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.

THE PERFECT PRESENT- A journey

Just when you think- that's IT- I'm done- DONE I TELL YOU!!! You realize oh NOOOO I have 3 more people left on my list. And that present I got for person number 4 STINKS.... and person 5 is not a MAN!! What was I THINKING????
ARRRGH!

Home made present I want to keep for myself.

Lists, last minute shopping, crowds, MUZAK. Christmas is tough but I keep my eyes to the prize- Christmas DAY. I look forward to the opening of presents for weeks- not my presents- the ones I give to others. It's so great when you get a present right. Last year I made my secret santa giftee cry- YIKES!!!- not what I expected. But I was assured those were tears of happiness. Uhhmmm- ok.

All I had done was print out 5 photos and put them in a frame from Target- 25 bucks and 1 hour's worth of effort, shopping included. I gave him the frame because I had NO IDEA what else to do. I felt like I was being cheap and taking the "easy way out". Yet I had photographed memories he never thought had been captured- reading a book to his first son, giving his baby daughter a bath- he is a very good father. I had given "THE PERFECT PRESENT". Wow. The family STILL talks about that present and that reaction today.

My elf present!

Naturally I only feel MORE pressure to "get it right" this year. What is the "PERFECT PRESENT"? How do you find it? How long should it take?

For me THE PERFECT PRESENT is something that touches the receiver's heart, that seems effortless and original, something that encapsulates the relationship you have with the receiver. So easy to put those down in to a blog entry and SO HARD to get them right when shopping in NEW YORK CITY for 2 hours and 20 people on your list.

So I absolve myself. I probably won't  get that "perfect present" moment again. I must settle for the good feeling I get from giving and spending time with family. But there's always next year...

Little Italy date night

This was super easy to make! All I did was wind some threaded wool from Anthropologie on a wreath form and hot glue it to a paper backing.

I used American Craft Thickers, Basic Grey paper, flower and branch punches from The Punch Bunch. Mini flowers are attached with dress maker pins- which is why there's a paper backing- the pins stick out. The scallop circle is from Dusty Attic.

Oh and the pearl flowers were hand made with the scallop circle punch cut into a swirl and wound on a pencil technique- first time I try to make a flower myself. :)


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.

Christmas Felt MADness

I love me some holiday felt! Felt ornaments, felt stockings, felt holiday banners with reindeer, Santa and candy canes, felt wreaths and lately felt Pinecones which I'm simply going GAGA for.

Here's my first FELT MADNESS page:

Whaddaya think?

Rockerfeller Christmas 2010

My first 3D felt project. AND I learned a new stitch to do it. "Learning a new stitch" is totally easy (I found) if I use a patient teacher- YOUTUBE. Gulf Coast Cottage has super simple videos that are short so even the simple minded (ME) can view them 50 times in order to learn.
Here's a link:
Blanket Stitch tutorial


Normally I wouldn't go to Rockerfeller Center because the crowds make using a stroller safely impossible but we needed a family photo with holiday flavor. Luckily "Real Simple" Magazine had pro shooters set up in key areas around the tree. Our guy was so over it by 4pm that all the photos were fuzzy. I made him redo our shot (it cost 21 dollars for 1 stinking print!) but Lola refused to look at the camera so this unfocused shot is the best of the bunch.

Close up- stitches and awesome tag I got FOR FREE

Michelle WHY did you cut up the background paper? Because I'm crazy. I thought weaving the paper would look cute. What I didn't consider was that the paper was so busy it would compete with anything you put in front of it (and look horrible). But I loved the paper so I used it cut up and attached it using mini heart brads.

Items used: Making Memories mistletoe paper, Celebrate It! glitter pine cone garland from Michael's, scallop circle from Dusty Attic painted gold by Making Memories acrylic paint, Making Memories circle flowers and a couple of dollar store doilies I painted gold with a Color Box Cat's Eye pad and Tattered Angels Mist in "Sand" and "Iridescent Gold". The beautiful tag came with an Etsy order a while ago- wish I could remember the maker so I could link them up...

Tim Holtz tape makes the back interesting

That's it- I've edited this page a bunch of times already.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

M.

Craft Elf! No- craft GREMLIN...

Lola is a constantly amazing me. Naturally I think she's a genius and incredibly fascinating- and funny- and adorable- the most lovable thing since sliced bread with lemon curd and cool whip on top.

Here she is casing the join for paper to DESTROY. This is her new hobby- make Mommy scream in anguish. I love her- this is proof- anyone else going into my plastic cases would get the ol' heave ho.

I created this page for the PAPER ISSUES Christmas Challenge. Go check this website out- there are so many spectacular projects there I can hardly stop reading and looking to make my own.

Craft Elf using Pencil Lines sketch 215 by Jennifer Matott

The circles have photos of my favorite ornaments.

Here are Lola's:

These are constantly coming off the tree and traveling to far off places- like the bathroom. 
I love felt ornaments. The more rudimentary they look the more I want them. This year I'm stalking West Elm and Lord & Taylor- when they have their 75% sales I am SO there!

For the second Christmas page I used Core Impressions Cosmo Cricket neautrals. The paper is Turquoise but of course the scanner turned it green. I had a devil of a time trying to turn it back and didn't succeed. I really need to take some advanced photoshop courses...

Anyways I also used some felt, some wire ribbon for the borders and strips, a Jillibean soup kraft tag and packaging for the journaling and my new favorite embellishment string. The gold border is German and I got it from Vintage Images In Time- an Etsy shop.

I love stitching! It allows me to talk, listen and think but not watch tv- it's the ultimate zen craft.

Talking to Santa Giraffe 

MuChOs SmOoChEs!!
M.