A 'Lil Canvas!

I've been up to my elbows in volunteer work this past week, so fell off the scrapbooking wagon a bit. Last night, I had some free minutes and wanted to try to my hand at a little canvas I had picked up while I was down in PA. The pic was one I spotted on a coworker's skype account of his little girl and I had to have it. I haven't met Regan in person yet, but she is super cute!

I started with gesso and clumped it on a bit thick. Then I grabbed some various glimmer mists and a mask and played a bit and let that dry. Today, I got out my hot glue gun and added two handmade roses that are inked and glimmermisted, a piece of fussy cut paper from Webster's Pages packaging, and the actual flowers from Webster's Pages (Hollywood Vogue) and also peacock feather. Aren't they awesome all together? The flowers were a gift from my neighbor yesterday and I had to use them right up they were so pretty. The quote is from a new stamp set from Close to My Heart that I also borrowed from my neighbor. The set is for Easter and is called Sensational Season. Anyhow, I was pretty satisfied with my work after adding some glitter to the modge podge and an antique button!

A virus, a power outage, and big puffy flowers, OH MY!

So, yesterday at around 5:45 am, I opted to read e-mail on the work laptop while I was waiting for the coffee to brew. Big mistake, as my free virus software decided to allow a nasty virus onto my pc. Needless to say, I was down most of the day yesterday...thankfully I married a computer guy and was back up and running last night at 9 pm. Today, I spent weeding through the 200 or so messages and was just feeling pretty happy at my progress when the power went out in the afternoon! It was pretty frustrating. So, I decided to hit the crafts tonight and lift my spirits! My daughter and I have been making things to support a local walk here in the North Country. She is selling earrings and I'm making these huge flowers for her to sell. All the proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project. Anyhow, I have only five done and at least 15 to go!! If you look really close, our cat Eragon is entering my photo. He is very helpful during any crafts. If only he could run the hot glue gun...instead of trying to eat the curling ribbon...

06/02/2011

Just wanted to thank you all for the words on encouragement! It has been a bit of a rough week and I appreciate it! Here is another photo of my blooms, this time in the daylight. A couple of the flowers are doubles, so much fun!

New Garden Before and After

So when we moved in late July last year, I was pretty sad since the house really had no flower beds. There were a couple of overgrown raised beds which didn't seem to have much and another we mowed over shortly after since it was tangle of nothing but a lone pink daisy that we saved. So, one of our first real projects was to construct a flower bed by the door with boulders. Now, being this close to the Adirondacks, we have a plethora of amazingly huge boulders. Hubby is really good with the tractor and got them all laid in nicely and filled with dirt, leaving me to the fabric, chips and flowers. This year, he finished the other side for me with boulders and dirt...and helped me take the trailer to a local greenhouse for some chips. Yup, I towed our big dump trailer. I wish I could say I enjoyed it...but I didn't. Maybe next time I will be less nervous. So, the second photo is from last August and the first is from today. I wanted to take a few photos before the plant people show up tomorrow. That would be my parents who hearing that there is vacant ground minus plants are making a special trip up.

The guy on the porch in the first photo is the hubby and the dog decided to make a guest appearance on my blog. Isn't she pretty? She is a pound puppy named Patty who loves to hang out around my garden.

Now, this whole thing DOES relate to scrapbooking. I was the Featured Friday Artist at Ideas for Scrapbookers. Pam is awesome for offering space on her blog for artists with ideas. I really appreciate the exposure. If you want to check it out, click here. She is showing my garden scrapbook from my old house.

Pages for Marilyn for June

05/26/2011
Update: I added another couple of photos of a page I made to go along with the first page I made for Marilyn. This one I had to get clever on. Since she is adding her own text, I made a removeable clear panel that slides over the writing and then gets hooked back on the page with brads. I made this to somewhat match the other page. But if she puts it someplace else in the book we're compiling, that works too. I meant for her to write down some of her thoughts for the day. Two spots for photos, one large and one small!

So, Marilyn sent me a HUGE batch of buttons the other day and a nice little card which said, guess what our challenge is for NEXT MONTH! Well, if you look at my page, it's pretty obvious. Our theme is "Scrap A Favorite Memory" and include a 5 by 7 spot for journalling. Well, since I am guessing Marilyn will have a photo to accompany her favorite memory, I left the brown photo frame by Little Yellow Bicycle not attached so she can put a photo behind it. There isn't quite a 5 by 7 journalling area, but if she uses both sides of the Little Yellow Bicycle Bingo Tag, she'll have lots of room. We have a second page to make too, but I only had enough energy for one. The flowers were glimmermisted with various colors to get the mottled dye coloration. I do so love Glimmermist. The one main piece of paper with the sign posts is Websters Papers and the second is DCWV.

Marilyn's Pages: June Swap

Are these not amazing! I love them! The layering, the texture, the threads, the real stamps, the pop dotted title, it's just so lovely and beautiful! It was fun adding my prom photos! Weird too, 'cause I had to get some of the details from the hubby. What are the chances your high school sweetheart would be the same guy you get married to! Anyhow, Marilyn did a terrific job. I love the paper she picked out too. And the little gold frame! Check them out really good, there is a lot to look at! Also, if you have a scrappin' buddy, I highly recommend this page trading thing. We trade each month for a theme and when you get your package back, it's like a huge box of amazing chocolate with a shimmery bow! So exciting to open, EVEN if you have seen sneak photos on e-mail!

Storage in Scrapbooking

I am lucky enough to be able to work from home and GASP, have to share an office with my scrapbooking stuff. Yeah, I know, very bad idea. It's like sitting next to a plate of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. My point was that I have to look at this stuff all the time. I decided when I needed more space for flowers, or ribbon, or floss that I was going to buy a box and decorate it so I could enjoy the outside of it. Recently, I got a HUGE bag of buttons from fellow scrapper Marilyn and I decided to add cute little jars to my stash! Lucky for me due to lack of shopping issues these paper boxes and glass jars can be purchased at Walmart. Of course, it's always fun to re purpose something too. I'll have to blog about that at some point!

Thank you Buckets

Just a little end of the year gift for the teachers at school! Found these buckets while at a craft store in PA and had to have them. Then spent a bit of time at Staples trying to get matching pins and clips! I made the little roses on the top the other day. They are always so much fun!

Page for Shirley

Shirley inspired me to make another page out of the same colors for her. With a little metal fence! Love these photos! A bit of some Stampin' Up paper in the blue and the hot pink....a CTMH chipboard circle, AND my first piece of Jillibean Soup paper. I got the local guy to order some for me....and I've almost used an entire sheet already...My flower is yet again using the die cut from Tim Holtz...I love those flowers, they are so easy and fun. And some little stick pins from the Soup girls...they are so cute!

Wall Hanging for my Fitness Challenge

At my cardio class on Mondays and Wednesdays, we have a fitness challenge. I never do very well at them. There isn't any glue or paper involved! However, I made a wall hanging the last time for the girls and it seemed to help inspire them...I put this one together today while I was making another one of these hangings for a friend. I'll post that one in a bit after I give it to her. The little scallop circle is for a small photo of the family for which ever girl who wins it. Since I used my scallop from Spellbinder's Nestabilies, it will be super easy to add.

Bloom-Shirley's Page

So, my neighbor being super cool and all, calls me this am to ask if I would like some coconut coffee! Of course I would!!! It's awesome. She then brings me this page and says, were you serious about trading pages...'cause I made one for you! And all this excitement before 9 am!! She even left me extra paper! I took the opportunity to show her some new photos on my camera I took right before the kids left for school of our Crap Apple tree. She said...ah, those match perfectly! And she was right! I added my photos, a title, cut another flower from the left over scraps (Thank you Tim Holtz, I love that tattered flower die cut) and added some white paint so I could hand journal. I love all the butterflies she scattered around and that little yellow bird is adorable. How did Shirley know I have spotted some cute little yellow birds flitting around the apple trees (oh that is right, they all go to her house first, where the massive bird feeding station is set up). I am dreaming up a lovely page for her. First off, when I cropped the photo of Lexi & Luke, you don't see the cool handmade skirt that Shirley made her...so I know she needs those photos on a page....Love it Shirley, thanks!

Super Sweet

This page wasn't for anything in particular. My friend sent me these photos of Evalyn and I loved the colors. I had fun picking out some sweet embellishments. I think my favorite is the little lady bug I found that goes along with Evalyn's hat. Some of the buttons were given to me by Marilyn. They were so much fun to go through, like treasure! My helpful dd sorted them all out. I'll post photos of my new button jars in a bit...

OH, the title! It came from her cute shirt! Check it out!

Family Pets: Marilyn's Page

Aren't these pages so pretty and special? I love the water color look and the way she had me journal in a wave...Marilyn always does such a nice job! Check out some of the pets I had when I was little...

My neighbor Shirley was checking out the stacked flowers. They are super cool. I love all her labels. I never use my cutter enough for that type of thing.

We are working on a semi-joint album kind of thing. I just went and pulled all the pages out she'd made me that are from my childhood. I think they will be really cool when they are all in one album, which I still have to order! I am in love with the 3 Ring Binder idea...this way you can move stuff around without having to take the whole book apart!