Dina

Me + JBS February kit =….

Get your kit here!

View of the top of my computer hutch…

I always post embarrassing mess pictures of my work area…and this is still a mess, but in a different way. This is part of the top of my computer hutch…some art pieces I've finished. I really need to clean it off &  make it look nicer, but no time for that right now!

Here's a page this week…just simple, still playing with that Stabilo pencil.

Jenni Bowlin Studios Blog Hop

Happy Monday! I cut & pasted the blog hop info from the JBS blog, because it tells you everything you need to know about our blog hop!

"Welcome to Jenni Bowlin Studio's CHA Winter 2011 Blog Hop brought to you by our newest release, "Be Our Guest!" This is JBS' largest release ever filled with all sorts of pretties from the patterned paper, stickers, rub-ons, bingo cards, and unique embellishments you've come to know and love to a new foray into acrylic stamps and project foundations. You can see the entire release here. To celebrate, we're offering you lots and lots of opportunities to win $15 gift cards to JBS Mercantile. You can enter to win at the following locations:

Twitter: We will be giving away TWO $15 gift cards to one NEW follower on Twitter. These will be sent to the winner and to a friend of the winner's choosing, so if you're already a follower of @jbsmercantile then get some of your friends to follow us too! We will also be randomly choosing a winner from those who retweet the "CHA Winter 2011 Giveaway" post.

NEWSFLASH . . . Jenni now has a Twitter account! It's @jennibowlin and we will be choosing a random winner from her followers as well! Follow her on Twitter HERE.

Facebook: Look for the post that mentions, "Be Our Guest Giveaway" and leave a comment to be entered into the first drawing. We will also be randomly choosing a second winner from our NEW Facebook followers, so tell all your friends!

JBS Mercantile Message Board: In the "Town Square," leave a comment on the thread entitled, "Be Our Guest Giveaway."

The JBS Inspiration Blog: Leave a comment on the blog hop post there….tell us which of our new products is your favorite."

Leave a comment here on my blog, on this post, for a chance to win, too! Visit all of the JBS DT blogs for more chances to win, too. You can find links to their blogs on the JBS Inspiration Blog.

You could get some of Jenni's lovely new stamps with your gift card…I'm particularly partial to the butterfly!

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon…

The ink goes all the way up to my elbows…eeks. I'm working without an end result in mind…putting paint on paper, adding color and collage here and there, just playing. Love it. It's energizing. Try it.

I’ve been interviewed by Bonnie Rose…

The sweet and talented Bonnie Rose interviewed me on her blog today…check it out if you get a chance! 🙂 Bonnie Rose is an enthusiastic and encouraging member of the mixed media community. I always appreciate her kind words.

I just can’t get enough…

I can't get enough of that Stabilo Marks All pencil. In fact, I think I need to order a whole box.

Layouts with the new Hambly…

I took these pics in the booth b/c I totally forgot to photograph them before I left. Oops!

My Ranger Designer Project…

I was privileged to included in the Ranger Designer Showcase this year. Ranger sent all of us a 12×12 frame, Perfect Pearls mists and Perfect Pearls powder, and let us loose to play. This is what I created. I also used lots of Claudine's sticky-back canvas and her acrylic paint. I did the writing with the Perfect Pens and then just dusted the Perfect Pearls over it.

Best in Show….

I know there are a jazillion blog posts out there about what was awesome about CHA. I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. Here are my submissions for best in show:

• Tim Holtz Adiorndack Distress Stains by Ranger. I can't wait to get my hands on these babies. It's essentially Distress ink in a bottle, so it has all the qualities of Distress…blendable, reactive with water, etc. The difference is that it is in a bottle with an applicator top, so you can easily color in large areas without having to do lots of direct-to-paper pressing with your pads. What can I say, I'm a slave to all things Ranger.

• My good friend Dyan Reaveley has released stamps…so cool! I love the "On the Edge" set especially, and the houses.
• Tim's release is great, and I really fell in love with the kraft glassine, the tissue tape, and the embossed & printed kraft papers.
• Everything 7Gypsies came out with, especially the ticket holder and the Lille line…swoon.
• I liked the new Sass (must get that feather paper!!), and the new Starters are exceptional. I seriously think I could use 25 sheets of each type! Great stuff. Cute new finishes on the little alphas, too.
• Hambly Washi tape….le sigh. I really love the birds on a wire print, too. I will share my layouts in another post…I forgot to photograph them before I left, so I took pics in the booth.
• JBS inks and daubers and stamps and the hodgepodge mini and oh, geez, it's all fab.
• Maya Road mini canvas pennants, too cool! I'm a sucker for anything canvas.
• Lily Bee has a Stationary line that is a great basic…colorful and a graph print on one side.
• Crafter's Workshop new stencils…especially the tree! Oh, the tree! It's not up on their website yet, but trust me, it's cool.
• Studio Calico has added some new inks to their line…I especially love the green, orange, and yellow.
• Ice Resin by Susan Lenart Kazmer. Can you believe I own some of this stuff and haven't even opened it yet? Bad me! Her booth is pure eye candy, and I want to buy her book.

Really, there was lots of cute stuff…much of it vintagey and girly (because I'm sure that sells better than inky and boyish). The other "best in show" for me is being with awesome friends, like kl. Love her. And we have big plans…I'm putting that out in the universe so we're held accountable. lol. And I love seeing other friends in the industry, networking, and encouraging each other. Love it!

I don’t think I’m in the running…

I don't think I'm in the running for a feature in "Where Women Create." Oy vey!! Can you believe this is how I left my workspace when I left for CHA? I came home and took a look at it and started cracking up…it's truly a disaster. Even better (and you can't see this in the picture), there are 5 Lego Stormtroopers in the pile, too! Wherever I go, my boys remind me of their presence.

Also…I want to remind you about my February class at The Creative Quest (you can click on the link on the left of the blog to go to a post that has pictures/description). Come and art with me! 🙂

After I clean up my desk (cough cough), I'm going to do a post called "Best in Show"…I want to share with you what inspired me at CHA this year.