A bucket list of sorts...

Greetings and Happy 2013! Has the new year caught you off guard as it has me?  Whoa! Not so fast there...I've barely gotten  (actually, I'm not too sure I can even use the qualifier barely) started and I am absolutely astonished that January is practically over!

Though I don't make resolutions I do spend a lot of time contemplating and anticipating the coming year. I always have way too many thoughts and ideas on tap for any given month and the entire year. And I am often stymied by too many choices, so much so that I frequently  don't get started 'cause I can't make up my mind: where to begin!

Going through my mind as I write this post are the following possible 2013 projects:

• creating a  365 something: a daily art journal or a tag a day or a fabric post card or a heart-a-day (inspired by Joanne Sharpe's article in the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. And that Joanne's coming to The Queen's Ink in March is just icing on the cake, me thinks...
• making a fabric art journal. I really love working with fabric, especially choosing bits-n-pieces as I create a palette. 
• decorating more cigar and other boxes...I find this to be an absolutely fulfilling and rewarding project, in addition to being fun! And The Queen has several classes planned in February that take the project to different levels. Can't decide which I'll do  tho' I think I'd better hurry 'cause for all I know, the classes may already be filled.

Jewelry Tray workshop - February 9th

• trying my hand at sketching/drawing and/or doodling. Last fall I ordered the cutest book: Doodling in French: How to Draw with Joie de Vivre by Anna Corba and I've been promising myself, today is the day...you know where that has gotten me...
• in that same vein: drawing. Earlier this week I discovered a digital art journaling app:  Paper.53 for the iPad. It is too cool! And the best part: it's portable and doesn't require tools, paints, papers, etc. And did I say: free? Tho' you do have to pay for some additional tools and paints if you want them. (I will share a photo of a page as soon as I figure out how to do it - I think a screen capture is it and I'm wondering if there is a print function. I think that would be just great 'cause you could then do a page or many, print them out and then adhere to a journal.)

The above list is just a sampling of the smorgasbord of ideas and inspirations bouncing around my brain... and I've not even touched on the PIPs - projects in progress - that call out to me every single day. That's a whole 'nother list.

What's on your bucket list for 2013? Would love to have you share in the comments. And speaking of such, the current issue of Cloth Paper Scissors has some ideas...including a really great article on Donna Downey, too!

BTW: I was at The Queen's Ink a week ago. It has totally been rearranged and reorganized. Get there quickly so you can see first hand how open and even more inviting the store space is!

(when you enter the store, you are greeted by this display. turn right or left for surprises)

Cheers~
Honoré

CHA Highlights - Part 1

I'm headed home from not so sunny California. It was so cold here I nearly froze my royal highness off! It's a good thing that most of my time was spent inside the Anaheim convention center walking the rows and rows of vendors and checking out their new product offerings. I warmed up when my credit card caught fire from over-use. Needless to say, my trip was a very successful one, and fun too. Lots of new products will be arriving over the next 3 months. Watch for updates on Facebook, our blog, and the newsletter. I'll write more once I arrive home.

Here are a few highlights to tide you over. Darling new stamps from Penny Black. See photo.

 

 

Tim's new paints - 24 colors
 

Also new images from Stampendous and Impression Obsession.

Tim Holtz and Dyan Reaveley each introduced new products... Tim has fabulous new Distress Paints (shown left) which I had the pleasure of using... and yes, you will want them all. I'll tell you more about them later.

Dyan released six new inks, stencils, and great stamp images.










    

Pocket watch (new Sizzix die) and alarm clock projects with new
embellishments (from Advantus "Idea-ology")

 

     

Left: Joanne Sharpe (coming in March) demonstrates new Silks and
Twinkling H2O's (we ordered these). Viva Decor has new pearl paint pens (displayed
at right), all on order and available at the shoppe the first week of February.
 



Who could resist Brenda Walton's new dies (for Sizzix)... can you say ALL THINGS QUEEN-ISH ?! a full sized teacup, shoes, and embellished tiara... you know they had my name all over them!