A little holiday cheer...

Just thought I'd pop in here and show y'all the cards from one of my classes last month at

The Scrapbook Page:

 

All very clean and simple, me thinks.  I used Teresa Collins' newest Christmas paper line... LOVE IT!  Very bold and graphic looking with the black.

And just in case I don't get back here to say it before next weekend...

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Magazine submission loser...

Dang it!  I thought it was so pretty.  Oh well, at least I can share it on my blog now :)

Paper:  My Mind's Eye Breeze, DCWV cardstock

Other:  rose trim (JoAnn's), May Arts aqua sheer ribbon

Prima:  aqua flower, gemstones & distressing tool

 

 

By the way, the new distressing tool from Prima is FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC!  I'll never need another distressing tool again.  And the new craft knife is really nice, too... soooooo comfortable to hold!

 

So...

What do you think?

Did ya' miss me?

You should visit my other blog...

... it has way more posts being updated there :)  Especially this time of year.  Find me at:

http://HauntedDesignHouse.blogspot.com

How Tweet...

I thought I'd pop in here and show you the card we made at my last hostess club meeting awhile back.  Well, actually, the one we made was a no-layer card... but there was a big black smudge at the top, so I cut it off and stuck it on a black base:

Sweet, right?  Simple with a bit of whimsy since I drew the border around it free-hand.  The stamp set was one from The Angel Company :)

Sad news...

So the low economy has claimed yet another small business.  For those of you familiar with The Angel Company, for which I am/was a demonstrator, you may have already heard.  The Angel Company officially closed their doors today.  I had joined the TAC team in December 2005, so for the past almost-6 years I had a wonderful and kind extended family of-sorts.  I know I wasn't one of their top sellers, but they welcomed me not only as a hobbyist, but as a fellow papercrafter and artist.

Thanks for so many memories, most of which were made during Angel gatherings & Seminars.  I have found several life-long friends because of TAC... and though we are no longer Angels, those friendships will live on :)

I wish Mischelle & her family all good things on their future path, and to quote the image art of TAC's final cover:

"A truly happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour."

May everyone's detour lead to great things!

Chicago CHA 2011 trip recap and TAC stamp set candy winner! (VERY long post)

Oh My Gawd, Becky.  It was so awesome :)  I was so lucky to have been one of the instructors from The Scrapbook Page that was able to attend CHA this summer!  Thanks Cameron & Carolyn!!!  I had never been to CHA before, though I always read about it on the net.... the only bad part was that we couldn't take the new stuff home with us :(  The bosses asked us to make a list of what we thought would be good sellers... our lists were LLLLLOOOOONNNNNGGGG!

It was complete crafty-sensory overload for me, so I didn't snap many pictures.  I have a few from my phone, but they are out of focus (my first time using the camera on it)... I'll post them here anyway :)

Tim Holtz's booth

Tim Holtz's booth

Tim Holtz's booth

I was SO glad to see so many creepily-elegant Halloween themed lines this year!  I'm not one for cutesy, though they still had plenty of those, but there were a ton of grown-up Halloween lines.
At the top of my list:

Blackbird & Nightfall by Memory Box (LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!)
Midnight Dreary by Moxxie (LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!)
Apothecary Emporium by Echo Park
Haunted Hallows by Teresa Collins
Phantom by Pink Paislee
Kraft Halloween by Canvas Corp
Trick or Treat stamp set by Darcie's (LOVE)
Tim Holtz's new Halloween dies by Sizzix

Graphic 45's booth

Canvas Corp's booth

A few non-Halloween schtuffs that were awesome:
Burlesque line by FabScraps
HUGE background stamps by Impression Obsession
sassy sentiment stamps by Art Impressions
stamp & cut sets by Sizzix
Chalkstock, velvet, burlap and canvas by Canvas Corp
Let's Face It (doll parts) & Botanical (metal findings) by ArtC
chipboard, acrylic & papers by Harmonie
AWESOME new distressing tool by Prima (LOVE LOVE LOVE)
faceted, not-so-shiny bling by Prima
re-vamped Melt-Art by Ranger
Gelatos pigment sticks by Faber-Castell
Tim Holtz's kraft resist papers

Prima's booth (freakin' awesome!!!)

Prima's booth

Prima's booth (LOVE this!!!)

I was also over-the-top lucky to attend the two Ranger classes taught by Tim Holtz!  He was a fantastic instructor, had each step timed perfectly, was very well organized and really fun, too :)  Not only were the class projects awesome, but the amount of product we walked away with was un-freakin'-believable!  Check it out:

(not all of this is from the Ranger classes... but a BIG part of it is... hellooooo, a Melting Pot!  And those big plastic bags are STUFFED full of paint, ink, tools, UTEE, art supplies and more!)

(all Ranger projects... I'm still missing a couple of knobs & a pediment, but it will get finished eventually!)

(my absolute FAVORITE from Ranger Melt Art class)

I also took the 7 Gypsies altered tray class... it is probably my favorite project of the entire week (sorry no pic).  Easy to do and not very time-consuming.  The fabric binding tape isn't sticking as well as I'd hope, but it's probably due to the humidity around here (hello summer... when are you leaving?!!).

Had one downer of a class, but the products we received were awesome!  The class wasn't structured, the focal product wasn't shipped by the manufacturer, and the mixed-media project was just too complex for the setting.

I didn't do my Faber-Castell Gelatos / Maya Road canvas album because I wanted more time to play at home.  LOVE the products, and the project is very cool.  Not a papercrafting project... more mixed media.

UTEE-dipped paper flower brooch.... delightful!

I took a couple of seminar-type classes... one on copyrights and the other was how to present/teach on tv.  I thought the presentation one would give me a few hints to better present/instruct at my classes, but no... it was more like "how to present on HSN", "don't wear red or white" type stuff.  The copyright seminar was very informative.

Shrink plastic on a whole new level :)

Whew, right?  One more quick announcement... the random drawing winner of the TAC stamp set candy that I had blogged about early in July is:  TRINA!  Email me with your snail-mail address so I can send that out to you!

I also received a HUGE mound of rubbah stamps from TAC this week... I couldn't wait to redeem my gift certificates from Seminar, plus some of the sets with which I designed samples for the catalogue were in there :)

It's gonna take awhile to cut them all out, but what BLISS!!

What do you think?

Thank You Peony...

I thought I'd share the other "thank you" card I made last weekend.  More coloring... I find it really hard to NOT color on my cards now.  Which kinda blows when I need to get a bunch done in a little amount of time :P

This is from Dotted Peony, which is another new Nina B. stamp set from The Angel Company:

Super simple card, one teensie little bow & a bit o' Tim Holtz texture.  I am LOVING that large sentiment from For Everything... I wish we had a whole set of LARGE sentiments for card fronts.

What do you think?

Wednesday Card Quickie...

I needed a couple of super quick & easy "thank you" cards to send out this week, so I thought I'd share :)

 

I don't know if this first card could get any more CAS:

Yep, card base, one stamped sentiment, one stamped border & one Copic marker & blender :)

The recipient of this card is a very elegant & CAS cardmaker, so I tried to emulate that.

I'll share my other one tomorrow!

What do you think?

Stamps:  For Everything (TAC)

Cardstock:  White 110# (PTI)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo

Copics:  BG10, 0

America I Love

Check out this sweet new image from The Angel Company!  It's called "America I Love" and it is one of the new Rewards sets available only by having a TAC party or by being a member of my monthly Card Club.

 

(click for larger view)

I colored this cutie while I was at Seminar and finally had a chance to create a QUICK card.  I used one of the Tim Holtz texture plates that we now carry... LOVE it!

 

 

I'm so glad we were able to receive this as part of our swag this past weekend... it came in handy for THIS weekend :)

I hope you all have a safe and festive July 4th!

The Angel Company Seminar 2011 recap...

**warning... this is a long-winded post!**

Yeah, I know... I'm late with this considering I traveled back home on Sunday, but I'm still playing catch-up.  I haven't even unpacked and put away all of the goodies we received yet!  I had so much fun... but then I always do when I go to Seminar :)

Ok, I started off last Wednesday morning, Wichita bound.  I had my list of stamp/scrapbook stores and the Garmin gps (aka Bitchin' Betty) was programmed and ready to go!  I made great time and didn't get lost once :)  (well, just a little bit on Thursday).  My favorite store is still Mrs. O'Leary's... they have the BEST Halloween and collage stamps.  And the store is so eclectic... you never know what little fabulous trinket you'll find hiding in a drawer or tucked behind something else.  Let's just say, I'm glad I budgeted correctly before arriving ;)

After the "Cannonball Run" shopping excursion, I was off to see my WOSFF (web-o-sphere friend forever), Laurie W.!  Oh how I love her :)  We had a nice relaxing visit... which we both needed!  Her new stamp room is amazing... me so jealous!  I so wish we could have visited longer, but Thursday I had to get up EARLY to drive back into Wichita for the Copic Intermediate Certification class...

The class was great... a lot of it was definitely a refresher from those college classes I took oh-so-long ago :)  Debbie Olsen was a fab instructor, and if anyone has trouble with shading and shadow, this course is well worth it.

We had a break for dinner and Mischelle Smith (TAC owner) had asked the catalogue cover designers to join her & Debbie R (also with TAC) at a local restaurant... well, we think it was local... we were driving forever... it could have been in Oklahoma for all we know (just kidding)   :)

Angela K, Deb M, Risa A & myself didn't even eat our dinner... we were too busy scanning over the new catalogue, trying to memorize it until the next morning when it would be revealed :)  It was such a great time... and the look on Angela's face when we saw that she was the covergirl... PRICELESS!  Fab work, my friend!!  All of the cover submissions from everyone were just fantastic... and seeing them in person, there are so many details to catch!

The classes and demos were awesome all weekend... the TAC Dream Team designers did a phenomenal job, and it is so interesting to see everyone's teaching style.  We were lucky enough to have a few demos from Susan, the stamping cop from Tsukineko :)  I must have Potion #9 now... thanks, Susan!

Banquet night was fun... except for that funky watermelon & cucumber cold soup... what?!  Uh, ewww.  Well, that and when I had to go on stage for being this year's Star Recruiter... what?!  Yep, I've got another tiara, because they are sooooooooo me ;) 

The best part of the night was watching Angela's face every time she had to go up on stage... that whole deer-in-the-headlights kinda thing.  And she got Angel of the Year... which she TOTALLY deserves... you are amazing, Angela!!!  I'm so glad we finally got to meet after all these years!

The Halo's luncheon was fun... Mary (Angel #001, & Mischelle's mom) is freakin' hilarious.  No, really.  Thanks for keeping it lively, Mary ;)  And I sat next to Avis A, who really is a sweetie... why don't we get together more often, we're not that far away from each other?!

(Michelle McD & Danni B)

This year, I was lucky enough to get to room with Michelle McD again!!!  And I also finally got to meet & room with Danni B.  Danni didn't know what she got herself into... light sleeper... SUCKER!  Giggling in the wee hours of the morning over off-the-wall, completely random poll questions initiated by Michelle... I'm still snickering over some :)   Not to mention Michelle & I like it very cold... not Danni.  We gave her our blanket though... we're nice like that :)  And I swear that the beds got smaller this year... I didn't think we got wider... but maybe that's just me hoping ;)  Unless Michelle was just trying to spoon me.  We may never know  >:)

(this picture does no justice... 28 stamp sets alone!)

And finally, the swag!  Yeah!  OMG, Becky, it was so much :)  I ended up with like 28 stamp sets, 6 paper packs, a matchbook kit, fun project samples & instructions, an awesome uber-girly purse, a HUGE metal flower ring that is more like a throwing star (it will come in handy in dark parking lots), a tiara & gift certificates to be redeemed on MORE stamps/papers/whatever in the catalogue!  The Angel Company really knows how to spoil us!  And I know that when the attendance is low at seminar, they can really UP the swag... but still... this was amazing!

I am really fired up to get to stamping again!  And though my day job is important, I really need it to slow down so I can enjoy my FUN job!  Now, if you read this entire thing and made it all the way to here, then leave a comment for a chance to win a new stamp set from the catalogue... I'm not telling you which one, but it's rubbah, right?!  In your comment, I need you to tell me what your favorite kind of card is to make... see, easy!

Also, TAC is having a fabulous new Angel Starter Kit special for the month of July:

Standard Starter Kit includes the following:
Catalog Bundle (10 catalogs)
Current promo set of the Month
T3273 Everyday All Day Booking Stamp Set
Order Forms
Recruit Brochures
Funshop Invites
Policy Manual (available online)
The Angel Company Logo Stamp
Foundations Collection (Premium White Cardstock)
Penelope Soar With It Collection
Natalee Soar With It Collection
5 Choice Paper Collections (1 Classic SWIC, 2 SWIC, 1 WIC, 1 DC)

Acrylic mounting Starter Kit
Noir Black Palette Ink Pad
7 stamp sets (you select from all price points)

AND IN JULY ONLY: 

8 ~ Level A Rewards Sets ~ your choice from any current catalogue

2 ~ Level B Rewards Sets ~ your choice from any current catalogue

1 ~ Level C Rewards Set ~ your choice from any current catalogue

This promotion is valid through the month of July, so what are you waiting for?  Contact me with any questions, to get a catalogue, and/or to sign-up!  My contact info is at the top of my blog HERE.  And to see the new catalogue online, go HERE!

New TAC catalogue set previews... Day 3

Last day of new stuff for this week... I'm probably THINKING about getting out of bed and packing for the trip home right about now.  Lucky for you I scheduled this post ;)

Anyway, let's get to it:

Awwwwwww, right?!  Now let me just say that this would NOT be happening at my house.  I hate it when the puppies kiss me... I'd much rather just snuggle up with them :)  What about the rest of the set?

Cute!  LOVE LOVE LOVE this set, being the dog lover I am :)  Just look at the other main image of this set!

What do you think?

New TAC catalogue set previews... Day 2

Today, a super quick post... and a super simple card:

Cute little puppy, no?!  I decided to dig into my scrap pile for this one.  I think this will be good to pop in with a little giftie.  Wanna see the rest of the set?

 

 

LOVE that purse the chick is carrying, don't you?  Not to mention the top right sentiment pair... heee heee.

 

 

Well, one more day of peeks tomorrow, and then maybe a Seminar recap next week!

 

What do you think?

 

New TAC catalogue set previews... Day 1

Seminar is here!  Well, more like I'm at Seminar :P  Anyway, as promised, I am gonna share a few quick peeks at some new sets from the new catalogue from The Angel Company!  The first two will be super simple, small, but cute ;)  

First up is this little cutie:

ACK!  Told ya'... ca-yoot!  This little one is from the set called "Pocket Peepers"  which is an add-on set that goes with "Friends and Pockets".  Wanna see what both of those look like?

Fun stuff, right?  LOVE the fancy pocket design... I might be using that one a lot :)  And just look at that frog... and the daisies... and that BABY... seriously sweet.

Don't forget to pop by tomorrow for another peek!

What do you think?

More Not-so-Emo cards...

I forgot to post the other two that go with my previous post!  One for the boys and one for the girls:

Such a cute image!  And now my FAVORITE of the three:

Is she not adorable?!  I know!  There's no more room in the class next week using the store Copic markers, but if you bring your own Copics, I can make you up a kit & you can attend the class!!

Just contact The Scrapbook Page  :)

What do you think?