Exploring Something New

I have been an SU demo for five years (and love that!) but in the last few years I have stretched beyond just SU to embrace other products and stamps. I teach classes using all kinds of products because I love paper crafting and there is much out there to enjoy. My biggest teacher is the internet. I rarely take a hands-on class due to time and the fact that I educate myself regularly through blogs, websites and on-line tutorials. The internet is a fabulous tool and if you live in an area where you can't access classes/stores, you still have a world of options at your fingertips! But yesterday, I took a class...from a real live person...in a real live location, lol!

Wendy Vecchi is on the DT for Maya Road and tim holtz-idea-ology, she is a demo artist for Ranger and she also has her own line of stamps called Studio 490, put out by Stampers Anonymous. Sharon, the owner of Buffalo Stamps and Stuff, invited Wendy to teach some classes at the store. She had a very full schedule with demo's and M&T's scheduled Fri-Sun. Her style is so different from my everyday stamping that I decided I would try something new and attend the class on grunge flowers. It was so different in fact, that I knew it was something best learned in person. It was fabulous!! I liked Wendy right away with her short, spikey, highlighted hair, lol. Here she is showing someone a technique with Perfect Pearls.

She brought several incredible samples along for us to see...and touch. These things are begging to be touched! The dimension and texture are incredible. Here is a picture of a metal dress form she uses to display some of her creations.

In the class we learned all about grunge board and grunge paper. I have certainly heard of grunge board before but I honestly didn't know what made it special. That stuff is totally cool! It smells a bit like leather and is quite pliable/flexible, yet pretty hard to destroy. It has qualities that make it great for making gifts to wear/display. We used Distress Inks, Studio 490 stamps and various Tim Holtz metal trinkets to make 6 different flowers. Here is a photo of 4 of the ones I did.

One of my flowers didn't turn out that well so I am not showing you that one but here is my favorite of the six I did...

Cool, right? The class was 4 hours of getting inky! My fingers are still black today, just a nice reminder of the fun we had creating.

I have to give a shout out to Sharon for inviting Wendy to come to Buffalo! She has hands down, the best stamp store I have ever been to! On our trip to Cleveland last week we stayed just minutes from an Archivers store and since I had heard so much about them, we made time for a visit. Yes, they had lots of cool stuff but much of it was geared toward scrapbookers. I combed every aisle and shelf to take it all in. In the end, it confirmed for me that for stamping, I have the best store around, right in my back yard. If you travel to Niagara Falls or Buffalo, plan to add it to your list of stops, you won't regret it!!

Wendy Vecchi has a blog that you can visit here. (be sure to check out the pictures of her studio...drool city!)
I have added a link to Buffalo Stamps and Stuff to my side bar.

Edited to add: Many of the Studio 490 and Tim Holtz items can also be found at Eclectic Paperie so if you aren't near here, check them out for your grungie needs!

Try something different today, whether it is a new technique, product or something as simple as a new color combo. It is nice to live outside the box once in awhile!