Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Inspiration, Information and Linky Party Invite

Hello, Friends!

Kathy here with another dose of inspirational projects from our fabulous design team!  With summer winding down and school winding up, I know everyone is extra busy,and when you do have time to get your craft on, it's nice to have ideas to wake up your creativity, so I'll be sharing some fabulous projects with you here today.  

Before I get into that, I want to remind you about the wonderful Summer Super Pack Blowout Sale.  Crafty Secrets is going all digital, but before we can really do that, we have to empty out our US warehouse.  Sandy has been busy putting together some amazing creativity kits for you to enjoy.  Right now, I only have photos of the Summer kit, but there is a Halloween kit, Christmas kit and others in the works, so be sure to check back here and cash in on this amazing opportunity.  Here's a peeky at what you get in the Summer Super Pack:

This pack is valued at nearly $80, and it is yours for $19.95 plus $4.95 Priority Shipping.  One of our lovely customers left this comment on our Facebook Page:
"Fabulous package. I couldn't believe everything I got. Now to get busy using it."

Now, on to some delightful projects from our very talented design team:

 Diane Hover has been making some great "off the page" projects using our digital Radiant Papers  and her electronic cutting machine.  Check out this clever autumn crate she made out of paper!  The cute photo on the end is made with our Digital Garden Papers.  This set of papers is loaded with beautiful ephemera as well as wonderful images that make it easy to put a quick card or project together because everything goes together.  I love having printed images to use with beautiful papers, don't you?

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0rJkKhi1uKc0KMddo-A3xwuyjI4NBMTS0bUCa6jGhoGU_MDcyfkHcVV1SkwHLJ0cuT8sEOLWWJSb_yrvQbgq1KjiFda3ZcUAdP6yhYRS04akhiZ0uQJhQwCIxgPgZ32Tw0dDu8vOir7z/s1600/ca+cs+crate2.jpg 

 Gloria Stengel has been putting together a wonderful gift set using  our Farm Images and Stamps. She promises a "big reveal" for our Linky Party on Monday, September 1st.  Take a look at this chic "Country Blessings" tag she has made as one of the elements:
 
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22dk667UIG6gzUz-LScts_sXvM7i3ytPoKH4TbjM3Wpjf9nG_dyygwl9-cFkDf9Z4oQ2FSHAXMt_M5KpGrs1YsB5bPdpDpZ3ChbMzVp2nDvDTUqYuKQwuTYNwnpXBOMt9aGAE0ViBleHZ/s1600/Rooster-1.jpg 

Gloria used our Farm Fresh Creative Scraps to put this sweet tag together.  I love the little chicken tucked in behind the bow, and the great checkerboard and chicken wire papers that she found on our Creating with Vintage Patterns CD.  You'll want to keep an eye out on Gloria's blog as she reveals each new addition to this Country French set.

Darlene Pavlick has also put together a really cute desk set made with papers from our Radiant Papers and the dragonfly from our beautiful Digital Summer Printable Sheet. The little holder contains cute notecards, and would make a wonderful gift.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERNXrZmotfqfVve98JLIHGzxCrLt2D8lKyZaFg99rLSPvqZTvmotwKjzm5qQyIW_gm0uP8T1Mlwm3xRdQgAxzwvFLkO5v3Wo2qhd8z6n1Ugco2Lmu9SLIARiByMWVkK-duNe6dAgrKz1s/s1600/CS+DT+project+08-22-14+003.JPG 

 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKgy3ijJ0Q6qm6XEwXAvurkdnxoNP8Wa74XFIuUBYP3ZNG9Vha9_p6YqVLC0wlZrnV9dayDEOK1XwefBijt3NOxYq2TG4QBR9sTFaMuMNaunahV30jR3j12WLXRaXpeRn-vopOpnh1tbF/s1600/CS+DT+project+08-22-14+005.JPG   

She's added stamped images from several different sets, and you can find all the links in THIS blog post.

I have been digging into my Creating with Vintage Illustrations CD and have found some truly gorgeous images there.  I made this Life as Art Card using my Paintshop Pro tools and a little digital crafting.  The more I work with digital, the more I love it.  I was able to write my own sentiment right on the painter's palette, and then print it off.  So cool!  I also figured out how to digitally match papers to my project, and share about that in the blog post. 

 http://www.kathybydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/CS-Art-Card-03-882x1024.jpg 

 DT member Melody Clement has been working with our wonderful Sew Decorative CD. 
She shares some wonderful ideas for working with digital images as well as this pretty card:

http://papermelodys.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/sew-wonderful-1.jpg?w=560&h=421  

I just love the way she printed her images so that the dress form lines up perfectly with her sentiment.  And that bow makes me feel a little weak in the knees!  

Be sure to check out Sheila Rumney's wonderful Photoshop Friday post where she shares a tutorial for this soft, romantic layout celebrating her anniversary.  I love how dimensional this looks, even though it is an all digital project.  It's gorgeous!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE86aGm2VgUOg7ds5aFzXuNDeZormbcySS6zg2FXtdKk5NCvAJulT8qhqiTsnXH3Y_YxP0zJ-f9efuW3MyVw7Hu3u6xsnBYdWZn-B0tGQSxk-FDXCYYXS7DKvVHf74zgEOJ8iqohAB1jl/s1600/Just+so+you+know....jpg   

Dale and I took advantage of a beautiful weekend, and escaped to Topsail Island for the day.  I had been longing for a walk on the shore, and made this Mermaid Tag using another image from Creating with Vintage IllustrationsI wanted to use our pretty Digital Mermaids Stamps  along with the beautiful beach scene from the CD.  I threw in some shells I'd gathered for good measure.

 http://www.kathybydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Mermaid-Tag-01-708x1024.jpg 

 I'm sure many of you are anticipating a nice, long Labor Day Weekend.  Be sure to set aside some time to be in your craft room, as Monday is the launch of our September Linky party.  There will be another opportunity to win a $50 gift certificate to our online store, and everyone who plays along receives a $6 store credit.  The design team has been challenged to create tutorials with a Fall/Halloween theme, so it should be a really fun party.  I look forward to seeing you there!  I hope you have a safe and FUN Labor Day weekend, as we all say good-bye to summer and welcome Fall.  

On behalf of Sandy Redburn (whose daughter will be married in about a week) I wish you joy and creativity!

 

Cheerio,

kathy


3 comments:

KT Fit Kitty said...

Awesome creations! Your DT is amazing! I am excited about your upcoming linky too! You mentioned that your DT is making fall/Halloween projects - should I be focusing on that theme or will it be Anything Goes with a Crafty Secrets product? I don't have anything related to Halloween, and I used my only fall image last month, so I guess I really need get my thinking cap on! Looking forward to hearing from you - fitkitty1@gmail.com

Kathy/NorthCarolina said...

KT Fit Kitty....you don't have to use fall or Halloween images to play along. The design team chooses a theme and we all try to create within that theme,but it's a Free for All for the rest of you. We just ask that you create a NEW project using Crafty Secrets goodies. Can't wait to see what you cook up!

KT Fit Kitty said...

Oh, good! Thank you!