2013 family reunion

 Oh boy....blogging again!  Crazy!  But it feels totally great to create again!  The problem is I haven't really documented any stories for a LONG, LONG time.  The photos for the 2013 family reunion I took are awesome, but the details of the trip have faded.  I know the kids had fun, but I don't know what their favorite activity was, who they played with, or how they did on the drive.  Lost, memories lost. 

Yet, the photos do tell a story...check it out.  All layouts were created using the Beach Party collection from Close to my Heart: papers and sticker sheet, coordinating cardstock, rubber shapes, and the scrapbooking stamp and thin cuts.  5 - 2 page layouts and 2 cards from those materials! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#CTMHbeachparty

Day 2...

Aha!  The mojo is back...well at least for now...I'm finding a bunch of inspiration that I guess I've been avoiding.

Anyway, back in February a new little nephew was born into the family.  Totally cute.  His mom, the poor thing, was sick the ENTIRE pregnancy.  She could rarely eat without tasting the food twice...iykwim!

I saw a layout on pinterest/scrapbook.com -->   So worth waiting for  Oh man...I couldn't resist.  So with my sister-in-law's permission, photos from Presley's first photo shoot, and cute Pebbles paper...viola!

Again...it feels great to create again!  (Excuse the poor photography...Got to find my layout photoing groove again!)

I'm back!!!

Well....hopefully for good this time.  I've been in a pretty severe funk.  I thought moving into our new home would pull me out...not so much!  I really, really LOVED my scrap space in Muscatine!!!  The space here...not so much!  I totally did not want to be in it, let alone figure out how to create in it.  A total mojo downer!!  But, I think I've got arranged a bit better to make it more workable.

I've also reached out to reconnect with some of my scrappy friends that I lost touch with during my funk!  Oh yeah...nothing like a space to create in and some friends to chat with!  It is a great group and if you are looking for a place to hang, chat, and be inspired...Come check out Chatty Scrappin' Chicks on facebook.  It is a closed group...just ask to join.

So...I thought what I've been lacking is inspiration.  I decided to start there...pick something that inspires me.  I went all in.  I chose my kids...they totally inspire me to be the best me I can.  And, I chose color!  Dylusions sprays are soo colorful.  So viola...kids and color were my inspiration for this layout...

I soo love it!  It feels awesome to create again!!!  I can't wait to create more.

My poor blog!!!

2013 was NOT a fun year.  It was filled with many trials.  These "trials" had a MAJOR impact on my mojo and scrappy time.  If I was feeling the mojo, I had no time.  If I had time, no mojo.  And to be honest...neither was around all that much.

But, 2013 wasn't all that bad.  I made my favorite design team at The Scrapbooking Studio!  They decided to allow out of town designers.  I was soo excited to design for Stacy and Amy...they rock!  Amy's store is one of the best that I've ever been in.  I couldn't wait to get started!

Then Thanksgiving hit, I got sick, Wisconsin State gymnastics championships, move from IA, move into a new house in WI, unpack, and Christmas!  Sheesh...

Finally the scrap room is set up, tools unpacked, and the mojo was flowing.  Oh yeah!  Time to create!  I got two lines to work with and today I'm going to share the creations I made using the Crate Paper Flea Market line.

First up is "I was Robbed".  I participated in a chili cook-off for charity at my church in Muscatine.  It was a lot of fun and generated a story I wanted to remember.

Next is a photo of my dad and brother.  These are rare...really rare...and even more rare, my brother smiling.  I soo had to get this one down.  These papers are soo versatile and totally worked for this masculine page.  I even threw in the pink heart border!  bam!  perfect!

This line came with a little ring binder that has "Always Remember" on the cover.  That soo had a year in review written all over it.  The tag type pages were perfect for the smaller photos and adding little do-dad embellishments!

Lastly, a birthday card!  I had a ton of fun working with all these papers and embellishments!  Remember, you can purchase everything at The Scrapbooking Studio!  They have an online store...so shop away!

Epic fail???

Well...not almost epic, but I think I saved it a bit...

I loved the Donna Downey inspiration Wednesday video from 1.23.13...(www.donnadowney.com).  LOVE LOVE LOVE this page she created in her art journal.  I really thought I could recreate it.

I have a LOT to learn!!  LOL!  Having an engineering and computer science degree pretty much says I have a very active left side of my brain.  My right side is totally trying to catch up!  

Anyway...I gessoed the page and started with the gelatos.  I didn't really have a plan for color placement...I wish I would have gone more light to dark.  I also did not get the coverage I wanted.  I don't know if it is because I used a brush or just did not put down enough color to start.  But it is a start...

...and I'm not liking it!...So on to adding more stuff.  Donna threw on some white paint.  I gave it a whirl with some Dylusions I had and a stencil...it was a no go...couldn't get it to show.  I finally used some thinned out acrylic with the stencil.  Must have been too thin because it bled under the stencil...I so hate that.

This is a photo from before I added the acrylic...you totally can't see the white ink spray I added.  So...now what....even with the white stenciled paint I wasn't liking it...grrr...But I was creating and that was the whole point.  So I stamped the letters create in black.  I also played around with some small tags and ink, then washi taped them down....now it is coming together a bit.  I added some journaling and some corner borders.  I ruined the black pen I used because the paint was not quite dry...another lesson learned.

And here is the finished page...

Epic fail...no not quite...I sorta like how it turned out.  My left side of the brain struggles with the randomness of it...but it will just have to deal!   LOL!

More Art Journal pages

I'm loving the art journal!  Oh yeah...ink, paint, stamps, glue, journaling...way fun AND theraputic.  I'm thinking I'm saving thousands of dollars worth of therapy just by playing with paints.  Oh yeah!...

So here are a couple of pages I finished recently.  It took a while and morphed during the process.  I created the green and blue background which would be perfect for the tree branch I had in mind.  I stamped and cut out the leaves...water colored some yellow for the sun...and added the perfect pearl hearts.  So fun.  The actual branch is hand drawn and painted.  I decided I needed some butterflies and texture paste was just the ticket!

Then the mushrooms...I originally thought I'd have some kind of grass or flower type stamp down there.  When I was looking for a stamp, I saw the mushrooms...How perfect 'cause I totally feel like one lately...I have no clue what is going on ... so viola... a page is born.

Next is a Gratitude page.  I realized I have not been thankful for all I have.  So I took this blue background and went to town...Hand wrote gratitude then listed all that I am grateful for...I'm sure there is way more.  I stamped and painted some butterflies...LOVE how it all turned out!

 I can't wait to go play some more!

Oldies, but goodies!

Hello dear followers!
I know I have not posted in awhile...and I have lots to post...soon...very soon...some very cool art journal projects and a few layouts.

But tonight...I'm re-posting some oldies, but goodies.  See...I'm applying for a VERY COOL design team...Xyron!  They want non-layout stuff...no prob...I have lots of altered and mini projects, but some of them seem to be missing from my blog.  It looks like a couple of months worth of posts have disappeared including the photos from them...very weird...So I'm re-posting so I can link them up!  LOL!!!

Actually...I just need to re-post the altered flower pot...can't seem to find that photo on my blog..And I need to pick three...which three should it be...hmmm....

I'm also going to submit the 
Teresa Collins travel journal

Bottle Cap Christmas tree

and the 14 days of Valentines book

A Dylusions scrappy page!

Well...challenge #15 is upon us!  This week we were challenged to scrap about a journey at Scrap Your Story.  Well, we just moved from Iowa to Wisconsin, from a 4700 sf house to a 2nd floor apartment, and well...there are lots of changes that go with this journey.

I've recently started Art Journaling.  I'm loving getting messy and I'm finding it is a great way to get out what is going on for me.  I had started a page and sprayed both sides...oops...so I used a 12x12 to sop up some of the ink.  I LOVED it and well...I thought it would be a perfect background for this challenge.  So I filled in some of the blank space and added some clouds.

I also used my silhouette to cut out the states.  I needed a sun and thought watercolors would be perfect for that.  Added the journaling and viola...a page about our journey.  There are not many embellishments on this page 'cause I think the background perfect.

Challenge #14

Wow!  I can't believe we are up to the 14th challenge for Scrap your Story!  Time is flying!  Anyway...this week's challenge is Music/Song Lyrics.  Oh man!!!  So not me!  As much as I love listening to music, it just doesn't inspire me to scrap.  So, a challenge it was!

I had this photo of my two kids.  I wanted them to always remember they are loved!  Hmmm...Google to the rescue.  I googled "You are loved song lyrics" and got a hit!  Josh Grobin has a song You Are Loved (Don't Give Up).  The lyrics are perfect.  Thank you google and Mr. Grobin!

LOL!!  Anyway...I also have been meaning to use hexagons on a layout...been want to do this for awhile.  I came across this Becky Fleck sketch which I thought would be perfect.

So...viola!  I'm loving how it turned out.  So...give it a try!  If I can be inspired by song lyrics (well sort of) you can too!  If you need more inspiration...check out what the SYS DT has going on!  They rocked this challenge out of the park!  Can't wait to see what you come up with!

 

Art Journal started! Oh yeah!

I've been itching to start this journal for a while.  Especially after Dyan Reaveley visited the Scrapbooking Studio.  I soo wanted to take her classes, but alas...no can do.  I did buy as much as I could and brought it with me to Wisconsin.  Been here a week and no journalling was going on...what the???  Did lots of art journal pinning though.

Well...woke up at 3 am last night and couldn't fall asleep.  To add to the problem I had this journal page going through my head.  I had started the background before bed (not happy with this one...turned out muddy.  I'll have to look at colors I chose, order of application, amount of ink, etc...).  I'm totally happy with the final outcome!

I totally had a blast stamping, painting, cutting, doodling, etc!!!  I soo not done.  I already have another page floating in the grey matter.  I have lots of stuff to journal about right now!  LOL!!

Anyway...here it is!  And the start of a tag.  Not sure what else is going to go on that one yet.  Notice I doodled U R LOVED in between the heart border stamp.  Originally I was going to have the hearts surround the dress...but it wasn't working for me.  Then I thought to create butterflies out of the smaller hearts.  So I swirled them around and off to the other page.  I wish I could sew in the book!  Not quite sure how I'm going to pull that off yet!  

Thanks for looking!

Challenge #13

Another Friday, another challenge at Scrap Your Story!.  And this one had me shaking in my shoes, well flip flops right now!  LOL!!  Mixing and matching fonts has never been my thing.  Well...I was pinning on pinterest and came across this AWESOME layout by Cindy Lee on the Jillibean blog.  So I had my inspiration!!!  I busted out the Silhouette and viola...  I totally love this layout.  Thanks to Cindy Lee at Jillibean and Christy at SYS for the awesome inspiration!!!  The title is hard to read in the photo...it says "So Blessed to have a daughter like you!"

Challenge #12

It's Friday and challenge time at Scrap Your Story!!  Got to love a new challenge to spark the mojo!  This one did for me!  Plus...I've always wanted to do this more on my layouts.  Again...got to love when a challenge has me doing this.  This weeks challenge is stamping!  I have a ton of stamps and inks and use them mostly on cards.  I've always wanted to incorporate them more into my layouts.  I soo love this challenge.

I recently picked up these GCD Studio papers and embellishments and thought they were perfect for this photo of my son and I.  I had some matching Tim Holtz distress inks to use with the flower and butterfly stamp.  I varied the intensity of the inks by stamping twice...I LOVE how it turned out!

Need more inspiration...make sure you check out the Scrap Your Story blog...there is TONS of inspiration there.  Don't forget to link up your creation.  Can't wait to see it!

May Scrapbooking Studio projects

I'm soo sad to be posting my last projects for The Scrapbooking Studio!  I love creating for my LSS!  It is an incredible store with awesome employees.  But alas...I'm moving to Wisconsin...boo hoo!  But...it will all be good when our family is all back together again!

For May I got to work with Echo Park's All About a Boy line!  LOVED this boy line...not too young, not too grunge...right up my son's age!

The first one is another double dip...I've been soo crunched for time with this move.  So I used Christy's sketch.  It was also posted earlier for the sketch challenge.

The next one was way fun.  I had these photos of Max hitting the punching bag.  It totally worked with this paper...like a POW! in the comics.  Throw in some washi and banners and viola!

 

I altered a canvas for my next project.  I found this awesome quote about sons...played with some Dylusions inks, stamps, washi, and stickers.  I totally love the way it turned out.

 And here is my card.  I totally should have re-photoed this.  Using a white background for the shot when the card is white...totally can't see the edge of the card.  Sorry!

April Scrapbooking Studio Projects

Oh yes!  I got to work with AC Yes Please line.  And I had a blast!  The colors and patterns rock!  The stitching template by Amy Tan is the bomb!  You totally need to head to The Studio and pick up some of this yumminess!

This is a crazy hair day one of Max.  Totally fun!

I posted this one earlier....my I'm Good Enough layout.

 I just loved the tree.  I thought the sun/clouds stickers with it would be perfect for a Hello card.

 And then my altered item.  Amy Tan has a set of note cards and envelopes that go with the line.  They were totally screaming mini album to me.  The different sticker embellishments reminded me of things I want more of in my life.  So I created this little Got 2 Remember album.  I totally LOVE it!