Not getting in under the wire, lol.

Yesterday I had a choice, I could photograph some cards that I've worked on and have today's post all ready, or I could start a new project. I woke up sick yesterday, so sick I called in to work and went to the doctor. I know you may not understand from this small bit of information, but for me to call in I have to feel like there is NO way I can function at work. I was VERY disappointed in my visit to the doctor, but the worst part was she told me not to take the over the counter stuff that I had been taking because my blood pressure was VERY high and she believed it to be partially from the sinus medicine I had been taking.

ARGH, she told me to take some nasal spray stuff and rest and drink liquids... honestly it felt like SUCH a waste. Um, as of this morning I feel SO much better!

Long story short... I chose to start a new messy painting project for today's post because I thought it would help my blood pressure go down. It did. But with the dry time factor, it's NOT ready, LOL. So  I took a horribly blurry teaser photo for you.

Ingredients so far:

1. Old book, separated into sections

2. Claudine Hellmuth Gesso and assorted paints

3. Claudine Hellmuth Matte Gel Medium

4. Faber Castell Gelatos

*Heavy Sigh

I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I dumped my pile of favorite scraps on the table across from me:

(That IS the book I started with, LOL)

So today I work, and when next I post (Tuesday) I so hope that  this is the finished project that I am posting.

Hugs and have a wonderful day. 

Like a Pro

This photo is a kind of self-portrait. I LOVED those hot pink fishnet socks that my friend Julie gave me forever ago. They sadly gave up their life before 2012 was over, but they were AWESOME and I am so glad I have a pic of my feet in them.

This pic is special to me, because I snapped it with my phone at a time I was feeling SUPER confident and this LO is STRONGLY influenced by the Glitter Girl layouts I'm addicted to!

The stickers come from my Everyday Eclectic pack that I'm using up slowly but surely (by Echo Park). The baroque shape is cut from Pink Paislee Daily Junque paper with my Tim Holtz die. The green paper is also Echo Park, it's a scrap that I'd been hoarding and it no longer had the strip showing the collection it was from. The blue starry paper is from Amy Tan's Sketchbook collection as is that bright orange and pink camera diecut. (the yellow flower too). 

I made the sparkly pink embellie by putting a maya road doily onto a piece of parchment vellum and spraying it with Vintage Pink Glimmer Mist. The letters are old ones from Studio Calico that I covered inWaterfall Stickles.

That little star is an old rub-on from Studio Calico. 

This seems to have set my bright and colorful tone for the year, I can't get enough of yellow, orange, pink and turquoise. (Purple also it seems).

I'm also glad that I'm not only scrapping this year pretty regularly, but I'm remembering to photograph my projects, last year I made way more than I shared, I just couldn't get it together to take photos of things before they were gifted out. 

I went out with a bunch of people from work Saturday, March 23rd. We called our outing "Drunkfest" I can't wait to share with you my mini from Drunkfest. As of the writing of this blogpost I'm planning on using effects on all the photos with an app on my iphone. I want the mini to be vibrant, fun and silly (kind of like the gang I work with). I'm hoping to have it up by Saturday, but we'll see. :)

SMILE (my first LO of 2013)

This photo was with my Christmas cards from my wonderful friends (I call the boys in the photo my grandkids... because I have no kids of my own and I have godchildren already). This is such a photo full of JOY and happiness, I knew as soon as I saw it I wanted to scrap it. This was my project for New Years Day. (I started out the year by making sure to stamp the wrong LO date on my LO, LOL.) I backed the LO with some lovely light gray cardstock from American Crafts. The photo mat is my last big piece of Christmas paper from Echo Park a couple of years ago. The banners are cut from a 6x6 Authentique pad and the stickers are from Studio Calico. I stamped some borders up the side with some stamps from Lawn Fawn. 

I hand drew those hearts with some Maya Mist and used my date stamp. This one is from American Crafts I think. (I have a couple from different manufacturers, but they are all great!

That bling is from my i-Rock. These bling are made by Imaginisce as well, but there are other brands of  heat bond adhesive gems that you can purchase and Joann's, Hobby Lobby and Michaels that work great with this tool as well. I recommend practicing on scratch paper BEFORE you just forge ahead on your project, it gets hot and you want to be careful not to burn yourself (or your paper or table).

Dinosaur Kids!

These photos are from July 4th 2012. I've shown some others from that day already, but these feature Cosmo Cricket Halfway Cafe Papers mixed in with some Heidi Swapp tidbits (OMG!!! These Heidi Swapp papers are available and Michaels and I SO want to go buy that paper pad, I feel like I can use them for EVERYTHING!) I've included Maya Road Buttons, Amy Tan tidbits, A blue clip that came from a package of clips I picked up in the paperclip department at Staples, the "tape" is FabRips from Studio Calico. 

I believe that little acrylic piece is from Tattered Angels and when it was available I think it was called Glimmer Glass. I also used my tiny attacher a bit.

This Star Stamp is from Lawn Fawn!

That black mist is an old one from Maya Road, it's Maya Mist in Licorice.

The punch I used to cut the banner strip is from Jenni Bowlin!

I am working REALLY hard to use up some stuff, I keep thinking my things are multiplying rather than dividing and that isn't good, LOL! But I do pop by the store every once in a while so that by adding just one or two goodies, I am re-inspired to use the stuff I've been looking at for a while. What is your favorite trick to make your old supplies seem fresh? 

This LO isn't a good example, but I have been using more solid cardstock lately for my backgrounds and honestly, that makes my papers feel fresh because it's not something that I've done on a regular basis in the past. 

How to handle a sensitive subject part I

So in 2012 I posted here about a LO that I made which was full of some sensitive journalling and really I guess it was a more art journally type page, but whatever. Today I want to share this LO with you.

I will be the first to admit it's a bright, happy, springy, colorful thing to look at. (OMG I've been wanting to use those papers on something lovely for so long). The photo is of me and my now deceased DH from Easter 2000. The vellum to the left of the photo covers a LOT of journalling. Some really painful journalling about how that day seems in the photo and the reality that was my life for so long. I love so much about this LO. But most of all I love LOVE the way I felt after I wrote all of my feelings down. It was like breathing a sigh of relief. I worked a desk job for several years, and this photo sat in a cute but really cheap little frame that had plastic on it rather than glass. One day a glass of water spilled on my desk and damaged the photo. The plastic from the frame is STILL stuck to the photo, it will tear up the photo if I try to take it off, so if you think it looks weird, that's why. I wouldn't change a thing about it... I wouldn't put anything on here straighter. I think it's awesome just the way it is. I used my favorite products, a stamp, some trim that I misted, some stickers that I've been hoarding shamelessly... and design tips from Shimelle Laine (I'm kind of addicted to her videos right now).

Do you scrap the hard stuff? Do you keep a journal that's private to put your feelings in? I'm kind of combining my therapy blog with my scrapping. I think it's good for me, and hopefully one day if any of my good friends takes a look at this page, they can share their own feelings, or they may not stop and read it. I think either way it's a really good idea.

Cruising Right Along.

I'm settling in to life here in Northern Virginia quite nicely! I'm getting a good amount of scrapping done. The following layout is from my 4th of July trip to the zoo 2012 with my godkids. I'm trying very VERY hard to use up some of the massive stash of papers and goodies that I moved up here with me without adding too much (but it's really hard, have you seen the stuff that came out at CHA this winter???

This LO showcases papers from Heidi Swapp and Pink Paislee and a bit of Echo Park. I broke out some sparkly thickers and some stickers from October Afternoon. 

(That "polaroid frame" is from this stamp set from Lawn Fawn -- I LOVE this stamp!)

Something new for me is that I'm trying to date my layouts both with the date of the event (or something close to it. I'm also putting a "scrapped on" date (either on the front or back). I just kind of think it might be something I want to know one day...

It's something new, to try... for now anyway. I can TELL I have gotten addicted to Glitter Girl Videos from Two Peas.