Really old art...

I was searching for an old photo of Rick's horse & found this. It's one of my very first pieces of stamping art. I made it about for Oxford Impressions & I 'm guessing that was maybe 5 years ago or so??? Hey...old art is better than a posting with no photo.

I guess I wasn't clear yesterday about using hemostats. I used those to bend the metal flowers, not the grungeboard...

That's it for today. Sorry for the tiny post. We're off for Rick to have some dental surgery. YIKES!!!

Have a fun filled weekend! Don't forget...comments and tips are always welcome.
wendy
ps...remember that WAY COOL OFFER I mentioned after CHA??? It just might REALLY happen!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Got my fingers crossed! My blogging friends will be the first to know......

The RAK, as promised...goes to...

But first, let's get some business done...HA! Don't you love the suspense?

I wanted to answer some email questions, since others may have been wondering too...

How do you cut the grungeboard?? Tim's tonic scissors make it very easy. I also have an old pair of KAI scissors & they work well too. Regular scissors make the job a little harder, if you're cutting lots. Invest in these scissors...you'll love them for sure. They also work well for cutting unmounted rubber stamps and chipboard.

What are you using to glue grungeboard? It depends on the project. But my first 2 choices are Ranger's Glossy Accents or Art Institute glue.

Where do your ideas come from?? That made me laugh. I sure wish I knew. I tell my friends, some days are good...REALLY good and some days I'm totally brain dead for ideas. Somedays I look @ my stash & wonder why I bought it. Other days...the ideas come much easier. Yesterday while I was shopping, I was looking at some clay products. I LOVE the look of a finished clay project, but I do not enjoy playing with clay. HOWEVER, while looking @ the clay supplies, I got a cool idea for Grungeboard. I'll tackle that idea today. See what I mean??? It's ODD how our brain works.

You seem to make things quickly.

Another laugh. WRONG!! I'm really very slow 80% of the time. Same as above...some days are REALLY good. One of my CHA projects for Maya Road took me about one week and I'm talking probably at least 7-8 hours a day. YES, it was 7 packed pages, but give me a break.. A

WEEK?????????

How did you bend the metal flower & make it even? Keep in mind, I worked in surgery, so...HEMOSTATS! You can get them in the quilting/sewing section @ Michael's.

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And if you read yesterdays post & saw the picture I got from Hannah, her mom told me that when she showed Hannah the blog her comment was...

"I'm famous". Isn't that cool??

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Here's another tip. The package of goodies pictured above will be sent in a recycled container. I ordered a big dose of grungeboard for my upcoming classes & I had all the containers left. So...be green...recycle them. One other benefit...the PO guys get a little entertainment too.

On to the RAK.....................

Rick knew we were giving a RAK today, so the first words out of his mouth this morning were..."Number 57". if you know me...I said..."What the hell are you talking about?". Keep in mind that this was @ 5am. I was out of bed & upright, but obviously my brain was not engaged. So, I had to tell the poor guy that we didn't get that many comments. So...he then chose....................

number 10!! Here's that comment...Congrats to............BECKY!!

becky said...
loving the tips!now, a tip for "you" -- hmmmmmmmm

i sort all my alphabets by letter into a large nuts & bolts drawer unit from target! then i can easily mix and match alphabets!
February 26, 2008 2:33 PM

Send me your address Becky & I'll get the above package off to you.

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Have any questions??? Ask away. It will give me something to post about!

Thanks for visiting!

wendy

Tips...real ART and a peek...

THANKS!!! Great job!!! Keep those tips coming. And remember...it doesn't have to be an earthshaking tip...just an art tip. Simple is good. Even if it's from long ago...we might have missed it.

RAK drawing tomorrow...get those tips in today!

Now here's some real sweet ART, from my new little friend HANNAH WATSON. She lives in SanDiego...so she's warm...I'm not..Anyway, I sent her and her little sister a goodie package & she made this ART for me. GREAT job Hannah!! THANKS so much. You're right..you ARE an ARTIST!




And a shameless plug for my upcoming March classes...


I bet this is a sneak peek of a grungey door prize. Yep...I think it is. I LOVE good doorprizes!!

Ok...I'm on a mission to find more of my favorite paper. In addition to the bud vase for the March grunge classes...we're also using a Maya Road Keepsake Cube, with my new most favorite paper & grungeboard...a very FUN project!

Keep those tips/comments coming.
Happy Wednesday....
wendy

ALL "T" words today.........

First "T" word...

THANK YOU ALL. The hit counter is @ 10,200. You guys make me sooo happy! Now if more visitors would leave a comment, I'd REALLY be happy! Like I said yesterday...it's NOT fun to talk to myself. Get the hint?? Comments = RAK...simple.

Second "T" word...
as my THANK you gift to all of you...here's a little TUTORIAL.

Start with THESE... ha!...Another "T" word ...

These are in my top 3 favorite new Maya Road products. They're from the Trinkets collection & come in 2 styles...flowers & blossoms. I had this idea before CHA, but since I only had a few of these guys, I was afraid to ruin one. So, for CHA, I used them as flat embellishments.

Here's how to make them look totally different...stamp them with Staz-on and bend them to create dimension. Add some grungeboard, Stampers Anonymous stamps, distress ink and you get this.


Here's a closer look.



Third "T" word...

TIP...ok, I gave you a tip. Now it's your turn to play.

To be entered in the next RAK...leave a comment below & share your favorite tip. It can be as simple as giving us a time saving tip, a cost saving tip, or something you discovered that you'd like to share. Have a favorite product that makes things easier?? Share it here.

Ok...it's your TURN! Remember...comments = RAK!

Thanks again!

wendy

A grungey peek.........

Hmmm...wonder what this is??? Nope...it's not my usual flower...It's something totally different...HA!

Come to a grungeboard class & find out. I have only one word for the grunge...

ADDICTING!!

Believe me...this is totally fun stuff. The more I play, the more I LOVE it! The arting possibilities are endless. I'll stop before I sound like an infomercial........

And in other breaking news...

The winners have come forth!! Congrats again to Kathi & Penny. Your goodies will go out this week.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend...CECILE NICHOLS!!! Hope you get lots of good gifts!

I see by the blog counter that we have over 9900 hits now. I think this is AMAZING, since I just started the counter on January 7th. Please keep the comments coming. I love to hear what you have to say. It's no fun talking to myself...

I think there just might be a little RAK given, AFTER we pass the 10,000 hit mark!

Got lots to do...Keepin' it short.

Have an arty day!
wendy

No word from the winners...and mail art.

Kathi Rerek & Penny from Missouri...where are you??
You both WON...see the post below to claim your prizes.

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If you want to see some very cool mail art...check out Ginny's blog & read all about her "empty mailbox contest". She's got photos of each entry, as they arrived. The photo above is mine. I sent it in a glass jar because I thought it was fun...Our local PO guy thought I was totally nuts. Oh well.............we'll see what Josh says.

I got my fingers crossed!

Happy Sunday!!
wendy

OOPS... I thought I was done...NOT...

Here's a link to the photos of the Maya Road booth. Lisa took these @ CHA.

edited @1:30pm...GREAT news...I just heard from Penny! We almost had identy theft here...someone claiming to be Kathi! HA!

But truth & justice wins out...where are you Kathi???

And we have a winner...or maybe even 2!

I knew you guys would come through!! All you needed was a little peek at the prize. THANKS for playing along and thanks too for all the instructor suggestions. I hope you had fun.

We'll do the drawing now. Rick is here & he'll choose the winning number...

OK dear...we have 54 posts, so choose a number between 1 and 54...

DRUMROLL.....................

Hmmm...(as said by Rick)...I like number 44!!

(Me)...sounds good. Let's count them out and see who won...

CONGRATS to...Penny from Missouri!!
Here's her comment...

Penny in Missouri said...
What I like in an instructor is a friendly person. I'm taking your class in St. Louis in March. Can't wait--you can just bring my give-away to St. Louis--no need to draw names--it will save you time. Ha!--:) Penny in Missouri :)
February 22, 2008 10:51 AM

(And more from Rick)...since they got over the 50 comments, let's choose a runner-up!

(Me)...sure...you don't care...it's NOT your stuff we're giving away. HA! Ok... dear...choose a second place number...

(Rick)...I'm thinking number 15 should get a little prize too...

(Me)...and number 15 is...

Kathi Rerek!! CONGRATS!!!

Here's her post...
Kathi Rerek said...
Your blog is very inspiring. I especially love that houses ruler.The best instructors:• are organized, so that all supplies and hand-outs are available• maintain a good pace• walk around the class, taking the time to make suggestions or help.• patient with questions• has a sense of humor and shares tips as well as techniques.
February 21, 2008 11:50 AM

If you will both send me your address, we'll get your goodies ready to ship next week.

And to finish up the last contest...(this was the one that involved guessing my art in the Maya Road catalog)...

Margie H got her prize package yesterday. Check out what she got & what she had to say. I think she liked it!

Can't have a post without a photo, so I'll show you this cutie...


I didn't get to see this guy "in person" 'til I got to CHA. What a fun project this will be. It's Maya Road's new Townehouse. The size is small...5 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 1/2...so think of the size of an index card. SMALL & ADORABLE.

I got 2 boxes of supplies yesterday from Mr. Fed-Ex...TONS of grungeboard arrived and a giant box of Maya Road goodies, which are all for the 5 March classes. Look out Bloomington, Rockford & St. Louis...I'll see you in March! Let me know if you have any questions about the classes. For those of you taking any of the grungeboard classes...we're doing a surprise project in addition to the grunge vase!! 2 projects = twice the fun!!

And one more thing...keep visiting. I'll give a little random prize when the blog hits exceed 10,000. It's not that far away...

Have a great weekend and remember...always take time to...
MAKE ART!
wendy
edited...just found this. Check it out if you want to see some booth photos, from CHA.

Anyone want this??

THANKS for all the instructor comments. I really do appreciate your input and will try my very best to keep those suggestions in mind.

I started the blog counter to see just how many friends actually do visit the blog. Since January 7, 2008, there have been 9161 visits. WOW!! HUGE... THANKS so much!!!!!!!!

BUT................

Hmmm...I guess no one wants this goodie package? Almost 400 hits yesterday alone and only 36 comments???? Maybe you needed to see what's ready to be shipped to the winner. Some of these products aren't even in the stores yet!! And you can see how much I LOVE you all...I'll even share a few of my most favorite Maya Road trinkets, metal blossoms & flowers.

Pass the word...tell your friends...whatever it takes to get to the goal. The drawing will be done when we reach 50 comments. You CAN do it...I KNOW you CAN!!! Remember...Put your comment in yesterdays post...that's the number I'll be watching.

I'll be back to check on you................
EDITED @ 10:45am...looking good guys!!! Only 10 more posts needed. Keep going!
Re-edited @ 1:20pm...is that a word??? Still need 6 more! make sure you post in yesterdays comment section! 50 is the GOAL!!

It's almost the weekend!!
wendy

100th post, 50 comments & 5 star art...

If you're a blog reader, you may remember that a few days ago I posted some little houses (from the MR Heart & Home set) on a vintage ruler. I was so sad when I finished that project, because it was just too much fun. I wanted to do more houses, so I used my trusty knife to remove just one page from Maya Road's House board book. PERFECT! Exactly what I needed.

Here's the supply list...

From MAYA ROAD...
The chipboard letters & number
The tiny stars are from the microchips tin
The crown is from the Motifs tin
You KNOW I used some Ranger vintage photo distress ink.
The tiny text paper is 7 gypsies...
and the words are from Julie VanOosten's Collections.

I added a wooden block to the back to make it a free standing piece. DONE & FUN!!

TADA!!!!! This is the 100th post! Pretty cool. I see from the comments that you would like a freebie...so...since I have typed my fingers to the bone, ( ha ...kind of dramatic) doing 100 posts...you'll need to type some too.

I've been thinking about how to do this. What would be fun?? I decided that I want your HELP...

Since I want to be THE BEST instructor possible, I'm always open to suggestions and cool ideas. Who better to ask than my blogging friends???

Here's the gameplan...

You need to post a comment & tell me what makes you LOVE an instructor. What did they do that really made the class special for you?? Why do you ALWAYS want to take their classes??

Simple.

And one more thing...pass the word...when we get to 50 posts, we'll draw a random winner. I think we'll give some Maya Road goodies. HMMMM....might even add a piece of that new sheer ribbon...that's NOT available in stores just yet!!

Ok...start typing away. The sooner we hit 50 comments, the sooner the prize package gets mailed!!

Don't forget to leave your instructor/comment to be entered in the drawing!!

Have fun & THANKS SOOOOOOO MUCH for visiting!
wendy

There's nothing like the smell of new rubber!

Here's some exciting news for those who love stamps. This is just one set of Tim's new stamps. We now have mini backgrounds & collages to use, which will be perfect for cards, atc's, mini albums, tags and even jewelry. He has more photos posted on his blog, which show all his new releases. These are available thru Stampers Amonymous.

Guess who has them ALL!! I about fainted! I'm in rubber heaven!

I see that the next post will be post #100! Wow. I think we should celebrate & have a giveaway! Do you agree???????? Let me know! I LOVE comments!

Stay tuned.........

Wendy

Taking the grunge on the road!

What do you get when you combine grungeboard, distress inks & glass?? A totally cool & USEABLE bud vase. Since grungeboard isn't damaged by water, it's perfect for this project.

Here's a closer look @ the dimension can be attained with grungeboard. FUN & VERY addicting.


Class details here...

March 8th Scrapbook Friend'z in Bloomington, Illinois

March 14th @ the SSAT convention in Rockford, Illinois. We'll also be doing a Distress Ink technique class that day. It's sort of a mini Ranger U.

And we'll be repeating the above 2 classes @ For Keeps Sake in St. Louis, Mo. on March 29 & 3oth.

If you want to have fun, play with grungeboard & learn how to use your distress inks to their fullest...come join us!
I'd LOVE to meet my blog friends!
Wendy

I LOVE Robin Beam!~!

This is tooooooo funny for you to miss. This is a post from my dear friend Robin Beam. If you are having a bad day & NEED a LIFT...just call her...She's the best!! Works EVERY time!

Anyway...here's what she said about my CHA post, from Saturday.



Miss Wendy: you are THE BOMB! If you check out Scrapbook Retailer Magazine, there's the article by Beth Mauro and you're in the picture with Tim...hehehe.
To anyone listening: the rule regarding Miss Wendy-if she says "Really?" when you compliment her, she coughs up $5 on the spot. She knows that this is a very important rule for her to learn to say "thank you" or "I'm glad you liked it", or god forbid, "I really liked that (fill in the blank) that I made." Until she learns, she'd better have a bunch of $5 bills on her, because, if you don't know it yet, Wendy, YOU'VE ARRIVED!

Inky Hugs, Robin


She certainly MADE MY DAY!!!!!!!!!! THANKS ROBIN!!!


Now here's why I'm always surprised to get compliments.

I worked in surgery for 30 years. Believe me...very few compliments. 18 hour days were expected & were THE NORM. Getting called out @ 2am...expected...Getting home @ 3:59 am and then getting called back @ 4:01 am...no big deal...all in a days work.....So...when a compliment comes my way, I'm totally surprised. Totally NOT what I'm used to. But with Robin's gentle...ok, NOT so gentle reminders...I'm trying. Good thing. Otherwise, we'd be BROKE! Those $5 add up quickly!




Here's the Maya Road Crew after a LONGGGGGGGGGGGG day of order taking. YIKES...when did I get OLD????????????


Ok...enough blabber...back soon with real art. HA!
Wendy

Ranger art, Maya Road & other random things...

I was thrilled to be invited to participate in Ranger's Designer Challenge along with 23 other designers. The Distress Inks come in 24 colors, thus the 24 canvases. Pretty simple concept!

Here's the scoop...

We were each given an 8 x 8 canvas, along with one color to work with. I got Vintage photo...imagine that! I was allowed to use only Vintage Photo Distress Crackle Paint, VP Distress Embossing powder, VP Distress Ink and black & white Dabbers. The art had to be contained within the canvas...nothing hanging off, but we could add any other products. I chose Maya Road flowers & a scroll from the new scrolls set...bet you couldn't guess that! The idea was to create a monochromatic piece of art, that would be 1/24th of the total. Above is the photo. The canvas above mine, done by Suze Weinburg, had fallen off & was out for repair when I had a chance to take this photo. I'll have to find out who all the other participants were, but I do know some were made by Rachel Greig (she's to the left of me), Jennifer McGuire, Donna Downey, Heidi Swapp, Theresa Collins & Suze. I'll try to get the complete list from Robin & update this later.

Here's a closer look @ Rachel's canvas. BAD photos...sorry.

Here's one ...totally not my style, but I totally loved this canvas. Doesn't it just make you smile?? Look @ that face!!

Here's another that I loved!

The other photos that I took are terrible and don't show the true beauty of them. I'll be on the lookout for more photos to share.

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Here's a portion of a comment from yesterdays post. It's from my Maya Road "suite-mate" & SWEETHEART...Katie Watson. She does AMAZING art...check out her blog!

Anyway...here's what she said about me...

So, here is the funny thing, Wendy didn't want her "art" to go back with booth stuff, she wanted it to go back with her, so I loaded up ALL her clothes in a big garbage bag (courtesy of the front desk at the hotel!) and brought them home with me to mail to her!!

So the packing decision...art or clothes??? SIMPLE!!!

I did bring the used undies home with me! HA!

That's it!!!

Have a fun Sunday! Hope I made you laugh!
Wendy

ps...here's a link to some photos from the Maya Road booth

Phew.............what a ride!

Sorry for the contest delay. This OLD art chick was dead ass tired and in low gear all day yesterday and didn't have the energy to unpack & count/record my art.

.........................................................................................................

I'm not even sure where to start on the story. I was extremely proud of our booth & all the great work done by our design team. It looked great...(I hope you don't think I'm prejudice)...We had TONS of wonderful comments from all who visited. Many customers came back all 4 days to order, look, get class ideas, ask questions and take photos. It was a rush to hear all those kind words. THANK YOU all!!!!!!!!!!!

..........................................................................................................

We worked hard...VERY hard, from booth set-up, to taking TONS of orders, to booth take down. The booth was packed with customers from the 9am opening until 6:30pm...an hour PAST the closing...simply amazing. It was quite apparent that everyone loves Maya Road products. We slept AT MOST...4 or 5 hours every night, which explains why I didn't post yesterday.

............................................................................................................

We got to meet tons of store owners, magazine editors, fellow artists/designers etc. We got to see old friends and make some new ones too. We got tons of teaching offers...actually more than I could do in a year. Most were from the US, but we got international teaching offers too. How fun is that??

...........................................................................................................

Our DT co-ordinator Lisa Pace got an exciting offer, but that's not my story to tell. VERY VERY exciting indeed. We are all soooooooooo proud of her and her talent!! We were jumping for joy & crying all @ the same time! YIPPEE LISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

..........................................................................................................

As for me, I am still in shock. My little brain finally processed this offer on the plane ride home. I have SOMETHING in the works, but can't let the cat out of the bag yet. Let me just say that the discussion left me in total shock, with sweaty hands, a sick stomach & totally speechless. Yes... it was REALLY that GOOD!! If this happens, it's a dream come true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Believe me...I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

............................................................................................................

Ok...now the contest scoop...

I made a total of 37 projects for the booth. Way more than you all guessed!

Catalog cover art...

Far right corner...color art layer book

To the left of that...card with 2 yellow & one green blossom

Directly below that, the scroll/flower

and last...the card box/card set.

Inside the catalog...

The heart & home set on the vintage ruler

On the sheer sets page, the skinny photo of the sheer & chipboard flower

The cover of the color layer album

and last...on the clear stamp page...Lisa with the crown.

Since no one guessed the exact total number of projects or chose all the right art, we put all the names in a basket & Rick chose the winner...

But first.................

one more thing..HA!!!...several of you guessed the LOVE art on the chipboard alphabet page. This makes me laugh, because I too did a double take, wondering if that was mine...! Nope...it's not.

DRUMROLL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>The winner is.......................................................................

margie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats to you!!! Wait 'til you see what's coming your way!!! Please send me your email & shipping info and we'll get that out to you on Monday! Thanks everyone for playing!!

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Teaching updates...

We'll be playing with grungeboard & glass @ Scrapbook Friend'z in Bloomington, Illinois on March 8th. Fun with a capital F!~! Don't miss it!

...............................................................................................................

Details & times are now finalized for the SSAT convention in Rockford, Illinois. The classes are scheduled on Friday March 14th. Details are here. These are 2 really fun classes. We'll play with grungeboard & glass and in the second class we'll do the Ranger Distress Ink technique class, which actually is a mini Ranger U!! I hope you can join us and learn all about these cool inks.

.............................................................................................................

On Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30 Linda Cain & I (the dynamic duo) are doing a total of 4 fun classes @ For Keeps Sake in St Louis, Missouri. If you're in the area, check it out! It promises to be a great weekend full of arting, sharing, making new friends and chocolate!

.............................................................................................................

I made some grungeboard flowers for Tim, for his Advantus booth @ CHA and came home to several emails with questions about the stamps I used. I'll be back tomorrow with that info.

............................................................................................................

We really didn't get to see much of the convention, but I did get to see Tim's new stamps @ the Art Gone Wild/Stampers Anonymous booth. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATC sizes........need I say more??

His new products thru Advantus had me drooling. I NEEEEEEEEED them all. Absolutely outstanding & cool!! I can NOT pass up anything vintage looking & metal! I have every single one checked on my order form. The new grungeboard minis are TO DIE FOR !!!!!!!!!!!!!

.............................................................................................................

I got a sample of Ranger's new Inkssentials opaque white pen...Another MUST HAVE for doodling and the infamous BANDANNA technique, developed by Robin Beam. No skipping...nice bright white color...I was very IMPRESSED with the quality!

..............................................................................................................

I'll try hard to get back in the blogging routine & post more show photos soon.

Enjoy your weekend!!

Thanks for visiting!!
Wendy

ps...I tried to edit this & put spacing between the paragraphs, but Mr Blogger isn't cooperating. So...I added the dots instead.............

A little art, the contest details & one by air...3 by land

I couldn't sleep the other night & had to make a choice...dust the shack or make art. Above is the choice! The decision didn't take much thought... anyway...When I bought this antique book, Rick asked why I would pay $1 for an old book with no cover. Well...check out the color of the pages & the page titles...I found it PERFECT for art. This is another reminder to ALWAYS keep your eyes open for ART PARTS! They're everywhere.

I stamped Maya Road's new wing stamp onto grungeboard and added them to the chipboard gal. FUN combo. That teeny-tiny heart and the arrow are from the microchips tins, from Maya Road.

Here's a better look @ the wings. The paper on her dress is from Jenni Bowlin. I added just a bit of magic mesh.



Ok...contest details next...

Look thru the Maya Road catalog & tell me which art is mine. Some on the cover...some inside. Study hard...

Post a comment here with your guess.

Now here's the twist... you also need to guess how many pieces of art I made for Maya Road...This is kind of funny, because I actually have no clue. I'll check it out when I unpack the projects and I'll find out then. Don't forget to include the total number in your comment.

I'll be back on the 15th with the winner. I think I'll keep the PRIZE a secret and keep you in suspense...Sound like fun??

One by air...CHA or bust...Maya Road booth 1987. PLEASE come see us!!! We have tons of cool stuff to show you.

Three by land... Classes coming to.....

Scrapbook Friend'z in Bloomington Illinois on Saturday March 8th. The class is called Goin' for the grunge...it combines glass & grunge...FUN stuff!

March 14th @ the SSAT convention in Rockford, Illinois, for Stampers Anonymous. Class details aren't finalized quite yet...but, how can you resist a stamping class?? Or possibly 2!!

And a weekend event @ the end of the month....I'm joining my friend Linda Cain @ For Keeps Sakes in St. Louis on March 29th & 30. I'll teach the Distress ink technique class first on Saturday. Linda's class will be her cool framed houses. Check out her blog!

On Sunday Linda will start with a fragments book class & then I'll do grungeboard...combined with other fun stuff.

We'll bring plenty of art samples to give you additional ideas and a surely there will be some chocolate...hey...arting takes energy!

This WILL be a great fun weekend. We'd love to see you there.

That's it....CHA or BUST~!
I'll be back next week!
Wendy

Goin for the grunge!

The keepsake box isn't new...but the butterfly stamp is. I wanted a really dimensional piece and grungeboard was the perfect choice.


Here's the inside, which shows Maya Road's new chipboard butterfly, that is a perfect fit for the butterfly stamp. Didn't use it though...I'm loving the calendar stamp as a background....AGAIN!

Here's a closer look...

The knob & the metal trim are made by 7 gypsies...both are totally COOL! I used up some scraps of the K & Co paper that were left from another project.

I'll be back tomorrow with the contest details and some info on classes in Bloomington Illinois, St. Louis Missouri and Rockford, Illinois. Yep...March is REALLY busy. I LOVE IT!

Cheers!
Wendy

Mr Fed-Ex, new flowers and FREE from Maya Road

Thank you MR Fed-EX...I got confirmation that my CHA samples arrived at our hotel yesterday. GREAT news and one less thing to worry about. Now if the weather co operates & I get there, life will be good. We got 6 inches of snow mixed with thunder & lightening?? When the first claps happened during the Superbowl, we actually thought there had been an explosion near us. YIKES! Winter in Illinois is NOT fun!



Like these flowers?? I DO!! They're called Textured cord blossoms & they got my attention as soon as I opened the box. I knew that I wanted a different look than my normal chipboard scroll, so I did some very simple stitching instead. The background paper is made by Anna Griffin and the paper behind the flowers is from Fancy Pants.



Take a closer look...notice the cute little new bird too. He comes in the new Tree tin. The microchip heart worked well as a wing. A tiny bow made from the crushed velvet ribbon was the finishing touch.




And last, but not least...



Free...Maya Road...???



Did you know that on the Maya Road web site there is FREE stuff?? Computer genius & co-owner Deb has a ton of free templates there for all to enjoy. Instead of wasting time tracing our books, you can print them right out on your paper/cardstock & cut for a perfect fit. She also made some cool calendar pages...perfectly sized for Maya Road products. There are all sorts of inserts, patterns & more. Check it out here...Everyone loves FREE and what a timesaver. Think of custom made gifts when you're browsing there.



That's the Tuesday update.

3 days before I leave...but who's counting??
Wendy

Pink was shocking, so back to the real me................

This was so much fun to make...that I can't believe was LEGAL! I expected the ART COPS to pop thru the door @ any moment and haul me away. If you think flowers are addicting, just wait 'til you play with these guys.They are mounted on the antique ruler, so the whole piece will stand for display.

This set is called Heart & Home. There are other styles of houses included in the set, but this is what I got to work with. The microchip scallops are a perfect fit for the windows and the microchip stars worked well too. The flower on the house to the far right is from the Journey East Primrose clear stamp set. The tiny star stamps can be found in the Stamp Seals set. I used a circle punch & used only a portion of the stamp, from the Postcard set, on the third house.

Other products...The papers on the first 3 houses are by Jenni Bowlin. I LOVE them!! 4 inches square & absolutely adorable. I can't wait to see her booth @ CHA in the new vendor section.

The 4th house has a background that I made & it says...be it ever so humble.

The words... passion, creativity, volume 1, paper and artist are made by Julie VanOosten.

This little bit of art is in my top 3 favorite CHA projects that I made for Maya Road.

Thanks again for visiting!
Wendy

I played and made this, shopping alert & other random news

I have been drooling over this one lonely flower since the day it arrived about 6 weeks ago. I only got one of the "jewel ribbon blossoms" in my Maya Road goodie box and it was making me crazy trying to find just the right spot for it. Yesterday I decided to actually USE it & not hoard it, just so I could admire it. This is by far THE COOLEST/classiest ribbon flower on the market. Trust me...I do know flowers!



I started by swiping a sheer round scallop page with a Peach Bellini dabber. How cool is that name? Sounds like a dessert & makes me want a huge bowl...anyway...back on track.....

Once again...more of the trinkets elements metal flowers and blossoms, scrolls from the Vineyard tin, and the stamp is from my friend Rachel Greig. I got that baby and the one on the back, personally delivered @ CHA last summer. The background is one of my most favorite/most used Stampers Anonymous stamps...newspaper scraps # U2-943. LOVE it!

I used a journaling piece from K & Co as the base for the thanks stamp.

Here's the back. The number border stamp on the bottom is also from Rachel. The stamped round chipboard is from the Maya Road foundations tin.



Now here's what you REALLY need to see...a closeup of this jewel ribbon blossom. Do you agree?? TO DIE FOR BEAUTIFUL??





Now for the random news.......

I just tracked my box of CHA samples...MEMPHIS?? WHAT??? That's the wrong way, Mr Fed-Ex...California is WEST! SCARRY!!

I talked to ART GODDESS Robin Beam the other day & got this Ranger CHA scoop...

They are coming out with a new pigment ink! Adirondack Pigment Ink Stamp Pads will start out with the coordinating Lights/Brights/Earthtones for the following colors: Cranberry/TerraCotta/Butterscotch/Bottle/Denim/Eggplant/Pitch Black & SnowCap. She loves them & told me they are perfect on chipboard. You apply them with the same Inkssentials blending tool that's used for the distress inks. Definitely added to my shopping list.

Ranger will also be selling an Inkssentials Craft Spinner, which will hold eight of the Inkssentials Blending Tools and tidy up your work space. CHECK... on my shopping list too. I like tidy.

Check out Robin's blog to see what cool things she's doing...

HERE IT COMES......................

*** SHOPPING ALERT***



*** SHOPPING ALERT***

If I haven't given you enough ideas for spending your $$, here's another. I have no affiliation, nor do I know her...but I LOVE this book. TONS of eye candy. You can find it here. It's well worth your $$.


5 days 'til I head WEST...yikes...still have plenty to do.
I better get going on more business cards.


I hope you've enjoyed these samples & that they inspire you. Use them as a starting point, add your style and...

MAKE ART!
Wendy

PINK???? ME??? How did this happen??

Where does ART come from??? Hmmm.....interesting question.
I LOVE colors, both brights and pastels, but never use them. Believe me I've tried, but usually my attempt heads straight for the trash. SAD, but true.

In our latest box of Maya Road goodies, we were gifted with some papers from Daisy D. For some unknown reason, I just HAD to try pink AGAIN. Above is the result.

Here's a closer view of a totally cool NEW clear "admit one" stamp. LOVE IT!!!

It hangs by some fun velvet ric rak, which is another addicting product.


So there you have it. My first acceptable pink project. Once I finished this one...I HAD to do a few more...in pink...but that's info for another posting.

Let me know what you think. BE HONEST! Keep this in mind...If you make me cry, you'll be disqualified from the upcoming contest! HA! Just kidding!! Hmmm...but then again...maybe not......

Happy Saturday to all my blog friends!
Wendy
ps...the large chipboard heart & the "trust your heart" stamp are from Hero Arts.

MUM'S no longer THE WORD...NOW...SHARING is good

I just finished this about an hour ago. It's added to the box & HOPEFULLY Mr Fed-Ex will deliver ALL my art...UNDAMAGED... as promised! You can bet I'll be tracking this box hourly. 2 full months of work trusted to a stranger=scarry!!

Anyway...this is the new Villa house. It's the perfect fit for a tissue box! The "studio" letters are new & REALLY fun. Small...just what we needed. Perfect for cards, mini books & layouts too. They come in 3 different styles...check the catalog...lots of goodies there.

Here's the back...I used the Trinkets Elements flowers & blossoms and a new scroll from the Scrolls 2 tin.




Here's a little better look @ the metal flower. And now a warning...don't buy them. They are ADDICTING!!! I swear I'll need 1000. Can't you think of 20 ideas immediately??




The black metal trim is from 7 gypsies.

I had several emails asking what the sheer sheets are for. My first thought was to use them as a stencil for a cool background, since they're nice & sturdy & can be reused a ton of times. I also plan to cut them into strips for borders for cards or layouts. I know I'll be using one to embellish a jar candle too.

So...what did you think of the new releases?? Tell me your favorites.

I'll be back tomorrow with more...maybe we'll do that pink I told you about! Or...maybe the Ranger art piece...

Have a great FUN weekend. I'll be making SMALL art that I can squeeze into my suitcase.

Thanks so much!!
Wendy
ps...HA! This is NOT in the catalog...so keep studying. The contest starts next Friday the 8th, the day I head out. Details to be announced on Thursday the 7th. I'll get the winner figured out when I return on the 15th. The prize will be good. It's a promise!