Designer/Artist/ or just having fun?

I have been scrapping for over twelve years now and, for the past 6 years have been submitting to magazines both paper( and pubbed enough to keep me happy) and on-line and have been on, I think, eleven different DTs over that time. Three of those have been ezine Dts and the rest were on-line and brick and mortars. Some have been great, some have been not so great but I've always tried to do my very best for them all. Doing my best was my job. They provided me with product and, in exchange, I provided the owners with layouts that (hopefully) sold product. That is the purpose of a DT. From time to time, I was paid in cash which is always nice and, when I got published in a magazine, I would get money from the company and the magazine which was also very nice.

I am currently working with some of the best women I could ever hope to work with (KNK club.com) and have just gotten my first manufacture dt (Genuinely Jane Studio) which looks like it is going to be a blast (and that DT isn't too shabby either! I've visited the blogs of everyone of them...and wowzer!).

To those who have aspirations in this industry and in this economy, let this old gal share some of her hard earned wisdom (and I am far from an "expert"...and, as they say, free is advice is worth what you pay for it).

1. Don't bite the hand that feeds you (if you think owners of both manufacturers and on-lines don't talk to each other, you are nuts!)

2. Look at what you get as a DTer as a challenge not a restriction (a true "artist" or whatever you want to call yourself, can make a purse out of a sow's ear and have everyone wanting to buy 3).

3. To paraphrase JFK, 'don't ask what your DT can do for you, ask what you can do for your dt"

4. Establish a style but be adaptable. Experimentation is good.

5. Don't overestimate yourself.

So, stepping off this month's soap box and moving on down the road.

Back Again...

We had a great visit with my Uncle Mike and Aunt Mary. Mike is my dad's youngest sibling of the original eleven kids in my dad's family. Mike is about 9 mo. older than I am and Mary and I actually went to high school together in St. Charles, Mo. I have always had a good time with Mike and Mary and it was good to spend time with them here in Tarpon Springs.

They arrived late afternoon on Thurs. and, after feasting on tons of crab legs, we all took a pass on supper. The evening was perfect so we hung round on the lanai visiting and Rob made it over as well.

Friday morning we took them on the grand tour of Tarpon Springs. Our first stop was Spring Bayou (my favorite place to walk)to see the manatee that gather there. Guess those manatee had a date elsewhere as there was not one in sight. Spring Bayou is where the wealthy from the north built their winter mansions during the late 1800s and the early 1900s and they are beautiful. I especially love the huge live oaks dripping with Spanish Moss.

Our second stop was Dunedin where we all visited at the Friday Green Market. I've never seen such lovely fresh veggies and fruit and always want to buy it all. I settled for a pickle on a stick...yum. Mary and dropped the guys off at Flannigan's and we hit a few of the shops...more on this tomorrow and it has to do with my current bird obsession!

Our next stop was Miss Vickie's on the Anclote River for lunch. Rob joined up again and we had fish, clams, she crab soup...you name it. And, of course, the boiled peanuts in Cajun sauce to whet our appetites.

Our last stop before heading home was Snookers for a quick visit with our favorite gal, Suzie but poor gal had gone home so sick that she had even left her truck to be picked up later. Hope you are doing better!

Mike and Mary headed south to Ft. Myers yesterday for a two week stay. They have rented a place next to my sister's and I know Mary is looking forward to relaxing on the beach and by the pool!

A shout out to my favorite niece. Happy Birthday Jenny!

(lots happening what with the cruise, the trip to Savannah, the big crop yesterday at KNK, fun things at Genuinely Jane Studios, sign ups for the Hilltop Retreats, and the big Sock Hop Crop sponsored by KnK and Scrabook Etc. of Bonita at the end of the month...how did I ever work a full time job?)

My class for the Hilltop Memories Cruise!

So, here it is...my class for the Hilltop Memories Cruise 09. What you see is what you get plus me if you are on the cruise! lol For a mere $24.00 you get the entire contents of the kit as shown...four pieces of cardstock, 5 and one half piece of patterned paper, a working compass, a glass bottle for an S.O.S message, an anchor charm, a section of wooden "rope", the album,a nautical flag alphabet printed onto fabric paper (think MEXICO) etc. etc. etc. So, if you are going on the Hilltop Cruise or you are interested if I have any kits left over, let me know (eeickmeier@hotmail.com).

Ash Wednesday

We headed up a bit late but got there none the less. Poor Suzie had to work an hour later than usual as her replacement never showed up. Dunedin was mobbed and something is up with my camera. I had to take my big Sony as the little one drowned as you may remember. Some how the settings on my big one got offset and these are the two best shots I got...lots of people's heads. We could only see the tops of the floats and this is a short parade. Caught my share of beads and was given a set of the coveted pig beads from the Ozona Pig (one of the best bbq places around)! Had a lot of laughs, some great food and never met up with Rob despite a couple of "I can't hear you" phone calls back and forth. And, we lost one of our group, Bob, entirely. Suzie and Justin helped us find a couple of new places to visit in Dunedin so will go back for sure.

Lots to get done over the next week and a half. We have my aunt and uncle visiting this Friday and Sat. and there is the Scrap All Day in Your Jammies crop going on at Knk on Sat. the 28th. My tech goes up there on the first of March and my second set of reveals on either the 3rd. or 4th. Jill arrives in town on Thurs and so do Barb and G-a and our cruise leaves on Sat. Jill's husband surprised us with rooms downtown near the docks for Thurs and Friday and we're making plans to meet up with Val, her daughter and Jayne on Friday night. I may just recline on the deck for the cruise and catch my breath! lol

Off and running. My "To Do" list is haunting me.

Happy Fat Tuesday

We're heading to Dunedin early evening for the festivities and will meet up with several people so I am looking forward to this. Will try to work in a nap so I don't doze off during the parade!

Got some wonderful news yesterday. I made the Genuinely Jane Studios DT. I am really looking forward to working with the shaped wood albums and alterable items the company produces...and the owners live in my old home state, Missouri. Now how much fun is that?

Been working on a bunch of layouts and projects. KnK's kit this month is chalked full off goodies and I've been playing by the hours with all the pretties in the kit. I've done a card, the altered 7 Gypsy purse and mini album and another layouts besides the two I've already posted. And there is still lots of stuff left!

Hope you all have a great day! Laissez les bon temps roule! and throw me some beads!

Boy is it quiet at my house...

It was such a wild and fun weekend here, now that everyone is gone, it is way too quiet. The Boys (our cats) keep roaming the house looking for someone to pet them and E keeps asking what I want him to cook next!

There were five of us for supper on Friday night and eight for supper last night. And the house was abuzz with joyful laughter and minor hysteria. Poor Debby Schuh...I'm not sure she knew what she was getting into when she said, "I'd love to join you for dinner" after her class at Ruban Rouge yesterday. And ya know something...she fit right in with our wild women!

What was even funnier is she asked if I was one of the Cabana Boy Crew from CKU/Nashville in 04. She remembered the male model we hired for part of our interactive door decorations and even had her picture taken with him. Small world, what? And yes, we did win that year but for best use of space...go figure! lol

E's new brownie recipe was a big hit...dark chocolate squares melted into a cake batter and a 'secret ingredient' with an apricot glaze over the nut topping...oh be still my heart!

The Ft. Myers gals headed home around 9 ish and got home around 1:30 am...just about the time Kip, Teri and I finished solving the world's problems from the comfort of my couch. Shame none of took notes! lol

The girls left a bit ago after E stocked them up on sausage links and his infamous crepes. I'm half way through the laundry and a bunch of fresh paper is calling to me.

Love to all.

Curses! Foiled again...

I found this painted white wood frame at TJ Maxx yesterday and it called out to me in the store...well, at least I think it did. It said, "buy me and make me even prettier than I am" So, I gave it the old Kirkwood High try and got out my new package of foils and the glue that came with it. Normally, I'd use my hot foil gun but the spaces were tiny and I wanted to get into the crevices so I used glue and a rub on applicator with a pointy tip. I love the results.

When G-a and co. arrived, we ate of course, non-stop of course and then, when dishes were done, we played. Barb had ordered hot foil pens like mine and we went to town. So far, my bfff Sophia (aka Sonia) was the Queen of Foil, going so far as to write her name, draw flowers and generally show off with the foils and pen. We used stencils and she went free hand! humph!

And yes, I took pictures of our meal and will post them tomorrow...trust me, the meal was to die for! as usual for my E, our resident chef.

Have a good one...off to get ready to meet the girls for lunch and then take the afternoon Debbie S class at Ruban Rouge!

Fat Tuesday is coming fast

and once again we will be heading to Dunedin for a taste of Mardi Gras. I love the celebration, the parade (a small but cute one), the mingling with the crowds and the Cajun food. Oh, did I forget something? "Throw me some beads, Mister".

So, you know where I will be this coming Tuesday...come join us!

KnK's March kit

What a refreshing dash of Spring in this month's kit from KnKclub.com and it is chocked full of lovely papers from Daisy Bucket and Chatterbox! The embellishments rock too with amazing ribbons and more! Don't miss this month's kit. These are my first two reveals: "The world needs more Wacky Women" featuring Janet M, Kip and Jill and "Family" featuring my niece and great niece! And wait until you see what the DT is doing with the 7 Gypsy purse and mini album that is included in the kit this month...watch the site!

Have a good one!

Tweet Tweet

While our evenings have been cool, our days are warming, often in the mid 70s. E and I have been taking advantage of the sun and having lunch and sometimes a cocktail on the lanai during the day. I've been waiting for our cardinal couple to show up as they usually move back into the woods behind our house this time of year. Until they arrive, these little fellas will have to do the job. I did the bird house and the two birdies perched on it with Bisous.Biz papers and the bird cage, which you may have seen before, is done in Graphic 45 papers. Both companies are listed on the side of my blog under places to shop and both have great service. These can also be ordered from KnKclub.com by contacting admin@knkclub.com.

Hope you have a great day!

Our Valentine's Day Eat-a-thon

Within an hour of getting home from StampFest and lunch out with the Kipster, E had our first course on the lanai and, you would think I couldn't eat a bite but I did...and we both munched our way through three courses before 8:30pm.

Blogger has posted these pics in some random order so I'll leave it up to you to match the description with the picture. The photo of my flowers from E is pretty obvious as is the one of him toasting.

Our first course was homemade herbed foccacia bread and a garlic parm dipping sauce (found at Home Goods). We took a break and moved on to gorgonzola truffles with bacon served with sliced pears, apples and with grapes. These were to die for. I think he is making these for a snack for Friday when G-a, Barb and Sonia arrive. And, around 7:30 ish we had the main course: grilled swordfish steaks with citrus herb vinaigrette over melange de frisse mixed greens. And I wonder why I had such wild dreams!

The next day we had the dessert course: a rustic raspberry tart. The fifth course which is wild rice pilaf with thyme, pine nuts and lemon is due today or tomorrow.

Oh, and by the way, I've added E's cell phone and my small Sony camera to my list of drowning victims...kaput! Both of them!

Valentine's Day 09

It was a perfect mix of stamp/scrap shopping and lunch out with a good pal and a nice day spent with my honey. Kip and I met up at the Stamp Fest around ten and hit most of the booths. We found a few things here and there and hit the bonanza at Artful Illusions. The motto of this place located in Wichita Ks is "creative supplies for the art and soul"...and oh, boy, is that the perfect motto. Joni and Mark Russell are the owners and their store front is called Mrs. O'Leary's Art. Most of the stamp stores and altered art supply places have closed here in the Tampa area and I drive 3 hours south to visit the Owl and the Pussycat in Ft. Myers to get goodies and take classes. This was my chance to really stock up and I did!

Kip and I headed to nearby Duniden for lunch. We had gone by the Trash to Treasures (artists' supply garage sale) but must have been late or the donations were way down as we walked out empty handed and we seldom do that anywhere.

We had a wonderful salmon salad at Sea Sea Riders', a darling little restaurant on a corner in Dundedin in a little cottage. Great service and fresh, tasty food.

I'll put up the courses and recipe titles for the never ending Valentine's meal that E spent all day preparing here tomorrow. We had the dessert course yesterday and the salad one is going to be our lunch today...see what I mean by never ending?

Have a great one!

Happy Happy Valentine's Day

to one and all.

I'm off to Stamp Fest this morning and hoping to get by the "Trash to Treasures" artists' supply sale in Dunedin today.

Fourteen years ago my honey proposed to me and come June 1, we'll have been married for that many years! Boy does time go fast when you are having fun!

I'll post pics tomorrow of all the wonderful goodies is cooking for us today! And yes, I do have a food/E cooking album in the works.

Have a good one!

Elvis has NOT left the building...

and if you are quick (and there) you might catch a glimpse of him at the Sock Hop in Bonita Springs March 27-29. For more information, contact Gerri-anne Duke, owner of KnK club and co sponsor of the crop at admin@knkclub.com.

Hope to see you there!

Moonlight maddness

There are so many theories about the affects of a full moon on people...some fact, some myth...but, as for me, I believe! This week has been a crazy one with far too much going on. I have had trouble staying asleep as the moon light wakes me up way too early and I've been having the strangest dreams. Now that could be blamed, in part, on my bed time snack of salsa and chips but again...I prefer to blame it on the full moon.

What a handy excuse it provides us for kicking up our heels and being wild beings for a short bit of time. Enjoy the respite from the mundane and routine in our lives and join me in some Moonlight madness.

I'll give a Blog Prize to the one who posts the most imaginative use of the full moon as an excuse or what fun thing you have elected to do in the name of moonlight madness. I'll get a neutral party to judge. You've got one week to post it here.

Enjoy!

Playing with canvas

I have been following Scrap Scene's forecasts for trends in paper arts. I am so glad to see canvas and canvas papers coming more and more into use. I discovered how versatile canvas was about three years ago when I was experimenting with printing photos on mediums other than matte and glossy paper. I was working on a circle album of our trip to Italy and the glossy papers didn't capture the richness of the colors and the matte didn't have the texture I wanted so I went roaming through the art aisle at the local craft and art stores. By trial and error, I discovered a couple of papers that worked wonderfully. They also held color when I wanted to add either more to a black and white photo or when I wanted to enhance a color photo.

I found that the 136lb. Canva-Paper by Canson to be my favorite. The texture is wonderful and the printed photos don't take as long to dry as some of the thicker, more absorbent ones. I do use an acrylic sealer on the photo after I have color enhanced it and handle it with care until I can seal it.

My other favorite paper is one by June Tailor. I had been using an adhesive backed one by another company but found that June Tailor's adhesive backed canvas went through the printer smoother and held better. put The iron-on material ones are awesome too by June Tailor and the ones I get from Close to My Heart. Pam Bennett from KnK and ACOT design teams, turned me on to June Tailor and I order my others from Michele Lunn (link on the left) here in the Tampa area.

The paints I have found to give the best color are Lyra Aquacolor (made in Germany), Pearlescent Watercolors by Yasutomo, Lumieres, Krylon ink, and Dr. Ph Martin's Iridescent Calligraphy inks and now a new one, Prang Metallic Brush Pens. I've also painted on Stickles to give a photo a light coating of sparkle.

Since the canvases are on sale this week at my craft store, I think I may just look for some odd shaped ones, download some vintage images and play. Care to join me?

A walk in the park...

Kristen and I have taken to walking at least once a month and then having a leisurely breakfast together after our walk. We are probably undoing any good we have done during our walk, but this gives us a chance to get caught up with each other's lives.

When she called yesterday, she suggested Clearwater Beach again but I opted for some place new so we walked the cause way to Honeymoon Island. Of course, she walked father and faster than I did but I loitered along the way taking pictures of things that caught my fancy.

After our walk, we drove to Lucky Dill nearer our houses and had the yummy goodies you see. I am not much of a sweets in the morning person so I opted for the corn beef hash which was covered in pastrami and two eggs over easy with a side of home fries. My sweet toothed daughter had the Strawberry Blintzes and loved them.

I did manage to get a shot of her but she did her usual thing when I tried to take a pic of her and scowled. We talked about being in the moment as opposed to capturing the moment each agreeing the other had a valid point but no agreement was reached about her smiling for the camera...kids! lol.

We called E after breakfast and he met us at the Dill. We all headed out to a couple of garden places to replace some of the frost bitten plants and had a wonderful family day!

Check out the DT...we're smokin'

The Kit N Kaboodle (www.knkclub.com) has been featured for the past two days on the Graphic 45 blog (http://www.g45papers.com/blog/). Yesterday, my birdies in a cage went up on the site and one of Deb Hater's lovely layouts. Deb did great things with this company's line.

And today, in this order:

Address book cover: Chris Pozzi
Happy Anniversary Card: Chris Pozzi
Lovely Tag: Kip Mitchell
Grandma layout: Chris Pozzi
Birthday card: Chris Pozzi
Lesson 101 layout: DT lead Pam Bennett
Butterfly album pages: moi
Ed and Mano (my grandparents) layout: moi

Love that Graphic 45!

Graphic 45 papers

KnKclub's Feb. kit was loaded with the wonderfully pretty Graphic 45 Bontanical line. G-a just got all the new papers in and I was fortunate to get my order from her at the Winter Retreat. This layout is about my great aunt's sewing circle when she was younger in Hudson Ia which was her family home. My great aunt was the typical German maiden aunt. Women in a good Catholic family not married by a certain age did one of two things back then: they either entered a convent or they helped raise the children of their brothers and sisters once they had cared for their aged families. My great aunt opted for the later and not only helped raise my grandfather's three children but, when my mother and father and I lived with my grandparents, she helped raise me as well. I only have a few pictures of my great aunt and treasure them all. She was a generous and kind woman with a comfy lap and huge loving heart.

He's home

The new dosage of the med worked and no pace maker for now. E has to behave and take the meds as prescribed and follow the dr.s orders. Lots of drugs can react to this new one in a not so happy way so E needs to check the lists carefully and carry a special alert card on him. But he is home and right where he belongs and is the happiest...his kitchen!

Also, the mystery of the water filled purse has been solved. When I use public restrooms, like the one at the hospital, I never put my purse on the floor. In this case, as the bathroom was a for one person, I put my purse in the sink which just happened to be one of those no hands ones. I put the purse in front of the motion detector, the purse filled with h20 and when I picked it up to wash my hands, the water stopped. Mystery solved and new resolution made...put purse any where but the sink.

Thanks to all who offered good thoughts and prayers. They have been received with many thanks.