Where in the world has Michelle been? Fun news!! Also? Shooting scrapbook pages in the dark of NYC apartments

HALLO HALLO!

I've been working on a big project and it required lots of my brain power just to keep calm.

What's the big news?

Tomorrow I will be featured over at Shimelle.com!!
WOOOOT!

My post will be called:

 5 ways to finish chipboard by Michelle Hernandez (or something in that vein.)

When I got a peamail from Shimelle three weeks ago I was completely gobsmacked (lol!- sister who lives in the UK- can you tell?).

I have ZERO idea who's looking at my work half the time so when ANYONE contacts me I'm all
"Wait... You sure you mean Michelle Hernandez?"

I suspect I have a very enthusiastic suporter out there- thank you!

While perusing Shimelle's blog I spotted a favorite scrapper of mine.

Please check out Ashley Oliver's (SoaphouseMama) Shimelle.com post:

5 ways other than journaling to incorporate pen work in your scrapbooking by Ashli Oliver.

I've never really talked about how I shoot my projects.

If you read regularly you know I live in what most people would call a closet- a square space about 400 square feet.

There are windows here but they face another building- this is New York- Apartment sunlight is for the rich and famous.

How do I usually shoot my photos?

This is very rare. I tend to shoot my projects in the fire escape because people WILL stare
when they see me hanging scrapbook pages up on waterfront concrete. I wanted a pretty city
scene for my Shimelle feature which required I shoot horizontal oriented staged project photos.
I love staging my projects but staging requires SUNLIGHT. I had to go outside-
and it was windy- so I dropped my original plan to shoot on an easel and went with this instead.

I was looking through my photos when I spotted this, the only photo where you see the
scrapbook page before the wind blew the easel down.
I credit ZipDry for keeping everything in place even as the page fell off the table 30 times.
Needless to say shooting 5 projects when they insist on FLIGHT is not optimal conditions for sanity.

Wait! I DID blog about this before!
Here is a card I shot in my fire escape (the ominous bars) using Crate Paper as a "floor"
since the fire escape bottom is also bars.
Major problem with this? You can TOTALLY have your project blown into the river from here.
I usually shoot everything in a box.

Have a great weekend.Nationa Scrapbooking Day is coming up!

Also? MOTHER'S DAY!
SO gonna SCORE (at Joann's)!!!!

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

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

Oh happy day!!!

I am sick as a dog and a pathetic mess. I have NEVER been the type of woman who can put her big girl pants on when she's got the flu. This time I called Momma T so she could pick up Lola and take her away for a couple of hours while I slept.

Why? The damage:

• 2 chewed on "Portrait" collection flowers 
• 2 Maya Road resin flowers I will now have to search for in her pamper (UCK!) Not to use- to make sure she passes them

That is my life right now. So for every Mom who can roll her sleeves up, cook, clean and keep the multiple children from wrecking house while she's sick- you are my hero- you ROCK! When I grow up I wanna be just like you.

I got a nice little piece of news yesterday in the middle of my snotty drama- my Earth Day project has been featured over at 2 Peas. Here's the link: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/464560-hernandm1/1729627-a-greener-world/

This was based on a beautiful Studio Calico sketch so I can't call it original but I'm glad it's getting some attention because it's a message I care very deeply about- doing little things to help reduce your carbon footprint.

I also want to show you an EXPERIMENT. This page will make no sense because it mixes really grungy dark techniques with bright and sunny photos but I'm planning a card project that needs practice so I whipped this up:

MATERIALS: Colorbok grid paper, Hambly Studio clear border stickers, Cosmo Cricket
Paul Bunyan alphas with  Glossy Accents
Flowers- Martha Stewart Clear Camelia stamps, StazOn in Blazing Red and Cherry Pink,
ColorBox chalk ink in Yellow Citrus, American Crafts Zing! in black and clear, Maya Road leaf pins

Weird right? Please give me your honest feedback- I am NOT the chick who asks if she looks fat in these jeans and expects a no. I want to know if I look like a hippo in heat if that's what's real. :)

Zing TIPS:
1. Double stamping to get the black zing border then the clear zing on the inside is not a good idea- overheating (or double heating) Zing! makes it turn white so be careful.
2. Heating the Zing! powder from UNDER the paper is better- got that from the AC post on youtube and went DUH! Of course!!!
3. ColorBox chalk ink takes a little time to dry up so it's perfect for embossing- I would have never know if I hadn't made a mistake while stamping.
But ya'll know this already! You are all embossing divas making this world spin while I just live in it. :)

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle