Sunday, February 28, 2010

follow your bliss

So, the house is very quiet at the moment. I'm uploading recent layouts and was skimming through my google reader. I have an overwhelming feeling at the moment. elated. humbling. grateful. Is it possible to feel all these emotions at once? :)
Let me try to explain... the emails and comments about my dad really touched me. I know I've said this before but I have the raddest blog readers!! Thank you so so much. For your support, your comments and for being you.
I also am completely thrilled seeing beautiful creations with Dear Lizzy products. And how humbling it is to have such talented people excited about it... even if it's a simple rub on of my handwriting. Seeing what others' are creating is an absolute treat.
Here's some recent pages:

Loving the new Jenni Bowlin products & how cool it looks mixed with American Crafts.
Dear Lizzy: "Follow Your Bliss" & bee rubons, green dot paper, banner paper, dresses paper,crochet flowers, Accent thickers "dreams." Pretty AC Floral paper. Bingo Card, Buttons, Pin, Rhinestone Button, Tickets
Back in November we were just about finished with the Spring line when I wanted to do a photo shoot to recreate the feeling of the line. The only difficult part was that it was mid November and not quite springtime. But cute Jefra and I found the only patch of green and pulled it off. It was literally freezing... like our fingers were numb and noses frozen by the end, but it was still fun!
A page about my cutie pie!

The cool swirl at the bottom of the page is this paper, floral paper, Typewriter font thickers, Journaling spot, "Thinking of you makes me smile" badge, "sweet" dimensional sticker, Woodgrain paper

Remember when I mentioned there would be some cool additions on my blog? Well, I started another blog over here=> www.dearlizzy.typepad.com
It's where I will be posting more in-depth about products, behind the scenes of the process and my favorite aspect-your projects! Check it out.
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Sunday, February 28, 2010 25 comments
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Friday, February 26, 2010

smiling rainboots

Avery is on her fourth pair of rain boots in the 3 years of her adorable, little life. She's tromping around in her third pair of green froggie boots and one pair of kittie boots. All found at Target.
It must be the smiles looking up at her that she loves or the fashion statement with the bright colors or the fact that they keep her feet dry in these slushy months.
Nope, scratch that last one. She definitely doesn't like them for their functionality or usefulness.
It's gotta be the smiles.

I used the sequence of photos like the one above in one of my favorite pages from my book. It was also the first page I made for the book. The challenge was to use shaped photos on your page. I diecut all my photos using the Cricut and the Indie Art cartridge.
Happy Friday!
Picked up 3 boxes of Dear Lizzy supplies today after a meeting at American Crafts. So, I will be busy this weekend crafting away. Any fun plans?
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Friday, February 26, 2010 35 comments

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

cute quote

Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Wednesday, February 24, 2010 28 comments

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

peaceful

(c) Creating Keepsakes Magazine May 2008

Having a peaceful day thinking of this great man. My dad.
14 years ago today he passed away...
Scrapbooking about him can be difficult because it brings up emotions and sadness but at the same time it is healing for me to record memories and share stories that I don't want to fade away. For the above page, I thought about what I would do if we had one more day together...
Sometimes I wish that it would get easier with time but I actually miss him more. Knowing with all my heart I'll see him again is the only thing that gets me through regret to feeling safe & comforted.

I really appreciate Amanda Probst blog Good Grief... a scrapbooking journey through loss and healing.
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Tuesday, February 23, 2010 53 comments
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Monday, February 22, 2010

sisters are the best


Today I was on Studio 5 and this time I told my sisters, Camille, Ashley & even Taimi to come with me. They carried around their flip videos the whole time and said they were making a documentary. They are so cute! Love them so much!
Camille ended up being a model for my segment. I was showing how to make sash belts embellished with handmade fabric flowers... she's wearing one of them. I'll show close ups and more details soon.
Of course during the segment I missed my whole explanation on how to attach them to the sash. :)
Last night I was getting some of the details ready for the show so I asked Collin to choose the winners for the giveaway. So funny- he gave all the winners nicknames. See if you won here.
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Monday, February 22, 2010 22 comments
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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Giveaway Winners!!

Hey Ladies and Gent(s)!
This is Collin.
I get to do the honors of announcing the winners to last week's giveaways, mainly because Liz hates not letting everyone win....what a softie.

Believe it or not I looked through every comment with Liz and boy were there some good ones. There was poem, desperate cries, lady who said something like, "I don't ever win, just wanted to say 'Hi' to Collin!" I...had the....eh.....sorry, it's so hard to focus right now, there's a Russian figure skating couple dressed in fake plants and face paint on TV right now.

Drumroll? (P.S. I'm giving you all nicknames)

Winner of the Dear Lizzy Product and tote is........The Chlo-ster! Get some!
Blogger Chloe said...

Lizzy, you seriously have no idea how super duper totally 100% over the moon excited I would be to receive that beautiful tote full of your incredible new products!!! I am in love!!! I hate to beg, but please please please pick me!!!

February 18, 2010 4:03 AM

Next, the Winner of the Peachy Cheap box of scrapbooking goodness..........D-Tullis! Boo-Yah!
Donna Tullis said...

yeeeehawwwww....i have EVERYTHING crossed...toes, fingers, eyes...you name it...i got it crossed...plus throwing some salt over the shoulder and rubbing my lucky rabbits foot...your stuff is so fresh and inspiring, thanks so much for allowing us girls to enjoy our lil peeks into your life and creativity...you really are a ray of sunshine!

And Finally, the winning the awesome class by the Purkenator is .......Lucky Lucinda! (And Lucinda, I know you meant "Collin" when you said, "You are my hero", but please, I am not a role-model.)
Lucinda said...

Ooh, pick me, pick me! I would be so excited to win any of the giveaways, but I would be in pure heaven if I won the dear lizzy bag! I read your blog everyday- you are my hero!

February 18, 2010 9:22 AM

For the rest of you, chin-up Charlie. I'm sending you all a personal e-hug....there it was. Feel the love.

Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Sunday, February 21, 2010 40 comments
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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Loving Lately


This time of year I seem to gravitate towards anything with a pop of yellow.
1 J Crew shirt
2 Anthropologie necklace
3 Bright Sunshiny Day by Farouche
4 I love these bowls that sit on my kitchen window sill from Anthropologie.
5 Adorable J Crew kids styling.
6 Sunshine clips from Old Soul, New Heart. They have such cute hair accessories!

PS You can still enter the giveaway below!
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Thursday, February 18, 2010 34 comments

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

three time's a charm

Did you notice my new blog header and the fun little tabs across the top...? There are some other cool blog additions going on around here. I'll have some more details but for now...

Three time's a charm! That's why today you have 3 chances to win something fabulous!
No. 1 A tote bag with some Dear Lizzy products to match. At cha we handed these bags out at our tea party. So they are not only super cute but you can't get them anywhere else.


No. 2 Peachy Cheap is giving away over $110 worth of scrapbooking products!
www.Peachy Cheap.com offers deals 50-85% off on scrapbook and craft supplies. They offer one deal per day, so you need to act fast or you will miss out. Once they are gone, they are gone. Be sure to add them to your favorites list and check everyday so you don’t miss out on all the great deals!

Today’s deal is the same as the giveaway 73% off a Laundry Line kit from My Minds Eye. It is worth over $110.00. That is over $80.00 in savings!!! Make sure you get yours today before they are gone!



No. 3 And last, but certainly not least--Kelly Purkey is such a fabulous scrapbook designer and was one of the contributors for my book. She is offering a free spot to her first online class!! How to jumpstart your page with a shot of inspiration. Her pages are amazing so I can't wait to see what inspiration she uses before she creates!!


Leave a comment to win--- I'll choose a winner Friday.

Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Wednesday, February 17, 2010 1335 comments
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

polaroid heart

For awhile it seemed I was spotting the polaroid shaped heart everywhere and it was calling my name. The trouble was I didn't know where to put it. I have big plans for our favorite song lyrics above the piano but it needed something right away... for a couple reasons. First, that wall was feeling very neglected and second because Collin has been playing the piano lots lately and it's not fun to stare at a wall... since we moved the piano away from the window.

A couple tips if you want to make your own wall I used these 3M command strips. Same adhesive strips I used for the random K collage.
I also used a mix of real polaroid, Polaroid Notes these are so awesome and made my own. I scanned in a polaroid. Next, I sized it to make sure it was actual size. Then I edited and cropped photos & dropped them onto the scan & saved them individually. Last, printed them out. Also, Polaroid has a website that will change any photo you have into a polaroid here. I laid out the polaroids on the ground how I want them. Measured the photos on the ground then measured the wall and marked where the bottom was. I started from the bottom up... is anyone still reading this? ;)
My favorite songs right now that Collin plays and sings (Quincey loves singing along) The Hardest Part and Death & All His Friends both by Coldplay. Apologize by One Republic is pretty rad too.
Oh, I can't forget Christmas Monkey. What? You've never heard of that one. It's a new track by Avery. Two words--Christmas Monkey over and over and over to the tune of Jingle Bells.
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Tuesday, February 16, 2010 37 comments
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Monday, February 15, 2010

more than paper and glue

This is probably one of my favorite pages of all time... and not because I used Dear Lizzy products (although that was pretty cool) but because of the meaning behind the page. Creativity isn't just about the end result to me. It's about the process. I create for so many different reasons and this page specifically was for meaning.
As I glued down each butterfly wing the sweetest thoughts and moments fluttered through my mind.
Thoughts about how blessed I am to be a mommy, of our family, of how fast time goes by, what I've learned about myself and how I want to grow, what I want to teach through example. So now when I look at this page there is so much more to it than paper and glue.

Don't ever change who you are to fit in. Remember your divine worth. Find you. Be you. I love you.

Supplies: Dear Lizzy: music note paper, tiny heart paper, glitter typewriter thickers (coming soon), favorite pen
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Monday, February 15, 2010 56 comments
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Sunday, February 14, 2010

happy love day

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxooxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxooxoxo
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Sunday, February 14, 2010 15 comments

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

love seat

(c) Creating Keepsakes Magazine

Melt my heart.
Love these self timer pictures you'll remember from this post.

This page is for CK's Tip and Tricks article by the darling Megan.
A couple simple steps to add some glitz to your pages. For one, I painted Tim Holtz Grungeboard with Crackle Paint (worn lipstick) then to add some glitter I used Distress Stickles. Every heart needs to sparkle. I also added Stickles to the foam letters for my title.
American Crafts: Rubons, Thickers, Patterned Paper: String of Hearts, Dots
Adhesive badge: "Love Seat" was so perfect for this layout!
Cutest- love note Metal Charm

Just wanted to share! :)

Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Wednesday, February 10, 2010 44 comments
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Tuesday, February 9, 2010

l♥ve l♥ve l♥ve


The hearts used for one of the banners in my Valentine's decor were cut from this cute paper by Little Yellow Bicycle. Then I sewed them together with my sewing machine-I just kept the pedal to the metal while quickly feeding the hearts through. I doubt my machine likes that! ;)
It was really simple and fast. You can also cut hearts from paper you have... I just liked the mix of patterns from the heart paper.

This photo was one of the first times I used Totally Rad Action's textures. I love how you can push a button to run the action then use the eraser tool in Photoshop (I use CS3) to erase where you don't want the texture. The action ran for this one was the Dirty Diana.
Loving the contrast of the soft focus, pretty colors with the rough texture.
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Tuesday, February 09, 2010 16 comments
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Sunday, February 7, 2010

La La Love You

♪ The best part of waking up ♫... isn't Folgers in your cup but coffee filter garlands.
Since Spark, my cha Dear Lizzy Booth and now Valentine's decor I've gone through 1800 coffee filters. 3 jumbo packs. Sheesh that doesn't include Rhonna and Margie's. After we took down all the garlands for Spark, which was A LOT, even Collin missed them. So I was happy to decorate for Valentine's Day & if you've been to Dear Lizzie boutique the entrance to their store is so fabulous! Right then and there I knew I needed some filter fun strung for February.
The La La Love You print I got a couple years ago and used it for inspiration in my book. One of the jars is filled with cute plastic conversation hearts and the other one is filled with love notes. (Margie had love notes in her booth at cha and I loved reading one everyday.)
The heart boxes are my favorite-with the big chunky hanging crystals from House of 3. My Spark sister Rhonna posted a tutorial for making the coffee filter flowers on her blog. She's very serious in the video but don't let that fool you. If she could she would have been squealing and dancing around while she filmed! x0 There was a hot glue gun involved so that was probably why. ;)
The X & O are wood letters I got from Roberts then glittered the heck out of them. I forgot to spray paint them before. Painting them about the same color of the glitter helps with coverage. Since I must of been too excited to start modpodging I forgot that step, which wasn't that bad just meant lots more sparkle. Okay possibly some frustration which led to trash talking the glitter too.

Looking at this reminds me... it's time for new family photos. Any recommendations? Wish Maggie was closer!!
Loving this song: Corner by Allie Moss
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Sunday, February 07, 2010 46 comments
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Saturday, February 6, 2010

Instax Carousel

Have a splendid day!!

The carousel of instax photos is making me happyyyyy this weekend. Also, I used some of my new products: the crochet flowers and "Have a splendid day" is from a Dear Lizzy stamp set. I haven't seen those on sale yet... but I saw some Dear Lizzy at 2 peas here.
Also, the fabulous Lucy, Brittany, Gretchen and the rest of my southern girlfriends from Scrap Etc Scripts are putting together a kit full of Dear Lizzy goodies!! (it's sold out now)

Photo carousel: 7 Gypsies
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Saturday, February 06, 2010 20 comments
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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Spark & Studio 5

Earlier this week we were thrilled when Mindy from Studio 5 (a local morning show) asked us if they could spotlight Spark (our creative event). Mindy asked where we should film the question/answer part of the segment with the 3 of us Spark girls. The answer was easy... Dear Lizzie (a magical little store and bistro. The same place where we had the Spark Soiree & they hosted my Book Party.) It's also the place where we thought of Spark. The 3 of us met for lunch... thinking we would just be chatting... but instead we left with an event ready to plan.

Yesterday I headed up to Studio 5 where they shared our segment about Spark and we talked about 5 tips to Spark Your Creativity. I've been on the show 5 times now and I swear I am still so nervous. My sister was over at my house yesterday and we laughed so hard at some of the funny things I said. Like when my mind went blank... "What do you think Darin?" haha "Shall, I read one?" Trying to pronounce Csikszentmihalyi. Oh, the beauty of live television.
One of the tips I shared was Don't Force It. I explained that something I've adapted into my creative process is to find my inspiration first, then create. I shared a fun idea from Rhonna Farrer. Her 100 creative exercises. She pulls one out of a jar before she sits down to create. They are such great prompts that are quick and definitely proven-if you've seen Rhonna's designs. She sells them on her site so you can enjoy the creative prompts too.
PS Guess what? We confirmed that there will be a Spark No. 2 and yet again we were ecstatic when we imagined the new theme and details.
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Thursday, February 04, 2010 27 comments
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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Second Sister

You should check out a new website that is quite lovely & whimsical. Second sister is the creative genius also known as... April Meeker. She taught at Spark No 1 with Margie and was instantly a Spark sister to us.
Not only did she draw the city scene above but she made me this gorgeous butterfly necklace for my Dear Lizzy photoshoot. I wore it with one of my ensembles at cha.
I love all the intricate details like how all the butterflies are made out of leather then covered with dictionary paper then gorgeous silk and packaged in an embellished cigar box. The chains she uses are beautiful too. You have to check out her shop because she makes such gorgeous necklaces and jewelry. Definitely drool worthy works of art.

Laughing at Suzy in the photo... since getting my iphone this photo looks all too familiar to Collin. lol.
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Wednesday, February 03, 2010 17 comments
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Monday, February 1, 2010

details

It's all in the details... is a mantra I adopt in many areas of my life. From the kids' snacks in cute cups on trays, to planning Spark with Rhonna and Margie and not to mention scrapbooking. Here are some close up shots of pages from my book, "52 More Scrapbooking Challenges."

Hand cut fabric sewed to a page layered with rubons, tags, hearts & stamps.

Layering metal mesh, chipboard stars, eyelets, embroidery.

Woodland creatures layered on vintage book paper and scalloped circles


Hand embroidered title. Amy Tan gave me some fun pointers at CHA... the queen of embroidery.

Glimmer Mist & Stickles on paper with brads and gems.
One of my favorite pages from my book is this one about my Grandpa. So happy that his health is strong and he is doing better. Love him so much.
A random fun fact about me is when my grandpa sings he sounds exactly like Frank Sinatra. Yeah, I haven't bragged about that since 5th grade. hee hee.

Thanks for your emails and comments about my book. It makes me so giddy when I hear that you are enjoying it and getting inspired!
Posted by elizabeth kartchner at Monday, February 01, 2010 37 comments
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