Etsy!

I finally opened a store with the online artisan community: Etsy!
(One of my summer goals... completed just before school starts again.)
Click here to visit my Etsy store!
Well, it's opened, but I only have one item up so far because I'm new and it's taking me a little while to get the photos to a manageable size so they will upload properly. So, please check back soon!

I appreciate all of you who insisted I open up my own Etsy shop, as well as those who encouraged and directed me along the way!

Daffodil Delight

Here's a simple card using some of the new colors [Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizazz*] and accessories that are now available from the new catalog. I really like the narrow taffeta ribbon and the bright, sunny (and sometimes retro) patterns of the new designer series paper.


If you need help gaining access to the new catalog, simply email me and I will make sure you get one! bassemjudith@gmail.com

You still have time to place an online order to participate in my August Birthday Celebration Promotion! Get a catalog, make your wish-list, place your order, and have fun creating (and also giving/ sending your complimentary birthday cards)!

*Pear Pizazz is an In-Color and is available for the next two years. Daffodil Delight is part of the permanent collection.

Something Other Than Stamping-Painting

I bought some canvases three years ago with the intention of painting a scene for my living room. Well, here they are. I finally got some deadline-creativity-motivation.

The idea is a Mediterranean countryside with an olive grove. I used gouache watercolor paints.

Stenciled Terra Cotta

I've been doing some gardening/landscaping at my house and wanted to get some Italian urns for my front pathway or door. However, on a recent trip to IKEA with a friend, I saw these flower pots for $8 or $9 with the saucer. So, I thought I would use these instead, but just dress them up with a beautiful stencil from Stampin' Up! (If you are my mom, make sure you are close to a box of tissues before you continue reading.)

Did you know they have a line of beautiful stencils? This one is called Adornment. Because this is for an outside project, I needed to use an outdoor acrylic paint from my local craft store.

Click here to see more stencils from Stampin' Up!
My mother is one of the most important artists in my life (happy birthday, mom)! She explored many different artistic fields as a student and displayed her work for her children to enjoy. (Not only did we enjoy seeing her art, it also inspired us. One of my brothers pursued photography, and another brother is a graphic designer. Mom saw our artistic inclination and sent us to Saturday morning art classes when we were young.)

She learned to sew because her mother sewed very well. (Happy posthumous birthday Gran!) She taught us to sew as well, even though we're no where near as good as our grandmother; she'd roll over in her grave if she could see some of the shortcuts we take! So, the sewing I've been doing lately is because of my grandmother and mother.

Then my mother and her friend became artisans. One would sew table linens and the other would stencil their original designs on them. They created many beautiful items and ran their business for about a decade. Mom allowed us to be involved by doing simple things like cutting ribbon, and tying bows with our tiny fingers, and later on hand-stitching mitered corners. (And no, cousins, it was not slave labor! She paid us for the work we did.) It was fun to work beside her. I'm so glad that mom allowed us in her workspace (and also in her kitchen) because it shaped us into who we are today. By day I teach, and by night I still enjoy art and creativity.
So, last month when I was painting these flower pots, she said I was going back to our roots: stenciling. Thanks mom, for giving me roots.

Eco Big Shot Projects

I have shown you some fun Big Shot projects lately, and here are a few more. They're so much fun to do, and easy to make [even my 4 1/2 year-old niece made some]!

This time I used magnetic sheets from Stampin' Up! You get four self-adhesive 6 x 13 sheets for less than $10. Click here to view.

The first few are made with recycled fiber felt and dressed up with some new, fabulous, easy to use embellishments from the new catalog: self-adhesive rhinestones and half back pearls. They instantly add pizazz to your projects!

Click to view the embellishments online rhinestones halfback pearls.

There are so many fun accessories in the new catalog! Click here to download.
Contact me if you'd like to your own copy: bassemjudith@gmail.com

The artwork in the previous two pictures was created by two very special girls!

Continuing with the green-recycled theme, I cut a butterfly from shipping cardboard for the base of this butterfly with the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, and then embossed a scrap of retired DSP with the Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die for the top.

If you'd like to order your own Big Shot, embossing, die cutting machine this is the perfect time! Get it for making back-to-school projects, appreciation gifts, party favors, home decor, scrap-booking...
Order one online between now and 31 August and I will send you ten handmade birthday cards!

Big Shot Fun With Butterflies!

I always loved the Beautiful Butterflies Die, and then I decided to make some projects using felt & this die. I picked up a couple of sheets of felt at a local store, and then hoping to find more colors, I went to a fabric store. Wow! They had so many beautiful colors of felt which were part of their recycled fiber felt. So, not only is the product stunning, it's also eco-friendly.

I started by making a bunch of butterfly hair adornments for my nieces (if you haven't gotten yours yet, then I haven't seen you, and I will be giving one to you soon), and then tried some other projects with them as well, stay tuned... I had so much fun making these that I entered some into a fine craft exhibit at a local gallery. Soon I will be selling them on Etsy.

If you are interested in learning how to use these products, please contact me, and I will be delighted to work with you. If you would like to purchase these products, click on the links or visit my Stampin' Up! website.