Carol Heppner's Studio

Spring 2012 Wearable Art Trends - Accessories Part 2

2012-02-13T04:51:00.012-05:00

Necklaces and bracelets are substantial and multi-layered. They combine traditional metal colors with brightly-colored stones and materials that coordinate with the bright colors of the spring season. Fabrics and leather will also find their way into necklaces and bracelets allowing, mixed-media artists to turn their thoughts to accessories. The heavier-looking necklaces and bracelets have a

Wearable Arts 2012 Trends - Accessories Part 1

2012-02-10T05:41:00.002-05:00

Lifetime’s Project Runway’s spin-off show, Project Accessories, promises to bring greater awareness to accessories, wearable art, and wearable-art designers. Creating accessories or altering existing accessories will be one of this spring’s strong trends. With garments being sleek, jewelry pieces are making more of a fashion statement. This spring, big is the hot trend. While belts will be

Wearable Arts 2012 Trends - Fabrics

2012-02-09T05:37:00.001-05:00

The fabrics of Spring 2012 are soft and flowing. The soft fabric gives a relaxed, unfussy look to the sleek, feminine silhouette designs. Many of the fabrics are flowing and provide movement to the design, thus providing another dimension to the garment. Shredded plastic, beads, and feathers are a few of the materials being used for the fringed “Flapper look” of the 1920s Are you inspired by

2012 Wearable Art Trends - Prints

2012-02-08T05:33:00.002-05:00

Many designers are using color blocking to make a strong statement with their wearable art designs. While some designers are using a traditional approach to color blocking with rectangular shapes, others are updating the technique with a free-style shape that is worked into the design. The trend is to limit the color blocking to two or three colors in the garment. Since the color blocking

Spring 2012 Wearable Art Trends - Color

2012-02-07T05:24:00.001-05:00

Forget the pale pastels of past spring seasons. Stronger spring colors are Poppy, Geranium, Tangerine, Canary Yellow, Grass Green, Tiffany Blue, Hyacinth, Ink Black, Honey and Sandstone. There are some designers who are also using stronger colors as royal blue. Neon colors are also trending. The above colors are being paired with sandstone or white. However, some wearable-art designers are

CHA - Spring Wearable Arts Report

2012-02-06T05:01:00.006-05:00

I presented the Spring 2012 Wearable Art Trends report at the 2012 Craft and Hobby Association Winter Show. Here is what to expect for Spring 2012. Spring 2012 promises to be an exciting and creative time for wearable art. Even more crafters will seek fabric-related products to create fashionable pieces or alter existing pieces in order to express their own unique looks. Wearable art

Great New Projects

2012-01-25T08:36:00.007-05:00

Make sure to visit Cousin's new blog for my free bracelet tutorial that is now on their blog. Mixed-media bracelets are a big trend for spring and summer, so learn how you can make this beautiful bracelet now! Would you like to see what’s new in crafting? I mean, so new that it’s not even in your craft store yet??? So new that the buyers for your local craft store are just seeing these

Journaling meets recycling

2012-01-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

Designer Connections Blog Hop's January Challenge: Journaling. Do you have boxes left over from Christmas? How about cereal or juice boxes that you are placing in the recycling bin? Instead of just tossing them away, make a pretty journal! I created this journal for Viva Decor's blog and shows reads how to recycle boxes into covers for this journal. Then, you use Viva's beautiful soft ink

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T08:04:00.000-05:00

Mondays with Carol Wishing you a very Happy New Year! May it be filled with creativity and crafting possibilities! Professional Design Members of the Craft and Hobby Association News I do have some exciting news to share! Join us on Twitter this Thursday. January 5 at 8:00 PM, EST by following the hashtag: #CHAspotlight. You'll be introduce to some of the fantastic professional craft

Monday's with Carol Heppner - Learning to Craft

2011-12-19T06:39:00.001-05:00

Looking for some great Holiday crafts? Check out all my December posts. The Gift of Creativity On our way to see Santa, my five-year-old niece turned to me and said, “I know what you want Santa to bring to you, Aunt Carol.” Surprised, I asked what she thought I would like. Her eyes, filled with wonder, grew even brighter as she whispered, “Art supplies.” We both giggle. This year, my niece

Monday Mornings with Carol Heppner

2011-12-11T23:28:00.000-05:00

This Monday’s blog post is about recycling and upscycling past Christmas cards and used gift boxes into fun holiday coasters. These coasters turn out so well, that you can make them as gifts. After all, the artists that design those greeting cards put a lot of work into them. So put their art into something you can use, which gives their art a longer life. If you didn’t save last-year’s cards,

Mondays in December

2011-12-05T06:19:00.054-05:00

Mondays in December Join me every Monday in December as we get ready to celebrate Christmas. This Monday it’s all about the Sock Monkey. Make sure to read about the great giveaway below! Sock Monkey Blog HopSock monkeys are a very big trend this Christmas season and you can find them everywhere. They are making appearances in toys, ornaments, on clothing and more. Join in the fun and add a

November Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop

2011-11-06T20:02:00.007-05:00

Can you believe that it is November already? To celebrate the season, Julie McGuffee had a great giveaway and you can find the winners of the Sizzix Sidekick with 2 sets of Sizzlets alphabet dies at her blog. Also, learn all about the Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner and giveaway announcement on her blog as well. You can find out more about it by visiting Julie McGuffee’s Blog. Facebook

Just Steampunk - Quantum Love

2011-11-05T01:35:00.005-04:00

Just Steampunk, a new magazine, is jam packed with over 300 great steampunk projects by fantastic artists. You will find three of my steampunk jewelry projects in this issue. The photograph shows part of my necklace, Quantum Love. My husband is a scientist, so I wanted to create a necklace that paid homage to science. While he is a meteorologist, I decided to celebrate Quantum Physics.

Sizzix (r) Fresh Vintage Blog Hop Projects

2011-10-12T18:00:00.002-04:00

Fresh-Vintage Blog-Hop Collage and Christmas Angels Words that are in blue are links to corresponding websites. Eileen Hull’s Fresh Vintage flower die creates wonderful paper flowers, but I had vintage fabric that was just screaming to be use. I just had to oblige. The Sizzix© dies cut fabric just as great as they do paper, which allowed me to make these fabulous soft cream flowers with bead

Westcott Challenge Giveaway

2011-10-02T23:59:00.062-04:00

Will you be the lucky winner that wins this fantastic giveaway by Westcott? A few years ago, I was given some of their scissors with which to work, and I fell in love with them. Their cutting tools are THE best tools I have ever used. Westcott scissors are known for their ability to cut through sticky materials without getting that sticky build up on the blades. They live up to that

Delicate Ribbon Bracelet

2011-09-29T05:27:00.001-04:00

This fun bracelet is easy to create. Children of all ages will love wearing this pretty bracelet and you will love making it. It also makes a great party or group activity. Beads in a Bottle™ and gems by Tulip®, ILoveToCreate® on shimmering ribbon for a very delicate look. With the wide-range of ribbons in stores, you can alter the look of this project to fit any colored outfit need.

New Paper-Arts Tutorial - Polyester Fiberfill 101

2011-09-23T12:13:00.000-04:00

Announcing a brand new paper-arts tutorial called Polyester Fiberfill 101 by Carol Heppner. Learn how to use Polyester Fiberfill to apply pigment ink to your paper-arts projects. Do you like the grunge look or want to give your paper an old-world feel? Want to create a romantic looking card? This technique will help you apply ink to your paper with ease. In this tutorial, you will learn the

2011-09-21T06:27:00.028-04:00

Fellow Craft and Hobby Association Designer, Brenda Pinnick, will be on the Home Shopping Network on September 26, 2011. During the first hour she will sell her Sizzix® Textured Impressions and an XL BIGZ stationery die with a decorative edge. Her second hour will be her own new stamp line. I was hired me to to create a few samples for her appearance. This is a quick look at some of those

Beads in a Bottle (tm) to the Rescue

2011-09-19T05:30:00.000-04:00

I love wearing sandals and when my favorite grey sandals started to get a bit scuffed, I was disappointed. The upper grey material was showing its white lining and the sandals were looking old after a few days wear. Normally, I would grab markers to hide nicks and scrapes. But, I wanted something that would provide some protection from water as well. That’s when I spotted the metallic Beads

Orange and Black Rubber-Stamped Card

2011-09-18T09:20:00.000-04:00

What is orange, white, black and fun to create? This card, of course! You may have noticed that the color orange has been appearing in clothing, accessories, and home decor. It started appearing late in the summer and it’s being seen more and more. Fall is always the season for orange, but this color is gaining steam. The color orange is becoming a hot trend and you are going to be seeing a

The Blog County Fair

2011-09-15T10:30:00.002-04:00

Being a Design Member of the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) has afforded me many great opportunities, one of which is to collaborate with many of the world’s top craft-industry professionals. Two such designers, Vicki O'Dell and Laura Bray, have created a special Blog County Fair 2011 event. Welcome to my post on the Blog County Fair. This year, my family and I attended the Kutztown

Team Velcro

2011-09-12T06:46:00.001-04:00

Romantic Floral Bracelets on Michael's WebsiteCourtesy of Velcro USA Make sure to visit Michael's project website to get the instructions to make these great bracelets. While these are great for flower girls, they work for proms, formal occasions, or anytime when you want to feel romantic and feminine. While on Michael's website, make sure to share the website link with your family and

Mixed-Media Collage - You Make Our House A Home

2011-09-07T21:06:00.002-04:00

I fell in love with the spectacular textured embossing cream from Viva Decor when I created this collage.The embossing cream has a nice shimmer that works great especially when you place it next to the black velvet paper. The embossing cream glided easily over the stencils and really makes this collage a head turner. The embossing cream works on many different surfaces, but I knew I wanted to

Designer Craft Connections Blog Hop - Party Central

2011-09-05T05:17:00.013-04:00

In my family, we use any excuse to have a party. Birthdays, reunions, Sunday afternoon – if we can gather together, it’s Party Central. While at my local craft store, I found sherbet glasses on sale. There are times when I design on the fly, and this was one of those times. I wanted to find something to do with those sherbet glasses. Walking through the store, I came across inexpensive hair

Scrapbook Soup, Series 100 Giveaway

2011-09-05T04:11:00.025-04:00

GIVEAWAYThis month Julie McGuffee, Host of Scrapbook Memories/Scrapbook Soup TV, is giving one lucky person a DVD set of the new TV show, Scrapbook Soup, Series 100. TO ENTERVisit the blogs in the Designer Craft Connections Blog Hop (link to the Hop is located in the right column of my blog. Make a note all the blogs that have the Scrapbook Soup, Series 100 logo on their blogs and then

Schedule: September Blog Posts

2011-09-01T11:06:00.018-04:00

Get your free download of this fun patriotic necklace for Labor Day and then check out my line of tutorials that are exclusively at Magcloud. These projects and instructions will not be found elsewhere. Order yours today. Coming Up Coming Soon: Info and my samples used for Brenda Pinnick's HSN September 26th appearance September 12: Velcro Projects Update September 16 - 19 Country Fair

Shake, Rattle and Rain

2011-09-01T09:45:00.001-04:00

Never would I have guessed that my creative muse, Kamilly, was such a close friend of Gaia, the Greek goddess of the Earth. Apparently, they are party girls. Such great fans of Carole King, they wanted to share that “I felt the earth move and the sky come tumbling down...” festive mood they were in during the week of August 23, 2011. I was at home, trying to work. The girls had other plans

Butterfly Fun - Tulip Style

2011-08-07T15:51:00.003-04:00

On a recent walk to Wal-Mart, yes.. I live in walking distance of a Wal-Mart... I found a pretty pink dress for $5.00. I just could not pass it up for that price. The two butterflies were already on the dress, but the dress clearly needed more. That's when I pulled out Tulip's Beads in a Bottle, Gems, and 3-D Diamond Fabric Paint and added beads and glitter to the butterflies and around the

My Favorite Technique

2011-07-31T21:28:00.005-04:00

Batiks While I work in many different mediums and styles, I love how soothing and relaxing it is to apply hot wax to silk. It’s a process that does require thought, since you are coating areas of the silk that you want to remain white when the batik is complete. But there is such a great feeling when you finish your design and you see those beautiful colors on that soft white silk. This

Rose Cuff

2011-07-27T00:34:00.000-04:00

Put a bit of romance in your life with this beautiful rose cuff bracelet. Instructions for my bracelet, courtesy of Velcro (R),can be found on Michaels' Website. What makes this bracelet unique is that it completely surrounds your wrist with fabric roses. The trick is to use Fabric Fusion (tm) by Velcro (R) as your closure. This bracelet is easy to create and is perfect for weddings - or

Quick and Easy Summer Projects

2011-07-14T23:59:00.001-04:00

Celebrate the summer with projects that are quick to make, inexpensive, & pretty awesome. Summer Ankle BraceletThese warm summer evenings call for a fun ankle bracelet that takes very little effort to make, but is big on style. I found the materials for this bracelet from Cousin Corporation of America at my local Wal-Mart. The faux pearls come linked together so all I had to do was to use jump

ILoveToCreate™ Blog Hop Challenge

2011-06-30T01:02:00.020-04:00

Designer Craft Connections Blog HopILoveToCreate® Tulip® Beads in a Bottle™ Paint Challenge The T-Shirt Cover Up and No-Sew Bag in my Beach Dreams project was inspired by sunny beach days and the summer-time candy dots that come on a strip of paper. Our special Blog Hop Challenge was to use Tulip® Beads in a Bottle™ Paint, a special paint that forms a rounded bead on surfaces, in a project.

Summer-Time Crafting

2011-06-14T14:57:00.001-04:00

The Jersey Shore It was a beautiful Monday morning and I needed to photograph a project for an upcoming blog challenge. Living close to the New Jersey shore, there was only one decision to be made – “What time do we leave?” We grabbed the sandals and the beach towels and then made the 45 minute drive east to the Atlantic shore. My family was visiting and they like going to Seaside Heights, NJ

Summer Craft Project

2011-06-03T22:13:00.005-04:00

In This Post:Crafting Summer Fun Free Digital DownloadBrienne Higgins - My Cousin, The WriterTutorials Blog Hop Reminder - Giveaways Crafting Summer FunJune Designer Connections Blog Hop: Patriotic Necklace Summer is the best time for crafting outdoors. Your craft projects should be manageable so you are not using a suitcase to haul your craft supplies from your craft space to your patio.

Mixed-Media Necklace

2011-05-14T11:36:00.002-04:00

Have some fun when you create and wear this spring-garden inspired necklace. This project has everything – upcycled gallon bottles – rubber stamping – studs – crystals – burnt-fabric flowers. The soft white of the bottles is the perfect base on which to rubber stamp with Ranger Industries, Inc. Acrylic Pearl Dabber. It creates a nice tone-on-tone pattern. It doesn’t matter what rubber

Altered Sneakers - Sneakers for a Playful Princess

2011-05-12T07:46:00.000-04:00

Altered Sneakers - Sneakers for a Playful Princess Imagine how your little princess' eyes will light up when she sees how you have turned her inexpensive white sneakers into fun play shoes. These shoes will quickly become her favorite. If she's like my niece, they will also be special to her because you made them for her. The easy, step-by-step instructions show you the basics to paint and

Romantic Mixed-Media Bracelet

2011-05-11T12:33:00.008-04:00

Capture the romance of a Jane Austin novel when you make this mixed-media bracelet. This bracelet is perfect for proms, bridesmaids, flower girls, and summer-evening parties. It's perfect for romantic spring or summer dates. You can personalize the look of the bracelet by using ribbons that work with your color theme. Floral bracelets for weddings can cost a small fortune. These ribbon

Silk Batik Scarf

2011-05-10T09:45:00.000-04:00

I've been asked by a number of readers to write a tutorial on how to create batiks. I'm happy to announce that I have created an eight-page booklet on creating this silk scarf batik. The booklet contains:Photographs,Step-by-step instructions,Safety tips (wax can burn the skin and it can catch on fire - so you need to be careful when working with it),andThe tutorial has an alternative method to

Blog-Hop Birthday Giveaway

2011-05-05T01:04:00.004-04:00

Birthday GIVEAWAY Julie McGuffee, host of Scrapbook Memories/Scrapbook Soup TV, is having a Giveaway. May 5th is a great day! It's National Scrapbook day, Cinco de Mayo and her birthday! So, for the month of May the giveaway is a Birthday Present - FOR YOU! This month's winner will receive a box full of crafty products including some cool tools.To enter to win you must guess what at least

Mother's Day Bracelet

2011-05-02T11:00:00.027-04:00

Mixed-Media Bracelet Create this charming mixed-media bracelet for Mother’s Day and be in style with the hot mixed-media jewelry that is trending this spring and summer. It’s fast and easy to create and is sure to be a favorite. Click on the links in the materials list to view the jewelry elements. Almond Pearl Elegance™ bead, 6mm (10), Cousin® Corporation of AmericaClosed jump ring, 4 mm,

Mother's Day Card with Upcycled Fabric Leaves

2011-05-01T07:00:00.003-04:00

Upcycled fabric leaves on a Mother's Day card? That's right. Not only the leaves, but the tiny white babies breath as well. While they may be too faded or outdated for your home decor, they are perfect for greeting cards for that vintage look. To clean the flowers and leaves, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth and then let them dry. They are now ready to use in your work. It seems

Wedding Day

2011-04-29T09:45:00.000-04:00

Did you watch the wedding Friday? It was beautiful, of course. Today, I thought I'd share a wedding album cover that I made for Viva Decor using their products. A plain white album was transformed into a beautiful book fit for a Princess. I fashioned a flower from watercolor paper and used their Mother of Pearl paint on the petals. Their pearl pens and stencils gave a wonderful texture to

Signs of Spring

2011-04-12T07:12:00.006-04:00

The joys I once shared while coloring Easter eggs with my sister, brothers, and cousin are now wonderful memories. Like the time one of my brothers took so long to decorate his egg with wax. My brother tenderly placed the highly-decorated egg gently into the food coloring. He sat patiently watching the egg as it became a beautiful shade of blue. When it was time, he gently picked up the egg

Spring Greetings

2011-04-05T15:15:00.001-04:00

Spring! Wonderful, Spring!!! My flowers are in bloom. The beautiful light-green leaves on my trees are making their debut. This is the most wonderful time of the year! Easter Greeting Card Easter is coming soon and here’s a fun Easter card for you to make. You will find the instructions on my Designer Craft Connections Blog Hop Page. New Projects Coming UpMake sure to sign up to my Facebook

Place-Card Holder

2011-03-11T23:21:00.001-05:00

Designer Craft Connections Blog Hop Welcome to the first official project theme of the Designer Craft Connections Blog Hop: Wedding. That same flower die that I use to create the St. Pat’s Day Necklace on my blog is the same flower die I use to create the wedding place-card holder. I add a butterfly die and Tulip’s® white Fashion Bead Paint from ILoveToCreate™ to the flower. Aleene’s®

March - National Craft Month

2011-03-02T21:20:00.011-05:00

Celebrate March in Style with Carol Heppner March is one of my favorite months in the Northeast. While snow can still fall, we get days that tease us with the promise of warmer tempeartures. The earth is waking from its long winter nap. My lilac bushes have tiny leaves on their branches and the spring flowers are just starting to break free of the earth. That pretty spring-green that can

National Craft Month

2011-03-01T17:45:00.001-05:00

March is National Craft Month and the perfect opportunity to rediscover all that crafting has to offer. Whether you craft to reduce stress, build self-esteem, or for the sheer satisfaction of creating something with your own hands – crafting provides benefits beyond the initial project. In celebration of National Craft Month sponsored by the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA), my blog will

Cricut Expression Giveaway

2011-02-28T13:42:00.010-05:00

The excitement is building as we are just days away from the official kick-off of the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop and Cricut Expression Giveaway. Cricut Logo Over 40 Professional Designersof the Arts and Crafts Industry have joined together to create a year-long hop known as the Designer Crafts Connections Blog Hop. It is goal of our hop to inspire, share our expertise and

Mixed-Media Shoes at CHA

2011-02-11T12:21:00.018-05:00

The Art to Creating Mixed-Media ShoesLike most women, I love shoes. That passion comes through in my work. Viva Decor hires me to create a showpiece for their booth at the 2011 Craft and Hobby Trade Show and Conference. We discuss a few ideas, and decide upon wedding shoes. I love shoes and these are fit for a princess wedding. I love working in mixed-media and making three-dimensional pieces

In with the new - out with the old

2011-02-04T16:35:00.002-05:00

New Look After attending the sessions at the Craft and Hobby Association Winter Trade Show and Convention, and reviewing the style of work I am now creating, it was time for a change. I wanted a logo that reflected a more fashion-forward look and feel. Yes, it's just a slight alteration, but I feel the updated look is more in line with who I am. So, my website, blog, and twitter pages all

Just in time for Valentine's Day

2011-01-08T07:50:00.004-05:00

Put some romance in your creative life! Learn how to create my signature paper flower in my next article in the March issue of Scrap and Stamp Arts Magazine. The instructions for the flower also include a full-size pattern. Once you learn how to create the flower, there are instructions for two cards and this beautiful necklace. All are perfect for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, so

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T19:21:00.006-05:00

Wishing you a VERY Happy and Creative New Year! I hope your year will be filled with creative ideas, lots of love, good health, and happiness. CHA - Craft and Hobby Association Show It is a very busy time in my studio as I get my projects ready for the Craft and Hobby Association Show. You can see some of my designs at the Viva Decor booth. I will also be giving a demonstration showing

Triple-Play Blog Hop Week 7

2010-12-16T13:49:00.011-05:00

Merry Christmas! It’s been a busy seven days! Paul and I visited Washington, DC and enjoyed seeing the Washington Ballet’s version of the Nutcracker. The choreography, dancing, costumes, and sets were amazing and inspiring. As the count down to Christmas continues, take some time to join this blog and sign up for the newsletter so you can be the first to be notified of changes on my blog.

Week Six - Triple-Play Blog Hop

2010-12-08T21:34:00.004-05:00

Snowflake Angel Lace-like snowflakes swirling around in the night air gave inspiration for this beautiful Christmas card. The Sizzix® Bigz™ XLDie - Album, Brackets by Brenda Pinnick makes it easy and fast to create a great card on which to display your photos of your little angel. This die has so many possibilities, as you will see when you visit the blogs of my fellow designers. Just click

Week Five - Triple-Play Blog Hop

2010-12-01T23:41:00.004-05:00

Noel Project and Instructions by Carol Heppner Sizzix® Bigz™ XLDie - Gift Card Holder with 3-D For You, Pop-Up Die by Karen Burniston Tis the season to create your Christmas cards and Karen’s For You Pop-up Die is what you need to showcase that special Christmas photo. You’ll get the best of both worlds with this die because it’s made for gift cards. It can be altered, as seen here, to be

Week Four - Sizzix Triple-Play Blog Hop

2010-11-24T22:27:00.000-05:00

Simply Golden The scent of pine drifts about my house. I close my eyes and breathe deeply to savor the bouquet. Immediately, memories of my childhood and the many wonderful Christmases I spent with my family fill my thoughts. Ruby red, emerald green, and antique gold are just a few of the luscious colors that adorned our family’s tree. Being of Italian heritage, our ornaments were always

Week Three - Sizzix Triple Blog Hop

2010-11-17T23:25:00.015-05:00