Give Me Some of that Old CHA Madness - Patterned Paper Style!

I have a intense love of all things pattern.  Despite being in the creative rut of all ruts - I still can appreciate the number one product I love.  For me, the world looks better when you have a beautiful pattern in your hand, eye sight, etc.  I love everything about patterns.  It's probably the thing that attracts me most to scrapbooking - the beautiful paper.  So without further ado - here are my top 10 picks for patterned paper from the winter CHA show..

10. Sunny Day by SEI

9.  Corrine by SEI.

8.  It's the Little Things by Fancy Pants (the birds are so stinking cute!).

7.  Countryside by Studio Calico - definitely check out the link - I've chosen some of my favorite papers as a representative of the collection.  So much good stuff at Studio Calico right now.  I could live in this color scheme.

6. Cute as a Button by Crate Paper.  I absolutely love what they do with paper.

5.  Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket - I also love the butterflies and doilies.  So yummy.

4.  Emma's Shoppe by Crate Paper

3.  Upcycle by Cosmo Cricket

2.  Portrait by Crate Paper

and a drum roll please...

1.  Social Club by Cosmo Cricket

Hope some of these items make you happy.  I know they give me a little bit of joy on this blustering Tuesday morning.  Can't wait to have some of these pretties in my stash.  I hope everyone is doing well. If you're weather is cold right now - bundle  up and stay warm.  If you're in a warm climate, lucky!  I hope this Tuesday finds you in the place you were meant to be.  Until then...

Self Portrait a Day

I've been searching for a project or challenge to ground me this year.  I have an ongoing list to choose from and I'm happy to announce I've made at least one decision.  I want to do a self-portrait a day photo challenge.  These are two pictures from today.  I recently got the iPhone 4 and am loving everything about it.  I have a lightroom app on the phone that is absolutely outstanding.  I've been playing with a lot of the settings.  I love the effects of both of these pictures - love the emotion they convey.  Today wasn't a stellar day - if you couldn't tell - and this is one way of documenting that.  I feel like the paper part of crafting life is failing me right now - or I'm failing it.  In any case, this is one more way to be creative.  I'm excited to think of different ways to document me.  I have so more ideas to expand the challenge - I'll keep you posted as those come along.  I've been gone so long - I'm not really sure if anyone is reading this right now.  If you are and have some ideas for innovative ways to take a self-portrait - please let me know.  I'm going to need a lot of different ideas.  So that's my only update for now.  I hope everyone had a nice day.  Until then...

I'm Back and Ready for Business...At Least I Think I Am?

Hello!  It's been such long time.  There have been so many changes in the last three months.  I'd love to give a full update - but I think that would take forever.  Let me give you a quick rundown.

*I was diagnosed with GERD - no more coffee, no caffeinated tea, chocolate, tomatoes, onions, garlic, citrus, cola sodas, and unfortunately the will to live.  Don't get me started on how crazy this food life of mine is right now.

*I made a few scrapbook pages and two mini-books.

*I've stopped making cards - tired of my mass of stamps.  New things don't seem to help.

*I went home and realized I need to be closer - like right now.

*I've continued to stalk my favorite blogs.

*I've enrolled in three more online classes.

*I got an iPhone and Barnes & Noble Nook Color.  Santa was very good to me!

*I've fallen in love with a number of iPhone apps.

*I got a flat screen TV and thought about killing a cat.

*I've missed this blog terribly.

So...now I'm back and a little worse for wear - but happy to be here.  I have some plans in the works for the blog and can't wait to tell you about my big plans for 2011...coming soon.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year.  Until then...

Sad

I just want to start by saying I never intended for things to go down this way.  I did not plan on abandoning my blog for almost two months.  A funny thing happened over the summer - I absolutely loved being on this blog.  I loved doing all of the researching and finding fun products - but something inside me changed too.  I want to be able to give that level of intensity every day.  I want to be able to spend the same amount of time to make this meaningful to me.  And I just don't have the stamina right now or the know-how to work and do this well.  As soon as I do - I'll be back.  So - this is the deal, I will keep the blog up until further notice.   However, I will not be updating the blog for some time.  If you want to be notified when I start up again - send me an email!  I'd love to hear from you.  Until then...

Taking a Break

Good morning!  I thought I'd take this insomnia opportunity to let everyone know I will be taking a break until the 1st of September.  With school starting, this is a very hectic time and I'm afraid I won't be able to commit my full attention to getting the job done.  Look for a new look and focus on September 1st!  I hope everyone has a lovely rest of the month.  Until then...Happy Crafting, Reading, Relaxing, and the list goes on. :)

Friday Fun!

I have only a few things to report today.  I've been concentrating a lot on defining a structure for this blog before school starts in just over a week!  I can't believe it.  I have really enjoyed spending time on this blog over the summer.  I've loved the opportunity to really search around for great things and to use that to create a blueprint for what's to come.  I'm happy to announce that I'm getting a lot closer to having this blog up and running with a schedule of posts.  It should be fun!  BTW: I think Tonks has enjoyed the time as well - she's used research time to sit on the printer and attacking outgoing paper.  Nice!

I don't want to leave you without a few fun finds/inspirational goodness to take a look at over the weekend.  So here it goes...

1.  Check out Jennifer McGuire's card and the explanation of the technique.  Can't wait to try it with one of my new flower stamps!

2.  Check out how Julie Fei-Fan Balzer altered prima colors to give a cool collaged look.  I LOVE her work.

3.  Check out the links to six tutorials on making paper flowers on the new Create: Blog (the new blog for Northridge Media - publisher of Cards and Scrapbook Trends).

I hope today finds you well.  Until then...

My Top 8 CHA Product Picks!

Good morning!  I have a few things to share today.  I'm most excited about the CHA finds I'm drooling over.  I whittled down my list of things and decided on my top eight product picks.  Why eight?  Eight is my favorite number so I just went with it.  Anyhoo - instead of giving a wordy diatribe - I'm just going to get started.  BTW: I have listed the items by my excitement.  So without further ado:

#8) Perfect Pearl Mists - Ranger Ink

Source: Ranger Ink Blog

#7) Clara Lulu and Ida Lulu - Stamping Bella

Source (both images): Stamping Bella Blog

#6) City Park Stamps - American Crafts

Source - Creating Keepsakes Blog

#5) Bee Hive Album - Maya Road: Check out Katie Watson's amazing project here.

Source: Maya Road Blog

#4) Destination Cuppies - Taylored Expressions: Check out this cute card sample.

Source - Taylored Expressions

Source: Taylored Expressions

Source - Taylored Expressions

#3) Restoration - Crate Paper

Source: Crate Paper Blog

#2) Dimensional Shadow Boxes - Tim Holtz Ideology: I cannot wait to get my hands on these!  Check out what the outstanding Mr. Holtz did with his new creations here. 

Source: Tim Holtz Blog

#1) Claudine Hellmuth's Creative Layers Stamps - Ranger Ink.  I have a few fantastic links to share for more information and a better idea of what these stamps can really do here (scroll down to see a great example of all six sets of stamps and ideas), here (very cool video), and here.

Source: Ranger Ink Blog

I hope you've enjoyed my picture heavy product love post as much as I loved making it!  Wouldn't it be great to be one of the product developers?  They must have creativity oozing from their souls.  I wish!  Anyhoo - can't wait to add these goodies to my stash.  I'll pretty much need a second job to do it! :)  I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday.  Until then...

A New Day

It's Monday - the beginning of a new week and there's only one thing I know for sure - I need this blog.  I need to write in it - to express where I'm at right now.  I have big plans for rethinking, reorganizing, revamping this blog.  I want to make it more meaningful for so many reasons.  Right now - I think I'm getting the most out of it.  That's not a bad thing at all - it's just that it's time to move and stretch and grow into something else.  The thing is - I don't want to give up my voice or my approach.  It's so hard to embrace change.  I want to move forward and not lose too much of what I love about this little piece of my life.  I know this is the path I'm supposed to be on - I just need to keep moving.  It was naive to think I could make big changes in 5 days - I know better now.  No matter where I'm heading - I need to stay in this place while I figure it out.  So I'm back on - for now! :)

Let's move on to more creative things.  I want to start by asking a question.  Are you the kind of crafter that thinks about the high chance of your card being discarded while you're creating it?  I'm not - at least not until today.  And I have to say one thing - I won't be doing it ever again.  I came up with the card above and I don't like it.  I didn't take the time to layer and think about the best way to approach the card.  I didn't look through my papers slowly and play with color combinations.  That's my process and I'm sticking to it.  If you're one of those people that think about the circular file, how do you do it?  Does it change your creative process?  How do you stay true to your own design aesthetic?  I think the answer for me lies in my motivation to create cards.  I make cards because it's fun, relaxing, creative, and an opportunity to unwind, release, etc.  I make them for that reason solely.  It makes no difference to me if they end up in the trash can.  It's about the process not the end result.  Don't get me wrong - it's great to get compliments and oohhs and ahhhs but it's just not why I do it.  The positive reactions are perks in my book.  The joy is in the making.  So I will never think about that sort of thing again - it's just not for me!  I would love to hear your take on the circular file dilemma.

Today:  Grocery shopping, card delivering, and a quick stop by my second home for a marble mocha coffee.  Yum.  Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday.  It feels great to be back.  Until then...