Let the Rhythm Move You!

Hello!  Long time no see, huh?  For those "in the know," I'm okay.  Mostly.  As is the way with this current chemo cocktail, I got one issue sorted out just to have another rear a very nasty head.  Now, this current issue is almost sorted out and I'm able to get back to my scrappy ways..... Only, that month-ish break really hit my creativity hard.  After watching a metric ton of YouTube videos, and signing up for a class at Shimelle.com, I finally have something to share. Today's share is from the class, Return to the Collection.

Earlier in the Summer, DS had a chance to attend a family barbecue and local parade.  My MIL sent me these pictures, to show how much fun he was having.

Since the goal of the class is to use *a* collection *and* a richer tapestry of embellishment, I can easily say that most of this page is somehow brought to you by Fancy Pants Designs.  In this case, it's the Everyday Circus collection.  The red alphas are MME; and other details are listed below.

• The three monkeys on the bike are actually cut from the 6x6 version of the larger cut-apart page.  
• The red foil stars were cut from a sheet of FP foil paper, months ago.  I also saved the negative space from all of that die-cutting for  background strips on other pages.  
• The wood veneer smiley is from Freckled Fawn; the sequins are from Doodlebug.
• The red stitched arrow started off as a simple stamped image, using an arrow set from Sassafras Lass (as is the image of multiple arrows below it).  Something in me insisted that the space needed to be filled AND that I needed something soft.  Red floss to the rescue!....And followed by a "thinker's" headache that lasted the rest of the day.  
• The same arrangement was repeated in the lower left corner.
• I decided to use the rays of the background paper as my journaling lines
• Also, I used a recent birthday purchase -- one of those mini inky dauber doohickies to edge the photos, paper and many of the elements.  According to that link, it's a blending tool.  Of course, "doohicky" seems to work well with me right now.

And "doohicky" is probably also a really good clue that I should wrap things up for now.  If you actually stopped by and had a look, I thank you.  Within the next 24 hours, I should have this page also posted in my galleries at scrapbook(dot)com AND A Cherry On Top; with products noted.  I'm going to try to come back and share at least one more page I have recently made; hopefully getting back into a groove.  I'm not even worried about participating in challenges this month and I'll take next month a day at a time.  Stressing about crafting achievements isn't exactly on my to-do list right now.

First Day of Vacay

Good Morning!

It's been a few days, but I have another page to share.  This time, it's my submission to Scrap Around the World.  They are new to me, and I fell in love at first sight.  Their June mood board was SO unlike my usual colors and preferences that I wanted to try it out.  It's really quite lovely:

And here is my take:

Yep, I really departed from my comfort zone, huh?  The inspiration deatils are as follows:

• Okay, I give myself credit for at least breaking out the yellow, black and gray.  I have been holding onto that yellow patterned paper for a year, now.  It finally has a home.
• The striped paper straws helped me choose the chevron paper base.  I had meant to show only enough that it looked like just a stripe, but I guess I was my own special "helper" when trimming the paper.
• Those same straws inpired my choice of stitching with bakers twine.  I may not do that one again.  PITA is not just a tasty bread!

Beyond that, I was also inspired by this sketch, which is part of a Page Maps June challenge at scrapbook.com:

THAT's what's up with all of the stars.  Okay, that and I've been in a star-heavy mood lately.  They're on everything.  Also, I've been in a splatter and sequin mood.  This was extra-awesome today because it gave me a chance to use some highly unloved mists.

The light bulb!   I love that light bulb.  I bought it with dreams of using it all over The Boy's latest album.  This is the first time it made it out of the package  Even then, it was almost a no-go.  This was a final attempt to make it work, but even then, the mist ran under the mask and it was just a dark yellow, water-color kind of mess.  After it dried, the paper looked kinda cool, so I just traced the stencil bits onto the mess and fussy-cut it into something I kinda like.  I now have three more in my stash to figure out.  Somehow!  Some way!

The vellum!  I love my vellum.  That actually does get used; but I have a hard time letting any of it go un-seen.  The stamped quote above and below the photos was stamped on the cut-out center of the matting. 

That little bit of stamping in the background was basically a test run.  I started to assemble this page one week before school ended.  I knew I was going to use this sketch and those colors, so I figured I would start playing in advance  At that moment, I knew I was going with the vellum, but I wanted something black behind it.  That poor stamp has waited about as long as the yellow paper.  Why not?

Thank you for taking the time to look.  Thank you, more, if you took the time to read.  If you're interested in the list of things I used, here's a link to my gallery at scrapbook.com:

Since I'm writing the post early, I'll be interested to know if I can find the name of that yellow paper, too.  I know it's a Studio Calico print and I've still got the branding strip, just in case.

Pitch Perfect?

Good Monday Morning!

I have another page to share with you.  This is my submission to the White With 1 challenge; pomegranate.  This is what I came up with:

This was a fun (read: slightly crazy) page to put together.  When the prompt was first posted, I had no specific photos in mind.  While I really wanted to work with a nice dark red (again), I had to make myself wait until it all clicked for me. Finally, there was a moment of fun in the back yard....followed by some fun with my favorite photo editing app, PicsArt.  After messing with the Color Splash option, picking out the red in their shirts, I knew I was ready to begin this challenge.  Then came the....

Confession of a Challenge Junkie:  At the same time, I really wanted to use one of the prompts in the June Page Maps challenge at scrapbook.com.  Problem:  You can't combine other challenges with White With 1 prompts.  I had to make a choice.  Obviously, we can tell which I chose, but this is why I've got the woodgrain in the background:

It's actually a combination of stencil + modeling paste + mist (added to the paste for color) + a layer of ink on top to darken the red further.

Originally, the photos were supposed to print out smaller, to follow the sketch more closely, but they were cut off and just bad.  In order to see people, I had to print larger.  Grr!  Still, I like it, because I can actually see what's happening.

Aside from the buttons, all of the other elements were pretty much "findings" on my crafting table.  They've been lurking between several months to a year.  I've tried adding them to countless pages, but they never worked.  This was their day!

I believe that's everything I wanted to say.  The product list is so short and/or hard to find, I might as well share here:

• woodgrain stencil:  Prima Marketing
• mist (mixed with modeling paste):  Tattered Angels, Red Velvet
• ink (dabbed on top of dried modeling paste for more color):  Prima fluid chalk edger, Lady Bug
• red text embellishments:  Theresa Collins (I'm pretty sure on that one; they really came from a Scraptastic kit), Family (something.... I'm horrid here)
• other red text/arrow:  Basic Grey; (pretty sure) Bow Ties
• red label:  Studio Calico printable
• Title alphas:  Jenny Bowlin and October Afternoon
• Pinked circles:  Jenny Bowlin
• airplane strip:  Echo Park, That's My Boy

Thanks for looking.  Have a great day!

My Summer Wish List

Hello! Hi! Howareya?

I'm taking my advice and writing what I can, when I can. It's currently a sunny Sunday (late) afternoon and I just enjoyed a sneaky ice cream sandwich. It was good enough to make me think about Summer. We've still got five more weeks in the school year, but Summer is coming. Mixed emotions run high.

 Naturally, The Boy is living for Summer Vacation. He's becoming less cooperative each morning. Aside from seeing his friends and participating in the few favorite activities, he sees no good reason to get dressed and leave home. Having been a teacher in the past, I understand this feeling well. Truthfully, I see many advantages to the more relaxed routine that Summer brings.


* Neither of us have to leave our cozy beds before six in the morning.
* No dress code.

 Yep! That's a short list. His school participates in reading and math practice during vacation, so I will still have the daily joy of making him read, add, subtract, tell time, count money, consider place value, etc. He's good at both reading and math, he just doesn't like to think about them. That's our battle. Almost every day.

 Maybe this year the battle won't be so bad. The practice will only take 20-60 minutes each day (depending on the struggle). That still leaves several hours each day for the kind of fun that would make Phineas and Ferb proud.

So that brings me back to the ice cream sandwich and my dreams. What do I want to accomplish this Summer? It's probably a standard list....

1. Local Church festival -- We used to go each year.
2. Local City Festival -- We only went twice, but it was also fun.
3. Farmers Market -- every weekend, please?
4. Drive In theater --  I just want to check off of my parenting list that my kid fell asleep in the back seat.
5. Fourth of July fireworks-- We managed to attend a big family event last year, but didn't stay long (totally my fault).
6. Camping -- Aside from setting up the tent in the back yard for kicks and giggles, I would like to camp for three to five nights this year.
7. Fishing -- mainly I want to watch others fish, snap a few pics and maybe eat the cooked deliciousness.



These are just the activities I can pull off the top of my head. I've started a board on Pinterest, full of ideas to keep The Boy and I occupied daily. I'll probably flip through those in my yucky times and expand this list with potentially great tthings. That alone can improve my mood.  That is the secret wish, afterall.

Trikathon

Good Monday Morning! How was your weekend? How's your tea? How's your coffee? Ready to take on the world? I think my son is, but the jury's still out on me. Is it just me, or is 5:30 AM too early to be yelled for? I thought so. Anyway, I'm up and I have something to share. I've started to take an interest in a few new (to me) sketch sites. This one from Sassy Lil Sketches seemed to fit perfectly for a series of photos I had printed out for a different sketch. I still like the other and want to use it soon, but this spoke stronger to me this weekend:



And this is what I made:



The daycare/pre-school my son attends hosts an annual trikathon to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. It is so stinking cute to see 50 kids on bikes and trikes, plus a dozen infants in multi-seat strollers gather together and try to take off all too son. They've been doing this for 20 years, but it was a brand new experience for my son. He's had that trike for a couple years, but used it all of three or four times. It squeaks horribly and loses it's fun factor fast. You may notice that he's too big for it now, but there was no time to get him a new bike. I was proud of him for ignoring all that and lapping the school three times before abandoning the trike in the crowd.... instead walking around the school with one of his favorite teachers.

Part of the design was also inspired by the Friday challenge at Frosted Designs -- use only one color plus black and white. It was something I'd been kicking around for a few pages, so how could I pass up the opportunity to finally give it a go?


This was my first focus on keeping the limey green shade going. Rather than actual stitches, I broke out the Stickles and doodled them on.



I REALLY wanted to use this tricycle embellie (Crate Paper, Toy Box), but the red they used wasn't going to cut it for the Frosted Designs challenge. Ergo, more Stickles!


Sorry for the blur! Since I had my Toy Box goodies out, I perused my options and found this sticker. I decided to fold it up like a ribbon.

And that is all I have for now. I'm a lot less grumpy and my son needs a playmate for a little while. Again, thank you for stopping by!

Always Time to Snuggle

Good Saturday Morning! .... Okay, even as I type that I'd like to make myself go back to bed (it's 6:15 AM!), but I won't. It's a big day and I have lots to do. One of those things is share an adorable moment between my son and my father. It happened on Father's Day; just a simple desire to snuggle; and is based on the current sketch at Twisted Sketches:



And here is my take:



Adorabibble, right? I've seen so many amazing pages, created by Nancy, based on these sketches, that I finally decided to give it a try. Of course, as I was creating, I also wondered how I could try to include fun and unexpected details, like she does. I tried to be like Nancy.... Until I finally remembered that I'm NOT Nancy and went back to having fun with it. I LOVE looking at pages that are chock full of detail -- so full you could actually spend a half hour looking at the page, in order to find it all. I LIKE making pages that have at least a thick border of negative space and a single cluster of embellishment. It feels like a pair of properly fitting jeans to me, but I keep forgetting that.

Details?

I used Glimmer Mist (Dragonfly) to mask some Dusty Attic gears.

Tim Holtz clock face and spinner. My son actually had fun with this element when I finally let him near it. Evidently, he also really likes my glue dots. Super!

This gear clock is Scrap FX. Initially, I slathered it with Distress Ink, then the Dragonfly Glimmer Mist. If you get to look at the actual page, it really changes color nicely as you move it around. Not so obvious with the camera, though.


I wanted to highlight the "four" on the clock, since it's the age of my son at the time of these photos. I probably should have chosen a brighter shade of Stickles.

This is what I have today. Now, it's time to get spiffy for company and a highly anticipated shopping trip with my son.

Sandbox

Happy Sunday! By a feet of sheer will, I have kept my son entertained and I have another page to share. This one was inspired by this week's challenge at The Color Room:



And this is what I created:


I have to admit, this WAS a challenge for me. I was excited to try a monochromatic palette that I'd hardly ever think to try on my own. I have plent of orange items in my stash to make this work.... but did I do it right? LOL My biggest challenge was remembering to have fun! Seriously, I need to spend more time playing with my son. He gets this whole "have fun before worrying about the rules" thing better than I do.


The chipboard circle is another of the Technique Tuesday tiles. At first, I had it coated with Glimmer Mist; and I liked it.... Then, the patterned paper behind it started bugging my eyes, so I decided to just paint the inside of the circle solid orange....I'm a sloppy painter...I'm also grateful for Distressed Stickles (Orange Peel, I think). After it dried, I noticed how it kinda complimented the sandbox/gritty theme in the photos. Yay!


Woohoo for having just a few orange gems in my Prima E Line stash! And I thought I'd never use this particular pack.


I happened upon some festival ride tickets that went unused last year. They made for some easy journal spots today. I struggled with the decision of where to put a title on this page. I was too lazy to create alphas. I didn't have enough orange or white ones in my stash. Why not just write it over and over again along the border? Well, I thought I was clever. I think these are the last of my orange flowers. Lucky me, huh? I wonder of Prima has made any more....

I do believe this is all I have for now. If I have uncompleted pages hanging around, I can't find them. Thank you for taking the time to read. Have a good week!

Finally! A Crafy Moment!

Good Saturday Morning! If you've guessed, "Gee, someone is full of perk and pizzaz this morning," you'd be right. That someone is even me! Evidently, it's a good thing to only get about five hours sleep because your child has a stuffy nose and doesn't crash until midnight..... Then wake up at 5:30 in the morning....

On the upshot, it's made for a low-key morning and I was able to negotiate some crafty time. I haven't been in the mood much lately to create. I've had up days, but just not up to crafting. Then, I was healthy enough to visit my MIL last weekend. She, my nephew and my son dug holes and planted trees. I sat still and photographed whatever I could. I wound up getting quite a few photos that I really want to scrap, as long as I have the energy to do so.

And on that note, as far as my health goes, I do have increasingly more energy to do so. I get a little better with each round of chemo (going for my fourth next week). I'm making physical progress that keeps my spirits up, even when I'm tired enough to fall asleep playing with my son. In another week, I'll be able to provide visual proof to my doctor of exactly how much of the cancer has been removed from my body. I have hopes there!

Now, back to being crafty!

I made this:



It was inspired by an page I liked at scrapbook.com:

http://www.scrapbook.com/myplace/index.php?mod=galleries&u=376301&m=view&id=3245357&type=-1&page=1&r=1

And, it turns our she got her inspiration from a sketch site:

http://www.sketchsupport.com/

It was fun to go through my stash. I wanted to solely use the Toy Box collection, from Crate Paper, but they didn't have the right shade of blue and green, so I combined it with the Little Boy collection, by Echo Park. I do enjoy both collections so much that I think I'll have to find a way to restock both in my stash. I'm starting to fret about the day I run out!

Okay, I know that this isn't my usual par for blogging. Normally, I'm a lot better at making pretty links and adding images of sketches used. That lack of sleep is starting to catch up to me and I'd really like to lobby for nap time.

Thanks for stopping by!

Carny Boy

I realized recently, while enjoying the drive to a local carnival, that I am going to worry myself exhausted, trying to be the Mom I want to be. Evidently, I want to be the Mom that makes sure her son has something fun, exciting and unexpected to do nearly every day. I want his Summer to be filled with so much fun. I want him to have a wealth of personal experience to draw on when he goes to school. I want him to know that life is meant to be enjoyed. I want him to spend as little time on the couch as possible.....Okay, and I want to be able to scrap it all. Naughty, huh?

With that desire to make sure my little three-year-old leads the fullest life possible, I started to panic a bit. I had wanted to take him to a pancake breakfast at a local airport the next day, Sunday... in addition to planning and shopping for dinners for the upcoming week, knocking out a couple loads of laundry, sanitizing the bathroom (again!), picking up some more printer ink so I can have a ton of pictures to put on scrappy pages...AND work in a nap and enough play time that he still knows he's loved. The weekends are when I wish for more hours in a day because the time is more precious to get things done and make life worth living. The weekends are when I long for Super Mom status and easily fall short.

While we did not make it to the airport breakfast on Sunday -- I had realized at the last minute that he would have been painfully bored and constantly trying to ride in the planes all morning -- we did make the most of the time we had....grocery shopping, napping and watching a new movie.

At Saturday's carnival, I took well over 200 photos. In the humidity that comes with temps near 90, he road the rides over and over and over again.

When he needed a grown up along for the ride, he either got his Daddy, his Mommy or my mother-in-law, Gramma Cam'ra.

We fueled up on hot dogs, french fries, rootbeer floats and water.

We spent an entire hour at the city playground that was backed against the carnival grounds.

I took time to appreciate the art, beauty, charm and childhood memories triggered by Merry Go Round music.

We also learned how one successfully continues potty training in a porta potty...but no worries. I didn't take any photos of that. Score!

....I guess my closing thought, and what I want to take away from all my own nonsense, is that life is what you make of it....Fun Rocks the Casbah. But taking moments to breathe and reflect will help me appreciate it so much more.

Bubbles McGee

Once upon a time, life was good. Okay, so life still is good and this is by no means a complaint on that note. With that in mind, I've been taking a few cruises down Memory Lane this past week. I don't know how May is faring for everyone else, but mine started off durn cold and is ending on a more sultry note. It's the heat that has me thinking about Summers of my childhood, teen and early adult years.

For the longest time, Summer was a major event in my life. Yes, I do mean the entire season! Summer is when school ends and relaxation begins. Summer meant Day Camp and field trips to the beach and Penny Whistle Place. Summer meant two weeks in Ohio, on my grandparents farm. Summer meant birthday parties -- both mine and a few friends. Summer meant sparklers and fireworks that were entirely too loud and reverberating for my liking. Summer meant temporary boyfriends. Summer meant I would make peace with one ex-boyfriend long enough to enjoy random drives, pizza in the basement an hour before dinner-time, and a few evening outings to local parks. Summer meant a dozen different vacations (over the years) that I REALLY didn't want to particpate in...and one trip to New Orleans.

Summer meant innocence and fun and a million and four possibilities. Even in hazy heat, everything was possible and magical. The fun would never end and bubbles never burst. I thought a lot of these same notions as I looked at these photos of my niece. Granted, they were taken on a winter-coat-mandatory day in April. Sultry summer air was but a dream! But those bubbles -- and the fun that ensued -- felt like it could go on forever. In that moment, life was magical again.



The design of this page is thanks to the Weekly Sketch Challenge at Pages In Time. I added loads of tiny acrylic circles to give a dimensional bubble feel. For kicks and giggled I also added a floral image (as posted in the Vintage Group at PIT) and the left-over packaging from a grunge flourish -- painted with Crackle Paint and inked. If you're scrappy -- or ever found billowing magic in all your photos -- I recommend you hop on over and see if you'd like to give it a try.

Thanks for looking!