Nancy Wethington

Christmas Emporium . . .

Graphic 45's new release . . .

what can I say.

WOYWW . . .

the good, the bad, the ugly.

It's all there.

Waiting.

Actually, the ugly part is gone.  I finally had time to clean up my messes in Nancyland.  It took me two days!  After the big clean-up, I had to get back to regular business which means

more Book-of-the-Month Workshops

CYI (Create Your Imagination) plans

etc.

This is the way I figure out what I'm going to do for Workshops.

Step 1:  pile up collections

Step 2:  Add bookbinding ideas to the top of each collection

Step 3:  Add embellishments that will work for each collection

Step 4: Try to think

(Step 4 is the hardest part for me.)

I did add classes to my teaching schedule at For Keeps Sake.  If interested, please save these dates:

August 24 (Wednesday): Reschedule of *In The Style of Lisa Kaus*  - a collage using watercolor crayons and more!  6 pm - 8 pm - $20

August 27 (Saturday): 10 am - 4:30 pm:  *Destination* A Book of the Month Workshop.  Details to follow.

September 24 (Saturday): 10 am - 4:30 pm: *Report Card* A Book of the Month Workshop. Details to follow.

October 22 (Saturday): 10 am - 4:30 pm: Book of the Month Workshop.  Details to follow.

November 19 (Saturday): 10 am - 4:30 pm:  *Pink Paislee Daily Junque* Book of the Month Workshop. Details to follow.

December 28 (Wednesday): 10 am - 4 pm: Book of the Month Workshop.  Details to follow.

Always open for suggestions, so if there's anything else you'd like to see in my classes, please let me know. 

Thanks to all who joined me last night at CYI and Stamp Club.  We always have so much fun! 

2nd Tuesday of each month  - 6 pm - for CYI @ For Keeps Sake in St. Louis. 

Everyone is welcome to this free meet-up.

 

Oh these stamps . . .

Aren't they wonderful!  They're Graphic 45's latest stamp sets as part of the Christmas Emporium line.  Can't wait to start using these!

 

Find more images on

Graphic 45's blog.

Christmas Emporium . . .

Graphic 45 is introducing another new line at CHA-S and previewing the line on their blog.

Christmas Emporium is gorgeous . . . rich colors with the ever-popular vintage feel that Graphic 45 does so well. The paper shown above is a perfect size for card fronts.  You can cut each one of these images apart and make a beautiful Christmas card.  Add a few stickles and you're ready to go.  Six cards from one sheet of paper - awesome!

Jump over to Graphic 45's blog each day this week for more previews and maybe a look or two at some projects from the Design Team!

 

Simon Says Stitch . . .

This week's challenge from Simon Says Stamp & Show is all about stitching. 

I love stitching on paper arts.  Cards, layouts . . . you name it and I think it looks awesome.  It adds another dimension that I very much appreciate.  I would love to add it to my cards and projects except for one thing . . .

I can't properly thread my sewing machine.

It's a love-hate relationship. 

I blame the sewing machine.

Never mind the fact that I keep losing the instruction book.

So instead, I turned to faux stitching with the help of a piercer and a Sakura black glaze pen.

 

 
To the cardfront papers from October Afternoon Five & Dime and Glitz Laced With Grace were added and then topped off with a flower stamp from Inkadinkado.

You should see what my Team Mates did over at Simon Says Stamp & Show . . . WOW!  Take a ride over there, you will be amazed at their art work.

Now it's your turn to play along.

You may be the person who is randomly chosen to win a $50 gift certificate from our generous sponsor  

or you may be chosen as one of the top 3 designers for the week!

Stop by

&

be inspired

to see what my Team Mates have come up with

as well as inspiring entries

for this week's challenge

on

Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge Blog.

 

 

Gettin' digi with it . . .

Talented Amy Teets was kind enough to send me a Crafty Secrets CD  *Creating with Vintage*. Digi has always intrigued me, although I can't say I'm a digi kind of gal.

I like the touch and feel of things.  And most important, I don't know anything about Photoshop.  I have Photoshop Elements 7.  I can upload photos from my camera.  I am able to crop and print.  Period.  If the photos don't turn out well, I retake the pics.  I don't know how to manipulate them, make them look better or change the coloring.

And I am too busy to stop and read directions (at least that's my excuse) usually because I don't even understand the terms they're using in the directions.  F-stop means something entirely different to me than it does in photo related print.  just sayin'.

But I do so love Crafty Secrets that I popped in the CD

pulled up Photoshop Elements

tried to figure out where I was to look for the CD

and then had to figure out layering.

LAYERING!

Layering to me means dressing like Diane Keaton in Annie Hall.

But I did promise Amy so I give it my best shot . . .

and it worked. 

So easy!

I found the designs I wanted to use and opened those in Photoshop Elements.

They were sitting there, all in a row, at the bottom of the screen.

I dragged (drug?) the images I wanted to use to the main screen

and there was a little window on the right that showed the layers.

Layers = different pictures (at least to me) one on top of another.

I dragged (or is it drug?) each picture where I wanted and then flattened the layers (which meant click on the *flatten* icon).

Once the layers were flattened, I printed out that paper.  You can see it below.  It's the one with the doily and the chicken.  I decided I wanted to stamp a Crafty Secrets image and like to do that on printed paper instead of plain paper.  So I stuck a piece of Copic Marker paper in my printer, chose another image from the CD and printed that out.

 

Because I have an inkjet printer, I heat set the paper and then stamped the image with Black Memento Ink before coloring with Copics.  And here's the final result:

Really simple, but I am so happy with the images offered on the Crafty Secrets CD and how easy it is!

Thank you Amy! This CD rocks - and better yet, I can do it! 

Going back to play more.  Have a great Sunday!

Brilliant . . .

That's the one word I can think of to describe Joni Russell.

If you've taken a class from her, you know that's the best word for her.

She is an amazing instructor and artist.

Patience galore!

Her explanations make the most difficult looking thing so easy to do.

Friday, I was able to take one of her classes at For Keeps Sake.  When I visited her studio/store in Wichita last year, I saw this fabulous little book and immediately fell in love with it.  She didn't teach it that weekend but did agree to teach it at For Keeps Sake this past weekend.

You might think . . . it's cute . . . simple looking

but there is oh so much more!

So many tricks in one tiny book that measures 5.5" tall x 3.5" wide with a 3" binding that is chock full of goodness.

I didn't load mine up with images yet.  Sometimes, I just want to look at it in all its adorable glory.  Fondle for a while. Turn the pages of each of its 6 signatures. Decide what its mission is. Then will have fun placing images, rubber stamping, coloring, adding, etc.

Thank you Joni.  Your brilliance is a constant source of inspiration and information.

Thank you For Keeps Sake for having Joni in this weekend.  You are definitely THE store to go to in St. Louis!

PS to Bonnie H:  Please bring all the goodies you made with Joni to CYI Tuesday night.

Joni's in town . . .

It's no secret.  I love Joni Russell.  She is one amazingly talented lady who shares her talent like no one I've ever met before.  Neither have I ever met anyone with more knowledge than she has.  And she is always willing to teach you her methods . . . with a smile on her face.  Kind hearted and generous don't even begin to describe this artist.

Joni is spending the weekend at For Keeps Sake.  Please stop by and see her incredible art work, the stamps she designs and makes herself - yes, she impresses her own rubber stamps after she designs them (what!), her jewelry making skills and more!

 

One of the books she designed:

 

With friends and fellow artists:

(Cecile, I'm so sorry I caught you with your eyes closed!)

 

With another Graphic 45 book she designed

(Fashionista's answer for men ;)

BTW, she designed the shirt she is wearing and her son screen prints them

(the whole family is talented)

and take a look at the bracelets she's wearing

(yep!).

Do you see the man's shirt cuff hanging out of the book?

It holds a mini-book.

Just sayin' . . . one talented woman!

 

While we were all following Joni

(we're groupies)

and hanging on every word

a good old fashioned torrential downpour occurred.

We opened the back door to this:

 

Niagara in our own back yard.  This is a photo of the retaining wall behind our building.  The upper level belongs to Sam's Club and is their parking lot.  Apparently, they don't think that building some type of drainage on their parking lot is important.  So each time we get one of our classic St. Louis downpours, the water from Sam's lot pours over the retaining wall

and under the back door of For Keeps Sake

flooding the classroom.

Come on Sam's.  Be a sport and fix your parking lot please.

Winner's Day . . .

Where has the week gone!

Today is Friday and that means

we have winners . . .

6 winners!

I decided to up the ante. 

(OK. If you really have to know, I have been up to my elbows in glue.  My hands were sticky and a couple of the names stuck together and I didn't have the heart to throw them back in.)

The winners are:

• Mary Walker
• Sarah (Sasa)
• Edna Tetley
• Sue Benedick
• Debbie Juillerat
• Judith Cowell

Please send me an e-mail with your snail mail addresses so I can get your prizes to you.

Thanks for your comments about the new Graphic 45 collections.  By now, you've seen a portion of one of the collections, An ABC Primer.  Beautiful.

And today I will be at For Keeps Sake, taking a class from Joni Russell of Mrs. O'Leary's.  She is the creative mind behind Artful Illusions stamps.  Joni is teaching all weekend with so many beautiful classes including jewelry, dominoes and tags.  I'll be taking a Graphic 45 bound mini-book from her and can't wait!

If you're in St. Louis and get a chance, stop by For Keeps Sake and see some of Joni's art.  She brought a mini store with her full of her own Artful Illusion stamps and more!

 

 

I thought I was going to be semi-quiet this week . . .

ha ha ha ha ha . . . you really didn't think I could be quiet now, did you?

Too many cool things going on.  Did you see the new Graphic 45 stamp sets?

Here's one of them:

 

Holy cow!  I can't wait to get my Copics on those images! 

Next Tuesday, July 12 is our CYI meet-up.  We are doing our usual show-and-tell format

and then

Guest Instructor Trish B

is going to show us a design to add to our altered books.

Haven't these been fun to do!

If you're not familiar with our meet-ups

CYI = Create Your Imagination.

It is a free,

come as you are,

bring whatever you want and show us what you did

kind of

friendly

meet-up.

It takes place the 2nd Tuesday of every month @ For Keeps Sake Scrapbook.

We start promptly at 6 pm and usually end around 7 - 7:30 ish

Here's what you should bring if you're going to follow along with Trish:

• 1 - 12" x 12"  base paper
• Coordinating paper -  Qty 2  ( 6" x 4.5" )     OR    12" x 12" sheet paper
• Optional - Photo, stickers, ephemera
• Glue Dots
• paper cutter
• scoring pad 

Can't wait!  Hope you can join us.

Immediately following CYI is Stamp Club.  This is the last Stamp Club this year so hope you can join me.

It starts immediately after CYI.

This month, BYO Copics and your choice of Tim Holtz or Wendy Vecchi stamps.

If you're coloring your stamps with me this night, please BYO Memento Black Ink.

We will be doing a background technique on a tag.

Hope to see you there!