I consider ideas as little seeds. They start out as little thoughts that can expand into something so fabulous if you nurture them and allow them to grow! My next release, although it took root a long time ago, has taken a few extra seasons (shows) to raise it's head out of the soil. You have no idea how close this idea was to making it into
Creative Imaginations summer 2007 catalog, but some manufacturing decisions had to be resolved before it could be made official. (We had colors picked out and everything!) Let's just hope there is truth in the mantra: "Good things come to those who wait."
My idea...was to cut a pattern out of cardstock to use as an overlay on top of another cardstock. You could then overlay the cut cardstock onto any base cardstock and come up with an unlimited number of color combinations! I had been seeing a lot of little die-cut things creeping into the forefront of scrapbooking trends and thought that it would be amazing if we could do this on a grander scale.
It was one of those "out-there" ideas that you thought was pretty cool, but I wanted to run it by some friends just to see if you were crazy or not. I was rooming with
Laura Achillies,
Christine Brown and
Tania Willis at CHA Summer 2006 in Chicago (we formed some magical bonds that summer), and I remember that I just had to tell someone my idea to get some feedback. I cornered Christine and Tania in the little hall that separated our room at the embassy suites. I asked them what they would think of a cardstock that had a pattern of holes punched in it, and you could lay it over another cardstock and the color would show through...I don't know if I truly communicated the complete idea to them...but they seemed to think it was a good idea.
It was difficult to try and explain my idea to Jack (Creative Imaginations President) and Shelley (my art director) prior to the show because it was a hard idea to convey without actual mock ups. So I created some patterns in Adobe illustrator, and had some samples cut from
Bazzill cardstock by a local laser company here in American Fork, Utah. I created a board with my samples on it, and
Creative Imaginations saw my vision for this line. It was fun to see their excitement about it. I hoped for a CHA winter 07 release, but the timing just didn't work out...there was still a lot to figure out in how to manufacture such a product to keep costs down. By summer show,
C.I. had done a lot of homework, but the decision was made to hold off a little longer. With each postponement, I was getting more and more anxious. Okay, maybe impatient (forgive me Rick.)
So here we are at CHA winter 2008, and my little seed is about to come to it's fruition. The seed has only grown stronger over time, and I feel it was truly grown by a community of gardeners. I could not have grown such a seed without the hard work, research, and creative direction from
Creative Imaginations. I feel so blessed and lucky to be a part of their family.
So please stay tuned as I gather together some sneak peeks of my new Holey Cardstock for you! (or you can check it out on the
C.I. blog.)
I have a rambunctious 6 year old boy with a WILD imagination. He can play by himself for hours (not exaggerating), and pretend that there are several people involved in his make-believe play. Since he could walk, one of his favorite things to play is "armies." Often my living room is transformed into a battlefield, where the space between the couch and the ottoman become the trenches, and cushions are used to make bases. The sounds, the actions, and the stories that he plays are very lively to say the least. After watching my son play these games, I realized that I needed a line of product to truly encapsulate his make believe play. And so..."Soldier Boy" was born. This line is a direct inspiration from my son who loves play "army," and my husband who served in the army. It is my hope that this line will be used to showcase your rambunctious boys, or as a backdrop for your military themed pages. Enjoy!.jpg)
This is a sneak peek of recipe box that I created with Sam's Kitchen line from Creative Imaginations. I will be teaching at Scrapfest in September...you will have to come take the class to see all the recipe indexes. The best part of this class...is that you will be able to customize your recipe box with your recipes when you get home.
If you are going to CHA... I hope you get a chance to stop by the CI booth to come do a make and take with me. If not...encourage your scrapbook store to buy my Seashore line, so you can create this little postcard album at home. (Not so subtle plug...wink wink.) 
layout created by Cheryl Mezzetti
I love my kitchen. When you walk into it, you are faced with a peppery cayenne red wall, my favorite color, accented by camel colored walls to enhance the warmth. I threw in splashes of green and gold accents for good measure. The colors energize me--and remind me of my favorite foods--which include the spicy flair of India, Mexico, and Thailand. I love to cook, so having a happy place, with warm surroundings really makes it a fun place for my family to gather. I am a traditional girl when it comes to home decor with a little twist of French Country. Roosters are a favorite icon--I love their shape--fancy, and yet they are a throwback to more simple times. My latest line from Creative Imaginations ties in all of these details, as it is a direct inspiration from my family kitchen. It also coordinates perfectly with my Sweet Tooth collection that released this last summer. You can use the papers to scrapbook about favorite memories in the kitchen (I have many,) or you could use them to create a special recipe box. The Creative Imaginations recipe box from their be. line is perfect for this, as the recipe cards that it comes with are HUGE and leave ample room to attach a 3X5 recipe card and whatever embellishments you choose. Whatever you do with my collection, it is my wish that it will become a favorite family heirloom to pass down to your generations to come. So without any more introduction, I am happy to give you a sneak peek at my new line called: Sam's Kitchen.
epoxy Stickers...Take note...I love to cook with garlic, and that french bread is my favorite potato rosemary bread from my favorite bakery "Kneaders."
I have to point out that rooster that keeps showing up throughout this line...he is a direct inspiration from our dinner plate set. I created him by taking embroidery floss and swirling it around and around on a sheet of clear adhesive. I scanned him in then made him part of my art.
Don't forget that you can use the tabs with our CI recipe box that is part of the be. collection. They fit perfectly on the index card section dividers that come with the box...but don't let that stop you from using the tabs on your scrapbook pages too. They would be cute to lable photos or to make a mini book with tabs.
Here's a little secret...those recipes that are shown behind the fabric snips...they are real recipe cards from my mom's recipe box. Yes, they are really stained with flour, vanilla, eggs and anything else that may be in each individual recipe. Oh, and those snip-its of fabric, are pieces of fabric collaged together to mimic the striped fabric that is on my bar stools.
There's that rooster again...isn't he cute?
Can't get enough of that rooster...this time he's on my mom's recipe cards.
That's all for now...I want to share a few layouts that were created using this line--you'll love them! Our Creative Imaginations Design Team is so talented! I can't wait to share with you what they have done!
