Fall Vibes

A Spellbinder Story

August 23, 2021August 23, 2021Erika L Hayes1 Comment

Spellbinders Non-Traditional Fall Colors

I am that girl that likes to make seasonal cards with non-traditional colors. I like traditional colors but sometimes in the middle of the red and green season, or orange, brown and read seasons I like to mix it up. That is how this card came to be. I had been working on a Christmas card and thought I wonder how these colors would play on a fall card.

I grabbed my new Spellbinders Fall Leaves and my super skinny alphabet and went to work. Gotta say, I don’t hate it. I stacked the white on white leaves to give them pop and really loved the look. I would also like to add, Spellbinders makes amazing dies. They cut beautifully and score when they are supposed to score and are the highest quality I have used in a long time!

Now for the story. At one time I worked as a concept designer at Fun Stampers Journey, and then they were owned by the same investment company and Spellbinders warehouse was right next to ours. In fact, they kind of shared a space in that when I walked to the photo/video production for something we cut through part of Spellbinders warehouse. I wasn’t a fan of the “look” of the intricate designs that seemed to be Spellbinders “look”. I would like a few things now and again, but I wouldn’t say Spellbinders was a go to company for me.

I love that not only do we change as artist, but bless those companies that keep up with trends and produce the things we really want. Spellbinders is one of those companies for me. About a year ago, I started noticing some super cute stuff coming out from Spellbinders. I started looking for the new releases at my local store (Scraps of Love). They would show me the cute samples that had been made and I kinda loved them. Soon, I found myself purchasing more and more Spellbinders and then my husband gave me a Glimmer Hot Foil System and I was HOOKED!

I have been bound by Spellbinders! I purchase often from them and look forward to the next release. They still carry some of the dies and products that kept me away from them for a long time, but now I see the artistry in those dies.

This story is more to share that just because a company didn’t appeal to you before, doesn’t mean you should count them out! You change as an artist and so do companies looking to find a place in a very competitive market. I am glad I gave Spellbinders a second chance because they have upped the game and thus making me do the same!

Just like this card, I took a new look at fall colors and found I really liked how these cool colors played with the fall leaves. I also took a new look at a company I had previously seen as “not my style” and found so many items I loved as they like me have grown and changed over the years.

Craft Blessings My Friends

Erika

It’s been busy but NEVER too busy

August 10, 2021Erika L Hayes1 Comment

Oh boy, I have had a week. Lots happening in the last few days, but even in all the stresses of life and the craziness of having a family and pets and work and laundry and … I could do this all day. However, I must have downtime. In my downtime I read or create. The My Favorite Things Summer Camp 2021 session was a hoot. I got a late start, but I did manage to finish them all. I almost gave up because of all the extra duties I had to finish but the surest way to get me to finish something is to put it on a list…. so I did this in my creative journal.

DAY TWO: Watercoloring

For watercolor, I wanted to try something different. I got some of my black watercolor paper and

embossed the Pretty Peony stamp in cream embossing powder then used my gem and opal water colors and I love how it came out.

I also finally had a place to use my fun dark gems.

DAY THREE: Emboss Resist

I have emboss resist many things in my crafty life, and I love the way it looks. I really like that MFT video had us focus on the “elements” not just a background emboss resist. It was fun making these pumpkins with this method.

I also did the clouds just cause I was on a roll. The thing is, I discovered add texture on the pumpkins was really fun and easy. I just smaller blending brushes and pounced over the base colors to make each pumpkin unique

DAY FOUR: Background Bonanza

I admit it didn’t come out as I expected but I really like it. I wanted to put a fun little teacher scene on this card, (this is for my sister, she’s a teacher and she is going back to the classroom to teach this year.) but it just didn’t show the fun alphabet. I cut them out three times and put them on the front of this card to give it some dimension.

A word to the wise: lay the letters out on the front of the card before you begin sticking them down. This helps to avoid running out of room or squishing the last few letters up.

I added the black over the “hi” as the sentiment. It really turned out fun. THe background was able to pop forward a bit and give support to the image I colored to look lke my cute sister.

This one was FUN! I knew just what I wanted to make. The wreath is actually from the Spring release with

DAY FIVE: Delightful Die Cutting

This was a hoot to make because I knew just which die I wanted to use. It was from a spring release and the wreat was perfect. I used some white, sparlke blue and holographic papers to die cut the snowflakes and placed them all around then using some winter birds was a nice addition. The sentiment was too good to pass up. I did cut it to make it a stackable sentiment, but I really enjoyed making this one.

Now that Summer Camp 2021 is over I am so happy I took the time to complete all the projects. It was a wonderful relaxing time for me to sit back and remember there is so very much more to life than the busy crazy stuff. Making cards to send out to friends and family really is fulfilling for me.

Keep Crafting Friends!

Erika

Fall Vibes, Warm Blessings and Altenew, LLC

October 15, 2020October 15, 2020Erika L Hayes1 Comment

When I see a stamp set that I click buy without even a thought of the price, I know I need to get it. That is just what happened with this Altenew set. I got an email and opened it, and when I saw this set, I was gaga. (Did you know they give away a gift certificate in every one of the emails they send and if you are signed up to get them you have a chance at winning? GO SIGN UP NOW! Click Here scroll all the way to the bottom).

I had to have it. I ordered it and when it showed up I thought oh my it is as beautiful in person as I had hoped. I ordered the Autumn Bounty and Warm Blessings sets and with them made this card. (If you are interested in Altenew stamps please use this link . I don’t get paid for anything but that is my referral link I get points which are helpful 🙂 Thanks! )

I first thought I would color with markers but something about this image cried out for colored pencils. I also used the Sizzix 3D leaves on the kraft paper.