AMY BRINKMAN

What's new with me - LOTS!

Whew...it seems this little blog of mine has been neglected for awhile, but with good reason. I have been busy launching two new businesses - Studio Gabby Girl and Vintagraphy, along with still selling some items on my Amy Brinkman Designs shop. Anyway, these two new ventures are my passion and joy. Studio Gabby Girl is my shop full of gorgeous designs for image transfer techniques and collage sheets. Very economically priced, these products are fun and easy to craft with. You can even see some of my techniques and favorite products at my Studio Gabby Girl website. You'll find lots of cool ideas here, I'm sure!

For the big surprise, I have been working, working, working on my newest business venture, Vintagraphy. Here you will find gorgeous original and vintage illustrations printed directly onto rare antique book and dictionary pages. These art prints are absolutely beautiful and the photos on the screen cannot completely display their vintage charm and beauty. The shop is still slightly under construction and I am adding new prints daily. I will also be launching my own website at: www.Vintagraphy.com within the next week to 10 days. I will make an announcement when I do.  You can follow Vintagraphy on Facebook and Twitter @Vintagraphy. I will be posting special announcements, coupons, promos etc. there from time to time.

You can find all three of my Etsy shops on the sidebars of this blog page, as well as in the direct links above.  

Thanks for all of your support over the past few months! I appreciate all of you!

Amy

More Vintage Blue Dennison Label Goodness

AmyBrinkmanDesigns_DennisonLabels4blue_Etsy, originally uploaded by Amy Brinkman Designs.

Yummy, yummy, yummy. I think I like these Vintage Dennison Style Blue Gummed Labels even better than the red version of Dennison labels in my shop. My husband just came home and saw the new designs and he said, "Wow, those are nice! Love that color!" Spoken from the heart. Gotta love that.

So, just because I love vintage stuff. Adore vintage labels and recently discovered BLUE Dennison Gummed Labels in an antique store near me, I thought I would re-create these beautiful blue babies for you - a la Digital format. They are so hard to find, so I was ecstatic when I found them.

You can find them in my Etsy shop. I have two versions in blue (Sets 3 & 4) and two versions in red (Sets 1 & 2).

Enjoy!
Amy

Moleskine - what do YOU say on your Reward Page?

AmyBrinkmanDesigns_MoleyReward1, originally uploaded by Amy Brinkman Designs.

Here's one of my latest journals that I just started. Getting ready to take it on a trip to the Caribbean and wanted to make sure I had some sort of contact info on there (and a REWARD of sorts). The hard-cover Moleskine's usually have a reward page on the front inside cover, but since this is a Moleskine Cahier, I thought I'd make my own. Blurred out my phone number for display purposes. I kind of like this Cahier, it seems a little more doable and not as bulky to carry along. I offer you some food for thought....

What do all of YOU do with your Moleskine reward pages and what do you think is a fair reward? Have any of you ever lost a book and had it returned? Share your story in my comments section, please! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. I added some humor to this page and I really like how it turned out.

You can find these Dennison style printable digital labels in my Etsy shop.  Super easy to cut out and I designed them to be replicas of the old Dennison gummed labels, from color to size.  I like little labels like this. They give me a nice little accent spot to write on. Fun!

Inspired by Paris and French St. Martin...something new for you...

Inspired by this quaint French cafe on the island of St. Martin....Pinks and creams, ornate gold mirrors, authentic French cuisine. This is one of the most wonderful places that my travels have taken me to, especially, because I was here with my darling husband. For those of you who aren't familiar with St. Martin, half of the island is owned by the French and the other half by the Dutch. So, when you are on the French side, it really has that "french feeling", everything from the language to the currency. To pay homage to this gorgeous setting and to honor my dreams of someday traveling to Paris itself, I've created a new digital paper collection called "PARIS DREAMS" available in my Etsy shop.

PARIS DREAMS PAPER COLLECTION

I truly hope you enjoy these gorgeous papers, layered with colors of Paris pink, creams and rich black. Every time I look at them, they take me to my Paris Dreams.

Enjoy,

Amy

 

NEW! Glass & Scrabble Tile Pendant Collage Sheets

ABD_RomanticAlphasPinkBlkETSY, originally uploaded by Amy Brinkman Designs.

You can be a hit at craft shows and gift giving time with these brand new Glass & Scrabble Tile Pendant Jewelry Collage Sheets for sale in my Etsy shop. Vintage and romantic in style, they work great for jewelry pendant making, art journaling, card making, scrapbooking, labels and more!

They come in four popular and classic colors, tested for color rendition and accuracy - Pink & Black, Silver & Black, Caramel & Black, and Gold & Black and measure .875" square. Perfectly easy to cut out after printing on your home printer. You can find them here.

So go ahead, grab some alphabets and start creating!
Enjoy!
Amy

Yes, I am in love with Vintage Dennison Labels

ABD_DennisonLabels1a_Etsy, originally uploaded by Amy Brinkman Designs.

So, the funny thing is... I have always loved vintage stuff. I have cupboards full of old china, glassware, and other amazingly beautiful things from the past. My most special love is vintage ephemera - old trading cards, vintage books and hymnbooks, postcards, victorian items, and ad cards....

So, when I was asked to design a vintage line for Best Creation recently (I'm doing freelance design/illustration now), I was ecstatic. Not only could I get to do my favorite thing (design), but I could use vintage stuff! How cool is that? (This line which I will share more about later, will be released in April this year.) Anyway, getting back to the point -

I am in full Vintage mode right now. Full steam ahead. There is so much to be learned from the past, so much to cherish. Along the path I have taken recently, I have come across vintage Dennison label stickers. These puppies are hard to find in antique stores and are few and far between online. So, I decided to design some replicas for all of you (and me)!

I have two sets I have released and they come in both JPG and PNG format, so you can use them digitally or print them out. The colors, shapes, sizes are all inspired by Dennison and really look like the real thing. Can't wait to use them, if I do say so myself! Check them out in my Etsy shop

Have a beautifully Vintage day!
amy

How about a Moroccan Sunrise- paper style?

ABD_MoroccanSunriseArtJournal1, originally uploaded by Amy Brinkman Designs.

Morocco - what colors come to mind when you hear that? Oranges, deep reds, pinks and purples with hints of blue. Yummy. I thought I'd put together a few paper kits for you in those very colors along with clip art elements that hint at Morocco with its colors and culture.

You can see in these pictures that I have covered one of my art journals with some of the papers after I printed them on my inkjet printer. The cool thing is, my 18 year old daughter looked at these and said, "Mom, did you hand-paint these?" She had no idea I had designed them for digital printable papers in my Etsy shop - they look that realistic to hand-painted papers.

I really love how fun they are to layer, tear and collage. They come with a light linen look texture to give them even more depth and realism. So much fun!

Enjoy!
Amy

The number 9 and Joy Art Journal

ABD_ArtJournal_OrangeJoy, originally uploaded by Amy Brinkman Designs.

The number NINE, (9)... it has been a true blessing for me. Seems to go hand and hand with true joy in my life. It is the date my husband and I met. It's the number from my old company that brought me many years of artistic and business growth (Cloud 9 Design).

How many times have you encountered the number 9? Has it had special significance for you? I'd love to hear what you have to say about 9 or other special numbers in your life.

This art journal page was created on none other than the original large Moleskine sketchbook. They are great for art journaling both because of the size and also the paper. I prefer the original thinner-papered Moleskine for my diary. Those pages remind me of a bible or hymnal. Soft and silky. I've used acrylics on the background, magazine images, my own photographs, transparency sheets (journaling area on right) and the 2" number labels from my Etsy shop. Not to mention, the wonderful Caran d'Ache crayons. If I had to pick just one art supply in the entire world to use before all others, these would be it.

Have a beautiful day!
Amy

Some New Year's Digital Scrapbooking...

ABD_Snow Fun Winter 12x12 Papers, originally uploaded by Amy Brinkman Designs.

Here's a fun new digital paper kit of mine in a great winter theme called "Snow Fun". Available in my Etsy shop. It's got a gorgeous mix of cool blues and greys, polka dots, stripes and snowflakes. Why not do some digital or hybrid scrapbooking this weekend of your recent or past winter memories?

Happy New Year!

Amy

In the meadow we can build a snowman.....

Having some Snow Fun with these cute new designs for digital scrapbooking, clip art and more....available in my Etsy shop.  Amy Brinkman Designs

Enjoy!

Amy