My Analog Life

So I'm 38 years old. A Project 365 Post

2012-02-25T00:49:00.000-05:00

This will not be a post where I whine on and on about being "old".

I love being 38 fabulous years old.

I'm happier and more self secure now than at 28.

28 was me running around trying to figure out how to jump start my career and how to afford the latest hand bag or shoes a la Carrie in Sex and the City.

38 year old me is like WOW! CHILL, YO!

I'm a MOM!

It STILL trips me out!

Because I get to share moments like this.
Mural by Joshua Abram Howard

I love the lines I see developing on my smile.

I've always had the frown lines- frowny face is my default setting.

When I was younger, guys on the subway would say (yell from a distance):

"Smile girl! You're beautiful!"

Actually, the guy who yelled that got a smile.

The ones who said more obnoxious things got THE LOOK.

It's a cringe worthy look.

I tried it on myself once... DAAAAUUUUUUMMM!!!

So yeah the smile lines are a good thing- the rabid bull dog look was getting tired.

This week has been busy so I haven't been able to scrap much of anything.

I did experiment with this:

Project Life page!
Materials: Sassafras Lass Sunshine Broadcast paper (fave ever!), Fiskars Jenny Bowlin
flying bird punch, Ormolu spot, Studio Calico wood veneer asterisk, Smash polka dot
tape, American Crafts Sunrise alphas (fave font ever!) Hambly chicken wire tranny.

So I saw a photo of the India Street Mural Project online and I simply HAD TO SHOOT IT!

I first thought this would be easy. It was but ONLY
if you pick paper with no border. Cutting this
12 by 12 into 7 by 9 and making the pattern MATCH
was hard. But the final results were great.

India street is about 20 blocks from where I live.

How. Had. I. Missed. It?

The murals went up in 2009.

Dave and The Lolster admire Chris Soria's mural.

I was 5 months pregnant and battling doctors who were telling me I should consider "termination" because my baby would most likely be severely disabled.

I gave 'em THE LOOK. I wore it for the next 2 months.

I just felt it was gonna be ok. I FELT it.

And she was. And she IS.

First time I let you slide down by yourself. 2/22/12

So there it is. Why I'm so happy. Why every day is a gift.

Why I'm so freakishly expressive (blabber mouth!).

Try not to totally hate my blubbering.

I do hold back SOME of it. :)

Not THE LOOK.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!

Scrap FX. RAD awesomeness- scrapified!

2012-02-23T01:00:00.000-05:00

Scrap FX is having a design team call.
Their first ever.
This. is. monumental. Exclamation points. Many. Lots.
I love Scrap FX product. As in, I LOVE it.
I don't USE it.
I COLLECT it.
Like my Mom collects Lladro porcelain.
Like a jealous squirrel preparing for a long winter.
Have you ever gotten between a squirrel and her winter hoard?
It's not pretty.
Squirrels are TOUGH and they jump pretty far.
STOP LAUGHING.
A chittering squirrel advancing upon you in short barky hops is TERRIFYING.
You know it's giving you the old-school dress down.
Especially Manhattan squirrels- such SNOBS.
A. NY.WAY
5 projects are needed for the application.
This is my first:

I've had that New York chippie in my stash since summer 2011. I bought it in Salt Lake City for 5 entire dollars.
Yes that's FIVE DOLLARS. FIVE! I loved it too much it had to be mine.
Materials: Scrap FX New York Chipboard, Jillibean Soup Fresh Mushrooms paper, Sassafras Lass In Retrospect paper (diamond stars), bicycle clip from World Wide Co, Studio Calico Awesome stamp, American Crafts Zing powder in black, Ormolu chevron fabric flag, tin pin and "cool" spot, Amy Tan hearts fabric strip and "wish you were here" sentiment, My Mind's Eye journaling card, white acrylic paint for splatters

I have weighed the ramifications stemming from an application for weeks.
Do I have the time to participate?
Do I have good ideas to to share and break out into tutorials?
Am I able to sell the product in my writing because I use it and love it so much?
Yes, yes, Oh HECK yes!
Am I awesome enough?

White acrylic paint watered down just a bit. All white colored
mist products just disappear into kraft card stock.

That last question is of most importance. I can't really answer it.
I have decided to just go ahead and throw my hat into the ring anyway.
Fingers crossed they will like my artsy urban Brooklyn girl style.

Things I love:
Insta frames, stamps, iPod photos, the word awesome, woodgrain,
arrows, fabric embellishments, pop up elements and kraft paper.

If you haven't heard of Scrap FX before, let me show you why I love them so much

(All product photos copyright Scrap FX).

These are my favorite products from the latest release:

Brick pattern good for mini book covers, misting to use
as a template or RAD city life themed projects!

Chicken Wire- I like to break these up and add them as layering to a page.
Like here: (click on this link- please? smiley face)

I love all the different styles in this mini pack.
Great for adding emphasis to journaling,
pointing out the funny bits in a photo or to sprinkle
on a page to give it graphic UMPH!

Ampersand. Scrap FX offers an ampersand pack with
a different fonts- imagine that!
You could sprinkle them all over the page like HERE.

The deadline is March 9th.
Are you awesome enough?
I think you are.
Go on and apply.
Here's a US distributor if you need to hoard up.

GRATUITOUS CUTE BABY PHOTO!!!!!

New Hipstamatic Loftus lens and DC film from the Foodie SnapPak.
LOVE the lens blur and crisp color!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!

Project 365 on the BRAIN

2012-02-20T00:52:00.003-05:00

I got a little behind on my Project Life/365 these last few weeks.
I haven't been taking notes but I started using the My365 app to try to keep track of images.
I found that the more I tried to fit the standards of PL the more I started to feel pressure to record every last detail in exact order which took some of the fun away from the process.
I started to ask people to pause while I took photos which caused a certain amount of vexation in my family. As my husband said several times this week- it would be nice to eat dinner without me stopping everyone so I could shoot the plate.
I love how not a single one of those shots ended up printed- it was boring me to tears.

Then I read the latest 52 creative lifts newsletter by Ali Edwards where she says it's more about being present in the moment than getting a smashing photo every time. Suddenly the whole thing felt a lot easier and less monumental.

Without much ado here are this week's efforts:

Week 6 where I acknowledge publicly that I have a buying addiction, not a scrapping one.
Thanks ton fine artist Barbara Krueger for that awesome inspiring art piece cut out from
New York Magazine. I found that awesome "We Can Do It" poster online and
printed it to give myself a boost whenever I start to feel down. Love the color mix in this group.
The mustard paper is from Crate, the numbers print is an old Studio Calico exclusive from 2009.

Week 7- I altered the top 6 by 12 pocket this week with my sewing machine. The final page is rather

wonky since the edges didn't match perfectly but when the cards are added everything does flat

again so I didn't give it another thought. I used the new Studio Calico kit

I got for my birthday including my favorite stamp EVER- the "awesome"insta-frame. The first

segment tells the story of Lola's first I'M BUSY when I interrupted playtime to give her a bath.

I'm constantly saying that (mostly when my husband interrupts my blogging) and now she's saying it as well.

Some detail shots:

The Lolster- she's too funny!

Real honest to goodness art at the 14th Street Station

This stamp set is AWESOME! This
is a photo of my long lost Instax
prints I found in a random box
after months of looking.

Week 7- Went on a long bike ride with the hubster while baby was with Grandma.
Here I'm using a page protector meant for Baseball cards which cost 2 dollars for a pack
of 10 at the Container Store. I was thinking of adding 2- 4 by 6 pockets on the side with my
sewing machine but quickly I realized I don't posses the tailoring skills needed.

Detail shots:

Found that bicycle clip at Container Store as well- it
followed me home. The backing for most of these is
a NYC bike map from 2011- too old to use now.

If you want to shoot ipod shots with gloves on
you gotta sacrifice that glove tip. I opened the
seam and pulled the glove back over my finger
tip when done.

I also had entirely too much fun posting Instagr.am images on saturday- here is my favorite:

I ALWAYS wear a helmet- even though
I look like a Class A TOOL with it on.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Take a LEAP- A True XOXO challenge

2012-02-17T01:26:00.000-05:00

I'm eating cherries right now.
(random!)
Cherries are my downfall.
I love them to death but they make my ears and throat itch.
A recent thing, my sister and I think it's due to pesticides.
If you know why or go through the same thing can you commiserate in the comments pretty please?
I should start a support group- cherry eaters anonymous.

ONTO today's post!!
True Xoxo girls has a special mid-month challenge celebrating the LEAP year.
Please swing by and join the fun (click the link above).
The prize is a guest spot on the team for a month. It's a great way to network and get to know new people with all kinds of scrap styles.
Here's my page:

Take A Look & LEAP Anyway
Materials: Crate Paper, Studio Calico ampersand mask, American Crafts Amy Tan alphas, Jenni Bowlin flying bird punch, Smash polka dot tape, Ormolu arrow, Hero Arts grid stamp, Zig pen .1, Cosmo Cricket tiny words, mists from Studio Calico and Tattered Angels , natural color cheese cloth (which I'm IN LOVE with BTW!)

I. LOVE. THIS. PAGE.
I usually develop a friendship (ha!) with a page after I wrestle it kicking and screaming out of my head and onto paper (where it rarely looks as awesome.)
NoT THiS TiMe.
This came to me completely finished. I just had to connect the dots.
I was so excited to get to work I sprayed half my desk before I realized I didn't have my misting mat.
Also, I'm having too much fun with the new Jenni Bowlin squeeze punches.
LOVE! LOTS! REALLY!

That black plastic packaging piece was too cool to throw in the garbage!

I only bought the birds and the tags punch. They were 30% off at Joann's!! I'm using them everywhere. Their size is PERFECT for Project Life.

Instant ATC! I need to get a couple more
of those Amy Tangerine grey alphas.
They are SO RAD!

The misting was done by using the tube end of the sprayer and gently tapping over the paper. This is how EVERYONE does it. I had no idea.

I'm also working on my Project 365. I've stopped calling it Project Life because I'm not using branded wares. I'm using Making Memories stuff I've had for over 2 years.

It got hectic but I finally got week 6 under control:

Birthday present!! Studio Calico kit and "This is Awesome" exclusive stamp.
Thanks DAVE! Full post to come on "Project 365 Monday".

No gratuitous baby shot this week since it's been raining and I haven't gotten great shots so far.
I'm starting a new photo segment:

WHAT I'M WORKING ON RIGHT NOW:

Project 365- Week Seven

This week was all about conflicts and drama. Arguments with family over Lola's "crazy" hair and driving while talking on the phone (I KNOW! I couldn't believe it myself!)
Getting the boot early and feeling rejected for no fair or stated reason. (that. sucked.)
Finally dumping a Facebook "friend" who was a tiresome bully and whom I was only following to spare their feelings. Naturally they had loads of nasty to "share" about it- un.cool.
Told ya- HECTIC.

The "real talk" page is getting expanded.
I heard "real talk" used as expression meaning subjective truth unvarnished twice this week and it just clicked so I'm using it on several new projects.
I LOVED dumping out my neggy-neg feelings on paper!!!
I know some people consider it immature or "low class" but those are probably people I would avoid in self defense anyway so it's ok.
That I cared about any of this will make me laugh and wonder how I didn't walk around with a permanent head ache a couple of years from now.
Well- not the driving in the rain while talking on the cell phone thing- that was utter crap.
Glad the Hubster and I pushed back so hard on that.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Happy Happy Heart day!

2012-02-14T17:54:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!
I've never had a problem with today as a holiday. When I was single I had a huge group of friends I would go dancing with and now that I'm married I have a husband I can "ask" (beg) to go get bagels for me as a present- it's been great!

I just heard a super interesting conversation on an NPR talk show and I wanted to share!

It was about improving the quality of your relationships and the primary thing the relationship expert said we should do: (wait for it- it's kinda obvious)

-Try new EXCITING things together.

If you tend to go see Opera together try going on a hike. If you go hiking together go see an opera. The theory is that a good long term relationship requires intellectual stimulation to maintain the "spark" that first drew you together.

Dave's card. I had a lot of fun recycling the Maya Road packaging bubble for this
but the pinked edges of the photos inside refused to play nice- this is literally the
only shot where you can see all 3- it took 30 minutes to get them to do this.
Word to the wise- don't pink the friggin edges!!

Dave recently helped me by shooting a video for Gauche Alchemy (I'm still trying to figure out how to edit it) and suddenly he "got it"- that I really love talking about art and shooting the video was a way for him to participate.

Before the video his eyes would just roll to the back of his head whenever I started up.

I can't get him to sit down and scrap (a good thing actually!) but this was a way for us to share.

I just have to figure out a way to "share" in David's primary loves- RC helicopters, kites, telescopes and electric bicycles.

Hmmm- I just realized how geeky we are. Perhaps it's time we go Kayaking or something.

If you want to take a listen here's a link: WNYC-RelationShow- it's funny as all get!

I also wrote up a funny article on Valentine's Day crafting for Gauche Alchemy- swing by if you have a few moments: Plastic, hot glue and you- Some do's (more don'ts)

GRATUITOUS FAMILY PHOTO:

To heck with happy family shots! It's nap time.

Have a GREAT day people. Hug the ones you love!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Talking about Instagram- AGAIN.

2012-02-13T16:13:00.002-05:00

Mondays are reserved for Project Life posts but this week I got distracted while putting the week's main theme 6 by 12 compartment together.

The entry was going to be about last week's visit to the Museum Of Natural History and the "Beyond Earth" exhibit.
We learned all about possible missions to Mars, terraforming the Moon, commercial space flight and the consequences of a large meteor strike on earth. I would like to forget that last bit- I'm highly strung as it is.

This is the result of last night's efforts:

If you're in NYC I suggest a day spent at the Museum of Natural History- stuffed animals, dinosaur bones, giant jewels, live frogs and butterflies- it's the best 10 bucks you'll spend while here. Bring snacks- the food court is expensive!
Materials: October Afternoon- Rocket Age Incoming Transmission and alphas, Basically Bare acrylic gear, Fiskars star punch in XL and L, K & CO Smash ticket, October Afternoon journaling spots, Crate Paper exposure paper (for border), Gauche Alchemy Punchinella in silver,

I followed my own advice, let go of self imposed deadlines and went with the flow.
It was good to FINALLY use my stash of October Afternoon Space Age papers. I love the prints but didn't know how to incorporate their specific theme to my everyday life scrap style.

Problem solved.
Now I realize I have a MILLION ways to use this paper!

SNEAK PEEK of tomorrow's post- a Valentine's Day card.

The abrupt change in project plans came when I took my customary Instagram boast shot. I hate to admit it but I guess it IS boasting to show you are currently scraping right? Ah whatever! Look at that awesome border!

This frame from the Instagr.am "Nashville" filter is awesome.
I don't like the overall bluish tone it adds so I rarely use it.
I like the tones here more than the ones I got shooting in the park.

I am now addicted to posting my crappy out of focus process shots on Instagram because I usually get immediate feedback from friends. If I see a couple of likes on a photo or a layout in-process I know the project is on the right track.

My apologies to my followers who put up with my 15 plus images a day.

I know it's considered spam now.

Subway tiles at the 81st street downtown B/C station.
Instagr.am Lo-fi filter

I really do try to hold back but sometimes I forget to turn off the wi-fi connection on my ipod only to eventually exclaim- "OH NO! I'm BROADCASTING AGAIN!" which makes the Hubster give me his "Huh?? GET A LIFE WOMAN!" look.

Ahh the pitfalls of social networking.

But really, who wants to see perfectly edited images every time? How do we learn from each other's process that way? I follow several pro photographers who obviously use Instagram to promote their business- more power to them- but for me- it's still a learning thing.

How else would I know bathroom mirror shots are de rigueur if not for
Instagram?? This shot was edited using the Halftone app.

Right now it looks like the primary thing you'll learn from my feed are:

Lola likes to eat veggies
I live in a place infested (beautified by!) graffiti artists.

If you're into that kind of thing then you'll LOVE my Instagr.am feed.

If you just think I need a better camera (or an actual iPhone) and some perspective leave a comment here because you just might be my new best friend.

Some detail shots:

Had to tell myself: PUT THOSE STICKERS DOWN- they're so versatile!

Basically Bare acrylic cog- can you see it?

Freaking AWESOME! I wish they had smaller ones.

Finally used that OA Tin Pin- LOVE!

GRATUITOUS CUTE BABY SHOT!

A plate of broccoli (Instagr.am)

Gotta love it.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Thank god it's... saturday?

2012-02-11T01:45:00.000-05:00

OOPS! I was supposed to post this yesterday since I know most people are out doing fun things on Saturday.
I saw a BEAUTIFUL page on Scrapbook.com by Jolaine Frias and I simply HAD to lift it.
By "lift" I mean take an idea I loved in her layout and try it for myself. I wouldn't try to copy the whole layout- she's too fabulous- it would take WEEKS of learning new techniques.. now that I mention it- maybe I should go ahead and try it.

Here's my version:

We were just walking around the neighborhood when I started seeing all these awesome messages. It was like the walls were telling me to CHILLAX- others are feeling it too. I used a mist tube taping technique I picked up while watching a Swissgirl Designs video- can't believe it took that long for me to "get it".
Materials: Bazzill paper, Crafter's Workshop brick wall 6 by 6 template, Prima brick stamp, American Crafts Rootbeer Thickers, Colorbok glitter arrows, Tattered Angels Sunflower, October Afternoon Buttermilk mist, Studio Calico Schoolhouse, Atmosphere and Calico White mists, Hero Arts alpha stamps, Red Stickles, Smash Polka Dot tape

What I loved about Jolaine's differently styled page (which is also up on her blog) is her gorgeous tone on tone brick stamping. It's a small detail in the layout but I really liked how controlled and thoughtful the design is. The pattern is placed in just the right places to add visual complexity to an already fabulous layout but without adding visual clutter- a trick I haven't quite gotten the hand of yet.

Here are a couple of close ups:

I love Lola's pose! I think these are too blurry- I took them in late afternoon light.
I'll have to reshoot this again but I was so excited I had to share! I used a Crafter's
Workshop brick template I've had for over 6 months- why did I wait that long?

The alphas started as brown glitter. I added some red Stickles and I really like the effect.
The red gets depth from the brown underneath and the edges stay dark for extra pop.
I'll have to keep that in mind for my next Thicker alteration.

This page came together rather quickly after I printed the photos and penned the brick pattern. I see I'm getting a little more abstract in my work- a little more minimalist. I like this new direction- it feels authentic to me.

GRATUITOUS CUTE BABY SHOT!!!!

Lola likes Broccoli- a LOT! I will keep encouraging this wonderful eating habit-
it keeps me from raiding the potato chips.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Wordless Wednesday- NOT!

2012-02-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

words words WORDS!!!
I've been thinking about the process and ramifications of sharing personal details.
I LOVE talking- just give me the floor and I will tell you EVERYTHING.
I even tell job interviewers everything.
They don't appreciate it.
Don't they know it's easier to work with someone who will flat out tell you they made a mistake?
NOPE.
They want you to LIE.
They also want you to say "I've always wanted to work just for you!" My greatest life ambition- receipt check girl at Costco.
I don't lie.
Seriously- I don't lie.
Just ask my family- they will tell you hundreds of stories of how I made myself look bad just to stick to the truth.
Here's why- I care what you think and I want you around but telling the truth is easier.
If you break out because you don't like me that makes my life easier too.
It WiLL HuRT- but in the end it's easier.
I'm a lazy person who likes things EASY.
It's that simple.

Why am I showing you this? It's just what I worked on last night. I'm thinking about making a minibook
about my summer vacation. This is 8 by 11- too big for a mini. I like that the mist got all over my photos.
It's transgressive- like I'm saying "Photos? MEMORIES? Who CARES! It's the PROCESS, BABY! That's
what MATTERS!" Don't quote me on that- been getting lots of flack about my viewpoints on art lately.

I love hearing other people's stories.
I love telling truth even if it means I get my toches handed to me on a stick.
Several male family members have a strict tell 'em nothing policy that I like to subvert whenever possible.
They believe it means no one has enough info to judge them but what it really means is no one knows them. What's worst? In the absence of real details, people make shiz up.
The stories they make up are worst. Those stories serve them- not you.
Take control of your story. YOU HAVE THE POWER. YOU ARE IN CONTROL.
It's your life.

It's best to have this open door policy when others have it as well. If you are explaining where you are coming from and the other person is using everything they learn to mess you up then you are the problem. This is what people mean when they say: You are awesome- you just need to get out of your own way.

My cousin posted this randomly yesterday. So true in some many ways but also false.
Sometimes your best friend is the one that DEMANDS answers.

Not that this happened to me this week. I actually got something much more interesting. A nasty conversation that sprung up from my telling too much then turned into a deeper experience.
The lesson?
Try not to avoid pain- you learn from pain.
Sometimes you are wrong and there are certain people in your life who will point it out- in public- stridently.
Ouch!
But it's gonna be ok. Because do you really need a toady? A lackey? a cheerleader? Are you a WOMAN or a mouse?

Don't get me wrong. Negative people that make you feel awful all the time are not awesome. They bring nothing to the table. I'm not talking about them.
Challenging people are where it's at.
They bring IT- the thing you don't want to hear- the thing you have been running from. They have that innate bullcrap sensor.
Perhaps they smell it. Blood in the water.
And they show IT to you.
AAAACK!
Let me tell you a story.
Wait!- you exclaim- weren't you already in the middle of a looong story?
BAH!
It was 1998- I think. I was serving as an Americorp NCCC member in Oklahoma City where a tornado had laid waste to half the city- or close to that- you can look it up- it was bad.
I'm telling a story and it will have hyperbole but I ain't lying- just avoiding having to google half my life 'cause my memory sucks.
Anyway I was working in a warehouse for donations- sorting everything into boxes to be trucked to people who needed it directly.

Street poets, street truths

First of all, you will NOT BELIEVE the crap people send when asked for donations. Do homeless, traumatized folks need your half full bottle of shampoo? Your used lipstick? Your dog bed with hair still attached? For REALZ! That's what I was sorting through!
Normally I would let that slide but can you imagine having to separate those items from millions of other items?
How much it costs the charity to dispose of those items because they aren't sanitary to distribute?
When you give- be giving. New and unopened toiletries. Gently used clothes you have laundered. Coats in winter. Short sleeved shirts in summer.
Don't make it an occasion for getting rid of the contents of your problem closet.

Dave and the mask from "V for Vendetta" separated at birth???

A.NY.WAY. My team took a break. We sat down to eat with some missionaries that had come down from- I forget the city. I was sitting in front of a dark skinned boy with a BEAUTIFUL sing song accent- I couldn't stop listening- I wanted MORE.
Where are you from? I asked.
Somalia.
OOO Somalis are hot! Sorry, I was 19.
He was 15 so I wasn't about to start flirting but I wanted to know more. At the time Somalia had people running around with machetes, chopping other people up.
He told me his story.
He was 13. He watched his whole family and village die around him. He ran away with his sister. She later died as well. He was angry. He wanted to go back and kill himself some Tutsies. He was very eloquent about the differences between the two groups and started to talk about what he saw.
That's when my team mate told him she didn't want to hear what he had to say!
Yo, WHAT?
I went off on her.
This may be the first and ONLY time you get to hear about this war from a person who's actually experienced it!!!!! This is happening- RIGHT NOW- if you don't like it why don't you get up and go sit somewhere else!!!
There was silence from everyone.
She stayed put. And the boy shut up for the rest of the meal.
I never got to hear how he survived. How he made his way to the embassy. How he now lives with a family who loves him. How he deals with real pain- real sorrow- real injustice.
I STILL wanna slap my former team-mate for being such a jerk!
What's worst- she treated me badly for the rest of our service year together- because I made her "look bad" in Oklahoma City.
What. A. Putz.

Make it. Take it.

So it's up to you.

Do you own up to your mistakes?
Do you grow from the experience?
Or do you retreat to "I'M HURT" status and stop sharing?
This is when you fall into the trap.
You lose a valuable experience and you stop growing.

What do you think?

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Project 365 week five!

2012-02-06T17:54:00.002-05:00

Wow I can't believe I'm still plugging along with Project 365/Life.

I knew this would be a stress free project for me because I take photos everyday anyway.

Project 365 just pushes me to go out and do more unusual stuff so I can put it in the book.

Normally I'd go to the Museum of Natural History but I would wait till summer- which is silly because it's INDOORS.

Project Life/365 week 5. A walk in the Bronx, Lola is sick, We are bored so we go visit the Brooklyn Bridge, Museum of Natural History butterfly pavilion and Lola finally starts sitting at her mini desk to draw.

Lola LOVED her visit last week. She can't stop talking about the butterflies and now she sees them everywhere. We are going again tomorrow before they go away forever. Dave got her a dinosaur video he found for 4 bucks and now she loves dinosaurs too.

Could we have an future scientist on our hands?

FINGERS CROSSED!

There are enough "starving artists" in this family.

At the doctor's office.

We didn't buy it, we just love it.

No more words today. :)

My Mom works for MNH. It's so huge I practically grew up there and STILL
notice things for the first time. Above? A Pterodactyl.

We went to First Saturday over the The Brooklyn Museum. It's free.
Everything was great until we visited the feminist art gallery-
there was a special exhibit on "gender and sexuality". I LOVED IT!
My Mother in Law was not pleased.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

February is a RED MESS!! True Xoxo Girls Challenge

2012-02-01T13:08:00.000-05:00

I love the color red.
I think anything can be improved by a nice red detail. A black jacket? Extra smart when paired with a red scarf. Pink looks more alive when paired with red- so do orange and turquoise.
Strawberries, cherries, apples- all red! Mother Nature is on my side.

Love Monkey- True Xoxo Girls Messy Challenge- February
Materials: Gauche Alchemy Pink Parts and Scarlet Fever Mixed Media Color kits (glitter hearts, little rubber monkey sequins and buttons), red punchinella, packaging from a Maya Road pins pack, Thickers in foam and fabric from Joann's, Tim Holtz brick pattern embossing plate, graph paper from Staples, Mister Hueys in Schoolhouse, Calico Cream, Piglet and Cameo, Art-C heart doily and "today" stamp from Cocoa Daisy (GREAT SET!), Dooddlebug and Reminiscence brads

I long for red especially at this time of year when everything outside is brown or grey.
When I go and do laundry we have four loads- bleach pile, darks, lights and red/pink. It makes for fun loading at the laundromat- everyone just looks at me like whaaaaaa?
The red/pink pile is the largest.

Some of my favorite Hipstamatic app filters add pink or red to my photos.
The Lucifer VI lens adds a subtle red circle to the photo.

Here I've used the Lucifer VI lens and Big Up film for the yellow/pink tape border.
Big Up border effects are random so I love when this combo comes up.

My husband knows to skip the hearts, flowers, chocolate and lace. (Especially the lace- I pugnaciously reject gifts with ULTERIOR MOTIVES)
He usually shows up with a fun red cotton sweater or shirt for me and something wacky for Miss Thang to play with. When he put this outfit on Lola, totally alone and without my help, I was so very happy:

The Maya Road plastic packing fit the Instax print perfectly! I wish I had a bunch more so
I could make a whole series of these mini shakers!

I also tried something new (for me). Using recycled packaging on a layout. I usually throw these out but my fellow Gauche Alchemy DT members encouraged me to try incorporating them into a layout- this is my first attempt so it's a bit.. rustic... but I can see myself sewing these onto cards or using a few of them as wall decoration- the possibilities are endless and it was super easy to make.

Sneak peek at something else I'm working on for my Feb 13th
post over at Gauche Alchemy. The Hispstamatic Ben Watts Lens
gives this photo magenta edges.

The True Xoxo Girls Challenge for this month is MESSY! I used Gauche Alchemy Scarlet Fever color kit on this as well as some older paper from my stash. And I FINALLY broke out my Claudine Helmuth acrylic paints- which scare me with their pure and beautiful color intensity. Your challenge for this month is to SCRAP MESSY!
Go on- you can DO EET!

GRATUITOUS CUTE BABY SHOT!

Running away from Mom's "smile for the camera" request.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Project Life (or 365) and why it matters

2012-01-30T08:06:00.000-05:00

I'm seeing lots of scrappy goodies in all my CHA spying! So far I'm most inspired by what I see from Hambly- I love the bright color, the trendy prints. I'm also super excited by the new Crafter's Workshop stencils and Heidi Swap's Pink Paislee collections. (Office supplies in neon? LOVE!)
Quickie page made with a pad I found in Staples (while shopping for a new computer chair)

75 pages of these awesome mini goal pages- so ready for a mini book!

I wish this notebook was 3 by 5- it's PERFECT for Project Life! Alas it's 5 by 7 so I will be adding these pages to my Project 365 binder sans page protector.
Here are my 2 latest pages for 365.

Week 3- Lola turned to me one night after having spent 3 days indoors due to poor weather and asked- Mom let's go on an adventure. And pointed outside. She's TWO! I blame PBS! So I had a total brain wave- how do I make Lola's idea of an adventure more visual? A wheel of fortune! But mine is made from a View Master reel- (my latest obsession) This also covers visits and phone conversations with Grandma, the birth of a new niece and my visit to the Art Library.

Week 4- This week's highlight was a visit to The Highline Park- a park made on an old elevated train track. (!!) LOVE that place! I feel like I'm in some sophisticated European city without ever leaving the L line! I also shot Lola eating sushi, journaling about our wonderful (not) trip to the Food Stamp office and the first snow day this season.

I've been shooting every day and really wish I had pages that allowed for more detail- isn't that funny? I thought I would be hurting for "stories" but to an open mind (rather a blabber mouth) stories are EVERYWHERE. I'm seeing some debates on whether Project Life interests people outside the subject's immediate family.

After all, do you really want to see us brush our teeth?

Here's my theory- my own family doesn't care! Seriously! I couldn't get my Mom or husband to look at my binder come hell (pizza) or high water (beer) so I'm shooting just for me. In fact I think of my binder as my personal diary even if I post it online- here's why:

There are some very real reasons why doing a Project Life or Project 365 type projects is good for you-

1. Commitment and responsibility towards growth in your craft. Yes you can fussy cut, layer and embellish like a mad woman but can you finish an extended project? Why not? Things that make you go: hmmmm. Not a judgy HMMM!!!! Just Hmmm?

Week 1 (redo)- week one always bothered me- the canvas heart I thought was DA BOMB- well- bombed.

So I took it out and you know what? It's fine! Still can't get photos of this page to focus!

2. Keeps you shooting. Do you think your life is boring? Who's fault is that? Sorry- it's YOURS. Make your life the FUN READ it is! No don't shoot the feet again! Don't shoot that cup of coffee- AGAIN. Find the individuality in your routine! Do you wiggle to top 40 songs while doing the dishes? HELLO? Put that camera on a timer! No kids? I already have one I want to see YOUR kidless life! Lots of kids? I only have one, wanna see how you manage yours! SHOOT YOUR STORY!

Squishy hats- I love 'em! Do you care? Probably not. But that's ok.

3. Gives you "ideas"- I will say it right here right now- your Project Life DOES NOT have to look like everyone else's! Does your LIFE look like fill-in-the-famous-scrapper's name here? NOPE! But does that make it less valuable? NOPE!!! You rock. You are unique and your story IS interesting- use your individual verve and humor. Be frank. Be introspective. I believe your kit can set you free! Just paint outside the lines a bit and you'll see! Uhhhmmm- channeling Dr. Seuss there for a bit.
I got several ideas making my latest page:

This first started as a chart, then turned into a "Ooo let's use that Studio Calico stamp!"
then I thought- here's something I haven't seen yet! I didn't even have to buy anything-
that's a scan from an old View Master reel! Project Life keeps your creative flow going!

I really wish I had done a Project Life for Lola's first year- it would be SO AWESOME to look back on her first days now with full notes. A kit would have been PERFECT for me then too- I was so confused by all the scrap product choices to be made!

AAA! Look at that perfectly round head!! 2010

Ahh well. That's life.

A long walk- recorded.

When you're ready. You're ready.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Gauche Alchemy digest- a week of mixed media projects

2012-01-27T18:41:00.002-05:00

It's FRIDAY!!! WOOOOOT!
This will be a quick post to tell you about what I've written up for Gauche Alchemy this week.
Gauche Alchemy- Stuck?
The first article included a fantastic video by Cheryl on ways to used mixed media items in your regular scrapbook pages- it's a great "process" video that let's you see how Cheryl builds pages layer by layer. I contributed this page to show off one of the latest kits- the Bare Nekkid Mixed Media kit.

For this page I used the Bare Nekkid kit which has already sold out but the smaller
Nearly Nekkid kit is still available and is just as full of beautiful neutral items.

I also wrote about ways to combat serious creative block. There are many ways to battle flagging mojo but the one I have to keep reminding myself to use is- keep working. Even if the things you make go straight into the garbage. (I throw out my duds quite frequently- it's the one thing I have no misgivings over). Even if you really would just like to sit on the sofa- do not. Get to work.

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

Here's a GREAT quote from fine artists Chuck Close:
“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you're sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that's almost never the case.”

Before shot of a scrapbook page I really like but it still looks pretty bare.

I have heard some feedback from friends that it's hard to imagine how to use some of the more eclectic or 3D items in a Gauche Alchemy mixed media kit so a few members of the design team got together and made "before" and "after" projects to show how the mixed media color kits can really jazz up a scrapbook page. Here's the link so you can see the other projects: A very Gauche Before and After.

Items from Scarlet Red Mixed Media kit and some plastic grid material that came with the Black Out Mixed Media kit both of which include things like fabric, wall paper swatches, board game pieces, sequins, and all kinds of tiny objects that can be easily incorporated into any project- even flat scrapbook pages.

This week Design Team member Maggi wrote up a fantastic post on using old corporate or junk mail magnets to make gorgeous DYI decorations. This will surely inspire you to just have fun with the process of creation:

Using fabric from the newest kit Gauche alchemy kit- Moshi Moshi, punchinella and
items from various color kits, Maggi made the cutest DYI fridge magnet.
The hardest decision about her process? KEEP IT? Or gift it to a bestie?

So now that you are heading off into the weekend take a few minutes to consider how you can feed your creative soul. I am working on my Project 365 and making a few cards for Valentine's Day. What are you working on?

Which camera is the best? The one you have on hand.
This was taken with my lowly iTouch.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Ormolu feature today!!!

2012-01-24T17:30:00.000-05:00

I have a page featured over at Ormolu's blog today!!!
YAAAAY!
It's a great time for happy email as our little family is struggling with the January cabin fever doldrums. It's too cold to go outside and we made a promise to avoid all shops other than the supermarket. We're spending a lot of time at Trader Joe's...
I can't even scrap because Lola is so crazed with unspent energy she insists on climbing everything. Anything too small to climb becomes a trampoline. It's a dangerous time of year.
But I digress.
Here is the page:

This is one of my favorite projects! It was made for the True Xoxo Girls challenge blog. The border on the MMBI paper is so great! And HOW can you go wrong with those Ormolu kraft "Go Negative" die-cut tags? Throw in some vintage Sassy bits and you are good to go! I laugh when I see my bushy eyebrows in the BADLY PRINTED photo- perhaps it's time to get them waxed?

Please swing by the Ormolu blog and leave some love?
I was so CHEESED when I got the email! I love this brand! Swing by their shop and check it out.

We had our first snow last Saturday- it was perfect!
Just enough to stick on saturday and melt away completely on Monday- gotta LOVE that!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Project Life- All Caught Up

2012-01-22T19:18:00.000-05:00

Hello!
Project Life- a huge undertaking that can make or break a fastidious scrapper. Thankfully I'm the messy, I don't give a crap kind. In fact, I haven't even been keeping track of which photos I took when.
Big oops!
Title page:

Project Life Title Page: fairly easy- just needed a family portrait- no problem- Photobooth app to the rescue. Shooting the items through the plastic cover is going to be a very big challenge for me in my no direct light apartment so from now on I'll be taking the items out of their sleeves.

Well I regret that now because unlike my Deceber Daily where I cheated left and right with dates and even used photos from the same day on different days (HORRORS!), I actually have some great memories from the last 3 weeks I want to try to record in sequence.
Alas they are lost in the shuffle- I have photos- I don't have dates.

Like any good business- a family should have a mission statement to focus on what's most important. Please disregard the spelling errors (as per the last line item). I just COULDN'T force myself to retype the whole thing! LOVE the rusty house from Red Led Paperworks!

I actually wasted a week trying to figure out how to get a photo of us all without having to pay a pro to shoot it or ask a family member to hold the camera as I invariably hate the result (mostly because my loved ones couldn't give a crap about proper framing). iPod to the rescue! The Photobooth app works even in really low light.

Art goals sheet. I have a LOT of goals this year- probably too many. I just jotted down whatever first came to mind but get published is number 1. I love the tags and journaling cards from Ormolu- the arrow die cut tag is a fave.

Oh wait- I forgot the cover!

That photo was taken in NEBRASKA during our trip to Salt Lake City last summer. The road sign points towards Brooklyn (NE). I really wish I had a more frontal shot but we sped past and our ride (YEAH YOU SANDY!!) did NOT want to stop so I could take a billion more.

I got the free My365 app so I could place my fave photo for the day in a calendar on my ipod. I thought about getting a memo/diary app as well but I HATE using the keyboard on my ipod so I will just keep track by writing things down in a small calendar I bought at Staples- I have a feeling those calendar pages will be making their way into the album because I like the ripped edge grid look.

Week One- shot with indoor light- even with the items out of their sleeves we get hot spots on items with shiny surfaces and you also can't read anything due to camera shake. I really thought I was onto something with that stapled "Love" in the top pocket- it needs some refining or as I like to call it- girlifying. Wish I had more AAARGH! band aids- that was a gift from scrappy friend Dawn- thanks Dawny!

Week Two. Because I won' t be springing for an actual Project Life kit (mostly for financial reasons but I also don't want my stuff looking like everyone else's) I don't have a lot of space for journaling and day to day details. The top pocket will be the "highlight of the week" and the 3 pockets below will have the best photos- that's it. I'm not a memory keeper- I do this purely for the fun of it and to keep me shooting pix.

Week Three now in production. I will be using a scan of a vintage View Master Reel as a interactive element on my page. Sorry for the crappy photo- again- it's an old iTouch. You know what's good about posting this? I see some of the layout mistakes I made and since nothing is glued down yet I'm gonna be doing some shifting around.

GRATUITOUS CUTE BABY(S) SHOT!

Welcoming Baby Natty Nat (not her real name-lol) into the world.
Oh my goodness! SHE'S SOOOO PRECIOUS!!!

MuChOS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Get Picky with Punky Scraps! (and a mini tutorial)

2012-01-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

Hello!
After weeks of wallowing in a no mojo funk I'm glad to say the dry spell is over. Yay!
The key was to get out and go see some actual art in-situ.
How does the light fall on the actual object? How to shoot it for maximum impact?
I needed to move around in space- not just see it online.

The Get Picky items this month are: (Use at least 3.) (I used all 8)

*Kerry: Something shiny

*Cheryl: Something to do with books (turning over a new leaf)

*Misty: stenciling or masking

*Jolanda: Use some charms

*Ashley: have some negative space

*Celina: Use silver or gold

*Marie: Use Stickles

*Kat: bubble wrap

May The Bridges I Burn Light The Way
Materials: Studio Calico Scarf paper, Fiskars Large star punch, Recollections small star punch, Delta Creative Happy Alphabet stencil, Stickles in Diamond, Studio Calico Mister Huey in sunshine, Calico Cream and Lemonade, Pearl beads from Art-C, Heart Milagros from El Sol Studios on Etsy and Plaid stencil making material to make a sunburst stencil you barly see here- I covered most of it up- photos below

How much do I love that quote? It's so uncompromising! Yet I sense a note of upbeat uptimism in there as well. It tells me- don't worry about the major ef ups- there's always ALWAYS redemption. Mistakes, no matter how low they bring you and how awful you feel for making them, always teach you lessons.
That's what a girl has to say to herself when she flubs it as often as I do.
Case in point:

Project Life Title page- low rez ipod photo

I worked on this for quite a while. I redid the page many times- never did it occur to me to look at the actual word THRIVE because it's the TITLE right?
And I had to pick out the stickers right? How could I get that wrong???
I only noticed after I posted this on Facebook, Twitter and Instagr.am.

To make matters worst... first photo goes live.....

Story of my life.

I will not be buying ANYTHING for my P365. I will strictly use stash.
I bought this 12 by 12 binder waaay back in 2010 to house my stamp collection. I even bought some nifty 6x12 / 4x6 page protectors to store them in.
Then I actually slid one of the stamp packets into the thing. It slid right back out. It slid out for weeks.

There went that idea.

Now these 20 pages will get actual use. There used to be 30 but I threw a pack out in outrage when I found I couldn't use it as "intended". Another mistake.

This is an honest admission right from the start that:

A. I won't be shooting every day as I only have 20 pages to fill. Ok I MAY spring for more pages in late summer when they go on clearance.
B. There will be long periods of time between finished pages.

But this ain't no Project Life post. This is a PUNKY POST.

Some close ups!!!

To represent "turning a new leaf" I made these alphas with a stencil and a dictionary I found in the trash outside. Something shiny, bubble wrap, gold all represented. The quote came from Pinterest. I just found it's from uber tool Dylan of "Beverly Hills 90210" fame. My face- it's flaming!

MINI PHOTO TUTORIAL! (super mini)

Number 3 is supposed to read: Get hubs to do the actual cutting. Yes- my man helps me out-
at 1am no less. HOTT! I wish they sold those sheets in 12 by 12 size!!
The stencil material is from Plaid- Plaidonline.com/home

GRATUITOUS CUTE BABY SHOT!!!

I was gonna use this photo and make the page sweet- but I already did 1 sweet page this week-
check it out below- a chick can drown in treacle- I can prove it!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

It's Valentine's Day at Paper Issues!

2012-01-18T02:16:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

It's been an awful week- nothing but crap all around and the fact that it's only WEDNESDAY makes me shudder. You'll have to excuse me while I go back to quietly reading fantasy books, eating brownies and downing several Texas size mugs of tea.

In any case I had to put my Brooklyn girl pants on.

I told myself- self- get a life- a real one- stop living vicariously through social networks.

And got on with my day.

Paper Issues has a new Valentine's Day link party going on. I ordered my Crate Paper Hearts collection pack from the Paper Issues store and I'm so glad I did- budget be damned.

What I didn't know was that the pack comes with flat die cuts- not the usual chipboard. I actually like the die cuts better since they allow me to layer them in my own way. Unfortunately the collection doesn't have matching alpha stickers. I would have LOVED to have some woodgrain or burlap mini stickers to work with but I have a HUGE stash of Thickers that need using anyway.

Here's the page:

28 Months. (OMG! She's 36 inches tall! Where's MAH BAIIBEE????)
MATERIALS: Crate Paper Paper Hearts line, Sassafras Lass Paper Whimsy flowers, Hambly script washi, Thickers and butterfly embellishments from Midnight Rooster July kit (which I won from the Crate Paper blog- YAY!)

Using up my paper doily and my Stickles stash.

Layering with flat elements keeps the page from bulking up- I already have a huge storage issue.
Those butterfly pins are SO darn CUTE!!

PS have you seen the Crate sneaks? I LOVE the new Storyteller line! The colors are hella cool and the prints are so eclectic! I can't wait to get my hands on it and get to work! I also LOVE the new Studio Calico wood veneer pieces and ALL the My Mind's Eye collections! Very excited about CHA sneaks!

Swing by Paper Issues and post your Valentine's project!

SNEEKY PEEK at my February True Xoxo Girl's page! What is it about Valentine's Day that makes me wanna scrap? I think it's the red / magenta color palette- one of my fave combos EVER.

Here I am trying out a new (for me) technique- reusing plastic embellie packaging as a snow globe of sorts.
The Instax photo fit this one perfectly. Dave dressed Lola and posed her B-Girl style- she's too darned cute.

GRATUITOUS BABY SHOT!!!

Can you BELIEVE I put that outfit on her and let her out in PUBLIC? Poor kid.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!

Time for a Punk Sketch!

2012-01-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

I love the Punky Scraps sketch challenges!

Trying to come up with fresh design ideas is the hardest part of the layout process for me so I gladly hand the responsibility over to Marie who is able to provide something beautiful for us Punky Team members to work with at least 1 every month! Thanks Marie!

Here's the resulting page:

Keith's Playground (FDR Dream)
Materials: Scenic Route paper, Studio Calico exclusive radar stamp (LOOVE!) Studio Calico exclusive woodgrain alphas, Basic Grey Alphas, Tim Holt'z waxed kraft paper, Basic Grey brads, Prima heart button. Fiskar's arrow punch, K & Co arrow die cuts, Smash polka dot tape and tag. Canvas Corp tag baggie. That "T" pin is AWESOME! Got it from a pair of men's pants at Banana Republic. Looks like something Tim Holtz would package at 12 for 4 dollars.

I've always wanted to visit Keith Haring's "Crack Is Wack" mural. He painted it in the late 80's. Ever since his death from AIDS in the late 80's, folks in the neighborhood have volunteered to touch it up to keep it from disappearing. When I arrived, 3 people had just finished retouching the orange side to erase some punk kid's silver tags. They thought I was Park Police and showed me how they stayed away from the outlines to preserve the original design. Gotta love NYC!

Here's the sketch:

Now please feel free to swing by and add your page!
http://punkyscraps.blogspot.com/

MuChoS SmOoChES!
Michelle

When your mojo goes on vacation- shoot photos!!!

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

The wall- I've hit it.
All my former "no mojo" fixes are out the window.
I'm supposed to be working on a page for Punky Scraps that is due by thursday- so I will TRY to eek something out tonight- it might be hideous.
I'm determined to work through this dry spell!!
Here is an attempt to stamp my way out:

Foiled AGAIN by the ipod's low resolution camera!

THANK YOU to Adele H. for recommending I check out Nat Kalbach's Creative Jump Start. I joined up today and was rewarded with a GREAT video from fave artist Louise Nelson (YAAYYY!)
If you guys are also hitting a wall, I suggest you swing by and check it out- it's free. (best price ever!)
Today I took photos at a place I have ALWAYS wanted to visit-

Keith Haring's "Crack Is Whack" mural in East Harlem. This is a DREAM COME TRUE! I've been wanting to go for YEARS. It's right next to the FDR so it's hard to get there via public transport but we managed it.

The 80's in the Bronx were like the wild west- with zombies. Burned out apartment buildings, crack vials littering the playground, junkies with half closed eyes walking in circles on the sidewalk. Our neighborhood is actually one of the better ones in the area and my parents did their very best to shield my siblings and I but we still saw a lot. So this mural has a lot of meaning for me. And it's freaking AWESOME. Can't you just HEAR "White Lines" by Grandmaster Flash playing softly in the distance?

I have to keep reminding myself that there are many ways to stay creative. There's no need to panic. Creativity ebbs and flows- the ebb part sucks.
I also finished my December Daily! YAY!!!

12/24/11 My brother treated us all to the Christmas Ever performance of
The Nutcracker Suite at Lincoln Center- AWESOME!

BY this point the pages had stopped matching- I just grabbed the prints I liked best.

My FAVORITE image from this year's holiday take. I didn't have space inside
so I added it to the back cover.

There's 4 more pages but these are the best bits. Years from now I will look through it and laugh at the first pages being so beautifully detailed and the last so obviously slapped on quickly. I did make sure to take time to journal. I really enjoyed the process of making a holiday mini book. I see many more in my future- if for nothing else- to have a reason to buy KEUUTE holiday themed stash.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Winter Creative Blahs- Can I beat them?

2012-01-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

I'm getting kinda tired of writing about my scrapper block. I'm actually kinda tired of me period. Usually when I get sick of me I take a class so I can learn a new skill and get away from my negative thoughts for a while but unfortunately classes cost money and I have very little of that these days.

Off to the Net for help!

These two posts provided lots of food for thought this week:

Julie Fei Fan Balzer's Why I Art Journal Everyday is a great read for those who wonder if it's something they should try. She gives many reasons but the top one for me would be to explore my ideas and FOCUS before I try to make pages that go out in public- a huge block for me as I try to make things "perfect" and end up not making anything at all.

Lisa Truesdell's take on making Project Life work for her was so detailed it gave me new insights on tackling daily craft projects. That's the real kicker- trying to do this hobby daily so that you stay current and keep your creative flow going for other projects you may want to tackle.

Gauche Alchemy "sneak" for an upcoming post on the 20th.

With Lola quickly nearing three years old I am finding less and less time for thinking and making new designs. Before I would wait for her to nap and I would spend the hours working and reworking my pages- now I'm lucky if she'll let me have 30 minutes and by 8:30pm- her bedtime- I am exhausted.

I am not a designer by training so every page is a struggle to figure out what works- which colors to use for maximum impact, new layout ideas, what techniques to use. These decisions trip me up because when I finally find time to sit and make something I draw a complete blank- no matter how many things I pin up for "inspiration". This journaling thing may help me as I try to figure out WHAT it is I want to say and how to say it with maximum visual impact.

Eventually the question is WHY am I making this work? Why bother? I used to struggle with this before but now I see this is all professional training.

Blogging makes me explore tech issues and pushes me to stay current with social media- a huge part of many photo editing related jobs since so many are now going online.
Scrapbook page design although not really respected in the professional magazine or news editing industry since it's "personal" and "feminine"- keeps me exploring graphic design techniques.
Shooting photos keeps me using my cameras and possibly develops a customer base for a photographic business.

I haven't figured out which direction I want to go in- opening a craft business, going back to school for web design or simply trying to hustle as a photographer (a tough career track full of amazing talent) but it's good to explore the options.

The final question- how to kick the winter creative blahs seems to be- keep working- work not to publish on the blog but to keep the flow going. So I will stop the post here and go force myself to make something- if anything it will keep me ahead of my DT deadlines.

My reward- it was worth taking time off.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Playing the numbers with Paper Issues and Punky Scraps

2012-01-06T17:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Three King's Day! I missed the parade in Spanish Harlem again- 9 years and every year I miss it- no fun photos- I could CRY!

It's come to this- combining challenges from different design teams to try to get my craft engine re-started. I don't generally like to do so since each team I'm in deserves to shine exclusively but I thought I should start slow as one page is better than no page at all.

Over at Paper Issues the current link party has a numbers theme- click here to swing by and add your project.You have until January 13th. So far I see some great cards, 2011 mini books, 2012 calendars and birthday themed scrap pages- how about adding yours?

In this page I tried to capture the whirlwind day we had on New Year's Eve which included 2 house visits, lunch at a fancy Italian restaurant, dancing with Daddy AND Lola's first "classic" tantrum with all the fist pounding, leg kicking trimmings. (David and I were so amazed we forgot to whip out the camera). We went to bed at 11pm and don't regret it one bit!!!!:

Celebrate 2011
Materials: Gauche Alchemy Scarlet Red Mixed Media Color kit and silver punchinella, Bazzil kraft paper, Ormolu fabric tab, Glitz woodgrain alphas, American Crafts Amy T alphas, American Crafts silver foil paper in gold, corrugated gold and red, Smooch spritz in Tin Foil

And over at Punky Scraps the challenge is all about Vintage Americana:

When I first saw this I immediately thought of circles, the color red, and a grid based photo montage. Since I'm currently reorganizing my entire apartment to regain some SANITY in my life, I didn't want to get overly ambitious and start looking for the vintage images I KNOW I have somewhere.

Not much you can do to "reorganize" an already over stuffed a 400 square foot space.
Dave put these two shelves up and revolutionized my work area- YAY!
Just don't look UNDER the desk. No seriously- don't.

I'm also getting organized for a go at the Project Life theme. I'm already shooting one photo a day for Project 365 so I thought it might be easy for me to make 1 page a week using all those photos. It's a wildly ambitious project but I think as long as I make the pages ATC size and keep away from the super expensive binders or project kits (considering my 2012 budgetary goal) I'll be alright.

Here are my Project 365 photos so far- nothing earth shattering as the weather is UGLY so we've been hiding inside all week.

1/2/12- Eating Bubbles, 1/3/12- learning the alphabet, 1/4/12- home made Pupusas for diner,
1/5/12 Winter Berries and the Empire State Building

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Making room for ONE- A True Xoxo Girls challenge

2012-01-03T18:53:00.000-05:00

One of my few "goals" for 2012 os GET ORGANIZED and REDUCE because frankly- I'm tired of my scrambled self.

I cleared out all the scrap stuff from the kitchen table so we can now sit and actually eat as a family again. Dave made me 2 shelves so I can put away major pieces of equipment (and my mountain of Thickers) while I use the now former architecture table to scrap. Pix to come later.

Like they say here in Brooklyn- It was BANANAS, YO!
I worried Lola would get hurt by a falling "Whale of a punch" or slip on a wayward piece of Sassafras Lass paper.

So my SECOND goal for 2012 is 30 dollars a month for scrap shiz. That's it.
It will be AWFUL.
I will do a lot of complaining and feeling sorry for my broke assed self.
DO NOT ENABLE ME!
DO NOT tell me "Oh it's ok to treat yourself Michelle."
I have already treated myself to 10 years worth of paper goods and wouldn't you know? It looks just like garbage when piled up or shoved hastily into boxes.
Costly garbage.
Rainbow glitter garbage.
And then I make things worst by producing things like this:

True Xoxo Girls Challenge Page for January
Materials: Basic Grey paper, Sassfras Lass scallop strip, Crate Paper Peppermint collection chipboard, Pink Paislee canvas strip, wood veneer snowflake from Crate and Barrel, Making Memories envelope, Martha Stewart Punch Arround the page burst punch (love!) October Afternoon red alphas, Fiskars small heart punch

It's not all bad, a first draft if you will. But really truly- I liked this month's True Xoxo challenge.
The theme is ONE. One ribbon, one title, one photo- a few DT members took it further and made pieces with one color or one manufacturer. It's a GREAT challenge- can you scrap "simple" beautifully?
I wanted to but my lack of organization killed it.
Actually this page took a LOT of effort. I got a stress headache from my frustration.
I was SCRAP BLOCKED.
Seriously! I FINALLY understand the concept of Chi and why people paint their doors red and refuse to store things under their beds. I felt my energy, my power, my scrappiness (???) flowing elsewhere-
Ahh you say- "A psychotic break..."
No one was hurt in the making of process other than that Xoxo page. YIKES!

A wise person once said... (I am paraphrasing here as I can't remember the actual words):

I believe they were talking about important things like prejudice or grudges but I took it to concrete heart and threw out so much crap I scared The Hubs who's now REFUSED to participate further.
He's lived with me for 13 years- he recognizes the mad glint in my eye.
More importantly, he knows I'm coming for his 80's music collection!
"Let the music play?" HELL NO! Shut it, sister!
What's in the Salvation Army bag?
Baby blankets, clothes from when The Lolster was 6 months old! It's OUTTA HEAH!!!
Dusty bicycle parts, bank "swag" water bottles, empty photo albums! GONE!
Summer clothes in size 8! Summer clothes in size 10!
Summer clothes PERIOD!!! PARA AFUERA baby!

AAAAhahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa! cackle cackle. WHOOOOOOOO!

GRATUITOUS CUTE BABY SHOT!!!!!
Tip for reusing those 3D cinema glasses you "forgot" were in your pocket:

So I found myself searching online for 2012 winter CHA sneaks. I already have a list 20 items long.
See? SEEEEE? PROBLEMS (multiple!!)!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Favorite Project of 2011!

2011-12-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

I love these posts!!! I like reading other people's posts and I like trying to choose just 10 projects for mine. This year I went for 12- 1 for each month.

This made me feel so much better about my "talent". My love of graph prints is in full effect and obviously I will NEVER be a clean and simple scrapper- even though I strive to be so.

And so, in no particular order:

Sketchy Thursdays January GDT application page- I was so sad to see I had missed the deadline to vote!
Voting challenges are hard for me because I hate asking people to vote- it seems so conceited- not that I
mind voting for my friends when asked which is kinda two faced right? ;)

This page came outta NOWHERE and firmly established Sunshine Broadcast as my favorite collection
ever- how I'll miss Sassy! It got picked up by several websites- it's time for me to start submitting for pub calls- if I can keep the due dates straight!

This is also from a Sketchy Thursdays sketch- love the radioactive quality the colors took on when
I shot the page in blue tinged shadow.

From a sketch provided by a website I no longer remember- this was so FUN and I really love that
I finally used my apple picking shots from 2010.

This was made way back in January of 2010- it's messy and much more genuine than some of the forced stuff I do now.

Favorite photo of my Mom- she looks so beautiful here. I'm excited about her next step- her upcoming retirement- wish I could buy her a trip to Australia as a present.

Studio Calico winner for second week of June- Vee left a comment and I almost died-
she's one of my FAVE artists ever along with Emily Pitts and Sasha Farina. FANGIRL!

This was for my DT application for Elle Studio- naturally I got nowhere as it's a little naive but
I love the girlie colors and the photo- my Lola was so vulnerable at this point.

I made this for this year's Paper Issues Blog hop- it's about the culling of Canada Geese in NYC parks- something I deeply disagree with. I made this page in 30 minutes!!!! I STILL can't believe it.
By the way- there's a great Numbers challenge up this week- swing by and check it out: http://paperissues.blogspot.com/2011/12/weve-got-your-number.html

A page for the True Xoxo Girls November challenge- love the clean design of this and Ormolu is SO AWESOME! When they have a DT call I am SO applying! Check us out! http://truexoxogirls.blogspot.com/

This was a page for Punky Scraps- I used a roller to get the mist to spread evenly- this was the first time I actually made a PUNKY page for them. Swing by and check out this month's latest challenge: http://punkyscraps.blogspot.com

This is my first Gauche Alchemy project. I write for their website so I no longer have much scrapping time but I love their funky products check out the BLOG and ARTFIRE STORE.

Before I forget- Carmina of PasigMom fame has asked that I tell you 10 THINGS ABOUT ME.
Here goes:
1. I used to be eat cherries by the pound but I'm now allergic to whatever they put in them to keep the bugs away- WAAAH!
2. I like writing this blog as much as I like actual crafting.
3. No white hair yet but I see the frown lines and wish I had the moolah to pull a Nicole Kidman.
4. I love Terry Pratchett, zombie novels and Batman comic books.
5. I can be annoying. I am aware of the problem and work on it constantly.
6. I love the colors red and pink together.
7. I'm a paper hoarder- wish I could say I wasn't- really.
8. I use scrapbooking as a way to develop my photo skills and technological knowledge.
9. I've made more friends and had more fun doing this than any other hobby I have ever taken up.
10. I like plants. (smiling)

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

December Daily- Playin' Catch Up

2011-12-28T19:34:00.002-05:00

So you are now officially "over" Christmas. Perhaps you would rather gnaw your foot off than see one more post boasting (OOPS! I meant "sharing") innovative handmade presents, wonderfully close family moments or cooking exploits.
Can't say I blames ya!
But I am finishing my danged December Daily and posting it if it's the last scrappy thing I do!!! I didn't shoot my presents which consist of one Sizzix machine (still "enroute") and one book "Snuff" by Terry Pratchett which I have already devoured and LOVE. We ordered (note I did not say MADE- as in that way lies madness) some traditional Puerto Rican pasteles and ate till it hurt- overall a fantastic holiday if you ask me.

Oh LOOK ornaments! I didn't buy those. And see the photo taken on the 22nd? The photo I wanted to add here was too big to fit in a 2 inch circle so off to another day it goes.

December Daily albums are a hard project- you have to fight your own bad habits to get finished. Mine are procrastination, an inability to stick to a unified theme or color scheme, tendency to get overwhelmed during family moments and forgetting to actually SHOOT A PHOTO and posing people when I miss out on a moment. My family grew very tired of me saying "STOP! Let's do that AGAIN."

Day 22- you are only as old as your parents let you feel. I was not allowed to "restage" this.

Let's be real- anything with Lola is likely posed 'cause girlfriend REFUSES to look at the camera. This is what I figure- your brain will rewrite the memory later anyway so why not provide a pretty picture and start the historical rewriting right now? But I didn't make stuff up just to have it in the album.
When Lola is older though I will revisit the 31 NYC holiday hotspots in 31 days idea and use it as a way to keep from just sitting around at home all the time.

Day 17 is an iTouch photo of a regular photo. Lola was staring at the giant Christmas tree in absolute wonder. Day 18 is about how Lola got a new pair of pants from a nice old lady who FORCED me to hand them over so she could buy them- NY style generosity- let me treat you OR ELSE. ;)

Reality check number two? I take Instagr.am pix of 35mm images I shoot with my Leica using a real flash- cheating? YOU BETCHA!!!!
Why? Because otherwise my pix would all be muddy pixelated pieces of digi crap. I really hope Apple comes out with a better camera in the next iTouch iteration- I'm NOT paying for an iPhone data plan.

Day 23- Merry Christmas from the Hernandez (and company) clan!!

Reality check number three- I also choose moments that happen in a day I have already covered for my next page- am I REALLY going to remember the pants thing happened on the 20th and not the 18th when I open this book later on? NOPE! So why worry?

I love that stupid plastic snowman. I wish I had a yard so I could light it up with one (or a 20). Day 20 is about how it's been raining cats and dogs here. December has been freakishly warm- except for the day Letty, Robby Rob (her husband) and I decided to walk to Rockerfeller Center- it was 15 degrees that night and I tasted roasted chestnuts for the first time- DOH! I didn't take a PHOTO!!!

I'm working on the final few pages- I'll probably stop at day 30 and take down the tree- or just stage it and leave the actual tree up till early February as usual. I haven't decided yet. GRIN. So there you have it- a direct order to just let go of the rules and get crafty- it's just paper after all!

December 24th- Do you know how many of these I had to shoot (and repose- ha ha) before Lola looked anything but annoyed to be "opening presents" at MIDNIGHT? That's the Latin American custom and let's just say- it doesn't mix well with the under 10 crowd. PS- I also have the annoyed shot- you'll see it in my next post.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Wreath Alchemy! Christmas goes Gauche

2011-12-15T18:30:00.000-05:00

I have been remiss.
Did you know I write for the Gauche Alchemy design team blog?
Probably not, I never mention it.
Can I offer up a crap excuse?
I have an incredibly hard time writing about other people's projects!
Not because the projects aren't fabulous but because they always are!
It takes me a while to come up with different ways to say- "This is beyond awesome! Look what my fellow team member did- OMG she's the CHEESE!"
(That last part because I really, really love cheese)
But I will change my ways as of now.
Yesterday I posted my 2011 wreath.
This one.

Which came from this Martha Stewart kit:

I tried SO HARD to make mine look like Martha's!!!
EK Success holiday craft kits do not come with detailed step by step instructions (their instructions are just like Ikea ones- all drawings and NO SENSE) so I used up a lot of the large grain glitter on a few leaves and the result was quite fug.
After much raving over my ineptness, I broke out the corrugated board, my fave mists and the music paper from the Gauche Alchemy Bare Nekkid paper kit (FAVE KIT EVER!) and went to town.
The Martha floral tape also killed my joy for a few days. The leaves kept falling off the freaking form! I was ready to drop kick the entire thing out the window. So I declared a truce, used red punchinella, some hot glue and thusly preserved what was left of my sanity.

Glitter floral items all came from the Michael's clearance table (20 cents each- woohoo!). I used an ancient Marvy Uchida corrugator to alter some very shiny Anna Griffin paper from the Carmen collection and Mister Huey mists in School House and Plumb Thumb.

It is December 15th. I haven't started a single "hand made" Christmas gift, cooked a single holiday recipe or made the cards I was going to send. I am not Martha Stewart. I will never be Martha Stewart- please give me a moment to grieve for my broken delusions of grandeur.
pausing
pausing

Chrissy's Victorian rosette wreath.

Fellow Gauche gals Cheryl and Christina have made some GORGEOUS wreaths. I would post them here but then what incentive would you have to go there? Ok 1 sneak!!!

Cheryl made a beautiful wreath using chocolates (I KNOW!!), an old book, some twine and some Gauche alchemy woodgrain punchinella. She also has a fantastic step y step video.

Christina's gorgeous wreath using an old romance novel, some floral items from Hobby Lobby and hundreds of hand cut and rolled florettes will blow you away. Check it out here on the 23rd- don't worry- I will post a reminder- it really is that good!

Lola helped us wrap the front door in kraft paper- she got a kick out of the wreath and it was all I could do to keep her from destroying it entirely.

Gnarly ribbon!

Adding the last flower to the wreath- she was so happy to help!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

December Daily- getting into the ZONE!!!

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

So I'm groovin' along the December Daily project- it's been great at keeping me in the spirit of the holiday even though I'm not actually making any Christmas presents (like I said I would).
I have to keep in mind that:
1. This is totally voluntary.
2. I don't have to break literary ground with my journaling or take a splendiferous image every single time.
3. I don't have to work in sequence! Just break the rules.

Day 5and 6- I'm finally using some American Crafts glitter paper I loved but was too thick for punching stars from. The small alphas are from Lily Bee- I should have bought 3 pages of the Memorandum ones! Slowly using up my Studio Calico woodgrain Thickers- I really need to get those from the shop before they sell out forever.

Here's my goal- capture the emotion of each day and be present in the moment. I'm usually the kind of Mom who's like "WHAT? Lola can count to 10? Who taught her THAT????" (The answer is ME- I taught her that- but not on purpose)
Yup- disconnected.
So these days I'm paying more attention- not just reading the book aloud but pointing to the pictures and asking "What's that?" Wouldn't you know it- she has all the answers!

Day 7 & 8- you seen page 7 already. I added page 8 and I'm STILL loving those Ormolu tags!!! The 8 is a 99 cent store yellow kraft paper stencil set I LOVE.

Lola is counting to 20 on her own- it's easy to learn when you have 3 flights of stairs to climb each day.
She also knows the basic colors and has favorite shapes! (red square- blue circle- she's not loving hexagons... YET)
She's finally understood the concept of "me". Now it's all "ME ME MEE!!!" when she wants something or "I'm tired!" when she wants attention.
I'm trying to get her to say "I'm hungry" or "I'm thirsty" but she just yells "Me CHICKEN!" or "Me JUICE!" at random moments- it makes for some seriously funny pauses while my brain plays catch up.

Love page 11 where I CHEATED and used a photo from day 5. I hated the whole lot of day 11 photos! Also page 12 is blank because I messed up and made 13 first- oops!

Page 13 and journaling envelope. I haven't written anything in the journaling page yet. I want to come up with something meaningful. Page 13 is my reaction to the current meme on real versus manufactured trees.

The other day Dave and I took her to the park. Out of nowhere Lola says "DID YOU SEE THAT?" Nope! We missed whatever it was.
She says "COOL!"
We say "AWESOME!"
Then I try to get funny and say "RADICAL!" and Lola responds with "BITCHIN'!!!"
Dave and I (and half of the park goers that day) all GASP in unison.
Where did she learn to say "bitchin"??? I've never said that- ever! Plus how did she know it goes with awesome and radical???
A mystery!!!
Then it hit me- what happens at Grandma's STAYS at Grandma's. I KNOW Mom has a copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!! I've seen it!!!
No wonder she's been jumping on the couch so much- she better not try to use my cooking spoons as nunchucks!

Some photos for a Light Challenge over at One Story Down:

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

December Daily Monday! Do you "redo"?

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ok December Daily friends- how many of you switch photos around to fit your story or redo pages when you find out they don't quite flow with a new entry? I guess that's why it's smart to choose a kit or a specific set of papers and make pages ahead. But then how do you get to play? I kinda like the improvisation.

This is my latest version of page 1:

Page 1 was supposed to be cool with the scallop hanging in the air but when I added a second binder ring (also over the weekend) I realized that the page was hanging away from the rest and it rally started to bug me. Those are Lola scribbles on the bottom half of Day 1.

Day 2 got some washi tape, a duck ornament photo too small to go anywhere else. I redid my "photo list" with some tea stained typewritten notes that I think I will use on all my pages- I really like how much info can be squeezed onto the page without bothering with individual stickers, I only have 1 photo off this list! YIPES!

ACK! Light mismatch! The sun is hitting the pages directly here- better for color. I really love that photo of Lola with her fave toy- a plastic shopping cart she wants to take everywhere- added it even though it's not from December. Page on the right has been redone 4 times- I want it to look effortless but so far it just looks messy.

Now for some unfinished pages:

That's a Pink Paislee frame from their Hocus Pocus Halloween collection. I love these frames! Just pop the middle out and you have a winter blue frame. THANK YOU JEANNIE for the fun mail!!!
Why is there a white paper there? I'm trying to go hybrid and not print photos anymore as each cartridge costs me 31 dollars. Guess what? I need to learn how to mask and layer properly in Photoshop- the edge of the frame did me in.

Imagine this photo is in that white piece of paper please:

Day 6- letting her play in the puddles

Lyrics to a favorite Christmas carol from when I was a child- Arbolito. Right side? Who knows! Day 7 or 8 maybe.

So that's it for now- I realize I've showed much of this content before so it's back to the drawing board to get current. How are your December Daily minis coming along?
I think I prefer a white background (and the black frame- need to learn to make my own in Photoshop!

iPod Instagram photo- nice but the fuzziness is REALLY apparent here.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!

Root Canal!!! A Punky Scraps Christmas page

2011-12-10T09:23:00.001-05:00

To explain this admittedly SCARY page:

Shattered- an unChristmas page
MATERIALS: Lily Bee Memorandum paper and alpha stickers, American Crafts sunrise Thickers, Studio Calico wood asterisks, green striped washi tape from Giftwrap So Pretty on Etsy, Crafter's Worskshop template, Maya Road mists Green apple and Lime Metallic, MIster Huey in Schoolhouse

Growing up, my Dad was constantly admonishing me to BRUSH YOUR TEETH!!! YOU DON'T WANT A ROOT CANAL!!
According to Dad, root canals are the most awful thing ever. I took him at his word and brushed, flossed and rinsed away regularly.
My dentists always said "You've got BEAUTIFUL teeth!" ...
But I ended up needing a root canal anyway.
Not 1 but TWO- the second one a complete surprise.
A deep cavity was discovered under a filling that had come loose- no evidence showed in the xray- the dentist found it after digging away and finding a "soft spot" that just kept growing.
Excruciating!

So I'm preoccupied with my mouth right now. And with a second torture session scheduled for late December it's enough to completely distract me from the joy of the holiday.
But I won't let it!!!
December Daily photo not yet entered into my book:

Day 8- 65 degrees!!!! Brooklyn Bridge Park is awesome.
I love my custom made "scarf"!

Day 9: Wrapping the door and hanging the wreath.
Watch for my punchinella wreath project over at Gauche Alchemy on the 12th!

I loved this month's Punky Scraps sketch.

I think perhaps you'll want to mosey on over and check out the more bright and cheerful pages on the blog. PUNKY SCRAPS
The page should also use one of the following:

* corrugated cardboard*

*stamping*

*paint*

*misting*

*stars*

*ribbon*

Get creative people! And keep those December Daily albums going!!!

Day 7- I know she looks uber bored but she really loved visiting the
empty lot turned Christmas Tree wonderland.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

December Daily- Central Park and FAO Schwartz

2011-12-05T12:15:00.000-05:00

So after all my whining in yesterday's post about the crowds over at the Christmas Market in Union Square guess where I'm going to day?
Well you don't have to guess- you saw the title.

Day 1 with journaling.
Materials: Crate Paper peppermint collection journaling square from Paper Issues on Etsy, Jillibean Soup corrugated flower and summer journaling spot. December pin from Ormolu

I love Christmas- yes, really!
I love the smell of special holiday food cooking.
I love that I get to see my sister Leticia and her hubby Robby Rob.
I love my crazy Aunts coming over from Pennsylvania.
I love that you finally see RED clothes in stores- my fave color- although this year it seems everyone is crazy about BORING silver and beige palettes.

Random unfinished page and Day 3.
Materials: American Crafts paper from Paper Issues, Cosmo Cricket market collection paper, stickers from Cosmo and Crate. Ki Memories snowflake from one of their lace papers.

I bought Lola's holiday outfit yesterday at a local high end thrift shop called The Flying Squirrel. It's great place to find boutique kid items super cheap. I would consider a visit if you are in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, love "brands" and have kiddos. I just really wanted to find something red and made from good fabric- dressing Lola in beige or black for Christmas is so NOT my bag. And WHAT is up with all the awful cheap fabric clothing in stores lately????

I have my photo for today!

Day 5- Christmas outfit found!
Satin Polka Dot Dress for 10 bucks and real cotton sweater 4 dollars, The Flying Squirrel. Leather shoes from TJ Maxx.
Where did the camera hating kid go? I couldn't get her off the floor! It's nice to see her be positive about photos. She looks like a 30's gangster with that lollipop in her mouth. Where she found it is a mystery as I did not give it to her.

Inside cover materials: Basic Grey Luscious paper, Fancy Pants filter paper, Studio Calico and Maya Road mists,
Martha Stewart gifts punch. alphas from Girl's Paperie and Cosmo Cricket

I am packing for today's photo expedition-
Juice boxes? CHECK!
Extra carriage blanket? Check!
Tranquilizer gun for frustrated tourists who try to sit on Lola? CHECK!

There's this really cool elevated doorway on the same street as Flying Squirrel.
No need to crouch to get face level shots! I will be using it again.
Materials: Crate Peppermint Collection paper and stickers from Paper Issues on Etsy, red corrugated alphas from Little Yellow Bicycle, Corrugated flower from Little Yellow Bicycle, glitter paper from American Crafts, Arrow flower punch from EK Success.

We decided to hold off until after the morning rush hour. We believe FAO Schwartz might be passable and their large windows mean lots of wonderful natural light inside the store. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've noticed that my iTouch takes really fussy blown out high light photos compared to the new iPhone 4- can't be helped as I refuse to buy a 500 dollar phone I will only use as a camera.

The story behind this photo. I spotted this GORGEOUS gold light bouncing off the Empire State Building right before this shot- by the time I got here with Lola in tow it was almost gone. And by the time I reached the empty park table in the photo the sky was dark. Difference in time? 1 minute! Great photography is half technical prowess, half waiting for the right light moment.

Where there's a will- there's a way!
MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

December Daily Ruminations

2011-12-04T18:00:00.000-05:00

This is my first holiday mini book.

December Daily 2011 cover. Size 4 by 6. Pages- 40. I will include random past memories and all 31 days of December.
Sand? I shot this at the local park's sand box- it was the only human-less spot available!
MATERIALS: Crate Paper Peppermint 6 by 6 paper, Fancy Pants filter paper, Crate Peppermint chipboard pieces, Prima alphas, American Crafts alphas, Ormolu tag, Ranger Distress Stain "Picket Fence".

Yesterday I struggled with my need to fake the photos.
Pose Lola with the tree. She didn't want to be there.
Give her a lollipop and nix the flash- she hates it most of all.

For the "project"- force Dave to help me lug the carriage into and out of subway stations and into crazy crowded places where we argue- where I actually say SMILE DAMN IT!
What kind of holiday tradition is this?
What's next- force a crying Lola onto Santa's Lap a la "A Christmas Story?"
NOPE. Not this momma.

We literally did this 30 times till Miss Thang happened to look in the general direction of the camera.
My husband is frowning behind the lens- he questions the sanity of this project- questions it mightily.

Doesn't the one NYC holiday destination a day encourage fake memory making?
I would never visit the 14th street Christmas market with Lola in a stroller otherwise! You have to struggle mightily to get there then battle all the other holiday memory makers to get 1 angry family shot. What. is. the. point?
We are making a memory- the memory should be: We happened across this lovely market and LOOK I found THIS.

Clove smiley face ornaments!! They smell GREAT! They are soo cute! LOOVE!

It should NOT be: We went to Union Square specifically to take a family photo and bickered the entire time and Lola almost got sat on 50 times since she was in the stroller.
And one lady came up to me and asked:
WHY ARE YOU TAKING THAT BABY INTO THIS CROWD?
She used a very superior tone.
I had no answer.

Like salmon going up stream.

This is a great shot- thank goodness- everyone is glad to be headed home!

So it's time to refocus.
What about December 2011 do I really want to preserve?
Do I want to drive my husband crazy with all the trips and directions?
No he's not interested. He's really not. Christmas to him is listening to the carols and watching holiday cartoon movies INSIDE and WARM. It's dinner with family. It's watching Lola pick apart the ornaments. It's hugging his completely bananas wife.
When did I become Christmas photo psycho?

Angels singing- Aaaaaaaaaa! Light bulb!
A realization!

Do I want to risk crowds, my marriage and anxiety attacks to get this "story"?
I'm doing this for me.
It's for Lola. To make her smile.
NO. more. angry. family. in. crowded. holiday. settings.
I haven't given up entirely- there's got to be a way!

One of the random pages- this was 2009's outfit- the photo was actually take in late February 2010.
I never got around to that traditional family Christmas shot.
MATERIALS: Basic Grey paper, alphas and brad. American Crafts tape, Fancy Pants banner sticker.
Cosmo Cricket word stickers

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

ACK! It's DECEMBER! A True Xoxo page

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's that wonderful time of the year! CHRISTMAS!!! The radio plays annoyingly cheerful muzak all day. The streets and subways are packed. The stores full of clueless temps who would rather you fall headfirst down the nearest escalator than help you. Your mailman is away on vacation so your packages get "lost".
Oh how I LOVE Christmas in the city!

Here is the December prompt for True Xoxo Girls:

It's me and I am.
Materials: Me and My Big Ideas paper, Ormolu tags, spots and pin, Sassafras Lass journaling tag and piano border strip, October Afternoon Brown Bag and Buttermilk mists, Technique Tuesday stamp.

First of all I must apologize for being away. I am a woman sans mojo. No motivation, no ideas, no NEED to communicate. Everything I touch falls apart. See?

The mojo has taken an extended vacation. Just so you see- I'm trying.

I've been watching movies and sulking all week. I saw the new Conan movie- whoa that actor is HOT! I also saw Benicio (my main MAN!) in "The Wolfman" which was awesome. And I got to introduce Miss Lola to Batteries Not Included (she LOVED IT) and Annie (meh- for now). Somehow I haven't been able to put a single thing together so instead of freaking out I will write about it.

Things I did to bring on the mojo:

Read blogs- only made things worst as I now have idea overload

Shop for more scraps- suicidal- I know.

Read catalogs- refer to the above plus the awful feeling that I will always be too poor to have space for a cushy sofa and a window with actual light- ironic! Maybe less SHOPPING???????

This- life risking exercise billed as an innocent hike. Trail name?

Breakneck Ridge- shoulda KNOWN!

Talk to David about what a looser I am. Dave has zero pity party license. I was told to shut up and MAKE SOMETHING already.
Put up the Christmas tree. Lola tried her BEST to bring it back down again.
Cut up 4 x 6 papers for my inevitably disastrous "December Daily" project. My "theme" is Christmas in NYC- all the main attractions will get hit. Feel sorry for me- it's 1 a day with a 2 year old and 65,000 other humans for 31 days. I will start today with a photo of Rockerfeller Center- I feel the crush of the crazed crowds already.

Here's a quick close up up of the page:

I ordered some Ormolu items as a lark and now they are my favorite brand
(after Sassy- I'm a sucker for unrequited love)

The December True Xoxo challenge is based on this quote which I DEEPLY disagree with.

Women do entirely too much apologizing for keeping it real. As a result, we tend to resort to behind the back talking which I despise. I will tell you up front what annoys me about you- repeatedly. I will often disagree with you- in public- loudly. But it doesn't mean I disrespect or intend to hurt you- people need and deserve space to be themselves. I also feel truth is more important than politeness. To quote Jerry Maguire- "YOU think we are arguing. I think we are FINALLY communicating!"

GRATUITOUS cute baby shot!!!
11/25/11 Grateful for a Friday full of family and laughter- not commerce and stress.

Not for nothing but opposable thumbs are one of the features that make us human.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Template and Hexagon Madness!

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have been keeping a secret from you.
I am a hex fetishist. Read it again please.
I love me some HEXAGONS.
I started a pinboard here. I can add you to the board so I have helpers in the search for beautiful mathematical creations. Let's share the hex love!

I love that Studio Calico hexagon print paper but it's everywhere right now so I decided to save it for a little longer and try my hand at some quilting templates I found online. I really like the "hand made" mistakes galore quality of this page:

Hexagon experiment 1 (This was the December True Xoxo Girls Challenge page but I made another you'll se SOON)
MATERIALS: Lily Bee Memorandum paper, Crafter's Workshop templates- Tile Texture and Chevron mini, Studio Calico Fab Rips and Mister Huey in Atmosphere, Calico Cream and Lemonade, Maya Mist in Green Apple, Gauche Alchemy punchinella, Basic Grey mini alphas, Sassafras Lass woodgrain alphas, Mis Tape from American Crafts, finger die cut from Pink Paislee and Prima wood heart button.

Am I crazy for liking it? Please help me- where did I go wrong? Perhaps I needed a less contrasty photo with colors that blended in a little more?

Yeah- I messed up the journaling.

I like how this page looks but it doesn't hold together. Into the '"first draft" file it goes.
Also.... I MUST give credit where credit is due. The acrylic bubbles, the smudged pencil borders and molding paste are ALL part of someone else's style- Mija- of MadebyMija.blogspot.com. I am trying to find a way to use them and not reference her work so closely. Check out Mija's blog- she is a pure artist- me? I'm just started to find my way there.

I feel like I'm right on the verge of something cool-
just not quite hitting the mark,

Using Maya Mists was fun. I haven't bought them because they are sooo expensive but a few stores are having early "Black Friday" sales so I finally got to play with "Green Apple". Once again I'm in LOOOOVE! Totally worth the crazy price.

I know this week is hectic so if I don't post again till friday- have a Happy Thanksgiving weekend!!!

SMOOCHES MI GENTE!!

Lily Bee Design ROCKS!!!

2011-11-19T07:30:00.000-05:00

My scrappy friend Cheryl of And Handmade Too! turned me onto Lily Bee's weekly sketch challenge. I've loved each sketch they've put out but have never managed to complete a page in time to enter the challenge- well not THIS week!

Ha HA!!!!!

Go Go GO!
MATERIALS: Lily Bee Memorandum paper and card, Studio Calico stripe paper and Fab Rips, Mister Huey- Atmosphere and Overdue, Ormolu Dots and spots tags and Go! button flair, EK Success binding Edge punch

I LOVE circles and hexagons! I was going through my Pinterest boards the other day and wondering WHY hadn't I used them in a page yet. I was waiting for some kind of template or a patterned paper to "help" me make them. Well to HECK with THAT!
I googled "hexagon template" and found that the quilting community is huge and just as willing to share as us scrapbookers- YAAAY!
Watch out- you might loose me to the sewing on FABRIC set!

Hexagons, grids and circles- siiiigh!!

I also found this wonderful dreamland called Ormolu- that sounds like an exotic French cosmetics brand right? It's paper! Gorgeous modern PAPER! Teeny tiny color embellies perfect for ATC or December Daily projects.
I. AM. IN. LOOOOVE!
I think my favorite were the negative die cut kraft tags- check them out in this SNEAK PEAK for my December True Xoxo Girls Challenge page:

I'm also glad I finally used my Lily Bee Memorandum line papers. I LOVE the subtle colors and patterns. I wish I had sprung for the alphas as well but I have so many letter stickers at this point I passed them up- for now. I made 3 pages in one 2 hour sitting! An unprecedented first!

To get these small mist dots I used an expensive mascara brush from way back when.
The pin is from Ormolu, the teeny silhouette is from Pink Paislee's Nantucket die cut pack.

So I've been busy busy busy with family stuff and looking for work- hopefully I will get back to my regular 3 posts a week schedule. I hope you have a GREAT weekend!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

A Thankful page- Daily Grace Project

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week has been a little crazy schedule-wise. I've been trying to avoid Facebook (and more importantly- Pinterest!) so I can concentrate but like Al Pacino in take-your-pick gangster flick- I keep getting drawn in!

I managed to make a page:

2011 Daily Grace (Project) It's like a December daily but without the STRESS!
MATERIALS: Sassafras Lass paper, Pink Paislee Nantucket die cuts, Smooch Spritz in magenta, green and dark blue, American Crafts Elf woodgrain and Sunrise magenta alphas (MUST HAVE MOOOORE!) and kraft butterflies (ditto!!!) K and Co alphas.

Fave scrapper Sasha Farina posted this Pinterest image in her blog as part of a mini hop she participated in. I gladly surfed along since I will do anything Ms. Sasha suggests (fangirl!! stalker!!!)

Why not try it? LOVE the modern typographic design.

I suggest you swing by- the work by fellow fave bloggers Diane Paine, Emily Pitts and Kimberly Neddo is not to be missed.

And I found a new (to me) fave- Mandie of http://lemonstolimes.blogspot.com/

Mandie is hosting a give-away with some great scrap goodies if you make a page using the illustration above.

Oh MAN!!! I really wish I had used an AC Slick Writer from the start!

How does my page relate to the illustration? I should've had the writing crawl down to each image... oh well. I'm not gonna front- it's far from the original but I credit the vaguely triangular placement of each photo to the illustration- I was going to make a simple grid layout but it just didn't seem "me"- I liked it messy and random. ;)

The Daily Grace project is now back in gear. Here are some recent additions. Another page is soon to follow.

11/13/11 Grateful for: getting to live this...

11/14/11 ... AND this.

11/15/11 Grateful for: Apples in general

Before I forget- I've had 3 images published over at Scrapbook News and Reviews Magazine. If you have a moment swing by to check it out (you need to subscribe to see the magazine I believe) Here's a link:SNR Travel and Vacation and here: SNR Fall and Thanksgiving.
What do you give thanks for?

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Giving Fall some LOVE!

2011-11-13T12:24:00.001-05:00

I've had some learning time this weekend because the Grandmas are pulling baby duty- thank you both. I swung over to Cocoa Daisy and learned some new techniques for incorporating type and stitching onto my pages.
The result:

Fall In Central Park
MATERIALS: Crate Paper Peppermint paper, Making Memories foam alpha stamps and green lace, Hambly Rub Ons, American Crafts badge, Delights and Amy Tan Fabric paper, camera paper clip and alphas. Easel by 7 Gypsies

I will be linking this up to Paper Issues Fall link Party that will post later today (11/13/11). Please swing by and link your own Fall projects when you have a moment.
Details Details...

This could easily be a page on it's own...
OFF TO THE SCRAP DESK!!!

The cancelation stamp on the Amy Tan is from NYC! PERFECT!
Can you tell I made a spelling mistake and covered it up with stickers on that tag?

I REALLY wish I had bought some of those Amy Tan leaves but maybe it's best to use the beautiful Hambly run ons- bought those so long ago- luckily they haven't dried out. If you have a new NEED for Fall crafty stuff please swing by the Paper Issues online store (plug, plug, pluuuuug!!!)

TIP ALERT!!!! Don't bother aiming your heat gun at rub ons- you'll just end up with a "shrinky dink"- rather- a plastic raisin. Using double sided tape to get the "stick" to return is more effective- I recently had to do that to a Basic Grey "Obscure" sheet- you can see the results here. http://myanaloglife.blogspot.com/2011/10/appropriate-nightmare-on-halloween.html

I also completed this page for the Sketchy Thursdays challenge for this week:

Imagine Me and You
MATERIALS: Sassafras Lass paper and border stickers, Smooch Magenta and Sunburst spritz, Maya Road Apple Green mist and purple button, Bo Bunny acrylic swirls, Prima acrylic heart with Hambly rub on, "Imagine" Glitz alpha stickers, "Adore" script chipboard from Stuff 2 Scrap.

Can you believe efforts to complete these 2 pages lasted about 7 hours over 3 days? Ms. Mojo is GONE- prolly jumping in leaf piles in the park.
Here's the actual sketch: (You still have time to link yours up!)

Some close ups:

I ADORE those Stuff 2 Scrap script chippies!
Too bad shipping from Australia is so expensive.

What's THIS? DOODLING??

I actually started on this page on Friday but I kept ruining it by adding and adding- the sketch is wonderfully spare and I really wanted to punk it up without JUNKING it up. I'm also glad I'm finally using my acrylic and rub on stashes- I stayed away after I found out how hard they were to shoot properly but now that I have my light bounce card and the 7 Gypsies easel I'm doing all kinds of crazy stuff!

I kept this box so I can mist projects-
Lola has decided it's her dinner table instead.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Sketchy Thursdays and Sassafras Lass

2011-11-09T09:26:00.001-05:00

I got my last Sassafras order last week. It's a bittersweet experience to open a box full of beautiful color and happy prints knowing you will never get another one like it again. I got some beautiful Sunshine Broadcast loveliness so I made this page AND tried to shoot it in a similarly appropriate manner.

Sketchy Thursdays Guest DT Grateful page
MATERIALS: Sassafras Lass Sunshine Broadcast paper and stickers, Smooch Spritz Sun kissed, Tattered Angels Sand mist, Mister Huey in Lemonade, buttons from Crate, pearl beads from Art-C, hearcleare heart buttob from Epiphany crafts, gold beads from Michael's

This page will be submitted to the Sketchy Thursdays December Guest DT challenge. I really love this sketch- the simplicity allows for a lot of creative play and I'm always a sucker for square format images.

A quick detail shot of the journaling:

I also made a second page for a sketchy Thursdays challenge sponsored by Paper Issues. Paper Issues teamed up with Pink Paislee to promote the release of their Snow Day line and the projects are GORGEOUS- please swing by to see the fantastic projects submitted so far!

Planet Hoth- Sketchy Thursdays 11/3/11 challenge sponsored by Paper Issues
MATERIALS: Bazzill white paper, Tattered Angels Patina mist. Smooch Sea Green mist, Mister Huey in Cream and White, Maya Road snowflake transparencies, Melissa Frances starburst and water bling brads, Crate, Jenni Bowlin and Basic Grey buttons, alphas by Sassafrass Lass and Basic Grey, Sakura gelly pen in gold, Stickels in Diamond, star punchinella and white corrugated board from Gauche Alchemy

An apology- these were supposed to be ready on Monday but now that my husband is back in school weekends are a crazed mass of laundry, cooking and taking Lola to the park before the 4:30- sun deadline- did I mention I hated Fall? Sun rationing kills it for me. But I won't complain it was 68 (!!!) degrees here yesterday- I KNOW!!!

I'm struggling a bit on my Grace Project photos- mostly finding shots varied enough to include. May I submit that I am grateful for the "push" I'm getting to up my photo game? I'm trying all KINDS of crazy things to shoot my projects these day- can I show you on failed experiment?

Dave's architect's table makes for a really fun "stage".
Aluminum Foil is a dark apartment dweller's best friend!

This is a beautiful "staging" set up but without full sunlight or a tripod to steady the camera for the long exposure time it's just too dark in this room. I will FORCE myself to work with my cheapo tripod- it literally takes just as long to set it up as to shoot, edit and write a blog entry- very annoying.
A couple of detail shots:

The latest entry to the Daily Grace project:

11/7/11- Grateful for some time alone

11/8/11 Grateful for the PERFECT hamburger from Fanny on Graham St.

11/9/11 Grateful for THE BEST PRESENT EVER! Thank you Dave!!!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Thanks Monday!

2011-11-07T07:57:00.003-05:00

WHAT? WHAAAT? 60 degrees in November? SO THANKFUL!!! Time to seize the day and get take some "Fall" shots in Central Park- if there's any actual leaves left!

November 4- Grateful for Autumn sunlight.

11/5/11- Grateful for Kangols and ears that stick out.

I got exactly NOTHING done over the weekend. Not having a dedicated scrap space to run into really puts an end to my creativity as I need complete concentration to let ideas flow. I was supposed to have 3 pages to show for upcoming sketch challenges but all I have is photos. It's taking all my will power not to "share" exactly how I feel about that.

For today I have to try to get a photo of "Something Funny". ;) I've been ignoring the prompts as of late...

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
MIchelle

Picture Dodger! And The Halftone app

2011-11-04T07:30:00.000-04:00

Today I was gonna share another awesome card with a "Thank You" theme but the actual card has taken a severe left turn from what I imagined so I am giving it another go and posting later.
But I will share this:

Picture Didger- GOTCHA!!!
Materials: DCWV turquoise graph paper (AAA! LOVE!), alphas from Glitz and Cosmo Cricket, Little Yellow Bicycle word bubble (transparency I added a background to), Studio Calico rub-ons added stick side out, Smooch Black mist, Gauche Alchemy Red Mixed Media kit items, buttons from Sweet Tierney on Etsy.

I've written several stories on iPod photo apps- you can check those out in the resume page above. Then I found Halftone- or as I like to call it- the perfect marriage of new and old paper obsessions.

Faceless Halloween shots are now so much fun!

Back in my early 20s I was broke but spared what I could to buy comic books- specifically all "Batman" titles, anything with the name Neil Gaiman on it and "The Invisibles". I eventually gave up the comic habit but I've been looking for a way to add comic book quote bubbles to my photos ever since.

REALLY funny Dave! I am SO gonna get you back! COOL effect right? This photo was taken in almost complete darkness- the halftone pointillist comic print effect did the rest.

Well Halftone makes that super easy! It also has 12 different paper backgrounds, 9 different caption layout options, 6 different quote bubble designs, 21 different stamps (words like BAM! or Splash!) and over 20 fonts for your captions- it's amazingly powerful and can send a high rez version of your photo directly to other camera apps like Instagr.am or directly to your Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr accounts. Is that not fabulous? It is to me- I LOVE this thing!

Dignity and adult demeanor be darned! I'm having FUN!

In also humming right along in my daily grace project.
Here are the last 2 days.

11.3.11 Grateful for helpful Abuelas and the smiles they inspire.

11.4.11 Grateful for her feeling confident enough to leave...
yet always returning to take me along.

Muchos Smooches!

A month for grace

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

I swung by the American Crafts blog and noticed they are having a week to celebrate gratefulness. I've been thinking of doing some kind of conceptual photo project on this for a while but it's harder to do without concentrating on it fully- it's November why not start today?

Nov. 1 2011 - A partner who is supportive in every way. (and a hottie!!)

Today I set a moment aside for grace.

I give thanks for the family I have not the one I wish I did.
I give thanks for being fat- it is a sign I am not starving and it is a state of health I can change.
I give thanks for being unemployed. This is hard because many Americans (including me) tend to equate success by how much money they earn or how many hours they log in at work. My two and a half year hiatus has taught me that happiness has nothing to do with financial matters and everything to do with TIME.
I give thanks for having the luxury of time. Time with my husband, time with my baby and time to write this sometimes incredibly self indulgent blog. I wouldn't be able to get away with it anywhere else.

Nov. 2 2011 That smile.

I will stop there but for the rest of the month I will post photos that show this state of grace I am under and hopefully by Thanksgiving I shall have a cute mini book or page I can share.

Apparently my "idea" is not remotely original (insert smile here). This is a prompts list I found on Pinterest.

I will be actively ignoring some of these but it's a great list.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

A day for honoring the dead

2011-11-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

True Xoxo Girls November Challenge Page- swing by and participate!
MATERIALS: Ikea plastic cake doily (I know!), Core'Dinations Jenny Bowlin paper, Cosmo Cricket blackboard and naked chipboard, Prima flowers and leaves (painted black with acrylic paint), EK Success slim line border punch, Petallo velvet roses and Dahlia value packs (black and red), Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam in Oil Slick, Smooch Spritz in black and Silver

The Mexican holiday known as Dia De Los Muertos has always fascinated me. The tradition is a hybrid of long established rituals in Pre-Columbian Mexico and the Catholic religion brought in by Spanish invaders- oops- I mean- "Conquistadors". The celebration actually lasts 3 days and takes place during what is also known as "All Saints Day" and "All Souls Day"- a change brought by the Spanish when they found they could not destroy the practice outright.

Calaberas are the focus for Dod.
TIP- that's found fishing line in that circle-
guess where I'm off to scrap shop next?

I burned right through my black Prima and
Petaloo stash... LOVE the black velvet!!!

The colors, the pageantry, the flowers- Day of the Dead is wonderful!!! Best of all- it's a time to remember those you loved and lost- to tell their stories and carry on their name.

I envy the cultural strength it takes to carry this tradition 500 hundred years into the present. I admire the joy it brings to what could be a sorrowful occasion. Perhaps you remember your Mother or your Abuelita today. Maybe you make an altar for Celia Cruz or Frieda Kahlo- Madame Curie or Helen Keller.

Untitled Day of the Dead page 2
MATERIALS: Gauche Alchemy Wedding Night White Mixed Media Kit, Bazzill Kraft paper, Mister Huey in Plum Thumb, Overdue and Hot Dog, Crate Random mini paper, Daisy D's rub on stitches (which have dried out and can't heat them up since they are on a roller- darn!)

These are my first Dia De Los Muertos projects and not remotely authentic as they don't commemorate anyone. I wanted to keep these light and showy since they are meant to grab your attention and hopefully draw you into this AWESOME Latin American tradition.

Gauche Alchemy Scarlet Fever Red Mixed Media Color Kit, some dollar store roses.

Traditional activities include

visiting family graves and decorating them with beautiful floral and paper displays
making mini "altars" for your home and decorating them with colorful fruits and flowers
gathering with friends and family and serving heaps of food
making papier-mache, papel picado (cut tissue paper) or sugar sculptures

Photos came from a street art poster.
The Skull and crossbones cameo was found on Etsy.

Whatever you do, tell the tales of those who have passed on- do not weep- rather, weep and laugh and shout out with joy- your loved ones are now in a better place!

Results of a sugar skull workshop. Getting
those sequins to stick using only spit was
harder than it looked.

Today I commemorate
Leo the caretaker and bike rider.
Nakia who left us so young.
Neco and Maneca my great grand parents.
And Juan and Mita my grand parents.
Whom do you celebrate?
Whose memory do you sing praises to?

Hugs mi gente- pass it on.

Michelle

An appropriate nightmare on Halloween

2011-10-31T09:28:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween everybody. We got some snow here in Brooklyn but it's all gone now so I think the witches, spooks and goblins will come out and play tonight. We are going to a party at The American Museum of Natural History.
But that's not what I want to share. I had a crazy SCARY dream last night!!!!

Ok several things:
1: I LOVE this easel from 7 Gypsies! 2: I found a pack Bazzill black card stock at TJ Maxx for 6 dollars along with AC Mix Tape for 3 bucks- shelf raiding time! 3: That FABULOUS brain stamp is from Dragonfly Laser on Ebay- they have FANTASTIC rubber stamps- all handmade in New Jersey. It's crystal clear- I used a mist to ink it.

It started normally. I was hanging around with Lola in a busy wide street- perhaps 42nd and Broadway. We stopped at a cafe table (they are everywhere now- part of a "traffic calming" program the mayor dreamed up).
Suddenly this chic comes out of nowhere saying she's a long lost relative and asking to hold Lola. I say no but she takes Lola off my arms anyway.
I am watching her walk away with my baby. I see them cross the street. I am thinking- WHY am I letting this happen? DO SOMETHING!!
And the the sun goes out.
Everything goes black for a few seconds.
People scream. Cars crash.
The sun FLICKERS back on.
I start to run after the woman who has now turned around and is looking at me from across the street. Lola is holding her arms out for me. No one moves.
I distinctly hear someone say: "What's going on? What's happening?"
I start to go through all the scientific causes in my head- eclipse, stroke, falling space stations- wouldn't an eclipse be on the news for weeks??? my brain babbled.
Wouldn't it get incredibly cold?
The sun flickers back off.
Pandemonium breaks out. People stampede past me and I am taken away from Lola and the sun FLICKERS back but much weaker- redder, dimmer.

Adorn-it thought bubbles, Basic Grey Obscure line rub-ons I had to activate using double sided tape.
Tip- don't bother with the heat gun- it just curls up the plastic they come in.

That's when I woke up. I "heard" myself yelling WAKE UP! WAKE UP! I literally could not stand it another minute.
First I checked to see if Miss Thing was ok- she was. Then I looked out the window- it was dark- 3am dark in a snowy too cold to hang out night. And it was quiet.
Ooooo creepy not really awake brain filled in all KINDS of terrors I had to actively choose to ignore... didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

Halftone app

GRATUITOUS BABY SHOTS!!!!!!

This year's outfit- Candy Corn Witch. She refuses to wear the hat.

She also refuses to pose while looking at the camera.

Happy Halloween!
Michelle and Family

Cardtastic Friday!!! Two hand made cards.

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Lola's been sick all week and hasn't been sleeping. I've had little creative time but I've really felt a NEED to make stuff. Rather than drive myself crazy trying to schedule pages in 20 minute intervals I've started making cards.
A master crafter can easily spend hours on a card using advanced techniques, check out Polka Cabana to see what that looks like, but I like to create a card in 30 minutes flat. Especially since I suspect many amy end up in the garbage anyway. But not best friend Gia- she's a keeper.

Gia's Birthday Card- I tried a new way of shooting this and really liked the result.
I placed the card directly in front of the light coming in the window and used a bounce card to light the front a bit more. I also over exposed this shot by 2 stops using my manual setting.
Materials: Gauche Alchemy ouchless corrugated board, Webster's Pages flower, Prima roses,
Elle's Studio banner, Canvas Corp burlap, Maya Road pins.

I made this card minutes before I met Gia for the first of 3 lectures on website design at Noble Desktop. Yup- I'm going pro people- blogging is awesome and I want to do it for bucks- maybe I'll finally land a paying gig too.

This shot shows more detail but it's flat.
I really need to invest in some photo staging material.

Remember a million and half years ago when I started my "Happy Mail" project and gathered all the real world addresses of my facebook friends? I haven't sent a single post card since!
I was talking to Cheryl the other day when she very politely pointed out she was still waiting for her card. OOOOOPS!
Here ya go sweets!

MATERIALS: Gauche Alchemy Scarlet Fever Red, Wedding Night White and Black Out color mixed
media kits , red punchinella, Fancy Pants filter doily, Paper Trunk Rockabilly paper (rose), Bazzill
Phoenix Swiss Dotted paper, Mister Huey in Plum and Schoolhouse, DCWV houndstooth paper.

This card will get mailed today- promise.
Cheryl got married recently. Swing by her blog, And Handmade Too, to check out her fabulous Rockabilly themed wedding. The wedding colors were red, black and cream which make for fantastic design.

Couple more scraps for the interior and we're done.
Hmmm- I need to fill in that receipt at some point...

I predict Cheryl will love the record shaped button on this card. I got it at a local thrift store here in Brooklyn called JUNK. It was the only one I saw that day but I'm going to go again to see if maybe I can dig a few more out of the huge bowls they are kept in.

How does Junk get away with charging 25 cents a button when
they're displayed like this? Dave thinks I'm bananas for pointing this out as I wait
in line to pay. I stopped at 3 bucks- that's all the cash I had.

It's now Midnight on the 28th of the month. I go check out Studio Calico as a regular schmo (dropped my subscription like I said I would)- you know what? I like this month's kit but I already have 90% of the products offered up and once again the only thing I wanted- AC woodgrain Thickers- are sold out 3 minutes into the game. NO regrets here!

Isn't this TOTAL awesomeness??? It's the Halftone app and I'm in LOOOVE!
I'm a reformed comic book geek so this is reaching all KINDS of sweet spots!!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Fade to black- shooting an all black layout.

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

The November True Xoxo Girls challenge is.... (dramatic music) BLACK.
You've been duly warned.
Tune in November first to see the varied and FANTASTIC projects created by the DT.
Meanwhile here's a tutorial on photographing monochrome layouts.

I had a LOT of fun avoiding this challenge. I bitched and moaned to fellow DT members.
I sat down several dozen times and played with my iPod instead.
I read a book- a 400 page book- "Peter and The Star Catchers"- It's awesome- pick it up when you have a moment.
I watched several movies, taught Lola to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider in Spanish and produced 3 other pages.
Then I made this- finally.

"Good Magic" or "Happy"- take your pick.
MATERIALS: Canvas Corp chalkboard paper and burlap, Basic Grey and Crate Paper buttons,
Ki Memories title, Webster's Pages die cuts, large paper clip, "good" card and slide mount from
cyber-friend Amy Baldwin (Thanks Amy!!), felt floral by Anna Griffin, Amy Tan chevron fabric paper

This isn't the page you'll see on the True Xoxo blog. The challenge won't be up till November 1st. I have a very special post scheduled for that day. I'll be celebrating the fabulous Mexican holiday Day of the Dead with not one but 2 projects. Try to swing by- if you aren't completely pooped from FINALLY getting your kids to sleep after their dinner of chocolate covered sugar bombs that is.

Mini Tute time!
Shooting black isn't as hard as you think as long as you keep the following rules in mind:

1. Rake light across the project. That just means add a side light of some sort.
I did this by placing the page directly in front of a window. It was raining so the light was already indirect. On a sunny day, make sure to place your project in a way that avoids direct light. I then added a side light by taping some aluminum foil of a piece or cardboard and bouncing light from the window onto the project- you can sort of see that here- my hand is holding the board.

OOO! DoD page Sneak Peek!!!

2. Make sure to include both "light" blacks and "dark" blacks in your project.
The Canvas Corp paper I used for this project is great because the paint it uses literally eats light- black buttons added on top still showed. The Ki Memories "happy" title" is also light chomping but the stcky backing acts as a highlight.

This is a more traditional photo of "raked" light. The sun is hitting the page directly. That's great for this detail shot but the shadows obscured many of the details in the overall project photo so I didn't use that shot. Face palm on that out of focus journaling.

3. Add contrast with textures, patterns and if you must- colors. I added some contrast to this page by using some green and beige elements- I love the final look but and that's mainly why it didn't become my final Xoxo Page- I wanted to explore using only black elements.
Here's what an "all black" page can contain:

True Xoxo Day of the Dead page sneek peek!

I still "cheated" by using some grey chipboard but I just couldn't bring myself to paint those fabulous Cosmo Cricket hearts. The flowers all started out annoyingly pink but got painted black with Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam.
Did this make sense?
Albie says:

GRATUITOUS BABY SHOT!

Now reaching the Brooklyn stop of the Hogwart's Express. All ABOARD!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

1 year later...

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hello there!

Can you believe it's been 1 year of blogging for this crazy chick from Brooklyn? I can't. Well actually I can. What amazes me is how far I've come- how much I've learned, the friends I've made and how fulfilled I am by making pretty things just because they make me HAPPY!

It's Gonna Be A Half Glass Full Kind Day
Materials: Sassafras Lass grid pattern paper and alphas, Basic Grey Life of the party star paper and mini brads, American Crafts Amy Tan fabric paper and mustard Zing, Maya Road star pins, buttons from Reasonable Ribbon.com, stars from Ebay- been in my stash over 2 years!

To celebrate a few friends and I are doing a mini hop.

After you are done here swing by

Dawn aka Mojo Mayhem

Christina aka The Twisted Muse

Both started the same road last year and are now off to a rip roaring success. I am glad to call them my friends.

There are no rules just stop by each blog and leave some love. I have a mini give away to celebrate hitting 10,000 blog views. I was supposed to celebrate hitting 100 followers but that milestone came and went without me noticing! So I will celebrate hitting 131- YAY!!!

I love all of these things but my love did not extend to my memory.
I ordered 2 of each and will not use them even if I tried- current bananas button stash is proof.
So why not share? Post this hop in some other forum or social media website and leave a comment to be entered an extra time for each.

I started blogging because I was lonely. I was making some cool scrapbook projects but that particular craft isn't very highly valued here in NYC so when I brought the subject up I would get strange looks. One friend even said- "I don't even know what that MEANS!" I wanted to reply- do you speak english? Scrap. Book. What's so hard to understand? But that's obnoxious so I kept the yap shut.

Current pattern faves

Arby's motto!

I want to show some work from when I first started that I never posted here - Uhhh- this is making me cringe but it goes right along with my show it all and let the readers decide for themselves mentality.

Lola's Scrapbook cover- inside- the only part I actually finished.

One long forgotten fact- I stared scrapbooking right after I got a green scrapbook from
my best friend, Gia, as a wedding shower present. Page made in August 2009.

Color blocking? My page to record Lola's naming. Made in July 2009.
Why so many birds? Lola is named after a bird- Alondra- Meadowlark.

I am glad and very grateful to be on the design teams for Gauche Alchemy , Punky Scraps, True Xoxo Girls Challenges and Paper Issues.

The feedback and camaraderie I get from being part of these fantastic groups is invaluable. I've learned how to create on deadline, how to communicate effectively, how to run a proper blog hop, tips on getting published and how to make a good looking page others will want to swing by your blog to check out.

OH! Before I forget- Paper Issues is also celebrating one year! Why not swing by and play along their October Halloween themed link party? Because I'm always late to the party I just realized I loved Pink Paislee's Phantom line- you can swing by the Paper Issues Etsy Store to check it out as well.

This page is from when I first started posting on Scrapbook.com.
I found Etsy and these wonderful inventions called Border punches.
Page from October 2010- 1 year later I'm still proud of this page.

And thank YOU for sticking around! I learn a lot from your comments and from your links as well. You've taught me what works design wise as well as what confuses you and what inspires you.

Here's to many more years of creating and a growing list of "followers" or as I think of you- friends.

Ira Glass rocks my world.
I regularly listen to This American Life on NPR while scrapping- it's awesome.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Fall colors, beautiful light

2011-10-21T10:19:00.000-04:00

Ok I can dig this Fall season- 78 degree weather and rain at night? It's perfect! We went into tree country last weekend to pick apples but the fall colors are not showing fully yet so I decided to get warmly cheerful in my current Punky Scraps layout:

Be
MATERIALS: Gauche Alchemy woodgrain punchinella (that's right WOODGRAIN) and Lady Marmelade orange mixed media color kit, Dusty Attic chipboard, Hambly Studio tranny, Studio Calico paper and tag, Mister Huey Hot Dog, Making Memories metal letters, Basic Grey brads, Mesh origami paper (!!!) and black acrylic paint.

The prompts were many and diverse for this "Get Picky" challenge so I procrastinated LOVELY the entire week. Finally, last night, after 2 bottles of Pacifico beer and a bag of Blue Cheese Kettle Chips I was ready- who cares if it was 1am?

The Mighty List:

Tamara - Hessian/Mesh

Kat - A Tag

Cheryl - steam punk imagery

Kerry - your own handwriting

Marie - black mist

Jolanda - a picture of your eye(s). what do they say/mean to you?

Celina - lace of any kind

Ashley - Doodling

Misty - metal

I was supposed to go deep with my journaling but what I really needed was a page I could hang on the wall and use as a touchstone while I worked- it reads: Do what you want- people will decide they don't like you anyway.
Not to sound like Michael Jackson who I thought spent entirely too much time being defensive (and dangling babies off hotel balconies) instead of concentrating on HIS WORK.

Thank you Shelley J for the beautiful Studio Calico paper!

I took a photo of an image I had opened on my computer desktop using the Hipstamatic app on my iTouch and my favorite lens filter- Watts.

I then changed the contrast, color and added a round blur using Instagr.am.

The paint splatters were made by watering down some acrylic paint and using a mascara brush to sprinkle tiny dots all over the page- I don't trust the spray nozzle on those bottles one bit.

*************************

'I also wanted to repost these tags that I linked over at Flashback Fridays. Amy sent me a nice email reminding me I'm not supposed to backlink an older post since the whole point is to show how much you have improved- yikes- sorry about that. I love these so I'm glad to have a chance to show them off again.

I made these for a tag swap over at Kreatorville Krafts using some old office folders, some scraps of
favorite prints from Sassafras Lass and Girl's Paperie, Making Memories metal tag rims and some buttons-
it took over a week because I kept over thinking the process but I loved the final product.

You can check out the original post here: Going Tag Crazy

Please swing by Punky Scraps and join the challenge- there are 2 prize packs available this month and only 1 person in the running for both- does that sound fair to you? Go up in there and give her some competition!

This year she actually rode the pony AND I managed to get an
eating apples shot where she didn't look like a zombie.
I can't believe that beanie still fits- It's 2 years old!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Some Odd Girl Stamps Guest Spot! FUUUN!

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

HAPPY MONDAY MI GENTE!

I was over the moon when I got an invitation from Kristy creator and head innovator over at Some Odd Girl Stamps to help celebrate her birthday by guest-writing a post on her blog. YAAAY! Naturally I chose to write about my all time favorite topic- iPod camera apps.

Now before you say AGAIN? This time I talk about 4 different applications so perhaps you may want to head on over to check it out. Click here: SOME ODD GIRL

For this post I want to talk about a card project that did not make it to my SOG post because my writing hit 1000 words and even I know that's too darned long.

I LOVE Kristie's beautiful Japanese animation looking designs and while I haven't been very good at experimenting with digital design, I went ahead and took the plunge.

Here is my first project:

I tried so many new things with this card project! Most impressive to me? I got this card to stick
to my crazy windy and rusty fire escape with some super strength Pop Up Glue Dots.
My fandom for this amazing product has been renewed!

This "How To" moment brought to you by: SOME ODD GIRL:

Instagr.am's Lomo-Fi filter is my all time favorite right now- LOVE those uneven black borders

I t seemed like a lot of work but the final result was worth it.
Hipstamatic's Ina's 1969 film combined with the Chunky lens.

Print "Love" sentiment stamp from Some Odd Girl onto Computer Grafix computer printable transparent plastic sheets which also has adhesive backing so you effectively get stickers. NOTE: The ink never dries if you use regular tranny film- it has to computer printable film.
Cut the heart stamp out leaving adhesive backing on.
Print love stamp onto regular paper and cut out the individual letters to make templates.
Use your letter templates on patterned scrapbook paper and cut letters out making sure the edges are a bit smaller so they don't stick out over the Love stamp's black borders.
Peal off adhesive backing on Love sticker and apply the scrapbook paper letter making sure borders align (hardest part of this process).

Voila! You have a custom sticker!
I made two.

For the card I used Sassafras paper, lots of bits left over on my desk including some clothing pattern tissue paper, half a burlap flower, corrugated board and a handmade mini doily.

I stuck them onto the card using Modge Podge and used a couple of stitches here and there to attach the Love sticker in front. I wouldn't say this is the easiest way to make a card but it was incredibly fun and educational. Most importantly, I really love the final result.

The second project was a crazy character made with Kristi's Techie light bulb stamp design.

My post over at Some Odd Girl will discuss all the filters used here in a little more detail but
from the Hipstamatic app I used Inna's 1969 film to get that inner white border and the warm color tone.
I then opened the image up on Instagr.am and used the Lomo-fi filter to give it major contrast and
that cool black border.

Ain’t she PURTY? To make Luz I :

Resized her in photoshop so she took up most of an 8 by10 piece of watercolor paper and printed her right up.
Colored her using Reese Oil Pastel crayons and “blended” the color usingmy fingers as I am Copic disabled.
ALMOST ruined her by sticking yellow tissue papereverywhere for “texture”. Luckily Instamatic filters are wonderfully low rezand forgiving of mistakes- the texture is invisible in most pics.
Two wooden lollipop stems became her “legs” and out Luzwent on a bike ride.

Sometimes a girl CAN have too much fun.
Hipstamatic's Buckhorst H1 lens and Ina's 1969 film filters

"Luz" as I like to call her- went on several weekend bike rides with me and finally bit the bucket today when Lola mauled her during a particularly vulnerable moment. But you can see her adventures over at my post for Some Odd Girl. And yes I am aware that I've already plugged it 5 times- why haven't you gone to check it out yet?

BRAND NEW (to me)! Diptic lets you post several photos from any other camera app in your ipod
as well as Facebook or Flickr- no other app can do that right now so go get some of that action people!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle
Some Odd Girl

Well... I tried purple! Punky sketch Challenge

2011-10-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

Purple was my favorite color when I was 12.
I had a Victorian style high neck dress with lots of lace and beautiful pearl buttons down the front and a big bow at the back.
I proudly wore that dress to PS 141- deep in the crack-cocaine devastated South Bronx.
Let's please pause to imagine that people.
I wore that dress and beige square-heeled patent leather shoes. With pride.
Pause.
I'm lucky to be alive!

Time
Materials: Crate papers and borders, K and Company embossed words (Thanks Queen Kat!), Crafter's Workshop 6x6 honeycomb template, Mister Huey in Calico white, Tattered Angels Patina mist, Tim Holtz metal word, Bliss pin from Jo-Ann's, tiny beige alphas from Kaiser Craft, Golden Light molding paste (covered that right up- too messy!), Modge Podge, Canvas Corp mini clothing pin, Making Memories Velvet flower.

My brother, 2 sisters and I attended PS 141 because our Dad was the school psychologist there.
We never fit in.
Our parents weren't zombies and my Mom had a thing for dressing us up in a neighborhood where safety pins binding the cuff of your jeans (a la Michael Jackson in "Thriller") was OO lala!! Tres Chic.

Dad would regularly spit shine our faces- in front of everybody- using the corner of his shirt cuff.
What was he wiping away?
Our dignity.

I lost my love for purple. It's the color of Prince's rain but I avoided it anyway.

Till now!

This week's sketch by Marie.

This Punky Scraps challenge is based on a sketch but once I started using my Matte Medium and Molding paste I totally left the design and starting pulling everything out the scrap pile that was purple, beige or gold. I didn't really notice this at the time but the palette was set by the paper which has tiny dots running along the border.
Goes to show- Trust. Your. Hind-brain! (the lizard part that goes "Tzzz! Tzzz! Want COOKIE!" "Tzz! Want Cheese Cake- from Junior's- on 8th street not Brooklyn Bridge- that location sucks!"- at 1am)

Got those word sticks as part of a prize I won and thought,

"Hmm...I'll never use these- they're PURPLE! "

Guess what? I used them that night!!!! Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

Second time I try out the Crafter's Workshop Honeycomb template- need to go bolder!

Those 3 acrylic bubbles are the only "real" ones on this page.
The others are all digi created by hitting copy then paste in Photoshop.
If you have a cheap source for those lemme know!

Swing by and join us- Punky Scraps- Spoooooky Sketch!!! Challenge

I never lost my love for Twilight Purple.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Welcome to the Xoxo Blog Hop!

2011-10-12T14:30:00.000-04:00

Hiya!!!

True Xoxo is a great team- welcome to our blog hop!!
It was ALL I COULD DO to keep this under wraps for this long!
Lisa Murphy Watson (a wonderful scrapper if I may say so) threw the challenge down LOVELY!
My challenge? Channel master scrapper Ingvild Bolme. WOOOOHAA!
And here it is:

Wonder Wheel- New Year's Day 2011
MATERIALS: American Crafts white cardstock, Tattered Angeles Mermaid Glimmer Glam and Patina Mist, buttons fro m Basic Grey and My Mind's Eye, Chipboard from Dusty Attic, metal gear brads from Oriental Trading

This page is very different from what I normally do and I proved to myself that I can still rock the shabby chic/romantic vibe without getting overly prettified. Still, when I saw Lisa's challenge I WIGGED OUT.
Ingvild's design style is incredibly complex and uses lots of advanced technique.
Click here to check out her blog. But come back here ok? please? :)

Ingvild's a perfect choice for this challenge. She's got a very distinctive style that isn't easily imitated but can be used as a "jumping off point" for your own ideas and style.

First I made a list of themes I loved about her work.

White background paper- negative space
Turquoise paint- splatters and swishes
Transparencies and sewn details
Lots of texture with gesso, netting and edge distressing
Black and white photos with blown out highlights
Flowers, lace and other Prima products

I tried random swishes of a paint across the page but HATED IT!
I dabbed the page with the brush but hated that too.
Then, instead of throwing the page out, I stuck it to the wall and dabbed it more "confidently"with dripping paint- that's how I got that "tree" look.

My only problem with this photo is that it appears to be out of focus.

The photo looks fine in real life but when I take a picture of it WHAM!- no faces!

I then misted it with Tattered angels "Patina" and used my heat gun to dry it off- this lessened the warp I got from using Glimmer Glam.
The Dusty Attic gears were too thick to allow for direct to the page sewing so I referenced the effect by winding some floss around them.

The big blue rose actually started out pink but some misting and glimmer glamming whipped it into shape. I also tried to stay away from edge distressing which can get really ugly in the hands of the inexperienced.

Ingvild's stark white portraits are an inspiration but I decided to take it easy on myself. Rather than start a whole new shoot, I used images from the Polar Bear Club New Year's Dip my husband and I participated in January this year. He jumped in the freezing water and I got my boots wet trying to take photos- it was a truly fantabulous day.

So cozy in the 2 feet of snow...

Did you enjoy the hop? I sure hope so- thank you so much for joining us! Your next stop is back at Xoxo headquarters- thank you for commenting and following each blog- we really appreciate it and remember- it's the best way to win the grand prize- a True Xoxo Guest Designer spot!
But WAIT there's MORE!!!!!
I have a little give away of my own for new followers (and old ones as well- just leave a comment with your email or blog addy)

These lovely flowers are all yours- just swing back to this blog to find out
who won October 20th!

CLICK HERE for your next stop- the Xoxo home page!

My pant cuffs and feet were completely soaked here- so is the sacrifice I make for me "art".

MuChOs SmOoChEs!