January Scrapbooking Take Out Kit

It's so exciting to show you the two layouts in the upcoming Take Out Kit that will available to pre-order from now until January 11th. The paper pack is called Heartstrings. I hope you will love it as much as I do. Of course it will make you think of Valentine's Day right away BUT I've tried to do a little something different with it.

This month I'm trying something with Picture My Life cards instead of using the coordinating stickers. There's no end to the number of way you can use these cards. If you haven't tried them before this is the perfect way to see how they work on a traditional scrapbook layout.

I'm not quite ready to post the pricing but you will be able to pre-order this Take Out Kit FOUR different ways. When the fourth option is ready there will be an additional post right here that will show all of the prices.

For the next few months the Take Out Kits I will be offering the basic options that I always put out there ... Layouts Only, Layouts with extra paper AND Layouts with full packages of embellishments. I've been calling these Main Course, Main Course w/Leftovers and Main Course, Leftovers & Side Dishes. AND I'm offering one more version that will be called something like ... Feeding a Crowd or I'm Stuffed, But I Want One More Bite. This options will include four layouts and you will hit the $50 mark so that you qualify for the Stamp Of The Month. It may also qualify you for the special in any given month. I can't wait to show you what I have to go with these two layouts. Keep an eye on this blog in early January to see a flip flappy layout with these same papers. It's a lot of  FUN, FUN, FUN!!

Snowhaven Take Out Kit

It's the best day ever to announce the November Take Out Scrapbooking Kit!! Why? Because where I live we're having our first snow of the year and it's a doozy. It's time to enjoy all the warm and cozy fun we have in snowy weather. Scrapbooking is one of those things ... once you're done shoveling.

There are two layouts in this kit and they look like this ... 

NOTE ... these layout also include sparkles/bling. This isn't shown in the photos overall, but here's an example or what it looks like once it's added. Please excuse the color differential ... just look at the pretty sparkles!!!

Here are a few other pictures from various parts of the layouts. Don't forget to imagine what these look like with some bling!!

Here's everything you need to know before you contact me. The last day to pre-order is November 21st. That gives you a lot of time to let me know you want to make these and get your payment to me. You can pay me directly or use your credit cards and order with my fancy new paypal button below!!

These layouts can be pre-ordered one of three ways ... remember that we're working with a restaurant theme here!! You can order just the main course, the main course with leftovers OR the main course with leftovers AND side dishes. 

1 - Main Course ($18) ... everything you need to make the layouts only. You will NOT have any extra papers to work with (leftovers).
2 - Main Course with Leftovers ($25) ... you will be able to make the layouts shown and sooooooo much more. With this option you get all of the papers from the paper pack that I don't cut up!!
3 - Main Course, Leftovers and Side Dishes ($33) ... The same as number two but instead of just the exact amount of the various embellishments used you will receive a FULL roll of silver shimmer trim, a FULL pack of acrylic red hearts and a FULL pack of sparkles.

OPTIONS

Main Dish Only $18.00 USD Main Dish w/Leftovers $25.00 USD Main Dish, Leftovers, Side Dishes $33.00 USD

Of course you don't have to wait until the 21st to let me know that you're ready to start scrapbooking your snowman pictures!! Contact me at shellynemitz@gmail.com or through Facebook. I can't wait to put this in your hands.

October Take Out Kit - Pathfinding

It's that time again ...

OK, actually it's past that time. I have some amazing layouts for you in this latest scrapbooking Take Out kit. I just loooooooove this Pathfinding paper and coordinating embellishments. Of course I should have shown you this earlier, BUT I've been so busy enjoying this beautiful season of Autumn. I hope you're taking a lot of great pictures this month. These pages are perfect for them.

Check out these details ...

These layouts can be pre-ordered RIGHT NOW one of three ways ... remember that we're working with a restaurant theme here!! You can order just the main course, the main course with leftovers OR the main course with leftovers AND side dishes. What does that mean??

1 - Main Course ($15) ... everything you need to make the layouts only. You will not have any extra papers to work with (leftovers).
2 - Main Course with Leftovers ($21) ... you will be able to make the layouts shown and sooooooo much more. With this option you get all of the papers from the paper pack that I don't cut up!!
3 - Main Course, Leftovers and Side Dishes ($32) ... The same as number two along with a roll of bronze shimmer trim and a package of gold bling gems.

The original photos above show the layouts without side dishes. Here's a little look at what side dishes can do ...

Side Dishes

NO side dishes

AND here are the layouts with pictures and glimmer trim and gems.

How can you get this for your very own? Read the following very carefully.

1 - You need to know that the page with the tree will come in one of 5 different colors. The colors are Goldrush (shown), Honey, Autumn Terra Cotta, Ruby and Olive. You will not get to choose your color BUT you can tell me one color you prefer NOT to have. We're working together here. In order to get a variety of leaf colors we need to have a variety of tree colors. I have run them past a test group and all of the colors were approved.

2 - Pre-order by October 20th. How??
          You can "buy now" using the button at the bottom of this post. How exciting is that?? I'm over the top excited about it personally. If you pay using this I will know that you have pre-ordered. We will still need to be in touch to go over the details for delivery. You can communicate with me using shellynemitz@gmail.com
          You can contact me personally with an email, a FB message or any other way that you're familiar with getting ahold of me. I will mark you down and arrange payment & delivery with you.
          You can also order this to be shipped. Add $5 for shipping and when the layouts are finished everything will be delivered by US Post Office. Use the second button to add shipping. It just says "buy now" ... but it will add Shipping!! You have to make two separate purchases.

3 - Delivery is during the first week of November. My goal is to have these ready by November 1st. That means that you can start making them as soon as we finish the delivery process ... whichever way you've chosen.

Any questions??? Contact me using any of the methods above.

OPTIONS

Main Dish Only $15.00 USD Main Dish w/Leftovers $21.00 USD Main Dish, Leftovers, Side Dishes $32.00 USD

Creative Blogger

Oh my goodness ... the adorable and amazingly talented Morgan Vogt has nominated my Pretty Pieces Café blog for the Creative Blogger "hop". In some ways it's kind of a reverse hop where you can go back and see everyone who has posted about this before I have. There are a lot of wonderful creative blogs out there. The idea here is to answer a few questions about this particular blog.

What am I currently working on?
Right now I am working on something I call Take Out Kits for the month of October. I'm somewhere in the middle of creating the art and getting it ready to reveal to the public!! (Come back later to see the finished layouts).

This Pretty Pieces Café blog is "strictly business". If something is posted here you can make it yourself by coming to an event or picking up a kit. I'm hoping to launch the ability to order my projects through the mail. If all goes well you can make your own custom card kits by selecting from the items in the Al A Carte section of this blog. That's going to be a lot of fun!

How does my work differ from others in its genre?
My work is different because .........  (ok, can I just say that I've been staring at this statement for an uncomfortable period of time). Well, it's hard to step back and take a look at your own work in order to offer a description.

The main goal for the artwork that you see on this blog is that ANYONE with adhesive and scissors can make it. I try to provide a challenge to everyone who works with the items from the Pretty Pieces Café, but I want every card and layout to be a success for you. When everything is said and done I want you to feel like you created it from scratch all by yourself.  I try to offer a wide variety so that the projects don't necessarily have my style. I even use colors, themes and techniques I don't necessarily love. I know that everyone has different taste. It's fun for me to try all of these new things.

Why do I create what I do?
This is a VERY easy question. I create for PEOPLE.

I create for the people who take the time to come and hang out with me in the PPC. I want the experience to be successful every time. It's exciting to see someone lift up a finished card and be so very happy with it. I love seeing people put together a layout and talk about the pictures that are going to be perfect on it. It doesn't matter what it is as long as the people are happy.

I create for the second group of people too. Those are the people who will receive the card or look through the scrapbook. I love knowing that once all of the paper is glued together it serves an amazing purpose. These paper creations connect people together. A special bond can come through a handwritten note or a page where a loved one is highlighted. I rarely meet the second group of people but I'm creating for them just as much as the people who hold the adhesive runner.

What's not to love when someone stops in the middle of a creative session to write a note in the card that she made. She was creating a card for a PERSON, not just for the love of gluing paper together. THAT is awesomeness to me!!

As I was writing this blog post I got this text ... really ... just now ...
"I used one of my cards (made at the PPC) for a co-worker going through some health issues. She kept saying how much it uplifted her and made her day! I love that [cards] have the ability to do that and it means so much more when they're hand made."  SO, that's a really great reason to create!!

How does my creative process work?
One nice thing about a blog like this is that there are basically two items that people expect me to create here ... cards and scrapbook layouts.

The layouts come through a more streamlined process. I have a paper pack to work with and I move forward from there. Usually I use my own pictures to get some idea of where I want to go. The nice thing about that is that when a layout is finished it's an example for my customers and it's also album ready.

Cards are a free for all!!! Sometimes I have an idea in my head that I just have to get out of there and other times I see something that I'm inspired to repeat with my own twist. I'm pretty sure there's actually no process. NONE! How do I know that? Because sometimes I can make a card in ten minutes and sometimes it takes an hour. If I had a process I'm pretty sure there'd be more consistency.


THANK YOU for much for reading a little bit about what makes me tick and what this blog is all about. I hope you'll come back and keep checking on a regular basis to see what kinds of projects I'm creating for you to put together.

Take a look at my dear friend Amie Kiger's blog. When I grow up I want to blog just like she does!!

AND I also have a blog for everything else in my paper creating life ... Just One Pretty Piece. This blog was also just nominated for a blog hop like this. SO, I'll be doing this all over again, to some extent, next week and nominating other awesome bloggers.

A Thankful Heart

Sometimes you have to go back to your 4th grade art class ... primary colors never get old together.

This card is all cut up and ready for you to put together the next time the Pretty Pieces Café is open. That's October 23rd and 24th. We have a lot of time to get some new cards added to the mix.

Mark Your Calendar

Can you believe I'm posting the dates for the Pretty Pieces Café already? For those who know me you realize that this is a BIG step for me. The times are still in negotiation BUT the dates will be at the end of the day on Thursday, October 23rd AND daytime hours on Friday, October 24th.

Here are some photos of people hard at work!! Just so you know, there's a lot of laughing and talking during these al a carte days BUT it's hard to capture. Even if some of these pictures make you think we're all so serious ... don't be fooled!! There are times when I'm laughing so hard I can't catch my breath. During those times I can't take a picture either - LOL!

Jewelry Bar ... everyone who tries it loves it.

Sisters ... when you come to the PPC please bring your friends and family.
I had to step in and stop a off a little sisterly spiff, LOL! JK!

One of my favorite things is when people help each other.
I can't be everywhere at once so it's great to know that someone you're sitting by knows what you need.

Some people never sit down. ;) Actually, that's how I create too.

Sometimes when you're here you might make a mistake.
It's ALL good. That happens when you're a human being.

When all is said and done, everyone leaves with a smile.

I sure hope I see you in October.

Café Dates

Did you see that?? "Dates" ... plural.  You weren't seeing things. This month I will be trying something new to see if we can accommodate the after work crowd and the early birds.

 Mark your calendar and invite a friend. You never know exactly what to expect when you get here. What do you think of this card? I'm thinking of adding it into the mix? Isn't it cheerful?

AND .... drum roll please ... here are the dates and times.

Thursday, September 25th from 3pm until 8pm

Friday, September 26th from 10am until 3pm

September Take Out Kit

Do you ever get take out food to save yourself some time in the kitchen? Take Out Scrapbook Kits are pretty much based on the same idea. It's a way to jump start your way into a Close To My Heart paper pack with two layouts already designed and cut up for you to put together.  All you need is adhesive and scissors.

Pre-ordering for this kit starts NOW and lasts through September 10th. See my contact info below to make sure you get yours. There are two versions ... Appetizer ($20) and Meal ($31).

These two layouts are made with the Chalk It Up Paper Pack and coordinating Complements. When you purchase this kit for $20 you get these two layouts cut up and ready to assemble along with all of the papers left in your paper pack.

I always add a couple of embellishments, which I've recently come to think of as "side dishes". You don't have to add these but they make the whole thing more tasty. For this kit I'm adding the White Enamel Stars and the Small Black Sparkle Flourishes. If you want to finish off your layouts just like mine then you can purchase the upgraded kit for $31. Here's what my pages look like finished.

The pre-order period starts right now and lasts until September 10th. You can contact me by email (shellynemitz@gmail.com) or through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/shellynemitzPRETTYPIECES)  I have a special offer this month for those who purchase this kit with embellishments. I can't advertise it here so you'll have to ask me when you place your pre-order. Can't wait to hear from you.

PML Banquet ... Yummy

Last week I held a Banquet in the Pretty Pieces Café. It was DELICIOUS!! We were a group of very messy diners, but the final results were soooo worth the mess.

Look at these adorable cards. This is the work of one of my "Freqent Diners". All of the people who attended this event walked away with really amazing cards. Everyone received a dozen Picture My Life cards from the Babycakes pack and got busy. I was very proud of their work. If only I had taken more pictures to show you. 

BUT I was a quite busy keeping track of all of the tools and embellishments.

Check out the mess below ... I made it, NOT the card artists. 

If you haven't checked out Close To My Heart's Picture My Life product yet ... DO IT NOW!! AND if you missed this banquet, don't worry. I have a few more events like this up my sleeve!

THIS Friday

The Pretty Pieces Café is open this Friday, August 29th from 10am until 3pm. You can come and make any of the cards you see under the tab above called Al A Carte.

Here's a little something new that's being added. SO CUTE!! AND that's not all. Come back here later this week to see a fun gift item you can make for the price of a card. 

Happy & Wonderful

Two more cards are ready for you to create the next time the Pretty Pieces Café is open. I REALLY enjoy making these cards for you. It's delightful!!!

You can make these on August 21st from 1pm-5pm OR August 29th from 10am-3pm. To see more cards available click on the Al A Carte tab above OR you can always follow my Pinterest Board ...http://www.pinterest.com/shellynemitz/pretty-pieces-cafe/

Perfect Day

Did you know that it's REALLY possible to use every scrap?? 

Yes I do have a little container of bitty scraps that look like confetti when you come to make this card in the Pretty Pieces Café. 

There are 7 of these colorful treats available.

There are two upcoming dates.

August 21st, 1pm - 5pm

August 29th, 10am - 3pm

Café Hours

OK ... some of you have been waiting for this and there's finally an answer. There are TWO days in August when you can come to make Al A Carte cards and layouts.

Here are the upcoming dates ...
... Thursday, August 21st (1-5pm)
... Friday, August 29th (10am - 3pm)

Mark your calendar and come. I'd love to know you're planning on it but you actually don't even have to tell me. This is an open house style event. You come and go the hours you decide based on your own schedule. Keep coming back to this blog (or follow) to see the new items being added to Al A Carte. You can also follow my Pinterest Board where I keep a list of what's available. It may take a few days after any day the café is open to get the numbers updated.

http://www.pinterest.com/shellynemitz/pretty-pieces-cafe/

PML Card Banquet

One of the goals in the Pretty Pieces Café is to have a Banquet at least once a month. What's a Banquet?? It's just a fancy name for a class. The event has a start time and an end time. Everyone who attends will be making the same thing at the same time.  I will be the "teacher". You might even learn something.

Guess how long it took me to make this card? Did you guess under 10 minutes? CTMH Picture My Life (PML) cards make it fun and easy to create something adorable at a record speed. AND of course if you want to get all fussy you can do that too. I fought the urge to go further with this. It's important to know that you can make cute things fast.

Here are the Banquet details...

     WHO - YOU and nine other people. There are enough supplies for 10 people.   

     WHAT - make six different cards using PML products and a whole lot more!     

     WHEN - Thursday, August 21st at 10am or 6pm (two hours class)

     WHERE - my house in Shoreview

     WHY - it's fun AND productive all at the same time

     

The cost for 6 cards is $10 per person. You will need to bring adhesive & scissors. All kinds of other tools will be available for you to use. A buffet of embellishments will also be available in colors that match these cards. It's going to be a lot of creative fun. There are no pre-designed cards in this class. You will have to add in your own creativity. BUT if you look at the card above all I did was adhere the floral card to card stock, tie a ribbon around it and add some bling. EVERYONE can do this.

Here's another card. Of course you can stamp on these too. It's a great way to use a stamp set you purchased because you love it but you don't know want to design something from scratch. Please feel free to bring your own stamp sets to add to your cards. All of the inks & blocks you need will be here.

I made this so you can see that it's not always about pre-decorated PML cards. Here's what these two cards looked like before I got out my washi tape and stamps.

Can you see what I did??

Contact me starting NOW!! Remember that there's limited space. Feel free to bring a friend. Send an email to shellynemitz@gmail.com to register or ask questions.

August Take Out Kit

It's time to pre-order the August Scrapbook Take Out Kit, made with the bright and colorful Confetti Wishes Paper. All of the designs are courtesy of Make It From Your Heart Volume One.

Before we go further here's the most important part ... you must contact me by August 18th to have this kit made for you by Friday, August 29th (which is Pretty Pieces Café date).

I will cut all of the pieces you need to make these three layouts. All you have to do is apply adhesive and attach the Confetti Wishes Complements. There are two ways to purchase the kit. The Appetizer option includes just the paper pack and the coordinating stickers for $23. If you want the Complete Meal it will add the Purple Glitter Gems and Thistle Diagonal Striped Ribbon the price is $32. No matter which you choose all of the leftover scraps are yours to keep.

I thought it would be fun this time around for you to see what the layouts look like with pictures on them. So I'm showing you the "after" version. Here I've added photos AND the embellishments that come with the full kit.

Have you decided which Take Out kit to get yet? Once you know you can contact me by email at  shellynemitz@gmail.com. We can I'll get you signed up and we can work out the payment.