WOYWW - A Change of Pace

My creative energy is my life force, when it wains I'm left without much breath to take a breather.

Luckily years at fancy art school, and then years at job-job and various other 'live or die' gigs have taught me that sometimes a dip in creativity is flat out not an option. I've learned that for me, the best thing when I'm just not feeling it is to do something else. As long as I'm being creative, the dip will usually take care of itself.

This week I've been working on some new layouts, new texture maps and new life paths. Did you know we're staring down the barrel at 11 weeks 'til Christmas? I can't quite think about it with my full brain, because it's hard for me to think about snow. Who wants snow?! If you say you do I'm using my favorite modified GLEE phrase of all time. "Snow!?! KILL YOURSELF!"

Incidentally you're looking at barrettes I've been crocheting for one of my favorite fans, albeit one of my littlest.

I'm counting down the holidays by being more resourceful and more Little Woman-like' than I've had the leisure to do as of late. Nicest side effect, other than having some cutesy barrettes ready to wrap, is that I'm itching to get back to my other gigs, the ones that require my 2D skills ;)

What do you do to get back your 'creative mojo' when you feel it packing for holiday?

Don't forget to check out Julia's magical Stamping Ground, where you can share what's on your workdesk too!

P.S. It's voting time for Amber Ink's INK-redible challenge! Please vote for your favorite, and don't forget to participate when we go for it again on the 20th!

It's Aloha Friday...

No work till Monday *...doo dee doo doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo.

*Unless you want to work on your project for AmberInk's Inkredible 21 day challenge! (Wait...is there still time??? Oh yes the deadline is a mere hours away! You can make it if you snap to it!)

The weather is turning...shall we say...inclement?!? I just finished watching Project Runway, and since I am a Tim Gunn junkie I will try with all my might to use a "proper" vocabulary here.  For those of you who don't watch Tim Gunn, then I will advise you that the weather has been rather crappy lately.  This reminds me that summer is indeed over.  Since I tend to be reflective in short bursts this will be the theme for our Aloha Friday.  Oh and before I forget, congratulations to our last week's winner _________________.  Methinks Amber has not yet chosen, so she can fill in the blank as soon as she sees this post!

I miss summer already.  I am a SAD sufferer which is in part why I have been humored for most of my life and allowed to live in blue skies and sunshine.  This is my second year of four seasons, so we'll see how I do.  In the meantime - these are three of the things that I will dream about.

                                                         #1.  Best Road Trip of 2010

#2.  Best summer read of 2010

(okay, I already know that I'll get guff for this, but I have serious post apocalyptic issues)

#3. Best Cold thing from summer 2010

Remember the good times and win a prize to the AmberInk store.

It's a Win/Win for sure!

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WOYWW - Prizes and Pumpkins

My desk is pretty busy this week. I'm working on all our goodies for our next release at Amber Ink.com

I'm also having the absolute joy of working with Lynne Phelps at Savvy Sisters Studio! Lynne was the grand prize winner of our first ever Amber Ink. INK-redible Challenge and she won a custom set! We're designing it together. I take Lynne's ideas and we chit chat and then I sketch them!


My mom and business partner have LOVED working with Lynne. We call her our straight shooter. It's incredibly fitting that Lynne would come up with such an exciting concept for her custom set (unveiled and up for sale October 20th)

This set's theme is 'Let's Communicate'. Lynne's been a die-hard fan of my skinny mini - Amber Girls, but was longing for someone with a little bit more to love on her bones.



Lynne and I discussed her great ideas. I did some initial sketching and then we went back and forth. Talk a bit, sketch a bit. This is really close to final time! I'm excited we get to show it today! Lynne's come up with some ultimate stamper sayings for our girl with curves to chat about.

Be sure to be 'first in line' to snatch her up when we release her on the 20th of this month!

Speaking of releases, and sneak peeks... I've had a pretty craptastic week. Sunday night found me trying to plan a run across the Brooklyn Bridge with a friend. It turned out Monday was going to be raining.... So I decided to download the 10 day forecast. DON'T DO IT! It'll break your heart!!!

Anyway, I've been a grump. The only thing that's cheered me up was an afternoon jaunt to Trader Joe's yesterday. They had a bevvy of Pumpkins to greet me at the door.

They were so bright they brightened me up too.

I bottled up this particular bliss and our newest digiStamp, Happy Pumpkin was born!
Happy Pumpkin will be released on the 20th of this month.

Since I look forward to WOYWW SO much, and because everything ELSE has been sucking enough here to probably be sucking there (wherever you are) too. We're offering him today for FREEEEEEEE to our WOYWWers! I hope he cheers your day.

Add him to your cart and check out and pay nothing until midnight tonight! If you miss him he'll be back for mere dollars on the 20th. We'd love for you to check our our iPaper too. You can buy it, download it, and print it immediately. So it's ready to go for all your brilliant ideas.

If anything in our newly released Halloween images catches your eye, they're $1 to $3. If you buy something Halloweeny from Amber Ink. and make something in the next few days you can enter our latest Amber Ink. INKcredible Challenge, making you eligible to win your own custom set just like Lynne did!!!

I hope we'll see you there!

Run on over to Julia's to see her always inspiring desk and desks!

Takin' it to the ...

Street  grave. Ewwwwww....scary. That Sunghee has done it again!

Can you just imagine the things you could fill this little coffin with??? A time capsule, a treasure map, a key, mysterious photographs, a page from a diary, oh the list could be endless. 

Of course the sweet and safe route would always include...

candy!

  Get the plans and don't forget to enter AmberInk's Inkredible 21 Day challenge~!  Only 5 days left and the clock is tick tick tick ticking.

It's Aloha Friday...

No work till Monday *...doo dee doo doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo!

*Unless you want to work on your project for AmberInk's Inkredible 21 day challenge!

Yes, and Autumn has officially arrived!  It's harvest time!  It's let's jump in a pile of leaves time!  It's apple cider and a ride on a hay wagon time!  In my neck of the woods at the moment, I feel Fall reaching out but not quite here - yay for Indian Summers, which I think is my all time favorite time.  Time to finish up all the outside projects I started (yeah, right ;) and prep the house for the cozy time ahead.  What is it about this time of year that makes me think of time???

To get in the mood. everybody play along!  Remember, no paper but anything else is fair game.

#1 a movie you like that reminds you of autumn

#2 Something that makes you feel toasty inside

#3 Just a little something you can't live w/o for Fall (LOL)

Ignore the Halloween candy and corduroy - let's get down to business!

Add your linky and someone is gonna win a prize to the very awesome AmberInk shoppe!

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It's best to save an image to your file first.

Make sure you put the category # (1,2,3) and your name.

That's it! See...easy peasy.

Are YOU ready???

Do you know that according to Wikipedia (which we all know has ALL the answers ;) trick or treating has become socially expected if one lives in a neighborhood with children and that one should have treats in preparation for trick-or-treaters.
Yep, if you don't "treat" odds are you'll get "tricked"!!!!

Good thing Joni is ready:

Are YOU?????

Don't forget to enter the AmberInk Challenge .  Only 10 days to go!!!!!

Aloha Friday

No work till Monday *...doo dee doo doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo dee doo.

*Unless you want to work on your project for AmberInk's Inkredible 21 day challenge!
   
Last week on Friday,  we were posting sneak peeks of the current release and I received the word from a sweet and wonderful blog reader "Where the H&!! is Aloha Friday???"  OMGosh...biggest compliment ever!!!  
So, we're back! Hmmm...what to do, what to do.  Ah, I know....

Yesterday was spent picking PURPLE grapes off of our vines

(#1 - link to something that is your favorite color)

And then we had to wash them and wash them

(#2 - your best kind of washing  product)

And then of course we had to process them in jars, at least what was left!

(#3 your favorite all natural drink)

Rembember now - No paper products allowed. Genius needs a rest.

You can enter in all three categories if you'd like but one is fine too

When Amber humors me, which is pretty often really, she decides to give a little prize to Amberink.com

Play now, because nothing lasts forever,not even summer ;(

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It's best to save an image to your file first.

Make sure you put the category # (1,2,3) and your name.

That's it!  See...easy peasy.

Winner's Circle

Last week judging for our very first, ever, brand-new INK-redible 21-st Day Challenge kicked off with a vengeance. We had such exciting entries! Incredimombo and I were so excited at every entry that showed up.
Last month's episode was all about Books.

All our entries rocked. Now that the dust has settled we're announcing our top 3 winners!

Charmaine (Charmwarm) won a gift certificate to Amber Ink.


I'm still floored by the way she made this Baby Mermaid set SING. I want all those little things!


The blissful Wendy Price created this little fishy book and won some Amber Ink. dollars!
Can you imagine a better place for all your tails tales?


Our mermaids definitely made a splash during this challenge. These little fish are companions from our Baby Mermaids 'Friendship' set.

Our grand prize winner, Lynne Phelps, brought home the crown! She went old-school with one of our original girly girls. This certainly encourages me to read!


This month our prize was a great big secret. As promised, it IS a pretty great prize, if I do say so myself. The winner of each month's challenge will work with me to create a custom set that they're just dying to have.

Lynne has been pining for a curvy girl from Amber Ink. This month, she's helping us design our very first woman in our new "More to Love" Collection.

Here is one of our first rough sketches based on our emails that have been going back and forth!

You can follow her development and see how she's turning out as Lynne and I work on her at:
http://amberinkchallenges.blogspot.com/p/winning-developments.html

This month's challenge at http://amberinkchallenges.blogspot.com/
Is Trick Or Treaty Amber Inky!

PLUS, it's being hosted by Major Celebrity Carole Burrage
(one of my favorite stampers of ALL TIME)

The winner of this month's Halloween challenge will be designing a set with me ala Lynne Phelps next month, same time, same place.
Just think, this could be you!!!