Ok, so I don’t own a Cricut, but Provocraft had a *great* make n’ take at CHA with their new Disney cartridges that I couldn’t pass up! I used to be quite the Disney fan back in the day – so I thought this was a darling project. When I first saw the sample, I could have sworn that the images were made from a dimensional rubber (you know the kind you see on brightly colored keychains?) I was amazed when I touched it & realized it was all pieced together from paper! Anyways, here is the near-finished product. I just need to get some cute blue ribbon to tie around the side of the box.
February 22nd, 2008
For those of you that may not know Linda, she has been a talent in the craft industry for many years and does fabulous work. I first recall seeing her on the Carol Duvall show making a darling polymer clay Dachshund Pen Holder. I always thought she made sculpting look so easy! Over the years, she has shown that her talents lie far beyond the polymer clay world. Among other things, she is now an accomplished papercrafter, metal embosser, & jewelrymaker. 
She has had multiple TV appearances on shows like Carol Duvall, DIY Scrapbooking, & DIY Jewelry Making. I love that she isn’t afraid to embrace new mediums, and that she comes up with some really fabulous cross-over ideas.
Take her metal mania techniques, for example. Now how many of you own a Cuttlebug? If you work in paper, there’s a high likelihood that you have one sitting around the house. Linda uses Amaco’s ArtEmboss metals in her Cuttlebug embossing folders to produce amazing focal beads & one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. Who would have thought she could make something like this with just a flat piece of metal & a plastic embossing folder!?!
Linda has a polymer clay bead-making book coming out in the next couple of months. I saw a copy at CHA & it is filled with wonderful faux stone techniques that I’ll have to try as soon as I snag my copy! You can learn more about the book & see samples of Linda’s work on her blog here.
February 13th, 2008
The Winter CHA show is always a great chance to catch up with old friends & meet new ones. Over the past couple of days, I had the chance to meet some fabulous papercrafters like Debbie Olson, Linda Beeson, Lisa Johnson, & Kelly Goree. I also caught up with a few older CHA acquaintances like Bob Wiley & Helen Bradley (fellow polymer clay addicts). Great to see you!
I can’t forget to mention meeting some of my favorite Hero Arts designers …Jennifer McGuire, Lisa Spangler, & Shari Carroll. Their talent amazes me & each of them has such a beautiful, clean design sense. I feel so blessed to be associated with the HA web design team!
You can see Lisa’s work on her blog here. I just love her color combos & the way she always comes up with new & unique ways to use stamps that make me go…”Why didn’t I think of that?!”
You can see Shari’s work on her blog here! She does fabulous collage work, and her pencil-work always amazes me…she has a way of blending color in just the perfect way to make her stamped images come to life. She is also quite the photographer.
Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to new friend & polymer clay artist, Linda Peterson!
February 12th, 2008
I attended a couple of great classes today at the Winter CHA show. The first was a terrific Hero Arts class using some card designs by Lisa Spangler & Sally Traidman. We played with Hero’s latest ClearDesign cupcake set. The images were so yummy that I got hungry! Luckily they had REAL cupcakes to feed us too! *LOL*
The second class was Distress-a-palooza with Tim Holtz. For any of you that have taken a Tim Holtz class, you know that they are a blast. He has such a high energy level & so much useful information to share. We made the below mirror using the entire line of Ranger’s distress products including the new crackle paints, distress inks, & distress embossing powders. We also used some great embellishments that Tim had found in a variety of antique stores across the country. I think he will be distributing similar embellishments in the near future.
The floor opens up tomorrow & I can’t wait to see all the new product for 2008! More CHA updates will follow!
February 9th, 2008
The winter CHA show is finally here! If I have a chance to, I’ll post during the show. Otherwise, I’ll give you the low-down when I return. I hope to meet some of you there!
P.S. I didn’t have a chance to post blog candy this week – but I promise to when I return!
February 8th, 2008
