Some exciting news...

I haven't been blogging so much lately since I have been spending most of my free time working the summer craft shows with SalonDArte, making ornaments, tweaking my display and preparing the for upcoming big holiday craft shows. But I have also been feeding my creative muse by having some play time and trying out some new things...several months back I became part of the Unscripted Sketches Design Team...and...drumroll please...

I have super awesome news!!!

I am proud to announce that I have been selected to be part of an awesome group of artists & crafters! It is beyond words to explain how happy I am to be part of this group of talented stamp artisans. WOW! This is an awesome adventure that I am setting off on and I invite everyone to come along for the ride.

ANNOUNCING the New Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team

Viva Las Vegastamps is excited to introduce you to our new Design Team for the next 6 months... This team will be post projects on the Viva Las Vegastamps blog on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Please stop by to check it out and leave comments. Please stop by to check it out and leave comments. Check out their online store, too - there are stamps for everything and every occasion.

I will still be doing graphic design and printing by day - this is a FUN thing for me that is truly an adventure. I am not a traditional "Stamper" by any means and I am excited to be chosen to play over at VLVS.   SMb : )

SalonDArte vending at Beat Cup Craft Fair on July 31st

Sorry I haven't been blogging too much lately. I been working really hard, making things and preparing to get SalonDarte shop into the local Indie craft show scene [and don't forget the day job]. I've have been doing one craft show, Dada Bazaar, the past three months and it been great - especially to get my feet wet, and I'm doing some design work for the event. It's so great to see my postcard art blown up to poster size hanging up at the venue.

Save the date...I'll be at the Beat Cup Craft Fair in Delray Beach, Florida, on July 31st with SalonDArte - handmade ornaments, lanterns and other artsy goodness. I have a lot of work to do to get my display in order this weekend. I have some very artistic art in which to hang the ornaments...and a couple surprises, too. Looking forward to it, love music and artists painting in plein aire...maybe I'll do that once the weather cools down a bit. See you there : )

Looking forward to it. There will be art, live music and even artists painting in plein aire...maybe I'll do that once the weather cools down a bit. See you there : )

Greencrafted Display Boxes and OWH Bloghop Winner

My sister shop SalonDArte has branched out to the local Indie Craft shows. I am active in artfully repurposing things and my table display for the craft show is my latest conquest. I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to use to display my paper ornaments...and eureka - the tequila gave me a bright idea!!! My husband loves Milagros tequila and it comes in this fancy paperboard box, that is hard to throw away, so I've been saving them for a "special project" that my girlfriend and I can make.

Well, we were thinking lamps, but a new calling arose. LIGHTED ORNAMENT DISPLAY!!! I gently pried off the lid which already has holes in the top and bottom to nestle the bottle safely and added a battery powered LED puck light and VIOLA!!! I just had to add some fishing line to hang from and a square of pretty paper to the bottom to cover up the hole. I didn't even paint over all of the foil stamping on the outside - it sort of adds to the charm - and all the guys dragged into impromptu date night shopping think they are so cool!


This is my SalonDArte booth at the Dada Bazaar on Thursday night at Dada Restaurant in Delray Beach, Florida. This is a monthly event with 15-20 vendors and live music at this restuarant that resides in a historical house. I have to admit I feel quite at home at this venue with it's laid back atmosphere, porches to lounge on and it's cool, artsy vibe.

I'm so happy it's the weekend again so I can catch up on my ZZZ's, going to the "Trash to Treasure" warehouse and take some time revisiting some of my new crafty friends I met online last weekend. If you have some free time, check out last weekend's Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop for great cards, and how to's.

Now to announce my blog candy giveaway from 69 comments left on the last post....

selected by Random.org ... a DRUMROLL please...

Sherry Hickey said...

Hi! I have been sick so moving kinda slow but your blog was one I made a note to come back to! Love love your robot card. So many fun sprockety details! And not just for little boys--my friend's 4 year old daughter asked me to get her a robot for her b'day! I had to get her something else, but she would love this card!! Great job. May 30, 2011 6:04 PM

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am packing up an assortment of crafty goodies to ship out on Monday! Can't wait to hear from you Sherry...thanks so much for visiting during the OWH bloghop.

: ) SMb

Geared up for Operation Write Home's Memorial Day Bloghop 2011

Welcome to this stop on Operation Write Home's Memorial Day Bloghop 2011 . This is my third year participating...thanks for joining us in celebrating!!! Our family is so proud and grateful for all of our men and women serving in the armed forces. My youngest sister and her hubby are in the Army National Guard and her husband was deployed to Afghanistan in April. So we are keeping ourselves busy making cards and sending care packages.


I am all GEEKED and GEARED up with my Lil' Robot Card. This card is chock full of metal bits...Can you pick out all the pieces. My favorite gem is the "MISS YOU" brad adorning the chest plate of this little guy complete with his mini fuse lunchbox. I describe more in length about this creation later in the post...

**BLOG CANDY** I will be having a RAK giveaway of goodies from comments left between now and June 1st. Good luck!!!

Keep on hopping! The next stop is
with Lisa at Stamping with a Mission

Have a happy & safe Memorial Day Weekend! If you have ended up here in the middle of the hop, click Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop to get back to the top of the hop!!!

{{ artful hugs }} : ) Sb

ABOUT THE ROBOT CARD...

I have recently become a member of the Design TEAM for Sketch it Saturday over at Unscripted Sketches. For sketch #107 I planned to use this guy from My Minds Eye "Lil' Robots" collection to make this card because this week had a piggyback challenge to use metals - Yippee!!! Gears and screws and washers...oh MY!

I have a serious collection of brads, grommets, screws and found metal objects from my daily travels. Can you pick out all the metal pieces I have in this???

Starting with the robot & border, these were die cuts from MME paper collection. The diamond plate background is a silver paper embossed with a cuttlebug embossing folder, then I rubbed it with green inks to tint it & enhance the diamond plate.

Get a count on all the metal bits yet??? There are a lot! And a googlie eye and a little mini fuse I found in the Publix parking lot on Thursday { so I had to use it }. Found metal objects, the large ring around the googly eye, and the washer over a T!m Holtz gear. I used a metal button, a copper colored eyelet, a bronze brad and I repurposed a drycleaning tag with two staples in it. The flat and phillips head screws are actually brads...can't remember from who {maybe Karen Foster}...and did you see the red brad BLINKIE at the top of the robot? To top off this little guy, I have some Karen Foster smiley face brads that have little phrases with them and I used the "miss you" on the chest plate of the robot. This has been rubbed with green ink to make it stand out better.

THINK GREEN and keep a lookout for items to artfully UPCYCLE!!!

SalonDArte will be in special Father's Day Out of the Box Samplers!!!

Sneek Peek of handmade cards we helped our sister shop SalonDArte create for June special Father's Day sampler boxes from Out of the Box Sampler. Will you be one of the lucky recipients...only 30 special DAD's samplers available.

SMBdesign Mother's Day Goodies are in Out-of-the-Box Samplers for May

Another brochure printed & ready for delivery...