Simmering

On the way home, I was listening to a Craftcast podcast (Episode 111) with Sherri Gaynor hosted by Alison Lee. Sherry and Alison were talking about the creative process and how it ebbs and flows. I can completely testify to that. They also talked about this idea of simmering where your creativity is brewing right beneath the surface - not quite ready to explode to fruition. This is exactly how I feel right now. After seven days of sketches and a few great weeks crafting with my sister - I need a little time. I'm definitely not in the burn-out phase - but my creativity is just below the surface - and I'll have more to post when it finally breaks through.

So anyhoo - I wanted to take this opportunity to present a new craft book I have my eye on. It's called Journal Spilling by Diana Trout and has lots of techniques. I'm trying to stay away because I have a tendency to buy these books and never use any of the techniques. I have a fondness for admiring the work and brow beating myself for not being more creative. NOT VERY PRODUCTIVE. So - I'm staying away for now.

I'm big in the collection phase - so I'm going to have a lot of new purchases to present in the upcoming weeks. I have some items from a few of my favorite stamping companies. I'm definitely more into rubber stamping then scrapbooking right now. But just so you don't forget that I really do like to rock a good scrapbook page - I plan on doing a page very soon. I drew the Journaling Junkie challenge this week. Even though I'm not going to make the deadline, I plan on completing the challenge anyway. Here's hoping it works out. I hope everyone had a wonderful Tuesday. Until then...Happy Crafting

Monday Madness

I think I might have talked about this before - but Monday Madness is going through a little bit of a facelift. Instead of showcasing my most wanted products each Monday, I have decided to take the opportunity to show what I've done with previous purchases. This week is a little different. I won't be using anything from previous Monday Madness posts. I'll be showing a card I made on Sunday. I used a tree stamp from Memory Box, patterned paper, chipboard, buttons, a felt flower and brad to make a layered card that I really like. Here is a picture of the Trizzle Tree stamp from the Memory Box site.

Here's the finished card.



I'm pretty happy with the results - even if the coloring could use some work. This is my absolute favorite color scheme. It makes me happy using these colors and I hope this card shows that in some small way. Sometime this week I want to use my new stamps from Tim Holtz and Wendy Vecchi (check out their blogs by clicking on the sidebar). They're a little out of my comfort zone - but definitely something I would like to make part of my repertoire. Hopefully I will be posting something soon using my new stamps. Tuesday will be a challenge day due to the deadline on the challenge blog. It looks like Wednesday will no longer be the designated day. Challenge day will be determined by the site's deadline. We'll see how that works for me. I really like the structure but want to branch out more.

Update on 52 Book Challenge - I'm happy to report that I finished the Wednesday Sisters today. I need the whole weekend to push through and finish so I've decided my challenge weeks will start on Monday and end Sunday. I'm moving on to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. It will be my third time taking a crack at it. But in the book's defense, I stopped the second time to read Hunger Games before Charm went home. So - I'm hopeful that I will finish by next Sunday AND actually enjoy it. Charm and I were talking tonight about what I'm going to do if I just can't stand a book - don't know yet. I'm toying with the idea of vetoes. I need to set a number if that's the direction I want to head towards. We'll see. It's definitely time to get going. I hope everyone has a super nice Monday. Until then...Happy Crafting!

Joyful

Saturday was a huge day for me. I was able to take a class taught by the talented Wendy Vecchi. I went to a Stamper's Anonymous trunk show and got a whole lot of swag. Unbelievably I'm still on budget. I got some rockin' photos of artwork by Tim Holtz and Wendy. And...I finished my last sketch for Sketchfest. I'm so proud of myself. It was definitely nice to craft every night of the week. I would like to keep the momentum going. All these wonderful things are making me feel joyful! I love this feeling. So, instead of blubbering on - I want to show my sketch and one amazing tag from the trunk show.

I really like this card. The sketch is there in it's true form - but the flower, bird, and cage are my own little additions. I really love the finished project - mainly because flowers, birds, and bird cages are some of my favorite images! Love it. If you can believe it, I colored the bird and cage with colorbox inks. Then I overstamped with background images from Papertrey Ink. The flower is from Prima. These painterly petals are my favorite flowers of all time - must have more!

Okay - one last thing. I cannot finish this post without including this tag from the Trunk Show. It is completing amazing and NOT MY WORK AT ALL. It is the wonderful work of Tim Holtz and/or Wendy Vecchi. At the class, we learned that Wendy does a lot of Tim's examples presented at shows, etc. Needless to say - I bought this set after seeing the tag - just unbelievable.

So...that's it for now. Quick update on Wednesday Sisters - I didn't make my deadline - but my plan is to choose a longer book and try to finish as soon as possible so I'm still on schedule. I didn't read a word yesterday since I was out all day. I hope everyone had a nice Saturday and has a nice Sunday! Until then...Happy Crafting!

Friday Sketchfest

It's pretty late - so I'm going to make it quick. I really liked the sketch for today. I had another chance to color my favorite thing - cupcakes. Which reminds me, I made birthday cards for my mom and dad that I will post on Sunday. I hope everyone had a really great Friday. So excited for my class tomorrow - I'll update everyone on the class tomorrow. Until then...Happy Crafting.

Thursday Sketch

New day - new sketch. I just finished the Thursday sketch. Only two more to go and I have met my goal. It's so exciting. The sketch for today was out of my comfort zone AGAIN, which is probably why I'm participating. Right? I think I might have done a little too much. On Monday and Tuesday, I was really concerned that I stayed to close to the sketch. I tried to push a little harder today. But, it's a little busy - even for my taste. I wish I would have used light tan as the background paper for my image. I wish my indulge stamping was clearer. But that's life - imperfections and all. It is okay. So here it is - my busy, busy, busy card!

I've been wanting to use this coffee stamp for a very long time. I've had a pretty hard time with coloring the image - enter my fabulous markers and I like the finished product a lot better. I absolutely love the buttons on this card. No idea what brand they are.

Update on 52 Book Project: I'm still reading Wednesday Sisters. I'm about 100 pages in and am loving it. Unfortunately - I need to read 200 pages in the next two days AND Saturday is a field trip day. I'm going to a workshop with a good friend. Still it's time to get on it. Wednesday Sisters - I'm coming for you! So on that note - it's time for me to get going. I hope everyone had a super nice day. Until then...Happy Crafting!

Wednesday Sketch

It's late so that it can only mean one thing - I have another card to present. I had more fun doing this card for Sketchfest. I have to say that coloring is where it's at for me. I love using my sharpie/bics. My friend found this cool video - and I've been using these markers ever since. I still covet Copic mainly because lighter colors are non-existent among my current marker choices. Still they make this coloring girl happy! So here it is: my card for the Wednesday sketch! I hope everyone had a nice Wednesday. Until then...Happy Crafting!

Humpday Challenge

Another day - another card to present. I finished my third card for Sketchfest late last night. I'm still feeling pretty crappy so I didn't really want to do the card - but completing the 7 days is still important to me. So I did it. I think it shows that I didn't want to sit down and finish the card. The sketch wasn't like anything I would normally do. Instead of thinking outside the box, I stayed very true to the sketch (something I don't really like to do). My goal is to push a little harder today. So without further ado - here's the card!


A few things - I love this paper (by American Crafts). I've had it for maybe 2 years. I'm never quite sure how to use it. It seemed like a good match with the circle from Little Yellow Bicycle. Again - a little too plain for me and WAY out of my comfort zone - but it's done and that's what matters most to me right now. Hope everyone has a nice day. Until then...Happy Crafting!

Reading Corner

I love magazines. I love them for ideas and content. Needless to say - I love Creating Keepsakes and Scrapbooks Etc. But lately, I've been feeling the need to branch out - so I have drifted over to the UK magazines and found two that I absolutely love - Craft Stamper and Scrapbook Inspirations. They are both full of great content and picture tutorials - something seriously missing in CK and Scrapbooks Etc. I am happy to say they are my two favorite magazines. I still love my old faithfuls - but I love the newness of my new magazine finds. Love it. Love it. Love it.

Update on 52 project: I realized Catching Fire was more than 350 pages so I actually had two weeks to finish it. Still, I was able to finish it on Sunday and it was AMAZING. I've moved on to The Wednesday Sisters now. Deadline to finish is Saturday. I'm liking the book so far. I will definitely keep you posted.

I've attached a pics of my new favorite magazines. I hope you enjoy. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday. Until then...Happy Reading!

Caardvarks - Monday Sketch

I'm feeling a little under the weather - so this post is going to be quick. I finished the card below just a bit ago after having an overwhelming feeling to stay on the coach. It's not my best work - but it's done - can't ask for anything better than that some days. No embellishments and many glue debacles later, I'm happy to have it finished. Sometimes it's good to just finish a card because you want to be part of a challenge - not to make the most beautiful card ever. It's a good lesson to remember. The sketch can be found on the Caardvarks site. Here's to crafting despite feeling quite yucky! Hope everyone had a great Monday! Until then...Happy Crafting!

Monday Madness

After many weeks on hiatus - Monday Madness is back! I don't know about you - but I'm ecstatic to start finding cool new products again. Today's product is innovative and so cool I can barely stand it. This stamp set is from Papertrey Ink - my new favorite clear stamp company. They have a lot of great sets that have my tax check written all over them - but I'm not waiting on this one.

The set is called Everyday Button Bits. The idea is to add buttons in place of all of the gray circles. Papertrey Ink sells vintage buttons that compliment the set. With my love for buttons - I was a goner when I saw this set. Can't wait until it's in my house and I can upload pics of my own creations. For now - I'll just have to look at these:

*Geny Cassady

*Becky Oehlers

*Debbie Olson

*Lauren Meader

*Lisa Johnson

*Michelle Wooderson

*Amy Rohl & here

*Jamie Sears & here

Well I hope that shows why I love this set so much. I'm going to Iowa in October so I might need to wait until November to bring them home. We'll see. I hope this Monday finds you well. Until then...Happy Crafting!

Caardvarks

So you didn't have to wait long for the super cool news. It turns out that Caardvarks is hosting a event called Sketchfest. For this week only, a challenge will be posted each day. All entries must be in by 7:00 AM the following day. There are tons of prizes and a coveted spot on the Caardvarks design team. I'm totally game so I made ANOTHER card for the Sunday challenge. So why is this super? Well - because a challenge will be posted each day this week including Wednesday - challenge day. I'm super excited to see how things go. Here's a look at the sketch for this day's Sketchfest.


Here's a look at my first project. Please note: I'm not a fan of the oval so I changed the shape to suit my style. I think that's okay. Or let's just say, I hope it's okay.


Supplies: Cardstock - White; Patterned Paper: Basic Grey; Stamps: Stamping Bella, Hero Arts; Flowers: Prima; Markers: Sharpie, Bic; Buttons: Unknown.

Many of you might know that my family calls me bee. So I love all things bees - including the Autobot Bumbleebee. I had to have this stamp the moment I saw it. Love it to tiny little pieces. I'm pretty satisfied with this card. I used my brand new Indian Summer paper line from Basic Grey. I've had my eye on it for a while now. It didn't disappoint. So - that's it for Sunday. I hope everyone has a great Monday. Until then...Happy Crafting & Resting!

Challenge - Color Throwdown

Okay - I know challenges are supposed to be on Wednesdays but I had a slight dilemma today. I'm doing something a little new for challenges. I have taken the names of the challenges in the side columns and assigned each a number. Then I go to random.org and generate a number. Then I do the challenge from the site with the assigned number. Well this week I came up with 22 which is Color Throwdown. The challenge was super cool but there was a catch - the card is due by 11:59 tonight - so the challenge is happening on Sunday. However there is something SUPER cool in the works - more of that to come.

The color challenge:

The finished product:
Supplies: Cardstock-Kraft; Patterned Paper: October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket; Stamps; My Favorite Things; Flowers: Prima; Brads; Basic Grey; Markers: Bic, Sharpie; Stickers: Making Memories; Felt Flower; Fiesta Fun; Buttons: Unknown.

CHALLENGE!

I've been thinking about doing another challenge for quite some time. The layout a day challenge from summer of 2008 was amazing. It was a huge chore at times - but mostly, it was really great. Why? Because every time I got my butt in that chair something creative happened - good or bad. In that thirty days, my style began to emerge. It was an interesting time and it gave me a lot of inspiration. So - on to a new challenge.

It's not a crafty challenge in the slightest - although I'll be doing a mini album chronicling the 52 weeks of the challenge! So here's the basic rules - I will read one book a week that is under 350 pages. Additional weeks will be allowed for every additional 300 pages. For example, if a book is 700 pages - I will get three weeks to finish the book. There are no penalties for missing a deadline. Additional time remaining from previous weeks can be used to finish any book - small or large. I will update the What I'm Reading Now spot on the blog as I begin each new book. I also will complete a mini album page after the completion of each book. When finished, a small review and the mini album page will be posted on the blog.

I'm super excited about this new challenge. For a few months I've been talking about getting back to basics. Reading is a basic thing for me. I've loved it since I learned how to do it. I can't wait to start this thing. I'm actually one day over on Catching Fire right now - but I plan on finishing it today. GREAT BOOK. So here I go - 52 book project begins now - or last Saturday. I hope everyone has a great day. Until then...Happy Reading!

The photo was taken by MWB an amazing friend. Thanks so much for the great pic!

Someone Must Be Kidding

Okay. I really wish I could be one of those positive, optimistic people - but, it just isn't a part of my personality. I'm missing that gene. Yes, I love helping people and want the best for the kids I help - but I can't seem to translate that to too many other areas of my life. Case in point - the mailman. For the last few days I've been so excited to get my new Creating Keepsakes. I didn't get one last month (please don't get me started) and I was just positive this one would come. And it did come. But my effing mailman stuffed it in my mailbox with a box of business cards that I can say with 100% certainty did NOT fit. This mailman, in his infinite wisdom, decided to shove my new magazine into the slot pushing it into a mini ball. When I opened the mailbox, I was not amused. I ended up tearing the magazine getting it out of the box. I used a variety of swear words and thought seriously about making the postal service buy me a new magazine. I love my effing magazine. And now it's total crap. So - instead of going to the post office and giving it a big kick in the junk, I put my "new" magazine under a pile of books and am hoping for the best. We'll see. The mailman might need to start wearing a cup for a while.

Moving past my mail debacle, I'm still not crafting - but I have the cards as promised. Don't mind the pink notebook. All of the images below are colored with Bic and Sharpie markers. I love the way these cards came out. I love that the card with the colored pencils is generic. Whenever I need a card, I can enter the sentiment. It's a total win-win. I can also substitute the color pencils for flowers, birds, owls, etc. Just perfecto! I haven't tackled a challenge yet but am looking forward to doing that soon. Really, that's all to report for now. Tomorrow's Friday so I'm quite happy. I'm going to the Greek Festival with my friends and sister this weekend. I hope to see at least one movie. I think it's going to be a super nice couple of days (hey, there's that optimism). I really hope you had a great day. Until then...Happy Crafting.:)

BTW: A cure for the pessimistic streak is embodied by the following statement from the honorable Jack Sparrow; "Just close your eyes and pretend it's a bad dream. That's how I get by."

There's Something About Tuesday

I have been crafting minimally over the last few days. I had a period when I was making cards like a fiend - but this urge has left me. I think it's worth mentioning why I turned the corner with cards. First, I love to color and watercolors, brush markers, and colored pencils often made me want to find a sharp object. I've gotten better with colored pencils - but not good enough. So enter my friend Edie. She had seen a video on You Tube demonstrating how to use Bic and Sharpie markers to color in images. The finishing effect should look like Copics. So - I tried it and man did that work. I've had a harder time lately. But I'm not being patient. So I am happy to announce that I am finally a cardmaker! I'll post a few tomorrow.

Today: I plan on having a good day at school. I will try hard to think positively. Charm and I have fun plans for the evening. We are going to see the Time Travelers Wife with Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. BTW: I love myself some Eric Bana. I'm going to look forward to that all day. I was in a book club in LA that selected this book right before I moved to the Lou. I loved it. I can wait to see how the film world mucked it up! It'll be good times (honestly). So I guess it's time to stop stalling and get ready for work. I hope this day finds you well. Until then...Happy Crafting.

P.S. The pic has nothing to do with the post...I just love it!