Cartwheels In My Mind

Artists Studio, Davinie Fiero.

 

I have been following Davinie Fiero for several years and admire her scrapbook designs. Her pages are always refreshing and trendy. I love her drive in sharing techniques and ideas to fellow scrappers across the globe through her personal blog davinie.blogspot.com. She is very much an inspiration to me and to others around her.

Davinie has been creating for quite sometime and is well known throughout the scrapbook industry. You can find her work published in several scrapbook/craft magazines, such as, Scrapbook Trends and Scrapbook & Cards Today, to name a few. I'm so excited Davinie is sharing her craft room with us today. I couldn't wait to get a glimpse into her space & see how she keeps all the chaos organized where she creates some of the most amazing projects.

Read more about Davinie through our interview...

What is your scrapbook style?
I haven’t found the single word that describes my style.  What I would say is that it is clean, balanced homespun.  Balance and design is always something I think about when creating a layout, but I love texture as well, so I like to layer and must sew in some form on every project I make.  

How do you find inspiration?
I check out my favorite blogs on my google reader.  Some favorites include the Creature Comforts blog, wedding blogs like Style Me Pretty, and I love the Crafty Crow for inspiration on kids projects.  

Favorite product?
Crate Paper’s Restoration line is a huge favorite right now.  

Favorite storage solution?
Repurposed vintage items are my favorite thing.  My bind it all is in an old suitcase on top of my Expedit shelf, I have 5 locker baskets for stamps and alphas, a wooden coke crate holds mists and other bottles that need to stand up, and some old milk crates hold altered items and albums.  I also have several lunch boxes that hold things like ink and pens.  

Favorite tool(s)?
I wouldn’t be able to function without my sewing machine and my border punches, in particular, my Fiskars scallop sentiment punch.  I use both on just about every project I create.  

Are you a daytime or nighttime scrapper?
I work part-time in Health insurance from home, so when I’m not busy bustling kids around town, I should be working.  When I have time to craft, it is usually at night after the kids are in bed.

Davinie's designs for Studio Calico, Scrapbook and Cards Today, and Crate Paper. So be sure to check out more of her amazing work.

Also, since 2009 I have been hosting a monthly scrapbook challenge on my blog called Project 12. In 2010 began collaborations with Scrapbook and Cards Today magazine and Becky Fleck to have monthly sketches designed for this challenge, and to have prizes awarded too. You can check out Project 12 here.

Now, let's check out some photos of Davinie's craft room, as she shares organizational ideas & tips in her own words.

When we first moved into our home, what is now my craft room was once a room built around an 800 gallon water tank used for solar heating.  This heating system was never efficient, and one of the first things we changed about our house as we began renovations (which may NEVER end…..).

Today it is my crafty place.  There is still a lot of work to be done and I change my mind quite frequently on what I want, but I wanted to share a few things about my space that I’m sure about.

The first is this built in.

My husband built me a countertop the length of this recessed area in my room.  I love it because I often want to create standing up, or sitting at my counter height stool.  I also have my computer and printer in this space.

On the wall behind this unit is my vintage inspired receipt holder, as well as two magnetic canvases that my husband made for me.  You can read about how to make one of those here: How to make a magnetic canvas

I tried a couple of things and wasn’t happy with the results before settling on painting them the same color as my walls. I just didn’t want them to stand out too much. I haven’t settled on a permanent solution for my most used supplies, which is one reason I still use a portable tote.  

Adhesive and extras are in the blue bucket, and my inks are in the vintage lunchbox at my desk.


To the left of my desk you can see a snippet of a stack of 12 iris container drawers which hold my monthly scrapbook kits.  This is the easiest way for me to keep track of the contents as I go back and use older kits until they are down to the bits. I keep no more than 12, though.  Each month the one with the least amount of product gets parted out to the rest of my stash to make room for the next kit.


Directly behind the counter built in is my sit down table that I purchased from Target.  I often float between working at both locations.  Sometimes, they are both covered with projects (as in, probably 10 minutes before these photos were taken…    ).

On the right shelf is an iris container with the most current scrapbook kit I have received.  Underneath, the locker baskets on both sides of the desk hold my many punches.  They are FULL.  Behind them, the other locker baskets hold other inks and supplies that I need within easy reach.
This desk faces the one window in this room.  The door to this room is to the left of this desk.


To the right of this desk is my 8x8 Expedit system that I picked up from Ikea.  I am in serious need of some purging here.  I have some plans, but they involve milk crates from John Derian for Target that have yet to reach me (I want five of them in the Moth pattern for the top shelf), and some major goodie boxes for the elementary school as I eliminate some of this clutter.


I have 5 vintage locker baskets on this shelf that I love.  In them I put thickers and sticker sheets.  One of them holds my Studio Calico stamps in Making Memories stamp folders.  

I always love taking a peek inside creative spaces.  I hope this gave you some good ideas or you at least feel some comfort in knowing there IS someone out there who has a messier space than you do. (wink, wink).

Davinie

Here is a recent favorite project Davinie created. Her style shines through so perfectly, such great design & adorable photo of her daughters personality. Lots of great details!

To read more about Davinie's daily happenings and for inspiration, check out her blog: davinie.blogspot.com

Thanks for sharing your craft room with us Davinie...it's been so cool to see where all the magic happens.

Cheers :)

Digikit "Maddie Embellishments" by Erica Hernandez

A Piece of Home.

More Studio Calico love! I met April online quite a few years ago and have since had the pleasure of seeing her at many CHA shows. I feel like I watched Studio Calico as it was born! It's been fun to see it grow at a really steady pace and I know that I am a big fan! I jumped at the chance to create a home decor project using Studio Calico.

When we moved into the house we are in, I was determined to not have a single mass produced decor piece anywhere! I have broken that rule for myself here and there...however, I am much more likely to create a piece for my home, rather than go out and buy something. (If I do buy something home decor, it's usually vintage). I just love being able to have one of a kind pieces that mean something to me and my husband. One of my favorite super simple projects to create are shadowbox inserts. The beauty of shadowbox design, is that you can simply create your piece with a background of paper and not adhere it to the actual shadow box, so it's not permanent. I have a box of designs and switch them in and out as the season or my mood sways. 

For this project, I created a little pieced house, using paper, stickers and the fabulous and innovative FabrRips. You need to check them out. Every single piece in this project (except the shadow box) is from the Studio Calico. 

I would love to see your projects using Studio Calico. Cheryl has started a flickr group where we can all post our projects here.  I will be checking it out, so please share yours!

-Becky

One Last Hurrah...Studio Calico.

We just wanted to share one last bit of inspiration from our design team using the new Documentary Collection from Studio Calico to send you into the weekend. 

Don't forget to share your own projects and check out what other readers have shared in our flickr gallery. And if you hurry and leave a comment on the art shoppe interview article we did of April (owner of Studio Calico) you still have a chance to win this entire collection yourself!

And now for the inspiration:

Christy: When I saw this adorable Documentary collection from Studio Calico, I knew I needed to make a set of cards for a stationary gift set. They go together so well! I used the die cut stickers, journaling cards, rub-ons, and patterned papers. Super fun! Anyhow, join in the fun and create some cards of your own.

Rebekah: oh my goodness! i love LOVE the Studio Calico Documentary line! i'll be stocking up for sure. love everything about it...the style, the colors, the rub-ons, the letter stickers. Yum!

i created a quick little organizational project...a dry erase board! i used up some thick chipboard i've been hanging onto and cut it to my desired shape. then i traced it onto my Studio Calico patterned paper, cut it and adhered it to the chipboard shape. next, add a little fun color with the SC rub-ons and letter stickers. finally, I covered the top with simple clear self-adhesive vinyl. you can find it at most local discount stores! with the clear vinyl, WHAAALAAA!, i can now use dry erase markers on it for an easy little message board! i finished it off by punching a few holes in the top with an ice pick and then tying ribbon on it to hang! LOVE IT! it was SO easy to make...seriously, like 30 minutes max! imagine the possibilities! 

Maria Grace: Arrows! Polka dots! Fabric! Awesomeness!! Studio Calico's Documentary Line is fantastically versatile, colorful, and just plain cool. I saw the the pattern paper of arrows and thought to myself, "That's the good stuff." In this layout, I used two separate papers form the collection, some lovely fabric strips, label and letter stickers, and my personal fave the rub-on camera. I'm really digging the retro look and love the whole set!

Nora: "I love those hot air balloon rub-ons (& the rest of Studio Calico's great designs) and thought it was symbolic of how I've been feeling since graduating from college in May...like I am floating...but "Soaring" seemed to make a better title. Okay so don't pay attention to typos or super messy sewing...when you allow yourself to truly enjoy making stuff perfection has to be ignored. Even though it annoys me now that I forgot a word or that my sewing machine went awry in the long term I'll just be happy with it."

Cheryl:  For me this challenge was all about the SC fabric strips...I love that they are self-adhesive...makes the artwork so much easier when you don't have to pick everything back up to glue it once you get it in the position you like. :)

The earrings are simply buttons with a little bit of cotton on top (to make them rounder on top) covered with the fabric and then sewn together in the back underneath the earring pieces. The blue pearls are Jolees.

For this framed flower bouquet I placed 2 fabric strips back to back so that when I was twisting the fabric around to make the flowers the 2 different sides would show through. Patterned Papers are Sassafrass (red), Chatterbox (brown) and October Afternoon (blue) and brads are SEI.

We'd like to thank Sudio Calico so much for sponsoring the team this week...we loved working with your new line!

xo, The Cartwheels Girls

Jumpstart On A Wednesday, Studio Calico Edition.

It's that time of week again...the dreaded Wednesday. I always felt like Wednesdays were the worst day of the week because the weekend high has worn off and Friday just isn't close enough to get the party started...which is why I have been loving my Wednesday jumpstart projects so much lately. It has given me something to look forward to, something to seek inspiration for, and most of all: something to push me to get my creative juices flowing enough to finish the week off with an artistic bang.

And this week being Studio Calico week, it was especially easy to get into that creative mode. I can't say enough about how highly I think of the SC products...I know I've said it before, but they are so well made and spot on as far as design and colors that I just find it so easy to put together a project in no time. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if you closed your eyes and just started cutting and pasting it would look just as amazing as if you spent 3 hours working on any particular project.:)

So this week, I challenged myself to do 3 scrapbook layouts with only 20 minutes allowed per project. I didn't want to over think them, and because all the products can be mixed up so easily, it worked!

Here's what I came up with (and again, my apologies for the quality of the photos from my broken camera):

(The lace on the top layout is a by the yard ribbon from Joann's and the blue flower on the second one is Prima.)

And because we want to emphasize that we are a handmade magazine, not just a scrapbook site, I asked Amy to join in on the challenge by creating other types of art using the same SC products. And I LOVE what she came up with:

 

All the product on this shadow box is Studio Calico (I didn't use much product...but simple is good, right??) except the shadow box is from WalMart and the background is just burlap attached with spray adhesive to scrap cardboard.

Everything is Studio Calico except the red/white polka dot paper (October Afternoon) and
the Kraft paper (Archivers).

What do you find inspiring about Studio Calico? We'd love to see your own art using their product...just share it on our flickr group so we can check it out and maybe post it here on the site!

Peace & Inspiration,

Cheryl

Art Shoppe Interview, Studio Calico.

I am excited to announce this week's art shoppe interviewee: April Foster. April is the founder of Studio Calico, an inspirational website, kit club and most recently manufacturer of their very own line of scrapbook products.

First, here's the gorgeous and very talented April:

I first used the new Studio Calico this January, and instantly fell in love with pretty much everything about their product...from the quality and thickness of the paper, to the colors, to the vintage feel of everything, it's totally relevant and completely universal. I love that so much of her stuff can be interpreted in so many different ways and can appeal to both the traditional and non-traditional artist.

Here's a little eyecandy for you in the form of her newly released line: The Documentary Collection:

Our team will be sharing artwork using thie collection over the next week, but in the meantime, to help you get to know a little more about April and Studio Calico, I asked her to answer a few interview questions and am so excited to share them with you here:

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Hi, I’m April Foster, a native Texan who began my crafting career at an early age selling homemade greeting cards to my dad’s customers at his lumber-yard for $0.25 each.  I’d come home with a handful of quarters in exchange for my drawings and stickerings on typing paper.  It was quite a profitable venture for a 4 year old.  Later, I moved to Tennessee, then to Kentucky, where I continued to craft in the form of scrapbooking and met my husband.  Now he and I live on a farm (never thought I’d be doing that, but that’s a different story for a different day) with our two dogs and have a baby on the way due in November.

Describe your business (and share links as to where we can find it online): Studio Calico is a kit-club, community, shop, and so much more.  Truly, it has surpassed my expectations and continues to every day.  It’s a place you can find inspiration, friendship, and great scrapbooking products for reasonable prices.

What made you decide to open an art business?  The decision to take the plunge with Studio Calico was really my husband’s decision.  I had been working as a manager at a pharmaceutical company for about a year, and was on the road constantly, when the idea came to me via a good friend of mine.  We talked and discussed, but even though I was successful in my career, I was hesitant and unsure if I could be successful enough with Studio Calico to invest in it.  Thankfully my husband was not.  Less than 3 months after the initial discussion, Studio Calico was launched and we’ve never looked back!

When did you start doing art? Oops, I accidentally answered this question in my bio.  My mom was not a creative person, but wanted me to be, so I began fingerpainting, drawing, stickering, you-name-it as soon as my fingers could move.

Where does your inspiration come from? Wow, that’s so hard to pin down.  I’m so inspired by other crafters in the same genre, by products themselves, by color schemes I see in home décor, by just about anything.

 
What are your long term career goals? I love this type of question, because it’s one I used to ask when interviewing potential candidates.  I’m sure they felt like I do now, a little unsure how to answer, but I definitely continue to see myself in the scrapbook industry.  We’ve already made strides to branch out beyond the kit-club into manufacturing and will have our second large release at CHA this summer.  I see that trend continuing to other crafting markets besides scrapbooking most definitely, but before that can happen, we must ensure our customer service and designs stay cutting-edge and reputable.

What kind of music do you enjoy listening to while you create? You’ll think I’m strange, but I need complete silence to create.  My husband can’t think without music, and I can’t think straight with it.

Do you have a motto you live by? I’m not a flowery person by nature, but I do believe in hard work and self-motivation.  Anyone out there who can help me make that sound catchy, I’m all ears.

Any tips and tricks to other artists/business owners? Believe in your ideas and find a way to make them happen.  If you fail, evaluate why it failed (BE HONEST!), ask for advice, and constantly seek feedback, then pick yourself up and try again.

Describe your creative process. Although I’m very regimented in every other area of my life, I don’t really have a creative process.  I think that’s what I so enjoy about crafting is that anything goes.  Usually, I begin with a photo and story to tell and let the supplies on hand take form.

Can you cartwheel? If so, we'd love to see a photo! :) If you’d asked me at age 7, I would have said, “yes” but I just gave the advice to evaluate honestly, so now, I would say “no.”  Truthfully, as a child, I thought I’d be an Olympic gymnast even though I didn’t have a day of training in my life.  What I did have was a good imagination and a banister (aka balance beam) on my back deck growing up.

And here's some inspiration that April sent over:

Aren't they gorgeous? And not only is she sharing inspiration with us, but she has also generously agreed to give-away the entire Documentary Collection to one lucky winner! So be sure to leave a comment here for your chance to win! (Give-away ends at 8:30 p.m. eastern on next Sunday, July 2.)

Be sure to check back for lots more Studio Calico Inspiration from our team this week using the new line!

Peace & Inspiration,

Cheryl