A Blast from The Past

 

One of our last card challenge winners received one of my discontinued 1950's style stamps as a prize. She liked the stamp but wondered "what the heck do I do with it?" Here's a card sample using three of my old stamps. I'll be posting the winners of our latest challenge tomorrow. Each of the winners will receive a swell "50s" stamp prize.

Ikebana

 

I'm doing a class at The Stamp Addict in San Diego on June 8 called Inspired by Ikebana. I think this is about the fifth or sixth time I've used the Japanese art of flower arranging as inspiration for a card making class. There is something so satisfying about this spare elegant art form. When you get the chance, google some Ikebana pictures. I think you will be inspired too.

Victoria

 

 

 

 

Oh Canada! What fun we had. Carla and I were in Victoria BC for the last few days. I got to teach some classes at a GREAT rubber stamp and paper crafts store called Stampers! owned and operated by Ann & Steve. Go to their website (www.stamprs.com) and see their fantastic gallery. We "packed em in" as they say with three full classes on Saturday and two more on Sunday. Canadian crafters as SO nice! We had a ball. Carla and my cousins from Seattle toured the beautiful city while I played at the store. Thanks Ann & Steve for ordering up the beautiful weather for us. Let's do it again soon!

Traveling

 

 

 

 

Carla and I have been on the road a lot lately. Thursday we're going to Canada for some classes. I'll be teaching at Stampers! in Victoria BC while Carla and our cousins Barbara and Steve see the sights. The pictures are some of the cards we'll make in one of the classes. I used the Scor-it Mini from Hammonds Group to make the grid backgrounds. It's a great tool and the perfect size to include in your crafting kit. As usual, I'm madly making samples and kits to take with us. No matter how early I start, I always seem to be scrambling right before a trip. Too late to teach an old dog new tricks I guess!

The Great Yosemite Stamp Escape 2009

 

 

 

 

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Yosemite and The Great Stamp Escape. As usual we had a blast! A little rain did not dampen our spirits. The classes went well and the ladies who attended this year were a super fun bunch! I'll have more pictures later. The battery ran out on my camera and I had to buy a little single use one. Those pictures have to be developed the old fashioned way.

Springtime in........ The winners!

Congratulations to the winners of our latest card challenge at enjoymichaelstrongstamps yahoo group. Every one's a gem!

Barbara Cooke
Springtime in Hollywood
Barbara played this one for laughs and I love it! The photo does not do justice to her work. (She was kind enough to send the original to me!) There are lots of fantastic elements in this composition. The “walk of fame” is composed of beautifully made shrink plastic stars. The Hollywood hills are in springtime bloom with very pretty three-dimensional flowers. The best part is well known to residents of Southern California. Look out below, EARTHQUAKE!!! Here come the Hollywood sign tumbling right into our hands. Well done Barbara!

Marie-Jose Boumans
Springtime in The Netherlands
Marie-Jose’s entry came at the end of the challenge period and it was well worth the wait! Can you see how many MSRS she used? I count five! The colors are lovely and her composition is classically balanced and very Spring-y. Well done Marie-Jose.

Heidi Wegman
Springtime in Ottawa
Just under the deadline wire comes our third winner from Canada. Is there a better symbol of Springtime than the Daffodil? They come up through the snow announcing the end of winter in her hometown. I hope Heidi will share her technique for making such pretty realistic flowers. This card is so charming and playful. Well done Heidi!