Scrapbooking; January Challenge

Remember I mentioned that my scrapbooking group and I are taking part of a Spending Freeze for scrapbooking products for the month.

Dang it!  I'm getting lots and lots of emails of all these spectacular deals that I'm just deleting.  I know there'll be more in February on, but I feel like I'm missing out!  LOL

Carly and I have been scrapbooking like crazy and the huge mess in the Command Center proves it!  I've completed 15 layouts.

Some pictures:

You know what I realized...my pages are so plain.  I don't know why I freeze up when I'm scrapbooking.  When I'm creating anything else, I get all kinds of artsy, but not when I scrapbook.  Even when I tell myself to "go crazy", it just doesn't feel right.  I don't know if it's the fear of damaging the photos or what, but at some point, I've got to let go and go all out! But that's ok.  We all scrapbook differently. 

These are just a few of the ones I made.  I love combining pocket pages and standard 12x12 pages.

I have asked Carly to select a few of her favorite layouts and I'll do a feature post on her.  She does amazing work and I'm so proud of her!  She's in Disneyworld right now and hubby & I are on our way to a four day cruise tomorrow.  Woo Hoo!

Lovin' Life

Final Project:



This piece had many stages before I finally finished.  All these flowers started as blobs of color and I saw leaves and flowers in there.  So I grabbed my white correction pen and a black fine point pen and doodled around the color blobs to emulate leaves and flowers.  I added the black stencils to add some black to the page.  This was one stage before the final doodles, dots, marks, sentiment, etc., were added.  I used the "stamping on tissue paper" technique for the sentiment again on this one.  Loving that idea!



I may use this piece for a scarf in my VIDA collection.  See more on that HERE.


These pictures were taken with my iPhone.  I don't know if it's me or they are actually a little blurry.  LOL

WOYWW # 399

Good morning and happy Wednesday!  Click on over to Stamping Ground's blog to find out what the WOYWW is all about.  Click HERE to get there.


Each week participants link up a photo of their work areas and talk about what they are working on or what's currently going on in their life.  It's a lot of fun to visit with each other on a weekly basis even though most of the linkers are so far away.  I have laughed, cried, been inspired and just been nosey peeking in these great work spaces.  Anyone can join - take a peek and type a comment or two.


The Command Center looks like it always does - full!  These are photos around the space:

And here's what I've been working on.  Another Art Journal page.  Over the weekend, I finally got my Cricut Air out and look at Design Space (wait, is that what's it called?).  I can see the advantage of having access to cuts on-line versus dragging cartridges with you, but for someone who works on the computer all week, I hate coming home to one.  I decided to keep my Cricut Expression on my work desk, but will take the Air when I go to crops. 

I don't usually buy things I don't think I'm going to use, but my friend was selling her Cricut Air for so cheap, it would have been a crime to NOT buy it.  I know I'll get plenty of use out of it since I use my Cricut A LOT.

Happy Crafting and Have a Great Week!

Be a Unicorn

I created another journal page and I love it!

I added the white "cloud" once I realized I didn't like the large black masses.  After I added the white, it made me think "cloud", and then the whole thing just came together.


The unicorn is from the Zoobaloo Cricut Cartridge and the sentiment is from CTMH "Unicorn Dreams" hostess stamp set.


I learned a new thing!  I stamped the sentiment on a piece of white tissue.  Cut it out as close to the letters as possible and then glued it on the page.  The tissue paper disappears on the canvas.  LOVE IT!


I plan to frame this piece and give it to my niece for her 12th birthday.  I figured she'd love the colorful piece of art.

WOYWW #398

Happy Hump Day!
It's Wednesday and I've been really good about posting my work area on the WOYWW (Stamping Ground) link each Wednesday.  Well, this week, I decided to mix it up.  I didn't take a photo of my craft room work area, but my actual (9 to 5) work desk.

Well, actually just the craftiness and fun stuff of my work desk.

These flowers were hand cut, drawn and layered using papers that should have been tossed.  Recycling at it's best LOL!  I watched some YouTube videos on making your own flowers and as I was on hold, I started cutting some out.  After cutting the flowers, I used a fine point black Sharpie and some highlighters to randomly color them.  I may do a video on making these because they are super easy and fun.  Plus a great way to use up scraps!

I altered this board awhile ago, see LINK here, and I love the quote on the scrapbook page to the right.  I made that page years ago on a Monochromatic challenge.  The frame to the left was made by a good friend of mine.  Oh yeah, and my hand written index card.  Apparently I'm on hold a lot at work, LOL.

This little album is made from toilet paper rolls.  This houses some of my favorite photos of my kiddos when they were little.  All of them are laughing.  It's a great Pick-Me-Up when I need it at work.

Check this link out to see more about this canvas.  This has been hanging in my cubicle since I won the First Place ribbon at our local festival.

The "pretties" on the corner of this frame are ribbon scraps I just can't toss.  Whenever I get a little something at work, instead of tossing the ribbons, I cut a little piece and tie it to the corner of this frame.  The heart charm was found and no one claimed it so I added it too.  This is a picture of my parents when they were in high school.  I love this picture of my mom pinning the corsage on my dad.
Click on over to Stamping Ground's blog to check out the other deskers.  You'll be amazed at all the wonderful things people are making.  Have a great week and stay warm.

Butterflies & Wings Art Journal Pages

I feel like I haven't done much in my Art Journal except mop up paints, inks, etc from other projects.  Well, I finally got a change to mess around in there.  On Wednesday, I posted this photo:

I knew I wanted to add some sort of quote on the right side and just wasn't sure on the left.  Well here's a closeup of the right side:

This page started with some stenciled stars, some hand drawn flowers and random marks.  I didn't like it.  So out comes the gesso!  Then I used an old credit card to scrape some bright acrylic paint here and there to cover most of the page.  I love how the stenciled stars still SHONE through and other marks.  Added random washi tapes, rub ons, stamps and randomness and it all came together.  I used Tim Holtz idea-ology words and my own to complete the quote "Life Changes so Make Every Day Count".

And for the left side:
A Julie Nutting paper doll some more random marks and a stamped quote.

I was going to do some sort of She Art, but decided to stamp this quote instead.

I'm entering the right side journal page on the STAMPlorations challenge site.  Check out the challenge, entries and maybe even join yourself!

STAMPlorations

WOYWW #397

Happy Wednesday!  I finally had a chance to work a little in the Command Center.  I opened up my art journal and played with some supplies.  The page on the right was already filled with some markings but I didn't like the way it was turning out so I applied white gesso over the top and "started all over".  I put that in quotes, because you can still see some of the wonderful layers from the original.

Then I put down different colors of acrylic paint using the side of an old credit card.  Added random strips of Washi Tape, some splatters of ink spray here and there and then stamped the butterfly.  I'm looking for the right quote to put to the left of the butterfly.

I used the left side of the art journal to scrap the left over paint and spray.  I have an inkling to add either a Julie Nutting paper doll or my own "she".  I haven't done any She Art in awhile.

Now that you checked out my desk, click on over to the Stamping Ground website HERE to see other desk/craft spaces/craft rooms.  Each Wednesday, there are linkers from across the globe that submit blog entries of their space.  I'm telling you, you will find inspiration, tips, and friendship among these deskers.  Take a peek!

Design Team: Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog (AKA: FCCB)

I am so excited to announce that I'm a part of the Design Team for the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog!  I applied for their Design Team call and they emailed me last week!  I am a HUGE fan of the machine and love all things Cricut!  I cannot wait to start creating items for them.


If you have a Cricut and want to join the fun, enter these bi-monthly challenges with me!  Click here to get there:  http://fantabulouscricut.blogspot.com/


My first assignment is in February so I'll see you there!

Hello 2017!

Happy New Year!  I had the best time on New Years Day with my hubby and our friends.  We took a short trip to the ocean and had a great time!  Can you believe we actually went bar hopping?!?  LOL

We're all between the ages of 59 - 52 and we went to six different bars!  I have to honestly say that I've never done that before!  We took Uber a couple of times too (another first for me and my hubby).

Here's a group photo of us:

And our New Year spread:

My scrapping group will be challenging ourselves to use our stash this January and be on a spending FREEZE.  Can I do it?  Geez, I hope so. 

Every year I say I'm going to scrap my stash and not buy more "stuff", but as everyone knows, that's almost impossible to do.  I'm pretty sure that I can do it for at least one month.  We'll have weekly challenges/guidelines and then post photos on our Facebook Group Page.  I'll add some highlights here as well.

Wish me luck!