The Finger Is Healed

I never showed you what I was working on when I sewed through my fingertip, did I?

It was definitely one of the most "Oh, %#*@!" moments of my life.

Anyhoo, it finally grew out. And it really never hurt too much. So today, after Emma was reunited with mom, dad, puppie and her own room, I broke out the wine, the chocolates the kids brought me, and took down the Grungeboard I had been sewing that day.

Here's a peek at the patchwork I had put together along with a Ten Seconds Studio flower cut with the Spellbinders flowers and added Dimensional Pearls and PP. Then the secret ingredient...UTEE!!!!

The GB has been run through the Cuttlebug, Distress Inked, and sprayed with the Mini Misters and Perfect Pearls. Then I cut it into pieces and sewed like a patchwork quilt and zig-zagged with smoke colored nylon thread.

It definitely was fun.....until the blood started to flow!!!!!!!!! Ha!

More snow here tonight, can't wait for Anaheim and warmer weather at CHA!

P.S. I hear from a little birdie that TSS has some FABULOUS new colors coming out soon......stay tuned!

Emma- in the snow and in the studio!

We've had Emma for the last couple of days. Never a dull moment, never a pause in the conversation. She could be singing, or babbling, or asking a question, or just making nonsense noise.... but there is never a break in her voice. Seriously.

If she's quiet, she's either asleep or into something!!!! See the shorter hair over her right ear? That's a result of her giving herself a haircut....but not on my watch!

She played in the snow with Poppie. And she made metal Butterflies with me in the Studio.Her very own design of course.

Good times, good kid.....need a good nights sleep!!!!

Night everyone...............

Snow....Snow.....and more Snow!

Christmas has come and gone.....the leftovers are dwindling down in the fridge, the snow has fallen and been blown away several times....and I'm trying to reorganize my studio. Lots of stuff for the Girl Scouts!!!!

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I had to play a bit to break up the day. This is Graphic 45 papers, lots of layers of Distress Inks, some stamping, and a Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint over the whole lid of a box. Very Vintage looking!!!!

My son and his wife. Parents of the 2 youngest grandkids. Finally got a good picture of them. Got one last year of my daughter and her husband. You can't have everything all the time.

My oldest Michelle got an BumpIt for Christmas as a gag gift. Erin has one in her hair and is preparing her Aunt Michelle's hair for another one. Fun!!! You should have seen the end results.....Michelle would kill me!!!!!!!

Working on the February Metal class with the wooden box. Should be fun.

Stay warm, and if you have 60 degree weather (Lisa), I envy you...a LOT!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! UPDATE

UPDATE: Yes, Penny there is a Santa Claus....a tutorial for this card is on the Creative Imaginations Blog....jump over there and enjoy!!!!!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas. Today will be filled with wrapping paper, children, adults ACTING like children, and wine. Several glasses of wine. Ha!

Love them all and can't wait to get started. Bill has been busy making cookies...his favorite and specialty are Turtle Cookies. They go very fast.

Michelle's birthday cake was soooooo good. German Chocolate and Peppermint Ice Cream on the side. Bill did a great job there, too!

So be well everyone and this is my Christmas Card to all of you...using some Creative Imaginations Papers, Tim Holtz Stamps and Distress Inks, a Creative Cafe card, Embossing Powder and lots and lots of pen marks!!!!

A few Rhinestones were added as a last ditch effort to save the card! Ha! Thanks Linda B for the critique. VERY good point, I must say.

Think I'll go have some more cake............

Have You Been Naughty or Nice?????

The sneak peeks are arriving daily on the internet.

Lots of things to tease us with. So for a Christmas Eve tidbit, I'll add mine to the list.

This is a peek at a piece for CHA.

Wax, Metal with UTEE, stamps, Distress Inks, mini canvases, and a vintage picture from my collection. The baby is a boy. My brother-in-laws father.

The day of rest is here today, but tomorrow we begin again!!

Be Well Everyone!

TIM HOLTZ DOES IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I

Most everybody who comes to my blog has already been to Tim's, but just in case you haven't...............

GO THERE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think his new Sizzix Dies are out of this world COOL. And I'm sure you all will, too.

So go look, have fun......and enjoy dreaming tonight of all the things you can do with these.

Have a Great Holiday....my kids are here, and we've been shopping and playing games, eating and such until we can't keep our eyes open any longer.

Be back soon....................

Linda

My Exciting Announcement!!!!!!!!!

Well, here it is, only 4 days until Christmas, and I got an early present the other night from Massachusetts!

Cheryl Mezzetti called me and asked if would be interested in becoming a member of their Design Team for Creative Imaginations!!!! Can you believe it???? I met Cheryl when we both were teaching in St. Louis and she is an absolute Sweetheart.

This is going to be soooooo exciting!!!!!

I spent a bit of time with the fabulous CI group at CHA in Florida, and I can tell you, they are some of the most wonderfully talented, fun, and down to earth people you will ever meet. Loved them!

They have just gotten so many new products added to their line. OMG!!!!! Too exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luminarte is just one......can you imagine??????? I can't wait to get my hands on some more of these things!!!!!!

And of course you who have taken my classes know how I feel about their Super Seal...I mean it is truly amazing for saving all the projects you put you time and heart into.

So, let's get crackin'! Bring it on.....we are ready to ROCK with CI!!!!

Hot....REALLY HOT!

Beeswax and UTEE are a hot item in my Studio right now. The UTEE makes the metal butterflies very sturdy and they stay bent where you put them. Good for collage. Hot, very hot!!!!

This is a little snippet of what I've been working on for CHA. Many, many trials and lots of rejects. But a learning experience along the way. WAY out of my box, but terrifically educational.


Pushing to new limits. Always good. This is from one of my very favorite cabinet cards....the child looks soooooo happy..no?

We've been backup babysitting again for a couple of days. Didn't even get much done in the way of cards before the kids hit, but we DID have a great time.

Ann did a poster for a baby who needs a heart transplant in her unit. She did a fantastic job on this for Judah.

We walked the new puppy while dad was up in Chicago so he didn't create a mess for mom when she got home from her 12 hour shift...don't know how nurses do that!!!!

And maybe, just maybe some excitement in the works!!!!I'll let you know in the next few days!!

Bought a new car for Bill today. VERY cool car...love it. A Buick Enclave. Ssstttttttt....hot, very hot!

Be well.....stay warm...and here comes the SNOW!

What do you get when you combine metal and UTEE?

That's a question I've been working on. This is just a sampling of the pile of experiments that have come from the studio lately.

I think I love using the Cuttlebug to cut out, emboss and then dip papers and metal into UTEE! Here is a flower cut with a Spellbinders set. Then used UTEE and Dimensional Pearls in the center.

Mailed off packages this morning for the kits! WOW! Did you know today is the busiest day for mailing stuff????? I didn't. The TV camera crews were there.

Take care....off to shop and pick out some new frames for glasses.

CREATE ART!

Good Times...Home Again

These little birds were so stinkin' cute, I had to have them.

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We're home again!!! Had great weather, good food, fantastic shows where I laughed till the tears were rolling down my face, and some sucessful shopping! What more could one ask for????

The RiverWalk was a good place to try out the speed on my new camera. Not too bad. Love those big deer down there with the Christmas wreaths around their necks. The water fountain is always beautiful. And the gardens were still beautiful.

New shoes, jeans, a top, and a wonderful Santa to sit on the mantle with the others in my collection.

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A couple of Honors came to the "kids" in the family this weekend......

Jeff, our son the HS Band Director was named to the 50 Music Directors That Make a Difference in the US...he represents Illinois in the SBO magazine. We're quite proud of him, and all his kids and his staff. Remarkable people one and all.

Then Alex, our only grandson, and his partner got 2nd in the finals at the Speech competition at Rochelle this weekend. His first year with this.

And Erin, had a great soccer game tonight....they won 6-0, and she followed in her dad's footsteps with a shutout period as goalie! Good job, ERIN!

Way to go kids!!!!!

Life is good.

My Christmas Tag Tutorial to YOU!

I know you guys have been following Tim's 12 Days of Christmas...right??? And who wouldn't???

Although I've been drooling like the rest of you, I haven't taken the time to make one yet.

Sooooooo, after working a week with Beeswax, and UTEE, and dabbing the fingers with toothpaste (thank you Suze) and Foille (a miracle drug), I think I've figured out how to keep all ten out of the band-aid box!!! Fun stuff everyone!!!

You have GOT to try it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, after looking at Tim's latest, I remembered a strip of film tape I had glued little faces on when I first got it. BONUS!!!! It was already donewith little faces from Paper Imagery Designs. But I never figured out what to DO with it. And a Christmas tag was just the place for it after seeing Tim's tag today.

So I thought I'd share the process with you as my Christmas Gift to my bloggers.

Here ya go!!!

1. I started with the ususal tag and added Old Paper Distress Ink all around the whole tag. Added Aged Mahogany to all but the center, some Brushed Corduroy and then heat set. Must heat set or EP will stick everywhere!!!

2. Then I used Tim's edge stamp from the Rockstar set to ink with embossing ink, and add Lettuce Adirondack embossing powder. Before using heat tool, brush off around the tag edges for a random tattered edge...it looks a bit more vintage that way. I LOVE this stamp done with the green EP!!!!!

3. Using Sepia Archival ink and the Fabulous Flourish, stamp the entire tag even over the EP. Lightly heat set again and it's good to go. The sepia ink is so cool over the lettuce EP. (Open center is for Christmas Carols stamp.)

4. Distress the edge and add my personal favorite, Black Soot Distress ink. Could not live without this ink!!!! Makes all the colors POP!

5. From the Mini Holidays I stamped the Christmas Carols and Pine Bough around the edge in Black Archival ink.

6. I used Tombow markers to add red and grey shadows to the stamped images.

7. The Film Strip is glued to chipboard and then glued to the tag. 3 glittery star brads go down the side...hard to see the sparkle here.

8. The little bulbs are tied together with red embroidery floss and the gold wire ribbon is tied and scrunched for a vintage look. The floral embellishment is cut from a larger piece I found at Jeffrey Alan's. I liked the snow on them. Glue in place. If the leaf sticks, it's all good!

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And there you have it. Thanks to everyone who stops by, especially those who leave a comment. It's no fun talking to yourself!!!!

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We're off for a few days vacation where it's a bit warmer....good food, some shows, and no snow.

Be Well.

Linda

UPDATE 2 !!! Just a note!

After a trip to the local friendly PO, I found I could ship the kits for 1/2 the price I thought! I should have told those who couldn't comment to email me at cain81@mtco.com. Sorry about that.


Good News, eh? (Got an email from my Canadian friend Lori and it reminded me of her wonderful inflection! A meetup is on for CHA!)



So in the U.S. they can go for $49.95. I sound like a commercial. This, too, can be yours for the low, low, price of ONLY $49.95. Ha!


Each kit has a full sheet of instructions, a G45 tags sheet (you only use 14 of the 36, so plenty of extras), a color picture of each section of the collage, everything you see to make the wall hanging, and a few little extra pieces thrown in.


Over 75 pieces in all!!!


And thank you, thank you to all the girls who ordered them. They will go out this week!



Linda

UPDATE: OK! I had to make up some more kits, so there are plenty again. And made a trip to the PO for more boxes. They are so good to me there.

I'm just sayin'........email me at cain81@mtco.com and we'll get you set up.

Scrapbook Friend'z Class

We had a great time and made some wonderful Christmas Memories to hang on the wall. They were all terrific, and I remembered to use my camera this time.
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Sorry gals on the other side of the classroom....I must have gotten distracted and didn't get your pictures...

And some were the Friend'z gals..DUH!

Fabulous job!

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Linda Broom and Kathy sharing a moment. Cheryl and Sheila hard at work. (We also had a tiny visitor in class....with 4 legs, quiet as a mouse!!!)

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Margaret REALLY did a great job, and plans to make more...good for her!

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We sanded more than a bunch of carpenters on our papers. But after the hard work was done, the rest came together a little easier.

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Thanks to everyone who came to the class. And those with the kits, just let me know if you have any questions.....I'm a visual person myself, and the written word sometimes needs a little clarification!!!!

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There are only 3 kits left. Let me know if you want one.

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Decided to go to CHA-W....gotta see all the new things. Might be something special there! Should be a great show. Tim's classes are full, imagine that.

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I know lots of people who are going to this one.

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Let me know if you're going!!!!

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Hope to see you there!!!!!

Leftovers..and not from Thanksgiving!

Graphic 45 leftovers!!!! And a TUTORIAL!!!!

Just got an email from Lori who was in my Christmas Wall Hanging class. She used some of the many leftovers from the class to make this adorable little tree!

(I snagged her photo from her blog.) AND there's a tutorial on just how to do it!!! BONUS!

Absolutely Stunning! I LOVE it!!!! You must go take a look at her blog here.

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On another note, we went to Springfield yesterday with friends to see the Lincoln Museum. It's the Bicentennial year of Lincoln's birth. If you ever get in the neighborhood it is really wonderful. I have been to a lot of museums, but this one is elegant.

The shot above is of the Lincoln family with John Wilkes Booth leaning on the pillar to the left. You enter and see the White House as it was in Lincoln's time.

You visit the kitchen as well as the Cabinet Room. There are wax figues as well as real people in period dress. It's hard to tell the difference. This is where Lincoln announced his Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet.

And right now it is dressed up for Christmas.

The wax figures are remarkable. This is the one of Mary Todd Lincoln as you see her from the entrance to the White House that is 95% of the true measurements as it sits in the round museum.

Take the time to go. You won't be disappointed.

Enjoy....and go visit Lori's blog!

P.S. LOVE, love, LOVE, my new camera!!!