getting married!!!

Oh yeah! That's right! I'm gettin' married on June 7th! We've asked guests not to give gifts because we truly need nothing. But that hasn't stopped me from doing some "virtual shopping." These are some great artists and crafters who create things that any bride would loooooove to own.

1. ANY picture by Mary Frances Robinson–She does these spectacular paintings set in the south. Check her out!!!!!! http://www.mfrobinson.com/

2. ANY chair or table by Susan Cooper-Her pieces look 3-D but aren't. They are colorful and just absolutely fantastic. Checkk her out!!! http://www.susancooperart.com/

3. ANY piece by Gina Rosencrantz- Her ceramic beads, salt and pepper shakers and other work is so colorful and whimsicle that you want to dance just looking at it. Check it out!! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5252994

4. Any bonsai tree by Michael Persiano-He's just got a great eye and his artwork is beautiful. Check it out! http://members.aol.com/IASNOB/index.html

5. ANY piece by jewelry artist Donna Spadafore-Just WOW. What else can you say about her unusual and fantastic pieces of jewelry? Check her out!! http://www.gailavira.com/

6. Hair Salon Calavera by artist Tamra Kohl-She's a top notch artist with a great sense of humor! Check out her wonderful Day of the Dead calaveras!!! http://claylindo.com/

7. Wooden bowls by Brad Whittman-What beautiful pieces of wood art! Holy moly! I love his stuff! Check it out: http://www.bradturnsgreen.com/

8. Magic wands by Linda Faigen-They are as beautiful as jewelry. Take a look at these stunning pieces! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5781559

Post links to your favorite sites with handmade reallllllllly cool things that you think I (or any bride) would cherish!

Wish me luck and send positive thoughts my way!

Kerry

Digital Designer Tips

When it comes to digital scrapbooking, digital designer Jackie Eckles is kind of a veteran.

“I started designing my own digital products in 2006,” she says.

Wow, that was eons ago! Technology changes quickly, but products and trends change quicker, so Jackie’s products show her growth as an artist as well as a techno designer.

In celebration of the release of Cantata’s latest book, Scrapbooking Digitally, we sat down with Jackie to discuss her qualities as a digital designer. Jackie designed one of four custom digital scrapbooking kits that is packaged on a DVD with the book. For more information on the book or to order it, please click here.

Q: Jackie, what was it about digital designing that initially hooked you?
A: Since I started with traditional scrapbooking, the discovery of digital was like discovering a new cutter tool with every extension imaginable – I can create almost anything I can dream up.

Q: What is your favorite digital tool?
A: I work with Adobe® Photoshop®, and my favorite tools are the brush tools. They offer a great way to add extra dimension to a digital layout or craft. I love to experiment with the Opacity and Scatter settings. I also love fonts! I love to add color and texture to them.

Q: What are you working on currently?
A: I love bright colors and my newest kits like Arbot and Happy Love (available at Little Dreamer Designs) reflect that. I am currently working on themes that have more of a teenage appeal – both fun and cool, I hope.

Q: Can you offer any design advice to our readers?
A: Fight the urge to add more. When I design a layout, if something doesn’t seem to fit, try subtracting elements. Many times, a project, whether it is a scrapbook page or another craft project, will benefit from simplifying the design.

Q: What advice do you have for those who have never done digital?
A: Get involved in the digital community! It’s such a welcoming environment, and it will, without a doubt, help you improve your design skills. There is always a challenge to inspire and push you to your creative limits.

Q: Challenge? What do you mean by that?
A: Once you become a member of a digital community, such as Two Peas in a Bucket or The Digi Chick, you will notice members or forum moderators posting art challenges, such as a photography challenge that requires you to explore a certain digital photography technique or a color challenge that will have you seeking original ways to use a certain color.

NYC Welcomed US!

I love NYC and the surrounding areas. The place throbs with energy and a lot of that is creative. Andrea and I just returned from a trip to the Big Apple where we were visiting different publishers to share our ideas for some really great upcoming books. We visited The Taunton Press, with whom we published Scrapbooking Digitally (which, by the way, is now available online and in most bookstores!). We met with Wiley Publishing, with whom we are doing Day of the Dead Crafts. (DOD will be available in the Fall, so look for it! You truly won't believe the incredible artwork in this book. It is unlike anything you've ever seen before!) We also met with a couple of great folks at St. Martins and Workman. Fun? Yes. Tiring? Yes! So now we're catching up FINALLY on paperwork and getting ready to start our next projects. Keep in touch! Let us know what you think of the website and let us know if you have anything to contribute. Happy SPRING!

January Issue Is Up!

It's so hard to believe that we have already launched three new issues of thechicksguide.org. It's so exciting! This month was especially rewarding because we got to interview Heather Sullivan. Heather is an intuitive counselor in San Francisco, and she is totally tapped into the mystic powers of the universe! If you visit Heather's Web site, buildaltars.com, you will see why. Heather instructed thechicksguide.org on altar-building. Altars are a great way to set intention in your life, to ask the universe or whatever unseen force you believe in for help and abundance as well as to bless loved ones.

We also featured some wonderful artists this month:
Stiletto Heights
Dani Juarez
Zombie Romance
Miss Karina
Makrista Baby
MuchachaK
Jungles of Brooklyn

You should totally check them out, they've got great, affordable wares for sale on their sites.

The projects this month are THE BOMB! Please click on the links below to see them in all their bombiness.
Psychedelic Jewelry by Julie Sweeney
Brassiere Bag by Lucy Gray
Paper Choker by Torrey Miller
Happy New Year's Cards by Amy Armato
Creativity Apron by Amber Baley
Mini Travel Scrapbook by Sara Hindmarch

We still have prizes that we are dying to give away. To win them, you must enter our Chick Challenge!

Finally, our advice column, Dear CG, dishes tips on rebinding rare books, dealing with post-holiday blahs, and we're still running our holiday feng shui tips because, well, everyone could use good design no matter what time of the year.

We hope you are all enjoying a productive and creative new year!

I Got IT!

So...when my kids asked what I wanted for Xmas, I told them that "I had everything I could possibly want...really didn't NEED anything else...didn't want them to spend their money on getting me a gift"....and THEN, I let'er rip: "If you a-b-s-l-u-t-e-l-y want to get me something, I'd LOVE this really cool scarf listed on etsy.com." And, here's the great part of this little story: I ACTUALLY GOT IT!!!!! Oh yes! Do a little dance! Get down with my bad self in celebration! And now I am wearing this squishy, heather green and gold-ish scarf morning, noon and night. I love it! I love crafts and the crafters who put their heart and soul into making things that fill my home and adorn my body (even this post-holiday-need-to-drop-a-few-pounds body). I, and all of us at Cantata Books wish chicky crafters everywhere a happy new year. Let us know what your favorite crafty gifts were this year. Send us a jpeg!