CHA-Winter 2012

I once again had the awesome opportunity to attend the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Winter trade show - CHA-Winter 2012 - last weekend.  I attended as a press member for team Craft Test Dummies, just like last year.  What was different this year is that our entire team - all 5 of us - got to be there!  We had so much fun, and I just wanted to share some of the highlights with you!

One of my favorite parts of CHA is having the chance to meet, in living color, great people who I've come to "know" online.  I've blogged about Julie Fei-Fan Balzer in the past, and I've shared about her 30 Days in Your Journal art journaling online workshop, which I loved.  It was great to meet her at the Crafter's Workshop booth, where she was doing a make-and-take with their newest stencils.  I got to use one of her new layering stencils - the Layered Hearts - and I absolutely LOVE how easy it is to use!  So fun!!  I've posted several times about these awesome stencils - you can see them here.

LOVE Julie's apron - "Dirty Girl - I don't clean my stencils"

Julie's new stencils with The Crafter's Workshop

Make-and-take tag done using new release
stencils by The Crafter's Workshop

I also got to finally meet Christy Tomlinson, another incredible artist whose work I have admired and have posted about several times.  I have taken two of her online workshops, the She Art workshop and her She Had 3 Hearts workshop, and I can't say enough wonderful things about them or about Christy.  And it is so awesome when you meet a person in real life, and they are just as sweet and down-to-earth in person as they are on camera/on their blog...and such is the case with Christy (and with Julie too).  I got to see her demonstrating her new line of She Art products that she has released with Pink Paislee.  (She also has a great line of stamps just released with Unity Stamps!)

I look SO tall next to Christy!!

Beautiful canvas art created in just minutes,
using new She Art products

I absolutely LOVE the look of the modeling paste over the doily mask on that canvas!!  I've looked at every thrift store locally for a plastic vintage doily like the mask she created, and cannot find one!  So excited she created this, so I can get it!!  And these products will make it SUPER easy to teach an in-store or even in-home class for people who THINK they are not artists or THINK they could never make something like this...because these products make it SUPER easy to do this.  I am really excited about this line!!

Some other CHA-W 2012 new product releases I'm really excited about...

The addition of Dyan Reaveley as the newest Signature Designer at Ranger Ink is a great collaboration!  Her lively and bright personality, which matches the bright, fun colors in her artwork, will bring a superb new range of products and ideas to the company.  This CHA, she released more stamps, 12 colors of Dylusions Ink Sprays, and 12 stencils with The Crafter's Workshop (6 designs in 2 sizes each).  I was in awe looking through her journals (many of which are large accounting ledgers).  Dyan said she has FORTY journals she is currently working in!!  LOVE HER!

Love Dyan Reaveley's bright, colorful art!

Love the sketch-like style of the words in this stamp set

Dylusions Ink Sprays, Dyan Reaveley's stencils's by
The Crafter's Workshop, and DISTRESS MARKERS!!

I am also SUPER excited about the release of Distress Markers by Ranger and Tim Holtz!!  I saw Tim demonstrate these at CHA, and I cannot WAIT to get my hands on these!  There's a marker for each of the 36 colors of Distress, plus a Picket Fence marker - yep, a white Distress marker, which writes on dark papers!!

Also exciting are the new Patina metal inks from Ranger and Vintaj.  They are a permanent, opaque ink, designed especially for metal, which come 3 to a package, with 5 packages available.  There is also a protective Glaze available, which serves as a final coat, and can also be used on jewelry to protect people who are sensitive to certain metals.  One of the fun parts of CHA is samples...and I was fortunate to receive a couple bottles of this, and I can't wait to play!!

Patina metal inks from Ranger & Vintaj

Patina metal inks and Glaze

Ranger also released 15 new colors of their popular Liquid Pearls.  These little gems are just what they sound like - with a nice fine tip, you control the size of the "pearl' you create, and you are able to create beautiful dimension on whatever your project.  Would you believe these are my first bottles of them?  I can't wait to use them!

5 of the new colors of Liquid Pearls

This next goody was actually released last year, but I'm not sure many stores picked it up, and now it's being  re-released with more attention. This is the Ink Palette by Ranger and Tim Holtz (and Tim has also released 2 water brushes, one with a fine tip and one with a nice wide flat brush).  I cannot tell you how stoked I am to have received this...I have used old pieces of packaging for forever to drop my alcohol inks into, and then  let them dry...and then pick up the color with a water brush filled with blending solution or a blender pen to color with them.  Now, I can FINALLY have an actual palette!!!  LOL!  

Ink Palette for filling with alcohol inks - put a few drops in
each well, let dry, then pick up color with blender pen!

I had the pleasure also of meeting Wendy Vecchi, of Studio 490, also a Senior Educator with Ranger.  I have long admired her art work, and am excited about her new release of products with Blossom Bucket this year.  I had a funny experience of how I met her...I was standing in the Blossom Bucket booth, and started going on and on to the owner of Blossom Bucket about how I love Wendy.  I was vaguely aware that there was another woman standing next to the owner, but hadn't fully looked at her.  Yep - it was Wendy!  I'm REALLY bad at being able to recognize people in real life, from their online photos.  Sigh.  What can I say?  At least I was saying really GOOD things about her!!  Anyway, a little while later, she was doing a book signing at the Art Gone Wild/Stampers Anonymous booth...and I happened to be there, and I said, "Oh, I don't have the book for you to sign, but I just wanted to say how glad I was to meet you," and she said, "Oh, we're giving the book away free!"  So I got her newest "Make Art, Studio 490 Style" book - volume 6 - FREE, and it's autographed by her!  Such happy serendipity!

Wendy's newest Make Art book, signed by her

And of course, the press room freebies and other samples given to us as members of the press are part of the fun of CHA.

ATC's from Speedball

New multi-directional cartridge from Glue Arts for the Glue-Glider Pro

Envelopes, tags and stickers from American Tag Company

Stamp from Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps

Wood Tickets from Prima (love!)

Assortment of magazines from Northridge Media (love these!!)

Of course, another part of the fun at CHA is the gorgeous booths - and to see some booth "eye candy," check out my post over on Craft Test Dummies, full of pictures of fabulous products and projects by incredible designers!

Finally, to see more about CHA Winter 2012, check out the Fave Crafts CHA Blog Round Up (starts Wed. 2/8).

Art Journal Pages

I mentioned in my last post that I'm taking Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's online workshop, 30 Days In Your Journal.  What's so awesome about this class is that she really focuses on showing you how to fit art journaling into your life every single day...for just 10 minutes.  So you don't do a page or a spread a day - you work on a two-page spread for several days, adding a bit at a time.  In the past, I've usually done entire pages (or more) in one setting, though I have sometimes gone back and added layers - and I do have multiple pages in multiple journals that are in various stages of work.  But this idea of really limiting myself to 10 minutes a day is new to me.  And I think it could work, and I think it just might be the key to actually being able to art journal more frequently - because finding chunks of time to sit and play is usually what prevents me from doing it as much as I'd like.  So we'll see how this goes.

At any rate, after the first 5 days, I've completed this two-page spread.  It's much busier and fuller than most of my art journal pages normally are, but I'm okay with that.  I did a lot more actual journaling than I often do, which I like, and less time-consuming processes than I've used on other pages...which I'm torn about.  I really do like playing with new mediums and trying new techniques in my art journals...but maybe those should be saved for the times when I have bigger chunks of time, and my "10 minutes a day" art journaling can be a bit more basic.

I *love* the black stamped hand on the left side.  That was done with a Styrofoam stamp I made by tracing one of the hands from the Henna Hands stencil (also designed by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer) from The Crafter's Workshop and then using a technique I learned in the Random Creative Scrapple Doodle workshop by Stephanie Ackerman.  I used Claudine Helmuth's Black Gesso to stamp with, and then journaled on the hand with a white Sakura Glaze pen (new to me - totally in love!).  I also used the Punchinella stencil from The Crafter's Workshop (another one designed by Julie) to add layers of color with Distress Ink and Paint Dabbers randomly over the pages.  I am absolutely addicted to The Crafter's Workshop Stencils...I use them ALL THE TIME - seriously!  If you haven't tried them, you definitely need to check them out.  (I reviewed them earlier this year on Craft Test Dummies, and will be writing an updated review in a few weeks, covering the newer releases.)

The remainder of these pages were done some time ago - back in July/August, I believe - when I was taking Christy Tomlinson's She Had 3 Hearts workshop.  (Can you tell I love taking online workshops??  That's what happens when you're a stay at home, home-schooling mom of four children ages 6 and under!)

I did an image transfer (the row of scissors on a shelf) on this page, and played with melting some crayon wax.  I really like how the green wax blew across the page in little droplets when I used my heat gun to melt the crayon!  I also love the stack of hearts - canvas, glassine paper, fabric, and a rusty metal heart that I dipped into melted UTEE (which I had colored orange with Pan Pastel).  I used a little clip of some kind that I got in a random assortment of trinkets from this way cool store Zinnia to clip the hearts together.

I used another stencil from The Crafter's Workshop on this page - Ava - to create the girl's face.  There are SOOOO many ways to use this stencil - check out this blog post about the face stencils to see just how versatile they are!  I also used another of their stencils for the journaling.  I dripped acrylic inks on the page for drippage, and used acrylic inks to color the scallops around the edges of the page as well.  To make the scallops, I just punched circles from vintage music paper, vintage book text, vintage dictionary pages, old map pages, etc., and glued them on the page hanging off the edge and then trimmed the excess.  I love using vintage papers!!

This is another fun page.  I used Adirondack Colorwash Sprays and - surprise - The Crafter's Workshop stencils on the background (along with an alphabet stencil from...???).  And then I played with wax.  I used clear beeswax at first, and then added some blue crayon to the wax to color it a bit.  I stamped into the wax in the upper left hand corner using Unity's Giving It All Meaning stamp - what awesome texture that created!    And I love Prima's Chickenwire stamp, which I used to add texture over the wax and around the edges.  I was happy to discover that the Pitt Artist pens from Faber-Castell write easily even over cooled beeswax!  

This last page was super fun.  I can't claim credit for the idea of rolling the paper - another student in the workshop did that on a page in her journal, and then Christy actually did a piece of art on her blog inspired by it, which is when I saw the technique.  Anyway, it was my idea to roll them up and glue them to the base, then cut them out in a heart.  Then I actually did my journaling - using the Pitt Artist pen - right on the rolled paper heart!!  It wasn't anything I really needed anyone else to be able to read - and I know what it's about - and that's all that matters...so I was okay knowing that the writing was going to get covered up.  Unfortunately, my heart has gotten rather smooshed from my journal being closed - I should have taken a picture right when I made the page - not several months later!

And then...came the string gel.  Have you ever played with string gel?  Well, I hadn't, prior to this page...and boy oh boy, was it ever fun!  I fell in love with the stuff!!  Basically, it's this polymer stuff, and it starts out clear, so you need to add some paint (or acrylic ink) to color it.  And then you let it sit for a while - I want to say like 2 hours or so.  Then you take a spoon or a palette knife or whatever, and you scoop some of it up, and you basically drizzle it all over your project.  It's SO fun - makes you feel like a kid!  It's totally messy and awesome and fun.  When it dries, it still looks wet, and it's glossy and dimensional - and did I mention it's FUN?!  Seriously.  {Just don't make the same mistake I did.  I had some extra string gel - which of course, I didn't want to waste.  So I drizzled it on the page facing this one, figuring I'd play around with that page too.  I wasn't thinking...now I have to keep a piece of wax paper in there all the time, or the pages stick together because the string gel on the two pages wants to stick to each other.  Live and learn.}

Anyway, hope you enjoyed those.  If you want to learn more about art journaling, you really should check out Julie's class - she really tells you exactly what she's doing and why she's doing it, every step of the way.  It's great for beginners or for more advanced artists who just want some inspiration.

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Canvas Art

I think I mentioned a couple posts ago that one of the online workshops I'm taking is called the She Art Workshop, by Christy Tomlinson.  I just have to tell you - I cannot, cannot, cannot speak highly enough of Christy or of this workshop!!!!  Seriously.

When my friend signed the two of us up for the workshop, I was more than a little intimidated.  I thought it was a bit above my skill level.  I thought 3 weeks was not nearly long enough (even though we have access to the material for 3 months, it's still only 3 weeks of new lessons.)  I saw her art before taking this workshop, thinking to myself, "There is just NO WAY that in 3 short weeks, she is going to be able to teach ME how to do THAT."

I was wrong.

I am amazed at what an awesome teacher Christy is - the workshop is WELL worth the money.  It is very well put together, I have learned SO much, and did I mention that I'm having a total blast?

So I never showed you my first canvas.  That's because it's a birthday gift for my sister.  Whose birthday was in April.  And I still haven't mailed it.  Yeah.  I'm kind of bad about that.  Mailing stuff.  (Hides head under a bag.)  Sigh.

But.  I get to show you my SECOND canvas!!  I am SO happy with how this sweet girl turned out, and with my first attempt at a "scene."  I used a lot of products from Fancy Pants (more on this in my review of Fancy Pants on Craft Test Dummies on June 17).

This is an 8" x 10" flat canvas.

Don't you love the glittered words from Fancy Pants?

I die cut the flowers from corrugated cardboard using a Sizzix flowers die and doodled the stems/leaves.

The grass is a combination of layers of paper and paint, along with stamping and rub-ons.  Isn't it fun?!

These two little birds are rub-ons and they just crack me up...they are SO stinkin' cute!!

Can you get a load of the texture in her skirt?!  Is that awesome, or what?!  And check out those shiny red boots she's sportin'!!  Seriously cute!  (And don't get me started on the polka dots!!)

Her hair is the one thing I really need to work on.  My first canvas, the hair was better...this one, I feel like the braid needs some work.  But still, I think, not bad for my first go.  I also want to try some different styles of clothes, and try making a girl with arms showing (instead of behind her back, like this one - you thought she had no arms, didn't you!).

So...what do you think?  Worth the $45 for the workshop, yes?  I promise you, there is NO WAY I could ever have created anything like this before I took this workshop!  And so much of what makes these canvases adorable is in the details...details I never would have realized were there (or been able to figure out how to create) had I not taken this workshop.  The best part is that once you learn how to create them, they really are not that difficult, and truly are LOTS of fun to create!!  I can't wait to make more!!

New posts...and why I haven't been blogging...

I seriously cannot believe it's been a month since I've posted here!!  Ack!  So...I have been VERY busy creating for the Crafts Unleashed design team, and doing product reviews for Craft Test Dummies (would you believe I *still* have products from Winter CHA to review, and it's almost June?!).

Check out my scrapbook layout up at Crafts Unleashed today -

And here's a review I recently did of the Pitt Artist Pens by Faber-Castell...one of my new favorites!!

And yes, I'm still working on my online classes - Soul Restoration with Brave Girls Club and Melody Ross, and The She Art Workshop with Christy Tomlinson.  Loving them...but having a really hard time fitting them into my schedule at the moment!!  I'd show you a pic of my first She-Art canvas, but it's a birthday gift for my sister (a very belated one...because I STILL haven't put it in the mail!!).  *sigh*  I'm terrible about that!

Not sure if I shared this in my last post or not...but the other reason I haven't been blogging is that I was recently (well, a couple months ago) diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  I've been in a lot of pain for the last several months, and it has taken the doctors a while to figure out the best medications to treat it.  It's sort of a trial-and-error method, I guess.  I just started a new medication last week - and while the jury is still sort of out on whether I'll be able to take it on a long-term basis, I *am* able to curl and uncurl my fingers when I wake up in the mornings for the first time in months, and it's not excruciatingly painful on my feet the minute I step out of bed!  I consider that a huge improvement over the way things have been.  So I'm at least hopeful that this one will work!

Obviously, all of the pain and joint stiffness has impacted my ability to create art and blog about it - so I've sort of just been doing the bare minimum...meeting my obligations and other than that, just taking time off to take care of myself, because I haven't really been able to do much more than that.  I won't sugar-coat it...it's been very disheartening and downright depressing at times, not being able to do the things I want to be able to do or feel I should be able to do.

But when it comes down to it, I have been forced to ask myself if I really believe the things I confess to believe.  Is the God I say I believe in really big enough to handle my questions, and my anger, and my hurt?  Yes.  Can I trust Him enough to believe that this path He's chosen for me is the best path FOR ME?  Yes.  Even if it includes illness and pain?  Yes.  Does that take away the pain?  No.  Does it help to know that I'm not alone in my pain?  Yes.  Does it help to know that there is some purpose to my pain?  Yes.  Does it help to remember that in life, our biggest lessons are always learned through times of pain and hurt?  Yes!  Has this brought me back to my knees, where I belong?  Yes!

And the best thing I think I've learned through all of this...repeatedly over the past couple months, in many different ways...is that rather than focusing on everything that's WRONG with ME, I need to be focusing on what's RIGHT about HIM.

So anyway, I felt like I kind of owed you all an explanation for why I've disappeared...hopefully this new med will do the trick, and I'll be back in business soon!  Right now I'm off to give my fingers a rest!! ;)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming...

I'm so sorry I've been absent lately.  I just wanted to pop in and let you all know that I'm still alive!  I am in the midst of taking not one, but TWO online classes right now - both of which are COMPLETELY AWESOME - but which are consuming ALL of my time...leaving me little time for blogging!!

However, you can catch me on Fridays (sometimes it's Thursday) over at Craft Test Dummies, and every so often over at Crafts Unleashed, in the meantime.  Here's a preview of what I'll be posting this Friday on Craft Test Dummies...

And I *highly* encourage you to check out both of the classes I am taking right now!!  The first is one by Melody Ross and Brave Girls Club, called Soul Restoration I.  It is already in Week 4, of the 8 week class, but they are keeping registration open through May 1, and are keeping the classroom open for an extra 4 weeks after the 8 weeks are over to give late starters a chance to finish the class material.  It is truly a wonderful class and I cannot say enough positive things about it!  Watch Melody's video intro HERE.

The second class is the She Art Workshop by Christy Tomlinson, and I just started it a couple days ago...but I am already LOVING it!!  I was only introduced to Christy's work in the last couple months, but have admired her from the beginning and had hoped to one day be able to take her workshops.  When the opportunity presented itself, I couldn't pass it up!!  I am learning so much!

I am definitely being bombarded with art, art, art right now...but it's been so good for me.  It's been refreshing and rejuvenating...challenging and stretching...faith-building and growing.  I've been reminded of things that I'd forgotten, urged to let go of things I'd been holding on to that I needed to let go of, and have had my eyes opened to new things altogether.  (And I'm talking both literally and spiritually.)  I needed this break right now, just me and God and some art.  (If only I didn't have all these other responsibilities...right?)

So...I'll be back soon, I promise!  With all kinds of new and fun ideas to share!  In the meantime...maybe I'll see you over at Brave Girls Club or in the She Art workshop!!