Photos and text are the personal property of Carol Wingert. All rights reserved. Content of this site MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER without written permission.
...because I am just overwhelmed with emotion right now. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who ordered.
I actually almost tripled the number of kits this time...and thought it would at least be enough to last through the day, but you have amazed and astounded (and humbled) me again. Gone in less than an hour and 45 minutes...WOW!
Every month when I post a new kit (and especially with the Heirlooms), I get a severe case of the jitters, sort of like a key note speaker at an event, or an artist or performer on stage...just ask Vern--he will attest to that! Art can be such a personal and subjective thing...and each time I post something new, the same thoughts of "Will they like it? Will they like it enough to buy it?" start running through my brain. So, when something like this happens...well, the emotions run pretty high...hence, the crying.
From the bottom of my heart, thanks for your support and loyalty!
Several months ago, I had the privilege of introducing a new type of project kit- one that featured products that were unique and not readily found in scrapbooking stores, one that took some time to put together, one that focused on pages with layers and details, one that would be passed down in the family and one that was available in very limited quantities.Your response was simply amazing and the kits sold out in less than two hours.Because I had never done anything like this before, there was no way for me to anticipate that this was going to happen.It was an exhilarating and enlightening experience and it definitely cemented in my mind that you really want and need kits like these.
Just about a week after the first Heirloom Collection kit sold out, I began visualizing the second project.During the almost two years I’ve been doing kits, you have been telling me what you like through your comments and emails, as well as your purchases of creatologie kits.I know that many of you LOVE textiles.Metal is a popular embellishment, but just here and there because too much of it takes away from a soft and shabby look.You love details and just can’t get enough of layers and textures.“Vintage- Shabby” could be your middle name. You really get into learning new things.And, finally, you adore all things French, n’est pas?
With that framework in mind, I began making lists of possibilities.The elements would be French in style and the theme would be something to focus on the positive aspects of life—celebrations, traditions, friends and family, good food, travel, and your passions and collections—all good things.
Enter “Le Bon Vivant”…The Good Life.
A book with such a grand theme certainly deserves the best of materials and embellishments, doesn’t it?With a sense of excitement and anticipation, I began the next step of this journey-- hunting and gathering, searching and rescuing—finding and combining unique pieces and materials that aren’t readily available to make the project different from anything else out there.
I grew up in a home surrounded by textiles.My dad was a men’s clothing designer, my grandmother loved old lace, notions and buttons, and my mom was an accomplished seamstress, so I guess I come by my love of fabrics and notions quite honestly.Just like the first project, this book was going to have a lot of textures and fabrics.For starters, I had my eye on a line of vintage style French fabrics from French General which was scheduled to be released in October.Think linen and hemp, think Turkish red and faded, washed red, think stripes, think small vine and floral patterns, think ticking – is it any wonder that I was calling my local quilt shop several times a week starting October 1st?I think they got tired of my calls—do you think they were giving me a hint when they said that the owner would send an email blast as soon as the fabrics arrived?
When the email hit my inbox, I was out of the house and in my truck in a flash.I couldn’t wait to see these fabrics up close and personal and guess what, I wasn’t disappointed at all.They were exactly what I was looking for and they set the tone for the book.You will find some of the fabrics on the book cover and spine—aren’t they totally gorgeous?
Next in this grand adventure was finding actual vintage or antique French linens—from France, of course!You know all about supply and demand—well, antique French linens are in fairly high demand and the supplies are beginning to dwindle, which means you may need to sell your firstborn to purchase one hand made sheet.After weeks of searching online, I came across a sheet that fit the bill (and the budget).It was handmade linen, from the late 1800’s, and was advertised to be in near perfect condition.I purchased the sheet and stalked the mail guy until the package arrived.When I opened it up, I was so excited—actually overwhelmed with emotion would be a better way to put it.First, it was better than promised, which was good in that the seller had not misrepresented the goods, but bad in that there was no way in the world I could cut up that piece of history.I love to repurpose and give new life to old things, but this piece had to stay intact.Just a bit of the story behind these sheets—they were primarily woven by women in their homes, and they could do about 24” during one evening.Isn’t that amazing—and all the more reason why scissors wouldn’t touch that piece!
OK, what to do?I contacted the seller and asked if she might have some other goods—something in less than perfect condition.She emailed me her phone number and asked me to call, which resulted in a conversation pretty close to 2 hours in length.She is the owner of a Bed & Breakfast in the Deep South, is from England (where she still has a home), and she is an antiques dealer—quite an interesting and eclectic mix—we definitely hit it off!She told me that she had several trunks filled with old linens (be still my oh so pounding heart, you can’t have a heart attack before the book is done!) and that she would check to see what she had.Her next email just made my heart sing.She found two mended sheets that she thought would fit the bill—and they did!What’s so funny is that the sheets were mended in beautiful blocks and if you didn’t know that they were mended, you would have thought that it was part of a design.Gotta love the French!Anyway, each kit has a piece of history—a handmade linen sheet, soft from use and washes and just perfect for the book.
With the fabrics setting the tone for the book, I set out to incorporate bits of metal, exquisite pieces of French lace and trim, unique papers and fun baubles to light up every page.
Here’s some of what you will find in this kit:
Metal accents including a funky spoon handle, hand made fleur-de-lis accent, vintage style and antique keys, fabulous metal charms and trinkets, a rusted metal bird and old fashioned hanger
Unique art papers that you won’t find in most scrapbooking or craft stores—some are made out of old papers and illustrations from my personal collection
Vintage mother of pearl buttons, antique china buttons and an amazing crocheted fringed button trim
Vintage millinery flowers
Hand made fabric flowers
Exquisite vintage French trims (many made with linen and cotton)—I had been saving these for just such an occasion
French inspired fabrics such as hemp, jacquard, matelasse, and homespun cotton
Antique chandelier crystals in a hard to find square shape, plus antique French dimpled cranberry glass
Is your heart pounding yet?This is just part of what you will find in this book.The structure is a 14” x 9 3/4” landscape profile chipboard 3 ring binder (which you won’t recognize by the time you finish the book), filled to the brim with beautifully appointed pages, pages where no detail has been left undone.Through the years, I’ve been studying French décor and something that consistently comes up in books and articles that I’ve read is that the French decorate and accessorize a room (or themselves) and then remove one item.They believe that there is an art to having things “just right” and you know what?I think they are on to something!I tried it in this book and on most of the pages, it really worked.As a result, there are actually more things in your kit than you will use in this book—wouldn’t it be fun to use some of them to create a smaller version as a gift for someone?Oh, the possibilities!
I thought you might want to see a little of the interior pages so my daughter, Ashley, shot a little video of me going through the book, page by page.Check it out...but don't be too tough on me...I'm really an amateur at this but love the opportunity to share the contents of the book with you!
Thanks for looking!
Because of the limited nature of this book, and your requests, I decided to give some advance notice of when it would become available in my PayPal storefront.
Look for it to appear on Thursday morning, November 19th, at 7:00 a.m., Arizona time (which is Mountain Time Zone right now).So set your clock, program your iPhone, Blackberry, or PDA; after all, Thursday morning is just around the corner!
Somewhere along the line of building the interior pages, I began calling the book “an event in a box”.Like many of you, I love events (and love teaching at events), but, for various and sundry reasons, can’t always attend each and every one that appeals to me.Many of you can probably relate—circumstances such as previous commitments, the need to take care of family, the job, disabilities or difficulty in travel to get there, and finances to pay for the total package of food, hotel and travel often stand in the way of being at one of the coveted events.Consider this book as a substitute for an event.It’s delivered to your door (so no travel), it’s comprehensive enough to fill all the creative time at an event (plus you know what you are getting ahead of time so there are no surprises-like making something you’ll never use), it is unique and filled with products that take time to search out, AND, you get to create in the comfort of your home or in the friendly company of your cropping buddies (in your jammies if you want--woo hoo).
And, bottom line, you are paying far less than you would for an event.
This unique, limited edition Heirloom Collection kit will be available for pre-order on Thursday morning for just $187.Shipping, at the cost of $12, is limited to within the US.If you are outside of the US, and this is a MUST HAVE kit, please contact me by email at carolwingertaz@msn.com.Because of the size and weight of the kit, it is in a different category than most of the creatologie kits and shipping costs are increased significantly.
Imagine, for less than $200, you will have a beautifully appointed, wonderfully touchable, and often looked at project that will satisfy your creative and artistic side, will focus on the good and positive aspects of your life and will become an heirloom to pass down to future generations. What more could you ask for...well, maybe a Caribbean crop vacation in January so you could build your kit...a girl can dream, right?
This is really a once in a lifetime opportunity because once the kits are gone, they are really and truly gone, not to be repeated again.
To pre-order your kit, simply head over to left sidebar of this blog, look for the PayPal storefront and click on the box with the picture of the Heirloom book.PayPal will walk you through the steps and will notify me of your order.
Kits will begin shipping on December 1st, just in time for it to be a gift from hubby to you, or a much deserved gift to yourself, or a fabulous “event” that you schedule whenever it suits you!Pull out the munchies, make some hot chocolate, load up your favorite CD’s and get prepared for a creative adventure and an appreciation for “le bon vivant”!
As always, thanks for your orders and your referrals to family and friends.
From my studio to yours, celebrating the good life,
P.S.I keep opening up the book and touching—does that make me obsessive? J
P.P.S.Here’s what Kathie O. wrote to me after receiving the first Heirloom Collections kit:“I can't say enough, it’s all so beautiful. I want to leave it just like you packaged it.Thank you.”
Months ago, when I first saw the release of graphic 45's Renaissance Women line, I knew that I had a do a book around this theme. The colors were gorgeous, and the images, simply stunning. What I needed to do was to take the beauty of a past era and make it relevant to us today...hence Today's Renaissance Woman.
I'm sure that you've probably heard the term "Renaissance Man" used occasionally-probably used in the context of describing a guy who has a variety of interests and talents and who can do many things well.
I wonder why we don't hear that term applied to women, especially women in this era? After all, today's woman could be running a company, or running a marathon, or running a power saw, or running the kids around... or she could be doing ALL of those things...and in one week, too! When my hubby and I were talking about this subject, he said that although most guys don't go on and on to another guy about the myriad of things their wives or partners do, they certainly know it and usually sum it up by saying something like "I don't know how she does it all!" With all the balls we juggle, I'm sure that once in a while (or many once in a whiles) we think that too!
In this season of gratitude, giving and preparing for a new year, I thought that it would be so appropriate to do a generic, untitled book about women. Consider these applications:
a celebratory gift for a woman in your life who has achieved something special
a supportive gift for a friend going through hard times
in memory of someone who has greatly impacted you
a Mother's Day gift, for those of you who love to plan ahead
a thank you to a female mentor
a girlfriends' book
a tangible way to express your feelings to a special girl or woman in your life-maybe a daughter, daughter-in-law, mom, or granddaughter...or
a compendium of all of those special women in your life...and you get to keep the book! (smile).
Does that get the ideas flowing yet? Are you thinking that maybe you need to make more than one? Well, that's exactly what I thought when I decided to make the structure one that you build from scratch, so that you can do it over and over again. (Or, of course, you can just order more than one kit...huge grin.)
The binding of this book is an old one...very, very old in the world of book making, but totally new to me. It's called a Tacket Binding and it's dated back to the second century. In fact, the very first totally intact bound books, found in Egypt in the third century, were tacket bound books. Tacket bindings are usually done with one signature, but since this is a five signature structure (which means LOTS of pages for you!), I had to figure out how to hold them together. For that, I went to a binding that those of you who regularly buy kits may already know...so it's combining something you already know how to do with something totally new...LOVE that! If you'd like to see a picture of the spine and binding, check out the picture in this post.
If you can't tell by now, I'm really excited to be sharing this project with you. In addition to the beautiful graphic 45 papers, your kits will include fabulous trims and embellishments that are reminiscent of an Old World style and, you know that we have to incorporate cool techniques, like a brand new combo structure or creating exciting textured interior elements. Of course, your kit will come with an "instruction manual" complete with step by step instructions and color images.
This kit is available for pre-order immediately and will begin shipping November 24th.
This month's kit will be offered at $49.00. HOWEVER FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PRE-ORDER YOUR KIT OR KITS, THERE WILL BE A DISCOUNT AND KITS WILL BE OFFERED AT $45.00, PLUS SHIPPING.
Once kits have shipped out, the price will then become $49.00, plus shipping. Here's why you get the discount for pre-ordering: Pre-ordered kits get readied for shipment in assembly line fashion...boxes are set up and filled at the same time, labeling gets done in large batches and the Postal Service comes and picks up everything at once (given the unpredictability of pickups, someone needs to be around for most of the day). Once those kits go out, each subsequent order is handled individually, which takes a lot more time. YOU DEFINITELY BENEFIT FROM THE TIME SAVINGS BY PRE-ORDERING YOUR KIT.
Shipping charges are as follows: $9.00 within the US, $14.00 to Canada and $20.00 to all other international locations. When you click on the PayPal photo, that price is for the kit as well as the shipping.
TO PRE-ORDER YOUR KIT, SIMPLY LOOK FOR THE PAYPAL STOREFRONT ON THE SIDEBAR, CLICK ON THE PICTURE THAT DESCRIBES WHERE THE KIT WILL BE SHIPPED, AND PAYPAL WILL WALK YOU THROUGH THE STEPS AND THEN NOTIFY ME OF YOUR ORDER. KITS WILL THEN BEGIN SHIPPING NOVEMBER 24TH.
For those of you in the Phoenix area, I will be teaching this project in my November class (the printer's tray will be taught a different month due to product not being available in time). The class will be Friday, November 20th at 10:30 a.m. To sign up, just call Scrapbooks, Etc. at 480-854-2303. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!
I can't wait to ship this project out to you. So many of you crave new techniques and new ways of doing things...that's part of what makes you Renaissance women. I know that you will LOVE putting this book together...and that those special women in your life will LOVE getting one from you. Of course, you may fit into the category of "the first for me, the second for a gift"...I hear that one a lot! (grin)
As always, thanks for your orders and your referrals to friends and family. I have a tremendous respect for each of you...you are the women for whom this book is designed...YOU are today's Renaissance Woman.
From my studio to yours,
P.S. By the way, just in case you missed out last month, I've put several Holiday kits back in the storefront.
And, for those of you who ordered this morning before the email blast went out, or this post went up, thanks! I appreciate your confidence!
Does that get the ideas flowing yet? Are you thinking that maybe you need to make more than one? Well, that's exactly what I thought when I decided to make the structure one that you build from scratch, so that you can do it over and over again. (Or, of course, you can just order more than one kit...huge grin.)
Of course, your kit will come with an "instruction manual" complete with step by step instructions and color images.