Artisan Swap – Occasions Mini

I hosted a Occasions Mini Catalog swap with my 8 other Artisan Award winners and I wanted to share the cards, they were awesome as usual, I love our little group.  Lisa's is in the mail to me, so I will post it when it comes.

Hand stamped and sewn by Angie Tieman – I am still trying to wrap my head around all the sewing and that it has curves…yowza!

Hand stamped by Fran Sabad – Look at all those squares, and hearts and the embossing, this is so much fun, and I want to make this card so bad.

Hand stamped by Jolene Slack – I love this, and it is hard to see the bling on the paper, and the bling on the stamped flower.  I love how she did the two ribbons.

Hand stamped by Mary Jo Albright – this one is so much fun and it is a pocket card.  I love that the houses are different colors and the way she used the DSP with the clouds, too cute.

Hand stamped by Shanna Jensen – I love that she used Basic Gray, and the Taken with Teal, I would have never thought to use them together and they look great, I love her elements with the Top Note wrapping around and how the punch sticks out the side.

Hand stamped and sewn by Shelley Bohan – what can ya say?  I say Shelley has too much time on her hands…only kidding.  This card is amazing, all the squares and the sewing, and she even sewed around the flower shape, the only way I could do that is if my foot is off the pedal and I use my hand to turn that wheel thing on the side of the machine.

Hand stamped by Summer Stone – I love this card, cause I love the odd shaped cards.  The cute little cupcake on the side, and the heart punched out.  Too sweet.

This was my card and I had showed you it already.

So all right I know you are waiting for it, and here it comes…drum roll please…

My American Idol critique…

Lee: I loved this arrangement and he had so much fun on stage, and I love him more each week.

Paige: Ouch, that hurt. She was horrible, I don't know if it is the laryngitis although she sang through it fine last week, it was almost like she could not hear herself.  I think she might go home.

Tim: Well it was not the worst of the night, but please send him home.  I think Simon gets madder and madder each week that Tim was brought back and that he is still there.

Aaron: We love Aaron and I can hardly wait to buy his album.  I feel bad he had tonsilitis but he did pretty good, and Ellen loves him too.

Crystal: She was channeling Janis Joplin, and who are we to say she really is not? This girl is amazing and so down to earth, I like that she is wearing her hair a bit different so you don't notice her dreads as much.

Mike:  He really needs to stop picking people up.  He sounded so good, and I like to think he was thinking of his wife when he sang that song.

Andrew:  One hit wonder strikes again.  This was not good.  Tim did better then Andrew and that was hard for me to say.

Katey:  She sounded great, more her age and even her outfit was cute. 

Casey:  This sounded just like Hewy Lewis, so he did not change the song at all, but I loved it and he is HOT! I think everyone had a blast performing it, the on stage guys and did you see the guys in the balcony with the suits and shades…too fun

Didi:  Not her best, and her voice makes it sound like she is off key at times.

Siobhan:  She had Elvis meets Sanjia (from a few seasons ago) hair, not sure the whole get up, and I can do without the screaming at the end of the song.

In fact I write my critique on paper as they sing, and Jeff rolls his eyes, but what I write the judges say, especially Simon and I were dead on tonight, and I think I will be sending in my application to replace Simon when he leaves next year, cause really I gotta be better then Howard (gag me) Stern.

Things I noticed:

I love Randy and Ellen's relationship. I love that Ryan and Ellen are such great friends.  I like that finally Kara is calling Ellen, "Ellen" and not some rude name. 

Where does Simon come up with some of his sayings? Tonight we heard "it's like you wanted one scoop of ice cream and you got eleven", and also "chalk and cheese".

So for the last three hundred weeks, give or take two hundred,  Kara has been blabbering and complaining that the idols don't feel the song, blah! blah! blah!…so tonight Didi sings a song and gets into it, with her mannerisms and everything and what does Kara do? She complains that Didi was acting up.  If I could climb through the TV, I would have slapped her. 

When they said that Miley Cyrus was gonna be the mentor, Jeff and I were both like "what the?" I am not a Miley Hanna Cyrus Montana fan, and although she is a pretty girl she drives me a bit bonkers, she does seem to be growing up though. It will be interesting to see what she sings tomorrow.

Who did I vote for?  Lee and Casey, cause they were tied in my opinion for the guys.  Crystal for the girls. Who did you vote for?

Have an awesome Wednesday and thanks for stopping in!