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

What does it take?

What does it take to get on HSN? I've been asked that a lot lately so I thought I would share a list of the first things that come to mind...

Believe in yourself enough to make the commitment to do your VERY BEST WORK. ever. 

Get feedback from and listen to your stakeholders. ( manufacturers, HSN buyers & anyone else who is on the team )

Research your consumer and know your market. Define their likes, wants and needs.

Identify your unique selling propostion ( USP ). What sets you apart from the others? Practice saying it out loud. Don't be shy about your achievements, your talents, your dream, your uniqueness. 

Look honestly at your work and don't be afraid to let go of the mediocre. ( Get honest feedback if you're not sure, we ALL have "off" days, trust me, not every single thing you do can be exactly right! ) 

Be commited to excellence in all aspects including your presentation. Practice in front of a mirror - many times. If you meet with the buyers, they will be judging how you present yourself to them as an indication of how you'll do on air. Be enthusiastic but not over zealous. THANK them for their time, regardless of the outcome. If it wasn't right for them this time, you may have another opportunity in the future! ( Like me )

Look at and learn from your successful competitors. ( Thank you, Anna G. )

If you are able, hire some help when it comes to crunch time. There is no glory in "doing it all", only exhaustion and possilby, some not-so-perfect work.

Say "Thank You" to everyone from the big wigs to the people who clean the restrooms. Everyone appreciates acknowlement for their work, just like you and I.

When you've done all this, you can't help but be ready. It will come naturally, without effort, from your heart. Your enthusiasm will overide your nervousness, I promise! 

 

So, here's the ugly...anyone want to come over and help clean up ??? This is my table on one side of the studio as I was preparing for my segments on March 6th.

And here's the pretty...on the other side, as I'm finishing up my samples. ( no staff...just me, in my basement, late at night, after designing products, making art and taking care of business all day. Did I mention hiring help? LOL )

If you have aspirations of getting your product designs on air, I hope this little tutorial has helped you decide if it's right for you. When you get your first feedback on the HSN site and it goes like this,

"The paper is so vibrant and the colors are so current. The purples and aquas and greens are fantastic. Really good quality paper, stickers etc. I may buy another set so I don't run out. Those Alphabet rub ons are amazing too."

well, it makes all those late night crafting sessions worth every bit of lost sleep!

Happy planning...

 

 

 

What are friends for?

Friends build you up, they support you, they shine a light on your good qualities while looking past your not so good ones. They know that by building you up it doesn't take anything away from them.

Meet my good friend, Samantha Walker... She invited me to a special feature on her blog today, highlighting my brand new kits going on air on HSN on Tuesday at 2 am and Noon. Samantha also designs fabrics, scrapbook kits, stamps - just like I do. Go take a look on her blog at her wonderful designs, she's a terrific designer and an wonderful person besides! 

Her fabric lines are with Riley Blake, her paper collections, Creative Imaginations, her diecuts, Spellbinders. 

 

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NEW WORK!

Poppies # 2

This is a recently finished painting I did from my ongoing series of poppies. It's 24" x 48" , acrylic on canvas. You can read more about it on ColorCafe, my other blog which is all about highlighting artists & designers and how they use color in their work. Sometimes I show my own work but mostly it's about shining the light on others. If you or someone you know would like to be featured, I'd love to hear from you or them.

Thanks for visiting!

My new crafting kits on HSN!

renda Pinnick is excited to invite you to watch HSN on Tuesday, March 6th for scrap-booking day!

Yes, that's yours truly and I'm so excited to be bringing you my newest scrap-booking kit I've named Piccadilly Circle and a brand new stamping kit called Londonderry.

It's not often the stars align like they have for me in this coming year! The design elements in these kits overlap, offering the crafter a uniquely cohesive look. To top it off, I have a new fabric line which is launching right now and it also is an overlapping collection. And, if that's not enough, soon there will be large crafting dies from Sizzix which also offer the same design elements!!! I mean...wow... THE POSSIBLILIES!!! My head is spinning with all the ideas for projects! Did you know that you can stamp on fabric? Did you know that you can cut fabric with dies? Did you know that you can sew paper? Did you Know that you can combine all of the above? YES YOU CAN! I'll have lots of sample projects to show while on air and my hope is that you'll be inspired to invest in all four of these categories of my products for this beautiful new collection. Oh, and by the way, my earlier stamps also work with this new collection also - how cool is that?

Fabric and Dies will be available in stores mid-summer but March 6th, you will want to jump on the opportunity to also purchase the scrapbook kit and stamp kit because once they're gone- they're GONE! We've shipped in a limited number of kits to HSN and I can hardly wait to show them to the world! I'm scheduled for the 2 a.m. hour (previous stamp kits ) and again for the Noon hour for both new kits, ( Eastern Standard Time Zone ). I hope you'll mark your calendar and join HSN for their day long crafting event!

 

Day 6 card and giveaway with Faber Castell Design Memory Craft!

Welcome to day 6 of my 7 day card crafting / giveaway week!

Thank you for all the thoughtful comments, it's so interesting the different points of view on the floor color choices. Each suggestion could totally work in that space - I've decided on a clean, clear apple green for my floor. Green is energetic while grounding. It also invokes creative thinking and is easy to look at for long periods of time, (think of a beautiful, rolling pasture or forest). Green is considered a neutral and it is wonderful as a stand alone hue to combined with a variety of other hues...perfect for my studio! 

WINNERS -Friday's winner is Cori and yesterday's winner is Kimberlee, as chosen by random number generator. Congrats, Kimberlee and Cori, please send me an email with your mailing address! [email protected]

Today's prize- Day 6 Red Ink & Aquarelles Set, Red PITT artist Pen Set, Red/Yellow Gelatos, AND, from me, you will win a set of fabric fat quarters ( 4 ) from my last collection, Couleur Vie. Even if you don't sew, these fat quarters are great for all types of crafting including scrapbooking, card crafting and more.

Tomorrow is the grand prize and it's pretty darn wonderful!!! ****** In order to be eligible to win, you must have commented on every single day, on both blogs -here and on http://designmemorycraft.typepad.com/ 

so if you haven't already done so, go leave your comments on each day's post and you might be the LUCKY WINNER!

Today's card-

Once again, I used my Piccadilly Circus stamps and Faber Castell BigBrush Markers to create this purse card.The circle is made from a piece of diecut chipboard and metallic paper, cut from my new dies for jewelry making, found here, on the Sizzix website or in various retail outlets. If you would like this pattern, just join my mailing list today and it's yours for free! I'll email it to you personally.

Thank you for your continued visits and I so look forward to the big day tomorrow!! See you then!

Thank you Cori for pointing out that I left out my daily question! (never post before morning coffee)

Today's question- Do you feel you understand color theory and all it's complexities? If no is your answer, would you be interested in taking an on-line class to learn more about color? 

Day 5 card and giveaway with Faber Castell Design Memory Craft!

Happy Halloween! Since only one person played along on Friday-(must be everyone's busy making their costumes and cupcakes)I'm going to open Friday's giveaway to carry over onto today's contest. I will only do the giveaway is there are 10 or more people commenting so please invite your friends, personal and facebook! 

Here is today's card

 

For this card, I used my Piccadilly Circus stamp set, which is my give-away for today.

For the coloration, I used a combination of Faber Castell Big Brush markers and of course, Gelatos, both wet and dry. I simply stamped the images onto a piece of charcoal paper while overlapping the medallians. I eyeballed a pumpkin shape and cut it out free form. Embellishments include a spray painted ( Tulip ) doily and some vines and leaves drawn in with my Big Brush Green pen. How simple is that?! 

Today's give-away is awesome! From FC- Complete Assortment of Metallic PITT artist pens and Gelatos plus Stamps by Brenda Pinnick   

 

( For purchase on HSN )

 

Today's question is - If you were redoing a new studio space and wanted to paint the floor, what color would you choose? ( Three walls are glass windows and one wall is red brick ).

Answer today's question on both Faber Castell's blog and here on mine in order to qualify for the drawing. Also, scroll down to Day 4 and answer that question as well. Remember, I need 10 posts in order to validate the giveaway.

Day 3 card and giveaway with Faber Castell Design Memory Craft!

Welcome to day 3 of my card crafting series and give-away! 

Yesterday's winner is...conniemelancon! Congrats, Connie! You've won your choice of two prints from my Etsy store! You'll need to send me your addy - [email protected] then I'll get them sent to you.

OK, let's show the card already...

We talked about color combinations earlier and here's one I'm all over lately. This combo is relaxing with the turquoise but refreshing with the greens. A small bit of yellow adds some happy, which we all love!

For this card, I used my Sizzix products, available on HSN.com or from various craft supply stores across the country or the web. The base is cut from my Decorative Edge Stationery Die, using Strathmore's Bristol board, one of my Favorite surfaces to work on. The embossing was then done using one of my Sizzix Embossing Folders, the Birds and Flowers set, also on HSN.com, a terrific value kit including 10 folders!

For the coloration, I used Faber Castell's Big Brush Markers and watercolor pencils. I love the mix of strong saturated hues with softer tints of the same hue. The pencils are great for subtle blending - I used a little bit of water to create soft transitions in the coloring. Even though the markers are India ink, while they are still wet, you can use water to dissolve them and move them around, using a small paintbrush.

Okay, now for day 3 prizes: From Faber Castell, Yellow, Green & Blue sets of Art GRIP color pencils and from yours truly, one of my embossing folder two-packs, available on Sizzix.com

And finally, today's question, inspired by Carla's comment about her husband- Do you and your husband or significant other or best friend tend to like the same general family of hues? 

Leave your comments here and on Faber Castell Design Memory Craft Blog to be eligible to win!

Oh, and please tell your friends about my 7 day giveaway! 

Day two card and giveaway with Faber Castell DMC!

Here we are on day two of our 7 day giveaway/card making week.

Business first!! Yesterday's winner is Nelly! shoot me an email Nelly so I can get your mailing info. [email protected]

Here's today's card made with one of my stamps from the Piccadilly Square Collection and Gelatos, plus spray textile paint from Tulip.

Step outs below... 

 

In step one, you'll see I used watercolor paper, a paper doilly and the Tulip brand textile paint in a spray bottle to create a stenciled textural design. 

Next, I cut the paper into 2" strips, lined them up side by side and stamped using my Piccadilly Square Stamp and a black Gelato. I stamped randomly, turning the stamp sideways for some and upright for others. Notice I overlapped the design onto different pieces. When the Gelato was dry enough, I then cut the strips into 2" squares. Taking a light blue Gelato, I accented the edges just a bit to create "pop".

Finally, I choose which of the squares I wanted to use then glued them onto a 5x5 card base, choosing a hue which would compliment but not compete with the design.

Final step- I used a square of fabric from my Couleur Vie collection with Henry Glass and Fiskars pinking shears to add on final touch. I glued it onto the back side of the card so you can still see it when the card is open. I generally like to add my sentiments on the inside to allow the outside become a mini art piece - nice for displaying. I also sign the back personally, proving it's handmade! ; )

Today's prize is - Choose two prints from my Etsy store!

Now answer today's question: Go take a look in your closet and report back- do the colors in your closet vary greatly or do they lean towards one particular hue or palette?

Answer the question here and then go to Design Memory Craft blog and post your response there also. In the end, there will be a grand prize which you can win only if you comment on each day's question, on both blogs.

 

7 days of fun give-aways!

Hi all, here's with a fun card design made with my new stamps and with gelatos for the wonderful, scrummy backgound. There is something so delicious about these gelatos...so satisfying in the application and the results. I'm a painter and just LOVE how these work with my new stamp line, available on HSN.com. They glide on just like lipstick then smudge...just like lipstick...but melt into vibrant color when you add a bit of water with a brush or a sponge. I think the highly textured background sets a nice stage for the cleanly stamped design, made with an inking pad. Variety is one of the necessary ingredients for a compelling design. 

I'm going to be posting a new card everyday for the next seven days, here on the Faber Castell Design Memory Craft blog and also on the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft blog. AND - I am giving away goodies each day! You must leave a comment here on this blog then go to the link for Faber-Castell's blog and also leave a comment answering the questions posed on that day. This is open to anyone over 18 years old and who resides in the U.S. or Canada. Be sure to use your real name. 

At the very end, in one week, there will be a grand prize from Faber Castell and me! You must post everyday, on both blogs to be eligible to win the big prize! yaaaaay!! 

Here is day one's question; What is your favorite color combination and how does it make you feel?

Can't wait to read your answers! 

While you're here, please join my mailing list! I only send out mailings about 4 times a year so no worries about one more thing in the in box every week! 

digital freebie for stamping

If you are one of the many crafters who purchased my stamps on HSN last week, you've probably received your stamps by now.

On the back side, I've shown examples of using my stamps on top of patterned paper. The design I showed is one of my own, actually, I use it in my branding. But, you may want to create the same or a similar designed card or embellishment using the pattern so here is a free, downloadable pdf to print off and use for stamping on. I suggest using embossing powders in order to acheive an opaque stamped image. Enjoy!

Download Card backgrounds1

***for personal use only****

Sneaky Peek

I'm reformating my portfolio today and decided to go share a bit of some of my recent work.

This is from my Canterbury Park collection. What you're seeing here is the handpainted version of the flowers. I'm kind of a messy painter so it always gets cleaned up in the computer before sending files off. Sometimes I just go ahead and trace the elements after placing the file in Illustrator so that it's easy to format for various products. If you bought myDecorated Life stamp collection on HSNlast Monday, you'll recognize the birdcages. I also licesned them for Sizzix E-Clips electronic cuting machine. I bought some vinyl and plan to cut them out to put on my walls. I just don't seem to ever get tired of birds... I've always loved them! 

Hubby was out watering the lawn yesterday when he spotted a yellow finch sitting on top of the birdfeeder. He said it looked full sized but I suspect it was still a baby. It seems he was pretty close to it and it didn't seem at all scared. He gradually inched his way up and placed his finger under it. The little guy just stepped right up and perched himself on his finger where he stayed for several minutes! I wish I would have seen that- how sweet!

BTW- I'm now back with Two Town Studios after taking a little break for a year. I'm looking forward to working with them again, such nice people. For licensing opportunities, please contact Jim or Ronnie for porfolio viewing or requests. Thanks!