JUN12VSNA-Stone in love

Stone in love is about being utterly and madly in love with someone.  Now Journey meant it to be a passionate soul mate kind of love, but I am interpreting it to mean a parental love.  A love that is unconditional.  Like the one I have for my kids.

The challenge was to take a Journey song and make it into a scrapbook layout. I chose a 2-page double layout because I had photos that needed to be scrapped.  I chose the song Stone in Love because it was my favorite Journey song (my first is Touchin, Lovin, Squeeze).  


Trevor:  I used the CTMH scrip stamp and stamped it onto vellum.  I used a gears stamp from Hampton Arts.  I was trying to be unique in my stamp choices.  The font is Denmark.  The ink used is Ranger Black Archival and Distress ink in Crushed Olive. The background paper is Creative Memories, the tan and striped paper are K&Co.  Layout took 36 minutes.

Hannah:    Background and green circle paper Creative Memories, pink paper Recollections.  Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink, Ranger Archival black ink.  Music stamp and the flower stamp are from CTMH.  Font is Bleeding Cowboy.  Hannah layout took 38 minutes.

The dam tour

One of my favorite scenes in the National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation is the scene of the dam tour.  It is so funny on so many levels.  We folks here in Western Kentucky also have a pretty cool dam....no not anywhere near the caliber of the Hoover Dam, but it works.

Ours is actually two dams, but I prefer one over the other.  We have Barkley Dam (named after  a former Vice President Alben Barkley) and Kentucky Dam.  It is the later that I like.  Ever since I was a small child I have always liked driving over the dam.  It feels so much safer than a bridge and it is awesome.  A few years back they rerouted the road that went over the dam.  It is not as thrilling as driving on top of the dam, but you do have a great view of the spillway.  And when that water is pouring over the top, it is a grand sight.

In May of 2011, we had just finished getting rained on from what seemed like forever.  Everything was flooded.  The floodgates were installed in Paducah to save our town. Levees were blown so the flood waters would not drown Cairo Illinois.  People were homeless because their homes were flooded.  Businesses where ruined because of flood waters.  It was pretty much as bad as the ice storm was in 2009.

The sunshine of this day was so welcome.  It was the day before Mother's Day, the day before my birthday, and God had put a rainbow in the sky just the night before...the flood was over!!!

For my birthday, John wanted to take me to Patti's and of course I was more than okay with his decision.  I just put the stipulation that we could go over the dam.  I was sure it was fuller than I had ever seen it.

So here we go, taking the dam tour.  I have many pages documenting the flood of 2011 because it was so vast. Most are for documentation purposes only and not much to look at, but this one is my favorite.  Take the photos out of context and you can just see the beauty of that water spilling over the dam.  Put them back in context and it is hard to image that something so lovely can be so terrible!!

I was inspired on the layout by Mojo Monday 231.  It was the perfect way to showcase my dam photos.  The circle to me could represent the "cloud" I wanted on my layout.  I have puffed it out because it represents all the days of rain that we had.  The flowers represent the rebirth/life that would come from that little cloud.  My color choices are happy colors because we would be happy again!  We had all banded together to help each other and it was beautiful like my color choices.  It is a time I shall never forget, but would not want to relive.  I am so grateful that God saved our towns. I am sorry for the crops and homes that were lost, but thankful that to my knowledge no lives were lost.

Hopefully we will not ever experience a flood like this here again..

First Challenge of Twenty Twelve

For the first challenge of 2012 I decided to go with the colors from my very favorite color challenge, CR84FN.  I have been doing their challenges for quite some time and I must admit it has made me look at new color combinations and even use combos/colors I usually don't.  I can see more variety in the colors on my layouts.

In addition to that, CR84FN has made me a card maker. I was never a card maker until I found Mona Pendelton's blog.  http://cupcakescreations.blogspot.com/  I guess the rest as they say it is history. I have been doing the challenges since 29 April 2011 and frankly my dear I don't plan on stopping.

This layout was something I have fretted over for a while.  I knew I wanted to piece together the view from the back of the Carnival Dream and put it into a layout, but honestly I have been stuck on what to do with it.  The challenge colors of blue, yellow and orange seem to flow with the colors on the pool deck and of course to me that makes my eye go right up to that lovely water of the Caribbean.

The owl was something I have wanted to work on for a while too.  He is a free clip art owl that I found online and knew I was going to use for a string art, I just did not know what colors.  First I painted him with watercolors in the blue, yellow and orange.  This was a base for my string art.  Then I took my stick thingy (paper piercer) and grabbed some DMC floss and my needle and let my imagination go. 

I am rather pleased with the way the whole thing turned out.  The orange and blue paper were from my scrapbin.  The yellow paper is Recollections from Michael's.  The thread is DMC.  The ink is faded jeans by Tim Holtz.  The watercolors are Prang.  And the views by God!  My journaling is hidden under the owl, because I wanted the large photo and owl to stand out.  There was not much to say anyway, just how much I loved to walk to deck 14 and stare out at this view.

I feel fine

you know my name (look up the number)

Today I decided to have a scrapbook day of my own.  I was inspired because I am reading a book about the Beatles.  About  their creative process, about how they came from nothing and achieved it all  (at least in the music world).  I want to achieve so much in the creative world.  I want to be a scrapbook artist! One who gets paid for her designs and people talk about her designs as they do someone like Tim Holtz or Theresa Collins.

With this Beatles story in my mind, I thought...mmmmm they got famous with their songs, maybe I could use their songs.  Here is an attempt to use Beatles titles as the titles to my pages.  All of these pages were done on 3 July 2011.  The "you know my name (look up the number)" page was done for this week CR84FN challenge. 

Mr. Moonlight

Creating Keepsake July 1, 2011 challenge

One hour is hard to do when you hand sew. I am trying hard.  My hand is aching so I have to take a break.  I am uploading the before product here so that you can see what it entails.  The after will follow very soon.

Here is the completed project. I got finished at 12:29 pm central time and began at 11:02am.  Whew...I like it. Thank you this was fun!

Funny Face Artwork 6/14/11

Today I finished a few sketches that I have been working on for some time.  They are inspired by random things.  The first set is inspired by the movie Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn.  I haven't seen the movie in a long time but I just got the soundtrack and it is really taking me back.  Boujour Paris!!!  I decided to make a scrapbook page with the them "Think Pink" which happens to be my favorite song from the movie.  In the movie Audrey is posing for a magazine and in one shot she is posing in a typical 1950's high fashion (maybe Dior?) ensemble with balloons.  Here is my take on it:

Step 1 the sketch of the Eiffel tower

Finished Eiffel Tower

Painting the skin

Painting the dress

adding the black

Balloons

finished product

ready to put on the page...that is coming later

Mojo Monday 195

I missed last week's submission by 15 minutes.  What was I thinking?  Dork!  OH well, I am back this week.  I did not make a card this week, I made a 12x12 layout for my Carnival cruise ship vacation in October.  With the way I have been working on this, I am going to have it scrapped before I even take a picture.  Anyhoo, this is the front page.  I thought it was a good layout for a "now that I have your attention" kind of page. Hope you like it!

To get the look:
Teal cardstock is from the HObby Lobby 4 for $1 sale
All other cardstock is from my scrapbin  (so that I live up to this week's self impose challenge---I have to do a page using paper scraps)
Flowers are made by me...one is tulle from a wedding, one is white fabric from who knows what and one is a ribbon from a little girls headband (mmmm, recycle challenge too)
Sewing is all done by me using DMC thread B5200 (white) and 3348 (green)
Button from my sewing box
pen by sharpie
All I need is the first picture of that beautiful cruise ship.

Happiness

Happiness is defined as a "mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy"  I do believe after a long hard week, a busy week, or just an average week that happiness begins with simple things...Paper and scissors.  I have always loved to create things.  As a child I made elaborate settings for Barbies, as a teen I painted every single day of my life, after marriage I worked on the road and my creative genes were used in creating training sheets and stationary to write letters to people.  In 1990, I begin making memory books for myself.  Seeing as I have NEVER had a great memory, and the desire to remember every detail about some things made me create these books.  They are ugly and very much NOT the way you should preserve things, but they are MINE.  I made them.  The memories make me happy and knowing the memories tickles me pink.  In 1997, I discovered Creative Memories and learned how to preserve my memories and mementos the "right" way.  I have made 48 book (large books not mini albums) since 1997, and that number keeps growing.  Why do you care?  You don't but look at the pictures of how far I have come. 


And I cannot get these photos to turn right. I put them in photoshop, in Microsoft digital image, in word...NOTHING.  They will NOT turn the way they should, any suggestions???????

my scrapbook space

This is an area that evolves as I get new things or discover new furniture to fit into my corner. Actually, I have two corners of the kitchen that I occupy. In one corner is my cart. In the cart are my paper scraps, punches, greeting cards, and DMC thread. In my working corner, I have ALL my paper (and there are lots of sheets here), my inks, embellishments, ribbons, well just everything that I have....
what you can't see...Elvis looms over me on the far left, as does Hedwig, and Skip Shumaker, on the right John Champion's face looks over all my work. He approves, he just doesn't know it.

CR84FN challenge May 1, 2011

This was a difficult challenge. Michelle doesn't do yellow...Michelle doesn't do gold, but Michelle LOVES KRAFT! I decided that the colors were a little like the 1880's stuff in the Klondike of Skagway, Alaska...so that is the theme I chose. I used a girl that looks like a salon dancer with flowers in her hair, and butterflies. She's a girl that just wants to be herself, but it is hard in the crazy gold rush world. So actually, I had to think out of my comfort zone, but I am pleased. Hope you are too.

Get the look:
Girl stamp: Vintage Ladies HOt off the Press
Black ink: Stazon Black and yellow saffron
Be yourself stamp: Dawn Houser by inakinkadoo
Brown ink: Distress Ink by Tim Holtz (love him) vintage photo and frayed burlap
Gold paper: a gold posterboard scrap from my bin...no idea who makes it
book page: Song of the Siren by Phillipa Carr
Butterflies: Wild Saffron by K&Co
jewels: out of my sewing box
flowers: prima for yellow and cream flowers
flowers with brown middles: Making Memories
Swirl stamp: stampin up Baroque Motifs

CK Friday April 29, 2011 one hour challenge

The challenge was to do something old, cliche' type or a technique from the past. This was hard because I had ONE hour. I had no time to paint so I tried to sew on the page. I ran out of time. I did hand cut a scroll, add some rub ons (old) and used a Zeppelin song for my old saying. I had just enough time to sew on an arrow. WHEW that was fast.

Get the look:
file folder label-colorbok
circle paper-Miss Elizabeth's
12x12 purple paper-open stock HObby Lobby
Green stitched border-Die Cuts with a View
Tag/ticket Rub ons-Making Memories
Scroll-ME
Arrow-ME
Adored label-Westrim Crafts
Letter stickers-Westrim Crafts
Clock stamp-wooden stamp with NO label :(
Embossing powder-Stampendous
Eggplant ink-Stampin UP!!!
Bird rub on-Hambly Studios

still thinking about Titanic

All these days later (since the sinking) and I still can't stop thinking about it. I am really really really wanting to sail the 100th commemorative next year! I mean REALLY want to. Well, the ship has inspired some of my designs today. My color choices are from the CR84FN challenge and while most people that post in the challenge do cards, I am doing a one-page layout. The colors are perfect for a Titanic-era inspired piece. I have NO photos from the Titanic museum so I had to be creative in preserving this memory. Here is my attempt! Get the products:

Aqua card stock, cream card stock and light blue card stock-open stock Hobby Lobby
pattern paper by K&Co
light blue squares by creative memories
"memories" transparency by K&Co
Stamps-Vintage Ladies by Hot off the press Time Flies and Scroll with it by Technique Tuesday
stamp ink-Caribbean Sea by Technique Tuesday, black ink by Memento Tuxedo Black Chocolate Chip by Stampin' Up
pens- Bluebonnet by ZIG Indigo and Turquoise by Martha Stewart Aqua by Sharpie
pencils-Sky blue by Crayola watercolor Light aqua by prismacolor
paint-raven by prism King's gold and white by apple barrel
Glue by Scotch 3M
glue dots by Elmer's craft bond
all blue flowers by Prima
cream flowers by Making Memories
blue tag and chipboard button by K&Co
metal clip by Making Memories
scallop punch by Stampin' Up
Ribbon in a bin at Michaels, was a remnant I think
Font-Angelic War (available on internet for download)
Titanic-by my hand
Boarding Pass by the Titanic Museum in Branson, MO

thanks to CR84FN for the inspiration colors, they were perfect for Frou Frou's boarding pass from the Titanic museum. Those of you that enjoy the Titanic, check out the museums in Branson or Pigeon Forge. They are expensive but SOOOOOO worth it.

My letter to Tim Holtz

Dear Tim,
I must tell you that I am in love with you. I have never in my life seen someone so creative or inventive. You inspire me to be more instinctive in my work and create what I feel...NOT what other people think I should create. You can take the "strangest" of household items and turn them into beautiful works of art.

I have yet to see any of your products that does not make me stop and think. The usage of keys, door knobs, and inks to create things that look old but have a new flair to them. I have been following your blog for a while too and I was sooooo inspired by the Twelve Tags of Christmas. My Christmas cards had a new flair thanks to one Tim Holtz.

I have learned how to be a better stamper, an embosser, a distresser, and I think a better scrapbooker. One day, I hope to meet you or even take one of your classes.

thank you, Tim, for all you do and all that you create.

I'll take that challenge

In order to make me a better scrapbooker, I am supposed to take a word....a noun...and write about it. I am supposed to use words, phrases, and even stories about this noun. I have to write for ten minutes and so my dear readers, you get to benefit from this task (yeah, you can call it that, a benefit).

Cheeseburger

yummy, juicy, "some pink", a good burger is a burger that leaves a trail of juices running down your arm, can't get enough


I have had a love affair with cheeseburgers for as long as I can remember. I have traveled far and wide in search of the "perfect burger". I have found some that claim to be "the best" but ended up tasting more like "the least". I have had very expensive burgers to cheap little "low quality" burgers.

The first burger that I ever remembering "loving" was a burger from Burger King. Now see people back when I was a child the closest BK was in Clarksville, TN. So going to Burger King was a HUGE event. We would often make a day trip to Nashville just so we could stop in Clarksville and eat a Whopper (I think we ate at another one in Nashville too). On the way to Colorado one year, I bet we stopped at every Burger King that we crossed just to again have a Whopper. When we heard that Paducah was finally getting one, it was a little hard to believe. We were so excited and actually, I remember going on my first date with John. He said where would you like to go eat? He was thinking I would pick Cracker Barrel or the Brass Lantern...NOPE, I picked Burger King. It was a brand new store and I could not get enough of those Whoppers!!!

Then there was Ruby Tuesday..... I remember that my dad and I used to seek high and low for a burger as good as a Ruby Tuesday burger (see this love runs in the family). I guess this affair stopped when the Paducah store closed and we could not get one anymore. Then I moved to Arkansas and discovered Mexican food, I did take a little break from the affair with the cheeseburger but not much. The first place we ever ate in Little Rock was a Burger King on Markham Street (we actually spent the night in the parking lot in our uhaul---we were the first customers of the day). Once while at the Arkansas State Fair, we tried this burger that was beyond belief...it was a real live "hub cab" burger. This thing was MONSTROUS!!!! We had it plain so that John could eat it, but I sure would love to try it with ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, and maybe bacon! For a while, I thought this was the best burger EVER!!! Of course, I have only tasted one in my whole life, so it might not be as good as I remember.

Then we moved back to Kentucky and had to begin the search all over again. I was over Burger King, we had no Ruby Tuesday...there was not much. In October 2006, John had to go to an NWA meeting, in Cleveland, Ohio. I spent the week traveling around the town and going to Cracker Barrel store that I had opened while he was in meetings. I saw this place by the mall Red Robin, Gourmet Burgers and thought, "what a strange concept" and kept driving. As the week ended we wanted to eat our last meal in Cleveland so I took him to the mall area where I had spent most of my week (be honest Michelle you were hoping for one more trip to Archiver's and you got it). John saw this Red Robin sign, we had never heard of it before (other than me seeing the sign earlier in the week), and he said: "let's go there." We entered and I ordered a Cherry Coke. WOW, it knocked your socks off good. It ranked up there with a Sonic cherry coke. Then I ordered the Bacon Guacamole burger, some pink with garlic Parmesan fries. My friends, that was the end, I had achieved the goal... I HAD FOUND THE PERFECT BURGER!!!!! It's the end of the road for you all. Thank you, good night. RR had perfected it!!! The smiling burger made me smile so big. I took the picture of the burger and had to have more. And I have, we have traveled far and wide for Red Robin, as my dad used to travel for Burger King. I have been to them in Colorado down to Tennessee. Oh somewhere I have a list, I also have a photo that has been taken in every single one that I have enjoyed a burger....plus, I even had one that I have driven by TWICE and never walked through its doors. Pier 95 Red Robin in Seattle Washington...maybe one day I shall enjoy a bacon guac in your presence.

Thanks for joining me for my love affair with the cheeseburger. May you find your true burger happiness.


I did it, Creating Keepsakes, I hope that you are happy with me...I journal-ed for over ten minutes on a random noun....the cheeseburger

Trace Creek Baptist Church Crop

Well, here it is again...time for the TCC (Trace Creek Crop). This is one of my favorite times of the year (barring any cruise vacation naturally). What is it? It is a scrapbook crop (which means essentially a place to scrapbook with other people), that is held in the church multi purpose building. Why is it special? There are literally hundreds of people there that love two things: to scrapbook and God! It is a day spent with ladies of all walks of faith, religions, and backgrounds; but they are believers and it is evident in their speak, actions and generosity. There is a devotional in the middle of the day to rejuvenate you and get you thinking about your life, the life of others and your service to God. Jill Rogers is the speaker and I must say she is down to Earth and speaks from her heart. There are prayers, thanksgivings, and companionship. You get to meet people, see people that you have not seen in years, talk about life, and SHOP! The vendors are awesome as well. You can shop for a new product or go buy a piece of white paper if you forgot to bring some in the million and one things that you brought.

Oh yeah, packing for this event is like packing for a vacation. I have one "suitcase" (it's really a crop case but as big as a suitcase on wheels) and one milk cate type thing on wheels. They will both be loaded to the gills! I intend on bringing 40 layout packages and hope to scrap at least 30 of them. Last year I walked away with 32 layouts completed, and that is a record for me.

This year, I have to cut my time short. I have to leave around 4:45 (instead of 8 pm), my high school reunion (20 years) is that evening. You know honestly, I thought of skipping the reunion and being with these great TCC ladies. I do love them to pieces. As I said before, I look forward to it every year and it is less than TWO weeks away!!!