MAY KIT RELEASED EARLY...WHAT!!??

I know the time is suppose to be 8pm for me to reveal the kit on the 15th, but I am just so darn excited about this kit that I just couldn't hold my horses!! Also, I just fell in love with the design team this month with the beautiful kit!! Head on over to House of Art to get yours before they go flying out the door like hot cakes!!

Trinkets and Treasures: $29.99 plus S+H

House of Art Sketch by Kat Poole!!!

Hey, everyone! Kat here to try to inspire you today. When I get “Scrapper’s Block” I always turn to sketches to help me out. They always manage to jumpstart my creativity. Here is a sketch that I have created for you:

And here is a layout I made with this sketch, using this month’s kit:

I hope this sketch inspires you. And please, if you make a layout using it, link it up in the comments section. We would love to see what you create!

Have a great day!
Kat Poole

The APRIL KIT IS HERE!!

I'm pleased to announce the April kit: Hip Hip Hooray!!!

If you would like to see the closeups for this kit, check out our kits page!

Also, a few things have changed this month in the gallery. Now when you go to the gallery you can choose to take a quick look at the designers work by playing the video, or you can click the link "view this gallery" under the video to take a closer look at all the layouts and closeups!!

April Kit Reveal DELAYED until tomorrow!

Hi everyone,
  I have been trying to publish the new kit and design work to the site for the past 15 minutes, and I'm assuming the server is down, or there is some sort of technical difficulties going on from my hosting companies side.  There customer service is closed until tomorrow morning, Im going to post the design team work here so you can see the different elements of the kit.  I am so sorry everyone, I'm so upset about this, especially being that House of Art is a new company and trying to make a good first impression!!  I hope the design team work can hold you over!! Here they are:


Nicole Martel




Kat Poole



Taraleigh Gray

w

Lisa Houpt

APRIL KIT REVEAL TONIGHT!!!

The time is finally here to reveal the April kit!! I'm so excited about this kit because it has some really awesome elements in it!!! So, check back here or House of Art to see the reveal at 8pm PST!!! Cant wait!!!

April Kit Sneaks

Sneak Peeks for the April Kit will be released tomorrow with the reveal being on Friday, the 15th at 8pm PST.  If you would like to see a few *sneakies* of Kat Poole's work with the April kit, head on over to her Blog!!

3D Flower How-To with Taraleigh Gray

Hello friends and family of House of Art! I am gladly here to teach you all about how to make some lovely 3-D flowers like the ones on the layout below.

This layout is one I created using March’s kit Carnival Ride. The 3-D flowers are actually really simple to make. There's a few different ways to create them so let’s get started. 

Here is what you will need:

• Patterned Paper/Cardstock
• Scissors
• Large Circle Punches/Scallop Punches (1.75" or larger)
• Adhesive (glue dots work great!)
• Optional: Sizzix Big Shot and 3D Flower Die. 

First I am going to walk you through making the flowers with the Sizzix die-cut, since that is what I used for my layout. Doing it this way is only one way of creating the flowers, so don't panic if you don't have a Sizzix! I will show you other ways of creating these beauties as well.

Sizziz Die-Cut Method

I started out by running the die through the machine to cut scalloped spirals out of some of the paper from March's kit.

As you can see, I have 3 potential flowers in the photo above.  The next step is to take the die-cut and start twisting/rolling it up from the outside in.

This is important: starting from the very outside will make gluing the final product a lot easier, so remember to start on the very outside of the spiral. See the photo above for some illustration. (I've been told that you can use a toothpick to help begin rolling the paper, but I found it was easier just starting the paper by folding/rolling it on its own. Do whatever works for you.)

Once you have it all rolled up you will take some adhesive (like I said, glue dots work great!) and apply it to the back of the flower. Don't be afraid to press down gently to make sure all the bottom edges get stuck to the glue dot. In the photo above, you can see what the finished flower looks like compared to what we started with.

For my layout, I created a cluster of these 3-D lovelies and applied them to the space below the photo and journaling.

As you can see, the flowers helped fill in the space and gave the layout a wonderful added texture. There’s so much more dimension on the page, and it is all thanks to these really simple 3-D flowers.

Circle/Scallop Punch method:

You can create the same effect using the circle/scallop punches, so grab some large punches and a pair of scissors and let’s give this method a try

1. Punch out a circle/scallop using your the punch of your choice. (Remember, larger circles work best, as the size of the finished flower is a fraction of the actual starting circle size.)

2. Pick any point on the outside of the circular shape and with your scissors begin cutting a spiral. See the photo below for illustration:

I went over my cuts with a green marker to show what I mean by a spiral; as you can see, I just started cutting from the outside and worked my way to the center of the shape. On the plain circle, I snipped of the pointed beginning I could begin rolling with a straight edge. Note: You will want to leave a good center so that gluing the flower is easier when you get to that point.

3. Once your spiral is cut, starting rolling the flower from the outside (just like I described in the Sizzix method). When you have it all rolled, apply a glue dot or adhesive of your choice and voila! Here is what the two different flowers look like side by side:

These little flowers are so fun to experiment with! Now that you know how to make them, try adding them to your next layout or project. I've even tried making these flowers out of fabric and felt and the results are to die for! The possibilities with these flowers are endless!! Thanks for letting me share this little technique with you. If you have any questions, leave a comment here or on my blog (taraleighgray.blogspot.com) and I will be sure to get back to you. 

Have a lovely day!

Special Blog Event Hosted by Taraleigh Gray

If you read Saturdays blog post, then you already know that Taraleigh Gray will be hosting a blog event this Thursday the 31st!!  You may also recal the little hint I gave you about this blog event....and today I have another hint!!  Todays hint is..................3-D!!! so lets see here....we have the *hints* TEACH and 3-D...I wonder what is going to be going on this thursday!!! Stay tuned because I will give one more hint before the big day!

Special Event Hosted By Taraleigh Gray!!!

House of Art designer Taraleigh Gray will be hosting an event here on this blog on Thursday the 31st!!  Want to know what she will be doing??  You will just have to come back on thursday and check it out!! Keep a look out this week for little hints about what is going to happen!  Okay, Okay...Ill give you guys one little hint to start off...and its only one word: TEACH!  Thats it....on monday I will give you all another little *hint*

March Kit Reveal/Housewarming Winner!!

Its finally time to announce the Housewarming Party winners!!

For the newsletter sign up the WINNER is.......

angeandjohn@yahoo.com
please email me at Ariana@HouseofArtkits.com with your address so I can get it in the mail!!

Second, I said I would be giving away some party favors!!The WINNERS I have chosen are:
If I dont have a last name, or there are multiple people with the name, I will add a description.

JULIE( you commented on the blog post that I asked a question about the manufacturer)
CARMEN PAULS
DONNA
VAL
SARAH
REBECCA IN MI

** Please note that these giveaways ar of the party favors (only two were shown in the example photos, the "Goody Bags" are giveaways to the 1st 5 subscriptions created)

Last, but not least, Im going to announce the winner of the BLOG HOP!!  This person was on the blogs each day of the HOP leaving lovely comments!! DRUMROLL PLEASE...............................

SCRAPENABLER!!!!


Finally to the full March Kit reveal!! I am pleased to share our Feature Kit "Carnival Ride" with you!! I hope you all love it and you can subscribe ($29.99 plus $9.99 S+H)to this kit on the HouseofArtkits.com Home page and you can subscribe or single purchase it on the kits page.

Thank you!!
Ariana Mangum

Last Day of Blog Hop and my Favorite Sneak Peek!!!

Hello Everyone! Today is the last day of the blog hop, so make sure to comment on Lisa Houpt's Blog! In order to be entered to win one of the mini kits, make sure you have left comments on all the designers blogs!  Todays SNEAKY is my absolute favorite element of the whole entire kit!! I think these Bad Girl Couture stick pins are rockin and they feature some authentic vintage/glass beads!  These were designed by Wendy Rago especially for me to go with my first kit as a gift, they will retail on the Bad Girls site for $14.99.  Wendy's talent and art has always been an inpiration, and because of that, I am where I am today artistically.  Thank you mom!!!  I hope all of you have enjoyed this Blog Hop as much as I have and be back here at 8pm PST to see the FULL kit reveal and ALL the contest winners from our lovely housewarming party!!

Blog Hop/Sneak Peek Day 3!!

Can you believe it!! We are already on day three of our blog hop! We are 20 hours away from the last SNEAK PEEK and 32 hours away from the march kit reveal! WOOHOOOO :D To keep on schedule with the BLOG HOP, be sure to HIPPITY HOP on over to Kat Pooles Blog!! and comment under the SNEAKY POST.

Here is your little SNEAKY for today!

I hope everyone has a wonderful sunday!

Blog Hop/ Sneak Peek Day 2!

Day 2 of the Blog Hop already!! To stay on schedule with the blog hop, make sure to HOP on over to Taraleigh Grays Blog and leave a comment under her SNEAK PEEK post!! Geez...I can barely wait for Monday to show you all my favorite Sneak Peek of the bunch!  Today, I took a little clip of a patterned paper that is going to be in the kit.  I have been on a butterfly frenzy lately in my personal artwork, so when I saw this...I just had to get it!!  Two days down and two more to go!!

See everyone tomorrow!! Thanks for stopping by and joining us here for our Housewarming Party!!

First Day of Blog Hop and Sneak Peeks!!

I am so excited that we are finally starting this blog hop!! Make sure to comment on Nicole Martels Blog today to be entered into the blog hop contest to win one of our mini kits.  The picture of this kit is shown on the Blog Hop Details post. I will also be showing the SNEAK PEEKS every day too!  I have set up the SNEAKS to reveal my favorite element of the kit last!  I cannot wait to show you all! Today, I have a pretty pink flower!  I saw these flowers and fell in love <3  Can anyone guess the manufacturer?

Blog Hop Details

Ok everyone...the BLOG HOP is finally here!!  The Blog hop will run from the 11th(Friday)-14th(Monday).  Each day of the blog hop, there will be a new SNEAK PEEK of the March Kit: Carnival Ride!! The Hop will end on Monday with the last sneak peak and the Main kit being revealed!! :D

Here is a schedule of who's blog you need to comment on each day!

Friday(11th): Nicole Martels Blog

Saturday(12th): Taraleigh Grays Blog

Sunday(13th): Kat Pooles Blog

Monday(14th): Lisa Houpts Blog and then ending here at the House of Art Blog with a comment on the kit reveal photo!!

Each day, just comment on the sneak peek post on the designers blog and at the end of the blog hop, I will choose a winner who has commented on all of the blogs!!  Dont forget that one lucky winner will receive one of these mini kits!!

Update:  I have choosen a winner from everyone who commented on the "who wants to win a party favor" blog post.  However, It wouldnt be fair for me to announce to the winner when I told everyone who signed up for the newsletter that they had to wait til the 14th.  So, Im going to announce all winners on the 14th! :)  Comment on this post and I will pick another winner for a party favor!! I will also pick people who comment on all of the blogs during the blog hop for party favors too!  I hope you are all as excited as I am!!  I have lots of prizes and I cant wait to mail them all out! :)

Who Wants to Win A Party Favor!!

Hello everyone!!  I hope all of you signed up for the newsletter!! One person will be announced on the 14th and will get one of the mini kits posted in the Newsletter Blog post!  Today, I want to show you a few pictures of the goody bags I made for the first 5 subscriptions...annnnndddddd....I also have a couple pics to show you of the party favors!  I will be giving away quite a few party favors, these are just two of my favorites:)  Ill start with the goody bags!

Goody Bag 1

Goody Bag 2

Goody Bag 3

Goody Bag 4

Goody Bag 5

Now lets move a long to a couple examples of the Party Favors!!

I think these party favors are super cute, and Im so excited to be sharing them with you!!  Who wants to grab one of these party favors!! Post a comment to this post and Ill select someone tomorrow!



SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER TODAY!!

Hurry on over to http://www.houseofartkits.com/ and sign up to receive our newsletter!!  The sign up box is at the bottom of the home page!  I will randomly select one person to receive a mini kit with BRAND NEW AMERICAN CRAFTS!!!  Here is a picture of both mini kits that will be given away for the newsletter sign up and the blog hop! The blog hop starts on the 11th! On the 10th, I will post details for the hop!!

I also have cute little party favors that I will be giving away at random!! I will post a picture of those tomorrow!  Also, tomorrow I will show you what the goody bag will look like for the first 5 sign ups!!

The Housewarming Party has finally Arrived!!!

Here is a lineup of all of our wonderful events!! I hope to see you all there!

I Can Barely Wait!

From March 8-13 we will be having our very own housewarming party!!!!  Details will be posted on the 4th of March so stay tuned!  There will be lots of fun and awesome party favors!! Cant wait to reveal the party events and prizes!!!

SoOo Excited!!!!!!!

New house just built!! Vacant and empty and looking for an artful, creative family!!!  Under this roof, we have kits on our mind, and our minds on kits! So if you go kookoo for scrapbooking kits, you have DEFINITELY found the perfect home to get cozy in and let your creativity soar!  We are going to be releasing our very first kit on March 1^st…buuuuttttt…..we cant get this show on the road without having a house warming party!  That is why we have planned a week long party that will be filled with fun, games, and lets not forget about the party favors!  Our house warming party list of dates and events will be posted March 4th…so be sure to check it out at:

http://houseofartkits.blogspot.com/

Im Pleased to Announce the New House of Art Design Team!!

Drum roll please!!! 
Its finally time to announce the brand spankin new House of Art Design team!!! 
Lisa Houpt
Taraleigh Gray
Kat poole
Nicole Martel

**claps**

Check out their pics and bios under the meet the team link!
I chose these 4 lovely ladies for their unique strengths I found while browsing through their galleries. Lisa Houpt is extremely talented in adding dimension to her work.  Her art pops out at you and makes you want to touch it!  I chose Taraleigh Gray because I love how she incorporates journaling on her layouts and shes not afraid to lay down her thoughts!  I know that sometimes I struggle with how to put journaling on a page, or how much journaling to use....she really provided great examples of how to use journaling on your pages.  I chose Kat Poole because this girl has an awesome funkalicious style and she is not afraid to use some color!  I love her use of bright colors!!! I chose Nicole Martel because I fell in love with how clean and crisp her layouts were.  Her work renewed my energy and made me want to go pick up a photo or two and create a layout.
I am so happy to have these women on board and cannot wait to showcase their work with the March kit that will be revealed March 1^st!! But! We cant get this show on the road without a HOUSE WARMING PARTY!!!!  Thats right, we have put together a week long lineup of fun events and we cant forget about the party favors!  So get out your best party dress and come celebrate our grand opening with us!  A full line up of events will be posted on Tuesday, so keep an eye on our blog to be in the know of all the details!  I hope all of you can make it!!
 I would also like to thank everyone who applied and I saw a lot of great artwork!!  It was a very hard decision to make and I found myself wishing I could have more than 4 ladies quite often!

House of Art Design Team Call

House of Art Design Team Call

We are a brand new kit club looking for a brand new creative, innovative design team!!  Our site is currently under construction, however, on the 11^th of February when the winners are announced, the site will be up with your picture and bio posted. Our kits are going to be very playful and fun, with a romantic looking kit here and there (just cant pass up those muted but darling kits!)  They will also include nothing but the latest from the industry.

Your responsibilities will include:

• 3 layouts per month
• 1 altered project (this can be anything besides a layout, get creative!)
• advertising (get the word out about House of Art!)
• organize one blog event per contracted term
• participation in grand opening event
• exclusively design for House of Art (manufacturer ok)
• link House of Art on your blog The call will run from February 3rd until Friday

Compensation:

• One complete kit per month to design with
• A link to your blog from our site with your picture and bio
• 20% off all store items

 February 11^th.  On the morning of the 11^th the winners will be notified with a contract and I will need an email stating that you agree to the terms by 5pm the same day.  The winners will then be posted on the site that night!  To see the winners you can visit http://www.houseofartkits.com/ under the “meet the team” link.  They will also be announced on the House of Art blog (which will be linked from the site as well). If you are interested, please send a link to your gallery ( or photos of your recent work) with your bio and picture (700px) to Ariana@houseofartkits.com.

**House of Art’s door is open to all U.S. and International applicants.

Welcome!!

I just want to thank everyone for joining the family and sitting tight while we prepare to launch our GRAND OPENING!  Keep checking back because we will be posting fun and exciting things every month, and we will also be keeping a record of every months gallery on here too, so you will never miss a beat!