren't they?

Have you ever bought anything non scrapbooky and found it is a firm favourite when creating?

Cute little gift idea and card ...

online classes

Have you seen the big picture 4experts classes?

Call me crazy but i am half considering paying big bucks to do this class:

To be taught by one of the best in the business would be an amazing opportunity.

Initially i thought 'meh' but after watching this :







and looking over Ali's shoulder as she creates, walking everyone through her processes… well WOW!


Plus all the cool freebies…so tempting.


here is Ali talking a little more on it all :





I probably won't - it is a lot of money after all… but i feel inspired just watching those snippets.

Have you ever taken part in any online classes? Did you feel they were worth it?

Please comment if you visit - we love to hear from you.

Find a Challenge

We can find inspiration in all kinds of places, and pinterest is not a new place for many of us. Actually i find it amazing for kinds of inspiration- not just scrapping! When i spotted this collective picture i thought 'hey, why not pop it up here for a challenge'.

Take from it what ever takes your eye....maybe the lovely bright colours or the ruffle, the 'Dream Big', the circles, the birdcage even....or maybe a collection of them all.

Source: Pinterest

So if you want a challenge this cold wintery weekend, why not try this and share it here with us. Please send your delishishness to either me, Amanda or Meredith. Or you can upload an image from your own blog using the InLinkz link below. Have fun!

Sue xx

Inspired by : Project Life

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Let's be honest... it's been around for years. That blocky 'Creating Keepsakes' type of layout... which then morphed into a monthly feature article and has now progressed to have their own special name and trade mark.

Becky Higgins was the original instigator and she must be loving how it has taken off in the past year or so. It is EVERYWHERE. Even if you don't 'do' project life, it's hard not to get wrapped up in what it stands for. It takes scrapbooking right back to basics - what we are here to do. Tell stories and create memories that a snapshot photo doesn't do alone.



The part that is so great is that it documents everyday moments - which i think can be glossed over or forgotten easily. I love the emphasis on the journalling aspect, the use of 'non perfect' photos and that your page can be as product driven as you wish. It is fantastic that it is all about the memory/ the story / the photo - not the product.

This is particularly evident at pinterest where there is a multitude of free printables or silhouette cut files.

This is exciting even for us 'non project lifers'... free stuff that is cute, and that you can make in your own home and personalise to your own pages.

The other option is to buy and there are many big companies jumping on the bandwagon. SNAP products and SMASH books are merely and extension of the whole Project Life idea. To scrapbook memories quickly with minimum of fuss.

Studio Calico paper 'me oh my' range

Simple Stories - SN@P studio stickers

Studio Calico Project Life kit

New SMASH book above and scrapped SMASH book below.

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We have even seen the resurrection of the instant camera and increase in popularity of iPhone / instagram in preference to the bulky SLRs of a few years ago. It's all about capturing the memory quickly... not necessarily perfectly.

Luckily all these awesome type products aren't exclusively for use for Project Lifers... traditional scrappers can use these embellishments and incorporate the PL philosophy on their pages too.

In my opinion, nobody does simple, straight to the story layouts in a blocky but gorgeous style like Cathy Zielske.

layout  : Cathy Zielske

We even have a brand new Aussie e-magazine called 'jot.' which is dedicated to all things Project Life.

Have you been touched by the Project Life bug? How has this changed how you scrapbook?

If you don't 'do' project life, can you see any influence PL has on your pages?

We would love to hear your thoughts :)