Hello fellow fabulous scrapaholics, crafters and artists!
The holidays are drawing near, and I am very excited to present a holiday collection of my artwork, now available to the public. I have scrapbooked, painted, sculpted and more for so many years that I finally decided I would like to give it a go as a profession (in addition to my StyleLife Consultations business). I hope to travel to art and craft fairs nationwide in the near future if all goes well on Etsy. I would love to hear honest feedback. Feel free to email me at catsuniqueboutique@ymail.com for questions, comments or custom order requests.
I am calling my shop, Cat's Unique Boutique, and it is now on Etsy.com. I am super excited to take my mixed media art to this next level. I have released my Holiday 2010 Collection at www.etsy.com/people/catsuniqueboutique. I also have a YouTube page at www.youtube.com/user/catsuniqueboutique. If all goes well with the Etsy shop, I would eventually like to take my mixed art boutique into a brick and mortar location.
Please take a closer look at my artwork, and let me know what you think. Thank you so much!
Also, keep a look out for upcoming contests on this blog and my YouTube channel. I will be giving away some art pieces as prizes.
Have a fabulous day every day!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Scrapping For the Environment
I post articles on being eco- and animal-friendly often on many of my blog sites, and here is another one relating to scrapbooking, which is a deep passion of mine.
Cherishing memories for us and for our families (and generations to come) is important, especially as we focus on the positive aspects of life and quality family/friend time. Looking through scrapbooks is a wonderful way to bond. For couples, this may also be helpful in rekindling a fading flame or rebuilding a struggling marriage. Focusing on the great times will help us get through the rough times, especially given today's economic situation.
Scrapbooks also make great gifts. They provide lovely reminders of many of the amazing memories in our lives. With that being said, being eco-friendly at the same time is even better. Repurposing old, broken or worn items in scrapbooks reduces waste in our landfills, cuts down the cost of scrapbooking and provides an amazing look and feel to each scrapbook. Remember, if you want old items to take on a new look, you can alter, paint, file, sand or distress them as desired. One person's junk is another person's treasure, but in this case your junk is your treasure. Have fun sifting through your junk drawer.
Happy Scrapping!
Cherishing memories for us and for our families (and generations to come) is important, especially as we focus on the positive aspects of life and quality family/friend time. Looking through scrapbooks is a wonderful way to bond. For couples, this may also be helpful in rekindling a fading flame or rebuilding a struggling marriage. Focusing on the great times will help us get through the rough times, especially given today's economic situation.
Scrapbooks also make great gifts. They provide lovely reminders of many of the amazing memories in our lives. With that being said, being eco-friendly at the same time is even better. Repurposing old, broken or worn items in scrapbooks reduces waste in our landfills, cuts down the cost of scrapbooking and provides an amazing look and feel to each scrapbook. Remember, if you want old items to take on a new look, you can alter, paint, file, sand or distress them as desired. One person's junk is another person's treasure, but in this case your junk is your treasure. Have fun sifting through your junk drawer.
Happy Scrapping!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Distressing & Antiquing on the Cheap
Distressing, or antiquing, is a beautiful way to transform a scrapbook page layout from ordinary to extraordinary. There are distress kits available at most craft/art and scrapbook stores. They are convenient and great to get started. However, if you would like to save money or supplement the premade kits, then I recommend creating the same effects with materials you may already have in your home and with skills you already possess.
1. Unsweetened tea or coffee make great dyes for paper and fabric.
2. Sandpaper and emery boards work well for roughing up edges and surfaces of most materials.
3. Toothpicks can serve multiple functions, like drawing in paint or creating borders.
4. Tearing, folding and/or crinkling paper and then inking the creases will create a very neat "old" look.
5. Stamp inks (which you probably already have in your scrapbooking supplies) work especially well on edges of paper to create a very distressed look.
6. Use small branches for layout borders or album bindings. You can leave the branches natural, sand them, paint them and so on...
7. Make your own spray ink. Mix water and food coloring or powdered drink mix (think of something that has a strong pigment and no sweeteners). Be careful of overspray and getting the spray on clothing, carpeting, furniture etc. You may already have some inks in your scrapbook supplies as inks can also be purchased at craft/art/scrapbooking stores.
8. Painting on most materials can lead to a very artistic, distressed look. Drybrushing also works well for an antique look.
9. Think outside the box. What other hobbies do you have that those supplies may lend themselves to scrapbooking? If you sew, what do you have that would work well for scrapbooking? Fabrics and threads can add so much to a page layout like texture and movement for starters. A quilt-like layout could look very distressed.
10. Use dried flowers for a beautiful embellishment.
11. Combine the above ideas and your own for amazing, artistic antiqued/distressed layouts.
12. Using a stapler instead of an adhesive creates an interesting look.
13. Use newspapers, sheet music, magazine clippings, menus, maps and bottlecaps as backgrounds and embellishments. (Use punches to create smaller embellishments.) These items are great because they are basically being recycled, or repurposed, which is great for the environment as well as your scrapbook. :)
For more ideas, stay tuned. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thank you, and have a fabulous day!
1. Unsweetened tea or coffee make great dyes for paper and fabric.
2. Sandpaper and emery boards work well for roughing up edges and surfaces of most materials.
3. Toothpicks can serve multiple functions, like drawing in paint or creating borders.
4. Tearing, folding and/or crinkling paper and then inking the creases will create a very neat "old" look.
5. Stamp inks (which you probably already have in your scrapbooking supplies) work especially well on edges of paper to create a very distressed look.
6. Use small branches for layout borders or album bindings. You can leave the branches natural, sand them, paint them and so on...
7. Make your own spray ink. Mix water and food coloring or powdered drink mix (think of something that has a strong pigment and no sweeteners). Be careful of overspray and getting the spray on clothing, carpeting, furniture etc. You may already have some inks in your scrapbook supplies as inks can also be purchased at craft/art/scrapbooking stores.
8. Painting on most materials can lead to a very artistic, distressed look. Drybrushing also works well for an antique look.
9. Think outside the box. What other hobbies do you have that those supplies may lend themselves to scrapbooking? If you sew, what do you have that would work well for scrapbooking? Fabrics and threads can add so much to a page layout like texture and movement for starters. A quilt-like layout could look very distressed.
10. Use dried flowers for a beautiful embellishment.
11. Combine the above ideas and your own for amazing, artistic antiqued/distressed layouts.
12. Using a stapler instead of an adhesive creates an interesting look.
13. Use newspapers, sheet music, magazine clippings, menus, maps and bottlecaps as backgrounds and embellishments. (Use punches to create smaller embellishments.) These items are great because they are basically being recycled, or repurposed, which is great for the environment as well as your scrapbook. :)
For more ideas, stay tuned. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thank you, and have a fabulous day!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Repurposing for Scrapbooking
I love to scrapbook. It really is an amazing way to cherish one's memories for generations to come. The art of scrapbooking is a fabulous way to express the emotions and moods in the photographs. As most of us know, scrapbooking can be quite expensive, and little embellishments here and there add up to a small fortune.
So here's an idea that can save a little money while helping the environment- try repurposing items in your home. Here are some repurposed items that I use while scrapbooking:
Old keys, old and/or broken jewelry, makeup compact mirrors, board game pieces, playing cards, cardboard, sheet music, maps, gift wrap, tissue paper, clothing tags, safety pins, fabric from old clothes, buckles and hardware from old belts/ shoes/ handbags, newspapers (comics), magazines, greeting cards, scraps of almost any material (as long as it's clean), pretty picture frame backgrounds, admission ticket stubs, gift tags, catalogs, unwanted mail, envelopes and anything else that inspires you. Keep your mind open. Remember you can paint, distress or keep the item the same. Let your imagination run wild.
More eco-friendly tips:
Use post-consumer recycled cardstock and other materials. K & Company offers a recycled line that I highly recommend.
You can also make handmade paper using old paper/newspapers. Try adding dried flower petals for a beautiful touch.
Try using unsweetened coffee or tea as dye for a more distressed look.
I hope you found these ideas helpful. Enjoy and happy scrapbooking!
So here's an idea that can save a little money while helping the environment- try repurposing items in your home. Here are some repurposed items that I use while scrapbooking:
Old keys, old and/or broken jewelry, makeup compact mirrors, board game pieces, playing cards, cardboard, sheet music, maps, gift wrap, tissue paper, clothing tags, safety pins, fabric from old clothes, buckles and hardware from old belts/ shoes/ handbags, newspapers (comics), magazines, greeting cards, scraps of almost any material (as long as it's clean), pretty picture frame backgrounds, admission ticket stubs, gift tags, catalogs, unwanted mail, envelopes and anything else that inspires you. Keep your mind open. Remember you can paint, distress or keep the item the same. Let your imagination run wild.
More eco-friendly tips:
Use post-consumer recycled cardstock and other materials. K & Company offers a recycled line that I highly recommend.
You can also make handmade paper using old paper/newspapers. Try adding dried flower petals for a beautiful touch.
Try using unsweetened coffee or tea as dye for a more distressed look.
I hope you found these ideas helpful. Enjoy and happy scrapbooking!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Scrapbook Art & All Its Glory
Scrapbooking is a fabulous way to cherish wonderful memories. If you do not have time or the desire to scrapbook your photos yourself, there are many talented Scrapbook Artists or Scrappers-for-hire that would love to archive the photos for you. I am just one of the many scrappers out there doing what I love, creating art and cherishing all the beauty in life.
As a Scrapbook Artist, I create page layouts, custom scrapbooks, handcrafted cards/ sets and wedding crafts (including favors, programs, etc.). I have been scrapbooking for over 10 years and love every moment of it. Scrapbooks are great to give as gifts, to archive any great memories and to cherish through the years and generations. I create scrapbooks and handcrafted cards for all occasions including, but not limited to, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, new babies, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents' Day, new homes, going into or retiring from the military, going away to college, proposal, engagement, holidays, Proms/Homecomings, sports, encouragement and whatever else you can think of or would desire a scrapbook for... the options are almost endless. I offer a variety of size options, shape options and custom handcrafted scrapbook albums in any theme and/or color scheme that you would like.
If you are interested in learning more about my scrapbook art services, please contact me at (618) 401-1434 or cs.stylelife@yahoo.com. Thank you, and I look forward to working with you.
As a Scrapbook Artist, I create page layouts, custom scrapbooks, handcrafted cards/ sets and wedding crafts (including favors, programs, etc.). I have been scrapbooking for over 10 years and love every moment of it. Scrapbooks are great to give as gifts, to archive any great memories and to cherish through the years and generations. I create scrapbooks and handcrafted cards for all occasions including, but not limited to, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, new babies, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents' Day, new homes, going into or retiring from the military, going away to college, proposal, engagement, holidays, Proms/Homecomings, sports, encouragement and whatever else you can think of or would desire a scrapbook for... the options are almost endless. I offer a variety of size options, shape options and custom handcrafted scrapbook albums in any theme and/or color scheme that you would like.
If you are interested in learning more about my scrapbook art services, please contact me at (618) 401-1434 or cs.stylelife@yahoo.com. Thank you, and I look forward to working with you.
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