Friday, April 27, 2012

And we're off...

Day one of Ranger U got off to a flying start...
















And now it's time for the traditional Friday night cook out.




Justin on his way out to sort all the burgers etc.

Think Alain is sorting out the beer.!!! no change there then, lol


This is where I have been all day long. Tucked away in the back playing, err sorry working my little butt off.!!!




I did nip out for a spot of new bra buying...don't ask.

And I just had to pop into Barnes and Nobles to see what magazines they had...I mean it would have been frikkin rude not to, don't you think.?

I'll leave you with 2 pages from the Ledger.




Okay I am going out for a beer and burger.

Enjoy xx

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Bring it on......

Busy busy day today. We finally finished all the photos for the book. Sooooo relieved that it is out of the way. It is a bit nerve racking sitting there with all the lights and cameras on you. The worst part is trying to remember to keep my hands still enough for the camera to focus, lol. I bet there is many a blurred shot.!!

Whilst I was busy with that Tim was whipping the Education studio into shape, making it spick and span for all the students arriving tomorroww for.......



Yes its the first of our weekends of education. We have people coming in from all over the world. Here is the blurb from Rangers website HERE


Ranger Industries, innovators of inks, paints and other craft products, is proud to announce our 2012 Ranger University Program. This will be an ideal experience for store owners, teachers and designers who want to learn more about how to teach and sell Ranger’s extensive product lines. We will be hosting full 3-day programs that have so much to offer: Tim Holtz, Ranger’s Creative Director will teach hands-on techniques with Perfect Pearls, Melt Art, Inks, Paints and Embossing Powders. Claudine Hellmuth, Mixed-media collage artist and licensed designer, will provide creative insight and teach the versatility of her signature Studio line. Our newest designer, Dyan Reaveley will introduce you to her signature Dylusions line of products with a spin on art journaling.

The Ranger U main focus is on Ranger's essential product lines and includes hands-on education of products, advanced techniques, and answers to frequently asked questions from the top designers and educators in the field at Ranger’s home base in Tinton Falls, NJ. We will show you how to demonstrate, teach and sell Ranger products. You will become a “Fully Certified Ranger Educator.” This means that you have participated in the Ranger U program that incorporates all Ranger Product Lines. Attendees will receive a complete curriculum filled with reference material, techniques and class instructions, a teacher’s kit of product and more! We will be opening the two sessions to 24 students per session, allowing for one-on-one assistance and attention. Make new friends, network and have fun creating at Ranger.



Did y'all miss out. Ooh better not next time eh. This is what you are missing.










Blimey you can't even blog in peace these days.!!


Oooh look who it is... It's Tammy Tutterow my gorgeous adopted, sort of, half sister, well triplet really if we aren't forgetting our other third, the gorgeous Richelle Christenson.


And this is my lovely view all day long, lol


Here's a page from the ledger




Enjoy xx

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Announcing........

Yee hah look what has been released from Ranger today......

It's only more colours of Seasonal Distress pads...And.... wait for it.....

RE-INKERS.....

Yup you heard me correctly the first time...

Ranger have listened to you all and released re inkers.

Woop de frikkin woop, just wait till you see the colours, they are right up my alley. You can see them on Tim's blog HERE


Shaded Lilac (or lie-lack as they say over here, lol), is exactly what it says, a gorgeous shade of lilac.

Squeezed Lemonade is a fabulous shade of yellow which has pushed Mustard Seed out of it's pole position as my favourite.

And my favourite colour of Distress of all time, ever, ever, ever...Peacock feathers...the most vibrant shade of turquoise which matches soooo well with my inks.

Here's a tag I made this morning. I applied the new colours to the tag with a blending tool, and created a watermarked background. I then coloured in the stamped images with my inks in the water brushes. See how sharp they look sitting right on top of the Distress. I just love how the two work so well together.



I know our quota has already shipped, so Ben should be putting a call out to you all very shortly, i would imagine. Take it from me, these you won't want to miss out..

Okay got to dash I am off to film some of my spray inks coming off the production line.

Enjoy xx

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

I've arrived.....

.......at Ranger Headquarters in New Jersey, where I will be camping out in the Education room for the next couple of weeks, alongside Tim and Mario. We are here getting ready to teach 2 weekends of Ranger U and also tons of product development...

As usual, with me, there is always a bit of a crisis involving the journey. The day started early, so we could miss the morning traffic, only to get stuck in every set of roadworks possible. Every detour led to more roadworks and more delays. With the clock ticking, Mr Babe of Deliciousness took his apprehension at me missing a flight and materialised into into temper at other inconsiderately rude road users. After a wtf from me, tempers flared even more with the result of me jumping out of the car at kerbside and making a run for it...straight into the wrong terminal with not a lot of spare time.!! So was the other terminal close..?? No it frikkin wasn't. Apparently it was a 25/30 min walk. Well considering I had two, on the limit, suitcases, carry on, lap top bag AND not a lot of time before gate closing I obviously wasn't going to make it. Cue lots of  hysterical panic hyperventilating.

Rushing outside to find a taxi was proving unsuccessful as they were all lined up waiting for people. Was it possible to order a taxi...? No... Aaaaargh.

Suddenly one of the taxi drivers got out of his cab and came towards me. "Are you Caroline..?" he said. I can be who ever you like if you take me to terminal 2, I relied laughing. Amazingly enough, after I had explained my situation, he agreed and bless him, whizzed me round there quick as a flash, only charged a couple of quid and refused to take a tip...Get in there.....thank you, thank you, you will be rewarded in taxi driver heaven.!!!

So in I go and check in by the skin of my teeth. Quick upgrade to economy comfort and I was off on the first 9 1/2 hr leg of the journey. We landed in Atlanta to a massive immigration queue..  After an hour more panic set in when I realised that there was an extremely good chance I wouldn't make the flight. Oh well here goes. Out of immigration, queue to pick up baggage, queue to re check baggage, queue to go through security again. Set off alarms at security with a lone hair grip, wait to be searched by female, waited and waited, hyperventilated and waited a bit more. Eventually when no female was forth coming I was sent back through the scanner minus offending hair grip and happily processed through to the other side. 

Straight to information desk....Where does Newark flight leave from..??  it leaves from gate 48 terminal B...cool which terminal are we in now. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek we are in E terminal. So how do we get there.?? Down a floor, run down the corridor, wait for train shuttle, fight your way in, stop at every other terminal along the way. Eventually reach terminal B, run back along a corridor, up a flight , ask at information, find out you are still a long, long way away, realise you are going to have to kick up your Dr Martens and make a run for it.....

Cue one mad women in fifties clothing, nostrils flaring, wild scary look in eyes, beehive bobbing ten to the dozen hurtling herself extremely ungracefully down the corridor, taking out unsuspecting passengers, right left and centre, with her carry on case. I arrived at the gate at 4.12pm and flung myself over the counter pleading and praying that the 4.20 flight hadn't closed. It was a wonder the poor women didn't have me removed immediately. I was panting, taking deep breaths and trying to explain, whilst all the time the only thing I could say was..." Have I made it, please tell me I made it..." only to receive the reply "Yup, its been delayed 2 hrs...??? Wtf...??? you mean my heroic Marathon sprint, which lets face it, that's what it was!!!!!!, and at my age deserved the very least a standing ovation and a bouquet of flowers...!!!...was all in vain.?? Bejeezus...how ruuuuuuuuuuude.!!

Any hows I finally made it to New Jersey and was greeted with a Chinese and a bottle of beer, don't mind if I do..lol.

Today started with a quick trip round the supermarket for supplies...mainly Diet Dr Pepper, lol and then it was straight to HQ. First thing I wanted to do was run up and down the shelves of my product and announcing to all and sundry..."These are mine.. yes mine, my name, look...can you see yes it's me.!"  Eventually I realised that the only person remotely interested in my overexcited witherings was me, so I breathed into a paper bag, regained my composure and carried on.

But I did sneak some pictures just so I can prove to myself it's really true, lol.

Here's where some of the inks are


boxex and boxes of stencils


Some of the staff who pick and pack the orders


Boxes of stamps



Complete outers of the ink sprays


And whats this...?


Heres a clue...


No.? Okay how about now...

 
Yup , they are mixing up a whole vat full of melted chocolate ink. Tomorrow I am going in whilst they are bottling and I am going to see the procedure from start to finish. Soooooooooooooo frikkin excited, I can tell you, lol.

Here's the lovely Justin


  and the lovely Alain


Always great to see the lads, but just wait till you clock this. Unbelievable to see it, in person, in all it's glory.

What is it...? I hear you cry...

It's only the actual coat Alain was wearing in his extreme stickling video. you remember...the one where he got a vat of Stickles poured over him, from a great height.!!!


 Here's the gorgeous Sherri, who's in charge of the whole pick and pack department, and ensures that all my Dylusions are delivered correctly to the stores.



And here she is with her extremely gorgeous daughter, The lovely Elizabeth. They are just so darned cute, the pair of them.


Nearly had a serious melt down when I thought I had lost the files with all the work for my How to book. Again, cue hyperventilating and severe gnashing of teeth. I knew there was no way, if completely lost, that I could start again from scratch at this late date. On the verge of tears and with every available swear word known to man, on the tip of my tongue, we trawled and trawled through the files. Just as I was about to admit defeat...there it was. Thank frikk for that was about all I could muster as the tears now turned to tears of relief, lol. Things soon settled down after that as I staked my claim to a large area of the \education room. I was a bit like a dog, marking out my territory, although I did draw the line at cocking my leg up at the comfiest chair. Once I got into the swing of things there was no stopping me working and creating, so I stayed for a few hours after closing. I could have gone home, but wanted to crack on seeing as \I was in the zone, so to speak. |well, |I was greatly rewarded with the arrival of |Tim and Mario and the news that we were going out to dinner at my favouritest restaurant.

Oh yes the one and only sawa....sushi restaurant extraordinaire...what a result..!!!




Topped off with a McDonalds flurry and a quick putting the world to rights, we headed on home. And here I sit, freshly bathed and moisturised, blogging, whilst listening to the dulcet tones of their snoring, lol. It's a glamorous life and someone has to do it.....so it might as well be me.!!!!!

Enjoy xx


Quote of the Century


"You are an extraordinary woman.


How can you expect anything ordinary to happen to you"


Louisa May Alcott