Thursday, January 31, 2019

TN - Readying the toad

Very clever and fun wordplay for RV'rs
that are towing their cars.
For some reason - the towed cars became
TOADS.
 In readying ourselves for the big adventure, we traded
in our two cars (Patriot, Wrangler) 
for a Cherokee.
And the Cherokee needed new tow bars and a new
braking system. DH who happens to be a 
jack of all trades was installing it.

Just another step closer.
As I write this our house is going up for sale.
Studio Calico

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

TH - A post card from the days of snail mail

It was very exciting back in the day getting a 
personal letter in the mail.
I wish that I had kept them all but I did find this
gem, again, hidden in my photo box and from Nana.
 I loved writing letters, but all my aunts that would
correspond with me are no longer with us.
Quite sad all the way around.
 My gram wrote to me as well, we wrote to each other everyday.
And I can't tell you how much that meant when we
moved from PA to FL -
sooooo homesick. I wish I'd come across
one of her letters but alas.....
So I'm so glad I got to read this post card again and and also
get to showcase this as letter writing
seems to be a dead art.
Sad.

Tim Holtz

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

TH - My Nana's handwriting

Stumbled across this gem somewhere in my
photo box(es) LOL.
Not a great copy BUT it is my Nana's handwriting 
and it is chockful of information
on our Plummer gang.
 It was really helpful when I started my
hunt for them on Ancestry.com.
It kept me from going down an ancestry
rabbit hole and it's so easy to go there.
Lots of people named their kids the same names
same surname and some of the birth
dates actually match.
I can't tell you how many holes I fell in . 

Lots of Tim Holtz goodies to accent it.

Monday, January 28, 2019

TN-Documenting my Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Last Christmas page.
I think.
Anyway, since downsizing our Christmas
ornaments, tree and set arounds went
in the final yard sale.
Therefore, what to do for Christmas.
 Well I had a Charlie Brown tree that somehow went MIA
so DH found that you can order them on-line.
Shazam.
It worked perfectly in our house and will work
perfectly in our RV because that's
where we'll be next Christmas.

Friday, January 25, 2019

TN - Shhhh I have a new stamp

I've been eyeing this stamp for a long time
and shazam it went on sale.
I think I'll get a lot of use out of it.
So I stamped, watercolored the flowers and stems
and then sort of fussy cut.
 I found a photo of a roseate spoonbill
(kind of rare)
that fit the bill.
I took this photo when we took our Sunday drive
to Babcock Webb and hung out.
Maybe more to come on the Sunday Drive. 
LOL.
Studio Calico, Watercolors, Stamps.

Thursday, January 24, 2019

TH - Using an old photo

The photo is of my grandparents and is printed on 
regular printer paper because....
 in following Susanne Rose - she mentioned
using YOUR heritage photos in a mixed media setting
instead of the ones you get in a S/B package
that you don't know.
 This photo wasn't used like that but it would be so cool.
I've scrapped it before but it just fit soooo well
with all the delish Tim Holtz ephemera.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Saving my Christmas Cards

Ever since Ali Edwards started this I have done
this every year since 2008.
Over the years the amount of cards received varied and this year
since there were fewer cards (and that's okay) 
I decided to put them in a pocket because these
cards were either photos of friends and family
or had notes written on the cards so
I didn't want to chop them up and lose those goodies.

Used some Pink Fresh trees and sequins to make the page happy.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

MM - At the same playdate with my pal

Holli - she had this adorable stamp.
Of course I had to use this adorable stamp.
Using watercolors I painted her adorable self and
I have more just waiting in wings to use.
 I broke out my new dylusion paints and had
fun swirling them about the page.
I actually did circles 
with a paint brush
that actually look like circles.
Who knew.
 So because the little girl inspired me of course I
found photos of my adorable granddaughters to add to the page.
Studio Calico, Pink Fresh, Assorted stamps, Dylusion paints.

Monday, January 21, 2019

TH - The best Christmas Card ever

 My two favorite nieces sent these
two gingerbread peeps as a Christmas card.
How cool and fun are they.
So instead of going into my "Christmas Card page"
they are in my mixed media album
because it was the only one of three big enough.
Had I thought quicker they'd be in my 8.5x11 album.
 Did a bit of watercolor in the background
and broke out some Pink Fresh embellishments and papers.
They make me smile.
 Tim Holtz, Pink Fresh

Friday, January 18, 2019

TN- All about my pineapple

As you may or may not know 
I have about 17 pineapple plants that actually 
produce the most, bestest sweetest 
pineapples in the world.
Of course they always ripen when we're traveling.
 So imagine my delight when we came home
and a new plant was growing a pineapple.
And we were gonna be there to harvest it.
 And of course I had to document it.
I did root the top and gave it to my pal and awesome
next door neighbor to plant.

Studio Calico, Mambi

Thursday, January 17, 2019

TN - I have issues

I LOVE those cards from Paper Issues.
Their swag bags rock. 
I need to get a few more before leaving.
And that smiley - one of my favs LOL.
 So I actually do have hand/finger issues.
It seems that it was not arthrytis but Dupuytrens 
or Viking Hand.
It appears I have viking blood.
Anyhoo, I had a procedure done on each hand
that cut the growth that was pulling my fingers into a claw.
I now have almost normal hands.

It was done in the office, and I was using the hand
right after. I have to keep the brace on at night
to train my fingers to be straight.
I have a great doctor in case there are any
Vikings out there with clawed hands.
PM me. 

It is sooo cool. I can straighten my hand to
put lotion on those parts that are straight
and they look normal. 
More or less.

Studio Calico, Paper Issues

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

TH - Another play date with my pal

Holli - we have such a great time.
I'm gonna miss that so I'll have to make it up
when we winter in Florida.
Well - that butterfly is a Tim Holtz die and it's huge.
I gifted it to Holli because well I knew she'd love it.
I felt compelled to use it one last time.
 Love how this page was just an artsy expression.
 And have you found those snarky word strips from Tim?
They are wildly funny and things I would actually say.
Just a very fun, for no reason page.


Tuesday, January 15, 2019

TN - Christmas and Grandkids

Using some Tim Holtz and Hip Kit club stuff
I made a double spread.
Combining most all the grandkids in a 
couple of photos.
I actually jumped around in the notebook 
to find papers that would be perfect with the theme.
Looks like everyone was ready for Santa's visit.

Monday, January 14, 2019

MM - That mushroom stencil

Has gotten around.
I did an Inky Quill thing while I had
that baby out and messy I 
plopped it in all 3 books - sometimes a few
times because - mostly because things didn't go well. 
LOL
 Also played with my new dylusion paints and after
watching Suzanne Rose and her amazing 
mushrooms - it just seemed to be the thing to do.
Again, my mushroom looks nothing like her's although
I can say I was extremely pleased how mine
turned out.
Also had a play day at Holli's where she had
that wonderful woman with a hat stamp
and it just totally makes the page.

That is a graduation photo of my mom and I'm
sure I scrapped it before but it just
totally worked out for this page and again,
I cut it out.
Because why not.
I'm liking that.

Friday, January 11, 2019

TH album - More ephemera

Raise your hand if you have a ton
of kidlet ephemera.
You know the stuff the kids made and you just
can't part with?
Well...I'm sure Shane had something to do with
this butterfly and it must've been in the early years
because it looks too good.
But I like it and it worked perfect on this page.

I've started using flowers again.
I missed flowers.
Splattered some watercolors around and I'm
running on a theme here that just happened.
So raise you hand if you have smaller pesky
photos that you may have scrapped as the bigger one.
Well they totally work perfect here.
They are now inn my book where I don't care if I did them before
because now they're protected.

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

TN - Celebrating Thanksgiving

Finally got to use that November I had laying
around FOREVER. 
Because I kept forgetting I had it laying around
until this year.
Woohoo!! Stash done.
 It was a lovely dinner - hosted by my favorite
sister in law and brother in law.
And of course the star of the show.
Delish.

Studio Calico.

Monday, January 7, 2019

MM- Mixed Media album

This was sooooo much fun.
I went and purchased some dylusion paint because
for some reason my other collections of paint
went in the yard sale and some were dried up.
Headslapping doh there.
 And then I discovered my stencils.
I was trying to do my mushrooms like Susanne Rose.
If you haven't seen her utube stuff - go look.
She rocks.
Well my mushroom doesn't look anything like hers.
At. All.
Her's look soooo real.
But I'm happy with them.
I wasn't quite sure about this but I love
the happy thoughts and it went with my color
scheme and then I found
that photo of favorite eldest son - getting
a teddy bear at his 2 yo birthday party and the
look on his face - just went as well.

And gasp*faint*thud - I cut the photo out.
And doesn't it just rock the page.

Friday, January 4, 2019

TN - Halloween

So Halloween caused me to stop and think.
Scary but true.
Normally with all the grandkids they would get 
separate pages.
 But NOW, because I'm pairing down and
my 12x12's will be going into storage,
I waited for all postings of said grandkidlets
and put them in a double spread in my 
traveler's notebook.
 Go ME!!!!!
Using some stamps and fussy cutting I made the
bats and the spiders, pumpkins and ghosts.
 I also SKIPPED pages in my book to find
the pattern paper that would work with my very
scary Halloween page.
And when my TN's come to light
it's up to the parents to figure out who gets what.
Bwaahahaha..
Win-win.

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

TN - Another yard sale documented

Well because I could and these were the photos
that had my pal Brooke pop in to checkout my Quikutz
assortment.
Of which she glad took off my hands and I love it.
My stuff went to a good home.
And it was soooooo good to see her - it's been a long time.
 There is something to say about putting your stuff out.
Sitting around while people go through your stuff.
 Eventually you get over it because
the whole exercise is about letting go.
Getting rid of.
Purging.
Who knew I had this much stuff
(and there's more).
Most of it gone and we're getting closer to
our new adventure.

Studio Calico.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Some of my favorite projects in 2018

A fun acrylic album made with some Pink Fresh.
See the rest here
 Loved using that girly stencil!
 A Flower and/or Pinwheel.
You pick LOL.
It was a lot of fun to make.
 Love pinterest!
And M&M's.
 My first hand drawn embellishment and hand stitched.
 It was so much fun the first time I did it again
although the mask was downloaded from the internet.
 QK dies. 
Very fun!!!
 And who doesn't love minions.
 My first Traveler's Notebook.
You can see some of the pages here.
 And an 8.5x11 sized photo.
I love doing that size - especially for oversized beauty.
 What an exciting year 2018 was.
So much exploring was done and a big decision was made.
2019 is gonna be so exciting.
Can't wait.