A simple page for Scrap FX

Hello and happy Labor Day folks!

The last couple of weeks I've been trawling galleries looking for inspiration.

I felt my pages were starting to get a little repetitive.

I came across CFlattop's gallery over at scrapbook.com and was incredibly inspired.
I  love how she reduces details to the essential and how she uses flashes of color to focus attention on her photos.

I decided to stop trying to make technique fireworks happen and start focusing on editing again.

Here is the resulting page:

Please excuse the grease stain. I laid the page down on the table after
I was done only to find half a peanut underneath.

Foiled in my quest for perfection yet again!

I used Scrap FX Fern Flourish and mini wings chipboard.

I also used Home 2 and Big Words flair from A Flair For Buttons.

The card stock is from American Crafts and the stencil from

Stencil1. The feathers were cut from an Echo Park print.

It's funny what we sacrifice in search of "progress".

My definition of forward motion doesn't include material things.

It's time with my family, being a Mom. 

Have a great day off!!!

Michelle

What I learned this week- Scrap FX orchid stencil MADNESS

Hallo folks!
This week I was all about the procrastinating!
Delayed the cooking.
Delayed the cleaning.
Delayed the scrapping.
Everything on my to do lists got put on hold!
Why?
I'm tired and "thoughtful" bloggin is HARD yo!

This post alone? 2 hours!
Between the writing, the copy editing and the photo uploading- blogging is time consuming.
Not complaining- just saying- content= life hours= expensive.
Life hours- the most valuable thing we rent.

New header! Better? I'll have to go hunting for "learning" photos.

This post almost didn't get written.
But I made a promise to myself I would learn and put the learning into action this year- not just coast by on scrappy shopping binges.
(More on THAT this wednesday for the Hot Topic post)

Last week I used the Scrap FX engineering stencil and got some funky effects using chalk and Tattered Angels Gold mist.

This was the FABULOUS background result:

Why not try it again? This time with this gorgeous flower stencil?

Scrap FX orchid stencil item #2013031

I didn't take photos of my experiment this week. Why?
I forgot!
Mostly because this page happened over a couple of days- I was experimenting with different kinds of white ink.

What I learned:

1. I don't like Heidy Swapp Color Magic resist paper. Too unpredictable. I have a whole pack so I will give it another try but so far? IXNAY.
2. Check and DOUBLE check your paper strips before you sew them down- invariably they are crooked. Invariably when you think you are fixing one, it's the other that's wonky.
3. People REALLY like all white pages. Like as in LOVE- as in you can throw up all your white items on the page and STILL get 50 likes from your IG followers on it. I'll never understand that- color is so wonderful.
4. Prima Attic Dust chalk ink is awesome. AWESOME.
5. Most white acrylic ink will not show on misted paper. I should write up a whole POST on all the white ink I've tried to use. I JUST realized my white paint markers are OIL based DOH!!! That may explain why they don't work over acrylic. Back to the drawing board I go.
6. I ruined several .2 Micron pens by using them over mist paint backgrounds. 3 dollar pens! So obviously there needs to be more investigation into that. Back to Dina Wakely's Art Journal Freedom I go.

Sorry this week's post is wack.
I promise to take photos for next week's post.

Yellow and purple- not a bad color combo...
maybe I'll try to "rescue" this page as well.
Those Crafter's Workshop cameras will have to get the boot though.

Hope you have a GREAT week!
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

Budgeting time to get the most from the day- A Scrap FX page

Happy wednesday folks!

This is my latest page for Scrap FX and it's currently up on their blog.

Materials: scrap FX dart board setand Sieze The Day wordlett, Echo Parl woodgrain paper, Crate instaframe paper (FAVE!), EK Success triangle punch (awesome!) puffy star ribbon from a Studio Calico kit.

I had two hours to finish this page.
It's how I work these days and my design style has changed because of it.

I'm using two great pieces of advice to get  handle on what's important and what can wait:
Both come from blog comments.

From SoaphouseMama- discuss with your spouse what three household tasks are most important and make sure those get done.
For me the top three household tasks are:
-washing the dishes
-fixing dinner (and making enough so there's left overs for next day's lunch)
-making sure Lola's toys aren't all over the floor ready to trip and kill any of us.
But really- the house can look like a crack den as long as the dishes are done.

Dave claims he doesn't have three things.
I really wish he would just pick three things.
I think Dave is avoiding having to DO said three things.

The second comes from Jenn - limit your task list to 5 items a day.
Sage advice.
Naturally I find a way to over think it:
Is combing Lola's hair a "task"? She screams and fights and runs around making it so.
Plus I have to do it twice a day- does that mean it's TWO items on my list?
Which is why you see so many shots of Lola with a hat on.
Lola Hat = Mama sanity

When I got the dart set I was all- what the heck will I do with these???
Wish I had another pack!!! Dart Board set model# 2012268

Here was my list for yesterday:

• 1. Return new rug to TJ Maxx as it had a HUGE hole (the rug was rolled up to hide the hole)
• 2. Take Lola to the park (nixed due to rain- took Lola to the supermarket- sorry kid!)
• 3. Supermarket 
• 4. Call medical insurance and find out why Lola was kicked off (she wasn't).
• 4a. Call doctor and discuss why they have insurance info from 2010.
• 4b. Fax new documents to doctor (ei- find a store that still HAS a fax machine and pay for said faxing.)
• 5. Wash dishes. (don't EVEN ask)
• 6. Cook (ditto)
• 7. Punky Scraps page
• 8. Redo flair buttons pages for possible magazine submission (this took all my scrap time)
• 9. Give Lola bath and put her to bed (this is important since I work past 10pm now and don't get to do it as much as I would like) Also clean Lola's teeth and comb her hair- or as I like to call it- chasing Lola.
• 10. Write blog post (nixed- doing so now at 11am)

Lists help you seize the day OR the fill you with dread and anxiety- you decide!
Seize the day wordlett model# 2012123

How do I even tackle things like clean scrap space, find 8 standing hours shoes and do something about new iTouch that doesn't work with 8 year old Mac? (first world problem!!)

OH! And WHEN will I send the care packages that I've had sitting under my scrap desk since MAY.
(insert small scared scream here)

So that's my life right now- I'm SURE it's yours as well.

Fall Hamlet. SO. NOT. POSED! I wanted a smile.
I got this. (Awesome!!)

Smooches!
Michelle

An unusual items challenge- True Xoxo Girls Scrapbook Challenge Blog

Hello!
Today I want to share a crazy experiment for True Xoxo Girls- a backlit vellum page
AND some fun news!

I was asked to Guest Design for Die Scrapperin Magazine again for the month of November.
You can click on the link above to get a 6 page preview of the issue.
I'm really excited!!!

Fellow Scrap FX DT teamie Erin Blegen will also be guest designing.
It can be hard to find copies of the magazine here in the States but I really think a subscription is a good idea.

DS is one of the best publishers of art/mixed media style scrapbooking around.
The regular DT is amazing and the work produced is incredibly innovative and vibrant.

Ok so here is my page for True Xoxo Girls.

To shoot this very simple backlit page, I used double sided tape to mount the page onto a window facing the sun. I then set my flash to the "backlight" setting. Using flash was a pain because the plastic school binder dividers I cut up to make the banners kept bouncing light back but I finally got a version with only a few hotspots.
Guess what? I still had to photoshop the Instax to make it brighter. It now looks like a mini television (yikes!). 

This month we had to use items not traditionally intended for scrap booking.

MATERIALS:The sunbursts are from a great 6x6 Artist Cellar stencil. Sticker from My
Mind's Eye, rain dots from Cloud 9 design (found on sale at Joann's), American Crafts Slick Writer pen,
a Me and My Big Ideas doodle print from years ago and a brad from Girl's Paperie. 

Some of my favorite interpretations of this month's challenge?
Washers covered in twine and twist ties used as embellishments on a page.
Swing by and check it out- TRUE XOXO GIRLS CHALLENGE BLOG
I promise you'll be inspired!

Late afternoons in August- there is nothing better.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Using Your Smash Book to kick start your scrap Mojo.

Hallo scrappy people!

I've wanted to start an "art journal" forever but it seemed like double effort since I tend to experiment with color combos and materials on most of my projects.

Some pages work out. Most fail the awesomeness test.

Michelle's Page Awesomeness Test

• Are the colors, patterns and item sizes vibe-ing with (or BETTER yet- against) each other? 
• Does this page make me wanna do a karate chop while yelling "DAUM! That's HAWT!"
• Does this page do something different from the ones I've done before?
• Do I feel like I used up all my energy and ideas making this?

If the answers are yes- we are good to go.
If not, I redo the pages at a later time.
But, while educational, that way of working is getting incredibly inefficient.
A solution was needed.

Enter K & Co's Smash line.
I've actually had 2 of these books in my stash for over a year without ever opening them up!

Then I got the "Eco" Smash book as homework.

My assignment:
Fill 5 pages using only products available in the store.
The book was to be displayed to hopefully entice shoppers to get their own.

What I came up with:

Sorry for the crappy iTouch photos.
These were meant to record the page as a sketch for my next project.

All stamps, papers and embellishments are available at Paper Source.

The book on display:

So how did this help my with my scrapbooking?

1. I made a page made in about 2 hours (a third my usual time).

2. The Smash pages helped define color combos, embellishment placement and photo sizes.

A Flair For Buttons Sunburst White/Color and Woodgrain Days of The Week pins. LOOOOOVE!!!

3. It helped me define what I actually wanted to say. 

I had 3 theme ideas and 6 photos all jumbled up in my mind. This is actually a huge sticking point for me in a lot of pages and I avoided it entirely this time. 

Scrap FX Kraft journaling notes item #2012191k

I'm also glad I finally got to use some of that Basic Grey Wander paper.
When I first got this in a kit a year ago I really hated the colors. Not anymore!

I also found some graph pattern vellum online. I did a little jig for joy when I saw the listing! You'll be seeing a lot of it in all my pages.

GRATUITOUS TODDLER SHOT!!!

Salome at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Sound off!
How do you kick start your creativity?

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Mod Thank You cards (a washi tape post)

Remember a while back I collected addresses for a "post card project" so I could send cards to all who responded?
Guess what?
I didn't make a single one!
WHAAAT?
I know!
So I'm starting it up again.
THIS time I WILL send the cards out!
Why? Because I will make it EASY.
Last time I was doing all this fussy cutting and layering and THINKING.
It was turning into this whole THING.
I hate "things".
They're stressful.
Now I have more of an idea of where I want to take this project.
Add some Gauche Alchemy washi tape and it's looking like I can bang these out in minutes.
A good thing for when you need to make 35 cards.
I'm starting with these two because they are for give away winners who've been waiting WEEKS to get their packages. Sorry ladies!
Carmen your's is next!

Ashli Oliver's (SoapHouseMama) card.
 5 minutes!!! I love it! I promise not to keep it!
Materials: Bazzil cardstock, Gauche Alchemy metallic and grid tape combos,
Recollections arrow tape (from LLS), Hello from a post card advertising a store.

Quick note- Gauche Alchemy has LOADS of fantastic theme pack washi tapes available including  fun ones including GRID, METALLIC SOLIDS, Whimsy (cupcakes and confetti) and mail art prints.

Scarlett's (Scarlettsscrapoirs) Card.
10 minutes and only because I was having a hard time letting go of that Ormolu arrow tag.
WHY? Is this photo fuzzy? The photo is perfectly crisp! DARN blogger!
Materials: Bazzil white cardstock, Ormolu "Go" negative tag, Gauche alchemy washi tape and punchinella,
"graffiti" washi tape from my local scrapbook store "Paper Presentation".

I don't want people thinking I'm some kind of flake.
Wait- it's too late for that!
Ok I want everyone to know I'm WORKING on ABOLISHING all signs of flake-tude.

Awesome photo taken by Instagram friend Aye'Shanti.
Who's beautiful Etsy you should visit- MangoPaperScissors.
Thanks lady!!!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Fun news! Ormolu reader feature

Just wanted top drop by and give a small toot that I'm featured over at the Ormolu blog today.
Yaaaaay!
I LOVE Ormolu products- they are the perfect small size, super bright and GREEN!

This page caught me completely by surprise.
I started by getting all Jackson Pollock on a piece of Jillibean Soup kraft paper and almost threw it out when I thought it looked to messy.
I starred at it for a while telling myself- SELF- YOU CAN'T THROW THIS OUT!! That paper was a DOLLAR.
I'm kinda strange.... But you knew that.
I then added the tone on tone Scrap FX chipboard which immediately focused the page and added the Studio Calico stamp on the bottom right to anchor the design.
The Sassafras Lass triangles went next to add some contrast to the chipboard and lastly I added the night photo, Ormolu "Super cool" tag and fabric flag on top to give it more pop.

The paint is watered down acrylic- the only thing that will show on kraft
I took apart an Amy Tangerine layered embellishment for the
"wish you were here".

When I was done I realized I was working with my lizard hind brain again- going forward with no real plan.
Very cool.
So thank you Ormolu- I got a lift on a rainy day!

GRATUITOUS CUTE TODDLER SHOT!!!

Learning to skip rocks.

MucHoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Take a LEAP- A True XOXO challenge

I'm eating cherries right now.
(random!)
Cherries are my downfall.
I love them to death but they make my ears and throat itch.
A recent thing, my sister and I think it's due to pesticides.
If you know why or go through the same thing can you commiserate in the comments pretty please?
I should start a support group- cherry eaters anonymous.

ONTO today's post!!
True Xoxo girls has a special mid-month challenge celebrating the LEAP year.
Please swing by and join the fun (click the link above).
The prize is a guest spot on the team for a month. It's a great way to network and get to know new people with all kinds of scrap styles.
Here's my page:

Take A Look & LEAP Anyway
Materials: Crate Paper, Studio Calico ampersand mask, American Crafts Amy Tan alphas, Jenni Bowlin flying bird punch, Smash polka dot tape, Ormolu arrow, Hero Arts grid stamp, Zig pen .1, Cosmo Cricket tiny words, mists from Studio Calico and Tattered Angels , natural color cheese cloth (which I'm IN LOVE with BTW!)

I. LOVE. THIS. PAGE.
I usually develop a friendship (ha!) with a page after I wrestle it kicking and screaming out of my head and onto paper (where it rarely looks as awesome.)
NoT THiS TiMe.
This came to me completely finished. I just had to connect the dots.
I was so excited to get to work I sprayed half my desk before I realized I didn't have my misting mat.
Also, I'm having too much fun with the new Jenni Bowlin squeeze punches.
LOVE! LOTS! REALLY!

That black plastic packaging piece was too cool to throw in the garbage!

I only bought the birds and the tags punch.  They were 30% off at Joann's!! I'm using them everywhere. Their size is PERFECT for Project Life.

Instant ATC! I need to get a couple more
of those Amy Tangerine grey alphas.
They are SO RAD!

The misting was done by using the tube end of the sprayer and gently tapping over the paper. This is how EVERYONE does it. I had no idea.

I'm also working on my Project 365. I've stopped calling it Project Life because I'm not using branded wares.  I'm using Making Memories stuff I've had for over 2 years.

It got hectic but I finally got week 6 under control:

Birthday present!! Studio Calico kit and "This is Awesome" exclusive stamp.
Thanks DAVE! Full post to come on "Project 365 Monday".

No gratuitous baby shot this week since it's been raining and I haven't gotten great shots so far.
I'm starting a new photo segment:

WHAT I'M WORKING ON RIGHT NOW:

Project 365- Week Seven

This week was all about conflicts and drama. Arguments with family over Lola's "crazy" hair and driving while talking on the phone (I KNOW! I couldn't believe it myself!)
Getting the boot early and feeling rejected for no fair or stated reason. (that. sucked.)
Finally dumping a Facebook "friend" who was a tiresome bully and whom I was only following to spare their feelings. Naturally they had loads of nasty to "share" about it- un.cool.
Told ya- HECTIC.

The "real talk" page is getting expanded.
I heard "real talk" used as expression meaning subjective truth unvarnished twice this week and it just clicked so I'm using it on several new projects.
I LOVED dumping out my neggy-neg feelings on paper!!!
I know some people consider it immature or "low class" but those are probably people I would avoid in self defense anyway so it's ok.
That I cared about any of this will make me laugh and wonder how I didn't walk around with a permanent head ache a couple of years from now.
Well- not the driving in the rain while talking on the cell phone thing- that was utter crap.
Glad the Hubster and I pushed back so hard on that.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

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

Ormolu feature today!!!

I have a page featured over at Ormolu's blog today!!!
YAAAAY!
It's a great time for happy email as our little family is struggling with the January cabin fever doldrums. It's too cold to go outside and we made a promise to avoid all shops other than the supermarket. We're spending a lot of time at Trader Joe's...
I can't even scrap because Lola is so crazed with unspent energy she insists on climbing everything. Anything too small to climb becomes a trampoline. It's a dangerous time of year.
But I digress.
Here is the page:

This is one of my favorite projects! It was made for the True Xoxo Girls challenge blog. The border on the MMBI paper is so great! And HOW can you go wrong with those Ormolu kraft "Go Negative" die-cut tags? Throw in some vintage Sassy bits and you are good to go! I laugh when I see my bushy eyebrows in the BADLY PRINTED photo- perhaps it's time to get them waxed?

Please swing by the Ormolu blog and leave some love?
I was so CHEESED when I got the email! I love this brand! Swing by their shop and check it out.

We had our first snow last Saturday- it was perfect!
Just enough to stick on saturday and melt away completely on Monday- gotta LOVE that! 

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Lily Bee Design ROCKS!!!

My scrappy friend Cheryl of And Handmade Too! turned me onto Lily Bee's weekly sketch challenge. I've loved each sketch they've put out but have never managed to complete a page in time to enter the challenge- well not THIS week!

Ha HA!!!!!

Go Go GO!
MATERIALS: Lily Bee Memorandum paper and card, Studio Calico stripe paper and Fab Rips, Mister Huey- Atmosphere and Overdue, Ormolu Dots and spots tags and Go! button flair, EK Success binding Edge punch

I LOVE circles and hexagons! I was going through my Pinterest boards the other day and wondering WHY hadn't I used them in a page yet. I was waiting for some kind of template or a patterned paper to "help" me make them. Well to HECK with THAT!
I googled "hexagon template" and found that the quilting community is huge and just as willing to share as us scrapbookers- YAAAY!
Watch out- you might loose me to the sewing on FABRIC set!

Hexagons, grids and circles- siiiigh!!

I also found this wonderful dreamland called Ormolu- that sounds like an exotic French cosmetics brand right? It's paper! Gorgeous modern PAPER! Teeny tiny color embellies perfect for ATC or December Daily projects.
I. AM. IN. LOOOOVE!
I think my favorite were the negative die cut kraft tags- check them out in this SNEAK PEAK for my December True Xoxo Girls Challenge page:

I'm also glad I finally used my Lily Bee Memorandum line papers. I LOVE the subtle colors and patterns. I wish I had sprung for the alphas as well but I have so many letter stickers at this point I passed them up- for now. I made 3 pages in one 2 hour sitting! An unprecedented first!

To get these small mist dots I used an expensive mascara brush from way back when.
The pin is from Ormolu, the teeny silhouette is from Pink Paislee's Nantucket die cut pack.

So I've been busy busy busy with family stuff and looking for work- hopefully I will get back to my regular 3 posts a week schedule. I hope you have a GREAT weekend!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

1 year later...

Hello there!

Can you believe it's been 1 year of blogging for this crazy chick from Brooklyn? I can't. Well actually I can. What amazes me is how far I've come- how much I've learned, the friends I've made and how fulfilled I am by making pretty things just because they make me HAPPY!

It's Gonna Be A Half Glass Full Kind Day
Materials: Sassafras Lass grid pattern paper and alphas, Basic Grey Life of the party star paper and mini brads, American Crafts Amy Tan fabric paper and mustard Zing, Maya Road star pins, buttons from Reasonable Ribbon.com, stars from Ebay- been in my stash over 2 years!

To celebrate a few friends and I are doing a mini hop.

After you are done here swing by

Dawn aka Mojo Mayhem 

Christina aka The Twisted Muse

Both started the same road last year and are now off to a rip roaring success. I am glad to call them my friends.

There are no rules just stop by each blog and leave some love. I have a mini give away to celebrate hitting 10,000 blog views. I was supposed to celebrate hitting 100 followers but that milestone came and went without me noticing! So I will celebrate hitting 131- YAY!!!

I love all of these things but my love did not extend to my memory.
I ordered 2 of each and will not use them even if I tried- current bananas button stash is proof.
So why not share? Post this hop in some other forum or social media website and leave a comment to be entered an extra time for each.

I started blogging because I was lonely. I was making some cool scrapbook projects but that particular craft isn't very highly valued here in NYC so when I brought the subject up I would get strange looks. One friend even said- "I don't even know what that MEANS!" I wanted to reply- do you speak english? Scrap. Book. What's so hard to understand? But that's obnoxious so I kept the yap shut.

Current pattern faves

Arby's motto!

I want to show some work from when I first started that I never posted here - Uhhh- this is making me cringe but it goes right along with my show it all and let the readers decide for themselves mentality.

Lola's Scrapbook cover- inside- the only part I actually finished.

One long forgotten fact- I stared scrapbooking right after I got a green scrapbook from
my best friend, Gia, as a wedding shower present.  Page made in August 2009.

Color blocking? My page to record Lola's naming. Made in July 2009.
Why so many birds? Lola is named after a bird- Alondra- Meadowlark.

I am glad and very grateful to be on the design teams for Gauche Alchemy , Punky Scraps, True Xoxo Girls Challenges and Paper Issues.

The feedback and camaraderie I get from being part of these fantastic groups is invaluable. I've learned  how to create on deadline, how to communicate effectively, how to run a proper blog hop, tips on getting published and how to make a good looking page others will want to swing by your blog to check out.

OH! Before I forget- Paper Issues is also celebrating one year! Why not swing by and play along their October Halloween themed link party? Because I'm always late to the party I just realized I loved Pink Paislee's Phantom line- you can swing by the Paper Issues Etsy Store to check it out as well.

This page is from when I first started posting on Scrapbook.com.
I found Etsy and these wonderful inventions called Border punches.
Page from October 2010- 1 year later I'm still proud of this page.

And thank YOU for sticking around! I learn a lot from your comments and from your links as well. You've taught me what works design wise as well as what confuses you and what inspires you. 

Here's to many more years of creating and a growing list of "followers" or as I think of you- friends.

Ira Glass rocks my world.
I regularly listen to This American Life on NPR while scrapping- it's awesome.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle