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!

Instagr.am (HIPSTAMATIC) is awesooome!!!

This is a great "opener" image- instantly accessible so it's my "come hither" photo for this post-
 I've blogged it before! It's up over at True Xoxo Girls for their Instamatic Challenge- go check us out!!!

HIYA!!!!

I've been scheduling everything to the last minute the last few weeks in an effort to get as much scrap time as possible. I belong to FOUR equally amazing teams and I also want to keep a constant eye on Lola's toddler antics- those photos keep my pages interesting after all. Whatever- I'm a Type A personality! I can handle this!

A huge part of my daily routine:
Facebook- I have no scrap friends in NYC and my regular friends and family ROLL their eyes when I start talking scrap so I've learned to suppress it. Talking "shop" with my fellow teamies is slowly consuming a lot of my spare time but I'm learning so much it's hard to stop.

Pinterest-    Pinning has become... an obsession. There are just SO many amazing women working today!!! I wish I had an art gallery- I would be very happy just showing off other people's work!

Twitter and Instagr.am- Photo sharing is AWESOME! One of my favorite pastimes while on vacation was trying to make friends and family jealous by posting daily images of where I was. It didn't make me very popular but it was FUN and I got some great shots to scrap. My Twitter and Facebook accounts are connected!


Thank you Gauche Alchemy, Paper Issues, True Xoxo Girls and Punky Scraps for keeping me sane and in touch with other crafty chicks.

This came together in about an hour using the Gauche Alchemy
 Lady Marmalade Orange Mixed Media Kit and some "Ouchless" Corrugated board.
I love this photo series with the thought bubble that was an advert for a street art show.
Someone took it down- wish I had thought of that.

The October True Xoxo Girls challenge is up and running- the theme is Instagr.am. I don't like the Instagram app much- especially now that they have "upgraded" and gotten rid of their "Gotham" lens (POOT!) so I cheated and used Hipstamatic photos for the challenge. Because I use the app so much in my scrapping I have 2 pages up (thanks Lindsey!!!).

MATERIALS- Crafter's Workshop 6x6 chicken wire stencil ( I LOVE that thing!!), Basic Grey Life of the Party paper (love this collection!!), Jillibean Soup corrugated frame, Crate Paper buttons, Prima flowers, Studio Calico wood butterflies, Mister Huey Sunshine and October Afternoon Brown Bag mist- FAVE!!

Swing by and check out True Xoxo Scrapbooking. The challenge winner will get a guest spot on the team so you too can have fun in the huge love fest that is the Xoxo DT!

The idea for today is- believe in the process

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Sharing space, an over-share

B Love- a page made just so I use some buttons- at last!
MATERIALS: Crate Paper Restoration woodgrain paper, stickers and die cuts, Crate Random collection journaling card, "love" chippy from Maya Road, American Crafts Zing in mustard, Scrabble piece, rusted iron house and punchinella from Gauche Alchemy, Border stickers by Sassafras for Studio Calico, Ek Success slim edger punch, Basic Grey, My Mind's Eye and Crate Paper buttons.

My apologies for being absent as of late. Since it's been so long since I last wrote I'm compressing several days worth of news into this entry so bear with me- I promise to make you laugh at least once!

I am battling a great scrappy dilemma- the forced work space move. See my husband and I share a work space. When I say "share" I mean I own it utterly but he gets to kick me out for the 5 months he works on projects for architecture school- which I guess is only fair since that's what he bought it for.

I wish I had more of that CUTE little house!!!

That gorgeous mini script word is from Stuff 2 Scrap.
Houndstooth paper from DCWV.
I FINALLY found that EK Success slim border punch! YAY!!

I think this should be a stand alone project.

The table we "share" is a classic tilting Architect's table with a nifty swing arm lamp and a galley in the front for pencils storage. I had to load that sucker up with all my stuff because whatever weight you put in the front has to be counterbalanced in the back or else the table tilts and everything ends up on the floor. I was grooving with my new everything is visible system when BAM! school starts.
So back to the tiny Ikea dining table it is and let me tell you it's been murder on the mojo. The move took 2 entire days and much consternation for Lola who just didn't understand WHY she wasn't allowed to
A. rip everything to shreds
B. dance on the paper I gave her (now lying on the floor and causing Jack Tripper in "Three's Company" type accidents.)

I'm crazy frustrated so I am not writing or going online to see what you are doing. I'm watching movies, over eating and trying to ignore my (unfair) feelings. Not to mention that we are eating off tv trays since we no longer HAVE a "diner" table. And before you say "Michelle don't you have other rooms in that house??" The answer is NO- I live in NYC- there are 2 rooms and have been told we should feel lucky/blessed that it's not the Bronx. Whatever I lived in the Bronx- the apartments are way bigger (because you can't safely LEAVE the house! AHA!... Joke!)

On the upside- I was FORCED to clean up my act and found a whole lot of COOL stash I hadn't seen in months- namely my button bag, my WRMK Sew Easy kit and my Dusty Attic chip board box. WOO HOO! So I'm using them- many for the first time.

This is as "organized" as I get.

True Xoxo Girls (you got whiplash from that transition didn't cha?) is hosting a Blog Hop October 10th and I am SO PROUD of the page I made!!!  We each challenged another member of the team to do a page using specific instructions. Lisa Watson's challenge for me was to use Ingvild Bolme as an inspiration. Ingvild Bolme? She's a SUPER STAR. Cue freak out mode.

So I made a list of favorite things I saw in her work, made sure to incorporate LOTS of my new found stash and here is a sneaky peek:

Recently decided gears are where it's at- LOVE them!
Turquoise Tattered Angels paint- so lovely!
The large roses are from the dollar store.

Now I just have to play catch up with all the projects I've been neglecting as of late. And I need to swing by your blogs and leave some love- it's been kinda quiet around here lately- everyone must be furiously creating- that's a GREAT thing!

ALSO- my first write up is available over at Gauche Alchemy- WHAT? You say? I haven't been talking up my writing for GA? Sorry!
iI's true- I've been neglecting to drive traffic over to my second writing gig.
Here is the link- the article is about my favorite thing- using the ipod Hipstamatic app: http://gauchealchemy.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/michelles-mini-guide-to-hipstamatic/

Mine remain safe- are yours??? 

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Xoxo July challenge- clouds, stitching and kraft

As you know if you read this blog often I am a member of the True Xoxo Design team. Every month the design team BRINGS IT in order to inspire you and get you out of your funk (if you're funky) or away from your usual style (if you're in a rut) but always to have FUN with our fave hobby.

Rise- True Xoxo Girls DT page for July 2011
Materials: Bazzill Kraft, American Crafts cloud paper (as template) alphas and  grid stamp(on scallop border) K and Co frames, Sassafras star stickers, alphas and paper foldies, Maya Road star pins, GCD Studio paper clip, Uni ball white gel pen, bicycle brads from Eyelet Outlet, heart brad from My Mind's Eye

This month the completely UNmandatory list of things we wanted to include in our layouts was:

• at least 2-3 small photos
• Kraft or white background
• blue, orange and/or yellow  (any shade, patterned or plain)
• paper strips
• grid
• stars
• handwriting
• numbers
• bicycles
• food
• brads
• frames

Usually I try to include every single list item in my LO but that has led to crowding issues, as you may have seen in my "teaser" post. I also have to watch out because we have some great regulars visiting Xoxo now and they can light it UP. Was I complaining about not getting any critical (read: incisive and knowledgeable) feedback? Got some! Now I need to put what I learned into practice- thanks guys- you ROCK!!!!

Clouds are soooo cool!!! 

For this page I knew I wanted to scrap some great photos of Lola running around in front of a tiny Empire State Building with a balloon. I actually have some 4th of July images from 2010 that are perfect for this challenge as she's eating blueberries but they are lost in the great maze that is my Mac without iPhoto. When I have more time I will have to search for them manually- and find them amongst 20 THOUSAND other image files but I digress...

GCD Studio Soul Food paper clip

I also knew I wanted a kraft background as I love it but rarely use it. But where would I include paper strips or bicycles? The answer was obvious- ignore them. Not on purpose but after running around for a week trying to come up with a design, my brain apparently blanked them out. PHOOEY! So I promise to do every single item next month!

So join us over at True Xoxo- you'll love it! Also there's a great RAK for someone to win- why not you!

The Lolster is very much a Daddy's girl so when I get a VOLUNTARY hug everything pauses.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Xoxo America!

It's been a great week! So great I don't want to scrap. Who wants to hang around in a tiny dark apartment when the weather has been so perfect?

THIS is what you do in great weather!

It's 4th of July weekend and we have no plans. Not having a car puts a great fat crimp in that department but the pay off is this- many humans have left New York City.  If you stay you can now enjoy a walk down Broadway without getting carried off by streams of harried workers. Or take the subway without wrestling people to get the baby carriage in and out the train car. We can even walk in and sit down at that cool restaurant that always has a long line in front of it - not that we can afford it but you get the idea. New York during 3 day holidays is AMAZING.

Water feature at High Line park has no one else wadding in it!

So I'll share a page that's been "in the works" for a while. This is my "first draft" for my July page for TRUE XOXO GIRLS! I forced myself to sit down and do this but didn't like the results after a couple of days. You can tune in on July 7th to see the final version or even better- join the fun!

True Xoxo Girls SNEAK (first draft page)
Materials: Sassafrass Lass stickers and flowers, Bazzill kraft,  K and Co transparent frame, American Crafts
numbers, American Crafts clouds paper (cloud template), GCD Studios "Be brave" paper clip

PAPER ISSSUES has a wonderful Fourth of July link party going on! Many of you make beautiful decorations and/or scrapbook pages for this holiday so go link them up! Plus- we have a whole new Creative Team to introduce!! I am SO happy to learn fave crafter Amy Baldwin has made the team! YAAAY!

Inside

Here's my project using October Afternoon's Rocket Age. It's a card for the hubster who will be turning 37 next week.

Materials: October Afternoon Rocket Age,
Fiskars star punch,
American Crafts gold paper

Happy 4th America!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Scraplifting with us at XOXO

WHAT? It's June 16th!!!! Is it me or is time speeding up?
And you- dear reader- have you checked out True Xoxo and tried to lift one of the pages there? There's a fantastic prize just WAITING to be snatched up!

This page was intended for May but has been moved up to June. Perhaps it inspires you to make one of your own?

Xoxo went through a transition but now we are back. A team of wonderfully diverse pages awaits the adventurous scrapper.

I know my page could use some improvements- like a plain colored background on those photos which currently get lost in the Crate paper stripes.
But I digress!!
Check out the other challenge page s here: Xoxo Design Challenge 19

Someone PLEASE explain how plain water in the bottle is YUCK
but plain water in the bottle cap is ok. As long as she's drinking....

MuChoS SmOoChes!

Michelle

Spring Awakening and fun GIVEAWAY

Only fellow team mate Cheryl replied to my Xoxo Girls page items challenge. Where are you dear readers? Am I abandoned? Is my clever writing going unseen and unnoticed? Oh the inhumanity!!! 

It's Ok, I know ya'll are busy. I will extend the reply date to May 10th so you have all weekend to give this page the beady once over and try to guess the 10 things I had to include. The winner with the most correct guesses will get something from my huge tottering stash that best matches their fave scrappy thing.

Here's the May Xoxo Girls challenge page:

Materials: Crate Paper Portrait collection Honeymoon paper and chipboard flowers,  Crate Emma's Shoppe
Buttons,  Cosmo Cricket Boyfriend alphas, Prima tulips,  canvas flower from Precocious Paper on Etsy
Hambly Studios lace rub-ons and washi tape, Studio Calico wood veneer heart,  Robin's Nest Dew Drops
pearls, Ek Success bubbles border punch, Punch Bunch extra large branch punch

The Martinez-Hernandez clan is having a hard week. We all have a most persistent cold that just makes us sniffly, whinny and tired. Still to do: Mother's Day cards! It will be too late to load them up to the Paper Issues Mother's Day link party but you can check out our current Cinco De Mayo theme which is all about parties and having fun check it out here.

My sister's wedding date is getting closer! I can't believe I'll be spending 2 weeks in Italy. Traveling there has been a dream of mine for years! Inspired by the recent royal wedding. my sister and I decided I should wear a "Fascinator" to her wedding. Here it is!!

Isn't it amazing??? LOOOVES IT!!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Xoxo Girls sneak and GIVEAWAY- general updates

Just a few fun sneaks for the May 2011 Xoxo Girls Challenge going live on the 6th. I always have fun putting my pages together for this challenge site because we are given a list of sometime really random things we have to try to fit into the page. Looking at these photos can you guess what items I tried to include in my page?

The commenter who gets the most guesses right gets a PRIZE!!! Something fun and scrappy- just let me know your fave scrappy thing and I'll see if I have something that fits the bill in my stash! And don't forget to tune on the 6th so see what the other wonderful DT members came up with for this month.

Before I forget- I got some AWESOME mail this week! The winner for my Paper Issues prize, Jacque, sent me this recycled Thank You post card!!! Not only was this unexpected but it was WONDERFUL! I really miss getting fun mail- right now it's just Oriental Trading Catalogues and bills from our health insurer. Here's a quick scan:

It's a cereal box! In the back is a very thoughtfiul message.

This was so thoughtful and so COOL I've decided to send out 10 random recycled post cards to friends and fam this week. It's just FUN plus I have a lot of boxes that need productive uses- Thanks Jacque! Go to her site http://jacque4u2c.blogspot.com and leave some love- she rocks!

Kreatorville May 2011 sketch By Keandra of Kreatorville Krafts.
Try it!!! You'll love it!

One final note- my absolute FAVORITE scrap artist of all time Keandra of Kreatorville Kraft is getting back into the swing of things. I LOVE LOOOOVE everything she makes. I love her website. I love her kits (although I haven't been able to buy one this month- I'm one BROKE chick!). I try very hard NOT to snatch her ideas on the regular- she's that amazing. Swing by Kreatorville Krafts and see what she's up to. I'm participating in her tag swap this month and lemme tell you it's a CHALLENGE. Photos to come soon :)

"...Yeah and then my stocks TANKED... it was horrible!

Smoooches!

Michelle

XoXo- I heart U!

Have you not tried a scraplift challenge over at True Xoxo Girls? Really? No way! 

The prizes are always AHHMAYZIN'! 

The design team is wonderfully diverse so you are sure to find a style you can "lift" each and every month. I encourage you to head on over and try it out.

Here is April's lil ditty from moi:

BUSY BUSY BEE
MATERIALS: MLS City by the bay paper, SC cloud rub-ons, airplane and yellow alphas,
Bee and circles from DCWV Artful Life pad.

 It was late. Miss Lola was giving us hell. I was worried about MIL in hospital recuperating from operation (Get well Reyna!). Anxiety attack! So I started putting strips of paper on this LUSCIOUS piece of buttery yellow MLS paper (which I got for the brick pattern on back). I added a salvaged piece from previous night's MAJOR PAPER DRAMZ- 

(an SC Schoolhouse red bottle that I spilled onto my fave grid print- THE HORROR- seriously- I wigged out) and a cut out bee from a FABULOUS DCWV Artsy Life pad and... Whaaaaaaa?... 

Something happened- 

MAGIC!!!!!!!! 

A page I LOOOOVE. 

Red/white/blue twine? HEART U!!! Got it at reallyreasonablereason.com

How much do I covet that yellow fabric print from MLS?
MUCHO MIS AMIGOS!

First handmade embellie- K and Co handmade fabric

New avatar I'm trying out still love the old one.

Quick enlarged look- I need to rethink my 3 column blog design. ;)

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
MICHELLE

My big Announcement

I wanted to post news of a fun development in my scrapbook life-  I made another DT for a great scraplift challenge blog.  YAY! But my name and the names of fellow new DT members are not online yet so I want to hold back just in case.
This for an upcoming challenge on that site but it doesn't hit all the parameters so THIS page is nixed :

And another page which will be on hold till the website XOXO GIRLS (Hee hee hee hee HEE! and much delighted wrangling of the hands) goes live with the news.

He Said/ She Said

Materials: Cosmo Cricket 1934 grid paper, Shabby Chic Crafts word bubbles, Maya Road Acrylic people (digi altered), Sassafras Lass Monstrosity paper, Martha Stewart multi butterfly punch, K and Co mini embossed alphas, Smooch spritz in black, Prima vine (digi altered), Ranger Acrylic paint dabber in black.

This page is about the inevitable arguments couples have. Specifically how Dave and I always argue about 3 things:
1. He thinks I spend too much time online shopping and reading blogs. (He wins)
2. I think he's bananas with a generous side of nuts for buying electrical gadgets. His latest is an electric skateboard imported (much to our dismay as it arrived- broken- 3 months late) from the UK. (I win)
3. I think he should wear his wedding band at all times. This is a draw as get this- HE LOST HIS WEDDING BAND IN THE BATHROOM AT WORK!!!!!! Yes you read that right!!!! He left it on the wash stand!!! But I'm no better. I just lost a diamond off mine because I literally NEVER take it off- not even for  the yearly REQUIRED upkeep. DARN!!!

But we both agree on one thing- Miss Lola is the Beez Kneez.



MuChOs SmOoChEs!
M.