Scraplift challenge! 1 hour "lucky" scrapbook page

Hello there!
I've decided to move my scrapbook "hot topics" post to sundays.
I suspect most of my readers don't want wordy posts on wednesdays.
If you feel otherwise please feel free to leave a comment!

Today I want to share a 1 hour project I made for the True Xoxo Scrapbook Challenge Blog.
I've been scrapping with these gals since the group formed in 2010.
I stick around because group leader, Lindsay, comes up with THE BEST challenge ideas!

Here's my page:

Materials: Studio Calico "Darling Dear" paper, Glitz filmstrip transparency (which comes with those
awesome mini windows! LOVE!), Heidi Swapp Teal mist, Sassafras Lass woodgrain alphas
and red alphas from Joann's. Teal tape from Target.

Xoxo has two scrap lift challenges a month.
The way it works is you swing by and pick a page to lift. Then link the page up.
Simple!
The winner of each month gets a GDT spot on the team which is nice since we get to chat.

The only family photo in front of a fantastic sunburst mural that is gone now.
Dave and Lola were complaining mightily so
all I got was this one photo. I find Lola co-operates with smiles more if she
sees what is happening in the camera- which makes sense, actually.

The March mid-month challenge theme was "lucky" in honor of Saint Patrick's Day.

By PURE luck, I picked out a paper that had a teal title on it and some washi tape to match.
The scanner turned the teal green and I decided that was also a good thing.

The film strip comes from the AWESOME Glitz Design "Color Me Happy" collection which is one of my favorites this year.

What's this? Swing by the A Flair For Buttons Blog and read all about it!
(Please and thank you!)

Swing by True Xoxo and join the challenge.

Thanks for swinging by!
Michelle

HOT TOPIC Wednesday! Scraplifting. Also? FUN SCRAPPY NEWS

Hello dear readers!
Thank you for swinging by today!

I'm going to give picture headings another try. This is my try at "hot topic"- the hearts are red.
Yeah I know.  I had to try!

Hot Topic will now be my wednesday post theme.

I love to talk and have opinions about everything.
Rather than shying away from this personality quirk (disorder) I have decided to embrace it.
Please feel free to tell me I'm fulla beans.
I like feisty people who tell it like it is.

This week I want to talk about (mini drum roll) scrap lifting.
"Hardly a hot topic!" You declare.
Well how about this- I think scraplifting is awesome.

Why Scraplifting ROCKS

• All beginners start by imitating the work of other artists. Even Pablo Picasso. Even Rembrandt. If they can do it, so can you! Nothing separates one creative pursuit from another except intention. 
• Scraplifting allows you to make pages you like from the word go.
• Scraplifting teaches you about good design practices.
• Scraplifting gives you a way to share with artists / crafters you admire. This last part is key.

I don't own a crafting business, sell classes or design products (YET- ha!) so my viewpoint might change when I have a financial stake on this issue.

But Not Always- Lifting isn't stealing

There's a difference between imitating an admired project and posting your version in your personal blog/gallery and selling someone else's technique, original pattern design or tutorial as your own.

I cry foul on that. 

What if someone copied a project of mine right down to the same paper and title and posted it with no credit?

Personally, I'd be glad someone noticed my work and I'd leave comments to encourage that person to keep going. 

Give people the benefit of the doubt! It's FREE- like politeness or smiling.

Maybe they forgot the source of inspiration. 

Maybe they have no clue that giving credit is a cool thing to do- that's not "common sense".

I didn't do it when I first started out!

But really- does it matter?

I posted this page a few weeks back but I'm putting it up again because it
was lifted by Mia of MyCreativeLife.blogspot.com. Mia's page is coming up next. 

You are FULL of ideas! Your brain = Mary Poppins' carpet bag!

I know I have MANY more original ideas in my brain pan.
"Copy cats" (ie: people of excellent taste) can catch up but they can never pull ahead- they have to wait for my next move after all.
But what if they DO pull ahead?
What if "they" get published? Get the DT spot I wanted?
Or spark up a rad new product deal with fill-in-the-blank scrap company?
Then they are doing something right!
Watch them and learn. They aren't merely copying.

Scraplifting gives you a way to share with artists / crafters you admire but haven't met yet.

Sharing is good.

Share the credit- give shout outs to people- even the "big" scrap personalities like to hear that their readers are paying attention.

Don't just say "Love this!" 

Tell them why or how it reminds you of a particular story you'd like to share.

Make the page and change things up a bit-

improvise and leave a link on their blog comments section.

Call them out on Twitter.

"Share" their links on Facebook.

Before long you'll have a mutual appreciation going.

And THAT is what scrapping "public" should be all about!

Mia's version uses her favorite colors- bright pink and soft blue.  I suspected she would like my page when I posted it because it looks a lot like HER work. Check out her blog My Creative Life.  See what's happening?
We feed off each other- this is a GOOD THING.
It's why scrapbooking and blogging about it works so well-
you grow as  crafter and you see how your work influences others.

Speaking of which, I have a couple of shout outs to share:

Special HIYA! and Thank You! to Ashley Oliver AKA Soaphousemama of PurpleMailbox.

Soapy has my back and I love her for that! 

Also? She's freaking amazing. Swing by her blog and check it out!

I also want to thank Margrethe Aas Johnsen of OneLifeDocumented

Margrethe's work over at Scrapbook.com got me to stop trying to imitate the Prima design team and start making original work.

If you want a lesson in disciplined and modern scrapbooking swing by her blog.

All the opportunities that have landed on my plate lately are due to friends who read this blog.

THAT'S why you leave love, give credit, stay positive and be true to you.

It comes back.

Times five.

DOH! Before I forget!!!    BREAKING NEWS!

I participated in this week's Paper Clipping Roundtable, a free scrapbook podcast available through iTunes.

I was FLABBERGASTED when I heard they wanted to talk to me.

Me? Random chick with a blog that isn't connected anywhere else?

COOOL!

Fellow guests Tracy Banks and Lain Ehmann blew my mind with their poise and great ideas.

Hosts Noell Hyman and husband Izzy are so genuine and funny! 

They made me feel welcome and valued- I talked like a mad woman as usual but they handled it.

Swing by and check that out- better yet- subscribe! 

It's free and it's fun to hear people talk about scrapping once a week.

http://www.paperclipping.com/prt-150-crackers-in-their-soup

MuChOs SmOoChEs- the paper kind!
Michelle

The Houndstooth Challenge! A True Xoxo Girls post

Hello!

Today's post will be super duper quick because I have to go get a root canal!
YAYYY!
Isn't that GREAT?
Just add that to the house re-organizing, flu epidemic and Lola's pre-school applications!
This week is STRESSING ME OUT.

Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts!
The challenge over at True Xoxo is- drum roll please- HOUNDSTOOTH.
I've never really gotten into that pattern.
I like it but I haven't gone out of my way to buy it.
Luckily Hambly came to my rescue (again)
How could Hambly go out of business??
HAPPY PLACE!

Swing on by and PLEASE join the fun!
We need more players- more readers- more comments!
I'd love to see your face!

SOOOO I will BRIBE YOU.

GIVE AWAY GIVEAWAY GIVE AWAY!!!

1. Join the challenge by entering any houndstooth page you happen to have posted on your blog. 
2. LEAVE LOVE FOR THE TEAM there.
3. Swing back here and leave a comment letting me know you did so.

I will award one lucky reader some awesome stash from the many items currently getting new homes.

I will pick things from your favorite color and brand to make sure you are happy.
Sound cool?
AWESOME!

What? You've been trying to reach me for to hours? SILLY!
You know I can't hear my phone! It's under a ton of crap in the very bottom of my bag!
If you want me to notice you Instagram me. See? You got a call back!

SMOOCHES!
Michelle

True Xoxo and If It's Groovy BLOG HOP!

HIYA folks!!!

Today's post is dedicated to the If It's Groovy and True Xoxo Girls Challenge crossover blog hop!
WHEEEEE!

Here is the blog hop order:

Representing January we have: Wendy & Christa

Representing February we have: Michelle & Michelle H - You are here. HIYA!!!

Representing March we have: Wendy & Miae

Representing April we have: Heather & Jaclyn

Representing May we have: Lindsey & Deborah

Representing June we have: Brenda & Khristen

Representing July we have: Jean & Tess

Representing August we have: Rochelle  & Faye

Representing September we have: Kelly & Tiffany

Representing October we have: Kelly & Alaina

Representing November we have: Heather & Kimmy

Representing December we have: Deborah & Queen Kat

And the purpose of this hop is to make a page giving meaning to a particular month of the year.

My chosen month is February.

Materials: Basic Grey Fact or Fiction paper and embellishments, October Afternoon 9 to 5 stickers,
Studio Calico fabric rips and vellum arrows from Twine + Ink at Two Peas in a Bucket.
Yellow paint from Kaisercraft and mist from Studio Calico

I... dislike... February.
February means early evenings and long cold nights.
There are no benefits to cold weather no matter what poet Nikki Giovanni tells you.
Cozy doesn't cut it!
But February also means lots of red in the stores (thank you otherwise meaningless holiday Valentine's Day!)
AND it's my birthday.
For those reasons alone, I tolerate February.

So happy to have some vellum arrows! Now I get to indulge my
need to layer them all over my pages. My camera is in the shop so I'll be
scanning all my projects from a few months. I removed the chipboard from behind the
Basic grey "Fiction" butterfly so it flattened out completely.

This year I am a proud 39 year old woman.
I don't worry about being old or about the smile lines sprouting around my mouth and brow.
39 is a chance to start fresh and have some experience under my belt.

Not exactly deep journaling but it's my mantra for the month of February. 

For this page I wanted to use a color not usually associated with winter- yellow.
It's my favorite color and how I keep myself from FREAKING OUT over the weather.
I put bring cheery colors all over my pages- pretend I don't mind being stuck inside for three months and soon it's SPRING and I sigh in relief.

Thanks for joining in today- you next stop in the blog hop is:

Wendy - http://disneydarling07.blogspot.com/

Xoxo!
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

It's OCTOBER!!!!!! Time for a totally non traditional, totaly awesome True Xoxo Girls Challenge!

Hello scrap happy people!
It's October 1st.
I hope you have your kid's costumes ready.
Stores are only stocking the minimum holiday items this year due to the economy so it's either buy full price OR make it yourself.
Guess which one I chose?
YUP!
I'm buying one.
I can see myself happily making a costume.
I also see myself sitting in a Caribbean beach sipping an obscenely large frozen Margarita and reading a book.
Both are pure fantasy.
So off to the store I go.
Lola wants to be a T-Rex or a "ceratops".
I need to find a costume that says "I'm a T-REX!!!" but not "I'm a BOY!"

This month the True Xoxo chicks have quite a challenge set out for you.
Scrap your Halloween photos.
DO NOT use the traditional colors of orange and black.
I would add that you should try to restrain yourself from using up all your spider/monster/pumpkin/haunted house stash on the page as well.

I was SO EXCITED- S.O.  E.X.C.I.T.E.D- to be using my stash I forgot all about the actual challenge of it all so I made two pages.
Here's the first:

One of my ALL TIME favorite collections EVER- American Crafts Nightfall- orange, black and sky BLUE! LOVE it! Plus the alphas and black chalkboard stickers are so amazing! I some Martha Stewart paper stashed since 2009, Uni-ball white gel pen, orange vellum  and some Studio Calico veneer banners; I was good to go.

Also- A Flair For Buttons Vintage Halloween buttons- awesome!

Here's the one you'll see posted.
SO different from what I usually make but really I was just glad to stop over thinking and just use paper in this thing- sometimes breaking out the paint just makes me all jittery.

I finally uses the My Mind's Eye paper I bought a while ago- who can resist that Polaroid frame print? Alpha tiles, mini brads apple sticker from from American Crafts. Prima leaves and Diamond Stickles (my favorite kind).

My Mind's Eye gorgeous chipboard. LOVE diagonal stripes mixed up!

Amy Tangerine roller date stamp has the cutest saying.
Perfect for the tiny banners in this print.
I used grey chalk ink pad from Paper Source.

True Xoxo wants to see how you handle the challenge.
Swing by, leave some comment love and link up your project.
I can't wait to see what you made!

Michelle

An unusual items challenge- True Xoxo Girls Scrapbook Challenge Blog

Hello!
Today I want to share a crazy experiment for True Xoxo Girls- a backlit vellum page
AND some fun news!

I was asked to Guest Design for Die Scrapperin Magazine again for the month of November.
You can click on the link above to get a 6 page preview of the issue.
I'm really excited!!!

Fellow Scrap FX DT teamie Erin Blegen will also be guest designing.
It can be hard to find copies of the magazine here in the States but I really think a subscription is a good idea.

DS is one of the best publishers of art/mixed media style scrapbooking around.
The regular DT is amazing and the work produced is incredibly innovative and vibrant.

Ok so here is my page for True Xoxo Girls.

To shoot this very simple backlit page, I used double sided tape to mount the page onto a window facing the sun. I then set my flash to the "backlight" setting. Using flash was a pain because the plastic school binder dividers I cut up to make the banners kept bouncing light back but I finally got a version with only a few hotspots.
Guess what? I still had to photoshop the Instax to make it brighter. It now looks like a mini television (yikes!). 

This month we had to use items not traditionally intended for scrap booking.

MATERIALS:The sunbursts are from a great 6x6 Artist Cellar stencil. Sticker from My
Mind's Eye, rain dots from Cloud 9 design (found on sale at Joann's), American Crafts Slick Writer pen,
a Me and My Big Ideas doodle print from years ago and a brad from Girl's Paperie. 

Some of my favorite interpretations of this month's challenge?
Washers covered in twine and twist ties used as embellishments on a page.
Swing by and check it out- TRUE XOXO GIRLS CHALLENGE BLOG
I promise you'll be inspired!

Late afternoons in August- there is nothing better.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

A challenge of Olympic Proportions! True Xoxo Girls Scrapbooking

Hello!
If you're here for the Punky Scraps Blog hop please scroll to the post right under this one!
Or swing by http://www.njmacs.blogspot.com/2012/07/punky-punky-back.html for a chance to get on the team for 2012-13!

The True Xoxo Girls Olympic challenge is here!
Perhaps you would like to use the colors of the Olympic flag in your layout.
Or maybe you'd like to make a heritage page about a sports event your family was inspired by.
The possibilities are endless!
Swing by the True Xoxo blog and pick a page to scraplift.
You can also vote for your favorite page from the June and July entries.

Here's my page for the August challenge:

Materials: A Flair For Buttons arrow pin, Studio Calico paper, Crate Paper border, Fiskars Jenni Bowlin
ribbon punch, American Crafts glitter Thickers, American Crafts "Alex" Delights, Pebbles flag, Fiskars
corner rounder, gold gel pen from Sakura, gold mini brads from American Crafts and Mister Huey Gold mist.

That's my sister Melissa.
She's a pro boxer.
She changes weight divisions once in a while but mostly she's a Bantam weight fighter (and now a world title belt holder- WOOT!).

I rarely talk to Melissa about "the boxing thing".
It REALLY bothers me that she risks permanent injury every time she does her job but she loves what she's doing and she's good at it so I've learned to keep my reservations to myself.

I kept the page simple to focus on the spectacular photos (that I DID NOT TAKE-  I promise to track the name down of this photographer- he did a fantastic job)

I used my favorite Studio Calico print, cut some 1/2 inch strips from a Crate print for the border and tried to use Diamond Stickles on vellum.
The water-based Stickles glue crinkled the vellum but I liked the wonky effect so I kept it in.

A whole bunch of fun new flair pin sets are up over at the
A Flair For Buttons Etsy page!

Now you!
Join the Xoxo crew and show us your Olympics inspired page!
Swing by to check out the other DT work- lots of great pages this month (as always!)
True Xoxo Girls Challenge Blog.

OH! Before I forget!

3 pages of mine are in this issue! German Art Scrap Magazine
http://www.diescrapperin.de An online preview will be coming your way soon!

I have a page in the August issue if Scrapbook Trends as well.
I would show it to ya but I need to go to Joann's to pick up a copy!

Have a scrappy day mi gente!
Michelle

No time! NO time! A True Xoxo Girls 1 hour scrap CHALLENGE!

It's SUMMER TIIIIME!
Free concerts in the park!
The pools are open!
The beach (and the latest tawdry best seller) are calling!
You have football matches, the US Open- the OLYMPICS to watch!
Who has time to scrap?

We do! We do!
True Xoxo has the challenge for you!
You have one full hour to make a page.

Here's mine:

I took 1 hour and 17 minutes to finish this page. I blame the Studio Calico stars- the package always manages to walk away while I am mid design. I had no plan and luckily I won the "Take Note" collection in Echo Park's last blog hop so all I had to decide was WHERE to put all this stuff? My only regret? That I put in that journaling card- it distracts from the design. The photo and sticker speak for themselves.

Close Ups:

A Flair for Buttons Here & Now flair pack.

I hear the the SC veneer stars are incredibly hard to come by?
 I got mine on pre-order from Stop and Scrap and it took them 4 months to send them over.
I'm currently waiting for the summer release- let's just say I'm on pins and needles.

Go on- steal away for an hour and join the challenge. You have until July 31st!

TRUE XOXO GIRLS 

Challenge 31- I don't have time for this!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
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

Vellum confetti- A paper crush (and a True Scrap Challenge)

Hello there!
Today I am sharing my latest inspiration page for True Xoxo Girls July Challenge.
The prompt for June is Scrap Your Closet!
I know- BANANAS!
But totally fun!

Here's my page:

Scrap FX June challenge- Scrap Your closet
Materials: Sassafras Lass paper and stickers, Gauche Alchemy doily washi tape, Scrap FX "Adorable" wordlett,
A Flair For Buttons "Believe" button, Viva Decor pearl pen, American Crafts Dear Lizzy mini doiles,
Ek Success bird punch, Martha Stewart heart confetti punch, brads from Basic Grey

So what does "scrap your closet" mean to you?
Some ideas the True Scrapbooking DT came up with:

• choose the most frequent colors in your wardrobe for your page
• make your closet layout into a sketch (GENIUS!)
• cheat (like I did) and scrap about your TODDLER'S closet since yours is full of grey and black duds.

Here is a fuzzy Instagram of Miss Lola's closet:

It's all about the turquoise, magenta and yellow this year.
I wish this was MY wardrobe!

Some project detail shots:

Vellum confetti! I added water droplets and bling to give it a bit of sparkle.  I layered
2 punches for each bird and bent the wings up for first layer of each so that they
cast a shadow. 

Scrap FX Adorable wordlet 2012126.
I used a Viva Decor pearl pen in Ice White to give the title that pearl finish.
I LOVE this product! I've had a couple of these pens for a while now but I haven't used them- MISTAKE!
They dry incredibly fast (beating Stickles glitter glue by miles), add perfectly formed pearls to your paper projects
(check it out here) and the color is great for covering darker colored alterables like chipboard.

Swing by the challenge and give it a try! It's FUN!
The challenge closes July 31st so you have plenty of time to shop for more clothes (ha!- we all know it's PAPER you spend your cash on!))

Parting shot!

My Mom went to Pennsylvania and all I got was this LUSCIOUS collection
of vintage buttons!!! THANKS MOOOOM!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle