Maya Road...working on...and excited about...

Here's a peek of another piece that should be a fun convention demo...

2 inked, stamped chipboard houses...2 roofs, a heart...and a little stamping with studio 490 stamps on grungepaper!



INK...STAMP ...ASSEMBLE & DONE...
Perfect for a card or scrapbook page.

I think what I LOVE most about inking & stamping is the ability to create custom embellishments...

I LOVE this leaf stamp...it reminds me of Jack and the beanstalk and makes me laugh.

Next...

I'm working on & EXCITED about these things...

1. Scrap St. Louis...
I spoke with Aleta again yesterday...that got me even MORE excited.
This event sounds awesome, so be prepared for a VERY fun weekend in April.

I have my workshop sponsors all lined up...

A HUGE THANK YOU to...
tim holtz, idea-ology
Maya Road
Ranger Industries and
Stampers Anonymous.

2. 2009 workshops...
YIPPEE...they're all listed on the right.
Lots of new places...and lots of new faces.
Lots of fun!

I LOVE the convention demos too...it's great to be with people who GET THIS art stuff...so FUN!

3. TBA...YIPPEE details coming soon...

4. Another YIPPEE...I think I can tell you in March...

5. studio 490 release #3...the ideas are brewing..these guys will be released @ CHA, in July.

6. And this...............



I talked with tim earlier this week...he gets me soooooooo excited about the cruise that I want to go....

right now!

How many days 'til, October???

Have a GREAT weekend and...

Make art!
wendy

Today.......

Sorry for the lack of blog posts...

I haven't forgotten you...
I STILL REALLY LOVE my blog friends...

I WILL be back with the info on adhesives & working with acrylics...that's a PROMISE!

My excuse?

The word here is BUSY...with a capital B...

Lots on the TO-DO list...which is a GOOD thing.
No complaints here...NONE!
Actually...

I'm living a DREAM...

BUT, the bad news...nothing got done on the list yesterday...

I was a BAD girl...I had an idea & PLAYED the day away...the idea was in my brain & I could think of nothing else...

Rick called it art brain...

It turned out cute...REALLY cute, if I do say so myself...
but that's a photo for another day.

Here's today's photo...

I was thinking about my convention demos & I was wondering what small project would work...

It needs to be simple...and quick...




This card uses a page from Maya Road's square banner book & a scallop coaster for the top. I cut off a bit, to make it fit.


My new favorite color combo of Distress inks is scattered straw & broken china. I was in the habit of faded jeans...now china is the go to color...

Add some studio 490 stamps and grungeboard & grungePAPER...

DONE...


Today...I MUST work on the list...

even though I REALLY want to...

MAKE ART!
wendy

A Ranger video for you...

ROADTRIP...

Rick & I are out the door..(SPRING FEVER!)....so today, for your viewing pleasure, here's a NEW Ranger video, made by Alain.

You'll be impressed...

He uses grungeboard, the aqua dabber paint...VINTAGE PHOTO distress ink ...and some Perfect Pearls....all combined to make a fun wearable piece of art...

Take time to watch it...you'll learn a lot &

you'll love his accent!

After that...take time to...

Make ART!

wendy

ps...there are more videos on the Ranger site

and lots on You-Tube too. ENJOY!

It looked like a floral shop @ Scrapbook Friend'z

WARNING...

Don't faint...I actually took 3 photos during the workshop on Saturday! PHEW........ That's a record...

We had a GREAT group & a fun time was had by all...including me.

THANK YOU ALL for coming!

More THANK YOU'S...

FIRST...THANK YOU TIM...for getting us the NEW grungePAPER for this class. You're THE BEST!!
They LOVED it!

BTW...grungePAPER ships today from Florida...be watching @ your LSS...get it before it's gone.
I got my 300 sheets ordered...

I DO NOT want to run out...ever.

AND...THANK YOU to TED and MICHELLE for making the magic happen. My new studio 490 stamps arrived on time & were ALL gone in a flash.
GONE...EVERY one of them!
I appreciate the extra effort!

Get ready Stampers Amonymous...
Margaret & Jim will be calling today for all those special orders.

AND...THANK YOU from me...I'm thrilled you like
studio 490 stamps. Absolutely...THRILLED!

It's just the push I needed to work on the 3rd release.....

Hmmmmm...What else?

These gals got to see some cool new products from CHA that are not in stores quite yet.

They test drove tim's new tiny attacher & LOVED it.
A must have item...

They got to see his new "foliage" idea-ology parts & the AWESOME "ornate plates". These are sooo beautiful...
I think they will make great jewelry pieces.

Ranger's Memory frames, memory glass & NEW memory capsules were a HUGE hit...
what a great idea for dimensional art...

They LOVED the new chipboard mini alphabets from Maya Road...A DEFINITE must have. Now we can add longer words to cards, mini books and scrapbook pages...This is one of my MOST favorite new items from MR, for this release.
I'm happy that they coordinate with their other chipboard alphabets.
Now we have more options to mix & match letters.

On to the photos...(hey...not too bad for an amateur)...

Here's some of my arty FRIEND'Z cutting...FLOWERS.
That's Margaret...taking special orders...these lucky gals had their own "personal shopper".


And here's "the regulars". These gals NEVER miss a class...

Cheryl must have been out shopping (not a surprise)...
she's missing from her seat!
LOVE YOU guys!!



In total...We made 150 of these!!!!!!!!!

Lesson learned...this needs to be a 4 hour class...not 3.
The cutting took longer than I expected...
but the results were TOTALLY worth it.





Just one more photo...

Here's a brand new class, using Maya Road's 4 inch binder...

Once again, this project is so LOADED with dimensional goodies, that it won't close...
just what I like...
fat books...



So that's my Saturday story & I'm sticking to it...

From the bottom of my heart...
THANKS AGAIN to Tim, Ted, Michelle, Jim & Margaret...and all who came to make flowers...

Now...

Make art!
wendy
oops...forgot one thing...
Acrylic / ADHESIVE questions...I'll be back later this week with that info...

studio 490 acrylic cover...

Yippee...got the front cover done.

Please...IGNORE the glare in the left top corner & the bottom right...
My photography skills suck...

Anyway...I cut the Graphic 45 paper so that the word "specimen" fit, to work with the title...and stitched the different papers together to look like a quilt...


I LOVE this pointing finger from the MAIL ART set...Stamped on grunge, it's fun to bend it just a bit.



The flower on the right is the daisy from the first release. Just cut off the stem & leaves...add a different center... This creates another look.
Versatile...



Like the stamp @ the top says...it's all in the details...the little things really do add interest to the finished project...

so...to add a bit of a frame to the cover, I used Ranger's gold paint dabber & edged the cover. It's a small detail...but a finishing touch. The best part...it's quick & EASY! Dries in a flash...




Back to the ordering info...
It's all on the bottom of yesterday's post. But...I got these questions too...

YES...you get both the front & back cover when you order.

YES...the 3 giant binding rings are included in the price.

How many sets do they hold?
I have 7 sets in each. It's the perfect storage...lots of stamps in a tiny space & it's sooo easy to flip thru, to find exactly what you need.

YES...Stampers Anonymous does sell the PLAIN WHITE SCALLOP sheets. Those work well for storage of any cling or clear stamps. Just type that into the comment section. They are $2.00 each & hold a bunch. And the cool thing is that you can use both the front & the back of the sheets and get double the storage on each sheet.

I think I got everything this time.
If not...
just ask away!

Time to pack up for tomorrows workshop...
If I hurry, I'll have time to do more on the cover and...

Make art!
wendy

oops...one more thing...
GRUNGEPAPER ships next week.

550 studio 490 images and one peek...**edited**

This didn't go QUITE as I planned...

My first workshop for 2009 is this Saturday @ Scrapbook Friend'z in Bloomington, Illinois.
We're making multi-layered funky studio 490 flowers!

Hmmm...I think these girls must like flowers...the class is sold out.

This is a GOOD thing...a VERY good thing...

HOWEVER, my plan was for each person to stamp their own images...
but...
with only 2 sets of the new stamps...
hmmm...not looking good.

HELLO...MICHELLE...I NEED MORE, please!

So to make the class go smoother, I thought I'd just pre-stamp the grungeboard & grungePAPER.
No big deal...

550 images later...............

yes...for 6 flowers...we needed 550 images. SERIOUSLY...and that's just the main images.
After they are all cut & inked...they still need to be stamped with the background stamps...in the class...interesting...

Here's the evidence.


THANKS from the bottom of my heart to everyone who is taking this class. YOU made me so busy that I couldn't possibly...COOK....ha!
The dreaded 4 letter word!

Believe me...when given the choice...
I'd much rather stamp than cook...
THANKS again!!
You guys are THE BEST!

Next... here's a little peek...



With the second release of studio 490 stamps, I needed another acrylic binder for the 7 new sets. The naked binder was bugging me...I HAD to embellish it!

The new Graphic 45 paper was calling me...it was exactly what the binder needed...

This is what the front looks like so far...

I'll be back with the whole cover...whenever I get it finished.

Hopefully...soon...

I'll...

Make ART!
wendy
***EDITED*** Ok...Jeanne, Kathy & D...
here's the scoop on ordering the acrylic covers...I can't find them on the site either...BUT...
If you are ordering from your LSS...just ask for them
# WVACBIND...the price is $19.99.
If you are ordering from the ST Anon site...just type the item number in the comment section...and they said that will work just fine.
SORRY I didn't include this earlier...

Computers and capsules...

I HATE computers...

For some unknown reason, I can no longer add comments to TYPEPAD blogs...

The fine folks from hughesnet have no clue what's going on. Same story from the typepad folks... not good...

So...I need to answer a Maya Road question from LAURA here.
She commented on the ATC that is posted and asked about my favorite Maya Mist colors...

LAURA...I have to be honest & say that I really do LOVE them all. BUT...if you insist on making me choose...

I can NOT live without these colors...

*CHARCOAL, I'm on my 3rd bottle......it's nice & dark, but stamped images still look great, when stamped over it. It's my #1 pick...
*The new TURQUOISE metallic...TOTALLY YUMMY!
*RED
*GREEN
*BRONZE
*SILVER...

So there you have it...6 favorites...

Here's something NEW & fun...coming soon from RANGER.

Yesterday I played a little game with...ME.

Here's the deal...

Get 4 UGLY things done from the TO-DO list...earn 30 minutes of play. Don't laugh...it worked...

So with only 30 minutes, I had to keep it simple...

I made these mini art pieces, using the new Memory Capsules from Ranger. They are made to work with the Memory Frames & Memory glass...a perfect fit.

I have tons of ideas for these guys, now that we can use the memory frames for dimensional art. Think flowers...see below...

This one uses Graphic 45 as the background paper. Just a little machine sewing...a little stamp...


It's filled with tim's new FOLIAGE pieces, from Advantus.

Here's a better look @ the capsule...I added the rhinestones on top of the capsule...it's also fun to add them inside the capsule but leave them loose...kind of like a mini shaker...




Here's the circle for the 2 inch frame. This is a grungePAPER flower made with my new stamp. The saying is also a studio 490 new release.

I think I'll go & get more checked off that list & earn more time to play and...

MAKE ART!

wendy

ps...you can check out the other sizes & shapes on the Ranger site...here.

Maya Road ATC tutorial...

It's my turn to post on Maya Road's design team blog.
I decided to make an ATC...Maya Road style...

As I thought about my post...
I knew that I wanted to show how to alter one of the felt flowers...
I knew it would involve stamps & inks...just the basics...

So...here's the result...


All the supplies and instructions are listed on the Maya Road design team blog...the post was on February 13th.
THANK YOU CAROLINE for posting for me...computer issues here....AGAIN! grrrrrrrr...

So, take a minute to take a look...you just might want to...

make (atc) art!
wendy

a valentine adventure...

I'm all ready for tomorrow...
VALENTINE'S DAY!

I didn't want the usual...RED...MUSHY valentine for Rick...
I wanted something a little different.

So...I went with the adventure theme...which explains the compass & the saying...



Pull out the tags...




They direct him around the house...a treasure hunt of sorts, to find his gift.
*

The final stop is here...he's getting a Kindle from Amazon...it's ordered, but doesn't ship 'til March 2.
I think he'll LOVE it...
I can't wait to see what he says...

***

product credits...

*
The compass mask is tim's new release from Advantus. Small is cute!

*
The "PULL" stamp is from Catslife Press.

*
The script stamp is tim's from Stampers Anonymous
*

The envelope is from 7gypsies
*

The ink...you know it's Ranger...this time I used brushed corduroy & a little black soot to accent the edges.


***

CHEERS! Here's to LOVE!

Have a wonderful Valentine's day!

Make art!
wendy

a good mail day and the bracelet...

Actually, it was more like a GREAT mail day.

Look what I got from GRAPHIC 45...



All these awesome papers...YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!

Here's a closeup of my favorites...

THANK YOU so much...Graphic 45... these will be perfect for my new Maya Road projects...

*

Oh wait...I already used them on a CHA project here...

*

Check around the net for photos of the Graphic 45 CHA booth. It was absolutely breathtaking.

They had an old phone booth...yep...full sized.

You'll be amazed...

*

But...

*

My most favorite piece was an OLD telephone covered with G45 paper...I about fainted!!

Talk about cool...lucky for them I'm honest...

I wanted it REALLY bad.........

***

OK...here's the scoop on the bracelet that lots of you noticed on the Ranger video...from yesterday.

*

But first the bracelet story...it was FATE!

*

A friend overheard me talking @ CHA and whispered this in my ear...

*

"DON'T SETTLE FOR LESS".

*

Then...

A few hours later we walked into a Disneyland shop and sitting right inside the door was a bracelet.

I immediately picked it up, because I LOVED the font.

*

Then I read the message...

I just knew it was meant for me...

FATE...for sure.........

*

Now it's time to decide which of those cool papers fit which Maya Road book...

ah.......decisions............

*

and then it's time to...

Make ART!

wendy

studio 490 junk flower...and a video link

or is it...junque?

Hmmm...that looks a little classier...

Anyway, you've heard me say it before...

and here we go again...

but...

anything can be a flower center.

Check it out...



The center is a flea market find ...It makes me happy because the price was good & I got to repurpose something. Double credit.

Here's a thought...

A friend just showed me teddy bears that she made for her daughters, using her father's favorite old wool shirts.
What a wonderful keepsake for them.

We can do the same with vintage family jewelry... wouldn't it be fun to put this flower on a treasure box, then give it to someone special...so that she has a special keepsake from grandma?

Here's a better look and see that bingo background stamp...

I LOVE IT!


Now...

The moral of the story??


Keep your eyes open...

see the possibilities...
then...


Make art!
wendy
edited...I just got an email asking about this video that I made @ CHA for Ranger.
OOPS..I didn't tell you about it because I didn't realize that it was already posted.

See it here...

today...just random things...

This morning I told Rick that I had nothing exciting for the blog...

He said you probably want to know what he bought yesterday... REALLY?
HA!
So...

*Black suede chaps...for his horse show adventures...

* 2 pairs of boots...yes 2! This explains why he would never say anything about my mulitple (flowery) shoe purchases...I'm certain of that!

One brown pair & he HAD to get a black pair...to match the chaps. Makes sense...

*2 halters...for his 2 horses...makes sense

* jeans...never enough jeans. I get that too...

There were a few more little things that I forgot.

He was one happy cowboy and he's still smiling today. Made me very happy too...He's really looking foreward to the horse shows, since he couldn't participate last summer. No riding...no jaring...no lifting after the detached retina deal. Now he's 100% cured and counting the days...

We had a nice lunch...hey...you NEED energy to shop...

Next on the agenda was a stop to hunt for treasures...


Here's what I got...vintage lace...big pieces...perfect for some classes...

I loved the colors of the turquoise & green WOOL felt (got this stuff @ a quickie stop @ Ben Franklin's)...then I had to pick up some coodinating cheapo felt. I just might run this thru the Cuttlebug & make some...flowers.

We had a fun day and according to Rick...it's good to get out & blow the stink off...hmmm...interesting...I wonder if he was referring to me???????

LOTS on the to-do list...

* 3 loads of laundry...DONE!

*Order a BOATLOAD of product from Maya Road for upcoming classes...DONE!

*Order a bunch of cool stuff from Ranger for classes...DONE! I ordered 100...YES...100 packages of grungePAPER. That's 300 sheets...I REALLY like it and do not want to run out! I HOPE that's enough........

* class kits...nope...not today...

* Write up instructions for new classes...YUCKY JOB! Not in the mood for that today...

* TAXES...REAL BIG YUCK...nope...not today...

Now the fun stuff...

* Decide on my project for Scrap St. Louis. This event sounds like a totally fun weekend. I met some gals @ CHA who will be attending and they got me so excited about it.
One gal is in a group coming from Texas...I know there's another large group of friends coming from the Chicago area.

I've heard wonderful reviews from last years event & I'm thrilled to be doing workshops for those attending. I heard that LOTS of fun stuff is being planned...but, my lips are sealed!

Hmmm...I wonder what we'll make..I better decide soon. I hope to see you there...

* My turn is coming up next week for the Maya Road design team blog...I have an idea... I just need to get it made...and photos taken...

* Got a few things to write up for Ranger...stay tuned...

* and about 99 more "things"...

Other random stuff...

I had a few emails asking if I would still use grungeBOARD now that we have grungePAPER.

YES!! FOR SURE!! I really like combining them to have a thick layer & several thinner layers....which are perfect for...

You know...

FLOWERS...especially if you want to attach them to sandals...
Summer will be here some day or so I'm told..........

So yes...I ordered more plain grungeBOARD sheets from Ranger to use with the grungePAPER.

Well..I better choose something from the FUN list & get started.

Remember...take some time to...
Make art!
wendy

flowers x 2...and a date

A blog post with...

More flowers...imagine that!

Yesterday I reinked a bunch of distress ink pads...simply because...

I needed a vase...

Hey...this made perfect sense to me!



I think these reinker bottles are soooooo cute and are a perfect fit for these studio 490 flowers. Plus...an added bonus...you get extra credit for "going green". I'm sure of it...

Never again will you find a reinker bottle in the trash here.

Now on to flower #2...

Gotta LOVE a guy who shops for groceries and brings these home too.

These are huge flowers that really brought some spring into this boring wintery house. Each bloom is about 4 inches across & they smell sooooo good.

I LOVE flowers..bet you figured that out a bit ago...

*

AND...

*

TODAY...We have a date...

*

Before CHA, Rick wanted to go & visit the horse supply store, which is about 2 hours from here. I had to put him off until I had all my CHA assignments done.

*

Yesterday I realized that I may never ever have ALL my assignments done...this is a GOOD thing, a VERY good thing..

but...some days there are...

*

PRIORITIES!

*

Today is DATE day...The horse store, lunch and quite possibly a little shopping for me.

*

So...TODAY...there may be no time for me to...

Make art!

wendy

ps...but that's just fine. I'll be spending the day with my sweetie!

yippee...I'm excited!

I was originally scheduled to teach & demo in Rockford, Illinois @ the stamp convention March 13-15. I feel bad that I won't be able to see my old friends again, but I couldn't pass up this wonderful opportunity...

I'll be...

Demoing for Stampers Anonymous @ A Stamp in the Hand Convention, in Carson, California! I have always heard that this was THE best rubber stamping convention ever. Now I'll get to check it out in person. I talked to Ted, Mr Stampers Anonymous yesterday & now I'm totally excited.
Believe me...I'll be counting the days. I can't wait!


So...if you are a blog friend from California, please stop by the Stampers Anonymous booth & say hi! I'd LOVE to meet you!

Since CHA, I've had some requests to "teach us how to make flowers".

So...here's a new workshop using grungeboard, grungePAPER, distress inks, Perfect Pearls, Maya Road & Idea-ology embellishments and of course...studio 490 stamps to make flowers.




You'll leave the class with 6 multilayered flowers that are the perfect custom embellishment for cards, scrapbook pages, frames, gift bags or gift boxes. I also like to add them to jar candles for a cute quick gift. If you add a pinback, you can wear them. I've also added them to tote bags and shoes...the possibilities are endless...
and it's a fun class.


We'll all make the same flower, but you have the option to make them any color, using the distress inks of your choice. You can also choose different background stamps to truely...make them your own.


Ok...time to make some travel arrangements...


then it's...


time to...
make art!

Have a GREAT weekend!
wendy

what? no studio 490 samples??

Here's a little look @ the studio 490 portion of the Stampers Anonymous booth @ CHA.

When I got home & unpacked, I realized that all the samples made with the new studio 490 stamps were gone...There are NONE here...

What?

I have nothing for show & tell @ my classes...REALLY?

WHY??

Because they are all traveling with the Stampers Anonymous booth to conventions across the country. That's just fine...

BUT...now I NEED to make some samples...or to say it another way...I need to...

make art!
wendy

ps...I hope your weekend is arty!

versatile and a Ranger box of ranger?

Here's one of my favorite new studio 490 flower stamps.
The tiny bit of bling is faded jeans distress stickles...




But, for a new project I wanted a longer straighter stem...and the flower needed to be a bit larger...

So, with a little change using these...




the same flower can look like this.



I know...shocking...but for some reason, mustard seed is my new go to flower color. It's hard to see the shimmer, but I paired it with some sunflower sparkle Perfect Pearls. Just a little dab added to a mini mister with water...yummy!

And the best part?

Once the Perfect Pearls are mixed with water...the shimmer does not rub off like glitter. It's there to stay.

I like the look.

So...the moral of this story??

Look @ the possibilities...interchangable bits & pieces can make a totally new look.

Here's a laugh for today...

A RANGER box...full of Ranger!




In addition to great products, it looks like Ranger also makes comfy boxes.




Enjoy your day & ...

I hope have time to...
make art!
wendy

Ranger's designer challenge=total fun

I was asked to participate in Ranger's designer challenge for CHA. I'm a slow creator & this project took me forever...but I had a blast!

The focus of the challenge was Claudine's studio line of products. We were each given all of Claudine's paints, multimediums, gesso, sticky back canvas and this 7 x 10 paper mache base.

Here are the colors that I was immediately drawn to...


The instructions were to..."create a home". It could not be any longer/larger than 18 inches & it had to hang on the wall for display.

Here are the results...sorry for the terrible photo...but I hope you can get an idea of the diversity of the submissions. I'll check around & see if someone has a better photo.




Here's a better look @ mine. Sorry for the glare...there is a transparency behind the window.



The roof frame is a really cool vintage ruler that I picked up @ an antique store in Prescott, Az.

The base of the house, the roof & the door are all sticky back canvas, which I painted with Claudine's paints. Next, I stamped the pieces using studio 490 stamps and I also used 2 of my favorite tim stamps, also from Stampers Anonymous.

I knew I HAD to add flowers...and some other stamped grungeboard to add more dimension to the house. What's a project without flowers?

This challenge was great & it was very interesting to see that we each started with the same ingredients, but ended with very different results.

Now back to the FREE studio 490 STAMPS...

I heard from KAT...CONGRATS...but I'm still waiting for the grand prize winner to contact me.

If I don't hear from you...I'll choose another winner tomorrow morning. Details in the previous post...

It's another frigid day here in Illinois, but the studio is nice & warm, so I think I'll head that way &...

Make art!
wendy