Upcoming Tutorial

I'm working on tutorials to teach you how to do the following things with your cutter...the easy way. I just want you to see the photo first.

Downloading Images from the Internet and Saving

Ballerina Card Cutter File

After I cut this, I inked the edges, so that the details of the cut would show up better.
CLICK HERE to get the file to make your own card.

Why different Line colors are Important

Pen Tool Example

Here is a very basic sample of using the pen tool. You can use it to write letters, outline...or even add some swirls to a project. I love to use the dash lines. Also, don't forget your scissor lines...you can draw them instead of cut them.
I will share more examples of these as time goes on.



BTW, these are my two youngest children, Heather and Jared. I sure do love them.

Adding an Outline Tutorial

Simple Welded Title Tutorial

The Good Stalker

Well, I didn't know it could happen, but it did. I have my very first stalker...now I should mention, she is a GOOD stalker....not good in the fact that I don't know she is there, but good in the way that she is just so dang fun and nice.





I met Shannon for the first time in Pleasanton, CA a few weeks ago at the Scrapbook Expo. She immediately said..."Hi, I'm your stalker"...which I thought was quite nice...leaving me no guesswork. Here we are...hanging out in the booth.





Shannon has been so good for my self esteem and confidence...because she loves everything I do...LOL





Anyway, Shannon...love you girl and I'm looking forward to many more years of your kind of stalking....*grin





In honor of Shannon, I have created a cutting file...if you click on the picture, you can have it too.

Easter Title File-GSD

I was unable to add the GSD file for download...however, if you will email me with "EASTER TITLE GSD" in the subject, I will be happy to email it to you.

email: klo@scrappingusa.com

New Free File-Easter Title

I have been very busy the past few weeks traveling and teaching. I will share some of those stories a little later....you have to hear about my "personal stalker" (as opposed to "personal shopper"), my one phone call from Alcatraz, my drive down Lombard street, etc...but that will be in future posts...hopefully, not too distant...*grin



In the meantime, I created an Easter title for you to use. You just need to click on the picture and it will take you to the files. Just download the one that works for your cutting system.

Let me know how you like it in the comments section....ENJOY!

PLEASE NOTE: For some reason, I cannot get the gsd format to load for those. I apologize, but hope you can use it in one of the other formats.

My First Video Tutorial-Simple Paper Piecing

I just spent the day learning to create a video tutorial...this is my first one...I hope it works okay.






PLEASE take just a few minutes and leave comments on what you like and what you would like to see.

Thanks so much.

Goodie Box File

I received this little goodie box and CHA and just loved the size and shape of it.



Of course, I 'had' to have it, so I could create my own stuff if I wanted, so I took the box apart, scanned it in and created this cutting file.



If you click on the photo, it will take you to the cutting files....ENJOY!!

Sick of being Sick

I have been sick now for a couple of weeks. I still have no voice, but I do have to admit, I am finally starting to feel a bit better, even though I sound awful.

I had my convention last weekend here in Nebraska and had a great time, even though I wasn't feeling well. I was kind of bummed though, because I didn't get to visit as much as I usually do, because I simply didn't have the energy (or the voice). This is my 9th year of putting on these events, and I have the absolutely BEST people ever come to them. I LOVE when they start arriving and just HATE it when they leave.

Well, off to rest some more, energy is still low. I hope to share some more files very soon. I have been working on a few different things.

It's not easy being "GREEN"

Green is the color of the day...although, I am feeling much better now. I had a friend request a Kermit, so I thought it was appropriate for the way I was feeling today. Although, I'd rather be singing the 'Rainbow Connection'....I have had to settle for being green.....*grin

Click on the photo to get the cutting files and enjoy!!!

"Monkey"ing around with my Pazzle

So, I had a good friend ask me if I had a cute monkey. Well, I was going back through my files from the last few years and found this really cute one. It was handcut by a friend of mine that had a store. Because we were going to mass produce the page, I turned her handcut monkey into a cutting file.



This is what I have. I love that fact that I was able to make it about 1/2 the size of the original by just clicking on all the pieces at one time and making it smaller. Have I said lately that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Pazzles????



Anyway, click on the photo and it will take you to the cutting files and of course, they are saved in the different formats for different cutters.

Free Cutting File Sharing----the attempt

I've been trying to figure out how to share some of my cutting files at no charge with you all. I plan on sharing them in different cutter formats, so they are more readily available to those with cutting machines already.

Please be patient with me as I try to figure out how to do that here.

At this point, this is just on yahoo. Even if you have to sign up, it is a non chatting group, just a place for me to put my files for now, so they can be accessed by you.



This first one is Super Heroes

AHHHHH....the Inspiration

Well, it has finally happened. I found a cutter that I like more than my Pazzles Pro. Now, I still LOVE my pro, but the new Pazzles Inspiration ROCKS for my daily use. (The pro is still my production machine...*grin)

I got to demo it for 4 days at CHA in Anaheim, the for 3 at the Scrapbook Expo in Costa Mesa. This machine is absolutely FREAKING AMAZING. It does it all. I got to 'experiment' and it cuts chipboard, thinner acrylic, cardstock, vellum, vinyl, window cling, rubber for rubber stamps, shrink plastic, glitter paper and MORE.

It has 500 grams of pressure, PLUS, they put in a BIGGER motor, put in a stronger carriage and belt, so it has power going down...AS WELL AS across.

As Simon (one of the owners of Pazzles) likes to say, "It's a monster of a machine, in a sexy little package." and there isn't a truer statement.

Now that is just the machine....there is still the software. It has a different interface (which just means, it looks different...*grin), BUT, the fine tuning is just awesome. I LOVE the way it welds (one step), I LOVE that they have an image gallery BUILT in to it (and if you choose to buy more cd's, {the newer ones} they automatically install into that gallery) so you can see the images you want, the Font area is larger, so it is easier to see what your word will look like, it has color vectorization and there is so much more.

So, if you have the chance....BE SURE and go see this at an Expo, Convention or Mega Meet. Also, DON'T forget...IF you own a Pazzles machine already and want to get the Inspiration, Pazzles has a Customer Loyalty Program (CLP) and you can get a 20% rebate on it...but that expires on April 30, 2008...so if you are going to do it, don't wait.

Off to California

Well, I'm off to California on Friday for CHA-Winter and Scrapbook Expo-Costa Mesa (Orange County).

I'm so excited for this year of travel to begin and a little bit nervous, because I'm going to be teaching at the consumer shows this year. Now I have taught scrapbooking for many years, but this will be the first time that I have taught this kind of a class. It is a lecture style class with instruction of the Pazzles software. I have worked very hard on this and although it is a lecture style, students will go home with all the materials to and knowledge to create the layout that I will be using to teach with.

I'm excited to see what CHA will be offering this year. To me, I haven't seen anything the last few years that have excited me more than the Pazzles Creative Cutters. Yes, there have been some nice new papers, but nothing that just WOW'd be...so I'm hoping there will be something that knocks my socks off.

After tear down of the booth at CHA on the 13th, I will head to Costa Mesa, get in a nights rest and be ready to set up at the Scrapbook Expo at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.
I'm very excited to see everyone again as I get ready for a year of being on the road. Be sure and stop by the booth and see me. Also, sign up for my class, "Imagine the 'Pazzle'bilities".

My Conventions

I have been putting on scrapbooking conventions for going on 9 years. They are not the BIG ones like Scrapbook Expo, GASC, Mega Meet or CKC nor are they the retreats with 30-40 people, but they are 'in between'. I kind of like to call them "miniventions" because I have some GREAT vendors, awesome classes and the best part....cropping almost around the clock. I have 162 cropping spots avaiable per show.

My registration goes up about 6 weeks prior to each convention. For the first 6 years, it generally took up to the week of convention to fill up...and I didn't always fill up. At that point I started thinking, well, maybe this won't be able to keep going because maybe people don't want to get together and scrapbook like this....WELL....I admit...I WAS WRONG...*grin. For the last few years, my conventions have been filling up quicker and quicker.

I bring this up, because I have just broken a record.......I AM FULL in less than a week for the first time. Now it is the crop portion that is full and there are classes that still have space, but I am so excited about this I just wanted to share.

If you haven't been to a convention, plan on joining us in the Fall or even next year as we CELEBRATE 10 YEARS.

2008----Progress

I know that many people have seen the idea from Ali Edwards about choosing a "word" for yourself for the year.

Well, Edie...one of my extremely talented friend challenged a group of us to do that to and then create a project for it.

I accepted the challenge and I chose the word PROGRESS. Why did I choose this word? Well, 2007 has been a great year and I have made alot of good starts for things I want to do for my life, but I needed to continue doing and adding to those things and after asking my friends for help, we came up with the word PROGRESS.

What I love about this word is that if I make goals and don't complete them, I won't feel like I have failed if I have even done ONE thing towards that goal. I am not going to spend my time beating myself up because I haven't reached my goals, instead I'm going to focus on the PROGRESS that I make in each area.

This works for me in every aspect of my life, I don't have to say, I'm going to lose 50 lbs this year, or I'm going to have a better relationship with my family. I just am going to say, I will make PROGRESS in all these areas, even if it just drinking a glass of water each day to start, or giving and extra hug or kiss each day....or heck even each week....each step is progress.

As I do make progress in different parts of my life, I will share and hopefully help you make progress in your life and I hope you will share your progress with me too.

Here is the project that I did. It isn't done yet, in fact it is just started. As the year goes on, I will add to it and eventually, it will be done, but for now....it is just making PROGRESS.