christytomlinson

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!

 

The Art of Spring Retreat & A Gilded Life...

I have been so blessed in the last 6 months to meet some really talented and wonderful people in the art industry. As you know from this post I blogged about in February.. I was fortunate a few months ago at CHA, to finally meet two people that I TRULY admire. Shea and Debbie from A Gilded Life.

 

Shea and Debbie are a mother daughter team.. BOTH extremely talented, who restored a church (16000 sq feet mind you!!)into this beautiful wonderful art retreat center, studio, home and store. Each spring they hold an art retreat in this church.. called The Art of Spring..  and this year.. at CHA they invited ME to come as their GUEST!

 

 

 

You should have seen the look of total shock, surprise.. excitement.. GRATITUDE when they asked me to come! They told me they wanted me to come as their guest.. nothing else.. no teaching, no demoing.. to just come and enjoy their company.. and be spoiled by them. I seriously admit I cried a little bit. I was blown away by their thoughtfulness AND generosity. I have been a HUGe fan of theirs for a while now.. and have longed to go to one of their art retreats in this beautiful church. ANd now to come as their guest and to be spoiled by them?  I don't think I know what that feels like.. so I may just have to help with the dishes or something! lol

but I am SOOOOO excited! I also get to go with one of my closest friends.. Margie .. so this is an extra special treat!  I told them I would love to donate an original art canvas to giveaway at the retreat.. so last night I spent several hours in my garage painting this sweet girl.. I sketched her out a little while ago and have been waiting patiently to have time to paint her.. so I was so happy to be able to steal a few minutes of "quiet time" last night in the wee hours of the morning to paint her. ANd now I am super excited to be able to give her away to a special someone.. at the retreat!  She reads

She listened to her soul

 

She's painted on an 8"x8" deep edge canvas.. I seriously am in love with her.. probably because of what she means to me. Its inspired by my sister Tia. totally in love with that girl right now and all the wonderful awesome choices she is making. (love you sis)

so I am excited to bring this little canvas with me to giveaway.. AND to bring my prints to sell at Vendor Night Saturday night! Nervous but exciting!

So.. have been CRAZY busy getting the 3 Hearts workshop all done and loaded before I leave.. it takes almost 2 hours of "processing time" to load each video.. and that is if there are no "glitches" process.. so for the last week I have been patiently (and not so patiently) uploading all of week 3's videos into the workshop. I wish they could just magically appear!! Lol.. but as soon as I can get that done today (along with the June kits going live, returning emails, packaging all my prints, packing clothes, and stuf for the retreat) I am going to drive down to Utah to meet up with Margie to catch my flight to Dallas early in the AM.. I am just hoping to get out of here before midnight!  :) just kidding.. well kinda not. But 7 or 8 would be nice too :)

so that is where I am headed.. and will be until next monday! I don't have time to post any "blog" posts for while I am gone.. so I will try and blog from the road on my new mini Laptop (thanks to my hubby ben for mother's day). So watch for updates from the trip!

Speaking of the trip! I saved the best part for last.. so you may know (or not know.. if you didn't read this post here) that Shea and Debbie also have a wonderful monthly kit club. Their kits are full of all things vintage and beautiful. I have seen them in person and oh my heck.. crazy goodness inside of those yummy packages. And guess what? As celebration for their Art of Spring retreat starting this week.. they are letting me giveaway one of their  May kits "The Floral Life"  on my blog!!
Here are some pictures of the goodness someone will receive..

 

 

 
 

oh I am actually kinda jealous right now! lol

so.. what do you need to do? All you have to do to be entered is to post on today's blog post! That's it! And I will draw and announce the winner next week when I get home!

So cool of them to give this stash away.. they simply rock.

So! I am off! I hope you all have a wonderful week.. now I better get to my to do list so I can show up at margie's before my flight tomorrow! lol

happy Wednesday!

Be My Guest with The Gilded Life Girls...(pitterpatter)

 

 

So I know you have heard me talk about the cool experiences I had in Los Angeles last month. The phenomenal people I met and the friendships that were made. One of those hi-lights.. or should i say TWO of those hi-lights, were  when I was finally able to meet two women that I completely have admired for oh so long! If you haven't heard of the website called A Gilded Life.. its something you MUST do. It's awe inspiring, authentically creative and I fell in love the minute I found it last year.  Debbie Murray and Shea Fragoso (mother and daughter by the way).. are co-onwers of the Gilded Life and every bit as fabulous in person as I dreamed they would be. Sweet, kinda, funny, energetic, classy, caring, CREATIVE.. oh my heck I could go on and on. Let me tell you just a little bit about them.

 

Debbie and Shea have been collaborating in creative ways for as long as both can remember. As a mother-daughter team, they are a true artistic partnership. Creativity and design have always been an integral part of their relationship. As Shea was growing up, Debbie taught stained glass classes in the community college system, and owned a custom design business and fine art painting studio. Needless to say, art was a daily endeavor and a way of life. When Shea finished school, they owned gift shops together in Southern California, where Shea was a highly sought after jewelry designer. Her creations appeared in dozens of fashion magazines and graced the red carpet several times. They have both designed product for the gift industry, and both have sold pieces to collectors around the world.In 2009,

 

Debbie and Shea completed a major remodeling project on a gothic church in Dallas, Texas, where they indulge in their love of crowns and European design, and where they are constantly inspired by the architecture and the light. Here is where their art studio is located in the third floor choir loft, and where they host intimate art gatherings several times a year.

 

Seriously I am So excited to be able to go visit them this summer and attend their art retreat held in this gorgeous vintage church.. called the Art of Spring. I can't think of a better way to spend the start of summer! Seriously so excited I can't stand it!

 

Another things that I am in love with is Debbie and Shea's:  Gilded Girls Stash Society. Amonthly supply and embellishment club for mixed media artists. I about died the first time I saw the the vintage finds and collectables that were included in their kits. For someone who enjoyes using vintage pieces on their art.. this was heaven! Their love for  the finest in fabric, paper, trims, buttons, jewelry findings (and bling!!) made this a natural offering for their Gilded Girls. This is one of my favorite things about what they have to offer. So unique and so worth it.

 

If you think their life sounds full and busy.. it gets even more fascinating! The next chapter in their ever-evolving story is the licensed product line that will be debuting in January 2012 to coincide with their Fall 2012 creative-living book launch. I for one am so estastic for their new product line.. and their book. Can't wait to sit and spend a whole day pouring over it. Speaking of books.. their remodeled vintage church was also just featured in the latest issue of Where Woman Create magazines.. you have got to get that magazine to see for yourself what they have done with this amazing church.

 

I could go on and on all day long about my "crush" for these two ladies. The best part is.. that when I finally met them in person.. they were funny and sweet and kind. Debbie instantly claimed me as another daughter.. making Shea a new sister! I loved it! lol. I honestly can't wait to spend time with them in June.. it's going to be a dream come true.

They also have so graciously agreed to let me giveaway one of the Gilded Life Society Stash kits.. here on the blog. Hum.. HELLO!(do you think it would be unfair if I posted on my own blog, so I could be entered? lol).

 

 

 

This is a box of goodies from the february sold out kit.. The Vintage Life... One lucky poster will have this box of sweets delivered right to their home.. hum.. jealous! lol

okay.. so all you have to do is post on today's blog post.. and friday I will announce a winner of this fabulous gift! Wahoo!

Thanks for letting me share a little bit about Debbie and Shea.. honestly one of the hi-lights of CHa for me this year. BY FAr.

Make sure to visit them on their website AND their blog.. daily inspiration I can't live without!

www.agildedlife.com

Happy Wednesday!

Be My Guest- Julie Balzer

So I am excited to introduce a new feature on my blog.. it's called Be My Guest! Once every few weeks, I will invite a wonderful designer, artist, friend.. to be my guest on the blog! She (or he) will share some of their favorite artwork and answer some fun questions I have for them.

So let's get started!

Julie Balzer is my first guest and seriously this girl is freaking amazing! You might wonder what type of artist she is.. and I can honestly say.. she does it all! Fabric, mixed media, papercrafting, canvas, art journals...She simply ROCKS.  I asked Julie to share a few of her favorite pieces with me and answer just a few questions that I was dying to know. Here we go!

 

Me: Your work is amazing and you do a lot of cross over in different art mediums (papercrafting, painting, fabric).  How long have you been doing Mixed Media Projects and what is your favorite?

Julie:I started doing Mixed Media before I even knew what it was.  I remember meeting an online acquaintance at CHA and she introduced me to her friends and said, "This is Julie.  She was one of the first mixed media scrapbookers."  I had to go home and look up what mixed media was!  I think because I came at craft and art-making from a totally untrained point-of-view I just started doing what felt good with the supplies I could find around.  And in many ways, that's at the heart of what the mixed media movement is today!  I think my (current) favorite project are the poppy prints.  I had an idea for doing some faux screenprinting and it worked out better than I imagined!

 

Me: Your pieces are so bright and colorful! Where and who do you find inspiration from when you are creating your pieces?

Julie: The number one thing I'm inspired by is the little voice in my head that says, "Don't do it!"  I feel like everything I create is the result of a battle between the voice in my head and my stubborn desire to "see what happens."  I just keep adding color and adding pattern until I just can't add any more!  In terms of artists whose work I admire, some of my favorites are Judy Wise, Alisa Burke, MaryAnn Moss, Pam Garrison, and I've recently become obsessed with Traci Bunkers' blog!  All these women use color and a bold line and that so speaks to my heart!

 

Me:  During the creating process, some artist will sketch out ideas ahead of time, some just create as they go. What is your creative process?

Julie: Hmmmm....this one is hard for me to answer because I don't think that I have a typical way of working.  Is that weird?  I work all sorts of different ways, which actually really helps prevent burn out.  Sometimes I'll sketch.  I find that sketches are really useful for taking an idea further and making it more interesting.  Past the initial impulse, you know?  A lot of times I start with a technique I want to try or an idea for a product that I want to play with and those experiments become art pieces over time.  Right now I'm learning to let my creating process be a bit longer and not just be a "sit down and complete it now" type thing.

 

Me:  You have a wonderful blog, it's one of my favorites! I love the challenges and inspiration you offer each day! Can you tell me about what you are doing right now Class wise or otherwise that we might be interested in?

Julie: Thank you, thank you, thank you!  One of the things I love about the blog-o-sphere is the generosity of bloggers.  I strive to be really generous and put a lot of time and energy into my blog every day.  I love it!  And everyone should check out my Art Journal Every Day challenge!  It's all about making the commitment to spend just ten minutes a day being creative in your art journal.  No need to finish a page (it takes me about 7-10 days to finish a page).  And if you miss a few days, who cares?  The point is to begin.  Making space in your life for art and creativity and maybe a  little bit of reflection too! I post every Friday with a little something to motivate and keep people going!

 

Julie's blog is full of fun and color and always has something going on! She didn't mention classes but she does both online classes and instore classes listed on her website that are REALLY cool and you should check out! I want to take one of her painted fabric purse classes! Go visit Julie on her blog and join in her Art Journal Everyday Challenge. I really want to do it to! We can do it together!

 


Thanks again for Julie for being my first guest! YOU ARE WONDERFUL!! I am excited to check out your blog favorites.. they look amazing!

I have two fun things to announce today! the first...

  The Brand Spanking NEW re-design of our  Scarlet LIme Website debuted today!!! I am in love! My designer and I have been working hard at this thing for over a month! I am pretty proud of myself.. all the fun little graphics you see on each page.. i did those.. YEP I DID THOSE! lol.. I can't believe it myself.. but thank goodness for photoshop!

 

 

Here is a peak. but make sure you check it out!

 

www.Scarletlime.com

 

Second.. It's FEBRUARY 1st!! That means only 27 more days until my She Art Workshop begins!!

Wahoo! I am so excited for this 3 week e-course.. and can't wait to show you all some sneak peeks of the class and fun little pre-class videos I have been working on.. to get you even MORE excited about this class! Those will be coming next week!

If you haven't signed up yet.. registration is still open!  Check it out here!

The She Art Workshop!

Happy Tuesday!