Vintage Springs

it doesn't get any easier than this!

2009-09-03T15:49:00.005-05:00

Background is just color-pickered from the chalkboard in the photo, and a couple digi stamps re-colored chalk white. Digi stamps are from the Academy kit at Club Scrap...

CS Birds of a Feather kit...

2009-09-03T15:46:00.004-05:00

I love this super pretty kit, and it's not TOO pretty for boys' layouts! All Club Scrap digi...

first day of school...

2009-09-03T15:28:00.005-05:00

So, how much do you think I cried? My oldest baby started Middle School, and my youngest baby started Kindergarten. We all had a wonderful summer together, and now the house is WAY too quiet!!

8x8 layouts, all digi, all Club Scrap. The layout of all four of them on the front porch is Apothecary and Memoirs; Kennedy is Academy and Apothecary; Christian is Academy, Apothecary and Concrete Jungle; Gracey is all Apothecary; and Aaron is Concrete Jungle, Memoirs and Academy.

CS Apothecary kit...

2009-09-03T15:14:00.003-05:00

Just what the doctor ordered!! This beautiful, beautiful kit warms up every photo!!
All Club Scrap digital...

CS Memoirs kit...

2009-09-03T15:09:00.003-05:00

You can get LOTS of great, diverse looks from this one kit...
All Club Scrap digital...

CS Concrete Jungle kit...

2009-09-03T15:06:00.003-05:00

How fun is this kit???!!! It's definitely my new favorite!! It's great to be a little edgier and to just have fun with my layouts!! All Club Scrap digi...

CS Henna kit...

2009-09-03T15:00:00.006-05:00

LOVE this oh-so-dreamy kit!! Perfect for little girl photos!! All Club Scrap digital...

Gracey & Mommy in Disney...

2009-04-10T21:10:00.001-05:00

Last year, I posted about the mid-winter trip I took to San Diego with Christian. This year, it was Gracey's turn, and we hit Disney Orlando, which was fabulous! Just the two of us, we had a wonderful mommy-daughter long weekend, complete with LOTS of nachos, snow cones, and sunshine. Here's a few of my favorite layouts. All the digi elements are from Club Scrap...

new adventure...

2009-03-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited that Club Scrap asked me to join their Digital Artist Team! I absolutely love everything Club Scrap, paper and digi, and I'm really looking forward to working with all the great gals over there!! Here are a couple of CS layouts that I love...

2009-03-15T20:53:00.000-05:00

I'm totally getting back into digital, and I loooove this layout of my Gracey...

Club Scrap Chapter 1 and Artifacts digi kits.

repurpose those frames with a faux enamel technique...

2008-12-15T15:39:00.000-06:00

It was time to change out the pictures in the frames, and I said aagggh - time to change out those tired frames, too! But in the interests of trying to be environmentally responsible, instead of tossing them, I altered them. First, of course, I started out with some coarse sandpaper, just to give the wood a little tooth...

Then I grabbed that bag of overflowing paper flowers - you know the one, you have it, too!! :) And with a little bookbinding glue (Club Scrap, of course), I popped them around the edges, allowing them to remain 3d...

Hold on... I thought this was supposed to be an improvement!! Just wait. The cool part is still coming!! On another frame, I grabbed my stencil paste and a great stencil (Club Scrap)...

I gave this PLENTY of time to dry and harden before continuing, and then it was time for the fun part! First, I sprayed them both with a very generous amount of glossy black spray paint (Krylon), and allowed to dry. A sunny, warm, windy day is perfect for this kind of project.

Then, I sprayed it again with glossy white spray paint (again, Krylon). If you do this, don't worry when you get little bubbles or pockets of black showing through - you can go over it again with the white paint, or leave it for a funky effect...

Once the white was dry, I grabbed my black gesso and very lightly brushed over the textured parts of the frames...

...and again with my white gesso, to soften it a bit and give it a nicely aged look...

It's smooth & shiny, yet worn & crackled, and WAY more fun than plain wood!

Enchanted Halloween...

2008-10-31T15:20:00.002-05:00

Just an old rusty lantern with vintage cabinet card images (from art-e-zine) digitally altered to look fabulously ghostly and printed on vellum, attached to the inside with decoupage gel, and lit with a candle...

a funky little doll cabinet...

2008-10-02T08:14:00.007-05:00

At another yard sale, I found this little white, well-loved wooden cabinet made just for doll clothes. I grabbed it up, let my daughters choose the paint colors, and made a fun little treasure box. Right now, it's the perfect place for all their American Girl doll baking utensils, aprons, chef hats, and goodies. Stamps are from Club Scrap, Lost Coast Designs, and Inkadinkadoo.

Gracey's got a brand new nightstand...

2008-10-02T08:06:00.004-05:00

My fifty cent yard sale find, transformed into a pretty little place for storybooks, treasures, and a soothing lamp for bedtime. My Gracey chose the fabulous colors, and Club Scrap took care of the stamps and stencil...

king and queen pendants...

2008-09-17T19:41:00.010-05:00

It was so much fun making these fun little pendants. It only took a couple vintage checkers, a little solder, some glue, and these great little gold metal crowns. Check out the workshop page at Collective Artwerx for a free tutorial!! (And while you're there, check out the other awesome tutorials from Sue and Stacy!!)

my stairwell...

2008-09-17T19:41:00.006-05:00

So, here's the story. Like every other middle American, I lined my stairwell with framed 8x10 photos of my kids ~ school pics, baseball, ballet, etc. You know what I'm talking about. The problem is that we have a window at the bottom of our stairs, which leaks way too much air, and moisture is constantly getting between the glass & the photos, ruining both the frames and the photos. Aaack!

The good news is that Lesley over at Latest Trends hosted a fabulous workshop on layered collage. The perfect solution to my problem! I grabbed four 8x10 canvases, enjoyed every minute of the workshop, then simply adhered some of my favorite photos to the canvases with magnets (the ceramic kind that stack when turned the right way ~ one magnet on top of the photos, and the other on the back of the canvas; then I popped a vintage key over the top one). Now I'll be able to switch out the photos quickly and easily whenever the mood strikes, and I don't need to worry about the glass & the moisture anymore. Well, I suppose I could have just fixed the leaky window thing, but this was so much more fun. Thank you, Lesley!!

Halloween workshop

2008-09-09T19:19:00.011-05:00

I loooooved Inka's workshop over at Latest Trends - definitely a huge treat!! Here are some of the things I came up with using her fabulous techniques...

assemblage...

dominoes... (hand-painted "boo" and digitally altered photo of spider)

"never ask a witch about the recipe for her toadstool soup"... (digitally altered photo)

"catch a moonbeam and fly"... (stamps by Inka)

recycled/altered Starbucks cup holder...
Be sure and check out Inka's website here (and also linked on the right, under my "favorite sites to shop") ~ she's awesome!!

another reason to love Caribou Coffee...

2008-09-08T19:37:00.000-05:00

Well, of course it's delicious, but those little aluminum jars that it comes in??? FABULOUS!! The product information comes off really easily with some coarse sandpaper, and the jar takes alcohol ink really nicely. I then stamped into a warm glob of embossing powder, colored with some StazOn, and popped a little ribbon or beaded wire onto the top. Stamps from Inka Stamps and Club Scrap.

a couple more bracelets...

2008-09-08T14:03:00.005-05:00

I started out with two photos that I took of a carnival ride (top bracelet) and a tall ship (bottom bracelet). I altered the photos digitally, printed them out, water colored & stickled the carnival photo, sliced them up, wedged them between cut-up microslides, soldered them together, and attached jump rings to the sides. I connected the charms together with more jump rings, strung through some vintage chain, and attached some vintage buttons, and a clasp.

First Day of School (sniff)....

2008-09-01T19:49:00.001-05:00

My babies are ALL in school now, and they're all growing so beautifully...

All digi layouts ~ Aaron's is Club Scrap's Academy digi kit; Gracey's is Aja Abney's (ScrapArtist) School Days kit; Chrisitian's is Club Scrap's Cruisin kit; Kennedy's is Club Scrap's Gimme a Ring kit; and the four of them on the front porch is Aja Abney's (ScrapArtist) Schoool Days kit.

ATC backside, just for you!

2008-08-08T14:26:00.007-05:00

This month's digi contest at Latest Trends has a "purple" theme, and although my entry doesn't stand out against the wonderfully vibrant purples of the other participants, I think that this faded and muted purple suits my project. I started with a photo of carnival balloons, which I altered, added in a vintage baby photo that I found & altered, then thought that it might make a nice ATC back.

So please, feel free to right-click-save this image, print out a few and art your heart out on the other side!

"morning errands in Paris"

2008-08-01T20:53:00.003-05:00

An old French book, a metro ticket, a postage stamp, some old buttons and part of a dissembled white enamel necklace make this clinky bracelet really fun to wear.

"apple of my eye"

2008-08-01T20:49:00.003-05:00

I started with a photo I took of an apple tree ~ sliced part of it for the charms, and sliced and coiled the remainder into photo paper beads. I then wirewrapped the beads into a bracelet and added the charms and a couple old buttons with jump rings, and finished it off with a strand of black leather lace and a lobster clasp.

"tonic"

2008-08-01T18:41:00.005-05:00

I loved the mermaid-green color of a vintage "Anti-Degenerate Bioplasm Fluid" label that I found, and I thought it would make a great bracelet. I'm not sure, though, whether the people who had to actually put the anti-degenerate bioplasm fluid into their noses would be so sentimental about it! :)

just playing...

2008-08-01T18:29:00.005-05:00

...with some ephemera, stamps, cut-up microslides, glass pebbles, beads, buttons, and ball-chain.

campaign button bracelet

2008-08-01T18:01:00.003-05:00

Election years can be sooooooo long. Why not have a little fun with it? I grabbed six vintage campaign button replicas at a local antique shop, removed the pin backings, soldered the buttons together with a jump ring at the top of each, and popped them onto a chain with some other old buttons and a pretty toggle clasp.

my favorite new bracelet

2008-08-01T17:47:00.007-05:00

Our wonderful days at the beach can go on and on now...

I simply sandwiched some photos between microslides that I had cut, soldered them into charms, attached jump rings to both sides of each charm, then connected them with bigger jump rings and a lobster clasp.

vintage window...

2008-07-07T19:47:00.004-05:00

I tore out and watercolored some ads from a vintage gardening magazine, adhered them to some burlap, and then to the back of the window. I alcohol inked the remaining glass, and melted some beeswax to the front; also stamped and embossed onto the glass. I painted onto the wood, just a bit around the corner, and stamped onto that as well. I added some beaded wire and an old outdoor water faucet handle to the existing hardware, and that was it. Super easy, and the texture on this one is really fun!

Love is the Key...

2008-07-07T19:41:00.004-05:00

I found this pretty little flower shaped doorknob at an antique shop, and popped it onto an old little red book along with a couple vintage keys and a soldered charm...

Happy Birthday, America!

2008-07-04T10:58:00.003-05:00

Celebrate!!!

Altered Table Tutorial

2008-06-23T16:16:00.019-05:00

I'm REALLY excited that one of my altered tables is going to be published in Somerset Home, Volume 3 (on newsstands August 1, or you can preorder a copy at stampington.com), so to celebrate, I altered another table ~ and this time, I took pictures along the way.

Here's the BEFORE pic. I rescued it from a local antique shop, for just a few dollars. Looking past the horribly neglected finish, I fell in love with the character of its fun lines and really sturdy build.

Poor old thing! First I sanded it, then painted it. I always start painting upside down to make sure that I don't miss anything...

Next, I scraped on a second color of paint, just on the very top of the table. Scraping gave it a texture that I wouldn't have gotten with a brush or roller, and it allows a little bit of the first color to show through...

While I let that dry (which goes REALLY fast when I do this outside & let the sunshine & wind take care of it!), I lightly sanded the corner edges, down to the original wood...

When my green was dry, it was time to stamp. I used timber brown StazOn ink, and stamps from Lost Coast Designs (bought at Blockheads), the Queen's Dresser Drawers (bought at Hannah Grey), and Club Scrap...

Next, using a makeup sponge and a very little bit of the green paint, I stamped around the table's edge with a stamp from Club Scrap...

Then it was time to add a little sparkle. Using a stipple brush, I applied some VersaMark right over the stamped images. Immediately following, I used my fingertips to sprinkle a little bit of gold embossing powder (from Ranger) over the VersaMark'ed area, and heat set to melt the powder. The heat will create some bubbling in the paint ~ you can leave the bubbles if you like the texture that it adds, or you can simply push them in with your fingertip while the paint is still warm, and they will go away...

I looove ink, so I just had to rub a bunch more on...

And finally, for a little dimension, I popped on some glass pebbles, using Ranger's glossy accents...

And here's the AFTER picture. It's not a bad way to spend a sunny summer afternoon!...

creating a beach-worn digi photo...

2008-06-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Ooh, the beach... tomorrow's the last day of school, so it's ALMOST that time of year again, and I'm ready for it! I played a bit with one of last year's beach photos, and thought I'd share the digi specifics of what I did. I wanted to make my photo look sun-faded, hazy and worn out, kind of like I just found it at the bottom of last year's beach bag.

Using PSE 5.0, I started out with a 7 x 5 transparent canvas, dragged my photo onto it, and resized & placed it exactly where I wanted it.

In the Special Effects box, I chose "photo effects," and its "image effects," then applied "tint sepia" to my layer...

And I applied "old photo."

I then had 3 layers ~ the original, the "sepia," and the "old photo." First, I made sure that the "old photo" layer was chosen, and I reduced its opacity to 40%...

Then I selected the "sepia" layer, and reduced its opacity to 30%.

Next, I merged all three layers together, and applied "soft flat color."

I merged those two layers (a new one had once again been created automatically), again applied "tint sepia," and reduced its opacity to 50%. Once again, I merged the layers, and applied "color fade horizontal." A new layer was created for the fade, and I reduced its opacity to 50%...

I merged those layers, then duplicated the layer. In the Special Effects box, I chose "layer styles," and its "image effects," and applied "circular vignette" to the top layer, then reduced its opacity to 50%...

I again merged the layers, and duplicated the layer. I applied "sun faded photo" to the top layer, and reduced its opacity to 30%.
Of course, all of the percentages that I listed may vary for other photos, depending on the photo's brightness and what look you ultimately want to achieve. Just play and discover!

handmade photo paper beads...

2008-06-03T10:20:00.010-05:00

Want another way to wear your favorite photos? Try this. Start out with a photo. I chose one that I took while chaperoning my daughter's field trip to Chicago ...
In Photoshop, I created a new 8x10 canvas, pulled the photo in, and played with color tinting and fading...
I printed this out onto matte photo paper and let it rest a couple days. Then I painted on it with translucent watercolors, very lightly whitewashed it with gesso, rubbed on some distress inks, spritzed it with water, and heat set. Wow, that photo paper can really take a lot!! ...
I sliced it into varying sizes of horizontal strips, curled them onto wooden skewers, gluing up the length of the strip, and applied a couple generous & thorough coats of satin exterior sealant. Voila. Beads. I wirewrapped them into a very simple necklace ...

okay, okay, the comments are on!

2008-06-03T09:37:00.004-05:00

A few of my yahoo pals have asked me, VERY nicely :), to turn my comments on. :)

May Flowers

2008-05-19T09:34:00.005-05:00

Super simple & quick memory wire bracelet, made from vintage beads from West Germany. The beads had been strung onto a necklace, and I wanted to update & freshen its look. So I just disassembled it, and reassembled it here. Much more wearable this way, and lots of fun!

game on.

2008-05-12T10:12:00.005-05:00

I found this big, heavy, oval, old, crusty, wonderful coffee table last fall, and while trying to decide what to do with it over the winter, my kids commandeered it as a game table. Well, of course ~ make it a game table!

I actually used a ruler for this one, believe it or not, to (roughly) measure out the size & placement of the checker squares, which were made with a stamp from Club Scrap's Poetry kit. Around the edges, I used a stamp from Club Scrap's A Study in Red kit ~ it just looks like an odd chess piece to me, which I love. And of course I needed to put in a couple faces, complete with crowns.

Before stamping, I scraped on some red latex paint ~ scraped, not painted, to give it LOTS of texture. After stamping (with latex paint for the squares & edging, and StazOn for the faces & crowns), I gently rubbed some more StazOn over the very top, to make the texture pop. I applied many, many coats of sealant, and the addition of a couple old ball jars filled with vintage checkers, dominoes, and not-so-vintage scrabble pieces makes the table completely fun and accessible.

minding my beeswax...

2008-04-23T09:03:00.008-05:00

A discussion over at Latest Trends has us playing with beeswax. I've had some for a while now, but haven't used it much ~ I just couldn't achieve the look I wanted by melting & pouring. So for these book covers, I pressed a few pellets ~ not too many ~ directly into the book covers, here & there around some of the edges of the collage elements, and simply heat set the pellets, gently & slowly, while tilting the book in various directions to get some good streaks & puddles. This method gave me really good control of the beeswax, and resulted in some great texture.
[I started with a black book cover, scraped on some gesso, heat set it, rubbed on some distress inks, heat setting between each, stamped with timber brown StazOn ink (stamps from Club Scrap and Lost Coast Designs), glued the centers of the vintage images (from Inka Stamps), pressed and melted the beeswax pellets. Edged the book with gold leafing pen & strung on a little white hemp & brown waxed linen thread.]

[I again started with a black book cover, scraped on gesso, heat set; rubbed on some distress inks, heat setting in between; stamped images with sepia VersaFine ink (stamps from Hannah Grey); decoupaged french ephemera (from Vintage Charmings); stippled in some gold embossing powder; pressed & melted beeswax; accented the middle of the moon with Ranger's glossy accents; edged the book with gold leafing pen; attached lace & token.]

some more altered book pages...

2008-04-23T08:29:00.010-05:00

I covered this page with gesso, stamped the flower images (Club Scrap) with watercolor crayons, stamped the quote (also Club Scrap) with StazOn, and colored the metal butterfly with Ranger alcohol inks.
I covered this page with yellow acrylic paint, stamped the images (Stamper's Anonymous and Image Tree) with black acrylic, did a petroleum jelly rub with green acrylic, and stippled on some gold embossing powder. For details on how to do the jelly rub, check out Technique Junkies.
I cut & glued a "window box" to house this fun little vintage pin I found at an antique shop. The pin itself is attached only to the mesh so that it can be easily removed & worn.
Here's another window, but instead of attaching it to a background, I made it a peek-through for it's two adjacent pages.

Just playing with beeswax...

And here's where these are all housed. My favorite part is the little blue garden faucet handle.

altered book...

2008-04-22T18:46:00.006-05:00

I fell in love with this gorgeous old, old book as soon as I saw it. So the next logical step was to attach a doorknob to it. Okay, maybe not that logical. But I really love the doorknob, too, and somehow, it just seemed to work this time. The inside of the book was donned with some pretty fabulous illustrations, so my main objective was to alter the book around them.

I used lots of gesso, watercolor crayons, distress inks and decoupage gel; stamps are all from Club Scrap, gold glaze from Making Memories...

dance with me...

2008-04-17T11:47:00.009-05:00

Inspired by Cindy's fabulous golf cleat charms (her blog is linked on the right), I grabbed a pair of my Gracey's outgrown tap shoes, a screwdriver, some alcohol inks, beads, wire and a ballchain, and made a fun little keepsake necklace. Thank you, Cindy!!

my (second) cigar box purse

2008-04-17T11:37:00.004-05:00

Yeah. I definitely like this one better than my first!! I coated the whole thing with decoupage gel (sepia), melting some sprinkles of gold embossing powder into it as I went along. Added a hinge closure, and some old drawer hardware to the top, which was perfect for attaching the beaded handle. These are soooo much fun to play with!!

this is how I "do windows" in the springtime...

2008-04-17T11:26:00.008-05:00

Even after I ran out of the paper, I couldn't stop with the stencil that came with Club Scrap's Avant Garde kit. So I grabbed another old farmhouse window, acrylics leftover from our bright, beautiful Legoland book, a little gesso, some stickles, a stamp (from Club Scrap's Painted Desert kit), some beads & twill & white hemp & vintage lace and PLAYED...

Enjoy Spring!!

Our Legoland Adventure, just the two of us...

2008-04-17T11:06:00.006-05:00

At the beginning of March, always the most difficult time to live in the midwest, my husband graciously sent Christian and me to sunny California for a long, wonderful weekend. My eight-year-old's longtime dream was to visit Legoland, so that's where we went! Two full days, from open to close, we had the time of our lives! And, of course, we went to the beach so we could recall that long-lost heavenly feeling of sand in our toes. Here are a couple highlights from our scrapbook; everything is Club Scrap, mostly that fabulous Avant Garde kit...

altered optical lens

2008-04-14T11:35:00.005-05:00

I LOVE the look of vintage optical lenses. I altered this one with part of an ad from a 1945 gardening catalogue. I colored the ad with some of Ranger's distress inks and stickles, then adhered the front of the ad to the back of the lens with glossy accents. I attached the lens to some chain (beaded with some handmade paper beads), connected the chain to part of an old broken necklace, and ended up with a fun, new-old necklace.

WHY? did the deep-sea diver turn green?

2008-04-14T11:04:00.013-05:00

Here are some more questions, asked by Nancy, the owner of my favorite local antique shop ~ WHY? would someone cut a puzzle off of the back of a cereal box? And WHY? would they save it for so many years? And WHY? would they neatly package it and try to sell it? (for $1 !!) And the biggest question is WHY? WOULD YOU BUY IT???? I laughed, paid her my $1 for it, and happily carried home my insane little treasure. The puzzle was already very neatly cut, so I just edged each piece with Krylon's gold leafing pen and coated each piece with Ranger's glossy accents. When dry, I popped a little snip of self-adhering magnet to the back of each piece.
Then I grabbed a beautiful old copy of Moby Dick. On the front cover, I painted a few coats of magnetic paint, found at the hardware store, and a light coat or two of acrylic paint. I glued on the "question" panel (leaving plenty of free space to do the puzzle), followed by a light coat of decoupage gel, coating the entire cover to give it a nice, smooth texture.
And the inside cover was already awesome, so I just cut a square hole deep enough to store the puzzle pieces, glued the inside edges of the hole as well as the outside edges of all the book pages; stamped on it (Fancy Pants stamps), and applied decoupage gel to protect it. Finished off the book with a simple beaded & knotted piece of faux leather lace. I think Nancy still thinks I'm a dork, but that's okay. I'm still her favorite customer, and my kids love our one-of-a-kind puzzle book!

Is it really that windy??

2008-04-14T10:55:00.008-05:00

No, but I thought I'd make another paperweight anyway. I used the same technique as the one with the soap, but I filled this one with a variety of white beads and some French ephemera from Vintage Charmings (www.vintagecharmings.com).

time to clean up...

2008-04-14T10:28:00.013-05:00

... with little vintage French soaps! Admittedly, the soap itself smells REALLY nasty, but how fun are these wrappers???!! I grabbed a bag of these beauties at a local antique shop and RAN home with them to play. First, I made a little just-for-fun paperweight. I started with two glass ball jar tops (the kind that fit inside the metal lid rings), filled them with a couple of the soaps and some red & black beads & buttons, glued the glass edges to each other, wrapped the outer edge with copper tape, and soldered. Finished it off with a little red & black ribbon.

Next, I used one of the wrappers, sans savon, to make a little soldered pendant...

Then I made some little beads, which I like to call "hamburger" beads. For each bead, I selected two round glass pebbles (found in the floral aisle of a local craft store), laid them on top of the wrapper to select and cut the images that I liked. I used Ranger's glossy accents to adhere the tops of the images to the backs of the pebbles, and again to adhere the backs of the imaged pebbles to each other. Then I wrapped the edges in copper tape (the part that makes the bead look like a hamburger), and soldered. If you try this, please use extreme caution ~ the pebbles are very small and get very hot, very quickly. I've singed my fingers many times, and WOW does it hurt!!
Then I used the burger beads along with the pendant, and made a funky little chunky necklace with some wire, black suede lace, wooden beads and trade beads from Funky Hannah's...

my (very) first cigar box purse...

2008-04-14T10:22:00.004-05:00

I've always admired altered cigar box purses, and finally decided to give it a try. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn, and I know that someday (really soon!) I'll look back at this one & have a good chuckle!

thank you, Kelloggs...

2008-03-08T09:37:00.008-06:00

...not only for your delicious breakfast cereals, but also for the "canvas" that you pack them in. For this month's Not-Just-Charms challenge on the Latest Trends in Mixed Media Arts yahoo group, the theme is "recycled." So, I went to our cardboard recycling pile in the garage and found boxes from Golden Grahams and Strawberry Mini-Wheats (yummy!) I loved the bright yellow & pink colors...
First, I grabbed my scissors and sliced 1-1/2 inch squares out of the "enlarged photo" of the cereal. At this point, admittedly, I thought that my idea was going to end up back in the recycling bin ~ it just looked WAY too cheesy. But, I was in the mood to play, so I persevered. I dry brushed a little gesso over the tops of the squares, to mute the bright colors and soften the "whole grain" texture of the picture. Then, to add a little sheen, I gave them a couple sprays of Tattered Angels glimmer mist (sunburst, and wine & roses), and heat set. Next, I stamped each square using the collage stamp from Club Scrap's Asian Artisan kit with VersaFine ink (vintage sepia). Popped them into the microslides (1-1/2 inch squares) from Ranger, and soldered. And here they are...
Although my husband has tried & tried and just can't see it, if you look really closely, you'll still be able to see the ridges of the cereal and the splashes of milk in the background. Too fun! Okay, I'm hungry now. Time to go eat my next charm...

just a quick layout....

2008-02-22T09:27:00.005-06:00

...done with Club Scrap's A Study in Red kit. Fibres and ribbons are from their Serengeti kit, and the strip in the bottom right hand corner is from their Sparkle kit. Quickutz alpha is Spicy Chicken...

anyone say RED??!

2008-02-10T13:10:00.001-06:00

Here's just a couple of projects using RED. They're not Valentines, but they were definitely inspired by Cupid......just-for-fun necklace, featuring a pendant made from stamped & embossed vintage poker chips. The stamp is from Club Scrap's January "A Study in Red" kit.

...antique table top. Unlike my other tables, I didn't touch the original paint on this one. That red is just fabulous on its own. The stamps are all Fancy Pants.

...book cover, just because. I used my favorite face stamp from Inkadinkadoo, along with stamps from Club Scrap's "A Study in Red"; "From the Heart"; and "Written Word" kits. Stamped onto pages from another old book, and decoupaged it onto the stamped & alcohol inked book cover.

and a couple more...

2008-02-10T13:08:00.002-06:00

Everything is Club Scrap and Quickutz...

back to scrapping...

2008-01-23T11:19:00.001-06:00

Winter is my VERY favorite time of year to scrap, so now that the temps are hovering at just barely 0 degrees, it's time for last summer's photos to seriously start jumping into their albums! Here are four 12x12 layouts from our August vacation... Oh, it looks so warm!!

Papers and stamps, plus ribbons and fibres are all Club Scrap...

Hearts for our Troops

2008-01-13T15:15:00.000-06:00

Lori Roberts and one of her coworkers at a Michael's in Las Vegas are sponsoring a workshop at their store to make and send Valentine's to our soldiers. They have graciously opened it up to include anyone who would like to participate, and I had a great time making these! I used Robyn England's Lovers ezATC digital kit (available at Scrap Artist) to make 12 different mini collages, and I printed them at the standard ATC size. I edged them with gold leafing pen and glued them to the little cards made from Club Scrap's "A Study in Red" kit papers. Added a little distressing, some more gold leafing, stickles and tied on a little hemp. Please check out Lori's blog here to find out how YOU can participate, too ~ there's still plenty of time to show your heartfelt thanks to our troops!!

Happiest Birthday, Choochie!!

2008-01-10T10:24:00.000-06:00

Just eight years ago today, I held your sweet hands & kissed your beautiful little face for the very first time. I didn't think I could ever love you more than I did in those first moments, but somehow that love has continued to grow immeasurably! Happy Birthday, Christian! I love you so much!!

3 wishes...

2008-01-09T11:10:00.001-06:00

I don't make a lot of notecard sets, because, frankly, I really don't have that much patience for it, and when I have done it in the past, I have generally coordinated them according to color & size. This set, however, came together rather accidentally (these are my rejected ideas for a challenge at the Club Scrap forum), and the only connections among the cards are the statue stamp, the "wish" stamp, and the element of having 3 vintage buttons on each. I kind of like the ragtag look of them all together, and I like the idea of 3 cards for 3 wishes. So, I'll be bundling them (and their yet-to-be-prettied envelopes) all together with some ribbon & a tag. Who knows ~ maybe I'll even throw in a genie...

What are YOU wishing for in the New Year?

2008-01-09T11:01:00.000-06:00

I'm wishing to take many deep breaths, gather inspiration, surround my family and myself with beauty, and count the many, many blessings in my life...

viendrez-vous la-bas avec moi?

2008-01-08T12:47:00.002-06:00

It's been awhile since I've done anything digital, so when the Latest Trends yahoo group announced a Moulin Rouge digital challenge, I was inspired to play. My all digital 10 x 8 collage uses images from art-e-zine, flower from Michelle Godin, and background from Iron Orchid Designs; everything was altered in PSE 5.0. I think I'll print this one out & use it in one of those fun little princess purses...

"winter's garden" table...

2007-12-20T11:01:00.004-06:00

I found this treasure at a local antique shop, and on a very snowy Saturday afternoon, I played & played until my own little dreamy winter garden appeared. I'm absolutely in love with this table, and the answer to my almost-eight-year-old boy's question is YES. I would marry it. I used blue & green (very subtle difference) latex paint, timber brown StazOn ink, eucalyptus Walnut Ink spray, platinum colored utee, and Ranger's glossy accents. LOTS of stamps from Club Scrap, as well as a few from Lost Coast Designs, and Inkadinkadoo. And a few glass pebbles here & there, too, just for a little extra dreaminess...

Stanley, forever in our hearts...

2007-12-20T10:38:00.002-06:00

We, very sadly, had to say goodbye to our sweet, 15-year-old Stanley this summer, and of course, we miss him dearly. Now that it's Christmastime, we fondly remember singing, "Here comes Stanley Claus" as he begrudingly wore his Santa outfit. I've always liked those Christmas ornaments of pets wearing angel wings, but it's nearly impossible to find any of mixed breeds, and we all know that handmade is better anyway. So I grabbed some grungeboard, a couple microslides, & a photo of Stanley, and made our own. The grungeboard has multiple layers of acrylic paints, gesso, walnut ink, & various metallic embossing powders. The wings curled naturally as I heat set it ~ very cool property of that grungeboard! Right now it's on our tree, but I don't think it will be packed away in any box come January...

my first microslides...

2007-12-10T13:12:00.001-06:00

It feels like I'm the last person to try these, and I'm generally not at all handy with household tools like soldering irons, but I'm absolutely loving it, so I thought I would share some of my first attempts... (by the way, Gillian has fabulous directions, tips, samples & links over at art-e-zine ~ be sure & check it out!!)

These are made with digital images from art-e-zine; stamps from Lost Coast Designs & Stamper's Anonymous; some lace, stickles, Prima flowers, beads & wire...

These are made with stamps from Club Scrap; distress inks, stickles & alcohol inks from Ranger. All the smudges & splotches are intentional ~ I did these on a cold, dark day & was in a rainy-day-in-Paris kind of mood...

Here's a Christmas ornament, front & back, made with two of my favorite Club Scrap stamps; Quickutz acrylic alpha stamps; Ranger distress inks, colorwash, stickles & alcohol inks...

A couple more Christmas ornaments ~ the tall one is made with french paper doll images from art-e-zine; bolo stamp from Judi-kins; gold embossing powder; and Ranger stickles. The square one is made with the packaging from some vintage Christmas lights (the box was REALLY old & delicate ~ very fun to play with!). I also attached a couple vintage bells to these just for a little extra festive touch...

my Bistro table...

2007-12-06T11:26:00.002-06:00

Even though it's still technically Autumn, our six inches of snow cover is making me long for the delights of summer. My little bistro table is altered with, of course, the stamps from Club Scrap's Bistro kit and that big old coffee stain stamp from Club Scrap's Mocha Java remix kit...

Did you put your boot out?

2007-12-05T08:56:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is St. Nicholas's feast day, which of course means that tonight he will visit the homes of children of all ages, to leave a treat in or near any boots or shoes that have been carefully placed in his honor. This wonderful patron saint of children was a bishop in the fourth century who kindly, generously, and anonymously tossed a bag full of gold through an open window at the home of a family in need of a dowry for their daughter, who was unable to marry without one. Upon flight, the bag opened and some of the gold landed in some socks that were hanging by the fireplace to dry. Legend took it from there. And as I see that vaguely skeptical look grow in my beautiful fourth-grade daughter's blue eyes whenever she sees a man in a big red suit, gratitude fills my heart that her faith in the true meaning of Christmas is so strong and real. Thank you, St. Nicholas, for looking after all our children...

mirror, mirror...

2007-11-27T10:34:00.001-06:00

I also found these little dollhouse mirrors at that same antique store. They were just TOO much fun to play with! I alcohol-inked them, and stamped on them with StazOn. Added some stickles to the crown, coated it with glossy accents, and attached it to a fun vintage chain. The bumblebee's frame is too fragile to wear, so I plan to add it to my botanical-themed altered book, which is still in progress...

from pins & needles to pendants...

2007-11-27T10:18:00.001-06:00

I found a couple little pin packets at my favorite antique store last weekend. The little packages were old & fragile & well-used & still holding some sewing needles. Gorgeous, and begging to be renewed. I strengthened their insides with Club Scrap bookbinding glue, and edged them with a gold leafing pen. I added some Ranger stickles ('black diamond' on the right one, and 'gun metal' on the middle one), and coated all of them with Ranger glossy accents.

domino tutorial

2007-11-27T09:28:00.001-06:00

I had a few e-mails requesting details about how I made and attached my domino pendants, so I thought I would put together a little tutorial. First, of course, I started with my wooden dominos... Next, I selected what to decorate it with. My 9 year old daughter collects candy wrappers, so I raided her stash for something colorful & fun, and cut 2 of them to size, using the time-tested eyeball approach...
Time to glue ~ I used bookbinding glue (Club Scrap, of course) and applied the wrappers to both sides of the domino with a makeup wedge, making sure that all edges were completely covered... Once the glue was dry, I applied a thin coat of Ranger's frosted lace stickles, just to give it a little sparkle...
Once the stickles on both sides were dried, I edged the edges of both wrappers with Krylon's gold leafing pen. You could use a ruler, but I prefer the freehanded look...
Then I sealed both wrappers with Ranger's glossy accents. This will protect it as well as give it a cool, acrylic look. Do one side first and allow it to dry & harden completely before doing the other side...
Now, to make the coil. I used 18 gauge gold-colored craft wire, and a telescoping alligator clip. I found the ridge of the telescope that's just smaller than the width of my domino, and wrapped the wire tightly around it, eyeballing the length as I went along...
When I was happy with the length, I continued wrapping, but on top of the coil I just made, returning to the point where I started...
Then I snipped both ends off, and tucked the ends down to be smooth with the double coil...
And then it was time to attach the double coil to the top of the domino. I applied bookbinding glue to the bottom of the coil, AND to the top of the domino. This part is very messy. Wipe away any excess that gets away from you, but make sure that the double coil is sitting in enough of a puddle to hold well. It will all dry completely clear, so don't worry too much...
I let it dry & harden overnight, and in the morning, it was ready to be strung onto a piece of leather lace. I made a knot on each side of the coil, just to give it a little extra security...
I tied up the ends, and voila ~ a fun little necklace all ready for my daughter to wear...

and NOW 'tis the season to be...

2007-11-26T09:42:00.002-06:00

...making merry!!

mmmmmmmm...

2007-11-24T08:32:00.001-06:00

Yeah, Thanksgiving dinner. My master griller and husband made the most fabulous jalapeno-peach turkey breast, and I knew that Annette's challenge at the Club Scrap forum was the perfect way to remember this feast! Her challenge was to scrap your family's favorite recipe along with photos taken shopping, preparing, and enjoying that delicious fare. I printed the recipe on Club Scrap's Farmer's Market digi paper, and all the rest is CS's Serengeti kit. I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with many, many wonderful blessings!

play DOMINOS with me?!!!

2007-11-16T11:31:00.002-06:00

Dominos! My new obsession. Not the smooth, white, alcohol-inkable ones (this time!), but the old brown wooden, colored-dot dragon dominos!! Oh! They're so much fun! So far, I've used photos (resized, recolored, and printed on cardstock, then distress inked); digital images (printed on cardstock & covered with stickles); stamped images (on kraft paper); and even a couple images that I cut off of a Dutchess beer box (ANOTHER good reason to love my husband!). Once my images were cut and edged with a gold leafing pen, I used Club Scrap's bookbinding glue (how did I ever live without that stuff?!) to attach them firmly to the dominos. I covered the images with glossy accents (I used crackle accents on a couple of them ~ VERY cool look!), then attached an 18-gauge gold-colored double coil to the top, and strung them onto some suede lace for some just-for-fun necklaces.

more gesso/distress technique

2007-11-16T11:12:00.001-06:00

I loved that Halloween wood block so much, I just kept on going with that technique. The first thing I did was this Thanksgiving wood block ...

Then I made this little collage, inspired by October's art lottery on art e-zine. I did the technique on a piece of chipboard, then attached it to an old copy of "Idylls of the King" and LOVE it...

Then I did it on kraft paper, and attached it to the front of (and inside) a top-opening card...

Happy Halloween!!

2007-10-31T08:37:00.001-05:00

Ooooooooooh, isn't this one of the most fun days in the whole year??? Somewhere between parties and candy and big tricked out purple hair and an unhappy island princess and a tireless 3-year-old and even Batman himself, I managed to do a couple small Halloween projects, and thought I would share them here. Up above is a wooden block (my father-in-law is an amazing woodworker, and gives my husband his scraps for firewood ~ I love sneaking as much of it away as I can!!) which I gesso'ed, inked with scattered straw, mustard seed, orange marmalade, and fired brick distress inks; sprayed with sunburst glimmer mist; stamped with vintage sepia VersaFine (stamps are all from Inkadinkadoo); covered with antique decoupage gel; stippled on gold embossing powder; edged with gold leafing pen; wire wrapped beaded 20-gauge gold wire; and coated the moon-girl image with glossy accents.

Next is "Mr. Bones" ~ my little Aaron SO patiently comes with me to my local bead store (and then to Starbucks for a treat!), and he loved these little happy skeleton beads, so I knew I had to make something fun!

And here's my Halloween window. Easy as candy pie. The green paint was original to the window frame, and just perfect, so I didn't touch that. For the window panes, I started with digital images, reduced the opacity to give it a more "ghostly" look, printed them on vellum, and decoupaged them to the back of the panes.

Have a FABULOUSLY frightful night!!

pour me another one, please...

2007-10-23T12:56:00.002-05:00

When wineries started to move away from using corks in their bottles, I began hoarding my corks. And then I found a little bag of cigar wraps (yes, they're vintage), and I thought it was a match made in Heaven. I glued them on with bookbinding glue, coated them with sepia decoupage gel, and melted some gold embossing powder to the tops & bottoms. I poked some gold wire into the tops, and wrapped it into loops. I then simply strung the corks along with some fun, chunky gold colored beads onto brown suede lace.

ooooh, I'm loving this!

2007-10-23T12:51:00.001-05:00

While on vacation this summer, I ran into this little chunk of oxidized copper. Well, okay, it's not so little. In fact, it's pretty darn heavy when it's hanging around your neck. But I made it into a pendant anyway, and I'm loving it! To make it into the pendant, I just wire wrapped it with copper wire, coiling it up the back. I used the same wire to make the necklace that it's attached to.

what I'm wearing right now...

2007-10-23T12:42:00.001-05:00

I'm just CRAZY about these simple little creations, which I love wearing together. The top necklace is chain from Michael's, a resin bead from Funky Hannah's, a prima flower encased in glossy accents, two stamped, embossed, microbeaded, prima flowered poker chips straddling a beaded & curled vintage hair clip. The bottom necklace is chain & filigree from Giralte, a resin bead from Funky Hannah's, and a stamped poker chip attached to one of those milk caps that I'm still loving.

...and speaking of game night!!

2007-10-23T12:32:00.001-05:00

Do you have ANY idea how excited I was when I found a pack of vintage Hungarian playing cards??? Here are a few of them which I folded in half, glued together (with a beaded, vintage hairclip wedged in the middle for a hanger), edged with red embossing powder, highlighted with stickles, and covered in sepia accents. The one in the middle is attached to a short necklace made with colorful beads and black suede. No, you won't find my "pendants" at Tiffany's any time soon, but I LOVE the looks I get when I wear it!!

a bit of a twist on game night...

2007-10-23T12:18:00.001-05:00

I was starting to get a little tired of all those prima flowers that I have laying around, so I was really excited when I found some vintage poker chips at my favorite antique store. I just added a little stamping, some glossy accents, and a gold leaf pen, and voila, a just-for-fun pendant that made me love those little paper flowers all over again...

I found some old checkers, too. On this one, I encased a pressed flower using glossy accents, edged it with a gold leaf pen, and wire wrapped it into a pendant which, I think, is really fun with the little vintage flower charms...

a little of what I've been up to...

2007-10-23T12:07:00.001-05:00

I was poking around with some fun beads, and came up with a few of my favorite necklaces. I have never been properly trained in jewelry making, so I'm free to go wherever the wind takes me... I like it there.

Got Milk (Caps)?

2007-10-05T11:24:00.002-05:00

After finishing my pins for the swap, I was poking around an antique store, keeping an eye out for more fun things to alter into pins or whatever. And I struck gold when I found these fabulous little treasures!

I glued a couple of them together; sealed it with decoupage gel; edged it with gold embossing powder; poked a couple holes in it; and attached it to a just-for-fun necklace...

I also lightly colored a couple of them and popped them onto a carnival layout...

Pins? Yeah, they're coming, too. I still have a bunch more... I'm just having so much fun playing!!

paperless layout...

2007-10-02T10:15:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry, what? A paperless layout? Well, not exactly. Let me explain. As I mentioned earlier, my husband and I are celebrating our anniversary on Thursday, and I knew I wanted to make something with the 10 year symbol, even though I didn't know what it was. I was hoping for leather or something fun like that, but then I discovered that it's tin/aluminum. Tin/aluminum??!! That's not very romantic! Oh well, I was feeling adventurous, so I went with it. I grabbed some heavy duty reynold's wrap from the pantry, tore & folded it into varying sized squares & rectangles, crumpled them, flattened them, alcohol inked them, and attached them with brads to a sheet of 12x12 distressed and painted black cardstock. WOW, that was a harsh look. I knew I needed some serious softening, so I grabbed a piece of vintage lace and some red vintage buttons (red was our wedding color). I clustered four of the buttons together, to symbolize our four kids, and I added a couple wine corks for fun ~ they're so pretty, and one of them even has our monogram on it. How fun is that?!
I added some leaves because we were married in the fall, and an altered microscope slide, because he's a scientist. The butterfly pin in the bottom corner is something I bought when we were on our honeymoon at Mackinac Island, which is where these photos of us just so happened to have been taken this summer. I also added some painted prima flowers, some handmade polymer beads, a stamped "2007" set of strips, and a stamped "10" copper charm. IF I don't decide to add anything else, I'll be popping it into a shadow box.

Pin Swap...

2007-09-28T13:57:00.001-05:00

Oh, I really tried, but I just couldn't resist joining in this swap! Luanne is hostessing 27 Club Scrappers for this one, and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Here is my contribution. I started out with smooth little wooden shapes that I found in the dollhouse aisle of Hobby Lobby. I scraped on some gesso to add texture, and once that was dry, I rubbed on some distress inks ~ first frayed burlap, then spiced marmalade, and finally fired brick. I sprayed on a little sunburst glimmer mist and heat set them. Next, I stamped the swirl image (from the Chapter One kit) with VersaMark and copper embossing powder. Then I applied a thin coat of sepia tinted decoupage gel, and let set overnight. In the morning, I stippled on some VersaMark, poured on gold embossing powder, then stippled most of it right back off, in order to achieve the flecked look. I used a gold leafing pen on the edges, painted the backs, and applied a self-sticking pin back...

Caardvarks Chipboard Challenge...

2007-09-26T14:08:00.001-05:00

My husband and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary next week, and I took advantage of the new chipboard challenge at Caardvarks to make something fun for him. The dolls, the big x & o, and the "still lovin' you" ribbon slide are all chipboard, so the whole card is layered and lumpy and spilling over and crazy and fun, just like the past ten years...

2007-09-25T12:38:00.001-05:00

Of course, no family outing is EVER complete without ONE of us having a complete meltdown. I just could NOT resist snapping this photo of our little Gracey, pouting amidst the weeds. What was she angry about? We have no idea. We've been too busy laughing about her little tantrum to even remember.

Ribbon & buttons are from my stash. Everything else is Club Scrap ~ paper is Celtic browns, Fossils, and Wings; cut outs are Chocolate Shoppe; UM font is Wild Wild West; and dragonfly is from Wings.

poolside...

2007-09-25T12:25:00.001-05:00

I'm throwing away the rule books. I don't really know why ~ maybe it's because I'm starting to approach another birthday (not *the big one* yet, but still, it's another step closer...) Anyway, my rebelliousness is showing on these layouts. Balance? Who needs it. Straight, clean lines? No, thank you. I just want these pages to be as fun and care free as our time together...

Of course, everything is Club Scrap ~ mostly Stratosphere, with a little Refresh & Surf's Up thrown in here & there.

time for ICE CREAM!!

2007-09-25T11:06:00.002-05:00

This is one of those "picture's worth a thousand words" photos, so I wanted the layout to be clean and simple. I started with three different cream-colored cardstocks; trimmed two of them in successive sizes; stamped on each of the borders with different flourish stamps; embossed with gold powder; distressed the edges; and layered them with the matted 8x10 photo (slightly trimmed). Crisscrossed cream-colored twill, ribbon, waxed linen thread strung with shells, and hemp strung with belly dancing bells and an old heart pendant. All paper and stamps are Club Scrap. The Kilwin's "title" I made by scanning a napkin from our favorite ice cream shoppe and printing it onto matte photo paper.

Soldier's Garden

2007-09-25T10:41:00.001-05:00

If you know me, you know that I'm not a right-angle kind of girl. I don't measure anything; I have a whole STACK of rulers on my worktable, more as an amusing decoration than an actual tool. I love the whole flip-floppy style of this layout, so be warned ... there will probably be a lot more like this to come!

All paper is from Club Scrap's Be Still kit, except for the red cardstock and yellow vellum, which are from Club Scrap's Collections kit. I made the bee embellishment for a little post add-on to Jenyfur's Transparent Techniques article at Typicalifragilistic. You can click here for Jen's great instructions.

a fun embellishment....

2007-09-25T10:20:00.000-05:00

I grabbed a couple 1-1/2" square microslides and, on the bottom slide, I used VersaMark ink to stamp the honeycomb image, then embossed it with gold embossing powder (if you try this, PLEASE use EXTREME caution, as the glass gets blisteringly hot!!). I flipped it over and colored the back with yellow StazOn, using a pen nib to apply it. I then put a VERY little amount of gesso (less is definitely more here) onto a make-up sponge, and lightly dabbed it in spots over & near the yellow. On the top slide, I stamped the "abeille" image with black StazOn. I flipped it over and colored the back with red and black permanent markers and a little honeydew acrylic paint. On the front, I popped on a couple crystal stickers, then layered it with the bottom slide, and placed them into the slide frame. Tied on a little ribbon & some beads, and attached it to my layout...

maybe it doesn't need to end...

2007-09-25T10:19:00.001-05:00

The only good thing about returning from a vacation is the opportunity to relive it through our scrapbooks. Now that my kids are settling nicely into the new school year, I finally have a chance to start pulling this album together. At the risk of sounding like my Dad offering to show home movies, I would love for you to join me in reminiscing about my favorite place.

One of my favorite spots at Mackinac Island is the Arnold dock ~ simply because it means we're finally back... and I adore the little black & white photo of my kids sitting on the rocks... so I thought that this would make a fitting title page for our album.

All paper is Club Scrap ~ the blue & gray is from the Framed kit; red is from Collections; cream is from Written Word; postal stamps from To You With Love. "Greetings" stamps are Club Scrap Simply Beautiful; "from" stamps are Hero Arts; "Mackinac" stamps are Club Scrap's Chocolate Shoppe; and "07" stamps are Image Tree. Flowers are from Prima; vintage buttons, fibre, and metals are from my stash.

storybook journaling...

2007-09-18T10:40:00.001-05:00

There's a magic forest
in my storybook
where all my favorite flowers
and ferns and mushrooms grow.
My special friends are there.
I say hello.
~Anita Jeram, "I Love My Little Storybook"

STORYBOOK. Somehow it's one of those words that isn't just a word. It's an emotion. Kind of like bubblebath... firefly... glitter... sunset... It brings us to a serene and pure place of being. It carries us back to specific moments of peacefulness, excitement, love, silliness... it's the memories that we want to hold onto forever. In short, the whole reason we scrapbook.

Now, when it comes to our scrapbooks, we know we're all good at choosing the perfect colors, the perfect layout style, the perfect embellishment for each and every photo we cherish. Journaling, though, can pose a real challenge for some of us. We all want to tell our stories in beautiful, heartfelt, intricate ways, but sometimes it can be a struggle to move beyond the basic who-what-where-when. And seriously ~ are the people of the future really going to have trouble understanding what the photo of the chocolate-laden toddler in the party hat is all about? Most of the time when we flip through our albums, we're not doing research on dates & places. Instead, we want to hear the music, smell the enchiladas, taste the cake, feel the sunshine on our faces, laugh again. And again.

It's a pretty tall order. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a magical wishing well we could all drink from for inspiration...

Well, what about storybooks? True, the words weren't originally written with *your* pen. But your sleepy, pajama-clad child connects those words with your voice, your snuggly blanket, the smell of your hair, the memory of a stolen moment only with you. It's not unlike your child's favorite cookie ~ it might not be your original recipe, but in your child's mind, everything about it ~ the ingredients on the counter, the sound of the oven timer, that SMELL, the taste, the celebration ~ is connected with you, and only you.

Storybooks are bursting with quaint, honest quotes about sharing, love, friendship, food, exploration, discovery, celebration, imagination... Our favorite characters are frank, wise & endearing, and we love visiting with them over and over again. Why not invite them to hang out on your pages?

Some of my personal favorite quotable characters are Stuart Little, Stellaluna, Amelia Bedelia, Paddington Bear, Curious George, Angelina, Eloise, Madeline, and of course, Frog and Toad...

Please remember, we're not illustrating a book here. We're simply walking into a moment, an emotion. So we don't need to worry about "matching" our photos to all of the elements of the quote. Notice that this photo of my little ones has nothing to do with spilled iced tea or soggy sandwiches or frogs or toads. It's all about sharing something together, and their blossoming friendship.

The same is true with the following layout. It's all about finding appreciation in the little things when we look with our hearts...

Feel free to move beyond lullaby bedtime books, too ~ this quote is from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry first used the Marauder's Map to sneak into Hogsmeade through the cellar of Honeydukes...

And don't stop there. Have fun with it ~ grab a page from a trashy novel and throw it on a layout of you & your boyfriend; or pull a line out of Hamlet and place it next to a picture of your dog...

Or be serious about it ~ use presidential quotes to impart words of wisdom on your favorite graduate; or choose lines from your favorite prayer book or scripture...

It's your memory. It's your heart. It's your story. Enjoy ALL of your happy endings!!

Now the moon was high.
The party was over.
Owl, asleep in a flower pot,
snored like faraway thunder.
Lucy bowed to the doll and told him,
"It's time for a happy ending!"
~Irene Haas, "A Summertime Song"

C is for Caardvarks...

2007-09-10T13:19:00.001-05:00

...and for CIOCCOLATA!! If I wasn't hungry before I made this card, I sure was hungry after!! The new challenge at Caardvarks is Sticker Shock! I rarely use stickers, so this was SO much fun to make! The chipboard "c" is covered in a sticker, all the words & image are stickers, and the little crystals are actually stickers, too. Paper and stickers are Club Scrap, crystal stickers are EK Success. The sparkly little belt loop I found while cleaning my girl's room (sorry, girls ~ it's mommy's now!!) And I have no idea where the chocolate colored twill came from, but it's so yummy I need to find some more...

Our Little Star...

2007-09-07T12:05:00.002-05:00

By nature, I'm not a journaler. I typically abide by the "picture is worth a thousand words, and layout is worth two thousand" philosophy. I'm lucky if I even remember the basic who-what-where-when-why. But this particular event was special. It was one of the scariest moments I've ever had as a parent, and I NEEDED to journal it. My usual chaotic, overstuffed, kitchen sink style of scrapping just doesn't fit a standard size journaling block, let alone one that measures 8x10, so I gave it it's own page. I made the block digitally, using Club Scrap's Fizz & Ivory Elegance digital kits, and the Prissy Frat Boy font. After I printed it, I inked it with distress inks, and attached it to the page. All the papers & ribbons, as well as the swirl stamp, on both pages are from CS's new Be Still kit ~ the texture of this paper is amazing. The photo corners, photo turns and stars are cut with Quickutz. The "Star" alpha stamps, and the concho, are from CS's Wild Wild West kit. "Our little" alpha stamps are Hero Arts. The chain, brads, and gold-rimmed glass bubble are all from my stash. The gold & copper embossing powders are Ranger. Oh, and one of the ER nurses was kind enough to give me a photocopy of the x-ray. I scanned it & printed it onto acid-free cardstock, then stippled & edged it. And whatever became of that little silver star-shaped charm? Well, let's just say that Aaron's big sister won't be wearing it on her bracelet anymore...

Introducing Auggie...

2007-09-05T16:22:00.002-05:00

Here he is, our brand new, 3-year-old Italian Greyhound adoptee, Auggie. After our 15-year-old beagle-dalmation, Stanley, passed away in June, our 11-year-old terrier mix, Slider, was heartbroken and lonely without her lifelong companion (well, okay, we were ALL heartbroken & lonely without him)... We brought Auggie home yesterday, and he is a burst of sunshine ~ he's friendly & loving & snuggly & wonderful. He's Auggie the Doggie, and we're so happy to welcome him to our family.

The layout is all digital. Papers are Iron Orchid Design; photo frame & flourishes are Rhonna Farrer; belt is Linda Gil Bildal; crown shape is Hope Wallace; "Auggie" alpha is Kim Jensen; "the doggie" font is Matisse; sun is Robyn England; bee is Kellie Mize; inked edge is Michelle Coleman.

Caardvarks micro challenge - Beads...

2007-09-02T07:41:00.001-05:00

I was in a bit of an odd mood when I made this card for the beads micro challenge at Caardvarks this weekend. I think my inner 4-year-old girl was calling ... you know her, she's the one who loves mixing pink & black with red and purple, and loves playing in the dirt while wearing mommy's sparkly high heels ... yeah, we all know (and love!) her! I kind of wish she would come out more often... Anyway, the fuscia cardstock is Club Scrap, matte cardstock is Blockheads, beetle stamp is Stamper's Anonymous, light pink cardstock is Bazzill, Quickutz font is Vixen, alphas for "everywhere" is Hero Arts, beads & brads & staples & wire are from all over, and red twill is actually off of the packaging from a set of sheets I bought for one of my boys...

Caardvarks Eat More Fibre Challenge

2007-09-01T13:20:00.001-05:00

Here's my entry for this month's "Eat More Fibre" challenge. The "sun" is the flower stamp from Club Scrap's Rhapsody kit, embossed with Ranger's mustard seed distress embossing powder, and sliced up to allow the fibres to scoot through it. The title, "you are my sunshine," is stamped with Quickutz's sophisticate quickstampz. Added a couple little touches, like a few beads along the side and vintage buttons in the corner. I really love how this one turned out!

...and just like that, summer's gone...

2007-08-27T19:28:00.001-05:00

Oh my gosh, it's actually the first day of school! To try to ease the transition a bit, I made these super simple 8x8 digi layouts of some of our favorite summer activities. I popped each one onto a magnetic clip, and the 8x8 size fits PERFECTLY into each of their lockers at school. Plus, since they're digital, they can easily be replaced when they get wet from the inevitable snowy coats, or torn from all the in's and out's of the backpacks. I make my kids lots of projects, and they're usually pretty appreciative, but I didn't expect their VERY enthusiastic response to this one, especially since it was so quick and easy! Digital papers and alphas are Club Scrap's Refresh, Wheels & Sprocket, and Fizz; curled photo frames are by Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals; beachy transparency is by Valerie Randall at Scrap Girls; and rusty paper clips are from Iron Orchid Designs, which had been found at Scrap Artist.

where have we been?

2007-08-27T18:00:00.002-05:00

My family & I just got back from our annual vacation ... can you guess where we were? Here's a hint ~ the Petoskey stone is the state stone. Here's one that I grabbed from a little shop I love ~ I loved the shape & size of the stone and had fun wire wrapping it and popping it onto a vintage chain. Any guesses? I'll let you know where we were when I finish our mountain of laundry and scrap a few pages!!

fun with coral...

2007-08-17T10:50:00.001-05:00

I ran across some GORGEOUS coral & couldn't just let it sit in my beading jars! I made a clinky, chinky, chunky bracelet with it, and popped some more, along with a little turquoise, onto a couple different, connected vintage chains. As much as I don't want summer to end, I'm looking forward to pairing this with a big old cardigan sweater & a pair of jeans...

Discovery...

2007-08-14T10:50:00.002-05:00

Of course, my favorite thing to do in the summer is explore with my kids, and when the Tall Ships sailed into our hometown harbor, we knew we had to be there. All the paper, felt (oh! you have to feel that!), fibres, and beads are from Club Scrap's Academy kit, stamps are from the Wild Wild West, Ivory Elegance, Stratosphere, and Chapter One kits (also Club Scrap), and that awesome embossing powder is Ranger's verdigris Antiquities.

Round Robin ATC...

2007-08-11T16:01:00.000-05:00

If you have never done a round robin before, grab a couple of your favorite artists and do one!! You can do ATCs, greeting cards, layouts, etc. ~ the options really are endless. For this ATC, Gaby E. made the background, I made the focal point, and Kathie W. added the finishing embellishments. Because there were only 3 of us in the group, we only needed to make 3 cards ~ so quick & easy, but the results, if we do say so ourselves, are amazing!! Ruth Ann L. set it all up on the Club Scrap yahoo group, and I'm now anxiously awaiting the next set of cards in the mail, which will be all ready to embellish...

Flower Puzzle Swap...

2007-08-11T15:47:00.000-05:00

Luanne hosted this awesome puzzle swap on the Club Scrap yahoo group. Our task was to complete a full 8x10 puzzle in a flower theme ... then she swapped out all the pieces and we each received back a complete, fully unique puzzle. I just love how each and every piece is a beautiful expression of its own fabulous artist. I treasure this puzzle and am looking forward to receiving the next round ~ "fantastic fall" is the theme...

top row: me, Luanne I., Jennah D., Gwen J.
middle row: Gwen J., Kathy P., Donna & Megan M., Robyn L.
bottom row: Dayna K., Jane M., Kadie L., InkPattie

Rounding Home...

2007-08-11T09:16:00.002-05:00

Here's my sweet boy, Christian, 7 years old, playing his very favorite sport. All page elements are from Club Scrap's Varsity kit...