Friday, July 10, 2009

Kit Pondering, Art Journaling and more...

Okay, so I'm looking for a kit club to subscribe to. My favorite kits have been the SiStv collections, because they always included things that you couldn't find anywhere else - you know like imported felt flowers, bits of vintage fabric, thrift store stuff, etc. They haven't made many kits lately tho, so I'm looking for somewhere else to get kits, at least for now. Here's what I've found so far...

Studio Calico. Beautiful kits and a lively, active online community, which I love. The only downside is that they don't seem to include unusual/odd items. They seem to be exclusively scrapbooking supplies. Still - they are beautiful kits, so I may go that way.

Cocoa Daisy. Amy Tan is their guest designer this month, and when I saw the beautiful things she's been creating and posting in the SiS gallery, I had to check them out. The gallery seems to be filled with things that lean a little more towards untraditional, which fits my style. I don't know what their online community is like, but it looks friendly.

Does anyone have experience with either of these kit clubs? And if so, what is your opinion?

Also, if you have any other unique and funky kits that you have found - I'd love to hear about them. If they have an online community it would be a plus. It's fun to be able to get excited about the kits with other people. Not that this would replace SiS of course - just in addition to it.

Anyhoo, on to the creative projects. Last night I went crazy working on my homework for Dina's Masterful Art Journaling class. WOW - that class is DEFINITELY worth the money. The first lesson alone has about 7 different projects, and they all are fun and thought-provoking at the same-time. I finished all but one of them last night. I didn't take pics yet, because it's just backgrounds that will be built on in the next lesson. I will share as soon as they are finished.

I do want to share the art journal I created in the Collage Couture class at SiSversary - WOW this one was FUN! We were given a piece of plain, natural canvas, with fabric stitched to the inside. Then we created the journal in class. Here's how mine turned out...
The texture comes from a paper towel, stuck on with gel medium! So Cool - I NEVER would have thought you could do that! It becomes really stiff and durable once it dries because of the gel medium. Other supplies I used (some in class and some when I got home) include acrylic paint, drywall tape, stamps, book pages, sharpie, spray ink and gaffer tape. I bound it with a strip of fabric that I got from my secret sister Andrea.

Here's how the inside looks...
the striped fabric was already sewn onto the canvas, but I glued on the houndstooth with regular old craft glue.

And this is the back cover...
I can hardly wait to fill it up! Yeayyy!!!


Oh, and I also wanted to share a pic of my Project 52 ATC ribbon which is now completely full!!! Yeayyyyy! As it turns out, the ribbon holds EXACTLY 26 weeks of cards, which is perfect because I can add one more ribbon and that will be the full year! I am loving this process!!!

I guess that's it for today. I've got so much to share, but it will have to wait til tomorrow! I hope you have a fabulous Friday filled with fun and inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by and for your comments - they truly make my day!

14 comments:

Nathalie Kalbach said...

I so so so love the cover of your journal! Love the class too - it is a wonderful way to look at your work!

milkcan said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff! And I have to say I love my Label Tulip kits, and the "Bad Girl" kits are really artsy and vintagey and cool!

Marit said...

I joined the Cocoa Daisy community last week, and it IS friendly... I don't know their kits tho... It would be fun to meet you there too Michelle - together we add some "fresh blood" and Art journal pages etc....

Lori W said...

I just have to suck it up and do the class.....I so love Dina's stuff....hmmmm
Your journal rocks!
and, the kit club I subscribe to is Scrapbooking from the Inside Out...it may be right up your alley, plus they include an inspiration page with songs, quotes and journaling prompts. each month explores a different theme. Check it out...I've been a part of their community since last year. email me if you want more info! :)

mandysea said...

Oh my!! Michelle you are SUCH an inspiration....this has to be my fav art journal page you have done so far.....the colours are WAY too cool!!

McMGrad89 said...

Sharmaine on 4 Squirts and a Dollop of Cream uses Q Tea Kits. They have nice bits to go with the paper. I think they are from Australia, but the postage seemed reasonable. I am posting to you the address for their subscription information.
http://qteakits.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-postage-and-subscription-rates.html

Jessica said...

awesome creations!!! loving all the color!

i have only had one SC kit and I absolutely loved it- i sub to scarlet lime and really enjoy that kit- although i do wish there were more variety in manufacturers.

i would bet that the bad girls kits would be a great choice for you- very artful and great variety!

Denise said...

I have Polka Dot Whimsy bookmarked, but have never joined a kit club (yet...) :)
http://www.polkadotwhimsy.com/index.html

Vintage Plum offers some unique items in their kits, too...
http://www.vintageplum.com/

HTH! Love how your Collage Coture journal turned out...I still have to finish mine ;)

erinrwillis said...

I love that ATC ribbon! I bet your art room is really cool!....And so funny you wrote about looking for a kit club, b/c I've been doing the same thing these last couple of weeks! I loved Amy Tan's Cocoa Daisy stuff too!.... Let me know if you find any other clubs you're interested in!

Jennifer said...

You picked my two faves already - those are the ones I subscribe too.

A couple others that I've gotten occasionally (but don't subscribe to) are Jenni Bowlin, Kenner Road, and Label Tulip. Kenner Road had some fun vintage embellies.

PS Your journal is adorable! And how FUN is the ATC ribbon? Love it!

Karen said...

Have you taken a look at Scarlet Lime. I think they include "funky" items in their kits. There is also Label Tulip that may be worth checking out. I currently subscribe to SC and love it. It is perfect for me since I am a pretty "in the box" scrapper. I have also subbed to Cocoa Daisy and there is always a lot of product in their kits. Not sure about "funky" additions though. Sorry I missed Sisiversary this year. Looks like it was fun. Sad cuz I only live about 30 minutes from Franklin!

Anonymous said...

I used to get cocoa daisy, they were ok, but I felt a little pricey for what was included, its been over a year so that may have changed. However, the shipping date was right on! Never having to ask where your kit was was something great! Good luck in your choice!

amytangerine said...

both these kit clubs are great! I would totally recommend the Cocoa Daisy kit to you, especially after meeting you, I know you'd make LOTS of cool projects and fun stuff out of it. I seriously have made 6 layouts and have plenty of leftover goodies!!

chris a said...

I love your art journal - how lucky you were to get the class in person. And I can hardly wait to see what you are learning in Dina's class - I loved the one I took in the spring but there's no money for frivolity right now so I will enjoy seeing your creations. Good luck on the kit - just from drooling over the websites, Bad Girls has the most artsy stuff but they are quite a bit more expensive than most of the others.