Sunday, April 3, 2011

Class Recap and Lessons Learned: Part 2

Yesterday I teased you all with 2 of the cards we made in my April 2 class.  Well, now that it's April 3, how appropriate that I show you the other three? ;-)


I first designed this card without the butterflies, and it made me go "meh".  THANK GOODNESS my Beautiful Wings Embosslit arrived in time, because once I added the butterflies and the pearl centers (there's another little butterfly hanging out on the inside of the card as well), my heart went pitterpatter ;-)  At that point, I knew this card was class-worthy.


This card showcases the big shot.  Thanks to the Top Note die and the Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder, It came together super fast and with a minimum of effort.  It's hard to tell but the Top Note piece has been glittered up with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz (although in hindsight, I probably won't be using that again in a class setting - see below for some lessons learned).


Here's the token Easter card of the day.  I did give people the choice of instead using the "Sending Springtime Smiles" sentiment from the Easter Blossoms set, but by and large, everyone went with Easter.  This card also features the Dotted Scallop Border Punch, which i'll touch on in a bit.

Lessons Learned

Now that my first class is under my belt, here's a few little tidbits I walked away with.

1. Border Patrol -  Border punches in a classroom setting can be problematic.  I think next time, I'll either use ribbon or just straight strips of cardstock.  Trying to teach folks the ins and outs of lining up the border punch while 94824983 other things were going on was kinda tough.

2. Save the Smooches for another day - I mean smooch spritz!  What were you thinking?!? ;-)  The smoooch spritz caused the whisper white cardstock to buckle while it was still wet.  As I was making the sample card, I blasted it with a heat gun to speed things along, but I didn't want to bombard folks with too many tools, so I kept the heat gun holstered.  This caused people to have to wait for their smooch spritz to dry, which slowed them down.  I think next time, I'll just use Shimmer paper instead.

3. Block Party - Note to self: GET MORE ACRYLIC BLOCKS!  I've transitioned to mostly clear-mount stamps, which works GREAT for me, but for my classes, it means constantly switching out stamps.  The few wood sets that I do have were a godsend yesterday, but moving forward, I need to stock up on certain sizes of Acrylic Blocks.

4. Keep it Simple, Stampers - Its hard - I mean REALLY hard, for me to put myself in the shoes of a new stamper.  Stuff that comes second nature to me after doing this for so long is completely foreign to a novice papercrafter.  I do think some of the projects I did were a bit challenging for the new girls, but they did wonderfully, so in the end it's all good.  I think next time I'm going to give the new girls an earlier start, or possibly their own class entirely, so I can give them individualized attention.

5. Don't sweat the small stuff - No amount of planning and forethought is enough to make sure every teeny tiny detail is accounted for, so don't stress about it.  I totally forgot to do the giveaway I had planned - there was just too much going on - and my camera sat forgotten in the corner the whole time. Meh!  In the end, I had fun, and my girls did too, so perhaps we'll do a giveaway next time, with photos to prove it ;-)


DETAILS - Products are available for purchase from me  at Stampin' Up

Just for You
Stamps: Afterthoughts
Paper: River Rock, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Springtime Vintage DSP
Ink: River Rock, Rose Red
Accessories: Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Basic Pearls

Happy Birthday
Stamps - Perfect Punches
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder, Decorative Label Punch, 2 x 1 3/8 Oval Punch, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz

Happy Easter
Stamps - Easter Blossoms

Paper: Baja Breeze, Springtime Vintage DSP, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla
Ink: Stazon Jet Black
Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch

8 comments:

  1. I totally understand about "lessons learned". It is truly better to keep things simple until the ladies get more experience. Perhaps you can introduce one new thing each time. And what better way to learn than through trial and error.

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  2. Sounds like you had a grand time! All of the cards are wonderful and I'm sure everyone loved them and probably some of them will never part with them once they took them home! I've been giving classes now since September, 2010 and I'm still learning and I never stop getting tired after each class - BUT - it is a fun tired. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us and for blessing my day. :)

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  3. Michey I loved your class recap... those are great hints not only for new demos to think about but also for some of us older ones who want to create the moon and wow our customers. Better that they can have fun and make simpler cards in a stress free fun environment than have the moon on a first time basis. Thanks for sharing your story and tips! PS the cards are gorgeous too!

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  4. Loved you lessons learned! I have been giving classes forever now and most of my ladies are experienced stampers so when I get a newbie it isn't too bad since it is only one or two and if I am busy the others help. But keeping it simple and perhaps adding one new thing for everyone to learn is a good plan. Love all your cards. Sounds like your first class was a success!

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  5. Michey, your "lessons learned" are awesome words to the wise! I'm saving these for future reference, thank you for sharing them. Your cards are gorgeous! That butterfly embosslit makes my heart go pitterpatter, too...especially when pearl accents are added! :) Thanks for sharing your fantastic ideas on your blog. It's always a treat to stop by and visit! Hugs!

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  6. lol I think we can all relate to your "lessons learned" too funny! (but true) I love all your cards they are fabulous, and I am glad a good time was had by all. hugz n blessings

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  7. Michey, your cards are beautiful, yet simple...tbe perfect combo!!!
    Love the recap of your workshop! TYFS!!! Thanks foer your kind comments on my blog!

    Chanda Stehlik
    www.onecraftymommy.com

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  8. Love the cards. They're so cute. Your tips were great and even if there are 2 of you doing a class, it still gets crazy. lol TFS
    Carrie Sampsel
    www.carriesscrapyard.com

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