Happy Tuesday! :)

Today is your last chance to enter my Big Giveaway, info here :) Tomorrow I'll draw a winner!

ps. If you're waiting on a reply, I'm definitely catching up on my Freckled Nest emails tomorrow ...as I sip a Coke, listening to my new Tegan and Sara cd on repeat (number 1, 3 and 9 are my favorite songs) and bat my eyes at Keith ;)

Style School Details [Registration Open!]

Style School Registration is open, yaaay! :) You can purchase a spot here or using the "Buy Now" paypal button at the top of my left sidebar :] XO :)

Hi everyone! Elsie and I are really excited to share with you all the little details about our upcoming online class called Style School. Registration will begin tomorrow/Monday evening at 6 PM CST. Check back here at that time to get signed up! There will be an option to purchase a class spot via paypal and also through the Red Velvet online store.

first, here are a couple of peeks at a few of Elsie's projects!

and three of my projects...

This is a 6 week class by Elsie Flannigan and Leigh-Ann Keffer. We are teaching this class together. Rachel Denbow is also contributing 3 projects to this class! :)

There are also 10 style feature guest bloggers in who are featured throughout the class. They share style secrets and give interviews full of personal style tips! Some of our very favorite bloggers and designers are featured! take a look...

The class will begin January 10th and run for six weeks (the private blog stays up for one year so you can look back and take it at your own pace). There are a total of 30 projects in the class that focus on style in the following areas; Art/Craft, Wardrobe, Home Decor and Life.

There is also a Style File binder project that begins as soon as you register (it's the most fun 'homework' ever) and lasts throughout the entire class. It's full of fun assignments to help discover and develop your unique personal style!

This class is hosted on a private blog and includes downloadable PDFs for all projects that require patterns and all printable worksheets for the style file. We will host 3 live chats on the private blog as well as a live video chat with Elsie and one with Leigh-Ann!

Class fee is $60 US (equivalent to $2 per project!).

Please Note:

-When you sign up for the class you will receive login information for the private blog within 24 hours. There is already Style File Homework waiting for you there as well as a chat space for classmates to get to know each other! Plus, earlybird students receive an exclusive bonus project by pdf through email!

-This is not a kit. You will receive supply lists before the class begins. Class supplies are inexpensive, many of which you probably already own! :)

-We have a limited number of spots. We will be keeping the class small enough to communicate with each student and create a warm and personal atmosphere.

-The sample projects that you see in these blog posts and in our ads are the only photos we will be posting to the public from the class. We keep the class projects and photos exclusive!

Style School Project List
Teacher Legend: Elsie - Leigh-Ann - Rachel

Throughout the Class:
- 10 Style Features from Katie, Drew, Emma, Kaylah, Rachel, James, Mandi, Jill, Danielle, Holly
- Weekly peeks at Elsie and Leigh-Ann's personal Style File Books!
- 3 Live chats,1 video chat with Elsie and 1 video chat with Leigh-Ann.
- Surprise Inspiration Bonus Posts!
- A warm community feel in the "Classroom".

Before Class Starts:
Part One: Begin Style File: a 6 week inspiration binder to develop your personal style. You'll get everything you need to get started as soon as you register.
Secret EarlyBird Bonus PDF: a bonus project by Leigh-Ann!


Week 1: Jan 10 - 16
Part Two. Style File: A 6 week inspiration binder to develop your personal style

1. Faux Vintage Brooch Wreath: Create the look and feel of a vintage enamel broach with everyday crafting supplies. I'll teach you to make these into an adorable all-season wreath and a brooch!

2. DIY Photo Wall Art: Wall art with your favorite photos using simple DIY techniques for something truly personal and artistic... bonus photo editing tips and tricks from Elsie are included.

3. Studio Toolbelt Apron: Sew this fun and easy apron to carry your tools and favorite supplies around your waist as you create.

4. Fabric Pom-Pom Necklace: A pretty necklace made out of unexpected textiles and a fresh technique you'll use over and over again.

5. Colored Pencil Sketchbook: Create a reusable fabric cover for your favorite sketchbook with slots on the outside for your colored pencils, pens and markers!

Week 2: Jan 17 - 23
6. Decorative Studio Inspiration Board: Make the best use of your space (small or large) by gathering inspiration on this adorable portable display.

7. Leigh-Ann's Clock Makeover: Restyle a clock to fit your space and give time new meaning!

8. Cosmetic & Hair Travel Kit with Personal Tips from Elsie: The cutest travel bag you've ever seen plus Elsie's little style secrets and a bonus Q&A session!

9. Pet Button Collar & Leash: Your little best friend wants to get stylish too! Create a special collar and matching leash embellished with buttons to give your cat or dog a makeover that will impress everyone!

10. Favorite Quote Pillow: It can be inspiring or hilarious... a decorative pillow that expresses your style.

Week 3: Jan 24 - 30
11. Wardrobe Accessory Remix: Cute embellished panties, Mad Men inspired earrings, warm & wearable legwarmers and a vintage button necklace and bracelet.

12. Handcarved Stamp Set & Personalized Stationary: With these cute handcarved stamps and exclusive pattern, you can make stationary & cute tags for your handmade gifts.

13. Restyled Houseware & Accessory: Give vintage items a new life with new upcycling techniques.

14. ACEO Cards with a Collectors Pocket: Make mini art using new techniques, unique supplies and bonus patterns... plus a drawstring pouch made for your growing ACEO collection.

15. Woodland Yarn Flower Arrangement: Brighten up your workspace or create a cute centerpiece for your kitchen table with this textile floral arrangement inspired by nature.

Week 4: Jan 31 - Feb 6
16. Wooden People Family with Accessories: Create a little family that looks just like yours and display it your home or on top of a cake!

17. Rachel's Ruby-Red Display: Start a Valentine's Day tradition for the whole family with these three cool techniques for DIY Home Decor.

18. Gift Card MiniAlbum: Track your shopping trends, finds and personal style in this fun and tiny mini album made of gift cards & your favorite packaging and photos.

19. 5 Cute Car Accessories: Give your car interior an adorable and functional makeover with 5 Handmade Accessories.

20. Upcycled Embroidered Camera Bag: Tips for shopping for a great vintage bag and reworking it to fit your own little camera setup.

Week 5: Feb 7 - 13
21. Floral Photo Garland: Photo garland with 4 tips and tricks for textile flowers. you'll create an adorable clothsline garland to keep your space fresh!

22. Textured Waistbelt Obi & Accessory Pouch: Give fabric belts a hip new life with this cool accessory that adds a lot of style to a plain outfit.

23. Chic Poetry Lamp:
Choose your favorite song lyrics or poem to create a beautiful lamp for your home or office.

24. Decorative Coffee Table Art Journal: Make a pretty art journal with extra space for friends and family to add signatures, stories and drawings.

25. 3 Vintage Hairbands: Create 3 pretty hairbands that suit your style and enhance your wardrobe using mens neckties and buttons!

Week 6: Feb 14 - 20
26. Pretty Bear Apron: A Panda or a Teddy Bear? Make this quirky apron to suit your style with colors that you love.

27. Rachel's Restyled Chair: Rachel will teach you step by step how to chose and modernize a Mid Century chair to suit your home and style.

28. Magical Hanging Mobile:
Mobiles aren't just for cribs, they can be super-stylish & mature and complete a room from top to bottom.

29. Stitched Cardigan & Scarf: Whether you're a cute mom or a head of the glee club, everyone loves a pretty cardigan...bonus floral embroidery pattern!

30. Style School Thesis: Your final project will be a decorative shadow box of your personal style at a glance. This piece will serve as a daily reminder of the style that you have worked hard to discover & develop in our six week class!

Here are a few quotes from previous students...

"This class was life changing for me. The inspiration that I was given helped me produce so many amazing works of art. I was crafting during ALL of my spare time and it was amazing!! Thank you so much for the opportunity!" -Janel

"You will regret not taking this class. It is an amazing opportunity to get a closer look into a different world that you love so much" -Mariania

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at my rva email (LA@redvelvetart.com). We're soooo excited, this class is going to be amazing :) Love Leigh-Ann

Style School Sneak Peak

Here's a little sneak of one of the three headbands I'll be teaching in Style School (3 headbands in 1 project post!). I'm soooo in love with my Tie Headband; it feels amazing to wear something you've made especially for yourself!! I've loved mens ties ever since I was a little girl and I'm really excited to teach you a fun way to make them into something girly and stylish! Eeeek!



Tonight... more Style School pretty-peaks from me and Elsie & the details you've been waiting for! Style School Sign-Ups start TOMORROW :)

XO!!! Leigh-Ann

(Color my Sunday below)

Color my Sunday, Week3

Beautiful Vintage Colors...










Happy Sunday!
XO, Leigh-Ann :)

Style School & Photos Tips

Aren't they pretty!! Style School will feature these 10 Online Style Icons and I'm so excited--- Style Tips, Juicy Pictures & Style Secrets! Plus-- peak at Elsie's Style File at the end of this post, the first of many Style School previews you'll see this weekend!

Tips for Finding the Light in your Own Photos
As promised, today I'm sharing easy tips for Finding the Light in your own photos that will make a big impact! To begin, turn off your cameras flash... we're going to use other sources of light in all of these steps... unless you're a flash professional, using the flash washes everything out and spoils most photos! I promise, you'll like your photos way better without it :)

1. Go Outside: the natural light does amazing things! I like it when it's bright and happy, but the suns not shining directly on the "set".


2. Go by a Window: Jill and I were right in front of the window (daylight was at it's peak but the sun wasn't shining in) and our skin looked AMAZING! The light washes away imperfections and even made me feel skinnyer ;)


3. Macro: When it's a close-up photo and you have great light, turn on the "Macro" feature on your point and shoot. And get close-up rather than using zoom...the detail feels stronger :)


4. At Night, Use Lamps: If you're indoors and there's no outdoor light, set up a few lamps around you. It's way better than using a flash and will create a warm feel in the photos, rather than a lightening storm in the center.


5. Product Photos: Lay down a piece of fabric (preferably ironed) and take the photo from directly above or at a nice angle... look at products in magazines for good angle ideas :)


6. Edit your Photos: Photos come to LIFE with a little bit of editing! If photoshop isn't your tea, try Picnic through Flickr. It's $25 a year and is super easy to use... I love it and use it often when I'm not in the mood to do 'steps' in Photoshop :) Look how the photo became edgy after I tweaked it up a bit in Picnic :) Everyone can pull this off!


Style File...

Check out Elsie's blog to see more of the Style File (it's one of my fave Style School projects)!

Back to work! It's my twin nieces 3rd Birthday tomorrow and I'm making them Pink Toothfairy Pillows and by their request, giving them "Tiny 'prize Racecars" = Surprise Micro Machine Toycars! They're soooo cute, I can't wait for the party tomorrow!

Have a great Friday!
Love Leigh-Ann

Sponsor Feature & 12 Giveaways

I love making and receiving handmade gifts... they're extra special and so exciting!! So this month, I've asked my Sponsors to share about their favorite handmade Christmas gift they've received or given and each Sponsor has also generously contributed to a big giveaway here on Freckled Nest!

To enter the big giveaway, leave an encouraging comment on each sponsors blog, then write your name and email address in the comments of this post and we will draw one person who wins everything! ps. We'll confirm that the winner has left a comment on every blog below ;)

Jari's Shop & Blog

"The best handmade Christmas gift I've ever received was this cuuutie bag that my grandma made me for my knitting supplies... last year! I had told her that I'd been wanting to learn to knit - and she remembered and made this bag to hold my yarn by my chair. I JUST figured out how to knit in the past few weeks, and it really meant a lot to have this bag next to me = she believed in me! yays!"

Giveaway... 6 Braid Eggplant Jersey Knit Scarf

Amy's Shop & Blog

"Every year I give my family a little cardboard glittered house that I've modeled after those sold in the dime stores after the war. My grandmother, Nelly Marlene, used to decorate under the tree with these houses so it is a nice reminder of Christmases past. My parents and aunts and uncles now have little villages that make them think of childhood!"

Giveaway... Handmade Stocking, 6pack of vintage Christmas Party Invitations and a 1967 Cookies & Candies Cookbook




Rachel's Shop & Blog

"My favorite handmade gift was not a Christmas gift but it was handmade none-the-less, by my mother when she was pregnant with me. It hung in my room growing up...I don't ever remember a time when it wasn't hanging on my wall. Just this past year she passed on this beauty so I could hang it in my own home. I had this gorgeous piece of arts professionally framed so it would be preserved forever."

Giveaway... "This Little Pig" made from thrifted gloves and vintage notions



Kyla's Shop & Blog

"This wreath was a handmade Christmas gift for my mom. At this point of time in the year we were having a lot of trouble with our dog jersey and this was a nice distraction from it all. This year as we put it up it was a nice reminder of how much better everything seems and how we get to see her a little bit longer :) Plus it's one of the cutest Christmas decorations ever!! If you have the time to set aside and create one for yourself it's absolutely worth it!"

Giveaway... "Love Each Day" Post Card 10 Pack!




Jill's Shop & Blog & Website

"Every year I gift my mom with vintage things I know she'll love. Last year I gave her 2 cameras from my collection to add to hers. Another year she received a robins egg blue desk fan that I saved for 5 months to gift to her. She's also received a pink rotary phone, a pillow I made of of a cute embroidered tea towel, a seaside oil painting, and a collection of milk glass vases. I know she'll really appreciate it, so I make the wrapping something special. Her favorite wrap is thrifted vintage wallpaper. At studiolune.com, if you let us know your purchase is a holiday gift, we'll wrap your purchase in vintage wallpaper too! When you give a thoughtful vintage or handmade gift, you make a special connection with the people you love where in they know you were truly thinking of them."

Giveaway... $10 Holiday Gift Certificate for Studio Lune




Michelle's Shop & Blog

"My favorite handmade Christmas gift was a purple-and-white handmade quilt that my mom made for me when I was 8 or so - it was very appropriate for my new-room-having young self, and it was loving cut, sewn, quilted, and even hand-tied/finished! I carried it around with me for years and years - in fact, it still sits in my linen closet, loved but literally falling apart at the seams because I wore it out so much over the years!"

Giveaway... "The Anxious Woodsman" a set of 8 Illustrated Paper Tags from Bubbly Shnooks

Marcy's Shop & Blog

"My favorite handmade Christmas gift was a gratitude journal I made my sister last year. Everyone needs a little reminder now and then about what makes them special!"

Giveaway... Mini Composition Book and Paper Flowers

Diana's Shop & Blog

"About 10 years ago, my friend got me a matted 8x10 from a project in her photography class. She not only took the photo herself, but developed the photo as well. That photo has been looked at everyday, and it reminds me of how photography can really change a person’s home."

Giveaway... Set of 10 Library Themed Christmas Cards




Megan's Blog

"So in this story take Graduation and insert Christmas to make it holiday spirited :) I am the artist/crafter in the family, and when my graduation was near, I was wondering about the traditional graduation scrapbook for the senior. I usually take care of making the scrapbooks, but it was kinda weird to scrapbook about myself [I'm getting better at it now]. It was to my great surprise and delight when my mom presented my graduation scrapbook, made by her. It was so special that she tried her hardest to make it [she is not as crafty as her daughter :) ] and it filled my heart with love. I look at that scrapbook almost weekly and I can still feel her love in every page. Handmade gifts given to me, as a crafter, are the greatest gifts I could ever get. I can see and feel the love put into it and that is what makes it so special.

Giveaway... Crocheted Scarf with Vintage Buttons & Mini Safety Pins




Haley's Shop & Blog

"Well, the most *important* handmade Christmas gift I've ever given has to be the set of hand-drawn greeting cards and stationery that I gave my now Mother-in-Law.. I had so much fun designing them that I decided to start up a stationery business! The birth of Bread of Many!"

Giveaway... 3 "Scott's Narwhal" Greeting Cards




Hannah's Shop & Blog

"I *love* handmade Christmas gifts, both giving and receiving them! Last year, I got the bestest gift ever... My mom had been out of town for month's taking care of my grandmother (who I was *very* close to). While she was gone, she hand-stitched her very first quilt out of special old clothes of mine, my dad's and her's (even some old maternity clothes!). Then, when she couldn't come home for Christmas, she sent it with my dad for me to open on Christmas morning. Making things by hand means that you can make them extra special!"

Giveaway... Ozzy the Owl & 2 mini doodle books




Jaelynn's Shop & Blog

"Handmade presents always seem to hold a special place in my heart. Its so much more personal! Every year during the holiday season, I make it a point to crochet as many beanies, scarves, etc to give to the people around me. There is always a need for them, so why not make it something special- right?! One of my favorite handmade gifts I have received was an amazing necklace my mom made for me. She knew how much I love Beethoven (A LOT) and surprised me with this awesome piece! I love it so much and it is one of my most prized necklaces!

Giveaway... I spend countless hours every week reading the many blogs I follow, and I know I'm not the only one! So, to share the love i'm giving away an AWESOME vintage mug with a great floral design on it and a variety pack of TAZO brand tea! So now, you too can enjoy a great cup of tea as you read all of your favorite blogs!

Decembers a great month for online advertising, it's the top shopping month of the year!
If you'd like to be a sponsor in December, please email FreckledNest@gmail.com to reserve your spot :)

Good luck everyone and a huge thank you to my sponsors, supporters and readers!! xoxo!
Love Leigh-Ann :)

ps. Style School Update: We'll start selling the class on Monday with sneak peeks starting tomorrow! Thanks for such a great response about the online class, we're so excited!!

Hahahamburger

I love silly inspiration trends like this... lately I've seen Hamburgers in fashion, technology, craft, pets, food and home! Get giggly and inspired to try thinking of a new inspiration for yourself, even if it's just for fun :)

[ Crochet Hamburger ]



[ hamburger cake ]




I'm on my way out now for a fun evening field trip, supply shopping, picking a paint color for my guestroom, thrifting and craving a hamburger all of a sudden ;) Have a good night! xoxoxox