Saturday, March 31, 2012

Hot Rods!

Hello! I hope you're having a great Saturday with friends and family. This weekend, I'm enjoying some quality time with my honey and youngest son.  April is gonna be super busy for my husband so we're trying to get in a much family time as possible.

Since I haven't worked on any new projects, I thought I'd share one of my favorite layouts with you.  This is one I made back in 08 of my youngest.  Its a pretty simple layout but I really like the way it turned out because I think it really captures what he's all about.

For this layout, I used my Cricut, some rubons, stamps and 3-D stickers.  I also added digital frames and journaling to my pics with Photoshop.  Then inked all of the edges to finish it off!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today!
PS.  I tried leaving comments on your blogs yesterday but I kept getting an error message.  I thought it was just my computer acting up but I guess it was actually a blogger problem.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Retail Therapy.....

Yesterday was a really busy day for me, I had invoicing to do in the morning, then it was off to Homestead to restock my shop.  Then my day just started going bad so I decided to stop by Michaels for a little retail therapy.  I was totally sucked in by their 2-day additional 15% off coupon, curse you marketing geniuses!  I ended up getting some Liquitex Soft Body Acrylics, stamps,  Stazon and some clearance items. 

Boy that stuff adds up quick doesn't it!  Anyway, after that it was off to the grocery store to pick up my donation to the teacher's luncheon tomorrow.  Then it was time to pick up my little one from school, head back home to pick up the dog and go to the vet.  Then of course it was time to make dinner and clean up afterwards.  After all that, I finally had time to sit down and check out all of your great projects before having to get back to work on payroll.  I bet your days are just as crazy as mine, if not busier, lol.  I'm always amazed by how much you all are able to get done each day.  I'm still working on finding that perfect balance of time (if it exists).  If you have any secrets to keeping it all straight, please share!  Well have a good one, can you believe its already Friday?  Where did the week go!? 
Take care & Thanks for stopping for a visit!!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Think Big

I really had fun making this 11x14 mixed media canvas.  I started out with red & orange soft body acrylic, then randomly stenciled on some letters in various sizes.  The big splatters & drips happened by accident but I thought they looked cool so I decided to keep them.

I used a white Pen-touch pen to write in:
Don't Live Down to Expectations, Go out there and do something REMARKABLE
&
 The greatest Pleasure in life is Doing what people say you can't do
Both sentiments came from some Cosmo Cricket scrapbook paper I had in my stash.

I cut the letters from Cosmo Cricket Get Happy, Strip Tease and glued them on with Mod Podge.  I also did some random stamping, misting and added a rubon.  I'm pretty happy with the grungy urban vibe of this piece. 
Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

A Boy - Mixed Media Canvas

I was inspired to do a boy piece after meeting a fellow Artisan at Homestead last week.  She asked if I had anything that could go in a boys room and I really didn't, so I got to work & this is what I came up with:


When I think about boys, rock n roll and puppy dogs come to my mind so that's what I added.  The background of my canvas is layer after layer of acrylic paint, gesso and misc. papers.  The guitar, stars and flourishes are all stamps. 


I found the perfect photo and printed it on matte photo paper, then cut it out and adhered it with Mod Podge.  Once it was dry, I went around it with an orange oil pastel and added some rubons to balance out the composition.


The quote is a stamp by Cloud9 Design, it reads:

BETWEEN THE
innocence of babyhood
AND THE
Dignity of manhood,
WE FIND A
Delightful creature
OF A boy.
                                 _Allan Beck

Thank you so much for stopping by today!!
Don't be shy, let me know whatcha think ;o)
I love reading your comments!!!



Tuesday, March 27, 2012

SOUND THE ALARM!!!

We have a casualty!
This poor little guy didn't make it through tonight's playtime.  Please join me in a moment of silence.........
Good Night!!!

Next On My Crafty To Do List...

The next thing I wanna make is euro shams for my bed.  I've had the pillow inserts for months but no shams.  I just haven't found the right ones or the right fabric to make some, that is until I went to RED ;o).  I found some beautiful fabrics at the right price (75% off).  This is what I picked up:


This is a beautiful embroidered silk.  When I get around to making these, I'll share pics. 

Well, I've got my hands full of paint :o) so hopefully I'll have some new artwork to share soon. 
Have a good one & thanks for stopping by!!


Monday, March 26, 2012

RED in Fredericksburg - My Happy Place!

After we were done at the Peddlers Show, we headed into town for lunch and of course a little shopping ;o).  We into RED and let me tell you, angels started singing, my eyes lit up and with a HUGE smile, I think I even squealed.  This store is AMAZING, they have modern/transitional furniture mixed with vintage finds, jewelry, luxurious fabrics, books and so much more.  I absolutely LOVED everything there!  I snapped a few pics of some of my favorite displays to share with you:

This was one of the first things that caught my eye when I walked in.  I LOVE the organic quality of this piece.  It was displayed above a very elegant dinning table.  I wouldn't mind putting this in my casual dinning area! :o)


This artwork really spoke to me, it reminds me of my own pieces.


This display had to be my FAVORITE, these light fixtures are made from old album covers.  They were made by a design student for a class project and then they just took off.  I absolutely LOVE these aren't they great!  The table was kinda industrial with steel trim and legs.  I would love to have this set up in my studio......

This store was bursting with INSPIRATION and CREATIVE energy and the staff was so friendly!  I'm definitely going back!!  Check out their website when you get a chance: RED!!!

Come back by tomorrow to see what I bought!
  Have a Wonderful Day!!!!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Look What I Picked Up at the Peddlers Show!

I've been looking for something to put on my wall near the front door and I finally found the perfect piece at the Peddlers Show:


This part of my foyer is still a work in progress but I think hanging this above my table is a good start.  Now if I could just get the vignette on the table right.....


I'll post a new pic once I get it up on the wall,   I was gonna hang it today but its pretty heavy and I don't think the hardware on it will hold so I'm gonna have to run to Home Depot for something sturdier.

If you have any suggestions for what should go on the table, let me know!  I'd love to hear your opinion.

Until next time...

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Peddlers Show - Fredericksburg, TX

We got up early this morning and headed out to Fredericksburg for the Peddlers Show.  It was his/hers weekend so they had hunting and fishing stuff for my honey and loads of inspiration for me!  I picked up a couple of goodies that I'll share with you a little later. 

There were SO many talented artisans at the show but Debbye Fletcher from Country Relics really caught my eye with her beautiful jewelry and awesome display:


Doesn't that look great!?  I was really wishing I brought my big girl camera with me instead of my point and shoot because this pic doesn't do her display justice. I love the antique typewriter, I've been wanting one of these for the studio but haven't been able to find one.  Debbye, thanks so much for letting me take this pic for my blog :o) 

Be sure to check out Country Relics' Facebook page to see their beautiful jewelry and find out where they'll be next.  I'll be back tomorrow with more Fredericksburg goodness!!    



Friday, March 23, 2012

Feeling So Blessed

I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank all of you for coming by and joining my blog.  I read and reply to each comment but I just realized that you probably don't see my replies unless you come back to the post.  So now, I'm going to your blogs and leaving comments there; I truly truly appreciate you taking the time to come by and leave a comment.  I'm very new to blogging and I have to tell you, I feel so blessed to have found a way to connect with so many inspiring people.  I look forward to seeing your new posts and projects everyday, thank you so much for your support and friendship!


I've been busy running around taking care of some errands so I haven't had a chance to completed a new piece of art.  Today, I'm sharing a self portrait art journal page I did a few months ago.  I didn't know this was gonna be a self portrait when I started but it just kinda evolved that way.  I painted the background with some of my favorite colors and I didn't know where I wanted to go from there.  I always have this urge to draw swirls and flourishes so I just started adding some with paint and glitter glue.  Once they were on the page, they reminded me of hair so I just went with it and added a face.  When I was done, I started laughing because I thought she looked like me (in my younger day anyway, lol)  The sentiment is exactly how I'm feeling.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day!!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

New Goodies!

I had a great day in town today, I had to go in to restock my shop at Homestead Handcrafts and then to Barnes & Noble for the Hunger Games.  My son asked for it yesterday so I promised I'd go and it for him.  He LOVES to read so books are something we never say no to.  Well, Michaels just so happens to be in the same shopping center as Barnes & Noble ;o) so of course I HAD to go in, hehehe...  I scored some good clearance goodies and now I'm itching with inspiration, can't wait to start playing!!!  So on that note, I gotta run, these things are begging to be used, lol!!


Have a good one, hopefully I'll have something new to show you tomorrow!!


True Love - Art Journal Page

I began art journaling last year as way to explore new art mediums and techniques but most of all, I just wanted to have fun.  My art journal gives me the opportunity to play and use things that I probably won't use in my scrapbooking.  I work in a Canson 11x14 Mixed Media bound journal and when I first started, I went to Michaels and bought all of the different types of Artist's Loft paint sets like acyclic, gouache and so on.  These sets are great for beginners because they are so inexpensive.  You can get a twelve piece set for around $4.99.  Since they aren't expensive, I don't feel quality about wasting them when I'm playing.  Usually, the more I spend on a product the more cautious I am about how I use it because I wanna make it last (I'm kinda crazy that way, lol).  Once I got comfortable with the paints and decided which ones I liked best, I went ahead and invested in professional quality paints.  Here is a page I did last August, its the 4th page of my art journal. 

I started out by painting the background and then I just started searching through my stamps and scrapbook papers.  All of the flowers and butterflies are hand cut and the postcard was a gift from my son Anthony.


I'd like to encourage you to give art journaling a try because it is such a freeing process with no rules to follow.  I guarantee that you will have a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye while you let go and just create whatever comes to mind!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, I'd like to hear your thoughts on art journaling!


Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Photography - The Alamo

Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite picks of the Alamo.  From time to time my husband and I like to head downtown with all our sons and enjoy a bit of site seeing around our beautiful city.  These are some photos from one of those trips.

This photo was taken in one of the Alamo courtyards

I really wanted to capture the beautiful architectural details 




Thanks for stopping by, I'll be back tomorrow with some artwork or perhaps some scrapbooking!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Liebster Blog Award :o)

Today I received a wonderful little surprise from the Scrap Princess.  She is a fellow scrapper and has a really great blog; so head on over and check it out: http://scrapprincess72010.blogspot.com/


Thank you so much Scrap Princess, I really appreciate it!!

 "Liebster" is German for "Dearest". The award is a  "Share the love arrangement", given to inspirational bloggers with less than 200 followers. Here is the to do list for any of the  "Liebster" blog award recipients. 

1. Thank your Liebster Blog award presenter on your blog.

2. Link back to the blogger who presented you the award.

3.Copy and paste the award on your blog.

4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers.

5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog.

I am happy to now honor some fairly new bloggers with this award...

I'd like to pass this award on to these inspiring ladies:
1. Christina, MARSMADEIT
2. Lisa, The Shabby Horse Cafe
3.Karen, A Scraptastic Life
4. Tiffany, Vibrant Valley Design
5. Patricia, Harmony, Health and Faith

Enjoy ladies!!

Flags at Ft. Sam - Memorial Day

Every year the Scouts in our area come together at the Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery to place flags on the grave sites of the men and women who have died in military service for their country.  The scouts take on the responsibility of making sure that each and every fallen solider is honored in preparation of the Memorial Day Holiday.  As a combat veteran myself, this event is especially moving.  I'm so proud of my son and all of the other scouts who participate in this event.

I used the Vintage Nation paper pack by Paper Studio, My Mind's Eye Lost & Found, K&Company Americana Stitched Adornments & Die Cut Cardstock, Ruby Red Bazzill Cardstock and Cricut Base Camp.


I cut his photo out and used pop dots to bring it out 

A hidden note to my son

Thanks for visiting my blog!
Have a Great Day!!


Monday, March 19, 2012

Whats on your desk!?

I'm working on a scrapbook layout that I started yesterday.  I'm almost done but not quite there, feels like its missing something....  What are you working on today?



Pure Bliss

This is the last of my 8x8 canvases, guess I'll have to run out and get some more this week :o)

To create the background for this canvas I mixed Cobalt Teal Golden Fluid Acrylic with Golden Crackle Paste Medium and applied it with a palette knife.  I also dusted it with Duo Blue-Green Pearl Ex Pigment.  The Pearl Ex adds a nice shimmer to the crackle finish.

The gem heart is actually an iron-on that I found at Hobby Lobby.  The flowers and lace are made by Spare Parts.


The chipboard embellishment is from K&Company.  This collage came together so quickly once I picked my color combo.  I hope your inspired to try your own altered canvas, but I have to warn you.....once you try it, your gonna be hooked, lol! 
Have a Great Day & Have Fun Creating!!!


Sunday, March 18, 2012

HELP! Embroidery?

I'm so annoyed right now, I'm working on my grand daughter's baby blanket when my machine decides to jam.  So I cleared the jam, reloaded the hoop and hit continue.....well it continued on the wrong letter!  Now February is misspelled :o(

Any suggestions on how to fix this in a way that will look cute & deliberate?  I was thinking maybe adding a flower or button with the R.  Please help!!

Victory Lane: Disney MGM

I was going through my pics and came across this layout from our trip to Disney.  This was on  my son's 5th birthday and he was so excited to see Lightning McQueen unforntunately right after these photos were taken, he started feeling sick and we spent the rest of the day at the hotel.  He was running a fever and slept the day away, poor little guy, not the best way to spend your b-day.

Have a Great Day!!!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

My Studio/Office

Yesterday was cleaning day here at the studio, so I thought I'd snap some pics before I started my next project and made a mess again.

My studio is in our loft so my wall space is very limited.  I also share the space with my youngest son.  His side is identical to mine, he uses it for art/crafts, homework, building and displaying models. His side is still a mess, so no pics.

Most of my furniture is from IKEA.  I think their furniture is perfect for scrapbook rooms and art studios.  The large bookcase stores my scrapbook papers, books, cricut carts, ribbons, etc...  I like that my things are behind closed doors so they don't get dusty.

 I use a large set of blue prints on my desk to protect my table top.

This is my inspiration wall, I like to display the projects I've completed here.  The chaise is just visiting til it finds a new home.  We had to take it out of our bedroom when my DH bought an elliptical machine.

 Gotta have my paints & paint brushes close by!

This is next to my computer station.

The view from my desk.  Have a great day & thanks for stopping by!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Lucky!

This little cutie is called "Lucky"
The colors of this 8x8 canvas were inspired by the bright & playful colors of my Mexican heritage.  With Fiesta right around the corner, these bright colors are beginning to pop up all over our beautiful city.
  Every since April of 1891, our city has honored the fallen heroes of the Alamo and celebrates the victory at San Jacinto with a week long Fiesta.  If you've never been, you really need to try and make it at least once!

  For more information on Fiesta, check out the San Antonio Fiesta Commission website.

For this piece I used fluid acrylic, gesso, oil pastels, craft paper, a vintage hymn book, cardboard, chipboard embellishments, craft wire and glimmer mist

 The chipboard Lucky embellishment is from K&Company, Jubilee Icons

 I started out thinking of rolling hills, so I used Golden Fluid Acrylic in Green Gold

Once the green was on, I added Liquitex Gesso with a palette knife to create lots of texture.  Originally I thought these were going to be trees.

When I got back from restocking at Homestead today, I decided these needed to be flowers!  So I painted them with Holbein Gouache in Magenta.  Isn't it a beautiful color, the Artisans over at Homestead had these colors all over the place with their Fiesta items. 
I found scraps of craft paper, scrapbook paper oh & my favorite vintage hymn book for the stems & leaves.  No scrap no matter how small goes to waste in my studio ;o)  To add interest, I outlined the flowers and stems with oil pastels.

After starring at the canvas for awhile, I decided I needed more of the hymn book to balance my composition so I found another scrap that was perfect for the top of the canvas.

I started going through my embellishments and thought the "lucky" chipboard was just what I needed.  I added it to some scraps of cardboard and made a banner using craft wire.  I was inspired to add a banner because I'm been researching banners on Pinterest.  I want to add one to my shop over at Homestead but I'm not sure what I want it to look like so what better place to find examples than Pinterest, right!
At this point the canvas was looking a little flat so I added in layers of highlights and low lights to create dimension.  In the end I think I captured the playful and festive feel of Fiesta!

Viva Fiesta!!!!
Let the countdown begin!
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