It's a Wrap 2015: A year in Review

WOW! what a year this has been. A roller coaster would be an understatement! So much has happened and so many new doors and paths were opened that my heads spins just thinking about it...
Here's a recap of what happened...

My favorite project
Definitely the Halloween Altered Spell Book. This two part project was so fun to make not only because I got to create in a vintage style I like but I also got to share with you a freebie and the responses were amazing! If you missed it here's Part 1 and Part 2

Highlight of the year
Opening my new website einatkessler.com was the highlight of my year. Finally there was one place for everything that is Einat Kessler. It took a long time until it was ready because I kept changing my mind about its design :) This website is the home for all my classes, printables, articles & tips and links to all my social media and Etsy shop. It is growing and evolving with each passing month and I have great things planned for the future.

Disappointment of the year
The road of a professional artist is paved with disappointments and things that don't work out. One of them was losing a business opportunity that wasn't even up to me. A company I was doing videos for decided to create a position within the company of someone who would do all their videos. But I always think that when one door closes somewhere a window is opened...

New Exciting Things
I can't pick only one...one thing is launching my monthly newsletter. I enjoy creating it each month and organizing deals for my subbies, sharing exclusive tips and techniques and basically creating a fun, vibrant and amazing community. The other thing is opening an Etsy shop which is a bigger success than I anticipated. My creations can find a good home and I can sell some of my excess supplies.

Challenge of the year
Starting my online classes wasn't easy. I had to get to a level of self belief that enabled me to offer knowledge for money. I had to believe that I had something valuable to share and that I was just as good. Apparently you all knew this before I did, because these classes are a huge success!

Future plans
Well...I guess you'll have to wait for 2016 to find out...but I can promise you there are plans and they are BIG!

Thanks you for all your love, support, warm comments, participation and taking part in this community. I wish you all a happy new year and may all your wishes for this year come true!

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Have fun creating! 

Paper Napkin Holder with Ann Butler faux Quilting Stamps

This is the easiest fastest project ever and it can fit any holiday or occasion if you just change the colors. I made it green so it'll fit a christmas table, but it can easily be in any other color for an anniversary, New year's Eve or even Valentine's Day.

To create this napkin holder align a few 1" Faux Quilting stamps in a row and stamp a piece of white cardstock. You can also alternate colors and stamp each square with a different color. That look will be great for a New Year's Eve party for example. Then cut the strip of paper around the stamped area.

Punch two butterflies or any other shape you want or that fits your event. On the first butterfly, create a cut in the center of the butterfly going from the bottom only until the middle of the butterfly. On the other butterfly start the cut from the top going all the way to the middle of the butterfly's body.

Attach each butterfly to the edge of the strip. To close the napkin holder simply attach the butterflies together by inserting each butterfly to the other butterfly's slit.
This project is so easy and quick you can create an entire set for any dinner or party.

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Things you didn't know about me...

The end of the year is always a good time to reflect upon what you've accomplished, what your plans are and what you want to improve. This thinking process gave me a revelation that there are a lot of things about me you don't know and that it'll be fun to share...

1. I don't have any formal art or design education. I studied Social Sciences in university when I was 20 years old. Everything I know about arts and crafts I learned myself through trial and error, classes and good friends' advice.

2. I was an officer in the army. In Israel military service is mandatory, and for me it wasn't enough taking orders, I wanted to give them too...I served for almost three years.

Our Nanny

3. I lived in Kenya for three years. This amazing country and amazing people still affect my life. I have art pieces in my house that remind me daily of that wonderful period in my life. I even dream about my life there...


4. My favorite food is anything fried. From french fries to doughnuts I find them irresistible. However since it's really bad for me I try to avoid them as much as I can and that's not easy at all!

5. I don't like chocolate. Yes...you read correctly! Never did. For some strange reason I have never developed the taste for it.

6. I come from a family of artistic people with talented hands. My grandmother on my mother's side was an armature actress and my grandfather was a sculpture and painter. They were both teachers who practiced their artistic passions as hobbies. My grandfather on my father's side was a professional actor until he immigrated to Israel and my grandmother was an enthusiast sewer. Today I have a cousin who's an actor, a sister who's an interior designer, an aunt who's an amazing painter and a mother who writes poetry and paints. I guess genes do matter...

7. I'm short. My height is only 4 ft. 11 in. or 150 cm. When I took my physical check up before joining the army the doctor said he'll write 151cm, so I won't feel bad :)

8. My oldest son is 16 and he's Autistic. Life with him can be challenging and frustrating, but it's mostly amazing! This boy has taught me so much about who I am and what I want to be and gave me the most precious gift: Being an artist. You can read more about it here.


9. I really dislike hot drinks. I don't like coffee and I only drink tea if it's really cold. I'd rather drink cold beverages.

10. I don't drink milk in any shape or form. I love dairy products but the most liquid dairy I can bare is butter milk. Milk makes me nauseous.

11. Einat means a spring of water in Hebrew and an eye. The origin of the name is from the bible. It is pronounced Ei - like the beginning of the number 8, Nat - like the word nut.

12. I love science fiction. I'm a huge fan of Star Trek, Star Wars and Stargate.

13. My favorite movie is Back to the Future. My sister and I watch the entire trilogy at least once a year. We know all three movies by heart.

14. I used to be a police officer for about five years. As part of my job when I was the officer in charge I had to check every dead body in my precinct and determine if the death was suspicious or not.

15. I once ate a crocodile, an antelope and a zebra. While I was in Kenya there was a speciality restaurant who served these kinds of meats, all under special permits from the government.

16. I take things personally. As someone who runs her own business that's not a very smart thing, but I can't help it. I always try to be very "it's not personal it's business" type of person, but it never works.

17. The state of tidiness in my house and craft studio is directly linked to the state of my brain. If the house or craft room are in too much of a mess, so is my brain and I can;t do anything before I tidy everything. So whenever I need to start a new project or come up with new ideas I need a tidy room so my brain will be clean of clutter.

18. I'm a cat person. I grew up with cats and I think they are amazing misunderstood animals. Unfortunately my husband is allergic so I don't have a cat in the house.

19. I don't believe in coincidences. The word occurrence in Hebrew is actually the words God made in a different order...

20. My husband's family and mine are connected in some weird ways...our mothers have the same name, my husband and I were born on the same month (April), as well as my father and brother in law (May). My mother and his sister were born on the same day!

21. I have really good teeth. In all my 43 years I never had a root canal, only fillings.

22. I hate roller coasters...

23. I can't work if it's quiet. I need music in the background to focus and create. However noise can drive me crazy and I can't do anything if it's noisy.

24. I love TV. Every few weeks I take a day off and spend the day watching TV. It helps my head stay focused and clear and not full of stress.

25. It took me a long time to call myself a designer and an artist. During the first year in business I introduced myself as a business owner who designs, but I couldn't refer to myself as a designer. It took a lot of self work to start believing in myself and in my talent.

26. It's very difficult for me to work on two projects at the same time. For example I would need to finish a video tutorial before I can start working on a class. I'm working on that because it sometimes makes my job difficult and my time badly managed.

27. I love boxes. I don't know why, but I love them...boxes of all shapes and sizes...

28. I go to sleep at 10 pm max, but I'm sometimes in bed by 8. At some point during the evening my brain just shuts down...My husband always jokes about it that I go to bed before the kids. But I wake up at 5 - 6 am...

29. I love to drive fast and I have no patience for slow drivers. My husband says I need a sports car...

30. I used to work as a dentist assistant, selling tickets in a movie theatre and an ice cream shop assistant. I was also a kindergarten assistant, house cleaner and a diplomat. I changed a lot of jobs because as it turned out I wasn't happy in any of them and I can't stay where I'm not happy. I guess if I'm doing this creative professional gig for the past 10 years I must be happy...I am!

How about you, want to share a few random facts we don't know about you?

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Altered Tin Box Zettiology Style

A really fun project for you this week! An altered box, but not the common way you know of altering the outside with paint and embellishments. This alteration is only on the inside and in a very unique style of art called Zettiology, which was created by the artist Teesha Moore.

Zettiology is basically a style of art that mixes the real world with the fantasy world. It's all about creating fantastical images of creatures that have a human body with an animal head or vice versa. They all have large eyes, unlogical body features and parts that don't go together in the real world. And they all "live" in a fantasy, colorful world, a world that gives you a feeling that you are not on earth anymore.

Achieving this look is easy. All you need to do is mix and match different images, body parts and species. I took a girl's body and gave her an owl face and wings. Obviously there is no such creature except in my imagination :) I created a very bold and colorful background with alcohol inks and also added a title and doodling. To finish the scene I added a stars vine as a "tree".

How do you feel about this type of art? Do you like it, hate it? Does it freak you out or inspire you? Share with us in the comments.

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Have fun creating!

10 Tips for Using Hot Glue

First thing I want us all to agree on is that hot glue is great.  It can attach almost anything to almost anything else. Wood to metal to paper to cork. Hot glue is also better because it causes less damage than your average adhesive. And although it sometimes gives you burns I think it's worth it!

1. There are basically three types of hot glue guns out there: high, low and dual temp and they come in different sizes. Basically the important thing to know is that the higher the temp the stronger the attachment. So if you're working with large or heavier things better to use a high temp. I always use that just in case.

2. When shopping for hot glue sticks, make sure you are getting the right kind of sticks based on the type of glue gun you have, and be sure to get the right size!  Those miniature glue guns will not work with standard sized glue sticks and vice versa.

3. Before you start working let the glue gun warm up fully before attempting to use it. The hotter the glue is, the better the glue will work! If it's not hot enough the flow will not be good and you'll just get frustrated...

4. DO NOT hold the glue gun super far away from the object you are gluing. That will create long annoying strings, which are easy to remove, but why make more mess than you need to? The best way to use a hot glue gun is to put it right next to the object and use a small amount of glue. Then lay off the trigger, pull the tip sideways just a bit to "cap" the glue and pull away.

5. Oh...and don't forget... NEVER touch hot glue when it is HOT!  Just don’t!

6. Only squeeze half the glue out that you think you need. Less burns, less strings and more glue for more projects!

7. Evaluate your materials before starting to glue.  Use the right temperature and when in doubt, TEST!! For example If you’re using a glue gun on Styrofoam, be sure it’s a low-temp glue gun. You can use a high-temp gun, but it might melt a small portion of the foam.

8. Place a piece or scrap of tile under the glue gun to catch glue drips otherwise you might end up with little hills of dried glue on your craft mat and that's really annoying to clean.

9. When you finish your project: make sure you allow the glue to dry fully before moving the project. Hot glue dries quickly, but not THAT quickly.

10. I also use a hot glue gun to create texture on art projects. You can actually "draw" with it. I create lines and other shapes for example HERE and HERE.

Even if you're not convinced I think a hot glue gun is a useful tool a crafter or artist should have. You can but a small one that doesn't take too much space and one day you might just find yourself using it.

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Have fun creating!

Last Minute Gift

We are in the middle of the crazy gift shopping season! It doesn't matter what holiday you celebrate you need to buy so many gifts. No matter how well prepared you are, how organized your list is there is always that last minute gift you need and then you embark on a crazy search for that perfect gift. Sometimes you find it but mostly you have to compromise. Even if you already bought a gift for everyone on your list maybe you want to add one more gift or maybe buy a present for yourself!

I know I always have this problem but I found a solution...

You don't need to go to the mall to buy it

You don't need to pay big bucks to get it

You don't need to get out of your Pajamas

and you don't need to wrap it

I got a gift like that on my birthday a few years ago and it was great! What is it?
An online class!

Online classes are a great way to learn. Each class includes video lessons supported by PDF files, photos and more. You can work at your own pace, pause, rewind, and fast forward the video lessons as much as you need as well as print the PDF files.  You can even learn in your pajamas and slippers!

All you need to do is buy a class here and email me the name of the person you want to give it to. I'll send you a class voucher to print on your home printer and voila! you have an instant gift! The recipient will email me their voucher number and will immediately get an invitation to the classroom.

You can get one for yourself too (wink, wink)

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Ikea Frame Perpetual Calendar

2016 is almost here...I can't believe how fast time flies. You're probably thinking about planners and calendars but I have a great idea for you. I'm really bad with dates. If I don't write down birthdays, anniversaries etc. there is no way I'll remember them and there is nothing worse then forgetting an important birthday. So I have them written down on my phone, but I've come to realize that is not always the most dependable thing. Phones can lose data or die on you and then what'll you do...
So I came up with a way to remember...a perpetual calendar!

The idea behind a perpetual calendar is that you only have months. It is not relevant for one year but for life. You simply write the dates you need to remember on the relevant month, for example my mom's birthday is August 15th, so I'll write it on the August page. The dates don't change so you'll have them written down monthly and never forget!

I used an Ikea frame to create a hanged calendar with a page for each month. I kept the design clean and simple with a shabby chic look. Don't forget you can't overload the pages with lots of embellishments because you need to leave some space to write those dates!

This calendar will stand above my desk so I can look at something nice when I need to remember an event. It can also be a great gift for someone or even a project to make with friends on a crop night. If you use a stack with stickers and letters it'll save you time and you can make this calendar or even two in an evening.

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Have fun creating!

Does Color Matter?

"Color is a power which directly influences the soul" Wassily Kandinsky

What are the colors you're using say? Do colors have meaning? The answer is YES. When we create the colors we use say something about our project and about us (unless we're making a project with fixed colors like a Christmas card). It's not that we need to choose the colors we want to say something, but I think finding out why we love certain colors more than others can help us learn something not only about ourselves but about art.

Colors are generally divided into three categories: Cool colors, Warm colors and Neutral colors.

Cool Colors
Cool colors tend to have a calming effect on the viewer but used alone can give an impersonal feel. So it's best to add a warm or neutral color to balance it.

Warm Colors
Warm colors have an exciting effect. To balance the strong bright effect choose a color from the other groups so not to have an over stimulating effect.

Neutral Colors
Neutral colors mix well with all colors and can also be used alone in backgrounds. They can tone down bright and strong colors when used with other colors. These colors are not on the color wheel because they are basically not colors. Colors are basically light frequency. a color is the frequency our eyes see. White is when all colors are blended together and black is the absence of light. Other colors like brown and gray or tan are a mix or dilution of a color with black or white (brown and tan) or a mix of black and white (gray).

If you think of how many colors exist and how many pieces of art and projects we can create your mind will spin. I'm fascinated by color. I see how my favorite colors changed through the years, I see how they change every day in the clothes I wear. I see the transformation in my art through the changing of colors and the way I use them. Colors can be a tool to create but also a tool to rethink your art, experiment and try new things!

Have fun creating!

See you at CHA Blog Hop! Win $650 gift card!

Are you ready for the biggest, most epic blog hop ever? 

Nearly 60 CHA members from around the world are coming together to help us celebrate the CHA MEGA Show 75th anniversary for a whole week until December 11. Each blogger highlights something special about the upcoming CHA MEGA Conference and Trade Show. Sneak peek of new products, details about workshops and make-n-takes, an inspiring project tutorial, or what they are most excited about doing and seeing at the Show.

You'll want to hop with all of us because you have a chance to win $650 Visa gift card! You can find the complete hop list here.

I want to share with you my story of how I became a designer member and how I went to my first show.

You know the saying "God works in mysterious ways"? Well...in my case it is so true! I have already shared with you the start of my journey to become a professional designer. Finding out about the CHA trade show was a stepping stone in that journey. However the story of how I found about it is truly amazing, because it seems like something was directing my steps as I went on my way...

Should I really work here?
After deciding that designing is what I want to do in life I started looking for ways to earn a living doing just that. I started teaching scrapbooking classes in a large craft store. It was far away from where I lived, they didn't have the right supplies and the money wasn't that good. After awhile I asked myself should I really work here? Is it the best way to go forward, to earn a living? I was about to leave when my boss invited me to go to a training day at one of their big suppliers. I went...

"I went to this big show..."
When I got there it turned out the training was all about using new supplies that supplier ordered in a big trade show. Our instructor said: "I went to this big show in Las-Vegas and it was amazing! An entire show all about craft and hobby" This sounded like music to my ears. I tried to get some details from her but she didn't remember the name of the show but she did remember that the organization was called Crafts and Hobby Association.

Me?! A Designer Member?
That was enough for me to start investigating the issue. I found the CHA website and decided to apply to become a designer member. Little me, a designer from Israel, where there are hardly any designers, let alone members in CHA. I was accepted as a Designer Member and started to make plans to go to the show.

Craft Disneyland
I bought my ticket, booked my hotel and flew halfway across the world without any idea what was waiting for me there. I was by myself, an inexperienced designer, attending her first professional trade show in the big world...I was in shock! This was back in the days when the show was huge from wall to wall in the convention center and there were so many companies. I went from booth to booth, did every make and take, did so many workshops and went to all the events. I felt like a kid in a candy store. For me it was like being in Disneyland!! The high was unbelievable!

It still is...
Since then I try to go to the show every year and it's still feels like Disneyland. Now of course I'm in a different place I have goals for the show, I demo, teach classes and participating in the Designer Showcase. I love seeing all my designer friends and meeting new people. It's the only place where people are like me and I'm not considered a crazy artist Lol!

To wrap things up...staying in a job I wasn't so happy about, led me to one of the most important discoveries in my designer career. Because finding out about the show led me to becoming a designer member, which opened the way for me to work as a designer! Now tell me that this is not amazing!

So...it's that time of year again! Time to get ready for another CHA show. I can feel the butterflies in my stomach and the excitement building and I can't wait to go!

And now for the prize...

You have plenty of chances to enter to win $500 Visa gift card each day of the hop, on any of the participating blogs You can find the complete hop list here.. Everyone is eligible to win, whether you’re in the U.S. or international.

Their are just three entry options to win our $500+ Visa gift card:
1. Leave a comment (mandatory) answering the question - "What is your favorite "can't live without" craft supply or tool?"
2. Tweet about the giveaway  (tweet text includes #CHAshow hashtag; can tweet daily for extra entries)
3. Answer a multiple-choice poll about how often you "cre8time" for crafting  (double entry value)

Here's the prize drawing widget a Rafflecopter giveaway

So hop with us and you might just win!!

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Have fun creating!

Art Journal Page: Shine

'Tis the season of light. No matter if you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, both holidays have a light theme. The brightly lit Christmas tree or the Hanukkah candles are not by chance, that light is supposed to fight the darkness of the December winter outside and the darkness of our souls within. This art journal page is all about our inner light and how we need to let it shine.

In this spread I used Dylusions paints. These paints are really good not only in their bright shades but their coverage and thickness. They are semi opaque so you can layer them and you only need to use very little amount of paint to cover a large surface.

I wanted to show you how much you can create using only three colors. You don't have to use fancy materials or many different tools to create an amazing art journal page. Using what you have in a few different techniques will give you the same versatility and effects that you want.

On a personal note... I usually don't like yellow and I hardly use it in my projects but I really liked using this bright color on this page. Maybe I'm warming up to it...

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5 Minute Craft - Star Card

This card is so easy to make you'll not believe it! And the best thing about it is that it's great for Hannukah or Christmas. Change the pattern of the paper, the colors and the sentiment and you have a great card for both holidays!

You can also change the size of the card. All you need to remember is to have an equal sides triangle. There might be a slight problem in fitting into an envelope but that's easily fixed by simply using a large envelope or giving it in person.

This card can be a gift card holder or even the gift itself if you put some money inside, because if you fold it a certain way it can stay closed like a gift wrap!

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Have fun creating!

Color Face-Off - Yellow & Orange or Blue & White and Hanukkah Freebies

We'll be celebrating Hanukkah in about a week. If you ask yourself what is Hanukkah anyway you can find some answers here and here. But today I want to share with you my Hanukkah revelation! After a few years in the craft industry I came to the revelation that although Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday it looks completely different here and in the rest of the world.

I'm not referring to the customes or food I'm talking about the colors. Apparently this popular holiday has different signature colors here and there. Here it's a festival of lights, we light a candle everyday so light is the main thing that is also featured in the colors.  All the craft supplies, stickers and projects are in yellow, orange and warm colors that represent light and flames. Bright, festive colors that light up the cold winter nights of December.

However in the rest of the world, especially North America Hanukkah's colors are blue and white. If you ask yourselves why, I can't be sure but my theory is that this is a Jewish holiday so its colors are blue and white because these are the colors of the Israeli flag. In my opinion this is kind of missing the point because blue and white are not exactly colors of light and warmth and don't represent the candles' flames or the holiday spirit. 

But who am I to argue... Just wanted to share this with you because I only recently realized it and I was amazed. So here are a few yellow/orange Hanukkah printables you can use for cards, layouts, projects or decoration. I think they'll look much better with the lit candles :) You can copy paste to your computer and use it online. If you want to get this printables in print resolution let me know in the comments or email me.

Maybe you think this is stupid but this just blows my mind... Tell me in the comments which color combo you prefer?

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Have fun creating!