Want FREE Handmade Goodies? (and the cutest kitten ever?)

But wait - there's more.. There's also the world's CUTEST kitten!!! But first...

You know how I feel about buying handmade. If you don't, please click here. It's not trivial.

To support the handmade art community, some Etsy sellers have gotten together for an unbelievable Cyber Monday event you won't want to miss!

Cyber Monday is the Monday after Thanksgiving, and is called that because of the unusual spike in online purchases for the holidays.

A group of talented ladies who do incredible work, and then also me :), have teamed up to bring you a crazy bunch of gifts if you shop online on Monday.

If you purchase $20 in merchandise from ANY participating Etsy shop, you will receive a handmade item from EVERY ONE of the participating shop owners. So, let's say you buy $20 worth of jewelry from my friend Bunny. You will receive gifts from SIX shops! WOWZA!! Don't miss it.

You can see the official announcment in my shop, and you can visit all the participating shops to pick out what you want for Cyber Monday.

On your mark, get set, GO HANDMADE!!

Oh - I promised you a kitten.

Here you go. 1) You are welcome 2) I apologize to your family in advance for you watching this video 5,000 times and forgetting to bathe or cook.



Have you signed up for the UBlue Cyber Club? Attended one of my Webinars?? Come on - get your geek on! :)

Want to see my other blog?




Have you signed up for the UBlue Cyber Club? Attended one of my Webinars?? Come on - get your geek on! :)

Want to see my other blog?

I'm Thankful For..

Blue skiesThe mysteries of nature

My favorite cathedral

People traveling safely to parts unknown

Photography, to help us remember

Americans who give the last full measure of devotion

Symbolism

The details

Clean and simple design

Buildings that don't leave out the curves

Coconut Cream Pie

Stained Glass

Art

The magic of light and shadow

And, of course, each of you. I hope you are having a safe and happy Thanksgiving. And if you are from outside our borders, a safe and happy Thursday upon which your American friends give thanks for your kindness and friendship!

Loveyameanitbye

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She Shoots, She Scores!!

And by she I mean me!

I scored big at Half Price Books today. I found an old Bible, a Russian dictionary and FIVE copies of a little Schubert sheet music book - whee!! This one is the first sheet music I've gotten there that was the smaller scale print that I like! Whee! Lots of cards coming with this fine little print! Wait - you can see one right now!!

Paper: Cool Caribbean, Whisper White, Real Red, Music sheet Accessories: Real Red Polka Dot Ribbon, Silver Cord, Merry Sizzlitz Die, Merry Details Die, Circle Die, Big Shot Machine, Self Adhesive Rhinestones
I die cut a blue and a red bird so the bird would have a shadow that was blue.
All supplies Stampin' Up! (Except Music)

This is absolutely my fave Christmas color combo. I've been trying hard to design my own personal Christmas card with this combo, but I'm still struggling. Hopefully it will come to me in my sleep tonight!!

Are you making your Christmas card? Tell me about it!

On Cyber Monday, which is the largest online shopping day of the year - the Monday after Thanksgiving - I will be participating in a very special event.

To support a handmade Christmas, several Etsy sellers have coordinated a fun giveaway..

Spend $20 in any participating shop's store, and you will receive a handmade item from EACH OF THE OTHER SHOPS!

It's going to be quite the affair, so stay tuned for deets!


Have you signed up for the UBlue Cyber Club? Attended one of my Webinars?? Come on - get your geek on! :)

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Rejoice!

A few things today. First, if you are not watching LOST, you should be. It's the most complicated, deep, interesting show I've ever seen. It has a reference to nearly every book I've ever read, and I've read a lot of books. It has philosophers, authors, artists, theology - pretty much everything you could possibly imagine. It's a challenge. You can't say that about much TV.

Sadly, the last season begins soon. In preparation for that, over the lull between seasons, I've been re-watching the entire show to prep for the last one. Without giving LOST newbies too much context, on a later show, there's a very important baby, being carried by a very important woman, wrapped in a deep blue blanket. It's a very striking and symbolic scene. As I've said before, blue is an essential part of the Christian story of Mary, who sometimes is depicted wearing a light blue, but mostly a deep, jewel blue.

"The older, classic and more representative color is dark blue," according to the Rev. Johann Roten, S.M, director of the Marian Library-International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton. "Mary's dark blue mantle, from about 500 A.D., is of Byzantine origin and is the color of an empress."

Maybe that's why Christmas will always be a blue holiday for me.. the sky with that star, Mary and baby in blue, the nice wintery blue that everyone understands in December. That's what I worked with for this card.

Stamps: Doodle Factory O Holy Night, Sentiments Christmas Nativity, Paper: Stampin' Up! Whisper White and Basic Black,
Ink: Stampin' Up! White Craft Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink,
Accessories: Copic Markers, Acetate, Big Shot, Circle Die, Corner Rounder Punch, mini glue dots

Rejoice. :)

I know it's hard to tell, but this is a true snowglobe card a la Libby Hickson. I folded acetate in half and ran it through the Big Shot with my circle die, positioning the fold just a bit inside the circle so that it made a little folded card for me - same with the white. I covered up the glue dot holding the cardstock and the acetate together with the black base of the snowglobe, which is just a 1 x 3.5" strip, corner rounded.

Baby Jesus lives outside the snowglobe, popped up on top of the acetate with dimensionals.

I know it's Thanksgiving week, but for lots of reasons, I couldn't resist a blue nativity card. :)

What is up for your weekend? I'm doing another fair Saturday and then I really need some sleep before Thanksgiving...

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So Angry About All Those Years with ...

I am SO glad I broke up with the old collage substance. He was no good for me. He never dried, he was clingy, and goopy, and ... Well I'm just glad it's over. I put him out with the trash.

Thanks to Claudine Hellmuth, I am now craft dating matte gel medium.

He's polished, professional, neat, easy to be with. Just better in every way. He makes me happy every time I see him.

I busted him out last night to make a happy little holiday canvas. I had some canvases left over from the art I donated to the benefit for Amy Bouquet's Cat Haven Fundraiser, and I decided to infuse them with a little candy striped Christmas-y goodness. So easy and fun.

Stamps: Patterned Pines Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Barely Banana, Melon Mambo Paper: Whisper White, K&Co

I think it makes kind of a fun, non traditional looking holiday decoration. Are you making decorations? With my two insane tiny tigers, a tree is out of the question this year, so I'm having to get a little creative with decorating the house. I'd love a link or description of what you're doing! I need ideas!

Have a great Thursday!

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It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's...

An angel made out of Big Shot stuff!!

Wouldn't this make a fun little ornament or desk decoration for your co-workers for the holidays?
I just ran some brushed silver cardstock through the Big Shot with the Petals a Plenty embossing folder, then cut out two of the Beautiful Butterfly wings - but note, when you do this, you have to make sure the embossing/debossing side is the right direction since one of the wings will be flipped.

The wings are turned upside down to make them look more angel-y, less butterfly-y.

The cone for her body is just the Circle die, with self adhesive rhinestones around the bottom.

After you form the cone, and put it together with sticky strip, cut two teeny slits on either side of the narrow end, and use these to insert a punched 1" circle of silver paper into for her head.

For her hair, I just made a little lasso of silver cord, tied around the middle and then cut. I attached it with mini glue dots.

Very quick and easy! Got the holiday spirit yet? :)


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Reports of my Absence Have Been Greatly.. Accurate

I would love to say exaggerated, but that would be a lie. I was working hard getting ready for the two shows I had this past weekend.

The first was the South Austin Artists Co-op Show. This one is held in what used to be an Albertson's grocery store. When Albertson's moved out, they abandoned most of their store fixtures, which now serve as display spaces for the artists. There were lots of different types of art there, which made for a great day. I even got to meet a blog reader, Connie, who was so sweet and fun!

Here's my table before the event started. I got the revolving card racks from Displays2Go and they are AWESOME! Very well made and I think they'll last a long time. They hold a squillion cards. Seriously, a squillion.

The second show was at the Jewish Community Center and it was absolutely the best run, nicest show I've been to. My biggest sellers were my Sassy Maddie notecards, the pencil daisy cards and these little Bar/Bat Mitzvah money books I copied from Nichole Heady - I sold every one I made. I decided to leave them generic so that they could be used for either.

The other art at this show was amazing. I saw the most delicate, beautiful mosaic done with teeny millefiori beads and pretty glass. It wasn't what you think of traditional mosaic at all. The lady a few booths down from me was from England and she made these freaking ADORABLE bags with sassy little ladies on them! The stitching and embellishment is incredible up close. This chick has a lot of style!
What are you guys up to? Working on stuff for the holidays? I think I had a vision of what my Christmas card will be the other day, so I will finalize that this week so that I can make them over Thanksgiving while I'm watching Christmas Vacation!! :)

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