The Official Retro Café Art Gallery Design Team!

I couldn't be more excited to announce the current Retro Café Art Gallery Design Team! First up is Jennifer Ingle of Just Jingle! I simply adore her work. Check out her blog and you will see what I mean! I just love her creativity and energy, and her posts are always filled with inspiration and humor. You rock Jennifer!

And of course Bianca Mandity, who most of you already know and love! Bianca is an incredible artist, teacher, and friend! She has been with me pretty much since day 1, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate her talent, support, and friendship. Check out her awesome blog here!

Just a Reminder!

Just a reminder about the current contest! Details HERE!

Latest Tim Holtz Goodies Listed!

I just finished listing 20 of the latest Tim Holtz products on the site! While, I love all 20, here are a few of my favorites! Check them all out HERE!

What is your favorite Tim Holtz Idea-olgy product?

Adorable Art Samples

I have some sweet art samples to share with you! The above book was created by Nancy Yankowski using the Hello Dollie Green Digital Collage Sheet and the tags below were also created by Nancy using the Hello Dollie Digital Collage Sheet. I completely adore the feathers and necklaces the girls are wearing below. Amazing job Nancy!

This super sweet doll was created by Vanessa Seeholzer using the Hello Dollie Bodies Digital Collage Sheet. I adore her Vanessa, thanks so much for letting me share!

Extra Large German Dresden Angel Wings Lovely Art Sample!

I'm excited to share this gorgeous piece with you using the new Extra Large Angel Wings!
This exquisite piece was create by the talented Denise Phillips and you can learn more about here piece HERE on her blog.

Gorgeous right? Now I really want to play with some of the Extra Large Wings.
Thank you for the inspiration Denise! xo

Collage Sheet Giveaway Results!

The results are in! 1,64,28

Congrats to misteejay, Seth, and kegan! You will each get 5 Digital Collage Sheets of your choice. I'm sending you an email now! xo

Accessory Cut-Out Contest! $150 in Gift Certificates and More!

It's contest time again and this time we are playing with the Accessory Cut-Outs!

The Rules:
1. Create up to 3 pieces of art using our line of Accessory Cut-Outs. So you can have 1, 2 or 3 entries. Each piece of art must contain at least one accessory. Qualifying accessories include Glasses and Monocles, Mustaches, Purses and Suitcases, Hats, Crowns, Shoes, and Household Items in any material. The "art" can be whatever you wish. ATCs, inchies, cards, jewelry, collage, etc.
2. Email your photos to retrocafeart@gmail.com subject: Accessory Cut-Out Contest. Please do a separate photo for each entry. Files between 200 -300 KB preferred. I will post these photos on our Facebook page in a special album as they are received. Please include your full name in the email.
3. Deadline is July 15th. This will give you plenty of time to get your accessories and create!
4. We love our International customers and you are welcome to play (be sure to give plenty of time for your accessories to arrive in the mail)!

The Prizes:
1. One winner, which will be selected using a random number generator will win a $50 gift certificate to Retro Café Art Gallery! I’ll be using the photos in the Facebook album to create the number system.
2. A SECOND and THIRD winner will each win a $50 gift certificates to Retro Café Art Gallery. Christopher, my unbiased judge, will pick his top 5 favorites which will be posted to this blog. Then YOU will vote for your favorite by leaving a comment! The top 2 will win the certificates.
3. ALL players will receive a special digital collage sheet created especially for this event just for playing, so everyone WINS! If you post and play, you will get $6.50 in digital collage sheets which more than covers the cost of shipping your fabulous accessories! :).
4. There must be at least 6 entries for the contest to take place. In the event that there aren't enough entries, all contestants will be given a prize!

Spread the Word and get a Gift:
1. If you would like to help spread the word about our contest, you will get our brand new Beautiful Roses Digital Collage Sheet free as a Thank you! One sheet per person, though you are welcome to post in multiple places with great appreciation.
2. Post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, website, etc. and link back to THIS post. Email me at retrocafeart@gmail.com and show me where you have posted, and I will email you your digital collage sheet! So even if you don’t play, you can still win! Feel free to use the button above, though it’s not required.

Check the Facebook album periodically to see the entries. I put a few of my pieces in as samples. I can't wait to see the fantastic art! xo

Voting Results!

Thank you to the 53 people who voted in the ATC Frame Contest! I appreciate you so much, and was excited to see so many votes! The second winner in the ATC Frame Contest is Jennifer Ingle. Congrats! I will be sending you a $50 Retro Cafe Art Gallery Gift Certificate! Thanks again to all who played and voted. Check out the details for the current fabulous contest HERE! xo

New Steampunk Parts Collage Sheet

I created this new collage sheet as a gift for all who entered the ATC Frame Contest! You can also purchase the new sheet "Steampunk Parts" in digital and printed versions on the site. Gauges, watch faces and parts, vintage theatre seat numbers (my favorite - I'm hoarding the real ones), and more! I hope you like it!

Don't forget to vote for your favorite ATC Frame finalist below! I'll be announcing the next contest in a week or so. And, there is still time to enter the 100,000 Page Views Giveaway! xo

Contest Results - Please Vote!

I would just like to say THANK YOU to all who entered the ATC Frame Contest. I had a blast seeing all of the gorgeous submissions and was completely inspired! You can check out all the entries here on Facebook. All who entered will receive our latest collage sheet which will be released later today, so everyone is a winner!

As for the $100.00 Gift Certificate winner, using a random number generator and the Facebook ATC photo album going from left to right (and skipping the first 3 which were mine), the winner is #31. Gerri Herbst is the winner of a $100.00 Gift Certificate from Retro Cafe Art Gallery! Congrats Gerri. I hope you enjoy your shopping spree!

For the next winner, I need YOUR help! I had Christopher select is top 5 favorites and now I need you to VOTE for your favorite. Please vote only once and only select one favorite (I know that is hard!). Voting ends Thursday June 9th at 6pm EST. The person with the most votes will win a $50 Retro Cafe Art Gallery Gift Certificate. Vote by leaving a comment on this post with your favorite. And in no particular order...

#1. Tracy Kaufman

#2. Jennifer Ingle

#3. Bianca Mandity

#4. Teri Calia

#5. Sherri Mitchell

Please comment here to vote for your favorite ATC Frame piece! Please only one vote per person and one selection per person. Either leave the name or # of the ATC you are voting for! Also, be sure to check back soon for details on the next big contest! xo

More Gorgeous Projects

Sherri has done it again with some FANTASTIC art samples! For the above darling creations, Sherri used the Hello Dollie Halloween Collage Sheet, Paper Roses, and an adorable assortment of our new Coffee Break Design Cut-Outs Accessory Line! Shabby Halloween, I love it!

And check out this beauty using the Coffee Break Design Small Cigar Box Kit! In addition to the Cigar Box Kit, Sherri used Paper Roses, Bottles and Philosophy Tags by Tim Holtz, and a gorgeous Masonite Key. Thanks so much for sharing Sherri! You rock! xo

Faux Washi Tape

Check it out, Bianca shows us how to make Faux Washi Tape using Coffee Break Design Stencils. See the full tutorial HERE!

Circle Shrine Kit New Sizes!

Wohoo, the awesome Circle Shrine Kit now comes in Large and Mega!

(also available in Charm and Trinket). 4 sizes to choose from!

Art Sample by Bianca Mandity using the Large Circle Shrine Kit.

The NEW Unique Collage Cut-Outs Accessory Line by Coffee Break Design!

I’m very excited to announce a unique new line of Coffee Break Design Cut-Outs designed by moi of course! A fantastic Collage Cut-Outs Accessory Line! Ever since I designed the Hello Dollie Collage Sheets I have longed for some accessories. So here they are! Although they were designed with the dollies in mind, the accessories come in many different shapes and sizes, perfect for any collage guy or gal!

With the Accessories, I’m very excited to announce a brand new Coffee Break Design material. It’s basically a type of premium quality black mat board that is so perfect for the Accessories. I have not seen this material used anywhere else, so I’m very excited about it! At 1/16” it’s very sturdy and the perfect depth for the Accessories. The Cut-Outs in this brand new material look great as is, but of course you can still paint, ink, collage, etc. with them. While I adore all of the new Accessories, the black moustaches are my absolute favorite. They are so tiny and cute (note the above mustache on my pinky) and something I have not seen before! And of course the glasses too. Both are so perfect for adding a little touch of whimsy to any collage image and they are ready to go! Again, they come in several sizes, and are also available in some of our other materials. And here are all of the Accessories, with amazing detail, from head to toe! (Can you tell I’m excited about these and the new material?). Hats Glasses and Monocles Mustaches (or Moustaches, the British way)Purses/Suitcases/Bag Shoes Some of them are so small with fantastic detail! Household Items

Gotta love the scissors! I'm also a big fan of the hangers and coffee cups. (click photos to enlarge)

I had so much fun playing with the accessories last night that I really didn't want to stop! Some of them I simply painted with acrylic craft paint (the cheap stuff) while others I covered with paper or fabric. I covered the purse at the bottom with paper and the paisley purse and hat with fabric. It was super easy using Incredi-sheets. I peeled off one side of the incredi-sheet and stuck my fabric on it. This worked great to prevent any frays. Then on the opposite side of the incredi-sheet that was not peeled yet, I traced my purse. Finally I cut out my tracing (again, works great with the fabric because it adds a bit of stiffness) and then peeled off the second label and stuck it right on my piece! Same deal for paper, so easy! On a few of them I added Paper Roses and bits of bling. I was happy to see that on the chef hat the engraved detail showed up nicely after painting. As I said, the Accessory Line works great with the Hello Dollie Bodies Collage Sheet! These are the dolls I came up with. The doll on the lower right is going to a Steampunk Convention :). I must say I was proud of Christopher last night. I was showing him the dolls and asked him which one was his favorite. Expecting an eye roll I was pleasantly surprised when he said "The Crafter" (top right). The fact that he even used the term "crafter" shows that he is learning. ha! The Collage Cut-Outs Accessory Line can be used for so many other things too. Here I added them to the new "Turner Family" Digital Image. I like to call this one "Witness Protection Program". For the below piece I used the Glasses and Hats on one of the images from the Family Tree Collage Sheet. The nose is actually one of the inner pieces from the round glasses colored red.
"Class Clown"Also from the Family Tree Collage Sheet is "Rockin' Grandma" wearing her heart glasses. I have more plans for these Accessorized Cabinet Card photos so stay tuned! Perhaps some ATC Frames are in their future? Finally, some of you asked for some Butterfly Cut-Outs so here the are! They are not a part of the Accessory Line, but they are still pretty sweet.

I hope you love the new unique Collage Cut-Out Accessory Line as much as I do! The next contest after the ATC Contest will be using any of the Accessories in your work. ATC, Inchie, Twinchie, jewelry, collage, journal etc. Pretty much any piece of art/craft. I'll be making the official announcement mid June. Any of the Hats, Glasses and Monocles, Mustaches, Purses and Suitcases, Shoes, or Household Items will qualify. I think we should include the Crowns too. Once again I will be giving away $150 in Retro Cafe Art Gallery Gift Certificates! Speaking of Gift Certificates, did you know you can purchase them on the site now? The perfect gift for any crafty loved one. xo

100,000 Page Views Blog Giveaway!

As promised, here is the 100,000 page views blog giveaway. I had the pleasure of watching the counter roll over yesterday. Much more exciting then watching a car odometer roll over to 100,000!

I'll be giving away 5 Retro Cafe Art Gallery Digital Collage Sheets to 3 lucky winners for a total of 15 sheets! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this blog post. That's it! Be sure I have a way to get a hold of you if you win. Winners get to select their own sheets.

As an added bonus, if you are a winner and a fan of our Facebook page I will send you an extra surprise! Please note if you like us on Facebook in your comment.

I will use a random number generator to select the 3 winners on Sunday, June 12th. Thank you so much for your continued support! xo

There are also new contest/giveaway links on the right side bar so you (and I) can keep up with the current giveaways and contests!

Inspiration

Today I popped over to see Sherri, a Retro Cafe Art Gallery customer only to find a most flattering post all about Retro Cafe Art Gallery! Her photos are so STUNNING that I had to share them with you here (with permission of course). Really, my products never looked so good!

Sherri really captured the beauty in the Masonite ATC Frames and Paper Roses.

In case I have not said it lately, I love my job. Sending out tiny packages of "inspiration" to creative souls all around the world, and then having the pleasure of sharing in the creations from time to time. Yep, that is what I get to do! xoxo

Bianca's Markers and Masonite Tutorial

Another awesome tutorial? Why yes! Bianca shows you how to go from the above, using a Masonite Cut-Out (which is actually just the "extra" piece you get from the Starburst ATC Frame. bonus!) to the awesome piece below. See the full TUTORIAL HERE. By the way, I'm archiving all of the tutorials HERE on the website. You can also click the Product Tutorial link on the sidebar of this blog for an up to date list!