I posted this over at Club CK as well.
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I was able to arrive late Friday in order to make the Friday night crop so here's my reviews for that night and all day Saturday.
Friday night Crop: The place was packed and I was lucky that the extremely noisy ministry group didn't start their screaming and loud music until 10:30. From what I heard from my friend who was there Thursday, they couldn't hear anything over that groups noise. The crop was packed full. Lots of fun, tons of give-a-ways. My only complaint...who was the idiot who decided that the vendors for the crop had to be outside the room? Last year they were in the crop room and it made it so easy to get up and go check out their merchandise all night. Going outside the crop room was inconvenant to say the least. There were five of us at our table and if someone at your table's name was called, the entire table would make one card each for a military heroes group (cards for military to send home to loved ones) and in return you would all get a little prize. My name was called and we all got Basic Grey Origins chipboard stickers and journaling transparencies courtesy of the Button Farm. There were a few women who refused to do it. I was surprised by this. How hard is it to take a few minutes of your crop time to make a card for someone in the military. They had a fun singing contest too. All I can say is...MILK, MILK, MIIIIIIILLLLLK! :-D
Delightfully Easy Techniques for Dazzling Scrapbook Pages: Love any class that is Technique Tuesday. You have enough product to make two pages. They show you basic masking, inking on flowers to make custom embellies, etc. The layout was cute and so was the stamp set they give you to take home. They also give you one small ink pad. The instructor is very knowledgeable and will answer any and all questions. I didn't finish the page, but that's just me because I tend to like to ink extra edges, etc. Others did finish it. They do lots of give-a-ways.
Latest & Greatest With Basic Grey: Always a favorite of mine as the designs are simple, the instructions are step by step and the papers are always beautiful. Some of the papers were a little overcrowded, but I did them as they were. You can finish the pages in class if you have photos with you. I didn't bring any photos, so I will do that final step at home. There's plenty of product to use on other pages or cards. I bought the second page kit. There are four pages in this class. No give-a-ways were done in this class...the only one who didn't in all the classes I took.
Live in the Moment: Another Technique Tuesday. Very beautiful layout. You're told right off the bat that you won't finish the projects, but are given a color step by step sheet and loads of instructions in class that were clear and concise. There's plenty of product to do more layouts at home. The class is a two page class. They show you inking, fading, stamping on twill and their chipboard like product that I can't remember the name of right now. It's cream colored and smooth. The ink works wonderfully on it. Besides the papers and frames, you're given a nice stamp set and two small inks pads. I highly recommend this class for both the instruction and the finished project. Lots of give-a-ways.
Fabulous Flowers: You will be given product to make a layout, but you won't work on it. You will be shown how to make different flowers with different materials. One is a cloth ribbon & button flower. Cute, but I made a mess of it. I'm not that good with a needle and thread. They show you how to make other flowers on hand and also project a few others on screen that weren't on the handout. They also spend a bit of time showing you how to use the iTop to make brads. I don't care for the tool, but I'm going to buy the punches that go with it because in class we made a cute flower using them that takes a while if you're handsnipping a punched circle. I finished the layout at the Saturday night crop and it's simple, but pretty. You leave the class with a packet of brads to make with the tool and all the papers, etc. to finish the page. If you like to buy flower embellies, take this class so you don't have to go and buy them anymore. Lots of give-a-ways.
Friends Through Thick and Thin: Another Technique Tuesday class. The best thing about this class is they give you the choice of boy or girl theme as you come in to get your class kit. Smart thinking. Very pretty layouts using their chipboard like product. You get three mini ink pads, and a pretty stamp set, plus enough product to make two pages and extra to use on other projects. As always with their classes, the instructor is well versed on the products and techniques. You do inking, stamping, tearing, and layers. The color instruction sheets they give you in their classes are the best. I highly recommend you taking their classes, especially if you're a person who has stamps, but doesn't know really what to do with them besides make cards. I won a small Technique Tuesday stamp set in this class. :) Oh...and to the class that didn't want to let the instructor eat their lunch while doing the class...you people are rude. How would you like to be teaching all day with no break to eat? Our class was appalled that someone would be like that. Chow down we said!
Dimensional Scrapbooking: This was the last class and since the class wasn't full, we had plenty of space to spread out and do our thing. Mandy Douglass our instructor was left without an assistant, so all of us stepped up and helped by handing out the stamps, etc. It's nice to see that many people being nice. The layout given to us was very plain, but once you were done with the embossing, glaze, and stickles, it will perk up and that's the reason for this class. We didn't use the glossy accents liquid because it wouldn't dry by the time you leave class. I had to wipes my Stickles off as they weren't dry either (I knew it would happen, but I did it any way...I love Stickles and have a ton at home). I have only embossed once and it looked like crap. Here I finally did a huge stamp embossing and it has made me a big fan of it. I'll be going out to buy a bunch of powders soon. You leave the class with enough product fir a simple two page layout and a small bottle of glossy accent. Lots of give-a-ways.
Shopping: I only had one and a half hours to shop because of all my classes. That is NOT enough time to shop the vendor faire. I was rushed and wish I could have browsed the entire place. There was so much there.
Saturday Night Crop: They let the vendors in the crop room this night and the noisy ministry group was gone. The only bad part is there were only six or seven vendor that showed up! There were so many more last year. And the crop room was only half full. I can only blame this on the fact that they had an additional day added to this event. I won a big stack of colored and naked chipboard, a pile of foam letter stickers, and a huge pack of plastic letters and symbols. We left a half hour early to drive home.
All in all, this was a wonderful experience as always. I just wish I could have gone for two days. My complaints: don't ever let the hotel schedule a noisy ministry group like that again. They were loud! We were woken up by them laughing and yelling outside our hotel room as they came back to sleep in their rooms. Also the hotel needed to get the four that were sleeping in the lobby out of there! Either buy a room or go somewhere else. Number two complaint, don't ever have the vendors outside of the crop room. Not a smart idea. They lost money from doing that.
I will be going back to CKC next year and can't wait. The instructors are wonderful and the classes relaxing. I only have to double check my schedule as it was a rush to have to go back and forth from the Delaware to Franklin to Delaware all day long. It was a ton of walking and while I like to exercise, doing it with two bags and weaving through the hall traffic was an experience. :) Thanks CK for keeping the convention in Valley Forge!
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