Bombshell Blog Hop: Put Me in the Movies!

Hola!  I'm finally back with a card.  It seems like it's been sooooooooo long!  The Bombshells are hopping today and Blog Hop Enchantress Extraordinaire, Alison, set the theme as Put Me in the Movies.  When I first spied this theme, 100 ideas ran through my head, yet when I sat down to make my card (which was earlier today...lol!) I couldn't recall nary a one.  I like to fancy myself as something of a film buff.  I can name directors, actors, some screenwriters, and I'm pretty good at that Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Game...hahaha!  So, for me to sit down and draw a blank...well, I was pretty embarrassed.

When I finally dug my heels in and gave it some thought, there were a couple of ways to go with this.  I considered downloading the digi clothing set containing the race car clothing and coloring it up in the same tones that Uma Thurman wore in Kill Bill 1 & 2.  I also revisited (mentally) an homage to The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock.  There were a few more, but alas, I ended up taking the easy route.  I opted for a Western and used one of the Retro Cowgirls as my image.  It doesn't really have much to do with my movie at all, except it's part of the Western genre.  I know, sooooo lazy!

I was never a fan of Western flicks until I started dating my husband almost 20 years ago.  He turned me onto the early works of Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone.  Leone's films are dark, mysterious, and packed with more symbolism the most.  I always scoffed at the concept of the spaghetti Western not realizing how damn good they are.  Plus, Leone's films are usually accompanied by a creepy musical score composed by Ennio Morricone.  The music becomes a character in the film and envokes feelings of loneliness, regret, and revenge.  My all time favorite Western is Once Upon a Time in the West starring Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, and Henry Fonda.  Clint must have been sick during casting, so this time Bronson gets to play the outsider with a chip on his shoulder (for good reason).  Plus there's that crazy music again...super clinky and spooky this time.  I love it.  And there's a girl...there's always a girl.  I guess that's where my card comes in.

Want to join this challenge or any of the others going on this month?  Visit the blog and find out how.  If you are randomly selected as the winner, you'll be able to select your choice of a Bombshell Stamps Set.  That's a heck of a prize!  Now, this is a blog hop, after all, so get on over to the next blog on the list and check out what fabulous celluloid inspired creations await you!

Bombshell Blog
Alison
Laura
Alaine
Meredith
Kelli
Mary G
Alex
Sparkly Engineer
Celina Anthony
Glittery Katie
Kapree
Cheryl<---Hola!
Dianne

A Tim Holtz Weekend in Roswell!

Hello, gang!  No card today, but I do have some fab photos to share with you from the Tim Holtz Extravaganza held at Imagine That!, a fabulous scrapbooking store in Roswell, NM.

Thursday a group of us craftin' gals jumped in the car and headed to Roswell to take 4 classes with our idol, the one and only Tim Holtz.  Please, do not tell me that you do not know who he is, because I will reach through this computer screen and thump you on the noggin.  In the rare case that you have been living under a rock, here is a link to his blog and his art.  

Tim has literally changed the face of paper and mixed media crafting as we know it with the development of his products and his "grunge" style.  I remember, 10 or 12 years ago, taking a class on creating aged paper and it took an armful of products used over the course of 3 hours to achieve the desired results.  Literally 10 steps to go from plain white paper to a lovely vintage hue.  I loved the results, but dang, there was no way I was going to spend that much time repeating this process.  A few years later, Distress Inks by Tim Holtz shows up on the shelves of my LSS and voila!  Instant aged paper in mere minutes!  And that was just the beginning!  Over the subsequent years, he has given us a myriad of products that have multiple uses and taken our art to whole new level. 

Not only is Tim Holtz a genius at product development and an insanely talented artist, but he and Mario are two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.  Down to earth and very humble, by the end of the class, I felt as though I had known him for years and he was my friend.  I have taken a number of classes in the past with some lofty names in the craft industry, but never has anyone made me feel so comfortable and welcomed.  He had no qualms about jumping in and getting inky with us.  This only made our motley crew crush even harder on him...lol!

Let's talk about the projects.  They were amazing!  When I spied these lovely creations, I thought "there is no way I'm going to be able to make these".  But with the incredible kits that he, Mario, and Michelle had prepared for us and Tim's easy, laid back instructions, we were well on our way to creating our versions of  his wonderful art pieces.  Now, let's talk about the kits....one word....I don't even know if it's technically a word or more of an exclamation, but nothing else adequately describes them as "WOW"!  They were carefully packaged by hand, featuring a high-quality color copy of the project, a typed account of the instructions, bags of embellishments, pages of grungeboard letters, and several pieces of vintage ephemera direct from Tim's personal stash!  We were in heaven as there were more than enough pieces to complete our projects and lots of leftovers to use on others!

Tim also shared his personal crafting philosophies with us and it really helped pull our heads out of the box we tend to limit ourselves to when we create.  He said that when he hits a wall and doesn't like the way something is turning out, he literally tells himself to "get over yourself" (words that Mario shared with him years ago) and steps away for a moment.  Usually when he returns to take a look at what he's been working on, he's often surprised and is able to see his work with fresh eyes.  The project that only a short time earlier was causing him heartburn turns into something he can be quite proud of.  Sounds good, Tim, but what about us?  We're mere mortals.  We were able to put this advise into action as we broke for lunch and some of us left feeling "meh" over the results of our first project.  Upon returning and gazing down upon our creation, there was a resounding, "Dang!  I made that?  That's really good!"  He was totally right!

Okay, I have yammered on for a good long while now.  How about some photos?      

Mom is obviously surprised at the bountiful project kits each of us has been given.

Shay and Mom sorting through their goodies.

Margot and her lovely sisters.

The man himself!

Tim's project samples.

Tim's project samples.

Tim's project samples.

The Mayor of Roswell awarding Tim a Key to the City.  

Despite the photo, mom is thoroughly enjoying the attention from Tim.

Tim gives Sue a hand.

Graciously signing everything we put in front of him.

A classroom of extremely happy crafters. 

Rochelle and Cindy ready to get started.

Shay hamming it up with Tim.

Shay and I posing with Mario.  

Me and Tim.  Who's that green guy in the background horning in on my photo op?

Mom and Tim (and the Green Guy).

Tim graciously signed anything we put in front of him, posed for pictures with us, shared stories, and kept smiling and laughing throughout 2 intense project filled days.  He was easily at the store 12 - 14 hours each day and must have been getting tired, but you would never have known that.  What a guy!

It was an amazing weekend!  Two glorious days of techniques, and time spent with a crafting Rock Star!  It doesn't get any better than that!  If you ever have an opportunity to take a class with Tim Holtz...DO IT!  It will be unlike any other classroom experience you have ever had!  

Signing off ;D  Stay crafty!

Heart Art

Hola!  Last week, on the Bombshell Stamps Blog,  I shared an easy embossing resist technique for creating interesting backgrounds.  This week I'm back to share what I made with the die cut panel I created in the tutorial.  

Our fabulous pin-up gal for August is Milo and she set our theme this month and challenged us to create shabby chic cards or projects.  Well, I have the "shabby" part down, not so sure about the "chic" part...LOL!

For this card, I used a gorgeous heart with wings image from the All My Heart set.  Believe it or not, there was a time when I hated hearts.  Not the ever-so-fierce organ that keeps me perky, but the super cute, saccharin sweet images that many stamp companies use in their Valentine's Day releases...BLECH!  Then I started to take an interest in religious themed art and the sacred heart was frequently featured in these types of works.  After that I was practically obsessed with it.  When Bombshell Stamps released the two heart sets, I was nearly over the moon.  Now I can't get enough...heck, I even like the cute stuff ;D  Funny how our tastes can change so drastically from one moment to the next :)

I'll keep this post short, but I have one more thing to share before I go.  I know I only put up 2 cards this week and that is totally lame.  AND, I know it's only Thursday and there's still a few more days left in the week, but I'm just not going to get another chance to make anymore cards before Sunday, because I'm...drumroll, please...heading to Roswell to take 4 classes with Tim Holtz!!!  Yep, you read that right!  The one and only Master of Grunge!  Sultan of Paper!  King of Distress!  I am beyond excited, as you can probably tell...LOL!  I plan on taking lots of pics and sharing them on my blog when I get back, so pop back in and check them out next week.  Until then, stay crafty ;D   

Happy Birthday to La La Land's Marci and Luka!!!

I've used the adorable Marci with Flower on my card.  Isn't she sweet.  She even comes bearing gifts...a lovely potted flower ;D

LOOK WHO'S TURNING ONE!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Marci and Luka,

Happy Birthday to you!

I was thrilled to receive an invite to join the La La Land Craft's gang for this special hop and help them celebrate this momentous occasion.  On August 1st Marci and Luka turned one and that means it's time for a party!  La La Land Crafts would like to thank each and every one of their customers for their continued support as they celebrate this amazing  milestone!  They couldn't have done it without you, and they want you all to know...YOU ROCK!!

Are you ready for some birthday FUN?!

On top of having special guest bloggers, La La Land Crafts is offering up a HUGE BLOG CANDY for this exciting event!

Take a look at the prize package!

Customize your own photo collage

This Blog Candy contains:

~Set of 12 Copic Markers in NEW 2011 colors

~Set of Spica pens

~Pack of X-Press Blending Cardstock

~New Scor-pal and pack of Scor-Tape

~3 sets of 12x12 Basic Grey Collections paper packs

~$20 gift certificate to the La La Land Craft's Store

Visit the La La Land Crafts Blog to find out how you can be eligible to win this fabulous prize package!  It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Now let's start hopping!  You should have arrived from Alice's magnificent blog where you were undoubtedly greeted with something wonderful.  Your next stop will be Eva's fabulous blog where I'm sure there is some delicious eye-candy waiting to inspire you!  If you get lost along the way, don't forget to head to the La La Land Crafts blog to get back on track :D

Thanks for hopping with us today and helping us celebrate!

Witch Broom Burn Out

Hey, there!  Welcome back.  Another quick post today.  I just wanted to pop in and share another Halloween card using an image by Terry Medaris.  This one is called Witch Broom Burn Out.  It's pretty dang cute ;D  Again, more fab shoes...lol!

I took the tip of my blender pen and added some polka dots to her outfit.  She didn't seem to mind :)

Not sure if I'll be back with a card tomorrow as I'm prepping for a class on Saturday.  If not, I will see you on Monday with something new, for sure.  Have a fabulous weekend and stay crafty!  

Something wicked...

Hey, ya'll!  Super duper quick post.  It's never too early for Halloween in my book, so I thought I would share a card I made with a new Terry Medaris image.  This is called Boo Shoes.  She was fun to color and those crazy shoes just make me laugh every time I see them ;D  I'll have another new Terry Medaris image to share with you tomorrow so be sure to come back and check it out!

Until then, stay crafty!  

A New Challenge at Tiddly Inks: Tiny Tiddly Ones!

Hola!  Welcome back!  Today is Tuesday and that means there is a new challenge at Tiddly Inks!  You're going to love this theme.  It's all about the "little ones", meaning the size of the card, or the recipients.  How cute is that?  

I decided to use Be Mine.  She is sooooo sweet and I adore her hedgehog buddy ;D  I had to head to The Basement to find her.  Talk about bargains!  If you love an awesome deal you should head over there, too, and check out all of the fab images that can be had for a song.  Great stuff!

My ridiculously talented DT teammates have a oodles of inspiring designs waiting for you on the challenge blog, so you won't want to miss that.  Also, be sure to check out Christy's blog, because she always has something fabulous to share and sometimes has a freebie, too ;D  

That's it for now!  Until next time, stay crafty!

A New Challenge at Copic Creations: Blue Green Color Family!

Hello!  Welcome back to my blog and to the beginning of a new week.  What's going on at your end of the keyboard this week?  Over here I'll be making cards as fast as my glitter crusted hands will move ;D  I'll be sharing lots of new stuff with you, maybe even a post each day.  Let's see how that works out before I make any promises ;D

Today marks a new challenge at Copic Creations and the theme this go round is Blue Green.  Create something fabulous focusing on the BG (Blue/Green) color family and share it with us on the challenge blog.  We love to see your fabulous artwork :)  

Our sponsor this week is A Day for Daisies and they have some breathtaking images.  You really must head over to their shop and take a good look around.  Really, really nice stuff.    I used an image called Mermaid and I think she is just fantastic.  I love her hair and how she is coyly looking over her shoulder.  Sort of mischievous and playful, but sort of shy and uncertain.  That's a lot of expression to capture in a digi image... LOL!  Kudos to the artist!

Stop by the Copic Creations Challenge Blog and see what magic my Copic DT sistahs created when they waved their Copic wands around.  Amazing stuff!  

I'll be back tomorrow with the new challenge for Tiddly Inks, so please come again.  Until then, stay crafty ;D  

Here's my Copic color breakdown for today's card.  

skin:  E11, E00, E000, R20

hair:  E15, E13, Y21, Y00

tail:  G21, BG23, BG10, G20

ground:  E57, E43, E42, E41

halo around image:  BG01, BG0000   

Whimsy Stamps & Make It Crafty: Urban Themed Digis!

Welcome!  I am thrilled to be hopping today with a talented group of folks to celebrate Whimsy Stamps and Make it Crafty's joint release.  Read on for all the deets:

Whimsy Stamps & Make it Crafty have come together to create a fun Urban Themed digi collection!

Ann Vento has whipped up her magic and designed an incredible collection of
funky wall sayings, city landscapes and of course a range of super cool street signs.

Check out the Sentiments collection HERE

Make it Crafty is trying something new offering all the different elements for you to build your own urban backdrop.

Check out the Urban Street Collection HERE

Then of course, what better characters to incorporate into such a scene than the fabulous KennyK rubber stamps available from Whimsy Stamps!

Our incredibly talented Design Teams have had a blast playing with all the different elements to bring you LOTS of inspiration!

We have broken it in to TWO HOPS
HOP A Starts Here & HOP B Starts HERE!

There will be a winner for EACH HOP and if you hop your way through BOTH, you’ll go in the draw for the GRAND PRIZE TOO!

HOP A & B Winners will each receive a $15 voucher from both Whimsy Stamps and Make it Crafty

GRAND WINNER will win our full Urban Digital Collection
4 Digi Sentiment sets by Ann Vento & the Urban Elements Collection from Make it Crafty

  

You are currently on HOP B and should have arrived from Marilyn's awesome blog.  

Your next stop on HOP B is Debbie's fabulous blog, but before you go make sure you leave a comment below!

You have until August 21^st 8PM Australian QLD time to make your way through the hops!

Be there... or be square! J

You're mighty pretty, Precious!

Do you remember that line from Gone with the Wind?  Scarlett is watching her daughter, Bonnie, ride her horse when she utters those words.  At this point in Rhett and Scarlet's rocky relationship, Bonnie is the only thing keeping them together.  Let's just say, that all changes in this scene and Rhett and Scarlet are left with an emotional chasm that will never be filled again.  Gosh, how terrible!  Why would I bring up such a sad movie reference when talking about this delightful image by Christy Croll from Tiddly Inks?   Well, the name of this image is Precious and whenever I even hear the word "precious" I think of that line from Gone with the Wind.  Also, I have a friend I used to work with, another movie aficionado, and it was very common for us to hold full-length conversations using only movie quotes.  This was a favorite.  Of course, we had to mimic Vivien Leigh's lilting feminine, yet subtle Southern drawl when doing so, for maximum effect.  I was pretty good at it, but he had her down pat!  I love that...lol!

When I first laid eyes on Precious from Christy's Victorian Steampunk line, I was smitten.  Not only because of her name, but because of how utterly fabulous she is!  I love those corkscrew curls and that richly detailed dress.  Even that perfectly perched top hat adorned with the bow makes me swoon.  She is a sight!  You ARE mighty pretty, Precious!

One final note, before I go.  My husband and I are both equally obsessed with movies and consider ourselves to be quite advanced regarding our movie tastes.  Did you know, he has never watched Gone with the Wind?!  I have tried to convince him to sit down and give it a try, but I think he has this preconceived notion that it is some antiquated, lavish, chick flick.  Not so!  Besides being one of the greatest cinematic achievements ever captured on film, it is probably the finest book to movie adaptation ever made.  One of these days, I'll pin him down and make him watch it.  Until then, let's all stay crafty ;D                

Cards for Sale

Hola!  Just a quick post to let you know that I have added a new tab to my blog.  I have been carding up a storm lately, so I've decided to list some of my cards for sale here.  My craft space is tiny so any real estate that I can gain back is a huge plus.

I have this fear that one day I'll be featured on a special episode of Crafting Hoarders.  Oh sure, it's not a real show...yet, but just you wait.  Sometime, in the near future, you'll take a much needed break from your current artsy project and sink into your favorite comfy spot on the couch.  You'll flip the TV to your favorite station...DIY (of course) and your heart will break, when you see a sad disheveled woman with ink stains on her clothing and embossing powder stuck in her hair, escorting the program host around her home.  She'll guide him through towering mountains of paper pads wobbling to and fro, gargantuan piles of distress inks ready to tumble at the slightest exhale of breath, and Copic markers balanced precariously in lucite holders stacked to the ceiling.

You'll gasp in shock, when she lets out a tiny cough and a bit of fairy dust escapes from her lips in a sparkly puff, indicating she is stricken with an acute case of Glitter Lung.  The 12 cats swarming about her feet cough intermittently to reveal that they too, suffer from the dreaded Glitter Lung.  As she maneuvers around perilous piles of stamps...wood, cling, and clear, an almost imperceptible snap near the bottom indicates that Trouble (with a capital T) is lurking nearby.  Soon an avalanche of crafting tools and supplies rains down upon her and in the blink of an eye, she is swallowed by a torrent of all that she holds dear.

Once the embossing powder and glitter settles, all that remains are two scrawny ankles jutting akimbo from under the debris, and on her feet, a pair of ruby red slippers.  Wait, I'm mixing my story lines.  Scratch the ruby red slippers.  How about a pair of orange garden Crocs?  Yes, that's it...and on her feet, a pair of orange garden crocs.  

As the authorities remove the craft crusted carnage, you see her face for the first time and you are stunned...it's that chica from The Inktrap!  "What a pity", you say to yourself.  "Wonder what they're going to do with all her stuff?"    

Sure, I'm being dramatic, but hey, I like to embellish EVERYTHING including my stories.   So, before my craft room swallows me whole, I'm going to clear out some space by selling a few cards.  See something you like?  Email me here ;D            

A Card Just for Fun

Hola!  Just dashing in and out really quick to share a card I decided to make at the very last minute tonight. I was prepping a few kits for a class I'm teaching tomorrow and I finished up rather early.  Well, at least early for me.  I finished around 11:00pm and thought "what now"?  Any sane person would opt for bed, but I have never been known for my sanity, so I opted to make a card....just for fun.  

It's been a long time since I actually made a card for no reason other than I wanted to.  I cheated a wee bit.  I had already colored the image and just needed to construct a card around it.  I love this image and have colored her up numerous times, always thinking that I'll turn the finished image into a card one day, but never acting on it.  Her name is Windswept and she is by Simply Sassy.  Check out their blog and you'll find links to their store. 

I'm a bit obsessed with dotty backgrounds as of late, so plan on seeing more of these ;D  I better scoot, bed is officially calling my name now!  Stay crafty!

A New Challenge at Tiddly Inks: Gel Cards

Hey, all!  I promised you something different today and I'm determined to deliver!  The challenge at Tiddly Inks this week is to create a Gel Card.  Wow!  This was a first for me.  I wasn't even sure where to begin, but I muddled through as best I could.  There are several good tutorials floating around the internet including one by my talented Tiddly Inks/Bombshell DT teammate, Meredith.  Be sure and check it out!    

Halloween is just around the corner, so I decided to create something with that in mind.  Okay, okay...actually it's way the heck down the road, but I'm ready for a Halloween fix...NOW!  I opted to play with Alison the Witch.  She is one of Christy's newest additions to the Tiddly Inks family of characters.  She was designed and named for my Bombshell DT buddy, you guessed it...Alison...lol!  Isn't she fabulous?!  I adore the raven she is holding.  

I decided Alison needed a crystal ball so she can stay connected with her witchy friends.  She's obviously a teenage witch...did you detect the 'tude?  The crystal ball seemed like the perfect spot to showcase the gel.  Not sure it's going to hold out.  I'm pretty sure this card will self-destruct by morning and I'll awake to a soggy, gel soaked paper blob.  It must contain some some top secret information inside.  

Anyway, stop by the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog to see fabulous gel cards created by my DT teammates.  Also, stop by Christy's Blog because she always has something fun and fabulous waiting there to be discovered, and don't forget to head over to the shop to see all the wonderful images waiting to be added to your gel card creations ;D  This challenge makes me think of those commercials featuring Dr. Scholl's gel inserts for your shoes...Are you gelling?  I'm gelling like Magellan...LOL!!!!