Product Love

I know I've been down and out for a bit - but I have not forgotten this place. I've flown the coop so to speak and am in babyland. Babies are precious, wonderful, tiring, and throw a huge kink in my daily flow. It is quite lovely (and I mean that with the utmost sincerity and sarcasm). So back to the "regular" programming, as if there's been such a thing. I bring you product love...

I love these folders and little bits. I can't imagine for the life of me what I would do with them - but I'm going to give it the good old college try once I have a chance. I'm sure there is a perfect project they can be used for...or I can just enjoy looking at them. Either way, it's a win on both counts. These beauties are from Alison Kreft for Webster Pages. I got the original source for the image here.

Alison Kreft is amazingly talented and I've admired her work for years. I'm glad she's doing work with other companies. So that's it for today. It happens to be rainy where I'm at today. After a few blistering hot days, it is a nice reprieve. I hope everything is well where you are at today. Until then...

Product Love: Kit Club

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For the past few years, I've flirted with the idea of joining a kit club.  Last September, I took the plunge and joined the Cocoa Daisy kit club and really enjoyed it.  After the winter CHA products started arriving in stores, I canceled my membership.  My scrapbooking expenses were going way up as all of those wonderful goodies became available.  I recognized this wasn't a problem after the summer show because those products tend to be heavily holiday focused - and I'm definitely an everyday moments kind of scrapper.  I don't enjoy scrapping events or holidays.  After I had exhausted my spending opportunities at the local stores, I decided to give another kit club a try - Studio Calico.  I really enjoyed Cocoa Daisy.  I just wanted to see what another kit club had to offer.  I got my first kit this week - Planetarium and scrapbooked all weekend.  I loved it.  So I thought I'd devote this post to kit clubs and why they are so wonderful.

• I get access to one of a kind products.
• I get an opportunity to try out products I would never buy in a store - which can be surprisingly wonderful.
• It takes the guess work out of matching products.
• It opens me up to new color combinations.
• It feeds the need for new crafty things in my house.
• It provides an online community and access to oodles of inspiration, challenges, and overall informational goodness.  
• They do not push holiday products.
• They give me one more way to tell my story - and be motivated to do so.

I have a few other kits short listed to try out in the future.  If I keep on scrapping regularly, I might consider adding a second kit (if it's in my budget - yes, i said it).  I'll keep everyone posted.  I hope everyone's having a lovely Monday.  It might be time for me to start a count down to the day I get to see my nephew.  Love him so much.  Anyhoo...it's about that time, so....Until then...

Product Love

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I'm completely in love with hand sewing on my layouts thanks to Amy Tangerine.  It started with her great embroidery stencil kits and has grown.  It has given new life to my punches.  I just can't wait to see what else I can do.  I'm in love with embroidery thread.  It's inexpensive.  It comes in SO many colors.  It's wonderful.  And...it really packs a wallop on layouts.  It has the ability to take a layout to another level.  I'm slightly addicted.

Supplies: Paper: American Crafts; Echo Park Paper; Stickers: American Crafts; Simple Stories; Stamps: Hero Arts; KI Memories; Brad: Basic Grey; Buttons: October Afternoon; Studio Calico; Spray Mist: Studio Calico; Ranger Dylusions; 

This layout was definitely the moment when I realized how much hand sewing had to offer to my scrapbooking process.  I can't say enough about it.  I love it so much.  The elephant is actually a stamped image from Hero Arts that I sewed and cut out.  I made the circles with a Fiskars punch with leftover scraps.  I pieced the scraps together to make full circles and then sewed around each.  The pictures are actually tucked into the folds of patterned paper.  The boy is definitely the star of this layout.  However, the embroidery thread/sewing just makes it so much better.

So that's it...my pick for this Monday.  I hope everyone has a great week.  Until then...

Friday Five

Happy Friday! I want to welcome everyone to a new weekly feature focused on five things that are important to me at this moment. These posts will range from the mundane to inspirational goodness to the somewhat wacky. I thought I'd start my first post with five crafty products I'm loving right now. These are items that can be found on most of my recent pages. Some of these pretties have made me approach crafting in a different way.  So without further ado.

1. Capture Yes, Please Amy Tangerine Embroidery Stenciling Kit
These beauties have totally revolutionized the way I approach my scrapbooking pages. I'm totally in love with this product.  There are actually two sets; the first set is pictured below and the second set (Inspired) is mostly letters and numbers.  I have both sets and am desperately trying to figure out how to make the letters work.  Each set comes with three different colors of embroidery thread and needles.  I love the image set.  Love it.

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2.  Yes, Please Amy Tangerine for American Crafts

This line was one of my favorites from the winter CHA show.  It's been a huge influence in my pages but not quite as much as the next item on my list.  Click on the link to see the whole line.  It's amazing

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3.  Lucky Charm Dear Lizzy for American Crafts

I wasn't sure about this line initially.  I was really turned off by the horses.  I'm not a horse fan - a story for a different time -  so I just sort of wrote the whole line off.  Totally my mistake...because it's beautiful.  There were two papers that really made me see the light so to speak.

Stargazers - Source

Falling Stars - Source

I really love the B-side of the Falling Stars paper.  It says "love you to the stars and back."  It's one of my favorite sayings.  Also - the star maps are completely amazing.  I just love this line so much.  So glad I didn't let the horses completely block my view.

4.  Dylusions Ink Sprays

I've really been trying to use my spray inks with intention and the slightest amount of fear.  I have a number of different brands - but the Dylusions have the most concentrated color.  I am using them primarily as a splattering tool.  Loving every minute of it despite the occasional mishap and swear word.  It's really giving me a chance to be artsy with the smallest loss of control.  

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5.  Cocoa Daisy Clear Stamps

I've been using a lot of their small stamps on my layouts.  My layouts haven't been big on journaling lately - but they do have a saying here or there thanks in part to Cocoa Daisy Stamps.  I've also been using this set from KI memories.

Before I go, I want to share one layout with a lot of the elements I've shared from above.  On this layout you can see four of the five products.  I really love the way this layout turned out.  I had a hard time with the finishing touches but am generally happy with the final result.  I particularly love my own take on patterned insta-frames.  

Supplies: Cardstock: Archivers; Patterned Paper; American Crafts, Echo Park Paper; Stickers: American Crafts, KI Memories; Brad: Basic Grey; Template: American Crafts; Doily: Michaels; Other: Buttons, Thread

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I would love to hear what's making you happy on the crafting or reading front at this time.  Until then...

Product Love - Better Late Than Never

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There are a lot of great products on the market right now - Derwent Inktense Pencils are definitely high on the list.  I have a really hard time saying no to a lot of things - but these beauties were particularly difficult. I made it a few months - I'm proud to say AND I found them at a really great price point (about $1.05 per pencil with free shipping). So far, I've only got the opportunity to play around with a few images. I thought I'd share a few of my experiments here. Please note: I am definitely a beginner when it comes to using these pencils. There are some great videos on YouTube out there on these products. I would highly recommend looking a little deeper. So without further ado...

This first image is Lulu Loves Poppies from Stamping Bella.  This picture is actually my second go at this sweet girl.  I used what I'm calling the "brush to tip" method to color her.  The basic steps included dipping the brush in water; using the brush to get pigment from the tip of the pencil; and layering color in one direction.  I really liked the softness of these flowers.  I was unimpressed by the dress.

This is my first go at the image.  This is the "pencil, paper, water" technique - again named by yours truly.  The basic steps are to color the image with pencil and then use water to blend.  The colors were much more bright in this example and the blending was a little more seamless.  However, I really missed the lighter color and nuances in the first image.  I didn't realize that until I tried the "brush to tip" method.

The last two images are from Tim Holtz.  I love, love, love these blueprint, birthday images.  I used the "brush to tip" method on both of these images.  I used Canson Mixed Media Paper from an art store and had to give it a little time before adding layers of color.  This gave me a really bright effect in the end and I'm pretty happy with both as a first attempt.

I'm still in the process of learning how to use these wonderful little pencils - but I'm ecstatic to have them as part of my stash.  I will definitely have more images here in the future and will keep everyone posted on my progress.  I hope everyone is having a great Monday.  Until then...

10 on the 10th - Most Used Crafting Supplies

I'm a little scared to utter the words out loud - but I think my mojo might be back!  I've scrapped four pages in the last week and am feeling really good about it.  I thought I'd take this opportunity to list the 10 products I've used most on the last four pages and really loved.  I also will give a little bit of information on how it's changed the way I'm doing things.  So drumroll please Ms. Tonks...

 1.  Dylusions Ink Spray by Ranger ~ I currently have the four color swatches below (colors from left to right: Vibrant Turquoise, London Blue, Lemon Zest, and Fresh Lime).

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2.  Dylusions Stencils

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3.  Color Magic by Heidi Swapp

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4.  Distress Inks by Ranger - I'm really loving Perfect Peacock right now.

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5.  American Crafts Thickers - Heyday Mistable from Studio Calico

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6.  October Afternoon ~ Loving layering these with a brad.

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7. Decorative Brads ~ Pick your favorite company.  Right now I'm really loving My Mind's Eye.

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8. American Crafts Adhesive

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9. Distress Markers by Ranger

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10. Instagram Photos - printed at Persnickety Prints

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I should also add I've been using sketches, design principles, and patterned paper by the masses.  I'm on Pinterest constantly.  I've organized my boards to be more meaningful and inspiring for me.  These 10 products have opened the door to a subdued form of mixed media scrapbooking and I couldn't be happier.  I went for the 3X3 option for my photos so there's much more space to tell the story.  In addition, because I'm using wet media - I walk away from my layouts for drying time which has really given me permission to let a layout sit and percolate for a few hours or days depending on the situation.  I'm really loving this new approach (if you want to call it that).

Today: I'm getting out of the house, getting coffee, and reading up on play therapy.  Good times all around.  I don't have any immediate plans to craft but who knows.  I'm really trying to enjoy these last few days of summer.  I hope everyone has a great Friday.  Until then...

Product Love: Change it Up

I've always loved the art of scrapbooking.  However, I've always had a hard time reconciling my own experience with the scrapping world.  It seems full of married women with children and that's just not me. It might never be me - which IS okay.  As a way of fitting into the landscape, I've adopted scrapbooking as my creative journaling process.  I tell my stories - both good and bad - along with everyday moments and my love of family.  It's definitely a rewarding approach.  It's just that sometimes I forget it's important to live your life and take the photos in order to tell the story.  There are no good stories to be found in sitting on the couch every night.  There are only so many pictures I can take of my beastly kitty.  So with all that in mind - I'm changing it up.  I bought something really grand over the weekend.  I have a smaller version which I've barely touched - but there was something more welcoming about this beauty.  I think it has something to do with the size.

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Introducing the new and improved GINORMOUS Smash book.  I'm totally in love with this thing.  I would go into more detail but I think the K&Company website says it best...

"Tuck it in, in a big way. The larger sized Pocket SMASH folio has enough bound-in folders, pockets and envelopes to hold the really major moments that happen every day. These aren't just your ordinary journal pages, they're covered with images, designs and captions to make design a snap. Includes 42 pages, plus 6 special pocket pages and a pen and glue stick. Book size is 11" wide x 13.5" high"
~Source: K&Company

It's amazing.  I already did two pages in the book.  The first page was of these amazing messages I got from the children I work with for my department's special day.  I used the Spell It Out two page spread.  The second used the marbles page spread where I told my ongoing saga of maintaining my health.  I can't wait to put little things in the pockets.  It really has made me start to think a little differently.  My only criticism is the size.  I love that it's big.  I just wish it was square.  I seem to do better with squares.  I'm hoping this will be one more tool in my arsenal.  One more thing that allows me to tell my story.   One more way to get through the creative lulls.  Here's hoping you have an amazing Monday full of creative goodness.  Until then...

Product Love, Budget Scrapbooking, and Man Alive this Hobby is Expensive!!!!

I'm having a little bit of a freak-out at this moment because of one little idea.  I got the idea from Paperclipping Roundtable.  I both love and hate Paperclipping Roundtable at this moment.  In Episode 108, the unsinkable Molly McCarthy suggests calculating the price of your last five pages...and, like a good listener, I did just that...God help me!!!  I should have known better - the episode number adds up to nine (inside joke).

Layout #1 - "Hard Reality" = $24.21

Layout #2 - "My Sweet Rewards" = $30.64
Please note: I've now learned scrapbooking is a very expensive reward.

Layout #3 - "'Zine Love"= $22.51

Layout #4 - "Just a Temporary Fix" = $27.02

Layout #5 - "Love this Girl" = $26.31
I don't have a picture of my most recent layout purposely - mostly because it's really personal - so I'll just tell you the calculated price - $26.31.

I would go through the list of products but I'm fairly disgusted right now and just the slightest bit lazy.  Why you might ask?  The total price on all five layouts is $126.31.  With each 12 x 12 American Crafts album holding approximately 20 page protectors - or 40 scrapbook pages - I've roughly figured that each album is costing $1000.  With approximately 5 albums and at least 40 loose pages - I've put approximately $6000 into this hobby since 2007.  This doesn't even account for all the other product sitting nicely in my house unopened or uncounted.

Before you have a nervous breakdown, or better yet before I have a nervous breakdown, remember this one thing - products only get counted once.  So each page where there is new product gets the full price added into the total.  If the product is used in subsequent pages, the amount is not added.  I thought this would bring down the overall price but found it cost just as much per page on average despite not having to count "old" product, which has led me to two important points...

• I'm not using my product wisely and spending way too much on crafting - a fact I already pretty much knew.
• I'm not sure I can afford this.  I have no children and my current legacy is an illiterate, badly behaved tuxedo cat.  Did I also mention she enjoys attacking paper?  So where to go from here?  

I love this hobby.  I love telling my stories - but it's time to get on a budget.  So for the next few weeks - I'll be sharing my finds on making my costs a lot smaller while telling my story.  Sort of explains the new trend towards artsy scrapbooking - I think it might be significantly cheaper.  We'll see.    So that's it for my product love for today.  The moral is pretty much that I love product WAY too much.  Here's hoping you have a great Monday and spend no time calculating the cost of each of your pages.  I don't advise it.  Hugs all around.  Until then...

P.S. I still love Paperclipping Roundtable with all my heart.  It's just got tiny cracks in it now. :)

Product Love

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I'm in love with Pan Pastels.  I find them to be fabulous in every way.  Despite having already talked about them on this little blog of mine, I thought they deserved a proper Product Love post.  I currently have 13 of these little lovelies.  I don't have all of the cool tools to go along with it - sponges, artist tray, etc.  I'm desperate to have each and every color and accessory.  For me, the amazing part of this product is it's perfect mixture of control and flow.  There are times when I cannot control where the color goes.  And during those times, I want to scream to the heavens.  But then...there are times when things go really well...

Patterned Paper: Crate Paper, Echo Park, Jilly Bean Soup; Stamps: Memory Box, Hero Arts; Button: My Mind's Eye; Other: Dictionary Paper & Black Cardstock

Both of these cards use pan-pastels as the main colorant.  I added some good old-fashioned hairspray as a fixative and got on about my business.  I absolutely love the effect.  This is a perfect example how blending and flow can turn out wonderful and that's a powerful message for a crafty, control-freak like me.  Pardon my lens cap in the photo - sheesh I'm not great with a camera.  These two cards are going to two of my amazing co-workers as thank you cards for all they've done for me in the last few days.  I hope they really like them.  So that's it for today's product love.  If you have any interest in this product - please give it a try.  It's well worth the effort.  I hope everyone has a rocking Monday!  Until then...

10 Things

March is a big month around these parts.  There are three rockin' birthdays - me, my sis, and Tonks (our beastly mascot).  It marks the month of state tests, the beautiful beginnings of the 4th quarter at school, and the hope of spring.  I'm going to be honest - March 2011 blew...hard.  I know this March will be so much better. So this March - I'm so happy to start a new monthly feature (10 things on the 10th).  So without further ado...

1. PinterestGate - I am so confused by the variety of posts and information on responsible pinning, copyright infringement, and don't even get me started on their terms of use.  At this point - I've had a hard time navigating this issue.  Fortunately, I found this great article from Steph at Daily Digi and have some big decisions to make.  I'm seriously considering deleting my boards and starting over or going through the almost 5000 pins individually.  Why?  I want to be absolutely sure that everything has been pinned properly.  While I'm definitely not willing to give up my pinboards and what I find to be a great source of inspiration - I WILL do it in a responsible manner.  I'm just so glad that someone has finally put out something on how to positively use the site!  Woot, Woot!

2. Pan-Pastels - I went out and bought 13 colors and a variety of sponges last week to start using on my art journal.  If only having the products in your stash made you an art journaler, I'd be teaching classes in Italy by now.  Must have confidence and compassion towards my art journal beginnings.

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3. Perfection is for the birds...I have this absolute, terrifying need to do things perfectly in a few areas of my life.  I want to be the best scrapbooker.  I want to be an informed, compassionate employee.  I want to be a wonderful daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, etc.  I want to be able to paint like Flora Bowley and art journal like Dina Wakely.  I'm not that way with my home, style, or body - but I will beat myself up over the other things.  I want to let go - to embrace imperfection.  I've read the works of Brene' Brown.  I've watched the presentations and listened to the podcasts.  I wish I could get it to stick.  I wish I could drink the Kool-aide.  I need to learn to be compassionate with MYSELF.  It's the only thing that matters.

4. Feature blogging has seriously been on my mind lately.  I'm heavily considering starting some feature weeks on the blog.  If you're wondering what that means - I'm actually still trying to get it worked out for myself.  You'll know more as things take shape around here.  I know I'm not an authority on art or crafts - but I can share my own experience as it relates to some interesting topics.  I'm hoping I enjoy this new direction.

5. I've read two fantastic books this month.  I cannot adequately articulate the feeling of contentment and intense joy I get from a wonderful book run.  One great book is a joy - but two, three, four in a row is a blessing.  These two books are going in my top 10 - possibly even five.  I need to clear my head a little and rank my favorites.  Please click on images to go to original source.  

       

6. Maple Bacon cupcakes.  I have two in my freezer as we speak.  They are from my local cupcake bakery and are utterly divine.  I've been interested in the idea of a bacon cupcake for quite some time and was not disappointed.  My local bakery has specials each month so these babies were no longer offered after the 5th of March thus the necessity of the freezer.  So happy to have two more whenever I want...

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7. Freezing cupcakes.  The girls of Georgetown Cupcake gave me an invaluable lesson in their book, The Cupcake Diaries.  Do not put your cupcakes in the refrigerator - it sucks out the moisture thereby creating a dry cupcake.  Dry cupcakes are not acceptable in this house.  Freezing the cupcakes allows for the moisture to be reincorporated in the defrosting process.  I've already tried it on two cupcakes and I'm afraid to say one was more moist than the day I usually buy it from the bakery.  Three cheers for the girls of Georgetown Cupcake.

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8. The Follow Your Heart Line by Rhonna Farrer for My Mind's Eye is rocking my world.  I can't get enough of it.  It is single-handedly responsible for kickstarting my scrapbooking yet again.  So happy with this line.

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9. I started yet another class - Finding Your Inspiration Station by Amy Kingsford.  So far...I'm pretty much loving it.  I will jump on any opportunity to find and use inspiration in a way that strengthens my own personal style.  So excited.  My first online class was on March 6th.  Lots of really great content in the first week.  

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10. Writing my first ten things post and loving it.  This was definitely a spontaneous post.  No forward planning around here.  Next month will be a little different.  However, there's something to be said for blogging the 10 things that matter to you at 9:00 AM on the 10th of the month.  

So there you have it - 10 things on the tenth at almost 10:00 AM in the morning.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday.  I will be spending mine getting some good coffee, clean laundry, reading, planning, writing, responsibly pinning, and with a little luck...crafting.  Until then... 

BTW: Double arm pump for Shimelle Laine - my inspiration for 10 things on the tenth.

Just One More Thing

When I was watching the Tim Holtz demo from Paperclipping - I was so focused on my love for the markers that I completely neglected the potential yumminess of Ranger's new paper formulated for stampers.  As a stamper that in the past has cussed profusely when the image isn't exactly how I want - the idea of a paper that could not only be easier to stamp on but also give a cleaner, more precise impression is definitely glee worthy.  Frankly, I can't believe it took me FIVE days to talk about it.  I'm so excited at just the thought....

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There are 10 pages in a pack and the price point is a little steep at $7.99.  Frankly - if the paper works the way they say it does here - it'll be worth it's weight in gold.  I waste TONS of paper trying to get a good impression.  Sheesh - I'm getting frustrated just writing about it!

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And just one more other thing.  Tim has a new book out!!!! I have the first volume and it is packed with cool techniques.  I cannot wait to see what techniques and creative goodness he's bringing to the table in this new volume.  Tim is offering signed copies of his newest book on his site here.

So there it is...just one more thing.  Oh yeah, and just one more OTHER thing.  I'm a hot mess.  I think that's it for CHA Week (one month late I might add) - but let's be honest - I could add "one more thing" at anytime.  I hope everyone has a lovely Friday.  Until then...

Honorable Mentions with a Touch of Confusion

I almost called this post six sticks and an eff you but decided against it as it was originally slated to be my honorable mentions CHA post. And we'll get there, I just need to have a slight melt down. I have a chronic illness. I've had it for 15 years and I won't get into specifics. It does require me to take a fist full of meds daily and an infusion every six weeks. No big deal. It is what it is, right? Then the day comes when you get stuck six times for one effing treatment. Four of the sweetest nurses on the planet work for more than an hour to finally get the IV into the mother effing vein they started with - the only one that works. The one I told each and every last one of them - is the only that works.  And it's in these moments, I want to tell the universe to suck it. I know it could be worse, that's what people always say. And trust me - I want to kick them in the face when they say it.  Because let's be honest, it could also be nothing. So I'm sitting here in my doctor's office, finally hooked up to my medicine, blogging to keep from screaming cuz this is for the friggin' birds. Rant officially over. Now on to the festivities...

The following list represents a few more products I'm jonseing over from the CHA show. They didn't make my top ten but I love them just the same.

Faber Castell Gift Caddy

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The price point on this beauty is a little steep at $349.99. However, that's never stopped this girl before. To say I need this would be both histrionic and a complete understatement. I wish it was my consolation prize for being stuck SIX times.  Alas, there is no such prize.

Christy Tomlinson Stamps by Unity

SHE was a daughter Unity Stamp by Christy Tomlinson: Source Image

She Leaped Unity Stamp by Christy Tomlinson: Source Image

After taking both She Art classes and making precisely one piece of subpar art -  it seems somewhat silly to buy these stamps - but my obsession with all things crafty does not have to make sense.  Not to mention - the stamps are gorgeous and everything I wish I could do with what often seems like my own "feeble" art abilities.  Be sure to check out her other stamps here, she definitely has some great variety for those mixed-media lovers out there.  

Melt Art Texture Treads by Ranger Ink

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I can't for the life of me figure out how the heck these things work - but I'm excited just the same. Let's be clear I'm also quite confused - but I'm more than happy to make them a permanent part of my stash.  Can anyone say SGDB (Single Girl Desperately in need of Budget)?   I can assure you no one in this house has the slightest clue.  For a better idea of how these babies work, check out this example on Ranger's blog and their press release.  Don't be fooled - this girl is still stumped.

So believe it or not - that's it for now.  Thanks for letting me vent.  I know it's a small thing in the scheme of things - one IV every six weeks - but it feels good to release a little tension here and there.  And so I leave you with the words of John Green from The Fault in Our Stars, pg. 112, published by Dutton Books - An imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. (2012)...

"What a slut time is.  She screws everybody."

This author single-handedly with the art of prose made my day so much brighter.  I was laughing openly without any sense of shame. It's a great thing to find the funny when you're feeling royally screwed.  By the way - go out and get that book now (after reading the summary pretty please).  I'm not done quite yet - but the first half is more than worth it.  I have a reading post planned for later this week and possibly another CHA related post.  We'll see.  I hope Wednesday finds you well and stick free.  Until then...