Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Curmudgeon


Confession time. 
I am a Christmas Curmudgeon this year. 
I think part of it stems from the fact that I have been crazy busy, and this is my first chance at 'down' time, whatever that might be. I have an idea I would like it - down time - ya know? The pace of life has become a tad unmanageable or is it just me? Is everyone spinning along with me?

So the Curmudgeon thing, what's up with that....
I haven't decorated.
Now this (the lack of decoration) relates to the fact we were having work done on the house. It is hard to get whipped up about Christmas decorations when you have cases of wood planks covering the living room floor, when power tools are strewn throughout the dining room, when stencils supplies have over run other parts of the house and when all members of the household have tiny pieces of Mylar stuck to their shoes and fur. My husband is like the Pigpen character except instead of a cloud of dust, he is surrounded by a cloud of scrap Mylar.
Seriously.
I am working on the house, room by room, compelled to get this done; ok, I am obsessive. 
Must.Restore.Nest.
My office is finished - here are some snippets......
it is organized for the most part. There is expansion room, for books naturally, hahaha. I now know where my things are. It feels girly and pretty and soothing and calm. I absolutely love how it turned out. All that I am lacking is the slip cover for my easy chair (not shown here due to ugly factor), necessary because my cherished kitties have ripped the crap out of the upholstery, an unsavory byproduct of cats with claws that sometimes occurs in spite of all our best efforts with cat scratching toys, towers, etc. Ugh, those little critters (Jasper, I know it was you), good thing I love them so much. And lucky for me, I actually like the look of slipcovers.
The Curmudgeon hasn't made Cookies.
I always make cookies. Perhaps I will kick into gear next week? Grandma's Thumbprints are whispering to me.
The Curmudgeon has however bought gifts. 
Yes, I have managed to get that done, thank goodness for the Internet. As much as I prefer to support local stores, I simply didn't have time for 'the hunt.' It was easier and quicker to do a quick search and the ole One Click.
How are all of you doing this Christmas?
Any other Curmudgeons out there?
In other news, I have updated my Workshop page......if you wonder where I am going to be in 2014, check it out. 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

StencilGirl and Sizzix Artist Trading Blocks Blog Hop

WINNER!!!! TheaM!!! 
I confess to a full blown block obsession. 
It has been going on for awhile as I have been trying to figure out the logistics of a class where my students would paint blocks. I have collected all sizes of wood blocks in anticipation of this moment - have cut them from fence posts, all sorts of things. But they are heavy. And they are hard to paint. Since they are 3 dimensional, you can pretty much only work one side at a time and I am basically a very impatient person so I kept messing up my paint over and over and well, you know.....I gave up the class idea.
So imagine my excitement when I heard that Eileen Hull had designed a template to create boxes using the Sizzix machine. The machine (I think this is how it works, I have actually never even used one, but I sure wanna own one now!) cuts out mat board with scored areas. There are two pieces that easily fit together to create the box. All you do is paint or decorate them to your desire - while they are FLAT - and then assemble into a box.
And, even better, they come in different sizes. Here are a couple I have made so far. 
I had to stop because I had to write this blog post. And bathe, cook food, etc. It is really that addictive. I think Eileen is on to something here. She and her posse call the blocks ATBs for Artist Trading Blocks

Those Artists on the Block are rockin' it out over on Facebook. You simply must check out their page (be sure and look for the clever Thanksgiving post) to see what all they are doing.
Be sure and go around our Blog Hop to check out all the wonderful creations using the ATBs. And remember to leave comments everywhere so you can be entered for the giveaway. Your comments (right here on my blog) will be entered for the give away on StencilGirl Talk and also for a special giveaway right here. I am giving away both of my brand spankin' new DVDs. Yippee!! If you want to take a look at previews of them, click here. And then be sure and make a comment so you are entered in all the drawings. Enjoy the Hop!!
Blog Hop Order

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Creative JumpStart 2014

I'm excited to announce that I'll be participating as a JumpStarter in Creative JumpStart (CJS) 2014, run by Nathalie Kalbach. If you're not familiar with CJS, it's a one-of-a-kind community event to inspire your creativity. 
Need help getting your creative mojo going in 2014? CJS can help.

Throughout January participants get 23 videos from 21 featured artists. I'm proud to be one of those artists. It's an amazing event where you can learn new techniques, discover new materials, and connect with other Mixed Media Artists and Scrapbookers. 
Head on over to Nathalie's site to sign up and for more details: http://www.nathaliesstudio.com/shop/online-workshops-ubermedia/creative-jumpstart-2014/ . CJS costs just $20 for the 3.5 hours of video content. That's less than $1 per video -- a great deal. 

Here's a short video for more details:
Creative JumpStart (CJS) 2014 Teaser from Nathalie Kalbach on Vimeo.



Creative JumpStart (CJS) 2014 Teaser from Nathalie Kalbach on Vimeo.
So join me and 20 other artists this January for CJS 2014!