Merry Christmas To All!

Just When I Think...

...Anthropologie couldn't get anymore creative...
...they do something amazing like this.
*Swoon*

Happy February!

Each month, I try to change my desktop wallpaper on my computer. It's nice to freshen it up every now and then in order to spark some new creativity. One of my favorite resources for wallpapers is Smashing Magazine. Every month, they collect wallpaper designs from designers all over the world. So if you're looking for some creative inspiration, head on over there and check out this month's designs. There are definitely some good ones out there.

*The design above was created by Romy Campos from Brazil.

The Woman's Done It Again!

Must Visit

Ok. So Here's the deal. My brother's girlfriend told me about this absolutely amazing blog and I feel it would be a crime to humanity if I did not share it with all of you. So here it is:

Design*Sponge

You must stop what you're doing right now and go check it out. It is absolutely wonderful.

Paper Source

Paper Source is one of my most favoritest (that's right, favoritest) paper stores in the world. When we lived in Chicago, I would make up any excuse just to go in and enjoy the beauty that they supplied. Even though I don't get to actually step foot in a brick and mortar store anymore, I still frequent their Website and purchase their beautiful products. Since I love this store so much, I thought I would share their fun and creative blog with all of you. It's filled with different projects and fun ideas that's sure to bring a smile to your face!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Back in March I received an email from the amazingly wonderful Dana at Old Red Barn Co. And do you know what that email said? Well of course you don't (unless you're my Hubby or my Mom). In that email Dana asked Revel Design (my graphic design studio) to partake in quite an adventure that combined two of my passions...sewing and graphic design. Ya see, she wanted me to design the marketing materials for her Sew-Along that she is having. Ya know, that one where she's giving away a Janome 6600P Sewing Machine? Yeah. That one. So of course I jumped on board - full of enthusiasm!

But wait - it gets better. Not only were the designs that I created going to be posted on her blog, but they were going to go as 11x17 posters and 8.5x5.5 flyers to the International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh - AND they were going to be handed out by Paula Prass at the Michael Miller Fabrics booth. Can you say Holy Cow?!! I was so delighted and so excited to partake in such an opportunity. Not only have I been able to collaborate with Dana, but I've also been able to connect with Paula Prass (who lives here in Indiana). I just love doing what I do.

Now I'm sure many of you have already seen these graphics if you've been to Dana's site...but just in case...here they are again.

And here is where you can go to find out how you can partake in the sew-along.

P.S. To see more of my design work, check out www.reveldesignstudio.com.

The Queen of Hearts

I'm so excited to share a beautiful addition to my studio. For my Birthday, my parents got me something that I had been desiring ever since I laid eyes on it...It's the Alice in Wonderland print set from Emily at The Black Apple. I was finally able to hang them up last week because all of the frames came in. Aren't they just beautiful?

I Sew Want This

Thought of a fun quilt idea last night.
I'm loving Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks Line, especially the Byzantine Sun colors. So I think I'm going to make a lap quilt out of just those fabrics. This will be a first for me b/c I usually mix up several fabrics from different designers. But I've always wanted to do a quilt that was designer-specific. I mean, I do have a wonderful Sandi Henderson quilt in my living room that the wonderfully talented Dana made. So why not make an Anna Maria Horner quilt?

100th Post Celebration Give-Away

**THE GIVE-AWAY IS NOW CLOSED**
**STAY TUNED FOR A POST THAT ANNOUNCES THE WINNER**

Can you believe it? I sure can't! This post marks my 100th Post and what better way to celebrate than to have a fun give-away! In this give-away, one lucky winner will have a chance to win, not one, not two, no, not even three prizes. One lucky winner could win FOUR wonderful home-made prizes. I've been working in my studio all week just for this moment and am so excited to unveil the beauty that you could win.

The first item in my give-away bundle of goodness is this adorable recipe bag filled with a collection of four of my favorite recipes (Colossal Cookies, Zucchini Bread, Broccoli Cheddar Quiche, and Spinach Lasagna). The recipe cards were also made by me.


The second prize is this adorable pin cushion that's certain to brighten up any sewing room.


The third prize is this fun Spring-time scarf that will bring Spring-time happiness to any outfit.


And last, but not least, you could win this cute little hand-bag...another bright Spring-time accessory. Perfect for a stroll around town.


Now you may be asking yourself, how in the world can I win this incredible bundle of happy goodness? Well here's how...
For ONE entry - Just leave a comment on this post telling me what you're looking forward to the most about Spring.
For TWO more entries, subscribe or become a follower of my blog (be sure to leave another comment letting me know you've done this).
For TWO more entries, post about this give-away on your blog (again, be sure to tell me in a comment if you've done this).

That's a total of FIVE possible entries to win this Spring-time happiness. So be sure to do all three things for your chance to win! The give-away will close at 10AM (EST) on Thursday, March 12th. I will announce a winner some time between 1PM(EST) and 2PM(EST) on Thursday.

Have a wonderful day and I look forward to seeing your comments!

Studio-palooza

The dear Lolly of Lollychops featured several bloggers studios/creative spaces yesterday and I was one of them! Check out her post to see my studio and many other fabulous creative spaces.

Makes Me Happy

Just got the March issue of the Anthropologie catalog.

*Sigh*

They just know how to create beautiful products. I love their clothes, their home decor, and even the way they design their catalog. Check it out here and melt over the beauty.

Book-A-Holic

My Hubby and I are book-aholics. We buy them and buy them and buy them. And being the graphic designer that I am, I am very drawn to beautifully design books...especially craft and sewing books. So I decided I would post my book wish list...for two reasons.

1. So that fellow bloggers can see the amazing books that are out there to fulfill their sewing and crafting needs and...
   
2. So friends and family can see what kinds of books I'm looking for right now. Tehehe! Well, my Birthday is coming up in April. You can't be too prepared!

So in no particular order, I give you My Booklist:

Domino: The Book of Decorating

Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase

Seams to Me

Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones

Creating Vintage Style

The French-Inspired Home

Romantic Home Sewing

Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts

Doodle Stitching

Still Coughing Up Phlegm...

...But I'm doing much better. My voice is slowly coming back and my coughing fits aren't as intense. Of course, I still woke up hacking my lungs up at 4:30 this morning when my large dose of NyQuil decided to give up. But other than that...I'm doing much better.

OK - Enough of my complaining...

I'm taking a painting class this quarter and am very much enjoying it. I've never really worked with oils before and I'm learning a lot. Our first assignment was called "Evoking an Image." We were given a drawing of different lines and shapes and we had to duplicate the lines on our canvas. We then had to move the canvas around until we gained some inspiration on what we wanted to paint. It could be anything - realistic or abstract. When I paint, I tend to lean more towards abstraction, but this piece took me in a more stylized direction. Wanna see?

Ok...here it is...



It works perfectly beside our $15 flea market-find 1970s orange chair. I was pretty happy with the outcome and, hey, I got an "A" on it! Woohoo!

Feeling Yucky

Hello friends. Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days. Let's just say this week as been one of the worst I've had in a while. I've been overloaded with homework, making handbags for RaeLynn's grand opening, and on top of that, I've come down with some kind of cold that makes my throat feel like it's clogged with sand and my ear feel like someone is poking a fork in it every time I swallow or yawn. Oh, so much fun!

So to help take my mind off how terrible I feel, I wandered over to Martha Stewart's Web site to see what fun Valentine ideas she had...and what did I find? Why, Rosy Stationary made out of vegetable prints, of course! Such a simple and easy idea that creates great results!

**Edit: Photo credits: MarthaStewart.com

A New Identity

No, I am not having an identity crisis or anything like that, but I have come up with a new logo for myself. This may sound confusing because even when I try to explain it to myself, I get confused, but here goes anyway...

Ok...so, those of you who follow my blog know that I have my own freelance graphic design firm called Revel Design. Well that's all good and fun for freelance jobs, but when it comes to actually applying for a job and sending my resume and portfolio to potential employers, I couldn't very well send a package with the name of a design firm on it. It just wouldn't make any sense. So I have come up with a personal logo for myself. And here it is...


I'm pretty excited about it because I feel like it really reflects who I am as a designer. I used bits and pieces of one of my paintings to create the logo because I want to portray that when I create, I use all forms of art to inspire me.

Let me know what you think. I'd love to have some feedback!

Absolute Cuteness

I stumbled upon the delightful Moda Bake Shop the other day and now all I want to do is make every project that they create. The site provides tutorials for all of their projects.
Just look at these Valentine Pennie Pockets!
Can you say A-DORABLE?!

A Valentine for your Sweety

While antiquing back in December with my mom, I stumbled upon a delightful vintage Valentine that I just had to have. Long ago it was given to a girl named Marjorie. How enchanting!

Being inspired by the blog Jane's Apron and her talent of merging vintage prints with fun textures to make adorable cards, I decided to do the same with these delightful Valentine's.


And as a special Valentine for all of you lovely bloggers, you can download these home-made Valentine's by clicking here. Just print them on card stock and enjoy sharing these little love notes with the sweeties in your lives!

A Notion or Two January Block

This year I have become a part of a wonderful quilting bee called A Notion or Two. Yesterday I finally finished my block for Amy. It was the first time that I've ever done applique, but it was pretty fun.

Martha Does it Again

My Hubby recorded today's episode of Martha Stewart for me so that I could see her make this wonderful paper craft. Just look at these beautiful cards!


Such adorable cards using her new "Edge Punch." I just have to get my hands on one of those!