M's Place!

yay tuesday! got to be better than my monday was! 

at the moment my toilet is sitting in my bathtub and there is a hole in my dining room ceiling!  EGADS!  it is drying out so we can assess the amount of mold - it looks like maybe just the ceiling drywall molded and not the sub-floor of the upper bathroom.  when hubby pulled off the toilet he discovered the builder had put the wrong flange on when they installed it so it has probably been leaking since we built the house almost 8 years ago and finally for some reason really gave way all of the sudden.  the good news is - my hubby can fix absolutely everything.  saves us tons of money and ensures it is done correctly.  hollyn gets scared in bad weather and so we always tell her she doesn't have to worry, she is inside, it's a good strong house...she took one look at it and declares "well, i guess this house isn't strong at all afterall!"  she is now convinced we have to tear the whole thing down to fix the hole in the ceiling.

meanwhile i wanted to put a project back up that i had taken down so many of you may have seen it already but i wanted to get it back on here.  it is the journal page i did using the M's Place stamps at SCACD:

It is painted using Twinkling H2Os.  the whole little set combines to make up a fun little neighborhood!  really fun to play with and color so what are you waiting for?  go get yourself a set at SCACD!!!  there are 12 stamps in all which make it a heck of a deal!

new stamps!

hi folks!

summer is in full swing at our house!  what does that mean?  it means school is out :P  i DO enjoy not having a schedule and not having our day broken in half BUT it leaves very little time for me.  however, we have a bunch of fun things planned so i plan to do my best to enjoy her as much as possible.  you know barring any jackassery on her part....   she had a little pre-school graduation thing - i don't remember the boys having that but probably because they were in daycare cuz momma WORKED!  anyway it is apparently a far bigger deal than i realized.  not only was the theatre jam packed with parents and siblings but also grandparents, close relatives and the guy next to me even brought the neighbor kid.  i know because he was introducing him to everyone.  the guy knew alot of people there.  i felt fairly pathetic sitting there alone - kevin has been working out of town again.  not only was i alone but i didn't have flowers and balloons and stuff like other folks.  the first time i remember something like that for the boys was graduating to middle school.

so i sat there by myself watching the slide show and listening to the music they paired it with and i swear i felt like i was suddenly at a funeral.  i wasn't sad in any way for her to be heading to :big school" - hell i am cheering - y'all know what i have on my hands.  plus big school is FREE!!!!  and i am not one of those people who wishes their kids would stay little forever.  i love them all and i do miss the boys but i would NEVER want to be stuck with a preschooler for the rest of my life.  so i wasn't sad about this apparently momentous event in our lives.  but the slide show and music and people lamenting how they are just growing to fast and i was getting real depressed!  probably didn't help that it was raining and i think i had PMS...anyway there is a picture of her in her little hat at the end of this post.  there would also be a video of her singing but i forgot to press record...really? and i do this for a living?????

ANYWAY - this is a super super super exciting post for me.  i am joining up with a close buddy of mine, susana from SCACD, to participate in her latest new release blog hop and boy oh boy is it a good one!  susana is really bringing lots of new fun things into the store and taking things in the direction of mixed media which is so ALL OVER THE PLACE right now.    well SCACD has been "die"ing to mix things up!  So, this month they have the launch of three awesome new Collections.

First is a fantastic new line of dies.  Susana has collaborated on a collection of dies with a timeless, classic feel.  Delicate and beautiful, the diecuts from these high quality wafer thin metal dies will be starring on your projects for years to come!

Second is a wonderful new direction for SCACD.  Susana is following her heart with a new line of Mixed Media stamps.  For those of you who are new to the concept, Mixed Media is a style that embraces creativity and experimentation. Let SCACD take you on a new creative adventure with the Blank Canvas Collection.  From the beginner to the mixed media enthusiast, these stamps will get the creative juices flowing! 

Each set in the collection comprises looks, perfect for mixing it up with different techniques.  Use the elements set to enhance the blank canvas silhouettes, or use them on their own for gorgeous effects.

In addition there is a fabulous set of word outlines, ready to be customized however you like!  Color them in, doodle, zentangle, paper piece - go wherever your creativity takes you.

Mix it up and most importantly - HAVE FUN!

so what have i been playing with in my own studio from all these new goodies?

first is the sets of seashells

OMGoodness these are must haves.  there are four altogether and they work really well separately OR together in a layered fashion like i did on this journal page.  and best of all - these stamps are done in such a way that they work really well with paint - not just ink.  so i used mine with some luscious Luminarte Silks!  

i took one of the shells and sponged on a thin layer of Sky Blue Silks and then stamped randomly around the page.  Next up i used one of the other solid ones with sunburst silks.  next i used Guatemalean green on the line art shell and stamped that on the page.  i took a sea sponge and lightly sponged more sky blue and guatemalean green across the page.  finally i took the detailed line art shell and stamped it over one of the sky blue shells using regular black ink.  let the layers dry in between stamping with the different colors!  i wrote out my journaling, ending it with one of the word art stamps - self.  i have so many more ideas for this set alone!  and the rest are just as awesome!

next i played with a couple of the dies.  i just love them!  i admit i was a little intimidated at first by the intricacy as bad memories of trying desperately to pick out all the little pieces in a spellbinders die came flooding back :P

these dies cut right through on the first try with very little fuss over the teeny pieces coming out.  i DO recommend being sure you are using good plates in your machine - thin dies like this need UN-WARPED plates to cut well.  personally, i will put just about anything through my cuttlebug and i use the thick sizzix dies quite a bit.  i keep one set of warped plates for that stuff and then i keep a super sweet pristine set for dies like these.

 

i cut my die cuts from white PTI cardstock.  i used one of the birdcages and one of the corner pieces as masks.  i began by laying down some Apple Blossom Silks randomly on the blank page.  once dry, i mixed up some gorgeous shimmering mist using forest green primary elements pigment powder, gum arabic and water in a mini mister.  i laid my die cuts down on my paper and misted from a distance then lifted them and dried them with my heat gun.  i did one with the corner and two with the birdcage.

Next i used the same birdcage die cut and laid it down again and this time i sponged on Harvest Sol Silks with a sponge dabber.  I also misted the other birdcage die cut heavily with the forest green and dried it.  Then I sponged Harvest Sol on the other two corner die cuts.  i took a natural sea sponge and dabbed a bit of harvest sol on the birdcage too.

i grabbed some gel medium and glass bead gel medium and mixed in some Mallard Green primary elements powder in both.  i used the gel medium to glue down the corners and then finished everything off with some texture by using the glass bead medium in a few areas.

your next stop on the hop is my fab friend suzanne!  if you want to start at the beginning head on over to Danni's blog.

Twinkling color theory

hi everyone!

i really thought i would get back to post more on our fun weekend with Cat but the days are just going by too fast for me!  SOOOOO what on earth did we (me, ann and Cat) do on sunday you were wondering?  well we started by going to High Tea at a little place on the way home - SO FREAKIN' awesome!  they really give you alot for the price, it is set up adorably and everything was delish! Next stop - cupcake shops!  we went to two of them (cat had about 37 marked but reality set in and we narrowed it down to TWO!)  got home - changed our clothes and hit the shooting range for fun with GUNS!  Cat had never handled a gun before and kevin is a really good person to learn from because he is very strict about it.  we had a blast and cat is a scary good shot - zombies will never make it by her (see slide show below).  after guns we grabbed a huge pile of crabs on the way home and had crabs, beer, cupcakes and ice wine. really and truly BEST. DAY. EVER!  and kevin was so patient with us!  check out the slide show at the end of this post for fun pics.

i HAVE been in the studio a bit and playing with the lessons in Dion Dior's Mastering Twinks Class.  i can honestly say this is a MUST class if you love twinks, love shimmer or want to know how to paint.  i was doing Color Theory and made some samples:

these use color triads.  i decided to paint them over some gesso'ed coasters i had laying around.

Gesso, plastic fork and various lids i had laying around on my table.  i think this might be my fave color combo.  except when i see all the others :P

gesso with fork and poly clay cutters and then painted

fork.  love this combo too!

fork and lid.  reminds me of fall

this one is done using a poly clay texture sheet in the gesso.

LOVE my twinks!!!

playin' with paints with Pezza

hi all!

WOW what a weekend!  YES it took til wednesday to recover!  the retreat was fantastic!  and my visit with Cat and Ann was fantastic-er!  Cat got here thursday and pezza ADORED her - it was the first time they had met in person but i have been friends with cat since pez was tiny.  So apparently i am correct in my suspicion that people outside of the US have a totally distorted view of us.  First thing she asks is if i am "packing heat" - i about fell over it was so funny.  she also thought we could buy guns at the drugstore and can get a free gun for opening a bank account - thank you michael moore.  she did become QUITE excited when i told her we do own guns though - she had never seen or held one before...more on that topic in a minute...

we spent friday putting together class kits and such and then hit the road.  i think we laughed the entire way - it is mind boggling how identical our minds work.  the journey was smooth until we were 6 minutes from the hotel and then my GPS just went off the grid.  it was showing me driving where there were no roads, telling me to turn where i couldn't, at one point it showed the car levitating with an arrow underneath pointing backwards...WTF?!?!?!?!?  we finally got the directions pulled back up on our phones and found the hotel.  we went right into dinner where colleen had fun games and prizes prepared and then we did our pinterest show and tell - the hit - ann's cupcake vodka jello shots.  i don't drink so i didn't have any BUT cat sure did and boy did she get funny!

saturday i taught classes all day - a two part mixed media workshop and a beginning colored pencil class.  all of my students were fantastic and i was so impressed by them!  we had lots of fun and i am hoping they all took alot of info away with them that they can put to use at home.  Dinner and more fun on saturday night with all of the Outlawz girls.  THEN we got to sunday.....let me just stop here for a moment and tell y'all cat is CRAZY!

but first i wanted to show y'all the two pieces Pezza and I made this morning - this is the first mixed media project my class did.  This one is mine:

 and here is Pezza's:

I let her choose her colors and such - i just teach how to use the mediums.

 We started with Luminarte Primary Elements and Gel Medium and smeared it on using our pallette knives.

I cut out the mushrooms on my Cricut and then i punched the book page strip from the page of one of the fabulous old music books my step-dad gave me.  We painted them using Luminarte Twinkling H20s.

Finally, we mixed some more Primary Elements with Bead Gel Medium - I used mine for the dots on my mushroom but Pezza wanted hers on the edge of her book page border.  a few glittered skittles and pezabling finished off the look.


I wanted to put a phrase on mine but wasn't sure what until i read my friend Dyan Reaveley's blog his morning - i am a member of a fantastic facebook group called Art Journaling for Women and Dyan issued us a challenge.  we were to make a page stating "I am an artist."  so today Dyan posted them ALL on her blog and posted some very wise words about being an artist and the phrase that struck me was that if art feeds your soul then you are an artist.  i like that!

i will save the story of sunday for next time but here are a couple kitten pics for you - Taffy was back in the vet's all afternoon monday - xrays and even an ultrasound of her little teeny tummy.  fluid in her lungs but NO FIP which is fatal so that was good news.  she is back on antibiotics and fighting like a trooper.
here are the girls - Skittle and little Taffy - you can see her eyes half closed.  she sleeps alot right now.

and here is little Twizzler standing guard over his sisters :)

fun journal for ya!

hellooooo everyone!!!!

super super super exciting day for me today - catherine is coming!!!!!!!  her plane lands at 6:12 - oh can't wait!  cat gets me like no one else - we can finish each others thoughts and sentences!  plus neither of us are prone to behaving which adds significantly to the fun!  tomorrow we head up to baltimore for the outlawz retreat with a mountain of cupcake tasting stops planned along the way.  i will be hosting a Pinterest party tomorrow night after dinner which should be lots of fun!

here is the project I picked for my pinterest show n tell (originally pinned from Life Made Creations):

 and here is mine:

yea yea i know.  it's not jean.  i did try.  i had a small journal i picked up at michaels - maybe 5x7...which was smaller than the jeans pockets i had available for cutting.  i went to the thrift store and got a couple pants i thought would work but with the elastic waist that wasn't happening either.  now the thing i like MOST about the original is the pocket to hold pens.  i like the jean look and the whole upcycle thing too BUT what i really wanted was a pocket SO i pulled out some fabric scraps left over from an outfit i made for hollyn and fashioned my own.  the pocket is a double pocket so the ruler slides in back and pens in the front.  i am going to add 2 more black pens i have for it too.  i am also realizing i forgot to add the ribbons to the spirals so i will do that too.

i added a layered and embroidered felt flower - also something i ran into on etsy back when it began and i have done many since then.

i threw on the layered buttons at the top to sort of balance it out - love the shimmery buttons - these are PTI buttons.

i am planning on giving it away at the party but i think i may make more.  only next time i want to use a non-spiral bound notebook...what do you think???

doodling time

hi all!

boy the DVR sure does get full when on vacation doesn't it?  i don't watch the shows i see most of my friends chatting about - dancing with the stars, glee, bachelorette or whatever it is.  i love fringe, ncis/ncis LA, mentalist, unforgettable - yes i am a total sci fi and crime show junkie.  we are watching fringe episodes today - that show is just getting weird but i have to keep watching.  summer is so disappointing with no new episodes but luckily we have netflix so i have been watching the Tudors - another fave genre - historical fiction.  there are several others like that i want to try and watch.

i am also getting ready for my classes this weekend at the Outlawz Retreat AND my awesome buddy Cat aka silly skittles is coming for a visit!  SO excited!  the inner harbor will not know what hit it once we are on the loose.  AND she we are doing some sort of royal high tea - oh can't wait!

in the meantime i wanted to post something else i did - i doodled this at my mom's and in the truck - i am determined to get the hang of doodling. 

it is supposed to be mindless but for me it i not :P  but i am sure having fun working on it!

 i added a bit of color with pezza's colored pencils.  it was the only thing handy in the truck!

a travelin' girl...

good grief!!!!!!!

did anyone miss me???  we have been on vacation - did a whirlwind tour of the south!  we hit myrtle beach for kevin's brother's wedding, pine mountain, GA, raceland, LA to see my mom, birmingham AL to see my brother, max meadow, VA and then home - all in 11 days!  fun fun fun!  i have NEVER been to any of the beaches on the east coast before - i am a west coast girl - spent my teen and young adult years on the coast just north of san diego.  of course i am also familiar with the gulf coast of louisiana as well but this was my first east coast beach trip.  i am in love!  we took the camper of course and stayed at this huge rv park RIGHT on the beach which was an amazing park.  Pezza was the flower girl in her Uncle Nate's wedding and she did a fabulous job.  the wedding was on the beach and really beautiful.  this was pezza's first beach experience and she loved it too.  she was not terribly keen on going into the water, especially since the beach was littered with jelly fish which she did NOT want to meet up with in the water.  but we did play for quite a long time in the sand.  i had now been to a beach in years and years - i forgot how much i love it.  when i lived with my dad in san diego we lived right on the beach and i went to sleep to the sound of the waves every night - forgot how nice they sound.  we will definitely be making a trip down there again next year i think!

then we loaded up and headed to my mom's - she lives just sw of new orleans.  we stopped half way to spend the night and throw pezza into the pool and onto the playground after sitting all day.  as much as she drives me nuts at home she is great on the road.  she loves seeing new things and places.  i have decided i really like this rv road tripping too.  no gas station/rest stop bathrooms.  rv parks are way better than hotels to stop in overnight and pezza can run around and play.  awesome!  i even drove it!!!!  i have come a long way from a girl who couldn't drive anything bigger than a hyundai hatchback!

we were happy to get to my mom's - hadn't been in over a year!  we brought kev's harley with us so he and i got to go riding together which hasn't happened since hollyn was born.  i set myself up in my mom's studio and did lots of artful playing which i thoroughly enjoyed and pez had her own little spot too.  here is something i did while i was down there:

i outlined first in black but then decided i liked gold better.

i painted it with twinkling H2Os and then misted more luminarte goodness through a stencil so the background wasn't so stark. 

more pics tomorrow of our trip and some other stuff i did while gone!

i am scrambling around now to get ready to teach in baltimore this weekend at the outlawz retreat - i am really looking forward to that AND to seeing my bestest crafting buddy evah - miss catherine/silly skittles! OH and most importantly - the 3 remaining kittens have survived and are now healthy and growing and doing really well!