Prima Craftsman, or: The week of new product which excites me in the pants.

So, yeah, I have been meaning to update for two days, with some pics from the night at Paper Crown's Mix 'N Mingle.  I've also had some other idea for a post that I cannot recall at the moment.  Then, there's the idea I had, last night, while under the influence of five or six a few vodka and tonics, which at the moment I must've sworn was the best idea ever to occur - yeah, for real- I was so excited by the idea that I scrawled the entire draft of the post on my steno-pad.  I don't know if it was the booze or the moment, but I wrote the entire post in authentic old-school schoolteacher handwriting.  Full on Palmer Method.  Not joking.

I've spent the evening watching the opening ceremonies from the Olympics.  Wow.  I mean 'wow' in the 'what the hell is up with the giant baby that looks like it's head has been cut open?!' way, not 'wow' in the 'oh what a beautiful show,' way.  And I hate to sound heartless, but-  I hate the sound of children singing.  And the opening ceremonies were mostly that.  As if that's a big surprise.  Just as I was shouting, 'Is there anything more cliche?!,' I was reminded- yes, there is something more cliche than children singing at a 'big, momental event.'  What is it?  You know what it is- it's having the children sing WHILE DOING SIGN LANGUAGE.  Not that I have something against sign language or even ANY language- but really?  Someone was paid to come up with a big, hopefully awe-inspiring, production and the best they could do at any given moment is to fall back on one of the most over-used 'moments' from a grammar school Christmas show?!

Well, my commentary was nonstop.  I should've rented a space and sold tickets for people to watch the ceremonies as I commented over a microphone.  If you think I'm funny during CRAFT WARS: LIVE, then you should've been at my house for my deconstruction of the opening ceremonies.

But, the night got better.  I saw something that excited me.

What was it?

It's Prima's new CRAFTSMAN collection.  Have you checked it out, yet?  You should.  Here's my highlights:

Check out this mask:

You could use it as it, or just use the gear parts, or just use the circle parts.  At the moment, masks are some of my favoritest thangs.  Especially ones that have a multi-use possibility! 

Next:  LETTER STICKERS!!!

I should've warned you before the pic- but I didn't.  I'll tell you now.  IGNORE the stickers in the upper right corner.  Really, Prima?  You couldn't do a masculine theme without throwing 'DUDE' in there, could you?  To any companies out there who might deign to read any of my harsh yet (truly) constructive criticism:  you might think you're aiming at pleasing the mainstream with the cliché- but you must remember, the kind of people who might embrace this are not your good customer.  Be true to the theme and always, always, keep it classy.  But the rest of the stickers more than make up for the very very slight affront to taste, dude.   Especially the set in the bottom right.  Great color, great look - and as far as I can tell, not similar to anything already out there!  I love those!  I love the upper right section, but they're a bit too similar to a set from Mr. Holtz's sticker pads to be impressive.  But I still like them.

Okay, NEXT! 

Beautiful paper!  Perfect!  The blueprint theme seems to be a trend, right now.  And I love it so much.

Time for some STAMPS!!!

Excuse me, I must have a moment.

Thank you.  The lightbulb?!  The gears.  The compass.  Even the BOOM.  So much fun.  And two bucks?!  Last I checked, the biggest thrill was on a corner for twenty bucks.  You have it beat, Prima!

More sexy paper.  Sexxxy.  Would look great as is and even better if cut up to use each segment as part of a layered embellishment or background for a card or... just laying in a stack of your sexxxy papers, where it's easily accessible for viewing and admiring purposes.

PINS!

What is up with my love of pins?  I don't think I've used any, but I have a few.  And now, I will have more.  The gear and the lightbulb are the best.  The balloon is close, tho, in third.  The pointing finger is nearing 'children singing while signing' saturation point, and I don't know what the hell the little monster is...  I want these.  So much that I'm a little bit angry that scrapbook.com isn't a store down the street, open 24 hours and waiting for me to come in and snatch them up in my hot hand.

Everything is currently available in the SUPERSTORE at Scrapbook.com. 

Alriiiiight then?  I'm off.  Gonna enjoy this LOCKUP marathon on MSNBC.  Opening Ceremonies?  Olympics, PLEASE-  this is quality television.  Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be the episode with the wild and crazy lesbian loan sharks.  Just like Mr. John Waters, I've always had a soft spot for the female juvenile delinquent.

-kory

BasicGrey Class at Whole Lotta Scrap

Last night was my first night at Whole Lotta Scrap's Basic Grey class! 

My fun friend, Miss Coworker Chris, told me about the class and asked me to go-  well, I love BasicGrey and how much do I love WHOLE LOTTA SCRAP?!  Seriously- have y'all been to this store?  It's HUGE.  It's like the Mega-Mart of Oklahoma scrap.  The store is big.  And it's filled with the newest, latest, and greatest-  every scrappy item you could ever want to buy and rub all over your naked body. 

The owners are great, too!  I don't know about you- but when I go into a store, I expect to be treated like the celebrity that I am- and they know how to treat a visiting dignitary. 

Oh, you wanted to know about the class- not just about how popular I'm not. 

First of all- to get to the class, we had to leave work right at 5pm.  Whole Lotta Scrap (I love saying the name of this shop- it's fun.  Say it.  Say it again.  Now say it like you mean it) is in Norman.  Which is, per Marjorie, my navigation unit, is about 27.46 miles from my place o'bidness.  That's a helluva drive.  I can't even say what kind of drive it is during rush hour traffic. 

But thanks to Marjorie, we made it there in a record 43 minutes.  During rush hour traffic, from work to the sorta-East side of Norman in 43 minutes?  It can be done. 

I haven't totally finished my two page layout from the class- but it's almost there...  I had lots of fun, using my new Ingvild Bolme Distressing Tool and my beloved Picket Fence Distress Stain to customize my layout in my own fun Kory way.  I also threw some twine into the mix, in the style of the GREAT FRANK from The Haus of W!  As soon as it's complete, I'll hafta take a picture!

The great thing about the class was that we were free to do the layout how we wanted to do it- we didn't have to follow and exact plan.  I loved being able to just do what I wanted- and it also helped that we were free to get up and shop!  You know how I love to buy things-  so you wanna know what I got?  I picked up another template from The Crafter's Workshop, a set of blank chipboard shapes, a small brick wall stamp from Prima, and what I really wanted, and have been wanting since I first saw them:  Graphic 45's new stamps, 'Olde Curiosity Shoppe Two.'  This set is the ones you can see here, at Scrapbook.com.  Did you take a look?  If not- it's the set with the old bottle stamps.  These are great!  I'm already coming up with all kinds of fun ideas for these little effers.

Also, right before the class, the very nice Vickie from Okienurse's Paper And Ink Therapy, came up to me and said hi!  She is great- check her out!

Alright, I got work to do- I can't sit here all day talking to you.  But I mean that in the kindest way.  See you later!

-kory

Product Review: The Prima Ingvild Bolme Distressing Tool

Over the weekend, I acquired the Invild Bolme Distressing Tool from Prima.  When I first saw it online, I thought it looked cool.  I also liked the blue color.  Then I forgot all about it, I mean- do I really need to order something that I have other tools to do, or that I can achieve with something else?

Then, I saw it in person.  Even though I'd seen all its features the first time I ever saw it online- this was the first time that it all sunk in-  An edge scraper?  Sander?  Bone folder?  Wire brush?!!?  AND ALL IN ONE?

I immediately grabbed it and threw 14.99 at the cashier.  

It is the best 14.99 that I've ever spent.  Really.  I'm not exaggerating.  As soon as I began playing with it, it was like the night I first drank a vodka and tonic.  I cradled that little blue stick and exclaimed, "Where've you been my whole life?!"  Then we began to make out, and it all got a little too hot and heavy.

Here's a few pictures- I know, my hands are so NOT hand model quality.  Just look at the tool. 

This picture shows the 'edge scraper' feature.  It's a bit wider than the 'other' edge scraper.  It's sharp, too- works incredibly.  You can also see one side of the 'sander.'  This one is a bit fine- for adding just a touch of detail.

This side, is clearly much rougher.  Great for really shredding into something!

Look at this end of the tool!  Yes, the tip can be used to 'rub on' a 'rub on.'  But when you pull the top off-

Surprise!! There's a wire brush in there!   This is actually my favorite favorite feature.  I love it!

If you like to distress- you've gotta get this tool.  It's wonderful!  I feel a little stupid, being this crazy over a tool- but it can do everything!  I am amazed by not all it can do, but how well it does it-  

See more of the tool here, at scrapbook.com.  There's also a video, if you need to see more!  

Tuesday With A Vengeance

Yeahp.  Tuesday damn near killed me.  I don't want to complain.  But I will.  I am cursed with a face that looks younger than my age.  It's definitely catching up, the hard life I've lived is starting to show through the cracks- but still, I don't really look my age.  Believe me, it was much worse.  When I was sixteen, I looked maybe ELEVEN.  My younger brother, who had a freakin' BEARD and a foot-tall mohawk when he was FOURTEEN used to have to go up to the box office to buy tickets for rated-R movies because they wouldn't sell them to me.  To ME, the person who DROVE us to the movie theatre.  I had to hid around the corner, behind the bush, while he bought the tickets for The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Saturday night at midnight.  Anybody else remember doing that?  Not hiding behind bushes while your younger brother bought the tickets, but going to Rocky Horror at Midnight?  I digress.  What I was getting to is that because I look/sound younger- it can be a struggle to get people to take me seriously.  I can't tell you how many times I am talked down to at work by people who don't know me/are unaware of my awesome work skills.  As I was TODAY.  Which put me in a bad mood.   DISCLAIMER:  When I say something like 'my awesome work skillz,' or talk about 'how cool I am,'  -trust me, I am just being funny.  I am not some crazed conceited d-bag.  Alright- with that disclaimer out there, let's get down to bidness, before I send more people running for the 'back' button, screaming 'I CAME HERE TO SEE SOME PAPERCRAFTING GENIUS NOT TO BE THIS GUY'S THERAPIST!'

With a tough day at work, what am I to do but use my lunch hour to run up to PAPER CROWN and see what was in the new shipments she mentioned on her blog yesterday?  No new Tim Holtz, but I did find a few things- a set of Prima stamps that I bought because one was a little bug.  A bee, I think.  Or is it a fly?

photo from scrapbook.com - click to buy!

What is THAT?  As soon as I want to say it's a fly, its butt makes me want to say it's a bee.   I think I like every one of these tiny stamps.  Yes, they are tiny.  And perfect for fitting into little spaces that need a little bee.  Or a fly.  And they cost two bucks.  Well, I love all of them except for the the 'love' on the little stamp.  It would've been perfect if it didn't say 'love!'  By the way- have I ever expressed my distaste for those 'Live Laugh Love' signs?  They do to home decor as Thomas Kinkade does to art.  Oh I hate the LIVE LAUGH LOVE signs.  Don't get me started.  And my sincerest apologies to all of you that have a LIVE LAUGH LOVE sign hanging in your living room.  I mean no more offense than that sign.  

;-)

So there I am, staggering around Paper Crown, trying to decide if should hurry back to work or if I should fake a flat tire so I can go home and play, I get distracted by paper.  Being distracted by paper is a wonderful thing, isn't it?  I grabbed some new My Mind's Eye, and some of the 'Boys Life' papers from Echo Park.  Wow, dat's some purty paper.

I also got these nifty stamps from OCTOBER AFTERNOON:

These caught my eye because of the doily shapes.  Ever since watching the great DREW SCOTT's live Prima class last week, I've wanted some doily stamps.  I loved the way they looked, stamped with brown ink, on that layout he did... and now, I've got some doily stamps!  I also love the 'this book belongs to' stamp AND the two silhouettes.  They key isn't bad, but I have more key stamps than I have vintage typewriter stamps.  How about a round of applause for OCTOBER AFTERNOON, ladies and gentlemen?!  I love you, OA.  

I also got these very cool retro travel inspired cards, from GLITZ's 'Happy Travels' collection!  I love anything having to do with travel - did you know that I was a travel agent for a little over six years?  Remember.  There might be a test, one day.

I can't wait to find a way to use these cards!

The rest of the day at work, I was planning on coming home to scrap a layout using my favorite old photo of my parents.  But when I got home, I YET AGAIN felt too lazy/technologically challenged to attempt messing with the printer... so I decided it was time to make another card.  

I forget WHERE I saw (in person) one of the 'Tri-Fold Shutter Cards.'  And that 'A Boy's Life' paper was sitting on table, winkin' at me and showin' a little leg...DAAAAMN!  I had to put that paper to work!  

I used some postage stamp lookin' paper tape from 7 Gypsies and more of my beloved die cuts from K & COMPANY, that I picked up while, um, grocery shopping at Wal-Mart.  It's a big bag of very cool looking vintage cards and bits- I need another bag!  That little 'Howdy' card, with the horse, is almost cooler than I am, for Gawd's sake!

See what I mean about that little 'Howdy' card?!  Coolness.

This is a close up of another one of the K&CO die cut cards- I thought it would be cool to circle the date and write the month and year info when I give this card to someone.  Those are the tiny staples from Mr. Holtz's tiny attacher, there, too.  Any excuse to use that damn treasure!

Well, making cards can wear a fella out.  I'm done for...

I hope everyone had a great creative day!  I'm working on some exciting things for my blog, so I hope y'all keep coming back.  What exciting things?  Some PRIZES and some VIDEO!  Don't get too excited about the prizes- this ain't no big classy blog.  But I can promise it'll be somethin' cool- cuz I'm cool like dat.  And video?  Yeahp.  I've been practicing a big opening number every time I jump into my truck to drive somewhere.  

-kory