Thursday, 29 March 2007

Scrapgenie

I have always loved Scrapgenie as a company because they import the best of best scrapbook companies, you know, Basic Grey, Cosmo Cricket, Urban Lily, Doodlebug, MME, Crate Paper... and so many, many more.

Yesterday they hold a demonstrator meeting. There were a few of us and we had loads of fun. Good times Becks (co-owner of the company) was as always fun and refreshing. So now I am part of the demonstrators team, really, really happy about that.
As a sample of one of the lines (Basic Grey, Scarlett Letter) the carry here there is one of the layouts that I taught at The Craft Co. last Saturday.

Tuesday, 27 March 2007

Sunday, 25 March 2007

Wasabi checks out Nora

When I say that Wasabi is sweet and intelligent most people assume I am just another crazy cat's mum. Well I am not. Here is proof that my cat IS different: he likes to keep in touch with his friends and family through the net. Can your cat do that? Didn't think so. He specially likes to go on to youtube.com and surf for videos with cats like him. He recently discover Nora, who plays very well the piano, and let me tell you, he is totally in love with her. I still think that she is not good enough for my Wasabi, but then again nobody ever will.
.
PS: The photo is real, the rest I am afraid is not.
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Monday, 19 March 2007

Basic Grey, ohhh, ahhh

When it comes to patterned paper there is only one name that everyone knows: Basic Grey. You may not love it but still you know which company and you knowtheir style. I personally didn't quite fall in love with them until their second or third season. But, oh boy, by then I was totally into them! For this layout I used one sheet of my favorite collections, Urban Couture. What I love most about them is the fact that you can make them into a really busy layouts or just make them look great in simple ones. And, those who know me, you will know that I really do simple!
So I tend to use small pieces of paterned paper on a plain cardstock base.
Other Items: Autumm Leaves, Clear Journalling stamps (Get them if you don't already have them, they are sooo useful), Heidi Swapp Green Circle chipboard letter.
The little tab on top of the photo is one of the tags from the Urban Couture line.
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Sunday, 18 March 2007

Thursday, 15 March 2007

When your hobby becomes something else

Very often people come to me while I am demonstrating and say how lucky I am that I get paid for just seat and play. It is true, I am lucky. It is not true, however, that I just sit and play. Any fellow professional crafter will know and tell that, as much as it is an enjoyable and beautiful job, it is a job non the less and more importantly, when your hobby becomes your job, it is not your hobby anymore.
Don't take me wrong. It is wonderful to design projects for articles, classes or to demo and teach. But that is simply not play. There are few things I enjoy more than working on crafts, but then again most people tend to enjoy their jobs. That is why I understand why Donna Downey and Cathy Zielske are such a big fans of knitting: it is their new hobby. (Well actually I am guessing that, since I don't know either of them personally.)
As I see it (and of course I can be very wrong as often I am) most papercraft designers are part time professionals. I mean they tend to have other jobs (better paid, I would imagine, crafting pros don't get much unless you are a HUGE star) or have children to look after (the hardest job ever, also the most important provably). That way they keep the magic of crafting alive, it is still somehow their hobby. I know a few like me, no young children (as cute as he is, Wasabi doesn't qualify) and no other job than teaching, designing... Some of them have made it big, some others like me just kind of survive.
Would I change it? No way. I really love my job. But it is my job, not my hobby anymore.

Tuesday, 13 March 2007

How do they do it?

I mean, how people like Keisha Campbell or Ali Edwards or so many more take pictures of their work in their studios making everything look so nice? I guess its talent plus a good camera, plus a nice tidy studio. All right, I give up. I am never going to be like them in that sense. My battle against chaos is going to be a lifetime task with no end. Just to illustrate that here there is a photo of one of my attempts. There is always something wrong. Here is the fastenater.
In other news, my friend Sarah and I went shopping yesterday. Yep, that kind of shopping, the one that makes you feel very guilty afterwards. The one that makes you and others smile. Because what we got is to make cards and layouts which our friends and family are going to enjoy for long time.
We went to one of our all time favorite places, Artbase. We spent two and half hours, and easily we could have spent so much more time and money if both of those things were free!
I so want to start teaching from home, but my studio is still not ready for that kind of event, although some of my scrapping friends are coming over this Thursday. I'll see how it goes.

Tuesday, 6 March 2007

Tiring days

Last Friday was a craft TSV at QVC, so that meant all day shows, loads of stress. Very sad news reach us by the end of the day meaning that on top of the tiredness of all we had to deal with emotional issues. I honestly don't know how Dawn could have been so brave and good and go on front of the camera as she did. She is an amazing person and a very professional one too!
Today was just a normal Tuesday which means that its less hours but still some stress involved.
I do enjoy it, but it's a lot of hard work. One think I really appreciate is gratitude and that is a quality that Dawn shows all the time. And she means it.

After that, I went to pick up my mum from Gatwick, she arrived a little bit later than expected but it was fine.
This layout on the left is one of my my recent ones. I love it although the colours are ugly colours (as opposed to pretty colours, I know I should use naff but I like to create my own little language), and the photos tiny. I love it because although it has clean lines it uses lots of product (I have tons) and because features my favourite subject (after my cat of course): my husband Omar.

Thursday, 1 March 2007

Isn't he cute?

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Oh, maybe I didn't explain myself

Will I ever master the English language? I very much doubt it. IT IS HARD.
There is no proper grammar, or at least not as proper as other languages like French or German (not that I speak any of those, of course).
So it seems that I need to clarify that when I say I assist Dawn Bibby it is just off-camera. Thank God for that, not feeling very pretty right now with my overweight and shabby (but not chic) clothes. Anyway it is still lots of fun and hard work. Tomorrow we have got TSV again, so I'll be there from 9am onwards, and that onwards can extend until 10pm, so a long day.

By the way, my studio is starting to look really good, but there are some things missing still. i bought two more little shelves just in hope that I am getting some more new Primas. Oh boy, don't I just love them in their little pretty jars? I rarely use them, but they are such a bright and expensive decoration that I can hardly resist.
Ikea of course didn't have the bookcase that i was after, so I'll have to go back. It is not that bad, IKea is just ten minutes down the road. Lucky you may think, but my purse doesn't think so, because now a days it is the only part of me that is doing some exercise.

Oh, well, need to run some errands [wait a second, this is the first time that I actually use this expression, do I get 10 points?] so I need to go.
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