More from the Travel Journal with the Leaning "L"

 Here are a few more pages from the travel journal of my last post.  Once again, these are made from Basic Grey "Wanderer" collection.  There is the odd bit of Graphic 45 papers, I just can't resist adding it!  The city skyline is made with my Silhouette.

I mentioned in my last post that I wished Tim would come out with Distress Markers in those yummy new colours he introduced recently.  Well, it appears my dreams have come true, because 12 new colours have been added!  You can bet I will be buying those as soon as they find their way to my local scrapbooking store!

On a personal note, I must admit I have not done anything creative in the last 2 weeks.  This is because my daughter was injured in a car accident, and most of my energy has been devoted to caring for her  as she recovers.  I walk into my scrapbooking room, and I have no desire to cut, glue or colour.  All I want to do is sit by her side, and thank God she is still alive.
                                                              

My daughter is a very active young woman, attending university, working, volunteering, dancing and hanging out with her friends.  It is so hard for her to be dependant on her dad and I for nearly all her needs.  Although she will recover, it seems forever in the future to her.  She is getting very bored at home, and today I mentioned to her that it might be fun to print up some of her photos from her last vacation and put them in an album. 

So tomorrow, that is what we will do.  I hope the happy memories cheer her, the beautiful papers we will use will lift her spirits, and the craft of

scrapbooking will become something she and I can share.

One thing is for sure, I have enough paper and stuff for both of us for the next 50 years!

Until next time.....

Basic Grey "Wanderer" Travel Journal

 My son recently went on a trip to New York and Boston, so of course I had to make him a travel journal to take along.  I don't know if he used it, or ever will, but it gave me an excuse to use up some of my Basic Grey stash.

Now I love BG, but I will say that sometimes the papers are a little tricky to use.  There is a LOT of colour going on.  And since this is a journal for a guy, I decided there would be no flowers and no lace.  Plus it had to lay flat, so no bulky embellishments.

The journal is bound using a Zutter Bind-It-All.  The lined pages were printed on my computer, then stamped with Tim Holtz stamps.  The clock face on the cover and the compass were cut using my Silhouette.  The quotes I found on various sites on the internet.  The journal measures 5 1/2" X 8 1/2.

Now I must apologize for the little "L" on the cover, it seems to be leaning.  Usually I glue letters down using one of those glue pens, but someone told me about using a tape runner on small pieces.  Obviously, this doesn't always work.  I think from now on I'll be "sticking" to my glue pen (no pun intended!)

Back in the Saddle Again

I have no good or ready excuse for being AWOL for so long (and by now you are wondering if I'm a cowgirl or a military sort - really I'm neither), but let's just say life gets in the way sometimes!

This is a birthday card I made for my Darling Husband.  It's made with the Animal Spirit stamps, and coloured with a variety of markers.  My favourite ones to colour these stamps with are Tim's Distress Markers, and those Spica pens, to give a little glitter.  For some of the larger areas that need to be a more neutral colour, I often use a pencil crayon.

And speaking of Distress Markers, is it just me, or are others hoping that some of those "limited edition" Distress Inks(like Mowed Lawn, and Salty Ocean, and Picked Raspberry) are going to find their way to becoming Markers? 

Anyway, back to the Animal Spirit stamps, which I seem to be COLLECTING on a regular basis, I like these, because

they take me back to my youth (and now you think I'm like 90 years old, which I'm not), when I would colour those big Doodle Art Posters, that came with 10 or 12 markers, that would dry out before the darn poster was finished!  These are easier to complete, that's for sure.

And talking about completing, I am very sorry to say that after March, I gave up on the Art Journal Calendar pages.  I did enjoy doing them, but I found I was always trying to catch up, and it was more of a chore than a pleasure, which is what it should be about!

I have been working on another calendar, this one is made with the Graphic 45 papers "Place in Time".  I'm doing one a month, using photos from a trip we took last year to Alaska.  When it's complete, I plan to turn it into a mini album.

Until next time......

Dylusional Calendar Challenge

 So my first New Year's RESOLUTION (using up what I have, before I buy anything more - it's the same resolution and make and break every year!) went straight out the window when I took a class involving Dylusions Ink sprays. Of course I had to buy some to try, and then I hit the 'net in an attempt to learn EXACTLY how to use them ( I swear I should have been a researcher).
During my online searches, I came across a calendar challenge by Kate Crane.  I was smitten.  So much colour!  I had to try it!  And so here is my January page.  It's only a singe page, because I'm getting started half way through the month.
The book is sketch book (8 1/2 x 11).  I had read (in my extensive online research sessions) that a layer of gesso would prevent the inks, etc. from soaking through the paper, so I put a layer on both sides.  Then I went crazy with acrylic paint.  I even tried out the credit card technique!

Next came the ink sprays, which didn't always stick on the paint.  But it gave some nice puddling effects.  I bought some light modeling paste, and with a snowflake stencil, added some flakes.  They started off white, but as they dried, they soaked up the ink (which was dry) and turned blue.  You can sort of see one under the "y" in January.  Wanting some white snowflakes (I'm rather traditional), I stamped some in white pigment ink.  But they turned blue too!  Lucky for me the ink is extremely slow drying, and I embossed them in white. 
The snowman is from Tim Holtz, and coloured with Copics.  The finished page now has the feel of wallpaper.  It's very strange, maybe it's the gesso.

The colourful squares are 1 1/2", and the idea is to write, draw or decorate one a day.  Here is where my real problem begins - WHAT do I put in that little square???  I already write in a daily journal, and the square is too small to write much anyway.  So far I have just been decorating them with a "stamp of the day", or a thought or funny thing that happened during the day. 

Next month I'll try a  double page, and I think my colour scheme is going to be RED for Valentine's day.  This will necessitate more ink sprays......

Until next time....

Happy 2013, Yes I'm still Around!

There is supposed to be a lovely photo that I took of an owl here, but for some reason, Blogger is not giving me the option of uploading it from my computer.  I must say if I had to do it all over again..... think I might be looking at a different blog service!

Anyway, it has been a long time since I last posted to this blog, not sure what happened to the time, but I will tell you I got a lot done in the way of Christmas cards and gifts!  My darling husband was getting a little worried, wondering if I would ever come out of my scrapbooking room again!   I managed to make 2 books, a pair of slippers (those I knitted!), a framed 12x12 scrapbooked page, a tea dispenser and a mini album.  All completed, and wrapped!

And now it's 2013, and time for some RESOLUTIONS.
1) Finish my current UFO afghan
2) Finish up my travel journals (I have a few unfinished ones hanging around)
3) No impulse shopping for scrapbooking/stamping/crafting items!

Okay, that's enough.
Here's to a happy and healthy 2013!

Until next time.....