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Produced By Jennifer Cushman •
Photography by Borella & Company
 ARTIST’S PROFILE
Twice a year, artist Debbie Crouse meets up with her
sister and three friends for a girls’ getaway filled with food, shopping, and
crafts. “Before the gathering, I make each woman a scrapbooking kit she can
embellish with personal mementos as the weekend unfolds.” Head designer for
7gypsies, Debbie helped the paper arts company develop a line called 97%
Complete. She also contributed to Autumn Leaves’ Designing With… series.
Bits & Pieces
(a) To commemorate a crafty weekend spent with her
sister and friends, mixed-media artist Debbie Crouse used a plain portfolio as a
basis for a scrapbooking kit. (b) Debbie loves mixing vintage objects
with new products and technology. She added texture by printing a quote directly
onto fabric from her inkjet printer and glued it to a 1950s bingo card. (c) An old shipping tag gets inked edges and a “kindred spirits” rub-on. source
Thermo-Bond Web, 3M, 3m.com.
Pocketful of Joy
(d) An oversized portfolio provides a perfect canvas for
sewing a large inside pocket to hold memorabilia related to the girls’ retreat.
Tags with travel information and weekend itinerary, a gift card, and inside
jokes are tucked together with vintage ephemera to create a collage look.
Patterned paper, library pocket, metal index tabs, fabric reinforcers, binder
clip, glassine envelope, and a quote sticker (all new) seamlessly mix and match
with vintage receipts, labels, and ribbon. source Paper, 7Gypsies, www.sevengypsies.com.
Smorgasbord of Fun
(e) Enjoying good food and sampling new restaurants
is a huge part of the weekend, so Debbie gave this year’s invitation a menu-like
look. More tag-filled pockets provide all the “who, what, where, and when”
details. source Flash cards, 7Gypsies, www.sevengypsies.com.
DEBBIE’S TOP TIPS
1. Surround yourself with things you love.
2. Try open-ended
products that you can use in a myriad of creative ways.
3. Spend time with
people who inspire you.
4. Make all your artwork and expression meaningful
to you.
 Stumble It!
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