February already?!! A quick and experimental Flair Button scrapbook page

Hello!

Today I squeezed in some fun time with my Flair Buttons in between freaking out over my failing "organizing" efforts and taking care of Lola who is going bananas with cabin fever.

Here's the page:

This is a photo of the hubster and I in 2005. Look at my awesome short hair! I think I'm gonna do that again!
Materials: A Flair For Buttons PhotoBooth and Smash Phrases flair badges, Stencil1.com "Brooklyn" stencil, stamp from Cocoa Daisy, papers from Crate, American Crafts and Basic Grey.

This was for the A Flair For Buttons Blog hop next week- or rather it's my "first draft".
I was recently watching a bunch of videos from Nat Kalbach's "Creative Jump Start" and some of the techniques really caught my eye.
Namely scratching on photos and using stencils.

I have so many stencils but I hate how paint gets under the stencil and messes the design up most of the time so I tend to avoid them.
The great thing about the Creative Jump Start series is that it pushes you beyond your limits and preconceptions- you go from hating a mistake to figuring out how to make it lemonade.
The series is over now but the videos are still up so sign up and watch as many as you have time for- it's all free.

I gave myself permission to play and I'm so glad I did- elements from this page will make the final page for the hop.
I hope you tune in- the Flair For Buttons team is about as diverse as it gets- from clean and simple to cute and colorful to messy and experimental (me).

Ana Dabrowska or Finnabair made a fantastic Jump Start video about distressing emulsion printed photos.
(Emulsion prints are what we used to get before everyone went digital and started printing laser prints.
I can't STAND when I give my photos to Walgreen's and get back prints that look crappier
than what I print at home!) Here I used a needle to scratch the photo.

Have a GREAT friday (and Super Bowl Weekend)!!!

I'm going out with my best buds from high school tonight.
We are all turning 39/40 this year at around the same time so February is gonna be ROCKIN'!!!
Tomorrow I get to teach 9 years olds how to use stamps and heat embossing on their valentine's day cards.
Pray for me.
Large groups of giggly girls and tools that go up to 500 degrees don't really mix but I'm bringing my eagle Mommy eye- I'm READY!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Thankful for family- A Flair For Buttons Post

Hello there!

I feel like I've fallen into the rabbit hole.
Today is the first day in over two months where I have nothing planned.

Lola is with me- we are going shopping for winter sneakers and having lots of Mommy and me moments.

Before I'm off on my adventure I just want to wish you a happy, drama free Thanksgiving.

Here is my most recent page for A Flair For Buttons:

 The red stripe paper is from Sodalicious, The fussy cut roses from Paper Trunk, the index card from Lily Bee and the flair buttons from A Flair For Buttons. The silver doily is from a pack I got at Michael's.

My gratitudes list:

1. I am grateful for having a husband who is very much in love with his crazy wife. I often play the lottery but I know lightning doesn't strike twice. My luck came in the form of one David Martinez.

2. I am grateful for Miss Lola who is happy and healthy and freakishly intelligent- pretty soon she'll be teaching me to multiply and divide fractions which is why I had a child in the first place.
(just kidding! not really)

3. I am thankful for my Mom who is awesome and my mother in law Reina who can cook up a storm. Also I am thankful for my brothers Guarionex, Daniel, Roberto, Luis and Christian (who just got engaged to Lisa!!! WOOOT!) and my sisters Leticia, Melissa and Sandra and my nieces and nephews Noemi, Emily, Natalie, Kaine and Marcus.

4. I am thankful for you my blog readers- for sticking with me through all my drama this year- sorry I don't post more- I wish I could dictate posts while on the subway.

I think that photo of Dave and Lola dancing down the street is one of my favorite images ever- too bad it's a low rez iPod photo.

Here are some detail shots:

I tried out my American Crafts DYI Thickers with loose silver glitter.
I will not be using them again- they stuck to everything except the page.
It's easier to use Stickles on regular Thickers instead.

I'm LOVING Heidi Swapp's Color Shine mists!
The tiny stars are also from Michael's.

The A Flair For Buttons blog is full of great ideas from the DT- swing by and check it out.

Have a happy, healthy and peaceful Thanksgiving!
Michelle