Sticking with the same line

and Shimelle's line rocks.

I do have trouble with some of it

liking somehow working in "Oh Rubbish"

 and some of the travel to England but on the whole

I love it and its especially neat for girls.

 I used scraps for die cuts and embellishments.

I used her diecuts many times even on non-Shimelle papers

because they're fun.

The globe and the "lovely" are diecuts from her collection and I really

love the "lovely" because its script which really really really

has me leaning toward some sort of scan and cut machine - still

researching and looking for a deal.

The itty bitty globe, camera and glasses were fussy cut from

one of the papers in the collection.

Aren't they adorable?

Ms. Amelia is quite the diva pulling off her alter

ego when she's not being a super hero.

The mists belong to Heidi.

And OMG! 

I'm swooning - Shimelle liked it on my instagram.

How cool is that.

Changing course when you're not feeling the love

I love this sassy photo of Ms. Annie-girl and of course it was for

Memorial Day that just happened to be a pretty day in the

northern tundra.

I chose those papers and just wasn't feeling it.

Red, white and blue - don't get me wrong - I love the colors, I love

our flag and I'm as patriotic as the next.

But it was just too much.

And remember these papers were chosen for another project here that 

was kitted for a crop I attended and it didn't feel right then either.

I'm really really sure they'll get used someday. However,

that paper is gonna get its feelings hurt soon. LOL.

Rejected once again.

I decided to take matters in my own hands and

 make my own background paper starting with

some white bazzil cardstock.

I misted with red Heidi Swapp and then decided that it needed a bit more dimension

 which required a trip to Hobby Lobby because I did not

have a star stencil.

Starstencil Starstencil Starstencil (say that 3x's fast)

And of course they didn't have THE star stencil I wanted, however,

I found this Jenni Bowlin stencil that assured me it was a star BURST.

I could work with that.

And I needed navy blue ink of course.

Then I found the most adorable film strip stamp for under $2.

(that wasn't used here-but coming soon).

 I also ordered from Paper Issues - those adorable stars and arrows -

a cupid collection - that works soooooo well.

 And my homemade enamel dots - I know you'll be surprised

that I'm running out of some colors.
I'm debating as to whether I want to bake up more or just buy some.

Another Lawn Fawn badge purchase made it to the page and

I used up some old Authentique stickers by placing them around
in key places saying awesome things.

Of course I did dither around with the title
and you know how well I do titles.

I didn't want it to be real obvious and then decided

why not??

Bella Blvd stash was perfect along with some navy Jillybean

Soup alphas I purchased forever ago and never used.

Bought those adorable striped envelopes in different colors from HL

and it seriously worked very well with the doily.

Alot of new and old stash getting used.

Gotta love that.

I'm really quite happy that I changed directions because using that

other paper when I wasn't "feeling" it would've made

me crazy.

Short trip I know - but this is supposed

to be fun and how much more fun can it be doing it from scratch

getting all inky and misty

and then getting a Hobby Lobby run out of it to boot :D

Choosing between titles

I was going for "cheers" as a title and it was in my head but

when I saw the packet of titles in my

Studio Calico kit  I found one I

really liked better.

I loved the size, the font and the color worked perfectly.

It just says Studio Calico on the packaging

and its sort of a rubbery enamel.

You tell me :)

 So of course I used Studio Calico papers from

last month's kit. I inadvertently mixed 

them sooooooo

surprise!

And that card to the right is called "Amelia" from SC of course

had to have it because of that.

They are really cool journaling cards SC had on sale

(bonus) and they come in different colors.

I whacked this down to fit

on this 8x8 page.

 Then the perfect Lawn Fawn badge landed on my desk

in the nick of time - these I ordered from another sale and the name

escapes me - Paper Issues!!! whew!

 I picked up the pink color from that itty bitty edge of the 

paper on the left. It was the branding strip

and it was necessary to make the mat big enough for the

photo - which is instagram love.

I thought it looked odd at first however, it has actually grown on me.

Of course the orange mist was supposed to be closer

to red orange. Sigh.

Whatya think?

I love her smile and laughing eyes.

Cheers? or

So good.

A soft and sweet look

This is a bit different from my other pages

and I like that.

It's good to get out and play and do different

styles and looks.

(This sort of resembles Soaphouse Mama's style)

 Teal and white is a soft palette and it works

so well with this photo.

It truly lets the photo shine.

I was able to use the cute fox and I actually

had ink in my stash that really went well to use for the date stamp.

 Since the fox was sort of orange I brought the color

down in the camera using my homemade enamel dots and another
itty bitty enamel sticker is on the banner tag that also has a bit of orange in it.

There is a bit of watercolor behind the photo that I totally managed to cover up.
Shocking I know.

I used all Studio calico except for bits and

pieces from the Paper issues swag bag
and Lawn Fawn badge of course.

Sam is adorable and you just wanna smoosh his cheeks.

Sequin Sneeze

Love this paper from Studio Calico and just in time

for Father's day.

And I have the perfect photo for this paper.

My favorite eldest son and his beautiful family.

 So I added all my fun embellies and layers and

decided that the page needed something-something.

 The wooden hearts, little stars and arrows are prefect touches

and go with the title.

And the stamping in clusters. 

I have embraced stamping and it does add a bit

more texture and depth to a page as well as help to tell the story of 

your photo/page.

 I decided to toss some sequins about.

And then decided that more was better.

And then more was really really better and

when viewing in real life it looked pretty good.

I'm thinking a photo prior to gluing would be in good order

in the future.

However, I think the page does rock. Yunk Yunk.

I did some freehanded drawing around the edges with some swirlies.

Some Echo Park with the Studio Calico and some

Sissix die cuts.

The kidlets in their rock climbing gear because snowboarding

isn't hair-raising enough.

Hope all the Fathers out there had a wonderful day.

Implied movement with circles

I am adoring circles right now and for this

page I broke out my circle scissors and totally went to town.

I used a couple of the Basic Grey papers that was double-sided 

and made a bunch of various sizes.

 If you'll notice the top of the orange/white mat I wanted to

make this a pocket, and in laying it all out and not

wanting the circles to move out of place, and of course without thinking,

I slapped WET GLUE on the back of those mats.

 Sigh.

But it looks cool. 

Since there's alot going on I decided to keep

the embellies to a minimum.

 And of course the photo - it made me laugh.

And then the title just popped into my head.

It really couldn't be helped.

The alphas are from an old line - LilyKate. 

I just love how BG works together no matter how old 

the lines are.

Less is more like the little black dress

I love this paper from Studio Calico and

when I laid this photo on it,

the photo just exploded off of it.

 I knew that a mat and bunch of layers behind the photo

would pull the photo away from

this gorgeous paper.

So......I decided to not mat the photo.

I know!!!
It's a really different look for me.

 I also decided to keep all embellishments to a minimum.

Until I tossed some of this sew easy copper 

thread around - I wanted some movement and the stars

on the paper are sort of a coppery gold.

Well I used some glossy accents to hold some of thread

in place and it left blots. (FYI...)

Well to cover up the blots I used some gold sequins wherever
 those blots were because you couldn't miss them.

A couple feathers, a tag from HL Spare parts some

paper issues swag bag stars and a Studio Calico phrase made

it all come together.

Lil Miss Annie at 3 years old - tying on her ballet shoes.

Cardstock works as a base

I used to be the cardstock queen way back in the day and 

seriously it was the only thing to use in scrapbooking

until pattern paper came on the horizon.

Of course back then no one thought about adding dimension

 to the c/s by stamping  or drawing on it.

Scrapbooking has really come along way baby.

  I used Ranger Scattered Straw to go with the yellow

and white paper a a dotted stencil in

vintage photo to add a bit more interest.

Also used that adorable Shimelle stamp just because.

 And I used the Shimelle date stamp -

as you can see I still need alot of practice.
It's a simple page - and there are days when I just
need to do something different.

This photo made me laugh - Ms. Amelia has

knee pads on her arms and her smile with the sparkle in her eye
just totally draws you in.

She's such a hoot. I miss her.

Studio Calico is going on here with a bit of Echo park.

DH & I had a date at the theater

and in Sarasota and its considered an event.

(I even wore a dress and makeup).

It was the life and music of Woody Guthrie and

after the show a hootenany was scheduled.

We left our nonexistent instruments at home.

And people were thankful.

People from all walks of life come - those with walkers

and those snorting portable oxygen. 

As the cast took the stage and started to sing

DH and I couldn't figure out where the additional hums

were coming from - behind were several people

with the portable oxygen, some were nodding off and

some were singing along.

Only in Sarasota.

We totally loved the show and Woody Guthrie was quite

the folk hero and had a lot of tragedy going on in his life.

The cast was very talented and all four of them played

several different instruments, sang and danced.

They really had fun with it and you were right there with them. 

We sat in the first row and there were steps down from the stage

and to my dismay it meant interactive.

Fortunately the actors interacted with the other people in the row.

Which was all fun.

This is the hootenany after and the guy in the gray short sleeved

shirt played Woody - all of the cast members were 

playing as well as a bunch of people from the audience

(the lady in green is a cast member).

And everyone was quite talented.

One of the cast members is a friend of Tom's son and that

was fun meeting him.

His name is David and he is the guy in blue by the white haired gent.

The hootenany was on the mezzanine and the people from the balcony

had a head start on everyone else from the first floor.

And boy can those people in walkers and snorters go fast when they're 

on a mission. 

It was fun to watch and a couple of ladies by the window caught

my eye. They had to be sisters and of course they were elderly - 

apparently there were an abundance of tambourines

and maracas and they had some - well.......

as the music started they each began banging away and the

younger sister was smacking the maracas against

the oldest shoulder to the beat.

And then they'd trade.

It just goes to show that no matter how old you are

sisters are sisters.

LOL.

Anyone in the vicinity should make and date and go.

It as amazing and fun.

They'll only be around this next week.

Mixed Media Journal

It is finally completed for our road trip.

I'm not sure I'm diggin' the cover - but this is going to be in an RV

for a couple of months - therefore its bound to get mussed up so

while its growing on me - if I don't like it when I return I'll do

something different - white paint covers alot of sins.

This was the original - and I just didn't like the way some of the flowers

turned out with the watercolors. Unlike the pages I didn't gesso it

and the colors soaked in - which was cool because it

looks rustic - except for the yellow that I tried to cover with a brown.

Inside there is a nice size envelope that I'll fill with

goodies - scissors, adhesives and maybe an alpha stamp set.

 I plan to fill the journal with ephemera from the trip

so I really don't need alot of embellishments.

Also, I think I filled the pages with enough embellies.

As  you will see.

 This is the page inside the journal cover.

I'll be on twitter - hashtag let's go (I'm thinking I need to add Murphy 

or you + me or something to specifically ID us in there)

Still pondering. 

What do you think?

This is the only page I used enamel paints on.

I decided I really was crazy about the texture and the it took

way too long to dry. 

So all the remaining pages have mists.

Lots of mist.

 And stamping.

I used alot of stamps that I had never ever used.

And die cuts.

 ooo oo another trick Dyan R. shared was to sop up the excess mist

with a tag - and don't they just add a little something-something.

 I used up alot of leftover embellishments.

I have a lot more to go.

 I also used some stuff that really is frivolous and fun.

 And this is the last page in the journal.

As the pages turned and got bulkier it was a bit harder to stamp

and some weren't sooooo great, but an art journal - 

I'm thinking perfection is overrated.

And the back of the journal.

My desk before.

My desk after.

With my new Studio Calico kit waiting in the wings.

 It was a lot of fun - and that journal had 100 pages in it.

All waiting.

It's enough room too if I can't put one day on one page.

I also have my favorite pens on order - Uni Jetstream 101's

in blue and black a multitude of them in boxes.

Blue is my favorite and I don't care what anyone says

it writes better than black - but black

is everyone's go to for journaling.

I'm thinking of going rogue and using blue.

Hanging out with Favorite Youngest Son

Who just turned 24.

But who's counting LOL!

We stayed at Ochlocknee River Park again

and had lovely weather and campsites.

And here we have the pole sitter.

Watching over the camp.

Here is the famous white squirrel a genetic mutation of

the grey squirrels - and a tad shy.

This one did have grey on his head and a stripe down his back.

Really cool.

Shane and I trying to get the birthday selfies right.

 It took a few times - and then shazam.

Got one!

Seriously I really only have one chin.