A time to give thanks

So....you know how you really need to send a thank you note, but time keeps getting away from you? Eventually, you reach the tipping point where you either have to just admit that you're not going to send one, or you have to make something so fantastic that it looks like you were working on it the whole time. That's where I found myself today. And, since the shop is closed, I thought maybe I could work on something fantastic. So, I pulled out my Outlines stamps to see what I could come up with. My friend loves to sew, so I thought something sort of "patchwork" might be nice. I added a little bit of bling with light blue gems by Memory Box. All in all, I thought it was a respectable bit of gratitude. Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Simple Elegance

One of my favorite things about the Memory Box line of stamps is there is a stamp for every mood. There are silly stamps and there are elegant stamps and everything in between. Tomorrow's make and take card features one of the new clear stamp sets. This card can truly be used for any occasion, and I think it could be sent to a man or woman. Stop in Thursday any time between 10 and 8 and make one for yourself. The hard part will be deciding who to send it to!

Ink Potion No. 9

If you are of a certain age, you'll be humming along to the name of this new product by Tsukineko: Ink Potion No. 9. This blending solution works with any water soluable medium for making stunning faux watercolor images and washes. Marilynn, our watercolor queen, will be sharing lots of tips and techniques for using this solution during our FREE Learn at Lunch demo tomorrow (Tuesday) from 12-2.

An evening with Impression Obsession

We had a full house and a great time! Poor Mitra (the owner of Impression Obsession rubber stamp company) had a heck of a time getting here from Williamsburg. Her company is scheduled to be in two conventions this weekend - one here at the Dulles Expo Center and one in Florida! So cars were being switched and keys exchanged and in all the craziness, Mitra arrived and completely WOWed us with her techniques. It one point, I just had to interrupt to lead a round of applause. She had tons of brilliant ideas I had never thought of before.


One of her ideas was for inking a stamp with multiple colors. We will often do that with markers, but then you have to stop and color again between every impression. That takes a long time if you're trying to mass produce. She showed us how to make a custom ink pad with the colors we want in it so we can just stamp over and over and over in much less time. Cut n Dry felt is my new best friend! In this photo, Mitra is demonstrating Flower Soft. She brought in a sample of the old fashioned Raggedy Ann doll with the hair Flower Softed in Poppy Red. It was absolutely stunning, and had I not been so enraptured with what she was saying, I would have remembered to get a picture. Sorry about that!




We very much hope to have her back soon. The travel schedule these artists maintain is completely crazy, so it's hard to say when. But, if you see a listing for her return, DO NOT miss it.

Oh, how I wish!

This little bunny from A Muse looks like she might actually be able to grant wishes! I'm thinking this card would be fun to send in a round robin. Send it to the first person with just your location and name. Ask them to send it on from their "location" to another friend and so on. It would be fun to see where all the bunny could travel. In addition to the A Muse stamps, this card features Copic markers, Memory Box papers and the Ticket squeeze punch from Fiskars. Remember, these punches are weighted and are intended to be used on a table top, not "waved around" in the air. They're much harder to use when you wave them - although they might count for aerobic activity if you use them that way! Come see what I mean at the FREE make-and-take tomorrow. Also note that from 6 - 8 PM tomorrow (Thursday), Mitra Friant from Impression Obsession will be here with two free demos and a huge trunk show. This may impact the availability of the make-and-take, so come early if you can, then stay for the demos!

It can't be over!

The past four days of workshops with Fred B. Mullett were absolutely incredible! How can a person combine such artistry with such organizational prowess? His classes were four hours long, and crammed with information - the man's knowledge has no limit. But, he's been doing this long enough to know that in the midst of the four hours, there needs to be shopping and chocolate breaks and the occasional prize - and he provided all three!







I also loved his set up. You had seats to do your detailed work, but for the big, messy steps, he had a separate station where you could stand and "fling". It was nice for stretching, and also for keeping your own area relatively tidy. He brought in these risers for our tables to make standing and working very easy. I'm telling you, he's thought of everything!





At the end of four days, we had to hold each other up. It's a marathon! But, as they say, it's a good tired! We sold out of nearly everything we had, but I'm placing another order as I type (multi-tasker that I am). If you missed taking his classes, you might want to get a stamp sometime and give it a try. The images are very forgiving and are ideal for watercolor (or Twinks), coloring with markers, embossing, bleaching - virtually anything you can think of, his stamps can be used for. Oh what fun!

The Art of Paper Quilting

Washi Paper Quilting is baased on a traditional Japanese doll making technique called kime-komi. Japanese kimono fabric is used on the dolls, but we will be using handmade washi papers instead to create these unique 3-D cards. Hanko Designs has a pattern book and pattern kits, but you can also use brass stencils as patterns. Angela will show you both techniques during the FREE learn at lunch demo on Tuesday from 12-2. No registration is required, so hope to see you there!