ARTastic Blog Guestie! YAY!

She Tried- ARTastic Challenge Blog July Guest Designer
Materials- Core-dinations Jeni Bowling collection, GCD Studios Brave Soul paper,  Glitz  Love games floral (fussy cut flowers), Maya Road heart pins, roses from dollars store, velvet posies from Making Memories

Upper floral cluster with fussy cut details

Hello everyone! Hope you had a great 4th of July. We stayed home as the fireworks can be easily seen from our fire escape even if they are on the West side on Manhattan- again. Why doesn't Macy's alternate Manhattan island sides?? Whatever- nothing would induce me to join the crowds at the bay this year. I love me a fireworks party but the train ride home is HECTIC.

Used a hand die cut from K & Co as a template and some clear
 film to make this "glove". I didn't use the die cut because it's pink and felt- the
 transparency also allowed the paper to show through.

I know you are all busy so here's a quick post with some fun news- I'm guest designing for ARTastic Challenge blog out of Australia this month. Yay! ARTastic uses paintings as the jump off point for scrapbook pages and the projects for this month are AMAZING (as is always the case).

This page is me talking to myself- sometimes you just gotta
keep on keeping on.

Please check them out and join the fun. ARTastic Challenges.

Fun 4th of July window display.

MuChOs SmoOcHeS!
Michelle

Tape Deck challenge

OOOOOOOPS! The time difference is still messing with me! This Punky Challenge was due- thank goodness for my friends at Punky Scraps or this would be late.

U2 Speaks

MATERIALS- GCD Studios paper, Maya Road Mini Tags, SEI heart die cuts,  Girl's Studio tablet alphas, Basic Grey woodgrain alphas, DCWV houndstooth paper (strips),  Studio G mini alpha stamps

Since I got the deadline completely wrong I had 1 hour to execute this page and shoot it. To complicate things my computer has decided that it will no longer use iPhoto. I no longer have easy access to my photos or an easy way to upload shoots I just completed. This page is scanned and since I used micro brads there is some fuzzyness- I think that makes it Punky. ??? Yes please feel free to click your tongue at me.

The Studio G stamps are great but barely legible- here are the songs I'm highlighting: Smile (rare & unreleased track), Elevation, Beautiful Day, Kite and Pride. U2 is awesome but I don't have any photos so I just went ahead with a photoless layout.

Here is the inspiration photo:

Punky Scraps Challenge 19

Here is a detail of a window display I recently stumbled upon- it's made from Light Bright (that fabulous 80's toy) and it's 6 feet tall. Awesome right?

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Stay positive!

Major changes coming for the Martinez finances and I just have to adjust and strap on my Super Momma boots. You know what I mean 'cause you have the same pair in your closet. Dave and I are trying not to panic because as my sister pointed out- we always seem to land on our feet.
So this week it's all about staying positive and being kind and extending a hand to those who need help-you never know when you'll join their ranks.

Cuca's Happy Mail Post Card
Materials: DCWV Fun In The Sun Adhesive Mat stack, Me and My Big Ideas
Debee Inspire chipboard album kit (butterfly), Crate Paper Emma's Shoppe alphas and
Martha Stewart multi butterfly punch.
Butterfly stitching idea credit to SASHA FARINA. Check out her original here

On that note.... Lola is just doing so many cute things lately! Yesterday I was telling Dave that Miss Thing's diaper looked like it was going to hit the floor with a SPLAT! Lola then lifts up her dress, takes a look at the diaper and walks over with this look on her face like- please DO something about it!

Sweet Survivor- Lola's First Week
Materials: Elle's Studio Handmade Layers Note Tags and penants (blank), GCD Studio No Worries collection burlap print paper, Sassafras Lass flower stickers, Martha Stewart scallop punch, Bazzill Kraft paper, UniBall white gel pen

That's my GIRL! I love that little chick!

Lola's having a hard time lately because she has so many things she wants to say but doesn't have the words- so she does a lot of pointing and babbling and she's VERY insistent. She stops complete strangers on the street to show them the squirrel she just spotted.  She gets very agitated if you don't stop and say something like YES I SEE the squirrel/dog/ flower/plastic bag flying through the air! I SEE it! There it IS! COOL!

It's getting where I sound like a Sesame Street character- I get looks but only from the clueless- Moms and Dads know where I'm coming from.

Lola's lesson- feel the wonder inspired by the little things- it's the little things that spin the world.

Seriously this is my favorite spot in NYC- I keep shooting it and it never gets old.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Welcome Punky Scrappers!!!!

Hello!
Materials: GCD Studios fabric print paper, Cosmo Cricket velvet scallop ribbon, Crate Paper alphas and words, Elle's Studio date strip, Hambly Studios woodgrain washi tape, Studio Calico paper strips and doily scallop rub on,  American Crafts Hello Sunshine kraft paper, Glitz Design woodgrain alphas,  blue circles tape from Micheal's.

It's the Punky Scraps blog hop- woo hoo! You probably came from Amanda Jones' blog- welcome! If you are wondering what's going on please feel free to hop on over to Punky Scraps and get ready to have some FUN!

BLOG HOP PERMALINK

What, exactly, does "Punky Style" mean for me? It means I stop concentrating on pre-printed paper/embellishments and start exploring acrylic paint and other more free form mixed media tools and techniques. It means I could make a page where I show some attitude and get away from the Mommy track for a while. It also means I use dark or neutral colors and moody prints if I want. Mostly, it's very liberating and great for moments of lost mojo.

Here is the sketch we used for Challenge 18:

I love how deceptively simple this is! I had a lot of fun with it. Now you go and try it!

Here is a card based on this sketch:

Just Because card

I would never mist a card or use white pen all over it- it's too "messy". Here I gave myself permission to do both and I love the result! I gotta say though- that Studio Calico Piglet Mister Huey is uncomfortably red- I may need to tone it down with some cream for the next try.

Here is a thank you note I sent along to a winner of one of my give-aways. I put this together in 4 minutes using only the scraps I had on my table from another project and I really like how it came off:

I FINALLY use some of my acrylic paint!
It goes really well with those Jillybean Soup corrugated pieces and K & Co die cut details.

Now go on and get hopping!  You'll love everything you see here:

Tamara www.mumto2angels.blogspot.com/ 

I leave you with my traditional parting shot:

My kid- the amateur model.

Follow me- if you like what you see!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Finished

Finished!
Materials: GCD Melody Ross Artsy Urban flocked butterfly paper, American Crafts grid stamp. Martha Stewart doily, and multi hydrangea punches,  Sassafras Lass Amplify paper (ticket),  Smooch spritz in Tin Foil, Fiskars star and cloud punches.

I put this page together in January using the GCD Studios Melody Ross Artsy Urban paper pad. It was supposed to be about me but I kept trying to add things to it so it morphed into a project about that very perplexing artist's dilemma- when do you know you are finished? I often struggle with that concept and as you can see here, here aaaand here-  I often keep adding things till the page is way too crowded.
So my challenge for the next couple of days is this- simple minimalist pages.
This should be fun!

Oh summer.. how I MISS YOU!!!!!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!!
M.

Artsy Urban- GCD Studios

Been having a blast playing around with the 12x12 pad of GCD Studios Artsy Urban paper by Melody Ross. The small floral patterns and flocked pages are fantastic. I love the color too- lots of bright red, blue and yellow combined with black and white- very graphically interesting and sophisticated.
Here are 2 new pages using both their large and small 6x6 pads. I wish I had found some of their gorgeous embellishments but Michael's in NYC is always suffering from the store is half empty syndrome.
First up:

Rise
Materials: GD Studios Artsy Urban paper, pad 12x12 and 6x6, Sew Easy stitch tool, Pop dots, Uni ball pen

These phrases are from on of the papers in the pad!

Spent a whole day freeing butterflies from their page. I turned one over and I realized I loved the yellow print underneath just as much.

That project is about failure and I'm talking to myself. I talk to myself in a lot of pages- here I'm saying don't take it to heart- time to rise up.

Here is the second page:

Artsy Urban Chic
Materials: GCD Artsy Urban Paper by Melody Ross, Studio Calico wood veneer alphas, Maya Road bingo motifs, pop dots, couple of fortune cookie fortunes.

This one was harder to put together. I couldn't decide how to organize the paper into a fluid backdrop. Now I realize I should have made the backdrop out of squares stitched together like a quilt. I think I'm going to redo this page.

And finally- a cute shot taken with my new iTouch Hipstamatic- love this gadget!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
M.