Tag for Grandson’s Journal

I found a journal I want to give to my grandson. He is a serious, contemplative and reflective young man, and I think he might enjoy keeping a journal, provided it looks like a “guy-journal.”

This tag will be included with the journal, possibly to serve as a bookmark, or he may choose to put it on his bulletin board. I covered a #8 manila tag with kraft resist card stock (found a page with lots of music notes on it—he loves music, sings and plays guitar and keyboard). I used Wild Honey and Fired Brick Distress Stains, and the coordinating colors in Distress Ink. I used a lot of Vintage Photo around the edges. I printed the verse on natural sticky-back canvas.

The key has the word “life” on it—this particular verse is a key life verse! The verses here are not new ones for my young man—he lives out these verses already. Here, they are just reminders for him. I’ll tuck the little items inside the bag (love how the bag seems made just for him) and give it to him, just because…

…just because I’m his Mamo.

Providence Scrapbook Page

This has been a busy year, and I have already filled a huge Creative Memories 12x12 album with 2012 up to now. This page will start Book Two of 2012. Although it is not a happy page, it is part of our lives right now, so the page belongs in “the book.” It’s a good reminder anyway.

I used a real lace doily I had picked up at JoAnn’s. The tag is inked with Wild Honey and Peacock Feathers and then covered with natural sticky-back canvas inked with Coffee Archival Ink on a Wendy Vecchi stamp. The seam binding is dyed with Peacock Feathers. The little grunge board bird is painted with Espresso Paint Dabber. The background paper is from Graphic 45 Le Romantique.

Second Page for First MiniBook

I can see how it is possible to become obsessed with MiniBooks. For me, they will not replace my regular scrapbook albums, but I can see using this format for special little “extras.” My first attempt at a MiniBook is a Scripture of the Month book. I started with May (see previous post) and will work back to January and then be on track for the rest of the year.

For this album, I am using the Tim Holtz 6x6 grunge board book, with kraft and black for the major colors (with an accent color on each page). For this page, I used the new spring distress ink from TH, Peacock Feathers. I used Broken China stain on resist paper for the tag. I took numerous photos trying to capture the true colors, but was not really successful. All the “teal” colors on the page are the Peacock Feather color, but the different elements picked up the color differently on camera.

This has always been one of my favorite verses, and I will leave this one out on a stand for a month and then swap with the next one. Eventually each page will go into the “book.”

The flower was made from kraft glassine paper and book text and then inked. The verse is a wood stamp from Hobby Lobby.

Happy Memorial Day! I’m always thankful for the folks like my darling hubby who served our country in the military, especially in time of war.

Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge – Technique #7

For this week’s challenge at Studio L3, I had fun using my new Artistic Outpost stamps on the background created by using Tim’s technique, Brushless Watercolor, outlined on page 49 of his Compendium of Curiosities, Vol II. This week’s challenge is sponsored by eclectic Paperie.

I used one of Tim’s background stamps and Dusty Concord Distress Stain and Ink. I colored the AO stamped image with Distress Reinkers and a water brush. The ticket is one I created some time ago (I make those a strip at a time, using Tim’s ticket strip die, and then save them for use on tags as desired).

This one was fun and simple. Actually I often find those two adjectives go together for me. Sometimes I’m guilty of over-kill on my tags, and it is refreshing to make something clean and simple!

Tag for Graduation Scrapbook Page

One of my current projects is scrapbooking the photos from my granddaughter Alyssa’s graduation. Her cap and gown are red, so this is a tag I have created to embellish one of the pages (layout to be posted later). I used the Tim Holtz Texture Fade (damask) and inked it with Black Soot. I covered the Movers and Shapers hearts with symphony tissue tape, painted with acrylic paint and coated with a thick layer of Glossy Accents. The flourish and the bottom trim are also Tim Holtz die cuts. The sentiment is from Wendy Vecchi. I stamped it with Archival black ink and heat embossed it with clear powder. The ribbon is from Papertrey Ink.

Senior coffee, please?

Sometimes God sends me little tiny blessings, just because He is especially fond of me. I try not to “miss it” when He does.

Today I had the unpleasant task of renewing my driver’s license. Not a big deal, but I don’t like it. But the expiration date was today. Afterward, I treated myself to “breakfast” at the McDonald’s drive-through.

“May I take your breakfast order?”

“A sausage biscuit and a senior coffee, please.”

She gave me the total and told me to pull around. At the first window, the lady, older than middle-aged, looked at me and then at the empty seats in my car. She said, “So, do you have an old man tied up in the back?”

I wondered what in the world she meant. I said, “No. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you ordered a senior coffee, and it’s obviously not for YOU.”

“OH, my,” I replied. “You just made my day. Because, as it happens, today is my birthday, and I really needed to hear something encouraging today.”

“How old are you—45?” (obviously kidding)

“I’m 65 today,” I confessed.

“Wow, I only hope….well, let me just say, I wish I looked as good as you, NOW.”

I thanked her again for making my day. A little thing, of course. Call it vanity (you would be right), but it DID help make my birthday a little brighter.

Little blessings…because He is especially fond of ME…

Favorite Dessert: Fresh Blackberry Cobbler

It’s one of the most difficult for me—for some reason, it’s a challenge for me to make homemade pie crusts into rectangles (or squares, or anything other than circles), and cobbler just needs not to be the same shape as a pie! Then there’s the uncertainty of how many blackberries, how much flour and sugar…it’s always a guess for me, but my husband assures me my cobblers are always perfect! Gotta love ‘im.

Our grocery store has fresh blackberries on super sale, and they are simply delicious. Son’s family is having us over for supper, and this will be my contribution. Happy Saturday!

CC2 Challenge - #6 Tissue Wrap Collage

This week’s Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge at Studio L3 is using the Tissue Wrap Collage technique from Tim Holtz’s book, page 38. This one came together fairly easily for me, and I love working with the tissue wrap. The sponsor of this week’s challenge is The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

After deciding to use the Movers and Shapers hearts with the symphony tissue wrap, an old song came to mind (as a young girl I loved that old movie starring Susan Hayward—I know, I’m really old)—“With a Song in My Heart.”

The flower at the top is a Prima flower recently purchased at Hobby Lobby. The book text flower was cut from the Tattered Flowers die and inked with Black Soot. And I must say I am loving the Tiny Attacher!

Granddaughter Graduates

No, it is simply not possible that my granddaughter Alyssa could be graduating from high school. I’m quite sure she was just born. THIS is the picture I should be posting, right?

Seems like it should be, but alas, 18 1/2 years have passed, and last weekend we were the proud grandparents watching her graduate with highest honors.

Alyssa Megan Havens

 

Senior Varsity Singers

  Congratulations, Alyssa!!

We are SO proud of you!

Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge - #5

Continuing my participation in the CC2Challenge over at Studio L3, this week’s technique is showcased in Tim Holtz’s book, page 48. For my “take” on the shattered stain technique, I chose a butterfly (new creation) theme. I used Wild Honey Distress Stain and Peacock Feathers Distress Ink on a background paper from one of Tim’s kraft resist paper stacks. The label behind the computer-generated Scripture reference is cut from grungeboard using the Movers and Shapers Labels die and then inked with Fired Brick Distress Stain. This week’s challenge is sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.

Mama Kitty Returns

This morning I saw her surreptitiously return to feed her babies. Whew! At least I know they are being fed. But she is SO skinny. I put out some scrambled eggs when she wasn’t looking. Later I could see that she had eaten a little bit. Strangely, it is clear that she is Siamese, probably purebred. She has all the markings, including the ears and the blue eyes. I am going to post a “FOUND” poster at a nearby intersection. But she doesn’t have a collar. Surely someone didn’t just “drop off” a pregnant SIAMESE cat….

I spoke gently to her, and she didn’t run away immediately. She kept looking at me. But she isn’t ready to come to me yet. I wish someone would respond to the poster, but if not, I will have a mama cat and two pretty babies to give away.

Two Little Babies

Oh dear. We live in the woods and are used to seeing wildlife—lots of bird nests, baby birds, squirrels, deer, rabbits, etc. But yesterday my husband heard a noise in the flower bed and pushed the flowers aside with the shovel, expecting to find a critter. Imagine his surprise when he found these little ones:

No, we do not own a cat.

We have noticed a cat, apparently a stray, around the area (we live on five acres of woods) occasionally, but certainly not regularly. These kittens look to me to be about 3-4 weeks. Now I’m worried because I haven’t actually seen the mother cat coming or going, so I have to watch carefully now, to see if they are being fed. They look well-fed so far, but what if she is not feeding them?

Oh dear. I wonder if she brought them here from where they were born? I just can’t imagine they could be this old without our having a clue that they were there. They ARE on the side of the house where we don’t frequent. But still.

Now what?

Tim Holtz’s 12 Tags of 2012-May

Inspired by Tim’s May tag, this was a fun tag to make, and I didn’t mind buying a couple of supplies (Seamless Experience stamp set and Sewing Room die), as I can use them again for little projects for my mother to enjoy during her chemo. Since she was the CHAMPION seamstress as she was raising her five children (of whom I am proudly the oldest), I will use this theme more than once. She made almost all my clothes until I got married (as she did for all us four girls). She made my wedding dress and all the bridesmaids gowns for the wedding. For a time, she taught classes for Singer. So, I love this theme.

I will give credit to Shelly Hickox for the idea of using a stamp on sticky-back canvas for the dress form, but I must say that I had already purchased the die at a Hobby Lobby while traveling for our granddaughter’s graduation, to use in lieu of the stamp that Tim used (though I do have the stamp he used). I used my favorite Wendy Vecchi stamp for the pattern on the form, with Coffee Archival Ink. I cut the little dress for the hanger with Cricut Everyday Paper Dolls, using paper from October Afternoon. I stained the seam binding with Fired Brick. I stamped the spool stamp with Barn Door Distress Ink.

I found an old pattern on the internet and printed it on regular white tissue paper. I was hoping Mother had saved some of her old patterns (I remember Butterick and Simplicity and McCalls), but she says they have been gone for twenty years.

The really fun NEW thing for me was using the Melting Pot (recently purchased and used with beeswax already) and UTEE. It was so much fun, I kept trying to think of things I could dip in it! I had trouble finding paper flowers like I’ve seen on others’ projects, and the only thing I could find was some individual fabric flowers on stems in the wedding department at Hobby Lobby. They also had some leaves on wires.

I knew right away I would NOT be using the wooden spool (I don’t do woodworking, nor do I intend to), so I like the little spool that is part of the Sewing Room die set (cut from grunge board covered with natural sticky-back canvas and inked with Frayed Burlap and a bit of Barn Door).

For my part, the next time I do a version of this tag, I will probably use flatter flowers, as I don’t like huge and heavy tags so much. But, I’m pretty much pleased with how this came together, and I’ll certainly be using UTEE again!

My First “Page” of My First MiniBook

When I came across a challenge at Splitcoast Stampers (Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge 2012), I decided that would be the motivation I’ve needed to create a MiniBook. With that format, I can leave the “page” of the book on a stand where I can see it for a month at a time, and then compile the twelve pages into a MiniBook at the end of the year.

So, I will start with this month and then go back and catch up for January-April. This particular verse has always been one of my favorites and has become especially meaningful to me lately. This will not be the first page of the finished book (as May doesn’t come first!).

I am using Tim Holtz’s Grunge Book and some papers and elements I found at Hobby Lobby. For this book, I will use Kraft/Black/Cream for my theme colors, and on each page I will use an “accent” color. For this page’s accent, I used Fired Brick Distress Ink. I cut the flowers from my new Tattered Flowers die (cut from book text and Kraft Glassine) and sponged the book text flowers with Fired Brick. I dyed the seam binding with Fired Brick ink. The little bag was embossed with a Cuttlebug folder, in my Vagabond, and then inked with Walnut Stain.

I’ll put a little journaling tag somewhere on each page so that I can write personal thoughts about each verse.

I need a few more projects, I think. I’m off to my granddaughter’s graduation tomorrow, then I have several family events to scrapbook. I’m also taking an online lettering class and have decided what I want to do with my Art Journals, so I’m feeling focused there.

Beautiful spring day here in Missouri. I think having the windows open all around me is contributing to my creative juices!

Flight Tag

I already confessed to craziness over the Spring Seasonal Distress Inks. At this point, anything not nailed down is getting inked. Seriously, I had some odds and ends of projects around the craft room, and it took me about five minutes to pull them all together into this tag. I had stamped the ATC-sized image (one of Tim’s stamps) a few weeks ago just to see how it looked. I had a background piece from using alcohol ink on glossy card stock (don’t even remember the colors, but I think Bottle and Sailboat were in there). I inked the stamped image just as an excuse to use the spring colors. AFTER I inked it, I happened to notice it blended well with the inked card stock. Then, I was looking for an opportunity to actually use some of the tickets I have been making. Since it was inked with—you guessed it—the ticket also seemed to “work.” Anyway, here it is, a composite of left-overs.

Another Week, Another Concert

I am SO reminded of my own kids’ high school days—always a concert, a sports event, an academic competition, a talent show, a speech event, a play, a musical—something to ATTEND and PHOTOGRAPH! What a blessing!

Last night was grandson Conner’s Pops Concert. He is a sophomore and in the top two choral groups at his high school: Up Tempo (10 students) and A Capella Choir.

      

The talent in my family is something I do not want to take for granted, and so once again, I thank God for His blessings!

Quality Family Time

Busy, busy time of year, especially this year, with two granddaughters graduating from high school. Senior years bring all kinds of “this is the last…..” moments…how well I remember from when my own children were at that stage.

Last weekend we spent some time in the southwest part of our state, where our daughter’s family lives. Thursday evening our grandson was in a Kindergarten Musical (so cute!).

 

  

Being a teacher (even kindergarten—for one year—that was one year too many), I always enjoy visiting my grandchildren’s classrooms.

   

After the program, we enjoyed Burgers and Ice Cream at the local Braum’s. Dawson opened his birthday gifts from us (he turned six on April 20). He’s into Star Wars Legos (and he IS the Lego champ!).

Friday Russell played in a golf tournament with several of his retired superintendent friends. His team won their flight in the tournament.

My daughter and I enjoyed a nice lunch, a rare and treasured opportunity to have some “just us” time.

Friday evening was the long-awaited (since she was a freshman) last Spring Concert for Alyssa. She had a solo during the program, and can I just say, it was perfect.

   

My greatest blessings in life call me “Mom” or “Mamo.”

Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge #4

This week’s challenge over at Studio L3 is taken from page 43 of Tim’s Compendium of Curiosities Vol II. For the background (on the tag and on the sentiment) I used the new Spring Seasonal Distress Inks that just arrived at my house today!!! I love all the seasonal inks, but this set is truly my favorite.

This faded layers technique was fun and one that I will use a lot!