Mostly Magic

The new Feed Your Craft kit is here, and well, it's magical, or....mostly magic, because all of life might not be pure magic, but a lot of it really is.  

With a nod to fairies and woodland magic, to books and Mr. Potter's world, to magic kingdoms and more, this kit is full of color, hope, and the kind of wishes we're sure are just about to come true.

It's so much fun to use, from layouts to small stamped and painted messages to leave for the next person who happens upon them, to handmade notebook covers (more in the video).  Speaking of videos, here's a short unboxing of what you'll find in the kit:

I cannot wait to see this kit out in the wild as part of your memories and creations, but for now, another shot of what I've made already (I can already tell this one is going to get tons of use), and a reminder that you can grab yours here.

Lend a Hand - Leading Ladies

They're here! They're here!  Okay, now that my overly excited cheering is behind us, I am so excited to share the two newest Leading Ladies from Ellen Hutson, the Teacher Lady and the Medical Lady.  By popular request, these ladies were born out of what we all know to be true - the ladies we love who work in these fields are incredible, thoughtful, often selfless supporters doing amazing work in the world.

It was so much fun dreaming up the accessories for this bunch, thinking of some of the items they'd need to do their jobs and make life easier, and like always, I couldn't wait to stamp, color, cut, and play with all those little bits.

What I love about the Medical Lady is that she could be a nurse, or a doctor, a physician's assistant, radiologist, or so, so much more. I couldn't help but include a few sentiments for our furrier friends, too, because I was picturing her as a Veterinarian, caring for all those pets the Cat and Dog Ladies brought with them.

I also had a little fun with the shape that was left after cutting out the Medical Lady from white cardstock and whipped up a little tag to attach the next time I find myself offering an apologetic peace offering:

Of course, the Medical Lady isn't the only helper hitting the scene this month - the Teacher Lady makes my heart pitter patter.  A former teacher myself, I love that she can hold a arm full of equipment, but still put it all down and get to work when she needs to. She makes me think of all the fantastic ladies who teach in so many ways, and in so many places - in the classroom, at home, on the field, in the water. She shares what she knows, and she really makes her mark.

I have lots more ideas for what these ladies will do, but for now, I am just so excited they're here and ready to be put to use by so many creative people.

She's so class-y, that one.

You can grab your own ladies, both stamps and dies, in the Ellen Hutson shop, now!

Glass Half Full

It's here!!!  Can you tell I'm excited?  My latest kit for Feed Your Craft release today, and I couldn't be any happier to share it with you. Packed with bright, sunny colors, and focusing on the good. It's slanted towards the optimistic, not because everything in life is always rosy, but because we can choose to find the flowers, the see the good, when we want to, and this kit id here to help you celebrate that.

I used almost the entire kit to make a mini album about our new furry family member, Augustus Roosevelt, and along with a quick unboxing, you can watch a walkthrough of the book here:

Some of my favorite pages from that little book:

and this one...

I hope you'll love this kit as much as I do, and I cannot wait to see what you make using it!  Grab your own kit here in the Feed Your Craft Shop!

Get Out of Town - Leading Ladies Style

I am so excited to share that the Leading Ladies are not only getting out of town, but this release there are three ladies going to their favorite places for a little fun and relaxation.  Whether it's the beach, the woods, or a city stroll, these ladies are adventure bound! It's release day over at Ellen Hutson, and I cannot wait to share it all with you.

I had so much fun playing with these sets that I made a stack of cards, and I know that's just the start. 

What makes this release even more fun is that we're also releasing a pattern stamp that can be used to give these ladies unique accessories, or create fun backgrounds! I used the patterns both ways as I worked on these cards, and I have a feeling that stamp is going to be one I reach for over and over again.

And of course, as with every release, I love those little accessories for the ladies almost as much as them, and I couldn't wait to put this little crab to work.  This is totally my crabby resting "beach" face - sand is not my friend. Ha!

...and these newspapers while channeling Mary Tyler Moore.

Yeah, I might never recover from my love for these bits and pieces.  I mean, that thermos!

I'm off to find a dress like the one I made for this beach lady, but if you need these sets in your life, too, you can grab them in the Ellen Hutson shop now!

Have a favorite of the three?  Let me know - I can't want to see how everyone uses them!

Week in the Life 2018

Another year of WITL in the books, and even with trying something new with a size change (3x8), this is still my favorite project. You can read more about the project on Ali's site if you're new to it, and you can see my 2015, 2016, and 2017 albums here (that's as far back as I took photos of them).

Show & Tell

Show & Tell is here!  I love this new kit I designed for the Feed Your Craft shop so dang much, and I'm so excited to share it with you.  After creating the Mark Your Place book themed kit, I'd been thinking a lot lately about the other characters who've been a big part of my life outside books and well, you know, the "real" people I meet in life.  I could stop thinking about Kathleen Kelly from You've Got Mail, or Jareth from Labyrinth, Sophia Petrillo from the Golden Girls, or Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec.  There's something about seeing someone else's story played out on the screen that carries a bit of magic with it, all the moments we relate to, and the ones we really can't, but we're just so excited to live vicariously through another for a while.

I seriously cannot get enough of that yellow typewriter, and I wonder why I can't make my drawings real some days. I used the kit to make a spread about the documentaries and podcasts I watch and listen to on repeat while I work, things that are such a huge part of my life right now, but I forget to document.

While it was tough to find out that we wouldn't be able to offer the same embellishments as the last few kits due to the manufacturer no longer being available, I am so thankful that Elise is on the hunt for new options and is adding in digital printable sheets of the images - I cannot tell you how many of some of these I am going to need to print and use. Actually, now is the perfect time to share an unboxing of the whole kit, and talk to you more about what goodness is included this month:

And, as if I couldn't be excited enough for this release, an Extravagant Hope stamp set here!  This set coordinates with my monthly digital shop releases, but also holds up very nicely on its own.  Full of good words and layerable imagery, it's a set I've found myself reaching for over and over since it came in the mail.  I used it along with my April Extravagant Hope release to make this spread:

Grace and space...what more could one need some days?

I have a feeling these won't last too long, so you can pick up your Show & Tell kit, Extravagant Hope stamp set, or, if you're one who missed the Mark Your Place stamp set (there's a restock!), all in the Feed Your Craft shop now!

Big, HUGE, crazy grateful thanks in advance for all your support!

Hold Tight

Every time we release a kit, I feel like I come to this space and tell you it's my favorite so far, and while I know that seems silly, I find myself here again this release wanting to tell you that Hold Tight, available today, is my very favorite so far.

Inspire by what we gather - memories, flowers, objects, people, stories - and we what hold close, this kit is bursting with florals, nostalgia, and most of all, COLOR.

The stamp set was designed with build-ability in mind - perfect for layering florals and good words, with so many options to help you say what you need to say. I cannot get enough of that flora block - with color added or without, it's my favorite.

And, because you love them as much as we do, another month of puffy stickers and die cuts!

I used the kit to complete another Project Life spread, and it came together so easily.  Except for the February card, everything was from the kit - I LOVE that!

I am so glad these kits come with the digital card files because I will need to print lots more of some of these cards.

I made a quick and dirty unboxing video of the kits, and you can see it here:

You can grab your own kit and some other extras in the Feed Your Craft shop!  Thank you for all your support and excitement so far about this release!

Extravagant Hope: January

It started with a poem (it so often does with me). The Paris Review Instagram feed posted a bit of a poem from Roger Mitchell, one they'd published, and I'd read back in 2007, before I was married, before we moved to Washington, before, before, before (it always feels like there's more than one lifetime behind us). Anyways, what I want to say is that it was a poem about giving away a box of books, and the last line, the one in which the poet is offering up these old pages of adventures for someone new to find, ends with this about what the new owner can do with the books: "put [...] on the shelf above his bed to protect him / from a life without extravagant hope."  Extravagant Hope! I was hooked.  I carried the line with me for weeks before I had any clue what to do with it, mesmerized by the idea that what we read and create is what gives us hope, keeps us going, and that there even could be such a thing as hope that is extravagant, over the top, full of life, and well, gusto! 

I'm no Pollyanna, but I also am not a Debbie Downer, always riding the middle, seeing the bad, talking about it (because we should!), but also always, always, looking for the good. As the new year approached, I realized that it was also time for a new monthly digital project for my shop, and I with the last line of the poem knocking on my head and my heart, Extravagant Hope was born. 

On the first of each month, I'll release a new set of digital prints and cards in my shop, and while I plan to mix it up from time to time with varying sizes and other pieces, there will always be a full sized 8x10 print included, because sometimes we just need good words and important reminders BIGGER. I also plan to always include a smaller size of the print, too, for those of us with less space, or who want our reminders in all the places. I am so excited about experimenting with new designs, finally having a place to share all those words I love to illustrate and share, but never seem to make the time to offer in my shop, much to the chagrin of everyone who's asked. I'm looking forward to making designs that are hopeful, yes, and also just really lovely and useful for whatever we need (Project Life, Planner add-ins, cards, framed prints - or if you're me, prints washi taped to your wall).

This month's collection has a lot of white space in the designs, due in part, no doubt, because I've been in the new year cleaning/purging mode, and the brightness feels light and spacious, which is what I so desperately need after feeling overrun by stuff. 

Every month will also include a letter from me - a bit about what's happening that month, what inspired the kit's designs and the quotes/lines I've chosen, maybe what I've been reading or listening to that lead me to those words,  and hopefully always evidence of extravagant hope.

I won't usually share these letters here, they'll come as a PDF in the set, but I wanted to share January's because it's probably the best way I can show you what's going on behind the scenes of these designs.

You can pick up the digital kit here, and I really hope you do! I'd love to see what you make with these cards, or how you incorporate the prints into your days, so please make sure to tag me if you share them online. BIG, HUGE, MULTITUDINOUS thanks and love for your support which makes all of this possible. I'll never be able to tell you how much it all means to me.