Monday, June 30, 2014

Newsletter and ready for Senz

Hi to everyone,
Welcome to all our new subscribers, there are a few of you, and I am really happy to have you join us here at Imagine If.    
I hope winter is all treating you well, not as cold as I would like personally, am I the only one who likes cold wet days?
I love the cold....that's right I said it, I really like the cold weather!  I don't like no power on cold wet days though, that is just taking it to far, and I have had a couple of those, but I did get to play the whole day, and I found a whole new love for super glue.  I have however just heard that unpacking and set up day is going to be in the rain in Auckland for Senz, that sounds like a whole lot of fun, that might be taking it to far.

So Senz is this week, starts on Friday, and we are all go, packed and ready.  It's all New Zealand made, so excited.  

We have 200 chipboard designs, including titles and words. 

5 Chipboard overlay designs (love these)

25 stencils, I listened to what was needed, and I am very excited with what I have designed, including a racing track and tyre treads one, little owls,  3 faces (sold a couple of these to my helpers this week the moment they saw them)
and some scenes.  Made from great stencil film imported from the USA and it is not thin and cheap and easily torn.  The prices are amazing.

We have Canvas, felt, burlap, and calico cutouts, lots more to come in the future.

MDF products, wait till you see the wine and glass holder kit, houses, church, art box, memory box, teapot and lots more.

Quote sheets, I think we have about 20 now, with three still waiting to be printed, so hope to have those there as well.

All New Zealand made, and of course there is New Zealand products in the mix.

So that is what we have been working on, not to mention organising all of my classes for Senz, which have sold so well, I am very grateful for the people having faith in me and booking in to my classes, they are going to be busy busy busy.  I am looking forward to getting back into the classroom after a 6 week break while i got ready for the show.

If you haven't decided to  go to Senz yet and you are in Auckland, Hamilton or even further afield, please try and make the trip.   I have seen a lot of information about what is going to be there and I really believe this is going to be amazing.  
http://www.senz.co.nz
https://www.facebook.com/events/213840278812949/



I know that there are other new Zealand products there, and that is just fantastic, Tanya Leigh designs has her own range, as well as PaperArts has their range of papers, on the Paperzone stand, which i have been using and is so amazing, the colours, the mixes.  I am using on my make n takes as well.  

If you haven't heard Paperzone in Hamilton may be closing, they are trying to sell but if it is not sold by the end of the month when their lease is up they will close. So if you have always wanted to own a craft shop there is a great opportunity there.

Facebook
have you joined us on facebook? prizes to be won, lots of information, and new products will be listed on there as well.
https://www.facebook.com/ImagineIfNZ


I hope you have seen all the blog hops we have been doing, really really impressed with the designers work.
  Lilian - merry-go-round
    Tash merry-go-round

      Jo MDF Castle

  Ngaere mini
                                                                houses  
         
   Marilyn mini
                                                                                houses card.


    Beth 3d mini house and Church


   Carols church




Brenda by the sea villiage mini houses, mini church.



Katrina outhouse and barn using mini houses.

To see more pictures check out the blog and all the links.
http://imagineifnz.blogspot.co.nz/

The winners for the month were
Debbie Groot, Tricia Collins, and Debbie Wyatt.
All you have to do is comment to be in to win.  Congratulations everyone.  Your prize packs are on the way, if you haven't already got them.
    
That's it from me, class lists will be out in about a week or so for August.

So email me or phone me on 07 8873901 if you have any questions, leave me a message on the phone if I am out and about or working in the studio with a very loud machine.

all the best Jo
 

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Mini Houses

Hi and welcome to the third and final release for June, then we will have a newsletter next week, and finally the big reveal at Senz.

Last weeks winner through the Rafflecopter was Tricia Collins, Tricia is brilliant at leaving comments every week, so it was great that she wins a prize.  We want you all to know that we really do appreciate you all taking the time to comment.  

This week we have all been playing with mini houses, and after last weeks big houses, the smaller ones were certainly a challenge. 

First up we have Marilyn, who had a flat house to use,
Marilyn has made this amazing dimensional card, the flat houses are a row of very cool houses, the can easily be used as a set or individually.  As you can see Marilyn has used one from the set, then really textured and finished it off beautifully. She has also used the chickens form the farm set, and some bare trees.  The home sweet home is from the banner set.  Marilyn's work just gets better and better and I know the hours she spends on making these projects.   

We are also releasing the mini houses, they come in sets of 3, and there is also a church that comes on it's own.  The girls all got a set of the houses and a church and they have been very busy with them.

This week I have to say I was very busy with the countdown on, and I just picked a project that really needed patience and calmness, which I have neither at present.  I picked up a vintage lantern from an antique store, but after sitting looking at it, decided I really couldn't bring myself to destroy it, so I went to the supermarket and saw a new tin lantern, and decided that would work just as well.

I painted the lantern with patina paints, which gave me the colour I wanted.  I then made up one of the little 3d houses, and it didn't fit, of course it didn't.  I then had to do a bit of playing and with a final push and a little tearing and removal of the roof, it was in.  By then my mood was less than positive, but quick thinking and some snow, three of us, managed to get everything closed and the house was secure.  But it needed a tree, so we reopened the minefield and managed to slip the tree into place with a skewer, tweezers and a little bit of luck.  Closed it all back up, and part one done.

I then used one of the new chipboard words Believe, and snowflakes and stars which I painted gold, and then added kindy glitz.  I added ribbon and other Christmas embellishments and copper embossed the new reindeer.  I made a sleigh as well, just to finish the look off.
The sleigh is so easy to put together, and with a bit of white fur and some embossing powder, it looks really cool, I love it, but I love Christmas.  

This week you can win a set of Mini houses and a Church, so leave a comment, like us on facebook and you are in the draw, just select the options in the rafflecopter below.  So lets go check out what the other girls have done.

3. Beth      http://www.bethbarnes.co.nz/bird-houses/
4. Carol   http://4carol.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/this-week-we-have-adorable-mini-houses.html
5. Ngaere   http://nysbiz.blogspot.com/2014/06/mini-houses.html
6. Tash  http://withallmyartandsoul.blogspot.com/2014/06/home-imagine-if-blog-hop.html
7. Brenda   http://thyme2craft.blogspot.com/2014/06/welcome-to-seahorse-bay.html
8. Lilian   http://amysticaltouchnz.blogspot.com/2014/06/mini-houses-and-churchblog-hop.html
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, June 16, 2014

Blog hop - MDF Houses, Church and Castle

 Hi everyone, well it was fantastic last week with the blog hop, after a technical hitch it worked really well, and lots of fabulous comments.  Congratulations to Debbie Groot who won a Merry go Round for herself to create, of course we will want to see it finished Debbie - no pressure.

This week we have another Blog hop.. and this week we are show casing our new MDF Houses, MDF church and MDF Castle.Check them out here http://www.imagineif.co.nz/imagine-if...mdf-3d-projects/
All the designers were challenged to create something using our new products, most got the MDF Houses, Carol got the Church and I think I got the hardest, the other are probably disagreeing, I decided to use the new MDF Castle.

First I want to show you the project I have done for Senz...using the MDF House.
I have designed this house to have a removable roof, so I can turn the light on and off inside, but I do hope to pick up a small enough light to go inside there, that can be turned on and off from outside, but I may have to wait until a bit closer to Christmas to find one.  I have 2 spots left on Saturday morning for this class 5th July 9.15am, so if you want a space, you need to be quick book on the website.  At this stage I have a couple of kits left, which will be available after Senz, if you want one please email me, it comes with everything except the white paint, and it comes with red or white brick paper.   

So this week I had no power for 14 hours, so I pretty much sat all day playing, until it hit 5pm, then I couldn't see anything to be able to keep playing.  I wish the photos were better, but it was really hard to get the whole thing in, and the angles made it hard. 




 The bedroom, the wardrobe (Amoire)  is a new 3D MDF project, 
,
 The fire over the back is from a bare branch tree.
 The fence is a new chipboard product.  http://www.imagineif.co.nz/bricks-wire-and-useful-pieces/
 The library nearly sent me insane , all the books are handmade. 
the chicken wire fence is new, as is the ladder and the trees through the back are a personal favourite.  http://www.imagineif.co.nz/bricks-wire-and-useful-pieces/



 It is a little hard to see the park bench, you can see the picket fence and there is a bird bath over the back.
Finally the dungeon

I chained the dragon up, so he couldn't get away, there is a light over the back that I can turn on, but it was very difficult to get this to really show up well.  There is a bat in the top and a really horrible spider and web that I really dont like putting my hands in even though i know they are not real.

So that was a wet, powerless day for me, 6 tubes of superglue and stuck fingers.  So what have the rest of the team been up to? Go check it out.

This week if you leave a comment on each blog and like on facebook, then you get 9 entries in the draw to win a set of in our home quotes and some chipboard embellishments, value $20.00 so 
lets go.  


Lilian: Lilians gingerbread-house
Carol:Carols Christmas house
TashTash's Butterfly cottage
Katrina: Katrina's little-cottage
Beth: Beths artists-cottage
Ngaere: Ngaere baba-yaga-house
Brenda:Brendas even yard for the dog

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, June 9, 2014

Blog Hop this week

Hi everyone,
Welcome to our first ever blog hop to release what I think is an amazing new product  We decided that a blog hop would be fun, and it will showcase all the amazing new products that we have developed over the past few months.

But first Marilyn who is our card maker has made this simple, but beautiful card using, stencil flowers and felt flowers, with pearl strip, looks amazing. 

Our release this month is The Merry Go Round, it is made from chipboard, and is relatively simple to put together. Finished it stands 19cm tall and retails for $15.00.  You can buy it here 

Each of the Imagine If...designers was asked to select a theme for their Merry go rounds, and then they were left to play and WOW they look so good.You will see a lot of new product on each of the Merry Go Rounds, this product will all be available after Senz, if it is not already on the site now. 

I went with a New Zealand scene, I wanted to imagine what a merry go round in the bush would look like.  




   
I used chipboard Birds, and then glued felt birds on top for texture.  I used felt ferns, and chipboard branches, and purple and white roses to give it a lift.

Most of us have found rotating displays to put them on, and they look amazing going round and round, so if you are coming to Senz you will see them in action.

So if you haven't been on a hop before, you need to go to all of the designers pages, and leaving a comment (on this one as well please) and we have a Free Merry Go Round (undecorated of course) as a prize for one lucky person who leaves a comment.  One entry per comment plus one for Liking on Facebook, so you can get nine entries if you do all comments and Facebook. Leave your comment and then click on the Rafflecopter link below to confirm you entry.

So are you ready to go on a Merry go round hop ..... the next stop in the hop is 
 Tash and her Butterfly Merry go Round
Lilian and her Vintage Merry go Round
 Beth and her Under the Sea Merry go Round
Carol and her Alice in Wonderland Merry go Round
 Brenda and her Boys Merry go Round
Ngaere and her enchanted Merry go Round
Katrina and her Christmas Merry go Round

a Rafflecopter giveaway