How Did I End Up Here?

Eleven favorites from 2011

I thought I would share my creative top 11 for '11. I've never done this before but have seen it on several blogs recently. I'm going to veer a bit from simply 11 layouts. Let's see if I can do it.

1. Pinterest. From recipes to home decor to photography ideas there is no shortage of inspiration here. Wonder how I ever existed without it!

2. Mixed Media. I am forever grateful for the genius of Christy Tomlinson and her mixed media tutorials. They are easy to follow, and I've learned a ton! I've made a few projects and have had some picked up for publication! Here are some canvases I made for Lily Bee. It's a perfect diversion when my scrapbooking mojo is no-go. It happens.

3. Project Life. I love it. More than I ever thought possible. I love documenting the every day events in our lives and this gives me a place to put the photos I deem "unscrappable." That's a word, right? It takes me about an hour to document a whole week. LOVE that.

4. Digital scrapbooking. I am loving digital much more than I ever imagined. I have been prepping for my class (which for local peeps I think is going to be January 7 or 14) and I am hooked. It will never replace my paper crafting habit, but I am much more free and messy when doing digi. I used the Epic kit from OScraps for this layout, which I swear I could use every time.

5. Instagram. How do I love this app on my IPhone. Not only does it help me with Project Life, but it also satisfies my need to edit photos. And the beauty of it is I can edit pictures while waiting in the car to pick up Jenna after school. Talk about multitasking! LOL! The fact that my photos are automatically downloaded to my computer and accessible through IPhoto, sync to my IPad, and are available to view through sites like Extragram . . . GENIUS.

6. Sewing. I know, I got it in just under the wire, but I've been pinning fabric ideas for so long, and I finally did it. I made this bag which I had pinned on Pinterest with my sister this week. She was so patient, giving me all the tips and tricks as she is a GENIUS with her sewing. Here is the finished bag. I think I'll add a flower to the front . . . everything is better with a flower, right?

7. Studio Calico. This is one of my daily sites to visit. The designers here are genius, and I love the kits. I've been scrapbooking for the last 8 years, and I was getting stale. The designers and kits pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I have loved what I have created so far. I think my layouts are still "me," but use products that I would not normally use. Like Washi tape . . . see it in the corners? Never used it before, but totally hooked now.

8. My new IPhone, IPad, and IMac. Can I just say I'm in love!!! I got my IPhone last spring, and swear I need a 12-step program. I love it more than I can say. Then I saved enough money from teaching photoshop Elements to buy the IMac early fall. My old IMac was a dog when running PS5 and Lightroom at the same time. Now I can run them side by side in the SAME WINDOW.  I know, right?!? And when Bill got me an IPad for my birthday/Christmas? Well SHUT THE DOOR, I could not be happier. Best gift EVER, especially since it was completely unexpected. I am an original Mac Addict, never owning another brand name of computer. In my world, it matters. Do I need to get out more? Absolutely. ;)

9. A few publications and new scrapbooking opportunities. I have not had a lot of time to submit projects to magazines this year. But this fall I made a more concerted effort to submit, and got 4 projects picked up by Scrapbook Trends (including a mixed media canvas), and another set of canvases picked up by BHG Scrapbooks, Etc. It's been a while, and I'm really excited! Now I need to carve out more time to submit. I also helped one of my favorite people start up a new kit club. C'est Magnifique is a great club offering papers from other countries you can't find here in the US. Now that Leslie is up and running with her amazing team, I am stepping down. Loved my time with the club though! And recently I was offered a guest spot for Little Yellow Bicycle. Can't wait to play! Here is a layout from the latest C'est Magnifique kit.

10. A favorite layout. Wow, how do I choose just one? I guess I'll go with one of my latest. I tend to like what I've recently created. Then a few weeks later I hate it. It's the way it works, my creative process, if you will. It's like scrapping attention deficit disorder. I can't focus long enough to commit to my pages. I made this one today using a kit from Studio Calico.

11. A favorite photo. Again, almost impossible to choose. But I'll go with this one. Probably because it was such a beautiful moment in our family. The making of a family, my nephew's wedding.

Here's wishing you and yours a very happy 2012!!!

 

 

 

 

A Christmas Canvas

Another share from the Lily Bee blog. There have been SO MANY amazing projects!

Here is a project inspired by the fabulous Christy Tomlinson. I am just starting to dabble in the world of mixed media, and thought the Jingle line would be perfect for a Christmas tree!

Here's a view from the side. I bought these 8"x10" canvases in a bundle of 8 canvases for about $10.

Again I used the Glitter Mod Podge. LOVE this stuff!

More details Once more, here is the canvas.

 

Oh Christmas Tree

I shared this on the Lily Bee Blog, but I thought I would share it here too.

I am constantly inspired by all that I see on Pinterest, and when I saw this Christmas tree made from recycled wood, I knew I could put my own spin on it using the gorgeous Jingle collection. Here is what I made. When I showed the project to my husband, he thought the cedar shims he had in the basement would be perfect. Sure enough, 5 minutes later he had snapped the pieces into the shape of a tree. First I sprayed each piece of wood with Glimmer Mist, in essence "staining" each piece. As it dried I cut strips of paper to fit each piece and inked the edges with chalk ink. Then using Glitter Mod Podge (AKA my newest obsession), I attached each piece to the wood. Finally I used Elmer's Wood Glue to attach the pieces to one center wooden piece. Here is a view from the back. I am going to hang it using one of those 3-M strips. It's super light!

Here are a few close-ups: See how shimmery the Mod Podge is? I covered this chipboard piece with patterned paper. I liked the rough edges of the wood, so I tore the end of the paper to match the feel of the rough wood. And again, the final product.

Some Digi Sass

I am totally 100% in love with this line from Sassafras. Digital Broadcast rocks. Here is a digi layout using this line. I started with a template from Jessica Sprague's Template Tuesday. TFL!

ONE. MORE. DAY. Can you tell I'm a bit excited?

Some Crate love

I am IN LOVE with these last two lines from Crate Paper. The first is using the Random collection.

And this one from the Farmhouse collection. I'm in love with both lines. And there's a new line out I must have!

Happy Tuesday! Two more days of school until Christmas break!!! YIPPEE!

One great weekend.

It was a bit of a busy, hectic week last week, but good as well. Lots of holiday parties and events, as well as my birthday celebration put me in the holiday mood. It's the time with family and friends that make the holiday. It actually brought me out of my usual "Bah Humbug" feeling this time of year. I don't mean to be a kill-joy. Really I don't.

I am bracing myself for a Christmas without snow, however. I'm a little bummed about that.It's not just because no snow in forecast means no hope of a snow day. That's part of it, to be sure. But it just does not seem like Christmas could be coming next week without any snow on the ground whatsoever. We only had ONE DAY with snow. That's just plain weird, as for many years the bulk of our snow has happened before Christmas break. We'll see how this pans out.

Speaking of snow days, here's a layout about a snow day a few years back. Good times.

It's a digital layout using Pink Paislee and a template from Jessica Sprague.

 

Project Life Week 5

And with this post I am almost caught up. I ordered the new Clementine kit and can't wait to use it!

Included this week is Jenna's report card. She did well! 4th grade has been all kinds of tough for her, as it's the first time she has received letter grades. It's been a whole new stress in our world.

Also included was her name badge from the headache clinic. We learned a lot that day about her migraines.

Happy Friday!!!

More layouts, perhaps?

Still catching up. I won't be able to rest until I do.

More from Studio Calico. This one is so much prettier IRL. It's more pink, less yellow. More soft.

Happy Thursday. ONE MORE DAY!!!

 

Project Life Week 4

More catching up! I'm a bit better at photographing my layouts now. Still work to do!

I included a writing assignment Jenna did in school.

Happy Wednesday!

A few layouts.

It's been a while since I've shared any traditional layouts. I am still scrapping all the time, but may just be a tad bit behind in the scanning process. Like about 30 layouts behind. But who's counting?

Here are a few from the last few Studio Calico kits.

Have a great Tuesday!