They Followed Us

Hi everyone its Steve here, as you know Cathie and I are in Vegas, we woke up early Monday morning and off we went.


Highway 15 is the quick route to Vegas. We stopped at a roadside snack shop where we were encountered by aliens. We've posted the pics so you know we are not lying. Just want to let everyone know that Cathie and I are OK - BUT the aliens have followed us to Las Vegas without us knowing, until tonight.

We came back to the room after a long day of working the floor at NATPE, sat on the edge of the bed looking at the amazing Vegas landscape and then it happened.

POW, BANG, WHAM, POOF, a crazy ball of intense light began to spin around Cathie and myself, vision of aliens entered both our minds, "they are trying to penetrate our brains" I yelled, luckily we are strong willed and stubborn as hell.

We both concentrated hard and as quickly as they came, they vanished. Here is frightening picture and the proof of our experience with THE ALIEN OF LAS VEGAS.

Stay safe.
STEVE

Day 1 in Las Vegas

Well last night was great fun! We met with some guys from Warner Bros at TheHotel and sipped a bit of wine ($17 per glass - no joke). We also met a great guy who gave us some invaluable tips on creating promos and presentations. I showed him our presentation for our shows and he loved it! I was so thrilled that it passed his inspection because he is a veteran in Hollywood.

Joined at the head and hip.

We played the penny slots and I lost $10! Not bad considering I am not a gambler. Then - I mistook a $5 slot machine for a nickel slot and lost $20 in 20 seconds. Must quit gambling now!

The conference went well - we made some solid connections and got reacquainted with some folks that we had not worked with for awhile. I don't want to give away too much - But - I smell football and my hubby will be happy about that. :) Details soon.

Emeril was all smiles!

Oh Dolly!

Yummy Lunch at the Border Grill!
We are huge fans of Mary Sue and Susan! LOVE THEM

Waiting for our talk show seminar with Sally Jessy Raphael, funny man Tom Green, Jim Paratore the executive producer of TMZ, Talk show legends Burt Dubrow and Woody Frazier and Terry Wood from CBS.

Getting Sleepy

Back at the room, ready for a little
Jeopardy, snacks and Idol.

Vegas Baby! On our way....

We just landed in Vegas! The drive was awesome we laughed and gossiped the whole way. What a road trip...we saw a beautiful rainbow, the largest thermometer, aliens and had our fortunes told. We are off to our photo shoot and interview with Natpe Daily and C21 Media. Lipstick please:) and hair gel for Steve.

Embroidered, Transferred and Painted Tea Towels

Craft up your own funky dish towels!

Kitschy Transferred-Image Dishtowel

Materials:
woven cotton dishtowels
image to transfer (must be printed on a laser printer or copier)
iron or heat-transfer tool
masking tape

1. Choose an image to transfer and print it out with a laser printer or a laser copier. If the picture contains text, reverse the image before printing or copying. 

2. Attach the transfer tip to a heat tool and turn the tool on. Place the image face down on a dishtowel; secure in place with a piece of masking or low-tack tape along one edge. Working on a hard surface (not an ironing board), burnish the back of the paper with the heat tool, using moderate pressure. Heat tools get very hot, so keep the tool moving to prevent paper burns. Continue working until the image is fully transferred. You can peel the paper up as you work to see which areas of the image have transferred. 

3. If you don’t have a transfer tool, use a hot iron, applying pressure to the paper with the tip of the iron.

Lettuce-Stamped Towel

Materials:

woven cotton dish towels
Romaine lettuce
knife
paper towel
craft paint in two colors
textile medium
waxed paper

1. Wash and dry the towel according to the label care instructions.

2. Cut the lettuce roughly 3"-5" from the stalk end. The cut edge of the stalk end will become the stamp. Firmly blot the cut edge on a paper towel to remove excess moisture.

3. On a piece of waxed paper, mix craft paint with textile medium (we mixed one part paint with two parts textile medium, following the instructions on the back of the textile medium bottle). Pour a small portion of the second color of craft paint into the middle of the just-mixed paint. Swirl the second color around slightly, stopping before the color blends with the base paint. 

4. Place the towel over a piece of waxed paper to prevent the paint from bleeding through to the work surface. Press the cut edge of the lettuce into the paint mixture and stamp onto the dishtowel.

Optional: To create a leaf stamp, hold two or three leaves together in a bunch and press the cut end into green craft paint that has been mixed with textile medium.

Transfer Tips for Embroidered Dishtowels

1. Choose an image to embroider on the towel. There are numerous ways to transfer an image to a towel: e.g., transfer paper, pens and pencils. Choose one method and transfer the image, following the transfer manufacturer’s instructions. We used wax-free transfer paper and a serrated tracing wheel. For this method, place the paper, colored side down, on top of the towel; place the image on top, printed side up.

2. Use the tracing wheel to trace along the lines of the image. Use a pencil or ballpoint pen to trace the small details of the image. Remove the paper, and the image will be transferred to the towel.

3. Tighten the towel in an embroidery hoop and begin embroidering. Use different stitches and colors for the various areas of the design. When not working on the embroidery, remove the towel from the hoop to avoid stretching or warping the fabric.

Getting Crafty with Plaid!

Hump day! Steve and I have so much to do...we are burning dvd's, making press kits and getting crafty as fast as we can. We are getting ready for a huge tv conference in Las Vegas and then CHA (the largest craft convention for manufacturers and retailers) in early February.



We are so excited because we love Plaid products; mod podge, folk art paint, stiffy, gallery glass, the list goes on and on and we have just inked a deal to do "make and takes" and craft project demos in the Plaid booth for the winter CHA!

The UPS trucks have been delivering boxes of fabulous new Plaid products for us to play with. Some products are so hot of the press that they don't even have their labels yet! Love it :)


Cork stamps! They make the most beautiful aged impressions - perfect for altering clothes. We will be making the stamped flower pins on the show floor and will have 7 different projects on display; everything from a "rocker inspired" reverse appliquéd hoodie to a glam gold purse.


Multicolor Chalkboard Paints! I started playing with them yesterday, they go on so smooth and the colors are rich. We are going to using them on Fredrix Sew Paintable. So far the testing looks really good.


Mod Podge Galore! Glow in the dark, shimmers and glitters!!! I can't wait to dip my brush into them. I know Steve is probably thinking up some glow in the dark robot art.


Gallery Glass! This product has been around forever and it is so amazing for making faux stained glass. Well, we are putting our own modern spin on stained glass windows and going arty! This one is called Hollywood Recycled. The painting of Liz Taylor is made with black onyx gallery glass, old magazine pages, yellow tablet paper, bubble wrap and shocking green felt. We will have 12 different designs in total.

I am sure Steve will be pulling up any minute - must go get a quick walk in with Mr. Max. Have a super crafty day.

Cathie

BOW WOW WOW Color Proofs Arrived Today!!

You might remember back to a post from this summer where I had just finished the 18 hour photo shot for my new sewing book. Not to mention the entire summer sewing dog costumes and accessories.

I am so thrilled - I can hardly stand it!!!! The color proofs of my new sewing book, Bow Wow WOW!: Fetching Costumes For Your Fabulous Dog, just arrived today! I have one night to do my last set of notes so I'll be burning the midnight oil. Don't worry I'll have Idol and my hubby to keep me company!

The dogs look so cute in all the costumes - they bring a huge smile to my face! The book is loaded with accessory patterns and over 35 different costumes for your pooch as well as everyday looks.

Here is a sneak peek at the pages....now I must go and proof read.