Monthly Archives: May 2011

Online inspiration destinations

May 14th, 2011 in Inspiration
By Sue Astroth

Sometimes, creative ideas are all around, like springtime flowers to be picked…and sometimes, inspiration, creativity, motivation…well, they need a little nudge. With Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations, and other spring and summer activities fast approaching (or upon us already), now is the time to refuel your creativity tank. To keep new ideas flowing I look at magazines, attend various craft shows and I like to see what people are doing on the internet. Thought you might enjoy some of my favorite online idea and inspiration destinations.

The first up is the One Lucky Day blog. I admit it….I have long wanted to be one of the gypsies. Those of you who already know about 7 Gypsies know what I mean. They are so talented and willing to share their photos and ideas with all of us gypsy-wanna-be’s! Many of their projects have a nice mix of paper, metal and fabrics. Make sure to look at the 2 holiday advent calendars……simply fabulous! This one below is made by Jane in North Carolina.

Next on my list is Just Something I Made, a blog from the creative mind of Cathe Holden, a Northern California based Graphic Designer. She offers pictures and instructions for some wonderful transformations like her sewing room organizer made from vintage pattern envelopes. She finds the best stuff at local garage sales and thrift stores and transforms them in true treasures! She also shares her design talents by offering her readers cool vintage graphic designs to download, like these vintage thread labels:

I love the blog Blue Moon River by C&T Publishing author Susan Brubaker Knapp. Susan created Appliqué Petal Party, one of our first pattern packs. Her quilting is amazing and on her blog she gives you insights on just how she does it! Lots of eye candy and her Quilt Market recaps are a great way to attend the show without leaving home! Here’s a sample of Susan’s gorgeous fabric art:

My next inspiration destination is Tater Tots and Jello and it sure does offer a little something for everyone. This blog was started by Susan so she’d have a spot to keep all her creative ideas and projects in. And she has LOTS of both!! Party ideas, home decor, sewing,……not to mention lots of project ideas for kids of all ages. Check out this sweet organizational idea:

Awesome studio by Sew Many Ways

Ok…the last one for today is I am not left handed, a blog by Karen Burniston who designs die cuts for Sizzix. Oh my goodness! Her 3D dies make the most fabulous art, I so want one of each! Whether or not you are into die cut machines for paper or fabric I know you will appreciate her talent and skill. Make sure to check out her Tim Holtz Pop up bird cage card project…..so clever! And check out this super cute pop-up Mother’s Day card:

I’d love to hear about your favorite online inspiration destinations also! Call them out in the comments!

Wednesday Night Live – replay!

Tonight Laura Nownes showed us how to make a spool block using easy pre-cut strips and plenty of fun fabrics. A perfect block for beginners…put a bunch of spools together like this for a great 3D effect. She even shows how to use up all the scrappy trims from your blocks to make a great border. Click here to watch the show and be inspired.

Next week, Laura will be back to show how to make a more intermediate block with points. Click here for the current schedule. Remember if you’re in the room, you have a chance to win a great prize!

Alphabet Party

May 11th, 2011 in Inspiration
By Kerry Graham

My son’s preschool class just completed the entire alphabet…wooohooo! We had a big party!

To celebrate the occasion, I brought cupcakes with handmade alphabet toppers on them and turned a plain white t-shirt into an alphabet t-shirt using Lesley Riley’s TAP Transfer Artist Paper.

To make your own alphabet cupcake toppers download this PDF, print out the design on cardstock, cut out the circles, and glue them to toothpicks. And voila!

Turning Failures into Design Oppportunities

May 9th, 2011 in Behind the Scenes, Inspiration
By Lynn Koolish

If you’ve read any of my blog posts, you know that I love playing with paint and other mixed media products. A few weeks ago, I thought it would be fun to try embossing batting with lace—I’d read about the technique in Rebekah Meier’s book Fabric Art Collage—40+ Mixed Media Techniques. It turned out that I didn’t have any lace that I thought would work, but I did have some latch-hook rug canvas and thought that the grid would make a good pattern.

I followed Rebekah’s directions and spritzed the batting with a diluted solution of fabric medium. I sandwiched the batting and rug canvas between 2 pieces of Silicone Release paper, and I ironed it to emboss the pattern. I removed the Release Paper, and much to my surprise, the rug canvas was firmly stuck to the batting. Hmmm. So the next day, I got some lace and tried it again—it worked just like Rebekah said it would. Okay, it wasn’t me, there must have been something in the rug canvas that made it stick.

Even though the rug canvas and batting didn’t work as planned, I did like the combination. As I was scheduled to be a guest on the Digital Lounge making fabric clocks, I decided to see what I could do with my failed embossing. I spritzed it with 2 colors of diluted Liquitex Softbody Acrylic paint, and while it was drying painted a few pieces of Lutradur.

I had been planning on making a little clock to show how you can use embossing powder to cover the edges of fast2fuse, but decided instead to add it to the batting/rug canvas + Lutradur collage that was evolving. I spray painted the clock hands red, and it was done.

For more clock ideas, check out my book Fast, Fun & Easy® Creative Fabric Clocks.

Everyday Inspiration—Spoken #5

May 8th, 2011 in Inspiration
By Diane Pedersen

Everyday Inspiration: Balanced

A creative life is filled with challenges and rewards, puzzles and curiosities. This ongoing series of spoken word attempts to express the “Aha”s and “What if”s, the deep ponderings and casual observations of an inquiring mind trying to make sense of reality. May it serve, for you, as a bit of “Everyday Inspiration” along your own creative path.

Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Blog Tour

May 6th, 2011 in Contests
By Lisa Fulmer

Happy Friday!

Here is your chance to win a free copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Magazine, Volume 3 – just leave a comment here and we’ll pick a winner at random on Monday, May 9th.

Such a variety of fun designs – from flowers and birds to hearts and stars. Some of your favorite C&T authors have blocks featured, including Sue Beevers, Margaret Miller, Jennifer Chiaverini, and Lorraine Olsen. What a great way to start a fun block exchange in your local shop or guild!

Visit Quilty Pleasures for more stops on the blog tour and for more sneak peeks inside this issue, due out in stores on May 10th.

Update – a winner has been selected – congratulations to Joanna!

Wednesday Night Live – replay!

May 4th, 2011 in Inspiration, Wednesday Night Live Replay Links
By Lisa Fulmer

"Dreams" by P.B. Seggebruch

Great show tonight - click here to watch it!

Our friend Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch showed us how fun it is to transfer images on to your encaustic work using TAP^® Transfer Artist Paper. Her demo is a great introduction to the wonderful world of wax – check out her fabulous encaustic ki ts that include TAP or other mixed media delights.

Then C&T author and maverick quilter, Alethea Ballard, shared terrific tips for using paint to enhance your art quilts and give your imagery more definition, highlights and depth.

"Chica Chair" by Alethea Ballard

Join us next week and spend some time with C&T author, Laura Nownes – if you are new to quiltmaking or think you want to try it, don’t miss this show! Laura will walk us through how to make some basic blocks. Click here for the full schedule – make a date with us every Wednesday night!

April Creative Troupe Round Up

May 3rd, 2011 in Inspiration
By Alyice Edrich

Neither rain, nor snow, nor Easter preparations shall keep our Creative Troupe members from their creative outlets. Just take a look at the fun stuff they’ve been up to this month…

Lisa Filion gives us an inside look into her creative process in her post, “Don’t Be Floored”. You’ll get a real kick out of seeing her on the floor, quilting like a mad woman. Just goes to show that you can quilt just about anywhere, if you set your mind to it.

Jillayne Wickware shows us that it’s never too early (or too late) to get started on our Christmas decorations with this vintage-style tree skirt. I’m not sure what I like more, the ring of roses or the cut of the material.

Normajean Brevik shows how to create a storybook keepsake for your loved ones. She wrote and illustrated this precious book for her granddaughter… who just so happens to love nature.

Mixed media journal cover

May 2nd, 2011 in Staff Pick
By Sandy Peterson

One of my favorite books is Rebekah Meier‘s Fabric Art Collage—40+ Mixed Media Techniques. The pages just feel so luxurious when I thumb through, and there are many mixed-media techniques that call to me.

A while ago, our Education & Communications Manager, Lisa Fulmer, held a class to teach us newbies how to get our fingers into some of the mixed media techniques Rebekah features in her book. I made the cover of a blank board book into a real work of art and now the book is a journal!

I started with a 8″ x 8″ Black Ready-to-Go!^® Blank Board Book, and added a layer of Lutradur^®. On top of that I placed a foil sheet, and then a layer of regular fast2fuse on top. I colored the Lutradur and fast2fuse using Liquitex^®soft body acrylicpaints. A sequin waste background stencil made an interesting pattern of repeated circles on top. A heat gun melted the edges of the Lutradur to make a lace effect and I used the Walnut Hollow Creative Textile Tool to add divots and stamping textures around the edges of the fast2fuse.

my finished board book cover

Liquitex^® Matte Gel medium was used to attach each layer to the one below. Placing the layered book cover under a heavy book while it dried ensured it would be flat when dry.

This all was accomplished in little time—it was less than 1 hour. So easy, and fun to do. Now I need to get organized and decorate the interior pages and the back cover to complete the project. One of these days…..

Sandy

C&T Publishing is a group of quilters and crafters dedicated to publishing products tailored to our audience. This blog is where we break away from book schedules and marketing campaigns to focus on what drives us to be creative and how this creativity manifests itself in our every day lives.