Sunday, December 29, 2013

January Magnifique Mixed Media Kit

Good morning! I have for you today a project that I created using the January Magnifique Mixed Media Kit from C'est Magnifique. I decided to use the 5"x7" canvas that comes with this kit and create a simple, pretty piece for my wall. I hope you like it :)

"Winter's Thaw"
I was inspired by the cool, wintery blues in this kit and feel that the pretty pinks are the perfect offset to them. It made me think of winter turning into spring, which is what I was going for here in this canvas. 

The Primary Elements are very easy to control. You start by putting some of the Acrylic Glaze into a dish and add a very small amount of the Primary Elements powder. Continue adding until the desired depth of color is reached. I simply used my finger to apply, blending into the canvas along the edges and over the subtly masked area. Get creative and experiment! What's great about canvas is if you make a mistake, simply throw some gesso over it and start over! ;)

I loved using the "African Jade" Silks for a brighter splash of color. I prefer to use more saturated colors sparingly, to draw the eye but not take over. Apply them beneath clusters and other elements on your project.

A reminder of our SOLD OUT January Magnifique Mixed Media Kit:


Mixed Media Kit Contents
Luminarte Primary Elements – Bolivian Blue
Luminarte Primary Elements – Chiffon Pink
Luminarte Primary Elements – Tahitian Blue
Silks – African Jade 
Silks - Raspberry Wine 
Silks Clear Acrylic Glazing Medium
Canvas Corp Stretched Canvas 5x7
Prima: Vintage Mechanicals: Flowers Medium
Prima: Mechanicals: Pendant 
Prima: Sunrise Sunset: Mini Roses: Silver 
Prima: Le Mia: Cotton Candy 
Prima: Delight Collection: Tags & Tickets
Blue Fern Doily
*Some embellishments are partial packages*

Thanks for coming over! I hope you have a GREAT weekend!! :)

Friday, December 27, 2013

Two Projects for Blue Fern Studios

Good morning! I hope that your Christmas went well and that you're getting ready to welcome in a new year :). I'm stopping in today to share some classy Christmas cheer with you all, as well as a sweet and simple project too~ both for Blue Fern Studios!

"Let it Snow"
Blue Fern Studios has released some beautiful holiday themed chipboard pieces over the past month or so, as well as some wintry ones as well- simply perfect for this time of year! The "Let it Snow" set includes the title piece and snowflake you see here, as well as a tree and some additional snowflakes. A must-have!

For the frame I first primed with gesso before applying embossing ink. I then sprinkled on some sparkly white and gold embossing powders as well as some glitter and then setting with a heat gun. The snowflake was treated with white embossing powder and set. Finally, the title piece was stamped with chalk ink and sealed with some glossy accents.

Blue Fern Studios Products Used:
Let it Snow
Ever After Frame Set

Other Products Used:
Webster's Pages "Royal Christmas" Collection papers
Prima Marketing flowers and bling

Next I have a sweet and simple card for you!

"A Very Good Life"
I love the "Winter Page Dangles", and I have been envisioning creating a tall, narrow card with one for a while now. I wanted to make sure the chipboard piece was the focus, so I kept the rest of my card fairly simple. 

I used a white chalk ink before adding embossing ink and glittery white embossing powder to my chipboard. It turned out sparkly and feminine which was perfect for my girly card!

Blue Fern Studios Products Used:
Winter Page Dangles

Other Products Used:
Webster's Pages "New Beginnings" Collection paper
Webster's Pages "New Beginnings" Sentiment Stickers
Webster's Pages "Postcards from Paris II" Collection paper

Thank-you for stopping by amidst the holiday happenings! 
I hope you've had a chance to play along with our sketch challenge this month over at Blue Fern too- there's still time left to enter!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Year in Review: My Top 13 of 2013 {& a couple of announcements...}

This has been a busy, amazing year for me in so many ways- both in my offline/personal life as well as my scrappy life :). We bought a house and finally had running water again after 2 1/2 years which is a blessing that I am grateful for on a daily basis~! We expanded our hobby farm, adding several ducks and more chickens to our current flock. They bring me so much joy! My sister and I both had a dream come true when we made the Prima team, and shortly thereafter were able to attend Summer CHA together in Las Vegas which was a blast :)! I spent the last several months harvesting and canning my garden goodies, wild berries, and wild game. I love my life :).

I have an amazing husband who works hard to support his family, while never complaining. He is purely awesome. And I'm blessed with 3 beautiful children who have give my life a meaning far greater than I'd ever imagined. They move me to do better. They encourage my exploration in faith. They make me want to be a better person, to do better, to live the type of life that God intended for us all. 

Finally, I'm so thankful for the friendships formed and people I've gotten to know through this craft. It has opened up a whole new world for me. I love when I can say "Oh hey, I've got friends all over the world!"- so many that I've never even met and yet are close to my heart. Thanks for your kindness, friendship, and support. I love you all :)

Here's my Top 13 Projects of 2013. I decided to pick one project that I liked from each month (one month has 2). I hope you enjoy this review!

January
This was one of my very first projects for Blue Fern Studios. I'm so happy to have been a part of this company from the very beginning. It's allowed me to create lasting friendships and it's been a true honor to watch this new business grow into what it has become. I see many great things ahead for BFS!

February
I created this for one of the past Prima BAP or PPP challenges prior to making the team. I love the bright, happy colors and this sweet photo of my niece Paisley :).

March
I chose 2 projects for the month of March. I really got into altering and other non-layout projects this year which is something my creativity desperately needs. I have no idea how I survived as a "layout only" crafter in the past. I love to do different things and challenge myself in order to stay interested in what I'm doing :)
 

April
This canvas was created for Webster's Pages and I remember having such a good time creating this one. I don't often do really bright colors, especially neon- but how could you not get happy when using them?

May
I don't know what it is about this layout, but I've always just loved it. Something about the photo and colors that came together against the neutral background.

June
Sometimes ideas just come and you don't know where from- and such is the case with this layout. I had these photos of my son climbing a tree and the inspiration just began there. This one was tedious- but a joy!

July
I believe this was my first project created as a 7 Dots Studio design team member, using "Messy Head" by Olga Heldwein. I fell in love with this collection and have used it MANY times since.

August
This was one of those projects where I just really let go- and love what happened when I did :)

September
More bright, happy colors- this one was way too fun!

October
I started art journaling this year, which has allowed me to express my faith more openly. I now know why people art journal- and I would encourage anyone who is struggling with anything in life to give it a try. It's a good way to open up, explore, understand, and motivate.

November
This was the first project created with the new Magnifique Mixed Media kit that my sister Kelly and I have been given the opportunity to create each month for C'est Magnifique. This has been an exciting adventure thus far and can't wait to continue to watch it grow!

December
I shared this one not too long ago, but it just makes me happy :) I love my boys. I love when people are like "Wow, you used so many flowers and yet it still feels masculine"...I remember way back when I didn't think I could ever use flowers. Yes, my sister can attest to that! 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

I've had to do a lot of reflecting lately on my personal life vs. my scrappy life and have had to make some tough decisions. For months I've been telling myself that "things will slow down, they'll get easier"- but they don't. My kids are busier than ever, I'm very involved in my little farm and plans for its growth into a hopeful business, I've invested a lot of time in exploring ways of living a more self-sufficient lifestyle and have so many dreams attached to that. And of course amid all this, I have my scrappy career which I LOVE. But I've felt as if the load was a little too heavy and that I just didn't have the time for it all. So after many weeks of deliberating and picking the details apart, I've had to make a couple of tough decisions.

First of all, I have decided not to sign on for an additional 6 months with 7 Dots Studio. This was extremely difficult to give up as I love Tusia as both a person and business owner, and I of course love 7 Dots Studio products. It was an amazing term there and I'm so grateful for having been given that opportunity. 

Secondly, I have also said good-bye to the PaperHaus Design Team. Frank and Trina are amazing, patient individuals and I loved being a part of their team. I just felt that I could not hold up my end of the bargain, which is unfair to the other design team members. I feel that PaperHaus has the very best that an online magazine has to offer- and am blessed to have been a part of that!

So heading into 2014, I look forward to proudly representing Prima Marketing, Webster's Pages, Blue Fern Studios, and continuing to create the Magnifique Mixed Media Kits with my sister. I feel confident and solid in my decision and am excited to do my best in representing each of these teams to the very best of my ability.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and wish you all the best in the coming year!

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

"Princess Face": Prima Marketing Trend Watch

Hello again! I'm back today with a layout created for Prima Marketing, focusing on the gold/champagne trend we've been seeing :) I must say, I LOVE this trend and it was a true joy putting together this layout.

"Princess Face"
I'm well aware that this silly photo of my daughter does not exactly represent a lady-like princess. But when I asked her to give me her best "princess face", this is what I got. Gotta love her ;). 

 Champagne and gold colors go beautifully with pastel pink and blue, which is what I combined here on my layout. I'm in love with gold at the moment, and being able to sprinkle some gold glitter throughout was way too much fun.

 To apply glitter to the flowers, I squeezed a drop of Glossy Accents onto my fingertip, sprinkled glitter on top, and then rubbed it along the flower petals. Worked like a charm!


Products Used:
 843212 Pixie Glen Collection "Devon"
844363 Almanac Collection 6"x6" Paper Stack
562915 Canvas Alphabet Stickers- Divine
563264 Tiny Alphabet Stickers- Divine
569990 Ingvild Bolme- Resin Feathers
570972 Bellas Brown
562670 Au Naturale
549053- Sugar Blooms Collection Sparkle
566647 Avante Cedar
565763 Frost Mini Sachet

Have you seen the sneaks of some of the new CHA collections from Prima? They're revealing a peek of one each day this week- so head on over to the Prima blog and check them out for yourself!

Have a great day :)

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Webster's Pages: New Year New You {an Inspirational Tool}

Good morning! Over on the Webster's Pages blog today we're featuring the New Year New You collection, which is simply perfect for this time of year! Many people are starting to think of their New Years Resolutions- their goals, dreams, and taking a fresh start with a brand new year. For me, I'm always looking for new ways to get organized, so when I started looking at this collection and embarking upon a project, I came up with a great {and SIMPLE!} idea. 

"Mini Keychain Calendar"


Like I said, SO easy! Just cut apart the "Resolutions" paper {it has all 12 months on it}, hole punch in one corner, add a ring and you're set! You can choose to decorate the cover or leave it as-is. Handy, cute, and way more fun than those gas station ones ;)

Products Used:


Thank-you for stopping in quick today :).

I find myself once again apologizing for not being very active lately or getting around to your blogs. I hope you know I'm seeing your work- mostly on Facebook. I've had to make some decisions on cutting back {to be announced} to help reduce my workload and help me better balance my creative career with my personal life. I have accepted the fact that life is not slowing down, nor will it- as I had been hopeful. It simply changes- from one form of busy to another ;). I hope you understand. 

See you again tomorrow!
xErin

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Prima Marketing: All that glitters....

Good morning! It's hard to believe that we're getting close to halfway through the month already...yikes! The holidays are coming, a new year, and for all of us scrapbookers, we know that January means NEW STUFF!! Winter CHA is right around the corner, and I couldn't be more excited! I know some really awesome people are going...sadly, I will not be :(. But I'm happy for those who get the chance to go and meet one another- a very special opportunity :)

This time of the year also means backstage CHA creating going on...it's about to get BUSY. So before I get too lost in the middle of it- let me share with you a layout that I created for Prima, focusing on glitter and sequins- both things I love very much :)!

"Oct 27"
I'm LOVING glitter right now- mess and all! And gold went perfectly with my color scheme here- a real treat to create this fun layout! I masked with gel medium and then sprinkled glitter on top to make it stick- it worked great :). 

These beautiful Blue Fern Studios frames were dressed up with both gold glitter and gold microbeads. Glossy Accents are perfect for this :) I also used some floral wire cut from the Mini Sachet roses from Prima to create my photo frame.


Products Used:
846411 Holiday Jubillee "Chilly"
813314 IOD 12"x12" Collection Kit
950729 Delight Paper "Delicate"
921842 Poppies and Peonies Canvas Banners
891794 Junkyard Findings Heart Gears
571542 Le Mia- Chantilly Flower
571566 Le Mia- Slate Flower
571610 Audrey- Smokey Flower
570750 School Memories- Paper Flowers
571351 Serenity- Floral Mix

I hope your holiday shopping is DONE and you are enjoying the season :). 
See you soon!

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Lindy's Stamp Gang/7 Dots Studio Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Lindy's Stamp Gang & 7 Dots Studio Creative hop! We are so excited to have two amazing companies team up for a full day of creativity. This hop will surely get your creative juices flowing so head on over to all these incredibly talented crafters to check out how they've combined the beautiful lines by 7 Dots Studio with Lindy's Stamp Gang products, it's a match made in color heaven! We have a little surprise for you! We would love for you to show some love to all our crafters and leave them a little message. You will have the opportunity to win a fabulous prize by both 7 Dots Studio and Lindy's Stamp Gang so please let us know that you have done so by coming back to 7 Dots Studio and Lindy's Stamp Gang blog at the end of the hop.
Here is a full list if you get lost along the way Have Fun!

Before you head on your way, I'd like to share with you a layout that I created using 7 Dots Studio and Lindy's Stamp Gang products!

 "Homestead"
The rustic colors and textures of the Dreamer/Domestic Goddess Collections from 7 Dots Studio paired with the browns from the Steampunk Sepia mist and Midnight Copper embossing powder from Lindy's Stamp Gang were perfection when it came to scrapping this photo of my back porch. I love the old-timey feel of this portion of my house, it reminds me so much of a couple of the buildings from my favorite childhood home :)



7 Dots Studio Products Used:
Dreamer Collection: "Sweet Dreams" Paper
Domestic Goddess Collection: "Women's Talk" Paper
Domestic Goddess Collection: "Spice and Suguar" Paper
Domestic Goddess Collection: "12th Teacup" Paper
Domestic Goddess Collection: Alpha- Raspberry Muffin

Lindy's Stamp Gang Products Used:
Starburst Mist: "Steampunk Sepia"
Embossing Powder: "Midnight Copper" 

Other Products Used:
Prima Marketing: Flowers and Canvas Alpha Stickers

Your next stop: Limor!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Blue Fern Studios December Sketch Challenge

We've reached the very last sketch challenge for the year at Blue Fern Studios, and pretty soon we will be celebrating a first anniversary! I'm so proud to have been a part of this amazing, fast-growing company since its birth and look forward for the wonderful things to come :)

I played along this month, going against the grain of the sketch, flipping it to the right and doing a non-holiday layout. Here is where it took me:

"Cute Stuff"
Going back a little in time- to the summer of 2012. Me and my little guy Wyatt. My sister Kelly came up for a stretch this summer and we spent almost all of her time here at the lake nearby. Perfect weather, lots of crayfish catching and swimming. It was awesome :). Sitting here in piles of snow definitely makes me long for those days!

And here is this month's sketch:

As always, you can flip, turn, mirror this sketch to your liking. And it does not have to be holiday themed or even use the chipboards here. You do need to use at least one piece of Blue Fern Studios chipboard on your project, however. But which one(s)- totally up to you!

 The "Tattered Diamond Bits" are some of my new faves from the latest release. They are AWESOME! 



Products Used:
Tattered Diamond Bits
Good Vibes

Other Products Used:
Prima Marketing: Patterned Papers, Flowers, Mask
Webster's Pages: Resin Embellishments and Washi Tape

Thanks for taking a moment out of your busy day to come by here. :)
Take care,

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Once Upon A...Sketch December Challenge: Favorite Month!

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend, and to those who celebrate, a great Thanksgiving! 

We've just been dumped on with snow, so I thought I'd warm up a bit with a layout I created in my last month designing for Once Upon A...Sketch. I fondly remember back to when it was a goal to be featured at OUAS, and after I managed that, I set a goal to win a challenge, which I did too. I was thrilled! I'd greatly admired the amazing team there and it was such an honor to finally be able to represent this incredible blog with such a wonderful reputation! I truly believe there is not a better challenge blog out there, and so it is sad to say good-bye. But I'm happy to see the incredible lineup of designers who will be joining come January, and I know that OUAS is in VERY good hands :)!

"July"
This month the challenge is to journal about your favorite month. For me, it is undoubtedly July! Summer is finally in full swing during July, and we are always BUSY. The lake is nice and warm for swimming, the gnats have subsided just a little (though mosquitos take over at that point), sunburn, warm evenings, open windows, gardening, four wheeling...I love it ALL. Such an active month for us and we love it!

Here is this month's sketch:






Products Used:
Prima Marketing: Papers, Flowers, Embellishments

I hope you have the chance to play along with us this month!
  Thanks for stopping by :)