Kindle Covers are Ready!

The quilted Kindle Covers are finally ready for the store! 

They are now available at the MUSE! 

Also I am dropping of some Halloween, Thanksgiving and other assorted cards... Like I said.... I can't seem to stay away~ LOL!

Had a great weekend... spend a day in the trees, climbing and zipping at Sandy Spring Adventure Park for Emily's 12th birthday and took a class on Zentangles taught by Stacie! And to top it off... The Philadelphia Eagles win their first game of the season... YEA!

Hope your days are going well too~ I'm off to school.......!

Birthday Celebration and a Gift for me!

It's that time....~ Tomorrow is a dear friend's birthday and today we are meeting for lunch to celebrate!
I can't wait to see our little clan... it has been a long summer without my friends and this is the perfect opportunity to catch up~ !

I made this litle box for my friend and filled it with various ephemera along with a very special book - Four-Word Self-Help by Patti Digh. 


Stacie first introduced me to this book and I love it and have gifted it many times. Despite it's title, it is not a self' help book... traditionally.

It is filled with meaningful four-word phrases that you can use in a variety of ways. My favorite... using them in art. In fact they are all parts or in whole someone's art.  If you get a chance, check it out. Very inspiring!

And I will say, I had missed crafting these past few weeks. School and summer with kids have completely taken over my life and I hadn't set aside time to craft for myself.  I really enjoyed making this project for my friend.  Thank you Rene' for giving me a reason to spend some time creating... it's really a gift to me!

Fortune Cookie Valentines

Valentine's Day is almost here!!! Yea! We just love this holiday around here.
This year Abby wanted to be a little different with her valentines. She requested these cute felt fortune cookies so she could write and tuck a special message into each one for her classmates. They were so simple to make! I watched a quick tutorial on youtube and got straight to work.
If you can not view the video, you can click on this link

Just a tip... the higher wool content in your felt, the better they will stand up and keep shape. I happen to have 35% wool available to me... but I would've preferred 100% wool.

Anyway, I will be able to finally slow down after this weekend. Baby shower, school party, out of town guests this week/end... all very fun things! I promise to get crackin' on new cards and have them delivered soon!
PS. the new tags are available both at Art Partners and the Muse!

I'm here... plugging away! Hope you have a great week too!

Paper Fabric Bookmark workshop coming up!

I will be teaching a class for the Muse in a few months... featuring Paper Fabric bookmarks.
I will have details of the class soon...
but for now, here's a sneak peek at the project!

Check out the current class offerings here!

Tomorrow I will start on new tags or pendent charms... See you soon!

Christmas Houses

New houses for you winter birds!

My friend asked me to make a large collage birdhouse as a Christmas gift for her mom... something with a vintage holiday feel. So we found this 9 inch wooden birdhouse and i got to work!

Started with the usual collage covering with vintage book and hymn pages and then whitewashed with gesso. The roof is then painted in an ivory color while the rest of the house stayed whitewashed.
Then the fun begins! Lots of Old World Christmas images and embellishments. Pearls, jewel and satin ribbons. Ultra fine frosty glitter covers the roof and the words, "hope, believe and love" and stamped on the front.
I really hope she loves it!

Then I moved onto a few birdhouse ornaments. Again using the same techniques... these houses will surely find a safe place to rest on someone's Christmas tree! PS... snip the gold cord for mantel decorations!


Well that's it for today. If you live near me... hope you are staying dry and warm! This cold rain really calls for a hot cup of cocoa and a roaring fire...

Going to the Muse on Wed!

I can't believe it, but I think I will be able to get to the Muse on Wednesday! It's been a busy couple weeks and I'm still feeling a little out of the swing of things. My friends and I were just talking about how things are not fitting just right yet.


I do have the calendars ready for delivery and something new! Wine Glass Tags. I will be offering the tags in sets of 4 and 10!
Also in the batch are Halloween sets!


They fit right around the base of a wine glass and are made from very sturdy card stock... although they are meant to be disposable!
I will also begin to offer them at my etsy store soon!



The photos with the wine glasses are meant to show how they are used.




That was a prototype and after several design changes, I decided to go with pretty papers with lots of color!



So That's where I'm at for the time being... somewhere between blissfully creating and watching the clock hands spin out of control...

Where are you these days?

Happy Birthday TAGS

Weekends are usually allotted for fun... however as you know, many times your workweek seeps into your weekend!
So here's something I am working on. Hang Tags (gift tag sets) made from 100% recycled folders. Cut and embellished and sold as a set!
One of my major hurdles this year is to make items that are sale-worthy, don't take too long to make and have a correct price point (keeping in mind the time it takes to make the item, materials cost and customer value). This is a surprisingly difficult thing when it comes to papercrafts.
Here's something that everyone can use... a little extra tag on a gift that can be used in place of a whole greeting card and is especially aesthetic - a finishing touch to the look of the whole package!
I started with the "all-difficult" MAN(ly) category!
Loved making this tag. I layered a script background and added a sun ray background. (Which then I added some pearlesence (perfect pearls) and then added the cityscape layer. Distressed modestly on the edges and added a sentiment!
This tag measures 6"x3". I will add some sort of appropriate string (for this one hemp or linen) for hanging! Use it also as a BOOKMARK!
I think I will have the sets for approx 4.50 for set of 4 tags. With FREE shipping of course!
I will also offer custom orders as some customers may want a set for their book club, or family reunion! The possibilities are endless!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more info!

New baby...

I'm so excited. My cousin Grace is having a baby and her shower is coming up! So I made her this diaper cake as part of my gift. I will add more pieces of toiletries to it as I shop around, but the diapers itself are secure!
I'm so happy for Grace and Jeff! This is a happy happy occasion!
Can't wait!

Already JULY?!?!

So how has your summer been going? I can't believe that my slow, relaxing summer has taken on this hectic pace! I expected lots of days just spending quality time with the girls... only to find us scrambling to catch up with time...

I finally buckled down to work this and last week. After spending some time on the farm, selling eggs at the farmer's market, taking the girls down to the lake, having a few small hiccups... i realized that August 1 is FAST approaching!

I will be at the MUSE in downtown Frederick on August 1 for my very first MUSE Trunk Show! From 4:30-9pm, Whitney is gracious enough to have me in her store sharing the "paper" i love! I will have some handmade journals (including hand sewn pages and pieced fabric hardcovers), cards (of course) and some calendars.

These are just views of pages I am working on now. each page is sewn, painted and then decorated. I am excited this year because while painting these pages I could start to envision what I want each color to represent and what difference images would work! These calendars are very time and labor intensive. each one can take up to 15 hours of work. But I love how they turn out and the project allows me to incorporate so many different textures and artforms I love... that I normally do not include with my greeting cards.

Also, on a different note, I really wanted to share this ATC i received in the mail from Diane. I mentioned a few times before, she and I have been trading cards in the mail, 1-for-1, for a while now. She sent me this beautiful card, complete with mini easel and friendly note, and I just had to share. Diane's atcs are so complex. She pays attention to every layer of her card... and there are MANY. I really appreciate her perfection when she creates her cards for me. I can really sense her "heart" on each one she sends.
Thank you very much Diane. My next card will be arriving to you soon!

Well I hope you have a great day. see you again soon!
-Allison

Tile Coaster... God's Beauty

I was just spending some time playing this am... and made this tile coaster. Stamped with Stampin' Up hostess set - God's Beauty in Staz On ink and colored in using a blender pen and Stampin' Pastels. The color is very vibrant. Just love it!
For the final step, I will seal it with a matte or glossy spray varnish. (you can get that at any hardware store.)
Anyway, I had joined a altered photo atc swap a while ago and they are due soon, so that's what I'm working on today. This is my first attempt at altering a photograph, so I am a little anxious.

Hope you are having a great day!