2019 in Review

It's a tradition on my blog to look back at the end of the year and pick out a few creative highlights! Hope you enjoy... this year went so fast, it's fun to look back through the blur! 

January
I added a new collection to my stamp line at Impression Obsession with a Spring release - this release included some stamps that were a special tribute to my dad, who passed away in Sept. 2018 - this set called "Fred Said" is particularly special to me.

This keychain design proved to be my biggest seller for the year, and I added several other designs to my Etsy store as well. (Click HERE to see the new and improved version of this stamper's charm!)

February
My one creative goal for the year - I applied and was chosen as a juried member of a statewide art association called Best of Missouri Hands - it's a limited and exclusive honor based on craftsmanship, design, originality, and presentation. "Acceptance as a Juried Member indicates that an artisan has developed his or her craft beyond mere competence of technique to a high standard of quality." These are the drawings I submitted.

I also started a Facebook group to collect artists from my county - there is a wide variety of talent in our area! 

March
My first colored pencil publication - "Wildcat Pride" - in Color - Ann Kullberg's magazine for Colored Pencil Artists. 

April
In April I released a new collection of summer stamps - I'm always getting requests for masculine stamps, so I try to include them in my releases once in a while - this vintage catalog image mashup was just crying for some kind of anachronism, and I have to say... the selfie stick absolutely cracks me up!

May
I added a new tool to my studio! After researching some different wide format die cutting machines, I was curious about the capabilities of the Crossover II and received one to review. I haven't looked back! 

I did a store demo and was interviewed by a writer from the Sedalia newspaper - the full article is here.

My Wildcat piece was published in this book - such an honor:

June 
In June I got to be a part of two fun releases - Maker's Movement's jewelry line:

...and Taylored Expressions' Blender Brush collection!

July
July saw another stamp release for fall and winter, which included this set for small business owners (new business cards this year too!).

I entered a local art contest and brought some ribbons home...

We also hosted Dare To Get Dirty, a Splitcoast event for our Fan Club members - this was one of my favorite cards.

 August
I entered a couple of pieces in the Missouri State Fair this year, and received an honorable mention, as well as this "fan favorite" award. So fun! 

September 
The Impression Obsession website got a long-awaited revision! If you've ever wanted to see alllllllll my stamps in one place at once, you can do that now! 

October
I did a lot of crafting through September and October, and discovered a new obsession - paper beads! Here are a few of my first ones - I promised a post and video with lots of information and resources for these, and I will still do that! I think I have everything I need to get started now. 

October also marked 13 years of blogging here! I'm thankful for a place to call my own, and the friendships that have begun - and continue - here! Here's a favorite October project - a card I made as a guest designer for Kindred Stamps.

November 
My daughter and I had a booth at a local craft show in November - these are a few of the items I made!

We also hosted our annual Falliday Fest event on Splitcoast - this year's more relaxed schedule was a welcome change of pace! 

December
One more publication surprise - this time my art appears on the cover! This is a compilation of this year's Color Magazine - 12 issues with stepped out instructions, interviews, articles, art showcases, etc. This wildcat had a big year!

Once again, it was an honor to bring joy to so many people by creating their gifts for Christmas - here are my orders from this year (the last 4 were Christmas gifts)! My queue for 2020 is filling up - I have 16 orders so far - so if you're thinking of gifting a portrait next year or ordering one for yourself, don't wait! (I only did 24 this year, so if that is my pace going forward, I'm booked through the summer for sure!)

I don't know what 2020 will bring, but of course there will be more portraits, more stamps, more tutorials, more art and more jewelry! I'm ending the year on a sort of burned-out low, and I'm looking forward to a good purge and mental reset to keep moving forward with intention and joy. Thanks again as always for your faithful support, comments, and encouragement - you keep me going!

 

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Quick and Easy

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a quick project - with less than a week until Christmas, you might need a last minute card or gift!

This card design was featured on a recent Splitcoast tutorial, but I didn't get to make a sample since I was traveling. The concept is to stamp 2 panels with a background stamp in the same position, then to cut away one portion of the top panel and line up the second panel in the opening. This is the stamp I used, from my most recent release - I love this one because it can be used in any direction, and cropped so many different ways!

CC361 CAC Poinsettia

For my first card I kept it simple, stamping in a burgundy ink on the darker cardstock and a light tan on the lighter paper. This is a great card design for mass production - so easy to stamp a bunch of panels at once, and then do the trimming and piecing. You could even stack and cut the panels together, then mix and match the pieces (we have a Splitcoast tutorials similar to that idea here).

For the second card I took it up a notch and did a little no-line coloring. 

I stamped both panels in red, then colored a section of the second panel with Copic markers (the reds I used are R22, R24, and R59, if that helps anyone!).

Click on the photo below for a closer look! I added a few little dots on the flower center with a white acrylic pen - this one is my favorite! That sentiment is here - I love this classic font.

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the details! 

Splitcoast Tutorial: Origami Leaf

It's my turn to share a tutorial over on Splitcoast - this week I'm sharing an Origami Leaf fold - it's an easy one, with lots of possibilities! 

I saw this fold when I was scrolling through #paperjewelry posts on Instagram, so my first thought was to make some earrings. 

Before adding the hooks, I dipped the paper leaves a few times in PC Petrifier, which is the wood hardener I use for my paper beads - after 2-3 coats, the paper is quite a bit harder, and has a semi-gloss finish. (I dip my beads 4-5 times for a little more shine.)

The leaves can be left as is or wired to pair with die cut flowers, or you can glue a few together for a rosette - I put 6 together for my snowflake ornament, but you could certainly do more. I sealed this piece with 2 or 3 coats of Krylon Triple Thick - that works really well too, since the spray can easily get into all the little folds.

One more project - this one is actually double size (starting with a 6" square) but I kept the same spacing for the score lines. I sealed this one with the Krylon spray as well, and that angel die cut is from this set.

We'll be taking next week off from the newsletter so we can have a break for the holidays - I know I'll be doing some cleaning, weeding and reorganizing in my craft room!

Spellbinders December 2019 Large Die Kit

This month's Spellbinders kits are full of gorgeous borders! I hope you've seen some of beautiful cards that have been made with the layering strips in the Large Die Kit - they are so versatile in their ability to tile and stack, and the separate edge dies for the base piece allow the borders to create a decorative cut edge on a card as well! Such an innovative design, and so many combinations to explore!

I've been making a lot of paper jewelry lately, and when I saw these little rings, I thought it might be fun to cut this border strip up for a paper pendant! 

I cut 2 border strips from grey cardstock, trimmed out 4 of these shapes, and then glued them together for a very sturdy pendant. I glazed it with 3D Crystal Lacquer for a little extra strength and shine. (Metallic paints would be pretty on this too - I'll try that next time!)

Once that was dry, I collected the rest of the pieces for my necklace - these are paper beads I made out of gel prints, as well as some silver spacer beads. I lined the beads up on a wire, looping the ends to hold everything in place. 

I connected it all together with jump rings and chain - the finished necklace is about 17" long, and very light weight. I'm excited about creating more designs - I love this paper pendant as a focal point!

I have a couple of other jewelry pieces to share using this month's kits as well - these are 1/2" tube beads that I foiled using the negative piece from my card project here!

Here's a closer look so you can see the foiling on the patterned paper. These beads are glazed with 5 coats of PC-Petrifier, a wood hardener. I used a 3" headpin to assemble the earrings along with some glass spacer beads. .

One more pair - my first thought when I saw this add-on set was 'those will make such pretty earrings!'

 I didn't record my process because the wire was a little difficult to start, and I still don't have it right, but I'll share these anyway, and maybe they will spark a creation on your end (and remind me to try again)! This is a faux leather I bought on Amazon here.

I love it when I can 'stretch' a die beyond its obvious use - I hope these ideas inspire you to think 'beyond the card'! 

Remember, if you're a club member or join this month, you'll have a special gift in your package - the annual membership gift is an Ultimate Waterproof Brush Pen from the Jane Davenport collection!

Cheers!

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