Color me happy

Forgive my absence... but I've been very busy lately getting ready for a craft show... not to mention preparing to look for a job. My teaching license was finally approved and I'm working on getting on some sub lists. The craft show is next weekend, so I probably won't post again until it's finished. Just wanted to share my latest page, "The Key to Happiness."

This page was done for a several challenges.. a color challenge for CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration - and was chosen as the Star Witness there, Lisa's Monthly Mayhem Challenge at Sketches 4 All, where I had to be inspired by beach elements: sand (texture), water (something clear), waves (curves), towel (textile) - and it was chosen page of the week there, and a sketch challenge at My Scraps and More. The picture(s) on this page was taken shortly before my son's 1st birthday.. and he will soon be eight at the present. I created this page, thinking back on that picture and time in his life, and I journalled about little pieces of advice to help him have a happy life. I loved how it turned out and was thrilled that others liked it as well.

Some former faves

One of my day zero goals is to organize my scrapbooks. Sometimes I make pages so quickly and not chronological, that I fail to put them into their respective books when I'm finished. As a result, I have piles of pages that are not in albums. And, being a teensy bit OCD, I can't just put them in books, but they need to be chronological... even if I don't scrap that way. So, it will take some work on my part, but it's definitely my goal to get them organized in a way that makes me happy. So, I'm in the process right now and as I was going through my stack of pages, I came across a few that I finished within the past year that I hadn't posted here and would like to share.

The first was for a scraplift challenge at a site that has since sadly closed down. I was glad to use some of the older Bam Pop that I was seemingly hoarding. It gave this LO such a fun look.

This next LO was for a challenge at the same site, this time only using party supplies - no scrapbook supplies! Everything on here, including the background, is from one of several different gift bags, and also some birthday candles. I love how it turned out.

This is from yet another challenge from the same site. The requirements were to cut a photo into mosaic squares and to use some masking. I wasn't thrilled about having to cut up a photo like that, especially having to cut B's face to make the squares even, but I don't think it turned out too bad, especially the rest of the page. I love the Frances Meyer papers and rub-ons. They gave this page a fun, summer-y feel. Perfect for a beach LO.

This next LO was for My Scraps' Got Talent contest last year. It was a color challenge and I also had to do some distressing.This is the 2nd year for their Got Talent contest and I will post a couple of my recent projects soon...

This last LO... I can't remember what site I did it for, but I'm sure it was for some sort of challenge. Can't get enough of them to keep my mojo flowing! It might have been a color or shape challenge by the looks of it... I'm glad I got to use up some of those old eyelets I just can't seem to part with! I'm also pretty pleased with how this LO turned out.

Day Zero Project

I was recently inspired by another blogger to join the Day Zero Project. It is a list of challenges and goals you set for yourself - 101 things to do in 1001 days. Being such a list person and having plenty of goals for myself, I knew this was something I had to try. I like this because the goals can be big or small and you have a set date to complete them - not too short or too long, but 1001 days (almost 3 years) seems about right to get that many done. I have some fairly easy ones on the list, along with some more difficult ones, and I plan to share them here when I complete them.

And, being a true crafter and historian, of course I had to create a little book to document my journey over the next 2 3/4 years. This is not an altered notebook... I actually created it by cutting down sheets of cardstock, punching the holes, and binding it all together with my Bind-It-All (I seriously think I'm addicted to that thing, lol). That was the hardest part - and most time-consuming. The most fun was creating the cover. I covered the chipboard squares with black cardstock and painted the edges in black as well. I chose select pieces of DCWV's Rockstar line to layer onto the front. I really wanted my book to be fun, cute, and edgy and these papers seemed perfect. I don't use a lot of pink in my scrapbooks having two boys, so I always jump at the chance to use it when I make something just for me (as long as it's not too girly!). This was just the right combination of feminine and cool. As a finishing touch, I added a couple pieces of Grungeboard coated in Stickles.

So, I love the look of my book and I'm pretty excited about having a cool place to record my completed goals. I've already finished one of them since I made my list a few weeks ago. Any guesses what it is? My previous post might have a hint... but as soon as I finish documenting it, I'll share it here ;)

Back from Vacation

The boys and I recently took a week-long vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC. It was our first time there and we had a really good time. In addition to being on the beach, there were a bunch of attractions to see, such as an aquarium, Hard Rock Cafe, Magiquest, Ripley's museum, Nascar go-karts, an amusement park, and water slides to name a few. And yes, we pretty much did them all.



But, as much fun as we had, it's nice to be back. I always feel like I have way too much to do to be gone for so long... and now it's time to get back in the swing of things (such as looking for a job).

Before I left, I finished up the Crowned competition at Scrapdango with this layout. The challenge was to show off a talent and I chose to knit a banner from ribbon. My first time including knitting on a layout and to try it in ribbon. I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out.







Now that the competition is over, I've started a new one at My Scraps and More. Of course, being on vacation has put me slightly behind on the challenges, but thankfully the deadline is not till the end of summer.

Crowned Week 4

I just finished up my entry for week 4 of Scrapdango's Crowned contest and I'm pretty excited to share it. The challenge was to create a LO with song lyrics as the title. I chose Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" for this page about some fair fun. I really love how it turned out. These older papers from Frances Meyer were the perfect color and the edge distressing added just enough interest. I topped it all with some Thickers by American Crafts and tiny letters from My Little Shoebox.

The contest is winding down... Only one more week left! I'm a little worried about this last week because the challenge is issued tomorrow and is due the last day of May... which gives me about 3 days to get it done. I'm up for the challenge, though!

Crowned

Recently I enetered a month-long competition at Scrapdango. The winner gets a guest DT spot. I'm currently in week 4 and competition has been fierce. The other ladies have come up with some gorgeous creations. For the first week, the challenge was to add bling to a layoout. I don't get into a lot of sparkly on my pages, but I found that glitter glue and glittery ribbon worked well on this Christmas page.



Week 2's challenge was to create something for a mother. Since Mother's Day was just around the corner, I made a mini-book of my kids and their sports for my mom. It's made out of just one sheet of patterned cardstock. The cut and fold method is called ox-plow pamphlet. I love how this one turned out and so did my mom when I gave it to her.

I had a tougher time with week 3's challenge. This time we could use no patterned paper, only solid-color cardstock, which could be altered with stamps, etc. Very hard for me as a patterned paper addict! I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out though. This one features Little Yellow Bicycle rub-ons, dry embossing, button and ribbon flowers, and a few pieces of some handmade paper I made while teaching high school.

Crafty gifts

Lately, my financial situation has dictated that I make more gifts than buy them. And that's ok with me since I love making things. So for my aunt's birthday, I made her a purse-sized journal (yes another book!) with one of my favorite classic stamps from Stampin' Up! and a birthday card with American Crafts papers. I also used this sketch challenge from Sketches4All for the card.

And because it was Mother's Day, of course I had to make mother something to celebrate the day. The card I made was also for another challenge on Sketches4All. I made a gift, too, but that will be for another post ;)

April Sketch

J recently got braces and I thought this sketch challenge found at Sketches4All was perfect for the picture I took. I used Collage Press and Basic Grey papers along with Foofala rubons.

Teacher gifts

When I finished with my student teaching, I wanted to show my mentoring teachers my thanks with a token of appreciation. For my elementary placement, I didn't have much trouble coming up with an idea for a gift to make. I saw quite a few framed crayon monograms on pinterest and thought that would be a great gift for an elementary teacher. I printed out a big letter "C" in my favorite font, Garamond, on a pale, dusty green cardstock, spent a good hour cutting pieces of crayon in a rainbow order and glued them onto the "C." I used some Making Memories rubon letters for the name underneath.

I had a little more trouble coming up with a good idea for my secondary placement. I didn't think a crayon monogram was appropriate for a high school teacher and couldn't find much in the way of idea on the internet. I eventually decided to make a sketchbook using my Zutter binder. I purchased a drawing pad at Michaels and cut the pages to a smaller size. After decorating the chipboard covers with mostly Basic Grey Mellow, I punched and binded the covers along with the sketch paper with the Zutter binder.

And Another...

With all the papermaking and bookbinding going on in the high school classes I've been teaching, I just couldn't help but to make another book. This one is a little bit bigger and more substantial than the last little book I made. This one also features handmade paper. Using this book as an example, I taught the students how to sew the pages together, adding ribbon if they wanted to attach it to the covers. I cut chipboard to size and covered both pieces with some Basic Grey, then added sheet music, Glitz paper, a Fiskars stamp, Prima flower, grungeboard shape, and a few embellishments I cut from paper. I'll be adding this to my Graduate Colloquium Art Show.

Book Arts

An art form I've really embraced lately is the art of making books. I've learned several bookbinding techniques and have bought a few books on the subject for inspiration. I've even implemented the art in a few of my high school art lessons. I've been making handmade paper with the high school kids and I've been working on a few books of my own. Yesterday, I finished up this tiny little book (measures only 2 1/2" x 3 1/2") as a birthday present for my mom. The inside contains handmade paper and is hand-bound with a simple saddle stitch. The cover has Webster's Pages and Lily Bee Designs (on the inside) paper, Prima flower and stamp, and Frances Meyer sticker.

And here's another book I made a little while ago that I've been using as an example in my classes. I used some nice, heavy sketchbook paper for the inside and bound it with a Japanese stab binding. The cover is all Basic Grey (paper, rub-ons, stickers) and a button from my stash.

Spring Break!

So nice to have nearly a week off from student teaching...  Not only am I planning on sleeping in every day of my break, but I also need to get caught up on some housework, schoolwork, and, of course, artwork! Teaching art to kids has been a lot of fun, but I'd also like to do some art just for myself. I bought a ton of new papers and a few stickers from an online scrapbook store that's going out of business and has some deep discounts, I've joined a few new scrappy sites with some good inspiration and challenges, and now that I have some time freed up, I'm going to have some creative play.

And just for some inspiration, here's a card I made not long ago, but I'm pretty sure I haven't posted yet. This tag-shaped card was made with Upsy-Daisy Designs paper. The butterflies and flourishes were fussy-cut and I used Glossy Accents on them to give them shine and dimension.

Back to School

It's that time of the year again - the beginning of the school year. I go back on Tuesday, my last semester before student teaching, and my kids go back on Wednesday. The past week - and the next couple of days - are about getting last minute things ready. I took the kids back to school shopping and I have a few things to get before I start, namely a parking pass and one last book.

But beyond the necessary school stuff, my mind is still on creative things... I had so much fun at the crop I went to a couple weeks ago. Of course, I didn't get a whole lot done as I figured - way too much fun socializing to get a whole lot of scrapping done, but that's sorta the idea. Fun giveaways, new techniques, delicious lunch from Panera's, and so many sales that I just had to take advantage of... but I did at least get a start on the paper bag albums that I had wanted to make. I have one more thing to add to the covers before I can post a picture.

Also, Michael's had a sale last week on Fimo polymer clay so I picked up several colors to play with. Right now, I'm experimenting with mixing colors, Skinner blends, and making rose buds. I had so much fun in my Ceramics class last semester and this seems like a natural segue. It's not exactly the same type of clay, but many of the same techniques I learned easily transfer over to this kind of clay - plus I can bake it in the oven instead of having to wait for a kiln. I have a little free time today so I'm going to play a little more with it - maybe with textures . Pictures to follow...

Looking for my niche

For a while now, I've been looking for a new scrapbook forum to join. It seems that everytime I find one that I really enjoy and seem to connect with the members, it ends up shutting down. Since it's happened to the last forum I called my scrappy home, I've been on the search for a new regular spot to hang out and, so far, I just haven't found my niche. I will continue to look though, since I really crave sharing my creativity with like-minded crafty folks and finding some much-needed inspiration. I could really use some recommendations.

In the meantime,I'm gearing up for a crop with my friend Diane this coming Saturday. I haven't been to one in a really long time and I'm very excited for it, not only for the visiting but also for the large amount of time I'm setting aside to just create. I certainly don't get much of that in my everyday life with kids, housework, and school. We'll see how much I get done though... I usually end up spending a lot of time talking and not a lot of time working.

I think what I want to work on at the crop are some paperbag books. Both my boys just completed baseball season and I have a bunch of pictures from their games. I'm thinking a book for each of them for Christmas presents... and maybe a blank one for my Etsy shop. I guess I need to print out some pictures today and look on the internet for some inspiration. Maybe I'll find a new scrappy forum in the process.

Like a headless chicken...

I sometimes wonder if I thrive on being so busy. Though I feel a bit stressed when I have so much on my plate, I seem to also be the most productive. I suppose as long as I'm taking the time to slow down periodically, and know how much I can handle, then it's ok.

Right now, I'm juggling part-time work, raising 2 rambunctious boys as a single parent, serving on a Design Team, getting my portfolio ready for review for grad school admissions, and the everyday hassle of running a household by myself, in addition to possibly moving for the third time in the past year and a half. *Phew* Yes, it's a lot, but I do enjoy always having something to do. I suppose it's better than having nothing to do? That's what I tell myself, anyway.

About a week and a half ago, I posted my Ad/Art Challenge at Ch{all}enge Masters. I chose a vintage Coke ad from which to garner inspiration. Here's the end result:

Of course, being a multi-tasker, I could not just create a project for only my challenge and no other reason, so I decided to not only make a set of the cards for a Christmas gift, but to also create some packaging for it to make it worthy for my portfolio.

And still, in true MJ fashion, I still couldn't leave it at that. The card packaging I made was a box, which I then altered for this month's Altered Challenge at Ch{all}enge Masters... using this fabulous sketch for the current Design Dollies Sketch Challenge!
Before:
After:


So, yes, as you can see, I am a master multi-tasker... And now, while my kids are off with their dad at a movie, I'm going to get a few things done around the house while it's quiet. Or maybe I'll just look at a few more challenges and see how I can combine them with what I still need to get done for my portfolio review.

Photo of the Week

While I was working with paint for one of the challenges I did for the cybercrop last week, I thought it would be fun to let my kids paint too. Here is B getting in on the action. They are finger paints but he insisted on using a brush. Whatever gets the job done!

Lost Thursday

Right now I'm really missing my Lost. Two more weeks till it comes back on. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to sharpen my portrait drawing skills by drawing a Lost character every week. Per R's request, my first character in the series is John Locke, played by Emmy Award winning actor Terry O'Quinn.


Drawing rendered in B pencil and charcoal pencil on sketchpaper.

Locke is the "Man of Faith" of Lost, believing that it's his destiny to be on the island - an entity unto itself - and that the island has a plan for all the inhabitants. Locke puts so much faith into the island that it's contagious (to me at least!). He's had to overcome so much adversity in his history that I love to see him prevail on the island.

So we now know that he's not one of the Oceanic Six. (I'm not surprised there) What does happen to John Locke? I'm hoping to find out sooner than later.

A Couple More . . .

Here are a few recent layouts that I did at MBI's cybercrop last weekend.



This last layout won one of the challenges there with the prize being an 8x8 Daisy D's paper pack. Yay!

Recent Layouts

These are literally the first layouts I've scrapped since January.





This last one I did for a challenge to create a monochromatic layout at
Memory Book Inspirations. Strangely enough, I have the most difficult time with monochromatic challenges. One would think it would be easy to pick out shades of the same color to work with, but I guess I just like to work with several colors. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out though. Anyway, this layout won the challenge and it's featured on MBI's home page as well as their April newsletter.

Speaking of MBI, they are having a weekend crop starting this Friday. It's sure to be a lot of fun filled with challenges and games. I hope to get at least one layout done! :)

Pinewood Derby

Our Cub Scout Pinewood Derby was held Sunday night. J built his own car to race against his friends. His vision for the car was a wedge of cheese. He and his friends have some kind of fascination with cheese -- not sure what that's about. Anyway, with R's help, he cut it and sanded it, then painted it and added some mouse stickers.




J was so excited to bring home a first place trophy! His car beat out all the cars in his den - 11 in all. J's car also raced against all the winners in the pack and his car came in 2nd place overall out of 35 cars. It's always fun to see what kind of creations the kids come up with. One shaped his car into the form of a pencil, there was a spiderman car, a firetruck. The boys get so creative and they always have fun at the Pinewood Derby no matter what place their car finishes. It's always our favorite Cub Scout event.