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    “Car. Beep-Beep.”

    ByHeather Bailey

    OldDeliveryTruck2_Hellomynameisheather
    It's
    Quilt Market season at the studio. We're in a bi-annual bustle to prep
    for the show. Today, I met with another local stitcher who will be
    helping out with samples. I'm skirting around that misleading 'sewer'
    word. I think we just need to come up with a new spelling. Same word,
    new spelling: sewwer, sewur, sew-er, sew-erer, sewurr, seweur
    (french-ish)…

    What a fun afternoon. Fun I have no business having. Fun I have no business without.

    I was up with the baby till 4am last night, nursing him through a
    105º fever. I finally climbed into the tub and poured water over his
    back while he slept against my shoulder. It was so sweet. But, man am I
    tired!

    It's 7pm now on Friday night and it feels like my day is just getting
    going. I don't think date night is gonna happen unless Isaac wants to
    help refine pattern covers, book flights, schedule meetings, or sew.

    ** I let the baby pick a photo and title this post for me. **

  • Lucky Ducky

    ByHeather Bailey

    A quick reminder: the Project Life Olive Edition SALE ends tonight at midnight EST over at Amazon.com.

    I also want to introduce you to the digital version of the Olive Edition, which is on sale today at ACDigitals.com
    as well. The entire digital kit is available for only $10.15, or you
    can purchase portions of the collection for $3.19 each. Have a look.
    There are a ton of designs included in the kit. A serious deal.

    Heather Johnson recently posted these layouts she created with the Olive
    Edition digital kit. Aren't they gorgeous!? I love how she layered the
    gray chevron print with the turquoise floral background and balanced
    the bold titles across the spread. Great job, Heather—I love what you
    put together. Super fun.

    HeatherJohnsonPage1

    Heather is a photographer and a blogger from St. Paul, Minnesota. She is also on Becky Higgin's Creative Team
    this year, which means she is a talented idea machine, churning out
    Project Life inspiration left and right. I'm excited to see what she
    does next with my designs. This is truly the most fun aspect of my
    business—seeing what people make of my finished work. I love it.

    HeatherJohnsonPage2

    Without further ado, I have a winner to announce for Friday's Project Life GIVEAWAY post. Whitney Winter, you can thank Random.org for calling your number on this one. An Olive Edition core kit and binder, along with a big pack of photo pocket pages is all yours. Email me
    your shipping info and we'll have Amazon send out your prize. Thank you
    to everyone who entered the contest. Like I said before, we're having
    lots of giveaways this year, so hang in there and keep those fingers
    crossed.

  • Project Life Giveaway

    ByHeather Bailey

    ProjectLifeGiveawayD

    GIVEAWAY TODAY—with a seriously awesome prize of one binder, one core kit and one big pack of photo pocket pages from my Olive Edition of Project Life. *Leave a comment below to enter*.

    While you're at it, have a look at the Paper Hearts Tutorial I posted yesterday, featuring the Olive Edition 12 x 12 papers. All of these items are available for purchase on Amazon.com—and psst—the Heather Bailey items are on special sale for 20% off through Monday at midnight EST.

    *Amazon is shipping the prize; they require the winner to have a U.S. address. Prize winner will be selected on Monday morning.*

    Good luck!
    xo—Heather

    UPDATE: The giveaway contest is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, announced in this post.

  • Win to Plan, Plan to Win

    ByHeather Bailey

    Ooo! I just received samples from my Project Life Olive Edition collection—like, five minutes ago: 12×12 papers, albums, month dividers and card kits. The fact that it was time to announce some giveaway winners gave me the perfect excuse to dig into the big box of journaling cards.

    WinnersT

    So, I ask you, if "Happiness is winning!", then is losing sheer misery?
    Or can we take happiness into our own hands and go get ourselves a
    gosh-darn happy planner at Target and make everything okay again? Become
    a winner.

    CanvasPlannersWI'm
    planning to do lots of giveaways this year—serious fun. But, announcing
    winners always seems like a bit of a bummer for the non-selected—as
    evidenced by the 'Giveaway Echo' that generally follows. I certainly
    don't want to sadden the masses—even if this "Happiness is" card does
    rub it in just a little bit 🙂

    So, shatter the Giveaway Echo and leave a congrats for Tiffany Harvey, Claudia Miller, and Kristy from Hopeful Threads. Random.org was their friend today. Each will receive a canvas planner from my collection at Target stores now.

    (Ladies, please email me your shipping addresses & we'll send
    your planners out this week. If you prefer a particular cover design,
    let me know—I'll try to accommodate your request.)

    And congratulations to our three Instagram winners—posted earlier today on Instagram: @loveelainellc, @daniellewilkes, and @danielle_layla. It appears Danielle is the name to have.

    P.S. There are still a few FREE pocket planners for the taking. Just
    ask for one at order checkout and it's yours—while supplies last.     Details here.

  • Heather Bailey Planners at Target Stores Now

    ByHeather Bailey

    So, guess what! I have a new collection of planners and calendars at
    Target stores nationwide. True story. And they're gorgeous.

    I worked with Mead—the
    company we all know for their awesome back-to-school supplies,
    notebooks, office organization, etc. What a great company to work with.
    It's business love.

    Mead_HeatherBailey_PlannersT

    If you’re getting organized for the new year, like I am, go get one
    of my new planners. There are a number of different styles and sizes,
    including prints and solids:  pocket planners, purse-sized Hbtargetplanners,
    desk planners, wall calendars. Several of the designs have a full-month
    view, followed by a week-by-week view—which is the bomb, as far as
    planners go.

    (There is one design which makes a fantastic daily journal. I'll take more photos and show you what I mean.)

    It’s months of work to put together a new collection like this. And then, BOOM!,
    one day the news explodes in a post. Like fireworks.
    Come to think of it, I started on this line before I was pregnant with
    our baby and the collection hit stores more than a year after he was
    born. In effect, birthing a new planner collection takes just about as
    long as it does to gestate a baby elephant.

    EmbossedDaisy_HeatherBailey_5up

    So, next time you’re at Target, go have a look. And while you’re in the
    planner section, straighten up the area for me, will you? And tell
    someone else in the aisle—“See this gal here, Heather Bailey, I know
    her.” Then, go suggest to your friends that they need spiffy new
    planners too.

    Thanks, friends. I’m getting fantastically caught-up on design work
    which means there will be news erupting left and right around here.

    To celebrate, let's do another giveaway. I have THREE undated
    calendars for three lucky fans. Undated means they can be used for a
    different year than 2013. It doesn't mean they're "Undateable." And you can use refills to keep these planners going after the current year is over. Leave a comment to enter the giveaway.

    I also have TWO more planners to give away for you Instagrammers. Post about the Target collection or upload this image—AND include the hashtag #heatherbaileyplanner to enter. In fact, you can use any of these photos if you like. See my Instagram page for a glimpse at the planners our Instagram winners will get to choose from (user name: @heatherbailey).



    CanvasPlanners_HeatherBailey

    I also have SEVEN of these adorable pocket planners below to hand out. These go to the first seven guests to place an order at www.HeatherBaileyStore.com and SIMPLY ASK for one in their Order Comments at checkout.

    PocketCalendars_HeatherBaileyB

    Giveaway winners will be determined sometime on Monday, January 28th. Good luck!

  • Sixteen?

    ByHeather Bailey

    I was that girl who carried a doll baby with her everywhere she went.
    And not by the hair or the hem of her skirt, but gently, sweetly wrapped
    in a blanket, safe and warm.

    1997_BaileyFamily

    One of the earliest photos of me, as a
    toddler, shows me clutching my Raggedy Ann doll. My eyes are teared up
    and I'm miserable because my mom tried to take Raggedy away for the
    photo. She finally relented and gave her back. The teary-eyed portrait
    is the best image they got that day, capturing much more than my child's
    face, but a glimpse of my spirit as well.

    These are the same heart-strings that are being plucked today. My
    first real baby, my son Elijah turned 16 yesterday. He's 6'3" and
    growing. Tall and slender, with a deep voice and sprouting stubble, he
    is hardly recognizeable in form from the soft, cheeky baby you see here.
    But, like me, he is the same person underneath. Just like he was as a baby, he is kind-hearted, cuddly,
    intelligent beyond belief, and so, so good to his mom.

    1997_Elijah

    In those early years, Elijah was my daily companion and at times my
    only friend. The silver lining to a very hard period of my life is the
    closeness we developed as mother and son. I have such a mushy, saggy
    soft spot for him in the middle of my chest. It gets deeper and
    squooshier as the years pass. And it hurts sometimes. How is it that my
    little angel-faced baby is now housed in the framework of a man? It's a
    puzzle that has confounded mothers for centuries. I'm not the first.

    Elijah_16_SilhThe
    hope is that I'll know Elijah much longer as a man than I knew him as a
    boy. With this math on my side, perhaps the puzzle will resolve itself.
    Or maybe this is why we have memory loss in our old age—to ease the
    pains of distant memories.

    Today, my heart hurts. I know things are no different from yesterday.
    And I have nothing but gratitude for this forward-rolling life we've
    been given. I hang my heart on Elijah's daily hugs, his love for family
    activities, his lack of embarrassment over his old mom, and his wish to
    live near us as an adult. Unlike so many teenagers, he's in no hurry to
    leave us behind. This gives me clearance to teach him to fly, as I know
    he'll return safely and willingly—if more infrequently as the years
    pass. My eyes might be a bit redder for the experience, but success as a
    mom is a happy, healthy, functional child—who also still likes you
    somehow in the end.

    He is a good, good kid. I am grateful to be his mom.

  • Live from Marie, It’s Freshcut TV

    ByHeather Bailey

    We have a winner. By random drawing, one shiny copy of Creative Spaces Volume #2 is on its way to Renee G. Giveaways are the best, huh? Let's do a lot of them this year.

    Marie-osmond-heather-bailey-s

    And, here is fun news. Apparently, my Freshcut flannel fabrics were featured on Marie Osmond's television show this week on The Hallmark Channel. Ellen March, host of Sew It All on PBS, joined Marie to make pajama pants. For more info on the episode and the free pj pants pattern they used, click here.

  • Creative Spaces Giveaway

    ByHeather Bailey

    There is a new issue of Creative Spaces out this week. Apparently—and of course—volume #1 was so popular that Creating Keepsakes decided to publish a second volume—and this time I was able to say "Yes!" Kudos to Megan Hoeppner for gathering such inspiring spaces—and for her patience and tenacity with my busy schedule.

    RibbonJar_HeatherBailey2

    Confession: I've been holding back on you guys—a little. You see, I've finished a handful of craft-organization projects around here that I haven't shared yet. I'm letting Creative Spaces Vol. 2
    have the scoop: embroidery-floss storage made from a spinning earring
    display, colored-pencil storage from a transformed gift box, tiffin
    boxes for paint storage, the handy metal caddy I keep next to my
    drafting table for paints, brushes, pencils and inks—FUN STUFF.

    CreativeSpaces2So,
    go pick up a copy at your local book store or craft store for 132 pages
    of DIY storage and décor projects, and a behind-the-scenes tour of a
    wide variety of crafting spaces, from Amy Yingling's sleek and modern space to my own eclectic menagerie. For a full-size sneak peek at the issue, click here, then click on the ISSUU image at the center of the page.

    !!! I have one glorious copy to give away. Leave a comment below to enter. I'll announce the winner on Monday. !!!

  • Olive Edition – Hot Off the Press

    ByHeather Bailey

    I have fun news today. My Olive Edition core kits and papers for Project Life
    have arrived. They are now in stock at Amazon.com and available for purchase
    with Amazon's FREE Super Saver Shipping. Becky assures me that she
    ordered gobs of product, but she also laments that her products tend to
    sell out with ridiculous speed. I'm not sure where that leaves us on
    urgency.

    ProjectLife_Olive_HeatherBailey1

    But, I do know that it's the beginning of a new year—and the perfect time to get going on a Project Life album. The Project Life concept makes
    documenting your life fun—and easy. You only have to fuss as much as
    you like to fuss. And if you don't like to fuss, there's no need to
    fuss.

    For Project Life, you use pocket pages to organize your photos and
    then you add in color, design and documentation using one or more of the
    Project Life kits—like my Olive Edition core kit here. Each core kit comes with hundreds of cards
    for jotting down key bits of information pertaining to the photos in
    your album. Everything goes in a pocket page. And there are lots of pocket-page configurations to choose from. Super simple.

    ProjectLife_Olive_HeatherBailey2

    The Olive Edtion core kit
    is housed in a chic, glossy box and organized as you see below, in a
    tidy tray. In the larger compartment, there are title cards and foldable
    journaling cards with lots of writing space. All of the smaller cards
    have artwork on one side and journaling space on the reverse.

    There are scrapbookers who go wild with their embellishments,
    preferring all sorts of texture and flair within their layouts. And
    there are others who like simple, clean layouts. Project Life is
    designed to satisfy everyone.

    ProjectLife_Olive_HeatherBailey3

    I like goop, well-done goop, that is. But, I don't have time to goop.
    I do have time, however, to slip photos and cards into pockets. And my
    kids are expert pocket-slipper-inners. Project Life works for me and my
    busy, busy life in this way.

    ProjectLife_Olive_HeatherBailey4

    Of course, you know I'll find at least a dozen other ways to sneak
    Olive Edition cards from their well-ordered little box and use them for
    other purposes: gift tags, thank you cards, bookmarks, valentine
    ornaments—lots of ways to spread this loveliness about.

    Oh, that's right. There's a 12"x12" coordinating paper pack. I can use that.

    There are also some cool, plastic month dividers and a coordinating
    album/binder that should be in stock soon. These are still making their
    way to Amazon's warehouse.

    Here are links to the products available so far:

    • Olive Edition Core Kit
    • Olive Edition Paper Pack

    To pull up my collection over on Amazon as items are added, search "Olive Edition Project Life" in their Arts, Crafts & Sewing Department. I don't think Becky has "Heather Bailey" on the listing yet.

    For more info and images, visit my earlier post about the Olive Edition here.

  • Pattern & Design

    ByHeather Bailey

    ColoringBook2

    If you're looking for a fun present for someone artsy in your life, check out this new coloring book from Jenean Morrison,
    another print designer who works with Free Spirit. She published this
    gorgeous thing herself. And it's just that—gorgeous. Every page is a new
    repeating pattern—there's 50 of them—on crisp, white paper, in a thick,
    substantial book—it's not one of those floppy, wussy coloring books
    with newsprint pages.

    I'm a big fan of artsy, craftsy gifts for kids especially during the
    holidays because they come with built-in entertainment. This makes the
    time off from school go more smoothly. And it's not TV or video games.

    I'm giving this copy to Charlotte for Christmas. So, I've gotta go wrap it up.

    If you want one too, as a gift—or for your own self—you can get your copies on Amazon.com. Here's the link. Support an independent artist while you're at it. They are only $12. And stop by Jenean's blog for a hello and a congratulations. Birthing out a book is no small feat.