It really should not be like this. I should be gathering supplies, making lists, hauling out the luggage. But (and I am going to show my age here), do you remember Lefty The Salesman?

At the end of the JSG, Pat shows me her box of borders. What that means is that she pulled an Altoids box full of tiny stamps, mounted on acetate and asked if I would like to buy a box of borders, just like Lefty. I was dazzled, smitten, taken, befuddled. But I declined, hopped on my train and dejectedly walked home.

The lightbulb moment came when I realized Pat had already given me a few empty boxes of Altoids and I own crack Fun Foam. And I had just bought some acetate!

And not only that but, did you see this post? That there is a very high quality and addictive drug. Tags, I mean. And I just happened to buy a box of one hundred...on my way home...from meeting up with Lefty, I mean, Pat.

We all surf the web, right? Sometimes we find gem like glittering blogs and become smitten. It happened to me this week. Geninne Art Blog is all that. Glittery
and shiny and all. If you go over there, please leave a comment! We all live for comments.

So anyway, I like her painting style, so crisp and, well, birdy. And she made me get out my carving rubber and start cutting stamps. If you have been following my blog for a while, this may not seem like a stretch. I mean, there was a recent high jump into the deep end of the Fun Foam style of stamp making. I talked about it so much that I started using the acronym, FF, as a stand in for the product name.

In carving stamps, removing and digging the unwanted area of the image away, you get the tell tale, carved marks that are so charming and just sing, 'stamp'!

What does the title of this post have to do with anything? Remember a few years back, Starb*cks had collage like, 'painted' wall paper? I saw a similar image to the image I have carved above and use in my own artwork often, in that wallpaper. So I classified it and gave it a Latin name.

All of this was brought about by my recent jaunt to Geninne's blog, scroll down and you will see her stamps. Which reminds me, I have a question for you, where are your sparkling gems? Where do you find inspiration on the web?

We all surf the web, right? Sometimes we find gem like glittering blogs and become smitten. It happened to me this week. Geninne Art Blog is all that. Glittery
and shiny and all. If you go over there, please leave a comment! We all live for comments.

So anyway, I like her painting style, so crisp and, well, birdy. And she made me get out my carving rubber and start cutting stamps. If you have been following my blog for a while, this may not seem like a stretch. I mean, there was a recent high jump into the deep end of the Fun Foam style of stamp making. I talked about it so much that I started using the acronym, FF, as a stand in for the product name.

In carving stamps, removing and digging the unwanted area of the image away, you get the tell tale, carved marks that are so charming and just sing, 'stamp'!

What does the title of this post have to do with anything? Remember a few years back, Starb*cks had collage like, 'painted' wall paper? I saw a similar image to the image I have carved above and use in my own artwork often, in that wallpaper. So I classified it and gave it a Latin name.

All of this was brought about by my recent jaunt to Geninne's blog, scroll down and you will see her stamps. Which reminds me, I have a question for you, where are your sparkling gems? Where do you find inspiration on the web?

Quilting isn't my only gig. I love to paint and play too. Actually. I got stopped up with The 20, hit a road block, and have been out on a limb ever since. It is also called breathing air into the creative block. I trust it will come around again, but in the meantime, I am playing and getting ready to teach Let's Exchange some Art.

In fact, I may well be finished making samples and step outs for the class. I had so much fun! I learned alot and am ready to share my findings with all of you. I do hope you will sign up!

Quilting isn't my only gig. I love to paint and play too. Actually. I got stopped up with The 20, hit a road block, and have been out on a limb ever since. It is also called breathing air into the creative block. I trust it will come around again, but in the meantime, I am playing and getting ready to teach Let's Exchange some Art.

In fact, I may well be finished making samples and step outs for the class. I had so much fun! I learned alot and am ready to share my findings with all of you. I do hope you will sign up!

Who the heck doesn't like to get something personal in the mail?

In my upcoming Joggles class we will be exchanging little beauties through the mail. The above is a sample of what you might get from me, if you sign up for Let's Exchange some Art! I know I have been pushing this class, it is my newest offering and being a fickle artist, I am the most excited about it. So heck! Go ahead and sign up! I want to play some art with you.

Who the heck doesn't like to get something personal in the mail?

In my upcoming Joggles class we will be exchanging little beauties through the mail. The above is a sample of what you might get from me, if you sign up for Let's Exchange some Art! I know I have been pushing this class, it is my newest offering and being a fickle artist, I am the most excited about it. So heck! Go ahead and sign up! I want to play some art with you.

I can't figure out what the business is!

I will be teaching at Create! I am teaching Freezer Paper, Paint, Oh My! Soy Wax Batik and Inspired Journaling, every-single-day! August 25 through 29! Please sign up! Come out and play, join creative forces with us!

I have been having fun writing up my class for Joggles. We will be exchanging Tags, ATC's and envelopes, so I am making things in multiples. Today I will seek out a copy shop and make some color copies of some of the papers I have been making.

Here I am making some ATC's, again, in multiple. I hope you will sign up for this class. At the very lease post a comment on the post just below this one to win a spot in the class. Commenting on this post won't work. Enjoy!

I can't figure out what the business is!

I will be teaching at Create! I am teaching Freezer Paper, Paint, Oh My! Soy Wax Batik and Inspired Journaling, every-single-day! August 25 through 29! Please sign up! Come out and play, join creative forces with us!

I have been having fun writing up my class for Joggles. We will be exchanging Tags, ATC's and envelopes, so I am making things in multiples. Today I will seek out a copy shop and make some color copies of some of the papers I have been making.

Here I am making some ATC's, again, in multiple. I hope you will sign up for this class. At the very lease post a comment on the post just below this one to win a spot in the class. Commenting on this post won't work. Enjoy!

While I am in Chicago I figured I would leave you with a shopping list of some of my favorite books, supplies and music.

Music:
Emily Wells The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties
I love listening to music as I create. I like folk, singer songwriter and a bit of funky sumpthin'. This album is all that. It is easy to listen to and super smart, this young lady is a talent to watch.

Laura Marling I Speak Because I Can
Another bright and intelligent female musician? Yup. Gorgeous songs, well written lyrics. She is coming to Brooklyn, but is all sold out. Darn!

Johnny Flynn A Larum
This album is a perfect spring listen! This is bubble gum for the ears. I love it.

Little Bee: A Novel
I am reading this right now and am in love. LOVE with the style, cadence, and story. I love to read, I don't talk about it much but. There you have it. If you too are a reader, freind me through Good Reads, I will keep up with your list.

Who knew Amazon had soy wax?
Natural Soy 444 Wax: 10 pound bag

And while I am at it? Joggles will be hosting a couple more classes of mine! It is always a good time to promote my own stuff! Barb loved the Mark Making class I offered and is going to offer it again, if you want to learn to dye your own embroidery thread? This is the class for you! Don't think about potato chips.

I will also be giving a class called, "Let's Exchange some Art: Stencils, Stamps and Grounds!"

I will be teaching some of my stamping skillz, while working through layering techniques to create pretty works on paper.

We will make ATC's, Tags and MAIL ART. We will use the postal system as a gallery and send fancy mail to one another! I love the word fancy.

Please sign up and play with me! I am posting this a bit early but you can just email Barb at Joggles and tell her you are interested.... I think the official posting will occur on Monday the 19th.

Now I have to go pack... I am doing anything not to pack! I want to go to Chicago. I want to teach, I just wish I could beam myself up and over.

While I am in Chicago I figured I would leave you with a shopping list of some of my favorite books, supplies and music.

Music:
Emily Wells The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties
I love listening to music as I create. I like folk, singer songwriter and a bit of funky sumpthin'. This album is all that. It is easy to listen to and super smart, this young lady is a talent to watch.

Laura Marling I Speak Because I Can
Another bright and intelligent female musician? Yup. Gorgeous songs, well written lyrics. She is coming to Brooklyn, but is all sold out. Darn!

Johnny Flynn A Larum
This album is a perfect spring listen! This is bubble gum for the ears. I love it.

Little Bee: A Novel
I am reading this right now and am in love. LOVE with the style, cadence, and story. I love to read, I don't talk about it much but. There you have it. If you too are a reader, freind me through Good Reads, I will keep up with your list.

Who knew Amazon had soy wax?
Natural Soy 444 Wax: 10 pound bag

And while I am at it? Joggles will be hosting a couple more classes of mine! It is always a good time to promote my own stuff! Barb loved the Mark Making class I offered and is going to offer it again, if you want to learn to dye your own embroidery thread? This is the class for you! Don't think about potato chips.

I will also be giving a class called, "Let's Exchange some Art: Stencils, Stamps and Grounds!"

I will be teaching some of my stamping skillz, while working through layering techniques to create pretty works on paper.

We will make ATC's, Tags and MAIL ART. We will use the postal system as a gallery and send fancy mail to one another! I love the word fancy.

Please sign up and play with me! I am posting this a bit early but you can just email Barb at Joggles and tell her you are interested.... I think the official posting will occur on Monday the 19th.

Now I have to go pack... I am doing anything not to pack! I want to go to Chicago. I want to teach, I just wish I could beam myself up and over.

Pat gives good advice, so I listen.

She suggested perhaps I make a set of stamps for The 20, a project I have recently begun working on. Perhaps working in stamp form could loosen me up and get me familiar with the shapes and forms I will be working with. As I have mentioned before, I am a bit put off by the Northern Bobwhite. I have never seen this bird before and it seems a silly bird to me. No more.

I think I will try another posture for the bird, they often crane their necks to see better. Perhaps I can find a 3/4 view or a mating dance, so the bird doesn't look quite so static. At any rate, I am still feeling the effects of the scurvy pox.

Pat gives good advice, so I listen.

She suggested perhaps I make a set of stamps for The 20, a project I have recently begun working on. Perhaps working in stamp form could loosen me up and get me familiar with the shapes and forms I will be working with. As I have mentioned before, I am a bit put off by the Northern Bobwhite. I have never seen this bird before and it seems a silly bird to me. No more.

I think I will try another posture for the bird, they often crane their necks to see better. Perhaps I can find a 3/4 view or a mating dance, so the bird doesn't look quite so static. At any rate, I am still feeling the effects of the scurvy pox.

Then it became an addiction.

Isn't that just the story of my life? Laughing at myself!

My friend Pat is the stamp pimp. I hope she is OK with my calling her that. It is true, though, so I can say it in all honesty.

When I hung with Shirley last week she showed me the project I was supposed to have participated in creating in our last Journal Study Group (I was busy finishing an important project). Yes, I study journals and journaling. Anyway, Pat, a member of our group, gave a tutorial on stamp making. I fell head over heels and had to start making multiples of stamps that could be inked separately of one another and fit into and around one another. I can't really describe it. I don't have time to... I now want to go into the city to The Ink Pad before my book binding class.
Bye!

Then it became an addiction.

Isn't that just the story of my life? Laughing at myself!

My friend Pat is the stamp pimp. I hope she is OK with my calling her that. It is true, though, so I can say it in all honesty.

When I hung with Shirley last week she showed me the project I was supposed to have participated in creating in our last Journal Study Group (I was busy finishing an important project). Yes, I study journals and journaling. Anyway, Pat, a member of our group, gave a tutorial on stamp making. I fell head over heels and had to start making multiples of stamps that could be inked separately of one another and fit into and around one another. I can't really describe it. I don't have time to... I now want to go into the city to The Ink Pad before my book binding class.
Bye!