Finally - Clearsnap at the Convention

well, i have reached the end of the South African Scrapbook Convention Road..........i have to admit, i did not finish the American Crafts project - i solemnly promise that i will make another one - it got a bit squashed in my travels, so i do owe you that one. as for Cathie Allan and Clearsnap - i also MISERABELY failed at doing everything we were supposed to do in her class ( to my defense, the power kept on tripping and the stampede for the heatguns and the stamps we had to use just put me off completely) so i decided to do a layout as an ode to Cathie!

here i am with Cathie - she was very sad to say goodbye - i do think she LOVED coming to Africa - she was so exuberant and enthusiastic about her craft - it was good to see that ink and stamps make other people as happy as it makes me! i am also like a child - regardless of how fancy the stamp and the inkpad is - i love it!

for this layout, inspired by Cathie, i had to make a white piece of cardstock pretty by only using ink, stamps and embossing powder! it was not as easy as it sounds!! i used Ranger's Distress inks (mostly because i own every colour, and i have only black and clear in most other inks, except small cat's eyes in almost every colour, but when you start scrapbooking, no one tells you that you need to buy big pads for IN CASE you might become a STAMP JUNKIE!!!) you know coming to think of it - no one has EVER tried to sell me a re-inker either - i now know why. most retailers have NO IDEA what inks are used for!! anyway, so i used my blending foam and blending tool to blend dried marigold, scattered straw and weathered wood around the edges. i then took tea dye and just edged the edges (some alliteration for you ( i think!!). i then used my bubbles clear stamp from HOTP to stamp the bubbles in strategic places on the layout. i took my Frame Stamp from Prima and stamped the two corners in Tea Dye. then i stamped 3 Prima hearts in Dried Marigold, and Clear embossed them, cut them out and did the resist technique with the Weathered wood. Stamped the Heidi Swapp "together" word with Tea Dye, and VOILA!! all done! i must say, Cathie used her stamps much more liberally - i, however, only own very nice, balanced stamps - nothing bold and wild. i am really thinking that i need to enhance my stamp collection with a few bold designs. i used to think it very wise to only invest in "arty" stamps - but now i am beginning to realise that a sentiment or two, a cute stamp here and there and a bold design or twenty, might be a very good investment! in any case - it was my first layout i did using NO patterned paper, and i would LOVE to know what you think! be cruel, be kind - but please let me know what crosses your mind!