A Little Hut - Patricia Zapata

I'm at Surtex!

2013-05-17T22:43:00.000-05:00

Ok, I couldn't resist! I had to post a little something. My brother and I got to New York City today and we're ready to set up the booth tomorrow. I haven't been in the city since we left the area when I was 10 so this is like seeing everything with new eyes. The energy is very palpable specially when out hotel is only a block away from Times Square!

I'm very excited to get going. Those of you that follow me on Facebook know that I started a new Instagram account and I've been sharing a few photos there. Come visit my stream here—and if you happen to be at the Javits Center this weekend come by my booth— #664.

Wish me luck! Woohoo!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! XO

bouquet card (freebie!)

2013-05-09T11:05:00.000-05:00

Some flowers for you! Consider them my freebies for last couple of weeks.

I've been knee deep (or higher!) in work and I haven't had a chance to make any paper related projects. That made this card for Mother's Day feel so good to put together.

The pieces are all separate and I simply tied them together with some twine. I hope you enjoy it! You can download it here.

Surtex is only a little over a week away and I'm very excited. I can't wait to show everyone my work! If you're there please visit me at my booth - 664! If you're tired hearing about Surtex can you imagine my Mr. Z and the kids? LOL. They are so patient with me. I'm a lucky girl!

Wish me luck! I can't wait to tell you all how it went. Until then I hope you take care and I'll see you when I get back. There will be no posts until the 24th or so.

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers!

Be well! - Patricia

weekly freebie - flower slide

2013-04-26T08:38:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is about slides but I really like them. I think it's because it's a combination of tag and embellishment and it can be used on different projects (cards, gift wrapping, scrapbooking). Yes, I definitely like versatility.

I made the flower stand out a bit simply by using some foam dots underneath it. The rest of it should be self explanatory with the file.

The good news for you is that this project is this week's freebie! Download it here. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone!

mother's day pop-up card

2013-04-25T13:02:00.000-05:00

I have a little treat for you today!

You can download a free printable and see the tutorial for this mother's day pop-up card on the FedEx Out of Office blog. Enjoy!

simple monday: use what you have

2013-04-22T11:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Earth Day everyone!

I'm the first to admit that my love for paper can be a bit over the top at times but that doesn't mean I splurge a whole lot. I tend to be on the conservative side and really try to use what I have. The fun and awesome thing about paper is that scraps are still very, very useful.

Today's card is made completely from scraps—and let me tell you that after making the boxes and cards below (for the first communion celebration of a friend's daughter) I have plenty of white and pink paper scraps to go on forever! I cut the tree with my cutting machine but all the leaves are cut by hand and glued to the tree one at a time.

The tree is attached to the card using foam dots to give it more dimension and contrast since it's white-on-white.

Color is awesome but isn't white just so beautiful?

PS - I've been absent because I'm crazy busy with work for Surtex and other side projects. I'd rather stay away from the blog when things get like this. You wouldn't want to hear about the same thing over and over again, right? Hopefully things will get a little more normal once I get back (it's only 4 weeks away - yikes!). In the meantime I work on!

Have a great week!

book review: paper blooms

2013-04-11T10:50:00.002-05:00

I got the biggest treat in the mail when I received Paper Blooms: 25 Extraordinary Flowers to Make for Weddings, Celebrations & More by Jeffery Rudell. It's a gorgeous book with great projects, clear instructions and fantastic photography.

First off let me say that I've always admired and been in awe of Jeffery's work. The elegant solutions and attention to detail that are in all of his projects are nothing short of perfect. I couldn't expect anything less from his book, and I wasn't disappointed.

Every project in this book is not only beautiful but easy for anyone to make. The materials are very basic but the results are stunning. For anyone wanting to learn how to make flowers, this book is a definite must.

One of the most frequent phrase searches that lead people to my blog is "how to make a paper flower". I can honestly say that if you buy this book you won't need to make that search again!

If you'd like to see other amazing examples of Jefferey's work you can visit his web site here.You won't regret taking the time to visit!

just for fun: paper pendant

2013-04-09T09:45:00.001-05:00

A simple idea that came to mind after a quick glance at a photo on Pinterest. I don't even know who/what it was aside from a multi-tiered necklace of sorts. I caught a glimpse of it just as I was shutting down my browser—and boom! my mind immediately tried to figure out how to make something inspired by it, using paper and I had to make it right away—just because. It looks absolutely nothing like the photo I saw but I'm sure I would've never done it had I not seen that photo. The brain is such a tricky thing, isn't it?

Lesson of the day:
When you have an idea, just go for it! There doesn't need to be a real reason for it
or...
You just never know what you'll be inspired by. Just be open to the possibilities.

featured in made in paper magazine

2013-04-02T14:59:00.001-05:00

I just received my copy of the new Made In Paper magazine—a sister magazine Mollie Makes and The Simple Things (both gorgeous UK publications)—and I couldn't be more thrilled. It's such an honor to be included in this first issue which is so full of fantastic projects and inspirational images.

My interview is one of several that include other artists that I admire greatly. I'm so humbled to be in such great company (no spoilers so you can see them for yourselves!).

The templates for several projects are included in the back in the issue including the templates for the pink flower I created for this issue (shown below).

The magazine will be available in the US at Jo-Ann's and Barnes & Noble and at some point in digital format in the Apple Newsstand.

Since I'm someone that notices these things, I also have to mention that I love that it's larger than standard magazine format (so great!) and it's printed on beautiful paper (feels like it's between a magazine and a book).

Look at just a few of the beautiful paper ideas that are shared in the magazine (top and bottom photos). Every single page of this issue has something fun to be inspired by.

Thank you so much to the editors of Made in Paper for including me!

Follow Made in Paper at:
- Facebook
- Twitter

simple monday: thank you!

2013-04-01T11:09:00.002-05:00

The daily freebies are done but they were a lot of fun to work on!
46 days
48 freebies
That's what I accomplished since my Feb 14th post.

In all honesty there were some days where my brain was so fried from other work that I had no clue what I'd be posting the following day. Some weeks I had several files ready ahead of time. Other days I was barely squeaking out something in the nick of time. I just didn't want to miss a single day—and I didn't. Some images where easy to illustrate and some others took a lot of tweaking or research (like the hi bubbles!). You'd be surprised to know that sometimes the simplest ones are the ones I'm most picky about—a curve may not be just right, etc.

As many of you Siilhouette users know, I posted most of the files in the Silhouette store. I told you we'd all benefit! By making myself accountable to you I was also creating some work to post there and earn something from it—we all won!

Here they are (photo below)! If you missed any they're in the Single Images section of my shop as well. I think my favorites are the ones that I did during this past week (still uploading them to the shop). My weekly freebies will continue to be posted on Fridays.

Thank you so much for those of you that participated and shared such kind comments on Facebook or sent me emails. I read and enjoyed them all.

I hope you get around to actually using these files. Don't collect them like we collect Pinterest photos and do nothing with them (guilty!). Use them! Have fun—just like I did by finally making something myself.

I cut out the last file—the tulips. I discovered that the negative (the paper left on the cutitng mat) would work too, so I made a tag which I'm thinking of using as a bookmark.

Happy Monday!

inspiration: knot thread stitch

2013-03-28T13:31:00.002-05:00

When I was putting away some things in my study this book was among them— Knot Thread Stitch: Exploring Creativity through Embroidery and Mixed Media by the very talented Lisa Solomon. That's when I was like "Wait! I haven't blogged about this book!!!"—serious lapse! Not only is it a beautiful book I had the honor of being included as a contributor. You'll see why I hand it handy in a few weeks.

I've known Lisa online for several years (still need to meet in person—one day!) and I've always admired her work. She finds so many ways to make it varied and still so her at the same time.

Knot Thread Stitch is a book that makes you look at embroidery in a totally different way. There are so many unique projects here and made by amazing artists (and my creative heroes!) that include: Martha McQuade, Blair Stocker, Sally Shim, Lisa Congdon, Amy Karol, Camilla Engman, Susie Ghahremani, Heather Smith Jones, Christine Castro Hughes and Wendy Crabb. Take your time going through all those links—a LOT of inspiration there too.

The book combines different projects that include embroidery with block printing, children's illustrations, toy ideas and so much more! Use the ideas in the book to make a great gift for someone or something for yourself.

See? How could I have not mentioned this sooner?

Embroidery portrait

A variety of wonderful ideas.

Love this scarf!

My simple block printed and embroidery card.

• • •

Someone asked me why I don't show myself in the photos where I'm holding books. The answer is simple—nine times out of ten I look horrible—one big mess in PJs or something like that (one advantage of working from home!). So here's my new bio photo that I posted today to prove that I do have a head! Haha!

One last inspiration link for today...
When I first starting looking for information about licensing and I was considering applying to exhibit at Surtex, Alex's
The Moon From My Attic blog was one of my first stops. She features wonderful artists and I never thought that I'd be one of them. She very kindly invited me for an interview and it's posted today here! Thank you Alex!

house warming

2013-03-26T12:30:00.001-05:00

Sometimes my designs start with the simplest of ideas. This one started with the card. I love the idea that the design is created with the union of both the inside and the outside of the card. I like it even more because the insert can be used on its own as a note card (maybe a thank you card if you have your own house warming party?).

The box is very simple to assemble with a two piece design and ribbon closure. You can beat stylish and easy!

The whole House Warming Set is now in the shop.

• • •

Reminder! My daily freebies will be over on Easter (then we'll go back to weekly) so we're in countdown mode. Don't forget to check every morning. Don't miss out!

inspiration: the little book of lettering

2013-03-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to share the flower with you yesterday that I forgot to post about my inspiration for this week!

Little Book of Lettering by Emily Gregory
I was shopping at Paper Source one day and I stumbled upon this little gem of a book. Love it. It's like a well curated typography treasure and it couldn't have come at a better time. I'm positive it will inspire projects to come.

The designers that are showcased are all very varied. I really like that there are three distinct chapters to help you look for a particular idea or inspiration piece.

chapter 1 | digitally drawn lettering | work by jessica hische

chapter 2 | hand-drawn and illustrated lettering | work by nate edwards

chapter 3 | three-dimensional lettering | work by yulia brodskaya

Emily Gregory is also the author of a beautiful blog called The Daily Smudge. A visit there will surely inspire you as well. That's where I found the amazing video below.

Happy Friday everyone!

Revolution ( Life Cycle of a Drop of Water). from Chris Turner on Vimeo.

spring!

2013-03-21T09:47:00.001-05:00

As far as weather is concerned you can't beat March—at least in Texas. If it stayed like this forever I'd be in heaven. We had several days with clear skies and just perfect temperatures. Gorgeous! I'll be wistfully thinking of these days once we're in the middle of summer.

I guess all of this is what makes flowers the predominant thing going on around here. Here's a new one for today and for the next 24 hours it's a freebie for you. They are SVG and DXF files for cuting machines only. I believe it's too complicated to cut by hand-sorry! Go get it!

If you see this post at a later date the file will be on sale in my shop here.

Have a great day!

• • •

PS - My blogging will be a bit sporadic from now until Surtex. I'm simply too busy with all that plus other projects. Hopefully it will all pay off in the end! For those of you that pray, I could certainly use some prayers so that everything goes well and that I stay sane. Thank you so much!

have you smiled today?

2013-03-19T14:05:00.001-05:00

I'll admit it. While part of me will always love simple geometric designs on white paper sometimes a splash of cute and lots of color just brightens my day (like the Easter paperclips above!). They make me smile!

• • •

“A sense of humor... is needed armor. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.”

Hugh Sidey (1927-2005) - Journalist

simple monday turns into a simple week

2013-03-11T11:59:00.000-05:00

Spring brings a break (this week with the kids since their off from school), flowers and just some serious cleaning around the house (I'm in a dangerous "want to get rid of everything" kind of mood!). We're not going anywhere this week because we are planning for some serious fun during the summer (can't wait!).

Like some of you that follow me on Facebook have seen I've kept the freebies going (one SVG/DXF daily until Easter) and although I've been very quiet here on the blog the behind the scenes is all about Surtex (visit me at booth 664!) and putting together my portfolio for that. It's been fun and it's so hard not to show everything I have in store for the show. That's why it's been so hard to keep with the blog.

Speaking of flowers...
This new one, that is now in the shop (and in the queue at Silhouette), is based off of the freebie design that was posted yesterday. For those of you that got the freebie:
- Ignore the back image
- Cut out 6 flowers—2 each of 3 different sizes and deleting the circles towards the center of the flower (you may want to leave the circle in the very center to use with a brad).
- Overlap all the flowers from smallest to largest, making sure the petals don't overlap one another. This will give you the purple part of the flower.
- The center is simply made with 3 even smaller flowers, of the same design, but that have no cutouts.
That's it!

That's all for today because some seriously gorgeous spring weather beckons!
Happy Monday!

day off

2013-03-01T11:38:00.000-06:00

Some days are meant for just meant for playing and getting the mental cobwebs out. That's what today is for me. I'm working on sketches and ideas and as you can see I simply couldn't squeeze in a new project for the shop this week—but I'm ok with that. Quality vs quantity is my motto!

The photo is a simple prototype that I worked on in the last few days—playing with a new tool (it reminds me of a hydrangea). It's simple to make because it's just 12 cones cut out using the Martha Stewart Crafts Circle Edge Paper Punch—easy, easy! It would work really well as a gift topper for a larger gift because is bigger than you'd think (6" x 6" x 3"). Working with this tool has inspired me to make something really great next week. If it comes out like I'm imaging it, it will be SO pretty! We shall see.

Friday tibit

I only have one but it's worth it! If you are an artist interested in entering the licensing field you must run out and get Lilla Rogers new book: I Just Like to Make Things: Learn the Secrets to Making Money while Staying Passionate about your Art and Craft. I got it yesterday and finished it today. What a great read! It fueled me at a moment when I've been having some burn out with a bit of self-doubt (ugh!!) creeping in there too. I was so impressed with it that I felt compelled to email Lilla to thank her for the book—a la girl fan... lol! I probably won't hear from her but that's perfectly ok. I just really believe in spreading your 'thank yous' whenever you're inspired to do so.

Well that's all I have for this week! Off to enjoy some lunch with friends.
Be well and enjoy your weekend!

book review: past & present

2013-02-28T10:56:00.000-06:00

Combining history with creativity and modern projects is pure genius. That's what Past & Present: 24 Favorite Moments in Decorative Arts History and 24 Modern DIY Projects Inspired by Them is all about. The author Amy Azzarito, is the managing editor of Design*Sponge and creator of the popular "Past & Present" column. She teamed up with some of today's most well-known designers to create projects that not only have historic influence but are easy to make and will fit in with present day influences and design. Julia Rothman's illustrations bind everything together in a beautiful tone and feel—like a perfect bow.

Branch and Crystal Chandelier

I'll admit that I'm not one to really dig deep into the introduction paragraphs of a project in any craft book. In this case, I feel that it is something that simply cannot be skipped. If you do, not only are you missing the whole point of the book, you are choosing to ignore fascinating historical facts that you may otherwise never come across. The book is on my night stand and I can honestly say it's one of the very few times I've actually read (not skimmed) a DIY book.

Empire-Inspire Plate

Tassel Blanket

Make sure to watch the video to get a better insight into the flavor of the book and the author's thoughts.

Past & Present Book Trailer from STC Craft / Melanie Falick Books on Vimeo.

feeling spring

2013-02-23T11:07:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I was plagued by technical difficulties. It was just one of those days. But it's over now and I'm back on track—even if it is Saturday and I'm feeling a bit under the weather (this is also being done while sitting in bed and Mr. Z picks up my slack!).

This new Sprig Gift Card set is definitely inspired by the gorgeous weather that's been taking peaks at us on a few days recently (some days are still gray and gloomy). It's so beautiful to see that the trees are starting to bloom everywhere. I hope this will be a sight that will soon come to those of you still being hit by inches of snow—wow!

I made sure, as always, that you can use the design as is, but in this case I also wanted to leave plenty of space for you to personalize with stamped sentiments. I think a simple worded message would look really nicely with these designs. How about that #10 envelope? Yum. I don't know why I hadn't made one sooner. I don't know what it is about that top flap, but I just love it (only another stationery lover would get that, right?).

Don't forget that I'm still doing the daily freebies until Easter. Look at what a lot of you have downloaded already! I hope you've been enjoying them as much as I am making them.

Have a great weekend everyone!

inspiration: diy dollhouse

2013-02-21T07:48:00.001-06:00

I was flipping through the latest Martha Stewart Living magazine (full of great ideas as usual!) and this article caught my eye. It's a DIY dollhouse by Jennifer Rosenstrach for her daughters to play in. The house is made inside a cabinet and the walls are simple pieces of foam core. It's a storage and play space all in one. Genius!

I wish I would've either seen this or thought about it myself. Our daughter is very much into small figurines and dolls. She could use a neat place like this!

• • •

Look for more crafty inspiration or book reviews like this on Thursdays!

a mini-me?

2013-02-20T08:26:00.000-06:00

Our daughter inherited my old Cricut Expression and yesterday she simply had to have it all installed and ready to go in her room (we had the day off for parent/teacher conferences).

After a while of working in her room alone she came up to me with something behind her back. She told me to close my eyes. When I opened them my gazebo was inhabited by her two creations! She created little paper kickstands to make the people stand and she cut out double outfits so that the backs wouldn't be just their plain bodies (it's all in the details!). It makes me all smiles every time I look at it.

She's discovered sewing, she loves paper, she LOVES journals, notebooks and pads, she loves to color, she loves her dolls—all at random times and in spurts. She reminds me SO much of myself when I was her age, except for the fact that she has one artistic talent that I do not have—she has a good musical ear (which reminds me of my brother). She's taking clarinet lessons and doing really, really well. I took piano lessons at her age and let's just say it wasn't exactly a lot of fun. Lol.

She's my little renaissance sweetie! Love her.

it's a gazebo!

2013-02-15T01:11:00.002-06:00

Those of you that guessed gazebo on my Facebook and twitter post yesterday were totally right!

Every now and then I have an idea for a project that is a bit more involved than usual and it gives me a nice challenge to tackle. That was the case with this Gazebo—just as it was with the Nutcracker (although that project has more work involved than this new one does). Both projects take a bit more time and patience than usual but they aren't as complicated as they look.

My favorite part of the Gazebo: the "tiles". I love that I solved that issue without having to use individual pieces (even I don't have the patience for that!). Incidentally those tiles can be cut out using different colors/textures and it will give the piece a really unique look.

I see this project being used as part of centerpiece, on a cake with flowers all around it or as a garden party tea light decoration, just to name a few ideas. I've even think it could be a very unique way to give someone a tiny gift (instead of using a box or bag).

If you visit my Facebook page you've seen this First Communion Set. It's a good option for Easter too! This set just came together so nicely. It just flowed somehow—love when that happens.

• • •

Friday Tidbits
- Isn't Geninne's work always so amazing?
- Jun Mitani - amazing work! gorgeous.

- Creativity To Fill Your Heart - don't forget! You can download one image per day. For those of you that haven't heard of this get the details here.

Thank goodness for Fridays! Have a great weekend everyone!

creativity to fill your heart

2013-02-14T10:20:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting to add to my Single Images collection for a long time. I always get these random ideas of what to do but they don't really fit (or inspire me!) to make a collection/set around them. So I've decided to come up with this little plan. It's called Creativity to Fill Your Heart.

I will share the images first and then I get to upload some different type of images to my shop. We ALL get something out of it!

It is no coincidence that I start this on Valentine's Day. I think that we need to share with everyone today. It isn't just a day for couples. It's a day for everyone that we hold dearly in our hearts—including ourselves! I want to encourage you to really make something with these simple images and use them for fun cards, scrapbooking, etc that will brighten your day or someone else's day.

So here it is...

Creativity To Fill Your Heart
I believe that creativity truly does fill our hearts. We need it to step aside for a few minutes from our daily routines or to share a special moment with friends. It's also a way to remember how artistically carefree we were as children. It's great therapy!  

How this works
 - One freebie per day
 - It will be available for only 24hrs (after which it will go into my Single Images section and be available for $0.99)
 - They are for personal use only

What you need to do
 - Download the image  (go to my Freebie page)
- Make something, anything! 
- Have fun! 
- Like my Facebook page - that's where I'll be making the daily announcement of when the new image is posted.
- Optional: Post a photo of your project on my Facebook page and share your work with everyone
- Sign up for my weekly newsletter for updates on the shop and freebies (this week I'll be sending the newsletter today). Sign up here!
- I can't promise I'll get to them all but if you have any suggestions/request please post them in my Suggestion Box

So what do you think? I really hope you have fun and post your work on my Facebook page. I love seeing what you make!

CRICUT USERS:
My files will not work with your machines. Unfortunately Cricut does not allow the use of 3rd party files.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

XOXO

valentine's day (easy) treat boxes

2013-02-13T10:22:00.002-06:00

Here's a free printable for those of you running a bit behind and it's free!
All instructions and downloads available at the FedEx Out of the Office Blog. Go check it out!

I have a fun announcement for tomorrow which I think you'll like. See you then!

simple monday: crosses

2013-02-11T09:57:00.001-06:00

It's so fitting that I designed these crosses and was planning on posting them today.

I was thinking about ash Wednesday but now we wake up to some big news today.

Who will be the next pope?!

Happy Monday everyone!

our special day: feb 12th

2013-02-08T13:29:00.003-06:00

Everyone will be focusing on February 14th next week. I'll have my attention on the 12th. That's because 16 years ago on that day my sweet husband proposed to me—over the phone when I was in my dorm room in San Antonio, TX and he was in Colombia. Talk about going crazy after I hung up. I was so excited!

So... those of you that got my newsletter earlier today know that I'll be having a sale in the shop that will end on the 12th. You'll receive a 25% discount off your entire purchase when you order more than $20.

Code: vday
Expires: Feb 12th

I shot the photo above because I wanted to point out that sometimes you need to look at your scraps in a different way. They can be useful too!

The green frame is the leftover from the Flower Medallion that is included in the Flowers Party Set. Wouldn't it make a great base for a scrapbooking page? The flowers that are left over from the tea light cover and the medallion can also be used—toss them around a table top or stack them to make a pretty 3D flower.

Below is the new Frame and Matchbox Card set that I've also posted today. The center flower is my Cherry Blossom and the vase and purple flower are part of this week's freebie.

• • •

I feel like I've been a complete hermit the last few weeks so apologies for the lack of Friday Tidbits. I need to get out of my cave more! Thankfully Texas weather is just about perfect right now and the sun is just begging me to go out. I think I'm going to take the invitation seriously. Off for a walk...

Have a great weekend everyone!