Fred Mullet is coming to SC!!

I'm so excited that Fred is coming to my area! He will be at Carolina Stamper, in Beaufort in April. He makes rubber stamps from real fish and plant prints. His samples below were embossed and "painted" with different colors of embossing powders. I want to take his class:)

If you like the samples below, from Fred's website, check out more: http://www.fredbmullett.com/mullett/index.htm

Studio Reorganization

As I've told y'all before, I am a neat freak who loves to organize.... but I have secret shhh.... My closets are often messy 

See, when I clean or pick up the rooms in our house I often toss things in a closet and close the door!!!  You know, outa sight, outa mind.

When I first started teaching I was totally overwhelmed with the amount of paper work and projects that needed to be done but could never get caught up. Our school secretary, Lois, taught me never to have 'to do' piles of paperwork. She said to always file/store everything the minute you get it, or stuff would get lost in that 'to do' pile. Boy was she right! I caught myself doing that the other day. I have a bunch of projects that I'm currently working on all spread out on the futon in my studio..... bad bad I put all the projects away in the themed storage boxes and made a quick list of the projects I'm working on, on a sticky note. 

Then I opened the closet door... yee gads!! 

I just spent the last two hours cleaning out and reorganizing my closet, and rearranging a few things in my studio. I found stuff behind the Christmas boxes I didn't know I had!! I promptly moved some of the Christmas things to our son's old room. It's the guest room now, and that closet is not full (evil grin). I went out to my husband's shop to see what I could 'borrow' for storage instead of spending money that would be happier being spent on art supplies or clothes. See, even my money has a mind of its own. I knew I'd put some old milk crates in the shop and those would be great for the closet. Well wouldn't you know my darling husband had things in all of them. He was even using the big plastic storage box I brought home from school last summer. He's the saver, I throw everything away if I haven't used it recently. I probably had more milk crates and threw them away. As I came back in the house I walked past my purse..... and I could have sworn I heard a very faint sniffle. I told you that money really didn't want to spent on boring ole' storage stuff!  I got busy reorganizing what was in the closet. I did make a lot of improvements. My studio is much more functional now and it looks better too

But you know, I sure would love to have about 4 milk crates. They would fit the narrow space perfectly and I could have more vertical storage....

Layout Designs

I really struggle with layouts and the whole design aspect. Last fall I participated in a layout challenge on Oriental Stamp Art Forum and had my eyes opened! There are all kinds of layouts archived on a blog for OSA members to use (I've since learned that there are many online). Yeah, I know where have I been? Anyway then I obsessed and began copying and pasting the layouts into a Word document. When I thought I accumulated enough of them, I printed them out on half sheets of paper and bound them in a book. Now when I make cards and other types of paper art, I refer to the book for design ideas. It really helps me branch out and try new things.

This is my layout book.

This is a card I made today using one of the layouts in my book. I had to alter it a bit. Instead of using a rectangle for the cutout, I used this Nestibility label. Then because the width of card couldn't be more than 6 inches to accommodate the opening of the Big Shot, I didn't have room to put the verse next to the ribbon on the green cardstock. So, I printed it on white, then cut it out with a smaller label die. I outlined the edges with chalk a bit to make it stand out. Pop dots on the back of the martini glass, and flowersoft around the hole were my ideas.

I'm also in the process of  compiling a spreadsheet of all the available Spellbinders' dies. Someone did this on Splitcoast Stampers and shared it with everyone. She ended up posting it in PDF format as the file is smaller. I tried to convert it back to Word so that I could add the newest dies but wasn't successful. So I'm making my own. I refuse to ask that poor girl to make any further changes. After she posted the initial document, she was inundated with requests for different types of files because some couldn't open what she had. Then others pointed out an error or two and that girl very graciously accommodated them all! I kind of felt like some of them were a bit presumptuous ya know?  Or maybe they didn't realize how much time and effort was involved....

True Blue Challenge

 This is for the True Blue challenge at Impression Obsession.
I used one of my new stamps, Ocean Butterfly H2321, for this card. It is colored with Prismacolor pencils, and the shells are from my stash. I live close to coast so collect a lot of shells.

 This is also from Impression Obsession. The Masters golf tournament is held near my home too so this will be very popular in our area.

This next project is a holder for cards. Of course I have only made one card for it so far. I got distracted and began other projects.

 A friend of mine who is a Stampin' Up demo shared the directions for this with me. Thanks Pam!! You can see them here.

close-up of the card inside

Arting With a Friend - What Fun!

I had the BEST day today! I spent the afternoon with a friend, Pam, who is also a Stampin' Up Demo. Her studio is amazing and she showed me soooo many wonderful things. I really felt as though I was in a toy store! So many new ideas and techniques entered my brain, that it was literally sparking and surging. If anyone experienced a power surge in our area don't worry, it was probably just me!

I learned that I don't need to give up on punches. See, I recently threw one away (big gasp) because it was constantly getting stuck, or card stock would get stuck in it. That punch spent more time in my husband's shop waiting for him to fix it, than it did in my studio being used in artwork! I discovered that some punches are designed better and are easier for my arthritic hand to use.  I love how a punch can be used to cut a shape around a custom message printed on the computer. With the punch, you can see where it will cut unlike with my Big Shot. So I will soon buy a couple for the sentiment stamps I bought at the stamp show last month!

Boxes, pads, and candy holders oh my! My friend shared so many lovely projects, I can't even a pick a favorite. I've seen templates and designs for Candy holders, note card totes, party favors, bookmarks, calendars before; but Pam had the most unique designs that I'd never seen. Yes, I did order a couple things, wanna see? (I'm always interested in what other people buy, I guess I figure you do too!)

New Impression Obsession Toys and the Next Thing on my List!

My post ma'am will bring the ocean butterfly, martini and peach blossom tomorrow. Next, I HAVE to get the peaches set from Flourishes to go with the peach blossom! lol  You see I live in South Carolina and we produce more peaches than any other state except California, and my family LOVES peaches. I freeze some every summer. Although neither my husband or I play, golf is very big here. And hey, any self-respecting Carolina girl visits the beach often, so I had to have this gorgeous flutterby. Can't you just see it all colored in and embellished with tiny shells I've saved from wondering the beach?

Timeless Tuesday Challenge From Florishes

Here is my entry for the challenge. I used a poppy from the Poppy Patch stamp set. The lacy look border is a Nestibility called Fleur De Lis Squares from Spellbinders. I colored the poppy with Prismacolor pencils.
Florishes' Timeless Tuesday Challenge.

Studio or Craft Room?

What do you call yours?  I prefer studio, because it elevates what we do to art. Crafters are artists too. I mean seriously have you looked at some modern art lately? A painting that looked for all the world like a fried egg sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. We could SO do that! Even rubber stamping is art. Can just anyone produce beautiful cards and stamp art projects? No, they can't and besides just read the definition of the word art: "The quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, or what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance." I visit a lot of blogs and belong to a few stamp art forums and the work people post is most definitely "more than ordinary significance." So, I say crafters unite in calling your rooms studios!

 Okay so here is my studio. There, I said it and I refuse to feel the slightest bit pretentious. Although I must admit it doesn't look much like a studio. It's filled with old things, leftover things, and things I made. And then there's that stupid futon. I want that thing OUT OF THERE. My husband says we can't get rid of it, because it's perfectly good and we might need the bed space some day. Humph. I know just what I'd do with that space too. I have this large folding table that belonged to my late mother. I'd cover it with a pretty vinyl tablecloth to cover the utilitarian parts and make it easier to clean off. Then I'd have lots of space to spread out my projects. I'd love to have some of that specially made furniture to store stamps and large sheets of handmade paper.... oh and have all the same color too, so it matches. And I would love to have a bulletin board on the wall to post some current work, photos, inspirations and the paintings that I'm too embarressed to frame. But my husband says, "NO MORE HOLES IN THE WALLS, and besides a bulletin board would look tacky." This coming from a man who has an alligator skin and deer antlers hanging in his shop. I would make it pretty, I'd cover it with fabric and tie it to the wall with pretty ribbon. Of course I am running out of wall space. Since he said no more holes in the wall, I've hung three more pictures in there. You'd think he'd learn NOT to tell me not to do something, I mean seriously, when have I ever listened??

So, I use what I already have, my childhood furniture, with paint worn off in places, and the dent where my best friend kicked off her clogs in the 8th grade. I do love the two prints that belonged to my mom, the collage of Dublin doors my son helped me do in Photoshop, and the photos of my favorite Grandparents, and their wedding certificate from Washington state in 1907.

The futon I want to disapear. It did come in handy for propping up my watercolors to see if I had the nerve to frame any of them. Maybe the two doors could go next to the Dublin door collage. Two more holes in the wall lol! The Iris carts hold stamps and if it weren't for that stupid futon, I could put them all next to each other.

The wood table in the corner was in the "to be disposed of" pile in the school where I taught. I brought it home, sanded and restained it all by myself. It's missing a drawer, but I just turned it to the back. The monstrosity on top is my son's old printer that was damaged by lightening. It still prints in black and white so I'm going to use up the toner before I throw it away. Then I'll have that nice table space.

No fancy shaped storage, just drawers and I cram them full of stuff.

I love making and decorating pretty boxes, but then what do you do with all of them? Put stuff in them of course! These hold brads, buttons, sea shells, sea glass, postage stamps and currency from other countries and 6 round boxes for charms and beads!

I just put my embossing powders, glitter and Pearl Ex in plastic bins and shove the heat tool on top.

Fibers, ribbons and book binding thread are in balls, wound around pieces of mat board or in plastic baggies. The baby wipes to clean stamps of course.

No fancy contraption for storing ink pads. I just stack them in those plastic bins. All my Cat's Eyes are in that fishing tackle thingy that sits on top.

My husband made one thing for me: three pieces of wood with indentations drilled in them to hold all my Radiant Pearls paints. I won 50 jars in a contest and then bought a few more of course!

My art supplies share the closet with the Christmas tree and decorations. The shoe hanging gismo has my stuff in it as well as some of the boxes.

The bookcase is a dorm room cast-off from my son. Iris carts are full of stamps and I covered all the boxes to make them pretty. Flower press and postcard collection are there too as well as binders full of templates and directions for various techniques. The basket on the end holds completed cards to be sent, or taken to the gift shop for sale.

Over-the-door towel rack with skirt hangers hung upside down. That way the clips can hold my decorative papers.

Behind the papers, tassels and mizuhiki cord hang on knobs arranged by color.

That's it. Nothing extraordinary, but I like it. Know anyone who wants a futon?