Holidays Ahead!

I worked as a florist for many years prior to pursuing my full-time crafting career.  During the holiday season most people requested either red and green, red and white, or white and green flower arrangements.  The limited color palette grew tiring just days into the season,  so I  tried stretching the definition of what "holiday" meant.  It helped with the monotony of the season.

Since those floral days,  I've enjoyed exploring color.

This holiday season, I'm using lots of gold with accents in black, white, chartreuse, and even a little hot pink.   I'm combining lots of metallics with natural elements.  I wanted to make pieces that would work in December, and into the New Year, too.



My favorite color to use at at Christmas is aqua blue - I  love  a 1950-60's  inspired holiday palette and have lots of it on my tree and in my home. I've found some great ribbons and bits to use,  and they'll be showing up in some pieces to come.  

Do you have any favorite holiday colors?  I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

It does seem early to be talking about Christmas, but Christmas Craft Sale season has already started!  I've got several shows on the calendar including Glitter Haus, a very special holiday trunk show I'm organizing with my friends Sarah and Lori.

More on that to come!!    And lots more crafts, too!  I've got lots of wreaths, ornaments and package toppers in the works!

I'm excited to be making them and sharing them with you soon!

Crafting For Fiskars!

This summer, I was so happy to be selected to be a part of the Fiskars design team.   For the next year, I'll be creating DIY projects for their website using all of their awesome crafting tools.   I'm a long-time fan of their products, so it's a dream come true for me.  

Here are a few of the first few projects I've created for Fiskars.    Below each picture, there's a link to the complete instructions for each project, step-by-step photos, and a list of all the Fiskars tools you'll need to make them.  



 Fall Felt Table Runner

 

Simple Sewing Kit

 
 Pencil Flower Posey 

 

 Paper Dolls

To view more projects created by the really awesome crafters on the team, click HERE and visit all the project galleries.   I think you'll be inspired.  

Craft Sale Today!!

If you're looking for something fun to do today,  please come on by the Tacoma is for Lovers Artist Craft Fair at Kings Books!

This sale's theme is "Carnival", and in addition to the crafts, there we'll lots of other fun stuff going on like a Big Top photo booth and face painting!  Fun for all!

Given the theme, I thought it might be fun to make some festive little hats to sell.  Here's a little sample of them...



I'll be bringing a LOT of other stuff too.  I'm having a little inventory reduction sell as well, so come on by and snatch up some deals!!


Hope to see you there!!

Where:  Kings Books
218 St Helens Ave, Tacoma WA

When: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

To learn more,,, click HERE!

A Handful of Hambly

Hambly Screen Prints just launched a line of Washi Tape, and it's been so much fun experimenting with it. The colors and patterns are great, and it's so easy to work with.

I especially love it combined with their overlays. I've always struggled using clear overlays because I've always found it challenging to adhere the sheets without the glue double-sided tape showing through. The tape works so great because it's meant to be visible, so there's nothing you need to try to hide!

Here's a peek at a couple of projects I've made where I've incorporated the tape. Also, a couple of Easter crafts too.

Warm Colors and a Wedding Fair!

I've been working on a new, very vintage-inspired wedding collection and I wanted to share a few images with all of you. I'm using lots of whites mixed with pale, warm tones. I think they would be perfect for a summer or fall wedding too.







I'll be posting these on Etsy soon, but first they'll be making their debut at a the 2nd annual Vintage Wedding Fair at Ghost Gallery in Seattle this Saturday.

Along with these new pieces, I'll be bring along lots of boutonnieres, bouquets, corsages, wedding cake toppers, and my Making Paper Flowers book/kit.

The theme of this year's fair is "All in the Details". The show will feature vintage-inspired vendors showcasing their hair accessories, jewelry, dresses, flowers, paper goods, hair and make-up artist services, favors, sweet treats and more. Guests will receive champagne, light appetizers and the opportunity to meet with a select group of local vendors who can offer unique and affordable options for the wedding day. The fee for the fair is $5.

The show runs from noon to six, but be sure to get there early - the first 25 attendees get a gift bag filled with all sorts of goodies from the vendors.

For more information, please visit their Facebook Page or shoot me an email with any questions.

2nd Annual Seattle Vintage Wedding Fair
"All in the Details"
Saturday, May 14th 2011
504 E Denny Way (at Summit Ave E) Seattle, WA 98122

Looking forward to seeing you there!

A Crafty Wonderland Sneak Peek

I'm all packed up and ready to head down for Portland this weekend for Crafty Wonderland. I LOVE Portland and all the amazing crafters down there, so I'm super excited to be participating in the show.

The past few weeks I've been making lots of new inventory, and also working on some new display ideas.

I made a little cluster of sequined trees to hold the bird pins.



And lots of corsages, boutonnieres, and pins for Moms, weddings and everyday wear.





My booth will be packed with lots of handmade goodies and copies of Making Paper Flowers. If you're in PDX, please come on by!

Hello, Portland!!

Crafty Wonderland is this Saturday, and I am SO excited to be a part of it all! I was just checking out the vendor list, and there are some really awesome artists and crafters participating. Folks, it's going to be good!

I'll be bringing corsages, boutonnieres, paper flowers, and books.

With Mother's Day coming up on Sunday, I wanted to be sure to have LOTS of things for Mom on hand. I'll also be bringing plenty of wedding crafts too.

The past few weeks, I've been pretty focused on paper flower production. My booth will be blooming! Here's a peek...



Please stop by this weekend and say "hi". I look forward to meeting all of you Portlanders!

For full details on the sale, please click HERE!

Hope to see you Saturday!

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Winner

Hello, friends. It's time to announce the winner of our little give-away contest.

And the winner of one hot-off-the-presses signed copy of Making Paper Flowers is ahmcguffin

So, ahmcguffin, please send an email to kittywranger(at)gmail(dot)com and we'll make arrangements for delivery!

Thanks to all who played along!

If you're disappointed you weren't selected, and would like to pick up a copy to call your own, I've still got signed copies available. Just look up in the right hand corner, and put one in your shopping cart.


Thanks, everyone!!

Congrats ahmcguffin!!

See You Saturday!

I've been working hard, trying to build up my Easter inventory for the 2nd Saturdayz Market tomorrow. I've got lots of paper eggs, tiny baskets adorned with bunnies and birds, sweet spring corsages, and paper flowers in lovely pastel hues that I'll be bringing to the sale.

In addition to my Easter crafts, I'll have plenty of non-seasonal stuff, some wedding work, and lots of copies of Making Paper Flowers available.

If you're in the neighborhood, please stop by. It's always a fun sale filled with lots of amazing vintage treasures, and vintage-inspired crafts.

Here's a peek at some of the items I'll be bringing along...







I hope to see you there! For more details, please visit the 2nd Saturdayz BLOG.

Here's Your Chance to Win a Copy of Making Paper Flowers!

Good morning, everyone! I've got one hot-off-the-presses signed copy of my new book/kit, Making Paper Flowers , that I'll be giving away to one lucky reader!



How do you enter? It's easy. Just leave a comment on this post by Friday, April 8th. On Monday, April 11th, I'll randomly select the winner, and announce it on the blog. I'll request that the winner email me with their contact info, and a I'll drop that copy right in the mail.

To learn more about what's inside the book and kit, please visit HERE.

Good luck, everyone!

Show Me The Bunnies!

It's getting springy around here! With Easter just around the corner, I thought I would break out the bunnies and make some boutonnieres.



I'll be setting up shop at 2nd Saturdayz Market this weekend, so if you're in the Seattle area, please hop on over, and say hello. I'll have lots of Eastery things, and I'll be bringing a stack of my book/kit too!

It's always a fun show. There will be lots of great vendors sharing the most amazing vintage and crafty wares.

For full details on the 2nd Saturday show, please visit their website.

To say thanks to you all for the your lovely support, I'm going to giving away a copy of Making Paper Flowers. I'll have full details on that later today, so please stay tuned.

Today is the Day!

It's book release day! YAY! Making Paper Flowers officially hits the shelves of your local Barnes and Noble TODAY!

Here's a stop-motion peek at what's inside...



For all those folks who pre-ordered a signed copy, they'll be shipped out today.

I still have signed copies available, so if you would like one, just look up in the right hand corner of the blog, and add it to your cart.

I swear, I didn't think this day would ever come. Thank you to all who helped make this dream happen.

xoxox

Paper Cocktail Ring DIY

For complete instructions on how to make this Paper Cocktail Ring, please pop on over to the Hambly blog, and read my post.

FINALLY!!!! HOORAY!!!

Nearly two years ago I was contacted by Sterling Publishing (a division of Barnes and Noble) about working with them on a paper flower book and kit. Finally, after a lot of work, and a lot of waiting, it will be hitting shelves of Barnes and Noble on March 25th!

Inside the kit you'll find the book, with lots of colorful photos and instructions to make nine different flowers and several foliages. Also, 36 sheets of crepe paper, floral wire, floral tape, and stamens. The crepe paper in the kit is a really lovely quality, and the colors are great.

I'll be pre-selling signed copies from my blog. I'm working on setting it up now, and will have a "buy now" button shortly. They'll be shipped on March 25th, when the book is officially released.

Yesterday, for the very first time, I got so see an actual copy of the book/kit. I can't even begin to tell what a thrill it was. Sterling did a great job putting the whole package together. It's super cute, and I'm very pleased.

Here's a sneak peek at the final product.

A Whole Lot of Hambly!

I've mentioned before that I'm on the Hambly Screenprints Design Team. Each month, the team members get to play with the beautiful Hambly products, and create projects with the papers.

I'm in love with their product, so it's always a whole lot of fun trying to use in new ways. Here are a few projects I've made over the past few months.

To view more projects by all the team members, please visit the Hambly website. And to pick up some Hambly paper of your own, you can visit their online shop.