shhhh...I was supposed to be packing...

but instead I snuck into the studio for a quick art fix...

here's the result...

a 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch mini art...

and here's how it came to be...

these 3 pieces were still out on my island,

leftover from another project...

for some reason, when I saw that art parts corner, it made me think...

hey...it's a FLOWER!

the new mini scallop trim (designed to be a perfect fit for tim's configurations compartments) looked good under the corner & added another layer ...

I chopped off the flower & used just the art parts stem/leaves...

I used the insert & base of the art parts rectangle frame & saved the actual cut out frame for another project...

the larger piece was covered with graphic45 paper & toned down a bit with brushed corduroy distress ink...

the smaller art parts rectangle was inked with vintage photo distress ink...

then very lightly stamped with the houndstooth background using coffee archival...

I applied very little ink, because I knew I HAD to use that medicine label again...

I inked it randomly with jet black archival...

to create a worn looking image...

the art parts scallop corner & mini trim were inked with weathered wood distress stain...

I stamped the flowers on Clearly for Art, which had been covered with the dictionary page...

I used Glue N Seal...LOVE IT!...

especially the matte...

then I used the weathered wood distress stain on them too...

the stem is inked with peeled paint distress stain...

since I chopped off the mini butterfly antennae, you'll see a custom epoxy charm clip used as the butterfly head...

hmmm...do butterflies have heads?

by the way...

the butterfly is stamped on Clearly for Art BLACKOUT...

using the gold paint dabber...

I wrapped a black thread around the stem to add a little interest & added a mini pin...

oh...the flower center is one of tim's pearl baubles...

did you spot tim's new die cut photo corners?

they are cut from black cardstock scraps...

it was a quick & FUN little art fix...

NOW, since we're friends...

remember...

what happens in Oglesby,

stays in Oglesby...

mum's the word...

remember...I WAS packing...

HONESTLY...

I didn't sneak into the studio to...

make art!

wendy

GOT IT?

art parts + idea-ology + Ranger = FUN

this was so much fun that I didn't want it to end...

The inspiration for this piece came from my berry tree stamp...

I hadn't used it in a while & I forgot how much I like it...

as soon as I spotted it yesterday, I took a break from kitting...

I HAD to...

make art...

the tree was my starting point...

this time I used just the base & the cut out from the large square art parts frame & a scallop trim strip...

see that extra little piece glued onto the scallop??

It's a straight stem from the flower pack...

they are in the sampler pack too...

and just you wait to see what else I have planned for those straight stems...

a totally fun idea...

when used with the...??

hmmm...

I might save that thought for book #4...

but I will share a new hanging idea...

I used the crop-a-dile to make holes in the base...

then used an old hinge...

added 2 swivel clasps & a D ring...

and made a paper bead to keep the swivel clasps apart...

I like it!

art parts are very sturdy, but the crop-a-dile makes holes with no effort at all...

the butterfly is stamped on "clearly for art" with Ranger's jet black archival...

I'LL BE BACK WITH THE "CLEARLY" LINK, as soon as I hear back from Heidi...not sure if it's sold out already??

***UPDATE*** YIKES!!! it IS indeed sold out. But fear NOT...more is ordered. I'll let you know when it arrives.

it's colored with tim's alcohol inks...

terra cotta looks good with rusty hinge distress ink...

next I warmed/softened it with the heat-it tool & shaped it...

and used the gold paint dabber to edge the butterfly & make it stand out a bit more...

I used it to edge the smaller square too...

the game spinner & long fastener make a good body for this critter...

and anchor it in place...

I swiped the gold dabber lightly on the scallop trim...

it's a small detail, but it adds to the finished look...

tim's on the edge townscape die...

is the cutest...(IMHO)

it's cut from grungeboard...

I like the extra dimension...

& the ability to make the roofs dimensional by bending them...

I used a portion of his leaves from the regal crest die & some foliage to add the finishing touch...

a few more product details...

The houndstooth paper is from Graphic45...

it's simple to sand the art parts edges, using tim's sanding grip...

the small square is covered with paper from tim's lost & found stash (my most fav!!)

I stamped over the paper with my new stamp, using coffee archival...

my house is inked with brushed corduroy & rusty hinge...

black soot was used to distress the roof tops...

oh...one more thing...

the mini chandelier is tim's stamp...

a tree & a chandelier???

Hey...

TRUST ME...

there are NO RULES for...

mak(ing) art!

wendy

tim's Sizzix stuff & a STAMP SALE!

I better start with a WARNING...

enabler alert (sale info) coming later in this post...
YOU HAVE been warned...
I'm just sayin...(warned)

OK...here's a card I made using several of tim's new Alterations dies...which are manufactured by Sizzix.

The yellow-ish cardstock base is cut with the Baroque die and it's stamped with my leafy background & butterscotch pigment ink.

The large flower is from the Tattered florals die...
it's stamped with my new plaid stamp & inked with red pepper pigment ink...

the small gear is PERFECT for flower centers...

I also used the smallest gear to make the mini flowers...
it's simple...
die cut...
ink...I used denim pigment...
stamp with any background stamp...I used this text...
fold in half & staple with the tiny attacher...
cover up the flower with the flower center...



The scroll/leafy grunge is also a Sizzix die called Vine with leaves...makes sense!

it's stamped with my polka dot background and olive archival ink.

The green paper is graphic 45, again overstamped with olive archival and my text background.

I think it looks kind of like a poppy!

oops one more thing...
the cute button is a new idea-ology button...YUM!

I leave for California early tomorrow morning...so I got a MILLION things to accomplish today, but I wanted to answer this question because I've gotten it several times in the last few days...

I took your ranger ink class @ the stamp convention, is the store class the same? Would I benefit by taking it again @ the store? Is it different?

The 2 classes are very different, because @ conventions we are limited to 2 hours (most times).
So...the Ranger ink class @ conventions is basically about distress inks/ blending tools... and we sneak in one pigment technique...
it's a VERY FUN (very INKY) class with 10 techniques.

The Ranger technique class for stores is 4 full inky hours ...
and since we have more time...
we can play with more techniques & more products.

Some of the products we use are distress inks, pigment inks, perfect pearls, archival inks, stickles & more...

So...if you're INTO inks like me...
the store class is REALLY inky fun.

It's probably my most requested & most FAVORITE class to teach.

Now about the STAMP SALE...
I copied this from the eclecticPaperie newsletter...

It starts out talking about tim's new book...then mine...
and both are included in the sale!
yippee!

Now here comes the enabler part...warning...

So, to celebrate these two new books by a couple of our favorite paper craft designers, both Tim Holtz and Studio 490(by Wendy Vecchi) stamps are on sale. Now through Sunday, March 14th, all Tim Holtz and Studio 490 stamps are on sale at 10% off their regular price. Pick up some older ones that you may have missed and pick up some new releases.

I'm off to pack demo stuff & a few clothes for the Carson CA, Stamp convention this weekend...
believe me..the demo stuff is way more important than clothes...

I'm excited to head to Carson again...
now that I've been there a few times...
it's really fun to see familiar faces....
and they have SUN in California!

And TRUST ME...
Ted will have the Stampers Anonymous booth LOADED with lots of cool NEW stuff...LOADED...
Hope to see you there!

Come back tomorrow for some AWESOME eye candy...
This piece totally blew me away...
I promise...you WILL be amazed!

that's tomorrow...
until then...

HAPPY SHOPPING...
buy lots so you have stuff to...

make art!
wendy

altered acrylic binders...101...

I've had several questions recently about how to alter my acrylic stamp storage binders.

Today I thought I'd offer my ideas...
and a few tips...

They come naked, with 3 giant (3 inch) binding rings, so that they can be customized to coordinate with your decor.

The binder makes it very easy to flip thru the pages of stamps, choose your stamp, use it & put it back on the storage sheet.

It's so MUCH better than digging thru a box.

You'll find that you will use them more often, because it's easy.

If you collect cling or Maya Road clear stamps,

blank pages can be added to the binder to store them too.

One pages holds a lot, because you can store stamps on both sides of the blank sheet.

Here's the first binder, which houses my first stamp release.

You'll notice that all the others have a VOL. number on them...

This one doesn't...

since it was my first, I didn't want to jinx myself & say...
VOL. 1...

that assumes there would be VOL.2

If no one besides me liked them, there would be no VOL 2.

But now that we're on VOL 4...

I can safely call this one ...VOL 1!

YIPPEE!

I stamped the border, using jet black archival ink.

I carefully heat set it & you'll see that almost 2 years later, the stamping is still perfect.

It's AMAZING, considering this has been sent across the country many times.

Another option is to stamp on the inside of the cover. Remember to stamp images only...

words won't work on the inside, since they'll show up backward from the front.

I used lots of grungeboard & grungepaper as my base for stamping on all the binders.





Here's VOL 2...

the papers are all graphic 45 and are glued to a base paper.





and VOL 3...

which is a combination of graphic 45 & jenni bowlin papers.

I machine stitched these pieces together to resemble a quilt...






You'll see the newest 2 binders...

VOL 4 in the previous post.


So here's my suggestions for creating them.


The goal is to see NO adhesive on the front.

Remove the protective blue film.

remember...

KEEP THE HOLES ON THE LEFT...trust me!

1. Choose the paper that will be inside the front cover.

it can be one piece...
or mutliple left over strips...

stamped or unstamped...

sewn together or just glued to a paper/cardstock base...

Keep it flat...the embellishments will be added to the front of the cover.

Have it completely ready to go.

2. Lay the paper in place under the front cover, but do not use any adhesive yet.

3. Plan the layout on the front...lay everything in place & move it around until you are satisfied with the look.

4. Glue your largest embellishment to the front of the binder.

5. Open the binder & you'll see where the adhesive is, so put some adhesive there to hold the paper in place.


Now, it's easy to keep words straight, by using the paper as a guide.

6. Add the rest of the embellishments on the front & glue in place.

7. Open the binder again & add adhesive in the adhesive spot areas and press the paper in place.

8. Since the paper is inside the binder, I don't have glue covering it entirely...

It's just where there is something on the front to hide it.

9. TADA! CUSTOM...done & very fun!

One more thing...

I've used several adhesives with success...
Glossy Accents, Art Glitter and Fabri-tac all work fine.

Normally I don't use Glossy Accents for glueing large pieces of paper, because of the quick drying time...
but for this purpose, it's perfect.

Just a tiny dot will hold the paper to the binder.

Remember to be sparing with adhesives.
A little goes a long way & you don't want to see any seeping out.

So there you have it...

altered acrylic binders 101...

If you have a naked binder...
get it out ...

have fun and...

make art!
wendy

day 5...wrapping it up!

well...now I see photos...

GEEZ...

That wasn't an earthquake...

it was me saying BAD words...
My parents are probably flipping around in their graves wondering where I ever heard those nasty words...

Anyway...I know for sure I don't need a stress test...
the OLD ticker must be OK!
and..
Persistence pays off...
FINALLY...success!!
she said with her fingers crossed...


So day 5...wrapping it up.
I hope you've had fun...I sure have...
well not this morning, but you guys are so worth it!!

THANKS for all the comments...
I appreciate each & EVERY ONE OF them & YOU!

Tieing into the title of this post...

today's offerings are altered wrappings...
simply done & very cheap...inexpensive...

no...cost effective...
I like that much better...
and you can use up those scraps in the process.

Hobby Lobby has their holiday wrappings on sale this week...
50%off...
perfect timing for me!

So here's one little gift container...
it's generic...
but it has huge potential...





By adding just a few scraps of Maya Road crochet trim, left over stamped polka dot cardstock, a black cardstock scrap, some Maya Road gingham ribbon and a tim type charm...


it can easily be transformed & personalized to this...




Next, I picked up these cute boxes @ HL too...
50 cents each...
I LIKE that!
Again...they're OK, but they need some help...



So, for a December birthday gift...

I added a scrap of wide polka dot ribbon,
a Maya Road felt beaded flower, which I covered with rock candy distress stickles,

a stamped stem, some leaves(on grungepaper) & the NEW tiny heart trinket pin from Maya Road.

The leaves were added with the cutie tiny attacher...

ah...
Much better...



And here's another...
a generic square box...
but with a great base color for inking & stamping...

I pulled this out of the archives, but I think Michael's & Hobby Lobby always have them in stock...



I started by lightly inking the lid with brushed corduroy, then I stamped the polka dots with fired brick distress ink.

I used the gold paint dabber to edge around the top of the lid...

a little touch...
but the details do matter...a LOT...

The holly is stamped with jet black archival on grungepaper, cut out & inked with peeled paint & fired brick, then covered with rock candy distress stickles...

Next, using jet black archival, I inked the text stamp, layed it flat on my table & pressed each edge of the box lid onto the stamp.

It's so easy to get your stamping straight that way.

Next, I checked to see what scraps were available...
the red is jillibean & the black is graphic45....

I added those to the top of the lid, stamped a few scrolls...

and added my holly.

There wasn't room for the whole saying, so I chopped it apart & used just the words that fit...

A little pen stitching around the edge...
some accent dots...

I LOVE the Sakura glaze pen in black...

The finishing touch is a row of black pearls...
from Hero Arts.

Pretty quick & easy too...




Here's a look @ the stamped sides of the lid...

another small detail, but that makes it look more finished, I think...




So there you have it...
3 simple gift presentation ideas...
wrapping it up....

Drumroll...the winner chosen from yesterday's comments is...

pooky said...

Yummy!!!!!!!! What a cool idea! I have a jar just like that but no candle.......hmmmm...could use for buttons or something? thanks for the chance to win some goodies!Happy Holidays!

CONGRATS pooky...you have until 11am tomorrow to contact me with your mailing info...since this post is LATE...

N0w about that GREAT PRIZE...

How would you like a

ONE

HUNDRED (100.00)

DOLLAR

GIFT CERTIFICATE for...



I TOLD YOU...

What an awesome prize...

You can Christmas shop for...

YOU...

thanks to Heidi & Terra!!

Get yourself some art supplies...

something you've had your eye on...

whatever you NEED...

or just a total splurge...

I hope the winner will post & tell us what they chose...

MANY THANKS to Simon Says Stamp...

for being so generous!!!

We'll draw the winner @ 7am on Monday morning...
A simple comment is all it takes...
your odds are much better here than the LOTTO!

So...CHEERS!!!

Here's to 490 more posts.

THANKS AGAIN!

make art!

wendy

wishing you...

comfort & joy...

ok...it might be a tad early for Christmas sentiments...
but I had this idea...

another 6x6 art piece...
square is good...

I'm in LOVE with these graphic 45 papers...
it's easy to create a coordinated look, by inking all of them with the same distress ink.

I used brushed corduroy over the entire piece.

and...they FINALLY arrived...
the Maya Road mini houses and mini alphabets...

I like to mix 2 fonts...
jonathan & noah...are my favs...

I LOVE the ability to put larger words on a small space...
another reason why I love minis...

Want to see ALL the adorable MINI'S?? LOOK here.

studio 490 stamps on grungepaper made the trees & holly...

Just add some vintage trim & an old ruler piece...
some of tim's idea-ology snaps...

tada...done and fun!


oh...
and rock candy distress stickles on the mini letters...


and on the holly berries too...

this time the holly is gingham...
but any background stamp is cool...
the holly is versatile...
because it's an outline...

same story with the tree...

Studio time for me now...

getting MARKET PLACE stuff done & ready for our cruisers...

I'm just saying...
the shopping will be so much fun!

So, my wish for you today...

May you have comfort & joy while you...

make art!
wendy

oops and inspiration...

here's the oops...

A NOT SO NICE UPS driver dropped this off for Mario...
he LITERALLY...
dropped it off...

WHAT?




Now take a look...
behind that car...

***a LONG way back...***

is the garage...
aka...Mario's studio...
aka...cruise shipping central...

What was he thinking???



So...in addition to getting 8 pallettes ready for our cruisers...
add this task to the TO-DO list...

UNWRAP...UNLOAD...
and CARRY each box into the studio...
to be RELOADED...

GEEZ.............

What a BAD BAD UPS boy...
no Christmas card for him this year...

I found the labeling very interesting...
(Mario just might have another word for it...)

Look @ what's needed for just one box...
@ last count, Mario said he's labeled 172 boxes...

Can you even imagine?

I think he's earned a mojito or 2!

The freight hauler arrives on Wednesday & is responsible for getting all 8 pallettes delivered to the ship...


and yes...
CRUISERS...

that label says
MARKET PLACE!

We've heard loud & clear that you guys are so looking foreward to...
SHOPPING!! (me too!)

I think we can help you out!!

It won't be long now...
Let me tell you that we're all VERY excited!
We leave early Saturday morning...
not that we're counting the sleeps...

On to the inspiration...

like I said...
it really IS everywhere...

This is a Talbot's ad that came last week...

The sweater is cute...
but the colors were what caught my attention.



It inspired me to make this...


The heart is cut from a vintage quilt...
I picked these up @ an antique store...
probably 2 years ago.

It's one of those things that I would take out of the drawer...
admire...
and put right back.

But this ad inspired me to actually USE it!

It's amazing what a little bit of machine sewing adds...
a very small detail...
but it adds a lot to the end result.

Here's a closer look @ the odd bits & pieces...
They all just seemed to work well together.

Stamps?
studio 490, of course!

Flower?
grungepaper...

Paper?
it's mostly graphic 45...
but the tiny text on the left is 7 gypsies...

a vintage bottler cap?
My new fav embellishment...

a vintage ruler?
Yep...I like it there...



The moral of today's post?

Keep your eyes wide open...
to really SEE what's around you...

there REALLY IS inspiration...
EVERYWHERE!

Now...
I hope you're inspired to...

make art!
wendy

on my lunch break...

I made art!

I found this 4 1/2 inch square piece of wood in my stash...
it's about 1/4 inch thick...
I have no clue why I had it...
or where it came from...

anyway...

This time I mixed the mini jenni bowlin papers with a graphic 45 that I fell in love with...

there's that canvas heart again...
I stamped the scrolls right on the fabric with jet black archival & heat set it...

another grungepaper rose...
this time with a bit of gold paint from the dabber...
then rock candy distress stickles accents...

that stamp on the kraft cardstock is this one...
it doesn't look too cute in the package, but it is one of my fav backgrounds.

Try stamping it with coffee archival...
or olive archival on a peeled paint background...

whoever said that leaves don't have numbers? wrong!

the gold paint dabber makes a quick finishing edge...
quick...
easy...
NO MESS...
even for me!

here's the result...


and speaking of edge...
this is another simple idea that just finishes off the art...

lay your background stamp rubber side up on your table...
ink with archival ink...

then press the edge onto the stamp...
dry & ink with a coordinating distress ink to color the bare wood...
or you can use the distress ink first, then stamp as above.

it's simple to get it perfectly straight...

see...


You can also create an edge on a canvas that way too...

That's the Friday update...

I know you'll enjoy your weekend...
if you take time to...

make art!
wendy

it's october...

REALLY???????
Are you sure?

Yep...no sun here...
the furnace is on...
I'm looking for sweats...
I want home made soup...
I made hot tea last night...
I HATE Illinois in the winter...

anyway...

YIKES...
If it's really October...
I must have slept thru September...

And speaking of being asleep...
I just got an email...forwarding my reservation..?
WHAT reservation?
Where am I supposed to be?
OMG??
Did I forget something?

NOPE...it's from Ranger... for CHA already...
in January...2010...
WHAT???
I just got back from CHA...how is this possible???
But...
It got me excited...

I LOVE working/demoing @ CHA for Ranger...
I LOVE seeing friends...

I'm thinking winter will be really exciting this time...since summer CHA was done on a smaller scale...

Lots of new stuff...
Lots of awesome displays...
new studio 490 stamps...
another book??
YIKES!!
How many more days to get ready?

I'll keep this short today...
All the products I used are listed on yesterday's post...
if you want to play along...or if you NEED to shop!

Here's a shot of the canvas again...
finished...


And here's the film strip ribbon idea...

those little holes are PERFECT for hanging...
stuff!

HOW SIMPLE...


I stapled the film strip ribbon to the bottom of the canvas with an old fashion stapler...the kind that opens all the way...
I used string...you could use jump rings...
DONE!

I have a few more of those canvas hearts...
more mini jenni papers...
I want to mixed them with graphic 45...
I'm thinking...RED...
all I NEED is 30 minutes...

maybe later today...
I'll skip lunch...
I WILL get it done...
and...
I'll show you tomorrow!

That's it!
Take care...

make art!
wendy

9/9/09

The title has NOTHING to do with this post...

I just thought it would be fun to type...9/9/09...
a once in a lifetime event!

Actually...maybe it does...

There are about 999 things on the TO-DO list...

I'm not complaining...it keeps me off the streets & out of the stores...

I have no time to SHOP!

Which explains why you've not seen any new shoes lately!

More Q & A...

You answered a question about the floral wire and wrap with the following: "Cloth covered wire is perfect. I have it in both green & brown. It's available @ JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby & Michaels (in the floral section)...but I've only found the brown @ JoAnn's in our area."Ok - what's "our area"?? Are your stamp sets sold in Joann's? I've never seen any of the good stuff in our Joann's!!!! Sorry, Joann......no offense!

NOPE...my stamps are NOT sold in JoAnn's.

They're only available thru your LSS, on line @ eclecticPaperie & other on line stores or directly from Stampers Anonymous. If you're lucky enough to have access to a convention featuring Stampers Anonymous, Ted has them there too.

"OUR area" is Oglesby, Illinois...we're about 100 miles south & west of Chicago...there's NOTHING cool here...

It's BORING!

MY LSS is 75 miles away...ONE WAY!

I'm happy to drive there SATURDAY to see my friends, do a book signing & teach a FULL grunge workshop! YIPPEE!

NEXT...

Just found your blog. How long does it take you to do a project? It takes me forever and they dont compare to yours.

I'm VERY slow, which is not a good thing when you have a 999 item TO-DO list.

It's rare that I can get a project done quickly.

A really detailed mini book... for example...

a Maya Road CHA project, can take me all week...like 25-30 hours, to get it to the point where I'm satisfied.

Even a simple card can take me several hours.

Next question...

p.s. My book came yesterday!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE it! And one of the best things that I love is the stamp index - that is cool! Are there binders to fit Studio 490 stamps and the book? I'm missing them if so...

The answer is simple...You can't find it, because...

I FORGOT to include them in the book.

GEEZ!!!!

BIG...DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that the book is arriving...I got this question like 8 times...

I TOTALLY overlooked it...

YIKES!! SO SORRY!

ANYWAY...

The acrylic storage binders are available here , LSS's and directly thru Stampers Anonymous, click on Accessories & then the category is...STORAGE.

Next...

hello...I picked up my binder @ the convention ...now what?
do you have any tips for me?

where do I start so the glue goesn't show?

*

Here's what works for me...

*

I'll choose the paper I want to use, cut it to the size I want & lay it under the front cover....but NOT use any adhesive yet.

Then...I'll embellish the front and adhere everything onto the front.

*

Then, turn the cover over & you can see exactly where to place the adhesive to hide it.

Any place that has an embellishment will get some adhesive, to hold the paper in place.

*

Depending on the paper you choose, you may want to glue 2 papers together & then cut them for a perfect fit, if your paper isn't double sided.

*

It's fun to stitch them together too, like I did on this first one.

On the binder below...I also stamped the cover.

I used jet black archival & heat set it.

*

It's been shipped all over the country & it's held up very well.

Depending on the stamp you choose, you could also stamp INSIDE the cover to protect it even more.

*

But remember...

*

word stamps will be backwards...if stamped inside the cover...

designs work better.

This paper is from K & Co.

The embellishments are made from grungeboard & grungepaper.

This next binder holds my second stamp release...

I pieced lots of different graphic 45 papers together...

I wanted a quilt like look...

The ink colors are peeled paint, brushed corduroy, vintage photo and mustard seed... with a little bit of one of the browns over it.

The large scroll is grungeboard from this set.

And the newest 7 sets are stored in this last binder...

I mixed some Jenni Bowlin & graphic 45 papers...

The ink colors are brushed corduroy and broken china.

The flowers are all grungepaper.

The scroll is grungeboard, already die cut.

If you have the binders...I hope this info helps.

*

SHOW us what yours look like!
We'd LOVE to see them!

Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments & emails about my book.

You have made us VERY HAPPY!

From the bottom of my heart...

a HUGE...

THANK YOU!

Now...

go...

make art!

wendy

ps...keep those comments coming...

we'll give away a book...sometime...randomly!

Christmas & questions...

Hey...it's September already!
Want to get an early start on holiday gifts?

Scrapbook Friend'z in Bloomington Illinois is doing their traditional Christmas workshop weekends on Oct 31-Nov 1st and Nov 7 & 8th. So ...save the date!

Both weekends are loaded with fun classes and feature holiday decor or gift items you can make and give.

Here's a little peek of my DECOR item...
It features...

the brand new yummy...graphic 45 Christmas papers

studio 490 stamps (imagine that!)

grungepaper

new Maya Road mini snowflakes , mini scroll and mini alphas

rock candy distress stickles
and plenty of distress inks too.

Hope to see you there...


On to the questions...and the answers...

Hi Wendy
I am new to your blog. I have a simple question. i love all the tags that you, Tim and others do but can I ask what do you do with them.... do you send them as cards, use them on gifts... just wondering.

Tags are great for demoes and more.
The surface is PERFECT for inks & trying new techniques.

Cut the top off, layer it on cardstock & it's a quick card front...
or...

Stamp or write your sentiment on the back & it's a unique card. Who says a card has to open?

Need a quick gift tag? Tags are perfect.
It's the card & tag all in one.

If you looked @ the Ranger video I posted yesterday, I show making 2 tags with the same technique & the same colors.

Use one for the tag & the second
can be stamped & cut to make coordinating embellishments.

Plus...it's just plain fun to put them on a ring & flip thru them if you need inspiration.

Next...
Can I ask where you found the jenni bowlin papers you used on that skinny book? I can only find her large papers...

I think this is the Maya Road book you're talking about.

The 4 x 4 Jenni Bowlin papers that I used are here.
They also stock several other colors & styles...all mini and absolutely...ADORABLE!


Will your book be sold @ Barnes & Noble?

NOPE...Here's why...
it's not actually published...
instead it's PRINTED by Stampers Anonymous.

So... it's available here on the blog, eclecticPaperie, your LSS or directly from the Stampers Anonymous site or @ their booth @ conventions.

I saw you do a flower in a reinker bottle. Where do you get the reinkers bottles?from Ranger?



Nope...
I get them from the reinker drawer...see below. ha!

Yep, I have lots...and now I figured out they make adorable vases. so I save the empties.

Ranger does not sell them empty. SORRY.

Next...
I saw a photo of your workroom & it looks like you have a double tier holder form the ink applicators. Do I need special parts to attach 2 together?

Here's a look @ mine.
2 craft spinners can be stacked together to store 16 blending tools in a very small space. I LOVE IT!

No special parts are needed...here's how it fits.
The base is actually green when you buy it...
but black spray paint does wonders!



and...
Did that heat gun ever get made again? I keep asking you. so sorry...

YES & YIPPEE...

Ranger has the heat-it tools back!

It's even quieter & hotter than the original.
I can't live without it!

If you like to emboss, it's great because it doesn't blow the embossing powder off your project.

last one...

Wendy, I just love your art - I am hooked and can't wait till your book arrives (I've pre-ordered it here in the UK from The Stamp Attic wo led me to you!) Do you have any plans to come over here?

I am working on my schedule for next year, but no plans for the UK...SORRY.

Any more question? Ask away...that's what I'm here for...

Here it comes!

make art!

wendy