Totally Creative a NEW eZine

Check out the Premier issue of "Totally Creative" a NEW eZine (http://www.totally-creative.com/)

The First issue is available now and is FREE!

Totally Creative is a new magazine for crafters of all types and skills. Beads, sewing, embroidery, paper crafts, fast and easy, mixed media, poly clay it's all here...and it's all NEW ! Totally Creative will be jam packed with craft projects - photos and instructions - direct from the designers studio to your computer.

The premire issue is 43 pages with 20 new designs.

The following designers contributed to the magazine: Lisa Bychowski, Barbara Matthiessen, Lisa Rojas, Colette Pitcher, Laurie D'Ambrosio, Madeline Faiella, Carole Rodgers, Ann Krier, Nancy Hoerner, Molly Smith, Kathy Wegner, Dorothy Egan, Ann Butler, Chris Malone and Sndney D'Ambrosio.

Check out the web site http://www.totally-creative.com/ for more information!

My collage design that is in the magazine is also on the home web page!

If you like American Idol then you should have been to our........

Alexandria Idol Contest
Viking Plaza Mall
with 104.7 KCLD
Saturday August 23, 2008

If you like American Idol then you should have been out at the Viking Plaza Mall this last Saturday!

We had our annual Alexandria Idol Contest for kids!

It was a good time with some awesome talent!

Check out the pictures below to see what you missed!

Mark your calendars to watch for next August

when we will have Alexandria Idol 2009!

9am The Stage is Set

9:30 am Contestants were signing up

10am The crowd began to gather

The judges were ready (that is me on the left hand side)

Derek Lee with 104.7 KCLD Started the Show

The talent was amazing! Here is Kendra who is 8 years old and could really belt out a song. Her first song was "Right Now" and her second performance was "A Picture to Burn". She had the moves to go along with her voice and had the crowd loving her! She has got a future ahead of her! Congratulations Kendra for making it into the second round!

Some really got into the music and had the voices to go with the performances!

This is our 5th year for doing Alexandria Idol and the talent is getting better every year. Which makes being a judge very difficult! We had 23 kids sign up for the contest and narrowed it down to these three! It was such a difficult decision, they were all wonderful! Each sang three different songs and performed along with them.

Audra Jones of Alexandria, MN took 3rd place.

She also happened to win 2nd place in our 2007 Idol Contest!

Ashley Klein of Avon, MN took 2nd place!

Amanda Richards of Carlos, MN took 1st Place.

Here is a picture of our top three winning contestant's with Derek Lee and their trophy's!

They won some fabulous prizes!

A big Thank You to all of our contestant's!

I am happy to say that we able to give each of our contestants a Mall Gift certificate

and some other prizes that were donated by mall merchants

and other local merchants from the Alexandria area!

I am looking forward to Alexandria Idol 2009

Matboard Magic

Today I received a book by my dear friend, designer Eileen Hull. "Matboard Magic" is her first book with Logan Graphics (http://www.logangraphics.com/) . When Eileen first told me she was approached by Logan to do a book about Matboard, I thought, if anyone could come up with designs about Matboard to fill an entire book it was her. After all her Designer Showcase at CHA winter show was filled with imaginative Matboard designs, which is where Logan Graphics saw her. This is a picture of the book and it is wonderful. This is a 72 page book with everything you need to know to get started in designing with Matboard. Everything from pencil holders, frames, centerpieces, cards and cakes (Yes I said Cakes.....) are in this book. This book is sure to inspire anyone who would like to make unique one of a kind gifts and even those who just want to learn how to use those Mat Cutters. Be sure to check this book out! Eileen has also recently finished a second book with Logan Graphics, to be announce soon!

Girlfriendology....check it out!

There is a wonderful site that I have discovered and want to share it with you. Girlfriendology ( www.girlfriendology.com ) is a wonderful community for women filled with Inspiration, Girlfriends, Friendship, Contest, Podcast, Videos, Shopping and more. Debba Haupert is the woman behind this awesome site, be sure to check it out and let me know what you think.

Thinking Green with Mirrors

When I came across some old mirrors at a Garage Sale, I bought them to play with. I knew they could be recylced into some fabulous gifts to give someone. Pictured here is one of them that I altered, I should have taken a before shot! I applied gesso to cover the plastic, then applied several Adirondack Ink Colors and stamped some of my favorite images with Permanent Black Archival Ink. They turned out very cool and were so easy to make.
Why not think green and find something to alter and make new again!

A fun filled Birthday!

Just a quick post this evening as I am trying to keep up with my blog at least 5 times a week, so did not want to miss today even though it is my birthday......I took the day off from the Mall and had a great day that was filled with time in my studio playing with products, experimenting with different techniques and just having fun! I Also spent time with my family which is always wonderful!

Alexandria Idol with KCLD 104.7

For those of you who do not know: besides being a Freelance Mixed Media Artist, Designer & Instructor for the Creative Industries, I have a day job as the Marketing Director for the Viking Plaza Mall. I am gearing up for our 5th annual Alexandria Idol Contest which is for kids ages 10 - 18. It will take place Saturday August 23, 2008. There are awesome prizes for the top three winners along with great prize packages for each contestant. Last year we had 23 contestant and this year our goal is 30. If you live in the Alexandria, MN area (about 2 hours from the twin cities) and know of a child who would like to enter the contest here is some more info:

YOU can sing…you KNOW you can…now; it’s your chance to show it off! Viking Plaza Mall & 104-7 KCLD is bringing back the area’s biggest singing competition – Alexandria Idol! Alexandria Idol is coming up Saturday, August 23rd at the Viking Plaza Mall in Alexandria.

Wanna be part of it? The first thing you must do is register – a limited number of spots are open, so sign up now! Everyone who competes wins something – and someone will walk away with the title of Alexandria Idol!! It’s back, bigger and better than ever - Alexandria idol! Saturday, August 23rd – Viking Plaza Mall.

The event starts at 11am. If you are a contestant, you must sign up at 10am. All Contestants must be 10 - 18 years old. You must provide us with your music list ahead of time or bring it yourself the day of the event. Alexandria Idol is proudly brought to you by: Bernick’s Pepsi, Arrowwood Resort, The Viking Plaza Mall, The Bike and Fitness Company. All Star Trophy, Garden Center Lanes, Subway, Allure Tan and Spa, Bennigans, Family and Cosmetic Gentle Dentistry and thee summer fun station, 104-7 KCLD!

FIRST PRIZE: CD/FM Cooler, JVC Wireless Headphones, – from Bernick’s Pepsi, $100 Shopping Spree at Viking Plaza Mall, $350 whitening certificate from Family and Cosmetic Gentle Dentistry in Alexandria, a trophy from All Star Trophy & Awards and the Title of ALEXANDRIA IDOL 2008!!!!

SECOND PRIZE: One night stay at Arrowwood Resort including 4 waterpark passes, $50 Viking Plaza Mall shopping spree and trophy from All Star Trophy & Awards!

THIRD PRIZE: JVC Wireless Headphones from Bernick’s Pepsi, $25 certificate from The Bike & Fitness Co, $25 Viking Plaza Mall Gift Card and a trophy from All Star Trophy & Awards!

To register go to http://www.1047kcld.com/ and click on the Alexandria Idol button.

I will post pictures of the event the week following the contest!

Makin's Clay Memory Frame's Completed

Here are some pictures of the Memory Frames I did with Makin's Clay Memory Kits. This first one is Sadie, both of her front paws are in the clay, they are so tiny it did not take very much clay to make these. This is the Triple Memory Frame.

The second picture is of Steve (with Jennifer, my new daughter-in-law) in his dog house, since Steve is so large it did take two packages of clay to do his one paw print. This was done with the Double Turning Memory Frame Kit, and the third picture shows the back side of the frames with part of Steve's old collar and some of his doggie treats (although he would eat these doggie treats in a second, he really does get much larger treats than these).

These Memory Frame Kits are so easy to do for your pets, they come complete with the frame, clay, roller, papers and instructions. Check them out at www.makinsclay.com

Makin's Clay Memory Frames

I am working on Pet Memory Frames for Makin's Clay. Here are pictures of the the pets I am using. The picture farthest to the left is Steve, he is a German Short Hair Pointer and turned 2 years old March 15, 2008. The picture on the right is Sadie, she is a Rat Terrier and turned 2 years old May 10th, 2008. They both look so adorable in these pictures. You might not be able to tell from the pictures but Steve stands about 3 feet tall and Sadie stands only about 12 inches tall. I will post some pictures of the Makin's Clay Memory Frame's next week.

Library Book Sale......Oh the Treasures I found!

Today my local Library was having a book sale. I had read about it in the paper about 6 weeks ago and wrote it on my calendar so that I would remember. I had to work today so planned on going around 4:30.

When I arrived the books had been picked over, which was alright because I did not really need anything, so whatever I found would be a bonus. Plus I was looking more for treasures than books to read and I hit the jackpot!

I bought 26 books for a mere $3.00, which is less than .12 cent a book, can you imagine......

There was a table that no one was even looking at with vintage books, so of course that was my first stop.

Some of the treasures I found:

a German Song Book with a hand written letter inside dated 1908,

a Book of English Poems dated 1915 that had the price written in it for .52 cents,

a 1921 American Poetry book in excellent condition,

a 1926 German book with some great pictures & wonderful written pages in excellent condition,

a Sunday School book from 1935 with a typed letter attached to the back page dated

September 14, 1935 from a MN Pastor,

a 1940's French to English translation book,

another book from the 1940's

and

a 1979 reprint of the 1909 Sear, Roebuck & Co. Catalog

Then I headed over to what was left in the craft book category and found:

a book on Patents from the 1970's,

a couple construction/drafting books from the 1970's

and

several craft books from the 1970's - 2000 that caught my eye.

My last stop was over to the cookbooks (because I collect them) and I found several cookbooks from 1990's - 2004 that were of interest to me.

My 15 year old daughter was with me and she found a couple books that she wanted. Actually she was the one who found the 1940's French Book and the 1921 American Poetry book for me, she is good!

It is a good thing that I had a 5:30 appointment, otherwise I would have been there several hours looking for books......that I would then have had to find room for.

If you ever get the chance to go to a Library Sale be sure and mark your calendar and check out what deals you can find!

RockCandy Studios.....Check them out!

If you are looking for some great hard to find items then you need to check out RockCandy Studios at: www.rockcandystudios.com
This is a new on-line store that opened August 1, 2008 and is brought to you by two fabulous fellow CHA designers: Candice Windham and Roxi Phillips.
They are offering the hard to find items, trinkets and treasures that Mixed-Media and other Artist are looking for. Their on-line store will have a nice collection of unusual, rare, vintage and even few-of-a-kind objects for use in your ART. Plus you will also be able to find many of your favorite basic items such as: adhesives, pigments and tools.
Check them out often as they will be continually adding to these awesome finds! ENJOY!

Personalize a Picture Frame!

My daughter - in- law wanted me to help her make something special for the mom of her ring bearer and since that mom loves pictures, we thought the perfect gift would be a picture frame that could be filled with pictures of her son from the wedding. Here is a picture of that frame, we personalized it with the colors of the wedding, the date, the ring bearer's name (stickers), a little boy poem, a special thank you and a ring we made from a key ring and a crystal. It turned out great, don't you think so?!

It is so easy to personalize frames with a little imagination why don't you give one a try! Enjoy!

Kids Crafting Display at CHA

CHA made space on the showroom floor for designers to create 4 rooms filled with fresh innovated designs geared towards kids crafting using manufacturer's products. My dear friend Lorine Mason was the coordinator for all 4 rooms and choose me to be the team leader for the Dream Bedroom Display. I had the honor of working with 16 amazing designers to create this DREAM BEDROOM that any girl would love to have. In a previous post I listed the generous manufacturer's (and their web sites) who donated the supplies for these designs. Here are the designers that I had the pleasure of working with: Vicki Schreiner, Beth Watson, Theresa Cifali, Eileen Hull, Lisa Rojas, Lisa Shepard Stewart, Cindi Bisson, Tricia Martin, Meggan Maravich, Lorine Mason, Veronica Goff, Svetlana Kunina, Katie Hacker, Becky Chabot, Sue Kelsey and
Fan Soong. These are pictures of the Bedroom Display, the bed was acutally made from a couple of cardboard boxes and a table, hey you have to be creative to make a bedroom with out a bed, right.

The other three display rooms that were that were created by other great designers (and even some of the same designers who made things in the bedroom display) were: A Retro Kitchen Party that had a birthday party theme, Lorine Mason was the team leader for that room; a Family Scrapbook Room, Sandy Laipply was the team leader; and the last display was an Art Classroom; Lisa Rojas was the team leader for that room. Each of the rooms showed looked great and showed the awesome creativty that designers have.