December Design Sneak Peek #3

Thanks for all the great comments on yesterday's design reveal. Many Paper Artsy stamps really lend themselves to stitchery and I love finding new ways to use what I have.

 My final sneak peek for Paper Artsy for December is this:

The reveal is over here.

December Designs Sneak Peek #2

Thanks for all the kind comments on yesterday's project. Gotta love a bit of Xmas bling!

Today's Paper Artsy design sneak peek is this:

Check out Paper Artsy's blog for the whole scoop!

December Designs Sneak Peek #1

My December designs for Paper Artsy will be up on their blog this week! 

Here's a sneak peek at the first one:

Pop on over to the Paper Artsy blog to find out what it is!

November Sneak Peek #3

Here is my final sneak peek for November:

It was great fun working with these beautiful stamps by Lynn Perrella for Paper Artsy. 

All the details of this design can be found here. 

November Sneak Peek #2

I hope you enjoyed yesterday's project! I love making things out of shipping tags.

 Here's today's sneak peek:

Hope on over to the Paper Artsy blog for the reveal & tutorial!

November Sneak Peek #1

Hi Everyone! It's time to see what projects I have for you this week over on the Paper Artsy blog! Be sure and pop over to see the reveal and you're welcome to leave a comment too, if you like! 

Here's today's sneak peek:

 If you haven't been following along, be sure and scroll back through the posts-there's been some gorgeous projects shared.

Final Sneak Peek for October!

Thanks for all the kind words about the Hallowe'en Box. It was great fun to make and I hope you'll give it a try. 

Here's the final sneak peek for October:

Get the full picture here.

Sneak Peek #2 for October!

Yesterday was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who left such kind comments over on the Paper Artsy blog. They are much appreciated!

Here's a sneak peek of my second project:

Can you guess what it is? I promise, it's really cool! 

Click here to see the tutorial.

Sneak Peek #1 for October!

It's that time again!! I'm the guest designer on Paper Artsy's blog this week! October is my favourite month, Autumn is my favourite season and Hallowe'en is my favourite holiday. What does that add up to? Some really fun designs over the next three days. I am really excited to share them with you! 

Here's a sneak peek of what's in store for today: 

Want to see more? Click here to be transported!

*Secret Project* #3!

Thanks everyone for such a great response to my first two projects! I'm feelin' the love! Now it's time for the last sneak peek for September....here it is:

 Kind of looks like I am baking something, doesn't it? Well I did frost something with a spatula, but it's not edible! See what I cooked up using a really cool new-to-me product by visiting Paper Artsy's blog.

My next posts will be the first week of October, but keep following the Paper Artsy blog for more great projects from other PA designers!


P.S. I just had to take a second to mention that this is my 1600th post here on my blog!! Wow!

*Secret Project* #2!

Good Morning! Thank you everyone for your warm welcome over on the Paper Artsy blog. Your kind words were very much appreciated. Welcome to those of you who have newly discovered my blog. It's nice to have you here.

Ready for a sneak peek of project number two? Here it is!

Wondering what all these yummy layers could be? Hop on over to the Paper Artsy blog for today's tutorial! Comments on the PA blog are always welcome!

*Secret Project* Revealed!

Hello friendlies! As promised, I can finally share what the *secret project* I've been working on is! About a year ago, Leandra Franich, owner of Paper Artsy emailed to ask if I might be interested in returning as a designer for her company. We've been friends for years and she and her husband Mark are two of the nicest people I know, so I was only too happy to accept. I've had to keep this under my hat all this time, (sheer torture!) but today, I can finally share this news with you!

So...this is the sneakiest of peeks of my first September project. Want to see more? Head on over to the Paper Artsy Blog for the full scoop! They just did a big product release this past week too, so it's worth reading back several posts to see what's new. I am having the time of my life playing with all the new product! It's delicious food for the artistic soul.

I will be posting sneak peeks of my Paper Artsy projects the first week of each month September through to December, so be sure and check back so you don't miss anything! Comments on the Paper Artsy blog are always welcome! 

I have more news to share later this week!

Letting Go

Copyright Tattered Edge 2009

So I thought I would share a story about something really cool that happened this time a year ago and what I learned.

A year ago, I was approached by a large US company about licencing my artwork. I was really excited about the idea and a little scared- working out the fine print and entering into a legally binding contract can be challenging, never mind if you're dealing with another country!

I talked with the company's representative and they told me what they had in mind and asked that I do some work pertaining to their vision. I did and I sent the specs off to them. At that point, the rep dropped the ball. I waited a month before contacting them, then sent an email. No response. I was a bit miffed, but I also knew this person travelled overseas alot, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited.

Meanwhile, I was thinking about this who deal, alot. It occurred to me that if, at this early point in our working relationship, they weren't communicating, it was a good indication of things to come. Anyone who knows me know that I like to be on top of things, that it's very important to me that there be good organization and communication if I am going to be working with someone. Integrity is everything. If I say I am going to do something, I do it and I expect the same in return.

At first I was feeling pretty annoyed and disappointed about things stalling just as they were getting started, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that I needed to trust in what I knew to be true-what I know from experience is that the universe never lets me down. If something is meant to happen, it just falls neatly into place-that is the magical quality of my life. Conversely, if something isn't meant to happen, there are big red warning signs that I will see, if I am paying attention. The more I thought about what was happening (or not happening), the more I felt okay about letting this opportunity go. I just knew that this was not the right time.

As it turned out, it was the right thing to do. Sitting here a year later, I can't imagine having to juggle fulfilling a contract while dealing with all the health stuff I've been through in the last while. It would have quite possibly been crazy-making. Sometimes it pays to be still and listen to what your instincts are telling you.

Don't get me wrong-it would have been so easy to chase that dream, but I think there was wisdom in letting it go. It doesn't mean that I will never do that kind of work. Someday I might be lucky enough to have the opportunity offered to me again and if I do and it feels right, then I'll go for it.

One of the most important things I've learned in my life is that saying no to one things allows you to say yes to something else. If you let something go, you allow space for something else to come in. You can't receive anything if your fist clenched tight. I look at this whole experience as a reminder of that.

It reminds me of the line the Stones made famous:

"You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you find you get what you need."

Productive Studio Time

Copyright Tattered Edge 2008

It's been a busy last few days working on designs for Hannah Grey. They sent me a whole box of wonderful art bits and I had so much fun opening the box when it arrived. It was like Xmas in July!

Copyright Tattered Edge 2008

If you go visit the Hannah Grey blog you will find my latest creations for them there, along with a supply list and detailed instructions so you can grab some creative inspiration for yourself! There are a ton of free project ideas so be sure and check it out.



Also there have been a raft of new posts over at Artsmiths-lots of interesting sharing and a give-away happening, so do stop by and see for yourself! I will be taking my turn posting over there next week.



Just out of curiosity, is there anything any of you out there want to see me post about? Don't be shy! I'd love to hear what you think!



Okay, back to work for me! *waves*

Catch Up Post

C0pyright Tattered Edge 2008

Hello again! I suppose you think I've wandered off into the summer and forgotten about my blog. Au contraire! Actually, I was dealing with computer woes. Late last week, I did an automatic update and it asked me to reboot, so I did. Next thing I know, I am staring at nothing. Black screen-nothing. I thought my computer had had a total meltdown (This has happened to me once before wherein my mother board was completely fried.) but when my friend Lance came by to help me figure out what happened, we discovered it was actually the monitor that was kaput.

I never suspected the monitor was the problem because mine is only 15 months old. Fortunately, my husband had purchased a 2 year extended warranty, so I took it back to the store. They are sending it back to the manufacturer who will either repair or replace it. In the meantime, I purchased a new monitor (which I will either get credited for later or I will return if they somehow resurrect my dead one) so I am back in business. I was connected via my laptop for a couple of days, but it doesn't have all the important stuff on it.

I have learned my lesson. I have three words for you people: external hard drive. Buy one and back up all your important files. You have no idea what a nightmare it would have been if my hard drive had been fried again. All my workshops, all my photos and art, an extensive iTunes library, my website writing program, all my personal and business contacts would have been lost. External hard drives are your friends. Get yourself one!

So..catching up...

Canada Day was alot of fun. We had a bunch of friends over for a BBQ. The weather was perfect-pleasant, but not too hot. The food was fantastic and everyone had a great time hanging out together. We'll probably do it again before summer is over.

Over the last few days, the studio looks like a tornado blew through. There's stuff everywhere. I have been working on design work for Hannah Grey. I hope to have new designs posted to the Hannah Grey blog by the end of the week.

If you haven't checked out the Hannah Grey design blog, you're missing out-there are a whole bunch of free instructions for cool projects, which include links to the products used to make shopping easier. Go take a peek! There might just be something there to inspire your summer creativity.

I ordered the 1000 Journals Project book and it arrived last week. What a great book! It's got page upon page of cool journal entries and I liked that they added some 3D and texture effects to come of the pages. I am about 1/2 way through looking at it. I got to work in one of the journals at Artfest a few years ago when the crew came to shoot for their film. I love that I got to be a part of that.

I have exchanged ephemera with the folks who emailed me about wanting to trade. My packets went out early last week. I can't wait to see what goodies arrive. Going to the Post office will be an adventure for the next little while!

Anyone still wanting to participate in the Moo Exchange I am hosting, can still sign up by clicking here. I will be accepting sign ups till July 11th.

The collaborative book project I am hosting is humming right along and I am preparing for the next project I want to do. All in all, things have been pretty busy in the studio so far, but I'm having fun. Today I am going to take a small break and go out for a bit. I want to poke around in some stores for a bit, just for a change of scenery.

Oh and that pic above is just me futzing around. The colours didn't scan very nicely for some reason. It's actually quite vibrant-not all muddied as it appears. Not a very good representation of it all all. Let's just say I am not too keen on the new HP printer. Never again.

Okay, I think that's all the news that's fit to print! I'm off! *waves*

Here, There & Everywhere

Bloggity, blog, blog, blog! I feel like I have been posting all over the place in the last week and indeed, I have! In the interest of "keepin' it fresh", I want to remind you about two other sites where I post.

First off, there is ARTSMITHS, which is a wonderful group I belong to with an amazing group of incredibly talented and kind hearted women. Right now, you can learn more about one of them, by checking out our Artist of the Month interview. This month's shining star Tiffini Elektra X. For those of you who don't know Tiffini (or TEX as we like to call her), my first experience with her was an amazing one. You can read all about it here. Deb, who does all our Artist of the Months interviews came up with some wonderful questions that will give you some great insight into Tiffini's work.

We are also in the midst of a group challenge called ONE WORD. Each artist is creating a piece of art based on one word that describes them. To see which word they chose and the art that resulted, visit the Artsmiths blog and click on the "challenge" listing of our archives. New art will be uploaded as it is completed.

The other blog that I am posting at right now, is Hannah Grey's Diary. As the design team completes work, the projects are uploaded to the blog with instructions and links to the products in the Hannah Grey shop. There is quite a bit of new stuff to look at and lots of inspiration, for FREE, so be sure and check it out! I've got 3 designs uploaded so far (including the one pictured above) and more in the works. Each of the projects is categorized as mixed media, paper arts, jewellery, assemblage, collage, etc. so it's easy to find the eyecandy you're looking for.

I just wanted to also take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone for their kind words about the clip. I loved doing it-it was fun and it always makes me incredibly happy to share what I love (art) with whomever wants to learn about it. It was especially nice to be able to share the experience with my son, who went with me. I think it gave him a better idea of why I love what I do so much.

Free Eyecandy & Tutorials!

Good Morning everyone! Just a quick post to let you know some of my designs have been uploaded with instructions to the Hannah Grey blog. You will want to bookmark it as the design team will be uploading new projects fairly often and it's a great source of inspiration!

Happy surfing!

Spring Cleaning

Copyright Tattered Edge 2008

Yes, I am still here! I've just been taking some time to work on my studio. When we moved in, things were so frantic with Xmas coming and deadlines and then the new year was filled with a bunch of teaching engagements and before I knew it, the studio became a disaster area.

I am not a neat freak, but I can't work in chaos so this week I've been trying to clean up. I finally went out and bought myself a new work table. (From Ikea.) Believe it or not, I've been working on a 12 x 12 inch space for the last 7 years! It was time to upgrade a bit. My new table is not huge, but it's a fair bit larger than the old one. Of course you can't change one thing in a room without opening a Pandora's box. Once I got the new work table put together and into place, one thing led to another and I am now in the middle of cleaning, sorting and reorganizing.

My plan is that I would like to install some brackets and shelves in the closet in my studio so I can have a better storage system set up. Right now, everything is in boxes and when I need something, I have to take everything out in order to get to the box I need, which is always at the bottom of the pile. It's really annoying and a waste of precious time. The shelves should help alleviate this situation. I have really nice storage boxes with labels on the front that I can sort things into and then stack on the shelves. That will be the next project. Even if I don't get the shelves installed till the summer, I can still go through all the boxes, sort the contents and get them into the proper boxes so once the shelves are installed, all I have to do is put the boxes away.

I have also been looking through the studio organization books I own and getting ideas about how to make the most of the space I have. It's definitely a work in progress!

I did manage to work on some design work for Hannah Grey this week, before the cleaning bug bit. The image above is a salt box house journal which will be heading off to California shortly.

News!

I am please to announce that I have just become a member of the Hannah Grey Design Team. I've been a happy customer for a few years now and look forward to working with all the interestng products they have to offer. It's a great company and the owners Shoshanna & Mike are super nice. They are the kind of folks who email you out of the blue to congratulate you on publishing work you haven't even seen for yourself yet! If that isn't just plain nice, I don't know what is!

Speaking of publishing, my pal Deb emailed last night to say she got a copy of the newest issue of Haute Handbags (April) already and saw my article! She said it looked great so I am now *dying* to see it! If you get Haute Handbags, the article is titles Totes to Treasure and is my very first article for Stampington. It's 5 pages! I also want to mention that Deb has not one but TWO articles appearing in this issue as well. I think we'll be pulling out those silly rock star glasses any second now! *laughs* Congratulations dear friend! I am *SO* proud of you and pleased that we are sharing this issue together.

I am off to Place des Arts this morning to teach a Spring Break Workshop for kids. We're making ATCs-should be lots of fun!

Midway in March

Copyright Tattered Edge 2008

WOW! It's Friday! Where did the week go? It seems the days are whipping by in a blur! March is already half over!

Anyway, catching up on the latest news, this is the art I did for the last project I completed, Muse-ic 3. And in case you are wondering, yes, that really is a real pressed flower. Years ago, this lady named Pam from back east sent me some of her pressed flowers and this is one of the last ones left. I was worried that colour copying would crush it, but it held up really well. I love the symmetry of flowers.

I just joined a new design team, but I will hold off saying too much just yet, as I imagine they will have some sort of official announcement. I am pleased to be working with this company and look forward to the challenge.

For those of you who were wanting to take my Altered Books: Come Again workshop in May, registration begins today! You can either register by phone or online at Place des Arts.

In other news, I will be announcing a new blog and re-launch of the professional artist's group I belong to on Monday, so check back to get the scoop!

Other than that, I am being spoiled absolutely rotten by my nearest and dearest friends for my birthday. (Which isn't till Easter weekend!) My best friend Lisa is taking me on Thursday to a spa for a pedicure and facial. We love this spa-it's beautiful and relaxing and it's fun to do these things together. I have never been much of a girly-girl, but I enjoy this kind of thing as a treat.

Yesterday, Deb called me and told me about plans for this very incredible gift she and Deryn wanted to give me. I am still in awe. I will tell you all about it when it arrives.

Easter weekend I am having a house full of friends for dinner to celebrate my birthday. I think it will be fun because some folks know one another and some don't. It's always interesting to introduce one set of friends to another. It's a pretty prolific group too, so I am sure there will be lots for folks to talk about! There's nothing I love more than cooking a good meal and inviting people to share it. It's the way I grew up. My Grandparents' house would always be full of friends on the weekends. Someone would come by for coffee in the morning and be invited to stay for lunch. Someone would drop by at lunch and be invited to stay for dinner, before too long there would be a house full of people all eating, talking and laughing and playing board games together. Good times!

I am still prepping for Artfest. I have all my tools now, it's just a matter of finishing my housemate trades. They are sitting here on my desk, calling me to finish them. Only 18 more days left and I know they are going to fly by! SO much to do, so little time!