July-August 2017 classes

 

 

July 2017 Classes

Saturday July 1

Card making classes at Scamper’s, Torrance CA

11:00-1:00 Hooray for Hollywood

2:00-4:00 6 card from 1 stamp (using Mike’s new Cloisonné Cube stamp

 

Saturday July 15

Card making classes at Perfect Day Scrapbooking, Huntington Beach CA.

10:30-12:30 Pounce wheel Paper Quilting

1:30-3:30 10 card from one stamp (take home easy to assemble)kits if you don’t finish in class.

 

Monday July 17

Card making classes at The Stamp Addict, San Diego CA

10:00-12:00 6 cards from 1 stamp (choose from 10 different designs)

2:00-4:00 6 card from 1 stamp

 

Saturday July 22

Card making classes at Hearts & Crafts etc. Covina CA.

10:30 – 12:30 Black & White Menagerie – animal theme cards in black & white

(Including Mike’s newest stamp set, Panda Silhouettes)

2:00-4:00 Techniques Lounge featuring 4 different techniques for card makers including Pounce Wheel Paper Quilting.

 

Wednesday, July 26

Card making class at The Fallbrook Women’s Club, Fallbrook CA.

6 cards from 1 stamp using Mike’s new Cloisonné Cube stamp set

 

August 2017 Classes

 

Saturday August 5

Card making classes at Scamper’s , Torrance CA

11L00-1:00 Asian designs from China, Japan & Korea

2:00-4:00 Black & White Menagerie 10:30 – 12:30 – animal theme cards in black & white

(Including Mike’s newest stamp set, Panda Silhouettes)

 

Saturday August 19

Card making classes at Perfect Day Scrapbooking Huntington Beach CA

10:30-12:30 Black & White Menagerie

2:00-4:00 Tropical Getaway (card inspired by vintage travel posters)

 

Monday, August 21

Card making classes at The Stamp Addict – San Diego CA

10:00-12:00 Black & White Menagerie featuring Mike’s new Panda set of stamps.

2:00-4:00 same

 

Wednesday August 23

Card making classes at the Fallbrook Women’s Club, Fallbrook CA.

11:00-1:00 6 cards from 1 stamp

 

 

Saturday August 26

Card making classes at Hearts & Crafts etc. Covina CA.

10:30-12:30 Tropical Getaway (cards based on vintage travel posters)

1:30-3:30 Captivating Copper (five cards predominantly in copper)

 

 

A tricky pop up card with hinge

https://www.facebook.com/michael.strong.5070

At the Great Yosemite Stamp Escape this year one of the participants gave me a great folded ATC with the coolest pop up I've ever seen. I adapted it for my card making classes. The little mechanism for making it work is a bit tricky so here are some step by step pictures to help you make it yourself. The top photo shows the card in the open position. The bottom photo is the closed card. I simple added the ATC to the front of a card body. After scoring and folding the hinge you will see there are two triangular sections in the middle of the hinge (see picture with the hinge resting on a gluestick). Those two sections are where you add adhesive to stick it to the folded ATC Open and lay it flat. Attach the hinge right over the fold with half of the hinge on the bottom of the fold and half of the hinge on the top of the fold.of the ATC fold. Press firmly to adhere the hinge to the ATC. Open and close the ATC a few times to make sure the hinge is sticking. In my card there are four 1 1/2" squares taped together on the reverse side. I added one photo to the front of each square. To attach the 4 paneled piece to the hinge, lay the ATC open with the hinge flat.. Add  about a 1/2" piece of double sided tape to the bottom left side of the hinge and the upper right side of the hinge. Lay the four panel piece on top of the hinge and press flat. Now carefully close the ATC. The little squares will collapse one on top of the other to lay flat.

Playing with Geometry (again)

While I am waiting for my new set of Panda stamps to be manufactured, I've been playing with geometry again with my Cloisonne Cube design. I admit I'm obsessed by the possibilities of cutting and pasting these segments together in different ways to form interesting patterns. I think I will  have these made into a stamps also. here are a few cards I made using the two sizes of the cube.

Penguin Pals

Here's a card we made at the Great Yosemite Stamp Escape last week using my new Penguin Pals stamp set. As promised, here's the "Ice flow" background for you to print out and use to make a card like mine. Please note the tall penguin has red glitter high tops!

Words of Wisdom

I copied this from my friend Donna Kato's blog this morning. I like her thinking!

making

When I began working with polymer clay, I remember that new ideas came flying out and fast. I couldn't finish one thing without a new thing coming forth. It was pretty amazing. There were always new techniques, new ways to looking at polymer clay and new ways of making it do new things.

Now, that went on for many years, our medium is so versatile, you can work for many, many years, maybe a life time before you come to what you might consider the end of innovation but, it does for most of us, slow down.

It's not that one day you're full and the next day, you're empty, no, it's a gradual thing. I happen to think it's a natural and normal thing. Thing is, you have to have faith that it's not a period at the end of a creative sentence but a very natural slowing down. You can't run at full speed forever and not burn out.

When it happens, that slow down, you have to believe that there is more in the well and that it will come. I believe that because it always has. Maybe one day the well will run dry, I suppose that could happen. I think about that sometimes but I brush off those thoughts because they can be paralyzing. Hey, why worry about something that isn't yet and may never be a reality?

Innovation is great and exciting but equally rewarding is simply creating something you love. It doesn't have to be new and ground breaking, not all the time. Making is its own reward and you know, making frequently stokes the fire, gets the juices flowing and then you get innovation.

So, don't worry, be happy. Make and enjoy and be kind to yourself, too.

Happy Hew Year!

Here's a little digital surprise for you to print and color and make into cards. Happy year of the Rooster!

Card Classes in SoCal

Hi there, Here's where I'll be teaching card making classes in February & March.

February 2017 Classes

Saturday February 4

Card making classes at Scrampers – Torrance CA.

11:00-1:00 Vintage Valentine’s Day Cards

2:00-4:00 Colorful Hexagon Cards

Saturday February 18

Card making classes at Perfect Day Scrapbooking – Huntington Beach

10:30-12:30 Colorful Hexagon Cards

1:30-3:30 Pretty in Pink

Monday February 20

Card making classes at The Stamp Addict – San Diego

10:00-12:00 Colorful Hexagon Cards

2:00-4:00 Colorful Hexagon Cards

Wednesday February 22

Card making class at The Fallbrook Women’s Club - Fallbrook

11:00-1:00 Colorful Hexagon Cards

Saturday February 25

Card making classes at Hearts & Crafts etc. – Covina

10:30-12:30 Pretty in Pink cards

2:00-4:00 Reverse High Contrast Coloring for Cards

March 2017

Saturday March 4

Card making classes at Scrampers – Torrance

11:00-1:00 Timeless Black & White cards and matching tote

2:00-4:00 Pretty in Pink cards

Saturday March 18

Card making classes at Perfect Day Scrapbooking – Huntington Beach

10:30-12:30 Reverse High Contrast Coloring for card making.

1:30-3:30 How Does Your Garden Grow? Garden theme cards

Monday March 20

Card making classes at The Stamp Addict – San Diego

10:00-12:00 How Does Your Garden Grow?

2:00-4:00 How Does Your Garden Grow?

Wednesday March 22

Card making classes at Fallbrook Women’s Club - Fallbrook

11:00-1:00 How Does Your Garden Grow?

Saturday March 25

Card making classes at Hearts & Crafts Etc, - Covina

10:30-12:30 How Does Your Garden Grow?

2:00-4:00 All New White on White Cards