imagine crafts

Imagine That: October Projects

In The Studio

Okay, another month has zoomed by, and I have three more Imagine projects to share with you!

Just like last year, our Halloween prep is still pretty low-key (though I do have a perfectly ridiculous dress to wear on Halloween day that I’m incredibly excited for) with Duncan the Destroyer around. No inside decorations have been dragged out but we did get our witches put up for the trick-or-treaters to enjoy.

10/11: Custom Candy Wrappers on the Imagine Blog

On the Imagine blog I created some Halloween candy wrappers that are very quick to put together and would be great as coworker or lunchbox surprises tomorrow, if you’re in need of a last-minute idea. Of course, the same technique would totally work for any other event or holiday, so take a look and run with it in whatever direction your heart desires.

10/16: Faux Bois Box on the Imagine Blog

My love for faux finishes has been well-documented over the past two years with Imagine (what can I say, their products make it so very easy), and this month I managed another. A pretty good (if I do say so myself) facsimile of woodgrain (faux bois) on a folded paper box. The trick is to pay attention tot he direction of the wood grain as it pertains to the piece of the box you’re stamping.

10/30: Pretty in Purple card on the Imagine Blog

And to finish out the month I created a textured card with a faux watercolor background and some word beads I’ve had in my stash a looooong time. This industry comes out with new and notable things all the freaking time, but don’t neglect what you already have on hand. There’s still value in it, after all.

Have a crafty month, folks!

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.

 

Strut Your Stuff with Stencil Girl and Imagine

In The Studio

It’s Blog-Hop time! This month Imagine teamed up with Stencil Girl for a product/design team collab as well as a giveaway (more details below–make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom!).

I had a lot of fun working with my new tools from Stencil Girl and used them to put together a mixed-media canvas. It started with an acrylic paint base and then–why I don’t I show you, instead.

Strut Your Stuff Process Video

As you can probably guess, I took my biggest inspiration from the peacock feather stencil and chose colors that worked with that idea. I was more amused than I necessarily should be that I turned the dancing figure into a fan dancer, but it worked (I think?).

Once I had all the basic layers in place, I ended up leaving it on my work table for almost a week, trying to decide how to finish it. The overall look was really bright, which is not my usual goal, and I wanted to add a stamped phrase but I wasn’t sure of the best way to do that at first.

I ended up adding a couple layers of ink buffed over the creative medium bits to highlight the textures and then stamped the message onto vellum, applied it with the Shimmer Artist’s Medium, and called it done!

Here’s the full product list for this project
(any amazon links are affiliate links, thank you for supporting this blog!)

Imagine Products:

Stencil Girl Products:

Other Products:

One lucky winner will receive both a $25 Gift Certificate to StencilGirl Products AND a $25 Gift Certificate to Imagine Crafts! Visit the fabulous designers from both teams and comment for your chance to win! The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to WIN! (One comment per blog please.) You have until Sunday, July 23rd at 11:59PM Central Time to leave your comments. Winner will be announced on
StencilGirl’s Facebook page and Imagine Crafts’s Facebook page
on Monday, July 24th.

July 19th

July 20

July 21

 

Imagine That: The Most Hospitable Fruit

In The Studio

Pineapple, that is!

So the story goes, back in the European voyaging days pineapples were very popular with the men and women at court, as were most things deemed exotic from faraway lands. It filtered down to the colonies, but with no refrigeration and the long shipping time between picking and destination, access to a whole, fresh pineapple was a rare and expensive treat. First a symbol of privilege, the pineapple ultimately become a symbol of hospitality as, if you served a whole pineapple to your guests, they knew they were highly favored and being treated like royalty.

Even though pineapples are far easier to come by in any form these days, they’re still a popular choice for guest room decor, newel posts, door knockers, and other home items.

Today’s projects are far less high brow, but very fun!

First, over on the Imagine blog, I’ve come up with a pineapple-inspired wine bottle wrap that would work equally well for a hostess gift or table decor. In fact, I’m sad I didn’t come up with this last year for Todd’s luau party.

Then, using the same ink-shading technique and the cast-off edge from the first project, I make a pineapple-adorned card that would be perfect for welcoming a new neighbor or summer baby.

Pineapple Welcome Card on YouTube

Here’s everything that went into the pineapple card (amazon links may be affiliate links, thanks for supporting my blog!):

Imagine Products:
Fireworks! Spray – Cantaloupe
Brilliance – Coffee Bean
Memento – Desert Sand
Memento Luxe – Dandelion
Sponge Daubers
Memento Markers – Rich Cocoa, Dandelion, Bamboo Leaves
Tear It! Tape

Other Products:
Cardstock – white, dark green (similar)
Patterned Paper – DCWV
Spellbinders – Classic Petal border die
Dienamics – Pierced Oval Stax Dies (similar)
Tape Runner
Helmar Zap Dots (similar)
Paper Trimmer
Scissors

Don’t forget to check out the Imagine blog to see the video of making the pineapple wine wrap!