Week 38 "I Wonder.."

Done! Thanks to the INSPIRATION I have been soaking in with my new copy of JOURNAL REVOLUTION - I have finished my week 38 card. I know I am GOOFY---but these CIRCLES are making me giddy. (It's a Target prescription bottle [no lid] dipped in paint. I feel so "freestyle!") Thinking the cap would be good to use to make double circles (a tad bigger than the bottle, right?) AND--that rubber color-coder ring they put on the bottles? that would make a nice THICK circle....try it!

Card sanded then prepped with two coats of Gesso. Red paint is MakingMemories; Clock face stamp is A Stamp in the Hand Co.; Art happens stamp is Catslife Press; Large alphabet is Brenda Walton; small alphabet is Hero Arts; Turquois ink is Stampin Up!; deeper blue is ColorBox Fluid Chalk Cat's Eyes in Prussian Blue; card edged with Color Box's Robin's Blue (direct to paper); pen is Zig Millineum in Pure Red.

I am joining the Army.

The Art Army, that is. Picked up THE LAST COPY of JOURNAL REVOLUTION ON THE SHELF at Barnes & Nobel last night. And once again, I am SO INSPIRED BY THESE LADIES. AND!! AND!!!! -- my hero SUZI! FINER! is featured! (Plus ROSIE...but while impressive, that is not as cool to me since Rosie never commented on my blog...but Suzi? Oh yeah. She did!)

And how is this for turning every day into a creative endeavor? My DH is foaming at the mouth over his PHILLIES team. They are in first place to get into the playoffs...and we have tickets to today's game. All well and good. I will enjoy it once I am there, I am sure---mostly because it makes him SO HAPPY. Don't get him started on how the Philadelphia Sports Fans have NEVER GOTTEN A BREAK. I, apparently, just DO NOT UNDERSTAND, having grown up in the CITY OF CHAMPIONS (Go Stillers!)....ANYWAY....I am thinking this morning how I really really would love a whole day to PLAY! WITH! MY! NEW! BOOK! and then I realize I can get one of those scorecard books at the game -- the program, right? And I can keep score and create a little journal/scrapbook of this momentous event for my DH. Win-win, right? Thank you LINDA AND KAREN! You really are inspirational geniuses!

Now which pens shall I take? Do they give you little pencils for the score book thingie?
hmmmmmmm.....do you think I can get through security with a glue stick? Sucks leaving my scissors at home.

My Art Journal "Deck of Me"...

So this week's prompt is "I Wonder" and since I am the violently curious type, there are just so many ways I could answer THAT. Have no idea where to start. So naturally, I am off on several tangents. One of which was to peruse some of the other deck of me-ers. Particularly liked this one; and this one; and this one ....and was inspired to take a photo of mine in their current "how will I keep these?" solution. These are a cheapie set of trading card sleeves/pages....if I decide to keep them in this format, I need to invest in less flimsy sleeves - and ANTIGLARE ones. But I love flippin' through them and seeing them all lined up together....like an ART QUILT! TFL!

Cathy Z Challenge! My Alphabet Mixed Tape!

Totally inspired by Cathy Z's post today--how much of a hottie is her hubby to make her Mixed Tapes?!? And an AtoZ one? Most impressive.

I thought I had til tomorrow to post on her blog for a chance to win...but seems Mr Z is already picking a winner. No fair!

Oh well...I finished mine (props to my hubby for helping me with the HARD LETTERS!) - and now I am going to actually DO A PAGE on it because I have been wanting to use that ROCK STAR paper with the guitar.....(and yes...I stopped en route home to get it. Sick obsession, yes? Oh yeah.)

OK: A to Z -- and I made sure it was actually songs I would listen to:

My Alphabet Mixed Tape:

Alone in the Dark – John Hiatt
Be Still – Kelly Clarkson
Crashed [Acoustic Version] – Daughtry
Don’t Tell Me – Joe Henry
Enough is Enough – Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand
Father Son – Peter Gabriel
Gravity – John Mayer
Hook – Blues Traveler
Iris – GooGoo Dolls OR Live
Jane – Barenaked Ladies
Killer Queen - Queen
Ladylike – Storm Large
Man in the Long Black Coat – Joan Osborne
Nobody’s Perfect - Madonna
Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello

Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae
Queen of the Night – Whitney Houston
Rehab – Amy Winehouse
Sober – Kelly Clarkson
Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper
Us and Them – Pink Floyd
Valerie – Steve Winwood
Without You – Cast of Rent
X - Xzibit
Your Own Special Way - Genesis
Zanzibar – Billy Joel

Sorry for the crappy photo! In a rush to watch CRIMINAL MINDS!

Week 38 - "Draw Something"

Catching up with my posting - this one was tough for me. I LOVE to draw - but I am SO lousy at it. Rather, I am so inconsistent - because sometimes, every once in a great while, I actually draw something I like. But the next ten or twelve attempts? Not so much. So this card is about the one time I was doodling during a (very boring) meeting at work. I drew my engagement ring...and I liked it so much I saved it (inset). And though I haven't been able to recreate it, at least now my little scrappy sketch has a permanent home on this card! Thanks, Emily, for the fun prompt!

Painted the card with acrylic blue paint; drawing done with black Pitt finepoint artist pen and Zig Millennium Pure Pink pen on notebook paper; accents done with gold Pen Touch ink pen.

I'm Behind Again! Week 36 Emily's Art Journal

Catching up! The prompt for Week 36 was "Life is beautiful." No argument there. I went in a less serious direction than my original thoughts....I've been OBSESSED with the Russian Navy blue nail polish from OPI since seeing it in Blueprint magazine while traveling...and when I got home I was on a mission to GET IT. Finally scored a bottle in WEGMANs of all places (my local ULTA was SOLD OUT!)...OK...so there you have it. I think this "navy is the new black" nail polish is gorgeous. (Now who can tell me how to get two pics to post side by side??)

Photo is from the OPI fall collection brochure. Words from 7Gypsies paper; Rhinestones applied with Diamond Glaze; edges gilded with gold pen; Sharpie Poster Paint pen in extra fine, white.

Yes, I know I am a dork...

...but I have been up since 6:30 a.m.....like a kid waiting for CHRISTMAS morning! The bike shop doesn't open until NOON so the plan was to get up, clean out Rob's car (to make room for the bikes - not sure what kind of bike rack we want yet...)....go have a late breakfast at the new little cafe I found (near the bike shop)...then GET! THE! BIKES! and go for OUR! FIRST! RIDE! So I thought I'd finish my Week 36 card and get it posted before dragging Rob out of bed!

More evidence of my dorkiness? Yesterday, Jackie and I had a manicure/pedicure while waiting to pick up Mikayla from dance class...and I had my toes painted a SPARKLY PURPLE TO MATCH MY! BIKE! I restrained myself from doing my finger nails the same color. Sticking with the RUSSIAN NAVY blue (sorry Rob, I know you hate it) but seriously, how yummy are these new Fall OPI colors?

Which way to the Tour de France?

Hee hee. For those who asked...Rob's bike is a Raleigh Route 66. Got a super deal on the 2007 model that is being phased out or replaced or whatever they do in the cycling world when they come out with new stuff! Loving learning all the bike lingo and so glad that Rob retains MUCH MORE than I do!! (I just want to get on and pedal.) Can't wait to take our FIRST BIKE RIDE TOMORROW!

Isn't she pretty?

NO LAUGHING! This weekend Rob and I will pick up our NEW BIKES! Yes....I am a "Comfort Bike" rider -- Rob, of course, is a "Road Bike" rider. I won't go into the details of the looks on the faces of the bike salesmen in the three shops we visited (how did they know I don't BEND or SWEAT willingly??) Go ahead and laugh. I am GIDDY over my new!PURPLE! bike!

I'm a posting MANIAC today!

Got the scanner working again - so I scanned in all the "daily something" entries I did before we went away. This one is my current favorite : ) The Flicker photostream on the right houses the rest of mine. Again-- inspired by Ali - the OPRAH of the scrapbooking/life artist world!

I loves me a bargain!

Remember the "All About Me" scrapbook Kit for a Cause from last year? (Can't believe it was OCTOBER when I did that!)...of course I MAJORLY scraplifted off Ali's version....and I remember loving the glittered "A" she used on the cover. Well who'd expect that a year later, I'd come across this bargain?? Look what I found in the dollar aisle at Jo-Ann Fabric today!

So as soon as I got home and unpacked my bags from my spree (LSS and J0Ann's. Yummy) - I pulled out my book and adhered my sparkly "S" to the cover. (Also read through the book....still love it. : ) Ali's style really is timeless.)

American Idol Groupies!

BLAKE LEWIS ROCKS!

Week 35 - Emily's Art Challenge - STRENGTH

This week's prompt was "Strength." After quite a bit of pondering on this one...I settled on this brief thought: "...strength - your own will surprise you when you need it most...that which you witness in others will inspire you."

Paper is KI Memories; rub-ons are Magnolia; chipboard "S" is Heidi Swapp. I used a regular blue ink gel pen (not very successfully!) for the journaling...I need to invest in some new MICRONS! Tab is from last year's Daytimer calendar pages...

Week 34 - Emily Art Challenge "Funny - ha ha"

Last week's prompt was "Funny, haha" - as in "what makes you laugh? what do you find funny?" There are lots of things that make me laugh, and that I find hilarious (much to the confusion of some of my friends and family, I am sure!) But the best laughs of late come from my nephews - two of whom we spent a weeklong vacation with last month. Eth is 14 going on 40 - his sense of humor is right up my alley. He made me laugh out loud at the most unexpected times during our vacation week -- and his BORAT imitation is my favorite. (Irreverence is funny. Sorry, moms!) Landon is always ready with a CHEESY GRIN - and his "eh-hems" and "PANTS!" inside jokes crack me up. Love you guys! Thanks for being such FUN travel mates!

xxoo

Sticker words Making Memories and 7Gypsies. "S" Making Memories "Heidi" alphabet rub-on; Black micron pen (date) and gel marker (used to color in the word "Joker"); white ink - Uniball Signa gel pen.

Week 33 - Emily's Art Challenge - 10 minutes!

Loved this challenge from Emily - you were to take 10 minutes to create your card. I opened my "stash box" and picked through for a few collage-y type things I have been "saving" (for no specific purpose, of course - just my regular pack-ratting) - and asked Rob to "time me." I stopped when the 10 minutes were up (except to add my date and "No. 33" stamp--uh-oh --did I break a rule?) The hardest part was getting the words together from the set of stickers I was working with (I wanted to write "time is up!" - but there was no "up" on the sheet....) In the end, I like the way it came out - even though I know if I hadn't put a time limit on it I'd still be sitting there agonizing -- "should I add a gilded border with silver or gold pen?" "should I add some rhinestones or glitter glue accents to her hair or gown?" "think I could fit this chandelier cut-out at the top?".....

Photo is from a magazine, the quote is from a catalog; border is collage art (printed onto matte photo paper) from Sally Jean's book "Pretty Little Things;" rhinestones glued on with Diamond Glaze; sticker words are Making Memories "Travel" set.