Here is another mixed media piece that I created on a 12 x 12 canvas…I used both of my March Scraps of Darkness and March Scraps of Elegance kits together to create this.  My inspiration for this was from a gift bag that I unearthed in my great Studio clean-up of 2012 as well as an Owl based assignment from the on-line Art Journaling class that I am currently taking called The Art of Wild Abandonment!

the Scraps of Elegance March kit is full of beautiful BoBunny Country Garden papers (used one for the background here & the tree) and the Scraps of Darkness March kit is full of the amazing Graphic 45 Old Curiosity shoppe (used in my owl, some of the leaves, sun center, etc.) for complete kit ingredients please visit www.scrapsofdarkness.com or click on the links above.

Here are some up-close photos:

I made this piece for my son’s 1st grade teacher – she loves owls! I am so grateful for the amazing job she has done teaching my child this year! and most importantedly, he loves to read & he loves school!

I also used a bunch of my acrylic stamps and rub-ons that have been in my stash forever!  Projects like this are perfect to use up your stash and a great use for all those paper scraps that accumulate! TFL my friends and I hope you have a blessed and wonderful week!

We are taking the kiddos to the Shrine Circus soon….and I have to admit…I love Circuses, Carnivals, and such.  With that in mind, here is a 12 x 12 canvas, mixed media project that I created – one of the three that I am planning in a Circus series, per se.   I also entered this in CSI’s #11 challenge.

My inspiration for my hand-pieced together clown was from an illustration out of last year’s Shrine circus program, artist unknown.  I used one of the 12 x 12 canvases that I picked up from my local Michael’s – I used a 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper for the background…it is Ferris Wheel from Recollections.  All of the paper used for the clown was from scraps from my Scraps of Darkness kits. Here are some up-close photos:

in the above photo, I’m not sure if you can see…but I hand-stitched shoelaces onto the clown shoes…

I also used buttons and brads to embellish his outfit.

I used twine from my Pink Paislee stash for the balloon strings.

along with a plethora of my stamps, I also used a lot of rub-ons to create all the interest and texture

I also used some ”Puffy” paint for extra dimension.

It’s taken me a bit to get this project up-loaded because I have just recently started the amazing Art Journaling class , The Art of Wild Abandonment…by Junelle Jacobsen via Scarlet Lime.  I have temporarily ”retired” from Design Team work so that I can try out some new art and techniques….and isn’t it just the way it goes….I find that I am as busy as ever!  I really wouldn’t have it any other way!  I hope this has inspired you to create something today!!! God Bless!

Okay….so, yes, I have been on a creative hiatus….BUT….that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy! I have completed a major scrap room re-haul! Only now I fondly call it my ”studio.”  A place all my own….a place that makes me so happy I could almost cry! We ALL need such a place!  I want to give a great big THANK YOU to my dear husband for traveling over 190 miles away to the nearest IKEA store and getting me one of the greatest birthday gifts a girl could ask for EVER! You see…I don’t need diamonds…I just need stuff for my “studio” space. I love your sweetie!

So….before I unveil my studio heaven! here are a few before photos….I must say…it was actually worse than this…but I forgot to take photos before I started to clean out the space in preparation for my great re-do!   It was a bit like “Clean Sweep” – I just moved everything into our “Library” which is actually intended to be a formal dining room…but a formal dining room is just NOT a working room for this family…so we decided on creating a “Library” slash/Computer Area  for the kiddos!

Anyway…here are some BEFORE photos: (prepare yourself )

It is important to note here….this shot above is the actual wall that has been replaced with my new IKEA Expedite shelving! Woo HOO!

Above is a shot of my affectionately named “Leaning Tower of Paper” – so glad to be past this point!

AND drum-roll please….my newly remodeled and extremely inspiring (at least to me) studio space!

Remember that wall I mentioned above…well…this is the same wall….only now it holds 2 of my new “happy birthday” IKEA Expedite shelving units!!!!  SOOOOO worth the $….and a whole lot cheaper than buying the individual scrapbooking room storage shelves that are so popular….the best thing about these shelving units….each “cubicle” is 13 x 13 …the perfect size space for scrapbook paper!

and in case that first photo wasn’t enough…here is another…a photo taken just inside the door-way to my “studio.”

Here are some other shots of some organizing solutions I have come up with along the way:

above is a photo of the retro cassette tape holder that I have had FOREVER…..used for holding and organizing my ink pads.

the above photo is the section of my “studio” that I call Stamping Central…here I have  my stamps…acrylic and wood, separated by type (texture, etc.)….this is a shelf/peg board that I bought for $5 at an Estate Sale in my local area a while back…SCORE!

another great big PERK to these shelves is the space afforded by them at the top….above is a partial exhibit of my ribbon collection…..Yes, I am a ribbon junkie…..I used an over-the-door shoe rack (purchased from W for roughly $8) on it’s side, to store a lot of my ribbon spools…..my other solution for the smaller ribbon spools and smaller amounts of “loose” ribbon are as follows”

Above is a shot of my punch storage solution…I bought 2 very inexpensive, clear shoe holders that hang over-the-door to hold my punches…this one is behind the actual door to my studio…the next one is in the inside of one of the closet doors located inside my studio.

above is one of the Ikea Shelf cubicles close to my desk, that houses all my beloved Chalk Inks…..this is like CANDY to me!

above…some more “candy” to me….my glues, stickles, acrylic paints…a whole lot of joy!

above…another garage sale find…the white peg board..I hung this over the other closet door…on the outside…hung it from an over-the-door coat hanger (as to not leave any holes in the actual closet door ) ….

above…my mists

Here is a photo of my actual work desk…purchased from Target.com by my dear husband a couple of birthdays ago…and the black self-healing mat on top is Ingvild’s newest Prima self-healing mat…the other side is turquoise!!! I put it on the black side as to not mar the gorgeous turquoise side!

Thank you for sharing on my little photo tour of where I actually create! hopefully something I have shared here has inspired the organization of your own creative candy!  It sure inspires me to have a clean, organized space…..I actually completed a new mixed media piece….but now I am off to practice some spelling words with my 1st grader! Thank you for looking!

This is a 16 x 20 canvas piece that I created using my January “Escape” kit and February “Victoriana” kit from www.scrapsofdarkness.com ! I really LOVE butterfly boards and have been wanting to create one for quite some time….my ultimate inspiration for this creation was this image here:

I was inspired by this page in the latest issue of ScrapbooksEtc magazine (April 2012 edition.)

and here is my creation:

I am planning on doing a basic video tutorial on the creation of this project just as soon as I can fit it into my LIFE.    This is my birthday weekend…and I have some Birthday Plans So hopefully,  at the latest, this up-coming week!

In the meantime, here are some up-close photos….this project has A LOT of dimension that just doesn’t come through on this presentation photo!

Above photo taken in some in-direct sun-light.

for a complete list of supplies on the Scraps of Darkness kits click HERE.  Other supplies used here are:

ModPodge matte, Butterly Rub-Ons from Hobby Lobby, AdTech Glue gun and extra long glue sticks, Plaid acrylic paint in various colors, bubble wrap, shelf liner, tons of various stamps,  Staz-on black ink pad. various colored ink pads from Close T0 My Heart, color-box chalk ink, printed sticker words from the Girls Paperie.

TFL! and I hope I have inspired you to create something today! and BTW, I think this looks AMAZING in my Den/Playroom!

I have been taking a bit of a creative break….organizing….cleaning…getting my house in order so to speak!  BUT, in the midst of all the work I have accomplished, organizing ”My So-Called ”life” (loved that show btw) -  I cleaned and organized my creating space…well, after that,  I had to stop and create!  Nothing really inspires me more than organizing my crafty stuff! and with that said…here is a layout I created in the midst of all the work, using the exquisite February kit from www.scrapsofdarkness.com called,  ”Victoriana.” I was totally inspired by the Color Room’s Sketch/color palette #97  for the creation of this!

 This is my sweet nephew Lucas…back in 2005 when we went to Washington State for my grandpa’s funeral.   This photo was taken at the top of Mt. Rainier….in the parking lot of the resort hotel.  Lucas has always been the sweetest child….wise, way-beyond his age!

Here are some up-close detailed photos:

Thanks for looking!

In case you haven’t heard the lucky winner to the Scraps of Elegance kit club 3 months subscription is JENNAROO! Congrats!!!

AND NOW, the winner of my blog give-away…..using Random.org….the lucky winner of the Flower Shoppe Cricut cartridge is

DRUMROLL, please…..

DenayC

Denayc, please send me an e-mail at nancola@msn.com with your address so I can get this cartridge sent right out to you.  If you do not have a Cricut and would like an alternate prize, please let me know!  Super Congrats girl! And thank you to everyone for playing along on this Blog-Hop and signing up to follow my blog.  I love having give-aways, and I’m planning on another one real soon!!!! Happy Sunday!!!!

Today marks the reveal of the gorgeous new sister scrapbook kit club to www.scrapsofdarkness.com – Scraps of Elegance! And to celebrate in style…Scraps of Elegance is having a blog hop with chances to win some GREAT prizes! If you are already in the midst of the blog hop then you should have come from Scraps of Darkness’ Design Team member Karolina Stopyra’s blog.  If not…then you can start the Blog Hop HERE.  I will post your next hop at the end of my post…so hang in there

The carefully chosen beautiful papers from Kaisercraft Sweet Nothings, Websters Pages Western Romance and Melissa Frances 5th Avenue Collection along with the  wonderful embellishments and unique vintage items

are the perfect mix for you to create something beautiful to compliment your most treasured photos.

You can see the full list of kit ingredients at  http://scrapsofdarkness.com/ScrapsOfElegance.html .

And as if that wasn’t  enough….Scraps of Elegance kit club is so proud and honored, and well, I’m downright EXCITED,  to introduce one of the most coveted designers in the industry helping to show off this enchanting new line of kits….drum-roll please!

GABRIELLE POLLACCO

You won’t want to miss the gorgeous work she’s done with this kit!

(The designers will address the eligibility of international participants individually on each of their blogs)

Here is a 15 x 20 canvas piece I created with this gorgeous new kit for Valentine’s Day!

I hope this has inspired you to create something beautiful today…AND to check out this exquisite new Kit and Kit club!

Okay…so now you are off to your next stop on this blog-hop… Escape Kitty’s blog!

Good Luck!!!! I will also be announcing the winner of for my part of the blog-hop on SUNDAY!!!

Today is the reveal of the gorgeous new kit, ESCAPE, over at www.scrapsofdarkness.com ! AND I have created my first ever video tutorial for one of my creations with this kit! Click HERE to check out my short video!

And here is the creation I made from this kit featured in the above-mentioned video:

and here is another photo…Ihad a hard time photographing this due to the glare of the glass frame:

how this was created and tons of up-close photos can be found in the video!

Today also marks some exciting news from Scraps of Darkness:

To Quote the Scraps of Darkness’blog: “We are expecting a new baby! No, nobody here is pregnant, as far as I know, but Scraps of Darkness is going to have a new little sister.

On February 1st, we will reveal a new line of kits, Scraps of Elegance. These kits will be a little different from what you are used to seeing from Scraps of Darkness, and we are honored to have a very talented surprise guest designer who will be helping us to show off our first Scraps of Elegance kit. In addition to that (as if that isn’t a lot!), we’ll be having a blog hop to kick it all off, so set your calenders to stop back on February 1, 2012! ”

This new venture is sure to dazzle us all!

Happy New Year!  Now that the hustle and bustle of the holiday season has ebbed…whew! I sat down in my scrap-room not especially knowing what I wanted to create, but just wanting to CREATE! and this is what came of it.  I was inspired by a wall-hanging I saw in a photo of the studio space at Scrapbooks Etc. magazine…and this phrase really inspired me.  So…I created this 12 x 12 layout to hang in my room.  I used a lot of old stuff on this….some Colorbok papers & swirls, some Pink Paislee baker’s twine (used in the hand-stitching), Pink Paislee chipboard alpha stickers, some tiny little thread spools that I scored at a garage sale awhile back, some ephemera that I have been hoarding, some pages from an old Webster’s dictionary, a pair of 49 cent scissors that I painted a baby pink, and other odds and ends.

Now go and create something great!

Happy Holidays everyone! Hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Christmas and wishing you many more blessings for 2012!  What a crazy season with 2 small kiddos! We had a wonderful Holiday…but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I am glad that it is over!!!  It was magical…but exhausting! Now that the bustle of the season is wrapping to a close I wanted to share some last minute Christmas gifts that I created using my December kit from www.scrapsofdarkness.com – the first project is candle wraps and the second is a 15 x 20 canvas….detailed shots will follow the initial project!!! TFL my friends!!! and keep on creating!!!!

Paper Candle wraps

15 x 20 Canvas Project Dream It then Do It