Oh happy day!!!

I am sick as a dog and a pathetic mess. I have NEVER been the type of woman who can put her big girl pants on when she's got the flu. This time I called Momma T so she could pick up Lola and take her away for a couple of hours while I slept.

Why? The damage:

• 2 chewed on "Portrait" collection flowers 
• 2 Maya Road resin flowers I will now have to search for in her pamper (UCK!) Not to use- to make sure she passes them

That is my life right now. So for every Mom who can roll her sleeves up, cook, clean and keep the multiple children from wrecking house while she's sick- you are my hero- you ROCK! When I grow up I wanna be just like you.

I got a nice little piece of news yesterday in the middle of my snotty drama- my Earth Day project has been featured over at 2 Peas. Here's the link: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/464560-hernandm1/1729627-a-greener-world/

This was based on a beautiful Studio Calico sketch so I can't call it original but I'm glad it's getting some attention because it's a message I care very deeply about- doing little things to help reduce your carbon footprint.

I also want to show you an EXPERIMENT. This page will make no sense because it mixes really grungy dark techniques with bright and sunny photos but I'm planning a card project that needs practice so I whipped this up:

MATERIALS: Colorbok grid paper, Hambly Studio clear border stickers, Cosmo Cricket
Paul Bunyan alphas with  Glossy Accents
Flowers- Martha Stewart Clear Camelia stamps, StazOn in Blazing Red and Cherry Pink,
ColorBox chalk ink in Yellow Citrus, American Crafts Zing! in black and clear, Maya Road leaf pins

Weird right? Please give me your honest feedback- I am NOT the chick who asks if she looks fat in these jeans and expects a no. I want to know if I look like a hippo in heat if that's what's real. :)

Zing TIPS:
1. Double stamping to get the black zing border then the clear zing on the inside is not a good idea- overheating (or double heating) Zing! makes it turn white so be careful.
2. Heating the Zing! powder from UNDER the paper is better- got that from the AC post on youtube and went DUH! Of course!!!
3. ColorBox chalk ink takes a little time to dry up so it's perfect for embossing- I would have never know if I hadn't made a mistake while stamping.
But ya'll know this already! You are all embossing divas making this world spin while I just live in it. :)

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Earth Day 2011

Materials: Studio Calico Stamps, Basic Grey gas rub-on and recycle stamp. Maya Road
Sun chipboard, Ki Memories calendar page, My Mind's Eye woodgrain paper,
American Crafts Zing- mustard, apricot, aqua, white and grapefruit and alphas

When I first started scrapping I promised myself I would make a project for Earth Day every year. It's a newish holiday so it tends to get ignored. This year I waited too long so I had to check my ambition and simply make a page.

4/17/11 Studio Calico Sketch Challenge

I want to take a moment think about those who've been hurt or made homeless due to environmental or weather related events in the last few months. Perhaps it's time to stop the politics and start the creative solutions- our children need it and we will have a cleaner world for it. Hmmmm, I bet even our economy would  improve if we could devote more time to new technology and leave those old and dangerous energy ideas behind.

I used my new Rollagraph city stamp from Scarlet
Lime but you can barely tell because I  also
combined Aqua Zing with a light green
polka dot paper- looks great in real life but
doesn't photograph too well.

I had a lot of fun using my new heat gun and American Crafts Zing. I don't have the technique down and think the bubbling is due to my heating the dust too quickly but I don't care- it was exciting to try something new. Feel free to leave a comment on how you get that perfectly smooth zing  texture!

Journaling close up- as usual I ran out of space...

As I put this page together, I ruminated on the irony of using non-recycled paper, solvent glue and Ozone depleting foam pop dots on it. I meant to make this year's page all "green" but at this point I have so much stuff in my stash I would rather just use it and keep the lights off for the whole day- it's one of those little bargains I made with my paper  addiction...

I am so proud of that silly mini paper bag-
it's just a piece of  paper shopping bag folded over.

Pop dots- so awesome but made from fluoro carbons- Ozone killers... waaah!

Transportation and energy- 2 big green dilemmas.
I just realized I didn't include eat less meat or buying local produce.
Going veggie at least a few times a week would help tons-
plus it trims the waistline-
that's what we are trying here in the Martinez house!

Am I willing to change the way I scrap to be more in line with my "green" ideals? So far the answer is "Trying but it's too tempting to shop non green with all the pretty pretty paper out there".
But there's a silver lining- the industry itself is taking notice and trying green products... Cosmo Cricket has some really beautiful "green"ish papers... And I guess I could always go digital... But then this blog wouldn't be "My Analog Life" would it?

This photo is WAY literal but how else to represent why going green is important to me?
That's Lola's Easter Hat from last year-
she was a HUGE hit at the 2010 NYC Easter Hat Parade.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle