I would like to wish each and every one of you a very blessed Easter tomorrow. May you celebrate the reason for the season with family, friends, and create many wonderful happy memories. :)
Hello my beautiful friends! Just wanted to share a new venture I have been working on behind the scenes, Artifactory! What is "artifactory" you ask? I must say it is a very cool word my brother came up with...it encompasses everything I love...repurposing & redesigning old & vintage "artifacts" through clever transformation into works of art. :)
I hope that my window has inspired you, put a little spring in your step, or even just a put a little smile on your face. :) Be sure and peruse the Paper Issues Blog Hop, not only will you get tons of inspiration, there is a fantastic prize up for grabs. Studio Calico is the sponsor, need I say more? 
For the dangling ribbons, I wanted a fun mix of texture, color and varying widths. I love, love, love the cloth measuring tape. It is so authentic, it felt sinful to even cut into it. Adding the thick paper strips at the back and the journaling tickets to the front, I was almost done. Taking the white seem binding and dying it in varying shades of red ink added the perfect distressed color I was looking for. 
I am pleased to say this entire creation was made using all Tim Holtz product...DIES: NEW BIGZ Picture Wheel & Sizzlits Paper Rosette; PAPER: Paper Stash Lost & Found 12X12, Paper Stash Kraft Resist, Paper Stash Collage 8X8; Tissue Wrap-Melange, Journaling Tickets, Game Spinner, NEW Compass Coin, Ruler Ribbon, Lavish Trimmings, NEW Elements Tissue Tape, Ranger Red Embossing Powder & Fired Brick Distress Ink.
This is the final project I created for Tim Holtz at CHA. I wish that I had had more time to create many more projects. This was my very first experience designing for CHA, and I must say that Paula and Tim made it very educational and exciting through the entire process. This is a memory I will never forget. Thanks again Paula and Tim for trusting in me and giving me such a great opportunity!
Thanks so much for stopping by, have a great evening!
Last summer I created a window box titled "Follow Your Heart" for my niece. For my 2nd Tim Holtz CHA project, I decided to create a different version of the "Follow Your Heart" only this time using all Tim Holtz product. You can check out the original version here. It is amazing how different the second version looks! 
Since the entire creation was to be housed in a window box, there is tons of layering. I challenged myself to see how many die-cuts I could incorporate into the overall design. By the time I had it all laid out, I had used 5 different dies! Nearing completion, I felt there was something missing. Asking for a different set of eyes to brainstorm finishing touches, my mom suggested creating clouds in the background. To her, the design had a steampunk feel...the star in the center reminded her of propellers on an airplane. What a great idea mom! Now, my challenge was to create clouds using Tim's product. Playing around with my tools & scraps, I decided to create the clouds using the Layered Angel Wings Die! I love finding different uses rather than the obvious sometimes, don't you? By doing so, it can definitely turn into something magical! :)
As promised, I will start sharing the projects I created for Tim Holtz CHA 2013. This thank you card is the first project I created. As a designer, I was primarily chosen for my intense layering style and my use of Tim's Sizzix dies. To start creating, I chose to incorporate all of my "favorite" things. What are some of my favorite things you ask? I knew I wanted to use the Regal Crest Die; as I consider that particular die a staple tool for me. It is so versatile, as you can see from the many past projects I have used it in. I also wanted to do lots of the layering, and lastly I wanted to create with my favorite color combination: red & aqua.
Since there's lots of materials used on the card, here is a comprehensive list of all the Tim Holtz product...Embossing Folders: Bingo, Bricked & Woodgrain; Bigz Dies: Regal Crest & Ornamental Movers & Shapers; Kraft Core'dinations Nostalgic Cardstock, NEW Paper Stash Collage 8X8, Lost & Found 12X12, NEW Label Letters, Chit Chat Stickers, NEW Tissue Tape Elements (ruler), Game Pieces, Paper Twine, NEW Compass Coins & NEW Tag Labels.
Because this is the first project I created for Tim Holtz & it exemplifies lots of my favorite things, I thought this would be the perfect "favorite" project for me to share for our newest theme at Paper Issues! There is a huge blog hop going on, so you want to miss out. Be sure to share your favorite project from 2012, we would love to see!
I am so excited to share the information for my upcoming appearance at The Junk Hippy "Holidays" Roadshow in OKC! Kristen Grandi is the creative brainchild who has invented such a fabulous, unique event of one-stop shopping for everyone on your Christmas list. I attended the debut Junk Hippy Roadshow here in OKC back in June of this year. I absolutely loved everything about it. If you are a lover of vintage, ecclectic junk and all things handmade then you will love it too. In fact it has been such a hit, Junk Hippy has over 7,500 followers on their Facebook page. And that is just since June people! Won't you help Kristen continue her rise to fame by liking her Junk Hippy page on Facebook? She is so close to 8,000 and if you could check it out, you will be glad you did. Quick to note, even though the Junk Hippy Roadshow originates here in Oklahoma, Kristen has taken this fabulous show on the road! This summer they were in Amarillo, followed by a show in Arlington, TX. There are shows scheduled in Little Rock, AR and Houston, TX for Spring 2013. You will definitely want to follow, as the Roadshow could soon be arriving to a city near you! :)
So I am very into songs and sayings as inspiration in my creations lately. I love how such a simple statement or few words can convey different thoughts or memories in every person that sees it. 
Since this piece has such a festive feel, it is the perfect time for me to share with you the newest theme going on over at Paper Issues! "Holiday Happy" entails anything that the holiday season may mean to you. From gift tags, to layouts or home decor, we would love for you to share with us! There is also a very festive prize up for grabs if you play along. Please stop by Paper Issues for all the details! |
| Darcy & I @ Girlie Show 2012 |
Good morning! I am excited to present to you Paper Issues latest theme: Tag, You're It! To get this party started, we are having a blog hop with some fabulous projects and a killer giveaway you will definitely want to win! Here is a list of all the girlies participating in the hop to get you started...
In honor of the newest theme, I created a sweet gift bag embellished with tags for a dear friend of mine's birthday. She has lots of beautiful "keepsake" books she has created over the years that are true masterpieces. Dripping at the seams with tons of ribbon, fabric, ephemera and notes from dear friends I knew she would appreciate these sweet tags to add to her 
collection. To make these reusable for her, all the tags are simply clipped together by use of a clothespin covered in some Hambly woodgrain washi to make it extra pretty. I created the tags using lots of Tim Holtz dies and 7Gypsies goodies. My favorite 2 would be the copper birdcage with the glass glittered bird and the K & Company Naked Chipboard Tag I completely transformed with the use of aqua chalk ink, the lovely Cradle Robin Nest from Prima and the white vine created from Tim Holtz' Regal Crest Die.
The trophy you see is the actual present. Let's just say the tags are the "icing on the cake." :) For the trophy itself, it is completely transformed from it's original state. I wanted something to hold the bird in, so I opted to use a trophy cup. The cup turned out beautifully. I used German Glass Glitter on it. My first time ever using the stuff. Talk about beautiful to the naked eye. I wish you could see it in person, these pictures just don't do it justice. As for the trophy, I filled the top with krinkled kraft to create a nest if you will. The paper medallion was created using Crate Paper, May Arts ribbon & a Martha Stewart felt cupcake to top it off. Lastly, I added the kraft tags
on there. See? The possibilities are endless as to what you can do with tags. They are so versatile, they can dress up just about anything. They are not just needed to dress up packages anymore! :)
Be sure to continue following on the hop to the amazing Ashli for more inspiration. Make sure to share your "tag" projects with us at Paper Issues, we would love to see what you've got! Lastly, if you are in the market for some fabulous scrapbooking goodies please be sure to peruse Paper Issues' Shop and use promo code CURLYQ for a 20% discount!
Sam came home from school the other day with a big white piece of paper shaped like a banner. His teacher sent it home for him to create "an all about me" banner to be hung up in his classroom for the entire year. The teacher also said that it was to be completed with the help of parents and could be as simple or elaborate as we wanted. As soon as I saw that parents were to help and that it could be elaborate, of course I saw that as a green light to get creative. I had to keep in mind that Sam is only in Kindergarten and is still very much trying to learn his ABC's, let alone write each and every letter. I wanted to create with Sam but also using it as a tool to help him practice his writing and hand control with cutting and coloring.
To create the banner, we started with the white 12X18" base. Digging through my stash, I came accross some cool Cavallini file folders that repeat the alphabet over and over in rich, warm colors. I opened it up and it fit perfectly into the banner shape. All I had to do was cut the triangle at the bottom and staple it on. Next, I gave Sam some vellum and had him trace the entire alphabet once in pencil and then again in Sharpie. I punched each letter out with a 1/2" hole punch and randomly placed them directly onto the folder. I cut Sam's name out using the Cindy Loo Cricut Cartridge. The black cardstock worked perfectly to emulate a chalkboard. I gave sam a white oil pastel to color in his name. It shows up so well against the black. We then 
decided to go through pictures that show who Sam is, and what he loves. We chose 10 different pics to represent his love of swimming, his birthday, Halloween/candy, his brother, catching frogs, hats, his dog Murphy, going on trips/hotels/cabins, his I-touch/music, and IHOP! I printed them at 1" and foam mounted them to create some dimension. Sam loves helping me with those foam dots, I always seem to find them stuck to walls, doors and anything else he can get his hands on. :) I cut a few white squares and had Sam draw with his favorite color red a smiley face and the number 5 to represent his age. The last part was creating the ribbon to tie it all together. I printed and cut a photo of 
Sam on his first day of school. Then I drew a circle and had Sam cut it out in yellow stripe and red. I cut all around the edges to give it a fringed appearance. We took some MME Lost & Found II striped paper and stamped all the things that represent each photo. I had Sam 
help me find all the letter stamps to spell out the words. That was probably the most timely process of all. Sam picked out some ribbon, we added the 
"I am" and the shiny heart for the finishing touch. Sam was so proud of it, he was so excited to bring it to his teacher. For photographing purposes, I hung the banner using a vintage wooden pant hanger. I found and purchased 18 of them at an estate sale last weekend for $0.25 a piece. Score! I think I will be incorporating them into future projects. :)
