National Scrapbooking Weekend:)

Wow, I can't believe this weekend is National Scrapbooking Day!!! I like to handle National Scrapbooking Day like my birthday...I don't just celebrate the "day of", I celebrate over several days.

The good news is there is LOTS to participate in this weekend! I'm off to Del Mar this morning to assist a vendor in setting up their booth for the San Diego Scrapbook Expo. I'm sure it's going to be alot of work, but also loads of fun! I hope to be able to take pics of all the action today!

Once I'm done with the set-up, I'll head up to Ever After Scrapbooks to teach my first "Frugal Scrapper's 3 T's". My first class is teaching various uses for Tim Holtz distress inks. I'm sure I'll throw in a few other "frugal tips" during this class, too:) There are still 2 spots left, so come on over and join us. My classes are frugally priced at ONLY $15 and you complete an entire mini album in class! See my post here for the sample we will complete:)

Tomorrow morning, I'm off to the Scrapbook expo again for a 4 hour "volunteer" shift. After that, I'm off to Ever After again to work during the awesome Friday night crop they have planned to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day.

Saturday, I'll be back to Ever After once again to work the evening shift of the ALL DAY crop.

I think we all know what I'll be doing on Sunday...resting and scrapping, whoo hoo!

My newest Frugal Scrapping Class Sample:)

Well fellow scrappers, I just completed my class sample for the new monthly "series" of classes I am teaching at Ever After Scrapbooks in Vista, CA. This class will be teaching 4 different techniques for using alcohol inks on you paper crafting projects. This album was SO much fun:)

This is just a sneak peak of the front cover...notice anything missing (lol)...it's the binding! I decided to sell my blue bind-it-all at a garage sale at EA yesterday so I could save up for the new pink one. In the back of my mind, I was hoping the blue one wouldn't sell...well it did. The good news is that I can now get the pink one (since I also sold some of my other stuff). The bad news is until the next shipment of pink ones arrive at EA, I'm bind-it-all-less:(

I meant to take my book into EA today to bind it using the store's bind-it-all, but forgot it when I went in to work there today...so for now, you are left with the sneek peek of my newest creation:)

This alcohol inks techniques class is ONLY $15, so if you're in the area on May 18th, stop by and join us!

Until my next post...Happy Scrappin'

Leave the light on, ya hear?

Lori McCausland
Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire:)

Whoo Hoo, look at this blog candy!

Oh my!!! Just take a look at this AWESOME Blog Candy being given to one lucky winner by Debbie Doncaster on her blog Passion for Crafts! Go on over and check it out! I can't wait to see who the lucky winner is!

Thanks, Debbie!

Frugally Distressed Mini Album

I made this album for a class I'm teaching at a LSS, Ever After Scrapbooks, in Vista, CA. The class will run on Thursday April 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. so if you live in the area, feel free to join us:) The class is the first of my new monthly classes titled "Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire's 3 T's" (Tips, Tricks, and Techniques).

Each of my classes will feature a different product. The first class will feature the Tim Holtz Distress Inks. Four distinctly different techniques will be taught using the inks.

As shown above, the cover was done using a crumpling technique.

The 2nd and 3rd pages (above) were done using a technique that created a water color appearance. This page started as a white background with a red "graph" design.

The 4th and 5th pages were created using a layering technique. This paper started with a very pale yellow stripe. I added three layers of stamps using a different distress ink with each layer. I then added the captions with Ranger Archival Ink. I love the Archival ink because it stamps with a clear/sharp image (this ink DOES NOT "bleed"), whoo hoo!The 6th and 7th pages were created using the distress inks with a brayer. I just layered each "pass" with a different color of ink to create this plaid paper. I started with a plain white piece of cardstock on these pages.

I am very excited to be teaching Frugal Scrapping at Ever After Scrapbooks! My philosophy is to buy my crafting supplies/products/tools on a "cost per use" basis. Therefore, if I can create multiple uses for my supplies/products /tools, they are quickly classified as my "frugal must haves". My distress inks have DEFINITELY "made the grade".

Thanks for visiting my blog:)

Happy Frugal Scrappin'

Lori McCausland

Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire

O.k., another "un" scrappy post...have fun:)

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it would be fun to do. Feel free to join along and link your post in the comment section.

Have a good weekend!

Copy this and BOLD everything that applies...

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain. (a little one:)
9. Held a praying mantis. (had a whole "litter" born in my house)
10. Sang a solo.(does really bad Karaoke count?)
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked. (shhhhh, don't tell my mom, lol)
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping. (don't tell my kids, lol)
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied. (I've never been "about the money")
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing. (once was definitely enough!)
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke. (see "# 10")
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. (does it count if I never got out of the boat?)
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check. (And I work for the bank?!?)
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job. (my first job at a donut shop)
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House
.87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

LOVE you:)

WOW, I just LOVE this layout! And the photos...just GORGEOUS!!! I have the most beautiful grandchildren:)

I completed this layout using the items I gave out in the April TNT kit for the TNT (Tips 'n Techniques) Club I lead at Ever After Scrapbooks.

Recently, I've become the "queen" of altering my scrapbook items. Since I AM the Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire, I'm happy to consider this to be a frugal technique since when I buy a package of supplies, they end up on many of my projects (sometimes right out of the package, other times, they don't even look like they belonged in the package, lol).

It's easy to purchase a bottle of paint, alcohol ink, stickles, etc for use in altering supplies. The awesome part of it is that those bottles last FOREVER!!! I've had some of my acrylic paints forever and they work just as well today as they did when I bought them. As long as you store them properly, you should be able to use these products for a very long time, too.

I used vinyl "Thickers" by American Crafts that started as yellow. Some I painted pink, others green. I added stickles to all of them (since this is one of my favorite products right now).

One of my other favorite products is Prima WHITE flowers:) I paint them, ink them, apply stickles (of course, lol) among many other altering techniques.

Enjoy this layout as I do EVERY time I look at it.

As always, THANK YOU so much for visiting my blog:)

Scrappingly yours,

Lori McCausland
Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire:)

I just LOVE it when a plan comes together:)

I have to say it again, lol...I JUST LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER!!! After many weeks with no scrappy posts, I am happy to share that this month's mnt (make 'n take) for the TNT (tips 'n techniques) club I lead is the perfect project to use for this scrappy post.

This project qualifies for two of my scrappy categories...the "Frugal Tips 'n Techniques" AND the "Just the Trash and my Stash", whoo hoo!!!! A double whammy!

To make this project I used the following "trash"

• Corregated cardboard
• Chipboard sheet
• Page from an old magazine

Techniques I used:

• Use of diecut (bird on branch) that I then ran through a cuttlebug folder and sanded
• Use of a scallop circle punch that I "altered" with water (sprayed from a mini mister), paints and stickles

The diecut I made was done using a page from an ad in an old magazine that was ready for the trash. I did adhere the magazine page to a piece of cardstock to give it more stability. I also used a sanding block (found in any hardware store) to easily sand the embossed areas.

I did originally find the technique used on the scalloped circle on Leah Fung's Blog. You can see her video of this technique here. Now, I did use cardstock rather than a dictionary page and I did just use water rather than a color mist on my project and I do like the results. Because I added some paint and stickles, my flower took on a really nice stiff texture when it was complete.

I have also done this technique using a piece of junk mail for the scallop along with Glimmer Mist and that flower turned out really cool, too. You can see that one here.

Wow, I've Been BUSY!!!

I cannot believe how long it's been since I've "talked" to all of you! I'm going to give you a "quick" rundown of my travels since my last post...

1. I arrived in PA on April 6.
2. I enjoyed a few days with family and friends
3. I dyed eggs with my two PA grandkids.
3. I made an early Easter dinner for some of my PA family members.
4. I flew back to CA on April 10.
5. I worked on my TNT club projects.
6. I made Easter dinner for my CA family members
7. I have a new grandson, born April 13...whoo hoo!
8. I kept my new grandson's older brothers while mom was in the hospital
9. I held my TNT meeting April 14th and then picked up family from the airport, here for to visit the new baby.
10. Today (April 15th), I actually slept 'til noon!

O.k., now that that's out of the way, lol, back to "scrappy" posts:)

Our Trip to Duke Gardens:)

When I first arrived in Florida last week, I was reading a magazine that was laying around (I think it was a Southern Living magazine) and came across a list of many southeastern US top 10's. One of the lists included the top 10 gardens and included in this list was the Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC (home to my sister that we were going to visit).

Among the beautiful things we saw were these rows and rows of beautiful tulips. There were yellow, red, pink, and of course these purple ones.

Another section of the gardens included a more natural approach to the items naturally seen in North Carolina. Many of them are also natural to the area in Pennsylvania where I grew up.

This ia a picture I took when we first entered the gardens. You can never have enough photos of yourself with your family. From left to right we have me, my sister Kym, and my stepmother Pat.

I have to say, I've made great strides in getting myself into the photos I take. Yes, I still critique myself way too much, but after all, some day I will think I looked good, lol.

I have become very good at finding places to place my camera so I can use the timer to have time to get myself into the photo. Of course, I could also just ask a passerby to take the photo for me, but I find that half the fun is trying to take it myself:)

As I count down to my reunion with my scrappy stuff, I leave you again with my daily journeys:) I promise to have a scrappy post in just 6 (or 7) short days...

Until then...

Sincerely.


Lori McCausland, Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire

A quick visit to Savannah, Georgia:)

Our first stop on the way to PA was in Richmand Hill (I think, lol). When we woke the next morning, I found that it was only about 15 miles to Savannah so I talked Pat into visiting there so we could incorporate some sight seeing while on our journey up the coast to PA. I had never been to Savannah, but immediately recognized the spanish moss, I'd seen when I visited New Orleans years ago.

Since our time was short, we decided to take a "quick tour" via an Old Town Trolley. We took the "express" trip which meant no on/off priveleges, but were able to see most of Historic Savannah in 1 1/2 hrs:) The photo above is from River Road. This is a really cool area (down by the river, of course) where there are lots of shopping opportunities as well as taverns and restaurants...as the trolley guide said..."Eat, drink and shop".

I thought it was really interesting to find out how much this area reminded me of New Orleans. In my opinion, the architecture was very similar...lots of wood, brick, and fancy black wrought iron. I LOVE architecture and this area was amazing!

For those of you who may not know, I have an OBSESSION with doors! There you have it, yet ANOTHER "weird" Lori-ism. I took alot of "door" pics, but since they were all from a moving trolley, most were blurry. Here is one of a church door that I thought was cool:)

Well, now we're off to visit my sister in Raleigh, NC. While in Florida, I was reading a magazine that had many top 10 lists in the south east U.S. including the top 10 gardens. Lucky for us, one of them is in Durham where my sister lives (and my pink haired most favorite niece). We plan to visit the Duke Gardens tomorrow. More pics of that to follow...

Enjoy:)

Lori McCausland, Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire

Making new Friends in Sunny Florida:)

I was pleasantly surprised to find that two of my stepmother's friends walk on the beach in Naples, Fl every day. Since I've been trying really hard to get into shape, this was a great chance to get my exercise in while making some new friends:)

We walked for 3 miles at Vanderbilt Beach in North Naples on my last morning in Florida. I have to admit, I had a hard time keeping up with Jean (on the right) and Elphie (on the left)..and...they are both turning 80 this year! We also met up with Elphie's "boy friend", Harold. What a character:) He seems like loads of fun!

We walked 1 1/2 miles on the dry sand since it was high tide (you know this is a workout in itself, lol) and then took our shoes off and walked with our feet in the Gulf on the way back. The water temp. was a very comfortable 79 degrees (much different from the water temp in the Pacific which I'm used to).

Once we finished our walk, it was off to finish packing so we could start our trip up the coast to PA. We made it to just south of Savannah, GA and will head up to Raleigh, NC today to visit with my sister for the weekend.

I just had to also add the picture below that I took while on the beach. We just don't have all of these seashells on the beach in Carlsbad, CA where I live so this was definitely a novelty for me:)

I promise to get back to scrappy posts when I return to CA on April 10th and can get my hands on my scrappy stuff. Until then...

Enjoy:)

Lori McCausland, Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire