Project Life with no kit and no clue

Hello everyone,

I have GREAT NEWS! 

I am returning to New York City- woo hooo!

The truth is that Dave and I embarked on a "business opportunity" with little planning or ideas on how to hustle in a new city. 

We thought our optimism and willingness to work hard would work it's magic- "The Secret" wise.

Nope!

It's been stressful and frankly I value my marriage and Lola's peace of mind too much to keep testing either one.

The going critique is that I gave up too early but this is a marathon- I need a water break.

Without getting into a protracted "woe is me" story (since, frankly, taking off with no real business plan was dumb)- I seriously can't  take the unpredictability of freelance work. 

I'm pretty impulsive but I've never been a fly by the seat of my pants, take big financial risks for possible gain in the future kind of person.

So I'm retreating to NYC to take advantage of free child care (thank goodness for grandmas! Hello? Major underestimated asset!)

I also plan to take some business and computer courses and get me up to speed ' cause being a Mom for 4 years has totally altered my skill set- lol!

Anyway I managed another Project Life page this week.

I printed a bunch of tiny photos at Walgreen's and wanted to use them before I left.

I'll be glad to return to my own desk and computer again- next time I won't leave without them!

Here are some close ups of the gesso covered Kraft paper inserts from Scrap FX.

Scrap FX has a variety of mini chipboard designs available for "micro scrapping"-feathers, apples and these teeny oak trees are my current favorites.

Why are these photos so blue? 

I shot these very last minute as the sun was setting. No amount of ipod app digital retouching is going to take that bluish tint away. 

I'll have to reshoot, but that's ok.

"Do overs" are my specialty.

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle

Using gesso and Scrap FX chipboard for Project Life

Happy Friday folks!

Today I want to share a page from my moribund Project Life album.

 I readily admit my album currently holds 16 pages- 8 from 2012.

Scrap FX  Triangle border stencil on the yellow washing tape, stripes flair
from A Flair For Buttons.

I love the idea of a daily crafty photo  journal entry. 

It's keeping up with the daily deadline and printing photos that's killing me.

Scrap FX kraft 3x4 pocket inserts, Art Nouveau set C and the punchinella from
 a Scrap FX mini apples chipboard set.

Especially now I don't have an actual computer just my trusty iTouch and the local Walgreen's 1 hour photo kiosk.

 The page in planning stage. I printed the photos at
Walgreens so they are way too dark and contrasty.
Scrap FX chipboard and pocket inserts make for a great looking page but all white backgrounds are in
Vogue so I jazzed this up with some gesso. 

The less I worry about PL rules and make pages when I feel like it, the better the final product.

No dates, no random life detail photos no one cares about, no expensive dedicated paper kits that I drool over but never use.

I focus on the daily emotional moments (believe me- there are many in all families) and my journaling.

I hope you have an adventurous weekend!

Seize the Saturday and Sunday!

Michelle

Stencil Girl Products typewriter stencil blog hop.

Hello!

I'm totally excited to be participating in this FAB blog hop for Stencil Girl Products!

Today we are featuring Nat Kalbach's typewriter design for Stencil Girl.

On the eye candy menu today:

Nat Kalbach

Martha Richardson

Maria McGuire

Corrine Gilman

Michelle Hernandez (you're here- woot!)

I hope you swing by all the participating blogs to see how each artist used Nat's fab stencil design.

LOVE the styling of this design! A+ Nat!

It wouldn't be a proper blog hop without a GIVE AWAY.

One lucky reader will win a typewriter stencil on Nat's blog.

You can increase your chances by leaving one comment on each participating blog.

Deadline is Tuesday August 20th.

Good luck!

Normally I'm a fairly traditional Mommy scrapbooker but every once in a while I'll bust out a mixed media project to keep things real. (Ha!)

I love the hand drawn styling of this stencil so I put together a fairly abstract canvas using papers from Cosmo Cricket's 2wenty Thr3e line. 

Materials: light molding paste on Nat's Stencil Girl Products typewriter stencil, gesso to adhere cut paper to the canvas and water color pencils to give the background some depth.

Believe it or not this took me all day. !!!!

I wanted to make something inspiring I could stare at when I'm having a off moment (which is all the time).

Questions swirled in my head.
Should I include a famous quote? 

Do I add a photo?
Do I go for lots of white space or fill this baby up?

Going abstract scares me because it's quite challenging to make the work relatable but I've always found the genre incredibly invigorating and thought provoking so I decided to put my inhibitions aside and see where this took me.

I also made a quick card with bits from my first attempt:

This is on it's way to you Nat! Thank you and congrats on this new venture. 

You've put a wonderful new tool into my paint stained hands!

This is the last stop on the hop.

I hope we gave you something to think about and admire.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing!

Michelle

What I learned: A travel themed mini book

Hello everyone!
I've been holding this project back for over 3 months but I decided it was time to share it and get your feedback.

I've made mini books before- my December Daily project from 2011 is an all time favorite of mine.
But this mini about our family road trip from New York to Salt Lake City was a challenge.

Here's a look:

I found you CAN spray Hambly transparencies!
Just let them dry out over night.
Materials: Hambly Screen print cover, Maya Road Tangerine mist, washi tape from Target,
American Crafts layered embellishments and Ormolu journaling spots.

I wanted try out two things with this new book:
1. A transparent Hambly Screenprints cover with a machine stitched spine
2. Border sewn and gessoed interior pages for an art journal look.

I used brittle vintage travel magazine pages for the inside of my book so
I covered most of them with gesso to guard against breaking.
The resulting pages are a joy to turn!  

The sewn spine became a challenge when I tried to run the finished pages through my sewing machine.
As I quickly found out, hand sewing a couple of stitches to keep the pages together BEFORE you run the whole thing through your machine is a very good idea- especially when working with slippery transparency material.

The mini quickly became an art journal project. Here I'm using a chipboard stencil from Retro Cafe Art.
 I also tried to make a confetti page with a glassine envelope but the resulting look was down right ugly so I ripped half the envelope off and just left one side. 

I made three false starts and punched holes all over the place before I got anything resembling a straight line.
Washi tape now covers the holes.
Unlike fabric, paper does not recover from a missed seam.

The gesso also provided plenty of journaling space for my travel memories. I really wish Hambly hadn't gone out of business- I love their products so much! A left over piece of their "Uncharted" design holds two of my favorite photos from our family vacation.

Stitching the gessoed page edges together made them sturdy and gave them the flexibility of fabric.
I no longer worried they would crumble apart and HUGE bonus- it feels great to touch and turn the pages.

Also, Hambly transparencies don't bend very well.
I used my Martha Stewart Score Board to make the spine but the material is so thick it resists permanent bending and doesn't close properly.
I used a piece of washi tape to hold the book shut this time but next time I plan to make a little fabric button hook for the closure.

Jenni Bowlin Studio kraft tags and Studio Calico car veneers-some of my favorite CHA summer 2012 items. The quote snippets from from a Glitz print from 2011- I wish I had gotten an extra sheet because the quotes are amazing.

Photographing the book was a dilemma as well. 

Since it doesn't lie flat I had to hold it while shooting.

Next time, I will use a knife to score a line on the transparency which should get it to lie flat for photos (and reading!)

The mini has very few actual embellishments. I used a pack of October Afternoon die cuts, Hambly camera rub-ons and  an arrow from A Flair for Buttons. The compass stencil on the right-hand page is from Prima. Stamps are from Studio Calico, Studio AE and Viva Last Vegas Stamps (which is awesome- check out their website)

Here is the back cover- I loved the texture from the stenciled gesso so much I left it mostly blank.

The Greek coffee cup was such a New York City corner deli thing!
It's not really available anymore so this stamp from Viva Las Vegas has major nostalgia factor.
The bubbles stencil from Studio Calico is AMAZING- I just reminded myself I wanted to try it again on another vintage paper project- the writing shows through the borders and looks really beautiful.

So what do you think?
Any tips?

Lots of tape used in this mini. Most of it came from Target and the Recollection's
brand sold in Michael's but I also used American Crafts Amy Tangerine tape and
Tim Holtz NYC subway tape (FAVE!!!!)

I'm very glad I pushed my technical limits with this project. 

I loved working with gesso even if I had to wait 48 hours for it to dry evenly.

And the final take away? Never be afraid to make mistakes while making what is essentially a "memory" project.

You can always go back and fix those mistakes.

Or you can decide- like I did- that the mistakes are part of your process.

The next book will be better but only because I took so many "risks" with this one.

Halloween cards made with Paper Source die cuts and stamps.
(Someone's been having fun at work!)

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Gauche Alchemy Goodness- color, pages, messy fun-ness

Once again I am struggling with lack of mojo.
Not because the ideas aren't there but because when I approach the table, my mind goes completely blank!
How could this be?

In bed? GENIUS IDEA! OMG can't wait to wake up tomorrow and get started!
In the park with Miss Lola? AWESOME motif and journaling ideas! Can't wait to get home and KICK PAPER BOOTY!
In the shower. woo hooo paper pattern combo to die for!!! Lemme just finish washing my hair...
While I'm walking. Oooo! PHOTO! PHOTO!!! layering technique madness!
IDEAS! Flow! Excitement!
Step up to the plate?
blankness
seas of white
tv static- brain ones

The secret to get over it (I've heard and have started putting into practice) is to work through it.
NO! Don't throw away that perfectly hideous piece!
Stop
Look at it.
Why did you feel the need to add that color?
Why did you choose that photo?
The papers or embellishments?
If you find your temples thrumming take a step back.
Ok walk away entirely and do something else for a while.
But try to come back, ok?
There is a reason for everything.
You may not find out why you made that first version of your project but you may dig up a kernel of something you can work on next time.
So here are 2 "first drafts" (which I really like)

Why is this a first draft?
 I love the color and that I used a photo that was printed on the wrong side of the paper by mistake (hence the title) but the design is lacking (or frankly, non-existent). I thought I should paint a window in the Hambly transparency but soon realized I would have to use a craft knife to make a blank space for the photo but my hand cutting skills are severely lacking so I chickened out. Next time I'll take this to the next level and cut that window out.

A page using the Gauche Alchemy Monstrous Mutant Robots from Outer Space Kit and some blue punchinella.
This is up over at the Gauche blog today. I've used washi tape on both these pages to make random lines- I love that design element. I also love triangles and arrows so they go in. This is actually a SECOND draft. The first one was too strange looking. Here I ignored the crowded print and decided to just flow with the robots and add as much color to the page as I could. There is a more effective design solution for this- I haven't found it yet.

WHOA! Now that I see the pages together I see I've scrap lifted myself! That happens a lot lately- I really need to start making sketches in advance.
Also? LOVING the strips of circles or arrows!! Will be doing that more!
See? Already winning!

And you?
What are some mojo kick starters or pages you think are "almost there"?
Leave a comment!
 I can swing by and help you out (or most likely- leave raving love all over your blog)

Street poster- so cool!!!

Thanks for spending time here!
Michelle