Inspiration

It's amazing what can inspire you to do something. I had the smallest strip of paper left from a page of replica sheet music and the words to the tune turned a bunch of scraps into this:

supplies:
Making Memories - Vintage Findings
(papers, tags, pin, sheet-music, ribbon)
Making Memories - tiny type alpha stickers
Prima flower
ProvoCraft (gold/cream embossed paper)

More Vintage - This Time - ATCs

Well, true to form, instead of packing up and putting away all those lovely scraps and bits and pieces, I put them to work for me. I used my leftover Vintage Findings bits and pieces with some other fun things to create both sides of this "I {heart} Vintage" ATC.

See that flower center (on the left)? That was made with my I-top brad maker. I love that gadget. I've used it several times on several projects. So far, I've covered brads with bits of ribbon, canvas, paper and even a piece of a doily. I am in love with brads and bigger is better! :)

Creating in Chaos

I tried to do my sketch assignment for Sketches: Creatively Yours last night. I was feeling creative even though it was past my bedtime. When I found the papers I wanted to use I realized I had no photos for the layout.

The fact that the entire table was a study in chaos didn't even faze me at first. Then I decided I would document my huge weakness. I took photos of the area and sent them to be printed. I'm not proud, but I am who I am and it is what it is.

I try and try to put things away as I go but I'm always so engrossed in the latest project, and when I try to clean up the bigger mess, I end up inspired to use the scraps or embellishments I find and there goes the whole idea of cleaning.

If this is who I am, then why not create my story about it?

That's just what I'm going to do... and then, maybe, I'll clean up...

It Can Be Easy to Be Green

I'm trying to be green. I think many of us are. In our office we have paperless methods in place and some are actually not so complex that it's a no-brainer to use the paperless method... some are more complex and time consuming, making them really difficult to keep up on.

We have some things that just can't be paperless and in those cases we use reams of copy paper. Each ream is wrapped with a sheet of paper that is roughly 15" x 22"... often these are not recyclable due to the glue used to seal them shut... you could tear/cut off the glue parts or you could save these large sheets of paper that have a pristine white side (the inside) that could be used for gift-wrap, mailing, kids' art, etc.

There are sheets of chipboard which one of the gals and I both take home for our own purposes; hers is for her little one and his preschool to use for art projects and mine is for making boxes and chipboard shapes for creating.

The crazy thing is that there are some reports that we pull and if there isn't a report for that day, instead of getting a pop-up window, it prints a sheet of paper with the line "nothing to print" on the top. So many of the girls shred these... ok so they're recycling but wouldn't it be even better to reuse them? I have put them back through the printer and used them to tape credit card receipts to, who cares if the in-office people see "nothing to print" in addition to the actual information on the scanned paperwork?

Just think of all the uses for things that might otherwise be wasted... including this great link that was featured in today's Scrap Scene email: How About Orange: Make a Gift Bow from a Magazine Page

Vintage-The Presentation and Card

I finished the Mini album for my supervisor but it wasn't "Complete". It needed to be "presentable"....

I couldn't just put the finished album in an envelope, I considered a tissue wrap but in the long run, I have a lot of chipboard and I had some papers and trims left from the project so I customized a box to fit and match the mini. I fastened a length of ribbon on the box bottom and used an eyelet to attach the ribbon in a loop around the buckle, so that it closes on the box like a belt.

The card was made using some extra pages that I had prepared and had decided not to use in the album. I used the same distressing technique for the gold foil doily parts and some stippled walnut ink on aone of the flowers. The paper was some I've had lying around for quite some time that was the perfect touch.

I left the package on my supervisor's desk, she took it home without opening it (after all, it was addressed to her and her hubby so it's fitting that they open it together) but I haven't heard anything. I am sure she loves it. After all.... I do!

I will post details on how to make the box in a day or so...

Part of the Team

I am proud to say that I'm on the Sketches: Creatively Yours design team from Nov 1, 2009- March 31, 2010!

I have been quite lax in my creating lately and I know that this is the spark to get me back on track! I will be taking a few hours to clear out the disaster known as my workspace (I just can't seem to clean as I go) and then I'm going to get busy!

Please come on over and see the range of talent that is on our team.... It's good to see some friends on there and some future friends as well... check out the announcement here.

See you there!

Vintage Findings

I have been very nonproductive in the creative world lately. My last creations were some invites for Belle's "Zoofari" back in August. I had the idea to make a Mini album for my supervisor's wedding gift - which was also in August - and I have finally been working on it.

With the Making Memories Vintage Findings line; some foil heart doilies and some Alcohol Inks; I've been working on being inspired.


If you decide to antique a foil doily with alcohol inks, go sparingly because the alcohol blending solution takes the gold off if you use too much or press too hard. I liked this in some cases because it added to the age and distress of my project. I used bronze on the gold. On the darker doily (with the purple blossom) I used Stazon ink and the alcohol blending solution in a similar manner.

I also used a bit of antique brass Glimmer Mist on some of the papers and embellishments.

I was going for the look I would expect to see if I was pulling this book out of my grandmother's things. I wanted it to look aged and vintage. I stopped just short of this on the book's cover. I kept this part pristine at the edges, as though it had been wrapped in tissue and cherished.

I am officially in love with Making Memories Vintage Findings (who'd have guessed - since I'm a Making Memories gal?)

Happy Birthday Belle

In just a few more days she's going to be a great big FOUR! I can hardly believe it! This past sunday (most of) the whole family got together at the zoo for "Belle's Zoofari". We all enjoyed time with the kids and seeing the animals. It was a very nice day, not too hot and not too much rain while we were there.

I had seen the Kid Tough cameras by Fisher Price a few months ago and decided on the spot that this was what I would get for her for her 4th birthday, especially when I found they had pink ones. By the time I was actually in the market, I couldn't find a pink Fisher Price camera so I ended up with a Vtech Kidizoom camera. It seems like it will be a great thing. Just the ability to take a picture on her own had her quite excited. She even has what it takes to stage a photo, telling people "you ladies move over this way" and telling me "move over a little more, move closer to the middle". What better way to break in a camera than a trip to the zoo? I couldn't think of one, and it was great that so many family and friends were able to come and join in the fun.

It was a fun, and exhausting day! I'm so glad she had a good time... and I hear she crashed when they got home (a big deal for a non-napper).

I love you Annabelle, Happy Birthday sweetie!

Alternate Forms of Communication

I have been horribly neglectful of my blog, I've been obsessed with Facebook (mostly for games) and Twitter... (which you can see by the updates posted on the right). I tend to forget I have a blog at times... how many social resources do we need??? I'm not sure I have the time... or at least I should be dedicating some of it to other things, right?

I have a hard time because I'm still not so sure anyone wants to hear anything I want to say... maybe it's true... maybe not... I'll keep trying, and in the meantime my Twitter updates are still posted here too :)

Featuring Kate's Paperie

The thing about being home sick for two days is that you get to see a lot of tv when you're not getting a lot of sleep. Yesterday I caught an episode of Martha Stewart and she was featuring a paper-covered box with papers from Kate's Paperie. I have spent quite some time perusing the website and I'm officially in love. There are so many beautiful things there, I will be in the poor house if I don't watch it. The prices are good, but there's just SO MUCH to want.

The site is as beautiful as the products on it. I love when you find a website that has had a lot of thought put into it, that is so inviting and easy to maneuver as well.

I hope everyone has a chance to visit Kate's Paperie very soon.

Cowtails?

Just when you least expect it, the girl throws you off kilter. I mean "Cowtails?"

How can you look at her with a straight face? Or are you supposed to? She does seem to enjoy making people laugh.

As soon as I saw the pictures on my sister's Facebook page, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist capturing this moment in miss Annabelle's life.

She finally has enough hair to put into some resemblance of a "piggy tail" and she gets pensive, "Mommy, Why are they called Piggytails? I will call them Cowtails. Cowtail, Cowtail, COWTAILS!!!!"

Supplies:
Patterned Papers: Making Memories Chloe's Closet
Flower Embellishments: Making Memories Chloe's Closet
Rubon Letters: Scrapworks
Journaling Block: Hambly
Sakura Paint Pen for journaling.