Updates, Classes and Good Stuff...

Hey Friends!
September is coming to an end and I am actually glad to put this month behind me. For some reason, it has been challenging. I like to be organized and have things in order, both at home and work wise. But unexpected situations arise and everything just gets jumbled. I can handle one or two things, but it has been constant and it seemed like there was no end in sight.....sheesh! It doesnt take much to feel buried underneath it all.

However, I took it in stride, came up with solutions or realized I had no control and let it go. I know this all sounds vague, but the details arent important. What is important, is whether or not you are going to let it all get to you. I made a decision for each and every situation, whether I was going to allow it to get the best of me or not. And my answer is-absolutely not. It's the only control I had and I wasn't about to squander it. So just when you feel like you are losing control, regain it. It's the best thing you can do for yourself. I feel even better just writing about it here.

So now...it's all good. I have a lot to look forward to and that will be my focus going into October! I have some upcoming classes that I wanted to let you know about incase you might want to join me....We will have so much fun-I promise! And my kits are jam packed with Prima goodness...seriously.....loaded!

I have two classes coming up in Buffalo, NY at Buffalo Stamps and Stuff. The classes are going to take place on October 22nd. The first is a double page layout, using Prima's Romantique Collection. I need to take a photo of the layouts to share with you. I plan to take photos of it today. Just putting the finishing touches on them before I do..but here is the class information in the meantime:

Romantique Layout Class: $25.00
Join Cari to create a gorgeous two page layout using the brand new Romantique Collection from Prima. The soft color palette is perfect for any theme, from baby to wedding or even heritage photos too. We will be using a wide variety of wonderful Prima products to complete these pages such as lace, felt embellishments and of course-lots of Prima flowers!
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And this is the second class! We are going to create a Holiday Mini Album! Here are the details....

Winter Bliss Mini Album-$45.00
Is it possible to use the words "winter" and "bliss" together in Upstate NY? It is now! This gorgeous mini album will be the perfect setting for those upcoming holiday or winter photos. We are going to use a mixture of glitter, stamping, die cuts and fabulous Prima products to create this one of a kind project! This would make a lovely gift and you could include photos from last Christmas for someone you spent the holidays with last year!

Here is the website for Buffalo Stamps and Stuff. It has store hours, location and class information!

http://www.buffalostamps.com/

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I will be heading to Australia on October 26th for a two week tour for Prima! Sharon Laakkonen and I will be traveling together, teaching classes all over Australia and a jaunt to New Zealand too...I am so excited! Here is a look at the project I'll be teaching-I am in love with it and I hope everyone there will enjoy it too!

Here is the main website with all of the travel information and where I will be throughout the tour!

Check it out here: http://yourcreativejourney.wordpress.com/prima-road-show-nov-1-nov-11-2011-schedule/


OK-so that is it for now...I will be back very soon with some sneak peek photos of the Romantique Layout class!

xoxo Cari

Another stamped project...

Hello friends!
I just want to say--thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments on my wreath project for the Prima blog hop! You all really know how to make a girl's day! I have another holiday project to share with you and I was originally going to post step by step instructions on how to re-create it, but I ended up doing a video on it instead! I think it worked out better in my honest opinion...

Jamie could not do her show last night on Live with Prima last night because of the major power outage they are experiencing. So I did this project in place of it and rescheduled her for Monday night. I didnt want everyone to show up for a class and not have anything to watch. I refuse to let that happen!

I created this framed wreath for the Prima booth at CHA summer. I wanted to show a new idea using one stamp set and creating an image using multiple stamps mixed together...This piece is actually 8x11 in size, but I recreated it in 12x12 format on the show. I mixed trees, flourishes and snowflakes in a circular formation to create a "wreath" image. The stamp set I used is the North Country Cling Set by Prima. The background paper is called Hedgerow from the Romantique Collection by Prima.



I used a mix of colors from my stash of Distress Inks by Ranger. The greens are Crushed Olive and Peeled Paint. The blues are Stormy Sky, Broken China and Faded Jeans. I also showed an example of colors you could use together in reds too, if you wanted to change up the color pallette a bit...

This is a close up shot of my original project where you can see the detail in the stamp images...

Sooooo.....you can watch the video here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17150833

I include tips and tricks on how to use your stamps, other inks you may want to try and more!
Hope you enjoy it!

I will be back soon with more projects! Have a great weekend...
xoxo Cari

Prima and Tattered Angels Blog Hop

Hello friends!
Welcome to my blog for the Tattered Angels and Prima blog hop!


Tattered Angels and Prima are partnering again to share some fabulous ideas on how to incorporate their products into your projects...

I created a wreath that it is perfect for the upcoming holiday season and of course you can change the colors to fit your own color scheme to work with your home decor. This is really easy to do!

I colored Prima's Kraft packaging (from our Clear Paintables Collection) with Tattered Angels Apple Glimmer Mist. I love the dark olive tones with the soft pearl shine that it created. It's fun to experiment with various colors on neutral backgrounds to see the different results. All of the cones are glued onto a styrofoam wreath base.

I stamped the the word using large Alpha letters onto a cream paper strip and embossed with gold powder. The center paper is accordian folded paper strips from Prima's Fairy Flora Collection. You can build as many layers as you see fit to create the look you are going for!

If you would like to see how I made a similar version of this and for other wreath ideas, watch my video here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10944334



I clustered the flowers with sprigs of leaves and swirled crystals. The swirled crystals are colored with Glimmer Glam to add sparkle and customize the color I needed. I used Prima's Temple Leaves, Winter Branches, Roosevelt Flowers, Grande Dame Flowers and Glitter Sprays in Gold. It is fun to mix and match lush flowers with a variety of leaves and branches.


Here you can see a close up of the colored Kraft packaging and more crystal swirls that have been colored!
And at the end of the project, finish off the entire projects with light sprays of Wheatfields Glimmer Mist for an aged look!



This project was so fun to create! I hope it inspires you to create one of your own or maybe even as a gift for someone with a new home or for the holidays...

Head on over to the Prima blog for a chance to win a fabulous prize pack (photo of the prize is at the top!) filled with Prima and Tattered Angels goodies! All you have to do is comment, let them know who is super inspiring from our hop and you are entered to win!
http://prima.typepad.com/prima/2011/09/its-a-prima-tattered-angels-blog-hop.html#comments
Thanks for stopping by!
xoxo Cari