Creative Blog Hop!

How fun is a Creative Blog Hop!!!  I want to thank Nicole Tugrul for asking me to be a part of this fun idea!  Nicole has been a part of Create with Connie and Mary for several seasons now and I love her work!  Here’s her fabulous blog in case you haven’t visited her before and the wonderful projects she did for the Creative Blog Tour last week!

 

I know that Christmas has past, and many have already taken down their holiday decorations (I usually wait until after New Year’s to take mine down.)  But, my large snowman collection stays up until the end of February.  I’ve been wanting to make a new insert for my Welcome frame that sits on my buffet table in the dining room, so I thought I’d combine two of my projects into one and use my idea for this Creative Blog Hop!  Want to see what I did?  Here you go…

 

I love it!!!  It’s just SOOO happy and will make me smile every time I walk by!  I found the frames at the Dollar Store a while back, but you could use any size…just measure your opening and go from there.  Here are a few details:

• To get the curve of the snowman face, I traced the outside edge of the largest Circle Framelit (it was too small to cut it) on Whisper White.  I sponged around it with Crumb Cake ink.
• The background is Night of Navy and I stamped the Gorgeous Grunge image with White Craft Ink for “snow”.
• The nose is a long triangle of Pumpkin Pie cardstock, but I punched the end with the Wide Oval Punch to get it curved (slide the end into the back of the punch).  I sponged around it with Pumpkin Pie Ink.
• I used Sticky Strip on the outside of the frame to hold the 1″ Cherry Cobbler Ribbon (note to self to get MORE before the Holiday Catalog is over!)  I cut another piece and wrapped the Vintage Brad around the center, then added it with more Sticky Strip.
• The eyes are the Small Oval from Basic Black, the highlights are 1/4″ Circles from Whisper White and the mouth are large circles from the Owl Punch and Basic Black.
• Happy Winter was cut with Real Red from the Perfect Print Alphabet Bigz Dies and I added Frosted Sequin Snowflakes randomly on the letters with Rhinestone centers so they sparkle!

 

Of course, I couldn’t just do ONE project…I had to create a card to go with it!  I did basically the same thing as the frame, just scaled back on the size a little.

 

• I used the alphabet dies for the word, “BRR”
• The bow tie is the new Bow Punch in the Occasions Catalog punched from Real Red!  LOVE it!  I added a Snowflake embellishment with a Rhinestone center in the center of the bow.
• The base of the card is 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Crumb Cake cardstock, folded in half.
• The background layer is 4 x 5 1/4 Night of Navy with Gorgeous Grunge stamped in White Craft Ink.

 

OK…so I’m supposed to answer 4 questions that will give you an understanding of how I go about coming up with my projects.

1. What are you working on now?

I’m finishing up work on Create with Connie and Mary’s Valentine Mini Collection 2015.  The design work is done, we are just in the process of making up kits for the projects that we are offering to go along with the subscription.  I’m getting ready to start on my Create with Connie and Mary Spring Collection 2015 projects.  I’m excited to use some of the new products in the Occasions and SAB catalogs!

2.  How does your work differ from others in your genre?

I feel I have a non-cluttered style of stamping, yet my work is not always simple.  I like layers and details.  I’m always amazed at how one little thing will make a project POP!  At times I can fuss and fuss over the placement of things on a card or project, while other times they go together quickly!  I do pay attention to balance and make sure my finished project has straight cuts and cleanly stamped images.  I will re-do anything that isn’t “perfect”.

3.  Why do you create what you do?

I did different types of crafts for craft fairs for years…including some juried ones.  Crafting has always been a part of my life (anyone remember Stiffy Bow Baskets, Painted Fabric Sweatshirts and Tomato Cage Dolls?)  I would make paper crafts as gifts to give away for the holidays, too.  Then I was introduced to Stampin’ Up!  I was IMMEDIATELY hooked!  Stamping allows me to do quick and easy or hard and complicated.  It feeds my creative soul and quiets that voice in my head that says, “you could make that!”  lol!  As a way to sell the tutorials I was creating and help other demos and customers make them, I invited Mary Brown to join up with me to start Create with Connie and Mary several years ago.  It is a  subscription service that uses current Stampin’ Up! products and offers step-by-step photo tutorials.  We’ve added several other design team members as we’ve come along.

4.  How does your creative process work?

I’m inspired by many things around me.  When shopping I look at the design of products, the colors, the textures.  Shopping at Christmas is my favorite time because of all the ideas.  Of course, Pinterest is a great source of inspiration, although I don’t look at too many card ideas.  I’m more focused on how to transfer other types of creative mediums into paper crafts.  I love favors and 3D projects the most to work on.  For cards, I usually will start with a sketch or color combination, look at my stamps and pick an image that would work, and then pick my paper last.  MANY times I dream of things that I’ll want to make.  It’s crazy, but my mind always seems to be “on”!

There are a couple other Create with Connie and Mary team members doing the Creative Blog Hop today!  Check out my partner Mary Brown and design team member Debbie Henderson, to see what they’ve done today for the hop!

 

To keep the Creative Blog Hop going, I have nominated Margaret Raburn and Chris Slogar…both are artists that I admire very much!  Margaret I have known for YEARS from a stamping group and she is one of our Thursday Challenge Team Members on Create with Connie and Mary!  Chris is a new friend with a fun style that I greatly admire!  Check them out!  Their Creative Blog Hop information will be posted next Monday!

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing me and I hope you got a little information on how my creative mind works!  lol!