21st Century Pillow Book

Greetings! I don't have a project to share with you today, but rather, an announcement. I have decided to completely revamp my blog, and move it to a new site. I've been blogging at 21st Century Pillow Book for over 10 years now, and it's been wonderful. But the "Pillow Book" aspect got lost somewhere along the way. If you don't know what that is, read my description in the blog header, or do a quick search. They are really very cool. Anyway, I thought it was due time for me to work on a new blog, more of a brand, etc. So, I invite you to now join me over at alisonheikkila.com . I've still got some polishing up to do, and a whole lot of learning, as WordPress is completely different from Blogger, but I am really excited for this new site. I've wanted to do this for a long time, and I am happy to finally be getting it done. Bear with me as I figure out the best way to make it all look and flow. I thankfully have some help with that. But I think you...

Hello! Today I have a card that features the Mediterranean Dreams Subscription Kit from White Rose Crafts.  This fabulous Subscription Kit brings together sparkling, azure Mediterranean seas, sun-bleached shores and the rich colors of vibrant Mediterranean cultures in a carefully curated kit. I knew I just had to try the Jillibean Soup shaker card and I chose to use one of the stamps (from Kaisercraft) to make my background. I stamped the seashell with Tea Dye Distress Oxide all over the background of the card. Then I applied some Walnut Stain Distress Oxide to my craft mat, spritzed it with some water, and splattered it on to my card base. Last, I inked the edges with Salty Ocean Distress Oxide with a Mini Blending Brush. For my sentiment, I die cut a stitched rectangle from my stash, out of the pearly yellow cardstock that came in the kit and stamped it with "Wish You Were Here" stamp from the same "Summer Splash" stamp set, with StazOn Pigment ink. And ...

Hello! I've got a new shaker card to share with you today and it features the " Storm Cloud " Sparkle Blend from Doodles Paper Playground . I think the Caffeinated Shark from The Rabbit Hole Designs is just hilarious, and I knew that having a cloudy sky would just add to the bad morning this guy is clearly having. I had the Small Stitched Cloud die from Rubbernecker Stamps that I used to cut out my shaker panels. Then I used the Go with the Flow stencil from Taylored Expressions for my water. I inked it with Salty Ocean and Broken China Distress Oxides. I then covered most of the stenciling with some vellum, to help it appear that the shark was actually in the water. Awww, look at him.....he's so sad. I hope he's got coffee in the pot! I colored the shark with Zig Clean Color Markers. You can see the Storm Cloud Sparkle Blend here. It's got deep blues, grays, dusty purples, silver, and opalescent whites. It's really lovely. I happen to l...

Hello! Have you seen the latest Stampendous stamps? The July catalog is out and the stamps have been loaded to the web site! Trust me, if you love Christmas and Halloween, you will not want to miss this release. We are going to begin by celebrating Christmas in July. My card today is one of my favorites that I made for this release. I live on Long Island, so the beach is never far away. I thought this image was really lovely, and although I wouldn't want to spend Christmas on a Long Island beach (it is waaaay too cold!), I do think it would be fun somewhere tropical. My full instructions are below. Supplies: Stampendous : P340 : Seaside Christmas EP211 : Golden Sand Embossing Powder Other : My Colors Cardstock: Ocean Side, Atlantic Shore Neenah: Desert Storm Cardstock Imagine: VersaFine Clair Ink in Nocturne, VersaMark Ink Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers: 021, 024, 029, 031, 037, 042, 044, 064, 070, 072, 075, 092, 098, 220, 222, 302, 303, 900, 901 Ranger: Distress...

Greetings, Friends. This post today is part of a very special blog hop. We are celebrating the life of an amazingly talented artist and friend. The crafting community lost Aletha Jane Williams on May 5, 2019. Those of us that worked with her on Design Teams or on Challenge Blogs all agree that she was one of the sweetest and most talented women we knew. We are not here to mourn her loss though. This hop is happening in conjunction with a very special celebration of her life and her art that her husband Bob is holding in her home city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Please join us in honoring our incredibly creative friend Aletha . My card features the "Remembering Aletha" Sprite, which Mitzi (owner and artist of Aurora Wings ) created specifically for this hop. She is generously giving the digi away to all, over on her blog. This sweet Sprite looks so much like Aletha, and I know she would have been honored. If you download this digi for yourself, please be sure to give a huge "...

Hello! Today and occasionally going forward I will have a special guest designer (or two!) on my blog. My daughter Rhiannon is now a Designing Mini Diva for Doodles Paper Playground , and she is beyond thrilled. Rhiannon is 10, and if you've been a follower of mine, you'll know that I love to craft with my kids. Rhiannon has become quite the talented artist, and Amber asked her to join our Design Team to help encourage kids to get crafty. So, here is her very first post, written by her (and overseen by me). She created this card completely on her own, and it's even more beautiful in person. Hi, I'm Rhiannon. I started this card because I love the Unicorn Dreams Sparkle Blend from Doodles Paper Playground. I love the unicorns and the beads in it. I like that the colors are pink, purple, and blue, which are my unicorn colors. I stamped and die cut the unicorn, and then colored it with Arteza markers.  Then I die cut a window for my shaker out of black cardstock and pai...