PlayThings MMM

This is my piece for Mixed Media Monday. The theme is Play Things. I used an image I had from Flickr but I don't know the source anymore. The cartoon figures are from old tin whistles

The background is a Tim Holtz paper and an old harlequin SU stamp.

On The Go.....

This was my first magic carpet...I felt like I could go anywhere! Unstoppable! This is my entry for Three Muses. This is a page out of my journal. I am a too little foggy headed from my cold to be as creative as I would like today but thought this page was just right!

Compendium Of Curiosities 5 Distress Embossing

This is my tag from the lesson of the week at StudioL3 Compendium Of Curiosities challenge. I used Antique Linen embossing powder, Shabby Shutters, Bundled Sage and Faded Jeans. I couldn't resist embossing the number with some Broken China. I did 2 of these first because I can't seem to get much of the powder to release. Anyone else find that happening?

I had intended just to do technique tags and make a booklet at the end of the challenge but I love some of the beautiful work I'm seeing and may have to branch out ! Thanks for looking...can't wait to see everyone's projects!

Blue Secrets

This is my piece for Mixed Media Monday. I know it seems a little morbid...maybe its because I got a cold this weekend and I'm slightly grumpy! This is for my secrets journal I've been working on. I've got "secrets" stuck in my creative loop I think! Actually it's a song I heard called "Secrets"...it's by a band called Pierce. Whatever happened to solid names like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin...oh never mind :) I guess it's all perspective, right? I'm putting a link to the video here just in case you want to hear it. Steve is entirely over me wandering around the house this weekend singing this song. Especially since I have this cold. I'm sure I sound like a cat caught in a tree. LOL!

Three Muses Rusty Secrets

Well it's been awhile since I played on Three Muses but I always loved doing this challenge and I'm happy I finished my piece tonight and could share it.

Compendium Of Curiosities 4 Shabby Fly Tag

Here is my tag for StudioL3 COC this week. I used a Lettuce and Willow daubers and stamps from Artful Flight and Urban Tapestry. Once again a slight..cough cough...learning curve but love the technique! Then on to more of Nan's adventures in photography. I have a gremlin who shakes, tilts, and fogs up my camera and has the ability to make the sun go away the instant I set up a photo. I decided to let you see my first photo so you can see why I believe in gremlins. LOL.... Thanks for looking!

mine

The Mad Hatter's Other Hat

Gingersnap Creations is having a Once In A Blue Moon challenge this week. I'm guessing this is because there is an extra Wednesday in the month and they do something different and fun. This was a CASE...copy and steal everything... challenge. We picked our favorite design from one of the GS designers and copied it. This was a really a fun challenge for me. I loved Lynn Steven's Mad Hatter card the moment I saw it and instantly knew it was what I wanted to do. I took her idea and decided to make it very bright but with the high contrast I loved in her piece which you can see here. This is the Mad Hatter's Other Hat which he keeps in the closet for those very special occasions.

I also used this for Mixed Media Monday because their challenge is Something Borrowed and I not only borrowed this theme from Lynn but I borrowed the skyline stamp from Isabelle and the idea to use it on MMM from Willie. Thanks! :) I have missed doing MMM a lot and will be doing many more of the weekly themes there!

Sorry for the crookedy photo but it's night as usual and I'll put a better one up tomorrow if we have a sunny day and then this sentence will magically disappear. :) Thanks for looking!

Deep Purple

Another week, another great Compendium Of Curiosities challenge at Studio L3 . This was a lesson in using alcohol inks to create a mono print. I THOUGHT I knew how to use alcohol inks but I really did learn a lesson this week! I used Wild Plum, Meadow and Bottle Green with a touch of gold. Took me three tries to get this right but it really was fun! Thanks Linda!

Compendium Of Curiosities 2 Fragments

It's time to play at Studio L3's Compendium Of Curiosities challenge...well actually I'm a few days behind probably but I was happy to get this finished. The challenge was to do a lesson from Tim Holtz's book on fragments. Lot's of fun...I've never used them before but will be using them more often now. Lot's of fun...go check it out! Linda Ledbetter is the queen of this blog and has another fun looking project she does called Drunken Stampers. They are doing a Twilight theme this week.... I may have to play....hmmmmm

Gingersnaps Mad Hatter Blog Hop

I'm late, I'm late, I'm very very late to the Mad hatter blog hop on Gingersnaps! I decided to try one more time with this stubborn piece of art! Maybe a better photo tommorrow....sigh! Oh well better late than never, right?

Sweet Life....Gingersnaps Blue Challenge

I love the Gingersnaps blog......they have the best challenges. I've been lurking there for quite a while. Once I finally decided it was more important to play than to have a perfectly organized studio I have had so much fun. I love using my stamps again. And my inks and whatever else I can round up in this explosion of art supplies I have going!

I was visiting my so very creative friend Lucy today and we were digging through her bits and pieces and she was kind enough to donate (uh, let me swipe, LOL) a lot of the neat stuff I used. It's good to have a friend who saves her little scraps and doesn't think you are crazy for doing so either! I used TH Distress Ink in Faded Jeans distress ink and Glimmer Mists in Seaglass, Suede and Old Brass. So lot's of sparkle which makes me very happy too except I have a hard time getting photos of sparkles and transparencies especially at night and I'm much too impatient to wait til tomorrow. :)

He Went To Paris

I've been following Lynn Steven's Trash And Treasures site for a very long time and always find some lovely artwork or a cool link to something neat. I love Gingersnaps site that she designs for and this week found a great blog, Studio L3 , where they are doing a project a week based on the lessons in Tim Holtz's A Compendium Of Curiosities. This week was water stamping. It took me two days just to round up all my TH goodies and then another couple to get comfortable with my stamping techniques again. This is one of my fav TH stamps and the words are from a Jimmy Buffett song that I love.

Home Is Where I Want To Be

I just did this page for my weight loss journey journal. I followed the Color Room palette. It was pink, blue and burgandy this week which I love.
I have been feeling more and more like staying home recently. It is getting very hot here and it's soooo much easier to stay with this restricted food plan I've chosen if I stick close to the hacienda! This page reminds me a bit of Alice growing huge in the White Rabbits house and then shrinking....that's me, shrinking, slowly, but shrinking!

They are doing a regulated burn in the state park behind our house tomorrow so I may take the furry ones and go out just to get away from the smoke! AGH!

Relax

This is my piece for the Color Room this week. I've always loved lilac and green so this was an especially enjoyable palette to play with. I took this picture of my old man kitty PJ or Mr. Handsome as I call him most of the time. He is retired now and when I saw him on the porch curled around the herb plants it reminded me how good it is to relax sometimes. Still on my weight loss journey but I really wanted to do his picture this week. Back to the journal next week and hopefully some mixed media. Time, where art thou? :)

Obstacles

Well I usually love a vintage shabby look. A pretty look. And sometimes I love a bright sunny look but this was not a pretty sunny week. I'ts still a struggle to regulate my medicine after having my thyroid removed and sometimes it really effects my best efforts at weight loss. Not to mention my energy and creativity! In retrospect I wish I would have tried harder to lose weight before all my surgery but that's the old hindsight's 20/20, right? So I really had to work hard to overcome some serious obstacles on the weight loss plan that I chose and this reflects that.

Also couldn't quite decide how to handle the color scheme on this week's palette at the Color Room. I was sitting in a waiting room and decided to find all my elements in a magazine if I could so this is more of a collage I guess. But it was fun and all's well that ends well, eh? Now I'm going to work on my sunny "reward" piece because I'm feel better and think I may have this under control for a bit. Thanks for the kind comments and encouraging emails as I keep moving forward on this path and I wish you all the best on each of your endeavors as well.... :) See you soon!

How...

This is my second page for my weight loss scrapbook. I really am enjoying recording this journey. I have lost 11 pounds which is amazing but I want it to be faster! Ah, impatience. This being one of the finer traits I possess. One that has contributed to my weight gain, I'm sure. Anyway I did this for the Color Room using their beautiful color palette as inspiration. Blues, greens and all the lovely shades in between are my favorites so this was a lot of fun for me.

Glimpse

I'm starting a new weight loss program for the first time in years and I'm going to journal and scrap the journey. This is my glimpse of my slimmer self in the future...the younger looking me is just a bit of wishful thinking :) I did this for the Color Room challenge this week.
I have been thinking about starting a separate blog just about scrapping and journaling weight loss. I haven't really seen one that focuses on both. Hmmm? Any thoughts?

Breathe

I so happy to be feeling more like myself and hallelujah, feeling more creative. I've really been enjoying the inspiration from the weekly color palettes at the The Color Room. There are AMAZING scrapbook artists on this site. Beautiful layouts. I haven't done much scrapbooking but I love all the papers and goodies available and they don't seem to mind if I throw in one of my pieces with no photos. :) Had fun time making this with bits and pieces from my scrap pile. I saved this dress form from a project I deconstructed a while back and it fit the color scheme just right. Go visit just to see all the pretty work if you get a chance.

Beautiful Day !

I really love April in Florida.....It's cool and sunny. things are blooming and green. Babies are being born... I've been away so many years in April and I always seems to miss the dogwoods blossoming and the miniature horses having their teeny tiny new babies and all the things that are so good here.
Today was a wonderful day. I had a great visit with Lucy who shared some wonderful techniques with me. I had someone renew my faith in people today and remind me that sometimes you just have to turn it over and have a little faith.(thanks Fredia!) I joined a new site called the Color Room. I was drawn by the name alone as well as the wonderful talent there. Color has always been a major inspiration to me. I finished a mixed media piece last night. I didn't love it but I am inspired and hopeful that I will find it easier as I stress less about my creativity returning (thanks LOML !) and when I get back to creating more regularly (thanks Lucy!)because a rusty artist is...well, rusty ! LOL!