A Year in the Life of an Art Journal

I'm beyond excited to share my latest project with you all here. Last year, I hosted an art journal prompt monthly, at TallyScrapper. The year before that, I took part in Emily Falconbridge's Deck of ME mini Art Journal, and I'll never be the same.
Here are some pages from my art journal that I worked on last year with my friends at Tally.


Here are some of the pieces I created while following along with Emily HERE.


This year, I'm planning on hosting prompts again, on THIS BLOG. I would LOVE it if you'd join me and the gals who have signed up for it!! The link above explains what I plan to do this year. If you choose to create journals using playing cards, then you can either choose to create a box for your creations, or you can wait. I will advise you, that when I was finished with my Deck of ME with Emily, my little slender deck of 52 cards had more then quadrupled in thickness at the end of the year!! lol so whatever you create, you'll want to make lots of room. Think cigar boxes, or VERY LARGE office rings. I used a mid sized recipe box that I altered. Art Journaling has been SUCH a great opening of creativity for me. If you think you might even like to try ONE challenge, I'd love to have you hop over to the blog, and sign up for an email subscription. That way, even if you can't take part EVERY time, you'll get the prompt, and you won't have to remember to check the blog for them. That's ALL the blog will be for, is the art journal, so subscribing won't get you a bunch of emails from me about my home life... lol Hope to see you for the next year A Year in the Life of an Art Journal.

Gutter Girlz again!!

It's time again!! Check the GUTTER for another good therapy prompt!! I love seeing the different directions that everyone takes the prompts at the GutterGirlz!! Have a good one!! I have a new years project to hop on soon... I'll try to post about it tomorrow...

2008

Thanks, Shan for the idea to recap the year...
It's been a tough year for me... I have felt like I've been in a fog for a long time now... I'm finally coming out of the fog a little bit. I'm going out again... and I thought it would be good to think about the things I did and loved last year that WEREN'T in a fog.
2008
Best book: Really enjoyed all FOUR of the Twilight series books. Read them all within a few months, and I don't think I've read that much since Harry...
Best movie-drama: I really liked The Other Bolin Girl... sad, but good.
Best movie-comedy: Anything with Will Ferrel in it.
Best day: Our trip to the Newport Aquarium and Newport with the boys... it was a GREAT day.
Best gift: Coffee's salt and pepper shaker.
Best new recipe: Spaghetti Bake
Best new gadget: CuttleBug
Best thing to watch on TV: LOST. I know, I know. It's not new. I got hooked on it with Ian, and spent the year watching it on line with Ian.
Best new show on TV: Life on Mars
Best vacation: The Dells, WI
Best Decision I made: Taking Ian out of Public School for 8th grade.
Fun Lesson: BEER making
This last year, I've come a long way, on a journey I didn't choose, and most likely, you haven't heard the last of things... because I have some things I'd like to get off my chest. "Losing" three friends might have been one of the best things that's happened to me. I made one MUCH BETTER friend that has WAY bigger shoes. This coming year, I'm not wasting time pouring friendship into friendships that don't return the favor. Last year, I leaned more heavily on my husband than I ever imagined I could, and he never ONCE made me feel less than loved. I am more truly and madly in love with him that I ever have been, and I didn't think that was possible. This coming year, I will not apologize for being me. I will instead lean into who I am without regret even MORE than before. I will say what I think. I will write what I think. I will believe what I want. I don't really care if you don't get me. I don't really care what you think about the friendships I have. I don't really care if you like me. I will stay true to myself. I have been, and will continue to be, an honest person. I will continue to be a woman of integrity. My true friends will talk to me if we have misunderstandings or don't agree. I'm not interested in pretending to be someone I'm not. I never did it before. I'm not going to start now. I look forward to standing in my own skin this next year. Like me or not. I'm going to love living in the sunshine. No more fog for me. Happy New Year, Bah HumBug, Kiss my asssk... and all that. This is MY year... and I intend to live in it fully. MY way. What do you plan to own this coming year?

It's a good day in the gutter...

Ahhhhh got in the gutter today... and it was NIIIIICCCCE.... I love it there. :) Gearing up for the next Gutter Girlz prompt coming on the 30th!!

Merry Christmas!!

My last post until after Christmas... Hope that all of you have a great Christmas, and that you feel loved and warm this holiday season.
We'll be filling the next two days with family, games and food... lol
and probably some home brewed beer. :)

The Goose is Getting FAT...

I've got SO MUCH to finish up before CHRISTMAS EVE!! I can't even tell you.
Here's a sampling of what I got done today... Jerky is in the oven... so I can't show you that one.
This one is a photo of the CUTEST 5 year old EVER.
Oh.
and the cupcakes I made for Christmas Eve.

Some Felted Wool Dryer Balls that I made... seems you can replace dryer sheets with them, and I thought that would be great ANYDAY!! I added scent to the middles of them with essential oils.

I bought some tins and made playdough for the little kiddies... still have one more color to make.

one last photo of the candy cane cupcakes...

Help Save HANDMADE!!

If you have ever bought or thought about buying handmade, or perhaps SELL handmade items, please visit Cool Mom Picks for a great detailed post about the newly passed Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act. Rather than recap and rehash what they have already said VERY well over there, I'm giving you a small excerpt, and encouraging you to go visit the blog, and check out the links they provide for you to take action in support of all things handmade.
Taken from Cool Mom Picks
"With this act going into effect February 10 2009 so many people we love will be affected: Moms who sew beautiful handmade waldorf dolls out of home, artists who have spent decades hand-carving trucks and cars out of natural woods, that guy at the craft show who sold you the cute handmade puzzle--even larger US companies who employ local workers and have not once had any sort of safety issue will no longer be able to sell their goods. Not without investing tens of thousands of dollars into third-party testing and labeling, just to prove that toys that never had a single toxic chemical in them still don't have a single toxic chemical in them."

He's just so precious!!

He sits here on the hanger next to his feeder... and just watches the people go by...
Not all the time, of course, but he likes to sit a fluff in the cold once in a while...
**sigh**

Inclement Weather...

It's not really that thick here in town, but I think it's worse just outside of town.

Schools are closed today, because of "inclement weather" hee hee and my nasturtiums are DEAD because of it too...
I had to put out some Hummingbird nectar for the humming birds too. Their flowers are all frozen, and the poor little guys were trying to drink the NASTY rotten water that I hadn't taken down yet in my feeders. I have two of them already, and they were drinking the nasty stuff, and buzzing at me like I needed to DO something!! So I hurried and made them good sugar water, and got it out. They sat and ate for full minutes. Hungry little guys. I'll be keeping that fresh until there are blooms again now.
Funny thing about the ice and snow.
When they aren't used to it, people seem to get nervous FREAK OUT about it. That's when school's close, and everyone tells EVERYONE not to drive anywhere. Funny too, how those SAME people, who are SO freaked out about the weather tend to NOT CHANGE their driving habits in it!!
People.
It's not BRAIN SURGERY.
When the weather is "inclement" you simply SLOW DOWN.
That's it!
If you don't DRIVE like it's sunny and beautiful, you won't end up in a ditch. I swear. That's the ONLY secret. And not a very well kept one.
Somehow, though, I'm the only one who seems to remember it when the weather gets testy.
Oy Vey.

Now THAT'S Holiday!!

I love the coffee shop, and I love being busy... BUT today I smell like tired coffee... lol
I can't wait for Christmas to be over. I feel like I'm on TO DO overload... and FYI, my Christmas Cards might be late. BUT they will be handmade, and they will be CUTE.

The kit I designed for Tally SOLD OUT in about 2 hours.
HOLY
CRAP.
Here's a few things I made with mine!!




I also made the banner for my blog for one of the ladies I clean for as a Christmas gift last night with the kit, and I made this for another one...

maybe it's NOT such a mystery why I'm feeling wiped out!! lol

I'm the BOSS, Bitches.

*note: May not be suitable for preschool toys.
Some Scrap Therapy for the newest Gutter Girlz, who... have chosen SIX new dirty girlz!!
Check the blog for the prompt,song and product!!

Maybe not what certain people want to hear, but I get to say it, because I'm the boss of ME.
:P

AND

While I'm bossing y'all around... GET OVER TO TALLY and get yourself a kit after noon pacific, dudes. I designed this one... and while I haven't got my hands on it YET (thanks for the late ship, October Afternoon...) I know I'm going to love it. Hope you all do too!!

Snow and Concussions

It SNOWED in my neck of the woods today!!
ACTUALLY... it snowed here, but it STUCK at my friend Janet's neck of the woods... which was where I was this morning...
Macs got to play in the snow for a few min... but I wasn't prepared for the snow, so he didn't have good gear for it. Those gloves are courtesy of Janet.
While we were there, Macs got a good bonk in his temple, when Janet's boxer who is just a big overgrown puppy, whacked heads with Macs in his excitement over snow AND a kid to play in it with... We nearly ended up in the ER later in the day when Macs started to seem very concussiony... (it's a word.) He pulled through though, and he's been playing and acting normal for more hours than not. Soooo... I have (sing it with me now... to the tune of 99 bottles of beer)
48 bottles of beer in my house...
48 bottles of beer....
We're letting them sit for just a bit,
48 bottles of beer in my house.
I'm hoping they'll be ready near Christmas, so that I can show my best birthday present (beer brewing lessons) off. Here's to a great birthday batch!

more true love

More photos... this was the bride and groom's table before the wedding started...

The rings and bride's flowers... I think this is my favorite.

But then I really REALLY like the way this one came out too....

wedding sneaks!!

FINALLY getting some editing done with the photos from the wedding I shot last weekend!! Here's a few that I've gotten done so far...



So worries about the # a photos!! I should have over 50 edited photos on disk when I'm done.

Thank you, Coffee!!

I came home from grocery shopping today, to find this on my porch...

They are BEAUTIFUL...
Lillies, because that's what I collect, peony "looking" flowers... WHICH, are beautiful too. AND a yellow rose, to remind me of my gramma, whose yellow rose bush blooms every Christmas over here.
Here's a close up of the flowers that our local florist put in to make up for not having peonies in winter!! lol

I think they are perfect.

Just wanted to let you know....

Tomorrow's my BIRTHDAY!!

If you don't get that one, you should watch the first part of this video. (there's a little bit that you won't want little ones to hear... at about 45 seconds in... but if you watch it, it will make my birthday tweets make a lot more sense... :)

On another note, I have no photos to share for a while, until I get the wedding photos off of my memory cards!! :)

Conquered

In case you have been worried about whether or not the dishes have swallowed me whole... They didn't take long to conquer. :) Weenie Dishes.