Winter is sure here – cold and rain is par for the course. We had our first mini snow storm and our first power outage of the season. Out in the country one puts by a store of candles, oil lamps, and flashlights. Actually it was kinda nice sitting by the fire and reading by candle light. A bit difficult to do beading by though.

Thanks to the phantom subscriber for all her hard work on the Maryland sniper case. Being the modest person that she is, she insisted on not taking any credit for cracking the case. Rumor is that she will be included in the American delegation to North Korea. She will be posing as an editor of this newsletter. She mentioned that she is knitting Kim Jong Il a sweater and has decorated her passport with some ERAGraphic’s stamp images.

road trips and classes too!

* In early February I am giving a private class on my amulet bags to a group in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (my amulet bag groupies).

* Then I am teaching three classes at "The Creative Palette: A Rubber Stamp and Accessory Convention" in St. Mary’s, Georgia on February 7th and 8th. By popular demand I will be teaching the Spirit Guides in polymer clay and the Wild Women Pins that I did on the Carol Duvall Show.

In addition I will be teaching the Spiral Bracelet, which is a terrific class for an introduction to beading, but also a great project for intermediate to advanced beaders since the variations are endless. I will also have an artist’s table with my latest Savannah connection, who will also have her wares at the table.

On Saturday night Paula has scheduled a harbor cruise including a Southern style dinner for $25 (this is being billed as Meet The Hun Night – he promised to be nice to everyone – fat chance, talk cooking and share recipes).

Great classes, great exhibitors, perfect weather and only a ferry ride away from Cumberland Island (where John Kennedy, Jr. was married). Contact Paula for a complete listing of classes, exhibitors and a neat map at 877-313-6745 or www.oldtowncrafts.com for complete info including housing.

* My friend Bobbi Richards is producing a new show in San Diego, Artstampagogo, May 24th at the Scottish Rite Center. She has already assembled a terrific list or teachers and exhibitors. I will be teaching the Spiral Beaded Bracelet on May 23rd (the same as in St. Mary’s) and I will have a full booth of stamps, mold boards, etc.

Bobbi has put together a great Web site for the show: www.artstampagogo.com .

* On May 30th I will doing the Artful Journey Show for the fourth year. However, and please note, this year Donna Kazee is moving the show from Daytona Beach to Jacksonville. This change in venue should alleviate many of the problems encountered in Daytona Beach and make this show even better than it has been.

As for teaching, I blew it! I sent in my application a bit too late and all the class slots are taken. Maybe next year. Info. from A Small Cleverness 904-272-0503. Check out the Artful Journey Web site

* There are two other shows pending and I will let you know ASAP even if it takes a special e-mail notice to do it.

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another notch in her glue gun

Yours truly, has been selected as featured artist by "Expressions Magazine" for their March/April 2003 issue. This issue should be out around the end of February.

For you face searchers (for polymer faces to mold and use), check out Diane B’s site.

a native guide to the blank page

My good and wonderful friend Bonnie Henry has produced a magnificent journal that makes the process of capturing your thoughts and memories an almost effortless process. “Just Doin’ The Dance” is an invitation for introspection which triggers thoughts and memories, invites you to write from the heart, provides an opportunity to know yourself from a fresh perspective and allows you to move at your own pace. A journey worth taking.

This beautiful, boxed journal includes my calligraphy and images and is filled with warm thoughts and attached envelopes for storing the precious mementos that accompany your words and thoughts. It is spiral bound so that it lies flat when you write and has wonderful fibers attached to act as a bookmark. A gift for a friend or yourself. And at $32 a bargain, as well. I will have some pictures up on the Web site ASAP.

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powder powder everywhere
- where oh where does it end?

In addition Bmuse is offering a new product, called EndBits and Pieces. This is a one ounce packet of twice-dyed natural fibers, in spectacular colors. As a new product special, until January 26th (the Bmuse lady’s birthday) buy four packets and get one free. They cost a mere $4.95 each. See them here.

sky blue and xina, too!

This site contain a wealth of ephemera and detritus from past civilization, human and alien, that are perfectly wonderful for use in collage and other craft ventures. To see is to believe .

This, in addition to her Kerchunk Site and her Web site work for me and others. Just to make matters a bit stickier, she has agreed to do a SOURCES column for this newsletter (see below) so that she may share with you some of the great craft finds she uncovers in her nocturnal wanderings.

And a special note – Christina does not believe in paying a lot for almost anything, so in addition to rare and precious stuff she has come up with great prices to boot.

sources

First I have a wonderful Web site about gluing for you. Yes, it's about gluing, honest! If you're anything like most crafters I know, you have about 13 different types of glue sitting around, and still you are never quite sure what to use for your current project. So here's a site that will tell you, "This to That":

This to That
"Because people have a need to glue things to other things"
www.thistothat.com

The front page says "Attach (This) to (That)" where (This) and (That) are dropdown lists of items you could glue together. After selecting your items you click the "Lets Glue!" button and you get their suggestions, complete with tips specific to gluing those types of things. Very useful. Only on the Web!! LOL!

Next, many of you are venturing into the Book Arts these days, so I thought you should know about Volcano Book Arts (formerly called Page Folds.) They are a very nice book making supply company in Volcano, California, that is sure to have something you MUST have. How about a Japanese screw punch? A leather journal binding kit? Pre-printed pages to bind your own copy of "A Christmas Carol"? And lots more. Good prices, too. www.VolcanoBookArts.com

And finally, a site I came across in OfficeMax during a snow storm. No, really, I did. While mailing a package to Roberta, I started chatting with another woman who was getting some art work copied. It was collage with fabric, and it caught my eye immediately. She is an elementary school art teacher and the art was that of her students, about tolerance and diversity for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day posters.

As we talked, she told me about an exciting program which is coming to New Hampshire this summer: the Romanian Children Artists Lessons and Teacher Workshop. As part of the 1994 World Cup soccer matches in Los Angeles, Romania sent some children artists and their teacher as a cultural component to the games. Since then, each year a group of these talented kids and their teacher, Elena Stoica, travel to a different city in the US for a cultural exchange program with American students.

For two weeks the American and Romanian children are paired up one-on-one as they take a series of all-day classes. Local American families host the Romanian art ambassadors in their homes. This year the events will be in Greenland, New Hampshire in July, and include a Gala Celebration and Art Exhibit on July 19, 2003.

This is an all volunteer program and part of the operating costs are met through the sale of the children's artwork at annual events. You can see some of these paintings and find out how to sponsor a child at their Web site: Romanian Children Artists

I hope you find these sites interesting!

cheers,
Xina

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brickbats and kudos

I want to order your whole Web site,
but haven't won the lottery yet. :)

Ruth
Rockford, IL

Dear Ruth: Please don't let that hold you back.

I am an independent, peripatetic rubber stamping teacher up here in the wilds of far northern WI and travel in a 100 mile radius to teach classes, for which I provide all the supplies and stamps.

I am looking forward to using the Goddess and African Petro Women stamps that I ordered, as well as the Outrageous Old Woman saying. I'll be using those in the winter or spring Stamping Goddesses/ Death by Chocolate Class. Of course we present offerings of decadent chocolate morsels to the Stamping Deities and since they are only with us in Spirit, consume them ourselves in the most reverent manner possible, while trying mightily not to smudge our projects. One must keep one's energy level up to achieve the highest possible state of stamping bliss.
Blessings,
Kris H.

Ah, another Aristotelian.

I do enjoy your newsletters. You must be a chef. I have run off your bread pudding recipes...never thought of adding onions etc...! Thank you.
Linda S.

See The Hun gets some mail, too.

Just found your website today and was thrilled to find so many woman positive stamps.
Val Takeda
Ontario, Canada

Well I am female after all and very positive, else I could not have lived with The Hun all these years (we will overlook all the therapy along the way.)

I am a children's counsellor at the Prince George Sexual Assault Centre in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. Our agency is a registered non- profit charity that provides support, education, and counseling for survivors of child sexual abuse and/or sexual assault.

Our agency continues to be under funded and we are always looking for ideas and initiatives to fund raise. Currently we are working on putting together a daily planner/journal with tidbits of information about sexual assault, women's issues, the history of our community's Sexual Assault Centre, quotes, and logos. We intend to self-publish and sell this daily planner with the proceeds aiding the Prince George Sexual Assault Centre in its continuation of operation. We would like to include your graphics of Women of the Village and Lunge. On this basis we request permission to mechanically reproduce these images.
Sincerely,
Clarie Johnson

Needless to say she got my permission.

Hello, Roberta, I am floored by your bewitching designs! My name is Debra Rymer and I am a British Columbia Co-Regional Rep for the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Whew! Is that ever a long title. Anyway, one of the things I do for this non-profit feminist society is create their newsletter. It contains stuff like community calendar info. for justice-seeking, like-minded feminist groups in BC, articles by feminist activists and updates on our activities for our membership (approx. 570 mailed out 3 times per year.) Is there any way that we could use four pieces of your artwork for our newsletter? And (simper simper) is there any way we could use it for free??
Cheers!
D. Rymer

There is never a need to whine or simper – I will always grant permission to a worthy cause.

Needless to say, Roberta, your stamps are just the greatest! BUT, will you consider adding your Hun and his bistro to a grab bag!? I mean, what could one woman do with all that good stuff! You're on overload. Good for you and keep up all the wonderful things you do. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Deanna

There was a point in time last week when you could have had him for free!

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bistro hun

First, I have been cooking a lot of squash. I know many of you go "yuck!" when you think of mom’s bland overcooked mush. Trust me you can do it better. Not only is squash cheap, it is very nutritious and EASY to prepare. Although you can steam or boil squash to soften it, I roast it, which also brings out the natural sugars.

Cut any squash in half and seed it (this is the yucky part but you can do it.) Place the halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet with a rim, add a little water and bake at 350 for sixty to ninety minutes. When a knife easily pierces the rind it is done. Let it cool, scoop out the flesh and mix with a little butter, possibly some cream (or non-fat half & half) and salt and pepper. Or add in some brown sugar or maple syrup for a yummy treat.

I came across a recipe for Tomato Jam and it is so good ERA goes through it like a snow plow on Christmas Eve. We had an old friend over for dinner last month and after sampling the jam she took the rest home with her.

1 1/2 lbs. Plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Cider Vinegar
One inch knob of fresh Ginger, grated
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper

Cut a slash in each tomato and put in boiling water for about twenty seconds. Let cool and peel. Cut in half, press out the seeds and discard. Chop very coarsely.

Place tomatoes and all other ingredients into a saucepan and cook down until thick, about 20 to 25 minutes or to one and one-half cups.

Let it mellow for a day and eat. Your mouth will be very happy. Serve with meat loaf, chicken, fish. Will keep in the fridge for weeks.

That's all for now!
Roberta