Dapoppins

I have really been focusing on my creative side here on the blog so far in 2015 - Not to worry, I will get back to some Children's literary explorations in March- But there have been some personal (non-nanny) opportunities that are just kinda taking over.

Being apart of a creative crew for Canvas Corp Brands is one of those.

If you do any scrapbooking, memory keeping, or scrap-related mixed media you would have heard of Canvas Corp Brands/ 7 gypsies/ and Tattered Angels.

7 Gypsies did grunge and vintage BEFORE Tim Holtz came along. Way before. And they are still doing it very well.

Tatered Angels was doing color mists when my sixteen year old was a baby.

And Canvas Corp does - well they do so much. Paper packs, tiny clothes pins, things made from canvas and burlap. At least one of their products can be found in every craft store you walk into.

To be on their Creative Crew is HUGE!

It's a big stinkin' crafty deal!

And Their CREW is huge.

For a family run company, they have a huge lot of wonderful, diverse designers. The company wants to remind people about their diverse range of products, and the best way to do that is to have a lot of different craft bloggers posting about Canvas Corp products. The company has been very generous with their product too, so that all the designers can have a chance to show it off.

I am so incredibly grateful to be one of the team.

Our very first challenge was to create personal, meaningful 4x4 canvas in our style.

I think by now a child holding an umbrella is self explanatory for Dapoppins. I used golden gel medium, golden bead gel medium, paper, a FabScraps chipboard child and LOTS of Tattered angels mists. I layered the mists with the gel medium.

Cell phone photo shows the shine a little better...

Now I need you to do something for me. Go to the Canvas Corp Brands Creative Studio Blog, find my canvas and VOTE for me.

I know there are about ten or twenty other canvas's you might want to vote for. They are interesting, and diverse and so cool. BUT find MINE and SAY "I love that Dana S. aka Dapoppins!"

I would be ever so grateful if you did.

Click photo to go to Canvas Corp Brands Creative Studio

Thank YOu.

I am so excited about this. Craft Warehouse is a local family owned craft store,

-smaller than Hobby Lobby - and with less furniture/ decor items (although they do have a really fabulous decor section, just not isles and isles
-better stocked with paper craft supplies but with less fabric than Jo-Ann's
-and with a better mix of scrapbooking companies than Michaels.

It is a fantastic place to take crafty kids.

My daughter and I have made a tradition out of going to the Holiday open house.

Raffle to win gift card. We didn't win but still had fun.

Fox that inspired me to create two layout's based on his sweet face.

Design Team examples that inspire me to spend money.

I want to make one of these.

When they had their call for new guest designers I decided to give it a go. Why not? Hundreds would apply, my chances weren't great, but - WHY NOT?

I couldn't believe it when I got an Congratulations letter. Really. I Could Not. I almost didn't believe it until I got my box of crafting goodies just after Christmas.

What is a design team?

A company sends product and I get to play with it, take pictures and blog about it. What can be more fun that that? Seriously. I can't imagine anything more fun than that!

I'm not going to tell you everything that Craft Warehouse sent in my box - but i need to gush about one item right now. I need to gush extensively.

They sent me a Large Dylusions Journal.

I did not have one. These babies usually retail about $24.00. I thought it was too expensive. I thought the paper was too thin for paint, I thought it wouldn't lay flat, I thought it wasn't all it is cracked up to be.

Journaler's Everywhere. Listen to me. It is CRACKED UP, JACKED UP! It is AWESOME.

The papers are done in sections - I can't remember what book binders call them, but the sections help the journal lie flat. It opens to a big, nice page - I like a 12x12 surface. Using both pages you get about (just guesstimating here,) about that much space to work.

The paper is unique. It is smooth like manila. It feels a bit like manila. I love the way the clean unused journal feels under my hands.

Untreated with gesso or anything the paper can withstand a ton of water. I've been playing, trying to figure out my design team layout and seriously. A lot of water. Using the Dylusions Ink Sprays and a water spray bottle, to stretch the ink and move it about, I have put these pages through their paces. And they can take it. They don't absorb the moisture. It stays on top.

One drawback - because of the binding the middle of the book is "weaker." This area will absorb color if you don't sop it up or stop it with tape. However, the Dylusions Ink Sprays I have been working with are messy, imprecise, and slightly sloppy in that highly popular color-grungy way everyone is loving. You are suppose to mess this BoOk up! When I forget to tape, or just don't want to, this interesting, organic thing happens and just adds a streak of "character" to the page later.

Testing Dylusion sprays and stencils.

Test page, mixing colors adding water -using stencils

Test page, blue and yellow made green, and I had some of this bead gel that I thought I'd try...

I want another one of these books. Or five. And guess what? These Dylusion Journal's are on sale at the Vancouver Craft Warehouse right now!

Do you have a Dylusion Journal? What do you think of them? Have you thought about exploring art journaling? GO GET ONE!

When you are silly enough to follow the rabbit, there is always a possibility that you might fall down the rabbit hole and into a bit of wonderfulness. Or is that Wonderland?

Our dear family, (my sister-in-law Patty and my niece Sara, the most hilarious mother and daughter team I have ever met!) Planned and prepared the most colorful, creative, fun filled UN-Birthday party for my entire family. We walked in expecting fun and food.

What we got was an ADVENTURE down the Rabbit hole. Complete with amazing homemade decorations, games and a competition to win sweet and fun prizes. I had to ride a cow and capture the most Momeraths...my daughter soundly bested me at the cow riding, but I did quite well on the Momeraths.

We didn't know where to turn. There was love, blessing, and spectacular UN-ness everywhere. Hanging on the ceiling, covering the floor, lining the walls. We were in a place of laughter and wonder. Although this half of the family- my husbands brother's bunch: three kids - one now married and stationed in Japan, one daughter living and working in another state, and Sara living at home and working hard- this half of the family only live about an hour away, we hardly seem to see them more than once or twice a year. BUT when we do...!!! I am always left speechless.

Our hostesses...Sara wanted me to remind everyone that since this was an UN day, her clothes were UN-matching.

This is us. I think we pulled off the UN pretty well to.

We had so much fun. We were so blessed. We ATE so much SUGAR. (we are still eating treats from the party!)

And I was really blown-away by the hidden talent. Patty said that she brought Sara a small picture from Alice and Wonderland and asked, "Could you make this bigger?" And so Sara did. By hand. When Patty saw the "quality to be had," she just kept giving Sara pictures to draw and paint, until there was a house full of characters from the story.

When I walked in the front door and saw Wonderland. You know what I said, right?

Yeah. "I am so going to blog this!"