Caardvarks Challenge - Using Digital

Ebony was a limited edition Digi Stamp from The Greeting Farm.  Isn't she the cutest?!  Yesterday, you saw her on my 2010 Diary with brown hair.  Today she's got hair to match her outfit.  I colored her in with Copics and added Crystal Effects to her headband and the skull on her shirt for added interest.  I used Nesties, punches and a bit of bling in the corners.  The image and sentiment are on dimensional tape so they "pop" off the card front.  I made her for the Caardvarks Challenge which is looking for projects using a digital stamp.  You have until the 20th to upload your entry.  Check it out and have fun with your digis!

2010 Diary Project - My Diary

I love this limited edition digi stamp, Ebony, from The Greeting Farm!  I had colored a few so I figured I'd cover Fantazya's 2010 Diary with her along with one of my favorite papers from Basic Grey's Eskimo Kisses Collection.  Cute, huh?  Not that I look like this, but it makes for a fun cover.  A flashback to my teen years which wasn't too long ago (yeah, right?).

If you'd like a chance to win one of Fantazya's 2010 Diaries, head over to her blog for details.  I'd love to have another; it makes a great gift!

DCRU Challenge Create A Project With A Holiday Feel

Here we go again trying to get you in the holiday mood!  We celebrate Christmas and are in the mood after a weekend of holiday light shows, a Trim a Tree Party, baking cookies and adding more outside lights so the whole house glows!!  And a  little bit of weekend snow was fun, too.  So how about you?  Are you working on a holiday project?  Why don't you share it with the design team at Die Cuts R Us this week?  We'd love to see what you have created!

My project is an easy but important one...gift card holders!  And next week I'll share with you how to make an ornament gift card holder with your Circle Nestabilities.  No Nesties?  No problem, I'll show you alternatives.

Gift Card Holder Recipe:

Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses Patterned Paper

Corner Rounder

SU Grosgrain Ribbon and Die Cut Stickers

Velcro

If you decide to play along, you have until this Saturday at midnight EST to link your project to Mr. Linky on the DCRU DT blog.   And if you upload to SCS, just remember to add DCRU.  Have fun and I can't wait to see your holiday projects!

Featured Etsy Artist Lucy of Fantazya

I am back again with another Etsy artist feature!  Today it's Lucy of Fantazya.  Earlier this year, I "met" Lucy while she was promoting her 2010 Trilingual Diary Project.

 I've previously mentioned this super cool project which is a unique collaboration of artists and crafters from all over the world.  There are a number of Etsy artisans featured including a number from my favorite team - EtsyGreetings.  The diaries are sold with plain covers so that you can add your own personal touch, which is what I'm currently working on.  I'll post a photo later this week.  You can also purchase the diary decorated, embossed and even with a faux fur cover.  It's a great gift idea and every day features a talented artist for you to check out on the web.  I just love my 2010 Diary!  Great idea, Lucy!  Lucy's first language is French and I appreciated all her help in putting together my page (August 19, 2010) in the diary.  If you'd like a chance to win one, check out Lucy's blog for all the details.

What you'll discover about Lucy is that she is passionate about healthy living and recycling.  She has a talent for reusing clothes and fabrics to create beautiful fashions and pocketbooks.  Lucy also has some quality vintage items for sale in her shops. 

Let's find out more about Lucy...

1. Tell us about you ~ your name, location, hobbies and interests. Where do you sell your handmade items?

My name is Lucy Baribeau.  I live in Canada, Québec. Beside almost any kind of crafting, I love to read health books, watch movies, do yoga, have dinner with friends and family, play Scrabble and walk with my dog. I try to have a fun and healthy way of living.  I sell my handmade items mostly by Internet, via Etsy and my personal website. 

2. Tell us about your art and how you got your start selling your handmade items on Etsy?

I studied presentation of esthetic, photography, and haute-couture. I love to work at my house, having no boss, no straight schedules, doing what I want and I feel free! So you can imagine the joy I had when I discovered Etsy! What a beautiful and useful site for creators!

3. What inspires your art?

I like a lot of the tends. I always try to be “in."   It’s a strong challenge and motivation for me. My new goal, instead of making lot of pieces, is to make only one, but the good one! Something people will say: “I want it!” And I love the recycling and organic aspect. For me it is important, I feel good when I create using organic or recycled materials.

4. What is your own favorite design and why?

I love a lot of recycled pieces I did before.  You can see some here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantazyafantazies/sets/72157594363527757/

But for the moment, my favorite is my new dress, the Organic Cotton Mini Wrap Dress. It took me a lot of time, especially by pondering, to find exactly the piece that for me, it would be “the piece of the season.” It’s a dress made with 100% organic cotton twill. It is a very polyvalent dress that can be worn in the summer with sandals, to a cocktail party with beautiful accessories, in winter with a sweater and leggings under and even over your jeans.

5. Do you have any advice for those who are new to selling on Etsy?

Yes. You have to be a little detective. Look at the “Time machine 2”, it shows the live sellings and you can have a good idea of what people love. Test your items, make some modifications if necessary, go to the forum, ask questions, make your shop be seen. The hearts you receive are good clues about what people like about your creations.  Also the visual presentation of your shop is very important.

6. Do you have any favorite Etsy artists?

Yes, a lot! I like when they have a solid style, beautiful photos and quality items. Here are some favorites: aussiepatches, imyourpresent, redhotpottery, annacote, dillondesigns, jacquelineknits, sudlow, cathynichols, sjengraving, munieca, yasminbochi, BeaG, Wildewear, and ruffeoheartslilsnoty.

7. Do you have anything else you'd like to share? Are there any other websites or stores where we can find you?

I have a personal website: www.fantazya.ca , my flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/fantazyafantazies, and my blog: fantazya2.blogspot.com.

Give Lucy a visit and keep an eye out of her next project, the 2011 Diary!!  I'm looking forward to signing on again.  At least I'll know what I'm doing next time.  Thanks for sharing your talents with us, Lucy!!

Now you can find me overseas!!

Greetings on this Thursday, just 3 weeks from Christmas Eve!  Can you believe it how time just flys?!  It seems like yesterday and we were back in September when I was contacted by Nicolette, my Singapore friend of Infinite, regarding Christmas items.  Christmas?!  But Nicolette, I'm still in shorts basking in the afternoon sun, surely I can't start thinking of Santas, cold weather and Christmas cards!  But I did and it was such a fun time! First off, if you've been hanging around me long enough, you know that September was a rough month in that my lung collapsed and then the meds I was on were giving me awful migraines and other unpleasant side effects.  I was also going from doctor to doctor trying to figure out how to control my thoracic endometriosis which happened to have reared it's ugly head again. (It's under control now, thank you God!!)  Burying myself in mounds of Christmas crafts was a welcome distraction and I was super excited about Nicolette's latest venture.  (You can also read up on her prior adventures here.) Nicolette and I went back and forth and in the end, over 50 greeting cards, mini cards, tags, and gift card holders made their way safely to Singapore for sale overseas!!  Nicolette has gone from selling handmade at the fleas and now you'll find her and her partner in a rental space within a store called, The BlogShop. 

So, if you are ever in Singapore, be sure to stop in and have a look!  Just remember you don't have to travel that far to see my paper designs, just click on Cara's Scrap 'N Stamp Art and shop your heart out with free shipping when you purchase any item from my Christmas/Winter section!  Also, have a peek at Nicolette's blog for a look inside her adventures in Singapore.  Stop by and wish her well, say hello!  You can also find her on Facebook and don't forget you can find me on Facebook too!  Fan us and you'll be the first to know of all the specials and latest goodies in our shops.  Bye for now...

Over the Top Blog Award

I received an adorable award from my Die Cuts R Us Design Team pal, Amber. Check out her blog, you can find all kinds of crafty inspiration there.  She is so talented and super sweet!  But while preparing my answers (I get interrupted a lot!!) I received the same award from another super sweet and talented friend of DCRU, Yvette!   Go peek at her blog, lots of gorgeous creations there!



The rules are : I need to pass this award on to five people, post on their blog to let them know I left this award, and then I need to answer a list of questions in ONE word.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your hair? auburn
3. Your mother? Ma
4. Your father? Daddy-O
5. Your favorite food? icecream
6. Your dream last night? dream?
7. Your favorite drink? Baileys, I mean coffee...heehee :o)

8. Your dream/goal? heaven
9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? papercrafts
11. Your fear? hell
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren't? tall
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? e-reader
17. Where did you grow up? NJ
18. Last thing you did? decorated
19. What are you wearing? clothes :o)
20. Your TV? off
21. Your Pets? furry
22. Friends? fun
23. Your life? lively
24. Your mood? chillin'
25. Missing Someone? no
26. vehicle? crossover
27. Something your not wearing? earrings
28. Your favorite store? DCRU
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? recent
32. Your best friend? Alex
33. One place that I go to over and over? preschool
34. Facebook? sometimes

OK, now I picked 5 people to play along.  I know it's a crazy time of year so no obligation but if you feel like playing along...enjoy!

1.  A&R Design Studio
2.  Terri
3.  Karen
4.  Gwen
5.  Carol

DCRU Challenge 18 - Let's See A Gift!!

Time for another Die Cuts R Us Challenge!  Did you miss us last week?  We sure missed you!  This week's challenge is to create a handmade gift.  I have a number of gifts all ready and waiting to give to a few very special people in just a few short weeks.  But today I'm going to share one little gift idea that my kids enjoy - treat bag toppers!  They are so fun and easy to make and that's a good thing since there are 50 classmates between my 2 boys. 

Recipe:

DCWV The Christmas Stack

Cello Bags

Scallop Square Punch

SU Stamp and Ink

Satin Ribbon

3D Dots White Adhesive Foam

Hershey Kisses!

Join in the fun this week at the DCRU DT blog and show us your beautiful gifts!  Just add your project link to Mr. Linky at the bottom of this DCRU post.  You can upload your creations until midnight this Saturday.  Then be sure to check back on Sunday to see if you are one of this week's winners.  Good luck!!