Howdy!

Oh boy did we have a good time on Monday at the Make & Take! Mary Ann ran the show while I was running around the store trying to get stuff ready for today’s What’s New Pussycat. Busy, busy, busy!

This card uses the plastic sheeting that is so popular right now. It is hard to see in the scan, but the front of the card is the clear plastic.

Best Fishes Supplies:
Best Fishes, A Muse
Long Stargrass, RubberMoon
Beside the Pool paper, Scrapperdashery
Clear Plastic Sheet
Meadow & Pitch Black Adirondack Ink
Under the Sea Peel-Off Stickers
Glaze Gel Pens
StarDust Pen
Sky Rain Dots
Craft Knife, ScorIt
Super Adhesive Tape

Score 4”x5” piece of Beside the Pool 1” from left side with ScorIt. Adhere 4×4” piece of plastic sheet with Super Adhesive Tape under 1” fold. Stamp Long Stargrass on card stock with Meadow ink. Color stars with StarDust pen. Stick two fish Peel-Offs on plastic and color with Glaze pens. Add Sky Rain Dot accents. Stamp Best Fishes on card fold with Pitch Black. Designed by Lisa Taylor & Mary Ann Jones.

And now for a bit of a teaser from What’s New Pussycat?

This is a sample from Hero Arts’ new Little Letters collection. We have all 26 letters and a few more new sets, too. Notice the stars in the corner? We have those too! Hero Arts came out new bling; bling without faceting. They’re great!

Stop by soon and check out the new goodies!
See ya!

I thought I’d share a little bit with you from my trip to Sacramento with Christy Wood for the millsrepco Class Event late April. Christy and I spent the first day taking classes.

She took Tim Holtz’s “Got Grunge?” class while I was in “Hampton Holiday” using Hampton Art Stamps. She made three tags featuring Grungeboard (no, really?) and different techniques. I made a travel mini album that used library pockets, tags, Art Warehouse and Creative Cafe stamps, transparencies, stickers, twill and more. The part that got me: we bound it with the Bind-It-All. I’ve never used one before and WOW! That’s fun! I even have one in the stockroom that I won at a trade show when they first came out a couple of years ago. I guess I’m going to have to dust that box off! Christy and I are already planning some ideas for it.

Next Christy took a class with Daisy Bucket Design and I was off to Hero Arts’ “Paper Crafts to Keep & Share.” I made cards and a scrapbook layout that will be displayed here at the store. I think what I love about the scrapbook layout the most is that most of the patterned paper and embellishments were made with rubber stamps.

This is a clear tag “card” we made in the Hero Arts class. The base is a clear tag that we stamped with Cotton White StazOn. We layered on top of that with a 2 1/4″ wide piece of a notecard and embellished it with flowers, bling and a monogram. On the back we attached a layer of kraft card stock so all the adhesive from the notecard would be hidden. Very clever and happy!

Christy took a class with Stampendous using their clipboards. Bright orange and fun! I took part in Jenni Bowlin’s class where we talked about blogs, kits and websites. We finished the classes with Kodomo and Impression Obsession. Christy made a Japanese style album with Kodomo. I had fun “By the Sea” with Impression Obsession.

This is just one of four cards we did and this class will be offered here in June or July.

We spent Sunday evening at the Small Project Festival. There were 27 Make & Takes to get to in three hours! Fun and fast with a lot of products to play with!

I started with Hampton’s ATC pad. A little Distress Ink, stamps, Bind-it-All and ta-da! So cute! Yes, I ordered the stamps you see on the cover along with others.

Then I heard the siren song of Hambly Studios. This quick and simple note pad used their overlays, gorgeous paper and rub-ons. Next thing I know, I’m asking for a catalog and sending Christy over to the Make & Take to get her input on the products. Yes, we will have a bunch of their papers, overlays and rub-ons at What’s New Pussycat? on Wednesday.

Tsukineko offered an ATC collection that featured their different inks. StazOn, VersaMagic, Brilliance and Momento were the main inks we used. The orange and green card on the top is the Momento inks and yes, I did order them. All of them in Dew Drop size. They’ll be here soon!

Monday morning I had a class with Tim Holtz, the Ranger Swatch-Fest. This was an intense three-hour class making swatches of Crackle Paint, Distress Ink, Alcohol Ink, the new Adirondack Pigment Ink and Paint Dabbers. That class was ten tables of intense, focused work that was so worth it. I think I was drooling from exhaustion when we left the room! I am so happy to have these product swatches to share with you in the store so you can see their actual color when shopping. Yes, all 38 colors of the Adirondack Pigment Inks are on order!

Monday afternoon and evening was the Trade Show portion of this adventure. Vendors galore willing and able to take my money. I didn’t let you down. I ordered all sorts of good stuff! Some of it is for Wednesday’s What’s New Pussycat? and some of it will come in later.

This is my rep Maggie and I late in the evening after a margarita and some serious ordering. You guys think I’m an evil enabler? Ha! Maggie is just as bad as I am! She made sure I was fully armed with order forms, fetched me catalogs when I needed them and schmoozed me into more good stuff. She’s the best and so much fun. And who can resist her wonderful British accent? Her first question after Tim’s class was when I’m teaching the Swatch-Fest at my store. HA! It will NOT be a three-hour all-in-one class. We’re going to have to break that one up just a bit otherwise you will all be zombies.

So there it is. A long blog post about my trip to Old Town Sacramento with none of the travel details or inside jokes. I hope the pictures help inspire you and let you see a bit of what’s coming soon!

See ya!

When I returned from Sacramento, I found this fabu art doll in one of the classroom cubbies. It’s made by Julie Reifel and she had told me that she was working on something from April’s Categorically Creative Challenge, April Showers. She wanted to have it done for entry in the contest, but when she knew she wouldn’t make the deadline, she took time to enjoy the process and made something really cool.

April/May is a split personality, as you turn her over to show the different faces. I love how she’s hinged with jump rings so sometimes the April side mixes with the May side. Julie used some of the white chipboard from Technique Tuesday as she loves how the colors stay true on it. I gotta agree with her on that one! She also used Distress Inks and some of the techniques she’s learned from Christy Wood during classes here. BasicGrey papers, bling and misc. chipboard make up the rest.

Isn’t she just wonderful? Be sure to come by the store and check her out.

See ya!

Howdy!

I can’t believe it. I think I’ve found someone more anal retentive than I am! For all the piles of stuff that I have, I do often obsess over minor details and have been called Lana from time to time.

Imagine how tickled I was when I opened an order from Stampotique and found this:

I absolutely love the packing beans all perfectly arranged on end!

Isn’t it amazing the things that make me smile?

I know you’re clamoring for some of the stamps you see there. They’re part of our May Catalog of the Month. Just wait until the 1st!

See ya!

Howdy!

Mary Ann made us all happy with her simple and colorful Make & Take yesterday. She was inspired by Tim Holtz and his grungeboard, so we found a way to incorporate it. Everyone enjoyed the chance to play with this mysterious paper product, learn a few tips from Mary Ann and see some of the other class samples from our adventures.

It’s the Simple Things Supplies:
Tiny Wise Words, Wordsworth
Grungeboard Shapes, Dots
Cherry Posies Sorbet paper, Paper Salon
White A2 note card
Country Heart punch, Uchida
Worn Lipstick Distress Ink Pad
Crimson Lake Marvy Matchable Ink Pad
Pearl Paint Dabber
Glossy Accents
Ink Blending Tool
Acrylic Block
Glue Stick, Brayer

How To:
Apply Worn Lipstick to Grungeboard circle using the Ink Blending Tool. Apply Pearl Paint over the Worn Lipstick. Set aside to dry. Punch 7 or more hearts from Cherry Posies paper. Edge with Crimson Lake. Apply Glossy Accents to the back of the Grungeboard circle, then place the tips of the hearts in the glue around the circle to form a flower. Apply a 1″x5.5″ strip of the back side of Cherry Posies to white A2 note card with glue stick. Adhere the flower to the card with Glossy Accents. Stamp phrase and edge card with Crimson Lake. Enjoy! Designed by Mary Ann Jones.

Simple and clever. Ya gotta love these!

I have returned from two days of classes, one day of shopping and traveling. Denver was doing it’s usual weather thing. There was snow on the ground on Thursday morning. Quite the mess, but we were staying in the host hotel so we had no worries. The weather was clear the rest of the stay, but cold; especially for it being Spring!

Mary Ann & I started out with a class by Tim Holtz, Generation Grunge. We used Grungeboard, Crackle Paint, Distress Inks, Fragments and lots of cool tools to decorate a square framed mirror. Grungeboard is a lot of fun, but then I’m sure you know that.

Some of the things I learned that really surprised me:
• You can wash your non-stick craft sheet in the dishwasher.
• Glossy Accents also make a good “band-aid” when you get a paper cut and don’t want to leave the creative energy of your studio to get a band-aid. It also stings less than Super Glue. (As a former Kinko’s employee, I know Super Glue stings!)
• Grungeboard can be washed and dried. Embellish clothes with it by sewing it on. It’ll wash and wear just fine.
• The Cuttlebug Embossing Folders work great on Grungeboard. Don’t like the pattern you have? Just emboss it! Cuttlebug dies are one of the die cuts that work also.
• Distress Crackle Paint is washable!
• The Paint Dabbers work on any surface, even fabric. It doesn’t need to be heat set on fabric and will be permanent.
• The foam in the Ink Blending Tool doesn’t make the ink dry, so you can go back with the same Tool and do more inking until it’s all gone.
• Blending Tool foams can also be washed in a mesh bag in the washing machine.

We also took a class with Creative Impressions and used their wonderful flowers, ribbons and brads.

We also decorated the front of a 7 Gypsies ring bound book with Far East papers and embellishments by Die Cuts with a View. That was fun and creative! I made a Heidi Swapp clock while Mary Ann was introduced to the generosity of My Sentiments Exactly. We ended our classes with the Glimmering Nature Book by Tattered Angels. They have cool stuff! I love their die cut chipboard and stencils! And the colors of their Glimmering Mists! Yummy!

We had a great time meeting new folks, learning new tips and techniques and about new products. Keep your eyes peeled for more goodies to hit the shelves soon!
See ya!

Howdy!

Mr. Brown has been verrrry good to us the last few days. I got everything in the computer, tagged and out on the sales floor yesterday, so it’s ready for your shopping pleasures today! Here’s some of the goodies that you will find new on the sales floor to tempt you:

• Flowers & Leaves from Creative Impressions in Sheer Pastel and Bright, Iridescent Pastel and Bright, butterfly and dragonfly brads, colorful mini paper clips, more ribbons and other stuff.
• Fiskars punches! Four fabu border & corner punches. Two border punches. Corner rounders and corner notch punch. Eyelet Rain Dots, too. (ok, those need to find space on the sales floor yet)
• 7 Gypsies! ATC sleeves for the ATC Holders, ATC Transparancies, a cool 8×8 paper pack, two clear stamp design sets, two textured rub-on designs, paper fasteners and drawer pulls.
• 8×8 and 4×4 acrylic sheets as featured at What’s New Pussycat?
• ATC sized collage stamps designed by Tim Holtz.

And expected to hit the decks in the next few days
• More washi paper from Hanko
• Glitter and metallic paper by the sheet
• Memory Glass & Frames from Ranger (yes, after production problems, they are coming back!)

You may have noticed that we’re getting a little more settled in our new digs. My dad & I got a lot done down here on Sunday, including hanging the open sign! It’s now glowing in the office window, to the left of our doors. Much better than by the entrance to the mall, don’t you think? Next project: running speaker wires above the ceiling tiles so music can be heard in the classroom and on the sales floor. And of course mounting the speakers in their new music spreading places. We even moved the stereo into the office. I cannot stand hissy radio stations and that’s all I got from the stereo when it was by the printer. Hmmm. Try the office, by the window for better reception. Bingo! Let the speaker wires run amuck and music infuse the store!

See ya!

Howdy!

Yesterday was Make & Take Monday and a good time was had with Mary Ann and Bev. I was out galavanting, enjoying the sunshine and running errands. A day full of things checked off the list. Yes!

So, here it is. What we did followed by how we did it…

Spring Daffodil Supplies:
Daffodil, P3342, Art Impressions
Watercolor Paper
White & Yellow Ruche Card Stock
Luscious Lime DoubleMates
#11 Light Green Marvy Matchable
Marvy Brush Markers: #11, 127, 130, 131
White Iridescent String
Water Brush
Green Gem Flowers
Clear Stardust Gelly Roll pen
Glue Stick, Brayer, Tape
Glue Dots or Ultimate Glue

How To:
Ink Daffodil with Brush Markers and stamp on 2×5” watercolor paper. Soften and blend colors using Water Brush. Wrap Iridescent String around the bottom half of flower, holding in place with tape. Apply #11 Marvy Matchable direct-to-paper on 2.25×5.25” White Ruche, using a light touch. Glue flower image to White Ruche. Glue 1×4.25” Yellow Ruche to A2 Luscious Lime notecard, placing the yellow to go behind the flowers. Glue the flower layers on top. Embellish with Gem Flowers, held with Glue Dots or Ultimate Glue. Add some glitter detail to the flowers with a Clear Stardust Gelly Roll pen.

And now about dinner. Specifically Easter Dinner. It was great! It was all on the table at one time, hot and yummy. Ham, garlic mashed potatoes, corn and some artisan garlic bread. So good. Dad and I, both being single and rarely cooking anymore, enjoyed a real meal at home. And for all you goof-balls who thought I was home sick yesterday with food poisoning, ha! I wasn’t. I’m not that lost in the kitchen. Besides, Dad is the one who bases his eating decisions based on the amount of green on things. Yech! Ok, I think that was too much for this morning. Either way, we had a fabu day together and dinner was great.

See ya!

Howdy!

First things first, we will be closed on Sunday, March 23 for Easter. I’m spending the day with my dad. I’m even going to try my hand at making something other than popcorn in my kitchen. I don’t think I can screw up heating ham, instant garlic mashed potatoes and some other veggie, but then my kitchen just came with the house. I’m sure we’ll have fun, even if we end up calling for pizza. No, I’m not really that much of an idiot when it comes to cooking. I’m just never home and I really prefer baking. Sweets don’t make for a good dinner however.

I have the official information on the calendar for Terry Medaris’ classes on Sunday, May 25. He is teaching three classes that focus on Prismacolor pencils. These are classes that focus on different coloring techniques, methods and mediums. Each class is 3-hours long and $43. Terry travels here from Tuscon, Arizona bringing along his stamps, greeting cards and other items to sell the day of class. Check out his website http://www.terrymedarisartstamps.net/ for more information and inspiration. When you’re ready to sign up, remember that cash or check pre-payment reserves your seat in class.

Now for the stuff portion of this tour. Yes, more stuff has come in.
Stamps from Invoke Arts, Paula Best, JudiKins
Books about glitter and stamping
ScorIt Boards are back
Magic Mesh now is joined by Dotty Anns.
Stamp sets from A Stamp in the Hand
DG3 from JudiKins. What is this? It’s thicker than Diamond Glaze. Dries clear. I haven’t played with it yet, but it’s on my list of things to do tonight.

The entries for Categorically Creative Challenge are up! There are 11 wonderful entries this time! You guys out did yourselves this time! Stop by and vote before the end of the month. Someone will win a $10 in-store merchandise credit.

Monday is Make & Take Monday. Mary Ann will be leading you with some fabu spring card. $1 per kit from 10am to 6pm.

See ya! And have a wonderful Sunday.

Howdy!

Monday we enjoyed another Make & Take. Here’s what we did!

You Are the Best Supplies:
Best Kit, Fancy Scrolls: Hero Arts
Imperial Purple VersaFine
Lemonade Adirondack Lights
Medium Luscious Lime, White, and Light Sunshine Yellow cardstock
Strathmore Cold Press Watercolor Paper
Stardust Pens, Sequins from Hero Arts
Pastel Felt Blossoms (sm & med) & Pastel Brads
Lyra Watercolor Crayons, Paintbrush
Grid Curly Ribbon, Butterfly Punch
Tape Adhesive, Diamond Glaze

On 3”x4” watercolor paper, lightly scribble yellow watercolor crayon. Blend color with a wet paintbrush. Color pink and blue on a pallet, make a Kool-Aid consistancy with water, then add spots of color to yellow card. Heat set to dry. Stamp Best with Imperial Purple and trim to edge of design. Color butterfly with Stardust pens. Stamp butterfly portion of image on white cardstock and punch out. Color with Stardust pens. Attach Celery, White and Soft Pink Grid Curly Ribbon to the back of watercolor image. Embellish with a felt flower and brad. Attach to 3”x4” Luscious Lime. On Sunshine Yellow A2 notecard, stamp Fancy Scroll on the bottom using Lemonade. Attach decorated panel and embellish with sequins and punched butterfly. Designed by Lisa Taylor

See ya!