Sunday, February 26, 2012

Graphic 45 Design Team 2012 Audition

My name is Susan Dietz, owner of Flutter Before You. I feel that my strengths are imagination and a strong attention to detail in my work. I love using graphics 45 vintage inspired images in my creations. I love the feel and the time era of your papers and your colors are fabulous! Here are some of my pieces I have created recently...
A series of Halloween cards using Graphic 45 images...

A magic Fairy book I created using a variety of findings and tons of paper images from various vendors...
A series of tags I created for a recent ARTchix challenge.....
An ATC I created for my Flygirls ATC Group, Fairy Tale swap...

A Marie Antionette cake topper, using various products giving her a vintage feel...

And a Fabric Covered Journal, using a vintage book and hand cut papers for journaling and documenting your journey for 2012.


I would LoVe the opportunity to be  part of your Graphic 45 Design Team! I feel I have versitility and a passion for creating unique creations that incorporate a vintage and whimsical feel. I have my own style and am open to trying new techniques and have a passion for paper!!!


Thank You so much for the opportunity to audition, and I look forward to hearing from you soon...

~ Have a Magical Day!
 Susan Dietz




Thursday, February 23, 2012

New Ready to Alter Journal



I have been seeing journals everywhere lately, and decided that I wanted to create something with a vintage feel. I just love the soft tones and contrast of all whites layered on top of one another.I pulled out all my whites and vintage lace, and just started layering. This was a fun project to create, because I got to pull out the sewing machine too!

I used an old book, and punched holes for rings. This makes the front and back cover. I then used the text page of the book as a background for my vintage lady image, and framed her with a torn vintage hankie,creating a frame and sewed the edges.


After my cover felt completed, I then added in some buttons,pearls, rhinestones,and metal elements. This step was fun because I got to do some hand sewing here to attach the metal key and Happy embellishment.




Handcut pages to fit inside, even a few coloringbook pages for fun! This journal is now ready to document your thoughts and your journey......
Until next time, Have a Beautiful Day!
~Susan xoxo

Friday, February 17, 2012

A Fresh New Look and Feeling the Love of February

Feeling the Love of February today, and  I decided to give my blog a bit of freshening up. I'm so happy with the results. It feels more like me, and I'm really feeling the new energy that it will bring. I am so inspired by images and colors. It's amazing what a lift, color can bring to your life when you find that perfect combination and what feels right for you. It lifts your spirit and makes your heart sing with perfect harmony!!!

I wanted to share a few of my recent creations, with so many Birthday's in the month of February including Valentines Day, I find myself creating many pieces of celebration. I was really inspired by the uses I could come up with Crepe Paper.

A little Marie Inspired Cake Topper...

I really felt I needed a blast of color to help me through the grey days we have here in Oregon, and was inspired to create a collection of Marie Antionette themed celebration items. Another Marie Inspired Cake Topper...


For this cake topper, I used various brightly colored ribbons as her dress,lace, crepe paper and feathers,vintage button,butterflies and vintage metallic pipe cleaners. It was really fun celebrating with you, until next time...

Have a Magnificant Day!!!
~ Susan xoxo

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Love of Art

~ A Love of Art
For me art and creating is a daily practice. It is a place for exploration and healing,a world in which I am present in the moment and can forget all my cares and woes.A self expression of ideas unique to only me and I am in LoVe with ArT...

I wanted to share a few projects....some little gift boxes I have made for this Valentines Day...

Art is... A celebration of my LoVe of paper and the possibilities that can be created....





Wishing you a Happy Valentines Day today, may your love of art find you and fill your soul with joy....
Susan xoxo


Sunday, February 12, 2012

Inspired by Nature



Today was a perfect day to be  inspired by the beauty of nature. While out on a Sunday drive we set out to have an experience....




The intoxicating sound of chirping birds echoing from the tall pines, a rushing river over the rocks, the crispness of the freshest of air...


We came across this little natural made birdbath.... so sweet...


Such a magical day, it was a day that was very nurturing for my soul, and gave me just what i need to recharge and be inspired to create new art. Who knows, I think I might just be feeling a spring theme happening here in the future!


~ xoxo Susan






Friday, February 3, 2012

Creating a Handmade Tag Tutorial

Welcome! Today we are going to create a beautiful Handmade Tag!!!It's super easy and fun. Once you make one, you won't want to stop, as there are so many possibilities of expressing yourself with these mini works of art. Supplies needed to create this tag are:

 ~Plain mailing/shipping tag,
 ~Glue,
 ~Scissors,
 ~Hole punch,
 ~pencil for tracing,
 ~ink and paintbrush used for blotting and blending ink ( I love Ranger inks the best),
 ~Paper images/coordinating papers for your project,
~Ribbon and jewels or pearls for embellishing,
 ~"Authentique" line of sticker text,
 ~Scrap paper/Grocery Store Paper Bag

 (I like to use a torn paper grocery bag and tape down the edges to my work surface) for protection and staining of the ink during blotting and glueing.

We are going to start with your plain mailing tag...



Get your paintbrush and inks ready for blending. I like to color the top of the tag 1st,using the vintage photo ink and then blending in the the Orange Marmalade until you get the achieved color you like...





Get ready and choose your images you want to use, this can be challenging if you have many to choose from. Just grab what feels good to you and stick with that. I have choosen papers from Graphics 45 for this project. Your going to lay down your tag and trace a front and back with a pencil. Don't forget the circle at the top. Then cut on the line and Hole punch the top circle, set aside.



Pick out some lace or ribbon for trimming the edges, and cut to fit. You can also have ready your pearls or other embellishments, and text stickers you would like to use for this project. Now it's time to assemble your tag. Before gluing, I like to achieve a layout that I am happy with before glueing permanently. Once I have it the way I like it, it's time to put it all together.. Let's go!




Just cover over the tag using your tempelate of front and back and glue in place, rubbing out all air bubbles, and make sure to press down the edges securely. Repeat this for your image you want to use, and glue in place. Now it's time to embellish your tag...



We are almost there!!!Are you getting excited yet??? Add your lace or ribbon trim,your pearls, "I like to add just a drop of glue down to secure the jewels permanently, so that they don't pop off." And add your text. You can use anything for text, I am using these great phrases sickers from the Authentique line.These are great for there size and they have a great sticking ability. I would suggest a dab of glue if you are attaching the sticker text directly over fabric,to ensure they stay on good and strong.


Now just trim any overhanging edges, so that your tag edge is nice and clean and even. Now it's time to add your final ribbons at the top for that finishing touch. I have choosen some pink cotton fabric, that I hand tore and frayed, by pulling out the strings on the edges to give a bit more of a vintage look, and a coordinating cutting of bias tape from my sewing supplies.Just simply tie in a knot and Ta Da! A final touch of some wings give her the perfect amount of flair she needs!



And thats it! You did it! You now have a handmade tag to use for your favorite read or to give as a gift for a friend! I like to have lots of these tags on hand so that I can give them as free gifts with my etsy shop sales, or attach to a gift,or any occassion that calls for a handmade touch worth remembering..... Thanks for being creative with me until next time... Have a Beautiful Day!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Thankful

I am so blessed and ThankFuL! Thankful for meeting the love of my life and my best friend Steve. He has always been supportive of my wild ideas and my artistic journey, as he is an artist himself. He works at very strenuous trade as a concrete finisher, and through his artist vision,he can make an ordinarily plain and basic space into a work of art, a true masterpiece. And that takes talent! Steve is a bit of a "jack of all trades", when he's not working at his day job, he's restoring an old car,working on projects for me, which I LoVE! Or taking pictures of things that inspire him. For 24 years, we have been by eachothers side, supporting one another in every aspect of our lives. We truely love many of the same things, and enjoy spending time outdoors,creating adventures,treasure hunting,cruising the hot rods to car shows, and taking long drives with our camera at the ready, waiting to capture and document that perfect moment of beauty before us. He does enjoy his manly things too, in which I support him also.Well to be completely honest, maybe not the sports, but that he can have his own fun with that,it just means I get to spend more quality time in the studio working on my creations! Which is great for both of us....


He is kind and a lover of nature...


All things with wings are drawn to him, which I LoVE!


A bit of a rebel and a strong scence of family and friends... Steve and his brother Dave racing off into the sunset....


Most of all I am truely blessed and ThaNkFuL for having such a wonderful life companion to lay under the stars with, and talk about our hopes and dreams of the future, thoughts and ideas of the present, and the gifts that we have been given for today.....


Enjoy the Day!!!!