Back covers of the new 7x10 album

I used the same colors as I used on the front and it 

really worked well as it looks pretty similar to the cover which is pretty

cool since all the blowing makes it random.

Here's the link 

Since I'm in a campground in a small town

with NOOOOO craft stores in sight

I used my aspirator or baby snot remover.

Again, it does get the job done, however, watching the vids

the actual tool I'm thinking it would work awhole lot better.

Go figure actually using the right tool.

LOL.

The alcohol inks are raspberry, pebble, clover, butterscotch 💓

wild plum and stream.

On the inside cover I used the oxides and not the sprays

and those really cool Inkadinkadoo stamps.

Added a couple of TH phrases and a stamped "frame"

that went sort of out of control.

It wasn't big enough to go around the entire saying

so I had to do it in increments.

Chaos results. 

I'm not sure if I'm going to fill the guts with papers or just

wait and make the paper decision as I go.

I kinda like that - however, even if I fill it - I can and do 

change and rearrange the papers sooooo....

if I neeeeeed something to do - I could whack some papers.

The colors are salty ocean, pine needles, festive berries and dusty concord.

Alcohol inks, oxides and dyes oh my

 Alcohol inks are fun and bright and beautiful.

However......

I want this to be a cover for a new album - 7x10 so

I glued 2 thin pieces of chipboard together,

gessoed it and wa-la.

I was too cheap to be the blower tool so I 

improvised with a baby snot remover.

It was tedious and cumbersome so I may spring for the tool,

but it got the job done.

Then.....I didn't remember I had alcohol blending solution

so I used rubbing alcohol which is great too

and I also forgot I needed to seal it and was checking in with

my pal and found I also had distress collage medium.

Obviously, at some point some of the instruction from Tim's

classes actually sunk in. 

Love it.

I seriously don't know where to go from here so I'll be

lurking around the videos.

 While I was making that page I decided to mess with this page

because there's always room for one more.

I used the oxide sprays.

Assorted stencils and stamps.

The "adventure" was original tan and I fussy cut it from

and old PL card and it looked dumb so

I used a black ink pen and colored it in.

Lots better.

Also I used some stamps that I did on watercolor paper that didn't turn out well.

However, once you ink them babies up they look rather worn and cool.

The alcohol inks are raspberry, pebble, clover, butterscotch 💓

wild plum and stream.

In case you care.

Here's the water color page that I stamped on using

the stamper board and not having even mediocre results.

I was not amused until I figured out that water color

paper has a lot of texture to it.

For some reason I decided not to toss it and used some 

oxides just to play.

Well it doesn't look half bad for the grunge look.

The sprays were mermaid lagune,pickled raspberry, mustard seed

abandoned coral, wild honey, carved pumpkin, peacock feathers, 

fired brick and cracked pistachio

Just a bit of fussy cutting and embellishments for a page.

Not sure where I'm going with this so I'll have to

keep you posted. 

I know this surprises you.

A lovely walk in the woods

It started out with Canadian Geese making a mess everywhere

on the way to the bridge so looking down was a good thing.

I took a photo of the map, well, because I felt it may come in handy later.

Not that I'm good with maps or anything but hey! be prepared.

I took the green path.

The path is a road, a really nice easy road to walk

 and to my dismay there is more than one road.

I figured to just stay on the outer edge.

How hard could that be...

Well..... I walked down this path partway yesterday to

the beautiful bench and scene of the Mississippi River 

so I felt comfortable and I was staying on the outer edge.

It was beautiful down the path and there was a break

in the wooded action to this lovely waterway.

On the way I saw a couple squirrels scurring about and

squealed like a girl when a gray rock

jumped up at me from the path.

The frog seemed as startled as I was and before

I had the presence of mind to snap his pix he was down the road.

At the end of the this road I ended up in a ball field and playground.

Studying the map did I find a ball field?

Nope.

Did I want to be a girl and go back the same way I came.

Nope.

As I decided that maybe I needed to take a left at this fork

in the road this beautiful doe caught my eye.

Apparently, I caught her eye, too, as we were eyeing each other up

as I creeped down the path wanting a closer photo of course.

Actually, I really wanted  to just get closer.

Of course I'm trying to sweet talk baby girl as I casually stroll

(which is better than creeping) in order to get closer.

Well...she strolled on into the woods I guess not liking what she saw.

I kept on the course where I saw the deer and came up to a highway

and decided that maybe google maps might be of some

assistance.

Nope.

Was I getting a tad nervous.

Nope.

I still had my map LOL.

And pretty scenes to see sooo.......

Out pops another deer.

I had the same chit chat with this one trying to get

closer and she seemed as curious about me as I was her.

So I did get a bit closer and of course, she ran off into the woods.

Again.

But to my surprise there was a sign nailed to a tree.

Aaaannnd it said Tioga Spur.

That rang a bell so off I went on the spur and found 

this hill which I was familiar with because it was on my

first walk in the woods where I kept on the same straight road

and noticed this road (of course I was at the top debating did I want

to take this that day) and did I?

Nope.

However, I knew that I was on the right path home.

Whoohoo..

It was a 3 mile tour on a 1.3 mile loop.

LOL.

My new Traveler's Notebook cover

I really had the best time making this - I'm still struggling with 

blending everything together.

This was a combo of dyes and oxides and stamps.

Prima Stamps, the little girl stamp is my friend Holli's and

I have no clue (maybe Hero Arts) and the flowers

Stampendous.

The saying is Tim Holtz of course.

The last few pages of my Traveler's Notebook "small moments"

I love how this notebook turned out. 

I still add a bunch of dimension so the album is thick

and I don't seem to be able to quit LOL.

I kept a couple of some of the paperwork one receives

when you enter a campground.

This one was hysterical because of their "RULES."

They were just funny. i.e., if you don't pick up after your

animal and someone squeals you owe $20 and the one

who squeals gets the $20 😂

 The next camp were were in had a lovely story

that they tell in their paperwork and I just had to keep it.

And then there was Rocky Mountain where all the fun

into Yellowstone began.

 Sadly, there was a fire that lasted the entire time we were

there for the most part - it was smouldering toward the end.

It was a sad, very sad for all involved.

 And then are adventures in Yellowstone....

 Everyday....I had this sticker and patch from the last couple

times we went to Yellowstone that I forgot

I had after I made the pages (ain't that the way).

Anyway, it really didn't work on any of these pages so I slapped

the sticker on the patch and punched a hole.

 I like it and then some of my favorite photos.

 I had a few more - and I added this envelope.

 I love envelopes where I tucked a tag with a photo

along with a moose embellishment we didn't see.

 Of course journaling - but did I want until everything dried.

Um...nope. 

So my writing looks like a kindergartener did it.

Sigh.

I determined that this TN has gotten bulky and rather unweildy 

so time to retire. I think it's my 3rd this trip.

Working on the 4th....

A few of my other favorite Yellowstone pictures.

We had a wonderful time and we were in the park every day.

Five days in the park.

And it felt like it wasn't enough.

 The scenery, the landscapes, the animals were breathtaking.

 Every time a corner is turned there was something exciting.

 And it never got old.

Even when you saw the buffalo and elk.

ALOT.

 The hot springs and the falls never fail to stun.

We've been to Yellowstone three times

and it just gets better and better.

 We managed to check off every animal on our list

except for moose.

(the bear is on FB - the photo is like bad)

 I decided to try my hand at video and that was fun 

except the sun was in my eyes (oh yea I'm going with that excuse LOL)

it was hard to see the viewfinder so I kept bopping around.

My bad.

 And out of the blue a coyote came into the light.

Roadkill was a good incentive and it was like the call of 

wild to watch.

 We had a lovely time and Rock Top RV is a great place to

stay in Gardiner Montana except for the fire.

It was an awful thing for that small town.

(some photos on FB)

I highly recommend Yellowstone on your Bucket List.

Several times in fact LOL.

It's.just.breathtaking.

💝

Traveler's Notebook & Mixed media albums update

I know you have seen these pages before but I decided

something was needed on that white page

other than that saying......

I printed a few of these chimney rock photos

because we happened to pass the rock a bazillion times.

Did we actually get to the rock?

Nope.

It closes at 4 p.m. who does that in the summer?

Anyway, everytime we went by it I snapped a photo.

And I had to journal about because 

it's a story to tell.

And yes I actually did the Fort Knox in

my travelers notebook, but I printed these first

and decided I needed bigger.

So instead of tossing them, I added them to

 my mixed media 

journal.

The pages in this album were done way ahead 

of time so now I'm matching pictures to pages.

It's kinda fun.

Another photo I printed and didn't know what to do with.

So I fussy cut the birds and feeder and

raised it on the page.

It's a journal so it doesn't have to be just so.

I invested in some Tim Holtz rabbits.

Aren't they a hoot?

Of course I added them to this page

 and

decided that it should be an Easter page.

Got the neices and the grands.

This photo came out purple because my printer

needed ink.

I had been getting the danger ink low sign for

awhile and heaven forbid I don't squeeze a few more out.

I printed a lot of this photo mostly because

it actually came out good (when it's not purple)

however, I printed it in different sizes so

you'll be seeing more of this one

Used Tim Holtz stamps and sissix trees.

This album is coming to an end - it's sooooo fat 

and bulky - I don't get a lot of pages in an album so

I'm looking at changing up the size 

because I have a ton of 5x7 photo paper that

needs to be used (I ran out of 4x6).

So.....whatcha think?

Mooovvveeee!!!!

We were rolling down the gravel road a one-lane road pretending to be a two-lane road until another car rolls by and you’re pulling over to the side of the road where the road is hanging by a thread on the mountain, that has death defying drop-offs waiting for said car to pass and you can breathe again because it was a really close call.

By I digress. On this one line road happened to be open range where cows rule. 

We stumbled across this mob but it was really more one-at-a-time.

The #4209 cow front and center as in my viewfinder as we rolled to a stop right in front of ole #4209. And then to my immense amusement ONE COW at-a-time came up next to the front cow (like in a row comic kind of thing) and from the second to the third to the forth.

It really was an Abbott and Costello type of thing. Sadly neither me nor my auto focus could get it together  so you may experience some neurons mis-aligning.

Welcome to my world.

But this shoot was SO.MUCH.FUN.

By the way it happened.

I just wish I was an amazing photographer that captured the sequence. 

But their response blew my away and I was in the moment. 

Enjoying this adorable, funny moment.

And now I”m sharing with you.

The gang of four.

Mama rules.