WOYWW and as usual it's Thursday before I actually get it posted...

Such good intentions:  took the picture late Tuesday evening as I knew the desk was NOT going to change before time to post on Wednesday, uploaded to the computer (which of course involved uploading the 200-odd pictures of my last Orlando vacation that I forgot were on there, in addition to a step-by-step photo direction for a project for Stamp Camp and then having to sort out which pictures went in which file) thought about pre-typing the post but it was late and past my bedtime since unfortunately I have to be up at the butt-crack of dawn to get to work (well, more like the upper back of dawn since we changed the time back, but still TOO  early) but at least that much was done.  Wednesday rolls around and do I even vaguely remember that I needed to post?  Of course not!  So I sit at my desk and merrily clean away all the previous clutter and proceed to make more clutter AND 8, yes count 'em 8 cards!  Woo!  Unfortunately (or fortunately if you want to spare your eyes) I didn't take a pic of the desk when there was a GINORMOUS pile of torn music paper and the backing of sticky tape but trust me, it was ginormous.  Took three attempts before everything was properly trashed.  Oh wait, I mean thrown away, 'cause trashed  is what it looked like before...  Off to hop among the desks, pop over to Queen of Desks Julia if you've no idea what I'm blathering on about.  But just to keep myself honest, here is a pic of the current desk, which is almost, but not quite, as bad as the original pic- at least there is finished project, right?  Right.  I'll keep telling myself that...

Simon Says Stamp and Show...an ATC

This is based on a line in a short story by Jim Butcher and when I read it, I laughed out loud on the sofa.  Every time I think of it I start to giggle.  Because, a)they expected the house to be haunted, and b)it was a little more haunted.  So does that means there were a few more ghosts?  Or unexplained noises?  At what point do you say, "Okay, this house is haunted just the right amount.  We'll take it."  I mean where do you draw the line? 
The base is one of the tags from the SU! Two tags Sizzix die.  I cut 6 of them and stuck them together with Xyron to add some stability to the base.  It is covered with random splotches of Craft ink and then several layers of UTEE are melted on, cooled,  then Perfect Pearls are dusted over and more UTEE melted on.  The house is a Wendy Vecchi Art Part covered with Distress Stains, a Tim hitch fastener serves as the doorknob (yeah, it's a little big, but I liked it), and K&Company ghost stickers serve as the happy haunts.  Hope it gave you a smile!

ps:  The actual line from the story is "...they've just moved into a new house and it's a little more haunted than the seller's disclosure indicated."  but all that wouldn't fit.  :)

Simon Says...STEAMPUNK!

Here we have a Small Box o' Steampunk.  It is one of the boxes out of Tim's Configurations covered in tissue tape and then the inside is papered with gear paper from a DCWV stack called Tattered Time (it's amaazing paper).  Inked the edges with my Copics and then filled the inside with random steampunky goodness.  There is an Art Parts key and shoe complete with white spats(quite dandy!), a bottle cap filled with 7 Gypsies gears and a spinner hand all sealed in with Glossy Accents (and let me tell you haw impatient I was for that to dry!!), plus some ieadology gears and a chain tassel and some random little keys-they might be 7 Gypsies, I've had 'em for a while.  Oh yeah, and a dangly light bulb hanging from a 7 gypsies sticky hooky thing.  And those jump rings were a bear to get through the bulb and then closed onto the hooky thing.  Much fussing and dropping of the ring and then the shoe fell out and the bottle cap came unstuck and then rethinking of the glue for those items and you get the idea!  But all in all quite a cute little box o' steampunk.  Now how it's going to fit back in the configurations box is a horse of a different color... but since it's the only piece of the box I've done, then that's okay! 

WOYWW?

There is actual work in progress on my desk!  WOO HOO!  On the right you see some stained and inked and stamped pages for my Wendy V. project and on the left you see a pile of finished and nearly-finished-if-my-package-from-Stamper's-Anonymous-would-just-get-here! pieces.  Nope, not gonna show them until the whole thing is finished-I'm a meanie, I know!  :)  But at least you can see progress is being made and there is a hope of finished art!  Even further on the left is a stack of stamps in the binder-type thingies I use for unmounted/clear.  I very cleverly did not show the unholy pile of grunge scraps that are also sitting on my desk.  Or the towering stack of stuff piled on my paper cutter.  Which I suppose I will have to move so I can get to the paper cutter.  Oh well.  At least this way it looks clean!  I'm off for a romp around the desks (click here to be whisked off to The one and only Julia, Queen of Desks to see what I'm on about) and to work on my project and maybe even finally get back to doing some challenges!  It's great to have my good friend Mojo back!  He's been gone for a while now.  And every time I say or hear or read "Mojo" I immediately think of the Powerpuff Girls cartoon and the monkey villain Mojo Jo-jo!  He's my favorite.  "I am bad.  I am evil.  I am Mojo Jo-jo!"  Plus he got to wear a really cool purple cape that blew in the wind even when he was inside his lair and there wasn't any wind!  And on that note, I'm really off now!  :)

Okay, no I'm not... this is what I walked in and found on my desk about two weeks ago...

Yes, it's a minion from the movie Despicable Me.  I have three of them and apparently this one was bored.  Or just needed to hammer something-which I can totally understand and relate to.  Either way, it was quite amusing to see.  And it was on a Wednesday, but I didn't have the time to blog it then, so here it is now.  Enjoy!

I got to play with Wendy! Woo!

Yes! THE Wendy Vecchi!  And it was a grand adventure and tons of fun.  Especially fun because Craft Room 42 has been pretty unused for a while.  No mojo, no get-up-and-go-make-something-anyway, no NOTHING.  And here I am with several cool idea books not to mention all the goodness available on the web, oh and a Stamp Camp coming up this weekend!  Just haven't felt the art.  But a day with Wendy will change all that for sure!  Inspired?  Goodness me yes.  Her stuff is great and so is she, so kind and laid back.  I'm not a laid back teacher, not even a little bit, not even in my "real" job which is...teaching!  So now I want to be like Wendy when I grow up.  :) Well, not the part about having been a nurse, I know I couldn't do that!!  I'll just take the art part.  My Mom and my friend Amber went with me to the class (it was a good thing she went, she has a Garmin GPS and that thing is cool!)and we made the two fantastic things that you see featured here. 
Couldn't stay for the final class, but got the kit and woo!!  I'm so glad I did, 'cause it's amazing!  Will show you later, 'cause it's (almost) on it's way to my bestest friend for her VERY late birthday present(just over two months!  I'm a stinky friend!  But last year her Christams present got to her a month early, so that's okay right?  C'mon.  Let me have this!!)and it's only fair that she gets to see it first.  But it rocks.  A lot.  Even if I do say so myself. (And you know what? I think I will.  Say it myself that is.  It rocks.)  It was really hard to let it go, I was very sad, but I consoled myself with purchasing the other needed supplies to make me one too, and now everything is shiny and happy.  Of course you do know I had almost everything needed right?  Only missing three things.  All because I am the queen of art supply purchasing and, well,  let's just call it what it is, shall we? hoarding  But it's all organized.  So not so bad. Love the retail therapy! 
I'm off to(see the wizard...sorry...couldn't help it)get started on my project so when the missing three things arrive from Stampers Anonymous (even if I do hit the lottery, I'd probably still have to work because Ted and Michelle, Ranger, and Stampin' UP! would get all my money!) all that will be left is the final stamping, cutting and assembling.  I'm all excited just thinking about it! 

Oh my gosh...a post!

Hopefully there are a few of you who will read this seeing as I have been away for a long time.  I'd use the summer vacation excuse except that I've been back at school since July 6th, so I guess I'll use the back-at-work-bleah excuse.  Surprisingly, there has been quite a bit of crafting, but none for me.  All gifts for others.  And of course still way behind on some.  So here are the last six months of my chicken calendar for your enjoyment.  Mayhap I'll get back in the blogging groove.  But I'll most likely just sit on the couch and play Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (oh the truth about what I've been doing slipped out!  whoopsy!  Those darn Lego Pirates are just so cute!!  Especially when you get eaten by a shark...or smash one of them and they fall to little lego pieces...it's hysterical!  Or maybe I'm mental.  Nah, I think it's pretty funny...but would I even know if I was mental?)  Anyway..on to chickens which are cute.  My personal favorite is the three piece rock outfit with a smokin' hot redhead on drums.  (Yeah, I've watched Scott Pilgrim vs the world a few too many times)

Hope you enjoy the chickies and thanks for stopping by!

WOYWW...actually ON Wednesday!

Okay, so I've posted on the correct day, just not really the correct item.  As you can see, this is not my actual desk.  And the reason that I haven't shown you the desk itself is because it's boring.  There is no project in progress, no stack of cards done, no new organization, not even any stamps that are being unmounted because...TADA...I've finished them!!  Huzzah and thrice!  Yep, all (okay, fine...I still have 5 sets of Christmas left to do.  Are you happy now?  Just waiting on the cases to put them in.  And NO I'm not unmounting all 25 of my alphabet sets either.  So there.) of my SU! stamps have been unmounted, tack-it over glued, and put away.  So to share with you my friends today I have a nifty calendar thingy to keep up with the Challenges that I, umm, er, hardly ever take part in.  Well in theory I take part, the project just doesn't always get out of my head and onto card stock...but in my head, every one of these challenges is done and if I may say so, and I may, they are quite darn good!  I made the magnets with the I-top brad maker and let me tell you, it is way too fun!  So I'm off (yes, we know I'm off...I mean I'm going...) to hop around the desks and see some lovely interesting things.  Have a great Wednesday (and really, who said it could be Wednesday already?!?  Wasn't it just Wednesday?  Where'd my week go?)  If you'd like to take part, hop on over to Julia, the Duchess of Desks and join in! 

WOYWW (ummm, Friday)

The anniversary was fun!  Still haven't gotten around to many desks from last week and now I'm late for this week... me and my computer chair shall become great friends this weekend.  So this week I've got yet more new storage (really, all she does is buy storage, does she ever USE that stuff?!?) this time for my Copics.  I liked what I had before, but there was no more room for new colors (gasp!) I went online to find the place where I had seen some groovy storage things before but they sadly are not making them any more.  Other "real" Copic storage thingies were either too bulky or too expensive.  And there was NO WAY that I was gonna build one!  Yikes!  So I found these at Tuesday Morning for $1.99 each.  Huzzah!  Hope your browsing amongst the desks is fabulous fun!  Click here for the Duchess of Desks Julia to find out what's going on!

WOYWW 104!

Happy second anniversary WOYWWers!  Okay, so it's not technically my desk, but it is in my workspace, so that counts yes?  Anyway, I'm pleased as punch (no,no, not to BE punched) with my new clip it up.  It is awesome for my spellbinders.  And I couldn't show you the actual desk, 'cause the pressie is sitting there anxiously awaiting to find out where it's new home will be.  I think I'm going to have to get the stuff to make me one like it, 'cause I really like it and don't want it to leave.  Ah well, all our children have to leave the nest sometime, no?  And thinking back on this momentous occasion, my first post wasn't even on my own blog, because I hadn't gotten that brave yet, the ever kind and lovely Julia graciously allowed me to e-mail her my stuff so she could post it on her blog.  It only took me a few times to realize that trying it that way (that darn time difference!) was way too complicated, so I finally decided to jump in, be all brave and grown up even and start my own blog.  And it's all thanks to Julia the Queen of the Desks.  So huzzah and thrice for Queen Julia!  And happy WOYWW second anniversary to all!  (click here if you have no idea what all the WOYWW kerfluffle is about)

WOYWW, Drunken Stampers, AND Grungy Monday

all rolled into one!  Wow, am I a cheater or what?!?  Nah, just multi-tasking.  funny storry, my 18 year old sister is famous for doing about fifteen things at once (reading, texting, playing a video game, more texting...you get the idea) and was constantly bragging about her multi-tasking skills.  So for Christmas, Mom got her a roll of Scotch tape that said right there on the label that it was "Multi-tasking Tape"!!  Too funny.    She hasn't mentioned it since...  But I digress.  Which is not unusual at all.  Nope, not even a little bit.  So the picture on the left is of my desk.  A veritable sea of stuff- can you name everything? 'cause I'm not sure I can.  But it is different stuff than last week, so kudos to me.  And on the right is my submission (finally, I know, I'm a slacker!) for Grungy Monday.  Click here to be whisked off to the lovely and talented Linda for the deets on Grungy Monday.  And the same card is also serving as my submission for the Drunken Stampers challenge by the Numbers.  And I do so appreciate that they aligned this challenge with my 20th wedding anniversary, that was so thoughtful of them, don't cha think? So thanks, Drunken Stampers for making the challenge so easy for me this week!  There is a lot of Tim goodness on the card, including the paper which is from the new Co'ordinations Distress Colors pack.  Plus tons of Ideaology, Distress Ink, and the new Tattered Banner die cut (which is too awesome by the way).  Have a lovely time browsing the desks (don't know what I'm talking about?  Then click here to be flown over the pond-without any turbulence at all- to the Queen of Desks Julia) I'm off to spend some more quality time with hubby on our anniversary.

House Mouse Challenge #95- May flowers

As I was merrily cruising the desks (and being jealous of all the nifty IKEA storage things) I came across a link to the House Mouse and Friends Challenge blog.  Huzzah and thrice!  I have about 50 assorted House Mouse stamps that stay on the shelves (but they make me happy!  and they are so cute!) so "aha," I say and pull one off to meet this challenge.  And coincidentally enough, I needed a birthday card today so serendipity works her magic and off I go merrily stamping.  The card is based on a design by Cambria Turnbow and kindly posted on SCS by Beate Johns.  Mine is  larger than the original to fit the stamped image and flower.  Mine is 12" long scored at 4" and 8" and is 5-1/2" tall. 

Opened once

Opened out full length

I added 1" of coordinating card stock to the back right hand edge to keep the look of the original, but didn't do the closure the way she had, I just tied a ribbon all around.  Thanks for stopping by!

my first attempt at a large altered canvas

I've been inspired by all the altered canvasses I've seen lately, and my 20th wedding anniversary is coming up next week, so I thought I'd try my hand at creating one for my hubby.  It started with the small "love" canvas at the bottom left and then it grew (rather like a mushroom!).  For my first attempt, I'm pretty pleased with it.  But I need to go somewhere and learn how to really apply the base coats, 'cause let me tell ya!  My first thought was Distress Stains!  After attempting the small canvas and realizing that the Stains didn't want to "stick" to the canvas, I prowled the art section of Michael's and found gesso.  Slapped on a coat and waited not only the prescribed 24 hours, but three whole days!  (I was busy...) Went to apply the Antique Linen and...well...not so much.  Wiped with a paper towel and tried again thinking it may just need a couple of coats...even dired with the heat gun!  Got a lovely color applied.  Laid on the Tim masks and sprayed a mix of Distress reinker and water.  Pulled up the masks and it was a mess.  The reinker didn't stick (yep I heat gunned it!)  and I wiped it off to discover that all the Distress Stain come off too!  EXCEPT where the masks were!  Okay, weird.  Reapplied the masks, 'cause it did look cool and sprayed with Tattered Angels Glimmer mists.  Oh yeah, that's awesome.  Except in that one place, I'll just fix it...nope.  I should have left it alone, it really didn't look that bad, so giving up on the spray thing, I painted on some brown acrylic paint.  Which immediately reacted with the remaining glimmer mist to become, um, ugly.  Wiped that off and here is the extra weird part...you can still see my original masked clock and gears!  Very strange.  But the brown seeped in some places so if you look closely it looks weathered and worn.  Resprayed the whole canvas with a blue skies Glimmer Mist, heat gunned, then masked and sprayed with sapphire glimmer.  Let it puddle to it's heart's content and walked away.  It was really hard to go eat dinner knowing there was undried mist soaking into the canvas, but I did it.  Came back and it was mostly dry so I helped it along with the heat gun and wow!  I really like the splotchy-ness.  Finally being satisfied with the background, on to create arty goodness.  Sprayed a smaller canvas with tuscan sun glimmer mist (no gesso!) and let it run and be splotchy. 

Inked a grungeboard heart with Fired Brick Distress Stains then top coat of gold Glimmer Mist.  Too much!  Toned down the gold with cranberry zing glimmer mist, more fired brick stain, and vintage photo stain.  Sapphire glimmer on the grungeboard wings, tiny attacher and an ideaology lock, all glued down with glossy accents.  Attached a regular screw eye to the bottom for the key.

The numbers are grungeboard covered in vintage photo distress embossing powder and then vintage photo distress stain.  And of course, there's lots of ideaology gears and a clock face and some corners.  The original canvas has a frame and an ickle bottle filled with hearts.  Sappy maybe, but it's been a great 20 years! 

I'm quite pleased at how it turned out, hope hubby likes it, as it will be going on the wall and he'll have to see it everyday!  Now I'm all fired up to create some more, hey Hels, what's that paint you use?  Traditional Tan or something right?  hehehe!

woyww...two days later...or almost three if you're in the UK...

I was going to post this last night (Thursday) when it would have been only a day late.  But our friend blogger must have been out on a bender 'cause he wouldn't let me.  Let me warn you, the desk is not for the faint of heart this week, it is an unholy mess. Well the left side and back at the top right.  I do have a space in the center.  But probably not for long.

I've actually been working!  Making the cards for my challenge group-which is what you see there in the center.  But only the back, 'cause they haven't seen it yet so it's only fair.  If I remember I'll post it on Sunday night or Monday.  The mess contains scraps of paper, whole sheets of card stock (I couldn't decide which color to use as the base so just got all 6 of our allowed colors out) that are stacked on top of who knows what- oh I do!  The serendipity squares that I was originally going to use on the cards.   I did the fronts for all five cards and then couldn't make the inside happen.  So after waiting for three days and still nothing was happening on the inside that was what I wanted, I ripped them all apart.  At least I did save the squares and the idea is (for now) still in my head.  Maybe it'll come together later.  So there's ribbon bits and buttons and brads and ink pads (top right under the in stitches mat) and ink applicators and scissors, and stamps and probably the Lost Ark of the Covenant is in there somewhere.  The picture does not do the pile on the left justice.  I'm pretty sure Jimmy Hoffa is under there.  But work has been done and art has been accomplished!  Now to make the other 4 cards... maybe I'll just lark about among the desks instead... click here to be transported to the lovely Julia, Duchess of Desks to find out what I'm on about.  :)

so I'm a lazy slob and have been back for a week

Hello all in Blogland! Thanks for all the nice comments on my journals, I am happy to report that Mom and Sis loved them! And the other kids in our group were jealous. :) Once we got out of the Newark, NJ airport (a harrowing tale of the filthyest, awfulest weather imaginable- we circled Newark for about 2 hours and they closed the airport 3 times, then rerouted us to Allentown, PA where they put us on a bus and drove us to Newark! 

Here we are on Saturday at 11 pm,not behind security, no food that we knew about, not even any chairs to sit in (!),and no hotel in sight. I have never slept on the floor at an airport before, but now I can mark it off the list.  And I can say that I don't recommend it.  At all.  Not even a little. Around about 3 AM we discovered the Dunkin Donuts downstairs so there was sugar to be had. No plane available yet. Well, one that left on MONDAY at 10pm! We would have lost both our London days! But our group leader persevered and got us out on Sunday after all. So we only lost 1 1/2 days.) BUT once we got to England, we had the absolute BEST weather...sunny, warm, beautiful! My mantra before leaving was "if I get too cold I'll buy a sweatshirt"  but didn't need to!  Quick tour of Windsor Castle on Tuesday.

Windsor

Then a "free day" in London, went to Westminster Abbey and the Tower, but couldn't resist the picture of Big Ben!  Well, the tower big Ben is in (is it St. Stephen's tower?).  Then the next days were filled with  lovely tours of Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Hadrian's wall, York, and then there was Scotland.

Oxford

Stratford-upon-Avon

York

Oh lovely Scotland who provided us with the weather we had all been expecting...rainy and cold. 

Huzzah!  I got to wear the raincoat I had drug all over England for a week, AND I got to buy a sweatshirt!!  I was rather excited.  :)  All in all (except for that leaving the US part) it was absolutely great!  I will be sharing some more of my pics later, I took about 1300.  Don't worry, I won't post them all!  :P  

p.s.  Does anyone know why Blogger is a big pain when it comes to adding pictures?  And why they are always spaced so weirdly?  At least I got it to put three on a line this time, it will probably never happen again...

Simon Says Stamp and Show Me....Distressing (and WOYWW 97!)

Look, look!  I'm actually creating on my desk! Huzzah! Be warned that this is kinda long so if you are in a hurry, just look at the pretty pictures and then hop over to the fabulous Julia to be whizzed off to other desks.  If you've got some time, get a cuppa and a biscuit (I'm practicing for next week 'cause did I tell you I'm off to London?  And a whirlwind tour of Stratford, Yorkshire, and Edinburgh?)and get ready for some deets.

What I'm creating are journals for me, my Mom, and my Sister for the aforementioned tour (on SATURDAY!!!)  WOO HOO!  I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it...hands up...who's singing along?  I knew you were, my fellow children of the 80's.  So Simon Said to show distress, and distress I did.  Verily and indeedily!  (oh, I'm a lucky crafter indeed because I won at Simon for my last week's entry!!  
Can you say excited?  You bet I could! In a much higher pitch than my normal voice and several squeals to boot... thank you to the lovely people at Simon Says!)  I started with photos taken from the London Eye in 2006.  Stamped with some lurvely Tim stamps and Distress Inks, then distress inked around the edges.  The letters are a random alphabet set that I've had for yeeeaars and I don't know who made 'em.  Brushed over the front and back covers with Ranger's Glue n' Seal (quick tip-don't use Glue n' Seal over SU! Classic inks because they bleed... a lot!)and it doesn't show in the photo but the Glue n' Seal gave it a wonderful vintage look and feel.

The elastic is covered in Distress Stain ...it's awesome!!  one coat soaks through cool, cool, cool!... and attached on the back with the tiny attacher. Grungeboard hinge pieces (just the tops) slathered in Distress Stains and Inks to cover the staples.  Because I am not that bright, I had put the elastic and toppers on before putting on the Glue n' Seal so it darkened  places on the grungeboard, but it looks distressed so it's all good. Slapped on some gears and spinners (because really, why not?) and used the SU! paper distresser on the edges.  Inside the front and back cover I stamped the same Tim stamps and a random London postmark stamp on pieces of card stock so I could cover up all the brad ends from the gears and spinners on front, and then got a little crazy with a front piece.

Stamped a Tattererd Traveler (I think) compass stamp with Distress embossing ink and covered with clear powder.  Then smooshed various colors of SU! Craft ink onto my craft sheet, spritzed with water and dragged the tag through.  I wiped the tag with a paper towel and dipped again, repeated until I got the look I wanted.  Rubbed distress ink on another tag with a sponge, stamped the words with Distress Embossing and covered in black powder.  Torn edges inked with Vintage Photo, more gears and there you have it.  Whew.  If you actually read all my blatherings, thanks and you should get a medal of some sorts for patience.    Off to make matching pens for the journals and oh yeah, PACK!!  -hope I don't forget the camera...HA!  I shall have a sadly neglected desk next week, you should stop by so it will feel loved...

Simon Says Stamp and Show...Anything BUT a Card

And this is right bang alongside that!  I don't know where the box came from originally, I swapped a sadly neglected stamp set for it and i think I got the better part of that swap (insert smug smirk here).  The lid is...wait for it...metal!  I didn't even have to do anything to it to make it look like that...awesome!  For the bottom, I slathered on Tim's tissue tape and then alcohol inked with Denim, Terra Cotta, and Meadow.  and yeah, I forgot which direction I had stuck down the tape, so it kept pulling up and my fingers were a lovely shade of ick after all the re-sticking down.  I had just dabbed it on, you know , like you do, and didn't like how bright the colors were, it didn't work with the box top, so I went to just swiping the applicator over the box and then went back and randomly dabbed over in patches.  Trust me, it's awesome in person.  Really.  I then had the good sense (!) to glue the feet and knob on with Glossy Accents and leave it to dry overnight!  I know, it was really hard and I'm still amazed at my patience.  Today I did a little dance and let out a little squeal something along the lines of "my feet are stuck! my feet are stuck!" fortunately I was the only one in the house at the time, so not as embarrassing and "it's time to send her to the looney bin" as it could have been.
 

The lid has a 7 Gypsies gear (the gold one with the bling, it even came pre-blinged!); an Ideaology clock, gears, and spinner hands; a random clock that I think is a Spare Parts piece; random curls of wire; a memo pin; and two stamped pieces.  The clock is a Tim stamp and it's stamped on SU! Vanilla card stock with Distress Embossing ink and Vintage Photo Distress Embossing powder finished off with some Pumice stone, Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Inks, then mounted on chipboard.
 

 
The piece in the memo pin is a Recollections stamp stamped on the same card stock in Stayz-On black ink.  The wings and crown were already a part of the stamped image and can you believe I found grungeboard ones that fit perfectly?!?  I was amazed and in awe of my stash (see hubby?  this is why I need all this stuff! so I'll have it when I need it!).  Covered them with Pearl and Gold paint dabber and stuck on with glue dots.  And remember that the lid is metal, so here is my dilemma: how do I get this memo pin to stay on?!?  After much experimenting (and, okay, a little tiny bit of inappropriate language) I use a HUGE pop dot that my friend found for me somewhere online.  Seriously, this thing is ginormous- a quarter of an inch thick!  So, I covered the outside with ribbon and colored the top with a brown Bic permanent marker!  The pin sticks in there like a dream.  Stuck another 7 Gypsies and Ideaology gear on the front and covered the inside with some pre-printed paper (on the sides, I think it's 7 Gypsies but I found it in a really random place-with glimmer misting stuff, not with the paper, don't know how it got there- so I'm not sure) and some that I covered with Antique Linen, Pumice Stone, and Vintage Photo Distress Inks and stamped with the Same Recollections stamp set from earlier.  Also used the SU! color spritzer 'cause there wasn't enough going on already.  And if you've made it all this way without giving up in despair, I salute you!