The Heart of My Art (and a NSD giveaway!)

Hello and welcome! If you've made your way here today, I'm willing to guess you're either a member of my family or a scrapbooker? Safe bet? I hope you're here seeking Nat'l Scrapbooking Day (NSD) info, as I have some brilliant celebratory business for you.

Today's Happy Happenings!

1. Big Picture Classes National Scrapbook Day 10K event is happening now. As a member of their 10K Team, I know I can't wait to add a layout or two to the Instagrams. Will you? Still on the fence? Well, there are prizes involved, and this is Insta-history in the works, friends. Need I say more?

2. Scrapbook & Cards Today: Nope, it's not Monday, but it is NSD, so I'm delighted to be paying Scrapbook & Cards Today an extra visit this week, sharing this layout and giving away some awesome delights. More on the layout in a moment!

The Heart of My Art by Megan Hoeppner. Supplies: Cardstock: American Crafts; Textured paint (Glimmerz): Shimmerz; Heart stencil: Heidi Swapp; Pigment sticks (Gelatos): Faber-Castell; Washi tape: Hazel & Ruby and Paper Source; Glassine bag: SRM Stickers; Stickers: Fancy Pants Designs; Spray ink: Studio Calico; Shipping tag: Office Max; Baker's twine: Whisker Graphics; Pens (Gold Sharpie; White Gelly Roll): Newell Rubbermaid and Sakura of America; Photo: Fuji Film (INSTAX Mini); Other: Gold thread. 

3. Giveaway! Yes, it wouldn't be a holiday without a scrapbooking prize, so I'm offering a mystery box full of scrapbooking goodies to one lucky commenter on this here post. Simply leave your comment between now and Tuesday, May 6, including your email address, for a chance to win. Excellent!

Image credi

Okay, back to my The Heart of My Art layout. This was a first for me—going super mixed media with a page. But it's about art, so I wanted to give it a go. if the idea interests you, here are a few of the steps I took, broken down:

Do It To It

1. I used the Heidi Swapp heart stencil that I recently purchased while at the Portland Creating Keepsakes Convention as a background.

I paired it with this amazing jar of Spun Sugar (white) Dazzlerz by Shimmerz to create a cool, textured, almost watermark effect across the back of my page. Dazzlerz are gorgeous, smooth, paints that have a heavier texture than a basic paint. They are M-A-Zing!

Image credit: Enchanted Dreams Shop

2. Inspired by this cute dress (from Target) I bought Maggie for my Aunt's surprise party last month...

I wanted to create a similar watercolor/heart look, so I started by drawing a heart on the now dry heart background using my beloved white Gelly Roll by Sakura.

Then I drew strips of color down the heart, with more color towards the top of the heart, using my Faber-Castell Gelatos—another awesome product!

3. Using a paintbrush and some water, I blended the Gelato color columns down the length of my heart, adding more Gelato where I felt it needed it.

4. Keeping with the paintbrush business, I then wrote the word "art" on an SRM Stickers glassine bag, using my spray ink, just as I did in this tutorial. This is something I'll definitely be doing again. Loved the look on the glassine!

5. Back to the layout, I added a strip of some of my fav washi, the Fat Roll by Hazel & Ruby, to the side of the page, layering over some misted book paper, which I tore from a book. I then added another strip of gold washi in a slightly thinner size.

Secret revealed: See that bit of black peeking out from behind the book paper? Yeah, that's an area of brush script that didn't go so well. No need to start over, however. No way! I just improvised and this book-paper/washi grouping was born.

6. Once the glassine bag was dry, I positioned it to the layout, making sure to only place my adhesive down the center, backside of the bag so it wouldn't show. I then added a strip of my new "handmade with love" washi tape from Paper Source. Gosh, I love this tape!

7. Time to sew! I added some machine stitching using my fav gold metallic thread, following my white Gelly Roll lines of the heart. I purposefully went outside of those lines a bit to keep it less linear. And I purposefully stitched over a bit of the bag and book-paper row to make the elements feel more connected on the page.

9. For the word "The" in my title, I simply wrote using a metallic gold Sharpie. It took a few coats to make it really show up well.

10. Wanting to enhance the "art" effect a bit more, I added some spray-ink splatter by removing the nozzles of my Mister Huey's and lightly tapping on them while holding them over the coordinating color column in the heart.

11. I added the words "of my" at the top of my tag using tiny stickers from Fancy Pants Designs. typed my journaling on a 2"x4" shipping tag, using my typewriter. I like the way the black letters slightly show through the glassine bag, both acting as a subtle print (to complement the book paper) and indicating there's a story in waiting without putting too much of my words out in the open. This was a personal story to tell, and I didn't want too much of it revealed on the surface.

12. The HEART of my ART, when it comes right down to it, is preserving our stories from my Maggie and her future sibling(s), so I simply added an old Instax Mini photo  taken of me while pregnant with Mags to complete the page.

For more on the significance and story behind this page, I hope you'll check out my post today on the Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine blog. And don't forget to upload the fun you create today on Instagram with the hashtag #NSD10k (or in the BPC gallery). Both the magazine and BPC are offering pretty sweet prizes today, so there's even some added incentive in there for ya! :)

Oh, and don't forget the ol' goodie box o' delights being offered here. Hope you'll enter.

Happy NSD, friends! Thanks a bunch for making my blog a small part of your celebration today!

Cheers!

Today, I scrapbook.

If you've ever created for a living, you know two things to be very true.

1. You're remarkably blessed to earn money by doing a hobby you love. I mean, how many get to say that playing with paper helps pay their bills? It really is a dream opportunity.

2. Creativity on demand can be. . . well, demanding. There's no magical switch to hit while on a deadline, and sometimes those ideas simply don't want to come. For some, myself included, this can suck the fun out of crafting. Take it from being a hobby to be enjoyed o a task that needs accomplished. This isn't always the case, but it has been known to happen. Just like if you work in a Snow Shack. You don't necessarily want to come home and eat snow cones for fun . . . actually, as a former Shack employee, I realize this isn't the best analogy, but you get where I'm going.

This brings me to my point. Finally. I haven't scrapbooked for myself since losing my job back in Sept. My crafty heart is still healing, and I just haven't had the desire to touch my scrapbooking supplies. This doesn't mean I haven't. I've created several layouts for various assignments I've been blessed to receive (per aforementioned item #1), but I haven't sat down just to let my scrappy juices flow . . . until now.

On Saturday, my Facebook update was simple. "Today, I scrapbook."

These three little words received over 100 likes. It's almost as if you felt their significance without my having to elaborate on what an accomplishment this was. Thank you for getting it.

And now, I have projects I've created that bring me joy. And I created them simply because I felt motivated to do so. Isn't that something? It sounds silly, perhaps, but it's something special to me.

So, today, I scrapbook!

And with Nat'l Scrapbooking Day this Saturday, the timing is perfect. I'm participating in Big Picture Classes' big Nat'l Scrapbook Day10K event this week, which means I'll be posting some of my pages to my Instagram account as part of a group effort to get 10,000 layouts uploaded. Isn't that great? More on that soon. In the meantime, my baby girl is spending the day with her grandparents and I have a date with my craft room. Simply because I want to be there.

Cheers!

Out-of-the-basket Easter Giving

Tired of the same ol' basket business? When it comes to Easter giving, why not switch things up with a few beyond-the-basket ideas? I'm a bit of an egghead, so I had much fun putting together these special surprises, which I'll be sharing today on Studio 5 (1:00 PM on Utah's channel 5).

A Tisket, A Tasket; It's an Easter Hat-sket

I love my man, but he can be difficult to buy for. With that in mind, I decided to opt out of the traditional bunny basket and fill a hat with treats for him instead. Loved taking this approach, as it helped guide my entire buying experience from the "basket" inward.

Possible Gifts for Him
* T-shirt
* Boxers
* Fun socks
* Watch
* Wallet
* Candy (of course!)
* Gift Card
* Belt
* Beef Jerky
* Bottle of Soda (one of those pretty glass bottles is always nice)
* Whoopie Cushion (what guy can resist a good gas joke?)

How Does Your Garden Grow Box

For the gardner in your life, look at replacing traditional Easter treats with a basket of bloomin' goodness. I got this adorable crate at Maison Boutique in Sugarhouse. It's heavy-duty and perfect for containing some budding basket ideas. Plus, it has an adorable chalkboard front, just right for personalizing!

Possible Garden Gifts to Include:
* Seeds
* Watering Can
* Gloves
* Shovel
* Herb Picks
* Garden Friend (like my bunny above, purchased at Target)
* Solar Lights
* Patio Lights
* Water Ball (the glass globe above, also purchased at Target)

Staw-Baby-Shortcake

The tiny tots don't need much. Heck, my Mags would be happy with an empty Easter egg at this age. Thus, I decided to go small and fill a little berry basket with a few sweets for her. The berry basket is from a local shop called Zurchers *love*, and you can get a big stack of them for around $4. Perfect if you're hosting an Easter gathering a want a little something for each guest!

Possible Tot Treats to Include (for ages 6-24 months, approximately)
* Stuffed Friend (rabbit shown above from Target)
* Jumbo Crayons
* Bubbles
* Rattle
* Small Pack of Candy (Don't need a sugar rush, but a little sweet treat is nice.)
* Cars
* Bouncy Ball
* Sidewalk Chalk
* Play Dough
* Cute Socks


Teen-y Basket

Okay, so this is a basket, but it's bitty, so it's a bit atypical in that sense, right? I picked it up at Jo-Ann for a single buckaroo. That's right; $1! Knowing the teens in my life, I knew I wouldn't need much to make 'em happy. They like to do their own buying, so I simply opted for this teeny, teen-y basket, which is just right for containing a gift card (or cold, hard cash) and some candy.

Do It To It
Here's how I transformed the basket into a completely unique treat holder.

1. Apply coat of Mod Podge (or other decoupage).

2. Press tissue paper into Mod Pod, smoothing out any air bubbles. Note: I used the AWESOME tissue from Hazel & Ruby, which was so easy to work with for this type of craft!

3. Once Mod Podge is dry, position stencils on basket. I spelled "L-O-V-E" using the Hazel & Ruby stencils, which are... yes, AWESOME! ;)

4. Apply a thin coat of white paint over basket.

5. Remove stencils and wipe clean with a wet wipe; apply a top coat of glitter Mod Podge (or regular, if you'd like) to seal.

6. Add washi tape to handle and basket rim to complete. Note: You may want to add top coat of Mod Podge after you've added tape. I used the lovely Hazel & Ruby tape on my basket. Oh, why yes, it IS awesome. How'd ya know?

This may seem like a bunch of steps, but this process actually comes together quickly. Hope you'll give it a try. It's fun to get those fingers dirty once in a while, and your basket recipient will L-O-V-E it.
Note: This is also a great way to customize baskets with names.


Over the River and Through the Woods Suitcase

Don't forget the Grands. Wanting to show my parents how much their love and support always means, I put a little extra energy into making their "basket." It's actually a little paper suitcase I picked up on clearance at Target. I then used the amazing stencils and tissue paper from Hazel & Ruby to completely customize the outside, following the same basic techniques outlined above for my Teen-y Treat.

Possible Goods for the Grands Include: 
* A Picture of Your Little Bunny (a must! they'll love this most of all! my pic was taken by the talented Misty Lane Photography.)
* Their Fav Treats (For Meemaw, it's a small pack of Milano cookies; for Granddad, it's a good ol' bag of GORP [aka trail mix])
* A Game or Activity They Can Enjoy with Your Children (bubbles, sidewalk chalk, etc.)
* Hand Towel or Other Holiday Linen
* Drawings by Your Kiddo(s)
* Tickets to a Movie or Play

Bunny Business

Are you one who likes to keep things simple when it comes to Easter giving? No worries at all. In fact, I fully support scaling the holidays back a bit overall. So, if candy is your preferred approach, why not bag it in a way that is both adorable and fun to make? Inspired by this well written tutorial (and super duper cuteness), I decided to make some felt buns.

Possible Bunny Business to Include
* Candy
* Candy
* Candy
* Or you can fill them with beans, as the tutorial suggests, and they act as a decor piece instead. AKA A Beanie Baby!


EOS = Easter O' Style
I shared this Studio 5 teaser on my last blog post, so you'll find more info on it there.

Meh... What's Up, Doc?
Well, I have a few things coming up, which I'll tease briefly on Studio 5. Here is more info on those happy happenings:

1. CreativeLIVE

Excited would be an understatement. I've over-the-moon about this opportunity to teach with CreativeLIVE. My class is this July, and I'll have more info to come soon. In the meantime, you can check out the deets here. Oh, and guess what! It's $free.99! Yup! If you watch it live, you can stream it for free online, just like watching a TV show. Or you can pay a reasonable $49 for two full days of jam-packed instruction. Either way, it's a screamin' deal! :)


2. Beehive Bazaar

This is for the locals. I'm thrilled to be participating for the first time ever at the popular Beehive Bazaar next month (May 8-10)! Hope you'll come on down and see what I have to offer. You're sure to find plenty of gifts for Mother's Day at this sweet shopping spot, including my floral rosette bracelets. Want a bracelet but aren't in town or can't attend the bazaar? No problem! Simply shoot me an email at m2e2g @ aol.com (no spaces), and I'll get you taken care of!

***

Whew! Lots happenin' in this neck of the woods. Hope the I've inspired you to get your egghead on and do Easter a little differently this year.

I'm wishing you and yours many blessings this special weekend. All of the hoopla aside, it's a time to celebrate rebirth and fresh starts. Here's hoping you start off on the right foot (unless the left is more your speed).

Warmth and love!

P.S. Check back tomorrow for more info on my second Studio 5 segment that aired today, which is all about brush script. I'll link you to some awesome free downloads and share a few shopping secrets I hope you'll love.

Sweet Easter Treat (and it's even zero calories!)

You might say I have a crush on this Easter goodie. Nope. It's not Rainblow Eggs, but I share almost as much love for these, which is odd, considering they're not even edible.

What's inside this carton, you ask? Well, let's pry it open and take a peek.

It's EOS lip balm! Betcha thought E.O.S. stood for Evolution of Smooth (or you didn't know what it stood for, like me). Nah. Not here. Now it stands for Easter O' Style!

Available in many flavors and colors, these little lip eggs look so pretty filling up a paper carton. Surprise your best friend, coworkers, or other special gal. Or give that special guy a less-than-subtle hint. *wink wink* 

Of course, I'm all for adding a personalized touch, so I put some paper on the lid and added a washi-tape bow by pleating the tape. The gold rub-ons are by Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper, and they're some of my favs. They even worked ON washi!

The cute carton? Why, it's from Shop Sweet Lulu, an adorable online store. No time to order? No worries. Just slice a regular carton in half. Or, if you're feeling egg-stra generous, give someone 12 balms. I assure you they will not be disappointed to have a lifetime collection. 

I'm sharing this and many more out-of-the-basket Easter giving ideas this Thursday on Studio 5. If you're local (UT), tune in to channel 5 at 1. Or you can watch it stream online at 1:00 MST right here! Hope you'll hop on over. 

I'm always seeking fun and unexpected gift ideas. What gift would YOU put in this bitty egg carton?

Cheers! 

Eggs-tra, Eggs-tra! Read all about it!

Shake things up this Easter with a sequin-filled, semi see-through, Eggarland! It's fun to make and will add color to your world!

I decided to make one a few weeks ago, after my friends at Doodlebug surprised me with this package of divine vellum and sparkling sequins. (I have the kindest friends!) Upon opening it, I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate it into my home decor, and the Eggarland hatched!

Do it To it!
Here's how to hatch your own sparkle-filled eggs:

1. Cut 3"x12" strips from 12x12 sheets of vellum.

2. Fold each strip into thirds.

3. Fold thirds in half and position egg shape on bundle to be used as cutting template.

4. Cut out around egg.

5. You should now have two sets of mirror-image eggs (when placed back to back).

6. Sew around majority of egg pair (again, when it's placed back to back) using sewing machine or by hand stitching.

7. Fill egg with sequins.

8. Sew remainder of egg closed.

9. Cut around sewn egg using pinking sheers.

10. Spell "Easter" on six of your eggs using sequins to create letters. Stitch around letter to secure and then stitch egg to mirror image (back to back) without filling it with sequins.

11. String your Eggarland up in front of a door or window where it will catch the light.

Shake, shake, shake! Easter is in the air!