Artful Musings

06
Apr
2016

Created Workshop

categories: Bible Journaling, Illustrated Faith

I was blessed to attend a Bible journaling event down in Federal Way over the April 2nd weekend. It was sponsored by Illustrated Faith’s Shanna Noel and The Reset Girl Cori Spieker. There were two “workshops”, one taught by Cori going over how to create a Faith planner and the other by Shanna on Bible journaling.

Each participant received a giant tote filled with so many goodies from the event sponsors (Illustrated Faith and The Reset Girl) along with products from other companies.

It was an amazing day of sunshine, inspiration, and friendship. I ended up sharing a table with Sandy Allnock and spent the day “oohing and ahhing” over her work … she is so talented. While it was a wee bit daunting sitting next to her, she is also so kind and gracious I really enjoyed spending the day with her. This is one of the pages Sandy worked on in her Bible. The below picture is of her watercoloring the 12×12 sheet that was in our swag bag.

I did manage to work on two pages in my Bible and since I’ve done a few additional pages (2nd row of images), but really I’m just getting started. Below are a few pictures of what I worked on that day, which was beyond amazing. So many of the participants had such beautiful stories and artwork to share with the group – I cherished every minute!

I don’t know if I will end up creating a faith planner, to be honest I’m not sure I’m a planner person, but I am having a blast creating art in my Bible. Until next time, remember creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

31
Mar
2016

Bible Journaling

categories: Artful Pursuits, Bible Journaling, Christian Thoughts, Illustrated Faith

Good morning friends! I hope you are well and enjoying the steady march toward spring and summer. I cannot believe that March is over (after today) the time is flying by so quickly. Today I want to share my newest creative undertaking: Bible journaling.

Maybe you already know about this new creative medium, but I thought I would share what I’ve learned in case the idea of drawing in your Bible was a foreign concept. Like most kids raised in the Bible belt I was taught that the Bible was sacred, precious, and most importantly not to be altered. As I’ve grown in my faith my understanding about what the Bible is and isn’t has changed. One thing that I no longer believe is that the Bible should remain unaltered, hence my interest in Bible jorunaling. I am always looking for ways to make my faith more personal and Bible journaling allows me to take my interactions with the Word to a whole new place. A good place where I am able to celebrate the joy of the Word visually.

I was able to snag a newly released journaling Bible by Tyndale (NLT). Not only does it have 2″ wide margins on each page for my journaling and artistic musings, it contains artwork just waiting to be colored. Filled with beautiful imagery and graphics, this Bible is a wonderful way to dive into Bible journaling.

The neat thing is crafty companies are jumping on board, creating journaling Bibles and other tools to help us achieve a new understanding and relationship with the Word. Here are a few of the companies selling journaling Bibles and other supplies:

DaySpring: Illustrated Faith by Shanna Noel
Lifeway: Journaling Bibles
Scrapbook.com (selling Illustrated Faith products)

There are also a lot of classes forming. I will be writing a post over the weekend after I attend the “Created” workshop with Cori Spieker and Shanna Noel down in Federal Way. I can’t wait to dive into Bible journaling fully. I am excited to see where the Word takes me and my mixed media tools.

Until next time, remember creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

18
Mar
2016

Dare to Be AMAZING

categories: Artful Pursuits, Mixed Media, Teaching News

I had the opportunity to work up a class for the Scrapbook Expo coming up in Puyallup in July. My friend Jen over at Nani Ke Ola Scrapbooking is exhibiting and asked me to design a class as well. I was thrilled at the opportunity and enjoyed myself thoroughly.

The class, called Inspiration 101, focuses on techniques while giving the student the tools to make the project their own. Here is the class description and a few photos.

What inspires? How do we motivate ourselves and others? What is mixed media and how can we get started? In Inspiration 101 students will begin to answer these questions and more as they learn to employ mixed media techniques to create inspiration panels.

Join us creating positive messages of inspiration! Inspiration panels are 6×6 canvases of hope and positivity. Designed to bring a smile to the face and a gleam to your eye, these panels make perfect gifts for others as well as yourself. Give one to your daughter reminding her she is beautiful just the way she is, give one to your son reminding him that he can reach his goals, give one to a friend experiencing a loss reminding her that she is not alone, or put one up beside your bed to remind you to wake with a smile in your heart! The possibilities are limitless.

Students will leave class with one 6″ x 6″ inspiration panel they have created and will learn basic mixed media techniques including working with inks, sprays, powders, adhesives, paper, stencils, pastes, found objects, canvas, and much more!

There are endless configurations for creating inspiration panels and through discussions about composition, theme, and the creative muse students will gain the confidence to spread their creative wings and make inspiration panels at home.

Would you take a class like this? I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Thank you for sharing some of your time with me today. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

13
Feb
2016

Pretty Pink Posh: Valentine Challenge (Sending Love)

categories: Artful Pursuits, Creative Challenges

Hello, friends! I’m on the blog today with my third and final entry for the Pretty Pink Posh Valentine Challenge. Learn more about this challenge by clicking the image below.

As I said in my first post, I have been in love with PPP for a while now. Her sequin mixes are beautiful and unique. I love using them in all sorts of projects from shaker cards to plush creations. My favorites are the exclusive sets: Ocean Spray, Peacock Feathers, Strawberry Burst, Sunshine Glow, and the new mini confetti hearts and stars. I also love her new stamps! My favorite is the exclusive set created for Simon Says Stamp’s “Stamptember” event last fall. This amazing set is still available. Typically, these exclusive sets sell out right away (as this one did), but it was so popular SSS restocked it so it is still available.

For my final entry into the challenge I decided to create a card using this wonderful stamp set. Again, I take my inspiration from Liz who used the winter version of the “half animals” in a PPP stamp set. As an extra little something I also created a plush heart gift using one of the new Memory Box plush dies, Pocket Heart and filled the pocket with some stick figure pals.

I fell in love with the new line of plush dies from Memory Box last fall. There are several dies covering Christmas (stockings, snowmen, and mittens), Valentine’s (hearts), and Easter (bunnies, birds, and eggs). I die cut up a bunch and watch tv while I sew them together — it’s a fun and relaxing way to spend a few hours.

The base is a “sunshine” A2 card. I stamped the hot air balloon, bunny (2), puppy, and of course, the kitty on Copic blending paper using Memento Tuxedo Black ink (see this post for a note about Copic blending paper). I also stamped the big and small clouds from the Pixie Dust set by Avery Elle. I die cut all the pieces and began coloring them with my Copic markers. Balloon: RV10, E08, E35, BG34, BG13, BG10, & BG000. Clouds: BG000 & B000. Bunny: RV10, T2, & T0. Kitty: RV10, E08, E11, & E35. Puppy: W5 & W0. I also used the Copic colorless blending pen.

Once everything was dry I die cut the large Scallop Frame (a PPP exclusive) out of white cardstock and glued it to the sunshine card. I began laying out and gluing down the clouds and balloon. Finally, I added the bunny and stamped the “sending you love” sentiment using Memento ink.

For the plush heart I die cut two of the large heart out of grey wool felt, the pocket out of hot pink felt, the bits and pieces out of various colors of felt. Using embroidery floss I sewed the bits and pieces (along with a few PPP sequins) on and then began sewing the pocket and two large hearts together, stopping short of completing it so I could add some polyfil and then stitch it closed. Using a bamboo skewer I attached the puppy, bunny, and kitty using thin washi tape and inserted them into the pocket.

I had so much fun creating for this Valentine’s Challenge. I have loved looking at everyone’s entries and I know Pauline will have a difficult time choosing a winner — all the entries are amazing. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

12
Feb
2016

Pretty Pink Posh: Valentine Challenge (Sparkle)

categories: Artful Pursuits, Creative Challenges

Hello, friends! I’m on the blog today with my second entry for the Pretty Pink Posh Valentine Challenge. Learn more about this challenge by clicking the image below.

For this challenge entry, I created a sweet birthday card using the Avery Elle Pixie Dust stamp and die set. This set is perfect for all the little princesses in your life and I love the sassy and sweet sentiments included. I particularly love that this card could also be a Valentine! I was inspired by Joni’s card and the wonderful Copic work she did.

First, I embossed the front of my card using Avery Elle’s Pierced Rectangles dies. This set of dies pierces the paper with evenly spaced dots – it doesn’t cut the rectangles. If you want to cut rectangles that are also pierced then this is the die set you want. I have both! 😛

Next, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I stamped my images (pixie, wand, and the small and large clouds) on Copic blending paper. A quick note about Copic blending paper. While you can use any paper with your Copic markers, I find the Copic blending paper not only holds up better to color blending but also bleeds through less and is easier on your markers (no stray paper pilling to deal with). I get mine locally at Impress, but it can also be ordered online here.

I colored in the pieces using Copic markers in these colors: pixie (hair E08 & E35, dress & shoes BG13 & BG34, skin E50, and wand RV02), and for the clouds BG000. I used Wink of Stella on her wings. Once everything was dry I die cut the pieces and set them aside.

Next, I stamped the sentiment, “don’t be afreaid to SPARKLE” using Memento Tuxedo black ink and once dry I added some color to the center of the card. Using a blending tool and some Broken China Distress ink I sponged ink in a circular motion in the middle of my card front. TIP: I ink up my round blending tool and test the ink level on scratch paper first. When applying it to the card front I use light pressure and a circular motion, avoiding pressing hard or going fast so I don’t get any defined lines or dark splotches.

Finally, using foam tape I applied the clouds, pixie, and wand to the card and for that final flourish, added the new iridescent mini heart confetti from PPP.

I hope you were inspired to participate in this challenge or another that speaks to your creative muse. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

11
Feb
2016

Pretty Pink Posh: Valentine Challenge (Love EWE)

categories: Artful Pursuits, Creative Challenges

Hello, friends! I’m on the blog today with my first entry for the Pretty Pink Posh Valentine Challenge. Learn more about this challenge by clicking the image below.

I have been in love with PPP for a while now. Not only are the sequins rich and vibrant, but she creates unique dies, and recently added stamp sets! When I saw this challenge posted I was so excited to enter! My card was inspired by the darling shaker Liz made.

For my first entry I wanted to create a shaker card. I am in love with the shaker card because it adds the sense of sound to the visual and tactile senses that a card provides.

For this card, I started with a taffy notecard and I stamped the “XO” from the Avery Elle Hogs & Kisses stamp set using Angel Pink Memento ink. TIP: Tone on tone stamping creates a subtle watermark look that is fun and fresh. Hogs & Kisses is my new favorite Valentine’s set, with so many cute sentiments and adorable animals it’s very versatile. Next, I die cut PPP’s Decorative Tag 1 out of the striped Pixie Avery Elle Sorbet Collection paper. I also cut the center of the die out of white Copic blending paper, a piece of hot pink cardstock, and two pieces of white adhesive foam.

I stamped the sheep and “love EWE” sentiment using Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto the white copic blending paper. I colored the sheep using Copic markers (heart: R37 & R46, sheep body: T0, T2, & N0, sheep hooves: E35, and sheep nose: RV02). Once that was dry I went over the heart with a clear Wink of Stella to give it a bit of shimmer.

All that remained was assembly. I glued down, in order, the large die cut, the sheep panel, two layers of white foam, a piece of clear acetate, and finally the hot pink frame. Before gluing down the acetate I added some PPP sequins (sweethearts mix and iridescent mini star confetti) and silver shimmer micro beads.

Thank you for sharing some of your time with me today. I hope to see you participate in this or another challenge! Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

08
Feb
2016

Frozen: Who Cherished Her Heart

categories: Artful Pursuits, Mixed Media

Hello, friends! I’m excited to be back today sharing my miniature mixed media piece called, “Frozen”. Have you ever heard the tale of “Frozen Charlotte”? Frozen Charlotte’s are miniature porcelain or bisque dolls. The ones I’ve found have come from Germany and were dug up from the ruins of pre-world war factories. Owing to this digging up, it’s rare to find a Frozen Charlotte intact. Most are hauntingly tragic with a missing arm, leg, or foot. The dolls were made in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries and are widely collected today by doll enthusiasts and mixed media artists.

Here is the story of poor frozen Charlotte…

“One piercingly cold, winters night, Charlotte’s beau, Charles, picks Charlotte up in his sleigh to attend a ball at the village inn, 15 miles away. Looking lovely, young Charlotte, dressed in her finery, vainly wanted to be seen and admired along the way, and so did not heed her mother’s good advice and cover herself with a blanket, refusing even to wear her wrap. By the time she and Charles arrived at the inn, Charlotte was a frozen corpse! Charlie, devastated by the loss of his love, soon died of a broken heart and they forever slumber together, in one tomb.”

Sad, no? It’s unclear if the legend of Charlotte is based on actual fact or if it’s urban legend, but one this is certain. With their cheery faces, and broken bodies, Frozen Charlotte’s are a wonderful addition to any mixed media piece.

I was inspired to create this piece when I received the Prima Marketing Relics & Artifacts: Flaming Hearts II in an order from Nani Ke Ola. I’ve long been wanting to try out these relics and I thoroughly enjoyed working on colorizing the flaming heart at the center of this piece. I often enjoy working with the Melissa Francis domes. They are sometimes hard to find, so I ususally stock up. She does have a website where she sells them.

First I mixed up some gesso and LSG Red Hot Poker Orange magical and painted the chipboard base. I also drilled a small hole in the base and painted the bamboo skewer, setting both aside to dry.

Next, I chose some Copic markers (YR23, YR07, YR04, YR16, R37, R43, R46, & V15) and began coloring the flaming heart. I buy my Copics locally (at Impress, Urban Scrapbooker, or Ben Franklin) when I can. Several online retailers also sell them (Simon Says Stamp, Ellen Hutson, and Scrapbook.com). When I was satisfied with the colors and shadows I set this aside to dry. Next, I chose two small letterpress letters “X” and “O” and painted them with Distress paint in Candied Apple and put them aside to dry. At this point I came back to my relic and added some clear Wink of Stella to give it an iridescent glow. I glued the relic to the bamboo skewer and set that aside to dry.

Next, I created feet for the piece using scrabble tiles. Using Aleen’s fast grab tacky glue I adhered the feet to the bottom of the chipboard base. While I was waiting for things to set up, I took some Color Bloom Sprays in Cotton Candy, Peony, Carmine Red, and Frost and colored two pieces of seam binding. I crinkled the wet binding and began drying it with my heat gun. TIP: I love the fact that you can refill (with regular water) the Color Bloom sprays 2 times before discarding it. They are so packed with pigments.

I added the phrase, “who cherished her heart” using ChitChat stickers to the front of the dome and I distressed the X & O using my favorite sanding block. Now that everything was dry, I was able to begin assembly. First, I placed the relic and then added in the Frozen Charlotte, which I draped in one of the lengths of died ribbon, and finally the X & O. The last thing I did before sealing the dome to the base was to add a bit of Flower Soft (Snow).

Lastly, I tied the 2nd piece of dyed ribbon to the top of the dome and added a word charm (adore) to it. I’ve made many of these little dome pieces and I really enjoy creating in miniature.

Thank you for sharing some of your time with me today. I hope this piece has inspired you to get into your creative groove! Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

Supplies Used
Prima Marketing Relics & Artifacts: Flaming Hearts II
Prima Marketing Color Bloom Sprays: Cotton Candy, Carmine, Peony & Frost
Tim Holtz Word Charms
Tim Holtz Sanding Block
Tim Holtz Letterpress Letters
Wink of Stella Clear
ChitChat Stickers
Bamboo Kabob Skewer & Flower Soft (Snow)
Distress Paint in Candied Apple
Copic Markers & Vintage Frozen Charlotte
Snug Hug Seam Binding Winter White

20
Jan
2016

Fun with Felt

categories: Artful Pursuits, Christmas Inspiration, Felt Creations, Gift Ideas

I’ve long enjoyed the tactile feeling of mixing different mediums in my work and one of my favorites is felt. It is scratchy and soft all at once and comes in a variety of rich and wonderful colors.

Die cutting felt is pretty simple provided you have the right material. I find that the best cuts come from felt that has at least some portion of wool. I try to stay away from polyester and other “fake” felts, opting instead to spend a bit more for felt that is at least some portion wool. I purchase my felt locally. You can also get it online.

Back in the fall, Memory Box came out with a line of dies specifically designed to cut felt and be sewn together. I was intrigued. I bought the stocking and the large snowman and then they sat, untouched, in my die storage. Sigh…

Early in December I had the opportunity to take a class working with these dies – I promised myself if I didn’t enjoy it I was going to return the dies no matter how cute they were. Class was designed to allow the completion one, possibly two, of the 6 options, which included a stocking, a large snowman, a tiny snowman (named Sheldon), a heart, a star, and a mitten. I ended up completing the heart, the large snowman, and getting a good start on the stocking. Needless to say, I was hooked … and thus began my plush obsession.

I ended up making stocking ornaments (like the above right) for the intern team at SAMBICA and after making 10, I became somewhat of an expert and found it very relaxing, particularly while watching TV or listening to music. TIP: I like to use dental floss threaders to assist me in getting the needle threaded and for beads that have smaller holes.

Memory Box has expanded the plush line to include some additional spring offerings including: a pocket egg, a folk heart, a heart border, a songbird, a small bunny, and Liam Bunny. There are also several add-on’s that can be added to the above including: flower buttons, small & large poinsettias, small & large snowflakes, holly & berries, and a baby heart. They are so much fun that I have planned another post once I’ve had a chance to finish all the hearts, eggs, and bunnies!

Here is a picture of the winter ornaments I made. I gave the little Sheldon snowman as a gift to several friends. I turned him into a pin by adding a pin back before I sewed him together. He is so precious!

Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

Supplies Used
Wool Felt & Poly-Fil
Memory Box Plush Dies
Glass Seed Beads 6/0 (various colors)
DMC Embroidery Floss (various colors)
Tapestry Needle & Floss Threader

15
Jan
2016

Domestic Goddess Mixed Media Canvas

categories: Artful Pursuits, Mixed Media

Hello, friends! I hope 2016 is off to an amazing start full of creativity and adventure for each of you. For my first post of 2016 I would like to share an 8 x 10 mixed media canvas I created using the Domestic Goddess paper line from 7 Dots Studio. I really like all the lines from 7DS and this one is no exception. It is reminiscent of 40’s & 50’s domestic life and honestly cracks me up most of the time. I am not June Cleaver. Not even close. It’s a good thing the only other “person” I have to keep alive with regular food and water is my feline friend, Rainey.

Growing up with a mom like June Cleaver, Donna Reed, or Marion Cunningham must have been amazing. I respect the women who run households. It’s a full time job and they do it well, but sometimes I wonder if Mom might have “other” dreams (in addition to taking care of her family). This is the inspiration for my project, “Domestic Goddess: She Did Because She Could”.

My base is an 8 x 10 canvas I picked up at Michaels back during the summer. It is from a “denim” canvas line and is a burlap brown with these amazing antique brass studs on the edges. You could also use a natural canvas (raw, without gesso). I began by choosing a paper for the background. I decided to use White Apron because I liked the imagery and the neutral palette. I cut a rectangular piece roughly 8 x 10 and ripped it diagonally. Once I was satisfied with the angle and edge I inked all the edges using Distress inks in Fossilized Amber and Hickory Smoke.

Next, I began gathering the elements I wanted include (ribbon, ephemera, stickers, chipboard, and flowers) and tried them out on the canvas. I almost always do this as I have no idea what configuration will look best when I start out. I also pull together way more items than end up on the final piece so I can try them all out. To me this is the fun part of creating a mixed media piece. Often I will create a mock up and walk away for a time, coming back to see how I like it, moving and swapping out different items until I’m satisfied. I take a picture so I don’t forget (mixed media for me often happens over a series of days) and it’s time to begin assembly.

A quick word about adhesives. I’m not a scrapbooker so I am not necessarily thinking about my work lasting (and being archival) for the next 100 years. Instead, I do my best to choose the best adhesive for the items I’m bonding together. One of my secret weapons is Beacon’s Fabri Tac, which is a liquid seam product used in sewing. It dries clear, bonds quickly, and works well for both porous and nonporous surfaces. The bond it creates is nothing short of miraculous.

For this canvas I used several things from the Stickers 12×12 sheet, a few things from the Collage Adverts sheet, and letters from the Alphas – Raspberry Muffin sheet. I also used two chipboard pieces, the wire cage dress form and a crown, both from UmWow Studios. Dimensional items included flowers, leaves, and some beads. I used several Prima flowers from my stash, however these flowers would work perfectly and these leaves are a staple of mine.

Using “sticky” embossing powder, I applied foil to the crown. I love sticky embossing powder (my favorite is manufactured by Ranger) and it does just what the name implies, makes the surface sticky when heated. Once you have this sticky surface you can apply foil, flocking, flower soft, or glitter to the surface and it stays put! Amazing, no? I also embossed the dress form using Delicata gold ink and clear embossing powder. I tinted the ribbon using Ken Oliver’s Color Burst in merlot, yellow ochre, and sepia. I also used Marion Smith’s Color Lab kit in merlot, 24k, and caramel on a different ribbon. I wanted to compare these two products. At the end of the day I love both. Ken’s product is more widely available, which makes it better for many of us, but Marion Smith’s has this great recipe card for mixing and getting amazing results. I also applied Bo Bunny Gold Glitter Paste through the Tim Holtz Burlap Stencil to add some dimension to the canvas. When the paste was dry I went over it gently with Fossilized Amber and Hickory Smoke inks using a round blending tool.

I used Mod Podge (matte), Aleene’s Quick Dry tacky glue, Fabri Tac, and black foam mounting tape. TIP: I prefer black foam tape (versus white) because it doesn’t show as easily when looking at the front and blends in perfectly when viewed from the side.

7DS is a Polish-based company so all the adverts are in Polish. On a whim I decided to translate the one I used: “Od piegow krem Hannol Niezawody Parf D’orient Warszawa”. Roughly translated it is an advertisement for “reliable freckle cream” imported to Warsaw from the Orient. Too funny. Finally, and because Mom has a rapier wit, I included the mysterious quote, “She did because she could.”

I hope this piece inspires you to “do because you can” and create something uniquely you! Until then, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

Supplies Used
Domestic Goddess paper line
UmWow Studio: wire cage dress form & crown
Prima flowers & leaves
Marion Smith’s Color Lab kit or Ken Oliver’s Color Burst
Snug Hug Seam Binding White
BoBunny Gold Glitter Paste & Tim Holtz Burlap Stencil
Distress ink Fossilized Amber & Hickory Smoke
Round Blending Tool
Delicata gold ink & Clear embossing powder
Ranger Sticky Embossing Powder
8×10 Canvas
Adhesive (Mod Podge, tacky, black foam tape)

23
Dec
2015

Art-Venture Adventure (part 2)

categories: Artful Pursuits, Mixed Media

It is embarrassing that I attended this event nearly 1 year ago and never got around to finishing up sharing about my experiences. It is truly an EPIC FAIL on my part and in no way should reflect on the quality of the event or the fun I had. Truly, it was wonderful.

Part of the reason I never ended up publishing the 2nd half is because some of the projects were never completed. If I were to register one complaint (and I did share this on my survey) it would be that some of the projects were very ambitious for the class time allotted.

It’s challenging … designing an event that appeals to a variety of styles and experience levels. I know Denny and the team at Prima did the very best they could to appeal to all of us.

Part of the problem lies with me as well. I’m not really someone who goes home and finishes that which is unfinished. No matter how good directions are, it’s not my brainchild and without the instructor sometimes it’s just not the same.

Of the 6 classes, I completed half. At the time I was bummed, but in retrospect I think it’s not too shabby, but not what I’d hoped for when I arrived and stepped into my first class.

Let’s recap the six classes visually (Frank Garcia, Alberto Juarez, Anna Dąbrowska, Jamie Dougherty, Julie Nutting, and Trina McClune):

Frank Garcia’s, “Le Collectionnuer” mini album. Class was a very fast-paced, sprint-like experience:

Anna Dąbrowska’s “Treasured Canvas” was fast-paced, but more organic “do what you feel vibe”:

I think I had the most fun in Jamie Dougherty’s “I Love to Create” canvas bag, which shouldn’t surprise me since it was my final one. Jamie is a great teacher – very low-key – just what I needed after two intense and wonderful days. I liked making the bag so much that I’ve actually made 4 others for friends in 2015.

So what happened in the other three classes? It came down to several things, really.

Not being a scrapbooker, I decided to concentrate on techniques in Trina McClune’s class (she showed us some amazing things) so I never intended to “complete” the 12×12 layouts in her class, but I have sure used several of her techniques since ArtVenture. I walked away with a little technique book that I refer to often. I really consider this one finished as well.

I came close to finishing Alberto Juarez’s “Vintage Handmade Box” in class so I’m going to try and finish it before December 31st.

The final class, Julie Nutting’s “Bella Rouge Banner”, was the least like my style and is largely why I didn’t finish it. I did practice paper doll construction, fussy cutting and layering different papers on the dolls and their outfits so I guess you could say I got what I wanted out of it.

The event was well-run and the venue worked well. In a surprising twist I won one of the grand prizes, a piece created and signed by Anna Dąbrowska (aka Finnabair). That was pretty neat.

Prima was very generous, in addition to a giant tote full of Prima goodies each class came with nearly everything needed for the projects (plus loads of extras). Many of the items weren’t even available to the general public since they didn’t debut until CHA which started 2 days after ArtVenture.

All in all it was a wonderful experience. One I hope to enjoy again sometime. I opted not to go this year due to things going on at work, but I hope I’ll be able to go in 2017. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a creative retreat. Learn more or register here.