Tuesday, May 31, 2011

My First She Art Girl

Two weeks ago, I was so inspired by the Scrapbook Your Heart Retreat.  The theme was "finding joy in the journey".  Christy Riopel, Allison Orthner, Diana Kennedy,  Michelle Zemlak and Kandi Perlmann hosted this wonderful event.  We got inky and messy with various mediums working on our canvas.  It was the first time I have done anything like this and it was so much fun!  We made a "Joy" canvas.


 There were also some "She Art" canvases that they had made and brought along to share.  After returning home, I decided to sign up for Christy Tomlinson's online class.  Last night I finished my first She Art girl and it was so fun!  I used Tattered Angels chalkboard mists,  acrylic paints, inks, texturing paste, glitter, acrylic stamps, rub ons, stickers, ribbon, buttons and Mod Podge.  What fun!  Here is the first one:

Monday, May 30, 2011

A New Job!


Today is a great day!  I got a job!  A fun job!  A job in a scrapbook store!  This is going to be a new experience for me.  I have been a stay-at-home-mom for the last 12 years and now I will be expanding my horizons.  It is part-time, which is perfect.  It will be so great to get out of the house and meet ladies with the same hobby.  I am feeling very blessed.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A Vintage Type Layout

I have many favorite scrapbook paper manufacturers, but I must say October Afternoon is on the top of my list.  I am loving the vintage look at the moment.  Here is a layout I did with the new 5 and Dime Collection.  I also made a recycled yellow pages bow.  (See the link to the tutorial below).  I sprayed it with some archival mist and it's good to go.



Thanks for checking out my blog!  I always welcome comments.  Have a great day!

A Flower And A Gift Bow Tutorial


  
Don't you just love learning a new technique that is fun and inexpensive that you can use on your pages and projects?   I found this one today on making crepe paper flowers.  Isn't the orange so pretty?  Take a look:


http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2011/04/make-flowers-from-crepe-paper.html

Or how about these cute bows that you can make out of the yellow pages of a phone book:

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2011/02/recycled-gift-bows-yellow-pages-version.html

I don't know about you, but if I can use items around the home and repurpose them, it makes me feel good inside.

I am off to the dollar store to see if I can find some crepe paper sheets, not rolls to give this a whirl.  Have an awesome scrappy, crafty day!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Smelling The Flowers

Finding joy in the journey is something I am learning day by day.  I love to photograph flowers because they really do bring me tons of joy.  I had my parents over for dinner yesterday and they came with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.  I also put my outdoor plants on my deck while I was scrapbooking on Saturday.  Here is some photos of all of the flowers.  Don't forget to "smell the flowers".

















Sunday, May 22, 2011

She Art Workshop

Last weekend I went to a retreat and saw these beautiful pieces of She Art that some of the ladies had created.   It is a mixed media canvas that has a picture of a girl painted on them.   Paints,  rub-ons,  Modge Podge,  patterned papers and other embellishments are applied to a canvas.  I love them!  Today I signed up for The She Art Workshop.  It is a  three week online workshop that a person has access on their computer, day or night for three months.  Christy Tomlinson is the talented lady who makes it happen.



It's going to be fun!  If you are interested in taking The She Art Workshop, check out:

  http://www.christytomlinson.typepad.com/

Have a wonderful day!

Friday, May 20, 2011

New Camera Bag

My camera bag arrived the other day and I am in love with it!

I chose the Old World Brocade with Black Leather
Lots of room to put an SLR camera with a mounted lens and two additional lenses

Porteen Gear Brand
See!  It looks like a handbag!
It's going to be perfect for those days when I want to just take my camera and maybe two lenses without having to take the entire kit and caboodle.  I bought it from Robyn Porteen, who is an international award winning photographer from Michigan who has recently expanded her photography business to include custom made camera bags.  There are many colors and designs to choose from.  I love that I can travel and it looks just like a purse instead of a big camera backpack that screams "I'm a tourist".  The colors are bright and the quality is number one!  She even includes a little leather wallet and a little business card holder.  Perfect!  If you are interested in ordering one she is now going to be making even a larger camera bag so check out her website at www.porteengear.com

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Scrapbook Your Heart Retreat

Last weekend I went to the most amazing retreat and it was really life changing for me.  Allison Orthner, Christy Riopel and Diana Kennedy hosted this year's retreat at Caroline, Alberta.  The theme this year was "Finding Joy In The Journey".  Here are the projects that I created:

My Joy Canvas
Journey Layout
Finding Joy In The Journey Journal
It was a weekend of healing for me and I was so inspired.  It was also a weekend to make some awesome new friends that have the same passion for wanting to find joy in their journey.  What a great way to get a group of ladies together and create and become "soul sistas".  

I want to thank Allison Orthner, Christy Riopel, Diana Kennedy, Kandi Perlmann and Michelle Zemlak for organizing the event.  

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

It's Fun To Get Messy

Today I decided to get messy and take out the paints.  Sometimes art just happens and this layout is a good example of letting it just happen.



This layout is of my daughter and I last year at her bridal shower.  I don't have a lot of photos of my daughter all grown up as she lives three hours away so I have been known to use the same picture for several layouts.  I love these colors.


My scrapping space gets in a tizzy when the creative juices are flowing so I came up with an idea of taking a photo of my products that I use on my layouts by taking a photo with them on my iphone or camera so I can remember the manufacturers so I don't forget.  

It makes it so much easier when it comes time to write the supply lists on my galleries.

Hope you can have fun and get messy today!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Why God Made Moms ----

Mother's Day has come and gone for another year, but I wanted to share this: 


WHY GOD MADE MOMS - - - - - - - - -
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers?
1.  She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2.  Mostly to clean the house.
3.  To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1.  He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2.  Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3.  God made my mom just the same like he made me.  He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1.  God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2.  They had to get their start from men's bones.  Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1.  We're related.
2.  God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?
1.  My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2.  I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3.  They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1.  His last name.
2.  She had to know his background.  Like is he a crook?  Does he get drunk on beer?
3.  Does he make at least $800 a year?  Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1.  My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world.  And my mom eats a lot
2.  She got too old to do anything else with him.
3.  My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1.  Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2.  Mom.  You can tell by room inspection.  She sees the stuff under the bed.
3.  I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1.  Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2.  Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3.  Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4.  Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1.  Mothers don't do spare time.
2.  To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1.  On the inside she's already perfect.  Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2.  Diet.  You know, her hair.  I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1.  She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean.  I'd get rid of that.
2.  I'd make my mom smarter.  Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3.  I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Scrapbook News and Review Magazine


Today just got a little brighter.  I got an email from Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.  They are going to publish three (3) of my layouts in their May 15, 2011 issue!  I feel so blessed about all these wonderful opportunities.

Monday, May 9, 2011

I Love Challenges

Yes, I love scrapbooking challenges and here are some I have done for National Scrapbook Day, which was on May 7, 2011.

Asia My Cat - the challenge was to use at least four pieces of patterned paper on a layout

Spring Tulips - the challenge was to use a medium such as ink, paint, or mists




A Great Giveaway!

 This is something I think you may be interested in if you like scrapbooking and prizes:


http://bellablvd.typepad.com/bella_blvd/2011/05/nsd-85-giveaway-day-keep-reading.html

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Orange Julius Recipe



As long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed going to a mall and indulging in an Orange Julius.  Well, now I can make them at home.  Here is a great recipe and they taste exactly like the real ones at the mall:


1 cup orange juice (Tropicana works well)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup water
1 cup  milk
8 or 9 ice cubes

Put all ingredients except ice cubes in a blender.  Whirl until well mixed.  Add ice cubes one at a time until frothy.

Serve immediately.

There is quite a bit of sugar in this so if it is too sweet for your liking, just reduce the sugar to maybe 1/3 of a cup.  Enjoy!

National Scrapbook Day

Happy National Scrapbook Day! Are you doing anything fun on this annual scrappy day? There are lots of online challenges. Usually I like to go to a crop, but this year I am going to participate with the wonderful ladies at www.wescrap.com. There will be several challenges that can be worked on at your own pace and the good thing is that they don't have to be completed until May 14. That is an entire week. Since it is also Mother's Day weekend, that might be an incentive to get scrappy and know that there is no rush. I am a slow scrapper so this works for me. Celebrate this wonderful hobby and maybe creating a layout on how you started scrapbooking. Was it through a friend? Did you notice a local scrapbook store in your travels and were curious what this thing called scrapbooking was all about? Enjoy your scrappy day today!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Scrapbooking.com -- Article - Altered Wedding Collage

 Here is my most recent article that has been published.   I am very honored.

Scrapbooking.com -- Article - Altered Wedding Collage

My daughter was home last weekend so I was able to give her this to take home.