Terri Conrad Designs

Inspired and oh so TIRED!

Hello out there -

Summer is here, my girls have already attended VBS, and now my eldest is attending GATE camp thru next week, and they're off playing with friends.  I however, have been inside working oh so hard, for what seems like forevuh . . .Want to peek at my two newest collections?  Do ya?

I've created Reflections of Nature and Inspired especially for Webster's Pages to bring more of my yummy paper crafting product to you. 

In coming months you will be seeing more and more of  Terri Conrad Designs in gift and home decor stores thanks to my fabulous new agents at Courtney Davis Inc.  We've partnered with a wonderful company to bring a beautiful collection of gift and wall decor to the market at the Atlanta gift show in January. 

While I absolutely love what I do for work, I find I am rather depleted once the design phase has passed and deadlines are met. . .it is then that I am in need of renewed inspiration and a good filling up of my tea cup.  In talking with my bestest buddy, I realized it is in connecting with others, personally, professionally, on line, and in person that I get filled up, and inspired.  How do you get inspired?

My friend, Audrey Pettit tagged me with some fun questions to answer, which I will below.  I in turn am to tag other friends.  Rather than tag the usual suspects, I am selecting some favorite blogs I visit and am always inspired when their pretty pages pop up on my screen.

Here's my Q&A:

And the INSPIRED blogs and sites I'm tagging - and you need to get your sweet self over to when in the need for a satisfying ahhhhhhhh -

1.  Carolyn Peeler

2.  Melissa Phillips

3.  SallyJean

4.  Sadie Olive

5.  One Woman's Cottage Life

I have a little give away for you!  Post this picture on your blog, invite your readers to play along at Terri Conrad Designs' Inspired blog candy and, leave your post here sharing your creative inspiration

One INSPIRED reader will receive a complete collection of my Pink Lemonade, Sweet Charity and Rasberry Truffle paper products. Please post by July 7th.

May miracles shine on your garden today.

xoxo

Terri

Summer's in Full Bloom

Hi all,

Oh my, what a whirlwind the past few weeks have been . . .end of school activities for my girls, non-stop fun in the sun and a visit into Hollywood to see Wicked just last night.  Totally wicked it was. WOW! 

I've been creating, creating, creating, my two new collections for Webster's Pages (scheduled for release next month), and with some other licensees on product scheduled to hit the marketplace in January.  Oh, if you're a paper lover - you're gonna love my new little pretties.  No sneak peeks just yet.  Sorry!  Just a little tease :O)  I must say we are all very excited and inspired by all the possibilities. 

We're doing a little bit of reorganizing here at Terri Conrad Designs as a result of our recent growth spurt.  As such I want to share with you a few goodies I've personally put together to inspire your creativity.

This Rasberry Truffle Creativity Kit has all the necessary elements to make you ooh and ahh with all its possibilities: pretty paper, a hand painted picture frame (but who says a picture has to go in it - create a collage with the little birdie die cut), ephemera . . .just add your imagination!

Click Here to Buy Now!

I've also put together Creativity Kits with hand painted bead board (who would'a thunk!), of course my pretty papers, and lots of goodies . . .Click Here to Buy this one below

I had such fun putting these together and I am certain that the creative hands these land in will make their magic happen.  You must show me tho once you're finished expressing your creativity.

I'll have more to share with you as well as a give away (I PROMISE!) in the next few days.

In the meantime - I hope you're all well and enjoying your summer.  We certainly are.  Here is some of today's fun in the sun

Girls just wanna have fun! Jess and Katelyn with their friends.

It's good to have friends.

Oh, and so does this one . . . that's Shayna.  It's already hit triple digees here in L.A.

At least I don't have to walk around with a fur coat on all day -

Hugs

Terri

Create, Cultivate & Communicate with Terri Conrad

Create, Cultivate & Communicate . . .

It's been nearly one year since I started my blog! After meeting so many wonderful people at the July CHA show looking for my paper crafting product that I design for Webster's Pages, I yearned for a place to create, cultivate & communicate with each of you, and to give you the opportunity to do so with me.  .  . thus, a blog was born.  To date this has been our only source of connection.  But guess what,  Webster's Pages has just created  InspireME, a brand new social network, with a forum and gallery.  It's goal is to provide you a place to share your projects designed with Webster's Pages products.  There you will find design challenges, product give aways and a lot of inspiration. Please visit  InspireME, and while you're there,  be sure to take a moment to sign your sweet self up (it's free!) and to upload your designs. How I love seeing how you interpret my work.  You always amaze and delight me!

While Webster's Pages features Terri Conrad Designs, you can also warm your heart and home with my tumbled stone coasters from Highland Graphics (OMG! they're sooo pretty), as well as select gift and decor like this

gorgeous Vintage Home keepsake photo frame I designed - available only at Terri Conrad Designs. 

In the coming weeks and months I will be able to share with you about the many new partnerships forming with my company and the beautiful products to be manufactured with Terri Conrad Designs.

In the meantime, create something pretty, cultivate a new interest, and communicate with someone you care about!

BIG hugs,

Terri

 

 

Learning is a Treasue (by Terri Conrad)

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.  Chinese Proverb

It's teacher appreciation week at my daughters' school.  I truly appreciate the art of teaching - and have always had a love for learning.  My insatiable curiosity has been inherited by my two girls, along with a few other "qualities" such as ADD (attention to dreams & desires don't u know!) and a propensity toward OCD tendencies. 

My first born, Jessica, is twice gifted (which really means she has lots of qualities that take shelter under one umbrella) as well as sensory integration disorder.  Along with her little sis, she is highly creative, and I am sure will follow in the footsteps of those who come before her . . .Amelia Earhart, Georgia O'Keefe, or Albert E. to name a few.

Her teachers have been so attuned to her, have connected with her and have seen her unique blend of qualities as an asset to class - and indeed they are.  As a complex thinker, she raises the bar for learning and her teachers have held that bar with stability and grace.  For that I am deeply grateful.

I have strong opinions about our (antiquated) western public academic system - alas I won't stand upon my soap box except to say that, with all the limitations teachers are faced with, they do a darn dandy job educating our little kiddos.  Merci, merci, merci! 

Have you hugged your kids' teachers today?

And talk about learning something new . . . Webster's Pages has created a brand new social network, inspireME where you can go and learn about all the brilliantly creative ways to use my Webster's Pages' product, cultivate new friendships, and  win cool stuff - all Terri Conrad Designs' paper crafting product.  Oh the eye candy - positively delish!  You can read about our new devine design team too.

Turn your eyes to the left and right columns of my blog for new blinkies you may add to your blogs.

I just received some artist's samples and I'm thinkin' it's time for another give away!  Come visit again in the next couple days for all the details :o)

as always, may miracles sprinkle upon your garden today

Terri

 

 

 

Terri Conrad Designs' call to action in oppostion of the - "Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008"

Are you an artist, or creator of original works?  If so, protect your work by taking action

 

CHA MEMBERSHIP CALL TO ACTION

 

Any and all artists please take notice and more importantly, please

TAKE ACTION

 

In April of 2008 a Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill known as the Orphan Works Act.  Orphan Works are works whose rightful copyright owner cannot be identified. The Orphan Works Act of 2008 does the following:

 

1. It changes the 1976 U.S. Copyright Act, and makes it virtually impossible for artists to protect their work.  It allows anyone to use a design without the copyright holder's permission.
2. It requires artists to attempt to protect their work by registering it with a digital database system (presumably for a fee, in addition to the copyright filing fee) when no such system currently exists.
3. It eliminates statutory damages wherever an infringer can successfully claim an Orphan Works defense, thus eliminating the only tool the law provides to prevent deliberate infringement.
4. It allows for an infringer to create and copyright a derivative work from the original design.
5. It leaves infringing works (and products incorporating them) subject to seizure in other countries.

Since the legislation was introduced the Craft & Hobby Association along with the Graphic Artists Guild and George Little Management, hired lobbyist Megan Gray to work on their behalf.  She has spent an inordinate amount of time writing to diverse industry associations in the plethora of visual art enterprises to alert them to the legislation and to invite them to help fund this expensive lobbying endeavor.  She has also held in-person meetings with the Copyright Office multiple times, with Senate offices on the key Judiciary Committee, House of Representative offices on the key Judiciary Committee and with more than 10 additional Hill offices that will play important roles as the legislation moves through to enactment.  In addition Ms. Gray has met with Senators, has scheduled meetings with Representatives, has met with stakeholders on all sides of this issue, compiled state-specific handouts on the importance of the visual arts industries, visited trade shows, published articles, given presentations and worked with bar associations to draft appropriate resolutions regarding "orphan works."  

 

The Orphan Works Act will have a devastating effect on the craft and hobby industry especially artists, manufacturers and the entire art licensing community.  This bill will nullify exclusive rights to artwork, which will be detrimental for everyone involved in creating art and manufacturing products featuring art.  The bill does not even contain a "notice of use" provision, which means that copyright owners can do nothing to prevent their works from being commercially exploited as supposed "orphans". 

 

The bill is now on its way to the Senate floor for a vote by the full Senate.  CHA urges its members to take action!  Write to your senators, asking them to halt all progress on the bill until it is amended and ask them to vote against the bill if it is NOT amended to protect visual artists and to include, at a minimum, a publicly accessible "notice of use" filing.  Letters to senators should include in the first paragraph information regarding the writer (especially noting if he is a constituent), the name of the bill ("The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008" S. 2913), and the writer's position, particularly as to the "notice of use" provision.

 

The link below can help you get started.  Click on the link for a sample letter to use.  You may also personalize your own letter.  Just by taking a few minutes of your time, a letter will automatically be emailed to the US Senate.  We recommend you also print out the letter and mail it.

 

Take action by clicking here

 

In addition, as of mid-May 2008, the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet has approved an "orphan works" bill that is an improvement over past bills and which contains a "notice of use" provision.  However, this "notice of use" is not publicly accessible for review by copyright owners.  Even in its hidden role, many stakeholders are fighting to strip this provision to the bill.  The visual art groups are, of course, fighting to keep it in and to make it an open archive.  The next step in the process is unclear, as the bill's sponsors have indicated that they will be working to address a variety of provisions.  At some future point, it is expected that the bill will be presented to the House Committee on the Judiciary for a vote, perhaps in amended form.  Once it is more apparent what the Judiciary Committee will be presented with, the Craft & Hobby Association will alert its members and recommend action as may be appropriate.  In the meantime, Megan Gray will continue her extensive efforts to influence the legislation.

 

Thank you for taking the time!  Together we can make a difference.

 

 

More Information:

 

List of Senators and District Office addresses:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

 

Orphan Works Opposition Headquarters

http://www.owoh.org/

Questions?

Contact Keri Cunningham, Marketing Manager, at kcunningham@craftandhobby.org or by phone at 201-835-1229

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Please post your thoughts here on this issue - post this call to action on your own blog, and pass the infomration along to fellow artists and artist's organizations.