Blog Candy Winner

Thanks to everyone who left comments on my blog! Using a random number generator, #4 was chosen:


Cori said...
Gorgeous, Jen! I love the new Sugar Rush and Origins lines from BG. The new Kioshi is going to be one of the first I would like too.
January 22, 2010 5:39 PM

Send me your address Cori to redpaperjen at aol.com and I'll get those ribbons and flowers out to you!

A New Year

Things seem different this year. Even as it starts I know some things have changed. One of the big things for me is that the Year of Color blog is over. I was able to focus much of my art from inspiration led by the blog. I was also able to participate in several outstanding swaps through it. I hope to be able to find more swaps to be a part of, but it seems I'm always finding them AFTER the deadlines. I also still need to finish one project from Silver Bella last November, and I was inspired and motivated even from sign ups late spring. Hopefully this will return when I see the class list for this year, I truly hope to be able to participate again!

But with the lack of mixed media focus, my attention has once again shifted to the scrapbook paper arena. Basic Grey has always been a favorite line of mine, and I've been able to dabble in color chemistry on two new collections based on "Nook and Pantry" and "Origins". Of course I started with ribbons! I also loved expirmenting with dyeing paper flowers, dictionary papers, and crepe. Both lines are now in my etsy.

Summer Apricot:
Moss:

Leave me a post telling me about your favorite pieces, or what lines you'd like to see next and I'll draw a name next week Friday (Jnauary 29th) for a free set of Summer Apricot ribbons and Paper Botanicals!

Hodge Podge Journal with Rebecca Sower

My first class Saturday morning was the Hodge Podge Journal with the sweet and down to earth Rebecca Sower. She led us through papering our covers, building the collage and hardware, with interesting details such as the cheesecloth sandwich. We used her vintage 2 hole punch for the covers and the papers inside. Rebecca gave us much of the papers inside, including the nice weight watercolor papers. We were able to add any of our favorite papers to her provisions. I love the vintage bingo card from my roomie Sue

Odd bits are what makes the hodge podge quite unique.

I try to remind the girls I teach that there aren't any mistakes in art, just opportunities for being creative. I had punched the wrong end of my back cover. Now I have a cute bit of lace on that end!

I was able to finish most of this in class (I only had to add the ribbons to the rings when I got home). I plan on using this piece for an art journal. Thanks Rebecca!

Bits and Bobs

Finally, a few more pretties. This time inspired by the Christmas favorite "Raindrops on Roses". I've started with two colorways for my collection "Brown Paper Packages". They aren't tied up with strings, though! The first colorway is Whiskers on Kittens.

I also wanted to invoke the feeling of the fleeting autumn in "With the Moon on Their Wings"
I also did "Whiskers" in specialty ribbons- velvets and curls! and an embellishment set. I couldn't resist the red shoes in the backdrop. But, alas, the Princess Royale still needs to wear these through the holidays, so I'm not sharing those!

Just a Little Something Sweet

Not much news, just some more fun handmade embellishments and ribbon sets. I absolutely adored the colors in Cosmo Cricket's "Jolly by Golly" Christmas line: and while it took several mixings to get the pink, it definitely is the piece de resistance for the ribbon set.

Lastly, I knew that I would eventually bow down to the makers of Basic Grey, and created ribbons and felt/button embellishments for their line "Lemonade".

All are in my etsy shoppe!

Made to Match

I've always been so inspired by scrapbooking paper collections, so it's always been lurking in the back of my mind to do specific coordination embellishments/ribbons to match some of my favorites.
Finally, that time has come. Introducing "Apple Evening" a made to match set for Pink Paislee's Amber Road.
The ribbons, in the shabby sugar (grunge) style...

And the felt and paper embellishments...

In the shoppe now. I hope to do similar sets for some of my other favorite lines (Basic Grey for sure). Would love input!

Madness&Mayhem, and Harvest Moon

I was inspired to do two major ribbon sets for Halloween. The third happened by accident, but a very happy accident as I believe it will lead to even more in the future. Harvest Moon is an altered seam binding ribbon set, with colors reminiscent of ghosts, pumpkins, golden moons, and eerie black nights. This particular set I will continue to make through the season.

Madness is entirely black and white, with hand painted velvets and laces, marbled silk and semi-striped seam binding.

Mayhem uses the most basic of Halloween pallettes, with two striped seam bindings, a bicolored marbled silk, a dipped black-edged ruffle ribbon, and a velvet ricrac dyed to look like orange tarantula legs.

Madness & Mayhem will be very limited. I will list these when I have a chance, but the shoppe will be closed a few days next week for vacation, so it may not be til after that. Bonjour!

The Amazing Litabells

My sweet friend Melita really has some blog action going on, with part of her latest being scrapbook sketches. I loved her first sketch, this one gets even slow scrappers (me) motivated.

Here's what I did with it. I used the latest Jenni Bowlin monthly kit to save me the effort of coordinating. I snuck an extra photo in, but didn't want to mat them both completely, as I wanted more of the black circle background to show, so I kind of made a "fake" frame.

But I'm not getting away from ribbons entirely. I have THREE new sets coming soon, although they may have to wait til after my vacation next week before I post (we'll see how much I get done). Here's a sneak of one of the sets:

I'm also trying to work on a set inspired by everyone's favorite Vampire book. Anything you'd like to see?

Little Charlottes

Wow, two posts in one day, after such a dry spell. Hope you aren't fainting. This post is mostly just for pretty pictures...

... Little Charlottes will make their way soon to the shoppe!

Riot of Ribbons

It is so much fun photographing the new silk ribbons, they take to the camera more easily than the seam bindings. I really tried to experiment with color mixing for Pears, Raspberries, and Bluebirds set. The aqua is a single color, but the green and pink required two colors, and the yellow was dyed then partially re-dipped into brown to give that just ripe pear color. I didn't twist them because I think they may set the wrinkles more quickly than the rayons. And though I didn't intend it, the colors match surprisingly well with Basic Grey's Urban Prairie line. Hmm, maybe I should save myself a set.

I also wanted to do a deeper colored Patriotic set, below is the new Betsy Ross set, also silk.

This photo snuck out of order....

Lastly, wanted to share a photo of a custom order I did for a dear who wanted aqua/light blues. Near the front are silks, in back are a few seam bindings.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Cottage Drawing

There are a lot of happy people in the great big Cottage world today, as May 30th, 2009 end the third annual Cottage Charm Giveaway. I am happy to add one more person to that list. Via Random.org's random number generator, my winner is #95- Chasity of Wild Raspberry. Thank you to all of you who posted such nice comments!

Back to Business as Usual

After spending a week doing some custom orders, my fingers have been itching to get back to ribbons, especially the new silk! I have had some good (and not so good) results with it. Stripes need some refiguring, and some colors set differently, but otherwise it is very similar to the results I've seen with the rayon seam binding. I hope to have some of these lovelies listed tomorrow:
Time Travels in the Garden Silk Ribbons. Purposefully dyed very pale, as if in a misty memory.
This one is in seam binding: Hula Hoop. I photographed these before I ironed them, they will be displayed/sold smooth.

And an idea I'm still tossing around: Fairytale tags.

For these I collaged an assortment of vintage book papers onto one large piece of cardstock then cut it down into 4x6 tags. Mostly fairytales, some dictionary. So glad I switched decoupage mediums, Golden's soft gel is simply heaven to use!

We'll see what shows up in the store tomorrow!

Cottage Charm Giveaway!

May marks my one year blogiversary, and in celebration, I am joing Kim's Cottage Charm Giveaway! She has done this for three years now (click on the link to find MANY more giveaways!) and it is a great way to meet new bloggers.



I am going to giveaway one set of my Cottage Style Spun Sugar Twist Hand Dyed Seam binding ribbons, in the prettiest pinks and light blues. The winner will receive one glimmer tag with five yards of ribbons, two glitter hearts, and...

Some of my newest Hand Dyed Silk Ribbons in Robin's Egg Luxe. There are two lengths here, one yard and one-half yard tied up with vintage German text and silver string.

Just comment to this post, along with a way to contact you, by May 30th!

Collect like a Magpie

Every now and then we all need a little destash. My ribbon box was filling up too fast with extra cuts from sets, colors that didn't quite match particular ideas, or maybe a small run in the wrong place. Going up in the shop this weekend. "Just the Ribbons" from sets such as Pompeii and Strawberry Sundae. Magpie lots featuring the mismatched, extras, and not-quite perfect ribbons.

and a pretty set, again with the pretty scrunch-ribbon, Sea Whisper.

We've had thunderstorms all day, but it caused all the trees to bud overnight! Such a beautiful green world! We have very few spring days here before summer rears its heat. I'm enjoying it, are you?

Berry Sweet Ribbons

Lots of pretty new ribbons and crepes in the shoppe now. I was inspired by warm strawberry sauce dripping down fresh vanilla ice cream for this first set "Strawberry Sundae". Rich and red flowing mellowly, intermingaling with the cream to form soft pinks...

...or bright red varigating into rich ivory for "Strawberry Cheesecake"...

I just love the way thre ribbons fell into this flower shaped pattern.

I wrapped the ribbons around a Sweet Nothings Journal, this one a soft pink cardstock filled with vintage papers, paper lace, and a smidgen of swiss dot organza.

The next set I had the colors in mind for awhile, I just wasn't sure how I wanted to prepare the ribbons, or present them. I was struck with inspiration whilst reading the latest issue of Somerset Home, Connie Govea Stuart talked about her dyeing technique for ribbons using Easter Egg tablets. I decided to try her technique (although I still used my regular dyes). They were gorgeous even during their dye baths!

A rainbow confection of ribbons starting to appear...cherry, orange, lemon, lime, blue raspberry, and grape.

Tutti-frutti bright and scrumptiously crinkley!

The Everlasting Gobstopper!