Christine Adolph Designs

Everyday Gourmet Collection

I had to do a new blog post because my sweet (and sassy) middleschooler was making fun of the picture of me in the below post. My family knows that I don't always like my picture taken so when my husband took the picture of me painting I "cheesed" it up big time for him...so that is the story with that silly photo...

Now on to business:-). I have three collections that are shipping to stores this month and I will be introducing them on the blog through out the next week. This first collection is called "Everyday Gourmet". I always begin the design process with pulling some color reference for inspiration. The colors in this collection were inspired by this old 1950's book cover. I love the style of illustration and the colors I thought were amazing, so that is how I began and you will see below how the collection evolved. There are several 12x12 papers and 2 sheets of cardstock stickers, 2 epoxy sheets, and some metal brads....

Here is the epoxy...

Here are a few of the papers......

And here are the metal brads....I just LOVE the way these turned out...

I have two more collections to show next week...until then, blessings to you!

Three months later....

Summer flew by!!! And here we are three months later!I have been out of the habit of blogging, not even really reading too many these days. I have a lot to catch up on! Been finishing up product deadlines as well as getting more involved with our new women's ministry. We just launched a new inductive study called OASIS and it was so much fun doing these panels and throwing paint around on such a large scale.....I built up the backgrounds with collage first and then added some pretty paint, my husband and a friend framed them up for me...This was a part of a collaboration with Sharon Soneff who is also a key member of our church women's ministry (am I lucky or what?) I did these large panels and she took my backgrounds and did all the print media for the study (the notebook covers, hand outs, signage, name tags, table art....it was a big job she had and it turned out so beautifully). It was such a joy to use our gifts and talents for other purposes than work...The panels represent a prayer called the ACTS prayer. Basically it is a way of praying. Adoration, Confession,Thanksgiving,Supplication....I love to pray this way because by the time I get to the supplication part, my problems don't seem too big. There is something about the adoration and thanksgiving part that puts my heart in the right mode.....just thought I would share.

Happy 17th Anniversary, my love....thanks for loving me for who I am.

Chat tonight at "A Million Memories"

A Million Memories will be hosting a chat with me tonight at 6:00 pm pacific time. This will be my second chat ever and I am hoping to keep up with the pace, I type slow!..Please join in. I have some fun hints to drop about my new lines that will preview at the upcoming tradeshow and I do have an announcement about a collaborative project that I have been involved in...come on by at 6:00. Creative Imaginations will be doing a designer spotlight about me sometime today to familiarize consumers with my background and my design process. You can check it out on their blog sometime today.

Here are some beautiful projects using my new collections. The projects were made by our Design Team Coordinator, Cheryl Mezzetti. Thanks Cheryl!

The first project she used my new collection Felicity and the second project she used my new Tidepools collection.

 

Truly...

I have been meaning to post something. We are in birthday party season and I wanted to (and still will) post about the "Top Design" birthday party we had recently for my now 11 year old. Currently we are planning a "Webkin's Tea Party" for my 8 year old..(if you have school age kids you know about the webkinz craze!).

Yesterday I had the pleasure of dropping in on my friend Linda Blinn, who was hosting a few friends in her newly built home and studio. She pulled out some of her treasured glass negative plates that are originally from the Louvre in Paris. She was hosting a "cyanotyping" party. A technique that I became familiar with about 10 years ago. Playing in her studio filled my creative well, I love being around this group of ladies who understand  this need to "make things"...such an inspiration. Forgot my camera but Linda sent me some photo's. These are some of our experiments.... Linda bought precoated paper from this site. We began adding bleach with brushes and stamps to our cyanotypes to create a lovely effect. Then we started drawing and coloring in the samples with pencil and water soluable oil pastels. At our next art party, I think we are going to learn to applique and silk screen. We are  hoping to get Random Nicole to the studio to teach us. Can't wait.

 Edited to add. Linda will be teaching in South Orange County on August 8th at the San Clemente Art Supply shop. I know it will be an amazing class full of art inspiration and techniques. I have taken her class and taught with her and you won't be disappointed!! Check it out here.

Valonda L.

Alisa Logue

I drew your names and it sounds like you both have special people in your life who will be blessed by the giveaway. Please email me your contact info ladies...info@christineadolph.com

Stash it Forward Give Away

4/15**EDITED TO ADD PHOTO'S of the "Crafting Stash". The two top photo's represent the 12x12 acetate transparencies. Just so you know, you won't find these in stores anymore, I designed them around four years ago and I think they fit much more into today's crafting trends:). The third photo is a selection of some of the foil printed papers that will be given away. It is very difficult to photograph the sparkle but I know you creative folks can imagine. I am changing the deadline to 4/20 to give us more time to get names in the hat.Tell your friends and read on to find out more about the giveaway and don't forget to hop over to Emily's blog to see the side bar, there are a few new people signed up to give stuff away.

Today I mentioned to a few friends that I really need to share some of my excess art supplies. Being a product designer, I receive contract samples of my new product and often times I am too busy to do anything with it. I really want to see it being used and not just sitting here gathering dust. I read about a great idea on Emily Falconbridge's blog, she posted a "Stash it Forward" give away on her blog. Her idea was to help and bless those who might have a difficult time affording items for their art/scrapbook making. I love the idea and I want to join in along with a handful of others who are "stashing forward". You can visit her blog to see the links of others that are participating. Sometimes I think things are meant to be and I just stumbled on her blog tonight and it helped me to get rolling with this idea I had to give some stuff away.

Here is how it will work. Emily clarified on her blog that the giveaway was meant to help someone who might not have a budget for art supplies and I would like to honor that as well so if that sounds like you or someone you know then please leave me a comment in my comment box and on Wednesday, April 16th I will draw two names at random to receive a nice selection of specialty scrapbook papers (many printed with foil) and some lovely transparencies (as pictured above). I will get in the studio sometime tomorrow and take a photo of what I am going to give away..Also, because of postage I am going to limit the giveaway to US residents this time. If you know someone deserving let them know or post for them...xo-C

He still rips!

A photographer got a few shots of my husband surfing Rocky Point on our North Shore vacation. Let me just say he makes it look so easy to pull this off and I can tell you for certain that it is not easy to surf like this. I love sitting on the beach and watching and I love watching other people watch him too, there are always people on the beach taking notice of him out in the water. And I sit proudly on the beach and enjoy.

Our last day in Hawaii we did a trail ride along a secluded stretch of beach. It poured rain the whole time but since it was warm rain (or liquid sunshine as we like to call it) it made it a little bit more of an adventure.

I thought my family would enjoy that we actually got a family photo too. We always come home from vacation with not enough photo's all together. I am looking forward to using my new Tide Pools line to complete my travel journal. Aloha!

Felicity projects

Some fun projects done here with my new line called Felicity.
Thanks to CI's new design team member Jen Davis for the lovely work done with the collection.

Travel Journaling

Journaling on the road is something I look forward to on vacation. I don't give myself the opportunity to do it much at home because I stay so busy with life.

A few things I brought this time that I am loving! I bought a pentel brush pen before I left and it is a perfect tool for travel (unless it leaks!!). I see that they have metallic ones too. I am going to have to order a gold and silver one.

I also bought some Caran D'ache Aquarelle, they are a little on the expensive side and I won't let the kids use them! I bought the kids watersoluable oil pastels that will give a similar effect. The caran d'ache pastels have a beautiful quality of color and are perfect for travel. I am using them for my backgrounds in my sketchbook. Color in your backgrounds and dip your brush in water and they give the effect of water color.I have a couple of white sharpies and of course lots of glue sticks!

If you have any good travel journal tips or supplies I would love to hear about them! thx..