L is for Laugh...

Tonight's project got me one letter closer to being caught up with my "A Year In The Life of an Art Journal" project. The prompt for the letter "L" was Look, but I felt compelled to change it to laugh...
I used acrylic paint, white eggnog thickers (my favorite style!), magazine images (the laughing kids), BG June Bug paper (bird), Heidi Grace rubons, 7 Gypsies gaffer tape, vintage houndstooth fabric, misc ribbons, Rusty Pickle tag, and black and white sharpies.

The journaling reads: "Since I met Michael, my world has become filled with laughter, and it makes every day feel bright and sunny. We giggle about our little quirks, the funny things that happen in life, and even the ridiculousness of bad situations. I never knew how good it feels to laugh your way thru life before, but now I couldn't live without it."

I'm almost half-way thru the prompts now, and it's fun to see my journal filling up! The letter prompts go on every other page, and I still have to fill the in-between pages with random journaling, which I haven't been very good about. Guess I better get busy on that!

Next on my project list is a layout for this Sunday's Scrapping The Music song. It's a fun one! I won't be able to share the whole thing tomorrow, but maybe I can post a sneak peek!

So, in other news, I was looking through my latest Oprah magazine looking for images for my project, and I came upon an article about music, and a place where it said something about - if you like Neil Young, you would probably like this band called The Avett Brothers. Being a long-time Neil Young fan, I had to check it out. Turns out The Avett Brothers are an Americana Band and I absolutely fell in love with their music! They have a music player right on their website, and I spent the whole evening listening to them while I worked on my page. I think I will be investing in some Avett Brothers tuneage very soon!

Who have you been listening to lately? Anyone new inspiring you?

Project 52 ATCs for July - Weeks 26 thru 30

I have discovered that I absolutely LOVE doing Artist Trading Cards in sets, rather than one at a time. There's something really fun about coming up with a theme, and trying to make each one different while still having some continuity throughout the set. Plus, I love seeing them all lined up together!

Anyhoo, I made my Project 52 ATCs for July as a set done with the June Studio Calico kit. Here's how they turned out (click on the image to see the details)...

Here's how the backs look. I used these fun vintage playing cards that I got at the thrift store, and then I totally forgot to make sure the cards were right side up when I designed the front - AARGH! Oh well, mistakes just give it charm, right? LOL
Next on my project list is the "L" page for my "A Year in the Life of an Art Journal" project. I can't wait to work on that tonight!

Did you see the prompt over at The Next Step this week? It's a cute little mini-album made to hold your sewing needles and pins. What a fun idea! I really hope to get time to do that one! It's not on my Project list, so I may have to sneak it in this weekend.

Today is the day that the new challenge goes up at the "These are a Few of my Favorite Things" blog. I can't wait to see what it is!

That's all the news for today. I hope you have a completely awesome and inspired Thursday! I will be back tomorrow with another update!

Project 365 - Week Thirty...

It was a really fun week...

Monday, July 20th: I got an awesome happy mail package from my friend Denise. Vintage children's book pages, mostly cat-themed; and there was even one about a cat named Willie! How awesome is that?
Tuesday, July 21st: Willie discovers my lunchbox full of yo-yo's during an evening scrapping session...

Wednesday, July 22nd: My retro typewriter arrived...

Thursday, July 23rd: Rummaging thru an old box of memorabilia, I came across this photo of me at four years old...

and the last three are from Saturday, July 25th:

Willie looks down at us from the second floor landing, as we're on our way out the door for a walk. The picture's not upside down. This is what we saw when we looked up...

Looking up from the trunk of a very tall tree...

and the smile that melts my heart...

and guess what - I even finished a layout this week! Here's how it turned out...

Did you hear the news? SiSTV is closing their online boutique. I'm sad to hear it, but it sounds like it's going to be best in the long run, because Jeanette (the owner) will have more time to devote to the online community/website. Can't wait to see what exciting things she has planned for the future! In the meantime, there is a 40% off everything sale that started at midnite, so head on over and check it out if you're interested.

The big reveal at Studio Calico was a lot of fun! The kits this month look absolutely beautiful. I ended up ordering all three add-on kits, plus a bottle of lime green maya mist! I am so excited!!! I can hardly wait for them to arrive! When they do, I will be sure to share pics.

So, next on my ever-lovin list are my Project 52 ATCs for the month of July. There were five Wednesdays in July, so I need to come up with a set of five. I've got a number of theme ideas in mind. Hmmmmm.....

That is it until tomorrow. I wish you an absolutely beautiful, happy and creative Wednesday! Thanks so much for stopping by, and thank you for your comments!!! They really make my day!

BASB and Lotus Paperie... (Hey - that rhymes!)

Challenges are really inspiring me lately - I just can't seem to get enough of them! The current challenge at Lotus Paperie is a sketch, and the BASB challenge is to scrap a summer layout. I combined the two to make this...

"Summertime...and the livin' is easy."

I used the June Studio Calico kit (again!), plus my orange crush bottlecap, orange fabric from my secret sister Andrea, acrylic paint, Pink Paislee alpha stamps and 7 Gypsies gaffer tape.

Journaling reads:
It was a beautiful day so we decided to go for a drive. We discovered a sweet place called Coon Lake Beach, and came upon these horses, who were so beautiful we had to stop & take a picture.

The BASB challenge is a two-parter this time; and the second part is to share an organizational item for your scrap supplies. Something you re-purposed. Well, I love to store my scrappy supplies in all kinds of odd containers, especially really old ones. One of my favorites is this old metal lunchbox that I got at a garage sale that is now home to my various tapes...

It is just the right size to hold the rolls comfortably, and I love how it looks sitting on my scraproom table.

Do you have any ideas for repurposing items for storing/organizing your scrap supplies? I'd love to hear about them!

Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comments you've been leaving - I appreciate it so so much!

Oranges Smoranges - WHO SAYS...

Did any of you watch H.R. Pufnstuff as a child? I did. LOVED IT. There was a character on it named Witchie-Poo, and she once sang a song that went...

Oranges, Smoranges.... WHO SAYS?
Oranges Poranges....WHO SAYS?
Oranges Smoranges.... WHO SAYS
there ain't no rhyme for oranges?

I still think of that song whenever I think about the color orange, which is ALOT becuz it's my favorite color! Anyhoo, that is probably useless information, but I just thought I would share, cuz I'm a sharing kind of gal.

So, I did my layout for the first challenge at "These Are A Few of My Favorite Things." It's my friend Julie's new blog, and I'm really looking forward to playing along. The first challenge is to scrap your favorite color. Hence, the reason my mind was on "Oranges Smoranges." LOL. Here's what I came up with...
I was inspired by the layouts Georgia Visacri and my friend Penny D'Autremont did for the challenge. They both used a grid-like format, so I thought I would try a grid. The layout is mostly photos, but I also added some acrylic paint, patterned paper hearts, fabric swatches, a Sassafras deer, crocheted flower, and I pinked the top of the paper.

Next on my list is the BASB challenge, which is to scrap a layout about summer. I should be able to do a little bit with it tonight, but it won't be finished til tomorrow.

The new song at Scrapping The Music is "Good Guys Win" by Jimmy Buffet! Perfect for scrapping those layouts about the good guys in your life! Head on over and check it out!

That's it for today, but I will leave you with the Oranges Smoranges video for your viewing pleasure, and I will be back tomorrow. Have a wonderful Monday...

I am Loving my New List!

Hey there and Happy Sunday! I've been having so much scrappy fun this weekend! I think overhauling my list helped to declutter my mind too, because I have been feeling really inspired and energetic! I finished three projects today!

The first one is the "K" page for my "A Year In The Life of an Art Journal" project. As you can see - K is for Karma...
My journaling reads: "Karma is just the universe giving you the lessons you need.

The quote reads: "Every word sets off a charge. Every action small or large takes the planet for another spin, hard as it is to observe." ~Peter Himmelman

I used acrylic paint, magazine images, rubber stamps by Comotion, Stampin Up and Rubber Moon, and vintage sheet music.

The next one is my Gretchen McElveen scraplift for the Lotus Paperie challenge. The challenge was to lift one of three layouts posted in this post. I chose the "I believe" layout to lift. I love Gretchen's work, and I especially loved how she did the background on her layout, so that is what I focused on for my lift...
I used the June Studio Calico kit, plus acrylic paint, Stampin Up alpha stamps and stazon ink.


And finally, a layout just for fun...
The little journaling tag at the top says "magical things always happen on our walks."

Only one more day til the August Studio Calico kits go on sale! Since I have a subscription now, I will automatically get the main kit, but there are THREE fabulous-looking add-on kits this month, and I can't wait for the reveal to see the full photos! Yeayyyyy!

Well, I'm off to bed now but I will be back again tomorrow with another update. Take care my friends, and thanks so much for stopping by!

List Overhaul Time...

Well good morning my friends - er afternoon I guess! I was up til 3:30 this morning updating my project list. I usually do that once a month, but I did it a little early last night because it needed a major overhaul.

For one thing I've been enjoying doing challenges lately, so I wanted to include a few of them on my list.

Another thing I needed to do was to find a way to break down Dina Wakely's Masterful Art Journaling class lessons into chunks so that I have enough time to complete ALL of the assignments in each lesson in a deep and meaningful way. There is seriously SO MUCH packed into each lesson it's incredible! I printed out the lessons and numbered the assignments in each one. For example - lesson two is about journaling prompts inspired by the life of Van Gogh, and there are EIGHT separate assignments in that one lesson - and they are ALL so inspiring! So I am scheduling them in to my project list, one at a time.

What I ended up with is a scheduled project every day from now until the end of September. There are a few exceptions because of other scheduled events, but not too many. For me it is SO EXCITING to have all these projects to look forward to! Does that make me obsessed? Hmmm.... maybe, but that's okay!

So, anyhoo, no projects for today's blog post, but I'd love to hear how you organize your projects - do you keep a list? Do you set aside certain days to create? Certain times of the day?

I'm off to create my project for today - and if I have time maybe I will do tomorrow's too! HA! See you again tomorrow for another update! Thanks for stopping by!

Friday Fun...

Say hello to my new friend...
He's a retro 70's bright orange typewriter!!!! How cool is that???
I was so excited to find this cute little typewriter on ebay (in my favorite color no less!), and even more excited when Michael helped me bid on it and win! It came in the mail yesterday - Yeayyyyyy! It's going to be so much fun to use it to type on journaling spots and layouts!

I can't stop using the June Studio Calico kit! It's so much fun! I did this layout tonight - it's for a couple of challenges - The Story Matters and The Next Step...
The Next Step is all about stitching on layouts this month, and The Story Matters' current challenge is hosted by my friend Sasha, and it's about what gives you inner motivation. I thought that was a great challenge!

So, do you have any scrappy plans for the weekend?

Silly You...

I finished my Lotus Paperie challenge layout tonight! The challenge this week is to scrap your crappy/blurry photos. What a great challenge! I had this pic of daughter Becca and her friend Nakole that I absolutely love, and it gave me the perfect opportunity to do something fun with it! Here's how it turned out...
I used the June Studio Calico kit, plus black dymo labeling, white thickers (my all-time fave style), Black Jenni Bowlin paper and a Tim Holtz "giggle" ticket.

The journaling reads: "Even tho this photo is blurry, I love it because it captures your friendship so well. Always having fun and laughing together."

Becky Higgins has a cool thing on her blog today. It's a free download template for making a book of your life story. It's a "fill-in-the-blank" style worksheet, so I can imagine you could either leave it just like it is or decorate it up as much as you want. There's a version for a teenager and one for an adult. Check it out here.

That's it for today, but I will be back tomorrow with more to share! I wish you a wonderful Wednesday! Thanks for stopping by!

Project 365 - Week 29...

Another week's photos ...

Monday, July 13: Sneak Peek Nite was fun at Studio Calico...
Tuesday, July 14: My beloved Gandalf the wizard sits on a shelf in my scraproom. I got him at an Art Fair in 1980. He's made of polymer clay and I just love him!

Wednesday, July 15: A little bunny hangin out on the neighborhood walking trail...

Thursday, July 16: It was one of those days when I was out driving around for work and the sky looked too beautiful to be real. Like it was just a big painting in the sky. Do you ever feel like that?

Friday, July 17: The state of my scraproom. Yipes...

Saturday, July 18: A pic from the Crop-A-Ganza...

Sunday, July 19: Michael and I went for a drive and saw these horses near Coon Lake. So pretty...

If you are doing Project 365 - how is it going? Are you still finding things to take pics of? I find myself forgetting sometimes, but I think all in all it's going pretty well.

I will be back tomorrow with another update! Have a fabulous Tuesday my friends!

Scrapping The Music and Crop-A-Ganza Projects...

I had so much fun at the Crop-A-Ganza! Oh my word! And I actually got a lot accomplished too! That hardly ever happens - LOL! Anyhoo, before I share my projects from the crop, I want to tell you about this week's Scrapping The Music song. The song is "If Today Was Your Last Day" by Nickelback - and I found it to be a very inspiring song to scrap with! Here's what I came up with...

The lyric I chose for this layout is "My best friend gave me the best advice. He said each day's a gift and not a given right. Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind; and try to take the road less traveled by." I love that!

I used the June Studio Calico kit, plus grungeboard wings, acrylic paint, glimmer mist, black ink, fancy pants corner stamp, Jenni Bowlin black star vintage paper, turquoise duct tape, and black and white journaling stamps.


So - on to the Crop-A-Ganza projects. First up is a layout for the current "Scrap The Boys" challenge. The challenge is to title your layout "Real Men ______." I thought it was perfect for this picture of Michael and his dad on father's day this year. I used the June Studio Calico kit, and here's what I came up with...The mat behind the photo is actually the inside cover paper from an antique book. It was in a big box of free vintage papers and ephemera at SiSversary. It's fun to be able to use it right away!

Next up is the 4 x 4 Mini-album from the class that Jenni Bowlin taught at SiSversary. I used it for some of my pics from SiSversary. I bought a few extra papers and embellies to customize it for my style a little bit - but most of what I used was included in the class kit. Remember you can click on the images to see the details better...













I started another layout (for the Lotus Paperie challenge), but it's not finished yet.

I hope you had a lovely weekend! I will be back tomorrow with a Project 365 update! Thanks for stopping by and for your comments - they really mean a lot to me!

Thingfinding Fun...

I just want to check in real quick-like, cuz I've got to get to bed, so I can get a good night's sleep before the big crop-a-ganza!

I had some fabulous luck with thing-finding this week! First of all I found this little gem lying in the road during one of Michael and my neighborhood walks...

isn't it oh-so-gorgeous? When I was making my bottlecap charms a couple of months ago, I had to BUY a bunch of root beer just to get the caps, and then spend time trying to smash them just right - and here, lying in the road was a genuine, beautifully-distressed bottlecap, already smashed into the perfect shape! and on top of it all - it's ORANGE! Yeayyyy! It will make a nice addition to an upcoming project of some sort.

Oh, and then I stopped at the thrift store, and found this fabulous super old matchbox! It was actually falling apart, but it was so cool looking I had to have it - only 50 cents! HA - a steal! I took it home and covered it with gel medium, and now it's strong enough to stand up to anything! I think I will line it with some sort of cute fabric and use it to house some ATC's!


I have been preparing for my crop tonight, so no new projects. It's always more work to prepare for these things than I think it's going to be. Note to self: next time do it in small steps throughout the week. Don't wait til the last minute.

Alrighty then - I'm off for some snoozing. I hope you have a fantastic Saturday - whatever you do! I will see you tomorrow - thanks for stopping by!

Eclecticity...

I can't believe it's Friday already! Woah. I know I need to quit commenting on the quick passage of time, but I am truly continuously amazed by it. HA.

So, I've been in a phase lately of jumping around to different projects - trying this and that - and I absolutely LOVE it. I'm learning so much in my art journal class, and I am loving having the freedom to do a bunch of challenges. It seems I usually am up to my ears in swaps and other commitments, so I don't have time, but lately that hasn't been the case. Yeayyyyyyy!!!!! Challenges are one of my favorite things in the creative world, because they always get me to stretch my horizons. Sometimes just a little and sometimes ALOT. But it's always inspiring.

Tonight I created this layout for the current Lotus Paperie sketch challenge. It is a 6 x 12, and I turned it on it's ear and changed it up a little bit. I also decided to tackle the current technique prompt at The Next Step, which is stitching on a layout. I used the June Studio Calico kit...

Along with the kit, I used my fave Jenni Bowlin black patterned paper, embroidery floss, a Stampin Up "moments" stamp and MM gingham ribbon. (click on the image to see more detail).

Tonight it's time to prepare for tomorrow's crop-a-ganza! Yeayyyyy! How are your weekend plans shaping up? Do you have any creative time carved out?

Works In Progress...

Hidey ho and happy Thursday! I've been working in my art journal again and altho I don't have any more finished pages, I thought it would be fun to share how the pages are coming along. They are just a bunch of messy experiments at this point - but that's what art journals are for, right? So as I build layer by layer, here's some examples of what I've got so far (remember to click on the image to see them close up)...











Later, when they are done I will share again. I've been having so much fun painting on all of these different surfaces that I collected in this journal. Brochures, paper bags, file folders, along with actual watercolor paper mixed in here and there.

There was a sale tonight at Michaels, so I picked up a big pad of watercolor paper and a jug of magenta paint for 40% off!!! Yeayyyy!!!

The other thing I did tonight was start printing off current challenges from various challenge blogs to work on this weekend at my crop. So far I have seven different ones. Now what I think I will do is go drift off to sleep while visions of layout possibilities dance in my head. HA. Do you ever do that? I find that sometimes if I go to sleep thinking about layouts, I wake up with new designs in my head - almost like magic!

Thanks for stopping by my friends and I will see you tomorrow with another update. Wow, it's almost Friday!