3 Features on the Ranger Blog ...Metal Foil? And an Update-Challenge with Prizes!

Just a short post today....there's new April Feature with 3 new projects from Ranger on their blog today.

Go check it out and leave a comment...I know you're gonna love all the fun ideas there.

http://blog.rangerink.com/blog/

Or go right to the tutorial and have a great Creative afternoon!

Linda

Update: Inspiration Emporium is having a Challenge using Fragments...here. Check it out and enter to win a $50 gift certificate for all kinds of new goodies!!!

Let me just start......

........by congratulating my dear friend and DT colleague, Lin Brown, from LB Crafts in the UK for scoring BIG by getting "the master" (as he's known around here) to come and teach at her store!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!! You guys will have soooooooooooo much fun. Keep oxygen close at hand for Linda.


I used to stand for hours (literally) and watch him demo at CHA. I felt somewhat like a stalker. Why would you spend your valuable time at CHA watching other things, when you could watch the person that really did what "rocked your boat" the very best....so the grasshopper watched the master.
(I am the grasshopper.)


I still am always amazed at what he comes up with, and what he does to utilize the products he has asked to be created for a certain purpose.



So, it was kinda fun to know that I was working on a pin, that's inspired by my friend Lin, to wear to class tomorrow. This is what I came up with. If you want a great tutorial on how they put theirs together OVER there. Check out her site above.


This is with a Touch of Tim:
Texture Fades - Cracked, Collage and Dot Matrix
BigZ Die - Gingerbread, Tattered Florals
Idea-ology - Grungeboard, Grungepaper and Foliage

Other Ranger Products:
Alcohol Inks and Wonder Tape

Metal by - Ten Seconds Studio- Barn Red, Bronze Gold
The clock face is from Small Studio Productions

Here's another shot from a different angle. The Bronze Gold is MUCH prettier in person. It looks flat here, but it's not. Metal is very difficult to photograph well.

Looking at the post now, I probably should have taken the shot on black paper, instead of the clock face paper....live and learn.

AND, here is a really wonderful new product from Gary Strunk! He creates these gorgeous pieces cut from real wood and a marbled acrylic. Now he's working on a pen that you can alter yourself. Won't that be fun? Stay tuned for more on this subject.



That's it for tonight. Tomorrow we have a FULL HOUSE at Prairie Art Stamps and we are gonna ROCK! Door Prizes and Fun!

Have a Great weekend...

What Can You Do With LUMINARTE?

Well, to begin with, you can paint chipboard, as I've done here in the background. You can paint Petaloo flowers. These are all painted with Twinkling H2O's except the green one in the center. VERY vibrant colors from LUMINARTE!!!

The birdcage, fancy flourishes, and baroque are from TIM .The birdcage is crackle painted then the dark blue Ocean Wave was used over the crackle. This collage is done on an 8x8 canvas board.

And this is just a craft store unfinished wooden birdhouse painted with various colors of Luminarte paints. The butterfly is also painted after being stamped on Grungepaper and cut out.

This is a tag page from the Bare Elements Brenda book from that I cut apart. Various H2O's were painted randomly on the tag and the overlay, Antique Floral transparency from Narratives, is added with brads. I used a black Faber-Castell PITT artist pen to add more leaves to fill out the design. It doesn't have to be perfect, just capture the main design of the flowers.

So, that's just a few things you can do with Luminarte! Give it a try. I've been running around all day, so later in the week we'll get a picture of the prizes and get that going.

Stay tuned!

A Fun Door Hanger for Erin

These flowers called Dazzlers of all shapes and colors come from Petaloo. The green and brown Glitter Paper is on Mulberry paper that cuts great with Tim's new dies Alterations!!! The wooden hanger is Bare Elements and the background mica paint is Luminarte sprays and dabbers. The photo does not show how sparklie it really is. I added a few Grungeboard crowns for balance.

This is a door hanger for Erin's new room in her new house. What a great place!!!!!!! The house is a warm and wonderful home in a matter of days.

However, Emma, the younger sister, loves to drive Erin crazy by taking things, and using and hiding her stuff. Ahhhhh, little sisters. This won't stop her, but it was fun to make.

We made Erin a Treasure chest for Christmas, complete with a combination lock to keep Em at bay.........you can't put your whole room in a lock box though.

Another beautiful day, there's nothing prettier than a spring garden. And this year the plants are really coming up fast! The Columbine is ready to bloom.

And the rabbits are feasting on the Hostas...until I sprayed with the nasty smelling Invisible Fence stuff....it doesn't hurt the rabbits....it is actually rotten eggs and it smells just like them until it dies.

Have a great week!

Random Thoughts

So much going on here and in my head. But here are a few things I'd like to share with you.....

Busy Betty in California has asked if I'd consider mailing her a GrungeBoard Wallet kit. I had a couple other people asking, so I did some research today.



After a trip to the local Post Office, I found the GB will fit nicely into the small Flat Rate box that ships anywhere in the US for $4.95!


So.....Betty can have her kit sent out by the end of the week. She's getting the kit for $30. With the kit, you can make one wallet and have a choice of the 2 different flowers. Then use the pattern to make more!!! If the other gals that asked about these are interested, email me. cain81@mtco.com You know who you are.
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These things are sooooo easy once you figure it out, you could make several for Christmas gifts. Always fun. The girls from Sat. have plans to make several to hold Gift Cards and one will take it clubbing...with ID and some cash. (Mom was there, so she already knows...didn't compromise her here.)


Whatever works..............

Next, we think of making cute or flowery things for girls gifts. But sometimes the boys get overlooked. So I came up with a bracelet designed for the teenage boy in your lives.




This is GrungeBoard and a HitchFastener. Simple, but kind of rugged for the Teen Set...I bounced it of my teenage Grandkids 15 and 17!!!! Ha! Loved them! They can make them at Thanksgiving when they come down!
The girls want them, too.


Moving right along.....the class for this Saturday at Prairie Art Stamps has only a couple of seats left. Kits are made and we're ready to go. If you have put off calling, I suggest you call now. We had 19 show up for 16 seats the last time!

I'm just sayin'.......

Flower Centers!

I found a new center for Tim's Idea-ology flowers. It was a snap...literally!

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This is the back of the business card wallet. The brown metal from TSS is in the bookplate.

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The snap is punched to make the hole larger for the flower. Kinda cool!

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No more from me until I get back from CHA....I've got to get serious here!

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Go Create some ART~to show me!

Just not quite finished?

You know how to make something, and it's OK...but you keep looking at it and it just still NEEDS something?

Well here is a gift carrier I kept looking at with Ten Seconds Studio metal, and I knew it still wasn't what I wanted. So.......after having the class with Wendy and the new Grungepaper the other day....that I LOVE...I added some flowers!! It just came together.

The paper is so easy to work with and the Studio 490 flowers with some Idea-ology are just what the box needed!

So take another look at things....rethink...and add. A little something goes a long way.

L

Display Board for Cuttlebug

Friday DH and I decided to take a trip back to the QC's and have dinner with my daughter and her husband. Of course, you can't go somewhere and not SHOP for STUFF.

So, I went to the new digs for Scrapaganza in Davenport, Iowa!!!! WOW!!!! Cool new shop location and TONS of stuff. Got some more Studio 490 stamps, Idea-ology Foliage, Graphic 45 and 7Gypsies papers! Cha-ching!

And some gal named Wendy was teaching there....HA! Surprised her and disrupted the class, but they'll get over it.

Anyhoo, I was trying to tell Kelly about the wonders of the Cuttlebug and we agreed that I'd just send a display board picture with some cool things it does. So here's a peek at the project. AND I got info on high authority, that they are NOT, repeat NOT going to stop making the Cuttlebug embossing folders.

Grungeboard, thin metal, thin Chipboard, TSS metal, paper, Maya Mists, Distress Inks....just a sampling of the prospects.

Enjoy....Create ART.

Alcohol Inks and Acrylics

Margaret at Scrapbook Friend'z has asked me to come back and teach a class using the Alcohol Inks on Acrylics on Mar. 28th. The flower is a cool technique on a great shape!

We'll use Grungeboard and ribbons and dew drops....you can change the whole look of your piece with Distress Inks and the colors of you Alcohol Inks. You can stamp Grad, Baby, Kids, etc. on your frame to remember a special event. MAKE IT YOUR OWN!

Pick up your frame and paint before class so we have plenty of time to play!

Just one more thing

This is what I worked on today. It features Bella from Paper Imagery Designs and Marshall. Do you think she's dreaming of the older kid she has a crush on?

The base is a page from the chipboard House Book Kit from Small Studio Productions along with the little house trinket, vintage tape measure, Tim's Idea-ology pieces and vintage brown and white stripey twine.

The papers are Graphic 45. I LOVE them....have I said that before?

A bit of Grungeboard, Maya Road buttons,Distress Ink, and a Studio 490
stamp!

AND - For a real treat, go visit Suze's blog!!! She took some fantastic pictures of CHA. You don't want to miss these!

The Shrine from Small Studio Productions

I tried to get some pictures of the Shrine from Small Studio Productions today. Mother Nature is not cooperating much....no sun...but the snow on the ground seemed to help reflect some light! The clock, Tim's Game Spinners and Brads are from SSP, too. The butterfly is a piece of Tim's Grungeboard...of course.

This is the front. The shrine is painted black with acrylic paint and the papers from Graphic 45 are added before it's glued together. Every piece is inked with Distress Inks to add the depth and warmth. That's just my opinion.

This is the inside of the shrine....just papers, inks, and glue. I LOVE these papers!!!!!!!!!!

And the back. More papers, ink and glue. These papers stand alone in beauty and need nothing more to create something memorable.

Let me know what you think!!!!

Merry Christmas

Are you going to CHA-W....I'm not, but here's a project of mine that is going....and they don't care if you see it first! That's different, huh?

It's Maya Road chipboard, Tim Holtz Grungeboard, Idea-ology and stamps. The 2 pieces from Vintaj are at the top and on the Prima flowers.

Very fun piece! Oh, and the background is Perfect Pearls with Re-Inkers in the mini-misters. Too cool!

Kids are off to the other Grandparents.....time to CREATE something!

Working with the Master's Tutorial-Tim Holtz's Blog

We've been busy around here! Had the GKs for 2 days as mom and dad had to go out of town. They were great, but you can't CREATE in the studio with a 4 yr old's lightning fast hands going after EVERYTHING! Trust me....

I finally got to get out Tim's masks, and the Perfect Pearls, Grungeboard, the Heidi Swapp snowflakes, and of course the Cuttlebug!!! That thing is addictive. But so are the PP in the mini-misters! Geez! And just a tip....always make sure the sprayer is aimed in the correct direction! Yes....but not in the face....across the table onto my supplies! PP don't photograph well....alas. But they're there.

Plus just a peek of a Studio 490 stamp at the top.

The snowflakes are clear, but I used white Staz-On ink. Tim's masks are soooooo cool!!! You gotta love 'em!!! That's one on the right.

A big THANK YOU to Maya Road!! The box of goodies came for my prize after I'd done most of the project! Yeah!! HUGE box of supplies to go crazy with. So I used the MR button in the middle of the flower from Creative Impressions. Just what it needed!

Got to get busy on my Paper Imagery things. The new vintage images are wonderful!!!! Great job there, girls. Go take a peak.

Have a great day!

Oriental Books

Here are the 2 latest additions to the Vintaj books for Galena. They are my attempt at a bit of oriental style. The colors DO match, trust me, but the Distress Stickles seems to photograph a bit differently.

Anyway Maya Road ribbon and CB Blossoms, Autumn Leaves clear stamps, Basic Grey Blush papers, and of course, Distress Inks. The Grungeboard pieces are a great background for the metal findings.

The Bag is ready to go!

Tim would be so proud. I used my Perfect Pearls that I won from him, my Golden Acrylics, foam stamps, and my black Sharpie pen! The bag has been around for awhile and needed some jazzing up, so the large pocket on one side got some decoration, and the stars are hung with the little pins from Idea-olgy. LOVE them.

One more night to sleep after tonight, and we are on our way to the Big Show!!!! Hope to get to the 2Peas Social on Saturday and meet some old friends!

See you there!
Linda

Necklace ReDone

Took some time tonight to redo a "necklace." I don't know what else to call it...."way big something you could hang around your neck."

It was fun. Lot's of Grungeboard and Idea-ology pieces. Ink of course. And wire. I had done this piece earlier, but it needed more. You know how that goes. So I added 11 more things, and some white dots. Just for kicks!

Two more days til CHA!! But who's counting?

The Star - Other Side!

Since I don't seem to be getting anything else accomplished...as in making books...I decided to put the harder, shinier metal on the back of the star from yesterday. This is 36g and the other is 40g from Ten Seconds Studio, the higher the gauge, the softer the metal. This strip is the Aluminum, it also comes in copper. (Someone correct me please if this is wrong.) So, since this is harder, it requires more pressure, and a bit more work to accomplish a piece, in my opinion. But, this was done with one tool, and one mold for the middle. The rest is doodles.

We will be using the 40g colored metal in the class, but I will demo this gauge also. I have my favorite, but what do you guys like the best? Come on...post a comment...it doesn't hurt at all...REALLY. They also have pink, brown, moss green and red in the soft metal. My fave, of course, is black.

A few pieces of Grungeboard, a couple of stamps, one of the great pieces of Idea-ology from Mr. Holtz, a couple of brads, and that's the star of the evening!

Did I ever tell you guys that my maiden name is Holtzer, so my nickname is Holtz. Maybe we're distant cousins somehow.........or something.............NAH!

My Interview with The Dabbling Mum

I just received an email that Alyice Edrich of the Dabbling Mum has published her interview that she took with me earlier on her site. If you have time, check it out. She has some wonderful interviews with people in all kinds of mediums and will have several more to come.

My interview is at: http://thedabblingmum.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-05-26T10%3A37%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=3. And her personal blog made my day with her comment.... Create Art for the Right Reasons!
http://www.alyiceedrich.com/2008/05/25/creativereasons . Thanks, Alyice!


Here is the Garden Angel that Erin and Poppie made with Grungeboard on it. The angel has a golden Grungeboard butterfly and beaded body. Don't you love the sweet face Erin made for the lovely lady...and her white scalloped collar? The wire hair was a collaboration! And the butterfly is holding up great in the outdoors!

And I finally got the battery charged enough to get the birdhouse picture taken. I used really great foamies by Making Memories ! Really crisp for a foam stamp...and the wrens are enjoying the unit!

Be well.....keep Wendy's Rick in your thoughts and prayers as he is still recovering from his eye surgery...hang in there Rick!!!!!!