greenpepperpressblog

Tag: cool stuff

G.F.

What is G.F.? Short for Girl Friend? Maybe. Good Food? Great Find? Got Fries? Gab Fest? Try this: Get Factor. Isn’t it cool when you know someone Gets you? Don’t you love when someone says You’ll Love This, and you do? It doesn’t have to be related to things you receive, it’s about so much more than that. It’s when your people know you are passionate about something, and they feed you by sharing information, by sharing enthusiasm, by acknowledging your YOUness.

I want to share a few recent arrivals. This just in from Julie. It’s not even December and like a child I ripped open the lovely package. You’ve seen it before: page 43 of Sept/Oct Somerset Studio. Isn’t it dreamy? I am so lucky to have five pieces of art by Julie. She is my idol, my mentor, my dear friend. I keep moving it from room to room to see where she’ll be most at home. I adored it when I got a sneak peek for the article. She KNEW I’d spaz when it got here. Love it, thanks Julie!

Judi took a swoon-worthy voyage to Paris and London. She came back bearing gifts. Gold, frankincense and muhr? No. Curd, clip, and dirt. I’ll take THAT, thanks! She got me dirt, can you stand it?

And how is this for clever? Judy blew my mind with these….and she spray painted the package, almost too good to open but when it has Judy’s return address on it I know that contents will be even better! Won’t those tabs be perfect in my HIMnal? What you don’t know what that is? Scroll down a few posts. You can barely see it but the brads she uses to hold the tags in place spell H I M.

This arrived yesterday. If I hadn’t spent the day pampering myself I might have run off to the framer. I had to dye my hair, and try my new eyeliner. Have you ever used the liquid stuff? I hadn’t until today and wanted to make sure I didn’t become a raccoon within a few hours. I’m liking it. May use it tomorrow night. I think I’m all ready now. Palpitating Heart.

I KNOW I’ll have a good weekend. Hope you do too. And if you’re still making out your gift list, be sure to remember the GET Factor. Be clever and creative and make your selections so that your gift recipients know you Get them.

November 30, 2007
Just when you thought……

….that I might be done talking about Grave Dirt, I have more to tell you!

Seriously, I was sure my chatter about cemeteries and dirt might have my readers dropping like flies….but you have surprised me in the sharing of my enthusiasm. So many great comments and private emails related to the whole dirt thing has really touched me. It’s turned out to be a really cool thing and I’m glad I shared it with you. First up, me collecting a specimen from Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

This weekend we ventured up to Tarrytown, New York, to visit the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, resting place of many famous people. It is a stunning place with it’s beautiful headstones and incredibly hilly terrain. On the backside, down a steep slope, there is a small creek and some eery woods. The chilly late afternoon left us wondering if we’d indeed see the headless horseman take a ride. My parents were good sports to be led on our little mission. Actually, it was a day enjoyed by all.

Both Fallon and I took turns digging some dirt. There were people around but we didn’t care. The earth was loose and just begged to be dug. In the first or second scoop I came across a penny so set it back on top of the stone, which is where it must have placed by another visitor some time ago.

Here are some of the interesting tombstones. If you are into walking beautiful cemeteries, especially on a late fall afternoon, when the wind blows and the leaves are falling, and crunching, and making you kinda jumpy, you should visit this one.

The one on the right was coming right out of the tree!

Other activities: saw Enchanted. ADORABLE! I was very impressed with the pop-up book thing they did at the end. Here is the crew in the cute town of New Hope, PA. Hope you had some quality family time this weekend too.

And to my fellow HIM fans…..this just in: Bleed Well (directors cut video). We see them this Saturday and Sunday and I will come with gifts, of course!

November 26, 2007
Just when you thought……

….that I might be done talking about Grave Dirt, I have more to tell you!

Seriously, I was sure my chatter about cemeteries and dirt might have my readers dropping like flies….but you have surprised me in the sharing of my enthusiasm. So many great comments and private emails related to the whole dirt thing has really touched me. It’s turned out to be a really cool thing and I’m glad I shared it with you. First up, me collecting a specimen from Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

This weekend we ventured up to Tarrytown, New York, to visit the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, resting place of many famous people. It is a stunning place with it’s beautiful headstones and incredibly hilly terrain. On the backside, down a steep slope, there is a small creek and some eery woods. The chilly late afternoon left us wondering if we’d indeed see the headless horseman take a ride. My parents were good sports to be led on our little mission. Actually, it was a day enjoyed by all.

Both Fallon and I took turns digging some dirt. There were people around but we didn’t care. The earth was loose and just begged to be dug. In the first or second scoop I came across a penny so set it back on top of the stone, which is where it must have placed by another visitor some time ago.

Here are some of the interesting tombstones. If you are into walking beautiful cemeteries, especially on a late fall afternoon, when the wind blows and the leaves are falling, and crunching, and making you kinda jumpy, you should visit this one.

The one on the right was coming right out of the tree!

Other activities: saw Enchanted. ADORABLE! I was very impressed with the pop-up book thing they did at the end. Here is the crew in the cute town of New Hope, PA. Hope you had some quality family time this weekend too.

And to my fellow HIM fans…..this just in: Bleed Well (directors cut video). We see them this Saturday and Sunday and I will come with gifts, of course!

November 26, 2007
Overtime

Working overtime is something I KNOW my teachers do. They put in more than what’s required to make Sam’s classroom time productive and constructive and appropriate. Years ago the boys in Room 10 started painting and packaging blank card sets. Mrs. Reiss’s husband even made them table top easels to make is easier. HCIT? The cards are sold at school events to make money for various things like flowers to plant in front of the school each Spring.

Here is Sam with Miss Julie and Mrs. Reiss on SATURDAY (can you say overtime?) at our local church xmas craft sale, selling the Room 10 cards. It’s been an annual event for us, and is a terrific ‘real world’ experience. Life Skills. Should be something we all have to learn while in school, don’t you think?

Mrs. Reiss was even there on crutches! Thanks Maureen and Julie for your OVERTIME. And thanks to Mr. Dave and Miss Brenda too – and all the teachers who go the extra mile for our boys. Self-contained classroom is hardly the fitting label for OUR class.

November 18, 2007
Overtime

Working overtime is something I KNOW my teachers do. They put in more than what’s required to make Sam’s classroom time productive and constructive and appropriate. Years ago the boys in Room 10 started painting and packaging blank card sets. Mrs. Reiss’s husband even made them table top easels to make is easier. HCIT? The cards are sold at school events to make money for various things like flowers to plant in front of the school each Spring.

Here is Sam with Miss Julie and Mrs. Reiss on SATURDAY (can you say overtime?) at our local church xmas craft sale, selling the Room 10 cards. It’s been an annual event for us, and is a terrific ‘real world’ experience. Life Skills. Should be something we all have to learn while in school, don’t you think?

Mrs. Reiss was even there on crutches! Thanks Maureen and Julie for your OVERTIME. And thanks to Mr. Dave and Miss Brenda too – and all the teachers who go the extra mile for our boys. Self-contained classroom is hardly the fitting label for OUR class.

November 18, 2007
Enabling…..

I have the best readers! You guys really GET me. For instance, a week ago Lorena left a comment to alert me to this new product. How cool is that to have a personal shopper? Thanks Lorena! From your thoughtful comment to my work table in the blink of an eye.

Here are my first tests using this paper lace – great images to use as a stencil, with spray paint of course! Mine arrived this afternoon from PaperAddict.com, thanks Marissa for the speedy service! The link will take you right to the order page (enabling you!), but if you have a chance to purchase from your local scrap store please order from them. We need to keep the stores in business!

Here’s are two tips:

1. You don’t have to use it as is, 12" x 12" – you can cut apart as I have done with the numbers above.

2. These are made from kinda flimsy cardstock. I wouldn’t even really call it cardstock. Perfect if you want to glue to a page, but not so sturdy of you’re going to use as a stencil so beware….and do as I did: BUY SEVERAL COPIES OF EACH. Have wax paper nearby to lay your stencil on to dry. They’ll stick and rip if you aren’t careful. They look really cool after using several times so you’ll probably want to retire them eventually and use on a journal page. (That’s right, I don’t scrapbook, but I adore the industry for the cool things we can use!)

Now we need to get K.I. Memories to give us die-cut ACETATE so we will be happier stencil-ers.

November 15, 2007
Enabling…..

I have the best readers! You guys really GET me. For instance, a week ago Lorena left a comment to alert me to this new product. How cool is that to have a personal shopper? Thanks Lorena! From your thoughtful comment to my work table in the blink of an eye.

Here are my first tests using this paper lace – great images to use as a stencil, with spray paint of course! Mine arrived this afternoon from PaperAddict.com, thanks Marissa for the speedy service! The link will take you right to the order page (enabling you!), but if you have a chance to purchase from your local scrap store please order from them. We need to keep the stores in business!

Here’s are two tips:

1. You don’t have to use it as is, 12" x 12" – you can cut apart as I have done with the numbers above.

2. These are made from kinda flimsy cardstock. I wouldn’t even really call it cardstock. Perfect if you want to glue to a page, but not so sturdy of you’re going to use as a stencil so beware….and do as I did: BUY SEVERAL COPIES OF EACH. Have wax paper nearby to lay your stencil on to dry. They’ll stick and rip if you aren’t careful. They look really cool after using several times so you’ll probably want to retire them eventually and use on a journal page. (That’s right, I don’t scrapbook, but I adore the industry for the cool things we can use!)

Now we need to get K.I. Memories to give us die-cut ACETATE so we will be happier stencil-ers.

November 15, 2007
Distractions

Oh my! Just the remedy for mourning the end of the season of L.A. Ink – Project Runway returns on Wednesday. Fallon and I will sit with our sketchbooks and play along. My favorite part is when they show the artists drawing in the studio. Don’t you agree we should see more of that?

This just in from tonights silkscreen class. I tried a few printed dead center, then made some with the print on the bottom, front and back. If you have to ask what it the text is, you haven’t been reading my Street Team blog long enough. (HINT: they are song lyrics.)

I loved using this brown ink on the turquoise and peach shirts (hard to see, it’s not black) but they were rejects because the shirts had this weird 2-ply cotton and it slipped when I was squeegying it. Dang! I guess I’ll stick with the red, like HERE. Next week I’ll try white on black. Susanna was clever and brought a BOX of rubber gloves. THAT was genius, especially because I am such a slob and you can’t be when you’re doing these. Thanks girl!

It’s always interesting to try something new. It makes you look at your default style of art with a new perspective. Working with fabric has been a lesson in addition to trying my hand at larger graphics. I’m dying to squeegy some acrylic paint through these screen stencils onto paper. Dare me???

November 14, 2007
Distractions

Oh my! Just the remedy for mourning the end of the season of L.A. Ink – Project Runway returns on Wednesday. Fallon and I will sit with our sketchbooks and play along. My favorite part is when they show the artists drawing in the studio. Don’t you agree we should see more of that?

This just in from tonights silkscreen class. I tried a few printed dead center, then made some with the print on the bottom, front and back. If you have to ask what it the text is, you haven’t been reading my Street Team blog long enough. (HINT: they are song lyrics.)

I loved using this brown ink on the turquoise and peach shirts (hard to see, it’s not black) but they were rejects because the shirts had this weird 2-ply cotton and it slipped when I was squeegying it. Dang! I guess I’ll stick with the red, like HERE. Next week I’ll try white on black. Susanna was clever and brought a BOX of rubber gloves. THAT was genius, especially because I am such a slob and you can’t be when you’re doing these. Thanks girl!

It’s always interesting to try something new. It makes you look at your default style of art with a new perspective. Working with fabric has been a lesson in addition to trying my hand at larger graphics. I’m dying to squeegy some acrylic paint through these screen stencils onto paper. Dare me???

November 14, 2007
Or so the saying WENT

Who said Good Things Come In Threes? I don’t know, do you? I used to love that saying, three being my favorite number. But recently I got to wondering how Good Things in 3s became Bad Things in 3s. Haven’t you heard that one too? Bad Things Come in 3s. Bleh. Let’s do away with that shall we?

See I noticed this: G.O.O.D. equals 4 letters. B.A.D. equals 3 letters. Shouldn’t we change the rules? Let’s start saying Good Things Come in 4s. That way there will always be one more Good Thing than Bad Thing.

And let’s talk about Bad Things for a minute. Bad is not a place I have ventured on this blog. I’m not going there, just lightly dancing around it. Just trying to get some perspective. Like there are Bad Things and there are Bummers. Say, for instance, Graham’s two-year-old-IPOD-with-a-warranty-that-ended-in-July is toast. It’s not a Bad Thing, it’s a Bummer. But like all Bummers (and Bad Things), there is still something Good to be discovered. It’s a Good Thing he has used it every single day, getting enjoyment from our investment. It’s a Good Thing he can afford to buy another. It may be toast, but it didn’t get engulfed in a California house fire. It’s not an appliance he needs to sustain life. And it’s so insignificant when you find out some terrible news about someone you love.

Isn’t it interesting that we can find Good in the smallest of things if we set our focus to see it? Have you noticed that Good attracts more Good? And Bad attracts more Bad? I wish I could find this article I read online to share with you. It was about magnetism. There was a study done where someone discovered you can actually measure magnetism within us. And Good vibes, or whatever they are called, attracts more of same. Think about that. Want to change your path, your destiny, your attitude? Be good, do good, see good. Attract Good.

So four good things for today:

1. Join me in wishing my dear friend Lisa a Happy Birthday.

2. I met a new friend. He tagged me, but I don’t do tags. Visit his new blog and his revamped site….and for sure look for the new Grungeboard demo here. It’s a Good Thing.

3. Sam and I are off to music therapy class, presented by NJ Very Special Arts for families with Autism. We are lucky to participate in a program like this. I look around at the other kids in his class and feel so blessed.

4. I heard some Bad news recently, but I can filter through it and find some Good. I feel Good that I was the one who got the call. I got to be there for someone. That is so Good. I know I can ask you (yes YOU) to say prayers with me…..that Good will prevail. I know that you don’t need the details, you’ll just send your positive vibes our way.

EDIT: Can’t stop at 4.

5. Coffeemate Gingerbread creamer. Swoooon. See how many good little things you can find when you’re fending off bad stuff?

6. More Moo. Laurie shares her cards, the kind we were talking about the other day. *Note to self: have some made!* You DO have Laurie’s book don’t you? If not, add it to your xmas wish list!

7. More ETSY love…..don’t you need one of these? 8" high, 1/2" thick! More letter styles available. From www.damboisedesigns.etsy.com

8. And from www.pleasebloom.etsy.com , this terrific piece.

And yes, I know THINGS don’t make up all that is Good in life. I do believe the quote: "The best things in life aren’t things", but sometimes things are just the Rx. Besides, after shopping this week, at the mall and online, I’ve got half my xmas list taken care of!

Oh, and Graham’s new ipod? I think he likes it better than his old one. It has video!

November 10, 2007