What I learned this week: Postal rates, Dubstep and Indigo color madness!

Hiya and happy HAPPY monday folks.

WHY is it happy?
'Cause it's FINALLY SPRING, yo!
Sweet!!!!

WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK:

Postal rates. (ARE BANANAS!)
I recently posted a package to the UK.
UPS wanted 115 dollars (not a typo) to send it "express".
Never mind I didn't NEED express service.

The US Postal Service wanted 16 dollars for 10 day delivery.
Ok! I can swing 16 dollars.
But there is no tracking on the package.
ie: they can dunk the box in the Thames.

I'm all for paying fair price for services but, dude, you have to do your job.
If I send something I expect it oh I don't know.. ARRIVE.
It WOULD be nice if it arrived without it looking like someone went Dubstep on it.

What? Never heard of Dead Mau5?
Yeah me neither, but this Dubstep gif is AWESOME!
I first heard of "Dubstep" from my nephew who loves this music so
much he write status poems about it on Facebook.
Not EVEN kidding.

ANYWAY.
I did manage to get some pages done.

Indigo blue is IN.
Here's a great reference story Design Sponge: Current Obsession 

What I started with Bockingford 140 lb water color paper  in grey.
The paint splatters went completely wrong and I loved it.
Dave thinks this looks like Jimi Hendrix looking up into the sky.

I bought the Liqitex on clearance this week at Michael's for 99 cents.
I've had the Tattered Angels in my stash for over 2 years.
They are on clearance in a lot of stores.
I resisted to urge to buy more even thought I love it.

1. Crate Paper's "On Trend" collection has a lot of indigo, emerald and grey- all are "hot" right now. Try not to kill me for combining trends and mixed media art- it's the scrapbooker in me.
2. Tattered Angels mist in Sapphire is really watery so it starts wonderfully dark and gets nice and sparkly towards the end of a drip. I used the tip of my paint brush to spread the paint out when it splattered in the "wrong" area.
3. Liquitex soft body paint is great for mixing and it goes on real smooth on chipboard.
4. Tattered Angels "Glimmer Glam" in Blue Suede Shoes. The cap has a brush built-in so you can paint, splatter and wash with abandon. The glitter gets a little annoying- wish it were smaller grained.

Now I'm seeing Indigo everywhere!
This is a neighbor's front door.

Have a great week!
Michelle

On randomness, stencils and kraft issues- a Punky Scraps challenge

So it's time for the Punky Scraps "Get Picky"challenge.
This is usually the week I freak out trying to incorporate all the different elements Team A picks.
Yes I KNOW I don't have to pick all 10 but therein lies the challenge!

I'm a little insecure about what I came up with this week:

The Get Picky challenge items for this month are: kraft cardstock, a self portrait, 3 of something (cameras), masking and something red, metal (tiny attacher staples), something lucky (dandelions), fabric (ribbon), something pleated (ribbon) and stitching

I believe the biggest problem with this page is that the kraft paper- while awesome- is too dark for the Tattered Angels mists.

This is the mist color combo I used (I LOVE these by the way):

My Tattered Angels "Patina" bottle is getting dangerously low.
It's so hard to find!!

I like that the Sunflower color dripped in the bottom of the page and turned gold but the Frozen Lake color lost all it's luminosity.

I literally just added the black stitching and dandelion stencils after letting the page lie still over night- not sure if it's "rescued" but I certainly like it a lot more.
Here is how the page looked yesterday:

First draft. I shot this and realized it needed something
else. Not sure my solution helped the overall color problem.
I must admit- the overcast day lighting does not help.

In a somewhat related note- I'm in love with "The Paper Company" kraft cardstock!
I got a pack of 50 for 2 dollars at Joann's and the quality is really cool- darker, more rugged (sounds like a gorgeous man huh? laughing!!!)- perfect for mixed media experiments such as this.
And it's 8 by 11 so no measuring and cutting needed. WIN!
I'll use both kinds and call myself HAPPY!

Here is an alternate page to see if I could "lighten" the design up. I like the texture but the paper curled up so the second layer of mist went on wrong.

Crafter's Workshop "Squircle" is hella awesome!

Question for you experimental crafters- how the heck do you keep your cardstock from curling? I get curl no matter what I do- heat it flat, put a book on top over night- nothing works. 

Do you guys iron your pages while still wet?

The Crafter's Workshop "If You Believe" 6x6 stencil was hard for me to use as an outline because it's so delicate and flexible the stencil would slip around while in use.

Next time I'll use double sided tape to keep it still.

I decided to color the words in with a yellow neon highlighter and added Glossy Accents to see if the phrase would pop out more and it did.

I lack the design vocabulary to critique this.
It's not bad- it's just not what I call successful.
Has the same ever happened to you? The elements are all there but yet- it lacks.
Frustrating.

What I learned:
Kraft sucks up color like no other card stock so choose bright or paint dense formulas.
Crafter's Workshop stencils are fantastic just remember the artist tape.
Take risks more often.

What I need to learn:
How to mix gel medium or whatever so my gesso is thicker- tips anyone?
How to get maximum stencil madness with minimum paper curl!

GRATUITOUS TODDLER SHOT!!!!

WHY is everyone staring at Lola?? Clueless Mom adventures.

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

Sketchy Thursdays and Sassafras Lass

I got my last Sassafras order last week. It's a bittersweet experience to open a box full of beautiful color and happy prints knowing you will never get another one like it again. I got some beautiful Sunshine Broadcast loveliness so I made this page AND tried to shoot it in a similarly appropriate manner.

Sketchy Thursdays Guest DT Grateful page
MATERIALS: Sassafras Lass Sunshine Broadcast paper and stickers,  Smooch Spritz Sun kissed, Tattered Angels Sand mist, Mister Huey in Lemonade, buttons from Crate, pearl beads from Art-C, hearcleare heart buttob from Epiphany crafts, gold beads from Michael's

This page will be submitted to the Sketchy Thursdays December Guest DT challenge. I really love this sketch- the simplicity allows for a lot of creative play and I'm always a sucker for square format images.

A quick detail shot of the journaling:

I also made a second page for a sketchy Thursdays challenge sponsored by Paper Issues. Paper Issues teamed up with Pink Paislee to promote the release of their Snow Day line and the projects are GORGEOUS- please swing by to see the fantastic projects submitted so far!

Planet Hoth- Sketchy Thursdays 11/3/11 challenge sponsored by Paper Issues
MATERIALS: Bazzill white paper, Tattered Angels Patina mist. Smooch Sea Green mist, Mister Huey in Cream and White, Maya Road snowflake transparencies, Melissa Frances starburst and water bling brads, Crate,  Jenni Bowlin and Basic Grey buttons, alphas by Sassafrass Lass and Basic Grey, Sakura gelly pen in gold, Stickels in Diamond, star punchinella and white corrugated board from Gauche Alchemy

An apology- these were supposed to be ready on Monday but now that my husband is back in school weekends are a crazed mass of laundry, cooking and taking Lola to the park before the 4:30- sun deadline- did I mention I hated Fall? Sun rationing kills it for me. But I won't complain it was 68 (!!!) degrees here yesterday- I KNOW!!!

I'm struggling a bit on my Grace Project photos- mostly finding shots varied enough to include. May I submit that I am grateful for the "push" I'm getting to up my photo game? I'm trying all KINDS of crazy things to shoot my projects these day- can I show you on failed experiment?

Dave's architect's table makes for a really fun "stage".
Aluminum Foil is a dark apartment dweller's best friend!

This is a beautiful "staging" set up but without full sunlight or a tripod to steady the camera for the long exposure time it's just too dark in this room. I will FORCE myself to work with my cheapo tripod- it literally takes just as long to set it up as to shoot, edit and write a blog entry- very annoying.
A couple of detail shots:

The latest entry to the Daily Grace project:

11/7/11- Grateful for some time alone

11/8/11 Grateful for the PERFECT hamburger from Fanny on Graham St.

11/9/11 Grateful for THE BEST PRESENT EVER! Thank you Dave!!!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Welcome to the Xoxo Blog Hop!

Hiya!!!

True Xoxo is a great team- welcome to our blog hop!!
It was ALL I COULD DO to keep this under wraps for this long!
Lisa Murphy Watson (a wonderful scrapper if I may say so) threw the challenge down LOVELY!
My challenge? Channel master scrapper Ingvild Bolme. WOOOOHAA!
And here it is:

Wonder Wheel- New Year's Day 2011
MATERIALS: American Crafts white cardstock, Tattered Angeles Mermaid Glimmer Glam and Patina Mist, buttons fro m Basic Grey and My Mind's Eye, Chipboard from Dusty Attic, metal gear brads from Oriental Trading

This page is very different from what I normally do and I proved to myself that I can still rock the shabby chic/romantic vibe without getting overly prettified. Still, when I saw Lisa's challenge I WIGGED OUT.
Ingvild's design style is incredibly complex and uses lots of advanced technique.
Click here to check out her blog. But come back here ok? please? :)

Ingvild's a perfect choice for this challenge. She's got a very distinctive style that isn't easily imitated but can be used as a "jumping off point" for your own ideas and style.

First I made a list of themes I loved about her work.

• White background paper- negative space
• Turquoise paint- splatters and swishes
• Transparencies and sewn details
• Lots of texture with gesso, netting and edge distressing
• Black and white photos with blown out highlights
• Flowers, lace and other Prima products

I tried random swishes of a paint across the page but HATED IT!
I dabbed the page with the brush but hated that too.
Then, instead of throwing the page out, I stuck it to the wall and dabbed it more "confidently"with dripping paint- that's how I got that "tree" look.

My only problem with this photo is that it appears to be out of focus.

The photo looks fine in real life but when I take a picture of it WHAM!- no faces!

I then misted it with Tattered angels "Patina" and used my heat gun to dry it off- this lessened the warp I got from using Glimmer Glam.
The Dusty Attic gears were too thick to allow for direct to the page sewing so I referenced the effect by winding some floss around them.

The big blue rose actually started out pink but some misting and glimmer glamming whipped it into shape. I also tried to stay away from edge distressing which can get really ugly in the hands of the inexperienced.

Ingvild's stark white portraits are an inspiration but I decided to take it easy on myself. Rather than start a whole new shoot, I used images from the Polar Bear Club New Year's Dip my husband and I participated in January this year. He jumped in the freezing water and I got my boots wet trying to take photos- it was a truly fantabulous day.

So cozy in the 2 feet of snow...

Did you enjoy the hop? I sure hope so- thank you so much for joining us! Your next stop is back at Xoxo headquarters- thank you for commenting and following each blog- we really appreciate it and remember- it's the best way to win the grand prize- a True Xoxo Guest Designer spot!
But WAIT there's MORE!!!!!
I have a little give away of my own for new followers (and old ones as well- just leave a comment with your email or blog addy)

These lovely flowers are all yours- just swing back to this blog to find out
 who won October 20th!

CLICK HERE for your next stop- the Xoxo home page!

My pant cuffs and feet were completely soaked here- so is the sacrifice I make for me "art".

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Studio Calico multiple pattern challenge

It's Dave's birthday so I don't have too much time but I wanted to share a quick layout I made for the Studio Calico 4th Anniversary challenge involving using multiple patterns.

21 Months
Materials- Studio Calico "Mind The Gap" kit exclusive papers, American Crafts card stock, Studio Calico and Basic Grey alphas, Red Lead Paperworks Honey Comb statement rubber stamp,  Dusty Attic chicken wire chipboard, Martha Stewart Punch All Over The Page punch" Pinking circle", Studio Calico heart veneers, Tiny Attacher, SC Mister Huey in Calico White, Tattered Angels in Suede (favorite color ever!), SMASH date stamp

I love the paper patterns in SC kits but I am often intimidated by them- the paper is so gorgeous and complex I want to try to do it justice and end up with "scrapper block".

Here I loosened up a bit, let the page keep the mistakes I made (the cut out footprint, the brown paint drips) and finally "finished". I was trying to incorporate Lola's footprint using tissue paper for the Punky Scraps tissue paper challenge but my mixed media art skills are so basic I kept creating scary mottled cloud things that looked like mold growing on the page so I gave up on the tissue paper- for now.

The chicken wire mask is actually a piece of Dusty Attic chipboard I've wanted for months and have FINALLY been able to acquire through Paper Candy Crafts. I really wanted to use an SC stamp but their hexagon border stamp sold out so quickly I go whiplash. LOVE the honey comb stamp from Red Lead. I misted tattered Angels "Suede" on it and used it just on the edges.  Yes I know it's super messy and deconstructed- this is on purpose I promise.

Hope you are having a great weekend. I'm off to finally see Transformers 3- hope I am not as annoyed by this one as I was by the last.

Fooling around with what we believe is ad for an art show...

MuChOS SmoOcHeS!
Michelle

Love ATC MADNESS!

A reader might wonder why half my headlines have the word MADNESS in them. It's just fun to hear the headline in my head. Remember Crazy Eddy? "Prices so low... IT'S INSAAAAAAAANE!" well I'd hire him to yell out my blog headlines- too bad he's in jail for fraud & money laundering.
Here are my Valentine's Day ATCs. YAYYY!  You can also check them out on the next PAPER ISSUES CHALLENGE. This is the first time I tackle ATC format AND a Valentine's Day project- it was FUN!

And ATC
MATERIALS: Love Art-C Artist Trading Card Kit, EK Success Abstract Flower Edge Punch, Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink- Gold Lame, EK Success 2" scallop heart punch, American Crafts Thickers- pink, Crafter's Workshop 12x12 heart template, AC glitter paper- red, Smooch spritz- red,  Tattered Angels mist- Suede
PHOTO CREDIT: DANIEL LAM

The photo is from Gia's amazing engagement photo album shot by her extremely talented brother Daniel. Gia's wedding theme was AND- as in 2 different families coming together or Gia & Tom or We are getting married & you better be there!!!! I LOVED IT! She's so awesome.... (read my blog read my blog read my blog)
That is the home run card.
THIS is the bleh one:

Love ATC
MATERIALS:  Love Art-C Artist Trading Card Kit,  Tattered Angels glimmer glam- Pink Lipstick, Adirondack Acrylic paint dabber- gold, Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink- Gold Lame, EK Success 2" scallop heart punch, Crafter's Workshop 12x12 heart template, V alpha bead from Red Lead.com,  Jolee's woodgrain alpha stickers

What do you think? BE HONEST.
I'm ok with it only because I found out I could use an acrylic paint dabber on a transparency and have it stick.  But really these are all about how much I love shopping. Two Peas in a bucket (Remember the order the US Mail kidnapped? Well it finally appeared FOUR days late in the building lobby where THANKFULLY David's Uncle found it. TOLD YOU I had CRETINS as mailmen!!! Plus the PUSTULOUS GHOUL marked it as delivered!! I was home- he never rang the buzzer! EEEEVIL! )

Sorry- Two Peas in a Bucket has Art-C ATC kits on sale for 7.49 so I thought-might as well try it... I really like these kits. The paper elements could be higher in quality but they get so abused in the misting and gluing process they come out looking fine. The Tattered Angeles Glimmer Glam is not something I would normally buy but OOOPS! Joann's included one on my last order- FOR FREE! Not sure why... maybe to apologize for terrible customer service, an incredibly time consuming & creaky website that freezes with Safari and turn around time so slow Snails regularly pull up next to it and laugh.
Breathe, B.R.E.A.T.H.E- cute photo break...

Nephew Ty. Next project subject.
Photo by my cousin Viviana Vazquez
another hugely talented young photographer

Not sure where the energy is coming from for all this ranting- maybe I need to take up yoga... But Glimmer Glam is AWESOME and I now will buy as many different colors as my grubby lil wallet can afford.
MuChOs SmOoChEs!
M.

2 for Tuesday!

Now that I'm finally done with the holiday theme I feel free as a bird. Looking at the 4 pieces together I see improvement with each piece. In my desperation I was pulling major paper maromas- (stunts).
Now I just have to think about Christmas cards. Home made or store bought? It's late but I could send out "3 King's Day" cards to insert some Latin Flava on this mo fo. Ahem... Told ya I was feeling FREE.

Anyway I titled this post 2 for tuesday because I managed to put together 2 pages! 

I know, right??!!!

I'm also keeping a third page under wraps for a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT on wednesday the 15th so please tune in then.

Here's today's First page:

Street Art, Meatpacking District- NYC. 10/10/10

This is for this week's challenge over at the studio Calico blog. SC is my new FAVE brand. I just love their hipster vibe- it's so Willieburg, BK! I saw this "distressed" poster on a wall on our way to Highline Park and I took a million shots. It just screams Feminine Mystique. Someone call Betty Friedan! We have her re-release cover! The SC challenge called for 1 or 2 elements not including card stock. Did I cheat by using 2 photos? Didn't want to mess things up with some pseudo feminist tripe (my writing)- let the art speak for itself I say!

Second page:

Brooklyn Bagel under the Brooklyn Bridge- We got MAD BROOKLYN, YO!

Materials used: Basic Grey- Basics Tally paper, Smooch spritz- red, Tattered Angels Mist- Suede, Sassafrass Lass alphas, Large Hessian print buttons from The Chip Chop Shop, bagel die cut from PapaDesign, Maya Road clear doily, and a cut up Shop Williamsburg post card. 

Making this page was SO MUCH FUN!!!! Taking Lola for her first trip to DUMBO was just as awesome- we can't wait for summer!! There's an amazing new playground there AND a bike path that takes you past lower Manhattan, past The Statue of Liberty and into Red Hook where you can shop Ikea and eat authentic Pupusas at Red Hook Park. I can't say this enough- I MISS SUMMER!!!!

Mash up! 80's  Olivia Newton John
and Christmas Elf.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!!

M.

Making it RIGHT.

I'm a design team member for a great challenge blog called "Paper Issues". Please check them out. The projects these uber creative women put up make me feel like my stuff is WHACK. Seriously. But I must put my feelings of inadequacy aside and soldier on. One particular holiday page of mine was REALLY bothering me.
This one:

Black Friday 2010

You may remember this page from a previous post:
Seen here: http://myanaloglife.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-first-christmas-page.html

I posted my sad little attempt on the Scrapbook.com critique forum GLUE DOTS and got some wonderful feedback- like use more red to add contrast. DUH!!! Why didn't I think of that?
Glue Dots is looking for members by the way- sometimes you need a fellow scrapper to give you that extra nudge on a piece: Glue Dots Critique Group- SCRAPBOOK.COM
Here's how it's displayed in Miss Lola's room:

The blue bird slippers are from an Etsy shop 
called Precious Piddies (closed). They're FELT!!

I misted the previously light beige burlap with Tattered Angels Burnt Red, shuffled the Jillibean Soup flowers around and added some of the Celebrate It acorn garland to give it a tiny bit more texture. But the largest change came in the title work. I previously used some glitter sticker alphas from Kaiser Crafts but they blew out every time I tried to shoot them. These are American Crafts Thickers- love the dimension they add. 

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

M.