Where I can be found

Well, it's Sunday and soon time to go back to work. Did you have a nice weekend? I'm getting up to attend my return-to-work meeting tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.

My 9 drawer storage unit that was custom built buckled on me, and all the 4 foot x 4 foot drawers collapsed. Ugh! Thank heavens Donnie came to my rescue. He took all those drawers out, all the "stuff" on the top shelves, and six cubby holes, and put them in the spare bedroom. Now I have to clean up my 6 foot wide desk, collapse it down, and clear space to allow my closet unit to be pulled out and repaired. Am I happy? Ask Donnie. Thank heavens he is the calm one in all of this.

How does this affect you? Well, I need to work hard finding photos that I haven't used yet, so you think I'm busy creating "new" stuff, and maybe even give you a sneak peak into the mess I'm in.

In the meantime, I'd like to direct your attention to Next Generation Stampers. Trish Bee runs this wonderful Yahoo group. She loves creating backgrounds as much as I do. I'm learning some really cool things which I'll work on in my kitchen while my studio is under de-construction. If you sign up, give me a shout. I'd love to hear from you.

I've Been Tagged

Taava tagged me,

"Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times."


I'm tagging:

Kim
Ila
Maria
Kim P
Sarah
Angie
Heather
Malieta
Tammy
Pam

Dare to be Fabulous

There are thank you notes to go out to several of my blogging friends, which was the inspiration for creating these cards. Dare to be Fabulous is a wonderful sentiment. My studio is a terrible mess and I can't put my finger on my set to give the credit, nor can I find my cattie, but I'm sure you recognize it. How do we get ourselves into such messes? Do you get as frustrated as me? If you look closely in the upper left corner you will notice some bling.
The image of the girl is from Stamper's Anonymous. Embellies: button, ribbon, flowers. Card layout came from Page Maps.

Have a great weekend. Doing anything exciting?

Eye Candy

Oh my goodness, check out Beryl Taylor's site here. I first became familiar with Beryl when her cloth arch was on the cover of Cloth Paper Scissors Winter 2005. Today, I stumbled upon her again, and couldn't wait to share her site with you. Beryl's Book Mixed Media Explorations is on my to-be-ordered list this month. With the Canadian dollar being on par with the American dollar, The Bookeeper, here in town is offering US prices on all books in-stock, and special order until the end of January.

My girlfriend, Kim, and I both love the look of cloth journals and are swapping pages with each other this year. That said, guess I better get right on it!

RAK's

This stunning set came from Maria. Believe me when I say that this photo does not do justice to the beauty of this card set. I was so intrigued to discover that the pouch on the right held a packet of cocoa. Isn't that neat. Maria, thank you for your friendship girlfriend! Hugs.

Look at the loot that I received from Malieta. The cute little cat card had a reminder inside that I won this as a player in her "pay it forward." How awesome is that? I was blown away by her generosity. I'm so excited about the images she sent me too, and I'll be showing you what I created with them. Thanks, Malieta, you are a doll! Hugs.

Poll Results & Updated Pic

There are two risky things in the life of a blogger--posting a poll and updating a photo of yourself. You have all come to know the skinnier me, and I made sure you never saw the me today. Well, Maria, of Stampin Inspirations, gave me the confidence to update my picture. Maria said she was heavier and updated her picture anyways. I loved that she had her funky new glasses on too. And guess what? I love her even more because she had the confidence to update her picture. I still admire her talent and love all her creations. Why was I so afraid that people wouldn't look at me as someone with talent if I am heavier? Thank you, Maria, for giving me the confidence I needed. Weight aside, I can just hear my mom say, "what in the heck did Beth do with her hair this time?!" Well, mom, ya know me--LOL. I'm the eccentric in the family.

Now, onto my poll. Thank you for your participation. It was risky asking if you liked, or even wanted, my tutorials, because I could have found out that no one cared about them. I am happy to report 98% of you like my tutorials, so I will continue posting them every Tuesday.

What do you want to see me post? 88% of you said cards, paper crafts, with a mix of surprise.

Links of interest? I'm happy to report that 81% of you would like me to continue them. I will treat you to one or two favourite sites here and there.

Surprising to me, it was almost a 50-50 split with posting daily versus posting a little less often, but with higher quality. Because I can, and it's my blog, I'm siding with the 57% of people who would like a little less postings and higher quality. For the 42% who beg for daily postings, please know that I will try my best. My goal for 2008 is to set my goals higher and demand higher quality for myself.

Whew, now that that's over, lets go forth and create!

Hugs,

Beth

BFF

Hi folks. Are you all pumped up, like me, that it's Thursday? For those of you who don't know what Thursday means to me -- it's my weekly wing & beer night with my friends. It's a highlight to my week because it's the day before Friday (and we all love having a weekend off--don't we?) and I get to chat and laugh myself silly with my friends.

And speaking of friends, look what my BFF made me for Christmas. (mom, BFF means "best forever friend"). Who is she, you ask? Kim, from Running on Ink. Kim is a talented artist who has a love for collage and soldering. Recently, Kim was in a cottage swap, and just couldn't resist turning a small project into a big project. Click here to see the cottage she soldered together.

There are two types of people in life. One is, "look what I want to do one day" and "look what I did today." Kim never ceases to amaze me with her talent--and how quick she can move. I am very good at sending her links to sites because "this is what I want to do one day." No sooner have I said it, Kim is posting the done project on her blog the next day--LOL. Recently, I showed her a free doll pattern on line and look what she got made in the next 24 hours. Isn't this gal amazing?

For Christmas, Kim made me this gorgeous necklace, which I'm wearing today. I can't wait to show it off this evening, because my friends always comment on the interesting jewelery I wear (ok, so I am eccentric sometimes). Her soldering job is amazing.

Kim's blog banner has an interesting story. Upon designing, and drawing, her own banner, the owner of justjohanna noticed it immediately and contacted Kim to ask if she could turn these birds into stamps. Guess what? Kim's rubber can now be purchased at justjohanna.

Thanks for your friendship Kim.

Hugs,
Beth

Tutorial Tuesday - Kimono Card

Happy New Year. Did you attend a party last night? I enjoyed a nice evening home. Today's card is a little more complex, so I took several photos to show you how it was made, and I hope it gives you inspiration to make a kimono card too. Each year Donnie & I invite several friends to join us at Tang's restaurant, during Chineese New Year. This year I am going to deliver their invitations in one of Tang's take-out boxes. Party favours will include celophane wrapped peanuts, to wish my friends a long life. Finally, each couple will receive a kimono card with New Year greetings. This is a fun way to continue holiday celebrations without all the work of hosting a party at home.

The first thing I did was to research kimono's on-line. My inspiration came from this photo.

Next I printed the pattern for the kimono from Mirkwood Designs. For the template, click here. After I scaled the pattern down by 10%, I cut out the pattern and then made a pattern out of cardstock, because I am making quite a few of these cards.

The pattern was traced out onto paper that I made. Watch for the tutorial this month.

Using a metalic gold Krylon pen, I ran the pen around the edges of the kimono to give it added visual appeal.

The card is now finished. The size of card I used is 5" x 6 1/2".

Changes to My Blog--Please take my poll

Hi folks. Are you all back to work now that Christmas is over, or are you taking extended vacation? My extended vacation is over. For personal reasons I have been off work for 18 months, and I'm excited to say I'm looking forward to returning to my old full-time position. With me returning to work, I need to look at how to better serve you, while being mindful of the long hours it takes to put into blogging.

There are many new ideas swirling around in my head. I'd like to push myself to the next level, but I need your help. How can you help, you ask. Well, on my side bar there are a few quick questions that I would like you to answer. My poll is set up so you can answer with the click of a button. No writing is necessary. Simple.

Please, if you are a subscriber, would you mind taking the time to click to be linked right onto my blog site, because my poll cannot be viewed through your subscription.

I wanted to offer up some blog candy for your participation, but I really want to listen to my viewers rather than having people filling in a poll just for the chance of winning blog candy.

How about this. If I have a good response, I will offer up some wonderful blog candy, valued at $20+, once the poll is closed in a week. Donnie has been watching me clean and reclean my studio for the past month. It's been torn apart and now I have unused rubber to share with you folks!

Happy New Year to you and your family. You have made it so enjoyable to blog. I treasure the friendships I have gained over the past few months, of blogging, and look forward to getting to know more of you.

Hugs,
Beth

More Links

Howdy folks. It looks like I've had a severe case of the surfing bug. There is so much talent out there and when I find it, I like to share with my friends, so here's a third installment:

Are you a bead lover like me? Look at what the Stamp Queen created with Christmas balls.

Have you heard about the new rage of altering a puzzle? Well A Mark in Time has the coolest one. Take a peak here.

Kathy Wasilewski of Art Pub Studios is a collaboration of 13 well-known artists who provide their art-tips, give-aways, and free images. Kathy's personal blog can be viewed here.

What girl doesn't love purses? Take a look at these by R2Art Studio.

Are you interested in signing up for a free newsletter that offers free tips & techniques plus quilting and mixed media trends? Then click here. This link takes you to the Cloth Paper Scissors site.

I have the sense that you enjoy these types of posts, and will try to do this once, or twice, a month. Let me know how you enjoy these sites, and if you would like to see more.

Enjoy.

justjohanna in June

Doesn't June remind you of spring? And who, who, do we see in June? Why, justjohanna birds and owls of course! Even the birdie house is from justjohanna. Do you think they are starting a nest in there yet?

Elegant Extract

This darling stamp, by Sandra Evertson, has been patiently waiting for me to use. With the holidays, it has been hard to find the time to sit down and create. Well, today I did just that. I spent the entire day working on my Scrapodex calendar for my office desk. For those of you who are in my area, you will be happy to know Lasting Impressions carries the Scrapodex. I'm addicted to working with these, and will be going back to buy another one to decorate for my studio desk. If you ask nicely, Cathy will even print you off a calendar for a minimal fee. The month of October is just a sneak peak into my yearly calendar. Stay tuned for more.

Elegant Extract was stamped onto watercolour paper with black Stazon, and watercoloured with Tombow markers. How did I achieve all that blended colour? By colouring with the markers and with a #0 brush (winsie teenie tiny brush) I blended the colours with water. Stay tuned for a tutorial on Tombow markers in January. Image was then cut out with an exacto knife and glued to chipboard. October was matted onto polished stone background that I made previously. When I am creating backgrounds, I like to make a lot of extras so that I have them on hand to readily use.

If you have a tutorial that you would like me to prepare for you, please let me know. Have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping by.

Eye Candy

Good afternoon. I'm about to go out for my regular Thursday beer & wing night with a group of friends, but before I go I thought I'd share some sites that I came across today. Did you know that Flickr is full of inspiration? I didn't until today when I went looking for vintage photos for collage. Wowzers, you have to see these sites:

Holiday Jenny's Flickr photos (pretty in pink)

Fleamarket Studio has lots of inspiration. Click here to see the handmade house.

Holly Doodle Designs has lots of vintage items. Click here to see some houses (can you tell I love houses of any kind?)

Saray-Viola has a love for altered ATC's.

I'm a member of Trish Bee's Yahoo Next Generation Stampers group, and she generously placed her recent vintage photos on Flickr for everyone to use, whether they are in the group or not. Trish, you rock!

I hope I was able to inspire you to create.

Hugs,
Beth

Time To Call The Elves In For Help

Time is getting short so I'm calling in favours, our Christmas meal will be something to savor. There are cards to be made for family and friends, drinks to prepare with our favourite blends. So if you find a spare elf that is free, can you tell him to come here and help me?

As I look outside and hope for new fallen snow, I realize there are unfinished things I have to let go. Darling hubby's card needs to be started. With attention to detail, I have to be quick--as it is almost Christmas and time for St. Nick.

Children are special and full of delight. Their love for Christmas are shining so bright. To have them for Christmas will be such a pleasure, even if severe weather. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Good afternoon everyone. I'm wondering how many of you are still out there reading blogs when there is probably so much left to do to get ready before Christmas day. Today I used my birthday present from DD and loved it, especially at such a busy time of year. Want to know what it is? A pedicure to a local spa. It was very relaxing.

My Christmas baking is all done, and today I am giving you a peak into my kitchen. Decorating sugar cookies is one of my favourite things to do over the holidays. The recipe that I used is new to me this year, and was found on the All Recipe site. I'm all set up over there and have my own recipe box for future reference. This cookie and icing recipe is very easy and I had lots of success with them. Just in case your baking isn't done yet, and you are looking for something to bake, I have included my recipes to help you out. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Cream the margarine and add the sugar gradually. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition.

Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt gradually to the creamed mixture, stirring in by hand. Cover and chill dough overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and cut into your favorite shapes. Place cookies onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 6 to 8 minutes or until cookie has a golden appearance.

ICING

INGREDIENTS
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.

Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.