It's Crazy!!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe how long it's been since I made something blog worthy! I miss crafting so much! And I miss you lovely folks who keep checking in on my blog! I am in the process of clearing up some space and creating a dedicated craft space, so I hope to be back for real some time soon.

In the meantime, here's another picture of the BEST thing I ever made!

I know my husband is going to ask why I picked this picture with all of the photos I have of this child. SO...because he looks adorable, it's not fuzzy, and no one else is in the shot, Honey. :D

He's growing up so fast! And he just woke up from his nap...

I'm Still Here!

I'm around but still not crafting! And, **sniff, sniff** my cousin recently decided to clean the dining room and boxed up all of my supplies that were in there! It looks amazing, and I know it was a lot of work. Oh, but it hurts so bad knowing that I have no idea where things are now or when I'll be able to sort through and organize my stuff the way I want (NEED) to. While I hold back the tears I'll give you a quick photo update on the cutie patootie that's been keeping me away from my supplies:

No, he doesn't always smile with his mouth wide open! He is a very sweet baby, though...

Hoping to get back to crafting soon!!!

While the Baby's Sleeping...

Hard to believe that I made this little guy!!  :D

Yes, that's right; he's here! Treva, I need your address!!

Fiesta, Fiesta!!

It's been way too long! Since I posted? Well, yes, that too. But I'm talking about since we had a party at The Outlawz! Next week we're doing it again!! We're going to have plenty of fun and lots of prizes to give away! Are you gonna be there??

Catching Up (pt. 1): A CASE!

One thing I'm always claiming that I'm going to do but have barely ever done is CASE other crafters' cards and such. Now, if you don't know what that means, I can't be of too much help. I went looking and found five different definitions for the acronym. Basically, it means that you look at someone else's work and copy it. You might change the shapes, colors, style, whatever. When you do it, you should be nice and tell the world that you got the idea from whoever you scraplifted it from...

Recently, a very talented crafter named Mary Joyce made an amazing altered composition notebook! Go here to see it, and leave her some love.  (Sidenote: Mary Joyce and I found out about a month and a half ago that we share some relative. We've known each other for a few years but just found out thanks to a genealogy DNA service... Isn't that more proof that the world is small??)  Anyway, I have had notebooks in my room since two school years ago waiting to be altered, and hers was gorgeous! Plus, she used a stamp that I had just bought. Since I'm trying to do better about using my supplies and not just providing them with a place to live, I decided it was a perfect time for a CASE!

Prima Bloom Girl Stamp Summer with the bees and strawberries removed

Now, if you're looking at my cover and wondering why the stamp doesn't quite look the same as Mary Joyce's, I used a wipe to remove the bees and the strawberries. I think this is a lovely face, but whatever story those two elements were supposed to be adding was lost on me... I put her cheeks a little too low, but overall, I like this notebook. The words came off a stamp from Altenew, and I got the red flower in an awesome giveaway from Omega on her YT channel. (Thanks, O!)  I haven't decorated the inside yet. I think I might be keeping this notebook for myself, and I don't know what I want to see inside or if I want tabs or whatever.

Thanks for coming over!

#bootsandpants

Missed One!

So, as soon as I hit publish on the last post, I remembered that there was another journal page before that one. Wanna know a secret? It has an afro too! I was feeling a serious urge to paint one night and was thinking about my mom, so I made myself a page.  You'd think I would have learned from this page about letting paint dry. Clearly I'll need to work on that as I go forward...

Hey...you wanna know another secret? The art journal page I finished today has an afro too!!

There's Another Afro Coming!

Something about Aunt Hope actually leaving a comment on my blog rather than sending me a text made me feel like I probably should post something! :D  Is it strange that I've been happy since this afternoon because they finally released an Android update for the S3 and I was able to get awesomely cool emoji on the Google Keyboard?? (Don't judge me for being nerdy...)  My godmother was texting me after my mom died, and I was severely disturbed that she had all these great emoji and I had NONE! Just smiley faces. I did all sorts of reading and ended up with a couple more, but not enough to make me use the Google Keyboard instead of Swype. I think I might just type with Swype then switch to Google to add cute pictures when I'm actually in the mood to do so...

Was that enough nerdspeak for you??? :D Cool... I just decided that I should just post projects as they occurred, so you'll probably see some Father's Day cards next week or so. I'm jumping back to the beginning of June for this project. ***GRRR... my internet died for, like, the seventh time today. I'll just keep typing and hope that the connection comes back so that Google can save this post. Now I don't feel like typing anymore. SOOOOO... here's another, yes another, big haired lovely from my art journal. **Are you frustrated enough to lose your common sense? Umm...how can Trina upload a picture to Blogger with no internet?? Shame...

Yes, her cheeks are mighty pink, but it's an art journal page! :D

Here's a collage to show how the page went from a little sketch in my sketchbook to this colorful page:

I have to get some patience so I can let my paint layers dry. I kept pulling up the paint...

Be well out there!!

♥ This One's for You!! ♥

My lovely Aunt Hope has recently become my most faithful blog reader. A few days ago, she, uh, requested that I put up some new posts. Well, since I LOVE!!!! her so much, this one's for her...

Last summer I thought I wanted to jump into the whole art journal craze. It took from then until March for me to actually get past putting much other than gesso on a page, though.

The light from the window is really brightening this picture...

So, I had been upstairs flipping through a prayer journal that someone gave my mother and saw this scripture. It was talking to me that day! I stayed up late into the night painting; I thought I was going to get fussed at by my mom since she was sleeping and I was making a ton of noise coming up and down the steps with supplies, but she slept right on through it. (If you knew my mom, you'd know she could sleep!)

I won't bore you with the details, but please believe all sorts of stuff is on these two pages...

#onedownforaunthope

I'll ALWAYS Love My Mama!

Do you know that song? If not, head over to Youtube for a blast from the past... My mom wouldn't let me call her "mama", but she's definitely my favorite girl - now and forever more! :D

Barbara Willis, March 1954 - March 2014

I miss her, but I'm doing okay. Just needed to let you know where I've been this time. So...instead of telling me you're sorry for my loss, tell me a joke or something about your day or what you're busy creating or anything else. XOXO to you all!!

I Made Another Mini! :D

Just a Little Something...

My boyfriend is super stubborn. He's a know it all and often requires "evidence" before he will accept being wrong about something. It drives me nuts - especially when I know I'm right - but I love that guy. A few days ago we were talking about some conversation he'd had with someone who was trying to get him to do something he didn't want to do, and he said something like, "They don't seem to get it. They'll hate me before they break me." It is SO him! I instantly filed that away because I knew an image that had been sitting in my computer's memory waiting for ink that would go perfectly with his feeling!

I made him a little (5.5"square) tent card/sign using Mo Manning's digi Chad in Timeout. Put my guy in the corner all you want; he's still going to be a pig-headed bugger! I haven't decided what should go on the other side yet. I'm debating about a scripture or a picture for the times he's not feeling like fighting! :D

**Are any of you who follow blogs via Reader missing posts? I follow a lot of blogs, but lately I have been seeing the same posts in the afternoon that I saw in the morning. I follow my own blog, but the last four, five, six posts haven't showed up in Reader either. I had to actually add a subscription to my blog for them to show up. ??? I am slowly going down the VERY long list of blogs I follow and adding subscriptions to them in Reader because I am pretty sure I'm missing a lot of your posts! Maybe my phone is just angry with me because I just saw a lot more posts on my computer than I have all day on my phone...

A Little Mini for My Dad's 60th

OMG! I just remembered that my father is supposed to be coming over to get this mini album today after work. I stayed late at work today and just got home. I haven't finished putting the pictures in!!! I have to see if he calls me; if not, I'll just call him once I'm sure he's home and remind him that he forgot to come over... :S  Had I not decided to share this video, I wouldn't have remembered at all. OOPS!

Girly Release at LMMS!

I HAVE GOT to get my light box back in business! I've been taking pics everywhere!

So, last week I called myself trying to be early with my Little Miss Muffet Challenge project. The challenge, which is still going, was to make a tag or a gift. Well, I'm so awesome (ha!), I made a tag BUT used an image that wasn't in the shop until today! Yep, that's another "oops" for me this week!  There are some new Sonny Honeycloud, Celeste Amberglow, and Luna Bitterfrost stamps from Pollycraft PLUS an angel and some lovely angel wings and dresses from Barbara at Little Miss Muffet Stamps! Make sure you get a News Badge on your blog to be eligible for your choice of stamps from the next release!

**Challenges: Sassy Studio Design - Celebrations,  Crafty Ribbons - Tags or Labels, The Sisterhood of Crafters - Embossing (background is a lace stamp embossed with white, blue Gelato run over afterward)

Halloween at Little Miss Muffet!

I'm at work and a bit late with this post. So... Have you seen today's new release at Little Miss Muffet?! Barbara & Paula from Pollycraft have some super Trick or Treaters! Plus, there's an amazing new banner die at LMMS!

I was dying last night trying to convince myself to get up and make something. I guess that's why you're supposed to do these ahead of time, huh? Unfortunately, I can't seem to shake this ridiculous tired that comes on after work. I take my vitamins, but I haven't been sleeping well lately. Last night, I must have woken up 20 times between midnight and 4am; I finally woke up 3 minutes before the alarm was set to go off! I hate that! Anyway, before finally giving in to sleep, I caught my second wind and would up using the adorable Celeste Amberglow Fairy Special digi to make a tag. (Me? Tag?? I know, right!) Had I not been rushing so that I could get into the bed, I probably would have thrown some more stuff at this tag. I do like how it turned out, though.

Well, the clock says I'm off, so I'm going to wrap this up. You should make sure you get over to LMMS to check out the awesome creations my teammates made. PLUS, if you haven't already, you should put the LMMS News Badge on your blog. Mary F. wound up getting three of the new digis just for having the badge! Also, Bandit Boy Tom and some Pollycraft images are being retired from digi form. You may want to rush over to ensure you have them!

**Challenges: Color Me Creative - Bright Colors, Crafts and Me - Anything Goes,  Scrapalicious - Make a Tag, Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - Anything But a Card, Divas by Design - Anything Goes

Say Word??

That's what I said to myself when my crafting buddy and fellow Georgia Peach asked me if I'd like to be featured in an upcoming Fascinating Friday post at Paperie Designs' Studio. Uh...YEAH! Thank you so much to Rochelle for reaching out to me and making me feel special!

You know I have to add a pic of something! I sure wish my eyebrows were this neat today...  :S

Hmm... maybe I should give one of my stockpiled goodies away for leaving a comment there and one here to tell me you did so... Not that you'll learn much b/c as I've told you all before, I can't tell all my business on the internet! :D

New Releases at Little Miss Muffet!

This week at Little Miss Muffet Stamps we have seven new digis from Simply Sophia! This set is called Hills of Mooradale and is perfect for you fantasy lovers. There are unicorns, dragons, and a pegasus!

Any photo gurus out there? Things that are this purple will not photo red enough with my camera. I can't get the right colors even when I change the camera's settings or edit the photo afterward...

I chose to make a mini mixed media canvas using Firefoot. I swear as simple as that canvas looks, you might not even believe that there are a ton of products on there...  Don't forget to check out what my teammates made this week and get a peek at the other stamps in the set!


**Challenges: Oozak - Sparkle, Paperminutes - No Design Paper, Papertake Weekly - Things that Make You Go Aww, Stamp and Create - Anything Goes, There's Magic in the Air - Anything Goes, Art With No Boundaries - Anything Goes

What Can I Say?

So, last week I didn't make anything. After I went to the crop, I can't even tell you how many days it was before I pulled my supplies out of the car. That cough, which I'm slowly getting over, really just wore me out... Plus, school started last week, and I spent a lot of time helping my mother get her classroom and kids together.

I figured no one would like it too much if I took another week off. And somehow, I had a gang of projects due this week. My cousin requested some cards a week and a half ago for this Friday. I had some candy buffet decorations due yesterday. And, of course, DT projects. Unfortunately, I still haven't unpacked, my table is a mess, and I am only about 1/3 finished moving my stuff back upstairs after moving it down for the new carpet. I swear every time I take something upstairs, I get upset because the nice clean room I had is disappearing one item at a time...

ANYWAY, this is about to be another monster post. It's the *anniversary of my birth (!!), and I want to knock this all out at once!

First up, this week's card for the Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz.

 
I'm not gonna lie; July and August's sketches were a challenge!! My dear friend Sandi really made these hard! This one left me looking seriously confused. I decided to use rolled flowers to mimic that spiral shape in the middle. If you want a crack at it, here it is...

Next up, the candy jars.

Geesh, I should have opened the window instead of using the flash...

I really want to see these in their full glory at Ari's party this weekend! She's having a spa party, and her mom is trying to do it big since it's Ari's first "real" party. I know the whole thing is going to be spectacular!

Finally, a new challenge started today at Little Miss Muffet. The new challenge is PINK, PINK, PINK! Now, maybe because I'd just finished Ari's decorations I was a little pinked out... This is what I ended up with!

Challenges: Craft Your Passion - Power of Three, Lollipop Crafts - AG, Tammy's Scraping Corner - AG

PUNKY PINK! Some little girls have a little sprinkling of something else, you know? :D  If you want to play along, you have two weeks. Remember, if you use a LMMS image, the challenge is Anything Goes!

*Anniversary of my birth - My father used to have a thing about "birthday." He'd remind me that everyone only has one birthday, then all the rest are anniversaries of birth. Well, he sure said, "Happy Birthday" in the text he sent me this morning!! :D

A Little Something Different...

Do you ever type words then think that they look misspelled? I just typed "different" as the title of this post and was just waiting for the squiggly red lines to pop up! DOES is another word like that for me. I can't tell you how many times I've written that word and been seriously confused after... :D

Anyway, I've been working for most of the week to clear out my room in preparation for new carpet. Despite the clutter of drawers in my living room and the baskets of clothes that I've moved, the room still looks a hot mess! The man is supposed to start tomorrow, though, so I guess I'll have to move into a higher gear to get that room under control! I do have issues at times with large projects; I need something else to keep me going so I don't end up overwhelmed. So, on my moving breaks, I worked to create a little encouraging piece of art.

The colors are all a bit wonky. I could not manage to get the purple to photo right on my digital camera inside, outside, natural light, direct light, OttLite - anywhere! My phone photos with a red dot in the middle, but the shots looked way better than my camera's.

Thanks to my dear friend Dana, I transformed a Kashi bar box into a piece of shelf art to inspire me. I used a digi from Guylou's Inimitability (that I drew) then went crazy on the box. I have to say that I'm a bit amazed at how many supplies I have around the house. Granted, I used to sponsor an art club at my mother's school and was given some supplies by a very supportive, arty ex-bf quite a few years ago.  But yeah, I like her and hope you do too!

**Challenges: Come & Get It Challenges - Anything but a Card, One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi, Sentimental Sundays - Paints/Inks, Color Me Creative Classroom - AG with a Girly Twist

Sharing!

So, on Saturday my online buddy Tina challenged a couple of ladies on Scraps of Color to make SOMETHING. The original request was for a scrapbook layout or two, but she bent the rules for me since I don't scrap. We were all supposed to report in around midnight with our finished projects. Well, I decided to go waaaay out on a limb and finish the CD case mini album I started a YEAR ago!

I ended up putting the cover on the front. It got a little dirty, so I used Mod Podge to seal it.

There a mini version of a portrait that Robert Jackson drew for me last year. The big version is AMAZINGLY detailed and looks just like the picture!

Since I'm not really a scrapper AND this needed to stay thin enough for the CD cover to close, there aren't any embellishments.

**CHALLENGES: Dream Valley Challenges - Summer, The Order of the Opus Gluei - Suntan, The Stamp Man - AG/Summer Colors

I'm going to take a little nap. When I get up, I'm going to update this post with some awesome cards I got from Shonda (my Secret Pal from last year), Kathi (she offered to send it after I told her it was awesome),  Sandi  (using one of my stamps!), and a super cute card from Tanya (Obsessed & Crazy Momma).

UPDATE!! These cards are currently living on my mantle...

Cute coffee sunburst card from Shonda!

I pinched the pic from Kathi's blog b/c I'm currently on "move everything" duty before the carpet man comes...

Seriously adorable card from Tanya! It has so many perfectly cut layers!

Sandi is an awesome ego booster! I sent her my first sketch (pre-editing even!), and she colored it up, put it in a challenge, and sent it to me! It looks great!

This week's Sketch Challenge!

This week's sketch at The Outlawz is something of a mind-boggler for me. I couldn't think up a single thing to do with the sketch! I saw awesome projects from my teammates popping up all week, but I just couldn't get my brain in gear... I actually have a couple of things that I'm trying to work on, and unfortunately, not a single one has moved out of the thinking phase. SOOOOOO... if you'd like to jump in and make something spectacular, here is the sketch:

When you make your amazing project, just claim that you did it to help ME out! :D

Just a reminder - we have a party coming up!