Quick Update

Hey everyone, just a quick update to let you know that the rubber stamps may be coming sooner than I anticipated! I'm sooo excited!! Keep a watch on the blog for more info and some sneak peeks of the images! Woo Hoo!! Things keep getting better and better!!

Lazy Day

Today has been such a lazy day. We tried so hard to think of something to do but nothing really came to mind. Finally we decided we'd go to Oatman to walk around and enjoy the decent weather. It was nice even though there were tons of people. I didn't think such a small town could attract so many tourists. If you don't know where or what Oatman is, you can click here for a little bit of history. Basically it's an old ghost town. The aura is so awesome. Such nostalgia. So after we went there we pretty much went home and enjoyed the rest of the day outside with the kids. Very relaxing.

Artistically moving on......

There's still 3 more days to get your challenge submissions in before the next one arises. I really hope to see a bunch of fabulous art that I can drool over. I've already got in one submission from the ever so sweet Allie Gower. But you'll have to wait til Wednesday to see it. Neener neener. Lol. It's a beautiful piece for sure.

Oh, and thanks to the ever so talented Audrey Hernandez, I now have discovered Sunday Postcard Art. They have awesome theme challenges that should get me on my toes with creating. I feel the itch a lot and now I'll have a reason AND a solid theme to go with, which should make it much easier to get some stuff done.

And last but not least, I finally make my Flickr Group for the Weekly Wednesday Challenge submissions. I would absolutely love love love if you joined. The group is public so it's open to anyone. I think it will make it much easier to showcase all the lovely art. The group is public, however, I do require that you accept the terms of the group before joining. It isn't anything elaborate though. All I ask is, if you're going to submit a photo into the album, please do this ONLY ON WEDNSDAYS. This will help to keep your beautiful creations a super surprise until the deadline date. So make sure you place it in the album (only on Wednesdays), or email it to me and I will get it into the photo album for show on Wednesdays. Sounds good to me. Hope to see you all join!!

Nighty night!

Fun New Things Happening Here!!

So, the last time I posted, I was showing you a print I did on fabric. I've yet to make anything using it. The kids and laundry have had me busy almost all week! So I'm still going to make something, I just need to let things simmer down a little and then get to it.

So, what's going to be going one here that's new you may ask? Well, first, I am going to be introducing my "Weekly Wednesday Challenge". Basically it's just the same as any other challenge. I make up a theme or a technique, or something of that nature and then you have a week to create it. Some of the weekly challenges will include prizes but you'll find out about that later. I'm thinking, not only will this help increase traffic here, but it will help me have a goal (or I should say deadline) to actually make something. There always seems to be something holding me back. Because OF COURSE I will be participating in the challenges as well!

The next bit of new I have is very exciting to me!! It will take a bit of time before the fun actually takes off, but I am so very pleased to announce that I will be offering my very own line of RUBBER STAMPS!!! Yay!!!!!! Like I said, it's going to be a bit before they're set out for sale but yes, this is my exciting news! I plan to offer a variety of eclectic, mixed media style stamps. From vintage faces to old time places!! They will be sold in "plates" as opposed to singles. I may offer them as singles later on down the line but as of now this is the way I'm gonna go. I already have printouts of some of the stamps that will be offered but for now it's a secret, so stay tuned because I may give a sneak peek!

Moving on......

It's Wednesday people and time for the very first challenge. before I post the challenge, I want to inform you how to submit.

You will have one week from the challenge date (Wednesday to Wednesday) to turn in your submissions. All I ask is that you either scan or take an up close image of your artwork. Then, just email me your submission at ntynda@gmail.com and I will post all the submission up in my soon-to-be gallery (don't worry, it will be up by next week). That's all it takes. Pretty easy right? So here's your challenge.

Create a 5x7 piece of art using this image:

Isn't it pretty?! I just love it. Much thanks to the Flickr group, Collage Images, for providing the image. So get crafty!! I can't wait to see what you'll come up with!!

♥

Printing On Fabric -- It Really Works!

Okay, I said I was gonna go til tomorrow but I've been playing around a little and decided it was time for me to try to print onto fabric. I've been a little weary to try it but I figure, what the hell, just do it. So I just did it. And it was the easiest thing ever. I taped my fabric piece down to a piece of printer paper and put it in facing the correct way. I adjusted my printer settings and pressed print. Voila! It's done. And it came out perfect!

If you're going to try this too, do make sure you have a piece of paper underneath your fabric no matter what. Not only does it support the weight of the fabric and ease it through the printer, it also absorbs the excess ink that bleeds through the fabric.

I would also recommend using a lightweight fabric opposed to a heavier one only because I'm afraid it will get jammed in the printer and cause you some unnecessary tugging and cursing. Lol.

Overall it was easy and the results speak for themselves. Sorry about this photo, as I took it with my phone (trying to avoid the annoying task of taking the photo with my camera, then taking out the memory card, then putting it in the memory card reader, then downloading all the photos) and it doesn't produce the best results. I'll be sure to post a photo of the finished project once it's underway and to my visual satisfaction. Until we meet again.....

Follow Me On Twitter

I'm on Twitter people!! Not like many of you care, but I thought I'd give a heads up anyway. I'm trying to post more interesting stuff (art wise) but it seems to be a little burdensome. I feel like I need to remember not to forget. Lol. How twisted is that?!? But anyway, If you wanna follow me, please do so. My screen name is :
ntynda
or you can add my by my whole name:
Natalie Tynda
There should only be one me. So therefore, if you want not so entertaining news, please find me. Lol. I'll try, but I can't guarantee I'll amuse you.
♥

shoppe|mecca @ Etsy!!

Hey all. Just thought I'd update and let everyone know that my Etsy shoppe is now open for business. I don't have everything perfectly coordinated yet, but give me time and it will all be there for the taking. If you wanna go check it out, you can go to the sidebar and click the link, or you can just go here www.studiomecca.etsy.com
and check it out. If you don't see anything you are interested in, send me a note and I'll try to add some stuff based on consumer preference. Vintage nonetheless. Anyway, just wanted to update and say hi. Please take a look and tell me what ya think!

♥

Vintage Holiday Crafts - dot com

So today while I was scouring the net for some vintage Easter photos, I found this awesome website that provides you with mass amounts of vintage images - clipart, photos, postcards, etc. They have a category for everything! The Christmas ones are fantastic. The good thing about this site, opposed to other sites that give you free images is that the size and/or resolution is bad. I opened one up this morning and it was 4x6 at 300dpi!! Usually I find a great image and realize it's only 1x1 and at 72dpi. Quite disappointing. Anyway, this post is officially a commercial for www.vintageholidaycrafts.com because I think the site is awesome. I promote awesomeness. Lol. So go there, you'll find some great stuff.

Once again,

Vintage Holiday Crafts
www.vintageholidaycrafts.com




_{No affiliation with above site}

Apparently I Bother Some

So I got an e-mail this morning from a "group" member who said this about my post on Bush and all that stuff:

"I went to your blog hoping to see something inspiring and was greeted with a diatribe about Bush being the AntiChrist. Funny...we've been saying the same thing all along about Obama.

I won't be visiting again."

Well, the situation with this is merely personal opinion. If you're so bothered by my opinion on George Bush, then just don't read those posts. If all you care about is the artistic side of me, then only read those posts. And another thing, if you're mad at me about saying Bush is the anti-Christ, and you're offended by it, then shouldn't I be offended that you consider the man I trust, Obama, as the anti-Christ? Aren't you just contradicting yourself? Regardless of what anyone says, this is my blog. This is where I say what I want. This is where I post my thoughts and art and whatever else it is that I feel like posting. Right? Okay, if I'm not calling you up and nagging in your ear about my beliefs, then what are you so worried about? I'm going to quote myself here okay? :

"I know there are people who believe he is a good man with good intentions and I am not trying to take anyone's faith away, as I would hope you would try not to rob me of mine."

Am I being horribly harsh here? I'm telling you to take no offense to what I am saying. I'm stating my opinion on MY blog and that's the jest of it. I'm not coming to your site and ranting about it am I? And I could, but that would just be disrespectful. I like to hear anyone's opinion, even if it doesn't relate to mine. And I'm not the type who would tell you that you are wrong. It's YOUR thoughts and they belong to you. I respect that. So if you're going to come here and get upset about MY thoughts, then just don't come. I don't know what else to say. My art is completely separate from my opinions and if I'm offering you to come look at my art, then just look at my art. Nobody said you have to read through my other posts. Especially if they're not to your liking. So if there has been anybody to take offense to my political and spiritual opinions, then all I can say is, sorry you feel that way. I'm not chastising you for yours. Have a great day everyone.

Manila Tags For Sale

Just to let everyone know, along the sidebar on the right, I have for sale #8 Manila Shipping Tags. I will be selling them in bundles of 10 for $3.50. This includes shipping as well. I know many of you out there do not want to buy the tags in bulk. Especially since they are so expensive! I have many so I am offering to sell them in this allotment. You can purchase as many as you'd like as long as it is in multiples of 10. All you need to do is e-mail me from the link on the right and tell me how many you'd like as well as your name, address, and telephone number (just in case there is a problem). I will then send you an invoice through Google Checkout (secured site) and we can finish the process. If by chance you cannot send your payment through Google Checkout, I will take a check or money order and your items will be shipped once monies are received. Easy right?

I hope to help anyone out that needs some tags but cannot afford them in bulk.

Enjoy your night!

Natalie

Getting Back In The Groove

Hey there. I've been MIA for a couple days. Sure you didn't notice, lol. I plan to get back into the groove of blogging and crafting. Putting a little more effort in the post I make. I've been a bit busy lately. Cleaning up the house, taking down Halloween decor and pulling out Christmas decor. I can't believe it's so close. But if I decorate now, I will have it all up as long as possible and for me that's important. Christmastime brings me such joy and happiness. I get this perkiness and float about all giddily. But isn't that what Christmas is all about? Happiness? Yes indeed. I have some projects planned out. Although I hate to "plan" anything because it never seems to work out the way it was planned. So, let's just say I have some creative thoughts. Since I don't have anything interesting to show you or talk about tonight, I thought I'd post a picture to possible give some inspiration. This might be something I do with every post....

Young Crafters Society

I have created a Yahoo! group called "Young Crafters Society" where young art lovers can come and chit chat about whatever it is they enjoy. Whether it be mixed media, scrapbooking, painting, sewing, whatever! The sky's the limit. If you're interested in joining, you can go to www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/youngcrafterssociety or you can go the the sidebar on this site and enter your e-mail address to join. Once you send your request, I will receive an e-mail and I will accept your request. Easy peasy.

So, moving on...
I'm curious to know how everyone's Halloween went. Ours was good. There didn't seem to be very many people handing out goodies though. Not like in the past. And who can blame them? the economy is sickening right now. Either way, the kids had an awesome time and wanted to do it again today. Breana keeps asking me when the next Halloween is coming, and I have to explain that it's a whole year away. She's not too happy about that. Lol. Anyway, I'm headed off to the movies with my love. hope to hear from you soon!

Later On...

...I will be giving a technique tut on what I call "partial embossing". A friend asked me how I made a few things and I told her I would make a video for all to see. It's so very easy and many of you probably already know how it works. That will be for later. I have to make a trip to the SS and get some supplies but I will be back in a bit. See ya later!!

Video Blogging

Soon enough here, when I get my craft room cleaned up a bit (God only knows it's a flippin' mess right now) I plan to do some video blogging. Tutorials, informative whatnot, and probably just me being a jibber jabberer. Just another little blah-de-blah to add to all my others. A fellow digiscrap internet friend of mine, Shella, asked me if I would take requests for tutorials. Umm....I guess I can say I would, except, if I don't know exactly how to do what's being requested, then I probably won't be of any help. So you can request and I'll try to make whatever it is you're asking for, but if I can't I'll let you know. I'm no expert that's for sure. Anyway, I'll be going now. Just wanted to fill you in on what the happs are. Asta.

Comment Help

This is a silly thing, but I've received a few messages from friends telling me they didn't know where to comment on the blog. Lol. I understand why there's a confusion. You have to click on the word "comments" below the post, if there are none it will say "0 comments" and if there's some it will say "2 comments" or however many there are. So anyway, you have to click on that, and you'll be able to leave a comment. I actually should just post a CBox but I'm only one day into the alteration of the site...so gimme time. Also, there's apparently going to be an outage at 8:00 pm but I'm not sure in what time zone. I'm also not sure if it affects the page itself or if it's just my end of it. With all that said, hope you all have a great day and enjoy eachother.

Hereditary Eating Habits?

Sweet Breana. 3 years old. Full of amazement and wonder. However, this kid does not like to eat! I blame myself because I've grown up a picky eater, and I've never had much of an appetite. I'm curious as to whether that's hereditary or not. She always seems to have good intentions to eat, it's just when the food is in front of her face, she take a few bites and says she's done. Apparently the doctor says she's perfectly normal. She's 3. How big could her tummy be anyway?? She's the right height, weight, and all those other little things you worry about when seeing the doctor. She's a wonderfully healthy little girl. But gosh darnit I want her to EAT! Kids don't seem to mind how much food costs these days. They think it's free! So as far as they're concerned, they can take 1 bite of food and push it away, only to ask for something different. "NO!" says I. "You asked for eggs, now you eat them!" You may think I'm harsh, but if you saw what she wanted instead of the eggs, you'd say the same thing. "Mommy, I don't want my eggs, can I have a popsicle?"
"Breana, it's 7:30 in the morning, no you cannot have a popsicle. You can finish your eggs." That's when she starts the noises and the flippity flopping of the head and shoulders. At that point she either knows to knock it off and eat her eggs, or go to time out for throwing a mini-fit. she usually says she will eat her eggs and then Papa comes along and scoops them up. Ugh. The insanity of it all. Let's see what she has in store for lunch.

Welcome All!

Here I am again! No digiscrap though. Not now anyway. My interests tend to fly with the birds. So here I bring you Studio Mecca. My place to tippity type about all the little ramblings I want. A place for musing and amusing. I'll be (hopefully, don't quote me though) blogging frequently on all things in my life as well as arts and whimsy. Blackberry Bridge took me where I wanted to go in digiscrap but right now I'm focused on me, and my family. Don't get me wrong, I still love all things digital but the hours of sitting in front of the screen trying to conjure up designs and keep deadlines seemed a bit forced for me. I don't like to feel forced. I love art and if I'm forced to do something that just isn't there, it becomes a problem. I don't ever want to feel like I resent it. I enjoy what I do and plan to do it my way and on my own time. But yes, it's still very much a part of me. And who knows, maybe I'll post up some digi freebies when I'm feeling quirky. With that said, please enjoy what you may find. I hope to joy you a bit with my silly, philosophical ways. Hee Hee.