Girls' weekend in Niagara-on-the Lake

I full photo report of my trip here (although it's in lithuanian)
I had an amazing opportunity to finally rest and not have to multi-task to the max with my boys. It was a long overdue break (actually 5 years since I've been anywhere alone without the family). It was great to catch up with my best friend, do some boutique shopping, antiquing, fine dining, theater, wineries, beautiful country sites...it was all an incredible first experience in that region.

I loved all the antique's stores in that region. My lucky find was a bag of stamps from all over the world, some vintage children's books, an an owl pin (since I became an insomniac lately, I feel it fits my nature).

I am a 2008 Hall of Famer!

I'm still completely shocked that I won the Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame 2008 contest. This is my second year entering the HOF contest. I feel that I've come a long way since my first submission, but I didn't hold my breath in hopes of winning (especially that they narrowed the winners this year to only 10, and last year I didn't even get an Honorable Mention).

I had my convictions about what it takes to win scrapbooking contests. I assumed that the winners would have been widely published and recognizable faces in the scrapbooking industry. I am an underdog. I have never been published before wining HOF (although not submitting my work might have been the reason). I have never been on a design team. I have never been to a CHA show, nor do I know anyone that would grant me entry status. I don't know what the "hot" trendy products are (but have noticed an infiltration of owl-themed scrapbooking items). I have never met Lisa Bearnson or schmoozed with the CK staff at some gala.

Actually, the first time I spoke with Lisa was when she called me to announce me as a winner. I wish I prepared something to say that was at least somewhat articulate. I am so dreading hearing the recorded call. It reminds me of a foreign film award ceremony where the Academy winner can barely compose a full sentence, and you're rooting for her to pull herself together, quit stammering or repeating herself ,and just finish the speech. There's something about hearing myself on audio that is so unpleasant and makes me say: "Do I really sound like this?" Yep, I guess I do. But my hubby will hear my phone call first, I'll see how long I can hold out.

So what have I done scrap-related over the last year? I've taken all the constructive (and the not-so-constructive anonymous) criticism on my last year's HOF entry, and evaluated my work more objectively. I made the conclusion that bare-bottom babies might be precious for the mommy in me, but would not have the wider audience for the publishing folks. Also that a bright, paper-piecing "cutesy" page will not hide an out-of-focus photo. As they say: "Hind sight is 20/20". I realized that I need to step it up a notch, and more importantly I need to get a second opinion on my work. Entering HOF for this year, I asked Karen Wilson-Bonnar (2007 Hall of Famer) to look at a few layouts that just felt "off" to me. Following her feedback, I decided not to submit the layouts in question but to redo them (I'm so glad I did :).

Another great undertaking I've done in the past year is that I introduced scrapbooking to my birthplace country of Lithuania. I've stumbled upon a Lithuanian art & crafts forum where someone posted a question: "What is this scrapbooking that's all over the internet?" I soon found out that there's no scrapbooking products, no stores to buy anything remotely scrapbook related in Lithuania. They were using gift-wrap paper in lieu of patterned paper. No one has heard of "acid-free". In the process of sharing my knowledge, and work I've made some cool online friends that have caught the scrapbooking bug. I even mailed a huge shipment of scrap goods to our initial group of nine scrapbook devotees. It's a great feeling knowing you have contributed to turning people onto this amazingly rewarding hobby that's become my way of life. I didn't realize it in the beginning, but in the process of commenting on their work, I was also remembering and reinforcing my own design skills. As a generalization, I noticed that the European scrappers were not satisfied with comments such as: "That's a nice layout", or "great job!" I was asked frequently: "Why do you like this?" or "How can I improve this layout". I had to use examples from design and color theory to explain effective scrapbook pages. After some time on that forum, I decided to launch the first ever Lithuanian scrapbooking blog Scrapmanija.com so that I may reach a wider audience of potential scrappers and crafters.

So in a nutshell, this is my 15 minutes of HOFame. I hope my work will inspire you in some way, and I'm looking forward to some great new assignments and challenges in the year ahead. CK has made me eat my own words - sometimes the underdog does get the proverbial (HOF) bone too :)

Spring Has Sprung

Well, at least it may be spring when wearing this set. It's hand-crafted with green freshwater pearls, peridot color Swarovski crystals, and light yellow lemon quartz that has been carved into leaves. This set is held together by gold-fill wire and clasp. Green is my favorite color for symbolizing growth, health, and rebirth. It really cheered me up to make this set. Nothing like the promise of an upcoming spring to get me out of this dull winter misery (can you tell I'm not a winter baby :). Green got me thinking about the New Year, and some positive changes I will implement. It will be a year concentrated on healthful eating, so I'll be seeing lots of green salads (having a baby does come at a steep price to your body). When in doubt, go green...
So, I hope to hear from some of my readers what are your favorite color combinations in jewelry?

My Jewelry creations so far...

As some of you might remember, I had an online custom design business known as amberbox.com. Currently, I am moving it here on my blog to consolidate all of my artistic creations: jewelry making, scrapbooking, needlework, photography (and any other artistic hobby I may take up in the future).
Some of my jewelry creations were one-of-a-kind and sold. If that's the case, send me a question and I might remake, or make something similar.

Other very popular items such as the Mother's Bracelets, I will custom-make to your specifications.
Price: $59.99 (1 strand), $109.99 (2 strand), $159.99 (3 strand)
I may put multiple names on one strand (up to 14 letters), although in doing so, that does not leave much space for beads and gemstones.
Each child's name is paired with a corresponding birthstone in a Swarovski crystal (photo featured August birthday= Peridot, July birthday= Ruby).
Mother's Bracelet

My other best seller is the Fisherman's Net Collection.
The cuff bracelet and earrings are hand-crochet with sterling silver wire studded with freshwater cultured pearls and Swarovski crystals. It gives off an effervescent glow, and speaks of the mystery and beauty of the deep sea treasures caught in a net.
(Earrings $59.99 Bracelet $119.99, Set $169.99)
The following is a sampling of other jewelry pieces that have either sold, been kept for myself, given away as gifts, or for charity auctions.

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friends Collection: Inspired by Marilyn Monroe
Queen of Dalmatians Collection
Blue China with Coral Collection
My Blue China (with Lapis Lazuli)
Autumn Whisper Collection (Citrine, Apatite, Pineapple Quartz, Swarovski Crystals, Sterling Silver)
Catherine the Great Necklace (in Amber and Sterling Silver)
Fall's Splendor Collection (Sterling Silver and Freshwater Cultured Pearls)
My Best Friend's Wedding earrings

Mobile Phone Bling (Swarovski Crystals and Czech Pressed Glass Beads)

Random Inspiration Challenge #5

Puppy Love

This months challenge is to use a sewing machine on your layout. If you're a bit of a perfectionist like me, you may lightly draw your design in pencil 1st, that way it will be easier to follow when sewing, then just erase the pencil marks that are showing (as I have done in the above layout).
I have been resisting using the sewing machine for a very long time because It seemed not precise enough, and there was always a possibility of messing up and having these tufts of yarn loops on the other side. If that happens to you, no need to panic. You may cut off all the yarn, and finish the design hand-stitching through the holes. It took a while for me to get the hang of my sewing machine, and especially how to control the speed and sew in straight line. Here's some advice learned through trial and error:

• Practice, practice, practice 1st on a piece of cardstock before you go near a completed layout.
  
• Thread tension is responsible for those loopy tufts of yarn on the other side of paper. On my Singer machine the magic number for tension is 4. That's why you need to experiment on a scrap piece of cardstock to find the right tension for your machine.
  
• If you only plan to sew on cardstock, get a thinner needle designed for lightweight fabrics, this way you won't have huge holes through your paper. However, if you plan to sew through some embellishments, like I planned (but chickened out) on sewing through the thick acetate ghost shape hearts that I used on this layout, then you'd need a thicker needle designed for denim or upholstery (size 110/18).
• I use invisible thread (looks like a fishing line) on all my bobbins. This way, you only need to change the spool of yarn to your choice of color, but the invisible thread on the bobbin won't show through no matter which color you're sewing with.
• When done sewing, cut the yarn leaving at least 3 inches of the yarn "tail" from the paper. This way you can thread the tail through a needle and stitch it through one of the holes to the wrong side of the layout, producing a clean polished look.
• I usually secure all lose "tails" of yarn on the wrong side of a layout by gently pulling them taut in the same direction, and then taping them down with acid-free tape designed for scrapbooking. Then, I trim all the extra yarn close to the tape.
• Sewing is also a great way of adhering items to your layout where adhesive would show through. On my layout I've sewn through a sheer ribbon for the flower stem, just for the above stated reason. I've also had great success sewing through transparencies, and mesh.
• Sewing can be a great design element, not only for the practical purpose of adhering items to your page. You may sew the rays of a sun, or flower stems, or even lines for journaling, or sew around the perimeter of your page to give it a designer-look border and help contain and anchor your elements within a page. On my page, I sewed in a combination of a straight line stitch and a zig zag to mimic the look of a heartbeat cardiogram.
  

• For hand-stitching, you may use an unthreaded machine to pierce through the paper for exact, even-spaced holes.

(if anyone else has some good tips for machine sewing, please leave comments, and I will update this list. I'm still in the learning phase myself).

And last, I can't wait so see what you come up with!

The Wall Street Journal Calls Scrapbooking a "Dowdy Craft Business"

I admit I usually do not update my blog on a daily, even weekly basis. Yet there are times that I read something that just keeps stewing inside me. After reading The WSJ article, Dowdy Craft Business Gets a Martha Stewart Makeover online (subscription required), it really got me irritated at how scrapbookers are stereotyped, and how misinformed some of these editors truly are about the realm of the scrapbooking industry. Below you will find some key points of the WSJ article by Brooks Barnes, and my commentary.

"What does the domestic-arts maven see in a dowdy industry where merchandise is sold in cluttered stores stacked floor to ceiling with pipe cleaners, Styrofoam balls, glue sticks, beads and fake flowers?"

"Even outlets operated by big craft chains often resemble Main Street hardware stores from a bygone era, with oddball items stacked inefficiently in a dusty jumble. Suppliers are a hodgepodge, ranging from the office supply giant 3M Co. to a two-person company that sells a single item, Baby Tooth Album Inc."

Apparently Mr. Barnes didn't do his research into the plethora of scrapbook supply stores available. The is such a thing as specialty scrapbook supply stores that carry designer name scrapbooking product lines. The industry doesn't only manifest itself through Hobby Lobby, Michael's, or Joann Fabric & Crafts super stores. There are specialty paper lines that will go up to $50 per sheet for a silk screen print, and other hand-made papers of that caliber. My guess is that Mr. Barnes believes that only these giant centers carry scrapbooking supplies, and Martha's new line will bring order, and novelty to these "cluttered shelves". To me this is as ignorant of a statement as saying that only K'mart carries women's purses (with K'Mart being the only store you ever shop at).

"She (Martha Stewart) put her designers to work coming up with new twists on such mundane products as scrapbooks, ribbon, and cardboard boxes. Her executives went looking for a retail partner whose stores didn't look like a mess. And Ms. Stewart herself hit the road to try to woo some hard-core crafters".

"For their product line, Ms. Stewart and Hannah Milman, editorial director of crafts for Martha Stewart Living, tried to come up with new twists on old products. Ms. Milman says innovations include adhesive-backed ribbon and "collector boxes" in which crafters, instead of pasting keepsakes into scrapbooks, can create displays for wall-mounted dioramas".

First, hard-core crafters are not considering adhesive-backed ribbon as an innovation. I have a whole basket of adhesive-backed ribbon long before Ms. Stewart's line ever launched. Collector boxes must be another name for shadow boxes to display your 3D memorabilia. Those have been around for a while too. So WHAT is truly innovative with Martha's line of product?

"I'm not sure people want to bring a brand into their scrapbook," says Shelly Izen, the owner of Scrapbook Fever, a crafts store in Salem, Ore. "Martha's stuff looks pretty, but crafters are strong-willed and don't want to be told what to do. Martha's stuff seems very 'do it this way or no way."

I'm actually surprised this comment came from a scrapbook store owner. I could rattle off at least 10 name brands of scrapbooking supplies in under 10 seconds. As evident on all the scrapbooking forums I visit, brand recognition, craving and purchasing of "big brands" is huge in scrapbooking, and it's definitely here to stay. This is a completely different matter than being told what to do, or how to scrapbook. I buy costly brand names of scrapbooking products but I mix and match them how I want to. the "Do it this way or no way" is a recipe for a business failure - any business.

"It's not a very sexy business," says David Abelman, senior vice president of marketing for Michael's Stores Inc., a big operator of arts-and-crafts outlets in the U.S. and Canada. "But a lot of people have realized it's a good one."

Scrapbooking is not a "sexy business" ?! I'm not sure if Mr. Ableman is referring to the looks of scrappers or money making power of the industry. What a stereotype! I feel being equated to gray-haired grandma sitting in her rocker knitting socks. The scrapbooking industry is continuously attracting a younger, hipper, urban professional and even male crowd to this predominantly-female dominated craft. No wonder Martha Stewart's dream team of designers can not come up with true innovation in product design. Because of this mentality, we will continue to see shelves of outdated, but attractively repackaged products labeled as "innovative". Hard-core scrappers see through the facade of repackaging. I give Martha Stewart's line only 2 out of 5 stars (and that's very generous).

Random Inspiration Challenge #4

With this month being Mother's Day, I wanted to do a challenge about mom, but with a twist. I thought there will be plenty of other challenges on scrapbooking about mom, and there's definitely lots of ideas in the May issues of scrapbooking magazines.

So....this month, make a layout about the relationship of your parents, and how it has influenced, and shaped you today as a mother, woman, partner.

I realize, many women out there were raised by a single parent, had step-parents, or guardians. No matter what your situation was, scrap about it. We learn by observation of the first relationship we witness - that of our parents. Do you relate to your partner the same way your parents do? Do you use similar phrases or communicate in a similar manner? Was your family atmosphere affectionate or more aloof? Did you have dinner together? Did your parents openly display affection or were more prim and proper? Do you share your mother's fundamental view on the opposite sex? Do you have a similar relationship with your spouse/partner?
I came about this month's inspiration by looking through some old photos. One of them completely made me stop dead in my tracks. It was a photo of my parents squatting in a field of flowers and kissing! What a shocker!!! My folks spent my entire life tearing each other down - a "Can't live with him, but can't live without him" type of relationship. I don't recall seeing them being affectionate or having any tender moments between them. I started thinking more and more about this photo every day. How love is so fragile. How it can turn from love to hate and resentment. Made me think about my own bad habits I picked up being raised in this environment. Made me want to do better, be better so that I won't reach the same fate.

The above layout I created , A Field of Broken Dreams is influenced by collage techniques (I am currently reading a book on collage). The items I chose are very symbolic of my parents' relationship. For example, the juggling clown at the bottom appears to be holding up the heart. It has a double meaning for me: One, that maintaining a strong marriage is a constant juggling art; Second, the fights and drama my parents go through, with their love becoming a sad satire. Sarcasm and satire is really the foundation of their relationship, as this clown is the foundation on which the heart rests. The regal crown on top of the page with the diamond stars represent the early stages of a relationship, when you feel like you're walking on clouds among stars. It appears that this photo captured such a blissful moment. The background paper is by Making Memories. I specifically cut out the "Certificate Cancelled" to convey that my parent's marriage was cancelled - divorced. I used felt for the heart to add it more dimension. I chose grey to symbolize a heart turning to stone, yet still bleeding from the inside
The photo is the original, not reprinted. I did not permanently attach it just in case I ever need to remove it. The 2 bottom photo turns hold it in place as well as the strip of transparency with the title on top of the photo. I attached the transparency by stitching along the edges and stapling it close to the heart so it does not pouch open.

Journaling you may read by double clicking on the layout (it did scan a large image so you can read directly from the layout if interested). I filled the entire negative space of the layout with text strips creating a sort of patterned paper. I think it becomes part of design rather just for functional, practical purpose of documentation. Wow! I did not realize how much journaling I could fit this way! Two pages of rough draft notebook, and I still needed an extra paragraph to fill the space.

OK, now I want to see others' work!