1GruviScrapper Scrapbook

Where to now?

2011-02-03T16:58:00.000-08:00

If you have arrived here by clicking a comment link please come see me at my newest blog...

Vintiquities Workshop

There you can find contact info and my lastest news.

Thanks so much and I hope you are having fun at the OWOH!

Hugs!

Thespa

Away for a long time

2011-01-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

I've been away for a long time from this blog.
I'm no longer going to be posting to this blog, my main blog is

www.vintiquitiesworkshop.blogspot.com

If you want to come and visit me.
Have a happy day!

Thespa

P.S. I don't need anymore votes for the Prilosec OTC sponsorship. I got sponsored and am now working to produce FREE online mixed media art classes through my Vintiquities Workshop Blog.

Campaigning for Votes! Vote 4 Me! Please!

2010-09-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

NOW FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

*** I NEED YOUR VOTE ***

I am in the running for a sponsorship from Prilosec OTC.

If chosen a sponsorship would provide me with recording equipment to make mixed media art classes and tutorials. These classes and tutorials would be made available to you for FREE on YouTube.

I have so many ideas for art techniques to share with you all.

Please help me by going and voting! You will need to sign up on their site to vote but I promise you that they do not share your information and you will receive no aggravating spam emails.

http://www.officialsponsor.com/applications/view/6800

Just click the link above to go vote for me Thespoena M., and if you have a minute please leave a comment under your vote. Comments get noticed by judges.

*** If you know someone who would like to take FREE mixed media art classes and tutorials, please pass this link along and ask for votes. ***

New Graphic 45 Paper, I'm MAD over it!

2010-07-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

Just browsing the web when I came across the new line by Graphic 45. That's when my heart stopped beating and I went a little "Mad".

Their new theme is Halloween in Wonderland. And as if I wasn't crazy enough for Alice in Wonderland themed items, I'm double crazy about the Halloween theme applied to it.

Can you say "Sa-Weet!"?

I'm dying to get my hands on some of this product!

Gotta get it!

Where Bloggers Create II Blog Party - A scrappy Organizer

2010-06-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

My scrapbook "studio" is really just a small part of my overall studio which I shared on my mixed media blog

www.vintiquitiesworkshop.blogspot.com

If you want to see it, it is also a part of the Where Bloggers Create Blog Party.

But I did want to share this easy to make paper storage rack.

You've probably seen these online here and there made by others but mine has a unique twist that makes it a multi-purpose organizer.

No doubt you have seen these wire storage racks before and may have bought them thinking there were about perfect, but the truth is they don't hold much and are very prone to breaking. The little plastic corner connectors are the problem. Once those break you are left with a bunch of useless flat wire mesh squares.

Instead of throwing them out or instead of using those worthless plastic connectors in the first place, reconfigure those wire panels into a completely different creature.

For my scrapbook paper organizer I used 11 wire panels.

2 for the back, 2 for the left side, 2 for the right, 1 on top, 1 in the center and 1 on the bottom. Then another 2 as shelves for the bottom cube. Go to any hardware store and purchase heavy duty zip ties. Use the zip ties to construct your own shelves in any way you want them. They don't have to be stacked on top of each other you can make the same thing with a side by side version for a more horizontal space.

My top cube was left open so that I could hang clear stamps and rub-ons in it.

Instead of buying those pricey hooks that go on those metal ring organizers (yeah you know the ones)

I went to Wal-Mart and bought some I.D. badge clips. They snap easily onto the wire in the panels and you can clip up lots of packages in one clip.

See them hanging up top? Now I can see what all I have and can use it up instead of it being lost to the piles.

You can even clip things to the outside of your wire organizer. Oh yeah, I love Tattered Angels!

This is my Paper Crafts Magazine Stamping Royalty crown I won from 2007, proudly displayed on my vintage mohair hat.

This is my scrappy tote that I take to crops, it holds pages in progress as well as a few other things I want to keep track of.

Anyway hope some of this info is helpful, hope you have a great week!

Where Bloggers Create 2 Blog Hop!

2010-06-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

I'm signing up for this fun event and you should too. I get the biggest kick out of visiting the studios and creative spaces of other talented individuals and this is just the place to do it!

Click the link in my sidebar to find out how to join in the fun at My Desert Cottage!

For the Love of All that is Ranger!

2010-06-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite companies...Ranger Industries.... is now part of the blogging world!

Woo-Hoo!

I'm so excited. Can't believe they haven't been blogging already.

http://blog.rangerink.com/blog/

Go check out the new blog they started today!

Fun with Photofunia.com

2010-06-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

I just found this really awesome photo site

http://photofunia.com/

where you can choose a fun theme and upload a picture and your picture is automatically sized and fitted into the theme.

They've got some really great themes, tons and tons of them to play with for FREE!

Go check it out!

Perspective through the lens

2010-05-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

We have a bumper crop of strawberries this year, I have a big turquoise colander that we put them in. I love the contrast of the red strawberries against the turquoise and I was playing around taking pictures of them. I wanted to see if my little point and shoot digital camera would take a picture through one of the holes in the colander and it worked, really neat!

I'm going to be making a scrapbook page with these pictures as soon as I get the right paper.

Try taking a picture from an unexpected angle or through something you normally wouldn't think of.

My mom at Christmas

2010-05-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

For Christmas I made my mom a pink flamingo Mardi Gras mask. She lives down in Biloxi MS and goes to Mardi Gras every year. She also loves pink flamingos. This week she posted pics on facebook from Christmas morning.

A Berry awesome assortment! Win some Prima!

2010-05-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so loving this selection of Prima products. I have several of these and they are so gorgeous up close. This is a giveaway at the Prima blog. Simply post about it and leave a link in their comments section here...

http://prima.typepad.com/prima/2010/05/winners-and-prima-product-pickmay.html

I love Prima!

A Mini Card - Cute and Quick!

2010-05-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

I made this little card in about 10 minutes last night.

1. Cut a piece of recycled cardboard down to 3 1/2" x 5"

2. tear off outer layer of paper and fold in half

3. add white paint to edges and randomly over ridges

4. ink edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink and curl by rolling edge between fingers

5. ink edges of 2 white tags with Tim Holtz Distress Ink and stamp sentiment

6. add layered Prima flowers and Say it in Crystals

7. add solid card stock to inside

Simple fast easy and cute mini card...

Check out the vintage fan that I found at the flea market this week. $10 score! I love the dusty turquoise color. It's going in my studio after I get it cleaned up. I'm taking it apart today and oiling etc so it will last for many more years to come.

Hope you have a happy day!

Pretty cute acrylic Spring Thank you card

2010-05-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a little card I made out of an acrylic page left over from an acrylic album kit. Sassafras Lass paper behind, the edges of the acrylic page are inked with Stazon permanent ink.

I put a little ribbon through the hole in the acrylic page where the o-ring would have gone.

Thank you for visiting! I hope your day is full of color!

Thanks a Bunch Card

2010-05-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

A little card I put together yesterday. I think I'll enter it into the Paper Crafts Gallery Idol Contest. Uses Prima flowers, paper by American Crafts, sequin trim, brads by the Paper Studio, and Moxie die cut letters.

I hope you have a wonderful day! And Thanks a Bunch for visiting!

So happy to be a MOM

2010-05-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

I love my children so much! I made this layout a few years ago, it was on of the first pages I did while experimenting with different stitching. It was a fun page to do, I even got to use a little bit of my vintage ribbon stash, check out that groovy "love" seam binding, how cool is that!

Hope you are all having an excellent day!

Junk Mail = Free Projects! Woo-Hoo!

2010-05-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I got some awesome junk mail! It was a thick envelope with a file folder style pull out that was advertising some kind of flu medicine. (must not have been very good advertising as I couldn't tell you what kind of medicine it was) But I instantly said "this would be perfect for scrapbooking" and "filed" it away till later. I found this wonderful collection of BoBunny scrapbook paper and decided it would be perfect for my junk mail folder.

Open the cover with a velcro tap that it came with!

Inside is this folding file booklet perfect for holding holiday pictures.

Pull that booklet out and this is the cover.

Finished project minus holiday photos that still need to be printed out.

I won & you can too... Spreading the Graphic 45 Love!

2010-05-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Graphic 45 papers had a paper giveaway on National Scrapbooking Day and I won! Woo-Hoo!

Their papers are so awesome, I love all that vintage goodness. Can't wait to see which patterns come in the mail.

Now on to the part where you can win too...

Become a fan of G45 papers on Facebook, they are giving away papers to their new fans.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49782532635

If you are already a fan you can go leave a comment on their blog to win.

http://g45papers.typepad.com/

There isn't much time left... so you better hurry!

Pretty Mama!

2010-04-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

This is my mom. Just a "few" years ago. She's so pretty. I remember riding in the yellow car, laying on the seat beside her when I was little (before car safety seats) There was always music playing and singing while driving down the road (something I torture my kids with today, LOL)

"By the hand, take me by the hand, pretty mama, come and dance with your daddy all night long, I'd like to hear some funky Dixieland pretty mama come and take me by the hand."

-Black Water by the Doobie Brothers

Took me a while to find just the right paper for these pictures. But I think it worked out "pretty" well.

Have a happy day!

A day full of Joy and a card to match!

2010-04-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

Just a little card entitled "JOY" I threw together last weekend while playing with layers and Prima flowers.

And speaking of "Joy" I recently found out that my cousin Joy was pictured on the cover of a craft book.

That's her all the way to the right on the end. Wow! How cool Joy!

Hope you are all having a "joyful" day!

Shabby Chic Dry Erase Board -Free pattern

2010-04-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

I made a pretty, shabby chic dry erase board. Very fancy with an antique frame.

I put a .pdf of the background image on my other blog and you are welcome to use it for Personal Use.

Vintiquities Workshop Shabby Chic Dry Erase Board

These are closeups of the Prima products I used to decorate the glass.

Hope you have a very Happy Day!

How to Alter Prima Flowers

2010-04-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I was playing with Prima flowers. I've been working on a mixed media paper crown for a while and it needed something else, though I wasn't sure what it needed till last week. My local scrapbook store "Signed Sealed & Delivered" in Rogers AR got their new Prima Flowers in and I found just the right ones to finish off the crown.

I also had a tube of white Prima flowers that I altered a bit and following is the step by step process that led me to the vintage style glittery goodness above.

1. You'll need some white Prima flowers.

2. lightly moisten the edges of a Prima flower and ink with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in tattered rose.

3. Now lightly ink the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in tea dye. Even though we will be covering the edges with glitter the Distress Inks blend very well and you get a lot of depth with just a little bit of color. It will make a difference in the finished product.

4. Run a fine bead of Beacon's 3-in-1 craft glue along the tip of each petal. (Beacon's craft glue is the best glue around, if you haven't tried it you really need to get some. You'll never use another glue again!)

(Closeup of the glue with pile of glitter in the background)

5. Dip the glued edge of Prima flower into a pile of fine glitter and repeat for each petal.

Finished glittered petals.

6. Add a fancy Prima flower to the center of glittered petal and add to your crown or whatever project you are working on.

My almost finished crown.

Front of crown. Uses Graphic 45 scrapbook papers, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, generic fine glitter, and Prima flowers.

Hope you like this look at altering Prima flowers.

Have a very happy day!

ATC Holder

2010-04-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

I found a little unfinished wooden box at Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago. It has two sections for holding two decks of cards. I decorated it with my initials on the front and added ribbon inside to split the two compartments into four for holding ATC (Artist Trading Cards).

These are a few of my early cards, usually trying out different techniques.

I wish I could find another of these boxes because this is really handy for taking with me to crops and classes, and I want to make one a bit different. But at least I have this one.

Little Artist

2010-03-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

A layout I did about my Abbi. One day I was sitting in the studio crafting away and Abbi came up to me and said "Mom, I want to be a artist like you when I grow up." I about started crying, hugged her and we went to get her some craft supplies from Hobby Lobby. She's painting in this picture.

Love the Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist for a background.

A layout about my dad

2010-03-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

My dad passed away the week before last and I have been going through some old family photos that he had and working on some pages.

This page entitled "A boy and his pup" uses Graphic 45 papers, some ribbon, and chipboard. I used the backside of a sheet of Graphic 45 die cuts because it had the nicest blue and red pattern to it. I then used the backside of their alphabet die cuts with all the letters removed over the pattern piece. I like the way it turned out.

That's my dad "Larry" and his "Pup Dog" in the early 1960's

Free Printable Birthday Gift Tags!

2010-01-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

I made these birthday gift tags for a swap with some Fiskateer friends. They are free for you to print out for personal use. You may NOT print them to sell. Just left click the image to get the largest size then save to your computer. Then print. Three tags fit on an 8x11 sheet of paper.

Enjoy!

Wal-Mart strikes again!

2010-01-08T08:14:00.000-08:00

Normally I don't put everyday things on this blog, I've tried to keep it more creative but this story just gets my goat! I live in NW Arkansas Home and Headquarters of Wal-Mart Inc and sadly I have no great respect for the retail giant, yes they do great things in the communities they are in, but they also do a lot of bad things. To be fair my local Wal-Marts donate a lot of things to community thrift stores and other charities but this story makes me very sad anyway.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/h-m-and-wal-mart-destroy-and-trash-unsold-goods-562909/

How very sad that a brand new garment was destroyed when so many children in that city could have used it. And to cut up coats and shoes that could have kept so many warm in these cold winter days is just THE most irrisponsible thing I can think of, not to mention heartless. Hail to the almighty buck! So sad, Shame on you Wal-Mart!

GCD Studios Amazing Papers Ella Blue Collection

2010-01-05T10:18:00.000-08:00

Everyone that knows me knows that I'm just a little addicted to brown and blue color combos and when they have a lovely vintage feel all the better. This new collection called Ella Blue from GCD Studios is "THE" thing for a romantic homey feel. Visit the following link to see more of the paper from this line.

http://gcdstudios.blogspot.com/2010/01/please-welcome.html?showComment=1262715243202_AIe9_BEyKN5ZfxuoCGid73l9EPhe-7doDKJ1DXHxcGQtfujDQAzGiWe1xazHbKeGPefR2KvR5brS9QSRXMWRdIQPWceVrnieDLnjmxN0PI9aH3sGHY7H-LIiKeYa3KPlpLBITkeNJa5JslWNRLAsTsrupRKpwn5_tc3EPByl4xGYWuziYVD1B_JzLBCF21pIurljkvxj3lB1A6yk7ficUaCWTiByA9Gx2TrOIbjz6BrKBhj1if__QdQ#c2261174044127227867

Abbi's 5th Birthday Jan 2010

2010-01-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my Abbi's 5th birthday, I made her a birthday hat and cake stand. She loves crafts and was very excited about her hat.

Purple Cows MEGA Contest!

2009-12-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

Check out this link to the Purple Cows HUGE Contest....

http://networkedblogs.com/p21802309

They are giving away a ton of Prizes, but you'd better hurry cause the contest ends Dec 30th!

Fun with Type!

2009-12-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

Just went and checked out this site...

http://www.typogenerator.net

It's got a fun little gadget that will create type sets for you after you type in your text.

Here are a few I created...

These could be fun backgrounds or blocks for business cards, lots of uses...

I've been featured on the Graphics Fairy blog!

2009-11-30T07:07:00.001-08:00

I was so happy to find out today that I've been featured on the Graphics Fairy Blog!

Karen does an amazing job of putting free graphics out into the world for artists and crafters to use in their work. Check out the project I made using one of her graphics...

http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/2009/11/brag-monday-victorian-cone-orn-giveaway.html

Thanks Karen!

Moxie Fab Blogiversary! Congrats Cath!

2009-11-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

Today is the day. The Moxie Fab World Blog is celebrating their 1st anniversary. I love the Moxie Fab World and visiti everyday. Cath Edvalson does such a great job getting everyone exciting and in the know on current trends. It's a very inspiring place to be. Congratulations to Cath and the Paper Crafts Team. If you haven't visited yet go, go now....

http://www.moxiefabworld.com/

The coolest idea for a pen EVER!

2009-11-10T05:54:00.000-08:00

I saw this on this blog....

http://escapismus.blogspot.com/2009/06/real-life-digital-color-picker.html

Rarely do I get googley eyed over technology but if these are possible I want one. We're talking The Jetson's here. LOL. I want, I want, I want.

Blogs that make me go "hmmmm"

2009-11-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much to say recently, I'm working on getting a new Etsy shop up and running. Trying to make up enough items to get it stocked. Working a full time job and just had a job interview for a part time job as well. I'm actually hoping I get that one, it's at Signed Sealed and Delivered, my favorite local scrapbook store. Only the most fabulous scrapbook store I've ever been to. There is so much eye candy there. Speaking of eye candy I've found a few blogs recently that I adore and wanted to share them.

Moss Hill Studios Blog (JoAnnA)
http://mosshill.blogs.com/joannas_journal/2009/09/whirligig.html

Whimsy Dreams Studio (Sarah)

http://sarahswhimsydreams.blogspot.com

Eric Freitas (I dig his hand made clocks)
http://ericfreitas.com

The Graphics Fairy (I found her a while back but she does such a great job of sending us awesome free vintage graphics every single day that I had to share her blog again.)
http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Ruffles challenge for Moxie Fab World Blog - Playtimes Past album

2009-10-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

This is an album I made using Graphic 45 vintage style papers. I adore all of their products. I made the pattern for the dress and cut all the pieces out by hand. I love distressing especially with their papers. I just love how the ruffles on the paper "lace" at the arms and neckline turned out. I am entering this in to the Moxie Fab World Blog's Ruffles Challenge, check out the other entries as well as Cath's awesome blog here...

http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2009/10/moxie-fab-world-challenge-not-your.html

Lots of ruffles and 3-D layers

The bottom of the dress on the front cover...

And the inside of my mini album with pull out inserts with pictures of me as a child playing dress up and being silly.

Ruffles challenge for Moxie Fab World Blog - Halloween Decor

2009-10-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a little guy I came up with while playing around with modeling paste. I made up several different characters and they started out as Artist Trading Cards, but I felt they needed a bit more atmosphere and the Moxie Fab World Blog Ruffles Challenge gave me the inspiration I needed to give him more. Check out the other great projects entered by visiting...

http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2009/10/moxie-fab-world-challenge-not-your.html

Trick or Treat!

Ruffles challenge for Moxie Fab World Blog - Paper Pillow

2009-10-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

I've seen paper pillows made here and there on the web and I have never made one till now. It wasn't something I though I could wrap my head around (so to speak) but now that I've made one I know I will make more. They are a lot of fun and the result is a little piece of inspiration ready to be set anywhere for decoration. I made this one to enter into the Moxie Fab World Blog's Ruffles Challenge... please visit Cath's blog and check out the other entries as well, there are some really talented people there...

http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2009/10/moxie-fab-world-challenge-not-your.html

There are lots of soft romantic ruffles on this project "Be Yourself Paper Pillow"

at the top and bottom and all around.

Also I got the image for the butterfly wings from The Graphics Fairy, she does an amazing job of posting awesome vintage images for everyone to use freely, go check out her blog as well....

http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/2008/03/beautiful-butterfly-graphics.html

I just LOVE Daisy D's rub-on's. I can't get enough of them.

Ruffles all around and a ruffled collar too.

Zutter Zisters Design Team

2009-10-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well today is the day. Well.... Maybe. That the Zutter Bind-it-all folks will announce their new design team. It's no surprise to me really that they haven't been able to announce their choices yet, I'm sure they are probably buried under mountains of submissions from creative people all over. Just checked out their blog...

www.binditall.blogspot.com

and their are some really anxious gals awaiting their decision, including myself I have to admit. Whoever wins I'm sure there will be some wonderful inspiration coming for that direction of the web. So go check out Zutter!

Cutting Above New Show and Blog!

2009-09-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Cutting Above is a new show that will air on HSN Sept 24th. They also have a cool blog now at www.cuttingabove.blogspot.com You've got to check it out! They are giving away some pretty cool stuff over there!

A Girly gift set

2009-09-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

This is a gift set I made using BoBunny products. The girl silhouette is my own design, hand drawn and cut out with my trusty Xacto knife. I took a pen apart and put the BoBunny paper inside. the notebook was a standard notebook with a BoBunny Sticker and some ribbon added. For a finishing touch I added real Swarovski Crystal Rhinestones all over the ribbons and on the front of the purse. Too Cute and way better in person.

Halloween witch bag / antique doctor bag

2009-09-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

I adore this witchy Halloween bag. It was a labor of love for me. I love vintage things that are tattered, well used and loved, and have an untold story. So when I found this antique doctor bag at a thrift store I was elated. It had definitely seen its better days, it has some rust, holes in the leather and was quite frumpy looking. I walked past it and when I came back to it someone else had it in their hands! Yikes! I waited patiently pretending to look at other things hoping they would put it down. Finaly they shrugged and put it down and as soon as they turned their back I pounced on it. I endured months of evil looks from my husband that said without words "Are you crazy woman? Why on Earth would you buy such a thing?" Well finally I decided what I wanted to do with it after going to CKC Tulsa and visiting the Tattered Angels booth. They have recently come out with some really cool vintage style Hallween products. As soon as I saw their stamps I knew immediately that my bag would become a Halloween themed masterpiece. (ok maybe masterpiece is stretching it a bit, you can't tell how much I love this can you?) I posted pics of it on my facebook and within 1 minute had two offers to buy it. Eat your heart out guys, this ones mine!

Room to CREATE!

2009-09-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

You know how they say "Take a picture, it'll last longer."? Well that's what this is, LOL.

Finally, after being buried for months and months with no time to do anything about it and having no room to create, I got my craft area organized. You couldn't even see the table top when I started. And I built the organizer to left out of an old cube shelving system with zip ties. I put badge I.D. clips in the top one to hold my stamps etc and the bottom cube is for paper storage. I can actually find things now that I want to create with! Now to get caught up on some swaps with bonuses for my partners for their most excellent patience.

Family Layout using Tattered Angels

2009-09-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

I Just LOVE how well this layout turned out. This is a picture of my kids sitting on a 700 year old Oak tree (living) at the Audobon Zoo in New Orleans. The background paper was plain till I used Tattered Angels Peach and Kiwi Glimmer mist along with a glimmer screen in a swirl pattern. I used their Framed Font Alphabet chips sprayed with Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist and a little UTEE on that. The little butterflys were some metal charms that I laid down before spraying the peach Glimmer Mist and picked up after I was done, creating a mask.

Had a lot of fun adding all the layers, although I'm not a hundred percent sure I'm finished with this one. So..."if you are unsure about a page, add something!" that's my motto!

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Rocks!

2009-09-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the announcement of the new Tattered Angels design team tomorrow (God be with those sorting through entries) I would like to share one of my favorite Tattered Angels products. I have long been a lover of all things Turquoise and paired with the color brown it can't be beat so it's no wonder I have latched onto this shade of Glimmer Mist. I am in Heaven (with angels!) when I use this product. If you haven't tried glimmer mist yet I encourage you to do so. There are some really great video tutorials on their web site that you've just got to check out!

www.mytatteredangels.com

The beginning of Alice in Wonderland

2009-09-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I'm working on this altered book for the March/April 2010 Issue of Somerset Studios magazine, which will be themed Alice in Wonderland coinciding with the Tim Burton movie release (can't wait to see the movie, I love Tim Burton, oh and Johnny Depp!). I thought I would post a few pics of the beginning process...OK YES I am a little addicted to Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and Glimmer Screens. At this time I am still collecting ephemera to use in this book but so far so good.

CKC Tulsa

2009-09-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pics from CKC Tulsa 2009. Me and Liz Hicks from Tattered Angels, I loved the Friends Album class, learned some great new techniques and had a great time get my hands dirty. Some pics from the Friday night crop, Lydia, myself, and Barbara. We had a great time.

I WON! Paper Crafts Magazine Card Contest at CKC Tulsa!

2009-08-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! After 3 years of going to CKC in Tulsa and trying to win the Paper Crafts Magazine card contest I finally won! I love CKC! Love all those great books I won too! Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Happiness in this moment!

2009-08-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning and decided it was time to face my fears. I've been on a diet for a while now, it's been pretty slow going. I started out at a size 22 and went down to a size 16 pretty fast. I've been stuck on the sz 16 plateau for a while weighing in at the same point every time. We went on vacation over a week ago and I didn't stay on my diet and was dreading stepping back on the scale and was sure it was going to confirm my worst fear, that I had gained weight.

Today I am happy because I not only lost 6 pounds since my last weigh in, but I also broke my plateau weight! WOO-HOO! Haven't gone down another pant size yet but it will come. This has given me renewed strength to keep fighting. Yeah!

We survived our Vacation!

2009-08-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it back from Biloxi. Had a great time, even though it was a twelve hour trip down there and back. We stopped at a lot of museums and aquariums, saw the ocean, went to the New Orleans Audubon Zoo, visited mom and John. On the way back home we stopped in Mt Ida and dug crystals at Gee & Dee Crystal mine. Found some nice big pieces an the kids came home with their own treasure (even a bunch of Mardi Gras beads as John walks in the parade with a walking club). Can't wait till next year. Now back to reality, school, work, school and more work.

Long Road Trip with Children

2009-07-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

So we are going on a vacation. Driving from NW Arkansas down to the Gulf of Mexico to see my mother in Biloxi MS. My husband and I will be driving down there, in a small car, with three children in the back seat. I've been making up games and creating bags for each child with activities they can do while we drive for two days with a few stops in between. I'm not sure if this is a smart idea or not but I think we'll have fun once we're out of the car. Wish us luck! LOL

Bo Bunny Blog July Card Sketch Challenge

2009-07-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here is my card for the Bo Bunny Blog July Card Sketch Challenge. We were challenged to make a card using this sketch and a birthday theme. For my design I turned the sketch on end and worked from that. I included one of my hand drawn and hand cut sillouettes. Happy Birthday!

Travel in style Purse & journal

2009-07-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

A cigar box purse inspired by Graphic 45 papers. I bought the cigar box off ebay over a year ago and was inspired by it's unique shape. I knew I wanted to make a purse out of it but wasn't sure what theme or design I would use until I saw these neat papers from Graphic 45. I covered the front and back of the box and also handmade a journal in the same unique shape as the box to fit inside. The handle I found at Hobby Lobby, 2 clear handles actually that I sandwiched a piece of Graphic 45 paper in between and made into one handle. A red tulle bow sets it off. I love this purse.

A tweet Card!

2009-07-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

I just made this card. Today is a very nice summer day here in Arkansas. This morning was cool and the birds were all out chirping and that is what inspired this card. I had a lot of fun with it.

A Youthful cigar box purse.

2009-07-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a little project I threw together using a small cigar box with a clasp and some romantic images and scrapbooking supplies I had lying around. This was one of those fun little projects I like to do to get my creative ideas flowing. If I find I'm stuck or need some inspiration the best thing to get me going is simply to start crafting. So I'll do a "fun" project to get me in the mood.

Vintage Plum Star Search!

2009-05-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well I've entered into the first week of the Vintage Plum Star Search Contest. I'm looking forward to it. I love their website, it's got some great products and the gallery is just eye candy waiting to be gobbled up everyday!

I WON! A Purple Cow 2 in 1 Paper Trimmer

2009-04-28T11:16:00.001-07:00

I entered the Purple Cows Design Team contest last month and even though I didn't get on the DT I won this awesome Purple Cows 1040 2 in 1 Combo Trimmer. It's got a rotary cutter and a
guillotine cutter. I can't wait to get it in the mail and put it to work. My old trimmer doesn't work so good any more and I'm anxious to have a new one. Especially one this cool! Also Purple Cows is considering me for a Guest Design Team spot. Sounds like a wonderful opportunity. Check out their other great products...

PURPLE COWS WEBSITE

Stamp-It Week Challenge Winner Paper Crafts Magazine

2009-03-26T08:37:00.001-07:00

I made this card for the Stamp-It Week Challenge on the Paper Crafts Magazine Website Blog. I entered it into the "Adding color with Dye Ink Sprays Category" You can see the post here...
http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2009/03/stamp-it-week-challenge-winners.html
I'm so excited! Can't wait to get my prize in the mail, 5 sets of new stamps! Woo-Hoo!

New site called Swap-Bot.com

2009-03-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ok I've just found this really awesome sight, http://www.swap-bot.com/ where you can join all kinds of different swaps, from scrapbooking inspired swaps to just junk, from ribbon and fabric swaps to pre-made items like aprons and my first swap is just that. An aqua and red inspired half apron. This apron was a lot of fun, I hope my swap partner likes it. It has 4 pockets silky ribbon ties, tulle fringe, and a removable hand towel.

12 Hour Benifit Crop What Fun!

2009-03-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

My best friend Lydia and I went to Neosho MO yesterday to attend a 12 hour benifit crop. There is a nice little scrapbook store in Neosho called Stickers and Stuff that sponsors these 12 hour crops twice a year to benifit local charities. You only pay $35 and in return you get 12 hours of amazing good times, 2 home cooked meals (yum) plus snacks and drinks, free gift package of great products, contests with prizes throughout the day, and 2 mini classes. The gals that put this on are amazing! They are friendly, upbeat wonderful ladies who always remember everyone's names. So here are some pictures of the day.

Here is a pic of Lydia and I, she with her iphone headphones jammin out while cropping. Everyone was wearing some kind of green for March.

Here is the last pag I worked on about my 4 year old daughter and the changes she went through between her first and second birthday. I didn't get completely done with this one.

Here is a page I did get done about my son William. His 4th grade basket ball season just ended last weekend and his year end party is today so I thought it would be a great page to put up on his wall perhaps.

Here is another page about William entitled "bass face". We were at a friend's house and William was playing around with one of the many bass guitars there. Even though he doesn't know how to play yet he sure makes it look good. He's so theatrical, he's definately got the bass face down. LOL.

During the crop one of the contests was to decorate the green ballon each of us got. I used some of the papers I got in my free gift package to make a Lepricon. Mr. Lucky hitched a ride home with us at the end of the night.

Graphic 45 Vintage Inspired Papers Candle Holder

2009-03-06T20:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a pretty candle holder I've just altered with some wonderful paper from Graphic 45. If you haven't found Graphic 45 papers yet I urge you to go check out their website http://www.g45papers.com/ They have the most delicious assortment of vintage inpired pattern paper. I have a standing order at my local scrapbook store for 2 sheets of every paper of their new line. Can't wait to get my hands on it! You can't tell by looking at this candle holder but when it's dark and the candle is lit you can see the stripes from the backside of the floral background glowing through which gives it a lot of dimension. It is a welcome addition to my home.

12 Hour Crop Tomorrow! Woo Hoo!

2009-03-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow my best friend Lydia and I are going to go to a 12 hour crop in MO. 9am to 9pm of fun games, great prizes, free meals, blue light specials, laughing, and scrapping. All for only $35, can't beat that and all proceeds go to charity, BONUS! I'll post some pics Sun after we get back. Till then, Happy Scrappin!

I scrapbooked my guitar!

2009-02-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to go artistic on a guitar. I found one cheap at a yard sale that was pretty beat up, with scratches etc. I thought it would be perfect for this project. I wish I had taken pictures of it before I started, but at least I have the after views. I spray painted the top white, inked the edges with brown stazon and stamped turquoise stazon swirls. I put on a few DaisyD's rubons and sprayed it with clear laquer. Now I have a very swirly, girly piece of music equipment that my family likes to tease me about. Secretly they want theirs done too. LOL.

2009-02-20T17:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a pocket card I made not too long ago. When you touch the letters b,o,y the stars bounce, shake, and rattle. It was a lot of fun.

Happy Valentine's Day -my valentine projects

2009-02-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a Valentine tag I made for the Legacy Scrapbooking and We Are Memory Keepers online Valentine Challenge . I think it turned out pretty cute! A lot of fun!
Next is a candy box made from 2 small canvas panels. I used the We Are Memory Keepers paper line and a few other odds and ends I had laying about. I plan to fill it with Hershey's kisses today.A pic of the inside of the box.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Peanut Butter Brownie Bars Recipe Published

2009-02-13T11:38:00.001-08:00

As I forgot to post this before my Peanut Butter Brownie Bars recipe was published in the new book... Paper Crafts Gourmet. It's a very well made book with tons of great recipes. Each recipe features 2 awesome paper craft projects. I got mine in the mail. I was delighted! You can get your own copy here...

Copy and Paste:

http://community.creatingkeepsakes.com/store/products/paper_crafts_gourmet

The Incredible Shrinking Woman-Part 2!

2009-02-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, last night I had one of those moments of happy disbelief that only comes to a woman when she's been a big gal all her life and she truly reallizes she is getting smaller after so much struggle. After I went to the store and tried on all those jeans yesterday and bought them believing that I was now 2 pant sizes smaller I was in for a shocker of a night. After work I went to pick up my daughter from school and while sitting in the car waiting for her to come out I was looking at the jeans I bought. I pulled one pair from the bag and saw that it was a size 16 (I started out as a size 22 then bought sz 20 night before last, tried them on, too big, went back to the store tried more on, sz 18, was extatic that I was 2 pant size smaller, woo-hoo) now I'm looking at these jeans thinking I bought one pair the wrong size and that I'll have to give them to my daughter cause I grabbed the wrong ones. We go home, I grab a pair from the bag realize they are the sz 16, went to trade with my daughter and realize they are both sz 16. Now how did that happen? I know I bought a pair of sz 18, how did I end up with 2 sz 16. I'm thinking I have to go back to the store again, then I decided to try a pair on and what do you know, I was trying on sz 16 the whole time yesterday morning thinking I was trying on sz 18 jeans. So what this slowly came to mean was that I have now, in 1 month, gone down 3, count them, THREE pant sizes! Holy Crap! The last time I wore a sz 16 jeans I was in Jr High school. The last time I wore 18s I was in High School, I'm 34 now. Holy Crap! I thought I would lose some weight with Special K cereals but not this kind of weight. WOW! I'm not exercising yet, though I plan to, I just stopped drinking pop, and started drinking skim milk instead of whole. (I'm a milk junkie) And so far that is working for me. And with Special K snacks it's not that hard to stick to it, so I think I can keep going. And boy what an incentive, smaller pants!

The Incredible Shrinking Woman!

2009-02-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, so maybe not incredible but definately shrinking! I've been on a Special K diet for about a month now. I haven't been weighing myself or exercising but I have been paying close attention to what and how much I'm eating. Apparently that's enough for now because my jeans are getting loose. I went to buy the next size down last night, brought them home and they were too big too. So naturally I thought it was just the style I bought, cause some are bigger than others, and I went to return them this morning. I tried on a lot of jeans this morning and have come to the conclusion that I am indeed shrinking because I am now two pant sizes smaller! Oh Yeah! Nothing will keep you on track with your diet than fitting into smaller clothes, LOL. Can't wait to see what my next smaller pair of jeans will look like!

2009-02-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

A ton of ice and turmoil! This is the view from our back deck last week during the ice storm in NW Arkansas. We got hit pretty bad. Most of the trees in our yard lost their tops and many MANY branches. Ice was an inch and a half thick on everything, on tree limbs, car windsheilds, streets, even on single blades of grass making them look like strange coral from the depths of the ocean. Walking across the yard was a trip. There were all these strange stalagmights growing up from the ground so that you could imagine yourself walking across the surface of a strange planet. We woke up Tuesday morning with no power, Tuesday we decided to go stay at a hotel only there was a little hitch, we were trapped. We have three driveways that wind their way down to our house in the woods, which is about an acre from the road, and all three were covered with fallen trees and branches, so we just weathered out the storm at home. The kids "camped out" in the living room and we closed off the other rooms of the house to conserve heat. Every few hours we got up and turned the oven on for a little bit to warm it up in the kitchen/living room (thank goodness we had a gas stove) Then we would turn it off (no need to risk carbon monoxide) and went to bed until we woke up cold again. It really wasn't TOO bad. We didn't freeze. The next day we spent ALL day hacking and cutting the trees and branches from one of the driveways and finally made it out to town. We had to get a battery for our cell phone because it wouldn't hold a charge anymore, oh and a car charger for it as the power was out to the house. When we got home the power was on, YEAH! For the rest of the week power was off and on and off again. Glad that mess is over with, wait did I say over? We have so much brush to clean up it will take us a year to get it all done. UGGGHHH! On a happy note, we won't have to cut so much as a stick for the cookout fire on the 4th of July this year or any year here after, LOL.

Yellow & Gray Challenge #2 Moxie Fab World

2009-02-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, this has been too much fun! I've really enjoyed this challenge.

Here is my second project using colors I NEVER would have tried on my own, Yellow & Gray for the Moxie Fab World Challenge. Nifty! A bright cheery little gift box. I think I'll give it to my best friends mom who is in the hospital this week. Now for the hard part, deciding what to put in the box, Get better Mary!

2009-02-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

YELLOW
AND
GRAY
CHALLENGE

FOR
MOXIE
FAB
World
BLOG

After surviving the ice storm we had last week (destruction everywhere) I needed a little pick-me-up. When I saw the Yellow and Gray Challenge on the Moxie Fab World Blog (Paper Crafts Magazine Group) I knew I had found the way. Normally I wouldn't touch this color combo with a ten foot pole and I very selfom use yellow on my pages so this really was a new challenge for me. I am very pleased with the end result. I've got a cheery little wall hanging to brighten my dullest winter day. Thanks for the inspiration.

Paper Crafts Magazine 5th Birthday Prize Winner!

2009-02-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited! I just found out that I won the Paper Crafts Magazine 5th Birthday prize pack! Not sure what all will be included so I can't wait to find out. Lots of fun little goodies to include in my scrapbook pages and altered projects. If you haven't seen the new Paper Crafts blog yet you gotta check it out.

http://papercraftsconnection.wordpress.com/

They've got some great challenges, fun ideas, new products, and prize drawings. I won by just posting a comment on their blog. The folks at Paper Crafts really know their stuff. Thanks a bunch to them and Happy 5th Birthday!

Thespa's Scrapblog

2009-01-30T19:59:00.001-08:00

Brittany's green eyes!

2009-01-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

When I was a little girl I always wanted hazel eyes, the same color my dad has. The dark hair and the light eyes is a beautiful combination. When I was born I had blue eyes but when I was about 2 years old they changed to brown. So when my oldest daughter Brittany was born with light eyes I was so afraid they would change to brown as well when she got older. But time has gone by and it looks like she got the eyes I always wanted. Dad's eyes. But that's ok because Those Eyes look so good on her.

Major Bedhead!

2009-01-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is my son William. He's such a goofball. He always has a wisecrack, comeback, or twist on your words. He is NEVER NOT FUNNY! So one morning when he came out of his room, he couldn't figure out why everyone was giggling when he hadn't said anything yet. "What?" he said. "Go check the mirror" I said. The next thing we heard was a "holy cow!" from the bathroom. My scrapbooking self hollers out "Wait, don't brush it! I want a picture!" The journaling to this page says, "we didn't know wether to hug him or salute!" And that's the truth.

Chicken Pox on 1st Halloween

2009-01-18T07:04:00.000-08:00

My youngest daughter Abbigail was such a sweet baby. She was always smiling (and still is) no matter what. Even when she was sick she was smiling. On her first Halloween she got Chicken Pox. So much for door to door with bubba and sissy. So being my creative little self I made up a chicken costume from scratch (without a pattern, I think it turned out pretty good), Carved a pumpkin with the word pox (all the while thinking what a great page it would make, am I a scrapbook addict or what?) and clicked away, the whole time Abbi is just as happy and smiley as ever. What a wonderful disposition she has!

My colorful kids!

2009-01-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

On a beautiful fall morning a few years ago I decided to take some photos of the kids in the yard. I invisioned some wall worthy pics of three beautiful children sitting patiently with happy smiles amid brightly colored leaves with the wind blowing gently through the trees as I clicked away with my Canon digitial camera. That was the dream, what I got was a lot of photos of my kids as they are. Happy, energetic, unable to sit still for 3 seconds, LOL. I love my babies!