Inspiration Station Scrapbooking Store and Retreat Ovid Mi

Linda_Neff_mini_mug_shot Howdy! Just wanted to pop in here and give you some updates on what's happening and what's to come.

I received word last night that another cottage has opened up for the weekend of my Mixed-media Mini Book Mystery Retreat. This means there is space for 4 more students for the weekend of Feb. 15-17 at Sunset Shores in Clare. I need to know of interest by Friday (Feb. 1) and payment can be made to me via cash, check, or credit (through Etsy). Email me at lneffscraps@gmail.com. Participants will be the first to create two new mini books on my teaching schedule for this year!

Here's the Retreat info:

Join me for a fun-filled instructional weekend retreat at Sunset Shores Cottages nestled along the edge of Stevenson Lake in Clare, Mi. This retreat is all about mini books and mixed-media and it's happening soon! This Mixed-media Mini Book Mystery Retreat is slated for Feb. 15, 16 & 17, 2013.

Attendees have an opportunity to create two eclectic and vintage-style mini books, plus a third mystery project over the weekend. It's an intense weekend of painting, inking and experimenting with new-to-you techniques and I promise everyone a very exciting, creative weekend. Space is limited to 12.

You'll be housed among four cozy, adorable cottages (three to a cottage) and will enjoy learning and working in the spacious craft room and taking delicious home-cooked meals in the dining room with views overlooking the lake.

Your creative mystery weekend includes lodging, meals, beverages, and guest thank you bags, along with materials and personalized instruction to create three projects. Cost of the weekend is $285.

My very first retreat weekend adventure was held here last August and we had so much fun and the students really enjoyed their projects. I hope you'll join us this year for another great weekend of crafting!

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Adding stores to my teaching area:

I've been busy adding new stores to my teaching area and am happy to announce it now includes Scrapbook Peddler in Saginaw, The Paper Hollow in Sterling Heights, Altered Art Addicts in Jackson and Inspiration Station in Ovid.

There are several mini books and card classes on the agenda and I'm in the process of finishing up a new Tempting Techniques Tag Reference Book (former Ranger Ramblings). Classes are beginning in February with my Retreat at Sunset Shores, and March in the stores. Some are scheduled into May with more to come!

Check out the link to my Class Calendar and Schedule for information and register for these classes currently scheduled at your favorite store.

And, if you haven't already, please 'like' my Facebook page for additional class updates and crafty information.

Sunset Shores Winter & Spring openings:

I'm passing along some information from my friend Vivian who owns and operates Cottages at Sunset Shores in Clare, Mi. When looking for a nice tranquil and serene place to escape to for a scrapbooking weekend, quilt retreat or just a few days away with the girlfriends, check out Sunset Shores in Clare.

A short two-hour car ride from the Howell/Brighton area makes it the perfect place – far enough away the family won't bother you, but close enough in case of an emergency.

The cottages are available year-round, weekday and/or weekend. Lots of festivities take place in and around the Mt. Pleasant and Clare area throughout the year and these cottages are a great getaway. Soaring Eagle Casino is 20 minutes down the road and there are quite a few top-notch golf courses as well. Great fishing on Stevenson and surrounding lakes, and the lake is perfect for kayaking, canoeing and swimming.

I've stayed here mid-week with my sisters for a few days just to sit around and chat and share a bottle of wine and Dennis and I spend at least one week of vacation here during June. We like to stay in the cottages any time we can sneak away for a day or two; it's just very peaceful. Love sitting on the deck overlooking the lake and reading a good book.

In addition to mid-week openings this time of year Vivian also has the following retreat weekends (includes meals & lodging) available. Visit Sunset Shores for more info and call her at (989) 386-7030 to book your reservation.

Availability:

Feb.1-3
Feb. 8-10
March 1-3
March 22-24
April 4-7
May 3-5
May 10-12

Howdy! I'm up over on the Art Glitter blog today with a how-to create this glittery little Valentine's Day canvas.

It is super quick-n-easy and makes a cute little shelf-sitter.

Jump on over and take a look!

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And, here's a link or two for a few other Valentine's Day ideas: http://artglitterblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/glittering-candy-jars.html and https://linda-neff.com/2013/01/10/lovin-this-little-box/

Linda_Neff_mini_mug_shot I recently shared with you the altered window I was working on. Well, it's finally finished – sort of. I still need to decide what will go into the three remaining panes but for now I'm very happy with the results.

I used Globecraft & Piccolo embossing powders on the Piccolo Accents that are used to decorate the window frame. It's also used on some of the window frames' edges to give it a touch of aged gold. My biggest thrill though, is the photo transfer that I finally got to work! It tool three tries but the third one turned out just as I had envisioned.

I printed a sepia-tone, color photo of my grandparents and my mother onto plain white office supply paper on my ink jet printer. I was determined to get it to work using my regular every-day supplies. I had read many articles on photo transfers and figured out that basically it's an experiment for the most part and if you get lucky, it works. I got lucky.

My first attempt I did just by-the-book. I brushed Glastique Gloss Finishing Glaze onto a portion of the window pane in a large enough area to fit the photo I had printed out and torn the edges off. I placed the photo face-down in to the Glastique and burnished it onto the glass and wiped up any extra Glastique before it dried. I left it overnight and spritzed it the next day to rub the paper away and it all came off. Not suppose to happen.

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So I cleaned the pane, printed another photo and tried again. This time I also brushed the Glastique onto the photo as well as the glass. Placed it on the glass, burnished it and to really hold it down, I brushed Glastique over the top. Wrong. The next day when I spritzed the paper to prep it for rubbing away, the water wouldn't soak into it. The extra coating of Glastique sealed the photo onto the glass – Duh! So, I saturate the photo, scrap it up so I can get some water under it and finally get it all scrapped off. Onto the third try.

I referred back to my book again and decided maybe I wasn't using enough medium (Glastique) for the transfer to work. This time I printed another photo, tore the edges away, brushed a good thick layer of Glastique onto the glass and onto the face of the photo. I carefully laid it onto the coated area of the glass and used a brayer this time to burnish. I rolled over it in both directions several times, being very careful not to get Glastique on the back of the photo. When I thought it was good, I took a damp cloth and wiped away the Glastique that oozed out from using the brayer. It sat overnight once again.

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The next day, I spritzed it with water and gently began to rub away the paper backing. Success! It worked just like it was supposed to. I think with photo transfers it's just a matter of experimenting on different surfaces with different mediums. The G&P Glastique worked perfectly once I figured out how much I needed.

I also used three DIY Ornaments to create a banner to string across the window. The ornaments are connected with jump rings and Piccolo Accents that are embossed with G&P Vintage Copper Embossing Powder. I also used Vintage Copper Embossing Powder on the ornament rings and the key. I used the heat flash technique so the powder is not melted completely leaving an aged, worn look.

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The completed window looks even better than I imagined it would and the photo transfer is wonderful on the window pane. I backed it with a sheet of vintage music paper to add a bit of contrast. Those are old insulator knobs a friend spotted at an antique mall for me attached to the bottom. They'll make a great hangar or shelf to perch an old book or other memorabilia on.

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I'm lovin' playing with these DIY Ornaments. I'm always thinking of different uses for them. How about you – any ideas? Jump on over to the G&P Blog today to see the DIY Ornaments I hung from a vintage lamp shade.

Select your own G&P products to play with here: