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Archive for the ‘Distress’ Category

Magnolia Day

Posted in Distress, Personal on October 8, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Today I got up really early to head to the Magnolia Store in Borås together with my sister Anna and friend Malin. The Magnolia stamp company hosted their annual Magnolia Day and the first 50 visitors were promised a goodie bag for arriving on time. Well, I’m not one to say no to free craft supplies so though I questioned my decision when the alarm went off I am glad to say it was totally worth it!

Here we are wating in line (I’m behind the camera), freezing our little toes off. We had about 15  other stamp crazy ladies ahead of us. =) Behind us the line grew longer and as I learned later, some had traveled as far as from the Netherlands to come!! What?! Fun.

Along with their own stamp line, Magnolia carries a lot of fun supplies. I have to say I really like it. There are not that many stamp/craft stores in Sweden so I’m really happy I live relatively close to this one.

There were workshops to do for those that were interested. Anna and I sat down to learn how to color with Distress refills from one of the Design Team Members. The picture above shows her completed project.

Here’s my work in progress along with the cheat-sheet and my finished image. It was really fun to watch and learn how Camilla colored. She used very little water and that really helped control the intensity of the colors. I definitely learned something new.


At lunch time three very tired ladies were happy to sit down and share some lunch and a cup of coffee.

Though I’ve encountered Magnolia stamps while I lived in the States I never really used them much. Perhaps they are not my prefered style, but they are really fun to color. And the store is full of examples of really elaborate cards and projects that speak of hours of work! I’m very impressed by the artistry involved. So there’s no way I can live this close to the Magnolia Stamp company HQ and not give it a try!! So watch out. =)

And the goodie bag you say? Yes, it was totally worth it.

The first 50 all very generously received a bag full of stamps, flower embellishments, paper, brads and a die that I think adds up to a worth of almost $75!! Seriously! Very generous indeed.

Now that’s two Scraptastic Saturdays in a row…it’s gonna be hard to top that.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sara

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In my CASE, Inspired!

Posted in Cards, Distress on September 24, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Do you ever think less of your work when you CASE (Copy and share with Everyone) somebody? I noticed that I do. I’d love to be original every time I sit down to create, but that’s not where I’m at.  Yet, when I share the finished product of a CASEd card I often hasten to add; “I copied someone else”. Like its a shameful thing. Almost as if the card in my hand appeared of its own will and as if the time I spent working on it meant nothing at all. How unfortunate! Making cards is a labor of love for me. I create because I love to do so. I find it restful and peaceful and it brings me joy when others enjoy what I made for them.

Well, my Mother-in-law recently told me that I shouldn’t think of it as a copy, instead I should say “This card was inspired by”. What a difference a few words can make! This way of speaking takes into consideration the time and labor it took to create my own version and it acknowledges that along the way I made  it my own.

Let me show you what I mean. I found this card in a recent Paper Crafts magazine that I borrowed. I just snapped a quick photo with my iPhone, so unfortunately I cannot credit the person who made it properly.


I find this simply stunning. I wanted to try my hand at the square background you see behind the trees. Since I own the same stampset it would be a simple matter to try this. Here’s my version of this card.

Of course it’s obvious where the inspiration came from, but here are a few of the differences:

  • I turned it into a Christmas Card
  • I added “snow capped” hills
  • I added glitter and stitching

I love the original card, but what I love more is that it spurred my own creativity to take it a step further and make it my own. That’s nothing to be ashamed of!

So, how do you relate to CASEing? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sara

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