Day Two of Ranger U...

...hey that rhymes.

Rightio then...moving along...Day Two started us off with a new teacher - one Claudine Helmuth at the 'Helm' of the classroom with her fab products and techniques. What I love about this experience is that we get answers to our questions from the source. No rumor, no "I heard from a friend who heard from..." we get the straight dope on the why's and what's and 'who invented this anyways?'

Also to hear some of the stories of some of the goings-on behind the scenes are a right stitch, and Tim is a great storyteller.

Back to the day. Claudine is a very talented artist who has painted for over 20 years. Through her extensive experience with acrylic paint, she has created to her own specifics an acrylic paint that is smooth and buttery (just not on popcorn) and rich in colour and variety. We used paint, along with 4 different gel type mediums to do her signature techniques and this was great as my exposure to painting has been limited. We mixed painting with stamping, transferring images and even embossing into paint (I can't really explain it better right now - v. tired). I will show all when I get back.

These are projects completed by Claudine that she brought for us to view, like a mini trunk show. Our techniques were also done on tags that, for some reason, I didn't do a group photo of when I was done them. Sorry!

Then we broke for lunch, provided by Ranger, and when we returned we got to do some crafting of our new techniques on a wooden basket(?). I am not the speediest scrapper in the world, so I didn't get mine done, but it was great to see the ones around me. Very inspiring.

After that we tucked into 5 hours of Distress Products - prefaced by a very elightening story of how Tim came to work for Ranger in the first place, which lead into what makes Distress inks, and the Distress line different from other inks on the market. I didn't realize how much chemistry was involved, although I would have had I stopped to think about it, but apparently their chemist is something of a wizard who was able to take Tims creative Distress product ideas and turn them into reality. Regardless there IS a difference between other dye inks and the Distress inks, and it has to everything to do with how they react to water. Love it!

But we started with Distress Embossing Powder, which I am still trying to get the hang of. We worked on paper as well as Metal which then lead to prepping tags with crackle paint (which had to dry) Then the inks themselves, the reinkers, the stains, and the stickles. We worked with a crafting iron, grunge board, metal flowers, stickyback canvas, trim and of course, cardstock. I have to say that if I had to pick one word that would define Ranger in any aspect, it is 'thorough'. 'Orgazined' would be the close second - both things I try to be and maybe will be when I grow up. =)

A few samples from an afternoon well spent.

We were done at 7pm, at which point a double car load of us decided to go down to the Jersey Shore line (not the actual Jersey Shore of the tv series, but we were at the northern end of it) and here is a pic of their lovely boardwalk and shopping district. We had dinner at a diner named 'Stewart's and the food was 'ok'. I hope to have Sushi tomorrow night at a place called 'Sawa's.

And so that is how my day ends - with a leisurely meal with new friends and new ideas. I want to thank you for checking out my blog tonite, and I have full intentions of blogging tomorrow night, after which point I will be packing and getting ready to return the next day to my home and hearth. Have a lovely Sunday and we'll see you soon!

Jenn

Day One of Ranger U...

...has come to a successful completion and I loved every single moment!!! I still have my lanyard on even...

My day started at 6am. Both my roomie and I woke at nearly the exact same time so she turned on the tv and what do we see but Kate walking down the aisle..literally. I watched a bit of the ceremony but decided that so far things were going so well without my direct supervision so I decided to have my shower. When I got out, they had said their vows so all was well. Weren't those hats a trip? Some of them were still moving weren't they?

Anyways...so we got ourselves put together and went for the breakfast (which was v. good) and I met the other Aussie that came to take the Ranger U, by the name of Chad. Yes a boy! One of 2 attending the weekend actually and just as charming as could be. Then Melissa pulls out a tube of this...

...and convinces me to try a small bite of it on toast.

Gaaaahck. It was awful. However this did not deter them (on both sides of me) trying to convince me of it's nutritional value and stellar taste. All I can say is that I was completely awake by that point.

 As the Ranger facility was fairly close to the hotel, we hoofed it down there in plenty of time and took our first picture.

Yes I am taking a picture of Melissa taking a picture of the Ranger mailbox. I thought it was funny at the time...=)

After some settle in time, we went around and introduced ourselves with our "who we are", and "what we are" spiels (much like the Scrapbox tradition of intro's at the beginning of class) and then we were taken on a fascinating tour of the Ranger facility. LOVED IT! (little known fact that while I was growing up my parents owned their own manufacturing business of plastic injection moulds so the tour was filled with very familiar smells and sounds of machinery and plastics and goodness knows what else.)  As they were kind enough to trust us with showing their inner workings, I will keep this part to a minimum. I will say that I got to see some brand new product that is going to be released this summer so how exciting is that?!??! Back to the classroom.

Tim started us off with perfect pearls for the first half of the day. I am more than passing familiar with this product but we still ended up doing things that I hadn't done, or didn't think of doing before. Part of the techniques included stamping so here is Chad (afore mentioned Aussie) with some 'bloke' stamps.

Right then...

It begins!

One of my favorite techniques...makes the paper look metalic...

And here is all the tags with Perfect Pearls techniques on them. Oh yeah!

Then we had a break for lunch and I took a bit of a stroll outside in the lovely spring weather. Wouldn't have guessed that 24 hours previous there were tornado warnings. Sheesh!

After lunch Tim lead a session on the Melting pot and UTEE as Suze Weinburg retired last January after the CHA show. As I had never done any melting pot/UTEE techniques before this is fascinating stuff for me. I had to talk to myself rather firmly and remind myself that I am doing these techniques for the first time so they aren't going to look as good as what Tim was doing, but I am reasonably proud of about half of the samples, and the other half I am just going to have to practice alot more.

See I can take my own advice! But it wasn't easy. Apparently I am closet perfectionist....who knew?

My Apron, My Binkie and My Ranger U Manual...

What...? Everyone needs a Binkie...

So at the end of the day, at about 5pm, we were pretty much done in so many ways. Ranger, in their thoughtfulness and generosity, held a delish BBQ and we got to mix & mingle with staff and attendees. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was one of the last to leave.

So here we are folks. I know I haven't talked overly much about the details of the techniques that I am learning, and quite frankly it would take me forever to do so. I also want to encourage you to come visit me on May 10th (tues night after next) to see and hear all about it for yourselves. Needless to say that I have gotten a TONNE of ideas and cannot wait to share them. I forsee a class set of melting pots for The Scrapbox in the future...

Thanks for checking out the blog. I plan to give another recap with some pics tomorrow night. Gnight!

Jenn

No love at Newark...

I have never...ever....EVER had a flight cancel on me in my lifetime and I must have flown - easily - 50 times. Nationally, internationally, intercontinentally -newp. Until today.

Ironically, in all my illustrious flying career I have never once opted for flight insurance. Until this trip.

Well I did say it was ironic. If you want the details, my facebook status today pretty much sums up the tedium that is waiting for an airplane to board, take off, fly, be put on hold, then land. I am much more impressed (to say the least) with the awesome women I have met so far and they number 2.

Woman Number 1 is Roser who also owns an LSS, but in Barcelona Spain. How cool is that? Anyway - she offered to drive me from Newark to my hotel some 45 mins distance, without any recompense. Then waited patiently (and shopped) through all of my delays. We had a lovely drive and found out that (ready for more irony?) ...we opened our Scrapbooking Stores *on the exact same date* of Nov 10th 2007.

That still kinda blows my mind.

Woman No 2 - I then hooked up with my roomie from Australia, one Melissa Kennedy, who heads up the DT for Kaiser Craft. I was surrounded by exotic accents, although now that I think about it, they probably think my Canadian accent is pretty neat too.

We went to Appleby`s for dinner and I decided that my lovely day travelling deserved nothing less than this delicious libation featured here...

Already had some wonderful laughs and some beautiful food and just can`t wait for tomorrow to begin!!

Stay tuned my lovelies.

Jenn

Leaving on a jet plane...

To say I am excited about this 'business trip' is an understatement. I am trying very hard not to let my expectations get away from me, but right now it's like trying to catch a chipmunk. Always a step ahead and determined to go up a tree. And stay there. So there.

So here I am, packed, ready to head out to the airport a full hour before I planned to. My little family is still asleep and I am reflecting on how very lucky I am. I am very thankful that I have a supportive husband who thinks nothing of 'holding down the homestead' for nearly 5 days while I go off persuing my dream. I am very thankful of my friends and supporters who have suffered quietly these last few weeks as I prattled on about how excited I am to go to Ranger U. My daughter was much less enthusiastic about the whole thing but then, I have always endorsed honesty over any other policy so her 'I don't want you to go!" is said with love too. A very special thank you goes to Linda O. for making a beautiful canvas apron for me (as my sewing is such that it would make a cat laugh) that will show my efforts over the next few days.

I am very thankful.

Oops Emma is up now. Gotta Run. Stay tuned, I plan on blogging as much as possible!

Jenn

Donna Downey Event hosted by The Scrapbox June 3rd & 4rth!

Thank you for being so patient with me. I know we have all been looking forward to knowing 'what Donna will be doing' when she comes up in June. I know it will be worth the wait!

Directly below are some important details. Please read them very carefully as I am sure that they will answer alot of questions. Thank you!

The "Cost" will include so much more than the classes themselves! With each class you will also receive a free Goodie Bag - a "mini-kit" designed by Stephanie Pouliot. Also The Scrapbox is planning a special momento for you - a keepsake from this event as our way to thank you for attending the event!

If you wish to attend any or all of the classes Donna will be doing (as shown below), please call the store at 613-745-2215 or register in person at the store. Please do not respond to this email for class registrations, but I would be happy to field any questions you may have.

If you are on the "Pre-Reg" list, please do not assume you are automatically attending the event - you need to tell us which class you want to take! Call the store as soon as you know what you want!

***Payment in full is expected 4 weeks prior to the event. Therefore please ensure that you have made payment arrangements by Friday May 6th.***

In the very likely event that there will be a waiting list for this event, your spot will need to be paid by May 6th to secure it, otherwise it will be given to the next person in queue.

If you have paid for a class(es) but are not able to attend, we will attempt to sell your seat if there is a waiting list. If we are unable to do so, you will receive the entire class kit with any instructions as are available from Donna. No refunds will be issued.

Again - If you have any questions please call the store at 613-745-2215.

I know you have been waiting for this, so without further delay, I would like to present the classes that Donna will be teaching us on June 3rd & 4th at St. Mary's School on 780 Rue de l'Eglise.

Friday June 3rd at 6pm : "Butterfly Moments" 4x6 Canvas Album

With layers of ruffles, trims, fabrics, and flowers we will create a textural blend of elements that give this album the look and feel of shabby chic with the bold punch of color. Distress as much or as little as you like and really make this album your own!

Duration : 2 Hours
Cost : $65/$57.50
*********************************************************************
Sat June 4rth at 10am "Heart's Intention" 12 x12 Canvas Layout!

Create this 12 x 12 textural masterpiece by weaving 2 canvas pages together to achieve a finish look that is visually dynamic. We will continue adding layers of color and dimension bringing your photographic memories to a whole new level!

Duration: 1.5 hours
Cost : $45/$40
******************************************************************

Sat June 4rth at 12:30pm "Beloved" 6x12 Canvas Album!


In this workshop you will learn the art of layering colors to create depth and dimension to your art. The day will be filled with tons of product knowledge as well new products to inspire your creativity and possibly challenge you to dream bigger about your creative possibilities.

Duration : 6 Hours (there will be a break during this workshop)
Cost : $125/$112.50

Special "Entire Event" package!!!

If you would like to take all 3 classes, I have a special package just for you!

All 3 classes, plus goodie bags, and those extra special touches you have come to expect from a Scrapbox Sponsored Event is packaged together for the following awesome price!

Non-Members : $225.00
Members price : $199.95

I hope you can join us! Please call the store or stop in person at the store to sign up for this event!


Jenn

Beautiful New Spellbinders are In!

Greetings Scrapbox Nation!

Just wanted to post that I received a shipment of Spellbinders from Winter CHA yesterday. We have pulled the ones that were pre-ordered and will be displaying the rest. That's the good news...

The un-good news is that Spellbinders didn't ship my entire order and so I didn't get everything. Which means some of my pre-order customers didn't get everything they wanted either. So if you haven't gotten a phone call, expect one today.

Better news? When the rest comes in, my pre-order customers will get 25% off these late-comers, instead of the 20% off I offered originally. My way of saying 'Thank you for being so patient!'

If you wanted to see what Spellbinders are left from the shipment, that were not already claimed by the pre-order, come on down. They are about to be priced and put on the shelf.

Also just up on the shelf and being loved is the new Elizabeth Park line from LYB. Very spring - kinda like today!

Have a good one and....

Come Play!

Life is like a bowl of cherries...

...that's been put through a blender at high speed....

I love my life - I do. I just have a problem saying no to really exciting things that come up.

So lets recap shall we?

Debby Schuh Event - FABULOUS! Had an awesome time. Debby was wonderful and a real joy to be with. Lots of memories we made both in and out of the classroom.

So after the event I jumped back into the fray by trying to catch up with all the back log of work that I was deferring until 'after the event'. Yikes! Then got a huge pile of product that came in - More Prima, Lily Bee Designs, Elizabeth Park from LYB, Girls Paperie (all 3 lines) and more. Lots More!

Then of course - the question of 'what is Donna Doing?'. Well if you are a Member of the Scrapbox Nation, then check your emails. I just sent it out. =) If you are not sure what I am talking about, Donna Downey is coming June 3rd and 4rth. I will be posting the details in a bit. Gotta give my peeps priority doncha know!

Product Update - Spellbinders should be in this week. I don't know what day. I hope today. Like...now...maybe...now?

How about now?

sigh

Peace!