And the winner is...

I've been out on shopping sprees (more on that later) and I had to do some daughterly errands and by the time I got home it was DARK! I then realized "OMG, THE INCHIE CONTEST!" I immediately shook up the raffle bag, pulled out a name and the name JILL was in front of me! YAY and congratulations to Jill! Jill is a future cool designer (as if she isn't one now!) and had some editors salivating and falling over themselves over her altered jeans a couple years ago at the Art Bar in Santa Ana. Can you imagine a calm and serious editor salivating? LOL! I better shut up. I can't. LOL! Anyway, thanks for playing everyone and sorry I got a late start with the contest. The picture above is another thing you can do with inchies. I was in an ATC swap over the summer and I gathered a few of my inchies and glued them onto ATCs with a black background. I love the way the black makes the colors on the inchies POP, don't you? Click on the photo to get a closer look of the words and images.

I'm a Southern CA girl and it's been scarf-wearing weather around here lately so guess what I've been doing late at night? KNITTING! I learned to knit back in 5th grade at St. Brigid's school during the 60's and Sr. Evangeline was the patient soul who taught me how to knit. LOL! I swear, I'm surprised she didn't stick a needle in her eye or ear after dealing with me. LOL!!! She would be so proud of me even if all I dare knit are scarves. One day I'll branch out to bigger or smaller things but for now, I'm sticking to scarves! Which leads us to my shopping sprees. I spent some time over at The Slipt Stitch in El Segundo and the owner Patricia is so sweet. She's the best. Another patient soul I might add. LOL! Oh, and talk about variety. Walking in her shop is like walking in a chocolate candy store! I didn't have my camera to take pics - rats! But I did buy some yarn. And today, my daughter and I hit JoAnns. They were having a yarn sale and I only go there 2 or 3 times a year - serioulsy. They really need to build a JoAnns close to us and instead they're building another TARGET! They're all within 3-5 miles of each other. Go figure. So anyway, here's a bundle of the yarns I bought and I promise to show you what I decide to knit later but you already know I'm knitting scarves. How many scarves do you need to see, huh?!! Can you tell I love color?! LOL!

Inchie Artventures & Contest!

I'm always finding ways to squeeze a little art into my life and what better way than to do it with inchies! The tiny 1 x 1 "canvas" does not intimidate me. It pushes me to make it work and work I do in a fun and challenging way. I start with something colorful. Sometimes I hunt down scraps of paper with interesting backgrounds. Tickets left over from yesterday's carnival make a great start! I know that many of us paper enthusiasts have a hard time throwing out those odd pieces for that "one day project." Believe me, inchie art can be that "one day project" TODAY! I save book catalogs for featured art and words. When I get the temptation to make some inchies, I pull out the saved catalogs and go to work. Lots of interesting art and words to choose from. Don't forget to incorporate those small stamps you have. Perfect for this type of art. A glue stick works great for holding it all down.

I want to feature my collection of inchies in a unique way. I've toyed with the idea of glueing them all along side a bookcase with a gel medium or doing the modge podge thing but I need to make more inchies cause I have a tall bookcase. Then my cautious nerve jumps in and I try to think of another way to make my inchies stand out. Any ideas? I KNOW!.......................I KNOW!..........................time for a contest! Each person who sends me an idea on how to feature my inchies will get their name entered in a raffle! The prize? A ziplock bag with blank 1 x 1 squares waiting to be adorned AND a catalog or two with "art" crying to be cut up and put onto an inchie! Come on! Play! You have till next Wed., Dec. 31st, to enter your ideas in the comment section. Get to work!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all. Wishing you peace in your hearts. Enjoy being with your loved ones cause "time" happens then it's all gone.

Tamale Artventures!

Yes, tamale making is indeed an artventure! The colors, textures and final results are an art in itself. I love the various shades of yellow in the hojas - corn husks. I enjoy watching their color and textures transform while soaking in hot water. The red of the pork filling is so vibrant. The shades of green and cream used in the green chile-cheese tamales are mellow yet exciting. And the brown raisins mixed into the masa (tamale dough) add a touch of color and temptation to pick and taste the sweetened mix. But you know what my best part of "tamale art" is? Enjoying the varied flavor each one has to offer.

We made three different types of tamales to last throughout the holidays. They freeze well but they never last that long anyway. Burp. Ooo, excuse me. Hope you enjoyed looking at my latest artventure.

Tag Art Ideas

I've taught several tag making workshops using huge 4 x 8 tags for a little over a year now. The same people usually take my classes which means there must be an accumulation of tags out there throughout Los Angeles! With the holidays fast approaching here are some ideas for instant gifts that don't cost a lot of $.....

1. If you gather several tags and place some plain ones in between, you can create a tag journal. Just bind all your tags by holding them together with one of those rings that come in various sizes. You can add various fibers on the ring to jazz it up. You could also vary the size of blank tags in between the decorative ones. If you don't want to include blank tags you could add some paint or ink around the edges to make them colorful.

2. You could give your artsy friends an arted up tag by wrapping it in tulle with a tied ribbon or fiber. Add a tiny easel and you've given them some cool and original art to display.

3. If you can't stand to part with your tags, do what one of my friends has done with hers. Create a banner of them and string them in your art space. Be careful of natural light cause it may fade them if it gets too sunny in your room.

4. You could create an accordion display to showcase your tags. Use a tall enough sheet of heavy cardstock with as many folds as you wish. Remember, these tags are tall so you'll need tall enough paper and you may need to attach two sheets to create more folds. Use a complimentary solid color so your tags won't get washed out. Use dimensional glue dots to make your tags stand out on each fold.

5. These tags also make beautiful cards, if you can part with them! You can use a clear envelope to place your tag/card in, slide a piece of paper in your envie to shield the message you write. Address it and it's on it's way to make someone happy!

If you have any ideas on what else to do with these tags, please share! Now go make some tag art!

Here, There & Everywhere

I've mainly been "HERE." Here as in deadlines, reports, events, orders and oh yeah, coffee and donuts to wash it all down with. Big SIGH. But there have been other things going on in my life as you will see and I promise to post more artventures as I make them happen.

I've been "THERE" as in the Black and White workshop I taught last Saturday at Stampin' From the Heart in L.A. Lots of painting, stamping and glueing went on. Oh, lots of fun too! Love being with my friends.

And I've been "Everywhere" even if I haven't had to leave home to get there. I now share my art room with my dad. He's pretty good about not getting into my things. LOL!

M I A

I wish M I A meant "Making Instant Art" but unfortunately it means what it is. I've been "missing in action" due to some unexpected family issues. I hope to get back on to show and tell bits of art with you all. I don't know how creative people who make art for a living manage to continue when life throws them a wrench. Anyone out there who can answer this please let me know. I don't have the art urge and the scary thing is that I don't miss it. I need to find a way to crawl out of this icky feeling. Meanwhile, here's a little "...instant art" I made one day not too long ago.

And the Winner Is....

Well, it's finally Halloween night. Thanks to everyone who played "Guess How Many Halloween Stamps Linda Has." Many of you were close and one of you hit it right on! Look at everyone who played. I had a couple doubles too.....

Michaele - 80

Christina - 85

Danita - 49

Gayle - 103

Jolene - 90

Gail - 60

Jill - 80

Geri - 63

Elie - 84

Nina - 63

And the winner of the unassembled Halloween Tag Book is Jolene who took a lucky guess at 90! YES! I own 90 Halloween inspired stamps! I'm sure there's someone out there who has more than me. If it wasn't for this contest I would have never guessed that I have under 100. LOL!! CONGRATULATIONS JOLENE!!! You bad!

The Contest Continues...

Thanks to all who have been sending me numbers as to how many Halloween stamps you think I own. Scroll down to see yesterday's pic of my Halloween drawer where my stamps are stored. Don't get scared, it's only rubber!

This fun contest will continue until Halloween afternoon and then I'll announce the winner at night when all those little stinkers are shouting "Trick-or Treat" at your door! Sigh. I love Halloween.

Halloween Treat!

No Tricks here! This is definitely a treat, especially for those of you who enjoy the Halloween holiday as much as I do. While there may be some out there who own way more Halloween inspired stamps than I do, I'm posting a picture of my treasured collection and am challenging you to guess how many stamps I have. The treat? An unassembled tag book complete with instructions valued at $40! I taught "Spooky Sensations" last fall at Stampin' From the Heart in Los Angeles and it was a hit even with those who don't celebrate Halloween! How cool is that?!

So come on and play and if you don't care for contests click on the pic and check out my collection anyway. And you know, even if Halloween is over by the time someone wins this kit it still makes a cool book to place somewhere near your creative space year round.

E-mail me privately at Stampmaiden@aol.com with your guess. Don't forget to let me know who you are cause how am I gonna announce you won if I don't have your name?!!! So come on and play. I'll announce the winner on Halloween night! OOOOO, Spooky. No tricks, just treats!

Halloween Art-i-tude

It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween. Ghouls, skeletons, bats and animated toys have been on display for a couple weeks now but something was missing. A. Something witchy and B. Cash! When the cash flow is low, go to the scraps. I went straight to my yarn and fiber stash when I decided to decorate the bare dress form I picked up a couple years ago. The skirt was attached by tucking strands of yarn under a rubberband at the waist. Black tulle was wrapped around the bodice and held in place with orange and black lace I found in my fiber drawer. Oh, and there's the pom-pom belt. Wasn't I lucky it was in orange?! A witchy dress was born in less than an hour and I didn't have to look for loose change in between the sofa cushions! Isn't it "boo-ti-ful?" I can't help myself. It's the Halloween spirit!

The Wall

It's an interesting looking piece of cork, don't you think? It once held loads of magazine clips from car magazines, receipts and invoices from auto shops, pics and cartoons, stickers meant for tool boxes etc. That was a few months back. I like this look better even though I miss the boy who once occupied this space. Well, OK he's a man. But he'll always be my boy.

Zombie Chola

Meet Zombie Chola. I found her in a plastic bag wearing nothing except little white shoes. But all that changed when I found bottles of white and black acrylic paint! It took about 3 coats of white paint to get good coverage and a steady hand to add her black eyeliner and Twiggy lashes. She has the look of a chola but she was meant to be a zombie so I named her "Zombie Chola." Fabric bits and tulle were added to keep her warm. Not that it matters when you're a zombie, I guess. She's featured year round on my bookcase but during Halloween season she comes down to the second shelf where she can be appreciated by all who come to visit.

Zombie Chola has lots of sisters living in plastic bags in the doll aisle of Michael's waiting for someone like you to take them home and add a little magic to them. Go for it!

Bejeweled Chandelier

When life gives you a plain chandelier, make a bejeweled chandelier. I loved the iron scrolls and the artsy candles looked great but there was still something missing. Instant lightbulb! I gathered my shorter necklaces and began to hang them randomly throughout the chandelier. This not only became a funk-tional piece, but I love the various colorful strands that turned this into an art piece. I no longer have to fight with tangled beads in the morning before heading out to work. I just stare at my bejeweled chandelier and get to work a little late after waking up from my trance. LOL! All that color will do that to me!

Artful Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I guess that's why it's hard for me to shy away from Halloween themed swaps, trades, STAMPS, etc. I had a workshop last October titled "Spooky Sensations" and it involved making several tags with women dressed for a costume party. We later assembled a book covered in black lace to house each tag.

This year I'm in a postcard swap and I'm happy with the outcome. I mixed several shades of paint from the cream family and threw in some plum for color. I like the eerie "sunset" or "early dawn" effect that was achieved. I stamped the word "Spooky" in a watermark ink. Bare trees lend a haunting look but to me the scariest feature has to be the brains - one in particular!!!!! LOL!!! BOO!

Artistic Chaos

Does your art space ever look like this? I have waaay too much going on right now and then BAM, I commit to swaps, plan workshops, consider submitting items and I feel like I can't breathe. But I love it. LOL! Am I a bit loca? Don't answer that. This is just one spot of my art space and as you can see it's spilling with stuff. Thank you for getting married Raymond and for leaving me this room!

I'll keep you posted on all my future artventures which pretty much happen daily! You'll get a glimpse of swaps I'm in and of future workshops I have up my sleeve.

Thanks for stopping by!