Deadbeat Designs

Exhumed

This week we've been bombarded by the big royal wedding and this weekend, the beatification of John Paul II. Crazy. My disregard for weddings is well-known but when they go 'royal' ... gimme a break! And for the record, don't bother trying to make me a saint even if you have to disregard the many miracles I may have performed! Besides, there's already a St. Mark and I don't want to be known as "the other St. Mark." Right now people are lining up to view the pope's coffin which has been exhumed as part of the beatification process.

Cray-ZEEEEE!

But whatever gets you through the night...

Meanwhile I've exhumed more of my old stamps... these images have been around for awhile but there's still plenty of life in them. First the Manatee and Wave. Love the Wave!

The Big Skull and Bad To The Bone are new-ish but the flames - oh the flames! Stamped in yellow and orange, then flip it around for the red and purple moving it down a little with each layer. Makes me want to stamp fire on everything! Pyro-stampa-mania!

I love this style of stamping. Think about fabric patterns and how they repeat images. I stamped the images in different colors on a larger piece and cut out the area I wanted. If you stamp an entire 8 1/2" X 11" piece of card stock, you can cut it up to get several cards.

The Flyin' Letter is one of my first images. The swirls came somewhere in the middle and the snarky sentiment is fairly new. But you can always cut out the snarky part when you need to make a card for someone with no sense of humor. We all have those people in our lives!

More Swirls - one of my all time favorites. Stamp in green for the first layer then flip it around for the blue layer. It lines up both ways.

The Open and Solid Hands are also some of my first images. They were originally designs for paper from Papers by Catherine back in the old days.... you know, the nineties. Instead of a ribbon, which I didn't have in the perfect color, I just cut out a section of the middle layer and put the sentiment on top. This would also be a good solution if you had a smudge.
 

All of these samples and the stamps I used for them are on their way to Write Now in Houston. Check them out if you are in the area!

Well, now I've got to get up and get moving. Too much time on the computer or in front of the television means that nothing gets done!

New Old Stamps

Good grief! I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post! I'm sure I've been busy but I can't figure out what I was doing for 6 whole days! Guess that's life!

At the beginning of the year, I planned on revisiting some of my older stamps, doing new samples, using different combinations, etc. People seem to only respond to whatever is new but the old stuff is really just as good and in some cases, better! So here it is, almost May and I haven't really followed through. Of course, I've taken a couple of wonderful trips, ripped out two rooms in my crappy little house and dislocated my thumb so I'm not without excuses! Nevertheless, here are a few new old cards and there will be more to come soon. Unless something happens.

 

First up, Rest, Relax, Enjoy. Who wouldn't want that? Now the scale of this card is all wrong - I should have made it square but it is what it is and I'm not going to tear it apart to make it better. Unless I start thinking about it in the middle of the night, which sometimes happens and I know I won't be able to go to sleep until it's fixed. But that's what a glass of wine is for, right?

This is another one that could have been square but for some reason isn't. Colored pencil for the heart and sand and a stipple brush for the sky.

These aren't as old as the others but a store ordered them and wanted a sample card and I didn't want to waste a Kodak moment.

I should have plenty of time to stamp in the next few weeks as I'll be filling in for Sandy at Stamp Salado for a few days. She broke her wrist and wrenched her back in a bar fight last week and will be out for a while. So hopefully I can make the days pass more quickly by getting my fingers inky. Meanwhile, if you want to send Sandy a get well card, here's her address:

Sandra Shaw

Stamp Salado

P.O. Box 113

Salado, TX 76571

Copic Texas Tuesday

Copic Markers have been around for a few years now, right? People seem to love them and I must admit that I've seen plenty of amazing work using them. Well, I guess I've just never gotten on board the Copic train.

Anyway, I am perfectly happy with my Berol Prismacolor pencils and Tombow Markers but when I was in Florida, my friend Lynn gave me a crash course in Copics. So, no... the term "certified instructor" does not apply to me! But as with anything, if you just sit and play long enough, you'll figure it out. Anyway, although it wasn't an altogether unpleasant experience, I'm not sure I'm going to invest much of my hard-earned cash in an entire set of Copic Markers. And don't ask me what colors I used. Stamp Salado has some but I didn't really pay much attention to the exact colors - more proof that it's not rocket surgery.

That's the Weathered Wood stamp in Memento Cobblestone in the background. The gray shading around the Big Ol' Texas really makes it look really dimensional. 

 

Can't say it was on my bucket list but now I can at least say I've tried Copics. Who knows... maybe I'll give them another try at some point. I do love how they smell - which probably means I should stick with Prismacolors...

Peace Out

Here's another quick card made during a rare stamping day this week. I figured I had better post it now because if I don't, it will get lost and forgotten along with all the other brilliant ideas I've lost or forgotten in my life. Since I can't find or remember them, it's easy to think of them as brilliant, right?

The two Solid Peace stamps don't sell as well as the Open Peace versions, so here's an example of why you need both... and when I say "need" I mean "might be able to use" because frankly, I don't sell anything you NEED! But if you WANT them, HERE they are.

First I stamped the Solid Heart Peace with a couple of Kaleidacolor pads. Then, with a stamp positioner, I stamped the Open Heart Peace right on top and cut them out. Since they are intentionally not perfectly 'perfect' they are pretty easy to cut out. 

Then I arranged them on a silvery card stock and popped them up with foam tape. It would also look great to emboss the open version with some sort of glittery embossing powder but someone else can try that... I'm glitter-free today. I really don't like yellow but with the other colors this isn't too terrible. 

And here's an older version that I like even more. It's just layers and layers of dye-based inks

Texas Tuesday this week! My card is finished and ready to post and I used Copic markers for the first time. Love the way they smell! I'm pretty sure they are partially responsible for a couple of forgotten brilliant ideas. But that's OK - I'll have more.

Ruffly

Well, remarkably I had some time to stamp! Since I work at Stamp Salado on Wednesdays, I'm pretty much stuck there for 7 hours surrounded by stamps. Except it's not really 7 hours since I leave early to play tennis (so don't come in at 4:30 and expect a smile on my face) and I'm not really stuck since I leave to pick up lunch and then later leave again for Sonic Happy Hour to get my half-priced cranberry iced tea. Yep - pretty cushy job.

Anyway, this week I managed to funnel some energy and inspiration into a few cards which I'll space out for the next few posts. Here's the first. This is an idea I stole from Libby who did a similar (and better) version last Christmas. I used the smallest of the three bluebonnets and stamped it over and over with a stamp positioner. It's stamped with Marvy Markers and punched with a Marvy scallop punch. I inked up just the leaves to fill the center. The pinkish layer was sprayed with Glimmer Mist but it doesn't show much in the photo. 

But the star of the show is around the edge, I used this ruffled elastic ribbon. I cut it in half and sandwiched it between two pieces of card stock with Wonder Tape. The elastic makes it all ruffly... which apparently IS a word, albeit a silly one. From my experience, this is just the sort of thing that people go nuts for. I can almost hear it now....

Isn't it just the cutest thing you've ever seen?

Oh yes, it's just darling!

Oh my gosh! I need some of that adorable ribbon!

Well, it makes me want to puke.

Not really, but close. What is really annoying is that this card will sell the heck out of the ribbon which doesn't do anything for my bank account! Oh well... I benefit from the knowledge that I've spread a little joy and beauty throughout the world.

Not really. I'd rather have it in my bank account.

Hypothetical Hammock

Once again, another week has passed and I have stamped NOTHING! I really wish I could say that I have been spending all of my time in a hammock and just couldn't drag my lazy butt to my office. In fact, I have been unusually busy which I really hate to admit. I like to be the guy who makes fun of busy people! Hopefully this is only a temporary situation and I will be back to having loads of free time soon. So the following cards were made at least 2 years ago and luckily I had the foresight to photograph them.

This card shows what is probably my least popular stamp. Global Warming Rocks just doesn't blow anyone's skirt up. OK, fine. I like it hot. I hate the winter. And because I don't live near sea level, I find the stamp amusing. But go ahead... don't buy it. See if I care! They can't all be winners...

There is both a Beach Guy and a Beach Girl with ready to decorate beach outfits. Nothing too risqué, of course. Can't have that! That reminds me... I'm old enough to remember going to church camp and not being allowed to swim with the girls. I think it was because someone thought it was possible for a girl to get pregnant in a pool if certain circumstances occurred (about which I will reluctantly NOT embellish).

Stupid damned Baptists.

So that's it for today... tonight, actually, since I spent the whole dang day packing boxes full of stamps ready to ship out tomorrow. So if you've been waiting for an order, it's coming! My taxes are done, the kitchen is awaiting delivery of the counter top and I've almost finished training for my next cage fighting tournament so I'm definitely looking forward to that hammock.

I don't really have a hammock. It's a hypothetical hammock but I'm looking forward to it anyway.

Baring My Chest

Today several funny and nice and well-groomed women drove up to Salado from the Austin area to take a class using, oddly enough, Deadbeat Designs stamps! Luckily Diane was teaching who is infinitely more patient than I am - she has 8 kids or something and home schools them. Crazy, but whatever.

OK, maybe there aren't 8.

Anyway, I didn't stick around but I heard they had a good time and made some wonderful cards. Here are some pics which I'm posting to take up space because I haven't done any stamping of my own recently.

I couldn't stay because I had to see a woman about her chest.

In a former life I worked at Iconography in Houston and it's sister store, Stamp Times. Somehow we convinced Mary O'Neil from Hot Potatoes to come and teach some classes and while she was there, Candy, the owner, bought a chest of drawers and basically forced her to stamp it. Mary complained the whole time - I think she thought she was getting taken out to lunch or something - but it turned out great and after being on display in our store, it went to live at Candy's house. Candy is renovating and doesn't have a place for it anymore so now it's going to come and live with me!

However, I. too, have a torn up house at the moment so for a limited time it will be on view at Stamp Salado. It's a great example of furniture stamping and shows that you can breathe new life into something with a few funky stamps. Even the back and the sides of the drawers are stamped. So be sure and check it out because I'm not inviting you to my place to see it!

And finally, you gotta see this! As usual, if you subscribe to this blog and get it in your email, you'll have to go to my real blog to see it. Just slowly but deliberately run your cursor over 'My Chest' and gently click at the top of this email.

When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal & Helen Mirren from Billy Crystal

Hey, Cupcake!

Who doesn't love cupcakes? Show me someone who doesn't love cupcakes and I'll show you someone who is seriously twisted. Probably hates puppies. And has their toilet paper coming from underneath the roll. In other words, don't bother to reply with a lame explanation regarding your disdain for cupcakes. I'll just wonder about your other perversions - even the good ones.

Colored pencils with Stickles glitter glue on top. Notice a little gray shading around the edges of the wrappers to give a little depth. I popped a couple of the cupcakes up with foam tape partially for the dimension but also so I wouldn't have to mask the image. If I'm going to have to cut one out, it might as well be the real thing and not a mask.

Clearly people don't read. Several posts ago I mentioned my kitchen renovation. I posted a picture of a random kitchen which I found online and mentioned that it was NOT my kitchen but I still got several replies to congratulate me on how beautiful it was! I guess there are people out there who think my pet poodles Paprika and Peyote really exist. Anyway, I am still awaiting a countertop which, for some reason, takes a month from measurement to delivery. What is this, Russia? If it gets installed before I shrivel up and die I'll take some real photos. Meanwhile, keep reading - I may insert a secret message meant just for you!