The Houndstooth Challenge! A True Xoxo Girls post

Hello!

Today's post will be super duper quick because I have to go get a root canal!
YAYYY!
Isn't that GREAT?
Just add that to the house re-organizing, flu epidemic and Lola's pre-school applications!
This week is STRESSING ME OUT.

Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts!
The challenge over at True Xoxo is- drum roll please- HOUNDSTOOTH.
I've never really gotten into that pattern.
I like it but I haven't gone out of my way to buy it.
Luckily Hambly came to my rescue (again)
How could Hambly go out of business??
HAPPY PLACE!

Swing on by and PLEASE join the fun!
We need more players- more readers- more comments!
I'd love to see your face!

SOOOO I will BRIBE YOU.

GIVE AWAY GIVEAWAY GIVE AWAY!!!

1. Join the challenge by entering any houndstooth page you happen to have posted on your blog. 
2. LEAVE LOVE FOR THE TEAM there.
3. Swing back here and leave a comment letting me know you did so.

I will award one lucky reader some awesome stash from the many items currently getting new homes.

I will pick things from your favorite color and brand to make sure you are happy.
Sound cool?
AWESOME!

What? You've been trying to reach me for to hours? SILLY!
You know I can't hear my phone! It's under a ton of crap in the very bottom of my bag!
If you want me to notice you Instagram me. See? You got a call back!

SMOOCHES!
Michelle

Project 30 bags in 30 Days and some December Daily love

Hello!

I'm making some headway into my 2013 resolution to clean up and simplify my home.

I've joined a low key project called 30 bags in 30 days where you organize and throw out at least 1 bag a day for 30 days.

Almost everything in this box got donated to Materials For The Arts.
Only the Basic Grey prints made the cut and I'm using those for a Valentine's Day
project coming soon to a blog near you.

Scrapper and Photographer Becky Novacek has many beautifully organized space photos posted on Instagram and her blog Becky Novacek Photography, head on over for inspiration.

Several friends on Facebook have already expressed interest in joining along.

If you'd like to join us- there isn't an official group or web page-
just use the hashtag #30bags30days on Instagram or Twitter or post photos on your blog and let me know through Facebook and I will swing by your blog and cheer you on.

The art wall behind my computer got a thorough dusting.
I also threw out all the computer related ephemera that had snuck onto my "inspiration shelf."
I'd like to switch out some of the objects but that is a later project- first clean the mess I've made on the floor.

I haven't taken photos of my seven bags so far.
Mostly because I'm so distraught about the mess I'm making while cleaning that I forget to shoot the bag or the room.
I think it's going to take more than 30 bags to rid me of the mess I have in this very small space.
But I'm trying anyway.

Here are my latest December Daily pages.

Red, silver and white are SO awesome! Can't help throwing in some black to ground things.
The rock star badge is From A Flair For Buttons on Etsy.

Crafter's Workshop snowflake stencil and Crate Paper vellum number. Washi tape 
and "Love" wood veneer arrow from Freckled Fawn.

I later added kraft as a color since I love how it looks when paired with silver.
Scrap FX mini chipboard shapes and new arrows are the perfect
 addition to this project. Silver glitter embossing powder from Paper Source
is now an all time favorite product.

Last year I made a page a day but I was home all day so it was easier.

This year I decided to make the album larger using 6 by 8 flat cards from Paper Source as my base.
Last year's "cute" loose ring binding failed- it exposes interior pages too much and I've had too many pages fall off.
This year I will bind the album using traditional book binding tape- a tutorial on that coming soon!!

Now get going, you! Life is awaiting!
Michelle

True Xoxo and If It's Groovy BLOG HOP!

HIYA folks!!!

Today's post is dedicated to the If It's Groovy and True Xoxo Girls Challenge crossover blog hop!
WHEEEEE!

Here is the blog hop order:

Representing January we have: Wendy & Christa

Representing February we have: Michelle & Michelle H - You are here. HIYA!!!

Representing March we have: Wendy & Miae

Representing April we have: Heather & Jaclyn

Representing May we have: Lindsey & Deborah

Representing June we have: Brenda & Khristen

Representing July we have: Jean & Tess

Representing August we have: Rochelle  & Faye

Representing September we have: Kelly & Tiffany

Representing October we have: Kelly & Alaina

Representing November we have: Heather & Kimmy

Representing December we have: Deborah & Queen Kat

And the purpose of this hop is to make a page giving meaning to a particular month of the year.

My chosen month is February.

Materials: Basic Grey Fact or Fiction paper and embellishments, October Afternoon 9 to 5 stickers,
Studio Calico fabric rips and vellum arrows from Twine + Ink at Two Peas in a Bucket.
Yellow paint from Kaisercraft and mist from Studio Calico

I... dislike... February.
February means early evenings and long cold nights.
There are no benefits to cold weather no matter what poet Nikki Giovanni tells you.
Cozy doesn't cut it!
But February also means lots of red in the stores (thank you otherwise meaningless holiday Valentine's Day!)
AND it's my birthday.
For those reasons alone, I tolerate February.

So happy to have some vellum arrows! Now I get to indulge my
need to layer them all over my pages. My camera is in the shop so I'll be
scanning all my projects from a few months. I removed the chipboard from behind the
Basic grey "Fiction" butterfly so it flattened out completely.

This year I am a proud 39 year old woman.
I don't worry about being old or about the smile lines sprouting around my mouth and brow.
39 is a chance to start fresh and have some experience under my belt.

Not exactly deep journaling but it's my mantra for the month of February. 

For this page I wanted to use a color not usually associated with winter- yellow.
It's my favorite color and how I keep myself from FREAKING OUT over the weather.
I put bring cheery colors all over my pages- pretend I don't mind being stuck inside for three months and soon it's SPRING and I sigh in relief.

Thanks for joining in today- you next stop in the blog hop is:

Wendy - http://disneydarling07.blogspot.com/

Xoxo!
Michelle

Michelle's picks- CHA Winter 2013

HIYA!

The irony of me picking new crafty stuff just as I clean out my old crafty stuff does not escape me.
But yet again I am drawn to manufacturer blogs like a moth to flame.

Here are my personal MUST BUY picks for this term:

1. Crafter's Workshop stencils by Ronda Palazzari.
Dina Wakely's Eyechart and Julie Balzer's  leaf  stencils are all coming home as well.

2. We R Memory Keeper baseball size card punch.
I was JUST wishing I had a 3x4 punch for easy Project Life cards in prints I choose.

3. Cosmo Cricket's Summer Love paper- awesome graphic prints!

4. Prima paper clips- I pretty much want all styles available.

5. Studio Calico confetti size shapes veneer. LOVE!!

6. Krylon glitter sprays and this lil 3 oz guy in red, yellow and silver.

7. Wow! Glitter embossing powder 3 packs

8. Jenni Bowlin feather chipboard and mini book clear stamps

9. Webster's Pages "Sweet Notes" overlays by Allison Kreft

10. Anything with diagonal stripes in red or black/white.
 

I will be cherry picking like crazy since I'm not too excited by the papers in most of the collections I see. 

Some of my favorite brands have complete fallen off the design map this season.  

Perhaps it's a sign of the times, not a single company seems to be taking any risks right now.

It's all muted colors and motifs from past seasons- lots of cameras, banners, doilies, chevrons and circles.
 

Where did all the stars go?
And when did speech bubbles become so popular?
I like them but SHEESH! There's only so many I can put on a layout!

Also-
What's with the anchors? Unless you have a yatch or are on a cruise vacation those are random!




Ok time to dish- What are your favorites?

Lemme know! CHA hasn't even started so I know there are other fabulous products out there waiting to be discovered.

Chelles out.

Manic Mondays with A Flair For Buttons

Hello!

Wow it was a crazy monday!

First- someone hacked or cloned my email- if you got an email from me with a link DO NOT OPEN IT!

I spent half the morning trying to figure out how to hook up a google account.

So now I have a new email- yay! 

It appears on the upper right hand corner there.

My brother (computer genius) assures me I'll no longer get Canadian Viagara emails which is nice.

 Then I posted this over at the A Flair For Buttons blog:

My latest A Flair For Buttons page. I love their new Photo booth pack- swing by the blog and check it all out!
I am IN LOVE with Crate's "On Trend" collection! Jewel tones- lots of fantastic black and white prints- it's PERFECT.
2012 was crazy with work schedule drama but we pulled through. 

Then I went to the dentist and was told the root canal I thought I needed is elective (YAY!!) but I have three cavities.
ACK!
I am really good with brushing after last year's bloody root canal.
(My dentist asserts the pain was all in my imagination as root canals don't hurt. !!! Yeah ok dude! That jammie hurt like a MO FO!)

Then I started this:

Cleaning up? Hardly!

I must be CRAZY!!!!
I've had enough with the mess and clutter in my "scrap space".

I considered doing a bunch of give-aways but realized it would take weeks and weeks to organize everything.

All the while I would second guess everything and drive my family crazy with boxes all over the place.

I need this room clean and accessible to The Lolster ASAP.

I will be giving 40% of my unused scrappy stuff to Materials For The Arts which connects teachers and after school programs with the supplies they need to make awesome art in NYC schools.

Not because I'm particularly awesome.
Because I'm a crazed shopping maniac who's realized her kiddo needs room to play.

Lately she's been going around pointing at things saying Mommy's stuff, Mommy's stuff, Mommy's stuff- MY STUFF.

That was the biggest condemnation of my out of control spending I could have ever received.

She deserves her own space to play and dream.

Michelle