I Finally Did It

My first submission. Scrapbook Trends is having a Call for Entries for Mini Books. I submitted my "What A Hoot" mini album (see previous posts). We'll see what happens. Hopefully I get lucky and get published. I would be so ecstatic. Say a little prayer and wish me luck.

It's Not Easy Being Green

Ha... bet you thought I was talking about being environmentally friendly (it is the buzz word these days). Nope, this time I'm talking about Kermit, or in this case this little green visitor we had during the rain. One night when Michael was letting our dogs out, he spotted this little guy hanging out on our back door. I just had to get a shot of him, because how often do you get to see these beautiful looking frogs. Normally we see the warty toads. Sean wanted to keep this guy, but I told him that he would end up dieing if we kept him, he was meant to be outside. Later when Michael let the dogs in, our little Kermit had climbed up the glass. Hopefully he'll visit again.

Shrooms

It's been pretty rainy the past couple weeks. It makes it difficult for Michael to tend to the yard when it's more like a swamp. With all the rain and humidity our neighboorhood has been growing shrooms. Everyone's yard has them. Our backyard has these arches of them in several locations. Some of them were actually quite pretty. Now I'll just have to find a cool way to use the photos - LOL

Love Mini Book

Here is a mini acrylic book I put together Sunday night.



I actually worked in my studio about 5 cumulative hours. I didn't realize how much I actually worked until I realized that I had "watched" 7 of the 9 episodes of the first season of Grey's Anatomy. I say "watched" because I didn't REALLY watch it. I like background noise when I work. Music doesn't work well for me because I'll want to sing along, then I get distracted from my work. I have the first three seasons of Grey's in my i-Tunes library on my PC so I just started from the very beginning.

I managed to clean up my stack of paper on the floor. I'm still searching for a bookshelf or cubbie shelves for my vertical paper holders. Still haven't come across what I'm looking for. Hopefully I'll find something over the next couple of weeks.

For now I'm off to finish the rest of season one and start season two. I have a couple hours before my bedtime - LOL. Hopefully I'll get some cropping done.

Where Does It Come From?

As a teenager I used to keep a diary. It never lasted long, but right before I'd decide to stop keeping one I used to look at what I wrote. Every time I thought to myself, "I WROTE THAT!?!"

Well tonight I'm feeling much like that as I started to just goof around with some of my supplies. I took out a plain white sheet of paper to play with some Glimmer Mist. I had some different paint type mediums that hadn't been opened and I wanted to see what they would look like. Get an idea of their texture, their finish, etc. Next thing I know I went from using this white sheet of paper as a "test sheet" to a finish page. No pictures on it... just some artistic expression. When I felt I needed to stop, I did and this is what I ended up with:

I started layering colors of Glimmer Mist (blues, greens and browns). I used some Magic Mesh as a screen to create some visual texture across the bottom and side. This was part of the playing around. Then I had some gesso that I wanted to see what exactly it was. Right now all I've decided is that it's a thicker version of acrylic white paint (I'll have to do a little more research on it's uses). Then I stamped the numbers and the words. The words just seemed to float there, so I got some collage paper to layer over it.

I misted it down with Glimmer Mist then crumpled it and used it to wipe up the left over Glimmer Mist on my mat. I started to tape it down (I didn't wait for it to dry... most of the stuff was still damp as I put it together). Then I took the butterfly I was playing around with the other day and added it. I thought it was PERFECT. I added the key and stamped the flourish to take up some of the space that didn't feel right.

Lastly I added the word "love". I took some Rusty Pickle cardboard letters and peeled the top layer off to expose the corrugated middle. I took the brush I used for the gesso and started to use up the excess left on the brush. I wanted to enhance the raised portion of the corrugation. Because I don't like to waste my supplies (call me environmentally conscious or frugal) and used it as a "shadow" for the letters. Again I just started to slap adhesive on it so it didn't stick down completely on every portion of the letter adding more texture.

I'm still amazed that in 10 minutes this is what I cranked out. I know I'm more own worst critic, but I'm just in awe.

Playing With My Toys

I bought some Tattered Angels chipboard butterflies today and wanted to play around with my Glimmer Mist and this other product called Smooch Pearlized Inks.(http://www.smoochinks.com/)

On the left is the BEFORE and on the right is the AFTER

I used the Walnut Gold Glimmer Mist to age it and add a little bit of glimmer. I patted it dry and went back in with Green Apple and Azure Smooch to give it a stained glass look.

Another angle. Notice how the Smooch product color changes when you look at it from another angle. I only bought a couple, during my trip to San Antonio, to try out. Now I'm on the look out at my LSS for more of this product.

Studio... Almost There

I've been working on my studio for a couple days now, and thought I'd share some of the progress. It's not quite done. I still have to touch up the paint on the walls, since I moved some of the fixtures around. And since the paint will be out, I might as well get the cabinets painted.

BEFORE

AFTER
I didn't like having the wire rack behind my door into the studio, because there wasn't enough space behind the door. (The door is on an angle into the room) So I moved it where the peg board used to be. There is enough wall space in that corner, that opening the closet door doesn't interfere with it.

BEFORE
AFTER

I had a bunch of stacked drawers for my scrap paper and it took up alot of space. Also the hardware bins I use for my embellishments were on the desk surface. That took up alot of workspace. I moved the shelves around and got them off the work surface and moved the scrap paper to a file drawer. I now how more surface to work. (That's all the stuff you see spread out)



BEFORE

AFTER

I took the doors off the cabinets my dad installed for me. While I thought I'd like having some covered storage, it didn't work for my style of scrapping. Therefore, there was actually nothing in them. Taking off the doors allowed me to move some of my decorations and reference materials off the main shelves, and now they are easily seen for inspiration. Also I move the peg board to the area below the cabinets. Originally I had the rod for displaying my pages, but it was WASTED space. Now I have more exposed storage for my goodies.

On the back wall that you don't see in these photos, there is a space on the other side of the closet doors. I'm now in the market for modular cube storage, because I've decided to go to vertical paper storage. I've accumulated a stack of paper (it's the stuff the green storage cube is sitting on), I need to sort by manufacturer AND color. I will also use it for my stickers and other odds and ends. If I could do a good 360 shot of the room, I have SO much more space I could put a folding table in here to have a few friends to crop. I'm going to get some vinyl words to put on the blank walls and add some other touches, but all in all it's now a better functioning space.

Soccer Star

I managed to finish this layout before I tore up my studio. This will probably be the last one I get done this weekend considering the current condition of my work area.

Under Construction

I've pulled my paper off the shelves, the supplies are in various baskets, and I'm moving fixtures around. The scrapbook room is going through it's metamorphisis to a studio. Still not quite sure how it's going to end up, but it's quite a mess right now.


I've moved my bins of the counter surface so I'll have more workspace. I'll have to go to IKEA for more wall racks to make use of the wasted space under the bottom shelves. The nice thing is soon I'll have more workable surface to create multiple projects at a time.



There isn't a shot of it, but on one of my walls there were covered cabinets. I removed the doors off of it so the contents are visible. I moved my magazines off the shelf above my computer area into those cabinets. This way inspiration is within plain sight. Hopefully I'll have it finished by the end of the long weekend. I still need to paint the cabinets and get a sliding rack for the middle cabinet. It's TOTALLY unused space.

What A Hoot Altered Book

Here's an altered book that I made using the Zutter Bind-It-All. The book was made with transapencies, chipboard, large divider, and a mailing envelope. I just covered the items and embellished. Finding owl paper is easy right now, since it's pretty trendy at this time.

Saying Goodbye to Gotta Scrap

Patty and D'Uan announced last Wednesday that Gotta Scrap will be closing their doors. For me and many scrappers it's the end of an era, much like when Scrappy's in Richardson closed. I've watched their store grow and evolve over the last 8 years starting when they first bought out Gotta Scrap, Gotta Stamp (as it was called WAY back then). They've been one of the go to places to learn new techniques and see great new products. The store was much like the Cheers of the scrapbook world, and they always remembered you.

Today was my first visit to the store since the announcement. I had wanted to make it sooner but business travel made that difficult. Walking through the doors this afternoon and seeing most of the fixtures gone or empty, the crop room more like a garage sale, my heart broke. While every scrapper LOVES a great sale, it was hard to get a thrill out of the many discounted treasures. Each item was a reminder that when it was all gone, there would be no Gotta Scrap.

The lovely ladies anticipate being there through September 15th or til everything is gone. By the looks of things it will be the latter. While they will still be involved and have a presence in the scrapper world, they and the beloved Gotta Scrap will be missed.

Patty and D'Uan may God Bless your new endeavours as this door closes and a new one opens. All of your scrapper friends from over the years will ALWAYS be here to support you.


Visit their blog for updates on the store and their "secret sales" - http://gottascraprockwall.blogspot.com/

More Work...

Rusty Pickle Sweet & Sassy Kit

Cover

Inside

Laugh (another layout)

The Last Leg of Travel

Finally my 4 weeks of travel is coming to an end. I'm writing to you scrappers in cyberspace from San Antonio. I drive back home tomorrow. Hopefully the travel will subside for 2-3 months and it will only be a trip here and there.

While here in San Antonio {I hadn't scoped out the LSS here yet} I found 4 stores!!!! I went to 2 today, but I'm not sure I'll make the other 2 tomorrow before heading back to Dallas. I'm on a scrapbook supply diet until my stash has been brought down to code. While the Fire Marshall may not be out to get me anymore {the piles have made it to their new homes on my shelves}, I may be on the radar for possession of obscene amounts of chemicals - Yikes!

My latest product passion... Glimmer Mist, has claimed the front running of my purchases. One of the stores I visited today had it and of coarse I HAD to get some. After all it's more of a tool, not like paper, where there IS such a thing as too much. I guess Glimmer Mist isn't really a chemical hazard... it IS water based, so maybe I'm in the clear.

I'm resisting the urge to purchase more paper. I have many shelves stocked full {still nothing like my dad's wife, but that's a topic for another day}. I'm in the process of resorting them {the paper} to make sure I'm aware of what I have for my projects. By color seems logically, but I begin to forget about some of my vintage or artsy papers when they are hidden in the piles. I've tried by manufacturer and that's not working so well... since alot of the paper companies I favor are similar in style I can't keep track which line has what.

The long weekend is coming up and I'm excited to get back to my "studio" {this is my new name for my scraproom... sounds professional}. I'm working on a domain name and web page, but you'll have to wait to find out what it is [wink, wink].

All in all I'm finding that I'm approaching a good place... travel behind me, a long weekend around the corner - translation? I get to scrap my heart out!!! At least after I get the kiddo to bed.

Happy Scrapping!!!