January 2018 issue of The Stampers' Sampler Give-away

I'm pleased to announce that I'm the Guest Artist in the current issue of The Stampers' Sampler magazine, January 2018 issue.  So many of the cards that I created for this are made with the new Jane Davenport Mixed Media line.  That means lots of washi tape and mermaids.  It is a truly beautiful issue.

I would like to celebrate the occasion with a give-away.  You have to be a follower of this blog and a resident of the U.S.  Not too many rules.  Just leave a comment on this post and I will select a winner on Monday, January 22nd.  Please leave your email address in the comment so I can notify you if you win.

  (It's best to put it in this form:  (example) renee(dot)zarate(at)email(dot)com)

Celebrate this wonderful occasion with me!  My thanks to Stampington publications and the editor Gracy Wilkins for featuring my work.

Hugs~Renee

Somerset Studio Gallery 2017 GiveAway!

Yes, it is giveaway time!  Stampington has very generously provided an issue of the Winter 2017 Edition of Somerset Studio Gallery magazine for one of my followers.  Click on the link to take a closer look at how fabulous this issue is.

I was fortunate enough to have a cute card published on page 100.  There are some pretty fantastic articles to look at and projects to try your hand at.  If you are interested in entering the drawing the rules are pretty simple:  Be a follower of this blog, a U.S. resident and just leave a comment.  I will select the winner on Sunday, January 8th, 2017.  The winner will have 24 hours to get in touch with me or you can leave your email addy and I will get in touch with you.  Simple.

I hope you'll take a moment to leave a comment!  Have you chosen your word for the year yet?  I'm still thinking about that one, I cannot believe it's 2017 already.  A new year to me is always a fresh start, so let's all take a deep breath and start over again.

Hugs ~ Renee

National Coloring Book Day! And a Give-Away!!

In honor of National Coloring Book Day I have a give-away of TWO copies of The Coloring Studio coloring book Vol. 2.  All you need to do to win is be a follower of my blog, a resident of the U.S. (sorry but Stampington is shipping only to the U.S. for this give-away) and leave a comment on this blog post.  Two winners will be chosen one week from today, August 9th, and I will announce the winners around noon of that day.  If you win you will have 48 hours to contact me with your mailing address or I'll be forced to choose another name.  The coloring books will be mailed directly from Stampington.

I do have an article in this copy.

I hope you'll enter to win, it is a lovely book with lots of beautiful pages to color.  Hugs ~ Renee

A GiveAway: Stampington's "The Coloring Studio Book"!!

I was amazed to realize recently that I have had 500 posts on this blog since I began.  I started blogging just to keep track of life and different creative endeavors I was pursuing.  It started out as a food blog since I was at that time writing articles for a food column in our local newspaper and entering baked goods at the Fair every fall.  My daughter's friends said it was boring because I didn't have any pictures to show what I was doing so I started photographing dishes, etc. to make it more interesting.  Then someone said my pictures weren't very good so I had to go buy a decent camera and learn how to use it and edit things.  Here I am years later still falling down that rabbit hole learning as I go just so I can keep up.  Fun times.  Seriously, it keeps me grounded and I have met so many amazing artists along the way.

To celebrate this occasion and the fact that I have actually stayed with it all these years I have a wonderful give-away!  Stampington offered to send one of my followers a copy of the new coloring book they have just released called "The Coloring Studio".  It is not just an adult coloring book but has lessons all the way through.  Many of my favorite artists have been interviewed and offer all kinds of hints as well as inspiration.  The designs for the most part are complex and would be frame worthy after completion with your choice of coloring tools.

I was in the midst of moving from Mass. to SC during the call for artwork for the book but I did manage to create one page which Stampington was kind enough to include.  Mine is NOT one of the complicated beautiful pages it is just a Zen Doodle fun piece to play with.  Here it is on page 61.  I'm just happy to be included!

The process starts today.  There are just a couple of rules:  You must be a follower of my blog and reside within the USA (sorry everyone else).  Just leave a comment on this post starting now and I will announce the winner of the random draw on Friday, Dec. 11th at noon EST.  The book will be mailed directly to you from Stampington.  Please contact me by Dec. 15th with your mailing address or I'll be forced to choose another name.  If my blog is being difficult and won't let you comment, she does that sometimes, email me and I'll make sure you are included in the draw.

If you have a chance pop over to Stampington's blog and look at some of the finished pages they have displayed, here's their link.  In the meantime, thanks for hanging in there with me all these years, know that I appreciate your visits and each comment that you leave.  I not only read them but the comments have affected what I do artistically and improvements that I've tried to make during this time.  Thank you!
Hugs and best wishes ~  Renee