National Scrapbook Day 4/30/11

Look at what I have for you! My make n take slot is 4/30/11 at 2:00 be there or be umm somewhere else?? Nahh.............. "Come join us and have fun"!

This tag will have a few surprising techniques and it has the date and name of the event so you may scrap and document your day. SEWWW much fun!" LOL"  uhh humm.....Pardon the pun.

Dolly Tag

I made this tag by using the copics on a printed image then cutting and distressing it in a worn way, The black lace at the bottom is some coordinations paper that has been punched and the letter is a old school set of cuttlebug dies. She reminds me of a old picture I have of my mom when she was little.

Design challenge : Charleston Scrapbooking for March 2011

Our challenge was to make something nifty with the little dollar packages of stamps.....This is what I came up with. I stamped and embossed on the wood then used tons of ink to distress,lined it and made flower /paper embellishments. The feet are beads on pegs and super glued into a hole i made with a paper piercer.

Craft fair happiness...........

We came ,We sold, We spent more than we made! It was a ball! The craft fair at the Charleston scrapbooking was uber fun with the vendors selling way more to each other than we sold to the outside public BUT, "dat how we do". There was stamps and naked ....books,creepy dolls with clothes and seasonal ceramics, jewelry, and purses the list is endless. All in all for what started out as a little ole craft sale became a really wonderful event.

Check out Missy's basket of carrots ...TOOO CUTE!

With the sweets comes the sours.....

So as you all know I entered the design team contest for G45...Sigh! And as you all know I didn't make the team. Now I have to say what I have been saying from the beginning, G45's picks for the team were hands down smart business decisions along with some UBER talented people and I say people because some that were picked are actually TEAMS! K so very huge "hands clapping " Congratulations to you all. Now all that said I received my entries back. This is not good folks because if a person was to EVER feel like their art work wasn't respected IT'S ME! They placed the fairy in the box I sent her in with some of the wrapping that she was sent with . However, they didn't secure her to her base box...therefore allowing her to roll around in the box from Portland to Charleston resulting in her wings being jacked up, she is cracked at the waist and can't hold herself up, and her beaded lantern is completely missing.......WHY? is the question I asked them when I emailed them...they let me know that they packed it "gingerly" Proof is in the murdered fairy that, that is a BIG OLE LIE! Oh and they Thanked me for the information! Seriously???????  I replied with a return email that was more indignant and I have yet to receive a response. UBER terrible show on their part and shame on their ridiculous immaturity of not at least giving an apology without erasing it by shucking responsibility. What the hell is wrong with people?..I feel violated!  Hey, by the way, they stuffed this consolation prize in with my card and layout bending them up as well...did I forget to say Thanks...................You Betcha!

My Quest to be a Know-It-All!!

That is right! You heard me.....I have officially decided at the age of 44 what I want to be when I grow up!
A bonafide 100% KNOW IT ALL! That will be me alright. I realized this morning that I literally can NOT get enough information on the how to's and hence forths of the crafting world and I literally spend hours daily reading, researching and all around figuring on everything to do in it.  I always wondered..I am so relieved to finally have that realization and a plan. Whew ! It was only through the constant search to learn more about EVERYTHING that I realized that which has been staring at me in my face for literally my entire life. I know some of you may say I am an artist....Nope your wrong..if I hadn't have wanted to know it all in the first place I would never have been able to acquire that skill. So as I send this out into the blogging world so that other not as accomplished know it all's read,  "pish" Wanna-Be's! Remember this one thing....No matter who you thought had this or that original idea.....ask the egg about the chicken.

Learning the "blogger" ropes .

To all that peek in here I am so sorry for the confusion. I am learning how to do all that neat and nifty stuff to a blog that so many before have done. I am late! But in saying that and since I have just started to learn now they will change it all again and I will rebel for another 10 years before I finally grasp and accept "it". Craziness the way I refuse to accept change.

Wholly Cow! Thats funny!

Okay so I go to this website called Cute overload. This one reminds me of the fans at a sports event..." Hi Mom"! Go see what else they have too CUTE!

http://cuteoverload.com/

Shewww! It's done! Admissions for ROUND 2 sent!

Okay let the chips fall where they may... I have taped /glued/fused/cut/trimmed/stapled/painted/embossed/distressed/inked/perforated/tore/sewn/ironed and crinkled my way through the rough stuff and I am officially exhausted. In my experience it has been through failure of the same project over and over that I will finally concede to the plain and simple fact...paper IS NOT material ...CRAP! So with the constant can-do attitude I have done my best and hopefully that'll do it or get er done as we here so frequently in the south state. "SIGH" Wish me much luck and if you get the inkling to add in a few prayers that would be really nice? We find out the big result on April 1st...yeah ha ha right? And if I don't make it I will feature all the projects/rejects that I made "just in case" You all have a happy go lucky day!

Trying out for G45 !!!! YIKES!

( UPDATE) I am so truly honored to even be in the company of these fellow artisans. I already love you all and wish everyone the very best of luck and inspiration.

Mar 4, 2011 9:55:23 AM

The Graphic 45 Design Team 25 Finalists & Blog Prize Announcement

Hello Crafters!
It's the moment you've all been waiting for! It's been an amazing experience combing through all of our Design Team submissions. The time has come to announce our 25 finalists! We know you are all on the edge of your seats to see who the lucky 25 finalists are. But first we wanted to give on more quick announcement and let you know the winner of this week's blog prize! It was so great getting to read about all of your happy accidents whilst crafting. Personally, I feel like I owe some of my best work to these unexpected moments. Thank you to everyone who submitted comments this week! Our random winner is Nicole Mullen. Here is what she had to say about one of her happy crafting accidents.
"My latest happy accident was dropping a ink dropper full of ink and getting ink splatters all over a sheet of paper I had just embossed with a script embossing folder....the ink I spilled looked like ink drops from an old quill pen and looked amazing on the paper - happy days!!" -Nicole Mullen
Thanks Nicole! Please email us at info@g45papers.com to claim your prize! We will have another chance for you all to win another fantastic prize on Monday so we hope you will join us!

Okay, here it is! The 25 finalists (in no particular order) of the Graphic 45 Design Team are...
1. Amanda Phillips - Goose Creek, SC
2. Laura Denison - Maple Valley, WA
3. Jane Tregenza - Australia
4. Karen Wilson - Prescott Valley, AZ
5. Gloria Stengel - Oceanside, CA
6. Tara Orr - Canada
7. Michael Jack Putman and Lesley Fisher - Mesa, AZ
8. Sherry Cheever - Jeffersonville, IN
9. Jamie Dougherty - Ramona, CA
10. Hilde Janbroers - The Netherlands
11. Tracey Locher - Escondido, CA
12. Leica Forrest - Canada
13. Karen Bearse - Fairfax, VA
14. Lynette Carroll - Braintree, MA
15. Natalie Dever - Sheboygan Falls, WI
16. Nicole Eccles - Springboro, OH
17. Robin L. Shakoor - Fredericksburg, VA
18. Melanie Forbes - Australia
19. Nancy Wethington - St. Louis, MO
20. Jade Moore - Belleville, Il
21. Tonya A. Gibbs - Keystone Heights, FL
22. Tomoko Takahashi - Japan
23. Jason  Jones - Whitesboro, TX
24. Jenny Svensson - Brakne-Hoby, Sweden
25. Yuka Hino - Japan
We want to give our deepest gratitude to everyone who applied for our Design Team this year. We know it required a lot of hard work and we truly appreciate all the effort that went in to each and every one of your applications. Your submissions were all so beautiful and they literally brought us to tears. We had hundreds of submissions this year and it was very difficult to narrow it down to our 25 finalists. Thank you all so much for being such stunning, creative individuals.  We hope to continue inspiring you with gorgeous papers and project ideas in the future and we are so fortunate to have such a wonderful crafting community cheering us on. Thank you all so, so much. 
A note to our 25 finalists:
We will be contacting you directly via email with details about the final round of our Design Team Call. Here are some details about what to expect.  The 25 finalists will be required to send  1- layout 1- card and 1- altered item directly to the corporate office in Portland, Oregon for review by Graphic 45 staff including Diane Schultz, the CEO and designer of our products. Your projects must be mailed by March 11th in order to receive in our office by March 18th.
Congratulations to our 25 finalists! We can't wait to see your final projects and we wish you all the best of luck in the final round. 
We hope you all have a terrific weekend. Thank you all so much for another terrific week here on the Graphic 45 blog. We love hearing from you and seeing your comments on a regular basis. Thank you all for your inspiration!
With Love and Paper,
Team Graphic 45

LOL okay everyone cross your fingers,toes,legs,arms ...heck! even your eyes!! and Wish me luck. I am trying it and have done literally 7 projects in 10 days as I felt that some of my current stuff wasn't what I wanted to represent me. So for those of you who have said I haven't updated in a while it's because I have had my nose to the paper. I only glued myself to something about a dozen times...never use a tongue depressor,super glue and low light at 2:30 in the A.M. Uhhhummm thats all that need be said :) The contest rules are as follows, 10-15 projects for the first round and then if you make it to the second it's a LO/card and an altered project (I saved the best for last) . So we will see. There are some super Uber spectacular artist out there so I am certain the competition is some tough stuff. So if you want to see my pieces hit the G45 submissions tab up top and I hope you enjoy. Have a great Happy Go Lucky Day! Did I say I am Pooped?

"Configurations Box" Le' Romantique Class 2/26 10:30 A.M.

Hello fellow bloggers. Just wanted to introduce the newest class . This is one of my Tim Holtz versions of the 5.5 Configurations Shadow box. In this class we will use The Graphic 45 line Le' Romantique, Tim Holtz  metal feet , curio knobs, distress inks and lots of beads ,ribbon and vintage accents that I am sure will thrill your curiosity! I am so excited! The class will be be $42 and is scheduled for February 26th from 10:30 till we drop dead on the floor from over creative exhaustion! We will break for lunch around 12:30 for about a half hour so feel free to brown bag it .  Come have fun with me! And a card too!!!

And a Card too!!!!!
The supplies are:


Paper Trimmer
Paper piercer
Distress Ink
Detail scissors
Wet (strong) all-purpose quick dry glue
Glue tape
Glossy accents
Tweezers
Needle and thread

Valentines Paper Roll Class

Okay you'all...here it is .  February 10 @ 10:30 $15.00 ( comes with raffle ticket) It's simple and sweet with just the right bells and whistles. The Valentines Paper Roll project. We will learn to make faux leather and love potion#9 along with learning a new technique with some of those more difficult papers. Come join me!

Time Attache' Class ( Postponed)

Sorry Ya all but I had to take one item off my hectic schedule and since I really wanted to do more with this one I chose it. See you soon!

Again with more classes..yep the hits just keep coming til the Mom at Charleston Scrapbooking kicks me to the curb......This one is a little more masculine. It is simple in design and make up. We will make a few inserts/tags. You will be given many extras than what you see so that you may fill your file folder as you see fit. Artistic freedom is a gift. If that doesnt suit you I have ideas abound! We will stay till you are happy or instructor falls dead on floor..whatever happens first! :)

The MANNN is keeping me Down!

Couple weeks back I was reading on Donna's blog aka (Mrs. Superfantabulous) go see her from my link. Anyway she was showing some clothing that she liked and I said OOO that looks comfy....so- in- head -went- thought. So as hubby and I were junk shopping as we often do I found a pattern for clothing though NOT the same, had similarities enough that maybe I could make some of my own out of the scads of material that lives aimlessly at my home.  I was looking at pattern size cause as you all know..I am indeed a hipped gal but again I digress. So assuming if the pattern didn't say large/ex large it wouldn't work cause now days a size 12-14 is larges and ex large in most stores that I have purchased from lately. I looked on the back of my pattern that was labeled xs s and m and low and behold!!! I am a medium maybe even a Small if it wasn't for the boobs.  I JUST KNEW IT! HMPH! It's all them damn men slash anorexic chick designers that can't figure out how to dress a woman that has any angles ( BS straight line artist) That is killing us ladies! So when you think you are getting huge cause the MANNN is changing the rules to suit his untalented ability. Please remember my ranted blog with proof! By the way this pattern was made in 1994.....was that the Thick is in Era?

Wanted...dead or alive!!

I am the bobble from the Graphic 45 Christmas Past Album. I have come up missing..have you seen me?

 It was setting on the counter at Charleston Scrapbooking attached to the album . Someone  or something has confiscated me! "underwear gnomes" Anyway to anyone that may know it's whereabouts please return it NO questions asked. It would be appreciated as this is the only album that I the instructor had of my design. Thank you.

A lady always knows when to leave....

Which is why I am damn exhausted and look the part..we stayed to long we know this! We waited for the last horn to officially blow and POOF! We lived there for 8 years..we got married in Reynolds square downtown (what a great day ) But again it is time. We never were ones to stay any where long I suppose, so with out further ado.....We are officially moving to South Kakilaki!
Savannah never did suit me well. I am crass.....arrogant and all around down right bitchy some days so with that being said.....We are leaving Hmph! Taking my toys and playing at Charleston scrapbooking from now on! Oh and more big news and the main reason for our departure is Mr. Man ..the tall ,blue eyed, bad attitude, German that I snore beside has received a promotion! Can you believe it! 6 months into this job and Mr .Smarty pants himself is gonna be the Big Kahuna of with his own division, area???! I'm a chick I don't know much about these things accept for the paystub;)  I am so proud of him. He really is extraordinary!

So gals wish us luck.....we need it cause this move is on us. No more military coming in and doing it for us.

Just a Little Spring tease....

(UPDATE)This class is  March 1 @ 6:30P.M. $27.00 There will be a ticket in each kit that goes into a raffle. The prize for this class is a set of fairy stamps by recollections. I will try to get pictures up of these prizes soon. As promised I have begun my designing with the newest from Graphic 45 Which is entitled
" Once upon a Springtime" I truly love this paper so only good things can result. Here is just the beginning............

And these are the front and back of these and they stand around 12" each...Leave comments you bums! I know you visit! :)

Novembers ATC'S

mine is the lil red birdie one!

Arent these fabulous??

December Blathering!

Some days you just feel like the floor................hubby is in Korea and even though I am generally used to deployments this is my first where we can't really reach each other over the wire. Weird experience here I guess. Tuesday I had the Jolly Jingle class which was a awesome success . Thank you Ladies without you this wouldn't be a fun hobby at all. I am getting ready for New Years with a lil somfin for you all..stay tuned. Also I would like to give a special Howdy do to Mrs. Hilma...I met this lovely lady at my class and she was truly a treat that is moving back to her home land in Italy very soon. I have no doubt I will miss you Hilma. You are a lovely lady.

My God The impossible has HAPPENED!

That's right the impossible.  I was disgusted away from the shoe department.  Today hubby and I went shopping, I am currently on the search for the perfect pair of clogs.  They can't be just any clogs you see. They must say hippie chick, cool but old enough to not be ridiculous.  AKA NO 4 inch heels!  Any way as I meandered through the shoe department past the boot section...the very section that has been my nemesis for years.  I was born a petite woman.  My body forgot to actually grow any type of length and with that being said......boots simply must be altered to fit around my popeye calves.  So, any way, as I walk past the section admiring them and yet feeling like they are so close and yet so far away two "younger" ladies were trying on the very objects of my afar affection when one of them actually asked the other.............."Do these look right?  My legs or uh my ankles are too skinny."..........If you could see me right now I have the face of a stone.  Are you freakin kidding me?  Who in the halibut says shnit like that?  These two women  cleary have never in their entire existence met an oreo cookie.  I on the other hand haven't met one I didn't take a true kinship to.  So literally I went and fetched my hubby, who by this time was on a drunken high from the smell of leather and the sound of zippers, to feel my complete disgust at these women's ingratitude for what they have been bestowed.....I however wouldn't know anything about that.  Have a great day my fellow cankled friends.

Jolly Jingle Recycle book

The next class scheduled for November 30th from 6:30-8:30PM at Charleston Scrapbooking is........This Jolly Jingle book that teaches you how to use snow markers, tag embellishment and all around a ton of detail techniques...Come join us!

What you can do with a toilet paper roll?

Can you believe it! I found this little idea on one of my many many surfed sites and wha la! Mini book ....I have more stuff that i sorta took off this idea but I just had to show this right away.

My tribute to my Hubby inspired by: Mr. Tim Holtz

When I started this project I literally became overwhelmed so it took me a good while to complete. I just needed focus and then I realized that even though the concept was Tim's, the part that had me stuck was how to make it mine. Look real close I bet you can see how I did that . Tim used mainly his grungeboard letters with just a few extra's and even though it's "Fabulous" as all of his pieces are. Some of the doo-dad's and thingamabobs and hickymado's are literally heirlooms from my family's history. In total this measures out to 30" by 30" with each tile being 9 inches square. I have tried to teach others what I learned with this piece. The truth is you just have to feel it. Life is good!

Watercolor classes with Mrs. Peggy Cone

The cardinal was my first so we had it framed....Then the lighthouse. Then the marshland. I found the basic pattern for the bird in a book and painted it accordingly, But with out taking the classes I would probably never had the nerve to do it on my own.

This one is from a pattern book i found.

These are some watercolors I did under the instruction of Mrs. Peggy Cone. She is a local Savannah artist . The pure joy of watching her use a paint brush "effortlessly" I might add and talk as if we could all see exactly what was in her head...Well the privilage was all mine to even be in the presence of this 83 year old dynamo. Again I Thank you Mrs. Peggy you are the best.