I think that this might be my most favorite class yet. I've just put the finishing touches on my "Scrappy Jewelry" class, which I'm teaching tonight at Portrait Bug. The image above is the first slide from my PowerPoint presentation for the class. Those are the four projects we're making in just two hours. It's going to be a crazy whirlwind of activity! I can't wait. In the meantime, I thought I'd talk a little today about my experiences with teaching art classes. Share Your Joy And See The Lightbulbs Go Off I don't think that you can be a... Read more →

Definitely six degrees of separation here or several degrees at least. I was reading this blog, and saw she had a very fun twenty questions posted. Turns out, it was in response to this blog. And, I figured I'd play along. Of course, I try to keep things around here pretty focused on crafty stuff, so I had to change a few of the questions! Feel free to play along with this list or one of your own! 1. Show us the inside of something cute Hand carved alphabet stamp set inside the tiniest cutest mini lunch box. 2. What's... Read more →

We welcomed a new team to Label Tulip last week. Here are the new girls: Here is a link to her blog. And some examples of her gorgeous pages: Here is a link to her blog. And some of her awesomely fun work: Here is a link to her blog. And some of her funky cool pages: And these are the Tulip Girls who are returning for another six months: Here is a link to her blog. And some of her beautiful and colorful pages: Here is a link to her blog. And some of her sweet pages full of... Read more →

I have this motto that has stood me well: Never Be Afraid To Ruin It. I think it's a good motto. I think it's a true motto. Sometimes I have a tendency to stop when something is "good enough" or "fine." This motto reminds me to take the risk; to dare to do it. What is the "it" in that sentence? Cut a hole in my quilt. Glop paint all over it. Stamp directly onto my cardstock with abandon! Cover up a perfectly good piece of art with a new idea: It' also a good reminder to use my supplies.... Read more →

So, I think it's done. I think that the quilt is done. Maybe. It sort of has to be. I'm dropping it off at Simplicity headquarters later today. Here's the base in progress: It's canvas that I painted. It's quite stiff after being painted, but since this is going on a wall, it doesn't really matter. And now, here are some details of the finished quilt... And the quilt itself: The assignment was to use Simplicity's bias tape maker and/or rotary cutting machine in a creative way. I made a few quilts that I think were more "creative" about the... Read more →

It's time for a little list of crafty stuff that's on my mind... 1. I'm obsessed with hand cut titles lately. I cut the one above from some beautiful Prima paper. It's an easy trick that I've been doing on almost every single layout lately! I don't draw out the letters or trace them. I just cut them. I know it sounds crazy, but give it a try. You'll be surprised at how quick and easy it is! Not related, but still fun: Below, you can see a detail of the beautiful pearl centers that I used. They really transform... Read more →

I'm super excited to share this: Technique-a-Palooza is back! (You can still purchase a download of the original Technique-a-Palooza here. But, it isn't a requirement for this class.) This time around, it's all about paint and ink! 30 Days. 30 Dollars. 30 Paint & Ink Techniques. From October 16 - November 14, 2009, I will take you on a journey through THIRTY fabulous papercrafting techniques using paint and ink. You'll learn techniques using watercolor, acrylic, gesso, water soluble crayons, ink pads, and mists! Not only will the class include a new paint or ink technique every single day for thirty... Read more →

It's no secret that I love and adore spray ink of any kind. But, my first love was Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels. Old packaging on the left and the newer packaging on the right. I remember when I first discovered Glimmer Mist. My friend Cheryl and I were headed to a weekend crop in New Jersey. We decided to take full advantage of the rental car and visit some local scrap stores in Jersey. One of them had a large display of it. I was intrigued. I bought a few bottles and put them in my crop bag. Well,... Read more →

My friend Cheryl Lee sent me a link to this video and I cried. See it for yourself: Just had to share. It's a really wonderful mix of art, performance, history...just amazing. Read more →

This is new owner, Jennifer Chau's, first kit for Label Tulip. And do you know? That place is growing by leaps and bounds! Tons of new subscribers. It's really exciting! Here's what I made: This month's challenge was to write a letter to your eighteen-year-old self and use a photo of you at eighteen. It was the Fall of 1995 and I was a Sophomore in college... I've been in a kind of collage-y state of mind. Probably because I'm in a use up my scraps kind of mental space. I used a collection of scraps, rub-ons, ink, and journaling... Read more →