Asteios Art

Back in Business!!!

2012-01-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
I feel like this post has been a LONG time coming. We have moved to Salem, are adjusting to life here, and now...my studio is unpacked, and I have classes on the schedule!!! Very exciting!
The next couple of months classes are listed on the side, and I have a few photos of upcoming class projects to show you.

A project from the Reflections Stamp Class

Alcohol Ink Resist technique samples

One of the Alcohol Ink Resist class projects

Card Patterns #113 and Layers of Color

2011-05-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

This week Layers of Color is sponsoring a wonderful challenge blog called Card Patterns. I had never heard of the Card Patterns blog until I saw it on the Layers of Color blog. What a pleasant surprise. They have wonderful sketches and a really great design team. Here is the sketch for this week.

It's such a great sketch that I just had to participate in this challenge.

This is the card I made, you can click on the card to see the details a little better. My fun little branch embellishment was created with twigs from my Nandina plant. I added texture to some tissue paper using an embossing folder, then cut it into strips...wide ones and narrow ones. I used the narrow ones to create the bow on top and the tiny little "flowers" on the branches, then I added a little bit of Vintage Glass Glitter to the tips of the branches for a little sparkle. The texture on the paper in the background was created with a metal stencil.

Supplies:
White Card and Background: Ruche Cardstock - WorldWin
Wood Paper
Patterned Paper: Gabrielle 6x6 Paper Pad - BoBunny
Stamps: Acanthus Leaves and Sent With Love - Layers of Color
Ink: Pumice Stone Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Large Damask Metal Stencil - Dreamweaver
Oriental Weave Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug
Labels Four Nestabilities Dies - Spellbinders
Cuttlebug Machine- ProvoCraft

Antique Silver Vintage Glass Glitter - Art Glitter

Lavender Tissue Paper
Gold Thread
Twigs
Nailheads

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Valonda

Schedule Change

2011-04-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

The schedule for the April 30th classes is being changed a little. We didn't receive the Reflections Stamp set in time to hold that class, so we will be rescheduling it for a different date. Thanks for understanding.

However, since we had so many people sign up for the Garden Wall Stamp Class, we decided to replace the Reflections class with a second Garden Wall Stamp Class. Good news for those of you who were put on the waiting list! :) In honor of that class, here is a little sneak peek at one of the cards we will be making in that class.

Upcoming Classes

2011-02-16T07:51:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
I know it's been a long time since I've checked in here. I've been having withdrawals from teaching classes, so I've decided to put a few on the schedule. Below you will find the info. and descriptions for each class. Looking forward to seeing you all again!

Alcohol Ink Basics Class
Date: Sat. April 30, 2011
Time: 10:00 am
Class Description: Come explore the wonderful world of Alcohol Inks. This introductory class will cover the basic techniques and information about Alcohol Ink. You will come away with a really good grasp of this product and how to get the most out of it. You will not only complete a fabulous technique tag reference tool, but will also create some fun cards and a great necklace!
Prerequisite: Beginners Workshop
Cost: $21

Garden Wall Stamp Class
featuring products by Layers of Color
Date: Sat. April 30, 2011
Time: 1:00 pm
Class Description: Celebrate spring with a collection of beautiful cards featuring the Garden Wall Frame stamp by Layers of Color, as well as other products by this wonderful company. This class will incorporate a wide variety of products and techniques, including: the new Distress Stains, Acrylic Paint, Alcohol Ink, masking and more. Each participant will receive a Garden Wall Frame stamp (included in the cost of the class).
Prerequisite: Beginners Workshop
Cost: $26

Reflections Stamp Class
featuring products by Tim Holtz
Date: Sat. April 30, 2011
Time: 4:00 pm
Class Description: This class features an awesome new stamp set from the mind of Tim Holtz...script background stamps that stamp backwards! These stamps are perfect for, well, some awesome applications, like stamp kissing, transfer techniques, and so much more. This class will be very technique driven, and we'll have a blast getting all turned around.
Prerequisite: Beginners Workshop
Cost: $25

2010-07-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone,

I've been very neglectful of this blog and I apologize. Unfortunately that's not likely to change very soon. My husband and I are in the midst of a job change/move, so things are just a little crazy right now.

I will continue to keep this updated with any classes that I have scheduled. I will not be doing a whole lot of classes though until we get the whole moving thing figured out.

Just yesterday I finished packing up my craft room into boxes. It was a huge job, and I'm glad that part of packing is done for now. Anyway the work continues...

Blessings to each of you,
Valonda

More Vintage Fun

2010-03-04T12:00:00.001-08:00

I don't know what the deal is with me and the whole vintage thing right now, but I just can't help myself...Everything on this card was stamped using various colors of Adirondack Paint Dabbers. Stamps are: Wallpaper Background (Hero Arts), Cher Amie (Rubber Stamp Concepts), and Flourishes (Crafty Secrets). Just a bit of Silver Fine Vintage Glass Glitter (Art Institute) for some sparkle was all the embellishment it needed.

Vintage Cream

2010-03-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

I've been loving vintage style designs lately. Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic...who knows? Anyway, this card was created using the current CPS sketch.
Supplies:
Cardstock - Cream Linen Weave
Stamps -
Shine On You verse (Stampendous)
Delicate Branches (Inkadinkado)
Ink-

VersaMark (Tsukineko)
The Essential Gluepad (Tsukineko)
Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger Industries)
Other -
Textile Texture Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft)
Platinum Embossing Powder
Fawn Microfine Transparent Art Glitter (Art Institute Glitter)
Antique Linen Distress Stickles (Ranger Industries)
Flower (Prima)
Rhinestone

2010-02-25T15:53:00.000-08:00

Just a quick card to share...I realized I didn't have any congratulations cards in my stash right now so I figured it was time to make one.

Supplies:
Hero Arts Stamps -
Scattered Leaves Clear Stamp Set
Chinese Dolls Clear Stamp Set
Wallpaper Background
Woodgrain Pattern
Cardstock: Black, Orange, Aqua, Yellow, and Grey
VersaMark Ink
Charcoal Zing Embossing Powder (American Crafts)
Sunflower Die and Flower Bouquet Miniabilities Dies (Spellbinders)
Flower Punch (EK Success)
Everyday Greetings Die (ProvoCraft)
Black Pearls (KaiserCraft)
Matte Accents (Ranger Industries)

2010-02-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

I made this card for two challenges...Hero Arts and CPS

Here is this weeks' CPS Sketch

This is my first time to participate in a CPS challenge, and I had lots of fun taking on the challenge.

Now about Hero Arts:
Hero Arts has a month-long theme challenge and this months' theme is Flowers & St. Patricks Day. I've incorporated the "flowers" theme two ways. The most obvious...the giant layered flower...lol. I stamped the background with VersaMark Ink using the Dots and Flowers background stamp by Hero Arts. I used a Willow Paint Dabber by Ranger Industries to stamp the leaf (from the Scattered Leaves set by Hero Arts).

The Scripture verse sentiment comes from one of my favorite sets of all time, Scripture Essentials 1 by Cornish Heritage Farms.

Just using this verse today has encouraged me, I hope reading it has done the same for you.
Blessings...

Impression Obsession Challenge

2010-02-06T12:32:00.001-08:00

The Impression Obsession Blog hosts ongoing challenges, and since the current challenge (Shades of Green) spoke to me I decided to participate. This card uses the Small Leaf Wreath and Accent Border stamps from Impression Obsessions' Alesa Baker Designs. I also added that super cute butterfly sticker from the Fabulous line by Chatter Box as well as some other stickers that I have had in my stash for quite some time. I used Bamboo Leaves Memento Ink for all of my stamping and to brayer over the piece that I used to mat the leaf wreath image.

Glittery Fun

2010-01-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

Another project to share from my weekend away. You had to know that the glitter would make it into my weekend bag...everyone was thrilled to see it of course...
This is my favorite glitter of all, Microfine Art Glitter. This stuff is so fine and delicate that it ends up everywhere, which is not a problem for me, but not everyone likes to walk around shiny. Ok, seriously, if you have never worked with this glitter you really need to get your hands on some. I rarely use my regular ultrafine glitters anymore because every time I look through the different colors, the microfines are the ones that jump out at me...the ones that I LOVE. The colors I used on this project were: Elfin, Iris, Winter White, and Fawn. The stamp is Garden Dragonfly by Holly Berry House. I wish that all of you could see it in person, because pictures just don't do justice to the beauty of these glitters.

First projects of the year!

2010-01-12T14:21:00.001-08:00

Here it is...my very first project of the year! This one was dreamed up while I was driving from here to there one day, and I was just waiting for the right opportunity to give it a try. My opportunity came last weekend when I was privileged to go spend the weekend at the coast with some wonderfully talented friends. I can't even tell you how wonderful it was to have time to focus on creating some of those things that have been in my mind begging to be made...un-interrupted time...well...interrupted only by the occasional meal, snack or nap.

Anyway, for this project I stamped this Holly Berry House Medallion onto Ten Seconds Studios metal, then hand embossed portions of the design before cutting, layering it together, and sanding it to give it it's well-worn look. The background was created using a Fiskars Texture Plate and a Ten Seconds Studios mold. I have to say, I love Ten Seconds Studios more every time I use their products (and I used them a lot this weekend).

And now...my most anticipated project of the weekend. I have been planning to make a copper framed mirror for my sister for her birthday (hope she doesn't read this). So this was my chance. I antiqued the copper using Liver of Sulfer, then buffed, embossed, sanded, assembled...you get the idea. Three of the panels were embossed using Ten Seconds Studios molds, and the rest were embossed with Cuttlebug Embossing Folders. I love copper, and my sister loves it even more, so I am so excited to give this to her.

I have much more to share, but I have to re-photograph some of the items when the sun decides to shine again here in the Willamette Valley.

Just a teaser

2009-08-27T13:38:00.001-07:00

Alright everyone. Huge thanks to those of you who signed up for this class sight unseen. The sample is now complete and will be in the store later today.

This Ten Seconds Studios Framed Mirror Class is based on a class created by Linda Brown for Craft Stamper Magazine. It's going to be a fun one! If you are signing up for this one be prepared for the class to go longer than the usual 2 hours.

better late than never

2009-08-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun picture from when my sister and her family were here with us. Four kids painting very intently...so cute. They were so very serious about their art.

Now here's a fun before/after comparison. This first one is a picture I took of Hannah at mom's wedding. Now...
here's one I took a couple of days ago. Notice anything different???

Catching you up

2009-07-15T12:12:00.001-07:00

It's official...my mom is now Mrs. Westover. That will take a little getting used to. The wedding was a beautiful celebration. Look at the happiness on their faces...it's a beautiful thing.

And here is a picture with all of us together...a new family.

The back row is: Crystal (my sister who just moved here from Mexico), Bob, David (my new brother), Mervin (my little brother).

The front row is: Brenda and Carol (my new sisters), Mom, Birdie (my sister from Mexico City), and me

The wedding came right on the heels of our week at Drift Creek Camp. My sister Birdie and her family, my kids and I, and my friend Courtney went out to Drift Creek Camp to provide art projects for the Middle School Camp. We had an awesome time. And of course I used some of my free time to create some fun sample cards using some of the products that we took out for the kids to use.

This card features a fun background made by embossing with white embossing powder, then adding Alcohol Ink. I loved how it turned out.

The background of this one was made with Color Wash sprays, then stamped in sort of a collage style.

Last, but not least, this simple little card has a cuttlebug embossed background, and the focal point is a piece of paper that I stamped with a script background then with an image from an awesome stamp set by Amy Butler for K&Company called Lotus Floral.

And all of that is why I have not been posting much lately. Well, ok, lets face it, life is just full of better things to do than sit in front of my computer all day, and that's not likely to change anytime soon. Meanwhile, I'll share with you as often as is realistically possible.

Stamp outside the...paper

2009-06-25T13:46:00.001-07:00

This was an experiment for sure, but I can't wait to get back to our local store, All Fired Up, and practice some more. All Fired Up is a place where you go to paint your own ceramic pieces. They provide all of the paint, brushes, clean-up, and then fire the piece for you. When the piece had been fired I brought it home and added some soft felt "feet", and I now have a great coaster to set my drinks on.

Now the great thing is, this is another fun way to make use of my stamps. I used one of my favorite images from the Kamon clear stamp set by Kodomo Inc. It was actually pretty easy once I got the hang of it. I started by painting 3 coats of a very light yellow base, then chose a dark grey to do my stamping with. To stamp, I simply poured some of the dark grey paint into a piece of Ranger Inkssentials Cut-n-Dry Foam. The key, I discovered, is not to have to much paint in the foam, if it is too wet it won't work very well. To finish it up, I simply painted a border around the tile. The shop did the rest, and in a few days I got to go pick it up. Fun huh!

It's Officially Summer Vacation!

2009-06-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Matt (my husband) and Hannah (my daughter) finishing their last days of school, here is a refreshing, summery card for you.

This card was created by stamping all the oranges, masking them, then stamping the background. I love this background stamp by Kodomo Inc. The stamp is only 1 5/8" square, but it is so well designed that it is easy to line up the edges and create a seamless background.

Supplies used:
Kodomo Inc. - Oranges (Suiboku: Sumie-E 002),
Backgrounds (Asian Background I and Asian Background II)
Impression Obsession - Relax and Enjoy stamp
Tsukineko - Tuxedo Black Momento Ink
Judikins - Eclipse Masking Tape
Kraft Card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")
Pink Cardstock
Button Brads (unknown)

New at Kodomo Inc.

2009-06-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

Kodomo Inc. has posted a couple of new project ideas designed by yours truly. Head over to Kodomo's website to check it out.

Night Pier Card

2009-06-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

I received this beautiful stamp from Impression Obsession at a class I took in San Francisco. I finally made some time to play with it.

If you have any interest in learning how this card was made, continue reading this paragraph...if not, just skip down to the next one. I stamped the image 4 different times, once each on regular matte cardstock, acetate, brown cardstock, and glossy white cardstock. The sky and sand were colored using Distress Ink and the Blending Tool. The shiny water was cut out of the acetate, and was colored using Aqua and Pearl Mixative Alcohol Inks. The pearlized quality didn't really show much in the photo, but is really neat in real life. The pier itself was embossed with Distress Embossing Powder before being cut out and layered over the other pieces. Lastly, the moon and the shell were painted using various new Light and Bright colors of Ranger Alcohol Ink. I used Matte Accents over the outside of the shell to make it more like a real shell...just the "inside" remains shiny.

We have been enjoying life around here lately. Up until a couple days ago, weather was sunny and beautiful. We were getting some important jobs done around here, like replanting our lawn. Now the storms and rain we are getting are giving the new grass some important time to establish itself, and it's starting to actually look like a lawn again. As I sit here, the birds are greeting each other very noisily as they feast on worms.

School is winding down, end of the year parties and field trips are in full swing, and Hannah is loving all of the extra excitement. We'll see how she handles summer at home this year. I have a feeling she'll be good and ready when school starts again in the fall.

Noah...well he is spending all of his time and energy growing. Seriously, like a weed! One day none of his pants fit (luckily he had some shorts, and it was warm weather), then shortly after that most of his shoes didn't fit anymore. When I went to measure his feet, he had skipped a size and I had to buy him size 10's. Hannah had times where she suddenly grew too, but not the extreme growth spurts that Noah has. A couple days ago I went and bought him size 4 jeans, and when he wore them yesterday, they really didn't look big on him at all. How can watching your kids grow up make you so proud and so sad at the same time?

Chatterbox and more

2009-04-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
I'm back from a fantastic trip to San Francisco. I was privileged to travel with Stampin' Cat Studios fabulous owner, Lisa, to a trade show.

We had a great time attending classes by some of my favorite companies, getting familiar with some products that were either new, or new to me, and spending lots of money (mostly Stampin' Cat Studio's money...gotta' love helping someone else spend big).

My highlights of the trip: finally learning to work with Ten Seconds Studios products (LOVED it, by the way, yes, it will be showing up in class very soon), finally getting my hands on a new Alcohol Ink Fillable Pen, playing with the Copic Airbrush system, and playing around with some fabulous new product by Chatterbox.

We didn't know going into this class that the project was going to be a couple of scrapbook layouts. Now neither Lisa or I are scrapbookers, and we weren't really interested in making layouts. The teacher was so gracious to let us use the fabulous product from their new...well...Fabulous Collection to do our own thing.

Here are a couple of cards that I made during that class time. Let me just say, they named this collection appropriately for sure. I absolutely love it! It even has it's own stamp set! As well as an amazing set of die cuts...seriously, the picture on the link doesn't begin to do it justice. They are beautiful, and the cork die cuts...I don't even know what to say, they are so fun.

I had a blast playing with the products, and I hardly made a dent in it. I have so much left to play with, so be prepared to see some more of it in the coming months.

Everything on those two cards except for the twine, and the jump rings...oh, and the ink I stamped with, is from the Fabulous Collection by Chatterbox.Last but not least, check this out. Matt came home the other day and said, "get the camera, you have to see this rainbow." It must have just been perfect conditions, because I have lived in Oregon all my life, and have seen some beautiful rainbows, but this one was above and beyond. It was the most vibrant rainbow I have ever seen. Matt took the camera out and started snapping away. He got some really nice pictures. I just couldn't help thinking about how amazingly creative our God is. I'm glad God loves beautiful things too, I must take after Him.

Catching Up

2009-04-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Well hi again everyone! This is going to be a random post, catching you up on what's been going on in my life recently. I realize spring break has been over for awhile now, but I'm just now getting to sharing with you what we did with our vacation.

We have some wonderful friends in California that welcomed us to their house for a whole week. We had a fabulous time with them, enjoying the wonderful sunshine, beaches, good food and bonus...visiting Disneyland and California Adventure. I thought I'd just include the above picture since this was the whole reason that our son was so excited to go on vacation! Lightning McQueen! Getting his picture taken with him, seeing him in the Pixar Play Parade, and getting a new Lightning McQueen toy made Noah's day...scratch that...the whole trip. He wasn't even smiling in the picture because he was just so in awe.

Next event: Noah started getting sick toward the end of our trip, and by the time we stopped at Matt's parents' house on our way home, Noah REALLY wasn't feeling well. He snuggled in with Daddy, and was content to just sit there and pet Poppa and Mommas new little kittens. This kitten in particular settled right in and seemed to enjoy just cuddling up.

Of course, Noah's sickness was followed by Hannah's sickness, which is followed by me currently loading up on Airborne in an attempt to avoid some not so pleasant symptoms on Easter.

I am supposed to be singing in 4 church services on Easter, and have all kinds of rehearsals coming up in the next couple of days, so I REALLY don't want to be sick. So far the Airborne seems to be helping. Or maybe it's the prayer...either way, I'll keep doing both.

In other exciting news: My sister Birdie just recently announced to the world that she is pregnant with her 3rd child!!! AND while we were on spring break my mom got ENGAGED! So it looks like this summer we will be having a wedding! It's so crazy to watch my mom enjoying new love, I hear myself telling her some of the same things she told me as I was dating and preparing to get married. So funny.

Ok, finally, I have gotten back into my craft room and created something. This was a bit of an experiment, and it was finished up last night when I was tired. I'm just saying... The experimental part was that I used a Copic Colorless Blender Pen and dipped it in my new light and bright colors of Ranger Alcohol Ink and used that to color in the image. My inexperience definitely shows, but I'll keep practicing.

The Tulip Girl stamp and the background stamp are both by Cornish Heritage Farms. The background is the new Distressed Circles Scrapblock. I LOVE it! I definitely see it becoming another "go-to" stamp in my collection.

Oh, just in case you want to know. The Tulip Girl was stamped with Tuxedo Black Momento Ink before being colored in. And the background was stamped on vellum and embossed with Tattered Rose Distress Embossing Powder...LOVE the great texture that the Distress Embossing Powders provide.

Oh, and the Trinkets Pin from the Ideaology line by Tim Holtz says "thoughts" on it. I liked how that went with the "Wishes" sentiment from the Expressions set by Hot Off The Press.

My goal at the beginning of the year was to post at least once a week, so sorry about the long wait for this post. But I'm sure you understand that family and home life have to be my first priority.

Blessings to you!

More Woodgrain

2009-03-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

I have been crazy busy this week, as shown by the fact that I haven't posted anything in over a week. This is one of 5 projects featured in my upcoming Wonderful Woodgrain class. The woodgrain elements lend themselves well to simple designs with clean lines and a modern, earthy feel.

The stamped images in this class are primarily by Hero Arts. They have some really great new stamp sets. I already bought several of their sets, but my wish list from their catalog is long.

2009-03-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

Good Morning everyone,

This morning I would like to draw your attention to a website that I visit almost daily...Craft Critique. If you are a crafter, product information is so helpful. Sometimes we really aren't sure which products are as good as they say they are, exactly what they are good for, etc. This site offers reviews of all sorts of craft products, by crafters just like you and I. I have found these to be very beneficial. In fact, I'll just tell you a little story.

I've been teaching a technique class in which I use the Palette Stamp n' Stick Gluepad. That was the only gluepad I had tried. I was satisfied with the results I was getting, so I stuck with that one. Well, back in October I read this review on The Essential Gluepad by Tsukineko. Based on that review I decided to give The Essential Gluepad a try. I love it. Both inkpads still have their place and I use them for different applications. The Cuttlebug Embossing Techniques Class that I teach now incorporates both of those gluepads and teaches students the very best applications for each inkpad.

I have had a link to the Craft Critique website on my blog ever since I discovered it (shortly after starting my own blog). But I know that with all the lists on the side, things can tend to get overlooked. I hope you will check it out, there is a lot of great information available that could save you money by helping you to make an informed decision when buying your crafting products, as well as helping you gain a better understanding of products you may already own.

Hero Arts Woodgrain Stamp

2009-03-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

I've been playing with the new Woodgrain Pattern stamp by Hero Arts...SO FUN! Here I used Distress Inks to create this great "wood panel". I was very impressed with how realistic this looked.

The additional elements were both die cut out of Core'dinations Cardstock with Spellbinders dies.

This post is going to be short and sweet (as most of mine are) because I have a ton of things to do today, but I just wanted to share this with you.

Wonderful Woodgrain

2009-03-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been finding myself drawn to simplicity. Maybe it's the fact that my house has been feeling overwhelmingly cluttered lately, I don't know. But when I decided to teach a class incorporating the new woodgrain products that have been flooding the papercrafting market recently, simlicity seemed like the perfect fit for these intricate woodgrain patterns. The card you see here incorporates woodgrain patterned paper by Hambly Screenprints.

I'm glad I can easily simplify creatively, but I think I need professional help decluttering my house. Anyone want to volunteer???

Snow and Daffodils

2009-02-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

No I don't have any pictures of it, but yes, it is indeed snowing on the daffodils here in McMinnville. I am sure I've said it before (lol), but I love snow. It is just so magical how it covers up all the leafless trees and bare dirt, and turns them into something spectacularly beautiful. I realize this snow isn't going to be sticking around long, but I'm sure going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Meanwhile, I do have a picture to share with you.This is another of the quick and easy cards we will be creating in the Scripture Blessings class.
I love the beautiful fonts they used in this stamp set by Cornish Heritage Farms.

I hope you all have a wonderful day today!

Nestabilities Jewelry

2009-02-24T08:09:00.001-08:00

I've been loving making jewelry lately. This is one of several items that I made for a class coming up soon at Stampin' Cat in Salem. This bracelet is made with Shrink Plastic. I used the Nestabilities dies by Spellbinders to create the ovals. I love it as a bracelet, but have already decided that I am going to make a necklace that is just the same.

On a more personal note, illness has his our household again. It is really crazy. We are generally a pretty healthy family, so this winter has been really unusual for us. It seems like someone has been sick almost constantly. And I have definately had more than my fair share. It is making me really ready for some sunshine...I would LOVE to lay in the sun and soak up some rays.

Scripture Blessings Class

2009-02-20T08:27:00.001-08:00

So, I am still going on this wonderful Scripture Essentials 1 set by Cornish Heritage Farms. I really do love this set, and am so thrilled that I get to teach a class using this set. March 7th at 1:00pm at Stampin' Cat Studio, will be the debute of this class. We will make 6 cards is 2 hours...or so...it might go a little over that. But unlike usual, I've actually kept the cards in this class fairly simple, so we could make more of them. The cards you see above are some of the cards we will be making in that class. I really am excited about this class, and I hope that you will join me if you live in the area.

Matthew 11:28

2009-02-18T11:01:00.001-08:00

I love this verse, what a great word of encouragement. The design of todays card was formed by the words of the verse itself. When I think of calming, relaxing, and restful colors and designs, for me the delicate simplicity of Asian design is what comes to mind. So I chose a muted blue for the cardstock color, embossed the one end with a simple twig design, then stamped the Asian floral image with VersaMark ink before adding the verse.

Supplies:
Stamps - Scripture Essentials 1 set (Cornish Heritage Farms) , Kamon clear stamp set (Kodomo Inc.)
Ink - VersaMark
Cardstock - Black Linen, Gulf (Bazzill)
Other - Forest Branches Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft), Black Distress Embossing Powder (Ranger Industries), Black Ribbon, Black Brad

Framed

2009-02-13T08:51:00.001-08:00

Can you find the verse on this card? Still going with the Scripture Essentials 1 set by Cornish Heritage Farms. I stamped the verse on the little bird, then stamped it again on the inside. You might have to click on the image in order to see the it very clearly. Unfortunately there was no sun in Oregon today which made photographing this card a bit challenging. I forgot to take a picture of the inside, it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6

The self-adhesive white paper lace is by Creative Imaginations. I love that stuff, it is great for inking up to match whatever your doing as well as leaving as is. I just wish they sold packs that were all white. The pack I have is some white, some black. It's great, but as much as I love to alter things, I would LOVE a pack that was all white, ready to be altered.

Oh, and the background image is the Climbing Leaves Backgrounder also by Cornish Heritage Farms. I stamped it with VersaMark ink and embossed with white embossing powder.

It took me forever to figure out what I needed for a finishing touch on this card. After sorting through all of my embellishments, I finally ended up with a Metal Art Frame by K&Co.

I hope you guys don't get sick of this scripture set, because I've only used 3 of the verses so far, and I have 5 more to go.

More Scripture Essentials

2009-02-12T15:56:00.001-08:00

I have several friends and family members who are anticipating big changes in their lives right now or very soon, so I am not sure which friend this first notebook is going to. I'll just have to make some more. Besides I want one for myself.

The notebook is 5" square, and is filled with plain white paper. The design and sentiment were embossed with Black Soot Distress Embossing Powder. I stamped with VersaMark Ink rather than the Distress Embossing Ink because I didn't want to be able to rub off any of the release crystals, I just wanted the rough texture that this embossing powder provides.

When I finished making this I was trying to decide whether it needed anything else or not, and I decided, no, I like the simplicity. It allows the simple truth of the verse to be the focus. Thank God for that truth!

Supplies:
Paper Products: Heavy Black Chipboard, Gulf Cardstock (Bazzill), and White text weight paper
Stamps: Scripture Essentials 1 (Cornish Heritage Farms) , Botanicals (Hot Off the Press)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Tools: Bind-It-All Machine (Zutter)
Other: Distress Embossing Powder (Ranger), Labels Two Nestabilities Dies (Spellbinders), Black 3/4" Binding Wire (Zutter)

Scripture Essentials

2009-02-11T12:42:00.001-08:00

I finally have in my hand the new stamp set that I have been most anticipating, the Scripture Essentials 1 set by Cornish Heritage Farms.

And guess what, notice the "1" at the end of that title. I'm assuming that means there will be more scripture sets coming, yeah!

Anyway, the yellow paper was created by stamping the Canvas Backgrounder (CHF) with Lemonade Pigment Ink (Ranger), then adding Scattered Straw Distress Ink (Ranger). I finished it off by spraying it with a mixture of Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls and water, although shimmer doesn't really show in the picture.

Supplies:
Cardstock: MatteKote (Judikins) and Black
Ink: Jet Black Archival, Lemonade Pigment Ink, and Scattered Straw Distress Ink (Ranger)
Stamps: Scripture Essentials 1, Silhouette Blooms 1, and Canvas Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Dies: Curved Rectangles Mega Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Other: White Opal Liquid Pearls (Ranger), White Tulle, Self-Adhesive Pearl (K&Co.), Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls (Ranger)

Igloo Boy

2009-02-10T15:15:00.001-08:00

I haven't done a scrapbook page in a really long time, but this picture was to cute not to do something special with. Noah had been out in the snow helping Daddy and the neighbors build this igloo for quite awhile so when it was finally finished he just took a rest inside and looked out at me so sweetly. Seriously, who could resist that smile.

Vintage Collage Card

2009-02-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

It's so interesting how the mind works. For example, the creative process of this card. Can you guess where this card started?

Believe it or not, it all started with the striped piece of cardstock that I had die cut a month ago to use on a project and then didn't end up using. I have a drawer that I put things in that have been stamped, die cut, inked, etc. then not used, or projects that I just couldn't finish to my satisfaction, so they got put away for a later time. Anyway, this was in my drawer, and I love it, so I decided I'd better put it to use. This paper is "Sisters" Stripe Paper (Wild Asparagus) from My Mind's Eye. I absolutely LOVE their Wild Asparagus papers...love, love, love. Anyway...

My next step was to choose color that went with it, then go through all of my embellishments, stamps, and other items to find things that fit the mood I was going for with this card. I just pull a bunch of stuff out, then as the idea starts to form, things that don't fit get put back away and pared down until I like what I've got left.

This card, however, didn't really start to come together until I started looking through my collage images. The flower image on the side is what made it all start to turn into something in my mind. The collage images are from the Vintage School Days Collage Pack by Tweety Jill. This was my first time using them, and they are great. Really nice, useable images.

For those who are interested, here is the complete list of
Supplies:
Labels One (Nestabilities Dies) Spellbinders
Vintage School Days Collage Pack (Tweety Jill)
"Sisters" Stripe Paper (Wild Asparagus) My Mind's Eye
Cardstock: Gulf (Bazzill), Textured Cayenne (Paper Accents), Cocoa
Ink: Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger), VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Foliate Quad Cube (Stampendous),
Flourishes set and Card Sentiments set (Crafty Secrets)
Dark Brown Marvy Memories Marker
Self-Adhesive Paper Lace (Narratives by Karen Russell) Creative Imaginations
Antique Silver Paper Fastener (7 Gypsies)
Claudine Hellmuth Sticky-Back Canvas (Ranger)
Velvet Flower (Maya Road)
Antique Silver Brad

Butterfly Card

2009-02-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

I recently came across this wonderful stuff, copper fabric. The coolest stuff ever. I had just purchased the Nesting Butterflies Die set by Spellbinders, and it looked like a match made in heaven. So I cut the copper fabric using the medium sized Nested butterfly, and then used the Floral Screen Cuttlebug Embossing Folder to add some texture to it. I love the airy, sort of ethereal, look it has. I used some thin copper wire to attach it to a piece of copper sheeting and turn it into a bookmark.

Some extra copper sheeting was used to create the “Flights of Fancy” embellishment using the top part of the Curved Rectangle die by Spellbinders. The wording is stamped with a saying from the Vintage Butterflies set by Cornish Heritage Farms, and is embossed with copper embossing powder.

I used the same "Flights of Fancy" sentiment as well as another stamp from the same set, "Effortless Beauty", to create the embossed background.

I cut out two Curved Rectangles and tore the top off of one of them to create a pocket for the bookmark to rest in...a card and a little gift all at the same time.

Supplies:
Spellbinders Dies: Curved Rectangles (Mega Nestabilities)
Nested Butterflies (Shapeabilities)
Cardstock: Textured Cayenne (Paper Accents)
Destination London (Bazzill)
white (unknown)
Copper Mesh Fabric - Amaco
copper wire
copper sheet metal
Antique Glass Beads - Mill Hill
Cuttlebug Folders - Floral Screen, Swiss Dots
Red Lace (Rusty Pickle)
Decorative Brad (JoAnns)
Stamps: Vintage Butterflies set (The Saturday Evening Post) - Cornish Heritage Farms
VersaMark Ink (Tsukineko)
Copper Detail Embossing Powder
Crop-a-Dile

Butterfly Mobile

2009-01-31T10:11:00.000-08:00

As soon as I bought the Spellbinders Nested Butterfly die set, I knew that one of the first things I wanted to do was make a mobile for my daughter Hannah’s room. She is the ultimate girly girl, so I made her mobile very delicate, feminine and full of bling. The Spellbinders Scalloped Circles are cut out of transparency sheets, and the designs are stamped with The Essential Glue Pad and glittered with fine Vintage Glass Glitter. As they float around the sparkle coming off of them is just mesmerizing. It was hard to really capture the beauty in a picture though.
The main elements of the mobile are 16 acetate scalloped circles, 10 die cut butterflies, and a FUNdamental Swanky Frame by Technique Tuesday. I wrapped the Swanky Frame with tulle to soften the look, and added some butterflies and flowers.

The butterflies were made of a fine Thai Kozo paper, and sprayed with a mixture of Rangers' Adirondack Color Wash, Perfect Pearls, and water, before being stamped with VersaMark Ink to add a subtle design. I also sprayed sheer white ribbon to match the butterflies, and used it to tie the butterflies onto the mobile.I just love their little antennae...fishing line tipped with Glossy Accents and dipped in the Vintage Glass Glitter for just a bit of sparkle.

Hannah was so excited to hang it up in her room! “Mommy, it’s beautiful!” makes it so worth going over the top with all the sparkle and bling. Now the question is, will it help her sleep in on Saturday morning?

Snow!!!

2009-01-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, forgive my excitement, but seriously, we had the biggest, fluffiest snowflakes coming down today that I have ever seen!
I'm not kidding at all...just look at that! Yes, that bright white spot is a giant puffy sheet of snow falling through the air. Some of them were huge. Now I know, they were actually multiple snowflakes that became close friends as they were falling through the air so they were just hanging out together for awhile. They were just so big, it was crazy.

It doesn't take much to get an Oregonian excited. I don't know how many times during the couple of hours that the snow was falling that I said, "Seriously, look at that one...oh my goodness, that one is HUGE...oh, my goodness, seriously, this is crazy..." You get the idea.

New Tim Holtz stuff!

2009-01-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

Now I realize this may not be as exciting to everyone as it is to me, but just look at this new stamp set by Tim Holtz! For me it's all about texture...talk about a versatile stamp set. I can't wait to be holding this one in my hot little hand. Of course there is more greatness where this came from.
Also from the mind of Tim Holtz, some more great products in his idea-ology line.
Great stuff!!!

It's that time of year!

2009-01-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

The CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) Convention and Tradeshow is coming right up, and along with that comes all kinds of new product releases within the industry. So, to assist you in checking out some of the new products, etc. I have started a list of company blogs. For now I will leave this list up at the top of my blog so you don't have to scroll way down to find the links. Keep checking back because I will keep adding links as I have time. There are some fabulous new products coming out...enjoy!
Oh, by the way, the paper shown above is from a new line by 7 Gypsies. Isn't it beautiful!

Another Mini

2009-01-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the mini valentine cards right now. This card has many of my favorite companies represented.

Stamps:

Cherish sentiment - Faith Collection - Kodomo Inc.

Polka Dot background - Tiny Textures set - Tim Holtz Collection - Stampers Anonymous

Flourish (stamped on background and on the butterfly) - Reindeer Flight set - Tim Holtz Collection - Stampers Anonymous

Ink:
Alabaster Fluid Chalk Ink - ColorBox
Pearlescent Poppy Brilliance Ink - Tsukineko
Jet Black Archival Ink - Ranger Industries

Die:
small butterfly - Nested Butterfly set - Spellbinders

Embellishments:
Clear Jewel Trinket Pin and White Velvet Blossom - Maya Road
Rhinestones - Hero Arts

I might have to photograph this again tomorrow when there is light though. The colors are not true in this picture. I'll try to fix it, because you really need to see how beautiful that Pearlescent Poppy Brilliance ink is.

2009-01-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

Just a simple little valentine card (2 1/2" x 3 1/2"). I used a heart stamp that I have as a pattern to cut out the window. Stamped a cute little bird image from the Bird Notes set by Crafty Secrets. The sentiment is from the same set. Added some Distress Ink to define the edges of the red patterned paper.

Surprisingly, of all of the valentine cards I have made so far, this was my husbands' favorite...totally shocked me. Of course since I make him choose favorites who knows if he actually likes it, but he had to pick something. lol.

I was so shocked that I asked, "Are you sure? That's really your favorite?" It was confirmed. My poor husband. To be fair though, he's usually a pretty good sport about the whole thing. And I try not to set him up for failure with a "Do you like this?" question. It's almost always a group of items..."Look what I made today, which one do you like best?" There really is no wrong answer there, just surprising ones sometimes.

LOVE mini

2009-01-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

This little mini valentine (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") was inspired by a design I saw on Debbie Olsons' blog:
The cute little floral image is from the Lotus Floral stamp set from the Amy Butler line by K&Co.
The designs in this set are all just wonderful. I can't wait to play with them some more.
I made the little corner accent by cutting a square with the Labels One Nestabilities die by Spellbinders, then cutting it into four pieces. I added some twine and a little metal Asian coin. I don't know what anyone else will think of this card, but frankly I don't care because I could look at it for hours. Every now and then I have a project like that, one I just love in spite of, or maybe because of its calming simplicity.

2009-01-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

This laid back Valentine card is going to be a part of the Be My Valentine card class to be held at Scrap-a-Latte next month.

This card began with the LOVE squares in the center. These are from a stamp set by Magenta called Floral Love. I've chosen to do one of my favorite techniques for vintage style stamps, the Shabby Chic technique. I started with dark brown paper, stamped and embossed with clear ink and powder, painted with the Pebble Adirondack Paint Dabber, then wiped the paint off of the embossed areas with a damp paper towel.

The background was created with the Butterfly Bliss stamp set by Impression Obsession. I stamped the swirly pattern with VersaMark Ink then stamped the butterflies with paint.
When I had finally done that much I was stumped. I just sat there and stared at it waiting for inspiration to come. I finally ended up coming back to my favorite standby embellishments...Maya Roads Metal Blossoms and Kaisercraft pearls. With my love for classic and vintagy (is that a word???) things it seems like those embellishments show up alot.

Speaking of loving Maya Road, check out some of the new items that will be coming out soon!
www.mayaroad.typepad.com/mayaroad
Wow! Loving it...can't wait to get my hands on some of those vintage leaf pins!

Check back tomorrow for more Valentine designs.
(Yes, I'm actually going to post two days in a row.)

It's officially my first project of 2009

2009-01-03T17:52:00.001-08:00

I am an earring girl, and since I had some scraps of copper left over from a project, I decided to make them into earrings. The shape of the metal was die cut with the Tiny Tags set by ProvoCraft. The leaf design was embossed into them with the Stylized Flowers Embossing Folder by Cuttlebug. I added some black paint to bring out the design, then applied Glossy Accents to both sides.

The little green "beads" were made with UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel), Alcohol Ink (Lettuce) by Ranger Industries, and Gold Pearl Ex. I am really pleased with how they turned out, I have the perfect outfit to wear them with. They would even look great with a simple seed bead instead of the UTEE bead that I used.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already 2009. A year seems to fly by awfully fast these days.

This is my husband and I on our anniversary trip this year. We stayed on the Long Beach penninsula in Washington. Our trip was planned smack in the middle of one of the largest amounts of snowfall that Oregon has seen in a long time. Sooo...we had to take the long route over the coast range and up along the coast to get to Long Beach. It was pretty crazy because they actually had snow too, and they hardly ever even get a little skiff of snow. We went for a walk on the snowy beach one morning. So beautiful! We saw a bald eagle flying over, and lots of little water birds of various kinds shared the beach with us. There were alot of heron on the beach too. It's a very pretty place, I think if we went again we would go in the summer though because it was COLD.

Well, I started this blog one year ago, and it was fun for me to look back over the entries that I've made in the last year. I find it interesting that at the beginning of the year I chose to put my focus on the word prioritize. I wasn't sure how I would actually see that focus play out in my life over the year. But I've spent significant time praying about this, especially in the middle of the night when I was laying awake and everyone else was peacefully sleeping. Now looking back, I do see that my priorities have actually changed gradually throughout the year. I've become more and more aware of how very quickly my children are growing up. I don't want to miss it, I want to just take it in and enjoy this special time in the life of our family. If you've been following my blog, you may have noticed that the amount of blog entries dropped significantly over the course of the year. Now, I could blame that all on priorities, but truthfully, some of it is just a lack of knowing what is interesting for you to read. Some of it is priorities too. My goal through this next year is to post an entry on my blog at least once a week.

As for 2009...I believe that my focus for the year is this, live intentionally. The things I do in my life do have meaning and purpose, even in the daily grind, and I want to be intentional about using my resources, time, and talent to intentionally bless my family and others, and to grow as a person. How that will look at the end of this year remains to be seen...

So happy 2009! What will it hold for you?

Snow, Snow and More Snow

2008-12-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

This is what's been going on at our house for the last week. We've had an extra week of Christmas vacacation due to snow days. I came out and took these early in the morning before anything but deer had messed up the perfect smooth snow. This is the nice sticky snow that piles up on branches and such quite nicely. It also packs together wonderfully for...

making a sledding hill and...

igloos. Daddy and a neighbor spent a couple of hours building this great little igloo. Throughout the night it has been snowing on it and adding thickness to the walls. The great thing is, with all that work, it looks like it won't be melting yet for a little while. Some forcasts are reporting another possible 6 - 10 inches today on the valley floor. Great for snow forts...not so great for anniversary trips and holiday travels. Although they are still predicting rain for Christmas, blech. For now we'll just enjoy the snow.

Shabby Deer

2008-12-04T11:21:00.001-08:00

I made this card with one of Tim Holtz' new stamp sets, Reindeer Flight. Swirl is stamped in Gold Embossing Powder, then I ran the top part of the card through the Cuttlebug machine in the Swiss Dots embossing folder before applying several colors of Adirondack Paint Dabbers.
Also used:
VersaMark Ink and clear embossing powder
Lace by Rusty Pickle (I think)
Grungeboard hinge

What Have You Done...

2008-11-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

I saw this list on a blog that I visited, and thought it was fun.
You copy and paste this list, then go through it and make the things that you have done bold.
So here goes...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (a little bit of one anyway-Swahili-in case you wondered)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (that depends on what you call rock climbing - I climbed up a dry waterfall-no ropes-and was really truly scared trying to get back down)
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (helped anyway)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Kerri Walsh)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

You know, it's amazing, my life hasn't even been that long yet, and I've done a lot more than this list represents. I've been so very blessed to get to do the many things that I've done in my life.

A few more fun things that I've done that weren't on the list:
-Swam in the Dead Sea
-memorized 3 chapters of my Bible
-beat my husband at Ping Pong (not recently unfortunately)
-gotten cards published
-been to Zanzibar
-backflipped off of a giant rock (not the smartest thing I've ever done)
-written a song
-flown an airplane

Sooo, what have you done?
If you post this list on your blog let me know and leave a link here in your comments so we can all check it out.

Orange and Purple Christmas?

2008-11-24T10:03:00.001-08:00

I believe that this is a color combo that I have never put together before, but I love it. My neighbor stopped by my house the other day, so I showed her some new stamps that I was working with, and asked her to look at each one and tell me what she thought of...color, feeling, etc. She gave me some great inspiration. Sometimes it's just great to look at things from someone else's perspective. Of course this is true of life as well as art. Thanks Amy!

They did it!!!!

2008-11-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

WOW! What an incredible game!!! The Sheridan Spartan team played amazing volleyball and managed to come out with a win against Valley Catholic. They are now Oregons' 3A State Champions! I couldn't be prouder of Matt and his team.
Before we didn't get any sleep because of nervous excitement. Last night we didn't get any sleep because of pure excitement and adrenaline. The Spartan volleyball team hasn't won a state title since 1977, so this is a HUGE deal. Great job Spartans!!!

Go Spartans!

2008-11-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it hasn't always been pretty, but we've made it through to the Championship Game! Tonight (ironically enough), we play against Valley Catholic, who was the #2 seed from our league, in the State Championship game. It's going to be a great battle for the championship!

2008-10-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Sheridan Spartans!

I have to brag a little bit today. My husband coaches the Sheridan Highschool volleyball team and last night was a great night for the Spartans. The girls won the league championship game last night against a very tough team from Valley Catholic in Portland.

It was a really great game! I am so proud of my husband. I know that I am just a little bit biased, but I think he is a really great coach, and am so happy for the teams' success.

In addition to winning the league title, all 6 of the starting players received all league awards with 3 making the first team, 2 making the second team, and another receiving honorable mention. Matt also received Coach of the Year.

We have now had two nights in a row of little sleep, the first being anxious lack of sleep, the second being excited lack of sleep. It's going to be fun to watch them play in the state tournament!

Now, on to other things...the following picture is from the Autumn Deer Framed Art class. If you need a great gift idea for someone special, this just could be the class you are looking for. This is a very detailed project, and the results are amazing.

Kodomo Inc.

2008-10-08T08:18:00.001-07:00

Yeah, it has finally appeared. I am so excited to be able to share this with you. Do you remember this post: http://asteiosart.blogspot.com/2008/05/kodomo-fun.html
Well, I can finally show you the rest of the project. This is just one picture of this project. It is a beautiful set of cards stored in a wooden box. These are not just any cards...you have to check them out in more detail. Pictures and detailed instructions are now posted on the Kodomo Inc. website. You can find the details here: http://kodomoinc.com/ideas.html
I love this industry!!!

Fabulous Fall Class Projects

2008-09-29T15:11:00.001-07:00

These are 2 of the 4 cards we will be completing in the Fabulous Fall class coming up. This class includes the Fabulous Fall cling mounted stamp set by Art Impressions. This set includes 4 different leaf images, an acorn, and 3 sayings. It is a very beautiful and versatile set.

I wish you could see the shine on these cards. I believe I counted 5 or more different metallic mediums that we will be using in this class.

A Chance to Give

2008-09-23T08:17:00.001-07:00

Dominic's fundraiser is coming right up. If you are not a regular on my blog you can read more details about my niece Dominic below. These details were previously posted on my blog so if you have already read this you can just skip down to the next photo.

Dominic had a g-tube placed when she was 14 days old due to urgent need of complete nutrition that would help her overcome all the challenges she presented at birth. These challenges included low birth weight (4.6 lb. at 39 weeks gestation), small head, an area of damage in her brain, two small holes in her heart and a severe bilateral cleft lip and palate.She has received surgery to repair her palate and lip, but has been receiving 99% of her nutrition from her g-tube (a small apparatus surgically placed in the stomach allowing food to be deposited there directly, bypassing the mouth and esophagus).

Dominic doesn’t experience food like you and I. She has oral sensitivities, poor oral motor skills, fear, and negative associations (like vomit or pain) with food that she needs to overcome. For Dominic moving food in her mouth in a way that is necessary to eat is not natural, it is hard work.Dominic is medically ready to wean from her g-tube to oral feeding, but she needs some help.

There is a therapy available in Washington called Rapid Wean directed especially for kid just like Dominic that could have her eating significant amounts of food orally in a matter of 14 days. (to learn more visit http://tofthouse.com/ )Dominic will be entering this therapy in October, but does not have insurance that will cover the costs of this therapy. God has already been blessing Dominic and her family, and much of the money has already been raised, but as the time draws nearer, there is more that I want to do to ensure that Dominic gets the therapy she needs in order to continue growing and developing into the sweet little girl that God made her to be.

Dominic feeding her baby.

If you live in the area and are interested in helping out...this is the invitation that is being sent out to friends, family, and people who care:

YOU ARE INVITED!!!!...

To an open-house cardmaking fundraiser.

When? This Friday, September 26
What time? 3-9pm
Where? At the Scrap-a-Latte store in McMinneville, OR
(Located on Hwy 99w betweenFigaro's Pizza and Hollywood Video.)
Why? To help financially support Mic in her upcoming oralfeeding/g-tube wean therapy.

Valonda Leichty(that's me...lol) is organizing the event and will be on hand, along with all her supplies, hundreds of stamps, lots of ideas, tips and helpful, professional advice. Come spend as long as you want and make as many cards as you would like.
There will be a requested donation of $3 per card that you make, although additional donations are welcome as well.
If you are interested in attending this fun event, you can RSVP by emailing Valonda at valonda1@juno.com

Obviously this is very, very important to me, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to use my supplies and talents to bless my family and to help Dominic receive some life-changing help. Thanks in advance for joining together with me.

Bind-It-All

2008-09-11T14:55:00.001-07:00

Ever need more ribbon storage? I made this ribbon holder by cutting thick chipboard in varying lengths and punching holes in both ends with my Bind-It-All Machine. I made it pretty by spraying each piece with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, running them through the Cuttlebug, then embellishing the spine with ribbon. I cut out the sections between some of the holes to make wide spaces enough to accomodate all widths of ribbon without wrinkling them. Oh, and I bent one of the wire sections upward to use it as a hanger.

Bind-It-All

2008-09-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun little notebooks that I made. I made this first one for myself, to replace a little notebook that I have that is almost all used up. I made this one with some fun pockets for receipts, list, business cards...you know, the little papers that manage to collect in the bottom of your purse with semi-important information on them. Ok, maybe it's just me. Anyway, here is what I used on this one-
Supplies:
Bind-It-All Machine and 3/4" Black Binding Wire
Thick Chipboard for covers
Brown Cardstock
White Computer Paper
Cuttlebug Machine, the Argyle Embossing Folder, and the Polka Dot folder from the new Everyday Greetings set
Paint Dabbers (Ranger Industries) Espresso, Shell Pink, and Cranberry
Grungeboard
Patterned Paper (Making Memories)
Hitch Fastener (Tim Holtz Idea-ology)

This one was made much the same as the previous one with a few exceptions.
I used Juniper and Shell Pink Paint Dabbers, and I added the self-adhesive tab clips by Making Memories. I took the image off of the one in the center and punched out a little circle from the patterned paper that I used and added Glossy Accents (Ranger) to make it match the others.

Bind-It-All

2008-09-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

These are some card sets that I made for the retreat this weekend. Each set comes with four cards and envelopes and this neat little holder for them.
Supplies:
Bind-it-All Machine and Black 3/4" Binding Wire (Zutter)
Bazzill Cardstock
Vellum (on some of the cards)
Victorian Pattern Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Dusty Concord Distress Ink (Ranger Industries)
Chipboard Frame (Li'l Davis Designs)
Flowers (Prima)
Pearls (Kaiser Craft)
Lilac Silk Ribbon

Supplies:
Bind-It-All Machine and 3/4" Black Binding Wire (Zutter)
Cardstock - "Sisters" Floral/Coral and "Sisters" Stripe/Red (Wild Asparagus) My Mind's Eye
and White Linen Cardstock
Nestabilities Die (Spellbinders)
Sweet Chips Chipboard Die Cut Shapes (Crafty Secrets)
Sentiments by Cornish Heritage Farms and Hot Off the Press
Petite Petals Punch (McGill)
Pearls (Kaiser Craft)
Coral Ribbon (May Arts)

Glimmer Mists

2008-09-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

I had lots of things to do today that didn't get done. Guess what I did instead...played with some new supplies that I've had sitting here for a couple of weeks tempting me. Now lest you think that all I did all day was play, I only sat down long enough to make one card then got back to the business of my day, but it was still a good feeling to create something without a deadline or an agenda driving me. Sometimes I have to make things just for me, not for a class or a submission.

I wish you could see the incredible shine that this whole card has, but it is hard to capture it in a photograph. The background was created with distress inks, glimmer mists, and a glimmer screen. The Tattered Angel Glimmer Mists are so much fun. I especially love how some of the more neutral colors look over dark paper.

Project Supplies:

Brown Cardstock
White Cardstock
Distress Inks (Walnut Stain, Spiced Marmalade, Aged Mahogany)
Glimmer Mist (Antique Brass)
Glimmer Screens (Fanciful)
Nestabilities Dies (Spellbinders)
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Forest Branches)
Everyday Greetings Die (Provocraft)
Drop Pearl and Black Pinwheel (Lost Art Treasures)
Lace Ribbon (Prima)

Still with me? My sister posted a really neat poem on her blog about her daughter Dominic. You can follow the link on the left that says "my sister Birdie" if you are interested in reading it.

First Day of School

2008-09-02T21:44:00.001-07:00

My little girl is now a first grader. Her first full day of school was a little rough on her. She came home exhausted and starving. But she loves her new teacher, and was glad that she gets to see one of her very good friends on the playground even though she is in a different class.

I just thought it was so cute. When I got ready to take her "first day of school picture", Hannah felt bad that Noah wasn't going to have his picture taken, so she invited him to join her. He didn't have a backpack to show off, so he decided to show us his bag of cereal. It's amazing how one minute they can be yelling at each other and the next minute they are so thoughtful and kind to each other. I guess I can remember feeling the same way about my sisters and brother. Can anyone relate?

Drift Creek Camp

2008-08-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

It's time for a reminder that time is running out to sign up for the Fall Quilt and Scrapbook Retreat at Drift Creek Camp.

I will be there teaching some classes, and holding open-house style cardmaking time with my entire collection of stamps and an enormous selection of supplies. Details can be found here: http://www.driftcreek.org/Programs/Fall_Quilt_and_Scrapbook_Retreat
I'd love to see you there!

Many members of my husbands family, including us, will be getting together this weekend to remember Matt's grandpa Jake Leichty who passed away on Monday morning. The memorial service will be friday. I have already said goodbye to all of my grandparents, and am so glad that we have two wonderful great-grandma's on Matt's side of the family who are still around to be a great blessing and influence in my kids lives. I'm so thankful to the Lord for elder family members who bring a perspective to our lives that is so needed.

I feel like there is so much more that I wanted to say, but I can't think of where to begin. Writing does not come easy for me, but I thank you for following along with my thoughts.

I will be back in a few days with something fun, creative, and new...hmmm...
See you then.

See you at The Venetian!

2008-08-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have several fundraising events coming up, and would like to invite you to join me in helping to raise some money. These cardmaking fundraisers are going to be open-house style events. I will have all of my supplies on hand, along with ideas, tips, and helpful advice so that you can just play with the supplies and make as many cards as you like.

There will be a requested donation of $3 per card that you make, although additional donations are welcome as well.

The first fundraiser will be held to raise money for my sister-in-law Kristen Leichty. She will be raising money for her 11 month long mission trip which begins September 6th. Kristen will be traveling to Europe with Radical Journey, a program of the Mennonite Missions Network: http://www.mennonitemission.net/Work/Service/RAD/Default.asp

So if you would like to be a part of the fundraiser, the information is below:
The Venetian Theatre
Albany, OR
Monday, August 25th from 5-9pm
*the cafe will be open with coffee drinks and soda available
if you are interested in attending this event, please shoot me an email at valonda1@juno.com

This is my little niece, Dominic. Dominic will be 4 years old in November.

Dominic had a g-tube placed when she was 14 days old due to urgent need of complete nutrition that would help her overcome all the challenges she presented at birth. These challenges included low birth weight (4.6 lb. at 39 weeks gestation), small head, an area of damage in her brain, two small holes in her heart and a severe bilateral cleft lip and palate.

She has received surgery to repair her palate and lip, but has been receiving 99% of her nutrition from her g-tube (a small apparatus surgically placed in the stomach allowing food to be deposited there directly, bypassing the mouth and esophagus). Dominic doesn’t experience food like you and I. She has oral sensitivities, poor oral motor skills, fear, and negative associations (like vomit or pain) with food that she needs to overcome. For Dominic moving food in her mouth in a way that is necessary to eat is not natural, it is hard work.

Dominic is medically ready to wean from her g-tube to oral feeding, but she needs some help. There is a therapy available in Washington called Rapid Wean directed especially for kid just like Dominic that could have her eating significant amounts of food orally in a matter of 14 days. (to learn more visit http://tofthouse.com/ )

Dominic will be entering this therapy in October, but does not have insurance that will cover the costs of this therapy. God has already been blessing Dominic and her family, and much of the money has already been raised, but as the time draws nearer, there is more that I want to do to ensure that Dominic gets the therapy she needs in order to continue growing and developing into the sweet little girl that God made her to be.

This fundraiser will be the same type of open-house style event as the previous one. If you are interested in attending this fun event, you can RSVP by emailing me (valonda1@juno.com).
The event will be held:
Friday, September 26th from 3-9pm
at Scrap-a-Latte in McMinnville, OR
Hope to see you there!

Bethany's card

2008-08-12T10:37:00.001-07:00

Do you remember the posts awhile back about the fun I had teaching middle schoolers about stamping? Well, lucky for us, Bethany read the post where I was commenting about her card, wishing I had taken a close up picture of it, and she sent me this picture. I just love the whole idea of this card, and I think she did an amazing job. She created the beautiful Alcohol Ink background that she cut the flower petals out of , and added Stickles to the centers of the flowers to add a little sparkle. Thanks for sharing your card with us Bethany!

Back from Seaside, OR

2008-08-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
I'm back from a great long weekend. I left Thursday for Seaside, Oregon. My husband plays beach volleyball and is a tournament director for the North Pacific Beach Volleyball Association, so this year I was helping run bracket boards for the 27th Annual Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament. I am exhausted, but I had so much fun. If you live in the area you really should try to take it in. This tournament is huge! I don't have the exact numbers, but I believe there were over 900 teams participating in the various divisions of the tournament this year. Amazing! With this many teams participating, you can imagine that those of us taking care of keeping the tournament moving along were VERY busy recording wins and losses, etc. As a result, I didn't remove my camera from its case one time, so I don't have any pictures to share with you. However, if you are interested, you can find pictures from last years' tournament here: http://www.seasidebeachvolleyball.com/vbgallery.htm

Sisters

2008-07-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

Don't you love this stamp? As soon as I saw it I loved it. I can't help but think of my sister Birdie when I look at this stamp. She loves nostalgic things, and she has light brown hair while mine is very dark, and she is taller than me(even though she is younger). I don't get to see my sister very often because she lives in Mexico City with her husband and two kids. BUT I will get to see her soon! They will be coming in October for about a month and a half. We are very excited to see them and to hug them all...especially her little guy Damien who we have not met in person yet. Anyway, its not all vacation, they are coming for. My niece Dominic is coming to have some intensive therapy. Dominic was born with a cleft lip and palette. She has already had surgery to repair those, but she will be receiving therapy to learn to eat without her feeding tube. This is going to be huge for Dominic and for their family. We are just waiting to see what God is going to do through this therapy.

About the card above. The Sisters stamp is made by Cornish Heritage Farms from their Sandra Kuck collection. I used a brayer to ink up the image with Tuxedo Black Momento ink by Tsukineko. The image was colored using Prismacolor pencils, and blended with a Copic Colorless Blender. The pink paper is by Making Memories and the patterned paper on the left is from the Urban Couture collection by Basic Grey. The words on the right were stamped with Walnut Stain Distress Ink by Ranger, and additional shading and edging was added with the same ink.
One of the details that I love is that I had this neat scalloped lace that just happened to line up really well with the scalloped edge of the paper. I love when things work out like that!

I'm back...for now

2008-07-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

It has been a long absence, but I am enjoying my summer to the fullest. We have been on my husbands family farm for awhile. My husband helps out with harvest every summer. And the kids and I have been enjoying farm life as well.

Such fun to get back to my computer only to discover that my friend Lauren gave me a fun blog award. Now I'm really feeling guilty about my blog neglect, lol.
So here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Add links to those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

And here are some great blogs that I enjoy:(I still haven't learned how to add a proper link...somebody feel free to help out this poor computer illiterate)

1. Lauren Nwachukwu - http://www.everythingaltered.com/

2. Vicki Chrisman - http://vickichrisman.blogspot.com/

3. Missy Coburn - http://johnmelissacoburn.blogspot.com/

4. Sharon Johnson - http://notimetostamp.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

5. Marianne Walker - http://ilikemarkers.blogspot.com/

6. Asela Hopkins - http://www.hopartstudios.typepad.com/

Well, I didn't completely follow the rules, but if you want to visit some great blogs here are some fun choices...enjoy.

Now, I came across this little tidbit recently...interesting:
"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe."

Cuttlebug Embossing Techniques

2008-07-14T09:49:00.001-07:00

Get ready for a new class coming soon to a store near you (if you live in the Wilamette Valley *smile*). The new Cuttlebug Embossing Techniques class is currently being scheduled for the fall. The first ones will be in September. I will post the dates as soon as they are confirmed. Sooo...you have some time to save up for a Cuttlebug if you don't have one yet. Each class participant will need to bring their own Cuttlebug machine, and you will receive an embossing folder as part of the class. The class will include 10 different techniques and variations on those techniques. There are so many different looks you can get with these folders...SO much fun to play with.

I've been having a great time in the last week, with friends and family visiting from out of state, and out of the country too. My sister is here visiting from Mexico right now. She and her husband are pastors in the mountains of Creel. It is great to have her around for a little bit. We are hoping that all of us will be able to be together this fall. We haven't all been together since my dad died almost 4 years ago. In any case, having her here us a blessing, and we are thankful for each and every bit of time that we get to spend together. With that said, I need to go pack up my stuff and head to my moms house for a little more time with her before she has to leave.
Have a great day!

Young Artists

2008-07-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a couple more inspiring pictures of young artists at work. In the photo above, they are working on a mini album. My sample is below:

Each person got to make it their very own. Stamping it in their own style and their own colors. They learned how to cut their own paper to get the different sizes of layers, stamped whatever they wanted in it, added the die cut words wherever they wanted to put them, and then learned how to use the Bind-it-All machine to put it all together. I love that every single album was completely unique and their own.
In my sample you might recongize some of the new Cornish Heritage Farms Scrapblocks stamps. Awesome 6x6" background stamps. I LOVE them! The kids loved using those huge ones too. The one on the front cover is Vintage Ledger, probably my favorite of the bunch, although I love all of the ones that I have...Vintage Ledger, Pin Dot, and Fine Houndstooth.

More Drift Creek Camp

2008-07-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

Middle school boys are so funny! Look at the expressions on their faces. They volunteered to be in the picture though, so I'm guessing that they enjoyed themselves and ended up being pleased with what they made. I thought they did great! I wish I would have taken a close up of the card that the girl in the grey sweatshirt and jeans is holding...no names here... She made an awesome card by stamping those great Technique Tuesday flower petals on an alcohol ink background. She cut them out, adhered them to a white card, and stamped cute little tiny flowers between the petals before adding her sentiment. SOOO cute!
Remember that creativity and willingness to experiment that I was talking about? One the girls stamped this great Stampers Anonymous image on her face using Distress Ink. Surprisingly enough it lasted a whole day before finally being removed. And the cling mounted stamp was perfect for this because it had enough stability that she could press it evenly onto her face, but was flexible enough that she could wrap it around and get the whole image. She told me that she wants a tatoo that wraps around her eye like that someday. I wouldn't want a permanent image like that on my face, but I thought it looked cool on her in a temporary version like this.

Back from Drift Creek Camp

2008-07-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I love middle schoolers? I'm back from a great time at Drift Creek Camp. There were around 90 campers, and I'm not sure how many of them I saw, but I do know that we went through over 250 cards, and created more than 50 mini albums. I had a total of 12 different sessions with about 13 - 17 campers in each session. I love the wide variety of creativity represented in the great bunch of kids that came through. If I put a group of adults into a room full of supplies, gave them some basic instruction, then said, "Go for it, make whatever you want, and just have fun," I don't know what would happen. But when you do that with middle schoolers they just hop up grab some stamps they like and get started. They don't overthink everything, they just have fun creating. It is so refreshing. I will share more later, but right now I have lots of laundry and unpacking to do.

I'm off

2008-06-30T08:17:00.001-07:00

This is my van last night when I was almost finished packing up my projects supplies...exciting!

More fun classes

2008-06-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday was an awesome day of full classes at Stampin' Cat Studio. Including the first ever Crafty Secrets Bird Lovers Class, which went really well, and was actually over full. If you were hoping to attend that class and couldn't make it, don't worry, we will put it on the schedule again. One of the highlights of my day was meeting the sweet lady in the red shirt in the picture above. We had already gotten part way into the class when she mentioned where she was from, and all of a sudden I realized that this was the Tanya that I had been exchanging emails with...laughter and hugs followed. I love this industry!

I'm so excited! Guess what I get to do this week? Ok, I'll tell you. I get to spend my week at a middle school camp making cards and albums with 6 - 8th graders, and teaching them how to use Distress Ink and Alcohol Ink. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this. Call me crazy, but I love middle schoolers, and I love watching them experiment and try new artsy things. Middle schoolers are so willing to just try things and see how it goes. It's so fun to see what they come up with. Anyway, I'll be out in the woods enjoying nature, and of course, will be without computer access, so...have a great week everyone...until next time,

I love summer!

2008-06-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

I love it that my husband is a teacher! We have been having lots of fun since school got out. Of course this has resulted in me being very negligent in my blogging, but hopefully you can forgive me. The picture above is from a couple days ago. As a family we went to Scotty's Playhouse, an incredible indoor playground at our church. It is open to the public at no cost, built in memory of several children for our church who are in heaven now. If you would like to learn more about Scotty's Playhouse and the See Ya Later Foundation formed in honor of Scotty Banke, you can check it out here: http://seeyalater.org/Templates/ScottysPlayhouse.html
The next day, we took the kids fishing at Small Fry Lake, a part of Promontory Park. Small fry lake is a 1 acre lake, specifically for children to go fishing at. It is free, and is stocked with trout. The drive there is beautiful, and so is the lake. I love how they have made every part of they lake very easy for children to fish from, there are well-kept bathroom facilities on site, and just up the road is a tiny play area with a covered picnic table right there. So we fished for as long as the kids wanted to, then had our lunch right there by the slides and swings. It was such a perfect day, and that is even without catching any fish.
Noah wanted to hop right in the lake and catch them with the net. We could see them jumping, but we didn't get there until mid afternoon...not exactly prime time for fishing...so we didn't get to eat any fish. But then again we didn't have to clean them either :).

We have also been working on our landscaping some. It's always nice to see that project progressing. And, yesterday, I went to Portland with my friend Amy with no kids. I love my kids, but I rarely enjoy a relaxing shopping trip with them along. It was great. We had a long list of things we needed to do since she is going on vacation soon, but even with that list to take care of we had a great time. How can you go wrong when a day involves Starbucks, chocolate, The Container Store, and a beautiful $89 skirt for $15?

Guess what I did last night? Put together Crafty Secrets kits!!! That's right, it's coming up this Saturday. The first Crafty Secrets Bird Lovers Class...yeah! In spite of my blogging absence, everything is going along great. With days this good it is sometimes hard to find my way to the computer, but I will do my very best to keep you informed and throw some inspiration your way. In fact...stay tuned. I will post some fun projects with some brand new stamps soon.

New Class Pics

2008-06-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is one of 4 cards we will be making in the Hero Art Thanks Phrase CardArt class coming up in August. The stamp will be included in the class fee, and we will learn some great techniques, as well as a variety of ways to use this wonderful stamp.
AND...here are more glimpses of the fun you can have in the Ir-resist-able Art Backgrounds class. This photo shows just a small portion of a couple of papers I made using the techniques and supplies we will be using in this class. I promise to supply loads of inky, messy fun! As well as some great ideas of ways to incorporate these spectacular papers into your projects.

Well, I guess "summer" has hit. Yesterday was Hannahs last day of Kindergarten. She's ready to go buy a new backpack and start first grade. She has no real concept of "summer break". It could be a long summer. Luckily we have some excitement to break up the length of summer...harvest. The kids always love being with their grandma and grandpa on the farm during harvest time. I love it too. The smell of grass seed harvest will always bring back lots of memories for me since I grew up on a grass seed farm too. And guess what, the end of the school year brought a pleasant surprise with it...warmer weather. The next five days or so are supposed to be in the mid 70's. Just perfect!

Now its REALL Y time...

2008-06-07T11:53:00.001-07:00

It's time to announce a winner of this fun prize pack!!! Thank you SOOO much to each of you who participated!!! I've enjoyed reading your comments, and knowing that what I write does actually get read, it doesn't just disappear into the giant world wide web. Know that each of you are appreciated.
No computed programs were used in this drawing, we did it the old fashioned way. I wrote out the names on little pieces of paper, and my daughter drew a name, and the winner is...TINA ...YEAH! Congratulations! I will get your prize to you ASAP. I hope you have lots of fun with it!

Now, on to other things. Guess what I got yesterday??? A cuttlebug! I've had the embossing folders for a little while and had been running them through my pasta maker, but while the pasta maker worked, it was definately not ideal. It is so much easier to use them in the machine they were made to be used in. And of course I'm oozing with ideas. And yes, there is a cuttlebug techniques class in the works. Let me tell you...it's going to be a good one! I know I say that all the time, but really, my excitement level as I prepare this class is right up there with the Texture Tiles Sampler class. More details to come as soon as we get this class onto the schedule.
Today I've got sample boards to make so I'd better get busy...
Until next time,

It's Time...

2008-06-04T10:08:00.001-07:00

This simple little card is just a teaser. It's time for the giveaway, and this card is just a quick idea of what you could do with your prize if you win. Thanks to Scrap-a-Latte for being a part of this great giveaway. Ok, enough talking, let's get to the prize package...
Prize includes some of my favorite items: Botanicals stamp set by HOTP, 5 White linen weave cards w/ envelopes, 1 set of Sweet Chips Chipboard Die Cut Shapes by Crafty Secrets, 25 Mauve flowers from Prima, 1 Chalk Ink Cats Eye Inkpad in Charcoal by Colorbox, 1 set of 50 self adhesive Pearls by Kaiser Scrapbook, and 1 1/2 yds each of green velvet ribbon by May Arts and Sienna Brown Crushed Velvet Ribbon by Maya Road.
Now, what do you have to do to win? It's simple, just leave a comment on my blog telling me something you love about papercrafting/stamping/etc. and let me know if it is your first time visiting my blog or if you've been lurking around for awhile...lol. Oh, and if you REALLY want to win, send your friends over to enter the giveaway too. If they write in their comment that you sent them, I will enter your name in the drawing again. Oh, and I know some of you are new to this whole process of commenting on a blog, so if you have trouble, just shoot me an email. My address is now listed on my profile. I think that's it, I will draw a prize winner on Saturday morning sometime, so between now and then, spread the word, and GOOD LUCK!

Quick and Easy Card + Technique

2008-05-28T09:31:00.001-07:00

I absolutely LOVE the Asian Background stamp sets by Kodomo Inc. This card was created using the Asian Backgrounds 1 set and scraps of paper from my scrap bin. I just picked out some scraps that I thought went well together. Stamped backgrounds on them using VersaMark Ink. Lined them up and matted them on the green cardstock, and my focal design was ready to go. The Congratulations stamp is from Kodomo Inc. also, as is the white string I wrapped around the left side. I created the fun dimensional flowers using the supplies below.
To create beautiful dimensional flowers, simply punch out a flower, lay it on top of a foam mat (this is a stamping mat, you could also use a soft mousepad or even just a tea towel folded over into several layers), then use a dry embossing tool to rub the back side of the flower petals, creating a "cupped" look. You can see that I have done two of the petals on the flower in this picture. When you turn it back over and press something in the center (in this case I used tiny adhesive pearls by K&Company) the petals just pop up beautifully. Try this with all kinds of paper, it is fun to experiment and see how different textures and weights of paper respond.
Moving on to other topics:
Stay tuned for a giveaway coming up!!! In fact, you may want to get your commenting fingers ready by saying hello! I know you are there, and would love to hear from you. But whether you comment or not, thank you for coming to visit my blog, it is an honor to share my life adventures with you.

A whole day of Alcohol Inks

2008-05-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a really fun day. A whole day of Alcohol Ink Classes, and some of these ladies were in it with me for the long haul. Some of them had never worked with Alcohol Ink before, and I must say, they did an amazing job.
This is a bookmark we made using a drip technique. I just think it's so neat how everyones end project is their own unique design, it can never be exactly duplicated, and the colors are just vibrant and beautiful. It was a really fun, inspirational bunch of ladies, and we had a great day together. So thanks ladies!

Bandanna Technique

2008-05-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

I often visit Robin Beam's blog (Robin is the Director of Education for Ranger Industries). There is a link to her blog in the left column of my blog if you would like to visit her blog. Anyway, recently she issued a challenge to create something using the Bandanna Technique that she came up with. It is a great technique, I just hadn't gotten around to trying it yet. So here is my first "bandanna" card. The "bandanna" part of it refers to the white doodling that I added to the background. I created the background by stamping my design with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, and blending with Weathered Wood and Milled Lavendar. Both of the background colors are fairly soft, so there is not alot of contrast between the white pen and the background colors, but I liked it. You can see it better if you click on the picture to enlarge it. Anyway, the frame is from Technique Tuesday, and is colored with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and Distress Embossing Powder. The image behind the frame is from the Bird Lover's clear stamp set by Crafty Secrets. I colored in the birds with Distress Inks and Cut n' Dry Nibs. Oh, and the background stamp is the Spiraling Leaves background by B Line Designs. It is a huge stamp which is great because you only have to stamp it once even for a fairly large card like this one (5 3/8" square). Anyway, I greatly enjoyed this bandanna thing and am sure it will join the list of techniques that I love and use often. Oops, I just noticed that I forgot to color in the cute little birdies eyes, better do that...lol.

Depleting the Stash

2008-05-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

My drawer of leftover scraps of paper is getting TO FULL. My mom was here visiting and I figured that was a perfect time to create a card using some of those scraps that are filling up my drawers. I also had a new stamp set that hadn't been used yet. The bird image is from the Birds Galore set by Inkadinkado, and the Friends Always sentiment is from a set called Messages from Hero Arts.
Do you see those little pearls? They are addicting! These are from K&Companys Wedding Collection, and they come in five different sizes. I just LOVE them...love, love, love. Ok, can you tell I love them? The problem is that I am most in love with the tiniest size, but of course I need to find a use for the bigger ones too. Guess I'd better work on that.
Did you know that tulips used to be my favorite flower? I even carried tulips at my wedding. I still love tulips, I just don't know if they are truly my favorite anymore. I love lots of different kinds of flowers: orchids, some varieties of roses(like this one), and many more.
I got this beautiful rose picture from the Heirloom Roses website. Heirloom Roses is a rose nursery located very close to where I live. Let me just say, visiting their nursery is an experience. It is just beautiful. Amazing cascades of climbing roses, rows and rows of so many varieties of roses that it makes your head swim. It's worth a visit.

My little girl is 6

2008-05-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

It's official, Hannah is now 6 years old. After counting the days...and days...and days...(she's been counting since November), she is finally 6. We had a nice little party with family and friends. We chose to do some art projects instead of party games. One of the things we did was make some shrink plastic charms etc. They colored them in with Sharpies, and some of the adults cut them out, then they got to watch them shrink up in the toaster oven. Lastly, they got to string them onto necklaces with a bunch of other beads. None of them had ever done this before so they thought it was pretty neat to see them shrink up tiny.
Along with Hannah's 6th birthday, came her first two wheeled bicycle. Granted, it has four right now, but she was pretty excited to have a two-wheeler. She has a little friend that just moved into our neighborhood this weekend, so she is really looking forward to riding bikes with her friend.
She is pretty tentative on it right now, and utilizes its brakes quite often. That's my girl, she's always been pretty careful. Which thankfully means no broken bones or stitches yet, but hopefully it won't take her to long to gain enough confidence to ride at a walking or even jogging pace. I'm looking forward to getting a little exercise on our walks.

Crafty Secrets Bird Lovers Class

2008-05-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is a brand new class that will be held for the first time at Stampin' Cat Studio, June 28th. This little birdhouse is made mostly with products from Crafty Secrets (thus the name of the class, LOL). Embellished with a few products from Maya Road, including my favorite metal blossoms. And of course, we will be using Ranger Industries Distress Products also. It's adorable from the outside, but the inside is where the fun really begins. The inside houses some great tags we will make, complete with interchangeable sentiments. Cute and functional, you can't get any better than that. If you live in the area, go check out the sample in person, at Stampin' Cat.

On top of making a really fun project, you get tons of great product to take home with you. Including the Bird Lovers Large Clear Stamp set, a set of Birds & Botanicals Images and Journal Notes, half a pad of the beautiful double-sided cardstock in the Earthy Paper Pad, the great Chipboard Folding House set, and a sheet of Feathered Friends Cotton Scraps. You will have TONS of product left over for future projects.

Paintable Fun

2008-05-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to playing with the Prima Clear Paintables, using Blending Solution in a water brush to paint on the alcohol ink, as shown on the Prima video. It is so much fun. So easy to work with, and they turn out great. After I was finished with this one, I layered it over a tag, stamped a sentiment on the front using a gold Paint Dabber, and added a couple of Maya Roads metal blossoms. The little one is painted with Wild Plum Alcohol Ink, and I stamped on the larger one with a stamp from my Nottinghill set by 7 Gypsies. If you live in the area and would like to see this in person just stop by Stampin' Cat Studio on Wednesday. Between 3-7pm, I will be there doing a demo of this technique. If you can't make it to Stampin' Cat but are interested in learning more about this technique, just click here and go watch Primas video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwaY8ipF3MM
Until next time...

Kodomo fun

2008-05-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

This is all I can show you for now of what I've been working on lately, but I am having tons of fun playing with products by Kodomo Inc. These are cards made on a base of wood. If you want to see the kind of wood products that Kodomo Inc. sells, you can check out their website here: http://kodomoinc.com/woodbox.html
Let me just say, I was amazed at how wonderfully these wood products can be stamped on. Perfect image every single time. If you are very familiar with Ranger products, you might recognize the various colors above as belonging to the Distress line. I love my Distress Inks.

Huge thanks to Christine Adolph!

2008-05-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

There is a wonderful trend going around the papercrafting community. Well, I don't know if it's happening enough to truly call it a trend, but still...it's happening, and it's wonderful. Sometimes when you are designing, and working in the industry you get a large collection of supplies built up which are taking up your precious space. Ok, even people who don't work in the industry sometimes have that problem. LOL. When it is becomes necessary to pare down your stash of supplies, a great way to do it is to Stash it Forward. The idea is to pass some of what you've been blessed with on to someone who may not be able to just go buy all that stuff themselves.
I was recently visiting Christine Adolph's blog and she was having a Stash it Forward giveaway, so I decided to enter the name of a wonderful lady I know from my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at church. Jody loves crafting and has helped me out with the crafts for our MOPS group. I was so excited to find out that she was one of the winners! A couple of days ago I received the package from Christine, and I had gone through my own supplies to pick out some more great items for Jody to enjoy. At our MOPS meeting yesterday, I got to surprise Jody with all of her new supplies. So fun!!! Thanks Christine for making this happen. It was a blessing. Now to completely change gears. My father-in-law built us this wonderful bird "hotel" as my neighbor called it. It used to be by our front door, but I noticed that some skittish little birds were interested in it, so I moved it into our backyard, and tucked it into a little corner beside a window. Now we get to watch the little birds build their nest without disturbing them. They are so cute, they fly over with these huge pieces of straw, and usually have to try many times before they actually get it into the birdhouse. It's been lots of fun to watch.

2008-04-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

This fun, distressed tile was created with Embossing Paste and Crackle Paint. It will be part of my Decorative Elements Paste Embossing Class. Every project in that class incorporates my favorite products (Ranger Distress Products) with embossing paste.
Yesterday was a long, but fun day. My husband was playing in a sand volleyball tournament, so the kids and I were on our own for the day. We went to watch my very talented cousin compete in an invitational track meet. Maria (above with my two kids) is now a freshman and gets to compete for her highschool. In past years she has competed at the annual Hershey meet in Pennsylvania, and we are looking forward to seeing where her talent takes her in the future. It is really fun to watch her race. She is still healing up from a recent injury, but still ran a very good race, missing first place in the 100m race by only four hundredths of a second. Congratulations Maria!

After sitting in the sun for a fair amount of the day, my kids were exhausted. I didn't even realize until we got home, that Hannah and I were looking a little bit pink. I guess we aren't used to sunshine, LOL.

Wild Thing!

2008-04-22T08:57:00.001-07:00

Can you tell he's been playing with Daddy? He gets that wild look in his eye when Daddy gets him all hyper. How could anyone look at this face and not love it. He is such a blessing in my life, and I thank God for him all the time.

Are You Sure It's April???

2008-04-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

So, I woke up this morning and opened the door to head to Portland and teach classes, and look what greeted me. Maybe to some of you this isn't that unusual, but in Oregon, in April...What in the world? This is crazy! Anyway, I headed to The Peddler's Pack with beautiful snow falling for a GREAT day of classes. These ladies are enjoying the Texture Tiles Sampler Class...they look very focused, don't they. You can't tell very well from the picture how big that pile of class instructions is, but in a four hour class there is alot to tell. Now this is what I LOVE to see!!! A happy, smiling face, and inky, messy fingers. Aren't they beautiful!?! Yes, I mean the faces, and the projects. What a great bunch of ladies! If you scroll up to the top of these class photos, look for the lovely lady in the red shirt...that's Michele. Bless her heart, Michele stayed between classes and helped me clean up from the first class and get things out for the next. I owe her big time. Thanks Michele, and thanks to each of you ladies, it was a joy to spend the day with you.

Ir-resist-able Art Backgrounds

2008-04-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

The Paper Inspired Retreat is coming up quickly. One of the classes that I will be teaching at that retreat is Ir-resist-able Art Backgrounds. In that class we will be using Ranger Color Wash along with lots of other great stuff including(but not limited to) Leafing Pens, Heidi Swapp Masks, the Palette Gluepad, and Perfect Pearls. So today I got out my Ranger Color Wash dyes to play around with. As soon as I got this background piece finished I knew exactly which stamp set I wanted to use with it. Stampin' Cat Studio loaned me a new stamp set from Kodomo Inc. to try out, and the designs are just beautiful. After cutting up my background piece to make this card, I still have lots of beautiful paper left to make more projects. I love how the stamp that I decided to use matches their beautiful ribbon that I just happened to have. Clearly I love that particular design.

Finally, some new photos

2008-04-11T10:00:00.001-07:00

I am so excited that Ranger Memory Glass and Memory Glass Frames are available again. I made this neat little necklace using the 1" Frames and Clear Glass. I so wish you could see this in person. The depth created by embossing on different layers of glass is so beautiful. The background stamp is a new one from Kodomo Inc. It was the perfect addition to this piece.
I finally got around to creating another Hexagon book. This one is actually quite similar to the first one, except that I fixed my previous problems of the hinges being to loose. This one can actually be hung up, tossed around, opened and closed without falling apart. I used silk ribbon for the hinges this time, and used three interlocking "hinges" for more stability.
I painted the silk ribbon with the metallic paint dabbers, making them a perfect match for the painted backgrounds. It also ended up being a great match for the nails. I will definately try this again. The ribbon is still flexible when dry and will hold it's shape a little bit. It definately changes the texture of the silk, but I was pleased with the result. It was exactly what I needed in this case. Oh, and isn't that a cute little flower image? It's from my new favorite stamp set, Nottinghill, by 7 Gypsies. Every single image in the set is a winner. I LOVE it.

2008-04-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it's been a week since I last posted. My deepest apologies. I have been hard at work, and I actually have something to show for it. I will share some photos sometime tomorrow. I hear the sun is actually supposed to come out, so I should be able to take some decent photos.
My week has been good, but I am exhausted. My kids have apparently decided that 6am is a great time to wake up. Now I know that some of you probably wake up that early on a regular basis, so you don't have much sympathy for me. But I don't, and it's amazing how much of a difference an additional 45 minutes of good sleep makes. Maybe tomorrow they will sleep in. That would be perfect...sleeping in, and the promise of some sunshine. I just know it, tomorrow is going to be a great day!

Hexagons and Prototypes

2008-04-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone! My friend Lauren has created an amazing project that I would love to share with you. If you've been visiting my blog for awhile, you probably remember the Hexagon book that I created using nails as the hinges.

To revisit that blog entry click here: http://asteiosart.blogspot.com/2008/02/prototype.html

Well Lauren contacted me to ask if she could expand on that idea to create a project made with Prang DAS Air-Hardening Modeling Clay. I've been waiting to see the results, and now they are here. I've got a link to Laurens' blog in the left colum, go visit her blog to get the whole scoop on this beautiful project.

New Hero Arts Blog

2008-03-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone. I've reposted this photo in honor of the exciting news of the day. Hero Arts has added a blog to the great online inspiration that they already provide. And of course with the kickoff of the new blog come challenges, prizes and more. If it's inspiration you're looking for, Jennifer McGuire has some wonderful projects on the blog, and Hero Arts has also started a Flickr group where people can post their projects and share the inspiration.
Check it out:
http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/heroarts/

Libby, Montana

2008-03-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

We are back from Libby, Montana. We went to visit Matt's sister and her family. We drove to Libby with Matt's parents, and we all had a great time.

Here is one of the things we did for fun...loaded up on their big ATV and drove off into the snow. You can't tell by this picture, but there was actually a fair amount of snow once you got out of the yard. We saw lots of deer when we were out riding. I was so amazed that they weren't very scared of us. They just stood there and watched us . If I lived here, I would definately need one of these.
We went to see the Kootenai River. Just a short little hike in, and the kids loved it. Especially Noah. I think he could have sat there all day just watching the river. Beautiful.

This is Matt's mom with the grandkids, (L to R) Preston, Mary, Bryton, Hannah, and Noah. Hannah and Noah had lots of fun playing with their cousins. Now it's time to unpack and do laundry.

You Make My Day Award

2008-03-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

I opened my email this morning and look what I found. This is so fun! Now I've got to tell you about the sweet lady who gave me this award. And let me just say, she's made my day many times herself. Lauren Nwachukwu is an awesome designer and instructor. Every now and then I come across people on the internet who just amaze me with their beautiful art. Lauren is one of those. So when I found her blog, I wrote her an email, and surprise of all surprises, she wrote me back...MADE MY DAY. Since that time we have emailed and talked on the phone, she has given me wonderful encouragement and advice just when I needed it most. So, thanks so much Lauren...you make my day too, you really do.

So, here are the rules for the “You Make My Day” award:

Re-present it to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blog land. Let them know through email or by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times, and if you do, consider yourself really, really loved.

Here are some ladies whose blogs I visit on a regular basis, they inspire me in many different ways. Some with their faith and life choices, some artistically, and by the way they share their lives through blogging. I couldn't figure out how to put the links in here the way that I wanted to, so what you see is what you get:

Missy (my sister-in-law) - www.johnmelissacoburn.blogspot.com/
Nicole (old friend) - www.kingfam04.blogspot.com/
Lauren (provides artistic encouragement, just an all around great person) - www.everythingaltered.com/lauren_ferguson/

now for some more that I am going to give you links for, here are some blogs that I visit all the time and I love, but I don't personally know these ladies, so I won't make them play this little game. These are wonderfully inspiring blogs:

Robin Beam - www.pearlesq.blogspot.com/
Wendi Vecchi - www.studio490art.blogspot.com/
Linda Cain - http://www.cain81art.blogspot.com/
Debbie Olson - www.debbiedesigns.typepad.com/
Anna Wight - http://www.sweetmissdaisy.typepad.com/
Caroline - http://www.mayaroad.typepad.com/
Deb - www.mayaroad.typepad.com/deb

So thanks to each of you ladies, whether you know it or not, you inspire me on a regular basis. Thanks for sharing your lives with the world through your blogs.

Spring break has officially started, so with all of our exciting plans, I may not be back to blog much this week, but I will be back to blogging before you know it. So to those of you who get a spring break...enjoy, and I will catch you up on my life later.

Have a wonderful Easter remembering Jesus' love for us!

Cloudy days

2008-03-20T15:29:00.001-07:00

It has been frustratingly typical Oregon weather. Yesterday started rainy, grey and dismal, then broke into beautiful bursts of sunshine with the rain showers and clouds still mixed in. My son and I spent some time outside exploring the new little budding plants, and taking pictures. This is one of our flowering pear trees in the front, taken during a brief spell of sunshine. Today it has been the same. The weather is mocking me. I was trying to take pictures, and the sun would disappear...then, as soon as I would give up and decided to just download what I had, the sun would start shining beautifully.
I tried to photograph a card today, but it wasn't easy to capture the illusive sun. However, I will show you how I tried to do it. I have this little fabric box that used to be a collapsible storage box for Hannah's stuffed animals, but I decided it would make a perfect box to filter the sunlight. So I set my cards in this box with a piece of thin vellum behind it to soften the corner. Sometimes I set it on a little table, and sometimes (like today), when I need extra light I balance the box between the window and the tripod to get light coming in on all sides. Of course this is all trial and error and I usually have to take LOTS of pictures before I get one that I like. That is the beauty of digital photography. I could never have attempted this 15 years ago with my limited knowledge and experience. Having seen this, some of you photography experts may have tips for me to improve my process. Please feel free to give advice. Now, on to todays project. This is a fun housewarming card. The inside says, "Welcome to your new home." You can't really tell in the picture, but there is a looped cord coming out the top of the arch so you can hang this card on a doorknob, or attach to a gift. This card will be going to stay at Stampin' Cat Studio, so if you want to look at it more closely you can see it there. The beautiful chandelier is cut from glittery patterned paper by Best Creation Inc.

2008-03-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here's another little card I made when my mom was here visiting. The bird is from the Bird Notes set by Crafty Secrets. It's amazing what just a tiny little piece of beautiful lace can add to a project. While my mom was here I was trying to use up some scraps. I have an entire drawer full of little tidbits that I stamped for demos in classes or something I stamped when I was working on a project, then chose not to use. This bird was one of those. I used him on a card we made in a Hero Arts Collage class. Wow, look how much different he looks scanned than photographed. I'm so glad that my neighbor taught me how to photograph my cards. It was completely gray and overcast when I took that top picture this morning (using only natural light), so it could have been a little better, but not bad considering the light I had to work with. Someday I'll show you how I set up to photograph my pictures.
Now, on to other topics. Yesterday was my husbands 31st birthday. Some family and friends got together and surprised him with supper at the Olive Garden. These are Matt's parents and his youngest sister. We had a great time right up until it was time to leave. As we were grabbing our things to head out, my little two year old accidentally pulled over a chair on top of himself. It hit him right in the face, and his front teeth went into his lip. He did that thing kids do where they are screaming but no sound comes out...then all of a sudden, the sound came out...nice and loud. Pore thing, his lip was bleeding and already puffing up. It took awhile to calm him down, then he was just fine. This morning he woke up with a big, fat-lipped smile. Isn't he cute and pitiful looking.

Birthdays are for the Birds

2008-03-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

I am having so much fun today. My mom is here to visit, and we are making cards together. I am so happy that this is a hobby that we both enjoy. I made this card with one of the new stamp sets that I posted about a few posts ago, Bird Lovers by Crafty Secrets. Such a fun set. I would highly recommend it. Look at the beautiful detailed images. And I LOVE the egg stamp that I used to make the background. The little beaded "leaves" on copper wire are from some little clip on Christmas ornaments that I purchased after Christmas on a 75% off sale. I didn't like them as ornaments, but as soon as I saw them I knew I had to have them to cut up and use as embellishments.

The Art of Microfine Glitter

2008-03-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Art of Microfine Glitter is a new class coming up (Edit: Date should be April 5th) March 22 at Stampin' Cat Studio in Salem. I've been slowly collecting sets of Microfine glitter. It is a bit more expensive than the Ultrafine glitter, but is just to elegant and lovely. It is rich, velvety, a bit less shiny and flashy...and I think it can be used a bit more easily on projects that you want to use a lot of glitter on, like the chipboard flower here. Because it is not quite as sparkly it doesn't overwhelm the eye so much, or look gaudy. Sometimes you want lots of bling, but sometimes the microfine glitter adds just the right touch. Unfortunately the glitter didn't show up well in most of the pictures, but you can get an idea of what the finished products will look like. If you live in the area, you really need to stop by the store and see the sample board in person. Even if you can't take the class, maybe I can convince you to get your hands on some Microfine glitter. Warning...don't sneeze, breathe hard, or emit any loud exclamatory statements with loose microfine glitter in front of you. I believe my entire craft area is now coated in a fine layer of glitter. Not that I mind, but I think my husband may be scared to enter the room to use the computer. Maybe that's why he's just been using his laptop...ha,ha. My daughter, on the other hand, has been hovering nearby trying to get in on the action as much as possible. In fact she made a little card with the same layout as the chipboard flower card...so cute...copying is the highest form of flattery, especially when it is your daughter doing the copying.

MOPS

2008-03-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

This last Friday our local MOPS (Mother of Preschoolers) group met. I get to coordinate the activities (crafts) for this group. This time we made these pretty little necklaces. Very simple and inexpensive to make. They are made with Creative Impressions tags, we used rectangular ones. We rubbed on designs from American Crafts, then coated them with Versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder. Add a large jump ring with a bead on it, and you are finished. An easy, beautiful craft to do with a large group of people, including many who do not usually do crafty things. Here are some photos of some of these beautiful moms working on thier necklaces.
Yesterday I got to spend most of the day teaching my Texture Tiles class right here in McMinnville. It is so fun to teach classes like this one. Tons of techniques, tons of products, and each person creates a project that is uniquely their own. I wanted to take pictures of all of their projects at the end, but I forgot my camera. One of the ladies suggested taking pictures on my phone, so I did take one, then realized that I don't know how to put them on my computer. I think my husband will have to help me figure out how to do that. I am learning a lot on the technology end of things, but I still have a long way to go.