Happy Birthday to my sister

My sisters Birthday is August 29th. I tried my hand at the candle stamping technique....however without a heat gun I didnt know if it would be possible. I tried my iron thinking if I rubbed it quickly across it may have the same effect well with a round candle the iron hits almost no surface area to be effective.... so now what? hmmmmmm my blowdryer gets really hot!?!?! hmmmmm I wonder? Well it worked! ....sort of. It did well on the first bit but then i think it was too hot, and by the time it melted the whole image into the candle wax was dripping and well the candle got a bit deformed. So plan A down the drain, not a total failure just a learning experience, but what now?!?!

So I decided to just make covers for the candles and give them to my sister along with a pedicure set and a promise to take her for a pedi or massage in the next few weeks. But here are my candles I gave to my sister. (the card matched but i forgot to take a picture of it)

The complete Set

The wrapped pilar candles

The glass cased candle

Happy Birthday Wes!

Blog Candy!

Avery talented scrapper/crafter named Amy from the cricut message board I am a part of has a great Blog Candy give away going on over on her blog please stop by and check out her site! And don't just stop at her blog candy give away scroll down and see some of her beautiful cards!
http://scrappingmommy.blogspot.com/

New arrival

Welcome to Caitlyn Anne Brown!

Marcus was a neighbor kid that my sis and I grew up with him and his family. my parents became his and his older brothers god parents. Well since my sis and i never had brothers these boys were the closest we had and were just like family. So my little brother marcus and his wife Christina became the happy young parents of the beautiful baby girl!

When one door closes another door opens.

So though I was sad about not being the right fit for stamping bella, I wasn't done with trying to get my way into the scraping/crafting/stamping world. So the very next day I someone who not only made beautiful cards but she scented them as well. What in ingenious idea! and not your standard I put some of my parfum on it, but scents like sugar cookies, margaritas, baby powder and dozens more! So I had to find this company. Well it turned out they had a small line of stamps as well of cute little fashionable figures. And had been looking for design team members (to create examples using their products to show photos of, as well as help increase visibility etc) anyways It was a few months past but I thought it might not hurt to ask if there were any spots opened. I also asked if they were in need of stamp designers and if I could be considered for that as well. It turnes out it is a fairly new company and she liked my artwork and would be happy to work with me!!!

I am so excited to start on this new project. I always wanted to bring my art to the world and now I can. I have a huge list of sketches I can't wait to start on!!!

So keep an eye out on me and simply sista's and card scents (http://www.card-scents.com/)

Much love!
Linds

Going Home

So today chris found an opening at one of the Lancaster stores for a team leader position at Lowes, so we may be going back to Lancaster sooner than I expected. He still has to apply and be accepted but this could be it. We will just wait and see and trust that if it was meant to be it will be.

Bad News

Bad news =( my drawings are "too sophisticated" for stamping bella =( Emily wanted more whimsy =( my heart is totally broken, I wanted so bad to design for them. I guess thats what I get for working in lingerie for a few years and having to make everything look sexy not cutesy (lol) oh well there are many more stamp companies out there I think I will just have to keep trying. I'm sure there is one out there that my style will fit!

Bella's will still always be my favs!

As a designer and an artist I am familiar with rejection, and every artist and designer needs to be its not bad it's not saying your not good enough its just saying your not the right style. I am not angry or frusterated with this decision and this message is made with no anger (it's hard to convey emotion online). It is what it is. It just wasn't meant to be, and I am just sad.

I'm a freud!!!! =(

OK so here's the deal. A lot of people keep going no you can't be new at this, or How did you do these so well for the first time.

SO I thought I should give you some background on me.

I am a 24 year old fashion designer. I have always loved art! When I was little i loved to color and do crafts all the time. My grandmother and one of my aunts always helped to teach me and my sister new things. I learned how to bead and make beaded doilies and baskets and bells, I learned how to do cross stitching on plastic canvas and needlepoint on fabric. I even dabbled at scrapbooking when my mom bout me and my sis sets from costco one year for Christmas. We were always the ones to get the flower factories, the pottery wheels, the art boxes etc. my other grandmother (meme as i call her) she tought me to crochet (never took well to knitting).

When i was young one of my older cousins would always be drawing and I would love to watch her at Christmas visit, I remember she was the first to teach me to draw birds (the little M looking ones flying in the distance lol not that hard but still), my great grandma had tought me to draw little fish (modified figure 8's). No major feats but things that impacted my future for sure.

My first real art lesson came from my dad though (it was either 5th 6th or 7th grade I cant remember) I aksed him to teach me to draw and we sat at the kitchen table all day it seemed and he tought me about line and shdow and shape and perspective. From that moment I wanted to draw all the time and learn as much as i could. The best lesson I ever learned was "draw what you see" In high school I was finally able to take an art class my sophmore year and I loved it junior senior year I took as many higher level art classes i could and i blossomed!

I went to community college where I took clothing and textiles, during which time I got to take a few art classes, such as life drawing, oil painting, illustration and art history. when I was 18 (fresh in college) I did a debutant program in my area where one day we got to take a scrapbooking class from a CM lady and I liked it a lot I bought a few things did a few pages and then it sat on a shelf for a few years while i finished school. I moved to Los Angeles and went to school in downtown to get my 2nd AA in fashion design. At FIDM I took many fashion illustration classes where all we did was draw and color fashion figures I learned to better use my prismacolor colored pencils, and I finally got to try prismacolor markers...and with time and practice I mastered them!

Once my sister got engaged and I got engaged a few months after she and I both knew we needed to get back to scrapbooking (I had an entire laundry basket filled to the brim with photos!) and we were only going to have that many more with all the weddings and baby showers etc coming up between the 2 of us and all our friends. so just over a year and a half ago I started scrapbooking again. In Feb. 08 i got my cricut machine to use for many projects I was working on for my Cinderella themed wedding. from there I joined the cricut message board where I got to see so much great stuff from all the members. I started checking postings every day, watching blogs and trying new things, then I saw a card someone made with a stampingbella stamp, and I was hooked! I knew I had to try my hand at stamps what easier way than with cards. I made a few cards and left them blank waiting for stamps to adorn and complete them, and I started my research...and shopping!

so I am very new to stamping and card making, I have some experience with scrapbooking, and these other projects well I'm just crafty and good with my hands. I'm pretty smart or at least I like to think so and in some aspects I guess I have a bit of an engenire in me as I easily peiced those boxes together (also for my company I've designed boxes and packaging so it helps to understand how it works and how to make it flat and fold it back up)

So maybe that all means I'm a cheat when I say I'm new to it, because I have other experiences that help me, but at the same time it is a new craft to me.

I Love my scrapbooking and card making and crafts so much and only hope to grow and blossom with this as well.

Gift set and Card filer #2

After having so much fun making the 1st I knew I had to try again and see if i could do better ( i made boo boo's on the 1st one) and I love how this one turned out! i made it a little smaller, as i generally make A2 size cards, and i used a lightweight chipboard/cardboard (the kind that are at the back of your DCWV stacks, or in your CM paper packs or page protector packs to keep it sturdy) and I really liked working iwth it more it was easier to cut not as heavy of a finished product but still very sturdy and cheaper and easer to get!!!
Front view

Side view

Top view open

Size Comparison with the 1st one

another size comparison with the 1st one



Also another one I had to try also inspired by Dawn at http://dawnsspecialcreations.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html where she has a beautiful example as well as a link to Jakie Topa's blog who has a tutorial sheet you can print out. ( http://jackietopa.typepad.com/Stationary.pdf ) anyways, this was great fun, I'm not done as I still have more pieces to make to fill it with but I wanted to share what i had for now with you.


front unopened box ( i will place a colored christmas Bealla in the pink panel)

Opened

Close up of front panel, there is a little address book with lined paper to help you keep you christmas card list organized, a small pocket to store your postage stamps in, as well as a pen holder. ( i will decorate a pen to match and include it later)

There is a small tag pocket (left), which has some gift tags (i need to make 2 more for a total of 10, plus stamp "To:" and "From:" on them and tie some ribbon so they are ready to attach to the christmas gifts)

The small pocket to teh right will hold some larger tags/mini note cards with cute images on teh front and room for a note on the back.

the back pocket (largest) will hold a few chrismas cards. so far I have 3 I think I will include a total of 6

Card #1 ( i made a few days ago but just finished it. I added the stamp to the front "peace")

and finished the inside with "Take a break from the hustle and bustle"

Card #2 I also started the other day but only just got some christmas stamps in order to finis with "Celebrate"

Made just last night, using my new cuttlebug!!! "Warm Holiday Wishes" with grumpabella decked out in her Christmas bath robe and a nice hot cup of coffee/cocoa/tea

anways these were great fun to create and I hope you like them.

Card Filer

So yesterday I found this amazing idea on a few different sites and blogs and decided I HAD to try it. It is a card sorter box. So as I go forward in trying to sell my cards and grow my business, I thought this would be wonderful to sell a complete set of christmas cards in, or a non christmas box and do a card for every occasion, or a box full of thank you cards etc. so last night in the time it took me to watch finding nemo lol this is what i came up with. not bad for a first try with no templates just trying to do it on my own. a few small booboos, there is a small tear in one of the seams on the inside, and the ribbon tie was too low and ended up being under the flap, so hopefully tonight i can finish decorating and embelishing it and figure out a way to keep the flap down without destroying it trying to move the ribbon.

sites i used for ispiration and technique - (http://mabiestampin.blogspot.com/2008/04/another-week.html , and http://dawnsspecialcreations.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html , and a video tutorial on http://sbl.tvweekly.com/player.php?083570fcf5fb5d868aee9fba4e3b9d12w6845)


Front View Closed

Side view closed

Back view Closed


Front View Open

View looking in at the acordian sorter (yes this was handmade as well !)

An opened top view of acordian sorter

Opened side view of acordian sorter


So yes this was 100% handmade by me using only scrapbooking papers, chipboard, glue and ribbon.

In love with Bella's

I would consider myself crafty, and I would consider myself a scrapbooker, but card maker I would not. I never had any desire to create cards, but when I found www.stampingbella.com I fell in love with these stamps from canada, and had to had them. I ordered 7 to start and will order more as my budget allows, and when they finally arrived and I got to see the in person I couldn't stop myself. Card after Card was flying into my head and I just simply had to create them! So here are my first bella cards ever.

Happy Birthday to Me

So monday was my birthday what a stinky day to have your birthday on huh? Well the hubby bought me my fav champagne! and made me a yummy lasagna dinner while we watched movies and I crafted. I know that sounds boring but for a monday after work that was perfect!!!

So Saturday after was the Party with Family and Friends, We barbequed carne asada and had a feast of mexican food (my fav!) and Chris surprised me with the Best gift ever! He took me shopping at Joanns! lol isn't he so wonderful! He bought me the cuttlebug machine that I have been wanting soooooooo badly! I can't wait to use it one all my upcoming projects!

My first SWARM

So on August 2nd I attended a SWARM which is a gathering of cricut messageboard members. We all got together to scrap and craft using our cricut machines. It was so much fun and gave me a much needed opportunity to finish some pages I was creating for a swap, and was a great opportunity to meat new people to scrap with. One thing is for sure next time I WILL do my hair and makeup lol I soooooo did not think I'd be having my photo taken =P