Everyday is Halloween

Hello scrap happy people.

Today is the day before Valentines Day.
I never pay attention to this holiday because it's stressful. Wanna eat somewhere nice? Did ya book reservations? Wanna buy flower? Pay a premium.
Buy this. Buy that. Nothing which I would buy anyway.
I am not a chocolate lover.

My family just buys tacos from the local street vendor and watches a movie at home. The kid is always invited. She gets the heart shaped box because she is queen of our world.

One holiday I love and have started to spend big on is HALLOWEEN.

The movies. The colors!
The monsters.
The LIGHTS! The decor!
I love it all.

Some pages:

So this is American Crafts BOOtiful from 2016. That's how long I've held onto this paper. Sorry for the distracting hot spots I'm still very low tech with my cell phone and my window light.

For 2019 I wanted to do Witch's Night Out with the kid and my nice.
I never found an outfit that fit what I imagined in my head. I found a BALLGOWN on
Poshmark for 15 bucks. It is GORGEOUS!! Layers and glitter galore! Naturally Lola hates it and
she hated me for making her wear it in public. She's 10 now. No more dress up.
Let's take a moment to grieve.

This is Crate Paper's Hey Pumpkin. I just got 1 sheet of chipboard stickers and some of the papers.
The design for this collection was so simple and modern I had to have it even if it was no longer the it thing to use.

So dang CUTE! Orange, Yellow, Green  Teal, Purple, Silver and Black- Halloween is totally my kind of color palette.

In New York we would dress the kiddo up and buy her some candy. She was teeny and didn't want to be outside in the cold.

2012- Keep warm is the first rule.
She still cried when we took her out.

Utah is a whole different thing holiday-wise. The more suburban family oriented landscape means we have plenty of costume required events to attend so October is actually our busiest time of year as I try to fit everything I want to photograph every week.

Some photos:

2015 was supposed to be a sure fire winner- Sea Monster, Holographic, warm. NOPE.
She hated that the head kept flopping forward. Can you believe she wore this costume AGAIN this year?
I'd bought it 2 sizes too large. It didn't flop this time. Whew.

2017- wait- I DID get her a girly short sleeved costume. Little Red Riding Hood.
Made her wear her coat for the actual Trick or Treating and she got SO MAD.

2019- BuckBeak the Hippogriff. EXCELLENT CHOICE. 
Spent 3 weeks freaking out how we would recreate a HORSE with an Eagle face.
Found a Crow mask, painted it grey and gold. Found a wolf costume and
had her wear that with claws I made out of  craft foam. Kid next to her is best friend Harry-
the kid is kinda weird but he treats he well.

Dave made the wings out of card board ans paper plates. The wings actually FLAP- he used washers
on the joints so she could open the wings wide. This of course was not appreciated in school.
Her 6 foot wingspan played murder in the classroom.

 Then you have WitchFest which started as this small marketing event to get more shoppers to visit  Gardner Village in West Jordan. I cannot stress enough how amazing this event is. GO. More than once if you can. Especially on Witch Parade nights Friday and Saturday.
4pm in the afternoon has some of the most spectacular light I have ever seen anywhere.

The costume that started the WitchFest madness.
This 6 dollar thrift store costume fit so spectacularly I feel like I have to one up myself every year.
She really liked this because it was light, the hat was not too big
and she just tucked the dress into her jeans when it was done- the fabric is that thin..

2019 Kid and Niece. I buy the witch hats anywhere I find them. I prefer lots of layers, glitter, color and lace.
I come fully prepared with costume changes and money for snacks.
 The girls frown but I just keep taking photos until one of them does something smiley. 
If visiting in October Garner Village WitchFest is a MUST.

Kuwahara Pumkpin Patch is my absolute favorite.
Did YOU know there were smoke machines that ALSO made bubbles?
You you get smoke filled bubbles??? SO FREAKING AWESOME!!!!
Just don't let them pop in your eye- that is NOT a good thing.

This is Salt Lake City in late September. You should visit. You won't regret it.

It'd almost spring mi gente. Celebrate.

Wordless Wednesday- NOT!

words words WORDS!!!
I've been thinking about the process and ramifications of sharing personal details.
I LOVE talking- just give me the floor and I will tell you EVERYTHING.
I even tell job interviewers everything.
They don't appreciate it.
Don't they know it's easier to work with someone who will flat out tell you they made a mistake?
NOPE.
They want you to LIE.
They also want you to say "I've always wanted to work just for you!" My greatest life ambition- receipt check girl at Costco.
I don't lie.
Seriously- I don't lie.
Just ask my family- they will tell you hundreds of stories of how I made myself look bad just to stick to the truth.
Here's why- I care what you think and I want you around but telling the truth is easier.
If you break out because you don't like me that makes my life easier too.
It WiLL HuRT- but in the end it's easier.
I'm a lazy person who likes things EASY.
It's that simple.

Why am I showing you this? It's just what I worked on last night. I'm thinking about making a minibook
 about my summer vacation. This is 8 by 11- too big for a mini. I like that the mist got all over my photos.
It's transgressive- like I'm saying "Photos? MEMORIES? Who CARES! It's the PROCESS, BABY! That's
what MATTERS!"  Don't quote me on that- been getting lots of flack about my viewpoints on art lately.

I love hearing other people's stories.
I love telling truth even if it means I get my toches handed to me on a stick.
Several male family members have a strict tell 'em nothing policy that I like to subvert whenever possible.
They believe it means no one has enough info to judge them but what it really means is no one knows them. What's worst? In the absence of real details, people make shiz up.
The stories they make up are worst. Those stories serve them- not you.
Take control of your story. YOU HAVE THE POWER. YOU ARE IN CONTROL.
It's your life.

It's best to have this open door policy when others have it as well. If you are explaining where you are coming from and the other person is using everything they learn to mess you up then you are the problem. This is what people mean when they say: You are awesome- you just need to get out of your own way.

My cousin posted this randomly yesterday. So true in some many ways but also false.
Sometimes your best friend is the one that DEMANDS answers.

Not that this happened to me this week. I actually got something much more interesting. A nasty conversation that sprung up from my telling too much then turned into a deeper experience.
The lesson?
Try not to avoid pain- you learn from pain.
Sometimes you are wrong and there are certain people in your life who will point it out- in public- stridently.
Ouch!
But it's gonna be ok. Because do you really need a toady? A lackey? a cheerleader? Are you a WOMAN or a mouse?

Don't get me wrong. Negative people that make you feel awful all the time are not awesome. They bring nothing to the table. I'm not talking about them.
Challenging people are where it's at.
They bring IT- the thing you don't want to hear- the thing you have been running from. They have that innate bullcrap sensor.
Perhaps they smell it. Blood in the water.
And they show IT to you.
AAAACK!
Let me tell you a story.
Wait!- you exclaim- weren't you already in the middle of a looong story?
BAH!
It was 1998- I think. I was serving as an Americorp NCCC member in Oklahoma City where a tornado had laid waste to half the city- or close to that- you can look it up- it was bad.
I'm telling a story and it will have hyperbole but I ain't lying- just avoiding having to google half my life 'cause my memory sucks.
Anyway I was working in a warehouse for donations- sorting everything into boxes to be trucked to people who needed it directly.

Street poets, street truths

First of all, you will NOT BELIEVE the crap people send when asked for donations. Do homeless, traumatized folks need your half full bottle of shampoo? Your used lipstick? Your dog bed with hair still attached? For REALZ! That's what I was sorting through!
Normally I would let that slide but can you imagine having to separate those items from millions of other items?
How much it costs the charity to dispose of those items because they aren't sanitary to distribute?
When you give- be giving. New and unopened toiletries. Gently used clothes you have laundered. Coats in winter. Short sleeved shirts in summer.
Don't make it an occasion for getting rid of the contents of your problem closet.

Dave and the mask from "V for Vendetta" separated at birth??? 

A.NY.WAY. My team took a break. We sat down to eat with some missionaries that had come down from- I forget the city. I was sitting in front of a dark skinned boy with a BEAUTIFUL sing song accent- I couldn't stop listening- I wanted MORE.
Where are you from? I asked.
Somalia.
OOO Somalis are hot! Sorry, I was 19.
He was 15 so I wasn't about to start flirting but I wanted to know more. At the time Somalia had people running around with machetes, chopping other people up.
He told me his story.
He was 13. He watched his whole family and village die around him. He ran away with his sister. She later died as well. He was angry. He wanted to go back and kill himself some Tutsies. He was very eloquent about the differences between the two groups and started to talk about what he saw.
That's when my team mate told him she didn't want to hear what he had to say!
Yo, WHAT?
I went off on her.
This may be the first and ONLY time you get to hear about this war from a person who's actually experienced it!!!!! This is happening- RIGHT NOW- if you don't like it why don't you get up and go sit somewhere else!!!
There was silence from everyone.
She stayed put. And the boy shut up for the rest of the meal.
I never got to hear how he survived. How he made his way to the embassy. How he now lives with a family who loves him. How he deals with real pain- real sorrow- real injustice.
I STILL wanna slap my former team-mate for being such a jerk!
What's worst- she treated me badly for the rest of our service year together- because I made her "look bad" in Oklahoma City.
What. A. Putz.

Make it. Take it. 

So it's up to you.

Do you own up to your mistakes?
Do you grow from the experience?
Or do you retreat to "I'M HURT" status and stop sharing?
This is when you fall into the trap.
You lose a valuable experience and you stop growing.

What do you think?

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Sunny Sunday! WOO HOOO!

So imagine my great surprise when I get a private message from a very nice member over at Studio Calico willing to send me their 7/11 patterned paper.
YOWZA! That was NOT expected!
No seriously- not expected!
No really- REALLY!
I had no idea you could even send messages via the SC boards!
I am throughly humbled by the kindness and generosity of this gesture.
It's not that I am offered something material- it's that someone is willing to go through the trouble! For me- an open mouthed mama jama!

Miss friendly- I hope you know I will use that return addy on the package to send something awesome right back at you!
I will skulk your SC member profile to see what your fave items are and return something I hope you will like.

I don't take anything I said back but I must acknowledge that scrappers as a rule- are a great bunch of people- generous, kind and open- minded. I'm glad to be part of your world.

Today I will share this:

LAUGH
MATERIALS: Studio Calico exclusive paper, Sassafras Lass flowers, sticker and paper, Prime quilted word, Pink Paislee green banner

A fun simple page I made because I love the series of photos it shows. Also- That's my favorite print  EVER! It's an SC print. Oh the IRONY of it all!!!!

When we were in Salt Lake City we went to the Olympic Pool and had one of the best days ever. I wish NYC had such amazing facilities for kids!!!
Lola was terrified of the water but was willing to give it a go as long as DADDY held her.
I was jealous.
But I got over it.
I'm glad I photographed this because those smiles are the coolest thing I'd seen in a while. Miss Thang rarely smiles at the camera right now- she's utterly annoyed by my need to shoot everything she does.
I guess I'd be irked too.. but it's so FUN!
Being part of this family is one of the best things that's ever happened to me.

The word for today is: GRATITUDE.

O! What's this? I'm working on my SOME ODD GIRL FEATURE on October 17th!
Having fun with some of Kristi's amazing digi stamps, matte medium and the Instagr.am app.

MuChOS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Travelin' Fool

One of the drawbacks of spending so much time "on the road" is that I feel like I lost some steam in the scraping department. I shot many photos and read many blogs (which my ipod would NOT let me comment on!) and unfortunately (for my budget)... I bought more product than I will ever use as I skulked the aisles of Salt Lake City scrap stores.

Warning- this is a looong post about shopping in the scrap book capital of the universe- Salt Lake City.

As I look at my desk, I wonder, will I be a headline in the NY Post? "Brooklyn Woman Suffocates Under Fallen Scrap Paper Pile". Hmmm... that's probably too long for a headline.
CRISIS!!!!
I spent most of the day trying to make something and unpacking the 3 shopping bags of scrap crap I brought home. Yes 3 bags. I can't believe how heavy a shoulder bag can get when filled with 12 by 12 paper (the paper pile was 4 inches thick)... (!!!).
Thankfully JetBlue let me carry my 2000 pound bag onto the plane as I was too paranoid to pack it in with the checked luggage. It was vitally important I got my new stash home. Included is new Amy Tangerine for American Crafts, new Bo Bunny Ect. line and most importantly- vintage Crate and Sassafrass Lass collections I have lusted over but never bought since they are hard to find.
I hit up some FANTASTIC stores

• Joann's had 40% off on EK Success tools so I finally got the slim line binding edge punch and the new dimensional flower Dahlia punch plus an insane amount of alpha stickers at 50 cents a sheet. 

• I hit up 3 Hobby Lobby stores (there are none in NY state). It was wonderful to walk the HUGE store in Sandy Utah with perfectly clean floors and full aisles- the slow check out (no bar code scanners!!!) did not dispel my gleeful kid in the candy store feelings.

• On our way to the Overstock.com outlet store (I KNOW!!! That's not something you find in NYC) I found a store called Tuesday Morning (chorus- THAT'S NOT FOUND IN NYC)- where I scored HUGE on Girl's Paperie collection packs for 20 bucks. I got the entire Christmas 2010 collection and some random Halloween stamps someone probably switched for the Christmas ones. The check out lady told me Utah is the scrapbook capital of the US- more product is made and sold there than anywhere else. This is highly apparent as I sought American Crafts Thickers from the Sunrise and Campy Trails collections which were- alas- sold out everywhere. As were all October Afternoon Mini Market stickers. 

Bad photo of the AWESOME Amy Tan collections over at Archivers

• Then I found a store I would literally move into if it came to NYC- Archivers- over in Orem, Utah. Archivers had everything. EVERYTHING. New Crate. New American Crafts. New and Vintage Pink Paislee. New and Vintage Sassy. The entire Smash collection (SQUEAL!!!). Plus all the Mini Market OA stickers I wanted. WOOOOOOO HOOOOO! The young and cheerful sales girl yammered on and on about how much she wanted to move to NYC so I told her I would GLADLY change places with her and take her job. I love Utah. LOVE IT!!!!

I also hit up some fantastic independent stores. I fully support these hardy folks- it's HARD to make it in the mall sprawl of Utah so you have to be great and choose your merchandise carefully.

• Heartfelt Creations was wonderfully full of all kinds of cool new stuff. I got entirely too much My Mind's Eye candy and finally saw the Authetique lines in person.  I liked how the store was organized by theme so you could walk right on up to the Back To School aisle and scoop up all the Reminescence, Echo Park and Fancy Pants Summer 2011 CHA loveliness. The other half of the store is devoted to Quilting but I had to leave as David was freaking out- the store sits right next to a highway so there was nothing for him to do but chase Lola away from the brad bins.

• At Paper Creations I met the owner who- GASP!- let me into the back of the store where they had the new Crate lines which had just been unpacked. I swooned- literally. My hands shook. That's when you know you are AN ADDICT. I bough 2 of everything. I even found the die cut cloud paper from the Weather line!! WOO HOO! The staff is highly knowledgeable and did not blink when I made following crazed request: Give me 1 each of all your graph print paper. With over 200 hundred distinct paper brands in the store the sweet sales person cheerfully flitted down the aisles and loaded me up with vintage Dream Street, Scenic Route, Making Memories, Pink Paislee and dozens more- I was IMPRESSED. But no Campy Trails Thickers- sold out- sorry. :)

Stamps over at Heartfelt

Crate Paper at Paper Creations

By the time I hit Mommy and Me Scrapbooking I was feeling distinctly evil for making David drive me around and chase Lola away from the shelves for an entire week. Mommy and Me had lots of kits which didn't interest me as everything is pre-cut and designed. I later realized this is great as a starter pack (gateway drug) for a family member you want to introduce (induct into the cult) to scrapbooking. Can I just say I have a great husband? Yes he complained, scowled and wondered just WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR THIS? (YOU KNOW WHO!!!! Stop playin'!!!) but he was willing to drive me everywhere and I didn't have to worry he would loose Lola- David is by far the more protective parent. I am more let's wait and see what she does NOW which is usually:
1. fall
2. freak out in frustration
3. break anything within a 4 foot radius
or
4. all of the above.

So that's it- my entire 3 weeks in Salt Lake City. Yes we went to plenty of parks and pools and wonderfully family friendly restaurants- over all- it was the most family and budget friendly (paper frenzy not included) fun I've had in years.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle