Were you there Saturday? At the Studio Calico October reveal?

ACK!!! Amazing kits, right???

If you haven't had a chance to see The Underground yet...check out all of the kits and add-ons here...




Aaaaand to see the Creative Team Gallery for October's kits, click here...

Aaaaand to see MY layouts for The Underground kits, just scroll down...






And there you have them!

Beautiful kits...with beautiful colors...LOVE THEM! as per usual...;)

Hey Hey everyone!

I've got some sneaks for y'all today! woo hoo!

Let's get right to it, shall we?

Are you ready for another fantastic class by the awesome Angie Lucas???

Well, here you go!

Angie Lucas & Big Picture Classes are bringing you Quizapalooza!


I'm so excited for this class...Angie's teaching style is so easy...so laid-back...so understandable...and her wonderful sense of humor only adds to the effectiveness of her teaching.

From the BPC website:

So...not only did Heidi Swapp just release ANOTHER brand new collection...the lovely September Skies (shipping to stores today!)...but she is also the focus of this month's issue of Scrapbook Generation's Create Magazine!

So fantastic, right?



Aaaaand one of the coolest parts about Heidi being featured in the magazine is that everyone on Heidi's team was able to create some fun September Skies projects that are also in the magazine!

Honestly...this was so so fun...

Wanna see just a little peak at my projects?



AAACK! I haven't had much time to play with this collection since I created these...but seeing these pieces now makes me want to pull out my "stuff" and get to creatin'!!!

I'd love for you to head on over to the newest issue of this fantastic (FREE!) online magazine...there you can see Heidi's projects, my full projects PLUS those from the rest of Heidi's team! ACK! Yay!

The month of September is National Sewing Month at JoAnn Fabric & Craft Stores!

And all month long, JoAnn and Pellon (you know Pellon...the leaders in interfacing) are partnering up to bring you the Sew Your Style Contest!


I (along with a bunch of amazing blpartyoggers) was asked to participate in this super-fun contest...and, seriously...how could I say no?

All you have to do is: (from the JoAnn FB page)

"Take a photo of your favorite sewing project made with quilting fabric and enter for a chance to win a $1,000 cash prize, a Singer Heavy Duty Sewing Machine model #4423, and a Pellon product pack!"

Sometimes I go a long time without using my sewing machine to sew fabric, but every time I do I think that I need to start doing it more often. I really truly love seeing a project come together...it amazes me that you can take a few pieces of rectangular fabric and, with just a few passes through your machine, you can make something incredible.

My friend, Sarah, recently mentioned to me that she would love to have a chair caddy for her scrapping supplies. One that she can use when she is working in her scrap-space OR that she can roll up and take with her to crops. Perfect timing!

So, I scoured the internet to find something she might like and, after getting some more detailed info from her, here's what I came up with...


This little caddy is really pretty simple to create...and you can customize the pockets to hold any supplies you'd like.


I added some a couple of ties to the back of the caddy so that it can be tied to the chair...


And here's a little tutorial so that you can make your very own chair caddy...

SUPPLIES:

*Quilting fabric: 2 panels 47"x15" (I usually buy two yards)

*Extra pieces of quilting fabric for pockets (the scraps that you have left from cutting your panels should be enough to create your pockets)

*4 lengths of quilting fabric (I used mint-colored for my caddy): approximately 1.5"x30" (if you don't have a scrap this long, you can always sew a number of scrap pieces together to create your ties...)

*Pellon Stabilizer, 40 Midweight Crafts & Home Decor Stabilizer: 1 piece 47"x15"

*Sewing Machine

*Rotary Cutter or Scissors

*Pins

*Supplies you'd like to store in your caddy...for pocket sizing

4. Lay your caddy out on the chair you will be using it on. Mark on your caddy where you would like your ties.

5. Take 2 of your pre-sewn ties and lay one on top of another. Place them inside your caddy layers at the place you marked in Step 4. Make sure the tie ends are tucked inside the layers about 1" or so. Pin. Repeat for the other side.

6. Iron in the seam allowances in your opening and pin if needed.

7. Stitch closed your opening 1/8" in from the edge. Iron.

POCKETS:

1. Place your caddy back onto the chair you will use and mark where the caddy begins to hang off the chair seat. This will give you an idea of where to place your pockets...you will not want your supplies to sit higher than this mark.

2. Lay your supplies out the way you will want to store them. The sides of your caddy will be tall/long enough to make 2 rows of pockets.

3. Place your pocket fabric over your supplies to get a rough idea of how deep/wide your pockets should be. Mark & cut your fabric...allowing at least 1/4" on the sides and bottom of your pocket and at least 1/2" on the top (to allow for hemming).

4. Take each of your "pockets" and fold over the top edge 1/4"...iron down and fold over 1/4" again. Iron down and stitch to create a hem.

5. Pin your pockets to your caddy and stitch along the sides & bottom. Be sure to stay as close to the edge of your pockets as you can.

YOU'RE DONE!
Put your caddy back on your chair...place your supplies back into their pockets and get to scrappin'!

So, what do you think?
I hope Sarah loves it...

And I hope that you break out your sewing machine, grab some quilting fabric from JoAnn and sew up something gorgeous! And when you do...don't forget to enter the Sew Your Style contest!

One of the most talented scrappers I know, Barbara Picinich, recently asked me to join in on one of the coolest blog hops I've ever participated in...My Favorite Scrappers!



Here are a couple of questions I was asked to answer...(I love doing stuff like this)...

1. What am I working on right now? Right now I'm working on October Sneaks for Studio Calico...what?!?!?! I know...I'm the luckiest girl in the whole. wide. world. I'm also going ca-razy trying to wrap things up for a scrapping retreat my friend Sarah(see below) & I are hosting in a few weeks...so fun!

2. How long does it take me to create a project? As soon as I pick my photo and background papers, it takes usually about an hour or so. Rarely shorter...but really not much longer than about 2 hours at the most. And I can't go to bed (or stop) until I'm done. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually left a layout undone until the next day...

3. What are my favorite things to create with at the moment? I've kinda been getting into using my stamps more and more...also watercolors and Neocolors.

4. How does my writing/creating process work? Hmmm...usually I start with a photo I want to scrap, or a paper or embellishment I want to use and I just go from there. My pages usually just kind of happen - without any rhyme or reason...and I almost never have a plan before I start.

5. How do I become inspired and stay inspired? This is a hard question for me...because I don't really know. Sometimes just looking at a scrap layout gallery (Studio Calico is my favorite) or at a new paper or fabric collection will get me anxious to start creating.

6. What is my signature style? My signature style huh? I guess my signature style is that I don't really have a signature style. I'm inspired by such a variety of scrappers, such a variety of styles...and to me, there are just too many cool things out there to be limited to just one style. So I create whatever I think looks good at the time.

And now...some of the scrappers that I regularly ooh & ahh over...

Sarah Bargo...


Wendy Morris...

Is one of your goals for next year to (finally!) get organized?

I know it's one of mine...

In fact, it's one of my goals every. single. year.

But 2015 will be different...because I'm going to have an amazingly organized and creative talent on my side.

Marcy Penner. Yep. Marcy Penner.

Marcy & Studio Calico are bringing "AGENDA" to the classroom this month...



From the SC website...

BY ENROLLING IN THIS CLASS YOU'LL RECEIVE :

• PDF lessons covering everything from setting up your planner to making it functional for you, all while adding your own style and flair to its pages.
• Three videos from Marcy Penner
• A peek into each of the contributor's planners, as well as insight into how they organize and decorate them.
• Digital files from Hello Forever designed for your planner (coming soon)

---

CLASS SYLLABUS :

• Planner Set Up
• Inserts - Pockets, Bookmarks and Dividers
• Dashboards
• Bullet Journaling
• Ideas for using your planner to stay organized
• Decorating

...and with your enrollment you will receive this...


While supplies last, Agenda students will receive an exclusive 4x6in stamp set designed by Marcy Penner. This stamp set ship free, no matter where you live. Quantities are limited, so enroll now to reserve yours!

how perfect is this adorable little stamp set? 

AND, that's not all (SC always has something amazing goin' on...)

for ONE WEEK ONLY! (that means only until September 8 or while supplies last!)


seriously...check these babies out...perfect matches for your Color Theory inks, paper, & embellishments!


They are available in individual color combos, too...

Mint Hint & Deja Blue
Yes Peas & Going Green
Gray Area & Inky Black
Blush Crush & Poppy
Well Red & Orange County
Lemon Zest & Sunny Day

You can use any planner for this class...Filofax, Vanderspek, Franklin Covey...anything...I'm using a regular old super-inexpensive planner from Target. I think it was a whole $7.99.

Here are some other fun things that were just released for use in this class (or wherever else you'd like to use them!)

washi & stickers!



AAAACK! Freaking out...this class is soooo right up my alley.

Not quite sure I can wait an entire month to get started...