Brrrr - It’s COLD outside!  I don’t love slipping and sliding all the way along my morning walks.  I really don’t like slipping and sliding and falling on those walks.  But there’s something so magical and beautiful about a world all white with snow, and tree branch tips covered in shimmering ice.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to warmer spring temperatures and clear sidewalks, but in the meantime it’s so nice to snuggle up next to the fire, or stay warm in my studio creating little books and tags with warm Spring themes.

There are new little things and Bramble And Vine to look at, and by early summer I hope to have a new art set ready at Bits of Ivory!  Although I’m not able to release new art sets as often as I like at the moment, I’m really looking forward to this larger set and hope that you’ll love it as much as I do.  I’ll have sneak peeks and previews as time draws closer!

Just for today we’re being featured at www.mygiveawaytoday.com as the second giveaway!  Friends, Family and Fans are invited to enter to win one of two gift certificates for Bramble & Vine.  The giveaway ends tonight, so if you’re interested in a $15.00 shopping spree just in time for Valentine’s Day rush over and enter!

_________________________________________
Barbara Anne Williams
Bits of Ivory
Bramble & Vine @Etsy and @1000Markets

I know, I know. . . you’ve all got Christmas completely covered and don’t need any help.  The stockings are hung, the mice aren’t stirring, neighbors have been gifted, and everything is wrapped under the tree.  That’s okay, just file this idea away for next year - or adapt it to your wedding, birthday or other holiday celebrations by changing out the artwork.

I’m not calling anyone out - really I’m not.  I’m sure you’re all far past needing a last minute teacher gift, hostess gift, or table decoration for your Christmas dinner.  I’m sure I’m the only one still remembering to add things to my “to do” list, let alone crossing them off (see my previous blog post about lists if you don’t believe me).

But, just in case there’s a reader or two who does need something quick and lovely to put together for their Christmas celebrations, I present this beautiful gift or decor idea that can be put together in under 30 minutes!  The step-by-step instructions are available at www.ScrapbookDimensionsMagazine.com in the member’s area (remember that registration is free now) - and as a special bonus you’ll find one of these bell images to download and use on your own bell project!*

It couldn’t be easier, and you’ll definitely look like you spent far more time on the project than it really takes - which is my very favorite sort of project.  It’s something just a little bit different and special.

Don’t be afraid to adapt this or any other project to meet your own needs.  The lovely clanky noise of this bell is perfect for teachers trying to get the attention of their students.  It’s a great way to call the family to dinner as well - or maybe for a sick little one to call mom from bed when they need something.  Strike that last idea - it’s perfect for a sick mom to call her children to bring her things when she’s ill in bed.  It’s also a fun alternative to the traditional bells at wedding dinners that guests ring for a kiss, and can easily be personalized with the happy couple’s photo, monogram or other details making a lovely keepsake for those same guests.

Cow Bells - they’re not just for cows anymore.

On another note, while you’re at www.ScrapbookDimensionsMagazine.com check out the new classes that they’re offering!  There will be new classes added very soon as well, and it’s a great way to learn new skills while creating something fun and useful at the same time.

*Artwork for these bells came from the Bits of Ivory Nativity art set.

_________________________________________
Barbara Anne Williams
Bits of Ivory
Bramble & Vine @Etsy and @1000Markets

Another true confession - I’m a list person who never really learned how to use lists.  I make them.  They’re everywhere.  Sometimes I amuse myself by imagining Seinfeld paraphrasing himself “See, you know how to make the list, you just don’t know how to *use* the list and that’s really the most important part of the list, the using.  Anybody can just make them.”

I’ve tried lots of things to get more organized.  When I’m organized I’m happy and productive.  In those rare, elusive moments of bliss I realize that THIS is what I was meant to be, if only I could figure out how to stay that way!  I’ve tried a few different planners but nothing seemed to work for me.  They were either far too bulky with insane amounts of space for information that doesn’t apply to me, or too simple and uninspiring to hold my fickle interest for more than a month or so.

And then I saw these planners and had a glimmer of hope.  It seemed as if someone had looked into my mind and pulled out the perfect organizer - the one that I would have designed myself if only I’d known myself well enough to know what I needed.  I ordered the first quarter of 2010 to see if it was the perfect fit for me that it seemed to be, and was absolutely thrilled when it arrived.  It really is everything I had hoped for and more.  It’s spiral bound so that it lies flat when I want to write in it, or leave it open on the desk while I organize.  Each quarter of the year comes in a separate planner so that they’re small and easy to slip into a bag to carry with me.   The covers can be wiped clean.  There are tools for easy goal planning, reminders for things that need to be done around the house (and a space to delegate them - hooray!), spaces for my own to do lists and monthly calendars for the whole year so I can plan ahead even if I only have one quarter planner with me.  Oh, and did I mention the goal planning tools?  All with an emphasis on balance.  I could use some balance.

The weekly planner pages have space for each day’s appointments, and then lots of space for tasks, errands and even a health tracker to make sure I’m getting my fruits and veggies.   And water.  And exercise.  Oh, happy day!  All of my elusive lists gathered together in a sensible, organized way - all in one spiral-bound spot so that I can pick them up and take them with me wherever I need to go!  This planner is very visual, separating the to do list into separate lists that make it easy to view at a glance.  And then for the gold-star-on-the-forehead girls like me, a happy little place to check those items off so that I can see my progress.  I love check boxes on my lists that are all bound together in my handy, dandy planner.

And as if that weren’t enough - every week has a menu planner and shopping list.  Two more lists that I’ve always loved but never quite managed to pull off effectively.  No more lost shopping list on a scrap of paper somewhere - It too is conveniently bound into my planner.  Right next to the menu.  And then, to top it all off, spaces to note blessings, and ideas for improving in the future, and even journal notes or quotations or mileage and expenditures.  I’ve wanted to be a journal person almost as long as I’ve been a dysfunctional list person!  I love having a place to make my notes and journal about my week in this little planner which already has important things that happened calendared and checked off.  It’s the ideal journal, really, for me anyway!  I wish I had one of these from my grandmother - her insights and blessings noted conveniently in the same little book as her menus for feeding her family, her social calendar and especially her goals.  What a treasure that would be.  I like the idea that I can leave that kind of treasure behind for the future, even if I never do quite manage to journal properly.

I know this is much ado about a planner, but when I find something that I’ve been looking for so long I always naturally want to share with all of you.  And when I contacted Pamela at www.TheSuccessChoice.com for permission to use her images for my blog she was so very generous.  She offered readers of this blog a discount of 15% at her store!  All you have to do is enter the code IVORY at checkout to recieve the discount.  I know I’ll be using it to purchase the rest of the planners for 2010.  Thanks Pamela!

If you’re skimming because I’ve been going on and on for way too long about a planner, here’s the vital information:

www.TheSuccessChoice.com
15% off of your order
Code: IVORY (at checkout)

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas,
Barbara

_________________________________________
Barbara Anne Williams
Bits of Ivory
Bramble & Vine @Etsy and @1000Markets

We were on the Front Page of Etsy again!  What a great treasury by SecondHandNews.Etsy.Com.

I recieved some exciting news from Cindy at Scrapbook Dimensions Magazine this morning.  The members area at www.scrapbookdimensionsmagazine.com is now available at no charge!  You’ll find so many helpful articles, project ideas and tutorials over there, in addition to free kits and contests.  It’s all about hybrid creations, and you won’t want to miss it.  In the near future look for a few new Bits of Ivory project ideas and product reviews too.

_________________________________________
Barbara Anne Williams
Bits of Ivory
Bramble & Vine @Etsy and @1000Markets

There are a few things that I truly adore about Halloween.  It’s not the sugar hangover on the morning of All Saint’s Day.  Shocking, I know.  I do like candy taxes (the percentage of candy that my husband and I require from the children’s haul in order to pay for the privilege of being part of our family for another year - including such rights and necessities as dinner, pillows and warm showers), but even that doesn’t quite make the cut.

What I really cherish this time of year is picking out pumpkins as a family.  It’s imperative to get just the right shape and size for our grand schemes.  There’s personality in the shape of a pumpkin that just cannot be overestimated.  The children sketch out their designs for the perfect Jack O’lantern, and then trace them onto their pumpkins and carefully cut them out.  The look on their faces is priceless when they watch their creation light up with a candle inside for the first time.

I confess that I don’t love gutting the pumpkins.   It’s messy and goopy and slimy.  But I do love spending that time together in the kitchen as we sort carefully through the pumpkin guts to salvage every last seed.  Because snacking on roasted pumpkin seeds is definitely one of my favorite parts.  It’s the perfect antidote to the candy hangover.

Here’s wishing you all a happy and safe Halloween!

_________________________________________
Barbara Anne Williams
Bits of Ivory
Bramble & Vine @Etsy and @1000Markets

It’s time for true confessions.  I’ve kept it buried deep inside, but the truth is, I’ve never been a glitter girl.  Maybe not never, but definitely since I can remember.  I think sparkly things are pretty, like snowflakes and frosty windowpanes and beautiful mountain brooks shimmering in the sun, but when I’m creating I’m much more drawn to distressing inks and tea-stained papers.  Maybe it says something about me, but while I’m ready for a true confession, I’m not sure I’m ready for that level of soul searching.  I’m quite certain that it’s my nostalgic tendencies and not some sinister affinity for dark things.  Mostly certain.

Lately I’ve heard some lovely things about German glass glitter, and I decided that I had to give it a try.  I purchased some of the pretty silver stuff from SugarPinkBoutique.etsy.com and just admired it in its little baggie for a few weeks before getting the nerve to try it.  It’s so very pretty.  And sparkly.  And it makes this little Commonplace Book look so perfectly wintery!  I love it.  And perhaps best of all (for my dark side), the real silver in this ground glass glitter actually tarnishes to an aged perfection as time goes by.  It’s the best of both worlds.

I’m back to holding it under my work light and admiring its spectacular sparkle in the baggie - but another project is formulating itself on the drawing board of my mind, and it won’t be long before the beautiful stuff is sparkling prettily on another project.  I still reach automatically for my favorite distressing ink - it comes so naturally.  It looks so right.  I’m not really a glitter girl.  But these tiny shards of silvery glass have weedled their way into my heart and I simply can’t resist.

********************

Speaking of tarnished silver, I love the way the clipper ship buttons look on these little ornament albums for Christmas!  They’re made using the Maze Book instructions from Craft TV Weekly - but a bit smaller and with a few special touches.  They’re small enough to hang easily from a tree, but also look great arranged in a dish, or at each place at a holiday table, or even as very special gift tags.   The inside pages can hold small little photos, little written family memories or best wishes, or even guests’ signatures for a lovely little remembrance of a special holiday celebration.  On the back is a little tag with “I saw three ships come sailing in” from the traditional Christmas carol.  I love them so much that I’m keeping one for myself.  You may feel the same way.  Or you may decide that they’re the perfect gift for a hostess or teacher.  You can certainly make them yourself, but if you’re not so inclined, or you’re just enchanted with this particular design, you can find it in my Etsy shop while supplies last.  And in keeping with today’s theme, here is another album ornament there, with a bit more aging and distressing and just the tiniest hint of a sparkle.  Brown Paper Packages with Snowflakes.  It ties together with brown string and features hand-stamped snowflakes from my own original stamp design.  The little snippets of paper are from a vintage Danish book.  It’s got quite a lot of ink on the edges.  Ah, ink distressing.  Did I mention that I love ink?  True confession.

***************

As a final note, if you’ve not seen our little review at screamandhug.blogspot.com take a moment to check it out.  There’s a little giveaway of a magnet set there that would make a fantastic gift to yourself or someone else.  And while you’re blog hopping, don’t miss Someday Crafts where we’ve been invited to be a sponsor.  It’s an amazing place to spend an hour or two and load up on all kinds of clever and inspiring ideas.  It’s definitely not to be missed.  And that’s the truth.

_________________________________________
Barbara Anne Williams
Bits of Ivory
Bramble & Vine @Etsy and @1000Markets

All artwork printed on different papers on the best photo quality setting.

All of the artwork available at Bits of Ivory is 300 ppi resolution for high print quality.  This helps to preserve the textures and details in the artwork and results in a more professional looking product when you use them on projects either as gifts or on your professional crafts.

Many who are new to paper crafting, or only indulge occasionally are unaware of the importance of the type of paper you choose to print on.

1.  Copier Paper: You can have a fantastic printer, but when you print on copier paper (even if it says it’s appropriate for ink jet printers), you’ll have a dull, flat image without much detail (see the top left graphic in the photo above).  Of course, this paper has it’s place.  It’s very inexpensive, and if you’re simply using the artwork to illustrate a newsletter it may be perfectly appropriate.

2.  Card Stock for Ink Jet Printers: Card stock for ink jet printers has the advantage of being thicker (so that you can’t see through the page), and often is a bit brighter white to enhance colors.  It can also be very inexpensive, but once again you will be sacrificing detail, depth and color in exchange (see the top right graphic in the photo above).  This paper is appropriate for printing artwork that isn’t very detailed, or for projects where the image quality doesn’t have to be the absolute highest.

3.  Matte Photo or Presentation Paper: This paper is a bit more expensive than cardstock, but maintains the heavier weight.  The quality of the image printed is much better (see the bottom left graphic in the photo above).  While the quality and detail are not quite as sharp as on the glossy photo paper, it is still very good.  For projects that will be handled often it is actually preferable to the glossy photo paper because it won’t show fingerprints when touched.  It is also superior for distressing techniques, especially ink which can sometimes discolor photos printed on glossy paper.

4.  Glossy Photo Paper: This is the most expensive option, but the details and color show the best on glossy photo paper (see the bottom right graphic in the photo above).  For photographs and artwork with a very high level of detail, it’s the best option (except on the types of projects noted in the previous section).

The left is printed on Matte Photo Paper, the right on Glossy Photo Paper.

Most printer companies suggest that you use only their brand of paper for best results.  I pay less attention to the brand and more to what papers are economical and still give me excellent results.  With a little bit of trial and error you can find exactly what works for you and your style of crafting and card making!

Happy Printing!
_________________________________________
Barbara Anne Williams
Bits of Ivory
Bramble & Vine @Etsy and @1000Markets

I just added a new set of magnets to my shop at Bramble & Vine featuring photos from Volterra, Italy.  These are perfect for architecture enthusiasts and lovers of all things Tuscan or Italian.  Realistically, though, I realize that their biggest draw is that they’re the literary home of the Volturi from the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.  They make fantastic gifts for Twilight fans of all ages, for lockers or fridges or desk cubicles.  They’re especially ideal for those who want to celebrate their secret obsession in a more subtle, sophisticated fashion. ;)  Two of the images are of the Palazzo dei Priori (one with the famous clock tower), and the other shows the street sign at the corner of the piazza.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Volterra was one of my very favorite places in our recent trip to Italy.  It’s a charming little village, and the alabaster creations there are amazing.  And, certainly not least importantly, it is the home of my favorite gelato shop, Chic E Shock, which serves the most beautiful and delicious concoctions imaginable.  Take a moment to chat with the master gelato maker/proprietor if you get a chance as well.  He’s amazing. 

Sadly, the New Moon movie due to be released in November was not filmed in the actual village of Volterra.  They chose a nearby village instead, which was easier to film in.  If you’re looking for scenes from the movie - these magnets won’t be your thing, I’m afraid (although the palazzo in the town where they filmed is similar to the one in Volterra).  Still, there’s something rather special here to fans of the books!  Because the photos are originals taken by me, they’re unique and different from anything else you’ll find out there.  They come packaged on a piece of metal covered in Italian text and in a plastic protective sleeve - perfect for gift giving.

On another note, thanks to everyone for your support as we open a new Bits of Ivory shopping cart.  We are slowly adding our sets back, but you can see the shop and the sets that have already been renewed here:  http://www.bitsofivory.com/shop/.  Over the next few weeks we hope to have all the sets back up and ready for purchase!

Very Best Wishes!
_________________________________________
Barbara Anne Williams
Bits of Ivory
Bramble & Vine @Etsy and @1000Markets

This note was sent to Bits of Ivory customers today:

This weekend we found out that our website had been hacked. The hacker redirected customer payments to his own PayPal account rather than our Bits of Ivory account. We are closing down our store at http://www.bitsofivory.net/store and will re-open with a newer, more secure shopping cart in a few days. You will be able to access this new store from our www.bitsofivory.com webpage if you are interested in purchasing artwork in the future. Fortunately we do not store any of your financial information on our site (which is why we process payments through PayPal) - so none of your credit card or PayPal information has been compromised.

We are unable to transfer customer information to our new shopping cart, so you will need to re-register at our new shop if you wish to order from us in the future. Most of our artwork will be making the move to the new shop, though several of the clearance items will not. Newsletter information will also not be transferred, so if you want to keep up with what is new at Bits of Ivory we encourage you to subscribe to our blog (www.bitsofivory.com/wordpress).

We will be adding products to our new shop over the next few days, but several of our newer sets are available in the meantime in our Etsy store - bitsofivory.etsy.com.