Name Change & FB Fan Page

Happy Friday everyone!! Hope you had a good week! Mine has been just a little stressful...but good! The sun has finally showed it's face today. It's been so cold and wet - we are all waiting, patiently for SUN and WARM temps, brrr! I'm so ready for summer... being able to relax and enjoy the outside!

Now.. the latest news is that I had to change my "company name". The new name is... The Paper Caffé. I hope you all like it. :) 

The amount of time it takes to get a new name and then to make sure it is available is where the stressful part comes in. We (my hubby and I) started my fan page on Facebook and PaperCapers was already taken - there is already a store with that name. We couldn't come up with an address that would be easy to remember that went with PaperCapers.

Anyway, we like the new name as it fits everything to a "t", or should I say "coffee"! (get it? caffe, latte??) Having my tall, no foam, 1/2 sweet caramel latte at Starbucks was the inspiration for the new name... 

This week I also had a card class at the seniors centre. I always prep for 6 and when I called Monday afternoon to check how many signed up, I had 4. No issues because I had prepped enough. Tuesday afternoon I thought I should call back and ask to close off the registration and I then had 7, ah!!! Had to prep a few more kits in a hurry. 

My new Facebook Fan page is http://www.facebook.com/papercaffe Please check it out and if you like it, become a fan!

The FB page will be for my paper art only. My blog will continue to be a mix of painting and paper art.

Thanks for stopping by today! ~ Sharka

Paper Rosettes

Paper rosettes {or Medallions} are the latest right now and after this past weekends crop retreat I've caught the bug!  They are cute and fun to make - also, they are pretty easy. I love how I can make such a great embellishment with just paper!


There are three ways to get these:
#1 - purchase rosettes already made and decorated for you with adhesive on the backs.
#2 - make them yourself by cutting strips of paper, punching the long edge on one side, scoring every 1/4", accordian folding, and gluing your ends - finally adding the decor.
#3 - purchasing the "new" Tim Holtz Sizzlet Mini Paper Rosettes Die.


I have seen them in packages and I think they are pretty pricey for what they are. I have made one by cutting a strip of paper and doing all the hard work. But if you are off with your cutting, punching, or gluing ends, you will see the error when complete.


Because I caught the bug, I purchased Tim Holtz's die. The great thing is that it is quick and easy, and they are all coordinated, and the two smaller sizes both come on ONE die - which means less storage and less cost which makes me a happy camper! 


There are some great online tutorials about making all kinds of paper rosettes, either using Tim Holtz's die(s), or by hand. Tim Holtz dies work in a Big Shot with the extended cutting pads and platform. I believe they work in the Cuttlebug machine because my friend at the crop was making lots that way all weekend long! lol!


I also love how I get different effects with the rosettes depending on what print/pattern or papers/cardstock I use.

Happy Rosette'ing! ~ Sharka

Busy Spring!

It has been a busy April so far and we're only in the third week. We still have Easter, which is later than normal, and then I'm off to a "Groovy" weekend crop (scrapbook retreat) with my partner in crime at the end of the month.  Then May will be here and the pace will pick-up as I need to paint more paintings for juried events for the summer.


This will all be followed by designing my halloween mini-album for a class I've sponsored at  BC Scrapbooking Crop for Kids - an annual charity scrapbooking event benefitting BC Children's Hospital Foundation. And then attending this same event.

I won't get into too much detail with the projects coming up because I will be keeping you all up-to-date!  But for this coming weekend, April 16th and April 17th, I am participating in the first ever North Shore Art Crawl, a free weekend event with 40 locations/100 artists in their studios and galleries open for all to explore.

Do you remember my "Picowsso" painting I had on my blog earlier? Well, I entered it for the "Man's Best Friend" exhibition presented by North Vancouver Arts Council and it was accepted, yay!!! This is my first gallery exhibition and if you're unable to join me at the Opening Reception, you can catch the exhbition while it is running... ;-)) Sharka

 

My Childhood Friend...

On February 5th we came home from a dinner with friends and the phone rang... it was sad news, my childhood friend Noelle passed away.

She fought some difficult times in the last 8 years, but always had a smile on her face! She loved sports, was no "girly-girl" and had a life long quest for travel and adventure - she experienced more than most can dream. She met life's challenges with determination, dignity and a great sense of humour; we sure had some great laughs, didn't we...

Her "Celebration of Life" is this weekend and I had to do something... Noelle had a passion for gardening and you can tell by her space at a community garden that she had a pretty good "green thumb"? One of her favourite flowers was Snow Peas so I purchased 50 seed packets and attached handmade tags for guests to take home when they leave.

When I was thinking of what to write on the tags I found this quote, "The April birth flower is the sweet pea, which means good-bye or blissful pleasure. The sweet pea also has a hidden message too which is thank you for a lovely time." I didn't use this quote, but did use this little poem, by Friendship's Garden...

"In friendship's fragrant garden

There are flowers of every hue.

Each with it's own fair beauty

And its gift of joy for you."

I know I'll be planting Snow Peas in my garden this year!!! ~ Sharka

Standard #10 Envelope becomes Multi-Pocket Mini Album!

I caught the latest bug that's been going around so have had a few days to do research on the computer (when we want to search the internet, it's called "research" in our home). I found this wonderful tutorial on YouTube by Laura from Following the Paper Trail on how to make a multi-pocket envelope album. Nice on its own or a few combined to make a mini scrapbook.

The neatest thing... this 4 pocket mini album is made from just one, #10 standard envelope that we all have at home or from the mail we get everyday. It doesn't matter if it has preprinted material on it because it will all be covered with great patterned paper in the end!

After I watched the tutorial I went and tried to make one... I was going to make one for Spring and/or Easter. After it was all put together and embellished, with the papers I used it turned out to be a general theme for any occasion.

The one envelope will give you four different pockets; one on the top, two on the right hand side and the last one in the back. I recommend checking out this tutorial (and her others) for some great mini album ideas and projects.

I hope I feel better soon so I can get back to my normal routine and I hope you all have a wonderful and creative weekend! ~ Sharka

Painter's Block?

I think it's safe to say you have all heard of "writer's block" - correct? Right now, because I am a painter, I have to say that I have "painter's block"!

For those painters out there, you know those times when you stare and stare at the canvas and just can't bring yourself to pick up your brush and paint? I don't have trouble at the start of a painting, it's at the point in my style where I have to start adding detail. (see the photo) I get that feeling of... I don't know what to do, or can I do it?

Sometimes there are so many thoughts dancing around in my head that it makes me dizzy! Most often I think it's a little lack of confidence. The painting and I are having a battle of sorts; my brain starts talking to me...go ahead, do your best but it won't be good enough. I wish only the painting was talking to me and not my brain!

I get up, plug the kettle in for a cup of green tea, go back to being comfortable and settle down again to paint. My brain starts talking again, challenging me. Sometimes being somewhat intimidated I decide to go away, clean some of my brushes and change my water. I come back, the tea is now cold... those voices come back... and frustration sets in.

At this point I shut the lights off and go home and tell my husband, "Guess what, I'm at that stage again and don't know how to get over this temporary slump". I then leave the painting for a few days which somehow allows me to overcome the block - at which point I go back and finish it, most often painting and finishing faster.

Do any of you experience "painter's block"? If yes, tell me how you get past it? I think next time I'll try setting the painting aside and starting a new one - until I am ready to go back and finish the first one. Maybe this way I'll even get more paintings finished, faster! ~ Sharka

Can You Guess Which One is Mine?

When we woke up this past Sunday, I looked outside and this is what we found! We drove slowly and made it to the second day of an acrylic workshop I was taking with Janice Robertson. I haven't taken a painting workshop in some time now and since becoming a member of the North Shore Artists' Guild I have new opportunities to explore - so I signed up for Janice's class. I'm pretty sure that I want to sign-up for next month's class as well - it's a workshop on oil painting.

We arrived Sunday morning, 15 out of 16 made it, and it was "show'n'tell" time for our study/exercise we did Saturday. It was a study in value and placement. We all had the same photo to paint from - can you guess which one is mine?

The snow continued to fall most of the day but it didn't matter - we were inside having fun learning and painting. When I came home after the workshop, this is what greeted us in our front yard! Looks like the nieghbours were having some fun in the snow! ~ Sharka