Get the inside "SCOOP" on CHA with a special broadcast LIVE from the CHA Trade show floor

SAVE THE DATE!!!

More details to come later - We'll be offering a special broadcast LIVE from the CHA trade show floor in Los Angeles, California

 Monday January 31

Please note the special airing time:  11am EASTERN - 10am central and 8am Pacific

Friendly Plastic Brooch with a fun, vintage chic feel

Today on Cool2Craft I made a very fun and playful vintage style brooch with Friendly Plastic and one of my favorite techniques. Enjoy the video - courtesy of Tiffany Windsor of Cool2Craft.



In case you missed the live show, you can watch the replay of the entire show by clicking here

It's been an awesome year and my privledge to be one of the featured guests on Tiffany's show. January 3 begins the NEW SEASON on the Cool2Craft NETWORK!

Read all about the upcoming shows here

Eco-Friendly Plastic jewelry on Cool2Craft Monday December 27

Join guests Heidi Borchers aka EcoHeidi and me as we present some really cool jewelry projects featuring PLASTIC!  Heidi will make an eco-friendy project using recycled bottles to create this fun mixed media necklace and I'll be using my favorite...FRIENDLY PLASTIC to put a vintage chic spin on a favorite technique...

So please join us and meet some new crafty friends on Cool2Craft the #1 Coolest Crafting LIVE webTV show on the net!!!

Join us for pre-show chat too!!  Monday's at Noon Eastern
Click here at showtime

Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop - Week 7 - Hugs N Kisses Even if You're a Train Robber...

I know by now, ya'll expect a story...but I bet you're wondering.."What's up with the whole train robber thing?"....well...that's where the story begins.....

This is a picture of my Grandpa Campbell - probably sometime around the late 1960's early 70's standing next to the Frisco Silver Dollar Line steam engine at Silver Dollar City.  We vacationed in Branson, MO every year and the highlight of the trip for me as a little girl was to go to Silver Dollar City and ride the train and get robbed....

When I was 13 we moved to Branson. Silver Dollar City became a weekly hang out for me an all my friends....and yes...we would ride the train ....and get robbed....and ...somehow..as corny as the whole robbers skit was..and still is....I loved it....and I always wanted to be a train robber at Silver Dollar City....cuz it looked like fun......and silly ....and you could just laugh......and the tourists loved it....(just imagine the look on a  prospective employer's face when you have train robber on your list of occupations....)

My friend Charlotte and I loved it so much, we would dress up as hillbillies and pretend...and do the skit in the back yard.... HOLLAR UGLY!...the skit would start out....."Well...I may be UGLY...but ya'll paid to see me...this is a stick up! " What dorks we were back then....\

Well...my dream never came true (unless someone working at SDC right now reads this...and offers it to me....hey - I'd be up for it for a day or two....)

It's seems the apple didnt fall far from the tree.......fast forward about 20 years....I now have two kids...I'm working at Silver Dollar City selling polymer clay miniatures....and my kids Alex and Mariah LOVE LOVE LOVE the train...they're riding it nearly every day. 

Before our drive to work....it's mandatory that we have to stop at the convience store to buy candy for the train robbers.....but not just any candy....Hershy's Chocolate Kisses.....because.....Mariah thinks that one of the train robbers is cute and when he comes up to the window to rob her....she wants to give him a "kiss" instead.......

And wouldn't ya know....those little chocolate kisses melted the robber's hearts...and they became friends.  It wasn't strange that they would call me and invite Alex and Mariah  to the Robber's shack for lunch or to sit in the shack and watch them rob the trains.......Musta been a great life for a kid huh???



So the kids are grown.....but even still ...it's mandatory when we visit Silver Dollar City, we ride the train and give'm kisses....

Because everyone ya know...needs a hug and a kiss once in a while.....even if you're a train robber......


Thanks to Eileen Hull the designer of the Treat Bag Topper Sizzix bigz die for designing such  fun fun fun die shapes to work with.  As you can tell by the story...it had great memories for me...made me smile...made me appreciate how quick my kids grew up.....and without the opportunity to work with this die this week...I might not have the smile on my face now  after remembering these fun family times...

I added a little tulle....cuz It reminds me how girly girl Mariah was when she was little...she liked rufles....The XO reminds me of the Hershey's Hugs and Kisses we bought the robbers....The stringy fringe...because everything we do has strings attached...good and bad.....and the treat bag to wrap it all up in a nice little happy package...

Thanks too to my Kids, Alex and Mariah for making such great memories for a Mom to remember...(Im sure Alex wants to just die right about now......)

Snowmen that won't Melt on Cool2Craft! and the FAVECRAFTS Blog Hop

Im really gettin' into this whole Blog Hoppy thing....It's such a great way to see a variety of creative inspiration without spending alot of time googling every key word that you can think of....

Along with the Sizzix Triple Play blog hop, the folks at FaveCraft's have started a blog hop called "Finished on the 15th"...Okay..so technically mine is finished "BY" the 15th...but none the less it gives you an opportunity to hop down to all my posts from the last month to get a little creative juice flowin in your brain.....

If  you missed yesterday' Cool2Craft show and my demo on creating Snowmen from polymer clay - not a problem!!!
Just click here and you can watch the ENTIRE recorded show in the playback room!
or watch my segment below



Enjoy the show...and enjoy the hop...
RELAX and BE HOPPY!!!

POLYMER CLAY SNOWMEN on Cool2Craft TODAY!!!!

By popular request, I'm bringing the polymer clay characters to visit Cool2Craft TODAY!!!  So, join me at 11am (central) on the Cool2Craft channel to see great craft demo's from your favorite guests!!

To celebrate WINTER (yikes It's cold here in Missouri folks - that's a negative 6 degree windchill this morning)....Im offering the entire POM Club CD Rom at 25% off!!! And as a special thank you to our viewers on Cool2Craft - I'm throwing in an additional 12 projects for FREE!!!

The CD Rom already includes over 110 fully stepped out projects featuring a variety of themes and now you'll have an extra 12 projects to keep you inspired.

In order to take advantage of the discount - you'll have to watch Cool2Craft for the Discount Code that I'll give today....and if you can't make it...it's okay...we record the show and you can watch the playback!

Offer is only good for a few days so.....whatcha waiting for!! Come Craft with us!!

Watch the show - CLICK HERE
ORDER THE POM CLUB PROJECT CD - CLICK HERE

Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop - still feeling the love..........

I think it's part of my art healing therapy that Im into mixed media collage... It allows me to jump right in...full force...get messy...get gluey...get glittered....and get creatin'!.  A pre-requisite to begin this collage is green paint.... no...not on the canvas....not on your clothes.. but in your HAIR!!!...yes..when I went to grab the green paint and squirted it on my paper plate..uh humm....i mean..artist palette....It went "POOF" up in the air and into my hair...and my blonde hair went to a sage green....in a streaky sorta way.....

Well...I could have washed it out immediately...but I laughed and thought...no...go with the flow and thus I painted, glued, glittered and collaged with green hair....
So the word that I wanted to feature this week was LOVE....and then I woke up in the middle of the night last night thinking...OMG - That was the theme of my last hop project!...Oh well...must be something important to me if I'm still creating with LOVE.....

I wanted to use this years pictures of my girls....I actually have four kids - two of my own - Alex and Mariah and two step-daughters - Elise and Julia.  I'm pretty confident that Alex didnt want to be included in this collage...he hates his picture taken ...so...sorry Al...

But, my thought process as I was designing was "reflect" and "love"...I was reflecting on all the happy times we've had this year as a family.  We've had some really steep challenges, that I'll keep personal, but in retrospect, we've been able to work thru those as family and as individuals and to grow in our own relationships together.  I LOVE that!

What I LOVE about Elise.....

She is 14...a very tender and hard year to be a growing girl.  This kid is a truely warm, sensitive and caring person....she has lots of empathy for what others have gone thru and what they are going thru....she also has a beautiful voice and is about to be featured as a lead solo for her junior high jazz band... She's so talented!

As I began designing with this picture, I couldn't help but feel a sense of connection to her.  It's hard to have a step mom in your life when you've already got a great mom.  It can pose a real challenge and like I said, we've both grown this year.  This picture was taken on a "Step-mom, Step-daughter day...just me and her sharing some fun at a local art faire.   It was the day after I had come home from Minneapolis and she wanted "me" to take her.  I felt honored and priveledged and this is a very special picture in my heart...I LOVE it and all the memories that go with it....(just look at that beautiful brace-y smile...)

And next I have Mariah

She's my own and as I worked with her picture I thought of all the lessons that our kids can teach us... She is a great lesson of strength and endurance amidst all the challenges and illness she's had in her lifetime. She's a fighter...She is a nurturer and her beauty is deep within her soul.  We've shared alot of moments - fun, and heartwrenching and there is nothing quite like the LOVE that is shared with your children...

This picture was taken on our family vacation in Florida over the past summer....I'm also reminded that she isnt a child any longer...she's 19....and I LOVE the young woman she's turned out to be...\\

And the "BABY" of the family....Julia who I call "Jujie" She's just turned 9....

and oh can she make me laugh...she has wit...and loves to be dramatic...center stage...funny...and not afraid to get dirty...yet she is amazingly girly girl and LOVEs photoshoots.  So that's what we did....we spent some stepmom/stepdaughter girl time in Florida...she dressed all up and we pretended that she was on a photo shoot...Jujie is also very caring...but isn't afraid to tell ya what she's thinking....I LOVE that about her....

So when you put it all together....you get a big picture of LOVE....

All collaged together...each with their personalities...and full of words expressing why I "Love my Girls"....

Now...the products...

Brenda Pinnicks  Brackets Album:  Because the frame helps you focus on those you LOVE...

Canvas because well...you gotta have a base in which to grow some LOVE...

Muslin and Denim - I gotta have texture...Life is full of texture...you know that things that happen so that life isn't boring?  Life isn't flat...so neither are my paintings and collages...

Flowers - This is Tim Holt's flower die...and I love it because it's layered...and it gives a warm gentle touch...and a little softness to the collage...and it's girly girl...

Glitter and Rhinestones...well...a girl's gotta have her bling!!! Right ladies??

Paint...like I said...I really had to get into the painting...I love how I can be expressive with my hands and finger paint...and get messy....and loose myself in the creative process...

ModPODGE...where's Mod Podge Amy?? Hey I'm runnin out of Mod Podge...I have to use it...It glues my pieces of life back together when they fray, rip and tear!!! I LOVE ModPODGE!

WORDS: I LOVE 'em...they allow me to be expressive...for me to be me...(and you can make them any size you wanna...)

Thanks to all for letting me share this project with you...I hope you'll make a love collage...and reflect on all the things in live that you "LOVE".....

Okay.. Hop on over to the next - click on the button at the top over there -------------->

When the boy's go hunting..................

THE GIRLS GO TO CRAFTING!!!!

I think Dana was feeling a little sorry for me this weekend.  He was on his annual deer camp hunting trip to the farm in Iowa and he left me behind thinking all the time "HE" was the one going to have fun...while I had to stay home and go to a scrapbooking retreat....Oooohhhhh...pooor me.... ...

So to put this in better perspective.....Iowa is barely above  25 degrees the whole time that he's there running around outside like a little boy chasing deer through the woods......freezing cold.....meanwhile....me and 13 other girlfriends are snug as a bug at Blackberry Creek Bed and Breakfast retreat crafting to the smell of delicious pies in the oven permeating the air, fresh ground coffee and listening the the crackle of the fireplace...no husbands...no kids....no dirty dishes...no cell phone........whaddya say girlfriends....who got the better end of that deal???

So let me tell you about this retreat...In fact plans are in the works to hold a very special Art N Soul spa retreat at this location next fall....and here's a little glimpse of what awaits you......

Blackberry Creek Retreat is nestled in the Ozark mountains, 22 miles from Springfield Missouri in a rural community.  This property boasts 44 acres of woods, hiking trails, ponds, wildlife and a 6000 square foot Bed N Breakfast facility that is so inviting and so warm...I swear you never want to leave!!!  (seriously...they had to push me out the door)...



Our hosts are Mark and Dixie



The sweetest couple you'd ever want to meet.  They were so hospitable and their cooking....well...you know me and food......let me just say three letters ... T D F (too die for)... Mark prepared the most gourmet meals, with help of Dixie and her delicious salads and desserts....oh we were spoiled!!!! take a look...

..

 Since we were secluded, snug and cozy....without cell service I might add......we spent the night scrapbooking, papercrafting, laughing and giggling just like little girls in high school....

(So...I ask Donna Sue for a hole punch and she hands me this ..."THING" which I have NO idea how to use....which is usually the other way around - usually she's askin' me.....joke's on me this time...) And of course that's a kodak moment.....

craftin in your jammies is always a plus......and don't forget your cute slippers too!!!

...Some of us didnt go to bed until 5:30am...

but at that point ....what's the point of bed?.....just crawl on over and sleep in a chair next to the fireplace.....

 
 or better yet....just stay where you are and take a snooze....uh...I mean ...power nap!

 and then wake up to the sweet smell of roasted coffee, the warm glow of the fireplace....breakfast cooking and sit down to more of this....

 and this.....gettin hungry yet?????

By now I think I've morphed into a roly-poly..... Im just stuffed!!!!  But that didnt stop me from making a mess....

they all laughed because I brought my paper, inks, scissors, glue, a gallon of Mod Podge, paint, computer, printer AND my sewing machine...yep I had it all....and they laughed....but...I used it all....and I created some stuff that I'll share with you later on that Im really proud of.......

I'm still grinnin from ear to ear....nothin better than great friends, creativity....and lots and lots of  laughter to sooth your soul .....

I'll have a major announcement coming up in January so make sure check back...or better yet, sign up for the newsletter so you don't miss it!!!!

It's official! I'm having my own show on the Cool2Craft network - Linda Peterson Live



Hosted by author, designer and industry expert Linda Peterson, this show is all about “Livin’ the creative life” featuring creative ways to connect home and family. From “trash to treasure” –flea market finds, finding healing thru art, upscaling on a budget, decorating, wild game cookery and more, each episode will connect you to home and family memories. We want you to leave the show feeling great, full of warm fuzzies and exploding with creative inspiration to make your life happy.


About Linda Peterson


•Linda began her professional career 19 years ago after the birth of her second child who was diagnosed at two months with brain cancer. As a stay at home mother of two, she used art and creativity to help cope with stress and the challenges of life that were thrown her way. “Creativity was, for me, a great way to cope. I want to share what I’ve learned with other’s facing similar challenges, hoping they can find a little peace and happiness along their journey”. Happy to say that her 19-year old daughter is now in remission, Linda still pursues her career in the arts and crafts industry.


•She’s authored 10 how-to books on creating with polymer clay and jewelry. Her latest book, MetalWork Jewelry, by Cico Books is set to be released in March 2011. Her designs have been featured in many national and international publications.


•She has made featured guest appearances on HGTV’s the Carol Duvall Show, DIY Scrapbooking, DIY Jewelrymaking, PBS Scrapbook Memories, Beads Baubles and Jewels and web TV’s Cool2Craft with Tiffany Windsor and is the product spokesperson for Friendly Plastic.


•Linda makes her home in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri with her husband and four kids. As a family they love the outdoors –hunting, fishing and cooking are all part of their many family oriented activities.

So...there you have it!  This show is about FAMILY...connecting family and creating memories with family and friends.

Join me won't you for my PREMIERE!!  January 24, 2011 at Noon on the Cool2Craft Network!

For information about all the NEW shows on Cool2Craft Network visit http://www.cool2craft.com/

This will be officially announced on Monday December 13th on Cool2Craft...but you heard it here first!

Sorry! but I have to "hop out" for this week.......

Im so disappointed - but I really need to Hop out this week....
I just had so many pressing deadlines that the time went...WHOOP! and It's gone! (shucks - I even had a story too!!)

Thank you for all the wonderful comments from all the previous projects. I'm sure you're going to see more amazing work today!!!

But for now....hop on!! ---------------------------------------->