Deadbeat Designs

Another Mouth To Feed

After about a year of being completely ignored, distrusted and hissed at, one of the neighborhood strays has given in to my persistance. And let me just say, there are benefits to being ignored.

This cat just won't leave me alone! Unlike Scissor, who would rather die than act needy, this one can't get enough attention. Unfortunately for him, I get my cat fix much sooner than he gets his human fix. Nevertheless, a friendly cat is a nice change - at least in small doses.

These are the only shots that were clear enough to post. He absolutely will not be still. Feline ADHD?

This photo is particularly poignant. You may have to click on it to see a couple of curious black ears behind the glass. Sorry, Scissor. You are an inside cat. Deal with it.

So I guess my catfood expense just doubled.

Skull Book

I found this book in a little scrapbook store in Australia back in January - it's made by Kaisercraft - which the Australians pronounce Kay-sercraft, but they also say fill-ette instead of fillet (fill-ay). Anyway, I'm sure they didn't notice anything funny about my accent. Anyway, it's been taking up space since I got back so I decided to get to work on it... although technically, it's taking up even more space out of it's packaging.

The front is Memory Box paper.

I found these beads at Brazos Collection in Salado - couldn't pass them up.

Now if I had kids or went to Halloween parties I would probably fill these pages with festive photos of diminutive superheroes or happy, silly looking drunk people. But I don't. I love the idea of Halloween but I don't even turn my porch lights on  - and the electric fence keeps greedy trick or treaters away.

So instead I used as many Deadbeat Designs Halloween stamps as I could. So many that it's kind of obnoxious.

I used a new Quickutz die that I got recently from Felicia's. It's a perfect fit for many of my stamps.

And inside....

OK - that's it for today. And to end on a real sour note, It's September 25 - only 3 damn months until Christmas.

Slacker

Well, I've been working on a few things but nothing's really ready to post. So because I'm such a slacker, check out Curt's blog. He has posted my tree in a Halloween card and it looks amazing - but later in the post he claims that he can't live without his distress inks. I'm sure Curt is using hyperbole to make a point but it's still makes me question his sanity. Not that sanity is a requirement. Actually, sanity is kind of boring. Anyway, Curt is way nicer than I am and has a huge following so check out his blog and tell him I sent you... and that I'm going to make his distress inks disappear.

More soon. one day....

Charmed, I'm Sure

Another quick Halloween card  - but first, remember the charms that Renee gave me? I blogged about it HERE but I'll understand if your life is so full that you don't remember everything I type. Hell, I don't even remember everything I type. Anyway, here they are dressing up a Day of the Dead card. The Beads and Chain stamps are emboseed in silver. I could have just adhered the charms to the card but with a jump ring they sort of move and dangle. Looks like I need to redo the Dia De Los Muertos stamp - looking a little faded. I really need some purple embossing powder.

I'll be holding on to this card instead of sending it to a store since someone would find those charms just a little too tempting.

That card lead to this one - super easy and quick. It's all stamped in black but I used Tuxedo Black Memento for the chains and Versafine Black for the skulls and the Bad To The Bone. The Versafine is a little blacker so the skulls stand out. I also added some lime green glitter glue around the edges. This isn't necessarily a Halloween card especially if you have some crazy biker chick friends. And I'm sure that you do.

That's it for today. Awfully busy here and except for foraging for lunch, I may not even leave the house. I've got a few orders to deal with, some Halloween projects to tackle and a backlog of Hillbilly Handfishin' on the DVR. It's going to be a full Sunday!

Skull Spiders

Holy crap! It's already mid-September and I haven't made a single Halloween card! Not only that, all the new Halloween images I drew are still in my sketchbook so it looks like they will have to wait until next year. Maybe I'm not as good at managing my time as I think! Oh well, hopefully when I run across those drawings next year I'll still like them enough to make them into rubber.

Here's a card I made today. I was inspired by Curt who in turn was inspired by this card on Splitcoast. They both used a ribbon to dangle their spiders from but I went another way. I stamped the Spider's Web in red on an orange strip and then Happy Halloween on top. The Skull Spiders are hanging below. Some black Stickles around the strip and the background paper is from Memory Box.

I dragged some Memento Tangelo around the edge.

Of course you could use the new 'ripe persimmon' distress pad but since it only comes in a set with 'gathered twigs' and 'seedless preserves' (really?) - oh and they're supposedly only going to be sold for a limited time... AND no reinkers. Good grief - you have to hand it to Ranger, though. They know how to make you spend your money! Maybe I need to take a page from their book....

Press Release: Attention all stampers! Deadbeat Designs stamps will be available only for a limited time! Once I'm dead, they are gone forever! That's right - I'm going to be buried with the original engraving plates (so you probably won't want to be a pallbearer at my funeral). As for my life expectancy, Ranger may already have a hit out on me (especially after this previous post) so tell the CSI folks to check tor inky fingerprints around my neck... or the unmistakeable imprints of Tim Holtz's rings. At any rate, once you see my obituary, you will already be out of luck!

Since my average customer is far more discerning, intelligent and conscious, I doubt this would increase my sales as much as the fury created by 'limited edition' distress inks. Besides, everyone knows I died years ago.

More Halloween stuff soon!

But seriously, what's with all those rings?

Out Of Season

Well, this is clearly out of season but if I don't do it now while it's still on my mind, it will disappear forever. Now at least when bluebonnet season comes around, I can just recycle this post and pretend it's new.

I saw a much better sample card at either Stamp Antonio or Scrapbook 'N' More or one of the stores on the big Deadbeat Road Trip last month. Anyway, it uses a punch by The Punch Bunch and my Bluebonnet Seeds stamp. Now if you are a bluebonnet purist - well, first of all, get a life - you will notice that these bluebonnets are a little less bluebonnet-y. The bluebonnet has unusual petals so there probably isn't a perfect punch so this one is as good as it gets. Here's the finished card:

 

And here are all the damn flowers it takes. These made two cards so it's not as bad as it seems. Well, ok - yes it is. For me it was unbearably tedious but someone else with a more positive outlook might find such detail work fun (weirdos). I used three shades of blue card stock and added a little white pen in the center of each flower. Then each flower needs to be kind of curled up - if you have any small children, their little fingers will come in handy for this step. Just withhold dinner until all the flowers are done.

Withhold is an odd looking word, isn't it?

Other words with 2 h's in a row:

withheld

hitchhike, hitchhiker

roughhouse

roughhewn

bathhouse

fishhook

beachhead

Anyway, I colored the image with colored pencils and added some Tombow Marker on the bluebonnets in case anything showed through when I added the flowers. I used ink rather than pencil so the glue would stick better - pencil is sort of waxy. I just used a glue that dries clear.

roughhanded

hashhead

Here's sort of a closeup to show some dimension. I also popped up the bluebonnet banner.

fleshhood

matchhead

So if you have some time and some tiny little fingers on your hands, this is the project for you! Go therefore and punch flowers. However, feel free to forget this by March because you might just see it again when and if our crazy weather allows for bluebonnets. If you're into growing them from seeds, October/November is the best time and unlike me, do best with a wet winter.

touchhole

It's not what you might think, if your mind thinks like mine. And I truly hope it doesn't.

There are more, but none as evocative as touchhole.

Standing In Ice Water

Back to reality. Just a few days ago I was ankle-deep in the Atlantic...

... like standing in ice water.

Back in Texas, the temperature has finally dropped below 100˚ and there is practically no humidity. Of course there are wild fires all over the state but at least people aren't talking about how hot it is. Well, except maybe those poor people who are currently on fire. It's always something, right? Luckily Rick Perry cut his vacation short to come back and supervise so everything should be fine. Is he still praying for rain?

When are we going to have an official internet font to indicate sarcasm?

Keep on prayin', dick.... I mean Rick.

Those creepy Kardashians were on Letterman last night. What the heck? Are we out of real celebrities? Guess that's why there's a mute button on the remote.

Easily distracted - that's me!

Guess I don't really have anything to post. So I guess I'll try this again from a few posts ago just to amuse myself. It's just as appropriate today as it was a few weeks ago...

I know - not much of a post. But today I'll be at Stamp Salado

all damn day so maybe I'll be inspired to

make something. That is, unless I have to spend too much time

dealing with those annoying customers.

Not any of you, of course.

That's just for a couple of pot stirrers out there. I'm going to be very disappointed if at least one of you doesn't forward this to Sandy and try to stir something up again! Bwa ha ha ha!

p.s. A sense of humor isn't required but definitely recommended for followers of this blog.

p.p.s. Having Kardashians enter my consciousness this early is enough to ruin a perfectly good day!

NYC

Greetings from NYC - spent all of Wednesday at the U.S. Open watching hours and hours of tennis and people and people and people.... Good grief! Don't these people have jobs? Anyway, we had a great time and despite the fact that the event was sponsored by Pepsi, which I find only barely drinkable, I would go back in a heartbeat.

Then Thursday was spent in the city where I had a typical New York experience. No, I wasn't mugged. As we rounded a corner in Penn Station to catch our train, we encountered a floor covered in vomit. I mean COVERED! It was like there was a contest! Luckily there was a cleaning crew there, otherwise there is a good chance someone would have slipped and fallen and there is a good chance it would have been me. In which case, I would have ridden the train back to New Jersey smelling of puke and completely alone.

I made a stop at the new location for The Ink Pad. They've moved to a larger space and it's still filled to the brim. Great new spot in a cool neighborhood! Here are some pics...



We finished off the night - well, before the vomit sighting - at the Marquis Theater enjoying the revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. And as I type this, it's after 2 a.m. so I'm going to hit the sack. More soon...