CHA, the Iron Man of Crafts

anyone who survives CHA, whether you are making orders, or taking orders, gets a gold star from me.

each person passing thru the front gate should be issued a survival kit... cross trainer sneakers, several pairs of cotton socks (cuz nothing feels better on tired feet than a fresh pair of socks), a 6 pack of red bull and high protein snacks (obvious reasons), a large, yet lightweight shoulder bag, a pack of tissues (for all those tears of joy) and sunglasses.
yes, sunglasses. to shield your eyes from all brand spanking new shiny stuff!

oh yeah, and a GPS. definitely a GPS.
can you get maps to conventions on GPS?

hey, now there's an idea.....

dang, i wish i was gonna be there. and i don't even care if i get lost. or get blisters. or smell bad at the end of the day.


my favorite place to visit is TEN SECONDS STUDIO. i know, i know, those chicks are nuts. but they're nuts in the good way. go say HI, and you'll walk away with a reusable free smile.
in addition to that, you've gotta check out their new product. besides all the fabulous new metal related items, Cheryl designed a big calligraphy stamp alphabet. it rocks.
i know this because i already got to play with it!!!

oh yeah. that was fun.

hope y'all have fun at CHA!
i'll just be here, home, feeling all jealous.

every morning...

i say to myself 'i should blog today'. and then it seems like a moment later the day is over and i'm crawling back into bed and i say to myself 'i shoulda blogged today'.

yeah. this has been going on for weeks. and weeks. thru xmas, thru the 'happy new year' and and and...

ok, so, a while back a wonderful thing happened when i didn't clean off my work area. well, i was able to to do another one, this one to share.

it's a photo holder thingie. it used to be a clock. a broken clock. and it was pink. 

not any more. tear it apart, paint it black, add some cool stuff, and wa-la!

(plus it hangs on the wall) the perfect rotating photo collector, or cool cards or hmm, phone numbers....or...stuff.

 

i love it. i just wish i was back in college. it would be 'the perfect thing'.

i mean really, who doesn't just love a spinner?

but hey, if you like it like i do, and you gotta have it....it's in my etsy shop.

thanks for checking in. thanks for reading and looking.

been busy, whew.

i've been busy working and also getting my new etsy shop set up. whew.
but finally, i've got stuff listed and even made a sale. that was the coolest thing ever, to wake up, check the ole email and find out someone liked my stuff!
wahoooooooo! check it out. click here to go to my etsy shop
here are the two frames that i sold. i was sad to see them go, but happy that i can always make a couple more.

 

the technique used to make these is just amazing, it's 'kicking it old school' as it were. break out grandpa's wood burner and have at it. it's a blast. it's nearly theraputic.

it's a technique i learned from julie haymaker thompson, if you ever, ever, ever have an opportunity to take a class from her, do not hestiate. omgosh, her teaching style is so layed back, it's all about the process and enjoying what you are doing. she honestly changed my whole thinking and attitude, or should i say, 'she kinda lit a fire under my butt'. thanks julie. really.

ok, off to do more of what i've been doing. thanks for reading.

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

hmmm. as much i as want christmas to always be 9 months away, as much as i despise the whole commercialization of the season, as much as try to ignore the entire business, the spirit of the season is creeping in on me.

here's a project i just finished up. these little village houses are available thru Club Scrap. they are die cut and so easy to work with. my friend Kay designed these. she'll argue and tell you that it was her and me, but it was really just her. she rocks. 

the kit includes 4 die cut houses. the box underneath it i made out of book board. pretty basic. but so dang adorable. i have 3 more on deck to be assembled. there are even holes in the backs of the houses to accommodate a mini light.

click here to go to the house die cuts.

off to make more....
z

ps if you're diggin' some of the stamps i used, go check out my line of  'short sleeve pants' stamps and maybe get some for yourself.

great things can happen when you DON'T clean up your studio

yeah, i know, sounds like an excuse, but really, 

great things do happen when bits of one project get jumbled up with another...

check this out

i had found this wrought iron key holder at my fave thrift store, and couldn't live without it. maybe because it was baby blue and pink? (no.)
i thought once i painted it black it would have a different sort of charm. no, it didn't. it just looked like something that i should give back to the thrift store.
it's a good thing i'm lazy, cuz i didn't get around to getting rid of it.  the dang thing sat on my work table taunting me for months.
fast forward to last saturday. took my daughter out for lunch (she's 12, and a half). red robin. had a great time. laughed and chatted. and couldn't keep my eyes off of the coaster under my dt. coke. hmmmm. that's cool. really cool.before we left i slipped it in my hoodie pocket.
ok, fine, i slipped two in.
that's the alphabet thing you see under the scalloped circle.
so i was puttering around yesterday, carefully moving little piles of supplies from place to place, and this coaster ended up next to the wrought iron.

the rest is history.

(and also a great excuse to not clean up your studio.)

thanks for reading all the way to the end.
zwick

time standing still

this hummingbird must be a friend of Penny's, he stayed so still while i photographed him...

this is a paper mache box i had some fun with. 

altered metal, ribbon, wooden feet, 

and my sweet little birdie friend.