CHA CHA CHA!

It's that time of year again... CHA or Craft and Hobby Association show.  It's in Anaheim, Calif. and I really wish I was there in person.  Although I can't be, some of my artwork is there representing some of my favorite manufacturers. I was given the go ahead to share some of my creations that will be featuring some new products!

First up is Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker's new lines!  I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE her new papers, stickers and there are so many of them!!!  I had so much fun creating these projects with them.  Here is my birdhouse with 2 birdies that are holding a cute banner (from her papers!).   It's using the new Summer line.

Up next is my kite made of "We Are Family" line.  The little kites inspired me to try to make a kite out of the papers!

Finally, it took me awhile to figure this out but I made rain boots completely out of paper!  I used the "It's Raining, It's Pouring" line to make the boots.  The soles are cardboard but the rest is paper and glue!

I love this release so much!  Nikki's gonna be a busy girl at CHA!

The other manufacturer that I design for is Faber- Castell's new Design Memory Create lines.  The products are amazing!  The watercolor pencils, pastel pencils, markers, and gelato sticks are just some of my favorites!  I created the following projects for their booth #547:

 This is a canvas and cardboard banner that I used a ton of techniques with all the new mixed media lines in blue and greens. I'm making 3 more with other color lines too!  I'm so excited that this one will be featured in new ads in magazines for their new product and in their catalog!  What an honor!
Here are 2 scrapbook pages that I made with the products in new ways:

 Gelatos, Pitt Pens, and more!

 I made some sprays out of the Gelatos (that I will be making a tutorial for on the DMC blog later) and also used Aquarelle pencils for the banner and the Pitt Pens to doodle.

That's it for today bloggers... I am home with a sick little one (and his 2nd birthday is tomorrow!) and have a bit of time to blog while he naps.  I'll be back over the weekend to share a few more pages I've been working on lately.

XOXO

Jen

Grab a Badge

For a chance to win a complete collection of one of these new Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker Spring 2011 CHA releases! 

Here they are... 

"Summer"

"Its Raining, It's Pouring"

"Max & Mollie"

"We are Family"

"Its Your Day"

and last but not least...

"Beatrice"

The Design Team Divas will be searching blogs for one of these badges, if

spotted you could be the lucky winner of one of the new 

paper collections! 

Without further ado, Connie wins my little giveaway!

connie said...
beautiful LO's! My New Year's Eve is quiet. Just checking the blogs I follow. Will spend New Years Day with my mom and kids.

Thanks girlfriend and hope your day was fabulous!  Send me your addy and I'll get it out to you next week!

I was out all week with Strep and am finally feeling better!  It's always something!  Tomorrow I'm going to make art all day with my girls!  I can't wait.  I'll post some of the results when I blog again!  Have a great one.

xoxo
Jen

The Sketchbook Project sneaky peek

Well, I've finished!  It's complete!  I think.... is a journal ever done?  Truly?  I am declaring that I am done with mine!  If you don't know what The Sketchbook Project is, it's a little like a concert tour but with sketchbooks.  Each artist pays a fee and gets a sketchbook and a theme.  I had them pick a random theme for me because I couldn't choose.  I liked so many.  I figured that it would push me creatively anyways.  I got "Mystery Maps" which is funny because I've been saving all these map papers and atlases.  So it was perfect to get me started!  I started by gathering a bunch of stuff.  Maps, atlas pages, stamps, favorite images, world themed ephemera, and all sorts of art materials (paints, pens, brushes, inks, watercolor pencils, and such). I sat down one day and glued two pages together.  I decided to do that with the entire book because the papers were thin and there were so many of them that it was daunting.  After using gel medium to glue the pages together, I jumped right in and started making backgrounds.  I just painted, stamped, collaged, and made a general mess!  It was so wonderful!  I felt alive... like a journey.  Excited and scared all at once. 

Here are a few of my finished pages:

My cover

Soar... a bit of a zendoodle in wing outline over maps

X marks the spot... a fun pirate map page

Some fun fonts 

Textured birds with map houses (There's No Place Like Home)

I truly LOVE my Faber-Castell watercolor pencils!  YUM!

As the crow flies- I see a bird theme here... I can't seem to stay away from it!

There are many more but I am waiting on some matte medium to dry and then I'll photograph those to share.  I can't wait to see the show and to see everyone else's interpretations.  This was a great project and I'll definitely do it again next year! 

Happy New Year!!

I can't believe that it's the end of 2010!  Where did this year go?  Why did the months fly by??  What did I do to mark this year?  Well, let's have a little review of the projects of this year.  I like to look back over my layouts and artwork and pick my top 10 for 2010.  I've been doing this for a couple years now, but I was inspired by Balzar Designs to post them... I probably would have forgotten to revisit my pages this year in all the chaos!  Thanks!  Here they are in no particular order:

 

 Okay, so here is what I've noticed about my favorites this year:

1.  I am still on a cardboard as background kick!  I love to rip, tear, and expose the cardboard layers to add texture.  It's something about the 3D element that I have to have!

2. Lots of layering of torn bits going on here.  I'm using lots of scraps and recycling!

3. Drips and splatters are a staple of mine.  I love to drip ink, paint, mist, stencil, etc... It's a favorite technique of mine!

4. Circles are in almost ALL of my pieces.  I don't think I can make a page without a circle element showing up in it.  Perhaps it is my dream of being well rounded. LOL!

5. Not alot of journaling.  Just pictures and layering to tell the story.  I like to talk but I guess I'm not a big writer.  So, that will be my goal this year... to journal more... use text more.

Okay, so I've shared... now you link me up to your favorites on your blog!  I love to browse other's pages!   I have a little giveaway to share here too...

Nikki Sivils goodies to one lucky comment telling me what your New Years traditions are.  What do you do each New Year's Eve to ring in the coming year and wave goodbye to the old?  

I have a My Friend Birdie, Ellie's Day Out Mini pads, and 2 chipboard mini albums from Nikki Sivils  to give away! 

Leave me a comment by midnight on January 2nd... I'll pick a winner on the 3rd! 

New Opportunities and Holidays

This month has flown by! I can't believe it's the holidays and I've been so busy getting ready for Christmas that I haven't shared some good news in my creative endeavors. I have been asked to be on the Faber-Castell Design Team! The art supply company that I've loved since I was a kid has asked ME to represent them in the altered, mixed media and visual journaling arts! I'm soooooo excited and thrilled to have this opportunity! They have a whole new mixed media line coming out in January! It's full of fun, juicy and creative tools! The best of which are their water soluable pencils and art sticks called Gelatos! I am in LOVE with these things! I also love their new PITT artist pens that are India Ink and waterproof! They have 4 different tips and are amazing!!!
Check out their blog: http://designmemorycraft.typepad.com/design-memory-craft/
I'm thrilled to have my artwork in their catalog and at the CHA booth! I can't wait to play with all the new materials and create fun art with them. I loved them in the past and I'm swooning over the new stuff!!!


Elfie has returned and has been keeping watch over the little angels in my house. Mark is absolutely thrilled to be able to seek out Elfie each morning and he tells him all about what he's done that is helpful or good but forgets that he's around when he's acting naughty! We have to remind him frequently about his poor choices and how Elfie will be reporting back to the big man. This time of year is NUTS! I think this is the first year that I've completely felt like the holidays are bumrushing me and making me miserable! I am stressed, overwhelmed, and freaking out about how fast it's coming! I am NOT ready! Shopping is mostly done, but the wrapping, baking, and all the spirit is running me over. We have been sick around here and I'm so ready to rest! I need a vacation from the holidays. I know I sound like the grinch but really it's just that this year has gone so fast and I can't keep up. I am hoping the new year brings me more time, less stress, and having more "me" time. I need to make some goals, resolution, whatever you want to call it. Later about those! I am just happy that I have some new opportunities to create art and can't wait to get to it! Happy Holidays!!!

Down and Dirty workshop!

I'm teaching a Visual Journaling workshop on December 3rd at Stampin and Scrappin Time in Bridgeport! The class will cover all the basics of starting a visual journal and some fun "down and dirty" techniques to get starting mucking your pages up as a base! Here are the details! Check it out and call today to get in on the action!!! The class will be 6:00- 8:00pm. All materials are included.

A few new to share

I have a few new artworks to share from my scrappy weekend with the girls!

Mischief Maker
This one is for the Scrap That Baby blog prompt. I love this photo of my youngest. He is such a trouble maker! So, this photo with his striped pj's and gate bars is perfect to show his inclination towards getting into everything! Come play along with us!

This one is a mixed media artwork that I created with some of my photos and free clip art that I added to tags and cardboard with photo transfer techniques. I'm framing this one and showing it in an art show. Yes, that's a branch sewn on.

Play
This one is fun with my son and some simple strips of paper.

Brother Play
The boys at the playground. I created this framed template with some chipboard rectangles and cut out ones in different sizes and sprayed with glimmer mist.

I made a few more but I'll save those for another post! I think I'm going to try to post at least twice per week if you'll be patient with me! I have lots of ideas but time is something I don't ever have enough of! I'll be cropping next Saturday too and can't wait!!!

Jen

I'm Alive!

It's been so long since I blogged. Life has been so crazy busy with school starting and getting back into the rhythm of the school year. We've already encountered rounds of illness for each of us... Hello, germ factory! However, I have to say that I'm feeling much more balanced this year. I find that things are not so overwhelming this year. Maybe it's because I've been through a year of teaching at the elementary level. It's still hard, but not as hard.
Here are a few back to school photos:

First day of school morning!

What a big boy! My 1st grader

Okay, so school started and I was invited to attend the NYSUT (NY State United Teachers) Leadership conference in Lake Placid, NY. End of September, peak foliage, a weekend away with other professionals and adult conversation? YES! So, off I went to learn about the new teacher evaluation process (APPR) and talk to other union members about issues facing teachers today. It was a fun, educational, and interesting weekend. The weather was great and the shopping was awesome! I got 2 new pairs of boots at the Bass outlet. Nice! Okay, any time I find a deal on cute boots is good in my book! Here are a few photos from the view from our hotel.

Last weekend was our annual scrapbooking weekend away in Hamilton, NY at White Eagle Conference Center. My girlfriends and I packed our scrap bags and off we went to create art, drink wine, and eat good food! We were not disappointed! Fun times had by all! I lost my voice on Friday at school and it was not a healthy weekend for me, but that didn't stop the conversation or creativity! I was on a roll.. I finished 11 different artworks! Whew... I'll share some soon as soon as I'm sure they won't be picked up in a magazine! LOL!

That's it for now... I will update SOON! Promise!

XOXO
Jen