Monday, June 30, 2014

San Miguel de Allende in February 2015!!! Let's Go!!


Hello Everybody!!

Mark your calendars and start saving your buckaroos!  Let's go to San Miguel de Allende together in February!!  Where else would you want to be during the month of LOVE but the beautiful and oh so colorful town of San Miguel de Allende.  Jim West of Scrapmaps has planned a GRANDE time for us and I've got a FANTASTIC project that's just going to be MAGNIFICO!!



Also, keep in mind, that Jim West's company has a payment plan!  I love this option!  Here's some info:

We offer a low monthly payment plan to make it easy to book the scrapbooking vacation of your dreams! To take advantage of this and to make your reservations you can call us toll free at 877-887-1188 or make your reservations online.

Here's the rundown of the awesome activities for the week...

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2015


Package Includes

Round-Trip airfare from Houston, first-class hotel accommodations, all sightseeing as mentioned in the itinerary, all taxes, most meals, This tour is personally escorted by The Gentleman Crafter JIM HANKINS and Sew Many Places founder, JIM WEST!

ITINERARY:

Saturday February 14th
Today we will fly from Houston to GUANAJUATO, MEXICO. Upon our arrival we will be met by our tour escort, Jim West, who will take us to our coach for our drive to SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE. Upon our arrival at our lovely boutique hotel, we will check in and relax. Tonight we will all gather for a special “welcome dinner” and Jim will introduce our special guest instructor, Jim Hankins, The Gentleman Crafter. D



 Sunday February 15th


Following a delicious breakfast, we will walk into the central part of San Miguel de Allende. It will be a leisurely stroll as we visit special places and enjoy the colors and cultural part of the city. Bring your cameras, there are great photograph opportunities around every corner. Everyone will have time for lunch on our own before we meet back at the hotel for an afternoon class with Jim. Tonight is free for you to enjoy the city on your own. B



 Monday February 16th

This morning following breakfast, we will drive to the Aurora Arts and Crafts Marketplace where we will be inspired with many art galleries and shops displaying the work of local artisans. From here we will drive to DOLORES HIDALGO. Upon our arrival into town, our first stop will be at a Talavera Tile and Ceramic Factory to see how these regional ceramics are made. Our next stop will be lunch at a traditional “carnitas” restaurant. Following lunch we will travel to the city center where we can enjoy a delicious ice cream that comes in a variety of unusual flavors. We will return to our hotel later in the afternoon where the remainder of the evening is at your leisure. B, L

 


Tuesday February 17th
This morning following breakfast we will drive a short distance from our hotel to the local market where we will have an opportunity to shop for all kinds of designer goods at a fraction of their retail value. We will return to our hotel in the early afternoon where Jim will provide another special workshop for all of us to enjoy. Tonight we will walk into town and have dinner at a local restaurant. B, D

Wednesday February 18th
After a delicious breakfast, we will drive to the city of GUANAJUATO. Our tour guide will show us some of the highlights of the city before we are on our own to have lunch and shop in many of the specialty shops. We will return to our hotel in the middle of the afternoon. Tonight is free for you to enjoy San Miguel de Allende on your own. B

Thursday February 19th
This morning after breakfast we will have one final workshop with Jim. This afternoon will be free for last minute souvenirs, an appointment for a massage or to walk around the town enjoying all the sights and sounds San Miguel de Allende has to offer. This evening we will all meet for a special “farewell dinner” as we bring our tour to a close. B, D

Friday February 20th
Today after breakfast we will check out of our hotel and drive to the airport in Guanajuato for our flight back to HOUSTON. B
 
I hope you consider coming!  It's going to be GRANDE!
 
Make it awesome! Adios Amigos!!!
 
Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

Friday, June 27, 2014

Pyramid Gifted Mini Tutorial Done!

Hello Everyone!

First, allow me to thank you for the amazing and awesome comments on Graphic 45's blog, my blog and on Facebook!  I am always so amazed with your wonderful comments!  I thank you and am so honored!

Thank you for also liking my new projects!  They were so much fun to make.  With such wonderful Graphic 45 papers, how could you go wrong!  As promised I have done tutorials on all the projects that were blogged today, but let's start with my GO TO gift this week.  The Pyramid Gifted Mini...If I'm ever in need of a small gift, this is exactly what I make.  It's a different shape and the ribbons on the top beg you to untie them to see what is inside.  Inside I place a Lindt truffle on top and below that, a little mini that could be filled out as a card or if I have time... pictures and memorabilia....

The tutorial is now in my Etsy Shop...You can find it HERE... or by cutting and pasting the link below into your browser:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/194469707/the-pyramid-gifted-mini?ref=shop_home_active_1

I hope you give it a try...It's a fast and easy beautiful handmade gift...

Here are some pictures of my favorite Go To Gift...The Pyramid Gifted Mini...






Thanks so much for coming by!  Have an Awesome Weekend!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter


Thursday, June 26, 2014

Graphic 45 Ambassador- New Project Reveals...

Good Morning All!

Please join me over at Graphic 45's Blog today for my introduction!  I have been invited by Graphic 45 to be one of the 2014 Ambassador's this year.  I am so honored to work with this amazing company once again and to also work with this years very talented Design Team. GRAPHIC 45 ROCKS!!

Today on the G45's blog I will reveal some new projects I have been working on so go on over and take a gander!





Here's a link:

Click HERE

or

Cut and Paste this into your browser:
http://g45papers.typepad.com/graphic45/2014/06/introducing-graphic-45-ambassador-jim-hankins.html

Have an Awesome Day!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

A Bit Under The Weather...But Dallas Bound!!

Good Evening All!

Well, so far its been a week!  I'm just bushed!  Like, don't sit in a chair for five minutes because I will fall asleep...bushed!  Snoring even!!! (The paint is still on the ceiling so it must be soft purrs not snores!)  I have been trying to meet several deadlines...and I think I've made them all!  Now, I'm off for Dallas in the morning to buy for the stores at market.  A week long adventure of trying to make the best decisions of what will sell at each location and what will be a dog and have the manager's biting my tail feathers off for purchasing!  Yep, it's always an adventure and a challenge that I always find exciting.

I hate to talk about being under the weather, but folks, I have been under the weather for a week now and it seems that I grow weaker everyday!  Yes, all because of that stupid tooth of mine!  Number 31 to be exact!  The very 31 that they can't get to until next week!  The antibiotics the Doc prescribed have really thrown me for a loop!  I finally called the Doc yesterday and said...NO MORE!  He said OK!  LOL!  I was hoping to be back on my feet today by stopping the antibiotics yesterday, but NO!!  I'm a get up and go kind a person....Let's get 'er done kinda man...tired or not...the job is done....but the lack of energy lately is totally alarming!  For example, I'm still trying to pack my suitcase and I honestly don't care if everything is in there!  Deodorant...Pfffssss...Razor...I will grow a beard....Undies....Commando...Sorry Mom!  I just want to sit down and rest!  So hence, I'm blogging and complaining...More like whining!  I hate whiners!  Well, I don't really hate them, but have no love or compassion for them...Is that hate?



Sadly, I'm sorry that this blog post is turning out to be so negative.  I  abhor negative anything...however, I am prone to it just as every human being is...but, I always TRY to find the bright side, because it's so not worth the energy given to dwelling in the negative!!!.  But Baby Love...It's been hard!  LOL!  I never knew I had a Sciatica nerve...Yep, it's all bunched up sending waves of pain from my right tail feather down the back of my leg when I walk!  Come On!  Really! What Else! However... It could be so much worse and I am grateful for good health!  This to shall pass!  AND....Just maybe it's making my non-existent buttocks (Thanks Dad!) firm and lifted from the spasms!  Bahahaha!

I guess I should get going...I've picked up the studio, washed clothes, cleaned out my satchel and now blogged...So throw a few more shirts in and I'm ready!  See you all from Dallas...I will FB, Instagram and Blog when I can to show you what's HOT and What's NOT!

Yours,

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Remembering Dad!

Good Morning Everyone!

Happy Father's Day!

Today, I sit quietly in reflection of my father.  Kenneth Dale Hankins was born in February of 1932 in Rusk County, Texas.  He passed away too early in December of 1995 in Austin, Texas.


Dad showing me how to use the almighty Shop Smith in their house in Houston, Texas.

Dad obtained his Masters from The University of Texas in Engineering.  You may have seen me write about growing up with a civil engineer for a dad before....But since it Father's Day...Why not!  The man was SMART!  Like SMART! And Tall!!   Like 6' 3"... You asked dad how something worked and he immediately went for his graph paper and draft pencil for a multi page illustration which usually included a 2 hour speech on the subject...So you learned quickly that if you really wanted to know how something worked you needed to be prepared.  

Dad was were I got my creativity from.  He could build, make and do anything.  Now I'm not just saying that...He really could!  We were the first ones on the block with solar panels. He read about them, drew them out and built them....I remember a time when there was a furniture store I loved called The Storehouse.  They had the most awesome bed ever.  They had a catalog that pictured the oh so modern bed so, I gave him the picture and two weeks later...I had the exact same bed!  He was really amazing. 

What I remember most about dad was that  he never stopped. From getting us up in the morning, to going to work, to coming home and working tirelessly on fixing cars, mowing the grass, building things, jewelry making, (Yes, he was an avid rock hound and made gorgeous sterling silver jewelry) to being plumb tuckered out and still sitting in his chair, polishing shoes or cracking pecans from the pecan trees out back.  I would wake up in the middle of the night like at 1 or 2:00 a.m. and the light was on in the living room where he could be found totally into his Louis L'Amour western novels.  He loved them and collected them all. 

He would try anything...From making something he had no idea how to make, but would try... to trying out new family fitness techniques with his family....There were times when he would be on these fitness jaunts...He would get the whole family up at the crack before school and have us exercising with these spring things you had to pull.  You would put one end under your foot and the other end in you hand and stretch! Thinking back...how crazy a scene with my sisters, Mom, Dad and I all pulling on spring things at the crack in the living room!  Laughing a bit, but still remembering how much I hated it!  LOL!

Dad loved the outdoors and loved camping.  By the time I was 16 years old we had pretty much seen each and every State Park in the USA!!  Those were probably my most cherished memories.  I loved camping and still do!  He always made it so much fun!  Those memories are the ones that make me ache with regret that they are gone and so long for more.  My whole family together enjoying each others company... taking hikes, eating around a campfire and enjoying the majestic scenery of the Grand Canyon while Mom and Dad held on to the belt loops on my blue jeans so that I could just see to the bottom of the canyon!

Today, I think of the many things he taught me...The reassuring way he told me that when I ran, I needed to hold my hands and arms to my side and not flail them about wildly like a girl.  LOL!  Or, how to roll up a utility cord so it wouldn't tangle up, how to change my oil...the brakes on my car, how to build things, refinish things...fix things...So many lessons learned....The most meaningful life lessons....Always be a good Christian Gentleman, give to others, and TRY ANYTHING WORTH TRYING!

I love you Dad!  Thank you for giving so much of yourself and teaching us what's important in life!

Love on your Dad today!  Happy Father's Day!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter 

Friday, June 13, 2014

New Tutorial Up! Three Crazy Cards...Done!

Happy Day To You!

I've been having a blast making cards lately for Graduations, Weddings and Thank Yous...You name it!  In fact, I've had so much fun that I decided to write a tutorial on how to make three different cards in one tutorial and then teach how to make these CRAZY cards in Chicago last week.  They were a hit!  So, I decided to offer the tutorial in my Etsy shop. 

Three Crazy Cards are of course not your usual 5 x 7 cards!  I had to make them out of what?  My favorite...chipboard!  Of course they could made out of cardstock...but if you have chipboard laying around...Awesome!  I added flips and flaps, skewers and even a tabbed paneled door gift card holder.  They are fast and fun to make and a gift all by themselves.  I hope you give them a try....

Here's a link to the tutorial in my Etsy Shop:

Click HERE

or, here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/192852632/three-crazy-cards-tutorial?ref=shop_home_feat_1

Here's a look at the trio of Crazy Cards....



 




 





Have an Awesome Friday and a Wonderful Weekend!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter




Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Cleaning House Sale!

Good Evening Everyone!

Well, I've decided that I need to reclaim some of my space!  I'm feeling a bit claustrophobic in my studio...and all over my house really!   The treadmill in my dining room is chocked full of kits and papers, and I need to get on it and exercise!  LOL!  Well, let's just say, I need to declutter and I may get on the treadmill!  OK! OK!  So, first I'm starting in the dining room and cleaning that out...Then on to my studio this weekend!  Yahoooo!

To start this decluttering and organizing extravaganza, I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop to clear out boxes of paper and kits.  I've got kits for Lynn's Light- The By the Sea Lighthouse, The Roosevelt Album Kit with Graphic 45's new Come Away With Me Paper Pad, The Good Ol' Sport Trophy Kit, Graphic 45 Good Ol' Sport 12 x 12 Paper Pads, Graphic 45 Botanical Tea 12 x 12 Paper Pads, Prima Cartographer 12 x 12 Paper Pads and Prima Cartographer Chipboard Pieces!!!

If you are looking for a deal, I'm trying to give you one!  So please head on over to my Etsy store and help me clean house!

Here's a link to get you there in a zip...

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGentlemanCrafter

Added Note....If you combine items in the shop, I will refund you the difference between what you paid and the exact shipping costs for the combined items.

Thanks Tons and Have an Awesome Week!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Father's Day Pocket Knife Mini Tutorial Done!

Good Evening!

I'm waiting for some clothes to dry and I can actually say I am packed for Chicago and teaching at Creative Cards and Crafts!  Who knew I could have it all done early!  Must be something wrong there!  Better check my list again!

As promised, here's a quick tutorial on the Father's Day Pocket Knife Mini....





Supplies and Comments on Supplies:

  • (2) sheets of 12 x 12 Black (If you don't have black, use black craft paint on the outside/Inside of the knife.) Med. to Heavy weight chipboard.
  • Aluminum Foil Tape or Silver Craft Paint.
  • (2) 1-1/2-inch Metal Scrapbook Extensions Posts
  • Graphic 45 Good Ol' Sport Paper Collection.  (I used a 6 x 6 Graphic 45 Good Ol' Sport paper pack.  You can use any size and just cut it to the measurements below.)
  • Tim Holtz/Sizzix Petal Drop Die (If you  don't have this die, just make sure you round off the ends of your chipboard pieces and form them into a tear shape with scissors.)
  • Tim Holtz/Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers- Sized Circles (Use the 2-inch Circle.  Once again, if you don't have this die, cut a 2-inch circle template.)
  • 1-inch Circle Punch
  • Emery board or Sanding block
  • Scissors
  • Glue, Scor-Tape or similar 
  • Crop-a-Dile 3/16 hole punch
OK, Let's get started.

Exterior of the Knife-

First, cut (4) 2 x 7-1/4 pieces from Chipboard.



Glue or tape two of the pieces together forming one piece.  Repeat for other two. This will make it stronger.



Cut/punch a 2-inch circle and fold in half.  Place the circle at the end of the 2 x 7-1/4-inch piece and trace around the round end of the circle.  Repeat this for other end and second piece.



Use some scissors to cut on the marked lines.



Smooth the round ends with an Emory Board or Sanding Block.



Apply 1-1/2 -inches of aluminum foil tape to each end of the knife and cut away excess.  Repeat with remaining piece.



From the paper collection, cut (2) 2 x 5 pieces.  Ink the edges and adhere (Around 1-1/8-inches in from either end.) to middle of knife on both pieces. Sorry forgot to take a picture of this step...



Punch a 1-inch circle and fold in half.  Use this as a template to trace a half-circle onto the top edge of the knife. on the back, uncovered sides.  Do this at 3-3/4-inches over from the left side.  Repeat for back of knife.





Cut the half-circle out from each piece with scissors or knife.  Smooth cuts with Emory board if needed and ink edges.

 
Punch a 3/16-inch hole at 1-inch in from each end of the knife.



Insert the metal scrapbook extension posts  into the front side of the knife on each end.  It's a tight squeeze but it fits.



The Pages-

Cut (4) 6 x 6 squares from chipboard.  Cover both sides of the 6 x 6 pieces with patterned paper.

From chipboard, cut (12) Petal Drops (that's 4 times with the die as there are 3 petals on the die)  and (14) 2-inch Circles.  Punch 3/16-inch holes centered at 1-inch in from the edge on all 2-inch circles.  Punch 3/16-inch holes in all the Petal Drops centered at 1-inch in from the round edge.  Ink Edges.



Now cut (12) pieces of patterned paper to 2 x 4-inches.  Ink edges.  Apply Scor-Tape or glue to the "V" of the drop.  Lay the Petal Drops where the long edge is up against you with the tip to the left and the round end to the right.  Adhere the 2 x 4 paper piece from the tip to the round side along the straight edge. 
 

 

Assembling the Knife-

Lay the knife front flat on the table with the extension post coming out toward you.  Place a 2-inch circle on each of the posts.  Now, place one of the Petal Pages on the left post.  Next, place a page on the right post.  Place another set of 2-inch circles on each post then add a page to the left and another to the right.  Do this for the remaining pages and circles.









Last, place the ends of the scrapbook extension post screws through the knife back piece.  Lower the back piece down onto the knife assemblage and screw the knife front onto the scrapbook extension posts and tighten....










Embellish pages with photos, quotes and well wishes for DAD! 

DONE!  Hope you like!

Well Gotta go pack clothes...See ya from Chicagoland...

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter