Thursday, September 29, 2011

Circle of Butterflies on TaDa Creative Studios

Hi all!

Today is my turn to post on TaDa Creative Studios Blog. I had a Spellbinders die template I was "die"-ing to use...sorry...couldn't resist...haven't had my coffee yet ;0P They introduced it in their 2011 Summer CHA release - S4-329 Butterflies Circles.

Circle of Butterflies Shaped Card by Margie Higuchi
Supplies Cardstock: The Paper Company; Patterned Papers: TaDa Creative Studios (BFF and Sizzlin' Summer Collections); Tool: ScorPal; Dies: Spellbinders Paper Arts (S4-329 Butterfiles Circles and S4-320 Nested Butterflies Two); Adhesive: The Best Glue Ever

You can create this look too! Visit A Circle of Butterflies post on the TaDa Creative Studios Blog for the tutorial.

Thanks for stopping by!
MargieH

Monday, September 26, 2011

Hobby Craft Fair in NAGOYA JAPAN!!

名古屋三越星が丘店 にメモリープレイスが出店!
ホビークラフトアートフェアin 名古屋。
9月28日~10月3日開催。
スクラップブッキング体験できます。
案内は、ここです(日本語で)。

To all my friends in the NAGOYA/AIICHI PREF area or even in Japan (lol!!), there is a Hobby Craft Fair at the MITSUKOSHI Department Store - HOSHI GA OKA location starting this week.

WHERE: 8th Floor
WHEN: September 28 (Wed) - October 3 (Mon)/10:00am - 7:00pm
GENERAL ADMISSION: Free

One of  my favorite stores, Memory Place the store, will have a booth there. BONUS: they will have some of Spellbinders™ Paper Arts newest releases and classic shapes available for purchase!!!!! BE ONE OF THE FIRST IN JAPAN TO OWN THESE!!!! How exciting :0)

I created this shaped card to be displayed in the booth using some FABULOUS Spellbinders die templates :0) Not only do these die templates cut, emboss and stencil but they work well as I ink INSIDE the edges of the die templates to create a letter press effect - one of my favorite technique :)

O'Christmas Tree by Margie Higuchi
Supplies Cardstock: WorldWin Papers; Patterned Papers: My Mind's Eye; Ink: Clearsnap; Pearls: Kaiser; Glitter: Ranger; Dies: Spellbinders Paper Arts (S4-161 Labels One, S4-287 Fanciful Holiday); Adhesive and Tool: ScraPerfect (The Best Glue Ever and The Embellie Gellie); Other: Foam Tape and Larger Pearls

At the booth, there will be a Halloween mini book make 'n take. If you're interested, please register at the booth - first come, first serve basis. Make'n take time is about 40 mins.

Halloween Mini Book
Date: Sept 29 (Thu) & Sept 30 (Fri)
Time: Between 10:00am - 6:00pm
Fee: Y(en) 1,050

Also at their booth, a mini book class will be offered by Instructor/Designer Toshie Nagatsuka using Bo Bunny and Core'dinations papers.

Elegant Mini Book Class
Date: Oct 1 (Sat) & Oct 2 (Sun)
Times: 10:30am, 1:00pm, 3:30pm
Fee: Y 3,360

If you plan to sign up for the class, you will need to bring the following: Paper Trimmer, Scissors, Inch Ruler, Liquid Adhesive, Tape Adhesive, Marker/Pen, Needle, Paper Piecer (めうち), Bone Folder and Sand Block or Sand Paper (basic scrapbooking tool kit).

Wish I was there!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

2011 World Card Making Day!

Can't believe it's already coming up on October 1st! If you participated last year, you know there is a contest with this event :)


For more details, look at 2011 World Card Making Day Card Contest. Speaking of cards, I've been madly creating some cards and samples for a Japanese craft show in NAGOYA - my friends at Memory Place will be exhibiting there. I can't show all of them but I'd like to show one of my favorite ones.

Pink Doily card by Margie Higuchi
Supplies Cardstock: WorldWin Papers; Stamp: My Mind's Eye; Embossing Ink: VersaMark/TSUKINEKO; Embossing Powder: Sparkle N' Sprinkle; Pearl: Prima; Die: Spellbinders™ Paper Arts (S4-346 Labels Twenty-Two); Adhesive and Tools: ScraPerfect (The Best Glue Ever, The Embellie Gellie & The Perfect Crafting Pouch)

One of my favorite stamp images - so pretty and sparkles so well with the pink glitter embossing powder. Love how it picks up the fine details!

So I hope you join in on all the fun on October 1st for 2011 World Card Making Day! I'll be at a crop and hopefully creating some fun cards! What about you?

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Ten Years on 9-11

Can't believe it's been 10 years...seems like days...we were near by on the NJ side as our townhome was right on the Hudson River facing Manhattan (upper west side). The play backs of that day on the TV just hits too close to home for me.

I refuse to look back at the fear/terror, I look to the good in all this. Like NY/NJ residents opening their homes to perfect strangers when they were walking on the bridges out of NYC. Some couldn’t walk any more, some needed water or a phone to call loved ones.

Yesterday, I received the following email from the MeetUp group which I'd like to share - this is what I'm talking about - the good...

"Fellow Meetuppers,

I don't write to our whole community often, but this week is special because it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and many people don't know that Meetup is a 9/11 baby.

Let me tell you the Meetup story. I was living a couple miles from the Twin Towers, and I was the kind of person who thought local community doesn't matter much if we've got the internet and tv. The only time I thought about my neighbors was when I hoped they wouldn't bother me.

When the towers fell, I found myself talking to more neighbors in the days after 9/11 than ever before. People said hello to neighbors (next-door and across the city) who they'd normally ignore. People were looking after each other, helping each other, and meeting up with each other. You know, being neighborly.

A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring people together in a lasting way. So the idea for Meetup was
born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet -- and grow local communities?

We didn't know if it would work. Most people thought it was a crazy idea -- especially because terrorism is designed to make people distrust one another.

A small team came together, and we launched Meetup 9 months after 9/11.

Today, almost 10 years and 10 million Meetuppers later, it's working. Every day, thousands of Meetups happen. Moms Meetups, Small Business Meetups, Fitness Meetups... a wild variety of 100,000 Meetup Groups with not much in common -- except one thing.

Every Meetup starts with people simply saying hello to neighbors. And what often happens next is still amazing to me. They grow businesses and bands together, they teach and motivate each other, they babysit each other's kids and find other ways to work together. They have fun and find solace together. They make friends and form powerful community. It's powerful stuff.

It's a wonderful revolution in local community, and it's thanks to everyone who shows up.

Meetups aren't about 9/11, but they may not be happening if it weren't for 9/11.

9/11 didn't make us too scared to go outside or talk to strangers. 9/11 didn't rip us apart. No, we're building new community together!!!!

The towers fell, but we rise up. And we're just getting started with these Meetups.

Scott Heiferman
(on behalf of 80 people at Meetup HQ)
Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup New York City September 2011"

Thanks Scott!

Thanks for stopping by. Hug your loved ones a little harder today!
MargieH xo

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

One Year Ago...

On FaceBook last night, I wrote "One year ago today...love and miss you so much, dad..." and the loving words of support from my friends (even the ones that lurk! lol!) poured in. WOW. Thank you - I needed that. I have to say the power of FaceBook is amazing :0)

I posted A Tribute to My Dad last September and it was a nice reminder of what my dad was all about. Also in that post, I included a picture of him that I took the day I left for home - it was the only picture during my stay that he looked his best. Today I'd like to share an ATC I created using his picture from his school days (I think junior high or high school) in the late 1930s to early 40s...

Dad by Margie Higuchi
Supplies Patterned Paper: Donna Salazar; Dies, Punches (dad) and craft foils: Spellbinders™ Paper Arts; Embellishment: Advantus; Adhesive: ScraPerfect

We had a small family memorial service at home - it's handy to have a Buddhist priest as your hubby! LOL!! The rest of the family held the memorial service at the family temple in Japan so he was "covered" on both countries :0)

Never created an ATC with a picture in it. Have you? I like this idea and plan to use it more often!

Thanks for stopping by!