MAGGIE HOLMES Photography and Scrapbooking Blog

December Daily Photography Workshop

Here it is.... my newest online photography class that I have been soooo excited to launch! 

This one works differently than my other 2 photography workshops. The class is an email based workshop in which you will receive 1 email per day for every day in December. The class is inspired by Ali Edwards' wildly popular December Daily Album concept in which you create an album that includes photos/thoughts/memories/memorabilia/etc for each day in December.

In case you aren't familiar with this you can find a lot more information about the December Daily Album concept on Ali Edwards' site.

The only glitch I have ever run into with my December Daily albums is keeping up with them and staying on track in order to finish and complete the whole album. For me it is a super crazy busy month and I am sure it is for most of you too. So, it is easy to forget about it or get stuck and not know what to take pictures of, what to document, etc and then we give up.

My photography workshop is designed to help you stay on track with your album and it also takes the guesswork and confusion out of the equation when it comes to taking your photographs. The daily emails will be a great reminder to take your photos and you will also be inspired with examples and ideas. This will keep you from falling behind and then being stressed about not having photos for some of the days.

:::Here are a few more details, and answers to questions about the class:::

If you struggle for ideas and creativity when it comes to taking the photos each day for your December Daily Album, this class is for you.

If you struggle with not knowing how best to capture the details, like the twinkling Christmas lights at night, close ups of decorations, etc, then this class is for you.

If you are looking for easy and applicable tips and tricks on how to improve your everyday photography, this class is for you.

There is no certain camera required for this class, although I will give technical information on settings when it is applicable. You can take this class no matter what type of camera you will be using to take your photos. In fact I will be using a mixture of cameras including my digital SLR, point and shoot, instax cameras and Iphone. My photos, ideas, inspiration, tips and tricks will be varied amongst all of them.

You don't have to be doing a December Daily Album to take this photography workshop. Anyone can join in. You can simply come along for the inspiration and ideas and use them in your own creative way. You could also take my class and simply create an album that is only photos using the ones you take each day with me. Whether you create a detailed Dec Daily Album or something super simple, the things you learn will apply!

Not all of the emails will be Christmas focused. The December Daily Album concept is about documenting your life each day in December, not just documenting the Holidays. My class offers a nice balance between Holiday related photography and non-Holiday related photography.

If you have any other questions, let me know! Registration is open now and class starts December 1st!! 

Spark: Are you coming??

Are you going to Spark this year? I am and I cannot wait!! I am literally giddy beyond belief! I have wanted to go in years past but just couldn't get there so I am thrilled that I get to be part of the magic this year!

I am going to be there as the event photographer - documenting all that is Spark through photos!!

I am also doing a make and take Friday night and will be demoing the Studio Calico mists, masks and more!!! I can't wait to show you some of the latest SC products and the fun things you can do with them!!

I hope to see you there!!!!!!!!!!!!

Studio Calico Blog Blitz and Giveaway!

Welcome to the Studio Calico Blog Blitz! It's always fun to share the creations that we worked on for the CHA booth and we are doing just that today! I am excited about so many of the new products from this release and I haven't even seen everything in person yet so it is fun to see all of the layouts up close! After you enter the giveaway below be sure to go to the Studio Calico blog and click through to see the other designers' layouts and projects as well!! They are all doing giveaways too so you have lots of chances to win some of the products before you can even buy them!

This first layout showcases the new Butterfly masks, which I am in LOVE with!! These will get a lot of use from me I am sure!! I also used the new Mister Huey's Shine mist which is the perfect shade of silvery glimmery mist! LOVE!

The next one uses the same Butterfly masks but in a different way. A lot of people at the show asked how this was done.... After misting over the masks (for the above page) I carefully lifted them up, turned them over and then "stamped" them onto this next page. The trick was that I had a LOT of mist on the masks and I also pressed them down carefully so the mist would spread to all of the edges before lifting them off. The result is this fun watercolor stamped look and I love it!!

This page showcases the new bookplate stickers. I am also loving the new tissue trims, which I misted here and then sewed to the page (over on the left).

And finally this one which shows off bits of a lot of things - the new chipboard butterflies, the papers and then the wood veneer banner pieces.... swoon!! They take mist very well (which is what I did here) and I love that the wood grain still shows through!

As part of the blog blitz I get to do a GIVEAWAY!! I am giving away my favorite item.... the Butterfly Masks!! 

For a chance to win, leave a comment here on this post and I will be back to draw a random winner. (please note that these products are still under production so there may be a slight delay in shipping them out, but as soon as they are in, they will be sent!) Thanks for entering and remember to go check out the other blogs too!!

Felt Cupcake Class Winner

The winner of the Felt Cupcake Class by Something Splendid and Liz Kartchner is:

Renee Zwirek said...

I'm a big fan of your work and Dear Lizzy.
Thanks for this chance to win!
Pretty PLZ...pick me!

ReplyJuly 12, 2011 at 05:58 PM

Congratulations! Email me your information and I will pass it along so you can get started on the class!

Creative Escape 2011

 

Are you going to Creative Escape this year? I am!! I taught a photography class last year and had a blast! It was one of the best events I have ever been too. Well, actually it was the BEST event I have ever been to! The teachers were amazing, the students were amazing, the Bazzill staff was amazing, the food was amazing..... need I say more? It really WAS that good and I promise they aren't paying me to say this! :)

This is the last year they are holding the event and since it was so great I couldn't pass up on the chance to attend again, only this time I am going as a student! I am so excited! I have never been to event as a student and I am looking forward to sitting in class and being inspired by all of the teachers... especially Ali Edwards and I've seen a peek of Janet Hopkins' project and it looks so fun! I hope to see you all there in class with me! Can't wait to reconnect with some of the ladies I met last year!

One of the things that is new this year is the Thursday Bazaar, which I am excited to be a part of! There will be mini classes, giveaways, demos etc. I will be hosting a table and I can't wait to see you there! Be sure to stop by and say hello and see what I have in store for you!

(Pictures are of my table from last year's event.)

Register soon if you haven't already! See you there!!

A Crafty Giveaway...

I have a fun giveaway for you today!! Hope you are feeling lucky!!

This one is from my super talented friend Liz Kartchner. Recently she launched a new site called Something Splendid where she teaches online crafting workshops that come with a kit! Such a fabulous concept!

The giveaway is for a spot in the felt cupcakes class that starts July 20th.

Here's a little more info about the class that I snagged from the website:

Cupcakes have been a huge trend in the craft world! Here’s your chance to learn to make 4 unique felt cupcakes, perfect for decorating your craft room or your kitchen. Great for little girls’ pretend tea parties and picnics. They also make a wonderful gift for your daughter, niece, sister, mom, or girl friend.

With the kit, you will receive 6 different colors of high-quality craft felt, batting for the filling, 4 colors of embroidery thread and a needle, EVERYTHING you need to make these fantastic cupcakes. You will also receive a pattern for cutting the felt into the perfect shapes to make your darling cupcakes.

This class will be taught by our own Lizzy Kartchner
-2 weeks of classes, 6 Lessons including 5 HD video tutorials with step-by-step instructions
-Email access to Lizzy and of course our Something Splendid Forum!

TOOLS NEEDED:
-Hot glue and hot glue gun or Fabric Glue.
-Scissors
-4 circles of cardstock to use as a base for inside of cupcakes 

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment here on my blog and I will be back to draw a random winner later this week!! Good luck!

Flags for Birthday Cupcakes

I have always LOVED celebrating my kids' birthdays and one of the things I love most is making the cakes or cupcakes. I enjoy spending time on them making sure they are special and cute..... It is one of the ways for me to let my children know how much their big day means to me! For years I made whatever themed cake they requested (Nemo, Spiderman, etc) but they have now sort of outgrown those so I have been making cupcakes a lot more.

Creating little flags for each cupcake is a quick and easy way to make them really fun and extra special! We have two birthdays in May so I have done this project twice now recently and thought I would share them with you.

First was Matthew's birthday. I used FabRips from Studio Calico (sticky-backed fabric strips) and tapes from American Crafts, 7gypsies and Heidi Swapp which made it really fast because you don't even have to use any glue or adhesive. You simply wrap the tape or fabric strip around the stick and then cut the flag shape with scissors.

Then for Nathan's birthday I used patterned papers from American Crafts and Scenic Route. It was the same process only I had to cut the paper into strips first and then add some adhesive before wrapping them around the sticks. The sticks are from the craft store and are found in the candy making isle because they are meant for making lollypops. You can also use regular old toothpicks but I like that these sticks are white and they are bigger and taller so you can make a bigger flag.

The kids in both of their classes absolutely loved the flags and kept them after eating the cupcakes! 

Only problem is that looking at these is making me hungry for more cupcakes..... anyone have a birthday soon? :)

Making Memories Bravissimo & Giveaway!

Have you seen the new line of products by Making Memories called Bravissimo? It's pretty cool.... they have all of these rosettes, streamers, banners and wands. Some are premade and then they also sell the individual elements separately so you can customize and build your own! They are perfect for parties, gifts and celebrations! Here is a sampling:

Making Memories recently sent me some of them and one thing I was impressed with is how intricate and detailed they are.... There are so many layers to each of these! It would take a long time to do this on your own and I love that the hard work is already done for you!

Emily recently started a dancing/singing class and it is the highlight of her week! Each Tuesday she gets on her "dancing outfit" first thing in the morning and asks me if it is time to go about every 5 minutes! Then once she saw the Bravissimo princess wand it was the perfect addition to complete the "outfit". She carries her wand around with her all the time twirling and dancing and singing away! I love it!

I think you can tell by the look on her face that she really thinks she is a princess and is in heaven carrying around this wand! She is too funny!!

Making Memories is sharing some of the Bravissimo love by offering a giveaway here on my blog!! To enter, leave a comment on this post. I will be back next week to draw a winner at random and they will receive a sampling of the Bravissimo products! Thanks Making Memories!

If you want to check out more of the products you can visit the Bravissimo blog or Making Memories' website. Michael's also carries the full collection!

CK Special Issue: Creative Spaces Giveaway

Creative Spaces is now on sale!!! I've been excited about this special issue of Creating Keepsakes for a while now and was so excited to finally see it in print! Megan Hoeppner did an amazing job with this and it is truly inspiring to see so many different creative spaces/rooms all in one place!

Don't you just love getting a chance to peek into other people's homes to see how they organize things and how they live? Many of us creative people actually do a lot of "living" right here in our scrapbooking or art spaces because we spend so much time working on projects and doing what we love! I can't stop looking through this issue because there are more little details and things I find each time!! So fun!

If you purchase Creative Spaces online you can use the code SPACESBB for free shipping in the US (offer good through 5/27/11).

You can also take a sneak peek inside the issue right here: 

Open publication - Free publishing - More craftroom

  My space is featured in the issue and it is actually now a little different but many of the same storage solutions are the same. For me, my room is always changing and evolving because I really love the actual process of organizing! So every time I do a purge and a little deep cleaning in here, I tend to change things up a bit and try out different ways of organizing/storing things. It's all part of the creative fun right? :)

Here are a few more recent pictures of my current space. I've added lots of cake plates and tiered storage pieces to my room because they are perfect for storing all of my mists and paints, etc.

My favorite part about sharing this issue with you is that I have an extra copy to give away to one of my readers!! Leave a comment here on this post and tell me a favorite storage/organizing solution of yours. You can share anything you want and it doesn't even have to be scrapbook related. I know that I am always looking for great organizing ideas for my whole house!! Can't wait to read your ideas!! I will be back to draw a winner in a few days. Good luck!

Introducing Paper Coterie & a Giveaway!

Hi there! Popping in to share some info about a new company that I am super excited about!

Here is a description of the company that I snagged from their site because they say it better than I ever could........

Paper Coterie is a circle of friends who are passionate about documenting the beauty of life well lived. Whether it's in a photo book, guest book, journal, or one of our custom personalized books, we'll help you capture the memories you want to save and share. We've also expanded our line of exclusive Paper Coterie calendars to include personalized calendars, desktop calendars, and wall calendars that allow you to document some of your favorite memories from month to month. Want to document your growing child? Don't worry. We have that covered. Choose from one of our personalized growth charts, wall decor posters, baby books, and shower guest books.

Sharing and documenting expands beyond just you and your immediate family with our exclusive collections of birth announcements, birthday invitations, Valentine's Day Cards, Mother's Day Cards, Father's Day Cards, and shower invitations. Finally, don't forget to look at our customer personalized recipe cards and recipe card sets. They're perfect for recording all your family's favorite recipes, handing them down for generations.

Enjoy!

Now for the fun part........ I get to share something with you:

$40.00 in credit to spend on their site just for joining the Open House Party today (May 4th)!

Here are all the details:

Be sure to enter the code OPENHOUSE in order to receive your credit.

It is good through May 6th so hurry on over there and pick out something fabulous!!! Have fun!