Just Hanging Out!

Good Morning!  I have another page to share; inspired by Stuck?! Sketches.  I have seen this sketch on several blogs that I follow.  I liked the design and saved it for added inspiration:

And here is my take:

I guess the first thing I want to talk about is the cardstock.  Of all things, right?  Apparently, I have a love/hate relationship with this shade of green. I love singing like Kermit The Frog about how it's not easy being green. I love the shade.  I hate working with it; but I'm stubborn.  Each year, I give myself permission to invest in a new "boy" collection and coordinating cardstock.  This shade is actually spot on with a few of the papers in the "Be Different" collection from Fancy Pants, so it was a natural choice.

• Problem:  Every time I pull it out to make a page, my eyes get mad at me, taking my brain along for the ride.
• Solution:  Every time this happens, I put it back and choose a different color.
• Problem:  I've run out of two of the other colors I prefer (light blue and vanilla).
• Solution:  I've ordered more.
• Problem:  I REALLY wanted to make a page -- apparently this page -- yesterday and Oh! Em! Geeeeeeeeeee!  How was I going to make this work?!
• Solution:  Throw as much navy (everything) as I could around the photos to help me chill out.  That started with two different blue mists, blue ink with stencils, and any blue embellishments I could find.  I began to settle into some comfort with my page, but then there was a very blank, massive corner of green along the right.  Gah! More mist, still bugged me.  Then I just decided to listen to the little voice inside my head.  I tested my idea first; by painting hearts with plain water,  I would at least get to see if I liked the shape and knew it would dry clear.  Once that was a go, I dipped my brush into a bottle of glimmer mist to paint heart shapes...then I felt compelled to fill them in.  Almost there; I used a bottle of Mister Huey's and traced the outside with that tiny tube/ spray pump/whirlygig..... In the moment I'm typing this, I'm mostly happy, but I still think they might need something more; maybe a little yellow triangle in each.  Maybe time will tell.

Check!  So now I can talk about everything else:

• My literal brain would have popped if I didn't choose the gaming paper for this page.  It is, afterall, about The Boy and one of my dearest friends playing Skylanders together.  He got her hooked on a previous visit so this was pretty special for them both.

• Again, I played with Pics Art photo editing to choose two colors in the photos, making the rest B/W.  I think I do that more for my benefit, so I can better focus on what I feel is important -- not the messy sofa and coffee table.
•  I went back to my early days and traced a saucer for the corrugated circle; then folded that circle in half to cut out the inside.  I then cut that ring in half and wove it between my paper layers.

•  Instead of using another paper for a large banner underneath it all, I opted to use a stencil and ink.  Then, I was compelled to pull out my trusty brick stencil as well.  Mainly, I was just trying to fight all of the green with more blue around the photo.  I hated it.

• Since I hated the bricks, I started layering over them -- stickers, journal spot.  Initially, I wasn't going to use a journal spot; but I didn't leave space at the bottom for journaling.  Plus, it was more navy to combat the green.

• And the sequin party!  Whee!  Followed by more decluttering of my desk -- the enamel pieces.  Also, I found a roller-date stamp just hanging out, wishing for some love. 

If I owned a stamp that was shaped like a video game controller, I would have thrown a couple of those images onto my page as well.  Trust me, I'm looking!  Until that magical day arrives, this page is "done."    If you're interested in learning about the products I used, here is the link to my gallery at scrapbook.com.

 http://www.scrapbook.com/myplace/index.php?mod=galleries&u=376301&m=view&id=4239263&type=-1&size=0

Thank you for looking!

Why Momma Needs Her Coffee

Good Tuesday Morning!  I started my day THUPER DEE DUPER early; like 2:30 AM early.  I'm having my twelfth or thirteenth scan today.  I'm thuper dee duper thpecial, so I also get extra steps in the preparation process. I am telling you, at this rate, I need a punch card or something.  I should get the next one free!


I digress, this wasn't my focus this morning.  Nor were the teleporting ants that are trying to take over my living spaces.  Seriously, I was JUST staring at that hugs blank wall and nothing was there.  HOW did an ant show up smack in the middle of it?!  If I stop blogging again, assume that those lil buggers carted me off to the looney bin for good.

Smell the flower (inhale)
Blow out the candle (exhale)
Repeat until the heebie jeebies stop.











Hi!  Howareya?  Welcome to my world!  Anyone care to talk about the Tooth Fairy?  Maybe pet rocks with their very own "robot" bodies?  Pet rocks might be a good idea.  The Tooth Fairy is still letting her story unfold.  These rocks, however, are living the dream, compared to the rocks I kept as a kid.  Seriously!  Check it!

So, yes.  The Boy still thinks there is a treasure map hiding somewhere within this rock.  Still, it needed a face.  Actually, it needed two faces.  It's an emotionally complex creature, as you can see.

And the robot suit!  I LOVE this suit.  He spent an hour carefully crafting it....after we tried to use oversized pipe cleaners with pitiful results.  This, however, he thought about and made completely independent of the DH and I.

Then, things got interesting.  Rocky needed a friend.  Meet Raquelle..  Her robot suit is in progress because I can't focus for longer than twenty minutes when building with Lego.  She might get hair before she gets a body.  Still, she and Rocky are getting along quite nicely.  I look forward to learning about (or participating in) their adventures for weeks (or months) to come.

As for my own adventures, I've got a couple of scrappy pages in progress right now.  One is a submission for Scrap the Boys.  The other has been inspired by the most recent sketch by Creative Scrappers.  With paper, I'm a happy camper.  Otherwise, I'm now officially tired and looking forward to a post-scan nap.

Reel Me In, Papa!

 Good Tuesday morning! Okay, now I am faking it. I'm a couple different kinds of yuck, but I'm working on feeling better. In the meantime, I'm grateful for the foresight to have taken pictures a few days ago.




 Last weekend, I was a crafting fool. I really like the birthday sketches at Creative Scrappers AND I was still excited about my new found method of adding more photos. I used it again for this page.

 For the past couple years, there have been quiet discussions and dreams of taking The Boy fishing. This Summer, it's supposed to become reality. Both The Boy and my dad are so excited. Dad pulled out his fishing rods to make sure they still worked. It looks like he had the perfect bait to catch a grandson.

 These are Basic Grey stamps, about 4 or 5 years old. I found them at the bottom of my drawer while looking for something else. Yay! Also, I like enamel dots but I haven't made a point of stocking up. Liquid Pearls to the rescue!

 I colored the cork alphas to make a title that would match AND stand out.
 Once again, I made an interactive page.  This time, I made sure my photos faced the right direction when flipped up.

And this is the sketch I used.

 Again, I saw DT member,  Danielle create something beautiful and knew I would try this sketch as well. , http://picsandcheesecake.blogspot.nl/2014/04/creative-scrappers-birthday-bash.html


 In this moment, I think I might spend the next two days working on a Friday Finds post. Through last week's blog hop, I discovered some amazing vendors and I want to talk about them. Till then, have a great week!

Up and Down the Rabbit Hole

Hello! Hi! Howareya?

Okay, it's been many moons since I've made a post.  Wanna know how I can tell?  Yes, besides checking the date of my last post.... This here new Blogger setup has my eyes wanting to screw up and around.  I can rub my forehead and ask "WHY?!" or I can get over it.

I really did mean it when I last wrote of how badly I wanted to get back to blogging in general.  I'm just trying to figure out HOW to incorporate it into my everyday life.  It seems I've figured it out a bit today.  We can all thank this site and this site.

Why can we thank Scrapbook.com?  They hosted a kick-keester National Scrapbook Day on May 5th.  I was blessed by a good husband and loving MIL (who nabbed m'boy at the first syllable) so that I could participate in the day's activities.  And, I won a VERY awesome package.  It arrived on my doorstep this past Monday:

If you're a lover of crafty goodness, you probably know exactly how awesome this quick pic is.  In the bottom left is an art journal.  I was geeked because, two night prior to touching all this delight, I went down a rabbit hole of artsy/inky/painty/stencily wonder.  I decided I wanted to try this concept of art journaling.  I'm thinking that book was a sign that surely, I must!

And so I have!

This is one of the blank calendar pages in the album.  Initially, I used it to fill in important doctor's appointments, m'boy's school events, etc.  Then, the month progressed, but my cancer treatments did not.

For anyone who is just joining this blog in progress, here's the breakdown:

April 1, 2011, I learned I had stage four cancer.  Donkey balls, I know.
April 8, 2011, I had a plan of attack -- turned out to be about eight months of wicked chemo.
February 24, 2012, I got a brand new purty scar (named her Irene), as they removed the main tumor.
April 23, 2012, I returned to battle the remaining cancer with recommended radiation and chemo.

See that cute lil playing card with the seven?  That's how many treatments of radiation I've received so far.  I'm supposed to have 28.  Had the door never broken for two days; a flood not have wiped out the roads; and my whites and platelets stayed up, I would have received treatment number...seventeen today. 

*sigh*  I feel frustrated; but my doctor's don't.  That's what this page is mostly about.  With the prompt from A Year in the Life an Art Journal; I am trying to remember to bloom where I am planted.  I may have hit a brick wall in my progress.  I may have been told A LOT lately to Regressa, Ud. Manana (Come Back Tomorrow).  Damnit all if I'm not trying to bloom.  Monday, I helped my mother plant flowers around the house -- though not the ones on the page -- pretty salmon geraniums and impatients that glimmer in the sun.  Since then, I've been trying my hand at art.

And now, it is time to get m'boy from school and see what adventures he'd like to take on today.

As always, if you did, thanks for reading.

How will you bloom today?

Hello, Spring!

Good Friday Morning! Happy Spring! Are you having fun, yet? Zee boy and I made the most of the glorious sunshine yesterday. Outdoor play has been long-awaited in our home. Healing from surgery aside, I finally got some workable answers regarding a cough that just won't go away. The current theory is that it's allergies. At first, I was relieved, but not 100% convinced. Then, I waited in a large grassy field to wait for my son to finish his school day. I couldn't stop coughing and my nose turned into freaking Niagara Falls. Okay, I'm convinced! Hand me the Claritin...and my snazzy new (expensive) inhaler.... and the equally expensive nose spray. It's time to play!

Besides, now that the weather is nice, I get bored doing nothing while he's at school. Why not tour the royal gardens with a camera?


Yay! The tulips popped when I wasn't looking! Alas, I needed a rest after that monumental hike (that's really about fifty feet from the house and WHEN will I have my energy back?!).

Later in the day, a little magic happened. My son -- not even five years old -- LOVES to play with the (older) young ladies that live around us. He's been asking for over a week; but their schedules are so crazy that they don't get out until it's time for him to go to bed. Not fair, I know. Magic did happen yesterday. Two of the young ladies came home early and a little bit of play ensued. I can only share the chalk drawings, though, because I certainly haven't asked parental permission to post their faces online and I'm not about to make any parents mad. On purpose, anyhow.


Okay, so I will show my own child. That's Mr. Potato Head. This is actually a HUGE improvement in his drawing skills.


That's some of my handy work.


The neighborhood girls would think something was wrong if I didn't draw a coffee cup -- kind of a tradition now.


Compliments of one of the girls -- a rainbow peace sign that got a little carried away and kinda morphed into a bug.

Happy graffiti.





This was the first time I've seen Zee Boy write out numbers. I was too freaking happy! When he also called it his hop scotch board, I about flew to the moon.



Does it get any better than hopscotch and popsicles?

I think I want to scrap this, but I haven't decided yet. I'm all a flutter, waiting to head out for the bowling field trip.

Our produce will never be safe again....

Good Sunday Morning! The sun isn't even up yet, but I've got the urge to type.

I've also had the urge to make a few scrappy pages. Alas, one of my favorite subjects spends a good part of his week in school; thereby slowing down my crafty production. And yet, he continues to find ways to amuse me. Case in point, his love for Mr. Potato Head. It's now expanded past the actual toy. Friday and Saturday, he became curious and creative; using the Potato Head face pieces to re-purpose the fruits and veggies hanging in the fridge.





And one more, just to prove that I occasionally relinquish control of the camera to the DH....



Yeah, I'm a fashion plate. Good thing zee boy is so cute. Go ahead, ignore me and just look at him.

Now to edit photos and have some paper fun!

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!

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!

Keeping Play Time In Your Heart

Good Saturday Morning! How does this fine...gray...leafless day find you? I'm probably a little too giddy to steal some blogging time while my son puts together some puzzles with one of my Aunts. Family has come to visit and I've become third fiddle. Normally, my presence is requested for a vast amount of the day; and no one else will do. This weekend, however, he has "new" people to play with and has no desire to play with me. I'm torn.... LOL

I digress. I'll make the most of it by sharing a page I created yesterday. It was inspired by this week's sketch at Sketches In Thyme:


Fun one, in my opinion. So fun, that I've also decided to dive into the sketch of the week at Creative Scrappers, from where this one originates. It's just about finished and I hope to share it soon.

For now, here's my take on the sketch above:


Last weekend, we joined my brother for dinner. My son was so happy to see that the one puzzle he played with last time we were over had multiplied into three! He was in heaven and simply HAD to put them all together immediately. Unfortunately, dinner was also ready. He informed us that he just was not going to come to dinner yet because (and with a solemn face and a hand over his heart) he had playtime in his heart. I stifled a laugh and my husband and I gave him a few more minutes to fill his heart before we insisted he fill his stomach. Unfortunately, I didn't get the exact moment on film, but I tried my best to get a picture of him with his puzzle anyhow. Not the best, but it's what I had.

Since then, I've thought about and used his phrase several times. How cool (and smart) is it to recognize that we all could use more playtime in our hearts? More time running around the slides and rock walls. More time running through the leaves. More time putting puzzles together and helping baby dinosaurs get back to, and rescue, their Potato Head mothers from wicked traps. More reasons to laugh and sing and dance and jump.

More time playing when putting together something as simple as a scrapbook page. I've been wanting to try a new technique for a couple months now; water distressing. Essentially, you get the edges of the paper wet and scrunch them up to create perma-crumpled edges. Turns out, it's pretty easy; fairly quick and another reason to get dirty with ink. Why was I refusing to play for so long?


It does plump up the page a bit, too. I think next time I'll use the technique on a larger background piece so I don't have to worry about bending or warping my photo. Foam dots are helping support it, but still.

I've been afraid of getting it wrong and refused to play around with it. I'm also quite hesitant to use something so simple and fun as the stickers you see here. They are a mix of the stickers that coordinate with the Oliver line from Basic Grey (shown here along with a polka dot page from their Jovial line) and some pieces from Sassafras Lass. I tried playing more with some by popping them up with foam, too.


It appears puzzle time is nearly over; as is my post. I hope you had a chance to enjoy today. Here's wishing you a playful weekend in which you enjoy everything that life has to offer. For now, I'm going to prep for a trip to Target.... Maybe Hobby Lobby, too. THAT's where I find playtime in my heart.