PC Maintenance….

Have you ever been without your PC? Ours took a hit and fried the motherboard a couple weeks ago. The good news, the hard-drive didn't get hit. The bad news, it was making some noises… So we decided to bite the bullet, and order an new system. A friend of ours has a business, where one of the services is hardware support. My husband is in Tool and Die, and is a CNC Programmer. He uses specialized software, and we wanted to have a system that could drive that, as well as some high-end graphics for me. Well after the wait, and everything, the new PC is home today! The bad news, it doesn't look like I can pull any of the data I need from the old hard-drive…… I was able to get a couple files off before it started groaning. ALL my digital images, files for my business, clips, images (bought, free and altered) GONE. All my templates, instructions, ideas, tips and what not for classes, gone…..

 

I have learned some very valuable lessons. UPS battery back up! Imperative to keeping your hardware safe!

And to get in a good habit of backing up your data!!!!! While I do have some copies of some of the data, certainly not enough to recover the last several months…..

Surfing the internet will be new, as all my bookmarks, are gone too! So whoever came up with the ideas of blog roles, and listing those on your BLOGS, THANK YOU! At least that is stored somewhere!

I need to go to bed. I have a full day of attempting data recovery tomorrow before I have to return this really kewl little tool that will read the old drive. So I'll post and 'chat' soon as I finish installing my scanner, and make some files & pics!

Now, go back up your stuff!

 

Clay Time!

In the Creative Chaos group, Adrienne hosted a Mystery Challenge. We signed up without knowing what we were to work with, but that we would have most items on hand. Well, it ended up being a very kewl technique! Working with Polymer Clay (I used Kato), acrylic paints and textured stamps. Ok, got all that stuff! Adrienne provided great instructions, and seeing everyones work was a real inspiration! We could make anything we wanted out of our finished "Brocades". I chose to make a 'Wind Spinner'. Just a hanging lovely thing! I LOVED the technique, and the way my piece turned out. I made another to keep. Or maybe to give.... There were enough left over pieces to make several beads, and pieces for necklaces! I spent a whole day baking! Clay that is!

Is it a Purse or a Wallet or ????

I LOVE purses. Fine leather, hand painted, bejeweled or beaded. I LOVE them! And I love purse templates! So when I came across this one, I just had to, HAD TO make it! I worked thru the shape once, then modified it to fit the coin envies & insert sizes I wanted. This will be so fun to show Jackie, as I see a new kit at Altered Pages with this one!
Can you imagine the possibilities?? Photos of kids, Grandkids, pets. Favorite quotes or even for business cards! Certainly MOO size, and easily made to hold a collection of ATC's.....

New Card Kit

www.alteredpages.com
Victorian Shutter Card Kit







I'm on the Design Team for Altered Pages (www.alteredpages.com) and Jackie has some fabulous collage sheets to work with. She sent me a 'mystery' package of goodies & sheets. This is one of the kits I came up with.
The name of the fold is called a Tri-Shutter, and is FANTASTIC. One of the members in a WI Stampers group I'm in shared the fold (THANKS BONNIE!). The amount of surface space is great. Especially if you're like me, and LOVE to collage! I'm calling the kit "Victorian Shutter Card".
The kit will have enough images to make 2 6x12" cards. These are SO fun to make!

I even used the fold to make a b-d card from my Husband:

and 1 for our Calligraphy Guild

Background noise?

Well mine aren't TOO noisy! Over at Trish Bee's Next Generation group she posted a 'background noise' challenge. Watercolor wash. I like watercolors, so I got out the crayons and had a go.
Well, mine were a tad 'dull', so I oversprayed them with Radient Rain (silver) & Glimmer Mist (apple red).
I got this cute little Fairy from Red Lead, and new collage sheets from Lisa's Altered Art (Etsy). She has FABULOUS sheets by the way. I also downloaded some freebies from oldphotoalbum.blogspot.com I gave the 'lady' a new head as her's just wasn't working for me!

The King!

These are ATC's done for an ELVIS swap over at Altered Pages (www.alteredpages.com)
Jackie sent the images digitally, and I altered them in PSE & printed them onto transparencies.

Grungeboard

I rejoined a swap group recently, that I have missed over the last couple years. The 1st swap I signed up for was Grungeboard. I was excited to do this swap, and had had an idea of making a mini-book, but I was not being inspired by the GB pieces I had. EXCEPT the big giant key! I already had it painted black.... So a coat of the weathered iron & Rusting mediums, and whalla! Rusty big giant key! A perfect 'keychain' if I do say so myself!
I sure hope the Sweet P(erson) who gets this loves it to!

New Alcohol Inks cont.....

I just can't help myself! Hours get lost playing with the new inks. And not being a 'pastel' person, I have to say the new colors are just fabulous!

The top Butterfly ATC was done using a preprinted transparency sheet. I inked the glossy white base as well as the backside of the transparency to add layering & make the colors pop.

The 2nd piece is a 4x6 Post Card I did for a swap. The theme was tranquility, so I used Asian stamps from Stamp Zia.

The COW POKE piece was a quick card used a Diva Impressions Stamp.

The bottom pieces (not yet completed) were done on Stampbord. www.stampbord.com A wonderful 'like butter' surface to work on.