The festive season

When Halloween is over, I celebrate.

The festive season has begun.

This year the making has begun with extra joy!

My new Winter Wonderland collection of crafting dies is so much fun I can't stop.

And since Sizzix likes to celebrate as much as I do, they're doing another giveaway in just a few days. 

Watch here for more info or check my Instagram or Facebook feed for the specifics coming soon.

While you want for the giveaway, let's get out the glitter and glue, paper and your Big Shot (this is the model I have) die cutting machine and let's craft ourselves a party!

It's the details that make us feel special at the holidays, 

so why not make fancy layered wine labels?

I used the set of 5 rounded scallops which I embossed with the falling snowflakes embossing folder and the set of small snowflakes. Fast and easy!

And why not make matching coasters?

I used a scrap of mat board to make this one, but you you could cut it of fun foam if you've got it.

Here's where you'll find the die:

Just use the largest snowflake.

Sprinkle with glitter, polish your wine stems and plan your play list!

I like to decorate each place setting with some gilded foliage, greenery and a menu to take home for a souvenir, so I'm getting that prepared now, while I can relax and take my time.

And just because we never get too old for a take home goodie, I'm using the same round scallop die I did for the wine labels and the elegant tag & label die paired up with assorted small snowflakes and some fun washi tape.

It's so much fun to plan a party and my new Winter Wonderland snowflake collection makes an elegant party quick and easy.

Do you feel lucky???

Quick! I promised a fun giveaway and it's here...

but you will have to hurry!

The 24-hour giveaway from my partners at Sizzix has begun.

Just go HERE to enter.

What will you win?

An elegant Falling Snowflakes embossing folder...

Seasonal Calligraphy Stamps...

The detail-lover's tool of tools, the Sizzix die pick,

and a set of Snowflakes corners.

All you have to do is click here and follow the instructions to be chosen as the winner!

And if you're not the lucky one this time, you can find them direct from Sizzix, from Amazon or at a craft store near you.

Just released! My Sizzix Winter Wonderland craft dies

Is it possible to add a PS. at the beginning instead of the end?
Because I want to give you a quick heads-up that Sizzix has let me know there's going to be a fabulous giveaway of Winter Wonderland products very soon! Watch this space and my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SharynSowell for the news!
There will be just ONE day to enter...
 
The festive season is right around the corner and just in time Sizzix has released Winter Wonderland, my newest collection of crafting dies.

It's a group of snowflakes that makes elegant and intricate quick and easy.

I've been dying to share peeks and after months of waiting, I can finally share it with you.
I'm delighted with the intricacy of the tiny details.

 

You'll want a die pick (click here to see it) and die brush (click here to see it) any time you're working with intricate little dies like this.
 I consider them essential~ they make even the most complex projects fast and easy.

Grab a cup of something hot and delicious and let's get a jump on our holiday cards!

Here's how:

Just one very elaborate die that does all the work for you.
Click here to see more about this die.

All you need is a decadent piece of lush paper- a sparkly sheet or a nice vellum, maybe a beautiful sheet of watercolor paper-
choose something festive but simple.

Fold one piece into a card and use another to cut festive snowflakes with your Big Shot die cutting machine.

Coat with sparkly glitter or add a few rhinestones, embellish (or not!) as you like, then bend at the fold and glue onto the card.

For subtle embellishment, there's nothing like the bargain-priced Falling Snowflakes embossing folder.
 
Just run an envelope, piece of vellum, or thick, lush heavy paper through the embossing folder and you've got instant texture that you can glitter, paint or use as a subtle touch.

Elegant photo corners add another layer of sparkle... sprinkle them with mica glitter or use silvery paper...
Great for adding notes and photos.

Many of the snowflakes in this group have holes in the middle, 

making them perfect for slipping over things like twinkle lights.

Just slip over the bulbs as shown and use on trees or mantels or as swags.

We could all use extra lighting all winter, couldn't we?

And these can stay up until winter melts away!

Fill your mug again, grab your dies and die pick and let's get crafting... 

Next up, a tutorial for making the darling snowflake crown seen on the beautiful model at the top of the post!

A fresh creative space

The studio is now more "me" than it's ever been, more spacious and functional.

And brighter.

Can you tell?

The studio continues to evolve and I add more detail every day.

I'm loving the process... 

Pieces like this vintage slipper chair found at the edge of the road with a wobbly "free" sign on its back have added much character. I have been embellishing everything liberally.

I'm loving my tiny cottage studio, all fresh and deliciously inspiring.

Is your creative space tired and shopworn? 

Dare to refresh it and if you need help, call my talented space designing friend, Debi Ward Kennedy, the super-creative space designer who guided me through the process and helped me see what I really needed.

Studio makeover

It's so necessary to have a major refresh from time to time.

Even our work spaces need a complete restart.

 So this summer I pulled the studio apart and began again from scratch.

Here's how it went.

I was so overwhelmed I hardly knew where to begin. I made the best decision possible: I called Deb Kennedy, a professional designer who specializes in retail store and creative space design.

Deb is not an interior decorator; she designs high functioning work spaces that look fabulous.

First there was a total purge. I emptied the studio, right down to the last paper clip.

Not pretty.

But when it was finished I was ready to begin fresh.

First came organization.
Deb showed up to help and we drafted a plan.

Then we went shopping for storage.

There was curbside shopping involved (you know- the stuff people put out with a giant FREE sign attached) and a little dumpster diving for cardboard tubes (Deb's ingenious window treatments!)

That woman has so many tricks up her sleeves!

A coat of paint or two, a pair of custom made shelf units thanks to my clever son...

The little cottage studio began to shape up!

Tomorrow I'll share with you the finished results and some tips on how I did it.

If you have a craft room or art studio and it's in need of a little TLC, you can do this!

If you need help knowing how to make it function well - if, like me, you hardly know where to begin - click the link and reach out to Debi Ward Kennedy

I promise you'll thank me.

Autumn in Alaska: family time

A week in a tiny village off the coast of Alaska... 

time to visit much-loved family, to ease the ache of living far apart.

Time to fish, to savor the sunsets and laugh at the chilly storms rolling in.

When your family live on a charming boat, there are happy hours on the water and plenty of seafood on the grill.

 

And the art that emerges from busy scissors...