Adelle Baby Stool

I have had this stool done for a couple of weeks, but I could not post about it until I have gifted it.  I was trying to make a unique baby gift but could not think of anything.  One Saturday in March my mom and I went to JoAnn's in Nashville and my mission was to find something unique and FUN to make.  I looked at bags, albums, wall hangings...none of that really fit the bill.  I went down the wood aisle because I was looking for an easel and there it was a naked little stool just waiting to be purchased.  

I had already talked to the mom and found out that the colors were in the pastel family so this was going to be easy I was going to make an "old" step stool that Adelle could use as she grows up.

I started with the stool naked. It needed a little sanding so I took care of that first.  Then came on the paint.  I used all Apple Barrel paints today. In minty green, yellow, carnation pink, baby blue, and white. After I painted it I used (what else?) Tim Holtz distress inks, giving it an aged look.  All the collage materials are things I have been finding and collecting...from books, yard sales, the trash bin at McKay's and stuff around my house.

On this stool, I thought I should make the college flat.  This way Adelle could use it.  Hopefully, she will use it for many many years.

The Yellow Tag

By Nature I am NOT a fan of the color yellow.  Today I was trying to think outside the box.  Outside the box means DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR YELLOW PRODUCTS!.  I made four tags from white cardstock that I had lying around the house (scrap pieces).  I then took Crushed Olive, Mustard Seed and Wild Honey inks and dabbled them a bit onto the tags.  After that dried I took my Michelle's Musings Caribbean Sunshine Yellow and Pumpkin Soup Orange spray inks and sprayed onto the tags.  After that dried I began to layer stamps.  Layers upon layers of stamps.  The makers include:

7 gypsies

Hampton Arts

Hero Arts

Tim Holtz

Technique Tuesday

Hot off the Press

Close to My Heart

Fiskars

I also used many different types of inks these include:

Black stazon

Red Stazon

Yellow Stazon

Distress embossing ink

Distress ink Vintage Photo

Fired Brick

Iced Spruce

Black Soot

Worn Lipstick

Evergreen Bough

I also used white distress powder from JoAnn's

When the inks were dry I decided to mist the tags with Michelle's Musings Sterling Silver shimmer spray and once again let it dry.

I mounted 2 of them in my art journal and 2 I have saved for cards.

I have to admit, I did not create this idea.  I scraplifted it.  The idea was on a new site that I discovered from one of my fave sites (Gingersnap Creations)  This one is full of ideas and tips.  Check it out.
www.http://unrulypaperarts.blogspot.com/

Smoothing out my altered journey (CR84FN)

I have always been a little off the beaten path from what others have been.  I have enjoyed off the wall things, and been interested in the most bizarre objects.  Since I discovered the internet I realize there are others out there that have the same type of random thoughts.  That think their head will explode if they cannot pick up a paintbrush and just paint. Someone that gets a thrill just from walking down an aisle full of paper. Someone that feels that with a writing utensil and some paper you can make anything.Someone that dreams all week of the weekend so they can create ANYTHING!  Someone that has to take their art materials with them wherever they go, just in case somethings hits their very busy brain.  Someone that brain NEVER shuts off.  Yeah, that's me.

I have always taken pride that I am not like anyone else and I celebrate it in every way that I can. I have tried to convince my children to have this attitude, but that is not so easily done.  That is my work in progress, in the meantime here is how I am displaying my individuality today.  



A bit ago I began an art journal.  This was a regular John Grisham book that I picked up at McKay's for a quarter.  I decided  to alter it in every way possible.  The cover will be last because I want it to reflect what is inside the book.  I had to take out some of the pages because my art tends to be 3d and the book would not close.  Here are my journal entries for today.  I was very lucky that the colors match my favorite challenge CR84FN

 Poem found on the internet
Parenthesis and plastic like flowers-from a CKC class
Blue and pink paper open stock at Hobby Lobby
Girl and postmark stamp-Hot off the press
Flower on rosette-Stampin UP!
pink flowers from my parents 40th wedding anniversary party
blue flowers by prima
background inks by Michelle's Musings
other paints by Americana, Folk Art and Apple Barrel all acrylic
Image of Titanic from the internet (but I flipped it from the original photo)

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Hog Heaven tag, pink photo corners are Forest Friends by K&Co

Pink and blue card stock open stock from Hobby Lobby

Butterfly by Melody Ross and it was painted at an Archiver's class

Ghost Letters by Heidi Swapp

Special chipboard from an old kit.  I think it is Westrim Crafts (I was a beginning scrapper when I got it)

Quote from the Sound of Music-Maria

  Doily from my mom in laws house

bodice of dress made from Stampin UP! file tab punch

border punch by Fiskars!

Kraft card stock by Recollections

Be Yourself, believe, shoes and dress stamps are from the Dawn Houser set by Inkadinkadoo

Paint by Apple Barrel and Folk Art

Pink flowers from my parents 40th anniversary party

Shimmer and spray paints by Michelle's Musing

Distress paint by Tim Holtz

Houndstooth stamp by Technique Tuesday

quote by Edna Turnblad and Hairspray

Girl stamp in the corner by Hampton Arts

moon from a kit my daughter used when she was about 4 (she is now 15)

Patterned paper for dress by K&Co

Your'e so square (Mojo 238)

 What a fun concept!  I have a little bit of order and on top of that a lots of chaos.  I LOVED this sketch!

This layout is very much my life...there is a plan of order but then on the top is a mass of ramblings and flying by the seat of the pants.  There is me trying to have order and everything all planned out, but then there are the others in my life that don't plan anything that just kind of throw things together and it works. 

Enjoy!

All patterned papers are by K&Co
All inks (with the exception of the black ink) are Distress inks
Black ink is Ranger
All ribbon is by Making Memories
Scalloped border is the trash from a K&Co sticker border (I just colored it red with fired brick distress inks)
Bingo number and domino by 7 gypsies
Chipboard by Technique Tuesday (Technique Tiles)
Butterfly by K&Co
flowers by creative memories
grunge tag by Tim Holtz
paper clip by Making Memories
sunflower found at my father in laws house

National Scrapbook Day by CM

On April 20 and 21 I was invited to the National Scrapbook event sponsored by our local Creative Memories ladies.  It was at the SportsPlex, which to me sounded like a very strange place to put on a scrapbook crop....turned out it was a great place. 

It was a crop where I got a lot of stuff done.  It was a very good atmosphere and there were some very friendly people.  The CM ladies gave away prizes, did some silent auctions and had a yard sale table.  But my favorite part was where they gave us free layouts and let us try out their CM tools.  Of course, I fell in love with the CM border punch (gonna have to get that one day).

Below are the things that I made over the course of the two full days.

I have confidence in paper scraps

This was a self imposed challenge.  Something to get my creatives waves flowing and something that I would not allow myself to spend bunches of time on.  I limited myself to 2 minutes per card and only to the papers, embellishments that were in a canvas box.  You can tell that I have been heavily influenced by the Titanic and once again that love has spilled over into my cards.

The first could have been a card that was in the writing room on the Titanic. Maybe the lady in the photo was a passenger.  Did she make it or not?  Quite possibly she did and this is a thank you card she sent to the captain of the Carpathia?????   

And the second card?  Maybe it is a photo from the newspaper articles written on the Titanic?  Maybe a photo of a family that did not make it?  Or a photo of a family where the kids survived and were now orphans?  

The last card is my favorite.  I think this girl is so happy to be doing whatever it is she is doing.  Maybe going on to a new life?  Marrying the man of her dreams?  Leaving Ireland for some greener pastures?   She is living her life NOW!

The stamp and the photo of the lady are by Tim Holtz.  All inks are by Tim Holtz.  The papers are scraps but they are combos of K&Co, Making Memories, and Recollections.  The Thank You stamp is by Fiskars. The flower stamp and pennant punch are by Stampin UP! String by DMC. 


What did I learn from this challenge?  That sometimes art doesn't have to take all day to be nice.  That sometimes I should trust my instincts and just go with my intuition while crafting.  Be confident in myself. 

Today I had a Bible verse on my mind, it might have something to do with my creations...it might just be another of my ramblings....Philippians 1:6
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Today...utter sorrow clouded by utter joy

Today is one of those very tough days for me...let me tell you a story.

January 2001, we were living in Little Rock, Arkansas.  I get a phone call very late at night that my dear father-in-law was ill.  I go to the TV station and get John and we make the most miserable trip to KY we had ever made.  John made the 5.5-hour drive in a record 3 hours!!!

On the way there he says "this is not going to work, I can't lose one of my parents and be this far away from them".  So literally the next week when we returned to our home in Little Rock, John began searching for a new job closer to home.  It was not long later that a job (and a big pay cut later)..... we were packing up the family and moving too little and I do mean LITTLE Paducah, KY.

For the next eleven years, we enjoyed their company, have taken care of them, many trips to Mayfield, many trips to doctors, and many vacations cut short, while we have cared for them.

Today is just one of those days that I miss him.  I have talked to him almost daily since 2001.  I saw him almost every weekend.  I missed the money that we once made in Little Rock, I missed being a stay at home mom (as I could be in LR and could NOT in KY); but it was worth it to be with him.

I am not handling things as he would want them done today and I hate that.  I feel that he would be let down. I am praying and trying.  It's not happening.  I am just trying to focus on the fact that he is now pain-free.  That he is rejoicing in his heavenly reward.

the last photos taken of Henry when he was not in the hospital.  He did not feel well  this day.  It was the second to the last time he was in my house.  The last time was February 4, 2012.  I sat with him while John and his mom went to Ft Campbell. 

Death is sad for the living and today is just one of those sad days and now that I have depressed you. I am sorry, I promise to fix that....come back.