here's how I got started...

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

Thursday, April 26, 2012

studio 490 art journal pages...



just a quickie post before we head to the airport...

this weekend I'll be demoing for Stampers Anonymous
 in Akron Ohio...
the convention is called ADVENTURES IN STAMPING...

hope to see some familiar faces there...

I'm especially excited because...

we'll have all my new Blossom Bucket items in the booth...
this is THE FIRST convention for them & I am thrilled that they arrived in time...
YIPPEE!

between packing my demo stuff & shipping class supplies to Rocky Mountain Memories, in Estes Park Colorado...
I squeezed in 2 pages for my art parts small creative covers journal...

I'm liking these because you can actually accomplish something in a very small amount of time...

these each took about 40 minutes...
I like that they can have dimension & texture if you use the right products...

the mini queen is stamped on grungeboard...
I broke the Blossom Bucket mini glasses in half...
since she only has one eye...
then filled it with Glossy Accents...which accounts for the glare...

the one lens balanced the mini gears that I used for flowers...
LOVE the mini lips...
the stems are colored with tim's new distress markers...
and peeled paint stain with the detailer water brush...
just got 15 sets for classes...

the background is all done with distress stains, distress inks...
and the main images are always stamped with archival...

oh...and stencils from Lady Dy...
just got 80 stencils yesterday for classes...


  and another...
I had some pink flowers left from the Easter egg I did for Ranger's designer challenge...

the flowers are stamped on Ranger's specialty stamping paper, which was added to my clearly for art, before I stamped it...
it's glued to CFA with Ranger's Glue N Seal...
I LOVE the matte finish...

the flourishes are art parts...
and the flower center is a Blossom Bucket button...
it's covered in alcohol ink & rock candy distress stickles...


 next photo...

this shows my Blossom Bucket sewing machine, dress form & the button...
this time the button was altered with pitch black alcohol ink...

I started with the large art parts frame base & the rectangle art parts frame base...

the stars? art parts too...

tim's screw eye hold the mini pins perfectly...
they screw into art parts very easily...

the thimble is an art part, painted with the silver paint dabber, then stamped with the coordinating stamp, using jet black archival...



I'll TRY to tweet from the show...
I seem to remember that sometimes...
and I'll include some photos...

I hope your weekend is wonderful & INKY!

I know mine will be because I'm headed to Akron to...

make art!
wendy

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

the wait is OVER!


 it's HERE!!!

my Blossom Bucket brand spankin

new desk top organizer...

the vital statistics...

it's 19 inches tall...
the top tray is 12 x 12 inches...
the bottom is a whopping 14 x 14 inches...
it's wood...

it's hand crafted in Ohio, by some talented Amish craftsmen...

it will hold LOTS of your art supplies & it keeps them within easy reach...

it's IN STOCK here...

let me just say...
YIPPEE!
I HATE waiting...





I thought I'd quickly share a few studio 490 style art journal pages...

they are both created on Ranger's AWESOME

I taught with this paper this past weekend and all 30 gals were totally impressed & LOVING this paper as much as I do...
I . AM. TOTALLY. HOOKED.

these pages were cut to fit my small creative covers art journal, that I showed a few days ago...

I'll be teaching this type of class this fall in the stores that are booked...

the class is called stained, stamped, stenciled & distressed...
which pretty much describes it all...

I LOVE this giant tree stamp...
it fun to use sideways...
it makes a great border...
one stamp...2 ways to use it!

I have forgiven tim for discontinuing my most favorite idea-ology snaps...
I seriously thought about contacting a lawyer! lol...

he's off the hook because he gave us these flipping fun mini gears...
I guarantee you I WILL NOT run out of them for a very long time...
I like that they are a cool embellishment & they don't add much bulk to your page...
and they work well with the game spinners...



Ok...time to repack for ADVENTURES IN STAMPING this weekend in Akron Ohio...
I hope to see you there...

LOTS to do before I head out...

I have supplies to ship to the next stop on the art adventure...
I'm excited to teach @ a brand new store & meet new friends...

and I have LOTS of demo supplies to pack so I can...

make art!
wendy

Monday, April 23, 2012

embellish YOUR art with Blossom Bucket...

Thanks to everyone @ The Paper Niche in Davie Florida for a very fun VERY inky weekend...

to the gals who were brave & spent the entire weekend with me...
THANK YOU! it was very fun...

Friday evening Mr Fed-Ex delivered my new embellishments from Blossom Bucket to the store...

just in time for some retail therapy after the class...
and shop they did...

I'm thrilled that you like these new goodies as much as I do...

they're fun...
flat backed...easy to glue...
and made from resin...

here's a few projects using them...

the huge flower in cream colored, but was altered with alcohol ink...
LOVE LOVE LOVE the large eyeglasses...
and I MIGHT love the big lips even more...
the flower center is from this package...
the heart was altered too...



this shows the BlossomBucket front door...


there's the large flower again...
a little different altering, with different piece for the center...

and everything is sized to work perfectly with my stamps & art parts...plus I'm sure you'll find lots of other fun ways to use them for cards, layouts & mixed media madness...



look how cute the little telephone looks...sad to say, I'm old enough to remember this style of phone...
YIKES!


the cream colored heart was altered with gold metallic mixative & it's  stamped with jet black archival ink...
then misted with sunflower sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist...
aka BLING in a BOTTLE...



the phone again & the altered star...



yes...I DO have a THING for glasses & eyes...



and here's THE ORGANIZER...
I don't have a link for it yet...
but here's what the cutie looks like...

the bottom tray is 14 x 14 inches
the top is 12 x 12 inches...
it's a huge storage piece...

it's easy to customize it for your needs...
I love finding just the right containers to hold supplies...
this will keep your Ranger supplies contained and within easy reach...
use it to store the distress markers, paint dabbers, scissors, water brushes. paint brushes etc...
it stores lots in an area that has a small footplate...

it's handmade by the Amish craftsmen in Ohio...
so if you're familiar with their work...
it's nice & solid & sturdy...
and...
it's BLACK...

I'm planning to stamp on the stars...then add an embellishment to the center to customize it...

you can use it as is & it sits flat..
or add a turntable under it...
to create a spinner...

want to travel with it?
just pick it up by the big ball handle & GO...

for those who asked...the retail price is $59.99

Now about that giveaway I promised...

congrats to...





Blogger scrappin-scrappin said...

Ohhhh, I can't wait for the embellishments!! Any day 
now!! So excited!! The Clicker Cutts look amazing to!! 
Beautiful flower!!

April 17, 2012 8:20 PM
 Delete



please email me with your shipping info...
wbv1213@me.com

***NEWS FLASH***
Blossom Bucket is sponsoring a little contest/giveaway...

we're working on the details, but basically you show us what YOU created using the new Blossom Bucket items...
and some lucky winner will get some BB goodies...

we'll give you time to shop...and then create...
so, if you make something as a gift...be sure to take a photo for us...

stay tuned for ALL the juicy details...
coming soon to a blog near you...

and as always...
in closing...

make art!
wendy

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

clicker cutts, blossom bucket and........


MORE...

you might want to grab a beverage...
it's been a LONG time since I could squeeze in a post...
but today is THE day...

let's get started...
BREAKING NEWS!

clicker cutts have entered the building!

clicker cutts are die cut from my Clearly For Art material...
packaged & all ready for you to play...

there are clicker cutts pages, specifically designed to fit the art parts small creative covers...

BUT...
they are awesome for cards too...

or think about using them for covers for a journal/mini book...

since CFA is very strong & won't bend or break...
they are perfect for a light weight, durable journal for your purse...

I've got one in the works...

and we have clicker cutts flowers in CFA clear, blackout & whiteout...
the package looks like this...

there are many ways to alter these clicker cutts flowers...

today I'll show you a 5 minute OR LESS...
custom flower, created with clicker cutts whiteout...

grab your ink applicator with felt...


apply a quick squeeze of each color to the felt & tap the applicator over the flowers...
I like to twist & turn the applicator, so the inks don't create a pattern...

the flowers will look like this...

here's a better look...
beautiful blending of the inks...

next, I stamped this background stamp, using jet black archival...

after stamping...
use the heat it tool to dry the archival ink...

now the flowers look like this...

and closer shot...

and the largest flower...
it sure looks different than the basic whiteout flower that I started with...

these clicker cutts flowers are the same shape as my art parts flower...

perfect for layering, if you desire...
or use just one clicker cutts flower with the art parts flower...
there are LOTS of mix & match options...

the art parts flower was inked with pine needles distress stain, dried & then stamped with the same background stamp & jet black archival...

now, use the heat it tool to warm the clearly for art flowers & shape them...

I did this flower a bit different than I usually do...
I wanted to create dimension...
but not a lot of height...

so when the petals were warm, I just pressed my thumbnail into each petal, to shape them...
and then glued the 3 layers together...

oh...see that cool center?
it's a new Blossom Bucket piece...
more on that @ the end of the post...

I might add a word to the center??
or I might leave it as is...

depending where it ends up...

and a side shot, so you can see it's fairly flat...
but still dimensional & it adds texture...

I'm *thinking* I want it for a journal cover...
I think this will work...

oops...forgot to say that I used the gold paint dabber, randomly along the petal edges...

this seriously took less than 5 minutes to create!

I like that you can create any custom color flower you need for your art...
EASILY!

a few other tips...

clearly for art is VERY forgiving...

if you don't like the alcohol ink colors you chose...
a few drops of alcohol blending solution on a paper towel will completely remove the color & you're right back to a plain white flower...

and...remember that every time clearly for art is heated, it goes completely flat!
don't like the shape?

just put it right back on your craft sheet...
blast it with the heat tool & start again...

I made this flower in less than 5 minutes...
but you can play with one flower a MILLION times!

seriously...it's so much FUN...



next topic...

I *think* I may have mentioned before that I am TOTALLY IN LOVE with Ranger's specialty stamping paper...

addicted just might be another word...
Rick said it's all I talk about...
yikes! sorry dear...

I want to use it on every project...

I had no clue that a piece of plain white paper could WOW me like this stuff has...

I was thinking it would be fun to have a square journal/ mini book...

the crop a dile works like magic on art parts, to create holes...
this is made from the bases of the large square art parts frame...

and a page in progress...

and here is a really nice size larger journal/book...

this time I used the large creative covers...
I can't wait to have some spare time to play...

what I like about making these is that the pages can be made from anything...

you bet...

but you sure can make it a really MIXED MEDIA journal...
just use anything you have...

I like that I can have the pages on my table & work on nice flat pages...
it really makes it so easy...

MORE BREAKING NEWS!

Cindy told me this morning that
my NEW "embellish your art" trinkets
are shipping... starting TODAY!!!

CHA orders ship first...

So...they should be in stores in just a few days...

start watching!

and MORE BREAKING NEWS!
because the Blossom Bucket pieces are shipping...

my #3 kits for art will be shipping very soon too...
check your LSS, favorite on line...
Ranger, if you are a store owner...
or order them right from Stampers Anonymous...

this is a fun kit, because in addition to all the art parts, step out photos & instructions...
this kit is THE FIRST to include
the new Blossom Bucket pieces...

here's the finished art...

the resin shutters & the clear resin mini bottle are included...

this kit also teaches my technique for altering the clear resin bottle to make it very vintage & cracked...

also included in the kit is the metal corner from Blossom Bucket...
I show you how to use it to make the shutters dimensional...

if you look closely, I hope you can see that they aren't glued down flat...

I'm thinking this will make a fun Mother's day, new home, or special friend gift...

thanks for letting me share my excitement...

MORE BREAKING NEWS!

Just got this email as I was typing...

DESK TOP ORGANIZER...UPDATE!
it's HERE & shipping too!!
AWESOME!~

I'm waiting for the photos...
I'll post it on Twitter & Facebook, just as soon as I get them...

that's it for today...
let me know your thoughts & I'll have a prize package...(including clicker cutts!)

for a random commenter...

as always...
MAKE ART!
wendy

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Ranger's EGG-stravaganza...

here's the scoop on my egg,
which was created for


we were asked to purchase any egg we liked & to use some Ranger products to enhance it...

simple...no rules...
I like that...

I knew immediately that I wanted a large paper mache egg...
and I found just what I had in mind @ Hobby Lobby...

this guy is 7 inches tall...
so lots of room for play...

CHECK...PERFECT so far...

I had recently seen a kitchen decorated in blue, with yellow accents...

it looked amazing & I intended to use that color combo as my inspiration...

so...
the egg was inked by tapping the Adirondack Snow Cap pigment pad all over the egg to change it to white...

then I added distress stains over it...
the snow cap changes the normally translucent distress stains to a beautiful chalky pastel-ish effect...

I stamped it with archival inks by rolling the egg over the inked stamp...
the mini numbers are a perfect fit for the journal pages...

then added 2 strips of kraft glassine, which was also stamped with jet black archival & my polka dot border...
Wonder Tape is great for adding kraft glassine...

the whole egg got misted with Perfect Pearls mists...

the art parts flourishes were stained & stamped...

it was looking exactly as the picture in my mind...

so far...so good...

I opened the drawer to grab the pale ochre archival, with the intention of making some YELLOW flowers...

when something TOTALLY unexpected happened...

I spotted the Rose Madder archival pad...
it's a beautiful color...
but I rarely use pink...
like almost never...

I wondered what it would look like stamped on Ranger's Specialty Stamping paper...

hello...I LOVE YOU...

ok...major change of plans...
moving on to plan B...

I added the Specialty Stamping Paper to my clearly for art with Glue N Seal...
I wanted to be able to form the flower petals & I wanted them to be strong & durable...
and easy to pack away for next year...
without being damaged...

here's the end result...

which you may notice is not the blue/yellow combo I had planned...

I used alcohol ink to alter the metal bird...
added some distress stickles...
and tapped the Rose Madder pad over the wing to add some definition...

you can't go wrong when you
put a bird on it!

and here's a better look @ the flower...

the center is one of my new Blossom Bucket goodies...
that's been altered with alcohol ink & stickles...

here's the whole RANGER supply list...

Non Stick Craft Sheet
Heat-It Craft Tool
Blending tool with foam
Ink Applicator with felt
Wonder Tape
Glossy Accents

Snow Cap White Pigment Pad

Jet Black, Rose Madder, Sap Green Archivals


Snow Cap Mixative


Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Victorian Velvet, Bundled Sage Distress Stains

Spun Sugar, Barn Door Distress Stickles

Broken China, Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks

Black Soot Distress Marker

Specialty Stamping Paper

so the moral of this LONG story?
step outside your normal box...

try different colors...

you just might like it...
I DID!

don't forget to pop over to Ranger's blog...
I think the Tuesday thru Friday posts
are EGGciting
and they will inspire you to...

make art!
wendy

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

art journal page & a challenge

THANKS SO MUCH for the comments...
glad you like this style & journal format...
I am having a BLAST...

I had a question about how I made the holes in the art parts cover...
YIKES...I forgot to say that
I used the Crop-A-Dile...
it works like magic...

but here's another idea...
this makes it even easier...

you can use the art parts PAGES as your journal covers...
then cut your inside pages a tiny bit smaller to fit...

using the pages as covers has a few benefits...
the holes are already cut into the pages...
and...
the covers will have a decorative edge...

there are 6 PAGES in the pack...
2 of each edge style...
so enough for 3 small journals...

want a larger journal?

use rings or ribbon to hold them together...

I think that will be my next one...
made with the large pages...

here's the inside of the front cover ...
I kept it very simple...

broken china distress stain, & the polka dots were stenciled with black soot distress ink, using the blending tool...
a little walnut stain around the edges to add some shading...

inked with brushed corduroy distress stain...
then stamped with this text...

it's an oldie...
back from my second stamp release...

DONE!
here comes another page...


the random text is this stamp...
lightly stamped with jet black archival...
and stamped vertically...

I used the distress markers right on the stamp...
this technique is SO FLIPPIN cool on the Specialty Stamping Paper...

I used stormy sky, weathered wood & peeled paint markers...
and then went over the stem with the peeled paint marker...

the extra leaves are just sketched in & colored with the peeled paint marker...

the last step is some inky dots...
created with brushed corduroy stain and the water brush...

if you like this type of art...

keep in mind this could easily be done on the Specialty Stamping Paper, then glued to a canvas or large art part...
both sizes of the creative covers make awesome sturdy bases...

it's fun to put these in frames too...
or use it as a card front...

I think it would make a nice, inexpensive, thoughtful gift...
and as a bonus...
it's simple to coordinate with anyone's decor...

Mother's Day is just around the corner...
just saying...

this is one of those 2fer things...
you had fun creating the art and the recipient gets a great handmade gift...

double dipping is good!

now about that challenge...
I participated in Ranger's fun designer challenge again, along with some of my Ranger friends...

the challenge starts today on Ranger's blog & new challenges will be posted daily...
thru Friday...

so...4 full days of inky fun to look forward to...


it's back to kit making central for me...

I hope you can play and...

make art!
wendy

Monday, April 2, 2012

art journaling...studio 490 style

I have shared some "out of the journal" art...
in some previous posts...

today I wanted to show you some "in the journal pages"...

well...

sort of...

I made my own small journal with my small art parts creative covers...

I assembled the journal with tim's D RINGS,
instead of the ring binder, for a change of pace...

these large rings allow lots of pages to be inserted...
plus it gives plenty of room to add dimensional embellishments...

I LOVE this journal format because...
the pages can be made from anything you like...
I know...shocking!

you can add pages made from manila card stock, grunge,
art parts pages or even Clicker Cutts pages...
it's up to you to...

you can mix them up for a really mixed media journal...

I also like the fact that it's NOT a bound journal...
so if something turns out ugly...
it can easily get trashed & no one is the wiser!

I think that makes it easier to start on a blank page...
knowing there's no pressure...
ugly?
TRASH IT~ without ripping a page from your bound book...

it's very easy to work on these pages,
since they sit nice & flat on your table...

here's my cover...
a little funky...

kind of like me!

one hole has a mini gear with a screw eye...
the other hole is a perfect fit for tim's new clock key...
which works for me as a knob to open the journal...

my queen is peeking out & her crown is the perfect size for ARTIST...

the art parts pencil was inked with the new distress markers...
brushed corduroy & mustard seed...
these new markers make it so simple & precise!

and those lovely lips...
my Blossom Bucket trinket...
one of my most favorites...
LOVE them...

the text was stamped on the lips with jet black archival...
heat set & now it's permanent...

the pages are cut to 3 1/2 x 5 inches...
sized for the small creative covers...

this is the style I'll be teaching in my
Beyond Basic Backgrounds class...

here's the first page...

the background is done with distress stains & inks...
dots from the detail water brush...
main stamping with jet black archival...

and to add texture/dimension...
inked with rusty hinge distress stain...


here's another...

I stamped this flower onto a background that I didn't care for...
I used the small area that was OK & trashed the rest!

it's not completely glued down...
completely flat bothers me...
so the petals on the right stand out...

same distress background...
this time with brushed corduroy & faded jeans stain...

LOVE LOVE LOVE the peeled paint marker for stems, leaves & the hills...

that would be me...

and what flower doesn't need an eye for a center?

another favorite piece from Blossom Bucket...
the scallop circle...
filled with Glossy Accents...

so...that's art journaling...
studio 490 style...

I hope you can find some inspiration here...

try it...
find your style...

let me know how you do...

and if you want more inspiration...

this weeks challenge is studio 490 inspiration...

PREPARE to be AMAZED @ the AWESOME arts from the SSS design team...

ok...back to making kits...
next stop on the art adventure is...


no time today to...

make art!
wendy