TN - St. George Isle

The first photo is of our camp. 

 A lovely spot, private lots of foliage and mushy ground

around the camp - not actually in the camp

but a lovely spot all the same.

We stayed a couple of days.

I finally got an okay shot of the lighthouse that

greets you when you come over the bridge to the island.

Studio Calico.

TH Album - Inadvertently did a double spread

That actually go together. 

Who knew.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun with watercolors

and all things (or mostly) Tim Holtz

and it worked soooo well.

 As I was putting this album together I was rolling

along just fine not including photos

until I found this tag in one of TH's packages.

And it went sooooo good with favorite eldest son's photo.

 Because not in this lifetime would I ever do that.

At least not without wetting my pants LOL.

Yet my adreneline junkie FYS goes out of his way

to make me not want to look.

So this double started with the one of the left actually.

Birds.

Birds fly.

My son flies.

And thus began photos in my TH album.

TN - Tickets because I could

Who doesn't love ephemera.

Who has trouble just using ephemera for no reason.

Who is gonna start doing exactly that.

MEEEEEEEE!!!!

I see so many lovely pages that have stuff on

them that don't particularly match the "theme."

For some reason I tend to be matchy matchy so for

these tickets to be on this page for 

no particular reason is a step in the right direction.

Well....

 I rolled with it because

  I already scrapped about Springsteen concerts and
I really wanted to preserve the tickets so.....

I added them to my "new glasses" page with

lots of journaling because:

funny story there...

...LOL...

Long story short - I was zipping across a yard pushing

a table upside down that had collapsable

legs that eventually collapsed when I hit a bald

spot when the table stoppped

and I didn't.

Managed to scratch my old glasses - right in the middle of the lens.

So....new glasses.

Traveler's Notebook pages -double spread

I really liked these pages side-by-side.

I used Studio Calico PL cards with some

 Tim Holtz words.

 I did use some Nuvo dots because I don't

have small enamel dots and need to find some on line.

 No photo involved just some thoughts on what's going down.

It seems a lot of things are changing.

Getting rid of things.

Changes in exercise routine.

Just Changes and one must adapt.

Back to the Tim Holtz album

I totally need to name it that because I am

mostly using Tim Holtz stuff..

Tossed some water colors on the background and love

those stamped bunnies.

 Layered in some pieces and next time

I need to wait until the glue is dried before taking pix and
good thing it dries clear.

Love that I got a little saying in there.

 I decided to add a photo of my lovely 

mom - remember glamour shots?

They were popular in the late 80's early 90's and
she is looking mighty glamerous there.

Sequins are totally necessary for glamour shots.

Then there's the Traveler's Notebook

Still working in it and getting used to it.

It's growing on me. I forgot for a moment there's still

8.5x11 so it's all good.

I found a lovely lady that has an antique shop in Arcadia

and she graciously took a few of my Gram's antiques.

 I'm glad I documented them and I do have stories.

My grandfather taught me how to wind his 8-day clock.

 And my Gram, loved her little odds and ends. She ironed

with irons like those, she ground coffee with

that hand grinder, and she loved her Martha Washington

bedspread. That is totally a heavy blanket. 

Using some TH stuff really went with the antique

stuff and that's when I decided I really missed that style.

Since then I have found more antique things I need to figure

out what to do with.

Studio Calico TN, Tim Holtz

I have three books going on - more or less

I know right.

Well...downsizing is the word and I am gonna 

have a scrappy area in the RV so now I have begun

to whittle down all things scrappy and I have

sold ALOT at our yard sales. So using

what I have chosen I decided to go back to my "roots"

more or less.

If you've been with me for awhile, I adore all things

ancestry.com and heritage photos and the stories that go with.

Well. 

That'll continue, but I miss that style.

The Tim Holtz, heritagy stuff.

Hard to explain.

I shall therefore, give it a go, because well no guts no glory.

LOL.

This book/album is a $4 or less flat page lying, 

"mixed" media kraft type of album that was an impulse by at Walmarts.

(Not even in the scrapbook area)

I knoooowww. I'm a renegade or what.

So far this is the front and it's staying that way.

So this is my heritage-album.

 I'm still feeling my way and I had a leftover leaf from

another page I made - here.

For some reason I decided the backside of the front of

the book need to be decorated. Therefore, I used watercolors and "shazam" it

didn't bleed through, however, it doesn't count since it's

the front of the book and it's pretty thick.

I put this page together - no photo involved and didn't

that surprise me too.

I'm feeling my way to a "mixed media", junk journal or use

it anyway I want to type of journal.

 Using TH stuff of course.

 I rolledl the same way with the second page

popping some stuff up a smidge.

 Because who doesn't love dimension.

I added a doily and some Creative Imaginations stamps.

 Again using watercolors because I really needed a second opinion

on the bleed through and I can safely say, no bleeding.

I'm really happy with these 2 pages and
they have set the tone for the rest of the journal.
I am using the Travelers Notebook for highlights, and I have
a mixed media going on, sort of like a junk journal
and both will be making an appearance soon.
Well actually four albums/books - because I am also going
to have an 8.5x11 album as well because sometimes you just need bigger.
I do have to confess I miss 12x12.

Christmas cards!! It's that time of the year.

I had a bunch of Christmas paper leftover from a couple years ago

so I decided to use that for the grandkids cards and

they are getting older, however, cuteness in cards is still

on the table in the future.

I'm of the mind to not do cards this year for non grandkidlets because well.....

this won't be our address next year and we've got awhole lot going on

this year. However, I still have time to change my mind.

The snappy PL cards are Photo play. I do love the retro look.

and on the inside there were a bunch of puffy stickers so more stash used
and a snazzy stamp that I've had forever that says
"Merry Christmas" stamped on white cardstock
that won't get lost on the deep red background.

Part 1: When your mom goes wild with stickers

Un-DU is your friend

Especially she plopped stickers on original photos with such 

wild, careless abandon that made her really happy 

 it was hard to be annoyed.

Mostly.

I have started the process of removing these stickers

and it was a bit time consuming

especially when one's bottle of Un-DU was

running dry and mom's stickers

were made of really stern stuff.

But alas, I persevered and it doesn't look too bad.

So how did she get an originaly photo when I

was and am the keeper of all things original in photo land?

Especially one of favorite eldest son being absolutely

adorable with his 3 teeth smile that makes his eyes shine

and sitting in a tub grasping a wash clothe.

It appears she was sneakier than I thought.

And how did I forget this photo !

 I did find the photo in my digital files,

 but no scrapbook page exists 

unless it's in 

"that will never ever see the light of day, much

less human eyes ever gazing upon it" album/book,

especially when said book that has pages just likes the one's I'm

picking on mom about (although one of us grew out of it).

 LOL.

Sigh.

I did pull her page apart to salvage the photo (more

on that later) and didn't take a picture of it.

Sigh.

Stay tuned for part 2: When your mom goes wild with deckle scissors.

Oh yeah and it ain't pretty.

Sorry for being MIA for awhile but I really wanted, needed,

had to have a break.

And now its over. Until Christmas and

downsizing gets wild again.

Gotta love ideas for cards from Pintrest!

How about these cute turkeys???

If I have to actually BUILD a critter, or thing, I need help.

Since I make about 12 of them, I like 

something simple.

Doesn't get much simpler than circles, squares and stamps.

The feather stamp is from Dear Lizzy stamp set - one of my favs

and I used distress inks from Ranger.

The hat is made from one inch squares and the brim a thin strip

cut to size and I actually handwrote the sentiment and their feet.

Am I artistic or what LOL.

And who doesn't love googly eyes.

The nose & buckle were whacked out of some older

Studio Calico paper.

These little guys are a composite of the bunch of examples

I happen to come across.

Recollections cardstock.

Mini album from scraps

When mojo is in short supply - I head to my

overflowing bin of used papers and

just start putting them together - no rhyme no reason

except maybe size - a piece that will fit when folded.

 Once the lil booklet is put together

 let the embellishing begin

 and I use ALL THAT STUFF that makes

 no sense in any pages I make

 and a lot of stash gets used.

 Sometimes I keep these lil albums for me

 and sometimes I give them away

 sometimes I leave them blank

and sometimes I leave them blank to the

 giftee can do what they want with them.

 I had two albums I previously made

and gifted them to my granddaughter Annie

 and when I was there a few months ago

we sat together and I showed her how to add her

photos and journaling.

 Annie is 7 and never to learn to figure it out

 especially when she rocks her own camera

 and now has tons of photos with nowhere to go.

I did add ribbon to close this album - something

I didn't do on the others.

I think it helps that it closes and I think Anni will

like this one too.

Here is the post where Annie and I scrapped together.

Another generation.

How cool is that.

Stamping and fussy cutting and paper tearing oh my

Well if you read yesterday's post you are aware

of my whining about all things changing in my scrapbooking

and in my head, scrapbooking to the storage.

So therefore, in defiance to that notion I made a feel good page.

Using a stampede stamp that was lolling about in

stash somewhere in a drawer that I had completely forgotten

about, and using some distress inks I stamped

some leaves because its October.

 And October in Florida just means the schoolbuses are out. LOL.

No pretty leaves changing or things like that.

However, it was a fun page.

I found this paper from the Paper Studio which was

rustic and cool enough to use for an October page.

I mussed it up and found my long lost tonic tool to muss it up more.

I backed it with Recollections cardstock in grey and

even stamped some leaves where it's torn and

now covered up with fussy cut leaves.

The entire page is all about Tim Holtz stuff, because I wanted

some rustic, shabby chic looking letters and dug

into some stash of grunge board alphas.

I used Studio Calico clean slate paint and some

plain jane white, along with some sandpaper and made

some funky rustic alphas.

And don't the Blue Ridge mountains just rock.

The colors are glorious.

Those little butterflies are TH too. 

There's a stamp tucked at the top left corner and

a little ruler as a mat for the photo.

Photo is courtesy of the Leaf Peeping Tour- 2016.

TN-Starting a new notebook

It's taken awhile mostly because my head is playing mind games.

I did the left side page awhile ago and it is

THE first page.

Using washi and PL card. thread, that cool bow and

some nuvo drops.

AND then, I had an attack of holy lack of storage batman

and do I need to do "fluff" pages thought.

 And didn't, and doesn't,  that just stifle creativity.

Second guessing pages and topics.

And not only storage of pages, traveler's notebooks and

albums, there's the paper, the embellishments and dimension.

And don't get me started flexible photographs, i.e., sizes,

shapes and strips.

WAH.... but back to the page... LOL

 So when we were invited to cruise the gulf with our

pals Wayne and Dara of course we jumped on it.

Of course I took pictures.

And of course it had to be a page in my book.

 Because there is a story there.

If you've followed me for awhile you know we've had boats

and we spent a lot of time on the water 

until we didn't.

We traded the boat for a land yacht but being on the

water yesterday (or day before) made me

realize how much I miss being on the water and on the boat

and on the gulf.

So yeah a page was needed.

Music to my Ears

Using Pink Fresh and a snapcatch from

instagram - a fun, sort of girly page evolved.

There's even journaling there - no need to add more.

 I whacked the 12x12 down to 8.5x11 because

that is one of the sizes I am using now.

I have used this size intermittently before because

I really love all sizes and hate to be limited in my choices.

But...

Again, a photo of Annie and I scrapping her photos

in the little albums I made for her

and Owen - the background (see arrow)

is playing his saxaphone.

And as you can see it wasn't a pleasant sound.

However, who doesn't love a sax and some music

to scrap by LOL.

Journaling by dad: When you start learning to play the saxaphone

you are more Goose than KennyG.

Took me a minute to get that.

But I gots it now!

Title is a mix of QK Spicy Chicken and Studio Calico alphas.

TN- Last pages for sure

LOL.

For sure.

Since there aren't any pages remaining in the book

it's for sure. Didn't realize until I was going

through photos that the Trolley Tour

in Nashville didn't make it.

 So using some really old washi tape

to ground the badges we wore

so we could hop on and off the trolleys and

basically be the title for this 2 page spread

and picking out photos I felt highlighted the tour.

It was a lot of fun.

 And then I forgot the parents visit mostly

because I didn't do well with the selfie.

 Always wanted to use this title lol

and that stamp.

Epic fail.

No shame there LOL.

 The Shakedown Cruise was alot of

fun despite the breakdowns.

It teaches one to roll with whatever comes along.

We are getting things in order to sell the house

and pack the coach.