Bits & Pieces Class Sneak Peek

At last, the planning phase is done.

Now into the crafty, messy, creative, business-woman phase.I am so excited. I really think this is going to be an awesome experience.

Beginning next month I am going to have an online workshop called "Bits & Pieces" available for purchase. The focus will be on creating a mini-book about all those little bits of life around you that you feel are worth recognizing and appreciating.

Right now I am putting kits together, building the class site, creating content, getting things weighed for shipping estimates, etc. etc.

The class is going to run for 2-3 weeks starting on September 28th.
(Still working out a few of the details.)

The pace of the workshop will be very relaxed. Participants will be able to work at their own pace. And after the "live" part of the class is over, participants will have access to the private blog for at least one year.

In this class, there will be journaling prompts, technique tutorials, photography tips, links to really cool online resources, plus some class-exclusive digital content designed by me.

Workshop participants will have access to a private blog, a private Flickr group for sharing photos and a PDF of all lessons covered in the class. Plus, quality time with me. ;)

And did I mention there would be giveaways?

But I must say that my favorite part of this whole process is the kit. For a mini-book, of course. And quite a large one, when all is said and done.

The kit will include:

1 exclusive handmade fabric and chipboard album with silver bookrings and silver grommets
12 sheets heavyweight double sided patterned paper (6x6)
1 sheet single sided woodgrain pattern paper (6x6)
6 sheets cardstock (6x6)
4 clear acrylic pages (4.25x6)
7 Vintage book pages (various sizes):
- three sheets from vintage French dictionary
- two sheets from vintage math book
- two sheets from vintage Latin dictionary
- two sheets from antique illustrated dictionary
2 sheets of graph paper
2 sheets of wide ruled notebook paper
1 sheet of woodgrain contact paper
Handmade embellishments and ephemera including:
- 12 hand-stamped labels
- 5 handmade chipboard buttons
- 2 playing cards (white/black)
- Assortment of vintage buttons
- Assortment of punched embellishents, including tabs, tags and journaling spots.
- Lengths of coordinating ribbon and lace

And.... 1 Exclusive rubber stamp designed just for this class.

Additionally, when the kit is put up for sale, my etsy shop will also be stocked with optional add-ons, including alphabets, additional custom-designed rubber stamps and a few surprise goodies. (And of course I will combine shipping on any order.)

In addition to busily hammering away at grommets, I am also working on a Q&A. Please comment on this post or email me with any questions.

Vintage Inspiration

I love visiting Antique shops. I recently picked up a vintage (and totally rusty--in a good way) functioning postal scale for $20.00. It says something about 1906 and Chicago on it.

Right now it has a few of my milk glass vases and some acorns on it. I love collecting good vintage pieces.

If I had an infinite budget (and you know, a giant castle house) I would love to buy up just about everything at Pacific Antiques Gallery. As it is, I still like to visit for the bargain finds and the amazing inspiration.

Makes me also want to go shopping at paper valise, so I can make pretty tags like these.

Hope you enjoyed the vintage-y goodness. 

Holiday Inspiration: Common Folk Co.

I have long been jealous of my friends who live in the Midwest who have easy access to antique shops filled with affordable vintage treasure. Here in Seattle we only have a few such shops, but until recently, I had never one visited a shop like Common Folk Co.

For one thing, it is located all the way out in Crossroads, on the East Side (for you non WA readers, this means I have to drive over the water across a floating bridge into some suburbs--a terrifying prospect for a citygirl like me (j/k). The other thing that I really liked about this shop was how welcoming and friendly it was. I walked in and as I was being dazzled by the treasures inside, I was offered hot cider and cookies by one of their very attentive staff.

It is delightful a delightful place with so many pretty things to see. I was quite inspired.

They have a mix of vintage and new things...perfect for gifts and for when you want to buy yourself a little something special.

I myself picked up one of those little porcelain birds and a vintage style Merry Christmas sign. After I finished my cider, of course.

Unfortunately, their website link is broken.. but here is an alternate link with some info. If you ever get the chance to come to this area, I really reccomend you stop by (because it is also right by the Michaels and a Starbucks).

Happy Friday!
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NOTE: Speaking of local activities, this weekend is the 5th annual winter edition of Urban Craft Uprising. While it is not as big as Renegade, it is still a pretty respectable showing of Northwest Indie crafters.

It will be my fifth year attending, and I'm really looking forward to supporting my local crafty community (and getting some holiday shopping done). Be on the lookout for a full recap after the weekend is over.

In search of vintage treasure...

I ordered Claudine Hellmuth's books on collage from the library recently. Can't wait till they come in. Love her fun messy antique-y style. Decided I wanted to try it out so, to that end, I decided that there should be no better way to spend my lazy Sunday afternoon than to go and search for vintage treasures to play with.

Every Sunday there is a public market in Fremont. Also, they have an Antique Mall there in the same area.

I found some really cool stuff. There were things like vintage typewriter keys, old school flashcards, watch faces, wooden typeset blocks, and French postcards from the '20s... all sorts of pretty things

Gypsy Rose Paperie + Giveaway

Finally! I can share my secret (I have been dying to tell you this, I swear.)

I was given the opportunity to make some things for this fabulous new company. Love them. Here is a little about them from their press release on Scrapscene:

"Gypsy Rose Paperie is sharing a unique approach to paper crafting with their brand new “Gypsy Kits”!

Gypsy Kits are built around rare, classic elements delicately complemented by the latest industry releases. Designers spend months collecting bits and baubles that have been tucked away in niches and corners; notions unloved and forgotten by time itself, now destined for new purpose as the cornerstones in their exotic Gypsy Kits. These beautiful bundles of inspiration are overflowing with found objects of all kinds, from heritage laces and vintage German glass glitter to antique fabrics and imported textiles.

Taking inspiration from publications like “Somerset Memories,” “Belle Armoire,” and “Altered Couture,” Gypsy Rose Paperie offers paper crafting collections with an artful combination of bold personality and obvious feminine grace. Their heritage art kits give you the resources to create an unforgettable legacy of unique beauty. If you’ve been looking for a paper crafting kit that begins with vintage supplies (seam binding, ric-rac, antique sheet music, cabinet cards, textiles, collage items and many others) and complements those pieces with modern products, this is it!"

Fabulous, no? It is so feminine and full of romance and texture. I love the concept, and the lady behind it all is the nicest person you could ever hope to email with. :D

Here are some things I made with the little mini kit I was sent. First, a canvas minibook:

I painted the canvas with a mix of white and cream paint to make it a little more sturdy. Then I used my trusty glue stick (and Bella, my sewing machine) to adhere the papers to the canvas.

For the binding, I used my cropodile to punch holes and then set them with eyelets inside and fabric grommets on the outside. I tried to use my cropodile to set the grommets but it didn't work as well as I had hoped (they got a little squished).

And I also made some layouts...

Here I used one of the ruined polaroids as a frame. Love all the vintage paper on this.

On this one I dipped all the edges of the stars into the distress paint. I also painted my letter stickers to match the page. These were so fun to make!

So... Now that you've read all this stuff and looked at the pretty pictures I can tell you the even more awesome part. There is a prize to be given away from Gypsy Rose Paperie--a kit that is just about the same as the one they sent me to play with. Packed with lovelies. Yes!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, by 10:00 PST on Friday September 12th and a winner will be randomly chosen. (See photo at top of post--You don't want to miss out on this one, really)

Happy Monday!

Bits & Pieces Kit Reveal

So here it is:

BITS & PIECES KIT CONTENTS:

- 1 Handmade fabric and chipboard mini book with silver grommets

- 2 One inch silver book rings

- 1 Art mounted rubber stamp with exclusive design by Coffee Girl Crafts

- 12 double-sided 6x6 pieces of Amy Butler Lucky Flowers pattern paper

- 1 single-sided 6x6 piece of woodgrain K&Company pattern paper

- 5 sheets 6x6 cardstock (white, cream, kraft, khaki, brown)

-4 acrylic transparency sheets (4.5x6.5)

- 1 Sheet woodgrain contact paper

- 2 Pages graph notebook paper

- 2 Pages wide ruled notebook paper

- 10 assorted vintage dictionary and textbook pages (Maths, French, Latin)

- 14 Hand-stamped journaling labels

- 6 Hand-painted chipboard buttons

- Various embellishments including a strip of cork, a 12 inch length of brown ribbon, two playing cards, four vintage buttons and 15 punched embellishments (tabs, tags and journaling spots).

PRICING AND SHIPPING INFORMATION IS FORTHCOMING

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OPTIONAL GOODIES (ADD-ONS):

There will be an Online Workshop available as a companion to the kit. The pace of the workshop will be very relaxed. Participants will be able to work at their own pace. And after the "live" part of the class is over, participants will have access to the private blog for at least one year.

There will be journaling prompts, technique tutorials, photography tips, links to really cool online resources, plus some class-exclusive digital content designed by me. Workshop participants will have access to a private blog, a private Flickr group for sharing photos and a PDF of all lessons covered in the class.

Here is a sample shot of the class blog:

Additionally, my Etsy shop will be stocked with a second stamp design in addition to the main kit stamp, paper packs of the Amy Butler and vintage papers, and a few sets of the hand stamped labels and hand-painted chipboard buttons (just in case you want extra). And in case you were as excited about this as me, there are some widgets for your blog over there on the right.
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THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS.

The good news is that except for the stamps, these kits are all ready to be sold and sent off to their new happy homes.

The bad news is that because I don't have the stamps I cannot list the kits for sale... I am SO sorry, but I want to make sure the stamps are A) usable and B) that I have the right costs for shipping (especially for international).

Also as I will be out of town for the majority of next week (and literally without access to internet) I am most likely going to have to delay the sale of the kits until the end of the month.

I promise to have a biiig ol announcement (and tweet) about it when it does go on sale for real.

Thank you so much for your patience and kind words. Please email me or comment on this post with any questions, comments or feedback. I really do appreciate it.

Take care and happy crafting.