Paper Hunt Magic, Task One and Tag Wallets!

Soooo. I've spent the last couple of days resting out my fatique by taking cold and flu medicine and sleeping like no tomorrow. I feel much better Alhamdulillah! And feel a little refreshed and energized. So with that thought, I'd like to share what was the product of our Tag Wallet Class :)

We kicked off a little late, but that didn't stop the creative thoughts at all. I had two students, Anne and Iqra who had been looking forward to the Tag Wallets for the longest time I had actually suggested the Tag Wallet Module to Iqra as she was new to working with surfaces and took a while on decisions. Figured we'd start with something a little easier and small... She had ten seconds to make her decisions while with me. :)

Anyhow, my requirement for the class was, bring embellishments.. any and whichever you have along with a 12x12 piece of paper. These guys had lovely chart paper with them, but given class had already started late, I didn't want them to waste time on measurements and trimming. I came up to the studio. Pulled out two random sheets of paper and came down to class with them.

I handed Anne the green one and Iqra the pink. Without further delay, we began our folds for the tag wallet, working out the creases and importance of scoring. These guys managed to perfectly within a few minutes. That wasn't the hard part at all. :)

I feel I put the two of them with a couple of challenges, despite the Keepsake being super easy to do:

• they had no idea I was going to give them random colors to work on their project
• they had to make do with embellishments they found in their stash
• nothing was newly bought, nothing was exclusively purchased for the project, ie in terms of color
• again, because of time constraints, I just handed them my box of scraps... they had to pick out shades and tones of colors that matched their theme. 
• There were only two punches these young ladies worked with, the scallop and ornate.
• The tags were cut out by hand by tracing out a template off one of mine

Both began working on their tag wallets. They wanted to distress, to make their tags. I had shown them my engagement Tag Wallet... to have an idea of all the crazy and fun things you can do to make your work stand out. In the process, these are the things they came up with. I think they did a fab job. The only say I had in their projects was to make them think a little about placement or contrast. The rest was their call. They learned how to make little ribbon flowers to embellish their projects with, since the embellishments were limited. Iqra pulled out aces from her stash which was by luck, a compilation of pinks and beads and girly things. Anne had some lovely vintage buttons and trinkets in her stash.. which went great for her Tag Wallet. :)

It's amazing what these two did with their scrap pieces of paper and assigned colors. It worked out better because both of them had voiced out their fright of colors and how picking the right ones was always hard. Going into monochrome narrowed down decision making. Picking the right pink or the right green to go with the tag wallet was also important. Well done, you two!

I hope you're less afraid of colors and your own creativity. You can do wonders when you put your mind to things :) It was a two hour class, which carried on for almost 4. They didn't want to eat, they didn't want to take a break.. They just wanted to craft and create. :) Which is the way to go! 

Happy Birthday Iqra :) hope your birthday was one of the best experiences ever ;)

I keep getting queries on classes and tutorials... and while the last two weeks have been class-ilicious, I suppose I can do another round after Eid inshaAllah. *given I am in town*

MONOCHROME PAPER HUNT PROJECT

TASK ONE

Now for the Paper Hunt. If you'd like to join my next class over at the blog, here's what you need to do.

You're going to create a scrap file. Which will have bits and bobbles of paper, card stock and left over invites, tissue paper, etc.. This can comprise of a4 paper, chart paper scraps, wrappings, left over gift wrap paper, textured paper, other materials (leather, canvas, fabric)

You're going to sort them by color.. you can do the rainbow, with reds, blues, yellows, greens, etc.. you can also separate your blacks and greys and browns, and take them into whites, off whites, ivory and creams.

This is similar to the scrap paper stash I had sorted last week. :) You're organizing what you have to make building your projects easier!

Once that's done. You're going to bring out your stash of embellishments. Pins, stones, studs, rhinestones, glitter, laces, buttons, keys, ribbon etc. Could be left over charms from an old bracelet, beads... pretty much anything you want to stick on to your project :)

You can sort these by color too. :)

Once you've completed task one. Leave a comment below, so we can start task two! with a link to your stash. Snap a photo, upload it to your Facebook profile, make it public. You can leave the link with the comment, so we can see what you came up with :)

I'm posting a link to my scrap paper project here:

http://firefly-girl.blogspot.com/2012/07/scrap-paper-scissors.html

Mini Album Keepsake Class.

I thought I would post this here, so those who want to join me last minute can just bring these in :) The idea for my Mini Album Keepsake Class is not to give you a template and kit with a how to manual. But it is to help you start planning and crafting for your projects. From start to finish, this is your precious little keepsake. You're deciding the theme, the colors... the look. And I'm going to teach you and help you piece it together inshaAllah! I could have prepared kits with all the materials including paper and embellishments, but that would not allow you to explore or envision your project :) Make sense?

As a reminder the class is 1-4 pm on Wednesday, 18th July 2012. :) Venue is Seaview, Phase 6. For those who'd like to join us. Please email whimsical.firefly@gmail.com or text 03218938431 with your name to have a chipboard base reserved for you to attend the class. :) We have 3 sets available.

I will be providing the chipboard bases and two book rings for the album, those who'd like will have access to use:
-stamps and inks
-embossing folders to adorn their pages

now isn't that cool? :)

Here are the supplies you need:

Paper: this will need to coordinate in order to achieve the look you'd like for your mini album. Please think of a theme to help you plan your project, ie if it's vibrant colors, the vintage look, a peace-serene like piece, something blue, baby oriented or something earthy, etc...

If I was doing a baby related album, I'd pick out pastel colors perhaps. If I was working on an album for a young girl, I'd maybe go with brighter colors, if it were a sober and very vintage album for family, I'd do neutral colors :)

5 colored pictures of colors, nature, objects, clothes, accessories, crafted items, flowers, etc... can be as small or as big as you'd like. When these are in front of you these will narrate what you're wanting your album to look like. ie, if I'm doing an album for a day at the beach, I might have a beach photo with the colors I'll be using in my mini album, I may add some color swatches and things to add interest and speak the thoughts I have for my project. This is referred to as a moodboard, it creates the 'mood' or feel of your project before you begin working on it. It is your thought process out on paper :) You can save these on your cell phone if you'd like :)

Some examples of themes and inspirations that I've carried out with Firefly orders.

This was a vintage theme in soft subtle colors intended for family.

a very popular combination at Firefly... 

The theme was vintage and was intended for a fiance from a fiance. So it had to have that manly touch along with a dash of romance. *wink*  So the tags and journaling cards are in blues and aged shades... the tags also include vintage cars. :)

Birthdays are colorful, vibrant and so full of energy! That's why this mini is scalloped and stacks out rainbow card stock embossed on the insides :)

The ribbons tie in the whole 'fun' and gift wrapped element. :)

For new arrivals, soft, sweet pastels.

A beautiful paper collection, Blackcurrent... very grey and pink!

4 sheets of printed/solid/or patterned paper 5x5 inches in size. These can be the weight of printer paper as these will be cut down and used on the front and back of your chipboard bases. You can use gift wrap, wall paper, or any other paper of your choice, despite it's thickness as it will be adhered to the covers. You can experiment with foam and felt as well. :)

5 sheets of coordinating paper, can be a solid color, textured or patterned. These will be your inner pages for the album. These also need to be 5x5 inches in size. Please coordinate the color/theme with your album cover :)

adhesive: you can bring your uhu, glue gun, gluey tape, double sided tape, padded tape... etc.. whatever you are comfortable working with.

scissors. :)

a pencil.

embellishments: because our mini album class is going to be super personal *you're building your album from scratch* embellishments are totally your call :) you can bring whatever you like to add to your keepsake mini album in coordination with your album's theme and colors. This may be material you found lying about in the house... or items you particularly wanted for your project and bought from the store. :) Laces are great for layering, just don't let them be super thick or flashy. Ribbons are awesome for finishing, and add that 'wrapped' look. Buttons, coins, keys, pins, butterflies, beads, glitter, cut outs, shapes... all material can add spice to your piece :)

scale/ruler: if you feel the need to be precise while cutting out your photos or pieces of paper

color/inks/pencils/markers/paints: I don't use too many of these, but if you'd like to use these for your album, or they are part of your working style, bring them along :)

photographs: if you want to make your album very specific, feel free to bring 10-12 miniature photos. They can be trimmed from existing photos, or you can just print them on a wallet size, passport size, or contact sheet size *the default print setting on most operating systems*

If you have questions, you're welcome to ask away. :) Hope this helps and you are starting to think out your mini album. :) Hope you're excited! :D