Amy Tan 2Peas Workshop Class Winner!


Thanks to everyone who left a comment during the 2Peas Gardeners' Digest blog hop this month. The winner of the spot in Amy Tan's workshop is . . .



This workshop will be awarded through 2Peas. Please let me know if it doesn't appear in your downloads within the next week.

Watch for a new blog hop on May 22nd.

Announcing: "Tool School" My New 2Peas Workshop!

I've been so excited about this project and couldn't wait to spill the beans. It's been a long few months working on this after my full-time job and in between both a work trip and a vacation. But I've had this workshop mulling around in my brain for a while now, and I wanted to share the details!

This self-paced workshop is only $12!

Click HERE to check out this new workshop!
Class Description:


The "Tool School" workshop includes over 100 creative ideas for using your tools. Some basic knowledge of how to use a digital die cut machine, a manual die cut machine, and paper punching are required.

In the following chapters, Jen focuses on teaching new ways to use each type of tool system. Full step-by-step instructions are included for all of the 102 techniques found on the 30 layouts for this workshop.

Chapters are divided accordingly:

Chapter 1: Punches
Chapter 2: Die Cutting
Chapter 3: Other Tools

In addition to the 37 page PDF, Jen has incorporated many of the techniques in each chapter video. Learn how to die cut a shape from Washi Tape. Punch and layer two of the same photo. Hand stitch an embossed pattern. Or staple ribbon to your page. There are so many techniques to choose from! Each video also includes a full start-to-finish layout so you can see how Jen approaches designing with tools into her design process.

Samples include 12x12" and 8 1/2" x 11" layouts and feature seasonal celebrations, family outings, and special memories.

Whether you're looking to purchase and use new tools, or whether you're looking to stretch your tool supplies even further, this fun and exciting workshop will give you plenty of ideas to choose from. Lessons can be completed at your own pace. A private message board forum is also available to ask questions of both Jen and to connect with other participants. 

Join in on the fun!


Why a workshop on tools?

Let's be honest. You probably have gobs of tools, and I'll bet they're not being used to their full capacity. In this workshop, I wanted to show you as many new ways to use these common tools as possible. The goal is that you will start using those tools more often.

Class Samples Sneak Peek:


PDF Sneak Peek:



Sign up NOW for this amazing new workshop. Click HERE!

Product Focus Week #16: Circle Punches

 
Welcome to this week's Product Focus." In these weekly blog posts, I'll share a scrapbooking product or product type I'm particularly drawn to, and then share some ways I've used the products in a project. I'll point out tips and tricks for using the product, share some of my favorite products from that product line, and then I'll open it up for any questions you might have. I'd also love to hear your reviews or uses for the product type I focus on each week. This is a chance for you to pull out products you already own and play with them or for you to discover new products you might not yet have tried.

 
This week, I'm focusing on a very basic but favorite tool: circle punches. Circle punches are a wonderful staple tool that allows you to create so many different projects. This week I've asked some of my favorite designers to share their work that uses this amazing tool type.



Here are a few of my favorite circle punches (click the photos for links to the products). Be sure to search by "circle punches" at 2Peas to find products perfect for any project:







Below you will find a gallery of projects from both me, as well as, my designer friends that use circle punches. Hopefully these will give you some new ideas for using a circle or two on your upcoming projects.

Idea #1: Fill a Background with Circles:



Idea #2:  Use the Negative Shape of a Punch:


(Source: Lilith Eeckels)

Idea #3: Fill an Open Patterned Paper Shape with a Circle:


(Source: Jill Sprott)

Idea #4: Create a Folded Circle Design:


(Source: Paige Evans)



How do you incorporate circle punches on your layouts? Do you punch a border with them? Do you use them as confetti? If you have a question about this post, please leave it within the comments section below. I may just answer some of them in an upcoming "Product Focus" post. 



Losing a Child

Today marks six years since we lost our oldest son, Joseph to cancer. Six years ago was the darkest, most excruciating day of my life. Today we are in a much better place, but it has been a long journey from that horrid place.

Losing a child changes you. That seems so obvious, but you really cannot predict how it will change you.

You may feel guilty about anything that makes you happy. You may feel that in enjoying something you are some how letting down your loved one. It takes a long time to truly enjoy things in life again.

You remove yourself more often from social situations. Begin social is utterly exhausting after losing a loved one. Getting to that level where you're chatting, relaxed, and happy is more difficult than you imagine. Being around people that are happy somehow reminds you that you are not and that someone you care about is missing. And then you don't really want to explain that to people so you slowly stop going to things.

You don't give as much of yourself away any more. If you were once open and friendly and loving, you find that you don't share as much of yourself any more. You find that in opening up that side of you, you may open up the wound and you just don't want to chance that. So you love and enjoy at a different level because it's sometimes the only way to cope with the pain.

You miss one of the most important parts of yourself. You constantly feel like your child should be coming home any moment. And while you know they are gone, you still look for them and feel as if they should be home. Then you remember they are not coming home again, and the ache is just so powerful.

You are hyper aware of other people's suffering, and you wish so desperately that they were not facing pain. And while you have so recently been through something similar, you still have no words to truly ease their suffering. But you wish constantly that you did.

You watch your other children suffer in the loss of their brother. You watch them cry because they can't remember how their brother looks or sounds. You watch them trying to keep it together on their brother's birthday or special events while their friends have no idea how much they are hurting inside. You put aside your own pain to hold up the child who is currently hurting because nothing is more important than healing the rest of your family.

You wonder constantly how to celebrate special events such as Christmas, your child's birthday, and vacations. You sometimes want to get lost in the moment of the holiday or sometimes you want nothing to do with it.

You find yourself wanting to share your child's memory with everyone, but you don't want to burden them with a pain they can't understand. You recognize that uncomfortable look in others' eyes when you've discussed your pain too much, and you fold back into yourself because it really is your own burden to carry.

You struggle to know how to continue caring for a child that is no longer with you. You feel lost and confused about how to still parent from a distance so they still feel your love. You never quite figure it out.

You watch your spouse suffer differently from you, and you ache all over again knowing you can't make it better for them. You take turns suffering: one falling apart while the other one stands strong. And sometimes you have to put away for a bit because it threatens to consume you.

You find you mourn for him in the most unlikely places: vacations, dates with your spouse, getting ready in the morning, driving down the freeway. It washes over you suddenly, and without warning and you weep when no one's looking.

You find yourself comforting others that miss him too. And sometimes that is exactly what you want to do, and other times you wish you could selfishly miss him by yourself. You want to share him and yet keep him all to yourself.

You learn you are stronger than you ever thought you were. You learn you can wake up day after day and keep moving forward despite a pain that consumes you. You learn that even after the most awful thing your heart has ever had to endure, you can be happy again. You can find peace again. You can love again. You can heal.

For me, having faith that I will see Joseph again has been the biggest source of peace and comfort for me again. Believing that one day we will not only see him, but raise him again as a family helps me move not away from the pain, but towards being with him again.

Having a loving husband to stand with has given me strength at those moments when I was on the verge of breaking down. Loving each other through it has proven to me the strength of our love. We continue to lean on each other constantly.

Having other children who needed me, who are bright stars of their own has given me purpose and a place to put my heart.

Having extended family who listen and understand and try to give us space when we need it has been a tribute to the kind of people they are.

Having friends all over the world who remember, comment, care, and support us makes me feel his memory lives on, and that will always be important to me.

On this sixth anniversary of my son's passing, I feel at peace. I will never stop missing him, and some years are more difficult than others. But I know he is well. I know he is at peace with my brother. And I KNOW I will be with him again. I'm grateful for this knowledge.

Seeing Double: Happiness Is (card and layout)


For this week's "Seeing Double" video and project for 2Peas, I wanted to focus on using clear items such as these clear borders from Heidi Swapp:


Here are the two projects I created:



Here is the layout:



And here is the card:



You can find additional photos of this project HERE on 2Peas.

Below is the helpful start-to-finish video tutorial on how to recreate these two projects:



In the supply list below, I've suggested a few products you might want to try. Remember the tips and tricks about adding clear items to your projects from the video. I've also included the items used to create this layout and items you might consider if those items are out of stock.

Suggested Products (click photos for product information):



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