MAGGIE HOLMES Photography and Scrapbooking Blog

Winner!!

The winner of the spot in the Blog Design Basics class is:

Chelsi said...

This is an awesome giveaway! I would love to win a spot in this class. Thanks Maggie!!

ReplyAugust 28, 2010 at 02:42 PM

Congrats! Please email me your info and I will pass it along to the correct people!! Hope you enjoy the class!

For those of you that didn't win, I still have some good news......

They are doing an Early Bird special on the blog class today (August 30th) and tomorrow (August 31st)!! Yippeeee! It's $5 off of the class - so folks who sign up on those days will get the class for the great price of $30! AND everyone who takes the class will get a one-time use 40% off coupon towards one of Crystal's digital kits! 

Also a bit of new information......

They are also offering a class "Add-on Kit" for those of you who just want their pre-made designs and don't care to design your own. Parts 1 & 3 show you how to navigate blogger and upload your images. So technically, you could take the class without ever touching Photoshop! Just skip Part 2! The add-on kit is $20 and will include 20 backgrounds, 20 generic-themed banners, 20 post dividers and 20 pieces of happy art!! Fun!

Here is the link to register for the class - hurry and take advantage of the Early Bird Special!!

By the way - Creative Escape was AMAZING! I will share more about that soon!

Giveaway: Blog Design Basics for Blogger

I am so excited to share a fabulous giveaway with you today! It is the chance to win a spot in the Blog Design Basics for Blogger class...... all of the details are below:

 

Class description: 

Have you ever wanted to makeover your blog but weren't sure how? Well, now is your chance when you take this brand new class taught by Crystal Wilkerson  & Kristina Proffitt of Blog Designs by Two Happy Mamas . We'll walk you step-by-step through the blog design process!  By the end of the class you'll have a super cute, updated blog that includes a customized background, banner, profile picture, signature, post divider and "happy art".  And the best part is you'll have the knowledge to change it whenever you like in the future!  

This is a self-paced course so you can take it on your own time and can refer back to it whenever you'd like.  You'll have access to it forever!  You'll also have access to our class forum if you have any questions. Included with the class are SIX new blog designs! :-D

***Note: This class is geared towards Blogger accounts.  You can sign up for a free account at www.blogger.com. 

Registration Begins: August 30th

Class Starts: September 13th

Cost: $35 

CLASS DETAILS:

Course Type: Self-Paced

Format: Video, Online

Length: 12 Lessons 

Subject: Basic Blog Design for BLOGGER 

Instructors: Crystal Wilkerson & Kristina Proffitt 

Works for: Photoshop Elements 6, 7, 8 & Photoshop CS3, CS4, CS5 

Mac or PC?: Both! 

CLASS OUTLINE:

Part 1: Blogger Basics

Lesson 1 - Setting Up a Blogger Account 

Lesson 2 - Creating a Blog

Lesson 3 - Posting 

Lesson 4 - Settings 

Part 2: Design Basics

Lesson  1 - Background 

Lesson 2 - Banner 

Lesson 3 - Photo Frame 

Lesson 4 - Happy Art 

Lesson 5 - Signature 

Lesson 6 - Post Divider 

Part 3: Putting It Together

Lesson 1 - Photobucket 

Lesson 2 - The Design Tab 

You can register for the class at www.jessicasprague.com starting on Monday, August 30th. 

Click HERE to see the first sample blog for the class and from there you can click on the five other brand new blog designs! 

I am giving away one spot in the class! You can enter by leaving a comment on this post. I will be back on Monday to announce the winner! Good luck!!

Home Decor Project: Making Memories Slice, Fabric and Embroidery Hoops

I have a project featured over on the Making Memories blog today and thought I would share the complete tutorial on making the embroidery hoop bulletin boards here. I have seen these floating around blog land for quite a while now and love how they turned out! They really are such a cute and easy project! I wish I would have done them sooner. Originally I wanted to do them for Emily's room but I don't have the wall space in there so I opted to put them on the wall right inside our front door.

I figure that I will change out the photos every now and then and maybe even change up the little bits and pieces that I have hanging on them over time as well. 

You could easily just do this same project but without the batting but I wanted mine to have a bulletin board functionality so that is why I added it in. I have also seen these done with cork behind the fabric so that is an option as well. I just went with what I already had on hand.

 

Starting with the top left image and working our way across and down, here are the steps:

1. Choose your hoops and fabric. I went with a variety of sizes and picked fabric that I already had on hand. In normal "Maggie" fashion I picked random colors and patterns to mix and match. Also I took my hoops out back and gave them a quick coat of white spray paint first. (A note on the paint - the wood is very porous and so the paint seemed to soak right in and I never could get it to coat very well. It also took a while to dry on this type of wood. You may try painting them with a brush and acrylic paint and see if that works better. In the end mine sort of took on a whitewash finish rather than a super opaque finish but I like it just the same.)

2. Cut a square of batting and a square of fabric to fit each hoop. You want the squares to be a little larger than the hoops like I have shown here. 

3. Layer the batting and fabric over the smaller inside hoop and fit it into the larger hoop (just like you would normally do if you were using the hoops like they were intended.) Be sure to pull the fabric taut and smooth out any wrinkles. You can also loosen and then tighten the metal fastener on the top to help with this step.

4. Turn the whole thing over so it is upside down and trim off some of the batting and fabric. Leave about 1/2 - 1 inch overhang so you have enough to tuck down and glue in place.

5. First use hot glue to glue down the batting to the inside of the hoop. Then use hot glue to glue the fabric down on top of the batting. Be careful with your fingers because it can burn even through the fabric. I used the edge of my scissors to press down the batting and fabric as I was gluing. You can be super neat and tidy or you can just get it glued down and not worry about the look since it will be on the back anyway.

6. This is how the finished bulletin board hoop will look from the back with all the batting and fabric glued down.

 

And now you can have fun arranging them all and hanging them in your home! (Had a hard time getting a decent shot in this spot with the horrible lighting... my wall color is really not 3 different shades like it looks! :) )If you haven't checked out the Making Memories blog you can go there next to see the detail shots of the things I cut with the Slice and the other fun things I added to decorate some of them! 

Have fun!

Next Photography Class is Sold Out

Just popping in to let you know that the August 30th beginner/intermediate class is now sold out. This will likely be the last class for 2010 but I might do one more.... need to look at the schedule and see if it will work! 

Either way I already have a wait list started so if you want to be in the know, email me and I will put you on the list! I'm off to Creative Escape tomorrow! I will try to post while I am there and share some of the fun!

Studio Calico September Kit - Sneak Peek

Wow, I am on top of it! Posting my sneak peeks for the next kit before it actually goes on sale! :)

I always love Halloween and Fall and so I tend to love the photos and scrapbook layouts centered around those themes as well! I took a TON of photos at the pumpkin patch last year and I haven't even begun to made a dent in them! I have them all printed.... the problem is I just have so many favorites that I can't seem to pick a few and be done! 

So, when I got the September kits I breathed a sigh of relief and excitement that they would be a perfect match for all of my fall photos I have been hanging onto! I only managed to make 3 layouts since I have also been trying to get ready for Creative Escape this month but I hope to make some more in the next few weeks. Like I said, I have a lot of fave photos that I want to get scrapbooked before I start taking more this fall! All three are a mix from all the kits with some mist and punches used as well. I will share all of the specifics when I post the full layouts later in the month.

 

 

 

On this last one, yes, that is a pink background (misted with orange to make it a little more "halloweenish"). You may be thinking "what does pink have to do with fall/Halloween" but you know me, I love to mix up my color combos and since Em was dressed up in pink I figured that it would work! Ha! Let's hope you all agree when you see the complete layout! :) 

Hope you are having a great week! Check back on Thursday for a link to a home decor project I made for the Making Memories blog along with a complete tutorial on how to create it! Fun!

Giveaway - Winner

Oops, I forgot to draw the winner on Saturday! Sorry! 

I used a random number generator and here is the lucky winnner:

Erin said...

I can't get enough of all of the fun supplies! I think I have just as much fun buying and organizing the supplies as I do scrapbooking with them. :) Plus I LOVE seeing my little ones look through their books and smile and laugh as they remember. I don't ever want them to forget how much they are loved and what a great childhood they had. I will always love scrapbooking!

And Maggie - I have to say that your style has inspired me SO MUCH. I have so many of your beautiful layouts from CK magazine plastered all over my scrapbook room wall for inspiration. Thanks for sharing your amazing talent with us all!

ReplyAugust 18, 2010 at 08:19 PM

Congrats Erin! Email me with your info and I will get your box of goodies shipped out this week! This was fun! I think we shall do it again soon.... how does that sound?? So keep checking back! I have lots of great things to share and I am feeling the need to organize again which means there will be even more after that! :) By the way, why is it that I always feel the need to organize when I have a million other things going on? Is it some sort of subliminal effort to be distracted and not get the things on my list done? Do any of you do that too? I am forcing myself to resist because I have to get through this weekend first.....................................................

Creative Escape! I am beyond excited and at the same time feeling the nerves as well! I am gathering my things for my trunk show display and I can't help thinking about how amazing all of the other teachers' tables will be! I hope that mine isn't completely lame compared to all the rest!

I just heard that they have a few spots left for the event so if you are a last minute traveler you can go here and get a great deal! Looking forward to meeting everyone that is attending!! See you soon!

ALSO.... I really want to thank everyone for the sweetest beyond sweetest comments about Emily's party and the photos in the last post. You are all so nice! Thank you! I have had a lot of requests to see more shots of our home and the decor so I will definitely share that soon. It's always a work in progress and I am also a decorator that is constantly changing things up and moving things around to make it feel fresh and new all the time. But I will take some pics of the way it is right now and start sharing..... maybe a room at a time. Sound good? And the final confession is that I am also one who hangs picture frames before they are filled and then I have a bad habit of forgetting to order prints to go in them.... but maybe this will help get me in gear and fix that! :) 

Here's one photo to start the home tour off:

A sneak peek of Emily Jane's room - probably my favorite room in the house. I love the colors and just how happy and girlie it feels! Hoping to take a bunch more pics of the house next week (after Creative Escape) and will share more then! Have a great day! 

Fall Photo Shoots: Arizona & California Photographer

Hi there! Just popping in to share some info about photo shoots for this fall.....

Arizona Family Photography:: Saturdays are already filling up quickly for September, October and November. I will not be doing any shoots in December for Christmas cards. You can still book a shoot in December but proofs/photos will not be delivered until after the holidays. This means that if you are in need of a Saturday please email me asap so we can get you on the schedule. I will be scheduling shoots on weekdays for all three months and I am more flexible with those dates but again, it is best to book early!

California Family Photography::  I am thinking about doing some shoots in California this year the weekend of October 1st through possibly October 6th (sometime in there).... if you are interested in scheduling something - either a regular shoot or a mini shoot, please email me asap and we can chat about the details. 

The giveaway in the post below is still open! I love hearing all of your comments about scrapbooking! Fun stuff! Will be back on Saturday to draw the winner..... Good luck!

Organizing... Scrapbooking... and a Give Away!

Seems like I am pretty good about organizing my scrapbook room every few months but for some reason I am not good at keeping my layouts organized and in albums.....

I just keep adding to the stacks.... stacks of layouts in the bookcase, stacks of layouts on top of the cabinets, stacks of layouts in the closet.... there are stacks of layouts everywhere in here! 

  

 

A few months back I even ordered a bunch of these albums from American Crafts. A different color for each child and then brown for all the layouts that have more than one kid or are more family oriented. But I put the albums up and never got around to putting layouts in them!

Then, for some reason this morning I decided that these layouts deserve a better home and that today is the day! Now my kitchen table looks like this and soon they will all be where they belong.

 

I have to say that it has been fun looking through all of these pages as I have sorted them.... lots of favorites among these stacks - favorite photos, favorite stories, and then some favorites as far as design/technique/etc. Looking back through all of these also solidified that I LOVE what I do! I really truly love this art of scrapbooking and it is amazing how satisfying and fulfilling it is to look back at all of the memories, thoughts and feelings I have recorded. It not only makes me grateful that I have all of these meaningful stories and photos recorded but it also makes the creative side of me happy and inspires me to keep creating and playing and doing this. 

My husband sometimes tries to convince me that the digital age will take over paper scrapbooking and that all of this may one day be obsolete and I steadfastly insist that he is wrong! I do embrace and welcome the digital side of scrapbooking and often use those types of elements in a more hybrid sort of way but I will ALWAYS love paper scrapbooking! And I believe that there will also always be others that find joy in the shuffling of papers, the pleating of ribbons, the actual handiwork that goes into it and the tangible art of creating with physical textures and mediums..... 

 

So, yes, in case you were wondering I still love scrapbooking! Even after all these years! Now, I need to get back to the task of putting all these layouts into their albums! :)

P.S. In my recent attempts at organizing in here I have some stacks of really great products (some new and some older) to GIVE AWAY! Interested? Just leave a comment here telling me what you love about scrapbooking (whether you are paper or digital... anything goes) and I will draw a winner at random later this week! Fun!!

 

Emily's Birthday Party

I simply cannot believe she is 3 years old already! She is all girl - full of sweetness, cuteness, drama, sass, giggles.... you name it! She loves everything pink and anything related to baby dolls, princesses, dress up, make up, and lipstick. 

She also loves to sing. She sings to us ALL the day long every single day. She will sing songs that are real songs like "Twinkle Twinkle" and "I am a Child of God" and then she will also make up her own songs as she goes along. Those ones will sometimes last for a LONG time..... she looks around the room as she sings and adds in whatever she can think of. They often sound something like this:

"I am so cute and beautiful and my mom is so beautiful and cuuuuuuuute..... My daddy is coming home and he will get me and he will stay home with me for the whole day and he will never leave again ever my life......... etc etc etc." It is quite amusing and very endearing. I can sit and listen/watch her do this for hours! Sometimes one song will literally last 15 minutes!

She will also say things to me randomly throughout the day like:

"You are my sweetheart and my best friend."

"Mom, I love you soooooooo much, ever my life." 

"Mom, you look beautiful today. Your hair looks pretty like a princess."

How can you not feel great about yourself when she is around? :) Oh, I just adore her!

Needless to say we had a PINK birthday party for her. She called it her "pink princess party" and we are still talking about it. She thinks she is going to have it again every day. Her favorite things were all the jewelry and lip gloss and of course the pink frosting! Oh, and I think she also liked the fact that everyone was doting over her. 

I love fussing over all of the party decorations and I tend to go all out, but hey it only comes around once a year! I spent the day making the decorations and the cupcakes and getting it all set up - so fun!

 

 

 

 

 

This next photo is one of my favorites from the day because of the expression on Matthew's face. He is always soooooo into birthday parties, even if they aren't his and it's all he can do to resist from jumping in and opening up the presents for the birthday girl/boy. In fact before this shot was taken we had to kindly remind him numerous times to step back and let her do it on her own. So I love this shot because you can see how excited and happy is for her - such a proud big brother standing over there looking over her and being there to help her but also doing a great job of not taking over and doing it all for her. So sweet!

 

All three of her big brothers and her cousin Sadie surrounding her and "oohing" and "aaahhing" over each little thing!

 

Lots of kisses for my Mimi as usual!

And a couple shots we took outside before the party started.

 

This is her best picture taking face lately..... she sees the camera and pulls out her biggest, cheesiest, squinty-eyed smile that she can possibly muster! We adore this look too!!

  

      

Studio Calico August Kit - Summer Camp

Don't you just love the name of the kit this month? Summer Camp.... has such a great sound and feeling! We all love summer and having the chance to get out and do some adventurous things that we don't get to do the rest of the year! What did you all do this summer? 

It went super fast for us because we were gone for most of it! We went to Utah and ended up staying much longer than expected and enjoyed every minute of it! Then we came home for a week and packed back up and went to California! We took the kids to the beach for the first time!! We took them once when Tyler and Matthew were little and we just walked along the beach for a few minutes but had never actually been "to the beach". It was such an amazing experience because all of the kids loved every minute of it! Now I understand why all of my friends go to the beach every summer! It is a great way to escape the Arizona HEAT and it is a cheap activity that is perfect for everyone -- no matter what age you are, you can have fun at the beach! We could have stayed another week!! I think we have finally joined in on the "Arizonian way" and will make it a yearly summer tradition!

Anyhow, I wanted to share my layouts from the Studio Calico kit this month. I got all of the add on kits and some of them are still available. The main kit is also available so you can snatch it up here if you haven't already.

First up is "I love...."

 

 

 

And speaking of loving something I really do love those turquoise alpha stickers from the main kit! Those will get used up for sure! The creamy flower on the left side is cut from the ribbon that you get with the Elk Lake add on kit! Just that ribbon and the stamp in this kit made it a shoe-in for me! The best thing is that you get the whole spool of ribbon! Love that! As for tools I used the Round Binding Edge border punch and the 3 in 1 Butterfly punch.

Next up is Mini Golf 

 

The background on this page is the back side of the red floral paper in the Adirondack add on kit. I just knew that I had to use this paper right when I saw it. The design of it is perfect for this kind of layout.... I see each little rectangle as a "home" for photos, journaling, embellishments, etc.... It was fun finding the perfect thing for each little spot! And the best part was that these photos were some I already had in my stash and they were the perfect size! Lately I have been printing these wallet sized photos at Costco in advance and I love the cute little size! It's great for adding more than one photo to a page when you still want to have a lot of room for having fun with the design! The stars are from the exclusive Studio Calico stamp in the Elk Lake add on kit. They are on a strip together so you can stamp the whole thing in a row or if you want just one star at a time you can just ink the one you want! That's what I did here and it worked great!

And finally we have "surreal"

  

 

 

I think this is my favorite this month... It is a little more soft and subdued than I normally go but I love the feel. This is one of those photos that you hold onto forever because you love it so much, you are scared to scrap it for fear you won't do it justice. It stirs up lots of emotion for me and just literally makes my heart swell.... This is also one of those pages where you don't have to use the literal "story" of what was actually happening in the photo (the who, what, where, when, etc). Instead you can just tell the story from an emotional aspect and journal about what it makes you feel, etc. The title was created using the stamp set from the Sugar Woods add on kit. This one sold out in a jiffy and I am sure it was because of the stamps! They are too cute for words!! I also used the Dotted Lace Border Punch and the Classic Butterfly as well.

Kind of shocking that I didn't use any mists this month!! That's unusual for me! Next month for sure!

Catching Up... School, Scrapbooks and Creative Escape

It's been a while! Sorry for the lack of posts! We have been busy the last couple of weeks!

>>> The kids started school last Monday. They were excited and ready and in Tyler's words "I mean it is so hot we can't even go outside so we might as well be in school and be doing something like learning so we don't get bored at home." 

Nathan started Kindergarten and is gone all day now (insert frown and big tears from me). Again he was more than ready to get there and start learning but I was not ready to have him leave. I cried the entire first day that he was gone and I sorely miss having him around. He is one of the sweetest and nicest little guys you will ever meet and by far our most cuddly. I miss having my snuggle buddy and hate that those days are gone already. 

Emily also started school and is in the Priority Preschool at the same school as the boys. She only goes 3 days a week for a couple hours but it is weird having those spells of complete quiet around here while she is gone. I am soooooo not ready for "that" stage in my life... you know, the one most moms count down to when all the kids are gone to school. I like having little ones here more than not. When Matthew realized that she was going too, he said "Mom, what are you going to do at home all day by yourself?" Then I quickly reminded him that Emily is only gone for about as long as it takes to drive home and load the dishwasher! And I think that made him a little relieved for me that I wouldn't be all alone! I am definitely trying to slow down and treasure my time with Emily even more than normal. Having Nathan gone all day is a big reality check that these years of toddler/babyhood are soooo fleeting! One day last week we snuggled in the play room and watched Sleeping Beauty, played dolls and then we read books in her bed and we both fell asleep for a nice afternoon nap. I have to say that it was so fun just focusing on her and going with the flow -- not worrying about the house or any other busy work -- taking it easy and just being together. I loved it!

Matthew and Tyler are both loving their teachers and loving getting back to seeing their friends every day. Matthew seems to be quite busy with homework this year and has already informed me that he needed a "break" from homework yesterday since he had a homework packet the first week of school and the other boys didn't. And then there is Nathan who was devastated on "Meet the Teacher" night because we were only in his classroom for a few minutes. Once we got to Matthew's class he asked me if we were going back to his class and when I said no, he slumped his shoulders and let out a huge sigh and told me "I thought I was going to sit down at my desk and learn something tonight." This is the boy who has been telling me he was ready to go to Kindergarten for the last year and a half! He will be the best student!!

>>> I've also been having some fun in my scrapbook room now that I have more quiet time. I definitely can't say that I don't enjoy having a little more time to play around in here and be creative. :) We had Emily's birthday party last week and I spent a day creating some fun decorations. I will share pictures of that soon! I also worked on a fun project yesterday with fabric and paper! A combination that makes me more than happy because I have a collection of yummy fabrics that keeps growing and growing and I love getting to use it!! It will be featured on the Making Memories blog soon so I will give you a heads up when I find out the exact date. Here's a little sneak peek.... Notice how this project had to be created on my dining room table because I had something else going here in the scrapbook room and if you know me you know that I can't mix projects! Each one needs it's own space.... Lots of creative messes around here lately! But creative messes are good messes right?

  

Also making final preparations for Creative Escape! I can't believe it is already almost here! I am beyond excited and also super excited that I get to see my dear friends, Hennie and Erika, from South Africa (the hosts from the event that I taught at last year are coming to CE!) I can't wait to see them and catch up! I heard that some spots for the event recently opened up so if you still want to come, you can!! Check out all of the info here on the Creative Escape website!