CHA update

Forgot to post some of the new products I've been hearing about at summer CHA. The best overview I've seen online is at www.craftcritique.com, complete with lots of photos.

Some of the things I'm most excited about:

Stickles in all Distress Ink colors
Metallic Crackle Paint
Versamark in champagne and frost
new Donna Downey stamps for Art Declassified
Claudine Hellmuth's new art supplies including paints and medium

I'm sure we will be hearing about lots more!

Hello and goodbye again

I'm back from my retreat, but tomorrow I fly out early to San Francisco to meet up with my husband who was visiting on the west coast with a friend. Our son lives in SF and his birthday is Wed., so we will see him and take him to dinner. Then on Wed. morning early we will fly to Chicago and meet up with our three daughters who live there and have dinner with them before returning to Dallas early Thursday morning. Ah, the joys of flying on a SW pass - free, but you gotta come and go when the flights are open...

The retreat was amazing - 21 creative and fun women from an online group, some of whom had never met in person - all creating wonderful western-themed projects together. We made the western assemblage that I had created and posted here awhile ago, as well as a huge western matboard book, some great western tags and some hanging fabric canvases with cute hangers made from, yes, regular coat hangers. I will post photos of all these fantastic projects when I return.

Goodbye for a few days

I'm off to a stamping retreat with an online group - 23 members from all over the country will be gathering in Grapevine to attend the Heirloom stamp convention and have our own mini-retreat. This is our third annual gathering and the theme this year is western. We will be making several projects - assemblage, a book, tags, a canvas and a few others. The most fun, however, will be getting to know some members we haven't yet met personally and renewing friendships with those we have met. This will be such an awesome weekend. "See" you Sunday night.

Diamond Scoop Swap

My local art group - EATS (Enjoying Art Together Sisterhood) - had our monthly meeting tonight and we revealed and swapped our diamond scoops. One of our members gave each of us a plain, metal scoop last month to alter for a partner. I'm not sure where she discovered these but they are actually used by jewelers (or maybe diamond merchants) to scoop loose diamonds. (Unfortunately they came without the extras - LOL!) Here's a photo of the unadorned scoop.

This was definitely a challenge for some of the members, but the finished projects were all unique and gorgeous.

Because my swap partner reads my blog regularly, I had to wait til tonight to post my altered scoop. Here is what I did, using alcohol inks, a stamped image for the background sprayed with Glimmer Mist (hard to see the pretty irridescent shine in the scan), a vintage image and pearl and alpha bead embellishments. The color in the scan is faded out, but the background matches the ribbon and is a lovely shade of green.

And this is the one I received from Karen. I love it - on the back (which I didn't photograph), she attached a piece of yellow and white checkered fabric with the imprinted words "all things grow with love" and she also used the same fabric to wrap the little package for presentation. Thanks Karen!

Two Awards

My friend and very talented artist, Vicki Chrisman, honored me with these two awards today on her blog, which you just have to visit here. She does the most amazing albums, cards and projects and takes beautiful photographs as well. I just love reading her tales of art, family and life in general. She makes you feel like a longtime friend.

So, here are the rules that go along with the awards:

1. You post the award logos on your blog.

2. You link back to the person who awarded them to you.

3. Nominate at least 7 people whose blogs you admire and add links back to their blogs.

4. Leave a message for the nominees on their blogs.

And, here are my nominees for inspirational blogs and very talented artists:

Jeri at http://www.artfulgathering.typepad/

Linda at http://www.theartsook.blogspot.com/

Judy at http://www.myartisticside.blogspot.com/

Gail at http://www.shabbycottagestudio.blogspot.com/

Linda at http://www.cain81art.blogspot.com/

Cora at http://www.paperflowers1.blogspot.com/

Roni at http://www.inkstainswithroni.blogspot.com/

So spend some time browsing these lovely blogs! And thanks again to Miss Vicki for nominating me!

I don't do mornings

Anyone who knows me personally will attest to the fact that I'm definitely a nightowl, not a morning person! Here's what happened on Thursday to prove the point.

I went to my chiropractor and while he was adjusting me he asked if I'd had trouble with one of my feet. Confused, I answered no. He then told me I was wearing two different shoes! I was so embarassed! At least they were both black and about the same kind of sole - hence why I never noticed while walking. Needless to say, I will be checking my feet in the future before leaving home for a morning appointment!

I've been busy kitting for a class I taught this week as well as for the assemblage project I will be teaching at my online group's retreat next week. Time consuming and definitely not as much fun as making the projects.

Finished a project for a local swap but can't post until these are exchanged.

Hope everyone is having a fun weekend. Today it's supposed to get to 103 and North Texans are advised to stay inside!

Last spread in last altered book!

I am feeling so very pleased with myself tonight! I finished my last spread in the last altered book of the round robin swap. It's not due until July 15th so I'm ahead of schedule!

This last book's theme was "games" and I did these pages on Bunco. It's hard to see in the scan, but I added pink and clear rhinestones all over the page to add some bling for "ladies' night out." I also used my brand-new Fiskars scallop border punch - I love this punch and had looked all over for it. My friend finally found it at Hobby Lobby and bought it for me for an early birthday present. I love how it scallops and makes the holes in one pass!