Sunday Sketch Challenge

Ready for the third sketch???

  Here is a page I did using this sketch. 

Hope you like them!  Don't be afraid to flip it around to work with the photos you have! If you do a page using this sketch post a comment with a link to your creation!!  I'd love to see what you come up with!  Everyone who posts before March 7th, 2010 will be put in a drawing for a little gift.  What little gift you say?  How about this little gift.  Winner will be announced on March 8th.

Artist/Creative Swap

I was thinking AGAIN that we should do an ART SWAP.....would I have any takers????  I might just keep reposting this until I get some takers because I think this could be fabulous!  We could go with a theme and then crafters/artists of all media could participate - knitters, crocheters, jewelry designers, poets, photographers, paper artists, quilters, sewers, etc. etc.  Heck even if I had one taker that would be enough - we could trade.  It would just be great fun to see what others are creating.
How about a THEME of FRESH.  Whatever fresh means to you.

It's the 25th today - comment and let me know if you are interested.
DUE DATE: March 18th (which means they need to be in my hands by the 18th - sent out using PRIORITY MAIL by the 15th of March)
All items will be swapped and sent back out by the 23rd.
Ok the nitty gritty details - BEST WORK ONLY - and I am sure this goes without saying - only send in something you yourself would love to get.  Send your item along with $5.00 for shipping back to you.  Please only send cash.   
It's hard to put a value minimum or maximum - so the best I can do is tell you items I am considering making for the swap:
earrings, a felted soap, a paper door decoration, a small bird, a hanging pillow, a 5 x 7 photo, an altered jar, a set of note cards, etc......
What do you say - I know there a lot of talented people out there - and some of you even read my blog!  :)  I would love to see what we can do!!!  Hope to hear from you soon....

Whatcha been up to???

So friends what creative endeavors are you up to this month?  What about family fun?  Or new discoveries?  Really what have you been up to?  I want to hear from you all.

I am sticking with my resolution to try new things - to expand my horizons - to shake things up......so far since the last update I have:

1) Subbed as a preschool teacher for the first and second time - and it wasn't mass chaos.  The kids are so sweet.

2) Felted a small piece to use in a bracelet design of some sort, a wonderful bowl and a large ill shaped place mat/table runner of some sort. 

 

(the last felting photo was before the felting)

3)  Made paper clay bowls.  I LOVE these!  I love hearts - all year long.  I have since painted them red.  now I just need to put a antique-ish glaze over them to weather them up. 

4)  Made the sweetest little paper flowers - I had been buying handmade flowers off of etsy - but decided to give it a shot after  I saw a tutorial somewhere online.  Now I am sort of addicted - they are on several of my latest scrapbook pages.

5) Started teaching a sweet 9 year old (soon to be 10 year old) girl creative/art classes once a week.  What a treat this is.  I am not sure if I am a teacher as much as I am just providing her creative freedom....her mom assures me she LOVES it and I LOVE it as well.  So far we have painted canvases, did button balls (instead of buttons trees), and she designed her own pair of earrings.  Such fun!  She is such a great student.  Also, it is getting Xander creating with me again - he used to create with me ALL THE TIME and now seems to pick video games over me.  :(  I didn't get a photo of Katie with her canvas but this is what Xander made:

6)  Made a lemon cake - only from the box - but can you believe I have never made a lemon cake???  I love all things tart and delicious - and this was gooood!  Ok this wasn't really a stretch - but I didn't go for the safe chocolate - I broadened my horizons a tiny bit.  :)

7)  Today I presented materials to a local art studio to teach jewelry classes.  They were happy with my ideas/prices....so I will be teaching two, maybe three classes in the month of March.  I have to say this is huge for me.  I am sooooo NOT good at selling - selling my time or my designs as an artist - I have this HUGE fear of rejection and most of the time it stops me dead in my tracks and I just don't even bother - I give up before I even get there - but I didn't give up.  I was really nervous and stressed a lot about the designs and concepts and pricing.  I didn't want to do the same ole boring basics.  I wanted to teach the basic skills but in a really beautiful way.  So I stayed true to me and it paid off.  Now let's hope the classes fill up and that they beg me for more!  :)  As soon as I have all the details finalized I will post them here so that if you are local you can come join me for a night of fun - learning jewelry basics!!!!

8) Tried Quinoa from Whole Foods - yummy.  Bought some so I could make it at home.  If I discover a great recipe I will share it.

9)  Doing scrapbook page sketches on a regular basis.  I am now offering Sunday Sketch Challenges on my blog.  I have grown to really love this - thanks to being on Feeling Scrappy's design team - it forced me to give it a  try and I grew to love it.  Now that my term is up there I have to share them somewhere - no place better than the blog!  :)

So I am stretching a bit - learning new things, trying new things, branching out - making me a better me.  It really is fun to try new things - I have a creative curiosity lately that it drawing me into all sorts of new creating avenues.....Oh and I am doing yoga (again) at home a few nights a week - I really like it.  Great thing right before bed - really relaxing and a stretches out all those stressed muscles.  Now if I could just get Steve to join me - I wouldn't feel so silly toppling over all by myself. 

I would really love to hear about what you are up to....inspire me please!  :)  Friends enjoy your last few days of February and THINK SPRING....it is just right around the corner after all. 

Thanks to the Firemen

Xander is a boy scout this year - and truly loves it!   Recently their den went on a field trip to one of the firehouses.  The kids were encouraged to bring a thank you card or picture.  So my little Xander worked on the above masterpiece!  I thought it was awesome.
The field trip was way cool.  I was so impressed with how wonderfully patient and informative the firemen and paramedics were!  The kids were able to go inside a firetruck and an ambulance.  They really thought this was awesome.  I even learned quite a bit!  So a big HUGE thank you to the Millard Fire Department for taking the time to educate our kids! 

1st Sketch Winner and a reminder

Congrats and a big thanks to Becky for playing along on the first Sunday Sketch Challenge.
Isn't her page great?  I love those stitched sun rays and the thread wrapped around the bracket.  Such great details!

Just wanted to remind you that tomorrow (Sunday February 21st) is the last day to get your layouts posted for the Second Sunday Sketch Challenge!  Hope you will play along.

Hope you are all having a terrific weekend!

Our Connor

Connor turned 12 last week!!!  12 - my how time flies.  Jr hi now - and soon just like Macey he will be in high school!  Time really does need to slow down.  We took him to Charleston's for ribs - the kid loves ribs!  :)
He had a good time with friends a few days after the actual date.  Fun kids they all are.   

 

  

  

Oh and the hair - yeah it's long - he is allergic to the salon.  But either way it's getting trimmed on Thursday.

Valentine's Day wishes a day late

I love hearts and pink and red - so I am really not ready to take down my Valentine's Day decorations.  How about you?  So here's to extending the holiday a bit...

And I want to share a sweet little quote I found in my inbox from the ever wonderful Foundation For a Better Life

“Love is always bestowed as a gift - freely, willingly, and without expectation. We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.”

—Leo F. Buscaglia
(1924-1998); professor, author 

That is a great reminder - we love to love!!!

Sunday Sketch #2

How about another sketch?

Here is my page:

Hope you like it!  If you do a page using this sketch post a comment with a link to your creation!!  I'd love to see what you come up with!  Everyone who posts before February 21st, 2010 will be put in a drawing for a little gift.  What little gift you say?  Well how about this little gift:

A litle somethin somethin for you....

So loving this right now!  Love Train!  Enjoy my friends!!!

Fun Challenges

I decided to play along with Paper Trey Inks Paint by Number Challenge
I love their products!!!
They provided a sketch and a color palette based on the first letter of your name.

This is the palette I used:

Here is my card:

 

And then Paper Trey Ink is sponsoring this weeks sketch challenge at Card Positioning Systems

This was my card using that sketch:

 

In both cards I used stamps from the Honey Bees Set.

I stamped sweet blush on sweet blush c/s with a flower in the bottom card and then a little bee in the top card but you can't see it in the photos. 

So there you have it - two Valentine's Cards done!  :)

Are you working on any handmade Valentine's this year?

Reminder....

Today is the last day to be entered in the drawing for the sketch challenge.

Hope you will play along!

Have a great day everyone!

Hawaii....

...here we come!

Maui to be more specific!

Just booked flights and beachfront condos!

Thrilled - can't wait!

February LOAD begins....

Here's to hoping I get as many pages done this month as I did during the last LOAD.  I think I completed over 40 layouts in the month of October.  Since then I have completed less than 10.  :(

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3