design team

Imagine That: September Projects and Big News!

Everyday Adventures, In The Studio

So… September, huh? Where in the world did that go?!

My September was a whirlwind (could have been literally had Irma not scooted over when she did thereby saving Thomasville from the direct path) of big big changes:

I ended August by giving notice at Canopy Cove so the next two weeks were spent tidying up as many loose ends as possible and training both my replacement and the new insurance specialist. There were days when I felt more like a proctor or study hall monitor than an employee and my voice was hoarse on many occasions.

9/2: My monkey Moleskine on the Imagine Crafts blog was my second project picked up by the Craft Gossip newsletter!

And then there was the aforementioned hurricane scare which, sure, meant a second 3-day weekend in a row but with an added scoop of stress and cutting the time to finish my to-do list even shorter.

That next weekend I started rehearsing with the Rose City Symphonic Band. I wish I could say that the transition back into concert music has been a smooth one. It… hasn’t. To be quite candid, I’m not sure I have the chops to handle that kind of playing as I’ve been struggling to consistently hit and maintain an F natural (aka the first note I learned the play on the damned horn at age 11, 30 freaking years ago). Time will tell whether I emerge victorious or bow out gracefully.

9/22: Get a head start on the holidays by stamping out some quick gift tags on the Imagine Crafts blog!

On the 19th I started my new job in Thomasville at Balfour Timber. I love my new workplace and really am enjoying learning a new industry and the transition has been pretty gradual, allowing me to learn not just what my job will comprise but the rest of the office as well.

And because the Universe has a sick sense of humor, the night before the new job started I came down with something and I’m still dealing with it. I’ve been on antibiotics for the last 19 days with 6 more to go and there’s still a chance I might need minor surgery to resolve it.

9/26: Rose Gold and Navy Pocket Letter featuring the new Rose Gold and Champagne Delicata Inks on Imagine Crafts’ Blog

And, finally, plans are afoot for me to attend Creativation this January! I actually decided to book my flight once the Irma threat was over, but it looks like I’ll be hanging out a lot at the Imagine booth helping with demos and stuff! I’m super jazzed about it (I’ve wanted to attend the CHA show for ages) and have been counting down the days in my planner!

Imagine That: August Trio

In The Studio

I wish I could tell you where August went but I’m afraid it was one big blur of work-work-work. Not that I didn’t have time for some fun, gotta take your chances where you can, right?

And, of course, I was crafting for Imagine this month. I have to say, of the many reasons I love being on design/creative teams, the deadlines might be my favorite.

Yes, you heard me right! I love the deadlines.

When work or life gets hectic, it’s way too easy to put the fun stuff off, even if doing so is detrimental to our overall well-being. I need my creative outlets, and team deadlines make sure I get my crafty time in for them if nothing else.

So, what did I make for August? I’m so glad you asked!

Our first prompt was teal, a color I am quite fond of. Since I did oh-so-many cards the previous month I really wanted to branch out and do non-card things this month, so I started with an altered bottle. The Creative Medium did so incredibly well on the glass, and the Fireworks! sprays just needed a lot of time to dry to get a great shimmery tint.

Our next prompt was “mystical.” I had so many ideas for this one but I had to make a decision and this little gate (found in the fairy garden section of JoAnn Crafts) was great inspiration for a fairy gate treasure box. I started with my tried-and-true tissue paper decoupage and then stamped background details, embossed the entire gate, and added a charm and foliage to fill out the scene.

Our final challenge for the month was simple Motion. Simple, huh? I went decided complicated with this one, but my goal was to create a freestanding, three-dimensional paper sculpture that not only could move but suggested movement even when it was still. I think I managed it! Go check out the video of my flight of fancy video on the Imagine blog and see what you think.

 

Imagine That: Make a Splash with Summer Cards

In The Studio

For my final Imagine project for July we were challenged to create something with the theme “wet” and I just had to use my Little Mermaid monkey stamps from Waffle Flower. I played up the wet aspect with a generous helping of Shimmer Goosebumps spray and a three-dimensional splash curling around the die cut circle.

Make sure to head over to the Imagine blog to see how this card came together and watch this space, I’ve got a massive card video coming soon!

 

Imagine That: Coffee or Cocktails

In The Studio

Today I have a two-fer to share with you–one project here and another, using the same stamp set and theme, over on the Image blog.

Waffle Flower was kind enough to share some products with the Imagine Artists in Residence this month and you know how much I love Waffle Flower for their cute monkey stamps, right? For these projects, though, I used the Currently Drinking mini stamps that are part of their planner series.

For Imagine I used the wine and cocktail-themed stamps in the set to create a scattered, embossed background for a fun card perfect for a bachelorette bar crawl or a girl’s night out.

Not to be left out, the coffee and tea images also in the set were perfect for a bracelet when used with shrink plastic and a few jewelry tools. Check out the video, below, of just how easy this bracelet came together.

Here’s what I used to create this bracelet (amazon links, below, are affiliate links–thank you for supporting this blog!)

Imagine Supplies

Waffle Flower Supplies

Other Supplies

Imagine That: Anything But Cardstock Art Journal Seascape

In The Studio

While I haven’t managed an art journal page every week the way I’d planned, I haven’t completely forgotten about the project, either. The “Anything But Cardstock” challenge this month seemed like a great reason to pull the journal out and create something!

While my art journal layouts do not routinely use cardstock to begin with, in the spirit of the challenge, I avoided all paper other than what was already in the journal. My major supply, then, were wet wipes that I’d used to clean up from previous stamping projects and then let dry. They end up being this stretchable, tearable, art-able fabric that can be very fun to play with.

Make sure you head over to Imagine’s blog to see how I “painted” with these leftovers and maybe you won’t look at trash the same way again!