A NEW Technique! Adhesive Masking

Do you love the sparkle glitter adds to your projects? If so you will LOVE this technique!! I am a total glitter junkie and one night while I was playing around with my Spellbinders dies I came up with a New Technique!! The Technique is called Adhesive Masking. I am very excited about this technique and would love to share it with all of you! I took a lot of pictures while I was doing this technique. I don't know about you but I am a very visual person and I love to be able to see lots of pictures.

To start with this is what you will need.~

Supplies~
Spellbinders-Wizard Die Cutting and Embossing Tool or another die cutting system.
Spellbinders Dies-*this is an important note--Spellbinders dies are the only dies that are cut all the way through allowing you to also be able to use them as a stencil.
Xyron-any size machine *don't worry if you don't have a xyron!! You can also use sticker paper or any kind of paper with an adhesive backing.
White Cardstock
Assortment of Glitter-*ultra fine glitter works the best, it will get into all of the tiny spaces.

As you are going through the steps you can also click on each image to enlarge if you would like to.

Step 1
Take a piece of cardstock and run it through the xyron. If you don't have a xyron and you are using sticker or another adhesive paper you can skip steps 1 and 2.Step 2
Remove the clear covering from the cardstock.
Step 3
For placing your paper onto the die you want to make sure the side with the adhesive is down. If you used the xyron one side will be the cardstock and the other side will be the glossy paper with the adhesive from the xyron. Put the glossy side facing down onto the die.

Glossy---->Glossy facing down onto the die---->Step 4
Layer the mats and run it through the Wizard.
White Mat
Spacer Plate
Die (cut side or ridges up)
Cardstock
White Mat
Step 5
Once the shape is cut remove the piece from the die.Step 6
Peel off the backing to expose the adhesive. Once you have done this place the die cut back into the die with the adhesive facing down.
Step 7
Now for the messy but FUN part!! Time to add the glitter. While adding the glitter it helps to kind of rub it in with your fingers. Once all of the adhesive is covered with glitter then tap off all of the excess glitter. Step 8
Very carefully remove the die cut from the die. The best way to do this is to have the die on the table and pull the die cut up. This way if some tiny pieces of glitter come of they will fall down instead of getting on the the exposed adhesive.Step 9
Now you will add your second color of glitter.This is what your finished piece will look like. Isn't that cool!! Here are a few other pieces I have done using the Adhesive Masking Technique.
There are soooo many possibilities with the Adhesive Masking Technique!! I hope you have enjoyed the tutorial! I would love to hear what you think about the technique and if you give it a try please post a picture to your blog or a gallery and then leave me a link. I would love to see your creations!!

Have a wonderful day!!
Smiles!
Heidi

Keeping My Spellbinders Dies Organzied

I have received several emails from people asking how I store my Spellbinders dies. I know some people keep them in the containers they are sold in, others have filing systems and some keep them in various containers. I wanted to find a way for storing them so at a quick glance I could pick out the one I wanted. I also wanted to see an example of what the die cuts looked like once they were cut, embossed and stenciled. I decided to use CD cases to store the dies. Here is what I have come up with that works wonderfully for me.I get a pack of CD's from Walmart and take the guts out (the part that holds the CD), they snap out very easy. Then I add magnets with an adhesive backing which hold the dies in place. Like I said I also wanted to see the die cut so this is what I did for the front of the CD case.I cut a piece of black CS to fit on the inside of the case and then once I had all of the pieces cut, embossed and stenciled I glued them down to the black CS. I also added labels with the name and number of the dies. Another helpful thing I added to the label was MSS=Matching Stamp Set for the dies that have coordinating stamp sets.

I know this can take a little time to do but it is well worth it! This might also be helpful if you decide to store your dies the same way. First cut and emboss everything leaving the CS inside the die like this--->Once you have everything cut then do your inking. This will save you so much time!!Here is how I store the CD cases. These container will hold 25 CS's very nicely and you can stack them.I hope this is helpful and has maybe given you some ideas for storing your Spellbinders dies. Thank you so much for stopping by!! I hope you have a wonderful Spring day and I hope you have some sunshine in your part of the world.

Smiles!
Heidi

New Design Work

I am so happy I can share some of my Spellbinders DT projects with you! I want to start out by showing you my favorite piece that I designed for the Spellbinders Gallery. This is a LO that I did using some photographs of a friends daughter. My wonderful and longtime friend Kelli Dietrich is a photographer and when I seen these pictures of her daughter I fell in love with them and just knew I had to do a LO!

If you get a chance you should check out Kelli's website, God Inspired Photography. She has many beautiful pictures on her website!!To start out I used a piece of Designer Paper from Fancy Pants. It was a medium blue color but I wanted to soften it up just a bit and add a little white and lavender to it. First I used some Copic markers along with the ABS (airbrush system) to add some lavender colors. Then I took some Gesso and using an old gift card I swiped the gesso onto most of the paper going in all different directions. The gesso pulled up some of the color from the Copic markers and did a little blending on its own. After the paper was dry then I lightly added a little more color with the Copic markers and the ABS.
*Tip~If you haven't ever used gesso before you will want to know the drying time will depend on how thick you apply it. For something like the LO you want to apply it very thin. You can also sand gesso to get a more distressed look. Drying time for this piece was about 10 minutes. If you don't want to wait you can also use a blow dryer for faster drying time.
The flourish chipboard is from Fancy Pants. I used ColorBox Chalk inks and then covered the entire piece with Ranger Crackle Accents. When it was dry I went over the piece with a darker ink to further show the detail of the crackle. I used Spellbinders Wizard-Embossing and Die Cutting Tool and Spellbinders Flower Creations 3 die to make the dimensional flowers. I also added some doodles using the Doodle Parts die. The sentiment was printed out with the computer and then I used the Scallop and Classic Oval Nestabilities to cut and emboss. The Font set is also from Spellbinders and it is called Mystic. The word GIRLS was done using metal embellishments. Also if you click of the images to enlarge you will see more detail and you might notice that the lace is glittery. To do this it is best to work on wax paper, I applied a glue adhesive to the lace, move to a clean piece of wax paper and then added the glitter. Carefully tap off the excess glitter and lay flat to dry on the wax paper.
If I can go back to the flowers for a moment, I cut out several flower pieces and then used the Copic ABS and markers to add the color to the flowers. I stacked them using foam tape and then added stickles to each flower.The picture were also altered on the computer using Adobe Photoshop Elements. The pictures were originally in color. I changed them into B & W and then I added the blue color to the dress. The flourishes, flowers and lace trim on the photos are rub-ons from Fancy Pants and they were applied using the Wizard, yet another get technique that can be achieved with the Wizard!

Supplies~
Spellbinders~Wizard Die Cutting and Embossing Tool, Mystic Font,Classic Oval Lg Nestabilities, Classicl Oval Scalloped Oval, Lg Nestabilities, Flower Creations 3, Doodle Parts
Cardstock~ Prism-Prismatic-Iced Yellow Y003-D, Perfect Baby Blue B253-D, Majestic Purple Light V101-D, Herbal Garden Light G049-D, Fancy Pants-DP Floral Chic-Merriment #864
Ink~ClearSnap-ColorBox Chalk Ink-Lavender, Ice Blue, Lime Pastel
Copic~Copic Sketch Markers-Y00, V04, G24, B00, ABS
Other~Fancy Pants-Chipboard-Flourishes, Rub-ons, Sparkle N Sprinkle-Sparkling Snow Glitter, USArt Quest Inc-Duo Embellishing Adhesive, Beacon Adhesives-Fabri-Tac, Kokuyo-Dot-n-Roller Adhesive, Daler-Rowney-Acrylic Gesso Blanc, JoAnn Fabrics-Lace, Rhinestones, Metal Letters, Ranger-Crackle Accents, Stickles-Lime Green, Diamond, Waterfall, Amethyst, 3M-Foam Tape, Xyron-Create a Sticker, Wax paper and Old Gift Card

If you would like to see more designs using Spellbinders products check out the Spellbinders Gallery---->HERE. All of the wonderful ladies from the Spellbinders DT have have been working on projects so if you have a little time please check out the gallery to see many more beautiful designs!! Also while you are there don't forget to check out Our Design Team and get to know a little about each of us from our bios.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you are having a WONDERFUL week!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Thank You!!

Hello! I just wanted to say thank you so much to all of my wonderful blogging friends for all of your kind words, thoughts and prayers. I am finally feeling better!! On top of all of the other stuff I ended up with the flu too! I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to start feeling better again-lol! Luckily I was the only one in the house that got really sick. Eric ended up with a bad cold for a few days but the kids didn't get it *knocking on wood*.

Today I have a card to share with you that I made awhile back for Eric, for his birthday and I keep forgetting to post it. I took three pictures of the card all at different angles, because depending on how you look at it you see a different picture.

This is a front view of the card~
1st angle~
2nd angle~
Do you see two ships? I thought this was so neat! The picture of the ship is a printout and then you do an accordion fold. I printed this one out on vellum and then added some color to the back using Copic markers. I found the pattern for the ship at Circle of Crafters, if you haven't ever been to the website you should check it out, they have lots of fun ideas!

Thanks you so much for stopping by and I hope you are having a wonderful week!! Please check back soon, I will be posting some of my new Spellbinders designs that I have been secretly working on. *wink*

Smiles!
Heidi

Excellent Blogger

Corie-Creations by Corie-nominated me for the Excellent Blogger Award -- a HUGE THANKS to you Corie!!
Now it is my turn to pass it on and nominate other bloggers that inspire me & who have not gotten this award yet. . Here are some ladies that I have been inspired by:

Ema-http://ema-gination.blogspot.com/
Linda-http://lindaduke.typepad.com/lindas_works_of_heart/
Wendy-http://wickedlywonderfulcreations.blogspot.com/
Dana-http://kismetartlife.blogspot.com/
Dawn-http://dailyscrappinspiration.blogspot.com/
Elaine-http://elainescreations.blogspot.com/
Kathy-http://kathatstamps.blogspot.com/
Lynn-http://lwdesigns.blogspot.com/
Maren-http://zanynotcrazy.blogspot.com/
Sue-http://www.stampndaly.com/

All of these ladies do some amazing design work, I hope you will check out their blogs! I am inspired by so many talented people, nature, music, everyday life and my wonderful family!! If you have not been nominated yet consider yourself officially nominated. *wink*

I hope you are having a terrific day and can take a little time to create. Thanks for stopping by!!
Smiles!
Heidi

NEW Spellbinders Dies and more CHA Art

New Spellbinders Dies!! I know so many of you absolutely love Spellbinders Nestabilites and now there is even more to love with the NEW Megabilities Nestabilities!! These dies are huge and they will give your creativity endless possibilities! You can make larger cards, tiny cards, books, labels, cards with fun folds and the list can go on and on.

The dies come in two sets, one with a straight edge and the other has a scallop edge.I used the new Megabilities Nestabilities dies for one of my designs for CHA. I made a small wall hanging using the largest straight edge die.

You can click on the image to enlarge~
Here is a close-up of the flower and you can also click on the image to enlarge~The size of the wall hanging without the beaded fringe (just the metal piece) is about 6 1/4 inches long. All of the coloring was done using Copic markers. A little technique that I love to do with the Copic markers is once you are done coloring lightly spritz with rubbing alcohol. The inks will dance around blending together and leave you with a beautiful background.

You can click the image to enlarge~
Here is a close up of the flower and you can also click the image to enlarge~Supplies~
Spellbinders-Wizard Universal Die Cutting and Embossing Tool, Magabilities Nestabilities, Nestabilities Classic Square Sm, Font-Mystic, Flower Creations 2, Flower Creations 3
Amaco-Art Emboss Foil
Copic-Sketch Markers, Spica Glitter Pens, Multiliner Pen
Glue Dots-Glue Dots
Prism-CS- White, Nautical Light Blue, Spring Willow Medium
Other Materials-CreateForLess-Chipboard, Swarovski-AB Crystals, Hirschberg Schutz & Co.-Style-a-bility Beaded Fringe, Xyron-Create a Sticker, Beacon Adhesive-Fabri-tac, Locktite-Silicone Adhesive, My Stash-Blue Cord, Fairy Charm, Plastic Leaf, Spray Bottle w/ Rubbing Alcohol, Metallic Paint Pen, Silver Eyelets, Eyelet Setter


Here is another card that I designed for CHA. We (Spellbinders DT) were given a challenge to design a card using the Nestabilities in a different way. I used two square Nestabilites to create a scallop frame and I also used a small scallop oval to create the frosting for the cupcake. The little foil cup was also made using a die. I used part of the Architecture Columns die to make the foil cup.

You can click on the image to enlarge~Supplies~
Spellbinders-Wizard Universal Die Cutting and Embossing Tool, Nestabilities-Classic Scallop Square Sm, Classic Square Sm, Classic Scallop Oval Lg, Shapeabilities-Architecture Columns, Font-Mystic
Prism-CS-Frost Pink, Classic Red
Fancy Pants-DP-Crush
Copic-Sketch Markers, Spica Glitter Pens
Amaco-Art Emboss Foils
Creative Impressions-Ribbon, Glitter Brad
Lockhart Stamp Co.-3 Cupcakes Stamp #2034
Glue Dots-mini glue dots
Other Materials-Neenah-CS, Brilliance-Graphite Black Ink, Marvy-Liquid Appliqué, JoAnn Fabrics-Rhinestone, Black Wire, 2 way Glue Pen, Loctite-Silicone Adhesive, Fiskars-Filigree Texture Plate, 1/8" Punch, 3M-Foam Tape, My Stash-Rubbing Alcohol, Spray Bottle

I wanted to say Thank You so much for all of the great emails and wonderful comments about my Teacup Cafe' LO!! I really appreciate all your kind words!!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have a Fantastic week!!
Smiles!
Heidi

CHA-W 2008 Art

I am back home from CHA in Anaheim, CA and I can say it was truly an amazing experience!! This was my first CHA so I didn't really have any idea how HUGE it was and what to expect. I went with Spellbinders and several of the ladies from the DT. It was a lot of work, setting up & taking down the booth, helping in a class, doing demos and make-n-takes but it was worth every second!! I met soooo many wonderful, amazing and talented people!! I met some of the "Dirty Dozen" girls from SCS, Ellen Hutson, Tim Holtz and Suze Weinberg just to name a few. I seen tons and tons of beautiful design work, the booths were just unbelievable. But I have to say Spellbinders booth was so Beautiful, Elegant and Magical all wrapped up into one stunning display!!

I have a few pictures to share with you from Spellbinders Booth, two of my art designs for CHA and a couple of favorites. *wink*

Spellbinders Huge banner above the booth~
Click picture to enlarge~
Spellbinders Booth~ It's so beautiful & elegant!!
Click picture to enlarge~
The EXCALIBUR!!!~ This little beauty is going to be a MUST have!!!~
Click picture to enlarge~ Just a Note~This is the prototype for the Xcalibur, a motorized (electric) die cutting & embossing machine. It cuts and embosses beautifully with the touch of one button (Yes-Just ONE button!) and it is soooo quiet you can be using it and talking on the phone at the same time! No more ratcheting! The Xcalibur will be great for anyone who may have issues with strength due to carpel tunnel or arthritis or if you are a late night crafter (like myself) & just want a very quiet machine that will do all the work with the touch of a button and not wake up the whole house! While at CHA people had a chance to see demos with the Xcalibur and then Spellbinders asked for their opinion by filling out a survey and in return they were given a Spellbinders T-Shirt. How great is that-a company that cares and wants to make the best machine possible for their customers!! So like I said this is just the prototype and there will be a few changes-the color is going to be a little brighter (wine and black) and it will have black flourishes and swirls. Doesn't that sound pretty? The target price point is around $129.99 -could be a little more or less and it will be available for ordering at the summer CHA. I also wanted to mention because several people have asked, the Xcalibur will not replace the Wizard. I believe that the Wizard will be my go to machine for all of the tougher jobs-smashing bottle caps, charms and setting eyelets. The Wizard is that machine that you can run the kitchen sink through (j/k), it's the machine that will push the limits!!

How about some art? Would you like to see a couple designs that I made for CHA?

Here is my all time favorite piece! Teacup Cafe` Scrapbook LO~
Click the picture to enlarge~
This is a teacup collection that was my Great Grandma's and now I have it displayed in my home. I will be honest it took awhile to do this LO but it was so much fun and I love the outcome! I wanted the LO to look as if you were outside of the cafe` looking in the window.

Supplies~
Spellbinders Dies-S4 111 Nestabilities Classic Scallop Oval Lg, S4 110 Nestabilities Classic Oval Lg, S4 137 Nestabilities Heart Scallop, L2 10 Mystic (font), S4 118 Coffee & Tea, S3 144 Tea Time, S3 145 Decorative Elements 1, S3 019 Illumination Charm 1
Prism-Prismatics-Tawny Light, Vanilla Cream, Suede Brown Medium, Herbal Garden Medium, Twilight Medium, Majestic Purple Light
Fancy Pants-DP Floral Chic-Fabulous #860, Blue Lace Trim
Copic Markers-Copic Sketch Markers-YR24, E15, V01, B21, B23, E27, E00, G40, G24, R81, Rv17, Airbrush System, Multiliner-Black
Inspired Crafts Products-Paper Glide
Glue Dots-Glue Dots 1/2", 3/16"
Kokuyo-Dot n Roll Adhesive
Creative Impressions-Yellow Brads, Blossoms & Leaves Felt Flowers
ClearSnap-Colorbox Ink-Chestnut Roan, Dark Moss
Ranger-Tim Holtz Distress Ink-Frayed Burlap
Fiskars-Wood Grain Texture Plate
Beacon Adhesives-Fabri-Tac
Other-Elmer's Glue, Foam Tape, Transparency, Red Line Sticky Strip Tape

Here is one of the cards I designed for CHA-Pure Joy~
Click the picture to enlarge~I used Copic markers for coloring in the stamped images. I love being able to blend the colors!! I wish you could see this card IRL, I used the Spica glitter pens and it sparkles!!

Supples~
Spellbinders-S4 118 Coffee & Tea, S4 121 Doodle Parts, S4 109 Flower Creations 3, S4 123 Shapeabilities Flying Beauties
Fancy Pants-Floral Chic-My Sweetie #861 DP, Simply Stated Stamps #892
Prism-Prismatics Black
Glue Dots-3/16"
Copic-Spica Glitter Pen 10 Black, Sketch Markers-0, BV000, V17, B21, BV04, B23, GB45, Y00, Y19, Yr04, G40, G24, G28, C1, Air Brush System
Neenah-Solar White CS
Tsukineko-Brilliance Graphite Black Ink Pad
Other-Red Line Sticky Strip Adhesive

A couple of my favorite photos~While at CHA I had the pleasure of meeting Ellen Hutson, she is so wonderful, the sweetest lady and very talented!! (L-->R) Donya, Ellen, Me & Wendy It was so mush fun talking with Ellen, be sure to check out her blog.

Pinch me!! I still can't believe this next picture!! Woo-Hoo-the one and only Tim Holtz!! Stacey Caron (owner of Spellbinders) knew that I really wanted to meet Tim, so she introduced us and then my sweet friend Holly (from the DT) took the picture of us. How sweeeeet is that!!!!
Thanks so much for stopping by today and be sure to check back soon, I will be posting more pictures and art from CHA. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Copic Colored Butterfly

Hello! I know it has been awhile since I have been able to post some new art. I'm sorry, it's just been a little crazy lately trying to get projects done for CHA. I am having so much fun designing with Spellbinders!! I will be leaving this Friday for Anaheim, California to meet up with several of the ladies from the Spellbinders DT for CHA. I have never been to CHA-I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!! For more info on CHA click --->HERE. If you are going to be at CHA please stop by Spellbinders booth (#5071) and say Hello!!

Here is a card that I designed a few days ago using the Spellbinders Doodle dies and Butterflies 2 die and matching stamps along with the Copic markers. On the background piece I stamped & embossed the butterfly images and then colored over them with the Copic markers and then spritzed with rubbing alcohol. The best thing about doing this is you doing have to be great at coloring! I just filled in the space with the colors of choice and then let the rubbing alcohol do all the magic! Spritzing with the rubbing alcohol activates and moves around the inks. It's a little hard to see in the picture but I added touches of glitter on the card using the Spica glitter pens by Copic. I also colored the darker (plum) brads to match the butterflies using the Copic markers.

I will be back later tonight with the supply list! Thanks so much for stopping by!! I hope you are having a wonderful week!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Spellbinders CHA-W Sneak Peak!! Xcalibur!!!

I am so excited to share the Latest News!! Spellbinders Paper Arts is going to ROCK the paper crafting industry at CHA-W!! I was given authorization to be able to share this with you today!

Let me introduce you to the first motorized die cutting and embossing machine, Xcalibur(tm)!
Spellbinders Paper Arts, continuing in their tradition of innovation, introduces the first motorized die cutting and embossing system. A touch of the button gently feeds and slowly releases mats for cutting and embossing. The mats used in Xcalibur will be the same mats currently used in the Wizard, Universal Craft Tool. Xcalibur will cut, emboss and texturize virtually every consumer die from leading manufacturers making it the universal system of choice. Xcalibur will revolutionize the die cutting world...

Please be assured that this is not a replacement for the Wizard. The machines can share the same mats, pads and dies but Xcalibur's main features are to cut and emboss. The Wizard, Universal Craft Tool, continues to provide many additional functions such as cutting chipboard, replicating charms and transferring images, just to name a few.

"Be the Ruler of your Creative Kingdom!!"


Does this sound exciting to you and don't you just love the color RED!! Spellbinders and all of us on the Design Team are very excited!! Spellbinders will be having more details on the website so be sure to check it out. If you will be in Anaheim, California for the CHA-W show Feb 10-13 please be sure to be stop by the Spellbinders booth #5071 to check out this new machine!! The price of the Xcalibur will be announced at CHA-W and the machines will be available in May 2008. I will be in Anaheim for CHA-W and I would love it if you would stop by & say Hello!!! We will also be having demonstrations and make-n-takes!!! If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will do my best to get them answered for you.

I am sorry I haven't been able to post any new art for sometime, I have been very busy creating designs for CHA-W but I hope to share some new art soon!! Thanks so much for stopping by & I hope you are having a great week!! At the moment we are in the middle of a blizzard--gotta love a MN winter!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Blog Candy Giveaway!!

Check it out! Ema is giving away some blog candy!! Go visit her blog & leave a comment about your favorite stamp company for a chance to win!! While you are there take a look around, Ema has some really great design work!! Just click on her blog-----> Ema-gination

Good Luck!!!
Smiles!
Heidi

Spellbinders 2008 Design Team Retreat-Part 3

Ok are you ready to hear about the HUGE surprise the DT had when we were on our retreat?? I'm sure by now most of you have heard about Copic markers, they are one of the hottest things on the market right now for paper crafting. As part of our training we were lucky to have been given the opportunity for a spectacular training session with Marianne Walker!! Marianne is a wonderful graphic artist and product specialist for Copic. She spent Friday and Saturday training us on the Copic markers and airbrush system. It was so fantastic and she showed a variety of techniques that can be achieved with the Copic markers. Marianne was so wonderful and had such patience with all of us and our questions!! Copic and Marianne were extremely generous with the products that the Design Team was given!! Copic markers and Spellbinders are the perfect combination since the Spellbinders dies can also be used as stencils they work great with the Copic markers & Airbrush System! Also a HUGE THANKS to Marianne for our training!! I am now a Copic Certified Designer!!

I have received several emails over the past few days requesting to see more pictures of all the new and fun goodies we were given so I made a slide show if you would like to see more.

One of the best parts about this whole adventure, besides all the sweet goodies, it getting to meet so many wonderful and very talented people!! Here are some more pictures from our retreat if you would like to take a closer look. Thanks again to Stacey & Jeff Caron for such an extraordinary time!!!

Thank you so much for stopping by!! I promise--very soon to have some art to share!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!! Woo-hoo it's Friday!!
Smiles!
Heidi

One other thing I forgot to mention is that I will be going to CHA in Anaheim, CA with Spellbinders. I am sooooo excited I can hardly wait!! We leave the 8th of February and come back on Valentine's Day. I promise to take tons of pictures to share!!

Spellbinders 2008 Design Team Retreat-Part 2

Pictures from the airplane~
Some of the ladies from the Spellbinders 2008 Design Team~
Ok I'm going to back track here just a little bit. Last Wednesday was the beginning of the retreat in Phoenix, Arizona. Donya (she is one of the DT ladies) and I flew out to Phoenix together. It was really nice to have someone to travel with especially since I hadn't been on a airplane since I was like 19 and trust me that was a loooong time ago! lol! Plus it was a great chance for us to talk and get to know each other. Donya is so much fun!! She is very talented and does some amazing design work and she always has a smile!!

Donya, Sharon (in the back), Sally Lynn~
When we arrived in Phoenix we met up with some of the other ladies from the DT. Once we got our luggage then we headed for the Caron's. When all of the talk about the retreat had started the DT was invited to stay at the Caron's during the retreat or if we would rather we could stay at the hotel. Ten of us stayed at the Caron's and four at the hotel. The first night we had a meet and greet. It was a really nice and relaxing way for all of us to meet and start getting to know each other. They had tons of yummy food, drinks and snacks. The house was full with ladies!! The poor boys! LOL!!! Stacey and Jeff have the cutest little boys and they were so great with all of these women coming in and taking over their home for the week!! Stacey, Jeff and the boys all made us feel so very welcome to be in their home and a part of their fabulous company!!

Stacey & Me~
That night I was so tired but yet so wide awake! I think my head was just spinning thinking about the retreat and trying to take it all in. Wendy and I had beds by each other and we stayed up talking getting to know each other, but it was late and she hadn't had much sleep the night before. I laid there still awake...I heard some of the ladies still up talking in one of the rooms so I went and peaked in and they said come on in. We were all sitting on the bed talking just like one big slumber party.

Theresa, Holly, Sharon, Stacey~
The next morning we were all up early, out the door and to the office by about 8:30. With that many women in the house you have to get up kind of early to all be ready in time to leave. One of the best parts about our day (besides all the fun new goodies) was the food-yummy yummy food!! We were soooooo spoiled!!! You know when your a mom a larger part of your time is spent cooking and cleaning and doing things for your family so to take such a wonderful trip like this and then be so completely spoiled on top of it-it is just pure heaven I tell ya!! *wink* I'll have to share some pictures of the food with you! Besides the terrific meals there was always a ton of goodies to snack on too! After breakfast we started the day. Let the fun and creativity begin!!

Linda & Me~
This was a typical day for us:
Start getting up and getting ready between 5:30-7 am
Leave for the office at 7:45
Get to the office about 8:30 and have breakfast
Start our creative day about 9:00
From then on out the rest of the day was learning new techniques, play time to create, company time (business stuff), the GOODIES giving out all of the products (gotta love that!!!), having some breaks with treats and more yummy food. Every couple of hours or so they would switch it up and do something new and fun. The GOODIES were given out the WHOLE time we were there!!!! OMGosh I can't even begin to tell you how the creativity and excitement flowed through the air!!! Most of are meals were at the office (everything was catered in) and we spent most of our time at the office, from early morning until late into the evening. After we would come back from the office we would all hang out at the house, talking, laughing, having some chocolate and wine and a great time!

Wendy & Me~
While we were there we also had our pictures taken for the DT and our group picture too. We also did some other really fun things while were were there that I hope to be able to share with you all very soon!!

Linda, Jennifer & Wendy~
Our last night that we were all there Stacey and Jeff had a big Luau party with (you guessed it) more wonderful food!! Jeff even made his famous green beans!! They were soooooo yummy!!! They had a wonderful cookout and some of their close friend were also there sharing the evening with all of us. Some of the ladies even enjoyed a little time in the hot tub.

I think the week was enjoyed by all!! What a wonderful group of ladies!! Everyone seemed to get along and mesh really well together, sharing all kinds of creative ideas. Very soon I am going to add links to the ladies on the DT that have blogs so you can all see their amazing design work.

From the window of the airplane~
I hope you have enjoyed the pictures that I have shared! But keep checking back because there is more to come!! I have a lot more pictures to share and something that was a HUGE HUGE SURPRISE for the DT!! I mean really HUGE!!!

Hope you have a great day!!
Smiles!
Heidi

Spellbinders 2008 Design Team Retreat-Part 1

OMGosh what an absolutely amazing & memorable time in Phoenix, Arizona!!

Stacey & Jeff Caron (Owners of Spellbinders-makers of the Wizard, Universal Die Cutting & Embossing Tool) had a retreat in sunny Phoenix, Arizona this past week for all of the members of the 2008 Design Team. What a BLAST!!! Words can't even begin to express what a wonderful time we all had meeting and getting to know each other!! What a wonderful and very talented group of ladies!! I am truly honored to be a part of the Spellbinders DT!!!! Stacey & Jeff gave us all such a warm welcome into their home, company and the Spellbinders family.

I am still trying to get everything unpacked & in its place. We were given soooooo many goodies!!! I have so many things about the weekend to share with all of you and lots of fun pictures to show too!! I will try and post more as soon as I can (tonight or tomorrow) so be checking back to get all the great details about the retreat!! *wink* But for now I will just give you a little tease (don't hate me-lol!). This is my dinning room table filled will a whole lot of goodies from this weekend!! This isn't including all of the paper-I had to ship that home because I was afraid my luggage would go over the weight limit!! Just my paper alone was almost 25 pounds!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!! I will be posting more about the retreat very soon! I will also have some creative inspiration to share with you all very soon. Hope you are having a great week!!
Smiles!
Heidi

Copic Markers

I have been having so much fun with my new Copic markers!! I LOVE them!! Oh the possibilities!! This is my first finished piece that I have to share with you. I am working on a few other things but they but they are still in pieces. I hope to get them completed & share them soon. *wink* This is a post it note holder that I made for my Grandma. Her kitchen is decorated with grapes and I thought this would be a nice little added touch.

For the post it note holder i used a 4 x 6 acrylic photo frame turned upside down. These are so fun and quick to make & they make a nice little gift for someone. I haven't used this grape image for some time but after coloring it with the Copic marker I think I might be using it a little more often. I just love how the grapes turned out! I know I have only used my markers a few times & I still have a lot to learn with all of the blending techniques but the markers really are so fun to work with. They are unlike any other marker I have used & I love being able to blend the colors.

Click to enlarge image~
I also used the Copic glitter pens to add touches of sparkle. I was kind of in a hurry when I took the pictures so the glitter didn't show up the best, but IRL it is all sparkles!

Click to enlarge image~
The letters that spell out notes are stone stickers and they are on the outside of the frame. I also used the Copic markers in the letters and added a little purple.
Supplies~
Paper~SU-Whisper White, Almost Amethyst, Always Artichoke, Lovely Lilac
Stamps~Grapes (unknown), Autumn Leaves-flourishes
Ink~SU-Lovely Lilac, Color Box-Black Craft,
Other~Copic Markers, Glitter Pens, 4 x 6 Acrylic Frame, Stone Letter Stickers, SU-Clear EP, Ribbon & Post It Notes

I am leaving on Wednesday to go to Phoenix, AZ for the big Spellbinders Design Team Retreat!! I am soooooo excited--I can hardly wait!!! I will try to get a few more things posted before I leave. Thank you so much for stopping by & I hope you have a GREAT DAY!!!
Smiles!
Heidi

New Year & New Look

2008 ~ Happy New Year!! I want to wish you all the best in the coming year! May all of your hopes & dreams come true and your creative muse be by your side!

With the beginning of a New Year I thought it would be a good time for a New Look. I am not a computer person by any means so I had TONS of help from Eric (my DH) and mean TONS!! Basically I told him I wanted a new look, gave him a few ideas and he did all of the magic! He did everything from the template, HTML codes, colors and my new banner!! For the banner he used a picture I had taken from our first snowfall of the year. I LOVE how it turned out!! Thank you sweetie!! xoxo

I hope to have some new art posted for you very soon! We have been fighting a nasty flu/cold bug for several days here at our house so I haven't had much time or energy to be very creative. But I think I am on the upside of things. *wink*

Thank you all so much for your continued support over the last year and wonderful friendships! Thanks for stopping by!!
Smiles!
Heidi