Let's Catch Up!

Hey everyone! Long time, no see. I know. 

Lots and lots going on in my world...always. That never changes. I've lately withdrawn from social media for various reasons and also from blogging. As many of you know, I also have a homesteading blog where I share a lot of our real life home practices which includes a from-scratch lifestyle, raising a variety of animals for different purposes, and striving to maintain simplicity- all the while raising 3 young kids and being a "stay at home mom" who works multiple part-time jobs both inside and outside of the home. So I've realized the need to disconnect a bit more from my online life and focus more of my available energy toward the everyday demands of my actual life. Get what I mean?

So in an effort to maintain that balance, blogging has become rather secondary. I didn't mean to take this big of a break and I apologize. And I wanted to take the opportunity today to catch up on some Prima projects that I've done in the past couple months. I hope you enjoy :)

"Hello" Tag

This tag was created using my favorite of the new releases from Prima, the "Butterfly" Collection designed by Jodie Lee. To say I love this range would be an understatement.The patterns, images, and color palette are a dream come true. I'm really into purple at the moment, so this one is right up my alley.

I've paired the papers with flowers new and old, as well as some gorgeous embellishments. The frame seen here is from the new "Timeless Memories" trinkets packs.

"Fall in Love" Card

Another new release from Prima is Frank Garcia's "The Archivist" collection. In Frank's true style, you will find lots of neutral colors and awesome patterns. This is one of those collections that you just have to have as it is so versatile. 

I've used one of the new Prima Mixed Media stamps here to create the messy butterfly background. And the brown egg carton flowers are amazing- they are super thick and durable which makes them perfect for mixed media!

"Love is Beauty" Tag

The "Bella Rouge" collection is bold and gorgeous. I've paired the papers here with new flowers and new Finnabair Art Ingredients. Microbeads, glass beads, and new Color Bloom sprays add to the textured mixed media background here.

"Happy Moment" Tag

 Another project featuring the "Butterfly" collection. A bit of fussy cutting here brought this tag to life :).

Bedtime Story Mini Album

If you've got little kids, you've got to have the "Bedtime Story" collection! The vintage children's book theme offers diversity and so much interest to an album like this one. 

Lots of new flowers, brads, wood icons, crystals, and other embellishments helped me out along the way.

There you have it, folks! I hope I didn't overwhelm you too much- I know there's a lot of images in this post today. :)

And as the week enters the weekend, I hope life is treating you well. We've had some unusually nice weather around here- a week ago it was -20 F and now we're in the 40's. Although we have several feet of snow yet and March typically shows us our biggest snow storms, it's a welcome break from our always-too-long winter. I'm starting my seeds inside this weekend and have been anxiously planning for our biggest garden yet with so many dreams and plans to be fulfilled.

I wish you all the best. And I hope to see you soon!

xErin

An Exciting Opportunity!!

I'm so happy to share the little secret I've been holding on to for a while now. 

My sister Kelly Foster and I were offered the opportunity to design a limited edition mixed media kit for C'est Magnifique, called the "Magnifique Mixed Media" kit. We had a lot of fun collaborating and putting this kit together, and much to our surprise- it sold out in a matter of hours!!

"Autumnal Bliss"

With any new venture, there's always a bit of uncertainty. Will people like it? Will people want it? 

Will we make fools of ourselves?? LOL. 

Apparently, it was well received~ thank-you to everyone for your support!

We're happy to announce that YES, we WILL be having a December kit! What makes it unique is that it can coordinate with the regular kit for that month from C'est Magnifique, or as its own, stand alone kit. And you don't have to be a subscriber to C'est Magnifique- anyone can purchase one. But if you missed out this time, you might want to consider subscribing so that you don't miss out on the next.

Kelly and I will both be creating projects for your inspiration.

Here's a peek at one of my projects using the sold out "Autumnal Bliss" kit:

Check back on Monday, November 4th for the full reveal :)

Have a wonderful day!

Webster's Pages Mixed Media!

**For my August giveaway, please go HERE**

Good morning, sweet friends!! I've got a post up at the Webster's Pages blog for the first time, and let me tell you- THAT is exciting!! I got to work with their beautiful new Park Drive collection, and decided to go in a different direction with it, using an 8x10 canvas. I've also put together a little tutorial for you to give a little insight into how I achieved my background.

Let's take a look...

"The Eyes Have It"

I really had a lot of fun putting this one together. Sometimes it's just liberating to let yourself go and do whatever...and truly, Webster's Pages products are PERFECT for a mixed media project like this one. Here's some step-by-step instructions for you if you're interested:

Step 1: Mix red and pink gelatos together, applying color to the edge of the canvas. Spritz the canvas with water and use your finger to blend colors together.

Step 2: Apply gesso. I simply scooped some up with a folded scrap of photo paper and scraped it across the canvas. Some punched bits of paper got mixed in with the gesso, but the smattering of confetti was okay by me :).

Step 3: Lay a mask across the top of your canvas and spritz brown mist, then pink mist over it. Do this at the top left and bottom right corners. This gives your canvas a bit more depth and dimension. (And any mask will work well!)

Step 4: Add papers! I hand-cut a section of this paper:

Then I crumpled the paper and then added it to the canvas. Next, I cut the hot air balloon from the B-side of th paper along with some of the flowers on THIS SHEET, our Margaret paper. A few banners, a touch-up of gesso and the canvas is photo ready.


I loved this little quote from Air Supply - sometimes I just like to sit and peruse the internet for quotes and poetry related to kids...just to get me thinking, and to remind myself of how fortunate I am to have three little ones to call my own :).

Step Five: Add some texture paste to the upper right and lower left areas of the canvas, giving the canvas that last bit of detail to make it even more interesting.



Just add some bling and pearls and you're set!

Webster's Pages Products Used:

"Park Drive" ~ Margaret Paper

"Park Drive" ~ In the Paper Paper

"Park Drive" ~ Trails Paper

"Girl Land" ~ Storyteller Alpha Stickers

"Girl Land" ~ Bling Srip

"In Love" ~ Bling Strip

Other Products Used:

Scrap FX Decorative Frame B Oval

Tattered Angels "Coffee Shop" & "Cotton Candy" Glimmer Mist

Martha Stewart White Texture Effect

Authentique Word Stickers

Doilies

Gesso

So glad you stopped by! Take care and we'll be seeing you soon :),