Blue Spot Holiday

A little digital fun...gorgeous photo by Jen..click on her link on the right for more of her awesome work! Happy Holidays!

Inkpad Storage

I've finally done the Thing I've been wanting to do forEver! I labelled all of my inkpads so that now I can see what color they are from my chair. It's my attempt at organization..and I love it. I love to just sit and look at all of the colors...it was pretty easy, I just cut up some computer labels, swiped them with ink and adhered to the pad base...



These are the dye pads, grouped by color range...the colors are lucsious...:)

Scor it Tag Bag Instructions

Step one; choose your tags and decorate. I used the gluepad, some copper leafing and memories mists in blue martini and pale ale..

Step two; score each decorated tag at the marks below...

For the decorated pieces, be sure to score on the non decorated side..

This is why I used the Scor-it..it scored right over, or through, the grommet part of the tags..easily..

Mountains and valleys...

Step three; cut tabs out of side tags

Step four; glue side tags to front and back tags..folding the tabs in...

Repeat for both sides...

Add a handle, some tissue paper and voila! Tag Bags to go...

Valentino

So another great love of mine, and my husbands, is motorcycle racing. A different part of my brain loves to see the fine line between having a good race, and crashing. I don't like to see the crashing, though..too painful. Anyhow..I just saw this online today. It's a Fiat designed by my favorite racer, Valentino Rossi.

This is the matching MotoGp bike..

He's amazing. An awesome rider, a great competitor, a killer sense of humor..and a love for design. Did I mention he's Italian? Yeah.

Scor It

This was a project I designed for the Scor-It board http://www.scorit.com/
website. They sent me the full board in exchange..and I just had to make something out of tags! So I used the gluepad and the mists for these three. The Scor-it works really well for scoring glossy cardstock and thicker, more rigid cardstock. It's super easy to use and I love that the scoring tool is held onto the board with ball chain. I would have lost that part really quick without the chain. sigh. :)

I have step by step instructions..let me know if you want to see them..

Memories Mists Mac Junior

King Mac decided to take a nap in my Mists spray box,
he fit really well..but ended up with a nose coated in
glitter. He didn't really want me to get a picture of
that, not very manly, but I caught him before he
got outside.

Cory's Idea

Thank you to Cory, my only suggestion(er) from yesterday's post..here's a digital mock up of her idea;

hmmmm..might be time to borrow that mat cutter...:)

Painting with Inks

Well, it's a rainy day here in Sonoma County..we haven't had enough of these lately, so I'm not going to complain. It actually helped to warm things up, so I'm not typing with gloves on.. yay.

The piece above was a bit of an experiment..which I guess all of my projects really are. Just never know what you're going to get..anyhow, this one is on 140 lb cold press watercolor paper. I painted the whole background with Palette Hybrid ink in New Canvas, fancy for white..and then painted and sponged over the top with other Palette ink colors..including Metallic gold. I add a piece from an old airline ad in the center and then painted around that a little more. The colors are really very rich in person..the gold really pops! I'm trying to decide now how to finish it..adhere it to the front of a canvas? do I frame it?..any suggestions?

Too cool

I found the most awesome website last night and I have been transfixed ever since..everything this artist makes is to die for!

http://www.boygirlparty.com/

New Mists Technique

So I was going to hold on to this one for the show and catalog..but it was so much fun to do that I woke up this morning and made a few more. Something this fun is hard to keep secret!
This piece started out as a white piece of mat board that I randomly stamped with different images. I used any color inkpad that struck my fancy..this one has Memories Dye Orange, Teal, Palette Hybrid Noir and Chartreuse. Make sure to stamp only a few image in black (noir), as these ones really pop. After stamping, I laid down a die cut called Sisters, the image of the two girls. With this layered on top, I sprayed the whole piece with a combination of Memories Mists in Merlot and Lavender Tea..and finished off with our newest product that I am still testing..but, yes, we are working on Metallic Mists..and let me just tell you, they are awesome. They dry fast and are super sparkly with very minimal rub off. These won't be ready until next year..I'm still working on the packaging! But to emulate something similar until then..add a little bit of metallic powder (like pearl ex) to a pale ale or margarita mist. It works better with the lighter colors. This won't look exactly like what I've done above..but it will give a metallic sheen.
Anyhow, since this technique is new to me..I am very interested to hear what everybody thinks..let me know! I'm off to shop for some more die cuts..until later. e

Thanksgiving pics

More coffee filter roses...this time they came in
handy for our Thanksgiving place-setting..I tucked a little
rose geranium leaf in the side for an added bonus of actual
scent..

la table...

La table with chairs..

I found this little rooster at Michaels..



Placecard/napkin holders..because I felt like it..:)

Happy Thanksgiving

A day early..but I already know I won't be posting tomorrow. Turkey grease doesn't go well with plastic keyboard keys..so, anyhow, I'm making my final rounds round the house. Lil bit's of cleaning and organizing. Seriously, if it weren't for guests..you might see me on Oprah as a craft hoarder! This is my one motivation for housework..impressing my relatives. Anybody out there know what I mean? Besides you, Jen..:)

This is some of the stuff I got from two peas...die cut birds, chipboard crowns and felt birds and branches...the Mists are already mine! :)

So, I thought before I lose another month..I'd post a little pic of what I've been working on..this is our busy season, and I'm doing a lot of artwork for our impending catalog and show booth..so I can't always just put up what I just made. Some stuff I have to "save" for later..but, I am playing a lot lately with fabric. I love all of those overly graphiced t-shirts and shirts that everybody seems to wearing..so I tried my hand at a sweatshirt..this is my first one;



many, many more to follow...

No Pic Post Number 1

I wanted to post some new pics..I got all sorts of stuff in today (from http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/) to play with..but the camera batteries died..so, instead, here is my first post with no picture. Weird..it's like a book with no pictures. Hmm.
Anyhow, I'm busy planning new product for work, making new art samples for the catalog and the trade show booth. I spent today redesigning three inkpad logos..I'll show you those when they are ready..Plus, I've been getting into all sorts of side projects, including felt animals with spangles, chipboard and mask fabric decorating, cleaning my house..yup, side project for sure.
My husband and I also had the chance last weekend to see Feist in concert, at the masonic temple in San Francisco. What a great show! I spent all of my royalties from last quarter on the tickets..and it was worth it! They had a neat backdrop, overhead projector thing-y going..using all sorts of die cuts. I felt right at home! It also made me think that I want to start cutting my own die cut designs. Time to break out that x-acto knife again.
Well the hubby is home..dinner time...Peace. :)

Mist Swatches

I've been playing around with the Mists..it's that time of the year again when I disappear into a cave of new product and artwork. CHA is around the corner, that's the Craft and Hobby Association, the huge tradeshow where we debut a lot of new product. So I sprayed out each of all of the Mists on some old garment tags..so pretty in a rainbow..

Craft Show 2007

My mom, my Aunt Marilyn and I did a craft show this weekend at the Petaluma Fairgrounds. It didn't turn out too well..not really our crowd. We don't do too many terra cotta pot Santas or clothespin Angels..oh well. It was still fun to hang out for a few days..and talk to people. The above shot is of the wonderful beaded necklaces from Mar, along with her handwoven baskets. In the back you can see Mom's dioramas..


Mar's silk purses..made from tie remnants..such beautiful colors!


This is the boutique of the cards I put together..Mar did the painterly ones in the foreground..along with the pin cushions.


Mom's glass animal mini's..so cute in person!

10 items or less

So a few years ago, I had a dream come to me from a friend who had recently passed away. Her name was Devon and she was the funniest gal I knew. We worked together at Stampa Rosa, she taught me everything I needed to know when I first started stamping..anyhow, she had this real wicked sense of humor and one of her favorite movies was Waiting for Guffman. The day after she died, I was flipping through the channels..depressed and bored. and there, on HBO..no commercials..was Guffman. I thanked her. That night I had this dream about a really funny movie based on the ins and outs of the grocery store business. It featured Parker Posey..she even had a funny one liner...So I started writing this script and quickly got bored and buried it. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw an episode of 10 Items or Less. This show was on TBS for one season..and was all about this little grocery store, run by a bunch of crazies..same story. Same humor. Well, today I found the website for the comedian who wrote and starred in the show..and you have to check him out. He just finished an off broadway show..and the clips from it are hilarious! I don't often laugh out loud while sitting at the computer..but he's funny. Good funny...so go..check him out...

http://www.comediclectures.com/videos.htm

Ooops

Just thought I would share what it looks like when you forget that you have ALREADY opened a Mists bottle..and you try and shake it.

Um, yeah.

Grafitti Mists

I've been playing a lot lately with the idea of using the Mists in a "grafitti" type way;
These are the steps for a journal that I've just started...
















Always keep an extra piece of paper handy to blot up any extra ink off of plastic or metal stencils...



Voila!



The reverse side...