Curious Georgie...

Michael and I had fun working together on a creative project this weekend!  Our little niece Georgie, was having her first birthday party on Saturday.  Michael came home with a "Curious George" doll on Friday, and we turned him into a Curious Georgie!

Here's how he looked before:

And here's what we did...

I made the bow and embroidered the "i" on George; but Michael and I worked together to add the lace to the bottom of her shirt.  The thing that made it difficult was - the shirt doesn't come off the doll!   It's sewn right on, so we had to stretch in all kinds of weird ways to get the machine to stitch the lace all the way around.  You should have seen us trying to keep the shirt straight as we fed it through the sewing machine! Ha.  It was super fun tho, and we heard from Michael's sister (Georgie's mom) that she likes it!  Yeayyy!

Not bad for two non-sewers, eh?  We were pretty proud of ourselves!  :0) 

I hope your weekend is going well.  Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

Thanks so much for visiting and for your kind comments.  They truly brighten my day!!!

Finish 'Er Up Friday....

If you are anything like me I'm guessing you might have just a few half-finished projects sitting around?  OMG I have wayyyy too many!  So, my plan is to work on those unfinished projects once a week and share my progress with you here.  I hope you like it!

One of these projects is my travel journal for Honeymoon Five; from last October.  We went to  DisneyWorld and Harry Potter World in Orlando, and had so much fun!!!  Anyhoo, it's a handbound book I made, using a Harry Potter Gameboard for the cover. I still plan to collage the cover, but right now it looks like this...

 (that's Johnny in the background.  He loves to get in on pictures!  You can see the beginning posts about this journal here and here.



 I decided to look at each day of our trip as a separate little project, to make it seem more doable.  Tonight, I finished day one, which consists of three two-page spreads...

 Ephemera on this page includes our baggage claim ticket, which I made into a tab on the left-hand page; and a piece of a Disney World brochure which has the little rat and castle on it. I embellished the pages up with a bunch of washi tape, and some Amy Tangerine stickers.

 When you are on your honeymoon at Disney, they give you huge "Happily Ever After" buttons to wear!  I duct-taped them right onto the page, even though they are pretty heavy!

 I love this spread because the right-hand page was all done by Michael.  I love when he adds in stuff!  He worked out a plan so that we could hit all 6 theme parks in the week that we were there! Yeayyy!

That's it for today.  I can't believe it's Friday already, can you?  I hope you have a fantastic day!  Thanks so much for visiting!!!

Art Journal Everyday Update...

For those of you that are playing along with the Art Journal Every Day group - how's it going?  I have to admit, I haven't been art journaling every single day; but I do have some new journal progress to share!

First - I've started a daily writing journal.  I got this fun one at Barnes and Noble. 

 

 I'm using it to do free-writing, plus notes, to-do's etc.  I'm loving it!  I am doing a little collage to introduce each month at the beginning...

 Here's April's...

 Nothing super fancy, just a few images to set the tone for the month.  The article is from "O" magazine, and the little bird is cut from a Papaya Arts catalog.

Here's the one for May...

 Here's another collage I did, just for fun.  This one is in my blue kitten journal...

I made another handmade envelope to keep my receipts and notes and things for May.  This time I used leftover paper that was used to catch paint spills...

and here's a little peek at one that's in progress...

Thanks so much for your kind comments in my last post about my Project Life.  I really appreciate them so much!  If you left a question, I  tried to answer it in the comments section, so please be sure to check there.  I don't want you to think I am ignoring you.  :0)

That's all for today.  I hope you are having a super-groovy week my friends!  I will see you again soon!

Project Life Tuesday...

I'm all caught up with Project Life - yeayyy!!!  I finished last week's layout last night.

Here's how it turned out...

Left side closeup:

Ephemera on this page is a coffee drink sleeve and a thrift store postcard (the dog and kitten).  The rest is just miscellaneous stash and a journaling card from each of the Clementine and Cobalt PL kits.


Right side closeup:

Ephemera on this page includes a business card from our vet, and the packaging from a new toy I bought the boys since they were so good at their appointment.  You can see in the middle photo that Johnny had a little hinder shave job cuz he had a few mats.  We groom them every day but he still manages to get a few of those once in awhile.  The middle left piece that says "Art" with the heart, is an ATC that I made a few years back.  The calendar is another freebie from The Owl Barn, which I added a couple of Amy Tangerine stickers too.

I hope your week is going well so far!  Thanks so much for visiting and for your comments! I really appreciate them!

Shine Like A Star and Screen Play Sketch...

I got two more challenges done for the Scrapbook Nook Crop!

The first one was Patricia's "Shine Like a Star" challenge.  The prompt was to make something full of glitter and sparkle!  This was a challenge for me cuz I almost never get my glitter out anymore!  Here's what I came up with...

 The background of this art journal page is watercolor on 140 lb. hot press watercolor paper.  I used the Balzer Designs clouds stencil and some molding paste, and then sprinkled glitter on it while it was wet.  This is what I love about challenges - they push you to try something new.  I just love how the glitter made the clouds shine!  I added a little extra glitter with Amy Tangerine glitter thickers for the word daydream. 


 The next challenge I did was Marinette's "Screenplay Sketch" challenge.  The idea was to make a card or three tags using her sketch for inspiration.

 I ended up with these three tags...

I used washi tape, more Amy Tangerine papers (can you tell I love them?), and the horse and sheep are October Afternoon rub-on's from the farmhouse collection.  Plus bits from my stash.  It was super fun making these tags, and I figure I can use them on art journal pages or for project life!

The crop is going on until this evening, so head on over if you want to play along!

Thanks so much for visiting!!!  I really appreciate it!  Have a great Monday my friends!

Project Life Week of April 23 - 29, 2012

I'm so excited to have another week of Project Life finished!

Here's how it turned out...

Closeup of Left Side...

 My "Jack and Jill" kit from Noel Mignon arrived on Monday, so I used that for alot of this week's embellies and papers.  I used the packaging from the woodgrain badges I ordered, as a background for my Monday 3x4 card.  The little girl holding the flowers is an ATC that I made in 2009.  I just love having a place to put my old ATCs!


Closeup of right side...

I cut the birds on the feeder out and placed them on the cloud paper, cuz the background in the photo was a dull grey sky. The cardinal is framed by the packaging from some new washi tape I bought at my crop on Saturday!  The "Life is tough" illustration is a cocktail napkin; and the "do more of what makes you happy" quote is a printable freebie you can get here.

 Thanks so much for visiting!  I really appreciate it!

He Loves His Daddy...

I finished my first challenge layout for the crop over at The Nook!  The challenge was to do a layout based on a movie genre.  I chose Romance!  Here's what I came up with...

I used my Noel Mignon Charm School kit; plus a little Amy Tangerine, and a few things from my stash.  The fun is just getting going over at the Nook so come on over and play along!

I am off to do a little work on my Project Life, while I mull over ideas for the other Nook challenges...

National Scrapbook Day and My New Camera...

Hey everyone!  It's National Scrapbook Day tomorrow! Are you excited???  I am!  I am going to participate in an online crop over at The Scrapbook Nook!!!  It's going to be so much fun!

The Scrapbook Nook is an online community that I just found out about, through my friend Patricia.  Patricia is a new member of their design team!  CONGRATS PATRICIA!!!  Anyhoo, I checked it out, and they are soooo friendly and fun! AND they are having a crop party all weekend long!  The fun has already started, so come on over and check it out here!

In other news, I am super excited about my new camera!  My little red Canon Powershot has been wearing out for awhile now, and I've been looking out for just the right camera to replace it.  I found the perfect one for me in the Canon SX 40 HS!!!  It's got a HUGE zoom and it's super easy to use!  It's called a "Prosumer" camera - inbetween a point and shoot and a DSLR.  Believe me, I didn't want anything difficult to operate, and this isn't! 

Check out the difference in photo quality...

This is the most I could hope for with my old camera:

and look what my new one does!

I took that shot from across the yard.  It's so exciting to be able to see the local wildlife up close and personal now!  I've started to name them.  I think this guy's name is Ronald, don't you?  This is going to make project life wayyyy more fun!

Okey dokey, that's all for now!  Hope to see you over at The Scrapbook Nook Crop!

Sparkle...

The new challenges are up at Scrapping the Music! The song we are featuring this time around is "Sparkle" by Rubyhorse! I picked this song because I love the melody, but even more than that, I love it's hopeful message.

Here's what I created...

This lyric reminded me of how much Michael helped me through the last year, after the loss of my mother. I don't know what I would have done without his support. :0)

I used my Noel Mignon "Primrose Lane" kit for this one.

Come on over and check out the other design team layouts for the challenge, watch the video, and see what the prompt question is!  We'd love it if you want to play along with us!

Playing in my Blue Kitten Journal...

Hi and happy Sunday! Yesterday was my monthly girlfriends crop, and I got to play in my blue kitten journal all day long! It was so much fun!

Here are some new finished pages that I came up with...

This is the inside cover...

If you are not familiar with those two little guys (the pink one and the green one) they are Hoops and Yoyo, and you can see them here. I cut them out of a magazine.  The papers and embellies I am using throughout this journal are mostly a combination of Amy Tangerine's lines, plus Noel Mignon's Primrose Lane and Charm School kits.

This is my handmade envelope to collect stuff like receipts, workshop handouts, and other misc. stuff...

 

I got the pink angel wings from Noel MIgnon's store, and the April calendar is a free download from Owl Barn.

Here I'm using my handy dandy 21 Secrets Checklist to keep track of where I am with all of the classes.  The ones that are completely colored in I've completed; and the ones with the dots are in process.  I love that they provide this checklist for us!

I learned to do the flower cutouts in Alma Stoller's Child's Play II workshop (which is part of 21 Secrets)...

Sometimes I just feel like writing, so I will do that, and then decorate an envelope to stick it in...

I wanted to keep this article about Davy Jones, so I pasted the first page onto cardstock, and then cut down a page protector to house the double sided page...

and that's it for now. April's almost over so I'm not sure if I will end this journal and start a new one, or just keep going.  It's already getting really full!

I hope you are having a super groovy weekend my friends!  Thanks so much for visiting!

It's Time for another Balzer Designs Stencil Hop!

Hi everyone!  I'm so excited to bring you round two of my participation in the Balzer Designs Spring Stencil Hops!

This time around we are featuring the "Wedding Ring" stencil!  How beautiful is this design???

I had so much fun playing around, and seeing what this stencil could do!  I ended up with two projects completed - one card, and one art journal spread.

First I made the card...
For this I used the 6"x6" version of the stencil, and sponged some stamp pad ink through it.  I learned this technique from my friend Anne, and it really works well for getting the details to show up! 

Then I cut along the bottom of the circles to make a scallop; and backed it with green cardstock to give it a pop of color.  I also outlined the shapes with a black journaling pen... 

I still wanted more color, so I used some colored pencils and gamsol for blending...

 

and here's how the card turned out...

Next I decided to play around in my art journal with the 12" x 12" version of the stencil. I had an idea for an interactive journal spread, and I'm so excited about how it turned out!!! Here's what I ended up with...

I started out with two sets of watercolor pages in my Blue Kitten Journal.  I used modeling paste through the stencil to create texture on the top set of pages.  I just loved the bubbly shape it created around the outside, so I decided to cut the shape out! Then I painted it green, and rubbed some turquoise ink over the top to highlight the texture. I cut three of the circle middles out so you could see the second layer of watercolor paper underneath (which I painted pink and yellow with the help of my beloved Neocolor II crayons).

 The current prompt over at "A Year In The Life of an Art Journal" is to use "inchie" photos to capture details in your everyday life that make you smile.  The spring flowers in my neighborhood really make me smile, so I cut photos I've taken of them to fit inside the circles and glued them on.  They're actually 2", but who's counting, right? 

 The green paper flips over on either side to reveal my journaling...

I had TONS OF FUN playing with the Wedding Ring Stencil!!! 

If you haven't done so yet, hop on over to the other participating bloggers and see what beautiful things they have created for the hop...

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2012/04/stencil-hop-wedding-ring.html

Valerie Mangan
http://paperandcookies.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Mason
http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blogs/jenn/default.aspx

Christine Urias
http://scraptime.ca/blogpage/

Michelle LaPoint Rydell (that's me!)
http://inspirationeverywhere.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much to Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, and Crafter's workshop for inviting me to be part of the Spring Stencil Hop 2012!!!

Project Life Week of April 16 - 22, 2012...

Here's how the spread turned out...

 Closeup of the left side...

The title card is a postcard from a hospital giftshop I was at this week. The gorgeous image of the two girls on the far left is a free iphonewallpaper available here.  I have since learned that the artist also sells prints on etsy - check those out here.  The image on the bottom right is also a postcard - I got it while traveling up north this week.  Postcards are great, easy additions for project life - I've discovered that most of them are just the right size - 4x6."


Closeup of right side...

This week I used a lot of papers and embellies from a combination of Amy Tangerine's lines and my Primrose Lane kit from Noel Mignon.

I still have a week I haven't finished yet, but I will get to it eventually.  :0)

A couple of reminders for you:

There is still time to enter the current Scrapping The Music challenges!  The deadline isn't until the 27th at midnite!  Click here to check it out.

There is another Balzer Designs Stencil Hop coming up this Thursday, and I am excited to be participating again!  Look for that post on Thursday morning - bright and early!

I hope you are having a super groovy week my friends!  Thanks so much for visiting!