Forever and ever

Well, my parents anniversary is coming up (as I write this---as you read it, it is past). I decided a long time ago that I wanted to do something special for them. How many people do you know that make it 40 years? How many make it 40 years and still like each other, much less love each other?

Yes, to celebrate is no brainier. The thing is how to do it, how to make it special, how to make it not cost a fortune?

That is where I sit this day. I am trying to find someplace that is not too expensive, better yet free. I am trying to plan things that are "easyish" to make/do (this is a time problem).

My first step was to decide what I wanted. A meal at a restaurant or reception? The reception was my answer. A meal or reception food? reception food....Wait!!! Reception food. I want to have a wedding type of thing. I want them to proclaim their love for everyone. Being from poorish sort of families they never had a "proper" wedding. I want to give them that. If not a preacher ceremony, a re-dedication ceremony. With a proper reception.

The first stop was coloring (for me because I want to make the stuff).  I found a pad of paper at Hobby Lobby that very much fit my mothers' style.  Very country styled patterns, with blues, maroons, yellows, greens, and browns.  I think it was a delight.

 

The next part was to make the stuff. I got lucky and had a Cricut cartridge that made boxes.  I used 2 Cricut mats and about 70 sheets of cardstock, but I got all the favor boxes, all the centerpieces, and 2 journal type books done.  

I started work in January.  Yes, it takes quite some time to do all this.  I worked on it every Saturday until June 18, when it all was put together into the reception.

Now the reception was a bit of perfectness.  We had people attend that they had no idea about.  My dad did make me crazy the last week or so panicking about who was invited and who was not, but this is a time when he needs to learn TRUST.  It was lovely.  If you were invited and did not come, why then you missed out.

I think it turned out to be a great time.  Their song redeclaring their love for one another was just about the sweetest thing ever. 

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

Mojo Monday 197

This week's card is a tribute to Love!  Some of the things I love...Purple, Technique Tuesday, flowers, swirls, and scrapbooking.

I made this with recollections purple card stock cut to 8x4. Fold that in half and you have the perfect 4x4 card.  Add a white backing (4.25x4.25), round the corners and use Stampin UP Eggplant Envy ink on the edges.  Cut a 3x3 square for the middle.  Round the corners and ink the edges with the same ink.  Use Stazon ink in black and the lovely "Love Makes the World Go Round" heart, and sentiments.  I took a white prima flower and used the eggplant envy ink and a watercolor brush to "paint" the white flower.  I rubbed the purple flower along the top of the eggplant, put it all together and BAM!!!  A sweet little card for someone I love....Maybe ME!!!!!




Just for fun I made the round one too!   Same sheet of purple cardstock, using the leftovers.  Using the Everyday Life stamps by Technique Tuesday. I turned the star upside down and used the eggplant to stamp my white paper.  Then I turned the star stamp over and using the stazon stamped the "correct" side of the stamp.  The white paper square is 3x3, the white square is 3.25x 3.25.

The flower is from prima and the leaves were hand cut,colored, and painted by ME.  Font is also by me.

My nook color

 Rooting my nook color was not a difficult thing.  There was a moment when I think that my heart stopped because I finished the rooting process and the thing would not come on.  Patience my friend, about 4 minutes later the little droid dude pops up and I have my very own rooted nook.

I have lived with it for about a month now...my opinion on it??? Well, I agree with those that told me that it would be one of the greatest things ever.  I now run Honeycomb and have a full-fledged Android tablet.  I can use my Kindle, Nook, Laputa, Amazon app store, Words with friends and the all-important ANDROID market!!!!  I recently installed the library's overdrive console so now I am able to use even more books.  My reading has increased too.  I was sick and tired of reading books under the cover with a flashlight by my cheek.  Now I simply pull the covers over my head and read until my battery dies.

Battery life?  The battery life is not as long as it would be had I kept it a Nook Color.  Mainly because I am using more apps, more internet, and well, just more.  If you have more, you use more.

Touchscreen?  Sometimes it is glitchy but it is not a big deal.  I believe it is more the ADW launcher than the tablet itself that is glitchy.


The specs?  I am running Android 2.3.3  Cyanogen Mod with the Iron Man theme background. It is actually the Iron man Droid.  The rest is just mumbo jumbo that you probably don't care about.

The result? Happiness...it performs in the exact manner that I dreamed it would.  I have a full-fledged Android tablet that cost me 194.00  PERFECTION!

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!

Mojo Monday 196

I decided not to make a card this week.  I have wanted to use this "Hannah" element for some time.  This was something that Hannah got from a girl scout leader about 5 years ago and I keep holding onto it.  It was perfect for this semi floral page that I wanted to make for her.  She is like a little flower.  Beautiful, funny, goofy, and pretty smart.  I forgot to say she was a wonderful flute player (what is the special term for that?)

I have no idea what the Hannah element is made from.  It used to be a Hershey's chocolate bar wrapper.  And it was a wonderful idea (wish I had made it).  The brown paper is recollections, the orange is from Autumn Splendor by Making Memories, the pink is from my scrapbin.  The background and the floral patterned paper is by K and Co, I bought this in a pack of K&Co greatest hits. If I am correct in my deductions, this paper is the Wild Raspberry line.  If I am wrong would you please tell me?  It is very important to me that I have the right names on my collections.  My scrapbook space is like a label OCD perfection zone.  I like it all labeled and correctly.

The 3d flower was made by me.  I used a piece of all the papers on the page, some shimmer ink (sea glass) and lots of water.  I think it turned out great.  The tiniest little pink flower is from the Brides collection at Michael's.  The photo was taken at my baby's 8th-grade graduation.

Life's a Beach card

CR84FN 32

This weeks challenge is a very summery color combo.  It makes me think of lemonade and blueberry pie...yummy.  I did two cards.

This one is a small card 3x3.  It features a Hampton Art Steampunk stamp.  I used my crayola watercolor pencils to color in the butterfly.  His trail is made with raven Palmer acrylic paint. The green flowers are Prima and they are fabulous.  They feature a frosting on each one.  I adore them.  The brad is a making memories.  Cardstock is all from my scrapbin.  Glue is Scotch.  Background stamp is Baroque border by Stampin UP!  

the acetate with the painting on the front in raven by Palmer

The next card is the prettier one.  It was fashioned after an old fashioned animation cel.  I did the black outlines on the front of the acetate and the colors are painted on the back.

the title and the design element. I was laying it out to see how it would look.

Finished product

I used only 4 colors of paint.  Mustard Yellow by Craft Smart, Spearmint by Craft Smart and Green Middle by Winsor and Newton (love this paint) and of course white.  The ink on the card is black by Stazon.  All cardstock is from my scrapbin.  I believe the yellow is bazzill, it sure feels like it anyway.  This was fun, thanks for letting me play along.