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Cocoa Daisy New Website Blog Hop

Cocoa Daisy has done some remodeling and updating, making our home a place you want to be. Drop in and see how our scrapbook home is your scrapbook home too.

To help celebrate, we are doing a blog hop and giveaway. ~~Just leave a comment~~ on my blog and if you want to have a better chance on all the below listed blogs, to be entered to win a set of all FOUR of this month’s exclusive, sold out, Cocoa Daisy Stamps.

The Winner is picked – the blog hop is over- sorry !-Nat

The celebration doesn’t end there, we’re also offering a couple of promotions for new subscribers:

1.Sign up for a 6 month kit subscription and you will receive 20% off your first month’s kit.

2. Sign up for a 6 month kit AND a 6 month stamp subscription and you will get 20% off your first month’s kit and stamps PLUS an exclusive Cocoa Daisy Tote bag.

Here is a card that I made for the hop:

and here is the sketch for it – you can download it if you want :)

Here is the hopping schedule:

Cocoa Daisy: http://www.cocoadaisy.com/blog/

Emily Pitts: http://emilypitts.blogspot.com/

Ronda Palazzari: http://rondapalazzari.typepad.com/

Jen Davis: http://livelifecreateart.blogspot.com/

Mandy Koeppen: http://mandykoeppen.blogspot.com/

Vicki Boutin: http://vickiboutin.typepad.com/

Alissa Fast: http://alissafast.typepad.com/

Lisa Saunders: http://scrappyfairies.blogspot.com/

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer: http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/

Stephanie Wheeler: http://lrfloor.blogspot.com/

Kim Watson: http://kj-starre.blogspot.com/

Lisa Pace: http://lisapace.com/blog/

Anja Wade: http://missquiss.typepad.com/

Denise Morrison: http://kookaliciouslifeisyummy.blogspot.com/

Annabelle O’Malley: http://anabelleom.blogspot.com/

Anna Bjorklund: http://mymessyspot.blogspot.com/

Sharmaine Kruijver: http://skruijver.blogspot.com/

Amy Tan: http://amytangerine.blogspot.com/

Diana Fisher: http://designbydiana.blogspot.com/

Nathalie Kalbach: / —–> well you are here :)

Ali Edwards: http://aliedwards.com/blog/

Wishing you good luck . I will pick the winner tomorrow

Nat

Comments (109)

pinkink09

March 12, 2012 at 1:47 am | #

Nice card. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Misty B.

March 12, 2012 at 12:59 am | #

such wonderful layering. really nice. I also really like the colors you chose

Reply
Lenore

March 11, 2012 at 11:50 pm | #

Love this sketch and the card you created!

Reply
Lenore

March 11, 2012 at 11:50 pm | #

Love this sketch and the card you created!

Reply
wannabecraftygrandma

March 11, 2012 at 11:49 pm | #

I love your flower, such detail and in ways I’ve never seen before. Adorable card and such a cute layout! Thank you for sharing and the chance to win!

Reply
Jessica B.

March 11, 2012 at 10:32 pm | #

Beautiful card! Thank you for sharing!

Reply
ruth tacoma

March 11, 2012 at 10:16 pm | #

Fun card! Love the little letters!

Reply
paloma1815

March 11, 2012 at 10:16 pm | #

thanks for this opportunity!!!

Reply

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Creativa & Scrappies – Workshops April in München

The next couple weeks I will be still traveling a bit- but all in Germany- some things I can’t tell yet….:) but some things… I can.

Next week I will be at Creativa in Germany – in Dortmund – demoing for PanPastel – if you happen to be there- I would love to see you (Halle 6, Booth 6.A04) – come by and visit me!

Nächste Woche bin ich bei der Creativa in Dortmund und führe PanPastels vor, solltet Ihr dort sein, kommt doch vorbei (Halle 6, Booth 6.A04) – ich würde mich freuen, Euch zu sehen.

In April I will be at the Scrappies in Munich – yeah – teaching 3 workshops from Friday, April 20th – 21st, 2012 – here are the details in German :)

Im April bin ich bei den Scrappies in München – yeah – und gebe 3 Workshops von Freitag 20.4- 21.4.2012. Hier sind die Details :)

Freitag, 20. April 2012 um 13 Uhr – Timeless Colors

In diesem Mixed-Media-Workshop zeigt Nathalie Kalbach, wie man mit einfachen
Mitteln einen Wandschmuck selbst herstellen kann. Ihr werdet eine Leinwand mit
Acrylfarben, Malmedien, Glimmer Mist und PanPastelfarben bearbeiten und dabei
auch diverse Scrapbooking Materialien verwenden. Mittels Stempeln, Utee und
anderen Stoffen werdet Ihr Eure eigenen Embellishments herstellen, die der
Leinwand ein einzigartiges aber zeitloses Aussehen verleihen. Alle in diesem
Workshop erlernten Techniken können mühelos of spätere Scrapbooking aber auch
andere Mixed Media Projekte übertragen werden. Lasst Euch einfach ein, auf das
Experimentieren mit Farben in diesem 3,5 stündigen Workshop
Freitag, 20. April um 19 Uhr – Free Your Creativity

In diesem Tattered Canvas Workshop mit Nathalie Kalbach werdet Ihr eine
einzigartige Leinwand mit viel Textur, Vintaj-Schmuck-Embellishments und Tattered
Angels Produkten wie Chalkboard und Glimmer Mist, Glimmer Glaze und Glimmer
Glam kreieren. Die in dem Workshop erlernten Techniken werdet Ihr auch in
späteren Altered Art, Home Decor, Mixed Media und Scrapbooking Projekten
anwenden können. Lasst Eurer Kreativität FREIEN Lauf und genießt ein paar Stunden
das Spiel mit verschiedenen Medien!

Samstag, 21 April um 10 Uhr – The Raw Me als Mini Album

Es ist schon etwas besonderes an diesem derben, nicht perfekten aber doch schönen
Drillichstoff. Ein passendes Material für dieses Minialbum “The Raw Me” (Ich – ganz
ungeschminkt). Genau wie Jeansstoff sind wir manchmal rauh, nicht ganz perfekt
aber doch immer noch ganz schön – Zeit das einmal festzuhalten in diesem
speziellen Buch. In diesem Tattered Angels- Pink Paislee Workshop lernst Du ein
wunderschönes und einzigartiges Cover mit handgemachten Embellishments und
einer Menge Techniken zu kreieren. All die erlernten Techniken kannst Du auch in
zukünftigen Projekten anwenden. Komm und mach mit und kreiere ein
aussagekräftiges, schönes Buch über das alltägliche ICH.

Preise und Anmeldung hier auf der Scrappies Seite

Ich hoffe ich sehe Euch dort in München :)

habt einen grandiosen Tag !

Nat

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Workshops in Vienna or…just put an "L" behind

Last friday my sweet friend Birgit and I arrived in Vienna to teach at the Scrap Me Event organized by Conny.

It was awesome ! The all round awesome package :) Our students were amazing, we had lot’s of fun with them and we saw and learned a lot in Austria too. We also had a student from Finland which was lot’s of fun.

Let me show you some Sightseeing and Workshop pictures :)

From top left to top right: The Palace Belvedere – beautiful

Middle: hahaha- funny signs with the cardboard dog….showing….you know THE end result and it says “Are 36 EUR sausage to you?” – which means if you have your dog’s end result not picked up you get fined.

The picture on the right- is a little insider for Birgit- LOL- we figured you can just put an L at the end of each word and then you sound a bit austrian …. airportL , DrinkL, ShopL…. (I know it is only funny if you have been there with us and saw us totally punchy laughing like crazy ;) )

On the Bottom:Stephansdom /St. Stephen’s Cathedral and in front of it Fiaker Fahrer/Coachmen chatting

Pictures from the workshops – Love how the Daily Observations and Timeless Colors Workshops create totally different results and unique projects for each of the students. You girls were so wonderful and creative and we all had such a good time together!

We had Bäääärchen (who made the best cake ever) , lots of paint media, and smiling queens as well as a happy organizer and educators :)

More beautiful street views…and one funny sticker at our landlady’s’ door…saying “I am a friendly Wiener” ….we didn’t really know about that…hahahaha – I think I lost the moment I said I didn’t want her to keep our passports till the next days, insisting to get them back although she told me in a grumpy way that I won’t need mine. LOL- I guess I don’t look like 17 anymore…or what did she want me to tell? ;)

And because I can’t stop some more :)

And my new culinary dream off- yum yum place – Trzesniewski – an tradition sandwich place in Vienna since 1902 – sooooo good!!!! Thanks Conny for taking me there and also for making Kaiserschmarrn for me and Birgit :) And thank you for all your amazing work and organization- you rock!

Wishing you all a wonderful day :) I still need to unpack my suitcase….mmmmm…. can I skip that part- LOL

hugs

Nat

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Win a spot at Art Mesa Workshop Event in Madrid in June

If you want to be able to win a spot in our workshops at the Art Mesa Mixed Media Event in Madrid in June 2012 – hop on over to the Art Mesa Blog and leave a message until March 10th, 2012.

We will announce the winner on the blog and our Facebook Pages after March 10, 2012 :)

Good Luck

Nat

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Creative JumpStarter reinvents the Big Shot

Some of you JumpStarters may have seen the amazing video by my spanish friend Cuchy in which she shows how to create a great textured paper plate made out of toilet paper.

One of Cuchy’s main tools for this techniques is a Big Shot. Now what do you do if you have no Bigshot? You…think out of the box like our JumpStarter Anje – The Crafty Cone – …check it out…it is awesome and too funny!

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOPOKg6ldVc]

Thank you Anje so much for sharing!!!!

If you haven’t seen the original video by Cuchy, check it out on her blog.

I so love it! It is so fun to see what all the JumpStarters are getting inspired to do with the videos and posts from the Creative JumpStart !

Speaking of Spain….ha …LOL –

On June 23rd, 2012 Cuchy aka Carmen and I are having our second Art Mesa Workshop Event in Madrid.

I will teach my Embrace the Possibilities Workshop.

Embrace the possibilities. Mixed media workshop – Altered art.
Nathalie Kalbach – Saturday june 23rd, 2012 – 10.00 hs.

There are many ways to have your artwork on display.

In this 4 hour class with Nathalie Kalbach you will create a pillow case as one of the centerpieces of your home decoration.

Transfer beautiful Scrapbooking Paper and use Tattered Angels Paint Media, Acrylic Paints, lot’s of other media and Stamping Techniques to achieve unique texture and a one of a kind Mixed Media Project.

All techniques can be easily applied to future Scrapbooking and Mixed Media Projects.

Embrace the Possibilities and let’s have a creative pillow fight.

—————————————————————————————-

Embrace the possibilities. Taller mixed media – Altered art.
Nathalie Kalbach – Sábado 23 de junio de 2012 – 10.00 hs.

Hay muchas maneras diferentes de exponer nuestros trabajos.

En esta clase de unas 4 horas con Nathalie Kalbach, crearemos una funda de cojín que será el centro de atención en la decoración de nuestra casa.

Transferiremos un precioso papel de scrapbooking y usaremos productos de Tattered Angels, pintura acrílica y otros mediums, además de técnicas de stampación para conseguir mucha textura y un proyecto mixed media único.

Todas las técnicas se pueden aplicar fácilmente en trabajos de scrapbooking y mixed media.

Aprovecha todas las posibilidades y apúntate a esta creativa pelea de almohadas.

——–

And here is Cuchy’s Workshop:

Alter yourself! Mixed media workshop – Altered art
M. Carmen Sánchez – Cuchy – Saturday June, 23rd 2012 – 16.00 hs.

We’ll create an altered object which holds a variety of ATC’s with lots of techniques, that we’ll make also in the class.
Among the “dirty” materials we’re going to use, we have candles, patterned tissue paper, film plastic, embossing powders, acrylics, folders and dies for BigShot, bubble wrap… we’re going to iron our supplies (yes, with the iron you use at home), and as always, we will get dirty.

——

¡Altérate!. Taller mixed media – Altered art.
M. Carmen Sánchez – Cuchy – Sábado 23 de junio de 2012 – 16.00 hs.

Haremos un objeto alterado para guardar una colección de ATCs de técnicas que también haremos en el taller.
Cuanto más rápido trabajemos, más tarjetas haremos
Entre los materiales que vamos a utilizar, contaremos con cera de vela, papel tissue decorado, plástico transparente, polvos de embossing, acrílicos, troqueles y plantillas de relieve de la bigshot, plástico de burbujas, vamos a planchar (si, si, con la plancha de casa) y alguna que otra cosilla y como siempre, nos ensuciaremos mucho.

—————

Check it out on our Art Mesa Blog

Looking forward seeing you there :)

hugs

Nat

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Balzer Designs’ Art Journal Every Day – my fast forward video

Julie Fei Fan Balzer has this amazing series on her blog called Art Journal Every Day. You can commit along with her to do something small every day in your Art Journal. It is such an awesome concept and it works. You can play along for just a week or a month or the whole year- it is up to you.

For the next weeks Julie has some Art Journalers as guest bloggers lined up to show in a fast forward movie how they create their Art Journals. Mine was up last friday on her blog. Here is the video:

Julle also asked me a couple of questions – you can read all the questions and answers on her blog– but I would like to put part of it on here too:

Q: Why do you art journal?

I actually call my art journals: Art Mournals – I usually only art mournal when I feel not good or when I’m angry -in a not so good mood. I am a very happy and optimistic person. Once in a while though there is something that upsets me or is unusually long on my mind. I need an outlet for expressing me that is uncensored and raw. I censor my lot in some of my work because it is used on websites or is work for someone else. In my art mournals I do not care what people think. And often after I worked on my page…I ‘m actually good again – all bad feelings or thoughts are in the page and I can move on and be the happy me again.

Another reason is that for me the process of creating something is often even more important than the outcome. I enjoy creating the art mournal pages as I can also get lost in the process of making them.

supplies used: White Gesso (Gerstaecker – thick gesso), Claudine Hellmuth’s Multi Medium glossy, Brush, old hotel key card, Crafter’s Workshop Stencil Circle Grid TCW203, Tattered Angels Screens, Staz On, Darkroom Door French Script Background Stamp, Eco Green Crafts Acrylic Paints, Eco Green Crafts Artist Medium Matte, Eco Green Crafts Artist Spackle, Eco Green Crafts Artist Glue, Magazine Image, Sassafrass Lass Paper, Typewriter, PanPastel, Derwent Inktense block, Heidi Swapp Chipboard Letters

I am so obsessed with pink red, yellow and also- not on this page orange right now.

Do you art journal/mournal and if so, why do you do it?

Have an amazing day !

Nat

Art Journaling Pages – or ARTmournal (nathaliesstudio.com)
Free Your Creativity: ARTmournal …eh artjournal (nathaliesstudio.com)
It’s time for ARTmournal again (nathaliesstudio.com)

Nat

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Leap Year Celebration or…Blast From the Past

Leap Day – how fun! In German we say literally Switch Day…I like Leap Day better :)

Today I have an especially amazing day and one of the things that put a smile on my face was this post today on the Lil Sugar Blog which is a blog for Mom’s – Mommy’s Little Helper

This is a total Blast From the Past for me! This picture shows a paper bag frog which I have made in July 2006. And even funnier…my blog was only a month old…AND this was my very very first design work for my very very first Design Team. It was a German Kit Club which sadly doesn’t exist anymore. I was sooo excited back then to show my work – I feared the critic and I remember how cutting into the paper was feeling like a sacrilege because…hey….this paper was coming all the way from the States and there was only one sheet for you!

It is so much fun seing also how much my style has changed…so glad it did- LOL

When I received the sweet email from lil sugar if they could use my blog post from 2006 I was taken back in this time when I started Scrapbooking. I remember the hassle on getting products at all here in Europe and how this little community of people who at that time had heard about scrapbooking in Germany was supporting and helping each other in finding information about this “unknown” hobby. It were fun times – and it is still fun!

So much has changed over the years and so much developed, it is amazing to look back and remember. We have come a long way here in Europe and it is exciting to see this niche of Scrapbooking and Mixed Media in the art & craft industry in Europe grow.

And ….btw ….I actually really wanna do this little frog bag again – maybe a Mixed Media Paper Bag Frog, what do you think? Anyone playing along?

Happy Leap Day

Nat

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Pier 39 – Sneak

“Waves, sand, fishing, ocean breeze, it’s all here in the Cocoa Daisy March Kit Pier 39. A color palette of soft aquas, greens, and corals, some die cuts and chipboard hexagons, an exclusive arrow stamp, and the texture of burlap and twine all come together to make a kit reminiscent of an afternoon on the pier.”

I sooooo can’t wait for it to arrive, so I can play with it!!!

I think I spot some new Dear Lizzy in there!

Here is a peek at the add-ons for March:

Those colors ………swoon!

Don’t miss out, sign up for the Cocoa Daisy Stamp Subscription.

Here is a little peek at the stamps that will be in March’s stamp subscription:

Dear Mail- Man you better bring this box soon ….I promise I will come running down the 5 flights of stairs to get it in the hallway ;)

What are you looking forward to receive in the mail the next days?

huge hugs

Nat

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n*Lab Tales: Today featuring ICE Resin

One of my New Years’ Resolutions was the n*Lab. What does that mean you might ask? I realized that one of the things that got lost in my time to run my new business is the time to actually experiment with new techniques and fun stuff. Not just doing an assignment or play with the things I already know…no no – I mean doing something completely new to me, experimenting, taking things further. I really had a hard time making room for this in the last couple months.

So how do you manage to make time for it? You treat it as a fixed date – it is in the calendar now- every month – yep! Because when it is in the calendar…mmmhh – yeah ..I follow the plan….see- I have been a paralegal far too long in my life- LOL.

For a year now I have been eager to finally work with the ICE Resin – and since the amazing Jen Cushman also signed her wonderful book “Explore, Create, Resinate” for me and handed me some supplies, there had to be an n*Lab ICE Resin appointment in the calendar. I followed the instructions- which btw are very clear and amazingly written out in the book. The book is awesome! I actually felt like a cool chemist mixing the two components together in between I was thinking I should get my white chemist smock and my goggles out…and then I remembered that there is no one in the apartment to take a photo of this…, and …it went all kind of well…as long…as I ….followed the instructions ….

I had it all prepared, I had a huge garbage bag on my studio table for protection, I folded the components for 2 minutes, then I swirled them for 2 minutes, I waited for 5 minutes, I started pouring carefully into the bezel….yep…all good…until my impatient me started overpouring…mmmh …so what to do…leave it. Fine… LOL….Let it dry….fine…but have I ever told you that I’m the most impatient person in the world? I tell you this as a secret…never ever tell my students, ok! Sure, it said to be patient and it said to wait for a couple of hours, but see, I really really wanted to see how you could prevent having all the Ice Resin slowly making its way over the bezel oh and surely it had to be dry after 2 hours, let’s touch it and leave some DNA -Mark in the ICE Resin…oh and sure it says to let the ICE Resin paper dry for about 10 hours, but mmmmh- let me just lift the sticky side up after 3 hours and move the bezel at this very same moment by doing so and have it flip over like a toast on the buttered side and…ohhh noooooooo…..

You get the picture ;)

Anyway…my very first bezels are looking ok-ish….they are by no means good or perfect, I am semi-proud – they have some scratches and bubbles and you clearly see the paper lifting inside oh and don’t forget the right pointer finger DNA-mark …but I totally got the hang out of this- and I will do this soon again!

Supplies: ICE Resin, Ribbon and Paper by Susan Lenart Kazmer, 7 Gypsies Bezel, Crafty Secrets Paper, Vintaj Heart and Branch, Feather, Canvas Fabric

I love how the feather turned into this glass feather- it is hard to describe but I totally want to do something with feathers, that are entirely inlaid in the ICE Resin – sooo cool. well – here it looks like a semi-plugged chicken (Germany Saying)…at least I “put a bird on it” (American Hipster Saying) ;)

Here I wanted to see how German Glass Glitter looks like embedded and added a Prima Flower Embellishment. Actually it looks quite cool – something is missing though…but I will use this as an Embellishment for sure :)

I am actually hooked on making ICE Resin Paper- it is hard to show- but this Prima paper is now translucent and has a glass like surface. I need to do something with it- so you can see better. There are some opaque patches here and there- as the paper is pretty thick it was harder to treat when the above shown thin Paper by Susan – but still…

I hope you liked my Tales from the n*Lab…it just shows…I have to practice new techniques too and I’m actually a klotz…when I try something new…all kinds of things go wrong and that is how I know how to tell my students later all those things they have to avoid and how they can turn it into something awesome and “Perfect” ;) You didn’t really think I do know all those things because I’m so super smart, right? Just kidding ;)

Wishing you an awesome day

Nat

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