Miss Mahvelous Mermaid

We have a new shape! What'd you think?? Isn't she fabulous?! She made her debut at the store, Colorful Creations on Cape Cod over the weekend. They had a VIP night for their customers and had lots of sales, food and they even got to decorate Miss Mahvelous Mermaid! My friend Jenn (the store manager and designer of the mermaid) tells me she was a huge hit! I'm just lovin' how Jenn decorated her.. love the crown.. but her tail, it's just fabulous!

Colorful Creations is a paper crafters paradise that opened in 1999 to fill that creative spot in all of us. In their new space they boast 3500 square feet of heaven. (Can you imagine??!) If you're in the New England area, it really is worth the drive to go visit. You'll be inspired by the {creative chick} projects, the fancy mannequin who greets you and tons of classes to get your creative juices flowing! Their upcoming Crop on the Cape '08 is sure to be a sold out event! Oh, and they also have an online shop so take a peek HERE.

The mermaid shape is available in our shop HERE. She's available with or without a mirror. Please state if you'd like her without the mirror in the 'message to buyer' section when checking out.

Thanks Jenn, Jayne and all you {creative chicks} for the inspiration! We look forward to working with you again soon!

{sweetheart} giveaway

Who doesn't like free?? While supplies last, with each purchase you make over $20 (not including shipping costs) you'll receive our FREE little 'x' and 'o' to decorate to your liking! I just love these little 3 inch letters.. they're chunky enough to add some cute embellishments and they're small enough to whip up a quick project in no time. Send to someone you love just to say you miss them.




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Here's a few I've made recently. The first one was done with our Very Valentine cardmaking kit. Just *love* this kit!

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Come visit the shop!

inspiring ideas to share...

I've been wanting to share these projects for a while now. LOVE it when customers send us their finished projects! Take a peek for some really cool and inspiring creations...



Courtesy of Andrea - using a fancy letter and Times New Roman letters.

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Courtesy of Glee - love this project idea! Decorating the houses for the four seasons.


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Courtesy of Valerie - just love the branches and lil bird!






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Courtesy of Leslie











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and you MUST go see her sweet grandson's nursery.



Oh, and these are a special order I did for a customer a few months back. You can see more detailed pictures HERE. She sent me a photo of her daughter at Christmas. :) How cute is she?!


Thank you all for sending in your project pix and for the inspiration! Keep 'em coming!




Don't forget about our design team call. Click HERE for all the details and you can play with our products for FREE for the next 6 months!

Happy Hugs and Krafty Kisses online class

I just had to share... the talented Colleen Schaan has a new online class to offer over at My Creative Classroom featuring our letters! Don't you just *love* these? Such a unique look and the class is loaded with techniques! You'll be playing with texture paste, stencils, and paint to create this unique Valentine’s Day message. And the best part is that because it's online you can take the class in your jammies in the comfort of your own home! She's also offering kits with all the supplies needed to create your own!

You can get more information HERE on the the class, called Happy Hugs and Krafty Kisses. Take a peek and spread the love!

And last week we posted about our NEW design team call. Take a peek below for all the details! Welcome to our new visitors. Leave a comment to let us know you stopped by. :)

SIWL Design Team Call!

It's that time again.. WOW! I can hardly believe our first session is coming to an end. Our design team has been so amazing to work with! So if you love our products and want to play with them for the next SIX months (we've extended our term from 3 months to 6 months) then take a peek below and send in your info! We want to see your talent!

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Come join the fun! say it with letters! is looking for 2-3 design team members who are energized, talented, creative and versatile! We design custom cut letters and shapes and need your talent to show them off in creative ways!

We’re a new and growing company and already have very loyal customers (we love them!) We’d love to add to our family with your help promoting our products through your personal blog and any online galleries you may frequent.

We will be accepting applications through Friday, February 1st. Winners will be e-mailed directly and we'll make a formal announcement on Tuesday, February 5th. The position will begin with a March project (you’ll receive your letters or shapes in February) and will continue for six months. After the six month period, the position may continue on a month to month basis, if agreed upon by both parties.

Needed:
. Submit 3 to 4 altered projects that show off your personal style (1 or 2 scrapbook layouts or cards are acceptable.) Photos should be clear and no larger than 500x500 pixels. They do not need to be created especially for us but, they should be something fairly new that shows your current style. Send pictures to deb@sayitwithletters.com with a subject of DT Submission no later than Friday, February 1 at midnight.

. Name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address. (Sorry, we are only accepting US residents at this time due to shipping costs and timely submissions.)

. Link to your blog if you have one (not required but encouraged… and you’ll love it!)

. Link to other online galleries (include your screen name) that currently show your work.

. Link to design teams you are currently on (prior DT experience not necessary.)

. Just a little background about yourself, your scrapping style and why you’re interested in a DT position with SIWL!

DT Requirements:

. Complete 1 to 2 altered projects a month using any medium you want or have at home! [NOTE: We will not be sending papers and embellishments for you to alter our shapes and letters so you have the freedom to create with whatever inspires you!] We love seeing our products decorated using many different papers and embellishments to inspire our customers.

. SIWL does not have a message board, so we will rely on our DT to promote SIWL through your blog and other message boards and forums you visit.

. You agree to release the rights of your designs to say it with letters! for display on the company blog, store and in company materials and publications.

. Promote SIWL whenever possible by posting your altered items on galleries, your blog, etc. and link back to us.

As a DT member of SIWL, you will get…

. A FREE {word set} and/or shape each month to alter for the DT

. 25% discount in our Etsy Store (which is filled with other products in addition to our awesome shapes and letters, excludes decorated and handmade items)

. Featured in our monthly mailings and on our blog

If you have any questions please email us at deb@sayitwithletters.com

Thank you and we look forward to working with you!

The say it with letters! team
www.sayitwithletters.com

pinboards

So I was having fun visiting the Pottery Barn website.. of course getting inspiration for the nursery :) when I found these adorable pinboards (at a hefty price!) Which I found really funny since I've been working on one for the nursery using a giant number 2 for my twins! Just had to share... the animals range in size from about 30 to 36 inches but also range in price from $100 to $130! But why not get our unfinished shapes and do it yourself for a lot less money! Look how cute... and so easy to do. [EDIT: I had a couple people comment on how I'd cover these.. I would first cover the shape with cork.. thick enough that it will take a pushpin because the MDF we use for our shapes is really hard and probably won't take well to pushpins. I'd use an xacto knife to cut around the cork. Then depending on how the corners look when covering with the fabric I may even add a thin layer of batting and then cover with the fabric. When I'm done with my '2' I'll let you know my tips!] Such fun stuff! If you do one, please send me the link!

Design Team :: Hybrid Tutorial

I am SO excited about this tutorial! I'll be the first to admit that I'm really not familiar with Hybrid Scrapbooking. I keep hearing about it and would love to learn more. When I asked Julie Ann to do a tutorial last month I was so excited to hear she'd do it, and then when she showed me the *adorable* finished project I couldn't wait to share with you! Julie Ann is such an inspiration. She is a published freelance scrapbook artist and founder of The Everyday Digital Scrapbooking Idea blog. I've been on this mailing list for quite some time and it's really full of inspiration and many great ideas for gift giving projects (something I love to do!) She's also recently accepted a position as Creative Editor to the brand-new publication to premiere in early 2007: Scrapbook Dimensions magazine. Click HERE to get their premier issue for FREE. OK, here goes! (You can click on each photo for a larger view.)

Hybrid Tutorial with Julie Ann Shahin

Russian Nesting Dolls, also known as Matryoshkas, are about 100 hundred years old in origin. Matryona or Matriosha was a very common and popular name for peasants in old Russia, and often brought to mind the shapely figure of the matriarch of large peasant families. Today, Matryoshkas have made a comeback in indie design and home decor. Let me show you how I made these dolls using a scan of fabric that matches my bedroom quilt. Scrapping and crafting with the aid of your computer is also now known as hybrid = traditional methods + digital methods.

Supplies:

· Matryoshka Dolls from Say It With Letters
· Computer with photo-editing program: I use Photoshop Elements
· Swirl Doodle brush to use in Photoshop Elements
· Scrapsimple Layer Your Own: Angels Biggie from Scrapgirls.com (for face)
· Fabric to scan
· Scanner
· Printer
· Matte Photo Paper 8.5" x 11"
· Krylon Preserve-It (necessary if you are printing on an inkjet printer)
· Mod-Podge (I used glossy but it's up to you)
· Silk and paper flowers
· Jewels
· Loopy Brads (from Karen Foster)
· Ribbon
· Glitter (I used Martha Stewart glitter from Michaels)
· Glitter Glue or Diamond Glaze
· Netting or lace
· Heidi Swapp Crown Jewels (optional)
· Fabri-Tac Glue

Instructions:

1. Scan fabric. Make sure your settings are at 300 dpi and for this I have the automatic exposure on the "Document" setting.

2. Next I scan the dolls also at 300 dpi. This will scan them in at their full size so we can create a template. When finished scanning, close your scanning program. My scanning program automatically opens my documents in Photoshop Elements.

3. Click on the doll document. I scanned in three at once. I will be working with the dolls one at a time so I make three duplicates of this file because I'll crop each one. To make a duplicate, go to File --> Duplicate. Repeat if necessary. Next I crop so that I have just one doll to work with. If I need to straighten the doll, I use the "Straighten Tool" in case I scanned it at an angle. (See Help: Contents --> Cropping and resizing --> "To straighten an image" for more information).

4. To have a template for the doll, it is necessary to remove the background. You can do this one of two ways: one way is that you can use the "magic eraser tool" and click on the background or the other way is to use the "magic extractor" tool. (To learn how to use the Magic Extractor tool, see Help: Contents --> Selecting Parts of an Image --> To Use the Magic Extractor). Repeat this for each doll to remove the background.

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5. Next, I rotate my scanned fabric document so that it is horizontal. I drag each doll onto the fabric document. Or you can copy and paste onto the fabric document.

6. Next I line up the dolls so that the bottoms are on the same line. I do this by turning on the grid. Go to View --> Grid. Then move each doll to the line.

7. To "cut" the paper to your template, duplicate the fabric layer. Drag it above one of the dolls. Click ctrl-g which groups and "cuts" to the shape of the template. You can see how this looks in the layer palette below.

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When you are finished your document will look like this:

8. I added a face by using the Scrapsimple Layer Your Own: Angels Biggie. I also added swirls using a doodle brush.

9. Print! I use matte photo paper and use the Best Photo settting. Be sure to set your printer properties for the correct paper type.

10. Since my printer is an inkjet printer, when I use Mod Podge, the ink will run so it is necessasry to spray the digital print with Krylon Preserve-It. This protects the paper and ink. I Mod-Podge the print to the wood piece. I use a co-ordinating scrap paper on the edges or you can paint.

11. When the Mod Podge is dry, add glitter to the swirls. Embellish with flowers, ribbon, and netting for a hairnet. Your dolls are ready to hang!

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Enjoy! Julie Ann Shahin

If you use this tutorial, leave us a link! I'd love to see your finished project!

Design Team :: sparkly crown + sassy shoe and new Valentine product

A crown and a shoe - what could be more girlie??! :) I love seeing the design team projects because each one is so different! Chrys' designs are so much FUN! The crown is full of sparkles and bling. It's hard to tell from the photo but all the flowers are full of glitter! A girl after my own heart. And just look at this shoe!

We've also updated the shop with some new Valentine items. We have the fabulous new Scenic Route Loveland collection priced at the lowest I've seen online so you don't want to miss out! The 12x12 Product kit is loaded with double sided papers, stickers, chipboard embellishments and other fun things. We're also selling some items individually, the cardstock stickers and chipboard embellies. Do you love sending Valentine's to your family and friends? I know I do. Or how about a mini album? Well, we've put together this Very Valentine cardmaking kit. Kit includes an assortment of five Memory Box colored notecards and envelopes (love the flaps on these envelopes - they don't come to a point, they're rounded in a half moon shape.) Sometimes it's the little things! Kit also includes several 6x6 sheets of double sided papers, ribbon, embellies, stickers, buttons, bling and lots of other goodies! Come take a peek!

Upcoming sneaks... be sure to check in this weekend for Julie Ann's Awesome Hybrid Tutorial on the matryoshka dolls.

And... can you believe our first session for the design team is almost at an end. They've been so amazing to work with! We'll be posting a new design team call next week. Stay tuned!

Design Team :: Magical Matryoshka Dolls

We have a brand new shape and we've been dying to share these design team projects with you! Matryoshka Dolls are so popular right now and although the dolls don't look too exciting unfinished... just LOOK at them decorated!

Laurie did an amazing job with these! I love the assortment of papers she chose and the faces... those little faces are so sweet! The unfinished dolls are listed in our shop HERE.

The idea for the dolls actually came from another design team member, Julie Ann. She told me how much she'd love to play with them! Since Julie Ann is Miss Hybrid Scrapbooking :) she's agreed to do a hybrid tutorial for all of us! I can't wait! Be sure to come visit again this weekend for all the instructions. And we'll also send out a notice to our mailing list. (And wait'll you see them!)

Design Team :: DIVA-licious

The lovely and talented Robyn created these fabulous DIVA letters for her daughter, Brittany. I just *love* the Basic Grey papers she chose! And if you look at the letters more closely she has positive words for her daughter. Like confidence and self-love. Positive messages to a beautiful girl. Love these Robyn!

Did you also notice that she stitched around her paper?? Love, love the look of sewing on paper! Take a peek at Robyn's blog for more info too.

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"I've been called a diva, queen diva, diva supreme, and I love it. However, that's really for others to decide, not me." Aretha Franklin

Design Team :: The DIVA is in!

The talented and sweet Kory has created these funky DIVA letters for her studio space. Those Scenic Route papers just happen to be some of my all time favorites! And she's added ribbon and bling in all the right places - what's not to love?!

Do you love Scenic Route too? Well we just got the new Loveland Valentine line in! We'll be putting together an assortment of little Valentine packs with papers, embellishments, ribbon and other fun goodies! And, we've gotten LOTS of custom orders on this Olive Juice letter style. It's a new favorite around here too!

Kory's listed more photos on her blog HERE. Take a peek!

I also have to point you in the direction of her blog to check out her *amazing* studio space! Beautiful windows.. organization everywhere, oh, and not to mention gorgeous product!! Very inspiring. She's even written a great article on how to organize your scrap space. It's a must see and must read!

"A true diva's heart is open, and she's ready to play by her own rules - rules that are gentle and kind." Jenifer Lewis

Happy Hearts!

Well, our Valentine shapes are now available! Take a peek in our SHOP along with TONS of new designs... new lettering styles and lots of fun shapes.

Have fun! And come take a peek next week for our design team's projects!

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get--only with what you are expecting to give--which is everything." - Katharine Hepburn

sis boom fabulousness!

This is the start of our NEW design team projects. The wonderfully talented Jennifer Paganelli from Sis Boom is our guest designer this month. If you're not familiar with Jennifer, she designs gorgeous fabric (visit her blog and website!) She's taught classes at the very popular Silver Bella event and she's also a paper designer for Daisy D's, which just happens to be one of my favorite companies! I just love their vintage inspired designs.

Jennifer's posted a little how-to on her vintage and glittery project. Take a peek!

Find some old Victorian sheet music that you love.. these were found on e-bay. Xerox onto card stock, adhere to letters with mod podge!

Once these are dry, sprinkle the outline with very fine glass glitter. I will say our silver German glass glitter is wonderful to work with - no painting is needed underneath because it covers every little spot! Jennifer gives a great link for larger quantities available in several color options. Let glitter dry.

Look in your old findings box of vintage jewels and Jazz up that pretty crown with some hot glue! FYI after things settle down I'll put them on the wall! Jennifer posted lots more photos on her blog and wrote some sweet things. :) Have a look at her inspiration!

This lettering style is called Olive Juice and we just updated it on Etsy with the word DIVA. If you're interested in ordering a different letter or word, just e-mail me and I'll put an order together for you (I can also e-mail you a .jpg of what the word will look like.) deb[at]sayitwithletters[dot]com. The crown is already available in our shop.

Thanks Jennifer for your fabulous and inspiring ideas! What fun! And keep checking in over the next week because we'll be posting our design teams projects too!