Brenda Pinnick -news, ideas, events and more...

menu table embellishment

I'm participating in a blog hop to show off the many ways of using my friend Eileen Hull's new product line with Sizzix! It's called SCOREBOARDS ™ and they are a  ton of fun to use because of their versatility. This week's projects are created around her check book cover die which, when I saw this, immediately my mind went in a million different directions.

I've recently discovered Plaid's chalk board paint and am having fun turning just about everything into a writable surface! My favorite is the red- there's just something so crisp and wonderful about red with white lettering!

I'm short on time lately due to the busy time of year, getting ready for the various trade shows so my goal was to design a project which is minimal in effort yet high in impact - I think this fits the bill ;

I painted the outside with Plaid's Chalkboard paint, red over orange board. It took two coats to get it the depth I wanted.

Assembly consisted of a simple yard's length of skinny ribbon, starting at the bottom and working my way up to the top, where I tied a bow on the inside of the menu. Start by threading the ribbon through the bottom holes and centering it. Create the x pattern on the outside or create a pattern of your choosing. Matboard accepts chalk pencil really well so if you don't wish to re-use your menus, you can just write on the board itself and skip the paint. I used a sharpened pastel pencil to write with, it works great! If you are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner this year, this would be a good way to denote any food which was made to accommodate allergies or glutton intolerance. You could also use it to assign seats, sometimes a good strategy for a family get together! What if it were left blank on the inside, for your guests to write out what they are thankful for, then pass them around the table? Write their names on the cover and then they can take it home with them as a reminder.

You can follow this blog hop by visiting the following -

Eileen  Hull

Fabrizio Martellucci

Jennifer Ellefson

Ann Butler

Lorine Mason

Karen Burniston

Bonnie Bruns

Gabriela Delworth

Candice Windham

cute cosmetic bag!

My friend and fellow Designer, Denise Clason has a fabulous new book out! She and I did a little exchange, fabric for a book and I want to show you the project she made using my Opulence fabrics from Henry Glass & Co. -  

Isn't this beautiful?! I wish I owned it. I guess I'll have to make one for myself!

Denise's book is absolutely beautifully done. It's concise, organized, easy to navigate and full of incredible projects. She has an elegant style and it shows wonderfully in this book. The instructions are easy to follow and well written. This book is a must have for anyone who likes bags, totes, purses and pouches. 

It's available through Amazon here. You'll notice all the great reviews! 

 

Everything about this book is wonderful and it would make a great Holiday gift for the sewer on your gift list. 

I'm going to spend some time sewing soon and plan on making Brooke some cute bags using Denise's patterns. 

Paper fun with a message

http://www.whencreativityknocks.com/craft-and-hobby-episodes/for-the-love-of-paper/piperoids.html

I LOVE this! When Creativity Knocks, the growing and fun website of Ana Araujo and her daughter Megan, are interviewing and showing a fun and unique product they spotted at MakerFaire. 

I love the ingenuity of the Designer who made these little kits! Here is the direct website for a quick look. 

http://www.piperoids.com/piperoid/

Here is what they say about their new products: 

Cut, Fold, and Connect

PIPEROID is a paper craft robot designed and produced in Japan. The robot is made out of just paper pipes with pre-drilled holes and marks to cut, fold, and connect the pipes without the need of glue or tape. All you need is a pair of scissors, and with minimal assembly you can bring your own PIPEROID to life!   Expand Your Imagination When was the last time you made paper crafts that you can brag about? Many components of PIPEROID can either move or be swapped with other PIPEROID's body parts. Expand your imagination and make your own original PIPEROID! About the Designer Takashi Tsunoda With the motto "Teaching Values Through Handcrafts", Takashi Tsunoda designs toys that use your hands and stimulate your brains. His work, PIPEROID, aims to make people think about the world we live in through hand crafting. In our society full of pre-made goods, he wants us - especially adults - to think about being more responsible when developing products. Feel the deep message behind the cute designs he brings to the world.  -I really like it that you can swap out pieces and parts of the different kits to create your own unique robot. These are so much fun, I'm ordering some for my nephew who will love making these.  Be sure to watch the video of Ana and Megan as they cut and glue one of these little guys together.

http://www.piperoids.com/ - It's nice to see some paper crafting which will appeal to girls AND boys both!

What a fantastic Designer and his message is a wonderful one indeed! 

about a year ago...

a few weeks short of, actually...I took a trip to London and to Paris,  in that order. Paris was amazing! Even though it was cold, rainy  and off season, I enjoyed the holiday decorations, the company and the relaxation of it all. My trip was business, hosting my own show on QVC, which is always great fun but a bit intense. I took the bullet train down to Paris afterward and enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere that only Paris gives. While relaxing and exploring, I also had opportunity to just sit, be inspired and create.

Here is a little bit of mixed media I made, done at home, but inspired by my trip. 

I LOVE stitching on my pieces! And, adding in elements such as ribbon, lace, cut felt pieces and especially cut paper makes it so visually enticing. I love creating my own surface art to use in my mixed media pieces so that it maintains the "voice of the artist". 

I encourage you to design your own mixed media art and base it on a travel experience. The purple in this piece reflects the trend seen while in both London and Paris last year! EVERYWHERE- purple!!! 

...there's just something magical about Paris, no matter what the season!  Je ne sais quoi?

Terrorific Tuesday Finale!

It's the final week for this year's Terrorific Tuesday. Much thanks to Alexa Westerfield for host this- it's a lot of work! Enjoy!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009

Terrorific Tuesday 2009 Week 4

Trick or Treat!
Frame and post it note holder dressed for Halloween

Costumed Kokeshi Dolls
Try out a Halloween idea for a traditional Japanese doll with Crafterella

Halloween Mask
Phyllis Dobbs created a fun and easy Halloween mask - great for adults and kids!

Fun Halloween Lanterns
Stephenie Hamen accessorizes plain paper lanterns with her paper punches.

Black Widow & Bloody Necklaces
Pattie Wack uses 3-D paint to create chokers that will creep out your party guests!

Tutu Cute Halloween Wreath
Vanessa creates an inspired wreath made of tulle!

Mad Scientist Party
Amy of Living Locurto shares a slew of fun ideas to host your own Mad Scientist Party.

Halloween Zombie Dolls
Crafty Chica shows how to add some zombie love to your decor!

Halloweenies!
Boopsie Daisy shares some of the wonderful Halloween dollies that she dreams up!

Crafty Chica's Ghost Story!
Kathy Cano-Murillo shares a haunted crafty tale!

Halloween Cone Witches
Make these cute little paper cone witches for Halloween!

Halloween Leftovers
Mel takes the leftovers from last week's project and makes a cool Goth choker!

Brenda Pinnick Halloween Owls
Seasonal Owls for Scaring or Delighting Trick or Treaters

The Impatient Crafter
Margot creates another spooktacular mixed media necklace with a bite.

Halloween Batty Windchime
Heidi Borchers creates a super cute windchime with personality!

Kitschy Kitschy BOO
Add some Halloween flair to your day with this cute kitschy bracelet and earring combo!

Simple Halloween Gift Tags
Studio Mama makes a strong impact with these quick and easy tags! 

Strands of Beads
Melissa once again gives some pretty flower beads a Gothic makeover with this simple earring design

Costume Fun
Sharron Westerfield shares her passion for costume-making and the joy it brings her grandchildren.

Return of the Birthday Zombie
Candace is cracking herself up with this ghoulish gift box idea

Doodle Pumpkin
Swelldesigner a.k.a. Alexa Westerfield shows you how to make a fun pumpkin on the fly!

More Owls!!!

Here's the link! http://brendapinnick.typepad.com/brenda_pinnick_news_ideas/2008/12/owl-pattern-freebie.html so  you can make your own festive owls for scarring or delighting  your trick or treaters or Thanksgiving guests!

I used various papers from my many different kits sold via QVC over the last 3 years including Sucerie, Brenda Pinnick Signature, Initially Yours, Village Color. I encourage you to USE YOUR STASH! And if you need some color inspiration to get you going, dig into my Color U series and go at it!

hugs, Brenda

Sizzix Project!

I've been playing around with Eileen Hull's  new Scoreboard Sizzix Dies and found a great combo project!

I've been making these little mini-books using my own Sizzix product, Die Number 656042-Album cover and page. The mini-books are perfect for creating portable color palettes to stick in  your purse or bag for quick and easy reference. Shopping for new items can be stressful, so having a small reference book can make matching or coordinating your projects or wardrobe easier. 

Here is what I used:

Sizzix #656137 Eileen Hull Box with Flap

 Sizzix #656235 Eileen Hull Notebook Pocket

 Sizzix #656042 Brenda Pinnick Album Cover and Page  ON SALE!!! WOW!!!

Brenda Pinnick Scrapper Keeper Album elements / QVC.com   ON SALE!!!! WOW!!! - read the reviews on this!

Download a jpeg of this project showing different views here-View this photo

Be sure to tune in tonight for Inspired at Home Blog Talk Radio with Tiffany Windsor! I'll be giving a short talk about color in  nature!

 

And tomorrow morning, 10:00 a.m est., Tiffany is hosting a very special LIVE program via FACEBOOK LIVE and I will also be guest on this very special show along with Eileen Hull!!! I'll be talking about color in nature again and will be showing some beautiful photographs from my walk down the road.

Please join us!!! 

And before I forget, here is this week's color palette from BrendaPinnickColorU- October week 4Download BP color U.v4

AND, if all that isn't enough to keep you off the streets and out of the pool halls -Be sure to check out WHEN CREATIVITY KNOCKS for this weeks Creative Journal and the latest episode! Fun stuff!!! I love Jenn Mason's suggestions for using up little bits and pieces of stuff! Very inspired, Jenn! Go here to see the very retro and oh so cool crochet project that Ana made by crocheting- it's halloween fun!

Inspiration!

Nothing like a spending a day with someone whose work is the likes of the fabulous Kathy Fincher!

Kathy invited me to visit her last week so I drove up to her beautiful home, about an hour away from my house via the back roads. I've been a huge fan of Kathy's work since I first met her about a year and a half ago but I have to say, seeing her paintings in person takes your breath away. They are extremely beautiful, meaningful and inspired. And Kathy herself is a true inspiration. She is an accomplished tennis player, water skier, and probably the smartest business person I know. When I say smart in business, I'm referring to the kind of smart that sets an example of trustworthiness, of honesty and of character. It would never occur to her to be anything less than a reflection of her faith, whether someone is watching or not. And isn't that the test of character? Doing the right thing even if no one is watching? She is such an inspiration and was kind enough to give me some private lessons in pastel painting. Here are a couple of pictures...the first one is Kathy working on her current painting.  Kathy's work is used for all types of wonderful products including her "Mama Says™' series of figurines available through Demdaco.

And take at look here... 

This just makes my heart flutter and my mouth drool! I'm pretty sure I have to go shopping at Dick Blick this week! 

I've started my next surface design collection after what seemed like a lifetime of "what next?". Sometimes that's just the way it works. I bought myself a big roll of paper from IKEA kids section, got out my pens, my pastels, my gouache paints and started to just play. It's amazing how simply changing your tools will set you off on a path you never would have thought of going down. I get bored doing the same thing more than once. I love exploring new looks, new color ways, new techniques...In fact, I'm a technique junkie. That's the designer side of me. Sometimes the Designer and Artist in me have to fight it out. As a Designer, I'm all about form follows function and I love simple, clean and organized. BUT, my artist wants to fill up the space with curlies and squiggles and polkadots. 

I hope you have an inspired week!

 

BPCU - week two!

Has a week gone by already??? Gheesh! Well, I was on a trip this last weekend, Houston to be exact. QUILT MARKET!!! What a wonderful show, so much energy, excitement, color, design and most of all,passion! I had the opportunity to catch up with some friends over long lunches and dinners and to meet and make some new ones along the way. It's hard to work by yourself, at home with no one to talk to except the cats! So when it's trade show time, it's always fun to meet up with people and talk in person.

Here's this week's color palette, still centered on Autumn hues. I've shown an example of using studio materials, in this case, embroidery skeins, to develop a palette. You don't need to have expensive color chips. Next week I'll show another source for gathering color inspiration and be tying it in with a project you can make using Sizzix dies. 

Download BP color U.v2 copy

If you missed last week's segment of Inspired at Home Radio, you can listen to my recorded podcast by visiting http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/brenda-pinnick-color-u/This coming Sunday, my good friend and talented Designer, Lorine Mason will be the guest so be sure to tune in! 

And, be sure to make your weekly visit to the When Creativity Knocks website where you'll find all kinds of crafty projects and inspiration from the fabulous Jenn Mason, Ana Arujo and Megan Arujo who is now reporting live from Hollywood. 

Two more inspirational links for you- my good friend Fabrizio is up to his crafty goodness again, making Holiday cards using my big kit from QVC-UK. My goodness, the pieces and parts from this kit just go on and on! Fabrizio is a talented card crafter who actively shares his creations on a number of blogs, blog hops and more. Go visit him and say hello. 

My friend Eileen Hull is having a blog hop to show off her new Sizzix collection of structural dies and I'll be joining in the fun this next week. I love her new dies- can't wait to show you what I'm working on.

hugs,

Brenda

Brenda Pinnick Color U v.01

Download Bp_color_u_100609-1

Also available from When Creativity Knocks website each Friday, where you'll also find some great new entries from the fabulous team of creative experts including a new feature by Jenn Mason. Jenn shows some fun ways to use your dies for home decor and more. Of course, you'll want to use my Brenda Pinnick dies from Sizzix, right?! 

Speaking of Sizzix, my friend Eileen has a new collection of dies coming out and I'm busy working on a few projects using them along with my halloween dies, so be on the lookout for that, coming soon.

Now I'm off to get my hair in shape and find some new shoes to go to Quilt Market this weekend where I'll be enjoying the company of many of my Designer friends and talking to some people about art licensing. I'll also be talking live from Houston on the Inspired at Home Radio webcast on Sunday evening, at 7:00 p.m. eastern. I hope you'll join me as I talk about color and how a trip to the Farmer's market can change how you look at color!

By the way-I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it if you would send me pictures of what you create using my color palettes! Share your creativity so you can inspire others!