Handmade Holidays hoppin' GIVEAWAY

With Halloween done, I am excited to get into the holiday season. When I was younger, Thanksgiving was always a time that my family would drive into Los Angeles to see my grandparents. MY mother's family would all gather together, and I would have a chance to see them all and catch up with my cousins. I have fond memories of spending Thanksgiving night with my grandfather passing out our leftovers families less fortunate than ours and that maybe didn't have a whole lot of family in the area to celebrate with. I can still remember the grateful happy faces each year as we brought our meager offerings that meant so much to these families.

What I love about Thanksgiving is the beautiful memories that I have of my family spending time together. It fills my heart each year. This year we will not be able to go home for the holidays so we will be on our own for Thanksgiving in Colorado. Although it does make me a bit sad, my hope is that I can help to create new memories for our family and make the best of it. Nothing beats family, but even just a little family of five getting together is enough to be thankful for.

This year I am making custom name tags for the five of us. It isn't much but it will help to give our kids a little something personal to have on their seat when we sit down for dinner.

 Leather and Wood ScanNCut holiday Place cards

supplies: ScanNCut electronic cutting machine by Brother International (TM) , Wood veneer paper by Splash of Color, Cardstock by Die Cuts with a View, Leather (found at local craft store) button from Little Yellow Bicycle, Ink from Clearsnap ink and stamps are Liz Hicks artisan designs for Unity Stamp Co.

For this project I started off with a few simple items. I had a left over leather flower that I had cut out with my ScanNCut by Brother International (TM) so I knew I wanted to add it in some how.

I picked colors of cardstock and a wood veneer paper to create a warm color concept with some text.

 

 First start by cutting 5x5 squares out of your base cardstock. For your next piece (the wood veneer paper) cut it 1/2 inch smaller than half of your card (so when the card is folded, cut your second piece a 1/2 inch small then the front of your folded card)

Proceed to adhere your wood veneer paper to our card.

Next, take your off white paper and cut it 1/2 in smaller than your wood veneer paper. Use your favorite stamp to add accents to your white on the right side. For this project I used my licensed  stamps set from Unity Stamp Co.

Next take some foam squares and crafty power tape and put your name card together.

 Here is the card blank, You can add names and stitching if you'd like to make it more decorative.

I have added my name to this one... I think I will make a different one for each of us based on what we all like, or it might even be fun to have a member of the family decorate each others...  overall the basis of the name cards is to have something special at your dinner and to provide some family fun time.

Here is a bit of detail of the leather I cut in my ScanNCut. I used my deep blade at a 12 setting and cut it twice to make sure it cut all the way through. Now this may be to deep for your settings, so always make sure that you start low and and work your way up.

So here is a list of the other blogs that are participating in today's hop but I want to make sure that you head on over to Denise Hahn's blog as she is next on the list from here... Check out her AMAZING work here: Denise Hahn- http://inmyblueroom.blogspot.com/

And if you want to pop around to the other participants here you go!

November 3:

Clearsnap http://blog.clearsnap.com

Craft Attitude  http://www.jonathanfongstyle.com/blog/

Smoothfoam http://www.smoothfoam.com/blog/

Donna Salazar Designs  http://donnasalazardesigns.blogspot.com/

Walnut Hollow http://walnuthollowcrafts.wordpress.com/

100 Proof Press http://www.100proofpress.com/_blog/Blog

Graphic45 http://g45papers.typepad.com/

ICE Resin http://iceresin.com/icequeen/

Stampendous http://stampendousblog.wordpress.com/

Sizzix – Eileen Hull Designs http://eileenhull.blogspot.com/

Jamie Dougherty http://www.jamiedoughertydesigns.com/#!blogger-feed/c12za

Nathalie Kalbach www.nathaliesstudio.com

Jen Goode http://www.100directions.com/

Kathy Cano-Murillo http://www.craftychica.com/site/

Tanner Bell   http://www.craftteen.com

Jennifer Priest http://hydrangeahippo.com

Jen Cushman http://jencushman.wordpress.com/

Adrienne Ford http://bry-and-i.blogspot.com/

Joanne Fink http://www.zenspirations.com/home/

Vicki O'Dell http://vickiodell.com/

Liz Hicks http://blogerisms.blogspot.com/   (YOU ARE HERE, Yay!)

Denise Hahn http://inmyblueroom.blogspot.com/

Courtney Chambers http://www.alittlecraftinyourday.com

Tami Mayberry http://tamimayberry.blogspot.com/

Norma Rapko http://normarapko.blogspot.com/

I love this time of year and that I get to work with some amazing designers... It really starts to feel like the holidays when you can get together with friends and feel festive in a fun and crafty way. It is a warm welcome to some family time and I love it so much ♥

I hope this project encourages you to take even just a quick minute to create a custom and personal feel to your holiday... there are so many ways to do this, I would love to hear what you are planning.

Thanks for stopping my today!

xoxo,

Liz Hicks

Mixed Media Blog Hop- Day 2

It's day two of our blog hop and today I want to not only share with you my second sneak peek of my project in the new Mixed Media 2 special edition issue from Creating Keepsakes magazine but I want to also share a little about the ladies I have invited to do this blog hop with me...

Here are some sneak peeks to my Insta-Life project where I shared a tutorial on how to make your own glittery art skin.

I used the art skins for these stars:

You will see this project featured on page 33.

I also created this hand made chevron background (with my husbands help!) by using small strips and cutting them at a bias. Some are glazed and some are layered with different types of papers and materials... I love this page just because of the background.

The rest of the hoppers...

So, In addition to sharing our projects we are also sharing some love and admiration for the other artists projects in this issue. I want to share some love for each of the girls and a little on how I met or know them :) Make sure to check out the rest of the girls (click their links) on this blog hop here! Both days are available for you to check out.

Wednesday September 25^th, 2013

Noel Culbertson 

• Noel has been a dear friend of our family for 6 years now, we met online but our families have now become friends and I am so grateful for that! She is also someone who will make you laugh non-stop if given the chance, beware :)

Ronda Palazzari

• Ronda I  met when we moved to Colorado. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such talented scrapbookers in Northern Colorado, but Ronda is on who has become a good friend and we see eye to eye on life. She is a good person through and through.

AngelaMagnuson

• Another wonderful family friend, Angela. I met Ang as we both rode up the mountain together to Brave Girls Camp and have been wonderful friends since. Her heart is so beautiful and overflows into her love for her family and her employees. I love this girl, through and through which is great because our husbands are friends too. At a hard time in my life, Ang invited me and James to visit and we did, I will never forget our time together. 

Marion Smith

• Marion is another friend I met while I worked at Tattered Angels. Marion is one of those ridiculously talented people that can seriously make something beautiful from nothing... She is also a wonderful person with a good heart. I am so grateful to know her and see her success.

Sharon Laakkonen

• Sharon has been a beacon of light in my career since I met her in 2008. She is a pure and wonderful person who has helped me more than once. I love that we have a mutual love for life and God and that at times I remember wonderful chats with Sharon that just helped me affirm my direction in life... 

Teri Anderson

• I met Teri just a few years ago, I think when the first Creative Spaces issue from Creating Keepsakes came out. She was such a delight to be around and so kind. Although I don't know her as well as some of the other girls, I have loved her work in this issue and knew that all of you would too!

Candy Rosenberg

• Candy and me are kin. We have helped each other grow and support through life and work. It is such a privilege to see my friend THRIVE and grow. She is a beautiful soul and I am so grateful to have her in my life.

Thursday September 26^th 2013

Stacy Cohen

• I met Stacy when she attended one of my classes when I taught in California but it didn't take long for me to stop teach and just watch her create. She is an amazing artist and hand crafts beautiful layouts every time. She is also a wonderful beautiful kind soul. I am so glad to have met her that first day and continue to catch up with her at shows when we can.

Kim Watson

• Like Noel, I met Kim on line and we hit it off immediately. We have constantly kept in touch through the years and my highlight was when we met a few years ago in person for the first time. I love this lady and have been so happy to see her grow in this industry.

Agnieszka Bellaidea 

• I just met Agnieszka this week and asked her to be on the blog hop. Her enthusiasm about mixed media and her projects in this magazine are awesome. You will love her work.

 Susan Weckesser

• I met Susan a few years back and just like some of the other girls, fell in love with her beautiful kind spirit. She is a point of positivity in this industry that is much appreciated and such a beautiful friend too!

Layle Konkar

• Layle and I use to travel and teach at the same trade shows. We would do dinner and catch up here and there and grew to be good friends. I was really sad when she left our industry for a few years but delighted when she returned to work for Simple Stories. Layle is an amazing teacher and designer and a huge asset to the creative industry. I have enjoyed keeping in touch with her through the years but was so happy to be able to see her at CHA again this past summer.

Stephanie Ackerman

•  Stephanie always brings a smile to my face. I met Steph in 2008 while we were both on the Prima team and through the years we have encouraged each other via facebook and stayed good friends. She is one I consider a soul sister and I just love her heart and passion....

Sherry Mendoza

• I met Sherry through her work with Prima a few years back and what I love about Sherry is her honesty and friendship. She has always been a true friend to me and looked out for me. At one time our kids were able to meet and it was wonderful to see them hit it off so well. It is no surprise since both James and I love having Sherry as a friend.

Ashley Harris

• I first met Ashley while working at Tattered Angels and later was able to work with her on my time with The Scrap Review. I remember a dinner we had together with Noel at CHA that will forever in my heart be a reminder of what a beautiful person Ashley is. She is a good friend that I am fortunate to have in my life.

Courtney Walsh

• I met Courtney when she moved in down the street from me. Both of us transplants from different states and both of us were mentioned to each other from mutual friends... Finally one day we spent the entire day chatting on Facebook and finally met for coffee. She is such a wonderful person to have in my life, full of honesty and hilarity... even just today I am laughing still at an email she just sent me... Hers is another family that connected with ours and it was so nice for the short time we lived in the same state, to have each other... it was just enough time together to solidify our friendship :)

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

• Julie and I met while working on the ScanNCut project together and what I have loved the most about Julie (well besides her crazy ridiculous talent) is her honesty and her advice. When I talk with Julie it is like she understands me and what I am going through. This last year has been a tough one for me and I am so grateful that I had Julie at the perfect moments to just talk with me. She is not only gorgeous on the outside but beautiful on the inside too... very grateful for that.

So at the risk of sounding sappy... I really just wanted to take a moment to share not only WHY I asked each of these girls to blog hop together, but to also take a minute to let you all know what they mean to me in my life. You see... working in the Arts and Crafts industry is not easy, in all honesty it can be quite tough... and well these girls have been good friends to me through the years which is what gets me through the hard times. In any form of work, you need good friends around you to surround you and help guide and form you. I have been lucky to have these girls as well as so many more mentor and guide me. I just had to take a moment to talk about them, but also remind you to check out their work in this magazine... It is crazy how amazing it is when you get this much talent together...



♥ Liz

Mixed Media Blog Hop- Day 1

So today we are hopping with some of my FAVORITE people...

Together we were asked to be a part of the new Mixed Media 2 special edition issue from Creating Keepsakes magazine. I am so happy that Creating Keepsakes will still be producing their special issues, these are always so much fun and full of creative ideas.

I have two projects in this issue. Today I want to share a sneak of one of them featuring Craft Attitude printable art film. I love that I can print my own designs on Craft Attitude and use it in just about all of my projects. Here I layered paper, different prints of Craft Attitude as well as cellophane gift wrap.


Here is a sneak...

(excuse the lack of detail picture, my camera broke this morning)

Check out page 113 of this special for the full details of this project and how to make these whimsical flowers using Craft Attitude.

Also make sure to check out page 107 for another whimsical page by one of my favorites Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, Julie is not only an amazing artist but a wonderful friend as well... You will love what she shares in this magazine for sure. She has a couple projects in this issue as well and as always shares some cleaver techniques. This project especially caught my eye because of the beautiful colors... I can't help but love it!

Make sure to check out the rest of our blog hoppers here. We are working through two days, so you will want to come back tomorrow for sure!!!

Wednesday September 25^th, 2013

Liz Hicks

Noel Culbertson

Ronda Palazzari

AngelaMagnuson

Marion Smith

Sharon Laakkonen

Terri Anderson

Candy Rosenberg

Thursday September 26^th 2013

Liz Hicks

Stacy Cohen

Kim Watson

Agnieszka Bellaidea

 Susan Weckesser

Layle Konkar

Stephanie Ackerman

Sherry Mendoza

Ashley Harris

Courtney Walsh 

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Check out what the girls are sharing about their projects and friends and if you get a chance leave some love for these talented ladies!

♥ Liz

The BUZZ about ScanNCut- All you need to know about this new machine.

Disclosure: I am a paid consultant for Brother International Corporation and have received a ScanNCut from Brother to evaluate. However, the opinions expressed are entirely my own and are based on my use of the product.

So I have seen SO MANY questions around blogs and message boards in regards to ScanNCut and I wanted to take a minute to answer some questions that you may have based on my experience with my machine.

Let me first start by sharing some information that I received from the Senior VP of the Home Appliance Division at Brother International, Dean Shulman:

"There are 2 models which will ship in October. One model will be available at Amazon for $399 plus applicable taxes and a step up model will be available from authorized Brother dealers starting at $499. You can find out the differences between the models on the www.scanNcut.com website. The differences are substantial and worth the value if you have the extra money.

Brother is planning on adding a download center before the end of the year for Scan N Cut owners which will offer additional features which can be done in the cloud."

Now I have had my own ScanNCut by Brother International (tm) machine since about April 2013 (prototype and pre-production machines) and have worked with it from the beginning with one of the first hand built machines. I have had time to work through it, create and really push the capacity of the machine. I have had time to truly investigate this machine and explore all of its features. In addition Brother used us crafters to help develop features that we would like to see on the machine; so this machine has been truly infused with a crafters desires in mind.

 I wanted to make sure that this machine was worth my endorsement as with all of the product that I use on my blog. So I really pushed my machine hard and stretched the limits. Like I mentioned before, although I have been paid by Brother and have assisted them with consulting, this in no way is reflected on my opinion. In all honesty I work with companies I trust and can endorse whole heartedly without remorse. I have always had this approach with my blogging and continue to do so. I firmly believe in sharing the truth and sharing knowledge. As a part of my commitment to continuing this approach on my blog, I wanted to share this info from Dean and myself with you all :)

So here are my thoughts...

ScanNCut it not only the first home and hobby personal cutting machine with a built in scanner but in my opinion it is the last digital cutting machine I will ever need. I have worked with others and have found that what other manufacturers have made are machines that are complicated, dependent on future sales and always rely on a computer or cartridges and well, that is just not what I have seen of Brother. With Brother, the machine is created with a USB port so that any future software updates will be free and will be as easy to update as plugging in your USB into your machine.

I have been working with Brother on this project since March and I have watched as Brother has taken steps toward eliminating what other machines have made complicated and have now created a machine in ScanNCut that is simple, easy to use and extremely intuitive.

In addition you may want to check out the new LIVE site at www.ScanNCut.com. This site is full of information as well as printable project sheets and the specifications of ScanNCut. You can choose which machine works best for you as both models are featured. Although both machines work perfectly for a multitude of crafts as well as have the same firmware and infrastructure, there are a few added bonus designs in one of the machines. This helps to allow you to pick which machine works best for you!


You can see the video below which Kathy Cano-Murillo and I shot in Colorado not to long ago. This shows from start to finish one of the many benefits of having a scanner built into your electronic cutting machine can offer.  The Scan to Cut function.







WHY the SCANNCUT machine?

Besides this video, we have about different 20 videos that feature a wide variety of tools, techniques, tricks and projects that share with you the many features of ScanNCut; Check them out here. ScanNCut was created for use in a wide variety of crafting from Mixed Media, Paper Crafting, Sewing and Quilting and even DIY general crafting to mention a few. Brother takes the technology and innovation that they are known for and apply it to ScanNCut to help solve many problems that other electronic cutting machines have faced before. In addition, ScanNCut is covered under Brothers Customer Service, as well as maintenance which ensures peace of mind for crafters looking to purchase ScanNCut.

When taking a look at your cutting machines as well as any future machines you may look into, here are a few tips to consider:

• Take full notice of what your total investment may be (machine, cartridges, software, computer, time and downloads). Tally up what you may spend this next year as an investment into your electronic cutting and crafting.

• Also take into account how much space all of these items take up as well as the convenience of set up. With ScanNCut it is light weigh and all you have to do is take it out of the box and plug it in.  You are you can start crafting anywhere. There is no need for cartridges or a computer.

ScanNCut is a great machine and I hope that you will see that it truly is this simple to make your designs come to life in minutes. I encourage you to take a few minutes to grab a cup of coffee and watch these videos on the BrotherCrafter YouTube channel. Although you may not have a ScanNCut, this will teach you the features of the machine as well give you some great tips and inspiration from some of the industries top crafters. Kathy Cano-Murillo, May Flaum, Vanessa Vargas Wilson, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer... these girls worked hard on these videos and I know that collectively with their talent you will find in these videos some of the answers that you may be asking yourself about ScanNCut.

Again although I am a paid consultant, this information is what I find to be true about ScanNCut and I am sure that you will see what I am talking about. Or if you come up with some questions please ask me. I have been working with the ScanNCut machine since March.  In addition, the Brother team is excited to help you learn all about ScanNCut; you can ask questions through their social media sites at anytime.


Feel free to comment here or on the Brother Crafter page on Facebook with any questions you have.  My goal is to help anyone who wants to learn more. I am a teacher by nature :) So if I can help, please let me know! email me or you can find me on Facebook under Liz Hicks Studios.

~Liz Hicks ♥

ScanNCut Magic!

Disclosure: I am a paid consultant for Brother International Corporation and have received a ScanNCut from Brother to evaluate. However, the opinions expressed are entirely my own and based on my use of the product.

ScanNCut from Brother International (tm)  has quite a few functions that makes it unique as a cutting machine but of course most of these are made possible because of the built in scanner :)

One of my favorite functions is called Direct Cut.

Direct cut is exactly what it sounds like... it cuts directly from your surface either a shape or design or your choice OR a selection direct from the pattern of your surface.




 I used the Direct Cut function to cut this beautiful design out of my graphic 45 paper.

 

 ScanNCut makes fussy cutting obsolete. No need for scissors, ScanNCut does all of the tricky cutting for you. 

Look at the beautiful precision of this cut and I didn't use scissors, only ScanNCut!

Here are a few more detailed shots of this layout.

 

 

And look at how I was able to use the background scan on this scrap of paper to use the pen tool to create my title! It is hard to see because my paper is off white, but you can see the faint outline of the paper on the screen below.

 

And here is the title printed on the scrap of paper with ScanNCut.

Make sure to check out the ScanNCut site, it is now LIVE and FULL of inspiration! Also share this with your friends, it is amazing what ScanNCut can do!

www.ScanNCut.com

Also check out my facebook page Liz Hicks Studios for the latest and greatest on ScanNCut and my other projects.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Liz♥

say hello to my friend, ScanNCut!

Isn't she pretty :)

I just wanted to let you all know that the ScanNCut site is close to being done. In the mean time, we have a few videos up, click here to check them out! In addition, we have revealed the machine!
Here it is in red :)

The site is going live September 23rd and ScanNCut machines will be available to ship this October!

Make sure to sign up for the newsletter to get all of the latest and greatest info, tutorials and updates about ScanNCut.

You won't want to miss out!

Let me know what you think of the videos, we have so much to share with you, this is just the beginning!

~Liz Hicks

ScanNCut= No more fussy cutting!

Another amazing feature of ScanNCut is the capability to cut designs directly from your surface.  I have been able to take the fussy cutting out of crafting with ScanNCut.

You can see here how I was able to scan in my Graphic 45 paper and cut this dress form directly from the paper.

In just a few simple steps, within minutes I was able to cut this dress for out of my paper without any scissors.

I can't wait to show you all of the fun that I have been having with the machine, I know that these little teases have given you a glimpse of ScanNCut's capabilities, but I promise I will show you so much more soon! The machine launch is just around the corner.

Remember, to be the FIRST to find out about ScanNCut make sure to sign up here.

If you have any questions feel free to email me or ask here :)

~Liz ♥

ScanNCut can do what?

I am SO excited with the response ScanNCut is getting from all of my crafty friends!

Here is a fun experiment I wanted to share with you on the capabilities of ScanNCut...

I really love pushing the boundries of the products I work with... ScanNCut did not fail!

Above you will see that I was able to cut through wood veneer paper, denim as well as paper all with the same blade! Not only did it cut, but it cut flawlessly and precise... I am in LOVE.

It is incredible to see all that ScanNCut can cut through, I can't wait to share more with you!

If you want to learn more about ScanNCut make sure to sign up HERE to be the FIRST to hear about ScanNCut.

XOXO,

~Liz ♥