here's how I got started...

here's how I got started...
a 20 minute podcast by Crazy BeYOUtiful

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Look beyond the obvious and just a little bandanna...

I'm always reminding people in my classes to be on the lookout for art stuff. It's everywhere...I found this @ Marshall's the other day in the kitchen section. Obviously, it's a drawer organizer. Look a little closer & here's what I immediately saw...

A 6 x 6 square frame. It's well made... nice & smooth, so it will be easy to customize with paint or paper. It has some depth, so it's perfect for a collage with dimension. It's square & square frames are not as easy to find as rectangular ones. The price is great too. SOLD! See how easy??

Now...back to the art...............

I had a scrap of watercolor paper laying on the counter in my studio & rather than file it away, I thought I'd take a few minutes to play. This is my first attempt @ the bandanna technique. This started out with the wrinkle free distress technique, developed by Tim. Robin Beam added some details and developed the bandanna technique. This was really fun...but I can see I have a long way to go to perfect it. Click on the link above to read all the juicy details and take some time to play yourself. You'll like it. The flower stamp is from Hero Arts.

Happy Saturday! Remember...keep your eyes open!!
MAKE ART !!!
Wendy

Friday, December 28, 2007

it's ALL about the FUN...




Family, friends & FUN. That's what makes the holidays so great.

Since my brother Paul can not be outdone by Rick and his custom cards, he made me this card. Here's the inside. Check out the lower right corner for the funny part. It says..."Turn over, just incase you think I bought it."



And here's the back...


Looks like he's been paying attention and you can see that he has quite a sense of humor!

And now...back to our regularly scheduled programming...



Here's a few more tag samples for my Ranger technique class.
BEWARE...these guys are very addicting! The top right is my favorite from yesterday, using the distress embossing powder. LOVE IT!!
That's it for today!!
CHEERS!!
Wendy




Thursday, December 27, 2007

So...the moral of the story is...

I better stick to ART! Geez...I got 3 emails yesterday and another today, inviting me to visit some alpaca farms!! The power of the net... As much as I'd LOVE to...we still haven't won the LOTTO!
But believe me...we're trying!

Here are some sample tags for my January 5th class. This is a new type class for me. It's all techniques. We'll use the Ranger U format & I'll share lots of the cool stuff I learned there. This first class will focus on the Distress Inks, with a sample or 2 of the fun Distress Crackle Paint. Each student will leave with samples and instructions for the techniques they learn. It's really very convenient to have the sample tags with the instructions on a ring, for quick reference on your next play day. I stole that wonderful idea from Tim & Robin.

The second class that day will be a wooden box project, using Maya Road's Birds of a Feather, blossoms and scrolls chipboard and the Distress Crackle paint. No photo yet...but I will share once it's done.

And...once again, Rick's card ( see the post below from December 24th) gets a comment from tim! Rick is REALLY letting this get to his head. Now he makes suggestions to me. I think I've created a monster! HA!

Now this is funny. You'll have to come back tomorrow to see the card my brother made for me for Christmas. He doesn't stamp...but this is just too funny to miss.

Tomorrow...be there or be square!! It's worth a laugh!

Do something creative TODAY!!
Wendy

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Alpaca kisses!


Here's the scoop...I LOVE animals...except Rick's horses. They are too big, I hate flies & the poop is just too big! HA! It's TRUE!!
Anyway, about 2 years ago I got the big idea that we should go & visit an alpaca farm & maybe get one. I think they are absolutely adorable and have the cutest sweet faces. I had researched them on the net and knew they were kind of pricey. However, I thought just maybe we could like one for $5000??? This is scarry...the one I fall in love with had a $30,000 price tag!!!!!!!! YIKES!! And how could you possibly bring home only one?? It would be lonely...$60,000??? DOUBLE YIKES...needless to say, they still live at the alpaca farm. But, when we win the LOTTO...I'll be making a purchase or 2!

I hope your Christmas was great and wish you all the best in 2008!!

May you be creative today!! Or...if you're on the hunt for holiday sale items...GOOD LUCK!
Think I'll stay here & make art!
Wendy

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Happy Birthday to RICK!!!



Yep...he's a Christmas baby, so we celebrate Christmas on the 24th & his birthday today!! Happy Birthday to the love of my life!! YOU'RE the BEST!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our friends. Enjoy the day and 2 of the basic food groups...wine & cookies!

Wendy

ps...Are you wondering what that strange animal is with Rick?? That's a story for another day. Stay tuned!!

Monday, December 24, 2007

This is Rick again



Ok. This is the card I made for Wendy for Christmas. The pressure was on after we got all the emails about the last one. This isn't as easy as it looks. Believe me. I used a dot stamp and that's supposed to be snowflakes.

THANKS for all the comments. You sure made Wendy laugh.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all & especially my wife.

LOVE YOU dear!!

Rick

Friday, December 21, 2007

A GREAT MAIL DAY!!!


Got this in the mail from my friend Cecile ( no link...she doesn't have a blog) yesterday. This is not the best photo, but I hope you can see how cool it is. Her hubby made the wooden holder for the 8 x 10 canvas. The Santa is done on Stampbord, with alcohol inks as the base coloring.
She made the 3 square metal pieces with 10 Seconds Studio tools, a technique we learned @ CHA. She used other techniques that she learned thru the year to complete the piece. I LOVE this & it will be displayed in my studio all year.
Also in the goodie box were homemade candies & biscotti. I am assuming these would be low cal, but I'm not sure! I think I forgot to ask!

And an update from Rick...He said to tell you the card is coming. He's got quite a few emails from folks wondering where the card is and how much longer they need to wait! This is Hilarious! The pressure is on & I can tell he looks nervous! But...I have faith...

I've got to start the gift wrapping soon. That is my most dreaded Christmas task. Every year I vow to wrap as I buy. Every year, it's the last minute rush to wrap. I think it's because being a paper addict, I find it hard to waste paper! I must think that there will never be more for sale in the stores! NUTS!! Anyway...that's my excuse today!

Not long 'til the guy in red shows up.

I hope all your wishes come true!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! I hope it's THE BEST EVER!!
Wendy & Rick too!

Monday, December 17, 2007

New rules here...


I saw this @ Hobby Lobby & thought it was just perfect for this time of the year. In addition to holiday preparations, we are in pre-CHA mode. So, in simple terms, art is the priority. I am up to my ears in Maya Road goodness and loving every minute. No sneak peeks, but I'm making some way cool things, if I do say so myself. I'll share just as soon as we get the word...I am soooo excited about CHA because I'll have my work displayed in 3 booths!! A DREAM come true!!

THANKS to all who sent birthday greetings. I appreciated them ALL!!

A few random things that make me laugh...

Rick's posting got 16 posted comments & generated about 40 emails here. Maybe Maya Road got the wrong family member!! He even got a comment from TIM, so now he thinks he's a celebrity! What a guy!! Can't wait to see the Christmas card he makes. Stay tuned...I'm sure he'll HAVE to show you!

Get this...on December 12th, I went to JoAnn's. Guess what the sales gals there were doing?? Putting out Valentine's Day things. DECEMBER 12th!!!!!! GEEZZZZZZZZZ...I still need to pick up a few more things for Christmas & wrap it all.......... YIKES!!

And here's a Jerry Seinfeldism...how is it that there happens to be just enough news everyday to EXACTLY fill the newspaper pages??? HA!

And this is guaranteed to make you smile...go & visit cooper...what a cutie!

I'm off to make spaghetti! Gotta have energy to CREATE!!
BE MERRY!!
Wendy

Thursday, December 13, 2007

This is Rick...


and I'm hijacking Wendy's blog to show you the card I made for her. Look out Tim...you got competition!
She thinks that I have class because I chose a Stampers Anonymous stamp....ha!!
HBD to my wife...
Love, Rick

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Remember...Take time for ART!



This cards was made with leftovers! I originally stamped these pieces for other things and then didn't need them. I almost trashed them when I was cleaning up, until I saw that they looked OK together. Just 4 stamps, vintage photo & the T is stamped on My Minds Eye paper. It's kind of an odd shaped card, but I liked it. In Tim's words..."it is what it is".

Freezing rain & sleet here last night, continuing today and another day with NO SUN. I'm counting the days 'til spring.

Hope your Sunday is PEFFECT!
Wendy

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Happy Holidays and back to ART!




Who says Christmas cards HAVE to be red & green?? This is a card I made a bit ago & sent off to Ted, who owns Stampers Anonymous. Sucking up is what it's called!! Anyway, I had fun & I used 11 stamps on this one. I think that's my record for the most stamps used on one card! Now, remember the $$ you SAVED yesterday?? You'll NEED it today to get some of these stamps! See how this works???

And this is what the inside looks like...


That's it for today!
Have a wonderful ARTY weekend!
Wendy
edited about 10am ...I guess I should do better with giving you stamp info. I got several emails wondering where the large 25 is from. I cut it from the DATE BORDER stamp & that number is G3-1031. I'll try to get a photo of that stamp loaded a little later.

Friday, December 7, 2007

2 Shopping tips!


Here are my tips of the day! Instead of buying the large acrylic blocks that are used for cling & acrylic stamps, visit JoAnn's, use a coupon & get these quilters squares. The name brand giant size blocks that I've seen, sell for between $16 & $20. YIKES! This 6 inch square sells for $3 after the coupon. The advantages?? The grid lines for easy placement of stamps. It's sooo easy to line up alphabets or multiples on them. Then, when your stamps are perfectly aligned, use the grid lines on your card edge for a perfectly straight image every time. JoAnn's sells 2 brands & the only difference is the color of the lines & the price. This one is called EASY SQUARE JUNIOR. The other is Omnigrid & is double the price. So...save $$ on the acrylic...more $$$ for chipboard & stamps!! That's how it works in my mind...agree??

And another recent shopping find. Beacon's FELT glue. It's a GREAT product. I got it @ Michael's for $3. It does not seep into the fabric & holds really well. I used some yesterday on Maya Road Ric Rac , felt & the Velvet blossoms & I LOVED it!

And the final thought..Obviously I'm a slow learner. We wasted 3 hours last night watching the BEARS look like fools AGAIN! Oh well...I'll survive....I still have my STAMPS!!

Have a GREAT weekend.
BUY STAMPS!
Wendy
ps...edited...to answer several emails asking about Maya Road & why there have been no photos. SORRY!! Top secret stuff. I've been working away at least 10 hours a day making MR samples for CHA, but...no sneak peeks are allowed...I'd be fired! Just as soon as I get the OK, I'll post them here. My guess is early February or possibly late January. Thanks for asking! WAYYYYY cool stuff is coming...............HA!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Keep it simple...


Just the basics...one stamp, black ink, black cardstock & white cardstock. A little layering is all the embellishing this card needs. This stamp has so many fun elements and that makes it very versatile. Sometimes all you need is a small finishing touch to MAKE your art. Remember...look @ all your stamps for that special little detail.

And this final thought...IF I survive the BEARS game tonight, I'll be back tomorrow with a fun money saving stamping tip!
Stay tuned...stay warm!
Enjoy your Thursday!
Wendy
ps...to answer the emails, this is the name & number of the stamp...
ARTFUL MOSAIC # P2-636

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

it's never dangerous being who you are, but...


it's dangerous living in Illinois in the winter. Poor Rick had to get a ladder & scrape the snow off the satellite dish. NOT FUN, but how can we survive without the internet? All my friends live in my computer!
Anyway...4 stamps used on this card. The houndstooth stamp that I used as a border yesterday is used to make the raised round embellishments on this card.
No Christmas shopping today..boohoo...guess I'll make art!
Happy Holidays!
Wendy

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Tuesday's card.......


This is very easy and I think that it makes an effective sympathy card. The dried flowers are stamped on a transparency, which gives this simple card a little bit of dimension. It also explains the glare on the right side of the card. All 3 stamps are Stampers Anonymous & the background paper is Basic Grey.

That's it for today...off to the studio for some Maya Road work...actually...it's PLAY!
STAY WARM....well everyone except lucky Rachel. She's already warm in Australia!
Wendy
PS...THANK YOU MR BLOGGER!! It's fixed!! Now you can quickly click & see the photos larger. COOL!!

Monday, December 3, 2007

A question about...SEX!!


HA! I could have said GENDER...but I thought the shock value would be good on Monday!
Start with a chipboard tag, add vintage photo & faded jeans...give it a blast with a water filled mini mister, dry with a heat tool & the background is done. Use 3 stamps, layer, embellish & done! The flower center is a stamped chipboard circle from the foundations tin.
Obviously I LOVE the phrenology stamp. Now here's the sex question...Is this stamp male or female?? I immediately see HER...but a friend asked why I put a hat on a guy. Interesting...
What do YOU see?????????
Enjoy the day!!
Wendy

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Mono MONA.........



Somedays I'm easily amused. I like to see how many stamps I can incorporate onto a single simple card. This one uses 4. Tim's clock was a perfect fit to use as a halo for Mona. I LOVE it when things work as planned.


For a real treat, make sure you visit tim's blog. WONDERFUL eyecandy & REALLY good giveaways!! He is amazing!



Blogger has me baffled. Some folks can click on the photos to enlarge them & others get a screen to open the file to see them. I've visited some friends blogspot blogs & I'm not able to click on them either. Drives me crazy!! So...if some kind soul comes up with a solution here...I'll give them a nice package of goodies!!! That's a PROMISE!





Here's a lovely photo...NOT!! This was the view yesterday from my studio windows and actually every window in the house. But wait...there is NO VIEW!!! Ice everywhere. Winter in Illinois is NOT fun! Rachel dared me to open a window for 5 seconds & take a photo for her. NEVER! HA!
My neice was born 25 years ago today & believe it or not, the temperature was 90 degrees. Thought I'd throw in a little random tid-bit!

Bears game today @ 3:15, so I'll be working on my Maya Road CHA projects 'til then.

Have a good Sunday & MAKE ART...or shop!
Wendy

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Like the song says...These are a few of my FAVORITE things..


Actually...these are ALL of my favorite things combined on one project...Distress crackle paint in vintage photo, grungeboard wings with black soot crackle paint & a sprinkle of vintage photo distress embossing powder, the phrenology and wings stamps, and a microchip (over the eye) from Maya Road.
This photo shows the wings a little better. The base is a 5 x 5 canvas, which is perfect for the crackle paint. The headgear is just a wood trim piece. OOPS, I almost forgot another favorite stamp that gets tons of use...the houndstooth border stamp. I used it on the microchip and as a border for the hanging piece (foundations chipboard).

And to answer the emails I got about yesterdays posting...I have no clue why the image is not clickable to enlarge it. SORRY! Besides being a bad photographer, I'm almost computer illiterate.

I got my Maya Road DT assignments for CHA last night, so I'll be really busy making lots of projects for the booth. No showing of the new products or projects is allowed...so........SUFFER!!! HA!
I will tell you, there are some REALLY cool new things coming, but MUM'S the word here! I'm sworn to secrecy!

It's December 1st........LET THE SHOPPING BEGIN!!!!!
Have a very fun weekend.
Wendy
EDITED...GRRRRRRR...these aren't clickable either. I have no clue what's different here. I'll TRY my best to get this changed. SORRY again!!

Friday, November 30, 2007

And...Here's SANTA!


Just a quick note and another card. I'm off to meet with my LSS owner to discuss classes and hopefully SHOP a bit for some gifts after that.
3 stamps, a little bit of gunmetal Stickles and a polka dot paper that I've been dieing to use. A quick touch of black soot distress ink seemed to add just enough contrast. The photo is not the best...sorry...but hopefully you get the idea. The clip, top left, is silver. Like I've said before, my photography skills are equal to that of a first grader. I'd rather stamp than learn camera stuff!
Have a wonderful ARTY weekend!!
Wendy

Thursday, November 29, 2007

On the menu today we have...


STAMPED CRACK!! Same corner stamp as yesterday, just used with a different color and different base product. I painted the distress crackle paint on a 4 x 4 cheapo canvas & LOVED how it turned out. Not sure if it's finished yet...but I wanted to share.
Here's a close-up of the crack...LOVE it!!


Have a GREAT day!
MAKE ART! Or...maybe SHOP! That's FUN too!!
Wendy

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Ok...so it's not red & yellow, but........


kind of different for me. I've received some teasing emails about using other colors. I pulled out some reds, but I just couldn't give in! Here's the best I could do...
3 stamps, Adirondack Butterscotch over Basic Grey paper for the background, a little embellishing & this is the result. A fun & pretty simple card!
Happy Wednesday! Groceries for me...I'd rather buy STAMPS!!
Wendy
ps...that ugly bump on the right corner doesn't show in real life...must be a poor photography job...

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Just a little vintage photo...


makes me soooooooo happy! Vintage...it's the real me!!
5 stamps used on this guy. It's all about the layering.....
Hmmm...reminds me of a book by my friend Shari Carroll. Check it out if you haven't seen it. I've been bugging her for the sequel. Haven't seen it yet. But then again, I've been bugging Ginny for another Art Continuum...haven't seen that happen either! HA! Think these 2 friends will take this gentle hint??
Stay tuned..I'm enjoying this "card a day" stuff!
Back to my stamps. They listen.
Wendy

Monday, November 26, 2007

One stamp Monday. Make a simple card....


Use the same stamp (U2-719) on 3 co-ordinating cardstock colors. Cut 2 squares from each of the 2 lighter colors. Mount them over the base card with some foam dots to add dimension, add a few cardstock layers under the base & a cool button. Done!! Amazingly...NO vintage photo was used anywhere, but look out!! It's coming! I can't stay away forever!
Happy Monday!
Wendy

Sunday, November 25, 2007

WHAT??...a card with NO vintage photo???


Now here's a real surprise. NO vintage photo & I really like it.
4 different stamps from Stampers Anonymous, a little faded jeans and scattered straw, a bit of zig-zag stitching & we have a card! Fun!! Can you find all 4 stamps??
Happy Sunday!
Wendy
ps...GO BEARS!!!!!!

Friday, November 23, 2007

A GREAT mail day!!!



Mr. FED-EX just delivered this GREAT gift from my friend, Robin Beam. I LOVE it and the colors are PERFECT!!!!!!!

It's done with her famous bandanna technique, which can be found on her blog. It's 2 inches by 10 inches and it looks PERFECT right under my Ranger U certificate. Both hang above the sink in my studio, so that every time I wash the ink (vintage photo) off my hands I'll see it. For those of you who know me and know how sloppy I am...this will be about 50 times a day! I'll post a photo when the lighting is better.
Here's a close-up of the details. Rick was VERY impressed with the soldering job!


I think she will do custom orders. If you are interested, her contact info is on her blog or you can email me.
THANKS, ART GODDESS!!!!!!
It's "magically delicious".
You're the best!!
Wendy

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Mona, a little grunge and a BIG THANK YOU from me!


Mona is one of the new stamps I got on Sunday. She didn't stay uninked for long. As a little THANK YOU for my faithful blog readers...I'll show you how easy this was to create.

If you have taken classes from me, I hope you remember me saying NOT to only look @ the stamps for their obvious image, but look @ them for what they COULD be. This justifies the purchase, when you have multiple uses for them, or so I tell Rick! If you notice, the arrow I chose was a little big, so I cut it down to fit.

OK...start with these stamps from Stampers Anonymous. Mona is new, but the others have been used many times before.




Add some vintage photo and faded jeans Distress Inks. Apply them using the Inkssentials™ Ink Blending Tool & Foam. I
ALWAYS add dimension to my art, because I find a completely flat project to be boring. I'm not sure if you can see that the "5" is raised the highest and the arrow is raised, but a little less. I also machine stitched around the "specimen" label, to add another layer of interest and pen stitched around Mona.



And the finishing touch...just what Mona needed...a grungeboard crown. I originally inked it with vintage photo, I'm sooooo predictable...but it didn't stand out enough, so I added some black soot Distress Embossing powder. I LOVE this embossing powder, because there is no shine. It's the PERFECT product for those who like the shabby vintage look. I added just a few jewels to complete the project. SIMPLE.

So from Mona & me...
Have a great holiday and THANKS for visiting my blog! I am THANKFUL for each & EVERY comment!
Wendy




Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Now this is VERY COOL!!

My friend Linda sent me a link this morning. What a nice surprise..I have my Distress Ink tutorial on Suze's site. Check it out here!!
http://www.schmoozewithsuze.com/
Just click on the Maya Road DT link... You'll find lots of great info on her site.



And in other breaking developments...ALL those Stampers Anonymous stamps are now resting comfortably in their new homes. It took me all day yesterday to get them JUST RIGHT! The above photo shows the BORDER drawer. To answer the emails about how I store my stamps...Because I LOVE light & have skylights and lots of windows in my studio, all my stamps are stored in drawers like this. Direct sun is the one thing that is NOT good for rubber. My center island is 4 foot by 5 foot and it is all pull outs filled with stamps. This photo is one drawer of the first stamp cabinet that I bought. I remember bringing it home ( about 5 years ago?) & telling Rick that this much storage would last me forever. Before that, ALL my stamps and supplies were in one shoebox! Little did I know that I'd become ADDICTED to rubber! And to answer the next question...if they are in drawers...how do I know what I have??? Believe me, I know them all. Touch one or move one & I'll KNOW IT! Only one time did I purchase a stamp that I already had. I am dieing to get them ALL inky, but groceries call.
Happy Tuesday!
Wendy

Monday, November 19, 2007

Yes, there IS a HEAVEN!!!


and I'm sure it's made of rubber!
Yesterday, we drove to Madison Wisconsin to a stamp convention, specifically to visit the Stampers Anonymous booth.
5 hours in the car was definitely worth it to get these awesome art stamps. Think you'll be seeing some samples posted here??
My bet is yes...
OK...now to find the perfect home for these beauties. Organizing them is almost as much fun as creating with them. I LOVE it, probably because the stamps are just so inspiring.
HAPPY MONDAY!!
Make art...I intend to.
Wendy
ps...I got so excited about the stamps that I almost forgot to tell you about some other cool finds from yesterday...
This is a MUST HAVE..The new Design Ruler by t!m. He thought of everything. It has a metal edge, it's clear, it's a centering ruler & it has perfectly spaced holes for piercing. The other products from t!m, that I got yesterday, are fragments...(I've been dieing to get these) & I scored the grungeboard!!
Life is good in Oglesby!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Finally...a REAL FULL photo or even 3 !!


This is up on our DT BLOG now, so it's safe for me to post the whole photo. This was a sneak peek from a few days ago, if you remember one of the famous CRACK posts.
This started out as a plain wooden tote that I initially painted white. I added the yummy Daisy D's paper first & then the fun started. The chipboard letters and snowflake were painted with fired brick Distress Crackle paint.


To make the scalloped border, I cut the foundations chipboard circles in half, covered them with paper & stamped each one with our clear acrylic scroll stamp and accented each with a tiny dot of Stickles. If you live in cold weather, you understand the chipboard arrow and the words "SURVIVAL KIT", which are done with Maya Road Noah rub-ons. Winter in Illinois is NOT fun!


This photo shows the inside bottom of the tote. The frame is from our chipboard foundations set and is colored with fired brick distress ink. I stamped the scroll again, accented it with Stickles & added the adorable microchip heart and a little pen stitching. These micros are just soooo cute.
Filled with some goodies for that special someone, this makes a fun gift!

Like the photo says...
STAY WARM....
Have a great artful weekend!!
Wendy

EDITED @ 7:45pm...to answer the emails...yes, there are matching chipboard snowflakes on each side & there is one on the back too. Thanks for asking!!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Pre-ART... and we have a winner!



I followed Ginny's advice the other day & took a little time to PLAY. This is a sample of alcohol ink on Stampbord. Now to find the perfect project for this piece...

And the winner of the Maya Road chipboard train book is...

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

andi~!~ Congrats to you! Rick thought you sounded NEEDY! HA! Send me your address & I'll get your package in the mail ASAP!

Winter has hit Illinois! Time to find a turtleneck & a nice warm sweater.

Be warm my friends.....

Wendy

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Addicted to crack...and a few random things..



I know..I deserve the BAD BLOGGER award! SORRY, but my excuse is..... I'm addicted to crack. This paint is absolutely foolproof. The bird and branch are from Maya Road. The bird got a dose of faded jeans distress crackle paint & the branch is done with shabby shutters. The background paper is from the Periphery collection, Basic Grey. LOVE IT!! Can't show you the whole project, but take my word for it... SHEER fun!



And more rub-on talk...I got a call yesterday from Karan, who owns Magic Mesh. She found my blog & offered this little tip, which amazed me. Rub-ons can be applied OVER Magic Mesh, for a cool effect. I tried it & it's fun. I had no clue that it can also be embossed & painted over. Interesting play. I think it's great for all the sheer products and acrylic products that seem to be so popular these days. The reason...NO adhesive is needed & it looks great on both sides!



I've heard from all 3 who won prizes on the blog. All of the packages arrived @ their destination. However, I still haven't heard from E. So...I still have this adorable chipboard train album (and a few other trinkets) waiting for a new home. Interested??? Tell me why you NEED it & I'll see if Rick can be talked into another drawing...very soon!!!


That's all I can think of for now.

Have FUN...Make ART.

Wendy

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Lessons learned on Thursday...



Here's a look @ a store sample, done with an acrylic tag and rub-ons from 7 gypsies, Fontwerks and Maya Road. These are the 10 things I learned today...

1. God did not create all rub-ons equal. Being a rubber stamper, I had very little experience with them, so this was a HARD lesson learned. I won't name the bad ones, maybe they work on paper or maybe they are 100% JUNK......but I did find out that Maya Road, Daisy D's, 7 gypsies , Fontwerks and Basic Grey work very well on acrylic. I have some other well known brands that I've not tried yet...but I will.

2. Some rub-ons just flake off or just fall off the protective paper when you LQQK @ them. That made me upset.

3. Some rub-ons can be removed by wiping them with window cleaner.

4. Some can be removed only with rubbing alcohol or by scraping them off. I tried Goo-Gone too...

5. Acrylic attracts fingerprints. Imagine that!

6. Acrylic projects are not easy to photograph.

7. Some rub-ons are black on both sides and some are not. Sometimes this matters...sometimes not.

8. Words & numbers MUST go on the front of acrylic.

9. Patterns, flowers, designs and other things can be applied to the back of the acrylic to create dimension.

10. Acrylic is FUN and WAYYYYY different than paper!

Wendy

ps...I'm STILL looking for "e", who posted on October 31st @ 6:28pm...I'd like to get the last prize shipped! Please send me your mailing address. THANKS!

CSI tonight!! 2 hour episode...Sure hope it's better than last week.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Looking for e...




She posted this comment & WON..Please send me your address, so I can get your goodies off to you.

e said...
I love the set of transportation albums! I'm doing a set of them for each of my nephews for Xmas!
October 31, 2007 6:28 PM

The packages will go out tomorrow morning to sunniemommie & iluvf14. Be watching...
Wendy
ps...blogging without a photo is boring. This couple makes me smile! I'll try for a better photo...SOON!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Remember the OLD saying...



"that's about as much fun as waiting for paint to dry"? Well...times have changed. It IS fun to wait for the Distress Crackle Paint to dry. This stuff is AMAZING. Just paint some on some chipboard and wait for the magic to happen. Perfect results every time! The color above is fired brick.

Paper peek is from Daisy D. I LOVE IT!

And for those of you who complain about the peeks...SUFFER!! A little photo is better than NO PHOTO!

That's my story & I'm stickin' to it!
Wendy

And the winners are...DRUMROLL......




but before we get to that...


THANKS to ALL who visited the blog & left comments. I really appreciate all the sweet notes & I'll pass the "FAVORITES" info on to Caroline & Deb. You guys are GREAT!!


We had 127 comments posted here, and 41 emails sent with comments, plus there were the posting on the 2peas sites. That's WONDERFUL!! So...let's give 3 goodie packages to...


Grand prize...iluvf14 (journal package)

First prize...e (Maya Road Train chipboard book & some Maya Road surprises)

Second prize...sunniemommie (Maya Road goodie package)


CONGRATS girls!!! Please send me your address & I'll get these in the mail ASAP!!


I've really enjoyed this and I WILL do it again. Stay tuned...sneak peek coming, as soon as the Distress crackle paint...cracks!!
Wendy

Friday, November 2, 2007

Ok...more prize info & a GIVEAWAY!!!

It's pretty obvious that we all like FREE! This one isn't from me, but from Ginny! Check out her blog, make a comment to be entered in her drawing & tell her that I sent you. She just might send me an awesome wooden angel, but then again...MAYBE NOT! Scroll down to see it on her blog. You are in for a treat! TONS of eye candy there!!
Enjoy!!
Wendy
PS......Keep the posts coming here too!! You've got 'til Monday morning to get us up to 150 comments, so Rick can choose LUCKY 3 winners!!

We have a winner!!!

SANDIE...You got it right!!
t!m...(only one name needed) FINALLY started a blog and I added his link yesterday!
Send me your address & I'll get your prize in the mail!
THANKS for playing & BE SURE to check out T!M's cool site. If you haven't seen his video demo of grungeboard, you're in for a treat! Tell him I sent you!!
Wendy
ps...check my blog often...I'll do random unannounced giveaways....sometime.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

No trick...just a treat!




HAPPY FRIDAY!! Another EDIT!!

Lots of comments...LOTS of prizes. Keep them coming. 150 will be easy!!


And, for the FIRST person to comment on what link I added to my blog YESTERDAY...a special prize...A CHIPBOARD KEYCHAIN from MAYA ROAD!!!! These are to die for CUTE!!! FIRST person with the right answer WINS!!!


Start hunting!! I'll be back in a bit to check...

Wendy



Thursday 7PM edit...
WOW!!! You guys are amazing. looks like Rick will be pulling 3 lucky names for 3 MAYA ROAD prizes. Keep it up...150 is attainable. We're at 113 now!! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wendy


Another edit...due to this question from MARIE..
Can we comment again, to get the count up to 150?

Ok...I'll do that...BUT, if you are posting for the second time...you NEED to tell us what Maya Road product is @ the top of your "wish list". What do you not currently own, but want REALLY bad!! Fair enough??
Wendy


Edited Thursday November 1st @ 8:30 am...
WOW!! I'm impressed with the wonderful turnout!! THANKS SOO VERY MUCH for the huge response!!
Looks like I better get going on the second prize package!!

I have read every comment & it makes me laugh that so many commenters couldn't choose just ONE Maya Road product. Believe me, I'm in the same boat, which explains why I'm in HEAVEN being on the design team.

Ok...here's the next goal...Get the comments up to 150 & I'll have Rick draw 3 names!!! Yes...that's 3 Maya Road goodie packages...tell all your friends!

I'm off to play with some of those goodies myself!!
Remember...DO SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERY DAY!!
Wendy







Happy Halloween & HAPPY GRAND OPENING of my blog!!

All the Maya Road goodies in the photo above will be given to one LUCKY poster. I made the art journal (or grocery list keeper) especially for this give away, using (of course) my favorite Maya Road chipboard blossoms and scroll. Look closely & you'll see the stamped flowers, which are from the journey east-primrose clear stamp set. At the top, you'll see my new addiction...Velvet Ric Rak...it's yummy!
The coffee cup stain is a stamp from Stamper's Anonymous...It's Tim's design. The herringbone stamp that I used on the scroll is also from Stampers Anonymous.

Here's the scoop...
Sign in and tell me your favorite Maya Road product. It's SIMPLE!! Rick will draw the lucky winner first thing on Monday morning. If you DON'T win...blame him!!

EDITED @ NOON...Since it's going so well...if we hit 100 comments, I'll give a second cool prize. Tell your friends!!!

Have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!
Wendy