Work It, Girl! Work It!

Talk about getting in under the wire! I made this little fashionista for the Gingersnap Creations "Lace and Fibers" Challenge, the deadline for which is, um... you know... tomorrow.

I am loving all things Daniel Torrente these days, and used his Glimmering Hope stamp for this card. Our supermodel (let's call her "Ruby") was stamped onto glossy white cardstock, which was then smudged with the Tea Dye and (new!) Victorian Velvet Distress Inks. After the ink dried I abused it a bit with my Tonic Paper Distresser for that grungy feel I just can't live without.  Ruby's skirt is made from several layers of singed black lace and glitter netting (yes indeed, I got to burn more fabric!) that were attached with Matte Accents, and her weird hair bow is just a tied-off bunch of red embroidery floss

Ruby is situated atop a panel of red cardstock overlaid with black lace, which for some reason was insanely difficult for me to put together. The glue stick didn't hold the lace. Matte Accents dried all chalky ("Duh, Linda... it's MATTE!"), and the Glue Glider stayed tacky and kept picking up errant cat hairs. Finally, exasperated and over-caffienated, I coated the cardstock with Craft Bond Spray Adhesive, and wonder of wonders, the lace actually stuck. Then, I applied a little teeny-tiny stick-on border of silver foil. This took about 45 minutes and worked my last nerve to the very brink.

Ruby and her lacy background were adhered to a black card, and the border was drawn with my beloved and overworked Silver Krylon. I also used the Krylon to color the "Work It" letters, which were cut from black cardstock using the Sizzix "Hollywood '61" alphabet font.

It's a rainy, spring-like Saturday here in Les Bois, and I really should be working but had much rather keep playing with ink. Rainy days are the BEST for crafting, yes?

Hugs,

Linda

Gothic Arch Meets Victorian Sci-Fi Grunge

The weekly challenge over at the Gothic Arch Blog right now is Steampunk, which made my geeky sci-fi heart happier than a Klingon at the Festival of Kot'Baval. (I actually have no idea what that means). A challenge that allows me to use an H.G. Wells quote? And Distress Crackle Paint? And a bunch of metal thingies?? Bring it!

And here's how it was brought:

The arch was cut from grungeboard, then painted with Denim Adirondack Acrylic. Once that dried, it got a thick coat of Broken China Distress Crackle Paint. When we had achieved "full crackle," I rubbed Denim Distress Ink into the cracks to further highlight (or would that be "lowlight?") them.

Our Victoria clipart guy (let's call him "Jules") was inkjetted onto sticky-back canvas, cut out and stuck down. Then, our Arch got UTEEed. I dabbed some black Perfect Medium around the edges, dipped them in copper Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel and went all heat gun-y on it. While the tag was hot, I scatttered tiny pinches of  the same UTEE across the surface and quickly melted those, too, for a yet-more-distessed feel. (I always seem to forget just how cool Ultra Thick is until I use it, and then I wonder why I don't use it a whole lot more.)

The quote from The Time Machine was printed onto antique-y vellum, torn out and aged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The clock face stamp (from Tim's Holtz's new "Purely Random" set) was stamped onto white cardstock and colored with Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Inks.

The metal doodads are mostly from Tim's Idea-ology line. We've got Sprocket Gears, fancy Corners, and a couple of Game Spinners on the clock. For extra added steampunkiness, an old wristwatch was gleefully disassembled, and its inner working were glued down with Ranger's Matte Accents. I'm not sure where the little metal spiral came from, but I liked the sort of Mystery Science Theatre feel it imparts. Or, maybe that's just my overactive imagination...

Finally, I used an awl to punch little holes along the bottom edge and hung Type Charms to spell out "TIME."

I love checking out the links people post at challenge sites, and Gothic Arches seems to have a bunch of particularly talented people who submit something every week. Check 'em out if you haven't already... and play along! Arches are cool.

Hugs,
Linda

For the Birds Swap: My Faux-tique Scarf!

By popular demand (okay, actually, two very kind people asked), here's my own "For the Birds" swap creation. This is another hand-dyed silk scarf, utlizing Tim Holtz's Faux Batik technique from his uber-cool "An Altered Journey" DVD, along with his Chronicles Foam Alphabet Stamps, Distress Embossing Ink, clear embossing powder, and the awesome Ranger Colorwash Sprays in the Lettuce and Bottle colors. The bird stamps are some oldies I've had in my binder forever, and I'm sorry to say, I don't know the brand. (I'm a Bad Stamper.) Oh, and I get my silk scarf blanks at Dharma Trading Company.

I highly recommend Tim's DVD to really see how this is done, but here's a tutorial from the Ranger website that's very well written and will walk you through the process step by step.*

If you try this at home, I can't stress this point enough: Wear Gloves!!! In fact, wear long, thick, Hazmat gloves. The first time I made these scarves I didn't, and my friends all thought I'd contracted some rare skin discoloration disease. Nobody wanted to hang out with me.

*Every time I do these scarves, I learn something. This time, I learned that it works better to let your scarf dry after you dye it and before you iron out the embossing powder. Ironing them wet, I've scorched more than a couple! Then, go ahead and rinse them as directed.

Thanks for asking. You guys are truly the best.

Hugs,
Linda

Daymaker Du Jour!

Hey Lori Hassler:

Digital collage by me. Cool digital frame from
the House of 3 Ornate Frames Kit

Yesterday was another really excellent mail day around here, because I got a magnificent swap gift for the very talented Lori Hassler from I Been Thinkin Bout Inkin! We both signed up for a bird-themed art exchange utilizing Tim Holtz products and techniques, and it was my good fortune that Lori ended up with my name. Check out this spectacular box she made:

Front of box when it's closed

Inside of box-- zowie!

Even the sides are just gorgeous!

Is that wicked cool, or what?? Lori, I bow down to you. You are the Reigning Queen of Assemblage!

Swaps are RAD!

Hugs,

Linda

P.S. You're welcome to use the "You Made My Day" digital collage up top if you want to post it for someone who did, in fact, make your day. ( Click here for the image link ). If you do, it'd be swell if you'd link it back to Studio L3. Thanks!

(Original "spa ladies" image, pre-Photoshop)

Cre8! Three Colors, Fabric... and FIRE!

I'm really getting into blog challenges lately, not only because they make me accountable for doing art on a really regular basis, but also because I'm meeting so many talented people with cool blogs, and they always have links to OTHER cool blogs which I then check out... it's the circle of life, only Elton John isn't singing about it this time.

The uber-talented Linda B, over at the Eclectic Visions of an Altered Journey blog, posted some photos a couple of days ago that not only caught my eye, they birthed an immediate obsession over something I never would have expected. Suddenly, I'm all agog over fabric flowers. No way! Grungy, un-cute, hand-me-that-paper-distresser-and-get-outta-the-way me?! Yep.  But they're not just any old fabric flowers. They're grunged.. with FIRE!

Now we're talking: Burned, grungy flowers! That's totally my style.

(Before I continue this post, I need to take a sec to send a message to Scott, who's currently out of town: Honey, on the off chance that you read this before you get home, please take a deep breath and know that I have not burned the house down. Yes, it's me, and yes, there's fire involved, but it's a tiny little candle flame and I'm keeping a huge bowl of water and the squirt bottle nearby in case my innate clumsiness asserts itself at the wrong moment. Also, I've dressed all three cats in cute little Kevlar suits, so everything is fine. Just fine.)

Okay, I'm back.

Anyway, I was talking about how Linda B over at Eclectic Visions used a technique (one that she saw at the Little Birdie Secrets blog-- again, it's that "circle of lfe" thing) to make these lovely organza flowers. Linda B made hers extra rad by leaving a little of the charred edge on the petals, giving them a cool, shabby/vintage chic look. When I got up yesterday morning and saw that this week's Drunken Stampers Challenge is to use fabric on a card, well, I wasn't about to argue with synchronicity on that level. Off to the fabric store I went, and returned with (among other things) some purple and black organza.

I have to tell you, I had so much fun making these flowers I feel I should check into the legality of it all. Talk about instant gratification! I won't give a step-by-step here, as the folks at the two blogs I listed did a fabulous job of that. Please check out their excellent instructions if you want to torch some flowers of your own. Trust me-- you'll love it!

So, yes, I made a card around these flowers, and since the brilliant ladies at the Gingersnap Creations blog are currently hosting a "Three Color" challenge, I decided to go that route with this project. I stamped Daniel Torreate's sweet "Crafter" image (from Stampotique) on sticky-backed canvas (more fabric!), colored it with markers, rubbed Milled Lavendar Distress Ink around the edges, and frayed it with a craft pick. Then I layered the canvas onto black, then purple, then white cardstock panels, and stamped "CRE8" along the side in purple ink, then overstamped in black. (Our crafter girl, who I'm calling "Violet," looks so hip I thought I should use text speak instead of spelling out "Create.") This whole shebang was glued onto a black card, and I finished by attaching the flowers and some burned organza "leaves" with Matte Accents.

So, I had a blast with this, but the downside is, I'm now running around the house looking for any and every scrap of synthetic fabric so I can set it on fire and see if it melts in an aesthetically-pleasing way. No old prom dress is safe! Hmm... I wonder what those kitchen curtains are made of...

Hugs,
Linda

Blog Share: My Dad, The Steampunker

And now, a word regarding my sponsor. No, "sponsor" isn't the right word (although, given how much he's invested in his whacky daughter over the years, he might disagree). "Progenitor" is more like it, although "Dad" is the most appropriate word of all.

Anyway, sometime in the mid-1980s, my dad started restoring small-format antique gasoline engines. It began as a little project and blossomed into an extremely rewarding hobby for him. The hours he used to spend in front of the TV are now invested in greasy old gears and rusted wheelie-like stuff (that's technical terminology) that he transforms into beautiful, perfectly working engines. Talk about steampunk! He lives and breathes the artform!

And as of this morning, he's blogging about it! Please check it out if you get the chance (or send your menfolk to do so if this bores you silly), and leave him a nice comment. This blog thing is new and uncharted territory for him, and I know it would mean a lot to get some good feedback!

http://www.2enginejohn.blogspot.com/

Thanks, everyone! I'll return to papercrafting in my next post!

Gothic Arch Challenge: My First! And, It's Blinged!

I just can't get enough of Fat Tuesday. The colors! The masks! The BLING! So, it worked out really well for me that this week's Gothic Arch challenge has a Mardi Gras theme. Also, I had a bunch of little doubloon coins left over from the Drunken Stampers challenge, which I wanted to use before the cats decided to eat them. Fear not: Mr. Big and Easy from a few days ago will not be making an encore. He's still sleeping it off. Instead, we have a far less inebriated and naked character beneath these (I can't believe I'm about to say this) Golden Arches. (sorry.)

Apologies for the lousy, blurry image. I've finally accepted
that I need a new scanner AND a new camera!

This is one of those projects that should have taken about an hour and instead ate my entire evening because I couldn't quite figure out what to do with it. I just kept layering stuff until I became too weary to carry on and decided it was finished. The background (which was like the sixth or seventh attempt) is simply gold Adirondack Paint swirled onto glossy white cardstock. Ms. Mardi Gras (I've decided to call her "Trixie") is a Lynne Perrella image, colored with Mark-It pens and given a shiny purple paper skirt with a flourish rub-on, a green ribbon cummerbund and some gold lace trim. The fleur de lis balanced upon her delicate noggin is a vinyl diecut from the Silhouette machine.

The arch-y frame is cut from a piece of grungeboard and covered with layer after layer (after layer after layer) of Black Adirondack Paint, gold leaf, and Clover and Twilight alcohol inks mixed into Ranger Glossy Accents. Oh, there's also the occasional *splat* from a gold Krylon pen, which I used to edge the arch, too. Finally, I employed yet more Glossy Accents to adhere the coins and keys. I should totally buy stock in the Ranger Ink company.

And with that, I'm ready at last to bid farewell to Mardi Gras, 2010. Don't get me wrong: I wholeheartedly believe we should all continue to allow the Good Times to roll as long as possible. I'm just out of coins.

Hugs,
Linda

OWOH: I'm a Lucky Winner!!!

I enjoyed the One World One Heart event so much, and now I'm extra happy because I won the very beautiful heart stamp offered by Mary at Icela's Fish Bowl of Tatting! I can't wait to start playing with this beauty:

Mary, thank you so much!!! What an awesome giveaway this was!

My Funny Valentine... Sweet, Manly Valentine...

(I know, Valentine's Day is SO over, but I'm going to post the card I made for my sweetie, Scott, anyway. I waited because I thought he should be the first to see it...)

Ever noticed how hard it is to find Valentine images that aren't super girlie? I mean, as open-minded and in touch with their feminine side as our men might be, it's still doubtful they want to see pink hugging bunnies (fuzzed out with Fun Flock, no less) on their V-Day cards. They can almost feel their testosterone levels plummeting at the mere mention of fuzzy pink bunnies, in fact. My guy is no different. Unicorns and heart-shaped rainbows just don't do it for him.

And so, for my tattooed, microbrew-sipping, Cops-loving man, I went straight to the Tim Holtz vault, where you can always find spectacular, 100% sugar-free ingredients.

The back panel of this card is made from Grungepaper, possibly the coolest invention since Hershey's Kisses. With the right shades of Distress ink (in this case, a mix of Mahogany, Vintage Photo and Walnut ) and enough distressing, you can make this stuff look and feel almost EXACTLY like worn leather. (And I ask you, what's more masculine than worn leather?) Now, when I say "enough distressing," I mean barely stopping short of running over it with your car. Friends, I went to town on this poor piece of Grungepaper, employing first my Paper Distresser and then my Tonic Scratcher until my wrist finally gave out. At that point, I abandoned all sense of decorum and just started hacking at it with my craft knife, a dangerous move that in clumsy hands like mine could easily cause mortal injury. ***DISCLAIMER: Don't try this at home.*** But, hey, it worked! And remarkably, no blood was shed.

I attached this "fine Corinthian leather" panel to a red card with bronze eyelets, using the mighty Crop-a-Dile BIG BITE. (Does that thing rock, or what??)

The image is from Tim's "Rockstar" stamp set. I stamped it with black Archival Ink onto a piece of plain white cardstock, let it dry, then colored the heart and ribbons with a red Mark-It. I used the blending tool to swirl Scattered Straw and Vintage Photo Distress Inks around the heart, then made little slash-y marks with a gold Krylon pen. The "you" is just alphabet stick-ons, and for some reason, getting those three stupid letters lined up right took nearly as long as making the rest of the card! I have some kind of inborn alignment defect, is all I can figure.

Finally, I added the Valentine-y "KISS" Word Stick with jump rings and a Hitch Fastener.

So, there's my attempt at a masculine Valentine (or at least as masculine I was was willing to go without dipping it in beer and glueing it to the remote control). Scott seemed to genuinely like it, and that really did make my day. Plus, he agreed to let me submit it to the Simon Says Challenge "All You Need Is Love" event, and the Gingersnap Creations Romance Challenge, too. If you have a handmade valentine, you should submit yours as well! They're both giving away lovely prizes that make me dizzy with want.

Okay, let's go forth and make every day V-Day... or something like that.

Hugs,
Linda

OWOH: We Have a Winner!!!

The Random Number Generator has spoken:



And the Winner is.... (drumroll, please...)

NICOLE from BEADWRIGHT!!!

Yay!!!! Congratulations, Nicole!

Beadwright said...

Hello this is a wonderful blog and I love your giveaway. Please count me in. Then come by my place to say hi.
Nicole/Beadwright
#350 on the carpet magic ride
http://beadwright.blogspot.com

Thanks to everyone who stopped by Studio L3 and left such kind comments, and to all the bloggers who participated in this awesome magic carpet ride. I've had so much fun making new friends and seeing all the amazing talent out there!

And of course, tons of gratitude. heaps of praise and everlasting awe to the amazing Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian for creating the One World One Heart event. What a brilliant and beautiful way to bring bloggers together.

Already looking forward to next year!

DSCB #3: Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Just so you know, I will not take full blame for the excessive bling of this card. The fact that on a clear night it can be seen from the International Space Station is partially the fault of Spike and Peggy over at the Drunken Stampers Challenge Blog. They said, "Do Mardi Gras!" and I was more than happy to oblige. Then they said, "Choose three types of bling and that's okay, or choose six types and that's even better!"

What was I supposed to do? The Bling Gauntlet had been thrown down.

I'll wait while you put on your sunglasses and then give you a little tour...

For starters, the background panel of Clover and Twilight Adirondack Inks was spritzed with a seriously large scoop of gold Perfect Pearls, then edged with a metallic gold Krylon Pen. The mask, which is a Silhouette diecut, was coated with Glossy Accents, then dipped into Beadazzles ("Salsa" color).

(That's three blings so far: Perfect Pearls, Krylon Pen, Beadazzles. But we're just getting started...)

After stamping Mr. Mardi Gras (let's call him "Dante") onto white cardstock and coloring him with Tombow markers, I gave him a string of Carnival beads made with teeny-tiny purple stick-on pearls (fortunately, I'd had tons of coffee by then, which made setting those microscopic doodads great fun!). He was then glued down. His wine bottle is clipart, and apparently Dante's already had a few, since it looks like he's about to pour that wine onto his hair. I used Alcohol Inks to color some little metal coins, then glued those randomly around the perimeter in hopes that they'd sort of look like Mardi Gras doubloons. To keep this blog at a solid PG-13, I gave Dante (here it comes) a peacock feather.

(Okay, that's Purple Stick-on Pearls, Little Metal Coins and a Peacock Feather. We're up to six blings! But, why stop now? We already need to view this thing like we would a solar eclipse, through a tiny hole in a piece of cardboard. Let's keep going! )

Oh, almost forgot: Way to go, NOLA Saints, awesome Superbowl win! In your honor, let's get a fleur de lis on here and paint it gold. Done! Got any rhinestones? Oh, heck, yeah. Stick 'em in the corners. Anything else? Just a "Happy Mardi Gras" from the sometimes-working inkjet. We'll edge that with the gold Krylon. And finally, what would a tribute to New Orleans be without a reference to "The Big Easy?" Metallic gold stick-on letters ought'a do the trick!

(At this point, I've lost count of bling and my eyes are tired, so very tired, but Spike and Peggy, I tried to do you proud.)

And so, my awesome readers, assuming I haven't blinded you, I hope you enjoyed my Naked Inebriated Reveller Card (let's just call it what it is) and that you have a lovely Mardi Gras! Why don't you join in with the Drunken Stampers, too? Those ladies know how to throw a party, and their challenges are always a blast!

Let the good times roll!

Hugs,
Linda

They're Here! They're Here!

Some days, the mail carrier is my Favorite Person in the Whole Wide World (other days, when the new issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissor was apparently crammed into my mailbox with a toilet plunger, not so much...). Today, I had a particularly benevolent mail carrier, because my entire shipment of the new Tim Holtz stamps arrived, freshly minted by Stamper's Anonymous and promptly sent by the incredibly nice and super-efficient Heidi and her crew at Simon Says Stamp.  I love them! I love Tim Holtz! I love EVERYONE!!!

Okay, not everyone, but I'm pretty freaking gleeful at the moment! (Ooh, say that three times fast...)

Like everyone else, I follow the blogs and the websites rabidly during the month leading up to CHA, so I'd seen the winter stamp releases as soon as they went public. Since I first laid eyes on Mr. Stamp Dude, as I've come to call him over the weeks, I knew I wanted to make this card. He just looks so... worried. Poor dear. I know that look because I sport it myself at least a couple of times each month when I'm five minutes past late for work and can't unlock the Honda. Apparently, Mr. Stamp Dude and I both need to pay more attention to where we toss our stuff. (Incidentally, Dude is from the "Artful Artifacts" set.)

The background of this card is grey cardstock, stamped with one of Tim's new flourishes (from the "Urban Chic" set) in Versamark ink, then brushed with Antique Gold Perfect Pearls. To make Mr. Stamp Dude look "statuesque," I smeared Weathered Wood and Broken China Distress Inks onto my battered nonstick craft sheet, spritzed the ink with Bronze Perfect Pearls mixed with water, then pressed a sheet of glossy white cardstock into the inky, pearly mess. (We practiced this technique at Lynn Stevens' ATC class last weekend, and it's awesome! You can really get some sweet, marble-esque effects.) Once the ink was dry, I stamped Dude with black Archival Ink, cut him out and glued him down.

The text is the SBC Stone Inscription font, printed on light blue cardstock that was aged with some Denim Distress Ink and then layered onto a navy blue panel. I added some Idea-ology sprockets and gears, then edged the entire card with a gold Krylon pen.

Quick, easy, and a fitting homage to all us key-losers of the world.

As you probably surmised, I'm really looking forward to an ink-tastic weekend playing with all these new stamps! I'm also going to hit as many blogs as possible for the One World One Heart event, which ends on Monday. If you haven't placed a comment on my giveaway post, I hope you will. You just might win! And, please try to spend a little time checking out some of the other amazing blogs on this virtual magic carpet ride. There are so many talented people out there! You might discover a new favorite...or ten.

DSCB #2: Be My (Drunken, Metallic) Valentine

Those fun-loving ladies over at the Drunken Stampers Challenge Blog have inspired me again! This week, they're serving Valentine cards with a twist of metal. Too fun! Pour yourself a cosmopolitan and I'll give you a little tour of my own gold-spiked V-Day collage.

The background is a piece of glossy black cardstock, horribly abused with a Tonic retractable scratcher. I blended some metallic black/gold ink into the distressed areas, but that of course doesn't translate well in a photo. The inside box is red cardstock stamped with the awesome new Hero Arts Aged Print Frame cling stamp (which I'm already sure I'll be wearing out from overuse). It was stamped with metallic gold ink, then embossed in super-shiny gold. I used Champagne Versamark Ink to jazz it up with a little heart stamp, then brushed Bronze Perfect Pearls over the "watermarks."

Our lovers (a Lynne Perrella image) were stamped onto plain white cardstock, colored with markers and chalks, cut out and glued down. Our bad-boy-loving heroine (I'm going to call her "Blanche") is sporting some Tim Holtz sprockets and a pointer (I almost attached these to the guy, but how obvious and risque' would THAT have been?).

My printer is malfunctioning yet again, so I just freehanded the words onto bond paper, aged them with Distress Inks, tore 'em out and glued 'em down. The little hinges are Grungeboard, painted with bronze and black Adirondack Dabbers. I think it kind of looks like an antique diary, and I can almost image Blanche using it as a journal for recording her escapades with all those bad, bad, bad, bad boyz.

(I made this card for the DS challenge, but I'm submitting it over at the Simon Says Challenge "What's Love Got to Do With It" event, too, in hopes of helping them reach their goal of 400 entries! If you've got a valentine to share, why not link it up over there? Their prize package is epic, and they're awesome people!)

Cheers!

Come Along With Me...On a Magic Carpet Ride!

**Monday, February 15: We Have a WINNER!!! Cogratulations to Nicole from Beadwright, comment #40, as chosen by the Random Number Generator!

Thanks to EVERYONE who participated in this extraordinary event!**

Do you believe in magic? Not the ol' rabbit-out-of-a-hat schtick, but real magic: The beautiful, inexplicable juju through which the act of creating art brings people together? Lisa Swifka from the gorgeous A Whimsical Bohemian blog certainly does. Back in 2007, she began a tradition called "One World, One Heart," as a way to create a community of bloggers from around the globe. The premise is simple and genius: Each participant posts a giveaway on their blog, the winner of which will be determined at random from amongst the people who leave comments on the blogger's post. The intent is to introduce bloggers who might otherwise have never discovered each other.

I think the One World One Heart giveaway is an awesome idea, and being a new blogger, I'm really stoked about the concept of making new blog friends from all over the world! (The internet really is cool, isn't it?) So, for my first ever giveaway, I'm offering a little homage to magic in the form of a Fortune Teller's Treasure Box.

This is a standard size wooden cigar box, collaged and blinged-out to within an inch of its life with sparkly beads and little gypsy coins and shiny metallic paints. The inside bottom is lined with velvet paper and the top is embellished with--you guessed it-- more shiny stuff!

It's just right for storing your little enchanted doodads, a few chocolate kisses, and wishes written on pretty slips of paper.

To throw your hat into the ring to win the Fortune Teller's Treasure Box, please leave a comment to this post, and make sure I have some way of reaching you if you win (an email address, the URL of your blog, etc.)! To give everyone an equal chance, please leave one comment only. Along with the rest of the OWOH participants, I'll be choosing a winner using the Random Number Generator on February 15.

Good luck, and thanks for visiting my blog!

Field Report: A Class Act All the Way!

I can't think of a better way to spend a chilly Saturday afternoon than taking a fabulous stamping class, and that's exactly what I did today! I've been following multimedia artist Lynn Stevens's gorgeous blog, Trash to Treasure Art, for a while now, so when I learned that she's not only from this area, but was teaching a class at A Stampers and Scrappers Delight right here in Boise, I couldn't sign up quickly enough!

Lynn's enticing display at SSD. Why yes, please, I'd LOVE to register!

It's been a while since I've done any ATCs, and I really don't know why that is. I enjoy them a lot-- the small format doesn't intimidate me, and I can start one without that dizzying sensation that I'm about to embark upon a monumental task. Even better, they provide that all-to-rare experience of (almost) instant gratification! Anyway, as soon as I arrived at the classroom, I knew it was going to be a Really Good Day. Lynn is as lovely and gracious a teacher as you could ever hope for. She's just brilliant, and she knows how to inspire and instruct her students while still allowing them the freedom to express the new techniques they've learned in their own unique ways.

Lynn Stevens, artist and teacher extraordinaire!

 Using glimmer spray made with Distress Inks and Perfect Pearls, some beautiful papers, ribbons and embellishments, and the gorgeous new "Paris and Heart" collage images from I Brake for Stamps, we all had a blast making our little Valentine-inspired cards! As a huge bonus, all the students were awesome ladies with a lot of talent and great ideas of their own. It was an ink-tastic party!

Lynn demonstrating her stamping techniques.

I wish I'd gotten close-up photos of all the cards-- seriously, everyone just rocked it!-- but I didn't want to be a flash-happy nuisance. Nonetheless, the ladies were kind enough to let me snap a few pictures of their creations:

Cindy with her lovely Bird-and-Heart Card

Claudia in the midst of ATC magic-making

Cynthia's stunning finished cards

Susan and her fabulous materpieces

My own little homage to Paris

If you're in the Treasure Valley area and have the opportunity to take a class from Lynn Stevens sometime, don't miss out! She's amazing. For that matter, even if you're nowhere near here, don't pass up the chance to take a class every once in a while. It's an awesome way to support your local craft stores and artists, make some new friends and learn a new technique! Sure, we can find inspiration from a book or a website, but nothing beats sharing the experience with other people. Y'know?

                         

This One's for the (Drunken Stamper) Girls

The brilliant and hilarious Spike and Peg over at the new Drunken Stampers blog issued a challenge this week-- their very first!--  to create a card based on the theme, "Celebrate." C'mon, guys, how could we possibly not want to play along with that one?!

Being a stay-at-home nerd, my idea of a good celebration (at least right now, after my "enhanced" work schedule this past week) is a hot bath and,--why yes, please--an Irish Coffee (I'm embracing the spirit of Drunken Stampers, after all!). This was a pretty easy little card to put together: A single stamped image colored with markers and foofed out with white Sparkly Fluff (makes great faux bubble bath, huh?), some layed papers, my trusty DYMO, a bit of ribbon and a paper flower.

And I didn't even spill my beverage on it, and that's totally a bonus!

If you haven't visited the Drunken Stampers yet, why don't you cruise on over there and say hello? They've got their mojo working, and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.