Well, last night I decided to try my hand at art journalling. In my daily life, I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist...ok, ok, ok...a LOT of a perfectionist. That said, I have found that throughout my creative journey in the scrapbooking/art world, I have begun to love the little imperfections in my work. A friend of mine was expressing some concern over her work a few days ago, so I offered her a bit of advice:
"Art does not have to be perfect...that's what makes it perfectly interesting".
So, last night I thought, "what a great first page for my art journal!" I feel the page took me way longer than it should have, but I had a ton of fun creating it. I hope you all enjoy :)
Hello, everyone! I just wanted to point out a few changes I've made to my blog.
First, I now have free downloads available :) All you have to do is click on the tab labelled "Free Downloads" along the top of this page. There is only one download currently available; however, I am sure there will be more to come :)
Second, you no longer have to wait for me to email any mini album patterns that you purchase...that's right! No more wait time!!!
Please be patient with me - there may be a few bugs along the way, but together I'm sure we'll get them all ironed out quickly.
I did it! I finally did it! I finished writing the pattern for my Vintage Gramophone Mini Album...yippee!!! The pattern includes instructions for building the gramophone box assembly only; however, I did include pictures of the completed mini album I created to go inside my gramophone, so there's lots of extra inspiration included.
If you click on the "Patterns & Such" tab at the top of this page, you can place your order for a copy of the pattern. All patterns are emailed in .pdf format.
If you need a refresher as to how the gramophone looks, you can check out the following video:
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for being exceedingly patient!
I thought it was time for an update on the pattern...yes, I've been crafting like crazy, BUT I have also been working on the gramophone pattern...woo-hoo!!! It's coming along nicely, and still on track to be published by the end of the month :) Thank you to everyone for your patience!!!
Okay, so I've been so busy with life (and crafting) that four months has gone by since my last post?!?!?! I feel so negligent!
For those of you who do not know, I am now a member of the Wild Orchid Crafts design team...yipee!!! Yes, it's official - I'm a wild one...lol! What does this mean, you ask? Well, it means a lot more projects and videos :) I do love my minis, but being on the WOC design team will push me outside of that little box (because I couldn't possibly create a mini album every week!) So, you can expect to see a lot more variety on my YouTube channel :)
I know that many of you are wondering...what about that gramophone pattern you promised us? I haven't forgotten...I've just been negligent :( However, I am striving to get back on track and hope to have the pattern written by the end of the summer (but hopefully sooner). It is so close to being finished that it is crazy that I haven't published it yet! Be sure to stay tuned here for updates on the progress of the pattern. I will also post a video on YouTube announcing my triumphant victory over writer's block :)
OK, so I couldn't wait any longer! I have to share my vintage musical themed album...anybody guess it was going to be a gramophone? Check this out, I just love how it turned out:
To create the mini album, I used cd's as a base for the pages. As many of you will probably recognize, the paper I used was Graphic 45's "Curtain Call". I decided to add a splash of red, and created all of the flowers using organza and satin fabric and Tim Holtz's tattered florals die. I really like how the grunge and glitzy sparkle work together in this mini. It's definitely my favourite so far :)
I will be selling a pattern for this little beauty, but I'm not quite finished writing it yet. It should be done within the next couple of weeks. I'll post a video on my YouTube channel showing all the details once it's done ;)
Cheers!
Monique
The music in the video is titled "DeTacHmEnt" by destinazione_altrove, and was obtained from ccmixter.org and is available for use under the Creative Commons Noncommercial Sampling Plus License
If you've been following the Graphic 45 blog, you'll already know that I didn't make the short list for their design team this year :( Well, that won't discourage me from trying again next year, and you can probably guess what that means...you're going to see a TON of Graphic 45 projects from me this year :) OK, maybe not a ton (because I'm so slow...lol), but the majority of my projects will be created using Graphic 45 products.
Unfortunately, I've been hoarding almost all of my Graphic 45 papers, so most of the projects I submitted in my audition video did not use their products. This wasn't a requirement, but when you have over 250 people applying for a spot on the team, I can't really blame them for weeding out those who haven't been brave enough to cut up their papers.
So...I've already finished two projects - the first being that "vintage musical themed mini album" I keep hinting at, which I am going to continue to be a bit cruel about and reveal in a few days. I'm just trying to finish up the pattern so it will be available right away...I'm sure this one will be at least as popular as my Vintage Camera Mini Album..It turned out way cuter than I thought it would, and is definitely one of my favourite creations yet :) I will tell you that I used graphic 45's "Curtain Call" paper stack for the mini album.
The second project I finished is what I call my "Tiny Treasures" Micro Album. First, I altered a small balsa wood box I purchased from my local dollar store. Then I created a teeny tiny album to fit inside...it's even smaller than a toilet paper roll album. If you're familiar with my work, I'm sure you can imagine how difficult this was for me considering I LOVE texture and bulk. I used the scraps I had left from the Steampunk Debutante mini album I gave to my friend for Christmas. I think it's adorable:
I'll be posting a video this weekend that will show the album in more detail, so I hope you make it over to my YouTube channel. Stay Tuned, and I just may be revealing my vintage musical themed album this weekend, too ;)
Cheers!
Monique
The music in the video is titled "Feeling Dark (Behind the Mask)" by 7OOP3D, and was obtained from ccmixter.org and is available for use under the Creative Commons Noncommercial Sampling Plus License.
It's that time of year again - Graphic 45 is having another design team call! I absolutely love all of their papers, which are very well-suited to my design style, so I thought I would give it a go this year. As part of the application process, we are to post our submissions on our blogs. Here are the projects I am submitting:
Thank you to Graphic 45 for your consideration of me becoming a member of your design team this year!
Cheers!
Monique
The music in the video is titled "Ice and Chilli" by Ghost, and was obtained from ccmixter.org and is available for use under the Creative Commons Noncommercial Sampling Plus License.
Holy cow! I don't believe it! I posted my "Gypsy Market" kit for sale so late last night I was nodding off at my computer...AND it sold by the time I woke up this morning!
If you caught a glimpse of the video and are disappointed that you didn't get to it fast enough...don't worry. I will be creating more kits in the future. I'm thinking my next project will be using the 7 Gypsies "Off the Wall" paper, and I just may be able to create more than one kit for sale.
Like I said in one of my previous posts, this is a new venture for me. I will slowly ramp up and see how it goes. Thank you to everyone for their very kind comments and support :)
I've had some feedback on the Moulin Rouge kit that I posted for sale last month, and would like to try something a little different this month. I put together another mini album kit using the absolutely scrumptious 7 Gypsies "Gypsy Market" paper stash...BUT, this time I created 2 kits, and used one to build my own album. I made the album using the small Michaels "Celebrate It" bags, and based the design on Laura Denison's "fold over paper bag" mini album with her "stack the deck" binding method. Check it out:
You can view the full album by clicking on the following link and watching my YouTube video of the mini:
If you're at all interested in purchasing the kit I have available, please click on the "Patterns & Such" tab at the top of this page. A detailed description and photos of what is available in the kit will be given there. In addition to the supplies for the kit, I will email a pdf document with detailed pictures of my completed mini album if you're looking for a little extra inspiration. I will not be including instructions on how to build the album itself, as it is not my original design. If you're looking for help on building the pages and binding system, please go check out Laura's videos by clicking on the following links.
So I thought I would try something a little different. I figured that it's time to share some of my stash...I know...crazy, eh? Sooooo...I put together this mini album kit for sale to see what the response would be like.
This kit is packed with absolutely everything you could possibly need to build a mini album...except your tools and adhesives, of course. Check it out:
Here's a little closer look:
The kit includes:
21 - 6" x 6" Moulin Rouge single-sided papers
6 - Moulin Rouge notecards
6 - 6" x 6" coordinating cardstock
6 - 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" neutral cardstock (black, kraft, and manilla)
6 - No. 6 coin envelopes
2 - 2-1/2" x 4" mini paper bags
6 - No. 8 shipping tags
2 - No. 4 shipping tags
2 - No. 1 shipping tags
4 - 1-11/16" x 2-3/4"marking tags
2 - ephemera
1 - Tim Holtz journalling tag
2 - Tim Holtz adage tickets
Medium weight chipboard covers, spine and die cuts
18' of various laces, ribbons, fibers, pearls, and sequin
9 - leaves (variety)
14 -various I am Roses flowers
16 - various mulberry scrapbooking flower petals
2' of 22 ga. wire
2 - stick pins
25 - various glass beads and swarovski crystals
26 - various metal findings and jump rings
1 - pkg of 36 eyelets c/w setter
20 - various charms (some metal, some beaded)
variety of small paper clips, pins, and brads
For a closer look, you can click on the following link to access my YouTube video showing the kit:
There will only be one of these kits available, so act fast if you're interested. All you have to do is click on the "Patterns & Such" tab at the top of this blog. You will be able to access all pricing information, and be able to pay for the kit via PayPal there.
If I receive a favourable response, I will definitely be posting more kits for sale. I am also open to suggestions. If you're looking for a particular theme, or would prefer fewer items to create a less expensive kit, please send me an email by clicking the "Contact Me" tab above.
Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway draw!!!
Check out my YouTube video to see who won the draw:
So what next??? ...I had a week off work and cranked out a ton of tutorial videos (most that still need to be edited). Just click on the "Sneak Peak" tab at the top of this page to see what I've been up to.
