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Yum Yum

Whipped Cream...Warm Pecan Pie...no one else wanted to share dessert with me at lunch today so it was ALL MINE !

All those calorie conscious gal pals.... so silly of them. It was sooooo yummy.
Only cute little Jackie was daring enough to "sniff it". She and I share the same October birthday...that has to be why she's as nutty as I am.
 

Lunch, once a month with the Ranger gals, is always a treat. We eat at a restaurant called - of all things - REDHEADS...Now I ask...is that appropriate or what ! They are in the process of renovating (the restaurant, not the girls ) so we graced their new marble wall.
Back row LR: Jackie, moi, Michelle, Patti, Debbie
Front: Bonnie and Theresa.



Now....Earlier in the day I finished up a project I started ions ago.

I had an unfinished wood pillar that I picked up on one of my unnecessary obsessive, compulsive shopping sprees  and then couldn't quite figure out why I bought it, what to do with it, why I needed it  or why I felt compelled to fix it up.... so.......

In some type of split second decision I decided to cover it with beeswax and apply a napkin to the surface. You have to do this in small steps. Then I added a piece of metal from Ten Second Studios on the top.


I also layed a stencil in areas and brushed wax over it to get a raised design.
I brushed those raised areas with perfect pearls.



Then....lo and behold...a BRILLIANT idea just zipped into my brain... I set the little statue that I bought last summer on top and made it more useful by becoming a jewelry display. Until now the little statue sat on the floor....isn't she a lot happier now??!!
 

Need a video fix today...check out Alain from Ranger...you'll LOVE it.

I know....its been days....I got home from England and then it hit me....I need to unwind.

Then I went sort of brain-dead and couldn't think of anything to post. I figured you guys would forgive me. I vegetated on the couch with TIVO and caught up on American Idol and all my Doctor Phils and Oprahs because how else would I know what was REALLY happening in the real world if they didn't tell me so. I mean by now the octuplets are practially ready for college, right?

We did, however, get in some really cool PEWTER PIECES that look beautiful on cards and boxes and books and can be molded with Mold n Pour. You don't get the quarter free when you buy the pewter!! You know that's just to show you the measurement. LOL.


I made a mold of the heart. Poured Black UTEE into it from the pot, dusted it with a few colors of Perfect Pearls and topped it off wth GLITZ stickles.


and guess what...we also have the new Ranger WATERMARK pad and refill ink.

this pad is cool.
Inkssentials™ Watermark Resist Ink is a versatile multi-purpose stamp pad. Use to create the look of a watermark on colored papers and as a crisp, bright resist for water-based dye inks on glossy papers. It is also a great embossing ink.

The Watermark Resist Ink is acid free, non-toxic, and made in the USA, as are all of Ranger’s inks. It contains an all-natural resin, pure and unbleached with a slight tint, which will not affect your artwork.

I also hope you'll remember that there's a wonderful FREE download on our home page.

The Lenster and I went on date night last night to see Slumdog Millionaire. We belong to something from Optimum Online that gives us FREE movies passes. It's only good in certain theaters on Tuesdays nights , so, we went a ittle out of our way (so worth it !!!!) and found ourselves in his quaint arthouse cinema in Red Bank, NJ that was so unique.

Limited seating, huge seats (like first class airline seats) that reclined, with very wide rows, Orville popcorn, you can bring in your own food and what a great overall experience. Plus...they show independant art films too.

Slumdog is NOT, not, not to be missed AND, I downloaded the Jai Ho theme song. I'm dancing about as we speak.

Quite Brilliant, Actually

I'm not kidding....everyone here says BRILLIANT and ACTUALLY in every sentence.
It's "rather brilliant", or it's "quite brilliant" or...it's "spot on actually" or it's "just perfect"....they all mean the same thing...THEY REALLY LIKE IT. I'm so glad because everyone had such a brilliant time in my class at LB Crafts. Thats a good thing.

First of all it's situated in this "quite brilliant" shopping center.

and, everywhere you look you'll find that lovely (another word favorite) English moss.

and we had such great ladies in the class

and they made beautiful rings using UTEE. The flashy American manicure would be me !

and memory frames using Peel Offs (UK crafters love Peel-Offs), Foil & Clear UTEE

and Linda served tea throughout the day with Battenburg. This was a delicious pink and yellow cake in a checkerboard style, wrapped in almond marzipan. Very yellow, very Yummy. I need more !

Of course there's always one exceptionally fun student in every class....Vicky, referred to as "Mad Vicky" took the cake. Well..not MY cake...no one was getting MY cake..but..check out her glasses....she made them....she's wild ! She says they hold her "fringe" back.....(that would be her bangs for we Americans )

Thanks for the fun Vicki...

and look at her fabulous necklace. She bought the kit to make it LB Crafts...IT'S BRILLIANT

then, on to UTEE and the hard plastic Kabukas from Ten Second Studio. These are new.
1.Rub a little Embossing Ink on the plastic (not a total necessity, but it helps if you're afraid of anything sticking...which it really won't !), then...
2. dust the surface with Perfect Pearls using a brush

3. Pour UTEE on the surface. IT WILL RELEASE WHEN IT COOLS AND SOLIDIFIES.
I know...IT'S quite BRILLIANT, actually ! We used the UTEE Brightz.


The class was over 4 hours so we covered an enormous amount, but, when it ended Linda and I sat down to play with Claudines Studio Paints and more of Ten Second Studios Metal..picking the new Plum color metal.
Linda is a total genius with this metal and can whip up projects in a flash.
Here is something so simple and so BRILLIANT !
1. Mix  Smidge of Blue and Dash of Red to create an aubergine color.

2. Paint it on a paper mache box and use a metallic dabber to add highlights.

3. Texturize your piece of metal, then, use just a very little of the Gold Metallic Mixative to go over the metal and remove some of the plum color while adding gold highlights.





4.
Secure it to the box

I love having fun.
Tomorrtow I fly home...I think I'll be happy to see my bed by then...and the Lenster and the cats....not necessarily in that order.

My day of relaxation

Another lovely  - but rainy day -  in England as Lin and I depart from her charming countryside home (below) and head over to her shop LB CRAFTS in Olney.

 

We are so excited to meet little Matthew and his older brother Alastaid who saw me on QVC yesterday and had came to the shop...not knowing I'd be there.... just to see if the store stocked the items Tim and I demonstarted on TV.
THEY DO..OF COURSE     !
They were just aorable when I took their picture and gave them an autograph. Hi there fellas. I'm very pleased that you like to craft!


Lin and I went into the classroom just to play and I got some tips on working wth the Ten Second Studio colored metal and Ranger alcohol inks. Lin has been doing a technique for ages where you create a texture on the metal, sand over it to reveal the image and apply alcohol inks to the surface to further remove the color of the metal and apply a layer of ink color in its place.
She also sprays the surface with Glimmer Mists.
I did this one...most happy wth it !

Lin did these...she just got in a gigantic shipment today of all the Ten Second Studio texture plates and tools.


She also showed me how she puts a piece of the metal in a Memory Frame and pours Clear UTEE over it....AMAZING !!!


Aaaaah...On to shopping....
the whole concept of shopping is just so relaxing to me...handing over my credit card for stuff I truly have no real need for but just must have....there's something so weirdly comforting about it!
I jest of course!
Once the actual bill comes with the US conversion rate I may have to kill myself.

But...here we are...Linda and I at the gigantic Center at Milton Keynes Mall....

Trying on hats...ha ha

Looking at the new trends in tights....really Ha ha...

Finding cool little bags for stuff

Taking in the smells at LUSH soaps...ooh yummy...now I have a perfume headache and a bag full of moisturizing soaps. This big round thing was a SEX Bomb.....Huh???

Linda totally did NOT need the sex bomb...she was already high from just inhaling the therapy massage bar  !!!

She was so high in fact we had to chain her down.....

I marveled at these cows in the middle of the mall...okay.so they're fake.so what!



Check this out.... It's16 metres wide, weighs 4 tons, and is believed to be one of Britain's biggest animated feature clocks. At one end of a massive wrought iron gantry sits a large frog, at the other, a forge making golden balls of sunshine. The balls are placed onto a pendulum fixed to a wheel. Every three minutes the wheel moves along the gantry delivering the balls of energy to the frog. A hammer smacks the ball into the clock housing, and it emerges, cascading down an escapement before returning back into the clock. Musical sequences are heard in the background and on the hour, the frog's eyes light up and he blows bubbles onto the crowd below, as a lily-pad spreads out behind him.
I loved it.


Okay...so we did so much shopping that - once again -  (here it comes...the part where The Lenster will fatally kill me because it happens on every trip )..I had to buy a SECOND FREAKIN' SUITCASE to get everything home.

I own so many FREAKIN SECOND SUITCASES I am contemplating opening a luggage shop and reselling them....
Ebay...Suze calling Ebay.....

Lights Action, SELL....

Today was QVC-UK.....what a kick !
Zipping through London traffic to get there on time....


Arriving at the gorgeous big QVC building...WOW...Impressive...we're excited...we're gonna be on TV...LIVE !

We want to grab a FRESH orange juice....we go to a machine that drops the oranges down a roller, squeezes them and makes you a fresh drink....excuuuuuuse me...technology...it's incredible.


I grab chips...NAKED CHIPS (okay.....crisps over here, it's still a damn potato chip )....I had to save the packaging...I mean c'mon...naked ladies on a potato chip bag.......like where have you seen THIS before. Think collage.....ooooh.


then...we head into the STUDIO....B-I-G.
Real TV looking...sets, lights...the whole shebang.

Tim and I sell, sell, sell with our host Dawn Bibby....everything sells out... l
we love them...they love us. We get invited back. Yipee.....

Then I say bye to Tim who's flying home tomorrow and I grab the underground....

then on to the overground (3 trains) to go up to Milton Keynes (about an hour north of QVC) to stay at my friend Lin's house because Thursday I'll be doing a class at her store LB Crafts in Olney. Very excited.

Before I head off to bed I want to give you two sights to visit tonight....
be sure to catch my beautiful friend Leandra on her "American Debut" on Taco Tuesday with the gals from Ten Second Studio, Cheryl & Megan.

and then, hop on over to a super cool blog....Nicks Arty Stuff

and tomorrw....shopping ! What more can I say....it's shpping for heaven sake. I hear it's a massive...MASSIVE shopping center. PRAY FOR ME.

Stitches Round 2

Demo...talk...demo more...talk more...see old friends...so much bizziness!

My gorgeous friend Corinne Amos from the UK (whom I've known for years) works for The Button Co. UK and she makes incredible button jewelry.

Donna Dewbury, who is famous for her "One Stroke" painting (she's coaching a fan here) also has a line of polymer clay and had amazing samples

Stacey from Spellbinders was showing off some of her new dies. Later she joined us for dinner.

Fiskars was demoing their new double border punches

I did a class on making rings using Mold n Pour and UTEE


Stampendous was showing some really darling stamped cards

Then...our nightly fun dinner involved a hilarious evening buffet at Wing Wah

where Tim ate ice cream with chopsticks

and they group pretended it was my birthday just so we could get the sparkler ice swan dessert and the staff could sing Happy Birthday in their unique chinese/english accent.....damn...it was so hilarious...you really had to be there...I swear !
I was totally into the moment.

Tomorrow...off to do QVC-UK.
I'm sooooo tired !

Stitches

Some of the highlights from todays first day...

Tim demoing...


Catching up with Polymer Clay queen, Lisa Pavelka


Finding Fran Seiford from Stampendous demoing for Woodware, her distributor.


Observing a big trend in the UK, cards that use multi-layering
as demoed by Sue Amour. You can emali her for details.




and fantastic ideas using a dremel tool on wood. I keep thinking I should visit an Ikea store  when I get home & look for wood bowls ! Use Claudines Studio paints and my dremel tool.


Felt is very big...remember this is also a sewing show....lots of cool felt things. I loved the jewelry bits shown on this felt tray


and...what's a trade show without very cool jewelry...mesh wire..I flipped out over this..flipped...the beads are inside the wire mesh...you had to see it to appreciate it.

here's a flower done with the same wire mesh


Then of course there was the fun dinner at an Indian restaurant. I've never had Indian food before but I am never a party pooper....

Starting L & going round the table.......we have Mario, Dyan, Mark, moi, Leandra, Alain, Ben and Tim...then back at the pub.....

MORE FUN....
as Leandra and I test our height against a clearly marked beam..proving, once again, I am a shrimp.


and that Tim "needs to have his head examined "!!!!!!


stay tuned..there's more tomorrow.

2 Down, 3 Across

Not sure where I found time, but I put together a pretty cool collage when I was on the plane and I'm adding it to the website as the new FREE download...here's a little preview

Go and download it now and make something wonderful using it. Please, pretty please.

Here's what happened in UK blogland today...
Had breakfast at the pub then on to the classes that Tim and I were giving. I'm not done being jet-lagged yet, so I pooled all my energy into an English Cadbury chocolate bar ! That always helps.
Classes were full. Tim taught several alcohol ink techniques and students got to use the new Alcohol Ink fillable pen on transparencies. The pens will become available in March or April and you'll love them.

I did a class using Memory Frames and UTEE Brightz and here are some of the stunning examples and the happy students

After class I scooted around during set up so I could say hello to my very dear friends from WOODWARE (owned by Judith in red) who were freezing their little tushies off. No heat in the hall during set uip.

Then...it was off to dinner at a cool place called Jimmy Spices where we were joined by UK favorite teacher & designer Diane Reaveley (shown here wth Tims helper Mario)...yes..it's cooooold here.

She and I got a rose and some chocolates upon entering...cool ! This is Diane and she approved this picture .LOL

The STITCHES show begins tomorrow...so...more blogging then.

A quick FYI: Leslie from Luminarte (twinkling H2O's, etc) called me last week to let me know that they will be going out of business and closing their door. Thats very sad. They have wonderful proucts. If you are hankering for some please go to my friend Kaseys site  and get them there now because they won't be around any more.

"Brilliant, actually...."

I think everyone who flies overseas from the NY area must go at night and that's why it takes so long to get through security at the airport...it was over an hour.....but, as soon as I settled into my comfy seat the lovely Donna Dewbury boarded the fight on her way to the same place as me....the STITCHES show in the UK. Donna and I have, unexpectedly , crossed paths on a ton of different random occasions.


Tim, Mario, Alain and I are staying at this darling, really authentic British pub/hotel that is really charming...it's called the Bulls Head. So bloody English. I love it !

And, according to their signage, we are in the center of England.In fact..it may even be the center of the world..I'm impressed ! I feel like I'm back during the time of my favorite book "Pillars of the Earth.

Tim, who has been teaching non stop for over a week in Europe finally pooped out after a delicious meal at the pub....

L-R: Mario, The Timster, moi and Alain.
Tomorrow...more classes for both of us and more blogging as I'm able.

Roses are Red

The Lenster thoughtfully brought home beautiful red roses tonight because I won't be here on the actual Valentines day. I'll be leaving tomorrow for the UK to demo at the STITCHES show in Birmingham, going on QVC UK with my old friend Dawn Bibby and then teaching at LB CRAFTS in Olney. I'll be gone a week but I'll certainly do my best to blog.

Whats also got me in a cheerful mood are the new mini roller stamps that just came to the office. I love rolling these stamps into warm (NOT HOT) beeswax, but, they are just as terrific with an ink pad on paper.

You gotta check these out.

 

There's 9 designs total...circles, arrows, numbers, vines, dashes, dots...the list goes on. Four bucks each or a deal for all 9.

 

and, let's hear it for the 36 American Idol wannabees. Do we see any early favorites ??...and can someone get that Tatiana babe off the drugs !!!!

Hey...got another minute...check out the tutorial

Double Pocket Bag by Jen Diercks

and my newest demo video on both both Rangers site and You Tube.