Brenda Pinnick -news, ideas, events and more...

menu table embellishment

I'm participating in a blog hop to show off the many ways of using my friend Eileen Hull's new product line with Sizzix! It's called SCOREBOARDS ™ and they are a  ton of fun to use because of their versatility. This week's projects are created around her check book cover die which, when I saw this, immediately my mind went in a million different directions.

I've recently discovered Plaid's chalk board paint and am having fun turning just about everything into a writable surface! My favorite is the red- there's just something so crisp and wonderful about red with white lettering!

I'm short on time lately due to the busy time of year, getting ready for the various trade shows so my goal was to design a project which is minimal in effort yet high in impact - I think this fits the bill ;

I painted the outside with Plaid's Chalkboard paint, red over orange board. It took two coats to get it the depth I wanted.

Assembly consisted of a simple yard's length of skinny ribbon, starting at the bottom and working my way up to the top, where I tied a bow on the inside of the menu. Start by threading the ribbon through the bottom holes and centering it. Create the x pattern on the outside or create a pattern of your choosing. Matboard accepts chalk pencil really well so if you don't wish to re-use your menus, you can just write on the board itself and skip the paint. I used a sharpened pastel pencil to write with, it works great! If you are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner this year, this would be a good way to denote any food which was made to accommodate allergies or glutton intolerance. You could also use it to assign seats, sometimes a good strategy for a family get together! What if it were left blank on the inside, for your guests to write out what they are thankful for, then pass them around the table? Write their names on the cover and then they can take it home with them as a reminder.

You can follow this blog hop by visiting the following -

Eileen  Hull

Fabrizio Martellucci

Jennifer Ellefson

Ann Butler

Lorine Mason

Karen Burniston

Bonnie Bruns

Gabriela Delworth

Candice Windham

Paper fun with a message

http://www.whencreativityknocks.com/craft-and-hobby-episodes/for-the-love-of-paper/piperoids.html

I LOVE this! When Creativity Knocks, the growing and fun website of Ana Araujo and her daughter Megan, are interviewing and showing a fun and unique product they spotted at MakerFaire. 

I love the ingenuity of the Designer who made these little kits! Here is the direct website for a quick look. 

http://www.piperoids.com/piperoid/

Here is what they say about their new products: 

Cut, Fold, and Connect

PIPEROID is a paper craft robot designed and produced in Japan. The robot is made out of just paper pipes with pre-drilled holes and marks to cut, fold, and connect the pipes without the need of glue or tape. All you need is a pair of scissors, and with minimal assembly you can bring your own PIPEROID to life!   Expand Your Imagination When was the last time you made paper crafts that you can brag about? Many components of PIPEROID can either move or be swapped with other PIPEROID's body parts. Expand your imagination and make your own original PIPEROID! About the Designer Takashi Tsunoda With the motto "Teaching Values Through Handcrafts", Takashi Tsunoda designs toys that use your hands and stimulate your brains. His work, PIPEROID, aims to make people think about the world we live in through hand crafting. In our society full of pre-made goods, he wants us - especially adults - to think about being more responsible when developing products. Feel the deep message behind the cute designs he brings to the world.  -I really like it that you can swap out pieces and parts of the different kits to create your own unique robot. These are so much fun, I'm ordering some for my nephew who will love making these.  Be sure to watch the video of Ana and Megan as they cut and glue one of these little guys together.

http://www.piperoids.com/ - It's nice to see some paper crafting which will appeal to girls AND boys both!

What a fantastic Designer and his message is a wonderful one indeed! 

about a year ago...

a few weeks short of, actually...I took a trip to London and to Paris,  in that order. Paris was amazing! Even though it was cold, rainy  and off season, I enjoyed the holiday decorations, the company and the relaxation of it all. My trip was business, hosting my own show on QVC, which is always great fun but a bit intense. I took the bullet train down to Paris afterward and enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere that only Paris gives. While relaxing and exploring, I also had opportunity to just sit, be inspired and create.

Here is a little bit of mixed media I made, done at home, but inspired by my trip. 

I LOVE stitching on my pieces! And, adding in elements such as ribbon, lace, cut felt pieces and especially cut paper makes it so visually enticing. I love creating my own surface art to use in my mixed media pieces so that it maintains the "voice of the artist". 

I encourage you to design your own mixed media art and base it on a travel experience. The purple in this piece reflects the trend seen while in both London and Paris last year! EVERYWHERE- purple!!! 

...there's just something magical about Paris, no matter what the season!  Je ne sais quoi?

Terrorific Tuesday Finale!

It's the final week for this year's Terrorific Tuesday. Much thanks to Alexa Westerfield for host this- it's a lot of work! Enjoy!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009

Terrorific Tuesday 2009 Week 4

Trick or Treat!
Frame and post it note holder dressed for Halloween

Costumed Kokeshi Dolls
Try out a Halloween idea for a traditional Japanese doll with Crafterella

Halloween Mask
Phyllis Dobbs created a fun and easy Halloween mask - great for adults and kids!

Fun Halloween Lanterns
Stephenie Hamen accessorizes plain paper lanterns with her paper punches.

Black Widow & Bloody Necklaces
Pattie Wack uses 3-D paint to create chokers that will creep out your party guests!

Tutu Cute Halloween Wreath
Vanessa creates an inspired wreath made of tulle!

Mad Scientist Party
Amy of Living Locurto shares a slew of fun ideas to host your own Mad Scientist Party.

Halloween Zombie Dolls
Crafty Chica shows how to add some zombie love to your decor!

Halloweenies!
Boopsie Daisy shares some of the wonderful Halloween dollies that she dreams up!

Crafty Chica's Ghost Story!
Kathy Cano-Murillo shares a haunted crafty tale!

Halloween Cone Witches
Make these cute little paper cone witches for Halloween!

Halloween Leftovers
Mel takes the leftovers from last week's project and makes a cool Goth choker!

Brenda Pinnick Halloween Owls
Seasonal Owls for Scaring or Delighting Trick or Treaters

The Impatient Crafter
Margot creates another spooktacular mixed media necklace with a bite.

Halloween Batty Windchime
Heidi Borchers creates a super cute windchime with personality!

Kitschy Kitschy BOO
Add some Halloween flair to your day with this cute kitschy bracelet and earring combo!

Simple Halloween Gift Tags
Studio Mama makes a strong impact with these quick and easy tags! 

Strands of Beads
Melissa once again gives some pretty flower beads a Gothic makeover with this simple earring design

Costume Fun
Sharron Westerfield shares her passion for costume-making and the joy it brings her grandchildren.

Return of the Birthday Zombie
Candace is cracking herself up with this ghoulish gift box idea

Doodle Pumpkin
Swelldesigner a.k.a. Alexa Westerfield shows you how to make a fun pumpkin on the fly!

More Owls!!!

Here's the link! http://brendapinnick.typepad.com/brenda_pinnick_news_ideas/2008/12/owl-pattern-freebie.html so  you can make your own festive owls for scarring or delighting  your trick or treaters or Thanksgiving guests!

I used various papers from my many different kits sold via QVC over the last 3 years including Sucerie, Brenda Pinnick Signature, Initially Yours, Village Color. I encourage you to USE YOUR STASH! And if you need some color inspiration to get you going, dig into my Color U series and go at it!

hugs, Brenda

Sizzix Project!

I've been playing around with Eileen Hull's  new Scoreboard Sizzix Dies and found a great combo project!

I've been making these little mini-books using my own Sizzix product, Die Number 656042-Album cover and page. The mini-books are perfect for creating portable color palettes to stick in  your purse or bag for quick and easy reference. Shopping for new items can be stressful, so having a small reference book can make matching or coordinating your projects or wardrobe easier. 

Here is what I used:

Sizzix #656137 Eileen Hull Box with Flap

 Sizzix #656235 Eileen Hull Notebook Pocket

 Sizzix #656042 Brenda Pinnick Album Cover and Page  ON SALE!!! WOW!!!

Brenda Pinnick Scrapper Keeper Album elements / QVC.com   ON SALE!!!! WOW!!! - read the reviews on this!

Download a jpeg of this project showing different views here-View this photo

Be sure to tune in tonight for Inspired at Home Blog Talk Radio with Tiffany Windsor! I'll be giving a short talk about color in  nature!

 

And tomorrow morning, 10:00 a.m est., Tiffany is hosting a very special LIVE program via FACEBOOK LIVE and I will also be guest on this very special show along with Eileen Hull!!! I'll be talking about color in nature again and will be showing some beautiful photographs from my walk down the road.

Please join us!!! 

And before I forget, here is this week's color palette from BrendaPinnickColorU- October week 4Download BP color U.v4

AND, if all that isn't enough to keep you off the streets and out of the pool halls -Be sure to check out WHEN CREATIVITY KNOCKS for this weeks Creative Journal and the latest episode! Fun stuff!!! I love Jenn Mason's suggestions for using up little bits and pieces of stuff! Very inspired, Jenn! Go here to see the very retro and oh so cool crochet project that Ana made by crocheting- it's halloween fun!

Terrorific Tuesday!

Happy Monday everyone! Here's a project for my Terrorific Tuesday entry hosted by Alexa Westerfield. Thanks for inviting me to play along, Alexa!

©2009 Brenda PInnick

I made this batty neckpiece using my Sizzix Die found here. I believe (but can't promise you) that A.C. Moore carries these dies as well. So, I cut out the dies from heavy black cardstock and coated them with 5 coats of Judikin's  Diamond Glaze. LOVE that stuff! I used small, red crystals for the eyes and re-cycled an old neckpiece which was my Mom's, featuring beautiful red and black crystals.

Brenda Pinnick Card Kit -projects

Recently, my card kit aired again on QVC and I have had several requests for a project guide or some type of instructions.

I've contacted the manufacturer and have the on-air samples being shipped, but in the mean time, I've put together a pdf document showing some different ways to assemble the cards. This kit is so easy to work with, there are numerous ways to build the cards using your own creativity and imagination. In these samples, I used only elements from the kit. I didn't add any of the rhinestones or brads yet...I'll leave it up to you to decide how and where on that. Below are some examples but you can download the pdf from here. Download Brenda PInnick Card Kit project sheet   

 

CHA class-Power brainstorming

I want to invite you to join in the fun of this dynamic class at the upcoming Winter CHA!

Power Brainstorming…How to Lead Your Team (or just You!) to New Levels of Innovation

Business Seminar S130

Speaker: Brenda Pinnick

Room 206AB 

Don’t miss this exciting, dynamic class taught by industry expert Brenda Pinnick of Brenda Pinnick Designs. With proven success in stationery, crafting, and the home décor industries, Brenda will bring to life the techniques she has learned, developed and share with other designers and corporate product development teams.

We all want to be more creative and “out of the box” thinkers…Brenda will show you how! In this hands-on, high energy session you will:

• Actively participate with your peers, using fun props!

• Have crazy new thoughts and wild ideas!

• Then, learn how to reign yourself in and apply those ideas to your product cateogry

Plus…you will leave with a handout of techniques to use immediately on your next big idea!

If you're thinking about attending the show, I hope you'll come to my class and learn how you can be a better brainstormer!

Here's the link www.chashow.org This is a very fun, energetic class and you will certainly leave with the tools you need for innovation, wether it's for your personal growth, your retail shop, your design team or your entire company. All are welcome and will benefit, I promise!

*************HOLIDAY SNOW OWLS****************

Last year, I posted these Holiday Snow Owls I made using my big Holiday Kit sold on QVC. I have gotten so many hits on this blog because of these, I thought I'd run it again! Here is the link to the downloadable pdf so in case you missed it, here you go.

These make great little hang tags for gifts or ornaments, as shown. Have fun! Send me pictures!

Owl project with Sucerie Papers

Happy Saturday! I'm off to the mall to find a new coat today but before I go, I wanted to post this picture of my latest owl, made from my newest collection, Sucerie.

I stitched a little flower on each wing to add a nice little bit of detailing. I've been making these owls for a while now, I have about 12 of them sitting around the house. It only takes about 10 minutes to make one and they're so much fun! I'll be posting the pattern after I return home from my upcoming trip. 

Take a look...

And here are a couple of owls made from the KIRKWOOD collection, available only on QVC.com in the U.S.