Sometimes it just works out that way....

We are home - again! Our trip to see the space shuttle Discovery off on her last mission did not turn out the way we envisioned. We actually thought we would get to see her lift off but it was not to be. We tried several times - once in the pouring rain - to make our way to the pick up spot but once there the launch was cancelled. Florida Dolphin Tours was great in keeping it all organized and I hope we can reschedule for the next launch. We did have a fun trip though so I won't complain about that. DisneyWorld has nothing on Disneyland and I will never again feel like I'm missing something when I go there. The Harry Potter world at Universal Florida was awesome. And Kennedy Space Center is not to be missed even if there isn't a shuttle launch planned. I appreciate all the prayers out there for the weather and such but there must have been something in the big picture that we did not see because our prayers were not answered. While it was very disappointing, especially for my daughter, Kelie, its all good - God knows what's best for us and the astronauts too.

Up, up, and away!!

Discovery Launch here we come!!! We got our tickets today to be on the NASA Causeway for the launch. It was our third and final try and we were finally successful. Feel sorry for all those that were not as I know there were many. If we hadn't been able to get these we would have gone to Space View Park which is twice as far away but has a good view. This is a trip of a lifetime for sure and my daughter is very excited as this is both her birthday and Christmas present.

Any of you prayer people out there if you think of it please say one for great weather and nothing to delay the launch. Its a small thing but God cares about my small things as well as my big ones - so praise to Him! He is good!

CCC #13 - A Tisket, A Tasket...Grunge Paper Flowers

So many projects so little time! I've actually finished two today so I'm feeling pretty good. Love my baskets - just wish they were a little more organized instead just a bunch of stuff that you have to dig thru. They kind of remind me of the bag style purses that are on the market today - oh, idea....perhaps I should purchase some of those bag organizers to organize my baskets...hmmmm might have to look into that. Wow, that started to be a rabbit hole!

My offering today is a basket - you saw this coming right? I have baskets hanging on several doors around here including one that had completed cards, little things I didn't want to lose and things I just didn't know what to do with. So I decided to decorate one of them. I used gesso on the grunge paper, stamped with with various backgrounds with embossing ink, and added distress powder, some of which peeled off when I was shaping the flowers. Buttons and leaves finished it up. Overall I like the look - reminds me of Alice in Wonderland for some reason even though the flowers didn't look like that in the cartoon or movie. Oh well, thats where my mind goes anyway and I'm staying!

Enjoy the weekend!

Make a Splash - House Mouse

This is my first House Mouse challenge! I have several of the stamps that I won from an ebay auction years ago but have only used them one time before this. I love the cute little guys and this particular image is the reason I bought the set in the first place. Since I'd never used the stamp and it feels like a "new" stamp to me I also decided to try a "new" technique (for me) - I used colored pencils and gamsol mineral spirits to color the image. I really like the resulting pastel colors. With practice I might actually get good at this - but for now I think this was a good first try.

CCC - 12 Something Fall

I love fall!!! Its most favorite time of year and in celebration of our cruise I created some fall leaves. Used some metal leaves that Linda had given me (she's like a drug dealer passing out the candy for free just to hook you on it!!) and I did a mix of Concord Grape, Peeled Paint, Fired Brick, and Spiced Marmalade to create the layered color.

I really liked the result but I didn't quite know what to do with them. After much thought and messing around I finally decided that I would make a charm. So I got out my Tim link chains and played with that for awhile. I ended up making something that I just love. Its very simple but then the best tools are and when those tools are pretty to boot - well you've got the best of both worlds. So my final project came out to be a bookmark for my Bible. Its long enough that I can use it it mark two pages at once so that when I'm studying I can easily reference back and forth, or I can just use it so mark my favorite passage in Psalm 46:10 that say "Be still and know that I am God." Can't tell you how many times in my life I have leaned on that scripture to calm myself in the midst of upheaval or every sort.

Anyway, thanks for looking & have a blessed week!

CCC #11 - Blended Batik and Friends

Where do these weeks go? Already Challenge #11 over at Studio L3 - click on the Compendium of Curiosities pix to go take a peek!! You will see some absolutely stunning art and be drawn to creating some art of your own - what could be better?

On a card kick - so here's another one for a sweet lady I know. I used shiny card stock to do the technique and a stamp I picked up years ago from the Dollar Store and finished it off with Peeled Paint Distressed Ink. I framed the flower using Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Circles Large (& the largest one). The stamps, both the flower bouquet and the verse, are from Sweet and Sassy Stamps and are digi. Wanna know a secret? I gave up this paper scrapping and playing a couple of years ago and went all digital - now I'm using both and having an absolute blast. I've also been playing with my new Promarkers - feel as though I'm still in Kindergarten but I'm getting better. (used Rose Pink, Sunflower, Petrol Blue, Pastel Blue, Coral, Spice, and Cool Grey 2) I didn't have the right color greens to match the Peeled Paint so I had to improvise but it turned out just fine.

Anyway, busy week next week with my oldest, and her husband and two cats, moving back in for a couple of weeks before her apartment is ready but will try to stop by and see what everyone is up to. Have a great week!

CCC #10 - Distress Stickles

One thing I have in common with my friends - we all love the beach. The sound of the waves, the fresh air after life in the valley, the unhurried life that seems to be, wants to be.

So when Linda L. chose Distress Stickles as this weeks project with all the sparkle immediately sand came to mind. I had a Stampin' Up stamp, which I've never used, that was given to me by one of these beach lovers so just thought I would try it on a birthday card for that same beach lover.

I used Basic Grey paper, the sand dollar stamp, a Happy Birthday stamp that I borrowed from Linda and forgot to look at who made it, Distressed inks and Distressed Stickles in Scattered Straw, Faded Jeans, Milled Lavender, and Antique Linen, some Prima flowers and with black centers from SkyBluePink (which should have been more than one size since the flower were but I only had one size), and a piece of brown ribbon from my scraps.

As usual, great fun - thanks Linda and the other Linda too!

Out in the Woods

Week 8 Compendium of Curiosities Challenge! I decided to do something earthy this time - well not really, Linda loaned me a die cutting machine and there was a Sizzix tree die at the bottom of the box! Inspiration can come from many places.

I used grunge paper to do the trees and inked them with peeled paint distress ink - yeah I finally got a green!! Oh and some vintage photo too on the trunks and finished them off with a little rub of Scribbles iridescent gold paint along the tops of the limbs. I used sand paper for the dirt and inked it just like the trees only lighter. The background of the tag is inked with tumbled glass and vintage photo and spritzed with a mixture of blue, green, and white perfect pearls. I cut the sun using my Spellbinder rounded petals die and inked it with rusty hinge and barn door. I added some yarn from the basket and a few wooden beads to set it off and a little plastic tag the says "Journey."

Great fun as always! Now for a look see at what everyone else has done - go to http://studiol3.blogspot.com/2010/08/compendium-of-curiosities-week-8.html

CCC #7 - Peeking

I think the cutest pictures sometimes are the ones where people or animals are peeking out from behind something. This weeks challenge over at Studio L3 http://studiol3.blogspot.com/ was all about peeking. Well, really it was called Tinted Vision Fragments but there was definately some peeking going on. So go over and take a peek yourself. These challenges are fun and I'm learning a lot - and they are perfectly suited to the novice or the experienced.

My little peekers were created using Tim's Fragment Charms and a section of his Lost and Found Collection papers (ATC size) with little animals. There is a frog playing a cello, a boxing kangaroo, a very fancy piggy, and much more. I absolutely loved it. So using the techniques found in the Compendium of Curiosities book I created several charms with the animals peeking out thru the alcohol ink colors, I backed them all with dictionary paper and sealed them with glossy accents.

Thanks again Linda H. for sharing and Linda L. for sponsoring all this fun!

This was a fun challenge! Its from Gingersnap Creations and can be found at: http://gingersnapcreations.blogspot.com/2010/07/gc61-chestnut-theme-challenge-heat.html

I was able to dig into my supplies and test out a few things in the process. There are some things I think I would do different but this is the end result of my playing & I'm sticking to it.

The supplies I used were mostly from a dollar bin at the local Rite Aid bought years ago except for the 'u' & 'n' which are from ki-memories alpha called Gumbo Alphabet Soup. First I cut the sun rays using Hot Off the Press Diamond Folds #2 templates, dabbled alcohol inks in cranberry, butterscotch, & eggplant over the rest of the tag & both flower pieces, highlighted the cut edges with Stampendous Red Dragon embossing power, and blended Color Box pigment and chalk inks in yellow citrus, canary, and warm red for the center of the sun & used those same colors & also violet around the edges of the tag.

CCC #6 - Collage - Transformed

This was a rush job for me. Only two days to complete the challenge - but it was fun while it lasted!

For this challenge I started with a rather large 'C' that I was going to do something with but after I got it home it just wasn't flowing the way I wanted it to. I finally gave up and went to bed. But once again the late night attack came and I found myself up at between 1:30 & 4 a.m. I'm starting to think that's when I'm the most creative because I was able to put this card together fairly quickly. Its either that or I need to stop doing these challenges because its waking me up at night and I can't sleep until I finish! ;o) My ingredients included K & Company Studio K paper, a metal butterfly that Linda gave me in a package with other stuff, an old dictionary page, a couple of prima flowers with snap brads for the centers, and tumbled glass and tea dye distressed inks.

CCC #5 - Distressed!

I'm sure you've had crafters/stampers/scrappers/writers block. Well, Scrappin' Saturday was like that for me. Its always so much fun when everyone gets together at Linda's for Scrappin' Saturdays. But yesterday for some reason I was just out of sorts. Everyone was playing and creating and I was sitting there thinking and thinking and thinking. I played just enough to create a compass and a ships wheel and then I was done. I mean really I couldn't even think straight. I couldn't emboss properly and Linda really should have taken the heat gun and scissors away from me! It was my second time working with Tim's grungepaper so that was kinda cool.

After I left, our movie crew went to see Inception - WOW!! Go see it folks it was great. After the movie I was able to do something - it took awhile but I finally found all the pieces to go with my compass and finished my card at 6 a.m. this morning! I used paper from a fall paper stack, and Tim's Distressable Traveler cardstock and a border from K & Company called Life's Journey.

Gonna have to hurry with the next challenge as I'm off to Comic Con in San Diego on Wednesday!! Have fun everyone.

ACCC #4 - Practice makes...Art!!

Whew!! Its all in the stamp isn't it? Well, and the right colors of paint? And the supplies that you have?

I found a card this week that my best friend Linda made for me years ago. She's not going to appreciate me very much but I'm including the picture for you to see. Its nothing like her art today - which is amazing. It got me to thinking though about these challenges & how part of our creative process is defined as we practice our art.





I tried this one twice, well two that I kept anyway... I ended up with Capture Hugs & Kisses and Dance (thanks Linda for the great stamp) The great thing is I get to keep doing it! Keep matching things up, trying different colors, phrases, & arrangements. I love paper arts!!

Let freedom ring!

Thank God we are free!!

CCC #3 - ATCs

For some reason this challenge was just that for me - challenging!! Both in effort and in thought. I messed around with so many different ideas and colors that I was exhausted but couldn't stop after 8 hours of effort. The fact that I only produced three ATCs is a bit frustrating. Now I remember why paper scrapping was so difficult and why I switched to digital. Its so much easier to create, toss, and rearrange in digi - those "well, that looks like crap", "what was I thinking", "now I've wasted that element", moments are easily fixed but with paper they all come rushing back like a bad dream. One nice thing was using some of this stash I've had for years - Colorbok 3-D alpha, Studio K framed words, and a foot clip from Staples on the "Journey" ATC; Mark Richards Crystal Alpha, "See" sticker from Simple Scrapbooks, The Paper Co. quilling papers that I then colored with distressed inks blending Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo, Black Soot, and Gold Mixatives for my shell in "See Shells" ATC ; some rhinestone flowers that I picked up in the $1 bin at JoAnns with Scribbles 3-D iridescent gold paint centers, Sentimens Rub-ons, a butterfly stamp (a find at the Dollar Tree) and some metallic ribbon on "Inspire" ATC. So I have three ATCs plus maybe six other background pieces I can use. Deep breath... what will Monday' challenge bring?

I did do some digi scrap too and created two cow cards - well really in the mood cards. So heres the one problem I have with digi - my printer!! It has a mind of its own when it comes to color so my pink and brown cow cards came out purple and pink. Buying a new printer this week that can manage all these colors. I put the cards together anyway practiced using my new Ranger alcohol inks on my Heidi Swap letters and I'm satisfied with the result.

Fragments of Star Wars

I'm participating in the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge - I don't own the book yet & I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing but I'm doing it none the less. This weeks challenge was using Tim Holtz Fragments. One of the things I've told Linda is that if I'm going to do these Holtzie things then they have to have some meaning to me. Love the look of his designs but if it doesn't have some connection what's the point?

So that being my way I've used the fragments to create a note clip for myself that includes my favorite characters from the Star Wars movies - yes all six. This won't be the last time you see this subject matter here, I love Star Wars pure and simple. The paper I used was from Creative Imaginations Star Wars collection, the cards I got the pictures from, that you see in the first picture, are from Cartamundi, Star Wars Poster Playing Cards, the clip I got from Joanns & the rest is Tim.

Here I am....hoppin' down the bunny trail!

I have a blog! Not sure where this is going or why I even did this but I'm willing to see where it takes me. The inspiration was from my friend Linda - she simply had to say "Do you have a blog?" Linda affects me that way - she says something and I'm off on some rabbit trail. Mostly these trails have been fun and distracting and usually cost me money! LOL!!