The Animal Odd Couple

I saw this on Sarah Bowen's blog and it totally made my day. What a beautiful story - thanks for sharing Sarah!

I hope it brightens your day too my friends! (((hugs)))

She Brings The Sunshine...

I got some time to play with my February Crop Suey kit on Monday nite, and it was so much fun! The papers from the "Twitterpated" line by Imaginesce are just too cute and they reminded me of my friend Analisa! I got to know Analisa when I worked at Archivers, and she is one of those people who is just beautiful inside and out!

Journaling reads:
Analisa is one of the reasons that going to crops at Archiver's is so much fun! She's got a sunshiney spirit that is a joy to be around!

Everything used here is from the February "Cocoa Critters" Crop Suey kit. The sun and arrow are hand-drawn and cut out. The little fox is stamped with stazon ink and then colored with a white colored pencil.

Tonight I've been working on a very special layout for Scrapping The Music. I can't share more details about it yet, but as soon as I can, I will! Shhhhh...

I also want to mention that my friend Tracy tagged me with a little quiz, which I plan on finishing and posting here really soon! I still have some answers to finish and then I will share. It's coming Tracy - I promise!

My goal for tomorrow is to finish my Project 52 ATCs for this week and last week. My word for last week was Play and this week - hmmm.... I'm still thinking. Hopefully I will get them done in time to share them here - either way I will be back to say hello!

Until tomorrow my friends! I wish you peace, love and craftiness!

Project 365 Week Six...

I can't believe another week has flown by! It's week six of Project 365 and I'm still having fun with it! Here's what I got for last week...

Monday: Michael's brother Stan, his wife Amanda and their beautiful children were in town from Florida. Michael went visiting while I was at work. Here's a father & sons moment.
Tuesday: Meeting Amanda and Stan and their family was really fun! P.S. On this day I'm going to print more small pics of the rest of the children so everyone gets in my book. I'm going to paste the small pics onto one of the trifold journaling cards like this example on Becky Higgin's blog.

Wednesday: What I've been listening to lately. This is the pile that's waiting to be put back into the CD bookcase. (Click to see details)

Thursday: My sweet Johnny's beautiful face.

Friday: My new rubber stamp storage solution! Yeayyy!

Saturday: My former coworker Analisa was working at the Crop on Saturday. She is so sweet and fun! It always brightens my day to see her!

Sunday: The scraproom organization continues - this is my new Clip-it-up! I am totally in love with it - I haven't been using my stickers or rubons simply because they have been stuck in boxes and I don't know what I have - this is going to be GREAT!

So, that's it - that's my week! I never got my Project 52 ATC done last week, so I will have to double up this week. It's going to be a busy week all-around, so I better get some rest!

Thanks for stopping by everyone - I wish you a beautiful Monday!

Cropping and Organizing...

OMG I just saw the cutest squirrel go scampering across the snow with a HUGE leaf in his mouth! He must be padding his nest. I wish I could have gotten a picture of him! ADORABLE!

Hello everyone and Happy Sunday! I've been looking for a better storage solution for my stamps for absolutely ever and I finally found it.

This is how I've been storing my stamps. They are in clear plastic containers and quite honestly I almost never use them because (A) I don't know what I have, and (B) Grabbing a set from the middle causes the stack to tumble and it just ends up being more hassle than it's worth.


So, I found these 7-drawer stacking carts at Target! They are perfect! The drawers are very shallow, so they are just right for stamps! I brought them home Friday and the boys helped me assemble them...
and here's how they look once set up and filled with stamps. I took the stamps out of their containers and placed them individually in the drawers. It's amazing how many stamps will fit in each drawer!
and another cool thing about this cart is that the drawers are actually individual boxes with hinged lids, so you can pull one out and take it to a crop - how cool is that!


In other news - yesterday was my monthly crop and I had so much fun! I got myself a fancy coffee with an extra 1/2 shot of espresso and zing! I was FOCUSED! LOL. One of the projects I finished was this layout that I made for Kellie (aka divalicious at SiSTV), with a self-portrait that she sent to me.

The green diecut paper is brand new and I can't think of the name of it now (doh), but I loved how it brought out the beautiful color of Kellie's hair. Other materials used include "raven" bazzill cardstock, a printed transparency, Making Memories Chunky Silver alphas (outlined with a sharpie), and a dictionary page - part of it painted turquoise for the background, and part of it to draw and handcut the clouds. I hope she likes it!

I also finished a layout for this week's Scrapping The Music song "Lullaby" by the Dixie Chicks. It's such a sweet song, and it made me think of my little buddy Willie. The journaling around the edge reads: "Willie has been such a lover ever since I adopted him and his brother in 2004. He loves to be held, and he loves to follow me around the house. He's my sweet little shadow."
I used the SiSTV "Girly Girl" collection for the background paper and the flower, which is handcut from a piece of Basic Grey included in the collection. The middle of the flower is a "Flair" button (American Crafts), and the Title is a combination of black poolside Thickers and a Zig Millenium Journaling Pen. The orangey paper is Pink Paislee from the Office Lingo Collection. It had a pretty, diecut edge, but that didn't give the look I wanted, so I made my own scallop instead. The sheet music is vintage.

I also painted a bunch of backgrounds for my art journal, and finished gluing together pages in an altered book, to make them thicker. Now the book is ready to turn into something, but I haven't decided what yet!

It was a big night for purchases - I bought myself a clip-it-up to continue my organizing project, and I couldn't resist the new "Green Stack" by Die Cuts with a View. OH MY WORD ITS SO CUTE!!! And I love that it's 70% recycled!

So, now I am going to get back to my organizing project. I need to finish up for today because I have two things to scrap tonight and I need some space to work in!

I will be back tomorrow to share Project 365 for the week and anything else I can think of between now and then!

Have a wonderful Sunday my friends, and don't forget to stop by Scrapping The Music and play along with us - we'd love to see you!

B is for Because...

I am trying to catch up with the "ABCs of Me" group (also known as "A Year In The Life of an Art Journal"). The group is on C, so I'm almost there. The prompt for the letter B is "Because"... (remember to click on the pic to see it bigger)The background is done with Peerless watercolors. I love these watercolors. They come in a booklet on sheets of paper, which is really cool I think! I bought them a long time ago when they were recommended by a teacher, but only just started using them recently. The colors are really vivid. The image is torn from a magazine, the green letters are Daiquiri Thickers, the tab is "Kewl Stuff" from imaginesce, and the letter B is a rubon by Heidi Swapp, which I outlined with a sharpie. I've decided that this ABC book will have a writing focus, which is something I've been meaning to work on. I tend towards layouts that are mostly visual and I want to broaden those horizons!

So - it is Wednesday, which is Project 52 ATC day! I haven't started my card yet - I am going to do that when I get done with this post. I think my word for the day will be "Play." We went to Michael's folks house last night for a Rydell family function and I was reminded of the joy of being a kid. It's a big family and there are always kids around, and last night was especially chaotic in a happy, giggly, running-all-over-the-place-falling-on-each-other-laughing kind of way. It felt so joyful to be around all that happy energy! It made me want to be more energetic and laugh more and run all over the place myself! Playing is good for the spirit!

So, I'm off to get my ATC done, and if I'm lucky I can also start on a layout that I need to do for a friend.

Good luck with whatever projects you are working on and p.s. DON'T FORGET TO PLAY!

A is for Action...

The week is off to a great start! Yesterday I got both the new Crop Suey "Cocoa Critters" kit AND the new SiSTV "Retro Modern Collection." They are both FABULOUS! Can't wait to start creating with them!

I got started on my "Year In The Life of an Art Journal" project yesterday - (also known as "The ABCs of Me"). The first prompt was "A for Action," so here's what I came up with...
I didn't originally intend for this to actually be the journal entry. In fact, I had planned to use a completely different book for this "ABCs of Me" project. I just thought that I would do a little writing on the subject to prepare for doing the "real" layout. When I was done I thought - why do another one now? It seemed redundant. So, I guess I will be using this as my ABCs of Me journal! The ABCs will just be mixed in with my other journal entries. Hmmm... Maybe I will put alphabetical tabs on the side to differentiate them from the other entries. Yes, I think that is what I will do.

Okey dokey. That's about it for today. I will be back tomorrow with another update tho - hope to see you then!

The 90's and Project 365 Week Five...

When I think of the 90's I think of the Seattle Sound of Bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. My favorite of these was Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder's roaring voice and thought-provoking lyrics totally blew me away. The album "Ten" quickly became an all-time favorite of mine. I remember playing it over and over trying to learn all the lyrics. So, when it came time to make my 1990's edition of the Decades ATC Swap, the subject matter was an obvious choice...
It's a simple ATC. I just scanned the "Ten" CD artwork and shrunk it to fit on my card. Backed it with some grungey patterned paper and attached with some staples. With that, I've now completed four of the five Decades swap cards! I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with for the 1990's! Now I've got to start thinking about the new milennium. Hmmm... What do you think of when you think of music in the 2000's?

Now - on to Project 365! It's the end of the fifth week already!

Monday: I got this idea directly from Becky Higgins. She did a similar photo, and it felt fitting for this day. On my way to a meeting for my new job - a job that will require a lot of traveling...

Tuesday: Urban Hope on my way home from work. Note all the Obama posters in the windows...(remember you can click for a larger view)

Wednesday: This is where all the happy mail arrives. No luck today tho - just tax documents and junk mail.

Thursday: Just a part of my beloved tape collection. This pic reminds me that I need to replace the lightbulbs in the scraproom. These are too yellow.

Friday: Dinnertime for the boys is 11:00 pm. I think they need little pictures hanging on the wall above their dishes - don't you?


Saturday : I am going to print the next two photos 3x4 and put them side by side in the 4x6 pocket. This weekend was project weekend for both Michael and I. Michael was doing taxes and building a new computer...
and I had about a gazillion scrapping projects to do. It was wonderful!

Sunday: It was my lovely friend Bree's birthday today, and I made her this notebook. I'm going to print the photo out small enough to make into a simple 4x6 layout like this one by Becky Higgins. Hers is digital, but I'm going to do mine manually.


A couple more things to note: The Crop Suey kits should be on sale some time today. Keep checking the blog for the reveal. I haven't gotten my kit yet, so I am as excited as everyone to see what they look like!

Elsie Flannigan's Online store called Red Velvet Art was supposed to be open last night, but they've been having some problems with the site. Hopefully it will be up and running today! It looks like it's gonna be awesome!

Scrapping The Music's new song this week is a classic by the Velvet Underground! Check it out!

Alrighty then - that's it for today! Here's wishing you a groovy Monday! I will see you tomorrow!

Another Idea Catcher...

I made another idea catcher notebook - my second one. This one is a birthday gift for my friend Bree whose birthday is today! Happy Birthday Bree! Bree likes owls, so here's what I came up with... Papers used are Jenni Bowlin vintage star, Scrapdiary Linha Tord (owls & stripes) and Lucy Folch's Matryoshka (pink woodgrain). Acrylic paint swiped on the front and hand-drawn and cut letters for the title. The owl conversation is just typed with hand-drawn thought bubbles.



Bree I hope you have a wonderful birthday! This will be in the mail to you on Monday!

So, now I have finished two projects! Yeayyyy! I have a big mess to clean up and then I will decide whether to go to bed or start another one. Hmmm...

Oh, hey - Today is also the big reveal of the new February Crop Suey kits! Yeayyy! Be on the lookout at the Crop Suey blog!

Have a great Sunday everyone! I will be back tomorrow with another update!

I'm Starting My Third Art Journal...

Well hello there my friends! It's 4:05 in the morning and I spose I should be getting to bed, but I started my new art journal today and I really wanted to share my first pages in it! This is the inside cover...
I just felt like playing tonight so that's what I did. The pic is of my buddy Johnny. I used newspaper for one side of the background and my fave Jenni Bowlin paper for the other. The circle is an Izze Soda pop carton on one side and an itunes gift card package on the other. The big quote says "There is no must in art because art is free." ~Wassily Kandinsky; and the little quote (by Johnny) says "I dream my painting and then paint my dream." ~Vincent Van Gogh

I tried out my new Claudine Hellmuth's Studio line of acrylic paint (which was part of my Project Catwalk prize) for the rainbow and title block and I LOVE it! It's thick and rich and the colors are beautiful! I used Classic teal, sky blue and yellow pastel. Here's a pic...

I've got ideas for my next project, but since it is now 4:20 am, I better save that for later! I'll be back with another post tomorrow...

So, what's happening this weekend in your world? Are you working on any creative projects?

I'm Looking Forward to a Weekend of Scrapping...

Happy Friday everyone! I'm so excited about this weekend because I am going to do nothing but scrap scrap scrap! I have ten projects I would like to get done in order to feel caught up - I hope I can do it! I finished the first one tonight - my Project 52 ATC for Week Four and I think it accurately reflects how I am feeling right now - here it is... All elements are hand-drawn except the title. Materials used include Happy Camper paper for the house (by Cosmo Cricket), Funky Vintage paper for the sky (Making Memories); Dictionary page, Black Tie Velvet Thickers; Yellow Gelly Roll Pen by Sakura and a .08 Zig Millenium journaling pen.

The journaling came directly from my blog post yesterday...


It's so much fun watching my display ribbon fill up as I add these cards to it. I will show you how it's progressing when I get a few more on there.

I will be back tomorrow with some more projects to share - have a wonderful Friday my friends!

"Expect the universe to support your dream. It will."
~Julia Cameron

Project 52 - Week Four and List Making...

Well - I didn't finish my Project 52 ATC for this week quite yet. I did decide on my word for the week tho - COZY. That's how I am feeling right now. The weather is cold and snowy and I am so grateful for my warm and cozy home with my two snuggly cats and my snuggly husband. These are the kind of evenings when there is absolutely nothing better than a home-cooked meal, warm socks and a good show on tv.

So the reason I didn't finish my ATC is because I realized that with all the projects and challenges I signed up for, my brain is in a traffic jam again! I spent the evening (after the home-cooked meal and good tv show) figuring out what all the projects I am working on are, and when they need to be completed. I prioritized the list chronologically, so now I can just go down the list and check things off as I do them - Yeayyy! The list is HUGELY long, but it's all FUN FUN FUN!

The timing is perfect too because this weekend Michael has a huge computer assembly project he wants to work on, so I am going to have my own scrapping marathon and see how much I can get done. This will be fun!!! And the first thing on the list is my Project 52 ATC. I will tackle that tonight.

I will be back tomorrow with another update, but I can't do a post without any pictures, so here's one of my friend Willie, lending me a hand with the computer...


and his brother Johnny snoozing nearby (if you could only hear his little snore it would be perfect!)...


See you tomorrow!

Happy Mail and a New Project...

Heyyyyy everybody! How goes it on this fine Wednesday??? I got some fun new happy mail I want to share with you! When I played Sunday grabs a couple weeks ago at SiSTV, I "grabbed" one of these fabulous hand-made coffee sleeves from the very talented MandyKay. I got to choose my own fabric - isn't it awesome? Here's how it looks on my coffee... and here's a pic of it by itself so you can see the groovy fabric on the inside! It's neat because it's not only cute, but the material is really soft - I'm going to keep it in my car - it will feel great on my cold fingers this winter! Thank you so much Mandy!

Okay, so if you visited the Crop Suey blog yesterday you already saw this, but just in case you missed it, I want to share my latest project with the January kit. It's a book I created to put all my creative ideas, sketches, quotes and all that other stuff that I think up or see somewhere and don't want to forget!
I started with just a plain composition notebook. Everything is from the kit, except for the black paint I used to stencil the title. I just placed the alpha stickers that came with the kit gently onto the cover and then sponged over the top with black paint. Then picked the alphas back up. The stars and moon are just cut out of the patterned paper. I added more patterned paper to the inside, along with a quote...
covered the back and wah la! I have a book ready to fill up with ideas!

So, it's Wednesday - Project 52 day! I'm not sure what my word for the day will be. I'm gonna have to take the day to think about it. I will make my ATC tonight and I will be back tomorrow to post it!

Oh, and by the way - there are only a couple more days for the big sale at Crop Suey! It ends at the end of January. To check it out, click here.

I also joined another group! My wonderful friend Bree has been inspiring me with her projects for "A Year In The Life of an Art Journal," so I decided to jump right in and play along! Check it out here if you are interested.

Alrighty - that's it for today, but I will be back tomorrow - see you then!