Photo Inspiration Post

Hello there!
Happy wednesday!
All my current projects are awaiting publication in other blogs so I thought I would share some photos I've been saving for "inspiration".

I'm pretty whimsical in my scrapbooking.
Not in style but as in I tend to scrap what I feel like now- this very second.
I don't do it to record particular memories or moments- that's what my photos are for.
Most of the time I'm trying to capture a specific emotion or design idea and many of my pages are literally scrap for scrap's sake.
Sometimes this method works.
Many times it doesn't.

I'm also currently working on an organizing and scheduling system so I can "create" in a more consistent fashion and get those theme pages in because I think most people scrap for the joy of it but also to keep birthdays, anniversaries and vacations alive in their photo albums.

So here are some photos I find inspiring.
I took these but that's not why I like them- it's the subject matter that makes me sit up and take notice.

For color, layering and texture ideas.

For texture and doodling ideas

For rethinking the pie chart motiff (all rights reserved to it's designer )

For color blocking and page design ideas

String art! From a book! So trying this in my next page! 

For kinetic energy and message

For color and design 

Modern fussy cutting idea- Old Navy Tshirt

For message

Most of what I like about these photos is the cropping- the information that's included and the hints at what is left out.
I feel like I need to play with more of that in my work.
Also- I think it's time to get a new camera- shooting with an iTouch is getting OLD.

Lola at 13 months! Always an inspiration.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Playing with photos! And a GAUCHE ALCHEMY DT CALL!

Perhaps you were expecting a Project Life Monday post?
OMG it's been 2 weeks! I'm SO overwhelmed with it right now!
I promise to have something ready this week!
I'm also low on new images so this weekend I got to work.
I took a walk and some photos.

Michelle K, whom I met through Instagram,
suggested the photo writing app- Phonto. I'm in looove!

Then I sat down and looked through all the photos and chose this one to share. (yay!)

Someone really doesn't like Valentine's Day....

Then I went online and looked at too many pin boards and found this website:

This was made using the website: http://strix.org.uk/stencil/

Then I answered emails, read Facebook updates and LoLed many times.
Then at 1am I got to work on my actual project.

Sneaky peek!
More to come on this neon inspired project!

It's 1am or NEVER because from 7am to around 9pm Miss THANG demands food, Daddy hugs, entertainment, food, juice, park, bubble bath and MORE Daddy hugs.
I do not get the spontaneous hugs.
Mostly because there are at least 4 Tom Cruise sofa jumping sessions I put an end to before brains meet wall.
It's a hard knock life. :)

But that is NOT what I wanted to talk about today!
Do you want a chance to sport THIS badge in your bloggity blog?

Then swing by Gauche Alchemy and get the full monty of becoming a blog writer, videographer or newsletter editor.
Gauche Alchemy is an awesome mixed media online store with monthly kits sure to inspire your work into funky new heights.
Are you wonky, irreverent, artsy and/or just plain coo coo for cocoa puffs?
Then you should consider working with us.
We're not the "cool" kids.
We're the weirdos sitting in the back with Santo Gold playing softly as we host staring contests and discuss how the meaning of life is 6.
But you KNEW that!
What are you waiting for? APPLY! APPLY!

GRATUITOUS TODDLER SHOT!!!!

What became of the 36 ounce box of Cheerios
Mom left on the kitchen table.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

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

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!

Thank god it's... saturday?

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

80's child

I was born in 1974 so really I'm a 70's child. I have many cherished memories of those early years but it was the crazed era of the 80's that really influenced me. I wanted to use some images I took while visiting the meat packing district in Manhattan last year.  On this particular day, ads for an art show were plastered on the walls and Madonna's face was EVERYWHERE. I simply went MAD with photos. I'm in LOVE with this page.

Written on the side are all the things I remember from the 80's Yuppy prep, E.T., Sea Wees Dolls, Atari, Pac Man, Menudo, New Edition, Prince and those black rubber bracelets I wore by the armful. I tried to attach one to the page but it didn't make visual sense.

 Since my parents had us watch the news, I remember lots of current events- Ryan White and AIDS, The Space Shuttle Explosion, Baby Jessica and Mary Lou Retton. Then there are things specific to growing up in the South Bronx: Graffiti on subway cars, using rubber bands and safety pins to make the bottom of your jeans "skinny", artist Keith Haring, pervasive use of crack cocaine (NOT BY US), Electric Bugaloo, Soul Train, Grand Master Flash and break dancing which STARTED in the South Bronx and spread everywhere.

My parents were VERY good at shielding us from the drug scene but it was so pervasive in the Bronx we would regularly see hundreds of empty crack vials spread out on our school playground floor. They glittered in the morning light. Their tops came in red, white, yellow, blue, purple, light blue an I remember wondering if each was a different flavor! My brother, 2 sisters and I were so naive we would pick them up and collect them. Then our Mom found our cache and FREAKED OUT. David has a similar story about growing up in Brooklyn with the SAME freak out coming from his grandmother. And in Brooklyn, boys would fold up the hem on the jeans to make them skinny.

Here are a couple of detail shots. But really, I just liked how the photos looked.

I just love how GEOMETRIC this design came out. The photos dictated everything. Those walls are now totally different- maybe I'll go shoot them again.



For this layout I used Bazill kraft paper, a bingo card, blue circle tape from the August Kreatorville Kraft Kit, strips are from a New York City street map and some AMAZING Autumn Leaves letter stamps which you can check out here. Oh and Smooch spritz in Midnight and Silver Foil. Alphas are from American Crafts and I got them on Artfire.com.

This was so fun I'll probably be doing some more layouts on "wall art" Williamsburg has so many amazing graffiti walls! I wish I had taken photos of the subway trains and Keith Haring murals we used to see all over the place when I was growing up. I had a Kodak Disc camera and used to shoot all the family events- yes even at 12 years old. Holy canoli!!! I can't believe I forgot to include that in the page!!!! I LOVED my Kodak Disc camera!!!

Let me put an end to this trip down memory lane- Miss Lola needs her Mommy...

Muchos SmOoChEs!!
M.