Big Picture Classes...

The Phone Photography Project: 32 days of Android + iPhone photo challenges, daily inspiration, and app reviews!

Class Description:

Need summer photo ideas or help improving your phone photography? Spend this July taking amazing photos with your iPhone or Android camera in The Phone Photography Project.

In this month-long workshop, you'll learn to take better photos with the camera you always have with you as you document your summer adventures -- with help from 32 incredible instructors. On top of daily smartphone photography challenges, you'll also enjoy:

< dozens of tips and tricks from the pros for taking better photos with your mobile-phone camera >

< a handbook of 60+ photography app reviews for iPhone and Android >

< dozens of project ideas for getting photos off your device and into your world >

< interaction with 32 experienced iPhoneographers and Androidographers, and hundreds of fellow students in a private classroom and on Instagram >

< giveaways, contests, discounts, bonus downloads and fun, fun, fun! >

The introductory price for the Phone Photography Workshop is $39.00. (Normally priced at $49.00 so if you sign up now, it is $10 off!)

Here is a fun video that gives you a glimpse into the workshop!

This is going to be a super fun class!! One of the things I am most excited about is the line up of teachers! Lots of familiar faces over there that have been inspiring me for years!

Class starts July 1st! Hope to "see" you there!!

It's full of creativity and inspiration.

It's full of family and memorable moments with them each day.

It's full of amazing and wonderful work related things.

It's full of happy.

It's not to say that my life is perfect or that everything is 100% fabulous 100% of the time but rather.... it is full.... and that's a pretty good life to have in my opinion. 

Yesterday it was full of playing and experimenting and having fun with my two new/old typewriters!

Today it is full of creative messes as I continue to work on my Happy Little Moments class.

The other day it was full of sitting outside and watching these little ones play and enjoy life.

I've come to realize that It's not about having a perfect life, but rather a full one....

what is making your life full today?

She is teaching a class using my Maggie Holmes Collection for Crate Paper and the project is simply adorable!! I just love how she is using each of the elements from my product line and how she has created such a unique piece!!

If you want to learn more about Debby or find out where she is teaching this lovely class you can visit her blog here.

For the actual class kit there are two options: 1)purchase one of the class kits found here or 2)create your own "kit" using products that you already have, which Marcy will guide you through as part of the class.

Either way, you will also need some basic tools/supplies and that's what we are talking about today. In addition I will share some "extras" that you don't necessarily NEED but that you might want in case you want to try every idea/technique that I will share in the class.

Basic Tools & Supplies:

Paper Trimmer

Scissors

Adhesives such as glossy accents, foam squares, tape runner

Marker or Journaling Pens (my personal faves are the AC slick writers and precision pens)

Die Cut Machine if you want to use the exclusive cut files (I use the Silhouette Cameo)

Regular Stapler and/or Tiny Attacher

Cardstock

Vellum

Tissue Paper (I'm using pink and gold)

Acrylic Block for the Clear Stamps in the Kits

A Variety of Inks for Stamping

Artsy Mediums such as Mists, Paints, Watercolors

Punches 

Exacto Knife

You will notice that most of the things I listed are things you already have, but I included links in case there is anything you want to pick up. A few of the items might be considered "extras" to you and in that case you may want to purchase them so you can experiment and learn some new things, or you may want to just forgo that altogether.... and either way, it is completely ok!

For example the watercolors are new to me and I'm having a ton of fun playing with those and pushing myself creatively, but if you don't want to go that route, you can skip those steps or use a different medium to achieve a similar effect. 

Extras:

These are the items that I tend to like to add to a project like this and that you may see on some of my pages. These are also great things to purchase if you are building your own kit and you want to get a similar feel to my album. (Remember, these are extras and not things you have to have in order to complete the album. If you purchased the class kit you will have enough supplies to make the book. These are simply suggestions if you want to add in some extra layers or if you are building your own kit. These are also things that may be a basic supply to you and that you already have, in which case you can simply gather them in preparation for class.)

Doilies

Sequins

Shipping Tags

Glassine Bags & Envelopes

Twine

Paperclips (I'm loving the gold ones that I got at an office supply store)

Mini Clothespins

Any other Vintage Supplies like Buttons, Tags, Papers, Etc (Again not needed but would be awesome especially if you are building your own kit!)

And finally here is another sneak peek of my book! I find myself wanting to share them all but I also want to leave some of them as surprises for the class!!

<< Quick Links >>

Happy Little Moments Class

Happy Little Moments Class Kits

Studio Calico Shop for Basic Supplies and Extras

In it I will walk you through my scrapbooking process from start to finish as I create this page that I made with the new Atlantic collection!

Hope you enjoy it!!

<< Quick Links >>

Maggie Holmes Video Tutorial on the SC Blog

Studio Calico Atlantic Collection

The kits are fresh and new and the projects are completely new as well. The concept is the same, meaning that we are creating an altered book and focusing on Happy Little Moments in life. The concept and whole theme for the class will be covered in more detail during class through prompts, ideas for your book, and journaling starts. 

You also get access to all of the NEW digital files that were created for this class including the silhouette cameo cut files and printables. We are incorporating those into our books as well so you will get lots of ideas on how to use them.

As always we strive to inspire and push you creatively through the things we are doing in our books and also through the technique challenges that we will be giving you each week on the message board. In creating my own book I stretched myself to do some new and different things that I didn't do in my first book so that even those who took the original class will come away inspired!

I hope that helps and as always feel free to ask if you have any more questions!

Here are a few more sneak peeks into my book!

Yes, you are seeing some boyish pages there! In case you were worried that my kit only works for girls, it doesn't. I have three boys and I will show you how to create masculine pages as well using elements from my kit along with the exclusive digital files.

Here is a sneak peek at Lisa Truesdell's contribution to the class which will give you lots of ideas for boys as well!.

MORE Happy Little Moments!

This is basically ROUND 2 of Happy Little Moments, but with the same concept in mind, which means if you missed out the first time, now is your chance!!

Class Description:

Life is full of happy little moments that we often don't scrapbook. Join Maggie and Marcy and capture those memories in a one of a kind altered book. Your teachers will be walking you through the process of putting together a unique album filled with peek-a-boo windows, envelope pages and all of the moments that make you smile. 

Complete details and registration can be found here.

We have each curated a brand new class kit that we will be working with for our books.

Here's a look at my class kit which can be purchased at Studio Calico here.

It was so much fun putting this together and I'm loving the golds, the florals and just the overall variety of the patterns in the papers! All of the papers are double sided so be sure to check out the images over in the kit details.

My kit sold out quickly last time so be sure to get one now if you want it!!

I will be doing my book with this kit but of course you are always welcome to use your stash and create your own as well!

Lisa Truesdell is also joining us as a contributor and she will be sharing tips to adapt our ideas into a Studio Calico Handbook format.

In addition there are a lot of digital exclusives that we created for the class including printables by Hello Forever and Bananafish Studio, hand drawn die cut files by me and icon, tag and tab die cut files by Hello Forever.

Here are a few peeks at some of those:

And there are still MORE that you can view on the classroom page here.

A few more details about the class:

This is a self-paced class - all class information will be posted on June 1st. To help keep you on track to complete your book, Maggie and Marcy will be posting a journaling prompt and technique challenge on the classroom message board each week.

Syllabus : 
*Altered book prep - Maggie Holmes 
*Tips on building your own kit - Marcy Penner 
*Happy Little Prompts | ideas for your book - Maggie and Marcy 
*Maggie's finished altered book 
*Marcy's finished altered book 
*Lisa's finished Handbook 
*videos from Maggie, Marcy & Lisa

I know that was a lot of info! If you are still reading, then you win a reward in the form of a PROMO CODE! Use the code below to get a FREE wood veneer journal card set when you purchase both my kit and Marcy's kit!

Let me know if you have any questions about the class! I will share some more peeks tomorrow!

This is by far my favorite collection from them in a long time and it could have something to do with the pinks! :) Even setting the pinks aside, it is just a great mix of very usable patterns and colors! 

Here is a layout that I created using some of my favorite things from the collection:

I absolutely love the ribbon bows. They are definitely going to be a hot item!

And I also love the printed cork circles. The printing is in white but it is nice and bold so it shows up really well!! And of course the gold glitter stars and the cork arrows. I could use both of them on every single layout!

Something that Studio Calico is offereing for the first time is a BUNDLE COLLECTION which gives you the option to purchase the Atlantic Collection all at once! If you are wanting it all like I suspect you will, then you may want to check that option out!

If you are facing a pile of photos like this and wondering where to start or how to match up your tweets/instagram notes with the correct pictures, you will want to check it out!

Every week she does a Project Life blog hop with lots of fun ideas, examples and inspiration so if you are a regular Project Lifer, you may want to bookmark her blog as well!

Thanks for featuring me Michelle!

Big Picture Classes!

The class I am teaching is called Finding Your Photo Style and I am teamed up with 5 other industry experts including Tracey Clark, Rebecca Cooper, Kate T. Parker, Anderea Jenkins and Elizabeth Dillow.

Here is a short description of the class from the Big Picture website:

Looking for some incredible photo ideas? Look no further than Finding Your Photo Style, a 6-week online workshop packed with creative photo tips, tricks, and insider secrets that will help you find (or refine) your own signature photography style.

In Finding Your Photo Style, you'll get to know six premier photographers who take stylish, stunning, and unique pictures of their families and their everyday lives—while also working as professional photographers in their own corners of the world.

I have been holding this in for a while and am super excited to finally share the news! What I love the most about it is that you get to learn from all 6 of us and each of our styles is uniquely different. I have seen some peeks into the other ladies' work and they are all amazing! This workshop is definitely going to be packed with loads of information, inspiration and challenges to help you push yourself along the way!

Registration is open today! There is a special introductory price of $60.00 (normally $68.00) so don't wait to sign up if you are interested! 

Here is the direct link to the Finding Your Photo Style Workshop page.

There you will be able to read even more of the class details and you will also get to view a video that gives a glimpse into each of our signature styles. I can't wait!! Hope you all will join me!!