A little MERRY coming your way!

Hello!
Lots of fun stuff happening at the Playground! I can't wait to share it all with you!

First up....Ranger is releasing all of the Seasonal Distress colors in STAINS! Fun...very fun.  Now I will have an easy way to make the ribbon on all of my holiday cards/tags match!!

I have the new colors ordered and they "should" be here by the end of this week. The colors I'm most excited for is "gathered twigs" and "festive berries". I'm not sure why...I have fallen in love with these two colors lately.

There is also more Winter/Christmas papers coming in, Echo Park's Winter Wishes should be here this week..I'm hoping it's not back ordered again...and October Afternoon's Make It Merry line is on back order, but hopefully shipping soon! Here's a little sneak peak for you.

Love the swirls, stripes, snowflakes, purples and blue...it's all so wintery and frosty!

This line has a lot of retro fun to it...could make some really fun pages and projects!

One more thing before I get to the good stuff...

Altered Art & Scrap Playground will be closed Thanksgiving Day, and Black Friday

My kids from North Dakota will be here for the holiday, and my daughter is very....VERY....excited to do the Black Friday shopping thing. I'm not excited about the shopping, or how tired I'm gonna be. But, I am excited about spending time with my little girl (not so little any more, she'll be 20 in just a few short weeks) and watching her shop. She shops like a pro and can go like the energizer bunny. I'm hoping at least a little of her talent will rub off on me. Wish me luck!!

Okay....on to the fun stuff. 

I received a package this week from a friend that spent some time at the store this summer. The box was packed with inspiration. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it all!!  Check this out! (Thank you Colleen...you are a doll!!!)

Starting from the back left there is a large gift bag, a legal pad cover, a small gift bag, a small notebook cover, a candy bar holder, and a Hershey nugget holder.

And guess what the FUN part is for you? 

$1 Make & Takes for the next 5 Wednesdays at the Playground!!

Stop in any time on Wednesday and make one of these fun projects. Doors are open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

We will be making 1 project a week...and this week we will be making this:

It's a great envelope/gift bag...check out the inside

So easy to make, but such a fun way to give a gift. These are great for the holidays, but can't you just see some fun designer papers on this, along with some big billowy ribbon, flowers or rosettes, chipboard die cuts, bling...oh...the ideas are endless!! Come down and make one, and then go home and make them all year long with all that paper you have!

Here is a quick list for you. (no need to call or email...just come on in when you have time)

5 Weeks of $1 Make & Takes

Nov. 14th - Small gift bag

Nov. 21st - Large gift bag

Nov. 28th - Legal pad cover

Dec. 5th - Small notepad cover

Dec. 12th - Candy bar cover & nugget holder

Class on Saturday!!

We will be having 3 classes on Saturday to make gift tags for your gift giving this season.

We will make 15 tags, 3 designs, 5 of each design. They are quick and easy to do, so if you need more, you can make them quickly. 

Here are what they will look like...and the details will be below.

Gift Tag Class

Date: Nov. 17th

Times: 10:00 AM, 12:30 PM, & 2:00 PM

Cost: $8.00

Bring: Just bring yourself and have some fun....this one's on me. :o)

Pick a time that works best for you and then call 721-7529 or email scrapandplay@rushmore.com to reserve a spot.

Tuesday Layout Class

The next layout class is using the Winter Fun collection pack from a new company called Carta Bella. Such fun colors and patterns. I love the blues and browns of cours, but then they added a rich dark red to the mix, and a dark teal...it all feels so comforting together. I love it!

Check out these layouts Chelsea put together:

Fabulous snowflake paper...and check out that

snowflake rosette!

Stripes, chevrons and look at the hexagons! I just

love these colors together.

Look at how amazing these colors go together.

Here's a detail shot of some of the fun on this page.

It's hard to see in this shot...but....

Chelsea used white tulle across the bottom of this page 

and it looks fantastic! So fun!

Class Details

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 20th

Time: 6-9 PM

Cost: $20

Bring: Paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive and pop dots.

Call 721-7529 or email scrapandplay@rushmore.com to reserve your spot in class.

Whew, okay....that's all I have for now...but I have been playing like a crazy woman and have more in store for you...so stay tuned!!

Have a great week and I'll see you soon!

Christmas is coming!

Hi everyone!
The holidays seem to sneak up on me every year. I'm trying really hard to keep on top of it this year...it's a struggle, but my head is still above water at this point...so wish me luck!

I know there are some of you out there that are done making your Christmas cards, and some that are over half way done with their shopping. I long to be that far ahead of the game...it's not going to happen this year, but there's always next!

Well, along with the holidays comes shorter days and less sun. (I usually count down the days until Winter Solstice, when the days start to get longer again) And with the winter days, there will be a change in business hours at the store:

NEW BUSINESS HOURS AT THE PLAYGROUND

starting Tuesday, November 6th

10:00 - 5:00 Tuesday thru Friday

10:00 - 4:00 Saturday

Closed Sunday & Monday

!!!!!!!! DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS THIS WEEKEND !!!!!!!!

The Christmas/Winter papers are starting to finally show up at the store...take a look at what's here already!

From American Crafts there is a bit of the Kringle & Co. line.

front 

back 

And then they had a few sheets of kraft thrown into the collection, I think they are so fun!

From Graphic 45 there is Nutcracker Sweet. Not your traditional colors, but lots of fun! I love the gingerbread men on the purple background, and the fun candy paper in color and then the same pattern in a neutral kraft color. The opposite side of this paper has a little more traditional patterns on it...but still lots of fun!

front

back

And then there is Winter Fun from Carta Bella! I love the colors and patterns they put together in this line. This line will also be used in our Tuesday Layout Class on November 20th...so be watching for photos and details on that class!!

front

back

Last (for today anyway...there's more coming in the next couple of weeks) but not least....

Bo Bunny. Yes, they are a favorite of mine...and I love the papers that arrived yesterday. One of my favorite color combinations lately is brown and blue....and that's what they used in this pretty line called Powder Mountain.

Doesn't it just remind you of fluffy snow? I love it!! Lots of journaling tags along with this line, they are always fun...and did you see the bunny? 3rd sheet down, the backside of the journaling tags, bottom left corner...that's a cute little snow bunny. So sweet. (I am really aching for a pet these days, and that bunny hit a soft spot)

There are 6x6 paper pads for the card makers out there, too!

There are more fun things on their way, so stay tuned.

Don't forget there is a Layout Class this coming Tuesday, you can see photos and get the details HERE.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...and I'll see you soon!

Closed Tuesday, NEW stuff, and a Class

I'll get this out of the way right away.

The Playground will be CLOSED

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23RD

I'm sorry to do this to you all again! Altered Art & Scrap Playground is going to be making an appearance at the Taste Of Home Cooking School held at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn. I am going to have a booth at this fun event! (So stop by and say "HI" if you are going...I always love to see you!)  I will be packing things up in the morning and setting up in the afternoon.  It's going to be a busy day, but I'm soooo excited about it. I am a HUGE Taste of Home fan! Love their recipes and their down-home, no-nonsense ingredients. Many of our family favorites came from a Taste of Home magazine. It's going to be great to be a part of this!

Here is a link if you want/need more information.

Okay...on to the FUN stuff!

They are here....the new Snowflake Rosette Dies from Tim Holtz!!!  They are just soooo coool looking!  (after you make them of course...that thin tan die is really nothing much to look at.)

They are so delicate and pretty. I can see them hanging from a tree, on gifts in place of bows, on tags to jazz them up...stacked up on top of each other, just because you can, and it looks great.

One die is just the large Snowflake Rosette. The other has the two smaller rosettes on it. 

And...of course I had to play a bit. 

I couldn't find any paper that I really loved for a snowflake (imagine that in a store full of paper...but it always seems to happen when I have an idea in my head), so, I made my own with stamps and ink.  I wanted blues and browns for my snowflake...and wasn't willing to sacrafice any of my Bo Bunny Snowfall from last year to do it.  

I stamped a floral/flourish type stamp in Stormy Sky Distress ink, then sponged more Stormy Sky over the whole strip. I then used my new favorite brown - Weathered Twigs - (Distress Ink of course) and stamped some Tim Holtz Snowflakes over all of that...then I sent it through with the die cut. (I really think you could use ANY stamp to make your own strip for these. You don't see the details much, it just gives you some fun texture and dimension.) This is what I ended up with.

And here are the two smaller ones. I used some leftover patterned paper for those.

Okay, on to the next thing I have been having fun playing with.

This new Tree Line die from Impression Obsession. I think I'm in love with it! 

The bottom is open, so you can make it as short or tall as you want...that seems to open up so many possibilities!

So, here is the first of many cards that I plan to make with this die. (actually, it's the first one that turned out so far...but I have so many ideas spinning around in my head...I can't wait to have the time to play more!!)

It's all white on white, with just a touch of color. The photo really doesn't do justice, because the paper that the hill and trees is cut from is the Core'dinations Glitter Silk paper, so it's fun and sparkly. The embossed swirl layer was sponged with a light touch of Stormy Sky Distress Ink and then sprayed with some Perfect Pearls to soften it and give it some shimmer. The top layer is the Stampin' Up Top Note die cut from the center of the paper and then embossed with a swiss dot embossing folder. Some pop dots in between the layers for dimension and it was done! 

And for the finale.....our next Tuesday Layout Class!

Check out these fabulous layouts using Fancy Pants' Country Boutique Collection

I love the softness of the blues, creams and grays...then that pop of black. Looks pretty classy to me.

We'd love to have you join us if you can....here are the details:

Tuesday Layout Class with Country Boutique from Fancy Pants

Date: Tuesday, November 6th

Time: 6-9 PM

Cost: $24

Bring your paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive and pop dots.

Call 721-7529 or email scrapandplay@rushmore.com to save your spot!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you soon!

Halloween Layouts and Some NEW Stuff

 It feels like it's been a crazy few weeks around here, and a long time since I've written a blog post! I guess it has been both.  I missed you!

We have a fun Scrapbook Layout class coming up this Tuesday, just in time for Halloween.
6 layouts using Echo Park's Chillingsworth Manor Collection. The papers are fun and flourishy in great Halloween colors, and the sticker sheets are soooo much fun!!  Check these out!

Class Details:

Date: Tuesday, October 16th

Time: 6-9 PM

Cost: $19.00

Bring: the usual....paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive and pop dots.

Give me a call at 721-7529 or email me at scrapandplay@rushmore.com to save a chair at our scrappy table!!

Now, on to the new stuff....

Did you hear? Ranger is releasing all of the Seasonal Distress Inks from the past year as part of the permanent line of inks!! I have been waiting all year to get my hands on the Fall Seasonal Distress Inks from last year, because my distributor had sold out in 20 minutes, and there were none to be found.

I have heard from several customers that Gathered Twigs is one of their all-time favorite browns to use, and since I love browns, I really, really needed to get my hands on some...and now I have my very own Gathered Twigs...and yes, I did have to stop and play a bit...and I am deeply in love.

I just happened to have a tag or two laying around, so I completely covered the tag on the right with Gathered Twigs, and then spritzed a flourish stamp with water and stamped it all over the tag. After the tag was dry, I sponged just a bit more ink over the whole thing to make it a little softer looking. The tag on the left I glued a scrap that I was playing with earlier...that print paper is actually wrapping paper! I inked it all up, stamped it up and glued it to the tag and then used the Gathered Twigs to color the rest of the tag and stamped over with the same Gathered Twigs. It really is a beautifully rich color of brown!

All three Fall Distress Inks are now in the store...sold separately (just in case you might not want all of them...but what are the chances of that....really???) There are several of the Winter Seasonal ink sets available, too. I have reinkers for you serious Distress Ink Fans.

AND...for you ink lovers out there, the Craft Scrubbie is back in stock! They are goofy little blocks of a very dense styrofoamy material....but they work so great!  I end up with ink on my hands nearly every day...and this little guy rescues me every time.

Snap Binders from Simple Stories are finally here!  I have been waiting for months for these to come in!

These are great chipboard and canvas albums (6x8) and they come with fun printed pages, chipboard pages with tabs and 10 page protectors, that hold different size pockets to make your scrapping EASY! Come check them out!

I've had a few people requesting the Peachy Keen face stamp sets. It seems someone has exposed them to these unbearably cute stamps and they are in high demand....so there are more in stock!!

I've even had the pleasure of seeing some of the things you ladies are doing with them...and they are so stinkin' cute!!!

Here's a peek at a few of the sets:

These faces really are too cute. You can put them on tags, paper dolls, circles, squares, cupcakes, carrots....no matter where you put them, you are gonna smile. :O)

Okay, I'm done for now. I'll let you get back to the VP debate. ;o)