I am so excited! I am a featured seller on the etsy blog and homepage. Click here to read the full article.

I am mentoring at the Maker Mentors conference next month!

When I was first asked to be a mentor for this event I was thrilled. But then fear and doubt started to settle in. Just between you and me I am currently looking for full time work for the first time in my 14 years as a freelance artist/illustrator. I thought, "who am I to tell someone else how to make it, when I'm possibly going back to a regular job?"  and then I nearly backed out of the event. 

I was thrilled to discover that my Happy House favor box kits were featured in the April/May 2015 of Mary Janes Farm Magazine in their Farmgirl Expression section!

Business News Daily featured me as part of their story on Etsy Business Success! Check out the full article here. 

Exciting news! Artist and Makers magazine featured me in an article about creativity and technology. Here are a couple scans from the article in their Winter 2015 issue.

Yoopa Parents Magazine September issue featured my popcorn stand printable kit in an article about outdoor movie parties for kids!

My friend Traci Bautista has a brand new book! It's titled Printmaking Unleashed: more than 50 techniques for expressive mark making and she's generously offered a copy to giveaway here on my blog! Thanks Traci! 

It's late summer and that means it's almost time for back to school here in the USA! 

How did that happen? The summer just flew by!

Here's a photo of me heading off to my first day of school when I was 7 years old. Other than seeing friends again, what I looked forward to most was a new back to school wardrobe and as you can see here from my socks-with-sandals look I was very fashion forward! ;) 

If you've got little ones ready to head back to school soon, I've got some quick and easy Back to School kits for you in my Etsy shop! They are perfect for teachers and let's not forget the tutors or bus drivers too!

it's a new school year!

get ready for back to school with these printable kits! 

It was such a treat to be interviewed by Melinda Yeaman on the Outlier on Air podcast. We had a great time chatting and covered all sorts of topics including one of my favorite topics - how to generate passive income as an artist or maker!

Click here to listen to the interview. Or subscribe on itunes or stitcher!

Can you believe it's nearly August? That means it's almost time for back to school! I thought I'd whip up a little freebie for you so I created a free printable apple cupcake topper kit - perfect for back to school or you can use them for fall parties and events too!

I remember the first car that I bought "completely brand new" - I was 26 years old and it was a 2000 New Beetle in BRIGHT yellow. I loved this car right from the first minute I drove it off the lot. 

It was so adorable, like driving around a little piece of sunshine! I even had a sunflower in the dashboard bud vase. 

 In 2008 when we moved to DC we sold my car and I actually cried when I said goodbye to it. My heart still flutters when I see a yellow Beetle drive by! 

And just for the record I do not approve of the new redesign of the Beetle. It's not as cute and girly anymore, don't you agree? 

new in the shop:

retro car cupcake and favor boxes!

easy to assemble:

watch the video tutorial!

blast from the past:

my first attempt at a 3D paper car was in 2008!

I was browsing my Flickr account the other day and stumbled across this photo taken in my studio in 2008 of my very first 3-D prototype - and guess what! it's a paper car! 6 years ago I had the idea, started it and then shelved it while I worked on other projects...now I am back full circle with finished paper cars! Love it when creative projects come back around like that!

 

I was so excited to see that my Retro Cassette tape printable kits were featured in Mollie Makes Handmade Weddings Magazine in a DIY 80's wedding round up on page 70! Yay! 

You can purchase your own retro cassette tape printable kit in my shop here and grab this issue of Mollie Makes here. 

My friend Beth Dryer Kingston invited me to join the "My Writing Process" blog tour! I've adjusted the questions to fit my creative process (as I'm not really a writer) and I've tagged three of my fabulously creative blogger friends - Kathy the Crafty Chica,  Ann Butler and Jenipher Lynn - as the next stops on this fun tour, be sure to check out their blogs next week to learn all about their writing & creative methods!

1) What am I working on? 
I'm currently working on a retro car cupcake box! It was a challenge to design it so that the lid would open to fit a cupcake in in, but after a week of template design, I got it all figured out. I'm currently at the photo editing stage and I should have it ready for my shop next week!

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre? 
My OCD comes in handy here giving me a nearly obsessive attention to detail :) I love color, whimsy (and polka dots too!) and through my work I try to convey a little happy escape from the every day world! 

3) Why do I create what I do? 
Ever since I can remember I have loved paper. I have clear memories when I was about 6 or 7 making paper dolls with my friend from down the street - cutting images out of catalogs and drawing new outfits for our dolls.... I also loved the Whitman Punch Out Books - you could make an entire little village just by punching out paper and adding a little tape or glue. It seemed like magic that something flat could become dimensional adorable and fun to play with too! 

Now 33 years later, I design printables for people to download, print and make and it still seems like magic! It is amazing to me that I can design and create something here in Washington DC, it can travel to it's new owner as digital pixels and binary bytes (sometimes as far as Dubai!), they print and cut it out, add a little tape and glue and then suddenly, they've got a cute little retro oven or ice cream truck just waiting to hold their cupcakes! 

4) How does my creation process work? 
I thought I'd share my creation process by sharing with you a specific kit that I made:

I have an exciting giveaway for you today! Beth Kingston over at the Aint She Crafty blog is offering a  surprise pack of Xyron goodies (valued at $100!!) to one of my blog readers - details on how to enter below.

And, if that's not exciting enough! I've got another giveaway for you! Visit Beth's blog and enter for a chance to win a spot in my Composition for Collage online class! Class starts June 19th - 4 weeks/$30/forever access - more info here!

I have exciting news! My Happy Houses printable kit is featured on the cover of Melanie Martinez debut album, Dollhouse! Here's a screen shot below, but you can get a closer look on itunes. And there's real cd's available here.

When I was first contacted by Atlantic Records, I had no idea who Melanie Martinez was (I hadn't seen her on season 3 of the Voice) but I quickly found out how much I liked her work and became and instant fan. Melanie styled and photographed the album cover herself, and I love how it all came together. It was a treat to collaborate with Melanie and have my work featured on her debut album!

Let your child's teacher know how much you appreciate all their work with a little something handmade by you. I've got some quick and easy kits for you in my Etsy shop that are perfect for graduation, year end parties and let's not forget the tutors or bus drivers too!

I've added a few books to my summer reading list that I'd like to share with you so let's have a GIVEAWAY!

My online class , Composition for Collage is back by popular demand! We last ran this class in 2012 and now it is updated and available for registration again! 

You are in for a treat with this class!! If you sign up we'll be spending 4 weeks together, from June 19th - July 7th -- you'll come away refreshed and loaded with new inspiration and ideas! Think of it as an arty summer camp for your creative soul!

This online class isn't just a blog with a password. It's Audio, Video, Slide Shows, Handouts, Message Boards and more. I will be there with you to guide you along and it will be a truly interactive experience - and here's the best part - I comment on EVERY SINGLE artwork that is posted in the gallery, so it's a great chance to get one on one feedback from me about your work!

• Welcome notes from Claudine in the classroom
• Colorful instructional handouts with step-by-step instructions for each lesson/project
• 20 sheets of high resolution printable collage pages created from Claudine's favorite images -- all to use in our composition exercises (a $100 value!!)
• Instructional videos
• Powerpoint slideshows with Claudine's audio instruction
• Reminder emails when the classroom is updated with new materials
• Weekly emails offering inspiration, images from other artists and discussion about what we are working on that week
• Private posting gallery to share your work and view the work of your classmates and Claudine
• Email access to Claudine and lots of "Claudine" time 
• Message board to share your thoughts with your classmates 
• Feedback directly from Claudine on artwork posted in the classroom gallery
• and more!!

• Is this class open to International students? - YES! That's what is so great about online classes no matter where you are you can take it!
• Do I have to buy all Claudine Hellmuth Studio products to take the class? No you don't. Actually there is NO SUPPLY LIST. I repeat. NO SUPPLY LIST. Work with what you have and use the downloads I provide. yay!
• Do I have to be "present" each day to take the class? no you don't! you can follow along as the class progresses, or check in periodically and download the directions, watch the videos at your leisure! it is *best* if you can follow along with the class as I'll be able to comment on your work and help you, but if you are out of town, don't worry, you won't miss out on any details!
• When does the class start? June 19th
• How much is the class? $30 for 4 weeks of instruction! That's only $1 a day!
• Where is the supply list? Actually there is NO SUPPLY LIST. Work with what you have and use the collage downloads I provide. Easy!!
• How long does the class stay active for those who registered? Students will have "forever access" to the class materials, which means that class will end July 7th (so there will no longer be teacher interaction), but students can go back at any point in time (as long as BPC exists) and access the class materials, gallery and message board! WOW!
• I am just starting making art/collage: that's great! You'll get a jump just by learning these composition techniques and it will save you a lot of headaches.
•  Will it be fun? Composition sounds like math? Of COURSE it will be FUN!! I like to have fun. I promise  we'll be learning and laughing!! Let me tell you one thing this class WON'T be is intimidating. I make sure it's a considerate and supportive environment to post your work. You will be getting supportive and encouraging but useful feedback that you can use right away. NO harsh critiques. 
• Will it work on my ipad? Yes! you can lie on the couch and watch all the videos right on your ipad! 
• I took this class in 2012, is this one the same? Yes it is the same class, but all the live interactions with me are live and fresh and new with new questions, new answers and new chats etc.

Silhouette has come out with a new and much improved update to the Version 3 software that was released a couple weeks ago. 

Whew! I am so glad! I

 use my cutting machine to print and cut my printable kits so I am mainly concerned with how that process works and this update is so much better. 

It opens my SVG files correctly, handles layers better (still some tweaks needed but this is a big improvement), they also brought back the cut/no cut settings. It's generally more user friendly for print and cut. Yippee! 

So today I filmed a little video tutorial how to set up SVG files properly to print and cut in Silhouette V3 newest update! Watch the video below or click here to watch on youtube! 

I got an email from Karen of the Elderberry Street blog, with link to her blog and when I clicked over I saw the AMAZING chocolate themed party that she created for a women's retreat all themed around my Sweet Shoppe cupcake box kit!

I was thrilled to be interviewed a few months ago by Kristen Fischer for an article in The January 2014 issue of Professional Artists Magazine! I can only show a little sneak peek but you can purchase this issue as a digital copy here.

Silhouette just released a new version of their software, Silhouette Studio Version 3, I'm using the Designer Edition.

There's quite a bit of internet buzz about it so I am sure more changes are coming as they get feedback from everyone who uses it. 

I downloaded the software today tested it out, and filmed a quick SVG print and cut tutorial. Right now I prefer the Version 2 software to this one, but I am hoping there will be some new updates soon to correct some of the bugs. I made sure to keep Version 2 on my computer and I recommend doing that if you can, or just waiting to download the update until they make any additional changes.

If you have already updated, or just want to see what it looks like, here's a quick little video that I filmed for you:

How about a freebie! I've created a bunny ears printable that you can download and make. Perfect for Easter or maybe just because you wish spring were here already -  after this crazy winter, I can't wait for the spring weather!!

I've got a few little happy and whimsical spring kits in my etsy shop to share with you! 

1) Just add a few Easter eggs and jelly beans to my Sweet Treat train and you have an adorable Easter/spring centerpiece! Once Easter is over you can use your Sweet Treat Train for birthday parties by adding cupcakes to the cargo cars!

2) My printable Church favor box goes perfectly with the Happy Houses kit so you can make an Easter village for your mantle! You can also use this little church for weddings or baptism parties too!

3) These little Happy House favor boxes can hold candy, favors and gift cards!

4) I created these little whimsical paper bird ornaments to be used as centerpiece decorations for Spring parties, but then while I was working on them I thought they could also be used for Weddings (how cute as a cake topper!), Baby showers (use the pink and blue for a gender reveal party!) or just to add a little whimsy to your home!

Our cat Brian, seems to think that these little birdies also make great cat toys! Here's an Instagram I took of him "helping" during my photo shoot. He decided he really loved these birds and wanted one to play with. I finally gave in and let him have one (after the photo shoot of course!) Follow me on instagram, I'm claudinehellmuth over there :)

I'm excited to be a part of the Paper Love Blog hop!