Funny looking stamp

Hey everybody,

I have a new stamp for sale and it looks a little funny for a reason. It's the Cloisonne Square. If you notice, it's pretty densely packed with design elements. You'll also notice that there are a lot of connecting lines. This is because this stamp is intended to be used with my toilet paper lace technique. Yes, you read that right, toilet paper, classy huh? Here's how it works. Ink the stamp with versamark pigment ink or a white pigment ink pad. Stamp onto a single ply of toilet paper. Sprinkle on some white embossing powder and shake off the extra. Heat until the powder is melted and shiny. Be carful not to burn the TP! Place the embossed paper into warm water. After a while (time varies) the only thing left will be the embossed portion. All the "in between" areas will desolve away. Carefully lift the paper out of the water with a spatula and flip it onto a paper towel to dry. Let it air dry, do not reheat with your heat tool. You may blot with a paper towel to speed up the drying process. So, you probably figured out that all the funny looking connectors function as stablizers to hold the "lace" together. I like to glue the "lace" over a square hole in a card. It looks very pretty and nobody need to know about it's lowly origin. Have fun!

Down Time

Hey everybody,

I just thought I'd check in and let you know what's happening. Somehow I scheduled 9 days in a row without a class or a road trip or a convention somewhere. So here's how I spent my downtime so far: Went to Adrian's graduation party. Adrian is my future daughter-in-law Kerry's brother who graduated from San Diego State University. He'll be a trainer intern with the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp. Hooray for Adrian! Organized my stacks of mixed up cardstock. This took me all day Sunday! It was actually fun and relaxing. Sorting and putting each color into it's own drawer was very satisfiying. My daughter Amanda gives it a month until they're all hopelessly mixed up again. Went to the movies. Carla and I actually went out to see a movie instead of popping in a Netflix DVD! I want to recommend that you run to see "Young At Heart" if it comes to your town. This is such an inspiring, funny and touching movie. It's about a group of rock & roll singers preparing for a concert. The singers range in age from 74 to 92. They are my heroes!!
Today, Stella (our cat) and I stayed upstairs while we had new kitchen countertops installed downstairs. I got to play on the computer designing a new print ad for Scrap & Stamp Arts Magazine (September issue-look for it!). I also got to play Tetris, Yea! my favorite game, until my wrist started to hurt, Boo! Now Carla and I are about to go out for Mexican food. I love downtime.

Heavy Metal!

Hi everybody,

Check out my newest episode on The Scrapbook Lounge. This was a fun one to tape. I love punches (I've got 148 of them, all different!) so I was in my glory. If you do this project, you'll discover just how easy it is to use aluminium from recycled cans. Have fun!

Mike

Escape!

Hey everybody,

Last weekend Carla & I participated in the 7th annual Great Stamp Escape sponsored by The Cat's Meow. This is one of our favorite events of the year. 100 stampers and crafters get together to take classes and share in the creative atmosphere. Once again, Sharon Fitzgerald and her staff at The Cat's Meow put on a flawless show. We gathered at The Pines Resort in Bass Lake California just minutes from Yosemite National Park, a beautiful setting for an unforgetable weekend. I want to thank all the wonderful artists who attended my classes this year. What a fun and interesting group you are! We can't wait to be with you all again in 2009!