live . craft . learn

back to {my} basics

i spent last night rocking out to this girl's tunes and making this shadowbox for a dear friend. it just felt good to get my hands dirty and create something with the things that i love the most. back to my basics, the things i always gravitate towards, the old, the forgotten and the recycled vintage ephemera i shop for at thrift stores and flea markets. i used vintage buttons pierced with brads {ala my leesa peesa} and chenille fabric to trim the frame and i've been saving that vintage little girl place card for quite a while.

the sides of the shadowbox {ikea} were created by raiding my scrap bin and decoupaging with gesso and gel medium; i just tore the scrap pieces i chose and layered them haphazardly on the wood with gel medium and then coated it all with gesso. nothing scientific, but it gives the sides a sweet & worn white-washed quality.

and, the interior. i adore the interior. that pink paislee background paper is to die for, and i used my beautiful october afternoon butterfly silhouette stamps on the vintage date book which was repurposed from an older project that i just wasn't feeling anymore.

the basics. my basics. that is what i'm excited to start exploring. learning what i like. learning what i love to use. learning how i love to use it. experimenting and discovering myself in this craft. that's something i haven't really done in quite a long time.

also, just found out that silver bella registration opens up on monday. eeks!! cannot wait to be back at that glittery event. new teachers, including the soldering goddess sally jean {double eeks!} who alone will make the entire event so worthwhile for me. are you going??

happy thursday.
xo

it's demo time

so nikki and i sepnt all day saturday down at picture me perfect scrapping and doing demos for nsd. and i was lucky enough to have nikki film my little demo, sewing fabric strip flowers that i then added to an altered canvas made with the new sassafrass papers {um. LOVE!}, a jenni bowlin bingo card and some tim holtz crackle paint.

i think i'm going to start doing this more, little vblog entries. wouldn't it be cool to see a layout created fast frame from start to finish?

thanks nikki for filming!! and make sure you check her video out too!
love that cute perky redhead!

happy monday!
xoxo

ahhh.... that's better.

i spent the evening redesigning the site. new banner. new tabs, new links & new linked content all around. feels so much better now. *sigh* i love a good site facelift.

i've also got a rockin' soldered charm tutorial up over on the sistv 365 fashionista blog. walks you through the whole process + i made you all a downloadable pdf to reference when your iron is hot and you shouldn't be distracted by your computer. you can thank me later. ;D

happy may day.
xoxo

frameworks : online class

this is just a snippet of the next online class i'm going to teach starting on march 17th called frameworks. the basis for the class is layering; how i do it, where i start, how i decide on what to use, etc. but that is just the framework for the class because it will be so much more than that. i'll show you the three techniques i love using when i create right now as well as some of my favorite tips and tricks for making those piles look like more than a scattering of old junk.

so... 4 layouts. 2 off the page projects. fabric. paint. embossing powders. lots of vintage embellies. a couple of giveaways. and me! all over a two week period. you can sign up by using the paypal widget up there on the right hand side of the page. password protected blog opens on march 15th the same day you'll receive your password information.

i hope you'll join me!
xoxo

hey nor cal girls!!

i'm teaching a class at picture me perfect in fremont, california on february 16th from 3-5pm. the class is all about the random little moments that sometimes get lost during your daily routine. your favorite coffee from starbucks; the way your schedule changes slightly or majorly from day to day; the random family moments you would probably forget in 5 years.

i'll teach you how to make a canvas cover with simple hand stitching techniques as well as distressing with embossing powder and ink, stenciling with acrylic paint and creating your own journaling blocks with vintage materials and class kit scraps.

the class kits includes lots of vintage papers and bits as well yummy october afternoon, hambly, tinkering ink, american crafts and jenni bowlin. you can purchase the class online here {just click "kerry's class" on the 16th} or call the store directly {510.744.9583} for more information.

in other news project 2 is up for the soldering 101 class and i've really been enjoying the process as well as my students. it's been really nice to be able to experiment with some new ideas with soldering and i'm thinking of starting to put together monthly project kits. they'll include all the supplies needed to complete a project {except a basic soldering kit} as well as detailed directions which i think is very important.

i've also decided that next months class is going to be free. i think it's time i give something back to all of you who have been such wonderful friends and supporters this past year as i came into my own with this craft. i'm thinking a layering class but tell me what you are interested, i want this to be fun for you! and that includes all you lurkers! come on... say hi! i promise i won't decoupage you in paper and glue.... yet.

now i'm out of here. mike just got home and he's taking me out on the town. burgers, ice cream & movie. the prefect date night in my opinion.

happy friday!

soldering 101 : sneak peek

this sweet little button charm is our first project. and although it isn't hard, it is a great starting point to learn some basic techniques.and off of this we will build our other three projects which are amazing. so if you've been on the fence about joining, maybe this has given you a little push. registration will be open until the 14th. after that it will be a closed class until my february class preview {a collage class using fabric, gel mediums and paper scraps} goes up on the 28th.

happy monday!
xoxo

it's up! it's up!!

for those of you who have been waiting the private blog for my online class soldering 101 is now live and open {the first project will be posted next monday, jan 7th}. if you are still interested in joining you can use that paypal payment button in the upper right hand corner of this page and i'll send you the link, password and supply list once payment has been received and processed. for those of you who have already paid i'll be sending out the password and link within a few minutes. if you don't receive it by this evening send me an email and i'll double check your info.

i'm SO excited about this. i have four amazing projects planned, with the sneak peeks coming later tomorrow! i'm really passionate about incorporating more soldered work into my art this year and hope you'll join me!

happy new year!

what inspires me : part five

a different kind of challenge

in other news... tonight is our neighborhood holiday progressive party and as usual we are the final house, also fondly referred to as the endless "yeary cocktail hour", and i already have visions of a few laughs and my yummy double cocoa chocolate cake in my immediate future.

the littles are headed to the inlaws for an overnight {yay!} and mike and i have some cleaning, some drinking and some holiday reverie to attend to. but that little beauty up there will be the beginning of a sweet little adventure starting today, and i'm looking forward to sarah's amazing way with graphics and honesty to push me out of my safety box and beyond the layers i sometimes hide behind.

so... here's to a new year. i've got a kir royale toast at the stroke of midnight reserved just for all of you.
be safe and see you next year!!

xoxo

shakey much??

my soldering webisode tutorial is up at SIStv and seriously, could i not shake any harder in that film?? rofl. i was SO nervous and all of the f-girls were watching. plus jj & kiki & bob and the three film guys and diane and her dog. you're just going to have to go watch. cause it's funny as hell. FUN-ny!!

but i'm SO proud. because jj & bob made it look great, my voice still sounds calm and i remember this moment exactly. this moment when jj asked if i had taken my medication that morning... just a simple comment that was meant to make me feel more relaxed. watching the webi this morning brought back such wonderful memories of our f-girl weekend at cha.

edit : i received a very thoughtful email yesterday with reagrds to my previous post. i was in no way "making fun" of parkinson's, which i know is a very debilitaing disease and i apologize wholeheartedly to anyone it offended and have respectfully changed the title of this post.

happy webisode wednesday!!
xoxo