what looks COOL to a five year old...Color Me Scrappy Guest DT

[ these were photos I found on the iPad that apparently my son had been playing with when I was unaware...]

This was the final LO I did as one of the January Guest DT's at Color-Me-Scrappy...

Here is the CMS blogpost to this challenge which runs from 1.31.13 - 2.14.13

www.color-me-scrappy.blogspot.com

I have really enjoyed their challenges this month and love some of the LO

that those challenges pushed me to create!  A big thank you to Lisa & Pam 

and all their talented designers for including me this month!

I will continue to stalk unique their challenges and urge you to check it out too!

Also, this challenge forced me to do something I have wanted to do for a long

time but didn't have the guts to do!  but, it is a new year right?  

I am a year older, ahem, and so I am more ready to throw myself out into the 

World Wide Web of criticism and potential failure...

Seriously, if for no other reason than for myself & my kids who get a big kick out of it!  

My husband bought me a video camera and has been trying to set up and 

urge me to film my own process start to finish videos and 

although I have a lot to learn and am starting to appreciate how much time 

and effort really goes into making one, I am giving it a shot...

So, here is the link to one of the videos I have made public 

which shows the process of making this LO!

I don't normally double up project challenges but I used the majority of the

January Scrapbook Circle kit for this page so I used it as an excuse to 

participate in their current challenge to use arrows on a project.

I have been so busy with projects that unfortunately I cannot share yet,

that I haven't gotten to play with their new kit as much as I normally would

and it is really cool so that is frustrating!  Hopefully before the February one

comes I will have more of a chance to play...

Here is the link to that challenge and blog post:

http://www.scrapbookcircle.com/2013/01/challenge-45-make-your-point

* SNEAKS * New Elle's Studio!!

I thought I would post a couple sneaky treats for the 

NEW Elle's Studio collections "You & Me" and "Day to Day"

that are being released in their shop tomorrow morning!!

Thanks for looking!

The Design Team Gallery launch for these collections from myself 

and all rest of the new DT is on Friday February 1st!

happy birthday! Card

A simple quick card using a sketch from Scrapbook Trends July Card Challenge.

on cloud 9...trying to learn!

Ok, I am trying to learn...after watching a million videos with my 8 yr. old,
who thinks they are a "treat" to watch on You Tube,

my sweet husband bought me a bunch of Copic markers

for Christmas and so I am trying to learn how to blend...properly.

Kinda like in My Cousin Vinny...

"Oh, yeah...you blend..."

That's me...not so much, but the brown started bleeding out on me, 

and I don't have a colorless blender or anything to correct my mistakes...yet.  

I spent too long coloring this for my daughter's friend!

And, I learned a very valuable lesson, Copic coloring is NOT

something to be done while multi-tasking...i.e. watching a movie.

Anyway, I started and am determined to do something with them!

And I just got a serious deja vu' ...so either it is time to go to bed, 

or I am meant to color more, tomorrow....

the FoRce...Guest DT Color-Me-Scrappy

This was my 4th LO for the January projects that Color-Me-Scrappy asked
me to do along with a couple other talented ladies...These have been in my to
be scrapped (i.e. do SOMETHING with me pile) for almost FOUR years now...
Whoa...Time is flying past me!

Anyway, I loved the color scheme, based on some growing lavender,
which just happens to be very popular in our house, especially right now...
I got a lavender sleep mask and it is heavenly...
wonderful for helping evade these pesky migraines which are threatening
to hinder my daily progress!!  Anyway...back to the project, this is the link to their
post and a lovely photo of the color palette:
http://color-me-scrappy.blogspot.com/2013/01/challenge-27.html



Some of my favorites, although I honestly don't have a lot of purple, and it really
is and has been a favorite color of mine for years and years...

I have never watched an episode of Star Trek, but I thought these wood veneers
reminded me a bit of it and Star Wars...I would say Buck Rogers, but I would be really
showing my age...I did have a huge crush on him at about 8 years old though...

These were photos from our godson's 7th birthday party, I think,
and it was Star Wards themed obviously...and even though it was in February
it was one of those rare days that feels very warm and Spring like and was beautiful....
Sofia's Leia outfit consisted of one of my husband's white undershirts,
a lovely pleather silver belt from Walmart and boots that she wore all winter...
And some half way pulled pigtails...Shawn called this Princes Ketchup Leia
because of the stain on her shirt, but that might have been from cake....!

Thanks for stopping by and may the Force be with you and your troopers!

JUST ONE?...Little Black Dress Kit Club January

One more LO for the January kit from Little Black Dress Kit Club.
Our DT Challenge this month was to do something about resolutions
or pick our One Little Word, etc.

I love this grey & cream striped paper from Glitz and it reminded
me of a giant notebook sheet for writing...
SO I decided to print all my journaling and that pretty much be my page.

Since I said everything and then some in my journaling I just added it below...
I did notice a typo and so my ONE little thing then should have been Spellcheck...oh well!

After becoming obsessive about watching Copic Marker tutorials on You Tube 

for the last couple months, my sweet husband bought me a pile of Copics

for Christmas to get me started...because I was kinda bored...;)

So I have been trying to use some stamped image on each of my layouts

that I could color and this was the feather...to help tie in the sticker on the jar 

that was a darker grey.

Here is the journaling from the LO:

One little word. Just one… one?? Seriously?

I love the concept. I always have…I love lists and resolutions and setting goals, all things that could encompass one little word. A few words I came up with are patience, forgive, pause, flow, focus (that is my favorite), dwell and slower. But honestly, for me, I think it would be limiting…I mean, it is hard for me to narrow lots of things down, I could be like my 8 year old and eenie meenie miney it…or I could throw them all in a jar and draw one out..Maybe it is a touch of ADD but I don’t want to focus solely on one thing. So, I am going to let my word be…one. As in, one step at a time, one foot in front of the other and sometimes, lately, one day at a time. I love movies and I love the idea behind “just one thing” in City Slickers. That you have to figure that one thing out for yourself, whatever it is that is most important to you. I am just going to try to do the best I can do at the one thing I am doing right this minute…trying to quit rambling!

On a side note I REALLY had to let go of my inner hoarder and go
ahead and use this white wood grain paper from Glitz and not save it...!

without - card...Little Black Dress Kit Club January

A super quick all-purpose card I did with the January kit from Little Black Dress...

I love the little bags from Whisker Graphics...so many cool variations

and so may possibilities, for journaling, or memorabilia, or matting...very cool.

These are definitely fall-ish colors, but they are some of my favorites right now...

White, cream, flax browns and pops of orange...yummy!

INSTA decor.

I know there are more Valentine's than Christmas things floating around

but I had these cool instagram photos from decorations and things all

around our house last month.  Since I don't do Project Life, I decided

to do a little Decor in review instead.  

Besides, most of this came from the Scrapbook Circle January Kit,

 which has lots of Valentine themed products, but I used them for a different holiday!

Except for all the Elle's Studio Chrsitmas goodies!

I CANNOT wait to share all the new goodies from Elle's Studio next month!

In fact, this is the Elle's Studio Thursday Sketch from 01.17...

I stretched it a good bit though, lots of photos to fit in.

And although I really am not a glittery person, really, or didn't used to be, 

I LOVE these gold glitter thickers!!  They just scream "look at me sparkle!"

Come Fly With Me...Color-Me-Scrappy Guest DT

This is the 3rd LO I was asked to do for Color-Me-Scrappy as part 

of being a Guest DT this month....The color palette was amazing, taken from an oyster shell.  

The challenge was to use those colors as well as either pearls or shells on the page too.  

Here is the link to their post and a peak at what the color palette looks like...

http://color-me-scrappy.blogspot.com/2013/01/challenge-26.html

Even though a lot of my pages usually have a lot more vivid colors in them

mostly because of the kids, these are some of my favorite colors to use

in our home...I'm a neutral kind of gal...I like lots of white walls and then

splashes of colors like red or orange pillows, that way when I change my

 mind about something, I'm a little fickle, I admit it...

then all I have to do is change up some small things, not large quantities of wall paint!

Most of this LO started with all My Mind's Eye papers and pearl brads

but I needed some smaller pearls for my butterfly trail...

I LOVE that woodgrain paper from October Afternoon and 

I thought it was a nice contrast to the bright pink and green in the photo.  

Plus, I thought it was quirky to have a brown butterfly!

One of my favorite things about the color challenges from Color Me Scrappy

is that it really gives me a chance to sift through some things I wouldn't

have remembered I have, use up some of my stash and do some things I

wouldn't normally do..you know, like challenge me??  ;)

Go check it out HERE! 

smoochy...Little Black Dress Kit Club January

This is on of those layouts that I actually gave myself a limited amount
of time to work on.  I set out some stamp, the giant chevron background stamp from
Jillibean is sooooo lovely! And I just went for it, trying not to over-think it!

As usual, whenever I try this with not a huge plan in mind, or sketch
of something out beforehand, I usually hate it, at least until after a
few days of looking at it.  But, it is starting to grow on me.

This is my 3rd LO using the January Little Black Dress Kit Club so far, and 

it is actually turning out to be one of my favorites, the kit that is...

it is full of wood grain and chevrons and paper garland....talk dirty to me! ;)

Anyway, I loved this Glitz paper and it reminded me of the prepaid airmail paper

 my mother used to write home to my Grandmother in Ireland...

the pictures weren't themed but I did have some other travel-ish things to work in...

I loved that big sticker and some plane tickets I court out on the Silhouette ages ago.

I have a giant file of things I cut, and the negatives of them that I hold onto and 

if I feel I can "cram some more stuff on a page" (as stated by my husband) 

then I reach  for it to find a little something.  I usually cut out lots of kraft card stock

and just plain white and then I can mist or ink it to what I want...

"LOVE ACTUALLY IS ALL AROUND"...Little Black Dress Kit Club January

Ok, anyone who knows me, or who has read anything about me knows
how much I love movies!  One of my favorites is 'Love Actually.'
I honestly don't think I have ever not cried after watching it.

I love all the music from it and the way all the stories become connected
and mostly I love the beginning where the narrator, "Hugh Grant"
is talking about being at the arrivals gate at the airport and how all the people are
 so happy greeting loved ones, and how "Love actually is all around."

Well, not be cheesy, but I feel that way too, I feel like sometimes I 

have to look harder for it that others, but that may be a fault in my 'vision.'

This was a LO for the Little Black Dress Kit Club January kit,

appropriately called, "Every Little Piece."

I knew what I wanted to do with this page, lots of loving from 

my Silhouette and arrows and a circle to reinforce the theme/title.

I kept fussing with it, trying to get it all lined up in a perfect circle

all layered on top of each other, and I could not get it the way 

I wanted to...I kept walking away and coming back and still wasn't happy.

Finally, in the interest of time and laundry and life in general, 

I started to go ahead and adhere things and my husband came, with the voice of calm, 

(as usual) and made the point that love isn't all lined up and symmetric and perfect.

It is messy and can get off center and sometimes unravels...

but we stitch it back up and hold it together, all around us...

Turns out that is one of the reasons I think the photo goes so well with 

that theory.  It is off center and out of focus, but I still love the photo!

Well that was maybe a little too deep, but I did start writing this post at 2am...
More importantly, I actually used a couple ideas I had pinned and
kind of forgotten about...I sort of combined two pins into one idea,
layering hearts that were sewn together and then another
set of hearts that was cut from book print.
One resolution:  pin less, do more of the tings that were pinned!

HELLO MY NAME IS stubborn...Little Black Dress Kit Club January

I have been going back thru old photos pre-digital and thru lots of college photos,

completely incriminating!  And very funny...can't decide how many will make it to 

being documented.  Need to check which friends might potentially run for 

some sort of political office...;)

Anyway, these were in a group of photos I had printed out taken with a 

real live 35mm camera, no auto focus, real honest to goodness photography...

My Dad would be so proud...sadly, there isn't much of that left.

Lots of slides I need to convert.

Anyway, this is using the new January Little Black Dress Club Kit...

It is actually one of my favorites, subtle but so full of rich versatile patterns.

I really am having a little love affair with white washed wood grain paper 

at the moment.  And the only reason it ins;t on this LO is because I

am hoarding it...don't you touch it!

Anything that has a "My Name Is" tag rocks...especially when I can fill it in with

a little snarky reference to some 'tude of my children's...I don't have an attitude.

That was totally inherited from my husband's side of the family.

They are Sicilian after all...heh, heh...

I will so be in trouble for that...oh well, it is late as I am writing that...

linked by the LOVE of LEGOS...Color Me Scrappy

This was my second LO as one of the January Guest DT's

for Color-Me-Scrappy's January challenge.

linked by the Love of LEGOS

 This challenge featured a beautiful bright assortment of colors from a photo of an
aged red door and the copper pulls of the door that have a green patina to them. 

The other part of the challenge was to use the work 'Link' in the title or journaling of the project.

This is the link to their post with the details:

http://color-me-scrappy.blogspot.com/2013/01/challenge-25.html?m=1

I pulled just about everything from my scrap bin...this is after all 'scrap'booking...
Layered several stamps on some shipping tags and added some new Elle's Studio tags!

Obviously, I used the word "link" in my title but I had thought of it to begin with
after sifting thru Christmas photos, or after Christmas photos.
My son is obsessed with Legos right now and got some for his birthday as well as from Santa.
And Shawn is just as in love with those little bits & parts as Sam is.
So, "link" is also for the way the Legos snap to together...

The weather was pretty miserable the few days after Christmas and since this
is the first Winter we have had a fireplace, we pretty much parked it in front
of the fireplace for days, playing with Legos and other new toys, drawing, reading
and watching Lord of The Rings...it was blissful.

Sadly, reality hit a couple days later with a few sleepless night, worrisome days and
finally spending New Year's at Children's Hospital!  Woot, woot!  Happy New Year!
But that is a whole other story....

Check out the link, they have some neat challenges!

Super sneaky sneak...

Well, I am so excited about new projects it is hard to contain,

and even though some sneakiness will happen, this is more of

a super sneak that just shows a minute of me spending some

quality time with the other love of my life...my Silhouette.

** sigh **

Here is a little taste of that moment...!

guitar hero (x2)

This was inspired by the current ScrapFIT Workout #83:

Wish Upon a Star...found here:

http://www.scrapfit.blogspot.com/2013/01/workout-83-wish-upon-star.html 

My husband had taken these photos and did this little collage.

I thought it was perfect for my little shining stars!

I am trying to use up some of my older Elle's Studio products in 

preparation for the NEW FABULOUSNESS that will be revealed soon!  

It is really exciting to be a part of this team and perfect timing to get

my mojo "worked out" :)

I took lots of scraps on my table and punched stars out of them..

.then sewed my own little star garland and attached it at the top of the page...

I wish I had done that with Christmas paper and used it for wrapping!  

Need to remember that one for next year!

A little pull out journaling tag on the side and some in this little kraft envelope.

Happy Sunday to you all!

** Big, Big, BIG News! **

Whew, it has finally arrived!

I can share this news with everyone...

I am so excited, proud and honored to be a part of the

new Design Team for Elle's Studio!!

**  ( since I don't have my Happy Dance on video, and you might

not want to see it if I did, you can watch my crazy son's version...

it always makes me happy!! )  **

This is such an exciting way to start the new year and I am
anxious to share all the wonderful new things that Elle and all 

the new DT members have in store for the next 6 months, 

oh, yeah, and myself of course ;)

Be on the lookout, there are some exciting things on the horizon and 

I get to be a part of them!  Check out this link to the announcement post 

and all the other really talented woman that I get to work with...

http://ellesstudio.blogspot.com/2013/01/say-hello-to-our-new-design-team.html

Not quite sure how I lucked out and got to be included, these ladies are very inspiring!  

Check out their blogs too!!

**REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION** 6. ON THIS DAY - Color-Me-Scrappy