Altered Arts Magazine

Ocean City 2010

2010-05-27T14:39:00.014-04:00

I love Stamping by the Sea. This is one of my favorite events to attend. You may have heard me mention this before - but it's true so it bears mentioning again.

The stamping convention is held the same weekend of May every year. This allows for some good pre-season deals on accommodations and yet, if you're lucky, some great time on the beach. Even when the weather isn't quite as cooperative as I'd like, I'd rather spend an overcast, cool day near the beach than here in northeast Ohio!

This year I arrived on Thursday night in time for dinner and a walk along the beach. I honestly don't remember where I ate that night, but I'm sure it was good. :-) I awoke early the next morning and made my way to the Boardwalk for the Cruisers parade. The weekend that this convention is held also happens to be during the Cruisers event. While I'm not a hot-rod or vintage car enthusiast, I do enjoy the boardwalk parades. They do these parades at 7 am Thursday through Saturday.

http://www.specialeventpro.com/cruisin.php

(For more information on the Cruisin' Ocean City event)

After the parade I headed to the Carousel Resort which was the host hotel for the convention. I taught two classes there on Friday morning. It was so nice to see familiar faces...some of my students have been taking classes from me all five years that I've attended. It made me feel quite good to have a few of them tell me they signed up for ALL of my classes that weekend.

It was a GORGEOUS day that Friday, so after cleaning up from my second class I grabbed my beach bag and chair and headed to the beach. I came prepared with my bathing suit under my clothes for precisely this purpose! I went down the beach where I ate my lunch and enjoyed the sun. After indulging in a little sun worship, I finally gathered myself up and went to set the booth up - grateful for the reprieve.

The Friday night dessert/make-and-take event is not to be missed...if you are an attendee. As an instructor, it is non-stop and incredibly tiring. I did it four years in a row and took a break this year. I may do it again next year as I do enjoy talking to all the people for the time they are seated in front of me. As an attendee, you get five tickets to create five different projects and enjoy the desserts. While you may have to wait in line for the most popular projects, it is relaxing and enjoyable evening for you. Seriously, you don't want to skip it - it is well worth the price.

Saturday morning I got up early and enjoyed the car parade again. I walked down the boardwalk and ate breakfast in a hotel where I could watch the cars while I ate. Wonderful! After breakfast it was back to the Carousel for a full day of vending fun. This was the 10th year for Stamping by the Sea and boy was it eventful! On Saturday, near noon, the fire alarm went off and everyone had to evacuate the hotel. Apparently there was smoke from a grill in the kitchen that set off the alarm.

Awaiting the "all-clear" from the fire department

If you are thinking of going to this event next year, let me just say that it has something for everyone! The host hotel is a beautiful resort complete with an indoor (and outdoor) pool, a fitness room, restaurant AND ice-skating rink! Your kids will love it. I brought my whole family the first two years I attended and we stayed at the Carousel. My kids thought they had died and gone to heaven! Additionally, the aforementioned Cruiser event will have your husband happy and content while you enjoy the convention. If you are an artsy husband - this should be like Mecca for you!

Before I left to attend the event I got my class counts and prepared my class kits. I always prepare extra for people who my choose to sign up once they arrive and see the class sample in person. I brought double the supplies for the Niches, Drawers and Doors Light class and filled that class AND squeezed in an additional person. What a fun class (if I do say so myself). I love sharing all of these neat altered book features with eager students.

I had a great show day on Sunday. Sunday is usually a slower-paced, relaxed day and it's nice after a busy Saturday. My neighbor vendor was Cindy Ward, the Art Director for a Maryland newspaper, an artist and author. What an interesting lady! She sells a line of rubber stamps, her own designs, based on all of her various kitty cats. Each stamp has a story. On this last day, Cindy presented me with a copy of a children's book that she wrote and published through Scholastic. What an honor. Meeting such creative and interesting people is just one of the many reasons I love the craft industry.

I make a point of planning some time for "me" into every day and every event. I planned to stay an extra day after the show for some me time on the beach. The foggy weather didn't exactly cooperate with my beach aspirations, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. I got up early, as usual, grabbed breakfast, rented a bike for an hour, shopped up and down the boardwalk, ate some boardwalk fries, took advantage of the one hour the sun did pop out, and enjoyed a nice dinner and a movie. Note the goosebumps on my leg...I tried to stick it out on the beach.

Guess what greeted me the morning I left? SUN. It was going to be a beautiful day. If I could have, I would have stayed an extra day. I did stay a little longer than I had originally planned so I could take a walk on the boardwalk and grab a little breakfast at a restaurant overlooking the ocean.

Make plans to join us in 2011. Go to: http://www.seasidestampin.com/ and sign up for their email newsletter so you get all the information when it becomes available

Places I visited this year in Ocean City:

Harrison's Harbor Watch Restaurant

on the boardwalk at the inlet

*I liked this restaurant. I had Tilapia with redskin potatoes and a FREE shrimp cocktail (from a coupon booklet).

Davinci's by the Sea

beneath the Harrison Hall hotel at 15th St. and the boardwalk

*Unlimited bread and salad. The salad is great, albeit not so healthy. The garlic spread for the bread is delish. Every entree I've had here has been very good. This is the restaurant where I spoke with Cindy Williams (Laverne & Shirley) in 2009.

Fausto's Bistro

12th St and the boardwalk

*Great happy hour deal: 1/2 cheese pizza and a glass of wine for $5.95. That said, I wasn't terribly impressed with this place. The pizza was good, but their menu was very limited. If you want pizza, try them. If you hope to find something else to eat, go somewhere else.

Galaxy 66 Bar & Grille

66th St Bayside.

*Eat at the bar during happy hour and get 20% off your food and drink purchase! I had their tomato soup and a salad. It was okay, but nothing to write home about. But, to be truthful, I may have been jaded by the fact that my waitress was over-attentive and made me a little nutso. They have an extensive drink list, but I think their wines are overpriced. I think a glass of White Zinfandel was $8 or something like that.

The Dough Roller
There are several locations throughout Ocean City, but I ate breakfast at the one on 3rd St and the boardwalk. This is the original location.

*It is from this restaurant that I watched the morning parade of Cruisers while enjoying my breakfast. They have an AWESOME fresh fruit cup here.

The Captain's Table
Inside the Courtyard by Marriott 15th St. and the Boardwalk

*Lovely restaurant. No view of the ocean, but the food is really good. I had a salad here that was VERY yummy. This is a more elegant restaurant than some of the others I went to and the prices reflet that.

Weekend in Cary

2010-05-17T19:51:00.009-04:00

I just got back from a whirlwind couple of weeks. It began a couple of weekends ago with an art workshop in Cary, NC. What a wonderful time! I was invited by Jillian Goldberg, co-owner of Lara 'N Jillz Art Studio to come and teach.

I stayed with Jillian and I have to tell you that the first thing I noticed when I entered her lovely home was all of the beautiful artwork that graced the walls. She took me on a little tour of the art and I learned that it came from a variety of sources, some were her works...all were wonderful. I was greatly blessed by Jillian's hospitality.

Jillian's home is nestled on a lovely lake that has a public park on one side and a beautiful walking path that encircles it. Before I left Ohio the weather had been dismal. We had had highs in the forties! In North Carolina the temperature was in the nineties. This freeze-baby was in heaven! And, what a great way to enjoy the weather by talking a walk around the beautiful lake. I did this both mornings that I was there and LOVED it!

We had a wonderful time at the workshop. I love to teach, I love people and I love altered art. I always enjoy my classes and it is even more enjoyable when there are fun and lively participants. What a great group of people! Great art was created by everyone. Check out photos of the participants and their artwork at: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/album.php?aid=163771&id=45128553476&ref=mf

The studio is a fun place. A converted garage, it was stocked with everything you would need to be creative. I would love to have something like that in my area. They teach both adult and children's classes. Tuesday mornings feature an Open Studio series, as well. http://www.jillzart.com/

Fat Tuesday

2010-02-16T07:38:00.008-05:00

Happy Fat Tuesday! I've always wanted to go to New Orleans, especially during Mardi Gras. Someday I will get there, but in the meantime I get to have fun at my first-ever Mardi Gras party!

I decided that I wanted to dress up and I just had to have the requisite Mardi Gras mask. This crafty lady had to, of course, make her own.

I bought a little 79 cent plastic mask from Michaels along with some fun feathers. I had some rhinestones, glitter glue and alcohol inks on hand to round out my supplies.

While I had alcohol inks, I had never actually USED them. *GASP* I've seen them demonstrated numerous times and love the look. I determined that this was the perfect time to give them a go. What fun! I used the Tim Holtz alcohol ink applicator along with three colors of ink and love the effect that it created.

After I dabbed the alcohol inks onto the plastic mask, I let it dry. Being an altered artist, I felt the need to add some words to the mask. I went through a newspaper and found a variety of words and phrases to fit into my idea of a mask of positivity. I wear this mask of positivity in real life (a figurative one) and thought it fun to create a tangible replica. In the case of this positivity mask, I believe it is not something I hide behind but something that defines me. I despise whining and complaining, and work hard to always find the positive aspect of every situation. Sometimes the positivity is not IN the situation itself, but in what we learn from a situation and how we grow as a result.

Armed with my positive words and phrases, I began to adhere my "positive outlook" onto my mask. After adhering the words I glued the rhinestones and feathers. I finished the piece with a little glitter glue to line the eyes.

Enjoy this festive day and...stay positive. :-)

Exciting News - We're Going Digital!

2010-01-28T16:42:00.004-05:00

2010 is the sixth year for Altered Arts. From the very first club kit that we sent out we have strived to adjust to our customer’s feedback and the changing times. We have some very exciting changes on the horizon for 2010. The most notable change will be our switch from a print magazine to a digital format. While we, like most of you, enjoy the tactile nature of a print magazine, the switch to digital will offer many new exciting possibilities.

This switch should not be confused with our current e-magazine newsletters. The e-magazine newsletters are just that – newsletters in magazine format. They were specifically sized to be viewed only online. We have purchased new software for our new digital issues that will allow us to continue to inspire you in really exciting ways. While it may take a little time for us to fully utilize all the possibilities of this new software, imagine, if you will, how-to articles with VIDEO! I told you it was exciting. Additionally, because of the high cost of printing and postage, we had to limit the page count of our print magazine. We will now be able to add more content to the magazine without increasing the number of ads or increasing the purchase price. This means more inspiring artwork and articles for you.

All of our subscribers with current subscriptions will automatically receive the new digital magazine. As a thank-you for making this switch with us, we will extend subscriptions purchased before February 12th by TWO issues! Our club members will also receive the digital version with their membership.

If you are a club member or current subscriber, please check your email for important information about this change.

The Spring 2010 issue, our first digital issue, will be made available free of charge to anyone who would like to try it out. The Spring issue will be available at the beginning of March.

Want a taste? We have put together a 7 page sample of our new digital format featuring articles from the WIN 09 print issue along with a new Letter to the Editor and a sample of our new video feature. As we learn the program, more exciting things will be added. To read the articles, it is imperative that you click on full size (1:1) to zoom to the magazine's actual size. The print online is actually the same size (and larger) than the print on paper at the full-size ratio. Once at the 1:1 size, you can click and drag the page to wherever you need it. You may also print from this format easily by clicking on the printer icon.

http://www.alteredbookclub.com/test-website/digital4-pagetest.html

Glimmer Chalk Backgrounds

2009-09-19T13:07:00.007-04:00

At the Westminster, MD StampScrapArtTour, we did a make-and-take using black cardstock and glimmer chalks. If you're a fan of our Facebook page, you've probably already seen some ATCs that convention-goers made at our booth using this technique. I decided I'd share the technique with everyone.

We started with a black ATC blank. We then rubbed the glimmer chalks onto the black cardstock - wherever. The background was immediate, and visually striking! Our make-and-take artists finished their cards by running gold PearlEx ink around the edge and adding images and embellishments.

I also tried this technique using templates from The Crafter's Workshop. LOVED the results!

Drawn in by the Muse

2009-09-13T08:31:00.005-04:00

I was unable to find a hotel near the Westminster, MD convention and wound up in Frederick - nearly 45 minutes away. (This is what happens when an event sneaks up on you and you realize the day before you leave that you have not yet made your travel plans.) My hotel was near Historic Frederick and I was excited about visiting the historic city center after the convention on Saturday night.

I closed up our booth and drove to Frederick where I arrived about 6:15 pm. After driving around for a while getting the lay of the land, I parked in a garage and headed out on foot. The section of road I selected to explore contained about 4 or 5 restaurants. (I was hungry.) I was greeted by a woman outside the Cellar Door restaurant who provided me with a menu and invited me in. I checked out a few other restaurants and decided to give that one a try.

The Cellar Door restaurant was cozy and charming. It was, as the name suggested, in the basement of the building it occupied and contained some charming architectural elements as a result. I was seated around 6:40. The lady at the door had given me a half-price appetizer coupon so I ordered the lobster bruschetta which was okay - nothing to get excited about, though. I ordered the Eastern salad and, ever searching for unusual entrees, the fried green tomatoes with chipotle vodka sauce. The salad was excellent. The dressing for the salad was light and full of flavor. The entree, however, was not. I do think, however, that my issue with the entree may have been solely my own. You see, I have been eating healthy for about 3 years now and rarely have any fried food. I should have known better and ordered something else, but I think I was drawn in by the chipotle vodka sauce. (Spicy and alcohol together became a siren song for me, I think.) Anyway, the dish was just way too oily for me. I ate two of the tomatoes and that's all. The accompanying garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans were good. Unfortunately, the service was S-L-O-W! I did not get out of there until 8:30 pm. I was quite disappointed by this as I was planning to explore the area.

Refusing to have my night ruined by my late release from the restaurant, I wandered down North Market Street toward a store that I had noticed on my way in... the Muse. Of course the name drew me in. Our club is called the Mailbox Muse and I wondered what "inspiration" this store was offering.

The Muse is a wonderful store full of handcrafted items from artists. Most of the artists that supply the store are local, but the store does stock beautiful items from all over. Items that you will find in this store are beautiful jewelry, clothing, scarves, collages, soaps & bath products, baby items, ceramic pieces and more!

Being enamored of the store, I struck up a conversation with the cashier who turned out to be the store's owner, Whitney Bingham. Whitney told me all about the store and made me sincerely wish I lived closer. In addition to the wonderful handcrafted pieces, the store also offers craft classes for its customers. One class series is called, "Wednesday Wine & Cheese Craft parties," and another is "Sunday Mimosa Make & Take." Okay, I don't know about you, but for me crafts + wine/mixed drinks = heaven. The classes are quite reasonable as well - only $35 each plus your class kit. The upcoming offerings include Twisted Metal Bracelet Design, Fold Art Bird Brooch, Needle Punched Flower, Encaustic Wax Workshop, Mini Collage, altered Photo Ornaments and Reflections in Metal.

While I had little time to explore the full range of shops that Historic Frederick offered, I was thrilled to have found the Muse. If you have a chance to visit Frederick, stop in and visit this wonderful store. Tell Whitney I sent you.

www.shopthemuse.com

Potato Chip Bag Art

2009-08-08T11:42:00.007-04:00

Well, I thought I had taken photos of the artwork I came up with using the shrunken potato chip bags but I can now neither find the photos nor the artwork. Someday when I am no longer needing it it will appear. You know how that goes, right? I bet I put it in a SAFE place. :-)

I did find pictures of the process, however. The pictures are of my original attempts. I Googled "shrink potato chip bags" to get instructions. Since I could not find my heat gun at the time (are you noticing a trend?), I used my oven. One problem that I had was that the bags curled up on themselves. I also cut the bags open and used only one ply. I'm imagining that I would have far different results if I used the complete bag. I actually have a cupboard full of empty chip bags for future trial and error practices.

So, enjoy my "process photos." Have you tried shrinking potato chip bags? We'd love to see your results. Post them on our Facebook Page. Periodically we select projects posted at random and award a prize. www.facebook.com/alteredarts

I stamped on the bags using StazOn ink.

I added embossing powder and glitter to a couple of the pieces.

Most of the pieces curled up on themselves unfortunately. The ones on which I added the embossing powder came out usable.

July Challenge

2009-07-14T09:27:00.003-04:00

Let me apologize for not keeping up with my blogging as I promised I would. No one (not even me) worked on the May challenge, and things were just so hectic that I never got around to making a June challenge. Here it is already midway through July!

I was drawing a blank on new challenge ideas so I asked our Facebook fans if they had any suggestions. There were several really good ones. The most intriguing idea was to shrink potato chip bags and use them in your art. I never knew you could shrink them. If you do a search online on how to shrink potato chip bags, you will get several different sites with instructions. Who knew? I have already done my challenge (to be posted later) so I can offer this suggestion: have lots of the bags on hand and experiment. Make sure the windows are open (there are some nasty fumes) and WATCH.

Post your challenge projects on our Facebook page. Your post may be selected at random for a prize.

Class Openings

2009-05-10T14:01:00.007-04:00

There are a very limited number of openings left for both of my classes at Stamping by the Sea in Ocean City, MD. (Convention May 15-17. My classes are on Friday. The marketplace is on Saturday and Sunday.)

I just booked our hotel room last week and was able to get a room in the resort area for less than $90 per night (tax included). They may still have rooms available at the Carousel (the host hotel) and their rates for Thursday and Sunday are really good.

Altered Coin Holder Book

We will take a coin holder, deconstruct it, and turn it into a wonderful artistic book. Techniques we will explore while creating our book are: stamping on acetate, altering scrapbook paper to create our own decorative paper and binding with zip-lock ties. Bring to class a basic stamping kit including favorite stamp sayings and images as well as staz on ink pads and cleaner. Collage images will be available for your use, but you may wish to decorate your book with your own color copied photos. The image size should be the size of a quarter.

Friday, May 15 9am - 11am
$42

Texture Paste Fat Book

In this class we will explore creating with texture paste. (Featured in the Spring 2009 issue of Altered Arts.) We will create several 4 x 4 pages using many different texture paste techniques. The finished pages will be bound to create an artistic fat book “primer” that you can refer to again and again. Bring: a basic stamping kit.

Friday, May 15 11:30am - 1:30 pm
$37

http://www.seasidestampin.com/

http://www.carouselhotel.com/

http://www.ocean-city.com/lodging/

May Challenge Product

2009-05-10T10:53:00.002-04:00

We had a great response from last month's embroidery floss bobbin challenge. A big thank-you to everyone who posted their creation on our Facebook page.

This month's challenge is to use the plastic milk jug caps (and the thin rings that accompany them) in your artwork. Think outside the box. Have fun with it. Be sure to post your creation on our Facebook page for your chance to win $10 in FREE product.

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Embroidery Bobbin Challenge Project

2009-04-15T07:34:00.011-04:00

I really had fun with this challenge. Did you know that the square space in the center of an embroidery floss bobbin is 1" x 1"? Did anyone say, "INCHIE!?"

For this project I used cardboard embroidery floss bobbins, fiber and images from the Artasia Minis Femmes sheet (http://www.mailboxmuse.com/Femmes-Image-Strip--Minis-40set-of-241_p_216.html). Additional materials and techniques were also used and are detailed below.

For the first side of the first bobbin, "ART," I used some "trash" to decorate the background. Let me explain: When we go to the various conventions we attend we offer a make-and-take in our booth. The last few make-and-takes have utilized ultrafine glitter. It is a wonderful product, but any of you that have ever used it know that it goes everywhere...it has a mind of its own. At the end of the day our black table cloth is covered in glitter. You can't shake it out. You can't wipe it off. What to do? I came up with the perfect solution: packing tape! I use packing tape strips to lift the glitter off of the table cloth. It works beautifully. As with a lot of great art, I discovered, purely by accident, that these waste strips of cleaned-up glitter make great backgrounds!

After cutting the glitter tape to the desired shape, I adhered it to the bobbin with a glue stick. I then cut out the word "Art" from one of the image strips and then cut out and adhered a small image. I edged the bobbin with ink and wrapped the bottom with a piece of fiber.

The bobbin on the left here was embellished with a mini puzzle piece (http://www.mailboxmuse.com/Tiny-Puzzle-Pieces_p_49.html). I inked the puzzle piece with a coordinating color. The bobbin was finished with ink and fiber.

The "Femmes" bobbin was created like the "Art" bobbin with the exception of the glitter background.

The "heart" bobbin was created by inking the bobbin with a few different inks (direct-to-paper), adding a small clay embellishment (using Makin's Clay and the heart Krafty Lady Art Mould: http://www.mailboxmuse.com/Krafty-Lady-Art-Mould--heart_p_200.html). I used a glue stick to add a little adhesive here and there on the bobbin and then sprinkled glitter on top. I finished the bobbin with ink and fiber.

The "Fashion" bobbin on the right was created by adhering the image and word (cut from an image strip). I then used thin double-sided tape at the bottom and applied gold leaf flakes. (http://www.mailboxmuse.com/Gold-Leaf-Flakes-AND-Double-Sided-Tape_p_118.html). I added a little adhesive in other areas with my glue stick and embellished with more gold leaf. I finished the bobbin with inked edges and fiber.

The last bobbin was created in the same way as the rest. Notice that the Makin's clay embellishment (created with a Krafty Lady Art Mould - this design is sold out) can be cut. How cool is that?

That was my response to the challenge. I
showed you mine, now you show me yours. Post your creation to our Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Altered-Arts-magazine/45128553476?ref=ts

To post on our Facebook page: click on "write something" at the top of the page. You should then see the "add photos" option appear. Your added photo will automatically be included in our Fan Photos album.

Let's Get Creating!!

Note: We now have a kit you can use to create your own floss bobbin flip-book like the one you see here: http://www.mailboxmuse.com/Bobbin-Flip-Book-Kit--Femmes_p_337.html

You can also take a class with me and learn not only how to create this fun book, but also learn some other fun techniques, too. I'll be teaching this 1.5 hour class at the StampScrapArtTour in Pittsburgh, PA July 9, 2010 http://www.stampscraparttour.com/infopage.asp?id=13

April product challenge

2009-04-01T14:47:00.004-04:00

I've been having a lot of fun with the monthly challenges. They've been giving me a reason to sit down and create. Sometimes I need a kick in the pants like a deadline or a commitment to get me started.

I submit to you, however, that this challenge is not just meant to get ME creating. It is meant as a stepping off point for all of you to get cracking, too. Participate in the challenge with me and post your result on our Facebook. You may even win $10 in free product!

The April challenge is to use embroidery floss bobbins in some fashion...any fashion. They can be cardboard or plastic.

Netting Challenge - My Contribution

2009-03-22T13:00:00.008-04:00

Okay everyone...there are still 9 days left in March. We want to see what YOU do with nylon netting. Post your creation on our Facebook page. You may even win $10 in free product!

I sat down today and created my own artwork using the nylon netting. I was fascinated by the idea of using it to create a pseudo-shaker box effect. When doing that, I found that the clover I was adding got "trapped" in the netting, yielding a very fun effect. I created these pieces on the fly, just showing that we always have time for a little creative outlet. Not everything has to be our masterpiece.

To create the ATCs I used the precut ATCs blanks from Sunday International (available at http://www.mailboxmuse.com/) along with a variety of St. Pat's embellishments I have collected over the years. The sparkly shamrock is a button from Dress It Up, the rhinestones are from Darice, and everything else is just stuff from my stash. I'm not sure where I got the loose shamrocks...I'm sure it was one of our local craft stores.

Nylon Netting Challenge

2009-03-19T10:53:00.004-04:00

I made this challenge in our March newsletter email. If you didn't get our email newsletter, make sure you are signed up. (If you are registered on our cart, check your mail preferences. If not, you can sign up for the newsletter on the main page at http://www.mailboxmuse.com/.)

Please note that neo.rr.com email addresses consistently bounce our emails as spam. You will want to whitelist the following in your spam program: mailboxmuse.com, care@alteredbookclub.com, infomart2000.com and 3Dcart.com.

Your challenge (and mine) for the month of March is to create some art using the nylon netting that produce and even some craft items is stored in.

Any artwork will suffice. Post it to our Facebook page for a chance to win $10 in FREE products from our shopping cart.

Blister Pak challenge

2009-02-24T10:35:00.015-05:00

Last week I challenged you to create some art using those little blister paks that over-the-counter medicine comes in. There is still time to participate. Create something and post in on our Facebook fan page before the end of the week. We will choose one posting at random and that person will get $10 to use on our website.

Here is what I came up with:

This little ATC book was created using: ATC Blanks from Sunday International (All That Cool Stuff collection Nov/Dec 07), Gold Corner Stickers from JeJe Produkt (On the Nile collection May/Jun 08), Femmes Artasia Minis Images from Artful Illusions (Fabulous Femmes collection Nov/Dec 08), Fabulous Femmes Exclusive Rubber Stamps (Fabulous Femmes collecttion Nov/Dec 08), Red Cat's Eye Ink Pad, Green Cat's Eye Ink Pad, Black Dye Ink Pad, Red/Black/Tan Fiber. The challenge item was a perforated blister pak that once contained Claritin.

To dress up the blister pak pieces, I added red, white and green seed beads with clear gel tacky glue.

I punched two holes on the left side and bound the book together using small black cable ties.

A new challenge

2009-02-13T19:18:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone. I have a new challenge for you. This is one that I swear I will participate in myself....really.

At a CHA (Craft and Hobby Assn.) trade show several years ago a designer showed me a great project that she had created using the bubble blister pack thingy (you know...that medicine comes in). I was impressed. See what you can come up with using it and I'll see what I can come up with myself.

Our fan page over on Facebook allows you to post images of projects that you complete. Post your entry there. We are going to choose one posting from now through the end of the month and that person will receive a $10 gift certificate from our website. Your posting doesn't have to be related to this challenge, but we would love to see what you can come up with. While you're visiting our fan page, don't forget to register as a fan.

Fun stuff over on Facebook

2009-01-30T14:48:00.004-05:00

I've been having a lot of fun over on Facebook. I have added a couple of Altered Arts bumper stickers and a piece of flair. What are these, you ask? Those of you with Facebook accounts can get a bumper sticker to place on your profile page and you can collect the pieces of flair and send them to others. Note: they do not have a search function for the bumper stickers yet (they are in the "women" category), but the flair can be found by searching for "altered."

Oh, and another thing...I've added my blog page as a "feed" to the notes section. You can actually subscribe to this area of the fan page so that you will always be notified when I add a new blog posting.

I have also begun posting some of the projects that appeared in our old online gallery.

I'm going to be cleaning out my studio this weekend so I can work on some fun stuff to post, as well.

Have a great day!

Altered Arts presence on Facebook

2009-01-17T09:14:00.003-05:00

My husband has been addicted to Facebook for many months now. I guess I got jealous of all the fun he was having with old high school friends and family. So, I finally got involved. I joined to connect with old friends and share photos and such with family members. It's a fun place. If you haven't joined Facebook, you should.

Once you join, you'll want to head over to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Altered-Arts-magazine/45128553476?ref=share and become a fan of Altered Arts magazine. I've started posting some of my early altered book pages and class samples. My goal is to evenutally re-post many of the projects that were in our old gallery. I'm not sure what else I'll do over there, but there are numerous possibilites!

Remember, be a fan of Altered Arts magazine. Go to:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Altered-Arts-magazine/45128553476?ref=share

When you have no time to create...

2009-01-11T13:59:00.005-05:00

I have been incredibly busy with deadlines this week, so I have had no time to be creative. Well, I suppose that's not entirely true. I'm fortunate that I get to be creative in my job, so I always have a little creative outlet. But, I had no time to just create for fun.

I think for those of us who call ourselves artists and crafters, finding ways to exhibit our creativity on a daily basis is truly a necessity. One of my goals this year is to finish creating a scrapbook of a recent family vacation. I also have a goal of spending time in my studio on a weekly basis.

What do you do when you have no time to create? Do you find your creativity coming through in other outlets (such as work), or do you just stagnate until your schedule clears or you make time for your creativity? Do you make an appointment with yourself for creative time? I'm curious how you handle balancing your hectic everyday life with the need for a creative outlet.

What's your resolution?

2009-01-03T11:43:00.003-05:00

Okay, I'm not big on making resolutions. I set goals. I have several goals for 2009. One of those goals is to make some sort of posting on my blogs on a weekly basis.

Today I'm working on getting the Spring issue wrapped up and to the printer. I know, it's a Saturday. I often need the weekends to get stuff done, but this week there was a holiday which made it nearly inevitable. I think you're really going to enjoy the Spring issue. There are some really wonderful projects included.

A Day in the Life of a Business Owner

2008-05-24T17:25:00.003-04:00

Clara published her "Day in the Life of an Editor" and I thought it was about time I did my own. The only difference is, a Day in the life of an Editor-in-Chief just wouldn't be an adequate title. As a business owner, I wear nearly every hat there is! So, my entry will be "A Day in the Life of a Business Owner." I'm sure every business owner, regardless of the business, can relate.

I try to actually be "in" the office for a full day on Mondays and Wednesdays. (In case anyone ever needs to reach me...that is the best time.) That said, I can be difficult to reach in the afternoons on those days as I am often required to do this or that for my two school-aged children.

I am out of the office running errands, going to our warehouse, etc. on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Our offices are closed on Fridays. Well....sort of. As the business owner, I work roughly six days a week, sometimes seven. On Fridays I do not answer the phone or check email in order to help me give undivided time to other things that must be done.

I'm actually going to give you the run-down on two of my recent days.

Friday (supposed to be a full-day to work on the July/August print issue)

I got up at 5:30 AM. I got myself and my oldest daughter ready for the day.

6:45-8:00 AM: Worked on the finishing touches of e-magazine issue 4. Also worked on the downloadable version of the mini-idea book that would be available to those purchasing the back issue "Undersea Fantasy" collection.

8:00: Woke my youngest daughter and realized that an arm injury that we had been "watching" since she hurt it at school on Tuesday would probably need to be checked by the doctor.

8-8:30: Got my daughter ready for school.

8:30: Called the Doctor. Had to leave for the bus before the appointment was made...handed the phone to my husband to finish.

8:45: Hubby heads to the bus just as it left to tell me that the Doctor's appt. is at 9:40.

9:00 - 9:15: Finished getting ready...copied files from one computer to another so I could get some work done while waiting at the Doctor's office.

9:15: Went to pick up my daughter and take her to the appointment.

10:30: We were required to get X-rays....went to the clinic.

11:30: Had lunch and returned my daughter to school.

12:00-1:30: Spent time going over schedules and other daily life details with my husband who I had not seen for about a week. (I was in Maryland and then he left to go to Chicago the day I got back.)

1:30-3:30: I had a splitting headache. (No reflection on dear hubby.) I input magazine subscriptions into our database and pulled product for shipment.

3:30: My splitting heading required me to lay down. I wound up sleeping for two hours!

5:30: My husband was off carting our children back and forth from their various extra-curriculars. I put on my jammies and had dinner by myself. (TMI?)

6:30: I had every intention on continuing work on the July/August print issue....but just didn't feel like it.

7:00-10:00: My children came home and we vegged out on the sofa.

*Somewhere in there I managed to send emails to a couple of advertisers from whom I was awaiting last-minute ads.

Saturday:

6:00 AM: Got up and ate breakfast.

6:30 AM: Worked on the electronic version of the mini-idea book. It was giving me trouble...so I quit and began to work on getting issue 4 of the e-magazine ready to post.

8:00 AM: Uploaded the e-magazine and began testing it.

8:30-9:30: Finshed up the shipping for this week.

9:30: Continued testing the e-magazine...also figured out how to fix the issues with the mini-idea book.

11:30: Uploaded the mini idea book to the shopping cart and added it as a product. NOTE: please do NOT "buy" this mini idea book. I gave it a really high "price" to try and dissuade you. It is actually free with the purchase of one of the Undersea Fantasy back issue kits. Only our club members who get the kit by mail as part of their regular shipment get the printed/bound version.

12:00: Lunch

12:30: Got my youngest daughter bathed and ready to go to a family graduation. I was unable to attend because I had too much work to do.

1:00-1:30: Added the Memorial Day sale promotion to the shopping cart.

1:30-2:00: Updated some product listings on the shopping cart.

2:00-3:00: Created the email "newsletter" announcing the e-magazine and tested it.

3:00-4:00: Cleaned off my kitchen table. (This was actually a bigger chore than I would like to admit.)

4:00-5:00: Unloaded my dishwasher and loaded it again. Wiped down my kitchen table.

5:00-5:30: Sent the e-magazine notification emails. Simultaneously began preparing dinner. (I'm going to see if I can post the recipe somewhere...it is easy and low cal!)

5:30-6:00: Finshed preparing dinner. Spent time adding the coupon code to orders that came through for the emagazine without it. Worked on this blog entry!

6:00-7:00 PM: Dinner

7:00-9:30 PM: Work on the July/August print issue.

*This day was also supposed to be spent working entirely on the print issue. So, that means I will have to spend tomorrow working so that I can have Memorial Day off.

I LOVE what I do! I could have never imagined myself doing what I do, nor could I have created a job description that would have given me as much satisfaction as this job does. It is certainly a lot of work, and more often that not, a struggle. But, thanks to all of you, I am able to have this wonderful job. Thank you so much for being part of this adventure.

Before and After Photos

2008-01-02T20:28:00.001-05:00

After viewing my quote on the right that says, "I lost 53 lbs," many of you are probably curious about what I looked like before. If you click on my weight loss blog in the links to the right, you'll see several of my "before" pictures.

Many of you have probably made resolutions to lose weight in 2008. Let me tell you, "You can do it!" Find yourself a good weight-loss program and remember that slow and steady wins the prize! I didn't lose 53 lbs in a couple of months...it took over a year. But, you know what? A year and a couple months after I started I actually ENJOYED clothes shopping! It's all about changing your habits and THINKING about every little thing that you put into your mouth. Read more tips and thoughts in my weight loss blog.

Her'e to altering your body in 2008!

Finally...another post!

2008-01-02T17:05:00.000-05:00

I am so incredibly grateful for my staff and designers...even though they have been making me look bad lately. LOL. No, seriously! Have you seen how many posts to their blogs they have made! You have to check them out.

The family Duncan had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I hope all of you did, too. (Or Hanukkah, as the case may be.)

We are working on so many wonderful and exciting things around here that my head is literally spinning with the possibilties! I know I seem to say this every year, but I think 2008 will be our greatest yet! When you receive your Jan/Feb issue of the magazine, you will notice some design changes...but that "ain't" all we have in store...

One of the most exciting new additions is our e-magazine that we will begin publishing monthly beginning this month. It will be a 20 page, interactive pdf magazine filled with unique content not found in the print version. Maybe some of you who have never submitted to the print magazine would not be as intimidated to submit to the e-magazine? We'd love to see your work. If we publish it online or in the e-mag, we'll send you a coupon good for $5 off on our website. When will it arrive in your email box? That's a good question. LOL. But it will arrive once a month!

We will be unveiling TRULY exciting changes to The Altered Book Club soon. I want to keep everyone in suspense, so be on the lookout.

I wish everyone a healthy and prosperious New Year!

Welcome!

2007-08-16T08:11:00.001-04:00

While I love technology, it seems my schedule often precludes me from embracing new ideas with the gusto that they deserve. We have been "planning" to add blogs to our website for a very long time now. I have finally taken the time to make it a reality!

I hope you enjoy our blogs. These are places where you can learn more about us personally, as well as information about the magazine and our arts and crafts club.

Stop back soon.