Congratulations, OWH Winner!

The eclectic Paperie E-Team hosted a blog hop last weekend to raise awareness about the awesome organization Operation Write Home. Everyone on the Design Team was given a prize to offer, and it's time for me to announce my winner!

The magical number randomizer has done its thing, and comment #45 takes the prize! Congratulations to Lynn, of the WindRyder Dreams blog!

Lynn, you've won the fabulous book, A Compendium of Curiosities, by Tim Holtz! I hope you love it as much as I do!

Please email daisy (at) eclecticpaperie (dot) com with your shipping info so she can send your prize.

Thanks to everyone who joined the hop, and to Operation Write Home for the wonderful work they do! For information about how you can assist in their efforts to send handmade cards for the use of our military service people abroad, please check out their website here.

Hugs,
Linda

Compendium of Curiosities, Week 16... Super-Sized!

Challenge 16: Wrinkle-Free Distress

Sponsored by the Amazing Daisy of eclectic Paperie!

(Wrinkle-free Distress Background, embossed with the Tim Holtz Pumpkin Patch Alterations Die, and stamped with images from his Mini Halloween set.)

This is a pretty special week in the Tim Holtz universe: Tim, Mario and quite a few of our Compendium of Curiosities Challenge regulars are about to set sail for a week-long cruise off the New England coast! Alas, I'm not one of them (not this year, anyway), but I figure it's the perfect excuse to celebrate, anyway, with a SUPER SIZE CCC!

That's right. Challenge 16 is a TWO-WEEK party! This will give our cruisers extra time to create their CCC project, and give everyone else a chance to either catch their breath... or make an extra piece to submit!

So, please open your Compendium of Curiosities to page 33, where you'll find Tim's instructions for his awesome Wrinkle-Free Distress technique!

When I told my friend Daisy from eclectic Paperie what I had in mind for this week, she offered to put together an extra special prize for the winner of Challenge 16. And friends, this prize is going to BLOW your MIND! Check it out:

Yes, indeed: TWO sets of the awesome new Halloween-themed Texture Fades, and those fabulous Seasonal Masks! How cool is THAT?

I know. It's INCREDIBLY COOL!

Daisy, you're a rock star!

Because we're in a party mood this week (whether or not we're on that Big Boat!), how about we put another prize on the table? This is from that Beautiful Box of Wonderment that came from Arizona, and it's an autographed set of Tim's gorgeous Fabulous Flourishes stamps!

I'll throw in an extra surprise for whoever wins these stamps, too!

And there's STILL more!

Gloria, the Lovely List Mom/Benevolent Goddess from the All Things Tim group at Yahoo, will send a fabulous gift to one of this week's participants! Simply upload the photo of your Wrinkle-Free Distress art to the Compendium of Curiosities folder at the group's home page, and be sure to tag your photo "CCC #16."

To be eligible to win one (or both!) of these prizes, simply create a work of art that incorporates the Wrinkle-Free Distress technique, and link it here using the InLinkz button at the end of this post. There are just Two Simple Rules:

1. Follow the technique as it's written in A Compendium of Curiosities; and
2. Out of fairness to Tim, please don't post the instructions on your blog!

This challenge is open until 8:00 pm (MDT) Sunday, October 10!

To all my friends who are taking the cruise, I hope you have the time of your life! And, if you need blank tags for your piece, just find my sweet friend Linda Hoffman (of the Scrappin' Bears Studio blog) in cabin 6443 and she'll hook you up. Thanks, LH!

As for my friends who are, like me, stuck on dry land, I hope you have a fabulously creative couple of weeks. I can't wait to see what everyone creates for this challenge! I think this technique may well be the most beloved of them all.

~♥~ Linda
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Congratulations, CCC Week 15 Winners!

Wow, you guys, your art for Challenge 15 last week was mind-blowingly gorgeous! I mean, come ON! You are rocking it, week after week, and your Alcohol Ink Agate work was some of the most amazing yet. Bravo to every single one of the participants!

How 'bout we give away a couple of prizes?

The Random Number Generator has done its algorithmic thing, and the winner of the fabulous $25 Gift Certificate from our wonderful friends at Simon Says Stamp is:

Maurene!

You can get a closer look at Maurene's beautiful blue masterpiece at her gallery at Splitcoast Stampers!

Maurene, I'll send you an email today with info on how to get your prize.

Gorgeous Gloria from the All Things Tim group at Yahoo has chosen her winner for Challenge 15, too:

Congrats to YelowFlower Mo!

Be sure to check out Yelowflower's gorgeous Blog, YelowFlower's Garden!

Huge congratulations to both winners, and a heartfelt things to Steph and Heidi at Simon Says Stamp, and Gloria at All Things Tim, for being so incredibly generous!

We're just moments away from our special-edition, SUPER-SIZED Compendium of Curiosities Challenge for week 16. Don't touch that dial! ;-)

Drunken Stampers Fall Into Autumn!

I don't know about you guys, but fall is one of my four favorite times of the year. At Drunken Stampers, we're ready to jump into a big pile of leaves and sip hot spiked... er, I mean spiced, cider! While we're at it, we'll do a little autumn-themed art, too. Why don'cha join us?

This card was put together using stamps from two of my favorite sets in the entire world, both from Kitchen Sink. The moon, tree and little leaves are from the Multi-Step Owl and Autumn Moon set (no owl in this card, but you'll see her soon), and the larger, cut-out leaves are from the 3-Step Autumn Squirrel set. I love how these brilliantly designed multi-step stamps give such dimension and allow you to precisely color different parts of the image however you wish. They're so much fun to use! 

This entire card was done with Distress Ink in various colors, and I used a slightly dampened sea sponge to create the border. 

I want to apologize to all my blog friends for my my slow response time in visiting and making comments on your wonderful art.  I'm slowly catching up, but wow, once you get behind, it's amazing how quickly the behind-ness snowballs! I know you all know exactly what I mean, because we're all ridiculously busy people!

But, I do hope you can find the time to create your own homage to autumn and share it over at the Drunken Stampers Crafting Lounge! We love seeing your art and cheering on your talent! This challenge is open through Friday, October 1. 

That's right-- October. 

AAAAIIIIEEEE!!! ;-)

Big Hugs,

Linda 

E-Team Special Mission: Operation Write Home!

eclectic Paperie and The E-Team are hosting a birthday bash in honor of Operation Write Home (September is their birthday month!) and we're inviting YOU to join us in our card making party!

Operation Write Home is a fantastic organization that sends packages of handmade cards to military personnel all over the world, making it much easier for these heroes to correspond with their loved ones back home.  The E-Team's mission is to encourage and teach our blog friends how to easily and quickly make multiple cards to contribute to the Operation Write Home effort, so they can continue to share the love with our service men and women stationed abroad!

Please join the party by creating and sending your own wonderful handmade cards to Operation Write Home! There are some specific guidelines you need to follow to ensure that your cards are appropriate and safe for military folks, and you can get the lowdown on those at this link.

And, please be sure to visit the my extraordinary E-Teammates to get lots of cool tips and tricks for creating multiple cards quickly and easily:

Broni Holcombe
Daisy Sparks 
Latrice Murphy
Linda Duke
Linda Ledbetter (Hey, that's me!)
Micki Harper
Starla Nelson
                          
Be sure to leave a comment at each blog for a chance to win some fabulous paper-crafting goodies! Guess what I get to give away, courtesy of eclectic Paperie?? Why yes, it's my favorite book in the whole world: A Compendium of Curiosities by Tim Holtz!

And, remember to upload your fabulous card creation to the eclectic Paperie Flickr Group by Sunday, October 3rd, for a chance to win an amazing box of goodies from eclectic Paperie. Two are up for grabs!

Here's more good news: eclectic Paperie has a special coupon code to help make it easier for Operation Write Home participants to stock up on their favorite tools, papers, stamps, and all things paper crafting! Just use coupon code OWHCARDS, and you'll receive 10% off your entire order of $10 or more at eclectic Paperie! This coupon code is good Saturday, September 25th thru Sunday October 3rd. That's right, the coupon code is good through World Card Making day!

As for my own Operation Write Home project...

These little snowflake cards are ridiculously simple to make in large quantities, and they suit all the Operation Write Home criteria. To churn out a few dozen in a very short period of time, here's what you need:

• White Card Blanks
• A large Ink Brayer
• A piece of Cut and Dry Felt slightly wider than your brayer
• Several shade of blue Reinker (I used Distress Ink in Broken China and Tumbled Glass, and Adirondack Dye in Denim and Sailboat Blue)
• Sentiment Stamp of your choice (I used the "Believe" stamp from Tim Holtz's Mini Holidays Set
• Jet Black Archival Ink
• Tim Holtz Grunge Flakes Stamp Set
• Distress Embossing Ink
• A Heat Tool
• White Embossing Powder
• Optional: Silver Alcohol Ink and a Ranger Felt Applicator with felt

Begin by creating a stripe-y, custom ink pad. Apply your blue reinkers to the Cut and Dry felt. You don't need to soak it, but use enough ink to get good coverage when using the brayer.

Brayer the ink onto the cards in haphazard swipes from all different angles. 

Stamp your sentiment in Jet Black Archival Ink

Stamp the snowflakes with Distress Embossing Ink; emboss with white Embossing Powder using a Heat Tool. 

For a little extra elegance, use an Ink Blending Tool to stripe a thin line of silver Alcohol Ink along the edge of the card. 

And that's all there is to it!

Now, it's your turn! The entire E-Team is looking forward to seeing your creation for Operation Write Home. Thanks for helping us give a little something back to the people who put their lives on the line for us, every single day!

Hugs,
Linda

Gingersnaps Color Challenge, September Edition!

We have a fun and unusual color challenge going on right now at Gingersnap Creations— Neutrals with One Bright! How's that for open-ended inspiration? That's what I love about these color challenges— you can take the theme and go any any direction you want. I decided to go seasonal. Again. Fall is my favorite time of year, so there's a high probability that I'll just continue doggedly down this path until the snow flies.

I've become too predictable. I know.

My little homage to Indian Summer began witb a panel of glossy white cardstock, spritzed with several brown-ish tones of Glimmer Mist. The sun (my "bright") is Terra Cotta Adirondack Paint, and the botanicals are a stamp from Tim Holtz's Spring Sprung set, embossed with a chocolate-toned powder. The letters were cut from the smaller alphabet sheet in the Lost and Found paper stack.

This Gingersnaps Color Challenge is open through October 24, and we're looking forward to seeing what you do with neutrals and a single bold color!

Compendium of Curiosities, Week 15!

Challenge 15: Alcohol Ink Agate on Grunge

Sponsored by Simon Says Stamp!

Good morning, all you enormously talented CCCers! We set our all-time record for the number of  submissions last week!!! Ninety-three gorgeous, masked masterpieces graced this blog. How cool is THAT?! A warm welcome to all the new participants, and thanks to EVERYONE for sharing your wonderful art here.

It's Week 15 (holy cow!), and time for a new challenge from that awesome book we all know and love. Please open your Compendium of Curiosities to page 53, where you'll find Tim's cool technique for Alcohol Ink Agate on Grunge! If you've done this before, you know how much fun it is. If this is your first time, you are SO in for a treat!

This week's challenge is sponsored by our fabulous friends at Simon Says Stamp! Heidi, Steph and the gang have been avid and amazing supporters of the CCC from Day 1, and besides having an incredibly cool online store, they're also just really nice people. They'll be offering a $25 Gift Certificate to the winner of CCC #15— just in time to grab some of those awesome new Alterations Dies... or Halloween Stamps... or.... ooh, the imagination runs wild with possibilities!

Remember to check out the always-inspiring Simon Says Stamp and Show Blog, too! They host a wonderful new challenge each week, and you're always welcome to combine it with the CCC challenge if you can.

Over at the fab All Things Tim group at Yahoo, lovely List Mom Gloria will again send a sweet gift to one of this week's participants! Simply upload your project photo to the Compendium of Curiosities folder at the group's home page, and be sure to tag your photo "CCC #15."

To be eligible to win one (or both!) of these prizes, simply create a work of art that incorporates the Alcohol Ink Agate on Grunge technique, and link it here using the InLinkz button at the end of this post. There are just Two Simple Rules:

1. Follow the technique as it's written in A Compendium of Curiosities; and
2. Out of fairness to Tim, please don't post the instructions on your blog!

Ready to roll? This challenge is open until 8:00 pm (MDT) next Sunday, September 26. I know we're going to see some insanely gorgeous art this week, and I can't wait!

~♥~ Linda

---NEWSFLASH---

As many of you know, Tim and Mario and a bunch of lucky crafters are setting sail on a New England cruise that begins on September 29. Since quite a few of our regular CCC participants are going to be on that cruise and will have extremely limited access to the internet, I'm going to extend NEXT week's Challenge (#16) to two weeks. We'll be offering a very special prize package, and, well, who knows what else might happen! I'll have all the details for you next Monday! 

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Congratulations, CCC Week 14 Winners!

Happy Monday, dear friends! It's dark and early and time to announce the winners for Week 14 of the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge! Thanks to everyone for the magnificent art you posted. I had SO much fun admiring your gorgeous, masked creations!

And, thanks so much to the ever-wonderful Daisy of eclectic Paperie for the fabulous prize package she put together for this week's winner! Let's find out who it goes to right now...

The Random Number Generator hath generated, and the winner is:

Ellen Vargo

of the Ten Thirty-Six Arts and Crafts Blog!

Click the photo for a closer look at Ellen's GORGEOUS card!

Ellen, have a BLAST with those new masks! I'm so happy for you!

Daisy, as always, thanks for your generosity! eclectic Paperie ROCKS!

(Speaking of eclectic Paperie, please check out the brand new E-Team! Our first challenge will be up and ready next Saturday, and we have something really awesome planned to get this party started!)

Of course, we have another prize to award, courtesy of the generous Gloria, List Mom at the All Things Tim group!

Congratulations to Deanna Cosgrove

of the Girls in the Craft Blog!

Click the photo to visit Deanna's beautiful blog!

Challenge 15 is just minutes away... come join the party!

~♥~ Linda

Drunken Stampers Emboss and Paint Stuff!

We have a double-whammy challenge for you guys this week at the Drunken Stampers Crafting Lounge: Dry Emboss AND Paint. Both!

If you could have seen this as a work in progress, you'd...well, you'd have pointed and laughed and I wouldn't have blamed you one bit. This was not my finest hour(s) as a crafter. I think you guys all know what I mean. I kind of had this grand idea in mind for how I wanted to do the challenge, and babies, I stuck to it doggedly... even as I screwed it up over and over again! My earlier, "Oh, this will be quick and easy! I can bang out this card and go grab a Starbucks," became, "Holy cow, it's past dinner time! This card looks like a boozed-up monkey made it in the dark! And it just...keeps....getting...WORSE!"

Far later than was reasonable, I abandoned the original plan and made this Halloween Bingo card instead.

Out of curiosity, what's your typical process for creating? Do you visualize a finished piece and work toward creating it, or do you sit down with a vague idea in mind, pull out your supplies and start messing with stuff until you either like the result or are too weary to carry on? I definitely fall into the second category. I've always felt kind of bad about it, too, but the other day I had a great conversation with a dear friend who's a bona fide artist, and she told me she works in much the same way I do. That made me feel a whole lot better about my "process" (or lack thereof) and makes me feel better about the Halloween Bingo Card I ended up with for this challenge, too. So, thank you, Missy!

But, I digress. No matter how you approach your art, the Drunken Stampers (and our monkeys) would love to see what you do with dry embossing and paint! This challenge is open through next Friday, September 24!

Have a fabulously arty weekend!
~♥~ Linda

For My Friend, Wonder Woman

**UPDATED at 4:16pm, MDT: Sherry is out of surgery, and it went really well. The cancer has NOT spread to her lymph nodes!!! Yay! Lezlei, thank you so much for the text message with the great news! 

Hey guys, Sherry Goodloe (Got Art?) is having her breast cancer surgery today! Please join me in sending her truckloads of healing thoughts. She's primed, she's ready, and she's going to emerge from this stronger, healthier and more amazing than ever!

(If you'd like to send Sherry a little handmade love, email me and I'll reply with her snail mail address!)

~or~

EMAIL SHERRY

You're in my heart, Sherry! I'm cheering you on as you whoop some Big C booty!

Compendium of Curiosities, Week 14!

Challenge 14: Masks Basics

Sponsored by eclectic Paperie!

Well, you guys completely outdid yourselves last week! Those grungepaper flowers were magnificent, and you created such wonderful, unique ways to show them at their best. I'm so lucky to be in the company of such brilliant craft artists, and I really appreciate everyone's willingness to share their talents here. ♥

Let's dive right into Challenge 14, shall we? Please open your Compendium of Curiosities to page 58, where you'll find Tim's Masks Basics technique!

You'll see several different ideas for masking in the tutorial, and you're welcome to use any or all of them in your artwork. I used Tim's older pre-cut Ransom Alphabet masks for the text, and also cut my own using his Elegant Flourishes die and self-adhesive Mask Sheets. Cool products!

This week's Challenge is sponsored by the lovely and always generous Daisy at eclectic Paperie, and she's put together a really special prize package that's so perfect for the technique we're learning! Check this out:

It's a great collection of cool Tim Holtz and Heidi Swapp masks! Some of these are really hard to come by, but Daisy kept a secret stash hidden away until now!  The winner will receive:

Tim Holtz - Flourish

Tim Holtz - Borderline

Tim Holtz - Concerto

Heidi Swapp - Bird Branch

Heidi Swapp - World Traveler

Heidi Swapp - Floral Bouquet 

Heidi Swapp - Runway

Pack of Grungepaper - 6 sheets, 6x12

Over at the fab All Things Tim group at Yahoo, lovely List Mom Gloria will again send a present to one of this week's participants! Simply upload your project photo to the Compendium of Curiosities folder at the group's home page, and be sure to tag your photo "CCC #14." If you're not a member there, come join us! You'll love these kind, supportive and SUPER artistic people!

To be eligible to win one (or both!) of these prizes, just create a work of art that incorporates the Masks Basics technique, and link it here using the InLinkz button at the end of this post. There are just Two Simple Rules I require:

1. Follow the technique as it's written in the Compendium of Curiosities; and

2. Out of fairness to Tim, please don't post the instructions on your blog!

IMPORTANT ALERT: Don't forget to watch Tim's debut on Home Shopping Network, this Tuesday, 10-11am, and 4-5pm (Eastern time in both cases). I bet he's got some wicked cool deals for us!

And finally, remember last week when I mentioned that my friend Gerrie Johnnic from the Queen of Grunge blog was giving away a set of autographed (by Tim) Texture Fades? Well, the winner has been chosen. Head over to her blog for the Big Reveal!

Okay, let's hit it! This challenge is open until 8:00 pm (MDT) next Sunday, September 19. I can't wait to see your masking brilliance at work, and hope you all have a wonderful, creative week!  

~♥~ Linda

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Congratulations, CCC Week 13 Winners!

Does everybody know what time it is?

PRIZE TIME!

That's right, Cool Compendium Crowd, another week has flown by, and it's time to announce the winners of CCC 13. Here we go....!

The Tim and Mario Super-Special Extravaganza Prize Package, including the autographed stamp, goes to:

Rhonda, of the Lost in Cardland Blog!

Click the photo to be transported to Rhonda's blog!

Hooray for you, Rhonda! You've done wonderful art for these challenges, week after week, and I hope you enjoy all your new goodies!

WOO HOO!

Everyone's favorite list mom, Gloria at the All Things Tim group, has chosen her winner for this week, too. Let's hear it for:

Shelann of the No Rules Art Stamping Blog!

Congratulations!

Shelann is another dedicated CCCer who always creates awesome pieces for these challenges. Click the pic above for a closer look at her grungepaper flower art.

And just like that, a new week and new chance to win is upon us. Stay tuned for Challenge 14, coming up in just a few minutes!

Huge thanks to Tim, Mario and Gloria for their boundless generosity!

Drunken Stampers Go in Circles!

I'm a little dizzy... (all together now: "What else is new, Linda?"). This week's challenge at Drunken Stampers is "Circles." Not just a circle. A bunch of circles. Round stuff. Orbs and things like that. 

Being the science geek I am, when I got this assignment my mind went swiftly into space (there's a joke in there, somewhere). Planets! They're round. There's a bunch of them, right here in our corner of the galaxy. Eight of 'em, some with moons— also round.

(Sorry, Pluto, you totally got a bum deal.)

So, I used a (round!) embroidery hoop for the base of this little wall hanging, and stretched a piece of Sticky Back canvas inside it (I also backed the canvas with a chipboard disc for support). The spacey background was colored with the Copic Airbrush. The planet photos were printed on matte photo paper, and the lady was stamped onto white tissue. Everything was glued down with Studio Multi Medium. Talking Heads tied it all together with some lyrics, also ink jet printed. I used a silver Krylon pen to fancy up the wooden hoop. 

Okay, your turn! Bring on the circles! Show us what you've got! This challenge is open through next Friday, September 17, at the Drunken Stampers Challenge Blog, and we're looking forward to spinning with you. :-)

Mission: Possible! Introducing The E-Team!

Are you ready to take a ride?  Not just any ride... an E-Ticket Ride?! It’s eclectic... and will be the ride of your life!  Come along with me now for a paper-crafting adventure with eclectic Paperie!

Joining us in this endeavor is the wonderful Daisy Sparks, owner of eclectic Paperie, and my awesome Design Team-mates:

Broni Holcombe
Latrice Murphy
Linda Duke
Micki Harper
Sherry Cheever
Starla Nelson

The first stop along your way is the eclectic Paperie Blog, where you’ll find a video introduction of the E-Team Designers. You guys have GOT to see the video! Daisy's daughter Samantha and her BFF, Alayna, totally ROCKED it! That old A-Team's got nothing on us, at least when it comes to crafting strategies and art-y maneuvers (although none of us can pull off the gold chains quite like Mr. T...).

From there, please check out the Designers’ blogs to see what they've each posted today. This will give you a small glimpse of what to expect from the E-Team, including different techniques, different products and different styles!

Our first Design Team Mission is to post a little something about our favorite technique from a past project we've done. Now, asking me to choose a favorite technique is kind of like asking me to choose a favorite kind of chocolate truffle! There are just too many options to pick a single one. But I do love using Distress Embossing Powder to "paint" with color and texture, so I've chosen this little chipboard bird box as an example of a style I love to work with.

(The little bird was cut out of chipboard using Tim's Alterations Caged Bird Die and coated with Distress Embossing Ink. Then, various colors of Distress Embossing Powder were sprinkled on to create the robin's shading. For more detailed info, please see this post.)

To get things rolling in style, Daisy is offering a sweet discount for eclectic Paperie shoppers:

How cool is that?! Happy day, indeed!

I hope you're as excited as I am to see kind of adventures the E-Team has in store!

Gingersnaps Get Punchy!

It's time for another Spicy Supply Challenge at Gingersnap Creations, and this month, we're busting out the punches!

In my case, it was more a case of "dusting off" the punches, actually. Gosh, I haven't played with these for years, and had forgotten how much fun they are. I used two punches for this little card— the star, which I used with a sheet of thin metal, and the star-patterned-photo-corner-maker thingy, which took about seventy-two tries to line up correctly (I really should have paid more attention in high school geometry). I used the photo-corner-maker thingy on black glossy cardstock that I'd smooshed with metallic alcohol inks.

The stamp is from my collection of unmounted golden oldies (meaning, yet again, I don't know who made it). I colored the little detailed areas with Copic Sketch markers, then colored the sky and hills with pearlized chalks, quite possibly the most fun and forgiving medium out there. (You don't like what you did? Blend it out or erase it completely! Presto!)

Come get punchy with us, why don'cha? This Gingersnaps Challenge is open through October 10, and we're all looking forward to admiring your creations!

Have a fabulous, arty day!
Linda

Compendium of Curiosities, Week 13!

Challenge 13: Grungepaper Flowers

With a very special prize package from some friends in Arizona!

Happy Labor Day, everyone! Thanks for checking out the new CCC, and for all the amazing art you shared during the last challenge. And, a huge welcome to our new participants! It's awesome to see so many new names popping up in the links, and to admire all your amazing art.

Please open your Compendium of Curiosities to page 65, where you'll find Tim's technique for his fabulous Grungepaper Flowers!

This week's prize comes courtesy of a couple of wonderful guys in Arizona who sent a big box of goodness for me to share. Tim and Mario, you guys are THE BOMB, and I'm honored and thrilled to be able to spread the love around, thanks to your generosity.

So, here's the fabulous stash of goodies that will go to this week's winner!

On the Edge Ornate Die

Fragment Charms

Idea-ology Ruler Ribbon

Idea-ology Accoutrements Buttons

Distress Ink in Forest Moss

Tim's Palmology Wood-Mounted Stamp

OH, by the way... that stamp? It's AUTOGRAPHED!!!

Over at the super cool All Things Tim group at Yahoo, lovely List Mom Gloria will again send a lovely present to one of this week's participants! Simply upload your project photo to the Compendium of Curiosities folder at the group's home page. That folder is getting pretty full, so please be sure to tag your photo "CCC #13."

To be eligible to win one (or both-- it could happen!) of these prizes, create a work of art that incorporates the Grungepaper Flowers technique, and link it here using the InLinkz button at the end of this post. There are just Two Simple Rules I require:

1. Follow the technique as it's written in the Compendium

2. Out of fairness to Tim, please don't post the instructions on your blog!

This challenge is open until 8:00 pm (MDT) next Sunday, September 12. I can't wait to see how you ROCK those Grungepaper Flowers!

Oh, one more bit of good news! My friend Gerrie Johnnic, fabulous mistress of the Queen of Grunge blog, asked me to let you guys know that she has some sweet blog candy up for grabs right now-- it's a set of Texture Fades, autographed by Tim himself! For the details, please follow the link above and pay her a visit.

Okay, friends: Arise, go forth and grunge! I hope you all have a fabulous week !

Congratulations, CCC Week 12 Winners!

Happy Monday morning, everyone! I hope all my friends here in the states are enjoying the holiday weekend, and that no matter where you live, your week is off to a wonderful start!

Right now, it's time to announce the winners of the CCC #12! Once again, I wish I could send a prize to everyone. Your art was fabulous across the board!

The random number generator has randomly generated, and the winner of that incredible Halloween-themed prize package from Sue at It's Always Fabulous is:

Marilyn of the Crafts and Beyond blog!

(Click the photo for a closer look at Marilyn's lovely card!)

Congratulations, Marilyn! I know you're going to have a BLAST with all those wonderful products!

Thanks so much to Sue Stoughton, the sweet soul behind It's Always Fabulous, for her incredible generosity!



Speaking of generosity, Gloria at All Things Tim has chosen her winner for this week, too!

Congratulations to Karla of Shrimpy Sue Designs!

Click the photo for a closer look at Karla's fabulous tag!

Karla, be sure to get hold of Gloria via the ATT group so she can get your shipping info.

Huge thanks to Sue and Gloria for their kindness and support of the CCC!

And just like that, it's time for Challenge 13, and another opportunity to play, make art, and win cool stuff! The new technique will post in just a few minutes...

Hugs,
Linda

Drunken Stampers Get All Zen-Like

The old school bell has rung for most kids by now, and we're breathing a big sign of relief at the Drunken Stampers Lounge and Rejuvenation Spa.

Here comes the disclaimer:

Since I am not myself a parent, I realize that I can't fully appreciate the wondrous feeling of relief and sweet freedom that Back to School brings to my child-bearing friends. But trust me when I say that I'm happy for you all! I know you miss your kids while they're off getting their education, but I can't imagine you not enjoying a little "me" time during the day.

Heck, sometimes at work I lock myself in the bathroom just to get a little peace and quiet for five blissful minutes. And I don't even work with kids (actually, that's debatable...).

Which is why I made my own DO NOT DISTURB sign, and yes, I AM going to take it to work and hang it on my desk (not that anyone will pay the slightest bit of attention, but I'll enjoy the thought, anyway). 

I don't know who makes this sweet, coffee-sipping retro girl stamp (I'm sorry!), but I do love her. She was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copics. Her hair and the background were shaded with Adirondack inks, and the splotches on the background were made with a damp sea sponge. The text is from a Brother label-making machine, and it looks much cooler in real life because it's a shiny silver instead of the dull grey it appears to be in the scan. 

Whether you're celebrating back to school, or just want to invite a little more tranquility into your life, we'd love for you to join us at Drunken Stampers for our "Serenity NOW" challenge! It's open through next Friday, September 10. 

Have a great holiday weekend!

Linda