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?

A sunny card for a cold winter's night...

I thought I'd share another one of the All Occasion Fairy cards I'll be teaching on Monday, February 21st at The Scrapbook Page.  And since it is soooooooo freakin' cold outside, this one just may bring a little sunshine into your life :)

This is Darby and Bumbles... aren't they both the cutest?!  And just look at those bright colors... can't believe it was me that used them, can ya'?  I know!  But I need a little warmth & sunshine right now:   the past few days have been totally sucky... and not in a good way... I'm just sayin'.

ACK!  Cah-yoot-ness!!  Just look at that face.

So, iffen you want all the details for this card, you have to come to my class :)  Suckers  ';)

And don't forget to tune in to Mischelle's blog on Thursday February 17th for my Guest Designer stint over there... I'm still trying to work on a video for that... 

uh, yeah... riiiiiiiiight...

What do you think?

Copic Color Caboodles Marker Clubs

So the Copic craze is everywhere... and I'm here to enable you :)

I'm so excited to offer some AWESOME Copic clubs of which ANYONE can take advantage. In case you didn't know, The Angel Company now has their own sets of Copics called Color Caboodles^TM.  Each Caboodle set has 12 Sketch style Copic markers in 4 different colors. That means that you get three markers in the same color family making it easy for blending and shading. And as an added bonus, we have matching cardstock for each Caboodle set. There are a total of SEVEN different Caboodle sets to choose from!

Copic Color Caboodles^TM Marker Clubs

No matter which club you choose, Caboodle Club Members will receive the following benefits: 

• A Copic Caboodle Swatch Book to coordinate with each Caboodle set you purchase. There will be spaces for color swatches, paper swatches and special combos. This book will be such a great resource when coloring - you will refer to it again and again to get the same colors together!
• Copic Club Happy Hour every month for members – come and play and see how to color and learn techniques. Fill your swatch book and create samples to look back to for color combos and tips.
  Receive classroom style color instruction from me, a Certified Copic Designer.
• You are also eligible for any TAC specials that require a $30 purchase – so you can get the stamp of the month at its special price without any additional order required.
• Need something else – During your hostess month you can utilize the 20% discount on additional items (Limited to $150)

COPIC CLUB EXTREME - this is the club for those that want them ALL! You get the best savings because you are essentially paying for 5 sets and getting 2 FREE!

4 people 4 months $125 per month – Each month you’d get 2 sets of Caboodles and 6 sheets of Copic white cardstock! During your hostess month, you’d only get one set but you’d also get a FREE level A & B hostess set! Please note, $125 would still be due during your hostess month.

$125 too much to spend per month for you? Then maybe the 8 people 8 months $65 per month is more for you. Each month you’d get 1 set of Caboodles and 3 sheets of Copic white cardstock! During your hostess month, you wouldn’t receive a set but you’d still get the FREE level A & B hostess set! Please note, $65 would still be due during your hostess month.

COPIC CLUB ULTIMATE - This is the club for those that just want to get a few Caboodle sets at a time. At the end of the club you’d wind up with TWO Caboodle sets (THREE if you decided to purchase another one as your ½ price item) as well as matching color cardstock and white Copic cardstock.

4 people 4 months $55 per month – Each month you’d get 6 markers, 6 sheets of Copic white cardstock  and 6 sheets matching color cardstock. During your hostess month, you’d have the option to get something at ½ price so you may choose another Caboodle set! You’d also receive a FREE level A hostess set! Please note, during your hostess month you’d owe the $55 PLUS whatever else you purchased.

COPIC CLUB - This is the club for those that want some Copics but realize that bills still have to be paid. At the end of the club you’d end up with ONE Caboodle set (TWO if you decided to purchase another one as your ½ price item) as well as matching color cardstock and white Copic cardstock.

4 people 4 months $33 per month – Each month you’d get 3 markers, 6 sheets of Copic white cardstock and 6 sheets matching color cardstock. During your hostess month, you’d have the option to get something at ½ price so you may choose another Caboodle set! You’d also receive a FREE level A hostess set! Please note, during your hostess month you’d owe the $33 plus whatever else you purchased.

Really want to take advantage of your hostess month? Why not 5 people for 5 months. The only difference is you wouldn’t owe the $33 during your hostess month – you’d owe just whatever you decided to purchase for ½ price (plus any other specials chosen).

Please contact me to sign up or if you have any questions!  barbi007@kc.rr.com

For all of you that receive this blog post via their Reader, I've also added this club information to a page tab at the top of my blog HERE.

*Please note that any club must have full sign-up participation prior to beginning.  Also, all prices shown above are for local customers.  If your order requires me to ship it to you then actual shipping charges will apply. 

**Please go HERE to view all available TAC exclusive Color Caboodles!  Scroll down slightly and you will see Caboodles A thru G.

Another winner-of-sorts :)

... ME!  I was so excited to see that I won one of The Angel Company's demonstrator-only contests this month!  What does this mean?  Well, $100 in free rubbah, baby!  Woot woot :)  I could have also chosen from TAC's exclusive patterned papers, ribbon collections or hardware... but me wants the rubbah worst :)

I know... you non-stamping, non-crafty people are just shaking your head thinking "whoopity-do-dah", but those that ARE crafty have a big smile for me, I'm sure :)  AND I'm not the only winner... check out these wonderful ladies' work at TAC's website!  Mini-albums, scrapbook pages & cards aplenty!!  

I'll say one of TAC's slogans yet again... because being an Angel is just more FUN!

These photos are a bit washed-out so you can't see the sky very well... although it IS a REALLY light blue.  It's got a bit o'dotty action goin' on, but not a lot.  I also added Glossy Accents to the water, her sunglasses & the boat sail... so cute.  How can you NOT love that freakin' attitude?!  The contest was "Beachy Keen", so I named this little gem "Beachy Little Girl"... more bitchy than beachy :)  

Can't you just picture her head doin' that "mmmmmmmm hhmmmmmm" circle action?

Stamps:  Oh No She Didn't

Paper:  Lilly Anna dp, Lilly Anna & white ultrasmooth cardstocks

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo

Other:  Mia's Cottage Ribbon, Glossy Accents, button, White & Pink Scrapper's Floss (LOVE!)

Copics:  B000, B00, B02, E000, E00, E11, E09, RV10, RV11, YG01, YG03, YG91, YR23, YR24

More wondermous news... I have a new Angel baby!  Yep, I'm "officially" up to Team Leader again :)  Jeannie Sturm hails from Ohio, and is just the sweetest thing {waiving wildly... Hi Jeannie!}  I can't wait to see how she does with her TAC business!

What do you think?!

Hedgehogs Gone Wild

... courtesy of fellow TAC Angel, Chelsea C.!!  May I please direct your attention to the following blog post:

 

Chelsea's Hedgehogs 

 

Please note that not ALL the facts are represented... I was NOT the only instigator in this challenge :)

I'm just sayin'.

Thanks, Chelsea for the fabulous Ode to Hedgehogs... 

... no one will ever look at that stamp image the same again :)

O...M...G... Becky...

I FINALLY made a freakin' card.  AND I like it :)  Even though it is really simple, with hardly any foof.

But just look at that face!!  Isn't she A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E?  I know!  This little cutie is part of a new stamp set from The Angel Company called Oh No She Didn't.  However, you can't get your grubby little mitts on this set until after July 1st... sucka!  Don't be sad... it's not too far off  ;)

After I colored her up, I coated the umbrella, goulashes, frog, & the blue part of her jacket in a couple of layers of Crystal Lacquer... me likey!  Sorry the photos bite it... it was a bit overcast when I took these.  But the dimension & shininess of the lacquer are awesome in person.

Do you think this card has a bit too many dots?  Umbrella, background, puddle, punch, & trim... dang!  And if the photos would have captured them, I dotted her jacket, goulashes & umbrella... they look mottled... like water.

Stamps:  Oh No She Didn't (coming soon!), This Girl (inside sentiment), retired GWP (miss u), Go Places (sun, retired)

Paper:  Sands of Time, white ultrasmooth, premium white & DCWV cardstocks

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo

Other:  Crystal Lacquer, EK Success edger punches, Pop dots, dotty trim

Copics:  0, B000, B00, B02, BG02, BG05, BG07, V99, YG01, YG06, E000, E00, E02, E11, E53, E57, YR24, W2

What do you think?

Happy 10 year anniversary...

... to Poot & I!  It doesn't seem like it's been that long... 

and then some days it DOES seem that long  :)   

And though he doesn't read my ramblings on the web, I'll send out a big 

"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, POOT... LUV U... BIG KISS"  :)

A happy hello...

I love Spring.  Really I do.  Especially sleeping with the windows open & a chilly breeze blows the entire night.  The bad thing:  I just want to snuggle under the covers and not get up in the morning :)  I can't even count the number of times I hit the snooze button this morning!  What sucks worse?  Poot kept hitting HIS snooze button... and our clocks are not in sync... so every 3 minutes there was a freakin' alarm going off {ugh!}  Ok, maybe it was every 5 minutes.  Whatever it was... it was NOT a good thing :)

So, enough of a glimpse into my life for the moment... on to the fun stuff!  I had stamped this little flower onto a practice sheet whenever I had that Copic coloring class a while back, so I thought I'd use it.  And how ever-so-fitting for Spring, right?

Stamps:  Spring Dream, Tiny Tidbits, Swirlies, Petal Pack, and Linear Sentiments

Paper:  Lilly Anna, Cha Cha, Penelope, white ultrasmooth, & black cardstocks

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo, Raw Sienna Palette, VersaMark

Other:  Extra Jumbo flower punch, Scor-Bug, button, black Scrapper's Floss, black felt, EK Success edger punch

Copics:  YR20, YR23, YR24, E57, V01, V06, V09, G12, G21, G85

Tip #1:  Stamp a large flower (from Petal Pack) on the back of the black felt with a light chalk ink and then cut it out.  You don't have to buy a die or pre-made felt flowers!

Tip #2:  Be sure to use the edger punch before using the Scor-bug.  Some punches are hard to gauge exactly how much paper is cut off, and you don't want the border too close to the piercing.

Tip #3:  After punching the yellow flower, cut between petals towards the center half way.  Curl the separate petals under a bit with a chopstick or pencil for added dimension.

On a sad note... all of the stamps used for this card, except for one, are being discontinued!  On a happy note... you can get them for 25% off!

Ab Fab, right?  Want some more fabulous news?  A dear friend has JUST opened a new boutique at 4505 90th Street in Prairie Village, Kansas called The Blue Bow, and she has been selling my cards & creations!  She's already taken requests for additional items... I am so psyched! (as opposed to psycho)  I can't wait for her to get her website going... it is one of those eclectic decor & furniture boutiques... small, but sooooo much fun to get lost in :)  Good luck, Brenda!!

What do you think?

HAPPY MAIL!!!!

OMG, Becky...

After a crazy day at work, what do I find waiting patiently next to my front door?  A lovely Priority Mail box.  And what was inside?  THIS AWESOME CARD KEEPER from a fellow Angel demo, Angela K.!  There are two other fabulous projects at the start of her post and then MY new giftie is the final one... jealous?  You totally should be :)  I immediately hung it up in my room so I can see it from my crafty table.

Thanks, Angela!  You are the sweetest!  Please go visit Angela and show her a little love... she is so creative :)

Oh what a weekend...

Okay, so Amy and I are driving along Friday morning, on our way to Laurie's house for a bit of stamping fun with Jen & Bren (wow... that sounds like a nursery story or something).  ANYWAY, once we get to Emporia, I (being the navigational ree ree that I am) somehow ended up on the wrong 2-lane highway.  No biggie, right... I mean it still leads to the right town eventually, it's just a different way... yeah, ok.  Little did we know, THAT particular highway is a favorite of semi-trucks... and not just a few... we were sandwiched within a dozen or so in some truck convoy headed west.

Let's throw another little wrench into the mix, shall we?  Just before Emporia, the snow started coming down pretty good... AND a nice little blustery wind decided to join the party.  Now, on this small highway, there are these lane sections every once in awhile for semi's to veer off to so that "faster" traffic can whiz on by.  Well... the dude in front of me was more than happy to oblige... nice right?  NotSoMuch... since the extra lanes were not plowed, all it did was throw more crap up in my windshield, further blinding us.  Did I mention you couldn't tell where any lines were?  30 mph?  Yeah.  I know.  It sucked... and NOT in a good way.

WELL, the 3-1/2 hour trip from Topeka was SO worth it :)  We had a great time once we got there!  Stamping, chit chat, a little alcohol, and loads of laughter were EXACTLY what we needed!  Did you see the CA-YOOT cards we made?!  We decided to each bring a shoebox project for everyone just in case the mojo wasn't flowing.  You've seen the card project I brought before... it was the Happy Heart Day rock-n-roll jobbie.

I've always loved doing shoebox swaps... it gives you a chance to  work with stuff you might not have, use techniques you might not know, and gives you design ideas about which you might not have thought.   

This bunny card was one that I watercolored while I was there.  This stamp was one that I bought a LONG time ago... pre-TAC :)  I've always loved it... I can't remember who made it... Art Impressions maybe?  My favorite is that cute aqua bunny... look at that face!

And now, I'll leave you with this...

...a nice row of bunny butts

:) 

That's just how I roll.

What do you think?
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Awwwwwwwww...

... aren't these cute?!  I wanted to use up those adorable scalloped left-overs from a couple of posts back, so I made some little gift enclosure cards.  AND I was able to rid myself of a couple of more bits from my scrap pile... which always makes me happy. 

:)

See?

Stamps:  Toot My Horn & Fabulous Frames (available Feb. 1st!!), retired sentiment
Paper:  DCWV, Black, & White UltraSmooth cardstocks
Ink:  Raw Sienna & Noir Palettes
Other:  Stardust clear glitter pen, WeR eyelets, misc. ribbon, Black Scrapper's Floss, Michaels' floral feltie, Labels 4 Nesties, Sophia and In Bloom Buttons & Blossoms

For the little VW bug, I stamped the image, cut it out, added the eyelets as tires (great idea, Laurie!), and finished it by adding a bit of glitter pen accents.  It's up on foam tape to balance out the eyelet thickness.  The black strip of cardstock is supposed to read as "street"... hope you picked that up ;)

I love  this "friend" card... all those layers and feltie texture.  I've always been weird about felt... it feels funny... and NOT in a good way.  I must be facing my fears as of late :)   
"Facing fears of funny feeling felt"... say that 10 times really fast.

What do you think?

Some good news:  I've got the new Serendipity Street spring catalogues in hand!

Some really good news:  I'm fortunate enough to have some of my work in the catalogue!  I know!  Very exciting!  
If you would like to get a copy, just email me for details: barbi007@kc.rr.com 


btw... this new blog template has the comment section at the top under the title... it's kinda confusing... sorry!
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Wonder and Joy

Ok... I'll say it... I think this is the ca-YOOT-ist image so far from TAC's pre-release bundle for the upcoming Serendipity Magalogue (aka Spring Maggie)!  There were a ton of stamp sets, but I'm tellin' ya'... this set is a MUST HAVE for anyone who likes to paper piece or color.

I fussy-cut a sheet of Mimi dp to make it look like little Miss Joy is perched on a flowery pink vine in the middle of imaginative garden.  Freakin' adorable, right?!  I KNOW!  Check out those rosey cheeks and the look of wonder on her face.

You can't really see in the photos, but I used pink & green glitter pens on her hair ribbons, cuffs of her pants & the bottom edge of her dress.

Stamps:  Wonder and Joy (coming soon!)
Paper:  More Mimi double-sided dp, White UltraSmooth, Mimi & Mia's Cottage cardstocks
Ink:  Palette Noir
Colorant:  Prismacolors with mineral oil blending
Other:  Cloud Scissors, Pop Dots, sheer pink ribbon

Why yes... it DID take some time to cut her out... thanks for asking ;)  The ol' craft knife had to come out for this one... but o-so-worth-it.  Pop dots are a wonderful thing.  I think I'm gonna keep this card for myself :)


What do you think?
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Check it!

I almost forgot!  You should go check out my WOSFF Laurie's blog... she made the cutest card out of a drawing I gave her.  Great card, girl!

Find it HERE!

OMG... Barb ACTUALLY cooked...

Yes... yes it's true :)  I made enough potato soup to feed a small country!

Barb Foster's Potato Soup




Ingredients:

• (1) 5 lb. bag o' yellow potatoes
• (1) 16 oz.  bag o' carrots
• 1 large white onion
• 1/2 large brick o' Velveeta
• 1-1/2 sticks o' butter
  
• 1% milk (I just pour until I get it right, so you are on your own!)
• granulated garlic
• fresh cracked pepper
• sea salt
• 1 tbs. Mock Spinach (dill mix) pantry staple (Homemade Gourmet)
• 2 tbs. Garlic Basil pantry staple (Homemade Gourmet)

Directions:
Wash potatoes well... no need to peel 'em!!  Cut into small cubes and cover with water in HUGE Dutch Oven pot (trust me, it will need to be a biggie) and start boiling.  Meanwhile, shred or finely dice carrots & onion and saute with 1/2 stick butter, healthy sprinkling of garlic, pepper, sea salt, the Mock Spinach mix, and 1 tbs. Garlic Basil mix in deep skillet.

Potatoes should be cooked so that a fork can easily poke through.  Drain so that most of the water is gone, leaving about "three fingers" of water in the bottom.  Add stick of butter & cubed Velveeta to melt.  The carrot-onion mixture can be added at this time to speed up melting process.

Start adding milk after butter & cheese are melted (or close to it).  I added a lot... it all depends on how thin of a base you want.  Add one more tbs. of Garlic Basil, and simmer until piping hot.

We like thicker soups & stews and this soup almost has a bisque base... a result from the mixing & melting process.  Yummy.

I plan to freeze most of this so we can have it throughout the winter.  If you decided to try this, may I suggest you half the recipe, and let me know how you like it!!

What do you think?
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Happy Mail :)

Look at the lovelies that I snatched out of the mailbox when I got home this evening!  Let me just say, TAC Angels are THE BEST!

Kim Sears sent me a witchy card, a beyond-uber-cool cardstock background made with glue & Pearl-Ex, and some Halloween Fries :)  Kim said that when she saw the creepy box o' flanges, she thought of me... awwwwwwwww... how sweet, right?  ;)  

Kim IS so sweet... last year she sent me a chipboard Christmas "Joy" book to alter... you can see it finished here:  
http://fosterdesignhouse.blogspot.com/2008/11/i-know-i-know-where-heck-have-i-been.html
I know!  Thanks, Kim!!!

Next up, from Patti J., super cute Halloweenie pizza box with skelly tag.  Then on the INSIDE, first is this:


... because I am sooooooooo angelic, right?  ;)  And then under the tissue paper is THIS!!!

...creepy-cool, right?!  Again, Patti said she thought of me when out shopping and came across this.  Because though I am so totally into creepy Halloween spiders, we all know a girl needs a little bling-i-ness in her life ;)  Thanks so much, Patti!!

Last month, Seleise sent me this totally cute green piggie card and mummy bag.  And inside the mummy bag?

...yeay!  More stamps!  More for my ever-growing collection!  These are great because they are smaller images... perfect to sneek in here or there ;)

THEN, Rita W. sent me this freakin' awesome necklace!  The pendant is made from a piece of a Scrabble game!  Told ya'... kewl!  Thanks, Rita!!

And finally, from Melisa, I was given THIS!!!  We took part in a Art Share, and she made this altered hardboard canvas.  It is beyond fantastic, and the pictures do not do it justice at all.  Crackle paint, glitter, heat embossing... there is a TON of detail on this little beauty.  

I have it propped up in a creepy iron easel that I can see from my studio table... I love it!  Thank you so much, Melisa!!!



Whew.  How's that for a crazy-long post!  I just want to once again thank all of these sweet ladies for all of my Happy Mail!


What do you think?
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