Linda Peterson to teach at CrafTech University's Craft JAM!!! - Hardware Chic Jewelry

Oh my goodness! This is just the FIRST of very exciting, I mean REALLY Exciting announcements coming your way. I've got lots more the share..but for right now, I gotta keep somethings a little secret!!!...but for now I can share this!!! (and so you don't miss out on any announcements - be sure to sign up --------> over the on the right for the newsletters...)

See you soon!!!

So you don't want to sit and watch football all day?? Leave the games with the boys and

Join your favorite instructors for  6 hours of CRAFT MANIA!! 

LIVE * INTERACTIVE * ONLINE
NEW YEARS DAY - JANUARY 1st
Beginning at 11am

 HARDWARE CHIC!!  with Linda Peterson

11am to 1pm central

Create the latest trend in jewelry

Learn wire wrapping, create your own found object elements and more as you design a necklace that will be the envy of your friends - Class kit included ** Please note: Additional supplies and tools will be needed **

Cool2Cast TECHniques with Tiffany Windsor
1:30pm to 3:30pm central

Learn the basics of Cool2Cast fibre plaster - Color, Stamp, Embed and MORE

Elements can be used in jewelry making, papercrafting, home decor projects

Kit available at an additional $14.99 - click here to order kit

2 hours
** Please note: Additional supplies and tools will be needed **

TERRIFIC TECHniques Cardmaking with Samantha Star
4pm to 6pm

Join Samantha as you create 4 gorgeous cards! She will be covering a variety of different stamping, embossing, faux-finish and distressing techniques. Use inks to create a faux-velvet finish, learn how to emboss and de-boss, as well a fun twist on a resist technique.

Kit included - 2 hours
** Please note: Additional supplies and tools will be needed **

This CRAFT JAM Day is PACKED with loads and loads of TECHNIQUES!

Thank Goodness it's recorded so you don't have to remember - or take super fast notes.

Work right along with our instructors  - review the class at your leisure.

This class is limited!

Participants will be sent a complimentary link to the class - however you must sign up before

the class to receive the link.  It will not be available as an on-demand purchase.

Purchase the classes individually $35 each

or SAVE $15 with an all day JAM PASS! - Only $90

Register NOW! - ALL DAY JAM PASS - click here

Register now for Hardware Chic - Linda Peterson - Click here
Register for Cool2Cast Class with Tiffany Winsdor - Click here
Register for TEN Techniques with Samantha Star - Click here

Sizzix TriplePlay Blog Hop - Week 4 - A beautiful Love Story

How would you define Love?  What is Love?  I'm sure if I asked a hundred different people, I'd get a hundred different answers on what love is to them. 

I believe love has many facets.....there's the romantic love....there's the love you feel for your child, for your siblings....there is agape' love....and of course the greatest example of love is God....because the God IS love. 

I'm very fortunate to have experienced love....and see a great example of TRUE LOVE in action.  It's funny how love develops...and how it changes over time...but as it changes...it deepens....

I want to introduce you to the two most beautiful people in the world....my Mom and Dad..(Jane and Larry)..they are a beautiful example of TRUE LOVE.

As so the theme of this week's blog hop is obviously dedicated to them......

They've been together over 50 years and will be married 50 years in April 2011.  Back in 1961, they were a young couple in their twenties....their whole life ahead of them.  Dad was in the army...(2 years, 3months and 28 days - long story)...and Im sure life was a struggle for them to make ends meet.   Dad is a very smart man and by way of a little fortune in his life, he began working in the computer industry.  Mom never worked outside the home until I was much older.  She worked very hard as a homemaker...an excellent home maker...always having a delicious home cooked meal every night....clean house...and she taught me to sew and so much more...

You don't know as you're growing up, watching your parents live life that you're being taught the greatest of life's lessons...the lesson of giving ...caring ...and love....

Well...it's 50 years later for my parents.....and their love has never died..but it's changed.  Mom's been in the hospital now just over 2 months.  My Dad greets my Mom each day with a warm smile and a "How's my baby girl doing today?"....he is there beside her every moment that he can to attend to her.... beautiful example of LOVE....

Mom would probably kill me right now if she saw I posted this picture of her without her make up on and her hair all done up....but I know it doesnt take makeup and great hair to be beautiful.

I snapped the photo of them just a week or so ago with my cell phone. The quality of the picture is bad...but the emotions...and the LOVE that oozes out of it is priceless. As I looked at the photo...I couldnt help but think (and sing it as I made this project) of Nat King Cole's LOVE song. and how it describes that picture perfectly...

L - is for the way you LOOK at me....

O - is for the only one I see

V - is very very....EXTRAORDINARY

E- is even more than anyone that you adore

And love is all that I can give to you...
Love more than just a game for two..
Two in love can make it..
Take my heart and please don't break it...

....yes LOVE was made for me and YOU.....

and yes....LOVE...

and I thank God every day for the giving me the most beautiful gift of love...

MY MOM AND DAD!

Love you both!

Now...for the hows and why's of the project...

 Sizzix ScoreBoards Pro Die – Frame & Frame Back with Stand #656835 by Eileen Hull  - sometimes it's good to put a frame around one aspect of your life so that you can just focus and reflect on it for a while...

Acrylic Paint in peachy, minty, creamy colors because they say "romance" and love to me...

Collaged Fabric accents - Like the "LOVE and the Heart" - remind me of Mom's quilts...She makes the most gorgeous baby quilts you'd ever want to see....

Lacey Rosette - because this is totally MOM's personality..she loves foof! And it's beautiful...just like their enduring love..

The white doily in the background -  reminiscent of Mom's successful wholesale doily business Memory Lane Gifts that she started when I was in high school.

Decopauged Roses - mom's favorite flower and the flowers Dad buys her on their anniversary..(he better save up...50 roses is going to cost a TON of moo-lah!)

And of course the Words....which is an outward expression of how I feel about them....

Hope this post helps you to pause for a while and reflect on the one or two or more beautiful people in your life....Why not tell them how much you love them???

okay...now for me to get a box of kleenex.....and HOP!

Just runnin a little behind today....

I really thought this was only Monday....I mean the last time I looked at the calendar it said Monday....Oh MY....

Im running just a little behind the schedule today......But I guarantee you wont want to miss the story behind this project.......Sooo.....check back in later today...or better yet...

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Here's Hopin!

I really can't say THANK YOU enough to Sizzix and my designer friend Eileen Hull for the opportunity to be a part of such a great blog hop! 

I really had no expectations regarding this hop at all, but it's given me sooo much more than I ever expected...... What you ask???

It gave me permission.....yep...permission to create....to create "ME" projects...what I wanted to do...products "I" wanted to use...and make what I wanted to make. Permission to just DO...and if necessary...FAIL and say...well...I tried...and move on.

It's during this process that I believe I've really grown as a designer and as an artist.

Life for me is very stressful right now.  Im dealing with so many raw emotions - and on the outside...I can put on the game face and be happy...but all while on the inside, my heart is breaking.

CANCER! It's an ugly - ugly - ugly word!  Disease...just plain icky-ness with lots and lots of sticky-sticky garbage piled on top!  As many of you know...my Mom is suffering from all the sickening effects from ugly ugly cancer.  I would be lying if I said it hasn't taken it's toll on me....and especially on my Dad.

So during all these hops the past few weeks, I've written stories to go along with my project designs...stories about my life growing up...happy memories...take me away from reality for a moment stories.....

I've used this hop as a form of art therapy.  I allowed myself to write off all the ugly emotions I was feeling at the time.....yanking them outta my brain...and replacing them with happy memories.....and empowering thoughts....and making projects that I can look at and feel good about....

This multi-media painting simply titled "HOPE" is just a small snippit of a larger painting that I created last week.  It's one piece in a collection of paintings focusing on faith, hope and love.  It's multi-layered and textured (just like my life) and respresents so much of what I was feeling at the time.  It really was MOOD changing!

While I don't believe that if you immerse yourself in art or buy all the craft supplies in the world you will be healed....I do know that art allows you to escape for a time, helps to relieve stress - which we all know has a TON of health benefits...and above all it gives you the ability to look thru the windows of life, refocus and see HOPE at the end of the tunnel!

 I am once again smiling...because I FEEL like SMILING...and Happy..despite stress....

So here's Hopin!  Hopin you can also find a sense of relief thru art and just get a little respite...

I hope you come back for more!...(which is code for....sign up for my newsletters!!!) shameful self-promotion isn't it?

VIDEO TIME: Polymer Clay Rattlesnake Beads - Bead Techniques - Linda Peterson

So just in case you weren't able to join us today.....here's the clip of my segment featuring rattlesnake beads using polymer clay.  This is a feature in my book BEAD TECHNIQUES....



Thank you to Tiffany Windsor for editing this segment.  And remember - you can watch Cool2Craft each week on Monday at Noon and the PM edition on Wednesday at 9pm.

If you're interested in my books - visit my e-store at CrafTECH University.