christytomlinson

Behind the Art Video... Playing with new fall art supplies :)

so as promised.. from monday's post :) I made my way into my studio this week and created not one, but TWO Behind the Art videos for you!!.. i know.. i know.. actually it's only two because I rambled on so long and got carried away playing with all the new art supplies I realized my video was too long to post on youtube (they give you a darn time limit).. so i had to break it down into two videos. But that's okay right? lol

So over the last few weeks I have been busy on a lot of things, but one of the biggest things was ordering and adding new products to our Scarlet Lime mixed media Shop.

 

 

 For those of you that don't know.. My husband and I started a papercrafting Kit club back in 2007... Scarlet Lime   http://www.scarletlime.com/store/products.php?cat=38 .  Over the years the kits have progressed into including not just papercrafting products but fun things for mixed media as well. However earlier this year.. when I launched my first online Workshop, the She Art Workshop..I found myself demonstrating and using all these fun art supplies but  my students were having trouble finding all the supplies in their local stores and on the web.. so in February, we decided to expand our Kit club to also be a full on-line mixed media store!The store started out in our house.. took over our back hallway.. or kitchen and in our living room within just 2 weeks.. so we moved IT and our kit club (which has been in our home for 4 years).. to a warehouse earlier this summer! It's been HEAVEN having a space for all of it! If you haven't seen the video on the warehouse.. it's kinda fun.. here is the link here.. Warehouse Video..

  But  I love the store.. Which includes everything from paints, to canvases, art journals, stamps, sprays, art mediums and pastes, watercolor mediums, stencils, paper.. you name it.. we have it. 1000's of products in the store! it's crazy! THE BEST part of the shop.. is that um.. I designated myself to  "test" ALL new products.. (I am so laughing right now..).. you know.. just to make sure you guys will like them too. lol. Ben always asks me as I am hauling out a box of goodies from the warehouse.. "do you REALLY need those? and I am like.. um.. heck ya? Gotta test them and make sure they are great!  I think it just mostly bothers him when I forgot to take the product out of our online inventory.. oops.. yea. I am working on remembering that minor detail :))

 

Oh and speaking of testing and creating projects.. I also send them to my Scarlet Lime Artist team and they create fun projects all month long on our blog and in our online store gallery. (if you haven't ever checked out that blog you should. they are crazy talented!.) check out the  Scarlet LIme Blog .. you'll love it!

So anyhow.. since I had ordered so many of the new fall products in, i thought it would be fun to create some projects using them and do a video! It's always so much more fun for me, as a customer to see the products in action, rather just "online" as an image.. so thought these videos would be fun!

 

When I get new products..like new stamps, or stencils.. paints etc, I like to create simple "example" tags .. that I can refer to later when I want to remember what a color or a stamp or a stencil looks like on art.

  

These are just a few I did for the video..

 
and of course I had to do some canvases too :) testing the product you know.. lol

 

Anyhow! enough talk.. how about some videos!!?  oh! and one more thing.. since I LOVE my bloggers soo much and think you women simply ROCK..If you use this special code : IHeartYou  when you check out.. you will receive 15% off your entire order.. today and tomorrow :).

Here's a direct link to most of the new products.. (new products) . I also just restocked my favorites that we haven't been able to keep in stock, like my favorite Crafters workshop stencils, Unity Stamps,ROLLERS stamps.. Faber Castell Pens, Paint dabbers.. so many things.  Keep in mind we are leaving out of town friday, for 10 days with our kids.. so the warehouse will be closed all of next week.. but my husband is going to work his behind off to get as many or all of the orders he can that come in before we leave Friday.. :)  So I would suggest doing it today.. to make sure it goes out before we leave :).. anyhow..  Love you awesome people!

oh! and I have already scheuled some fun blog posts for next week.. while I am gone.. so I won't be "missing" in action.. one of the many things on my list to do before i go.. but wanted to have something fun on the blog while I am gone too :) so check back next week for some new posts! 

 enjoy the videos! remember.. part one and part two! :)

Happy Wednesday!

click on the link to the videos to  or just click the play button to watch them both here :)

Behind the Art : Studio Play with New Supplies, Part One!

 

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Behind the Art: New Products Part Two Below..

 

In the studio.. and leaving on a jet plane...

so the next two weeks are going to be crazy for us.. My kids have 2 weeks off of school for "Spud" harvest. yes. SPUD harvest. Here in Idaho we are known for our Potatoes in and here in Eastern Idaho, each september/October, our schools let out so that the older kids and teachers and really anyone who wants to, can work in the "spuds" as we call it. Helping the farmers to harvest the potatoes for the season. Well, since our kids work for us and really truly.. there are so many kids.. only about a 1/3 of them get the jobs.. our kids have never worked in the Spuds, so we take the opportunity for the time off to do a family vacation. We have found it SO much less crowded than traveling during the summer, or spring break or christmas. Flights are cheaper, resorts and hotels are cheaper and everyone else in school... so like when we went to Disney Land.. we had no waits on lines. It was great! This year we are taking our kids on a 9 day cruise to the Caribbean. We took the four oldest  several years ago and they had such an amazing time. My husband and I LOVE to cruise with friends, because it's so cheap! I mean where else can you pay $300 bucks and have all your meals and room and everything included for an entire week. We were kinda nervous to do a cruise with our kids. We didn't want to do DIsney because it was SOO expensive and we are so cheap. So we did the cheapest 7 day cruise we could find. A Mexican Riviera cruise. It was only $300 buck for me and ben and braden and $189 for the other three! For an ENTIRE week! seriously that's crazy!  (this is us on our Mexican cruise)

 

 

 we knew we wanted to do it again but this time with all 8 of us! So last year we opted out of a "trip" to save up our airline miles and cash.. so we could do this big family trip this year!   So all 8 of us.. are going to be heading to Orlando on Friday.. we can't wait! But that means a lot of work to prepare.. so that we can be gone that long and our business will still "function" and run smoothly while we are gone. Specially since we will be "unplugged' and without phones or emails! YIkes!  Not always easy :) BUT SO worth it! We really can't wait.

Anyhow... I have been in the studio here and there.. creating art.. and just wanted to share with you some of the things I have been working on..

 

just a simple dress.. hanging on a line. and here's another one..

 
Had so much fun doing the first one.. had to do a second one.. lol..

Sometimes it fun just to paint simpe things. No Rhyme or reason.. right?

anyhow. just simple.,. but fun to share! love being in my studio.. but now it is a freaking mess! Holy hanna.... I hate having to clean up after myself. Lol.  But I have to do it.. I am going in there again today to make a video post for this week! We recently added SO many new things to our Scarlet Lime shop.. new stencils, stamps, rubons.. holy cow. you name it, I thought it would be fun to do a video and show you some of them and how I used them on some simple tags.  because seeing the stuff in action is so much more fun. Right? It is for me anyway. Well I hope you have a wonderful monday! Gotta get to work so I can take 10 days off! really? am I going to do that? that kinda scares me! lol.. i won't even have email on the cruise ship. Wow.. okay.. starting to sink it. Its gonna be GOOD.. to get away and just spend some really quality time with the family and NO outside distractions.. . :)

Happy Monday!

Sew Wild.. with Alisa Burke

As you know.. Alisa Burke is a dear friend.. and she is one SUPER talented girl. She is a mixed media artist and teaches classes both in person and online. She also just published her latest book.. Sew Wild.. and seriously. I could not Put it down! I was asked to participate in her blog hop giving my thoughts on this book.. and so I got to see it before it hit the shelves a few weeks ago.. I WAS THRILLED! holy Smokes! this book simply rocks!

 
 

I have taken a class from Alisa in person and in that class I got to create my own fabric using stamping, screen printing and doodling techniques she taught us in class (which she also talks about in this book as well).  I loved how the fabrics turned out.. but I am also HUGE on texture.. and one thing I love about Alisa, is how she can take a piece of fabric she's made.. that most people would consider "done"  and make it even MORE fabulous with adding creative stitching to it!

Then on top of that.. she creates the most amazing projects out of them!

 

 

This book is FULL of awesome techniques on not only adding stitching.. but making custom fabrics to use on pillows, purses, wreaths.. you name it.. she is seriously one of the most creative people know!

 

 
 

After reading her book and going over it again and again.. I know what I now want to do with the fabric I made in her class . Can't wait to see how it comes all together! if you haven't got the book yet.. you MUST.. you can get it on Amazon.com and I am pretty sure Barnes and Nobles carries it too. Ours was all sold out! (of course they were.. lol).  She also just launched her latest online workshop..

Free Motion.. which goes along PERFECTLy with her book.. and it starts THIS WEEK!!

 

 

Another great online class, I know I will be taking. Loved her Beneath the Surface class in August!

Anyhow.. just had to share with you the release of this awesome book! Also I LOVED Julie's Q&A with her.. learned so many fun things about this girl..

Hope you are having a creative week.. I am heading into my studio tomorrow.. been cleaning house and doing "not so fun" work this week.. so excited to do something a little more artsy :).

Happy Wednesday!

 

CKU Reunion... mixed media fun!

So many of you that are in the papercrafting industry.. or have been.. remember way back when.. when I taught at the events.. CKU. Creating Keepsakes University.I use to travel and teach for Chatterbox.. the company I worked for at the time.. teaching mini albums and other papercafting classes. Well earlier this year, they approached me about coming to a CKU Reunion event to teach and help celebrate 10 years of CKU's!!! I was EXTREMELY excited.. however my first thought.. was.. well I don't scrapbook though? and so I was even MORE thrilled to find out they wanted me to teach my mixed media art! I decided to teach this fun 8x8, deep edge canvas class.. the house class. Because for those who are just starting into mixed media class.. this is a GREAT class to get your feet wet with.

 
 

 You will get to use products from some awesome sponsors.. like Faber Castell, Ranger, Unity Stamps, DecoArt... it's gonna be a SUPER fun class!

The event is this October.. 27-29th.. in warm and sunny San Diego (and my hubby gets to come with me).. 

Oh! The other cool thing about this event is that they are incorporating all kinds of artsy stuff! Like Jewelry and fabric classes too. I have seen some of the stuff and wow.. so cool!  So maybe I will get to see you there!  In Warm Sunny California (okay.. so it' might not be too warm or too sunny.. but I can guarantee you it will be warmer than Idaho! lol). The thing I am most excited for is seeing all of my old papercrafting friends! the students AND the other teachers coming. We sure has some really great times back in the day.. some of the best people I know!   So check it out.. hopefully I will see you there..

CKU 10 Year ANniversary Reunion Event..

Well it's friday and my husband is out of town for the rest of the weekend (he left yesterday for a hiking trip). So it's just me and the kiddos and my baby brother who is going to keep my company (He doesn't know it yet.. but I thought it would be a fun way to spend the weekend.. lol). Tonight is the Boise State Football game.. and I don't miss those.. so I know what I will be doing. Maybe tomorrow I will find some "will power" to clean this dang office. Seriously folks. If you saw it. Yikes. seriously Yikes.

Happy Friday!

 

In the Studio.. yarn Play

over the last few weeks I have had some time to play in my studio.. and one thing I love about mixed media is just that. it is Mixing all sorts of Medias to create art! 

Over last year or two.. I have noticed a huge trend in crocheting, needlepoint and knitting again. I mean I remember when my grandma or aunts would bring their yarn with them everywhere and while they sit and waited at the doctors office.. or at the part.. they would sit and make a beautiful scarf or hat or afghan.. then it seemed like when I became a mom.. it wasn't as cool anymore.. and it kinda fell by the way side. Then over the last 3 or so years.. it has TOTALLY come back in and not just for as creative play, but in fashion, home decor.. art.. you name it! At Barnes and noble there is a whole section on it! I tried MANY MANY times to learn how to knit or crochet and seriously. I don't have those skills. I am lucky that ben's family does and they have made me a lot of SUPER cute scarves and hats. Ben's mom even made me a purse! which I LOVE!  I have ALWAYS loved needlepoint and sticheries though.. use to create patterns for stitchery and sell them a long time ago. Love that the medium is being seen a lot more in art and creative play!  So I while I don't use yard and thread or twine to knit or crochet with.. I did find a fun way to incorporate it into my art!  Here is a few of the canvases  I made..

This just a simple flower our of yarn and paint on a canvas..

 

 
 I used a hot glue gun and used it to apply the yarn layers and tried to use different kinds of yarn to have different textures on it.

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The butterfly canvas was done using a mixture of bakers twine and yarn. so I had to use both a hot glue gun and DecoPauge!

 

 

This next one started out as me just creating a birdcage.. but then I thought it would be fun to accent the cage with bakers twine!

 

 

 
I wanted to try doing the scallop at the bottom too.. but I didn't have the patience! lol

 

 
This last one I did a combo of bakers twine, embriodery thread and yarn. Just made fun flower shapes and layered the designs to create some depth!

 

 

These were SO simple to create! TRULY.. I think this would be a fun art project for kids.. because you can use it with DecoPauge.. or a low temp glue gun!

It felt good to just get into the studio and have some creative play.. and use a different medium than I normally do! I challenge you to try it!

Happy Monday! 
 

She Art Workshop no.2 : New Fall workshop!!

totally checking something off my to-do list this week.. so proud of myself. :) I am so excited about my NEW on-line class for Fall!! I have been planning it for about 2 months now.. writing the curriculum, sketching samples and ideas.. and I can NOT WAIT!! 

My first on-line workshop for this year was the She Art Workshop. This has to be hands-down my favorite workshop ever. I think mainly because of the response, emails, and letters I received from people telling me how this course, changed their life. Changed their perspective on ART. They before this class they didn't know where they fit in the creative world and now, after taking this course they had a new found confidence.. and DID.. TRULY.. consider themselves an artist. I can't tell you how wonderful those made my heart! I hate it when I hear someone say they aren't an artist. Because I truly believe we all are.. in some form or shape. So.. THIS Fall Class.. is dear and near to my heart because it's all about taking She ARt to the next level!  Here is info about it!

The She Art Workshop No. 2!

 

this workshop is a 3 week on-line workshop!

I am so excited to introduce my newest on-line workshop! The She Art Workshop 2!
If you took the first She Art Workshop(which is still available to take) this will be a great class in addition! In this workshop, I delve more into the smaller details on how I make my She Art girls, including their hair, face, clothing,plus some really fun technique to make those even more unique!  PLUS I will go into how to create simple faces on your She ARt Girls!

Also, in the first workshop I showed you how to create girls with paper on canvas. In this workshop, I go even more in depth and show you how to create them with fine art paints, pastes, textured products and more.. and we make a whole collection of SHe ARt Girls as pillows, dolls, ornaments, wall hangings, wood decor, metal and more!

This class is all about making your She ARt Girls Dimensional and  adding the small details that will bring a unique look to your girls with your own personal touch!

I think this class is perfect.. just in time for the holiday season.. with multitude of She Art Gift Ideas you can create to give to those you love!

I am SO excited about this class and the things you will learn in it!

Registration starts TODAY! and class starts Monday November 14th ! AND as an added bonus.. this class will be available for and additional 3 months more than the original She ARt class.. so  6 months Total! 

This class is normally $44.95 but if you registered before October 15th.. you can sign up for only $35.00!  If you haven't taken She Art one yet.. you can still sign up for it..and if you sign up for BOTH using the link below.. you will get the original she art class for $35.00 as well.
To sign up for SHe ARt 2 please click on the button below!

She Art Workshop 2

$44.95

THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW CLOSED. If you wish to sign up for this workshop, you will be on the registration LIst for then next class starting in February!

 

OR TAKE BOTH!!!

take BOTH the She ARt workshop and She Art workshop 2 for $70.00 (normally $89.90)
(you will get access to the She ARt workshop one, withing 2- bussiness days.. She ARt 2, will start November 14th!)

Somerset Studios

So a week or so ago, I made my way into Barnes and Noble to see if the latest issue of Somerset Studios was out yet! I had "heard" it was.. but was dying to know for sure!

Earlier this Spring, I had received an email from the Editor of Somerset Studio, Christine.. who is adorable by the way.. asking me if I would like to do an article for their magazine! For the fall issue! I about fell off my chair when I got the email.. because Somerset Studio magazine is my ALL TIME Favorite magazine! I have a subscription to it.. and I seriously can't get enough of the wonderful mixed media art inspiration.. they provide! I had done some canvases for my friend Margie.. for her booth at CHA in January..and I guess Christine had been in her booth and saw my art and got my information from Margie! I seriously.. was in shock and excitement. I am pretty sure I actually squelled..

So as soon as I knew the issue was out.. I had to go find it for myself ( my subscription hadn't come yet.. so I was being rather impatient).. when i go there and found the issue.. I was even MORE excited to see that my name and my article was featured on the cover!!!

 

I had to take a picture! lol I actually found the Artful Blogging magazine that I am featured in too and put them side by side and took a picture of them. I am such a dork. But I had to document it! Lol

 

and of course. had to buy an issue.. even though I knew it would be coming shortly to my house..

 

The article features how to create texture with found objects (like household, everyday things you have around your house)..

 
 
They also asked me to do a "Behind the Art" video for it as well, which they also put in the article and you can then go to their website to view! I ended up doing two.. one of my creating the girl as shown above from start to finish and then one all about household items for texture and showing you all the things I like to use and giving you tips, etc..

SO GO GET the magazine!! lol.. if you don't have a barnes and noble near you.. you can always purchase them off their website.. both one time and a subscription..

Stampington.com

Stampington has SO many wonderful magazines.. I love Somerset Studio and Artful Blogging, but also have a subscription to  a few others as well! They have more mixed media ones.. plus jewelry.. soft goods.. etc.. and their magazines are SO nice.. they are this thick cover and big! They are more like a nice book.. I always consider them just like a buying a nice book in the book section.. they really are that nice. The pages are thick and just awesome!
anyhow.. just had to share!

Yesterday we spent the day boating all day with my family.. and I surfed again! BUT this time I actually was able to let go of the rope and surf for about 4 mins without!!!! My husband took some video of me.. maybe I will post it later! Lol

Today I am making myself of list of things I NEED and want to accomplish over the next 2 weeks.  I am working on some fabric designs and some exclusive "stamp" designing featuring my she art girls and want to open my etsy shop with prints and cards and such!!  I want to do some Behind the Art videos for the blog, Plus I need to  add all the new products to our Mixed media shop Scarlet Lime that have been arriving.. stamps, rubons, inks, sprays, paper pads.. all brand new stuff that just debuted at CHA.I also want to do a video of all of it.. so fun to see how it's used and what you can do with it!  Plus order kits for our October kits.. AND announce and start filming my newest online workshop.. She Art Workshop 2! (oh my heck.. so excited about this!) oh and the boring stuf.. I really need to clean and organize my office and studio. okay.. and my bedroom and my kids bedrooms.. wow. is it even possible? lol.. But making a list for me, always helps. ALWAYS helps. Hope you have some excitement in your day too!

thanks for letting me share!
Happy Tuesday!