Katie Orse

Introducing our Late Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

 

It's been a lot of work in the making.

I was really inspired by French vintage. I love the french

market style and just clean french decor.

You'll notice that most of the product names are french.

And this one here is my favorite!!!

*** Love it! ***

Perfect for lazy summer days carrying all your favorite

essentials. Take along to the beach, flea markets, or work.

This bag is one of a kind and you'll get compliments! The  

pearls were added as a fun touch...and yes, every bag needs a  

fabric flower. This tote bag will come with a removable fabric

flower (not pictured).

Go check out the store for more new products! 

I'm excited and really happy with the items we created.

I'm hopeful that you'll love the items too.

XO Hugs,

Katie

It's almost here!

I'm so excited...I love our new products!

I hope you will too :)

Stay tuned in for the release of our

Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

Join my Facebook/Twitter to be notified.

XO,

Katie

Sneak peek for our Summer Collection

Lots of wheels turning over here in the studio.

Here's a little sneak peek...

What do you think? Zebra print! 

With this collection, I wanted to go back to basics.

I want to use fabric material that are not so much "popular" and step away from that theme a little. Not completely away from it, but you'll notice the transition.

And you know what...I'm in LOVE with it! 

We're changing and evolving. I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me as I take a chance on it. It's a little scary, but I'm up for it. 

We're introducing new purses, tote bags, and journal sleeves. My creative team and I hope you'll love the new products.

Look for everything in my shop next week. If you're not on our Facebook or Twitter, connect with us. I will announce the release there first! 

XOXO,

Katie 

Becky Higgins Journal is back!

She's back! 

I'm so excited to share this item with you again. We received a shipment of this particular fabric and will be stocking this journal back in the store.

Just in time for Mother's Day too! If you haven't shopped for her yet, this handmade journal sleeve is the perfect gift.

Use my discount code LoveMom and receive 15% off on your entire order. 

Get your journal now before this fabric is gone!

Shop Now. 

Journal

This binder was blank and I finally got a chance to create something with it. It's sized at 6"x9" with a light chipboard binding. That meant I could add paint to it. Love that!

But not only did I paint it, I played around with adding modeling paste for some texture. I've seen others use this art item for a while, but never really got around to using it. Now I totally love it!!! Once dried, the texture feels really good. It reminded me of dry wall putty that goes on smooth, and  then when it dries, the layer becomes rough.

 You can sand it down smooth or just leave as is.

 


And I'm loving my new batch of Washi tapes. I purchased them from Pretty Tapes on Etsy and love that it arrived very quickly! I almost screamed when I saw it in my mailbox.

Playing around with layering, washi tapes, paint, modeling paste, and my fabric stash. So much fun! 

Now that I've got the cover completed, it's time to play some more and add my favorite papers and stash to the inside.

Good morning from my studio

In the studio working today. Here's what I'm working on:

1. Artwork (for submission to a few magazines). It has always been a goal of mine to get published again and I would love to take some studio time to create.

2. Product design for my shop (http://www.katieorse.bigcartel.com) I need to feel comfortable with the items I'm going to be offering. Right now I'm not happy with the fabric flowers we have for the new tote bags.

3. My upcoming ebook for direct sellers. Another one of my goals. I've always wanted to write an ebook sharing my tips and strategies that I used while running my scrapbooking business. I ran it for almost 10 years and I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't. 

That's it for now...unless I can come up with something I forgot about. Mix this all in between with my husband & kids, and well, my life is full. 

More updates in the studio as things come along ;)

Getting down to business

 

Got my cute shipment of Washi tapes in the mail yesterday! Happy Dance!

: : :

There's a lot of things going on behind the scenes too. So much to do and so little time. Here's my list:

 

1. Finish painting my studio craft table

2. Marketing follow-ups

3. Finish the last batch of sewing samples

4. Write an introduction media sheet

5. Photography session

6. Edit, edit, edit ebook

7. Find storage solutions for craft table

8. Project Life

9. Paint/Journal

10. Laundry

 

Really no particular order, but I guess I should prioritize them. Right now my list of items is just off my brain!

 

Monthly Creativity Challenge

I was so inspired by Rhonna Farrer's Creativity Exercise Workshop that I decided to incorporate this somehow into my busy schedule. Instead of something daily, I was thinking of a monthly creativity exercise.

So that's what I'm testing out. A monthly creativity exercise is just that. It takes a month to complete. I don't rush. There are no deadlines. I don't have to finish a piece if I don't want to, but I usually do.

The results make me feel like I've accomplished a goal. And I'm having fun using up all of my scraps.

Plus, I feel like I'm really exercising and stretching my creativity side. I mean, really it's fun, but it's also pushing me to find my own design style. Which can sometimes frustrate me. And sometimes I don't really let the ideas flow.

Here's what my monthly Creativity Exercise journal looks like:

It is a basic spiral bound sketchbook I picked up at my local craft store. Decorating the front cover with my favorite scrapbook papers and adding a trinket at the spine. Fun!

Even though there are several pages inside the sketchbook, I'm going to focus on this year and use 12 pages for now. One page for each month. Next year, I plan to use the same journal and add a tab to separate the years. 

Here's my January page:

 

And here's my February page...still a work in progress:

I'm loving that a lot of my scrapbooking supplies are being used and I don't have that guilty feeling of waste. You know, the kind that eats at you after you come home from the scrapbook store with your goodies and then to find them still sitting there or hiding somewhere. 

If you're like me, then you need to challenge yourself and give this a try. I'd love to see what you're creating. So here's my challenge to you!

On the last Friday of each month. I'd love for you to share your creativity exercise project.

Would you be interested?  

All you have to do is come here link up in my linky party,

share on Instagram using the #creativitychallenge,

or share on your Twitter/Facebook.

I KNOW you can do it! Won't you join me?

Link party begins Friday, March 30th

Creative play *updated*

Before:

I'm stuck. Totally stuck on this page. What month are we in...March? And I'm still trying to complete this January journal page. Oh well. It still feels good to just create something though. I've been adding a little here and there to this page and even though it doesn't feel complete; I'm enjoying the process.

One thing for sure...I LOVE using up my scraps for my journaling. Most of the good stuff is for my Project Life album.

Yes, I'm using Becky Higgin's Project Life system. I'm still shy about posting my stuff though. Just seeing other people's PL makes me cringe a little about my own. Becky's design team makes my PL look lazy. I need to work better on NOT comparing myself. Do you feel the same sometimes?

 

After *updated*:

From linen bulletin board to mini album

A few weeks ago I shared on my Facebook a bulletin board I made for my studio.

After the project, I had about half a yard of fabric left and I didn't want it to go to waste. So, I could have made a cute zippered pouch or even more fun...a mini album. I might go back and make a zippered pouch later on, but this mini album is what turned out and I love it!

Pin It

 

It's still a work in progress mini album, but I'm going to include lots of my favorite people/things that make me happy. 

On some business news...I've been designing a few new products to include in my shop for Spring. Spring is almost here to me. It's approaching really fast and I feel so behind on schedule. One major business idealogy I want to focus on is solving problems for others, but with my own sense of style. I hope I can please ;)

And finally the weekend is here! I'm looking forward to filling it with family time, celebrating my 12 year old (she turns 13 this weekend!), and perhaps The Lorax movie??? It's going to be a great.

So, what are you planning for this weekend?