Book Of Hearts.

Hiya, Folks!!

Today, I come baring my heart...

Well, actually it's a whole book of them :-)  This month, as I was contemplating goals for myself in 2014,  I landed on the word 'heart'.  This little word can mean so many things!!

Sooooo, in honor of this years 'one little word', I've decided to art journal myself up a book of hearts to help keep my focus.

Keep these ideals in the forefront of my mind.

Keep my eyes on the prize!!!

Here's what I came up with...

It all started with a canvas base.  And lace...

Here's a peek at how I've created all that LOVELY lacey texture!!

Sweet, right?!??

I LOVE the amazing pop of color!!

That stitching makes me crazy happy :-)

And glitter.  DUDE!

I gotta say I'm pretty happy with my book of hearts.  I plan to create a page a month with a different take on the word 'heart'.  Hopefully, it'll help keep me on track and inspired to keep-on-movin' and shakin' towards my goals this year!

Thanks so much for joining me today!!  I'll see ya next time :-)

OH!!  And I'm playing along with the January Challenge over at Berry71Bleu.  It's all about one word.  Hop on over and play along!

xx,

Heart Organizer

Hello!  Today, I bring you my very first project as a designer for VivaLasVegaStamps!

I gotta tell ya, I'm so beyond excited to be joining the ranks of some seriously talented ladies to create lots of stampin' eye candy to inspire you to get your stamp on!!

First up from me is this fabulously functional organizer.

Yep!!  That's clay on an old book cover with a little Lindy's Stamp Gang color.

I've also collaged myself up a few dividers for each section.  We've got calendar, notes, goals, etc!

Aaaannnd, I absolutely can't get enough of this alien stamp!  Love.

Supplies:

VivaLasVegaStamps! - Cross Stitch stamp, Alien Circle stamp

Lindy's Stamp Gang - Pink Ladies Pink Flat Fabio, Mango Mania Flat Fabio

Gauche Alchemy -  ephemera

Ok guys, that's it for this one!  If you want a few more details on how this baby was made, hop on over to the VivaLasVegaStamps! blog and check out my post.  Maybe give me a little comment love??  Just sayin'.

Thanks for joining me today!!  I'll catch you next time.

xx,

Happy Housewife Note Keeper

Hiya, Folks!!

 

I have a fun and functional Home Décor project for you today!!

 

Recently, I was given the opportunity to play with Gauche Alchemy's Happy Housewife kit :-)  MAN, is this kit jam-packed with crazy cool ephemera and kitchy items!

 

LOVE.

 

If you wanna se what exactly was in my kit, you can check out my kit share video HERE.

 

Anywho, here's one of the projects I've created...

 

 

Being the momma of a very busy household, I find myself with an abundance of things to remember.  I don't always have the time to add these little tidbits to my calendar right now, so I needed a way to hang onto those 'oh-so-important' reminders until I have a moment to get them on the books...

 

Enter the Note Keeper.

 

This wall hanging features several sections and dangles sweetly on my wall, ready to keep those little notes in check.

 

And it's WAY cute!!

 

 

I think my favorite section might be the chalkboard.

 

This Doodle FAB chalkboard started it's life as a silver-toned tray.  A bit of chalkboard paint and some white gel pen later, and it's one fully functional chalkboard---ready for action!

 

You can find my tutorial for DIY Chalkboard Paint HERE.

 

Another section features crisscrossing sections of jute.  Just slip those notes in and they'll stay put until you come-a-'callin!

 

Do  you see the green stamps??  Yeah!

 

And finally, the top and bottom sections are covered in this red and white polka dot DREAM fabric.  Just a bit more room to clip bits on to for safekeeping.

 

Alright Guys, I'm OUT!!

 

Until next time...

 

xx,

Jeans To Art Journal.

Hiya Guys!!

 

Today, I come packin' a FABULOUSLY thrifty tutorial.

 

A little up-cycle love.

 

We're gonna turn an old pair of jeans into a quick and one-of-a-kind ART JOURNAL!

 

 

This month over on the Gauche Alchemy blog, we're exploring Art Journaling!  And being a total newbie to art journaling, I wanted to give it a try with minimal cost to me, and in a size I knew I could manage.

 

And I wanted it to be cute.



So, I went in search for sturdy fabric I could bend to my will, aaaaannnd I came across an old pair of jeans.  SCORE!! 

 

I filled it with a mixed media paper by Canson.  It's lightweight and rocks wet media as well as watercolor paper.

 



 

A little stitching and paint and my journal is ready to go.  I can't wait until the worn and filled with a multitude of paint and ink splatters! 

 

Now, that's love.

 

 

If you wanna see this project come together, you can check it out HERE.

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Now, who's an art journaling pro?  Who's a newbie ready to give it a go??

 

Don't forget to check in with Gauche Alchemy throughout this month for TONS of art journaling tips and inspiration!

 

xx,

 

 

CLICK.

Hello, Everyone!!  Today, I have a fun project to share---aaaand it all started with a challenge...A self-imposed challenge.

Yep---I TOTALLY threw down the gauntlet!! 

 

The Challenge:  Create something fabulous using the paper currently taking up residence in your scrap bin.

 

Ok, I won't let you think that I've got a mountain of paper scraps taking over my scrappy spot.  Honestly, I'm pretty good about only buying what I can and will use in a reasonable amount of time.  But, I do have a hard time throwing away good junk!!

 

So, in the interest of assuaging my inner thrift monster, I set out with scraps in hand to create one rockin' project that would use up those bits of leftover scrappy gold :-)

 

Here's what I came up with...

 

Since I rarely have enough time in the day to scrap all of my favorite photos, this fun little 4 by 6 inch, camera-shaped mini album is the PERFECT way to display photos from this year.  It's my answer to a full-fledged 'scrap-your-whole-year’ album.  Just print ‘em off and stick ‘em in!

 

 

Here's a few tips to help you pull those misfit papers together and make the wide range of colors and patterns you're bound to find in your scrap bin work for you... 

 

Tip #1 -- Use a color wash!!

 

A simple wash of color gives you a fresh start and will go far in making contrasting colors play nicely together.  Whether you use watered down paint or your favorite spray, you'll be amazed at how different printed papers react to your wash of choice. 

 

I've used a few of Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Fabios (my fave!) in Danny Zuko's Denim and Caribbean Blue.

 

Tip #2 -- Add LOTS of texture!

 

Stencil, stitch, splat, stamp, doodle, embellish---YOU NAME IT!!  The more layers of love you pile onto your 'new' paper, the more it's gonna look like the crazy mix of pattern you've achieved was on purpose. 

 

I've used my sewing machine, a bit of doodling, dripped and splatted paint, the Lindy's Stamp Gang stamps Kidz Kapz Gang, some chippies from UmWowStudio, and Gauche Alchemy punchinella to stencil and embellish as well as bits and pieces of a few of their infamous mixed media color kits.

 

Now, that's how you texture, my friend.  

 

If you wanna see this project come together, check out my process video HERE.

 

Ok, Friends, that is THAT!!  Are you down??  How about a little kick in the pants to get you going ;-) 

 

Hop on over to Lindy's Stamp Gang and join in on their very first Color Inspiration Challenge...

 

 

...and stop by Gauche Alchemy to check out the festivities as the Alchemists join forces with  UmWowStudio for the week to inspire and give stuff away!!  Ya just can't beat that with a stick!

 

If you're a fan of Lindy's Stamp Gang like me, throw your hat in the ring for the current DT call they are running the rest of this month.  Find the deets HERE.

 

See ya THERE!!

 

xx,

 

Message In A Bottle.

Hello!!

The summer sun has me dreaming of cooler locales.

Micro-cations.

Sandy feet, sweater sharks, blue water...

Beachy Times.

Here's a little 'canvas therapy' I created to help keep me grounded until my next tropical getaway...

This canvas is a mix of all of my favorite things---starting with a picture of the three best things I ever made :-)

In addition to being a fabulous way to display a really sweet photo of my kiddos, I wanted this canvas to reflect all the things I loved about the beach as a child.

The soft pink of a shell.  A perfect shell, without a crack on it!  One that you found yourself.

The emerald hue of warm, east coast ocean water.  Water that you loved playing in!  Until you saw Jaws for the first time, anyway...

Even the gross feel of seaweed as it brushed your leg underwater!

Yep, that was summer for me.

To help my photo feel more like part of a whole and not just an element, I covered the edges with some of my fave DIY texture paste.

A little AMAZING Mold Putty to create molds of shells my kiddos 'found' for me over the years and a bit of hot glue, and I had all the shell-tastic texture I could ever need!

Seriously.

Hot glue.

It's an amazing medium for molds!!  And here's my favorite part...

No.  Drying.  Time.

Seriously, dude!!  That's gold, right there.

 A little Helmar LOVE to hold everything together and some Lindy's in lieu of paint to color it up and she was finished.

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek, today.  If you're diggin' the seaweed bouquet on my canvas, hop on over to the Gauche Alchemy blog and see how she was made.  I bet you'll never guess how I did it ;-)

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll catch ya next time!!

xx,

Get Crackin'!!

Hiya!!

 

Wanna put some awesome texture on your projects?  Some loverly crackles??  Wanna do that without purchasing copious amounts of artsy craftin' supplies?

 

Then, you'll probably wanna hop on over and cha-cha-check out my latest tut on the Gauche Alchemy blog!

 

 

Yep!  My tut is all about gettin' your crackle on :-)  

 

And honestly, who doesn't need more crackle paint in their life?  Just sayin'.

 

xx,

 

Cold.

Hello!!  I hope you've had a lazy, Saturday morning :-) 

 

Personally, I'm snuggled in bed with my big blanket, window open listening to the rain outside.  It's lovely!!  We get so few of those here in the AZ, that I plan to take full advantage of every last drop.

 

Actually, this time of year in AZ is usually perfect, although a few weeks ago, it was downright chilly!  I've come to realize that when I say I'm a winter girl, what this actually means is that I like the weather to hover somewhere around the 70 degree mark.  Nice and cool---just enough to make it bearable to wear my long-sleeved shirts and cute little jackets.  So, when the weather dips down into the 30 degree mark or below?  BRRRRR!!! 

 

Props to those who live in the powdery cold!!  And Snuggies.  And extra sock---LOTS of extra socks!!



 

Buuut, I digress.  This latest cold snap got me thinkin' about some of my very own wintery photos, and after diggin' through the vault, I came up with Tahoe.

 

This particular trip was so very hard!  It was long and filled with scary stuff.  Stuff that I would rather bury, to be honest.  It left me feeling cold---and not just in the wintery sense of the word!  Which is kinda why I thought I should scrap 'em.  Scrap Therapy those big bad's away so that I can appreciate the beauty of the actual snapshots themselves...

 

Enter the shadow box.  This is the first phase of my plan to mold these photos into something that makes me smile :-)  It's totally nestled into the back of a nice thick book!  I'm seriously lovin' this little altered book so far.

 

 

This photo is probably my fave from that trip :-)  Notice my oldest son standing on the base of the bear's platform.  Yeah---totally about to climb it.  And then there's the look on my youngest son's face.  Apparently, this is the face you make when you've been eaten by the bear you're mom posed you in front of for a quick snapshot.  And finally, my baby girl is so bundled, that her arms are sticking straight out to the sides! 

 

Yep.  Phase one is complete and a total success :-)  If you wanna cut and paint up a book of your very own, check out the tutorial I've created for Gauche Alchemy HERE.

 

Catch ya on the flip side!

 

xx,

 

Good Morning!!  Today, I thought I'd share a little something...odd. 

 

This set of postcards were a part of a week long bloggy swap with 100 Proof Press stamps that happened over on the Gauche Alchemy blog a bit ago.  If you wanna check out the rest of the creations just CLICK!!

 

 

My postcard backgrounds were created with my FAB new Dylusions sprays.  I'm super impressed with the color vibrancy you get from these little bottles of goodness!!

When I saw the animal masks stamp, I knew right away that I wanted to create several, sort of animal/human creatures.  And when I saw the FAB wing stamps, it was ON!!  Buuut, what good are winged things, without a bit of a celestial backdrop??  The silhouette star cluster stamp was the perfect addition to my backgrounds.  LOVE that stamp!!  I can totally see it getting tons of mileage in my stash :-)

Here's a closer look at the three, but pay close attention!!  You may just pick up a few words of wisdom---fortune cookie style!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!!  See ya on the flip side ;-)

xx,

Resistance Is Futile.

Hi, Everyone!

 

Today, over on the Gauche Alchemy blog, I've posted a quick and easy resist technique :-)  It works great on a small scale or a big 'ol giant one, too!!

 

 

I think this particular one almost looks like an animal print.  WILD, man!!  Now, hop on over and check it out!

 

 

Resistance is futile :-)

 

xx,

 

Our Story.

Good Morning!! Today, I bring you photos. LOTS of photos. Photos of a mooooshy, sentimental project :-)

This little mini book was created to chronicle T and me---from dating all the way through our current sixteen year wedding anniversary. YEP! Sixteen years. The BIG one-six. Sixteen looooong years. Sixteen wonderful years. Here's to sixteen more, BABY!!

My book is seriously stitched, totally canvas filled, inked to high-heaven, splattered, glittered, ripped and washi-fied and I LOVE IT!!

Here's a photo rundown...
 

 

 

Did you notice the fun "He Said/She Said" journaling? How fun is that?? I can't wait to recreate this album in years to come. How neat it'll be to see how our answers to the journaling prompt questions will change in the future :-)

OH! If you wanna see me run through the album in real time, with my 'Oh-so-fab' commentary, you can check it out HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

xx,