I am thankful for having had you as part of my life

I woke up today to very, very sad news. My dear friend Betty Anne Orr passed away yesterday. She was ill and she was fighting and I was certain she was going to get better, but she didn't. Still I had to go and share Thanksgiving celebrations with my daughter's class and think and talk about the things we are grateful for. Sad as I am today, I am immensely grateful for having had Betty Anne as a friend. She was that kind of person that made the world a better place just for being there. She had a kind word for everybody, she had time for everybody who needed it, even when she was going through rough times she would find time to ask if my daughter's ear infection was responding to the medications and she was feeling better or if she was feeling OK in her new school. She was the soul of Let's Scrap, and she would never leave a layout in the gallery without a comment, she always knew how to find the best about everything and everybody. I am already missing her terribly, and I know there are lots of people who are missing her with me. 

I met Betty Anne through scrapbooking, and I would like to share one of her beautiful layouts with you in my blog today. It was hard to choose because so many of her layouts tell great stories and different things about her, but I think this one shows exactly the kind of loving person she was.

My friend, you will be missed. 

All about me

It has been an amazing couple of weeks at The Art Studio @ Scrapbook News and Review. Lots and lots of crafters of every style, level and nationality have taken advantage of the free offer and taken a peak at the magazine. And they have loved what they have seen! 

It is now time for them to get another great offer and get to know us even better: for the next few days, almost ALL CLASSES are on sale for a fabulous price of 5$. This has also brought lots of visitors to Scrapping Nomad, so, if you are visiting my blog for the first time, I would like to tell you a little bit about me and my classes.

My husband has a job that requires him to move countries with some frequency, and as a family, we all tag along! That explains the NOMAD part of my blog. When you move often, there are lots of things that are unstable and you really need some anchors in your life. Crafting is one of my anchors. Wherever we go, it goes with me and helps me keep my sanity. After all, it is much cheaper than therapy.

At the beginning of the year, I joined the group of instructors at The Art Studio and we have been working hard at creating a site that offers you what you have always been looking for. The classes are full of content, accesible, enjoyable, and ready for you whenever you feel the mojo or manage to find five minutes to sneak some crafting time.

I have created a series of classes focusing on some of the most popular trends this year: Chevrons, Twine, Decorative Tape and Doilies. The classes explore different techniques for using these trends in your layouts and customizing the elements you already have in your stash to make them the trendiest around. If you are looking for some layout inspiration, too, there are step-by-step instructions for creating the layouts used as examples. And if you are a visual learner or not so keen on reading, there are videos explaining the main techniques to you!

Here are some of the things I have created for this class:

If you feel like you'd love to have fun and play with the hottest elements around, why not give the classes a try? You can find all the info you need HERE. Go and have a look and please, let me know if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Color challenge, let's play!!!

I have been telling you to pay attention to some colours this month, as I had big news for you and those colours were part of it. Well, I can share the news with you, now!

The Art Studio @ Scrapbook News and Reviews is coming back with a new look, and an even more fabulous site that has been re-designed to include the ideas and feedback from those students who have already enjoyed our classes. And to celebrate, we are having lots of different contests and fun stuff. My favourite is the LOGO COLORS CHALLENGE. If you haven't seen the new logo, here it is:

Aren't these colours just fabulous? They make me want to craft right here, right now. And so I altered some dollar store frames and made them into a lovely piece for my photo wall. 

Very simple project. I just dyed the frames, added the photos and stickers, and created some beautiful butterflies from patterned paper, wire and beads.

I am all for very easy projects at the moment, as life has become so busy this year, so a pretty project I can finish in less than an hour and hang from my wall is a big accomplishment!!!

There are some fabulous projects using the colours from some of The Art Studio instructors here. So many different styles you are bound to find more than one project you love! But the fun doesn't stop there. YOU can take part, too. And here is how you can do it:

How to Participate: Join us in The Art Studio's Challenge Group. You must register on our site to submit your artwork (remember your SNR username won't work for this site, you will need to register at The Art Studio if you haven't - it's free!). Please feel free to leave love and praise for others while you're there.

The Prize: Faber-Castell goodies, including gelatos, watercolor pencils and other mixed media items.

The Fine Print: All entries must be submitted by Sunday, November 11, 2012. You must have your name (or username ) clearly visible so we can contact you for more information. Please note that any prizes not claimed within 30 days will go to another randomly selected artists.

Please Note: If it doesn't allow you to upload to the challenge's album (some browsers have restrictions), then please feel free to start your own album.

You can add as many as you like. Just have fun, create and let us see! 

And remember, you could win a $100 GC to an online papercrafting store of your choice just by telling us what you want:

We have a wonderful variety of classes available at The Art Studio @ Scrapbook News and Review. Many of which were suggested by our subscribers and fans. 

Now we want to know what you want. Yes, you! Tell us what classes you would like to see us schedule in 2013. Anything and everything. Big or small. Simple or complex. Whatever you want to learn or do, let us know and we'll make it happen.

To thank you for your suggestions, we're offering up a $100 gift certificate to your favorite online paper crafting store. How do you play? Easy...there are three ways you can do it...you can do one or you can do them all.

Everyone must e-mail us at games@scrapbooknewsandreview.com to be eligible for the contest. Then, if you like, you can post on the Art Studio's blog or you can post on their Facebook page.

The contest will run until Sunday, November 11, 2012 and a winner will be notified within 72 hours. Since it's running for a few days, up your chances by posting every time you think of something you would like to attend a class for. You can continue to post on our blog or Facebook page, but remember, you must send one e-mail to the above e-mail address. If you're randomly chosen from another source, such as the blog or the Facebook page and you don't have an e-mail in our e-mail box, then you'll be disqualified.

So that's it. Tell us what you want and we'll make one lucky winner a happy girl (or guy)!

Pumpkins in the living room

My living room has some visitors at the moment:

Yes, they are not the orange, perfect pumpkins that you get in a pumpkin patch for sure, but they are as good as they get here, and we have grown fond of them. Plus, this year we got them directly from the main market, and paid 6 times less than last year for them. What's not to love about that?

Anyway, going to buy the pumpkins for our annual "pumpkin carving with friends" party made me realize I had not worked on any Halloween stuff yet. How is it possible, when there are so many Halloween things around? I've been very busy, but I could always have found some time. The truth is I've gone into leave-it-to-the-last-minute mode. So, quick trip to the fabric store, five minute dash to the crafts store, and I came home with two wreath bases (two front doors... double the work!) and four yards of tulle and some kind of glittery fabric- not sure what it is, I should probably ask my friend Pam Sandy, she is the fabric expert!

Since I didn't have much time to work on them, as they had to be ready this morning, I just went for a very easy technique: the no sew tutu. The wreath is not a tutu, but it works just perfectly for it. I cut the tulle strips, and alternated three orange strips and three black strips. When I had finished that, I added some strips of glittery fabric, and the wreath was done. It took me about half an hour to finish each wreath, and no tools other than a pair of scissors. Once they were finished, I cut the works BOO and EEK in glittery foam, added a felt background, some googly eyes, and done. Two Halloween wreaths in less than 90 minutes!

Here are some close-ups of the yummy tulle and glittery fabric:

Aren't those eye-lashes cute? And while we are talking about Halloween stuff, have you seen the new Halloween classes at the refurbished Art Studio? If you haven't you really should check them:

You can check them all at The Art Studio. And remember, I am taking the Convertible Halloween Mini-album and Banner class (wish I could take them all, they are all so yummy, but, hey, I have to cook sometimes!), so if you are planning to take it, let me know and we can scrap-chat while we work on it. I really want a scrapping buddy. I really, really do!

I had to share this with you... DD was standing on one of the pumpkins (How many times did I tell her not to? Close to a million?) and it burst. YUCK! It was rotten inside, so it splattered the sofa and the wall, and it smells... well, it smell like poop, there's no other way to describe it... so, if you are planning to keep pumpkins inside, do a through inspection daily, and please, don't let your kids stand on them!!!!