Friday, December 28, 2012

My Top Ten Projects of 2012 Blog Hop

I always post my top 10 favorite layouts or projects of the year, but this year I found a group of artists that wanted to have a blog hop so that readers of our blogs could enjoy more top 10 lists too!  So, here are my top 10 favs of 2012 and you can then hop to the others!  There is a giveaway at the end too!
 1) Altered hot air balloon using Pink Paislee papers and twine and Basically Bare chipboard and felt.
 2) Steampunk wall hanging.  I love the way the WOW Embossing Powders create the metallic look on the chipboard and the May Arts ribbon adds a punch!
 3) Nicho with Basically Bare.  All made from chipboard, cardboard, and felt AND WOW Embossing powders.
 4) Nevermore cardboard piece.  I did this for a Blog Hop with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft and 100 Print Press.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE cardboard!  I cut away the layers and did lots of stamping.
 5) Canvas with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft and Creative Imaginations.  Perfect match with all the mediums and the colors! Gelatos are my favorites!!
 6) One of my layouts in which I am way  more linear than usual.  I loved how the speech bubbles are arranged.  I did this one for one of my Get It Scrapped assignments.
 7) Prima boots from CHA Summer!  All made with paper, flowers, and adhesives.  I worked so hard on these!
 8) Another CHA Summer project... altered paint brushes for Prima and Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft booths. 
 9)  My favorite layout from one of the Scrapbooking From The Inside Out kits.  I used Fiber Paste and Gelatos on this one!
 10) Fly canvas... lots of papers, embossing powders, and embellishments.  The feathers are paper and wire with WOW Embossing powders on the edges.
11) Okay... so I added this one.  I love this layout because I love this photo from Italy and this layout makes me so happy to look at!

GIVEAWAY!  If you do the following, you have a chance to win a prize pack that includes Faber-Castell Gelatos, WOW Embossing powders and stamps, and some Basically Bare shapes! 

Here is what you need to do to win...
1. Be a follower of my blog so you can see if you won or not.
2. Leave me a comment telling me which of these projects you like the best.

You have until 12:00am (EST) on Jan 5th to enter. I will draw a winner on Jan 5th and post it on my blog. Good luck!

There are lots of other giveaways on this hop! Plus some really amazing inspiration.
Here is the list of blog hop participates in case you have arrived here and want to start at the beginning...

Liz Chidester
Marcia Dehn Nix
Monika Wright 
Ivanka Lentle
Christine Meyer
Jamie Cripps
Erin Morehouse
Melissa Elsner
Jodi Wilton
Sarah Hill
Laurel Seabrook
Carrie Walz
Jen Matott  <----you are="are" br="br" here="here">
 Jan Tatomir
Jennifer Haggerty
Kerri Yarus
Ashley Nguyen Newell
Cathy Harper
Malika Kelly
Lynn Shokoples
Kris Berc
Julie Tucker Wolek
Rhonda VanGinkel
Savannah O'Gwynn
Audrey Yeager
Katrina Hunt 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

New Release Blog Hop with The Rubber Cafe!


The Rubber Cafe Blog Hop

Welcome to The Rubber Cafe new release blog hop! We've kicked this all off on Monday December the 10th and ending on Wednesday December 12th.
Today you'll be hopping with  Karen, Heidi, and myself.

If you just happened to visit my blog today and would like to start this BLOG HOP from the beginning, simply follow THIS LINK to be taken to The Rubber Cafe blog to begin the celebration.
There will be a Grand Prize for one lucky winner so be sure to stop at each blog and leave a comment to be registered. Don't forget to also leave a comment on each main blog post at The Rubber Cafe too.
This time our new releases are featuring stamps designed for us by Jamie Doughtery, and can be found here!
 
 
 
 I'd like to share my project for the day:
 I created a scrapbook layout using two of the new sets, Remember the Moments & Don't Be Wishy WashiI was thinking about New Year's goals and resolutions here.  I wanted to use those numbers as a sort of countdown.

  Check out how I used the Washi tape- looking stamps!  I stamped the dotted one with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft's Opaque Stamper's PITT White pen.  The chevron stamp was done with a Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush black pen.
  The circle stamp was perfect for a the crystal ball that drops over Times Square!  The photo is not from New Year's but from a trip where I had drinks with my family and talked about goals.
 

 I want my goals for the new year to be positive ones filled with family, creating, and time for my health and wellness. 

You can see that I used the date stamp and added the numbers in a contrasting color.  Lots of Jellie Dots and You're So Fine glitter to create a confetti look to the page.  All I did was put dots of Scrap Happy Glue on the page and added my Jellie Dots with the Stick 'Em Up tool.

 I hope you enjoyed my project using the new release stamp sets at The Rubber Cafe!
if you missed yesterday go to this post on The Rubber Cafe Blog to see what you missed. There are many wonderful projects on the other DT member's blogs!
  

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Cha Cha Chipboard

This post is full of my projects in which I have used chipboard.  There is a certain company that I'd love to see what I can do with their chipboard...  hint, hint...

I was on the Basically Bare DT and used the chipboard banner pieces to make a balloon basket.  I love finding unusual ways to incorporate it into altered projects!

Love those gears and dressforms... Steampunk has a place in my heart!

This Nicho is completely made of chipboard and paper!  Chipboard frame, chipboard accents, and chipboard backing. The tiles are chipboard waste covered with embossing powder!

Shaped chipboard is a favorite as a design element or with themes!
Doors
Windows

Stamping on bare chipboard looks fabulous in my opinion!
Chipboard waste is never wasted with me!  I love the negative space as well as the positive space.

Little chipboard elements like the birdy and tree branch are worked into a cardboard backing piece.
A chipboard frame covered with WOW embossing powder and stamped into.


Another page with chipboard covered with embossing powder and stamped into the warm powders.

I hope that you enjoyed the different ways to use chipboard in your work... I also love using them as masks with sprays!  Thanks for checking my blog out!

Jen

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!


I want to wish all my US pals Happy Thanksgiving today!  It's a day of family, food, and good wine!  Well at least for me!  I do not have to cook at all today!  I am bringing jellied Cranberry sauce from the can... that's my favorite!  Don't judge! I'm also bringing some of my favorite bottles of wine which I might share with my family... I plan to enjoy and relax. I've run nonstop for over two weeks now!  I'm in need of relaxation if I even remember what that is!  I did treat myself to a pedicure on Tuesday but that was more because I knew it would be 60 degrees today and I was embarrassed with the state of my toes.   In Central New York, that is unheard of!!!  I plan to enjoy it and take a nice walk around my In Laws neighborhood and later in my neighborhood to walk off the yummy meal that I know my Mother -in-Law, Kathy, will make!
The reason we are not staying home this year is this:
We are totally redoing the kitchen!  It started when I left for my Art Teacher's conference a week ago.  They gutted it and built the wall where a doorway had been (we had 3 entrances into the kitchen) and now we have 2.  One led into my art room and it was a waste of precious wall space!  Now, I have one open side and more wall to hang inspiration and art!  Can't wait until we finish painting it all!  They are done with the initial electrical work and building so now we wait until next week when the cabinets get installed!  I'm so excited!!!  We are adding an eat in island too!  The cabinets are going to be quarter sawn oak in the Mission style!  Okay, so I'll take update photos as we go.
Okay, so I am now going to leave you and get ready to go to our feast... but I'll leave you with a recent layout from Scrapbooking From The Inside Out's November kit "Mindful". 
 This page has a funny story attached.  I picked up Christopher, my 3 year old, from daycare one day and he handed me a drawing.  He usually has at least 4 for me each day!  LOVE that!  Being an art teacher, I'm pretty good at guessing what they are.  This one was obviously a creature or person.  I asked him to tell me about it.  He told me that it was Mommy!  I asked what the dots were.  Thinking they were polka dots (I wore a polka dotted shirt that day)... nope.  They are my "eyes, boobies, and butt"... I laughed about that for a good long time!!!  What an observant and funny little artist he is!

 I punch circles of varying sizes and layered them to play off the circle theme!  I love the effect!
This page is a treasure.. I will never forget that little drawing and my proud little artist who made it for me! I may add the original drawing to the page protector when I put it in his book!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!  I'll be posting another post tomorrow highlighting many layouts and projects using chipboard for a team I'm hoping to join! 

Monday, November 19, 2012

Helmar and May Arts Blog Hop!!! Come Hop with us!

Our team has been excited about this hop. We love playing with ribbon and May Arts always has gorgeous ribbon for us to play with. What is even more fun is that Helmar and May Arts are giving away TWO chances to win some great product on this TWO day Hop!
 
Helmar will be offering two Arts & Crafts Starter packs! 1st winner will be selected 11/21. Second winner will be selected after Thanksgiving weekend.
***Please note that picture above is a graphically representation. Actual products provided are listed on Helmar’s store websites***
  May Arts will be offering two prize packages of winner’s choice of 2 spools of ribbon!  So, how do you enter to win a chance at one of these grand prizes? Hop through with us and visit each designer’s blog and leave a comment on their Helmar and May Arts Blog Hop post. The first winners will be chosen on the 21st and the second winners will be chosen after the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend! So let’s get started!
Here is my project using Helmar Adhesives and May Arts ribbon! I made a wall hanging using Basically Bare canvas, felt and chipboard, book paper, Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft products, May Arts silk ribbon and Helmar Craft & Hobby PVA glue and 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.
 I covered the chipboard page with map paper using the Helmar Craft Glue, added a doily and then covered a mini canvas with book paper also using the Craft Glue.  I glued the canvas down with the 450 Quick Dry adhesive.
 The wings and canvas were colored with Faber-Castell Gelatos.  I glued the fabric and felt down with the 450 Quick Dry adhesive.  I added the silk May Arts ribbon as the hanger here.   The silk is beautiful and makes gorgeous bows!

I hope you enjoyed my little project and will follow along with the blog hop for a chance at winning one of those awesome prizes!
Day 1 – November 19th
Day 2 – November 20th