Wednesday, August 31, 2011

SEI September Desktop Calendar

School is starting back up! Get ready with a little chalkboard exercise for your desktop.


Let us know if you have any questions. Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Ice Cream Truck


There is so much we can learn from this sweet layout by Audrey! She mixed several paper collections but did it very subtly. So, it may be a little tricky to spot the different collections.


Another thing we can learn is how to look at a piece of paper in a new way. You may see this sweet treat paper and think.. that would be great for photos of eating treats at the fair. But, Audrey recognized how perfect it is for ICE CREAM! Try thinking of how a paper will work with your photos.


Audrey also shows us how to create your own embellishment. She made an ice cream cone by cutting the shapes she needed out of patterned paper. She finished her custom-made embellishment with glitter and a cherry (button) on top.



Audrey explains more, "I used papers from 'A Fair Day' and 'With All My Heart' (the title and journaling areas), and Moonrise (ice cream cone). I made the large ice cream cone by hand cutting some papers from the collection, following the shape of some of the small cones on the patterned papers. I also wanted to highlight the title area and journaling area a bit more, so I machine stitched the outside of the circles with a teal colored thread that matched the papers!"

Thanks, Audrey! Don't forget to stop by Audrey's blog and share the excitement of the good news she shared last month. There are some precious photos that go with the announcement too!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Link Party #12 + GIVEAWAY!

It's time to show off your projects! Link up any project you created using SEI product and you will be entered into a giveaway for a $25 shopsei.com gift code. For an extra entry, leave a comment telling us your project was designed for our August challenge. If you haven't done the challenge yet, you have until September 2nd at 11:59 pm to create it and link it up. Good luck!

Don't forget to...
1. Add a link to your SEI project on our blog by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. Your project must use at least one SEI product to participate.
2. Link back to us by adding this button to the bottom of your blog post.

3. Check each other's projects out & leave comments.



Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Yay, Audrey!

We want to give a little shout-out to Audrey for making it into the top three picks for the March 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes. Find details on her Delightful Dandelions layout here. You can see all three layouts and cast your vote here.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Bloom



This cheerful summer project by Julie would be a great way to brighten any home! If you'd like to use the same idea, all you need is an embroidery hoop, some paper, buttons, and flower embellishments.



Julie tells us how she made did it. "The background is simply kraft cardstock printed with text I typed on my computer. The Bloom letters were die-cut with my Cuttlebug & adorned with SEI flowers & buttons. Around the hoop I added some of the beautiful Sunny Day felt embellishments."

Friday, August 19, 2011

Art Studio Picks: Mandi


Today we are excited to kick off a new once-a-month series called Art Studio Picks. Each month we'll feature someone from the art studio to show you five things that they are loving or inspired by right now. First up is Mandi.
#1 Typography in the home. Being a huge lover of well done type, I have really appreciated all the well thought out type happening in decor these days. Posters, graphics, and even on textiles.


#2 Olive and pink together. It's refreshing but rich. Feminine but not in a princess way. Pair it with gems, stripes, and velvet. Yes, in fashion and scrapbooking. And anywhere else for that matter.


#3 Quilts. Maybe it's because I don't know how to quilt, but the patterns and textures are just fascinating to me. They are so artistic and creative. Especially love the tonal and minimal ones.


#4 Friendship bracelets. Summer crafts are all grown up-can you believe that cuff? Hello gorgeous. The third image has a great tutorial on how to make your own.


#5 Fabric wrapped objects. They add a nice bit of shabby chic to anything and I am in love with all these little vintage florals lately. Two of the images come with diy instructions! 

Thanks for letting me share guys-hope I sparked some creativity for you!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Pride Mini Album


Anyone getting excited for football season to come? One of the great things about the I'm An Athlete collection is there is a paper for every season... in sports that is.


Lori made this amazing mini album using the football papers from the collection. We love all the unique-shaped pages and the way she used the embellishments to emphasize the theme.





There are so many things to love about this album. What do you like about it?

Monday, August 15, 2011

Club SEI Card Kit!

We are excited to announce the creation of our Club SEI Card-making Kit! The first kit ships at the beginning of September so sign-up now to receive yours.


Each kit includes easy to follow, color instructions for all of our creative, original designs. As always there are no contracts, membership dues or cancellation fees.

Check out the Club SEI website for full details on this and our other great club kits, including scrapbooking and paper-crafting. Sign up for all three and save 20%.

Winner

Thanks everyone who commented on Sarah's guest blogging week! You can visit her as often as you want on her blog, For the Love. If you hop over there now, you can share some exciting news!


It's time to announce the winner of Friday's giveaway, selected by random.org...


Congratulations, Kelly! Please send your mailing address to seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com and we will send you a package of goodies.

Thanks for playing!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Bottle Cap Party Garland + GIVEAWAY!

As part of E's school bus party, I created a bottle cap garland using bottle caps, chalkboard vinyl, and some twine. I simply cut the chalkboard vinyl to size sticking it to each bottle cap. I used a chalkboard pencil to write the letters, and glued each bottle cap to the twine with a little hot glue. It was really easy, but added a great little detail.

I experimented a little further, and created another version using paper flags and stickers


Check out this great box of bottle caps I found thrifting for $2!


I cut some decorative stickers from the SEI Family collection to fit the bottle caps and crafted little flags from one of the die cuts that had a fabulous rainbow stripe on the back. I think this little party garland could double just as well in a nursery, or little girl's room!

chalkboard vinyl source: Uppercase Living  
suggested bottle cap source: Zwillinge97

Sarah

Thank you so much for a wonderfully creative week, Sarah. We love the variety of useful ideas you shared. We are so happy to have had you as our guest, especially so close to your due date!


If you enjoyed this week as much as we did, leave a comment on this post. Tell us which idea Sarah shared was your favorite and you will be entered into a giveaway to win a fun assortment of SEI goodies. The giveaway ends Sunday, August 14th at 11:59 pm MST.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Party Love

Another love of mine is parties. I love to host, and I especially love birthdays. Here are some of my favorite parties I had the chance to style.


My E's first birthday party (the first party I tried my hand at)




Nautical Baby Shower
pictures by Jessica Adams


 

E's school bus themed 2nd birthday party 

Stay tuned for a little tute featuring decor from the school bus party.

Sarah

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Gift Wrap Inspiration

I love wrapping gifts. I've always enjoyed finding a creative and beautiful way to wrap a package for someone special. I especially like the kind that reflect the person receiving the gift's personality. Here's some inspiration mostly drawn from my Pinterest boards.



I LOVE brown paper gift wrap. It's my favorite to use, because it's like a blank canvas. I recently gave a gift to my sister in law featuring brown paper, feathers, and suede cording.




and here's another I recently gave



thrifted vintage wrapping paper, SEI tags and stamps, tissue paper rose spritzed with tumble dye

Sarah

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

DIY Stencil Dyed Doily Onesies

I have had a ton of fun with the Tumble Dye products! The dye in spray
form makes for endless possibilities, and I love the color selection!
Since I have baby girl on the brain, I'm inspired by all things
feminine. As mentioned before, I love vintage. What could be more
feminine AND vintage than the doily? I decided to create some doily
stenciled onsies for my soon to arrive little miss.


I'm a huge fan! Here's how I did it:


I started out with a plain white onesie. (I buy mine thrift for about a buck) I cut to size a piece of cardboard to use as a barrier in between layers.


I used a simple glue stick to adhere a foil doily where I wanted it on the onesie. They sell doilies like this in the cake decorating section of the craft store. I also used some "grease resistant" ones that worked well too. You just have to make sure they're strong enough that the dye won't soak through. Be generous with the glue stick. The more you use, the better it sticks. Pay careful attention to the edges of the doily to make sure they are stuck down real good.


I sprayed a first layer of dye pretty lightly in the direction I wanted. I really like how the edges get lighter creating an ombre sort of effect. I let that dry, and then sprayed a second layer to darken the color just a bit. Throughout the process, I smoothed down the corners of the doily, to make sure they didn't curl up and allow the dye to bleed through.


After it was dry, I removed the doily to see the result! I wish I had a cute babe to model it for you! Soon enough I'll have a little body to put in it.

Sarah

Monday, August 8, 2011

Thrifty Fashion Tips

Thrifting has to be my number one hobby. I think I must get a rush from it. It's sort of like a treasure hunt I think. There's nothing better than finding a diamond in the rough and knowing you only spent a few bucks. I'm proud to say that 75% of my wardrobe, and about the same of my kid's wardrobe is derived from thrift store and secondhand finds.


Like these Michael Kors sandals I picked up for $4.


This top $4 and skirt $6 both thrift


My little man working an entirely thrifted ensemble.
denim button down: $2, vest: $1 seersuckers: $3 shoes: $3

I'm already getting my little miss in on the action too.


A few thrifting tips:

Look for inspiration in current fashion trends ahead of time. That way you'll be more inclined to see potential in things you may not have.

Don't be afraid to search and dig. It takes a little patience, but sometimes the really great stuff is in the wrong section, or somewhere you least expect.

Check back often. Sometimes a quick impromptu trip can bring better results than a planned shopping day.

Wash thrifted items on a hot cycle, and use anti-bacterial spray and/or wipes to clean shoes before wearing.

Sarah
 

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