One of my favorite things about the new year is having a fresh calendar to use. I love calendars as room accents and I often save calendar art images to frame for home décor projects. In years past, I kept a dry erase calendar on the refrigerator to serve as home base for our family’s information. Now, everything I do goes onto my Google calendar. Steph from The Daily Digi has written a wonderful article about how she uses Google calendar which is a very useful and FREE tool.

No matter which type of calendar you use, you can get a lot of scrapbooking information & inspiration by following a few basic tips:

A calendar is a living scrapbook of your everyday life.

Even if you never create a scrapbook layout or write a blog entry, your daily calendar will give some insight into what kind of life you have led. It may be the only written record some people leave behind. Consider using a calendar for keeping track of upcoming events AND for recording past ones. After you attend a party, jot down a few notes on your calendar about who you visited with or what you ate at the party.

The more details you add right after the event, the better your recall will be of the party later on. You can read more about this approach in my post on using the calendar as a journaling tool at thedailydigi.com.

Save your old calendars.

The nice thing about keeping an electronic calendar is that it’s easy to access the past without having to search through boxes of paper. Even traditional calendars can be kept and filed for later use. I love that I can quickly find out what was happening on any given date in my life.

Some is better than none.

A blank calendar won’t give you any information, but it isn’t an all or nothing situation. Even if you only jot down a few events each month, you will have something to jog your memory. Don’t be discouraged if it takes you awhile to establish the habit of using your calendar to document your life. It’s worth a few extra minutes here and there to include details you want to remember in the future.

If you want to learn how to use simple tools such as calendars to document your memories, be sure to sign up for my Roundup Your Memories workshop. Class starts this Thursday, January 5th and registration closes on January 11th. You can read all about what you will learn in the workshop right here. Hope to see you there! 

Art of Composition taught by Tracey Clark

Hard to believe it is time to open registration for the last 4 expert class of 2011. Time is flying! Read more about the class below and view a video of Tracey sharing her vision for this class.

 "Through a variety of weekly lessons, video instruction, rich imagery, creative exercises, challenges and personal feedback, you will glean innovative inspiration and artistic guidance while learning how to use the elements of composition as catalysts to dramatically improve your photographs. By being encouraged to both observe images as well as create them, Tracey's unique take on this topic will change how you look at the world around you while you learn how to compose the kinds of images you've always wanted to create!

No matter what kind of photography you enjoy or where you might be along your photographic journey, The Art of Composition is a class you won't want to miss!"

Read the rest of the description here.

How amazing is it that people can form real friendships with each other online? Over the next three weeks we are going to share some cool stories that have happened to people who have connected via Big Picture Classes. (check out our global community map here)

First up is teacher Tami Morrison and managing editor Brandi Hennesey.

Brandi writes,

Curious about this picture?
If you don’t know me yet, I’m the Managing Editor here at Big Picture Classes (which, by the way, is the most awesome job on the planet. I’m sure of it!). I get to spend time every day interacting with our amazing teachers, working through all the great classes, and just plain being inspired.

Luckily, my job doesn’t require me to get off the couch (not often anyways) because in January, I slipped on my stairs and broke bones in 7 places in my ankle and foot…but that’s not really what I want to talk to you about today. One day, out of the blue, I received the coolest care package in the mail. Even the packing tape on the box was bright and cheerful. Tami Morrison, one of our fabulous teachers, had sent me a survival kit (and believe me, with a 3-year-old, an 8-year-old and a husband who has a full time job and is in school, I needed help surviving!).

This is such a great idea, that I had to share it with you! I’m sure you know someone who just had a baby, who is sick or injured, or who just needs a pick-me-up.

Have you made a connection via Big Picture? Please share via our blog. We are looking for people to highlight in this series and elsewhere.

Check out what teacher Tracey Clark  has to say, along with other photographers, this week at Write.Click.Scrapbook during their Photo Philosophy series.

Tami Morrison wraps up our CHA 2011 Winter picks.

While CHA seemed a bit smaller in size this winter, it was big on fun and inspiration, as always. I cherish the once or twice a year opportunity to connect in person with industry friends from all over. And I especially love the energy that surrounds new product releases, and the camaraderie of thousands of creative people concentrated in a single location.

At the end of a typical CHA day, my feet are exhausted from the miles I logged on the convention center floor, my voice is scratchy from talking so much, my head is spinning with ideas sparked by the latest products, projects, and trends…and my heart is thankful that I get to be a part of this amazing craft and hobby industry.

Here are just a few new releases that revved my creative engine:

Around The World by Brenda Walton, for K & Company

Boarding Pass, from October Afternoon

While the thermostat clearly read WINTER in most of the country, summer was in the air on the CHA floor. Amongst the oodles of summer product releases, I thought these two in particular would work great with my self-paced Unpack Your Vacation Memories class. Both of these collections are due to arrive at stores in April.

I can’t wait to get my hands on the fun Smash book and accessories from EK Success. You can check out their video here.

So simple, and yet so many possibilities…stay tuned, I have big plans for this clever new line of products!

I think Library of Memories students will be particularly excited about the newest 3-ring leather albums from We R Memory Keepers. Orange Soda, Clover, Grape Soda, and Dark Chocolate are the latest additions to their wide selection of colors.

Vintage Findings by Epiphany Crafts are antique-looking settings, perfectly sized to hold the company’s clear epoxy bubbles. Create a custom epoxy from your favorite patterned paper, and mount it on a Vintage Finding for a fun and colorful embellishment that will add flair to any page or project.

To see the rest of the CHA 2011 Winter picks see below

Week 1 Tammy Tutterow

Week 2 Ana Cabrera and Georgana Hall

Week 3 Karen Grunberg and  Kelly Purkey.

Welcome to our own Big Picture CHA recap. We thought it would be awesome to have our BPC teachers share what products they are excited to get their hands on. For the next few weeks on Monday different teachers will share their top product picks. This week we welcome upcoming teacher Ana Cabrera to share her top CHA product picks and veteran teacher and business owner Georgana Hall to share her companies CHA goodies.

First up is Ana, I love CHA! First and foremost, as a crafty gal…I love seeing all the new goodies that will soon grace my craft room. As an industry person, I love to see the hits.. the misses, and most of all, connect to all the people who share my passion for all things creative!

Letterpress has been an obsession of mine for many years. Companies like Hello Lucky and Elum have long inspired me. This CHA letterpress has not been forgotten. Both Lifestyle Crafts and Sizzix (Ellison) have new letterpress plates that allow the home artist to create beautifully inked and debossed designs at home. Lifestyle crafts has also paired their letterpress with new 12x12 cotton papers and beautiful coordinating dies.
Letterpress has been synonymous with fine stationary and cards, but I believe that the rich texture, color, and imagery of letterpress is also very well suited to creating beautiful minibooks. Currently, there is no BPC class offered that is directly perfect for letterpress, but I would love the opportunity to teach one. (and the techniques for creating… and finding amazing letterpress- anyone interested?)

As a designer, Pantone is a daily tool. As a crafter, the ability to use Pantone paint colors in my crafting and home décor is just… fun-tastic! Available very **soon in Lowes and in coming months in craft stores near you… these paints inspired by Pantone are a joy to play with. What better way to celebrate the Color of the Year – Honeysuckle.
These paints would be a perfect fit for “Got Paint”.

(note that this is the company that creates the paints but they don’t have them on the site yet. The will be available at LOWES.)

Sizzix showcased a new line of dies designed for the purpose of creating wearable art. These timeless shapes transform paper and cardstock into works of art. A little shallak, and would be hard pressed to know that they were created from paper! Because the dies are made by Sizzix, they can handle thicker materials. I think that these might be a fun addition to Jenni Bowlin’s BPC class – re-purpose, re-invent, re-think.

SMASH. The word alone makes me feel free and happy. And this new line from the folks at EK Success does just that. Take “it” (it being literally anything… a ticket, a picture, a thought, a napkin…) and SMASH it into your book. Need to hold it in place, use a clip, want to never forget that special date, stamp it. Simply put, liberate yourself and just SMASH it! A great companion to well… just about any class really!

Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Glue, really… glue. YES! No matter what your crafting or scrapbook style is, one thing is certain- you need to stick things together. I am a great believer in the idea of the right tool for the right job. Using the right tools can really help the creative process along. And the fact that the starter kit complete with 100ft of adhesive is $24 AND coupon friendly – what’s not to love!
So I am sticking.. hehe.. to my guns and naming the Xyron Mega Runner on of my top 5 picks of the show.
 

Check back in the next few weeks for my own self-paced class debut here at BPC.

From Georgana

All you crafty people… are you ready for your heart to skip a beat?!

I traveled to California with my mom and two sisters. It was difficult for us to hold back our excitement….our family business is not only fun but a dream come true.

And the unveiling of our latest dream come true was almost more than we could handle. Keep reading and you’ll see why….. At CHA ADORNit released scrapbooking paper and fabric that coordinates!

Now you can incorporate fabric into your crafting projects effortlessly. Scrapbookers were going crazy for this idea. At ADORNit we manufacture the paper and fabric ourselves so it is super easy to get your hands on.

The ADORNit collections you will find in both fabric and paper include: Life’s A Hoot, Vintage Groove, (which would be perfect to use in this self-paced class) Buckaroo, and (coming in spring) Long Live Vintage and Bug a Boo. We were also busy designing the paper featured in 16 new collections. A few to mention: Tooth Fairy, Long Live Vintage, Photo Girl, Wedding, Birthday, and many more.

My favorite collection ADORNit released at CHA was the Easter collection. I love the bright colors and whimsical artwork which is perfect for scrapbooking Easter memories. Thanks for letting me share!

Come back next week for picks from Karen Grunberg and Kelly Purkey and don't miss last week's recap.

Week 1 Tammy Tuttuerow

Welcome to our own Big Picture CHA recap. We thought it would be awesome to have our BPC teachers share what products they are excited to get their hands on. For the next few weeks on Monday a different teacher will share their top product picks. Tammy Tutterow is kicking it off.

Hello Tammy here,for me, you can describe a visit to CHA in two words, inspiration and homecoming. It is hard to describe how it feels to walk aisle after aisle in a huge convention hall and be totally and completely surrounded by incredible products and amazing samples. I always come home with such an incredible desire to create.

I have been so blessed through my work in this industry to make many friends far and wide. The internet lets us connect and stay in contact, but coming to CHA lets us actually see each other in person. To come together with so many people at one time who share your passion for the craft and hobby that means so much to you is like coming home to family.

For a long time now I have been daydreaming of making a sequel to my popular Made From Scratch Projects Now class. I knew what materials I wanted to use, but they hadn’t been easily available. . . until now. I am super excited about the new Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ring Binders and Wendy Vecchi Art Parts Creative Covers. You will see those in the not too distant future in a new Made From Scratch class.

I have a serious love for making decorated embellished photo frames. Time and time again I am asked to teach classes on making them. I have never been able to find a good source for a nice wood frame that would be easy to locate for students, until now. BasicGrey has introduced a line of frames that come both decorated and plain. I love the size and shape of them and am certain you will see me using these in classes in the future.

I love small alphabet stickers and love having an assortment of colors in a good basic font. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the new ABC’s Stickers from Lily Bee. The large 12x12 sheets have alphabets in 8 colors that match each of their collections. The font and colors are ones that will work well not only with Lily Bee papers but any paper in your scrappy stash. As I work on the new Made From Scratch book class I am excited about how a single sheet of stickers can offer so many options just like the book in the series.

My first crafty passion was fabric and sewing. When I get the opportunity to combine fabric with my love of paper, it is pure crafty bliss. Several paper companies have crossed over into fabric but not many release the same patterns at the same time. When I saw that the girls at Adorn-it were doing just that, I was in instant crafty bliss! Being able to combine coordinating fabrics and papers in the same project at the same time is genius! Don’t be surprised if you see a variation of the next Made From Scratch book done in matching Adorn-it fabrics and papers!

My One Little Word for the year is Happiness. Since the bluebird is often considered a symbol of happiness, I was delighted to see several collections at the show that featured bluebirds in them. As I think about future class projects not only that I will teach, but also ones that I will take (like Ali’s OLW class) I know that I will be incorporating each of these collections into many of them.

1. Rain Birds Stamps by Darcie’s

2. Whimsies Bluebird Embellishments by Webster’s Pages

3. Fine and Dandy Collection by My Mind’s Eye

4. Vintage Groove Collection by Adorn-It

5. Twig Collection Little Yellow Bicycle

6. Blossom Soup Collection by Jillibean Soup

How do you see yourself using these? So fun- thanks for reading!

Read about Tammy and her class offerings here.

Hello blog readers, we are so glad you are here. Can you believe it is 2011? Wow it is big and exciting to think about all the events, milestones, holidays, and regular moments that will occur this year. For me and my family the two big milestones are Justin's high school graduation and Jacob and Nathan's 16th birthday. The question I have for you (and me) is how are we going to document these events? What plans do you have to assist your scrapbooking goals? Luckily we have some good support to offer you.

Up first, Project Life Year long Community powered by us

Join in the One Little Word movement lead by Ali Edwards. Here we have the year long class taught by Ali.

Also we have the ongoing 4 experts classes with new classes taught Lain Ehmann and Tracey Clark.

Choose your year long class.