Whoo hoo!!! My first DT position!

I am SOOOOO excited to share some great news with all of you:) I have been chosen as one of the new design members on the "MOD Squad" (Midnight Oil Design Squad) over at MOSD.

Here is the announcement:

Drum Roll Please....

We are thrilled, we are excited, we are beside ourselves....WE HAVE A NEW DESIGN TEAM!First I must say, this was by far, the most difficult decision we have had to make in a very long time. We had over 50 very talented applicants apply for 14 positions on our MOD Squad. Which means we had to disappoint a lot of very talented crafters. This is never an easy task and certainly one we don't enjoy. But the good news is we were also able to spread joy and happiness to 14 incredible ladies (not leaving the guys out here - we only had female applicants...). We also have two members returning from the original team, to make it a 16 member team.

So without further ado, we would like to introduce the new MOD Squad (aka: the Midnight Oil Design Squad). You can find links to their blogs along the left hand side...

Gloria Stengel
Debbie Fitzgerald
Shannon Morgan
Jennifer Hansen
Marisa Faylim
Dolores Cancel
Lori McCausland
Carolyn Lontin
Pamela Jordan
Valerie Chmielak
Naureen O'Neale
KellyJean Gettelfinger
Amy Oxford
Vickilyn Crawford
Erica Hofstetter
Tina Guigui

These wonderful ladies will begin introducing themselves here in the following days. You can also find out more about them at their personal blogs. Then beginning August 1st each of these ladieswill begin posting projects, tips and techniques for your enjoyment right here at the MOSD blog!

Congratulations ladies and thanks in advance for all your hard work!

Whoo hoo!!!!! Can't wait to get started:)

Until then, I'm sure I will defy gravity for a few days, lol...

It's a Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire Sketch Challenge!

Have I told you lately that I LOVE sketch challenges??? I just can't seem to get enough of them. Unfortunately, I've been soooo busy with scrapping projects recently that I haven't had time to visit all of the awesome sketch sites out there:(

With that in mind, I decided to "multi-task" and design a sketch of my own. Originally, my plan was to introduce this challenge at the TNT club I lead at Ever After Scrapbooks. While I did introduce this sketch challenge at our June meeting, I thought hmmmmm....I know all of you bloggers out there just LOVE sketch challenges, too...so I've decided to share these challenges with you, too.

I tend to take a "simple" approach to designing challenges from the angle that I like to leave alot of room for your creativity to bloom. I'd love to see your take on this sketch. Simply leave a comment with a link to your layout. Feel free to use this sketch for any size layout or card and of course, feel free to add your personal "twist":)

Shown below is my "take" on the sketch. Of course, I had to "twist" it a bit for my needs...but oh, what fun I had:)

Enjoy! I look forward to seeing your work!

Have a great day and thanks so much for visiting:)

Lori McCausland

Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire:)

Gettin' Messy with Paints:)

I am so happy to share my most recent Frugal Scrappin' Project with you all:) As some of you know, I have been teaching Frugal Scrappin' classes at a LLS in Vista, CA. You also probably know that I love EVERYTHING T!m Holtz:)

I have already taught several classes emphasizing all the ways Alchohol Inks and Distress Inks can be used to alter all of your paper crafting projects.

With my current project, the emphasis is on Acrylic Paint Dabbers.

I had a blast creating this mini album and took the first picture before I had totally decided what to "name" the project.

While I was reading the Summer issue of "Scrapbooks and Cards Today" magazine, I saw an idea about documenting "25 Random facts about me". Now we've all seen those "chain" e-mails where you answer predetermined questions about yourself and pass it along to "at least 10 of your favorite people"...I have a confession to make...I normally delete them because I just don't like "chain" e-mails...

The twist to the "25 Random facts about me" is that you get to document ANY facts you want to. What I think is really cool is that the only rule is to not "over think" your list of 25 facts. You are supposed to just jot down anything that comes to mind. I think it's a great way for people to get to know me, not only because of the facts I disclose...but also because of the facts I disclose...because you will most likely disclose the things that mean the most to you in the process (as opposed to answering questions that someone else has decided should be answered).

I'm sure you know where this is going by now...Yes, I've decided to title this mini album "25 Random Facts about ME" as you can see from the close-up of the new and improved front page.











The last thing I wanted to do is give you a little "sneak peak" into one of the "frugal" embellishments we will add to the book in the class. My dear hubby was "tossing" an old pair of dockers shorts when I said...HEY, wait a minute, I can use those for a crafting project:) You may have noticed the "curtain topper" on the cover, well I've also made "flowers", too, as shown below.



More to follow later:)

Thanks for visiting and have a GREAT week!

Frugally yours,

Lori McCausland, Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire:)

More of...Just the Trash and my Stash

Hello fellow scrappers:) I haven't posted a "Just the Trash and my Stash" project for a while, although I still do them all the time....soooo....I realized I need to share some more projects with you:)

I made this mini album focusing on my husband's 50th birthday. Our family surprised him by having ALL of our immediate family (kids, significant others, AND grandkids) together for the very first time! Whoo hoo!!!!












I started with a Genuinely Jane Arrow book that I got from Ever After Scrapbooks. This book came with 4 wooden arrow-shaped pages, but being the frugal person I am, I used only two of the pages in the project (which means...I can make another book later:)

I did add pages by using some corregated cardboard (from a cardboard shipping box...i.e...trash). To cut the arrow shape, I just layed one of the wooden pages on top of the cardboard and roughly cut around it with an exacto knife. I then trimmed where ever needed with scissors. When I do projects like this, I always ink around the edges of each page. Since I wanted this book to be masculine, I used a black acrylic paint dabber on the edges.

Using paper from Graphic 45, 7 Gypsies, and the Paper Loft (I love to mix the manufacturers papers), I covered the wooden pages. On the corregated cardboard pages, I used some Tim Holtx masks and glimmer mist on some, and some Making Memories acrylic paint on others. You will also notice that on some of the cardboard pages, I pulled some of the top layer of cardboard off so the corregated core would show through.

I then added some rub-ons, word strips, ink and more acrylic paint (on photo edges) from my stash. Finally I "blinged" it up (in a masculine way, of course) with Stickles.

I also decided to use sepia photos on this book which pulled the theme together.

Enjoy:)

FAMILY word book class at Ever After:)

I can't wait to teach this FAMILY word book class at EA this weekend:) I got such a "killer" deal on the products and I'm happy to say, I'm passing this great cost onto all who take the class by charging a VERY frugal low price of only $23! Since the retail value of the products is $25, this is an AWESOME deal!

Shown below is ALL the cool supplies you receive in this class kit. Space is limited, so if you're in the area and are interested in taking this class, sign up soon!

The class date and time is as follows:

Date: Saturday, June 13th
Time: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Place: Ever After Scrapbooks, Vista, CA

For directions and additional info, follow this link:

www.everafterscrapbooks.com

Enjoy:)

Lori McCausland
Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire:)