CassandraCooper.com

Happy National Scrapbook Day…a challenge and a prize!

Posted on May 5, 2012 by cassandra

The first Saturday of every May is National Scrapbook Day! All over you will find friends gathering to capture their memories! Some will gather at crops, others online at their favorite forum or 2. Your favorite blog artists showcase challenges to provide inspiration and manufactures all over offer challenges and prizes!

One of my favorites is ECHO PARK! Check out what they have going on today to win some prizes. Every 2 hours something new is going on. Right now it is a Treasure Hunt…and there is even a project showcasing the Yours Truly Collection I designed for them!

Over the years my involvement in this “holiday” has varied. For years I was very involved in planning events where friends could gather to enJOY the day putting their memories onto paper. This year…is a bit different. I am participating in the fun, using some challenges to inspire me to work on my travel journal for an amazing trip I am taking with my daughter, Kenzi after she graduates in just 4 weeks.

My first inspiration was my friend Susan’s Sketch Savvy blog. She is so amazing at providing just the right framework to make designing a great page easy! I chose Sketch #82 for my layout. I loved the banner on the left and the placement of the “photos”

I changed the bottom mat to the paper bag pocket with a tag instead of a photo. Since I am pre-making a travel journal/scrapbook, I don’t have my photos or exact words yet, but with Susan’s sketch it will be easy to add additional words for journaling with word strips as shown in her sketch. I can also add an additional wallet photo to the banner on the left and insert a picture or 2 into the pocket. I could add a ticket or something of that sort on the paper bag pocket. Lots of options still to add details after our trip.

I was able to use some of the papers from my latest Mini Collection – Melody of Life from Echo Park mixed with some old and new My Minds Eye papers. I added some vintage lace and a few bits and pieces I have gathered over he years. Even a little bit of the latest trend of washi tape was added to the layout. Off to create some more today and enJOY a bit of an online virtual cropping with some friends around the nation! Hope you are making some time to create this weekend….and since it is National Scrapbook Day I have a PRIZE to give away!

Enter by sharing a project using any of the Echo Park collections I have designed. (Be Mine, Victoria Gardens, Yours Truly and Melody of Life) Upload your project to your favorite online gallery, your blog, or even on my Facebook page. Then link it on the comments of this blog post. You have all week to create a project and upload it by Sunday May 13th at midnight. Then on Monday May 14th I will select a winner. I have a prize package of the Victoria Gardens Collection and since I have to always use a few vintage findings on my creations there will be a goodie bag of those too! Happy Creating!

Posted in Echo Park, Papercrafting Projects | 2 Comments

Yours Truly Blog Hop

Posted on February 6, 2012 by cassandra

This last month some talented friends of mine have been creating with the latest Echo Park Paper Collection – Yours Truly, that I designed for them. I am always amazed by the creativeness of others as they take these products to the next level of design.

I am often asked about where I come up with designs and how they are translated into paper. I thought I would share one of my favorites with the Yours Truly Collection. The Rose Blossom paper shown below was created from a vintage rose wall paper that I found. I worked to intertwine the roses just right and added the bit of today’s modern influence with the soft grid print in the back.

On the reverse of this paper is a classic text pattern…want to know a bit of a secret about all the text papers I design? There is always a hidden message somewhere to my sweet husband and even to some friends and family occasionally. This paper is a bit different though. As I created the paper using snippets and phrases from soldiers letters past and present to their family’s back home I made sure to add a hidden letter from my incredible husband, Jason. I was lucky to have his sweet words written from our anniversary last year when he “hacked” my Facebook page and wrote on my wall for all my friends and family to see. I really do have a Yours Truly in my life!

Look for the hidden messages in past papers and see what you can find!

Take a moment to hop from blog to blog of these amazing talented friends of mine:

Posted in Echo Park, Papercrafting Projects | Tagged Echo Park, Heidi Smith, Lara Gustafson, Madeline Fox, Susan Stringfellow, Yours Truly! | Comments Off

Yours Truly….

Posted on November 15, 2011 by cassandra

It is time to premier my latest paper collection that I designed for Echo Park Paper.

This has to be my favorite collection so far. I love the blacks, reds & pinks with just a hint of timeless aging on the paper. In this collection you will find classic patterns that will be the perfect accent for so many occasions…wedding’s a special night out, Valentines Day or just to capture the everyday magic of love! With the classic prints, there is a bit of the new with a trendy Chevron pattern and a bit of whimsey with the Newsprint paper full of all sorts of fun little ads from days gone by.

Add just the right words with these adorable letters in a sweet mix of pink and red. I am so excited to have a classic black and white tiny type. What a perfect way to add just a little note to a card or scrapbook layout.

and don’t forget the stickers….

Around the world love is always there! enJOY capturing those memories and creating special gifts for those you love with Yours Truly!

Posted in Echo Park | Tagged Yours Truly! | 1 Comment

A family favorite…

Posted on October 10, 2011 by cassandra

This weekend we had our college son home and stepped up the weekend breakfast with one of our family favorites.

CINNAMON APPLE PANCAKES

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

2 tsps Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Mix all dry ingredients and set aside.

3/4 C Vanilla Yogurt

2 Large Eggs

3/4 Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 Cups Finely Chopped Apples (I quarter them & put in my mini food processor)

1/2 Stick Melted Butter

Mix the wet ingredients together and whisk them into the dry ingredients until just combined.

Heat the griddle over medium heat and butter the surface. Ladle a scoop (about 1/3 Cup) of batter onto the griddle and let cook until bubbles form on the top, about 2 minutes. Turn them and let cook about a minute longer.

Serve with honey or maple syrup and more butter!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Cinnamon Apple Pancakes | Comments Off

What an amazing weekend it was!

Posted on September 28, 2011 by cassandra

The weekend of Junk Barn Girls has come and gone and it was an incredible weekend.

Look at that view as we crafted away in the fields of rural Stanfield, Oregon! I loved working with each of our students to create the day away! You were all amazing as you shared your talents, your gifts, your photos…THANK YOU so much for being a part of the event!

Each student was greeted with a gift wrapped box for their Junque Book project. All the tools & products were provided including a cute trash bag for each of them.

I love being able to make a project my own and I think the details is where you can add your own personal touch. Over the last few classes I feel that I have developed a way for students to have more options to gather their own treasures. This event was no different as we provided each student with a silver tray and a junque treasure hunt list to gather items from the selection of ribbons, beads, rhinestones, buttons and more. Definitely a signature piece of a Cassandra Cooper workshop.

The second class was a canvas and each student created their own work of art while I shared the techniques on the huge 36″ x 36″ sample at the front. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about that part…but I think it was an amazing way to show the techniques and I loved seeing how each person interpreted the techniques to create an individual canvas that represented them. I even had to change a part of mine as it wasn’t quite working out, but this allowed the opportunity to show how flexible it was to change it up if you had to. Art isn’t an exact science and sometimes a little do over has to happen!

A HUGE thanks to Angela & Shannon for creating The Junk Barn Girls event. We loved being a part of it. Much Thanks to Denise for creating an amazing event with me…lots of fun and laughter, shopping trips to find unique treasures and lots of brainstorming to create just the right project. Thank You Laura for creating our adorable aprons, they were perfect! Many, many, many thanks to those that joined us at the event to create the day away. You are what make it so enJOYable!

Posted in Papercrafting Projects, Studio to Studio Projects | Tagged Canvas, Events, Junk Barn Girls, Junque Book | Comments Off

Almost sold out…don’t miss this event!

Posted on September 16, 2011 by cassandra

With just a few spots left I thought I would share some more sneak peaks of the project workshops that will be taking place at the Junk Barn Girls event 1 week from today!

This workshop is a memorable event that blends a variety of art mediums together. At this unique event it is about more than ART…. it is about enJOYing the process, learning how to handcraft details, blend layers, and create an exclusive project. We will have several images for you to choose from to add to your canvas….and NO they will not be a picture of me! If you would like to add your own picture you are welcome to bring it, however it should be printed on regular paper and not photo paper!

All supplies & basic tools are included. You are welcome to bring your favorite tools and a selection of treasured trinkets.

Class length is approximately 3 hours.

More than a journal or mini book, this book is the perfect place to capture the special details of enJOYing life. Layer upon layer of vintage and new trinkets & treasures are gathered into the pages of this book. It is sure to WOW your creative side. I share lots of techniques and there are so many details on the 6 pages of this book.

All supplies & basic tools are included. You are welcome to bring your favorite tools and a selection of treasured trinkets.

Class length is approximately 3-4 hours.

Workshops will be held at the Junk Barn Girls Event. 77975 Moorehouse RD Stanfield Oregon. September 23rd & 24th.

Only 5 spots left for the canvas class on Saturday afternoon

8 spots left for the Junque Book available Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

Posted in Papercrafting Projects, Studio to Studio Projects | Tagged Events, Junk Barn Girls Event, Junque Book, Mixed Media Canvas | Comments Off

Celebrating my birthday!

Posted on September 14, 2011 by cassandra

I feel like I should write something profound as I head into a new decade and celebrate my 40th birthday. Somehow I should magically be wiser…well I don’t really think that happened even if I wished for that…but I do feel very content and happy with where I am at right now regardless of my new age!

This last year I have really tried to focus on being more present and enJOYing the process of whatever it is I am doing. I look at this picture above and I look so different than I did last year and the best thing is that I know that I feel as happy on the inside as I look on the outside. I felt before I was always rushing from one thing to the next, not savoring and appreciating what I was doing, what I was accomplishing and who I was with…

The night before my party, Kenzi and I decided we needed a dessert and wanted to make something special. So we each went to our favorite place of inspiration…PINTEREST…and started sending each other links from our comfy internet browsing spots…we weren’t even in the same room We found a link to these adorable speckled egg cupcakes. We made our shopping list and headed out to get the ingredients we needed then came home and started baking & frosting cookies.

To create the birds we used a mini bird cookie cutter and a mini heart cut in half for the wings. A little pearl eye and we ended up with a sweet little bird to go with our egg cookie toppers. The cupcakes are made with a doctored up cake mix. We used butter instead of oil and buttermilk instead of water and baked them. So yummy! The sugar cookie recipe was amazing…and everyone agreed it was the best they had tasted. In fact my little sister that normally makes sugar cookies for the annual Christmas Eve party said she was fired…these cookies were more tasty!

Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies

3 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c sugar
2 sticks (salted) butter
1 egg
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Add the baking powder and flour and beat just until combined. The dough is a bit crumbly and will need to be kneaded slightly as you turn it onto a floured surface for rolling. Roll about 3/8″ thick, do not roll too thin if you would like soft thick cookies. Cut cookies into shapes and freeze for about 5 minutes, if you would like to make cupcake toppers insert a toothpick into the base of the cookie now before baking. Bake for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven.

We then played with the art of flood frosting the cookies. We are by far no experts and will need some practice, but we had fun.

It was a nice treat to have my soon to be 15 year old niece come over for the afternoon and help me spruce up and decorate for the party. Loved how the treat table turned out. Thanks Alisha!

It was a great night, lots of fun and laughter with friends & family! I have had a great couple of days celebrating my birthday. Thanks to everyone for making it so special! Now it is time to get back to work and getting ready to teach at the Junk Barn Girls event in less than 2 weeks. Hope to see you there!

Posted in Just Me..., Recipes | Tagged 40th birthday, celebrating, cupcakes, family, Kenzi, party | Comments Off

a little snippet of the Junque Book Workshop…

Posted on September 2, 2011 by cassandra

I love this scrumptious flower with the distressed book page leaves and you can learn to make it.

Are you registered to attend this Junque Book Workshop? If not REGISTER HERE, it will be an amazing event you won’t want to miss. Shop the vendors, create some art, eat some yummy food by Raspberry Kate and more!

Posted in Papercrafting Projects, Studio to Studio Projects | Tagged Altered Junque Book, Junk Barn Girls, Junque Book | Comments Off

Junk Barn Girls….here we come!

Posted on August 23, 2011 by cassandra

I am so excited to announce 2 new workshops that will be debuting at the JUNK BARN GIRLS event September 23rd & 24th. For the longest time I have wanted to teach outdoors in a big white tent with banners, decorations and enJOYing the process of teaching & creating! Now is the time for that dream to become reality as 2 very talented friends of mine Shannon & Angela host the first Junk Barn Girls event located in beautiful rural Stanfield OR

I LOVE LOVE LOVE to mix new and old trinkets and treasures into my projects. In these new workshops you will learn many of the techniques of how to layer products together, add texture and embellishments to create unique pieces of art. Many custom products will be available for purchase at the event as well as a mix of vintage and new items. Make sure to register and pre-pay for this event by September 12th to receive a FREE gift at the workshop.

If you can’t take the classes please feel free to come check out the event and shop for new and vintage treasures with us and many other vendors that will be showcasing their wares at the big red barn. Spend the day with your friends and eat some yummy food. Admission is FREE!

This event shares my love of design and teaching, but would not be possible without the amazing talents and assistance of Denise Thornton…how lucky I am to have her help in so many ways as we prepare to WOW you at the Junk Barn Girls event.

See you there!

Posted in Digital Products, Event Design, Just Me..., Papercrafting Projects, Studio to Studio Projects | Tagged Altered Junque Book, Denise Thornton, Junk Barn Girls, Mixed Media Canvas, workshops | 1 Comment

I did it….

Posted on July 9, 2011 by cassandra

I reached goal weight! 120 lbs lost!

A HUGE thank you to my friend Shannon from Defining Details for helping capture the before and after pictures of my journey.

It is hard to believe who the new me is, some days I look in the mirror and hardly recognize the person staring back at me. But each day that reflection is starting to take hold and I treasure the blessing I have been given. It is up to me now what I do with this opportunity to get a second chance at a healthy life.

This last Wednesday I traveled to Portland OR to visit many of the people that helped me along the way with this journey at the Oregon Weight Loss Clinic. It was so encouraging to hear that I now have a normal healthy weight and more important a normal healthy BMI. It is hard not to get caught up on that number on the scale, but now my focus has to turn to building some muscle. With massive amounts of weight loss it is impossible to not lose muscle. I have lost a little too much and will be working on making sure to build that back up and now have to turn my attention away from that number on the scale and rely on how I am feeling & the way my clothes are fitting. In 3 months I will go back for my 1 year check up and will see how my muscle mass is and get my official after pictures at the clinic.

I had a great visit with my nutritionist. This surgery can prevent your body from absorbing a lot of protein and because much of our bodies are made up of protein it is important for me to get enough in with the foods I eat or I have to supplement with protein shakes (that I HATE). So I try to focus on getting protein in at every meal. But with summer here I am craving fruits and veggies and sometimes I just don’t want to think about protein amounts and how much is in everything. The really good news was with my current weight, they lowered the amount of protein I need to consume each day and we chatted about no food is off limit, I just need to consider quantities and listen to my body. If I am craving something it is usually because my body needs something that food is providing and vegetables and fruits are still good choices for me to eat.

On July 4th we had oreo’s in the house…a HUGE weakness for me, I can have 2 oreo’s and we talked about how I should enJOY and savor them and not load myself with guilt over eating 2. Now if I choose to overdo it that is a different story, but all foods are good to eat, some just come with more boundaries than others.

2 more visits were to the physical therapist and the psychologist both of which were positive appointments and it was nice to discuss where I am at in life and in the gym and being more active!

To celebrate this huge milestone….we hiked to the top of Multnomah Falls on the way home from Portland. It is a beautiful site and the hike of 1.25 miles and up 620 feet would not have been anything I could have even come close to doing at 276 lbs.

I not only hiked it, but jogged some of the way up arriving first over the 4 teenagers and my husband. It felt amazing and I am LOVING being so much more active now.