let the celebration begin!

THANKS SO VERY MUCH for all the sweet comments!
I appreciate each & EVERY ONE of YOU!!
You guys are....THE BEST!

OK...I have lots to include in this post, so let's get started with today's guest artist...

it's...SUSAN KESSELMAN...

I met Susan when I was teaching in Springfield, Illinois @ Prairie Art Stamps...she was in both of my workshops...

She sent me some photos of her art and I HAD to share!

Here's her Thanksgiving centerpiece...
and here's what she said...

Here's the floral arrangement I made for our Thanksgiving table using Wendy Vecchi's stamps. There are 11 (assorted colors and prints) roses, 3 pumpkins, 1 filmstrip flower, 5 antique buttons and 1 piece of wood. I had some brightly colored fall leaves tucked away that were the same colors as some of the flowers but I aged them with Walnut Distress Ink. Perfecto! The jar is the size of a small mayo jar. Inside the jar is black abaca paper so you don't see all the green stems. The ribbon border is also one of Wendy's stamps, ditto for the flowers (center is an old snap) and leaves on it. The arrangement is 3-D so all sides are a bit different. My fingers are super inky...maybe they'll be too disgusting to look at and I can get out of food prep on Thanksgiving?!?!!?!? LOL Enjoy! SusanK

Get ready to be amazed.....
TADA...


And since I LOVED that project...
she sent another...

This is thinking outside the box...
Susan made a wreathe with my leaves stamp...

AGAIN...TOTALLY COOL!!!
Click for a larger view...


THANKS very much for sharing your art & ideas with us Susan!

You're very lucky you live far away...
I'm tempted to drive over & swipe that centerpiece!

Ok...now we'll back up to Friday...
it was a nice sunny day & Rick suggested we "get out of here for a bit"...

which means "let's head to the antique mall".

Here's our find of the day...
Not only did we LOVE the colors & the awesome font...

keep in mind that Rick was born on Christmas day...
1951...



We both flipped when we saw it...

12/25/51...

This was meant for us & now has a new home in our hall...

Next subject...
I've said many times here that I am NOT patient...

but here's a very cute photo of the ultimate in patience...
I stole this from my friend's blog...
the AMAZING...Katie Watson...

Her girls dressed up their pet... this is NOT MY cat!

I think this is an award winning photo...

and a reminder for me to be more patient...

the look on her face says it all...
Does this skirt make my butt look big?
ARE WE DONE YET?



one quick public service announcment...
For you guys who ordered tags...

The tags are shipping this morning!!
You should all have them before the weekend.
HAVE FUN...get inky.

OK...as promised...a quickie holiday gift!

Supplies you'll need... to play along...

*Jet Black Archival ink

*Coffee Archival ink

*Heat-it craft tool

*unglazed tiles...4 x 4...found @ Home Depot (a set of 4 makes a great gift)

*this tree stamp

*Claudine's Multi Medium...I used the matte finish

*foam brush

*Fabri-Tac adhesive

*cork or felt to finish the bottom

And here's what we'll make...a set of coasters...

Here's the quick & simple steps...

*wipe off the tiles to remove any dust & dry

*using coffee archival, ink the edge of the tile directly with the pad...wipe off the excess & heat to dry

* using jet black archival, stamp the tree and the border

* heat & dry...the tiles get warm...be careful!

The archival ink is waterproof...
but I was worried about some ironstone mugs possibly scratching the surface, so...

*I applied 2 coats of multi medium as an added protection.

I used a foam brush and brushed one coat horizontally ...dried that then applied a second coat vertically.

You'll see the foam brush leaves tiny lines & give it a linen like matte surface.

It seemed to add a bit of texture, which looks good and added depth to the stamped image.

There's also a gloss multi medium, if you prefer a gloss finish.

So...on the left...the original...
the finished on the right...




* I found these green felt coasters (in the $1 section of Michael's)
and glued them on with the Fabri-Tac...


* I'll finished some with cork...



So...I now have one gift done...
YIPPEE!

and the best part...
15 minutes tops...

I'll tie them together with a cool ribbon...
toss them in a gift bag...

DONE...simple & FUN to make!


Other ideas...

Remember...you can choose any color tile to coordinate with a specific decor...

A larger tile done the same way makes a great trivet for hot dishes...

I'm going to do 4 x 4's again...
I'll stamp the entire tile with one of my background stamps (using coffee archival)
and then use tim's alphabet stamp to add the recipient's initial...
to the center of the tile...

Then I want to make another set...
I'll use tim's alphabets again & make one for each member of the family...
with their initial...

Check the Home Stores...
lots of times these guys are discontinued & REALLY a steal!

NOW...a DRUMROLL...

Today's prize is from RANGER...


in the package I see...inks, Rock Candy Crackle Paint, Rock candy stickles, LOTS of the new distress stickles colors and MORE...

I gotta keep some secrets...
I want the winner to be surprised!

So...leave a comment to be entered...

I'll draw the winner @ 7am tomorrow...

the winner has until 7am on Wednesday to contact me...

If the winner doesn't...
we'll add the Ranger goodies to the next drawing...

I hope you're inspired to ...

make (Christmas gift) art!
wendy
ps...you guys are hilarious...
I accidentally hit publish (not enough coffee) before the text was added & there are already 17 comments...
and you only saw the photos...

HMMMMMM...
you must really want those RANGER goodies!

490 posts later...

studio 490...

HEY...I just realized it's our GOLDEN BLOG-IVERSARY!

Since I hadn't realized it until this very moment...

we'll celebrate all 5 days next week...

Monday thru Friday...

Here's how it will work...

I'll post something...
YOU LEAVE A COMMENT...

and we'll do random drawings and I'll giveaway stuff from my favorites...

every day next week!


If the winner doesn't contact me before the next post is up...

we'll roll that prize over to the next day...
more stuff=more fun!

So, basically...the winner has about 24 hours to contact me...

I'll send goodies from some of my favorite companies...

Ranger...
Maya Road...
Jenni Bowlin...

and more...

We'll also have a guest artist...

you'll be impressed, I'm sure...

AND...NEXT WEEK...


I'll show you a quick, EASY very low cost STAMPED holiday gift idea...

it's something you can make...
15 minutes start to finish...


Sound like fun?
Next week...be here...


So...how did this blog come to be?

When I was invited to join the Maya Road design team in September of 2007, they suggested that I start a blog.


YIKES!!!
I was petrified...
AND...
basically computer illiterate...still am...
NOT a good thing...

I was thinking...

What do I know?
What could I talk about?
Would anyone come and visit me?

490 posts later...

this has been soooooooo much fun...

I had NO CLUE!

I've met TONS of people who enjoy the same things I do...

It's fun to talk with people who...
GET ART and LOVE stamping too.

And when we get to meet in person...
that's the icing on the cake for me.

I started the STAT COUNTER on January 7, 2008 and have had 322,652 visitors since then.

WOW!!!
The wonders of the internet...

Most days 700-1100 people stop by...

When there's an associated giveaway then we have about 1500.

I find this...AMAZING!!!

So ...

from the bottom of my HEART...

THANKS to all of YOU...

for making this blog a success!


Q&A time...
I'll answer this today, since the question has come several times this week...


I saw you demo the white pigment and distress inks, but it doesn't work for me...yours was dramatic...mine sucks...any hints?


Here's the technique...

Stamp your image with SNOW CAP WHITE pigment ink...
bolder images are best...

YOU MUST DRY IT,
or you'll wipe the image off the tag...


Then using the blending tool...
apply any color of distress ink over the image.

EVERY distress ink color works...

At first it doesn't look like much...
but TRUST ME...

keep applying the ink & magically, you'll see the image POP!

Make sure your white pad is well inked & the distress pads are too...
it takes ink to make this work...

Here's an old tag I found...

This uses worn lipstick, peeled paint and faded jeans...





The background, flowers and leaves used on this tag are from ...
dreams of art...set...

JOURNEY is tim's cool stamp...

So like I said...stamp the background with snowcap white PIGMENT ink...

DRY...
then
apply distress ink over the entire background, until the background pops...

Stamp the flowers and leaves on another tag, again with the white pigment ink...

DRY the images...
cut out & apply the distress inks...

it's another way to use the distress inks, add one product & get another completely different LOOK...

And speaking of tags...
STOP THE PRESS!!

LUCKY for us...

Tim is doing his AWESOME 12 tags of Christmas again this year...
YIPPEE! Talk about a TON of inspiration...

HOWEVER...he is sold out of tags...

I found that out when got a bunch of emails yesterday asking to buy tags here...

OK...I'll share...

Same price as Tim's...
20 for $5.00 which includes shipping to the US ONLY...
some have asked for more...

40 for $9.00...again US shipping only...

Pay Pal requests will be sent...after I get your email...

sorry...no checks this time,
so you get them in time to PLAY!

That's it...

Have a GREAT weekend...
happy Christmas shopping...

Make ART!
wendy

Linda did it again and other stuff...

We'll start with a UK friend...Linda Elbourne...
the guest artist for today...

She sent me a photo of her project & I have to say...
WOW!
Linda was TOTALLY thinking outside the box for sure...

I asked her to give us a few tips & hints...
here's what she has to say...

When I look at Wendy's stamps I see something different every time ... they are so well designed ... they fit any style and virtually any project ... full of endless possibilities!

When I saw the scalloped edge stamp ... my first thought was edging and binding and books and corsets ... that inspired the corset ties around my bean tins ...

Lin Brown from LB Crafts[UK] gave me a little wooden bird house to alter ... and I love TSS metal and I wanted depth and I wanted the house to look homely ...
well that is when the idea jumped out at me ...
roof tiles ... rounded ones ...
and my Studio 490 stamps are always always always to hand! So out came the grunge paper to make the TSS metal flexible enough to curl ...

I stamped the scalloped stamp 26 times on the grunge ... stuck the grunge to the metal with humungo tape ... cut them out and then all that was left was to put a wheely pattern around the edge of each piece ...

Wendy's stamps did all the real work ...
that lady sure knows how to put the FUN in MAKE ART!

And I think you'll agree...
LINDA makes GREAT art!
take a look...
all of these...


Make this...
How cool...
Not exactly what I had in mind when I designed that stamp...

But...that's what's so fun about stamping...
each person sees something different...
and as you see...
stamps aren't just for paper!

THANKS for sharing LINDA...it's awesome...

POP over to her blog...

she's got lots of fun projects there & she is funny too!

*

Here's something you may not have seen before...

the 2 scroll stamps from this set...

joined together perfectly to make a heart!

*

they are also a flower stem & more...

My tip is not as over the top like Linda's...

but it's another way to use your stamps.

Here are answers to a few questions...

please help me. I have looked high & low for the maya road canvas album you posted a while ago?

Maybe a month or 2? It's exactly what I want.

Here you go...as of yesterday, they were in stock here.

*

Next...

How long before you show us the stamps? My heart can't take the stress...

Plus...i'd like to let hubby know what I want for Christmas.

How many sets does he need to order this time? Same price?

Hmmm....

The stamps will be released @ CHA...late January.

I expect I'll show them a few days before that...

maybe a few peeks starting a few weeks before that...

*

gotta get the stamps...

and get the art...made first.

As for how many sets....

I think I'll save that info for a contest...like in late January!

As for the price...some are the same..

some are LESS!

Think about that tiny tidbit of info.

*

BUT...YIPPEE!!

MY PART IS DONE! The images are done...

the sets are all named...

*

I stuck with the word ART in each set...kind of a security blanket...

plus I LOVE the word art...

*

The wood mounted stamps are all chosen & named...

they each need a specific name for the catalog...

*

I'm DIEING to get them...soon I HOPE!

TED...are you listening? tell your guys to hurry!

*

It's one thing to see them on the monitor and another to have them in my hands & get them (& me) inky...

I'm so excited!

*

Next...

When are you coming to the east coast?? I'd love to be able to take more classes with you.

*

I'll join in with Patti ... come east, please? Well, at least east of IL? ;o)

*

Those minis are so cute!

Sounds like you had lots of fun at your class.

When are you coming to Maine?

*

Are you coming to Texas any time soon? We have heat here & plenty of it.

*

When are you coming to the UK? PLEASE think of your friends across the pond...

*

YIKES...The UK is REALLY FAR EAST! ha!

For sure I will be teaching in NY @ Buffalo Stamps & Stuff...

the date hasn't been decided just yet....but sometime in 2010.

As far as east coast teaching...

I'll also be in South Caroline again @ The Stamping Place...

I think that will be late August...

As far as Texas...maybe!

Maine? Haven't had any requests from any store owners there...

sorry...

Other teaching places & convention stuff are in the works...

My schedule is always posted on the right sidebar...

*

Another...

I want 2 books. One for me & one for a friend for her gift.

Do I have to pay you 2 shipping charges?

*

Good news...

NOPE...

2 books can ship in the same envelope for one shipping fee.

*

Last one...

do maya Road & ranger have new products coming too? can you share? we won't tell.

*

YES and NO!

Yes they both do...

*

can I share?

NO!!!!

They'd both KILL me ...

then who would do my blog?

*********

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Enjoy the day!

*

Eat lots, especially dessert...

it's all LOW CAL on holidays...

trust me...

take a nap...or watch football...

then...

make art!

wendy

ps...back on Friday.

By then hopefully I'll think of something to say.

remember...comments are good!

the mini's have arrived!

but first...
a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who took my workshops in Madison this past weekend.
60+ stampers and I sure had fun!!!
Your finger should be clean by now...I expect!

We had students from Iowa, Minnesota, Ilinois & Wi, that I know of...
a really nice...TALENTED group...

It was great to see some cruiser friends again...
and to meet some blog friends too.
It's so nice to have a face to go with the name...

and I got to see some familiar faces from past classes...
THANKS so much for coming!

The demos on Saturday & Sunday were oh so fun too...
***
I said I would tell you the minute the new Maya Road minis arrived & THEY HAVE...

First the crystal trinket pins...
they're tear drop shaped & REALLY pretty...

these mini heart trinket pins are sooooooooo cute...

then...my favorite...mini love set...




and what's cookin minis...
I think that piece...second row right...
can be a chef hat or a bread...
too fun!





and while shopping, I spotted these...
mini jenni bowlin valentine bingo cards...
PERFECTLY sized for the mini love set & hearts above...
I have an idea brewing.........

now how about GIVEAWAY to a random blog commenter...

I think I'll send a goodie package to...

lesleyworth said...
OMG! how cute! can't wait to see those locally!
and a second book????? ackkkkkkkkkk! can I wait that long????
and new stamps?????
my poor husband has NO CLUE!
November 19, 2009 10:14 PM

lesleyworth...please send your info & we'll get that in the mail to you!

See?
Comments are good...
who's next?

Go shop...
then...
make art!
wendy

ps...come back tomorrow, I have a guest artist.
You WILL be amazed!

Now it's Thursday...

& I didn't get here yesterday as planned...
And why you ask?

NO...I did NOT forget my blog friends...NEVER!

It's because another stamp set popped into my head...
kind of an add-0n for another set...

I HAD to get it done yesterday.

So...EVERYTHING on my part is done...YIPPEE!!!

Zach has the PDF'S done...

then the mag plates get made...
then Stampers Anonymous makes the actual stamps & ships them to me.

Then I sit on the drive patiently waiting...
NOT...
for Mr. UPS to get them here.


Then I get going on projects for book #2.
the ideas are brewing...

I think you'll be a little surprised...
you'll see...

some fun images...
a little more funky...

some sets have giant backgrounds...
some don't...

some sets have flowers...
some don't...

I did more sets than planned...
and in a different format...

don't worry...everything still fits in the acrylic binders...
those will not change!

I think they're perfect for storage.

Enough said...before I give away too much info...
Here's something you'll LOVE...

Maya Road did a mini release to tide us over while waiting for their COOL NEW CHA stuff...
let me just say...
OMG!

They start shipping today...

Daisy & Joy have them ordered...
@ eclecticPaperie...
so they should be in stock VERY soon...

I asked Daisy to let me know when they arrive & I'll let you know, so you get first dibs before they're gone...

NEW...trinket pins...
remember...these guys can be used as is...They are BEAUTIFUL!

or colored with the refillable alcohol ink pen...

or alcohol inks & the alcohol ink applicator...
I like the pen, because you have excellent control working on small items...
they are great for clear rhinestones...etc...

NEXT...These are PERFECT to add to recipe cards...

My plan is to make a mini book for a friend's daughter...
a shower gift...
with recipes I think she'll enjoy...

I USED to cook..BS (before stamping!)






Obviously... I LOVE these too...more minis...


And how about these guys?
TOO CUTE!

Lots of uses for them...
Valentines...Anniversary cards...
they're adorable accents...

That's it for today...
I'm headed north to the convention @ the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wi.

It will be a BUSY weekend...
tomorrow I have 2 classes, then a 4 hour make & take session...

then I demo all day Saturday & Sunday...
(I LOVE this!)

Sounds like a perfect weekend to me!
If only they'd turn the heat on in their state...
I'd really be happy to be going there...

take care...
have a fun weekend...
I'll be back on Tuesday...FOR SURE...
you just never know what we'll find here that needs a new home...
comments are good...very good...

make art! I will!
wendy

ps...Hmmm...how about this idea?
If you come to the convention...
If you're a blog friend...
If you let me know...
I'll have a little gift ...
just for you!
I'll go pack some (Maya Road)things now...

I blinked...

and Monday was gone!
How did that happen???
Forget buying VOWELS...

I want to buy more hours for each day...
who gets that request?

Anyway... got a few emails to answer...
first one...

"I spent hours and looked thru your whole blog.
OMG...it's cool...I just might explode...
you showed some house photos...
I want to see more of your house & do you repurpose stuff in your home or just in your art? With dollars tight...I'll take any ideas you offer"

Hmmm...
I do use oddball stuff in our house...
here's something I rescued from an antique store.
The price was huge...I think a whole $8.00...

It was filthy & Rick didn't even want it in the house...
so he pressure washed it & then saw what I saw...

The tag said it was a post from a table or bed?
Guess the owner didn't know for sure, so the price was very good...
It's flat on one side & fit perfectly in the entry...



Next question...
"I really like the mini Glossy Accents we used in class.
Can I buy them that size from you?"

Nope...we buy them for class use only...
and we can't sell them...
BUT...you can easily make your own...

When you have an empty Stickles bottle...
pull the top off...wash it out...
fill with Glossy Accents...
and you have the perfect travel size.

And this one came twice yesterday...

"PLEAAAAAZZZZZZZZZEEEEEEEEE...make us a bigger rose stamp. I need large really BADDDDDD. ok???????????"

HA! I try my best to please...stay tuned!

This made me laugh...
"Tim does Christmas tags every year for us, I think you should too."

REALLY? I can't be a copy cat...
I'll have to think of something different...
maybe...
someday...

"What is the adhesive you recommend?"
That depends on what I'm doing...
I use Art Glitter glue for most things...
however...
I also use Glossy Accents and Fabri-Tac from Beacon...
and I also like Claudine's multi medium in the matte finish ...

My best tip for adhesive is don't use too much.

The last for today...
"I have to ask, since you are doing so much with wool these days,... isn't the wool itchy? I steer clear of wool at all cost due to the itchy-ness. Tell the truth!! Itchy or not?!?!? Inquiring minds... "

Yep...I'm really getting into wool...
you'll see that below...

The little pieces I'm working on aren't itchy to make...

But...when I wear a wool sweater, I always have a T on or a turtleneck...just to make sure...
That cute scarf may be a tiny problem...
but I like it so I'll suffer...

OK...on to some art stuff...

I found these AWESOME...(they're BLACK) wool purses
and bought a bunch from the art girlz...
Enough for either a class...or possibly some kits...???

I made the purse 2 ways...
the first is finished...it's all GRUNGE...

I glued the leaves on, so they're there to stay...but I added the flowers with tie tacs, so they can be removed & easily changed to coordinate with whatever you're wearing...
just pop them off...and pop on some new colors...





The second is a work in progress...it's not finished...
it's done with wool...

The 2 smaller flowers are my "rose" stamp...

I used Snowcap white pigment ink...

stamped it...dried it then covered up the image with the wool...

Another way to USE stamps...on fabric...

Here's a better shot...test driving that button...

NOW A DRUMROLL...

I have some film strip ribbon to send to...

SusanK said...
I don't throw anything away immediately. Anything that can possibly be used is kept in another spot. I can't tell you how many tiny scraps I keep but you just never know when they'll be just the perfect thing for your next project. Filmstrip ribbon - ooh la la!
November 13, 2009 2:46 PM

Susan, please send you address & you'll get a fun little something from me...

Wanna win? Gotta leave comments...

that's how it works...

more tomorrow...I HOPE!

Take care...

make art!

wendy

ps...YIPPEE...just got an email from ZACH...

with new images...

EDITED after checking them out...

A HUGE...YIPPEE!

I think you might like these!

I do...

yesterday I enabled...EDITED!

***EDIT @ THE END***

today...I have some $$$ saving ideas...

It's kind of a joke here that I'm always digging something out of the trash. It drives Rick nuts...

I like to think of it as...going green...

I hate clutter, so I toss the junk off my workspace immediately.
Then...
the lightbulb goes on, I have a thought & I'm looking in the trash for what I just tossed out...

It kills me to waste stuff.

So here goes...just a few simple things today...

I used to toss these flower leftovers...
until I realized that this can be a flower...
use the whole thing...
just put paper behind it...or a stamped background and layer smaller parts on top.
How did I NOT see that?

Then...duh...it's a stencil too...

Just blast it with Maya Mists, Ranger's Color Wash or even distress inks...mixed with Perfect Pearls.

Not only do you get a stenciled image...
you also have a flower that's ready to be used on a project.

AND...I have also used these with a stencil brush or the blending tool to apply the distress inks...

And...I see they are on sale here...
I'm just saying...$$$ saving...


One of these went in the trash too...
same thing...

Once the grungeboard pieces are used, you're left with another perfect stencil...

Now what's really cool about the grungeboard is that you can use it over & over again.

The liquid won't destroy the grunge...

This makes a wonderful large background stencil...
perfectly spaced circles...



It works with all grungeboard shapes...

I find it best to use giant post-it notes to mask off other areas, that you don't want inked.

And one more thing that I've found to be very useful...

When working on smaller projects, or when spraying small chipboard pieces...

I've been putting the Color Washes and Maya Mists into mini misters...

It's PERFECT!
You have great control & only ink small areas at one time...

Next, I'm planning a background using Maya Road's mini snowflakes...
I want to arrange them on cardstock, mist to make the stencil effect...use that,
then use the already inked snowflakes on another project...

So there you have my $$$ saving tips for the day!

I got several emails asking how the custom mix of distress stickles came to be...(that was in yesterday's post)
Was it an accident?

Actually, I was looking for a verdigris type color look for a project (that's why the photo is so small!) and I just had the thought to mix them.

It's a cool effect...and another way to use the distress stickles...
Think about it...

lots of possibilities with color combos...
lots of fun.......

Next I want to try .........
wait...
I'll save that for another post!

Have a great weekend...
keep those comments coming...
I have some extra film strip ribbon.........

Make art!
wendy
EDITED!
OK...I may have to edit the title of this post...or not...
depends on how you look @ it...

This news flash just came from eclecticPaperie...
This is all on sale only until SUNDAY...
HEY...I see studio 490 stamps on the list & Tim's too!!!!

HERE'S a portion of the newsletter...
Selected items will be offered at this special price beginning today until Sunday, November 16th or while supplies last.

Tim Holtz stamp collections $19.96 (regularly $21.95)

Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 stamps $19.96 (regularly $24.95)

Fancy Pants Designs Paper Collections $13.00 (regularly $20.99 to $23.99)
7 Gypsies Revolving Carousel - $19.96 (regularly $34.95)
DVD Tin bundle - 12 for $19.96
We R Memory Decorative Corner Chompers - $19.96 (regularly $24.95)
Heat Craft Tool - $19.96 (regularly $24.95)
TenSeconds Studio Tools - $13.00 (regularly $17.99)
TenSeconds Studio Kabuka Molds - $13.00 (regularly 16.99)
Paper Party Bundle -$13.00
Frame It! - $13.00 RANGER STUFF!!!
Fancy Findings - $19.96 IDEA-OLOGY STUFF
Distress Stickles 6 pack grab bag assortment - $13.00 (regularly 14.94)

clips clamps snaps...oh my!

Try to say that 10 times!

FIRST...
Gotta set the record straight...
The convention in Madison is NEXT weekend...Nov 20-22...
Sorry for the confusion...this weekend I'm HOME working on new stamps & kits for Madison...


Getting back to the title...

Here's a frequent question...
just got it again Tuesday...
so here goes...

For my workshops, usually one of the items on my supply list, is some sort of clamp...

These things are invaluable...they are like having another hand...

The "hemostat"...the silver guy on the left is great for bending metal...

The small alligator clamp under the ruler is PERFECT for making roses...

We used these on the cruise & shockingly...
someone refered to it as a roach clip...
(does your mother know this?)

HORRORS!
But it made everyone in the room bust a gut...

The 2 black & yellow things are also great tools to have in your arsenal...
I find both sizes very useful.




The hemostats are a little hard to find...
quilters call them "needle pullers", so check those stores...


someone also suggested to check in the fishing supplies...
something to do with hooks?
EDIT!
This just in from Barbara...
try...ScissorSales.com


Rick got me the alligator clamps @ Home Depot, in the electronics section...

Now I see that JoAnn's has them in their jewelry section...so does Hobby Lobby...
and they are MUCH better priced there...


The black & yellow guys are also a home type store find...
Trust me... I use these a LOT!

next topic...

DID YOU KNOW?...

That you can combine colors of distress stickles?

It's simple...
squirt a blob of each of your colors on a craft sheet...
stir with a toothpick & apply to your project...

Here's my combo of broken china & vintage photo...

It's applied on a creme colored felt beaded blossom, by Maya Road.

I like the look...sort of verdigris???




NEXT...
Inspiring things...

After my class last Saturday, I popped over to a favorite store called Country Gingham...

It's an AWESOME home/gift type store.

REALLY cool stuff...
it's in Bloomington, Illinois...

My intent was to look for a gift for a friend...
SADLY...NO LUCK!

BUT...I did get this...

I LOVED the colors...
loved the textures...

DID NOT love the price tag...
oh well...
a little splurge...

and I NEEDED the inspiration...
ha!


The REALLY BAD thing is that Debby, the owner had me model a matching coat...

Do you see where this is going?
It's not my fault, Rick...

Like the scarf...NEED a coat?
Not really...but it did look great with the scarf...
SOLD...

She's quite the salesgal...I think that's what is called...
add on sales...

One of the other things I spotted there were some awesome wool purses...

I'm really getting into this wool stuff...

After an internet search...

here's what I found...
the colors are very inspiring... & so is the design...

and they'd look cool with the coat...
GOD STOP ME...
I didn't buy them....
YET!

This is another great combo...
but then I'd NEED another coat...
I think NOT!


Go here to be inspired...

The company is called baabaazuzu...

Just look @ all the different categories of items...

It's free inspiration...or I sure hope it is...

Got more to say...
but I better save it for another post...

It's time to...

make art! ( for a TOP SECRET MISSION)...
I REALLY want to say...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..............
wendy

ps...got my stamp designs back from Zach, the stamp magician...
just a few tweeks...............
I'm really excited...