In a New York State of Mind

I'm on a mad dash to do all the things I meant to do but never got around to.
All the things I would have done if I had seized days in New York City more often.

The Empire State Building steps that never got climbed,
the friends I rarely visited,
the walks I never took or the restaurants I never tried.

MATERIALS: A Flair For Buttons Brooklyn Bridge photo pin,
Crane's grey cardstock, alphabets from Jillibean Soup, October Afternoon and American Crafts.
Basic Grey wood veneer shapes, Webster's Pages yellow tape, Amy Tangerine yellow embroidery floss,
stripes washi from Red Lead online, Maya Road heart straight pin, My Mind's eye enamel dots, Studio Calico
felt bow, Colorbok craft stickers. Star stickers and vellum tag from American Crafts.

Now I desperately want to do it all and every day has more meaning.
Didn't I learn this lesson in school?
And again at all my previous places of employment?
The last day usually led to the most interesting and meaningful conversations.
It's not death, mayhem or disease- not remotely.
But it's a defeat realizing I didn't do what I wanted to do for a fear of failure.
Even worst?
Knowing I didn't start the custom items business or learn to sew like I always said I would because I got so busy doing other things.
Easier things.
Smaller things.
Details.
Routine.

I forgot to pursue the big things- the things that require planning- the things that lead to the higher rewards.
I put off taking risks, traveling, taking classes I knew I would love.
I told myself I had more time.

Materials: (Project Life Insert) Scrap FX love chipboard title
K and Co journaling pad paper, Crate paper vellum.
Enamel dots My Mind's Eye, Studio Calico wood heart.

I'm taking the time now.
I may be sad but that is a lesson too.
Take the risks- hop, jump, skip into the void.
Make room for plans and make the concerted effort to strive towards them.
Happen to things- don't let things happen.

I can be happy anywhere if I just remember those three simple things.

Have a great rest of the week.
Michelle

Where in the world has Michelle been? Fun news!! Also? Shooting scrapbook pages in the dark of NYC apartments

HALLO HALLO!

I've been working on a big project and it required lots of my brain power just to keep calm.

What's the big news?

Tomorrow I will be featured over at Shimelle.com!!
WOOOOT!

My post will be called:

 5 ways to finish chipboard by Michelle Hernandez (or something in that vein.)

When I got a peamail from Shimelle three weeks ago I was completely gobsmacked (lol!- sister who lives in the UK- can you tell?).

I have ZERO idea who's looking at my work half the time so when ANYONE contacts me I'm all
"Wait... You sure you mean Michelle Hernandez?"

I suspect I have a very enthusiastic suporter out there- thank you!

While perusing Shimelle's blog I spotted a favorite scrapper of mine.

Please check out Ashley Oliver's (SoaphouseMama) Shimelle.com post:

5 ways other than journaling to incorporate pen work in your scrapbooking by Ashli Oliver.

I've never really talked about how I shoot my projects.

If you read regularly you know I live in what most people would call a closet- a square space about 400 square feet.

There are windows here but they face another building- this is New York- Apartment sunlight is for the rich and famous.

How do I usually shoot my photos?

This is very rare. I tend to shoot my projects in the fire escape because people WILL stare
when they see me hanging scrapbook pages up on waterfront concrete. I wanted a pretty city
scene for my Shimelle feature which required I shoot horizontal oriented staged project photos.
I love staging my projects but staging requires SUNLIGHT. I had to go outside-
and it was windy- so I dropped my original plan to shoot on an easel and went with this instead.

I was looking through my photos when I spotted this, the only photo where you see the
scrapbook page before the wind blew the easel down.
I credit ZipDry for keeping everything in place even as the page fell off the table 30 times.
Needless to say shooting 5 projects when they insist on FLIGHT is not optimal conditions for sanity.

Wait! I DID blog about this before!
Here is a card I shot in my fire escape (the ominous bars) using Crate Paper as a "floor"
since the fire escape bottom is also bars.
Major problem with this? You can TOTALLY have your project blown into the river from here.
I usually shoot everything in a box.

Have a great weekend.Nationa Scrapbooking Day is coming up!

Also? MOTHER'S DAY!
SO gonna SCORE (at Joann's)!!!!

Michelle

Heart on my sleeve- a Scrap FX page for Die Scrapperin Magazine

Hi there!

I made this page for the August 2012 issue of German art scrap magazine, Die Scrapperin.

I got creative with the  "graffiti" theme because attempts to make actual graffiti on a page failed miserably- an inability to draft letters and draw are some of the reasons I got into scrapbooking after all.

I'm really drawn to artists who add hand-made lettering and paint to their pages so I decided to cheat a little on my first try.

Here is the result:

I wish I had access to that concrete background more often- it's a bench in out favorite restaurant.
I used Scrap FX chicken wire and a Flair For Buttons triangle and Project Life badges on this page.
The clear letter stickers are from Cosmo Cricket- I love them!

For this page I tried out color dipping which was a trend at the time- not sure if people are still dipping their table and chair legs into gold or neon paint but I really liked the look.

The photos are of some stenciled posters which were everywhere in my neighborhood last summer.
Most of the empty lots where I live have now disappeared- walls that used to display colorful posters and graffiti are gone.

I'm sure most people welcome the change.
Most of what went up was scrawled names and badly rendered drawings of naked women anyway.
But occasionally something went up that made me stop and stare like I was in a museum.
I'll miss those moments.
The spotless and impersonal building lobbies that have replaced the walls have no art or style at all.

One of the last empty walls in my neighborhood.
Good thing? Maybe
I tend to think life is more fun with some color in it.

A friend posted this on her facebook the other day.
It really made me stop and think.
I berate my abilities and worry about my "next step" too much.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Scrapbooking Graduations and New York City

Today I want to share some scrapbook pages I made for a client here in New York City who wanted to surprise his girlfriend.

More on that story later!

I really enjoyed making this book.

Not only was I going to tackle a whole book at once (until now I usually worked on individual pages) but I also had to make themed pages about graduation and prom- subjects I haven't scrapped before.

The actual design work was easy!
What I found difficult was trying to interpret the needs of my client into something that would please not only him but the person the book would eventually belong to, his girlfriend.

Finding colors and titles for pages were the hardest. I wanted to stick to a clean color palette that would please both men and women and I very much wanted to stay away from overly sentimental titles.

Here are two pages from the book:

Many of the photos had specific themes and were easy to group into cohesive story pages but photos for "New York Living" were by necessity, quite random in subject. I was worried this would be difficult to scrap till I realized the client knew where these were all taken and didn't need me to spell things out. I added a few journaling spots to write in particulars and got out his way. Then I thought- isn't that how our memories work anyway? We don't remember every single detail of the night we went to dinner but snippets from one memory lead to others. I used a LOT of Ormolu products on this book- their small size and modern design were perfect for pages with lots of photos. The flair badges are from a Flair For Buttons (which can be found on Etsy or 2 Peas In A Bucket).

For this page I cut into a sun-ray print from Studio Calico and added a polka dot background paper with a more subtle print. I used some of the fantastic ephemera my client has saved over the years- these were tickets from his commencement from George Washington University. I was very impressed with the variety of stuff he had saved- I wish my husband and I had the forethought to save bits and bobs from the beginning of our relationship 13 years ago!

Overall a fantastic client and experience.

I am now available to work on other projects. so if you are looking for help with your project or even for friendly advice on how to get started please don't hesitate to drop me a line.

My email: hernandm1@yahoo.com

Have a great wednesday everyone!
Michelle

Scrapbook Basics- Movie ticket and Broadway show stub page

Hello!
I've been furiously working on my first client based scrapbook so I've been even MORE invisible and distracted than usual.
This is my first continuous scrapbook project- ever.

What?
It's true.
I scrap.
I usually make 8 to 10 pages a month (which isn't much considering I'm on 4 design teams).
None of my personal pages ever make it into an actual scrapbook.
They go into a memory box or on several easels I have around the apartment.
So this project was a true challenge and very exciting.

Some facts:

• My client has been saving all sorts of bits and bobs since high school. 9 years ago.
• My client handed over a folder with over 50 movie ticket and Broadway show stubs dating back to 2005.
• I have free rein over what will go in the design of the book as long as I don't go completely theoretical (you KNOW what my "theoretical" pages look like. This guideline was necessary.)

Not sure why this photo is out of focus- the file on my desktop is completely crystal clear. A reshoot is obviously in order.  For this page, I used a tape runners to mount the tickets onto an Amy Tangerine paper from the Ready Set, Go line and used a thin washi tape to define the borders. I think the black color is too strong. What do you think?

I turn in the completed assignment today and I really hope it is well received.
I am extremely nervous- what if my eclectic style doesn't fit the client's vision?
I didn't design a series of two pagers so no pages in the book "match".
There is no "page flow"- I wanted the book to look like something which took a very long time to make- years.

Isn't that photo the cutest thing EVER? They are SO HAPPY!
Ormolu tags bring s little more focus to the photo.
 I had to print it very small because of it's low resolution.

What I avoided:

• Paint, drips, gesso and 3D flowers. (If I got the look wrong it would be a disaster)
• Anything that would pop off of the page.
• Using a bazillion products- I stuck to a "kit" to economize and to make things easier since I had 15 pages to make in 3 weeks (in addition to my regular assignments- no pressure!)

My experience:
The "kit" took the longest!!! The hardest part of the job by far.
The first page took 2 days.
I freaked out over "What would my client do?" and second guessed everything down to the choice of glue. GLUE!!!!!
It was a dark couple of days.
Keeping my young and urban client in mind, I used lots of bright pops of color and white space.
I snuck in some hearts, paper doilies and fussy cut flowers- you can't leave ALL romance out the book!!!
This was an amazing experience.
At one point (since I had no personal memories to get in the way) I was meditating on the beauty of family, love and tradition and all KINDS of ideas started to percolate.
Scrapping as yoga- believe it!

Gratuitous Lola SHOT!

Little miss is BRAVE. Here she is climbing rocks in Central Park.
I didn't take this photo. I am INCAPABLE of taking this photo.
 I would never let the kid get near that rock. Thanks Dave.

Fingers crossed.
Michelle

Grateful, mindful and ready. A True Xoxo Girls Challenge

It's the first of November.
Happy Day of The Dead for those of you honoring loved ones who have passed.
I am honoring my Grandmother, Guillermina Martinez Hernandez, who passed last year.
A post on that later this week.

My day will be spent figuring out how to get to my daughter in the Bronx whom I haven't seen in 5 days due to bridge and tunnel closings during Hurricane Sandy.

We fared well through a historic storm and even though the recovery will be long, things could have been much worst.
I was reminded more than once than once this week, that scrapbooking is first and foremost a way to tell your family history.

Here's my take on the November True Xoxo Girls Facebook Time Line Sketch

For the True Xoxo Girls November Challenge: Facebook timeline sketch. Please swing by and join the fun.
Materials: American Crafts Ready, Set Go papers, Doll Thickers , Hambly circle transparency, Basic Grey alphas, My Mind's Eye journaling stickers and Maya Road star pin.

Doesn't this look like a killer challenge? I think you should try it!

We watched the water creeping our way and wondered if we would need to take in our neighbors on the first floor.

Things got really scary when the electric plant across the river exploded and lit everything up in eerie shades of blue. 

Then the whole east side of Manhattan went black. Only the Empire State Building still shone.

Sunday Mayor Bloomberg issued a mandatory evacuation order for everyone in Zone A.  We sent Lola to Grandma T's but decided to stay. A closer look at the flood zone map revealed that our building is actually in "Zone C"- but Zone A is literally across the street. The water never came close but all our escape routes were cut off- bridges and tunnels were all closed due to flooding. This was only a category 1 storm. Next time we will ALL leave.

Just some of my thoughts.

The water receded and when morning came, our neighborhood was fine.

Thank you Mom Teresa and Mom Reyna for being so AMAZING during the storm- you two are the  parenting examples I know.

Thank you Dave for being strong and smart when I was freaking out. 

Thank you New York City. 

We will get through this and the next one too.

Day of the storm we visited the pier. The water was already on level with
the board walk. Never seen anything like it. 

Feeling grateful, thankful and blessed,
Michelle

This New York City Area Scrapbook crafter wants to capture your personal stories and memories

Hello!

I recently realized that New York City may be in need of a creative and enterprising paper crafter/ scrapbooker to help capture and illustrate it's many weddings, birthdays and other special events.

I can help!

What I can do:

• Help conceptualize and organize photos and memorabilia into a cohesive story.
• Design modern and colorful scrapbooks, photo montages or shadow boxes that fit your personal style.
• Create single pages or whole books to fit a specific need such as a birthday, anniversary, wedding or other special occasion.
• Create paper based gifts or keepsakes that will be cherished by you and your family.

Why have I decided to offer my services?

When I talk about my hobby (obsession!) to others here in New York City, I hear that they would like to do the same but don't have the time or "the creativity" to do so. 

I believe everyone has the creativity and "the eye" to make their own scrapbooks or pages but even I must admit it's intimidating and overwhelming to get started. 

Then I realized I could blend my past experience as a photo editor and current paper crafts hobby to help you stage and preserve your personal stories.

It was literally my AHA! moment and it made me really happy and grateful, because it's joining two things I do well into one.

Some samples of my work:

Travel and Adventure

Family life and every day moments 

Sports and Entertainment

Engagements, Proms and Bar /Bat Mitzvahs 

Family portrait displays for home or office

Weddings and other special events

Fun cards for any occasion

Family or holiday themed mini photo books

Shadow boxes and birth announcements

Please feel free to contact me at hernandm1@yahoo.com.

I'm ready to help and would love to make some real world scrappy friends to meet up with as well!

Have a great weekend!

Michelle

Views from the Renegade Craft Fair- 2012

Hello! Wow Wednesday! I'll have to get better at writing my posts ahead of time because this was supposed to be my Monday morning post- oops! Still adjusting to my new life/work/art schedule so I just have a project sneak and some photos of the Renegade Craft Fair.

No kittens! No 5 socks for the price of 1 packs! No sweet floral prints or hand painted flower pots!
This is a craft fair for those who like neon, typography and ironic t-shirts. LOVE IT!

A was most awesome event. Not a cheesy project in sight.

One thing I noticed right away is that the vendors seemed a little... underwhelmed by the crowd?
I personally went 3 times on sunday and I saw a lot of people looking but few actually buying.
I think many of the price points where high even for NYC.
That may have been an issue for the usually broke Brooklyn Hipster crowd.
I'd like to think it's because "we" spend our money on sky high rent but every day I pass crowded bars selling 10 dollar pints of "craft beer" so lets be real.
Most Brooklyn Hipsters have other priorities.

This pair had me pulling out my wallet- $275 for him $250 for her so I had to leave them at
their stall- so very sorry nonetheless.
The Art & Craft of Mimi Kirchner

This was one of my favorite stalls. I really wish I had just sprung for something.
This Chicago based artisan made beautifully rendered NYC photos transfered onto wood blocks.

blandonconner.com

One thing I gladly paid up for was the chance to work my own silk screen machine to make my very first ironic t-shirt.

HA! Thanks Gowanusprintlab.com! I even signed up for a class. (woo hoo!)
I've wanted to make my own Brooklyn themed pillows for years!

The weather was gorgeous but the sun was so bright it felt great to be inside the
booth messing with paint. I am positively hooked!!!

Here are a couple other things we did that day:

Free photo booth (from Magnolia photobooth Co.) I guess you can rent these for parties?
 They had a super friendly attendant, lots of fun props you could use and great color photos.
One thing we needed was a flash. Since the day was so sunny the flash was disabled and
we had no idea when the camera was taking the photos.

Peebeo was there with lots of paint, Ed Roth Stencils (LOVE!) and ceramic squares
 for you to make your own wall decoration.
Mine broke on the concrete floor- and I can't even blame Ms.Lola for it. (waaaah!!!)

So I didn't get the name of this artist- those are hand cut modern paper lace designs making up a map of Brooklyn. TOO FABULOUS!! I didn't do anything but DROOL after her gorgeous creations.

I stopped taking photos- I just felt so BAD for the vendors!
I don't think Williamsburg, Brooklyn is a good place for this type of event right now.
A lot of the people here are young and struggling through the economic downturn.
Or maybe everyone just needed more time to learn the fair was being held inside the park?
I wanted to run and buy something from each stall- not a healthy mindset for someone so broke.

This page is coming up over at True Xoxo Girls in July!

A sneak of the July True Xoxo Girls challenge- we had 1 hour to make a page.
I took exactly 1 hour and 14 minutes (I lost my SC mini stars halfway through the process)
Can you saw AWKWARD pose???
 I blame the lack of a flash to let me know when the last photo is taken and the next one is up.
(yeah ok Michelle)

A parting shot:

Love you BK! MUAH!!!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Art House Co-Op- join the fun!

In March art House Co-Op based here in Brooklyn put a call out for flat, non-glitter using, 4 by 6 postcards to be exchanged.

At first I had a real hard time with the "flat" part. I tend to use depth as a way to add visual interest to my layouts so this was a hurdle indeed. Then I became fixated on glitter just because they told me not to use it- how dare they? Mostly they just hate how it gets everywhere.

Then I got stuck on the whole "art" versus "craft" internal debate. I wanted to create something that was abstract and try some new techniques. I will admit I was worried my postcard would underwhelm the more experienced image makers that usually participate in Co-Op projects.

But the best way to learn and grow is to fall flat on your face,
so:

Materials: water color paper, Punchinella from Gauche Alchemy, yellow tissue paper, Tim Holtz newsprint tissue paper and Tiny Attacher, word stencil from Retro Art Cafe, alpha stamps from Image Tree, camera from Echo Park This and That, Ek Success Smash tape, flying bird punch from EK Success, Recollections feather 

This was such a freeing experience I will be trying it again in April!
I've joined the Chronicle challenge which requires you fit a visual representation of an entire day into a 4 by 6 card- cross my fingers!

Off it went literally at the last possible moment.

This is my favorite one from the bunch.

This is the one I sent off. I hope whoever gets it, likes it!

 GRATUITOUS BABY PHOTO!!!!!

Our Easter weekend concentrated on the hubster's final exams but Lola did
manage to find this one easter egg. She was ecstatic.

MuChos SmOoChEs!

Punky Scraps Challenge 1,2,3,4,5

Eeeeeyy- How you doin'?
For this Punky Challenge I knew I wanted to do 3 things:
1, Use my Studio Calico filmstrip stamp- LOVES it!
2. Feature my Brooklyn bridges pix (There's 4 featured here, some are detail shots)
3. Start early (Failed)

Materials: Bazill cardstock, Making Memories metal rim heart, Tiny attacher, Top Boss Watermark ink pad,
Blue Jeans Zing embossing Powder, K and Co Smash tape and sticky note

The challenge for this week is to use
5 photos
4 alphas (All Sassafras sticks)
3 print papers (Ripped page from the black Smash book and a couple of Studio Calico prints)
2 colors of mist (Tattered Angels Patina and Emerald)
1 stamp- SC filmstrip FAVE STAMP EVER!
You also have to incorporate blue into the layout.

So this was a fast page but took all week for me to figure out how I wanted it laid out. I think the design could be more cohesive. Perhaps the film strip needed to be on the other side with the words running down the side.  I'll probably redo this page. I'm still trying to get a handle on misting and dripping- here I did those first and they dictated where all the other elements would go.

Ok so hop on over to Punky Scraps and give the challenge a try. The pages by my fellow teamies are AMAZING and put this little number to shame but there's always next week.

Chinese Scholars Garden- Staten Island

MuChOS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

2 for Tuesday!

Now that I'm finally done with the holiday theme I feel free as a bird. Looking at the 4 pieces together I see improvement with each piece. In my desperation I was pulling major paper maromas- (stunts).
Now I just have to think about Christmas cards. Home made or store bought? It's late but I could send out "3 King's Day" cards to insert some Latin Flava on this mo fo. Ahem... Told ya I was feeling FREE.

Anyway I titled this post 2 for tuesday because I managed to put together 2 pages! 

I know, right??!!!

I'm also keeping a third page under wraps for a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT on wednesday the 15th so please tune in then.

Here's today's First page:

Street Art, Meatpacking District- NYC. 10/10/10

This is for this week's challenge over at the studio Calico blog. SC is my new FAVE brand. I just love their hipster vibe- it's so Willieburg, BK! I saw this "distressed" poster on a wall on our way to Highline Park and I took a million shots. It just screams Feminine Mystique. Someone call Betty Friedan! We have her re-release cover! The SC challenge called for 1 or 2 elements not including card stock. Did I cheat by using 2 photos? Didn't want to mess things up with some pseudo feminist tripe (my writing)- let the art speak for itself I say!

Second page:

Brooklyn Bagel under the Brooklyn Bridge- We got MAD BROOKLYN, YO!

Materials used: Basic Grey- Basics Tally paper, Smooch spritz- red, Tattered Angels Mist- Suede, Sassafrass Lass alphas, Large Hessian print buttons from The Chip Chop Shop, bagel die cut from PapaDesign, Maya Road clear doily, and a cut up Shop Williamsburg post card. 

Making this page was SO MUCH FUN!!!! Taking Lola for her first trip to DUMBO was just as awesome- we can't wait for summer!! There's an amazing new playground there AND a bike path that takes you past lower Manhattan, past The Statue of Liberty and into Red Hook where you can shop Ikea and eat authentic Pupusas at Red Hook Park. I can't say this enough- I MISS SUMMER!!!!

Mash up! 80's  Olivia Newton John
and Christmas Elf.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!!

M.