MIXING IT UP WITH JEN STARR

 

We all had a blast mixing it up with Jen Starr (far right).

Some of us were able to share our finished (or almost finished) canvases,

but some were wet and couldn't be shared with you.

Ann and Pam decided to share their inky hands!

 

Sharon was working hard on some of the techniques we learned

during the day.

Cat caught me working so hard on my technique that my hand was a blur!  LOL!

 Everyone gathered around Jen as she demonstrated various techniques using

products from Viva Decor, Art Anthology, Ranger, Stampendous, and Crafter's Workshop as well

as acrylic paints and various other mediums.

 

We all loved the class with Jen!

Can't wait for her next visit to Texas!!!

CAT-TASTIC CATURDAY!

And a CAT-TASTIC CATURDAY it is!!!

Cat has added photos to her sailboat wall hanging and Ray hung it on the wall in our altered art area.

It will eventually be hung in their guest bedroom that is decorated in a seaside motif.

LOVE this sailboat!

Need a stencil? 

We can help you with that!

Look at all of those wonderful stencils  

So many designs....

so much fun!

We have loads of stencils, 

new stamps,

and all kinds of new product for

whatever projects you are working on.

Stop by and pick up whatever you need/want.

HAPPY PRESIDENT'S DAY

 

Happy President's Day from "Mount Cat-more".

If you are off today, I hope you find some crafting time.

Maybe you could try some mixed media if you haven't tried it before.

It is so much fun and very relaxing.

Try it out and you will be hurrying to the store to pick up some 

of the new stencils that arrived last week.  

Check it out:

 This would give your project some interesting texture!

Check out that beautiful round doily design - LOVE IT!

Want some "coffee circles and splats" on your project 

without actually making a mess?

This stencil will give you the effect without spills!

Look at all of these lovely designs - tie die swirls and leaves...FUN!

LOVE that pinwheel design - it will definitely make some fun pages!

LOVE this one--it is on my must-have list!

These are small stencils called "fragments".  Don't you love that instant camera?!

Love this film spool one too.  

You don't have to do mixed media pages to use these stencils.

You could use them on your scrapbook pages with spray inks 

or the modelling creams that we have at the store.  

However you decide to use them, these new stencils 

will make some great projects.

MIXED MEDIA FUN

Have you tried mixed media yet?  

Messy, no rules, and just plain fun!

There is a group on Facebook called Journal 52.

You are given a prompt each week and you create a page for what that prompt means to you.

One of the prompts "A Simple Place" and this is what  Cat created for this prompt.  She used all kinds of inks, a stencil, some shredded cardboard, canvas...all kinds of fun stuff!  Lots of colors and textures used on these  fun pages.

 

This is Sharon Leonard's pages for "A Simple Place".  Cat and Sharon are both VERY artistic!

I LOVE these pages!

 

Check out Valerie's pages for "A Simple Place".  If you know Valerie, this is SO her and absolutely FABULOUS!

 

This is my page for "A Simple Place", my back yard.  I had lots of fun using the different kinds of mediums, especially the Stampendous embossing enamels and mica fragments across the bottom.

As you can see, everyone's pages are COMPLETELY different from each other.

And all kinds of products are used:

Viva Decor products

Distress inks, paints, markers, stains

Watercolor paints

Twinkling H20's

Acrylic Paints

Spray Inks - Dylusions and Tattered Angels

Stampendous products:  Embossing enamels, fragments, glitter

Faber Castell Products:  Markers, Gelatos, watercolor pencils, colored pencils

Stencils of all kinds

Masks

Stamps of all kinds and brands

Sharpies

Copics

Mod Podge

USE YOUR STASH

AND

HAVE FUN!

 

 

CAT'TASTIC CATURDAY

Are you ready to see some more cat-tastic releases from CHA?

Just a reminder:

I am sharing what the

 manufacturers are offering, but this 

does not mean they are all going to be ordered for the store.  

The store is not big enough to hold EVERYTHING that

is offered, so Cat does her best to order what the majority

of her customers want.  

The items that Cat orders will be scheduled out and will

arrive over the next several months.

Mixed Media is taking the industry by storm and the storm has hit Cat's (thanks, in part, to Ann Laughlin and her daughter, Debbie).  If you love Mixed Media, you will be excited to see the new stencils that Crafter's Workshop released at CHA:

Check out that street map stencil in the lower right hand corner--FABULOUS!  There are so many great stencils here!

I'm loving those arrows and faces...and so many more!

I can't even begin to pick a favorite -- I am in trouble already!

These are small stencils and don't you just love them!

And more fabulous small stencils---LOVE them!
To see larger images of the new releases, click here

Mixed media is so much fun -- join in on the fun!

MARVELOUS MONDAY - TRENDS

I rely on "Scrapbook Update" for my sneak peeks of the new releases for the CHA show.  They also have news updates about the scrapbook industry and which company is buying which, and other news.  A few days ago, they published a blog post about the trends they are seeing in the releases for the upcoming CHA show.  You can find the post in its entirety here.  I thought I would share this list:

• Wood: Both in its actual physical form and in the form of printed wood grain design, wood has been hot for some time and will continue to be hot.  We have all kinds of paper featuring various wood grain designs such as the new Kaisercraft Basics line.
• Cork: Natural materials (not just wood) in general seem to be on the rise, and cork has definitely gotten hot in the past year.  We have cork shapes and sheets of cork from Canvas Corp.
• Transparency: This old trend is making a comeback.  We have transparencies from Fancy Pants and other manufacturers. 
  
• Chalkboard: This design element was absolutely everywhere in Las Vegas, and it won’t be going away in Anaheim.  However, Scrapbook Update does not predict this trend to be long lived.  We have chalkboard designs from numerous manufacturers as well as actual 12 x 12 pages of chalkboard paper by Canvas Corp.
  
• Doilies: An outgrowth of the vintage and kitchen theme trends, doilies aren’t going away any time soon.  We have doilies from various manufacturers, doily stamps, and you can also die cut your own doilies with dies from Sizzix and Lifestyle Crafts as well as using your Eclips.
• Arrows: Another trend that has been born out of the Project Life explosion, arrow embellishments are everywhere recently: stamps, chipboard, and even as all over patterns on paper designs.  We have arrows in numerous collections as well as stamps for you to stamp arrows on your project.
  
• Stars:  Stars used to be mostly reserved for holidays like Christmas and July 4th, but they are creeping into more everyday use lately. We have stencils for stars (as seen above), scrapbook paper with stars, and star stamps.
• Rainbow: When industry trends stepped out of the muted tones of vintage and started using bolder color again, some designers went all in on the color and just used it all, creating rainbow themed items and collections. 
  
• Metallic: If there was one color trend in Las Vegas in July, it was most definitely the rise of metallic tones. Gold, silver, bronze, copper, pewter, and pretty much any other metal tone you could think of was on the show floor in the form of almost any product you wanted: embellishments, ink, paper, you name it.  You can add a metallic touch to your project with the Viva Decor products plus we have some metallic card stock.
• Watercolor: This trend has been brought to us by a combination of the art journaling craze and the rise of stamping as a dominant sub-market in the papercrafting industry.  We have watercolor pencils from Faber Castell, you can watercolor with your distress inks, use the spray inks for a watercolor look, and watercolor with the Twinkling H20's.
• Nautical: This theme made a surprisingly strong appearance at the Las Vegas show, despite it being dominated by winter product line introductions.  We have some nautical themed papers in our travel section.
  
• Enamel Dots: These teeny affordable embellishments have become mainstream, snapped up by scrapbookers of all kinds. Companies are rushing to fill the demand, creating dots that coordinate with their product lines.  My Minds Eye and Teresa Collins both have coordinating enamel dots for their collections and My Minds Eye started making shaped enamel dots, as seen above.
  
• Clothespins: Another trend that has transferred from the card making market to the pocket scrapbooking market, mini decorative clothespins are now seemingly everywhere, whereas even a few shows ago they were the sole jurisdiction of a few specific companies like Pebbles.  We have clothespins in many colors and sizes as well as the clothespins that manufacturers have made to coordinate with their collection.
  
• Label Tape Inspired Alphas: These alphabets mostly started out as part of the alphabet “multi sheets” that have been popular at many companies in recent years, but have become so popular (thanks to pocket scrapbooking creating demand for teeny alphabets) that many companies now are starting to produce and sell them on their own.  We have mini alphabets from numerous manufacturers that coordinate with their collections.

GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS.....

Happy Halloween from all of us at Cat's.  

Plus, it is also

DOUBLE PUNCH THURSDAY!!!

Come in and pick up the things on your wish list

and get

DOUBLE PUNCHES!!!

Fill up your punch card fast for 

$10 off of your next purchase.

Pick up some of the VERY popular "All Bundled Up" collection by Crate Paper.

Or maybe you've been wanting some "Elf Magic" by BoBunny.

The new American Crafts Christmas collection has been popular.

The packages of baker's twine and jute are great to have on hand when crafting at home.

The mixed media craze has made these stencils from Crafter's Workshop very popular.  This is a great time to pick up the stencils you have been wishing for.

So, come by and pick up the things on your wish list and get

DOUBLE PUNCHES!!!

Race you to the store!

LET'S GO EXPLORING!

Happy Columbus Day!  

It's a great day to visit the store and 

EXPLORE!!!!

Explore our stencil selections from Crafter's Workshop, Tim Holtz, Clear Scraps, and others.  Great selection for your mixed media needs.

If you are planning to play in mixed media, you definitely want to check out the Viva Decor products

as well as the fabulous WOW embossing products.

Have you played with washi tapes???   As you all know, I love them and have a small (or not so small) collection of washi tapes.  Once you start using them, you won't be able to stop!  And, there are some in the sale bins.....

There are all kinds of stamps for you to use:  background, Christmas, birthday, humorous, elegant, so many stamps to choose from you might get lost while exploring them!

Explore our selection of die cutting supplies.  We have dies from Sizzix, Lifestyle Crafts, and Impression Obsession - explore the offerings from each of these companies.

Come explore the new product on the tables and in the front of the store to get the latest and greatest.

Explore the Christmas collections under the Christmas trees.  There are so many beautiful collections you will have a hard time choosing!

Of course, you've got to explore the sale bins.  I think there was still some left after the girls got through stocking up on Saturday!  LOL!

So, come explore with us at Cat's on this marvelous

COLUMBUS DAY!