Katie Bee Creative bio picture

Welcome to my Blog!

I was born to create and I live to create. So with that said, I'm married to a Navy Pilot. We have traveled the country coast to coast calling many different states our home. I am a Mom to 3 children and 1 cat named Ruby. I am on the Design Team for Maya Road and Pink Paislee, which I Love, Love, Love!! I love vintage anything and everything...would rather rummage then organize and am just plain happy when I'm doing some form of art!

~Fresh Produce~ Ahhhhhhhhh…..October Afternoon Fly A Kite and a Maya Road Classic.

I love the Maya Road Townhouse.  I have had 1 published and have another one coming up soon so keep your eyes out for that.  I am so A.D.D. that I never remember what month any of my projects are going to be in.  I  just wait like the rest of you and see it when it comes out.  So, there will be a house in an upcoming Simply Handmade, I just don’t know which one.   But below is my newest one.

So, this is my 3rd Townhouse and I had just as much fun with this one as I did the first 2 times.  It’s a fun little project.

The paper line is the Fly A Kite line by October Afternoon.  It debuted at CHA-W 2010 and I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of each paper. Thanks guys! I love the colors and of course the Strawberries.   Since I just got paper, I addedd embellishments from Farm Fresh and Cherry Hill, , the three lines combined beautifully.  Along with my Maya Road embellies of course.

I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive on this whole project.  The paper to the milk cap roof.

I used the White Pigment ink by MR to stamp the window with the new Edgers Border Singleton Stamp Set.

If you have EVER been stationed up on Whidbey Island then you will know exactly where this Produce Stand and Strawberry fields, Pumpkins, Corn Mazes, Antique shows etc.  I miss Washington so much.  It was my magic place.

The little fruit beads are the Tutti Fruity Beads by Maya Road.

I used Hydrangea Maya Mist on the windows, door and embellies throughout the book.

Notice that I keep the milk cap theme going with the mini album but am resourceful because I am using  only the scraps from the milk cap roof.

My favorite Red Gingham Ribbon.

This turned out to be fun, using the colored October Afternoon rubons in place of paper.  I loved how they look on the white paint and on the black and white picture.

The new yellow ruffle edge trim and the zig zag vintage white trim.

Seriously, that belly………too many strawberries little Hannah.

More new ruffle edge trim by MR.

This Red Crochet Trim is a must have for me also.  It’s the perfect shade of red.

I kept it pretty simple.  No major inking, stamping or pen work.

OK, that’s it…………………for now!

~Katie

Wire Birdcages, tissue paper hearts and a Valentine’s Day Fireplace!

When I first got the new Maya Road Birdcage mini album to work with I was so thrilled…but then I had so many ideas that I couldn’t decide what to do.  I put it off and did it as my last CHA project.  I was going to make a banner with all the pieces but the MR DT had made so many beautiful banners that I decided to just leave it as individual pieces for the show.  Now it’s home and I have hung the pieces on our mantle using the little nails that were from our stockings.

I used the Pink Paislee Cupid Line on these birdcages.  I used a ton of different Maya Road products.  The birds all come with the birdcage album.  The last page on the album is full of bird punch outs.  SO COOL….love them!! I still have the cover to use and the back page to use on a project, so expect more birdcage stuff from me!

I used the Love Mini Chipboard throughout this project.  I used the mini wings with the picture of my grandma below.  I just pop dotted her picture up.  The light pink and hot pink Felt Beaded Blossom flowers come in a pack together, they match the Cupid line perfect.

I used the Trinket bird beads and the hanging Chandelier Beads on this one.

I used the Hydrangea Maya Mist to spray the bird, scrolls and rose (it was from the Goodwill and was a very 80’s seafoam green).  The hot pink color is the Maya Road pigment ink in Deep Rose, it is the PERFECT hot pink color.  I used the Martha Stewart Microbeads, of course.  I use the Ranger Glossy Accents to adhere the Microbeads.

As you can see on my pink bird, if you use the Glossy Accents like a shading pen and then cover it with the Microbeads, you get a cool effect.  I can’t wait to play around more with this.

I cut hot pink and aqua streamers into little squares and put them onto the Maya Road heart chipboard coaster page to create this little banner piece, well it was supposed to be the outside banner piece but now it’s just a little wall hanging.  It got a little squished coming home from CHA.

These are so fun to make.  My girls did butterflies and had a blast.  You just put a pencil, eraser side down into the center of the cut square, wrap it around the pencil and dip it into glue and adhere it to the chipboard.  Gently pull the pencil out or else you will pull the tissue back up with it.  You can use tissue paper but I didn’t have any so I used streamers.  Just think back to the days in high school when you helped decorate the floats for homecoming.  Same concept.  These would be so cute in white for a wedding.  You can take any of the Maya Road coasters and do this technique.

I am off to dirty up my hands some more with another project.  This time using October Afternoon’s new line called “Fly A Kite” and of course something Maya Road!!

~Katie

Fat Quarter Valentine’s Tree…….just until I think of a better Name!

I am the queen of being “sidetracked”…this project started because  I was trying to clean my scrap room.  My pin cushion was totally full.  I needed a place to put all my Maya Road pins in full view.  Seriously, if they are tucked away…I forget about them.  So, I had a styrofoam cone left over from a Christmas Tree project that I did about 3 years ago…and I also needed to find a place for it.

So, I thought.  Well, I’ll use that.  But plain Styrofoam white?  I think not.  So, then I remembered that about 5 years ago, I had bought a bunch of Moda fabric on Ebay in fat quarters and quarters.  I am not a sewer but I do love fabric.  But same problem.  Out of sight, out of mind.  So, I thought…well, I’ll somehow cover it in fabric.  Well, I couldn’t figure out how to make that work in a way that looked cute to me…and I had a big ole stack of fabric.  So, this is how this project was born.

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I used the Pink Paislee Canvas Patches from the Cupid line (love this line btw) and a ton of Maya Road pins.  My idea is that now I can see the fabric patterns, and if I want to use a piece..I’ll just take it off the tree and iron it flat again and then replace it with another piece of fabric or not.  I guess i have to decide if it will be a decorative piece or a functional piece.  It’s pretty cute, hate to destroy it.

I just folded the quarters in half and then rolled them up and then rolled them into a little flower and stuck a pin through to secure them.  I could do a way fancier flower but I didn’t want to cut up the fabric, just in case I do use it for another project.  I didn’t glue the patch on, I just pinned it into place with my flowers.

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The problem is, now I want a little set…so much for the picking up my scrapbook room.  Oh well, the fabric and pins are taken care of now!

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The back side is solid.  I have a little spring sign to hang from it after Valentine’s Day.  I think it’s super cute too.

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Yep, I’m a weirdo.  Now, I really am going to work on my scrapbook room.  Promise, really.  uh huh.

~Katie

A tour of the Maya Road booth with The Paper Life and me…

So, I thought Amy was just a regular customer asking to see the new product until the video camera came out, YIKES!!  She is just as sweet as can be and made me feel really comfortable.    Anyway, so you can see a tour of the booth on her site The Paper Life.

I got home last night and am tired and need to unpack.  My house felt so big after staying in a hotel room all week.  I could see the girls in the window when I pulled up, they were so excited for me to get home.  Maddy had a hard time with me being gone.  She said she felt homesick even though she was home and things just didn’t feel right with me being gone.  I felt bad, but it’s only twice a year and I need to get away sometimes also.   Now  i just need a relaxing get away!!

I saw some beautiful product at some of the booths that I got a chance to go to…..I’m telling you…the October Afternoons booth was my favorite.  I strolled past it a million times…..they have a new line called The Thrift Shop, HELLO…Could that not be more perfect for me? I am seriously thinking that might be my next class.  They also had a line called Fly A Kite that is darling……………..and I know exactly what NEW Maya Road product will work PERFECT with it!

The Jenny Bowlin stuff was so darn cute too….I was drooling at her booth also.  I can’t wait to get my hands on her new product.  Of course Cosmo Cricket was a standout too.

Anyway,  got things to do…and will post some scrappy pictures soon!

~Katie

~Precious Moments~ Maya Road CHA booth project

 

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This is the new Wavy Layer Book by Maya Road.  I used a ton of different Maya Road product on it.  I used the Hydrangea Maya Mist on the trims to make them turquoise and on most of the chipboard.  I also used a lot of Glossy Accents to make things shiny and epoxy like.  It’s amazing the richness the Glossy Accents adds to the color.  The papers are a mix of October Afternoon (oh my………you should see their new CHA release…i’m drooling), Jenni Bowlin, K&Co and Sassafras Lass.

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All the rubons are Maya Road.  If you have any questions about any of the products used, please ask.  I’m typing this in a time crunch so I don’t have time to link everything!

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I used the white Maya Road pigment ink to stamp the words and used the “Defined” word stamps by MR for the words.  I’m not much of a stamper but I thought I pulled it off fine! 

 Oh, and of course….I used Microbeads.  I really love them. 

So, CHA is going well….busy and exciting…nobody recognizes me because my hair is so much longer and no…I don’t have hair extensions, i just eat my vegetables.

I did do a little tour of the booth today, on video…I’ll let you know when it hits the net…was totally not prepared for that.  It was day 1 so my sales pitch was a bit rough, now get me on day 4 and I’m a pro!

Gotta run, tomorrow comes early!

~Katie

~Arghhhhhhhhhh, I knew it was coming, I knew it would be here but yet…..~ oh and 1 more Maya Road Sneak!

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I am as always, totally unprepared.  It’s raining terribly this week, tornado warnings, severe thunderstorms, flash flood watches and we live in the back hills so the commute to civilization (By civilization, I mean malls, specialty stores, LSS, Goodwill, Michael’s etc)  is far, especially on a rainy day.  I mean there is a mini mart and Mexican food place but even our town, only has a K-Mart for the shopping that I need.  So, it won’t even be easy to run around like a madwoman and get it all done.  Big hills, curvy roads and long grades make for bad drivers in the rain.  Ya know?  Yes, I have complete anxiety about it.  Speaking of, Derek is driving home in it right now and Wildcat Canyon is a &%$ch of a drive.  I worry, often.  OK, all the time.  I will discuss that after CHA.  Anxiety, yuck.

I am talking about CHA and all the work that goes into it prior to the show.  It is a ton of work.  I got off easy last summer, I had just had surgery and we had just moved so I only created 2 new projects….well, I guess not so easy on account of the surgery and the moving part. right.

Anyway, so here I sit when I should be working…I have an album to finish soon and then another one to finish by Friday morning.  Oh and get my hair cut (for the FIRST time since LAST May, besides my butchering of my bangs), dyed (too much white and I’ve been dying it myself….yikes), find a new bra (which is hard to find a comfortable one that has good support and looks good in large  cup sizes, blah), get a couple pairs of jeans (I’ve gone down a couple sizes and nothing fits) and get the car detailed inside.  I tote people around up there the whole week and the inside of my car seriously smells like a part of a Happy Meal is hiding somewhere.  I cannot bend and climb anymore with my hip pain so climbing into the back of the car and cleaning is not an option and it’s pouring buckets outside. Derek has been so busy also and taking up the slack for me while I’ve been working.   My eyes are blurred.  I’m close to being done, I’ll pull through!!  There are so many more things I wanted to do for the show but time has run out and so those projects will have to wait for another day.  Some are in the process  but ALL are in different stages so it feels hectic.

I have some pretty stuff that I can’t wait to share pictures of but with the pouring of buckets that I mentioned above, it seems like I might not get some great pictures.  That bugs.  The low light I mean.  I cannot operate in anything but auto and rainy days are not my friends.

Now that all the new Maya Road has been shown and the catalog released, I suppose it’s OK to share this project with you.

This will give you an idea how to use the embossed fronts of the coaster albums. Yes, I did use the Martha Stewart Microbeads.  Yes, I am an addict.  I also used one of my favorite papers ever, I hoard every scrap.  Tea Towel Cherry Hill by October Afternoon.  Pretty paper.  Love it.

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I used the new Strawberry Coaster album cover for this.  I used the new teal leaf pin, the new vintage trim and the Early Release heart pin.  I also used the  SUMMER from the Seasons key chain, the Caroline letters, the black and white gingham ribbon, the hearts from the Early Release  Love Mini Chipboard Set.  The background that I used is a page from the scallop ring book.  The clear ribbon that I used is called sheer poppy and it is  one of my favorite products, it has grown on me.  I LOVE how crisp it looks.  The light shines through the clear but not through the black and that makes it  just look so crisp.

I know, i’m a weirdo, to talk about a ribbon like it was a diamond or a fresh apple.  I can’t help it, I love crafts.   Try being me, married to a Navy pilot.  Really.  He gets me though, thank God.  I didn’t say, always appreciates that part of me, but he gets that it is in my core,  i’m just crafty.  That everything  I look at is a potential palette.  We see things through different eyes but yet can listen to each others version pretty darn good now.  This did not always come easy.  But we are there and always working on it.

OK, about that other album….I’m off to work on it now.

Talk soon.

~Katie

~Dress Forms have made their way into my heart~

Well, actually…they have made it forever ago but I am not just starting to get them into my work area.  I love to be surrounded by them.  Since Caroline just posted DAY 4 of the Maya Road Sneak Peeks, I will take this as my go ahead to share my dress form project.

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The dress form comes in an album like this…..the back part has the stand.  Since I was using this as a banner, I did need all the bodies to have a stand.  So I made my own.  It was easy, I’ll tell you how.

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The leaves chipboard set has a plain chipboard piece that backs them so I used that, I traced the stand onto that.  I used my tonic scissors (these are the only scissors I use on chipboard, they rock) to cut them out.  Then I used the black packaging from the Maya Road blister packs (this is what all the little sets come in) and traced and cut out the legs again.  Glued them together , sanded the edges and adhered them to the back of each dress form.  Since I am hanging this on the wall they won’t get a lot of wear and tear so the faux stands will work fine!  A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

I used lots of new product on this banner.

I used this new mini banner set below.

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I used the new mini sewing set.

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I used a new flower from below, I love, love , love these flowers……………..

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The new sewing stamp set.

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The metallic ink pads…love these also!

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I used the new Chandelier beads, butterflies and the new Vintage Trims.

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The rest of the banner pieces!

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Ok, is that enough pictures for you?  Thank God I am driving to CHA and don’t have to send this banner in the mail or in my carry on luggage…I would be a bit anxious.  It will be spread out on the back seat of the van for this trip.

Have a great MLK day!

~Katie

~Maya Road sneaks and a mini tutorial on Ranger Glossy Accents and Martha Stewart Microbeads~

Did you see the Maya Road Sneak Peeks?  Oh My………………there are some fab new products!!  I have been having so much fun making my samples!!  I’m not quite done but a couple little sneaks have been shown on the Maya Road Company Blog.   I love the sneaks from today.  Just go HERE to see them.  Wait until next week when they finish showing you the rest, it will be like the finale at the fireworks show.

I Love these new felt pearl blossom flowers, the colors are so beautiful.

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I used the yellow one on the front of this album.  I can only show you this snippet of it because the album is a new one too but isn’t being shown until next week!

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Could these ribbons not be prettier?  I don’t know the price point yet, but Maya Road is well known for their affordable prices so I am sure they will be very budget friendly!  I used the cream one around my milk cap on the front of the album. The dress form is from the sewing set below.

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Since Caroline showed this next project in full form, then I guess it’s OK for me to put it on my blog.  It’s actually a piece of a banner, there are many more pieces to show later! There are 2 new trims on it and a new flower.  Plus new Trinket Chandelier Beads.   The new trinket Chandelier beads are so, so, so perfect…………….cannot wait to stock back up on them!

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The new pins in brown and teal are a fast favorite also.  I love the green ones so this is a new twist on a favorite Maya Road product of mine.

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There may or may not be another NEW product on this sample.  Hmmmmmmm………

So, go to the Maya Road Company Blog for the last 3 days of Sneaks and then catch them on Monday for the start of the rest of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Let the Randomness begin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you remember the black shadowboxes that I told you about a few weeks ago that were on sale from AtHomeAmerica?  Well, they went even lower.  I ordered 3 more and cannot wait until they get here.  $9.99 people, so darn cheap.  If you ordered them at $19.99 (which was already 1/2 price from $40) you cannot get a price adjustment, I tried.  But that is fine, as they are worth the $20 and now I am getting 3 more at $10.  They are out of stock now…..:(  Sorry guys!

I am using this one for glitters etc………..the rest will be used for vintage stuff.  Seriously, I am a visual person.  If I see it, I use it…if it is buried in a drawer, then I forget I have it.  So this is my solution to get everything up and out and NOT take up table space.  This way when I am working on a project, I can just scan and see what I want to use.  They come with hangers already attached, 2 sets actually so that you can hang them vertical or horizontal.  Whatever you want.  I am taking a wall and doing 4 of them set up, 2 tall, 2 sideways and will post pictures when I can.

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Next, I had a question from Patty…

This is probably a silly question but…whats the best way to apply glossy accent to get the smooth coverage you get? I always seem to stroke marks. Thanks.”

Not a silly question at all Patty!!  I did a little tutorial for you with a Maya Road Snowflake,  Martha Stewart Silver Microbeads (it came in the multipack), Glossy Accents and Silver Maya Mist.

I’ll also tell you how to use it as a glaze or gloss.

First of all make sure that you cover the chipboard underneath with whatever color you are going to be using on top, so that you don’t have brown chipboard peeking through.

I used Silver Maya Mist on this snowflake.

Then when using the glossy accents, you want to squeeze the glue on to the surface of your chipboard and just keep backing up your bottle.  Hold it like a pencil and fill in the blank areas.  Don’t rub the tip on the chipboard unless you need to fill in a little hole.  If you are covering a big area, your hands may cramp a bit.

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As you can see, it’s a thick coat.  It will dry flat, it’s kind of self leveling.

If you are doing a large surface, you may want to work in shifts (this is one of the large snowflakes, not the mini’s) and cover with the microbeads half way through.  I have a ceiling fan in my scraproom that keeps my hormone sweats to a minimum but doesn’t work out as well with glues, it dries them faster then I want.  So I do half at a time sometimes.

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Add the rest of the Glossy Accents making sure to fill right up into those little spaces in the beads.  It’s ok for it to touch the beads, it dries clear and glossy.

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If you want to just have a glossy surface, do it the same way.  Just squeeze it on, backing your bottle up as you go.  Then once your piece is evenly covered set it aside to dry, it needs several hours.  I don’t know if you can tell by the picture but I used Glossy Accents on this dressform and the tree below.  It makes like an epoxy.  Follow the directions on the bottle about shaking and how to care for the product.  You are supposed to try NOT to get bubbles on your surface and if you do, you can go back and pop them with a pin while it’s still wet.  I’m not bothered by little bubbles so you can see that my work is not perfect, neither am I.

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I hope that Helps you Patty!!  Glossy Accents really is a wonderful product!  They make it in crackle also.  I don’t know if you can see it on the “T” or not, but I used the crackle to add a distressed look to the white paper “T”.

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Ok, enough for today………………Hannah has been home sick most of the week and I have taken her to the ER once and the doctor 2 times so I have got to get crackin on my work.  She left me this note yesterday.  She is so sweet and sensitive.

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Talk Soon!

~Katie

Yes Martha, your new Microbeads have made me weak in the knees……

Martha Stewart Rocks, she does.  Her new line of microbeads is finding its way into all my new CHA projects………I’m obsessed.

I feel like I did when I first discovered glitter.  I can show you some snippets but that’s all because I can’t show any new Maya Road product until the sneaks start, which is TOMORROW!!

I played around with some different techniques and some different adhesives to see what I liked best so I’ll share that with you below.  But lets get to the fun part! PicTuRes!!

This is 2 hearts from the new Maya Road Early Release, Love Mini Chipboard Set and I used the Tourmaline Microbeads for this.

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The letters in Sweet are from the Caroline letters by Maya Road, which is also my favorite font by Maya Road. The hearts below are also from the Love Mini Chipboard Set. I used the white and pink ink from Maya Road for the base covering of the heart.  The pink is an exact match for the Tourmaline Microbeads (fancy word for Hot Pink), obviously the white is too but that is a no brainer.  The aqua colored microbeads are called Blue Topaz.  The clear beads on the white heart are called Clear Glass microbeads.

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NOW, look what happens to the same aqua Blue Topaz  microbeads from above when I first spray the Caroline chipboard letters with Hydrangea Maya Mist.  It totally changes the color of the beads.  They now look turquoise instead of aqua.  It’s so cool!!  That is the cream scallop ric rac but I sprayed it also with the Hydrangea Maya Mist to make it match my color scheme!  I love, love, love this mist…my favorite color mist ever!

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On this scroll I used a mix of black glitter and the clear microbeads.  I needed black and they didn’t have any so I worked on making my own.  It looks much prettier IRL. You do need to mix the two products but as you pour the glitter will come out first followed by the microbeads.  I suppose that you could do it seperate but you would need to make sure that you don’t completely cover your glue surface with the black glitter or else you will not be able to adhere the microbeads without applying more glue.

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The best adhesive hands down that I have found for this is Ranger Glossy Accents.  You need to color your chipboard first with either Maya Mist, Ink or paint.  Then cover it with the Glossy Accents and then use the microbeads just like glitter.  Shake off excess.  But then the difference is that you need to go back with either a stick pin or a paper piercer and get rid of the beads that stick out.  You can either just push them back into place or remove them.

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You can see all the beads hanging off the edge, just go in with your pin and kind of roll it to get those off.  Be careful because the beads are all stuck together and you will take out a row of them.  You can just pat it into the glue also so it’s not hanging off the edge.  Then just set it aside and let it dry.  They are beautiful!!

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The 12 Pack of Microbeads is what I ended up buying after I bought the bigger bottles of my favorite colors.

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The 12 packs are sold out at 2peas but are IN STOCK at Scrapbook.com go HERE.  Only $16.99! So worth it!!!

They also have the Metallic Microbeads in stock.  Go HERE.

Scrapbook.com has a great selection of Martha Stewart, to see it all go HERE.

Twopeas also has a great selection of Martha Stewart (they are just sold out on some right now) and Maya Road.

I use coffee filters for my microbeading….they have those little pleats around the edges so that I can easily dump the beads back in the bottle.  Plus I can do multi colors at once and not have to clean anything out until I’m done and they are CHEAP!  Plus they stack inside each other.

So Miss Martha Stewart, your flocking is next on my list……..I have a bottle of that just waiting for the perfect project!!  You kill me!

~Katie

~”Your Honor~ I am Katie Watson, Ian Kinney’s Sister-In-Law….” My letter to the judge and Finally, this day is Over.

Sentence-16 years.

Must Serve 85% of the sentence before eligible for parole.

The max sentence got changed today, it was not supposed to be 18.  There was a charge that overlapped so those 2 years got taken off the max sentence.

So, technically he got the max.

We are relieved this is over.

We have waited 18 months for this day to come.  Sentencing day.  I am exhausted.  This was an extremely emotional grueling day for all of us, including the drunk drivers family.  The drunk driver finally spoke, I’m sure it will be on TV later.  He said he was sorry and I’m sure he is.  So are we.  Too little, too late.  I will link the news stories when I can.  There were some amazing words spoken today by my sweet family.  We all ended up speaking, even Deb and Derek.  They thought they wouldn’t be able to.  I’m so glad that they did.  Gosh, Chandra’s letter almost made me start sobbing.  It was so touching.   Ian was like a little brother to both of us, especially since have both lost our own brothers.

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Your Honor,

I am Katie Watson, Ian Kinney’s Sister-In-Law.  I am married to Derek, Ian’s oldest brother.   We have 2 daughters together, ages 8 and 10 and I have a son age 18.

Ian was 8 years old when Derek and I got married.  He still had the little  corner of his blankie that he slept with at night, he played Legos, did card tricks and idolized his older brothers.  His favorite movie was Men In Black and his biggest crime was spray painting a dog blue.  I don’t think I need to explain to you how important and special he was, I know that you have read the letters so you must already know.

Ian was the youngest one.   The “little buddy” as my husband called him.  Scott and Deb were a bit older when they had him and he was so anticipated, so cherished.  There could not be two more loving parents then Debbie and Scott.  I have learned so much about parenting from them.

Your honor, I know about death.  I lost my younger brother, my only brother, ironically when he was only 19 also.  However, he was not killed, he died of natural causes.  As you can understand, my family was grief stricken, my parents divorced after 25 years of marriage and our family fell apart but we at least always had peace of heart knowing that he died peacefully.  We were able to be comforted thinking that maybe, just maybe the Lord was calling him home.  My brother’s body was now pain free, he could now run with the best of them and the likely upward hill that his life journey would have become, was now at the finish line.  We felt that maybe it was just his time.

This is NOT what happened with Ian.  It was not Ian’s time.  He was violently, painfully and abruptly taken from this world.  I don’t believe that it was Ian’s time to go.  He had only just begun.

We think, “Oh gosh, if Ian had just been one minute faster or slower, he would still be alive”.  But fate was not responsible for Ian’s death that day, Shannon Shimp was.

Or we think that he was “in the wrong place at the wrong time” but he wasn’t.  He was right where he was supposed to be.  Loving life, a beautiful girl beside him, the California sun shining down on them, coming around that corner with his whole life ahead of him.

And then Shannon Shimp decided that he was just “that much more important then everyone else”,

That what he wanted to do “was just that much more important then the safety of those around him”.

That he was “that much more above the law” then the rest of us.

He decided that he could use meth, drive on a suspended license, not register his vehicle, nor pay for insurance.  He decided that he could drive to a bar in the middle of a Tuesday, get smashed and then after being cut-off and warned “not to drive”, do it anyway.  Then he  broke many traffic laws and illegally crossed over double yellow lines,  around blind curves, and aggressively passed not just one but three cars.  He didn’t however  make it around the 3rd blind curve or the 4th car.

Shannon Shimp had so many chances to stop this tragedy from happening.  Ian had no chances.

Shannon Shimp should not have been there that day, he should not have been driving any vehicle anywhere.  There was a reason that this man had his drivers license taken away, but apparently Shannon Shimp didn’t have to follow the same rules that the rest of us do.

He should not have been drinking and driving.  I know he knew the risks and legality of that.  I am sure that growing up with a firefighter for a father that he got plenty of safe driving lectures.  I am sure that his father has seen his fair share of DUI fatalities and I know that Shannon’s father loves him and would have warned him about the dangers of driving under the influence. Shannon was 34, old enough to know better.

Shannon Shimp should not have been there driving on that road, he most certainly should not have been in Ian’s Westbound lane.  That was Ian’s lane, Ian’s minute and Ian’s life.  Shannon Shimp had no business taking that from him and from all of us.

Our family is so close knit.  This  has gotten us through the last 18 months but also it has made Ian’s absence more obvious.  When we get together as a family, you can see and feel the sadness in Debbie and Scott.  In all of us. Something is missing, Ian is gone.

Holidays now consist of a visit to the cemetery.  Instead of figuring out what to buy a young man for Christmas, we have to decide between buying a little Christmas tree or a wreath to set on his gravestone.  His room is still all full of his stuff, just normal teen boy stuff.  Video games, CD’s, fuzzy dice.  We keep it, because it is all we have left of him.  His clothes still hang in his closet just like he left them.  We see him everywhere yet, we will never lay eyes on him again.

Shannon Shimp is responsible for this.  He acted with a “conscious disregard for human life”.  He did not care for those around him.  His vile language and lack of concern for the victims at the scene of the collision, show that he cares nothing for the people or world around him.  He thinks only of his selfish ways and not even the law can stop him.

He is guilty of murder and in my opinion the State made it’s case for 2nd degree murder.  Shannon Shimp got lucky twice.  He walked away from that tragic collision alive and in one piece. Then he was found “not guilty” by the jury of 2nd degree murder for killing Ian and Mr. Edwards.  He deserves the maximum prison sentence under the law for his crimes.  His long steady history of breaking the law and his disregard for those around him have finally led to the ultimate sin, he killed 2 people and greatly injured a young girl.

Is there anything worse he could do?  YES, there is.  He could do it again.  With his history, I think that he would.

Please keep him off the roads and keep another family safe and as unknowing of this pain and grief as possible.

Your honor, Please make this Count.

Thank You.