Scrapping On Sundays...

Hello everyone...
Here is your SOS for this Sunday, June 29th, 2008
WOW...What a week for us at Windy City...on top of our Creative Cafe move and receiving boxes, we were delighted to have Ali Edwards finally arrive at our store to teach for the very 1st time. Not only is she Susan's BFF but she has become my BFF and my FSA (Favorite Scrapbook Artist). I was very thrilled and excited to be a student in her class along with 29 other scrapbook enthusiasts (YES...we were able to house 30 students in our crop room...alittle tight but alot of creativity). Ali is not only an awesome teacher but also an awesome artist, and she is truly inspiring
Here are few photos from our Evening with Ali...Enjoy as we did

Keep in mind that we have more Star Studded classes coming up in July during the week of CHA and you do not want to miss out. If classes are sold out, we will have kits available and we will ship to you...
Please note...for the holiday, we will be open on Thursday, July 3rd 11-3 and we will close on Friday, July 4th and we will go back to our regular summer schedule on Saturday, July 5th.

Enjoy your holiday weekend and Make Memories

TTFN
Al

Don't Forget tomorrow is...

T-SHIRT DAY!Thursday, June 26th, wear your Windy City Scrapbooking T-SHIRT and you will receive a free mini album from 7Gypsies!(Limit one per person!) It is a super fun album!

And for those of you who are lucky enough to be taking Ali Edwards class--have a wonderful time! I know it is going to be a really fun class the project is going to be amazing!We have lots of copy of her most recent book Life Artist if you interested. I know we have a few more kits to sell as well if you are interested in that as well--call the store to get one today! 773-935-0585! Trust me you will love the kit!
If you haven't guessed--these are all the boxes that Ali sent for her class! Even though I am not one of the lucky few I know the kit is going to be so cool to put together.



Have a great day! And I WILL see you soon!
--Susan

Tuesday Tip *You Crack me UP*

Tuesday Tip is all about crackle paint. I have three different methods to produce the crackle you so desire.

To make it easy we will be painting on numbered chipboard. (okay this was so I could keep up with the pictures to show.)

Ranger Crackle Paint

The first method is using Ranger Crackle paint. This is the easiest of them all. The paint comes with the paint brush in the container. This makes it easy, quick and no mess to clean up later.

Paint on the crackle paint with a dabbing motion. The thicker the paint the more cracks you will get.

Check out how thick the paint is on there. Let it dry and you will see the cracking happen before your eyes. It will take about 30 minutes to dry.

Here is the chipboard after 30 minutes of drying.

Crackle Medium

The next method is using crackle medium. For the next two methods I prepped the chipboard with a layer of acrylic paint. Let the paint dry before moving on to the next step.

Next I applied the crackle medium to my chipboard. I used a foam brush for all these samples. Now you have to let the crackle medium dry for 15-20 minutes. (but do not let this dry completely or you will not see any results.)

Then I applied my acrylic paint on top of the crackle medium. Do not over brush the paint the more brush strokes you use the less cracks you will get. I used a different color of acrylic paint so you would be able to see the cracking in the pictures.

Here is the chipboard after 30 minutes of drying time.

Elmer's Glue-All Method

The final method I read from Claudine Hellmuth's blog. (She is a mixed media artist. She uses pictures and puts them on a canvas in a whimsical way. Check her out. One of my favorite mixed media artist.)

So like I said before I prepped the chipboard with a coat of acrylic paint and let it dry.

Next I applied the glue to the chipboard. Just pour it on.

Then I spread the glue around the chipboard and let it dry for about 3 minutes.

Then I added the second layer of acrylic paint. Again do not over brush the acrylic. The more you brush the acrylic paint on the chipboard the less cracking will occur.

Here is the final chipboard dried after 30 minutes.

Okay... so here are all the final results all together. Different looks, you choose what method you like.

Hope I cracked you up with these methods. Enjoy. Until next time. Create and have fun.

:)Sesil

Scrappin on Sundays...

Hello everyone...
I hope you have been out enjoying the weather this weekend as the days of summer are finally here. Whether you are out enjoying baseball (GO SOX...WE STILL ROCK!!!), playing in the park...water or amusement, enjoying BAR-B-QUE, Family Reunions, going on a road trip or out of the country...Windy City Scrapbooking has everything you need to scrapbook you memories...
Here is you SOS for this Sunday, June 22nd...
So the countdown to Ali Edwards' class has officially started for us as we are preparing for her arrival...4 more days. There is a list of supplies that she did send us for the class so we have made contact with students by either email or phone with that list. Please feel free to call if there are any questions with the supply list. I do believe that kits are still available for purchase and remember, we will ship anywhere in the United States. For the rest of the classes for the month of June, I will be teaching Beyond the Basics this Tuesday evening (great way to learn how to add more elements onto your pages), Sesil will doing Basics this week and Melissa will be doing her Acrylic Stamp Challenge this Saturday. You may call us or come in to register for classes.
We also have a few Creative Cafe Happy Hours this month and we FINALLY put out the NEW Creative Cafe and it is really cute. It really looks like a candy store at Windy City as we have added extra bins for all of the new Creative Cafe Embellishments...and guess what ?!?!?!?!
I have a couple of photos to share:


We also put out new American Craft Thickers this weekend along with NEW Doodlebug
Here is a photo of those new items and Jen labeling trays (in her Cubs attire)

We have been working very hard to change the store around a little bit...Make sure you come in and let us know how you like it and all of the new items we have been receiving. Also, before you come to the store...please make sure to check out our website and scroll down to the COUPON section and see what we have for coupons this week. Some people have been taking advantage of our on-line coupons and we would like more of you to take advantage of them...This whole month...the online coupon will allow you to pick up some FREE Bazzill card stock-in any color you choose, so make sure to check out the website/coupons before stopping in.

This Friday, we do have crop scheduled and Sesil and I will be working the crop this week so give us a call to register for you spot. When I was there this past Saturday the crop was already a little over half full.
Finally...Do not forget to check out our website for a listing of all of the classes coming up for CHA week this July. Now people come into the store and admire the layouts and ask how can they make their pages POP...my answer, "TAKE CLASSES". Classes are designed to not only learn new techniques and such, but also a way to get to learn more about a certain product line and to look at it differently and use it differently and we are honored to have some great instructors, from various manufactures, which we carry in the store to come and teach at Windy City Scrapbooking. We have Teresa Collins (yes...she is sold out but kits are available for purchase), The LUXE ladies are coming to teach a really cool class and also do make & takes, Claire Hampton of Hampton Arts will be there to "WOW" you with cool uses of stamps and inks, Jody and KC of My Mind's Eye will be there teaching a layout class and Spencer from Quickutz will make an encore appearance at the store, where I am sure lots of fun will be had by all in all of our classes. We really have a Scrapping Star Studded Line Up happening at Windy City and we would love for you to come out and learn more about this wonderful world of scrapbooking.
A lot of you may wonder what CHA is...well, CHA stands for Craft & Hobby Association and it is where retailers and instructors go to see what is upcoming and new in the crafting world and in our case...Scrapbooking and we are fortunate enough to have this great event be right in our own backyard (Rosemont) for the summer. I have had the pleasure of attending a few times and I tell you...it is overwhelming, fun, exciting, all of that and a bag of chips and sliced bread.
Okay...I will get off of my soap box and put down my pom-poms and megaphone.
Do not forget...check out our website, call if you have any questions, want to register for classes and or crop and most of all...come by and say "Hi"!!!

This is your SOS for this Sunday, June 22nd
TTFN
Alraynita

The Boys of Summer...

So I wanted to give you a heads up on on of the other fabulous classes we will be hosting in July. The boys from My Mind's Eye will be teaching on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. They will be teaching a 2 page layout class and it is only going to be $25.00! It is going to be with their brand NEW line that will not be released until that weekend at CHA! So this is going to be a great time to see their brand new line!

KC and Jody are tons of fun and I know the ladies swoon over them! I know they always have extra goodies in their kits. Come and join us as we welcome them to Windy City Scrapbooking for the first time! But there is catch-we can only take 15 students! That is how NEW the product is! Be one of the lucky 15--trust me, it will be worth it! Call the store now to sign up!

Watch for more classes to appear here soon!

Susan

Tuesday Tips *Alternatives for scallop borders using punches*

Sorry for missing last week. We had a visit from the stomach flu; everyone in my family got the lovely bug. So in my absence last week I have a doubled up on this tip on how to make scalloped edges.

Scalloped edges are everywhere. The craze is all about die cut borders and I have some alternate ways to create your own. This first tip was given to me by our very own Melissa.


First you will need a circle punch. Mine is a 1 inch punch. We have some great punches by EK Success that have different diameters. We all could use a couple of circle punches in our stash.


Next is to punch out several circles. I like to punch upside down so I am able to see exactly where I am punching; it helps me get the most out of my paper while punching.




Then run a strip of adhesive on the paper you want to border and start lining up the circles along the side of the paper.
There you have a scallop border.




Next idea is using your corner rounder to make scallops. There are three different sizes of this EK Success corner punches. The different sizes will work just the same.






First you will have to take off the paper guide off the punch.






Next line up your paper in the punch and continue all the way down the edge.



Make sure you are lining up the scallop shapes along the edge of the paper. This does take a little bit of practice to make sure everything is lined up so be patient.



Then you have your finished border.






Now add it to your project, just another cute border.

Some other ways to get a scallop border is using your 12 inch platform with your Revolution by Quickutz using the scallop die. This is defiantly an easy way to get the job done quickly.

See you next week. Have fun and be creative.
:)Sesil

Scrapping On Sundays

Hello everyone

Hope that you had a great weekend, despite the rain...hey, at least we had some warm weather to enjoy.
Here is your SOS for this Sunday, June 8th, 2008

There was a Quickutz QT meeting today at the store...
Everyone was excited to hear about June's release and about Spencer's upcoming visit to Windy City Scrapbooking this Wednesday, June 11th starting at 5:30pm until 7:30pm. I heard that he is doing a really cool make and take with Quickutz products and this is FREE for you to come to the store and do.
For classes this week, Michealene is teaching her Birthday Rolodex class on Tuesday night and for those of you that need a gift for that man in your life for Father's Day, Melissa has her Father's Day Album class this Thursday evening. For our classes, supplies are all included with the cost and you will have a treasured project to either give as a gift or keep for yourself. The Card Club meets this week as well with Grace.
There are Happy Hours (Creative Cafe) scheduled this week and I was excited to see a few Creative Imaginations boxes in the back and so I can safely assume that we have the new Creative Cafe in. I am sure these items will be out this week for us to all ooh and aah at.
New items in the store:

Creative Imaginations Narrative Line and Felt Ribbons
Chatterbox Artylicious Line (we have in their ribbons now)
Ki Memories Shimmer Lace Card stock (for those of you who love their lace card stock, your are going to really love these)
Making Memories Passport Collection and Acrylic Stamps

Now of course I do not have pictures...because I would like for you to come and visit our store and see all of this awesome new items along with other items in the store.
Make sure that you check out our coupon page on our website...for those who love papers, both patterned paper and card stock, the coupons for this month are going to allow you to really stock up on both...go to our website at http://windycityscrapbooking.com and scroll down to the coupon link and click on to see what we have in store for you with our coupons.

Do not for get that we are closed next Sunday for Father's Day. What are your plans for Father's Day along with what you are giving...Post what you have planned for an entry into a drawing for some Blog candy...can not wait to read what you have planned.

This is your SOS for this Sunday.

TTFN
Alraynita

Tuesday Tip *Embossing with your Crop-A-Dile*

It is Tuesday Tip time!

So...I love my Crop-a-Dile and just found out a new way to use my favorite tool. Embossing dots on paper!!!! I saw this on Jennifer McGuire's v-blog a few days ago. So I had to try it myself. So all you need is a strip of paper and your crop-a-dile.

First I adjusted my crop-a-dile to set an eyelet. (A-1) combo. Notice the "A" setting is at the top of my tool. (the part of the tool that collapses when you set the eyelet.)

Then I placed the texture side up on my strip of paper to the crop-s-dile and squeeze the tool. (don't press too hard because it will punch a hole in the paper) You just need to squeeze just enough to where you feel the tool coming together. Then you just move the tool over and you can get a cool embossed dot on your strip of paper. Too cool!
This is just a quick and easy way to get more texture on your pages or cards. And I just love finding new ways to use my tools. Hope you enjoy using your crop-a-dile in a new way.

See you next week. Until then, enjoy and create!

:)Sesil

Scrapping On Sundays

Hello everyone...

Hope that you had a relaxing Sunday and enjoyed the weather.
I am feeling good about our temperatures finally rising and being able to get out with the family and friends....do not forget your cameras!!!

Here is your SOS for this Sunday, June 1st 2008...

We have been really busy this past week...as always...putting out new items
If you have not seen the new CHATTERBOX you must come to the store. I was off for a few days and was really impressed with the new line and the embellishments that go along with the papers
We also have the new CLOUD 9 line...really cute for the little guy in your life and if you are traveling this summer, LIL DAVIS has some really cute papers, and acrylic stamps...and yes...Windy City has them. I did not get any photos so you will have to come in to see ;)

This week, for classes, Sesil and I will be teaching BASICS, there is a Creative Cafe Happy Hour scheduled for Friday night and there is a crop this Friday (Jen and I will be working the crop this Friday so give us a call to reserve your spot)

Finally...some of you may already know, we have another guest designer coming to Windy City Scrapbooking.
Ali Edwards will be coming to our store on Thursday, June 26th to teach a class. The class is sold out and I do believe we are taking names and numbers for kits. We are really excited that she is coming to our store to teach. I will be sure to have my Ali Edwards idea books so I can get her to sign it. I think we have a few copies left at the store of her books too, so if you would like one...just give us a call.

Be sure to be on the lookout of our newsletter, website, and/or blog...as this will be where you can get information about happenings at Windy City Scrapbooking.
CHA is the 3rd weekend in July and I know we have some great things in the works and as soon as details are ironed out...we will let everyone know. So far for CHA, Teresa Collins will be a guest designer on Wednesday, July 18th (yes...that class is sold out too and we are taking names and numbers for kits) and we will announce other events soon...
Matter of fact...I do know that Spencer from Quickutz will be in the store next Wednesday and there is a Special Event planned (I guess it is so special that I do not even know the details yet) and there is a Quickutz QT meeting next Sunday at 3pm

The Breeze will be coming out this week and make sure to check out our website later this week for the coupons for this month. I am sure they will be good ones

Until next Sunday...this is your SOS

TTFN
Alraynita
http://www.inspiring2be.blogspot.com/