here's how I got started...

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

Monday, June 30, 2008

I REALLY do...

HATE BUGS!




One of my CHA assignments for Maya Road is the suitcase binder album. This is a fun size...it's about 4 3/4 x 6 3/4 and it has 8 pages.


My title is "garden journal" and this is one of my favorite pages. Pretty simple...chipboard, vintage photo & black, but it gets my message across. The bugs are by Jolee's & I added a tiny bit of Glossy Accents to make them more noticable.





I can't show the cover yet...there are some "secret" products on there, but here's a tiny little peek. This thing is loaded with embellishments and dimension. Just what I LOVE!


Happy arting!

wendy




Saturday, June 28, 2008

From the "my collections" book...


the page opposite the other face page I posted earlier.
If you look @ the flower on her face...notice that you can cut a few petals off the chipboard flowers, for a different look. I liked the flower, but didn't want to cover her eyes.
No time for chit-chat today...
Off to studio490...the TO-DO list is still really LONGGGGGGGG...
Enjoy your weekend! Get inky!
wendy

Friday, June 27, 2008

A GOOD report and a CHA project peek...

We just got back from the eye surgeon & Rick is released back to NORMAL life! YIPPEE. There's only one small issue...the pressure is still a little high in his eye, so we'll get that rechecked again in a month. He is like a kid @ Christmas, just wanting his horses back home. I'm happy that he can resume his hubby duties & help me again with the wife stuff too, since these next few weeks are VERY busy here.

So...if you ever have major eye problems, we highly recommend DR. PETE LAGOUROS, from the Illinois Eye Institute, in Peoria, Illinois. I told him I'd give him a plug on my blog. GREAT guy, who did an excellent job for Rick!

Back to the business of art...

Here's what the whole large layer book looks like. This is one of my assignments for Maya Road, for display in their CHA booth. This is my favorite project...so far.



And here's a look @ the cover. I used Ranger's black crackle paint on Maya Road's chipboard letters & numbers. Then after it was dry & cracked, I inserted tim's tonic pick into the crackle & pried some off down to the chipboard. Then I added a big dose of vintage photo distress ink to make it look like old rusty metal.
FUN STUFF!


Ok...break is over. Time for some arting.
Have a GREAT weekend!
wendy

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Collections and rainbows...

Thanks for the comments on yesterdays peek.

Here's a BIG peek from the same book. It's Maya Road's large layer book & the title I used is "My Collections". Besides collecting face stamps, I love alphabets of all sorts, including chipboard & stamps. More on that tomorrow...



Yesterday I got 3 projects done using studio490 stamps! I had so much FUN!!!!

I mean...

I got lots of WORK done...(whatever)...

And this makes me laugh...I posted a studio490 stamp peek a few days ago & not one single person caught it! ha!!! Gotta pay attention...you never know when there will be a quiz!

You just know it's going to be a good day when you wake up to this...

Happy Thursday!
Make it count!
wendy

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

It's official...

CERTIFIED RANGER EDUCATOR!!! Yippee!

What a fun fun weekend. I'm embarrassed to say that I took my camera, but failed to use it. My excuse??? TOO busy learning & laughing. My roomie ( Dyan Reaveley) was from the UK and she was an absolute riot. She had me laughing from 5am 'til midnight every day.

Special thanks to the Ranger FAMILY...Alain, Justin, t!m, Patti, Mario, Claudine and Suze for the wonderful experience. Ranger treated us like royalty and they are an extremely GENEROUS company, as evidenced by the fact that I was over the weight limit coming home. That suitcase was LOADED with Ranger goodies. We even got NEW UNRELEASED products...but my lips are SEALED! Check out the booth @ CHA next month. I'll give you a hint...AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! You'll LOVE them all...FOR SURE!

We even got a bottle of Stickles right off the production line. That is such a thrill. The factory tour is just SOOOOOOOOO COOL!

We learned melt art from Suze...got to use Claudine's new products & we had t!m teaching us for 2 full days. Life is GOOD!

I got to meet some new friends that I'll get to see soon @ CHA. Hi to Sharon, Kim, Keychain& Pearl. What sweethearts they are!

Ok...here's a little sneak peek of a Maya Road project for CHA.



I created an inchie! Shari Carrol was @ Ranger U too & asked some of us to do an inchie. I had NO CLUE what she was talking about. But...let me tell you...these things are REALLY fun. At first I thought it was way too small to do much with. But, I got 3 stamps on that baby. Check it out on the Hero Arts blog.

Time to work on getting my CHA LIST done.
Enjoy your day!
wendy

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

My bags are packed...


I'm ready to go.
Leavin'on a jet plane...
Hmmm...sounds like a song!
Anyway...
You know where I'll be. Playing with ink, Perfect Pearls and melt art for 3 full days. Seeing OLD friends... making new. This class is international again & that makes it very special.
I'll be back with a full report on Tuesday.
Have a GREAT weekend.
MAKE ART!
wendy

I bet you knew this was coming...


I had so much fun making that grunge purse the other day, that I just HAD to do another. This one is for me...made especially for Ranger U! Smaller purse...smaller scroll...

Here's a better look @ the flower. I LOVE those metal Idea-ology parts from tim. Like I've said before...why do I see everything as a flower part??

Since the grunge is embossed, I used the Adirondack denim dabber to highlight just the raised areas, then filled in with faded jeans distress ink.




And...get ready for this...Since Ranger U is an ARTY EVENT, I thought that I NEEDED arty sandals. So, I made these yesterday.


I sprayed them with a sealer, just incase it rains. Blue toes are NOT cool.

So there you have it...more grunge couture. Like it???

Have a GREAT grungy Wednesday...
wendy
ps...only one more sleep here!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Just a reminder...

while I sincerely appreciate all the wonderful comments & emails about the class @ 2 peas...Caroline is a stickler for following the rules, to make it totally fair for everyone.

So...check the post below & leave a comment @ 2 peas to qualify for the stamps. I don't want anyone to miss this opportunity.

Yes...FREE MAYA ROAD STAMPS!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll be back tomorrow with some new grunge couture...as long as I finish them today.
wendy

Monday, June 16, 2008

Free stamps from Maya Road?? EDITED!

COOL!! Check out Caroline's blog for the juicy details. Leave a post here to have the chance for a FREE RAK from Maya Road, in celebration of WSW.

On the agenda today...
packing up all the samples I made with my stamps...sending them off to Michelle. YIKES! Makes me sad to send them all far away...I hope she likes them. I'm dieing to show you & just as soon as I get the OK...you better believe you'll see them here.

After that...back to my Maya Road CHA assignments. Got 3 done so far...LOTS more to do!

Might just take an hour & park out on the deck. I LOVE sun!!

3 more sleeps 'til Ranger U!! YIPPEE!

Happy Monday!
wendy
edited...and what goes with FREE STAMPS? FREE INK PADS!!
Check it out on tim's blog! Who knows??? YOU might win both!!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

A FREE class...

sponsored by Maya Road.
3 projects...with the instructions...all on the 2 peas site....just for you!
Hope you enjoy it...
Happy WSW!
wendy

Friday, June 13, 2008

WSW starts June 14th...

That's tomorrow!

Check it out here...

You never know who you'll see there...or what inspiration (instructions x3 ) will be free...get it?? It's a HINT!

And the countdown begins. Ranger U starts one week from today.
YIPPEE!!

Got a package yesterday from Maya Road...COOL NEW STUFF to play with...

A little stamp talk...I have completed about 20 samples with my stamps! My goal is to have all the samples completed by Monday, when I'll mail them off to Michelle so that they can be photographed for the catalog & the web-site. After that she prepares them for display @ the Art Gone Wild/Stampers Anonymous booth for CHA!

I'm thinking of a little contest...involving my stamps...still just thinking...We haven't had a giveaway in a bit...I'll get back to you on that...

Have a great weekend & don't forget to check out the 2 peas site tomorrow.

wendy
ps...I just might be prejudice...but...I LOVE MY STAMPS!!!
I can not wait to show you what I've done!...soon!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

grungy couture!

Now this was total fun and it's featured in the newsletter that came out yesterday from Quilting Arts Embellishments.
(THANKS ERIN, for letting me know!)




Here's a closer shot of the large flower. Did I tell you how much fun this was???



The stamps are tim's/Stampers Anonymous...and the center is a stamp from Art Gone Wild...same company. Distress inks from Ranger....of course!


Complete instructions are in the newsletter...(I'll be back with a link as soon as I hear from Cate.)
EDITED:::She said it will be up on the site in a few weeks. If anyone would like the complete instructions, just leave a comment here or email me & I'll foreward the info on to you! THANKS!

Try it!!

Make one!!! Then...

Show us what you made!
Thanks for stopping by!
wendy

Monday, June 9, 2008

It's catch-up Monday...

I guess I didn't give enough info about the Zutter corner rounders, so I'll finish that story first...

YES!!! It does work on grungeboard, with no effort at all!

I paid $19.99...but, I got an email from Marco's paper over the weekend & he said the price is going up to $25 in the near future. So...if you're interested...check them out soon.

studio490 stamp update...I had no clue what the answers were to these questions, so I called Michelle.

I got several emails inquiring about where studio490 stamps would be available...would they be sold thru a distributorship in addition to directly from Stampers Anonymous/Art Gone Wild??

Michelle said that hasn't been decided just yet. They do work with Product Performers...but again, that's not been decided. When I know...I'll post an update here.

Next...how soon after CHA will they be available??

She said that they will be ready & WAITING to be shipped right after CHA. YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!

Will the images be available individually???

They will come cling style "in sets" ...but some will be available individually wood mounted. I'm not sure just yet how many or which ones...I guess that story will be continued too.

And the last...will they be stored on those white sheets???

YES!! But.........these will be different!!! We're working on that now!!! You just might see a...........hmmm...better not say just yet! ha!!

HMMMMMMMM...I had something posted (with a photo) here...but "someone" requested that I remove it... I Guess MUM is the word & I didn't know it...so...sorry...this is a no photo post.

I better get going!
Have a great Monday!!
wendy

Thursday, June 5, 2008

2 REAL photos today!!

No...NOT the stamps...something else. Here's a thought...

You might try sucking up to Michelle. See if that might help???
BTW...she LOVED my stamp photos...both the backs & the blurry one too...just incase you wondered!

Sorry about the teasing. No more......for today @ least!!

Product review...

These are new corner rounders made by Zutter, same folks who make the Bind-It-All.

They just arrived here today.



Here's a closer peek @ what the corners look like.


They cut thru THICK chipboard really easily. THICK...like Maya Road books... That's what I used to test them. I also tried them on the thick Hambly acrylic sheets. PERFECT!

They look like a nice sturdy product to me... Lifetime guarantee...I'm NOT associated...but when I find something good, I like to pass the word.

Ok...another eye surgeon appointment for Rick. I hope it's another good report...

Have a GREAT fun weekend.
I bet you know what I'll be doing.......

wendy
ps...Got 4 samples done today. 2 Christmas...2 ??? Can't say...

Ok...I got it...

You wanted to see the FRONT of the stamps.

Here's one of my favorites...

Sorry for the blurry photo!


Here's a hint...I'm off to make a grungy Christmas card or 2!!
Got it???
wendy

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Ok...Here's the peek!

See...Nice red rubber...cling mounteds...
OOPS..I got the wrong side! SO SORRY!


I'm having fun & getting them inky!

No cooking here...but...

One project done...TONS to go!

Have a GREAT Wednesday.
wendy

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Today is THE DAY!

I feel like a 5 year old on Christmas Eve!

Michelle ( Mrs. Stampers Anonymous) called yesterday & said that MY STAMPS were shipped overnight & will arrive...

TODAY!!

OMG!!! There was not one wink of sleep here last night. I'm NOT kidding... I am beyond excited to start making CHA samples with them...phew................Will I show them to you??

NO WAY!!! SUFFER! ha!!

And if you think you're the only one being teased...I'm being tortured too. Caroline & Deb are in China now checking out all sorts of new Maya Road product. Do they tell us anything?? Oh sure...but they're hints only. Here's what they say...

WAIT 'til you see the new chipboard...
These new stamps are so cool...
Deb outdid herself with these new rub-ons...

See why I don't sleep...TORTURE...

So, what have I been working on? Nothing that I can show here. I finished 3 small projects that will be used on 2 peas for the WSW (Worldwide Stamping Week) celebration. It's the week of June 14th. The projects are done, that's the fun part...now the ugly part...writing up the supply lists & the instructions for the class.

I got some grungy samples done for the Advantus booth @ CHA...Can't show them either... It's NOT my fault...tim won't let me show you just yet...but I will say these are different & REALLY fun...

Then there's the Maya Road CHA projects. Can't show those guys either. But here's a tiny peek. I LOVE it when something is a perfect fit!




The stamp is by Catslife Press & it fit perfectly in a microchip from Maya Road. They were made for each other.

That's it for today. You know where I'll be...
Out on the drive waiting for...
THE BOX to arrive.
wendy

EDITED @ 10:30am...

THEY CAME!!!!!!!!!!!! YIPPEE & WOOHOO. They look wonderful. I've already inked each & every one!
Thank you Mr UPS for the quick delivery...

Monday, June 2, 2008

Happy Monday!

FINALLY...we have some decent weather here. We had the furnace on Tuesday and yesterday it was 85. Only in Illinois can things change so quickly. So I took 2 hours of "vacation time" & parked out on the deck yesterday. This winter has been soooooo long...


The Rick report...

No laser treatment is needed right now. Things looked better on Friday. But...the pressure is up in his eye, which may be attributed to his eyedrops...WE HOPE. So, he's got a new med & we'll go back on Friday for another visit. Still no fun activity for him.

Return to Ranger U??? This is a recent development...

Yep...since I'll be demoing in the Ranger booth @ CHA, I'll be going back to NJ for a refresher course. (Or...is it remedial & they are just being kind??)

I'll also get info on Perfect Pearls, melt art & Claudine's new products too....Don't ask...I have NO CLUE what they are!! ha!!
3 full days in NJ with 28 other arty friends. The group is international again and that really adds to the fun. I'm leaving on the 19th & believe me...I'm counting the days.


I'll leave you with this thought for today...



This stamp is made by Postmodern Designs. Fun HUH??
Sorry...they don't have a web site.

Thanks for stopping by...
wendy