Giveway Winner!

Sorry, I almost forgot to pick the winner. I was home sick all day with a nasty fever and migraine. The winner of the TJ tote, fabulous Sakura pens, and CPS magazine is..............................................................................................................

Elizabeth Golden said...
I have learned something new today - gelly rollers pens on fabric. What a great idea. Now i need the pens!
9:49 AM


Congratulations!

Email me privately with your address and let me know if you want my John Hancock on my article or not.

New Giveaway!

It has been awhile since I have done one. I have been busy with the end of the school year and with my reading cohort. I am in summer school with two classes and it is KILLING me! I hardly have time to breathe let alone do art. Anyway, this giveaway will end this upcoming Wednesday, since people will be busy with Father's Day this weekend. I will pick a winner through the random number generator thingie a week from tomorrow.

Prize? A very fun Trader Joe tote that I just discovered, a set of metallic Sakura Gelly Roll pens, and an autographed copy (or not autographed, if you wish) of the July/August issue of Cloth Paper Scissors with my Puffy Heart article in there. I did this as a mini-workshop at the Quilt Fest in Chicago.

What do you need to do? Just post a comment to this post. You can comment about how you use markers or pens in your art. Do you use Sakura gelly roll pens? Do you read Cloth Paper Scissors on a regular basis? Just curious.

Sneak peak and Tsukineko all purpose inks

I am finishing up a quilt for an article submission, so I can't show you the whole thing. I did take a little pict of it though. I wanted to show you what fun I had playing with the Tsukineko inks and Fantastixs. They are such fun. You can do so much with them. I used them to write and to doodle on my quilt. Once you are done with the Fantastix, you just clean them with a little soap and water. I did a little experimenting and added a bit of Pearl Ex to the ink and it gave it a great shine. I especially liked the black ink. What is nice about these inks is that it does not get hard upon drying. If you heat set it, it will be washable. This quilt will not be washed, it will be one of those art quilts that gets hung up. The borders are really cool. I broke a lot of needles doing it but it was worth it.

The writing and doodling that you see on the blue background are the inks. The painted shapes and doodles within the larger shapes are part of my article. You will have to wait to see how I do that!

Special thanks to Sakura

I just wanted to thank them for all the great Gelly Roll pens that they sent me for my Quilt Fest workshops. They were great! They not only worked on paper and on top of acrylic paint, they work great with fabric as well. I use them all the time to doodle on fabric. Because they are so wonderful, I am doing my next giveaway with Gelly Roll pens.

Little Windows Resin referral program

I have not been posting to my blog as much. I will make more of an effort in the future. To be honest. I have been on Facebook more. If you want to follow me on Facebook, the information is on my right column.

I use the resin from Little Windows. They have a referral program now. I get a little something every time I refer someone. If you place an order, just mention my name in your order. Just say Belinda Spiwak sent you. That's it.

You can do the same thing. Go to their website and sign up for their referral program. It is on the left side of their website under Quick Links.

What little thing will you get? You will have to get into the referral program to find out! Am I a tease or what? Seriously, they have some good stuff at good prices. I don't recommend stuff unless I like it and use it.

Here is their website: https://little-windows.com/ Don't let the scrapbook-y feel scare you.

While I'm at it, I will tell you about bezels. I was just at the Bead& Button show in Milwaukee. I happened upon a booth where they had some bezels in the rich metallic colors that I love. The bezels are the right size for pendants and for bracelets. I have buttons that I want filled with resin. Give you any ideas? Anyway, the bezels were very reasonably priced at the show. I don't know anything about their resin. I didn't buy any. I have not tried their version. Here is the link. They have a link to stores where you can buy the bezels. I know that bezels can be hard to find.

http://nunndesign.com/

Life Update

I know that I have not been posting like I usually do. I have been super busy with life in general. I have been taking a grad class one night a week all year. It has been taking a lot more of my time than I thought it would be. I don't get a break fromy my grad class until 7/22. I will be taking two of them once my regular school year ends in two weeks. I have 8 more school days + 1 hour until the end of school. I have also been busy helping to moderate the Quilting Arts forum.

I didn't say that I have not had a little time to play. I have been playing with Kandi Corp Wax Stylus. Will be writing that up and taking some picts later on tonight as soon as I get my paper written up. I also made some hot glue stamps on plexiglas. I got that idea from Melly Testa's new book: Inspired to Quilt.

Weather sucked here today. It was windy and cloudy. It was otherwise beautiful all weekend. Sam is feeling better today, thanks to everyone who emailed me asking about her. Yes, I lost some beauty sleep taking care of her in the middle of the night this week. That's about it for my life. Back to my paper.

See a child's creativity come to life!

Click on this link and see this website:

http://www.art2believe.com/

I know the people who run this site and they are doing a very fun thing for kids. Way cool that they take kids' art and turn it into something that they can keep for a very long time or give to a loved one.

When I made felt monsters out of my kids' drawings, they loved it. I can imagine how kids would feel if they got their artwork turned into dolls or pillows. Food for thought ...or turned into pieces of art.

Thought I would share.

Book Review: Inspired to Quilt

By Melanie Testa

Here is the review I put on Amazon:

I am an art quilt and fabric book artist that does not come from a quilting background. My background is in mixed media mostly collage and metalworking. I have just recently started dyeing and silkscreening my own fabrics. I have begun to move away from commercially prepared fabrics. The section on dyes was of interest to me since I have just started playing around with it. This section is full of useful tips and hints that I otherwise would not have known. The book is full of large, color pictures. I love the stamps that Melly creates herself. That in itself gives me inspiration to create my own. After reading the section on how to create my own stamps out of foam, cardboard, or glue dots, I found the directions to be short, yet simple. They were not muddled or confusing like someone else had said. I have had experience cutting plexiglas and it is exactly as described in the book. Since I have had experience with plexiglas and with carving my own stamps,I found her instructions quite accurate and straightforward. She also provides a picture of the stamp and a sample of what it can do. I saw the freezer paper technique done at the International Quilt Festival in Chicago. I was not one of the participants, so I did not pay close attention to what was being done. I did see the results and they were very, very interesting. This is something that I would definitely try. I think that the soy wax technique is also a must-try. Next, the book goes on in the next chapter to explain how to go from your drawings in your journal to your quilt. Even thought I don't do this (drawing in a journal), the layering sequence is very interesting to me from a quilting perspective. Seasoned quilters may already know how to do this but it is still pretty new to me. I have done it many times on paper but not on fabric. To me, there are still some differences. Since I am a visual learner, the step-by step pictures really does help me to understand how she does it more than the written instructions do. The instructions tell me more what materials were used rather than what was done. I liked the little tips and the various vignettes along the way. I am constantly looking to take my art quilts and fabric books in new and different directions. Depending on my mood, I am always trying something new. This book is just the thing I need to give my creativity a boost and to shove my inspiration forward to create my version of what Melanie offers in her book. This is my kind of mixed media but with fabric instead of paper for the substrate. There have been a flood of art books out there lately that I don't like but I do like this one.

I really do like this book. You can get some good stuff on surface design in this book. I just got it yesterday. Yes, I bought it from amazon.com.

Melly is doing video challenges based on her book on the Quilting Arts website through the forum. She just did the first one. Go to quiltingarts.com to join in on the fun! They are YouTube vids. I am one of the forum mods. I will see you there!

response to PhotoEZ for tattoos

I don't see why you can't use them for that reason. I would think you would go with the HiRes sheets due to the nature of the sheets. HiRes is High Resolution. I would contact ezscreenprint.com and ask them to be sure though.

http://ezscreenprint.com/

Internation Quilt Fest in Chicago Picts

Women dancing for embellishments during Prom Night.

Me dancing around being supportive of someone dancing for embellishments. I am the one in the orange sweater. I did have a plastic garbage bag prom dress on but that didn't last long.

Pokey and Barbara in their prom dresses.

Kelli Perkins had the most fun tiara. She keeps coming up with the most fun things. You need to check out her new book and DVD. Guess whose artwork will be in her new book? Whhhhheeeeee! She gave me the most fab journal. Need to go upstairs and scan it so you can see how awesome it really is. No, you can't have it.

Pict of Prom Night.

Final promenade around to see who will be crowned prom queen. These women cracked me up!

Dancing and videoing to the oldies. If you have not seen the vid, you need to. It was pretty funny. Pokey has it on the Quilting Arts blog.

Postcard Challenge

I am doing a postcard challenge for the Quilting Arts website forum members. It is free to join the community. Here is the link to join and to play. It is under announcements.
http://www.quiltingarts.com/

Theme is the word that best describes you.

Giving me new perspective

I have been crazy busy and super allergy sick with everything green popping up and people mowing their lawns. It is the worst time of year for me. It is horrible.

I was just surfing through Kayla's blog. It is so different from any other blog that I have encountered in such a long time. Such a different perspective, different point of view. I forgot what it was like to be that age and to have the cares that she does. It puts things in a different light. She is a very talented artist.

Take a look: http://livingthecreativeteenlife.blogspot.com/

New Quilting Arts Site!

http://quiltingarts.com/
Click on the link to take a look. It is more than just a site. It is an online community. They have a members' areas, a forum, gallery, and lots more. You can enter challenges and there are giveaways, too!

Prom Night at Make-It-University

See me make a fool out of myself at MIU at the Quilt Festival. I am the one wearing the orange sweater. It was the best time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTGZAvTx_dA

As usual, the Quilting Arts crew was the best - very nice and a lot of fun!

Clearsnap Smooch

I discovered the Clearsnap Smooch from reading the Hearts In Touch Blog. They look like nail polish. http://www.clearsnap.com/ I have given them a try. It works great on fabric. The white is not as opaque as I would like but it is quite white once I give it a second coat. You can see it in use in my examples above. I had to make a couple more examples for my workshops next week. I used only the Smooch to color in the stamped areas and I used it to doodle. The only other ink or liquid medium used were black StazOn and acrylic paints. It worked really well for me. I liked the tip of the brush. It had a fine tip that kept its shape even on the fabric. It did not crumble after I used it a few times. It comes in 8 colors. I do wish that there were a few more colors though. I kept wishing there was an orange and a black color.

BTW, Frances at Hearts in touch sells the 8 colors individually for $4.5o US each. Free shipping domestically, if you buy the whole set of 8. I don't know what the cost for shipping is internationally. You will need to email her to get that information and to purchase from her. Tell her that Belinda sent you. I don't get anything for this. I am just trying to get YOU a good deal so you can try a new thing. Her email is fnaeve@heartsintouch.com

Yes, I am groovin' on this fun, new thing. I will be using this again. I am going to bring this to the Quilt Festival so I can use it on my fabric books.

Twitter

You can find me on Twitter as bspiwak. Just thought I would let you know. I will add it to my right column when I have some time. My Facebook stuff, too.

Have a Dremel but not sure what to do with it?

Dremel has an informational DVD out that is full of information on how to use their different rotary tools and accessories. It is a resource and project guide. It has a bunch of projects in it. They are house and craft related. Even though they are not art related, you get to see the tools in use.

When you get the DVD, the section on What is the Dremel Rotary Tool System has everything you need to know about the Dremel tool and all how to use it. It is a huge section.

I don't know about this DVD going internationally or not. Not sure about that. You will have to contact Dremel directly about that.

Link to get your free DVD is
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/customerservice/ManualsAndLiterature/Pages/DVDRequest.aspx

Hey, it's FREE! Don't you think it's time you freed your Dremel from its cardboard prison and let it see the light of day? Let it out and spin a little.

Stupid Quizzes

I just took one that told me that I am 17 on the inside. I am so glad that I am not 17 anymore! Would not want to be that age right now. Didn't want to do that then and would not want to be that age now. Well, my boobs were perkier and the skin was a bit more elastic but not worth the drama and the stuff I had to take in school. Much happier where I am now as an adult.

The same quiz site told me that I am the 10:02 am person. Is that why I am up at 10:18pm taking inane quizzes during a study break? I think I am more of a night person. I do my best art at night. That is when my lovely, arguing children are quiet and sleeping. My dh is also snoring away and the house is mine. I get a lot done at that time. My mind is also most awake until about 1 am.

What kind of cookie am I? You are a fortune cookie!
You are light, tasty, and full of predictions about what's going to happen to other people in the future. You like giving advice about relationships and careers, so you're willing to share your experience and wisdom with friends, family members, or even total strangers. You have an optimistic outlook, and you believe that everything happens for a reason. Even if you have a lot to say, you only need a short note, a quick chat, or a text message to get your ideas across.

That is what I get for going to a teeny bopper website to take a quiz. Yes, it is one of those websites linked to a teen cable station. Sigh.

I just went on another site and it says this:

You Are Midnight
You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.Whether you're a night owl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

Way closer to the real me!

Okay, one more quiz:

You Are the Navel Chakra
You are confident and assertive. You have the self esteem to stand up for yourself and what you believe in.You are persuasive and intuitive. You are good at leading a group, even if its members don't get along.You are inspiring. You understand when people need encouragement or nurturing, and you're able to give it to them.You have a lot of will and are very determined. You are able to see tasks through, and you have the courage to aim high.

Here is their quiz page: http://www.blogthings.com/quizzes/?page=1
Back to studying.

So creative!

See what artists, crafters, and scrappers created with the Creative Options paper and embellishments kit: http://cobecreative.wordpress.com/

Don't forget to cast your vote before leaving. So very creative! Yes, I did create pieces with their kit. No, it is not posted on this site. It is not part of the contest. They have the pieces but it is not part of the contest. I forgot to take pictures of most of samples before giving it to them. You will probably see them at shows. My stuff was mostly mixed media. I tried some scrapbooking stuff but it was a very sad attempt. I did make a big paper quilt for them. I even made a banner.

Whatever possessed me?

This morning, I had to stop and get some gas on the way to school. I stopped inside the gas station/McDonalds/Mini-Mart to get a cup of coffee and to grab a quick bite to eat since I had forgotten to get some breakfast. I was running a late this morning. I was up late last nite typing up a paper for my reading cohort. My eyes gravitated to some Donuts Gems. Mind you, I am not a real big donut eater. I will have an occasional glazed donut but that is about it. I am not big on really sweet things. I have lost my sweet tooth more and more as I have gotten older. I actually prefer dark chocolate the older I get. I like salty things more and more. They say you lose your taste buds as your grow older. I have always like salty things more - even as a child. Nope, I don't have high blood pressure or anything like that.

I am talking about the small powdered donuts. Not the big honkers. I am talking about the ones that I can barely pop into my already small mouth. They just barely fit. I always get the corners of my mouth full of white powdered sugar and a big dusting of white sugar falls down on the front of my chest. Well, it was no different today. I told myself that I would not open the package until I got to school so I would not get any on my black sweater. Yes, I dress like my color palette. I like to wear black and earth tones. I also had on a hunter green jacket.

Needless to say, the package did not stay closed for even a mile. My hunter green jacket has white streaks and smudges on it. It is sitting in my washer waiting to be washed right now. My black sweater was saved though. Was it worth it? Well, yeah! I popped a few of those babies right into my mouth and waited for the powdered sugar to melt in my mouth. They were so yummy with my very hot coffee. I made sure my mouth was sugar-free before getting to school. I don't think that I will do that again anytime soon though.

Just thought I would share. The only art I have had time to do is work on some samples for the upcoming Quilt Festival. I will post that as soon as I am done with it. I also made a cool charm necklace with several chains attached to one clasp. I will need to take a pict with my iPhone and post to the blog. Just really busy. Will get to it. Hope all of you are being creative for me.

Possible Luminarte substitute for Twinkling H2Os

I use the stuff all the time. I am so sad that they are going out of business. There were posts going all around certain Yahoo groups yesterday about a possible substitute for them: Niji pearescent watercolor palettes. They are from Yasutomo. I have not tried them out yet. I have them on order right now. I will report back once I have tried them. They are very reasonably priced.

Anyway, the reason I am blogging is because I have found them and they are ON SALE right now! I have to tell you the story before I get ready for school. I was ordering stuff for the Quilt Festival yesterday from skybluepink. I needed to get the teeny buttons, a house book, and some other stuff from them. I was surfing their site to make sure I didn't need anything else. I figured that I might as well pay the mailing costs once. Well, I came across these watercolor paints. Talk about serendipity, luck, or whatever they would call it. I emailed her and told her all about what was happening in the Yahoo groups. She emailed me back and told me that she would put them on sale on my page. BTW, she still has charms on sale in honor of my charm swap (sorry, closed) and the Cloth, Paper, Scissors Magazine charm swap on that page still going on!

Here is the link: http://www.skybluepink.com/belinda.html

You have to know that I don't get anything for this at all. I don't get anything free nor do I get any discounts. I pay for everything just like everyone else. This is just a sale that is a great deal for everyone. I have been buying from skybluepink for years. I started buying from her when I first started doing art when I was stamping and doing domino art in a heavy way. Tim Holtz links to skybluepink on his website. Just thought I would throw that in. Haven't had my coffee yet. Need to go and get ready for school now. Have to do my spelling bee this morning. Will need to get the extra-large cup.

If you order the watercolors, come back and tell me how you like them. I will post once I get them and try them out. Later days!

Buyer Beware!

Being an Asian woman with allergies, I have bags underneath my eyes. I have had this problem since I was a kid. No matter what eye cream I have tried, I have not had much success. Now that I am in my 40's, the problem is not getting better. Anyway, I heard this promo for an under the eye cream that was supposed to be fab to try for shipping only for 30 days. You could use the whole thing and return the bottle and cancel within the 30 days. Well, I thought I would give it a shot. I would only lose the shipping. I am not going to name this product. I will tell you that this eye cream is not cheap. Some eye creams run about $20 or so a tube. Some can run about $100 a tube. This one would cost me about $500 a year, if I decided to keep it. Outrageous! It better be some fantastic cream! My baggy eyes better be smoother than butter!

Well, I tried it and it didn't do much of anything for me that the $20 eye creams couldn't do. I didn't notice that much of a difference. So, I called to return it. I was asked by the customer service girl when I received it. I thought it was a few weeks ago. She told me that it was a specific date according to the post office delivery confirmation. I missed it by a couple of days. The invoice said that I would not be charged by a certain date. I was calling well before that date! I would have called much sooner if I had known that! Well, I could not confirm when exactly I got the cream because I did not keep the box it came in. I just kept the cream boxes and all the paperwork. I was pretty sure that I had not had the cream for a month though. I was only a couple of days outside this window. Well, I wanted to speak with a manager because I wanted that RMA! I did not want the cream because it did not work. I eventually got to return the cream and will not get charged for this cream. I won't pay for it. So, I returned it with delivery confirmation with their RMA #.

So, buyer beware. If it is too good to be true, then it usually is. There are good eye creams out there for me. I just haven't found them yet.

Free Art Lessons

Came across this link. Haven't tried them but they are free. Let me know if they are any good:
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/videoApplication/videoLessonListing.html

Weekly Art Challenge and Technique

If you are interested in doing this, you can get all the details in the Art-a-Week blog:

http://artaweek.blogspot.com/

Yes, I am a techno geek! Kindle on iPhone

I got all excited when I hear that Amazon put out the Kindle App (application) for iPhone. You can get it for free. I don't know how long that will last. You can use your amazon.com account. Your book will download wirelessly to your iPhone the next time you open up your kindle app on your iPhone.

A few people have expressed concerns about wanting to read a book instead of wanting to read on a screen. I love to read a hard copy as well. I did not hesitate to download this app and to get a book right away to try it out. You can adjust the font - which is a big plus for a person like me who needs to wear trifocals when she does not have her contacts in. Also, the pages go from left to right instead of down. It helps me to keep track of the pages instead of losing track and it being a continuous page. There is also a bookmark. My eyes do not get any more tired than I would get from reading a book. There are also simple illustrations in the book that I got.

I figure this a great thing for me. I don't always carry a book with me. I can have something to read if I am unexpectedly detained at the doctor's office or have to wait at a soccer game. I can download a book for my kids to read so they will shut their mouths and not fight while we are on a long car ride. Okay, my son will probably have brought his own book, so I will download a book for my daughter so she won't whine that she is bored.

It is a bonus for me because I don't usually keep a lot of books unless it is an art book. I read a book and pass it onto a friend. I swap books with people all the time. They take up too much room. I don't reread books. I don't keep them just to have them. I keep art books for reference reasons.

So, I had to blog about this. I don't get excited very often about stuff like this. I had to share.

Being cheerleader mom

This is what I do when I am not teaching 6th grade, doing my graduate school stuff, or working on art stuff (which I really need to be doing right now). I am making pillows for my 6yro and her cheerleading. They are going to nationals next week. These actually were really easy to make.

I used some dyed fabric that I had. Use some smooth fabric that is easy to write on. I had them use Sharpie markers. I taped the fabric squares down with masking tapes so they could all sign. I used my sewing machine and sewed the two fabric sides together (right sides out with a wide edge) leaving an opening for stuffing. I then just clipped the edges to give it the ruffles. Make sure you don't cut into the stitches. I snipped the ends to make the ruffles except where the opening was before I stuffed - in case I did that so I could sew the mistakes. I only did that once. The back of the pillows are a soft fleece-y material that I got from the left-over table from Joann's. The remnants pile. My daughter was nuts about the idea. If your daughter is a bit older, she can do it herself or help out. My daughter helped stuff.

I made 18 pillows total tonight. 17 for cheerleading and 1 for my son. It was a soccer pillow. I found the soccer fleece material in the remnant bin, too. He wanted one. He always wants to be included. My mom never did this kind of stuff. I want my kids to remember this stuff when they grow up. At least, I hope they will remember it.

I have some left-over material just laying there and a little bit of stuffing left. I hear a puffy heart calling to me. I can't resist. Gotta go now.

Make-It-University Schedule for Quilt Festival

Hi all! The schedule it out!

http://quiltingarts.com/cpsmag/MIU2009.html

If you are anywhere near the Chicagoland area the weekend of April 17th, then you need to be at the Quilt Festival. It is not for Quilters only! It is for Art Quilters and for Mixed Media Artists. Quilting Arts/Cloth Paper Scissors magazine has a big booth area there with an Open Studios area where artists will be doing demos. I will be one of those artists. I will also be doing workshops for them. I will be doing the Puffy hearts on wood (2x) and Bristle ATCs. It is a raffle system. You put your name into a jar. You have to be there at the time of the drawing. You pay a nominal fee, if you are chosen. You can to play for an hour! I have been to a couple of them and they are a lot of fun! Hope to see you there. I will have ATCs there to swap.

Link for a monthly freebie

Just passing along this information. This is where you go to sign-up for their newsletter. It is their blog: http://www.cutabovescrappin.blogspot.com/

I buy my Prima flowers from them. Once a month, they send out a monthly newsletter. They have a little freebie in there that they have just for their newsletter people. Last month, it was white Prima flowers. I got them. It was a great deal. You can sign up for the newsletter here. Even though I don't do scrapbooking, they do have some fun things on this site that I use.

I LOVE Prima flowers. I especially love the collage ones where there is writing all over the petals. I layer them and paint the tip of the petals. They are sturdy enough where I can sew them onto my art quilts.

Open Studios at the International Quilt Festival

http://quiltingarts.com/cpsmag/MIU2009.html

April 17, 18, and 19

I will be there all three days! I don't know the times yet that I will at the Quilting Arts booth area. I will post that when I find out. Hopefully, I will be teaching a workshop or two as well. Come by and say "Hi!" to me. I still might have an ATC or two to trade.

I will be there walking around or by the Creative Options booth. I will post their booth number when I find out what it is. You will have to come by and see their great organizational stuff.

Brayer Acrylic Paint Technique

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I am just finishing up a 4x4 technique fat book swap. This is my contribution. I have not been working a lot with paper as much as I have been since discovering the wonders of fabric and my sewing machine. It is like it is new again. This is a simple technique that makes a great background. You can choose to embellish it a bit with embossing or some rubber stamping with paint or some text stamping. I like scribbling.

Here is the basic technique:

1. Use watercolor paper or card stock as substrate. Glue stick torn pieces of book text randomly to watercolor paper. Make sure you cover text paper with glue stick on top as well. Let dry.
2. Draw lines of acrylic paint or fluid acrylics in several colors on paper plate.
3. Use brayer to pick up a few colors of paint at a time. Brayer onto paper in different directions away from you picking up paint when needed. Don’t overload on paint. Don’t need to entirely cover surface. White space okay. Should see some of text.
4. Using a little bit of force – might want to stand for this. Press down on brayer (without paint) and push away from you. Brayer will pick up paint in spots where glue was on text. You will get a great distressed look. Go over entire page. Let dry when you are happy with look.

The most important thing is to make sure you go over the text page with glue stick so that later on the brayer will pick up some of the paint when you go over it again. Sometimes, if the text is not on the watercolor paper firmly enough, the brayer will pick up sections of the text paper. Just use a bit of glue stick and glue it down the best you can again. It is okay if it is not perfect. You won't be able to tell the difference anyway. Have fun.

how to subscribe again

Sorry about the inconvenience. Feedblitz wanted to charge me money, some crap about my free trial being over when I have been using them for more than a few years for free now. I went through another way. You can click on the subscribe button. Choose the email icon or whatever method you are using to read blogs that you are currently using. The email icon will lead you to through so that you will get my blog posts through your email. Isn't technology grand?

Note to my subscribers

Sorry. Feedblitz wanted to charge me. I will find someone else. I will post a new link once I find someone. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Puffy Hearts eye candy

Puffy heart eye candy. Sick and on an art roll. I don't know how I got sick this time with a fever. I have no clue how I will get my paper written by Wednesday. One more proposal to go. It will have to wait until after dinner. Gotta feed the kids before they mutiny or whine (even worse). Picts taken on my iPhone. What did I do before that fabulous thing? I need to be in a "I absolutely love my iPhone - don't know how I lived without it - need to check my email - play needless but fun games like Bubble Trouble - and do countless other things with my iPhone" Yahoo group but don't really have the time.

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MIU

MIU is short for Make-it-University. Quilting Arts runs it during the International Quilt Festival at it various locations. They are short mini-workshops.

6 Creative Options tote winners

Winner #1 - Priscilla Schrock said...
I like those purple embellishment containers. I love purple and have lots of little stuff that would go in it.Thanks.

Winner #2 - Denise said...
It was tough choosing the product I liked best, but I would agree the Grab 'n' Go systems look the friendliest. The parent company, Plano Molding, has a outlet store nearby, and I've purchased lots of their products. Hope some of these Creative Options products show up there soon!

Winner #3 - Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...
Another generous giveaway, Belinda. You never cease to amaze me with your generosity. I personally like the Bead and Embellishment Tower. 36 places for small charms, beads, etc., would be great for organizing my new craft space or to take with me.Elizabeth in Wichita, KS

Winner # 4 jane eileen said...
What's not to love about all of these things? They are all amazing. I would love to have any of them, but the most surprising was the crafter's bin line. I could use one to keep my work space less cluttered or take it on the road for a class anywhere when space is at a premium. Thanks for sharing with us!

Winner # 5 - Carolyn Miller said...
I like the Swivel Stacker w/ 6 jars. Great for storing lots of tiny embellishments.Carolyn Miller

Winner #6 - Pam Tucker said...
I like the swivel stacker with 6 jars. I am forever trying to hunt down my little plastic envy's with different sized embellishments. How cool to have them all in one place in plain sight! Thanks,Pam T.

Congratulations to all of you!

Email me with your full names and addresses. Email link in right column.

Some of my favorite things

You can't buy these wood flourishes directly from Kaiser Craft but you can get them online or from scrapbook stores. They are a lot of fun. You can use them as stencil or glue them directly on your artwork. I use them as stencils for my silkscreening, too. They work great with hot wax from Kandi Corp. You can see what they look like at http://www.kaisercraft.net/site/craft-embellishments/wood-flourishes.



I use Golden's gel medium all the time for all sorts of things. Not too, too long ago, I found out that Dick Blick has their own version of gel medium in a tube. It is not as thick as Golden's and it works great as a glue. It is a bit more liquid-y and it spreads easier with a paint brush. It is cheaper, too. I use it all the time instead of Golden's when I want to glue down my backgrounds when my liquid glue will not do. Just thought I would share that.

Will continue at a later date. Need to go and make waffles for the kids right now.

Puffy Collage Hearts on Wood Blocks

Yeah, I need to work on the title. Not my forte. I love how they look though. You would not believe how easy they were to make. It is all in how you put it together. You can click on the pict to get a larger view. You cannot tell in the pict but the hearts are puffy in real life. That is wayyy kewl! Hopefully, they will get accepted for MIU. Keep your piggies crossed for me. It is not easy to try and make they look fantabulous and easy to make in an hour. I need them to dry quickly so we can get them done without having to use a lot of heat guns. I don't want them to walk around with wet art.

Matchbook ATCs

I just sent this as a proposal for a mini-workshop. Loving the Artgirlz stamps. Wish me luck. I wanted to use my Artgirlz stamp with the glasses and the Mary Tyler Moore flippy hair but I can't find her anywhere in my house or my hair! Major bummer!

Winner of copy of CPS is....

love those giveaways too!

Marianne



Congratulations!
Contact me!

Creative Options Tote Giveaway - 6 of them!

I have SIX of the tote bags from CHA to give away! I was not there but the tote bags were. They are nice and new and ready for a new home. Sorry, the pict could be better but it was snapped early in the morning with my iPhone. It is light green color with a ton of circles on it. For a giveaway bag, it is VERY sturdy. It is very nice,thick canvas material that is not flimsy or not filmy. I always use these bags as my school totes. They always last through the school year. I use a new one every year just because I like a new bag (new year and all that).

So, this is what you have to do to get your chance at winning one of the SIX tote bags:

1. Go to the link http://www.creativeoptionscrafts.com/products/

2. Look around and find something your really like on one of the pages.

3. Come back to this post and comment about it here.

4. Just give me your name, (email, if you want) and tell me the name of the product you like and why.

You have until Saturday. I will pick the winners on Sunday when I do the Art-A-Week Challenge stuff. Good luck and have fun!

Just starting to work with fabric?

If you are just getting started with fabric, you will need a few basics. You will need a very large self healing mat. I got most of my stuff from Joann's with my coupon or when it was on sale. Might as well save yourself some money. Make sure you store your mat flat. You need to store your mat flat on the carpet or against something relatively flat if you are storing it vertically. I stored mine against the wall and a long shelf for awhile. Now it is always just lying flat on the carpet - I use it so much. You will also need a rotary blade. I use a 45 mm one from Fiskars. The one with the straight blade will work fine. You should change it once it starts to pull or you don't get an easy cut. Be very careful with this!You also need a long metal ruler and/or Quilter's rule. Since some fabric sheets are longer, it is easier to cut them with a Quilter's rule. I don't use the measurements on it as much as the fact as it is longer and I can get a longer cut with it.

Don't bother buying a smaller self healing mat if you plan on making any kind of art quilt in the future. You will want the longer, wider mat so you can cut fabric on it. It is worth the money now to get the larger mat. The one I use all the time is Olfa 24x18 mat. You may wonder how to get straight cuts of fabric. I get relatively straight squares all the time. I make sure that the fold on my fabric is to my left when I cut. When I cut, I always make sure that either my bottom or top is straight. I then cut my right end straight. That way, I have my right side and either my bottom or top straight. I cut what size I want. Remember to always measure twice and cut once. I always lean over and put more pressure on the rotary cutter so I don't have to go over it again to get a cleaner cut. When I line it up again to get my height or width cut, depending on how I cut it first. I line it up again with the bottom or top straight, cut a bit off the right to get it straight and then cut my pieces. It saves me a lot of time and aggravation. I know there must be a fabric grain this and that kinda thing but I don't pay attention to it. I am sure the quilting gods will strike me down one of these days, but I am not really good at following all the rules when it comes to my art'ng. Don't tell my 6th graders that!

One other thing, make sure you line up the top and bottom or your Quilter's rule or ruler with your lines on the mat really well. If you think it looks off, then it probably is. Remember to measure twice and cut once. If you don't put good pressure on your ruler, then you will probably move it while cutting and it will be off on your fabric. You can probably repair it on the mat. If not, just save the scrap for another project. Don't toss out the fabric! It can be used for something else. If it pisses you off, then just send it to me! I will put it to good use.

Hope it helps you out. I hope you have as much fun playing with fabric as I do.

Blog Giveaway - Copy of CPS!

No, I am not on the cover of this issue, but I do have a short article in here. This is also the issue that has all the information about the charm swap! I did autograph my article - if that means anything to you. It is a brand spankin' new copy of the magazine. Just to make it more fun, I will also put a few fabric goodies in the package as well. Just comment to this post by this coming Wednesday. I will pick a random winner Thursday, announce, and send it off to the winner. Good luck!

Epiphany

Recently, I had an epiphany while driving. I do most of my thinking while driving or showering. It is while I am doing something mindless. That is when I do my best thinking. I know why I love to work with metal especially copper. I often feel the need to take things apart and to assemble them again in a different way. I NEED to put things together. I am very mechanical. I am very visual and tactile. It was not until recently that I started working with fabrics and doing art quilts. I have been mostly a collage artist until then. I have been a technique junkie - in search of more knowledge. Feeling the need to do more and different things. Strangely, I do not feel such a need with fabrics/textiles. It may be that I know so much more because of the paper arts. I can transfer a lot of that over. I had the revelation the other day that I love working with fabrics because I love the COMFORT involved with working with fabrics. I love the visuals involved with fabrics. I love the vibrants colors of the batiks and the handmade fabrics. I love coloring my own muslins. I am also a very tactile person. I love running my fingers through the soft flannels and through the different textures of textiles/fibers. I even love the different threads. It feeds my different tactile needs. I feel "comfort" when I am sitting at the sewing machine. I do feel a little "frustration" when I can't get the thread through the needle and I have to find the threader thing. That is only momentary though. Yeah, I am usually not a "deep" person and don't do a lot of reflecting. What can I say. It is a long drive to and from Cicero and Aurora every day.

Do you know why you do the art that you do? I also know why I don't like doing certain kinds of art. There are still a few things that I would like to try but don't have the time or money to do it. What about you? Just a few things for you to think about.

Creative Options Sweepstakes

Creative Options is the company where I get the yummy bags from CHA. They are the storage solutions that I use for my charms. I put all my beads and jewelry stuff in them. I posted picts some time ago of my stuff in Creative Options storage. I use a Creative Options bag as my school bag every day. Look for a Creative Options giveaway soon. I still have some of the bags left from CHA. I just have to find them! You might have seen some of the Creative Options storage solutions at Joanns or Archivers.

They have a form on their website where you can fill out a very short form to enter their sweepstakes:

http://www.creativeoptionscrafts.com/sweeps/

They also have a section on their site where they are having a contest where you can win something and become part of their "style/design" team. It is on the same page as the sweepstakes.
Here are the details from their site:
Creative Options Be Creative Sweepstakes Creative Options is holding the first ever Creative Options Be Creative Contest! Creative Options will supply the paper & embellishment pack and the contestants will supply the creativity. Anyone can enter, anyone can vote. For your free Paper & embellishment pack, send a check/money order made out to Creative Options in the amount of $3.00 (to cover postage and handling) to: Creative Options Crafts, 431 East South Street, Plano, IL 60545. As soon as the paper & embellishment pack is received, the creativity begins! A Creative Options product basket will be awarded to the winner of each category; Paper Crafting, Card Making, Scrapbooking, Quilting, Beading, and Misc. The most votes received will be the grand prize winner of a digital camera. All winners will have the opportunity be part of the Creative Options Style Team as well. The only limitations are the contestant’s imagination. The Creative Options paper & embellishment pack will be the only paper and embellishments permitted. To submit an entry, send a photo of the creative craft made using the Creative Options paper & embellishment pack, detailed instructions of how to make the craft, full name, and shipping address (no PO boxes please) to creativeoptions@planomolding.com or mail it to the address listed above. All entries must be post marked by March 15, 2009. All eligible entries (first name, city, and state) will be posted on the Creative Options website - www.creativeoptionscrafts.com on April 1st, 2009. Voting begins immediately and ends April 17, 2009. Winners will be posted and prizes distributed on or before May 1, 2009. It’s time to be creative!

Good luck! I am going to try for this, too!

Golden Newsletters Links

http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/index.php

I thought I would pass this along. There is a lot of interesting information here. They tell you all about their new products. Of course, they are trying to sell their stuff, but you can learn a lot about acrylic based mediums. If you are serious about paints or are confused about acrylic based mediums, you can learn a lot from the newsletters. They have a huge section on molding pastes. Happy reading.

Want some free Prima Flowers? - ALL GONE!

they have emailed me and told me that this offer is gone now. They are all OUT. Get on their email list for their monthly offers. That is how I found out about their free flowers!
Belinda


http://www.cutabovescrappin.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=527540&Category_Code=CHA

Go to the above link.You will see the big picture of the white flowers and the box right underneath it which says to add it to the basket.

It says "Add One to the Basket" - Looks like a blue tag. Ignore the crap that says related items.

Then go to checkout and check out

(place order without account)

You get a free order of flowers.You have to fill out your fill out the name and address boxes. The usual stuff.

I get their newsletter. Just passing along a freebie.

Charm swap sign-up ends Sunday

This is one of my favorite charm bracelets. It has charms that Harriet made for me. They are the very cute round beads and the square/tube beads on there. The rest are my charms and found objects.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mmartfriends/ Here is the link to join the group. The details are in the File section under Swaps. The sign-ups are in the database. You only have to commit to 5 charms at the very least. It is 5 for 5 with various categories.

Don't forget that skybluepink.com is having a sale on their charm stuff in honor of my charm swap and the charm swap that Cloth Paper Scissors is having. You can find the page here.

http://www.skybluepink.com/belinda.html You can find a lot of fun stuff for charms on this website. I also get my domino art stuff from here. I am also a punchinella princess. You can find some of my punchinella artwork from my early days in her gallery. I hear that punchinella is a big thing now overseas.

Charm swap sign-ups end tomorrow - Sunday!

What are your 3 favorite/inspirational words?

Cate Prato recently had on her blog a contest about what your 3 favorite words were that you have ever heard like:

"You've lost weight!"

Mine are from my daughter - Be you, Momma!

From my son - "Love you, Mom" (never tire of hearing that from my oldest, mommy thing)

The FOUR words I will never tire of hearing are "Oh! I GET it!"

You get the idea.

What are your 3 inspirational words to live by? Leave me a comment.

Rock On! Challenge

You ever have something speak to you? I always have people ask me things like what is your favorite book or favorite movie or favorite this or favorite that? I really don't have an answer for them because I like so many different things for different reasons. I don't love something more than all the rest. That is not the case with my favorite rock 'n roll song. My absolute favorite song to sing to is "Love Shack" by B52's. I have that on my iPod and on DVD. I crank that song up and belt that song out at the top of my lungs on the way home all the time. I am alone, of course. You don't know how many truck drivers toot at me because I am bopping to the beat. I can imagine what they are thinking! No, I don't enter every single Cloth, Paper, Scissors Challenge, but I had to enter this one. I may or may not get my entry into this one, but this one meant a lot to me. The shack is crooked from the music rockin' it. If you have ever seen the B52's, you know why the shack is such a funky color. They were a funky group. They still crack me up when I see them on a video. You can see them sometimes on the internet. I still laugh at what they have on and at their hair. My kids ask me if I ever had my hair like that (no!). Love Shack is one of my ring tones.

Join Art a Week Blog

This is the message I posted to that blog that I just set up. Are you up to the challenge?Are you ready to do something for yourself?

This blog was set up in response to numerous emails I received from artists saying they wanted a way to create on a consistent basis. I figured this was a good way to do it. If you email me, I will add you as an author to this blog. You will post your artwork to this blog weekly to keep us updated on your progress. Techniques are also welcome. Plz keep your posts limited to art only. Do not feel that you HAVE to do it weekly. If life gets in the way, you do not have to make it up. This is supposed to be FUN - not added pressure or stress. Make it up, if you want to later on (but I won't make you. I am not the art police). My only job here is to ooh and aah over the artwork and to monitor the comments. I will occasionally add artwork of my own here. I will try and add something of my own on a weekly basis. My email link will be in the right column. Email me again if you do not receive a response from me within 24 hours.

Here is the link to that blog: http://artaweek.blogspot.com/