WOW! a Party Hat for New Year's Eve

For my team blog post at WOW! Embossing Power, I did a little something for New Year's...a Party Hat!  How fun is this? When is the last time you wore a hat for fun? This year's been full of hats for me. Fedoras, baseball caps, Fascinators, hats at the amusement park...you name it...I tried it on for size.

I drew a large half circle on a 12x12 paper and shaped it into a cone. The pocket watch was stamped around the hat and I embossed one of them to really stand out. I also cut out "countdown" numbers on my Cricut and decorated them with embossing powders using the Embossing Pen. Top it off with a ruffle around the bottom cuff. I made mine from a party streamer.

Check out this design and others from the team at http://wowembossingpowders.blogspot.com/2012/11/non-traditional-holiday-colors-come-to.html.

Pumpkin Season

I almost missed the peak of pumpkin season. I have been planning for the end of year holidays for so long that October just flew by me. Luckily, a local high school where Baby 2 played water polo had their annual pumpkin patch athletics fundraiser. We were able to pick up quite a few gems.

Inspired by the gourd-geous fruit, I eeked out a few delightful projects.


Glazed Pumpkin Donuts - You can click through to the recipe from my Pinterest board here.

I think my friend, Margaret, had the same idea. She sent home some tasty, fresh baked pumpkin bread. So, I had to reciprocate with a Pumpkin thank you card. I didn't have much time to "craft", so I used one pumpkin stamp (masked for the second image) bought years ago at a stamp show, used Pearlescent watercolors and topped it all off with a sentiment from Papertrey Ink's "Glory Be" set. The second image shows the shimmer on the pumpkins.

And, this one isn't so pumpkiny, but I did use Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses in my Boo bags.

These bags were fun to make.

I lightly sprayed Easy-Tack over take out containers (1 side at a time) and lay a 4"x6" piece of sheer, netted fabric on top. Each fabric had a Halloween design on top (see photo).

Then I sprinkled Martha Stewart's fine Onyx glitter over the fabric and spread over the side of the container with my fingers so that the glitter adhered to the adhesive coming through the net of the fabric. When you peel off the fabric, the design comes through the areas where glitter didn't stick.

I highly suggest a paper covering over your desk area and a second sheet of paper to collect and re-purpose the glitter.

Well, I can't believe it, but another month has passed. I'm looking forward to several excuses to visit with friends and family and taste all kinds of goodies in the next 2 months. Happy Halloween!

From 50 Shades of Gray...comes an Invitation

The WOW! design team blog post for October was themed "50 Shades of Gray". You may or may not be familiar with a popular book series called “Shades of Grey”. It has climbed best seller lists across the country.  I haven’t read the series myself, but I liked the title and the book covers. The idea of using Shades of Gray (the color) was further defined in my head when I saw Erika’s layout last month. She did it all in different grays. 

Inspired by a Stampin' Up project at www.myhappyplace.typepad.com, I put together this invitation. A square slip and wine charm (to be brought to the event) will sit inside this dainty box. Of course, these particular invitations need to be hand delivered. 

 

A little WOW - Card #2 for World Card Making Day

I really think World Card Making Day should be a weekend event. And last weekend should have been like a prep period. :D

There are so many inspirational cards and designers out there on Pinterest, on Blogs, in local scrapbook stores, and among friends. There isn't enough time in 24 hours to get past the tip of the iceberg.

Particularly when you have to work and run the kids around town!

So....drum roll....card #2 finally. Simple - matted card stock, Stampin' Up "Confetti" stamp, Copic marker in Ice Mint and Sherbert WOW! Embossing Powders for the sentiment and on the butterflies. My sentiment is crooked, I know. It wasn't a clear stamp, and I remembered why I don't work well with those.

I did also manage to tape down this card's elements. There's no sentiment yet on the outside or on the inside. I have a few ideas, but what do you think this card should say? 

One card down, 2 to Go & a Giveaway from WOW!

Good day!
I had one card done from my must-have list of 3 before I went to bed last night. I woke up already accomplished for today. (Tricky, tricky).

Here's a Sentiment card with a thought I think many of my friends could use to hear this week. Seems like it was a tough week for a lot of folks. Hang in there, guys and gals!


I'm entering this card in for the

WCMD 2012 Challenge 3: Sketch Challenge by Sharon Harnist posted at ellenhutson.com

Since I was putting this together just before midnight, I was a little accident prone. I poked a hole in the delicate leaf and I didn't stamp my sentiment quite right. Easily fixed with a button over the hole and flipping over the card stock for Take 2 on the stamping. What are you fix-it tips? 

Don't forget to stop by the WOW! blog to enter our giveaway. 

There is a chance to win a full 12-pack of powders and (as a separate prize) a pack of Christmas stamps. We will promote the prizes on both the US and UK blogs. So, for our international designers, point your cursors to either site. 

All you have to do to enter is: 

1. Leave a comment on the blog.

2. Follow blog.

3. Link a WCMD project to the blog (just one). 

Good luck!

Happy World Card Making Day...or Weekend!

Let the fun begin!

Happy World Card Making Day....or Weekend! 

Since I have a short tether from my home office this weekend for work, I will also be able to participate in this year's online festivities for WCMD. 

I have plenty - PLENTY - of paper and inks to keep me busy all weekend. Some of the girls on the WOW! Design Team are also sharing in the fun. Don't forget to check out our blog for fun giveaways!

I will also be keeping the page activity here going all weekend long. Might as well..I'm online, I need content on the blog, and I'm feeling crafty!

By the end of the weekend, here are the Top 3 Cards I must create: 

1. a Thank You card

2. a Hero Card for OWH (Support & Thank our Troops)

3. a Sentiment Card (only words)

Come back and see how I'm doing. You can also follow my progress @Chilispice on Twitter and see the trends we're following by adding #worldcardmakingday to any post. 

Fashion Week & Crafting

For our WOW! Design Team post in September, we inspired by Fashion Week. Since my latest obssession is early 20th Century British Drama (Downton Abbey, Rebecca, Sherlock Holmes...), I used our Vintage stamp sets to create my own background paper. I saw bold gold & black brocade on the runway this year, so I still fell in line with the theme.

I lined up a grid with a ruler and light pencil on a light blue background paper. Then I stamped chairs with gold ink and rose bushels in black ink in  an alternate pattern on the grid cross sections. You can gently erase the lines when all the stamps are down and the ink is dry.

I had a kraft tag I embossed and a a Rose cabuchon made from the black embossing powder. These were elements of our make-n-take in the booth at CHA 2012 Chicago. The tag is stamped with black embossing powder and our Vintage Wallpaper stamp. Our good friend, Marion at Sugar & Spice has a YouTube video here demonstrating how to make the Cabuchons.

Here's the final layout with Grandma & Grandpa (my Inang & Tatang). I added a sentiment that I stamped and embossed with the "Joy" and a Frame stamp from another set. The frame was embossed with Skyline Grey and Joy was embossed with Whirly Pop.

• WOW EMBOSSING POWDERS: [ Suzy West Collection-By The Bay] Skyline Gray, [Suzy West Collection – Candy Counter] Whirlypop,[Wow! Collection] Regular Black
• WOW Stamp Sets Used: StampSet14 - Vintage 1928, StampSet15 - Simply Amazing (frame)
• Other: Tsukineko Brillance Ink Pad in Galaxy Gold, Versafine Ink in Onyx Black, Versamark Watermark Ink, K&Company and Prima flower embellishments

See what the rest of my team did at our WOW! blog here. 

June Design Team Project

Weather patterns in my part of the state have shifted between cool to hot almost daily. While I don't mind the rain, getting dressed in the morning is even more challenging. I'm not very good at layering anything (cakes, paper, clothes). Nonetheless, it IS summer, and  I'm kicking off my boots and slipping on the sassier, open-toed heels. That's really where my fashion sense stops. I typically wear one color in fairly basic pieces, and then it's all about the bling and accessories. For my team blog post  today over at WOW! Embossing Powder, I brought that same love of shoes to paper.

Etsy Wish List

I haven't had much time to craft this last week, so I'm turning to others. I've come up with an Etsy Wish List.

Here's what I love about Etsy.
1. It generally allows me to participate in Project 3/50 (see my blinkie on the right nav). Basically, I'm supporting the small business owner.
2. I love "one of a kind" and Unique. I love the compliments and the idea that there isn't much "mass production" behind most items.
3. It's like eBay but for Crafters. I love eBay and I love crafting. It's like PB&J.
4. I like the prices. True artisan work is priceless. Etsy is affordable.
5. I like the talent that shines through each item. It's so amazing and inspiring to see all this fantastic talent in the world.
6. I like the extension of window shopping into a compact, on-the-go, at my pace and anytime medium.
7. I like the thank you notes I get when I buy something. So vintage hospitality!
8. I like the shop names.
9. I like the photos/staging of items.
10. I like shopping.

Here are some of the items I'm adding to my wish list.

A. There are actually 3 items I've fave'd at this shop, justatouchoftlc.


B. Oh, yes, another bag. This one by luckycann. Of course, I could do more than just this lemon chiffon.


C. I made a case for my Nook, but not in felt. This one is for a Kindle, but I'm going to ask if measurements can be slightly modified if needed for my Nook tablet...because how cute is felt toast?!



D. Need to play dress up with neice. Must also borrow this headpiece from her. :)


E. That reminds me, I need a Fascinator to wear to my next fundraiser in a few weeks. How about one of these?






Well....it's just a start of a wish list. There's more browsing to be had another time.

Happy Birthday Card - 1 layer

I have great aspirations for making and keeping stacks of cards handy to send to friends and family. I think sometimes it's hard to sit down and do it because I like to use a number of techniques, but don't have the time to finish "stacks".

This week, I took a page out of Kristina Werner's blog and did a "1-layer" birthday card for my friend, Anita. I hope she likes it!

Products Used:

• Tulips from PaperTreyInk, Spring Jar Fillers set
• Sentiment from PaperTreyInk
• Copic Markers

Vintage 1928 - Inspired by The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle

Over the weekend, my design team hosted a blog post over at WOW! Embossing Powders.  I happened to be on a relaxing weekend getaway with my adorable hubby. We stayed at the beautiful Fairmont Olympic Hotel. It's a historical landmark known as The Georgian with incredible Italian Renaissance architecture and beautiful antique furniture. I was so inspired by the elegant features of the hotel and the grains of the antique woods in browns and yellows. Maybe it was the hotel as my muse or the ability to relax and let the creativity flow, but I had to create!

What I have to share with you today is an elegant 6x6in card using one of our newest stamp sets at WOW! called Vintage 1928. 

You'll see more Seattle-weekend-inspired artwork on my blog over the next few weeks. Tell me what you think or where you find unexpected inspiration.

Product List:

- WOW! Embossing Powders: WOW! Metallic Gold Rich Pale Regular, Black Glitter
- WOW! Stamp set, Basically Bare, Authentique Patterned Papers, Paper Roses, Die Cut - PaperTreyInk, Marth Sewart Punch, Black Gel Dots from Fiskars

Oops - Excuses for Not Blogging

Has it really been over a month since my last post?! Wow. I kind of suck at this. Well, room for improvement.

Should I even make promises about a series of posts I'm planning to do, or recipes, tutorials and projects I'll post? No...seems like I am setting myself up for hot pants on fire.

How about I just show you a thank you card I made last week? It was for my friend, Shelley, for taking me out as her side kick on an off-roading trek in Hollister Hills. It was fun, exciting, totally a boys-against-girls type of event all in good fun.

What I love is that I made this card without too much thought, and I love how it turned out. It made me feel like maybe I haven't lost my Mojo. It's just buried under all these "things to do urgently and right now as in yesterday".

 

My Design Team on WOW!

So, yesterday, I did blog. It just wasn't on this site. I debuted my WOW! Embossing Powders design team at http://www.wowembossingpowders.blogspot.com/. Each girl presented a project using these bold, colored powders, and every project was a fantastic work of art!

One of the most rewarding parts of working with a design team is the inspiration you get from seeing how others work with the exact same products. I love the individuality, style and stories even that shine through in each designer's work. For example, I have 2 sons, so much of what I do uses gray, blue, black, brown and less of pink and purple. However, I would love to use more of what I deem the "girly" products, like flowers and glitter. I LOVE glitter.

By checking out the work of others, like Anne Brown's Fairy Scene, I'm inspired to think about using the girly products on art exclusive of "the boys".

What's your style? What have you wanted to try? What are your color palettes?

Under this Pile of Paper is a Laptop

In two weeks, I'll be in Anaheim with thousands of other creative minds at CHA, the Craft Hobby Association winter tradeshow. Up until that time, I'm plowing through a number of projects and booth preparations for WoW! Embossing Powders.
I'm also trying to get a head start on next month's projects. Believe it or not, there's a bit of planning and "pre-work" before I actually get paper and glue to look like an amazing display of art.

Here's a sneak peek for one of my February "to-do's". I'm working on lettering using Cricut Design Studio.

I own version 1.0 of the software, but manage to keep up-to-date by uploading the latest cartridges from the Cricut site here.

Pinterest Anonymous

Have you seen my Pinterest board?

If this was a physical bulletin board, I would need 2 of my living room walls to hold all these 'articles'!

I've always been a "clipper". I clipped articles, recipes, ideas, coupons, quotes, etc. Then I started to scrapbook...more clipping but it was now called "cropping". Now, it's Pinterest (oh and still cropping).

And WOWSERS, do I "Pinterest". I hear talk that this is becoming an addiction. Ya think? Yes, I am totally addicted to Pinterest. I have the app! Any moment in line at the market, cafeteria, even in line for the loo, I am on Pinterest.

I should call Pinterest Anonymous. But, I don't think I have a problem. (*wink* first sign, right? LOL). No, really. I have actually marked off some of my "Pinterest To-Dos".

I made the door hanger for Father's Day. I have made several recipes. I tried the nail paint marbeling technique. I did use some of the color inspiration swatches in my projects. I made several cake plates. I'm going to make some faux cupcakes for said cake plates.

And, you know what? I'm thinking of having a Pinterest Party or two and inviting some of you co-addicts to check off some of your own clipped "to-dos". Not sure what a Pinterest party is? Check out the notes and links under my "Your Invited" board.

Stay Tuned for Invitations!

WOW! I'm on a Design Team!

Several exciting events are happening today, and it's just the second day of 2012. There's the annual Hockey Winter Classic (Go Rangers!), the Rose Bowl (Go Wisconsin!), the Tostitos Bowl (Go Stanford!), my Mom's 71st birthday (Go Mom!) ....and one more exciting announcement. I'm one of 5 fabulous leads on the design team for WOW! Embossing Powders. We're ready to rock at CHA in just a few weeks when we launch the US division of this awesome company! Pay us a visit at our blog and meet the rest of the team. Just click here.

But, why should I have all the fun? We have contests!! Here are the details:

Contest #1--Post something on the WOW blog and like our NEW facebook page and YOU could win some of Suzy West's new embossing colors including a cool case. 

Contest #2--Invite your friends to like our facebook page and tell them to say that YOU sent them and you could win some of our new clear stamps debuting at CHA.

Keep checking back for updates, contests, creations by moi and other fun events!

It’s January 1, 2012. Happy New Year! Are your resolutions ready?

A handful of years ago, I half-seriously started coming up with resolutions. After 2 years of coming up with very little or nothing marked off my list, I took more interest in being more successful at writing the annual to-do list.

And…I did it! I embraced the annual tradition, I studied with gurus…just kidding. I just figured out the list had to be realistic and procrastination had to be curbed.

Here’s what you do for your own list and remember to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, silly):

1.       Start with 3 items and start right away.

2.       Leave off the commonplace and generalizations. “Losing weight”, “getting organized”, “be nicer”, “stop smoking/drinking/procrastinating”, etc.

3.       Start small and be specific.  “Lose 3 lbs. this month”, “download C25K app”, “find 5 organization ideas this month”

4.       Do something for yourself with instant gratification.  “Have fresh cut flowers around the house” – go immediately to the market to pick them up, you can see and smell them, and do it again in 2 weeks. One item on the list – done!

5.       Finish off the first 3 items within 1-3 months and Start again!

When you’re confident you can come up with resolutions that are a little more ambitious, go ahead and stretch it out over 6 months or the full year. Good luck!

Here’s my list so far:

1.       Update my blog at least 1x per week.

2.       Keep Fresh Flowers around the house. (bringing back an oldie, but a goodie.)

3.       Start the C25K program this month. (I completed Day 1 already! My ultimate goal would be to run the entire Valentine’s Day Fun Run. If I don’t make it that run, I’ll find another before the year is out.)